Munich 2019

Stein Music Bob XL Speakers, Tone Tool Trapezium Turntable

Jason Victor Serinus  |  May 9, 2019

Taking horns far beyond their Alpine context, Stein Music's Bob XL speakers and subwoofers ($290,000 total) were reproducing Shelby Lynne's "Just a Little Lovin'" with warmth, solidity, and gratifying musicality. Company founder/designer Holger Stein attributed part of the system's success to the new Stein Music Matrix cable series. These silver cables are assembled on the company's own braiding machine, which allows them to control all parameters. Stein told me that they use special metrics to change the vector of the cable's magnetic fields so that their sum is zero.

I also heard Ella and Louis singing "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and a snippet of Ansermet's recording of Rimsky-Korsakov's Christmas Suite, all on vinyl. In all cases, the sound was exceptionally warm, smooth, and inviting. Also heard: Stein Music HighLine Amp 2 ($14,800), HighLine Music Player ($14,800), Aventurin 6 cartridge ($6500), and Stein MusicPower bars 6 and 10 and H2 Plus Signature Stand ($3158). The source was a Tone Tool Trapezium turntable.

COMMENTS
Graham Luke's picture
Submitted by Graham Luke on May 9, 2019 - 9:30pm

...for the phat red horns alone. Well, I wouldn't as I have absolutely nowhere to put such monstrosities any road...

Anton's picture
Submitted by Anton on May 10, 2019 - 12:07am

I’ll bet those are as dynamic as hell!

I love the look.

Bogolu Haranath's picture
Submitted by Bogolu Haranath on May 10, 2019 - 7:20am

Looks like the recent picture of NASA Black hole :-) ..........

Anton's picture
Submitted by Anton on May 10, 2019 - 1:57pm

Good one!

VinylLovingLady's picture
Submitted by VinylLovingLady on May 11, 2019 - 2:41pm

Years ago, I didn't think, that I will ever be able to hear a difference in quality, dependig on the way how music is played. Since I first heard one of the ToneTool turntables I new I was wrong. I never heard such a clear sound, that was the moment I fell in love with vinyl a second time.

Stephen Scharf's picture
Submitted by Stephen Scharf on May 11, 2019 - 5:36pm

"Stein told me that they use special metrics to change the vector of the cable's magnetic fields so that their sum is zero."

By that you mean they cross the cables/conductors at 90° so there is no induction. Not sure what is so special about that. Hasn't Ray Kimber been doing that with his cables for over 40 years?

SteinMusic's picture
Submitted by SteinMusic on May 14, 2019 - 2:24am

Crossing cables is one aspect which may be helpful.
However here we are using a conductor in the form of a matrix.
Means this is not a wire or a foil, but a completely different structure uf the conductor, where the direction of the vectors of the magnetic fields are completely random.
The effect of this is that the sum is zero, and no magnetic distortions occur.

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