--YOUR EQUIPMENT. YOUR MUSIC
MangerIkon Akustik

Clearaudio

Read the paper on the moon
(Be there when fleas sneeze)

A name like the echo of thunder(In quarters for connoisseurs)

Drawn right from the source(The unseen revolution)

Fidelity No. 95/2013www.fidelity-magazin.deHarmonix: Checkmate!

Subtle magic: Components fromHarmonix cast an everlasting spell

Checkmate!
HARMONIX RSB-1 • 5900 EUROS • TEXT: CAI.BROCKMANN@FIDELITY-MAGAZIN.DE, PHOTOS: IS

TUNING BOARD“Boards that mean theworld?” When thesurroundings (and thematch) are all in tune,
then why not!

Alright, so the whole thing seems rather ridiculous(and I do apologize to Schiller for appropriating his
figure of speech for the stage of a theatre). Here I havethis lacquered board in front of me that “does” nothingother than hold a HiFi component, which for its sake isalready sitting on something somewhere. This is sort oflike putting grandmother’s slipcover on a brand new
sofa. Or – put more aptly and in a similar pricecategory – like a custom suspension for a super sports
car: The base model already runs superbly, yet adding
this piece of optional equipment will surely make it run
superbly-er. And so, the maven goes to the tuning shop
to get his super-duper suspension, and slaps down asum of money for which he could have gotten a really
good used car someplace else.
Putt putt, beep beep! C’mon. Who drives like that?
These days everybody’s got to have personal drivercoaching with Walter Röhrl. In their own vehicles. On
the Nürburgring. Around the Nordschleife! And it getseven better: I didn’t receive just one of these “boards”(stages) but three! Together with three sets of matching“pucks” (feet) for optimally coupling my equipmentwith the them. You don’t get these kinds of things fornothing, you know.

Acute stress reaction
Welcome to Harmonix Land, where it’s like living
amidst the fjords of Norway: breathtaking, pleasing in
an auditory sense, and rather expensive. The priceHarmonix charges for three “boards” and a dozen“pucks” can easily trigger an acute stress reaction
similar to that of a deer caught in the headlights. Afterall, for about – gulp! – 20,000 euros you can easily
assemble a complete high-end system; no trick to it.
FIDELITY NO. 9 5/2013

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But that’s not the point. There’s more to it thanthat. Here we’re dealing with that certain andessential “wee bit more” that turns a superb
audiophile system (that reproduces music superbly)
into a musically captivating system (that“understands” music and transports this understanding as well). Something for the expert andsentient among us. Nothing for beginners. And
certainly not for number crunchers, who needeverything proven scientifically before they’ll
believe their own ears and senses.
Certain kinds of questions always expose theunknowing and the doubters. For example: What’swith that? Or: Why is it so damn expensive? Bothquestions can be answered fairly easily under theright circumstances. I put this theory to the test
myself with two very different audio systems and alistening audience of half a dozen guests.
Here’s how it works: Don’t let on how much
Harmonix gear costs. Be cool and just play music.
Play your guests’ favorite titles on the system you’vetuned as best as possible, and then repeat their favorite track several times to allow the audience to getsettled in and comfortable. And then, when they’refeeling all warm and cozy, remove the “boards” and“pucks.” Make sure you change nothing else,
especially not the volume settings. Keep in mind thatunless you do this, no one will believe what happens
next. Now play the same track again – this time
without the Harmonix tuning devices …

Tuning fork lift
Suddenly, and in most cases, the question of what
this is all about answers itself loud and clear: lessmusic, less energy, more blur. You can really drive
this point home by taking the Harmonix tuning
devices you removed and placing them back where
they belong. All of a sudden everything is in perfectorder again, the music sounds more open, voices andinstruments acquire greater contour, format andassertiveness; the entire sound stage becomes more
harmonious.
This finally brings us to the all-important point,
namely harmonization that far outclasses really goodhigh fidelity. As the Harmonix name and the tuning
fork inside the logo suggest, the intent is to deliver
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the ultimate harmonious musical experience of“perfectly tuned resonance.” About that tuning fork:
As if poking them in the eye, it will certainly attract
the attention of skeptical calibration freaks and ultraorthodox audiophiles – possibly even sending theminto fits of rage. Calm down and relax! The man
behind and leading Harmonix hails from the musicbusiness. A specialist for stringed instruments of thehighest quality, Kazuo Kiuchi also investigated themost intimate details of how resonance behaves
within them and, according to Harmonix distributor
Jan Sieveking, “indisputably understands it.” From
this knowledge, and starting in 1990, Kiuchi-sanbegan steadily applying his artistic mastery to boththe sound studio and the world of high fidelity inorder to achieve superior sound through resonanceoptimization.
Hold on a minute! Resonance and high fidelity?
For many, this combination alone is the devil’s
handiwork and reason enough to be rejected outright.
But not for me. I believe it is perfectly legitimate toTUNING BOARD

