Dear Srajan, I am following up on your August review of the Forza Medicine cable which you also highlight on your Favourites of 2024 page. Looking at Forza's home and FB pages still doesn't show the final product or when it might become available. Do you have any insights? Thanks for any help you can offer. Michael

I have no idea on status, sorry. As I wrote in both mentions, Mateusz was delayed on getting his solid-wood trim bits from an outside supplier. I have an order for two cables in myself and one day my bell will ring with that delivery. Until then I'm keeping my distance to let Mat be. But you can certainly email him for an update if you're in a hurry. Srajan

Srajan, I see some action on the SIT5. Will you hook them up to some challenging loads to determine just what they can drive? I could be very interested if unlike the rest of the FirstWatt designs, these really are far more universal. Pascal

I don't own any known piggish loads because I view those as lazy design aberrations. Accounting for the amp/speaker interface without relying on dreadnaught monos is an important aspect of speaker design after all. Due to being a 4-way, my most complex load should be the Audio Physic Codex. I might try that but haven't decided yet. The SIT5 weren't designed nor are they promoted as drive-anything amplifiers. Approaching a review as though they were would rather miss the point I think. Srajan

Srajan, lovely work on elite gear from the Far East with your reviews of the Singxer monos and Matrix stereo, even the latest Laiv headphone amp. It's gratifying to read that these things hit hard and furious at the older idea of Chinese hifi not being original but just cheap copies of discontinued American or British circuits, of dubious reliability and no customer service to speak of. That MA-1 from Matrix looks incredibly well made and from your descriptions of it, doesn't disappoint sonically either. What's more, now there are credible European importers with marquee names working with these brands to make sure that we consumers aren't left high and dry when something fails. I'm simply not sure that at these high prices, established US and German brands don't still have the edge because their R&D goes much farther back. It seems to me that getting the basics right and putting those into fanciful solid enclosures is just the beginning. Surely refining circuits over 30 or 40 years adds something that these newer Chinese brands can't catch up with just because they have cheaper labour and more high-tech manufacturing on their side? What's your take on that? Thank you, Charlie

'Mastering the basics' can be surprisingly good as shown by those Singxer monos you mentioned. As far as I can tell, there's nothing unique or really different about them other than having exceptionally low noise; and not costing a lot. But at that level of execution, those two things really add up. Also, much (most?) audio is legacy tech in a new dress. And; some of these Sino firms have been at it for 20 years or more already, including OEM/ODM work behind the scenes. How much time does it take a smart team of engineers to catch up with current performance standards? I'd say they already have; and more seem to be coming. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I have followed you since your early days in Taos. You've certainly gotten around to many different places since then. I want to congratulate you on your amazing consistency, quality and still covering things that others overlook. In this age of casual bloggers and YouTubers who act like authorities but obviously lack the serious experience, it's very refreshing to have a resource that hasn't dumbed itself down to the YouTube algorithm. As another reader pointed out, some of this new crop of reviewers even consult to established hifi brands on the side, then think nothing of talking up product they worked on. I much prefer the John Atkinson days when reviewers were fired for crossing these lines. Getting to my point of today, have you heard of Galion Audio from Canada? They do a 20-watt class A amplifier for $3'750 that uses current feedback and Jupiter parts, two power transformers and looks to be very well built. Here is their website. This would seem to be right up your street and if I can help steer you at something worthwhile, consider it a small thank you for the many years of terrific reading you've given me already. With very best wishes, Jitendra

Hello Jitendra, thanks for the nice words. Yes, the algorithm, some of its acolytes and I definitely don't see eye to eye. But there are some YouTubers I really enjoy. As to that TS A20 amplifier, I'd never heard of it until my contributor Frederic brought it to my attention. You're now the second person in a span of a few weeks to point me at it. As it happens, Frederic too is curious. If Thomas Tan there proves agreeable, Frederic might review it for us. Nothing's inked yet so that's just a maybe but consider us alerted for sure. Thanks again; and perhaps we can keep up with providing you terrific reading for a few more years. Srajan

Hello Srajan, you have nicely described the sonic signatures of the two SAEQ amplifiers. I appreciate that you haven't heard their Morpheus yet. Still, my question is that other than more power for loudspeakers which remains low either way, these models keep getting ever more expensive and only introduce a small tuning change but otherwise don't justify the rising expense for headphones when even the smallest model can already drive anything out there? Am I missing something? I hope you can fill in that gap for me. Best regards, Tony

Purely for headphones I'd agree that between H and A, extra power isn't really a factor: And as I said in my review, what remains low power for a transistor speaker amp still makes Armageddon a hard sell, Hyperion Ge even more so. Of course with Avantgarde-type ultra-efficient horn speakers, SAEQ's power ratings are ideal as long as self noise remains low enough. Not having horn speakers, I simply can't speak to that. But yes, Dragan's concept of adding speaker outputs to what really are headphone amplifiers is unusual. So is not providing basic remote control over volume then. It's really for buyers not bothered by that who own the right speakers and do headfi at an elite level that these models become ideal. I'm not sure this fills your gap but it's all I've really got on the subject. Typically amplifier catalogues keep adding power whilst trying to maintain a recognizable 'house' sound. In this case, Dragan has altered the voicing, too. The forthcoming Astræus promises yet another voicing by adding tubes to the mix. So perhaps Dragan's idea is more of a vanilla, hazelnut, chocolate type concept whilst ramping up output power as one climbs up his catalogue is a more secondary wrinkle? Srajan

Lee Landesberg here. I've been out of the loop for some time. I popped out of retirement and joined Bruce Thigpen on his new adventure. He has produced a 4-panel self-powered system that defies description. You can Google it at the Florida Expo from last year. There are YouTube videos describing it. Yet he won't build them right now because of new speaker tech he invented for the music biz. This will affect the entire industry. He has reinvented the actual speaker diaphragm and magnet structure. You will see this affect all future speaker building. Lighter, smaller, better dispersion etc. etc. As you know there's been a basket full of reviews on his updated Eminent Technology LFT 8C speaker. This new tech is much more interesting. Leland

Hello Lee: I wish you guys the best of luck. As Edifier's annual gross shows, there's clearly a ton of money moving about the pro-audio speaker market. Having disruptive tech is one part of competing against them. Financing and having the necessary people resources is another. Going old-skool about it is yet another wrinkle. Hence wishing you the best of luck. Srajan

 Affirmative. Am using a number of valuable resources for free. My investors are real angels and we are using influencers on social media. For example the Krief Brothers out of Paris. Best in Show at NAMM last year and now we have a totally portable version of the Model 22. Thanks for the luck, hope we don't need it. Leland

Dear Srajan: Good day! Thank you for the wonderful review. Let me arrange the pickup asap and share the shipping label with you soon. I'd love to feature a blog post on our site sharing your review if that's alright with you. Here's a draft of what I'm planning to post... W.

Hello W., you're free to quote complete sentences or complete paragraphs from my review but not splice partial sentences into your own narrative. If that were okay, there'd be no need to send me anything. You'd simply write your own review. The proper thing to do is to simply post a link to my review and let your website visitors read for themselves what I wrote. After all, you call the review wonderful so there should be no issue. Srajan

PS: I'm not publishing this individual's name because this was a private correspondence. The intent here isn't to 'out' or 'embarrass' them. The intent is just an open reminder on how to properly use our reviews in brand marketing. Quote properly without cut 'n' paste edit of original meaning and nuance; or simply link to them. It's not complicated. In this instance, the manufacturer's second proposal was to remove nearly all of the earlier quote snippets to instead reframe my review in his own words in the style of "and Srajan found the x to be this and that". That's of course one way to skin this cat without running afoul of selectively recombined partial quotes whilst still affixing a reviewer's name to it. Does this equal the spirit of the original though? That's highly debatable. Some people will just read the reframed copy and assume that's all a reviewer had to say. Those who bother reading what they actually wrote will find rather more nuance and divergence. Thankfully W. finally understood the point and on third attempt simply embedded the link. Again, not complicated and the right way to do this thing.

Dear Srajan, I read your 2024 overview feature and from the link to your Raal 1995 review, sought to connect with their website only to find a 'closed for maintenance' screen. Do you by any chance know when they might go live again? Thank you, Peter

That site has been down since I published my review in May. I don't know why it's still not working. The best way to get in touch with them is probably through the Raal-Requisite website, their US-based partner and a reseller of the Immanis and Magna headphones. Srajan

Hi Srajan, I just finished reading through your long review of the new Laiv amplifier. Reading between the lines, do I understand correctly that perhaps adding the extra power to drive one or two rare headphones in need of it has negatively impacted the performance on normal headphones? I'm also confused about this YouTube reviewer working as a paid consultant to companies in the field and reviewing their product and those by competitors. Isn't that a glaring conflict of interest? Finally, weren't you really just a bit miffed that your Laiv DAC stopped playing within the first year? I would appreciate just a bit more insight on those points, please. Richard

Hello Richard, negatory on your first point. I don't think that the performance on normal headphones is compromised at all. The voicing has simply shifted relative to their first product. They made it a bit warmer and thicker aka 'organic'. That this isn't exactly my preference nor was my expectation is besides the point. They're not in the business of pleasing my precise taste. They're in the business of making something with the widest possible appeal. As to GoldenSound moonlighting as a paid consultant to the industry then reviewing at all, never mind products he was involved in, used to be a conflict of interest indeed. Apparently those standards have changed and he seems to think that stating his involvement makes it okay to review such products; or those by direct competitors where his moonlighting gig may or may not be clear. As to your last point, negatory again. What probably happened is that the digital input receiver failed. That's a common chip which Laiv didn't design or make but bought from a parts supplier. Parts can and do fail. The important thing is customer service and ease/speediness of repairs. So au contraire, I was most impressed by their modular fix-it-yourself approach and the haste whereby replacement parts and clear instructions were dispatched.  About your reading between the lines then, I'm afraid that you got two out of three things quite wrong. But we do agree on one so you're spinning at 33.3%. Very analogue of you. Srajan

Very witty, Srajan. But thanks for answering my questions. It all makes good sense to me now that you've laid it out. And I do remember you writing that the DAC just stopped locking onto signal no matter which input you tried so suspecting the digital receiver chip does sound like the probable culprit. In that case I agree that Laiv wouldn't be to blame. If I may, one more question. Did you compare the direct XLR input to the one in the outboard box by any chance? Thank you, Richard

I only compared outboard RCA to onboard XLR as described in the review. It's nearly always the case that whatever I tried out I write about; and that whatever I don't write about are things I didn't do. After all, spending review time on stuff only to not report on it wouldn't make any sense, would it? Then I might as well spend that time smelling the roses instead. Srajan

Hello Srajan, your gradual unveiling of the new Laiv headphone amp is very interesting. I also enjoyed your GoldenSound quote about its 60V maximum swing potential when fronted by a high-gain source. I take it you will test it with your iFi and perhaps also Cen.Grand converters? That should be massive fun I expect. Looking forward to how this story will unfold. Best wishes, Roland

Quite. The nearly 12V iFi is on the list as is the 6V Cen.Grand. My other DACs are a standard 4V on XLR. We'll see whether beaucoup upstream voltage gain which then will need a more massive cut will do anything unusual on my loads. More gain tends to be noisier on the downside but often has more gumption and gravitas on the upside. How these dice will fall I haven't the faintest until I actually do it. Which are fun bits. If everything was predictive off specs, we wouldn't need to listen at all; and reviewing would become somewhat of a bore. It's not knowing and finding out on a case-by-case basis which keeps things fresh and entertaining. Srajan

Hello Srajan, will you or one of your contributors review the new Devialet Astra? Marja & Henk reviewed the original and many years have passed to suggest that desirable improvements have been made to their class A/D platform. Jamie

