he Krakow Sonic Society is a group in which people’s opinions and ideas are shaped, where we have an opportunity to listen to different devices and get to know new technologies together. Since we meet in our private homes, the number of participants in such meetings is limited, which I regret. The events which originally constituted a basis for the Krakow Sonic Society were known as “Audioszołki” (Eng. “Little Audio Shows”). They were popularized about ten years ago by the “Audio” magazine and were open events that took place in audio salons. However, certain things cannot be changed and must be accepted the way they are (as Paulo Coehlo might say :). Therefore, the last year’s unnumbered meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society which took place during the Audio Show 2014 exhibition was some kind of compensation for those years – even though it was imperfect, it was already something. I already knew then that we had to have another such meeting during the 2015 exhibition. We found a pretext for it quite quickly – Raveen Bawa, a representative of the dCS company, let me know soon afterwards that a novelty was being prepared: after many years of absence, a Compact Disc player was to become part of the company’s offer again. We immediately arranged to have a listening session together during the Audio Video Show 2015 exhibition. dCS Rossini Offering a CD player at a time when the technology is regarded to be obsolete and “passing away” is a risky thing to do. Who would need a “thing” like this? At the moment, being a cultured music lover and an experienced audiophile means having either a turntable or an audio file player as the source in one’s system. Physical media used for recording digital signal (CD, SACD, DVD-A and Audio BR) are not taken seriously, they are “bad”. Even a cassette player is more desired than a Compact Disc player. This diagnosis of mine is exaggerated, of course, and certain elements of the whole issue are overemphasized. However, I think that I am not the only person who sees things in such a way. So, why do companies that know the market of high-end audio devices very well keep on promoting physical media? The fact is that although both Rossini and top-end Vivaldi play files, it does not make them file players – it is their secondary role. The answer is simple: people who I respect and whose opinion is important to me think that physical media sound better than files. We experienced that with Raveen (read HERE) and the CEO of Maim has talked about it lately in an interview for the “HIFICRITIC” magazine, while Cambridge Audio, an exceptionally watchful producer representing the base and medium price range, has recently proposed a very nice CD transport, the CXC model. For those who are taking part in the crusade and carrying a holy banner with a crossed out silver disc, all of the above is a fairytale which consists in hopelessly sticking to what we already know. However, let me remind you that, not so long ago, the supporters of vinyl and reel-to-reel tape recorders (technologies that “progressives” stopped buying a long time ago) were treated in a similar way. The emergence of a new Compact Disc player on the top high-end market is no surprise to me. However, it requires a brief explanation – it is not a Super Audio CD player, like all the earlier dCS transports and players, but a Compact Disc player with a dedicated CD transport. There are two reasons for that, in my opinion. The first one is the enormous cost of the Esoteric SACD VRDS-NEO drive used in the Vivaldi. It costs the company a few thousand euros, which means its price is two to three times higher in the device sold to the end customer (these are the realities of running a stable company). However, the Rossini is significantly cheaper. Another reason is the availability of Esoteric transports. As far as I know, dCS is the only company, apart from the manufacturer itself, that has access to them, but only to a limited extent. Music Having access to such a sophisticated Compact Disc player, I had to make use of it. So, I offered visitors at the Audio Video Show 2015 exhibition a meeting with the CD in the main role. We met twice, at 12 and at 1 o’clock p.m. on Sunday, in the Audiofast room. On entering, visitors had to show their admission tickets. The topic of the meeting was a comparison of different CD versions of albums released by The Beatles, with a little addition. During the listening session, we used the following: THE BEATLES RUBBER SOUL | Drive My Car 1. Japanese version, 1987 remaster | Apple/Toshiba-EMI TOCP-51116, (2000) | CD 2. European version, 2009 remaster | Apple/EMI Music 84414 2 5, “Sampler” (2009) | CD 3. Japanese version, 2009 remaster | Apple/EMI Music Japan TOCP-71006 (2009) | CD 4. Japanese version, 2009 remaster | Apple/EMI Music Japan TOCP-71006 (2009) | SHM-CD REVOLVER | Here, There and Everywhere 1. Japanese version, 1987 remaster | Apple/Toshiba-EMI TOCP-51124, (2000) | CD 2. European version, 2009 remaster | Apple/EMI Music 84414 2 5, “Sampler” (2009) | CD 3. Japanese version, 2009 remaster | Apple/EMI Music Japan TOCP-71007 (2009) | CD 4. Japanese version, 2009 remaster | Apple/USM Japan TOCP-76972 (2009) | SHM-CD ABBEY ROAD | Come Together 1. Japanese version, 1987 remaster | Apple/Toshiba-EMI TOCP-51122, (2000) | CD 2. European version, 2009 remaster | Apple/EMI Music 84414 2 5, “Sampler” (2009) | CD 3. Japanese version, 2009 remaster | Apple/EMI Music Japan TOCP-71013 (2009) | CD 4. Japanese version, 2009 remaster | Apple/USM Japan TOCP-76978 (2009) | SHM-CD JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONO DOUBLE FANTASY | I’m Losing You lub Woman 1. Japanese version, 2000 remaster | Apple/Toshiba-EMI TOCP-51122, (2000) | CD 2. Japanese version, 2010 remaster | Apple/USM Japan TOCP-71013 (2009) | SHM-CD (marked as a CD on our handouts by mistake) 3. Japanese version, 2010 remaster | Apple/USM Japan TOCP-76978 (2009) | Platinum SHM-CD (marked as a SHM-CD on our handouts by mistake) The meeting The procedure was clear and simple: I played the same song from four CD versions of an album, one after another. After each such round I asked the participants to describe their impressions, then we voted for the best version and later there was time for expressing opinions. Sometimes I asked listeners for details, wanting to learn something more. We tested three different CD versions of John Lennon’s Double Fantasy for dessert. While, when it comes to The Beatles, an ABCD comparison was used (A, B, C and D known), we listened to Lennon’s album in an ABC mode, not knowing which was A, B and C – that was proposed by one of the listeners and it was a good thing to do. Those who entered the room were given pieces of paper with a list of the songs and their versions to make tracking the changes easier. Unfortunately, when it comes to Lennon, I made a mistake in the description – mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! I must say I had a wonderful time. Such meetings are very stimulating and refreshing. I have the impression that most of the participants felt the same and I sincerely hope that they were enriched by the meeting in one way or another. Below you will find a few opinions that have been sent to us (I asked for them after the listening session had finished). However, before we move on to that, it must be said that voting revealed a few constants. First of all, almost everyone pointed out that there were smaller or bigger (but always present) differences between all the album versions. The biggest gap that we noticed was between the master versions of 1987 and 2009. Apparently, it is still the key element of the puzzle – the quality of the recording and then of the master version is of key importance. Secondly, the listeners (not everyone, but the majority) most often mentioned decreasing differences between the European version, the Japanese version and the SHM-CD (all of them: master of 2009). It was interesting to know what listeners thought of each of the versions. The master version of 1987 and the SHM-CD of 2009 were evaluated most highly. The European version with the new master and its Japanese equivalent of the year 2009 were most frequently not considered in voting – however, not always. Listeners pointed out much higher selectivity of the new versions, as well as better differentiation of instruments and vocals – everything was simply clearer and more dynamic. The older master version was characterized by fluidity and musicality. Only the SHM-CD version provided, according to some of the listeners, similar fluidity combined with the advantages of a new master. As regards the Lennon’s album, we could choose one of the two songs – I’m Losing You or Woman. The group at 12 o’clock chose Woman and the group at 1 o’clock – I’m Losing You. Trying to guess which version was being played at a given moment was fun and it demonstrated that people need to familiarize themselves with every novelty, just like with any system that they use. However, it was fun, of course. If it encourages you to make such individual attempts – the aim has been reached. Vox populi, vox Dei (The voice of the people is the voice of God) During the listening sessions everyone could have their say. So, please treat the comments below as information supplementary to what was happening in the listening room. Michał Z. I had the pleasure to participate in the 100th meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society during the Audio Video Show 2015 exhibition. The conclusion that can be drawn after the listening session is that there are differences between all the versions. The pressing process itself had an impact on the sound of all the album versions that we listened to. In my opinion, the sound of the first releases was the worst in the majority of cases, although in the case of the blind test of Double Fantasy I liked the oldest version best. As regards Abbey Road, the master version was very badly recorded and “dirty”. In this case, I liked the Japanese version best (3.), while the European version was too polished and a bit artificial. When it comes to Revolver and Rubber Soul, I essentially hesitated when it came to choosing between the Japanese CD and SHM-CD version of 2009. It was also possible to notice that versions no. 3 (?) of all the albums had a quite similar sound signature – more “weighted down” than in the case of the SHM-CD and, in some cases, people might have liked it better. Marcin Bobula Krakow Sonic Society The 100th meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society, organized during the Audio Video Show exhibition, took place on November 8th at12 o’clock. The meeting was held in a room at the Polish National Stadium. As I had already attended similar meetings organized in Cracow a number of times before, I approached it with a peace of mind, although the circumstances were completely different. The listening room was totally different (not necessarily as well acoustically adjusted as the rooms of the Krakow Sonic Society members), there were many more participants and I was also completely unfamiliar with the system. Despite that, I decided to take part in this event. It was fun, as listening to music has always been and will always remain my pleasure, and a pleasure means having fun. In order to give others a chance to experience music better, I sat in the last row, which is not such a good location when it comes to acoustics. I am not going to elaborate on the details of each presented song. I will only say that the differences between the presented versions, both Japanese and European ones, were marginal, in my opinion. Only the SHM-CD version brought about big changes. There was more space, while the tone and microdynamics were better. Naturally, I regarded these features as advantages. The same pattern could be observed in the case of each album. Only the last “blind” listening session was different. However, in that case, one of the versions was recorded on a Platinum SHM-CD. Here the differences were more noticeable. After each round of the listening session, Wojtek always asked us if there had been any differences in what we had heard. Of course there had been some differences, but I asked myself different questions: ‘Why do albums with the same remaster, 16-bit and 44.1 kHz recordings sound so different?’ and ‘Would I like to pay three times more for a SHM-CD (not to mention the Platinum version)? To answer the latter one: I would buy a SHM-CD version only in the case of my favorite albums: Diana Krall, Dire Straits or Norah Jones. Anyway, it was worth listening to how much can still be extracted from the “old disc” condemned by some to be displayed in museums. I personally think that the CD will continue to remain the source (as good as any other one) in many audiophile systems, including mine. Stanisław P. I came to the meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society at 12 o’clock. As for me, the first CD releases sounded best. dCS Rossini, as I think, is such a high-end system that it can show many nuances on discs. I listen to a lot of music from CDs, originally recorded on analogue tapes. That is why the first CD release always sounds much better for me. It is simply because the master tape was not so degraded at the time when it was recorded. At The Beatles there was also much more information about the musicians themselves and the instruments, it was closer to nature. When it comes to the last song, I do not have any strong opinion about it, but I think that the Platinum SHM-CD version was the most faithful. Marek Dyba | „High Fidelity” The 100th meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society from a non-objective point of view of a non-fan of both The Beatles and the CD format A few days before this year’s Audio Video Show began, I had received an email from Wojtek, in which he invited me to the 100th jubilee meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society, which was to be held in Warsaw that time (I thought that it was a bold thing to do for an inhabitant of Cracow). Well, I thought that if the boss was telling me to go, I would go. :) From my point of view, it would have been hard to call the subject of the meeting interesting – it was not only related to comparing different types of the obsolete CD format (Wojtek must be grinding his teeth right now) but also connected with the music of The Beatles. I appreciate the band’s contribution to the development of music in general, but I do not consider their music to be worth listening to. It is because there is so much more interesting music to discover (yes, I know I am exposing myself to being lynched by fans of The Beatles:)). However, I thought it might be an interesting sociological experiment – in the end, when a group of audiophiles gather together to discuss any topic, there are usually as many opinions as there are participants in the discussion. So, it was interesting to see if that would happen again this time, or whether the meeting would constitute an exception to the rule (that would confirm the rule anyway). I came to the meeting right after the recital of a lovely and talented Italian vocalist, Andrea Celeste, who sang live to the accompaniment of music played from an analogue tape through an FM Acoustics system. And it was after such a WONDERFUL experience that I had to to listen to that terrible CD. My mean nature of a Scorpio from Silesia counted quietly on having a bit of fun, at least on participants from Warsaw and Cracow possibly revealing their everlasting dislike towards one another and quickly moving from words to actions. To my disappointment, even though we met at a sports stadium where adrenaline usually rushes through people’s veins, nothing happened – the saying that music (even The Beatles – ok, I will try to stop making such remarks) soothes the savage beast proved to be true. However, it does not mean that the meeting was not interesting. It was, since, according to my assumptions, individual listeners’ opinions were very different and often contradictory. We listened to four versions of a few songs chosen by Wojtek (from four different album releases), after which the listeners were to express their preferences and try to justify them. And that was interesting – what sounded most natural for some of the people, was most artificial for others. What was most spatial for some of the listeners, was flat for others. Some chose the “ordinary” CD as the only right option (one that they would buy for themselves – that was a criterion that Wojtek asked us to use when choosing the preferred version, thus excluding me from active participation in the discussion), others only took “sophisticated” CD versions into consideration (depending on the given album, either the Japanese version or the SHM-CD, or even the Platinum SHM-CD in one case). Some would sacrifice everything to be able to get the most ordinary European edition, others were only satisfied with the Japanese version. For some, the obvious choice was the older mastering of the same material, for others the “younger” mastering was the only acceptable option. Of course, the differences in sound evaluation partly resulted from the differences in the participants’ experience of listening to music, different efficiency of their hearing apparatus, specific location in the listening room and personal preferences. Even taking all these factors into account, such contradictory opinions of different people must have been a bit surprising, showing clearly how little objectivism is associated with the whole process and how much results from different personal determinants. However, this is good, as such diversity makes the world interesting, provides us with topics for discussion and the opportunity to have an argument, on the condition that the form of such a dispute is as nice as the one used during the meeting of the KSS. Then, it simply constitutes an interesting experience for every participant. To cut a long story short – the 100th meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society confirmed two commonly known truths. First of all, audio (i.e. the way we perceive sound) is damn biased – every person hears things in their own way, or perhaps everyone has their own truth regarding what they have heard. Secondly, The Beatles still have a lot of fans and unite generations, as the age of participants in the KSS meeting ranged from about several months (there was also such a fan) to around 80 years (there are also probably older fans as well, but circumstances must have prevented them from coming). As far as I am concerned, I confirmed myself in the conviction that The Beatles will never appeal to me, no matter how sophisticated CD versions are used (it would have probably been easier with vinyl discs or analogue tapes) and regardless of any high-end system equipped with dCS, Audio Research or Wilson devices. This is simply not what I like. However, the experience as such was interesting indeed and the role of an impartial observer suited me very well under the given circumstances. Judging by the facial expressions of the remaining participants (the room was full), they were all, including Mr. Jarek Orszański who willingly shared his views, having a wonderful time. I assume that this was Wojtek’s main intention when he decided to organize that meeting. Julian A few words about the 100th (and my first) meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society A great idea, congratulations! Many more such events should have been organized during the exhibition. I have decided to refrain from writing down my subjective evaluations of the presented versions for two reasons. First of all, I do not think that anyone would be willing to read the content of 120 tables with ratings from two sessions. Secondly, in my opinion, the listening session mainly proved (under the given conditions) that the system led to incredibly diversified impressions/perceptions depending on the place where one sat/stood/squatted. I assume that the people who came to the meeting were mostly experienced listeners, aware of what to pay attention to, so I do not believe that it was a coincidence that the “left half” of the room preferred one version and the “right half” – another. I was sitting in the middle and I agreed with either the “right half” or the “left half” (in turns), although sometimes my impressions were quite individual (e.g. when we were listening to the old master of Revolver, I heard that space definitely opened up and the soundstage moved far beyond the speakers). The sound of the new masters was cramped and narrow, flowing between speakers, but both “wings” of the room claimed that it was exactly the opposite. However, I cannot exclude the possibility that there is something wrong with me. It is a natural phenomenon in democracy (though it has certain painful consequences). As soon as I got home in the evening, I could not help taking my wife, a bottle of wine and two glasses to the cellar where I have my listening room. There I put Rubber Soul on the platter of my turntable and I was very surprised – the song Drive my car was not there (!!!). That is, it is not part of my favorite edition (Capitol Canada). Unfortunately, I do not know the tracklist by heart, so I thought: ‘we were tricked by the Editor who played a track from another album and nobody noticed that – what a lark!’ However, since I have a total of 5 different editions of Rubber Soul on vinyl (including two Japanese versions; the old EMI/Odeon edition is unrivalled), and the remaining ones include Drive my car, I breathed with relief that everything was ok anyway. Tomek Krakow Sonic Society Any meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society that takes place outside Cracow is always an interesting experience for me. I am glad that, as regards the methodology of listening, such meetings do not differ too much from what we do in Cracow, even though there are a few dozen participants instead of a few or several ones. Thanks to this, everyone who took part in the listening session devoted to The Beatles could see what hard work we often do and what small differences between the sound of individual samples we have to struggle with. Of course, in the case of the majority of the four albums that we listened to during the 100th meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society, the differences were quite significant, in my opinion. However, it seems to me that the diversity of contradictory opinions expressed by listeners who gathered in the room shows that a participant’s choice of the best version is determined by their sound preferences and probably also by their experience of taking part in listening sessions. To be more specific: from my point of view, the sound of editions pressed in Japan was instantly recognizable, always characterized by certain specific “calmness” and smoothness. For me, the most irritating version was always the one from the “Sampler” – importunate and digital in comparison to its Japanese competitors.  I must honestly admit that when it came to John Lennon’s & Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy, I did not manage to guess which version was the Platinum SHM-CD in the blind test, although I regard it to be the best variation of the CD format that has been created so far. I partly blame the fact that I am not familiar with this album and that there was a mistake in the handout distributed before the meeting (it was not anyhow stated that any of the three versions was the Platinum SHM-CD). I must also praise the acoustics of the room at the National Stadium in which our listening session took place. I just needed three seconds of an introduction in the form of Modern Talking music to realize how excellent the sound of the system was. Of course, both Wilson Audio and dCS provide top-end equipment that I value a lot, but both in Warsaw and during the High-End exhibition w Munich I witnessed “sound failures” on the part of these devices a number of times. Here everything sounded very well, at least in the case of the albums that we listened to during the jubilee meeting. I hope that in a year it will be possible to carry out an equally interesting listening session during the next Audio Video Show and that the atmosphere among the audience is going to be as nice as it was this year during the first round of the listening session that I attended. The end I thank you all very much for the meeting, I was really pleased. Next year we will also surely prepare something, perhaps even in two different rooms – we have already come up with some ideas. Please do not feel embarrassed then, come to me and talk – I will gladly get to know you and shake hands with you. It is because what matters to all of us is only music, “served” in the best possible way :) This is something that needs to be taught starting from one’s earliest days. So, the greater is our pleasure today when we are sending a certificate of a Honorary Member of the Krakow Sonic Society to the youngest participant in the meeting: As requested, we are sending you details regarding the youngest listener who attended the 100th meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society. The listener is called Julia and she is14 months old. That was her first audio exhibition – on Saturday she spent 8 hours at the Stadium and on Sunday she was there for a shorter time, but she was lucky and managed to listen to The Beatles even though she had no ticket. It was a very nice meeting, see you next year! Best regards, Julia, Anna and Hubert My best regards to you again and, hopefully, see you next year!!! Wojciech Pacuła [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/kts100/th/17.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/kts100/17.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/kts100/17.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

