Dear Srajan, I just discovered your latest feature about the newest Æquo Audio speakers. I got the clear impression that this was originally intended as a lengthy intro to an eventual review. I see you now backed out to leave it as a standalone story. Is this all to do with ending up far heavier than anticipated? I'm asking because it seems a shame to have put this amount of work into covering all the background tech only to stop before the payoff about what it all amounts to in your listening seat. But I guess that living alone does impose very real limitations on what things you accept for review can weigh and size at. Was this one of those incidents? I did follow your suggestion and looked at HFA and Christiaan already shows a pair of Ensium in residence so actual sonic commentary really does seem just around the corner. I simply would have loved your take on it. All the best, Charles

You got it. This project ended up far too heavy for what I can safely get in and out of robust sizable shipping materials - safely for the product and myself. Thinking over the alternative proved far too fussy. The Dutchies would have to send one or two guys over to handle receipt, unpackaging and setup, then return for the reverse procedure or remain in Ireland for a very short-term loan of a few days worth of listening to a fully broken-in pair. Altogether it seemed far too complicated and costly to organize and impose on them. So turning a preview into an industry feature seemed like the best solution. The information remains available as a background exposé on the tech and a kind of genesis story on the Diluvite project. As you saw, Christiaan already has a pair so we'll all learn soon enough what it sounds like. He's a very good reviewer, too. Srajan

Srajan, I just listened to a review of the Stack Audio AUVA isolators which were described as containing sand. I think you reviewed them in the past. Is it true that their insides are just filled with sand? That could be quite easily replicated DIY, couldn't it? I'm curious whether you can shed any more light. That review didn't really go very deep into how they work. Thank you, Ryan

Seeing that you know the brand and model names, you needn't wonder whether we reviewed them. Just look at our archives, then read up on what we had to say. That's the whole purpose of having archives. And no, AUVA don't contain sand. Their MO of particle damping can simply be visualized by how a golf course's sand bunker stops a ball without bounce that comes in at 130mph. Mechanical energies convert to heat by causing friction between moving particles. You could of course also go to the Stack Audio website where there is zero mention of sand. Whether they use lead shot, steel shot or some other mix of particles they don't state but it clearly ain't sand. And yes, particle damping could be duplicated DIY if you knew what the most effective mix was and how much of it to use. If you didn't know, you'd have to experiment like Stack Audio did. My assumption is that you wouldn't want to pack the mix very tightly so that it is free to move around a bit. After all, that micro motion is the mechanism which exhausts incoming resonances. That is further borne out by the fact that you can shake the AUVA and feel/hear that. The other half of the MO of some types of AUVA is the viscoelastic element made of custom silicon. Without knowing its special composition then being able to source it, that wouldn't easily copy. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I just came from Stereophile where Ken Micallef did a brief interview with Kevin Deal about the Auris Luminis integrated you have in your preview section. According to Kevin it has four power transformers. But your preview talks of two power transformers and four output transformers. So did Kevin misspeak or are there different versions of this machine? Thanks, Robert

The information I published was vetted by Miki Trosic of Auris and the photos submitted by him so if that's indeed how Kevin broke down the onboard iron, it would seem that he got it wrong. As our photos clearly show, there are four double C-core amorphous output transformers wound in-house (two below deck, two atop) and two toroidal AC transformers sourced from Trafomatic. Once Kevin opens up his sample to take a look, he'll see so for himself. Perhaps he'd just gotten a show sample and not sufficient time to get familiar with it? Mistakes can happen particularly in the sensory overload climate of a show. I very much doubt that there are two versions which flip the transformer recipe. Srajan

Srajan, I just read up on your intro for the new LAiV GaN amp. You include a link to Michael Lavorgna's Axpona report then mention a photo that shows the LAiV room. After some scrolling I found it but it would have been more convenient if you had hot-linked to it directly. I wasn't really in the mood to sift through a show report. Thanks, Leo

Moody Leo. Laziness and entitlement these days know no bounds. But for your information, Michael has disabled hot-linking to his photos. As the site owner and owner of said photo, that's his right so no direct link to it. Srajan

Hi Srajan, I'm looking forward to your review of the LAiV Crescendo/Chorus. As a long-time follower of Bruno Putzeys' Class-D architecture—and as owner of the Mola Mola Perca, which is derived from his methodology—I'm especially interested in how LAiV's GaN-based, minimal-global-feedback topology compares with Putzeys' tightly controlled loop approach. Putzeys' designs emphasize wide-loop bandwidth, carefully managed phase behavior, and very low output impedance, resulting in excellent linearity and load invariance. By contrast, LAiV appears to rely more on the intrinsic speed of GaN devices and reduced reliance on global feedback. It will be fascinating to see whether this approach can match the level of linearity, consistency, and low-level resolution achieved by Putzeys' designs, or whether the differing philosophies lead to meaningful divergence in sonic character—particularly in areas like microdynamics, spatial presentation, and behavior into complex loads. I know you're not doing a direct comparison to products based on Putzeys' approach but as you mentioned the divergent approaches, I'll bet you have some thoughts! All the best, Michael

I own two Ncore 500 amps which I run as mono drivers for my dual 15" subwoofer. I also own two Pascal-based monos which I used for sub duty before replacing them with the more powerful Ncore. On the speakers I use, I much prefer my class AB versions. However, there is one speaker in the house—the Virtual Viper on my desktop—which would work very well with the Bruno Putzeys amps. There I simply already run Topping class AB monos so the Ncore power my big RiPol sub which benefits from the extra muscle particularly since I run a bass shelf to have it up 5dB/20Hz which compensates for dipole roll-off. I reviewed LAiV's bigger GaN monos. Those were clearly voiced more fluid and warm than my earlier Ncore version which by contrast are overdamped, mechanical and dry on the majority of my loads except for Viper. For my taste the GaNM were actually a bit too warm or 'class A'. That's about the extent of useful thoughts I can generate on the subject. As you wrote, I won't be doing any formal comparisons against Ncore. Mine are 10 years old. That's a few generations removed from what they currently make and wouldn't constitute representative samples. Srajan

Hello Srajan, glad you're doing this review, hopefully you can find the answer to what the 4-ohm rating is on the new Laiv Chorus amp. It's not on their website or in the video, apparently it's a secret? Thanks, Steve

This amp just launched at Axpona so they rushed to have something up on the website but not just the 4Ω rating is missing. So are the dimensions and weight, power-supply details and internal photos they usually bring. It'll be just a matter of time until the product page fleshes out and we learn all. Let them come back from Chicago and get formal first production into gear. Initial sales aren't expected to commence until next month so this is early days all around. This team have always been exceptionally forthcoming about their gear so I'd expect exactly the same MO for Chorus and Beat when they're ready. Srajan

Hello Srajan, you were right, got this response this morning. Just hope it sounds killer, a great partner for Gustard R26II I hope? Best, Steve

Dear Steve, Good day! Thank you for your question. The Crescendo Chorus at 4 ohms delivers 120W continuously, with a max of 165W. Weng Fai Hoh

Hello Srajan, that was an interesting presentation by Dawid, about a Polish speaker brand designed and built in Switzerland. I looked at their site and found two more models, one already with a photo to suggest a simpler version of the V-01; and one a flagship without any details yet. Will you do the V-02 when it becomes available? Thank you, Jakub

Dawid will be pleased to read that you enjoyed his review. As to the V-02, we've not been approached yet so nothing at the moment is in the works. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I just read the latest editorial from your buddy John Darko. I'm curious what you think about it since the eight things he mentions to disregard if we're beginners do show up regularly on your site. Cheers, Malcolm

You already listed the relevant qualifier: if we're beginners. First things first, second things second and so forth. There is a hierarchy of importance and bigger things must get sorted before little things ever materialize. Once they do then get sorted, even smaller stuff pops up. And so it continues. Context matters. In this instance, remember the YouTube audience John addresses. He is perfectly correct to call attention to the primacy of the big things; and to not worry about the finer layers which—also as he mentions—tend to go hand in hand with more developed listening skills accompanied by growing care for small improvements. So what do I think about his editorial? In the specific context he wrote it for, right on is what. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I wanted to thank you for the many musical picks you have issued of late with your separate features packed with YouTube links. Even if not everything is to my taste, it's always interesting and tells me a lot about your own tastes, what you listen for and what your system is likely tuned for as a result. It looks like a lot of work so thanks for doing it. Patrick

My pleasure. In this racket, everyone always talks about "it's all about the music". I felt like putting some of that to the test beyond mere lip service. Srajan

Hey Srajan, it's been a while. Haven't seen you in Munich for some time. How have you been? Just came across your Albedo Achema review. I was quite unaware of each other's simultaneous activities. It looks like we were sampling the substantial strengths of that speaker at roughly the same time. We both published in December 2025! I'd venture to say we were in sync, finding similar qualities and reaching somewhat comparable conclusions. Man, that bass from that small driver. Also, thank you for your link to my Tokyo show report. Anyway, hopefully we bump into each other in Vienna. That's if I get there. Booked in January when I saw a really good fare via Emirates stopping over in Dubai (normally fly Singapore Airlines). Now, well, who knows what's going to happen. The world has truly gone insane. Take care Srajan. Regards, Edgar 

Hello Edgar, indeed, we double-teamed on the Achema. And yes, their transmission-line loading definitely works. As to shows, I stopped going years ago for sundry reasons I've been vocal about enough to not repeat them here. Hopefully your ticket will get you to Vienna and back to Oz as planned and you're enjoying the event and meeting its people. Thanks for the note. Srajan

Hiya Srajan, wanted to give you a heads up that on my mobile phone, your recent changes have really made a big difference and so far I'm seeing no issues at all so good job and thank you. Best, Clive

Pleased to hear it, Clive. The credit goes to my web developers. They're still working on getting the legacy archives incorporated the same way which seems a matter of just another week or two. That task is really challenging because the old static portion of the site was built with Adobe GoLive to necessitate many behavioural changes to render like the present pages in the most current form of WordPress. Srajan

Hey Srajan, I see that you're getting back into tube amps with that Auris 300B. Does this portend renewed interest in the genre or do you expect it to be a one-off? Either way, I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say about it. Cheers, George

It's been a long time that anyone asked me to. I didn't think that I had copasetic speakers but then realized that Zu's Soul VI might just work nicely. Miki at Auris thought so as well so we'll give it a go. Will it be a one-off? It depends on the outcome. I don't really own any SET-specific loads at this time. Hence I'm probably more inclined to pursue tubes in a DAC if they're more than just small-signal triode followers. But I don't have any concrete plans at the moment. Let's first see how this goes and whether I still have the DHT gene. Srajan

Thanks for the review, Srajan. I'll be sending over our manufacturer's reply. Some nice music and musicians you had there in the review. I listened to much of it. Enriching people. Louis

My pleasure. Introducing our readers to music they're likely not familiar with is the whole purpose of embedded YouTube videos. Rather than talking about music, hearing it is much better. Srajan

Hi Srajan, just read "Subcutaneous - again" and noted this seminal sentence, "if you've never worked with a properly integrated sub or two, you cannot know what you are missing." After reading about your experiences, and with a gentle prod from one of my audio friends, I purchased a KEF KC62 to complement my Vivid B1 Decade speakers. One of Vivid's owners recommended a fast force-cancelling sub to match the same driver approach on the B1D, and further said not to filter the speaker, just allowing the sub to fill in below, say 60Hz. He said in addition to a fuller bottom end, I should get a richer midrange. Of course, the diminutive KC62 was also spousal friendly, which certainly helped my case. I'll run the KC62 using its high-level speaker inputs as my Mola Mola Perca amp doesn't have subwoofer connections. I checked with MM and they said this would work fine even though some Class D amps apparently don't play nicely with this type connection. Michael

Your Vivid speakers are 3-ways so high-passing them would reap smaller dividends than a 2-way would. The real question is, what do you think about adding your new toy? Srajan

I am pleased with my first experience using a subwoofer. While I wasn't looking for the thunderous bass from the old Maxell advert, it has already made a noticeable impact though I plan to experiment further. I started with a modest low-pass setting of 60Hz. This seems to be a sweet spot which fills in the lower end where my Vivid B1 Decade speakers typically lose some heft. The force-cancelling design of the KEF KC62 matches the B1D drivers perfectly. Although I don't typically play organ music, the sub's ability to reach past 20Hz ensures those frequencies are reproduced. More importantly, the music now has a greater sense of ease. By turning down the sub's gain, the low end is supportive without being overwhelming, which also seems to have freed up the midrange. First impressions are positive. Even my wife noticed the improvement, though that may also be due to her first time hearing the system with the new Lumin X2. Michael

Srajan, glad to see your site is back up. For a few days it looked like you were hijacked but everything looks good again on my end. Thanks for fixing whatever it was. I need my daily moons fix. Cheers, Charles

