Dear Srajan, I just read your longer Raven feature and see that your original hunch about Pat's current business model was spot on. If he does all the business he can handle and already operates on tighter margins than usual, it really makes no sense to do a global review on them. But I certainly appreciate your effort and wanted to say thanks. Cheers. Fred

You're welcome. Apparently the tight margins mean a pending price increase to $13K/pr so if the Raven looks at you sharpish, picking up a pair at the current ~$10K price would make a lot of sense. You'd just have to do it on the strength of Pat's prior work and his assessment of this model, not any reviews. Or as Pat put it about 2025 pricing compared to 5 years ago: "Things have changed. We've seen about a 30% runup in costs since 2020. Everything from MDF to drivers to insurance to heating oil to freight. Facts of life but one does need to ramp up one's whole life to stay abreast. Coming out of the pandemic, the supply chain was such a darn mess, like rudderless, that we had no choice but inventory all kinds of things that normally ran JIT, increasing costs by diverting working capital away from more productive uses. So everything notched up and stuck there. It's hard while it's happening but you have to get used to it." Srajan

Srajan, I was just over on Roy's site to read up on that small Avantgarde Colibri speaker. It's much less expensive than their big horns. I remember that you once owned Duos. Any chance you'll review the Colibri? Roland

I haven't heard from Armin and the gang in ages so nothing is planned but they certainly know how to find me should they be interested. I'd definitely be game. I like the form factor and modularity very much and like you said, it's a much lower barrier of entry into the Avantgarde hornspeaker universe. I just don't know whether their current marketing focus includes 6moons. I reckon not. Srajan

Hey Srajan, I just read the letter from Andreas then clicked to the review he refers to. That really is an interesting and unusual story. Thanks for telling it so well. In fact your quote from Sven himself on your intro page explains in full how it all came about so unlike Andreas, I have no questions about it or any desire to speculate on the man's motivations. I'm more curious about the apparently big performance gap between your normal monos and your Hypex alternates. Yours are already 250 watts. Surely going to 400 watts wasn't the difference maker when you don't listen that loud? You also mention current but even there the Kinki amps look to be well endowed. What other factor might have been in play that could explain this gap? I appreciate that you don't measure but perhaps you have a notion what it might have been? Sincerely, Martin

I believe that it was higher current plus ultra-low output impedance for a demonstrably better handling of these loads. It's also why I mentioned Dawid who owns multiple Boenicke; and his parallel findings. This seems to be somewhat of a Boenicke theme. It's likely that a plot of impedance vs. phase would show some gnarliness but as you said, we don't do measurements so that's just a guess. For graphs we'll have to wait until either Stereophile or SoundStage put these under the scope. I was rather shocked by this performance gap as typically, the best premium class D can hope for in our digs is being on par with my monos or somewhat different but not flatly in a higher league, period. Of course none of our speakers are known as tuff loads. I also think that had this been a 3-way, the difference would have been far smaller. Whatever the phase angles and impedance dips are in the V-01's main driver plot affect bass and midrange on the same cone. I believe that's where the superior damping of my nCore monos made the difference. Srajan

Dear Srajan, finally. I just finished your V-01 review and as usual, learned something unexpected. It's why I enjoy your writing even if I have no intention to buy anything. I could even feel your surprise over your class D amps working so much better than your normal high-power class AB monos. As you wrote, it's unexpected that minimalist low-order filters would require so much current. Must be the price to pay for getting such low bass from an 8-inch driver. But that's not what I'm writing in about. It's this footnote. To quote, "some could call this derivative concept odd—why clone another man's sound under a new brand as though you had nothing new to say on the matter—but today's context openly celebrates the connection as a distinctive feature. Dissenters will still ask why but admirers of the revised cosmetics should appreciate the new décor option in more-makes-merrier fashion." I too wondered about that. There's the opposite too, like when a group bought Thiel then completely changed the whole design approach. Just as that made no sense to me, I wonder what would persuade a guy to launch what feels like Boenicke 2 just to operate under his own name especially when he previously worked there. Clicking on the second link underneath your review, I even saw that his Belgian importer also does Boenicke so perhaps that's one reason? What do you make of this odd scenario? It obviously has nothing to do with the product which seems lovely but it's such an unusual aspect I'm curious to hear your thoughts on when your note already opened that door. Thanks, Andreas

That footnote is certainly an argument one could ride hard. Asking for the assignment and knowing the connection, it would simply be inappropriate for me to do so other than allowing myself this brief mention to cover the counter position. You see my point? I can't ask for an obviously green speaker then question its colour choice. I can only discuss how well or not that colour was executed. But I certainly agree that the acquisition of Thiel and subsequent abandonment of Jim Thiel's established design principles was an odd business tactic. Why acquire a company for what it is then change it to become unrecognizable? I never understood that either. Choosing to be in the hifi business might seem a dubious career choice in today's climate but as all audiophiles know, if you've been bitten by that bug, you're infected for life. Why rain on another man's parade, especially one who will have a rather good idea on what it entails? Being passionate about what one does no matter what it is... that's a wonderful recipe for a full life. Srajan

Hi Srajan, hey, one of the guys at HiFi Haven has alerted me to your very kind write-up of Raven. Thanks much!  I'm surprised. Raven is a strong echo of Kestrel; one of those rare builds that performs way-way above its budget. I still remember the first time I fired up the Kestrel prototypes and fell out of my chair. That feeling hadn't struck since. Dumb luck does strike gold every few decades if you dig enough holes. On the other end of the scale, we're making a stereo pair LLF system running 8 x 9.5" force cancelling, 4 x 250W or 4 x 500W per side. The idea is to make ideal dynamic linearity at stupid pressures to 10Hz. Guys do want stupid.  Lucinda says a fond "Hi". We hope your family is enjoying your time and that business is prospering. We're getting 'up there' my friend. Take care. Best! Pat

Dear Srajan, Happy New Year with my best wishes to you, Ivette and that pretty cat of yours. I just checked on your site and saw three upcoming reviews where smaller widebanders combine with separate woofer enclosures. What an opportunity to sample the same basic concept executed three different ways! To be honest, I hadn't given this idea much thought but now spotting a relative "mass sighting" had me appreciate that it's rather alive and kicking. Do you expect to have all three sets in your house at the same time to conduct actual side-by-side comparisons? However that shakes out, I will be looking out for your findings. All the best, Magnus

This "mass sighting" is pure coincidence and entirely unplanned. At this point I'm unsure when the sound|kaos and Zu products will be available. Promised first is the Voxativ stack. It's far more likely to be recalled before the next shipment arrives than not. Also, Zu's Method set looks poised for far lower pricing than the other two so a direct comparison is probably not even called for. But yes, this niche sector is surprisingly active and in this instance extra surprising because three different designers all opted independently to add woofers to the 'purist' single-driver notion; and two even tweeters. Let's call it synchronicity just like the fact that these three previews hit within a week of each other. That sounds better than dumb luck. Srajan

Hi Srajan, another year, another kooky LessLoss product. I checked out the Giant Steps you put in your news page and once again can't comprehend how they work. I realize that you and Dawid have solid experience with various LessLoss stuff but that stench of voodoo surrounding the brand still bothers me. This time there's a wacky photo story of taking a walk through a wood and looking at moss and mushrooms. It's all very weird and completely beside the point of a costly product that they claim has very audible benefits. It looks kind of pretty but what the hell is that glossy spiral doing in there? How can Kraftpaper kill vibrations? My question to you is this. When you accept any product for review, do you take into account what surrounds it by way of how a manufacturer presents it? Or is really anything a go? This has been bothering me for a while and seeing these footers triggered it all over again. Thanks, Jeremy

Aha. Déjà poo. Not this shit again. I hear you. One of the kookiest products I ever reviewed were Franck Tchang's acoustic resonators. What made the difference was Franck coming to Cyprus to install them after my reviewers Marja & Henk had tried them and came with. Seeing the man at work and all of us hearing the effects without a clue how any of it worked had me sign up regardless. Since then I really try to keep an open mind though of course I have my limits. As you yourself said, I already have experience with more 'normal' LessLoss products so when Louis ventures into more out-there areas, I'm happy to come along for the ride. That this will be a far taller ask for someone without any prior exposure whose first confrontation is with a LessLoss Blackbody is obvious. I wouldn't blame anyone for just not going there. It's a slippery slope. It's why some engineering-first companies like Audionet keep claims and explanations to an absolute minimum with their cable risers. They don't wish to dilute their science-based approach with any whiff of voodoo but are open-minded enough to still develop a product whose MO even they find hard to explain. They believe strongly that it works but leave it to actual buyers to describe the effects. So does it bother me that Louis takes us for a walk through the woods and puts his footers next to 'magic' mushrooms? Not personally but I can appreciate that it bothers you. There I remind myself about a benefit of owning one's business. We get to do as we see fit even if it's to our detriment. I live by that and can't fault Louis for doing the same. Srajan

Hey Srajan, doing some snooping on the web to check on some of my hifi heroes, I came upon something that may be news to you. It certainly was to me: Franck Tchang's Grand Mono amplifier. To save you a trip, here are its specs: 2'400 watts into 8 ohms, 4'500 into 2 ohms, DC to 500kHz of bandwidth with 20-20 damping factor of 10'000, signal-to-noise of 120dB and peak current and voltage swing of 240A and 140V. At 90kg each, these clearly aren't class D and in fact need two IEC per mono. This sounds nearly impossible but knowing Franck, it must be true. Have you heard anything about these amplifiers? Best, Mick

I vaguely recall Franck's connection with Milan Karan and lo and behold, checking on the Karan Acoustics site just now shows monos of very similar specs so this must be a special edition that's probably been tuned by Franck. Absolutely crazy stuff and nothing my back could handle. Knowing Franck's ears, it must be stupendous but it's definitely extremely trippy!  Srajan

Dear Srajan, happy New Year. May your 2025 be filled with joy and exciting hifi discoveries. On that note, I recently checked on Alain Pratali's website to see what he's been up to. If you haven't been in a while, he's discontinued most the models you reviewed and only kept the 6.5" and 8" 2-way monitors in the Z range now completed by the Thor subwoofer. This is what he writes about that model: "Thor came to be in a burst of anger and immense dissatisfaction whilst listening to full-range drivers in the bass". I thought you might get a chuckle from this, having promoted monitors and subs for years now. Alain too seems to have come around to your way of thinking. His Thor is a bit different in that he calls it a 4th-order isobaric band-pass design with 350 watts of class D drive. Looking at the photos, the cabinet is surprisingly narrow but deep, very much like the monitors and possibly meant as a docking pedestal. This could be something to put on your review list for this year perhaps? Best wishes, Fred

Hello Fred, I just took a look. Interesting. Given that I was the only reviewer Alain decided to work with; and that the speakers I reviewed had such short life spans... I'll pass. This wouldn't make for the best use of my time. I note that he now openly calls Aurai Audio a passion project. That's quite different from a regular commercial enterprise. It's fab that in his retirement he gets to pursue speaker design for the fun of it. He's simply not treating it like a regular business with all the non-design stuff that entails. That's where my focus opts out. But thanks for the thought. It's otherwise very good. Srajan

Dear Srajan, Happy 2025! Like you, your colleagues at other publications have cast their votes for Best of 2024 discoveries. Did you see that The Ear picked the Life-Saver Audio icOn 5 you loved so much in your own review? I must confess that passive preamps never really triggered my imagination but having now read Kevin Fiske's review and learnt that he purchased his sample plus his editor asked for another to try for himself then wrote that a purchase could be unavoidable for him too, I'm starting to think that I underestimated this design. Do you still have yours? Kevin

I have an icOn 4 and two Gradient Box II active crossovers from Pál which work in my two main systems. The 5 review sample returned to Manchester. But you're right about feeling suspicious over writing off AVCs. Pál's autoformer passives are my favourite preamps, hard stop. Not needing source switching, I'm presently running source direct so don't use an icOn. But if my setups change or I must switch sources from the seat for a review, I use it. It's splendid because to my ears, this design takes nothing away from immediacy or lucidity, just attenuates the signal where the more we cut, the more current the autoformers generate. That seems to help low-level listening. Srajan

