Capital AudioFest 2022

The Listening Room/Fidelity Imports/Titan Audio/Michell Engineering/Soul Note/Perlisten/Innuos/AudioQuest

Ken Micallef  |  Nov 13, 2022

The Listening Room and Perlisten Audio's Erik Wiederhotlz assembled a fine-sounding room, its front end including the revised Michell Orbe SE Turntable with an inverted, oil-circulating main bearing, freestanding motor, and massive platter ($6999 w/o tonearm; $8495 w/Technoarm 2), Innuos Statement Music Server and Streamer, Soul Note D2 DAC ($8999), Soul Note E2 MM/MC Phono Equalizer ($8999), and Soul Note S3 SACD player ($19,999). Amplification consisted of more Soul Note!

Founded in 2004 by former members of Marantz Japan, Soul Note is a subsidiary of CSR, Inc., headquartered in Kanagawa, Japan.

A Soul Note P3 dual-mono, floating-construction preamp ($24,999) and a Soul Note M3 Mono amp ($24,999) with a single push-pull stage with 4-stage Darlington can-type transistors, drove a pair of Perlisten S7t loudspeakers ($17,990/pair in piano black or white, $19,995/pair for "special edition" wood finishes).

COMMENTS
David Harper's picture
Submitted by David Harper on November 13, 2022 - 9:15am

This rediculous astronomically overpriced gear gets increasingly outrageous with each passing year. It's as if there's nothing too assinine
for those with more money than brains to throw their money away on. The reason why this matters is that there are many infinetly better things to spend one's disposable income on than this kind of nonsense.

ChrisS's picture
Submitted by ChrisS on November 14, 2022 - 9:58am

...are even here.

Spend your time at Walmart.

Go stand in front of a dollar store.

All that stuff ends up in the landfill.

Use your outrage against the price of food.

And then howl at the moon.

corks67's picture
Submitted by corks67 on November 14, 2022 - 1:40am

Are you even here then and who are you to tell people how to spend their money, it’s none of your business , but perhaps you could spend yours on a dictionary.

prerich45's picture
Submitted by prerich45 on November 14, 2022 - 10:46am

How is it ridiculous? No, I can't afford this right now, but somewhere down the line - I'll see a lot of this gear used and still in great shape, at very low prices. This is where we come to be in the "know" about what's out there! You just might discover a gem at an inexpensive price down the road.

bskeane@gmail.com's picture
Submitted by bskeane@gmail.com on November 14, 2022 - 1:53pm

I will admit the price of equipment seems to be getting into the astronomical range but there are still many affordable products out there. I should state that while I am stating equipment pricing as high, I have no problem paying the price if I think its a good value. And the used market is a great place to get gear that could otherwise not be afforded. I have sold lots of equipment on Audiomart to help fund new equipment.
Unfortunately I think my system and or hearing has reached the point of diminishing return. Although there could be another upgrade in my future if we move to a new house with an elevator to get the speakers up stairs.

staticdynamo's picture
Submitted by staticdynamo on November 20, 2022 - 8:06pm

Only price about SOULNOTE? How was the sound quality? The DAC and amplifiers sounded superb with YG acoustic Hailey2 at International Audio Show at Tokyo. Maybe SOULNOTE is not popular in U.S. But already The Absolute Sound interviewed　SOULNOTE.

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