I loved the ArtistCloner room, the simultaneously industrial, psychedelic, and archaic decor, the whimsical outfits of the two hosts, designer / owner Sylvio and his colleague / wife Isabelle. ArtistCloner stood out, not just aesthetically, but sonically.
Their room sounded amazing. The sound was warm yet tight. It was colourful, fast, and dimensional, with solid bass extension. On Tidal streams of a jazz rendition of Vivaldi’s “Spring” by the Jacques Loussier Trio and “Tin Pan Alley” by Stevie Ray Vaughan, I got sucked into the music, transfixed.
The all-ArtistCloner system included a Luceo preamp ($8000), which employs a zero-feedback circuit design with a custom static-shielded transformer, a pair of the steampunk-like Mekanika speakers with their cabinets made of wood, iron, and stone ($28,500/pr with pre-order; $36,600/pr after June 1st, 2024), a pair of 48W solid state Coleo monoblocs ($9000 each), and a Pteros V4 power bar ($4800).
I really enjoyed my time in this room. I think ArtistCloner’s components are serious contenders in terms of sound quality. The speakers’ fun look is just icing on the cake. And if you prefer speakers with a more traditional look, ArtistCloner makes those, too.
As an audiophile and a voracious listener of all kinds of music, Jonson believes that the experience of being immersed in music is often something spiritual. Born and raised in Korea, he cut his teeth on western music mostly through the music of the 80s and the 90s. As of today, names that make his heart beat a little faster include Vladimir Horowitz, John Coltrane, Youn-Sun Nah, Francis Poulenc, Leonard Bernstein, Tannoy, and Magnepan. Jonson also runs a podcast and a YouTube channel about language learning, called SpongeMind.
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.
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