Srajan, I read your responses to the Rethm and Meadowlark review inquiries and the issue of prohibitive 2-way ship fees. I also just saw a PTA review by Marc Philipps who explains that reviewing big heavy gear these days often happens not in the reviewer's home (he apparently lives super remote to involve an actual dirt road accessible only by 4x4) but in a formal show room where the gear is already burned in and properly set up. That obviously involves travel but could gain access to things otherwise out of reach to you in Ireland? Just a thought for the new year perhaps? Kindly, Charles

Thanks but no. 'Reviewing' at a dealer, trade show or private owner introduces far too many variables. Obviously the industry is changing. So perhaps must how reviews particularly of luxury hifi are conducted. But for now I'd rather be limited to things that can ship to Eire which are suitable for my non-mansion rooms whilst having full familiarity with and control over the conditions under which I work. So it's certainly an idea but just not one I'm comfortable with. If I were, I might as well attend a Munich or Vienna show and conduct 20 reviews over a 4-day period then publish them over the next 6 months. Not. Also, I have no interest to review hifi for oligarchs, i.e. stuff that gets too expensive, big and heavy to ship. Let others have all that fun. As for Marc's home being so remote, I really can relate. As eternal renters, the first thing I always look for in a house is a suitable listening room; and whether delivery vans including lorries with liftgates have access. If not, we pass. I do this for a living so those two conditions remain non-negotiable when I can't afford to have the majority of manufacturers turn down my address for being unreachable by normal means. But good on Marc for managing. When we lived in Cyprus, I routinely had to go to Paphos and pick up shipments by car because their delivery system was overloaded and didn't reach our doors. Truth told, today I much prefer deliveries and pickup right at our door step. Srajan

Haha, Shockford-on-Shannon. Brilliant, Srajan. Seriously, I enjoyed how in one short article, you managed to slaughter the two sacred cows of class D being fit only for subwoofers and that a lot more money guarantees a lot better sound. Most of us of course don't have your stash of alternates to play such endless musical chairs but that's why it's so great that you can do it on our behalf and report back. I also noted your latest news post on your old boss Pat McGinty and his new Raven speaker. I clicked over to his site and read up on his thoughts about DSP and Ncore which he calls flawless. While many people protest the 75dB or thereabouts of negative feedback which Bruno Putzeys is said to put in those modules, others with good ears listen and come to very different conclusions. Here I noticed that to be happy, you did combine Ncore with DSD conversion and a Class A preamp for far from silly money. That's the kind of thing that's so useful to read about and let sink in. It's fun too because it goes against the grain of so many snooty audiophiles who don't listen for themselves but pontificate over specs and concepts. So congrats on moving to your new post code. Long may it last; and may you wake up more often to give us more such lovely surprises! Steve

Dear friend, as we near the end of 2024, we at Vinshine Audio find ourselves reflecting on a year that has been both challenging and rewarding. It has been a year of growth, change and perseverance — one not possible without your loyal support. Over the past several years, we've worked hard to build a strong portfolio of trusted brands, offering you a wide range of high-quality audio products. We are incredibly proud of what we've achieved together. However, as the old Chinese saying goes, "all good things must come to an end." This year, Vinshine Audio parted ways with Denafrips. This decision was difficult for both parties as well as our valued customers who supported us throughout the years. We want to assure you that this parting was amicable and we remain grateful for the journey we've shared. Despite the challenges we have picked ourselves up and are moving forward with renewed energy and a clear sense of purpose. We are excited to announce the addition of Laiv Audio to our portfolio. This is a new chapter for us and we are committed to continuing to offer the best in audio products while embracing the innovation and quality that Laiv Audio brings.

Looking ahead to 2025, we are aware of uncertainties ahead. We are preparing for potential cost increases due to various global factors including US tariffs, which could affect pricing across the board. As these changes unfold, we want to be transparent with you about the possible impact on prices. We are doing everything in our power to minimize these effects and continue to offer the high-quality products and service you expect. While 2025 may bring challenges, we face them with optimism and determination. We are committed to standing by you, our loyal customers, and providing you with the best possible audio products and service no matter the obstacles. Together we will navigate the year ahead, embracing new opportunities and continuing to grow. Thank you once again for your incredible support. We look forward to serving you in the new year and beyond. - Vinshine Audio

Dear Srajan, Happy New Year! As we step into 2025, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for your incredible support over the past year. Your thoughtful reviews, insights, and passion for audio have been invaluable to us and have played a vital role in our journey as a growing brand. Thank you for taking the time to experience our products, share your thoughts with the world, and inspire others in the audio community. Your dedication and expertise mean the world to us, and we're truly grateful to have you as part of our story. We're excited about what 2025 holds, with new products, exciting challenges, and more opportunities to collaborate and grow together. Here's to a year filled with amazing music, new adventures, and continued success for all of us. Thank you once again for being an integral part of the LAIV journey! Wishing you a bright and joyful day! Many thanks. Best regards, Weng Fai

Dear Srajan, wishing you and Ivette a wonderful New Year. Purely for self gratification, can I ask whether you have plans to review that Raven speaker you put in your news room? It looks like a lot of speaker for the money and you obviously know the designer. If his claims are accurate and this new flock of birds eats the originals from when he was still working out of San Diego, this should be quite the overachiever. Here's to hoping you can get your hands on a pair. Cheers, Fred

I don't believe Pat does any overseas audio business these days. He makes architectural mouldings and detailing for East Coast wood-trim houses. If I read this correctly from the distance, his speaker design today is on a domestic per-order basis not in volume dealer/importer retail. He's been there and done that. Asking him to now cover 2-way ship fees between the US and Ireland for a worldwide review that won't suit his word-of-mouth business doesn't seem useful. If it's a great speaker as we'd expect; if I say so and suddenly people from well beyond the US want to buy it when his pricing structure is probably purely direct, custom-shop variable and within the US so he not set up for global shipping would really create a lot of grief all around. So unless I misread this and suddenly get an email from Pat asking for a review, I don't see it happen, sorry. This news post was really for our US readers but I don't know how to code it so only US residents see it. For everyone else it's pure striptease: look but don't touch or (cough) bring home. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I recently let go of a huge stash of old hifi magazines to tidy up the garage. Among them was a load of Hi-Fi News & Record Review issues. One of their writers I enjoyed at the time was Ken Kessler. I no longer purchase paper magazines and haven't been able to find him online. Do you by any chance know whether he still writes audio reviews and where I might find them? Thanks in advance, Kelly

There's a kenkessler.com website I've looked at once which seemed engaged in archiving his work. Perhaps check out how far he's come. Otherwise I've not seen him contribute anywhere recently which doesn't mean he's not, just that I wouldn't know where. You might also search for some of his articles on SoundStage where he ran a column for a while. ATB, Srajan

Srajan, I'm back with another question on a Roy Gregory article, this one. In it he suggests that most reviewers draw the wrong conclusions and don't work precise enough to be at all meaningful. What do you think? Roland

I took a look, Roland. First, each system/room entity is completely unique. Unless we could magically clone it, what one person hears in their room never translates like a carbon copy to elsewhere. Not even close! So whether I give you speaker distances with a sloppy ribbon ruler of wiggly end marker or by pin-point accurate laser is entirely academic. You have a different room, different electronics, different setup, different ears. Two, that the whole idea of 'best' is as dead as an absolute sound isn't exactly news. It's a lame old dog. Ditto for focusing any review on whether its writer liked a component or not. Back to Roy's self assessment of working to higher precision than probably anyone else. That again applies only to results in his home. The whole idea that any review could wholly and accurately capture the sound of anything in global verity is complete nonsense. Unless it's an active streaming speaker, no hifi component makes sound by itself. There's always something else added which creates interactions; most profoundly the room which even applies to a streaming active speaker. To my mind, the best a review can hope for is a generalized gist of a component's core 'voice'. That's extrapolated by using it in multiple systems then applying experience to guess which performance parameters will likely translate no matter what; and where obsessive detail described in one very specific setup will never migrate to anyone else's system. If such detail won't translate, why bother mentioning it? To shine up the writer's golden ears? To make the reader feel self conscious that their listening skills don't go as deep? There are many valid points in this article but it's easy to come to entirely the wrong conclusion about them. At least that's what I think. Srajan

Entertainment seasoned with education. Reading reviews is remote socializing between like-minded individuals virtually bonded by a shared hobby. That's pretty much it. Reviews also serve as proof of life though except for hands-on feedback on build, features and basic subjective sound impressions, a news post or link to a manufacturer's webpage accomplishes the same. But as long as people love to read about things they haven't experienced yet, reviews serve a primary entertainment function. Obviously there are secondary benefits like help with assembling a shortlist when shopping; getting a sense for relative value or certain issues - but people read reviews far more regularly than they ever use them to make actual buying decisions. So the entertainment factor is the biggie; in my book. Hence reviews shouldn't read like boring test scores or be limited to foot notes or explanations beneath measurement graphs. Srajan

Relevance, Roland. Comparisons are how readers can better relate. If we reference a mythical absolute sound, nobody has a clue what we mean. The sound of acoustic instruments in a live venue? What venue? At what distance? Even if we're told the venue, if we've never been to it or sat in a wildly different seat, it's utterly irrelevant if I say Tonhalle Zürich. Ditto anechoic measurements dropping like a rock below 100Hz. They tell us nothing about how a speaker might behave in a normal room. So comparisons to other kit create markers by which readers can attempt triangulations. Regardless of how flawed, that's the purpose of comparative reviews. Aside from sheer entertainment, reviewers want their reviews to be useful. So we embed comparative markers which better help the readers form an idea of a particular sound. After all, calling something "warm and humid" doesn't quantify "compared to what?". That's it. Some relevance aka usefulness. Srajan

Srajan, I read your Favourites of 2024 feature and noticed that you covered three small widebanders this year so clearly still appreciate this genre. You reviewed the smallest of the recent Rethms a while back but I've not seen you comment on any of the bigger models. Are you working on anything for next year? Also, I saw your news post on the new Zu monitor which introduces a new smaller widebander for them. Any chance you'll be doing that? I'm just suggesting some potential candidates in this genre that I would love to see reviewed. Best regards, Fred

Every few years I get asked about Rethm and my answer is still the same. Jacob doesn't have the means for 2-way shipping between India and Ireland and apparently no EU dealer so in my current location can't furnish any samples. His global distributor Angie Lisi is in Canada. As for the Zu Method monitor, I've not been asked yet. First on the books from them is the mighty Definition 6 flagship. After that we'll see what Sean has to say. I'm certainly curious to hear what he's managed to achieve by going to an 8" cone now. Srajan

Srajan, having come down with Covid over Christmas, I went through this year's industry features and came across this. It makes some excellent points but they're not why I'm writing in. I'm curious whether you're now at liberty to divulge who this audio personality is who plans on relocating from China to the US to there set up a new factory. It seems to fly in the face of current trends though the incoming new presidency with the planned heavy tariffs on Chinese imports could make such a move a truly forward-thinking strategy. In any case, if you can't say I understand. I was simply curious about who it might be. You've reviewed quite a number of brands from there which makes one potential candidate hard pickings. Best, Charles

I've not been given permission to divulge this person or brand and in fact not communicated with them since learning that the application has been granted. So sorry, you'll have to make your best guess. But you're correct of course, it's someone whose products I've reviewed.  Hopefully you'll soon recover by the way. Best of luck! Srajan

I think I may have found my answer. In June of this year you published your 'Rebranding' feature where you ask whether we would prefer a Cen.Grand DAC if it were called Seattle Sound because its owner had relocated his business from China to Washington state. So Seattle Sound and Cen.Grand? That's unexpected but it couldn't have been Denafrips which moved to a far larger factory not long ago. Charles

The Seattle thing is pure literary license. I lived there for a while and liked the Seattle Sound 's' thing. As to the rest, I still can neither confirm nor deny anything. We're working on multiple lines of inquiry and hope to have a suspect in custody shortly. Srajan