If you read this from SoundStage's Doug Schneider, you'll find background that mirrors ours. As such, I'd probably not be inclined to revisit them even if they solicited us. And that's unlikely when all the original players we dealt with at Devialet seem to be gone and customer service in the interim was abysmal. Whilst you could argue that everyone deserves a second chance after screwing up, I think I'd prefer erring on the side of caution and let other outlets bridge that gap. In short, negatory. But Doug seems game so perhaps keep an eye peeled on his sites? Srajan

You can't find it because I I never wrote it. They never asked me to and I didn't ask them, either. You might say that I'm perfectly happy with my 'regular' IQ to not justify two-way shipping from/to Poland to write a brief follow-up on how different crossover parts might change the sound. Also, I'm a devout single-wire guy and don't do biwiring so wouldn't have use for the Ultra's separation of binding posts. I'd have to use a jumper which would seem to defeat the purpose. In short, I'd rather let someone else review the Ultra who biwires or, even better, biamps to really explore that feature. Srajan

Ok. Thanks. Have you had the opportunity to hear the Ultra or, better yet, to compare it to the original IQ, perhaps at some audio show? Peter 

Nope, I haven't. Also, why would Qualio do such an A/B at a show in the first place? From reports I've seen, they simply demo the Ultra. I just haven't gone to shows post Covid to hear it. Srajan

Hi, despite your suggestion to be happy with what I have (Cube Nenuphar Mini V2) being good, I went ahead anyway and bought a pair of Qualio IQ. I'm really glad I did. They are wonderful and do everything that I was looking for in a speaker. My Crayon CIA 1T works very well with them. I am not considering buying the Ultras. I was just curious to know what your opinion of the Ultras compared to the original IQ might be. Thanks again, Peter

Srajan, I just read your first selection of highlights for the year. I had a chance to hear those Raal ribbons at the alternate Munich show at the Marriott hotel and agree with you that they are something else. I also appreciate how owning them as a reference could make life really hard on regular speaker systems if one insisted on equivalent bandwidth, resolution and jump factor. Have you heard the Spirit Torino Valkyria headphones your contributor Simone uses as his alternate choice to Immanis? I wonder whether in the realm of dynamic flagship headphones, they would equal the ribbons? I look forward to what else you might put on that page. You've got another 2 months and a half to come across something worthwhile. I'm particularly curious about those Basel Acoustics speakers in your preview queue. Any idea when that review might hit? Jamie

I've never heard a Spirit Torino so many months back I sent out a feeler email to Andreas to inquire about a potential review opportunity. I simply never heard back so take that to mean that he isn't interested. Simone of course described the sonic profiles of Immanis and Valkyria in his bio and I would be surprised if he rated the Torino higher for dynamics, fine detail retrieval, speed and air. As to the V-01 review, I'm expecting delivery of my samples any day if the agreed time line hasn't been moved. With any luck, we might see that review in early November. What's already in the air is the Matrix amplifier and I'm presently working on two pairs of aune headphones. Nagra's Streamer too is about to leave Switzerland and the SAEQ Armageddon is due in two weeks. With the slower summer months behind us, deliveries are hotting up again so expect a few more interesting things to hit before the year turns the corner. This could even include a valve amp which I rarely do. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I'm writing you over reader Robert's question on Aqua and your reply to him. Are you seriously saying that a manufacturer would take you to task over doing your job and covering hifi from all corners of the globe? This beggars belief but I've read you long enough to know that you don't play games so it must be true. Needless to say, good on you for standing your ground. Is this type of thing something that happens more behind the scenes than we readers know? Just curious and keep up the good works. Alain

It's happened with another manufacturer who was sour that I compared their product to a competitor's also from Europe who manage equivalent performance for a fraction of the cost. But just two instances in 22 years behind the wheel counts as super marginal in my book so no, it's nothing of regularity at least in my experience. As for standing my ground, anyone who operates their own business does so with certain policies. Setting those is one privilege of self employment. Anyone who disagrees with them needn't frequent such establishments or do business with them. In my case, people who disagree with my writing style, general approach or policies needn't read us or send us anything for review. It's all very basic and generally super boring as really nothing tends to happen that shouldn't. That's perhaps extra true because we've been around long enough and consistent throughout. People tend to know what we're about and how we do things. Those who disagree just don't approach us for reviews in the first place. For this to work as intended only requires clearly stated policies; and a body of work to verify the final result and quality. Combined, that gives anyone doing due diligence the data they need to make an informed decision. Srajan

Srajan, what happened to Aqua Audio? I don't mean the company but coverage of them on your site. You were very fond of their Formula DAC and used it for a while. But they've not featured on 6moons for years and certainly have since introduced updates and new models which readers like me are curious about. Is there a particular reason why you've stayed away from the brand like reliability issues or poor business practices? Robert

Nothing of the sort, Robert. I simply ended up on Aqua's shit list for reviewing Chinese-made digital which as a built-in-Italy outfit they can't compete with on price. I'm sympathetic to Christian Anelli's argument but as a globally-focussed publication, can't ignore the existence of China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan as sources of excellent hifi kit. He wasn't amenable to my position so we've not cooperated since. Mr. Punter of Hifi Advice in Holland however continues to cover the brand so his publication is one to watch for ongoing coverage of Aqua Hifi gear. Srajan

Hello Srajan, just curious, have you heard anything concerning updates/new product from Sonnet? Your review of the Morpheus MkII is almost five years old, almost an eternity for digital! Really enjoyed your review of the Singxer SA-90 monos, would love to own a pair. Might Singxer come out with a stereo version and/or larger monos? Thanking you in advance, Steve

I haven't heard from Sonnet/Acelec/Metrum in ages so no insights to share. Obviously Cees Ruijtenberg now works as an engineering consultant rather than owner and the new management has never been in touch with me as Cees always was before. For Singxer I dealt with a Dutch importer for the review samples. I don't have any connection yet with company management in China so no insight into their product plans either nor have I heard any rumours. Sorry, Steve. Three strikes and you're out. You've got one left. Srajan

Dear Mr. Srajan, I hope you are doing great. I would be very glad if you took 3 minutes of your precious time about power conditioners. I'm deciding between Puritan PSM156 and Ansuz A3 or C3. I know you auditioned the Puritan and Ansuz D2. Could you maybe tell a difference or tell me 'buy this one'? I just tested the C3 and it’s very good but €5K and the Puritan is far less. My system consists of Cube Audio Jazzon Mk2 speakers, Audio Note Oto Se Signature, LampizatOr Atlantic, Iancanada Rpi streamer with copper custom cables. Thanks! Best, Gasper, Slovenija

In two of my systems I use Puritan power. As you noted, it's rather more affordable and better value for what's actually in it. Of course you already auditioned the Ansuz and loved it so that could be your answer right there? The effectiveness and scope of power conditioners depends on your unique AC scenario so it's quite impossible to predict which approach you would favour: the active filtering of Puritan which can include DC filtering if you opt for that which I recommend; or the passive approach of Ansuz. As you noted, I did review the Ansuz but shipped it back afterwards. That's probably all I can say about your question. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I just came across your most current industry feature on the Aune headphones. They certainly look very interesting. Do you have any plans to review them? You might be aware that an open-backed version for less than half the money exists already but I can't tell how much these models share on parts and general build quality. Those have already been reviewed by a number of YouTube reviewers and found to be very competitive at their $300 mark. Anyways, looking forward to your SR-7000 take if you have it on your books. Robin

Hello Robin, I sent Aune a link with an open invite to a formal review should they wish to furnish me with a loaner. They already replied with interest so now it's just a matter of sorting out the practicalities. It looks like you'll have your wish so I converted that industry feature to a preview now. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I had to take a moment to absorb the story of your time with our Singxer SA-90 samples. I love the descriptive writing style and the elements of personal anecdotes and humor. Well done. Jos, Magna Hifi

Srajan, reading your latest Voxativ epic, I'm left to wonder whether in 2025 you will follow up on Alberich2. That combination would seem to offer truly full-range sound without interfering with Hagen2's other qualities. I'm fully onboard with your arguments on active directional bass, just not keen on a physically separate subwoofer or two. Integrating a subwoofer into a stand that has the stack look like a continuous affair is far more attractive to me. I would simply like assurance that it works as well in actuality as it reads on paper so a follow-up review on the combination would really be appreciated. Here's to hoping. Charles

Inès knows of my interest in this and indicated that early 2025 so past the bevy of upcoming Fall shows around the world, she plans on organizing more reviews. At present that's all I know so maybe yes, maybe no to your query. I don't know where you live but visiting the Voxativ headquarters in Berlin for an on-site audition; or attending one of the upcoming shows this year where Alberich2 will be on demo could be the best solution for you? More than all other components in a system, speakers have the most personality. Knowing whether one gets on really wants to go on a few dates before one commits. In my mind, visiting a hifi show or dealer showroom specifically to audition something one considers for purchase is a very good idea indeed. It's no different than test-driving a car. It might just take more traveling to organize. Srajan

Dear Mr. Ebaen, I hope this finds you and your loved ones and everyone at 6moons in great shape and high spirits. I have a question about a Yamamoto Sound Craft A014 integrated amplifier that I'm hoping you might be able to either answer for me or direct me to a different source for an answer: I'd like to know what is this amp's input impedance. I labored through Mr. Shigeki's description of this model on his website, but was unable to find this detail. A protracted online search yielded equally meager results. I know that you are a Yamamoto fan and have had more than one of their preamps and amps, perhaps including the A014 (hopefully). Thank you & kind regards. Francisco

Sadly no on having the answer. You'll have to contact Mr. Shigeki directly through his website. Google Translator might help translate your query into Japanese for his benefit and then do the inverse with his reply? Srajan

Srajan, I quite enjoyed the SA-90 review. As you did with Kinki and other Chinese HiFi houses, you have put Singxer on the map for discerning audiophiles who aren’t swayed by brand or cosmetics. Bravo! Michael 

I'm not sure any one guy or gal puts anything or anyone 'on the map'. Happenstance simply has some of us be first on occasion. It usually takes quite a lot more before a stone gets rolling but if a small first step is followed by a second, third and forth, be it more formal reviews, forum chatter or owner feedback, then something can indeed happen. Fingers crossed that it will for these amplifiers. They do deserve it. Srajan

Srajan, in reading your Singxer SA-90 preview and its comparison to the Kinki EX-M7, I wonder whether the modular design of the latter—plus available how-to videos for owners—give it a modest leg up should it require servicing. Second, as the M7 is dual mono and uses a common power supply, does the SA-90 benefit from two separate power supplies in its twin-chassis mono amp design? Michael

Cause/effect statements in hifi are often mostly assumptive. To know how/whether the mono design of the SA-90 is an advantage, one would want to compare it to a stereo version of the SA-90 which doesn't exist. So whilst one can make sonic observations by comparison and contrast, knowing definitely what design parameter causes a given observation can be identified only if that design parameter can be isolated. Otherwise it's just guesswork. A modular design such as Kinki and Laiv and Aqua use makes it easier to self service in case of mishap. Singxer don't offer that so here we're just trading in Cap'n Obvious cards. Srajan

Srajan, I just finished your fine review on that new Voxativ monitor. My comment isn't about your contribution but theirs. So they send you two pairs to report on the difference between two available drivers. Subsequently they contact you saying that they think the cheaper driver is superior, what do you think. By that time you've essentially disqualified the more expensive driver to agree. Now they write in saying that the costlier driver is really only meant as a tweeter in their stacked big array. Sending it to you for review was only meant to confirm that and people often pursue costlier stuff thinking it better then end up being dissatisfied. Throughout they refer to that driver as the high-resolution version while you point out that being so peaky above 1kHz doesn't make it higher resolution, just extremely nonlinear.

