Ayon Audio is a company that specialises in expensive and very expensive audio components: amplifiers, digital sources and speakers. Already on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of "High Fidelity", they prepared a special version of the SACD CD-35 player, while now the CD-35 II HF Edition model was created on the occasion of the 200th edition of our magazine.

Identical twins

The CD-35 HF Edition and the CD-35 II HF Edition are almost completely identical, practically indistinguishable for someone who doesn't know their way around. If we look at the two players, we can swear that they are representatives of the same model. The unspoken "almost", however, points to differences that can be detected by a trained eye: a sticker on the rear panel with the inscription CD-35 II HF Edition, where HF Edition stands for HIGH FIDELITY EDITION, and the CD clamp integrated into the lid on the new version. On the 2017 model, the clamp had to be put on before the lid was closed. The basic difference, however, is that the Mk I was a Super Audio CD player, i.e. one designed for SACDs and CDs as well as CD-R/RWs, while the Mk II is "only" a compact disc player for audio CDs and CD-R/RWs. I have the impression that the possibility of playing SACDs in the earlier model was a kind of experiment - one whose results apparently did not satisfy Gerhard Hirt, the owner of Ayon Audio.

The thing is that playing CDs is different from playing SACDs and requires different software. The experience of the Ayon Audio company was that when one “tells” a StreamUnlimited transport to play Compact Discs only, it performs the task better than when it has to deal with two different disk types. Gerhard has never been a special SACD fan, as he is more into DSD files, but he is an analog person in the first place. Thus, while preparing the new CD-35 version, he again chose a format that is older, but at the same time represented by hundreds of millions, if not billions, of discs in home collections worldwide.

The CD-35 II HIGH FIDELITY EDITION, or the “HF Edition” for short, is the second “special” product in Ayon Audio history. The first one was the Super Audio CD CD-35 HF Edition player that we came up with together with Gerhard Hirt for two reasons – a “qualitative” and a “prestige-related” one, I would say. As for the former, the basic CD-35 version proved to be one of the best of such devices in its price range and showed the potential to become much more than that. The latter reason linked the Ayon Audio company to our magazine – it was supposed to be a model that would add splendor to the 15th anniversary of High Fidelity – some kind of a “seal” that would confirm our long-lasting friendship.

While we worked on the design of the special version, almost all the hard work was done by Gerhard and his engineers, and friends with whom he tests his new products with. My role was limited to pointing out the elements that I wanted to be improved and suggesting a few solutions, e.g. anti-vibration feet made by a Polish manufacturer. It was also known from the very beginning that only 50 units of this version of the player would be created, numbered and signed by the Ayon Audio owner. The end result was a device that changed not only my, but also other people’s view on what a digital source can sound like.

The new player was prepared by Gerhard on his own. However, it is based on the previous model, just like the basic CD-35 II version is based on the CD-35. The features that distinguish the new version, as pointed out by the owner of Ayon Audio, are the optimized Sanyo-Stream Unlimited CD mechanism, an improved servomechanism section, only with respect to CD playback, an integrated clamping system, an optimized low-pass filter, an altered PCM-DSD converter and new capacitor values for the tube output stage.

The HF EDITION version has been designed very similarly to the basic CD-35 II player that we have already written about. Those of you who are interested in the topic can familiarize themselves with that test. So as not to repeat myself, let me only give you the most basic information on the device below: The CD-35 II HF Edition is a top-loading Compact Disc player with an analog tube class A zero-feedback output stage and a dedicated tube power supply unit. Two tubes - double 6H30 + 5687 triodes – have been used in it. The former was manufactured by Electro-Harmonix, while the latter was made by General Electric and obtained from army supplies (JAN 5687WB). The PSU features two R-core transformers and the Soviet GZ30 rectifier tube for the analog section.