ew of my recent reviews were a result of my stubbornness, of my inability of letting things go. A story behind this review of Slovenian loudspeakers is quite different. Some time ago the very first review of Model One was written by Matej Isak of „Mono and Stereo” magazine (you can find an interview with Matej in our „The Editors” series HERE). I admit that I read only few reviews these days as I simply have no time for it (my bad). But Matej released a teaser of this test on Facebook and it was so compelling that I 'made' time to read the whole review. After that I contacted Matej and asked him directly for even more personal insight. He confirmed everything I already knew from his text, added some more praises on top and ensured me of his absolute impartiality in this matter (after all he is also Slovenian so one could suspect some sort of conspiracy here... - I hope you know I'm kidding :) ). I decided to send an inquiry to Ubiq Audio asking for a review pair, mentioning also my conversation with Matej. Guys from Ubiq contacted Matej, and I think also Hari from Natural Sound, and it seems that these two gentlemen confirmed that this Dyba dude from Poland is rather OK. And so still same day I got my answer stating that Ubiq crew knew, read and appreciated „High Fidelity” magazine and that they would love to deliver Model One for review as soon as the test pair would come back from Germany where these were assessed by potential German distributor. And so I waited. Patiently. Really! I can be patient (sometimes, OK on occasion I can, even if these are rare occasions). Unfortunately (for me I mean) this German distributor liked the speakers so much he wouldn't send them back. And since Ubiq Audio was a relatively new and small company at the time with many potential distributors waiting in line for their demo pairs, delivering another pair to me was sort of an understandable problem. All I could do was to keep waiting. I felt that I was missing an opportunity to experience something special with Ubiq loudspeakers. I don't know about you but I sometimes have a gut feeling about some components, an intuition, if you will, that tells me that I would love some component that I never even had a chance to audition. That's what happened once when I bought (also coming from Slovenia) a fantastic phonostage Nibiru by ESELabs that I've been using for few years and still using today, or a great linear TransFi tonearm, or Bastanis Matterhorn speakers that I decided to buy after the test and that are still part of my reference system. This time also something told me that I had to listen to Model One. After few weeks I received an email from Mr Miro Krajnc, one of the three designers behind Model One, who I corresponded with from the very beginning, that there was a big chance Ubiq Audio together with a secret partner would exhibit in Warsaw during AudioVideoShow 2015. And that if that worked they would leave speakers with me after the Show. Yes, yes, yes! I thought to myself (Poles know whom am I quoting now) keepigng my fingers crossed. Later I found out that this secret partner was Italian company ForteVita whose products caught my interest already during last HighEnd Show in Munich. Italians provided amplification including absolutely delighful (in its appearances and sound quality) preamplifier and maybe not so beautiful but equally remarkably sounding power amps. Igor Kante, the owner of the Ubiq Audio brand, brought a beautiful pair of long awaited (by me I mean) Model One. Those who visited this room during the Show might have not even noticed other elements of the systems - streamer and cabling made by a brand from New Zealand called Antipodes. Igor is a Slovenian distributor of this brand (among many others). Why did I notice them? Well, because I've been using Antipodes analogue interconnect called Komako already for a few years. I bought it not long after brand started to promote its products on Audiogon. I purchased it also because of that gut feeling telling me that it was a great product available at particularly attractive price – and, as usually, I was right! Today this brand not only offers even better cables – Igor claimed that the Reference series he brought for presentation to AVS was one of the best there were on the market regardless the price – but also a streamer, in Igor's opinion also belonging to the best ones. Let's get back to Ubiq Audio though. From my conversations with Igor and Miro I concluded that the former was responsible for the foundation of the brand driven by a need of creating high-end speakers. As I already mentioned Igor is (and was) probably the biggest audio distributor in Slovenia which means he had a huge experience with several top audio brands and their product. When he decided to design loudspeakers under his own brand it was clear that he wanted to start already with advanced, high quality, high end product. As he told me, he was also a great fan of all kinds of live music. He attended multiple live concerts with music of different genres, so he knew the sound of real instruments perfectly, he knew how dynamic, powerful, energetic live performance could be and he wanted to reproduce that with his speakers. The speakers to be created had to offer not only high quality sound but also this live-like dynamics and energy Igor remembered from all these concerts. Having first hand experience with many top loudspeakers from different brands Igor believed that many of them were not capable of reproducing the level of energy and dynamics delivered by live instruments. He had a clear vision, defined goal he wanted to achieve so he had to find some specialists who could help him to bring this project to life. He decided to invite Miro Krajnc and Janez Mesaric. The former had been studying acoustic theories for over 25 years implementing them in dozens if not hundreds of loudspeakers he built. As he told me, he built most of them upon individual orders but also under his brand, you might have heard of, called SoulSonic. The latter is an acclaimed industrial designer, receiver of BIO19 award and I.D. design award, founder and director of Design Studio Mashoni. The Studio takes care of Ubiq's visual identity. Janez is also the person responsible for the astonishing aesthetics of Model One. Miro, basing on Igor's general concept designed a quite large, three-way loudspeaker, which was another key element of the whole concept, as Igor assumed that to recreate the scale of live event one needs large, at least 3-way speaker. Janez created the final look of Model One, not forgetting about acoustic requirements of such design, and Igor spent almost 2 years finalizing details, hand picking all elements and fine tuning the sound. They had one significant advantage over most loudspeaker designers – they could spend as much time working on even smallest details as needed as there was no pressure of time, no set release date, not set price level. From the very beginning of the project they knew it would be presented to the public only when it was 100% ready. Model under review is the very first product of this new Slovenian manufacturer but they are already planning next ones. The road map for the near future includs a smaller model and two bigger ones. Igor also told me that he was working on an integrated amplifier that, when he is satisfied with its performance, would join the lineup. I won't dare to say it will happen soon as this guy is obviously a passionate driven by perfection which suggests that it might still take some time before amp is actually ready. :) What is so special about Model One? First of all it is not so popular in recent years speaker with narrow front baffle sporting small diameter drivers with bass-reflex loading. From my conversations with Igor and Miro (I haven't met Janez) I learned that both of them believe that best effects are achieved by combining modern, advanced technologies with a touch of „well-proven tradition”. So if the Model One was supposed to be a decent, 3-way loudspeaker (these gentlemen do not even recognize 1 or 2-way speakers as worth their attention) it had to sport a large, solid and heavy cabinet. And so Model One measures 118 cm (H), sport a wide front baffle (42 cm) and the depth of 37 cm is also quite 'serious'. It was supposed to be also heavy – 42 kg a piece confirms that the goal was met. All drivers sport membranes made of traditional materials – paper and polyester, all feature oversized coils (tweeter - 38 mm, midrange - 54 mm, woofer - 76 mm). Designers decided also to use large diameter drivers – one doesn't often find 12'' woofer, 8'' midrange and 38 mm tweeter in speaker of that size. Model One sports (almost) closed cabinet. Almost as there is a small opening on the back of a midrange woofer chamber. Miro told me that is it there only to release pressure from the chamber to avoid distortion (so it does not work as bass-reflex). Tweeter works inside waveguide and it sits bit deeper than other two drivers to ensure time and phase coherency of all drivers. The woofer operates in a closed chamber. Crossover is a point-to-point type. Igor decided to use selected elements of highest quality including, which is particularly interesting for us, capacitors made in Poland that during his experiments he found better than other competitors. Cabinet combines acoustic requirements with astonishing aesthetics – these are truly eye-catching, beautiful loudspeakers with a top quality finish. And I dare to claim that basing my findings on a pair that, as Igor claimed, was only a prototype not matching units from regular production in terms of make&finish quality! There are no parallel walls within the cabinet, neither on the outside nor inside. The shape of the front baffle, placement of all drivers, shape of the whole cabinet with its wide front and narrow back – all these element were chosen to achieve the ultimate goal – the best possible sound. Miro pointed out that woofer should always be placed close to the floor level as that results in truly rich bass that has proper 'weight' and so Model One's bass driver sits close to lower edge of the cabinet. The front is particularly interesting as most people who see Model One for the first time assume that it is a single, maybe coaxial driver, speaker. The only driver that is visible is the tweeter placed in a waveguide – hence the impression of a single/coaxial driver. The other two drivers stay hidden under a grill that sports only one, circular hole allowing us to see the tweeter but not other drivers. To make it look even more interestingly (and bit like one of Frank Serblin's designs) Ubiq placed a harp (as my daughter called it) in the front. These are vertical, flexible, rubber (I think) strings stretched between two metal bars that are mounted near the upper and lower edge of the front baffle. Only when one takes off the 'harp' and grill all drivers become visible sitting in a front baffle that is additionally damped with some sort of black felt mat. The side walls closing in towards the back of the cabinet are made off 4 layers of hand-picked Okoume wood, that needs to be bent to achieve required shape. It is a complex process that takes a lot of time, effort and of course is quite expensive too. Manufacturer offers three standard finishes: White Pearl, Black and natural Slovenian walnut veneer. Another interesting and good looking solution is using the same material on the back of the cabinets as the one used for a grill in the front. I have to admit to color combinations used for Model One look really, really elegant (although apart from White version the other ones I've seen only on photographs). Cabinet sports aluminum top and bottom covers – these are offered in many different colors. It is also possible to customize cabinet's finish upon customer's order. I have to say it, also because other members of my family also confirmed my observation, these are the most beautiful white speakers I ever reviewed and it says a lot as I don't even like white things (that remind me of a hospital). Having said that I should also admit that probably, as a traditionalist, I'd rather chosen a wood veneer finish for myself. Manufacturer declares anechoic frequency range of 40 – 30 000 Hz, +/- 3 dB, but in a typical room bass may go down to 30 Hz, or maybe even to 25 Hz, depending on the room acoustics and placement of the speakers. Nominal impedance of 6 Ω (that it never goes below 5 Ω) combined with 88dB sensitivity make these speakers relatively easy to drive. Igor knowing my personal preferences told me though that low-power SETs were out of question. Loudspeakers, or rather drivers and crossovers to be exact, undergo an initial breaking-in already at manufacturer's workshop – it's not (at least not only) about making user's life easier but about checking whether all elements work properly after operating for some time. After this initial break-in period measurements are taken again and loudspeakers are sold only if they meet rigorous criteria. This way Ubiq Audio enters the market offering not only high quality make&finish, and sound obviously, but they also right from the start let customers know that they did everything in their power to deliver a reliable, flawless product. Recordings used for the test (a selection): AC/DC, Live, EPIC E2 90553, LP. Alan Silvestri, Predator, Intrada MAF 7118 , CD/FLAC. Arne Domnerus, Antiphone blues, Proprius PRCD 7744, CD/FLAC. Cannonball Adderley, Somethin' else, Classic Records BST 1595-45, LP. Coleman Hawkins, The Hawk Flies High, Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-290, LP. Isao Suzuki, Blow up, Three Blind Mice B000682FAE, CD FLAC. John Coltrane, Blue train, Blue Note Stereo TOJJ-6505 (BN-1577), LP. John McLaughlin Trio, Que alegria, Verve B00000478E, CD. Keith Jarrett, The Koeln Concert, ECM 1064/65 ST, LP. Leszek Możdżer, Kaczmarek by Możdżer, Universal Music 273 643-7, CD/FLAC. Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington, The Complete Session. Deluxe Edition, Roulette Jazz 7243 5 24547 2 2 (i 3), CD/FLAC. Mahler, Symphony no. 1, EMI Classical/Hi-Q Records HIQSXR35, Supercuts XRCD24. McCoy Tyner, Solo: Live from San Francisco, Half Note Records B002F3BPSQ, CD/FLAC. Michał Wróblewski Trio, City album, Ellite Records, CD/FLAC. Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro, dyr. Teodor Currentzis, MusicAeterna Orchestra, Sony Classical B00GK8P1EG, CD/FLAC. Pavarotti, The 50 greatest tracks, Decca 478 5944, CD/FLAC Renaud Garcia-Fons, Oriental bass, Enja B000005CD8, CD/FLAC. Rodrigo y Gabriela, 11:11, EMI Music Poland 5651702, CD/FLAC. The Ray Brown Trio, Summer Wind, Concord Jazz CCD-4426, CD/FLAC. Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] During AudioVideoShow volume levels in ForteVita/Ubiq Audio room were quite high most of the time with Igor Kante being responsible for that :) As he told me right away – he simply likes high volume levels as they remind him of live experience plus, of course, the conditions in Sobieski Hotel force exhibitors to play loud. Another aspect he proudly mentioned, was the ability of Model One to play very loud without any compression or distortion. He told me that these speakers were used also as stage speakers during live concert and they did that job perfectly too. I bet not so many audiophile grade loudspeakers would survive this kind of a test. The Slovenian speakers owe their 'durability' or ability to play very loud even over extended time to Italian drivers they feature made for professional market. Honestly? – if I hadn't read Matej's review before, after all these information I would have most likely concluded that these must have been the 'type' of aggressively sounding, not very sophisticated, not particularly refined speakers that were usually used to amplify live concerts. Don't get me wrong - for that purpose such speakers are great – it's about loud, dynamic, energetic performance that does not have to be highly nuanced, detailed, refined, well balanced and so on. Such loudspeakers do what is needed for the concert hall really well but can't do what's required for home listening of jazz, or classical music in a (usually) small room at reasonable volume levels. But Matej claimed something different. So on Sunday evening, after the Show, with Jacek's help (thanks again if you're reading this) we took the speakers, loaded them on a van and brought them to my apartment. Three days spent in a noisy environment of AudioVideoShow introduced a constant noise that I heard inside my head all the time and so it wasn't until Tuesday that I even unpacked and connected Model One. For starters I used an amplifier I also brought with me from the Show – an Italian integrated by Norma Audio. I wasn't going to start with critical listening session so using unknown amp was acceptable. I always allow all reviewed components to settle in my room for some time, so that they can 'forget' about transport experience, temperature differences and so on. I connected all components still using Sulek Audio cables, that I wasn't so willing to give back even after I finished my review, I set quite a low volume level, a long playlist, hit 'start' button and was ready to start writing my coverage of the Show and finish some other jobs. Maybe a week later „Hi-Fi Choice” Chief Editor started asking about when I could finally deliver this promised coverage and I realized that I hadn't even started writing it yet. Listening to Ubiq speakers was so immersive that I forgot about everything else. Among many qualities of these speakers what surprised and delighted me most was a unique ability to convey this amazing, vivid energy of music, that wowed me so many times when I attended some concerts but that I was usually missing when listening to music at home. And it's not really about amplified concerts, but rather about sound of acoustic instruments – guitar, piano, trumpet – there is so much energy in their sound when one listens to them live, and that is lost (in part) during the whole process of recording and production and later also when music is reproduced over home audio system. Let me explain that this energy I'm talking about is not dynamics as such, nor is it about playing very loud which could create such an impression. It's about feeling this energy that is created when a finger plucks a string, or when a vibrating air leaves trumpet or saxophone, for example. Stage monitors emanate a lot of energy but in their case it is mostly about high volume level/sound pressure and the sound they reproduce is not particularly refined, nor nuanced. Model One, just as their designers planned, reproduced this live-like energy in a fantastic way and they didn't have to play loud to do that. As I already mentioned, after every Show I attend for the next few days I listen to music only on low/very low levels just to give myself a chance to rest after quite exhaustive experience. That's also exactly what I did with Ubiq loudspeakers and despite their unique ability to play very loud I was not in a hurry to exploit that option. Not only already low level performance delivered this incredible energy, but it was also amazingly refined, detailed, coherent and natural – so there was really no reason to increase volume level. Many other speakers when set to such low volume level loose some details and some vividness of the presentation. Like some information is simply gone. I am not talking about 'normal' day listening, but about 'night' sessions, when even noisy city gets quiet and one's senses become even more sensitive so at low volume level one actually hears more than during the day at much higher levels. Not this time. This time I was offered a full, rich, nuanced and energetic presentation at almost whisper volume level – something that most loudspeakers simply couldn't do . Sure, some credit for that achievement has to go also to this Italian integrated amp, that performed so well that I didn't want to replace it with my own Modwright even after few days. But I think that it were the speakers that provided most of this magic. Even at such low levels they delivered full range performance with crisp, sparking, open, airy and very precise treble, rich, dense, colorful and smooth midrange and a brilliantly controlled and defined, punctual, well differentiated bass. Oh yes, I almost forgot about the best part - there was no sign of this nasty 'boomy' effect that most bass-reflex speakers provide listeners handsomely with :) I went through large part of my music collection, I played jazz, classical music, blues, opera and each time I was amazed with how much information Model One provided in a very natural but also neutral way. I wouldn't call these speakers warm sounding as they surely did not add any sort of coloration of their own, they just conveyed a natural warmth of the sound of acoustic instruments. I played also some rock and orchestral music, which called for a higher volume setting. But it was the type of music that called for loud reproduction and not a necessary requirement to let speakers perform with such music. Finally I gave them a chance to perform at even hardly acceptable (for my neighbors I mean) levels and they gave me hell of a ride! I started with AC/DC and pushed the volume knob beyond the point described on a scale as: 'are you completely nuts?' (or something like that – my Italian is a bit rusty). Immediately I started to think about Igor and his love for loud music – now I finally understood why he liked it so much. The performance was remarkably clean, well balanced, energetic like hell and without even so much as a hint of compression (I mean other than coming from recording itself). It played loud, very loud and yet I could listen like that for a long time without getting tired – it was this familiar feeling from live concerts – they are always too loud and yet I never have a problem with that. But until this day I always thought this crazy volume level was acceptable only when attending concert and never at home. I was obviously mistaken. OK, it wasn't quite concert level, as I planned on keeping both: my hearing and my relations with neighbors more or less intact. But as for home listening sound pressure was bit crazy. Right after AC/DC with my neck and extremities hurting from involuntary, rhythmic movements (it's rock'n'roll after all) and my throat from screaming together with Brian Johnson I needed some rest, a chance to relax. So I played Le nozze di Figaro under the one and only Currentzis, a release that I mentioned so many times already in my different reviews. I did not decrease volume level for the overture – it played as loud as the Australian band before. That's how orchestra can and should sound like when listened at home! Huge scale sound, unrestricted dynamics, with this extraordinary, lively energy that sent me straight to audiophile heaven. It happens a lot during live performances but rarely at home, when music is 'only' reproduced from a record. And again it was very realistic because sound was so pure, so well organized, so balanced. Not for a second did I feel as if volume level was too high, as the loudspeakers seemed not to care about how loud they had to play. The expression, emotions were as vivid, as overwhelming as the, so many times already mentioned, energy coming from speakers. I was totally immersed in Figaro's story and enjoyed myself a lot. Yes, this particular performance is amazing and it mattered but Model One also did a fantastic job conveying this funny story in a way that made me laugh repeatedly. And I couldn't stop clapping my hands when the spectacle was finished and kept shouting: encore! encore! I could have listened to music, enjoy it until the deadline for this review concluding that these were one of the best loudspeakers I ever reviewed. I could have but... the top AudioTekne system arrived (by arrived I mean that Jacek and I had to carry 250kg to all the way to my apartment). 