This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below

With the Zodiac+ loaner returned from Luzern and two stock SMPS on hand plus a Voltikus and matching after-market battery supply from Vinnie Rossi, I had all manner of musical chairs to play out.


Anticipating hair splitting when running both versions through a preamp, it seemed opportune to assemble the most resolved system I could. To complete my front end beyond the review sources I settled on John Chapman's autoformer volume control or alternately Esoteric's superb C-03 preamp in 12dB gain mode for some body enhancements.


Speakers became the overachieving Mark+Daniel Fantasia S recently reviewed, awarded and then acquired to benefit future reviews and self gratification. I leashed up the FirstWatt F5 as bass amp and matching J2 as mid/treble amp for some pre-goal cheating.


Before hitting the magic number to compare two Antelope and my resident Burson HA160D and Weiss DAC2 converters, I started swapping power supplies. Regardless of whatever subsequent sonic morphing the Gold might still undergo, the benefit of upgrading the stock Chinese switch-mode power supply had to be plain after 300 hours. It was.


As I'd learnt with the Zodiac+, Igor Levin's digital chops manifest first and foremost on high. His machines inject air, space and illumination from the top down. Think effects from the 330° dispersion CDTIII™ signature Gallo tweeter. My main criticism with the Plus had been lack of 'incarnation factor' from insufficiently developed bass weight and image density. The sound was very finessed on the material's tiny tendrils but not fully grounded through its roots. Versus the Burson HA160D which since its arrival has displaced my Weiss DAC2 as chief digital code breaker, the Plus had seemed a bit lightweight and pale - heavy on resolution sophistication, lighter on meaty substance and fully developed colors. I'd silently concluded that Burson's proven analog competency overpowered Antelope's proprietary digital wizardry when it came to a compelling musical experience. For €2.395 in Europe the stock 'laptop brick' of the Plus had frankly seemed well below par. The Voltikus now suggested that it was.


Imagine that you carefully enhanced the black levels in an over-exposed image. What had seemed washed out from too much light deepens and solidifies. Contrast increases and with it comes a better sense of articulation. Half and lesser shadows begin to accompany the primary values of high noon. As a result grittiness and gumption move up. That's what Antelope's Voltikus and RWA's Black Lightning supplies accomplished. The sound grew in gravitas. Equals in their degree of improvement—far from subtle and at this juncture seemingly mandatory—they had dissimilar flavors. A feature review on the Red Wine option goes into details. For here it'll suffice that the battery played it warmer, rounder, softer, more 'analogue' and weightier in the bass.


Checking in with the $1.150 Burson at 300 Zodiac hours showed that these same goods still came in second over the Gold/Voltikus combo. It appeared that where Antelope had to add a surcharge optional power supply to do right by analog and compete against the far cheaper challenger from Oz, Burson had properly included a superior built-in twin-trafo PSU with discretely built-up voltage regulators in their base price already. This did righter yet at this stage of the game (their I/V conversion is discrete as well). I began to wonder whether another part of the Down Under advantage involved gain. Burson's output stage pumps out 10V max with their stepped resistor control bypassed. Despite otherwise matched levels such a robust output might have better control/drive into whatever input stage follows it (preamp or amp direct)? Be that as may, the Burson's lower octaves were more substantial, its tone colors richer. The sense of bodies rather than spectres in the room was higher as was rhythmic urgency. Back on the burner it was for the Antelope gear.

Enlarge!