Srajan, thanks for another year of excellent hifi reportage that's a steady feast of solid experience and clearly argued opinions. I wonder whether you already saw your pal Darko's Part Two on his Best of 2024 feature? He goes to good length explaining the uselessness of 'best' then talks of how YouTubers love to use the word in their thumbnails to drive traffic. Then he denies it being clickbait because his actual videos refute the whole 'best' notion with a vengeance. But what exactly is clickbait if not teasing with a barely clothed woman on the cover who is nowhere to be seen inside? Isn't that the exact definition of clickbait? No worries, I'm not dumping on Darko. I just found his logic hilarious. Happy holidays to both of you and here's to hoping for more excellent hifi reportage for 2025. Karl-Heinz

Dear Srajan, I just read your excellent review of the aune amp and have a question about the last page. On it you show the aune sitting above your Enleum and the text reports on the difference between amps. Did you by any chance also try running the aune into the Enleum by bypassing your amp's attenuator and using the aune as preamp? If so, did that give anything worthwhile extra? It's the only question I have. Everything else you covered beautifully. Thank you very much, Gregory

I did indeed and not mentioning it explains that it was no good. One, I had ridiculously too much gain so could barely use step one on the Aune. Once I set the Enleum to half mast, I could actually use the combo but still suffered what I call gain poisoning. Even though I had no audible noise so no hiss or hum through the drivers, there was clear evidence of a higher noise floor. There was dirt and grain in the backdrop and the sonic gestalt felt bloated and lazy. That experiment lasted a mere few minutes and was more reason to call out my own ill-suitedness to comment much on the aune's preamp utility. My systems simply don't need them and the best a preamp could hope for is doing nothing - in which case, why bother? Once one must accommodate multiple sources to switch between them regularly, that situation changes but the Enleum has two standard inputs to begin with; and for regular single-input amps, I have my icOn autoformer passives which merely control volume and input switching but don't otherwise leave a sonic trace. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I hope this year is closing with fanfare. I have a new question for you. I have the opportunity to buy a CD player, a Zanden 2500S. Kazutoshi Yamada whom I had the privilege to host at my home  where he did some tuning on my Zanden 6000, told me that if anything occurs, he has all spare parts still available. Now my question: choosing the Zanden or one of the Métronome offerings, which is which? Kind wishes, Johan-Frédérik

One is Japanese, the other French. C'est ça. Seriously though, that's a sneaky question. Both houses propose an advanced valve sound which I've never heard side by side. All I could offer would be wild guesses which you're just as capable of. In the absence of sonic certainty, it could be down to all the other usual stuff: looks; perceived build quality; cachet; resell value; buy-in costs. I wish I had more but I don't. Seeing you already have a Zanden and know Yamada-San, the game could be decided purely on sympathies? Cheers, Srajan

I just finished reading Roy Gregory's review of teaming up a Focal subwoofer with the EJ Jordan Greenwich speakers. In it he lays out a four-point rule for proper subwoofer integration:

Do not run the sub with a high-level input derived from your power amp's outputs – run the sub at line-level. Do not use the sub's crossover to roll-off the bottom end of the main speakers – instead roll the sub in underneath them. Do not skimp on the cables – you need to use the same interconnects and power cord that you are using through the rest of the system. Do not rely on DSP to dial in the sub's response – optimise placement, crossover point, output level and phase setting first, with DSP as a last resort that's best avoided.

I agree with all of Roy's points but would add that ideally, you handle the hi/lo-pass division of labour in an external analog crossover. Relieving the main speakers of even seeing bass signal reduces their excursion needs (that's a win on lower distortion) and also keeps their voice coils cooler (that's a win for dynamic linearity). High-passing the mains properly is a big benefit but as Roy says, I'd not want to use a sub's own internal crossover for that. As to DSP, a parametric EQ embedded in player software like Roon or Audirvana can be ace to notch out our three primary room modes. Finally, time alignment matters and many subs suffer digital latency from their DSP crossovers. That should be offset with physical placement so the bass doesn't delay in time. Finally, dipole/cardioid bass dispersion holds key advantages over omnipolar box bass because it suffers less room involvement; and subwoofers want to properly decouple from the floor to eliminate structural resonances. So in my book, Roy's short list of rules would be just a bit longer but I otherwise see no fault in his. Srajan

For example, my Dynaudio sub incurs a low 2.5ms of digital latency from its internal DSP processing. Sound travels 34.4cm per millisecond. Multiply that figure by the sub's delay et voilà, the distance of how much closer it should sit to your chair than the speakers to lock in equal time arrival. In my case that's 86cm. Easy. Srajan

Hello Srajan, in your preview of the aune S17Pro Evo you state that the low and high bias figures of 50mA and 100mA remain unchanged but their website shows 100mA and 200mA for the Evo version. You might want to check on that because at present, you seem to list it incorrectly. Cheers, Marlon

An aune employee on a forum thread insists the bias values between original and current amp haven't changed. I know full well that the promo material says otherwise so I've word in with my factory contact Candy to double check but haven't heard back yet. But am on it. Thanks, Srajan

PS: I've now heard back from my contact and she's unclear on the issue as well. Does it mean that even in low-bias mode, the aune now runs at the previous high-bias value? No idea but it really doesn't matter. As my now finalized review explains, it's virtually a non-feature to begin with. Srajan

Hey Srajan, that's quite the find with your latest Lindemann set. If the review was by any other reviewer, I'd consider it mostly hyperbole but from you I'm actually taking it serious. You went out of your way in fact to document exactly what it competes against, under what precise circumstances, and where and how we might either want something bigger or add a sub. It nearly feels unnerving that such tiny gear priced like NAD or PSB could perform at this level but I can actually see how the nearness and lower volumes on a desktop can shift things very much in favour of compact simplicity. You also make the good point that experienced ears and good engineering can give us extra value when we allow them to control the combination of our amp and speakers. So good on you for pulling another rabbit out of your hat. I imagine the folks at Lindemann will be rather pleased by such a fine first review of their new stuff. Best wishes for the holidays, Mark

It was dumb luck that I chanced upon this combo. I zoomed Norbert and Christopher for my review of their Move/Groove combo and learnt about the upcoming Mini/Combo kit. Norbert and I had similar sentiments about the current state of the industry and widebanders in particular. Whilst many reviewers don't seriously cover the desktop, I have a weak spot for it when it becomes outa-the-skull HeadFi. Norbert also agreed with that perspective so many months back, the plan hatched to write up this 3-some combo in this manner. Even though I had a good idea what to expect based on having already done the bigger Move, I was still unprepared for just how brilliant the Mini is in my office nearfield. Cracking stuff indeed. And as I wrote in my outro, few will believe it. But that's not my problem but of Lindemann's marketing department. They'll have to overcome doubt and reluctance. If my review helps sort some of that, so much the better. If if doesn't, that'd simply be the way of things. And it's not as though €4K for a compact office rig were peanuts. One must not only have those funds but then care enough to apply them to a desktop and be experienced enough to fully recognize just how ahead of the norm this kit is there to squash doubt and hesitancy over making a move. As for Norbert's response to the review, he already left on his winter vacation so probably won't see it until he's back. Srajan

Srajan, I enjoyed Frederic's review on the Lumin. Seeing as how their players are now discoverable by your Audirvana software, will you review any of their more current or new servers to update us on their standing against your own solution of multiple switches and USB bridge? That could be interesting and also reassure you that your streaming setup is still on par. And doesn't one of your switches come with an optical port? What do you think? Jeremy

Lumin know that I'm up for it so now it's entirely up to them. I'd obviously use Audirvana not their own app so whether that's an attractive review prospect for them I couldn't say. But if they're game, so am I. And you're correct, I could even use their SFP connection. Cheers, Srajan

Dear Srajan, nice to hear that your Sonnet Pasithea still has got it. For years now it has been strangely quiet around the brand and they don't seem to have introduced anything new. Your editorial suggests that they didn't really have to but I wonder regardless how a brand can survive if it stays out of the press and new product cycle for so long. I remember the hubbub when Metrum first launched. That name had quite the trajectory. Looking at their site now feels more like a cemetery of legacy models and a far cry from when they were going places. What's your thought on that aspect? Greetings, Daniel

Daniel, you make quite a fair point which I can't much elaborate on except to second it. When Cees ran the show, he always was very proactive about communications and reviews, first at Metrum, then Sonnet & Acelec when Metrum sold. Under new management since, I've heard nothing. And nothing is about the extent of what I know about the why and wherefore of it all. It's a real shame when clearly, the Cees approach remains cutting edge. The only guy to ever copy it was the Russian Leonid Burcev but his brand really came to nothing so to my knowledge, this NOS R2R wrinkle with feed-forward split-level processing and variable reference voltage for volume remains unique - and demonstrably effective. One thing that may not have helped is the modest packaging for Sonnet. Cees did this deliberately to contain costs but based on performance, he could have stuck his circuit into a posher heavier bigger box, charged rather more and perhaps gone farther? We'll never know when that's not how this cookie crumbled. Whilst this stuff remains available, I can only heartily recommend to secure a model if you're in the market. It's reliable, draws little power and runs cool. But it'll never win a prize for industrial design or overkill bling. For that one goes to dCS or msb. ATB, Srajan

Srajan, glad to see Frederic is tackling the Tambaqui. It's probably the best DAC on the market today and it would be nice if you could hear it too but I appreciate that sending samples to multiple reviewers isn't in the cards. I liked your foreword reminder that just because it's a few years old already doesn't make it outdated. As Bruno says on his site, nobody using off-the-shelf chips has a chance to match what he's done with this circuit. So thanks for organizing this assignment with Frederic. Looking forward to it. René

Hey Srajan, I keep checking on the Basel Acoustics speaker preview because I'm super curious about how it will stack up. Any idea when your full findings will publish? I saw that the Mytek review disappeared because they never shipped. Is this speaker report turning into the same thing? I really hope not. Anxiously but with very best regards, Andreas

Not at all. Piotr was transparent throughout on status and delays and the shipment to his Belgian importer has already cleared customs there. 'My' pair is part of it so now formally in the EU. Once the importer has taken receipt of the pallets and peeled out the loaners, they'll forward to me. So delivery to Ireland seems just around the corner now. Arriving virgin will simply mean copious break-in but I will certainly publish first photos far more quickly than that. Srajan

Srajan, really interesting coverage on the new tube audio brand Fjord! Have you settled on which component of theirs you will be reviewing? I know that you don't do vinyl to leave the preamp and power amps. No matter what you settle on, I look forward to your report. That includes learning just how stratospherically (or not?) this stuff will be priced. Any ideas on that yet? Cheers, Randall

This assignment is still in its infancy. Fjord asked about review and distribution opportunities so I had to explain that one eliminates the other and I'm good for the former only. With that handled, I expect that he must now weigh diverse opportunities to gain visibility then pick his ideal sequence. Should he pursue a domestic review first? For an English review, what platform is most suitable for his plans? We shall find out in due time. For now it's mostly a we-exist teaser to let our readers know about what looks to be an exciting new addition to top-end valve hifi. And no, I haven't the faintest yet on positioning. I imagine that fixing global prices whilst calculating shipping costs, distributor costs, dealer costs and varying VAT around the globe is something Fjord wrestles with at this very moment. It's one thing to know what something costs you to make. It's quite another to figure out workable margins that generate a fair profit without pricing a product out of contention. It's where many new brands make big mistakes only to shortly after issue MkII versions with very little material change just to fix their original pricing errors. Silent Pound's original speaker nearly doubled in price after I reviewed it for example yet the MkII version looks very little changed for it. So it's important that Fjord gets this right. Srajan

Srajan, I see that Frederic posted his Lumin review and commented very favorably on its fiber-optic connection. You've mentioned it before but I don't remember where. Are you also sold on using fiber instead of Ethernet? Frederic actually calls it the most meaningful upgrade to the Lumin. Thank you, Robby