11 W delivered by top AT power amps was not enough to drive Ubiq optimally – that's what both, Igor and Hari told me. OK, I thought, but I could use the phonostage and linestage with my solid-state amp, or Norma operating as power amp... It was a great idea but not so easy to implement – I needed long cable runs and lots of effort to move these damn heavy components around. But as I already mentioned I'm stubborn so I managed to set everything up the way I wanted to. I used a remarkable Raven Black Knight with Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum that sent signal to top AT phonostage (these huge and heavy monoblocks), than to top AT linestage and finally to my Modwright or Norma that drove directly Model One. Surely any of these two amps was a bottleneck of such system but... These two AudioTekne components introduced a new level of refinement, delivered much more detailed, nuanced sound, conveyed all the information read from the groove by Koetsu. Acoustic instruments were so vibrant! I mean I thought they had been already before but after adding these two AT devices into the mix Model One delivered even better, more realistic, more palpable performance then before. I could not just hear but also feel vibrating air particles carrying sounds to my ears (and body) – what an amazing experience! It also proved class of these Slovenian loudspeakers that were able to clearly show the influance of top-high-end components despite not being of the same, very high price level. Music, or should I say instruments, breathed so to speak. It was particularly obvious with brass instruments – trumpets, saxophones, trombones – Model One delivered an unbelievably natural, vivid and absolutely immersive performance. The other name of such instruments – wind instruments – gained with these speakers totally new meaning. With support of AT components Ubiq Audio loudspeakers were able to even better reproduce acoustics of recordings, especially the live ones. With this system the impression of participating in musical spectacle was simply irresistible. There is a chance that one of the Slovenian guys (Igor or Hari) will stop talking to me after reading this part but I'll take that chance. On the very last day just before finishing this test I decided to give the full AudioTekne system a try (with Model One, of course). Yes, I have to admit that dynamics was no longer such an outstanding advantage of this system. Maybe there was no THAT much energy in the sound either and bass surely wasn't so perfectly controlled and defined. But the midrange - OMG!! Just before replacing Norma with AT monoblocks I was listening to David Gilmour and this album sounded so good. And then I played it again after connecting Model One to AT power amps. What the Japanese amps did to David's vocal, which reviewed speakers managed to convey was pure magic, it just took my breath away. How could I even describe this sensation since already before I used expressions such as: great, remarkable, wonderful and so on. None of these terms were enough any more to describe this absolutely mesmerizing presentation of Gilmour's vocal. It was naturally warm, rich, dense even, palpable and vibrant. I think I didn't even mention before how great was the presentation of vocals already with Modwright and Norma driving Model One. But now it simply got even better, just HEAVENLY, just perfect. Summary Ubiq Audio proves that a newcomer on the very demanding audio market can make quite an entrance. Recipe seemingly is simple. You need a few experienced, passionate, driven professionals who have a clear vision of what they want to achieve. These people need proper means for project realization not to work under time pressure, without a particular deadline when project has to be ready. They need enough time to make sure that the final effect of their work satisfies them fully. And finally they have to take care about every single little detail, including eye-catching design, reliability of the product, perfect make & finish and last but not least remarkable sound quality. Piece of cake, right? :) Model One is probably the best debut of any brand I ever experienced. I couldn't find any flaws that usually happen to first products of a new manufacturer. These are perfectly made and finished loudspeakers that will look great even in a very elegant living room. And wait until you hear them... 12,5 thousand euros is a significant amount of money so surely not everybody can afford Model One. But I recommend a listening session with these speakers even if you plan to spend twice as much. I know that Igor already chose a distributor (AudioCave) for Poland who is waiting for his first few pairs of Model One to arrive, so soon it should be possible to give them a try if you want to. It's a very mature, refined product and it's easy to tell it was prepared by passionates who really wanted and knew how to make a great loudspeaker. Model One doesn't care what kind of music you want them to play. They will deliver rich, refined, well balanced sound already at very low sound levels, but they shall also allow their user to 'go crazy' when he feels like it and deliver clean, uncompressed and uncolored performance even at (almost) concert levels. Whatever your music and volume level preferences you may be sure that Model One will deliver a high-end, classy performance (assuming the system driving them is good enough). Among all speakers I had a chance to listen to in my system only one (as I remember that) outperformed Model One (by not so big margin) – the Hansen Audio Prince V2. But one has to remember that Canadian speakers cost over 40 kUSD, so in fact they are in a different league. Let me state the obvious (if you read the text until this moment) - Model One are remarkable loudspeakers! The first ones ever since I bought my Matterhorn that made me think about replacing German horns. Ubiqs can not be driven by low-watt SET amps – that is the only flaw that I found (flaw from my perspective) that I would have to accept. And who's to say that I won't? :) Specifications (according to manufacturer) Sensitivity: 88 dB Nominal impedance: 6 Ω Power: 200 continuous Typical in room frequency response*: 30 – 30 000 Hz +/- 3 dB Anechoic frequency response : 40 – 30 000 Hz +/- 3 dB Dimensions: 420 (W) x 370 (D) x 1180 (H) mm Weight: 42 kg/PC STANDARD COLORS**: black, white or natural wood * Since the woofer is a sealed design the low frequency extension can reach 25Hz depending on the placement. ** Other color options available on special request. [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/ubiq/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

hen in 2005 Arcam, a company specializing in multi-box, mid-priced systems introduced their new Solo systems it seemed like a crazy move. The very first Solo 5.1 was in fact a home-theater system. It combined a multi-format transport (DVD, CD, but also SACD and a HDCD decoder!), home theater decoders and five power amps. Soon after that next products of this type were released including: Solo Movie 2.1 (multi-format stereo system), Solo Music (stereo) and Solo Mini (stereo). Today, after releasing in the meantime Solo Neo, Arcam offers another two Solo systems: Movie (with Blu-ray transport) and Music (with SACD, CD and Bluetooth). As you can see the idea of all-in-one systems offered by renown audio brands survived until today. And not just survived – today most audio manufacturers offer such systems, even such high-end and exotic ones like the Swiss darTZeel. After considering all that M1 becomes and obvious choice for the next product offered by Lumin. It was rather question of „when?” and not „if”. The answer to this question is already known – now, in November 2015. All-in-one systems are the ones that combine some source (or sources) with amplifier(s) in a single chassis. There are also such systems that include also speakers, like Naim Mu-so, for example. One might find some similarities between such systems and so called boom-boxes – I mean the idea behind both types is similar, realization is obviously different. Both types are supposed to fit in all necessary elements into a small chassis and to make it as user-friendly as possible. M1 Lumïn specializes in music servers. They offer few models such as: S1, A1, T1 and D1. M1 is the first model of its type. Instead of using ideas of other manufacturers guys from Lumin came up with their own solution. Most take a music server, add a DAC and amplifier and voilà! They can offer all-in-one system. M1 in comparison is more minimalist product – or puristic one if you will. Do you remember digital amplifier offered by TacT? It made a lot of fuss on the market some years ago – for years it was the only advanced digital amplifier on the market. Today it seems that every second amp is called „digital” which is not true – most of them are analogue class D amps. There are still quite few truly digital amplifiers available on the market. These offer one key advantage – in fact they are powerful D/A Converters (it is also as TacT was described). Such amplifier modules made by TI were used for new Lumin device. Since it accepts only a digital signal it needs no digital-to-analogue conversion. Signal read from some HDD/NAS is decoded into PCM by music server section and send directly to amplifier section. Since these amplifier modules work in class D (so produce only a minimum heat) and are powered using switched mode power supply M1's chassis can be very compact. Aluminum enclosure is very simplistic and yet stylish with a nice, blue display in the center of the front panel, volume control knob on the right and standby button and the left. This simplicity is a result of 1,5 years of hard work put into this project. It is controlled using iOS app (Apple iPad, version 2 or later with iOS 5.0 or newer is required). Lumïn likes to use users' input to improve their app and that's why it works really well – only Aurender and Auralic offer equally good, reliable controlling apps for their products. M1 offers power of 60 W @ 8 and 100 W @ 4 Ω. Since there is no DAC it sports no outputs and no inputs except for two USB 2.0 ports and a single Ethernet (1000Base-T) port. All user needs is a connection with router, that allows to control Lumïn, and another one with NAS and/or USB drive. The latter has to be formatted using FAT32 (a single partition), NTFS or EXT2/3. The music server accepts PCM signals up to 32 bits and 384 kHz (DXD) but also DSD64 (2,8 MHz) and DSD128 (5,6 MHz). PCM signal might come from WAV, FLAC, Apple Lossless, MP3 or AAC M4A files, and the DSD one is accepted as DSF, DIFF files over DoP protocol. M1 offers „gapless” playback. It allows user to use popular streaming services like: Tidal and Qobuz. Volume might be controlled using a knob on M1's front, or using an app installed on a tablet or smart-phone. You might have seen an information regarding possibility of converting PCM signals up to 96 kHz to DSD but in fact it is possible only when using one of Lumin Music Servers. It is NOT possible when using M1 (see below). LI ON Product Development Manager WOJCIECH PACUŁA: How did the project called M1 start? LI ON: We start the M1 project because we want to build a full digit system from audio file to speaker amplification. There is no DAC in the M1. We use a TI Class-D digital amplifier to directly drive the speakers output. There is USB input - is it good enough to compete with Ethernet input? What is your opinion about USB and Ethernet? USB file playback is on all LUMIN models. Personally I don't think there is a sound quality difference compare to network streaming from a NAS. Some people do not know how to setup a NAS so they can simply connect a USB HDD or thumb-drive on LUMIN. On the other hand, if you have a huge music library (my music library has around 5500 albums with size around 5TB), then a NAS is better for more HDD space and you can put the NAS in other location for convenience. There is "number war" in streamers - more bits, higher sampling frequency etc. What is "enough" in your opinion? In my opinion, music quality is mostly due to recording and mastering quality. I think PCM 96kHz/24bit and DSD 2.8MHz are good enough. Your devices offer option of converting PCM signal to DSD – why? Does that offer any advantages? In the LUMIN app under LUMIN player Options, there is a "Re-sampling" setting. You can configure which PCM sampling rate to convert to DSD playback. IMO some PCM files when converted to DSD sounds more analog and fuller with more texture. It depends on the content. User can experiment and hear which type they prefer. This option is currently available for our Players: S1/A1/T1/D1, but it is NOT available for M1. DSD is PDM type of signal. Digital amplifiers by TI are PDM type modulation device. It means that there is conversion from PDM (DSD) to PWM (PCM), right? Is it performed inside TI chip? Yes, that is correct. DSD signal is converted into PWM before it reaches modulator inside TI chip. LUMÏN in „High Fidelity” TEST: LUMÏN – music server, see HERE TEST: LUMÏN S1 – music server, see HERE Recordings used for this test (a selection): Opus 3 DSD Showcase 1 (5,6 MHz), Opus 3, DSD128 Yesterdays Klipsch II DSD128, Opus 3, DSD128 Alan Parsons, Eye in The Sky, Arista/Analogue Productions, rip z DVD-A, WAV 24/192 (2005/1982) Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You), Atlantic, rip z SACD, DSD (1967) Art Pepper, Intensity, Contemporary Records, rip z SACD, DSD (1960) Clannad, Nádúr, ARC Music/HD Tracks, FLAC 16/44,1 (2013) Dead Can Dance, Anastasis, [PIAS] Entertainment Group PIASR311CDX, "Special Edition Hardbound Box Set", USB drive 24/44,1 WAV (2012); Dżem, Zemsta nietoperzy, Pronit/remaster Damian Lipiński, DSD (1987/2015). John Coltrane Quartet, Ballads, Impulse!, rip z SACD, DSD (1962) Lars Danielson & Leszek Możdżer, Pasodoble, ACT Music, WAV 24/88,2 (2007) Nat "King" Cole, Love is the Thing, Capitol/Analogue Productions, rip z SACD, DSD (1957/2010) Perfect, Unu, Tonpress/remaster Damian Lipiński, DSD (1982/2015). Sting, The Soul Cages, A&M, rip z CD, WAV 16/44,1 (1991/1998) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] All-in-one systems are created to make users' lives easier, more convenient. Also to let them save some money, but I think that convenience is the key feature. Such a device should work perfectly, without any „bugs”, like M1 does, to really fulfill its primary job. Even more so, when it comes to systems that have to sort and play thousands of albums in different formats, tagged in different ways. In this particular case while enjoying the sound a lot I also paid attention to other, non-musical aspect of this device. The App Using controlling app is very comfortable. The iOS app might not look particularly nice but it effectively does its job and using it is intuitive. I didn't need to look for some on-line tips to find out how to do this or that. Over time I did read almost every tip I found and I learned some tricks especially about creating playlists but it was not something I could not live without. The basic operation of the device was very simple and effective. After all the idea is not to spend too much time on controlling the device but rather on listening to the music. Still, if somebody asked me about tips regarding improvements of operation I'd suggested making this small wheel carrying information about track's time and present volume bigger – it is not that simple to hit it with a fingertip to change volume setting. Setup The setup process is very simple – place it where you want, connect it with LAN, with power outlet, speakers and turn it on. Lumïn will automatically search for NAS in your network, also for directly connected USB drives or pendrives. Downloading and installing the app is also very simple. At the very beginning Lumin creates index of all connected drives with music files and you don't have to worry about it anymore unless some changes to these drives are made – then M1 has to update the stored information. Sound Listening to M1's performance was even more „friendly” than controlling it. It this yet another product created by the same designers and again I could hear some characteristic sound features that one can find in all their creations. The sound is particularly smooth, liquid and seamless. One might say: warm. In this particular case no comment is required as this „warmth” is a very positive quality of M1's performance. Why? Because in my opinion music files offer „empty” sound regardless of bit-rate or sampling frequency. Lumïn offers performance with some emphasis on lower midrange and upper bass, which seems to be a good starting point. This Player offers quite high „surprise” factor – most will be genuinely surprised by how natural its performance is. Considering audiophile standards this is not an expensive system. And yet it offers a refined performance. Despite already mentioned shift of tonal balance towards lower end sound stays open, expressive, emotional. This is the sort of presentation one expects from a nice analogue source. It involves listener emotionally, it is simply immersive. One doesn't feel like analyzing what one hears but rather allows oneself to be curious about how the music one is well familiar with might sound like. I listened to many CD albums, that I usually listen to using some high quality Platinum SHM-CD, HQCD and other releases. Each and every one of them confirmed my first impression – Lumin designers focused their efforts on a beautiful reproduction of timbre, of vividness of the sound rather than of selectivity and separation. Smoothness is preferred over accuracy, its about the big picture rather than about tiny details. And that's how DSD files sound like, both from files and SACDs. One has to remember that Lumin build its whole philosophy about availability of music in DSD format. As Mr Li On told me during interview for one of the previous reviews, the company was created because somebody hacked PS3 console which allowed to rip SACDs to DSD files. Today one might buy DSD files from many sources but back then it was a real breakthrough. M1's performance seems to be shaped in such a way to present the best features of DSD playback and not only with actual DSD playback but also with PCM's. Efforts focus around timbral accuracy and diversity, great imaging, and creating a believable musical spectacle. Obviously it is relatively inexpensive system so one can't really expect the same level of performance as from high end system consisting of separate components. But when I listened to it I never really thought about advantages of much more expensive systems. M1 delivers good enough performance to make it truly interesting. It is capable of differentiating different recordings and I think its owners won't really have any reasons to complain about M1's performance. Especially considering that in many respects what they will get will be so refined that many even more expensive systems won't be able to match (in these respects) this level of performance. One of the aspects of the sound that surprises is the depth of phantom images. Soundstage as such might not be particularly big, there is no way around it. Most instruments and voices are presented close to listeners and they sound natural, palpable, very much live-like. That's what many of us looks for, that's what we dream of, right? This might not be perfectly linear presentation but is serves a purpose of delivering particularly 'musical' performance. I mentioned before that M1 could be described as warm sounding – that is true but it does not come at the cost of treble or even upper midrange roll off. Listen to Nat „King” Cole’s on Love is The Thing (stereo version released by Analogue Productions), and you will hear a voice with lots of sibilant. The mono version sounds dark, smooth – that's how we remember Nat's voice. Possibly the stereo version, as a backup, was not recorded using as sophisticated system as the mono one, or simply when preparing it producers did not such a good job as with mono version. Anyway - Lumïn nicely conveyed this difference without hiding it, or even without making it less important. No doubt that DSD files sound best with M1. DSD was what drove founders of Lumïn to even start the brand so no wonder their devices perform best with DSD files. But it doesn't mean that other types of files sound bad, as they are also delivered in a likable way. Even mp3 files deliver decent sound. With 24 bit PCM files one might get really close to DSD performance. So one should treat M1 as a device that delivers really good performance no matter what sort of files are used but whenever possible DSD should be the first choice as it will always deliver best possible performance. Choices made by designers of every device result in some compromises when it comes to device's performance. In this particular case one should be aware of not the best possible selectivity. Each individual event on the soundstage is not precisely pointed out, or cut out of the background. Yes, phantom image are shown as 3D objects, but listener perceives rather a large event happening in front of him without to many distinct details. Dynamics is quite good but only when one considers dynamics of each individual instrument. Dynamics of the whole performance is somewhat average. This is, in my experience, an inherent feature of both, music servers and digital amplifiers. And finally the bass – the only sound feature that each potential M1 user should carefully consider. It is not particularly well controlled nor extended. It is very coherent with upper part of frequency range but I would suggest being cautious when M1 is used with large speakers. With monitors M1 should sound very good as they surely won't offer particularly good bass extension, but with large speakers one might find bass a bit too “loose”. Summary So called “regular users” when choosing all-in-one, lifestyle systems take into consideration the design, functionality and price. Lumïn is an audiophile system, as its creators accentuate. So it might seem that number of potential user is therefore limited. But I don't think this is the case – its looks easily places it in the mainstream and using it is very convenient. So there is nothing that often scares off those “regular users” from other audiophile systems. And yet it offers audiophile sound quality – beautiful, “analogue”, immersive performance. Not that it is a perfect sound – one can't expect that, but it is really good. It can not be modified or upgraded but “regular users” don't really expect that. So most likely it is one of the best systems offering combination of high quality sound and convenient usage that this sort of money can buy. RED Fingerprint Device uses a compact, aluminum nicely made and finished chassis. A nice blue display sits in the center of the front panel Despite its small size it delivers quite a lot of information including: track title, artist, volume level, file format (type, bit-rate, sampling frequency), time, number – so in short, everything one might need. Rear panel sports two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet port, two pairs of CMC speaker posts and IEC inlet accompanied with on/off switch. Next to it there is a earth/ground post that is connected with power supply. One might consider either a separate grounding, or some sort of ground conditioner like, for example, Entreq or Verictum. Internal design of M1 is unlike almost any other audio product I've seen – 10 year ago we would have probably not even known what kind of device we would be looking at. There are three main sections, each based on integrated circuits. Next to the USB input there is a receiver followed by microprocessor – the “heart” of the Player sporting a large radiator. It is than followed by Altera Cyclone IV FPGA with implemented digital filters. From there signal is sent to Texas Instruments digital amplifiers modules, hidden under mid-size radiator. These work in PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) mode. There is no preamplifier section – volume control is performed in digital domain in power amplifiers. Signal is converted into analogue form just before speakers outputs using simple analogue filters – in fact they have a large influence on the quality of sound that we can hear. They sport high quality Nichicon capacitors, core coils and polypropylene Wima capacitors in the output stage. There are a lot of coils since amplifier offers balanced output – but runs (plus and minus) are active (usually minus is connected with ground). The SMPS is nicely shielded. Very clean design – it's really surprising that such a good sound quality is achieved with just few chips and capacitors. Specifications (according to manufacturer) • Streaming protocol: UPnP AV • Supported audio files formats: - DSD: DSF (DSD), DIFF (DSD), DoP (DSD) - PCM lossless: FLAC, Apple Lossless (ALAC), WAV, AIFF - Compressed (lossy) formats: MP3, AAC (in M4A container) • Sampling frequency, bit-rate: - PCM, 44,1kHz – 384 kHz, 16 – 32 bits, stereo - DSD, 2,8 MHz – 5,6 MHz, 1 bit, stereo • Inputs: - Ethernet Network 1000Base-T - USB - flash drive, USB hard disk • Power: 60 W @ 8 Ω | 100 W @ 4 Ω J.S. Bach Motety Fabio Bonizzoni, Capella Cracoviensis Alpha ALPHA 199, Compact Disc Alpha label has been known for years for their sophisticated releases. It was founded in 1999 by Jean-Paul Combet and it's also known for very special covers of their releases, chosen by Denis Grenier. In December 2014 Mr Didier Martin was named the new director, which resulted in significant changes in label's activity. Today Alpha Records is part of OutThere Music group and is called Alpha Classical. Also other labels specializing in early music, including: Fuga Libera, Æon, Ramée, Zig-Zag Territoires, Phi and Arcana. Since recently Alpha Classics releases covers look bit differently as the characteristic black stripes are not used anymore. Been released by Alpha was always a nobilitation for the conductor and musicians. So I was really happy to learn that Capella Cracoviensis joined this elite club. Its first album marked with famous α mark was Jean-Baptiste Lully's Te Deum, conducted by Vincent Dumestre, with Le Poème Harmonique (see HERE). This time Capella got their own recording – conducted by Fabio Bonizzoni recorded J.S. Bach's Motets. The recording was realized in 2014 in Lutosławice – at Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre. Aline Blondiau was responsible for recording and mastering of the material for this album. This is not the first CC album recorded in Lutosławice, as before they already recorded there the Bach Rewrite for Decca. And one can clearly notice some common features of both recordings. First of all selectivity is not that good. Sound is bit dark and one has to use high volume level setting for proper clarity of the sound. At such, relatively high, volume setting one would get a rich, deep sound, with good definition a tonal balanced slightly shifted towards lower midrange. It's this kind of recording that one may equally enjoy many times without getting bored or tired. One just sits there and relaxes. It is also a fantastic performance – Capella is getting better and better at it. Alpha productions realized at their home turf seem more resolving which translates to deeper soundstage and more distinct presentation of each instrument and vocalist. Motets offer though a wonderful timbre of instruments and voices, rich, dense sound and a fantastic performance of Capella. We can only highly recommend this album and award it with RED Fingerprint. Sound quality: 7-8/10 capellacracoviensis.pl www.outhere-music.com [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/17.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/17.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/17.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/lumin/th/18.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/lumin/18.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/lumin/18.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