No hijack, just some bounced action-call emails I never got leading to temporary suspension. Once I knew what the issue was, it was an easy fix. Knock on wood. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I just read Michael Lavorgna's review of the Imersiv D-1 DAC then read up on the maker's website. Though much of it exceeds my grasp, from what I gather it seems like a more elaborate implementation of what your Metrum and Sonnet DAC reviews have covered in the past. If so, I would be interested to learn how it stacks up to your Pasithea DAC which I still see in your bigger system. Do you have a contact at Imersiv that you could follow up on? I'd love your thoughts on it. Thank you, Pat

John La Grou and I already exchanged emails about it a while back. However, he didn't agree with my business model so that door closed. But you're correct, there have been other DACs including but not limited to Cees Ruijtenberg's which apply split-level processing. John acknowledges so himself but believes that his solution is far more advanced and yields performance not possible from these other approaches. I would be surprised if there weren't other reviews in the works already so sooner than later, you should be able to triangulate Michael's findings. Srajan

Sorry to hear it but good to know that I got the basic overlap with the Dutch DACs correct. Thanks for your quick response. Pat

Whilst living in Switzerland, I met Russian designer Leonid Burcev from St. Petersburg who then was working on his own version of this idea, including variable reference voltage on discrete R2R ladders to execute lossless volume. Treating the least/less-significant bits like the most significant bits whilst correcting the resultant amplitude offset in the analog domain increases low-level resolution where the involved voltages get minuscule. That's as far as my techno-peasant brain can follow. I'm sure implementing it is far more complex; including so-called glue logic to make it all mesh. There's good reason why I'm not parting with my Pasithea. Srajan

Hey Srajan, nice review on the Gustard DAC. Will you follow your own suggestion and do the U26 USB bridge next, hopefully while the R26II is still on hand? I'm curious how you would rate the U26 compared to your current solutions. Thank you, Robert

That will be up to Gustard. If they wish to follow up with that assignment, I'll be happy to do so. So far I've not heard anything to know what if anything might come next. Of course they've not worked with me before. They'll probably have to evaluate what I did in this review first to decide whether they like my approach and find it suitable for their audience to want more reviews. Srajan

Hello Srajan, you probably know but your website has been down for a day already. Were you hacked? Mike

Temporary glitch in the matrix that required just one phone call to the US to resolve. We're back as normal. Srajan

Srajan, as a fan of Formula 1—and having being involved when I worked for Michelin in the infamous 2005 Grand Prix race in Indianapolis, where a certain serpentine curve was much involved—I appreciated the following in the Gustard preview, "one take-away could be that the built-in clock is already too good for such chicane." Craic! Michael

Srajan, I just watched your latest Darko podcast and was surprised that in your hifi hierarchy, power delivery and resonance control booked not even a mention. I know that you take these categories serious because you cover them repeatedly. In fact, right now a Stack Audio isolation platform is awaiting its 15 minutes of glory in your preview section. Why then not mention these component classes to an audience that might not have considered them before? This struck me as out of character for you or an oversight so I had to mention it. Otherwise, good job. Cheers, Nigel

Given John's focus, keeping it simple was my tactic. He caters to his audience where discussing power filters, cables, isolation footers, equipment racks, LAN filters and such already borders on voodoo. So he generally sidesteps or soft-pedals these topics. Bringing them up now in what was meant to be just one talking point of many in a longer dialogue would have necessitated too many explanations and detours to fit the occasion. But you're perfectly correct, I do rate these categories as important and cover them on this site. Srajan

You make a good point which I hadn't considered but which then brings up another good point. Why would one limit coverage to topics a given audience accepts and deliberately omit others that might challenge them? Isn't the job of people in your position to educate not avoid potentially opposing reactions? Cheers, Nigel

The volatile climate of a YouTube comments sections could be one reason, the click-thru algorithm behind YouTube another. If you publish content on topics a given video audience has no interest in to log off quickly, viewing stats tank and with it, residuals. Catering to the almighty algorithm and the audience which feeds it has to be a core mechanism for YouTubers who want to be successful. Participating on John's podcast has him be host, me guest. When you're in another man's house for dinner, you accept and honour his rules and style and eat what he serves. That's just common courtesy and respect. Srajan

More good points, Srajan. I see that you thought this through. I guess this explains why you've not incorporated shooting your own YouTube videos? I've followed you for years covering the full spectrum of hifi without any bias or worries about how readers might react. If success with YouTube is a function of catering to the algorithm and not really challenging one's audience, it wouldn't seem to suit your style. Okay, I think I get the picture now. Thanks. Cheers, Nigel

That's a big part of it. I consider myself like a maverick chef without a fixed menu. People come to my little eatery and are served whatever happens to be fresh that day and caught my fancy. Occasionally they may not fancy the options so opt to come back another day. Another reason is the amount of production time required to do quality videos. I enjoy easeful content creation where writing and publishing in WordPress have become virtually second nature. Shooting and editing video would be far more time-consuming even after investing a few years of learning all the ropes. At this point in my career, I don't find that appealing because I don't see the upside. I get my monthly podcast fix with John covering the video editing and hosting bits from his end. That's an ideal work split as far as I'm concerned. Srajan

Gotcha. If I may get back to your hifi hierarchy, on this site, where would you place power delivery and resonance control? Cheers, Nigel

The unholy trinity of room, speaker and amp remains. That's public enemy N°1 so getting the right speakers set up correctly in a given room then finding an amp that drives them properly is the first task. If it's not a nearfield setup, I would pursue a stereo 2.1 system from the very start which implies a subwoofer and hi/lo-pass filter solution allied to 2-way speakers. Once a sub is in play, resonance control between it and the floor becomes vital particularly on suspended flooring. What proper isolation solves in that context is a bigger step than any preamp/DAC decision. Power delivery quality can come next; or not. Much depends on personal circumstance; who else hangs off the same grid etc. The rest of it continues as laid out in the podcast. Srajan

Srajan, I just read and watched reports on the recent Danish launch party by HifiKnights, HifiPigs and The Audio Analyst. It looks like really amazing product and a fantastic cultural opportunity. I wonder why you didn't go? Are you no longer covering interesting events like it? Thanks, Rob

You just answered your own question, Rob. You already read about the same event on three different sites and I'm sure more are in the works. Just how many versions of the same thing do you need? I'm not in the photocopying business. Srajan

If you put it that way, I can see your point. Still, aren't you curious to experience this level of product for yourself? How often do such opportunities even present themselves? Rob

€1'000'000/pr speakers you mean? That's not my bailiwick nor that of my audience. Like everyone else, I have limited time. Reviewing things within my own four walls is what I do. So I no longer travel to do shows, factory tours or launch events. Plenty of my colleagues love to travel, attend hifi-related events then create content around their attendance. Anyone interested in such coverage already has plentiful options. They don't need me to do more of the same. I've planted my flag in a very particular place. I'm not at all motivated to change particularly as I watch the changes in the audio review space and mushrooming YouTube channels. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I see you're working up a review of a Josep M. Gallart speaker. Did you know that he also designed all the Lorenzo Audio Labs models? It seems a note to that effect would be well deserved in your writeup and give credit where due. We don't have that many good speaker designers in Spain and Josep is one of our really excellent ones. I'm looking forward to your listening impressions. Alejandro

I was aware of Josep's work with Miguel Castro after the latter left Kroma. But Josep didn't want it mentioned to instead focus this review solely on his own brand. That seemed like a very reasonable request to which I acceded.  Srajan

I see. Fair enough. If their split wasn't the happiest, he may not want to promote a collaborative venture he left to pursue his own. Still, I am pleased to know that you were aware. Alejandro

Hi Srajan, I'm a Swedish man interested in hifi—not an enthusiast or nerd—enjoying some well-earned vacation in Thailand. At the hotel reception there are some figures sitting around and when I frst saw them I got this déjà-vu feeling. Today half-asleep at the beach, it came to me. I've seen those figures before! I've seen them in front of your hifi rig! I thought it was a bit funny. No hifi rigs here though. Take care, Karl 

Indeed. Whilst mine execute in clear bronze and these might be carved wood, it's definitely the same series of musician figures. We got ours whilst living in Villeneuve on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Past the lake on the motorway towards Aigle, there is a very large warehouse of Asian imports on the right whose owner does direct sales whilst also supplying European retailers elsewhere. We used to love going there because the two-storey warehouse was impeccably appointed with furnishings, fabrics and more from India, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and more. So yes, your spider senses were in good order and tingled correctly. Enjoy your holidays! Srajan

Thank you! I've read some of your reviews on 6moons and listened to your Darko podcasts, especially the one on subwoofers and their different settings. A superb episode! I've bought a Lyngdorf tdai-1120 to easily adapt the system to my space with RoomPerfect. The result was satisfactory with my prior floorstanders. Now I've exchanged them for monitors and am thinking of adding a couple of subs. Not decided on which ones yet though thinking of Lyngdorf's own or perhaps REL. I thought I should take the opportunity to ask your opinion on Lyngdorf's own subwoofers and their Boundary Woofer tech. In your podcast and all other information I've found, the crossover is normally set to ~50-100Hz. However, Lyngdorf's Boundary Woofer technology puts it as high as 500Hz. It sounds illogical but then I'm no professional. But it sounds interesting to make use of those pre-programmed crossover settings in the tdai-1120 when and if combined with a (couple of) Lyngdorf sub/s. It would be very interesting to hear your take on this and whether it has any pros compared to a normal crossover setting at, say 70Hz. Perhaps more people than me are wondering and perhaps you (and John) could/should do a follow-up on that superior prior subwoofer episode? Thanks again, take care! Karl 

I confess to being unhip about Lyndorf's special subwoofer integration model so couldn't offer anything from personal experience. John owns a Lyndorf integrated with smart bass management and has reviewed other Lyngdorf models so might have come across it already? It might be worth asking him. Srajan

Srajan, I just came from HifiKnights and HifiPig who had recounts of their recent visits to Aalborg for the launch party of Børresen's M8 Gold speakers and the matching Aavik class A monos. And it struck me that this type product, particularly the speakers, is essentially unreviewable, never mind the logistics of shipping, delivering and setting up gear of this size, weight and cost. The reviewer too must have a suitably sized fully treated room and ancillaries to match. Who possesses all the necessary qualifications? Do you think we will see any reviews of this stuff? If so, any guess as to who might do the honours? That's all from me today. Cheers, Henry

I just had a chat about this very topic with John Darko after taping today's podcast. We see it the same way. Such product is basically unreviewable. It's why inviting members of the global specialty press to a show'n'tell event hosted so controlled by the manufacturer for hopefully optimal demos is a far more practical solution. The various online or print-media reports which this generates—the understood quid pro quo of having been invited in the first place is to generate such copy—serve as proof-of-life sightings. Ideally they'll be peppered with enthusiastic anecdotal impressions. Those do the work of classic reviews—give the product visibility. The rest is up to key dealers who can afford to set up such a multi-mill demo system and have the appropriate clientele; or the factory itself with their own demo facility. Invite 10-20 members from the press and a single system, no shipping involved, generates 10-20 mentions in sundry media. Paying for flights and accommodations is a far more efficient approach to building quick comprehensive coverage than, one painfully costly shipment and reviewer at a time, pursue the old-fashioned route. Such coverage doesn't need controlled review conditions. It doesn't masquerade as formal reviews. It's anecdotal like traditional show coverage; just far more focused. The wine'n'dine aspects add an affluent atmosphere and generosity. Do people of deep means capable and happy of dropping €3.5M on a hifi rely on reviews to make their purchase decisions? As long as they know desirable super exclusive product exists, they'll beat a path to it if the looks and concept speak to them. It's how the event coverage serves its purpose. Do I think there will be formal reviews? Not really. But I could well imagine Hong Kong's top reviewer writing informal impressions of such a system collected at his local dealer's for the region's top hifi print magazine; and similar such scenarios in key markets like Seoul, Sidney, London, NYC and such when the time comes for a second wave. I just have no guess about particular personages doing it. Apparently only five pairs of these speakers can be built per year. If this system remains set up at the factory, why wouldn't interested clients fly there to hear it just as the participants did for this event? As long as the invited press covered a broad-enough spectrum of readers to connect with prospective buyers, the event will have served its purpose. No formal reviews necessary. Srajan

Hey Srajan, saw the thumbnail for a forthcoming YG review. Good man. You've never done a Wilson or Magico so it's good to see you finally enter their league. I'm not sure why you're sticking to their entry-level range but okay. Just make sure you have proper amplification for these regardless. They really scale up based on what they're fed. Cheers, Fred

This is still contingent on logistics since their European operations headquarter in the UK which left the EU. That has complicated shipping procedures and paperwork required for shipping within the EU. As to going with the Peaks range, Jonathan Valin, Robert Harley and Jason Serinus already specialize in big expensive speakers and have the exposure and ancillary context to do them justice. I'd rather focus on things within reach of a larger audience. If you've paid attention, my main amplifier is Kinki's 300wpc Dazzle which certainly will be appropriate for the chosen task at hand. Srajan

What happened to the Gustard R26II review? I can't find it anymore. Are you working on it to have made it temporarily invisible? Or did you cancel it for some reason? I hope not. I've been looking forward to it. Chris

