I remember when the only thing I knew about Gingko Audio had to do with squishy balls. Sure, they still make the Cloud Isolators, but these days I’ve been entranced by their ClaraVu MK III ($8,995/pair) loudspeakers. This loudspeaker is a “four-way, 4-module, stacked cabinet speaker system consisting of 3-way monitors (ribbon super tweeters, soft dome tweeters, and isobaric double midrange/woofers) and powered subwoofer modules with identical isobaric double woofers mounted on sealed paperboard tubes.” That arrangement puts a lot of sound into the room, and the sub cabinets give a bit of flexibility on output — the result is a consistently fine demo.
Powering the ClaraVus this time around is the Wells Audio Innamorata stereo amplifier ($6,500), wired up with the astonishingly massive Diamond Reference speaker cables ($6,550/set) from Gingko subsidiary, Dana Cable. Diamond Reference interconnects (starting at $1,500/pair) were used throughout, and a Diamond Reference USB ($895) and S/PDIF cable ($795) were used to wire in the Music Culture MC501A ($4,500) player and Big Seven DSD DAC from LampizatOr ($11,500).
I’ve seen this pairing — or something similar, the last few outings with Gingko, and each time, I’ve been very pleased with the result. Great sound, with fatigue-free listening, is always welcome — audio show or not — so arriving here is always a treat. Moving up the chain with the top end Lampi has only added even more refinement.
Another room, another set of congratulations to Vinh Vu of Gingko for a job well done.
