The simple answer is, by doing it right. What’s more, the reasons for its success are just as applicable and relevant to any other system, almost regardless of price or ambition. It’s remarkable how many expensive systems embody basic, fundamental flaws in critical locations or components – simply because we expend so much of our effort and attention looking at other, superficially more interesting or exciting things. The first and most important lesson we learn from this experience is the virtue of simplicity. Not the tired old mantra of ‘less is more’ (although that does actually apply with a vengeance) but the zero options variety – the one that lets you actually see both the wood and the trees. The Konus Audio electronics require no more than switching between two sources and setting the level. The Vinyle 3000 is devoid of settings, the DAC (should you opt to go that way) likewise – just a choice of USB or S/PDIF inputs. That means you can concentrate on the stuff that really matters.
And as the notion of less being more has entered the arena, let’s not ignore what the single-minded focus of all these products points out. From the minimal facilities on the electronics to the elegant simplicity of the engineering and construction on the speakers, the low-key, low mass connectors on the cables to the Bauhaus construction and emphasis on materials used in the rack, there isn’t a single element anywhere in the chain that isn’t contributing directly to the end result. But what’s really missing is the apparently endless list of facilities, functions and aesthetic fripperies that so many modern audio components consider ‘essential’. There’s no fancy, over-sized or overweight metalwork: there’s no extraneous cosmetic trim on the drive-units: there’s no bulky, ostentatiously plated sleeves on the connectors. There’s no unnecessary remote control (if you think a remote control is ‘essential’, you probably need to get more exercise). I guess you could point an accusatory finger at the speaker grilles, but they’re a market diktat and about as basic as such things can be. In their defence I could point out that they only use three plastic fixings, not four, thus minimising their impact on the BoM… Instead, you’ve got the bare minimum required to actually get the job done – and no more. Once you strip away the unnecessary and only worry about what absolutely has to be there, it has a pretty dramatic impact on the cost/performance equation. If performance matters, then it’s a great place to start. But it’s just that – a start.
Build a solid base…
Every structure needs a solid foundation: the more solid that foundation, the higher you can build. In the case of an audio system, that foundation consists of the AC supply, the signal cabling and the equipment supports/mechanical grounding. In the case of this system it starts with audio grade cable with superior sockets and grounding. Add to that a coherent set of AC, signal and speaker cables, with a star-grounded distribution block from the same source and the cable configuration is already more consistent and fit for purpose than most real world systems ever get to enjoy. The rack was the Blue Horizon PRS, a modular design which combines bamboo shelves with stainless steel uprights. Its simplicity and versatility belie its performance, which is excellent. Paired with the Chord Epic cables, the combination delivers exactly the sort of firm foundation that any system needs.