After repeat inquiries to my factory contact went unacknowledged and unanswered, I pulled the preview. I can work with delays because things happen. But a lack of communications isn't acceptable especially with people I've not worked with before. It's disrespectful and screws up my schedule. So yes, most likely this review is cancelled unless my guy resurfaces with a good reason for his disappearance and renewed firm commitment. Srajan

PS: A week after posting the above, my guy just resurfaced with a tracking # and answers to my questions so the review is back on and reactivated in the preview section. Apparently not having a unit to ship until now had him decide to not respond until he had good news. So you're in luck unless the gremlins at Shannon customs decide to interfere. Of late they've been in a foul mood. Srajan

Wow, Srajan, that was quite the epic on Zu's Method models. Given the many different systems you tried them in, this was a super comprehensive exploration. I appreciate that this having been your first go-around with two subs, you don't feel in a position to comment categorically but just relative to this experience in your upstairs room, would you keep two of these subs if you could? I think that alone would tell me what I want to know. Thanks. Brian

In my quite symmetrical rooms with classic symmetrical system layouts, one big sub is plenty and two are an extravagance which, mostly, just takes up space. It obviously can go twice as loud but already one can do way more loudness than I let it. I can appreciate that theoretically, in a bigger or very irregularly shaped room, multiple subs could even out peaks and troughs in the response to sum into more linearity given that each position will trigger a different room response. But with my centre-stage sub position halfway between the speakers, I didn't hear more evenness from two subs; just more darkness from more LF in the room. That had that relaxing easing effect I described. But I've already gone back to a single sub upstairs which looks neater, is just as impressive but doesn't create quite the same darkness. So without making any generalized statements, that's my response to your question and hopefully told you what you wanted to know. Srajan

Srajan, in your unfolding Canor I4S review, your factory contact Ivan mentions that its transistors do away with the usual degeneration resistors which your explanation refers to as a form of feedback that seems to be other than the usual global and local feedback loops. If I got this right, does this imply that even so-called zero-feedback amplifiers may use this form of feedback? I seem to recall having read about this subject in one or another of your Nelson Pass amplifier reviews but I can't remember which. Do you by any chance know of other amplifiers or brands which let their transistors run without those resistors? Thank you. Ken

Hello Ken, this kind of goes beyond my - um, ken. My assumption is that degeneration resistors are a default solution so very common. Does this imply that if not outright mentioned as being absent, so-called no-feedback amplifiers still use them? That I couldn't tell you but the way Nelson wrote about it, I got the sense that yes, they do get used but go unmentioned. By now we're into technical details far beyond my grasp. I can only say that in 23 years of doing this, I've only come across two mentions of no degeneration resistors: FirstWatt and now Canor. From that I assume that it's rarely done. Srajan

Hello Srajan, thank you for your review. I just finished reading it. There is an ocean of information in the writing. One must re-read to digest it. With that, you come to the conclusion that the amp is something special. I appreciate your kind words and your strong efforts. If I may ask, could you replace my photo with this one? Apparently I am much older now. Also, can you increase the font size by 2 points? Please wait a few days as we are checking who might be interested in taking possession of the amp next. Best, Jack

Yes, age happens to the best of us. I already swapped the image. To increase the font size, simply hit ctrl + on your keyboard. That enlarges it to anything you like. Of course the photos will lose resolution but the text will keep getting bigger. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the information contained. It means that I'm doing my job rather than letting AI write my reviews for me. Cheers. Srajan

Hey Srajan, for once a software not hardware query for you. I really liked the Rafael Cortés Oasis album to which you linked one of its track in recent reviews. Do you have any other recommendation in the same genre I could look into? I would much appreciate it. Frank

Sure thing. Here are some artist names: Paco de Lucía, Vicente Amigo, Antonio Rey, Gerardo Nuñez, Chicuelo, Tomatito and his son José del Tomate, Juan Carmona, El Nino Josele, Dani de Morón, Josemi Carmona, Daniel Casares. That should get you started on ace contemporary guitarists in the genre. Srajan

Hello Srajan, a news post on fairaudio which I know you read just announced a new Cayin tube headphone amp. I see you're listening to the Woo 2A3 right now. Any chance you could look at a Cayin that also doubles as speaker or preamp next? Thanks for your consideration. Love your work. ATB, Frank

Cayin contacted us twice directly from the factory about a review and I had a writer lined up ready to go. Each time the accepted assignment came to nothing for reasons I don't know. So that train has left the station, sorry. It's curious that your letter and the one prior to it had me give pretty much the same answer. It makes it look like it happens a lot. It doesn't. This is just a mini cluster. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I keep checking back on the FiiO Warmer preview and noted that it's sold out pending new production. Why would they contact you for a review then not have a unit available? Isn't that backwards? Thank you, Theo

I rather think that they might have been caught out by unexpected demand. And when in doubt, fill orders. After all, that's what reviews are supposed to stimulate. If you get plenty of orders without reviews, you might as well postpone the latter. However, that's not what happened here. By the time my number came up, inventories had depleted. So I'm pencilled in for the next run. Nothing wrong with that at all, just how the cookie can crumble at times. Srajan

Hey Srajan, I just read your latest review post and at the very end, Joël Chevassus makes reference to his French magazine. I wasn't aware he had that. Do you have a link? Thx, Maurice

It's here but in French only and managed as discrete-issue PDF downloads. Srajan

I just saw a review in which you mentioned you live in Ireland. I am looking forward to meeting some audiophiles in Ireland. Regards, Gregory

I do live in Ireland. But I'm a very private person and don't really mingle with audiophiles, sorry. Srajan

Very nice work on the Hattor ARP, sir! Cheers, Dawid

Thanks. You gave me a good head start with your own review. Srajan

Dear Srajan, between the two Audalytic desktop minis you recently featured to the pending FiiO Warmer DAC, the already previewed Laiv Verse and Luxsin X8 in your news room, the +/- €500 space really seems to be heating up. It's like a new golden age for hifi shoppers of smaller wallets. I'm really looking forward to your Warmer review. I saw John Darko's take on it and am curious what you'll make of it. I know that you're getting the Verse next. Any plans to review the X8 afterwards? All the best, Frank

You and I see the same Golden Age in action as we speak. Indeed, it's nearly shocking how discrete R2R conversion, pin-configurable I²S, balanced tubes and AI-assisted DSP now show up well below €1K. On the Warmer assignment, I just sent my FiiO contact a reminder that my preview is getting a bit stale and requires ears-on comments to complete. Hopefully that sample will materialize shortly. As to the Luxsin, I just learnt of it the other day. With the X9 I had to request a firmware update to defeat its always-on Bluetooth which gave me foggy brain syndrome. They did respond very quickly, too. I don't know whether Bluetooth defeat now bakes into their menu by default. If not, I couldn't review the X8. Getting headaches isn't my idea of fun. Plus, designing electronics whose UHF radiation transmitters are always live when not in use is simply poor practice and nothing I want to support by covering it. To be fair though, Luxsin haven't contacted me to review the X8 so it's still very early days there. I might be facing a similar issue with the Gustard R26II DAC and its Bluetooth 5.1 module. Despite repeat inquiries, my contact hasn't confirmed whether that is user selectable or not. If not, that review will have to cancel and turn into a proof-of-life industry feature. Srajan

Srajan, read about the import troubles with your latest Chinese DAC sample. As someone never having imported hifi gear from abroad to know the ropes, how are value declarations and related border-crossing fees usually handled? Just thought I'd ask someone with obvious experience in the matter. Thanks, Jeremy

Low-balling value is the oldest trick in that book and customs are obviously hip to it. Their default response to undervalued suspicions is to demand proof of purchase aka PoP. They want to see a cc or wire-transfer transaction receipt to show them what you paid for the item. If you live in Ireland, you then pay 23% off that; plus marginal handling fees. Some web shops include all those fees in the original transaction and when such shipments show up for customs clearance, they get whisked right through. As a reviewer, my situation differs. I can't provide proof of purchase. When Irish customs challenge the value declaration the shipper made, I have to explain the short-term loaner nature of the shipment then get the sender involved since customs won't simply take my word for it. That usually does the trick. In this instance the customs inspector got it in his head that the shipment is a nearly €3K component when in fact it retails at €700. Will he admit his mistake and clear it based on the included commercial invoice? Will he dig in his heels because he believes he is being scammed? Impossible to predict. But this is peculiar to loans not outright purchases. If you purchase from a credible online reseller—say for example Audiophonics.fr which I've used a lot—you prepay VAT at checkout and that's the end of it. If you order from outside your country's trade union, proof of payment is the mechanism whereby your domestic customs establishes the amount of VAT to be levied on your shipment should they challenge the original declared value. What prompts the latter I've not been able to ascertain. Some big heavy stuff from 1st-world origins makes it through like greased lightning; some small lightweight stuff from cheap-goods countries gets treated like lepers. In short, it's a crapshoot. But again, this is specific to commercial samples and the constantly changing regulations around them. Outright purchases can be easily verified so there's really nothing to it if the vendor conforms to regulations. Srajan

Srajan, you sly old dog. Your review of it didn't let on but your latest industry feature stated that you bought yourself that SPL Crossover. Congrats. It looks like a well-fitted piece of kit and it was reassuring to read that what for a line-level component are unusually high voltage rails has an audible not just measurable benefit. Given this great first showing for the brand, will you take a look at anything else from them next? This review would seem to have you poised to pick what you like. Here's to their stereo amp. Cheers. Frank

I doubt that SPL will pursue a formal review involving a typical loaner sample. I think they expect such marketing efforts from their distributors and Ireland doesn't seem to have one. It's why I couldn't secure a sample years ago of the original Crossover so bought this one blind. I took a gamble that it would be what the specs promised. It worked out swell indeed but I simply don't expect any follow-up from their end to pursue a formal review through the usual channels. I'm certainly not going to buy stuff just to review it. Srajan

Dear Srajan, last May you published a short feature on an upcoming aune flagship headphone called the AR9000. Do you have any updates on when it might become available; and what if anything has changed from the original renders and images that were circulated? Ryan

My contact at aune is well aware of my interest in the AR9000 so I'm sitting pretty feeling confident that when the time comes, she'll let me know. Until then on the A9000 I know nothing, see nothing and hear nothing other than what I published in that old feature; sorry. I'm as uninformed as the next person until aune pull the curtain. Srajan

Dear Srajan, of all the current webzines and channels, could you recommend me a handful you trust to cut down on the clutter and focus on the most meaningful content? Thx, Ken

I'm not really hip to hifi-related YouTube channels to have much clarity on who is who to have built up personal trust scores on specific individuals. I really only watch John Darko. Of the websites I canvas, Dawid Grzyb at HifiKnights and Christiaan Punter at Hifi Advice are personal regulars. I also read what Roy Gregory at Gy8 and Herb Reichert at Stereophile contribute. But you asked about "the most meaningful content". That I couldn't possibly answer. What is meaningful to me as a publisher and fellow reviewer could differ profoundly from what you consider meaningful. In any event, these were a few names and URL which I enjoy. Srajan

Srajan, I keep checking on your Gustard R26II preview for updates. It seems that perhaps you haven't received your sample yet but surely the background info you asked for on the brand should have arrived by now? Like you I haven't been able to find anything solid on Gustard other than very generic statements repeated verbatim across various websites. It's why I keep checking back on your pages. I take it you haven't learnt anything worthwhile sharing yet? Best, Peter

Correct. I've asked repeatedly and gotten nothing. Now I stopped asking. It's how it goes, sometimes. I always endeavour to use my platform to extend our community's knowledge pool. But other than offering, my hands are tied when manufacturers don't care for the opportunity. It's a routine observation shared with colleagues at other publications that in our sector—it's probably true elsewhere too but I'm most familiar with hifi—many brands absolutely suck at telling their own story. C'est la vie. So I agree with you. I had expected background data and factory photos by now. Fingers x'd? Srajan

Hello Srajan, enjoyed your review of the LHY PSU. Just curious, were the proper cables included to connect the supply to both Pre & Dac? Thanks, Steve

Absolutely, the same umbilicals as shown in the intro collage. Srajan

Hey Srajan, I saw news posts on Darko and Hifi Pig and now also your site about iFi's new flagship headphone amp. Will you review it? Best, James

I note its antenna port which suggests WiFi/BT. iFi thus far have made those radiation transmitters non-defeatable when not in use which gives me physical headaches. Unless that model has changed that to where those transmitters can be defeated, I wouldn't review it; not that I've been asked to in the first place. Srajan

Srajan, in your short DSD piece, you show a red 10Gbps USB cable. Is that something you use or recommend or just a general reminder that you were using USB not Ethernet? Thank you, Kevin

It's a USB-C cable I use. It was ~€30 on Amazon. I didn't have one properly terminated USB-C so instead of using an adapter, I got this one. It's a Chinese USB 3.1 affair made for high-rez video so with bandwidth to spare for audio. It works perfectly so for that and being cheap I could recommend it.  Srajan

