Annapurna board by Pranawire
I am not interested in being right. I am interested in being spiritually touched. I want to see Jacky Cheung standing there in his quiet dignity. I want to hear the last wisp of Milstein’s bow. I want to experience Carnegie Hall arrayed before me with Belafonte singing and joking with audiences sixty years ago.
That is why I always go for crazy length to reach uncharted territory. I don’t have the time to explain the justifications of pursuing this route. This topic is for someone else.
We live in a sea of noise, now more than ever and tomorrow more than today. This is the march of “technological progress”. The proliferation of noise intensifies silently on all fronts to a degree no one can easily comprehend intuitively and logically.
The founding principle of AE is to annihilate (1) ground noise, (2) AC noise, (3) mechanical vibration noise, (4) electromagnetic noise, and (5) room noise. Without tackling them by specialised solutions, there is simply no way to restore music faithfully to justify the value of any hi end system. And now after a decade, I need to deal with a new enemy that I wasn’t aware of - stray noise.
Stray noise refer to any noise that is not on any direct signal path. They may be radiated from one component to another, generated by the signal/power pathways, and came from radio waves, parasitic noise on power lines, and transformers of light fixtures etc.
Generally speaking, stray noises are of very high frequency and inaudible. But one knows immediately of its existence when they are absorbed unveiling new information.
The design goal of the Annapurna board is to absorb and shunt radiated noises surrounding the electronics by means of a jewellery-grade external brass plate connected to an internal SEGP (Super Enhanced Ground Plane). It acts as an antenna to absorb immense amount of stray noises.
The remainder of stray noises can then be shunted to Tripoint Troy NG series (There is a ground post at the back of the Annapurna board). But please take note that Annapurna by Pranawire is NOT designed to remove ground noises.
Simultaneously the Annapurna board is absorbing mechanical vibrational energy by the top brass plate with proprietary damping materials underneath. The Annapurna board weighs 123 pounds.
The IMPACT
The Annapurna is tactically chosen to be used under the Robert Koda K15EX preamp. The preamplifier is at the intersection of everything. I hypothesise this is where stray noise is the most severe. The listening notes below always refer to the total cumulative impact of everything. Last item that goes into a system always catches the most attention. I am well aware of the context.
The entire system breathes like never before. The sound appears from nowhere and grows to a particular shape and volume with its own constantly evolving colors, highlights and shadows. It grows to its largest natural intensity, and then gradually recedes to disappear.
The orchestra behaves as a bursting fountain with ever changing colors and shapes that fill three dimensional space. When the space between musicians is clarified to this extent, the sense of ensemble is deeply reinforced. I could feel the power of the interactions amongst the musicians co-mingling with audiences.
From the softest pillow-like pianissimo to intensely musical swells, each note caresses the ears. Violins nest at the top of the orchestra with woodwinds and horns layered perfectly below. Vocal interjections are startling. Vocal counterpoint floats in three dimensions. The timpani lends its weight in its precise location on the stage. It is part of a whole and distinct at the same time.
The sense of intimacy, pace, rhythm, texture, unfettered dynamics and emotion is unlike anything previously experienced in spite of full assault on all types of noises at Divin Lab.
This is a new category of product that qualifies as a “cutting edge game changer” akin to Dalby Pirueta Record Weight, Tripoint Elite NG and SRA Virginia.1 amp stand.
My credibility does not allow me to speak this lightly.
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