Sonic Artistry: Stenheim, darTZeel, Merging Technologies, Nordost, Seismion

Talk about a dream triad of fabulous gear from Switzerland: darTZeel, Stenheim, Merging Technologies. The first thing I said to myself when I saw this simple, sharp-looking spread in Toronto-based retailer Sonic Artistry’s room was, “Damn, this is an attractive group!”.

That attractiveness extended to the Swiss group’s collective sound. Doing hosting duties at the time of my visit was all-around great guy and Audio Fest regular Walter Schofield, proprietor of Nexus Audio Technologies, which represents Stenheim among other high-end brands. Walter Tidal-streamed an array of dazzling, mostly electronic music. The speakers disappeared completely. (It wasn’t the first time I’d heard a pair of Stenheims disappear), while the soundstage blew open like a high-resolution hologram, contoured images placed solidly in space. The presentation brimmed with information delivered in a confident, coherent, tactile, effortless, refined manner. The synergy was obvious.

What were the components? The 3-way, high-sensitivity Stenheim Alumine 3SE Special Edition speakers with upgraded crossovers and wiring ($59,000/pair); the darTZeel LHC-208 Mk2 DAC/streaming integrated amplifier, ($31,500), and the Merging Technologies streaming DAC with Roon Core built in ($18,800). Cabling was by Nordost, and all the components rested on Seismion Reactio Model 54 active isolation bases ($7600).

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