The CD-35 II HF Edition is not only a CD player, but also a versatile DAC. It offers a variety of digital inputs: apart from classic 75 Ω S/PDIF (RCA + BNC), 110 Ω AES/EBU and USB inputs, it also features an I2S (RJ45 socket -based) input for PCM signal and a professional 3 x BNC input for DSD signal not used in home devices. Digital-to-analog signal conversion is performed by two AKM 4497EQ DAC chips, one per channel, which accept PCM signal up to 768 kHz/32 bit and DSD signal up to DSD256. The “Signature” version of the device is equipped with a D/D converter which allows us to convert PCM to DSD (DSD128 or DSD256). Before the signal reaches the AKMs, we can use the “secret ingredient” of the Ayon Audio company, i.e. its own digital D/D converter. This is an optional feature that has to be additionally paid for, but the CD-35 II will be a little disadvantaged without it. It is already included in the Signature and HF versions. The choice is between DSD128 and DSD256. I always use the latter, as it is characterized by much less high-frequency noise (outside the bandwidth) within signal than classic DSD conversion. However, one can also upsample DSD signal, e.g. from the USB input; the 3xBNC inputs will not make use of it.

Another option is the preamp section. In the CD-35 II, signal is amplified in a balanced circuit, so beside two analog RCA inputs we also have an XLR input. Volume control is performed by an integrated resistor ladder from the PGA series. It is managed either using buttons on the upper panel, or an aluminum remote control that also gives us access to upsampling and lets us choose one of two digital filters – I use filter No. 1. The information is displayed on the front of the device, next to the track number, time and volume level.

The differences between the basic version of the tested player and the one prepared on the occasion of the 200th issue of “High Fidelity” are mainly hidden inside. They are also visible on the outside, but we will only notice them if we know the basic version. The most obvious change is the new feet, the Ceramic Disc Classic from the Polish company Franc Audio Accessories, with a finish specially designed for Ayon Audio. Our attention will also be caught by black (not silver) anodized grilles covering the cooling openings, buttons and the handle of the disc closing the CD chamber. There is no indication on the front of the device whether it is the Mk-II version or the HF edition. This information is located on the back of the unit. We are informed about the special version by a sticker with the signature of Gerhard Hirt, the owner of Ayon Audio. The sticker also contains the information about which device it is, as there will only be 35 of them on the market.

More changes can be found inside. They were made in the power supply and output sections, as the transport and the digital section are the same in both versions. The changes are:

• 20 x 2-Watt tantalum resistors in the signal path,
• 4 x VCap TFTF capacitors, 4 x Mundorf Supreme SGO capacitors and 4 x “special” (as Gerhard calls them) capacitors bypassing the larger electrolytic capacitors,
• WBT nextGen output analog connectors,
• the tube output has been “optimized” to match new components,
• all of the most important components have been manually selected and are characterized by tolerance below 1%,
• additional, manual adjustment of the low-pass filter,
• ultra-precisely selected tubes, measured in the player’s supports.

The listening session

The player was listened to in the High Fidelity reference system. It was compared to two SACD players – our editorial staff’s reference player, i.e. the Ayon Audio CD-35 HF EDITION and the simultaneously tested Esoteri K-01XD player. The tested player was placed on the upper shelf of the Finite Elemente Master Reference Pagode Edition (Mk I) rack, without an additional anti-vibration platform. When it played by itself, power was supplied by the Siltech Triple Crown cable, while signal was sent through the RCA Siltech Triple Crown interconnect. For direct comparisons, power was supplied to both players – the tested and the reference one – by the Acoustic Revive Absolute Power cable, while signal was sent via the Acoustic Revive Absolute RCA-1.0 interconnects.

While listening to the two HF EDITION players one right after another, in different combinations, it is easy to come to the conclusion that these are very similar devices, i.e. that they are more different from other digital players available on the market than from each other. Their sound has developed on the basis of the same foundations and aesthetics, which makes them appear to be the same to a random person – perhaps not identical, but similar enough for the listener to regard the differences between them as irrelevant. However, I assume that High Fidelity readers are no random listeners, but people who know what they want and are well-prepared for the challenge. Therefore, the differences between the models may prove to be the key to getting to the place where they would like to be sonically. As far as they are concerned, the shifts in emphasis, a slight change of perspective and apparently slight differences will prove bigger than one may assume based on reading the previous paragraph. For those listeners these may be “to be or not to be” differences.

