Solo ULDE + Majestic DAC review

A stunning audio assault then materialises from both sides - as Coleman and Eddie simultaneously breathe life into thirty-six inches of brass that we know as a tenor saxophone.
The staging is crystal clear with Coleman just a few feet directly to my right. Eddie is in front and to my left. I appear to be sitting somewhere near Gus, with Ron Carter and his big upright bass being plucked subtly just behind me and to my left. I can hear his fingers slide on the wire strings.
It's so lifelike, I'm instantly transported back to New Jersey just after Christmas 1960 - where these greats are really making the walls of the Van Gelder Studio echo here with sublime sax brilliance.
I just can't stop listening to the music, and a whole afternoon just disappears as I rediscover some of my old vinyl..
Hold on, NO! - it's actually far better than that.
It's actually digital - and the 16 bit,44.1kHz stream is direct from the Qobuz app on a bog standard Intel NUC PC.
Where it goes next is what makes the difference.
Using "Lautus" cables the signal gets transported to a Majestic DAC and thence onto a Solo Ultra Linear Headphone Amp  - all from Graham Slee.
Graham once said that "you get a free audio circuit design" every time that you buy one of his "gadgets" as he self-effacingly calls them.
And what a design.
No, I'm not talking about the externals - they're smart, functional and tough - but don't expect to see them gracing the cover of W*llpaper or other design magazines any time soon. The anodised silver cases are simple and straightforward - and exude an aura of plain practicality - fine by me.
No, I'm just talking about the MUSIC.
Remember that? When we listened to the music purely for the content, and were just so transported by the music that we forgot completely about how it was reaching our ears?
Yes, in my opinion (and judging by the reviews of Graham's kit - it's not just my opinion) the combination of Graham's vast experience, many hours of toil in his workshop and an attention to detail like no other - has just taken away all the equipment and then - ever so quietly and surreptitiously sat the artists right next to me for my own private audition.
I can almost feel the breath on my neck as the groove of jazz blues which is "Night Hawk" really gets underway.
The great jazz standard "In a Mellow Tone" is elevated to a duel with Eddie hitting some impressive highs, although the fluidity and tone of the Hawk's response is I think - unmatched. And it's all happening right here in my front room.
The Beyerdynamic T1's I'm using are not renowned for warmth and musicality, and at 600 Ohms can be really difficult to drive. Right now though, they've completely disappeared and I have just a slight ring of warmth around my ears to remind me that no, actually - I can't just reach across and shake Coleman Hawkins' hand at the end of a great session.
It is a revelation, and though I have a portable Onkyo DP-X1A player that drives the T1's well (especially in balanced mode), in comparison to this setup - it's striking. The Onkyo is totally transparent, it delivers a great accurate sound - which the T1's then reproduce with unerring German precision. The stage is there, the musicians are on it and its clear you are a privileged audience member with a seat directly in front of the sound stage. Superb.
However, what it lacks is the ability to transport you directly amongst the musicians and remove the invisible "wall" that the equipment can create. The ability to forget the equipment is even there...
Don't get me wrong, the DP-X1A is good - really, really good.
Where the Graham Slee magic happens I don't exactly know - it might be a secret incantation at the bottom of a Yorkshire garden, or a call to a higher power - but you should know that whatever it is, something in those silver boxes has the power of a Star Trek transporter that also does time-travel. All the musicians I have listed on Qobuz and in my FLAC files at home are just queuing up to use it.
Is it really that good? - I think so. I really do.
Don't ask me though - just lean across here to my right - and ask Coleman Hawkins yourself.

Edited by Farmer - 02 Apr 2019 at 10:03pm

And I thought the only blue tinge was the one you got from the HV rail in a valve amp....

Well Ash, you can say you contributed to the final “push” I needed to bite the bullet and sort out my “dream setup” I’ve been planning for a while. 

Edited by Farmer - 02 Apr 2019 at 10:28pm