his information hit me really hard – during HighEnd Show in Munich in 2015 Harbeth presented a new version of my reference speakers: Harbeth M40.1, that are now called M40.2. No warning, no teasers – nothing that could prepare me for this. I talked about it with Trevor Butler, head of marketing, who said: „We were worried a bit about previous version having a peak in the bass area that showed in measurements. These speakers sounded wonderful but this issue also meant a deviation from the idea of high fidelity. And what we do at Harbeth, are monitors after all, right?” Well, yes, they definitely make monitors. The history of this company founded in 1977 by Dudley Harwood, ex BBC's R&D engineer, is like a textbook of development of ideas firstly used for BBC monitors and later for many other recording and mastering studios. It didn't change even after Hardwood retired in 1986 and was replaced by Alan Shaw, who magically managed to preserve sonic character of these speakers adding some new features over time. Because while one can find in company's portfolio quite modern speakers, the core offer is still the Classic series. The change for M40.2 model was made only in the crossover. Neither drivers nor cabinets changed a bit. Super HL5Plus is a different story, though. Alan started and supervised a research program, that was supposed to find an alternative material for drivers cones. Dudley Harwood used a sort of plastic for his mid- lowrange drivers. Research started in 1990 lead to creation of a new material called RADIAL (an acronym for Research And Development In Advanced Loudspeakers). RADIAL replaced polypropylene that had been used before. It offered higher rigidity and lower mass at the same time. It allowed a driver to act as a piston in a wider frequency range. Developing this material wasn't obviously the end of the story as the first loudspeakers with new cones were introduced only in 1995. New drivers meant also new crossovers. The thing that didn't change were tweeters custom made by SEAS (RADIAL drivers are manufactured in-house by Harbeth). The research did not stop after developing RADIAL material, works are still continued even today. The next achievement was a new, improved formula for RADIAL that was called RADIAL2. And while Harbeth changes model in their portfolio rarely, they decided that advantages of this new material were significant enough to introduce them to existing models. And so instead of M40 Harbeth started to offer M40.1, M30 was replaced by M30.1, and now Super HL5 is gone and Super HL5Plus is born. On paper changes don't look too significant – slightly lower sensitivity (85 vs 86 dB), and now impedance is given as 8Ω, a not, as before, as 6-8 Ω. I found also interesting that the weight of the speaker seemed lower by 2kg (17,2 vs 15,2 kg), also frequency range reaches 20 instead of 24 kHz. It is possible though, that this is some sort of misunderstanding rather than real facts. Usually though, parameters given by Harbeth are very precise, as it was pointed out by John Atkinson, in his review of Super HL5Plus in„Stereophile” (Art Dudley, Super HL5Plus, „Stereophile”, 2015, Vol.38 No.6, s. 73-77). Super HL5Plus is still a stand-mount speaker, although intended for use with low stands, 3-way with vented cabinets. Low- and midrange is reproduced by a 200 mm driver with a RADIAL2 cone and a solid basket. Treble is reproduced by two tweeters. The one placed lower is a 25 mm driver with aluminum cone, the upper one is a 20 mm driver with titanium dome (manufacturer calls this driver a Super Tweeter). Designers decided to use two tweeters for an extended and even dispersion to the upper edge of the audio band. In accordance with company's philosophy all baffles, except for front and rear one, are rather this. Instead of damping vibrations they tuned in such a way that the whole speaker sounds best. The front and rear baffles are fastened to the enclosure with wood screws driven into furring strips. This solution allows to break the transmission of vibration and hence they are not transmitted on other baffles. These loudspeakers are finished with natural veneer not only outside but also on the inside of all baffles and customer might choose from a number of available colors. The basic one is Cherry, which will cost you 16 700 PLN, for Eucalyptus finish (available upon order) one has to pay bit more - 17 220 PLN, and finally for Rosewood and Tiger Ebon – 17 640 PLN. HARBETH in „High Fidelity” TEST: Harbeth M30.1 - loudspeakers, see HERE TEST: Harbeth M40.1 DOMESTIC - loudspeakers, see HERE 2011 Yearly Award: Harbeth M40.1 DOMESTIC, loudspeakers, see HERE TEST: Harbeth M30 DOMESTIC, loudspeakers, see HERE TEST: Harbeth Super HL5, loudspeakers, see HERE TEST: Harbeth COMPACT 7SE-3, loudspeakers, see HERE TEST: Harbeth P3ESR, loudspeakers, see HERE Recordings used for this test (a selection) Venecie Mundi Splendor, wyk. La Reverde, Arcana A 387, CD (2015). Bemibem, Bemowe Frazy, Polskie Nagrania MUZA/Polskie Nagrania PNCD 1096, “Polish Jazz DeLuxe”, CD (1974/2007). Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2122, "Special Limited Edition No. 2388", SACD/CD (1962/2014). Charlie Parker,South of the Border, Verve/UMG Recordings UCCV-9479, „David Stone Martin 10 inch Collector’s Selection”, SHM-CD (1951-52/2013). Depeche Mode, Ultra, Mute/Sony Music Labels SICP-30543, Blu-spec CD2, (2007/2014). Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells, Mercury Records/Universal Music LLC (Japan) UICY-40016, Platinum SHM-CD (1973/2013). Miles Davis, Sorcerer, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2145, “Special Limited Edition, No. 1938”, SACD/CD (1967/2014). St. Vincent, S/T, Loma Vista/Hostess 3767247J, CD (2013). Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] The speakers under review were placed on the same stands I use for my M40.1. It means roughly 38 cm from the ground, and the tweeter at 86 cm, which means exactly in axis with my ears. Art Dudley in his review mentioned that he used 50cm stands so the tweeter was at 100cm. But since I listened in the same way also some other speakers of similar dimensions before, like JBL 4319 for example, I knew that placing them bit lower would give better sonic results in my case, as I simply sit lower when listening. Harbeth does not offer their own stands leaving experimenting with different designs to their customers. They are often sold with light Canadian Skyline stands (also in Poland) and this might be a starting point. But every Harbeth owner should be aware that there are also other companies offering different also heavy ones, stands like, for example, Polish Rogoz Audio and some others. But there is yet another possibility. This year in Munich Harbeth exhibited together with another British brand, unfortunately I did not write down its name, nor did I take a picture of the name – but you can see them on images below this test. This option might be worth trying out as the Japanese fans of the brand often use wooden stands that look like stools. And trust me – these might be speakers for a lifetime and once you get them you should do everything possible to ensure they work in perfect conditions by tweaking the entire environment (system) they work in. The speakers themselves are infinitely perfect. It's a modern version of BBC's idiom. While preserving key elements of the original sound, like coherency and naturalness, now users get much more spacial presentation with a a better bass extension and definition. I'll get to these two elements of Super HL5Plus sound in a moment. First let me tell you about resolution. Most people have problems with it as they define it in many different ways. It is often confused with selectivity, detail reproduction and even with differentiation. In fact it is closely linked to all of them. A highly resolving audio component offers these features as a package, not as a separate features of the sound, and that's how it is perceived by a listener. If that's how we agree to define resolution – Harbeths are remarkably resolving. It will be something that remains in our memory even long after we change these loudspeakers for some others. Why? Because it is such a natural feature for these speakers! Naturalness of the sound is build based on the resolution. The speakers under review turned out to be true all-rounders, true monitors. But because they sound so natural, and because mid-bass seems a bit warm, most people will prefer to listen to recordings of acoustic instruments, and maybe some electric but analogue ones (this counts also for synthesizers). This allowed the newest album of La Reverdie to sound that good. This album with music from medieval Venice, realized by Ms Alina Blondiau was released thanks to the money raised via a fundraiser. On available photos one can see her monitoring recorded material already in Palladian Reflectory in Venice (where it was recorded) via a high quality Stax headphone system. Which means that she knew very well what she listened to. What this recording provides is incredible acoustics with voices and instruments placed in particular places in a very accurate, natural fashion, which is bit surprising considering close placement of microphones for the recording. W bit of warmth in the midbass I mentioned before, here it wasn't really audible and if so I perceived it rather as slightly larger volume of the sound. Most likely also spacial aspect of the reproduction benefited from it. The soundstage was incredible in all of its dimensions. So whether you like the concept of these speakers or not, give them a try to witness what a speakers with a wide front can deliver in terms of soundstage, and how different it is from mini-monitors, or larger speakers but with narrow fronts, that by many are considered to be an exemplary in terms of spacial effects but really aren't that. These speakers will show you how a natural soundstage “looks” like, how coherent it might be without pointing out each individual sound source. These are quite distinct but they all have common elements with space surrounding them, they don't exist just as separate beings. As I said, acoustic recordings are not the only ones that suit Harbeths. Depeche Mode's Ultra on Blu-spec CD2, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells on Platinum SHM-CD, and even quite old Charlie Parker's recordings from 1951 and 1952 released on SHM-CD, sounded remarkably well. These speakers offer open, although bit sweet and quite distinct treble, which allows them to perfectly keep the pace of each recording. Their presentation is at the same time quite rich, dense even, and bass extension is also surprisingly good. The final mix of these features is immersive, indeed. I mentioned particular releases of those albums because these speakers truly benefit from naturalness and accuracy any recording. And every efforts with those new CD formats are focused on delivering first of all these exact sound features. Resolution, detail, spacial effect – these aspect of new formats clearly exceed capacity of “regular” Compact Discs. In fact nobody really focuses on them directly as they combined offer us something else, something even more valuable – naturalness of the presentation. I truly loved bass despite its limitations. Bass is not that well extended as with modern speakers like, for example, PMC. It is also not so perfectly defined. It didn't cause me any trouble though – wasn't boomy, overblown or anything like that. In this aspect Harbeth's new speakers supersede older models. But it is not very punctual bass, nor the one that one feels on one's bones. The leading edge is not so offensive, and the decay phase more subtle; the energy is dispersed over the whole sound and not focused in a single point.. Harbeth Super HL5Plus vs Graham Audio LS5/9 This comparison seems absolutely natural considering the fact that in our second reference system we do use Graham Audio LS5/9 with matching, company's stands. Both speakers cost more or less the same and both come from manufacturers who proudly talk about their origins being related to BBC (have a look at our image gallery to see a comparison of the size of Harbeth HL5Plus, Graham Audio LS5/9 and Harbeth M40.1). And this common legacy is quite obvious. These two designs have much more in common with each other than with any other speakers available on the market, accept, obviously, for other BBC's “heirs” like: Spendor, Rogers, Sterling. The commons features are: naturalness of the sound, coherency and spectacular soundstage. They are perfect match for acoustic and vocal recordings, although that's where I see the biggest difference between the two. Super HL5Plus sport a larger cabinet which results in bit better extension in the lower end – not only bass goes deeper but it seems to be better controlled and the sound seems more open. Using two metal domes results also in a more resolving sound. On the other hand Graham Audio LS5/9 convey deeper, more “mature” sound. It is their presentation that is closer to the original sound of BBC monitors. Harbeth seem cleaner, more selective (although not masters of selectivity yet). Grahams are capable of going deeper into the recording while Harbeths seem to stop half-way. That's what allows Grahams to offer more palpable sound, and be more all-round speakers. Harbeths differentiate music in a better way, but their presentation is not so palpable. Summary Harbeth Super HL5Plus are genuine monitors. They will allow their user to enjoy any kind of music. But over time one will start to particularly appreciate recordings that offer deeper insight into the music. Some powerful rock recordings will flat dynamics will be played just like that. Also modern electronic music, usually recorded with big compression will sound exactly like that. It is not speakers fault, although they add a bit of that themselves, too. Their classic proportions are timeless – no trends will ever change that. That will perform well with a low-power tube amp, but also with powerful solid-state one. They don't try to charm user with sound coloration but with sounds beauty. These are truly remarkable loudspeakers. The classic proportions of HL5Plus make it very easy to decide whether we want to have them in our room or not. Fit&finish is really good and stylish. The quite thin baffles (with the exception of bit thicker, more rigid front one) are finished with natural veneer on both sides (not only outside but also inside). It is done this way to stabilize the whole design. Lacquer on the other hand is applied only on the outside. Front and rear baffles are fixed to the cabinet with wood screws. Manufacturer informs that in this way particular elements are decoupled from each other. HL5Plus is a three-way speaker, although main job is done by two larger drivers. It's a 25 mm aluminum cone tweeter custom made by a Norwegian SEAS and a 200mm woofer made by Harbeth. It sports cone made of RADIAL2 material – type of polypropylene. Also its basket is made of plastic. These speakers sport also a super tweeter – a 10mm titanium driver with neodymium magnet, also made by Harbeth. On the back one finds double speaker posts. I suggest that you change the jumpers delivered with speakers for some better ones. The inside of each cabinet is damped using some sort of foam. It is placed on all baffles but the front one. The rear baffle is additionally damped with some other absorbing material. Also a large PCB with crossover is bolted to the rear baffle – this is definitely not a minimalist design with just three components. There are nice polypropylene capacitors, and core coils there. Signal is delivered to drivers with a copper Van Damme Blue OFC wires. There is sort of foam collar placed inside bass-reflex tube – I guess it is supposed to damp unwanted vibrations. Harbeth sport a fabric grille, the slender frame which can be pressed into a groove at the perimeter of the front baffle, just inside the front molding. Specifications (according to the manufacturer) Design: 3-way, bass-reflex Frequency response: 40 Hz - 20 kHz (+/-3 dB free space, grill on, smooth off axis response) Nominal impedance: 8 Ω Sensitivity: 86 dB/1 W/1 m Amp. Suggestion: Works with a wide range of amplifiers, ideally from 25W/channel Power handling: 150 W Dimensions (HxWxD): 635 x 322 x 300 mm Finish: cherry, tiger ebony, eucalyptus, maple i rosewood Weight (piece): 15,8 kg Polish distributor: AUDIO SYSTEM tel.: (22) 662-45-99 | fax: (22) 662-66-74 www.audiosystem.com.pl YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/harbeth/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

utting edge technologies are expensive. Whether they are used in medical, food, or military industry, or for sound recording and playback. Small companies deal with this issue using solutions developed by major players, multinational corporations that sell licenses for their products. What they have to do is to tweak such product/solution, customize it for their own purpose. That's how most audio companies work. So usually the first products such small manufacturers release are rather expensive, I mean - high end expensive. Only after such company “recovers” from high initial costs/expenses (and these are huge just as the risk such entrepreneur takes) then the solutions, high-tech, might be also applied in less expensive products. Surely release of less expensive products is possible only when some savings are made (to cut the costs of production), but advantages of such solution/technology offer considerable advantages. In this particular case, of British company Chord, the story is a bit different. It is an autonomous manufacturer that from the very beginning invested a lot in their R&D department thus creating a large pool of knowledge, solutions and experience. So it is able to use some general ideas taken from the market but put them to their own use and use their own pricing. John Atkinson, Chief Editor of „Stereophile” magazine described it in his DAC64 review as following: …What has happened is that the cost of owning a state-of-the-art CD-playback component has dropped significantly, compared with only a few years back. So when British amplifier manufacturer Chord Electronics showed its first D/A processor at the 2001 Consumer Electronics Show, I was not too surprised that this statement product was intended to sell not for $20,000 or $10,000 or $5000, but for $3040”. John Atkinson, Chord Electronics DAC64 D/A processor, “Stereophile” 2002, see HERE This short sentence explains very well what Chord is and what it is not – it offers relatively expensive devices, also digital ones, they were created in a process of development of some inexpensive solutions available on the market. DAC64, that Atkinson described, became for Chord their flywheel that changed company's history. Basing on this product they developed few complete product lines with a very characteristic design, and the key solution used in this DAC – digital filter called Watts Transient Aligned (WTA) became a very basic solution used by Chord in every D/A converter. The latest DAC called Dave (more about its premiere HERE) is sort of the apex of company's efforts. A story of a DAC/headphone amplifier Hugo seems similar. Many of you most likely saw a short clip showing a tank running over Hugo (HERE). After that Hugo is perfectly fine, no scratch on it. The idea was to make an almost indestructible mobile device. As on option one might also buy a wonderful leather cover for it. Then all one has to do is to deliver a signal to Hugo (from a laptop or smartphone for example) and voila – a mobile high-end system is there to offer fantastic performance. Hugo TT premiered this year and it is a new, more advanced version of basic Hugo. TT might be explained as Top Table – as new Hugo is more of a stationary device. But still battery powered and in this indestructible aluminum enclosure. Hugo TT is a D/A converter and a headphone amplifier in one body. It sports four digital inputs, two pairs of analogue outputs and three headphone outputs. It sports also a digital volume control which allows user to connect it directly to a power amplifier – the output signal is significantly higher than standard (for a CD Player) 2V, but I haven't found any specific information about exact value. There are two asynchronous USB inputs: one for 16/44,16-48 signals – it does not required any additional driver, and a second one for hi-res PCM signal up to 32/384 and DSD128 (driver required). An interesting solution is a BNC input that also accepts same hi-res signal as USB. That is something new as up to now DXD and DSD signal was almost exclusively accepted only by USB inputs of different DACs. There is also a Toslink input that accepts signal up to 24 bit/192 kHz. Unit sports a small dot-matrix display on the front but it delivers only information about active input, about whether user increases or decreases volume and whether or not user activated Crossfeed. Most information for user is in fact coded using colors. One has to learn the code but it should not be a problem. Sampling frequency and volume are indicated by a large light placed in the middle of the top cover. Depleted battery, active input and Crossfeed mode are indicated by small LEDs that can be seen via a lens placed next to it. At first one sees no buttons, no knobs on Hugo TT that would allow user to change volume. Volume control is conducted via „G” point – a backlit knob that delivers different information and that might be turned right or left. That's a really cool solution but what I missed for an alphanumeric information about volume level. I also found using a remote control for volume control bit problematic. DAC is a balanced design and thus it sports both, balanced and unbalanced outputs on the rear panel. There are three headphone outputs but none of them is balanced. I think that a headphone amplifier at this price and performance level should include also a balanced output. But to be fair I have to notice here, that my Bakoon HPA-21 also sports and an unbalanced output. The device sports a flat chassis, its fit&finish is fantastic and its functionality impressive. But the ergonomic is not as good as other features. CHORD in „High Fidelity” TEST: Chord CPA 3000 | SPM 1200 MkII - przedwzmacniacz liniowy + wzmacniacz mocy | RED Fingerprint | see HERE Recordings used for this test (a selection): Billie Holiday, Jazz at the Philharmonic, Clef Records/UMG Recordings UCCV-9476, „David Stone Martin 10 inch Collector’s Selection”, SHM-CD (1945 | 1946/2013). Deep Purple, Now What?!, Edel Germany/Victor Entertainment VIZP-116, 2 x SHM-CD (2013). Depeche Mode, Black Celebration, Mute/Sony Music Labels SICP30539, Blu-spec CD2, (1986/2014). Depeche Mode, Ultra, Mute/Sony Music Labels SICP-30543, Blu-spec CD2, (2007/2014). George Michael, Faith: Special Edition, Epic/Sony Music753202, 2 x CD + DVD (1987/2010). Grateful Dead, The Best of Grateful Dead, Rhino 2795598, 2 x HDCD (2015). Handel, La Maga Abbandonata, Simone Kermes, Maite Baumont, Il Complesso Barocco, dyr. Alan Curtis, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi/Sony Music Entertainment, CD 88697846212, CD (2003/2011). Hilary Hahn, Hilary Hahn Plays Bach, Sony Classical, SK 62793, "Super Bit Mapping", 2 x CD (1997). Hilary Hahn, Hilary Hahn Plays Bach, Sony Classical/Sony Music Japan Entertainment, SICC 30087, "Best Classics 100", Blu-spec2 CD (1997/2012). Hilary Hahn, Bach Concertos, dyr. Jeffrey Kahane, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music LLC [Japan] UCCG-50058, SHM-CD (2003/2011). Perry Como, Perry ComoBMG Ricordi SPA 993320, 2 x CD (2000). Radiohead, In Rainbows, XL Records XLCD 324, CD (2007). Rival Sons, Great Western Valkyrie, Erache Records/Hydrant Music QIHC-10059, CD (2014). Robert Schumann, Violin Concerto, Isabelle Faust, Harmonia Mundi HMC 902196, CD + DVD (2015). Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes, Atlantic/Rhino 2795617, 2 x CD (1992/2015). Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes, EastWest 82358-2, CD (1992). Wes Montgomery, Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, Riverside/JVC VICJ-41531, K2 CD (1960/2006). Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] For years digital sound was for the turntable users a symbol of poor performance, regardless of the price one had to pay for a CD Player or DAC. And to be fair, they were mostly right. CD Players and later D/A Converters offered bright, dry, “mechanical” sound. Despite the fact that dynamic range of a Compact Disc was in theory bigger than vinyl's, this digital sound sounded compressed, sucked dry of all vitality. The best, hence most expensive, devices did some things well and offered in result quite nice performance. But these cost a fortune. A breakthrough was achieved when designers realized how destructive to the sound was this little, often even overlooked factor, called jitter. In short jitter is a deviation from true periodicity of a presumed periodic signal. And while even some digital product today still haven't mastered this issue, in general progress in this area that has been made in recent years is amazing. All it took was to use high quality master clocks, take care about proper power supply for all modules, take care of vibrations and voilà! When finally they managed to reduce jitter to a level when it stopped to play the main “bad guy” in digital signal, other flaws came to surface, previously unrecognized because of jitter, like improper digital filters for example. This issue was actually known before but nobody seemed to take it seriously. Classic filters with greatly accelerated roll-off slopes cut off all frequencies outside audible range which in fact significantly changed also the audible part. After converter received impulse signal it gave back not only the particular impulse but also pre- and post-ringing. Long story short – the effects of ringing were finally limited due to apodizing filters. Such filters were almost perfectly utilized by companies like Ayre and Meridian. Some other companies decided not to use any filters at all – for good and for bad (more HERE). That's when we get to the clue of this test: with good engineering that is based on both, knowledge and practice/experience it is possible today to create a relatively inexpensive digital device that will easily win any head-to-head against top Players from 15-20 years ago. Hugo TT is a perfect example. It is very difficult for me to write but... I have to man up and clearly state that this British D/A Converter outperforms in some areas my beloved Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition. And considering all aspects of sound it comes really, really close to my CD Player (with a signal delivered from Lektor's CD transport). The key element of Chord's performance is how amazingly resolving it is. This feature translates in this case not into more detailed presentation (at least not most of all) but to a more musical one. It is obvious that the more resolving the device is the more details it delivers. But only deeper in the recording as these create some additional value that allows us to experience the music in a deeper, more intense way. It was also obvious to me, that Chord delivered very open sound throughout the whole range. It was very easy to notice in treble area, but it was actually most impressive in bass area. It was here, in the lowest region, that Chord achieved the biggest improvement. This is the real BASS, that before I heard in my room only when using Accuphase DP-901 and Harmonix DAP-999EX Limited - both devices were much, much more expensive. Chord delivers powerful, “meaty” nicely differentiated bass – there are plenty of tonal and dynamic shades. Depeche Mode albums breathed rhythmically with Chord, and older, mono recordings due to this powerful bass base sounded richer, with denser, “bigger” midrange. At the same time bass never sounded overblown, I never thought there was too much bass presence. So bass, or in general the lower part of the range RULES! And so does the soundstage. We'll get there in a moment but I want to point it out already that treble also seemed quit powerful on both, linear and headphone outputs. These two elements differ but at the same time complement each other really well. If you want a better headphone amp you need to think about some expensive stand-alone device like Bakoon HPA-21 for example. DAC on the other hand can easily work in really expensive, much more expensive than DAC itself, systems. Anyway – treble seemed open, clear, powerful and distinct. That reminded me of older top devices like, for example, Accuphase DAC DP-91 from early 1990ties. But only with such refined digital filters and advanced power supply now we get something that back in the day was delivered only by DAC chips without any filters, like TDA1541, without its flaws: sweetness, richness and proper weight. I was curious how would such lean sounding device handle not so perfect recordings that have problems with treble clarity, like most rock albums. And it sounded fantastic. Yes, I could clearly hear some resonance in Tori Amos's voice but I perceived it rather as a flavor of this recording not its essence. I had similar impressions when listening to Deep Purple's Now What?!, Maroon5's V and many others. Each time sound was incredibly dynamic, clean, transparent but also rich and full. There is also another thing apart from a bass that Chord outperformed my Lektor with. Although it seemed impossible for me, British DAC delivered a better organized sound panorama. Yes, I mean panorama and not soundstage because it's about both – acoustic environment and phantom images. The latter delivered by Polish Player, and also by top Accuphase system with DP-901 DAC receiving signal from CEC TL0 3.0 transport, were even better – smoother, richer, more distinct. But at the same time my Player placed all phantom images closer together, leaving them less space to breathe. Density of Hugo TT's sound is surely better than average. So is its dynamics – it seems to come directly from the clarity and resolution of the sound. What Ancient Audio Player does in a better way, as do the two above mentioned systems, and surely also full Vivaldi dCS system, is imaging. Imaging might not be the most important feature of the sound for most music fans but the more experience they gain, the more sophisticated system they have the more important imaging becomes right up to the point where it becomes a key feature – if it's not good enough, particular component or system is also no good anymore. Hugo TT perfectly differentiates fullness, depth and tangibility of phantom images (I mean both – instruments and voices). Mostly due to amazing holography of the presentation. But it still can be done in a better, more sophisticated way but than one has to pay for it few times more, like for AIR V-edition for example. It will pay more even fuller, richer images of each sound source which will make them even more natural. I am separating description of Hugo TT as a headphone amplifier just to make thing easier for readers. Chord's DAC was intended as a development of the Hugo, which is equally D/A Converter as it is a headphone amp – they are supposed to work together. In this case, of TT version, it's a bit different story as the linear outputs allowing using it in the “big” stereo system with loudspeakers, are also equally important feature. And yet it is still an integrated solution. I compared the headphone amp section to, also battery powered, stand-alone headphone amplifier Bakoon HPA-21, that cost as much as Hugo TT – the two-in-one device. Signal to Hugo was delivered via digital cable from Lektor AIR V-edition's Philips CD Pro2 LF transport and from my laptop, and then I connected Hugo via linear output with Bakoon using Siltech Triple Crown interconnect. This way I used Hugo's DAC section in both cases and could compare only headphone amplifiers. It turned out the Hugo TT was also a very good head amp, although this section was not as versatile as its D/A Converter. I definitely preferred it paired with Audeze LCD-3 and Sennheiser HD-800 than with my reference HiFiMAN HE-6. Sound with the latter pair of cans was too light and too bright. Chord itself did not add any brightness to the presentation which was clear when I listened to HD-800, that had tonal balance set bit higher then Audeze, but not because amplifier made them sound brighter but because that was their sonic character; Audeze offered amazingly creamy, rich sound, although their tonality was also “set” by their designers (that Is why some reviewers prefer LCD-XC over LCD-3). With these two models of headphones Hugo TT delivered a beautiful sound – rich, dense, with nice bass extension and great dynamics. Sound was not as resolving and as selective as from linear outputs of the device, and so wasn't the dynamics. And yet it was still good enough for me to fully enjoy powerful music of Deep Purple as well as a refined performance of Charlie Parker. And just shortly about „Crossfeed”. It expands the sonic bubble inside our head but it has consequences – sound isn't so palpable, nor so dense as it is without Crossfeed. Powerful rock suffers most as the dynamics is lowered. Positioning of each element on the soundstage is less precise too which is especially obvious when listening to binaural recordings that already are particularly rich with spacial effects. Using this filter will be user-dependent, for me it was almost completely useless. Almost, because there was one exception – mono recordings that were converted into stereo ones. You'd be surprised to find out how many of those are there on the market. For such recordings I used a maximum setting of this filter to achieve undoubtedly better sound than without it. Summary The digital technology finally matured. High quality turntable still offers something that no digital device can, but, in my opinion, it is no longer a decisive factor. DAC Hugo TT sounds so well, in such a refined way, that one tends to simply enjoy the music without looking into what makes this device sound so great. DAC section of this device is simply remarkable, headphone amplifier might not be that great but it is still very good. One should partner Audeze or Sennheiser cans with it and will be very, very happy about this combination. It is one of very few DACs at this price level that so clearly show differences between different sampling frequencies and between PCM and DSD signal – most DAC are simply not resolving enough to do that. RED Fingerprint. Hugo TT is built like a tank, just like original Hugo is, so these clips with some heavy tanks running over these devices seem quite adequate. Chassis is made of very thick, rigid aluminum elements. Top cover seems particularly interesting as it includes few particular elements like a backlit (in different colors) volume knob. Color of the light changes depending on volume setting. Colors are also used to code other information for user. Under a convex lens one can see fragment of a PCB with three multi-color LEDs. These deliver information either on the battery life, or active output and a level of Crossfeed mode. One has to learn to read these information or one won't have a clue. A green dot-matrix display delivers information on active input, and level of spacial effect (Crossfeed) used for headphone output. After a while of user not applying any changes display goes dim. Small buttons placed beneath this display allow user to control this Crossfeed modes and select required input. On the right-hand side there are three headphone outputs – one 3,5 mm and two 6,35 mm. All of them unbalanced. Hugo TT sports both types of analogue outputs – balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA). It sports also four digital inputs: BNC and TOSLINK (both S/PDIF) and two USBs – one SD USB and the other HD USB. BNC accepts PCM signal up to 32bit/384 kHz and up to DSD128, TOSLINK PCM up to 24 bit/192 kHz, USB SD 16/44,1 (or 48 kHz), and USB HD PCM up to 32 bit/384 kHz and DSD up to DSD128 (Double DSD). These are asynchronous USB inputs with full galvanic isolation. Rear panel holds also a power inlet that allows user to connect it to the external power supply. This external power supply of Hugo TT does not supply the device directly but in fact charges batteries. There are four of them supported by two large capacitors, 5 farads each (!). Just few years ago such huge capacitance, even for 5V voltage, were difficult to imagine. In Hugo TT these serve as a sort of turbo-charge, extending the battery life as well as improving dynamics and demanding transients in recorded music. Lets have a look inside – apart from already described power supply section we shall find there a main PCB, that seems to be identical with the one from Hugo, and another large PCB with smaller one soldered to it. The bigger one includes headphone outputs and analogue output stage based on NE5534 chips. Signal from USB input goes to Texas Instruments PCM 2706 chip. Signal is decoded in a large, fast FPGA Spartan 6 – it includes digital filters and D/A converter, Chord's patented solution called Pulse Array. At the side there is a raw of bipolar output transformers. Signal from USB inputs is delivered via short USB/micro-USB cables. There is also z Bluetooth receiver module – Hugo TT is capable of decoding aptX signal. DAC sports a system remote control that will work also with company's CD Player, and streamer. Remote control sports a very nice, aluminum body. This improved aesthetics significantly although not necessarily the ergonomic as the push buttons sits bit too deep so it's not easy to actually push them. Specification (according to manufacturer) THD: - 140 dB Headphone output: 110 dB SPL/300 Ω Inputs: • 1x TOSLink 24 bit/192 kHz • 1x BNC 32 bit/384 kHz • 1x HD/SD USB B-type 32 bit/384 kHz | DSD128 Outputs: • 1x 3,5 mm mini-jack • 2x 6,35 mm large jack • RCA • XLR Dimensions: 235 x 45 x 225 (WxDxH) Weight: 3 kg YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/chord/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/chord/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/chord/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/chord/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/chord/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/chord/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/chord/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/chord/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/chord/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/chord/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/chord/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/chord/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/chord/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/chord/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/chord/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/chord/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/chord/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/chord/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/chord/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/chord/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/chord/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/chord/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/chord/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/chord/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/chord/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/chord/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/chord/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/chord/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/chord/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/chord/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/chord/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/chord/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/chord/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

