Review Holo Audio Serene Level 1 preamplifier – Tastefully Serene

Sound?

A preamp isn’t really supposed to add anything. But most do something. For example: most tube preamps are going to broaden the soundstage and add texture and air. Whether these are artificial additions doesn’t matter, what matters is how you enjoy the music. The Holo Audio Serene Level 1 is characterized by letting as much music through as possible in a holographic way. In addition, the Serene provides a realistic stereo image that sits nicely behind the speakers. Depending on your room, acoustic adjustments and power amplifier, you can achieve a full 3D soundstage with the Serene. We try to describe with some examples what the Serene does in our system. 

Listen

We start with the CD “You want it Darker” by Leonard Cohen, his farewell album. It’s a subdued, dark and slow album that has to rely on atmosphere and nuance. With the Serene you notice that voices sound more natural, a little bit ‘wetter’ than through the rather dry HPA4. You are more affected by the music and the Revels allow these differences to come through flawlessly. It’s harder not to listen. Everything also sounds just a bit more open and there is even more calmness in the reproduction. Not bad.

Something completely different is the CD “A chance to cut is a chance to cure”, wonderful title, by the American Matmos. This electronic duo is still making music and in their music they use mostly samples from everyday life. For this album they have mainly sampled medical sounds such as a dentist drill and the like. It results in an enormously varied and playful album full of details that only come through fully on headphones. But on our transparent system with the Serene on board we also hear a lot. The amount of detail that comes through is downright impressive. We know this 2001 album through and through and enjoy all the strange bleeps and blops from beginning to end.

Via Tidal we stream “Call me if you get lost” by Tyler the Creator. This music can become quite a mush on a lesser system but the Serene pulls everything open nicely and is particularly dynamic and keeps up with the tempo changes easily. The whole album is over in a sigh and doesn’t bore you for a second.  But the biggest gain is still with vocals. Where the HPA4 is more “matter of fact,” the Serene is quite a different beast. “star-Crossed” by Kacey Musgraves is a personal favorite and when the song “Hookup Scene” passes, we get a little lump in the throat. What a song, what a lyrics. There is so much truth in that song. Because of Serene, the involvement is very high. The song really hits us hard. 

Compare

The Holo Audio Serene Level 1 is even more transparent than our Benchmark Media Systems HPA4 and allows even more music to pass through as a result. A sobering observation. The Benchmark does offer more functionality. Think touchscreen, balance control, adjustable inputs, subwoofer output and so on. And it’s still a reference but fair is fair, the Serene does go the extra mile. It really is an experience and one you have to get used to because in the lower regions it seems like we lose a fraction of sub-bass. However, this is because everything comes through so extremely uncolored and undistorted. Basses are better defined and come through even tighter than with the HPA4.

The midrange sounds flawless and the treble fades, with a slight sense of exaggeration, as it were, into the rarefied. What happens when we connect the Morpheus directly to the power amplifier? Do we still need a preamp in the year 2022? In any case, the way Cees Ruijtenberg has implemented the volume control is excellent and especially the powerful bass, characteristic of this dac, comes through beautifully. Music sounds detailed, tight and precise but the whole picture is a bit smaller compared to a separate preamp. You only notice this in a direct comparison. And the room and system must be optimal to achieve clear gains. A Sonnet Morpheus directly to a power amplifier is certainly not a punishment. A separate preamp still provides, in our opinion, a more complete 3D stereo image and more openness, air and tranquility. But the differences become smaller.