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The Inaugural Southwest Audio Fest
Batik Room Next Level HiFi
And Audio Group Denmark
There can be no question that efforts and products from Audio Group Denmark, manufactured in Aalborg, Denmark, are making a significant statement and impact, and not just with their flagship electronics, speakers, cables, and accessories. I've said this before, but I am almost more taken with the extreme performance they are able to realize as all that technology has trickled down to their entry-level systems like the Axxess all-in-one electronics lineup and X series of B๘rresen Acoustics loudspeakers. AGD's North American sales manager, Peter Hansen, was on site, working alongside Wayne, Illinois retailer, Next Level HiFi's owner, Tyler Mueller, and manager Joshua Jendryka, and this team knocked it out of the park. Again!
Primary System Details Using all
flagship-level products at every stage: Aavik C-880 Preamp $70,000 Aavik P-880 Stereo Amp (2 used to biamplify) $70,000 each
and $140,000/pair Speaker Cables Ansuz Speakz Gold Signature, 3M $108,000/pair Interconnects Ansuz Signalz Gold Signature, 2M $51,000/pair Ethernet Cable Ansuz Digitalz LAN Gold Signature, 2M $12,400/each Power Cables Ansuz Mainz Gold Signature, 3M $68,000/each Power Distribution Ansuz Mainz8 D-TC Gold Signature $64,000 Ethernet Switch Ansuz D-TC Gold Signature $23,000 Power Box Ansuz D-TC Gold Signature $23,000
Secondary System Details: B๘rresen Acoustics X6 loudspeakers $22,000/pair Full Loom of Ansuz A2 Level of cables/power distribution/Ethernet switch Speaker Cables Ansuz Speakz A2, 2M $4,600/pair Ethernet Cable Ansuz Digitalz A2 Ethernet Cable, 1M $1,200/each Power Cable Ansuz Mainz A2, 1M MSRP $2,300/each Power Distribution Ansuz Mainz8 A3 $3,700/each Ethernet Switch Ansuz A3 Power Switch $4,000
Let's start with the Secondary system, as the level of accomplishment it presents with its all-in price of about $50,000 is just to die for... No, that is not chump change, but in today's audiophile landscape, it can't be seen as being ridiculously expensive either! But what a performance. From airy, shimmering, detailed treble, sparkling, vibrant, and lucid midrange, to extended, punchy, and impactful bass, this system simply delivers. This could easily be a final destination system for most music-loving audiophiles!
Then there are the miscreants like yours truly, who simply exist to hear what can be accomplished when the gear pushes conventional limitations...like with the primary system. Here, with Mark Knopfler's cut, "On Every Street," from the sixth Dire Straits studio release of the same name, the subtleties of the space of the performance, and its focus, erupting from arguably the blackest of backgrounds ever achieved, is just overpowering. Listening to Jon Bonamassa's raging version of "High Water Everywhere," from his 2010 release Live from The Royal Albert Hall was one visceral experience. The drum attack is fierce, and Joe's guitar is so vital and live-sounding, that you are just swept away by the performance.
Hearing the immediacy of the blended voices and the space captured on the track "Ameno (Video Mix)," from the DJ Quicksilver 2018 release Clubfiles: The Album, was captivating. So, why no blue ribbon and gold star here? Look, these cats have been among my Best of Show recipients for the last two shows I've attended, with the world premiere of the B๘rresen M6 loudspeakers at last June's Pacific Audio Fest, and then again at last November's Capital Audiofest. It is well-known at this point just how amazingly good these guys perform at shows... and I wanted to spread the wealth. That is the only reason!
Stemmons Ballroom A - Infigo
As briefly touched upon in my opening, the A and C Stemmons Ballrooms were not typically shaped rooms, essentially, they were half-cylindrical in shape. Both also featured large circular light fixtures, made of what appeared to be a relatively thin sheet of metal, about ten to twelve inches wide, rolled on edge into about an eight- to ten-foot circular shape, with light sockets attached, all suspended centrally from the ceilings of these unusually shaped spaces. I wish it had occurred to me to take a photo of this extreme light fixture, to make it easier for you to understand what a sonic challenge it presented. To my ears, this shape, and that large, easily acoustically energized, and reverberating lighting fixture, imposed an inevitable and slight negative audible impact on the resultant performance in these two rooms. Nonetheless, British Columbia, Canada's Infigo Audio managed to pull off a particularly good showing with its partners, including Cliffwood, New Jersey's VPI Industries, and Switzerland's Stenheim loudspeakers.
System details: Infigo Audio Method 4 DAC - $35,000 Infigo Audio Sparkle Series Cryogen XLR Cable, 1M - $3,750 VPI Avenger Direct Turntable/with arm - $36000 Van den Hul Black Crimson XGP cartridge - 4200/~$4500 at time of listing Infigo Audio Method 7 preamplifier - $20,000 Infigo Audio Sparkle Series Cryogen USB cable, 1M - $1,500 Infigo Audio Sparkle Series Cryogen XLR cable, 3M - $4,950 Infigo Audio Sparkle Series Cryogen speaker cable, 2M - $4,750
"Children of Sanchez," by Chuck Mangione and Don Potter, from the 2002 release, 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection presented remarkably well-balanced tonality broadband and exhibited explosive dynamics. The system's excellent tonal balance was demonstrated further with cuts like The Ray Brown Trio's take on "Exactly Like You" from their 1984 Soular Energy release, and Nnenna Freelon's "Button Up Your Overcoat," from 2000's Soulcall. But both of those last two cuts revealed just the slightest leanness of bloom of the piano and double bass.
As I was finishing my listening in the room, Infigo's CEO and Founder, Hans Looman, cued up a DSD128 version of "Route 66," by Doreen Smith, from 2020's Audiophile: Analog Collection Vol. 2. I hope you find the same irony of that title that I did! And yet, this track proved to offer an exceptional demonstration of this system's capabilities, highlighting its beautiful tone, rich with vibrant color, and texture, and revealing the remarkable depth of staging on the saxophone.
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High-Performance Audio Reviews
