Oz Shoots High with Thrax, Lansche, United Home Audio, and Albedo
Ozan Turan and Dave Weintraub of High End by Oz may pretty consistently rotate components between shows, but one element remains constant: sonic excellence. At T.H.E. Show 2023, it was time for Lansche 7.2 loudspeakers ($110,000/pair in Macassar Ebony finish), Thrax Heros MkII class-A hybrid monoblocks ($47,000/pair) and other Thrax components, United Home Audio’s R2R Ultima5 tape deck with outboard power supply ($38,000), and Albedo Silver Metamorphosis Signature monocrystal cabling to shine.
The sound was quite warm and notably lively on the CD layer of a Challenge Classics hybrid SACD of Linus Roth playing the Britten Violin Concerto. The system was maximally illumined—just the way I like it—with a great soundstage. When the violin began twittering on high, I couldn’t believe how good and otherworldly it sounded.
Next, S.M.V. performing “Los Tres Hermanos.” Again the sound was notably warm. It was also very tight, filled with great energy, and consistently excellent from top to bottom. Switching to a copy of the production master tape for Eric Clapton’s live recording of “Signe” and Michael Jackson’s painfully ironic-in-retrospect “She Out of My Life” delivered an extra special cleanness and clarity absent from disc sources. I stayed through most of four cuts for one reason: it sounded so good.
Oz explained that the hardly inexpensive Lansche speakers fell in the middle of the line. Their plasma tweeter contains compressed hot gas which is heated to 1100° Fahrenheit to create a virtual membrane that produces sound. I hope I’ve got that right.
Also in the system: Thrax Dionysos tube preamp ($27,000) and Maximinus MkII DAC ($38,500), S.I.N. Audio (power distribution) PSD-10 Ghost ($17,000), and Hifistay Mythology rack.
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