It is because these are not “the same” players. Obviously, they sound alike and use a similar approach to building sound, but, paradoxically in the context of the first paragraph, the differences between them would make it easier for me to compare either of them to another manufacturer’s top-of-the-range player, e.g. the fantastic Gryphon Ethos, or Esoteric K-01XD, and to talk about the similarities between them, rather than compare the CD-35 HF Edition and CD-35 II HF Edition.

Some of the characteristics, however, are clearly different, e.g. perspective. The new player builds it in a completely different way. While the Mk I shows events fairly close, saturates them in order to make their 3D images large and tangible, the Mk II presents the foreground in a larger distance from us, though not too much, ca. one meter further away. My player attempts to saturate the musical message with emotions through quite a close presentation and to ensure the best energy transfer possible – the closer we sit to a sound source, the more tangible and direct it is, right?

Well – yes and no – while listening to the CD-35 II HF Edition, we will notice that tangibility and energy transfer can be “dealt with” in a different way. By moving the foreground further away from us, the device makes it focused and enlarged. That is right, we get a more condensed image with it, placed further away from the line connecting the loudspeakers, but also one that is larger. “Condensing the image” most often entails making it smaller, since if the same information has got to be clearer, it also has to be condensed. And this is what usually happens, but not here – not with the MkII.

The new Ayon player makes sound focused and simultaneously enlarges it. Let me add that it also saturates it by transferring more information. Both of the players are spectacular in this respect, but the MkII does it better. Audiophile jargon includes the term „unveil”, also referred to as “removing the blanket” – i.e. after we start using a better audio product, sound becomes clearer. And perhaps it is not about such a change in this case, as it would be more appropriate to talk about removing a layer of muslin here, but this is the impression we get after replacing the MkI with Mk II.

Rather than enhancing detail, the new player reveals more. Its sound is more dense and clearer at the same time, and sound sources are clearer and stronger, but they have more “air” around them, and their micro-acoustics is less ambiguous. This leads us directly to Gerhard’s point of reference, i.e. the sound of an analog master tape. Not the sound of other digital players, not even his beloved LP, but tape.

Similarly as in the case of this medium, the sound of the MkII makes it impossible to delineate 3D images clearly and to precisely define the spot where the musicians are standing. It is because they are combined with reverberation, added at the studio or natural, which prevents us from instantly locating the sound source in real life as well. It was clearly audible with purist recordings made using two microphones onto a Nagra tape recorder, placed on 2xHD company samplers entitled Audiophile Analog Collection Vol. 1 + Vol. 2. One could clearly observe what I am talking about with them, i.e. the fact that the tested player moves the foreground further away and shows clearer phantom images that are larger and more saturated at the same time, as well as darker, which is totally surprising.

The first version of the device was unique in this respect, as it was so similar to what we get with tape. It is not “the same sound”, but it is “of the same kind” – in the end, these are two different formats and recording methods. However, each version of the CD-35 player is closer to the sound of an analog tape recorder than to an LP and to a much larger extent than I have heard with any other digital disc player, not to mention files. And the new version is even closer, also through the darkness it introduces.

I know that not everyone likes the Ayon Audio player that I use. It is good, as audio is the art of selection and compromise. Anyway, the main arguments that I have heard against it, held by its opponents, were that it includes “too little detail” and is “too dark”. And this is true, as it is not a device that would emphasize details and it is also one that sounds dark. However, from my point of view, it is an excellent choice which yields fantastic results. And when I heard how the MkII played the discs produced by René Laflamme, what recordings by the Three Blind Mice record label, e.g. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio Midnight Sugar from the gold HDCD, sounded like and, finally, what the sound of John Scofield’s album entitled Swallow Tales was, I was surprised by the fact that one can go even further in this direction, achieving yet more.

