No-one could ever accuse Kostas Metaxas of creating something „boring”. Yet again, this eccentric artist presents us with his unique take on a very utilitarian subject – the headphone amplifier. Combining a historic art oevre – „memento mori” , contemporary sculpture with cutting-edge technology, his latest MARQUIS „Memento mori” is a sublime, minimalist Preamplifier-Headphone amplifier designed for music-loving audiophiles who require few functions but insist on the purest sound.
Memento mori means „remember that you must die” in the language of Latin.
For men living in antiquity all the way up until the beginning of the 20th century, death was seen as a motivator to live a good, meaningful, and virtuous life. It served to remind us of our own mortality, of our mistakes and failures and of the shortness and fragility of human life.
Memento mori „objects of art” compel us to meditate on the meaning of life.
According to the artist, ” I take every opportunity to infuse art into everyday objects. When I looked at what was being offered on the market, and the resurgence in serious headphones sales, I felt that there was room for something far more inspiring.”
„Life is too short to listen to expensive headphones through an musically uninvolving headphone amplifier”.
TECHNOLOGY:
The MARQUIS borrows from over 25 years of concert recording experience with serious headphone monitoring to produce an amplifier with unparalleled transparency and effortless realism.
Like all Metaxas & Sins amplifiers, the CNC-machined „head block” can be meticulously finished in a choice of 10 aluminium colours, or automotive painted.
As well as a dedicated headphone amplifier and headphone stand, the MARQUIS also can be used as a minimalist preamplifier with a choice of 3 line-level inputs [RCA connectors] and a set of RCA outputs to connect to a power amplifier to drive a pair of speakers.
What the critics say…
„The Marquis is as fast as the devil, creates a beautiful aura without any indication of overshoot, has glow and spirit, temperament and cunning. It has fire. In comparison to the Marquis, most so called super-preamps sound waste, flabby, boring.”
Ulrich Michalik, HI FI EXCLUSIV , Germany.
„The Marquis Preamp imposes far less of itself on the signal, handling its chores with near invisibility”.
Ken Kessler, HI FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW, England.
„The Marquis constitutes in our opinion, pure gold and is already the reference point in this price category and will not be superceded in a hurry”.
Jean Hiraga/Patrick Vercher LA NOUVELLE REVUE DU SON, France.
ABOUT:
Admirer of the exceptional: Kostas Metaxas is a magazine editor, film producer, and art and technology enthusiast. His recent projects, among others, include precious gold and platinum „Haute Creation” Fountain pens and Lighter art-objects for Paris-based S.T. Dupont, a collection of Tourbillion Table Clocks for Swiss brand Matthew Norman and a range of Hi-End audio amplifier sculptures that wouldn’t seem out of place in MOMA.
