Single-Mic, Pure DSD — Engineering a New Benchmark in Phase-Coherent Realism

Audio Gear Talk
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ImanSpaargaren_PeterBjornild-InEssence-cover_3410dec7-f4f7-4c82-b453-281c72c2b118
ImanSpaargaren_PeterBjornild-InEssence-cover_3410dec7-f4f7-4c82-b453-281c72c2b1181080×1080 326 KB

This is Sound Liaison’s first Pure DSD recording — and honestly, it’s one of the most convincing arguments I’ve heard for the format. Captured with just one Josephson C700S microphone and recorded directly to DSD256, the entire session was done without mixing or editing. What you hear is exactly what the mic captured in the room. And the result? Stunning.

“Track 4” is a textbook case of less-is-more. The single-mic setup delivers perfect phase coherence, and the imaging is laser-sharp. Everything feels effortlessly placed — the sense of space, the air, the subtle reflections of the room — it’s all just there. Whether I’m listening on Harbeth speakers or high-end headphones, the soundstage is deep, wide, and completely natural. It doesn’t just sound real — it feels real.

The double bass is a standout: full-bodied, rich, and resonant. You can actually feel the wood respond to each note — the overtones bloom beautifully, and you can hear the texture of the strings against the fingerboard. The tenor saxophone is warm, breathy, and incredibly expressive — that old-school tone you rarely hear captured so well in digital recordings. There’s no edge, no glare — just tone, nuance, and presence.

But what really strikes me is how present the musicians feel. This isn’t just a good stereo image — this is physicality. There are moments where it honestly feels like they’re performing just a few feet away. I’ve played this on my Harbeths and on headphones, and in both cases, the realism is uncanny. Everything locks in.

Frans de Rond, the engineer behind the recording, has said that “DSD allows me to capture the full scope of a performance without compromise” — and I believe it. This is one of the few recordings where that philosophy isn’t just audible, it’s tangible.

For anyone serious about uncolored, high-resolution sound — this is an absolute must. And if anyone knows of other recordings that reach this level of sonic realism, please share. I’m genuinely curious if there’s more out there that gets this close to the source.

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R. Paul in P.F. likes the album alot:

And while the technology is interesting (and I’m a huge fan of what it accomplishes), the results are what matter. And the results here, musically and sonically, are just superb.

Iman Spaargaren and Peter Bjørnild play brilliantly together. There is a warm shared spirit in the room that is completely evident from the music-making. These two artists simply “get” each other. They play with a soft, subtle, interchange of ideas, emotion, and shared sense of how the music should flow. And flow it does—in all the best ways possible. I listened to the entire album without a stop, finding it completely engaging, musically captivating, and simply delightful.

But I have to admit, an important factor for me was the lifelike sound, with its the utter transparency and realistically reproduced timbre of the instruments. Peter’s double bass was deep, warm, resonant, and completely natural. I felt I could hear the wood vibrating as the strings breathed with life. Iman’s saxophone and his clarinet just sounded flat out real, with a woody tone to the clarinet that I just loved. His playing style on sax has that breathiness, and life, so very similar to the sound of Ben Webster—a marvelous velvety texture. And this recording was able to capture and recreate that sound realistically, just beautifully, in my listening space.

No sharp edges here, but in the good way of meaning that the sound was golden, fully fleshed out, real. And with the microphones placed just perfectly, the artists sounded as though they were standing right in front of me—solid, substantial, three-dimensional. Few recordings achieve this. But Frans’ One-Mic recordings frequently do so. And for that, I love them. And here is another to cherish.

I suspect this golden, velvety sound is something Frans is intentionally seeking to create. An experience listening to music that is both real, but more that real in the way the sound can envelop you, give you comfort, and give you sustenance, all at one time. He writes about working to combine the best experience of listening in analog with the best that digital has to offer. With DSD256 and his analog mixing chain, he is really creating a distinctive sonic experience that sounds real, even if a bit idealized. I’ll take the ideal he is seeking to provide.