It is because we not only get great sound stage and a full bodied sound here, but also excellent dynamics. You know what a percussion heard from a distance of two meters sounds like, don’t you? It may kind of kill you with a sudden, instantly extinguished strike. This cannot be reproduced in a recording, as it is simply impossible, but it can be nicely suggested – and the MkII suggests it in a really meaningful manner. The sound of percussion elements from the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio album, recorded using closely placed microphones, was so suggestive and natural that we can rarely find anything like it anywhere else. The MkII softened and rounded it a little. Its sound was a little more pleasant, and also less real, but the impression of being in front of a real instrument was unusually strong.

Finally, we can talk about bass. Not only can it be found here, but it is also strong and deep in the new version. Its medium range seems to be clearer, perhaps even more than in the MkI version. The whole range sounds similar with both devices, through its softness and fullness, as well as good beat, even though it is not hardened too much. It has better focus with the new player, but it still remains on the pleasant, real side of sound.

The older version of the player provides us with a softer and more velvety musical message, which can be heard with every recording. However, it is partly because of the slightly more blurred sound attack. Compared to other top-of-the-range devices, sound attack and decay are formulated equally precisely here, though the Gryphon Ethos and dCS Vivaldi, for example, do it in a different way, emphasizing the front of the attack more. The Ayon CD-35 HF Edition, i.e. the first version of the tested player, does not “enter” sound that hard, hiding the “rigidity” of the attack behind its fullness. These are two equal approaches to sound, but, let us repeat it, different ones.

The new version of the Ayon player moves a step closer to the abovementioned players, though it is still closer to the MkI and to emm Labs or MSB devices. Perhaps this is why its bass seems to be more condensed than in the old version, even though it is not so. I raised my eyebrow only while listening to albums characterized by higher compression and with a strong, electric, or even electronic bass, e.g. Aquavoice's Nocturne on the Master CD-R burnt for me by its mastering specialist, Marcin Bociński.

The thing is that, when compared to the MkI, the new player features a small, but yet audible “exaggeration” of this range, a little bit similar to what we get with turntables. The best turntables play bass in an excellent manner and it is hard to accuse them of overemphasizing, but after listening to the same material from tape, it is clear that it is a little “made up” on the LP. It was similar with the CD-35 II HF Edition playing strong, electric music. People will like it, as this is what we call “drive” and “motor”. However, it was also clear to me that the older version does it in a more subtle manner.

Compact Disc vs. Super Audio CD

The CD listening session demonstrated that the new version of the top-of-the-range Ayon Audio player is better than the old one in a few respects. For laymen, the differences may not seem that big, but for anyone who has listened to a lot of CDs and spent many years with live music, it will be clear that these are important differences, sometimes even basic ones. It is because the MkII is simply a device that, while playing CDs, differentiates sound better, both when it comes to tone color and dynamics, as well as space. It shows more information, thanks to which it can build a yet more credible musical message.

The situation takes on a little different color when we start thinking about the CD-35 HF Edition not as a COMPACT DISC player, but a SUPER AUDIO CD and Compact Disc player. It is because in audio something is always sacrificed for something else. Gerhard Hirt did not included the SACD option in his new device on purpose, in order to improve the sound from CDs. And that worked out. But SACDs prove to be something so different and attractive enough, that comparing the same recordings played from CDs or from the CD layer of hybrid SACDs on the new player, and SACDs on its older version, showed both in a slightly different light.

My “old” player shows this world in a unique manner. The sound with SACDs is deeper, more dense, and more real in the first place. The differences between the MkI playing a SACD and the MkII with a CD (CD with the same material or a CD layer on a hybrid SACD) are substantial, at least in the context of high-end where we are situated. I would say it is a similar distance, such as the one between the new and older player playing CDs – this time, however, to the advantage of the CD-35 HF Edition, i.e. the SACD player.

