Absoulute Premium Audio+Video - Positive Feedback

When I moved to the Charleston, South Carolina area three years ago, I figured out something very quickly: the Low Country is a veritable wasteland when it comes to high-end audio—there's nothing here. And I mean nothing, other than a few pieces of mostly mid-fi gear at an occasional Best Buy location. I only thought the Atlanta, Georgia area I was leaving was falling headlong down the high-end audio rabbit hole, where hifi shops were disappearing on the left and right, but I chalked it up to everything in life pretty much going with an internet-only model. It was what it was, and I was hopeful that maybe, tucked away somewhere in the Low Country, there'd be a low-key, but nonetheless cool audio dealer—nope, nada.

I first met Shayne Tenace seven or so years ago, while he was hosting rooms at audio shows for Fidelity Imports. I was really impressed with not only the engaging sound of his rooms, but also with his passion for music and great equipment, and an almost encyclopedic knowledge of his gear and its capabilities. We've stayed in touch, and regularly talk and message each other. About a year ago, Shayne called me to discuss a plan he'd been formulating for a while: he was working on opening a new high-end AV dealership in South Carolina—the only problem was, where? With my having been here for a while, he picked my brain about the local AV market, the audiophile community, Charleston, North Charleston, Summerville—what were my thoughts on all of the above? Unfortunately, I had very little concrete information to encourage him with, and I didn't want to mislead him about his prospects here.

Shayne called this past May to let me know that he'd found a space for his new venture in Aiken, South Carolina, and was already in the process of rehabbing it. Doing as much of the work as possible himself, and that included drywall work, refinishing the hardwood floors, painting, electrical updates, and of course, decorating—and all this following major surgery only a few months earlier! But if there's anything that I've learned about Shayne, he's a beast, and as of this past weekend, the plan reached fruition, when Absoulute Premium Audio+Video hosted its grand opening over September 19th and 20th.

Aiken is the smart choice for the new store; it's a small college town that has a cool, bohemian vibe, especially the downtown area where Absoulute Premium Audio+Video is located. Aiken is convenient to Shayne's residence, and it's only a couple of hours (or less) from many regional population centers. Like Augusta, Georgia (home of the Master's golf tournament), the Charleston metro area, the Columbia metro area (South Carolina's state capital), and the populous Greenville/Spartanburg metro area. Podunk, right? Think again—those combined population centers encompass close to four million people, which should be plenty for a business like this to successfully draw upon.

So who exactly is Shayne Tenace?

I knew Shayne was ex-Navy and had made the move into nuclear power administration, but otherwise, I knew very little about his background, so I asked him to fill in the blanks for me. He became a music lover from an early age, and participated in band and chorus from elementary school and onward; a definite highlight was his selection for an "all-star" high school wind ensemble that toured Europe. His love of making music also soon encompassed a love for the gear that reproduced it, including his first "horrible" department store rack system. He remembers being in awe of a cousin's top-line Radio Shack Realistic system, and he honed his chops for curating playlists by deejaying a lot of school events and weddings. While in college in the Boston area, he met a lot of other audio enthusiasts by hanging around the city's myriad of stereo stores. Though still a poor college student, he was able to move up to Polk speakers and a Pioneer receiver, which was at least a start in a more positive direction.

Shayne eventually joined the Navy, and used almost his entire bonus (and re-enlistment bonus) to acquire his first "proper" HiFi system. Which featured VMPS Super Tower loudspeakers, amplification from B&K, including a Pro-10 MC preamp and a 202+ power amp, and a Philips laser disc player as his source component—Shayne referred to the Philips player as his "stealth monster." He voraciously consumed all the audio-related media at his disposal; his obsession even drove him to contact a newsletter, The Audio Observatory, for any tips they might have for a budding audio journalist. Its editor, Paul Cervantes, responded, telling Shayne to pick a subject, write about it, and if he liked it, he'd publish it. Cervantes kept his word, and Shayne ended up writing for both The Audio Observatory and High Performance Review while still in the Navy.

His journalistic experiences increased his exposure to a variety of audio gear, and encouraged him to start his own business. Shayne then sold audio gear part-time from a rented space above a Williamsburg, Virginia furniture store that was near his naval base at Newport News. He even placed an ad in Stereophile, and sold a selection of electronics from Creek and Monarchy, along with loudspeakers from Mach 1 Acoustics and Fried. Shayne transitioned to a post-Navy career in nuclear power, and he eventually also started his own dealership, Tenacious Sound, and was a co-owner of both House of Stereo in Jacksonville (his involvement helped prevent its closure) and Now Listen Here. His recent shift in priorities brought his audio pursuits to the forefront, with his involvement in nuclear power now limited to a consulting role.

