Audio Consulting is a small Swiss firm who produces cost no object Hi-End parts and products . Their philosophy is to use only the natural materials and avoid synthetic as much as possible to achieve naturalness in sound.
This is the Starting Point
Two things here;
Power supply of the reference system.
The unit in left is the power supply of the reference amplifier. (This is the equivalent of power supplies in their amplifiers)
Signal is converted to a single 300 VDC bus and forwarded to listening laboratory by pure silver cables. Only this DC voltage enters the listening room where it is converted into various other DC voltages by the means of a custom made Switched mode power supply using silver wire power transformers
AC Conditioning
Three phase electricity supplies the amplifier. (This is the equivalent of power Audio Consulting AC conditioner and transferred to 220 Volts after the filtering. We will see in detail later on.
First Shock
This crazy looking thing is just an amplifier. No, no, it is not 2 * 1000 watts, it is only 4 * 5 watts. The Single Ended Triode amplifier uses two pairs of Western Electric 300B output tubes. Chassis look like wood, yes it is wood but filled in by sand !!. Inside of the cabinet is covered by copper for EMI/RFI shielding.
This gorgeous looking amplifier does include a SMPS (Switched mode power supply) and used WE 300B in the output stage (we will see later) .Driver/input stage are WE 437A . The reference amplifier is driven by revolutionary Silver-Rock passive pre-amplifier. Sand filling holes are seen at left
Another look of the reference power amp . Output stages are directly coupled to the speakers by the means of Silver Rock SE OPT’s: 2K6 Ohms / 4 Ohms for the bass drivers 2K6 Ohms / 0.1 Ohms for the ribbon tweeters
Tons of stuff to talk here but the space is limited. This reference system is not built for commercial reasons. This is the laboratory equipment of Audio Consulting to test parts, tweaks, transformers, cables, etc. This system also may be considered as challenge of human being to the limits of
today’s technology and materials.
The loudspeaker cabinets are made of 5 layers of lead and 4 layers of plywood glued together. All other walls are hollow and sand filled.
Each of the cabined is 375 kilogram; 375 kg of one speaker and 1,5 tons for a pair of speakers. Woofers are specially made for A.Consulting by Supravox which consist of pure silver voice coils and electromagnets. Entire box is treated with C37 lack which cost them 2.000 €/Kg
These are the hand made pure silver resistors that Audio Consulting produces for DIY
electronicans throughout the world. Again, their philosophy is to use only the natural materials and avoid synthetic materials as much as possible to achieve naturalness in sound.
This is the phono stage on development process. This cost no object phono stage is an attempt to be the best in the world. Difficult to believe but the metal looked chassis is made of wood, no not finished yet, that wood material is poured out and filled in sand.
Not only electronicans work for them. They have two full-time carpenters working for Audio Consulting and creating art kind of quality. This is the power supply of phono stage. Audio Consulting Silver Rock transformers are in usage
This is the inside of their famous Silver Rock passive transformer pre-amplifier. (One channel on photo ) . It’s resistance is around 200 Ohms and only due to the silver wire.. It works with silver wire transformers and lowers the voltage by it’s 24 different windings. Two layer of human hair thin pure silver wire spiralled together to reduce the distortion and connected to wooden based 24 stepped Swiss made gold pin attenuator.
These isolation transformers work with two end of three phase AC line, in other words, 380 Volts of input is converted into 220 Volts or to 110 V (US Version) with 1500 Watts of capacity. They say that conventional isolation transformers slower the electricity, thus compresses the dynamics. We have tested these stuff in their reference system and the difference is like day and night.
Eventually some normal stuff we are used to see.Das Glasperlenspiel, Their SE amplifier. Chassis and transformer covers seem to be metal but they are also wood filled in sand. They say it costs them 3.000 € to produce the chassis. What is the sales price of that amp ? 25.000 € Features: WE 437A input/driver tubes WE 300B output tubes 100% silver wire everywhere. 4 silver wire Silver rock transformers
Switch Board Power Supply Unit Below
Italian made Mantra Sound horn speakers with 100 dB efficiency coupled by their reference SET power amplifier and reference passive pre amplifier. Topology of these speakers was quite interesting for me. At the centre of horn, a pair of units is located. These units provide high frequencies to front and they have nothing to do with horns. Interesting thing is the same drivers provide sound backyards and that sound comes as mid frequency via horns.
A two way system using Supravox' 285 GMF for the bass... Very special medium - tweeter horn for frequencies over 400 Hz. It took Mantra Sound over 5 years to fully develop this very original concept. Higher frequencies are radiated directly to the listener while medium and lower medium frequencies are back-loaded by the horn. No bad horn sound. Efficiency close to 100dB/w/m from 30 Hz to well over 25 KHz!
Dr. Serge Schimidin Founder and president. http://www.audio-consulting.ch
