So many people! I screamed inside. The Hearken Audio room was packed all the way to the main corridor, with people bustling to get inside. The room was also narrow, with only a few seats. I waited my turn and got inside to see what all the fuss was about. The first thing that caught my eye were the Stein Music Bobby Ultimate M speakers ($34000), which looked like pieces of art. The rest of the gear looked understatedly refined. It included a 100Wpc, KT120-tube-based Trafomatic EOS+ power amp ($14,500), a Trafomatic Lara preamp ($15200), and a vinyl front-end composed of a Reed 1C friction-drive turntable in Karelian birch ($22,600), a Reed 3P Macassar 10.5” tonearm ($7210), and a Etsuro Urushi Gold MC cartridge ($17,500), while cabling and line conditioning were by Yeti.
Based on the track I heard, “Man in the Long Black Coat” by Bob Dylan on vinyl, the sound matched the refined look of the gear. It was suave and natural-sounding. The depth, warmth, texture, and image of Dylan’s voice felt embracing, but I could still easily identify where the different tracks in the mix were located, with Dylan’s vocals and guitar appearing distinct, in their own separate spaces.
It was with great reluctance that I left the room after listening to only one song, but the line was still long with new visitors and I wanted each of them to have the opportunity to hear the great sound I’d just heard.
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 listening experience. Our commitment? Absolute authenticity. 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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