he JBL Model 4367 Studio Monitor premiered in October 2015 at CEDIA, and soon after that was also presented during Audio Video Show 2015 in Warsaw. This review is one of the first, if not the first, review of this product in the world. The goal that was set when designing these speakers was simple: using solutions developed for M2 Master Reference Monitor, which is JBL's reference model of studio monitors, deliver sound of similar quality but at more affordable price. Today that's a top model of Studio Monitor line, replacing Model 4365. „The JBL M2 has quickly established itself as the new reference standard in professional monitoring environments, and the JBL 4367 brings this high level of sonic accuracy to consumers ” – said Jim Garrett, Director of Marketing and Product Management, HARMAN . And added: „With the introduction of the 4367, home listeners everywhere can enjoy listening to music exactly as the artists, producers and engineers intended it to be heard, from a loudspeaker that truly excels in every sonic respect. ” source: www.hometoys.com, see HERE Model 4367 is a two-way speakers with a bass-reflex cabinet. They are huge measuring 941 mm (H) 560 mm (W) and 425 mm (D). They also weight impressive 62 kg (a piece!). They sport steel cone-shape feet that should be placed directly on the floor. The front baffle already says a lot about the design: near the top edge there is a large horn with mid- highrange driver, and below there is a mighty 380 mm woofer with paper membrane sporting neodymium magnet and a double motor system. Just as Mr Garrett said, JBL with this model introduces a studio monitor to home usage – there are the same drivers (with slight modifications) with passive (and not active) crossover. This loudspeakers in relatively easy to drive with its 6 Ω nominal impedance and 94 dB sensitivity. 4367 sports double speaker posts joined with jumpers. SETUP Most of the speakers I review in my room perform best placed in exactly the same spots (measurements refer to the front baffle and the center of the tweeter): 110 cm from the back wall, 240 cm apart and 240 cm from listening spot (I mean me). Same placement worked best for all JBL speakers I reviewed including Model 4367. I found the best performance in terms of tonal balance and palpability of the sound when tweeters were pointing directly at me – in my room that's a rule for all loudspeakers with wide front baffles. These speakers are really heavy and using spikes so I can't really imaging setting them up with less than 3 people involved. In my opinion JBL's Monitor line speakers sound best when driven with a high power amplifiers. Japanese disagree and most of them use a low-power SET amps – I admire them for it. It is one of the choices but, in my opinion, it limits the scale of the sound, its dynamics and also a solid soundstage. Although Model 4367 is an easier loading than other JBL models that I reviewed previously. So I guess that a high quality 30W tube amp capable of delivering large current to the speakers should do a great job with 4367. And yet, I would still recommend as much power as you can provide. JBL in „High Fidelity” • TEST: JBL 4319 CONTROL MONITOR – loudspeakers, see HERE • TEST: JBL 4429 – loudspeakers, see HERE | RED Fingerprint • BEST SOUND 2013 AWARD: JBL S3900 – loudspeakers, see HERE • TEST: JBL S3900 – loudspeakers, see HERE • TEST: JBL STUDIO L830 – loudspeakers, see HERE Recordings used for this test: The TBM Sounds!, Lasting Impression Music LIM UHD 048LE, "Limited Edition", CD (2010) Anita Lipnicka, Vena Amoris, Mystic Production MYSTCD 244, CD (2013) Brian Eno, Another Green World, Island Records/Toshiba-EMI VJCP-68658, CD (1975/2004) 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) Electric Light Orchestra, Out of the Blue, Epic/Sony Music Japan SICP-30111, Blu-spec CD2 (1972/2013) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Rosary Sonatas, viol. Rachel Podger, Channel Classics CCS SA 37315, 2 x SACD/CD (2015) Jim Hall Trio, Blues On The Rocks, Gambit Records 69207, CD (2005) John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note/Esoteric ESSB-90123, SACD/CD (1957/2015) w: 6 Great Jazz, “MasterSound Works”, Blue Note/Esoteric ESSB-90122/7, 6 x SACD/CD (1957, 1958, 1965/2015) Kuniko Kato, Kuniko Plays Reich, Linn Records CKD 385, SACD/CD (2011) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] Model 4367 are the biggest JBL speakers I listened to at home. I also know but from different presentation Everest, and K2 models. In fact I listened to them already several years ago when they premiered in Berlin during IFA. There is one thing I can tell you from the bottom of my heart – JBL's decision to continue the great legacy of studio monitors adapted for home usage was a wonderful gift for music fans. We should all thank Japanese who never abandoned the concept of horn speakers with large woofers, because projects like „Monitor” and „Everest” are still alive and well thanks to them. Another observation I made regarding size of JBL's speakers in relation to the size of the room they are supposed to be used in. Long story short – size of the room doesn't matter. For years (before my own experience with JBL loudspeakers) I couldn't believe what I had seen on many images published in „Stereo Sound” magazine, showing Readers' systems. I couldn't believe that people put huge, also vintage JBL loudspeakers in rooms of a size of a shoe box. I always thought it was about some sort of fetish for them, but I was wrong! Today I know that even the Everest DD67000 would perform in my room remarkably. The point is that sound of JBLs is scalable. One uses small (in terms of JBL size) monitors, say, Model 4429, to receive a rich, full, dense sound. One replaces these speakers with, say, S3900 and, apart from some differences in tonality, one gets very similar sound but with larger scale. Finally one replaces them with Model 4367 and everything gets even richer and bigger. But – and that's the clou - bass (in the same room) is not overblown, doesn't get boomy, one never perceives the performance or its elements as exaggerated. With bigger speakers one is simply offered „more” sound, more of everything. Maybe because the designers managed to create very coherent sounding speakers – one can't hear the drivers separately which is quite an accomplishment considering that it's a horn speakers. It was somewhat easier since it is a two-way speaker and achieving this level of coherence is surely easier when only 2 drivers are used. That is also why these huge loudspeakers sound more coherent than many much smaller 3 or 4 driver designs. Once you decide to put them in your room you might stop wanting to even leave the room. These JBLs deliver particularly immersive performance and once you „get in” the world of music you don't want to leave it anymore. It is achieved using very rich, dense phantom images presented very closely to the listener. Once I called listening to Everest very similar to headphone experience but without using cans, with powerful, punchy bass I could feel in my guts and with huge soundstage. Listener sits in the middle of spherical soundstage that appears between speakers. You get the feeling that you could touch everything happening around you. You can feel the air filling the room where Kuniko Kato recorded Reich's music, you „sit” among millions of air particles and tape noises when listening to Kometa from Aneta Lipnicka Vena Amoris album, and you can almost touch instruments with their surrounding on the phenomenal Blue Note remaster released by Esoteric. These are the most warm sounding (although not really warm – just warmer than the others) JBL speakers I reviewed, maybe with the exception of Model 4429. It's not about treble roll-off but rather about specific „softness” of midrange, which covers vocals, most of the piano scale and violin. While listening to Rachel Podger playing Rosary Sonatas on the new Channel Classic release one can clearly hear a very good differentiation between sound of organ, violin and „air” (our countryman, a teacher of Music Academy in Katowice, Dr Marcin Świątkiewicz plays organ and clavichord). There is a slight emphasis in the upper midrange and treble, hence there is more information in this part of the range than in lower range. Combination of these two features results in sound that is perceived as warm but not dark, without any hint of treble roll-off. Such a large cabinet, especially as big as this one, creates expectation of an extremely huge bass. But you won't get it. What you get is beautifully balanced with the other part of the range. It is nicely extended but not exaggerated. The much smaller Audiomachina Pure NSE loudspeakers I reviewed recently, with active bass section delivered even better bass extension and better differentiation of lowest notes, which was clear especially with lowest piano and double bass notes. The JBL speakers offered richer, „heavier”/more powerful bass. I was constantly under the impression that there was still some room for even deeper, more powerful sound, like there was no limitation to what these speakers could convey in terms of dynamics, extension and differentiation. Probably that is why this sound is so natural, so relaxing. Comparing this model to K2, Everest, and to priced at 170 000 PLN Audiomachina Pure NSE, I'd say that lower midrange of Model 4367 is not as resolving as of all the above. The very fast driver in tube works very coherently with large woofer, but exactly at the crossover frequency dynamic differentiation is not that good as it is above and below this point. One should keep in mind that such a large woofer gets quite directional – it is important to take it into consideration when finding optimal spot for loudspeakers in a room. Summary The way many top class loudspeakers shape sound might be compared to milling a particular shape from a large block of, say, aluminum. JBL, Harbeth, but also Audiomachina achieve similar final results but using different means – the sound is rather extruded than milled. While milling, layer after layer is taken off while getting the final shape. Extruding means filling in the space that represents instruments. This process delivers more natural sound that one could really feel and not just hear. But at the same time it means that sound is not as resolving. Model 4367 delivers large scale, unforced sound, wonderful timbre and a huge soundstage. Music is presented closely to listener in a palpable and rather warm way. These are easy to drive speakers but it is no accident that „Stereo Sound” magazine usually combines JBL Monitors with powerful solid-state amplifiers. I'd say that if any of these speakers could be driven with tube amp it is surely this particular model. These speakers are capable of „scaling” the sound – I mean they will sound equally great in a 20 and 50 sqm rooms. Give them as much space in (any) room as possible and they will repay you with a remarkable performance. JBL 4367 is a two-way, floor-standing, bass-reflex speaker. It features the company's patented D2 compression driver technology, the D2430k dual-diaphragm, dual-voice-coil compression driver, employs two annular (ring-shaped) diaphragms and two voice coils to deliver extended high frequency response to 40kHz with extremely low distortion even at high volume levels. The annular diaphragms are not subject to the break-up modes of a conventional dome diaphragm, and the use of two voice coils yields a dramatic increase in output and power handling. The D2 driver operates into JBL's newly developed High-Definition Imaging (HDI) waveguide that provides neutral frequency response both on-axis and off-axis in both the vertical and horizontal planes and a seamless sonic blend with the woofer. The JBL 4367 features front-panel high-frequency and ultrahigh-frequency trim controls that facilitate optimal sonic adjustment in any system and room. On the back one finds gold-plated, double speakers posts with jumpers. Crossover is split in two parts – one for treble and midrange and the other for bass. The former sits on a large PCB with 12 polypropylene capacitors, 9 resistors and 4 core-coils. It's hard to call it a minimalistic design but it includes also two trim controls. The bass section of crossover included 2 large air-coils and 4 capacitors. It is mounted on a MDF board using point-to-point technique. All internal connections are made with copper wire without soldering. The 4367 employs the JBL 2216Nd 15-inch Differential Drive® woofer used in the M2, modified with a new spider and a new surround treatment. The cast aluminum frame woofer employs a pure pulp cone material, dual 3-inch voice coils and dual neodymium motor structures to provide articulate, authoritative low-frequency performance down to below 30Hz. Just above floor level there are two large bass-reflex ports. Cabinets are made of thick MDF boards, with internal reinforcements, finished with natural veneer. There arr two types of finish available – a natural wood veneer and black lacquer. The front baffle is blue but user had a black grill at his disposal. The grill sports a plastic frame. To be honest I can't image anyone covering these beautiful speakers with a grill – even more so considering that sound differentiation seems better with grill off. Each cabinet sits on four adjustable steel cones. Speakers are really heavy so its is best if they are moved by at least three people – that's from my experience. I paid for my mistake with an ugly scratch on my wooden floor – luckily (for me) my wife was merciful and forgiving. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Frequency range: 30-40 000 Hz (-6 dB) Max power: 300 W RMS Recommended power amplifier: 25-300 W RMS Nominal impedance: 6 Ω Sensitivity: 94 dB (2,83 V/1 m) Crossover point: 700 Hz Dimensions: 941 mm x 560 mm x 425 mm Weight: 61,2 kg/PC. Polish distributor: SUPORT Al. Korfantego 141 B | 40-154 Katowice | Polska tel.: (32) 203 45 09 | (32) 258 08 98 e-mail: info@jbl.com.pl www.jbl.pl BILL WYMANN Back To Basics Proper Records/Music On Vinyl MOVLP1538 „Individualy Numbered Red Vinyl | MOV 000953” Medium: 180 g Long Play Released: 2015 Any musician who, for the most part of his career, was a member of a famous band, will always be perceived/remembered as such whether he likes it or not. Bill Wymann, born in London in 1936 will always be a Rolling Stones bass layer, as he started to play with them in December 1962 and was a member until December 1992. 30 years is a long time. In the meantime he played also with Erik Clapton, Stevie Winwood, and Ry Cooder. After leaving the band he recorded and toured with his own Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings. After twenty years, in 2012, he performed with The Rolling Stones again during their The O2 Arena Counting concerts celebrating the band's 50th anniversary. Back To Basics is only his 5th solo album – previous one was released in 1982, which means 33 years ago! Wymann decided to prepare new album when he found in his archive 60 tracks that were never released. He used three of them for this new album. The other nine were recorded during sessions with artists like: Guy Fletcher (keyboard player from Mark Knopfler band) and a singer Beverley Skeete. The album was released by Music On Vinyl as a limited edition on a red vinyl. As many albums produced today also in this one one shall find a slight emphasis in the lower midrange. This makes sound richer but the differentiation of this part of the range is not particularly great. Wymann's voice features some sibilants that seem to separate from his vocal, although they are not too bright or too disturbing. It's a very powerful, energetic, highly enjoyable blues-rock album that was also nicely produced. There is good frequency range extension which results in a very good bass and treble without any hints of a roll-off. But to be perfectly honest treble is not particularly open, nor selective. Soundstage is not very deep – most events happen in the front of the stage and right behind it. Album delivers palpable performance with warm leading vocal and supporting ones. Guitars are particularly well recorded – they have their depth and are nicely differentiated. One sonic signature of guitar amplifiers used during the session. It's this type of music and recording that keeps you involved, energized – most will come back to this album many, many times having a great time listening to it. Even more so considering that the pressing is also very good with a low vinyl noise and very few pops&cracks. Sound quality: 6-7/10 www.billwyman.com www.musiconvinyl.com [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1512/jbl/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1512/jbl/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1512/jbl/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

ntegrated super-amplifiers are not a new idea. One of the top models is Soulution 530 priced at 50 000 USD (review HERE). I remember the first one of this kind that was strongly promoted in our country – it was MA 6850 from McIntosh. At the time I worked for Audioholic, then Polish distributor of the brand which gave me an opportunity to meet many people who came to buy this amplifier and to listen to what they had to say about it. It happened more than once that we took this huge box with amp inside and carried it into Fiat 126 that looked like a total wrack about to break down – at the time for what one had to pay for this integrated would have bought him a few such cars. As hard as it is to imagine today back then this model was almost constantly back ordered, we never had enough of them to satisfy the demand. Most customers when they talked about the amp used whole phrases taken from its reviews. I think they might not even realized that, but at the time it happened a lot. Times changed. Industry changed, matured and so did the customers who have much more experience, who know much better what they want. On the other hand even though generation change does not come very quickly it still does which means that there is a fresh supply of new music and audio aficionados coming every day. They need to learn the 'audio language', learn what some phrases mean, they have to learn how to listen and about what they can actually hear. They get to know different systems, devices, they get to learn that there are different 'tastes' in audio – some are sweet some are sour. These people introduce to audio industry their needs which are often different than the ones we (I mean older ones), they often use different sound sources than we do. The ASA-1600 might also be called an integrated super-amplifier as the MC 6850 was, because it is also expensive and it was created when designers combined previously existing, much more expensive, preamplifier and power amplifier. Both components had to be scaled down to achieve this price level. But it offers something extra too. I mentioned in my editorial the change that happened in audio in recent years. Huge popularity of computers created a new reality, where music servers and computers are often parts of even high-end audio systems. Another phenomenon – vinyl raising back from ashes forced many manufacturers to develop also devices used for records playback. Today many system use two sources – an analogue one and a digital one. ASA-1600 designers seem to be fully aware of current market expectations and the functionality of their latest product is the best prove of that. Except for its basic role – amplifying signal, it also offers a high quality phonostage integrated into the amplifier. The rear panel features impedance and gains adjustments, and the preamplifier features a dual-mono design so each channel is placed on a separate board. Vinyl is a child of the 19th century. On other hand an integrated amplifier featuring an in-build D/A converter is a creation of the 21st century, despite the fact the first such products were released by Technics already in 20th century. But only now, in 21st century a digital input became a fully-fledged one, sometimes even the most important/having bigger value for user one. AbysSound realizing how important D/A Converters are in today's audio, decided to equip ASA-1600 also with a DAC sporting multiple digital inputs, including also an USB one. It is limited though to 24/192 PCM files and it does not accept DSD format. The amplifier is really well made and its operation is user-friendly. All information useful for user are shown on a display. Menu allows user to set start volume level (for after one turns the device on). Plus there is one more 'trendy' element – a headphone output. Also hear designers did not cut corners and did not use speakers output for it (as many other brands do). What you get is a high quality headphone amplifier with its own volume control software. When you plug headphones in volume level is automatically increased, when you plug them out volume is turned down so you don't have to worry about your speakers being damaged by loud sound. MAREK STOLIŃSKI Owner, designer There were a few people involved in a process of designing the ASA-1600. All of them had extensive experience with audio technologies. Dr Julian Studnicki designed amplifier's circuits, Łukasz Chmielowski was responsible for mechanical design, software development and he supervised the production of mechanical elements, Michał Maciukiewicz – an industrial designer from Cracow's Art Academy – created a design of a front panel, Piotr Kozioł designed a controlling circuit including display, safety circuits, and PCBs. I was responsible for preamplifier section, DAC, phonostage and headphone amp. The whole development process of this integrated amplifier took us 2 years. At first we created a design of a chassis and front panel Together with industrial designer, Michał Maciukiewicz we worked for 3 month before we arrived at satisfactory results. After thorough analyses we chose the concept of a front panel combining aluminum with acrylic element. Unlike in case of out other products that all sport anodized aluminum fronts this time we decided to offer our customers a chance to chose almost any color of a front panel Then we designed an output stage, built a prototype that underwent critical tests, including long listening sessions. After few month of those tests and tuning the original project we developed a new version of it. We re-designed voltage stage and further