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To conclude our factory tour, let's return to some photos of the facilities. First a closer look at Goldmund's new Telos headphone amplifier (with comprehensive DAC) which I signed up to review as well.
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Here's a bird's eye view on its guts.
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Another interesting product for integrationists looking for maximal bang for the buck is this integrated amplifier. It essentially bundles the Job Pre2, Job 225 and Goldmund's DAC.
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Of course once you transition to active speakers with digital inputs, the costly casings and faceplates of separates hit the 'delete' folder as do fancy power cords, signal cables and sundry analog-domain limitations plus the perhaps biggest holdback of the lot, passive crossovers. In the 'add' folder go direct drive and very advanced compensation circuitry. The result? More linear and dynamic performance with broader bandwidth from far smaller boxes. That's eminently practical.
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Should you have wondered as did I just what hides behind the grills of those stacked Apologue boxes, here's what: two slightly dissimilar Audio Technology woofers in twin-ported loading each; two paralleled Scanspeak midranges; one central Scanspeak tweeter; and one top-mounted Scanspeak super tweeter.
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As to the guts, the next two photos hint at what's inside the closed modules; and very similar construction for the active ProLogos I heard which can easily be converted from passive to active mode.
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Whether internal or external, for speakers or subwoofers, all Goldmund amplification is always based on the same basic Job/Telos schematic scaled up or down to fit the application.
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So hum your do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti scale until you suddenly bump into this 7-transformer power supply for one channel of the bigger mono amps. Many smaller transformers are far superior to one giant one is how Michel explained it.
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With our chin bruised and internal monologue duly silenced, let's run without commentary for a few more location shots.
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With my visit scheduled for a Thursday whilst pickup of Goldmund shipments occurs on Friday each week...
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... the holding area for final QC'd, catalogued and packed products had begun to stack up.
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I was told that on certain weeks, this hall gets so crammed that people have to temporarily climb over boxes to pass.
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Perhaps some fine day one or more of such boxes or crates will have your name on it? The active ProLogos speaker in standard or plus guise, the Job Pre2 preamp and the Telos headphone amplifier definitely have mine even if only for temporary review loaners. Stay tuned for more Goldmund reportage in these pages throughout 2014 then. On a final note, the Job monos will not merely be two existing Job 225 boxes slightly reconfigured internally or bridged. The physical dimensions Michel Reverchon indicated with his hands were rather more sizeable. And with ~350 watts per side if I paid proper attention, these will be a bit more beastly altogether (but without the Asian super-fi stickers).
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In closing, my Geneva visit was quite a surprise. I didn't expect such a very low-key level-headed down-to-earth mentality of the people behind the glossy über-fi ads I'd seen here and there. And I certainly wasn't prepared for the sound quality of a complete lower-tier Goldmund system. On that count mum is simply the word. For more on sound you'll have to wait until I formally review the all-in-one active ProLogos speaker, Job Pre2 and Telos headphone amp... |
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