Even though all the advantages of the new player were constant and predictable, i.e. homogenous with CDs, the difference in the obtained results was much greater in the case of SACDs. The biggest differences to the advantage of SACDs and my player could be found with relation to the transfer from analog tapes straight onto DSD files. The amount of information that we get here is simply hard (if not impossible) to reproduce using a CD player, even such a unique one as the CD-35 II HF Edition.

However, if the source were PCM files converted at a studio to DSD, the situation during the listening session was not that clear anymore. Yes, I still preferred the SACD versions, but while listening to their counterparts on CDs from the new player, I would quickly forget that it was “only” a Compact Disc player, as the benefits in the form of greater focus, enhanced depth and much better stereophony, also in the spatial domain, resulted in something unique. Anyway, the differences between the SACD player from the reference system and the new CD player with the “High Fidelity” logo come down to “presence” in this case, i.e. the feeling that we are witnessing a real event. The presence is more emphasized in the case of most SACDs. It is them that everything is more credible and pleasant with, and resembles the sound that I have in mind more.

Das Rot meines Phonitor se sieht einfach schick aus. Und SPL weiß das auch. Denn obwohl Varianten in silber oder schwarz verfügbar wären, dominieren bei ihren Messeauftritten die Ausstellungsstücke in genau diesem satten Farbton. Zudem betören dort vibrierende, in gut designten Audio-Geräte verbaute VU-Meter den in Ehren ergrauten HiFi-Fan.

Auf diese klassische Form der Pegel-Information muss ich bei meinem Test-Kopfhörerverstärker leider verzichten. Präsentiert sich der Einstieg in die Serie der Phonitor Headamps doch ebenso entschlackt wie fokussiert. Gespart wurde aber weder bei der erstklassigen Verarbeitung noch bei dem hochwertigen Innenleben: Satt einrastende Kippschalter, ein geschmeidig laufender Volumenregel sowie die obligatorische 6,3-Millimeter-Klinkenbuchse als Anschluss für den Kopfhörer bestimmen nebst roter Kontroll-LED die Front. Das andere Ende des bei allen Farbvarianten schwarzen Gehäuses zeigt sich gleichfalls aufgeräumt: Eine Netzbuchse mit integriertem Netzschalter, das frontseitig verbaute Pendant versetzt das kompakte Gerät ausschließlich in den Bereitschaftsmodus, ein unsymmetrisches Eingangstor für analoge Signale, sowie drei zusätzliche digitale Schnittstellen.

Wobei die Bits und Bytes nur Zugang haben, sofern der optional verfügbare D/A Wandler DAC 768xs mitgeordert wurde, andernfalls verschließt ein kleiner Deckel die Lücken im stabilen Gehäuse. Die Entscheidung ob der Phonitor se lediglich rein analog oder gleichfalls digital genutzt werden soll, gilt es am besten vor dem Kauf zu fällen. Eine spätere Nachrüstung des Wandlers ist denkbar, kann aber nicht über den gesamten Produktzyklus garantiert werden. Ich greife mal vor, ordern Sie den Phonitor se direkt mit der Wandlereinheit, Sie werden die Investition von circa 400 Euro nicht bereuen. Die im Portfolio teilweise deutlich höher positionierten Modelle Phonitor e, x, xe greifen darüber hinaus auf das baugleiche D/A-Modul zurück, in dessen Zentrum der Analogisierung der bestens beleumundete AKM AK4490 DAC Chip steht.

AKM DAC-Chip, war da nicht was? Vor wenigen Wochen wurden im fernen Japan die Produktionsanlagen des renommierten Herstellers durch einen Großbrand stark in Mitleidenschaft gezogen. Nachdem das Ausmaß der Zerstörung bekannt wurde, ging ein weltweites, vernehmliches Stöhnen durch die Audio-Branche. Aber die Niederrheiner nahmen die Nachricht gefasst auf. Wird doch bei sensiblen Bauteilen auf eine traditionelle Lagerhaltung gesetzt, statt auf Just-in-Time. Und so kann SPL den Wiederaufbau vergleichsweise ruhig verfolgen, während andere High-End-Manufakturen aktuell den Weltmarkt nach AKM Beständen recht unentspannt durchforsten.