Don't you feel hoodwinked by this charade? As I see it, they make a driver that raises the cost of the speaker by €2'000 but is actually too bright and bass shy to sound right even after a subwoofer is added. Why send it for review if it's only meant as a big tweeter? The way they spin that answer is that you were being tested. By disqualifying the tweeter as a standalone speaker, you passed their test. Really? I'm curious how you read that whole subtext. Cheers, Pablo

You raised a few interesting points for which I don't have direct answers, Pablo. I know that Voxativ's own electronics at the factory are direct-heated triode specimens. They might well have that costlier driver behave different than my transistor amps of wider bandwidth. In which case, my reaction might have served as useful feedback from the field? This is new product. I doubt that many dealers and end users have it yet. If my comments helped relegate that driver to 'big tweeter' duty going forward, so be it. I see nothing wrong if/when review commentary helps a manufacturer to improve or change a product; or simply confirm what they already suspected but wanted another opinion on. Srajan

Srajan, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your First Watt Sit4 review despite my Vivid B1D speakers not being among the target transducers that might benefit from its magic. Part of the reason I enjoy your online publication is the quality of the writing and the tangible feeling one gets from your vivid descriptions, apt analogies and convincing summaries. Thanks, Michael

Hi Srajan, hope all is well. Not sure if anyone commented or made a request about this but I'm finding it very difficult to read your wonderful content on your website, as I find the font size way too small. I've tried many things (zoom in etc) but nothing seems to help. I was wondering if it would be easy enough to use a bigger font to make the content more legible for older readers like me. Best regards, Mevlut

Just click ctrl then + and make the site any size you want. It’s super basic and works on Windows and Mac. Ctrl/- makes it smaller, ctrl/0 resets to original. PC 101. Srajan

Hi Srajan, it's been a while since last we communicated. I hope that all is well in your world. During the last year I have been in contact with Roland Krammer and he told me that he and my friend Vince have been collaborating on a new DAC. Now it is my understanding that it has gone into production. Do you know anything about this? Peter

It’s not in production yet. The first 20 chassis are made but Roland still has to write the software code to actually run the machine. They're aiming to show in October at a trade fair in Canada or the US and hope to commence sales afterwards. I'll get a review sample as well. So it's being baked but the dough hasn't risen yet. Srajan

Hey Srajan, what can you tell me about GoldenSound and Cameron Oatley? James

Very little. I've never met him or even exchanged emails. I know of his website; that he offers consulting services; has collaborated on a special-edition version of ferrum's Wandla DAC; works as a reviewer for Headphones.com; and uses the email handle Golden One. He's from the new generation of YouTubers working the audio review space; and someone who conducts a lot of measurements. That's about the extent of what I think I know. Srajan

Rogue foreign distributor "acts on behalf of the company" except doesn't. Cameron didn't know this at first so went through a disagreeable few weeks. It got sorted out in the end but not without leaving quite the YouTube/forum trail in its wake. Perhaps it could have been avoided had Cameron procured his dCS sample directly from the company who would then have known of his review when it happened to get any factual errors corrected back when? If you want more, you'll have to contact Cameron. That seems easy enough to do. I really don't keep tabs on most my colleagues in the review space so am not a good person to ask about them. Going straight to the source always strikes me as the best policy if you want more than hearsay and assumptions. Srajan

At 79 years of age, securing a future for his long-time team whilst retiring—hopefully in style—looks like excellent strategy to me. Will Gibson's corporate management keep Randy's inspired legacy intact? Does profitability to stockholders struggle with creative genius any day of the week? I remember my time at Mesa/Boogie with fondness. Thanks for looping me into this news item. Srajan

Hi mate, I was really enjoying listening to you on them podcasts but then I discovered ASR forum. And they said you are just chasing the $ and not telling it for real. I'm now disappointed. Best, Stephan 

I don't know anyone at ASR but apparently they know me. Thanks for explaining to me how and why I do things. Cheers. Srajan

Srajan, I fully agree with your thoughts regarding the fix on your Laiv Harmony DAC. Yes it's a pain in the ass when a component doesn't work properly; it's even more of a PITA when you have to pack it up and ship it off to a repair centre. Much like my experience with Kinki which sent me a revised board for my M7 when I had an issue and pointed me to a helpful installation video, Laiv has certified its customer service. This ironically might make one more indebted to the brand than had it not happened! Michael

Hello Srajan, I'm probably way late but just learnt that Jeff Fritz, formerly with SoundStage Ultra, now works for Magico. Is that not an unusual transition? I wondered what you thought of it. [Rest withheld by request.]  Andrew

Until you just asked, I'd actually not given it a thought, Andrew. And yes, you're more than a year late to his party. Jeff always adored Magico products so joining them in an ambassadorial function which still includes writing plus participating at events and shows looks like a great opportunity which keeps him associated with the industry he enjoys working in. My own path was the opposite. I started on the audio manufacturing side as a formal sales & marketing man then crossed over into reviewing and eventually, publishing. Either way covers more bases and deepens appreciation of the hobby and its professional aspects than only doing one or the other. Of course doing both, simultaneously, should be verboten for obvious reasons of conflict but today those standards seem to have relaxed and I've heard of a few cases which play both sides. Again, to each their own. That's what I think of it. I'm now considered old-school and the YouTubers are the shiny new thing. That's how the wheel turns. Srajan

Srajan, as I read your industry feature on the value of a common design philosophy all pulling in the same direction—and knowing that Frederic Beudot soon would be dropping his review of the Lumin U2—I thought I'd let you know about my recent experience in the Lumin ecosystem. For a few years I've owned the Lumin X1 streamer/DAC/preamp connected to my network via its fiber connection. My network featured an EtherRegen switch abetted by an AfterDark OCXO clock, digital cable, low-pass filter and linear power supply. Upstream was a Synology NAS with saved albums and various tracks. My daily driver for accessing music (Tidal streaming and NAS music) was the Lumin app until I read Joël Chevassus' review of the JPlay for iOS app which supplanted it.

My aha moment came when I read reviews by Wojciech Pacula (High Fidelity Poland) and Chris Connaker (Audiophile Style) of the Lumin L2, a music library and network switch with two each fiber optic and RJ45 ports. The reviews promised increased sound quality for saved music via the unit's dual hard drives (optional 4TB or 8TB) vs a NAS.  Plus, the switch side offered the possibility to replace my assorted network gear with a cleaner solution while keeping the galvanically isolated fiber-optical goodness. Once purchased I installed two 2TB Samsung drives, a nice money-saving option offered by Lumin, connected the L2 to my router via a fiber media converter and then my X1 by the second fiber optical connection. The remaining RJ45 ports fed a seldom-used Roon NUC and TV. The result: besides cleaning up the rat's nest of network connections, I found snappier access to saved music, better SQ for both library and streaming music and dead silence between tracks. Which brings me back to your industry feature. There is a definite advantage in my opinion to accessing my music from within the Lumin ecosystem. Why the sound quality increased compared to my previous setup is somewhat of a mystery. I can only surmise that a simpler more dedicated solution with a common design philosophy won the day. Michael

Srajan, just read your review of the Mon VC2. Did you by any chance try it in your upstairs room as well just for some extra data points? Thanks. Pascal

If I had, I'd have shown photos of it. Though the weight of the bass modules was still manageable to carry up the stairs, given their performance in my bigger room, the smaller space simply made no sense. Why embark on a venture you know to be Quixotic from the onset? Bigger speaker, bigger room. It's super basic but no less true for it. It's why I keep harping on about active bass, active hi/lo-pass filters and active bass traps. Such adjustments to a room make a good match far more attainable. Passive bass is what it is unless we engage DSP. Srajan

Srajan, I just read and much appreciated your industry feature on the value of rebranding. I've always been a brand proponent, as for me, an established brand is typically a shorthand way of delineating a value proposition: thus, no need to read endless marketing copy or rummage through product descriptions, or (gasp) depend on the debatable and ephemeral voices on the Internet etc.  An established brand communicates an instant and compelling story.

I've been fortunate to work for two companies whose brand was all important: IBM and Michelin. I recall in the mid-90s when a certain CEO was on his way out, and he decided that stodgy old Big Blue needed a refresh before his exit. So, as an example, "IBM Federal Systems Division" (the division for which I toiled) would become "Federal Systems Division, an IBM company." His idea nose-dived when the new CEO came aboard and said, in essence, stop this foolishness, we're IBM!

Michelin never had such an identity crisis. Perhaps, the company's biggest brand enhancement was the creation of a mascot in 1898 to represent the company. Thus was born Bibendum as the mascot was known throughout the world, except in the United States where he was simply named The Michelin Man. Today the world is littered with brand mascots (Jolly Green Giant, Pillsbury Dough Boy, Ronald McDonald) perhaps inspired by the fertile minds of two French brothers from central France who saw instant value—and an emotional connection—from an anthropomorphic creation. Michael

Hello Srajan, did you see this? I know that you've worked with Vinshine over the years with numerous reviews of their brands. Now they and Denafrips have parted ways. I wonder whether they already found a deep brand to replace it with? Have you heard anything? Simon

Alvin Chee who operates Vinshine contacted me about this before the video went live. I'm not privy to what's going on behind the scenes. But I asked so know that Alvin is far from done with Vinshine Audio. What exactly his plans are relative to new brands I didn't ask because if he were ready to say, he'd have mentioned it already. So we'll have to wait and see. Given Denafrips, Kinki Studio, Jay's Audio and their newer subsidiaries LHY and Exact, he really has a knack with Chinese hifi so I'm certain that good things are on the horizon. Srajan

Hi Srajan, I took note of that very pretty cat of yours in the latest MonAcoustic update. It looks like a miniature jaguar of sorts. What kind of breed is that if you don't mind me asking something entirely disconnected from hifi for a change? Charlie

Chai Baba is a Bengal born and bred in Ireland one county over from where we live now. It's apparently a cross between a feral Indian cat—hence the name Bengal—and a Siamese. The Siamese gives it the body type and sweet personality, the wild cat the distinctive markings. Bengals come in this colour; and also very pale where they look more like a snow leopard and often their eyes then are blue not green. We call ours a lounge leopard. Most affectionate cat we ever had. And yes, he's a handsome little devil. Srajan

Dear Srajan, didn't you work with Mark Mickelson back in your days at SoundStage? I just discovered The Audio Beat which is apparently his site since he left SoundStage. It seems to be mostly music review and news items though and very few equipment reviews. Have you seen it? Frank

I've not been over since Roy Gregory launched his own site. He contributed to Mark before. I've not communicated with Mark since those bygone days but assume that rather than review full-time, he now has a day job in another industry and just keeps The Audio Beat to remain associated with the hobby. Nothing wrong with that! Srajan

Srajan, I listened to an interview with Mark Levinson the other day in which he claims that PCM is "bad for our health" and that he has medical tests to prove it. I found this astonishing. Have you come across this already? I'd love to hear your take on it. Cheers, Jonathan

I'm familiar with the interview. Mark originally was a big proponent of DSD. So when his Daniel Hertz brand first bowed, I wondered whether perhaps his Mighty Cat chip converts all PCM to DSD on the fly. The patent says that his processing injects strategic reverb which happens to parallel how I hear the DSD difference versus PCM already. But it seems to be a proprietary process nonetheless. He claims that even MP3 exposed to C-Wave processing reminds him of analogue master tape whilst nowadays he finds PCM unlistenable. Even though my dad had a Revox open-reel machine and Dual turntable when I grew up, my only personal ownership of analogue media were Esoteric and Nakamichi cassette players. I never had a vinyl or open-reel reference myself. But I do have two DACs which can resample all PCM to DSD 1'024 and certainly hear that effect. Whether it's "similar" to Mark's new processing I of course couldn't say. I happen to think that our constant exposure to WiFi is definitely very bad for our health yet the vast majority of users isn't sensitive to its impact on the brain or nervous system. Mark claims that the medical pilot test they ran had 100% consistency. Whether those listeners they tested already consciously acknowledged the PCM effect before by already having a preference for analogue or DSD; or whether consciously they were entirely unaware of it - that I don't know. Human sensitivities to sundry things vary wildly. We could test as being allergic to certain foods yet not know it. Without digging just a bit deeper, the "PCM is bad" claim obviously reads sensationalist. But this interview contains just enough information to suggest that there's rather more to it; and that research into this topic is in its very infancy but has finally begun. According to Mark, Sony Japan as the inventors of the DSD format certainly are aware of it but didn't know how to measure it. Srajan