The underside:
Height-adjustable
Harmonix feetensure the basedoesn’t wobble

render audible assistance to technical equipment designed totransport something as sensuous as music. What I mean by thisis neither an intentional sugar coating of euphony, nor those
insipid, ice-cold analytics that attempt to replace charm with“details.” Then again, I can find nothing objectionable about theterm “harmony.” Harmony? I think it’s good. And if it’ssomething raucous I’m looking for then I’ll just pick theappropriate piece from my large collection of rowdy rock.

Artists and their just rewardsKazuo Kiuchi never ceases to earn my utmost respect.
How perfectly this man has mastered the pure art of audio finetuning! And the captivating quality of the sound he reproduceseven when confined to one of those unspeakable containers at
the High End show! He has this natural and exquisite feel for
coaxing peak performance from capable systems, even in
acoustically challenging locations. I have experienced
Kiuchi’s tuning techniques so well and so often that I trust
him unconditionally – and am willing to accept his artist’s fee.

Variety: TU-series
feet couple thecomponents withthe platform

Naturally, the blend of superb materials andconsummate workmanship alone are not the sourceof such fascination. Above all else, proper tributemust be paid to the prodigious expertise that Kiuchisan acquired over so many decades. That too isperfectly legitimate. After all, no one has to buy
anything.

Beyond HiFi
But now back to the Harmonix RSB-1 (RoyalStage Board). All too clear is the audible, or rather
perceptible, improvement to the sound as thesetuning boards unleash their magic when placed
under D/A converters (Audio Note, AudioResearch), preamps (Audio Research, Shindo – youread right: Shindo!) and amps (EternalArt OTLMonos). Even those little gems from McIntosh andModWright that “just happened” to be present werenot exempt from being harmonixized during theseweeks of testing. And the results in terms of soundwere categorically and always positive. This, even
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though the question must be allowed as to whether
the device on top should not cost a few yen morethan the platform on which it rests. The answer: Yes.
Yield to the desire of owning an RSB-1 only when
you, with your meticulously assembled audiophilegrade system, believe you have booked yourself thefinest seat in the concert hall. For this is when theRSB-1 will pamper you with perfect, all-aroundservice that includes uncluttering the stage, inviting
each of the vocalists to sing in your direction, letting
the big band groove, and replacing the concert hall’s
flip-up seat with your favorite easy chair … The
latter in particular – figuratively speaking – is truly
worth the while!
My best-loved recording of Die Fledermaus(Carlos Kleiber, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, DG),
for example, gains significantly in power andresilience in its fundamentals, not to mention
enhanced speech intelligibility, realistic spatial
impression and a more natural acoustic clarity.

TUNING BOARD

Frank Sinatra in Nice ‘n’ Easy cuts aconfident, more full-bodied and upstanding (!) figure before the bigorchestra playing in ping-pong stereo
mode. The easygoing finger-snapping ismore conspicuously separated from hisvoice; the brass section has a cleaner
edge and is less muddled, while Ol’Blue Eyes’ sibilant vocals are better
integrated. In short, everything flows
better, becomes more harmonious (sic),and makes it much easier for listeners to
fully immerse themselves in the music.
Should you once again impatiently(have to) ask about the price, thenperhaps you should continue investingheavily in electronics and acoustics. But
please remember that there are only twoworlds of sound experience beyond HiFi:
live concerts and high-end audio
systems that don’t sound like electronics at all, but only like music.
Funny how often Harmonix components are involved in the latter. And
perhaps that is precisely where you willfind that these kinds of (royal stage)boards really do mean a new world.

Harmonix RSB-1
Tuning Board
Style:
Base surface finished in black semigloss lacquer, adjustable feet madeof wood and chrome-plated metal
Options:
Coupling using Harmonix bases(TU series) is recommended
Weight limit:
max. 150 kg
Dimensions (W/H/D):
56 / 7.1 / 45 cm
Warranty:
5 years
Price:€5900
Sieveking Sound, Jan Sieveking
Plantage 2028215 Bremen
Germany
Telephone +49 (0)421 3784984www.sieveking-sound.debauer audio

www.bauer–audio.detel. 0 89 / 719 39 80