Country of Origin
This review first appeared in July 2020 on HifiKnights.com. By request of the manufacturer and permission of the author, it is hereby syndicated to reach a broader audience. All images contained in this piece are the property of Dawid Grzyb or JCAT/Telegärtner – Ed.
Reviewer: Dawid Grzyb
Sources: LampizatOr Pacific (Living Voice 300B + KR Audio 5U4G Ltd. Ed.)
Transports: fidata HFAS-S10U
USB: iFi audio 0, micro iUSB3.0 and 3x Mercury cables
Preamplifier: Thöress DFP
Integrated amplifiers: Kinki Studio EX-M1, Trilogy 925, Bakoon AMP-13R
Power amplifier: AGD Productions Vivace
Speakers: Boenicke Audio W11 SE+
Interconnects: Audiomica Laboratory Erys Excellence, Boenicke audio IC3 CG
Speaker cables: Boenicke Audio S3, LessLoss C-MARC
Power components: Gigawatt PC-3 SE EVO+, Gigawatt PF-2 + Gigawatt LC-2 MK2 + Forza AudioWorks Noir Concept/Audiomica Laboratory Ness Excellence/LessLoss C-MARC
Rack: Franc Audio Accesories Wood Block Rack
Music: NativeDSD
Retail price of reviewed component: JACT power supply €1'500, JCAT LAN cable €1'300, Telegärtner switch €4'165
Where most audio accessories are rather innocent expenses, some will bleed your wallet dry in a hurry. Today's combination of Telegärtner M12 Switch Gold, JCAT Optimo 3 Duo and JCAT Signature LAN Cable Gold M12 X fits that second description. Is the stack worth its undeniably hefty coin? Let's find out. JPLAY/JCAT owner Marcin Ostapowicz has been busy of late. A while back his software business landed a major update baptized 'Femto', his feline brand became Telegärtner's exclusive EU/US distributor to mean promoting their network switches. Now Marcin's holistic take on audio led him outside his usual bubble. He was after a tie-in product that would connect his roster in still more synergistic fashion. Cue about a year of extensive work. Eventually this resulted in the JCAT Optimo 3 Duo linear power supply. Whilst obviously fit for duty on both Telegärtner's and JCAT's own hardware, its compliance extends to pretty much any device externally powered by 5/9/12V DC.
Knowing that Telegärtner's network switches come with switching supplies standard, it seemed redundant to ask about the logic behind today's LPSU. So I didn't. But when talk moved beyond courtesies towards my setup's compatibility with his JCAT Optimo 3 Duo, Marcin had to have a mischievous grin. At first he didn't say a word but politely asked what I had available. Once familiar with my modest DC-powered list, he suggested Telegärtner's M12 Switch Gold as perfect to show what his new linear PSU can do. I kept my cool and pretended I saw it coming from a mile away. To him this of course made a lot of marketing sense. My agreement would kill two of his birds with one stone. Knowing the man and hearing about his lot's supposedly wicked performance, I was intrigued.
This report should be seen as the next chapter of the Telegärtner M12 Switch Magic story published about a year ago here. If today's tale had published then, it most likely wouldn't resonate as loudly. Several fairly recent assignments helped me better understand what we're dealing with here. Although these loaners formed an unapologetically expensive package, prior experiences with Telegärtner's and Fidelizer's switches, my own iFi stack and the Innuos PhoenixUSB prepared me to properly wrap my head around it. The game was afoot.
A substantial matte black delivery box had its top held in place by magnets to look nice. The key ingredient inside was wrapped in a bag between several levels of precisely cut foam. The compartment just below stored two quality 1.2m power cords (54 PC-OCC copper wires in a Teflon dielectric, double-shielded) to connect external devices to the product. Both cords shared Neutrik's stout speakON SPX terminations, their opposite ends had 5.5×2.1mm and 5.5×2.5mm barrels.