Hey Srajan, very interesting news item on those new Spanish convertible headphones. Will you review a pair to let us know whether the concept's cleverness actually delivers on sound? I've noticed that your headphone collection these days is nearly exclusively planarmagnetic and ribbon so returning to a dynamic design could be instructive on that note as well? Just thinking out loud. Joshua

Well played, Joshua. Your observation is spot on! Hence it occurred to me quite a while back that I really need to dip my toes into dynamic headfi again. I was simply waiting for an exciting excuse to do so. This one certainly meets that mark. I've let them know of my interest. Now it's up to them, availability, marketing strategy and all the other considerations brands must make when launching a new product; in this case, new brand, too. So fingers and toes crossed that something will come my way, eventually. Without a YouTube page on their website but having emailed me an early press release, they might just decide on the kind of old-fashioned online press coverage we still do. We'll see. Srajan

Dear Srajan, thank you very much for publishing Fritz's review on the Eversolo DMP-A8. To be honest, I had wondered why you hadn't yourself covered the brand already. It would seem to fit right into your preferred value sector. Was there a reason why you waited on somebody else to cover it? Satgeet

I'm not at all on the hype train of big touch-screen displays which in my setups would sit too far from the seat to a/ be legible, b/ be touched. Given that, I didn't think that my poor attitude on arguably the key feature made me the right person for the job. FiiO's R7 of which I own two is completely different. Its display is in portrait not landscape mode; it's got headfi; and as such is meant to sit in close proximity to make for actual hands-on interaction with the screen. I don't do WiFi or tablet remotes so mirroring an Eversolo display on a tablet does nothing for me but cause actual headaches. That's it, no mysterious reasons other than not getting on with streamer/server touchscreens when I'm used to a massive 27" iMac Retina display or R7 close to my seats. Srajan

Srajan, your buddy John Darko is prepping a review of Monitor's new Studio 89. Any chance you'll be giving it your unique spin as well? Thanks if you can make it happen. Cheerio, Matthias

In John's preview, did you notice how many YouTube reviews are up already on that product? I counted 12 when his post first hit and there's probably more by now. I really don't think I'd have anything useful to add to that glut of pre-existing coverage. My time seems better spent elsewhere. YouTube carpet bombing seems to be a new trend. We previously saw it with Meze Alba's just a few weeks ago. If you look at a recent industry feature I did on that, you'll have my sentiments on the matter. In fact it's likely to get some chow time in my next podcast with John which we'll tape next week. Srajan

Srajan, I see you're in the review cue for LTA's Velo. I would agree with you that the power rating doesn't look anywhere near what Susvara would need so am curious to learn whether we could be both wrong. Any idea when we might know more? Craig

This assignment just inked so I'm not sure how long it'll be until my sample drops in Ireland. Also, my contact is on vacation at the moment. Sometimes raw SPL can be goosed with a hi-gain source like I have in my iFi. Here 0.6V input sensitivity suggests that for actual SPL, we're limited to whether Velo's voltage gain can benchpress such loads. LTA have always been excellent to work with so I don't expect waiting for long. That said, full production seems to have only started recently with the receipt of some back-ordered parts. I have no way of knowing how many dealer and end-user orders must be filled first before reviewers get their turn. Srajan

I was indeed, Gregory. I just took it down a few days ago. After having the preview up for seven months, I checked again on loaner ETA and got a non-committal 'maybe in the fall' answer explained by business being slow and France in a mess. So I've cancelled the review entirely. You'd think that with business being slow, some press visibility could be just the thing but apparently Kallyste think otherwise so I respect that. Plans can change and so does the market, constantly. One must adapt. Srajan

Hello Srajan, how are you? I hope life continues to treat you well on the Emerald Isle. Quick question. Do you know if the Singxer SU6's RJ45-based I²S pin protocol allows for a standard Ethernet cable to be used to connect to Sonnet's Pasithea? Logic dictates the answer is yes but a client of ours has noticed in your reviews that you use this connection and he is planning to do the same in his system. Told him I'd check with the man himself. Thank you for your time, have a great week ahead! Rob Fritz

I’ve actually not tried that. Cees' I²S implementation didn't work at all with a streamer that used I²S over RJ45. I’ve used I²S off the Singxer into my Denafrips and Laiv Harmony DACs. But just because two components with I²S share the same connector type doesn’t mean the pins are compatible. There could be no sound, period; distortion; phase inversion; channel inversion; SACD issues; or other weirdnesses. So your client could try but I don’t predict real joy. Srajan

Hi Srajan, thank you much for your reply. I was able to ask a friend in LA who used an SU-6 with both Sonnet DACs via standard Furutech Ethernet cables and it does work at least to his golden ears! Be well and enjoy your summer. Rob

Well, quelle surprise. Consider me educated on the matter now. Thanks for letting me know. Srajan

Absolutely. We've shipped many custom I²S cables for Denafrips and Sonnet over the year so it's always good to be sure. Rob

Srajan, didn't you exchange emails with Fred Crane for a while? I was researching a brand which lists him as their East coast distributor. Then I ran into this thread. Scroll to the bottom and you'll see three recent claims that he defrauded customers for big money. I thought you'd want to know. Charles

I took a look. Definitely nicht gut. I also tried his website and saw that it is now password protected so for all intents and purposes, inaccessible. Thanks for alerting me and our readers to this development, Charles. Much appreciated. Srajan

Knowing another manufacturer who'd been with Prana Distribution, I forwarded them this link. Here's what came back: I know this and more. Fred Crane is totally out of his mind. I stopped working with him two years ago when he owed me about $35'000 for an order I built for him but never got paid on. Luckily I hadn't sent him anything without prepayment. Just so he had already collected ~$100K from waiting clients. I got dozens of customer emails not just about my order but about the same story with other brands. I've heard that he now works as a waiter in a Boston coffee shop, owing people over $1'000'000. [Name withheld by request.]

Given the above feedback, I really have no choice but warn readers not to buy any used gear this individual may still post for sale. Chances seem far too high that any monies sent out won't net actual hardware in trade. Srajan

Hi Mr. Srajan, I recently watched your podcast with Mr. John Darko which led me to your website. I read your review on the FT3 32Ω headphones and to my amazement discovered that you also have the 109 Pro, which I recently demoed here in Belgium. It's very difficult to find these two headphones together in a shop for comparison. Moreover, I cannot find the FT3 for a demo neither in Belgium or Lithuania where I live. Since you own both headphones and I also plan to use with the R7, could you please provide a detailed comparison of the sound quality between the FT3 and the 109 Pro? From my experience, the 109 Pro sounded different with various songs, showing strong bass with some tracks and weaker bass with others. However, it offered a greater soundstage compared to the Sony XM3 when wired, which I found to be more confined and punchier in comparison with the 109 Pro. That performed well with the iPhone dongle through Apple Music compared to the Mojo portable DAC. I really appreciated the 109 Pro's comfort, sound quality, and overall musical experience compared to other headphones I tried. However, before making a purchase, I want to ensure my investment is worthwhile. Perhaps the FT3 (32/350Ω) would suffice for now with the R7 and I could consider upgrading to the 109 Pro later. Thanking you, best regards, Heynce Saraf

Hello Srajan, I just tried to follow up your Soundaware review by clicking on your weblink to their site. What comes up is a blue/white screen with Chinese characters suggesting an error message. even though the URL says soundaware.net. Do you know how to get to the actual website? Thanks, Jeremy

Good point. The same happens to me; until it doesn't. I haven't a clue what's going on. Sometimes that URL ends up at the official site, sometimes it shows that presumed error screen at right. It's one of the reasons I called them not A-listers yet. Hopefully it's only a temporary glitch and they'll have it fixed swiftly. I also note that theirs isn't a secure URL yet. That too could be addressed.

This and other things are frustrating because on sound, their P1x is a real winner. What I think they actually need more than anything else is an Alvin Chee-type brand ambassador who knows how to turn a mainland China enterprise into a globally successful brand. At one point Alvin actually did represent Soundaware at Vinshine Audio. At present I only see him represent the D300Ref and D300; and not in any prime placement like his other brands. Srajan

Srajan, very fine work on the Lotus 10 speaker indeed. On it I have a quick question. You made clear how, if one wanted to add an external subwoofer, the smaller Nenuphar Mini would be the more sensible path. But that of course gives up that fabulous 10-inch main driver. Do you know whether they might be working on a single-driver version of Lotus 10 that would suit such a bill? Thanks for all you do. Ron

I'm not sure precisely. That's to say, I've been told that something 10" based is coming and already has my name on it for a review possibly later this year. But what exactly it'll be—a floorstander, a monitor, based on the Lotus driver or not—I haven't been told. If you're thinking of pulling the trigger on a Cube model, you might simply ask them directly? Srajan

Srajan, for a good number of years I have read your many reviews with interest and have been impressed by your toughness. Recently I came across an old article on Stefan AudioArt products and sought out that company only to learn that Stefan has been laid up after heart surgery  so no telling when he will be back and active. Are you aware of any other headphone modifier or cable manufacturer that approaches the balanced story in the way Stefan does? Many thanks in anticipation for your help. Regards, Christopher

Hello Christopher, I'm not even sure what you mean by "approaches the balanced story in the way he does"? Sorry but I'm drawing a complete blank on that phrasing. Could you clarify what you want to know? ATB. Srajan

From what I can gather, Stefan modifies the headphones and also provides custom cables that ensure a balanced signal is fed from the source to the headphones retaining all of the advantages of the balanced circuitry in the source. Hope that clarifies. Regards, Christopher

Hello Christopher, balanced headphone cables with 4.4mm or XLR4 connectors are completely common these days and with dual-entry headphones require no modification at all. Even a €159 IEM like Meze's Alba can be run balanced out of the box with the right cable and a balanced headphone amp. It's no longer anything special or unique. Times have moved on from back when balanced headphone drive was exotic and rare. Srajan

Hi Srajan, I hope you're doing well. We have been doing great as well, partly thanks to your review as well. I just have one small favor to ask. We introduced Challenger II last May in Munich. Challenger II is priced at €27'999 and I'm attaching the upgrade list. Challenger I priced at €17'999 and is no longer in production nor for sale. Could you please add a short update regarding pricing so that we can avoid any confusion among the customers? Thank you in advance. Best regards, Martynas Serksnys, Silent Pound

Hello Martynas, I can't change prices after the fact unless I made a mistake. They're always valid as 'at the time of publication' and what happens a month or year later has no connection to the review. That's ‘frozen in time' as it were. Given that Challenger I and Challenger II are at least by name different models, it's not even warranted. I do appreciate that a $10'000 price difference is drastic and the speaker doesn't look very different. I can certainly see your potential issue having to justify and explain that to your customers. But underpricing what I reviewed to thereafter fix it with a Mark II revision which builds in sufficient importer and dealer margins then hoping I could obscure said difference isn't something I can do for obvious reasons. To boot, the price you gave me at the time was €14'999 incl. VAT, not €17'999. I'm sure you can now understand the situation from my perspective. ATB. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I completely understand and am not asking to change the original article. Pricing, as you correctly pointed out, has been updated twice now so if you could add a short amendment to indicate current pricing, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Martynas

