No joke. Epaminondas Gaveras of Greece's hARt Lab and Joakim Juhl of Denmark's OePhi Audio joined forces to deliver a sound that wasn't just loud and forceful, but joyous—igniting both mind and body. These two lesser-known brands deserve your attention. They certainly demanded mine.
Their setup began with a Technics SL-1200G turntable and Supatrac Nighthawk tonearm, fitted with an Ortofon MC Anna Diamond cartridge, feeding an HSE Swiss Masterline 7 phono stage (about $89,000, all prices approximate when converted from Euros). Digital came via the OePhi Streamer-DAC ($13,500), while the hARt Lab Superior Tune Four preamplifier (about $29,000) fed the signal to Superior Tune Five monoblocks (about $69,000/pair). A hARt Lab Super Tune Six Integrated Amplifier ($28,500) was in-rack, but not in use.
OePhi speakers included the Ascendance 2 standmounts ($4900/pair) and the Reference 3.5 floorstanders ($31,500/pair). Immanence 2 standmounts ($9200/pair) were on static display.
The Danish company also supplied cabling, including the OePhi Kali flagship speaker cables ($32,500/3m pair), power cables ($21,500/2m), Reference power cables ($5400/2m), the Immanence Ethernet cable (about $4600/2m), and a Transcendence Ethernet cable (about $2800/2m). Two OePhi power distribution units ($5400 each) completed the setup.
On the Police's "Message in a Bottle," this compact rig delivered exemplary punch and drive. The sound was immaculately clean and surgically precise. Peter Gabriel's "The Rhythm of the Heat" offered fierce textural detail within a well-defined, reasonably sized soundstage. King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King was positively chilling—its Mellotron soaring, its drums tumbling, its bass thrumming with weight. This was a top-to-bottom knockout system.
OePhi speakers included the Ascendance 2 standmounts ($4900/pair) and the Reference 3.5 floorstanders ($31,500/pair). Immanence 2 standmounts ($9200/pair) were on static display.