abi was standing in the door, looking at us condescendingly while we were discussing acoustics, the microphones used and distortions. A moment before we had finished our first round of listening sessions and each of us was enthusiastically trying to convince the others that he was right. We paid the most attention to what Edwin was saying – in the end, we were talking about his cables. He was also the one with the best theoretical background. However, it was Gabi who brought in some air and distance to the meeting. In her opinion, we were “boys who, instead of listening to music and savoring it, were playing with toys for adults”. Well, there is no denying – “boys will be boys”. As far as we were concerned, apart from wine and snacks, we could offer practical experience. It seems that such a combination was optimal. So, the visit which took place during the 97th meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society, on a sunny afternoon in Cracow, can be regarded as successful. I hereby introduce Gabi and Edwin van der Kley, or Mrs. Crystal and Mr. Siltech to you. SILTECH /CRYSTAL CABLE Family companies are not uncommon, also in the audio industry. It is a small industry based on handicraft and serried groups of engineers, driven by passion (if it is not so, woe betide us!). Like in the domain of music, which is ruled by multi-generational clans, also in our industry it is not difficult to “infect” a spouse or children with passion. In the case of Mr. and Mrs. van der Kley, things have evolved a bit differently– both Gabi and Edwin have their own companies – Gabi is the managing director of Crystal Cable and Edwin runs Siltech. Both brands operate within the International Audio Holding BV company. Both of them target their products at a slightly different audience. However, there is also a horizontal division of responsibilities – Edwin is in charge of technology in both companies, while Gabi deals with sales, PR, and contact with distributors, dealers and the media. Apparently, working in tandem has been beneficial for them – the companies have been constantly growing, year to year by 20 – 30% for the last several years. Only once, at the beginning of the crisis, there was a growth of 0%, while some years ago the year-to-year growth of the Siltech company was at the level of 100%. It resulted from the development of a formula for a silver conductor with silver molecules filling the spaces between silver crystals, subsequently called the G3. I think we can admit that this is success, no matter how we measure it. The meeting that I am talking about focused on the greatest achievement of the Siltech company – the Triple Crown interconnect and speaker cable. Siltech is representative of a small group of cable manufacturers that do everything on their own, from start to finish, in their own factories. Investments of hundreds of thousands of euros have led to the company’s full independence and have made it possible for the owners to carry out their own projects. As Gabi said, each new cable has a few or sometimes more prototypes, from among which the best ones are chosen and another selection is conducted. That would be impossible if production was outsourced. TECHNOLOGY It all starts with a technological basis. Edwin is an engineer who specializes in measurement and leaves nothing to chance. As he said at the beginning of the meeting when he was presenting his new cables to us, at present we can measure almost everything and we can understand a lot of it. He said that referring to cables as “voodoo” is utter nonsense and results from deficiencies in education. As an engineer with many years of experience in another industry, he deplores the limitations of academic education lacking adequate practice. Besides, Edwin said that a great majority of academic textbooks related to the audio industry were published between 1930 and 1950 when the industry was forming. At that time it was believed that a human being does not hear distortions below 0.5% or cannot differentiate slight fluctuations in volume, etc. It has proved not to be true. The audio industry has been supported by related sciences, such as anthropology and psychology. The explanation is that we are evolutionally adapted to detecting minor abnormalities of sound, whereas other anomalies, even of a high amplitude, are not especially important to us. That is why we so readily accept distortions of a few percent characteristic for tube amplifiers and we cannot stand slight phase shifts caused by cables. So, we already know a lot and we will know even more. We only need to forget a large part of what we were taught at school, as the knowledge is now outdated. The top cable Siltech system – the Triple Crown – has been based on knowledge and experience. It includes the first mono-crystal type of a conductor , i.e. completely without crystal structure, and the first XLR and RCA type plugs in the world, made by a Swiss watchmaker. The former can be turned, each by 90º (together by 180º), so there should be no difficulties with connecting them to different components. Everything has been thought about, including the method of fixing conductors to pins in plugs – Siltech uses its own method of clamping or this purpose. The company used to use silver solder and then ultrasonic compression, but each of these methods was problematic in its own way. At present, conductors are pressed in a special machine without using solder. It took the company two years to develop the cables, even though the excellent Double Crown series constituted a basis for the Triple Crown series and Edwin did not start from scratch. ASSUMPTIONS Our guests at the 97th meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society were Gabi van der Kley-Rijnveld and her husband, Edwin van der Kley. Our aim was to listen to and to assess an interconnect and a speaker cable from the Triple Crown series. First, we wanted to listen to what their creator would say about them and then compare them to what we know well, i.e. cables from the Double Crown series. The system that we used should be well-known to “High Fidelity” readers, because all recent meetings of the KSS have taken place at Tomek’s. It is also where we have lately welcomed all our guests who, on the occasion, just like Gabi and Edwin, became honorary members of the Krakow Sonic Society. When Gabi was picking up her certificate, she was clearly moved and she said that although she had been in the audio industry for so long (she is a musician by education), that was the first time she had become a member of an association connected with music reproduction. Tomek’s system sounds very coherent and Edwin emphasized a few times that he had not expected such good sound from a combination of Dynaudio and Accuphase devices. Although it is, of course, possible to improve it, within assumptions the system is complete. However, as I am saying, one can try to make it better, for example by changing cables. SYSTEM Normally, Tomek uses Acrolink cables, Oyaide power cables and an Oyiade power strip. For the purpose of the given listening session, he had replaced all the accessories with Siltech products. The starting point were interconnects and speaker cables from the Double Crown series, the Ruby Double Crown power cables and the Octopus Double Crown power strip. The change was incredible. Recordings had never sounded so good before in Tomek’s system. Everything that had been characteristic for it (i.e. the power, density and coherence) remained unchanged, but at the same time all the qualities improved a lot and problems with some bass subbands were minimized (they cannot be completely eliminated), so it was hard to believe that these were “just” the cables. Since changing the speaker cable is a bit complicated in the case of Dynaudio speakers, especially when it comes to rigid fork terminals, we decided to listen to as many recordings as we would be able to, and then replace the interconnect and speaker cable with their Triple Crown versions, and again listen to all the recordings that we had already listened to. The power cables and strip remained unchanged – Siltech has not proposed their Triple Crown equivalents yet. We had also planned a curiosity for the end of the meeting. It proved to be as important as listening to the cables themselves – we tried different shield connections. It is known that top Siltech cables make it possible to connect or disconnect a shield – both on the side of the signal source and of the receiver. LISTENING PART 1 Double Crown vs Triple Crown I noted down the comments of the participants after replacing the original system cables with Triple Crown cables. I separately report impressions connected with shielding. Wiciu What I hear is incredible – after changing the cables the sound is deeper and the soundstage is broader – it is actually enormous now. I do not even know what to say – that was an incredible change and I have to listen to yet something else to be able to form my opinion. Rysiek I am moved. OK, let me expose myself: someone who has invested in Double Crown cables without listening to Triple Crown cables, has wasted the money. For me it is a classic example of “hi-fi vs. high-end”. Even if I am exaggerating, these are my impressions at the moment. The most important change is that MUSIC appeared with the TC [I could almost hear capital letters in Rysiek’s head and that is why I am using them – Editor’s note]. To me, the sound with the DC resembled the sound of music played at a stadium – it was flat and lacked depth. The TC, in turn, started playing vivid music, like in a club. For me, at least in the case of these recordings, it is an abyss. I did not feel any noticeable difference in dynamics – both cables are perfect in this respect. Bartek Dad has already written about it once – the Double Crown sounds like a crazy night in Barcelona, there was fun. The Triple Crown is, in turn, an elegant high-end supper in Rome or Paris – the top of the top. I also did not notice any special changes in dynamics – it was rather all about phrasing and tone. Paradoxically, for someone who is not an experienced high-end user and rarely deals with high-class equipment, or in the case of systems other than the most expensive ones, the Double Crown may prove more interesting and better. It is a little bit more swanky and attractive. As far as I remember, it was similar in the case of corrections introduced by the Accuphase DG-58 processor – sound was subjectively faster and stronger without it. However, only after getting acquainted with the changes one could appreciate brilliant sound with the DG-58 in a system (more about the DG-58 HERE). Janusz I am delighted with how music can “sing” and how instruments can murmur. It is because what is most important in all of this is what Gabi said – listening to music is to give us pleasure. With the Triple Crown, the musical message was natural and melodious. Nobody has said this yet, but this sound gets incredibly close to natural sound – at least this is what I hear. It is very close to live music. A good system emulates live sound, alongside all the problems that we have to face at the same time. The ability of rendering signal impulses with the TC is almost as good as live. I will say that in a few aspects I might make a mistake while listening to live and recorded sound, and I would surely not be sure which I like more. Another thing is sound equalization. With the TC everything is EQUALIZED [capitals again, just like in Rysiek’s comment – Editor’s note] and normal. Also stereo is much better than with the Double Crown. Sound with the DC (when directly compared to the TC, of course) seems to be covered with a blanket. When comparing the DC with any other cable, I would say the same thing about the latter one and it is the DC that would sound clearer and more open. In this case, the TC is much better. Tomek For me, the Double Crown had already brought my system to a level so high that I would not have expected of it. The differences between the DC and the Triple Crown are clear and there is no use deceiving anyone – the latter ones are better cables. As for me, the differences here were not as big as between my cables and the DC. I would say that it was several per cent maximum. That is why I completely disagree with Rysiek and his assessment of the DC that I do not understand at all. The DC are brilliant cables, while the TC are simply better. However, I could live with the DC and be very happy. Edwin I have to say that I was surprised with good tonal balance of the system – it lacks nothing and it does not exaggerate in any way. When it comes to the cables, one can indeed hear well that the Triple Crown brings naturalness into the system, which had not been there before. With the TC, instruments were more in front of us, in the room, and not in undefined “recording space” – here I agree with Rysiek. There were more details with the TC, but these were inner details – a thing resulting from higher resolution. Gabi Bartek has already talked about it – the Double Crown was already very good, but the Triple Crown clearly goes further and it cannot be denied. And I do not think that the DC was hazy, at least not in the sense in which we usually use this word – it neither lacked the treble, nor details. There were actually even more details with the DC. However, also with the TC you listen to music and when you refer to a change, you do not say that you are now listening to a better cable, but to a better system. It seems to be of key importance to me – the TC improves the class of the connected devices, as if it was hiding behind them, while we hear the DC more explicitly and we know that it is the star. LISTENING PART 2 A shield and the issue of sound I wonder how you assess the Triple Crown cable, as well as the Double Crown in a further perspective, based on the comments above. Since I was there and I heard the comparison, I have formed a firm opinion on the subject. What I heard during a test at my home was confirmed – the TC is a brilliant cable. It is dense, deep and saturated, but with subjectively fewer high tones and more deeply hidden details than the DC (more HERE). I think it is true that in a large number of systems the cheaper DC will perform in a more interesting way and that it will make the whole SYSTEM better. At the same time, it is true that in top-end systems the TC simply rules and one can hear what a great improvement on the DC it is. However, one should know that when we listen to the Triple Crown, we actually listen to one of its versions. The cable has been built in such a way that it is, thanks to its geometry, shielded by itself, without the need of using an external shield (which does not, anyway, protect it from low and the highest frequencies). However, both the interconnects and speaker cables have an additional shield. What for? Edwin says that it is because of regulations in individual countries, and also because the Triple Crown sounds different with a shield than without it. He refers, of course, not only to the physical presence of a shield, but also to its electrical connection with the ground of the signal (RCA) or of the device (XLR). Large break-out bodies at the ends of the cables are therefore both a place where the shield ends and where vibration damping materials that allow to stabilize the cable geometry end, as well as a place where a shield can be connected or disconnected. Since the bodies are placed at both ends of the cable, the following combinations are possible: • shield disconnected on both sides • shield connected on both sides • shield connected on the signal source side • shield connected on the signal receiver side Of course, this refers to a situation in which shields in BOTH cables of a given pair are connected in the same way. Gabi and Edwin had been telling us from the beginning that “in each of these settings the cable sounds different” and that “in cheap systems the differences will surely not be important, because they will be covered by bigger problems, but in top high-end they will be significant.” We were very curious what they were talking about. Edwin had already selected the “ground” setting in all the cables, i.e. with shields connected on both sides, before the first listening session. So, we compared this set-up with one where shields are not connected at all. We also looked at other set-ups, but I will talk about this at the end. Now it is time for a “ground” vs. “float” comparison. Rysiek From what you will say I will finally learn what your vision of live music is. From my point of view, it is the following: with disconnected shields the sound stage is broader, but flatter. It seems to me that the diversity of tone and dynamics is then worse. In the case of the “float” mode, the coloring of sound is lower and a bit more pastel. In my opinion, the sound was more monotonous. For me, it is like concert music – when we listen to it at home, it delivers completely different sound, in many aspects better than during a live performance. Wiciu I somehow cannot agree with Rysiek today, although we are sitting next to each other. For me it is clear that in the “float” mode, i.e. with shields disconnected on both sides, the sound was more lively and natural. Connecting the shield resulted in too much bass. For me, the TC without a shield sounds much better. Janusz I confirm – in the “float” mode music sounds as if it was performed live, i.e. better (for me). It is as if someone has pulled some trigger. In the “ground” mode music is more drowsy and less dynamic. If I understand the words of songs that I listen to, even if they are only murmured – and that was the case for me without a shield – it means that something good must have happened and that resolution is better. Perhaps this is why, in the case of Bille Holiday, voice articulation was better in the “float” mode. I could simply more accurately and clearly hear what she was doing with her voice. That was a very emotional message, so it was what it should be like in high-end, in my opinion. I must repeat myself, because it is important – the resolution and stereo were better. Stronger and clearer details highlighted things that must have been somewhere before but were not an important part of the message, were not as significant as during that listening session. However, I also admit that Polish recordings sounded much better with a connected shield. It is perhaps because they needed compensation in the form of stronger bass and more subtle treble, and not because such sound was better. However, in my opinion, these Polish albums sounded bad anyway. I do not know why the album of Peter, Paul and Mary which was released eleven years before the album of BemiBem (which is part of the prestigious Polish Jazz series) sounds far better. Bartek I liked the version with disconnected shields more. It was faster and clearer. With connected shields it was like in a lake without a supply of fresh water – it was smooth, but torpid. Without a shield, it is easier to hear the continuity of the stereo stage, even in the case of a “left/right” recording. Jazz recordings came off a bit worse without a shield, they sounded a bit “boxy” for me, without filled up bass. I do not know why Mr. Janusz complains about Polish recordings so much, because I liked them a lot – they do not sound bad at all. They sound worse than PPM, but there is something true in them, some truth about the time when they were created. Tomek At the second attempt, i.e. in the “float” mode, I started to appreciate the TC fully. I had heard before that it is a good cable, but I had liked the DC so much that I had not felt any urge to try the TC. Without a shield, I heard an amazing separation of instruments, events and everything that was happening on the stage – that was amazing! This change convinced me that the TC is better than the DC in all respects. It also confirmed my opinion that the Double Crown had already shown how excellent good recordings can sound, especially the older ones. However, replacing DC cables with Triple Crown cables is an incredible change – these are two different worlds. Gabi It was an interesting experience – I could hear that the cable sounds better without a shield, but it is not always advantageous for recordings. In the case of Björk’s album, sound was clearly much better with disconnected shields. The bass was also better because it was faster and better defined. However, when it came to the album of Peter, Paul and Mary, I was not sure which version I liked more. I was only sure that these were two completely different presentations. Edwin When we were designing the cables, we listened to them thousands of times. We also compared the final cables with connected and disconnected shields hundreds of times. Since these versions sound so different, we have decided to let people decide which cable setting to choose in their own systems. It can be heard that there is a place for both the “float” and “ground” mode, depending on the type of a system. However, I have my own opinion of it. From my point of view, Triple Crown cables sound much better without a connected shield. In top-end, well-compiled systems that are characterized by high resolution and open, the “float” version will always sound better. Of course, one can have their own preferences, but there is a so-called “consensus” when it comes to better sound and, for me, it is sound without shields, even if not everyone likes it and even if it does not pertain to all recordings. In my opinion, if a system sounds better with connected shields, it means that there is some error in the system. TRIPLE CROWN Triple Crown cables constitute a standard for themselves. I do not know any other connecting cable that would sound so exquisite. It is not only my opinion, because everyone who has come across it says the same thing. It is a product of real engineering and the cost of manufacturing it is enormous, so the final price is also very high. However, we are talking about top high-end here, about the luxurious peak of a luxurious hobby, i.e. high-end audio. It is not a garage-based company which assembles (perhaps even ingeniously, but still only assembles) cables made by someone else, but a company which designs and manufactures everything itself. This is the real top. A comparison of different variations of Triple Crown cables with connected and disconnected shields makes us realize how this element changes sound (or actually cable parameters, but these, ultimately, change sound). Without shields, the cable sounds fast and open, with a lot of treble. It is characterized by good resolution and dynamic. With shields it is calmer, there is more bass, resolution is lower and the attack is more subtle. It was very interesting to test the cables with shields connected only on the source side, or only on the receiver side. This method is technically most correct – it is a so-called “telescopic” shield. And indeed, we agreed that in such a configuration sound was halfway between disconnected and connected shields. However, it was not attractive. In a direct comparison with both of the “extreme” versions it sounded less emotional, without energy and boldness. Connecting a shield on the side of the signal receiver was a mistake – sound became heavy and slow, and resolution was lower – I definitely do not recommend this! And it is just a screen. Even such a fragmentary look behind the “design curtain” shows us how many variables must be taken into consideration to prepare a high-class interconnect. Conductor materials, the dielectric, geometry, thickness and distance, plugs, fixing methods, shielding, vibration damping – all these factors play an extremely important role. Knowing all this, it seems that those two years that were spent in Siltech on designing and manufacturing Triple Crown cables was an extremely short period of time. Just this little thing shows what kind of a company we are dealing with – perfectionist in all respects. Recordings used during the listening sessions: Bemibem, Bemowe frazy, Polskie Nagrania MUZA/Polskie Nagrania PNCD 1096, “Polish Jazz DeLuxe”, CD (1974/2007). Billie Holiday, Billie Holiday, Clef Records/UMG Recordings UCCV-9470, „David Stone Martin 10 inch Collector’s Selection”, SHM-CD (1954/2013). Björk, Vulnicura, Little Indian Records tplp1231cdx, CD (2015). Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Mercury Records/USM Japan UICY-40025, Platinum SHM-CD (1973/2013). Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come, Atlantic Records/ORG Music ORGM-1081, SACD/CD (1959/2013). Peter, Paul and Mary, In The Wind, Warner Bros. Records/Audio Fidelity AFZ 181, “Limited Edition No. 0115”, SACD/CD (1963/2014). Skaldowie, Lost Progressive Sessions 1970-1971, Kameleon Records PROMO CD, CD (2013). SYSTEM USED DURING THE LISTENING SESSIONS Compact Disc Transport: Ayon Audio CD-T Audio file transport: Aurender X100L, test HERE Preamplifier/DAC: Ayon Audio STRATOS Power amplifier: Accuphase A-70, test HERE, also read HERE Speakers: Dynaudio C4 Signature Speaker cables: Acrolink 7N-S8000 ANNIVERSARIO Interconnects: Acrolink 7N-DA2090 SPECIALE, test HERE Power strip: Oyaide MTS-4e, test HERE YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/17.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/17.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/17.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/18.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/18.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/18.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/19.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/19.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/19.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/20.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/20.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/20.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/kts97/th/21.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/kts97/21.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/kts97/21.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

ravel broadens the mind, but not all travels. When I'm in Krakow, Wroclaw, or Warsaw I am always accompanied by a crowds of foreign tourists. A colorful crowd of Italians, Spanish, Japanese people and ... fortunately or not, but also subjects of the Queen Mother of the British Isles. What are all these people doing in Poland? Why they arrive to us from the remotest corners of the world, often beautiful and exotic, where, basically, they have everything within reach? What brought their here? And the answer is simple! Curiosity ... (on the motivation of the most of "Brits" I skip the veil of silence). It doesn’t matter that most of this tourists were already "everywhere". Arrival in Krakow, Polish "eternal city", where for centuries the world of east and west mixed, the city of the legendary Wawel Dragon and Oriental Hobby Horse, is simply, for example, to the Japanese as attractive and "exotic" as a trip to Japan for a Pole. These people are able to "sacrifice" their vacation to arrive to the "Rainy land", to get to know different culture, to see new places, to visit monuments and museums, to try different types of cuisine, in one word just to broaden their knowledge, their horizons, to make more wrinkles on their brains. Someone who saw half the world, who visited hundreds of museums, met other cultures, other looking at the same problem, someone who tasted the dishes of different national cuisines, who sniffed different "herbs" and let's assume flowers, that kind of man can say that he does not like something ...! Because he can rationally justified his opinion having many points of comparison and reference. In another case an expression " I don't like it" is worth as much as an expression, I beg a pardon, “I have to go to the toilet”! Well, yes, but maybe I went a little too far, is it so sure that a trip to Japan is for our statistical compatriot such an attraction ...? Travelling, let's be honest and straight is tiring! And this individual and on their own, even very ... It requires planning, you have to prepare to a trip, to read something (!!) about the places you want to visit, you have to drive a car the whole day and you can not drink! The hell ..., holidays are not there to bother! A Pole is tired, even exhausted. First, he must WORK ...!. But thank God he has a broadcast "Thank God It's Friday" and the commercial radio stations which count down days and hours to the holy weekend, which is the light in the long tunnel, from Monday .. Secondly, the pole stands in the traffic jams, but be honest he has the car so he will not go to work by bus or by bike. Besides, after all, "city of Warsaw is not the village to ride a bike through it". Moreover, journey by public means of transport is also tiring. Thirdly, the Pole has children, and this is, supposedly, very, very tiring. And "just as you will have your own children, you will see for yourself how it is ...!" Well, I can only persist in the belief that people in Japan doesn't work, and that the view of the Italian or Spanish tourists in Krakow, with two children in strollers is only a mirage ... Or maybe Poles are simply lazy ... ???! No ... not at all, after all we are the Christ of the Nations (A.Mickiewicz "Forefathers' Eve"), or Winkelried of the Nations (J. Słowacki "Kordian"). Poles just appreciate the quality and "they deserve it". That's why when our "homie" is going to buy his vacation the key word, even the skeleton key, is a small, innocent "all inclusive" posted on the front of the offer. It is the guarantee of a good holiday in decent conditions… To laze in the sun all day on the exclusive sun loungers, by the very clean swimming pool at the resort. To sip sublime drinks made with local whiskey with the local cola, having the opportunity to taste the local specialties of a five-star restaurant, three times a day as much as possible, provided that this is chicken and chips. Disco till dawn, vomiting in the bushes and, above all, "animator", which takes the children for a whole day to give them the same sublime pastimes like their parents are given. All the elements are necessary for vacations to be successful. And this is all we need to vaunt our friends, with honor and raised head, how good we have spent time. Pole on holiday feels hunger of foreign cultures too. "Night Turkish, Turkish Night" for 30 euro per person brings him closer, in a professional and authoritative way, to culture and traditions of a region. The "knowledge" gained during this sessions is used in practice on the surrounding bazaar, where Pole buys Ray Ban sunglasses, Omega watches and handbags from DG, confirming by the way the conviction about the natives who dare to bargain with him, which is undignified and tiring ... It's hard not to be proud of our famous polish tradition of noble, Sarmatian when "During the reign of King Sas, eat, drink and let go of the belt..." Ordinary, sixteenth, seventeenth-century manor house looked like an all-inclusive resort in Hurghada, with vomitory in a central location, and the deputies sent by the king with news of state arrives late after a few months. No one was in no hurry, because Poland long and wide as the eye can see .... Nobody can tell me that in exploring the world, and especially Europe bothered lack of money. I know people who, in the manner described above, do not spend their holidays in Turkey or Egypt, but for example in Thailand. They spend tens of thousands of zlotys, or rather they throw them in the mud ... but rather in monsoon season... they do not drive there! CURIOSITY - THE ENGINE OF PROGRESS As you can see introduction again has nothing to do with the subject of the article and the profile of the magazine, nothing at all. Button truth- all, I emphasize, all human activity is driven by one, incredible strength - curiosity. Even those who argue to the contrary, that sex drive pulls man (read: male) to push forward, at the end they will agree with the theory that the specimen was just curious how another woman, than wife, looks when she takes out the laundry from the washing machine... I feel just the opposite way, which was not once and not twice expressed in "High Fidelity", that the average so-called internet user, not the audiophiles have a small penises. because small penises have those who most suspect others of it . The audiophile is by nature inquisitive, thanks to this he became himself. Also, out of necessity, because in his search for a system that in the best possible way will approach him to the sound occurring in nature, he will be digging and will be sniffing and will be checking and comparing, and so it goes, until he will get tired, or will be deaf with age. These features, in my humble opinion, are evidence of excess of testosterone rather than its absence. Or maybe all those Internet forum participants, wankers, because so unfortunately we should call all those who write about things that they have never experienced (haven't touched) other than through monitor glass, maybe they mistook hormon, which they have in abundance? Gentlemen, excess of progesterone is leaking through your ears! Believe me, it's worth to travel far from home in a warm or cold countries. It's worth to see a piece of the world, to listen to a few systems in a million, even if only in showroom, to drive fast sport cars on Nordschleife, even if only the are rented. It's worth to do for any money, because thanks to that our only adventure with foreign cultures won't be an exotic panga with french fries on a plastic plate on the Polish coast, our only experience with the speed won't be a repeat of Top Gear or computer game, and our only window on the world won't be a TV-set. When you will put all this things into your luggage of life experiences, dear Internet users, you won't tweedle stupid things on the forums, which clearly are your only chance that "someone" can hear you... We also decided to expand our horizons a little bit. In addition, as it is already (phew ...) the last test of length, what generally leads to some recapitulation, we thought that this could be done in a special way. And now it will be something of the drama (in terms of form as in Shakespeare, not the content as in the Greeks ). I called Roger Adamek: - Zoo, I'm listening ...? - Hello, I want to speak to gorilla, cage number six. - Gorilla is out - But he's out or he's down ...? - He went out, that went down! Down he went I mean! And that's how, generally look serious business conversation, anyway the effect was that on the last episode the length test "eagle has landed" in the RCM company showroom in Katowice. INTRODUCTION Just as in the previous edition of Close Encounters of the FIRST and SECOND Kind, where we dealt with the influence of the length of the IC, and power cords on the sound system, now we decided to examine this aspect but with the speaker cables. And again we met with a very cordial response from cables producers and distributors . Just as in the previous test we made sure that the tested pairs of wires were basked, or not basked at all. Differences in the sound of my system after connecting various power cables was the same as in the previous test of interconnects simply "dramatic". After listening in Katowice, at the headquarters of the RCM, of course I could not stop my curiosity and I decided to check everything again in my home system. And I've got for their - surprisingly, for some cables, findings were the opposite of these from the system prepared by Roger Adamek! But one after another. CABLES TESTED: 1. HELUKABEL HELUSound 2x2,5mm2, 2m i 4m 2. SLINKYLINKS 2,5m i 3m 3. SUPRA QUADRAX 2m i 3m 4. ORGANIC ORIGINAL 2,5m i 4m MEETING PARTICIPANTS: Alexandra Sumorok – Ph.D technical sciences, art historian and specialist in the field of Stalinist Architecture and Art of Socialist Realism period. Like most women, she is not interested in audio equipment. With the greatest pleasure she likes to listen to ... silence, which is very rare in our house... ;-). Hereinafter referred to as AS. Marek Moczkowski – IT manager, electronics and short-wave radio fan. With audio equipment he has rather little to do, but he likes to listen. He takes part in my "testing" of a new equipment from the moment when I bought in the 90’s my first CD player. It means from the very beginning! Mark was always "good" in physics; hereinafter referred to as MM. Witek Kamiński – architect; hereinafter referred to as WK. Unspecified being called in dead language-Latin "Spirtus" (rctified spirit), located in different concentrations in beverages which man must drink in order to maintain vital functions of the body ... It hasn’t directly expressed an opinion about the sound, but had a definite effect (purely scientific) on ours ... THE SOUND SYSTEM PLICHTOW: Amplifier: LUXMAN L-507s Digital source: SACD YAMAHA CD-S2000 Analog source: PRO-JECT RPM-5.1/ORTOFON 2M BLUE, Custom Version One Loudspeakers: VIENNA ACOUSTICS Beethoven Baby Grand Power cords: SUPRA LoRad 2.5 MkII Interconnect SUPRA EFF-I/NEUTRIK XLR Interconnect (turntable) VDH D-103 MKII Speaker cables VDH THE REVELATIONS THE SOUND SYSTEM KATOWICE: Preamplifier: VITUS AUDIOSP-102 Power amplifier: VITUS AUDIO MP-S-102 Analog source: DR. FEICKERT ANALOG MODEL FIREBIRD, SCHROEDER MODEL CB 9”, MIYAJIMA TAKUMI Loudspeakers: GAUDER AKUSTIK MODEL BERLINA RC9 Cables: FURUTECH, ORGANIC AUDIO RECORDS USED IN TESTING: SACD: Carmen McRay, Live At Birdland West, Concorde Jazz; Gustaw Mahler, Symphony no. 6, B.F. Claudio Abbado – DG; Gustaw Mahler, Symphony no. 2, W.P. Gilbert Kaplan – DG. LP: Rachmaninov, Symphonic Dances, LSO, A. Previn; EMI Angel Master Series, DMM (1975-77); The Trumpet Summit meets The Oscar Peterson big 4, Pablo Records (1980); Beethoven, Symphony nr 2 in D major, P.Ch.P.O., Wojciech Rajski, “Tube Only”; TACET 180 g, (2007). SOUND KATOWICE 1. HELUKABEL HELUSound 2 m i 4 m MM: Shorter length, relative to longer, played the sound of subdued and muted. The soundstage was narrower and seemed "blended". There was no precision in the positioning of instruments. Four meter section generally improved all aspects of sound, it played much better sound. The musical instruments clearly clarified, a bass appeared which was nicely stretched and sounding. WK: In general I agree with this opinion, so not much I can add. Four meters played less dry and scratchy. The instruments sounded better and the sound was better stretched. 2. SLINKYLINKS 2,5 m i 3 m MM and WK: To our surprise we can write together ... Two and a half meters presented much faster and more detailed sound. The tonal balance shifted slightly upwards caused that the instruments and vocals were more sparkling. The presentation was livelier and more energetic. It was accompanied by cool stereophony and the "lightness" of the sound but not in the sense of the weakness of lower registers, but in the form of detachment the sound from the speakers. Three meters showed a narrower, but deeper soundstage. Sound a little slowed down and lost its spontaneity of the shorter section, but in exchange for this has become more "serious" and authoritative. 3. SUPRA QUADRAX 2 m i 3 m MM: Shorter showed a high degree of precision in the presentation of musical events. The instruments were very well separated from each other. The sound was fast and energetic. Longer section was equally precise, but seemed a little slower. WK: For me also shorter played faster and more transparently. It showed more air on the sound stage and around the instruments. Longer cables was a little slower and less detailed but more dignified. It's like it was more focused on the whole event than on its various aspects. 4. ORGANIC ORIGINAL 2,5 m i 4 m MM: I do not want to (lazy-colleague again, see the other tests) analyze too much difference between lengths of these cables, because both are playing great! I can only give my completely irrational opinion that if I had to choose I'd buy the longer one. Once they are connected, the "equipment" began to tell a story about the music bewitched in the black record...! WK: Keep in mind that these are the most expensive cables in our comparison, and the price difference is very significant. I also think that both played great, and a telling the differences between them is not pointing out their weak points in the strict sense, as it can not be told that a car that accelerates in 3 seconds to hundreds is slower than the one that does the same in 2.9. ..! I recall it to illustrate the scale ... If I could choose these cables for myself (charm of dreams ;-)) I would definitely choose the longer! The location and sounding of instruments were better. They were better separated from each other on stage at the same time the sound was very consistent, smooth and coherent. Such a sublime combination of sweet and bitter, or simply natural sound that is as well dynamic and retail as smooth and pastel in the same time - or so I hear ... SOUND PLICHTÓW 1. HELUKABEL HELUSound 2 m i 4 m AS: Longer cables played a lot better. It was faster, louder and had more air. The instruments were better isolated from each other, their sound was longer and more accurate. The sound was less dull, there was better bass and its control. The vocals were without disturbing and unnatural sibilants. WK: Generally, I think so too. I will add that the longer cables had better control over the sound as a whole. For example, in the loud parts of the orchestra, where a lot of instruments play in the same moment, there was not a mess! 2. SLINKYLINKS 2,5 m i 3 m AS: Shorter cables sounded louder, clearer, better articulated and resonant sound. The scene was wider. The sound was a little more shrill than in the longer which played quieter. Both lengths were very much alike! WK: I think the same. 2.5 meters is a louder sound with more dynamics, better power, better and stronger bass. There is more details and the air in them, the sound is more filled and less shrill. The vocals are closer and more natural. However, this length is compared to three meters more "jumpy". Maybe the longer cable showed less, but he did it in more sophisticated way! It played calmer and with a truly English distance. 3. SUPRA QUADRAX 2 m i 3 m AS: Longer Supra cables presented a larger space, the scene was wider and deeper than in the shorter ones. In addition, the instruments sounded longer and more accurate with more details. WK: The two-meter tonal balance was raised slightly up, which was accompanied by general tendency to favor the edges of the sound ranges. In the longer wires both of these features have disappeared without a trace! The balance between sound ranges came back what definitely had a positive impact on improving the timbre of sound. Longer cables sounded louder, more powerful, with more air and details. The instruments sounded longer and more thoroughly. I think that it mainly happened through the midrange, which I liked very much, they were louder and more exposed than in shorter wires. SUMMARY Finally, we came to the end of the three-part story with the cables. Conclusions, as always, I leave to the readers. It seems to me that this is the best solution, as everyone has his own senses. I just tried to show how complex and sensitive organism is a sound system and what a significant changes can make such a "small" piece of the puzzle as the length of the cable. During the construction of own sound equipment, do not forget about any element through which current flows. From the smallest fuse to the large amplifiers weighing several hundred kilos. And above all, remember that the devil generally is in the details. As Roger Adamek proved to us while listening in Katowice, everything can affect the quality of sound. Wiping speaker terminals with "magic" duster, stripping them of their electric charges, installing a small ring on the power cord plug, or even stronger or weaker terminals tightening of the speaker cables. The best part is, unlike the comments on Internet forums, that all these seemingly insignificant "bits and pieces" are supported by the science known as physics. The only problem is that the majority of people during physics lessons played football on the pitch. What fascinates me the most in the audio business is, on the contrary to chess game, its endlessness. An audiophile searching for the perfect sound has an endless possibilities. Audiophilism is therefore not a religion, because it does not give any promise, gives no solace, no provision for a "happy ending" and does not forgive - even a poorly fitted cable. An audiophile is alone in the universe, suspended in a void of own thoughts and research. The only thing you can do is to lurk for a while to just crank up again at a frantic gallop to nowhere. The only constant is the EXPERIENCE gained during hundreds hours of listening to music. An audiophile is therefore like a sailor who ten thousand years ago set sail driven by curiosity and a desire to reach the unreachable horizon. He had never reached the destination, but thanks to the experience of the journey discovered the whole world. AT THE END It is not a coincidence that well known to all researchers history of human expansion into the blue planet began about ten thousand years b. c.. The man came out, or rather suddenly jumped, from the Paleolithic era, where he led a rather sedentary tribal lifestyle, and immediately jumped into the deep end of the Neolithic era. This metaphor has the literal meaning. It's about invention of sailing. At these times the human being didn’t know the wheel, so the conquering the land took ages (and not only from today's perspective). Only the bravest individuals by using the primitive boats were able to traverse unimaginable spaces and distances. I think this achievement was comparable to leaving our galaxy nowadays, which is still far in the realm of "entertainment" s-f stories like this about the Pilot Pirx by Stanislaw Lem. The world has opened. It began amalgamate and permeate the culture of different levels of science and technology advancement, with different habits and customs, beliefs. This affected the development of trade, and then the development of merchants, economy and then the investment, like construction. From that moment the first major human society, not tribal, started to form. There has been also noticed the development of agriculture. Moreover, human beings began to mix genetic material differently than they did it before, within three adjacent villages. This one, simple invention of a curious chap (or rather group of man because as the archaeological research shows the same thought-invention appeared in the same time at different places), who got up every morning, then when had the morning coffee was wondering what was beyond he sees on the horizon, caused a twitch of the colossus, which, once set in motion led to the creation of the world as we know it today! It is not a coincidence that the sailors were for millennia the elite. The heroic acts were attributed to them, they were worshiped and lauded in legends (for example, a Greek Argonauts - means from greek -'Argonautai' from 'Argo' - fast, 'nautai' - sailors). It is not a coincidence that the port cities were cosmopolitan centers of vibrant multicultural and multilingual crowd, which freely mingled various trends and ideas. And It is not a coincidence that Christopher Columbus was born in Genova, not, for example in Colmar, where to this day most of the hotel staff speaks in any language.... provided it is French. It's difficult to say what changes will bring the era of computers and mass information. However, this unfortunately pervasive phenomenon became a way of life, which, in my opinion, is very dangerous. Are we richer in experience or do we know more thanks to the possibility of reaching the most remote, exotic and inaccessible corner of the world in front of a computer screen, tablet, television? Does this fact of surfing the “world” net make us a travelers? I think it does not. Such perception of world events, including the acquisition of "knowledge" and "experience", makes us ignorant, not the Argonauts. We know that the the bell is ringing but we do not know "in which church." The ease and speed of acquisition of "experience" and "knowledge" caused the we stopped respect them.. We begin to read only the "headlines" because there is sill waiting for us another exciting “news”. We begin to be satisfied with short and laconic information. We begin to live in the virtual world and that means not only 'false', but - worse - 'incomplete'! That caused stripping us of the vast amount of experience and only by the adding the small part of “experience” all together we can get closer to the truth and complete knowledge (see the mechanism of aesthetic experience). Instead of sightseeing and experiencing the word, we can "see" it on the Google maps, instead of dating, we can use social networking sites, instead of cooking, we can watch cookery programs, and last but not least, instead of listening to music we can read what someone wrote about it on the forum. Soon relation and exchanging the information between people will rely on the fact that everyone will be writing about things which were not seen, not heard, not sniffed, not touched, not tried. Have you ever wondered what the world looks like from the perspective of a snail? It seems to us very boring - snail recognize it very slowly, but we do not appreciate how deeply! I suggest to those who, for example, drive very often the same road and think that they know it almost by heart, to go this distance on foot. You will be surprised then how many new incentives and new sensations this walk will offer. Only then you will notice how little you knew about the world, the path you had taken every day and watched through the windows of the car. I deeply regret that I can not wait every month for the new printed issue of "High Fidelity". I regret that I can not get it from the newsstand, chat with the shopkeeper and maybe discover then that we share the same interests. I regret that I can not take the magazine home, feel the smell of paper and ink, hear the rustle of sheets that I can not sit with the magazine in a chair and listen to music. All the rest would be then “only” an "icing on the cake" ... PS A new element joined my system. Sennheiser HD 580 headphones are restored and modified by Mr. Robert: rekabling@vp.pl We are grateful to Roger Adamek and the whole team of the RCM, for the invitation us to their new showroom in Katowice. SLINKYLINKS cables supplied for testing by distributor: www.arspoaudio.pl ORGANIC cables supplied for testing by distributor: www.rcm.com.pl HELUSound cables supplied for testing by manufacturer: www.helukabel.pl SUPRA cables supplied for testing by distributor: www.bestaudio.pl PREVIOUSLY: Close Encounters of the SECOND Kind - About the black death Close Encounters of the FIRST Kind - about dogs and cat, or: does the length matter? YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!!