Hello Martynas, I published my review in July 2023. It's now June 25th 2024. I don't go back to archived reviews to update them with subsequent price increases. Having been in business for 22 years with an extensive archive, such a policy of constant updating would become a never-ending endeavour on my part. The proper way to address potential customer confusion is to make your own statement on your own website. If you have a link to my review there, that's where it could go. Otherwise put it on the model's product page introduction and all confusion will be nipped in the bud. ATB. Srajan

Excellent. Problem solved. There's still another aspect you may not have considered. Price is an inextricable part of any review. It's the context which judges form factor, finish, performance and general competitiveness. It informs excitement or enthusiasm; or lack thereof. By essentially doubling your price, that context changes drastically. Though you didn't ask for it for obvious reasons, I would actually have to carefully edit the tone and nuance of the entire review if it flew the new price. Letting the review stand as is makes it shine because it reflects my honest reactions to its original price positioning. Attaching a notice about the new price would instantly deflate and devalue the review. For that reason too, it's best to let it stand as is. Srajan

Dear Srajan, first of all I want to express my gratitude for your understanding, respect and of course, great patience. As you noted, after sending the Binom-ER I did not condition you in any way and completely trusted your professionalism. As you probably noticed, the path to creating this product was not easy and I hope that to a large extent I let you experience it with me. My approach is absolute. This probably means that customers need to get used to my products. Not everyone understands them right away. I had a lot of different headphone tunings to choose from, among them those more similar to conventional headphones on the market today, with a sound more familiar to modern listeners. The stakes were extremely high. I only needed one win and understood that by sending you one the risk would probably be less but every time I compared these tunings, I asked myself: is this the sound I want to hear? Is this the sound I want to convey to my listeners? Is this what music really sounds like? The conclusion was clear. You will get exactly my version of the sound of music, the one I strove for. In the end this is what I consider correct and I am ready to subscribe to literally every semitone. I am ready to defend it to the last. Before sending out your sample, I understood that this was the only correct decision. More precisely, I wouldn't regret it if I failed. When after the first comments your review didn't update for a decent amount of time, I got pretty worried but also understood that I was not mistaken and right now the process of actually getting to know the product was taking place. So you did a great job. Chic approach and analytics of sound. Readiness to open new frontiers. The modern audio world is very inertial. Rarely anyone is capable of this. And special thanks for your award! Sincerely, Oleh Lizohub - Camerton Audio

Hello Srajan, I'm not sure if you know this but Steve Marsh has passed away (06/08/2024). Seeing as he wrote for you, I thought it appropriate to contact you. My condolences to you and your team. Best Regards, George Lenz, TubesUSA.com

Hello George, thank you very much for letting me know. Steve and I hadn’t been in touch for many years now so our paths diverged. Still, it’s sad to learn that another one of our fellowmen has crossed over. Srajan

Srajan, I just finished your latest review of the Camerton headphones. Wow, what a find. Do I presume from your concluding paragraph that you just added these to your collection then? That's certainly quite the endorsement. Cheers, Sion

Death, taxes and a reviewer's salary. It's why the sentence you refer to includes the word 'would'. It's a dream scenario. I'm in no position to materialize it with the necessary hard cash. Srajan

Hi Simone, first of all, many thanks for your dedicated review of our Primavera headphone amplifier. Thank you for the great work and personal touches you put into it. It's very useful and informative for a wide range of readers. Thanks too go to Igor, Fabio and Srajan for making this review possible. I hope you will have a successful time at 6moons in the future. Best, Sasa

Hello Srajan, do you have an update on the Soundaware headphone amp review? It looks really promising but I haven't been able to find out anything more about it. You seem to be the only one who has one. Thanks, Charles

Actually, I don't have one - yet. I publish previews once an assignment is agreed to but before the sample lands. The usual giveaway that I'm in possession are first in-situ photos not the brand's own. In this instance I'm still waiting on the slow boat from China to make landfall. Srajan

Srajan, I just saw your preview of the new Exact Express cables. One detail caught my eye. Gold-plated copper bodies for the EMI traps? Though the gold sounds like superfluous bling, copper certainly has acknowledged damping properties, something Dawid's recent review of the Carbide manganese-copper alloy alluded to. Do you have any information on how that copper is applied other than form a housing for the EMI filter? Thank you, Randy.

I do not, Randy, sorry. And whilst I agree that the gold seems rather blingy, raw copper would tarnish so needs some protective skin even if just a transparent lacquer. I'm with you on copper's damping qualities but don't quite see how it would apply to the actual conductors in this case. The cable seems to pass through the trap in an aluminium barrel. Still, it's an interesting question. I'll see whether I can learn anything useful by way of an answer. Thank you, Srajan

Hello Srajan, thank you very much for your review of our AVAA C214 which is very interesting and we also like your point of view and writing style. And thank you also for the award. Best regards, Fabrice De-Prete, PSI Audio

Hey Srajan, yes I did attend Munich but just for a visit and to meet and greet a few people. All in all not that exciting, just a lot of the same old stuff. The only standout for me were Aleksandar's new ribbon headphones. I'm not into headfi but if I were, no contest there. Miguel

Dear Srajan, I came across your recent mini feature about two Spanish brands you weren't familiar with. I also saw that you have a new Kroma review in the works which is of course another Spanish brand. I wonder whether you've come across Lorenzo Audio Labs which are also from Granada and have any feedback on them? They recently added a tube preamp and power amp that look interesting. Just curious to get your take. Best regard, Tim

Srajan, I wanted to alert you that the link to Basel Acoustics no longer works in your recent feature. "This web page cannot be displayed because the configured PHP version is no longer supported" is the error message. Cheers, Charlie

You're right, I see it now too. That wasn't the case a few days ago when I posted that piece. Looks like their webmaster has to update a program. I'm sure they'll realize it soon enough and do what's necessary to pop back up. I can't really do anything about it from my end. Srajan

Srajan, I just caught up on my occasional 6moons snoop and after perusing your Laiv Harmony review, I went to their site and found an unexpected number of other reviews all of which pretty much agree with your assessment that this is an overachiever for its price. I love when that happens because I do believe in multiple opinions. It must feel great though that you were the first to put this DAC on the map? Congrats and all the best. Keep up the good work. Richard

Sometimes our reviews are first, at other times such news hit elsewhere well before we ever get around to it if at all. It depends on the connections individual writers or publications have made over the years; how good a match with a given reviewer's exposure, tastes, ancillaries and room a manufacturer thinks their latest will be to send it to and take that risk. Does it feel good to occasionally be first? My inner competitor says yes. Reality then reminds me that reviews just add themselves to the overall data pool of our hobby. Who was first or last doesn't matter. It's all grist for the mill, fodder for the web surfer. A prospective buyer will check out all available reviews or opinions about a given product. Here all of us reviewers and bloggers are just little bricks in a bridge that connects people with experience of certain equipment to people who don't yet have their own experience with it. Srajan

Hey Srajan, do you know what's up with Darko.Audio? The site seems to be down except for a different home page. I need my daily fix! Jeff

Patience, Jeff. I believe John is moving his site to a new server and implementing a new WordPress skin. Those things take time to migrate and overwrite and in the interim he's in Munich attending the HighEnd show. You gotta get your fix elsewhere until his webmaster is done with the changes. Or attend a few Audioholics Anonymous meetings in the meantime? It starts easy enough. "My name is Jeff. I'm addicted to darko.audio. I need help." Srajan

Hi Srajan, I'm truly and sincerely sorry but we simply won't be able to send out your demo devices before the show. Norbert wants to make sure that all the new Grooves have been personally tested by him and well, that takes time he unfortunately doesn't have right now. I hope it's okay with you if we do this asap after the show? Speaking of which: Are you coming to Munich this year? Best regards and sorry again. Christopher

Hello Christopher, no problem. It'll also give your webmaster time to catch up and throw the Groove onto your site. As for me, I'm staying home for all the usual excellent reasons. No global audience in confined spaces spreading who knows what. Mostly bad sound at high SPL. A carnival of hawkers looking to sell, sell, sell. The upstairs MOC now is specialized in oligarch audio. Not my tribe. Just thinking about it makes me feel like a lonely alien who landed on the wrong planet. ET wanna go home. Also, my livelihood is really from review generation, not writing silly show reports about who was there and wore what like a reporter at the Oscar's after party. Taking out a whole week, the expense, the traipsing around endless miles of corridors… I really get nothing useful done at all aside from the social aspect. And even that happens in brief snippets, 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there. In the evenings one has a chance to catch up for longer over dinner but for every invite I accept, I piss off 20 others who I turned down. For me it's a massive no-win, really. A Zoom chat these days accomplishes more and though it's not exactly an in-person meet, for my purposes it's still brilliant. Perhaps you and Norbert and I should do that for the review after you're all back and recovered from the show? Srajan

Hello Srajan, we all had a laugh at your description of the show. You should patent the term oligarch audio! Believe me, we feel the same way. Unfortunately we can't afford to do without the Munich show. At least we've shot down all the other shows by now except for Warsaw every now and then. We'd be happy to do a Zoom call sometime after the show. I'm not sure why I'd be there because I only understand half of what you and Norbert will talk about - but we'll manage. I'll keep you posted on the Groove/Move combo. Best regards, Christopher

Hello Christopher, for a manufacturer being able to meet all (most?) their international trade partners in one place at one time is virtually unmissable and cheaper than visiting them in their natural habitat. Having now two trade days makes that even more so. Spreading good will and cheer to the consumers during the other two days isn't a bad thing either for brand awareness and sowing seeds. So let's meet up over the airwaves when you're back. Just check in when you've settled and we'll make it happen. In the meantime, break a leg; or better yet, two. Srajan

Hello Srajan, you asked some time back if I'd found a higher-powered replacement for low-power Exicon-based solid-state amps. I have, with the surprise being that it's essentially a tube amp without compromises. Kora have developed an interesting circuit that's direct-coupled, differential & transformer-less, very engaging and direct sounding without a hint of typical solid-state grain or signature. For decades I've favoured lower-powered amps, highlights being the Tom Evans 25w Linear A in tube and Enleum in solid state. Like those, Kora entirely avoids getting shouty on peaks or as volume level is increased. If you ever get the chance to listen or review, Kora's TB140 entry-level integrated is the one to look out for. Plays more powerful sounding than 70-100wpc would indicate and a bargain at the asking price of ~€5K. Despite reports of the circuit being impervious to tube changes, I've found swapping out the ECC82 pair for my preference Telefunken (or Mullard for the opposite effect) makes an obvious change.

I skipped any mention of Kora having transistors as being tarred with the hybrid brush because it's not. This is a must-hear experience. From first powering up I was on board with representing Kora here in NZ. I've not heard a component I've been so quickly impressed with and it's still getting better. Preamp and volume control are transparent, microprocessor functions obviously well thought out and executed. Makes me wonder how much more elevated in performance their separates play at. This amp is a stunner on €72K Chicago speakers - perfectly balanced in attributes, dynamic and sounding more powerful than any other 200-watt amp. It just asks to be wound up in volume. So far on vinyl, I've been listening much louder than normal just because it can handle it and is so low in distortion. I struggled at first with one aspect - it lacked steam in the bass using CrystalPower Ref and mis-stepped. Swapped out for a Puritan Ultimate cured that (it's twice the gauge of their standard) and on the second evening of listening and back to Telefunken tubes everything is hunky dory. I must run in the stock tubes properly. They run half as hot as in a normal circuit so are quick to change. For email I deal with Bruno the founder though he says he doesn't speak English. He deserves a medal for delivering the TB140 at entry-level high-end pricing. They'll be at Munich so don't expect a quick response. Cheers, Peter, Reference Audio

Wow! A Lunar Eclipse 2024! After two years! What a wonderful review! Thank you! Also, that last page is fantastic. I mean, the things you connect and explain what influences what is really superb. And I love what you said about what masquerades as 'warmth'... and many other things. Aleksandar Radisavljevic, Raal 1995

My pleasure. Very much deserved. True, faux warmth seems endemic in audio in general. But some people do have a real/medical HF sensitivity that demands special tuning like Simone pursues with his LampizatOr/Riviera combination. The great thing with super-transparent transducers like yours is that they really do pass on whatever happens upstream. Anyone can build in whatever sonic course correction they require or desire. Srajan

I guess Simone is a rare case; pretty extreme but he still didn't go after a classic 300B SET to satisfy his needs. I wrote him about two moons ago, discussing what he likes about Valkyria and their different approach to replay.

