I’ve have never felt comfortable with the attitude that home audio or music listening are competitive activities. In other words, when I listen to recorded music through a reproduction system, I’m not seeking the best of anything, or a show-off opportunity.
Right is right, in my view. Sufficient satisfies.
When I listen to music, does the rendering of the sound convince me, engage me, affect me appropriately?
Sometimes in past auditioning projects, I have felt the listening experience was elevated by the performance of a component, and some of them are still in my system, because I was hearing the right sonic image in my experience.
Knowing in advance that this is an artisan hand-made product from Germany invokes certain expectations about quality, even though I’d previously not been aware of this brand. This phonostage was offered to me for audition by Eric Poon (SoundWe, Auckland) as an outstanding sonic performer and new to New Zealand.
Rolf Gemein has been manufacturing high-end hi-fi since 1979. The designer of the Symphonic Line range is especially proud that his products are not frequently superceded. He has firmly ploughed an engineering excellence pathway and hasn’t allowed marketing differentiation strategy or fashion to intervene. Every Symphonic Line product is handcrafted and carefully tuned to achieve a “Live Like” presentation.
As I lifted the Symphonic Line Phono Reference HD from its transit carton, I was struck immediately by the sheer weight and the handbuilt quality. The case is solidly functional, yet tidy, with a 10mm front plate.
This was my introduction to the quirky inconvenience of this amplifier. It’s big (450 x 390 x 100 mm), is sensitive to magnetic fields so needs to be located away from other electrical devices, has no user manual (or published technical data), and requires that it be disconnected from the power supply and the case lid removed to access the switches that set the cartridge loading (this requires removal from any rack as the screws are on the bottom of the case). Initially, this impracticality was charming, and definitely for the engaged gear enthusiast. I wondered how long that enchantment would last before frustration sets in. Lid off reveals the extremely neat point-to-point handmade wiring connections and quality component layout.
Perhaps this inconvenience is an intentionaal design decision that upholds the ritual attention required of state-of-the-art machines. For the practically-minded, it’s not for the user who frequently swaps cartridges or experimenter with loading and equalisation. Then again, that might indeed be part of the charm.
In the ‘post-fidelity’ era in which most recorded music listeners no longer seek further improvement in sound quality, but convenience and accessibility to music recordings, the visual aesthetics and style of system components is now more highly valued. Yet, here we have a marked audiophile exception.
Would the sound quality of records reproduced further the initial enchantment?
The designer claims “Extraordinary soundstage and dynamic”. It’s the upgraded version. Did I hear that in my listening experience?
I listened to quite a few of my much-played favourite albums, and they sounded as good as I’ve heard them. That didn’t surprise me. I wasn’t expecting quite the extent to which the sound images – of musicians projected into space before me – were brought ‘alive’, though. Then again, I think this is the most expensive phonostage I’ve used in my playback system. The illusion of a musical event was so believable. It was all I expected. Clarity, focus, tight bass. This preamplifier gets out of the way, yet is assertively in control, delivering a relaxed, stress-free listening experience. Just right.
This phono pre-amplifier will handle Moving Magnet and Moving Coil cartridges, has two inputs, and operates in pure Class A, a simple (and inefficient) biased configuration that delivers superior high frequency performance, less harmonic distortion, and avoids crossover distortion. It has a very big power supply with a 300 VA mumetal shielded transformer and 240,000 μF capacitors.
I get it. This is not catering for mass-market consumer convenience. It’s artisan audio for the hands-on audiophile hobbyist. The appearance, design simplicity, and price signal that clearly. I can’t imagine anyone buying this phonostage for ostentatious display of wealth, but certainly for pride in owning a custom-built engineered machine.
Right out of the box, this preamplifer exudes authenticity, a purity, from the simplicity and labour of love. First impressions matter. and it did all I wanted it to, and nothing other. Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. Take a look at Rolf Gemein’s website, and you’ll see what I mean. This artisan product presents a promise of no frills, down-to-earth honest high performance when you hear music through it, with no pretense or gimmickry.
It’ll cost you. It’s big, it’s heavy, it’s expensive. It’s occasionally inconvenient. In using this product, I had cause to reflect on my hifi values. What did I expect from it, and what are my priorities? Sonic performance and function, design ethos, reliability and durability, cosmetic appearance, practicality, value-for-money? Pay your money, make your choice. This one is a notable fair contender.
https://www.symphonic-line.de/eng/
Music & Hi-fi Appreciations 