Some systems are just too good to miss, so when we heard that giant slayer The Funk Firm was joining forces with Mayfair based hi-end specialists Art and Sound and German Physiks at the Gekko Cables‘ Audio Enthusiasts Get Together we hot-footed it down to savour one of the best put together systems we’ve heard in some time.
Don’t you wish your system was hot like this?
We’re just here to get Funky
Serving up the tunes was a fully ‘funked’ Technics SL1200 direct drive deck that had been more than breathed on by Funk founder and audio legend Arthur Khoubesserian (the man who made acrylic platters and DC motors mainstream and one of the most innovative analogue designers of the last 40 years).
This deck featured Funk’s Isolation Bubble approach, with a Houdini cartridge isolator (mounted below a Funk Cobra headshell), Achromat and Bo!ng feet working in unison to elevate this (and any deck they’re applied to) to another level in performance.
Nestled two shelves below in an unassuming petite case is Funk’s soon-to-be released Akutrak moving-magnet phono stage. Being Funk, the Akutrak breaks the mould by turning the passive phono stage principle on its head, reading and responding to each cartridge’s load for unparalleled fine-tuning. Watch out for a future exclusive Audiograde.uk review.
German Physiks loudspeakers combine an omni-directional driver for a truly open sound
New direction
On air moving duties was a pair of German Physiks Unlimited Ultimate loudspeakers. Billed as the entry level model in the brand’s stable, these sounded anything but, and feature the company’s DDD omni-directional driver and downward firing 8″ woofer.
Completing the electronics line up was a Canor CD 2.10 player and DAC, Matrix Audio Element X DAC, streamer/preamp and a Primare SC15 DAC, driving a Pass Labs XA25 power amp.
Find out more about The Funk Firm, Gekko Cables, Art and Sound and German Physiks.
