Good Morning, Sunshine.
Today, it's Aurorasound, the Liv Andrea Hauge Trio, and thoughts on component reviews.
Ville Blomster, released in February 2024, has been in regular rotation here on the desk. Intimacy, captivating group interplay, and a commitment to melody. Listen up.
Aurorasound is a manufacturer of hifi components based in Yokohama, Japan. I covered their now discontinued HEADA amplifier here back in 2019. I also wrote about their VIDA Prima phono amplifier in the Wayback. This is their entry level in the VIDA line, and was my introduction to their excellent components. As soon as I was able, I acquired the VIDA Phono Equalizer MKI. Aurorasound are now offering the MKII version of the VIDA which includes added features. You may notice I had mine modified to support two MM inputs, where the standard version offers MM and MC inputs. I typically use a SUT (A23), wanted to support easier swaps from mono to stereo carts and potentially, two tonearms. As far as aesthetics go, I dig the vintage presence with the brushed aluminum plates and fine wood casework. The build quality is impeccable inside and out. Careful component selection and intelligent circuit design (a solid-state LCR filter type equalizer) guided by the musical mind of Shinobu Karaki. More, I love the way it handles those tiny signals. The VIDA MKI projects a large, concrete image, along with the bandwidth and very low noise levels of solid-state circuits. Add to this an inner light, dimension and texture that evokes some of the tube amplifiers I've owned.
As for product reviews, we will focus on delivering reports based on listening and our experience with music and the components. We won't be focusing on measurements. Of course, they are useful to those designing and building headphones, as one example, but as a listener, experience is the only way to know if any one thing is the one for you. Develop and learn to trust your ears through listening.
Thanks for listening.