Hiya Srajan, I've got a quick question. Are you still listening to the Virtual Hifi Viper speakers? Steve Huff is selling a pair for $2'000 which looks like a fantastic price. I'm thinking about them and wanted to know whether you still like them and would recommend them. Thank you, Fred

Look at my latest desktop p/reviews and you'll see a white pair of Viper. I adore them but have also curated my system around them; and run one of them in high-pass mode because otherwise in my nearfield situation the bass gets too pronounced. Because it is a deliberately fulsome dense dynamic speaker, I drive them with very lucid neutral but powerful Topping mono amps. I don't know your tastes or listening space but in mine and for mine, I really love them. Srajan

My room is 12' x 16' and my amp is an older Cambridge integrated. Do you think that would be a good combination? Fred

These speakers want power to come alive; and could actually prefer a room that's a bit bigger than yours. So no, your situation is probably not ideal to hear these at their best, sorry. Srajan

My model is the Azure 651a. Do you think that is enough? Fred

That was a 75wpc amplifier. Have you even taken a look at Virtual's website and their recommendation for 200 watts? It's your money to spend so you don't need anyone's permission or blessing, certainly not mine... but since you asked, no I don't think that will be a particularly happy match. I looked at one review on the Cambridge and under negatives it listed tubby bass. That's the last think you'd want with these. Just because this pair is going for a really good price doesn't make it a good buy if it's a mismatch with what you have. Srajan

Okay, thank you for giving me your honest opinion. Fred

Hello Srajan, I'm happy to see that you will be reviewing the SPL crossover. Its specs and features are very good but finding actual user feedback or seeing what the insides look like has been impossible to do proper due diligence. How soon do you think your listening impressions will drop? Looking forward to them. Ralph

I tried in 2021 to review the original version but couldn't get a sample. I had more luck this time. Unless the innards are protected by tamper-proof bolts or equivalent mysteries beyond my skills and tools, I'll take the usual photos. Shouldn't be long. Srajan

Srajan, as you've played around with the different audio formats and sampling rates, have you come to any firm conclusions? I realize that personal preference probably rules the day but I'd be interested in what you like. Currently I have two listening modes: in Roon I use its engine to upsample any PCM files to DSD128. On the Lumin app using Qobuz Connect, I employ the MQA Labs QRONO d2a filter. What do I prefer? Hard to say as they're both pleasing! All best, Michael

That's for the desktop where my DSD limit over USB is DSD256 (512 over LAN). In the main system, the Sonnet Pasithea does no DSD so I can't compare. Upstairs, the Cen.Grand does no PCM so I can't compare. Srajan

This digital world is not as straightforward as one would believe. I almost yearn for the time when my biggest decision was the best cartridge for my Technics turntable. Okay, now that I have written that I now need to take it back. When properly managed, with expectations tempered, digital has it all over analog. Thanks for your thoughts! Michael

VTA. Proper tracking force and overhang. Pops and crackles. Speed changes. Cleaning. Warps. Scratches. A/B flips. Change from DSD to PCM at will, alter a digital filter, tweak a setting in player software, change the sample rate. What's easier and more convenient? Both approaches have their own learning curve and best results depend on paying very close attention but it's hard to argue that digital is more convenient, no? That's before we add the whole virtualized angle whereby a digital library needs to take up zero space other than a small SSD whilst record storage gets big quickly. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I seem to remember you growing up in Germany to probably be familiar with the Nibelungen saga. I happened to click on the Voxativ banner on your news page and read through their descriptions of the Alberich² speaker. In them it says "the name Alberich harkens from Wagner’s Ring Cycle. She is the king of the dwarves and the powerful mother of Hagen - both are small in scale but when combined, they pack a powerful punch." You might want to nudge Marie Adler that Alberich was Hagen's father not mother; and that if she were the king of dwarves, she would really be the queen, wouldn't she? It's trivial of course but if one invokes myths, shouldn't one get the basics correct? Viele Grüße, Dieter

Quite. So in my review I refer to Alberich as the king of dwarves. I alerted Marie who appreciated the note. Thank you. Srajan

Srajan, in anticipation of Simone's upcoming Schnerzinger review, I have done some reading up on the subject on their website. Though I don't understand the details, it does read like very interesting and credible technology even if it hasn't received much attention from the mainstream press. Will you do a follow-up like you so often do with Dawid? I get the impression that with your WiFi allergy, some of the Schnerzinger models could be right up your street. Either way, thanks for continuing to scope out unusual product sfor our edification; and letting your contributors have some of the fun, too. Simone certainly has landed some choice assignments since he started writing for you. Best, Brian

So far this is Simone's exclusive gig. He put it together with a regional dealer who proved amenable to supplying him short-term samples from his stock. I'm curious myself to what he will report. You're correct, I'm attracted particularly for my office and my general sensitivity to UHF radiation. Whether I'll get a chance to experience this German tech for myself will depend on what the Schnerzinger team and Simone's dealer think of his review; and whether it'll warrant a follow-up in the first place. Thus far no formal twofer is planned as is currently in the works for Hattor. But the idea has certainly occurred to me so we'll see what develops. And yes, Simone is having fun and pursuing things which interest him. Why otherwise bother spending your weekends on hifi writing when you are happily married and have a full-time day job as he does? Srajan

Srajan, will you review the Orchard Audio Valencia amplifier? You have covered a lot of headphone amps of late and this one is getting good buzz. I'd like your take on it. Thanks, Jeff

I've looked at it. It combines an SMPS with 24 opamps in a half-empty chassis for which it seems rather expensive. And of course it's a pure amp so needs a preamp or variable source with preferably analog volume; and is purely balanced. It's uniquely positioned but I'm not inclined to pursue it. I also wouldn't have speakers happy with just 8 watts so couldn't test that half of the equation. Srajan

Srajan, any idea what Albedo will let your sample pair of Achema go for? Charles

No idea. That's none of my business. It'll be between the buyer and them. My only involvement is publishing the announcement; and handing the goods over to the lorry driver. It makes no difference to me whether the label says Albedo/Italy or Krystzof/Poland. Cristiano simply asked whether I had any friends that might want this pair and I explained that I live far too rural for anyone to appreciate hifi beyond a big wall-mounted telly and perhaps a soundbar beneath it. So this announcement on my site is a short-lived experiment to turn B-stock into a sale whilst saving return freight to Italy. If there's no interest, he'll retrieve them. I've not been asked this before so no idea whether it'll work. Srajan

Srajan, the Enleum AMP-54R does read like a very special product indeed. Nice find. However, I'm with you that Mr. Chae's "form leads function" approach led to strange design decisions: crammed binding posts we can't get at to hand-tighten spades; a display that's like an unconventional watch which is hard to read so defeats the purpose; and a noisy attenuator. I watched the gushing Steve Huff review which mentioned none of it. Do you think your sample might have suffered a noisy resistor ladder? And what did you make of the idea to issue a platform just to raise up the amp's terminals so spade-terminated cables can exit properly? As your review implied multiple times, aren't we asked to suffer for his beauty ideal in ways that just don't gel with a flagship effort which is priced accordingly? Even operating the last nine steps of attenuation across just 0.4dB is a very strange detail execution. Finally, going from 200 watts into 4 ohms to 247 watts into 2 ohms really isn't impressive. Given the lengthy gestation period you also covered, I'm left to wonder whether Enleum shouldn't spend extra time on better functionality and less on chasing design awards. Thanks for hearing me out. Trevor 

I'm obviously in agreement. I made two suggestions to Soo In which would address the spade conniption. 1/ create a cut-out in the overhang above the terminals so our fingers can get to them; 2/ use properly hexagonal posts which can be tightened by standard socket wrench as could the Cardas posts he used at Bakoon. He countered with the idea of crafting a tightening tool that can interface with the existing WBT nut geometry so seemed reluctant to change anything about the design per se. As to the clicking popping resistor ladder, that might not be an issue in conventional integrated mode where one will operate below 30 on the dial and only make small up/down adjustments from track to track whilst music plays. In my case, I traversed 0-50 rapidly for fixed-gain power-amp mode. As the amp's gain increases, the switching transients get louder. Where they start to get really annoying is probably beyond where most integrated mode users will ever go. Perhaps that's why Steve Huff didn't mention it. If he used banana-terminated cables, he might not have thought of spade scenarios. In any event, I don't believe my sample was defective in any way. One, it came directly from Seoul for the very latest firmware update. Two, Soo In and Michael his marketing manager readily acknowledged the issue. It's there but possibly quite hidden when one uses the AMP-54 as an integrated. As to the lack of massive power scaling into 2Ω, that's directly down to a very compact power supply. My Dazzle integrated uses dual 800VA transformers, the d'Agostino my review referenced a 2kW humdinger. If one insists on as slim-line a form factor as this amp does and won't use switching power, something has to give. Here it's raw low-impedance power. The question is, do you need more than it provides? If not, not power doubling will be of no concern other than having lost those bragging rights. Srajan

Hi Srajan, I was just about to write you. Truly enjoyed the Enleum review - both honest about its quirks/turn-offs but also very spot on about what it does really well. I'm still waiting for the 2Ω etc data and will forward shortly. Thanks, Michael

Yo Srajan, congrats on your latest desktop additions. Nice setup and killer writeup. Will you compare it to the incoming bigger Gustard? Wouldn't it be funny if they overachieved and most the R2R goodness already lives in that small box? I'm sure other readers would like to know so please include that comparison in the R26II review. Best, Jimmy

It's a plan. Not sure though how soon those samples might arrive. It could be a while. Srajan

Hello Srajan, just saw your preview of this new Le DAC3 Dac/Streamer from Métronome. Looks pretty promising. Hope you can review and compare it with your upcoming bounty of Dacs. Any idea on pricing? My guess would be roughly $3'000. Of course less is always better. Personally, coupling it with an icOn Zen would be killer. Thanking you in advance, Steve

That was a news post not preview, Steve. I don't have a price or would have listed it. And I've not been asked to review it. Yet? Remains to be seen. But agreed, a Pál Nagy AVC on its outputs could be terrific. Srajan

Srajan, I just read your addition to the FiiO Warmer preview. It's completely mad to learn that the heads at Psvane, Linlai and whoever else in China still makes tubes would be this uncooperative and refuse to work with a large-scale and popular hifi manufacturer like FiiO that is openly getting into tubes. They have a chance to break into a market segment which the established tube audio brands overlook by being too expensive. You would think that's the proverbial ground-floor opportunity for any maker of tubes. Apparently not. I am scratching my head. Still, thanks for getting us this memo from the head at FiiO. Very unexpected! Thomas

Funny you should say so, Thomas. You and I think alike. I got this memo precisely because I asked my factory contact why they'd not sourced the Warmer's 6922 domestically. The answer surprised me too. I predict though that once FiiO get into tube power amps to need KT88, 6550, EL84, EL34 and such, some of the Chinese tube makers will wake up and smell the coffee in the air. Srajan

Hello Srajan, just wanted to say thanks for the many music tracks you embedded in your latest hardware review. It's already introduced me to many artists I didn't know. In the end you refer to Mediterra Nostra by Barrio Chino as one of your all-time favorites. The sample track on that complication really is absolutely smoking so I'd love to hear the whole album. Can't find it though. Any tips? Johann

I used to own the Barrio Chino CD which I burnt to my SSD. Whether any of the usual suspects carries a downloadable file for it - that I don't know. The same is probably true for Weeshuis by ®chestra, another personal hit which was made by musicians in a Dutch immigrants' camp whilst they awaited their papers to join the general populace. Absolutely astonishing musicianship but I've not been able to find it anywhere after all these years. It's likely true for the one you asked about, too. Sorry. Srajan

Hi Mr. Srajan, my O-1 application has been approved! I will be arriving in the US in March 2026 to start a brand-new hifi adventure. I truly appreciate all the help you’ve given me along the way. Wishing you happiness and success in both life and work. Best regards, JianHui Deng, Cen.Grand

Congratulations. I know the process wasn't speedy so am happy to hear that it worked out to your satisfaction in the end and that everything shall proceed as you planned. I look forward to hearing more as you settle in and establish the new production line and models. Srajan

Thank you for your kind wishes. After arriving in the US, I will establish a new company though this will likely happen a year from now since I currently hold a work visa and cannot yet start my own business. Upon arrival, I'll focus on preparatory work. Once I receive my green card next year, I'll launch my US company. Therefore, the Chinese company will continue operating. After moving to the US, I plan to release several brand-new products. However, this will also take place about six months from now. Having just arrived, I first need to settle into daily life. Best regards, JianHui 

Srajan, thanks for the continuing education. As I read your Enleum preview, I learned why massed strings in a recording often equated to fingernails on a chalkboard. Glad also to see listening at lower SPL making an appearance and your postulation that top-drawer amplification really shines when presented with appropriate musical demands. The Amp-54R seems to be shaping up as a worthy successor to the Dazzle review! All best, Michael

