“…Vayu/fs speakers was amazingly good.”
PranaFidelity
Making noise in Ayre, Boulder, and PS Audio’s backyard
A relaxed atmosphere at the end of a long hard day to just sit down and enjoy some good old vinyl.
PranaFidelity is located in Colorado, where a lot of other top names hail from – is it something about the clean air up there? Who knows, but I can say without hesitation that what I heard coming from the Vayu/fs speakers was amazingly good. Bass was tight and loud, midrange was clean and natural, and the upper frequency was all there. The coherency of this speaker was incredibly good and all for just under $7000, it was quite a feat. But I’m not including PranaFidelity here just because of the sound in the room, even though it was amazing. I’m including PranaFidelity because of the designer, Steven Norber.
The PranaFidelity Purna/ca preamp and Purna/ma amplifier, as well as some gear that Steve modified.
Some people probably know Steven Norber as a founding partner of the now defunct Edge Electronics. What people may not know is that he still supports Edge products, where he can. He also responsible for the Vayu/fs, Fifty90, and the top of the line 108A loudspeakers, not to mention the 400W Purna/Ma amplifier, the wonderful Purna/ca preamplifier (with built-in phono stage), as well as a number of tweaks to well-known gear. All of these are manufactured in Colorado and while I didn’t ask much about them, I’m guessing they are pretty green all around. All that being said, he is also a very pleasant, genuine, and kind individual.
It was the end of a long, tiring first day of the show, and I was looking for a room to take the weight off and just hear some good music. I almost skipped by PranaFidelity (the name kind of threw me off as sounding a bit gimmicky), but the sound coming from the room was actually quite good. I initially didn’t think much of the look of the speakers considering they were just plain square boxes with black baffles. But looks can be deceiving…
Steve put on the track La Habanera from this album. I knew the band vaguely, but I have never heart it this good. Great track to push a system and Steve’s was certainly up to the task.
Steve decided on some of his more adventurous records, ones that most definitely don’t quality as your usual Nora Jones / Miles Davis / Buddy Guy audiophile show fare that, frankly, I was quite sick of by now. It was the end of the show and this is usually when the exhibitors let loose a little – needless to say, Yello is music you really need to listen a little louder to. When it was finished he asked me if I had brought anything. I thought that they might want to pack up for the day, but I had an old standby: Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories – I’ve listed to that CD so many times I know every song forward and backwards. When I pulled it out, the other rep in the room (sorry forgot his name) said that he actually had that one on vinyl, which he gave to Steve to put on. It sounded amazing, and better than it has ever sounded at my house to be sure. Ouch!
It was such a pleasure to visit the PranaFidelity room, be welcomed in, even after a long day, well after the official show hours were over and to just listen to some good music. I was too tired to compare this to other systems I’d heard that day, and frankly, it was all getting a bit fuzzy in my head anyhow, but it certainly sounded very good. More to the point, the atmosphere in the PranaFidelity room was relaxed and welcoming – no high-pressure sales, no rush, no flashy lights, just good old vinyl listening. I may not be in the market for a pair of large floor standers, but when I am ready to buy, I’ll be giving Steve a call. Highly recommended.