It’s not the first time I’ve heard a J Sikora turntable in the Joseph Audio/Doshi Audio/Cardas room, and I feel like it won’t be the last. Joseph, Doshi and Cardas have forged one of those high-end audio show alliances that have become legendary in its synergy. These are must-visit rooms for me since the sound is so much to my liking–if I was visiting a dealer and auditioning this system, I’d be asking “Okay, so what’s the total?”
J Sikora, maker of exquisite and surprisingly affordable (in high-end audio Big Turntable terms) turntables in Poland, was just gaining some momentum in the US right before Covid. Jeff Fox, of Command Performance AV in the DC Metro area, has taken on the role of US distributor under the aegis of Notable Audio, and he’s getting some traction among audiophiles. (Both Dave McNair and Scot Hull have asked me the question “What about J Sikora?” in the last few weeks. My answer, of course, was heck yeah J Sikora.)
While the J Sikora Standard Max turntable sounded impressive while spinning LPs, a Jeff Joseph/Nick Doshi room invariably means R2R, thanks to the now famous Doshi tape line stage. What I found most interesting was Jeff Joseph’s decision to bring his flagship speakers, the Pearl3 Graphenes, for what turned out to be a very small exhibit room. I’ve heard little Joseph Audio speakers sound big in a big room, but a big pair of Joseph Audio speakers sounding controlled in a small room?
I would never second-guess Jeff Joseph, one of the true gurus in the industry when it comes to speaker placement and room set-up. But I did feel a little nervous when I walked into the room and saw the Pearl3s in a somewhat conventional position, no fancy diagonal, no placement way out into the room. The Joseph Audio Pearl3 Graphenes, nevertheless, sounded well-balanced with no signs of bass bloat or pesky room reflections.
The addition of J Sikora turntables to this high-end audio partnership is the stuff of dreams, however. That warmth, coupled with supreme detail and butt-kicking bass, did not flag one iota with the Sikora holding court. This is always a good room, one of the very best, and I think J Sikora did a fantastic job of fitting in with the fam and making extraordinary musical memories.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from AXPONA 2022, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
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