Lê o relato do evento PureAudio Project no Porto em português
PureAudio Project chose Porto to kick off its European tour, in partnership with Lab12 and 8mm. The venue could hardly have been more fitting: Pensão Favorita, on Rua Miguel Bombarda, the beating heart of the city’s artistic district.
The event took place in the hotel’s basement room, adjacent to the rear garden, accessible as a natural extension of the experience — a breath of fresh air between musical pieces.
Descending into this space is like changing tempo. The urban bustle dissolves step by step, replaced by expectant quiet. And then comes the detail that subverts the concept of “basement”: the room opens up, airy and luminous — and, at the far end, the garden. A basement that refuses to behave like one.
It was in this balance of intimacy and openness that a deliberately unconventional system found its natural habitat. An untreated room. A neighborhood where contemporary art flows into daily life. More than a demonstration, it was a contextual performance.
A System Outside The Comfort Zone
Nothing here was designed to please consensus.
Lab12 electronics — organic, fluid, emotionally expressive — powered PureAudioProject open-baffle speakers with Voxativ drivers and 15-inch woofers. By definition, this system shouts “outside the box.”
No exhibition luxury.
No acoustic treatment.
No dedicated digital transport — just a laptop feeding the DAC1 Reference, whose detailed review will appear here soon at MoustachesToys, in direct comparison with my own tube-based converter.
The initial turntable, a Rega Planar, soon had to gave way to the pragmatic reliability of a Technics SL-1200.
The system existed without a safety net.
And that was part of its truth.
Between Intention and Execution
A computer as a digital transport is inevitably a compromise — but also a test. When a chain is not shielded by technical obsession, only the essential remains.
And the essential was there.
The DAC1 Reference revealed a clear approach: balancing the warm personality of the downstream amplification. Observations aligned with those already noted during its stay in my system.
The musical selection naturally highlighted areas where the system’s signature could shine:
Miles Davis, Basin Street Blues, slowed time. The room breathed. The garden seemed to enter the basement.
Sara Bareilles, live in (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay), brought audible fragility — breathing, presence, raw humanity.
Stella Starlight Trio, Tainted Love, transformed urgency into insinuation.
Yello, Till Tomorrow, sketched restrained modernity, almost cinematic.
Art Blakey, Nica’s Tempo, required the system to structure energy — not show strength, but organize rhythm.
Bill Evans, My Foolish Heart: pure introspection.
Hiroshi Suzuki, Shrimp Dance, delivered lightness and groove — a subtle physical sensation that the PureAudio speakers rendered almost tangible.
Seduction or Excess?
Mids — the territory of temptation
The mids are the heart of this system: dense, meaty, tactile.
As in fine cuisine, a little fat can be virtue — if perfectly balanced. Here, it sits right on the edge. For some, voluptuous; for others, excessive.
Voices are large, physical, enveloping. On the flip side, dense recordings lose some contrast and micro-detail. Seduction has its price.
Highs — absolute comfort
Smooth treble — enhanced by the Lab12 amplification — will eliminate listening fatigue even in long sessions.
But those seeking extreme airiness, incisive sparkle, or surgical definition may feel constrained.
Everything sounds beautiful. Not everything is ruthlessly revealed.
Bass — the critical point
Open-baffle with 15” woofers implies grandeur and naturalness, but not high-pressure impact.
Bass is organic, rounded, integrated. Excellent for jazz and acoustic music. Yet grip, authority, and visceral punch are limited on demanding repertoire.
Control limitations or conceptual design: whatever the reason, this is the greatest risk in this combination.
Dynamics — subtlety before spectacle
Micro-dynamics shine: breaths, intentions, small phrasing variations emerge with rare delicacy.
Macro-dynamics are restrained. This is not an attacking system.
It is a system for immersion.
System DNA
Its character is unmistakable: organic, emotional, fluid. Deep soundstage. No harsh edges.
But also less contrastive, less aggressive, less physically imposing.
It does not play to impress.
It plays to involve.
Dramatic tension may be lacking for those who require it as narrative fuel. Without tension, music can lose urgency.
If you seek emotion, it is extraordinary.
If you seek absolute neutrality, it is inherently compromised.
Between the Basement and the Garden
Familiar faces from Porto’s hi-fi scene were present.
No formalities. No rush. Low conversations. Respected silences.
In the end, it all made sense precisely because it wasn’t perfect.
The basement brought intimacy and focus.
The garden brought openness and air.
The system existed somewhere between the two — just like the experience itself.
In an era when hi-fi is often lost to obsession with absolute control, something rarer occurred:
the possibility to listen without urgency — and that, today, is almost revolutionary.
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