A Visit to Mik Bhavnani - Unique Audio UK

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Audiophile Bill said:
Hi All,

I returned late last night from round 2 chez Mad Mik. Many of you will have previously read my report in Positive Feedback when I was first exposed to Aladdin’s Cave and you might recall my excitement the first time being able to feast my eyes on so many unique audiophile pieces let alone actually hear them. Well it is almost impossible to compute but his room had even more high end gear than even last time. I scarcely knew where to focus my eyes – was it the huge new bog oak Bob C BBC Garrard, another La Luce, the stack of rare and uber class monoblocks, the crazy multi-dongled pythonesque cables? Actually eyes were fixed on 4 huge CS Port nos 212 monoblocks. These monsters put out 40 watts of pure class A 212 goodness up the jacksy of the Rockports. I am not sure how Mik is biamping meaning horizontal or vertical or active but maybe he will read and chime in. Mik mentioned that there were many system changes since the last visit so in some ways it is false for me to try to draw juxtapositions to the previous sound – as such please just take any description at face value. Source for the evening was the Rockport Sirius III highly modded version with highest tolerance levels with a custom highest level Etsuro Gold. Phono was highly modded Aesthetix 3 box per last time, then to the modded Jadis preamp and then the 4 CS Port monoblocks. Speakers were the same Rockports.

After my visual senses started to calm down, I managed to start to take in more of the finer details of the room. I noticed a small bit of blue tac with lead on it pressed onto a Da Vinci arm on a Kodo Beat. Mik had been doing experiments. I realise that Mik’s attention to detail is extreme and that he is trying to extract the best cost no object, leave no stone unturned sound. I noticed loads of hand wired dongles scattered hither and thither that Mik informed me were pilot tests for new cables. Mik is a “proper audiophile” – there is none of this dumping down a bunch of expensive components in a fancy room and being done. Every tiny parameter has been meticulously manipulated and optimised. Anyway, as my visual senses started to adjust, Mik brought to me a series of beautiful brand new uber reference tonearms from Axiom, Ikeda etc. It was a mad experience to say the least.

Anyway we sat down to listen to the “new” system. We played all manner of LPs across genres but 2 stood out for me since it is my common choice of music – Thelonius Monk and Schubert 9th. The system has incredible speed and vibrancy whilst timing like no system I have previously heard. It seems to have horn like dynamics and speed with zero box artefact at all. Really something crazy special. There was a good dose of tonal magic too especially in the bass texture. Without getting all verbose, my testament to the sound was that we felt compelled to sit through the entire Schubert Great because it was so enthralling, riveting and engaging. I did my fair share of air conducting and I am pretty sure Mik was ignoring my weirdness at this point lol. The Monk was the same as we just listened to almost the whole album front to back. My gut feel is that the CS Port 212 amps have given rise to incredible system timing and an addictive immediacy. You would guess the amps had many thousands of watts to sound so fast, grippy and with that bass punch and texture. Triangles and cymbals would tantalisingly ring and fizz in their space with uncanny realism.

All in all, another thrilling ride into the most extreme side of audiophilia. Thanks Mik again for hosting me – please let me come back again…
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Thank you bill for coming it was indeed a great evening, I was not intending to play anything due to my health situation but glad I did. I am constantly playing with materials and conductors etc and learning every day still some way to go for sure glad you enjoyed my humble efforts. I am sorry I was not up to setting up other turntables for comparison but am hoping to shoe horn some more of the collection in due course so you will be most welcome to return.
 
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Mik: Bill, would you grab me that LFD cable over there?

Bill: Sure, which one?

Mik: the one next to the Tech Das, behind the SME, beside the CS Port, adjacent to the Vyger, on top of the Kondo, and under the Rockport.

Bill: Which one?
 
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Could go digital instead.
 
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Subtle. Not, Bill. Lol.
That seems to share quite a bit of form/function with the Davinci tt.
I'm assuming at a lower price.
Looking forwards to hearing that thru your horns at my next visit.
Will be fascinating to make the comparison to your previous air bearing
Bergmann with LT arm.
 
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PeterA said:
Very interesting arm choice. Congratulations on the new table. That is one massive pleasure.
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I say the arm choice is interesting for a couple of reasons. It is rather short at 9 inches compared to the 10 or 12 inch arms that seem popular today. And also that it is the SME V which even though it is an extremely popular arm worldwide, it does not get much discussed on this forum. And it has the white lettering rather than the gold lettering.

Bill, could you discuss the choice of the arm a little bit if you don’t think it is too far a field of the main topic of this thread?
 
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The turntable is a Horning Sati Transference turntable, the platter weighs 50kg it is quite a beast with an incredible main bearing that is capable of handling 500kg of weight. A slight spin of the platter and there is no stopping literally spins for 3 minutes quite a thing to watch. I am very very impressed by its performance and certainly puts itself at the highest levels of analogue replay, it has a real sense of assurance and ease. The combination of the high inertia platter and its extremely powerful 12 pole motor seems to allow this turntable to have incredible speed and air. The current retail price of this turntable is around £35000.
 
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PeterA said:
I say the arm choice is interesting for a couple of reasons. It is rather short at 9 inches compared to the 10 or 12 inch arms that seem popular today. And also that it is the SME V which even though it is an extremely popular arm worldwide, it does not get much discussed on this forum. And it has the white lettering rather than the gold lettering.

Bill, could you discuss the choice of the arm a little bit if you don’t think it is too far a field of the main topic of this thread?
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Its is not an ordinary Sme V firstly its a highly selected arm from a batch of 150 tonearms and was made to very high specification it also incorporates a detachable headshell which in this case seems to have a positive effect. The arm has a custom made wiring loom with a host of conductors doing different things.
 
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