Marian V.
I started listening to music when I was 12 years old, in 1974. My first recordings were on my father’s “Tesla Sonet Duo” reel-to-reel tape recorder from TV and radio.
Later I bought a turntable, then a cassette deck and later a Grundig TK 244 Hifi reel-to-reel tape recorder. Such were my beginnings with hifi equipment. And so it went on and on over time and years
, both in technology and also in genres of music. Listening knowledge and also experience improved, and with that I started to gradually change my audiopark. I went through different brands of components, still looking for the right and natural sound that would at least partially approximate the real thing. As there were also various music and audio magazines coming out at the time, I tried to find out what else could help to improve the sound of my setup. Among other things, it was mentioned that the interconnection of the kit has a big influence on the sound. At the time I didn’t really believe it and didn’t attach any importance to it. But over time, I broached the subject among friends who were also interested in hifi and gradually started to try it out.
Of course at first they were cheaper ones made of metrage and also home made, and as I had already picked up some changes in the sound my opinion suddenly changed.
Then I got my hands on Cardas network cables, and I was surprised at what I heard, in a good way of course. And so, gradually, and second hand, I eventually bought the speaker cables, and also the XLR signal cables. And I was happy for a few years, until
my good and long-time friend Peter C. offered me the opportunity to hear the cabling and other sound-enhancing
audio equipment products from a company in our district, AAI, right in my home. Of course I didn’t hesitate, after all, I wouldn’t give anything to try it out. The “D” day came and the guys from AAI came to visit me.
We started gradually. First we connected the power strip together with the power cable and some so-called prisms. And at the very first notes I was literally shocked, I couldn’t believe my ears.
The recording became incredibly clear, suddenly details started to appear that I hadn’t noticed at all before, the depth of the soundstage deepened, and it literally came roaring out at me. Gradually we added speakers and also signal cables. And by then I was completely blown away, the colours of the instruments, their separation, no hint of distortion and blending in the large ensembles, absolute naturalness, whether in the performers’ voices or in the expression of the individual instruments. It all breathes in the space and you don’t have to concentrate on listening at all to hear this and that in there, as many tests say. It creeps up on you at every moment of listening, sometimes to the point of making you wonder what the hell was there.
In a sentence, my lineup literally came back from the dead. Never played like this before, I’m thrilled, and I’m enjoying it to the fullest. Now I have no need or desire to change anything at all, it plays divinely and naturally. I only have one problem at the moment, and that is that I live in an apartment building where I can’t use the full potential of my setup, but I don’t think I can change that. You just can’t own everything, even a high-end kit, and still own a cottage.
The assembly on which I tested AAI products:
- B&W 802 MK I loudspeakers
- Octave RE 320 with external Black box
- Audio Research Ref 5 Preamplifier
- CD player Accuphase DP 67
- Michel Engineering GyroDeck turntable with SME V arm, Ortofon Cadenza Black cartridge, Gold Note preamplifier with its own mains power supply
Conclusion
I am extremely grateful to the guys at AAI for developing such products, and in doing so, allowing me to enjoy home listening on a whole different level in my lifetime.
I highly recommend these products to anyone who is serious about listening to music and has the God-given gift of hearing well to rent them, and then find out what they have been listening to so far.
And I should also note that those products of theirs will wake up not just expensive audio setups, but all of them from the ground up, it will completely change the nature of the sound.
Guys deep hats off and thank you.