don't even remember the last time I reviewed Creek's amplifier. I's been at least few years since I even held any Creek's device in my hands. During that time a whole new generation of EVO components was released and then the Evolution series evolved from it, first – in 2013 – an amplifier 50A, and in the second half of 2014 it's bigger brother, 100A. Both might be combined with CD Players, respectively models 50CD and 100CD. Having the first look at it I couldn't resist the feeling, that Mike Creek, man behind the company for 34 years, was a fan of simple, unpretentious design. Evolution 100A, the one under review, kept a low profile of older models from Classic line, as well as of all even older ones. The thick, front panel (silver or black) sports just two knobs and eight buttons and that's it. Despite the similarities with older models, this one, when plugged in, would quickly prove itself as a quite up-to-date, 2015 model. Namely, it sports a very nice large OLED display, that delivers information on volume level - in dBs and on graphic display – and a selected source. The other sign of its modernity is its open architecture, meaning it can be fitted with few different optional modules. This is a solution known, for example, from Accuphase products, but I rarely saw it in relatively inexpensive products, because implementation of such a solution isn't easy. The 100A can be fitted with phonostage module called Sequel Mk2. Another option is the brand new AMBIT FM/AM RDS plug-in module. All the tuner-related information would be displayed on the above mention OLED display. Same slot, Line 5 actually, can be utilized to insert optional Ruby DAC. Since this amplifier is controlled via microchip, it's functionality is significantly bigger than of most average amps. For example – display can be deemed or turned off, there is tone control at user's disposal, user gets to choose whether Line 3 and Line 4 work as classic line inputs or as „Direct” ones, that bypass preamplifier section of the device – this function will be useful when integrating Creek with home cinema system. And finally it is user's choice whether speakers outputs are cut off when he plugs headphones in (yes, the 100A sports a headphone output, too). CLASS G Apart from a more elaborated functionality this is one the most important changes for the bigger integrated amplifier of the new Creek's line Evolution – instead of traditional AB class power stage, 100A sports a G class one. It is an analogue amplifier, not a digital one, and yet it's been designed to minimize power consumption. Up to 25 W (at 8 Ω) power transistors are supplied with lower voltage. When more power is required system automatically increases the voltage. Designers assumed that for most time, most users use on the first few watts and these ones are the most important ones. David Gamble’s – Creek's chief engineer – design is a version of a design known for years. Even though more people got to know it recently because of Arcam AVR600, and then also A49 and P49, in fact it is as old as 40 years. It wasn't commonly used though, as there was an issue of a smooth transition from one voltage to another. Arcam found their own solution, and Creek switches only between two voltages and managed to find a secure way to do it. Taking into consideration tendencies on the market it seems that there will be more and more Class G amplifiers coming to market in the near future – high power output combined with low power consumption and low temperatures – that's the most likely future of, at least, relatively inexpensive amplifiers. I assessed amplifier in my reference system but also with Chario Reflex Prima loudspeakers and Mogami NIII IC and speaker cable. As power cable I used Oyaide GPX-R V2 and Crystal Cable Absolute Dream. It pays off to put this amp on some high quality anti-vibration feet taking into consideration that one side is heavier than the other. I decided to use Franc Audio Accessories Ceramic Disc Classic. Recordings used for this test (a selection) Sing with the Voice of Melody, Stile Antico, Harmonia Mundi USA HMU 807650, SACD/CD (2015). Aquavoice, Watermusic, Zoharum Records, “Master-tape copy”, CD-R (2015). B.B. King & Eric Clapton, Riding With The King, Warner Bros./Audio Fidelity AF 211, “Limited Edition No. 0115”, SACD/CD (2000/2015). Deep Purple, Now What?!, Edel Germany/Victor Entertainment VIZP-116, 2 x SHM-CD (2013). Herbie Hancock, Maiden Voyage, Blue Note/EMI Music Japan TOCJ-90039, HQCD (1965/2008). Macy Gray, The Way, Kobalt Label HMBT001CD, CD (2014). Miles Davis & John Coltrane, The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961, Sony Music 856222, 6 x CD (2011). Rival Sons, Great Western Valkyrie, Erache Records/Hydrant Music QIHC-10059, CD (2014). The Beatles, Abbey Road, Apple/Toshiba-EMI TOCP-51122, CD (1969/2000). The Doors, The Best of the Doors, Elektra/Audio Fidelity AFZ5 206, “Limited Edition No. 0115”, SACD/CD (1973/2015). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Listening to the music with 100A is a pure fun. It offers an uncolored, clear, not edgy presentation that is also interesting and involving. Tonality is superb. I haven't found a single recording that would sound “suspicious”, meaning uncomfortably. This English amplifier emphasizes musical content of each recording which, if properly recorded, translates into a very pleasant experience that one feels when listening such albums. It worked great for me when I listened to Macy Gray The Way, which is surely a product made for mass market of music players and mp3 streaming, but also when I listened to a refined re-issue of Herbie Hancock Maiden Voyage, that I purchased from Japan on HiQualityCD. The tonal balance is shifted towards bass – that is very clear. But it does not impact a very positive impression that one has listening to colorful, smooth sound. Bass offers nice clarity, it is resolving and nicely extended – as for an amplifier from this particular price range. So it seems that one does not have to afraid of the issue most systems at this price level have, meaning of a dry sound lacking richness – it does not happen with 100A. The upsides of this amplifier will work to user's advantage whenever he uses sources like a streamer or computer. In my experience at this price level sources using music files almost always lack proper richness and softness of lower midrange – Creek should take care of that. It won't fix issues of streaming but it will convince listener not to care about them, not to be bothered by them. Bass is this element of the presentation one will notice at once and appreciate it. It is a deviation from a perfect tonal balance but it was done on purpose and in such a way that it does not have any negative “side effect”. One doesn't really feel like there is any emphasis in the sound. One plays any newly bought album knowing that one will be able to listen to the whole of it and not stop listening mid first piece to quickly sell the album on eBay. I believe that such a perception of this presentation should be credited mostly to a very nice, very pure treble. It is this part of the whole frequency range that opens the sound at least enough for it not to be perceived as dark and “heavy”. I noticed that when I listened via headphones, especially via very demanding HiFiMAN HE-6, but listening using loudspeakers confirmed this observation. The above mentioned album of Macy Gray was produced to sound very energetic using compression and some other tricks. This, of course, makes the material less resolving, less dynamic and it looses some clarity too, but that's how music is produced nowadays. When it comes to listening to such recording on a high quality system then problems outweigh advantages. But if designer takes that into consideration he might be able to compensate that issue – just like they managed that in Creek. And since I've already mentioned headphones... . Creek 100A is the second, or even third integrated amplifier that I reviewed recently, that offers a headphone output that is not just a nice addition to the main device, a a high quality device. The headphone amplifier offered with Creek can easily be used instead of any separate device that costs up to at least 3.000 PLN. First thing I noticed was a fantastic tonal balance. This slight shift towards bass, that I noticed when listening using speakers, here existed only a richness of the lower end. Timbre seems very flat and sound very clean. Headphone amp is able to deliver quite a lot of current, enough to drive nicely above mentioned, planar magnetic HE-6 cans. To do that I had to move volume control the the level of -6 dB (which is quite fine in this case), dynamics and timbre did not change a bit, there was no harshness to the sound, which is what you get from many headphone amplifiers when you push them to their limits. Using dynamic cans gave similar results, similar tonal balance – that's great news. Sennheiser HD-800 delivered rich and very spacial sound – which is what they do when properly driven. That's why I believe that Creek is able to drive nicely any cans one chooses. I could suggest Oppo PM-3, or Audeze EL-8, to get a rich, creamy, smooth sound. If HiFiMAN or Sennheiser are chosen spacing, drive and transparency will become most important sound features. That's a great headphone amp! What Creek does not offer if a deep insight into recording nor high energy of the presentation. Together with richness, density and good balance comes moderation, calm of the presentation. It does not exaggerate, it's not a real disadvantage but if one compares it with some Marantz, Denon, or Cambridge Audio (from the same price range) any of the latter with shake your pants off with their energy. But it often doesn't do them any good. That's why many amplifiers offered by those brands sound best when driving rather warm sounding speakers. Creek is a proposal for people who already have some experience in audio, who already know what they want/expect and who like to listen to music for hours. Genre doesn't really matter – classical, jazz, electronic or rock music – they all will sound well. But if I were to rank my favorite Creek's presentation the order would be as just given. Summary Creek 100A can hardly be called “inexpensive”. It doesn't look like cheap amplifier and its design and functionality clearly indicate that this is a product of a serious company, that cares for its customers. But the truth is also that 100A's small size and its look will appeal rather to those who don't need fancy looking systems. This one, unless it is turned on, is easy to miss. But when one turns it on the sound will attract attention immediately as it suggests that what one hears is some big, powerful amp. Creek offers quite refined, rich sound with hefty bass and very clean treble. It is a proposition for those who want an amplifier for years, who don't get another audiophilia nervosa attack each time they see some shiny, fancy new model. Turning 100A in your system will be like putting on some very comfortable shoes and going for a lazy walk during warm, summer day. When one takes Creek out from the box one has to be surprised by a dissonance between its small size (especially its height) and its weight. Significant weight is usually good news – at least as long as it is a classic amplifier with linear power supply, and not class D amp, the more weight the better. Large credit for 100A total mass goes to large, 360W toroidal transformer with few secondary windings. Preamplifier, power-stage and digital controlling circuits are all powered separately. What makes it different than most other amplifiers is its low profile. Creek, as in other its devices for years, used several small smoothing capacitors. Mike Creek says that smaller capacitors reload faster which increases their ability to deliver short current impulses. Such a capacitor bank has also smaller inductance and impedance than single large capacitors. Front The front, aluminum panel is very simple and orderly, a yet it is user-friendly and highly functional. There are two large knobs, both different diameter and shape, one for volume control another for input selection. Volume control knob is placed bit too close to headphone output so once one plugs cans in manipulating this knob is bit tricky. It is easier to use remote control. The other know allows user to operate also device's menu – one has to push it first. One can get into the menu using a backlit button. The buttons on the left side of a display control optional AM/FM tuner. On the right side one will find buttons to operate menu, tone and balance. Rear It is a really well equipped amplifier that even can be modified any time with optional modules. The basic version, that we received for this test, it sports 5 linear inputs with one of them giving user a choice of RCA or XLR sockets. This is an unbalanced design so the XLR input is there to make lives of those who need to use long interconnects easier. Signal, once it enters XLR input, is desymmetrized. An optional module with MC phonostage can replace input 1, module with D/A converter may replace input Line 5, and Line 3 and Line 4 are user-defined and might be used as direct inputs bypassing preamplifier section of 100A. This way Creek might be easily integrated with home cinema system, or some other kind of sound processor, external preamplifier, or it can be used with a source with adjustable output signal – this amp gives its user a lot of options. At both sides of the rear panel one finds two pairs of loudspeaker binding posts - ‘A’ and ‘B’. User selects which one (or both at the same time) should be active in device's menu. There is also an IEC power inlet and pair of sockets that allow user to integrate more Creek devices. There is also a pre-out to use it with a second power amplifier or with subwoofer. Device's feet are made of plastic and rubber. Inside Creek for years has been using its own “species” of power amplifiers – they are push-pull type but quasi-complementary. They used the same type transistors in both halves, but with reversed phase for one of them (just like it's done in tube amplifiers). For 100A they returned to a classic solution, i.e. a complementary push-pull circuit but working in class G. Creek decided to use Darlington configuration (with two transistors and one diode) Sanken STD03P + STD03N, two pairs for each channel. Model 50A sports one pair per channel. The output stage is based on transistors, and the PCB sports nice Wima capacitors. Sankens are bolted to a large radiator that also separates power stage for a preamplifier. The latter is placed on a separate PCB mounted next to the rear panel of the device. Signal selection is executed using relays, than signal is attenuated in JRC resistor ladder. This element allows also to use balance and tone control. The same PCB sports a slot that allows connecting an optional phonostage module. Next to Line 4 there is JRC 5480 chip that desymmetrizes balanced input signal. Line 5 input is placed on a separate, small PCB. It can be replaced with an optional DAC module. Power supplies are placed on both PCB – the one with power stage and the one with preamplifier section. The large resin-potted toroidal transformer is bolted to the chassis using a Teflon washer/insert which significantly reduces vibration. There are few groups of filtering capacitors on PCBs, separately for each channel of the power section, and separately for preamp and controlling circuits. The wiring of the speakers posts for left and right channels differ in length and RCA sockets are not gold-plated – these are the only weaknesses I could point out. The rest of the design is excellent. Remote control The plastic remote control one receives together with the amplifier works not only with 100A but also with Creek's CD Player. Not only Creek's but with any using Philips' RC5 protocol – my own Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition also reacted to the commends. Despite large number of buttons I managed to learn how to use it quickly – seems to be quite intuitive. Specifications (according to the manufacturer) Power output: • >110 W/8 Ω • >170 W/4 Ω Output impedance: 102 dB – Line inputs Frequency response: 10 Hz – 100 kHz (+/- 2 dB, Line outputs) Gain: 33.3 dB (x46) Input impedance: 410 mV Crosstalk: -80 dB/1 kHz Offset DC: < +/-10 mV Consumption: • at idle - Polish distributor: AUDIO SYSTEM tel.: (22) 662-45-99 | fax: (22) 662-66-74 www.audiosystem.com.pl YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/creek/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/creek/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/creek/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/creek/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/creek/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/creek/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/creek/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/creek/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/creek/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/creek/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/creek/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/creek/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/creek/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/creek/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/creek/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/creek/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/creek/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/creek/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/creek/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/creek/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/creek/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/creek/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/creek/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/creek/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/creek/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/creek/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/creek/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/creek/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/creek/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/creek/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

nowing how many brands of audio cables there are it is hard to believe that most of them actually uses conductors or even cables made either in USA or in Japan. The third large supplier is Taiwan. Sure, there are companies that do everything themselves like Swedish Supra, or Dutch Siltech, or even some Polish examples of brands using cables made in Poland, but these are rather exceptions and they don't produce large quantities of cables. So most cables come from USA and Japan. And there are two leaders – Japanese Furukawa and Cardas from USA. As George Cardas said during his interview for „The Absolute Sound”, the OEM production is in fact the majority of his activity today. Unlike in many other cases, here it is beneficial for both sides: OEM is the largest part of my business. I love working with other manufacturers. They are very demanding and keep me on my toes. My metal would not be where it is today if not for the goading of Bill Low [of Audioquest]. My metal is art. My conductors are art. If my friends in the business want to use my “paint” to embellish their art, I am honored...in fact, I am dedicated.… George Cardas, An Interview with George Cardas, interview conducted by Kirk Midtskog, “The Absolute Sound” 2015, Issue 254, p. 86. Cardas Audio established in 1987 is a highly appreciated manufacturer not only of many different types of cables but also speaker posts, banana plugs, spades, RCA, XLR, DIN plugs and sockets, soldering elements, cartridge, and in the past they offered even a remarkable La Luce turntable – an object of dreams of many analogue geeks (image no. 1). Golden Ratio The core offer were always cables. Just like the ones under review – interconnect and speaker cable that belong to Clear Reflection line. Just like all other Cardas products they were designed using so called „Golden Ratio”, i.e. the ratio of proportions exemplified by the cross section of a nautilus seashell (the Cardas logo), as well as by the length, width, and height of many ancient Greek buildings such as the Parthenon, This ratio, expressed mathematically, is roughly 1:1.61803398871. It was a brilliant idea – to find something so universal that would be from this point on associated with this particular brand. I always try to underline that so called „identity” is a key factor that makes a brand identifiable. Most company have to work really hard to achieve that, many fail to achieve such effect. George Cardas belongs to the most intelligent people in the industry. Every of his new endeavors brings great results – even the headphones he released not that long ago found their fans (more HERE; lang. Polish). It shouldn't be surprising that he build his company basing on one of the most recognizable elements that appeal to human intellect as well as to emotional part of our nature. Clear Reflection George Cardas first applied the Golden Ratio principle to controlling resonances in race car engines and exhaust systems. As it turned out later resonances had equally destructive influence on audio signals, also to those transmitted via cables. Some believe even that this is a key issue of signal transmission – British company Vertex AQ is a good example here. Cardas applies the Golden Ratio to cables through the relative location and size of the various conductors within each cable bundle—for instance, the outer conductors are about 1.618 times larger than the conductors in the next inner layer, and this pattern is repeated until the innermost conductor ends up being the smallest. The particular cables under review are no different in this regard. This models are direct replacements of the famous and very popular Golden Reference. They differ from the predecessor using improved geometry, better conductors (it is still copper though) and dielectric. When designing this cable, George Cardas, as one reads in the above mentioned interview, wanted to go back to a “classic Cardas sound”. We have received RCA interconnect terminated with copper, rhodium plated Cardas SRCA connectors. As always when it comes to Cardas cables, they sport Litz conductors with PFA dielectric with air particles, in Crossfeed configuration, with double shielding. The speaker cables sport identical design but larger diameter. These are terminated with banana connectors made of copper and rhodium plated. CARDAS AUDIO in „High Fidelity” TEST: Cardas Audio EM 5813 Model 1 – headphones, see HERE (lang. Polish). TEST: Cardas Audio CROSSLINK 1I, CROSSLINK 2S, TWINLINK – interconect RCA/speaker cable/power cable, see HERE (lang. Polish). Recordings used for this test (a selection) Abraxas, 99, Metal Mind Records/Art Muza JK2011CD07, gold-CD (1999/2011). Carmen McRae & Julie London, Carmen McRae & Julie London Bethlehem/Victor Entertainment VICJ-61458, “Bethlehem K2HD Mastering Series | No. 8”, K2HD CD (1954/2007). Depeche Mode, Ultra, Mute/Sony Music Labels SICP-30543, Blu-spec CD2, (2007/2014). Rogers Waters, Amused To Death, Columbia/Legacy/Analogue Productions 5478842, SACD/CD (1992/2015). The Modern Jazz Quartet, European Concert. Volume One + Two, Atlantic/East West Japan, AMCY-1186-7, "Atlantic Jazz Collection, 50 Years", K2HD, 2 x CD (1960/1998). This Mortal Coil, HD-CD Box SET: It’ll End In Tears, Filigree & Shadow, Blood, Dust & Guitars, 4AD [Japan] TMCBOX1, 4 x HDCD, (2011). Thom Yorke, The Eraser, XL/Warner Music Japan WPCB-100001, CD (2006/2007). Tomasz Stańko Quartet, Lontano, ECM 1980, CD (2006). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Although I'm not old enough I can't start this review in any other way than: I remember a listening session with Cardas Golden Reference cables. It happened years ago when I prepared a review for „Audio” magazine and it was one of the first advanced cable systems I had listened up this time (more HERE; lang. Polish). Golden Reference was, at the time, the top model of this American brand – Clear and Clear Beyond were not to come for many years. That's why I wanted as many of my friends from Cracow Sonic Society as possible to listen to these cables, also in their own systems. All of us had similar impressions and maybe that is why I remember them so clearly. These were remarkable cables with their own, distinct sound signature. What made them so special was this amazing liquidity, smoothness, delicate treble, and slightly emphasized mid-bass. The result was a huge sound, music delivered with impressive scale and this music was based on very solid bass foundation – which was an elements that many even high-end systems of that time, lacked. With this picture in my head (it's been so long ago, 10 years to be exact, that I wouldn't call it a memory) I started my listening sessions with cables that are successors of the former Cardas reference. What surprised me from the very beginning was that these two cables sounded (or modified sound) differently, I mean IC sounded differently than speaker cable. If I remember correctly both Golden Reference sounded almost identically. This time these were two cables of the same class, sharing the same DNA and many sound features and yet, combining them into different configurations. Interconnect is very... calm. Depth and liquidity of the sound are its main features. The emphasis is placed in the midrange. Treble is slightly rolled off. Not enough to make cymbals from the 1960 Scandinavian live recording of The Modern Jazz Quartet lose their vibrancy, but enough to place them rather in the background instead of presenting them almost in the front, which was done by Siltech Double Crown and the newest cable from Mr Kazuo Kiuchi-san, the Hijiri HGP-10R “Million”. And while the latter offers incredibly open sound, Siltech on the other hand never emphasizes the attack. And yet, Cardas IC offered lower, warmer sound and – which was really important – beautifully organic one. Only the Siltech Triple Crown outperforms Cardas clearly in each and every of these aspects. Both of the above mentioned cables offer better overall performance than Cardas, while being significantly more expensive too, but Cardas offers a mix of features that might be a perfect choice for many systems. The speaker cable offers more transparent sound, if by “transparent” we understand more open with flatter frequency response. But I never doubted that both, IC and SC, were made by the same man. Both presented the same slight emphasis placed on the mid-bass, that made it very nice, soft and dense. None of these cables offered perfect definition nor control in the bass area. Percy Heat's double bass on the above mentioned double album of TMJQ, as well as very low, synthetic bass on Depeche Mode's Ultra Depeche Mode had dense texture, beautiful timbre, but there was no proper decay. Knowing already what I knew about IC and speaker cable, I listened carefully to them playing together in a system. Long story short – this is the best choice, to use them together. It's like they have to work together to offer their full potential. And it is not like they have to correct each other flaws (every cable has some – that's physics). They work together to support each other upsides. They both together offer more open sound than IC used alone. The IC takes credit for a beautiful softness of the treble and amazing richness of the midrange. Speaker cable contributes better control and definition of lower end and more open treble. The result of both cables used together is dense, large scale sound with a delicate but shiny treble. Resolution clearly supports the richness and depth of the sound, and so does the selectivity. So one shouldn't expect an abundance of details and subtleties. Unless they make a musical sense – particular musical events tend to be presented in details but only as a part of a bigger whole. Cardas cables deliver spacial effect in a particularly impressive way. It so happened that when I reviewed these cables I received the latest re-issue of Roger Waters Amused To Death. This material encoded with Qsound systems has been for years used as a perfect example of the use of spacial effects. With Cardas in my system it sounded in a very powerful way transferring album's acoustics into my room, that finally disappeared living me alone with the music. The same happened when I listened to a Polish album using the same technique, the 99 by Abraxas. It was produced by Jacek Gawłowski, Grammy Award 2014 winner for Włodek Pawlik's album. Also in this case music surrounded me, holding me inside this dense cocoon. Summary One thing man learns in audio world is trusting manufacturers that have proven themselves before. Sure, each of them might offer a not so good product once in a while, but even such least successful one would still offer a decent level of performance even if not as high as the best products of this particular manufacturer. It is a good idea to keep trusting such manufacturers as there is not that many of them in this industry. Cardas and his Clear Reflection are perfect examples of such a manufacturer and such a successful product. Manufacturer claims that it offers an absolute transparency, and this is his right to do so. In fact they do modify signal and they do it in a quite distinct way. But what they do serves music well. They produce very rich, deep sound with large images of instruments. Music comes from the depths of the huge soundstage when needed or close to the listener, although that doesn't happen too often. High treble and lowest bass are slightly rolled off and you need to take it into consideration when planning your system. You can't be wrong buying Clear Reflection no matter what kind of system you have – it's a beautiful cable from beautiful people. I tested Cardas Clear Reflection using ABA comparisons, testing both cables together, and separately, between CD Player and preamplifier (IC) and amplifier and loudspeakers (SC). I compared them with my reference cables – Siltech Double Crown IC and Tara Labs Omega Onyx, and with two other sets: Acoustic Revive RCA-1.5TRIPLE C-FM + SPC-2.5TRIPLE C-FM and new top product from KBL Sound called Himalaya (more about these cable in our NEWS section – review due in October). I tested cables in my reference system but also with some other devices under review like: Audio Research Galileo GSPre (IC) and system by Einstein Audio – preamplifier The Preamp and power amps The Silver Bullet OTL. Polish distributor: VOICE Spółka z o.o. ul. Mostowa 4 | 43-400 Cieszyn Polska voice.com.pl P.U.R. COLLECTIVE Nichi Nichi Kore Ko’nichi Released: 2015 For-Tune 0056 (006), CD As one reads in promotional materials, P.U.R. Collective proposes music that combines elements of jazz and contemporary music. Band's leader is a remarkable composer and a brilliant improviser, professor Krzysztof Knittl, other members are saxophonists: Aleksiej Krugłow from Russia and Jurij Yaremchka from Ukraine. P.U.R – is short for Poland Ukrain and Russia. It is an avant-garde music based on a collective improvisation. Material for this album of “orange” series was recorded within two days, on July 7th and 8th 2014 in Genetix Film Factory Studio in Warsaw. Michał Kupicz is responsible for recording, mixing and mastering of this album. SOUND You should buy this album even if you don't like this type of music very much. It will show you how music should be recorded – and I mean both, acoustic and electronic one. Sound that is so clean, so resolving, so nicely differentiated and so palpable usually comes only from the best recording studios, from the best sound/mastering engineers in the world. I think, although I can't be sure, that this amazing clarity and selectivity of the sound was achieved by recording all musicians simultaneously, and maybe also because there no particular pressure here, this was never supposed to be a great commercial success so sound engineer didn't have to “adjust” the sound to any sort of expectations. This lack of pressure or expectations allowed an “artistic” approach to realization of this material instead of “commercial” one. Whatever the reason – sound is simply outstanding! There is a very good bass extension when it comes to electronic music (see r 01) and amazing treble when it comes to percussion cymbals (duets 02 for example). To be honest I really didn't care about analyzing sound as such, I simply enjoyed the music, listening to it felt truly comfortably. Even if you're an owner of a super-sophisticated, 100 kEUR system you will listen to the music and not the sound. Spacing, soundstage depth and 3D imaging are simply fascinating. Sound of acoustic instruments merges perfectly with electronic ones, which is a rather rare case. Also dynamics is remarkable – this album seems not as loud as most recordings, most likely because sound engineer used only minimal compression, just enough for all pieces to come together. So one can crank up the volume and enjoy particularly dynamic presentation, almost live-like. This album gives an answer to the seemingly unanswerable question – how to record electronic music so that it sounds naturally. Because if it blends so well with acoustic music it means for sure that it is natural, despite the fact that it was created in chips and processors. It's my great pleasure to award this album with BIG RED Button, for outstanding sound quality. Sound quality: 10/10 for-tune.pl YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/cardas/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/cardas/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/cardas/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/cardas/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/cardas/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/cardas/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/cardas/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/cardas/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/cardas/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/cardas/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/cardas/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/cardas/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/cardas/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/cardas/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/cardas/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