developed output stage. Just like in our power amps also here for output stage we decided to use BQVA (Bi-Quartet Voltage Amplifier) for voltage stage. The whole development of the power stage for our integrated took more than a year. The power amps work in dual mono configuration. This solution allowed us to eliminate power grid related hum completely. For the output stage we used three pairs of SANKEN: 2SA1295 and 2SC3264 bipolar transistors. A power supply section for each output stage features Nippon Chemi-con capacitors with total capacity of 80 000 µF. We have been developing our own DAC for 7 years. During this time we created several prototypes based on AKM and Burr Brown (TI) chips. During the process we developed our proprietary solutions for I/U converter, filters and output followers that are based on discrete elements. We were able to used all gained experience when creating a DAC for our integrated. After numerous listening sessions we decided to use the AK4399 chip for this project. The whole circuit between AK4399 and potentiometer in preamplifier section is balanced. The S/PDIF receiver features AK4118 chip and USB input sports CM6631A. It's a USB2.0 true high-speed audio processor that features asynchronous synchronization transfer to reduce clock jitter. The preamplifier section features solutions sourced from THAT, a company specializing in solutions for pro-audio market. We decided to use latest TI LME49XXX chips. The whole preamplifier section is fully balanced including volume control that sports two MAS6116. Another attractive module we included in our integrated amplifier is a phonostage. In fact we took the circuits from our flagship phonostage, ASV-1000, and built them into the integrated as two separate, mono modules. The only difference compared to ASV-1000 is a power supply section that had to be scaled down because of limited space available inside integrated. When designing this amplifier we spent a lot of time when developing a power transformer for this project. Its been custom designed and manufactured upon our specification. It features special electric and magnetic shielding. It is rated at 830 VA. This gives the amplifier a huge headroom and a proper current supply to drive even low impedance speakers. ABYSSOUND in „High Fidelity” REVIEW: Abyssound ASP-1000 + ASX-2000 – preamplifier + power amplifier, see HERE BEST SOUND 2014: Abyssound ASX-1000 – power amplifier, see HERE REVIEW: Abyssound ASX-1000 – power amplifier, see HERE (Polish) 10/10 CONTEST – RESULTS: Abyssound ASP-2000HF – linestage, see HERE (Polish) 10/10 CONTEST – INTRODUCTION: Abyssound ASP-2000HF – linestage, see HERE (Polish) Recordings used for the test (a selection) Anna Maria Jopek, Barefoot, Universal Music Polska, „Promo Copy”, CD (2002) Charlie Haden & Chris Anderson, None But The Lonely Heart, Naim naimcd022, CD (1997) Cream, Disraeli Gears, Polydor/Universal Music LLC UICY-40023, Platinum SHM-CD (1967/2013) Ed Sheeran, X, Warner Music UK/Warner Music Japan WPCR-15730, CD (2014); Enya, Dark Sky Island. Deluxe Edition, Aigle Music | Warner Music UK/Warner Music Japan WPCR-17045, CD (2015) Marcel Dupré, The Mercury Living Presence Recordings, Mercury Records/Universal Music Company 478 8388, 10 x CD (2015) Miles Davis Quintet, Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet, Prestige/Universal Music LLC (Japan) UCCO-40005, Platinum SHM-CD, (1958/2013) Mobley/Cohn/Coltrane/Sims, Tenor Conclave, Prestige/Analogue Productions CPRJ 7074 SA, SACD/CD (1957/2014) OMD, English Electric, 100% Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3810, CD (2013); Pat Metheny Group, Offramp, ECM/Universal Music K.K. UCCU-9543, „Jazz The Best No. 43”, gold-CD (1982/2004) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] Sound quality offered by solid-state amplifiers improved significantly over the last several years. The first products made in 1970ties and 1980ties even today are considered pure high-end and still sound fantastic. Over time technologies, used elements by also customers' expectations evolved. Designers followed all those changes and as a result also the devices offered different sound. Designers went after better transparency, selectivity of the sound and better bass control. Some of the managed to achieve really interesting sonic results. From today's perspective one can say that not all these changes were actually for better and that there were also some dead ends on the way. Only the last few years seemed to be sort of 'return to the roots', to the best achievements in solid-state technology but utilizing most recent achievements in this field too. Listen to ASA-1600 and there is a chance that you will feel like you did when you listened to class A Krell KSA-50 for the first time, or when you were astonished by the performance of Mark Levinson No.33H. I'm not saying that's exactly the same sound. AbysSound has their own concept of the sound. But I'd like to point out a certain sonic feature of this amplifier that is timeless, that appealed to so many audiophiles and music fans when they listened to the best products from 1970ties and 1980ties which now has been combined with a today's understanding of a role of transistors in a power amplifier. This amplifier from Cracow at first seems to be quite dark sounding at first. For years it seemed that it was an inherent feature if class A. But later it turned out that it was not about the class A itself but about the way transistors were used. The class A amplifiers made currently by Accuphase and another leading brands sound very differently from those before mentioned ones by Krell and Mark Levinson. They offer open, dynamic, resolving performance. Abyssound offers some qualities similar to those of older Class A Sudgen or Musical Fidelity amplifiers, but also some reminding me of the Soulution integrated. This impression of a 'dark' sound comes from a sound that is very rich with harmonics. It's not something one can actually hear. One perceives it as particular richness, fullness and depth of the sound. ASA delivers it all. It presents the better side of most recordings directing listener's attention to timbre, tonality richness and differentiation. This creates a very positive impression, a bind with music one listens to. It is a very rhythmic and powerful presentation. It's surely not dull or boring type. I listened to bass guitar from Offramp by Pat Metheny Group, Charlie Haden with Chris Anderson and electronic music from OMD's English Electric. In some way these are combined with a rich ambiance, density of the sound and a slight shift of tonal balance towards lower end. Treble is always proportional with lower part of the range. I never felt as there was missing something in the upper range. High frequencies are rather smooth, silky and not particularly crisp. The sound is energetic, it has a flow that keeps us on our toes as if the amplifier perfectly controlling speakers extended its control over us. It's a quite direct presentation delivered directly from the music medium to our head. A description of bass performance would be very similar. I could easily tell that amplifier drove and controlled speakers effortlessly while the biggest Harbeth speakers are not particularly easy to drive. This control manifested itself as a silkiness of the sound a wonderfully conveyed pulse of each recording. Leading edge of the bass guitar seemed slightly softened. But it wasn't caused by lack of energy, or sluggishness of the sound. In fact it was quite the opposite – there was rhythm and density of the sound and no hint of sluggishness But the leading edge was not accentuated. It's a similar difference as between how the second Star Wars trilogy (parts I-III) and part VII were filmed. All use a lot of CGI but the older parts do it in more ostentatious way creating a bit exaggerated world. On the other hand in the Force awakens CGI is used but they tried to hide its usage better and it looks more like analogue tapes with parts IV-VI, but to achieve that they used now up-to-date technology. As a result Abyssound integrated delivers sound that is different than almost any other one can find on the market. This amazing richness of the sound is not synonymous with palpability. The holographic soundstage is presented behind speakers. Usually such a distant presentation means that sound lacks some energy and some richness. But not in this case. ASA delivers rich sound with a proper bass foundation and yet listener does not feel like sitting face to face with performing musicians but rather further away from them, in some distance. That's exactly why classical music sounded so well, that's why I loved Marcel Dupré's organ from the recently released new remasters series of Mercury Living Presence albums. But that's also why Ed Sheeran on X sounded really good. Soundstage is huge, especially its width but also height. The phantom images on this stage are nicely nuanced both tonally and dynamically. Well, in fact this amp does not present phantom images in particularly distinct way, it prefers the bigger picture rather than smaller elements. Separation is not that important in this presentation. Any elements in upper midrange/treble area that is particularly energetic shall be presented as such. But with a bit silky leading edge and dense background. All these sound features come together to create a fantastic, so immersive presentation. Obviously there are some elements offered by Abyssound separates, or by differently 'voiced' integrated amps from other brands, that ASA-1600 will not be able to offer. The resolution of this amp is surely above average but its not so well pronounced, one can feel it rather then hear it. Texture of each instruments is 'fused' within its body and the body itself is not that distinctly differentiated from the background. As I already said they create a bigger whole and it's this whole that is differentiated. The background is place closely behind basic sounds and so the acoustics of each sound source is not so precisely conveyed. On the other hand the general acoustics of the recording is conveyed in a very nice fashion. DAC All the above were my observations with my Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition CD Player connected via analogue XLR input of the Abyssound. Later I used same Player as a CD Transport delivering signal via coaxial cable to ASA's RCA S/PDIF input. I also used my HP Pavilion dv7 laptop to send signal via USB to the amplifier. The DAC in-build in AbysSound offers a very good performance. Deep, well balanced sound with high dynamics. Treble is more accentuated and lower midrange not so rich as when played via analogue input by my CD Player. Bass on the other hand seemed more taut. Sure, the sound is not as refined as with my CD Player but nobody said it would be – DAC is just a complimentary element to the integrated amplifier after all. It offers level of performance that surpasses most CD Players from 5-10 thousand PLN price range. Some of them, like Soulnote SA300, offer more refined treble and even smoother overall presentation, and Ayon CD-7s delivers more massive sound with richer lower bass. Anyway owners of this AbysSound should rather consider buying some nice CD Transport. Unless they have more than 10 kPLN to spend – then sure, they could buy some high quality CD or SACD Player. The USB input is quite good too so as long as owner plans to use mostly phono input (as the phonostage is really good!) and either analogue or digital input for a CD Player/Transport it should be fine. Both phonostage and DAC modules of this amplifier are really solid performers. I treat them as attractive add-ons to the amp. Headphone amplifier on the other hand is a different story. I tried it out with a few headphones and each time it delivered dense, rich sound. Each time performance was also dynamic, powerful, with a great bass too. Headphone amplifier not only delivered a refined performance but was also able to deliver enough current to drive even such difficult load as HiFiMAN HE-6. Only comparison with top headphone amplifiers like Bakoon Products HPA-21, that cost almost as much as the whole ASA-1600, proved that some elements could be delivered in an even better way. Korean amp provided even more resolving sound with even more impressive depth. Also both range extremes, bass and treble, were better extended. These elements did not create some huge gap in level of performance between AbysSound and Bakoon but those who search for top quality headphone system would probably decide to buy a separate top notch headphone amplifier. Everybody else will most likely be absolutely satisfied with what ASA-1600's headphone module has to offer. Summary This is not the best amplifier in the world, nor the best in price range up to 20 kPLN. As we all know this is a very competitive market segment with such great products like: Concerto elinsAudio, or bit more expensive Hegel H360. On the other hand to get a significantly better performance one would have to acquire something like Accuphase A-470 (Polish) which is also significantly more expensive. So within 20 kPLN price range the individual decision will rather be based on sonic character preferences, aesthetics, and functionality of device that suits particular needs best. Let me start with the latter. ASA-1600 not only offers almost everything one might need but each of these additional modules offers a really good performance, in fact good enough for a separate device that could be successful (I am trying to convince manufacturer to give it a try). Both phonostage and DAC could easily compete with other products priced at 3-4 (maybe even more) kPLN range. The headphone amp could cost even more.. AbysSound amazes with an interesting combination of an „old-fashion charm” with a very modern-like resolution and bass control. Sound might be perceived as bit dark, but it's not warm nor dull. A great bass control combines with its bit 'silky' leading edge. While both range extremes seem slightly rounded there is no obvious emphasis in the midrange. ASA-1600 delivers a relaxed presentation that's never pushed forward towards listener and yet it is rich and dense. Great product. ASA-1600 is a stereo integrated amplifier. It's a partially balanced design as the Class A preamplifier section is balanced and the power amp isn't. Right after signal passes through RA inputs it is symmetrized and only then processed. Apart from linear inputs amplifier features also a phonostage input with adjustable gain and impedance (adjustable via DIP switches), D/A Converter with few digital inputs including USB, and a headphone amplifier. Digital inputs accept PCM signal up to 24 bits and 192 kHz. One doesn't really need even higher resolutions, although DSD capability would be appreciated. Its a mighty, heavy device, a very solid too – it looks like it could survive a crazy rock concert or a house party. It surely doesn't look like a typical fragile 'audiophile' product. Front Front is made of aluminum finished with a special paint, with an acrylic plate mounted in the center. On its left side there is a „standby” with a green circle around it. Below there is a 6,3mm headphone output that delivers signal from a full fledged headphone amplifier module. After a jack is plugged in volume level automatically increases, when it's taken out volume also comes down. It's a safety measure protecting loudspeakers from a sudden volume level spike that could lead to some damage. On the right there is a volume control knob that sports quite unusual shape. After amplifier is switched on a nice red logo and a green dot-matrix type display, both placed under acrylic plate, lit up. Display delivers data on volume level and selected input. After any change to these values for a few seconds information is displayed in enlarged form. User can adjust display's brightness in few steps but can not turn it off completely. Near the lower edge there are four push buttons – two allow input selection, the other two allow to chose commands in device's menu. User might chose the maximum volume level (as a protection against children playing with it), and the start volume level (the one amplifier uses after it is turned on). Rear Rear panel sports a bunch of connectors. A digital section sits in upper part and it features: coaxial, optical TOSLink, BNC, AES/EBU and USB. Next sits phonostage module with solid input sockets and DIP switches for gain and impedance adjustment. There is also a ground switch and IEC socket with on/off switch. Below there is an analogue section. Input 1 seems to be taken a special care of as it features rhodium plated RCA connectors and also balanced XLR sockets. Other 5 RCA connectors are much simpler ones of somewhat lesser quality. Speaker posts are again of high quality with rhodium-plated contacts. These reminded me of Furutech products but in fact they are custom made by a Taiwanese company. Interior The electronic circuits spread over few PCBs. At both sides there are large radiators with three pairs of bipolar Sanken (2SA1295 + 2SC3264) transistors working in each channel. They are arranged this way not to increase output power but to improve damping factor – Japanese Accuphase does it also same way. The circuit seems quite complex and it sports high quality passive elements like, for example, polypropylene Wima capacitors. Signal to speaker posts is delivered using thick copper cables. This board features also 4 large Nippon Chemi-Con filtering capacitors per channel. Preamplifier section sits on a separate board that also uses high quality passive elements. Preamp utilizes TI LME49XXX chips. The whole preamplifier section is a balanced design including volume control that utilizes two MAS6116 chips. Above sits another board with D/A Converter module. Digital inputs sport coupling transformers that adjust input impedance. Manufacturer decided to use Japanese AK4399 chips made by Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation. This whole circuit between AK4399 and volume control has a balanced design. AK4118 works as S/PDIF receiver, USB input uses Cmedia CM6631A chip. The whole USB section sits on a smaller board placed below. Signal travels from USB input into this board with a short USB cable. Next to it one finds two vertically placed boards with phonostage modules – a separate one for each channel. Gain stage is based on Burr Brown OPA134 chips. RIAA circuit uses high quality capacitors. Each channel uses separate power supply. Output stage uses separate secondary windings of a huge power transformer. A huge power transformer rated at 800W is carefully shielded with thick metal sheet. Above sits AC filter and a standby mode power supply. Another board mounted close to the front panel hosts controlling circuits and display – the latter is galvanically separated from the gain stage. Great, solid design! Remote The remote control delivered with amplifier does the job although it would be difficult to claim that it looks good – it's made of plastic and not particularly handy. It allows user to control volume setting, select input (directly or by toggling between them), dim the display, change settings in menu, and switch the amp to standby mode. According to manufacturer in the near future it will be replaced with a new remote with aluminum body. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Output power: 165 W/8 Ω | 275 W/4 Ω Volume control range: MUTE, -111 dB ÷ +15 dB, in 0,5 dB increments Frequency range: 5 Hz ÷ 138 kHz (-3 dB, 1 W) SNR: > 110 dB THD: 0,0045% Input impedance (RCA | XLR): 30 kΩ | 50 kΩ Input impedance (phono input MM/MC): 20 Ω/50 Ω/100 Ω/220 Ω/470 Ω/1000 Ω/47000 Ω Input capacity (phono input MM/MC): 47 pF Input sensitivity MM/MC: 0,5 mV/1,5 mV/2,5 mV/5 mV Digital inputs: 5 (coaxial / optical / AES/EBU / USB) / DAC 24bit/192k Power consumption: - normal operation: min 80 W (max 830 W) - standby:

f you return to previous interviews with journalists that I have conducted as part of “The Editors” series, you will find out that they represent both print and online magazines, as well as those that used to be printed and now are published on the Internet. You can use the same categorization to divide my interlocutors into those who work for print magazines, online magazines and those who have moved from the former to the latter medium. Please read carefully through their answers regarding the relationship between print and the Internet, and you will be able to mark a clear border between these two worlds, between two groups of interlocutors – one claiming that print is above the Internet and the other saying that it is exactly the opposite. Without getting into detail, it is necessary to pay attention to two magazines that combine the two media very well. Both of them are American magazines – “The Absolute Sound” and “Stereophile”. Especially the latter one, or rather its publishers, have made an effort to move smoothly from Guttenberg’s invention to the virtual world. I really admire the far-sightedness that resulted in decisions to transform the website of a print magazine into a portal for both “Stereophile” and other magazines that are only published online. The latter ones include the “Analog Planet” magazine devoted to turntable technology and intended for headphone maniacs, prepared by Michael Fremer who also writes articles for “Streophile”, Tyll Hertsens’s “InnerFidelity”, “Sound and Vision” related to the domain of home cinema, the photography magazine “Shutterburg”, as well as the “AudioStream” magazine for fans of digital audio. It is a real empire that attracts the majority of those Internet users who are interested in audio and visual perception. As regards the “Stereophile” family, I have already had an occasion to meet and talk to Michael Fremer, Stephen Mejias, John Marks who has recently started working on his own, as well as Art Dudley who became the Vice-Editor-in-Chief some time ago. This time we have asked Michael Lavorgna, the Editor-in-Chief of “AudioStream”, to tell us a few words about himself and his work. WOJCIECH PACUŁA: Michael, tell us about yourself, please, and how you have reached the point where you are now. MICHAEL LAVORGNA: My father was an audiophile and I inherited his joy in music and hi-fi. As I grew up, my main interests were art and music, while the first album I bought with my own money was The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced. I ended up getting my BA in fine arts from Bennington College in Vermont after flirting with philosophy and film. I moved to NYC after college where I worked as an IT consultant, then as an IT consulting company owner, listening to music and painting at night and on weekends. IT remained my profession for over 20 years. All of this time I had hi-fi's everywhere I called home and lots of music always playing. Some of the gear I owned in the past includes the Nelson Pass-designed Threshold SA3/FET10 pre/power combo, the Melos SHA Gold preamp, SimAudio Celeste W-4070s, NAD 3020 a much-loved Sun Audio SV-300BE amplifiers, and a number of SETs from Don Garber at Fi. Speakers included the Theil CS1.5, Von Schweikert VR3, Odeon 66s, Cain & Cain Abbys, Auditorium 23 Solovox, and the DeVore Super 8. I sold out of the IT business is 2001 and ended up working for a small company providing custom applications and services mainly for hedge funds. It was also during this time that I started writing for “6moons.com”. My favorite series of articles from that period was the “Road Tour” based on my visits at people's homes and related to their relationship with music and hi-fi. I left IT altogether a few years later and spent some time sniffing the air for what to do next. About four years ago I was offered the job of Editor of “AudioStream”. I had written a few ASWIs and done show coverage for Stereophile, and, obviously, I accepted the job offer. “AudioStream” is part of the TEN network, which includes “Stereophile”, “InnerFidelity” and “Analog Planet”, as well as tons of print magazines including “Surfer” and “Motortrend”. “AudioStream” is my full-time job. I also contribute a column to Stereophile magazine entitled “Audio Streams”. I owe this good fortune to many people, but two in particular: John Atkinson of “Stereophile” who made this job possible and my friend Stephen Mejias who inspired me in many ways, helping to lead me where I am now. We moved just over a year ago to a new/old home that has a separate barn. This is where I work, play and listen to music. Are there differences in the sound of particular devices, in your opinion? Of course – and they are big! I think that the more you listen to music as a sole activity, the more interested you become in the quality of that experience. Over time, listeners develop a greater sensitivity to the listening experience, so they tend to recognize changes between different audio components more than a casual listener. Some people scoff at this idea but listening to music on a hi-fi is a hobby. Like every other hobby, the more involved you are, especially over time, the more adept you become at the