SHAKTI STONE AIR & ON-LINE AIR

review of the Shakti Hallograph Soundfield is scheduled, I won’t get ahead of myself in this review.

Well, as always, the question remains: do the Shakti Stone Air and the Shakti On-Line Air Electromagnetic Stabilizers actually work, or are they ultimately destined to go on the “return to manufacturer” list?

REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be nonsequential, as it will start with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various accoutrement, specifications, etc. Think of this review, then, as a non-linear movie —Memento, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Queen’s Gambit, In the Shadow of the Moon, etc.—that likewise starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.

The Setup

For this review, I used my most transparent and resolving electrostatic headphone system to more easily determine whether or not there would be any noticeable or dramatic benefits when placing the Shakti Stone Air and/or the Shakti On-Line Air Stabilizers on the various components.

The Shaktis, when placed upon a component or a speaker, are purposed with reducing electromagnetic, radio frequency, and microwave interference. The “how” of this patented invention is no doubt buried with the composite “stone” body and betwixt the various enclosed circuits— Microwave, RF, and Electric Field. I will leave the technical discussion for my interview with Ben Piazza.

The electrostatic review system comprises the

Tambaqui as both DAC and Streamer, the Silent Angel

Bonn N8 Pro Network Switch, powered by the Silent Angel F2 Power Supply, the Blue Hawaii Special Edition (BHSE) Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier, and the Dan Clark CORINA and the STAX SR-009S Electrostatic Headphones. Cabling is via Audience Front Row Cables and Wires and AntiCable Power Cords. Power conditioning is handled by the TORUS POWER RM20 Conditioner.

PURPOSE: The Shakti Stone Air Stabilizer is meant to go atop (or below) your componentry—CD player, DAC, Pre-Amp, Amplifier, etc.; whereas the Shakti On-Line Air Stabilizers, two per pack, are meant to go at the midpoint of a pair of wires or at the endpoints of a power cord via velcro attachment.

The Sound

After I had listened to several short tracks— Joan Shelly’s “Wild Indifference” (Joan Shelly, No Quarter), Elina Duni’s “Moneu amour” (Partir, ECM), Olafur Arnalds’ “Árbakkinn” (Island Songs, Mercury (Universal France)), Anouar Brahem’s “The Astounding Eyes of Rita” (The Astounding Eyes of Rita, ECM)—that I was very familiar with, I placed the Shakti Stone Air on the top midpoint of the Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC/Streamer. I listened again.

Immediately, the background was quieter— black quiet—some would say that the “noise floor” had dropped. This resulted in greater transparency and resolution and thus more overall detail—more information. Improved air and ambiance provided the sense of greater volume/dimensionality to the recordings of the various tracks.

But the improvements didn’t stop there. Vocals were less sibilant—no sscchhss; there was better articulation, which revealed every word/lyric as more clearly and more easily discernible. Vocalization, as a direct result, was smoother, more natural, and every track became, well, more listenable and immersive. Additional improvements came in tighter bass across bass drums and standup bass, etc.; more distinct guitar, cello, and violin plucks/strums; and more definitive, air-infused percussions. Given the reference system’s starting abilities, the level of improvement was not at all anticipated, but there it was.

Further, tonal/timbral accuracy was much improved, which certainly lent itself to the naturalness of the music, and yes, digital became more “analog-like” via the rendering of the various tracks. The Shakti Stone Air was performing as one of the best, most costeffective tweaks I’ve used in a very long time. This was not guesswork and was easily