couldn't believe that it's already been so long since I reviewed power cord Robusto by Sablon Audio – that happened in 2011, so it's been already more than 4 years! I remember very well the cable, how it looked like, and I remember also its creator - Mark Coles. Now, looking at his latest, top model of power cord, it seems that some things just don't change. Like the look of the cord – it's still a bundle of copper wires inside dielectric, with a sleeve, similar plugs and heat shrinks with company's logo on them. So at first one can't really see what one pays quite a lot for. The price comes from the way cables are made. They are hand-made using several, often quite uncommon, techniques. The most expensive model, Corona Reserva, sports thick bundles of wires with a separate protective bundle. Some elements are covered with some sort of a lacquer that minimizes noise – manufacturer does not inform exactly which elements are these. The name of this lacquer – „Magic” – makes lives of „haters” easier, and ours more difficult as it tells us nothing at all. It seems that cost are divided evenly between cable and plugs. Mark terminated his top model with expensive plugs – for European market he used Oyaide Shuko plugs, model P004/C004. Metal elements of these plugs underwent cryo-treatment. They covers sport crystals that damp vibrations and RF radiation. This is a direct link to Japanese filters RAS-14 by Acoustic Revive. It seems that Sablon used the same materials as the ones that were used for this particular filter – it is mentioned in company's materials. Corona Reserve seems to be a combination of a power cords with integrated, passive filter. Cables undergo initial break-in in Audiodharma „high power cooker”, saving users a lot of time. Just to give you a full information Corona line includes three models (starting from the most expensive one): Corona Reserve, Gran Corona and Petite Corona. The model under review replaced in company's portfolio previous top model called Quantum Gran Corona. MARK COLES Sablon Audio | Owner It has been some years since you reviewed my Robusto power cord and the new Reserva Corona represents several model iterations of development. Changes to the overall gauge, conductor geometry and cryogenic treatment saw the original Gran Corona cord gain in neutrality and transparency over Robusto. This greater bandwidth caused the original plugset to become a limiting factor and allowed the superior Oyaide plugs to uncork the innate performance potential. After some further noise reduction tweaks, I concluded that I had reached developmental limit of that particular conductor. Reserva Corona uses the same Oyaide 004 plugset and noise reduction techniques as before but is now based upon a higher specification wire in a different hand-built geometry. This also allows for lower weight / a slimmer form factor with far greater flexibility and a more upscale appearance. From a sonic perspective, the evolution of the Sablon power cords has achieved considerable gains in transparency, detail, dynamic range, greater extension at both frequency extremes and a more even tonality. Robusto undoubtedly had a strong character which delighted some but did not work universally. Reserva is however much more neutral and its transparency will let you know precisely what your underlying system sounds like. SABLON AUDIO in „High Fidelity” TEST: Sablon Audio THE ROBUSTO – power cord, see HERE Recordings used for this test (a selection) Miracula. Medieval Music for Saint Nicholas, wyk. Ensemble Peregrina, Agnieszka Budzińska-Bennet, Tacet 213, CD (2014). Carmen McRae & July London, Carmen McRae & July London Bethlehem/Victor Entertainment VICJ-61458, “Bethlehem K2HD Mastering Series | No. 8”, K2HD CD (1954/2007). Duke Ellington, Concert in the Virgin Islands, Reprise/Warner Bros. Japan 8122-79598-0, “Jazz Best Collection 1000 | No. 4”, CD (1965/2013). Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Mercury Records/USM Japan UICY-40025, Platinum SHM-CD (1973/2013). Leonard Cohen, Popular Problems, Sony Music Labels SICP-4329, CD (2014); Shankar, Songs For Everyone, ECM Records ECM 1286, “ECM Touchstones”, CD (1985/2008). Vangelis, Blade Runner, soundtrack, reż. Ridley Scott, Atlantic Records/Audio Fidelity AFZ 154, “Limited Numbered Edition | No. 2398”, SACD/CD (1982/2013). Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] Power cables sound different (or change the sound in different way) in every system, at least as long as it offers decent performance. There are those who claim that improvements worth spending a lot of money on power cables are reasonable only when one already has an expensive system. And they are mostly right about it: changes introduced by power cables happen on so many different levels, also very deep ones, that changing only few (classic) component would cause comparable changes. But I also tried switching regular cable offered by a manufacturer together with a 1000 PLN amplifier to an “audiophile” one for 300-400 PLN that did wonders to device's character. So I treat changes introduced by power cables as something “normal”. That doesn't make it any easier for me to understand why such inexpensive device react so strongly to cables that cost 10, 20 even 50 times more than those devices themselves – and I know they do react, as I tried it many times. It is like the amplifier for, say, 1500 PLN had a secret potential only waiting for opportunity to be revealed. To be clear – there is no magic to it, it's pure physics that is still waiting for proper explanation and backing with measurable proof. But power cables changing sound is a fact, it is clearly audible regardless of the price of a cable and of a system it is used in. And it is possible to assess and to describe these changes. Mark Coles's cable is a perfect example – it is really easy to describe changes it introduces. It belongs to those audio components that connect. I mean, obviously, the influence on the sound and not just connecting component to power. Corona Reserve fills space between sounds connecting them into a amazingly fluid wholeness. Sablon's presentation focuses on the middle of the soundstage. It doesn't take much time or effort to notice that but it is worth taking some time and making some effort to understand why it is so. It turns out that tonality of that cable correlates with its character. The whole presentation, regardless of what recording we listen to, gets “ennobled”, sound is really beautiful and nice to listen to. If there are some serious issues with the technical side of the recording, like, for example, there is a large compression, listener will be informed about it but rather in the background, it won't be emphasized. What will attract attention will be a wide soundstage with amazing depth and richness. At the time of this test I expected parcels from USA and Japan, with the latest remaster of Roger Waters' Amused to Death. Audiophiles love this album as it is a great tool to test spacial abilities of audio systems. The spectacular surround effects were achieved on this album due to Qsound system, that is capable of coding full 360° environment/space into two channels. Although this is not the only album created this way – one should mention Sting's Soul Cages, Madonna's Immaculate and even Polish group Abraxas' 99 – it is Waters' album that utilized Qsystem to the best sonic and artistic effect. I expected two parcels as the American Analogue Productions released a 200 g LP and a hybrid SACD but Sony, in Japan, released same album on Blu-spec CD2 (plus BD) and hybrid SACD/BSCD2. To remind myself the album I listen to Japanese mini LP version from 2011. The effect with Sablon Audio was unique. But considering how sophisticated material it was good results were to be expected. The more impressive were the recordings without any special spacial effects and mono ones. Sound with this cable got amazingly spacial, but not through artificial enlargement of the images or whole soundstage, nor through artificial separation of the instruments. It was rather a very natural broadening of the “field of view” so to speak, mainly via smooth development of the perspective into the depth and width of the soundstage. Soundstage “grew” and so did instruments. The elements surrounded with a lot of space/air, even those from the front of the stage, were presented further away from a listener than in case of Acrolink and Harmonix. On the other hand these with small “pre-echo”, meaning presented up-close to the listener were actually presented close. Both range extremes were not particularly active. It is a cable that joins, not separates. It did not bother me – just a different way of presenting music. In many systems it will work very well adding a bit of a “vintage-like” sound, i.e. rich, saturated, focusing listener's attention on vocals, guitars and so on. And yet, it's not a warm sounding cable. What I described above was not a resulted of a “warmed-up” sound, nor of extremes roll-off. Such a smoothness and liquidity of a sound are possible only with a wide frequency range and high resolution. The general sonic character of this cables causes these sound features the express themselves via other ones and not directly. COMPARISON Tonality of this British cable puts is close to another European product, the Dutch silver-gold Crystal Cable Absolute Dream. They both deliver sound in a similar way due to how they convey spacing and attack phase. It is about focusing rather on the wholeness of the sound than on its details. Reserva is able to re-create complex spatial relations in a remarkable fashion which makes it also similar to both Harmonix cables - X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro (lang. Polish) and X-DC350M2R Improved-Version (lang. Polish). Harmonix cables offer more distinct sound though, with clearer leading edge and higher dynamics. Furutech NanoFlux-18E offers more open presentation. Going back to Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500 brought me home: serenity, smoothness, coherence. Japanese cable takes these aspects of the sound even to a higher level than Reserva but it is also much more expensive. Summary Mark Coles obviously knows what he's doing as this is a much better cable – at least as far as I remember – than Robusto. Compared to the best cables I know, that were also more expensive, it didn't fall much behind in terms of sound quality. What's more, it offered a certain set of features that were in high demand among audiophiles, such as: smoothness, spacing, coherence and richness. This power cord never emphasizes resolution nor selectivity of the components using it. But it allows us to appreciate timbre and richness – these are really beautiful with this power cord. Power cables have to be tested in a different way than interconnects or speaker cables, simply because to change one PC for other one has to turn off device that is connected with it. When it is turned backed on it needs some time before it reaches optimal working conditions, hence performance. It takes maybe 15 minutes for solid-states devices, but definitely more for tube ones. So it is not possible to run direct A/B comparisons between two cables. Such a situation creates opens new possibilities – one listens to each cable for extended period of time, few albums at a time. And, I believe, when it comes to this type of changes that power cables introduce, it is a better method. Plugging in a different power cable introduces significant changes to the sound compared to the previous one but assessing these changes is much more difficult than when one compares other types of cables or system's components. Often one might think that a regular “computer” power cord sounds better because it offers brighter sound with more treble which makes them sound more attractive. Only when listening over a longer period of time one will notice that such sound lacks so much richness offered by higher quality cables. Key element of this test were other reference products that included: Harmonix X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro (2 m) Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version (2 m) Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500 (2 m) Crystal Cable Absolute Dream (1,5 m) Polish distributor JPLAY Rymarska 45/1 53-206 Wrocław 606 312 189 ED CHERRY SPECIAL TRIO Szósta po południu Released: 2015 For-Tune 0064 (041), CD Ed Cherry born on September 12th 1954 in New Heaven is an American jazz guitarist. He's best known from his long-term association (1978-1993) with one of the greatest jazz trumpet players of all times, Dizzy Gillespie. No wonder that Cherry is considered to be one of top guitarists from New York. He recorded his album Szósta po południu on November 6th 2014 in a club called... Szósta po południu together with two Polish musicians – bass player Adam Kowalewski and a drummer Arek Skolik. These two Polish musicians also have interesting CVs. Adam Kowalewski graduated from Wydział Jazzu i Muzyki Rozrywkowej Akademii Muzycznej im. Karola Szymanowskiego in Katowice, and since 1999 he also teaches double bass and bass guitar there. He worked with many best Polish jazz musicians like: Janusz Muniak, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, Tomasz Szukalski, Tomasz Stańko, Piotr Baron, Piotr Wojtasik, Leszek Możdżer, Adam Pierończyk, Jarosław Śmietana, Eryk Kulm, and many others. Arek Skolik has occupied for years one of the top places in „Jazz Forum” magazine's yearly survey for the best jazz drummers. He's one of the musicians who don't push hard for being innovative at any cost, he rather adheres to dozen of years of tradition combining it with his own musical temper. This album was released as part of “pink” series under number 041. SOUND Live recordings in small clubs significantly depend on the quality of sound system used in this club. Usually stage microphones are used, not studio ones, and signal is mixed to capture the sound/acoustics of the room. Sometimes, of course, also high quality microphones are used, like AKG 414 B-ULS for example, signal might be split before mixer and recorded on a multi-track, leaving mixing ans mastering for later. I have no idea what microphones were used for this recording but the volume level and the size of each instrument is always right – and I mean in terms of timbre as well as of placing on the stage. The leading instrument here is Ed Cherry’s electric guitar – that's clear from the very beginning. It is a little bit warm and gently rolled off – it seems it used an effect adding a pre-echo even before guitar's amp. This sound reminded me a lot Pat Metheny's guitar on his album Beyond The Missouri Sky. Music also seems somehow similar and I truly enjoyed it. I suspect it will sound even better during long, autumn nights, but even during hottest (registered) August in Polish history it was pretty enchanting. The music flows, feels the space, relaxes listener. Sound is good, although not particularly resolving nor selective. Both range extremes lack some richness, on the range as a whole seems a bit “over-damped”. On the other hand there is a fabulous harmony between instruments, they together tell stories, switching voices and leadership. That reminded me a lot what I knew from 2011 Speak To Me album by Marc Copland and John Abercombie they recorded in Munich for Pirouet. To be honest Ed Cherry's album offers at least the same artistic, musical level as the above mentioned recordings and similar sound quality, too. Bravo! Sound quality: 7-8/10 for-tune.pl QUANTUM TRIO Gravity Released: 22.04.2015 For-Tune 0054 (038), CD Quantum Trio is a band with a background in improvised music. They take their inspiration from classical music, jazz, avant-garde, but also in part by pop music and they express it using saxophone, drums and piano. One can feel some movie ambiance in their compositions, but also some sort of trans from deep meditations. On the album one will find intense ballads, punk jazz as well as explosive, enthusiastic piece about... chocolate. Making of such music was only possible because these three musicians met in the right place at the right time. Album was recorded by two Polish musicians – Michał Ciesielski on saxophones and Kamil Zawiślak on a piano, together with a drummer, Luis Mora Matus. These gentlemen first met in 2012 in Rotterdam, at Codarts University for the Arts. A year later within just 3 days (July 7-9th) they recorded material for this album in Radio Gdańsk. They are authors of all compositions on this album. SOUND Music proposed by Quantum Trio is the best recommendation for this album – it is easy and pleasant to listen to, it is surely also immersive. But there is an element that constitutes an added value – it's they way that drums were recorded and mastered. Do you remember Qsound used on Roger Waters' Amused To Death, Sting's The Soul Cages and Madonna's Immaculate? All these albums uses this special system that by manipulation of an amplitude, phase and lags created an impression of a surround sound. I don't think they used this system for this particular album, as there is no Qsound logo, and it would also require an analogue signal to be processed (today almost all recordings are digital), but sound engineers must have had something similar in mind because percussion sounds in a very unusual way. Sitting in the middle between two speakers one will find oneself inside a “bubble” created using direct sound and its reflections, just like one sat in one space with the band playing live. The spacing is remarkable, although sound doesn't seem to be particularly resolving nor selective. Also the size of the instruments is not particularly big, especially of the saxophone that I perceived as if it was recorded separately, or in a separate “box”. Sound has a solid bass foundation which most of people should like a lot. It is smooth and coherent – nothing sounds too bright, I also found no coloration. Saxophones are nicely differentiated from one recording to another – sometimes they sound a bit “damped”, sometime more direct. One has to know though, that the lead instrument is piano – it delivers dark, deep sound and it is usually presented in front of other instruments. This album is a must-have because of great music and spectacular spacial effect. Sound quality: 7-8/10 for-tune.pl YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!!

e mentioned history of Mogami Densen (Mogami Cable) company while reviewing cables from their basic line, NI. It is one of those manufacturers that create products mostly for professional and industrial customers which explains their reluctance when it comes to novelties that can't really be measured. On the other hand when something passes internal tests company implements it quickly no matter the costs and no matter market's perception. Let’s have a look at the cables we received for a review this time - they don't look like high-end products, they don't even try to look like ones. Both interconnect and speaker cable have rather unimpressive diameter and if it wasn't from those fantastic plugs they could be used as laces. And yet these particular models are, in fact, top of the range. As it turns out production of these models is so complex that if it wasn't for their great popularity Mogami would have abandoned their production in favor of others (see Koichi Hirabayashi, Hi-Fi Cable NEGLEX 2803 & 2804 - Historical Review, pdf). These models have been in production for a long time and were created because of Mr Koichi Hirabayashi's (chief engineer) need to question thesis published independently by Mr Akihiko Kaneda and Sabro Egawa in 1974 and 1975 who claimed that cables changed sound. At the time both articles seemed pure heresy, but soon after these articles were published many engineers started to delve into the topic. The skin effect was pointed out as one of the reasons why cables changed sound. Mr Hirabayashi-san using calculations and later also blind tests proved to himself and to his coworkers that it was true – the skin effect did modify audio signal transferred via a cable. The problem was that these changes were immeasurable, although calculable and audible. A solution came with better understanding of psycho-acoustics – as it turned out human brain was capable of perception of even slightest differences between very close frequencies but when it came to significantly different frequencies this ability decreased dramatically. That in fact was an opposite behavior to that of measuring equipment and thus such a significant differences between what a man could hear and what he measured. Based on this research Mogami designed NEGLEX 2803 & 2804 cables, that Mr Hirabayashi always has to fight for with his accountants who want to withdraw them from production and replace them with other, more profitable products. WHAT AND HOW The name of the series, NIII, is short for Neglex III. For test we received two cables – NIII-2803 interconnect and NIII-2804 speaker cable. NIII-2803 is a coaxial design, very flexible one, with relatively small diameter of 3.6 mm. It sports a patented geometry called Double Cylindrical. The inner run is wire winded around a small diameter core. There is a thick layer of dielectric around it which constitutes a core for the return run. The inner core, Ø 0.7 mm, is made of polyester, and the outer one of polypropylene. The inner run is made of 30 wires, Ø 0,08 mm each, the outer one of 100 wires of the same diameter. The material is high quality PCOCC, i.e. pure, long crystal copper. Polish distributor terminated this cable with one of the best RCA plugs I know: ETI Bullet Plug TeCu (tellurium copper). The speaker cable, NIII-2804, is also a balanced designed and the same diameter as IC (which means – rather small for speaker cable – below you will find an image comparing it to my Tara Labs Omega Onyx). It also sports a Double Cylindrical design, but a slightly different one from IC's. It sports an internal polypropylene large diameter core with 100 Ø 0.08mm wires winded around it. It is than covered with a layer of polyester, and than another 100 wires winded around it. Polish distributor terminated it with ETI Bayonet TeCu banana plugs at one end and ETI Spades OFHC on the other. MOGAMI in „High Fidelity” TEST: Mogami NI-2497 + NI-2477 – interconnect + speaker cable, HERE Recordings used for the test (a selection): Cocteau Twins, Blue Bell Knoll, 4AD/Imperial records TECI-24275, CD (1988/2006). Dexter Gordon, A Swingin’ Affair, Blue Note/Audio Wave AWMXR-0023, XRCD24 (1964/2013). Electric Light Orchestra, Out of the Blue, Epic/Sony Music Japan SICP-30111, Blu-spec CD2 (1972/2013). Jack de Johnette & Foday Musa Suso, Music From The Hearts Of The Masters, Golden Beam Productions GBP1112, CD (2005). Miles Davis, Sorcerer, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2145, “Special Limited Edition, No. 1938”, SACD/CD (1967/2014). Serge Gainsbourg, Histoire de melody Nelson, Mercury Records/Universal Music France 277 825 3, “Deluxe Edition”, 2 x CD + DVD (1971/2011). St. Vincent, S/T, Loma Vista/Hostess 3767247J, CD (2013). The Doors, The Best of the Doors, Elektra/Audio Fidelity AFZ5 206, “Limited Edition No. 0115”, SACD/CD (1973/2015). Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes, Atlantic/Rhino 2795617, “Deluxe Edition” 2 x CD (1992/2015). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Cables with such an impressive CV, working in so many places – recording studios, post-production and mastering ones, they all must have something very solid to offer in their sound. They might be not so refined as products made for a hi-fi market, but first of all they are usually several times less expensive, and secondly they offer a solid base to build music on without much effort, without problems. The NIII cables have this something in their sound. Music delivered by them sounds authentic. Every next recording brings something new, something unique, but each time it bases the performance and a flat frequency response. It is important also because both cables (both behave in the same way so I describe them as one) obviously “hate” any harshness or brightness in the sound. It does not mean, at least not directly, that they offer a warm sound, like, for example, products of another, great manufacturer of inexpensive cables, Supra. Here the attack is also bit rounded on the edges, bit smoothen, but the treble is also nicely extended and properly emphasized. It is obvious especially when listening to jazz that often involves fast, powerful percussion attacks – Mogami deliver cymbals and snare drums in a very clear way as a group of sounds, trying to maintain their common denominator and not to let the presentation to “overheat” – which usually creates an impression of a bit nervous presentation. It can be managed, to a point, with better resolution and selectivity, which cables of The Chord Company do (another “pro” manufacturer who succeeded on the hi-fi market). But when using such solution one has to be very careful choosing the system such cables work in, as all it takes is one component that can't reproduce at least decent treble, and the whole presentation will sound harsh or too bright. And this is one of the biggest mistakes one might do in one's audio system. This problem does not happen with Mogami cables as they behave as they were immune to any brightness created somewhere along they way in the system. If I was to say how these cables “sound” (i.e. how do they modify signal), I'd say that they tend to round the sound and offer most information in the midrange and bass. The latter is particularly active, which – considering such a small diameter of these cables is amazing – builds up a solid base for the whole range above the lower part. And when one listens to powerful, rich voices presented clearly in the front, like Nat ‘King’ Cole’s from a mono recording from 1952, or Serge Gainsbourg's from 1971 album Histoire de melody Nelson, one will be truly surprised by how rich these voices are, how much depth and power there is to them. Obviously these are not perfect cables. Comparing them to much more expensive ones (with much larger diameter, too) it becomes clear that richness of the midrange is with them somewhat limited. The lower midrange is not so dynamic, not so full. Dynamics in general with these cables seems rather balanced, I mean not the explosive type. Sound always seems very orderly, balanced, and from time to time one is tempted to crank the volume bit up to fill the room with sound. With Mogami presentations starts even behind the line between speakers and nicely integrates with more distant planes. All these features of the sound are easily recognizable so there is no point pretending they don't exist. But none of them really attract attention, or distracts it from the music, so they are surely acceptable. I used Japanese cables in my reference system, where they replaced Siltech Double Crown IC and Tara Labs Omega Onyx speaker cables, as well as in the second, relatively inexpensive system with some components I requested for reviews at the same time. In with this second system cables offered an exhilarating performance, as if they just belonged to this system by nature. System was build up with Creek Evolution 100A (8300 PLN) amplifier – beautiful, dense sound, impressive dynamics. I paired it with less expensive speakers – the new Chario Prima from Reflex line priced at 3500 PLN a pair – and this happened to be a truly wonderful match. In such a system Mogami cables sounded amazingly well. So it would seem that one could used them in systems with components from a 10.000 PLN a piece price range, and these cables would be able to present all strengths of such system without emphasizing its weaknesses. Try such a system with some nice Rega or Pro-Ject turntable and I'm sure that money will be spent. These are reliable, solid cables that have been on the market for years and with their performance they confirm that solid engineering supported with lots of listening sessions result in products that should fit into many different systems. Polish distributor: MOGAMI.PL PAteam Krzysztof Białobrzewski ul. Franciszka Nulla 18/4 51-677 Wrocław www.mogami.pl YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/mogami/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/mogami/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/mogami/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/mogami/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/mogami/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/mogami/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/mogami/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/mogami/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/mogami/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/mogami/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/mogami/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/mogami/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/mogami/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/mogami/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/mogami/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/mogami/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/mogami/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/mogami/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

hile getting ready to conduct another interview for “The Editors” series, I sent an appropriate enquiry to the largest printed German audio magazine – “Audio” (it is a coincidence, of course, but the latest interview from the series also involved another printed German magazine – “Stereo”, read HERE). “Audio” has been published for many years and it is part of the same publishing group as, for example, “Stereoplay”. It is perhaps the most well-known German audio magazine that is still printed. Bernhard Rietschel, the Editor-in-Chief of “Audio”, responded to my email very quickly. He liked the idea very much and was really keen on taking part in the project, but: The only problem is that I am going to leave “Audio” at the end of July. I have been working here as the Editor-in-Chief for twenty years. The thing is that the publisher wants to move the whole magazine to his headquarters in Munich, which is, for many reasons, totally unacceptable – not only for me, but also for the whole “Audio” team. So, the magazine is still going to be published, but beginning from the 10/2015 issue it is going to be prepared by completely different people. I do not know if you remember, but my friend’s – Dirk Somner’s magazine also has its seat in Munich: hifistatement.de. It is where, by the way, my test of the Accuphase A-70 amplifier has just been published in German, read HERE; while Dirk’s review of The Preamp can be found HERE). Isn’t it a coincidence that the largest high-end exhibition in the world is held in the capital city of Bavaria and that the largest German audio magazines have their seat there? I do not think that there is such a thing as coincidence, as far as I understand probability calculus correctly, but there must be something in the city that attracts people conncected with high-end audio. Einstein So, it should not be surprising that the company whose products we are testing this time is also connected with this place. The Einstein brand is Volker Bohlmeier’s lifework. I had the opportunity to meet him over dinner during the exhibition in Munich this year (read HERE). I then learnt that Volker is Dirk’s good old friend. They met at the university and used to play together in one band – Volker played the guitar and Dirk – the bass guitar. It was when I heard Volker’s products for the first time in a controlled environment (i.e. not at an exhibition) – they are the point of reference in the mastering and testing system of the Editor-in-Chief of hifistatement.net, in his studio in Munich. The company, celebrating its 25th anniversary, owes its name to Albert Einstein, the mathematical genius. His father, Hermann Einstein, ran an electrical company at the end of the 19th century in Munich. He chose to work with direct current at that time, just like another genius – Alexander Graham Bell. And although Bell was wrong, because the “right” current was alternating current, it is he who is known as the “father of electricity” – not Nikola Tesla, who understood the new invention better. Anyway, the use of alternating current in households and for the purpose of lighting streets forced Hermann Einstein to close the company down. When it comes to Volker’s company, it was built on the right foundations at the very beginning, so it has been successful. It is a premium, high-standard company. It can be seen right away when we look at any of its products – they are characterized by a tasteful form, excellent craftsmanship and nicely matched packaging. The company started in 1990 with a solid-state amplifier called The Amp and, as Michael Fremer writes, the amplifier was a hit for the next six years when it was in production (read HERE). The next step for the company was to manufacture tube products that strengthened its status. Today, the company is known all over the world, especially in Japan, where its product tests and advertisements are regularly published in the most important Japanese audio magazine “Stereo Sound”. Both of the tested devices entered production in 2012 and they are, as far as high-end standards are concerned, fairly new products. Non-standard solutions have been used in the construction of both and although they can also be found in products of other companies, here they have been upgraded with exceptional care (read below to find out more about the company history). The Preamp The preamplifier is the successor of The Tube model. Its specific feature is a completely balanced design and the presence of as many as 19 amplifying tubes – double low-power triodes: 10 JAN Philips NOS 6922 tubes on the input and 8 EI NOS PCC 88 on the output. The latter used to be applied in deflection coils of TV sets, but also prove very useful in audio devices. 10 input lamps operate all the time (two per channel). Each input has its own complete path, with tubes and other elements. Normally, there is a selector (switch) on the input, which is used to select the active input. After switching to the source that we want to listen to, signal gets to the appropriate preamplifier where it is buffered, amplified and damped (in different configurations). The Preamp has been built in a different way. All its inputs are active all the time – there is no input switch. By selecting the input that we want to use, we connect heater voltage to the tubes that operate in it. So, it is necessary to wait for a moment before sound can be heard. Volker has decided to choose such an expensive and inconvenient solution because tubes are extremely sensitive to what we connect to their control grids (to the input in this case) and loading the input with a switch is problematic. Of course, one can try to get the best selector in the world, but there is nothing better than a lack of it – so, there is no switch in The Preamp signal path – it is located outside it. The Silver Bullet OTL The main feature of Volker’s monoblocks is included in their name – it is an OTL (Output Transformer-Less) design. In classic tube amplifiers, between the amplifying element, power tubes and the speaker there must be an impedance-matching transformer which matches high tube impedance to low speaker impedance. It means having a few hundred meters of wire, usually of poor quality, in the signal path. However, transformers also have their advantages – among others, the important function of protecting speakers from damage. So, there are pros and cons of eliminating a transformer from the signal path. However, it is possible if tubes of low output impedance are used in a parallel connection of two or more – the most frequently used ones are the Russian 6C33B tubes, but the EL509 pentodes and other tubes are also used. The most famous companies that have made such tubes their hallmark include Atma-Sphere and GRAAF. As a rule, an OTL amplifier must have a balanced design, which neutralizes tube supply voltages. Earlier designs often had a problem with that – when one of the lamps (in one of the signal halves) changed its characteristics in time in a different way than other tubes, or – God forbid! – was damaged, the whole supply voltage appeared on speaker terminals, which resulted in their instant destruction. So, the success of the Einstein company connected with OTL amplifiers relies to the same extent both on excellent sound and exceptional protection circuits. To tell you the truth, I have not heard of anyone having problems with any Einstein amplifier. VOLKER BOHLMEIER Einstein Audio | CEO I first met Rolf Weiler, who is responsible for all EINSTEIN designs, in the 1980s. It was in Wiesbaden and we were trying to repair a Braun Coffee machine together around midnight at the home of a musician – our friend. I soon found out that Rolf is also a musician (he plays the saxophone) and has a similar idea of how music should be “reproduced” by an amplifier. Since he is a professional high frequency specialist and an extremely experienced designer, he had already come up with a precise plan of how I could make this vision come true. In 1988 we hurried up with our preparations and the EINSTEIN Audio company was registered a year later. It employed three people at that time: Volker Bohlmeier, Rolf Weiler and Gerhard von Berswordt-Wallrabe. In the same year the first prototype of a transistor integrated amplifier – The Amp – was prepared and presented at the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) exhibition in Berlin. Its production started in 1990. The amplifier was awarded the Component of the Year award by the Japanese magazine “Stereo Sound” for two consecutive years. It is important to know that it is very rare for a Japanese magazine to award the same product twice in a row. By the way, I also met my wife in Wiesbaden. She was studying Interior Design at the university. She gained her engineering diploma there and has now been responsible for the look of our products for more than twenty years. She is also responsible for feeding me well (laugh). She really is a great cook, too. My job in this field is to find the right wine for the food she serves. My cellar is big enough, so, up to know, I have always been successful. All in all, Wiesbaden has not been a bad place for me. Since then we have produced several EINSTEIN amplifiers, so each of them is closer to our ideal. One of Rolf Weiler’s maxims is that ‘The best amplifier would be an amplifying wire’– and it has been the premise for designing any EINSTEIN product. In general, this means that the signal path has to be as short as possible and that signal should stay as unmodified and pure as possible. I think we have gone very far with both “The Preamp” preamplifier and the “Output TransformerLess” mono power amplifier called ‘The Silver Bullet’. In our opinion, both are milestones in every single respect. Both designs show very clearly Rolf’s capability to create unorthodox but elegant and perfect technical solutions, such as the switching of the heater voltage of the input tubes for input selection on The Preamp, which is truly unique. The EINSTEIN Silver Bullet OTL is another typical EINSTEIN product, offering a fully symmetrical circuit design, which guarantees the best possible signal-to-noise ratio. Even numbered distortions, which have adverse effects on sound quality, are simply not part of this type of a circuit and therefore the signal remains pure and free from any such distortion interference. Each EINSTEIN product offers such simply brilliant features which make the EINSTEIN amplifiers sound so incomparably pure and natural – just as if there was no amplifier at all – and they are definitely part of the success of EINSTEIN. During all these years we have improved every single circuit many times – and we continue doing research, and are constantly using new parts, new materials and new technologies, exploring new production possibilities to check if they offer an opportunity to make our products even better and to bring them to new levels of refinement. Knowing where we are today, I wonder if we are going to be able to improve some things any further. But when I look at our very new products, I think there is still left a little bit of room for change and improvement. Taking the last steps requires even more effort, but I really believe it`s worth the work. After all the years in the audio business, I am still very happy with my job and I am very keen on going on. I don`t want to say, “I praise God” – that would be too much, but in some way it was a lucky coincidence for me to end up in this profession. I still really enjoy listening to music when I am not busy trying to improve my guitar performance. As I used to tell my wife, I started dealing with high-end music systems when I realized that I would never be a first-class guitar player. But here, just like in the case of wine, I am quite a good collector. Recordings used in the test (a selection) Abraxas, 99, Metal Mind Records/Art Muza JK2011CD07, gold-CD (1999/2011). Carmen McRae & Julie London, Carmen McRae & Julie London Bethlehem/Victor Entertainment VICJ-61458, “Bethlehem K2HD Mastering Series | No. 8”, K2HD CD (1954/2007). Depeche Mode, Ultra, Mute/Sony Music Labels SICP-30543, Blu-spec CD2, (2007/2014). Dominic Miller & Neil Stancey, New Dawn, Naim naimcd066, CD (2002). Electric Light Orchestra, Discovery, Epic/Sony Music Japan SICP-30112, Blu-spec CD2 (1976/2013). John Coltrane, Soultrane, Prestige/Analogue Productions CPRJ 7142 SA, (1956/2014). Rogers Waters, Amused To Death, Columbia/Legacy/Analogue Productions 5478842, SACD/CD (1992/2015). The Modern Jazz Quartet, European Concert. Volume One + Two, Atlantic/East West Japan, AMCY-1186-7, "Atlantic Jazz Collection, 50 Years", K2HD, 2 x CD (1960/1998). This Mortal Coil, HD-CD Box SET: It’ll End In Tears, Filigree & Shadow, Blood, Dust & Guitars, 4AD [Japan] TMCBOX1, 4 x HDCD, (2011). Thom Yorke, The Eraser, XL/Warner Music Japan WPCB-100001, CD (2006/2007). Tomasz Stańko Quartet, Lontano, ECM 1980, CD (2006). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] The so-called “neutrality” One of the idioms of the audio world is the conviction that an audio product should reproduce sound faithfully enough to make it impossible to be distinguished from a live event. It is a beautiful and admirable idea which I have written about many times. However, just like any other idea, it is just a thought construct which cannot be fully implemented. It is not even known exactly what it would be like if this was accomplished – would you have a philharmonic hall at home? A concert hall or a stadium? That would mean the first sounds would ruin the whole room, or perhaps the whole building. The volume would be so high that not only our windows, but also all our neighbours’ windows would be blown out. And this is just one of many problems. Sound reproduction at home is therefore a separate field of knowledge and art. As such, it has both a “core” that everyone agrees on, i.e. there is a general consensus regarding a set of features that everyone accepts as the right ones, and a margin which is also characterized by common agreement, but with modifications that depend on each individual. That is why in perfectionist audio and its assessment there is a tendency to be as objective as possible, and at the same time keep “my own” subjective opinion at a healthy level. So, when I read a text such as the one below, I just give up, because it either demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of what audio is and what it is not, or – quoting the text below – idiocy: [… ] It is NOT THE PURPOSE OF A PREAMPLIFIER to inject different colorations into sound to mask out the imperfections of the previously located components. By enabling users to do pick the tubes for different sources and putting those objectives into the initial design is an indication that either the designers were Morons who had no idea what they were doing or the unit was meant to be used by Morons. Romy the Cat, The objectives of Einstein self-entertaining Preamp, w: www.goodsoundclub.com, [online] www.goodsoundclub.com/GetPost.aspx?PostID=3555, 05.08.2015. Since there is no such thing as “ideal live-like sound”, we can move within some space in which two different kinds of sound can be equally good and can equally well express the intentions of the artist and the team responsible for recording and publishing the material, to the extent that the music reproduced arouses our emotions. These could be any emotions – even boredom and impatience, as live music performances often cause them. It is important that the sound should be of high enough quality to make us sit in front of speakers or with headphones on, waiting for what is going to happen in a moment, completely involved in the experience. Tubes and their sound And, to tell you the truth, I hadn’t expected that of Volker’s amplifiers. Of course, I had been aware that it was a top-class product – it was enough for me to see products with the Einstein company logo in Dirk Somner’s system. However, I feel reluctant to use the 6C33B tubes. It is the same feeling as in the case of the KT120 beam tetrodes – they have been accompanied by interesting amplifiers, sometimes very good ones, but it has never been “my” sound, until I heard the I-35 integrated amplifier produced by the Jadis company from France (more HERE). The way in which the company implemented the tetrodes made the sound outstanding (bearing in mind the price of the device). Einstein So, what I have been waiting for all these years is, perhaps, The Silver Bullet OTL amplifier – I have been waiting to hear what this tube can really do or to check what can be done with it when one knows what kind of a device it is. The German amplifier, both with my Ayon Audio Spheris III preamplifier and with The Preamp, produced low dense sound, which is what I like. The density did not result from additional bandwith load or from colorations, but from an incredible number of harmonics sounding in unison with the basic sounds. This gave an impression of a multitude of “sounds”. I know people who are repelled by this, because they feel “harassed” by such a great amount of information. However, I think that after accommodation they would find out that it is also “their” sound and that afterwards everything else would sound empty and dead. As I am saying, I have listened to the amplifier both with the reference preamplifier and with its natural partner – The Preamp. I suppose that everything sounds better with the latter. Both systems are representative of a similar class, but the features in question were more prominent and impressive in the Einstein set-up. This is music which comes TO US, as opposed to music from the Naim Statement system that I once heard (read HERE and HERE). In the case of that system, it was WE who entered the musical message. Although, in my opinion, the systems belong more or less to the same class, our perception of them is completely different. Einstein fills the space in a room as if it was transforming the existing air particles into other ones created by the recording. It is easiest to hear in the case of tracks in which space plays an important role, e.g. Roger Waters’s Amused To Death. The album, which has just been re-issued by Analogue Productions, has been coded in the QSound system, thanks to which sound literally surrounds us. With the Einstein amplifier it was a thick, smooth and tight cocoon. Contrary to what one might expect, Waters’s music is not easy to reproduce correctly, because it is easy to brighten it up, to destroy the very SOMETHING underneath that makes sounds stick together. When it comes to demonstrating surround effects, we can do it in any stereo system. It is completely different in the case of monophonic records – here it is impossible to impress the listener otherwise than through perfection. The Einstein amplifier is capable of doing this – just listen to Julie London from the extra recordings on Carmen McRae’s album (released by Bethlehem), or the new remaster of John Coltrane’s Soultrain (also from Analogue Productions) – the fulness, volume and, at the same time, naturalness of the musical message were outstanding each time. Power amplifiers, even the powerful ones, have a problem with fast, dense rock music, as if they cannot deal with distortions (it is also signal) and compression, not to mention high levels of sound. Again, Einstein is a different story. I had had similar listening experiences only twice before – first with the Octave MRE 220 monoblocks, and recently with the Crossfire Evo Ayon Audio monoblocks. The latter ones were amazing in how well they energized the listening room (i.e. my living room) and how beautifully they went low to produce amazing bass, even in “difficult” songs from Depeche Mode’s Ultra album. The amplifiers were brought to my place from Austria by Gerhart Hirt, the owner of Ayon. He asked me for a short listening session to check if everything was all right with the tubes. That “little while” lasted for over an hour and I think that Gerhart enjoyed listening as much as I did. I picked one album after another without too much thinking, because the music was alive, it “talked” to me and made me happy. However, no matter what I say, the Ayon amplifiers did not play low bass as well as my Soulution 710 and therefore the whole musical message was not that solid and precise. Again – the systems belong to a similar class, but the sound was different in many details. In this respect, the Einstein system sounded more like powerful transistor amplifiers. I am talking about control and coherence here. It also differentiated sound planes better. Milton’s vibraphone from the album recorded during European concerts of The Modern Jazz Quartet was characterized by large volume, incredible sonority and depth, and it was clearly situated at a different place – in every dimension – than the double bass. It is like when we talk to someone and suddenly hear someone talking right next to our interlocutor, but slightly further away and a bit to the side. There is only a small difference, but we instantly KNOW that this is somebody else. As regards the German amplifier, it was a beautiful story, without putting too much emphasis on anything. It is so, because the message is, as I would put it, soft inside. Not “softened”, but “soft” and live-like. The attack is precise, but does not cover what is behind it, i.e. the sustain and decay. The sound is a complete whole. It was not the first case when I knew that I was listening to an amplifier (an amplifying system) clearly better than my own – earlier I had come across the abovementioned Naim and Ayon amplifiers, and the Ancient Audio Silver Mono SE amplifier that I knew both from my system and from Janusz’s system (Krakow Sonic Society). There is also the Kondo Kagura amplifier that I have heard a few times, but not in my system. These are the three model amplifiers for me, although each of them sounds in a different way. My reference system would be next on the list, along with the Phasemation CA-1000 i MA-1000. Comparison In combination with The Silver Bullet OTL, The Preamp sounds in its own unique way. The Naim Statement produced more detached sound characterized by higher dynamics. The foreground in it is set much further away and the sound is built “from behind”, as if we were sitting in the middle of a philharmonic hall. The tone is less saturated at the bottom of the midrange, but more developed towards the treble – it is more open. The Einstein amplifier sounds more as if we were the only listeners at a concert sitting in the front row, having direct contact with the performer. The Spheris III and the Ayon Crossfire Evo sound lower, with slight stress on mid bass and low midrange. Their treble is sweeter and situated a bit further away that in the Einstein amplifier. However, the musical message as a whole is shaped in a very similar way: it is a bit warm, dense sound characterized by outstanding tone. It seems that the German system sounds a bit more tangible and that it is more open as regards the treble. When compared with them, the Japanes Phasemation system consisting of the CA-1000 preamplifier and the MA-1000 monoblocks sounds much more “tube-like”, providing that the term means warmth, sweetness and saturation. As regards the Ancient Audio Silver Mono SE, it is much more open, faster, more dynamic and produces lower bass – only the Naim Statement sounded lower in my system, with more authority. Limitations Of course, there are also limitations, because they are an inherent part of life. Volker’s amplifiers should work well with high-impedance speakers and it would be best if their impedance was higher than average. Otherwise we will overload the amplifiers and they will turn off, which is, by the way, great news – it means that protection circuits work well. Anyway, overloading will occur with completely different records and sources than we expect. As far as I am concerned, Volker’s amplifiers with Harbeth M40.1 speakers in a medium-sized room (ca. 30 m2) and close to the place where I was listening, had no problems with Waters, Depeche Mode and Deep Purple albums, but one of the channels switched off halfway through Dominic Miller and Neil Stancey album New Dawn (to be more precise, while I was listening to the song entitled Rush Hour). I remember the song from a concert in Bielsko Biała, which I attended and sat in the front row, so I wanted to turn the volume up to feel as if I were in the audience again. These are just two acoustic guitars, but the three LEDs turned on. After a while the amplifier turned on again, but I had to turn the volume down a little, to prevent the situation from happening again. I admit that it was very loud and the situation did not occur again when we listened to the amplifier “normally”. It shows, though, that it is necessary to be careful with the surroundings in which the Einstein amplifier works. No such problem occurs in the case of other abovementioned amplifiers – the Naim and Soulution amplifiers play music as loud as we want and there are no distortions, while the tube amplifiers that I have written about will simply overdrive sound – it will not be that good anymore, but it will still be suitable for listening. I do not see any other problems, if such sound aesthetics and look suit us. Heat emitted by the system may perhaps be problematic – the amplifier is quite a large heater. I listened to it during the hottest week of the summer holidays and I could hardly bear the heat in the room. It would be better in winter, but it is necessary to know that here we are talking about an enormous amount of heat, anyway. This is the nature of tube amplifiers and the 6C33B tubes in particular. Summary The Einstein system belongs to the elite of devices that are outstanding in every respect. The combination of saturation with differentiation, consideration with entertainment, precision with fluidity and detail with the totality has resulted in something brilliant – wonderful sound! The quality of workmanship is perfect. It is an amplifier which meets both pro system requirements, i.e. those that require selectivity, resolution and precision, as well as tasteful “vintage” systems requirements, focusing on tone and the “flow” of energy. DIRK SOMMER hifistatement.net, Sommelier Du Son Einstein, Volker and me... After Wojtek published even more details about the old times ­– if I remember well, he mentioned a glass of wine now and then – it didn’t make sense for me to deny it anymore in the light of such clear evidence. So, I confirm that Volker and I have been friends for more than 30 years. When Wojtek asked me to write a few lines about the Einstein pre and power amp that I have in my set-up, I thought it might not be the best idea to write about components manufactured by a company of a friend. On the other hand, I didn't want to turn down a colleague's request, so here we are. I shouldn't care whether you read my remarks as ones made by a reviewer or a friend. At the time when Wojtek and his son Bartek visited me in Munich, I had just finished a review of the AudioMachina's Maestro GSE speakers that were bi-amped by two Einstein Audio The Poweramp power amplifiers. Usually there are the LumenWhite DiamondLight speakers driven by the Ayon's Epsilon monoblocks with the KT 150 tubes playing in my listening room, aka my office. If it is not needed for a review, one of The Poweramps is used in Birgit's set-up in the living room. There she decides what components sound and look best for her. I'm only asked for advice now and then – but I have been able to convince her to listen to a pair of the Acapella's Violon VI speakers for some time. And these speakers are not easy to drive, but not because of low impedance or other surprises that shock the amplifier. Most amps Birgit and I have tried with the Violon didn't produce coherent sound from its plasma-tweeter, the midrange horn and the conventional woofer. Hermann Winters, the owner of Acapella, recommended the Einstein Silver Bullet OTL for his speakers, but we tried the much more affordable The Poweramp and, all of a sudden, the Violon speakers produced consistent sound. I do not have an explanation for this effect, but it's easy to hear: Acapella and Einstein are a top match. Of course, The Poweramp is great in all other respects like the dynamics, details, soundstage, fluency and tonality, but it is the fact that it forces the Acapella Violon to play absolutely coherently that makes it so outstanding to Birgit and me. When Volker brought me the AudioMachine speakers and one additional The Poweramp for bi-amping, he also had The Preamp in his luggage and asked me if I would like to hear it. Of course I did! Before we changed anything else in my system, we heard my standard set-up with The Preamp instead of the EAR 912, which I liked for its dynamic, powerful and meaty sound – and for its technical studio appearance. Visually, the shiny Einstein Preamp is the total opposite. What is more, the unique and technically convincing way of switching the inputs, because of which changing the active input takes some time, is the last thing a reviewer who wants to make quick A to B comparisons would happy about. However, it all didn’t matter. After I've listened to the first song, it was clear that The Preamp should stay in my set-up. And it has stayed there until today: The Preamp has produced a much broader and deeper soundstage than the EAR, played a little more dynamically and integrated some more details perfectly in the flow of the music. I can't remember having heard a better-sounding preamp in my listening room. Both devices are wonderfully constructed and they also look fantastic. As Volker told me, his wife is responsible for their artistic design. She specializes in interior design and she has done a great job here. The housing of both devices consists of thick aluminum boards, with a chromium-plated front with a black acrylic element. A little slot has been left in the centre where three blue LEDs are located. The central diode normally turns on when the amplifier is working, while all three diodes turn on when the amplifier turns off for some reason or turns off outputs – e.g. after unplugging speaker cables. The devices stand on tall aluminium feet. The power cable is connected to the preamplifier from the bottom and we have to use an angled IEC connector for the purpose. So, it may be necessary to use Einstein power cables here, which I did during this test. The Preamp There are as many as 18 tubes in the preamplifier – ten on the inputs (two JAN Philips NOS 6922 tubes per input) in the amplification section and eight EI NOS PCC 88 tubes in the other, buffering section. The former ones are mounted on boards decoupled from the housing with the use of springs. There are five inputs – three unbalanced RCA inputs and three balanced XRL inputs. There are also two outputs: RCA and XLR. The Preamp is balanced, so it is worth using the XLR path. Since there are different tubes in each of the inputs, one can have some fun and place different tube types in them. Chromium-plated covers of power supply transformers can be seen in front of the tubes – it is a dual-mono device. The electronic circuit has been assembled using a time-consuming and thus expensive point-to-point method, which guarantees the best sound effects. In the circuit there are many components that are part of the amplifier (stabilized voltage for each section) and polypropylene Suntan capacitors used here to couple large electrolytic capacitors. The preamplifier is controlled using a remote control, which looks different than any other remote control. It has an aluminium housing with a rounded upper part and four rubber “feet” at the bottom. However, in this case all buttons are located at the bottom. So, we place the remote control upside down, like a telephone receiver. It looks great, but the buttons are tiny and have the same shape and size. The remote control is used to control the preamplifier and CD player with Philipsa CR5 codes, such as in the CD-Pro2 transport. The Silver Bullet OTL As Volker says, only 15% of ordered 6C33B tubes can actually be used, and just some of these can be connected into a well-matched quartet. The rest goes into the bin. Tubes are preliminarily heated and those that survive are measured. The ones that undergo the whole process can then work for many years without any problems – they are more stable than the whole range of KT and EL tubes. The six input lamps are the same double EI NOS PCC 88 triodes that are used in the preamplifier. They operate in the input buffer and in the control circuit. In the output section there are four high power 6C33B triodes per channel in a symmetrical arrangement, without output transformers. So, this is a thriode amplifier from input to output. Hollow metal elements can be seen between the thriodes – they are used to cool the inside and the semiconductor elements that are fixed to them. It is important because there are quite a lot of such elements here – their function is to monitor voltage and to protect the amplifier. Power supply circuits in the device are placed on printed circuit boards, while amplifying circuits are mounted using the point-to-point method. There are two transformers in each monoblock, separate for the negative and the positive half of the signal. Each transformer works with large Einstein capacitors and chokes – their coils are wound around toroidal cores. There are also thick gold-plated bus bar connections for high currents. Each stage is coupled in Wima capacitors. Technical specifications (according to the manufacturer) The Preamp Signal to noise ratio: typ. 100 dB Distortion: < 0.01%/1 kHz Output voltage (XLR): 2.5 V/100 Ω Maximum input voltage: 7 V Output impedance: 50 Ω Bandwidth: 7 Hz – 400 kHz Channel separation: > 98 dB Dimensions (H x L x D): 200 x 430 x 410 mm Weight: 21 kg Signal to noise ratio: >98 dB Distortion : < 0.02%/1 kHz Output power: - 80 W/12 Ω - 65 W/8 Ω - 45 W/4 Ω Damping factor: >95/8 Ω Dimensions (H x W x D): 240x 430x 490 mm Weight: 30 kg/Mono Amplifier Distribution in Poland: RCM S.C. tel.: 32/206 40 16  40-077 Katowice | Polska rcm.com.pl YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/17.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/17.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/17.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/18.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/18.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/18.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/19.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/19.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/19.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/20.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/20.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/20.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/21.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/21.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/21.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/22.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/22.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/22.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/23.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/23.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/23.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/einstein/th/24.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/einstein/24.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/einstein/24.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