intricacies involved. As regards audio files, what is the main advantage of their lack of format? Ideally, the freedom from formats, which means we can tap into an endless stream of music sourced from our own library and the near-infinite libraries online. To my mind, we are living in the golden age of music discovery. The access to millions of albums results in a real need for a fluid interface. For me, the combination of Roon and Tidal HiFi is the best solution I have come across by a very long shot. What can we do to push this forward? We need to focus on quality, both in the recording studio and in delivery. How do you find the DSD movement – is it worth exploring? Just a few years ago, there was a limited number of DACs offering DSD playback. This is no longer the case and DSD-capable DACs have nearly become the norm. There may be more DSD DACs than DSD releases! Some people feel DSD is not worth exploring because of a lack of available music they are interested in and this makes perfect sense. Music comes first. I have a number of DSD recordings, including some sourced directly from DSD masters from Channel Classics, which sound superb, as well as a number of analog-sourced DSD releases which also sound amazing. We can certainly spend years discussing the advantages and disadvantages of DSD but I am much more interested in listening to music. I happen to have DACs that support DSD, the Auralic Vega and the Mytek Stereo192-DSD DAC, so the fact that I can listen to DSD whenever I want to nullifies any theory. What is “reference” sound for you – the sound of another system, a live event, or something else? My reference is musical engagement. Is the Compact Disc still an important source of music for you? I have never cared much about playing CDs, for physical, sonic and spiritual reasons. I grew up listening to vinyl records, so I lived through the early days of CD playback, which was, by most people's definition (and mine), pretty horrible. I have owned more CD players than I care to remember, including a number of players from California Audio Labs (Icon, Tercet, Delta/Alpha), Ah! Tjoeb, Rega Planet, Exemplar Audio's Denon DVD-2900, Audio Areo Capitole and, finally, a Sony Playstation (SCPH-1001), my favorite of the bunch back, when you could get them for $15 on eBay. Whenever I find myself changing a piece of equipment over and over while listening to less and less music, I know something is very wrong. On the plus side, CDs are cheap, convenient and easy, and they are OK storage devices, albeit extremely inefficient and wasteful containers. I still buy CDs when there is no download available and rip them to my NAS. It turns out the problems with CDs had nothing to do with 16/44.1, but had everything to do with playback including the crappy digital filters found in some/most early CD players. How about the “numbers game” – what number of bits and what sampling frequency are “good enough”? The "numbers game" is an unnecessary distraction for listeners. Music comes first. If a record I am interested in is only available in CD-quality, I buy it. Only on LP? I buy it. In extremely rare cases, if something I am interested in is only available in lossy quality, I will listen to it. No harm, no fowl. We really have to ask ourselves what is most important to us when it comes to listening to music on the hi-fi. Is it enjoyment? A better understanding of music? A better understanding of life? Please do not try to tell me it is “accuracy”. After all, accuracy means nothing in terms of outcomes, it is just a word. I would suggest that one of the most important outcomes of listening to music on the hi-fi, if not the most important one, is being inspired to create. This has been going down since day one of recorded music and has led to a lifetime's worth of new music that we all enjoy. There would have been no British Invasion if LPs did not exist. There would be no Sketches of Spain, no Jimi Hendrix and so on. If someone tries to tell you that higher sample rates and accuracy mean more than the inspiration to create, run away. Of course, anyone who listens to music as an activity in itself cares about the quality of that experience. So, it makes perfect sense to look for the highest quality version of the music we are interested in buying. For digital recordings, the ideal is to get the original recorded quality, whatever that may be. In the case of LPs, I prefer to buy as close to the original release as I can get. Reissues of analog recordings in a digital format are where all of the debate takes place for a good reason. I will buy a hi-res reissue only if I know the source and steps involved in the A to D conversion process. When asked to pay a premium for something, I need more information than the final bit rate. LPs and digital from 16/44 on up, including streaming from Tidal HiFi, can sound absolutely stunning, so numbers be damned. What are the main advantages of online and print magazines? Speed, space and cost versus engagement. What kind of music do you listen to? The good kind, to paraphrase Louis Armstrong ;-) I am kidding since there is no such thing as good and bad when it comes to art, there is only interpretation. As I have mentioned, the first record I bought was Are You Experienced and most of my early listening was rooted in the 1960s: Dylan, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Doors, etc. However, I quickly expanded that field of interest to include blues (classic blues), jazz, classical, and so on. When I was in college in Vermont, I mainly listened to industrial music from bands like Zoviet - France and Einstürzende Neubauten along with Black Flag, Hank Williams and Sonny Rollins’ Freedom Suite when I was painting. While living in NYC after college, I focused on contemporary classical music. I would walk or run to Tower Records and spend a lot of time riffling through CD racks, click clack, looking for Luigi Nono, Giacinto Scelsi, Morton Feldman, Jean Barraqué and more. Part of the inspiration to explore this wonderful music came from a chance find of John Cage's book Notations (1969), which is comprised of graphical scores from 269 composers. I have always been fascinated with symbolic mark making. Lately I have been all over the place. The best way to see what I mean by this is to take a look at my “Download of the Week” feature on “AudioStream”, which is published each Friday. It is where I talk about a current favorite record. Could you give me the titles of 10 albums that “High Fidelity” readers should listen to? The Lowell Davison Trio, The Lowell Davison Trio (ESP) The Bill Dixon Orchestra, Intents and Purposes (RCA Victor) Morton Feldman, Rothko Chapel (New Albion Records) Eric Burdon & War, Eric Burdon Declares War (MGM Records) Washington Phillips, What Are They Doing In Heaven Today (Mississippi Records) Jacques Coursil, Trails of Tears (Sunnyside Communications) Nils Frahm, Solo (Erased Tapes) Sturgill Simpson, Metamodern Sounds In Country Music (High Top Mountain) FKA twigs, M3LL155X (Young Turks) Le Butcherettes, Cry Is for the Flies (Ipecac Recordings) Please tell us about your audio equipment. It reminds me of the interview with Leon from Blade Runner: “My audio equipment? Let me tell you about my audio equipment...” I have four systems: three in the barn, and one in our home. My work system is comprised of a MacBook Pro running Roon/Tidal HiFi, the Auralic Vega DAC and the Ayre AX-5 Twenty integrated amp, all standing on a Box Furniture Heavy Double Width Rack. My current speakers are a loaner pair of the DeVore Xs (I own a pair of the DeVore The NINES). All cabling is from Auditorium 23, except for the USB cables which I rotate between the AudioQuest Diamond and the Light Harmonic Lightspeed. I also have a simple desktop system using my iMac running Roon and the Mytek Stereo192-DSD DAC connected to pair of ADAM A3X speakers. The other system in the barn uses the same speakers but is all analog. It consists of the Auditorium 23 Nouvelle Platine turntable with the Shindo RF-773 Mersault tonearm, Shindo SPU cartridge and Auditorium 23 Hommage step up, Shindo Monbrison preamp and Shindo Cortese power amp, all standing on a custom Box Furniture rack which I helped to design. All cabling is from A23 and Shindo. At home we are using a pair of Altec Valencia speakers (c.1967), a Leben CS300-XS integrated amp and a Sonos Connect as the source. All of these systems sound different, but they all allow me to escape into music for as long as time allows, which is the only true value in hi-fi. “THE EDITORS” series has included interviews with: MICHAEL LANG, “Stereo”, GERMANY, Managing Editor (Geschäftsführender Redakteur), see HERE SRIDHAR VOOTLA, “Hifitoday.com”, INDIA, journalist, see HERE STUART SMITH, „HIFI PIG Magazine”, FRANCE (BRITTANY), see HERE SCOT HULL, “Part-Time Audiophile”, USA, editor-in-chief, see HERE ART DUDLEY, “Stereophile”, USA, editor-at-large, see HERE Helmut Hack, “Image Hi-Fi”, Germany, managing editor, see HERE DIRK SOMMER, „HiFiStatement.net”, Germany, chief editor, see HERE MARJA & HENK, „6moons.com”, Switzerland, journalists, see HERE CHRIS CONNAKER, “Computer Audiophile”, founder/chief editor, see HERE MATEJ ISAK, "Mono & Stereo”, chief editor/owner, Slovenia/Austria; see HERE Dr. DAVID W. ROBINSON, "Positive Feedback Online", USA, chief editor/co-owner; see HERE JEFF DORGAY, “TONEAudio”, USA, publisher; see HERE CAI BROCKMANN, “FIDELITY”, Germany, chief editor; see HERE STEVEN R. ROCHLIN, “Enjoy the Music.com”, USA, chief editor; see HERE STEPHEN MEJIAS, “Stereophile”, USA, assistant editor; see HERE MARTIN COLLOMS, “HIFICRITIC”, Great Britain, publisher and editor; see HERE KEN KESSLER, “Hi-Fi News & Record Review”, Great Britain, senior contributing editor; see HERE MICHAEL FREMER, “Stereophile”, USA, senior contributing editor; see HERE SRAJAN EBAEN, “6moons.com”, Switzerland, chief editor; see HERE [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/michael/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/michael/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/michael/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/michael/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/michael/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/michael/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/michael/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/michael/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/michael/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/michael/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/michael/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/michael/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/michael/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/michael/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/michael/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/michael/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/michael/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/michael/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/michael/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/michael/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/michael/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/michael/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/michael/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/michael/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

We decided to create an uncompromising power cable of the highest class, the one that would meet not only our excessive demands, but also those of other music lovers. source: Verictum henever one reads such a declaration one has to expect something very special. A power cable Demiurg is offered by Verictum, company that our Readers already know since we'd reviewed their passive EMI/RFI filters X Block and ground filters X Bulk. One has to see these products, their packaging to fully understand what kind of products they are. This cable is made upon order. Lead time is quite long – one has to accept 30 to 90 days delivery time. Demiurg is delivered in a cardboard box with foam filling. Inside one finds a metal box, that looks a bit like a tool box, with a combination lock and company's logo on its cover. Inside it is lined with foam and contains the power cable, a special oil for wood, a piece of cloth and a certificate with a hologram. Do you remember a scene from a 2003 movie, Love Actually, where the clerk (played by Rowan Atkinson) in a jewelry shop packs a pendant in a gift wrap? This scene makes me laugh each time I see it, but in fact it is how exclusive products should be sold like. That's how they sell watches and yachts. It is an important part of product's image and it's a good thing that audio manufacturers noticed that too. It's not only about product itself but also about its presentation, its image and packaging is an important element of that image. I hope other manufacturers will take similar approach. Demiurg, according to manufacturer's declaration, was designed and made in Poland, except for Japanese, rhodium-plated plugs - Furutech FI-E50(R) and FI-50(R) PIEZO CERAMIC. Instead of using some of-the-shell conductor for this cable, company designed their own using 4N silver 24K gold-plated. This conductor is custom made in limited batches. It is not made in a form of spool, but in dedicated sections of specific lengths. Those particular sections are then combined into the final length of Demiurg. The Demiurg’s silver conductor comes into being during a properly designed treatment and shaped into correct geometrical form. The next stage is a lengthy cryogenic process with the use of nitrogen. It’s being conducted in lab conditions controlled by a computer. It’s keeping the very precise, low temperature with no variations during dozens of hours, and controls the process of warming the conductor to the room temperature. Each conductor is then carefully hand polished with the use of the highest quality jeweler’s polishing apparatus. Another important element designed by the manufacturer for this cable is a specific, passive anti-noise filter in a wooden box placed over the cable. One can find similar boxes in products of such brands as Vertex AQ, Harmonix, Transparent Audio, MIT and others. Each of them is different of course. In this case filter does not interrupt the cable’s strands, and it is also not connected with them. The casing of the filter, which is the integral part of Demiurg, is made of a selected exotic merbau wood. Although merbau is known for its resistance and longevity, and even called the “molucca iron wood” it’s far from being as resistant as iron. The process of wood selection begins with buying seasoned logs. Next the logs are cut to proper shapes, which are further precisely milled with CNC into two complicated elements forming the box. Wood contrary to metal works in response to outer conditions, like changes in temperature or humidity, that is why the elements of the box are appropriately thick. Pieces with the same tint and color and first of all of the same figure are chosen, since the box is to look uniform and be a real ornament of the cable. After milling of the two elements of the box, logo is being milled. At the end the casing is hand polished. The box on the Demiurg cable is its integral part so one can't disassemble it to check what's inside. Manufacturer does not reveal what exactly is inside this box but I guess they used similar elements as those utilized for X Block. I compared Demiurg to three other cables: Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500, Crystal Cable The Absolute Dream and Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version. I performed an ABA and AB comparisons with A and B known. I used to power Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition CD Player and Soulution 710 power amplifier. This is a very stiff cable – it takes some time before it 'settles' in a system. This large wooden box should rest on some surface, not hang above it. I suggest placing it on some solid surface – in my case it was Acoustic Revive TB-38H platform placed on top of Finite Elemente Pagode Edition. VERICTUM in „High Fidelity” • BEST SOUND 2015 AWARD: Verictum X Block – passive EMI/RFI filter, see HERE • TEST: Verictum X Block – passive EMI/RFI filter, see HERE • TEST: Verictum X Bulk – ground filter, see HERE Recordings used for the test (a selection): Adam Bałdych & Helge Lien Trio, Bridges, ACT Music + Vision ACT 9591-2, Promo CD (2015) Bach, Violin Concertos, dyr. Yehudi Menuhin, EMI/Hi-Q Records HIQXRCD9, XRCD24, CD (1960/2013) Danielsson, Dell, Landgren, Salzau Music On The Water, ACT Music + Vision ACT 9445-2, CD (2006) Depeche Mode, Enjoy The Music....04, Mute XLCDBONG34, maxi-SP (2004) Enya, Dark Sky Island, Aigle Music | Warner Music UK/Warner Music Japan WPCR-17045, CD (2015) Kankawa, Organist, T-TOC Records UMVD-0001-0004, "Ultimate Master Vinyl", 4 x 45 rpm 180 g LP + CD-RIIα + 24/192 WAV; Pat Metheny Group, Offramp, ECM/Universal Music K.K. UCCU-9543, “Jazz The Best No. 43”, gold-CD (1982/2004) Pat Metheny Group, Offramp, ECM/Universal Music K.K. UCCE-9144, SHM-CD (1982/2008) Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto, Getz/Gilberto, Verve/Lasting Impression Music LIM K2HD 036, K2HD Mastering, “24 Gold Direct-from-Master Edition UDM”, CD-R (1964/2009) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] „For the first time since mixing the material at Hansa Tone Studios in Berlin had I the opportunity to listen to my album on such a supreme audio system. During recordings we used an analogue SSL mixer, tube preamps and microphones of the highest quality, all to get this audiophile quality of the material being recorded. While listening on a system supported by all Verictum products, led by Demiurg power cable, I’ve had an impression of communing with a live band one on one. Every tiny articulation detail we utilized during playing, even those on the verge of silence, was audible. Also the sounds of similar register coming from other instruments had their own space and did not overlap each other. I’m glad that the hard work we put into recording an album of the highest possible quality of sound did not go to waste, since there is an audio system, which is capable of doing justice to the effects of our work.” Adam Bałdych The album "BRIDGES" was released on ACT Music 28 August 2015 year. My first contact with Helge Lien Trio's music happened in 2009. In April I reviewed the Hello Troll album that was released as hi-res 24/96 FLAC files by Linn Records and gave it the 'Reference' grade in terms of sound quality'. It was obvious already back then that these guys played great music but also that they cared about sound quality of their release. Their latest ACT release offers the same high quality. No wonder that our Polish violinist was so happy about it – he heard a great recording played by a fantastic audio system that included outstanding components including Demiurg. This is the first power chord made by Verictum, but they began with the top, exclusive model. Such an approach requires a certain preparation in form of knowledge and experience. It'd be much easier to start with simpler, less expensive model and then work on improving it. This is method practiced by most manufacturers but it takes a lot of time – a designer learns from his own mistakes and keeps working on making his designs better. I am sure that guys from Verictum will eventually make even better cable. That's how audio business works. But I wouldn't hold my breath either as what is offered now is already very special. It presents same level of performance as the top Acrolink, Crystal Cable or fantastic Harmonix. Each of these cables has its own sonic signature. All belong to the 'top-high-end' category. The choice between them depends on user's preferences and on his whole setup. I have no idea how Verictum managed to join the 'premier league' already with their first model. Demiurg's sound quality is defined by its remarkable selectivity and its ability to present even smallest changes of dynamics and rhythm, its ability to deliver all, even tiniest details, that with other cables seems to be hidden somewhere under other, more distinct elements. One might say that Demiurg's tonal balance shifts towards upper part of the range. This impression is created by this remarkably detailed sound. There seem to be more details and leading edge is faster, tauter. Percussion cymbals are very fast and 'gold' which excludes any sort of actual brightness – at this performance level brightness doesn't happen. These qualities confirmed also when I listened to piano (Helge Lien) and vibes (Christopher Dell). I think this cable is so special because of purity of the sound and remarkable definition. The other cables I compared it to are also great in these respect and I didn't think there was any room for improvement until I did head-to-head with Demiurg. At first this difference seems insignificant, difficult to even notice. But once you catch it doing quick comparison it will become obvious that this might be a reason to pick one or the other of these cables. Despite this first impression of tonal balance shift one can't really complain about bass extension, although again the first impression might suggest that. The point is that Polish cable seems to deliver 'quieter' sound. Yes, I know it is not possible according to laws of physics, but there is this thing called psycho-acoustics. Cables I compared Demiurg to offer more expansive sound with Harmonix being a leader in this respect. There is an emphasis in the lower midrange and upper bass which results in more tangible phantom images presented closer to the listener, richer, rounder. Demiurg shows events on the stage from some distance, without any signs of emphasis in the lower midrange/upper bass, which creates this impression of 'quieter' sound. When comparing Verictum with other cables one should slightly (1-2 dB) volume level for this power chord. It will prove that its performance is more dynamic. One should do the same when comparing 16 and 24 bit files. There is something that attracts attention. One can easily hear that when listening to jazz, rock and electronic music, like, for example, Depeche Mode remixes. Other cables' performance seems, in comparison, more round, massive. Demiurg's bass is not that rich, but it's better extended and defined, especially in the lowest end. It is clear when listening to both, double bass and electric bass, and electronic one too. What some might like better about these other cables is more advanced 'integrity' of their performance. They offer bit less detail, a tad lesser control, and their dynamics is not as perfectly differentiated. But the integrity, coherence of their performance is bit better. Demiurg presents soundstage with great clarity. The main focus, the essence of the presentation lays in the middle of the stage, left and right sides are filled with details. With Acrolink, Crystal Cable and Harmonix this middle, more 'essential' part of the stage seems wider and deeper. And phantom images are better defined which results in more tangible sound. Summary This cable kept me curious about how many well known albums would sound with it. Differences introduced by it to the sound are very clear and the same each time whether it plays sophisticated jazz or classical music recordings or mainstream ones. No doubt it is a representative of the top-high-end level and it matches the performance of my reference cables in many respects. Everything about it, including its packaging tells user that it is a luxury, top performance product. Only the latest power chord by Mr Kazuo Kiuchi, Harmonix X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro is even better especially in terms of imaging and timbre presentation. But to be clear – it is better than any other cable. On the other hand in terms of dynamics and detail of the sound Polish cable is at least as good as Japanese, if not better. I think that each of these cables will be preferred by different users for different systems. But the level of performance is similar. I do realize that Verictum guys would love me to name their 'baby' “the best cable in the world” or at least “the best I know” – it would be strange if they wouldn't. And I could probably say something like that and nothing bad would have happened. But I think that everything I wrote makes more sense for each party – manufacturer and readers. I think they should be satisfied because their first power chord matched the performance of the best cables I know – it counts for something. Specifications (according to manufacturer) conductor Verictum: cryogenized silver 4N, 24K gold-plated ground wire cryogenized silver 4N multi-strand solid core effective section 3,35 mm2 Furutech FI-E50(R), i FI-50(R) PIEZO CERAMIC plugs length 180 cm ADAM BAŁDYCH & HELGE LIEN TRIO Bridges Label: ACT Music + Vision ACT 9591-2 Released: Aug 28th 2015 Medium: CD Depending on the source either Adam Bałdych accompanied the Norwegian trio Helge Lien Trio, or Helge Lien Trio accompanied