Shayne is also very focused on fitness; he's a Powerlifter, with a goal of qualifying for the International Powerlifting Federation world championships in the age 50-59, 93kg category. His surgery recovery and lack of focus due to the new business startup have unfortunately slowed his training regimen, which includes three different exercises: squat, bench press, and deadlift. In competition, each participant has three lifts, with the best score from each exercise chosen to determine a total score. Deadlift is his best exercise, and he's about 200 pounds (combined between the three exercises) shy of qualifying for the competition, and closer to 350 pounds from being a threat to reach the podium or possibly win. Ever the optimist, Shayne is holding true to his goal, though he has lots of work to do! A secondary goal is deadlifting 625 pounds, which would break the Canadian record—and he has plenty of Canadian friends cheering him on!

Absoulute Premium Audio+Video

Upon arriving at Absoulute Premium Audio+Video on Saturday, their exterior signage pointed in two directions, with elevator access to the right, and stairs to the left. I bit the bullet and chose the stairs, which surely wouldn't kill me, but opening the door revealed an imposing staircase that was long and wide, and not dissimilar to the massive staircases inside Hogwarts from the Harry Potter movies! At the top, I was greeted by a hallway that was easily an additional hundred-plus feet long—how deeply was Shayne's new shop buried in this seemingly cavernous building? But I eventually arrived at the entrance, where Shayne and Bob Weisberg of Fidelity Imports were working diligently to get the display rooms ready for day two of the Grand Opening.

Shayne's new digs are actually pretty sweet! It's a vintage and inviting loft-type space, with sand-blasted brick accent walls and solid wood flooring throughout. New walls were erected to divide the space into the individual rooms, which had an impressive level of isolation between them. The entrance connects to a main corridor, where the "big" room is to the left, with three smaller rooms to the right. The big room had three listening setups, with large, imposing systems at either end; most of the equipment was from German manufacturer Burmester, with the exception of the pair of Ø Audio Icon loudspeakers that were set up alongside another pair from Burmester. A smaller, "value" system was against the outside wall; it featured Opera standmount loudspeakers powered by Unison Research and Eversolo electronics, along with a Rega turntable.

Entering the first door on the right revealed the largest of the smaller rooms, with a system built around Wilson Benesch loudspeakers powered by AVM electronics. Door two revealed a squarish room that featured loudspeakers from Fyne and Opera, along with electronics from Unison Research and Mearason. The third room featured loudspeakers from Acoustic Energy and electronics from Ruark and Rega. Large, comfortable couches and/or club chairs were perfectly positioned in all of the shop's seating areas, and graphically stylized art that featured images of some of the equipment lines Shayne carries were hung on the walls. The lighting was a mix of lamps and the kind of LED accent lights you often see in rooms at audio shows—that further extended the shop's already nice vibe. Each room featured mounted diffusors and bass panels from GIK, and the individual rooms exhibited near-perfect acoustics for each of the systems on display.

No expense was spared for the Grand Opening, with complimentary beverages of every sort available, including a bar cart and wine service. And lots of food, with absolutely killer Cuban sandwiches and an assortment of finger foods—my compliments to the chef! I also had the pleasure of meeting Shayne's charming wife Pat, who appeared to have been pressed into service for her overextended hubby. Representatives from Fidelity Imports (Bob Weisberg) and Burmester (Luke Bennett, Norman Steinke, and Marc and Jeanette Koval) were also onsite to assist in the presentation of their systems; the Grand Opening of Absoulute Premium Audio+Video was off-the-charts great, with good crowds on both Friday night and all day Saturday.

Checking out the smaller rooms—starting with the first budget system

In addition to providing coverage of the Grand Opening for Positive Feedback, I was also there to check out Shayne's latest offerings in modestly-priced ($10k and under) systems—he had two for me to take a listen to. We started out in the smallest room—the Blue room—which featured the Acoustic Energy 320 Mk II loudspeakers ($3199/pair) and the Ruark R610 all-in-one integrated amplifier ($1899). Both are British engineered, but manufactured in China, and were the focus of the room. A Rega integrated amplifier and P3 turntable were also present, but didn't see any action during my visit. This was one of the affordable systems Shayne was most excited for me (and everyone else in attendance) to hear.

Shayne and Bob Weisberg dial in Qobuz Connect on the Ruark R610 amplifier.

