Dutchies Pink Faun launched big with every double that can be double. Multiple power supplies for their DAC and power amps in the speakers but also a double streamer called the Dual. One of those is commissioned to handle all Roon-related things like the Internet connection and Roon Core server. Connected via LAN cable, the second streamer embeds HQPlayer. From there the signal proceeds to the DAC. Speakers on duty were the fully active Euphrosyne. To make a visit to this room even more enjoyable, the standard hard kitchen chairs were replaced with a few comfy couches. The music played was refreshing and not the standard crap one hears in almost every room at any show. When that was still insufficient, a hooked-up full DJ setup kicked in.
The Funk Firm's Little Super Deck turntable is often abbreviated as LSD. And music played from their turntables has a bit of that magic enhancement though without any negative side effects. These folks remain true to their motto To get the best from the tiny groove containing musical information. And yes, Funk Works.
A Bergmann Magne turntable with Charisma Audio cartridge, Lindemann electronics and Harbeth loudspeakers definitely made for one of the better sounding rooms.
432 Evo remain the evangelists for re-tuning music. Their streamer can alter the standard 440Hz-based pitch to 432Hz during playback. The reason for doing so claims a more peaceful and correct feeling to our perception of the music.
Amplifon are a German brand focusing on tube amplifiers. Their pièce de resistance was the SET 42 SE where SE doubles up for Single Ended and Special Edition. Behind the cage sat a pair of GM70 NOS power tubes. In their current setting they provide 42wpc. Also on duty was a Tone Tool turntable while Levin Design delivered the CA2pac coaxial concept loudspeakers.
The Bastanis Sagarmatha Duo is a loudspeaker we know as we have lived with a pair of these for some time. The current model differs slightly from the samples we reviewed. The plinth is now rounded and a grill covers the back. The rest is the same. Amplification was provides by Silvercore Audio's amp based on WE 212E tubes.
Klipsch are still alive and kicking as were Magnat. The latter was on demo with the model Signature 1109 in the spot light.
Pure Audio Project offers their modular open baffle architecture. There are 4 basic platforms for small to large rooms. 10" woofers are meant for smaller rooms, 15ers for large ones. Next the customer chooses the main drivers. Here the choice is a wide array of widebanders from Voxativ, PAP, TB or Heil AMT with matching crossover. The final decision is about the finishing.
More open baffles were next but now from The Netherlands: the ZMI Cephei 5.05, a 2-way system. With 88dB efficiency, relatively little power was needed to drive these. Forty watts are recommended to kick these 6Ω flatties to life.
YG's Sonja loudspeakers ran off Franck Tchang's Acoustic Systems power amplifier with a Spanish Wadax front end and PS Audio source plus power conditioning.
Shan of the Czech Republic are always colorful with their bright yellow and shiny red cabinets of MDF or concrete. A review of their smallest Lyra, the red monitor in the picture, is coming up.
We have a long-standing personal thang with the Konus Audio Essence 2000 loudspeaker. To us its looks with that small plinth-neck-cabinet ratio and tiny widebander on the top are great. Though small, it does a useful 50Hz. Mostly these loudspeakers get combined with other minimalist electronics like from 47 Labs. But Konus Audio now had their own line of small-is-beautiful electronics. In the picture we see the brown 33wpc Integrale 1000 and orange Digitale 1000 DAC, at the bottom of the rack the Vinyle 2000MC phono stage. On top, the latest Kuzma Stabi R rotated the tunes on a CNC'd-from-solid block of aluminium with a sandwich of aluminium-acrylic-aluminium platter. Of course all sorts of arm boards are available. Sead Lejlic, the man behind Konus, was proud to introduce other nice things. Despite a very Germanic name, Sternklang are actually Japanese. The company provides hand-made—very much hand-polished that is—ribbon speaker cables and multi-core power cords. For the ribbon cables, copper is rolled out to a really thin 7 x 0.035mm section. Also Japanese and of course hand made are Fuuga cartridges. Their shining example is the creation of Miyabi designer Takeda-san. Miyabi is Japanese for elegance and as a token of appreciation for the genetics, Fuuga means elegance with flair.
Unlike the name might suggest, Gustavson Audio are a pure Dutch venture. Their preamp and integrated amplifiers are clad in 20mm solid wood. The push/pull preamp is a Jfet design whilst the integrated does 800wpc@4Ω with class D. The loudspeakers were the LS One 2-way bass reflex whose 1'000Hz+ compression horn has its own cabinet just like the 30cm woofer. Ratings are 93dB efficiency and 8Ω impedance. On passive display sat a newly developed 2-way with horn and 38cm woofer.