I am for two reasons. 1/ the physical cable is cheaper and far thinner than top Ethernet cable. If we must run long spurs—our household runs 20m and 30m from the router to my music iMac and my wife's PC—optical fibre is far easier to route and runs invisibly under rugs, say if one must cross a hallway from one room to the next. That's a purely practical but also cost benefit. 2/ more comprehensive isolation from the noisy Web means we can equal the performance of cascaded so multiple 'audiophile' Ethernet switches with a small media converter at our router; and a fibre-optic port on our streamer. That's a sonic and cost benefit since it involves fewer boxes. With no reasonable length limits, even a few hundred metres are no issue should we need to cover such distances. So yes, I'm sold on fibre-optics and if with our next house move I have to redo our hardwired Internet access, I will certainly go that route instead of CAT8a Ethernet. I also know of a high-level digital designer whose next DAC will offer a fibre-optic input. And John Stronczer at Bel Canto has championed ST fibre for going on a decade I believe. It's far from a new thing but something it took me a long time to catch up with when my immersion into PCfi was predicated upon USB and optimizing that. Srajan

Dear Srajan, even though it's still incomplete, I already find your latest review of the Nagra Streamer most compelling. I had honestly never considered the possibility that a digital-to-digital converter of Ethernet in, coax out (what you called a reclocking digital signal router) could have this particular influence on the musical feel. But then I remembered that you and Dawid made similar comments about the LessLoss noise filters so I'm wondering whether superior noise rejection could be another reason for the Nagra's gentler performance? I appreciate that this dips into the realm of outright speculation but I'm still curious to hear your thoughts. Looking forward to how this review will develop when the matching DAC arrives. With best wishes, Karsten

It's a fair question, Karsten. Though pure speculation as you properly noted, I do believe it well possible that superior UHF noise rejection aka better galvanic isolation, buffering and jitter reduction from advanced code-based reclocking are part of Nagra's secret sauce or possibly the master key. My contact Matthieu is adamant that their external power supply and isolation platform take the sound to a still higher level; and that's before we go the fibre-optic option. So stay tuned for potentially more surprise findings. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I wanted to ask you about updates on the Kinki Studio teaser preview you put up quite a while ago now. I assume that because you've not updated it, we don't know yet what their next product or even brand is going to be? I'm really not sure about fuses but that DC blocker has my interest. Do you have anything more to share? Thank you for your time, Christian

My contact Ken Ng has been ghosting me since his original email promising "more details hopefully next week". I've checked in with him since asking for an update and not heard back at all. Communications don't seem to be Ken's greatest strength. It's a topic I discussed with another reader just a day ago. So it's a serving of patience, grasshoppers and other fried critters for now. Srajan

Update 29/11: I emailed Ken yet again and this time got a response. He's still not ready to reveal either the new brand name or the first product/s to appear under it. He wants to first test these products for himself before their formal reveal. Srajan

As far as I know, only the Denon cartridge and Klipsch-collab speakers are regular production items. The other things Devon makes are complete custom systems for very special installs so could be 'reviewed' only in situ. I don't do vinyl so all cartridges are out; and my personal aesthetics don't go for the retro/vintage looks of big-woofer'd broad-shouldered speakers at all. That's got nothing to do with sound of course but isn't something that attracts me. As such I'd rather have people like John or Herb Reichert pursue a review who really fancy the Klipsch/JBL vibe. Srajan

Hi Srajan, recently I've been following a string on Roon Community (link here) about the travails of certain people who have paid for Mytek products but never received them. Then I recalled that you had a Mytek product on preview so I thought I'd alert you. I just checked and there is no Mytek preview anymore. My guess is that either Michal Jurewic, founder and president, never followed through or you became aware of significant customer issues with the company and abandoned the review. Al the best, Michael

Affirmative on your first guess. He's once again promised something and defaulted on it in familiar style so I've taken down the preview, cancelled the gig, closed the door and thrown away the key. I'm done with Mytek. That's purely based on multiple personal interactions. I wasn't aware of customers being defrauded. That's even worse but certainly confirms my decision to no longer give this brand any coverage. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I am following up on your August review of the Forza Medicine cable which you also highlight on your Favourites of 2024 page. Looking at Forza's home and FB pages still doesn't show the final product or when it might become available. Do you have any insights? Thanks for any help you can offer. Michael

I have no idea on status, sorry. As I wrote in both mentions, Mateusz was delayed on getting his solid-wood trim bits from an outside supplier. I have an order for two cables in myself and one day my bell will ring with that delivery. Until then I'm keeping my distance to let Mat be. But you can certainly email him for an update if you're in a hurry. Srajan

Srajan, I see some action on the SIT5. Will you hook them up to some challenging loads to determine just what they can drive? I could be very interested if unlike the rest of the FirstWatt designs, these really are far more universal. Pascal

I don't own any known piggish loads because I view those as lazy design aberrations. Accounting for the amp/speaker interface without relying on dreadnaught monos is an important aspect of speaker design after all. Due to being a 4-way, my most complex load should be the Audio Physic Codex. I might try that but haven't decided yet. The SIT5 weren't designed nor are they promoted as drive-anything amplifiers. Approaching a review as though they were would rather miss the point I think. Srajan

Srajan, lovely work on elite gear from the Far East with your reviews of the Singxer monos and Matrix stereo, even the latest Laiv headphone amp. It's gratifying to read that these things hit hard and furious at the older idea of Chinese hifi not being original but just cheap copies of discontinued American or British circuits, of dubious reliability and no customer service to speak of. That MA-1 from Matrix looks incredibly well made and from your descriptions of it, doesn't disappoint sonically either. What's more, now there are credible European importers with marquee names working with these brands to make sure that we consumers aren't left high and dry when something fails. I'm simply not sure that at these high prices, established US and German brands don't still have the edge because their R&D goes much farther back. It seems to me that getting the basics right and putting those into fanciful solid enclosures is just the beginning. Surely refining circuits over 30 or 40 years adds something that these newer Chinese brands can't catch up with just because they have cheaper labour and more high-tech manufacturing on their side? What's your take on that? Thank you, Charlie

'Mastering the basics' can be surprisingly good as shown by those Singxer monos you mentioned. As far as I can tell, there's nothing unique or really different about them other than having exceptionally low noise; and not costing a lot. But at that level of execution, those two things really add up. Also, much (most?) audio is legacy tech in a new dress. And; some of these Sino firms have been at it for 20 years or more already, including OEM/ODM work behind the scenes. How much time does it take a smart team of engineers to catch up with current performance standards? I'd say they already have; and more seem to be coming. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I have followed you since your early days in Taos. You've certainly gotten around to many different places since then. I want to congratulate you on your amazing consistency, quality and still covering things that others overlook. In this age of casual bloggers and YouTubers who act like authorities but obviously lack the serious experience, it's very refreshing to have a resource that hasn't dumbed itself down to the YouTube algorithm. As another reader pointed out, some of this new crop of reviewers even consult to established hifi brands on the side, then think nothing of talking up product they worked on. I much prefer the John Atkinson days when reviewers were fired for crossing these lines. Getting to my point of today, have you heard of Galion Audio from Canada? They do a 20-watt class A amplifier for $3'750 that uses current feedback and Jupiter parts, two power transformers and looks to be very well built. Here is their website. This would seem to be right up your street and if I can help steer you at something worthwhile, consider it a small thank you for the many years of terrific reading you've given me already. With very best wishes, Jitendra

Hello Jitendra, thanks for the nice words. Yes, the algorithm, some of its acolytes and I definitely don't see eye to eye. But there are some YouTubers I really enjoy. As to that TS A20 amplifier, I'd never heard of it until my contributor Frederic brought it to my attention. You're now the second person in a span of a few weeks to point me at it. As it happens, Frederic too is curious. If Thomas Tan there proves agreeable, Frederic might review it for us. Nothing's inked yet so that's just a maybe but consider us alerted for sure. Thanks again; and perhaps we can keep up with providing you terrific reading for a few more years. Srajan

Hello Srajan, you have nicely described the sonic signatures of the two SAEQ amplifiers. I appreciate that you haven't heard their Morpheus yet. Still, my question is that other than more power for loudspeakers which remains low either way, these models keep getting ever more expensive and only introduce a small tuning change but otherwise don't justify the rising expense for headphones when even the smallest model can already drive anything out there? Am I missing something? I hope you can fill in that gap for me. Best regards, Tony

Purely for headphones I'd agree that between H and A, extra power isn't really a factor: And as I said in my review, what remains low power for a transistor speaker amp still makes Armageddon a hard sell, Hyperion Ge even more so. Of course with Avantgarde-type ultra-efficient horn speakers, SAEQ's power ratings are ideal as long as self noise remains low enough. Not having horn speakers, I simply can't speak to that. But yes, Dragan's concept of adding speaker outputs to what really are headphone amplifiers is unusual. So is not providing basic remote control over volume then. It's really for buyers not bothered by that who own the right speakers and do headfi at an elite level that these models become ideal. I'm not sure this fills your gap but it's all I've really got on the subject. Typically amplifier catalogues keep adding power whilst trying to maintain a recognizable 'house' sound. In this case, Dragan has altered the voicing, too. The forthcoming Astræus promises yet another voicing by adding tubes to the mix. So perhaps Dragan's idea is more of a vanilla, hazelnut, chocolate type concept whilst ramping up output power as one climbs up his catalogue is a more secondary wrinkle? Srajan

Lee Landesberg here. I've been out of the loop for some time. I popped out of retirement and joined Bruce Thigpen on his new adventure. He has produced a 4-panel self-powered system that defies description. You can Google it at the Florida Expo from last year. There are YouTube videos describing it. Yet he won't build them right now because of new speaker tech he invented for the music biz. This will affect the entire industry. He has reinvented the actual speaker diaphragm and magnet structure. You will see this affect all future speaker building. Lighter, smaller, better dispersion etc. etc. As you know there's been a basket full of reviews on his updated Eminent Technology LFT 8C speaker. This new tech is much more interesting. Leland

Hello Lee: I wish you guys the best of luck. As Edifier's annual gross shows, there's clearly a ton of money moving about the pro-audio speaker market. Having disruptive tech is one part of competing against them. Financing and having the necessary people resources is another. Going old-skool about it is yet another wrinkle. Hence wishing you the best of luck. Srajan

 Affirmative. Am using a number of valuable resources for free. My investors are real angels and we are using influencers on social media. For example the Krief Brothers out of Paris. Best in Show at NAMM last year and now we have a totally portable version of the Model 22. Thanks for the luck, hope we don't need it. Leland

Dear Srajan: Good day! Thank you for the wonderful review. Let me arrange the pickup asap and share the shipping label with you soon. I'd love to feature a blog post on our site sharing your review if that's alright with you. Here's a draft of what I'm planning to post... W.

Hello W., you're free to quote complete sentences or complete paragraphs from my review but not splice partial sentences into your own narrative. If that were okay, there'd be no need to send me anything. You'd simply write your own review. The proper thing to do is to simply post a link to my review and let your website visitors read for themselves what I wrote. After all, you call the review wonderful so there should be no issue. Srajan

PS: I'm not publishing this individual's name because this was a private correspondence. The intent here isn't to 'out' or 'embarrass' them. The intent is just an open reminder on how to properly use our reviews in brand marketing. Quote properly without cut 'n' paste edit of original meaning and nuance; or simply link to them. It's not complicated. In this instance, the manufacturer's second proposal was to remove nearly all of the earlier quote snippets to instead reframe my review in his own words in the style of "and Srajan found the x to be this and that". That's of course one way to skin this cat without running afoul of selectively recombined partial quotes whilst still affixing a reviewer's name to it. Does this equal the spirit of the original though? That's highly debatable. Some people will just read the reframed copy and assume that's all a reviewer had to say. Those who bother reading what they actually wrote will find rather more nuance and divergence. Thankfully W. finally understood the point and on third attempt simply embedded the link. Again, not complicated and the right way to do this thing.