To be sure, the massed string mention is a vague theory I have about its cause. I couldn't in good conscience ask you to take it to the bank as though it were a proven fact. Srajan

Re: massed stings, your notion is as good as I've ever heard, so it's a worthy 'deposit' for me! Michael

Hi Srajan, 2025 has another three hours on my clock and I wanted to wish you a healthy and happy 2026. I see the FiiO Warmer DAC on your list. That looks really interesting. Nice score. Best, Nigel

Rather than solicit me for a particular model, this time my FiiO contact asked what I wanted to review next. So I picked the Warmer DAC. Guilty as charged. For all the reasons already listed in the preview, it does look promising indeed and rather different from the glut of ±€500 DACs from that corner of the world. So some fun things are lining up to cheer in the New Year. Srajan

Dear Srajan Ebaen, today is December 31, 2025 here in Korea. Looking back on the most memorable moments of the year, our email exchanges stand out the most. It might sound a bit unusual—and I hope you don't find it disrespectful—but I found our correspondence even more memorable than the actual product review. While the review was excellent, the insights you shared in your emails helped me see what I had been missing and provided a clear sense of direction. I believe that having a diverse perspective on reality is crucial and is a highly effective way for us to evolve and progress. Our conversations gave me an opportunity to rethink the balance between the manufacturer's perspective and the seller's perspective. I am constantly striving to find the perfect harmony between technical excellence and commercial viability. Your comments, backed by your extensive experience in the audio market, have been incredibly helpful to me. I wish you a healthy and wonderful 2026 filled with nothing but the best. Thank you, Yang Sung 

I'm glad our communications proved helpful to you. Happy 2026! ATB. Srajan

Srajan, nice catch on that Woo amp. Kudos to Jack Wu for agreeing to build and ship you a sample across the Atlantic to promote something as niche and hyper exotic as a tube-based amp to drive expensive ribbon headphones with an output transformer. I know that you plan to also try regular headphones to make this a more relevant read for the rest of us who will never own a Raal headphone. Still, don't you think Mr. Wu did himself a real disserve by losing the preamp feature? Wouldn't more people be able to justify a €10'000 spend if it killed two birds with one stone by being both preamplifier and headphone amplifier? Anyways, it will be fun to read about regardless of how limited I sense its appeal is going to be. Will you do any tube rolling beyond the cheap stock bottles that come with it? Thanks, Kevin 

Since Jack specifically reached out in response to my podcast mention of the ribbons, he must see a market opportunity no matter how ultimately small. After all, just a few sales of this model would make the associated review costs quite worthwhile, wouldn't they? I share your sentiment that pre-outs would rather broaden the appeal but there probably was a good technical reason why those went away. And as my preview states, a costly preamp would at minimum want remote-controlled volume and ideally a numerical display which on very small-scale production could become prohibitive features. As to rolling, my stash of glass is down to a few pairs of 300B since the Vinnie Rossi preamp is my last bit of tube kit. Unless Jack decides to include a fancier set, I'll have to stick with the stock tubes. Since that's what any buyer would get, it seems fair enough to review it that way. I'll leave that decision to Jack since he'd have to also furnish me with upgraded glass which would return no longer new. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I came across your news post on FangSound then watched some of the existing YouTube reviews about the Silenos. If you haven't yet, you might want to see them for yourself. In its present state it would seem a waste of your time to pursue a review of this model. Everyone who had one agrees that the gain structure is improperly managed to get far too loud far too quickly, that the input stage can easily oversaturate and that one must physically disconnect sources because there are no switches. I just wanted to give you a heads up in case you planned to go down that road. It would seem premature because the product still needs to be refined before it's ready for prime time. Cheers, Frank

I appreciate it, Frank. I had noticed the strange absence of source switching already. That seems to be a real design flaw and would actually preclude me from asking for a sample. Ariadne might suffer the same shortcoming and only Dionysus in its larger chassis finally fix it. Let's see whether I even hear back from the UK retailer after the holidays. If so and there is interest to pursue a review, I'll be sure to bring up your points and save myself an unpleasant experience. In fact, as a retailer with perhaps early samples, I would think he'd already be aware of these issues and reluctant to pursue any review until a revision has addressed them. Unduly high gain from either an excessively high input sensitivity or too steep a volume taper would be most impractical for all but the most bearish loads and nothing to promote. So again, thanks for the warning. If multiple reviewers agree on something this basic, it must be a very real problem. Srajan

Hi Srajan, nice to see that you're giving those entry-level Gustard pieces a go. I realize that buying gear to then review it is a rather raw deal but hopefully you'll enjoy these enough to keep not return. I'm particularly curious about the DAC because its discrete resistor ladders plus analog volume control could be right up my street. What are you planning to compare it to if I may ask? Thank you, Charles

The only thing I'll have on hand to compare that's sanely matched on price will likely be the FiiO K15 which just landed in Galway yesterday so might show up tomorrow. My next DAC would be the €1K Luxsin then €3K iFi beyond which the rest doubles then triples to become meaningless. So I reckon the FiiO and Luxsin will make the most sense unless I forgot something that suddenly pops up. And, it's true that I don't tend to spend money to work but have the strange idea that work should make money. But as still an enthusiast rather than hardboiled cynic, whenever I have something on hand that excites me for various reasons, I love to write about it to share the excitement. It matters not why I have said thing on hand, whether on loan or as a personal purchase. So it's really not a raw deal, just what I enjoy doing. Srajan

Hello Srajan, thank you for another year of interesting reviews and thoughtful industry commentary. I'm looking forward to what 2026 may bring. On a side note, in your FiiO K15 preview, you show an external 12V/4A power supply but earlier show a 12V/3A port. Isn't that asking for trouble? ATB, Kevin

Think of the voltage rating as a given, the current rating as a mere potential. The voltage rating of the PSU must match or be lower than the component's rating or there could be trouble as you say. But for current, the component merely pulls what it needs. Anything beyond that won't be tapped so becomes a redundancy. Good catch though on your end. I love it when readers think about what they read; also because I can make mistakes which then should get fixed! In this instance, it's no mistake though. I have safely used that power supply on my upstairs R7 also with a 12V/3A input for a long time already. Srajan

Hey Srajan, with spare time on my hands during these holidays, I tried to see what Romy the Cat is up to these days. I couldn't log onto his site. Do you know whether that's just a glitch on my end or has it become inactive? Thanks, Greg

I've not been to his site in ages but just tried and couldn't log on, either. Some sites won't load if you use a VPN. I disabled mine but his still wouldn't load. Whether that's temporary I have no idea. Last time I was there, he had three kids and far less time to devote to posting so other posters had taken over most the conversations. I've not been back since. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I just did my weekly 6M visitation and your latest previews on the FiiO and Woo amps which approach headphones from the opposite ends of the spectrum: solid-state, PEQ enabled, compact, affordable on one, tubes, full-size double decker and expensive on the other. Should those show up at the same time or overlap enough, that will surely make for some very interesting contrasts. I also appreciated your subtext of transatlantic shipping costs and high import fees on premium valuables that can act as potential review killers. I seem to recall similar subtext in a previous exchange about India's Rethm speakers. Does it happen quite a lot for first review inquiries to cancel once they look more closely at the involved costs? On a related matter, your FiiO preview also mentions certain assignments being delayed by up to 2 years; and how brands which can ship decisively and are happy to often save the day. Given the current state of the economy, I imagine all of these things are happening more often than they used to? If so, you still manage a good product mix and very regular content updates. So kudos and thanks for that and best wishes for your 2026. Thomas

As it was for Rethm then and remains true for other small boutiques which relative to where I live are 'remote', the raw costs of shipping loaners then retrieving them plus import/clearance fees where 'no commercial value, for review, will be returned' notes are sorely insufficient plus currency conversion disadvantages... all of it can backfire once converted into hard cash. It's why at times people don't execute pickup orders. They rather forego the remaining value of a now B-stock item when the alternative of return shipping and re-importation fees are too unappealing. Once you deal with well-established big brands of comprehensive distribution and decent inventories, those things and lengthy delays tend to go away. Now one might deal with a local importer in one's own jurisdiction to eliminate VAT hassles. Being closer, 2-way ship fees too go way down and the overall pain lightens. If one deals with small and start-up brands as I enjoy, things slow down and get more complicated. A review sample may be built to order then sells off in the last moment because a paying client had unforeseen timing. Being a small outfit myself, I understand and appreciate these limitations to work with them as best I can. But it does mean that readers itching for a conclusion may face lengthy preview limbos; or disappearing previews when limbos become intolerable only to reappear a year or two later. Can review solicitations fizzle out past any initial contact high? Absolutely. A Polish start-up contacted me enthusiastically and quite bullishly to net a prompt introductory preview. Months later bullishness had given way to dejection. Their domestic in-store demos hadn't netted quick orders then sales. Projected income failed to materialize. My gig cancelled as a result. Delays are very common too with initial productions. There are projected then actual ship dates often very far apart when last-minute design changes necessitate new PCB or when a batch of chassis parts delivered from abroad arrived with off tolerances to require a reorder that materializes way late because the supplier prioritizes new orders and stalls on fixing mistakes. All of it is standard behind-the-scenes stuff. Economic challenges since Covid then follow-on parts shortages then Brexit then Trumpian tariffs certainly have increased that stuff. Thus everyone in this sector must bugger on regardless. I for one feel very lucky to still work in a field and do things I love. Once you run a staff of 10 or 100 and must maintain large parts inventories to build things, pressures increase logarithmically to keep all on the payroll. There I have it very easy because I've kept my operation and its running costs deliberately small. It makes it far simpler to respond to economic changes; and avoid any and all layoffs. Whenever the day comes that I finally close these doors, I'll be its only casualty. But no worries, I have no such plans yet. Srajan

Hello Srajan, glad to see you've got the K15 review coming, looks killer! Hopefully you can pair it with the Method trio & hi/lo-pass the speakers and sub off the K15. For me I'd add the Silent Angel Munich M1T v2 transport & Gjallarhorn amp for the speakers. This would be a phenomenal system for roughly $5'000 with cables and tax. Have a super holiday! Steve

Mornin' Srajan, after recently upgrading my system with two Dutch products, the Mola Mola Perca amp and Grimm Audio SQM XLR, I began to wonder why the Netherlands has produced so many innovative HiFi companies. As I looked into it, it became clear that this small country has an outsized influence on the world of high‑end audio. There's a fascinating mix of history, engineering culture, and craftsmanship that seems to converge in the Dutch HiFi scene. First, there's the legacy of Philips which for decades was one of the world's most important audio research hubs. Everything from the compact cassette to the CD was born in Dutch labs. That ecosystem trained generations of engineers in acoustics, electronics, and digital audio—many of whom later founded or joined boutique HiFi companies. Second, the Netherlands has an unusually strong engineering and research culture.  Dutch technical universities emphasize signal processing, psychoacoustics, and precision electronics. It's no surprise that companies like Mola Mola, Grimm Audio, and Dutch & Dutch are staffed by people who approach audio as both a science and an art. Third, there's a national preference for accuracy and transparency. Dutch HiFi tends to be clean, neutral, and measurement‑driven. These companies aren't chasing coloration or house sound—they're chasing truth. That mindset shows up in everything from the ultra‑low‑distortion designs of Mola Mola to the studio‑grade philosophy behind Grimm Audio. Fourth, many Dutch audio companies grew out of the professional studio world. The Netherlands has a vibrant mastering and electronic music scene. A lot of Dutch gear was originally built for engineers who needed absolute precision. When those designs crossed over into home audio, they brought that same studio DNA with them. Finally, Dutch HiFi companies tend to be small, obsessive, and craft‑driven. These aren't mass‑market brands. They're boutique teams who build gear because they believe they can solve problems others haven't solved well enough. That combination of humility, precision, and innovation is quite Dutch—and it shows in the products.

