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Hearken Audio: Senna Sound, Jean Nantais, SteinMusic, Supreme Analog, Aidas, Miyajima, Yeti Acoustics, HRS - Toronto Audiofest 2024
All prices in CA$
Ontario retailer Hearken Audio always showcases systems made up of exotic products usually from distant lands by brands unfamiliar to me that, together, don't fail to be musical standouts at shows.
This year, Hearken demoed a particularly synergistic batch. Some exhibitors are very good at finding products that work optimally together, and I'd say that Matt Thomas, proprietor of Hearken Audio, is up there in being able to do that—he's got the audio-dealer nose for such things.
The demo this year was centered around products by Senna Sound, a company I'd never heard of, for good reason. It's new, and based in Serbia, but there's more. The company is run by owner/designer Nemanja Cokic, who's the son of Sasa Cokic, owner/designer at Trafomatic. It seems that building amps is in the family DNA, which is good news, based on what I heard in this room.
The three Senna Sound products playing in the chain consisted of two class-AB, 45W Onyx amplifiers ($4950/each), an Orca preamp ($4400), and a Phoenix phono stage ($3500). These were joined on the analog side by a Lenco-based Jean Nantais Ref MKIII turntable fitted with a reference bearing ($17,300 plus a Lenco turntable, or $500 more with the Lenco turntable included), a 12" Supreme Analog Tagenta tonearm ($29,500), an Aidas Mammoth cartridge ($14,000), and a Miyajima KSW step-up transformer ($3600).
On the digital side were a Cinnamon Audio Galle R-2R ladder DAC with DSD-streaming capability ($19,500) and a 432 Evo Aeon server ($11,000). Rounding out the medley of gear was a pair of horn-equipped SteinMusic Bobby M Ultimate model ($33,000/pair), while cables and accessories were by SteinMusic, Yeti Acoustics, and HRS.
With both analog and digital formats, I heard abundant strains of texture, a deep view into the music, stunningly natural sound, rich harmonics, wonderful bass tone, and a seamless musical coherency. The music delivered such tonal bloom I could've been fooled into thinking the solid state Senna Sound amplifier was a tube design.
Occasionally, while listening to Hearken Audio's system, I wondered: "Can it get any better?" This was a system I could live with for a long time.
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