Adam Bałdych (see HERE). Regardless of which one is closer to the truth it is good to see another Polish musician to record for such a famous label ACT together with one of the leading European jazz bands. I am really glad that it happens more and more often for Polish musicians. Bridges is a third album of Polish musician. He wrote material for this album in already in 2014 fir this group of musicians. Only two tracks were not written by him – the title one written by Hegle Lien and Teardrop, that is a Massive Attack's cover. That's why one might claim that it is the Norwegian trio that accompanies Bałdych helping him to record material he created. Also the cover for this album was created by our countryman, Wilhelm Sasnal. The album was recorded in Hansa Studios in Berlin in March 2015. Interestingly – studio used a fantastic analogue mixing console, Solid State Logic 4000E, with tube microphone preamplifiers. Many biggest stars recorded there - U2, REM, David Bowie and many others. No information about the way material was recorded is available. This studio uses both, digital and multi-track analogue recorders such as Studer A 800 MK III 2". The album is available on both, CD and vinyl. SOUND Today combination of fantastic music and high quality sound is quite rare. It is also a fact, the ACT manages to achieve that more often than others. Only ECM, a neighbor label from the same city, is as successful as ACT. There are some common sonic features of most ACT releases, like a great focus and richness of the sound, but apart from these two qualities album from album might be quite different. This Bałdych album belongs to warm recordings with microphones placed closely to instruments, with a minimum reverb. Presentation is very dynamic and placed close to listener. I think there was only very little compression used and if there was any they had to use a compressor with 'tube-like' characteristics. The sound is great. There seems be be some emphasis on violin, especially in lower midrange area. It seems that sound engineer did the same with double bass and piano – they both seem bigger than in real life. The piano seems very focused, clearly defined in space while double bass isn't – that's exactly the opposite to how Rudy van Gelder recorded jazz in 1950ties and 1960ties. Sound is warm and not particularly resolving. Percussion cymbals sound like recessed compared with other instruments and they are not clearly defined. It's not now they sound in real life but it is also obvious that here it is a part of artistic vision. It's a really interesting music and a great recording too. It offers its own 'character'. I wouldn't be surprised hearing it used during different audio shows and presentations. It could replace those 'immortal' samplers that feature high quality recordings of not so great musicians. This album offers great music, played by remarkable musicians, recorded in a damn good way. Out BIG RED Button for both, music and sound quality is fully deserved. SOUND QUALITY: 10/10 www.adambaldych.com www.helgelien.com www.actmusic.com [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/verictum/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/verictum/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/verictum/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/verictum/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/verictum/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/verictum/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/verictum/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/verictum/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/verictum/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/verictum/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/verictum/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/verictum/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/verictum/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/verictum/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/verictum/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

uite recently I had quests from Brazil and Monaco – Mr Silvio Pereira, owner of Audiopax and Geoffrey Armstrong, owner of Sound Galleries, Audiopax distributor for Europe. We had been waiting for a chance to meet for a long time and it finally happened during Vienna Hi-Fi Show in Austria, where these two gentlemen presented AudioPax products. After the Show they brought l50 preamplifier and Maggiore m50 power amp to my place. Andrea, Silvio's wife, visited the old city in Cracow (she's a photographer) and we sat together, listened to the devices they brought, and talked. The first face-to-face meeting with people that you know already for some time but only via email, especially with ones from such exotic places, must end with exchanging tones of information. With Silvio we talked about Audiopax and about music, and Geoffrey asked me a lot of question about Polish brands. Obviously he had his reasons – he was already distributing products of Ancient Audio and LampizatOr and spoke really highly about them. Since at any given time I have several products under test or waiting for their turn, there was a lot we could talked about using 'live' examples. Among those I could show him at the time what impressed him most were not some super-duper systems but cable stands by KBLSound. When he saw the box these were delivered in and then make&finish quality I noticed that he got excited. I have no idea whether he'll start a cooperation with this Polish brand or not, but that's not what's important about this situation. My point is that he noticed and appreciated the Product among others I showed him. What is was, what and how it did and who made it was not that important at this very moment. What mattered was that he noticed an interesting, high quality product that could suit his high profile audio salon in Monaco. Reference Power Distributor | RPD Wood Base These cable stands I mentioned are the latest addition to KBL Sound offer. They are made of two kinds of wood, a hard and a very hard one. A vibration damping is increased due to usage of two materials of different density with each of them having good resonance damping properties. These are quite large stands and they look great. There are no additional anti-vibration elements – just two different types of wood they should damped vibration in a contact area between them. Stands are priced at 426 PLN per piece and sold in sets of two. That's not the only KBL Sound's novelty. Even more important one is a modification they introduced to their Reference Power Distributor. We've been using the first version for almost a year in our B reference system, and now we've ordered another for our A system, where it will work next to Acoustic Revive RTP-4eu Ultimate. The KBL power distributor is available in two versions that differ with a number of sockets. Previously a 5-socket version was offered, now another one with 6 outlets joined the portfolio using symbol: RPD-6. The sockets now sit deeper in the chassis. The new generation of power distributor uses the latest product from Furutech - IEC FI-06 (G) inlet, that allows usage of larger diameter cable. Inside from the AC inlet wires are arranged to all five slots in a parallel, 'star-like' configuration. Comparing to previous version the latest one features also a different internal cabling. There, like the predecessor, use mono crystal OCC copper that underwent cryogenical treatment, but of a different geometry. Price of a 5-outlet version is now 10 999 PLN. If you're following test of power chords conducted by HF and you're checking out images that accompany our tests you might have noticed a platform that we use under Acoustic Revive power distributor in our main system. After so many years of doing reviews, listening to many, many devices I'm getting more and more sure that vibrations are one of the biggest foes of a high quality sound. I'm also sure that power supply elements of the system and cables we use should be treated as equally important as, say, amplifier or a source. And even such a solid, heavy power distributor as RTP-4eu Ultimate benefits from decoupling it from the surface one puts it on. There are many others that share my believe. More and more brands offer power distributors and dedicated anti-vibrations stands – KBL Sound is one of them. The new version of their power distributor is sold together with RPD Wood Base. It's made of a solid piece of selected wood that features a particularly high vibration damping factor. This particular wood comes from trees that grow in extreme weather conditions that result in particularly high density fibers. The wood base is impregnated with special oil with strong anti-static properties. Signature Series Himalaya The new power distributor and cable stands were only a mere addition to the subject of this test – the Himalaya Power Chord. I had a chance to review interconnects and speakers cables of Himalaya line before and these were awarded a 2015 Product of The Year Award. KBL Sound Based on company's literature When working on Himalaya products we have used costly and time-consuming solutions, as no other way exists to get exceptional results. Mass production has one undeniable drawback: it can not create the best possible. Making cables by hand has its own specific advantages, which mainly deal with aspects of the mechanical design, related to the damping of vibrations and stresses. With industrial mass production these aspects cannot be treated uncompromisingly. Handcrafting cables in the Himalaya series, where the spatial topology of conductors plays a key role, is quite backbreaking and laborious, but it's finally possible - as conquering the most difficult mountain peaks. However, we hope that these products will provide for music lovers the opportunity to experience the breathless delight, compared to the thrill on the highest mountain; our special, limited edition bears such a name. Himalaya power cable, from the very beginning, was developed for devices requiring high current supply. And indeed, it is extremely well suited for this type of application: whether the first cable from the socket to the power strip or conditioner or for large, high current tube & solid state power amplifiers. This is achieved through doubling the gauge of specially twisted copper conductors in comparison to our previously flagship, acclaimed and award-winning model, Red Eye. Conductors have a monocrystalline structure and are additionally protected against oxidation. Himalaya has also a more developed system of maintaining the mechanical stability of conductors and leveling their own resonances caused by the flow of electrons. It also has better plugs. They are now made to company order and the body is cut out of brass, not stainless steel. They have a carbon fiber film for protection against vibration and radiation RFI and EMI. All the contact elements are made of reinforced copper and then rhodium plated. Finally the plugs are cryogenically treated and demagnetized. An optional version with a 20A IEC connector Furutech FI-52 (R) for high current devices equipped with the appropriate socket is also available. This cable, like all others from Himalaya series, is manufactured upon order. I performed ABA comparisons and later also AB and BA, with A and B known. I used them together with: Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition CD Player and Soulution 710 power amplifier. My reference power chords for this test were: Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500, Crystal Cable The Absolute Dream, Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version. This cable is pretty stiff so one needs to carefully think it through how to place it to avoid any stress. During my test cables were plugged into Acoustic Revive RTP-4eu Ultimate, but also to the new version of KBL Sound RPD-5 placed on RPD Wood Base. I also used KBL Sound Cable Stands. KBL SOUND in “High Fidelity” BEST SOUND 2015 AWARD: KBL Sound SIGNATURE SERIES HIMALAYA – interconnect + speaker cable, see HERE TEST: KBL Sound SIGNATURE SERIES HIMALAYA – interconnect + speaker cable, see HERE BEST SOUND 2014 AWARD: KBL Sound REFERENCE POWER DISTRIBUTOR + RED EYE – power distributor + power chords (system), see HERE TEST: KBL Sound REFERENCE POWER DISTRIBUTOR + RED EYE – power distributor + power chords (system), see HERE TEST: KBL Sound RED EYE – S/PDIF digital cable, see HERE Recordings used for the test (a selection): Art Pepper, Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, Contemporary Records/JVC VICJ-42524, K2 CD (1957/2006) Artur Rubinstein, Artur Rubinstein plays Chopin, Polskie Nagrania MUZA/Polskie Nagrania PNCD 487, CD (1984/2008) Frank Sinatra, Lost & Found | The Radio Years, Sony Music 8875147142, CD (2015) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Rosary Sonatas, viol. Rachel Podger, Channel Classics CCS SA 37315, 2 x SACD/CD (2015) Milt Jackson Quartet, Statements, Impulse!/Universal Music (Japan) UCCI-9088, “More Best 50. No 38”, CD (1961/2001) Nirvana, In Utero, Geffen GED 24536, CD (1993) Radiohead, Kid A, Parlophone/EMI 27753 2, CD (2000) Suzanne Vega, Nine Objects of Desire, A&M Records 540 583 2, CD (1996). Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] In my opinion a sonic character of power cable influences the character of the whole system. I'd call it a final touch that is given to system's performance. Himalaya does it too in a particularly graceful fashion. It provides a rich, full and smooth sound. When I say smooth I mean real smoothness, not a soft, round leading edge kind of performance. Percussion cymbals are agile, dynamic and sort of „gold” rather then „steel” sounding, if you know what I mean. Presentation of both range extremes is very 'competent' and I never felt like there was something missing, neither with a very deep bass on Suzanne Vega's Nine Objects of Desire, nor with fast cymbals in the opening piece on Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section. One of the very first impressions, that confirmed later on, was the one of particularly focused presentation. It directs listener's attention mostly to the midrange. This was one of similarities between Polish cable and a very expensive The Absolute Dream by Crystal Cable, made of silver and gold. The Himalaya focuses attention on instruments hence decrease a role of acoustic environment. No worries, these is still plenty of reverb and spacial effects in the sound. It's not about one type of presentation surpassing the other. It's more like comparing to pieces of art – both magnificent despite the fact that they present the same but in a different way. You'll find a long reverb on classical music recordings like Rosary Sonatas, but a 'dry', short one from recording studio like on Statements by Milt Jackson Quartet. Regardless of the recording or music genre listener's attention is directed rather on direct sounds. Polish cable delivers a highly detailed sound. As I said, sound is smooth, silky so the abundance of details does not come from emphasis on a part of the range. Selectivity of Himalaya is really good, better than of Crystal Cable and Acrolink. Even Harmonix, that delivers very open, active sound, tended to present details in less distinctive way, with less impressive accents on drumroll, with electric guitars in Nirvana's In Utero being pushed bit more towards the back of the soundstage. What I'm describing are details from the front of the stage particularly powerful, energetic ones. OK, it's time for a twist in a story – Himalaya present music from some perspective. All three reference cables I mentioned, bring music closer to the listener, especially everything that's happening in the front of the stage becomes more three-dimensional, more tangible and more expressive with them. The cable under review will convince different type of listener, using different type of a system. It creates a more distant presentation putting listener further away from the front of the soundstage. It's a perfect way to present classical music, but also large pieces of electronic or rock music. In Nirvana's Rape Me the band was put by sound engineer in some distance from a listener, like it performed in a large, though not particularly high room. The vocalist 'stands' closer to us. Himalaya rendered those spacial relations in a particularly good way. It also didn't create huge depth of the stage and the back of the soundstage was 'moved' bit closer to the listener which resulted in this particularly 'focused' sound I mentioned before. Harmonix, for example, creates a deeper soundstage, because it offers more open sound, less focused on instruments. Let's forget the context for a moment – this will help us to see Himalaya for what it is. It's a really well balanced cable offering great performance. Its sonic character seems similar to that of Siltech and Crystal Cable products, which is curious, because these two brands use silver and gold as material for conductors, while KBL Sound power cable is made of copper. At the same time Polish cable offers very dynamic sound, with particularly active midrange, which is something associated rather with copper cables. I should add that its presentation tends to focus listener's attention on the middle of the stage, just like it usually happens during live concerts. Summary There are more resolving cables on the market than Himalaya, there are also some capable of more distinct presentation of upper treble and lower bass. This Polish cable charms listener with something else – there is a slight emphasis in mid-bass and lower midrange area which focuses listener's attention on a direct sound. The leading edge is a bit velvety but dynamics is quite impressive. Soundstage begins behind the line between speakers. It's a really good, solid performer that will stay in our A System, to support Acoustic Revive power distributor and other cables. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Signature Series Himalaya Conductors: high purity multi-stranded mono crystal copper, anti-oxidation protected The multi-layer insulation system, vibration damping for the whole cable and the individual wires Anti-vibration ring of selected wood Termination: highest quality plugs AC Schuko and IEC company's custom-made of brass with rhodium over copper plating on all conductive parts, massive brass body with carbon fiber film for better damping and RFI rejection US plugs available upon request 20A IEC connector option for high current devices Standard length: 1.5 m, 2m Other lengths upon request Reference Power Distributor Outputs: 5 or 6 outlets Furutech Schuko FT-SDS (G) 16A/250V. 24 k Gold Plated Non-magnetic conductors, α (Alpha) Pure Copper main Conductor (t: 0.5mm). Material: Nylon/fiberglass body and Polycarbonate cover. 1.0mm thick Zinc/steel brace plate Base Bracket. Total attention to detail and build quality extends right down to a specially designed patent-pending pressure plate that increases the contact area of the Alpha Conductors. Input: High Performance Furutech FI-06 (G) IEC inlet α (Alpha) Pure Copper Conductor, gold plated, Nylon and fiberglass housing Highest-grade chassis CNC machined from solid block duraluminum, with massive and thick walls, effectively absorbs internal and external vibrations, also shields against RFI (Radio Frequency Interference). The boxes maximum thickness is 35mm Internal wiring: Star-wired conductors using monocrystal OCC copper 10 and 12 AWG for low electrical resistance and better sockets separation. Each FT-SDS socket separately “star-wired” to IEC AC input. Separate conductor sets on each socket. Carved out phosphor bronze feet to further improve vibration control effect Rated: 15A/250V, 1850W Net Weight: 5.5 kg (RPD-5), 6 kg (RPD-6) Dimensions (s / g / in): 36.5 x 9.5 x 11 cm (RPD-5), 42 x 9,5 x 11 cm (RPD-6) [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/kbl_sound/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

'm looking at it, watching it, looking again, tapping it, unscrewing it and then re-assembling it again, and I still can not comprehend this, how is it possible that such a product, with such class, with such build, and with such looks, and produced in its entirety within an EU country, … how is it at all possible that it costs only 4000 PLN. When I read about the genesis of the creation of the Silver Luna, the matter has clarified somewhat, although not quite completely. It's still too big a "bang" for too small a "buck". If I were to bet on some form of explanation of the matter, I would claim that it is the transformers that are being used in it and that we get them "at cost", whilst other manufacturers would need to pay at least two times as much for them, if not more. This is possible because the owner of the Fezz Audio brand happens to be the company Toroidy.pl, a known entity both in Poland and abroad, one which happens to be a manufacturer of toroidal transformers. Is a family business that is managed by Mr. Lech Lachowski and his two sons, Thomas and Maciej. I am sure that you remember this entity from the descriptions of some of their designs and from the photos from "High Fidelity". Their transformers are used by various companies, including brands like Ancient Audio from Cracow, or Mytek - an American company, but manufacturing it's DAC converters in Warsaw. Taking the essential costs outside of the parentheses, and then cutting them down a bit is indeed a big relief for your wallet. The fact being, that within the final price of a ready made vacuum tube amplifier, the most significant components are: the chassis, the tubes and the transformers. And out of the latter, as a rule, almost always come at least as a triplet: one power supply transformer and two speaker output transformers. More often than not, you also have an inductor, a choke. These are the essential elements that “define” the sound of the amplifier. The output transformers All is fine, though attention is drawn to the association between the name "Toroidy.pl" and the type of amplifier, specifically being a tube amplifier. The truth being that the vast majority of such devices use output transformers, just before the speakers, and such transformers are of the traditional, E-I lamel based type. This historical legacy stems from the 20-ies and the 30-ies of the XX-th century, from a time when other types of transformers were simply not available. As for the power supply, this is a wholly different story, as the present day designers have no qualms in adapting newer solutions, and for quite some time they are now using both the E-I based transformers, as well as toroidal ones, or the "double C" core, or the R-core units. The resistance, hesitance against using toroidal output speaker coupling transformers relates to both the sound characteristics, by which they differ from the E-I types, but it has also to do with “tradition". On top of that comes yet another aspect, one about which designers are very reluctant to speak of, being the fact that the proper design of a toroidal transformer for a tube amplifier, especially if it is of the Single-Ended type of architecture, is a very difficult task. Difficult to design, difficult to produce and it costs quite a lot. Therefore, designers do not have too many experience with them. And it is so much easier to simply go with the flow, choose an EI based transformer and have peace of mind. Be done with it. I'm not saying here that such an approach is wrong, that sticking to “E-I” is a mistake, because it is not. I'm just saying that the total abandonment of toroidal transformers, solely for practical reasons, impoverishes our industry. The more so should we respect the companies that have taken up this challenge, together with Amplifon at the forefront. Silver Luna Silver Luna As stated by Mr. Maciej Lachowski from Toroidy.pl, the Silver Luna amplifier was created so as to prove that toroidal transformers are in themselves are not at all that bad. To the contrary, they offer tangible benefits, amongst which the most important one is a much wider upper bandwidth capability. It is good to know that the so called "Tube sound", especially in the context of vintage amplifiers, is often a result of the operation of output transformers which cut off the bandwidth, frequently limiting it already at 10 kHz! You can work around this, but such solutions generate additional costs. And please look at the frequency response of this here amplifier under test: with 77 kHz from the top side, it is more than is being delivered by quite a broad group of transistor based amplifiers. For starters, however, we get our first view, our first impression of the solid of the device. The solid has immediately caught my eye, during the Audio Video Show 2015 exhibition, and immediately after that, the price. The combination of the two bothered me, so I asked for a unit to conduct a test. At home, when I put this ‘Finite Elemente’, amplifier on the shelf, it looked even better. A low profile, a robust, precisely manufactured chassis and polished shields for the