When looking to fill the gap from the Zebrano Signature plus to the Pinnacle range, Andrew looked at what had been learned from the mighty Pinnacle range and has incorporated some of the internal design materials. Here we have the Extreme range, starting with the 2 silver bespoke post model, this has more authority than the Zebrano plus with increased musicality ,Tonal Density, Speed, and reaching further into the soundscape picking up more nuances, timbre, layering. The listener involvement is very much in abundance, always providing a rather surprising and fully enjoyable musical experience. Together with the 2 one and a half meter extreme cables optimized for this application ,themselves providing the vital links required for that Extreme experience.
Jonathan Monks, the son of the founder Keith Monks, today announced two new additions to the Prodigy series and updates to the original machine. Prodigy series brings the world’s first Threadless point suction cleaners to market. (Read above link)
So when I ordered the latest SIN PSD 10 Anniversary Edition unit Nikolay told me “it’s in another universe” well I would hope so given the small fortune I was about to spend on yet another PSD unit. Yes Nikolay was always right on the last 2 units I bought and have been using for several years now, they were simple splendid. Looking from the outside this 10 Anniversary unit is large & HEAVY! Over 26 pounds! The carbon workmanship is outstanding and all the Furutech NCF outlets and grounding lug are first rate. I now I took out my PSD 6 Special Edition and replaced it with the 10 Anniversary Edition. First thought was “OH what did I do, spent all this $$$$$$ and yes heard a bit blacker soundstage but not a whole lot more. Well, I only had 15 minutes to listen initially then had to leave for my golf league. The next day I left my studio at 6am for another long day of golf up north with some friends which was a perfect day of golf on a tough course, but it was the first day here in NH of 80+ degrees. Summer is just around the corner. Now the unit has been burning-in for 2+ days and I sat down for my first real listening session. Wow, first thing I noticed is the tonality of instruments just seem spot on. Guitars seem more like guitars, pianos more like a real piano and voices have now so much inflection in them. Instruments are coming out of a VERY black background, and they just float in space all through the soundstage and in a more 3D presentation. The PSD 10 Anniversary is reproducing the proper proportions and realism of music itself and it has a wealth of decaying sounds never before heard in recording I’m so familiar with. It’s also about improving the projection and palpability of the virtual sound stage by lowering the amount of noise in the soundstage and about hearing a more coherent presentation. OK yes it was worth the $$$$$ but your whole electrical system has to be up to the task and I have to say without the addition of an SGS (Signal Ground Solution) Pinnacle 4 grounding box, this may not be for everyone. Just giving my honest feedback and telling it like it is. Well done my good friend Nikolay!
After five-years of concerted research and development, an effort that has refined our existing designs and practices as well as introducing entirely new and unique materials, the revolutionary SAFIR 9 tonearm is finally ready for launch. A significant step forward in performance, our new flagship tonearm will be shown for the first time at the Munich High-End Show in May 2022.
The Safir 9’s most obvious feature and the heart of the design is its conical sapphire arm tube. This provides the cartridge with unprecedented stability, delivering optimum electro mechanical performance from the generator. Extremely rigid, this tube is stiffer and offers a higher resonant frequency than any arm tube ever previously used. It’s first break-up mode occurs at over 5KHz, providing the cartridge motor with a true mechanical ground.
Due to the use of a sapphire tube, this is a high effective mass tonearm!
The bearings are a further development of our own, proprietary 4Point design, the four contact spikes being located in sapphire/ruby receptacles. These ensure rigid, friction-free coupling of the tonearm to its mount, allowing the headshell to move, freely and precisely on the optimum path across the record.
The Kuzma XL and Hi-Fi+ have a long history together. We first looked at the high-mass, twin AC motor turntable way back in Issue 41 (when it was called the Stabi XL, and later the XL2 to distinguish it from the four-motor XL4) and liked it so much we gave it an award two issues later. Then, we looked at it once again when its four-motor upgrade hit town in Issue 53 and once again in Issue 124 when the XL DC was released, replacing those four powerful AC motors with a strong, stable and quiet DC motor. We even revisited it as recently as Issue 196 as a complete package with 4Point 14 arm and CAR 60 cartridge, as a mark of the best the standard bearing bearer can get.
