Two familiar brands I saw at Munich were Eggleston Works and Doshi Audio. Nick Doshi popped in for a day but I completely missed him. I had better luck with Jim Thompson from Eggleston. Jim has a lot of exciting things in the works including being part of a renovation of a rail station in Memphis. Given that Memphis is not too far away from Atlanta, I plan to visit the factory in the Fall and see what Jim’s team is up to.
In the interim, the Eggleston Emma EVOlution and Doshi monoblock amps with KT-150s were making wonderful music in Munich. Set up against the long wall with two rows of seats against the opposite long wall, this system sounded excellent. A new to me Pre-Audio Turntable brand dazzled with both vinyl and top quality of construction including an imperceptible double platter separated by 0.2 millimeters! The system also had Way cabling throughout.
Listening to LP was a delight. The Miles Davis-inspired Bending Corners by Erik Truffaz demonstrated the bass strengths of the Evo loudspeakers. Clear, taut, defined bass impressed me. The trumpet was nicely clear. Hard to correlate the sound I was hearing from an under $6,000 loudspeaker!? Whoa.
The Doshi Monoblack V3.0 pair was as superb as ever. Employing four KT-150s per channel, they were so musical with the Evos. They presented great dynamics, were quiet, and had a glorious midrange I’ve also heard on their Stereo amplifier. Nick’s philosophy includes over-specified parts, optimized impedance, and a non-resonant chassis:
In keeping with the Doshi design ethos, our Monoblock incorporates “Component De-Stressing“ whereby every part is vastly overspecified for its application. Our output transformers, for example, are designed for continuous output in excess of 400 watts: double the Monoblock’s power rating. Utilizing such massive transformers prevents core saturation during periods of high power output at low frequencies and, like every capacitor, resistor and other part we’ve selected, mitigates electrical and thermal stress in order to optimize reliability, longevity and sound quality.
Equipped with both Single-ended (RCA) and Balanced (XLR) inputs, Doshi Monoblocks feature 50kOhm input impedance which allows our amplifiers to excel in virtually all systems, regardless of connectivity or electrical characteristics. Also residing on the back panel, our “Mute“ function uses microprocessors to block signal at both input and output, facilitating cable changes and system maintenance. And since even esoteric stereo systems must now be “Control Friendly,“ an optically isolated 12 Volt Trigger Loop enables our amplifiers to be powered on and off remotely.
Analog was superb. Quiet backgrounds. The air-bearing linear tracking arms were certainly getting the job done as was the air-bearing platter and Audio-Technica cartridge. On the digital front, a Merging DAC was presenting lots of detail. We heard a beautiful classical piece with spot-on timbre on the instruments. Strings were wonderfully rosiny. Imaging was precise.
This was a superb system that highlighted a distinctive loudspeaker which sounds far better than its reasonable price would indicate. I can’t wait to visit Memphis and get the full scoop. Line up the BBQ establishments Mr. Thompson!
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