Soul 6

Writer: Simone Ragionieri
Simone's bio: click here
Source: Generic 5G router into Taiko Audio network switch (both powered by an Uptone LPS1.2); Taiko Extreme Server; LampizatOr Horizon DAC
Headphone/speaker integrated amplifier: Riviera Audio Labs AIC-10
Headphones: Spirit Torino Valkyria, Raal 1995 Immanis
Cables: Digital – Sablon Ethernet 2002 & USB Evo, Taiko DAC cable; Analog – Acrolink 7N-2090 Special Anniversary
Power delivery: Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Hurricane power cords, Shunyata Alpha HC power cord, Furutech NCF AC wall plugs on a dedicated spur
Review component retail: from $6'200/pr

Publisher's intro: Once upon a time. It's how many a rollicking yarn begins. "In a galaxy far far away" is how some continue. Today's has both. When Simone joined my small staff, he was pure homo internalis extremis, a dedicated headfier at the bleeding edge. Then 10 years after that focus began, his partner finally agreed to let their shared living room host a compact attractive speaker system. In this schematic, we see Simone's existing headfi hardware. The decisive block in this diagram is dark blue. It represents 10wpc into 8Ω of hybrid Italian class A power. At roughly 4 x 4.5m, Simone's room then isn't capacious. This sets the scene.

Whatever speakers he'll settle down with should, a/ get airborne with the same low-power amp, b/ not overwhelm his room with bass yet sound complete on large-scale classical; c/ not overwhelm the living space visually. On Simone's list also were the two no-no of stand mounts and subs, otherwise my first inclination. Knowing of Simone's aural tastes from his first reviews plus the above hardware choices, I suggested Zu's Soul VI. It not only ticks all those boxes but adds custom finishes. The firm's Sean Casey proved happy to send Simone a pair in his favourite finish. Playing remote sound consultant is hairy at the best of times. In this instance, I'd never yet personally met Simone nor listened together. As I interpreted the evidence from afar, the Soul VI could just be his ideal speaker. But would Simone's ears agree to my match making? Coming from statement-level headfi with its intense resolution and zero room issues, this SpeakerFi attempt would really catapult him into a different galaxy of all-new issues against carefully groomed expectations and likely a number of still uninspected assumptions. There were far too many variables to predict anything. That's when we return to the basics. There each journey begins with a first careful step. Thanks to Sean at Zu for his willingness to be that first step for Simone's new speaker adventures. Using my platform to share this tale will hopefully be instructive and entertaining by equal degrees; and perhaps even include some useful intel for someone in Simone's fancy Italian shoes: being used to top-shelf headphone sound and hoping to replicate or at least approach it with a speaker system. It's a tall order but a crossover-less very robust widebander should help the cause; I thought. Srajan

"Right on! Happy to play side-chain guide. Very likely others will glean a good bit from his journey. Fun!" Sean Casey