The R610's remote control is compact and very cool!

Shayne and Bob Weisberg of Fidelity Imports played tracks using Qobuz Connect. The sound was really great across the 320 Mk II loudspeakers, which had surprisingly good bass for such a small-footprint tower loudspeaker. However, once they started playing tracks like "SUNSHiNE OF YOUR WUB," which is a campy take on the Cream classic by YOOKiE, the Acoustic Energy loudspeakers really came alive, and had me (and everyone else) looking around the room to see where the sub was hidden! "SUNSHiNE OF YOUR WUB" starts out with a traditional take (maybe even a sample) of the original's opening, then shifts into a bass-heavy, stylized version that shook the walls of the small room. Neither the Ruark unit or the 320 Mk II's flinched, delivering the track with plenty of gusto. The loudspeakers were placed on the long wall, and it worked perfectly in this scenario, providing a compelling near-field listening experience.

Next up: the largest of the smaller rooms

The next room featured a standmounted pair of Wilson Benesch Discovery 3.0 loudspeakers ($35k/pair), with an all-AVM complement of German-made electronics. Including a pair of 30.3 monoblock amps ($6000/pair), the 30.3 streaming preamplifier ($5000), and an AVM power conditioner ($9000). The mirror chrome finish of all the AVM components was breathtakingly beautiful! This room was also set up with the loudspeakers on the long wall, and again, the sound projected into the room with uncanny precision and perfect imaging. While the cabinets of the Discovery 3.0 loudspeakers are fairly large for a standmount, the driver complement isn't, but I was shocked beyond belief at the level of convincing, earth-shaking bass delivered by these loudspeakers. Yes, they're not inexpensive, and you logically expect superior performance at their elevated price point, but I probably sat with my mouth agape for each musical selection played!

Sara Bareilles' rendition of "Sittin On the Dock of the Bay" was delivered with the kind of realism that literally placed her in the room, right in front of you in the soundstage. Her every movement and gesture were almost physical—again, the level of realism shocked me! Vanessa Fernandez' "Use Me" also rendered her vocals with you are there realism—I've heard this track countless times over just as many systems, but never this good. Bob Weisberg then cued a Madonna track, "Vogue," from a Q-Sound recording of her Immaculate Collection, and while the Q-Sound gimmickry played some part here, I've never heard a pair of standmount loudspeakers deliver a soundstage with the kind of width and believability of the the Discovery 3.0's. Q-Sound is cool, but it requires a perfect setup and loudspeaker to hear the effect produced with absolute fidelity—the Discovery 3.0's in Shayne's room absolutely nailed it!

Finnbogi and Kerstin Marinosson and myself, listening to the Wilson Benesch/AVM system.

About that time, Shayne entered the room and hijacked the playlist, putting on a pair of choral tracks from Proprius' classic Cantate Domino. Yes, I know, audiophile dinosaur disc, yadda, yadda, yadda, but even though I've heard this music countless times over four-plus decades, I've never heard it delivered with the spatial accuracy provided by the Discovery 3.0's. On the classic Christmas song "Cantique de Noel" (O Holy Night), as the female soloist completes the first verse, the entire choir joins in for the chorus, and it literally explodes across the soundstage—hearing it now was like hearing it for the first time, and on the greatest stereo system ever. I was completely gobsmacked by this, and none of my systems has ever rendered it with the kind of explosively dynamic, but still perfectly liquid presentation as I heard here! I simply have to listen to this again on my own system, but I'm preparing myself for total disappointment!

Listening in the last of the smaller rooms

The final small room was almost perfectly square, which is frequently the kiss of death in attempting to set up any audio system with decent response (though the elevated ceiling height obviously helped). It featured a pair of Fyne Vintage Classic Gold x10SP loudspeakers with optional supertweeters ($16k for the combo/pair), powered by a Unison Research S6 Black Edition tube integrated amplifier ($7000), using a Mearason DAC One streaming DAC ($8500). Also present in the room (but not evaluated) were a pair of Opera Quinta V2 loudspeakers ($7500/pair) and a Unison Research Unico 90 hybrid Mosfet integrated amp ($5500). The radically designed supertweeters projected sound with a nearly 360 degree dispersion pattern, which enhanced the room's illusion of realism.