After spending time with the Perca and the SQM XLRs, I can see why the Netherlands has become such a powerhouse in high‑end audio. There's a clarity, a naturalness, and an engineering purity that feels unmistakably Dutch. It's not just great gear—it's a reflection of a whole culture of thoughtful, meticulous design. Just my two cents!  Perhaps next I'll ponder the thriving Chinese HiFi industry that you have so well documented. Michael

Nicely argued, Michael. Ascribing particular sonic aesthetics to specific countries is a fun exercise. Denmark is another country with an unusual density of hifi brands all the way from giants like B&O to boutique newcomers like Storgaard & Vestskov. Italian hifi certainly has a different hue. And so forth. Srajan

Just read that you snagged the Dazzle! Happy that you found a way to purchase the sample! Sometimes newfound audio treasures (Perca for me) can provide frissons of excitement as one wakes up each day. As an example, my daily ritual starts with gentle music while I drink coffee and peruse the (often woeful) news.Thanks again for all your work in an incredibly difficult year personally for you. All the best for 2026! Michael

Hey Srajan, you and John Darko are two of my regular hifi news haunts so I noticed that John is working up a series of think pieces that appear 'sticky' by grouping on top of his home page just below the latest single new post to indicate a sense of importance like, don't miss us. Have you read them? If so, am I alone thinking that John comes across as a bit grouchy slightly bitter old man very much unlike his hip with-it YouTube personality? Should you agree, you might mention it to him. I think that this underlying attitude which leaks through defeats what is likely his real purpose. The points he makes are all very valid and solidly argued. It's the tone in which he makes them which reminds me of the old advice not to bite the hand which feeds us or shit where we eat. In any case, 2025 is just about done and I wish you and your cat warm and cosy holidays and look forward to whatever unusual finds and trends you will bring us next year. Sincerely, Jeffrey

I did read all of John's articles. When you're in any game long enough, you come to know all of its sunny and shadowy sides. How to navigate them becomes all about a healthy balance. And simply disregarding the negatives doesn't make them magically go away so a working response must find just the right relationship to them. All of us cope with the less pleasant more challenging aspects of our jobs differently. Having opted to become a YouTuber with interactive comment sections exposes John to a level of constant very opinionated if often low feedback which my site does not at all. Such exposure creates psychological pressure. Like you, I perceive some of it to bleed through in these articles. However, John is very aware of it and constantly questions just the right approach whereby to make his points without coming across as too grouchy. After all, if we're self-employed and stop enjoying our gig, we should make a change. There's no need for me to get involved when his own antennae twitch already. But thanks for the sentiments behind the thought. I appreciate them very much! Srajan

Hello again: I'm pleased that you took the suggestions in the intended spirit. If John himself is aware, fair enough. Personally I would simply wish he stepped more lightly on the whole 'cope' thing. But perhaps that's just me. Cheers, Jeffrey.

As I see it, we can never please everyone. The sooner we stop thinking we could or should, the sooner we can hone our craft with our particular personality and stop worrying about anything other than being authentic and ourselves. For example, I'm now 23 years older than when I first started 6moons. It would be silly of me to pretend that the passage of time, experience and exposure hasn't left its marks. So it's not about remaining static or 'forever young' but true to the present. If it means that our age shows in our opinions or certain attitudes, that's perfectly normal, realistic and appropriate. Otherwise we'd be weirdly stuck on an endless loop in time. How strange that can turn out we've seen with certain Rock and Hollywood stars who refuse to age naturally. The longer one resists the natural process, the more bizarre the unnatural signs. Should we extend plastic surgery to psychology and any changes in opinion we hold? I don't think so. Srajan

Good points, Srajan. I can appreciate how any 'kid in the candy store' phase could only last so long in the work you guys do. Jeffrey.

Quite. It's why I say that writing rave reviews is no work at all and as easy as falling in love. Staying in love once you're married and live together day in day out is a different matter altogether. It's why some remain eternal bachelors and bachelorettes. It's to keep love fresh; and allow it to die then renew itself elsewhere. But perhaps it also avoids a certain depth which only opens up with sacrifices and struggles that aren't about self interest but making someone else more important than ourselves. Doing the same thing for 10, 20 or more years in many ways is like marriage. The full reality thereof is known only to those who are in it; or in this case, do that particular thing for long enough to meet it in its fullness, warts and all. Srajan

Dear Srajan, the holidays are approaching and I wanted to wish you all the best for 2026. I don't know how far into the future you schedule reviews but from what is booked already, what strike you as the most promising entries if you can say? With sincere regards, Jeremy

I think the Enleum AMP-54R, Æquo Audio Ensium and Node Audio Atom 650 will all be very exciting opportunities by offering advanced engineering in attractive packaging. I consider these three particularly promising based on specs and prior exposure to other items from these brands. The Enleum might still arrive in 2025 but the Ensium isn't booked to arrive until March/April and the Atom 650 will probably not become available much sooner either. Another product I'm curious about is the new entry-level Canor integrated. Given the original time line I was supposed to already have a sample but it seems formal production is a bit delayed. So we'll see. What is formally committed to already shows in the Preview gallery. Anything else will add when firm commitments are in place; and/or I'm allowed to talk about them. Srajan

Srajan, have you decided yet on whether to keep the Dazzle integrated? If so, will you be selling off either your Kinki Studio monos or stereo amp? If so, I'd love to know, thank you. Jeremy

Yeah and nay, respectively. I'll be playing hoarder for a change. Srajan

Hey Srajan, as we're approaching 2026, I wanted to say thank you for another year filled with entertaining well-argued hifi commentary on your website. You keep putting out quality content at a still astonishing rate so must clearly enjoy the job. In your latest review, you mention possibly adding the Dazzle for your downstairs system though would use it as a stereo not integrated amp. Have you inquired whether there are plans to release a Dazzle level pure power amplifier? That could suit me as well, hence the question. Looking forward to another year of exciting review discoveries. Happy holidays, Srajan. Mark

I already have word in with Alvin at Vinshine about potential future plans on Dazzle separates. If I learn anything either way, I'll add it here. Srajan

"I don't currently have plans to offer a stereo-amp version of Dazzle". That was Alvin responding to my query though he obviously doesn't speak for Ivan Liu at Kinki Studio, only relative to the stable of collaborative models he is curating for Vinshine. Srajan

Dear Srajan, another email about the Dazzle which I see has stimulated a few readers already. After I read your review, I followed your Steve Huff bread crumbs and have just one question. From what I make out from his descriptions of the Dazzle's sound, he didn't find its top end particularly developed, certainly not by contrast to his Devialet and the big Enleum. I know that you like a really extended wide open treble and wonder whether going to power-amp mode gave you that? That's it, just that one simple question. Thank you, Mike

Spot on, Mike. You really zeroed in on it. The whole paragraph about my divorce from active preamps was mostly on about exactly that. On a whole at least in my experience, they tend to build body and weight but also inject darkness, a certain opacity and slow things down a bit. Dazzle runs an active 13dB preamp stage not just a passive attenuator. Eliminating that stage was exactly the same as chucking an external preamp to replace it with a quality passive attenuator like a TVC. Once I did that, I had back what I call the cabriolet effect: the sense that there is no roof over your head and the treble reaches for the stars. I didn't pay enough attention to Steve's review to remember whether he dove much into bypass mode. I do know that he likes the Galion tube preamp. If he ran that, he should have intensified not diminished the active preamp flavour. In which case he wouldn't have heard what I did; quite the contrary. Srajan

Srajan, in your latest reader correspondences I see a few thumbs up for your Dazzle review. I however came away of two minds about it. Why accept to review a rather expensive integrated amplifier when your systems with subwoofers really need a power amplifier because you control your volume ahead of your crossover boxes? To me it seems a bit of a disservice to the product and consequently, a quite skewed commentary about it which will be totally irrelevant to most buyers. To be sure, it still presents as a well crafted review but behind that polished facade I spot a fundamental error of judgement which I think should be stated and acknowledged. Do you agree? Terry

Actually, I can very easily use any integrated as an integrated within my current 2.1 setups. I simply fix their gain to match that of my usual amp/s then use the upstream passive attenuator as the master volume. I tried the same here. The extra active gain stage of the Dazzle's preamp simply got too warm for my tastes and how my systems are voiced. So I focused on the bypass scenario which bedded in brilliantly. As I see it, my issue wasn't accepting a product category that I shouldn't have but being faced with a tuning which ran counter to my tastes. Had there been no alternative, I would have stuck to that just as I recently did with the FiiO FT13 headphone. Since there was an alternative which so happened to make all the difference, I focussed on that. Was that a disservice to the product? If that's how you view it, then it was; for you. If Alvin Chee at Vinshine thought the same, his thank-you email to me a day after publication certainly didn't let on. But I get your point and appreciate you making the effort to advance it, Terry. That's what a difference of opinion is all about. Thank you! Srajan

Hi Srajan, I just caught up on your latest epic review of the Dazzle. It was very unexpected but interesting that you explored it primarily as a power amp and preferred to bypass its built-in preamp stage. As you wrote repeatedly, that seems hardly its primary intended use but, a/ if it's there, why not and, b/ if you're correct on your premise that this integrated bridges the current Kinki lineup and their non-export range toppers without another tier of separates slotting in-between, then it actually makes good sense to offer an integrated that so easily converts to a stereo power amp. I also appreciated how you explained why you gave it the Product of 2025 distinction but not your regular award. An award for an integrated should really be for an integrated that is used as such. It's a costly proposition one wants to get the most from. So, good show for walking that line and thanks for sifting through the bewildering output of new models each year to present us with things which are mostly not covered by the mainstream media. You have a good nose for picking out unusual finds. Ken

Dear Srajan, in your latest review you mention a Chinese designer currently relocating to set up US manufacturing. Can you tell us what brand that is? It's a very interesting morsel of information considering the current climate in Washington about all things Chinese. Tony

Quite. However, I'm not at liberty to say. It's not my story to tell. I was simply involved in the application process by providing two letters of reference. As such I only know that because of the current climate, the application process has been delayed so when or if this relocation will actually take place still seems up to the bureaucrats at the INS. I suspect that the plan actually hatched during the prior regime and that the red reelection then threw a spanner in the works. That's all I can say. The review mention wasn't about any details, just one established individual's clear belief that to successfully market and sell expensive hifi products, Chinese origins are still too limiting. Meanwhile Matrix offer a ~€10K tier as do smaller brands and the Dazzle is another example clearly hoped to change that metric. Srajan

Srajan, well, I didn't see that coming! When I opined that Dazzle would make the list of favorite finds of the year, I didn't anticipate that Kinki/Vinshine stablemate Tai Hang would slide into the final slot, a penultimate tribute to the eventual product of the year. Clearly though, after reading both your Dazzle review and complementary POTY entry, I get the difference. Having recently sold my EX-M7 which graced my listening room with glorious sound, I feel a slight pang of regret at losing this Kinki connection. But I retain Kinki pride as my new Mola Mola Perca amp is tethered to my system by Kinki Earth speaker and power cables. The Sino/Dutch collaboration is now warming my heart. Happy New Year! All best, Michael

"... the myopic citizens of Magastan...". Haha. Great one, Srajan. I've always appreciated that for the most part, you keep 6moons free of political commentary so this little prick not only didn't sink the boat, I really enjoyed it. Cheers. Charles

Well, I put in plenty of time in the colonies to not feel like a complete outsider judging from afar. I appreciated living there whilst we did so feel bad for the current reality and its global impact. So I did allow myself a little liberty though you're spot on. I strongly believe that hifi reviewing and politics should be kept separate. On this occasion then, I strayed a bit. Blame the CNN article which inspired it. Srajan

Srajan, quick question if I may. TAS has a review on Dynaudio's Sub 6 which looks like the one I use in your upstairs system. Am I correct in thinking that's the one? Thx, Mike

Yes and no. Mine is from Dynaudio's Pro division so only cost me €1'390 new from a local dealer. It's exactly the same model without the gloss black or white finish and without certain pre-programmed filter settings for Dynaudio consumer-line speaker models. I simply didn't think that the lacquer finish was worth nearly an extra grand. So I went poor pro boy. Srajan

I'm putting my money on Dazzle for the final entry of favorite finds. Michael

Dear Srajan, I just saw your piece on Stack Audio and wanted to thank you for highlighting a small brand that is focused on the more affordable sector of this hobby while operating out of Europe not the Far East. Because their designs are compact, simple and not very expensive, they seem to fly below the radar of most publications so I find it very commendable that you bothered not only to review them quite extensively this year but then dedicated a little "Best of Year" feature to them. Well done and much appreciated! Paul

Srajan, I'm sure you have read John Darko's recent article about advertising in audio. Contrary to his claims, I see that your site continues to fly the same type banner ads you did 20 years ago. So what is your response to his article? Steve

It's Steve again who seems very intrigued by the business aspects behind the product that is the written or video review. As I see it, John simply commented on changes in the industry which, as now a hybrid written/YouTube reviewer, he is intimately familiar with. For any online content creator, how to monetize their work is a challenge when readers/viewers prefer not to pay. For monthly YouTube residuals to pay the bills, one needs a minimum number of subscribers then maintain eyeball stats on all the content as tracked by the algorithm. Affiliate links kick back small percentages. Others get paid by either the publication they contribute to; or a site like headphones.com. Others sell PDFs of their content to the makers they cover; or charge a video production fee; or collect via Patreon or one-on-one consultation fees. No matter what the system in place, anyone doing anything professionally (which just means, getting paid to do it) can't afford to work for free unless they're a trust-fund baby, have a rich significant other or are well-off retired to have time and enthusiasm on their side but no need for a regular income. Mine remains an old-timey written site where sponsors pay me so you can read us for free. There are quite a number of other sites which work the same way. When it comes to YouTube channels, I'm not in the loop and experts like John know all the in-and-outs. So what is my response to his article? "He knows his stuff and I don't." Srajan

Srajan, as mentioned, I bid on a second-hand Mola Mola Perca amp produced in July 2025 and it now sits in place of my departed Kinki EX-M7. It's paired with my Vivid Audio B1 Decade speakers. Sources are the Lumin X1 DAC/network player and Lumin L2 library/switch. I listened to a variety of music today and came to the conclusion that the Perca is a definite step up from the Kinki as it should be from purely a price point of view. The Perca reveals layers of music that I didn’t heretofore think were on certain tracks. The grip on the bass drivers is profound. Hits me in the gut more than the M7 but I suspect this may be a familiar trait of Class D designs.