Dear Srajan, I read your 2024 overview feature and from the link to your Raal 1995 review, sought to connect with their website only to find a 'closed for maintenance' screen. Do you by any chance know when they might go live again? Thank you, Peter

That site has been down since I published my review in May. I don't know why it's still not working. The best way to get in touch with them is probably through the Raal-Requisite website, their US-based partner and a reseller of the Immanis and Magna headphones. Srajan

Hi Srajan, I just finished reading through your long review of the new Laiv amplifier. Reading between the lines, do I understand correctly that perhaps adding the extra power to drive one or two rare headphones in need of it has negatively impacted the performance on normal headphones? I'm also confused about this YouTube reviewer working as a paid consultant to companies in the field and reviewing their product and those by competitors. Isn't that a glaring conflict of interest? Finally, weren't you really just a bit miffed that your Laiv DAC stopped playing within the first year? I would appreciate just a bit more insight on those points, please. Richard

Hello Richard, negatory on your first point. I don't think that the performance on normal headphones is compromised at all. The voicing has simply shifted relative to their first product. They made it a bit warmer and thicker aka 'organic'. That this isn't exactly my preference nor was my expectation is besides the point. They're not in the business of pleasing my precise taste. They're in the business of making something with the widest possible appeal. As to GoldenSound moonlighting as a paid consultant to the industry then reviewing at all, never mind products he was involved in, used to be a conflict of interest indeed. Apparently those standards have changed and he seems to think that stating his involvement makes it okay to review such products; or those by direct competitors where his moonlighting gig may or may not be clear. As to your last point, negatory again. What probably happened is that the digital input receiver failed. That's a common chip which Laiv didn't design or make but bought from a parts supplier. Parts can and do fail. The important thing is customer service and ease/speediness of repairs. So au contraire, I was most impressed by their modular fix-it-yourself approach and the haste whereby replacement parts and clear instructions were dispatched.  About your reading between the lines then, I'm afraid that you got two out of three things quite wrong. But we do agree on one so you're spinning at 33.3%. Very analogue of you. Srajan

Very witty, Srajan. But thanks for answering my questions. It all makes good sense to me now that you've laid it out. And I do remember you writing that the DAC just stopped locking onto signal no matter which input you tried so suspecting the digital receiver chip does sound like the probable culprit. In that case I agree that Laiv wouldn't be to blame. If I may, one more question. Did you compare the direct XLR input to the one in the outboard box by any chance? Thank you, Richard

I only compared outboard RCA to onboard XLR as described in the review. It's nearly always the case that whatever I tried out I write about; and that whatever I don't write about are things I didn't do. After all, spending review time on stuff only to not report on it wouldn't make any sense, would it? Then I might as well spend that time smelling the roses instead. Srajan

Hello Srajan, your gradual unveiling of the new Laiv headphone amp is very interesting. I also enjoyed your GoldenSound quote about its 60V maximum swing potential when fronted by a high-gain source. I take it you will test it with your iFi and perhaps also Cen.Grand converters? That should be massive fun I expect. Looking forward to how this story will unfold. Best wishes, Roland

Quite. The nearly 12V iFi is on the list as is the 6V Cen.Grand. My other DACs are a standard 4V on XLR. We'll see whether beaucoup upstream voltage gain which then will need a more massive cut will do anything unusual on my loads. More gain tends to be noisier on the downside but often has more gumption and gravitas on the upside. How these dice will fall I haven't the faintest until I actually do it. Which are fun bits. If everything was predictive off specs, we wouldn't need to listen at all; and reviewing would become somewhat of a bore. It's not knowing and finding out on a case-by-case basis which keeps things fresh and entertaining. Srajan

Hello Srajan, will you or one of your contributors review the new Devialet Astra? Marja & Henk reviewed the original and many years have passed to suggest that desirable improvements have been made to their class A/D platform. Jamie

If you read this from SoundStage's Doug Schneider, you'll find background that mirrors ours. As such, I'd probably not be inclined to revisit them even if they solicited us. And that's unlikely when all the original players we dealt with at Devialet seem to be gone and customer service in the interim was abysmal. Whilst you could argue that everyone deserves a second chance after screwing up, I think I'd prefer erring on the side of caution and let other outlets bridge that gap. In short, negatory. But Doug seems game so perhaps keep an eye peeled on his sites? Srajan

You can't find it because I I never wrote it. They never asked me to and I didn't ask them, either. You might say that I'm perfectly happy with my 'regular' IQ to not justify two-way shipping from/to Poland to write a brief follow-up on how different crossover parts might change the sound. Also, I'm a devout single-wire guy and don't do biwiring so wouldn't have use for the Ultra's separation of binding posts. I'd have to use a jumper which would seem to defeat the purpose. In short, I'd rather let someone else review the Ultra who biwires or, even better, biamps to really explore that feature. Srajan

Ok. Thanks. Have you had the opportunity to hear the Ultra or, better yet, to compare it to the original IQ, perhaps at some audio show? Peter 

Nope, I haven't. Also, why would Qualio do such an A/B at a show in the first place? From reports I've seen, they simply demo the Ultra. I just haven't gone to shows post Covid to hear it. Srajan

Hi, despite your suggestion to be happy with what I have (Cube Nenuphar Mini V2) being good, I went ahead anyway and bought a pair of Qualio IQ. I'm really glad I did. They are wonderful and do everything that I was looking for in a speaker. My Crayon CIA 1T works very well with them. I am not considering buying the Ultras. I was just curious to know what your opinion of the Ultras compared to the original IQ might be. Thanks again, Peter

Srajan, I just read your first selection of highlights for the year. I had a chance to hear those Raal ribbons at the alternate Munich show at the Marriott hotel and agree with you that they are something else. I also appreciate how owning them as a reference could make life really hard on regular speaker systems if one insisted on equivalent bandwidth, resolution and jump factor. Have you heard the Spirit Torino Valkyria headphones your contributor Simone uses as his alternate choice to Immanis? I wonder whether in the realm of dynamic flagship headphones, they would equal the ribbons? I look forward to what else you might put on that page. You've got another 2 months and a half to come across something worthwhile. I'm particularly curious about those Basel Acoustics speakers in your preview queue. Any idea when that review might hit? Jamie

I've never heard a Spirit Torino so many months back I sent out a feeler email to Andreas to inquire about a potential review opportunity. I simply never heard back so take that to mean that he isn't interested. Simone of course described the sonic profiles of Immanis and Valkyria in his bio and I would be surprised if he rated the Torino higher for dynamics, fine detail retrieval, speed and air. As to the V-01 review, I'm expecting delivery of my samples any day if the agreed time line hasn't been moved. With any luck, we might see that review in early November. What's already in the air is the Matrix amplifier and I'm presently working on two pairs of aune headphones. Nagra's Streamer too is about to leave Switzerland and the SAEQ Armageddon is due in two weeks. With the slower summer months behind us, deliveries are hotting up again so expect a few more interesting things to hit before the year turns the corner. This could even include a valve amp which I rarely do. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I'm writing you over reader Robert's question on Aqua and your reply to him. Are you seriously saying that a manufacturer would take you to task over doing your job and covering hifi from all corners of the globe? This beggars belief but I've read you long enough to know that you don't play games so it must be true. Needless to say, good on you for standing your ground. Is this type of thing something that happens more behind the scenes than we readers know? Just curious and keep up the good works. Alain

It's happened with another manufacturer who was sour that I compared their product to a competitor's also from Europe who manage equivalent performance for a fraction of the cost. But just two instances in 22 years behind the wheel counts as super marginal in my book so no, it's nothing of regularity at least in my experience. As for standing my ground, anyone who operates their own business does so with certain policies. Setting those is one privilege of self employment. Anyone who disagrees with them needn't frequent such establishments or do business with them. In my case, people who disagree with my writing style, general approach or policies needn't read us or send us anything for review. It's all very basic and generally super boring as really nothing tends to happen that shouldn't. That's perhaps extra true because we've been around long enough and consistent throughout. People tend to know what we're about and how we do things. Those who disagree just don't approach us for reviews in the first place. For this to work as intended only requires clearly stated policies; and a body of work to verify the final result and quality. Combined, that gives anyone doing due diligence the data they need to make an informed decision. Srajan

Srajan, what happened to Aqua Audio? I don't mean the company but coverage of them on your site. You were very fond of their Formula DAC and used it for a while. But they've not featured on 6moons for years and certainly have since introduced updates and new models which readers like me are curious about. Is there a particular reason why you've stayed away from the brand like reliability issues or poor business practices? Robert

Nothing of the sort, Robert. I simply ended up on Aqua's shit list for reviewing Chinese-made digital which as a built-in-Italy outfit they can't compete with on price. I'm sympathetic to Christian Anelli's argument but as a globally-focussed publication, can't ignore the existence of China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan as sources of excellent hifi kit. He wasn't amenable to my position so we've not cooperated since. Mr. Punter of Hifi Advice in Holland however continues to cover the brand so his publication is one to watch for ongoing coverage of Aqua Hifi gear. Srajan

Hello Srajan, just curious, have you heard anything concerning updates/new product from Sonnet? Your review of the Morpheus MkII is almost five years old, almost an eternity for digital! Really enjoyed your review of the Singxer SA-90 monos, would love to own a pair. Might Singxer come out with a stereo version and/or larger monos? Thanking you in advance, Steve

I haven't heard from Sonnet/Acelec/Metrum in ages so no insights to share. Obviously Cees Ruijtenberg now works as an engineering consultant rather than owner and the new management has never been in touch with me as Cees always was before. For Singxer I dealt with a Dutch importer for the review samples. I don't have any connection yet with company management in China so no insight into their product plans either nor have I heard any rumours. Sorry, Steve. Three strikes and you're out. You've got one left. Srajan

Dear Mr. Srajan, I hope you are doing great. I would be very glad if you took 3 minutes of your precious time about power conditioners. I'm deciding between Puritan PSM156 and Ansuz A3 or C3. I know you auditioned the Puritan and Ansuz D2. Could you maybe tell a difference or tell me 'buy this one'? I just tested the C3 and it’s very good but €5K and the Puritan is far less. My system consists of Cube Audio Jazzon Mk2 speakers, Audio Note Oto Se Signature, LampizatOr Atlantic, Iancanada Rpi streamer with copper custom cables. Thanks! Best, Gasper, Slovenija

In two of my systems I use Puritan power. As you noted, it's rather more affordable and better value for what's actually in it. Of course you already auditioned the Ansuz and loved it so that could be your answer right there? The effectiveness and scope of power conditioners depends on your unique AC scenario so it's quite impossible to predict which approach you would favour: the active filtering of Puritan which can include DC filtering if you opt for that which I recommend; or the passive approach of Ansuz. As you noted, I did review the Ansuz but shipped it back afterwards. That's probably all I can say about your question. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I just came across your most current industry feature on the Aune headphones. They certainly look very interesting. Do you have any plans to review them? You might be aware that an open-backed version for less than half the money exists already but I can't tell how much these models share on parts and general build quality. Those have already been reviewed by a number of YouTube reviewers and found to be very competitive at their $300 mark. Anyways, looking forward to your SR-7000 take if you have it on your books. Robin

Hello Robin, I sent Aune a link with an open invite to a formal review should they wish to furnish me with a loaner. They already replied with interest so now it's just a matter of sorting out the practicalities. It looks like you'll have your wish so I converted that industry feature to a preview now. Srajan

Hello Srajan, I had to take a moment to absorb the story of your time with our Singxer SA-90 samples. I love the descriptive writing style and the elements of personal anecdotes and humor. Well done. Jos, Magna Hifi

Srajan, reading your latest Voxativ epic, I'm left to wonder whether in 2025 you will follow up on Alberich2. That combination would seem to offer truly full-range sound without interfering with Hagen2's other qualities. I'm fully onboard with your arguments on active directional bass, just not keen on a physically separate subwoofer or two. Integrating a subwoofer into a stand that has the stack look like a continuous affair is far more attractive to me. I would simply like assurance that it works as well in actuality as it reads on paper so a follow-up review on the combination would really be appreciated. Here's to hoping. Charles

Inès knows of my interest in this and indicated that early 2025 so past the bevy of upcoming Fall shows around the world, she plans on organizing more reviews. At present that's all I know so maybe yes, maybe no to your query. I don't know where you live but visiting the Voxativ headquarters in Berlin for an on-site audition; or attending one of the upcoming shows this year where Alberich2 will be on demo could be the best solution for you? More than all other components in a system, speakers have the most personality. Knowing whether one gets on really wants to go on a few dates before one commits. In my mind, visiting a hifi show or dealer showroom specifically to audition something one considers for purchase is a very good idea indeed. It's no different than test-driving a car. It might just take more traveling to organize. Srajan

