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Nigel Bell is the founder of Reiki Audio, a British specialist audio company known for network-based hi-fi and noise reduction. Drawing on his background in IT, software, and large-scale change management, he took an unexpected path into high-end audio after becoming fascinated by how switches, cables, and network topology can affect streaming performance.

That curiosity led him to develop products designed to reduce electrical and radio-frequency noise in digital audio systems, helping listeners hear more of the music and less of the artefacts around it. Reiki Audio has built a strong reputation among enthusiasts for its practical, engineering-led approach and for products such as its network switches, Ethernet cables, and power supplies. Bell is also known for his straightforward, experiment-driven style and for encouraging listeners to trust their own ears rather than assumptions about what “shouldn’t” matter in a digital system.

We spoke to Nigel about Reiki Audio’s history, the SuperSwitch X and the future of the company…

AS: How did Reiki Audio get started? 

NB: Almost by accident. I’m a chartered IT professional, and my background is in the software applications side of the industry with a focus on user experience and large-scale change management rather than deep technical engineering. My experience is rooted in large IT projects, with an emphasis on how people use technology more than the technology in its own right. Over time, that work became less satisfying; I moved into sales because I could work with both people and technology but I didn’t enjoy that role. I disliked the temporary, transactional nature of the role—the constant cycle of “we’re best friends,” deal closure and then being asked to move on to the next client. I eventually took the opportunity to step away and focus on something else.

What happened then?

That shift began almost by accident. Several years ago, I saw an advert for an Innuos PhoenixNet on one of the hi-fi forums and noticed people debating whether it could make a difference. As an IT guy, I ‘knew’ it couldn’t make any difference. But I tried a cheap switch, plugged it in just before the streamer, and used an unshielded cable. It made a noticeable difference, and I remember thinking, “What the hell is going on here?”

That’s when I started to understand that it was about noise not bits. I then removed all the LEDs from the board and fitted a copper-lined case to seal the side vents, which weren’t especially necessary anyway. Each change made it sound better.

It got to the point where I realised that if I cracked the last performance-limiting factor, the case, then I would have a commercially viable product and said to my wife, “if I can sell one or two of these a month as a pension top-up, I’ll be happy.” It has been quite a journey. I’m having the time of my life, and I still pinch myself every time we get an award or a good review!!

Was this the cable or the switch? Which came first?

The Switch. I thought an unshielded cable was OK at first, but then I thought: what if you take an Ethernet cable with an extra shield, but the noise couldn’t travel down the shield because it wasn’t connected at both ends? That ultimately led to careful spacing of the individual conductors and to the JundoStream cable!

However, the rationale is the same throughout: to stop noise going via the streamer to the DAC, which is where it intermodulates with the analogue signal and makes its mischief.

That drive created the first Reiki Audio switches?

Exactly! We started with a 3mm-thick case but as we were iterating prototypes, we realised a 5mm was better. A 5mm case was an order of magnitude better. But guess what? A 10mm case is even better! We blanked out excess ports, got rid of the LEDs, used galvanic isolation as much as possible, but it still seems like the big thing is a tightly engineered case. There’s no sense in trying to rid a system of noise from removing LEDs and blanking out ports if the case is just letting the noise back in!

The final ‘secret sauce’ seems to be vibration. I was almost in my cynical, “it’s all smoke and mirrors and unicorn hair” mode, but vibration control has really surprised me, and some of that comes down to working with the very talented Theo Stack of Stack Audio.

Is the improvement limited to local server playback, or does it help online streaming too?

That is one of its most compelling aspects. Some server-side products are most convincing when they are revealing a well-set-up local source. The Super Switch X appears to do more than that: it improves locally stored music, but it also gives online streaming a meaningful lift. Given how much listening now happens through services rather than local libraries, that makes the improvement particularly valuable.

What’s with the absence of a power indicator light?

There is no obvious light to confirm that the unit is powered, so the reassurance comes from the fact that music is playing rather than from an LED on the front panel. During set-up, that can feel slightly counterintuitive. In listening terms, however, it is a sensible choice: removing always-on indicators avoids a potential source of electrical noise and keeps the room visually cleaner.

So, SuperSwitch and SuperSwitch X are in the portfolio… is there a third grade of Reiki Audio coming?