guess not many of the owners of high quality audio components even realize that brands that made their devices often actually belong to the same mother-company. Like, for example, Audio Research, Sonus faber, Wadia Digital, Sumiko, McIntosh – they all belong to the Italian holding Fine Sounds Group; Denon, Marantz and Boston Acoustics belong to Japanese D+M Group; and Wharfedale, Quad, Audiolab, Mission, Luxman, Ekco, Leak and Castle to Chinese capital group IAG Group. More and more such business ventures appear on the market and one should expect even more of them in the future. Recently Focal-JMLab bought shares of Naim Audio and the Muse SA, a company dealing with luxury goods, acquired Meridian Audio.. And there is no mystery to this process – audio market gets consolidated just as all others. It didn't happen long ago only because audio market never has been as big as we like to think, and never has generated as much income (despite what most of us think about top-high-end). So this consolidation of the market is an opportunity for these companies – they get access to additional capital and top class management. The goal is to make these brands stronger and, well... to generate profits. It doesn't always work. I've seen such attempts that failed – brands lost their identity and were not profitable enough. Everybody lost. But in general it seems that such consolidation brings positive results as it strengthens not only particular brands but the whole audio industry, too. The reason is quite simple: the industry needs capital that, as we already know, can't really be generated without external help and without it audio industry will never be as successful as other luxury goods industry branches. Combak Corporation The case of Combak Corporation is different, though. It might look similar at first – the webpage combak.net clearly states that it is only a “mother company” of a few different brands like: Reimyo, Harmonix, Enacom and Encore! (until recently it was called Bravo!). On the same webpage one would find a lot of leads towards XRCD. The Combak Corporation didn't grow by purchasing new brands, but it's activity was divided between different brands from the beginning. For a long time division was pretty simple: Reimyo was a brand of electronic components, Harmonix offered cables and anti-vibration accessories, Bravo! (now Encore!) manufactured loudspeakers, and Enacom different filters. XRCD – as all audiophiles know are Compact Discs. By the way the XRCD24 logo can be found more and more often on Combak Corporation products – one should know that Mr Kiuchi is a co-owner of XRCD technology, too. But not long ago it all started to change and the division between brands is not that clear anymore. From the moment first products with the word „Million” in their name were released this, previously clear, division collapsed. Have a look at the website with anti-vibration accessories. There is RFS-65m model branded Hyotan, RS-1502M TuningMaster feet with Harmonix logo, and RF-999M Million Maestro with Combak Corporation logo. And now there comes another logo: 聖Hijiri. 聖HIJIRI “Million” As one can read on company's materials, 聖Hijiri means ‘maestro’ or ‘an important leader’. Mr Kiuchi chose this name for his new interconnect to emphasize that this is a new generation of product, a very important one for its creator. This interconnect belongs to the top line called Million and replaces the previous top models from Harmonix Golden Performance line. Already its look suggests that it belongs to the top line – similarly colored sleeve and wooden elements are a clear resemblance to Harmonix X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro power cord, that we recently reviewed and that proved to be absolutely remarkable. As usually Mr Kiuchi doesn't share information about the design. I asked him once why he offered so few information about his products that were based on certain technologies and solutions and he told me that bragging about technical details was a mistake because all that really mattered was music: „whenever a product does not fulfill its primary role, which is conveying music in the best possible way (at particular price level of course), it doesn't matter at all how much one would know about the design, materials, parameters and so on”. One can agree with such approach or not, but it is a clear statement of Mr Kiuchi's philosophy. The only information manufacturer shares are as follows: original design and special, directional conductor, cables are hand-made to ensure highest sound quality, independent, isolated ground wire protects against RF noise, original Hijiri plugs, available lengths: 0,75 m/1 m/1,5 m/2 m/2,5 m – other lengths upon order, available in two versions: unbalanced (RCA) and balanced (XLR). As one can see at the receiver end there are ground wires terminated with gold-plated spades, that should be connected to devices ground or to some „virtual ground” using devices like Verictum X Bulk, Acoustic Revive RGC-24 or Entreq. I compared 聖Hijiri to Siltech Double Crown and Triple Crown interconnects. KAZUO KIUCHI Combak Corporation | Owner How it differs (I mean in construction) from your other cables? Please let me briefly explain about new "Million" signal cable. First, Million is a symbol mark for the best of Harmonix product lines, and the product shall contribute to loyal Harmonix patronage around the world who support us for years. Every "Million" to include Million Signal cables have been embedded the highest technology we have created in combination with the best materials we selected and meticulously handcrafted. What did you want to achieve with them in sound? We have discovered a infinite rule we call it Resonance Control technology. First, I selected materials that meet with this rule. It has been taken years to years to create the quality sounding cables. Then, I conduct listening test before going to final and it is a very important like Art of painting. Are you going to make a Million Speaker cable? At this moment of time, I am not considering to make "Million" Speaker cables. We have already HS-EXQ and HS101-SLC, they are both fantastic speaker cables none came close to them on the market. Did you produce recently some XRCDs? What they were? Yes, I did a quite many number of XRCD and have been producing XRCD since it is a very important job of mine to serve and satisfy serious music lovers around the globe. I am counting on music soft as one of important high-end gear, and without it, any expensive high end sound reproduction systems to include speaker systems can hardly evaluated  but most often there is a very limited number of people got aware of this, I am sorry to say. HARMONIX in „High Fidelity” REVIEW: Harmonix TU-666M „BeauTone” MILLION MAESTRO 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION – anti-vibration feet, see HERE REVIEW: Harmonix X-DC STUDIO MASTER MILLION MAESTRO – power cable, see HERE (lang. Polish) REVIEW: Harmonix X-DC350M2R IMPROVED-VERSION – power cable, see HERE (lang. Polish) REVIEW: Harmonix RS15-ANV – anti-vibration platform, see HERE (lang. Polish) CRACOW SONIC SOCIETY, meeting #72: KAZUO KIUCHI (Combak Corporation) in Cracow, see HERE (lang. Polish) REVIEW: Harmonix HARMONIC-STRINGS HS101-EXQ EXQUISITE + α1 speaker cable + cable support, see HERE (lang. Polish) REVIEW: Harmonix HS-101-GP + HS-101-SLC – RCA interconnect + speaker cable, see HERE (lang. Polish) REVIEW: Reimyo + Harmonix + Bravo! – complete system Combak Corporation, see HERE Recordings used for this test (a selection): Now the Green Blade Riseth, The Stockholm Cathedral Choir, Proprius/JVC, XRCD 9093, XRCD2 (1981, 1993/2001). Paganini For Two, Gil Shaham, Göran Söllscher, Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music Ltd, Taiwan 480 246-5, XRCD24 (1993/2009). André Previn, After Hours, Telarc/Lasting Impression Music, LIM UHD 051, CD (1989/2011). Count Basie, Count Basie Live at the Sands (before Frank), Warner Bros. Records/Mobile Fidelity MOFI UDSACD 2113, “Special Limited Edition No. 0197” SACD/CD (1998/2013). Dexter Gordon, A Swingin’ Affair, Blue Note/Audio Wave AWMXR-0023, XRCD24 (1964/2013). Ed Sheeran, X, Warner Music UK/Warner Music Japan WPCR-15730, CD (2014); Eva Cassidy, Songbird, Blix Street Records/JVC VICJ-010-0045, XRCD24 (1998/2010). Hank Mobley, Soul Station, Blue Note/Audio Wave AWMXR-0001, XRCD24 (1960/2009); Judy Garland, Over The Rainbow, Going for a Song GFS236, CD (?). Nat ‘King’ Cole, Penthouse Serenade, Capitoll Jazz/EMI 94504, “Super Bit Mapping” CD (1952/1998). Yes, The Yes Album, Atlantic/Warner Music Japan WPCR-15903, “7 inch mini LP”, SACD/CD (1971/2014). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Harmonix cables are well known around the audio world for one, due to the sound quality they offer, and secondly because of their creator, Mr Kiuchi. There is no doubt that XRCD technology is widely accepted as one of the key advancements in CD format quality, and the following XRCD2 and XRCD24 only confirmed the value of this solution. Knowing that the JVC Victor studio in Tokyo uses exclusively Harmonix cables is a great recommendation. I am almost certain that the above mentioned mastering studio hasn't changed those cables they used for years. All the recording/sound processing/mastering word is quit reluctant when it comes to novelties and it even manifests this reluctance openly. And yet, even this “hostile” PRO environment accepts on rare occasions the fact, that some new cables might be better that the ones they used thus far. But the improvement in sound quality must be truly significant, nobody in pro business believes in small steps, in barely audible improvements – it is more of a binary approach – 1 or 0, there is a significant improvement or there isn't. And that's the kind of change the new interconnect introduces compared to the previous one. It is the third time that a representative of the Million line is not just good – all Harmonix products in their price range were at least interesting – but simply remarkable. Every single aspect of the sound has improved so in fact this IC offers a new level of quality. What is even more important is that Million seems to be a proof of a new approach that Mr Kiuchi took – it is not just about improving, polishing qualities of previous models but about creating a new, higher quality. Not that I have anything against constant quality improvement – that's basically how the audio (and not only audio) world works. When some company wants to make a bigger leap, to avoid making small steps, it often stumbles and finds such way even more difficult. Mr Kiuchi has been using this policy of small improvements, of taking one step at a time for years and it was a wise choice and a good decision. But even in our hobby, our musical lives moments of a breakthrough happen from time to time. It makes sense only if a company implementing such a breakthrough has a proper experience and knowledge, if it already has made a lot of small steps. Then it is able to create something like the Million. It is obviously based to a point on previous products, I mean one is able to point out certain sound features that are and also were particularly important for creator of these cables, but now they are elements of a whole new creation/quality. The new Mr Kiuchi's interconnect offers amazingly open sound. If you think that your cable does that too, that it sounds incredibly involving, with remarkable attack than you should listen to 聖HIJIRI and verify what you think you know. Unless, of course, you're using cable of Siltech Triple Crown kind, then – despite obvious sonic differences between Japanese and Dutch cables – you might actually know what I am talking about. What attracts attention right from the very first moment one puts this IC in the system is the opening of the sound. Siltech's Double Crown sounded slow and rolled off in comparison. It offered richer, more fluid midrange, it presented everything that happened in this part of the range in a better way, but when it came to definition of the sound, to its energy 聖HIJIRI took the clear lead. It took Siltech's Triple Crown to top 聖HIJIRI's performance in these aspects. Tonal balance seems to be set bit higher than in both Siltech's cables, which reminded me more of top Acrolink cables. But compared to the latter it seemed even more “muscular”, richer. What's more, I never felt that lower midrange and bass range lacked richness or power. 聖HIJIRI energizes a room with low range in a similar way as Siltechs do. It is not only about the volume of bass but also about its quality. Level of bass is one thing and energy of it is the other. This new IC offers exactly as much bass as needed, and it fills it with incredible energy. It is never about gentle “knock knock”, but about lively, powerful, dynamic and thus natural, powerful PUNCH. An absolutely fantastic phrasing is also an element of this package. It's a feature that is rarely mentioned in the reviews because either a particular product doesn't offer it, or one doing a review doesn't know how to describe it. What is it? It is about smooth transition between individual sounds and groups of sounds in terms of both, timbre and dynamics. These two elements together make the sound unconstrained. To give you a a better idea of what I mean let me use an “automotive” comparison – this is more of a heavy limousine with powerful engine rather than a very light Formula 1 car, which is a huge engine with a place to sit for a driver. This IC offers some inherent features. It brings sound closer to the listener. It is a function of a fast, distinct attack and of high dynamics. This cable is also remarkably resolving which obviously helps too. But it is still not all it has to offer – all that one can find in Siltech Double Crown. And yet 聖HIJIRI presents everything that happens in the front of the stage closer to the listener. It does not bring everything else closer so listener focuses on what's exactly in front of him. Soundstage is particularly deep. And despite that this incredible energy of the sound creates a different image than most other top cables do, it allows more air to the sound, it makes it more lively. The key, and at the same time, most difficult to present midrange is surely not rolled off, its presentation is not in any way worse than what this cable so remarkably presents at both extremes. Midrange, it volume, is perfectly coherent with the rest of the range. And yet Siltechs present it in a bit different way. The Dutch cables offer even smoother, warmer and slightly darker sound. They have this unique ability to present very long decay that build up both, three-dimensional image of the instrument and of the room that recording was made in. Japanese cables offers that too, but it attracts less attention, because it concentrates rather on the energy of the attack and sustain. This is probably why 聖HIJIRI seems to offer faster, more direct sound. Summary To come across a cable that offers the same level of performance that the absolutely best cables one knows do is a fantastic, unique experience. But it is also a great responsibility. Naming every two, three months the new, best of the best product in the world is simply stupid and it tells more about writer/magazine than about product itself. This is why I keep using quite “old” Tara Labs Omega Onyx speaker cables, Harbeth M40.1 loudspeakers, Soulution 710 power amplifier that is not even produced anymore, or even Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro headphones that I bought maybe 15 years ago. That is why I use Siltech interconnects and Ancient Audio AIR V-edition CD Player (although, to be honest, it is time to replace it). But I am not interested in replacing one (or more) of these components just for the satisfaction of a change itself. But when I come across something so fantastic as X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro power cable, I don't have any doubts and even though I can't afford it I don't have a problem with calling it what it is: an unbelievably fantastic product, maybe even the best there is (of its kind). The new Combak Corporation interconnect started a new brand for a reason – compared with what Harmonix offered so far this cable brings a true, relevant change. I think that this new power cable, Million, should be a part of this new brand too. IC might not be as refined in the midrange as Siltech Triple Crown and Double Crown are, and probably not as coherent either. But no other cable that I know can match Siltechs in this area either. 聖HIJIRI represents an absolute top of cables I know and like. It might be a worthy culmination of Mr Kiuchi's work and I am sure that JVC Victor studio that is using these cables now will offer even better XRCD24 than ever before. So maybe, just maybe, it is time for another name for them… Polish distributor MOJE AUDIO ul. Sudecka 152 53-129 Wrocław | Polska www.mojeaudio.pl YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1508/harmonix/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

wonder if you noticed on the images of Dirk Sommer's (chief editor of hifistatement.net magazine) system he sent us last month a certain detail – anti-vibration elements made by Artesania. You can see a fragment of one of them below Einstein The Preamp, as Dirk described his system HERE. Artesania is a Spanish company making all sorts of anti-vibration accessories for audio systems. Their best known products are racks – beautiful, complex and advanced designs used by many in their top-high-end systems. We used such rack with a complete dCs Vivaldi system during one of the meetings of Cracow Sonic Society (see HERE). Spanish company offers also some other products – accessories like so called „dampers” for example. The Mk III version is very popular and you can see it on top of many devices during High End Show in Munich every year. Their basic job is to counteract the vibrations generated by electronic devices, like transformers. When used with digital devices dampers act as a shield against electromagnetic radiation. One can find this type of products made also by other brands like, for example, German Finite Elemente, whose Pagode Edition rack has been a part of HighFidelity's reference system for a few years now. If you check their offer you will find, under „HiFi accessories”, an anti-vibration element called Resonator°. It works bit differently than Artesania Damper, as it damps mainly vibration at and around 1000 Hz frequency, so exactly where our hearing is most sensitive to distortion. Company Verictum, that debuted not so long ago with their X Bulk filter, offers something completely different, and yet having the same function as above mentioned dampers. Namely X Block eliminates EMI/RFI. Although it might also have some damping properties as the housing is made of wood with a piece of rubber at the bottom, and the inside is filled with some resin. But it is not an anti-vibration element, but one that suppresses unwanted EMI/RFI. So its function is similar to the one of Tranquility Base platform by Synergistic Research (see HERE). The obvious difference here being that we put some device on Tranquility Base, and in case of X Block it is put on the device. Another significant difference is that American platform/filter is an active element while the X Block is a passive one (does not require a power source). There are more similarities than differences though, as both devices act as “vacuum cleaners” sucking in radiation after it is emitted by electronic circuits. If I remember correctly also Tranquility Base's manufacturer suggested that its main function was to eliminate (“suck out”) the radiation, but it is, of course, also a platform. hen Verictum's bosses – Mr Marek Stajndor and Paweł Czubryt – brought X Blocks for test to me, they also left two other products: fuses that should officially be available any moment now, and X Block – a black, flat element that should be placed in similar spots as the above mentioned dampers. I simply had no time to try out fuses but the X Block landed on my Ayon Audio Spheris III preamplifier's power supply and hasn't been moved from there since. I haven't written about it before because manufacturer still worked on its look – present version looks much better. Polish product looks differently than Artesania and Finite Elemente accessories. Just like the Verictum filters also X Blocks sport wooden housing, and not metal one. They are also rectangular and not round in shape. They also sport a piece of rugged rubber on the bottom that doesn't allow them to move on most surfaces while the metal ones have a metal bottom which transmits energy in the best way. This test in „High Fidelity” is X Block's premiere, just as the test of X Bulk premiered that product. X Block is so new that it hasn't make it to manufacturer's website just yet. Manufacturer recommends placing it “over device's power supply, power transformer and so on; it is also recommended to move it around to find an optimal spot; sometimes it works best placed over analogue inputs and outputs”. Recordings used during this test (a selection) Charlie Mingus, Tijuana Moods, RCa Records/Original Records Group ORG 174-3, CD/SACD (1962/2015). Electric Light Orchestra, Out of the Blue, Epic/Sony Music Japan SICP-30111, Blu-spec CD2 (1972/2013). Lisa Gerrard, The Silver Tree, Sonic Records SON212, CD (2006). Marc Copland & John Abercombie, Speak To Me, Pirouet Records PIT3058, CD (2011). Marek Biliński, Mały Książę, Bi.Ma. BiCD-09, CD (2010). Ron Carter, Uptown Conversation, Embryo Records/Atlantic/Warner Music Japan MTCJ-6007, “Atlantic Original Collection | Vol.7”, CD (1970/2005). The Beatles, Abbey Road, Apple/USM Japan UICY76978, SHM-CD (1969/2014). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Many doubt the influence of such products (meaning: vibration dampers and EMI/RFI suppressors) on sound quality. The truth is that to actually recognized their impact on sound one has to know what exactly to look for. For example, after a few years of using Finite Elemente Resonator° I know that it doesn't always work the way I want it to, at least in my system. One has to find a device that works well with Resonator°, otherwise the effect might be a less palpable, less dynamic sound, like something sucked whole life of it. But with the right device impact on sound is fantastic – it results in a very fluid, sweet sound, deprived of any hint of nervousness. X Blocks seem to be more universal – they worked well with all devices I used them with. What's more, their influence on the sound was always similar. First thing I noticed was the front of the soundstage moving a bit further away from me and sound becoming bit less palpable. I personally really care about these particular qualities of the sound. In this particular case something strange happens – front of the soundstage seems further away and yet instruments feel more present, more natural. I'm not saying that my system lacks something. I really like the way it sounds even though I know that there are other even better sounding ones. The Polish „cleaners” managed to re-define it a bit. By moving instruments further away they “refreshed” them, they “formed” them in a better way. Hence the sound differentiation was significantly better. Usually when some electronic component of the system moves front of the soundstage further away from listener it is a result of a less substantial or even less rich presentation, but what the X Blocks actually did for the sound was quite opposite – they added even more depth, more body, more “normality” to the instruments. The same influence was audible with every music genre. I started my session with Janos Starker recordings from a 4-disc box compiled by Okihiko Sugano, the editor of „Stereo Sound” magazine. He is a very special person – I heard that many times. Gerhard Hirt, the owner of Ayon Audio, told me that he ( Okihiko Sugano) was one of very few “total gentleman” he knew. Unfortunately Okihiko-san is seriously ill. To honor him I decided to listen to the box with his image on the cover and XRCD24 discs inside, that were prepared using HR Cutting technology, used for Platinum SHM-CD releases. Starker's cello sounded absolutely amazing. The X Blocks added bit more air around it, let it breathe, and gave me an a better insight into maestro's technique. Without them the more quiet details tend to blend together. Just as the electronic backing track and Lisa Gerard's voice on her album The Silver Tree. Dampers made the sound richer, clearer and more natural. Sound was differentiated in a better way and as a result also more palpable. But “palpable” in a different way then when I started this test. Now it seemed like the sound did not hit the driver's cone but rather microphone's while being more nuanced – it might seem to be a small difference but actually it effected presentation in an amazing way. Summary Artesania describing how their dampers work says: „Dampers provide an extra control across the whole passband. They should be considered as the final touch in achieving clarity, tone and coherence in sound reproduction on room acoustics.” On the other hand Finite Elemente declares that „Resonator° converts resonance energy into heat across a broad band and specifically, thus redefining the sound of silence.” X Blocks, although technically they are different products, do exactly the same. And even more. With them in place sound becomes clearer, better defined, more natural. One can better hear the acoustic surrounding of the instrument. Despite the fact that the front of the stage moves bit further away from a listener everything seems clearer and, paradoxically, closer. Its like the better defined contours of each instrument pulled them out of the background. I repeated the test many times with the same effects each time. I really liked what I heard. There was no device and no recording that wouldn't be positively influenced by X Blocks. These seemed to always be “music-friendly”. It is a relatively expensive means to improve a sound of a system but one can try it without any risk, so why not try it? Unless of course, you're afraid that after trial period you'll have to keep it thus spending your money. X Block is a flat box that measures 150 x 187 x 30 mm. Its housing is made of nicely finished, black lacquered wood. On the bottom of the housing there is a rugged rubber washer to prevents any movement of the device after it is placed in required spot. This washer reminded me of one used by a Swedish company Klutz Design for their headphone stands. Company's logo and the name of the device are placed on a shorter side of the device. The is no mineral sand inside like in the Entreq and Audio Revive products, but "modules that are frozen in nitrogen, using a process developed specifically for them and submerged in special resin that effectively suppress EMI and RFI”. One last thing – we received X Block in a simple carton box, while the Finite Elemente Resonator° not only looks hi-tech but it is delivered inside a very nice plastic box. I think Verictum could think about some similar solution for their product. YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/verictum/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/verictum/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/verictum/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/verictum/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/verictum/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/verictum/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/verictum/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/verictum/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/verictum/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/verictum/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/verictum/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/verictum/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

