“I’ve never heard that during this song before.” A phrase I’ve heard more than once from myself, my colleagues and our customers when listening to the Roksan Caspian M2 separates system…
The Caspian has been around since 1995 in one form or another, (the name has stayed the same, the equipment itself has undergone a few changes over the years).
Hiding behind an aluminium die-casted facia, (which has a very distinctive look about it), is a sophisticated medley of components. A 350VA ultra-low-noise toroidal transformer and a much smaller 60VA transformer to power the pre-amp section, pushing out 85 Watts per channel into 8Ω speakers, (or 125 W/channel into 4Ω stereo pair). The Caspian M2 amplifier (to give it its full name) has six inputs, including two pairs of pre-amp outputs should you feel the need to drive one or two power amps. There’s also a balanced XLR connection, which you will also find on the Caspian M2 CD player.
The Caspian also benefits from Roksan’s learning remote, taking inspiration from its Kandy series. It has a very over-the-top, sure of its self, chrome-plated motorised volume and of course input dials. The matching CD player adheres to a very similar design and together the two look incredible, with the CD player offering nothing but basic controls on the front.
How does the Caspian sound? Beautiful, I wish I could think of a better more impressive word to use, but I don’t need to. “Beautiful” perfectly describes the utter simplicity of the sound the Caspian offers. To my ear the sound is uninterrupted and flawless; there’s no mess, the sound is crisp, direct and straight to point. A little brighter than the model down, the Roksan Kandy, but that’s not a bad thing. When you get to this desirable level of premium solid-state hi-fi, products usually produce a more reference sound quality compared to the immediacy and “wow-factor” on lesser models.
I’ve played endless music through this system… stuff I would never dream of listening to, purely because it’s an absolute joy. I listened to Massive Attack‘s Unfinished Symphony, discovering parts of the track I had never heard on my own system. Rediscovering parts of a song I’m hugely familiar with really brought a smile to my face. The Caspian M2 amp gives the illusion it is much larger than it actually is, with an incredibly punchy sound in all the right areas, but a perfect degree of subtlety when needed.
If you’re looking for high end, the Caspian range really should be at the top of your Demonstration list. Even if you’re not in the market, it’s worth a listen. Give your local store a call to book a demonstration.
To find out more about the Roksan Caspian system, click here.
Author: Garrett, Plymouth store
