with Audionet CEO Thomas Gessler

i-fidelity.net:   Mr. Gessler, have you listened to FM radio with the new Audionet DNA today?

Thomas Gessler:   Of course I did already lend an ear, but not today. And I’m also satisfied with the sound quality. But I see the FM radio as a bonus for our customers and not as the essential point. Personally I hardly listen to broadcasting any more. Not even in my car. Way too much boring blather and not enough musical and sonic quality. In fact, it only remains the Deutschlandfunk. Plus it’s a fact: Who has ever been exploring the possibilities of internet radio, will not want to listen to anything else anyway. Everything can be found there, for every taste and for every mood. It may be a journey through the world of music and through the music of the world. And you have heard it for yourself and described how amazingly well the DNA can reproduce this.


i-fidelity.net: Do you foresee any difficulties in communicating the DNA’s broad feature spectrum to the customers?

Thomas Gessler:   No, this falls into place by itself. It has just everything on board which, according to the current state of technology, contributes to an optimal music reproduction as a spectacular result. Connectivity options from the harddisk to the iPod to the server, signal processing, adjustment possibilities auch as equaliser and bass management, two-zone operation and the user options via computer or apps make the DNA a universal genius and, in my view, an all-round happiness package.


i-fidelity.net: What were the in-house problems you had to overcome in order to realise the hightech product DNA?

Thomas Gessler:   Everybody who is dealing with the DNA or just takes a look inside, will immediately understand that this is a technically extremely complex and sophisticated system. Each DNA is made of nearly 5,000 components. We have invested many years of  development work. Hard-, firm- and software: We designed and developed almost everything ourselves. In the process it’s inevitable that you have to take even staggering setbacks and start from scratch in certain areas. This is what I experienced as the biggest challenge – to keep the vision of and the belief in the DNA alive and to uphold the inner excitement so high that we made it right to the end. I have a great team!


i-fidelity.net: How do you handle inquiries which don’t refer directly to the DNA, but e.g. the customer’s private network?

Thomas Gessler:   Network problems indeed concern all suppliers in this segment. In any case we will help wherever we can. But in view of the vast multitude of hard- and software components which may appear in a computer network we will certainly not be able to solve every network problem of this world. However, experience shows that those are rather exceptions.


i-fidelity.net: Do you truly believe that audiophile users can live with an amplifier that can be controlled via app and has USB and network inputs?

Thomas Gessler:   Well, Mr. Sturm, thanks for the provocative question, but the world keeps turning and changing and so do the demands and needs of the people. When we launched our first preamp nearly 20 years ago, it almost brought about our downfall. The PRE had a remote control, I think it was the second high-class preamp with a remote ever. Many audiophiles were firmly convinced then this simply couldn’t sound good, an analogue system with a digital remote control. Period!
From where we stand this is hard to believe. Who has ever heard how good music from the harddisk or computer can sound – not to mention the resolution possibilities – and which comfort an app can offer, will not only be able to live with it, but want to have it that way.