The main problem with headphones is their missing room reverb and the tactile feeling of the lower frequencies on skin and body. Room reverb will add about 10dB of 'power' below 1.5kHz. The feeling of body vibrations doesn't exist. The main question is: do we stay true to the recording or the experience of listening without headphones? To me, headphones are headphones. They will never fully emulate what happens during in-room listening. So I stay true to the recording. To enjoy that, one must make peace with the limitations of the actual situation one is in which is, listening without our room and whole body participating. For me the best way of marrying both worlds are convolution filters that add to the recordings any room response we want (even speaker response if you will) plus a subwoofer or shaker seat so DSP + tactile feedback. If those actions are considered undesirable, then we must invariably tamper with the flat response.

I have a huge problem with tampering with the frequency response very much. Some little bass hump or shelving I'm okay with if that enhances the feeling of a 'natural' not constrained headphone sound but doing ridiculous things like +8dB shelving across three octaves and such isn't for me. These days too many brands sell 'flavors' and some are particularly greasy and high in calories without much of any nutritional value. I'm pretty sick of those fads. On my journey to Magna and Immanis, I finally arrived at the point where the preceding electronics allow the customer to season to taste or successfully precondition their signal in 90% of the cases. For me this was the perfect escape route. It allows me to stay true to my beliefs whilst giving my clients other ways to pursue the bliss they seek. Alex

Salt, fat and sugar. Junk food. Audio has its own versions. I'm in total agreement that speaker and headphone listening are two very different experiences or perspectives, each with its own merits and compromises. I see no need to shoehorn one experience into the other or make them more similar so have never gotten on with crossfeed circuits for headfi; or crossfeed cancellation DSP for speakers. Of course playback at home is a purely hedonistic pursuit. From the client's perspective, anything goes if he/she is happy. That I might prefer another sound isn't the point. It's their ears they must please, not mine. Srajan

Dear Srajan, thanks for mentioning Vinshine Audio in the podcast. My video released last week re: Grey Market was a truthful one. I am aware it might be a double-edged sword but I thought I would love to be as transparent as possible. The grey market exists for various reasons. As savvy consumers, it's best to avoid unauthorized dealers in the grey market. Always choose to buy from authorized dealers to ensure you're getting genuine products and full support and warranty coverage. Many thanks. Yours sincerely, Alvin Chee, Vinshine Audio

Hello Alvin, you’re very welcome. You’re the king of ‘ChiFi’ direct sales done right and deserve all the credit and recognition for it. Whether Laiv can clone the Alvin factor remains to be seen, of course. I should certainly say that Wai Fang Ho had the right mentor. Srajan

Dear Srajan, thank you. I will continue to work hard to stay afloat in this competitive industry! Alvin

Srajan, I read your preview on the small Lindemann widebander and came across your mention of Rethm. This had me wonder whether you have any plans to review their latest Saadhana. I know that you've done its previous versions so I would be very much interested to hear what your thoughts are on the latest iteration which now looks far more visually appealing. Do you have anything scheduled there? Here's hoping. Grant

Last time we explored a review with them, it turned out that post-Covid ship rates from India had gone up so much that without an EU importer, Jacob couldn't afford to shoulder 2-way shipping between India and Ireland plus VAT plus re-entry taxation back in Kerala. So no, nothing is planned. For Rethm reviews, you're probably best served checking where they have current representation—I'd expect their website to have that information—then researching those markets for reviews. Srajan

Thanks for your reply, Srajan. The only dealer they list there is Angie Lisi in Canada. I had already looked that up. It's why I wondered whether you might step into the breach as it were. Sorry to hear that current conditions won't support it. Grant

Agreed. It's always been interesting product and I've long championed it. Just so it never seems to quite have made the transition from hobbyist enthusiasm to established enterprise. Perhaps the widebander concept coupled to Indian manufacture plus very many cosmetic changes over the years have erected certain perception barriers that prevent broader acceptance of Rethm in the global market? I tried to review the new Trishna and had already written an extensive preview but then the ship fees cancelled the gig. So that ship has sailed and I've never tried to board it again. btw, I checked on Angie's site and couldn't find Rethm on her brand page. But I did find a Saadhana review on ETM dated November 2023. Perhaps Angie's assignment with the brand is newer and not yet reflected on her web portal. She would certainly be a good person to ask about upcoming reviews in the US/Canadian hifi media. Srajan

Hello Srajan, thanks for reaching out and considering us for another review. We're genuinely thankful for your support over the years. Your suggestion is definitely interesting and we'd normally jump at such an opportunity. However, we're in a bit of a challenging spot right now. We're in the process of finding a new production company. This search started because of a few reasons: after our designer developed the new platform to a prototype, Covid-19 hit and everything stopped. Then there was a shortage of parts and now the cost of parts has gone up significantly. We're trying to find a European OEM producer that can keep making our products at the same quality. This is really important. We still have some stock for one model and low stock for another but right now can't provide an exact date for when we'll be able to restart production as negotiations with the OEM are ongoing. Also, after switching production we're unsure how our product will price. This uncertainty could mean that we may not compare against direct-selling imports due to a significant price difference. So for another review we should wait until new production is settled and this question of price answered... J.

Dear Srajan, I just wanted to say hello and tell you that I was very surprised to read Frederic's wonderful review of his AMP-23R! Thank you for publishing this and I'm happy that he's returned to 6moons with it. When he placed his order, I didn't realize he was the same Frederic I read on 6moons many years ago, and it's just amazing he's got his health back to enjoy music and write for you again. I think his review is unique and essential in that it provides excellent in-depth comparisons with SET amplifiers in a high-efficiency system. We are all proud and happy that the AMP-23R excels in this regard too and there are now a lot of reviewers and professionals using the AMP-23R in their reference system. At the moment we're way behind with the AMP-54R release as it has also undergone many prototype revisions. Fortunately we're now assembling the supposedly final prototype this month and we'll go for production soon after. It'll be a good challenge to top off all those high expectations on this amplifier and I think we are on track. I hope to get back to you with good news soon and thank you again for the new AMP-23R review. Best regards, Soo In, Enleum

Dear Srajan, you pulled another one out of your magic cap with the latest review on the Laiv DAC. But I've got one concern. Given the price/performance ratio you laid out and talk of an eventual dealer network coming, do you think that they can support the current pricing because there's enough of a margin left to attract brick-and-mortar dealers to take them on? I ask because shopping by mail order from Singapore still leaves me hesitant. I'd want to hear this first. Seeing what the gear costs you compared it to, the $2'700 price seems a bit of an early-bird special. From your experience, do you think it's sustainable by the time dealer inquires come along? With best wishes, Detlef

Fair question only Laiv management could answer; and at this early stage, I doubt even they could. Opening with pricing that ends up not sustainable wouldn't have been the first time should this also happen to them. Been there, done that, tossed the cigar. I was told that their dealer margins are rather slim to make the current sell price happen. Denafrips too offer dealers far less than normal. It's why many dealers have looked at more profitable brands instead. I think it will really depend on how successful Laiv can be with predominantly direct sales where Vinshine/Beatechnik have shown the way; versus how big/quick they grow to need more sales than direct can supply. Perhaps buy now and sidestep the what if of future price increases? And yes, some risk is involved. No risk, no reward. Srajan

I just came across Detlef's feedback regarding shipping concerns from Singapore and the sustainability of our relatively low pricing. Regarding delivery, I'm in the process of setting up fulfilment centres in the US and EU. Here's how they'll work: 1. Fulfilment centres will collect our products from the factory, ship them in bulk to the US and EU, handle customs clearance and store them locally. 2. They'll be ready to deliver orders to local customers upon receipt. 3. Once we receive an order, we'll notify the fulfilment centre to handle delivery. Our goal is to provide faster delivery and better service to customers in the US and EU, along with a return policy. Weng Fai Hoh, Laiv Audio

Hi Srajan, what are your thoughts about using the Crayon CIA-1T with the Qualio IQ speakers? When it comes to watts I think that it has enough power. But I read that the IQ likes a lot of current. Does the CIA-1T put out enough current to make the IQ perform at their best? Also, the CIA-1T's damping factor is only 40. Will that be enough to control the IQ's bass? Peter

I don’t have a CIA-1T so never heard it on the IQ. Also, it’s not the bass that likes a lot of current but the Sartori widebander because 1/ it’s open-backed so has no air compressed in a box to support the return stroke, 2/ also wasn’t especially engineered for dipole mode with a stiffer surround and suspension. You’re right, power alone isn’t the issue but current definitely wakes it up. A friend tried a 25wpc class A amp on it then was shocked when he heard the same speaker on my Kinki monos. When he came home, he bought the Kinki stereo amp. Srajan

Thank you. Since you reviewed the CIA 1T I was hoping that might know what the current output was. With respect to my question about the bass is about the CIA T's low damping factor. Some speakers need a high DF amp to control the bass. I wonder if a DF of 40 is sufficient to control the Qualio IQ's bass. Peter

Just because I reviewed something years ago doesn’t mean that many rooms and systems later, I have anything really useful to say about it; never mind on very specific specs. Sorry, Peter. I live in the real not dream world. And, one more time, repeat after me: what needs more damping in the IQ is its widebander not the ported woofer. I really hate repeating myself. Srajan

I appreciate your willingness to answer my questions. And I understand that you don't like repeating yourself. But since it still not clear to me,  I am going to ask you one last question and hope that it doesn't irritate you too much. Whether it's the Qualio IQ woofer or widebander, is the CIA-1T's damping factor of 40 too low? A simple "Yes, it is too low" or "no, it isn't too low" would suffice. I promise that this is the last question. Peter

After all these years you still believe that hifi shopping by numbers gets you anywhere? I’ve never heard the CIA-1T/IQ combo to know how this gear interacts and I don’t believe in simply recommending things on specs so your guess is as good as mine. Of course you could ask Qualio directly. They probably have a very educated notion because they've experimented with many amplifiers on their speaker; far more than I have. Srajan

Just to be clear, I didn't believe in basing purchases on specs (and for the most part I still don't). But when considering the Cube Nenuphar, the general opinion/suggestion was to use an amp of low damping factor. I had never even considered the idea of damping factor prior to reading that. But it was good to have been made aware of this fact in order to mix and match wisely. This becomes even more crucial now that I'm retired and on a fixed income. I have to buy knowing as much as possible beforehand because buying and returning,  while certainly helpful, still requires an outlay of funds for shipping. I would like to keep that at a minimum if possible. Once again, I thank you. Peter

I guess my question becomes, why can't you just be happy with what you already have? We've been here so very many times before. The buy 'n' sell hifi game is for guys and gals with plenty of spare change. Can't you finally call it a day and enjoy the tunes? If you can't as it appears, I still think the best approach is asking the chaps at Qualio. They're very approachable, honest and definitely experienced with what electronics even for a modest outlay get the best from their speakers. I'm just a reviewer, not a personal audio consultant doing house calls. Srajan

Dear Srajan, you produced a nice read for the new sealed Meze headphone. In it you wonder how what you call two buzzword features work. You say you asked Meze but never got a response. Doesn't it seem odd that when given an established well-read forum to promote and explain proprietary inventions, Meze wouldn't take you up on it?... David

