Why the LS-1204 AIR came out on top in a contest against the Audience OHNO

In this test listener’s report, Thomas P. describes his findings when comparing the Audience OHNO with our Referenz LS-804 AIR and LS-1204 AIR cables. He places a great amount of importance on transparent sound, pinpoint location of instruments and a spacious sound stage. After testing the cables across various music genres, he developed a clear preference for one of our Referenz cables. Thomas goes into detail about the differences he identified and explains why he eventually opted for the LS-1204 AIR. Look forward to fascinating insights into Thomas' listening experiences and information about the components that make up his system.

Brief interview

Thomas, can you tell us how old you are and how long you have been involved in high-quality music reproduction?
I was born in 1970 and have been an ardent hi-fi enthusiast for around 30 years now

Which components do you have in your system?
Jays Audio CD Transport, Devialet Expert pro 440, Marten Miles 5, Roon, Tidal, Audience Ohno speaker cables, audioquest Niagara 1200 power supply

What were your reasons for choosing these components?n
Marten: simply great speakers, Devialet: a combination of advanced digital functionality (all-in-one), powerful speaker control (dual mono), SAM technology (innovation), puristic design.

in-akustik LS-1204 speaker setup in the room

What is particularly important to you in terms of the sound of your system?
Transparency without sounding analytical. Currently too much sharpness in the high frequencies, which is why I’m considering purchasing a new speaker cable.

Why did you decide to try out the LS-1204 AIR?
Convincing technological concept, positive experience with in-akustik in the low-frequency sector

Thomas’s listening report.

Miles 5. For me a good set-up, for others possibly a touch too bright. Preferred sound profiles are, of course, extremely subjective and very much a matter of taste. I love transparent sound, pinpoint localization of the instruments, a large sound stage, the "sound cloud"... I'm interested in a range of music genres, which is why I tested all three cables with very different types of music – from jazz, classical and acoustic with voice to techno, ambient and house. Yes, you read that correctly. The source is mainly Tidal and a Roon server, but I also use a CD transport, with everything converted by my Devialet.

I have been using the Audience OHNO for 6 years now and bought it together with the loudspeakers (on the recommendation of the dealer, and not a bad piece of advice). About a year ago, I started to gradually improve the sound of my system: power supply and power cable, upgrading from Devialet 220 pro to Devialet 440 pro, ISO Acoustics for the speakers and a few other small things. Each change brought an improvement, sometimes bigger and sometimes smaller, but significant when all added together. But I wasn't satisfied yet and I couldn't really say why. I then read about the opportunity to test in-akustik cables. I wasn't sure whether the 804 would be adequate for me or whether the 1204 would be the more suitable cable. After a conversation with Ms. Kirner, a pragmatic solution was found – I was sent both cables.

Listening to these cables, the differences became apparent to me quite quickly, and I certainly wouldn't claim to have a “trained” ear. The 804 was first up, and showed marginal improvements over my Audience OHNO, which for me is proof of the OHNO's top quality. I wasn't disappointed with the 804, but for me the qualitative improvement was just too small.

Read the full listening report