I visited the Source Systems room at the 2019 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest for primarily one reason–Harbeth. I’m still a huge Harbeth fan, even when they don’t sound quite like Harbeths. I saw US Harbeth distributor and importer Walter Swanbon of Fidelis AV and asked him if he had a room, and he sent me there where a pair of Anniversary Compact 7s were making beautiful music in an outer room with Lumin amps and assorted digital components in a near-field arrangement.
Mark Gurvey of Source Systems guided me back to the larger display room, where a huge system consisting of Lumin, Vivid Audio and M2Tech was making beautiful music. I sat and listened for a long time while Mark gave me the technical scoop on his brands (which include Lumin, M2Tech and Fidata from I.O. Data Devices, which supplied the CD server/ripper/player/digital library services for the room).
The Lumin gear that Source Systems brought to RMAF was visually stunning–these products feature a compact, wedge-shaped look that I found exceptionally attractive. This system included the M1 integrated amp/streamer/renderer ($2000), the Lumin U1 digital transport ($5900), U1 mini transport ($2000), Lumin T-2 network music player ($2300) and much more, all emerging from the incredible Vivid Audio Giyas. The sound was impressively clear and rewarding, especially since I was treated to a steady diet of Beatles recordings.
This was the type of system that was pleasing to both the eyes and ears…have I mentioned that the Lumin gear was quite gorgeous in its own understated way? I love how most of the digital music servers these days feature casework that brings these products out of the realm of simple boxes with interesting curves and outstanding fit and finish. Source Systems did an outstanding job as an exhibitor by introducing me to a new world of digital playback with an approach that screams “pride of ownership.” I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.
