Pasithea Redux

Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial interests: click here
Main system: Sources: Retina 5K 27" iMac (i5, 256GB SSD, 40GB RAM, Sonoma 14), 4TB external SSD with Thunderbolt 3, Audirvana Studio, Qobuz Sublime, Singxer SU-6 USB bridge, LHY Audio SW-8 & SW-6 switch, Laiv Audio Harmony and Sonnet Pasithea; Active filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Power amplifiers: Kinki Studio EX-B7 monos & Gold Note monoa on subwoofer; Headamp: Kinki Studio THR-1; Phones: HifiMan Susvara, Meze 109 Pro; Loudspeakers: Qualio IQ [on loan] Cables: Kinki Studio Earth, Furutech; Power delivery: Vibex Granada/Alhambra on all source components, Vibex One 11R on amps, Furutech DPS-4.1 between wall and conditioners; Equipment rack: Artesanía Audio Exoteryc double-wide 3-tier with optional glass shelves, Exoteryc amp stands; Sundry accessories: Acoustic System resonators, LessLoss Firewall for loudspeakers, Furutech NCF Signal Boosters; Room: 6 x 8m with open door behind listening seat; Room treatment: 2 x PSI Audio AVAA C214 active bass traps
2nd system: Source: FiiO R7 into Soundaware D300Ref SD transport to Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe; Preamp/filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Amplifier: Kinki Studio EX-M7; Headamp: Cen.Grand Silver Fox Loudspeakers: MonAcoustic SuperMon Mini + Dynaudio S18 sub; Power delivery: Furutech GTO 2D NCF, Akiko Audio Corelli; Equipment rack: Hifistay Mythology Transform X-Frame [on extended loan]; Sundry accessories: Audioquest Fog Lifters; Furutech NFC Clear Lines; Room: ~3.5 x 8m
Desktop system: Source: HP Z230 work station Win10/64; USB bridge: Singxer SU-2; DAC: iFi Pro iDSD Signature; Head/speaker amp: Enleum AMP-23R; Speakers: Acelec Model One Headphones: Final D-8000 & Sonorous X, Audeze LCD-XC, Raal-Requisite SR1a on Schiit Jotunheim R
Upstairs headfi system: FiiO R7; Headphones: Meze 109 Pro, Fiio FT3
2-channel video system: Source: Oppo BDP-105; All-in-One: Gold Note IS-1000 Deluxe; Loudspeakers: Zu Soul VI; Subwoofer: Zu Submission; Power delivery: Furutech eTP-8, Room: ~6x4m
Review component retail: €5'900

Arrow points at Nagra's petite Streamer.

A brief love letter. Typical love letters predate marriage; or dispatch during times of pained absence. But sometimes they're most apt after lengthy cohabitation. Such is the case for my time with Sonnet's Pasithea. It's from a brand which Cees Ruijtenberg launched when the new owners of Metrum floundered but which today regroups under the reborn Metrum umbrella as does Acelec. Like all Cees DACs, Pasithea is an NOS R2R affair with its very own red panties: split-level processing of the less/least significant bits. The resultant gain imbalance restores in the analogue domain to improve low-level linearity. Think of looking at the tiniest signal with extra magnification; with a claimed noise floor down 160dB relative to the full 4Vrms output. That's not just a theoretical upshot. I can say so emphatically because in keeping with my regular try-as-you-go routine from owning multiple components in most categories—here a Laiv Harmony, Denafrips Terminator+, Kinki DAC-1, COS D1, iFi iDSD Pro Signature—I recently moved Pasithea back into the main system whilst its Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe hoofed upstairs. This hardware shuffle coincided with the arrival of Nagra's small Ethernet bridge/streamer followed by Furutech's RJ45/USB noise traps and new CAT8 LAN cable.

The moral of this anecdote is simple. For sheer resolution as not just the ability to hear deeper into the planktonic realm but maximize thus track the action of small accessory helpers, Pasithea tops my domestic converter harem to a degree that's surprisingly significant. It's particularly noticeable in the HF. That's the realm of spiderwebby decay trails and the difference between harmonic sheen and sizzle. The latter shows off tone modulations where peaks from higher string pressure or faster airflow create more odd-order hues. It's the difference between a smooch, a nibble and a bite. It's what gifted performers do with tone. If it never alters, they short us an entire dimension of musical expressiveness. It's not just about phrasing, dynamics and fast-note proficiency. It's about tonal fluidity that spans the wispy, breathy and coquettish; the smooth, silky and sonorous; the husky and hoarse; the glassy and shrill; the bright and glossy. It's all about overtones and how their distribution and intensity varies. For a crash course in what harmonics can do for tone, Google YouTube videos of Mongolian throat singers. Yet it applies to all vocals and instruments. The more masterful a performer, the broader s/he will modulate tone. To maximize that aspect wants superlative tweeters and matching micro resolution to track homeopathic overtone shifts.

More nightgown Pasithea thrills come from her variable reference voltage. That sets the converter's output. It's neither digital bit stripping nor an analog potentiometer's cut of fixed gain. It's true variable gain without common losses so ideal for amp-direct drive. If a system is curated to not rely on a warmth/dynamic injection by way of an active preamp, Cees' solution is possibly the ultimate to maintain a super-lucid sound with minimal box count. Oh how I love thee, goddess Pasithea of the lowlands and proof that a ¾ wide very humble chassis predicts nothings of ultimate sound quality. Having reviewed her three years ago and lived with her since, such satisfied constancy can be rare against a reviewer's ever-present temptations to step out and up. On stepping up, the only DAC I suspect could even do it is that of another high-flying Dutchman: Bruno Putzseys with his Tambaqui. At twice+ the coin, it also should. I'll never know since it's Frederic on staff who signed up for Tambaqui. My Pasithea is safe, ignorance bliss. But she also knows that even upsampled to 1'024, DSD can't equal her treble. It's why the Cen.Grand moved into the secondary system. So let nada lead me into temptation and remember to be happy with what I have.

Isn't that the secret prayer of all tired audiophile wallets? It's good to intone during the selling frenzy at year end's…