Let's close the two covers of the superbly crafted case again and turn our attention to the music: After having thought to have noticed a slight roughness in the sound when played out-of-the-box, it now looks quite different after a week in standby mode connected to the unfiltered power outlet of my Mudra Max and accompanied by several hours of casual music listening. However, this clearly depicted sonic image is somewhat unusual and impressive at the same time. In the past months I had the opportunity to have several top-class amplifiers in the price range above 6000 euros performing on my full-range ribbon loudspeakers. They all differed from each other sonically. But only very few of them were able to generate such a controlled and contoured bass as the Forté1. It obviously doesn't allow my Analysis Audio Epsylon to show any uncontrolled reverberation. This not only offers a precise and deep bass response, but it also affects transparency and fine detail throughout the whole frequency spectrum. So I am happy about this kind of clear and clean sound, which I did not expect from a device in this price range in the first place. When I streamed the album Life Goes On from Qobuz in CD quality, Carla Bley's grand piano sounded beautifully full-bodied woody, clear without thickening up and completely free of unwelcome artifacts. In a powerful and equally filigree manner, the Forté makes the grand piano sound credibly proportioned. The instruments of the two fellow musicians Steve Swallow on the bass and Andy Sheppard alternatingly on both tenor and soprano saxophone join in colourfully and well contoured. The Forté1 lets the music flow and caresses the listener despite all its accuracy. This is an ability that one cannot really expect from such a low-priced component - even if 5000 euros is not chicken feed. Compared to the experiences I had in the same acoustic environment with completely different calibers, I should note, however, that the Forté can certainly not keep up with them in all points.

Thus, the Forté does not embrace the listener with the cozy musical warmth as a Cayin CS-805A does, for example, and it certainly does not achieve the grandeur of Marco Manunta's Larson mono amps either. How could that be, given the price differences? But even if you take the just mentioned antagonists as standards, there still is something special, pleasing, sonically appealing in the tonal character of the smallest delegate of the Axxess range. It’s the accuracy, which is particularly impressive in the lows and in the fundamental tone. Still, it is not accompanied by a particular graduation in the spatial imaging. It’s there, but not in such a way as to astonish: The Forté outlines the imaginary stage in a contoured and credible manner. More is not necessary here. As with all audio components, the decisive factor for me is the enjoyment factor, as well as the answer to the question: Does the music touch me emotionally? With the Forté1, I can happily say yes to that.

Even when I connected my Wadia CD transport via a Toslink cable and inserted The In Crowd by the Ramsey Lewis Trio, the basic musical character of the Forté remained the same, and it was real fun listening to the music. It satisfies me with its enthusiasm and the immediacy with which it renders the music. I mainly used it as a streamer and as a DAC fed by the Roon computer. The latter combination made the sound a bit warmer, more rounded off, which I personally liked very much, but may not necessarily be considered better. As a stand-alone component in the network, the Forté1 lets its strengths shine entirely and independently of the music genre. Imposing and immensely colourful, powerful and decisive, tonally with a minimal unstable iridescence, as probably desired by the composer, do the eight horns sound in the intro of Symphony No. 3 by Gustav Mahler with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mariss Jansons. This excellent recording then lets the low-frequent percussion roll punchily into the room from behind. The Forté1's accuracy takes nothing whatsoever away from the instruments' colourfulness and sonority. Accuracy and tonal splendor find a thrilling synthesis in the Forté1, and particularly so in "classical" music. I have rarely enjoyed this symphony in such a state of excitement. The dynamics leave nothing to be desired here either, and the spatial imaging, while not overly deep, is large on a cleanly delineated, wide stage.