Nach diesem Ausflug in die Empfindlichkeiten von globalen Lieferketten, drehen wir den Phonitor se auf seinen Gehäusedeckel und registrieren zwei DIP-Schalter. Stehen sie auf ON wird das Signal an der Kopfhörerbuchse um zwölf Dezibel angehoben. Das finde ich äußerst praktisch, denn je nach Leistungsbedarf des angeschlossen Hörers kann der Regelbereich der Lautstärkekontrolle in Gänze genutzt werden – ein Potentiometer, das unmittelbar hinter der Alu-Front sitzt, nicht fernbedienbar ist und natürlich von Alps stammt. Auch die anderen Elemente auf der Stirnseite können nicht aus der Ferne bedient werden.

Selbsterklärend sind die beiden linksseitig montierten Kippschalter. Einer entscheidet darüber, welche Musiksignale der Verstärkung zugeführt werden, die elektrischen Schwingungen der analogen Cinch-Buchsen oder die Amplituden des D/A-Wandlers. USB, Koxial und Toslink verwaltet ein weiterer dreistufiger Schalter. Unter den dreien ist die USB-B Buchse der Alleskönner, akzeptiert sie doch im PCM-Modus eine Auflösung von bis zu 768 Kilohertz, zugleich dürfen ebenda DSD256-Dateien in den Phonitor se einströmen. Infolge der technischen Restriktionen ist die maximale Signalkapazität am Lichtleitereingang, wie auch an der Cinch-Buchse nicht ganz so wuchtig, obschon völlig ausreichend.

Eingeschoben sei an dieser Stelle eine kurze Betrachtung über das Hören mit einem Kopfhörer, unterscheidet es sich doch offenkundig von der musikalischen Wahrnehmung mittels Schallwandler in einem Hörraum. Stets bildet die umgebende Raumakustik mit dem Wunsch-Lautsprecher eine akustische Einheit. Zugezogene Gardinen, ein hochfloriger Teppich oder sorgsam platzierte Akustikelemente beeinflussen die Töne auf ihrem weiten Weg vom Chassis zu unserem Gehör. Und gerade die feinen, leisen Nuancen der Reproduktion verlieren auf dieser Strecke schnell und nachhaltig den Kampf mit den tongreifenden Raumeinflüssen. Unmittelbar hingegen ist die Wiedergabe über die ohrnahen federleichten Membranen. Hier erreicht die angeregte Luftsäule direkt unser Trommelfell sowie die vielen dahinter verborgenen Hörnerven. Alle Finessen der Produktion werden serviert, jede Interpretation des Klanggeschehens der an der Nachbildung beteiligten Komponenten wird artikuliert. Folgerichtig beschenkt uns das Wahrnehmen von Musik mit einer guten Kopfhörer-Verstärker-Kombination unzählige Das-habe-ich-ja-noch-nie-gehört-Momente.

Das klingt verheißungsvoll und ist doch nicht frei von Tücken. Denn die Unmittelbarkeit der Darbietung fordert die Entwickler, bei SPL ist dies namentlich Bastian Neu, außerordentlich. Einerseits können dem Anwender kleinste Verästelungen im Klanggeschehen dargeboten werden, anderseits kann dieser Akkuratesse zu einer Überflutung von Reizen führen, die bei aller Pracht eben auch anstrengend ist. Besonders fix verderben liederlich erstellte Musikkonserven das vermeintliche Musikerlebnis.

Doch die Voraussetzungen die Vor- und Nachteile miteinander zu versöhnen, sind bei einer Firma wie SPL gut. Richten sich deren Entwicklungen und Audiogeräte seit 1983 doch zuvorderst an Profi-Musikhörer, an Menschen, die den kreativen Prozess der Musikentstehung aktiv auf allen Ebenen begleiten. Eine Klientel, die stets mit einem Kopfhörer auf dem Haupt anzutreffen ist. Und es ist genau der Kreis von Hörern, der eine schnörkellose exakte Performance stundenlang genießen möchte, respektive muss.