Shayne again deejayed, starting with Funkadelic's classic from the psychedelic era, "Maggot Brain," and Eddie Hazel's unbelievably acid-drenched guitar solo poured forth from the Fyne loudspeakers like nothing I've ever heard before—again, the level of realism was staggering as the track screamed at every recess of my brain. I've heard this track many times over five decades, but never with the kind of emotional connection I experienced hearing it through the Fyne Vintage Classic Gold x10SP's—it was a nearly religious experience. Later in the day, I returned to this room to sit in on a few more selections, and Shayne played the tracks from Cantate Domino that powered across this system in a way that affected me very much as in the Wilson Benesch room—the transients were simply crushing! The final track he played was Rage Against the Machine's "Killing In The Name Of," and it absolutely jackhammered my already mush of a brain—I also have to listen to this track on my own system to gauge my disappointment. That's definitely a new thing with me after this weekend—tracks to play that will clearly leave you in a state of utter disgruntlement with your current stereo setup!

Shayne's graphically stylish artwork in the rooms was really cool!

The unique wave guide on the supertweeter gives it nearly 360 degree dispersion!

That's not to say that this system only performed well with the tracks that were heavily dynamic—it offered sheer perfection on any and all of the tracks that displayed such goodness in the room next door. And if I ever had any second thoughts about Fyne loudspeakers or Unison Research amps, this weekend definitely erased those! And at one point, I sat in a chair that was in the far corner of the room, but the Fyne loudspeakers had such a compelling stereo spread, I still got most of the overall goodness from the worst seat in the house!

There were three systems in the big room, but they never played simultaneously—that would have led to absolute chaos! The equipment in the room was mostly Burmester at either end, and I started at the all Burmester side, where I had some entertaining conversations with reps Luke Bennett and Norm Steinke. Luke was describing the availability of special finishes—he mentioned one situation in particular, where a client was looking at a high-end pair of their loudspeakers with leather-sidewall inserts. The customer's wife happened to be there during the demo, and she had an alligator Louis Vuitton bag with her; while her husband was all-in on the new speakers, she insisted that the inserts match her new bag. The alligator finish wasn't in their system, but they do custom work for just about anything you desire, so they told the customer they'd get back to them with a price. As it turned out, the alligator in question was quite rare, and it took quite a few of them to get the inserts correct, so the price was in excess of an additional $10k for the custom finish. The customer didn't flinch, and was quite happy with the finished work.

Norm and I also talked for a good long while as we listened to music; he asked a particular question: "Do I have a preference between music streamed from the internet, or played from an internal hard drive?" I told him, beyond doubt, played directly from an internal hard drive, and mainly because there's nothing else that gets in the way of the music—it sounds less gimmicked, and so much better. Even if I buy a file from Qobuz, it sounds better downloaded then played from a drive than streamed from the internet. Norm told me I had definitely come up with the correct answer! We also talked about Burmester's headquarters and warehouse facility, which is in Hiram, Georgia, and only a stone's throw from where I lived for much of my adult life—I never knew that!

At this end of the room, the all-Burmester complement featured a pair of BX100 loudspeakers ($110k/pair), a pair of 218 power amps summed into mono ($60k for the pair), a 111 music server ($60k), a 175 turntable ($70k), and a 948 power conditioner ($12.5 k). Oh, and there were $4000 of Burmester cables (the cables in the other systems were from Straight Wire). So what did I think of the nearly $320k system? I will never occupy the kind of rarified air where I'd ever give serious consideration to buying Burmester—it's so obviously out of my league, and always will be. That said, I admire the beauty of the custom finishes, and I can understand the attraction of the deep-pocketed audiophile to the purity of this equipment. An attendee requested a couple of tracks from the Dire Straits' album On Any Street—it's an album I rarely listen to, and don't have a great familiarity with. Mark Knopfler's guitar and voice were presented by the big Burmester system with stunning realism, making me definitely want to contemplate revisiting this album, and often!

Did I think Burmester's sounded like $320k? Maybe—I'd have to spend more than just an afternoon with it, and armed with a heavily curated playlist to get a better impression. I do regret that I didn't insist on hearing the Proprius tracks over this system, or even "Maggot Brain"—maybe I'll con Shayne into a private demo session!

Burmester's 232 integrated amp looks pretty sophisticated in its custom Ferrari red finish.

