This is a new Integrated tube amp (2x40w)from my homeland Sweden.It is better than my previous rigs: McIntosh/Burmester 911, Accuphase2400/Levinson 33H,Rowland Synergy/Krell450mcx. My sample is from a small preproduction series. I hope it will go into series production. It is that good! It is hand made on order and hard wired with 400 soldering points. It makes absolutely wonderful music with the Grande Utopia.
Nagra CDP
The best CDP I have ever used. It has beaten Reimyo CDP, Ayre CD5xe, Meridian 800, Playback Design CD5,and Emm Labs CDSA in my system
JM lab - Focal Grande Utopia EM
The best speaker I have ever heard during my search for SOTA speakers
Kubla Elation XLR
Exceptional Cable used between DAC and amp
Kubala Sosna Emotion
A very musical IC. From tuner to amp.
Hanss Acoustic T60
A 60 kg state of the art german TT
SME Series V
A classic design still the best
Purist Audio Dominus latest version
Between Riaa and amp
Berkeley Bada Alpha series II DAC
My Nagra CDP has beaten every single box CDP I have tried in my system.But connecting it to the Alpa DAC made a fantastic improvement.
Accuphase T-1000
When Swedish radio sends live concerts with Swedish Radio Symphony orchestra it is absoultly stunning!
Miyajima Mandake
Top of the range Miyajima PU. Needle by a special bamboo instead of metal.One of the best PU ever.
Simply Black Cantus
Its a tangential arm made by Veteran HIFI Stockholm. This Swedish arm that has been around for many years (invented by the late Bo Hansson of Opus 3) and is now improved by our old vinyl guru Mirre at Veteran Hifi. It is a very simple design but with fantastic sounding. It even better than my SME V! And it cost about 2400USD. A true High End bargain.
Hard to spell Miyajima i correct. The Mandake PU has a very special bamboo as needle instead of metal as other PU. It has the same "house" sound as the Kansai and Shilabe PU just a bit better in every respect!
Disaster! I broke the needle of my nearly new Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement.The needle sick out a long bit so its very easy. I have switched to Miajima top PU Mandake (needle don't stick out). At half the price of the Goldfinger its equally good. A bit less analytic and airy than Goldfinger but it is a bit warmer and has a bit more "musicality" compared to the Goldfinger.
No not those PU. But I have added a second arm on my TT. Its a tangential arm Simply Black Cantus made by Veteran HIFI Stockholm. This Swedish arm that has been around for many years (invented by the late Bo Hansson of Opus 3) and is now improved by our old vinyl guru Mirre at Veteran Hifi. It is a very simple design but with fantastic sounding. It even better than my SME V! And it cost about 2400USD. A true High End bargain.
I have tried the Miyajima Kensai PU. An exellent PU. A little warmer and little more body than the Goldfinger. The Goldfinger has a little more clarity and air.Which is best is depending on which record I played.
My room is about 30 sqm (6.5m x4.5m), A bit small for the big Focals but thanks to the many possibilities in the speakers regarding tilting of the front and the many alternatives of cabling each elements I got very good results. The back of the speakers is about 1,7 m out from back wall, The front is about 0,35 from side wall. I have heavy curtains on side walls. The red/black combo is by far the most beautiful. You can´t tell by photos how big these speakers are. Combined with my rather small room visitors always give me a WHOW entering the room!
The top i removable so its "only" about 200kg each. They where unpacked outside (the craters are BIG) and moved up outside stairs by 2 men "pro-lifters" ( piano movers): Once inside they are on wheels.
LennArts Labs (from Gothenburg!) integrated plays absolutely beautiful with Focal. I can play undistorted rock on high volume with no problems. Thanks to its heavy power supply (lots of Lundahl transformers) you can´t tell its "only" 2x40W. Not knowing Yellowjackets which is the first to buy and spin:)
System edited: They cost a lot but the Focal Grande Utopia EM is the final answer for my 20 years of finding THE SOTA speakers. Absolutely stunning sound with my LennArt Labs LA mayro tube amp. They are also so beautiful to look at in high gloss red/black.
I have switch to the DD18plus, Clearly better and better integration.I use it below 60HZ and it plays parallell to the Maxx. I often switch it off and only use it when needed som extra bass on rock/blues music and on some old records with weak bass.Also use it sometimes with classical BIG music like Rite of Spring . My friends are divided. Half of them says the musicality of my system improves w DD18. Half says turn it of - the Maxx bass is god enough.
Lots of changes lately. Maxx3 i outstanding! Added vinyl and haver rediscovered my old LPs. Nagra CDP is so good that it narrows the gap to the best sources: Vinyl and radio live direct to my T1000 tuner.
I have just sold the Reimyo. I bougth a Ayre cd5xe to be able to play SACD. After putting the Ayre on a Relaxa "floating" magnetic stand I found it as good on reedbook as the Reimyo. Reimyo was not benifited by the Relaxa since its own feet is very good. Since the Reimyo is not at true balanced design I found it was best with RCA. Still the 777 is a very good CDplayer.
After 8 years with big dipole speakers and after finally getting the big amps that they required (Krells) I decided to get back to box speakers when I heard the Silverlines! My Krells was not so good with the more efficient Grande La Folia. Ayre V1xe was more refined!
System edited: After discovering that my Audio Artistry speakers need more power that I tougth I changed from Jeff Rowland amps to Krell amps. I now have that wonderfull open and airy sound that Audio Artistry dipole speakers have combined with slam and really powerfull bass.