“Gold Note’s $11,999 PH-1000 is by a considerable margin the most sophisticated, most configurable phono preamplifier that any audio manufacturer has ever produced, at least that I know of. Remarkably, considering all that flexibility and sophistication, using and adjusting the PH-1000 is straightforward”
SGS is a small company located in Scotland. They have been quietly researching and developing grounding technology for the past 5 years. In a soft launch in 2017, they brought SGS1 Signature to the market.
CONCLUSION
Signal Ground Solutions SGS-1 Signature does a lot! The lower noise, the dynamic effects, the potential horizontal and vertical enhancement, the better holographic presentation, the advanced vividness, the more precise materialization of instruments and performers, the transparency, the more correct timbre, tone, and color, etc.
The Keith Monks Prodigy leaves LPs looking and sounding very clean. Cleaning time per LP is somewhere between 8 to 10 minutes. Although a bit slower in operation, the Prodigy delivers excellent results that are fully comparable in every way to Keith Monks’s full-size RCMs. For those willing to pay more, Keith Monks also offers the discOvery Redux model (£2,995) which provides faster, quieter operation, and more automation. However, the Prodigy costs a more wallet-friendly $1295 and looks more domestically appealing; it does a great job at a great price and comes highly recommended!
Stabi R is a very compact turntable made from a solid block of aluminium with an internal (built in) electronic power supply. Drive is provided through a DC motor and a proprietary, non flexible drive belt.
The main platter is a constrained sandwich design consisting of three layers ( aluminum – acrylic – aluminum) in order to minimize vibration and maximize the damping effect of the platter itself and that of the LP. The ruby ball minimizes friction and noise within the thrust bearing and is supported on a special low noise compound material. One of the crucial design features of the new Stabi R is an unsurpassed degree of versatility and flexibility with regard to multiple tonearm installations. It is possible to use up to 4 (four!) tonearms around the main platter. Further, a variety of colors and a wood finish are available as options.
SGS is a small company located in Scotland. They have been quietly researching and developing grounding technology for the past 5 years. In a soft launch in 2017 they brought the SGS1 Signature to market. The SGS1 Signature is the smaller more affordable device yet punches way above its weight, rewarding the listener with a sense of ease and musical flow whilst uncovering numerous additional dimensions for the listener, ultimately delivering a deeper clarity of sound. Expressions such a ‘lowering of the noise floor’ ‘expansion of the sound scape’ and ‘increased nuances and timbre of the instruments’ are some of the testaments being given by SGS clients.
We at Sounds Of Silence decided to try the Zebrano initially and once heard we could not listen without. Call SOS and arrange an in-home demo of one of the SGS units.
Pinnacle Zebrano in SOS systemZebrano in SOS clients system. Once heard it stayed and we had to order another unit!
Unique Universal Disc Cleaner for 12″ 10″ & 7″ records and 5″ digital discs featuring a New Unique Threadless Point Suction system for easier, even better performance. The Prodigy gets both sides of an LP clean and ready to play in under 5 minutes. In addition to its super silent operation it counts with zero Re-Contamination on every record, every time.
Now 3 models to choose from. The “Original“ the Plus and the Blue. Call SOS at 603-759-8323 for more information.
“I am going to go out on a bit of a limb here, but the Bricasti Design M3 DAC is very probably The Shape Of Audio To Come. This clever design is incredibly flexible; starting as ‘just’ a high-performance DAC, the M3 can be configured with built-in streamer and/or headphone amplifier. Rather than either produce a slew of ‘similar-but-different’ products or force users down digital audio and personal audio pathways they might not want to take, the Bricasti Design M3 DAC lets you – the end-user – take control of what features you need and what ones you don’t. In an industry that prides itself on its ‘bespoke’ approach, it’s odd that such options are so rare that they take up the introduction of a review. Maybe the Bricasti M3 learned the ‘options’ game from its BMW namesake”.
S.I.N. Audio has create state-of-the-art, all-hand-made power distributors and power cables. In their experience, the importance of electric power distribution is very often overlooked by many audiophiles when building their audio systems.
Their belief is that the power cables and proper power distributor are equally important for the final performance of any audio system. Many serious music lovers often invest a lot of money in speaker and interconnect cables before starting to research and understand the impact of the power lines.