At the other end of the room was a more affordable pair of Burmester B38 loudspeakers ($35k/pair), along with a Burmester 232 integrated amplifier ($28k); both sported the custom Ferrari red finish. There was also a pair of Ø Audio Icon loudspeakers ($25k/pair) that were shuffled in and out of the system with the Burmesters—I got the chance to hear them both. The Burmester 232 amp is Shayne's, and if I'm not mistaken, it's the only one that currently exists in this special finish. It's an impressively beautiful amplifier, especially with its uber-stylish heat sink fins along the front and sides, and the mirror chrome front panel doesn't hurt either! This system offered really outstanding sound, although visually, the Burmester B38's were essentially just rectangular boxes compared to the hyper-stylish 232 integrated, and didn't offer the same wow factor. But the sound was really great—I just wasn't sure if it offered $63k worth of great. Had I listened to the handful of tracks that really moved me on the other systems, my opinion might have been more apples to apples—I definitely needed to spend more time with this system!

I'm basically toeing the same line with the Ø Audio Icon loudspeakers, which I loved when I heard them in February in Florida, where they were driven by high-end tube amplification. Even with the uber-cool looking Burmester 232 amp, the Icons didn't generate quite the same emotional connection with me as they did earlier in the year. I'm chalking this up to my possible lack of focus, as it was getting late in the day, and perhaps my brain was going wonky. I'd like to revisit this system at that private demo with Shayne, I just need to work out the details!

The last system was the one that was located off the side wall of the big room—it was Shayne's best-bang-for-the-buck system. And featured Opera Prima V2 loudspeakers on custom stands ($4100/pair including stands), a Unison Research Unico Primo hybrid integrated amplifier ($2300), an Eversolo A6 streamer/DAC ($860), and a Rega P6 turntable ($1875). Shayne was telling everyone all day that the Unison Research Unico Primo amplifier was the best performance-to-value component in his entire shop! Everything he played across this system was rendered with a scale of sound that didn't seem possible from standmount loudspeakers, and with a level of consistent deep bass that only a sub would usually provide.

While everything I heard across this system impressed the Hell out of me, the very last track Shayne played was the clincher—Phil Collins' "Something In The Air Tonight." Now I've heard this track a zillion times—it's gotten to the point where it almost seems clichéd with me, such that I barely even listen when I hear it. It was 5:30 on Saturday afternoon, and I was listening alongside the only other remaining "last man standing." As the track rolled along, I noted that it sounded surprisingly good, maybe even better than I remembered. But when Collins absolutely pounds the drum kit in the song's big drum break, it created a massively huge sound, such that it completely startled both myself and the other fellow—and we both stared at each other in total amazement! I've never heard this track played with this level of realism on any system, ever! This was Shayne's world beater for under $10k system, and at $7260 for the speakers, amp, and DAC/streamer, it provided the kind of sound I'd never have dreamed possible! And it wasn't even optimally positioned in the room, it was just kind of floating along the side wall, but it had no problems energizing the big room with a massive scale of sound that was nearly otherworldly!

This under $10k system slayed me with its goodness—I can't argue with Shayne's enthusiasm!

I saw and heard systems this weekend that shocked me visually, but mostly aurally, with impressive clarity, highly detailed sound, an expressive midrange and treble presentation, and controlled, deep bass—and there wasn't a subwoofer to be seen anywhere on the premises! This was an auspicious Grand Opening for Absoulute Premium Audio+Video, and Shayne is carrying not only the kind of equipment that can speak to the cash-strapped masses, but also to those looking for a deeper dive into the high-end. And Aiken is virtually only a stone's throw from major population centers in two states. Absoulute Premium Audio+Video will be a godsend for those of us wandering the wilderness of the high-end wasteland that was (is) South Carolina.

Was everything at the Grand Opening perfect? No, there's a noisy overhead AC unit that needs a bit of additional isolation work. I think I counted about ten minutes out of my 10 AM to 5:30 PM day that it was bothersome, so it's mostly no big deal. The "video" aspect of Absoulute Premium Audio+Video is still a work in progress, but should be up and running very soon. Should you decide to make the trip to Aiken, Absoulute Premium Audio+Video is open four days a week, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM, and by appointment otherwise. Take my advice and bring your curated playlist with you, if you're a Spotify, Tidal, or Qobuz Connect user, you're all set once you get there. You won't regret it!

Cool people showed up, like fellow audio dude Finnbogi and his wife Kerstin Marinosson, who drove down from Greenville, and Eric Franklin Shook, formerly of Part Time Audiophile. Digital Don Dunn was there, filming the event for his AV blog. I had a great time on Saturday, heard some great music on some great systems, and talked to and hung out with some incredibly nice and knowledgeable people! Many thanks to Shayne for letting me sponge off his goodness for the day! Absoulute Premium Audio+Video gets my highest recommendation—it's well worth the drive to Aiken!

All images courtesy of the author, Shayne Tenace, and Finnbogi Sigurdur Marinosson.