Ermöglichen soll die Symbiose der Unerläßlichkeiten die von SPL Voltair getaufte Audiosignalverstärkung. Vereinfacht ausgedrückt arbeitet Voltair mit einer deutlich höheren Betriebsspannung im Maschinenraum: Für gewöhnlich fließen die Elektronen angetrieben von 30 Volt Gleichspannung durch die Platinen unserer Audio-Komponenten. SPL setzt auf die Vervielfachung der Spannung und damit zwangsläufig auf selbst entwickelte OP-Verstärker, denn handelsübliche Modelle würden befeuert durch 120 Volt den sofortigen Hitzetod sterben. Die Macher aus Niederkrüchten versprechen sich von ihrer technologischen Basis eine Vielzahl von Vorteilen: Geringeres Rauschen, einen signifikant erweiterten Dynamikbereich, mehr Reserven bei Pegelspitzen und weniger Verzerrungen. Und sie sind so überzeugt von ihrer Technik, dass Sie sie quer durch ihr Portfolio einsetzen.

Aber ist Voltair auch wirklich die Formel für Gelassenheit bei maximaler Dramatik? Mit dieser Frage im Gepäck, leite ich elegant zum Hörtest und der Deutung des letzten verbliebenen Schalters über. Steht doch die Wirkung wie auch die Qualität von der bisher nicht erläuterten Funktion Matrix unmittelbar mit der klanglichen Performance in Zusammenhang. Auch die räumliche Wahrnehmung eines Schallereignisses mittels Kopfhörer oder Lautsprecher unterscheidet sich selbstredend erheblich. So erreichen die von Boxen erzeugten Schallanteile eines Kanals nicht nur das zugewandt Ohr sondern ebenso, wenn auch zeitverzögert und leiser ebenfalls das abgewandte. Mithilfe dieser Daten kann unser Gehirn Schallquellen lokalisieren.

Das hat uns früher bei der Ortung von Gefahren geholfen – Feindbild Säbelzahntiger – und heute können wir damit die Protagonisten in einem Orchester identifizieren. Mit dem Kopfhörer am Ohr entsteht stattdessen in unserem Kopf ein synthetischer imaginärer Raum mit einer artifiziellen Positionierung der Künstler. Ein Effekt, so SPL, der irritieren und ermüden kann. Dem wirkt ein Filternetzwerk, das eine Lautsprecheraufstellung rekonstruiert, gezielt entgegen: Es werden Laufzeit- und Pegeldifferenzen erzeugt, die den Musikinformationen des jeweils anderen Kanals hinzugefügt werden. Erstaunlicherweise erfolgt dies analog. Und so steht die zweistufige Schaltung schon in der wandlerfreien Grundausführung des Phonitor se zur Verfügung.

Nicht nur beim Auspacken beweist die rote Farbe ihre EyeCatcher Qualitäten, auch in der im freundlichen schwarz gehaltenen Testanlage zieht der Phonitor se die Aufmerksamkeit auf sich. Aber nicht nur Blicke docken an. Ohne Umwege wird der kleine Amp mit der Phonovorstufe verbunden, zugleich stellt ein Cinch-Kabel den Kontakt zum digitalen Netzwerk her. Fortan dient der leistungsmäßig nicht besonders anspruchsvolle Sennheiser HD 800 als Quelle von rhythmischen Luftbewegungen, die optionalen Plus-Zwölf-Dezibel benötigt er nicht. Wie überhaupt die Potenz der Verstärkung über jeden Zweifel erhaben ist, ein Blick auf das Datenblatt legt davon Zeugnis ab. Niederohmige wie auch leistungshungrige Vertreter der Spezies Kopfhörer finden mit dem Phonitor einen passenden Partner.

