Starting with Roon and the AES/EBU output, the G4 version is still recognizably punchy and full-blooded but very noticeably smoother and definitely sweeter. The G3 K22 could be a little dry but with the G4 K22, there’s not even a hint of dryness left. I don’t have the K50 available for direct comparison, but having owned it for quite some time and knowing it well, I would say it is indeed very close to the KALA range-topper’s performance.

The K22 has a sound that is remarkably meaty and dense – there is most definitely no paleness or leanness here! The flip side of this is that its focus does not appear as razor-sharp as it can be. On the other hand, servers that do sound highly focused tend to also be leaner and less saturated in balance. The midrange has bloom and richness, and there’s a touch of warmth, but less so than with the Oladra and also less than I recall from the G3 K50. Sometimes, dense-sounding audio components can have relatively narrow soundstaging, but this is not the case here – just like other Antipodes servers, the K22 sounds captivatingly spaciously, both in the width- and depth planes.

As mentioned in the introduction, Antipodes have lifted the USB sound quality to match that of the Reclocker S/PDIF, AES/EBU, and I2S outputs, as part of the G4 update. So, how does USB compare to AES, exactly, you ask? I won’t beat around the bush – USB now also sounds fantastic!

Listening with a Vermouth Reference USB cable, the K22 retains its punchy, planted, and meaty sound and expansive soundstage, including its impressive imaging in the depth plane. It adds to this slightly leaner, more articulate bass behavior with just a touch more control. On the other hand, AES/EBU is still more free-flowing and sounds a little bit more mellow and relaxed.

So, how does the K22 sound with Squeeze? I won’t sugar-coat it; Squeeze sounds a lot better to me than Roon, certainly on Antipodes servers. Playing the same tracks as before, there is a new level of tightness, crispness, articulation, and overall precision to the sound. It’s a leaner presentation, for sure, but the server simply refuses ever to sound dry or anemic. The transparency and precision are definitely increased, but even so, I still hear the richness, saturation, and flow that characterize the server.

Link do recenzji: Antipodes Kala 22 G4 – Hifi-Advice

When I was using only the K41 via ethernet compared with the Grimm into the C1.2 DAC, interestingly, the soundstaging and focus between the two were very similar. How different this became after adding the K22. Now, the room was positively filled with ambiance! This was not an artificially blown-up stage with unnaturally expanded instruments and vocals within. The stage itself retained its width and height and the focus and overall precision also remained very similar. More impressively still, the artists within that room-filling ambiance had suddenly become living-and-breathing entities.

The presentation is not just expansive in a static manner, but it breathes, moves, and flows just as required by the music. All this culminates in the kind of performance that totally takes the focus away from audiophile aspects and lets the listener undergo the music. But with my critical mind screwed back on, I can add that the K22, like the K41, has a fulsome sound. It’s meaty, full-bodied, and rich in tonality and this also makes it a little less tight and articulate than I normally like.

However, the Antipodes duo is not about ultimate precision, it is all about conveying the soul of the music. In addition, vocals and center-stage instruments possess something of an inner essence, almost like a glow. I realize this may convey a feeling of warmth or honey-like behavior but it’s not like that. I wouldn’t even call the K41 and K22 warm per se. They’re richly saturated and full-bodied, but there’s no rose-tinting and no cream added.

Somehow, the duo injects the music with passion, soul, and depth. Speaking of which, the K22 not only allows room-filling ambiance but also extends the soundstage layering considerably deeper into the depth plane.

I played all kinds of music just to make sure I wasn’t being seduced by what could ultimately be an effect but sure enough, everything I played sounded nothing short of absolutely credible. Everything sounded just right, utterly realistic, and always with an inner soulfulness that made me connect with the music ever so effortlessly.

I also tried the K22 as an endpoint together with the Grimm as a server but that resulted in a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the K22 now sounded tighter and leaner than with the K41, but on the other hand, it was now missing a sizable portion of the well-saturated and involving organic naturalness that develops so synergetically when it is combined with the K41. It sounded really quite good, just like the K41 on its own sounded very good. But, clearly, the real magic is achieved when the two units are combined.

Link do recenzji: Antipodes Kala 22 – Hifi-Advice

Link: Antipodes K22 – Hifi-Advice – Highly Recommended Award

Link: Antipodes K22 – Hifi-Advice – Highly Recommended Award