Dear Mr. Ebaen, I hope this finds you and your loved ones and everyone at 6moons in great shape and high spirits. I have a question about a Yamamoto Sound Craft A014 integrated amplifier that I'm hoping you might be able to either answer for me or direct me to a different source for an answer: I'd like to know what is this amp's input impedance. I labored through Mr. Shigeki's description of this model on his website, but was unable to find this detail. A protracted online search yielded equally meager results. I know that you are a Yamamoto fan and have had more than one of their preamps and amps, perhaps including the A014 (hopefully). Thank you & kind regards. Francisco

Sadly no on having the answer. You'll have to contact Mr. Shigeki directly through his website. Google Translator might help translate your query into Japanese for his benefit and then do the inverse with his reply? Srajan

Srajan, I quite enjoyed the SA-90 review. As you did with Kinki and other Chinese HiFi houses, you have put Singxer on the map for discerning audiophiles who aren’t swayed by brand or cosmetics. Bravo! Michael 

I'm not sure any one guy or gal puts anything or anyone 'on the map'. Happenstance simply has some of us be first on occasion. It usually takes quite a lot more before a stone gets rolling but if a small first step is followed by a second, third and forth, be it more formal reviews, forum chatter or owner feedback, then something can indeed happen. Fingers crossed that it will for these amplifiers. They do deserve it. Srajan

Srajan, in reading your Singxer SA-90 preview and its comparison to the Kinki EX-M7, I wonder whether the modular design of the latter—plus available how-to videos for owners—give it a modest leg up should it require servicing. Second, as the M7 is dual mono and uses a common power supply, does the SA-90 benefit from two separate power supplies in its twin-chassis mono amp design? Michael

Cause/effect statements in hifi are often mostly assumptive. To know how/whether the mono design of the SA-90 is an advantage, one would want to compare it to a stereo version of the SA-90 which doesn't exist. So whilst one can make sonic observations by comparison and contrast, knowing definitely what design parameter causes a given observation can be identified only if that design parameter can be isolated. Otherwise it's just guesswork. A modular design such as Kinki and Laiv and Aqua use makes it easier to self service in case of mishap. Singxer don't offer that so here we're just trading in Cap'n Obvious cards. Srajan

Srajan, I just finished your fine review on that new Voxativ monitor. My comment isn't about your contribution but theirs. So they send you two pairs to report on the difference between two available drivers. Subsequently they contact you saying that they think the cheaper driver is superior, what do you think. By that time you've essentially disqualified the more expensive driver to agree. Now they write in saying that the costlier driver is really only meant as a tweeter in their stacked big array. Sending it to you for review was only meant to confirm that and people often pursue costlier stuff thinking it better then end up being dissatisfied. Throughout they refer to that driver as the high-resolution version while you point out that being so peaky above 1kHz doesn't make it higher resolution, just extremely nonlinear.

Don't you feel hoodwinked by this charade? As I see it, they make a driver that raises the cost of the speaker by €2'000 but is actually too bright and bass shy to sound right even after a subwoofer is added. Why send it for review if it's only meant as a big tweeter? The way they spin that answer is that you were being tested. By disqualifying the tweeter as a standalone speaker, you passed their test. Really? I'm curious how you read that whole subtext. Cheers, Pablo

You raised a few interesting points for which I don't have direct answers, Pablo. I know that Voxativ's own electronics at the factory are direct-heated triode specimens. They might well have that costlier driver behave different than my transistor amps of wider bandwidth. In which case, my reaction might have served as useful feedback from the field? This is new product. I doubt that many dealers and end users have it yet. If my comments helped relegate that driver to 'big tweeter' duty going forward, so be it. I see nothing wrong if/when review commentary helps a manufacturer to improve or change a product; or simply confirm what they already suspected but wanted another opinion on. Srajan

Srajan, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your First Watt Sit4 review despite my Vivid B1D speakers not being among the target transducers that might benefit from its magic. Part of the reason I enjoy your online publication is the quality of the writing and the tangible feeling one gets from your vivid descriptions, apt analogies and convincing summaries. Thanks, Michael

Hi Srajan, hope all is well. Not sure if anyone commented or made a request about this but I'm finding it very difficult to read your wonderful content on your website, as I find the font size way too small. I've tried many things (zoom in etc) but nothing seems to help. I was wondering if it would be easy enough to use a bigger font to make the content more legible for older readers like me. Best regards, Mevlut

Just click ctrl then + and make the site any size you want. It’s super basic and works on Windows and Mac. Ctrl/- makes it smaller, ctrl/0 resets to original. PC 101. Srajan

Hi Srajan, it's been a while since last we communicated. I hope that all is well in your world. During the last year I have been in contact with Roland Krammer and he told me that he and my friend Vince have been collaborating on a new DAC. Now it is my understanding that it has gone into production. Do you know anything about this? Peter

It’s not in production yet. The first 20 chassis are made but Roland still has to write the software code to actually run the machine. They're aiming to show in October at a trade fair in Canada or the US and hope to commence sales afterwards. I'll get a review sample as well. So it's being baked but the dough hasn't risen yet. Srajan

Hey Srajan, what can you tell me about GoldenSound and Cameron Oatley? James

Very little. I've never met him or even exchanged emails. I know of his website; that he offers consulting services; has collaborated on a special-edition version of ferrum's Wandla DAC; works as a reviewer for Headphones.com; and uses the email handle Golden One. He's from the new generation of YouTubers working the audio review space; and someone who conducts a lot of measurements. That's about the extent of what I think I know. Srajan

Rogue foreign distributor "acts on behalf of the company" except doesn't. Cameron didn't know this at first so went through a disagreeable few weeks. It got sorted out in the end but not without leaving quite the YouTube/forum trail in its wake. Perhaps it could have been avoided had Cameron procured his dCS sample directly from the company who would then have known of his review when it happened to get any factual errors corrected back when? If you want more, you'll have to contact Cameron. That seems easy enough to do. I really don't keep tabs on most my colleagues in the review space so am not a good person to ask about them. Going straight to the source always strikes me as the best policy if you want more than hearsay and assumptions. Srajan

At 79 years of age, securing a future for his long-time team whilst retiring—hopefully in style—looks like excellent strategy to me. Will Gibson's corporate management keep Randy's inspired legacy intact? Does profitability to stockholders struggle with creative genius any day of the week? I remember my time at Mesa/Boogie with fondness. Thanks for looping me into this news item. Srajan

Hi mate, I was really enjoying listening to you on them podcasts but then I discovered ASR forum. And they said you are just chasing the $ and not telling it for real. I'm now disappointed. Best, Stephan 

I don't know anyone at ASR but apparently they know me. Thanks for explaining to me how and why I do things. Cheers. Srajan

Srajan, I fully agree with your thoughts regarding the fix on your Laiv Harmony DAC. Yes it's a pain in the ass when a component doesn't work properly; it's even more of a PITA when you have to pack it up and ship it off to a repair centre. Much like my experience with Kinki which sent me a revised board for my M7 when I had an issue and pointed me to a helpful installation video, Laiv has certified its customer service. This ironically might make one more indebted to the brand than had it not happened! Michael

Hello Srajan, I'm probably way late but just learnt that Jeff Fritz, formerly with SoundStage Ultra, now works for Magico. Is that not an unusual transition? I wondered what you thought of it. [Rest withheld by request.]  Andrew

Until you just asked, I'd actually not given it a thought, Andrew. And yes, you're more than a year late to his party. Jeff always adored Magico products so joining them in an ambassadorial function which still includes writing plus participating at events and shows looks like a great opportunity which keeps him associated with the industry he enjoys working in. My own path was the opposite. I started on the audio manufacturing side as a formal sales & marketing man then crossed over into reviewing and eventually, publishing. Either way covers more bases and deepens appreciation of the hobby and its professional aspects than only doing one or the other. Of course doing both, simultaneously, should be verboten for obvious reasons of conflict but today those standards seem to have relaxed and I've heard of a few cases which play both sides. Again, to each their own. That's what I think of it. I'm now considered old-school and the YouTubers are the shiny new thing. That's how the wheel turns. Srajan

Srajan, as I read your industry feature on the value of a common design philosophy all pulling in the same direction—and knowing that Frederic Beudot soon would be dropping his review of the Lumin U2—I thought I'd let you know about my recent experience in the Lumin ecosystem. For a few years I've owned the Lumin X1 streamer/DAC/preamp connected to my network via its fiber connection. My network featured an EtherRegen switch abetted by an AfterDark OCXO clock, digital cable, low-pass filter and linear power supply. Upstream was a Synology NAS with saved albums and various tracks. My daily driver for accessing music (Tidal streaming and NAS music) was the Lumin app until I read Joël Chevassus' review of the JPlay for iOS app which supplanted it.

My aha moment came when I read reviews by Wojciech Pacula (High Fidelity Poland) and Chris Connaker (Audiophile Style) of the Lumin L2, a music library and network switch with two each fiber optic and RJ45 ports. The reviews promised increased sound quality for saved music via the unit's dual hard drives (optional 4TB or 8TB) vs a NAS.  Plus, the switch side offered the possibility to replace my assorted network gear with a cleaner solution while keeping the galvanically isolated fiber-optical goodness. Once purchased I installed two 2TB Samsung drives, a nice money-saving option offered by Lumin, connected the L2 to my router via a fiber media converter and then my X1 by the second fiber optical connection. The remaining RJ45 ports fed a seldom-used Roon NUC and TV. The result: besides cleaning up the rat's nest of network connections, I found snappier access to saved music, better SQ for both library and streaming music and dead silence between tracks. Which brings me back to your industry feature. There is a definite advantage in my opinion to accessing my music from within the Lumin ecosystem. Why the sound quality increased compared to my previous setup is somewhat of a mystery. I can only surmise that a simpler more dedicated solution with a common design philosophy won the day. Michael

Srajan, just read your review of the Mon VC2. Did you by any chance try it in your upstairs room as well just for some extra data points? Thanks. Pascal

If I had, I'd have shown photos of it. Though the weight of the bass modules was still manageable to carry up the stairs, given their performance in my bigger room, the smaller space simply made no sense. Why embark on a venture you know to be Quixotic from the onset? Bigger speaker, bigger room. It's super basic but no less true for it. It's why I keep harping on about active bass, active hi/lo-pass filters and active bass traps. Such adjustments to a room make a good match far more attainable. Passive bass is what it is unless we engage DSP. Srajan

Srajan, I just read and much appreciated your industry feature on the value of rebranding. I've always been a brand proponent, as for me, an established brand is typically a shorthand way of delineating a value proposition: thus, no need to read endless marketing copy or rummage through product descriptions, or (gasp) depend on the debatable and ephemeral voices on the Internet etc.  An established brand communicates an instant and compelling story.

I've been fortunate to work for two companies whose brand was all important: IBM and Michelin. I recall in the mid-90s when a certain CEO was on his way out, and he decided that stodgy old Big Blue needed a refresh before his exit. So, as an example, "IBM Federal Systems Division" (the division for which I toiled) would become "Federal Systems Division, an IBM company." His idea nose-dived when the new CEO came aboard and said, in essence, stop this foolishness, we're IBM!

