The Bakoon Int had communicated boldness via substantially higher sophistication, smoothness and extremely rare nobility. Against the Kinki the battle was one of brute force and quantity against quality and refinement. Here I mean tactile textural substance and pleasant moisture on connective tissue versus chiseled disconnected images, dehydration and a lack of final polish. The AMP-13R's soundscapes accommodated more orderly images which were physical, saturated and precise while the Kinki's priority list narrowed down to directness, closeness and crisp outlines. That juxtaposed tonal evenness, humidity and a subtle yet substantial brilliance region against bass boost and above all a certain leanness which also felt more tense and lacking internal fill. The AMP-13R represented order, inviting blackness, spot-on radiance and seasoned heft free from dilution for a perfect balance. Its rival was too intense in the upper bass and underwhelmed above so in that sense was overcooked.

It's only natural that one might now see Kinki Studio's EX-M1 as a subpar specimen but this sanely priced integrated proved on many occasions that it's no pushover. Still, entire systems make sound, not individual components. That said, the Bakoon Int. with sound|kaos speakers was a terrific match beyond reach of three other amps I then had at my disposal. Speaker loads demanding far more power and damping than the AMP-13R delivers obviously wouldn't have been as happy. That's the nature of component matching. Still, the tangible, lively, radiant, moist, earthly, expressive and resonant character particularly keen with minimalist sensual acoustic productions and vocals had me in awe for nearly three years.

Although in previous reviews I've been most vocal already that the Bakoon Int. quickly secured its position as my very favorite audio product regardless of type or price, let me stress so again. I cherish this tiny thing more than any DAC, amp, preamp, speakers, elite cables or all else without exception. Although here it stands tall and quite frankly invincible, it's also one of the most affordable audio components I own. That's a wakeup call. A triode-like character of high illumination, quick reflexes, effortlessness, wide dynamic contrasts, elasticity, admirable substance plus exceptional smoothness, openness, articulation and resolution all packed inside a petite package that's noise-free and gorgeous to look at formed the recipe to win me over. On a side note, two products that struck me as similarly voiced were the far dearer more powerful Nagra Classic INT and Alberto Guerra's AGD Production Vivace monos. Whilst this was all about the Bakoon Int., the Enleum offers as much. Simple as that. These sonic foundations are identical so upon replacing one with the other, all of the above applied. Then the AMP-23R managed to take things a step further on several counts.

As much as I try to abstain from reviews about products I'm about to tackle myself, Srajan's engaging origin story didn't prevent me from continuing the read when his formal review appended. More LF grounding, a still lower noise floor yet less emphasis on speed and edges was my takeaway of that forbidden chapter. Knowing that it had me pre-biased, I was guilty as charged. Still, would I hear anything new or different? After all, Srajan's tastes in music aren't the same as mine. That alone can result in different perspectives even on otherwise shared observations.