AAI Estremo
Interconnects
I tasted the all new Estremo range last year, on two remarkable occasions. The first involved a Guarneri violin and a Fazioli concert grand, the second involved my own TAD Revolution One loudspeaker project that I have thoroughly decribed earlier. I'll elaborate on these two occasions, but even though on both the occasions the Estremo components excelled, their designers at Slovakian AAI claimed that some final touches were still needed. It took half a year to finalize them - and I think it was worth the wait.
Function and form
I was very curious about how the Estremo XLR signal cable would perform. Initially, we found the SRX XL more attractive sounding but as we continued listening, the audience started to polarize. We swapped the signal cables forth and back many times before each of us settled on an opinion. The verdict was 80/20 in favour of the Estremo.
Bass management
Soundstaging was clearly one of the virtues of the Estremo. It better filled the soundstage extremes, especially diagonals, while the SRX XL´s soundstage was slightly congested.
Clarity & delicacy
Also, the Estremo provided cleaner sound against quieter backdrop, so the sounds emerged with bigger contrast. There are endless variables for the Synergistic Research system as it is highly adjustable within its own ecosystem. That´s why it has ´Synergistic´ in its name.
Tonal accuracy
On the other hand, AAI has ´Authentic´ in its name and the resolution, colours, and openness were closer to the sound of live instruments. We decided to repeat the interconnect shoot-out later and in much bigger context. Keep reading.
Spatial resolution
Despite their understated appearance, the AAI Estremo cables have ability to compete with the best. And I mean the best. Encouraged by the power cable experiments I organized loans of several truly high-end interconnects. So, the Estremo signal cables were benchmarked against Ansuz (Signalz C2/D2), Stealth Audio (Metacarbon/Sakra V16), Krautwire (Super Symetric), Nordost (Odin 2), Synergistic Research (SRX) and AudioQuest (Dragon/Thunderbird). And the winner is…
This text is an abridged version of the full AAI Estremo review: AAI goes extreme.
Recommended resellers
AAI (Authentic Audio Image), Povážská Bystrica, +421 905 694 943
Manufacturer's website: http://www.aai.sk
Associated components
- Sources: Accuphase DP-720, Ayon CD-35 HF Edition
- Amplifiers: TAD-M2500, Audia Flight Strumento No.8
- Interconnects and speaker cables: Krautwire Numeric Digital, AudioQuest Dragon Zero | Bass, plus all the cables that were mentioned in the test
- Loudspeakers: TAD Revolution One, Silent Laboratories Melodee
- Power conditioning: Shunyata Research Denali, Stromtank S-1000, Ansuz Mainz C2, AAI Maestoso, AAI Assoluto, Synergistic Research Atmosphere Level 2 a SRX XL, Nordost Qv2, QWave and QSine, Diamond Sound E2 grounding, GMG Power X-Blocker Exclusive, IsoTek Syncro V5 Uni, AAI power distribution unit, Synergistic Research Galileo PowerCell SX a Active Ground Block SX
Gallery
AAI Estremo
Řadu Estremo jsem ochutnal už loni, a to hned při dvou příležitostech. Ta první zahrnovala housle Guarneri a koncertní křídlo Fazioli, ta druhá se týkala mého vlastního projektu TAD Revolution One. Tyhle dvě příležitosti ještě ...
Recommended resellers
AAI (Authentic Audio Image), Povážská Bystrica, +421 905 694 943
AAI Estremo
I tasted the all new Estremo range last year, on two remarkable occasions. The first involved a Guarneri violin and a Fazioli concert grand, the second involved my own TAD Revolution One loudspeaker project that I have thoroughly ...
Recommended resellers
AAI (Authentic Audio Image), Povážská Bystrica, +421 905 694 943
AAI Estremo
Řadu Estremo jsem ochutnal už loni, a to hned při dvou příležitostech. Ta první zahrnovala housle Guarneri a koncertní křídlo Fazioli, ta druhá se týkala mého vlastního projektu TAD Revolution One. Tyhle dvě příležitosti ještě ...
Recommended resellers
AAI (Authentic Audio Image), Povážská Bystrica, +421 905 694 943
AAI Estremo
I tasted the all new Estremo range last year, on two remarkable occasions. The first involved a Guarneri violin and a Fazioli concert grand, the second involved my own TAD Revolution One loudspeaker project that I have thoroughly ...
Recommended resellers
AAI (Authentic Audio Image), Povážská Bystrica, +421 905 694 943
AAI Maestoso
Poprvé jsme se s Maestoso potkali v dubnu a strávili spolu cirka tři týdny. To měl tehdy kabel ještě černý oplet, jímž prosvítala modrá stínící vrstva a celé to dávalo půlnočně modrý výsledek. Atraktivní vizuál doplnily neméně ...
Recommended resellers
Authentic Audio Image, Povážská Bystrica, +421 905 694 943
AAI Maestoso
I got to meet the Maestoso power cable last April and spent three weeks with it. Back then the cable had a black protective mesh through which a deep blue shielding sheath was seen; a combination that gave the cable deep blue look ...
Recommended resellers
Authentic Audio Image, Povážská Bystrica, +421 905 694 943
AAI Maestoso IC
Ze všech těch propojovacích kabelů, co se u mě za ta léta zastavily na poslech, mi prvních pár hodin Maestoso připomínal Nordost Odin. Tedy tu původní verzi, která se prodávala za 400 tisíc za metr. Přesto tu byly určité rozdíly. ...
Recommended resellers
Authentic Audio Image, Povážská Bystrica, +421 905 694 943
