Goldmund Eidos 17, mimEsis ii and ProloGos WirElEss systEm

There’s something about Swiss precision and simplicity that exudes a sense of exclusivity and technical gravitas, be it in the world’s best timepieces, the renowned Swiss mechanical and electrical engineering industries or high-end audio. And indeed, luxury audio is the signature of Swiss high-end stalwart Goldmund. The company’s products have a clean, elegantly-simple eye-soothing design aesthetic that belies the complexities and intelligence of the advanced circuitry within.

New DistributioN

Goldmund has appointed a new Australian distributor in Melbourne: high-end specialist Absolute HiEnd. I was invited to attend the re-launch of the brand and to audition a system solution assembled from entry-level electronics and mid-level loudspeakers. On show were Goldmund’s Eidos 17 Universal Player, Mimesis II Wireless Hub and ProLogos Wireless speakers.

the equipmeNt

Based on the outstanding Oppo universal platform and modified by Goldmund, the Eidos 17 will play Blu-ray 3D (BD Profile: BD-ROM Version 2.5 Profile 5 also compatible with Profile 1 Version 1.0 and 1.1), DVD, CD and SACD as well as -R and -RW versions of all bar SACD. Goldmund has applied its ‘mechanical grounding’ strategy to the signature solidity of the heavy-gauge chassis. The unit also features its own internal 1GB Persistent Storage (BD Live, etc.), all the latest digital surround sound format compatibility, multichannel outputs and much more.

At the heart of the system and in charge of the connectivity duties is the Mimesis 11 Wireless Hub; the perfect aesthetic and functional match for the Eidos 17 player. The unit features a built-in wireless transmitter (no dongles in sight) and a host of connectivity options to allow for a comprehensive system configuration if required. There are two analogue inputs via RCA, and optical, SPDIF and USB digital inputs (inputs from 1 to 3 can receive stereo audio encoded signals up to 384/32 compatible DSD over PCM) with future options being the possibility of Wi-Fi streaming and additional digital inputs. The Mimesis 11 also offers four digital SPDIF stereo outputs while a maximum of four channels is offered via the single wireless output.

No amplification is required, of course, as the ProLogos speakers are each powered via two new Telos 175 watt amplifiers (one for the tweeter and one for the mid/ bass drivers) and also feature a receiver for wireless operation (Goldmund proprietary protocol I’m told) with the Mimesis II