Sagatun TARANDUS

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lejonklou
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Sagatun TARANDUS

Post by lejonklou »

Yesterday the TARANDUS upgrade was released for my stereo preamp Sagatun.

The upgrade starts with the same things as with TARANDUS for Sagatun Mono:

• A new firmware with improved sound and new functionality (version 1.2)
• The Control Link is improved, so that sync between Master and Servant becomes more robust (version 1.2)
• A modification of both power supplies for more stable voltage rails (version 1.3)

Then there is also an additional tweak to the digital power regulation (version 1.3). This part is already individually fine tuned on every Sagatun Mono, but on Sagatun stereo it's set to an average value. This value has now been slightly adjusted, which improves the music.

The price for the TARANDUS upgrade of Sagatun is SEK 3900, EUR 425, GBP 355 and USD 475 per unit. The recommended retail price for a new Sagatun remains the same as before.


If you've experienced Sagatun TARANDUS, please post your impressions below!
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ThomasOK
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Re: Sagatun TARANDUS

Post by ThomasOK »

About a week ago I upgraded my Sagatun 1.1 stereo to 1.3 with the Tarandus upgrade. This is essentially the same upgrade as is done on the Mono units with one little additional tweak.

I brought it into the store when I was doing the Tarandus for Tundra stereo last week and used it at the end for some of the comparisons. I did not report on it initially as I wanted to give it some more break in time. So I ran it for a couple of days continuously with a KDS/1 and large playlist. At the end of the week I did my A/B comparisons with the store Sagatun 1.1 using the LP12. What I found was quite interesting. The overall balance seems the same and I didn't feel an extra sense of power or bass control. What I did hear was that the piano and guitar from Aqualung on the S1.1 sounded quite good and musical but when I switched to the Sagatun 1.3 I could more easily hear the actual way the piano and guitar were being played. The actual touch on the keys of the piano was quite obvious - you could hear the exact amount of emphasis the musician played each note with and how it differed from the notes before and after. The same thing was noticeable on the guitar where after a run of notes there was a slight bit of vibrato put on the last note which I hadn't heard before (and I listened to this track lots of times while doing these comparisons). This improvement was clear on all the instruments: drums, bass, flute, organ, synth all showed that the musicains playing them were more skilled than you had previously expected. And this just makes the music more fun (or more angry, depending on the tune). Although it sounds like this might be a subtle difference, it was actually rather large. On the 1.1 this quality pretty much wasn't there, on the Tarandus it was immediately apparent, even obvious, and made you aware of the quality of the musicianship at a level you weren't previously. A really nice improvement.

As I suspected from my previous experiences, the differences before and after Tarandus with the Sagatun are not as big sonically as they are with the Tundra. However, the improvement is fundamental and coming closer to the source is more important that those in the Tundra. I would do the Sagatun first but wouldn't want to be without either. Indeed, it was very enjoyable listening to music of all kinds, through the streamer and the LP12, on the system with both the Tarandus upgraded pieces. I also was using the brand new Dynaudio Contour 30, the floorstanding brother to the stand mount Contour 20, and I am quite happy with their musicality so far. They sounded pretty good just plunked down and even better once I had positioned them properly. I haven't really compared them to anything directly but I like them and there aren't a whole lot of speakers that interest me. It really makes me look forward to hearing what Dynaudio have done with the biggest model in the line, the Contour 60 which is a true three way with two 10" bass drivers - the first of that size from Dynaudio in years.

I want to end with an observation I have made over the last several months. As you can tell from my reviews of the Tarandus upgrades on both the Sagatun stereo and the Tundra stereo, these upgrades seem to bring everything together. To me they move you much closer to the studio or live concert. They allow you to hear the quality of musicianship like never before and really significantly improve the emotional connection to the music. Engaging is a word I have used a lot ever since the Sagatuns first came out and that is, to me, what Fredriks' products are all about - engaging you in the music making to a level not heard before. I believe that the Tarandus upgrades bring the Lejonklou products to a new level of perfromance that I have not heard before from any other components. When you listen to these products it is hard to imagine music reproduction getting any better. Obviously it will but it is just so good now it is hard to imagine. I think it is that way with any top product. I remember when I first heard an Akiva it grabbed so much music from the groove it was hard to believe it could get any better. The the Kandid came along and simply killed it. Now with the Radikal, Keel, Kandid, etc. it is hard to believe it could get any better than that. The thing with the Lejonklou products is that this quality exists all through the line! The Boazu is an amazing piece that really connects to the music. When you go to the stereo separates it gets a little smoother and definitely more informative. When you then go to the Monos it is just superb and you really can't imagine it getting any better - but I'm sure it will and Fredrik will eventually take it there. But this quality of musical engagement is so prevalent throughout the line that I wouldn't be afraid to put up even the Boazu against the best anyone else can do. It likely wouldn't always win but I'm quite sure it would never be embarrassed by the comparison. Well done Fredrik!
The LP12 Whisperer
Manufacturer, Distributor, Retailer and above all lover of music.
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