A or D? Contrasting Oslo's analog/digital inputs again, 'D' eliminated the denser contributions of iFi's butch output stage to get my vote. Yet even D-drive couldn't fix the ports' fattening of the frequency response; or eliminate their omnipresent blur in the time domain. The Slovakian cubes performed in another league altogether. If that's where one lives and works, even a week's abstinence recognizes the Oslo IID as a lower-res far more colored alternative. It was significantly fatter, softer, thicker so less distinct, less focused and overall, comparatively woolly.

Via the analog inputs, designating the master speaker left simply inverts the analog interconnects. In S/PDIF mode, the master needs to be right or you suffer swapped channels.

This signature only compounded when I tried Vintage Oslo II on my bedside table instead. Extra bass reinforcement from the near-by front wall overcooked the dish into a relative gruel. I was back at porridge just not Golidlocks.

smsl SD-9 SD card transport S/PDIF out.

Veni, vidi, verdictum? With its miniature size and integral lean-back wedge, Ancient Audio's Vintage Oslo IID veritably screams desktop. Yet given its appeal to keep things simple, the lack of USB B/C nearly annoys particularly in a 2nd-gen reboot. And what will PC listeners really do with analog inputs? In this space the otherwise more advanced Genelec 8020 DWM, DMAX SC5 and Adam T7V get asked the same question. Here only Audio Engine's HD3 has an answer. Of course Jarek's USB power port easily bolts on a Bluetooth receiver. That answers the question wirelessly. As such it's probably the go-to solution for the intended audience. It just counts out WiFi-allergic folks like us. We must add a USB bridge to generate a proper S/PDIF signal from our PC or laptop. You can appreciate that my verdict felt trapped in ambiguity well before sonics; or the ancient/vintage cosmetics that wrote my intro from a few pages back. I'm keenly aware that small boutique makers like Jarek work to a different scale than big brands with cost-effective overseas outsourcing. Capitalist competition is a far harsher mistress than a moon or two. Sonic awesomeness could have shifted that entire equation across six moons. Many of us are happy to pay a bit extra or tolerate some peccadilloes to support artisans for a big sonic payday.

I just didn't hear that. I heard little speakers whose port loading/voicing tried far too hard to sound big and dynamic but compromised overall balance and undermined resolution. I couldn't reset my ear/brain sufficiently back in time to hear it differently. I'm thus at a real loss to call out the target audience. I plead the fifth and let others chime in. Perhaps I overlooked something? As my intro put it, Jarek's approach for this speaker is a bit roguish. I don't mean to second-guess our man in Krakov. I simply confess that I didn't quite get his second Oslo. And I really tried…

Postscript: On the subject of seconds, getting Vintage Horten is shaping up to be a lot easier…