Sophia Electric Magik Box
Francisco Duran's Positive Feedback Online Review: "I was shocked. I thought my system sounded good. It does sound good. It is a revealing and hi-rez audio system. But I didn't realize it was missing what the Magik Box brought to it. It brought fullness, dimension, and made the music very inviting.
In my past few reviews, I have listened to some mighty fine stereo equipment. But I have never had any component in any system I have owned that has as profoundly changed the sound in such a positive way as the Sophia Electric Magik Box. I tried the Magik Box in many different configurations, and in each one the results were excellent. Thank you Sophia Electric. I am floored by its performance."
Terry London's Review:
My initial conclusion was that the Magik Box did no sonic harm in any way, regardless of which system it was inserted into. There seemed to be no added noise, decreased transparency, or interference with dynamics at all. Secondly, it improved the overall performance of reference-level tube-based systems less dramatically but still very audibly, with improvements in the space and air around individual players on the soundstage.
Although my first two conclusions were quite impressive, my last conclusion was a show stopper: when used in the four solid-state systems and placed in between the source and the preamplifier, the Magik Box produced tremendously positive results that yielded pleasurable listening and great satisfaction.
Jeff Day's first impression: the Magik Box really does sound like magik, the improvement in my system was not at all subtle, I almost fell out of my chair when I first heard it in my system. This thing is impressive, and I’ll try to comment at length on its use in various applications as time goes on.
The Magik Box may be the King of Step-ups, and it absolutely kills my Auditorium 23 step-up, which is a damn good step-up, and has been my go-to reference until just now.
The Magik Box is designed to be able to handle a multitude of signal levels from teeny-tiny MC levels all the way up to PC audio, a CD or DVD player, or between a preamplifier and amplifier. So you can insert it into your system in a variety of ways: as an MM or MC step-up transformer, on the output of a DAC or CD player, or your preamp outputs, or pretty much anything else you can think of.
What is a Magik Box?
Since the early days of audio, it has been a dream to have a device like Sophia Electric's Magik Box. However, companies like Western Electric, RCA and later makers could not solve the problem of making a transformer that had both gain and wide bandwidth without the typical transformer's harsh sound. It is important to know that ALL vintage input and driver transformers made by Western Electric, RCA and others may have limited bandwidth at line level and therefore do not qualify as audiophile grade components in today's market.
Building a transformer that is quiet and has gain as well as a wide bandwidth is both a technical and artistic challenge. During the last 10 years Sophia Electric has utilized all its transformer making skills and ingenuity to solve these challenges. We have used the latest science and exotic high tech materials to bring you the ultimate in-line transformer amplifier device - Magik Box.
Sophia Electric's Magik Box is a pre-preamplifier with 6dB gain designed to amplify the audio signal before reaching the volume pot on your preamplifier or integrated amplifier. This will improve micro-dynamics and sound quality without distortion without noise.
Magik Box does not use tubes or solid state devices for amplification nor does it use AC or battery power - all of which can degrade the signal level. Instead, it uses transformers made from exotic metals for signal amplification.
By using transformers, the original capacitor coupling is converted to transformer coupling. Converting to transformer coupling significantly decreases distortion in the bass. In addition, you will hear music that is far more natural, more dynamic headroom with extended highs and a lower noise floor. The entire audio spectrum will be more cohesive and integrated.
Another benefit of Magik Box is that it will smooth out the digital brick-wall making your cds and digital files sound more like an analog LP.
Warning:
Don't be fooled by similar looking transformer devices. Claims by those selling "vintage" transformers are also selling you distortion under the name of flavor and limited bandwidth. We are confident that there is no other similar audio device that comes close to the build quality or measures up to sonic performance of Magik Box.
For 15 years, Sophia Electric has been dedicated to providing the audiophile community the best sounding audio equipment built to the highest standards. Magik Box is another example of that dedication. We are certain that your high-end audiophile system will benefit from Sophia Electric's Magik Box.