In the world of hi-fi, there’s “high end,” and then there’s Goldmund. Since 1978, the Swiss manufacturer has produced exquisitely designed, astonishingly high-performance and staggeringly expensive audio equipment. As it nears half a century of proudly uncompromised engineering, its determination to position its products as credible alternatives to jewellery, art, or other pricey indulgences for the superrich shows no sign of abating—quite the opposite.

I was recently invited to Goldmund's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, to experience the new Mimesis Statement, the company’s flagship analog preamplifier. Goldmund's HQ, incidentally, features the sort of high ceilings, generous use of concrete and glass, and fanatical tidiness that puts me in mind of a Bond villain who's decided to devote their time to audio gratification rather than global tyranny.

In a traditional stereo chain, a preamplifier takes the low-level signals from your source gear, handles volume and input selection, and feeds that clean signal to a power amp to drive your speakers. Most people use an integrated amplifier, one that combines pre-amplification and power amplification in the same box.

Those who want to take things to the next level often separate pre-amplification and power amplification into two boxes—to keep the precious audio signal away from any electrical activity that might compromise its integrity. Goldmund, naturally, is convinced that a preamplifier alone needs to occupy three separate boxes.

The first box, the one with the buttons, dials, and display, houses the pre-amplification electronics. It’s where your source equipment—turntable, network streamer, whatever you fancy—connects using the generous selection of balanced and unbalanced inputs.

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