Blue Train

Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial interests: click here
Main system: Sources: Retina 5K 27" iMac (i5, 256GB SSD, 40GB RAM, Sonoma 14), 4TB external SSD with Thunderbolt 3, Audirvana Studio, Qobuz Sublime, Singxer SU-6 USB bridge, LHY Audio SW-8 & SW-6 switch, Sonnet Pasithea, LAiV Audio Harmony; Active filter: spl Audio Crossover MkII; Power amplifiers: Vinshine/Kinki Dazzle & mono Ncore 500 Nord Acoustic amps on subwoofer; Headamp: Enleum AMP-23R; Phones: Raal 1995 Immanis; Loudspeakers: Qualio IQ [on loan] Cables: Exact Express Flame, Furutech; Power delivery: 2 x Kinki/Vinshine Tai Hang on amps and source stack, Furutech DPS-4.1 between wall and conditioners; Equipment rack: Artesanía Audio Exoteryc double-wide 3-tier with optional glass shelves, Exoteryc amp stands; Sundry accessories: Acoustic System resonators, AudioQuest FogLifters; Room: 6 x 8m with open door behind listening seat; Room treatment: 2 x PSI Audio AVAA C214 active bass traps
2nd system: Source: FiiO R7 into Soundaware D300Ref SD transport to Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe with POW; Preamp/filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Amplifier: Kinki Studio EX-B7 monos; Loudspeakers: ModalAkustik MusikBoxx; Subwoofer: Zu Method; Cable loom: Exact Express Earth; Power delivery: Vibex Granada/Alhambra, Akiko Audio Corelli Corundum & Castello Solo; Equipment rack: Hifistay Mythology Transform X-Frame [on extended loan]; Sundry accessories: Furutech cable lifts, Furutech NFC Clear Lines; Room: ~3.5 x 8m
2nd headfi system: DAC: Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe with POW; Headamp: Cen.Grand Silver Fox; Headphones: Raal 1995 Magna, HifiMan Susvara
Desktop system: Source: HP Z2 workstation Win11/64; USB bridge: LHY UIP; Ethernet bridge: LHY EFI; Ethernet reclocker: Stack SmoothLAN; DACs: Audalytic DR701 & Gustard R26II; Headphone/preamp: FangSound Dionysus; Speaker amps: Topping B200 monos; Loudspeakers: Virtual Hifi Viper; Headphones: Final D-8000, aune SR7000, FiiO FT7
Upstairs headfi system: FiiO R7; Headphones: Meze 109 Pro, Fiio FT3
2nd upstairs speaker system: Source: FiiO R7; DAC/pre: COS D1; Amplifier: Kinki EX-M7; Loudspeakers: sound|kaos Vox3 with Dynaudio S18 subwoofer
2-channel video system: Source: Oppo BDP-105; All-in-One: Gold Note IS-1000 Deluxe; Loudspeakers: Zu Mission; Subwoofer: Zu Mission; Power delivery: Furutech eTP-8, Room: ~6x4m
Review component retail: €5'900/pr in black/white satin or gloss, all RAL colours for surcharge

Saw-tooth absorptive layer around the tall Mundorf AMT is reminiscent of Raal's for their ribbon tweeter.

Flying solo. The urge often outgrows teamwork which began to polarize two or more parties invested in mutual success. Marek Kostrzyński and Grzegorz Rulka are the two peas in the Cube and Qualio pods. After many years of successful collaboration, Greg struck out in parallel with Virtual Hifi whose Vibron isolators, Vermillion cables, Viper and Cobra speakers I've covered. In mid September 2025 whilst organizing dispatch of Qualio IQ30 samples which he'd designed—his new Cube Monet would follow shortly— Marek let on that he too felt the urge to finally hoist his own flag. After contributing to a Tonsil project as freelancer, he's worked the next 15 years as Pylon Audio's lead designer alongside their production manager. Last year, Pylon's design team grew larger. Marek now also moonlights on projects for other brands. He felt ready to add his own speakers designed without committee; even if of just two. He'd be ready to send me something by November right after the 2025 Warsaw show he thought. I nursed no notion of his design leanings other than having reviewed even awarded numerous Cube/Qualio models. But if those had been collaborative efforts, what to expect from a speaker that only carried Marek's imprimatur? What type drivers¹ and filters would it use, what industrial design? From his work at Cube, we know Marek's abilities to get granular and design and manufacture drivers from scratch. That comes with high production costs when one is a small boutique not major enterprise. For his solo venture much would depend on how he positioned himself; and whether he'd adopt direct or dealer sales. It seems an uphill struggle to compete with big outfits whose sheer scale of economics presses unfair advantages. Why not focus on hard-earned experience which has learnt what people want by what actually sells; then sink the same experience into maximizing sonics without getting too precious on cosmetic pizzazz? To me the sound-first Cube and Qualio precedents with their simple rectilinear form factors and high value seemed a far more likely roadmap for Marek's own venture.

¹ In a Polish interview we learn that Marek remains fondest of cellulose as a driver diaphragm material. Even though it's a classic choice which to some could suggest vintage or retro, he finds that most buyers actually prefer the sound of paper-based drivers to modern composites or metals. In an email exchange about the Cube Monet, he also explained that he favours simple very clean cosmetics which age well so don't fall victim to short-lived fashion cycles.

"Today Pylon Audio employ 40-50 people and in addition to their own speaker systems, produce enclosures for many European brands. I'm very happy that I started with them from the very beginning. After serious challenges 15 years ago, Pylon are now a publicly traded company and dynamically growing enterprise. I intend to continue this parallel path with my new project perhaps not on an industrial scale but I do want to maintain the crafted feel. This is a moment in my life where I want to present designs that have long been on my mind but which at the time didn't fit into available slots. My first series of speakers is created in collaboration with Mundorf but won't be open-baffle designs like Qualio. They're classics with a touch of style and a few new ideas. Future projects will use horns. This won't appeal to everyone but I've designed a few in my time and the comments were something like, "these horns don't sound like horns". I guess I don't know how to make horns sound bad.

"At Pylon² the above Jade series is a good example of my tastes. I also designed a well-known European model which sold successfully for about eight years. I like speakers that are easy to use with diverse electronics. And I like a sound that makes me think about the music not hardware. That's exactly how I design at Pylon. At Cube Audio I was fascinated by the idea of full-range sound from a single driver. At Qualio the solution is more versatile and original. But without exception, any solution has its own advantages and challenges." By June 10th the following year when I contacted Qualio to organize return shipping of their Quanteen loaners, their Ewa mentioned that "Marek is on vacation until the 22nd but when he returns would like to send you his first Verseo speakers". Does this name play on versatile or versed? It's certainly not the NYC beauty brand of electrolysis products; or the Polish SEO agency.

² According to this October 2025 SoundStage posting, the people behind Pylon "manufacture cabinets for a long list of high-end speaker companies and recently acquired Vienna Acoustics". According to Google's AI Overview, some of the brands they supply are Audio Physic and Unitra. This OEM website references business partners in "Germany, France, Sweden, Finland, the UK and Italy." In Sweden one suspects Mårten's non-wood cabinets as possible Pylon candidates. In Germany Voxativ are known to procure enclosures from Poland. Meanwhile the JRC Group website features the above cutaway drawing of Pylon's smaller Gamma model to perhaps be the umbrella company whilst showing very complex capabilities. Like Canor in the electronics sector, Pylon & Co. seem well entrenched and vertically integrated. By extension, having worked as their lead designer for more than a decade has clearly given Marek very solid exposure to the sector.