I simply asked for the name and contact of the tech/engineering person at the factory I should talk to. My Meze PR contact instead told me that she would take care of it. So I submitted my questions to her with the understanding that she'd get the relevant answers on my behalf. It's just not part of my MO to keep knocking when a door won't open. As to why in this case, I wouldn't know. It could be an internal communications issue at Meze. It could be a simple oversight. It could be that the driver engineers at Rinaro in the Ukraine were too busy. An email could have been quarantined. Your guess is as good as mine. As you put it, I provide a forum but nobody is obligated to use it in this particular fashion. So we simply move on. We also remember that in these days of paper print, online print and YouTube reviews, manufacturers particularly at launch of a new product could be dealing with 10-15 reviews at one time. Dropping a ball here or there then wouldn't surprise. That said, when I was in charge of organizing then managing reviews whilst working for three different audio manufacturers, I certainly tried hard not to. As you said, reviews are opportunities one wants to maximize especially where writers try to dig deeper than the general PR materials. One never knows what a reviewer will hear, think and write but answering his/her questions certainly is part of 'remote control'. Srajan

Hi Srajan, I have come across a product that I think deserves a review and is up your alley. Too many audiophile gains come at absurd prices. But this is one of the highest-performing ‘tweaks’ I have ever had and it's only $189 so a pure price champion – for once in this hobby. What I also like about it is the convenience, no need to remove cables from your system, just unplug the end from the component and plug this little box on it.I made a post about it here and check the reply by German user ‘andili’ and the one Jim Hagerman himself gave on his theory as to what goes on. Kind regards, Jonas Harrow

Thanks, Jonas. This tracks with Louis Motek's belief that normal use never gets the job done. He's just not been forthcoming about exactly what his 'entropic' break-in protocol at LessLoss consists of to protect his IP. Very interesting indeed to now hear Jim's thoughts on what actually does the job. Srajan

Srajan, I look forward to your Hifi Rose review.  As you mention, you prefer the class A/B  sound of amps from the likes of Kinki and Enleum but also favourably reviewed GaN amps from AGD and Merrill. I'm way out of my league but my limited understanding is that GaN amps don't require as much negative feedback (thus noise and poorer performance at higher frequencies) as other class D amps due to faster switching times though I believe the Merrill Element 114 cleverly requires no negative feedback at all. The key is whether GaN can deliver great SQ across the audio band. As I write the line above, I'm reminded of F For Fake, the Orson Welles film that examines a famous art forger.  At the film's outset Welles says "I'm a charlatan" and then gravely says that everything you hear will be true. Like any good conjurer, Welles has some tricks up his sleeve. That's entirely illustrative of me and my understanding of GaN! Michael

As you reiterate from my preview, the two prior GaN amps I reviewed did deliver excellent sound quality across the audio band. My curiosity is now what Hifi Rose manage to do at 1/5th the price four years later. I shall report my thoughts as soon as I have them. Srajan

Hi Srajan, I keep following your audio adventures and it seems the last couple years have treated you well. I love the podcasts with Darko, they give your unique voice and perspective on everything audio a more human and personal touch. On my side, modern medicine has identified the cause of my ear pains and a solid regimen of anti-inflammatory and allergy med has given me back the enjoyment of music. The damage was mostly reversible and my latest audiogram shows a normal curve for a 50-year old guy. I'm no bat but I don't have to run away when music plays anymore, so that's brought back some joy to my life. With two of the kids out of the house now I've even be able to claim the basement guest room to setup a formal music room and although the room treatments are still a work in progress, the room sounds better than any other I've had before so I am quite pleased.

I also enjoyed reading the Tektron review. The way you describe the amplifier is what I have heard from most 211 with the notable exception of the Audio Note UK Ongaku which uses solid-state rectification and kilos of pure silver to give the 211 a bit more agility and sprite; but at a price that was never accessible and is now simply unrealistic for most. That's why until recently I had not been able to find a satisfactory upgrade to my 2A3 integrated. It has more similarity with a 45 without the same intensity of the 3D effect or quite the same treble magic but it has more bass and control than the 45 while avoiding the excess weight of the 300B or 211.

I said until recently because I finally upgraded to the best-sounding triode with my Ocellias. Hardly less holographic than the 2A3 but with so much more bass control without stifling the Ocellias, sublime dynamics and tones that are so real that they make a 300B sound like a caricature. Okay, I'm teasing. I actually bought an Enleum AMP-23 R. What a magnificent sounding piece of gear. I was always afraid to make the jump because I had not found any transistor amp so far that did well with the Ocellias. They are very finicky speakers. But I decided to take the plunge and it's been the best decision I've made in audio. I know it's not easy to convince a triode lover to switch (took me 15 years) but if one amp can do it, this is the one! I tried the Sugden, reissued Musical Fidelity A1, Pass INT 25 and even a used SIT3. None of them gave me better than the 2A3 integrated. The SIT3 gave me a lateral move but not better. The Enleum is in a different league. Just thought I'd drop you a quick note to let you know and thank you for discovering that gem. Oh, and I also use a Jay Audio CDT2 to spin CDs and that was also an eye-opening upgrade so you are 2 for 2 with me in the last 6 months! Cheers, Frederic Beudot

Wow, best news of the month this far. That's splendid to hear, Frederic. Congrats! Being purely selfish and self-serving, may I add that it would be even more splendiferous news if I had you back on staff writing the occasional piece on audio, be it anecdotal and informal or a formal review. So should that bug bite, that bed is already made. Just say the word... Srajan

Yes, when the doctors told me that it was chronic inflammation due to allergies and treatable, I couldn't have been more overjoyed. It took over a year to get the swelling gone and the loss recovered but it was a gift. Outstanding on the writing offer. That wasn't my reason for reaching out but I do need an outlet in my crazy life and I spend so much time on flights these days, I have time to write. I'll be in Chile Wednesday, Argentina Thursday, Brazil Friday/Saturday and back home Sunday. I might find time to draft an extended piece and shoot some pictures next week. With Tidal I'm also getting more adventurous in music so can add some diversity. For a chuckle, Markus Philippe's Sax'n'bass has he best cover of the Pink Panther theme I've ever heard. Not that you'll be playing it in loops or anything but it's incredibly well recorded, too. A.R. Rahman's "Dacoit Duel" from his Between Heaven and Earth on the other hand could be more up your alley. Let me know what you think. I'm also catching up on the newer Renaud Garcia-Fons. He was getting repetitive but Farangi (not that new, I know) got me reconnected to his music. Cheers, Frederic

Ha, brilliant. That's a lovely surprise. Looking forward to your renewed presence on the moons. Really! Agreed on Renaud Garcia-Fons getting derivative on himself. It's why I've not bought some of his later recording. A.R. Rahman I know well but not this recording. So I'll definitely give it a try. Same for the Markus Philippe. That's new to me, too. Thx for the recos. Much appreciated. You've got quite the travel schedule there. Long mileages, too. If you can write on a plane, it could be a good way to pass the time? Great to have you and your ears back, Frederic! Srajan

Srajan, just saw your teaser for the next John Darko podcast. I think a great future topic could be some insights into being a reviewer and how all of that works. Technical insights and news flashes are interesting too but why not get more personal and share with us what being a reviewer is like? I for one would love to know more. Keep it coming. Charles

Srajan, I really appreciate your work but think that by accepting the Tektron 211 SET you went beyond a reasonable brief. You describe yourself as an ex tube fancier. Surely that should disqualify you from pursuing reviews of tube amplifiers? If I was in Tektron's shoes, I don't think I would be entirely happy with your approach. As a reader, the lack of real enthusiasm did more damage than simply not doing the review at all. Anyway, that's my feedback on the matter. Thanks for hearing me out. Sincerely, James

That's very reasonable feedback on the face of it but... 1/ I didn't solicit this review. Tektron did. 2/ I owed them a review when my on-staff tube fanciers Marja & Henk passed away within days of each other whilst having a Tektron amp on review. 3/ If enthusiasm were the true arbiter of a review's rationale, we'd either need entirely uncritical reviewers; or the questionable practice of only writing up things which wholly excite us. Whether they do or not we can only know in situ so after the fact. Now half if not more review loaners would have to be returned without any published commentary whatsoever. "Unless it's a second coming, make it go away." I  don't think such a policy serves anyone. That said, I fully agree that one shouldn't deliberately pursue a product category or type one doesn't get on with but instead let those be handled by someone else. I've not asked for tube electronics in very many years for precisely that reason. Should I be solicited, I may still accept requests if a novel approach promises to bypass or minimize my general misgivings; or be a tube type I've no experience with yet. Finally, you may be surprised to know that Attilio of Tektron thanked me multiple times already for conducting this review in a comprehensive careful manner. If he's happy, I'm happy. It's not so much about the actual findings where the opinions of different listeners are bound to diverge. It's about presenting them in an even-handed fair context and trying different things on hand to get the best results one can. What else to do? Is calm reason not good enough when raw enthusiasm doesn't present itself? Srajan

Mario, I believe that the public premiere of Magna & Immanis will take place next week in Heidelberg. How soon after that Alex might have loaner samples to dispatch to Ireland I don't know. I'm not rushing him. This is an obviously big and important product reveal for him. Whatever time it takes his crew to get it right, that's what it'll take. I obviously expect early show comments to hit his thread on head-fi.org the day the show opens. If you keep your eyes peeled there, you should know more soon likely well before I have any of my own hands-on impressions to report. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I thought your comments on how the Audience 1+1 V5 diverges from dogma only to be better for it were very well conceived. I'm curious though whether in exchange for improvements in linearity and dynamics, the 40Hz high-pass filter in particular might have been responsible for you finding the speaker's voicing a bit on the demure side - genteel I believe you called it? The reason I ask is that that's really the last thing I would have expected of this kind of design. I would expect it to be extra direct, quick, informative and present, not laid back and somewhat polite. Could a high-pass filter cause such a softening? Best regards, Jamie

That's a fair and intelligent question, Jamie. I simply don't have an answer. I'd have to A/B the speaker with/out that part of the filter to isolate whatever sonic attributes might change. All else would be mere speculation. But I completely agree that it's certainly a rather interesting bit of speculation! Srajan

Hello Srajan, thank you for taking the time and attention to review our CA 1+1 v5. The purpose of me desiring to include our cables was not for an extra freebie review. It was to be sure of compatibility. I do regret and apologize for the bad timing of the price issue. We are still wrestling with this. We might end up splitting the increase for an MSRP of $4'000 instead of $4'500. Many thanks and best regards, John McDonald

My pleasure. As long as my readers know what the correct retail price was the day I published a review, we're all good, no apologies necessary. What happened before or what might happen after falls outside the review's parameters. As far as any speaker needing a particular speaker cable to be compatible... that's where my eyebrows raise. That's nearly as squirrely as insisting that a speaker needs a particular amplifier to sound its best. In such scenarios one really ought to design a fully active speaker to control all of these parameters at the factory. Meanwhile a passive speaker is expected to work properly with a wide variety of amplifiers and cables. ATB, Srajan

Srajan, I read your latest Audience review and then made the connection with a recent industry feature. Very funny. I imagine this whole VAT pain on products that only briefly enter the EU from abroad is a real issue to get such product for review in the first place? It seems to be just one of the many things most of us reading reviews don't consider. I for one appreciate that you covered this detail from behind the scenes... Best wishes, Aaron

Indeed. A proper ATA carnet aka temporary importation or commodity's passport isn't the run-of-the-mill waybill shippers know Half the time a FedEX/UPS customer service agent has never done one. However, I've received numerous shipments over the years which came accompanied by the necessary documents. It's not rocket science. It just takes more than a 'no value, commercial sample for review only' note when good-sized cartons weighing 10-50kg arrive from industrialized nations at Irish customs who are trained to be suspicious about low-balled values. So yes, it's a practical aspect of reviewing when one doesn't limit coverage to just products available from domestic importers but canvasses the world nearly exclusively by direct connection to the factories, wherever those may be. Srajan

