Audiophilepure

I can’t recall that listening with the Kronos Sparta was any more fun than listening with the Musiko, but then, my entire rig has come a long way since those days. Just switching from the complex ritual of cueing up a record on my hot-rodded LP12 with its mandatory periphery ring and heavy record weight to the simplicity of the Musiko (which didn’t get significantly better with a periphery ring), was value-added not just in dollars, but in serenity. No more Zen, no more mantra. The honor of the “biggest pain” is now bestowed upon getting the LP back in the sleeve.

If you’re stepping up from a Rega P3 or a Project Debut Pro you will have no idea of what I’m talking about here. You’ll just feel like the richest kid on the block with your new Musiko.

I had asked Bernard not to tell me the price of the table to give my mind free rein on assessing its value. I strongly suspected when listening to the first song with the Musiko that I would buy it. It was that dramatic of an improvement over what I was using. As I spent more time with it, I came to the conclusion, based on its sonic performance that the turntable alone would cost about $8000 to $8500 with a package deal with the Musiko tonearm coming in at just under $10,000. When I learned he was offering the turntable (without an arm) for $2995, I felt secretly embarrassed. But embarrassment is just a feeling, so I share it with you willingly because it conveys the value. It is a very fair price, if not an outright steal!

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0622/Acoustical_Systems_Aquilar_Anniversary_Tonearm_Palladian_Moving_Coil_Phono_Cartridge_Review.htm

A striking characteristic of Aquilar / Palladian combination is that when listening it is easy to shift between unfocussed and focused listening, from listening to a group of musicians playing a piece of music to honing in on particular aspects, a single instrument, or how different musicians are interacting with one another. For instance, when listening to jazz groups, it became possible to focus on interactions of the rhythm section – how the drummer and pianist, for instance, are supporting each other rhythmically, or how the bass and piano are harmonically interacting, and then how as a whole they are supporting the lead horn. This ability to listen deeply into the music remained intact with very complex music, and this is one of the most striking aspects of this arm and cartridge. There is no fuss with large-scale music; it remains completely coherent over all sorts of music, from solo guitar to hard-bop jazz group to symphony orchestra.

The exceptional ability to follow subtle musical detail with the Aquilar/Palladian is nevertheless not something that is overtly highlighted; rather, it is seamlessly integrated into the sonic picture. The overall sense of musical integration is striking, giving a palpable sense of musical balance. As with detail, so too with the rendering of dynamics, which are fast and natural, yet fully integrated into the musical presentation.

The Aquilar / Palladian throws a large, open, yet fully occupied soundstage. Spatial relations in depth and width among musicians are precisely and quite dramatically portrayed. It is a highly coherent soundstage, in which images are properly sized and spaced without losing in any way their harmonic integration. This provides for a dramatic portrayal of musicians playing music in a natural space.