.. cont
At first the sound of the PF system was not as expected. Usually most demo systems try to impress a visitor with aspects to the sound - voluminous bass, extended treble and air, hyper dynamics or details. Not so here. The PF system is far more subtle. I was not blown away with sound characters but instead by how naturally it is delivered. I have tried for years to do the same in my own system - the get the natural sounding music that makes me forget the system but dive deep into the artists intentions. I'm always looking for the emotions behind the music not just the notes and this was what I heard! Wonderful to finally hear a system that is so natural but yet 'check-box' good in traditional audiophile descriptions of good sounds.
We started off with Blues for Los Angeles, Bill Frisell, East/West album which played really well in the system. This track is something special and in a system so tight and natural, sounds like being on the stage with the band. Close up and personal.
The existing USB bridge sounded wide and analogue. Comfortable listening with good tone, texture and details. Not unlike my own system but different. I heard more details with better placements in the soundstage. Given the bridge setup isn’t optimal playing from internal power, my first impression was very good. Focus was a little off though, good but not at the very best levels.
It was good to hear this first as it was like a calibration for my ears. When switched over to the new Ultra USB bridge, the sound clearly tightened up. There was better focus but it sounded not quite as wide as the previous USB bridge. The ambient sounds also a touch less. It sounded like an upgrade but, from experience, the sound of one that had not opened up fully yet. Nevertheless overall there was an improvement.
During the session we switched back and forwards from the USB bridges to the existing I2S bridge (ultra clocked). Of the 3 bridges I listened, this was my preferred sound for the day. Perhaps it was best matched to the PF DAC which uses an older Burr Brown chip which I believe plays up to 192kHz/24bit but it sounded glorious.
We moved on to some classical selection which really was special. First was Pictures At An Exhibition, Promenade by Münchner Philharmoniker, Celibidache. The horns here were spookily real and placed in the soundstage so clearly. Nice!
And then we tried Michel Godard's Monteverdi: A Trace of Grace. For those that are into baroque music and opera together with a touch of jazz this is will be a real gem as it contains a bit of everything. I didn't take note of the track we played but I recall the Serpent instrument and the Theorbo Lute. The Theorbo, for those that aren't aware, is an elongated lute allowing it to play deeper into the bass allowing the lute, conventionally used in smaller ensembles, to play in larger orchestras. In PF's natural sounding system with their I2S clocked bridge the experience was really special. The standout was how together the ensemble sounded with the Lute totally coherent in the bass notes. Good enough to make this my nomination as the album of the year!
We ended up listening to a number of my familiar tracks on Tidal or Qobuz of which the stand out was the Coldplay Live in Bueno Aires, Fix You. I am very familiar with this track as when played in my own system the soundstage presented is deep and wide and amongst the best to show the effect of being in the audience. In the PF system the effect was astounding, 180 degrees enveloping with such clear placement of the music and audience it truly was the best I have ever heard of this track in any system, period. ‘Like being in the audience’ is an overused phrase but in this case, totally appropriate.
And then 2 more tracks Jord suggested from Johnny Cash, American Recordings, Bird on a Wire and from Syml, Sacred Spaces, Take Me Apart. Both of these were again real ear openers. The emotional connection to the music to Johnny Cash's last months recordings was tear jerking and that ambience of Syml's recordings in St. Mark's cathedral is so totally euphoric. These are the reason why we are audiophiles.
At the end of the session, I reconfirmed my past conclusion that the Pink Faun's chase of the natural sound is still so well matched to my own preferences. And that their prototype USB Ultra board is enough of an improvement over the existing board for me to make an upgrade. What I heard was very good and was achieved without using an external DC supply, without the EMI/heat isolation case, in a streamer with 3 bridges installed internally powered all at the same time. I expect that by the time the final unit is out, with an optimised install, it will sound even better than what I heard that day.
Jord indicated he will have the cards ready later this year. At the time of my visit, the team was still tinkering with the firmware and the final case material wasn't chosen. Initial batch to be 20-30 units and may be for existing Pink Faun owners only.
Oh and the white, ‘Future Pink Faun efforts’ in the photo above is just a new toilet that they will be fitting into their office shortly. Not part of their audio efforts but just as important, staff happiness! :-D
Kin
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