Some rooms stick with you long after the exhibits have been dismantled and everyone has gone home, and I’m betting this one will be one of them.
It stood out—visually, sonically, and pricewise. Not that it was inexpensive, but it seemed to offer a lot of artisanal, high-end bang for the buck. The setup included the MACO open-baffle Macaria speakers ($15,699/pair), a pair of Whammerdyne Heavy Industries Damn Awesome 2A3 SET monoblocks (US$17,500/pair), and a LampizatOr Amber 5 DAC with volume control (US$7,000), all wired with Viablue cabling. On silent display during my visit was Whammerdyne’s Circuit Salad integrated amplifier, featuring an indirectly heated triode input stage and a solid-state output stage.
The sound I heard—mostly electronic fare—was immediate and in-your-face explicit: über-transparent, tactile, enveloping, tonally juicy, tangible, and richly detailed. Vocals emerged as breathy caresses that warmed the soul.
Before this, I’d never heard of either brand, but they have my attention now.
Robert Schryer believes that all you need is love… along with music and good gear. Such is his belief in the power of music and audio to bring harmony to the world that he has chosen to dedicate his life to advancing their collective cause.
As you might know, PMA is an independent consumer audio and music magazine that prides itself on doing things differently. For the past three years, we’ve dedicated ourselves to bringing you an authentic reading experience. We steer clear of commercial influences, ensuring that what you hear from us is genuine, unfiltered, and true to our values.
However, independence comes with its challenges. To continue our journey of honest journalism and to maintain the quality of content you love, we find ourselves turning to you, our community, for support. Your contributions, no matter how small, will help us sustain our operations and continue to deliver the content you trust and enjoy. It’s your support that empowers us to remain independent and keep our ears to the ground, listening and sharing stories that matter, without any external pressures or biases.
Thank you so much for being a part of our journey.
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