I’d prefer not to talk in any detail about that just yet, but yes, the aim is a straightforward three-tier range: three network cables, three power supplies and three switches. That gives customers a clear good-better-best route without pushing the line into extreme pricing. There will always be a market for very expensive network products, but for most listeners a carefully judged hierarchy is more useful than a switch priced beyond the rest of the system. That might address the power-indicator issue you mentioned: we have a solution in the works that will give users a clear indicator of device status for diagnostics, but will disengage itself automatically to allow for noise-free listening. It’s a detail, but that’s what we do.

Read the full review of the SuperSwitch X and Pro X PSU here.

Manufacturer

Reiki Audio

Emma-Jean Thackray’s recent experiences of loss and introspection have deeply influenced her creative output. In January 2023, she faced the sudden loss of her partner of 12 years — a tragedy that plunged her into deep depression. This period of intense emotional turmoil became a catalyst for creative expression, culminating in Weirdo, which she describes as a “grief diary.”

Hailing from Leeds, West Yorkshire, Thackray began her musical journey playing the cornet in local brass ensembles during her youth. These early ensemble experiences laid the foundation for her multifaceted musical career. She pursued formal education in jazz performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, followed by a master’s degree in orchestral jazz composition at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Thackray is clearly someone who has put in the hard yards when it comes to theory, and her discography reflects her evolution as an artist unafraid to blend genres and push boundaries. Her 2016 debut EP Walrus showcased her unique grasp of groove, while 2018’s Ley Lines drew comparisons to U.S. heavyweights like Madlib. Her 2021 debut album, Yellow, showcased a blend of jazz and funk influences, earning critical acclaim and topping the UK Jazz Albums Chart.

Throughout her career, Thackray has been open about her struggles with mental health, including anxiety and panic attacks. Her music often serves as catharsis, allowing her to channel personal pain into powerful compositions. This vulnerability and authenticity have resonated with audiences, solidifying her place in the contemporary jazz scene.

And now we have Weirdo, Thackray’s second full-length album, where her personal experiences resonate throughout, with the title itself reflecting her embrace of individuality. The title alone signals a sense of outsider identity. But more importantly, this album has the power to connect with listeners on a profound level. Her ability to transform pain into art exemplifies the enduring truth behind the cliché: from great pain comes great work.

The first thing that strikes you about this glorious double LP – which plays at 45rpm for enhanced performance – is just how much of a solo record it is. On the 2xLP of Yellow, Thackray listed the musicians on each track, with up to 13 performers involved when strings were used. She does the same here, but aside from two notable guest contributions (which we’ll come to later), every single credit on Weirdo is Emma-Jean Thackray herself. The multi-talented musician provides vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar, Rhodes, synths, drums, and of course, the trumpet – the instrument by which many know her best from collaborations. She recorded most of it herself at her own Movement Studios. This is the very definition of a personal, solo project; she even had a hand in the art direction and layout.

There are 19 wonderful tracks here, beginning with the album-defining opening salvo of ‘Something Wrong With Your Mind’ and ‘Weirdo’ which sets both the thematic and musical tone. This is modern British jazz of the highest order, delivered with soul, spirit and bucketloads of talent. Each track stands strong individually, but together, the record tells a larger story of one woman’s struggles — and how, through the gift of her remarkable talent, she pulls through.

Notable tracks include the aforementioned title track, the funk-infused ‘Save Me’, and the poignant lead single ‘Wanna Die’. There are also two well-executed guest contributions: Reggie Watts on ‘Black Hole’ and the sensational Kassa Overall on ‘It’s Okay’, the only track featuring another instrumentalist.

There’s so much to love in Weirdo. And if this album isn’t at least the token British jazz contender for the Mercury Prize, then either something is very wrong with the judging criteria – or there’s another truly extraordinary album on the horizon. Weirdo is proof that great work can come from great pain – provided you can mobilise the kind of final-boss-level talent that Emma-Jean Thackray is blessed with.

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Nicolae Jitariu, CEO and chief designer at Rockna and Audiobyte, is something of a digital expert. The Romanian engineer has been associated with digital designs from Goldmund and MSB and has been instrumental in the re-emergence of I²S as a digital interface. We spoke to him about the development of the latest devices from Audiobyte, and how things have changed from the Hydra-line to the new Super-series

What is the purpose of AudioByte as a company?