Separation of voices and pinpoint accuracy of voices have improved. Voices hang in the air and I can hear choruses in layers.Part of the experience could be attributable to running truly balanced from my Lumin X1 and using Grimm SQM XLRs. I believe that’s contributing, so it’s probably unfair to the M7 to parse differences solely to amplification. I'm listening all the way through tracks where previously I might have moved on. Listening at low volumes is better, too. But all this could be because I’m interested in how the Perca handles various musical styles. I read in a review that if music is recorded with warmth, it will be revealed via the Perca and vice versa; I’ve found this to be true.

One downside: poorly recorded or highly compressed tracks sound terrible. On the M7, I could listen to tracks such as this but it’s pretty hard to stomach them via the Perca. That’s okay though, as the majority of my listening is not in this realm. So, a resounding yes to the Perca! Thanks upstairs to Marja & Henk and their August 2015 review of the Mola Mola Kaluga monos; it was the reason I began this quest. And thanks to you for the M7 reviews; I truly enjoyed my time with the Kinki amp and would unhesitatingly recommend it. All the best, Michael

Hello Srajan, I see that with your pending Dazzle and AMP-54R reviews, Steve Huff has beaten you to the punch, with his Kinki review already published and the Enleum promised in a week. Have you seen his page Negative Reviews and why he will never do any? If you haven't, take a look. I'd be curious on your take. All the best, Steve

I just did. Fairaudio.de have a similar policy. As long as they operate within the law, any business has the right to establish policies and procedures as it deems fit. My view on this particular subject simply differs. If I commit a slot in my schedule and work time to a loaner only to determine in the course of my inspection and auditions that it doesn't meet the mark to send it back unreviewed, two things happen. 1/ I worked for free which, sorry, I can't afford. 2/ I learnt something worthwhile but refuse to share it with my audience, namely that XYZ has serious issues. I think that a critic's job is to be critical. That spans the gamut from brilliant to indifferent to atrocious. Writing gushing reviews is as easy as falling in love isn't work. My notion on what my work entails is to apply to everything that comes through the door the same process, results be damned. Others argue that spending time on things which don't deserve it wastes their time and takes it away from things which do deserve it. It's a fine perfectly legit argument - just not one I choose to make. That said, my selection process which precedes acceptance already weeds out things. Just because someone solicits a review doesn't mean I accept. But once I do, there's a formal commitment between us that will result in a published review. I have zero issue with Steve, Ralph and Jörg operating differently. We each run our enterprise as works best for us.

As to being beaten to the punch, I always await my turn. Something I'm first, sometimes way down the line. It's of no concern unless a product's coverage is so intensive that by the time it is my turn, there's really nothing left to say. Then I'd rather decline. I've now done this a few times with 'embargoed' reviews. Those weren't allowed to publish until a certain date. As I learnt, that happened to be the same date as easily ten or more other reviewers, mostly on YouTube, published theirs. I dislike that carpet-bombing synchronized tactic so now if I'm aware of it, I simply opt out. But that's before the product has ever shipped. Once I have it, I review it. Not doing so would not only dishonour my own commitment but that of the sending party who prepared a sample then paid money to ship it to me and will pay again to ship it back. Srajan

Thanks. I see your point. Do you know how many of your competitors work to the same policy as you? Steve

I don't. I'm too busy running my own little business here to worry over how others are doing theirs. But if you're curious, why don't you ask them? You're emailing me. Email them, too. I suspect that publications as old as mine or older operate like ours since that used to be the norm. Srajan

Hi Srajan, wow, another day, another truly epic review. I of course mean the Cobra piece you just put to bed. It's only when I saw the final photo of all the cones going into one pair that I fully appreciated what you called completely bonkers. I'm with you in that I can't name anything comparable out there. In past reviews you mentioned Mårten Design and Tidal Acoustics as two very high-end brands which run multiple passive radiators but even they don't throw this many at so small a model. Buchardt use just one and already that has reviewers in awe over the bass they get from it. Like Greg said at the end, it is strange that this driver type is still so underused. SInce he doesn't know why, I assume you don't have any ideas either? In any case, thanks for another very entertaining review. Markus

Correct. I'm no speaker designer to have any insight other than cost why passive radiators aren't more popular. Well, that and perhaps a shortage of prefab simulation software? Port behaviour is readily modelled. Is the same true for passive radiators relative to diameter, mass, enclosure size, placement and all the other parameters that must be considered? I was once told that one reason for the rarity of transmission lines is precisely that. They're not easily modelled correctly so unless one writes one's own predictive software, might require endless physical prototyping to nail down. And that could be prohibitive on cost and time when ports are so much cheaper and easier to do. Mind you, I'm just speculating. Srajan

Hi Srajan, have you come across Garlubidor yet? Steve Huff just reviewed their DAC and basically called it a better Denafrips. I'm curious about your thoughts. Ian

I know that it exists; and that like Musician, is made by Denafrips. Not having heard any of their products yet, I don't know more than what's on their website. Srajan

Hi there! I stumbled upon this person and thought that with your active creative mind you might well enjoy seeing the work of another amazing creator: Kelly Eldridge Boesch. She not only creates (with the help of AI) the visual images but the music and lyrics. Here’s recent work:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1NKMRZPTuU/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Surprisingly, she has a strong following amongst seniors. Here’s one dedicated to those followers:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1A8A7smLqG/?mibextid=wwXIfr

If you enjoy those there are many more just a click away; she is prolific. She could also be a clothing designer. Here’s her take on women’s tuxedos:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DfYDNuBWQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I hope this was as revelatory to as it was to me. Cheers! Russell

Already her last name close to Bosch like Hieronymus suggests outside leanings and her animation definitely delivers. Superb. Thx, Russell

Hi Srajan, have you ever heard of noise suppression tape? That's a new one for me. Here's a link to a review by Martin Leung who just started writing for Gy8. He covers Oyaide's NRF-005T Noise Suppression Tape designed to reduce noise and RFI in audio and video equipment. According to Leung, one simply cuts the tape to the desired length and applies it to electronic components on circuit boards or wraps it around cables. Have you heard about this? All the best, Michael 

Noise suppression tape isn’t new. Such tape and treated paper has been around but I never tried one. I had already read that review. It’s certainly inexpensive enough to take a gamble. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I just noticed that you had already added Dawid's comments to the developing Pass HPA-1c review. Really good stuff and excellent photos. On Dawid's last page with the HifiMan headphones, I saw a fat braided black cable with what look like wooden splitters and ends on Susvara Unveiled. Do you know what that is? I want to compliment you also on your intro comments of the following page. After nine years, it does seem peculiar that Pass Lab hasn't added remote control, XLR inputs and at least an XLR4 or 4.4mm output. As you wrote, the market has really changed and many more powerful full-featured choices are now available for a lot less. It's why I'm curious to see how you will rate it when you receive it because I know that you have some of those alternatives on hand. I am really looking forward to those comparisons. Thank you. Paul

Dawid takes very good photos indeed. He'll be pleased to hear that you noticed. As for the cable, I already asked him about it because it looks like something I first heard about a year ago. And indeed it is a forthcoming product from his friend Matt at Forza Audioworks who commissioned a customized version of LessLoss C-MARC conductors for the next level up in his current catalogue of headfi cables and accessories. I already bought a number of his Noir leashes for a few of my headphones and really love them. If this is the next step up, it should become quite something when formal production announces on his site. The fact that Dawid used an early sample on Susvara Unveiled seems most promising. As for true balanced drive, remember that this is a single-ended circuit so no dice. I do agree however that remote control would be nice even for headphones when folks like myself use 3-metre headphone cables to sit too far removed from our rack to be hands on with the volume control. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I just came across the Acoustic Exciter from Acoustic Revive of Japan and looked up a few reviews, including a preliminary one by a former contributor of yours, Jeff Day. I wonder whether you have heard of this device or better yet, experienced it in person and can share anything about its effectiveness (or lack thereof)? Chip

I just took a look. It's basically a pan flute rolled up into a solid cylinder, meaning a series of open-ended pipes of different lengths hence Helmholtz resonators tuned to various frequencies. At the low air speeds which playing our hifi should create over such a device depending on where it is placed, I presume that triggering these pipes won't be audible per se like blowing across a bottle or pan flute would. But it could change the room sound. I just wouldn't expect anything at low frequencies given how short the longest of these pipes is. To mock it up, I'd use say 12 empty beer bottles filled with water to varying heights to mock up different resonant frequencies for each, then placing them in a tight cluster in the locations Acoustic Revive recommend and see whether anything audibly worthwhile happens. Srajan

Hello again, thanks. That's a really clear explanation which I didn't find in any of the reviews and a good suggestion about how to play around with the idea without spending more than a grand. I think I just might once I've collected the necessary empty bottles. Any suggestions on what pitches they might be using in their cluster of pipes? Chip

No. For that one would need to know the precise diameter and length of each tube. Obviously each room has its own acoustics and our speaker placement within it adds more variables to their performance. How a fixed universal resonator device would create predictable results I don't understand. It's probably why they publish so many different setup locations. One moves things around until one hears something. It might just be rather arbitrary than surgical like knowing the frequencies of our primary room modes to then address those specifically. With room resonances happening below ca. 200Hz, I don't think that this device works on them. Srajan

Got it, thanks. While I have you, how about the Kemp Elektroniks Schumann Composer which Mono & Stereo just reviewed? Do you have anything on that? Chip

Not on that specific implementation but I have experimented with competing single-frequency Schumann resonators. They simply vanished in one of our many moves. Those devices influenced our household's sense of general wellbeing more than being specific to sonic improvements. Wherein lies the rub. If we're sensitive to sundry devices which reduce electro-smog UHF radiation, we feel better and as a result, our listening sessions could go deeper. If so, do such devices improve the sound per se; or simply the body/mind system of the listener? And if so, would someone not sensitive to the body/mind effects hear any sonic difference whatsoever? To me personally the difference is academic. If something makes me feel better and as a result my listening experience improves, I don't have to understand the exact mechanism to enjoy the results. But in the context of a review, potential buyers want assurance that a certain something is guaranteed to improve the sound rather than the more circuitous "it might make you feel better hence affect anything you do, including listening to your hifi". Srajan

Srajan, I thought today about Marja and Henk as I well recall their August 2015 Blue Moon awarded review of the Mola Mola Kaluga monos which at the time intrigued me to no end despite not having the funds to experience their prowess. Fast forward to today and I just bid on a used Mola Mola Perca to possibly replace my Kinki M7. If I get this amp, I'll have a chance to use the balanced outputs of my Lumin X1 which did not work well with the convenience XLR inputs of the single-ended Sino amp. To further the 6moons connection, I'd finally use Grimm SQM XLR leashes that I purchased after your review of them. I'll keep you posted of course. I just wanted you to know that the spirits of 6moons are alive and well! All the best, Michael

Srajan, you just put up the FiiO FT7 review and I loved your imagery throughout. If it came from someone I didn't already trust, I would be mighty suspicious of anyone contrasting €749 and €6'000 models and declaring them comparable. I've followed you long enough though to know that you just call it as you see it. Having taken a look at Susvara at a past Munich show during a public day, I agree that its build wasn't what its price would warrant. Taking a look at your photos, it does indeed seem that they have got HifiMan beat on fit and finish. Apparently they're not really lagging behind on performance either. That truly is remarkable. So was learning just how big FiiO the company is and what kind of annual volume they do. Thanks for helping us discover outstanding finds among the weekly overload of product announcements and YouTube reviews. This one really sounds like a true standout. Markus

My value detector is very basic. If I've got a range of models in a particular category and over time watch which ones I use the most and which ones get sidelined except for the occasional comparison op, it's easy to see the winners. That's not based on beliefs or cachet, propaganda, tech or price but the far more intuitive actual usage which reaches for the things I enjoy the most. It's like noticing that the most comfortable most worn shoes in your collection might not be the flashiest. It's how earlier this year I decided which speakers, amps and DACs to give away. It wasn't about keeping the costliest stuff for myself, in fact quite the opposite. And this FiiO is something I can easily see myself using very regularly whilst Susvara stands by as a piggish load and in-house reference for a planar executed at a very high level. Many years have passed since it was introduced. Technology has progressed. Perhaps it's easier and more cost effective now to do a competitive design than it was back when Susvara bowed? And as you said, the sheer scale of FiiO's operation probably also has something to do with cost effectiveness in production and marketing. And though I appreciate your thanks, they should include FiiO for making a sample available. They didn't have to. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I read with much amusement that Mr. Rulka of Virtual demoed his system at the Warsaw show with a YouTube music video feed whose best data rate for sound is 384kbps but often tops out at 256kbps AAC and with Opus could run you anywhere between 56 -165kbps. At the same time he challenges people who call this compromised sound quality. I'm quite frankly not sure where to even start. It's commendable in some ways to demo music at a busy consumer show at a quality level that ordinary folks are used to like standard Spotify. To simultaneously claim that this equals serious listening whilst demoing speakers that he sells factory direct for €9'500 is really taking the piss though. It makes me wonder just how coloured his boxes must be to change listening to highly compressed music into anything approaching a persuasive experience over a resolving hifi. If he sold a €350 soundbar or table radio, I might see the point. Instead he promotes speakers with crazy-expensive filter parts, fancy silver-gold cables and printed footers whilst insinuating that if we find fault with deeply compressed YouTube audio, there's something wrong with us. As far as I am concerned, playing for both sides completely disqualifies him from being taken serious. It's like selling an expensive car then advocating retread rubber and the cheapest most low-octane fuel plus claiming that annual tune-ups and oil changes are a waste of money. I would be very surprised if you had a fundamentally different take on it. Which actually is my question: do you? Cheers, Rob

I recently covered my thoughts on the subject in a brief feature on Spotify Premium when it still maxed out at 320kpbs. That felt hollow, empty and strangely annoying just like I find junk food without nutritional vitality a downer. So I hadn't used Spotify in ages. As of October 2nd, my Spotify subscription upgraded to CD quality lossless so I revisited the topic. Now I enjoy it even though Qobuz Sublime still sounds better to me. That's because it embeds in Audirvana Studio to benefit from its signal routing and upsampler engine. Spotify runs through Windows. That's my take on heavily compressed vs CD-quality music. On the tunes I favour, I easily hear the difference and care about it. But I certainly don't fault people who either can't; or don't find it important enough to bother with. It makes their lives a whole lot easier and cheaper.

