"Imagine a true ultra-high-end system using the finest headphones ever made - electrostatic headphones, which rivals large physical hi fi systems at upwards of over USD $1M at a fraction of their cost... but which also is a desirable objet d'art. This is the Ethereal System", says Kostas Metaxas, the company's founder and principal designer.
Metaxas & Sins is globally recognized for its unique line of reel to reel tape recorders, based on original Stellavox Recorders (SM8/TD9) mechanics with microprocessor controlled upgrades for the ultimate precision, and custom designed heads. Over the past two decades, the company introduced a complete range of ultimate audio components, from turntables and tonearms, to amplifiers and even speakers, all created to be the "finest objects money can buy". Each product, entirely handmade by Kostas Metaxeas and his sons [sins].
No stranger to creating objects which never existed before, artist/engineer Kostas Metaxas has now managed to marry a Swiss Tourbillon [LePee] clock and offer it as a beautiful abstract moulage mannequin. The CNC's casework for the Ethereal System also features one of Kostas' patternation called "Geometrika" which creates a visual patina of squares and rectangles recessed into an organic shape - requiring the most advanced 5-axis CNC machine to create it. Other patternations will be offered similar to those used in Kostas' Haute Creation work for S.T. Dupont of Paris.
Inside the case are two entirely mono ultra-low-noise high voltage purely discrete and utterly balanced amplifiers dedicated to electrostatic headphones running at over 1000V peak-peak. The bias voltage of 580V [standard for Stax, Sennheiser and most electrostatic headphones] is absolutely ripple-free and running at high frequencies to avoid any interference with the delicate audio signals.
The head section can be offered as a "stand" to support the headphones when they aren't in use, or in different configurations including a Tourbillon Clock version, a DAC or, in the near future, a full digital music streamer.
Kostas Metaxas is also working on his matching X1 headphones (he previously designed the Statix electrostatic headphones for his own monitoring needs), but in the meantime, the Ethereal can be happily used with the best models in the field including the Stax SR 009S, SR-X9000, Dan Clark Voce, Sennheiser Orpheus, and others requiring 580V biasing. Enquiries are welcome by email to Carmela Bianco at Metaxas & Sins BV.
www.metaxas.com
