SteinMusic of Germany Debuts Four New High-end Devices for Improved System Performance

Ever the creative genius and music lover, award winning Holger Stein continues to develop new effective ways to improve listening in the home. SteinMusic has released four new devices of which I have received and evaluated three. They lower the noise floor and enhance the music overall. They are as follows:

The Ground Cube Signature (not reviewed here)
High Class Grounding Box
The Ground Cube Silver Signature
High Class Grounding Box
The Schumann Ground
Ground Boxes working together with S1
The Schumann Ground Signature working with Schumann S1
First to be installed is the Ground Cube Silver Signature

High Class Grounding Box. It comes with a single ground cord that terminates in a standard IEC three pin connector. Only the ground is active. The box sits on a shelf with the output facing either north or south. It is supplied with a compass so orientation is easy. I initially plugged it into the wall socket near the system, but heard much better results when plugged directly into the SteinMusic PowerBar 12. The Cube was connected and disconnected so many times I lost count, but I heard, as did other audiophiles present, sonic improvements within seconds.

This very effective Cube yielded excellent advantages over my current noise reduction devices already installed and not removed.

1. The amount of air and ambience around instruments in all formats noticeably increased.

2. The depth of the soundstage increased.

3. There was a definite improvement of textural cues of solo instruments particularly piano.

4. Vocals moved back a bit and focus increased.

5. There was no emphasis detected at any frequency 20-20kHz so no worries here.

6. Bass focus increased as did bass imaging. Less smear was heard which surprised me.

7. I heard a bit more soundstage size overall.

8. Instruments appeared more textually complete.

The Ground Cube Silver Signature High Class Grounding Box was moved to my nearfield system and plugged into the PowerBar directly. Again, I heard the same enhancements I had heard in my large system scaled to a smaller room. Actually, the enhancements were even more obvious due to the ultra-high definition one hears when sitting seven feet from speakers pointed right at you. Again, the only wire that is active is the ground wire; neither hot AC lead is connected.

I have a physicist friend in the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society who I asked about the directionality of the Cube. He suggested it had something to do with the earth's magnetic field. Oh well, it was no bother to orient the Cube as directed and forget about it.

My suggestion is to add The Ground Cube Silver Signature High Class Grounding Box to any excellent system and enjoy the music even more. The improvements were significant and welcomed by all who heard them. Unlike many other devices, the Cube was perfectly linear and always made a significant difference.

The Schumann Ground Ground Box working together with S1 Schumann Generator is a nifty looking ground box designed to link to the S1 Schumann device from SteinMusic. It turbo charges the Schumann Generator and provides a significant amount of improvement similar to the previously discussed Cube. SteinMusic recommends you continue to use the Cube if you already have it for even more resolution. The Ground Box is beautifully designed and crafted. It connects to your AC the same way as the Cube through the ground lead.

The Schumann Generator connects to the Ground Box via one of its antennas and a picture of the method is included. The Ground Box also has a three way switch marked: Focus, Warm, and Wide. This device and its big brother, The Signature, are pure genius! Moving the switch yields exactly what it says. Remember, just the ground wire is active here. This is astounding technology.

Once the Schumann Generator and Ground Box were linked, I tried all the positions. Holger Stein told me he preferred the Focus position while others preferred the Wide position. In the Focus position the instruments and vocals moved slightly forward and became more dramatic. Center fill increased and soundstage width decreased slightly. This is an outstanding setting for rock and pop, but I did not prefer it on jazz or classical. I found the effects amazing.

In the Wide setting, the soundstage expanded in all dimensions and individual instruments and orchestral positioning were more realistic and alive. I really liked this setting for all sources. Plus, changing the settings is easy to do and can be done on the fly. The change is nearly instantaneous.

I did not care for the Warm setting as it did not improve anything. I suppose it may be useful in a CD based solid state system to warm things up, but I found it ineffective in all tube systems like mine.

The Schumann Ground Signature working with Schumann S1 Generator is a handsome beast. With giant capacitors and a black enclosure, it is a beauty. Once installed linked to the Schumann, I can report enhanced performance over the smaller version particularly in the Wide setting, my favorite. With the SteinMusic Power Block installed, the Schumann Ground Signature working with Schumann S1, I was in audiophile heaven. The soundstage was truly floor to ceiling, wall to wall width, and even more dramatic depth. Instruments were enhanced in every positive way. Vocals popped and were richly layered. This is next level gear. What great fun!

In for review is the truly remarkable World Premier Zesto Audio Athena Tube DAC with the cutting edge ROHM chip yielding up to 8x DSD! I heard improvements in the system similar to my stock DAC but even more better. The Zesto Audio Athena is truly extraordinary and its increased definition and textural detail helped me understand the effectiveness of the SteinMusic components overall. More soon!

Summary

I had always known that your AC is the life-blood of audio. I just was unsure how to truly maximize it conveniently. SteinMusic has developed a suite of devices that are most convenient and effective. Their latest offerings improve the performance and enjoyment of music in the home beyond all the rewiring of circuits, added filters, and your current noise reduction components already installed. I recommend you leave whatever you have in your system and enhance the overall performance another 25% with the SteinMusic devices. They are cutting-edge and truly effective. My congratulations to Holger Stein and his team for these truly amazing and mellifluous-sounding components.

The Ground Cube Signature (not reviewed here)

High Class Grounding Box

Retail: $2398

The Ground Cube Silver Signature High Class Grounding Box

Retail: $3216

The Schumann Ground Boxes working together with S1

Retail: $838

The Schumann Ground Signature working with Schumann S1

Retail: $1536

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