Even though I experienced the extremely positive effect of the Darkz feet on the sound when busying myself with the PowerSwitch and the Børresen 01, I placed the R-580 directly on a Krion platform in the Artesania Audio Exoteryc rack. For now, it's not about critical listening, but about the R-580 and the D-TC2 tonearm cable accumulating as many hours of operation as possible. They join forces with the Lyra Etna, which is mounted in the Thiele TA01. In the meantime, its internal wiring should have transmitted at least 150 hours of finest signals, but significantly more can't be bad at all. While on Einstein's The Turntable's Choice I usually load the Etna with 85 ohms, on the R-580 I switch between 75 and 100 ohms, which initially results in almost no sound difference.

I now do have ample opportunity to rediscover some great records. One of them is Percussion Profliles, Japo 2360 025: This recording, featuring five percussionists and George Gruntz on keyboards and synthesizer, is mesmerizing with its precise, wide and deep depiction of the stage, manifold tonal colours and seemingly infinite dynamics. Another musical delight is Richard Beirach's solo piano album Hubris. At some points the sound is reminiscent of the spectacular grand piano sound of the Three Blind Mice albums: The striking of the keys in the upper octaves sounds crystal clear, hard and powerful. But sound engineer Martin Wieland isn't out for any kind of audiophile gimmickry. Beirach's playing is equally impressive with its intense, flowing, even lyrical passages lacking any form of harshness. And particularly during the second part of the B side one is astonished at how much low frequent energy Richard Beirach elicits from his instrument. Along the way it becomes also clear that the R-580 offers above-average dynamics and space, whereas the background noise not only ranges below the average, but settles even a touch lower than with Einstein's The Turntable's Choice, which is exemplary in this discipline: Only when the volume control of Audio Exklusiv's R7 is turned up significantly beyond levels that would be detrimental for both speakers and ears with the tonearm lowered, a slight hiss is audible - but still no trace of hum.

So, now time has come to spin one or the other test record. The first one I use to briefly check whether the Ansuz Darkz T2 Supreme have the same positive effect under the phono stage as under the PowerSwitch. And they do: With Dick Schory's "Buck Dance" and "Duel On The Skins" the dimensions of the Orchestra Hall seem even larger, the instruments are better separated from each other, the performance gets a bit more dynamic, and the percussion ensemble and the two tap dancers appear to get down to business with a touch more verve. Those who don't shy away from the investment the R-580 and the Signalz D2 entail shouldn't dispense with the Darkz T2 Supreme. I won't do that in the following either.