Specials

PUUR audio, video & domotica Company Special

Christiaan Punter 7 July 2019 No Comments

Located in a beautiful and spacious industrial building designed by Piet Boon, Puur Audio, Video & Domotica is a dealer of renowned brands such as Goldmund, Kroma Audio, Meridian, MBL, Savant, Devialet, Kharma and many more. They also specialize in Home Automation and can carry out the installation of audio and home cinema equipment and can manage the entire project for you in case of a total refurbish or when moving house.

Robert Brijde, between Bob Marley and one of the Goldmund Satya’s

Here’s Daan Vreeswijk, selecting the next LP to play

Entering the PUUR AVD showroom

Before showcasing the rest of the PUUR AVD showroom, let me show some more of the architecture that can be seen on your way in.

After entering the main entrance on the ground floor you take the two stairs midway through the column that spans across the floor and is covered in a classic print.

At the end of the stairs, you have arrived at the top level of the building. Take a turn and there’s the entrance of PUUR audio, video & domotica.

The doors are always open and you are always welcome. This pleasing decor is what you’ll see first when stepping in.

This is the entry foyer that also doubles as a secondary listening room and a showcase for several audio/video and domotica brands.

These are the Kroma Audio Mimi loudspeakers, driven by the McIntosh MTI100 integrated turntable and flanked by two beautiful looking MBL components that were not connected for this occasion.

Like all Kroma Audio speakers, the Mimi is made entirely of Krion and looks stunning.

This is Roon Display on a wall-mounted screen flanked by the Kharma Butterfly 2.1 loudspeaker system, showing the music selection that is currently played in the main room. Naturally, if desired, the music selection can be controlled from here and played on these speakers as well.

The stunning industrial look of the building has not been compromised. Rather, it is augmented, for example with acoustical panels that double as lighting fixtures as shown here.

Meridian DSP5200SE active loudspeakers with 818 Audio Core (a control center and streaming endpoint).

Main listening room

The main listening room is where the Goldmund Satya’s are currently set up. This room also doubles as the scene for the Goldmund Suite listening sessions as well as for showcasing select other systems.

Everywhere you look is a tasteful blend of industrial design and cozy, warm elements.

The Kroma Audio Julieta’s were set up when I first visited the PUUR AVD showroom.

I am a big sucker for industrial design and really like the minimalist look of the PUUR showroom. In the foreground is one of the two Piet Boon “Klaar” floor lamps.

Cinema

It cannot be seen in these pictures (or in real life for that matter) but the cinema is littered with built-in speakers. It is comprised of 5x Revel Gem II, 2x Revel 763, 1x Velodyne DD15 subwoofer, Arcam AVR850 processor and a Runco Q750i projector, to be replaced with a Barco Medea. In front of the screen, the tiny but very expressive Goldmund Metis MKII speakers are set up as an extra system in stereo mode.

All the seats are motorized and very comfortable.

Interview with Robert and Daan

HFA: How did your cooperation start?

Robert: We met at the RAF Hi-Fi store in Amsterdam in 2005 where Daan worked part-time during his studies and I wanted to work with music instead of towering targets after years of account management) and soon came to the conclusion that we would do it very differently than is usual in the hi-fi industry, so no rows of speakers and amplifiers, but a clearly balanced package of top-class brands.

HFA: How did you end up in this beautiful Piet Boon building?

Robert: I had seen the building from the highway a number of times and of course I knew Piet Boon by name, and when we went to look at the website it turned out that there was also showroom space available for rent. We were now far advanced in the negotiations with Savant about a dealership for the Benelux and in the end, everything coincided very nicely, and Piet Boon Studio took care of the design for us.

HFA: Were the two of you active in audio prior to PUUR and what has driven you to start operating at this elevated level?

Robert: We initially wanted to start a “classic” hi-fi store, but at a high level, but eventually saw the added value of a total package with home cinema and automation. From his studies in Artificial Intelligence, Daan had already discovered Savant as a new brand in the market in various forums, with a completely new programming basis developed on Mac OSX.

HFA: Recently Kroma Audio has been added to the PUUR assortment of brands. This is a passive speaker whereas many of the other speakers that are showcased here are active designs. What is preferred? Passive or active?

Robert: Of course active, digital speakers have their advantages, but we are certainly not dogmatic. Ultimately it is about the musical result, and we have beautiful passive systems in-house with Kroma, Kharma, McIntosh, and MBL.

HFA: How did you arrive at the Goldmund brand?

Robert: When we wrote the first version of our business plan, we went to various hi-fi stores in the Netherlands to listen to speaker and electronics brands that the RAF audio store did not have in its package. For example, we came across audio store Multifoon in Rotterdam to listen to Martin Logan and there were small Goldmund Logos 1N / 2N speakers set up that surprised us with an enormous musicality that actually did not let us go. A few years later, Goldmund was at a stand at the ISE in the RAI, and we talked to them. In the end, we negotiated for almost three years to get the brand exclusively for the Benelux.

HFA: I’ve heard for myself what the Satya’s can do. What is it for you that makes them so special?

Robert: It is above all the enormous musicality that appeals to us, you forget to listen “technically” in a matter of seconds, and after that, it is only enjoyment, and that is what ultimately matters.

HFA: Like Goldmund, the MBL brand deserves more attention than it seems to be getting in the Netherlands. What is it that you’d like the people to know?

Robert: With MBL there is no real “sweet spot” and that causes the average audiophile listener to be “confused”, however, the representation of their “Radiahl strahlers” is, in our opinion, the closest to the “Iive” experience. In addition, an MBL system is in no way offensive or exhausting, which is a huge plus. Goldmund also has an entirely non-abrasive yet very lively sound and besides only having to place two speakers in the room they have a hugely impressive ‘design’ look. Not without reason, the brand has been included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. Meridian is also included in that collection with one of their first preamps, with its nicely colored buttons.

HFA: Meridian is another brand that has been revered in some countries and although all their components work seamlessly with both Sooloos and Roon, they remain little known in the Netherlands. What is it that you’d like people to know about this brand?

Robert: Meridian has been operating at the forefront of digital technology for over thirty years, and has developed truly fantastic DSP techniques, including ‘center elevation’ where it is truly amazing to hear the sound of the center speaker go up while the speaker itself remains in its physical position. The fact that the Meridian speaker systems and electronics can always be updated to the latest version during their operational life is also important to us, just as the speakers are available in 265 RAL colors.

Visiting PUUR audio, video & domotica

Interested in hearing some of these systems or would you like some advice from Robert or Daan? Drop by any time or make an appointment to ensure that the system of your choosing is available and connected. Alternatively, you could reserve a spot for one of the upcoming Goldmund Suite sessions where Robert and Daan play a selection of classical compositions integrally on the Goldmund system as part of a theme that is different every time.