Audiobyte has always served as a testbed for new ideas and technologies. Many projects began as theoretical concepts and have resulted in product architectures that diverge significantly from industry standards. Of course, this also means the journey to production can sometimes be challenging, as what we imagine doesn’t always perform as expected. Nevertheless, we enjoy the pursuit of discovering new ways to reproduce music, and among the myriad methods, when it works, it is truly exceptional.  

Product development is highly non-linear for us. Our gear is not just engineered; it results from research, so the obstacles we encounter reflect the tools we use and how we acquire and apply knowledge. For example, working with FPGA—hardware defined by software—is inherently challenging. A blank canvas offers the artist limitless possibilities, but creating a great work of art is difficult. Similarly, the first step is to achieve baseline functionality, then go through optimisation cycles until the performance improves significantly. 

What has changed between HydraVOX and SuperVOX?

A few years ago, we released the HydraVOX DAC, which was a true one-bit discrete design. We gained a lot of knowledge during that development, and naturally, an evolution of that concept emerged to enhance all aspects. With the SuperVOX, the most significant change was to increase the physical bits from one to five, while relaxing the delta-sigma modulator response and, consequently, the analogue filter stages. One weakness of delta-sigma implementations is noise. The fewer bits you have, the higher the noise, which requires intensive work on digital noise shaping and analogue filters. But moving from one to five physical bits can drastically alter the performance, and the design can be seen as a multi-level or multi-bit delta-sigma, with a noise floor improvement of an impressive 24 dB compared to the one-bit version.

On paper, the change seems simple, but the real difficulty comes from practical issues where the supposed advantages are lessened by element mismatch and parasitic effects, many of which relate to the high-frequency switching of the DAC components (above 10 MHz, compared to an R2R DAC, which generally works below 1 MHz). As a result, extra signal processing is necessary to realise the potential of a discrete multi-level design. We should also highlight the second-order mismatch shaper and a vector quantiser-based ISI (Inter-Symbol Interference) noise shaper. The mismatch shaper moves the distortion caused by the tolerances of the resistive parts out of the audio band. Meanwhile, the vector quantiser (VQ) performs a similar role to reduce non-linearities caused by the analogue transitions of the switching components.

Using these techniques, we can switch the DAC elements consistently and predictably, which helps reduce their contribution to noise and distortion. Since each on/off change in the analogue domain introduces some noise and distortion, activating all the DAC elements at once is not advisable. However, with our VQ-based ISI shaper, only a few elements are switched at a time, leading to a notable improvement in the final outcome. 

How long did this development take?

It took us over a year to develop and integrate the above-mentioned technologies into a functioning product. It may not seem long, but after 8-9 months pass, the team can become a little discouraged, and the pressure to release the product starts to mount, making the conditions challenging. After numerous simulations, drafting schematics and engineering the initial PCB layouts, we hand-built the first boards. 

Testing the initial prototype was a great relief for everyone because the electrical checks passed and the concept delivered the expected measurements. However, the journey was not over yet. While refining the algorithm, we realised we needed significantly more computing power, as the initial FPGA could only handle one channel. This led us to develop the most powerful chip we have used to date for conversion. In the end, seeing abstract theory validated in practice is a truly rewarding moment.

Were there problems along the way?

Moving from the R&D phase to full-scale production often revealed gaps and dependencies that threatened our enthusiasm. Supplying the parts, conducting proper quality control and testing, failure analysis, and assembly processes all need to be carefully managed, as minor oversights can lead to unwanted delays. Timing the initial reveal with the production setup and maintaining development momentum is a delicate balancing act.

Is the design approach similar to previous products?

Our previous Audiobyte product line was also a trio; the Hydra series. It was a very ambitious project for us, and its technological innovations still stand the test of time. 

With the SuperVOX as a standalone product, we adopted a different approach. Aside from the filters, volume control is as precise and tight as possible in the digital realm, with 0.5 dB steps, and the clocking system is similar to those used in ultra-high-end devices. The architecture maintains an exceptional level of immersion in sound reproduction while also delivering excellent measurements. Physically, the product moves to a higher tier. The enclosure is crafted from solid aluminium with tighter tolerances and improved thermal and mechanical stability.