ne of the most frequent reactions of people who have never visited me before and who have nothing to do with audio, is their surprise at the sight of my speaker cables trailing on the floor. In my reference system, I have been using the Tara Labs Omega Onyx cables for many years. They are very thick cables, indeed – two runs of cable, each thicker than my both thumbs. So, I have got used to people comparing them to garden hoses, or most often to welding cables designed for an industrial welder. However, if someone has some knowledge of signal transfer and of advanced methods used in the audio industry that serve to improve it, they will react differently when they see cables as thick as a man’s leg. In that case, comparing them with welding cables will prove inadequate. Welding cables have large diameters because of high currents that flow through them – cables with a large cross-sectional area have lower resistance and the risk of burning is minimized. If we cut through a speaker cable, even as thick as the Tara Labs, we would see that most of the cross-sectional area is filled with dielectrics and air. Conductors comprise just a part of it. The large diameter of (mostly) speaker and power cables does not result from the need to lower their impedance, but from requirements connected with their mechanical design – the right geometry and vibration damping. It seems that the latter is becoming more and more important nowadays. Experiments carried out by leading cable manufacturers prove that reducing microphonics (a term taken from tube technology) improves sound quality. And how to reduce cable microphonics? By using vibration-damping materials and the right geometry, which usually results in increasing the cable diameter considerably, while the amount of metal used for production remains the same. This is how “garden hoses” such as the Tara Labs or the Polish KBL Sound cables (tested in the same issue of “High Fidelity”) are born. Stabilizers Experiments that have been carried out for years by different “freaks”, both users and manufacturers, have shown that vibration control can be increased even further by using cable stabilizers (insulators) which decouple cables from the ground (which vibrates because speakers vibrate) and at the same time reduce the amount of volume between the cable and the ground. So, cable stabilizers are offered by manufacturers such as Acoustic Revive, Harmonix, Siltech, Shunyata Research and others. This group has a new member now – the Polish company Rogoz Audio. What it offers is different from any other such product that I know of, and the difference is most noticeable in the case of my own Acoustic Revive RCI-3H cable insulators. The Japanese insulators have the form of a hickory wooden block with a hollowed-out interior filled with the same crystals and powder that can be found in other platforms produced by this manufacturer. Each insulator is closed from the bottom with a flat wooden board made of another type of wood. The whole product works perfectly well, so the insulators can be found in audio systems used by some members of the Krakow Sonic Society (more about the Acoustic Revive method HERE). Mr. Rogoz, the owner of the Rogoz Audio company, takes an approach similar to the attitude of the British Vertexaq company. The companies suggest using a classic anti-vibration platform of smaller dimensions under cables. When it comes to the Vertexaq company, its product has the form of a metal box permanently integrated with the cable – although it is not visible, there is a platform inside (like in the figure; more information on the Vertexaq company approach, which is probably best documented in the whole audio industry, can be found HERE). As regards the 3T1/BBS, it is an additional (external) element consisting of two shelves, decoupled by a decoupling system: a spike, an intermediary element and a spherical bearing (three per platform), called the BBS – Balancing Board System (patent pending). The top shelf with a cut-out for the cable is independent of the bottom shelf. The whole product is perfectly made and looks very well. The shelves are also quite large, so we can see what we pay for. The stabilizers can be used both under speaker and power cables, as well as under interconnects. They can stand on the floor or on a bookshelf, behind the devices, so that cables do not come into contact with the bookshelf. JANUSZ ROGOZ Owner, constructor A diagram of the decoupling system in the VertexAQ cables. The aim of using the platform is, on the one hand, to protect cables from microphonics by separating them from all solid surfaces that are mechanical acoustic bridges (i.e. any surfaces which comes into contact with a listening room in such a way that vibrations generated by speakers may be transferred onto them via vibrating movement by other solids). On the other hand, the platform is used to separate cables from large flat surfaces and to protect them from the action of an electrostatic field of high intensity, which is almost always created near floors, carpets or floor linings, for example. The platform consists of two sandwich-type shelves mechanically separated from each other at three points by the BBS system. The top shelf of the platform is covered with Indian apple wood and is characterized by low static electricity, while the bottom shelf is covered with polymer varnish collecting low electric charges. As a result, a uniform electric field is created around the top shelf of the platform. The Balancing Board System (BBS) has kinematic and dynamic properties that make it possible for the isolated masses “flow” to the sides of the system axis, simultaneously providing point support. The shape of the shelves and their layered structure, together with the BBS, make it possible to eliminate not only vibrations coming from the ground, but also standing waves, cumulating in the platform itself. The anti-vibration 3T1/BBS stabilizers were tested together with the Acoustic Revive RCI-3H insulators. However, the comparison was mostly related to the stabilizers and a lack of them (cable on the floor). I used two speaker cables for the test: the KBL Sound Himalaya and the Mogami NIII-2804. The test was a repeated A/B comparison, with known A and B. ROGOZ AUDIO in “High Fidelity” • PRIZE OF THE YEAR 2014: Rogoz Audio 3RP1/BBS – anti-vibration platform, read HERE • TEST: Rogoz Audio 3RP1/BBS – anti-vibration platform, read HERE | RED Fingerprint • 10/10 COMPETITION – PEOPLE, EQUIPMENT, PRIZES: Rogoz Audio – anti-vibration stand, read HERE • 10/10 COMPETITION – CLOSE-UP: Rogoz Audio – anti-vibration stand, read HERE • TEST: Rogoz Audio 4SG50/BBS + BW40MKII – anti-vibration platform + anti-vibration feet, read HERE • TEST: Rogoz Audio 3SG40 – anti-vibration platform, read HERE Recordings used in the test (a selection): Arimasa Yuki & Hisatsugu Suzuki, Duet, Una Mas Jazz UNACD-10-01, XRCD24 (2010). David Crosby, Croz, Blue Castle Records BCR1142-1, CD (2014); Jean-Michel Jarre, Oxygene 10, Disques Dreyfus/Epic 664715 2, Maxi SP CD (1997). P.U.R. Collective, Nichi Nichi Kore Ko’nichi, Fortune 0056 (006), CD (2015); Pat Metheny, What’s It All About, Nonesuch Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-14176, CD (2011); Paul McCartney, Kisses on the Bottom, Universal Music/Universal Music LLC [Japan] UCCO-3038, SHM-CD (2012). The Beatles, Abbey Road, Apple/USM Japan UICY76978, SHM-CD (1969/2014). The Modern Jazz Quartet, The Sheriff, Atlantic Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-25129, “Atlantic 60th”, CD (1964/2006). The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main St., Atlantic/Universal Music Company (Japan) UICY-40001, Platinum SHM-CD (1972/2013). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] If we change a component of an audio system and nothing changes in sound quality, there may be a few reasons for this. Firstly, the new component may sound exactly the same as the replaced one. Secondly, errors in the system might mask the changes that have been made. Thirdly, we may simply not be able to hear the changes. I have already written about it once, but there is nothing wrong in repeating it. In the first case, we can modify the system by adding some component which usually serves to protect the system from interference or/and to damp vibrations – and if the introduction of this component does not change anything about the sound, then see above. As far as my experience is concerned, there is usually a combination of two or even three problems, each being equally important. However, assuming that the people who deal with audio can hear things a bit better than the rest of the society – thanks to inborn qualities or training (the sense of hearing can be trained, just like any other organ) – we are left with “a lack of changes” and “masking”. And again – from what I see, it is usually all about the latter. However, the very group of music lovers-audiophiles is the loudest when it comes to proving the thesis that there are cheats, quacks and idiots working in the audio industry. I suggest that they all test Mr. Rogoz’s stabilizers. It is enough for one to assume that what I write is true (even for a moment – let it be such a crazy experiment) and then it will be possible for them to verify their system and/or their sense of hearing. It is due to the fact that if we place the 3T1/BBS stabilizers under cables and hear changes in sound, it will mean that both the system and the sense of hearing are OK. If there is no change, then there is something wrong with either the former or the latter. It is because I assume that changes in sound should be heard immediately, without lengthy listening sessions requiring a lot of attention from the listener. Sometimes it takes time to define, interpret and evaluate these changes, but not to hear that they exist. If nothing changes after a change/introduction of a component, then see above. The tested stabilizers change sound so clearly and unambiguously that one will not need much time to evaluate their influence on the system. Both the thick KBL Sound cables and the much thinner Melodika Brown Sugar BSC2450 cables placed on the stabilizers modified sound in a different way than without them, but in both cases the modifications were very similar. The stabilizers make sound become deeper and more gentle. I think that it is about much better reproduction of small signals responsible for the attack and sound finish, as well as about the acoustic surroundings closest to the instruments. It can be heard as an addition of perspective and life to the sound. The former results from better saturation with little details. The sound seems deeper and a bit heavier. However, the effect of weighing down does not result from adding bass, but from greater naturalness of sound. We obtain very similar effects when a device is characterized by low distortion. It is also very interesting how the shaping of the attack changes. Without the stabilizers, the sound is a little drier (this is less marked “personal” acoustics), and it is also less clear and seems softer. Normally it would be an advantage, as natural sound is not contoured and we do not pay attention to the attack – it is there and that’s it. However, here it is related to something a little different. Better defined sound with the stabilizers is more natural and it is not contoured at all. I would say that it is less fuzzy. Conclusions I do not know how many of those who doubt (of course, everyone has the right to doubt and skepticism is a good quality) the sense of using such products have actually carried out an experiment in which they gave up their disbelief. I assume there have been a few brave ones and that some of them have heard changes similar to those that I describe. Those who have not heard these changes can easily explain such a result of the experiment – it has all been fabricated (since a lack of changes is not a failure – a lack of information is also information). And this is good – everyone should think in their own way. As regards those who have not had an occasion or the will to listen to the influence of the 3T1/BBS stabilizers on sound, I will only tell them that the influence is very positive and that the stabilizers modify sound in such a way that we get closer to a live event, studio or concert. Not all anti-vibration stabilizers that I or my colleagues from the Krakow Sonic Society have listened to work in this way. Mr. Rogoz’s product is very expensive and makes sense in top-of-the-range systems. However, it will help to extract even more music from a well-set system. As regards bad systems, it will prove about as useful as a chocolate teapot. The 3T1/BBS platform consists of two shelves (30 and 25 mm thick) constructed as a “sandwich”. These shelves are separated from each other using the BBS. The top shelf is made of MDF and HDF boards, as well as tineo (Indian apple) wood veneer with high-gloss varnish. The bottom shelf consists of two layers – MDF and HDF boards, coated with high-gloss black varnish. BBS is a system which makes it possible for the shelves to move freely with respect to each other into every direction, keeping them decoupled at the same time. It is a set of three elements: a steel spike on which a carbon polymer cap is placed and a polished steel bearing in the top shelf. Each platform comes in a separate box and the dimensions of the platform are the following: - total height – 70 mm, - total width – 147 mm, - total depth – 147 mm, - top shelf – 147 x 130 x 30 mm, - bottom shelf – 147 x 130 x 25 mm. BBS – Balancing Board System The BBS consists of a threaded, height-adjustable spike made of a high carbon steel alloy on top of which two other elements are placed – each with an inner bearing. The intermediary element is made of a carbon polymer and supports another element – a steel bearing inserted into the shelf. Point contact between the steel spike and the carbon intermediary element prevents movement of either element relative to its axis, but it allows pendular motion. As regards contact between the intermediary element and the bearing inserted into the shelf, it allows restricted rolling motion and sliding motion. So, the advantages of spike point support (the contact area has been minimized and kinetic energy turns into heat) have been combined with the effect of vibration damping resulting from sliding friction and rolling resistance. Rogoz Audio has a patent (UPRP P.404137) pending on the BBS. YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rogoz/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

CM Audio is the production branch of a well-known Polish distributor, the RCM company. The company owner, Roger Adamek, is a fan of the analogue and he still believed in its importance at the time when even the most reasonable people got rid of their collections of black discs, buying the same records in a digital form. A lot of these people are buying the same records for the third time today, again on vinyl. The first two products of RCM Audio, from eight years ago, were a reflection of Roger’s faith in vinyl and tubes – it was the Sensor Prelude IC phono stage and the Bonasus tube integrated amplifier (i.e. “stork”; its version in a red casing was also available). Both of them became pretty popular and have been appreciated all over the world. It could be surprising that the “IC” was a semiconductor preamplifier, based on circuit boards. This is something that purists do not like. However, the effects spoke for themselves – in comparison, most tube preamplifiers sounded as if they were silted. The advantages of the “IC” were appreciated by journalists working for a lot of magazines all over the world, including me – the Sensor Prelude IC became part of my reference system for many years. Nothing had been happening for a longer time in RCM Audio, until we got to know the THERIAA preamplifier. It was a much more expensive and much better product, but also based on integrated circuits. It also had an external power supply unit. Based on what was possible to achieve in the case of this product, the company has prepared a new, altered version of the Sensor, called Sensor2. Sensor2 These are some of the changes that the RCM Audio company points out to: a more powerful external power supply unit, with DC instead of AC voltage on the output, greater filtering capacity in the power supply unit, an enhanced amplifying and correction system, including the arrangement of components, higher-quality integrated circuits, resistors and capacitors, casing similar to the THERIAA casing, without visible screws, more cartridge loading options, a better earthing clamp. Sensor2 is a MM/MC semiconductor phono stage (integrated circuits) with an external power supply unit. It offers amplification within the range of 0.3 mV to 5 mV, at 2 V (1 kHz) output voltage. It means that the maximum amplification is 76 dB. A change of load and amplification is carried out using miniature DIP switches located on the back panel. The device has a balanced input, while RIAA correction is unbalanced and the output is balanced – output signal can be collected from XLR or RCA sockets. RIAA correction is passive, with two separate RC filters, low noise resistors and polypropylene capacitors of 1% tolerance. All the elements are hand-selected, measured and paired, which results in RIAA linearity of +/- 0.3 dB within the range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. There are a few additional options available for the preamp, just like for its previous version: gold-plated Furutech input (RCA) and output (RCA, XLR) sockets, an IEC power socket with a Furutech fuse, rhodium-plated Furutech input (RCA) and output (RCS, XLR) sockets. WOJCIECH HRABIA RCM Audio The first version of the Sensor was created on the basis of experience gained while configuring analogue systems and looking for solutions that would be better and would suit our tastes better than the available ones. We were hoping that they would also suit the tastes of our clients. This resulted in the Sensor Prelude IC project. Considering that it was a project of a company that had not been associated with production before, the Sensor sold very well both in Poland and abroad. While it was being produced, a few changes were made to its construction, but they were not significant enough to make it possible to talk about a new version of the phono stage. After six years, the time came to introduce more radical changes resulting from the experience gained while designing the THERIAA phono stage. The change that is visible straight away from the outside is the casing. The screws from visible planes are gone and the phono stage has become slightly bigger, but, which is most important, the casing has become more rigid. The changes “inside” are more important and they are mainly found in the power supply unit, but not only. The correction section has also been altered in a few ways. These are not just “cosmetic” changes – they have big influence on the sound of the device. So, this time we can talk about a new version of the phono stage. This is how the Sensor2 has been created. The new Sensor’s power supply has been improved due to, among others, the use of a better transformer (Myra) having higher power and voltage. Rectification and the first stage of stabilization are now in the casing of the power supply unit. The second stage is located in the casing of the phono stage. Power supply entering the phono stage is already “rectified” and stabilized, which results in lower interference. Low impedance Panasonic capacitors having a longer lifetime are used in the filtration system. Low noise, precise resistors and Evox Rifa capacitors are used in the correction stage. All the important elements are hand-selected. The gradation of cartridge impedance matching has been slightly altered. An ABA test was used to compare the phono stage to other devices (A and B known). The reference devices were the RCM Audio Sensor Prelude IC, the Amare Musica ASPIRIA, and, secondarily, all phono stages that I have tested in the last eight years – both in “High Fidelity” and “Audio”. The preamp was placed on the Acoustic Revive RAF-48H platform, while the power supply unit – on the RST-38H platform. The power cable used was the Crystal Cable Absolute Dream. RCM Audio in “High Fidelity” REPORTAGE: „HOME, SWEET HOME…” a few words (and an interview) on the occasion of opening the new headquarters of the RCM company , read HERE TEST: RCM Audio THERIAA – phono stage, read HERE TEST: RCM Audio SENSOR PRELUDE IC – phono stage, read HERE TEST: RCM Audio BONASUS – integrated amplifier, read HERE Recordings used during the test (a selection): Bill Evans, Selections from Live at Art D'Lugoff's Top Of The Gate, Resonance Records HLT-8012, “Limited Edition #270”, Blue Vax 10” LP (2012). Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms, Warner Bros./Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab MFSL-2-441, “Special Limited Edition No 3000”, 2 x 180 g, 45 RPM LP (1985/2014). Frank Sinatra, The Voice, Columbia/Classic Records CL 743, “50th Anniversary”, Quiex SV-P, 180 g LP (1955/2005). Jean-Michel Jarre & Tangerine Dream, Zero Gravity, The Vinyl Factory VF184, 45 RMP, 180 g LP (2015). Julie London, Julie is Her Name. Volume Two, Liberty/Analogue Productions APP 7100, 180 g LP (1958/2014). Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio, Midnight Sugar, Three Blind Mice/Cisco TBM-23-45, “Twenty-Fift Anniversary Limited Edition, No. 0080/1000”, 45 RPM, 2 x 180 g LP (1974/2004). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Testing a product which has replaced an element that is part of the editorial staff’s reference system in a given manufacturer’s offer is something completely different than an “ordinary” test. The procedure is, naturally, the same, it is never altered, but the expectations are completely different. It is because the device, speakers, cables, etc., usually used for years to evaluate other products, are thoroughly known to the journalist who uses them – he or she knows both their advantages and disadvantages. Since we are talking about a reference system, it is clear that the given product has not been placed there by accident – it has been selected due to its high sound quality, functionality and (often) its aesthetic qualities, as well as because of its “compatibility” with the rest of the system and with the journalist’s expectations. The Sensor Prelude IC phono stage has been in my system for eight years and, to be more precise, since October 2007 (its test was published in “High Fidelity” a month later). During this time, the whole world, just like Poland, has changed almost beyond recognition, while “High Fidelity” has changed its layout a few times, and the Sensor’s manufacturer has built new impressive headquarters. One thing has remained unchanged: the first phono stage offered by RCM Audio, although inexpensive and small, was an amazing tool for me, cooperating with such extremely expensive turntables as: the Transtoror Argos, the TechDAS Air Force One and the Two, as well as with some outstanding phono stages: the Vitus Audio SP-102, the Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Legend and the THERIAA – the more expensive RCM Audio phono stage. To say more, it has never let me down. I have heard in what ways more expensive, better devices are superior to it, but, frankly speaking, I have never felt “urged” to replace it. So, the test of the Sensor2 was, in the first place, a comparison with the Sensor Prelude IC for me, and only secondly a test as such. Comparison If something is good, it will always remain good – this is what I have always thought. The older Sensor is an example which confirms this rule. When we listened to it during the ABA test, it proved it is great. Not even for a moment did my face express discontent or disappointment. On the contrary, I was rather focused and attentive, as the constructors of the phono stage deserve the utmost respect. However, it was hard for me to think that nothing has changed. The new Sensor is better, in almost every respect. However, just like in the case of all the good products that I am talking about, these are deep evolutionary changes that develop the “superstructure” and not the “base”, if I may say so. It is very clear sound. It is something that surprises me every time I compare the Sensor to other phono stages (to their disadvantage). Only once another device proved to be better in this respect – and that was the THERIAA. It is all about giving out sounds in themselves, with other sounds, and not in a cluster under which there is something more, something that is hard to define. Thanks to the clarity, the tone, the dynamics and the sound stage are highly independent and wonderfully differentiated. I think that this is why the phono stage has such incredible resolution, without going into too much unnecessary detail. When the Sensor2 is compared to the first Sensor, one can notice a distinct change, but not as noticeable as in the case of the THERIAA. But also, as the tone range is a bit different in the Sensor2 and the “energetic” accents are distributed in a different way, it is closer to the top RCM Audio preamp than to its first version. The energy that I am talking about consists in saturating sound with rhythm and tangibility. Knopfler’s electric guitar on Brothers in Arms, Isoo Fukui’s bass guitar on Midnight Sugar and Marty Morell’s percussion on Bill Evans’s album were all stronger, denser and more “here and now”. One may perceive this change as slight darkening of the tone – it will be a justified assumption. However, it is worth taking into account that it is not about manipulating the tone. To me, the “less present” upper midrange rather means better saturation with harmonics and more “sound in sound”, which results in a very mature musical message. Sensor2 The tonal balance is, as for me, almost perfect. It was similar with the “IC”, but now, thanks to better differentiation, the perception of even those records that “have problems with the treble” is even more acceptable. Under unfavorable circumstances, the first Sensor could sound a little “light”. It was not its fault, but the fault of the surroundings, but that was the reality. The Sensor2 seems to be more resistant to these problems, entering sound more deeply and, thanks to this, “noticing” less of what is happening on the surface, i.e. technical problems. Expensive preamps, including the Vitus, have denser bass and more firmly “sit” on the base, although after accommodation to the character of the Sensor2 one does not have a problem with it. The sound stage is very broad and deep – it is something that makes RCM Audio phono stages different from all other preamps. Here, the space between us, the line connecting the speakers and the back of the stage is also more filled up. Also sounds BEHIND the listener, like on Roger Waters album, and Jarre and Tangerine Dream maxi-single, are more fleshy and explicit. I think that this is largely due to excellent resolution, as well as rhythmicity – the speed of the sound attack is immediate. So, nothing has changed: when one compares other, most frequently tube preamps to RCM Audio products, they all (I repeat: all, with full responsibility) sound as if the music was being played slightly more slowly, and as if warmth was taking over a large part of the information on the aura, surroundings, air and textures of the instruments themselves. It is very even, precise, but never unclear or harsh sound. The bandwidth edges are strong, explicit and precise. The bass is perfectly stretched and controlled, though the latter gives the Sensor Prelude the only (theoretical) advantage over the Sensor2. It is all about the fact that the Sensor Prelude’s mid-bass is a bit drier. Therefore, instruments operating within this range have a shorter decay, which is often welcomed, as most recordings fail us in this respect. As regards the Sensor2, nothing gets masked due to better filling, better fluidity of the range and, most of all, more explicit reverberation – so, we get more of what is actually recorded on the album. If I were to use some kind of a comparison, I would have to appeal to the sensitivity of those who swim. You can recognize a beginning swimmer by, among others, the fact that they try to stretch their arms as far as possible while swimming breaststroke, as it seems to them that in this way they will swim faster. This is how weaker preamps sound. An experienced swimmer uses their arms only to make short movements that actually aim to help him or her bring the head above the surface of water and enter the water again, while the whole body moves mostly due to the movement of legs – this is how the Sensor2 sounds. The top professionals know that legs have nothing to do with the breaststroke and make fast, short movements, keeping their knees together. CONCLUSIONS The Senor2 is one of the best phono stages that I have ever heard. Of course, I am aware of the fact that its price is not high (as far as high-end is concerned), but it is what it is. We get distributive and differentiating, and therefore very colorful sound. It is also liquid and smooth – it is a considerable change when compared to the Prelude IC. Its greatest advantage is that it shows recordings in their full complexity – they are dense and deep, and they have the continuity that lets recordings become alive, as if they were breathing fully. If anything can be changed about it, that would be adding a little “foundation”. This is what the best and most expensive preamps that I know do. This does not exactly result in lowering the tone, but in greater volume, stronger “here and now”. It is a professional tool and an excellent supplement of even very expensive audio systems. It is clear that it is possible to achieve even better results, but, firstly, that means spending many times more money and, secondly, one would have to come to like it. RED Fingerprint. The Sensor2 phono stage is rather small and its circuits are located in two casings. In the larger one there are correction and amplification circuits, and in the smaller one there is the power supply unit. Both casings are rigid and made of thick aluminum – they have the shape of pipes with rectangular cross sections, into which boards are inserted. Similarly to the first version of the preamp, here the feet are also “symbolic”, having the form of rubber hemispheres. It seems that the manufacturer assumes that users will, anyway, place the preamp on feet that they trust. Both casings are very neatly and professionally made. Two color versions are available: one with a black and one with a silver front; the power supply unit is black in both cases. Phono stage There is only a green micro LED on the front panel of the preamp. Much more can be found at the back. There is an RCA input (balanced or unbalanced) – we choose the mode using a DIP switch. It is good to start with the balanced mode and switch to the unbalanced mode only when loud hum is present in speakers. There are two outputs – an unbalanced RCA output and a balanced XLR output. If there is a balanced signal on the input, it is transformed into unbalanced signal in the correction section anyway. The signal is balanced again in the output section. The sockets used in the preamp are Neutrik XLR sockets and Teflon Eagle-Cable RCA sockets. . There are DIP switches next to the sockets, separate for gain and impedance. Each channel has a set of two such switches. Impedance can be changed in eight steps: 20, 30, 50, 100, 200, 400, 1000 and 47 000 Ω, while gain – in seven: 0.3/0.4/0.6/0.9/1.4/2.5/5 mV. Next to the switches there is a ground terminal (which is not gold-plated) and an external power supply unit socket. It is better than in the previous version – it is a 5-pin Amphenol XLR socket. The electrical circuit is located on three boards – on one of them there is a symmetrical power supply (without a transformer) and on the remaining two there are correction and amplification circuits; each channel has its own PCB. It is a semiconductor circuit, based on integrated circuits: there is the Burr Brown INA217 circuit on the input and then the OPA2134 (produced by the same manufacturer). Next to the XLR output there is the Analog Devices SSM2134 circuit – a low-noise buffer which is usually used to send signal through long cables. There are precise, metalized resistors, Vishay capacitors and one big polypropylene Wima capacitor on the board. As regards the power supply board, there are two capacitor banks (22 capacitors altogether) and integrated stabilizers from the LM (317) series. It is good, clean work.. Power supply unit The power supply unit is assembled in a similar way to the preamp, i.e. it is composed of aluminum elements. However, contrary to what the preamp looks like, here you can see screws at the front. It is a small black box with a permanently attached cable having an Amphenol XLR female connector at its end. It has an IEC power socket on the back panel, with a fuse and a mechanical power switch. Inside, there is a small classic transformer in a plastic casing, an EMI filter, a single LED-based bridge and two banks of filtering capacitors. The capacitors are bypassed with Evox Rifa capacitors with metalized polyester film. In the Prelude IC voltage was rectified in the preamp – here it is already rectified in the power supply unit. Technical specifications (according to the manufacturer): Input sensitivity: 0.3 - 5 mV (adjustable) Sensitivity adjustment options: 0.3/0.4/0.6/0.9/1.4/2.5/5 mV  Gain: 52 - 76 dB (2 V rms output) Input impedance: 20 Ω, 47 000 Ω Impedance adjustment options: 20, 30, 50, 100, 200, 400, 1000 and 47 000 Ω Input capacitance: 100 pF Input operation mode: symmetrical - unsymmetrical Input: RCA THD: 0.01% S/N: 85 dB RIAA linearity: +/- 0.3 dB (20 Hz – 20 kHz) Output impedance: 70 Ω Output: XLR, RCA Nominal output: 2 V rms Maximum output: 8 V rms Dimensions: 245 x 227 x 110 mm – preamp 122 x 230 x 70 mm – power supply unit Weight: 3.5 kg - preamp 1.7 kg – power supply unit Power consumption: max 17 W Bach To Moog Craig Leon | Jennifer Pike Sinfonietta Cracovia Music on Vinyl | Sony Classical MOVCL019 Medium: 180 g LP Year of release: 2015 The tradition of transcribing musical works for other instruments is as old as the history of music itself. At the beginning it was easy, in the sense that notation was not very precise and it was possible to perform given parts using different instruments, or even sing them (and vice versa) without too much difficulty. However, Bach to Moog belongs to a slightly different part of the musical heritage. It refers to the 1960s, when attempts were made to replace live instruments with their electronic equivalents. As opposed to transcription, it was all about rendering the sound of the original instrument as faithfully as possible. That was the idea behind the album Switched-on Bach released in 1968 by Columbia Masterpieces, on which Wendy Carlos played electronic instruments (let me remind you that an album entitled Bach Rewrite, recorded by Capella Cracoviensis with Orzechowski on a Rhodes piano and Masecki on a Wurlitzer piano, was released in 2012 by Decca). Referring to that event, Craig Leon, who plays a Moog analogue synthesizer, decided to celebrate the 50th anniversary of creating the first modular synthesizer of this type, and at the same time pay tribute to its creator, Robert “Bob” Moog (1934-2005) who died exactly ten years ago. He invited the violinist Jennifer Pike and the Cracovian orchestra Sinfonietta Cracovia to carry out his plan. The process of recording was divided into two stages: Craig recorded his parts in the Bottomwood Recording studio in Buckinghamshire, while the violin and orchestra were recorded in Alwernia near Cracow, in Alvernia Studios which looks like the alien town from Alien. PREPARATION The album was prepared by Atlas Realisation Music and the copyright was bought by Sony Classical which released the album together with Music on Vinyl. We know the latter company well – I wrote about it some time ago. I also regularly present albums that it publishes (more HERE). However, Bach to Moog is a unique album in its catalogue. This is the first album of the new Classical series, which will include recordings connected with classical music. Apparently, somebody has made an effort to make the series as attractive as possible. Instead of a plain envelope made of thin film, we get an excellent external envelope made of thick vinyl having a white vignette decorated with golden letters at the front, and a logo of the series stamped at the back. The disc is not put in an ordinary paper cover, but in a much better cover with antistatic film in the paper. It is a varnished gatefold cover with an insert and very nice photos which present the cosmic interior of Alvernia Studios. SOUND In this case, we are talking about a very large studio where you can considerably change the acoustics. However, it is still a studio. That is why sound engineers who work there rely on different types of reverberation. I have recently bought a record with the soundtrack for Marcin Krzyształowicz’s movie Pani z przedszkola (Kindergarten Teacher) recorded at the same place. It is a good production and the person responsible for mastering was our old friend and the Grammy award winner, Jacek Gawłowski, but some things still cannot be changed – multi-mono recordings in such space do not sound as if they were recorded at a concert hall. The three-dimensional images of instruments that they offer are not as well-defined and the differentiation is also worse. This can also be found on the reviewed album. However, it is helpful that the most important instrument here is the Moog. It is a newly constructed, 55-module instrument characterized by great sound capability, which Craig Leon willingly makes use of. The instruments, mostly the synthesizer, produce very clear sound, next to us. It is fairly warm, dense sound. Although, as it seems, the master tape was a file, the effect is really nice. The quality of pressing is also amazing – the traveling noise is very low and there is almost no crackle. It is worth having this album to see how interestingly electronics can be matched with acoustic instruments. RED Fingerprint. sonymusicmasterworks.com musiconvinyl.com Sound quality: 7/10 YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/rcm_audio/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