Trotz aller Neugierde darf sich der se erst einmal im Stromnetz einleben. Abgedimmt signalisiert die Betriebsleuchte den Ruhezustand, leuchtet sie hell, dann geht es los. Emiliana Torrinis „Lifesaver“ aus dem Album Fisherman's Woman steht am Anfang einer mehrtägigen Hörsession. Der leise Song ist eingebettet in eine wunderbare Segelboot-Atmosphäre. Ebenso prononciert wie natürlich ist die Stimme der Isländerin, das Knarren und Knarzen der Schiffsplanken erscheint völlig überzeugend – für ein paar Minuten wird man auf die ruhige See entführt. Als Countertenor ist Philippe Jaroussky einer der besten seines Faches; im Jahr 2007 spielte er das Album Heroes mit Werken von Antonio Vivaldi ein. Eine musikalisch wie klangtechnisch tolle Produktion. Der Paarung Kopfhörer und Phonitor se gelingt eine facettenreiche Darbietung mit authentischen Klangfarben. Fast scheint es die Präzision der Wiedergabe die Bewegungen des Ausnahmekünstlers vor dem Mikrophon zu visualisieren.

In einem ganz anderen Genre ist Dillon unterwegs. Die gebürtige Brasilianerin veröffentlichte Live at Haus der Berliner Festspiele, die Bestandsaufnahme der ersten beiden Longplayer. „From One to Six Hundred Kilometers“ ist eindringlicher Elektropop, der weder mit Dynamik noch mit Bass geizt – nichts was die se-Klasse hätte erschüttern können. Insgesamt ist es kein spektakuläres Klangbild, im ersten Moment wirkt es gar etwas zurückhaltend, dennoch ist es bemerkenswert ausgefeilt.

Den vielen digitalen Musikbeispielen schließen sich Langspielplatten von Neil Young und Johann Johansson an. Und das SetUp erlaubt es, Vinyl über den analogen Eingang wie auch via integriertem Wandler abzuhören. Ein Vergleich, in dem sich der DAC 768xs hervorragend schlägt. Die Unterschiede zum Original sind marginal und in Teilen zudem der vorangegangen A/D-Wandlung geschuldet. Nicht ganz dreitausend Euro kostet die Kombination aus Kopfhörer und Phonitor se. Zweifellos nicht wenig Geld, aber für den Eintritt in die Welt des highendigen Hörens ein Sonderangebot.

Doch die Formulierung verlangt, damit sie keine Worthülse bleibt, nach einer Definition. Unstrittig ist, dass selbst ein billiger Bluetooth-Lautsprecher Töne überträgt, die es problemlos ermöglichen, den Song wie auch den Interpreten zu erkennen. Folglich wird das Resultat allzu oft kommentiert mit der Aussage: Mir reicht das. Nein es reicht nicht! Komponisten, Künstler, Musiker schaffen Kunstwerke, die erobert werden wollen und dafür ist es nicht ausreichend, Töne halbwegs richtig hintereinander anzuordnen. Musik lebt von den der Akzentuierung des Anschlags, den feinen wie groben Dynamikunterschieden, von der Qualität der eingesetzten Instrumente, von dem gewählten Tempi und und und… Sobald derlei Details umfassend erlebt werden, ist der entscheidende Schritt für das Verständnis der Musik getan.

Von David Sylvian gibt es eine etwas sperrige Klangcollage unter dem Namen Approaching Silence. Mit der Testpaarung habe ich erstmalig alle 38 Minuten durchgehalten, so spannend wie mühelos wurden die Tongebilde serviert. Musikstücke, die ich einfach schon viel zu oft gehört habe, wie Take Five von Dave Brubeck oder Oskar Petersons You look good to me, machten wieder Spaß – C’est bon! Völlig nachvollziehbar war die Wirkung der Matrix-Funktion, wobei der Grad des Einflusses auch von der Aufnahme abhängt. Wie offeriert, werden sphärischen Räume, die im Kopf entstehen, eingezäunt. Vielen Aufnahmen tat das gut, aber nicht allen – schön das Mann wie Frau die Wahl hat.