What’s next?

Our ideas for products and technologies consistently surpass our development capacity. The limitation is intentional, as concepts are only released when they are sufficiently original and pass a comprehensive engineering review. This is why we are cautious about announcing what we are working on. However, some directions are certain.

The SuperHEAD, a headphone amplifier and pre-amplifier completing the Super series trio, has passed final validation and is now in production. Achieving a high-performance analogue product has been a long-standing goal of ours, and we are thrilled with the results of this design. We still have some very innovative solutions and ideas for areas such as amplification or precise analogue volume control, so that work will continue. 

Read the review of the Audiobyte SuperVOX here.

Contact Details

Manufacturer

Audiobyte

audiobyte.net

+40 745 167 868

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Three seminal orchestral works from the early 20th century – each commissioned by Diaghilev for his legendary Ballets Russe. Yet, all three have proven far more popular in the concert hall. Petrouchka – longest of the three works – is heard in its revised 1947 orchestration rather than the original 1911 scoring. It’s a challenging work to play. But, there are no awkward hesitant moments or mishaps. The Orchestre de Paris plays superbly for Makela; his account is fluent and totally assured. Tempi feel on the fast side, but the performance takes around 36 minutes, which is slightly slower than average. 

Debussy’s Jeux is a rather enigmatic work with a strange storyline. Perhaps as a result, the work is far more popular as an orchestral piece than a ballet. Makela’s performance is atmospheric and nicely paced, with a strong dramatic final climax.

Compared to Haitink’s famous 1980 account, Makela drives the music harder – the Orchestre de Paris play with a steelier edge than the more-relaxed richer-sounding Concertgebouw. But Jeux can seem a trifle aimless if not directed strongly, so Makela’s taut approach is perfectly valid.

Makela’s Prelude A L’Apres Midi d’un Faune is quite broad at 10m 44s. Many rivals come in at well-under the 10m mark. Again, like Petrouchka, the performance doesn’t feel especially slow or languorous, yet it’s actually quite measured.

The music is on a CD lasting around 64m. The entire programme could have been squeezed on to a single LP, but Decca have generously spread the contents over four-sides, with Petrouchka on the first disc and the two Debussy items on the second. 

A big positive about Makela’s direction is its lack of fussiness. There are no ‘points’ being made just for the sake of it. He lets the orchestra play, and they reward him with a superbly-coherent cohesive performance that’s characterful and well-played, but not eccentric.

The Orchestre de Paris recorded Petrouchka under Semyon Bychkov back in 1990 for Philips – a very good performance. But with Makela, you get conductor and orchestra thoroughly relishing making music together. The resulting performances are crisp and uncomplicated, involving and enjoyable.

The set is priced equivalent to a single LP, which is great. The LPs are lacquer mastered (rather than DMM) and my pressings were blessedly quiet, save for the odd minor tick now and then. The disc cutting itself is very good, and modulation levels are high without being excessively-hot. 

The CD sounds excellent too – clear, refined, and effortlessly dynamic. The recording was made in the Philharmonie de Paris, and offers superb clarity despite plentiful ambience. There’s some nice deep bass too – note the subtle but weighty bass drum in the 2nd Tableaux. 

While it’s likely quite a few microphones were used, the result does not sound too obviously multi-miked in terms of instruments being spotlit. The soundstage is coherent in terms of left/right stereo spread and front-to-back placement. 

But curiously, while there’s quite a wash of reverberation, I don’t sense a tangible hall acoustic. Everything is impeccably balanced, but it’s as if Decca’s tonmeister has created what we hear from the mixing desk, rather than capturing how the orchestra actually sounded in the hall.

Decca’s last recordings of Petrouchka came in the final months of 1993; a studio recording of the 1947 version by  Riccardo Chailly and the Royal Concertgebouw, and a live recording of the 1911 original by Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony – both released on CD in 1995.

Chailly’s recording has gorgeous richness and depth, with impressive vibrancy and sumptuousness – doubtless due to the fabled acoustics of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. The new Makela sounds wonderfully polished and refined, yet somehow Chailly’s recording seems more realistic. 

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