he Diamond 28 is a new flagship of Polish company Pylon Audio and a part of a new top line of their speakers. Although we have a great pleasure to inform you that even more expensive model is under development and that High Fidelity is involved in the project. This will be the first model using Pylon Audio's own drivers (I mean designed and manufactured by them). For now we are at prototype stage of the whole process – we'll keep you informed about progress of this project. We have written a lot already about this vigorous, Polish company – you will find more details in „PYLON AUDIO in HF” section. History of this company, written without any rush, according to a certain plan, is a story that started with inexpensive models, and then developed into creating new, more advanced and more expensive ones. Each new model proves that company's designers learn, gain experience that allows them to create better products. This progress is also reflected by the names of following lines: Pearl, Topaz, Saphire, Diamond, with the one exception of least expensive line Onyx that was introduced after Pearl. Looking at this history Diamonds 28 seem to be a culmination, a top achievement of the up to date activity of this manufacturer. It's a two-and-half-way speaker, using 3 drivers, still acquired from external suppliers – a 19 mm Scan Speak tweeter and two 180mm Seas woofers. The latter sport a coated paper cones. These are quite large speakers, but they don't look overwhelming in a room due to a narrow front baffle that is also tilted back and metal, shiny spacer placed between plinth and cabinet – both these elements reminded me of PMC twenty.26. Due to large internal volume and relatively high maximum power (max. 250 W) these speakers can work in large and very large rooms. Manufacturer suggests room with a floor space of 25 to 45 m2. PYLON AUDIO in „HF” TEST: Pylon Audio SAPPHIRE 25 – loudspeakers, see HERE YEARLY AWARD 2014: Pylon Audio PEARL 25 – loudspeakers, see HERE · TEST: Pylon Audio PEARL 25 – loudspeakers, see HERE BEST SOUND Audio Show 2014: Pylon Audio SAPPHIRE 25 – loudspeakers, see HERE BEST SOUND Audio Show 2013: Pylon Audio TOPAZ MONITOR – loudspeakers, see HERE YEARLY AWARD 2011: Pylon Audio PEARL – loudspeakers, see HERE TEST: Pylon Audio PEARL MONITOR – loudspeakers, see HERE TEST: Pylon Audio PEARL – loudspeakers, see HERE Recordings used during this test (a selection) Daft Punk, Random Access Memories, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3817, CD (2013); Deep Purple, Now What?!/Now What?! Live Tapes, EAR Music 0209064ERE, 2 x CD (2013); Ed Sheeran, X, Warner Music UK/Warner Music Japan WPCR-15730, CD (2014); Enya, Enya, BBC Entertainment BBC CD 605, CD (1987). Leonard Cohen, Popular Problems, Sony Music Labels SICP-4329, CD (2014); Macy Gray, The Way, Kobalt Label HMBT001CD, CD (2014); Maroon5, V, Interscope Records/Universal Music LLC (Japan) UICS-9146, CD + DVD (2014); Nahorny Sextet, Chopin Genius Loci, Confiteor 005, 2 x CD (2010). Porcupine Tree, Deadwing, Lava 93437, CD (2005). Tool, 10,000 Days, Volcano Entertainment 819912, CD (2006). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] One expects a large scale sound from large speakers, right? But it doesn't always work like that. Setting up Diamonds 28, knowing how much they weight, seeing how much space they occupy (these are not compact speakers!), and realizing how much they cost I was entitled to think that they would offer a large volume sound. And they fulfilled this expectation and done even more than that. They delivered unconstrained sound without even slightest hint of compression, large phantom images and a proper impression of a large acoustic environment of the recording. These loudspeakers offer us a taste of a scale of sound that might be achieved with such refined speakers like Dynaudio C4 Platinum. Obviously the latter represent completely different level of performance, that should be obvious, but in regard of huge, unconstrained presentation and rendering of a large soundstage Polish speakers are not that far behind famous, much more expensive “cousins”. Hearing this type of presentation I reached out to artists like: Maroon 5, Deep Purple, Enya, Ed Sheeran, Portishead, Led Zeppelin and many others. To be sure of speaker's qualities in regard to resolution and selectivity I also listened to some jazz recordings, but it wasn't them that really “got me going”. The most interesting part of my listening session was the one when I listened to some recordings that usually didn't go very well with “audiophile” speakers. But the same recordings played on high quality system will always present some qualities. Whatever went wrong in the process of creating such recording we might perceive as an interesting case study, as a memento of certain times, or certain techniques used at the time. Of course there is one prerequisite condition – this must be a recording of some interesting music – without it recording is worthless obviously. You can't really expect that inexpensive speakers will be particularly resolving – Diamond 28 are no different in this regards just as less expensive Pylon Audio speakers aren't. Sure, there is some progress here, but not big enough to create a new quality level. Differentiation is pretty good. It allows us to notice how differently were individual pieces on Ed Sheeran's X made, it will let us understand the intentions of Nahorny Sextet Chopin Genius Loci producers. But this insight won't ever be a key factor, it won't be something that we'll be looking for in each following recording. These speakers appeal to a listener with something else – the large scale/volume of the sound combined with the ability to (subjectively) improve sound quality of those less-than-perfect recordings. It is not a slow sound lacking a spark, it doesn't just mask harshness, hide compression (the one introduced on mastering level). It's an open sound, there is as much treble as needed, we don't have to make effort to hear a “heavy” cymbal, or a drumroll, or a bass guitar in a way we expect to hear it. And yet, these less-than-perfect albums somehow become friends with Pylon Audio loudspeakers. These a bit too bright, like V by Maroon 5, sound in a very pleasant way. One can easily spot a lot on energy focused in the upper midrange but it doesn't create any discomfort for listener. Same goes for Leonard Cohen's Popular Problems – the disproportion between wonderfully recorded back track and poorly recorded vocal isn't so “painful” as usually, everything “sticks” together into a nice piece of music. I'd even say that the back track sounds even more three-dimensional and more harmonious than with other speakers. On top of that comes the impressive dynamics of Diamond 28. Their bass performance is well balanced – bass extension is good and there is quite a lot of low range presence. At the very low end one might hear an influence of bass-reflex ports, as the impulses don't end quickly but are slightly elongated. If you can place the speakers at least 50cm from back and side walls, or even better 80-100cm away from them, you'll be rewarded with a really well balanced sound that will include a rich, punchy bass but also a sweet an “present” treble. Plus a very nice, enjoyable midrange. All these qualities will be served equally well when you push the volume beyond normal limits, as well as during very quiet, night sessions. And finally some words on imaging – the ability to combine presentation of a large soundstage with images of particular instruments is one of strongest advantages of these speakers. Pylons render a large scale soundstage which makes their presentation sound a lot like a live performance. Obviously the performance has to be scaled down, but still, as for a reproduction in a room, the scale was impressive. This way we can listen to the music without a need of focusing on particular element and “extracting” it from background and “enlarging” it in our head. It is already provided by the speakers. Images of particular instruments are not very distinctive – to achieve that one needs more resolving and more selective sound. These speakers are also not masters of dynamics “shading”, they won't show us every little change of dynamics, every tiny detail, every change of tonality. They have other qualities though, as described above. Summary Diamond 28 by Pylon Audio will find their fans among people who appreciate proper scale of music reproduction. Ease of sound reproduction and the amazing ability that allows them to “humanize” these recordings that most people won't even play on their hi-fi class systems because of their not so great quality, will cause 99% of potential customers to fall in love with them. These are people just want to listen to the music they like regardless of the recording's quality. Also music streamed from Internet with these speakers will have a new, more “human” face. Thanks to the slight slanting of the construction an intended visual effects combined with the optimization of phase dependence between the loudspeakers was achieved. The make & finish is very good – Pylon is a manufacturer of loudspeakers cabinets after all. MDF cabinet is finished (not only on the outside but also on the inside) with natural veneer, available in several colors. One might also choose a high gloss finish. Large cabinet is susceptible to vibrations so the design has been reinforced with internal ribs. To make the whole design more stable manufacturer used an additional plinth. It is made of MDF with a lacquer finish. It is separated from the cabinet with a spacer, probably made of some metal. Plinth sports also four steel spikes. Manufacturer adds four small washers to protect the floor but I would suggest replacing them with bigger ones. Diamond 28 is a two-and-half-way, vented speaker. A large bass-reflex port is placed on the rear baffle. Manufacturer for this model chose a soft dome tweeter – the 19mm, modified Scan Speak D2010/8513002. After modification Pylon calls it: Pylon Audio PST 19.T. Two woofers come from Seas – it's the CA18RLY model (Pylon Audio PSW 18.8.CA) with a coated paper cone. Crossover was built using point-to-point technique – you won't find a PCB there. It sports polypropylene capacitors. The single, gold-plated speaker connector are mounted on a small plate fixed to the rear panel of the speaker. Diamond 28 sport magnetic grills – a solution that improves speakers aesthetic. These are well made, nicely finished, large loudspeakers with cabinets of classic dimensions and proportions. Specifications (according to manufacturer): Impedance: 4 Ω Frequency response: 36 Hz-20 000 Hz Nominal power: 120 W Maximum power: 250 W Sensitivity: 90 dB Dimensions [W x H x D]: 1040 x 196 x 370 mm Weight: 25 kg/PC. Woofer: 2 x Pylon Audio PSW 18.8.CA (2xSeas CA18RLY) Tweeter: Pylon Audio PST 19.T (Scan Speak D2010/851300) Spikes + stand: yes Grill: yes, magnetic Warranty: 3 years + 1 year (upon products registration) Finishes: natural veneer: wenge, black, walnut, cherry. High gloss: white HG, black HG. Upon individual orders colors from RAL palette available. YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/pylon/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/pylon/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/pylon/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/pylon/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/pylon/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/pylon/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/pylon/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/pylon/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/pylon/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/pylon/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/pylon/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/pylon/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/pylon/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/pylon/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/pylon/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/pylon/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/pylon/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/pylon/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/pylon/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/pylon/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/pylon/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/pylon/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/pylon/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/pylon/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/pylon/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/pylon/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/pylon/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/pylon/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/pylon/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/pylon/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

t is hard to find own niche on the market. The smaller the industry the smaller potential customer group and thus the more difficult is to reach them. On top of that there is this, sometimes even unaware, preference audiophiles have for products made in Western Europe, USA or Japan. If you consider all that it might seem that a customer choosing some Polish product, especially cables, is as rare case as someone climbing K2 without oxygen mask. But as they say – no pain (risk) no gain. Even more so today because it seems that it's a good period for such small companies offering something different. Why? First of all music fans from many countries are bit bored with well established brands and they look for something new, fresh. Secondly companies like KBL Sound, are not only “fresh” but also very professional. I mean that they offer complete products – these are perfectly made, packed in elegant boxes, and offering fantastic performance. Often their products offer better value than their competitors from Great Britain, USA or even Japan. The above mentioned KBL Sound belongs to, in my opinion, most interesting and still very young manufacturers. Power cables Red Eye and power strip Reference Power Distributor with KBL's logo are a part of our B reference system doing there a great job (see HERE). The Red Eye for a long time was the top one in this manufacturer's portfolio. But some time ago we received information that KBL was already developing new, top line, that will be made for customers only upon order. Finally it is here and it's called: Himalaya. Below a quote from manufacturer's website: The new flagship Signature series, Himalaya, is the culmination of our long-term efforts to create such cables allowing the highest standard of top hi-end audio equipment to reveal their full potential. One cannot hide the fact that cables - the necessary connections within the system - always, to some extent, hinder such potential. Electronic devices have the possibility to sound better than what we currently hear. The challenge is to minimize this degradation of the transmitted signal. We are proud of the product series Himalaya, because we have evidence that their loss factor is really negligible and that they persist in this respect even the most advanced products of the world market, and even in some aspects exceed them, while retaining several times lower price. Therefore, just as it is with all the cables from any level, they are best used in the system of their corresponding class, since only then will their advantages as well as of the devices be displayed. Manufacturer also claims that they used “costly and time-consuming solutions”, as well as expensive conductors and connectors. Among some proprietary solutions manufacturer emphasizes the key rule of cable's geometry, that minimizes resonances and stress. Cable are made manually and tested on multiple stages of the process, and finally broken in (or formed) using a professional cable cooker. So when they finally reach customer they are almost ready to deliver optimal performance. Yes, one should let them play a bit in one's system, but the time before they reach their optimum is significantly reduced. An appearance and functionality These cables are relatively flexible and light, which makes it quite easy to connect them to any system. The WBT RCA nextgen connectors base on a very interesting design and if only possible they should be plugged in sockets from the same series. My Ayon preamplifer, that I used for this test, sports such sockets, but CD Player and phonostage use classic RCA sockets by Furutech. The WBT spades are also very well made, but they are also quite small so they won't fit all speakers posts – one should check this aspect before purchase to avoid a problem. If these spades are too small manufacturer can offer cables with different, bigger ones. These cables look really good, they are professionally made. Speaker cable at one end sports wooden rings that first of all look really nice, and secondly they also damp vibrations. Cables are delivered in very nice wooden boxes with company's name engraved on it. A certificate of authenticity is a nice touch, and a practical one too as I'm pretty sure that some will try to copy these cables (illegally of course). KBL SOUND Interconnects For Himalaya interconnects we decides to use the same type of conductor as for previous flagship model, Red Eye Ultimate, but we doubled their number and topology is more complex. They are made of mono crystal silver manufactured using OCC (Ohno Continuous Casting) process. This unique metallurgy process which ensures that the conductors obtain a perfectly homogeneous molecular structure, with the highest clarity. Single crystals of metal reach a length even of several hundred meters. As a result, the electron beam passes through such a conductor without facing any barrier and does not degrade. The signal transmitted in this way has the highest smoothness and accuracy due to the absence of phase delay and distortion. The insulator of the wire is Teflon, additionally foamed with very fine air bubbles, which significantly improve its desired properties in this application. This is the most expensive solution, but there are no better dielectric for use in practice. Additionally, the cable is shielded in several ways against EM and RF interferences. A special multi-layered jacket protects the cables from external vibrations. The ends of the wires have been configured as a result of extensive tests so that the character of the cables sound did not deviate from neutrality. Connectors have reduced contact surface to the minimum necessary to eliminate eddy currents and other distortions arising from the excessive mass of connecting elements together. Single ended (RCA) version of this model comes with WBT 0152 Ag nextgen Signature plugs. Balanced (XLR) version use Oyaide Focus connectors, made with photo camera precision. Also Himalaya phono cables are available terminated on one end with RCA connectors (WBT) and with 5 DIN (Cardas), or RCA (WBT) on the other. Standard lengths are: 1, 1,5, 2 m. Speaker cables Himalaya speaker cables have been designed completely from scratch and some unique solutions were applied. Handcrafting of these cables is a time-consuming process, but just like with the rest of the Himalaya series, we assumed that what finally matters is the uncompromising result and manufacturing costs do not play a role. They are based on multi-strand mono crystal copper conductors OCC and specific wire structure design. Their complex geometry completely protects the sensitive signal from the impact of the increasingly ubiquitous electronic smog, or any kind of radiation from the outside. Another feature of this solution is very low inductance, which is favorable for this type of cable. The insulator is Teflon foamed with very fine bubbles of air, the material that also protects the metal from corrosion, but does not absorb the current flow energy like other dielectrics. The cables have tuned, experimentally developed resonance absorbing system,. This help to eliminate magnetic distortions generated by the current flowing through the conductors and also mechanical lapping with the environment that disturbs their work. One of its components are anti-vibration rings of selected wood. WBT NextGen Signature series spades are a perfect choice for termination due to reduced contact surface that eliminates eddy currents and mass storage effects. This solution ensures that the sound is freed from the ballast that can weigh it down. it acquires more freedom and spaciousness, and also becomes more substantial. Other terminations are available upon request. Standards lengths include: 2 x 2 m, 2 x 2,5 m, 2 x 3 m. KBL SOUND in „High Fidelity” YEARLY AWARD: : KBL Sound REFERENCE POWER DISTRIBUTOR + RED EYE – power strip + power cables (as system), see HERE TEST: KBL Sound REFERENCE POWER DISTRIBUTOR + RED EYE - power strip + power cables (as system), see HERE TEST: KBL Sound RED EYE – digital cable S/PDIF, see HERE I conducted ABA comparison with A and B known. My reference cables were: Royal Signature Series Double Crown Empress and 聖HIJIRI HGP-10R „Million” ICs and speaker cables Tara Labs Omega Onyx and Cardas Audio Clear Reflection. Speakers cables rested on Rogoz Audio 3T1/BBS anti-vibration elements. Interconnect connected Ancient Audio Lektor V-Edition CD Player with Ayon Audio Spheris III preamplifier, as well as RCM Audio Sensor Prelude IC phonostage with Ayon pre. Speaker cables worked between Soulution 710 and Harbeth M40.1 loudspeakers. Recordings used for this test (a selection): Enya, Enya, BBC Entertainment BBC CD 605, CD (1987). Frank Sinatra, In The Wee Small Hours, Capitol Records/EMI 88654 12, 180 g LP (1955/2009). Hilary Hahn, Hilary Hahn Plays Bach, Sony Classical/Sony Music Japan Entertainment SICC-30087, "Best Classics 100 | No. 78", Blu-spec CD2 (1997/2012). J.S. Bach, Goldberg Variations BWV 988. 1981 Digital Recording, wyk. Glen Gould, Sony Classical/Sony Music Entertainment Hong Kong 88765440092, “No. 0197”, gold-CD (1982/2013). Kankawa, Organist, T-TOC Records UMVD-0001-0004, "Ultimate Master Vinyl", 4 x 45 rpm 180 g LP + CD-RIIα + 24/192 WAV; Kate Bush, 50 Worlds For Snow, Fish People 72986615, 2 x 180 g LP (2011); Mark Knopfler, The Trawlerman's Song EP, Mercury, 9870986, CD (2005). P.U.R. Collective, Nichi Nichi Kore Ko’nichi, Fortune 0056 (006), CD (2015); Yo-Yo Ma & Bobby McFerrin, Hush, Sony Music/Sony Music Hong Kong Ltd. 543282, “No. 0441”, K2HD Mastering, CD (1992/2012). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Law of diminishing returns I can't really remember where did I write about it, most like in one of my texts for American magazine „EnjoyTheMusic.com” – it was about how users perceive audio products, how, subjectively, we all perceive increase of products quality/value against its higher price. In fact it could be described using asymptote – such curve runs almost vertically and then, at some point it turns and runs almost horizontally. In our case for a long time small increase of price gives us a significant improvement in performance and at some point to achieve any further, even small progress, one has to pay a lot for it. It is called a ‘law of diminishing returns’. This law is a fact, no reason to even discuss it. What I'd like to discuss or explain is a wrong interpretation of this law used by many audiophiles who believe that spending more money on their system makes sense only while there are still in this vertical part of the curve. Some say that once this curve changes direction for almost horizontal, there is no use to spend any more money as there is no real performance progress anymore. It is a wrong approach caused by a wrong perspective. It works this way only if you're still down the vertical line – you have, lets say, a 10.000 PLN amplifier in your system and your trying to assess performance improvement (against price increase) of a 100.000 PLN one. Having no, or little experience with products from the higher price range, man may not even notice some differences – there is nothing wrong with that, but this man should not claim that his finding is an absolute truth. Perspective changes if man already uses top-high-end system. I can assure you – from this perspective each, even minimal improvement seems like a real break-through. And to experience this break-through every day man is able to spend a fortune on it. Himalaya It so happens that Himalaya cables belong to these exclusive products that, regarding their price and performance, belong already to the group of products on a vertical part of our curve. It is already this point on the curve where a significant price increase ensures only tiny improvements of performance that people without proper experience wouldn't most likely even notice. But from the perspective of absolute top-high-end these tiny changes are obvious, high price justifiable and even expected. Performance of Polish cables is excellent, refined. It reminded me of the most expensive models of Siltech – from both Double and Triple Crown lines. They deliver very focused, dense, rich with harmonics sound. And while these are silver cables one won't find here any brightness, harshness, or even a hint of hardship of the sound often present in the sound of less expensive silver cables. I'd even say that the sound is a bit darker than what most copper cables offer, even such one as Cardas Clear Reflection, who's tonal balance is shifted towards lower part of the range. The less expensive Siltechs, for example from Classic line, offer sound with tonal balance shifted up (in comparison) and exhibit more of the above mentioned features than KBL. Other silver cables also follow the same direction but go even further. Polish cables, Himalaya, preserve a wonderful tonal coherence and so called „flow”. With them music becomes a complete event. Listener won't focus on details, as these are usually recording artifacts and not elements of the music itself. They deliver also a lot of information and only the most expensive lines from Siltech and Tara Labs can offer a bit more. If you don't compare them head-to-head multiple times, if you don't know Siltechs very well, you probably won't even notice any difference in the resolution and selectivity between Himalaya and Double Crown, or it will be so small you won't really care, especially considering that the latter is a few times more expensive. If anything will attract attention, and I can't be even sure it really will, it will be a tonal balance. Siltech and Tara Labs interconnects have the tonal balance set bit lower, with treble slightly rolled off. And while Himalaya never sound bright, my reference cables seemed darker with tonal balance set lower. These two offered better extended bass. I think that Polish cables presented bass in a similar way as Cardas, but without emphasis on the upper-bass (which is an inherent feature of American cables, especially speakers ones). It's not easy to describe how detailed, how bright/dark cables are. We define these words differently when using them to assess less expensive products, and differently when it comes to high-end ones. I would say that the more expensive cable the darker its sound. I mean subjectively, because objectively this “Darker” presentation takes us closer to a live performance offering more information. When it comes to less expensive cables sound must be bit brighter, literally, because a limited resolution does not allow proper differentiation. It is achieved by a more aggressive attack. Expensive products are resolving enough not to do that. Rolling treble off is not a solution, of course, and the darker sound, I am talking about, comes from a larger number of information being delivered and not from any tonality manipulation. That's why Himalaya cables might seems darker sounding than other cables from the same price level. Their performance and sound signature suggest they should be rather compared to much more expensive competitors. At the very top level Siltech and, in my case also, Tara Labs cables proved that there is still some room for improvement for Polish cables. In head-to-head comparison these two cables offer even better differentiated, more engaging sound. Sound stage in all cases was similar although with little accents placed in different places. Polish cables slightly emphasize upper midrange which makes them sound bit more open, more “fresh”. This also makes them similar (I mean the IC) to the Japanese 聖HIJIRI HGP-10R „Million”. They offer similar tonality, attack and its power but the Polish cable is even more refined when it comes to presenting small relations between elements of the music and to “drawing” soft textures. Comparison Differences on such a high level of performance are not about more bass or treble, or better or worse spacing. For a person without proper experience all the cables from this price range will sound equally perfect. The real difference between them is the interpretation of a signal they transfer and about how we, the listeners, perceive a particular interpretation. System with Siltech and Tara Labs delivers performance with a better bass extension, with tonal balance set lower, with deeper and denser sound. Siltech leaves more room for listener for interpretation of what he/she hears – one uses delivered information and interprets them in one's own way. Himalaya on the other hand proposes already some level of its own interpretation of music, leaving less room for the listener. It is still a brilliant set of cables, absolutely remarkable, but these tiny, little difference is what sets it apart from the very top-high-end. Having said that I need to remind you that Himalaya set cost a few times less than reference cables it was compared to. And the difference in performance is very, very small, for many probably even impossible to notice. These are the best Polish cables I had a chance to listen to, up to this day at least. Summary These are excellent cables. The simple fact that I had to use a few times more expensive cables as my reference speaks for itself. I never imagined that a small Polish manufacturer using bought (as opposed to made in house) wires could create such a refined, wonderfully sounding cables as KBL did. The RED Fingerprint award fully deserved. YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/kbl/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/kbl/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/kbl/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/kbl/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/kbl/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/kbl/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/kbl/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/kbl/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/kbl/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/kbl/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/kbl/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/kbl/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/kbl/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/kbl/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/kbl/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/kbl/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/kbl/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/kbl/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/kbl/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/kbl/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/kbl/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/kbl/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/kbl/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/kbl/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/kbl/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/kbl/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/kbl/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/kbl/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/kbl/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/kbl/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

he Divine Acoustics company, founded in 2003, offers loudspeakers that are different than any other one might find on the market: drivers are mounted to the wide front baffle and the depth of the cabinets is really small. The proportions of these cabinets attract attention of most people even if they are not audio aficionados. Mr Gałkowski's, Divine Acoustics' owner and designer, intention was to make loudspeakers that would stand out among all others, but also that would benefit from this type of design sonically. Most loudspeaker manufacturers worked really hard for the past 10-15 years to offer speakers with as narrow front baffle as possible, increasing depth and internal volume of the cabinets. One of the advantages of a narrow front baffle, especially if this dimension was smaller then a distance between listener's ears, was believed to be a more precise presentation of phantom images. And it was hard to resist such a type of presentation. But in time people learned that such imaging wasn't actually true, attractive – yes, but not realistic, taking listener further away from a real event towards a new, artificially created one. Since any recording combines these two perspectives, it wasn't really cheating – it was more of one of the possible ways to present music. An idea of a flat, wide front baffle, used by Divine Acoustics, comes from the oldest designs that were in fact drivers bolted to a wide, open baffle. Only later designers decided to add side walls, upper and lower ones, with the back still open. It was Edgar Vilchur (1917-2011), an American inventor and designer who, in 1954, developed an acoustic suspension loudspeaker, starting this way a new era in loudspeakers' history. From that moment loudspeaker's cabinets could have all walls, smaller size and a better bass extension. I've been using for years loudspeakers that benefited from ideas on sound propagation from before Vilchur's invention, namely Harbeth M40.1. They might not be exactly the same as speakers from, say, 60 years ago, as they sport vented cabinets, but their front baffle is really wide. For me the way they present spacing and imaging is much closer to what I can hear during live concerts, than the presentation of any speakers with a narrow front. Electra Generation 3 Electra Generation 3, the latest product presented by Mr Piotr Gałkowski, belong to the same family but taking this concept even further. Their proportions are unique for this manufacturer, and reminded me a bit of old electrostatic Final speakers. They are pretty tall and very shallow. To make sure they keep their balance and not fall they are equipped with laser-cut feet with spikes. Bass-reflex port is placed on the bottom of the cabinet. It's a two-way speaker with relatively small woofer and a soft-dome tweeter. The cabinet is a quite complex design – you can find some details below. The wooden elements are finished with either wonderful, natural veneer or with ecological leather. Additional, reinforcing elements are attached to the cabinet in the front and in the back, and their job is also to mask screw heads. In the reviewed version, called Avantgarde, these elements take a form that reminds me of a propeller, in the Elegance version I'd say it's an ellipse. The tweeter is placed off axis of the loudspeaker so one can use these speakers with tweeter closer to the “outside” (like me) or “inside” edge of the cabinet. Make&finish of these speakers is both, unique and excellent. That puts Mr Gałkowski together with Eryk Smólski (Eryk S. Concept) and guys from Amare Musica, in a group of the designers who really “feel” the importance of their products' form and know how to use it. Each element, including spikes and crossover that is visible behind a small “window” on the rear baffle, were well thought-trough and composed together into the bigger whole. These loudspeakers have a very “light” form and surely are not another, as my dear wife calls them, “coffins”. PIOTR GAŁKOWSKI WłaOwner, designer Four years after premiere of the Electra2 time came to introduce a new model. Electra Generation 3 is a brand new design, which means new drivers, new crossover, and new elements of the cabinets and some other details. All that new model has in common with older one is a flat shape of the cabinets with their semi-round side panels finished with leather. The Electra Generation 3 loudspeaker should suit many different interiors very well. A highly customizable looks makes sure of that. There are seven colors available, two different shapes of the front panel – Avantgarde and Elegance, and three color versions of a tweeter's finish. Electra Generation 3 is a vented design with bass-reflex port located at the bottom of a cabinet. Cabinet is a multi-layer design using many different types of materials. Side panels constitute a multi-layer frame made of MDF and blockboard additionally reinforced with a steel truss that also joins together front and back panel. To even further reinforce the whole design I have decided to put a laser cut steel flange in the cabinet at the same height as the woofer. Another element that adds to the stability of the whole cabinet is a metal base. Whole cabinets stands on a steel plinth that sports four chrome-plated graphite spikes. For this model we have chosen a custom made 25mm silk dome driven by a magnetic system working in two chambers. We use these to damp resonances and to match tweeter's sensitivity with woofer's. The magnetic motor is grounded and it uses our BAD (Basket Accurate Dampening) system that optimizes driver's performance. As a safety measure we use a steel element to protect tweeter from external damage. Driver is fixed to the cabinet using our TMI (Tweeter Multilayer Isolation) system that utilizes a few carefully selected washers made of different materials with different damping properties. Low and mid-frequencies are reproduced by a 130 mm woofer. It combines a coated paper cone, that has very good resonance damping properties, with a very light and rigid one-layer carbon fiber, that improves impulse response. Drivers sports a vented magnetic system protected by a copper ring, that additionally stabilizes magnetic field. Its basket is grounded and our BAD system optimizes performance. A true heart of our new Electra Generation 3 is brand new crossover with second order filters and impedance adjustment. The crossover uses Divine Acoustics' proprietary SGP (Single Ground Point) system and RFpath (Resistors Free path). The former brings ground of the whole circuit to one point, shortens signal's path and enables correct discharging of capacitors. The Rfpath system allowed us not to use either serial nor parallel resistors in tweeter signal's path. For our crossover we used selected elements like Jantzen Audio Z-Superior, Z-Standard and Cross-Cap capacitors, precise metallized resistors and air core coils. Another novelty in Electra Generation 3 is new cabling. The internal wiring was done with a OFC ribbons of specific lengths and directionality. SETUP Most speakers with wide front baffles deliver optimal performance when tweeters are pointing directly at my ears. It worked best also in this case. Distance between me and each speaker was 2 m and they stood 2,2 m apart. For others willing to try Electra 3 I would suggest to sit even closer to them. Implementation of a bass-reflex allows users to place them close to the wall or even in corners of the room with degrading their performance. I'd recommend pairing them with amplifiers capable of delivering energetic, powerful bass like: Creek Audio Evolution 100A, SoulNote SA300 or even SA730, but at the same time offer a good clarity of treble range. I think that these speakers could create a very, very good sounding system also with Audiomatus AS125 power amplifier driver directly from the adjustable output of Ayon Audio CD-07s Player. DIVINE ACOUSTICS in HF TEST: Divine Acoustics GRAVITY – anti-vibration platform, see HERE CONTEST 10/10 – COMPONENTS, PEOPLE, WINNINGS: Divine Acoustic PROXIMA 3 – loudspeakers, see HERE YEARLY AWARD 2013: Divine Acoustic PROXIMA 3 – loudspeakers, see HERE TEST: Divine Acoustic PROXIMA 3 – loudspeakers, see HERE TEST: Divine Acoustics ELECTRA 2 – loudspeakers, see HERE TEST: Divine Acoustics PROXIMA (2008) – loudspeakers, see HERE Recordings used for this test (a selection): Chet Baker, Chet Baker sings and plays, Pacific Jazz/EMI Music Japan TOCJ-90028, HQCD (1955/2006). Chopin, 4 Scherzi, wyk. Ivo Pogorelich, Deutsche Grammophon 439 947-2, CD (1998). Ed Sheeran, X, Warner Music UK/Warner Music Japan WPCR-15730, CD (2014); Enya, Enya, BBC Entertainment BBC CD 605, CD (1987). John Foxx and the Belbury Circle, Empty Avenues, Ghost Box GBX019CD, CD (2013). Manuel Göttsching, E2-E4. 30th Anniversary, MGART, 404, CD (1981/2012). Richard Strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra, dyr. Zubin Mehta, wyk. Los Angeles Philharmonic, Decca/Lasting Impression Music LIM K2HD 035, K2HD CD (1968/2008). The Beatles, Revolver, Apple/USM Japan UICY76972, SHM-CD (1966/2014). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Music means emotions – that is an indisputable fact. Even though contemporary composers of classical music tried to deny that, but it was only a temporary “lack of reason” that is fortunately gone now. Music is a part of life so I couldn't start this test in any other way but by listening to Chopin. At this time I almost finished reading the Nieboski Chopin by Piotr Wierzbicki, and just a while ago the laureates of the 10th Literary Awards Gdynia were announced. Mr Wierzbicki was one of them. He was awarded for his previous essay, Boski Bach (Devine Bach). It so happened that both me and my son bought this book last year while visiting Cracow Book Fairs and we both had them signed by their humble author who sat there at the Sic! stand. If you like classic music you definitely should have and read both these books. And listen to attached CDs – each with author's selection of composer's pieces. Anyway I started my audition with 4 Scherzi performed by Ivo Pogorelich. This Croatian pianist was a reason of a great scandal in 1980 during The International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition. He did not make it through the third round which was a reason for one member of the jury, Ms Martha Argerich, to resign from this jury as a protest against, in her opinion, wrong decision of the jury. I am not a musicologist – when it comes to my choices of music I follow my instinct and emotions. In this particular case my choice was based on the latter – years ago this particular recording was one of the very first that I had a chance to listen using high quality audio system. Electra 3 delivered a wonderful, very clean, selective sound of the piano, with great dynamics, too, despite the fact that this Deutsche Grammophon album was surely not an easy one to play. They used so called 4D technique when recording this album. This technique apart from classic “DDD” from the SPARS code added also a fourth one (more about SPARS HERE). In this technique A/D converter followed directly microphones, so the signal sent to a digital console was already a digital one. Usually A/D follows mixer. Anyway, such recordings might sound a bit “glassy”. Even more so in this case as the pianist technique particularly emphasizes dynamic contrasts. When played on high quality system this is not an issue – there is simply a lot of information in the midrange and treble area. Polish speakers handle this part of the range particularly well. It is obvious that this tweeter performs exceptionally well, and the elements of the crossover are also of high quality. But there is more. Even though I described only a particular part of the frequency range it is not really as one perceives this presentation – Electra 3 sound like a single-driver speakers and it's hard to tell where exactly one driver stops and another starts. After thorough analyses I'd say that frequencies of around 2 kHz carry more energy and the ones below 1 kHz carry bit less. But these modifications are very small and hard to notice. Clarity and coherence are the elements that any buyer of these speakers will appreciate with any played recording. Another very positive feature of the sound is its openness. The woofer in relatively small and so is the cabinet it is working in. And yet I didn't really hear any signs of compression of the sound, easily reproducing all, even sudden changes of dynamics. Bass was not particularly well extended, but I didn't have an impression of the sound being too “light”, not carrying enough “weight”. All three,listened in a raw, recordings - Revolver by The Beatles on SHM-CD, X by Ed Sheeran and Enya's debut on original Nimbus release sounded really good in this regard. It was also easy to notice how differently each of this albums had been recorded and produced. Large size of the speakers suggests a large bass performance. Anybody who listened to many speakers knows from experience that this is not an universal truth. Designers making their choices have to choose some solutions which also means compromises in some aspects of the design – that's how it works. Electra 3 are intended for small rooms. They can be placed near the wall and, if possible, they should also stand close to listener. In such conditions most people will appreciate the fact, that bass extension is somewhat limited. There are many not too big monitors on the market that are able to “pump more air” into the listening room and they even do it pretty well – like, for example Dynaudio from DM line, PMC from Twenty, and others. But one has to realize that they do it at the cost of lower clarity and lesser openness of the sound. You want miss anything in Polish speakers bass as long as you won't play them really loud, or you won't play music that is not subtle but carries a lot of pure energy. Those who prefer some heavy genres of music should probably look for their speakers elsewhere. Summary These speakers take us on a different journey. They offer a trip into world of music where what matters most are colors, dynamics, naturalness and “freshness” of the sound. Separation of instruments is surely not a key element of the presentation – they all are elements of a bigger picture. Such approach is not a mistake – it is one of the possible choices. This presentation actually sounds a lot like we hear instruments playing live. It's a sophisticated performance, open, effortless and most of all – very clean. These are not speakers that will perform at their best when pushed to the limits, but as long as you keep the volume at reasonable levels they will perform great. It is a well thought-through, wonderfully made speaker for true connoisseurs. Electra Generation 3 is a floorstanding, vented, two-way loudspeaker. Proportions of its cabinet are quite particular. The pretty standard height is 1070 mm (with spikes). As for the size of used woofer width of the front baffle is relatively big - 260 mm. The most unusual dimension is speaker's depth – it's just 120 mm. To ensure proper stability of the whole speaker one has to screw two laser-cut, steel elements to the bottom of the cabinet and then very nice spikes to these elements. There are no protective elements one could use under spikes attached. The cabinets are made of few layers of MDF and reinforced with metal elements mounted in the front and inside. It is finished with one of beautiful natural veneers. Sides, top and some other elements sport black leather finish. Drivers Speakers use a 25 mm silk dome tweeter, that is fixed to the cabinet with few washers made of different materials with different damping properties. It is a custom made tweeter made for Divine Acoustics and it sports a metal front. Designer focused a lot of efforts on vibration damping. One of his proprietary solutions, dampening of the driver's basket, is called BAD - Basket Accurate Dampening, plus he grounded metal elements to eliminate eddy currents. Placement of the tweeter on the front baffle was chosen so that it matches the height our ears should be on. Low- and midrange are delivered via 130mm woofer. Mr Gałkowski told me that: „it combines a coated paper cone which ensures good damping properties, with a rigid, very light carbon fiber, that improves impulse response”. Also woofer's basket is grounded, and the BAD system is used to eliminate resonances. Crossover I mentioned a small “window” on the rear panel before. This idea came, if I'm not mistaken, from Focal-JMLab. The intention was to let customer see the crossover. Focal could do it for their more expensive lines where they used high quality elements and put them together in a nice, orderly fashion. But such crossovers are rather costly and not all manufacturers want to everybody to see crossovers they used in their speakers. So it would seem that it is a crazy idea for such an inexpensive product as Electra Generation 3, right? Wrong! Polish company used high quality elements that are at least as good or even better that those use by many high-end manufacturers. So yes, they should brag about it and they should let people to see that. Designers used a few of his proprietary solutions here - the SGP (Single Ground Point) system and RFpath (Resistors Free path). The former concentrates ground of the whole circuit in one point, reduces signal's path and permits proper capacitors' discharge. The RFpath system allowed designer to resign usage of any serial or parallel resistors in tweeter's signal path. This window allows you to clearly see copper ribbons used as internal wiring. It is made of OFC and each length and its directionality was carefully chosen. Elements chosen for the crossover are of highest quality like Jantzen Audio Z-Superior, Z-Standard and Cross-Cap capacitors, precise metalized resistors, and air core coils. Electra 3 sports single, gold-plated speakers posts. It is a beautiful, fantastic design and I have no idea how it is possible to offer it with this price tag. There is only one explanation for this – this is a creation of a true passionate who made these speakers for other aficionados and in particular for those who can't afford high-end/priced products. Parameters (according to manufacturer): dimensions: height with spikes: 1070 mm, width: 260 mm, depth: 120 mm plinth dimensions: W: 287 mm, D: 253 mm cabinet's volume: 10 liters impedance: 8 Ω sensitivity: 87 dB recommended power: 8-60 W recommended room size (stereo setup):

