with Audionet CEO Thomas Gessler

i-fidelity.net:   How did the cooperation between Audionet and Hartmut Esslinger come about?
 
Thomas Gessler:   A first meeting with Hartmut Esslinger took place at the Frankfurt airport by the end of 2014. The date was arranged backstage then. From the very first moment our conversation was very friendly, open and constructive-minded. Above all Hartmut Esslinger and myself also realised the really great opportunity that lay before us and which we now seized with Stern and Heisenberg.
 
 
i-fidelity.net:   Why do the new amplifiers bear the names of Noble Prize winners?
 
Thomas Gessler:   We wanted to give our devices clear and unmistakeable names, which would also establish a distinct reference to Audionet’s scientific roots and our qualitative ambition.
 
 
i-fidelity.net:   Was the realisation of this project comparable with the development of the Audionet components from earlier days, or were there hurdles to overcome?
 
Thomas Gessler:    Based on more than 25 years of audiophile R&D and in combination with our latest components and circuit topologies, we tried on the one hand to exhaust the subject of analogue amplification to the farthest limit. On the other hand, with Hartmut Esslinger we have a partner who, owing to his formidable pool of experience – I’d like to mention brands like Wega, Sony or Apple – and creativity, gave this project a form that makes the ambition and quality comprehensible and which is understood the world over. We have had the »Floating Pane« design concept protected worldwide. All in all the following holds true: the higher the ambition, the higher the hurdles!
 
 
i-fidelity.net:   As to the price you ended up in the luxury department with Stern and Heisenberg. Does the sound-related performance actually still matter here?
 
Thomas Gessler:   I’d like to refer to these products as some sort of a »heart affair«. Mr Esslinger calls Stern and Heisenberg »fanatic« in the most positive way. A fanatic product defines itself through its performance which must go to the limits in every respect: function, form, material, craftsmanship. All dream products, let’s just take Porsche, Riva or Rolex, for instance, live up to this promise. One example: until recently the »Floating Pane« enclosures were not even producible because of their complex geometry. Imagine this only for a short moment: you have a draft by Hartmut Esslinger lying on your desk – and nobody seems to be capable of making it come true. Here Audionet finally found someone who didn’t only have money on his mind, but was willing to meet the same challenge as we did. And to say it very clearly: yes, it’s about the absolute performance, and we really used every possible means to achieve this goal with Stern and Heisenberg.

 
i-fidelity.net:   Stern and Heisenberg are amplifiers. Will there also be a matching source device in the future?
 
Thomas Gessler:   Yes, we will further expand Audionet’s »Ultimate« series, because the number of pre-orders for Stern and Heisenberg has already exceeded our expectations. And needless to say, we have already heard the desire for a source from the buyers’ side more than once.