Michelin never had such an identity crisis. Perhaps, the company's biggest brand enhancement was the creation of a mascot in 1898 to represent the company. Thus was born Bibendum as the mascot was known throughout the world, except in the United States where he was simply named The Michelin Man. Today the world is littered with brand mascots (Jolly Green Giant, Pillsbury Dough Boy, Ronald McDonald) perhaps inspired by the fertile minds of two French brothers from central France who saw instant value—and an emotional connection—from an anthropomorphic creation. Michael

Hello Srajan, did you see this? I know that you've worked with Vinshine over the years with numerous reviews of their brands. Now they and Denafrips have parted ways. I wonder whether they already found a deep brand to replace it with? Have you heard anything? Simon

Alvin Chee who operates Vinshine contacted me about this before the video went live. I'm not privy to what's going on behind the scenes. But I asked so know that Alvin is far from done with Vinshine Audio. What exactly his plans are relative to new brands I didn't ask because if he were ready to say, he'd have mentioned it already. So we'll have to wait and see. Given Denafrips, Kinki Studio, Jay's Audio and their newer subsidiaries LHY and Exact, he really has a knack with Chinese hifi so I'm certain that good things are on the horizon. Srajan

Hi Srajan, I took note of that very pretty cat of yours in the latest MonAcoustic update. It looks like a miniature jaguar of sorts. What kind of breed is that if you don't mind me asking something entirely disconnected from hifi for a change? Charlie

Chai Baba is a Bengal born and bred in Ireland one county over from where we live now. It's apparently a cross between a feral Indian cat—hence the name Bengal—and a Siamese. The Siamese gives it the body type and sweet personality, the wild cat the distinctive markings. Bengals come in this colour; and also very pale where they look more like a snow leopard and often their eyes then are blue not green. We call ours a lounge leopard. Most affectionate cat we ever had. And yes, he's a handsome little devil. Srajan

Dear Srajan, didn't you work with Mark Mickelson back in your days at SoundStage? I just discovered The Audio Beat which is apparently his site since he left SoundStage. It seems to be mostly music review and news items though and very few equipment reviews. Have you seen it? Frank

I've not been over since Roy Gregory launched his own site. He contributed to Mark before. I've not communicated with Mark since those bygone days but assume that rather than review full-time, he now has a day job in another industry and just keeps The Audio Beat to remain associated with the hobby. Nothing wrong with that! Srajan

Srajan, I listened to an interview with Mark Levinson the other day in which he claims that PCM is "bad for our health" and that he has medical tests to prove it. I found this astonishing. Have you come across this already? I'd love to hear your take on it. Cheers, Jonathan

I'm familiar with the interview. Mark originally was a big proponent of DSD. So when his Daniel Hertz brand first bowed, I wondered whether perhaps his Mighty Cat chip converts all PCM to DSD on the fly. The patent says that his processing injects strategic reverb which happens to parallel how I hear the DSD difference versus PCM already. But it seems to be a proprietary process nonetheless. He claims that even MP3 exposed to C-Wave processing reminds him of analogue master tape whilst nowadays he finds PCM unlistenable. Even though my dad had a Revox open-reel machine and Dual turntable when I grew up, my only personal ownership of analogue media were Esoteric and Nakamichi cassette players. I never had a vinyl or open-reel reference myself. But I do have two DACs which can resample all PCM to DSD 1'024 and certainly hear that effect. Whether it's "similar" to Mark's new processing I of course couldn't say. I happen to think that our constant exposure to WiFi is definitely very bad for our health yet the vast majority of users isn't sensitive to its impact on the brain or nervous system. Mark claims that the medical pilot test they ran had 100% consistency. Whether those listeners they tested already consciously acknowledged the PCM effect before by already having a preference for analogue or DSD; or whether consciously they were entirely unaware of it - that I don't know. Human sensitivities to sundry things vary wildly. We could test as being allergic to certain foods yet not know it. Without digging just a bit deeper, the "PCM is bad" claim obviously reads sensationalist. But this interview contains just enough information to suggest that there's rather more to it; and that research into this topic is in its very infancy but has finally begun. According to Mark, Sony Japan as the inventors of the DSD format certainly are aware of it but didn't know how to measure it. Srajan

Hey Srajan, very interesting news item on those new Spanish convertible headphones. Will you review a pair to let us know whether the concept's cleverness actually delivers on sound? I've noticed that your headphone collection these days is nearly exclusively planarmagnetic and ribbon so returning to a dynamic design could be instructive on that note as well? Just thinking out loud. Joshua

Well played, Joshua. Your observation is spot on! Hence it occurred to me quite a while back that I really need to dip my toes into dynamic headfi again. I was simply waiting for an exciting excuse to do so. This one certainly meets that mark. I've let them know of my interest. Now it's up to them, availability, marketing strategy and all the other considerations brands must make when launching a new product; in this case, new brand, too. So fingers and toes crossed that something will come my way, eventually. Without a YouTube page on their website but having emailed me an early press release, they might just decide on the kind of old-fashioned online press coverage we still do. We'll see. Srajan

Dear Srajan, thank you very much for publishing Fritz's review on the Eversolo DMP-A8. To be honest, I had wondered why you hadn't yourself covered the brand already. It would seem to fit right into your preferred value sector. Was there a reason why you waited on somebody else to cover it? Satgeet

I'm not at all on the hype train of big touch-screen displays which in my setups would sit too far from the seat to a/ be legible, b/ be touched. Given that, I didn't think that my poor attitude on arguably the key feature made me the right person for the job. FiiO's R7 of which I own two is completely different. Its display is in portrait not landscape mode; it's got headfi; and as such is meant to sit in close proximity to make for actual hands-on interaction with the screen. I don't do WiFi or tablet remotes so mirroring an Eversolo display on a tablet does nothing for me but cause actual headaches. That's it, no mysterious reasons other than not getting on with streamer/server touchscreens when I'm used to a massive 27" iMac Retina display or R7 close to my seats. Srajan

Srajan, your buddy John Darko is prepping a review of Monitor's new Studio 89. Any chance you'll be giving it your unique spin as well? Thanks if you can make it happen. Cheerio, Matthias

In John's preview, did you notice how many YouTube reviews are up already on that product? I counted 12 when his post first hit and there's probably more by now. I really don't think I'd have anything useful to add to that glut of pre-existing coverage. My time seems better spent elsewhere. YouTube carpet bombing seems to be a new trend. We previously saw it with Meze Alba's just a few weeks ago. If you look at a recent industry feature I did on that, you'll have my sentiments on the matter. In fact it's likely to get some chow time in my next podcast with John which we'll tape next week. Srajan

Srajan, I see you're in the review cue for LTA's Velo. I would agree with you that the power rating doesn't look anywhere near what Susvara would need so am curious to learn whether we could be both wrong. Any idea when we might know more? Craig

This assignment just inked so I'm not sure how long it'll be until my sample drops in Ireland. Also, my contact is on vacation at the moment. Sometimes raw SPL can be goosed with a hi-gain source like I have in my iFi. Here 0.6V input sensitivity suggests that for actual SPL, we're limited to whether Velo's voltage gain can benchpress such loads. LTA have always been excellent to work with so I don't expect waiting for long. That said, full production seems to have only started recently with the receipt of some back-ordered parts. I have no way of knowing how many dealer and end-user orders must be filled first before reviewers get their turn. Srajan

I was indeed, Gregory. I just took it down a few days ago. After having the preview up for seven months, I checked again on loaner ETA and got a non-committal 'maybe in the fall' answer explained by business being slow and France in a mess. So I've cancelled the review entirely. You'd think that with business being slow, some press visibility could be just the thing but apparently Kallyste think otherwise so I respect that. Plans can change and so does the market, constantly. One must adapt. Srajan

Hello Srajan, how are you? I hope life continues to treat you well on the Emerald Isle. Quick question. Do you know if the Singxer SU6's RJ45-based I²S pin protocol allows for a standard Ethernet cable to be used to connect to Sonnet's Pasithea? Logic dictates the answer is yes but a client of ours has noticed in your reviews that you use this connection and he is planning to do the same in his system. Told him I'd check with the man himself. Thank you for your time, have a great week ahead! Rob Fritz

I’ve actually not tried that. Cees' I²S implementation didn't work at all with a streamer that used I²S over RJ45. I’ve used I²S off the Singxer into my Denafrips and Laiv Harmony DACs. But just because two components with I²S share the same connector type doesn’t mean the pins are compatible. There could be no sound, period; distortion; phase inversion; channel inversion; SACD issues; or other weirdnesses. So your client could try but I don’t predict real joy. Srajan

Hi Srajan, thank you much for your reply. I was able to ask a friend in LA who used an SU-6 with both Sonnet DACs via standard Furutech Ethernet cables and it does work at least to his golden ears! Be well and enjoy your summer. Rob

Well, quelle surprise. Consider me educated on the matter now. Thanks for letting me know. Srajan

Absolutely. We've shipped many custom I²S cables for Denafrips and Sonnet over the year so it's always good to be sure. Rob

Srajan, didn't you exchange emails with Fred Crane for a while? I was researching a brand which lists him as their East coast distributor. Then I ran into this thread. Scroll to the bottom and you'll see three recent claims that he defrauded customers for big money. I thought you'd want to know. Charles

I took a look. Definitely nicht gut. I also tried his website and saw that it is now password protected so for all intents and purposes, inaccessible. Thanks for alerting me and our readers to this development, Charles. Much appreciated. Srajan

Knowing another manufacturer who'd been with Prana Distribution, I forwarded them this link. Here's what came back: I know this and more. Fred Crane is totally out of his mind. I stopped working with him two years ago when he owed me about $35'000 for an order I built for him but never got paid on. Luckily I hadn't sent him anything without prepayment. Just so he had already collected ~$100K from waiting clients. I got dozens of customer emails not just about my order but about the same story with other brands. I've heard that he now works as a waiter in a Boston coffee shop, owing people over $1'000'000. [Name withheld by request.]

Given the above feedback, I really have no choice but warn readers not to buy any used gear this individual may still post for sale. Chances seem far too high that any monies sent out won't net actual hardware in trade. Srajan

Hi Mr. Srajan, I recently watched your podcast with Mr. John Darko which led me to your website. I read your review on the FT3 32Ω headphones and to my amazement discovered that you also have the 109 Pro, which I recently demoed here in Belgium. It's very difficult to find these two headphones together in a shop for comparison. Moreover, I cannot find the FT3 for a demo neither in Belgium or Lithuania where I live. Since you own both headphones and I also plan to use with the R7, could you please provide a detailed comparison of the sound quality between the FT3 and the 109 Pro? From my experience, the 109 Pro sounded different with various songs, showing strong bass with some tracks and weaker bass with others. However, it offered a greater soundstage compared to the Sony XM3 when wired, which I found to be more confined and punchier in comparison with the 109 Pro. That performed well with the iPhone dongle through Apple Music compared to the Mojo portable DAC. I really appreciated the 109 Pro's comfort, sound quality, and overall musical experience compared to other headphones I tried. However, before making a purchase, I want to ensure my investment is worthwhile. Perhaps the FT3 (32/350Ω) would suffice for now with the R7 and I could consider upgrading to the 109 Pro later. Thanking you, best regards, Heynce Saraf

Hello Srajan, I just tried to follow up your Soundaware review by clicking on your weblink to their site. What comes up is a blue/white screen with Chinese characters suggesting an error message. even though the URL says soundaware.net. Do you know how to get to the actual website? Thanks, Jeremy

Good point. The same happens to me; until it doesn't. I haven't a clue what's going on. Sometimes that URL ends up at the official site, sometimes it shows that presumed error screen at right. It's one of the reasons I called them not A-listers yet. Hopefully it's only a temporary glitch and they'll have it fixed swiftly. I also note that theirs isn't a secure URL yet. That too could be addressed.

