This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below

There was a pause, then his lips stretched into a smile. “You’re right.” Hell froze over. Pigs were flying. – Jennifer L. Armentrout. Pete, Jeff and I are in full agreement. Konstantinos has achieved a fine overall balance. The sonics and the musicality blend together well and consequently the emotional impact (what we’re all after) really comes across. As I was wrapping this thing up, I decided to check out Srajan’s review of the Black Pearls integrated. In his interview with Konstantinos, I found this: "… my criteria are strictly musical. I am a musician, not pro, but heavily involved on tenor sax in quartets that play modal/modern jazz. At 13 I started on guitar but switched to saxophone at 25 and attended the conservatory where I also learnt to play a bit of jazz piano and compose on it. Hence I wanted my amplifier to sound as close as possible to the real thing. Of course everyone wants that but what I do is a comparison between the sound I have in mind from my own live performances and the sound that comes from the amplifier. Then I try to alter my circuits to produce a closer match. I pay particular attention to the timbre of instruments, natural dynamics, imaging, musicality and timing. When the music is right it touches my soul. That's when I know everything is as it should be."

I was also reminded of Srajan’s words as he concluded his review. His words are in the left column, my assessment in the right:
Attribute Check
… warmth
Focus on weight and bloom, not attack sharpness
Calm of temperament Yes it’s very composed but can—and should—be let loose to party on Saturday night without fear of sounding out of control.
Macrodynamically potent when called for
High tone density
Lower separation and airiness
More bronze than platinum on high
Great shove and pressurization down low
Meat 'n' potatoes comfort sound
Plenty of gravy, no dryness in sight
Big and bold
Primary oil colors, no pastels or water-colour washes  
Loves to rock And is no slouch on vocals, jazz, or classical for that matter.

Appearances aside - finally! I think it’s fair to say that with the Aquarius, Black Pearls Audio have added a solid performer to their line-up, so much so that I intend to make it my new reference. Building a phono stage is no trifling pursuit. Handling extremely small voltages whilst mitigating potential noise is just the beginning. There is so much more. That’s a tough job. And some would argue that it’s the most difficult job of all audio components. Cosmetics aside, the Aquarius phono stage delivers the goods that one expects of an adept phono stage but then ups the ante by moving me from the observational "listening" to being "emotionally captivated", reveling in the moment and eager to hear what’s next when the needle hits the space between the tracks.

Major wake-up call received. Konstantinos’ got talent.


P.S. I am obligated to report that there were a couple of hiccups over the course of the review. The first was a mistake on the part of Black Pearls Audio. The first shipment from Greece was lucky to have made it to my home intact. The card-board box was well beat up, with the unit sliding around freely upon delivery. Simply put, a poor packing job. Though he did mention this was his first shipment out of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos then quickly owned up to the problem, promising to improve his approach to shipping. Well, okay. What can I say? How would I even know?


Here’s how. One day, just weeks into the review, the unit stopped working. I visually checked the fuse and it appeared to be fine. My mistake this time. Had I metered it, I would have seen an open circuit. I was told to send it back. After receiving the return, Konstantinos wrote: "The only problem with it was just a blown fuse. Because of the 120V transformer, it now needs a fuse twice the amperes. So a 1A slow blow is what’s needed. I can't swear I changed the fuse to the correct one before sending it to you and a spike during turn-on blew the fuse in the end. Then you inserted a 250mA fuse* but that was inadequate (wrong labeling for the fuse for 230V didn't help). Also, I switched to a different transformer for 230V the last minute and it was too late to change the silk screen but a new sticker has now been added. Very unfortunate but it's only me to blame."

* btw, I did not put in a 250mA fuse—or any other— to replace the blown one as I did not know it was blown.

When’s the last time you heard that? It would sometimes seem as though my life was riddled with people who refuse to take responsibility. Not so with the chief cook and bottle washer at Black Pearls Audio. And when the unit was returned, it was properly crated with dense foam inserts. Stin iyia mas!
Black Pearls Audio respond: Thank you so much for this wonderful review. It's very encouraging to read all these nice comments! It was very interesting and helpful to know how the Aquarius compared to the other phono stages. I'm sorry I couldn't say more about the op-amps but this is my competitive advantage which I wish to keep secret as you'll understand. The fuse problem was really unfortunate but in the end it became the way to show you the proper packaging. The initial one was a rush to send you the Aquarius. I'm glad you enjoyed the auditions in the end. I'm looking forward to the next review of the pre/power set from 6moons.

Black Pearls Audio website