Saturday night brought one of those deep, immersive listening sessions — the kind where you chase the elusive magic for hours until it finally clicks in the final moments.
I had a full setup in play again, and it felt great to be back with the entire Aries-Cerat stack:
-Aries-Cerat Helene DAC;
-Aries-Cerat Incito Preamp (I do think I'm going to need to upgrade this at some point);
-Aries-Cerat Concero 25 Monoblocks resting proudly on Deep Lake Audio amp stands;
-All fed by my trusty Pink Faun Scion server (replaced my Antipodes) and anchored by the ever-glorious Tobian 12FH speakers (still my favorite, after all this time and all the speakers that have come and gone).
I spent over 5 hours listening, tweaking, and trying to figure out why things sounded off — not right. Bass felt a way soft, vocals were glassy and closed in, and the magic just wasn’t fully there and it was a cold analytical listen.
Challenge accepted - I dove in.
First, I adjusted the many bias settings on the Aries-Cerat gear. I could hear the shifts, but they weren’t solving the issue.
Then I swapped out cables in which order they were in my system. I own both the STEALTH Audio Indura and STEALTH Sakra RCA cables (both absolute top tier cables).
Let me say this:
The Indura is excellent. The Sakra? On another level. When you hear the Sakra, you realize it’s simply “more” of the Indura’s goodness — more air, more detail, more emotion.
Having only one Sakra in the chain (DAC to preamp) and the Indura from preamp to monoblocks might have been one of the issues. When using an integrated, it’s Sakra-only — and it’s stunning. But in this full stack? Mixing may matter more.
Then I remembered… I had changed the GZ34 rectifier in the Helene DAC to a late 1950s vintage, but left the preamp with a new production. Rookie move.
Time for a decision:
1950s Holland Amperex or Made in England Mullard? I went with the Amperex. And ahhhhh — instant improvement.
Still, something was missing.
I pondered over another adult beverage… and then it hit me (not the drink): I had also changed the vibration isolation platforms!
Could that really be it?
Out again came the Graphite Audio footers (my favorite high-end fitters currently), and back they went under the DAC and preamp (they were still under the streamer). And holy crap — the magic was BACK.
Tight, full bass.
Huge, open, effortless vocals.
A soundstage that finally breathed.
This wasn’t just "good sound" — this was music again.
And that, my friends, is why I call it Audiophile Adventures. For me this hobby isn’t just about gear — it’s about the journey, the discoveries, and the occasional small tweak that brings everything to life.
I had a full setup in play again, and it felt great to be back with the entire Aries-Cerat stack:
-Aries-Cerat Helene DAC;
-Aries-Cerat Incito Preamp (I do think I'm going to need to upgrade this at some point);
-Aries-Cerat Concero 25 Monoblocks resting proudly on Deep Lake Audio amp stands;
-All fed by my trusty Pink Faun Scion server (replaced my Antipodes) and anchored by the ever-glorious Tobian 12FH speakers (still my favorite, after all this time and all the speakers that have come and gone).
I spent over 5 hours listening, tweaking, and trying to figure out why things sounded off — not right. Bass felt a way soft, vocals were glassy and closed in, and the magic just wasn’t fully there and it was a cold analytical listen.
Challenge accepted - I dove in.
Let me say this:
The Indura is excellent. The Sakra? On another level. When you hear the Sakra, you realize it’s simply “more” of the Indura’s goodness — more air, more detail, more emotion.
Having only one Sakra in the chain (DAC to preamp) and the Indura from preamp to monoblocks might have been one of the issues. When using an integrated, it’s Sakra-only — and it’s stunning. But in this full stack? Mixing may matter more.
Time for a decision:
1950s Holland Amperex or Made in England Mullard? I went with the Amperex. And ahhhhh — instant improvement.
Still, something was missing.
Could that really be it?
Out again came the Graphite Audio footers (my favorite high-end fitters currently), and back they went under the DAC and preamp (they were still under the streamer). And holy crap — the magic was BACK.
This wasn’t just "good sound" — this was music again.
And that, my friends, is why I call it Audiophile Adventures. For me this hobby isn’t just about gear — it’s about the journey, the discoveries, and the occasional small tweak that brings everything to life.