This and other things are frustrating because on sound, their P1x is a real winner. What I think they actually need more than anything else is an Alvin Chee-type brand ambassador who knows how to turn a mainland China enterprise into a globally successful brand. At one point Alvin actually did represent Soundaware at Vinshine Audio. At present I only see him represent the D300Ref and D300; and not in any prime placement like his other brands. Srajan

Srajan, very fine work on the Lotus 10 speaker indeed. On it I have a quick question. You made clear how, if one wanted to add an external subwoofer, the smaller Nenuphar Mini would be the more sensible path. But that of course gives up that fabulous 10-inch main driver. Do you know whether they might be working on a single-driver version of Lotus 10 that would suit such a bill? Thanks for all you do. Ron

I'm not sure precisely. That's to say, I've been told that something 10" based is coming and already has my name on it for a review possibly later this year. But what exactly it'll be—a floorstander, a monitor, based on the Lotus driver or not—I haven't been told. If you're thinking of pulling the trigger on a Cube model, you might simply ask them directly? Srajan

Srajan, for a good number of years I have read your many reviews with interest and have been impressed by your toughness. Recently I came across an old article on Stefan AudioArt products and sought out that company only to learn that Stefan has been laid up after heart surgery  so no telling when he will be back and active. Are you aware of any other headphone modifier or cable manufacturer that approaches the balanced story in the way Stefan does? Many thanks in anticipation for your help. Regards, Christopher

Hello Christopher, I'm not even sure what you mean by "approaches the balanced story in the way he does"? Sorry but I'm drawing a complete blank on that phrasing. Could you clarify what you want to know? ATB. Srajan

From what I can gather, Stefan modifies the headphones and also provides custom cables that ensure a balanced signal is fed from the source to the headphones retaining all of the advantages of the balanced circuitry in the source. Hope that clarifies. Regards, Christopher

Hello Christopher, balanced headphone cables with 4.4mm or XLR4 connectors are completely common these days and with dual-entry headphones require no modification at all. Even a €159 IEM like Meze's Alba can be run balanced out of the box with the right cable and a balanced headphone amp. It's no longer anything special or unique. Times have moved on from back when balanced headphone drive was exotic and rare. Srajan

Hi Srajan, I hope you're doing well. We have been doing great as well, partly thanks to your review as well. I just have one small favor to ask. We introduced Challenger II last May in Munich. Challenger II is priced at €27'999 and I'm attaching the upgrade list. Challenger I priced at €17'999 and is no longer in production nor for sale. Could you please add a short update regarding pricing so that we can avoid any confusion among the customers? Thank you in advance. Best regards, Martynas Serksnys, Silent Pound

Hello Martynas, I can't change prices after the fact unless I made a mistake. They're always valid as 'at the time of publication' and what happens a month or year later has no connection to the review. That's ‘frozen in time' as it were. Given that Challenger I and Challenger II are at least by name different models, it's not even warranted. I do appreciate that a $10'000 price difference is drastic and the speaker doesn't look very different. I can certainly see your potential issue having to justify and explain that to your customers. But underpricing what I reviewed to thereafter fix it with a Mark II revision which builds in sufficient importer and dealer margins then hoping I could obscure said difference isn't something I can do for obvious reasons. To boot, the price you gave me at the time was €14'999 incl. VAT, not €17'999. I'm sure you can now understand the situation from my perspective. ATB. Srajan

Dear Srajan, I completely understand and am not asking to change the original article. Pricing, as you correctly pointed out, has been updated twice now so if you could add a short amendment to indicate current pricing, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Martynas

Hello Martynas, I published my review in July 2023. It's now June 25th 2024. I don't go back to archived reviews to update them with subsequent price increases. Having been in business for 22 years with an extensive archive, such a policy of constant updating would become a never-ending endeavour on my part. The proper way to address potential customer confusion is to make your own statement on your own website. If you have a link to my review there, that's where it could go. Otherwise put it on the model's product page introduction and all confusion will be nipped in the bud. ATB. Srajan

Excellent. Problem solved. There's still another aspect you may not have considered. Price is an inextricable part of any review. It's the context which judges form factor, finish, performance and general competitiveness. It informs excitement or enthusiasm; or lack thereof. By essentially doubling your price, that context changes drastically. Though you didn't ask for it for obvious reasons, I would actually have to carefully edit the tone and nuance of the entire review if it flew the new price. Letting the review stand as is makes it shine because it reflects my honest reactions to its original price positioning. Attaching a notice about the new price would instantly deflate and devalue the review. For that reason too, it's best to let it stand as is. Srajan

Dear Srajan, first of all I want to express my gratitude for your understanding, respect and of course, great patience. As you noted, after sending the Binom-ER I did not condition you in any way and completely trusted your professionalism. As you probably noticed, the path to creating this product was not easy and I hope that to a large extent I let you experience it with me. My approach is absolute. This probably means that customers need to get used to my products. Not everyone understands them right away. I had a lot of different headphone tunings to choose from, among them those more similar to conventional headphones on the market today, with a sound more familiar to modern listeners. The stakes were extremely high. I only needed one win and understood that by sending you one the risk would probably be less but every time I compared these tunings, I asked myself: is this the sound I want to hear? Is this the sound I want to convey to my listeners? Is this what music really sounds like? The conclusion was clear. You will get exactly my version of the sound of music, the one I strove for. In the end this is what I consider correct and I am ready to subscribe to literally every semitone. I am ready to defend it to the last. Before sending out your sample, I understood that this was the only correct decision. More precisely, I wouldn't regret it if I failed. When after the first comments your review didn't update for a decent amount of time, I got pretty worried but also understood that I was not mistaken and right now the process of actually getting to know the product was taking place. So you did a great job. Chic approach and analytics of sound. Readiness to open new frontiers. The modern audio world is very inertial. Rarely anyone is capable of this. And special thanks for your award! Sincerely, Oleh Lizohub - Camerton Audio

Hello Srajan, I'm not sure if you know this but Steve Marsh has passed away (06/08/2024). Seeing as he wrote for you, I thought it appropriate to contact you. My condolences to you and your team. Best Regards, George Lenz, TubesUSA.com

Hello George, thank you very much for letting me know. Steve and I hadn’t been in touch for many years now so our paths diverged. Still, it’s sad to learn that another one of our fellowmen has crossed over. Srajan

Srajan, I just finished your latest review of the Camerton headphones. Wow, what a find. Do I presume from your concluding paragraph that you just added these to your collection then? That's certainly quite the endorsement. Cheers, Sion

Death, taxes and a reviewer's salary. It's why the sentence you refer to includes the word 'would'. It's a dream scenario. I'm in no position to materialize it with the necessary hard cash. Srajan

Hi Simone, first of all, many thanks for your dedicated review of our Primavera headphone amplifier. Thank you for the great work and personal touches you put into it. It's very useful and informative for a wide range of readers. Thanks too go to Igor, Fabio and Srajan for making this review possible. I hope you will have a successful time at 6moons in the future. Best, Sasa

Hello Srajan, do you have an update on the Soundaware headphone amp review? It looks really promising but I haven't been able to find out anything more about it. You seem to be the only one who has one. Thanks, Charles

Actually, I don't have one - yet. I publish previews once an assignment is agreed to but before the sample lands. The usual giveaway that I'm in possession are first in-situ photos not the brand's own. In this instance I'm still waiting on the slow boat from China to make landfall. Srajan

Srajan, I just saw your preview of the new Exact Express cables. One detail caught my eye. Gold-plated copper bodies for the EMI traps? Though the gold sounds like superfluous bling, copper certainly has acknowledged damping properties, something Dawid's recent review of the Carbide manganese-copper alloy alluded to. Do you have any information on how that copper is applied other than form a housing for the EMI filter? Thank you, Randy.

I do not, Randy, sorry. And whilst I agree that the gold seems rather blingy, raw copper would tarnish so needs some protective skin even if just a transparent lacquer. I'm with you on copper's damping qualities but don't quite see how it would apply to the actual conductors in this case. The cable seems to pass through the trap in an aluminium barrel. Still, it's an interesting question. I'll see whether I can learn anything useful by way of an answer. Thank you, Srajan

Hello Srajan, thank you very much for your review of our AVAA C214 which is very interesting and we also like your point of view and writing style. And thank you also for the award. Best regards, Fabrice De-Prete, PSI Audio

Hey Srajan, yes I did attend Munich but just for a visit and to meet and greet a few people. All in all not that exciting, just a lot of the same old stuff. The only standout for me were Aleksandar's new ribbon headphones. I'm not into headfi but if I were, no contest there. Miguel

Dear Srajan, I came across your recent mini feature about two Spanish brands you weren't familiar with. I also saw that you have a new Kroma review in the works which is of course another Spanish brand. I wonder whether you've come across Lorenzo Audio Labs which are also from Granada and have any feedback on them? They recently added a tube preamp and power amp that look interesting. Just curious to get your take. Best regard, Tim

Srajan, I wanted to alert you that the link to Basel Acoustics no longer works in your recent feature. "This web page cannot be displayed because the configured PHP version is no longer supported" is the error message. Cheers, Charlie

You're right, I see it now too. That wasn't the case a few days ago when I posted that piece. Looks like their webmaster has to update a program. I'm sure they'll realize it soon enough and do what's necessary to pop back up. I can't really do anything about it from my end. Srajan

Srajan, I just caught up on my occasional 6moons snoop and after perusing your Laiv Harmony review, I went to their site and found an unexpected number of other reviews all of which pretty much agree with your assessment that this is an overachiever for its price. I love when that happens because I do believe in multiple opinions. It must feel great though that you were the first to put this DAC on the map? Congrats and all the best. Keep up the good work. Richard

Sometimes our reviews are first, at other times such news hit elsewhere well before we ever get around to it if at all. It depends on the connections individual writers or publications have made over the years; how good a match with a given reviewer's exposure, tastes, ancillaries and room a manufacturer thinks their latest will be to send it to and take that risk. Does it feel good to occasionally be first? My inner competitor says yes. Reality then reminds me that reviews just add themselves to the overall data pool of our hobby. Who was first or last doesn't matter. It's all grist for the mill, fodder for the web surfer. A prospective buyer will check out all available reviews or opinions about a given product. Here all of us reviewers and bloggers are just little bricks in a bridge that connects people with experience of certain equipment to people who don't yet have their own experience with it. Srajan

Hey Srajan, do you know what's up with Darko.Audio? The site seems to be down except for a different home page. I need my daily fix! Jeff

Patience, Jeff. I believe John is moving his site to a new server and implementing a new WordPress skin. Those things take time to migrate and overwrite and in the interim he's in Munich attending the HighEnd show. You gotta get your fix elsewhere until his webmaster is done with the changes. Or attend a few Audioholics Anonymous meetings in the meantime? It starts easy enough. "My name is Jeff. I'm addicted to darko.audio. I need help." Srajan

Hi Srajan, I'm truly and sincerely sorry but we simply won't be able to send out your demo devices before the show. Norbert wants to make sure that all the new Grooves have been personally tested by him and well, that takes time he unfortunately doesn't have right now. I hope it's okay with you if we do this asap after the show? Speaking of which: Are you coming to Munich this year? Best regards and sorry again. Christopher

Hello Christopher, no problem. It'll also give your webmaster time to catch up and throw the Groove onto your site. As for me, I'm staying home for all the usual excellent reasons. No global audience in confined spaces spreading who knows what. Mostly bad sound at high SPL. A carnival of hawkers looking to sell, sell, sell. The upstairs MOC now is specialized in oligarch audio. Not my tribe. Just thinking about it makes me feel like a lonely alien who landed on the wrong planet. ET wanna go home. Also, my livelihood is really from review generation, not writing silly show reports about who was there and wore what like a reporter at the Oscar's after party. Taking out a whole week, the expense, the traipsing around endless miles of corridors… I really get nothing useful done at all aside from the social aspect. And even that happens in brief snippets, 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there. In the evenings one has a chance to catch up for longer over dinner but for every invite I accept, I piss off 20 others who I turned down. For me it's a massive no-win, really. A Zoom chat these days accomplishes more and though it's not exactly an in-person meet, for my purposes it's still brilliant. Perhaps you and Norbert and I should do that for the review after you're all back and recovered from the show? Srajan

Hello Srajan, we all had a laugh at your description of the show. You should patent the term oligarch audio! Believe me, we feel the same way. Unfortunately we can't afford to do without the Munich show. At least we've shot down all the other shows by now except for Warsaw every now and then. We'd be happy to do a Zoom call sometime after the show. I'm not sure why I'd be there because I only understand half of what you and Norbert will talk about - but we'll manage. I'll keep you posted on the Groove/Move combo. Best regards, Christopher

Hello Christopher, for a manufacturer being able to meet all (most?) their international trade partners in one place at one time is virtually unmissable and cheaper than visiting them in their natural habitat. Having now two trade days makes that even more so. Spreading good will and cheer to the consumers during the other two days isn't a bad thing either for brand awareness and sowing seeds. So let's meet up over the airwaves when you're back. Just check in when you've settled and we'll make it happen. In the meantime, break a leg; or better yet, two. Srajan