Record cleaning is a topic which can spark off some lively discussions among vinyl lovers. Some believe in it, some swear by it and some are definitely sceptical. I am definitely a believer and own a well-regarded record cleaner which has served me well for a few years. A thing of beauty it is not however, and it sits on a shelf in our office/study, to be used every so often when the mood takes me and I spend a morning in the rituals of cleaning. Once I have cleaned a record for the first time I slip into a new antistatic inner sleeve. It is a mystery to me why some record companies still ship their product in a coarse paper inner sleeve.
S.I.N. Audio is a very small boutique brand founded in Bulgaria in 2011 by Nikolay Kozev. S.I.N. Audio produces all types of cables but currently now only makes power cords, their specialty! Why electricity? SIN Audio (and SOS) passionately believes that when it comes to changes in the quality of the sound, the correct power cables and power distributors are of fundamental importance and far more important than any other audio cable in one’s system.
Unfortunately, this conviction has not yet established itself among many hi-fi / high-end friends/consumers. Correct power is without a doubt required in achieving the actual goal of natural musicality in one’s system.
S.I.N. Audio believes that electricity is the real foundation for a high-end audio system. Power cords, sockets, plugs and power conditioners … they really play the crucial role.
After a large number of listening tests, S.I.N. Audio came to the conclusion that any type of active current treatment (filtering, regeneration, etc.) negatively affects the sound by restricting dynamics, impulse energy and the natural flow of music. The only way to eliminate vibrations, EMI and RFI is to use carefully selected materials, the best possible components, and a sophisticated and technically perfect assembly technique.
S.I.N. AUDIO calls this “Silent Background Magnetic Technology” or SBMT. This technology is why most audiophiles who have listened to a SIN audio power conditioner no longer want to be without it and describe the sonic result as the most natural and enjoyable that has happened to them.
Upon S.I.N. Audios 10th anniversary they have developed the PSD-10 as a limited “Anniversary Edition”. An SBMT core was installed inside, on the basis of which the already high performance could be raised to an even higher level.
SOS’s current PSD-6 Carbon Edition has been the best line conditioner we have heard in over 30 years, we can’t wait to get our hands (and ears) on the new PSD 10th Anniversary Edition.
To tweak or not to tweak. That is the question! For some, or rather for the growing crowd of audiophiles and music lovers, this is the question that with the rise of high-end audio accessories, is becoming more and more feasible.
Introducing discOvery™ Natural Precision Record Cleaning Fluids, a new generation of specialist record cleaning solutions from Keith Monks. discOvery™ not only deep cleans but also reveals the true fidelity hidden in your records.
Pure and natural, mild yet potent, Keith Monks discOvery™ delivers an unrivalled combination of deep cleaning, noise reduction and sound enhancement… and yet our unique recipes contain no alcohol and no artificial chemicals or additives at all. Nothing but pure natural botanicals and other renewable natural ingredients, all made entirely from plants and the purest triple filtered distilled water. Non-polluting, and completely biodegradable. Carefully blended and perfected from an original Monks recipe dating back to 1976.
Keith Monks discOvery™ is the perfect cleaning fluid for all your vinyl LP records, 45s, 78s and other shellac discs, and leaves absolutely no audible residue after vacuuming. Use discOvery™ on brand new unplayed discs as well as well-loved treasures, and just listen to the difference it makes.
Dust, dirt, and grease are removed. Surface noise is removed. Static is removed. Mold (“mold”), mildew and other organic deposits are removed. Residue from smoke, open fires, food and other condensed fumes are removed. Particle residue from pressing stampers are removed. Mineral deposits, residue from previously used cleaning fluids and impure water, and other minerals and hardened deposits are removed.
Of course, as you would expect from Keith Monks, discOvery™ doesn’t just cut the noise either. The Keith Monks RCM’s reputation for sound enhancement as well as noise reduction is partly down to its ability to remove not just greasy marks but also just the right amount of mold release stamper oils (record pressing plants often use excess amounts to improve yield, but it muddies the sound) while still leaving a sufficient protective layer – perfect for brand new discs.
It is the improvements to the sound itself that has made the Keith Monks Record Cleaning Machine especially famous, and this has been constantly in our minds during the development of discOvery™.