ne might still laugh at highly efficient and power-saving class D amplifiers – freedom of opinion/speech is one of the very basic rights of every man in this country. But if one thinks about it just for a moment one realizes that this type of device took over some segments of the market where the small size and small power consumption are key factors. This mean portable devices, desk systems, computer audio and car audio. If one checks out the portfolio of such brands as Monitor Audio, Naim, or Cambridge Audio, at least the mass-consumer products, one will realize that ALL such products (all-in-one systems, wireless speakers and so on) sport SMPS (switched mode power supply). A simple balance of pros and cons of this solution tells us this is the only “right” choice for such applications. But one can notice that this technology entered also a high end market. I believe that what caused it were successful experiments of such high-end brands as Burmester, Naim, Dynaudio, Focal-JMLab and so on, in the field of car audio – this segment of audio market benefited from this technology most. These experiments led to the change of high-end companies' approach and ultimately to development of much better solutions for this type of designs. Today high-end market revolves around three technologies – tubes, solid-state class A, B and AB and, also solid-state, class D. The powerful mono amplifiers by Jeff Rowland – Model 925 – or Mark Levinson's – No.53 – changed the way audiophiles perceived class D. Top devices, using different technologies, offer a bit different view on how should sound “look like”. The times when “solid-state” meant: bright, harsh, and “tube” meant: warm, sweet, nice are gone. But still each technology presents certain characteristic qualities, or has advantages in certain areas over the others. In comparison class D amplifiers, I mean the analogue ones, according to stereotypes, seem to offer sort of “tube-ish” sound. Usually it is a warm, smooth sound, easily spoiled by incorrectly chosen cables, speakers, or poor quality source or preamplifier. One has to know though, that also this technology has been significantly developed, improved over last years. The AS125 clearly shows the direction these changes has taken. It's a stereo power amplifier using a third generation Bang & Olufsen ICE Power module. This means it's a class D amplifier with SMPS. According to the manufacturer it is an improved version of an older model, AS100 – it so happens that I haven't heard this one. The design of B&O module implicates that this amplifier is intended to “drive mid- and high-efficiency speakers in small and mid-size rooms”. “Large output current and very efficient safety circuits allow this amplifier to drive even most difficult speakers with “unfriendly” impedance curve.” Since it is a „second class isolation” device (the ground wire is not connected with device's ground) so it can not be a cause of a ground loop”. This means that it will work very well in systems with computers and streamers as sources. ANDRZEJ W. MATUSIAK Audiomatus | Owner, designer AS125 is an improved version of our previous model, Audiomatus AS100. It is a stereo power amplifier, build around a third generation ICEpower 125ASX2 module. The ICEpower module working in AS125 was modified in such a way, that at the mid-levels of output power the measurable and audible parameters were significantly improved at a cost of a small, 2 per cent decrease of energy efficiency (energy efficiency for small and large output power didn't change). AS125 was designed to minimize noise emission and to reject noise coming from the system. Despite the fact the 125ASX2 module complies with noise emission norms we decided to place it in a solid (shielded) housing and selected ferrite beads were installed on speaker cables and on power cable. These elements, as well as particular placement of the module within amp's chassis, allowed us to additionally decrease level of noise and to achieve noise emission level few times lower than required by standards. The input stage of the AS125 sports low-pass filters that eliminate noise at frequencies far beyond acoustic range (these filters do not effect frequency range of audio signal). We minimized length of the internal wiring to even further improve noise resilience. AS125 is a second class isolation device (the electric ground of the device is not connected to the protective conductor). This solution means that there is no risk of ground loops. All above described features mean, from technical point of view, that AS125 might be used in any audio system, especially in ones with computer source. Such systems often exhibit issues with ground loops and high frequency noise. AS125 should do very well in such system. AS125 is a power amplifier. Mr Matusiak claims that high input impedance make it suitable for combining it with both, passive and active preamplifiers. It is obviously true but I think that best sonic effect should be achieved with active preamplifiers or with CD Players with adjustable output (but not with just attenuator). It is important to mechanically decouple this power amp. We all know how important that is for tube devices and many believe that solid-state ones are immune to vibration. But it is not true, especially when it comes to class D amps. So when using such device we should provide it with optimal working conditions. For this test I placed AS125 on Franc Audio Accessories Ceramic Disc feet, and these were placed on the Acoustic Revive RAF-48H pneumatic platform. The on/off switched is located on the rear panel. Power consumption in idle mode is minimal so one can leave the amplifier on permanently. It is recommended also because this amp presents its full potential after 30 minutes from turning it on, despite the fact that there are no elements that need to achieve optimal temperature. AUDIOMATUS in „High Fidelity” • TEST: Audiomatus TP 02 – linestage, see HERE • TEST: Audiomatus TP 01 – linestage, see HERE • TEST: Audiomatus AM400 – power amplifier (monaural), see HERE • TEST: Audiomatus AS500 – power amplifier, see HERE • YEARLY AWARD 2010: Audiomatus AS250 – power amplifier, see HERE • TEST: Audiomatus AS250 – power amplifier, see HERE • TEST: Audiomatus PP03 + AM500 R - linestage + power amplifier, see HERE • YEARLY AWARD 2006: Audiomatus AM250 ver. R – power amplifier, see HERE • TEST: Audiomatus AM250 ver. R – power amplifier Audiomatus, see HERE Płyty użyte do odsłuchu (wybór): Carmen McRae & Julie London, Carmen McRae & Julie London Bethlehem/Victor Entertainment VICJ-61458, “Bethlehem K2HD Mastering Series | No. 8”, K2HD CD (1954/2007). Depeche Mode, Ultra, Mute/Sony Music Labels SICP-30543, Blu-spec CD2, (2007/2014). Dominic Miller & Neil Stancey, New Dawn, Naim naimcd066, CD (2002). John Coltrane, Soultrane, Prestige/Analogue Productions CPRJ 7142 SA, (1956/2014). Rogers Waters, Amused To Death, Columbia/Legacy/Analogue Productions 5478842, SACD/CD (1992/2015). Rogers Waters, Amused To Death, Columbia/Sony Music Labels SCIP-30785, BSCD2 + BD (1992/2015). The Beatles, Abbey Road, Apple/USM Japan UICY76978, SHM-CD (1969/2014). The Modern Jazz Quartet, European Concert. Volume One + Two, Atlantic/East West Japan, AMCY-1186-7, "Atlantic Jazz Collection, 50 Years", K2HD, 2 x CD (1960/1998). The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers, Polydor/Universal Music International B.V. 376 483-9, “Deluxe Edition”, 2 x CD + DVD (1971/2015). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] I quickly found out that this was a very god product. It so happened that I had known its price before the test – it does not happen too often – and so I appreciated it even more playing one album after another and comparing it also to Soulution 710 power amplifier. It delivered a very smooth, liquid sound. These sound qualities are always welcome – they create an impression of a “completeness” of the sound. At first I thought that treble was slightly rolled-off compared with a midrange. By after a closer evaluation, using The Modern Jazz Quartet's European Concert. Volume One + Two and Carmen McRae & Julie London I found out it wasn't true at all. This impression of a very gentle treble comes from a soft leading edge and not from a roll-off. It is also responsible for this smoothness I mentioned before. AS125 differs from previous Audiomatus amplifiers (and from most competitors based on B&O modules), sounding more like Jeff Rowland's amplifiers. Namely, sound is much more resolving and carries much more information. What before was very pleasant and easily acceptable for a listener on almost “cellular” level, now gained a new, deeper, better differentiated meaning. It is still a bit “round” sound, but with much wider tonality pallet, phrasing, more precise positioning on the stage. Polish amplifier delivers all the recordings in an enjoyable fashion. But at the same time it differentiates them pretty well, too. Sound is different from one album to another, even if the general sonic character remains similar. What we get is a big, rich sound with a solid bass foundation that smoothly supports midrange. The much more resolving sound allows us to “see” that lower midrange is not as rich as the other parts of the range surrounding it. Almost all other class D amplifiers hide the same feature by emphasizing the other parts of the range. This might result in a spectacular sound, like with Jeff Roland's Continuum II integrated amplifier, but it also provides information on a specific sonic quality of the class D technology. The amplifier under review delivers sound of truly special clarity. No, it is not brighter, it is clearer, it delivers more information. With some recordings, like with Depeche Mode's Ultra, Abbey Road by The Beatles and New Dawn by Miller & Stacey it is indicated by a removal of some information from 400-600 Hz range. This is an insignificant sound modification and might even go unnoticed, but we should be aware of its existence. Without direct comparison with expensive and very expensive systems, Polish amplifier will be an excellent example of a well made and wonderfully sounding power amp that combines smoothness, richness and density of the sound with ability to deliver a lot of information from any recording. It's (subjective) frequency range seems very wide and only at the very top and very low end one might find some “imperfections”. But those are really small, and it is easy to not even notice them. Combine it with some fine speakers like, for example, Chario Reflex Prima or Xavian Perla, and the final effect will satisfy even very demanding audiophiles. Summary Me proposing Italian, and Italian-ish speakers is no accident. The philosophy of the sound is similar, the understanding which elements might and which might not be compromised. Richness, fullness and smoothness – three key-word, that for AS125 have even more meaning that ever before. Dynamics might not be as significant element here as in many other products from the same range, like offered by Marantz, Denon, and also NAD or Music Hall. Also the depth of the soundstage was not that impressive. But AS125 did a great job surrounding me with sound when I played Ultra by Depeche Mode (listen to the beginning of The Love Thieves!) and the new remaster of Roger Water's Amused To Death – sound wasn't “offensive”, but I really appreciated full, stable phantom images located at the sides and even behind me. All my remarks came from comparing this amplifier with my reference one. When we start to consider prices of both devices my findings won't matter anymore. It is a true bargain – you won't find any other device for this price that would offer this level of performance so as long as you will accept the aesthetics you should not hesitate. A fantastic device. RED Fingerprintfully deserved! Some things change, some don't – and while sonically AS125 differs significantly from its predecessors from Gorzów Wielkopolski, its looks remained, more or less, the same. It sports a thick front panel of a brushed aluminum. There is only a company's logo on it and a small hole for a red LED. Nice and simple. Cabinet is made of steel. Small feet are made of plastic. Rear panel holds solid, gold-plated speakers posts, high quality RCA inputs and IEC socket with mechanical on/off switch. Placing on/off switch in the back suggests that amplifier should remain switched on all the time. The PCB inside is rather small. One can spot there a SMPS and a modulator with output transistors. Radiator used for the latter is also quite small. A separate PCB hold input stage with RCA sockets. Internal wiring was well thought-through – the power cable is placed in sort of holder that keeps it at required height. Even cables providing power to LED in the front panel is nicely fixed to amplifiers bottom panel. There are ferrite beads on speaker cables that lower RF level. Similar beads are placed on power cables, too. Specifications (according to manufacturer): Power (THD+N 1% 10 Hz < f < 20 kHz): - 2 x 68 W/8 Ω - 2 x 125 W/4 Ω Nominal loading range: 3 – 16 Ω Efficiency @ Po=120W/4 Ω: 81% Frequency range: 5 Hz – 100 kHz Dynamics @ Po=125 W/4 Ω: 114 dB THD+N: 0,003% (@ Po=1 W/f=1 kHz/4 Ω) Max. THD+N: 0,1% (100 mW < Po < 100 W/10 Hz < f < 20 kHz/4 Ω) IMD CCIF: 0,0005% (14 kHz, 15 kHz Po=10 W) TIM 3,1 kHz, 15 kHz Po=10 W: 0,003% Input sensitivity: 0,8V (@ Po=120 W/4 Ω) Input impedance: 100 kΩ Damping factor (@ 1 kHz/8 Ω): >1000 Power consumption: - idle: 8W - max.: 350W Weight: 5,4 kg Dimensions (including feet and sockets): 440 x 85 x 288 mm (W x H x D) YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? JOIN US ON TWEETER: UNIQUE PHOTOS, UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION, NEWS!!! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1509/audiomatus/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

hen one of the fellow audio journalists from abroad asks me about the best Polish audio brands among few I always recommend Warsaw based Amare Musica. It is a company that from the very beginning, from 2012 when they debuted during Audio Show in Warsaw, always offered highest quality products. They debuted with the De Forest preamplifier using EML30A triodes that was priced at 20 000 PLN (plus VAT) and Trinity mono amplifiers (for 40 000 PLN plus VAT). The presentation was so interesting that it was rewarded by our magazine with BEST SOUND Audio Show 2012 Award (more HERE). What a debut! Amare Musica is a high-end brand. If you followed their activity you must have noticed the absolutely professional way of their whole brand building process. They released first products only when they were absolutely, in every aspect, ready – looking great and sounding even better. They invested a lot in they workshop but also in promotional materials like professional images, also renders of products to come – that cost a lot of money so only some, usually major audio brands decide to do that. If you check out the externals and internals of any Amare Musica product you will realize that these are products from the Champion League. Mr Maciej Lenar and Marcin Sołowiow decided to use chassis for their products made of high quality aluminum with a high gloss finish – they did it for above mentioned pre+monos setup, but also for the integrated amplifier called Entropy that we reviewed. But the next product, music server Diamond already used a different chassis – also made of aluminum but with mat finish which, in my opinion, looked even better. I can't be sure but I think that the whole line of products was called after this server – the new type of chassis they now make looks a lot like a diamond, so that's the line's name. The other line, where polished (surgical) steel replaced aluminum is called Silver. ASPIRIAA I don't know about you but when I saw the name of the product under review I couldn't help but smile. Those aware of high-end market should also appreciate a sense of humor of the people who came up with this name. ASPIRIAA seems to combine two words: „Aspire” and „RIAA”. It clearly states they designers aspired (to perfect implementation of RIIA?) and RIAA is an abbreviation of Recording Industry Association of America, and is also used as a name of a correction curve used on signal written on vinyl records. The role of phonostage is to reverse what has been done to the signal before it was written on the record. Without RIAA correction one wouldn't be able to write deep bass on the record and treble would be hard to hear. So the name clearly states that the creators of this device aspire to make as good phonostage (with RIAA correction curve) as possible. That's the first thing that came to my mind. But there is also a second one – I think that when coming up with this name both gentlemen wanted to imply sort of correlation to another fantastic, Polish phonostage - THERIAA manufactured by RCM Audio. RCM clearly stated in the name of their product that it applies the RIAA curve in THE (only) right way. So yeah, somewhat similar name also proves that people behind Amare Musica don't have a problem with their sense of humor. Which is good – we need as much sense of humor in audio industry as possible. ASPIRIAA is delivered in a solid case, like a musical instrument. Sure, it comes at additional cost but I think it is a justifiable one – that's how a high-end product should be delivered to a customer. The device is not particularly big but it is quite heavy. Make and finish are both outstanding. Power supply is placed within the main chassis. Adjustments available for user include: input impedance, gain and input capacitance. Designers decided for a similar solution as the one you can find in RCM Audio Sensor2 – DIP switches placed on the rear panel. For MM cartridges one can adjust capacitance and set impedance for 1 or 47kΩ , for MC ones one can adjust impedance. Signal is delivered to the device via RCA input, but there are both RCA or XLR outputs. APIRIAA uses high quality Tablette feet from another Polish manufacturer, Franc Audio Accessories – Amare Musica and FAA successfully cooperate, which is a great thing. I'd like to remind you also that Franc cooperates in a similar way also with Bulgarian company APL Hi-Fi (you can find a review of their D/A Converter DD-S HERE). RIAA CURVE Before signal can be written down in record's groove it has to undergo a special preparation. One has to lower volume of low frequencies and increase level of high frequencies. A device on the other end of the chains, meaning a phonostage, has to reverse this process meaning boost the bass and cut the treble. This way what we get is a system that introduces pre-emphasis on the recording and de-emphasis on the playback. Later Ray Dolby used similar idea when developing his noise correction system, Dolby A, and later B, C and S. The equalization curve RIAA – pre-emphasis, de-emphasis and the target frequency range. Interestingly, for the first few years of Compact Disc's existence some tried to reduce noise for them in a similar way – they put an emphasis in high frequencies that later D/A Converter (initially in analogue, later in digital domain) was supposed to reverse. That is why if own present CD Player is to be compatible with some older discs it should be able to apply a de-emphasis on them. Unfortunately it is not the case and that's why some older CDs sound rather harsh when Player does not use de-emphasis. Let's get back to vinyls. The RIAA pre- and de-emphasis curves are defined by three time constants, each of which is related to a corner frequency in the amplitude response. For the RIAA these three constants are: 75 µs, 318 µs and 3180µs and their respective corner frequencies are: 2122 Hz, 500 Hz and 50 Hz (MM and MC cartridges generate output voltage proportional to stylus velocity – that's why the measurements are in μs). Some other version of RIAA curve were developed and used, too. One of them is Enhanced RIAA, introduced by Neumann for his cutting lathes. It adds a fourth constant that does not attenuate frequencies above 20 kHz. As far as I know there is no official documentation of this curve. Sometimes this equalization is also called eRIAA. In 1972 another version, called ICE RIAA, was proposed. It cuts off frequencies below 20 Hz (7950 µs) in order to protect loudspeakers from poor quality turntables. This function is often implemented with a switch called „subsonic cut”. One of the devices that allow infinitely adjustable equalization – the EMT JPA-66 phonostage (High End Show 2015, Munich). RIAA became a standard around 1954. Before each label had its own equalization curve that differed from all others. It is still debatable today when actually all labels started to use the agreed standard - RIAA for their records. Some say that it didn't happen before 1960, some, like Michael Fremer („Stereophile”) believe it happened very fast after standard was accepted – meaning already in 1954. Since audiophile love “old” records and we actually don't know when the standard was widely accepted, some manufacturers today equip their phonostages with some sort of switch that allows user to choose between few curves like: Columbia, Teldec/DIN, EMI, RIAA and some others. One of the first devices that allowed that was produced by Zanden, but today even some inexpensive models give their users such a choice – like iFi for example. I, personally, have been using phonostages that utilize RIAA equalization only and it was always enough for me. Maybe if I had a lot of mono records pressed before 1954 I would have made another choice, but that's just a theory as I never tried that. MARCIN SOŁOWIOW | MACIEJ LENAR Designers, co-owners Our fascination with analogue started a long time ago. An idea to add a phonostage to our portfolio came to us after we built a prototype based on OpAmps that we made for our own usage. It was a very minimalist project just with a single RCA output and it told us we were going in the right direction. So we were pretty enthusiastic about making it a real product and we started to work on the circuit and at the same time also on the chassis for it. We assumed that it would be another product for Diamond line, so we knew how it would look like, and we wanted the circuit to work with any MM and MC cartridges available on the market (or with most, at least). We also decided that our product would sport balanced outputs. One of the key elements of any phonostage is power supply. A voltage gain of a RIAA circuit is close to 1000 which means that any unwanted oscillation coming from power supply will be also amplified by this factor. Knowing that calls for a very, very “quiet” PS. Our power supply circuit uses an innovative solution with a low noise OpAmp working in active-error feedforward configuration. It's job is to make sure that in the output from power supply there are no unwanted oscillations. Large capacitance following bridge (large enough for many amplifiers) filters effectively oscillations and noise coming from power grid. As for all our products also for APIRIAA we have chosen only high quality elements, among others: Panasonic FC, Vishay MKP 1837 Black, WIMA FKP, Mundorf, low noise metallized resistors, Vampire Audio RCA sockets, and XLR ones from Neutrik. A high quality chassis is made using precise CNC machines of the highest quality aluminum - Gleich G.AL C250 Elox Plus. We have also chosen high quality anti-vibration feet - Ceramic Disc Tablette made by Franc Audio Accessories. We use Flight Cases for transport of all our Diamond devices, including ASPIRIAA. A little heads-up – we are working on a tube phonostage with a separate power supply. We've already finished a prototype and currently we are preparing a commercial production of that device. We hope that this product will be released still this year. AMARE MUSICA in HF TEST: Amare Musica DIAMOND – music server, see HERE BEST SOUND 2013: Amare Musica ENTROPY – integrated amplifier, see HERE TEST: Amare Musica ENTROPY – integrated amplifier, see HERE BEST SOUND Audio Show 2012: Amare Musica + Clockwork Records used during test (a selection): Smoke Sessions - Vol.1, Smoke Sessions Records SSR-1401, “Limited Edition Collection | No. 193/500”, 200 g LP (2013); Ben Webster, Old Betsy - The Sound Of Big Ben Webster, STS Digital STS 6111129, 180 g LP (2013). Billie Holiday, Songs For Distingue Lovers, Verve/Classic Records AS AVRJ 6021, “Special 45 Edition, One-sided”, 2 x 200 g LP (1957/2012). Charlie Haden, The Private Collection, Naim Label LP110, 3 x 180 g LP (2000/2008). Depeche Mode, Fragile Tension/Hole to Feed, Mute Records, 12BONG42, 2 x 180 g, maxi-SP LP. Marek Biliński, Best of the Best, Bi.Ma. BiLP-01, 180 g LP (2014). Metallica, Masters Of Puppets, Asylum records/Warner Bros. 470908-1, “45 RPM Series”, 2 x 180 g LP (1986/2008). Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool, Capitol Records T 762, LP (1957). Nat ‘King’ Cole and the Trio, After Midnight, Columbia/Analogue Productions 28180, 3 x 180 g 45 rpm LP (1957/2010). Skalpel, Transit, PlugAudio PL02, 2 x 180 g LP (2014). Wes Montgomery & Wynton Kelly Trio, Smokin’ At The Half Note, Verve/Universal Music K.K. [Japan] UCJU-9083, 200 g LP (1965/2007). Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Taking care of even smallest details is what makes Amare Musica products similar to many that come from Japan. I rarely compare any producers with Japanese ones, as very few might aspire to this level of artisan-ship. In this case everything - chassis, materials, make and finish and components used for the circuit – allows us to be proud of this Polish phonostage and to compare with wonderful makings of Japanese audio industry. The ASPIRIAA is simply a remarkable product. From experience I can tell that proper selection of high quality components, attention paid to vibration control, and so on, assuming that they are all parts of a good project, translate into certain qualities of sound. Like, for example, tangibility of the presentation. With ASPIRIAA this particular quality seems to be one of the key aspects of the sound. Even though this is not the most resolving sound I ever heard, imaging, ability to present a fast attack, a black background result in an overall remarkable presentation. One can hear these qualities even clearer than with more resolving devices that often impress with a fast attack which is then not supported with palpable instrument's “body”. Often these devices present a two-dimensional images that lack depth. The Polish phonostage renders wonderful, three-dimensional images of instruments placed rather closely to the listener. When analyzing presentation in regard to frequency range, what attracts attention is the lower midrange and upper bass. I didn't want to open my review with that, but listening to the music I couldn't help but thinking that I was listening to a tube device – the way ASPIRIAA rendered music reminded me for example a phono section of Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Legend and Audio Research G Series GSPre. It was a very enjoyable, rich sound. It never lacked weight and was never too bright. I don't think that I could say that tonal balance is shifted down, but after a longer listening session I thought that there was a slight emphasis in upper part of the particular frequency range covered by a double bass. When it came to club music, like a double maxi-single Fragile Tension/Hole To Feed by Depeche Mode, I thought that there was a slight emphasis in the 100 Hz area. I already said, that this phonostage offered particularly enjoyable sound. One of the main reasons for that is the way treble is presented. It is rich with harmonics, long decays, lively and at the same time rather smooth, not to say mellow. It was particularly obvious when compared directly against my RCM Audio reference, but also against what I remembered from many other phonostages I reviewed. It is a well balanced sound but it is also clear that designers had a particular sonic effect in mind. Also Ole Vitus obviously wants to achieve similar sonic effect with his preamplifiers to some top tube phonostages like Phasemation EA-1000, for example. There is still a significant difference between ASPIRIAA and most tube phonostages, maybe except for Manley Steelhead v2. Namely the ASPIRIAA's leading edge is fast and “sharp” while tube competitors usually tends to soften the attack. Also bass might be a bit warm and nice sounding but not due to any tonality manipulation but rather to the fact that it is particularly rich with harmonics. That's what makes it sound similar to the devices with very low distortion level. This is exactly why both, THERIAA and Sensor2 from RCM Audio offer so much better performance than most foreign competitors regardless of price level. This is also why acoustic instruments presentation was so realistic, so convincing whether I played the Charlie Hayden's 50th Anniversary concert, or another very special record, Smoke Sessions. All these sonic features combined together result in a close, palpable, well balanced sound that would most of all satisfy fans of acoustic music – classical and jazz, maybe bit less those who prefer electronic music or rock. I don't try to say, that the latter sound bad – not at all. But basing on my listening sessions that's my personal preference list. What much more expensive phonostages present even better is depth of the soundstage. With APIRIAA sound is presented rather close to the listener – which is not a bad thing, I'm just saying that adding more depth to the sound would be appreciated. Also both range extremes could have tad more energy – this would improve pace&rhythm. Other than that designers did a truly great job. Summary Fortunately I don't have to take sides in tube vs solid-state war. Firstly because I really don't care and secondly I think that any reasonable music fan will confirm, that today one can choose his system/its components basing on sonic qualities presented by them and regardless of which technologies they actually use, as these qualities are not so obviously “attached” to tube or transistor anymore. ASPIRIAA offers a dense, rich sound with no signs of brightness or harshness and it does that having no tube on board. The tonal balance is simply right and the device is able to present different pros and cons of each recording and pressing. The presentation is highly enjoyable and it doesn't pretend to be delivered by a tube device. Designers simply managed to achieve similar sound qualities, adding good level of transparency and differentiation – only much more expensive tube model offer even more in this regard. Plus the device is really well made – looks good and sounds great. Together with such Polish brands as RCM Audio and Zontek, Amare Musica creates Polish vinyl-related high-end class. The chassis of ASPIRIAA is build up with aluminum plates. Front seems bit thicker than the rest of them. Whole chassis sits on high quality Franc Audio Accessories Tablette feet with ceramic balls. There are two LEDs on the front of the device: a green and a red ones, that indicated current mode. First the red lights up and after the circuit reaches working conditions the red turns off and the green lights up. I am sure it is a pure coincident but both, the colors and the distance between LEDs reminded me of an on/off switch used in one of the versions of Linn Sondek LP12. On the rear panel one finds high quality, gold-plated Vampire Audio RCA and Neutrik XLR sockets using Teflon dielectric. Next to them there are four rows of miniature DIP-switches, one for each channel and separate ones for MM and MC cartridges. For MM one can adjust input capacitance within the range of 0 to 1000 pF at 47 kΩ or 1 kΩ (47/100/220/330/1000 pF), and for MC the impedance loading in the range from 5 Ω to 47 kΩ (10/22/47/100/249/475/825/1000 Ω). There is also a gold-plated ground post and IEC with mechanical switch and with mains fuse. One can also choose on of four setting for gain although access to the DIP switches is a bit problematic. There are available for one channel on the bottom of the device, but to select gain for the other channel one has to remove top cover. I guess the designers wanted to ensure as short signal paths as possible, so while they were clearly sound quality oriented, this solution is not the most user-friendly. I mean if one uses more than one cartridge as doing it once should be a problem. Those who have few pickups requiring different gain levels will have to get used to removing the cover. There are four settings available: 40 – 58 – 64 – 67 dB. There electronic circuits are placed on three PCBs – one sports a power supply section, of two other each sports gain and equalization modules for one channel. There is one toroidal transformer delivering power for both channels. Power supply also sports separate sections for each channel with rectifiers and voltage regulators, large filtering capacitors, precise resistors and Wima polypropylene capacitors. Current is than delivered to other electronic circuits with multi-strand flat cables. There are two more fuses in the circuit – one might considering exchanging all three for some specialized one like, for example, products of Polish company Verictum. There are separate audio circuit for both channels – each on a separate PCB. Also here designers decided to use high quality elements like Panasonic voltage filtering capacitors. It is a solid-state circuits with Burr Brown OPA627 AP in MM input MM and Analog Devices AD797ANZ in MC's. In the next section one will find Burr Brown OPA134AP and Analog Devices AD797ANZ. The whole montage is a nice, precise job and again high quality elements are used also in this section like Vishay MKP 1837 in a rare, Black version Black. For the MM input they used Mundorf M Cap but manufacturer declares that there are no capacitors in signal's path. Device utilizes passive RIAA equalization. Make&finish is simply perfect and so is the chassis. If that's not enough a solid an nice looking case with company's name engraved on it should be a final, compelling evidence, that this is a representative a true high-end. Specifications (according to manufacturer): Gain: - 40 dB – MM - 58 dB, 64 dB, 67 dB - MC RIAA response: +/- 0,2 dB, 20-20 kHz Maximum output: 12 V RMS Output impedance: - 100 Ω – RCA - 100+100 Ω - XLR Input impedance: - 47 kΩ, 0-1000 pF (MM) - 5 Ω - 47 kΩ (MC) Power consumption: 20 W YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE, WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW? 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