7^th October 2021 - By Robert H. Levi, Chairman LA Audio Society, Issue 117

Kirmuss Audio Advances Record Restoration and Introduces the Adrenaline Speaker Cable

As to the KA-RC-1: I should tell you of my restoration of an important LP: the Heifetz Sibelius Violin Concerto, RCA LSC 2435 Shaded Dog Original S1/S1, that I have owned for half a century. It is very clean looking, but noisy and somewhat compressed sonically, lacking violin sweetness and orchestral blood and guts.  Worth about $500, this precious LP has never lived up to its potential, though washed in three different record washing machines over time—two of which cost triple the Kirmuss!  I placed the Kirmuss restored LP on my EAT Forte S Turntable with the Grado Epoch 3 Cartridge and the Cardas Special Order XL Beyond Phono Cable. I used the phono stage in the EAR 912 Preamplifier. The results? Extraordinary! Loudness increased by about 3dBs! Surface noise and distortion disappeared. The violin sound was covered in honey. The orchestra was now wall to wall and revealed immense depth and height. The LP was more like a test pressing or a very fine reissue, but sweeter and warmer than the current crop of RCA reissues. Now I had a treasure I will enjoy for years to come. Only 1500 more to restore. Charles, you are the man!

As to the Adrenaline Cable: Compared to my reference speaker cables—which is quite unfair as the Adrenalines cost less than my reference cable's sales tax—I am delighted to report the Adrenalines were much more than very good. The mid-range was alive and realistic with solid imaging. The definition was excellent, and never strident or crisp. The pacing and drive were very good and the soundstage was wide and tall. Image size was spot on and very well focused. Crescendos were well defined and only slightly congested.The high-band was somewhat rolled off above about 10khz, but still was nicely airy and sweet. The treble region was less defined with bells and such a bit dull but nicely present. Ambiance retrieval was very good and vocal highs were quite natural and well defined. I found digital media very smooth and a touch creamy, unusual but delightful. LPs were very good and naturally dynamic. The depth perspective was good with dark and quiet backgrounds. The Adrenaline would be a very fine cable for solid-state amplifiers.The low band was smooth and detailed though rolled off somewhat below 100hz. The bass impact was well layered and natural sounding. Overall, the sonics were less exciting than I am used to, but certainly satisfactory. A higher-powered solid-state amplifier should yield a bigger and more potent bass sound.