Results of the new formula have been beyond our expectations: middle and upper frequencies sparkle with natural clarity, and the lower registers glow with previously unheard warmth and depth. Recordings become more open and detailed, with the soundstage dramatically improved overall. During tests listeners reported the sound appeared “wider, more panoramic” yet “completely natural, like listening to real instruments”.
Tested by the University of Southampton England, ‘planet friendly’ and affordably priced. Keith Monks discOvery™ performs in perfect harmony with all Keith Monks Record Cleaning Machines – naturally, as well as most other RCM such as Loricraft or VPI.
Complete one-bottle all-natural cleaning solution for restoring 33, 78s and other shellac records
The Bricasti M32 is the latest addition to the Bricasti line of power amplifiers. Formally announced at the 2019 Guangzhou Show, the limited production series M32 Platinum Series is Bricasti’s new flagship amplifier and is now available from Sounds Of Silence as of January 2021.
Based on the award winning M28 the M32 takes amplification to another level of performance. When compared, the M32 Platinum Series has more than 50% more current delivery than the M28; high current delivery, extremely low noise and distortion with lower power supply ripple.
This, combined with an increased chassis size capable of housing the new power transformer, Bricasti was able to maintain a greater distance between the transformer and the voltage and current gain sections of the amplifier, yielding extremely low noise performance and no practical interference from the power supply components and gain sections of the amplifier.
The power delivery of the M32 is increased to 250W into 8ohms, 500 into 4 ohms, and current limited for safety at 800W into 2 ohms, more than 1kw peak power into 4 ohms.
The M32 “High Current” amplifiers are available in Platinum Series or Black face versions.
Total Harmonic Distortion
THD+N less than 0.005% 20hz-20kHz at full rated power into 8, 4 and 2 ohms.
Power
250W into 8 ohms, 500W into 4 ohms, 1000W into 2 ohms.
The top-of-the-range Audiomica Flint Consequence digital cable offers an above-average realistic message, based mainly on holographically presented space.
The Consequence series is the flagship, and therefore the highest positioned in the offer of the Audiomica Laboratory brand. Its products are characterized by the most advanced design and the highest quality materials, used not only for the production of guides, but also insulators, not to mention the poles. This series uses the highest purity 7N OCC copper conductors and TPFE dielectrics, as well as extensive shielding systems. According to these assumptions, a digital interconnect flint consequence was also built.
An extensive shielding system, consisting of as many as six different layers, tightly enveding the entire length of the signal conductive core, proved crucial. It looks like the central solid core core, insulated with a fairly thick layer of flexible TPFE dielectric jacket, is encased in the first layer of the screen in the form of aluminum foil, covering 100 percent of the guide surface. The first screen is closed with the second screen on 90. percent of the surface. This time the screen is a copper braid made of thin copper threads. Then again we have an identical aluminum screen, again closed by a copper braid coat, but with a lower density – which in effect gives 70 percent opacity over the entire surface.
The whole is again insulated, but this time dielectric in the form of a PVC jacket. Then, as the last three layers, two copper braid screens were applied, covered with a white nylon mesh already visible from the outside.
Flint Consequence can be purchased either with RCA and BNC plugs, or in a mixed system, where there is an RCA plug at one end and BNC at the other end. The Flint Premium version also features a DFSS filter consisting of two ferrite cores, encased in an acoustics points POM-C AP50TM antistatic body made of polyoxymethylene copolymer.
Summary
Flint Consequence offers an authentic and above-average realistic message, based mainly on holographically presented space, but also faithfully reproduced dynamics while maintaining a equally distributed, throughout the reproduced frequency band, tonal balance. This digital interconnect combines the characteristics of a reference design that, in the case of perfectly ripped systems, will act as a connecting element for individual audio components, without the slightest damage to sound quality. The price of this cable, although not small, is fully justified.
Verdict: Audiomica Flint Consequence
Sound quality
Quality / Price
Execution
Capabilities
Pros: Made of the highest quality components. True sound, realistic with holographic space and freely rendered dynamics. Perfectly balanced over the entire frequency range.
Cons: At this price there is no.
Total: Flint Consequence works best in high-end ripped systems, where we are looking for additional reserves in the presented space and the most faithful representation of all technical aspects of sound.
We are happy to setup an appointment so you can listen to our equipment and learn more about the extraordinary products we host in our listening rooms. Please
call to setup that appointment:
facebook