Audiophilepure

https://stereo-magazine.com/review/auralic-altair-g21-review

Change of scenery: despite all their independence, Michael Barenboim, the “lioness” Martha Argerich and the Staatskapelle Berlin are merged into a single entity when performing Debussy‘s “La Mer”, a unity that is not often offered in such an interlocked way. Here, the Auralic convinces with a very natural reproduction of the grand piano as well as all the instruments of the orchestra. Nothing is discolored or blurred, everything is just right. Localizing the dimensions of left/right and front/back is possible thanks to a precise layout of the different elements. The size of the room, created at the mixing console, can also be understood perfectly.

Sometimes, I have to please my sense of local patriotism for my hometown of Cologne. This time, I had to go on a nostalgia trip and found what I was looking for in a live recording of the Cologne cult band “Piano has been drinkin‘”, long since disbanded. Neither “Daach sin Juwele” nor “Anfürsich es et Blues” depend on an exuberant number of details nor on richness of tonal colors. Rather, they rely on the atmosphere and the joy of playing, as well as the almost physically perceptible stage presence of frontman Gerd “Jächt” Köster with his rough and deep voice and the band‘s ability to improvise. Here, too, the Auralic presents a convincing performance, as it does with “Ruude Jolf”, where all the ingredients necessary for an emotional rendition are found, including the relaxed playing of the bass.