Argento Audio’s room was defined by crisp dynamics and
clean, fast transients, all wrapped up in a sound that never irritated in any way -- in
fact, it was always a delight no matter what music we played. And did we mention that the
system had terrific bass? Listening to a Tracy Chapman track on a sampler disc that Marc
Mickelson brought to the show, we were impressed by the overall low-end agility of this
system. But from the top of the frequency band to the bottom, this setup satisfied in
every way.
The system consisted of a variety of components from overseas, such as Germany’s
Tidal Contriva Diacera speakers ($53,000/pair), the look of which we just loved due to the
perfect finish and attractive proportions. Also in the mix were the ASR Emitter II
Exclusive integrated amplifier ($25,000), Switzerland’s Orpheus Zero transport
($9000) and Heritage DAC ($30,000), Argento cabling, a Furutech power conditioner, and an
Acoustic Dreams rack. Not being familiar with any of the brands outside of Orpheus, we
really weren’t expecting much. But it’s always very nice to be surprised
with great sound.
