Audiophilepure

Over and above its astonishingly “cool” looks, the Tourbillon T-RX is a sonic wonder. I’ve heard a lot of tape decks over the years—from huge studio Ampexes and Studers to smaller-scale gems made by Nagra, ReVox, Otari, etc. I’ve also heard just about every iteration of Greg Beron’s marvelous United Home Audio Tascams, and (except for Greg’s latest, ultra-expensive SuperDeck), not a one of them outdoes the Tourbillon. It is the very quintessence of neutrality and completeness—those twin household audio gods that make ersatz sound like real. 

Alongside the UHA SuperDeck, the Metaxas Tourbillon T-RX is the highest fidelity audio component I’ve auditioned, consistently making the musicians on well-recorded tapes into near-visible presences and music sound as you hear it in life. Like my other Golden Ears, the Metaxas & Sins Tourbillon T-RX will also be a nominee for TAS’ annual Product of the Year Awards—and this one would be a Product of the Year in any decade, past or present.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/nordost-qnet-network-switch-qsource-linear-power-supply

When I ditched QNet’s switch-mode wall wart for the QSource, a touch of brightness I’d been hearing vanished and all the QNet’s positive effects increased. With more silence came more beauty and detail—and with it, more light and spiritual insight. Those insights aren’t always pretty—take Callas’s voice as Lady Macbeth—but they inevitably get me closer to truth, whose essence can be as terrible and earth-shaking as it can be beautiful and beneficent. I can honestly say that the QNet/QSource pairing transported me closer to my ultimate goal, which is to move closer to the source of artistic creation and the artists I love.

When I disconnected the Roon Nucleus+ server/streamer from the HDPlex 300 and powered it, as well, with the QSource, I heard even more color, detail, and clarity. As another veil lifted, images again grew in size and became more believable. Yes, I compared connector cable options. The Nordost premium QSource DC cables delivered more vibrant energy and subtle dynamic/ tonal shifts than the stock cables. The premium’s gauge is thicker.

Sometimes you eagerly anticipate a product arrival, but when you put it in—zilch, nada—you don’t hear much difference. Then, if you throw a reference-quality CD in the tray—bam, it’s right there in front of you. That’s what happens when the product has very low coloration and high fidelity to the source.

This was the case with the adeptResponse Power Conditioner. The aR12-T4 doesn’t shift the frequency response one way or another or change the aural picture you already have. Instead, it’s a matter of good being made better. If you already have good sound, the aR12-T4 will make it better by applying the finishing touches, fleshing it out, and completing it. 

Midway through the audition, my path forward was laid out. The Audience adeptResponse was going to become my reference for the entirety of my system’s AC needs. It is a serious investment: $11,400 for the aR12-T4 + $6300 if you spring for a 2m frontRow High Power powerChord upgrade. That makes a tidy $17,700 to handle the front-end gear. Later on, I would add an aR6-T4 and a frontRow High Power powerChord for my amps. That’s $6600 + $6300, another tidy