Whether demoing a show system with variable YouTube compression ratio in a busy hotel was a successful tactic to perhaps impress upon visitors just how good it can sound... that I neither know nor is it any of my business. Each exhibitor spends their own time, energy and money to be at a show. They have the right to do it any which way they see fit. And you might have misread Grzegorz's intention. I don't think that he meant to challenge serious listeners for preferring uncompressed music. I think that he meant to challenge mental snobbery that won't even try it when conditions such as he established at the event are in place to maximize such streaming. Having already reviewed the Virtual Hifi Viper, the Vermillion cable and Vibron footers, I can assure you that these are very serious highly performing products. Demoing with YouTube and designing components which sound fabulous on 16/44.1 or 24/192 doesn't seem to be mutually exclusive. Srajan

Hey Srajan, are you getting close to finalizing the Zu review with the new Method sub? I keep checking to see whether you added anything but haven't seen any updates for what seems like a long time now. I hope that the ongoing silence doesn't mean there are issues and you had to ship things back to get fixed. Best, Terry

I don't have the subwoofer samples though did receive a tracking # for one the other day which as of this morning hasn't been picked up yet. So no issues with performance whatsoever, just a delay in delivery which seems over any week now. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I read your article on the Akustika Eterna Lumen with fascination to do some digging on what else I might learn about their outfit. I came across this thread where a Jerry Stephenson calls himself their co-founder yet your review makes no mention of him, just Mikhail Lucet. You might like to check with your contact Stas whether not crediting him was a deliberate oversight; or whether this gentleman adopted a job title in the thread which he doesn't in fact possess. Cheers. Ron

I checked with Stas and Jerry is the client whose commission for what became the Lucet amplifier started the brand. However, the two men who actually run it are Mikhail and Stas. Jerry remains a customer and good friend but isn't formally involved in the day-to-day operations. Srajan

Srajan, I just worked my way through your epic presentation of the Lumen preamp. I must say that it left me feeling rather ambivalent. It's hard to get past the asking price which you rightly framed in terms of specific luxury car models. Regardless of its sonic quality, such pricing seems completely arbitrary and disconnected from the few materials that make up such a piece. To top it all off, they furnished you with a non-functioning remote. That doesn't suggest 'best foot forward' practice as you would think is mandatory at this level. Having said that, you appear to have covered it all so it's up to the reader to weigh the various pros and cons. Now that the piece gets packed up and moved onward, what is your lasting impression after you have worked your way through the facts, the background, the physical and acoustic inspection? What is your considered opinion on the relevance of such gear? I am asking because, as I already said, I feel quite ambivalent about the whole thing and hard pressed to properly balance out its proposition. It is not what I usually come away with after reading you. Quite apart from that, congratulations on landing such a scoop. Yours seems to be the first review of it anywhere. Sincerely, Jeremy

My considered hindsight opinion is no different than what you already read in the review. Nobody needs such extremist gear; yet some desire it. Some of us are irrationally passionate about a certain thing, pursue it to the nth degree then hope to somehow turn it into a livelihood so we get to do it nonstop and develop our skills further. It's what I'm doing in my own way with this site. Nobody needed another audio review site, certainly not from a non-native English speaker without any formal technical or writing background. But I was passionate about it, taught myself on the go, prevailed and 23 years later am still here doing what I love. So I have a natural affinity for other madmen and women who throw all reason and caution to the wind and do what they're passionate about. Whether it becomes a success or not matters far less than having given it one's best shot. The rest is timing and chance. It only takes a few properly placed individuals to get behind such a product to generate enough word of mouth across their sphere of influence to have a small operator of very limited production volume busy for years. Bespoke artisanal production consumes completely unrealistic labour times. Once such individuals decide to go commercial, they look at the unpaid years already invested in R&D; project how many units they may be able to sell across the next few years and presto, a monstrous per-unit price just to hopefully catch up in the foreseeable future and make those numbers add up. Let's add that with importers and retailers involved, the actual maker sees a lot less than the final ask.

Obviously there are thousands of net-worth individuals whose comfort zone can easily add multiple zeros to each transaction that I would contemplate in my little sandbox. In their reality, the Lumen is a €600 or €60 trifle. The question for Stas will be, can enough of them with a deep interest in advanced sound find out about his Lumen before he runs out of unpaid time? Unlike bling gear with little true sonic calories, this Lumen is a concentrated dose of live enzymes and vitamins. Anyone who buys one will truly benefit. All the rest of it is secondary though, in my reality and apparently yours, we could argue and discuss those secondaries ad infinitum. Let's admit it: nobody needs playback of any type. Already a smartphone with earbuds and millions of songs on demand is an unbelievable luxury. From there we simply have layers of luxury each with their own audience. But fundamentally there's no difference between a Lumen shopper and an iPhone punter. Both spend on luxuries according to their means and desire.

As far as scoop, my real satisfaction comes from having given this assignment my best shot. Hopefully it will prompt enough follow-on ripples across the worldwide web to make Akustika Eterna into a viable business. Based on the evidence of this product, the world would be a lesser place if they don't succeed to present us with more unreasonable but remarkable creations. That's my hindsight perspective. Sorry if you hoped for more. As it happens, my Warsaw contributor Dawid Grzyb expressed interest in his own review which I passed on to Stas. I don't know what his plans for this sample are but another review might just be around the corner to add more data points. Cheers, Srajan

Srajan, your latest review lists your autoformer volume controller at 3'000 UK, the transformer version at 60'500 EU. Most of us know not to expect audible benefits of twenty times better but given this huge spread, at least three or four times better would be nice. From your descriptions I can't figure out whether anything of the kind took place. You previously stated somewhere that your mind can't spit out percentages which I appreciate. I don't think mine could either. But by whatever metric you are comfortable, could you give us some indication of the audible improvement this Lumen made over your icOn? If I read it correctly, your icOn has finer volume steps and a better display? Thank you, Michael

Correct on the icOn's smaller step sizes and bigger display with far superior off-axis visibility. As to any delta multiplier, four times louder we can measure though beyond what we enjoy, that much louder doesn't get better, only ever more annoying even painful. When a finely tuned system we're very happy with and know how little within the limits of our room might still be possible suddenly shows a rather bigger jump, it's hard to quantify in a metric which communicates to strangers that weren't present. There obviously was no correlation to the price difference. As you wrote, none of us expects there to be. Just so, for my bigger system I called the gap transformative in the review and stand by it. I don't know by what other means I could duplicate this particular makeover. In my book that made the Lumen delta unexpectedly significant. Once this kind of money enters the equation, regular math simply fails and I don't know how to better answer your question. Srajan

Srajan, there are plenty of us who prefer your foxhole.  As you rightly point out, there are more than enough of other publications for the putative mainstream audio manufacturers. Thank goodness for 6moons! Michael

Hello Srajan, Ancient Audio has been around for 30 years now! When my daughter helped me prepare some marketing materials, she pointed out that Ancient Audio is a kind of artist's creation. I agreed with her. Audio is a kind of art; the art of design, of engineering, of transferring emotions between musician and final listener. It is hard to believe how time runs so quickly. I would like to thank you for all your support, reviews, news, talks. I didn't create Ancient Audio on my own. It would have been impossible without friendly people around me. You always kept warm contact with me, also always with a high standard of honest evaluations. Best regards, Jarek

Hello Jarek: Canor in Slovakia too celebrate their 30th this year; and my wife and I were married 30 years this year. Yes, time indeed seems to accelerate as we age. I wonder what causes that perception? Congratulations on still doing what you love doing. It's not easy being an artist in a capitalist world. But it's lucky when one gets to do what one enjoys. With my best wishes going forward, Srajan

Hello Srajan, wow, thank you so much for greetings, what a coincidence ! Please take the best greeting for Ivette and you! Congratulations! I wish you the next 50 years of happy marriage, good body and mind condition, love and peace. Fulfilling your passions, supporting each other. Enjoying what you selected. Walking alone, feeling solitude not lonelines. Walking together, holding hands. Mutual words. I am happy that you are with me in thought. Best regards, Jarek

Hello Jarek: Well... Ivette passed away February 28th this year; 30 years after we got married. That was very many years for which I'm most grateful. Now I'm on my own seeing what else life has in store for me before my time is up. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I am so sorry. My life is in a hurry now, I didn't notice her pass away. One year ago the wife of my best friend passed away too. She also was my friend. I spent a lot of time with him. I felt him missing her. They were together 43 years. He loved her a lot. So his life turned upside down. It was very difficult to bring him back. The 1st November is All Saints Day in Poland to remember those who passed on. At night I took my friend to the grave of his wife. I talked to both of them because she was living inside him, their children and in the hearts and memories of all their friends. Step by step I pulled him up from a deep hole. Two years ago my dad passed away after a long sickness. It was no surprise because his condition got worse by the week. However, we still had hope to keep him alive longer. It was a big loss. But after some time I realized how many parts of him I inherited. Srajan, I know these are just words. But remember, Ivette is still alive in your heart and mind. In her photographs, paintings and the hearts of her friends. What's next? My first thought is that friendly people are the best anti-depressants. You live far away from crowds which is wonderful when you live with your beloved. But spending long fall and winter evenings alone is dangerous. Use any occasion to be with friends, by messages, phone calls, face to face. We are connected, part of the universe. You know, my dad passed away on February 28th, too. The last thing, life has nice surprises too. My friend's next story is the best example. Believe me. Best regards, Jarek

Here is Ivette's story. Thank you for your thoughts and concern but really, I'm perfectly fine and in no danger of needing anti-depressants of any kind. We're all here for just a short time before this body dissolves and we move into another realm before taking another body, here or elsewhere. Solitude is excellent preparation for my own death which is a journey we all take alone. Why wait to be comfortable with that? Again, I'm filled with gratitude for the time we had together; and for how her death changed me. All of her art surrounds me and I know that my heart will recognize her when we meet again as we have many times before, in different bodies, places and times. Summer or winter, hot or cold, it makes no difference. They're just seasonal like our lives undergo their own seasons. Each has its own flavour and beauty and all of it shapes us into who we are and are still becoming. So all is as it should be. Srajan

Hello Srajan, will you ever review anything by mainstream brands like B&W, Vandersteen or Wilson speakers, Cambridge, McIntosh or Burmester electronics or continue to focus on obscure small brands? I don't really mind but think that not dealing with big established brands, you lack any reference for what they're doing. Aren't you worried that this skews your assessments through a very narrow lens and with it, makes false presentations to your readers? I'm just wondering what you have to say about that from your little foxhole. Larry

That's easy. I've attended enough hifi shows over the years to feel decently exposed to the wider status quo. Our product mix reflects who approaches us for reviews. That keeps me busy enough to seldom knock on other doors. Also, what you call mainstream already has solid coverage in the wider press. That doesn't make covering more of the same too exciting. I really don't try to be for everyone or to cover everything. Over the years my site has developed a particular niche which works and which, just as importantly, keeps me interested and engaged. It's like going to a Gujarati Indian restaurant. You don't expect Punjabi dishes, never mind pizzas or pies. Other than recoding the site and optimizing mobile consumption which my tech support currently works on, I have no plans for big changes nor concerns about misleading our audience. My little foxhole suits me just fine. Srajan