Srajan, just watched your latest podcast with John Darko. Great discussions and explanations on topics I've never fully understood and now can see just a bit better. Thanks for that. I also like how apparently, you and John divvy out the more esoteric and regular mainstream aspects of the hobby so that both ends of it are represented fairly. I've read all the comments that had posted when I saw the video and am impressed by how civil they are even on very tweaky subjects like media converters and isolation footers. John seems to have trained his audience well to keep an open mind which avoids the endless bickering and posturing that plagues other forums and platforms. I'm happy to see you branching out from just writing to also becoming a video presenter. You've got a good handle on it already. Compliments. Charles

Thanks, Charles. It's literally learn as you go in the public eye, no edits, no practice runs. It'll take time to get more telegraphic, take less time and still convey the facts. It's not easy in the heat of the moment especially with a colleague who can spontaneously open tangents you need to react to just as spontaneously. It's fun but also puts one on the spot and potentially off track to meander a bit. Doing it more is the only way to get better and I'm grateful to John for giving me this opportunity. Srajan

Hi Srajan, thank you for your mention on your podcast with John! This is great exposure with an audience I hope we can expand more into. I really appreciate it. The Nano footer is coming along nicely. I'm pleased with how it turned out for how small and relatively simple it is. If all goes to plan, I should have units ready to send you next week or at the latest the following week. I'll be in touch soon. Thanks, Jeffrey Jenkins, Carbide Audio

My pleasure. I deliberately didn't get into the bearing details since John's description box has all the links to our prior Carbide reviews and the current preview listed. So viewers have all the extra details they could want there and John and I didn't have to go beyond the already very lengthy 90-minute video. Srajan

Watched your Darko video on Raal 1995. I have medium hearing loss in my left ear and adjust my right channel down 15-18dB to center the sound. I use a Chord Dave/mScaler paired with a Zahl HM1/Enleum AMP-23R/Burson Soloist GT. I listen to Susvara, Utopia, 1266 and others with no problem and plenty of volume. I purchased a Raal CA-1a and returned it. The SPL was so low that I could not get enough volume out of them. Do you think that SPL out of the new 1995 models will allow me to push volume sufficiently? If so, I would order the larger ribbon model asap when they ship. Can you offer an opinion? Neil Snyder

Thanks for watching, Neil. This is really a question for Aleksandar the designer. Contact him through this thread on head-fi.org. I know that Immanis takes significantly less voltage to play at the same SPL as the SR1a. I've never tried the CA-1a to know where it falls. Obviously needing 18dB more gain to offset your hearing loss requires your Raal amp to deliver far more voltage than for a 'normal' listener. With the new 32-ohm impedance interface, the Raal 1995 models can be driven off any standard headphone amp that outputs 2 watts into 32Ω. The interface plugs into your existing XLR4/6.3mm headphone socket. Your AMP-23R should output up to 7wpc into 32 ohms according to Soo-In Chae whom I just asked that the other day. I don't know how much voltage your Chord front end dispatches to your amplification. If you give Alex the voltage-gain specs of your hardware and the output rating of your amps into 32 ohms, he should be able to advise you on whether his new models will give you the loudness you need. I've not received my review loaners yet so have no first-hand experience until I do. Cheers. Srajan

Srajan, you introduced me to Tony Minassian's recordings, an affirmation of the CD format as being sub-optimized by many recording engineers. So, you might be interested in this review of Tony's CDs on PFO from last month. Michael

Hello Michael, yes, I'd already seen that, thx. My problem with Tony's recordings is the same as it is for many 'audiophile' labels. The musicianship and material itself very often doesn't match the sonic splendour. Fab sound of music I don't care to listen to is like a pretty but poisonous fruit I'll never eat. I find this to be the case with Waterlily, TRPK or whatever that Dutch label is called and a number of others. For me even Todd Garfinkle is hit 'n' miss. Srajan

Hey Srajan, I usually don't comment on your news announcements but a recent entry for a €3'500 linear power supply by JCAT now prompts one. There's nothing much in that box that warrants the price of a very nice amplifier or even pair of speakers. I guess Poland isn't immune to the general hi-end craziness? Only partly jesting, Daniel

I'm with you. It's why of the three press-pack pix, I published this one. I too had a disconnect when I saw it; and for the same reason. I was offered one for review but with only 5V/12V ratings available, I merely had a €699 FiiO R7 to try it with. So I declined, thinking that combo far too outlandish to be pursued by any real-world shopper. Srajan

Your BACCH piece just went live and what struck a bell for me was your comment on a lack of forward listener envelopment. I've heard something similar from Dirac for a few years but couldn't quite put my finger on it until using Dirac again last week with the M66 preamp from NAD. Yes, Dirac spreads the music wider across the speaker plane for a w i d e r soundstage but we lose some of the 'you're there' magic that went before. Dirac seems to separate the listener from the music so that the sound of music is more admirable but less present. John Darko

Srajan, so really no idea yet on Raal's pricing for those new ribbon headphones? It's hard to believe you could write up two pages of copy and not have that vital information. This suspense is killing me. Greg

Hey, legendary old wolf. I saw your latest Raal teaser. What an exciting product launch this is so early in the year. Like you I'm salivating to learn more. For now I wanted to touch on what Alex called you and ask how you perceive your own change from your early days as the new guy to now being a solid part of the online establishment. It would seem inevitable that doing anything long enough influences anyone's standing in the community. I'm curious how you perceive it yourself. Best, Charlie

Interesting question. Let's wait on my obituary for the answer. That's when more people tend to come forward to offer opinions. It's always for others to say what they think of our work and its value. I've worked from a small home office for some 22 years now. Though I travelled some for shows and factory tours, my MO is basically reclusive. l'm a modern caveman. I've got all the conveniences in a tidy bubble to make a living not leaving home. It's solitary so not for everyone. I was influenced by reviewers who came before me so logic dictates that I must have influenced others who came after. Unless someone tells me, I simply don't know specifics. While photos can track outer change, there are no photos of our inner selves or our connections in the world. It's virtually impossible to know how much or little we've changed over the years. I can look at an old passport photo and see myself younger but can't do the same for my frame of mind, abilities, influence or many other aspects related to your question. I can read my early stuff and compare it the most recent. But I can't comment on my standing in the community as you call it. Unless people tell me, I don't know. As you see in this letters section, feedback to that point is super narrow. If people enjoy what I do and benefit from it, I don't expect them to write in and say bravo or thank you. The fact that they keep reading is enough. Those numbers are reflected in my site statistics. I've obviously done it long enough to no longer be the new guy. I cut my long hair and now it's grey. Other than that, I mostly don't know. Nor is it important. My teacher Osho says, "just sing your song, then let existence worry about delivering it". That's exactly how I view my job. I do it with passion and to the best of my ability. All the rest is for others to respond to as they will. As long as I get to keep going, I need to know naught else. If here and there people tell me that they enjoy it, that's an extra. Otherwise the mere fact that this little wheel keeps turning is my reward. Srajan

Srajan, I think you nailed the effectiveness of 8c BACCH with this line from your review: "Whatever extra spaciousness it unmasks must already be encoded in our music."  Similarly, when I owned the Carver sonic holography processor, the effects could range from profound to nothing.  Personally I found the effect too artificial, but it might be because my ears were trained to listen to two-channel stereo. If you still have the trial unit, try playing "Suzie Q" by Credence Clearwater Revival on its eponymous album.  Many years later I can still recall the vivid sensation of sonic holography as the sound stage suddenly yawned in front of me! Michael

To be clear, nothing I heard suggested anything even remotely approaching 'surround sound' or 'envelopment' so a 2-channel stereo disposition wouldn't feel alienated at all. I simply found even the best-case enrichment of the recorded ambient field more interesting than compulsory; and that applied to only about half my music. On the other half I found the effect either too marginal or counterproductive. But it was interesting nonetheless. Srajan

Hi Srajan, hope all is well with you and that you've been enjoying the festive season so far. I recently moved to the lovely city of Spoleto in Umbria, Italy. I was invited to an important retro Commodore Amiga event back in September. I fell in love with the city and decided to live here for a while. Once I find a place to live, I will buy a system to start listening to music again after a long break. Dutch and Dutch 8C is one of the top candidates and I am looking forward to your review of the D&D 8C BACCH, Srajan. Cheers. Mevlut Dinc

Hello Srajan, I hope this finds you well and prospering as we turn the page on another year. Just wanted to check in and wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and prosperous healthy New Year in 2024. Best regards, Rob Fritz, Audio Art Cable

Dear Srajan, I just got caught up on my monthly dive into your new reviews and found your report on French brand Kallyste. They've really been flying under the radar even here in France so I'm glad for your review and see that you already plan on doing another. Our country has many unconventional hifi brands and some of them you correctly mentioned. I would recommend that you also look into Lavardin Technologies because they make some very unique transistor amplifiers you will surely appreciate. Again, thanks for the Kallyste promo. Jean François

Hello Srajan, interesting mini feature on 432Hz. I hadn't heard of the topic before so did the Google thing you suggested and came across lots of links including those YouTube videos. I found both the guitar and piano versions of particular interest because sidestepping all the byzantine theory and mythology, it's apparent to me even over a computer feed that the 432Hz tuning sounds distinctly different. I don't know how it translates to the more complex music I listen to but on the few isolated samples I could find, I certainly thought that the old tuning is rather more attractive. Even though a lot of the surrounding stuff gets a bit New Age for my tastes, the proof was in the recorded comparisons. Will you review the Boenicke DAC to dive deeper into this fascinating subject? If so, I very much look forward to it. Jens-Petter

I've not been asked to review it nor am I certain that formal production has even commenced yet. Review requests probably won't go out until that's in place and first orders have been filled. But if I get asked in due time, I shall certainly accept and report on what I hear/feel. Srajan

Mind over matter and money? Pushing the envelope costs dearly no matter the endeavour. We usually don't play at that edge. Occasionally it's simply instructive to see how extremist applications come together. Clearly you have no interest to learn about that. My bet is that for everyone like you, there's at least one contrary opinion and person curious to live vicariously for just a moment. In which case that review has a good-sized appreciative audience to warrant its syndication on my site.  And as you noted, the award was Dawid's not mine. If you really feel the need to gripe about it to feel better, perhaps you should contact him? Srajan

Srajan, lovely vids with Darko! You seem very comfortable in front of a camera. It's nice to see you flex some other muscles than just writing. Can we look forward to your own videos on 6moons? Jacob

Nice of you to say. Getting video production values on par with my own expectations could involve far more man hours than the exercise might be worth. I've not decided. For now I'm learning more about how to speak in front of a camera unscripted and gauging viewer reactions as per John's comments section. I'm not saying no but also not yes yet. I'm enjoying the more conversational format of double-teaming with John who has years more experience with it. I'm not sure whether talking videos are a better format for my style of reviewing that traditional writing. But there could be specific applications where video is better. If it turns out that I have the necessary skills to do it, I might give it a go. I'd simply have to be convinced of its added value first. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I just watched your podcast video with John and wanted to congratulate you on explaining the benefits of open baffles. It really helped me understand how they work. Best regards, Thorsten

Glad to know that I could help. However, that wasn't all of it. Because time was limited, I didn't get into two other very important benefits. 1/ the loss of about half the usual room gain implies much improved time-domain behavior since room gain is purely reflective; and reflections by definition are always late since their path lengths exceed those of the direct sound. In short, bass stoppage is superior because sounds don't drone on. That means far less overlay on the vocal band. 2/ absence of box talk as the effect which capturing/killing a driver's rear wave has on the sound. There are no internal box reflections which come back out through the cones. These are two additional benefits that belong in any serious open-baffle discussion. Srajan