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Doctor Kenneth [to right in lower picture] lives in a new complex in a reclaimed sector, meaning that the area previously was undeveloped or industrial and has since given way to very upscale apartment complexes whose lower levels house elaborate shopping malls that provide all the necessary living amenities without ever needing to step into a car or tram.


As in Linnman's father's setup, Dr. Kenneth's super classy listening room doubled as the dining room. This put his speakers halfway into the space close to the sidewalls to automatically make for enormous stage depth. Riveting stuff.


Choice electronics included a gorgeous Metronome Kalista top loader with outboard power supply, a Viola Labs Cadenza 2-box preamp, Jeff Rowland ICEpower amp and Sonus Faber Homage Amati Anniversario speakers.

I'd never before seen a Viola Labs product in the flesh. Needless to say, cosmetics were elegant and refined.

This system too benefitted from a plethora of wooden feet, shelves and similar tuning devices. In keeping with the generally accepted Sonus Faber aesthetic, the sound here was exceedingly pleasant and listenable though from the persnickety HiFi perspective, it ultimately lacked somewhat in metal and air. Transients were slightly rounded over, decays somewhat truncated. Coupled to the Jeff Rowland amp's tremendous damping factor at low frequencies, the bass quality was very damped and weighty. This created a somewhat unnatural impact that lacked ringing out on the tail end. American bass I call it. It's widely admired and was aptly accomplished here.

On the other side of the spectrum, the highs and upper harmonics didn't exhibit quite the air and speed of the Hørning or Mosquito systems, focusing instead on fatigue-free midrange glory underpinned by meaty bass. Of all the systems heard, this one was perhaps the least honed to the kind of energetic tracks I'd burned to three CDs and brought with me as small tokens of appreciation to my various hosts. It put me a bit on uncomfortable footing. One doesn't visit an unknown man's beautiful home, drink his tea and tell him his system doesn't conform completely to one's own peculiar preferences. Which, in the end, is all it is - preferences. Simultaneously, honesty demands that you tell your host what you think if he asks, provided he understands that your opinion matters nothing if he's happy.

Apparently however, I was merely last in line to echo what many others before me had opined. This system wasn't singing and breathing quite as freely and unfettered as one would wish for the sake of its owner who clearly put a lot into it. Fortunately, the affable Dr. Kenneth can avail himself of the listening opportunities afforded by AE's growing circle of music lovers. He can examine options and learn what might please him more now that his tastes have changed over time since he first assembled this system. Interestingly enough, this minor HiFi criticism doesn't at all conflict with the fact that from a sheer listenability perspective, this system scored very high - far higher in fact than the Kharma setup we'll still get to. This is a good reminder about how artfully increased resolution, the balance of the three tonal elements and emotional projection power need to proceed hand in hand as audiophiles keep pushing forward in their quests. Dr. Kenneth is far ahead of the vast majority of modern systems with their synthetic tone, their bright mien and their relentlessly unnatural character. He's home free where all of that goes. He's got the comfort and leisure factor in his back pocket. It's when you want it all that the journey begins all over. It seems, Dr. Kenneth is getting restless once again...