transformers – this is something I would expect from an audio device, but something that I do not always get. The chassis may be painted to any one of four color schemes, and with an additional surcharge, to any other color. For the purposes of the test, I chose a fantastic-looking version of red. The device is built around the EL34 tubes, power pentodes invented in 1954 by Mullard, and by Philips, being its owner. This design is a push-pull, working in class AB1, so there is a pair of two identical power tubes in each channel. The choice of class of operation was dictated by the intention to obtain an output power that is higher than the one possible within Class A. The voltage amplification and phase reversal is dealt with by the ECC83 tubes. All of these vacuum tubes have been specially designed for application in audio systems and can be spotted both in home appliances, as well as in on-stage equipment, or electric guitar amplifiers. The output transformers are toroids of the manufacturers own construction and production, but the architecture is classical, being an ultra-linear topology. The output power is 2 x 35 W. Three line inputs are available. Remote control is not. The circuitry was designed by Eng. Zdzisław Kulikowski - a man with multiple years of experience in the design of vacuum tube circuits, who cooperates with Toroidy.pl since many years. The design of the chassis and the finishing touches were a joint work effort of the whole team. The chassis turned out very well. The amplifier resembles, in a very unusual way, the structures similar to those that we may meet in Japan - in terms of both sensitivity to shape and color, as well as to overall sturdiness. Upgrading Tube amplifiers are fantastic objects for various upgrading efforts. The unit typically bought in a sales outlet is similar to a series production-line automobile, one which you can later change into a racing car, whereby that what remains remnant of the original automobile is but only the upper chassis. But in the case of the Silver Luna amplifier, I would not be too hasty in applying such changes. Indeed, this is a complete, fleshed out, coherent device, competently designed, one in which everything is well balanced. The sound of this unit, as it will turn out, is so good that there is no need to fiddle around in it – for quite some extended period of time. The nature of an Audiophile is such that sooner or later it will nonetheless start to take precedence and overwhelm his common sense. Knowing this a-priori, I would like to draw your attention to a few things that “could” be changed. First of all - the legs. In place of the current ones, you could either screw on the feet sourced from Franz Audio Accessories, or Pro from Audio Bono. Or, you could do just as I did, during the test - I put the amplifier on Pathe Wings PW-AVSH cones, which are made of a plywood called "Panzerwood". They are fantastically manufactured and have the good looks. Under the amplifier, you then need to stick on some rubber grommets, so that the cones are stable. The second change is also a non-invasive one, being a replacement of the mains fuse. It's easy, because the fuse housing is accessible from the outside, integrated with the mains socket. I suggest that you try out the Verictum X Fuse. And finally – the vacuum tubes. Here the possibilities of fiddling around are enormous. Old, unused tubes (i.e. NOS), such as EL34 sourced from Mullard, Philips or others, and/or the ECC83 – from Tesla, Neumann or Siemens, are a good route to pursue. Further upgrade steps shall require changing elements inside of the amplifier, thereby invalidating it’s guarantee. This would relate to applying new coupling capacitors, applying higher capacitance values within the power supply, or exchanging the internal interconnects with some other ones. These would also be the most expensive upgrades, and their price would exceed the price of the amplifier itself, so there is nothing to run for. MACIEJ LACHOWSKI The owner and constructor Our family business, the Toroidy.pl company, is a basis for the Fezz Audio project. Since multiple years, we are firmly entrenched within the world of audio. We supply mains transformers for a range of renown companies. For over 20 years of business activity, we have completed a lot of interesting and prestigious projects. We have partnered up with companies such as: Mytek (Manhattan DAC), LampizatOr, Amare Musica, Audio Valve, Ancient Audio Wile http://wile.com.pl < / a>, or Baltlab, receiving from them positive feedback. A few years ago, we decided to create something that would break the stereotype. It was to be a toroidal speaker transformer, to be used for the construction of single-ended amplifier architectures. We have succeeded. Our design work on this construct took three years, in which we have developed a unique technology for the production of transformer cores and windings. As a result, we are now able to design, and most importantly to produce, speaker output transformers for virtually any type of vacuum tube, be it used either in an SE, or in a Push-Pull topology. The technical parameters that we have achieved are such that it is sometimes hard to believe in them, looking at the size and price of our transformers. So far, so good, but why doesn’t anyone want to use toroidal transformers in their designs? The main reason for this is the prejudice, the fallacy, the misconception, as mentioned earlier. It is claimed that one cannot produce a good speaker output transformer based on a toroidal core, alone not to mention the context of a Single Ended architecture, where such a toroidal transformer does not even have the technical possibility to operate at all. Therefore, we have decided to construct a Single Ended amplifier that is based upon transformers of our own manufacture. As a proof-of-concept, during the last year's Audio Show 2014 exhibition, we have presented the Laura amplifier - a non-commercial model, the sole purpose of which was to destroy the existing fallacy, the misconceptions. The resulting scope of interest has exceeded our expectations. Whilst the production of such toroidal speaker output transformers kicked in with full swing, a next, yet better idea came to my mind. Let's create a new brand and design a tube amplifier, a retail version, made available at an affordable price, a construct which is the Polish alternative to the "Chinese" counterparts. And hence, the Silver Luna was born and came to be. The records used for the test (a selection): Art Pepper, Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, Contemporary Records/JVC VICJ-42524, K2 CD (1957/2006) Can, Tago Mago. 40th Anniversary Edition, Spoon Records/Hostess K.K. (Japan) 40SPOON6/7J, 2 x Blu-Spec CD (1971/2011) Frank Sinatra, Lost & Found | The Radio Years, Sony Music 8875147142, CD (2015) Kortez, Bumerang, Asfalt Records JB 029 2CD, CD (2015); Krzysztof Komeda, Ballet Etudes/The Music of Komeda, Metronome/Be! Jazz Records, BE! JAZZ 6087 CD, CD (1964/2014); Laurie Anderson, Big Science, Nonesuch 79988-5, „Expanded and Remastered for the 25th Anniversary”CD (1982/2007) Maanam, Miło¶ć jest cudowna, Kamiling Co | Pomaton 4601869, 2 x CD (2015) Milt Jackson Quartet, Statements, Impulse!/Universal Music (Japan) UCCI-9088, „More Best 50. No 38”, CD (1961/2001) Nirvana, In Utero, Geffen GED 24536, CD (1993) Suzanne Vega, Nine Objects of Desire, A&M Records 540 583 2, CD (1996) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] So let's start with a brief summary of such a comparison. And it will be really a short one. The Silver Luna does not have any existing competition in the area up to 5000 PLN, at least when it comes to tube amplifiers. Neither in terms of appearance, nor performance, and the more so, when it comes about to the quality of its sound. This aforementioned trinity is very coherent, and every aspect is refined. Obviously, all in proportions and within the accepted limits, those being the final price. But there is no gap, no dissonance between the sound and the sturdy workmanship, and indeed, we do know that cheap products from China are cheap inter alia because they do not pass rigorous quality control procedures. The end result is such that we usually wind up with multiple exchanges of a faulty unit, with repairs, and sometimes, also, with a general "farewell to Asia". A few years ago I heard about an American manufacturer, called Rogue Audio, offering vacuum tube amplifiers with mid-level price ranges, and that it has decided to come back with its production to the United States. The explanation, as given at that time, was not as clear to me then as it is today. The idea being that the manufacturing costs (labor costs) in the United States have diminished, and hence the company no longer wanted to pay, cover the costs associated with the ongoing maintenance and improvements that needed to be carried out, conducted, after receiving each next consecutive batch of equipment that originated from factories in China. By bringing the manufacturing back under one roof, with in-house quality control, under the watchful eye of the owner, it turned out to be not as expensive as one would initially think. I believe that this is exactly the very same mechanism that works out so well for Fezz Audio, with the caveat though: that the company managed to omit the “OEM” phase entirely. In this manner, we obtain a very fleshed out product with fine finishes, one with an incredibly natural sound. If you would like to describe it as a "tube" sound, so be it, that's fine. But let’s keep an open mind and our eyes on such products as the SoulNote SA300, or the SPEC, Japanese digital amplifiers which deliver a much warmer, more "tube-like" sound. But not only these, as I would also apply such a similar description to completely analog amplifiers from the German company ASR and others, such as for example the French Lavardin. The “tube-ishness” of the amplifier under test is characterized by a lack of sharpness and a slight enhancement of the mid-bass and lower midrange frequency ranges The vocals are slightly zoomed-in upon and enlarged. The contrabass is also playing a tad closer and in a more intimate manner. But Hey! This is what we would expect of a vacuum tube amplifier, right? Even those who have a different vision of sound should also listen to what is happening here, because I'm talking about very delicate accents, only but slightly enhanced, without being intrusive. The warmth of the sound is of a general nature, and it is not just about rounding off the boundaries of the bandwidth. I would even say that the treble opens up very nicely, it is not lacking luster or openness, the sound is vivid and alive. If we are experienced in audio, we shall probably quickly appreciate the naturalness of the communication. A beautiful characteristic, as it gives us a lot of freedom of choice as to the type of music material. Wonderful electronics, such as the new album from GAD Records with Claus Hertel recordings, Laurie Anderson, or the fantastic Kortes, all of these have been recreated with a large cubature, a high degree of spatially, in a very open, albeit slightly sweetened up manner. The amplifier obviously imprints its own sound signature, its character, on such recordings, mainly by achieving an even, uniform representation of the lower bass. This lower bass does not go down as low as in the case of some of the other powerful amplifiers out there, but this does not seem readily apparent, which I believe may be caused by the very active and energetic performance of the midrange. This is not an amplifier, with which we would want to test the bass foundations of Suzanne Vega’s recordings. If we close our eye on this minor issue, the more so shall we appreciate that apart the bass, the differentiation of everything is very, very good. There is no question about recognizing the differences between various takes of Cortes vocals, how vocals are changing within the recordings of Sinatra, or what are the subtle differences in the recordings of the Can band. This differentiation is with a touch of special accent on the coherency and density. But we shall also find a high level of energy of the metal percussion plates and a nice opening up of the midrange. When the drums are hit, they have a high energy, they are quick. When the percussion brass is hit upon hard, it really sound like it. Well obviously, one may also find records, which shall not playback so convincingly. But this does not mean that they will sound badly. It is just that we would expect of them something slightly different. Examples being like Nirvana’s In Utero, the recordings of Black Sabbath, or generally – any hard rock recording with a strong level of compression. This amplifier makes them all sound a bit too humble, mannerly, polite for my tastes. It does show the good side of these recordings, but without the lowest bass control, without the energy that is needed there. This does not mean that transistor based amplifiers, available at a comparable pricepoint, would fare any better. It is just the issue that after experiencing the magic that happens whilst listening to jazz records or other material, when we then switch over and listen to heavy rock, we seem to lack that same level of naturalness, that touch of awesomeness which we would expect of it. Summary Despite the moderate power output, this amplifier can play really loud, and when it goes into overdrive, it does so gently. This is manifested by a hardening up of the upper midrange. Under normal circumstances, you would not hear this. This is a rich, natural sound reproduction, with a well articulated midrange and an open treble. The amplifier is almost completely devoid of functionality as typical and known from other similar devices. Equipped with just three line level inputs, it has no remote control, no digital inputs. These are the drawbacks that need be accepted. But there is nothing to regret. If we can live with that, then please do listen to this amplifier, because it is a true killer. The Fezz Audio Silver Luna is an integrated vacuum tube amplifier. Vacuum tube circuits are used to amplify the signal. Four EL34 power pentodes are used, two per channel, as well as two dual pentodes ECC83, one per channel, whereby one half is used to amplify the signal, while the other half is used as a phase inverter for the output for the output push-pull stage. The power supply is based on semiconductors. The input signal may be provided via three selectable line inputs. There are two speaker output tappings, both for 8 and 4 Ω. The unit is supported on four footrests. The outside The chassis base is comprised of a low profile, lacquered cuboid. On the front of it a logo is affixed, laser cut from a thick metal sheet, as well as two aluminum knobs. One used to change the volume, the other to select the input. The knobs are almost identical to those currently used by companies such as Ancient Audio in the P-3 and A-3, and refer us back to the 70-ies of the last century. On the back side of the unit there is the power switch, which is integrated with the IEC mains socket. There are also three pairs of gold plated RCA jacks and two sets of speaker output terminals. Similarly as in other amplifiers of this type, the vacuum tubes are mounted on the top side. These are the EL34 power pentodes made by Electro-Harmonix and the dual triodes, ECC83, from the same company. We plug these into ceramic sockets with gold plated pins. The location of the tubes is somewhat irregular due to the placement of a circular power transformer shield box in the very middle, amidst between the tubes. At the rear, there is yet another, a longitudinal transformer housing, holding the speaker output transformers. Adjacent to the vacuum tubes we can see the measurement test points, as well as the trim-pot knobs that are hidden within the chassis. Each pair of output tubes need be “adjusted” by means of aligning the bias current. There is no provision for a protection cage to cover the tubes. The Inside As in every good amplifier, the circuit here is a simple system. Each amplifier channel has its own circuit board. Tube coupling is executed using WIMA polypropylene capacitors. The decoupling of the cathodes is achieved via very good electrolytic capacitors, the Nichicon Fine Gold series. The signal ir routed to each of the circuit boards via shielded cables from the potentiometer, a black Alps pot. An interesting observation – this is a motorized version of the pot, as if ready to be equipped with remote control. Maybe in the future there will also be made available a more expensive version of this amplifier with a remote control? The potentiometer is connected with silver cables to the mechanical input selector, also located on the front panel. This is connected with long stretches of interconnect from the back pane input jacks. The power supply is assembled right in the middle, on a separate circuit board, and it is shielded by a thick sheet of metal. We have a a PI type filter, with a toroidal choke ( what else could be expected here?) and two filtering capacitors from the Slovak company JJ Electronics, known for its production of vacuum tubes. This is a fantastic, simple design, one in which each element has its justification and is neither exaggerated nor scaled down. My respects. Technical data (according to manufacturer) Type: integrated stereo amplifier Maximum Power: 2 x 35 W / 8 Ω Type: push-pull, class AB1 Output Impedance: 4 Ω / 8 Ω Inputs: 3 x RCA Total Harmonic Distortion: THD

his is one of those tests I’ve been wanting to do for a few years; but it kept being postponed and at one stage it seemed like it would never happen. In the meantime ownership of the company changed, the Model 88 I was originally planning to test has been eclipsed by the Maggiore (“reference”) line M50, though the Model 88 remains in the Audiopax portfolio within their “Classic” range. In fact I had started inquiring with the Brazilian company Audiopax already back in 2011. Brazil is surely not known for being a home to many audio companies. But it was there, at the beginning of this millennium, where one of the most interesting tube amplifier manufacturers was founded. A manufacturer which is particularly interesting I might add, as they have their own concept of how a tube amplifier should be designed in terms of both sound and aesthetics. In this regard Audiopax reminds me of another, equally exotic audio manufacturer from South Africa, Vivid Audio, who offers loudspeakers taking the concept of Bowers & Wilkins Nautilus speakers even further than the original manufacturer. Mr Eduardo de Lima, founder of Audiopax, was an electrical engineer who started his audio adventures in 1997 with his first commercial product the SE310 amplifier, a 300B SET, that was presented together with CX305 loudspeakers during VSAC Show in Silverdale, USA. In that same year he also developed the LM3 (Low Mu Triode with Higher Raw Efficiency Emulator - LMTHREE), that emulated the behaviour of 300B tubes using KT88 valves. This emulator was used for his next model, SE388, which was presented in 1998 at the Sao Paulo Hi-Fi Show and VSAC Show. The big step for AUDIOPAX came in 2001 with the launch of the Model 88 that for years was the best known Audiopax model. It premiered at CES in 2002. Each of these mono amplifiers featured two KT88 tubes in the output stage. And yet they did not work in push-pull configuration. But it wasn't a classic Parallel Single Ended configuration either. Mr Eduardo de Lima's objective was to create an amplifier that would use some popular (thus not expensive) tubes, would work in Class A Single Ended configuration, would offer reasonable power output and yet sound like a low-power SET amp such as those built around triodes such as: 300B, 2A3 and 45. This technology was called Perfect Triode Simulation (PTS). Prototypes were based on KT66, that were later replaced with KT88. For this amplifier Audiopax incorporated another of its developments which Mr de Lima named Timbre Lock. Simply put, this can be described as a feature that allows the most appropriate interface between the different components in the audio chain. It replaced LM3 emulator solution. Timbre Lock Mr de Lima’s approach was to exploit the qualities of the tubes he worked with rather than fight against them. Each Model 88 mono amplifier consisted of two independent amplifiers within its chassis – the solution was called ASTAT (Asymmetrical Series-Twin Amplifier Topology). Each amplifier featured independent bias/Timbre lock adjustment for its tubes. With these adjustments the user could change the working conditions for the tubes and by doing so, change the sound. This is quite different from the approach that an amplifier should be just like “a piece of wire amplifying the signal”. This design acknowledges that an amplifier is an imperfect tool; but it also shows that these imperfections could be used to the user's advantage. The basic idea was to manipulate the KT88 characteristics in such a way that it would be identical to that of a triode tube such as a 300B; but offering bigger gain at lower cost. In a 2002 interview given by Mr de Lima to Srajan Ebaen, Mr de Lima stated: “one the big challenges was building a very low noise power supply – it was necessary to achieve the ultimate goal (you can find the interview HERE). It is relatively easy to lower the noise by using feedback. But Audiopax amps use no feedback at all, which required the designer to develop a different solution. In 2003 Audiopax started to work with Avantgarde Acoustic USA. The Avantgarde horn speakers feature sensitivity as high as 103 dB (or more); so for these amps to work really well with those speakers, noise levels had to be kept extremely low. Maggiore l50 In 2004 Audiopax released their Model 5 preamplifier using Timbre Lock. Then in 2011 a completely new line called Maggiore was introduced. Unfortunately a year later Mr Eduardo de Lima passed away and soon after that the second partner in the firm died too. The last partner, the youngest one, Mr Silvio Pereira, became the only surviving partner. At the time he was a technical director working for Global, the biggest Brazilian TV network. He was doing very well there and happy with his job. The next few years were very hard for Audiopax. After Mr de Lima's passing orders stopped coming as customers were unsure about the company's future. Finally Silvio and his wife made a difficult, yet very important decision – they decided that Audiopax was to become their full time job. It was not about the money because, as Silvio told me, working for Global he earned much more. The reason was on the one hand his passion for music and on the other he couldn't let Mr de Lima’s legacy to die with him. As it quickly turned out good people attract other good people, so very soon they had great professionals working for them. They all decided to take up the challenge of continuing development of the new amplifier that had already been initiated by Mr de Lima himself – Maggiore. These amps also use KT88s, the design is similar to the Model 88, but a third tube, indeed a third amplifier was added. They also developed a new chassis – the initial Maggiore amplifier the M100 had a rather 'industrial-style', the new one can still be called “macho”, but it is definitely more stylish than its predecessor. The key feature of the new amplifier is still Timbre Lock. Silvio told me that it's not really about adjusting bias (within 78-92 mA range), but about how it effects the transformer's loading. The latter sports independent, asymmetrical windings for each amplifier. The idea is to have 90% of penthode efficiency while preserving the gain curve of a triode. The matching preamplifier from the Maggiore line is called l50. One might think of Audiopax as a tube company, but in fact that’s not the case, as this preamplifier proves by using MOSFET transistors instead of tubes, albeit in a very similar layout (as the power amplifiers). It also features Timbre Lock. The transistors are working though with high voltage current, and are treated as if they were tubes. SETUP This test was only possible thanks to Mr Geoff Armstrong's help, who is the European Audiopax distributor. His headquarters are situated in Monaco, and he specializes in finding exotic brands that offer something unique. His portfolio, apart from Audiopax, includes also Polish brands such as Ancient Audio and LampizatOr. It was not a typical test as the time for the listening session was extremely limited. Geoff and Silvio visited me right after the Vienna Show. We brought boxes in, unpacked them and Silvio started to do his magic. Three Timbre Lock knobs allow the user to significantly change the sonic characteristics. Performance might be more „krell-like”, or more „tube-like”. The changes are more complex than that but that gives you a general idea. For facilitating these adjustments we used a cello recording – I offered a few and Silvio chose Bach's Cello suites Nos 1,3&5 played by Mischa Maisky. We placed the amps on the floor on Acoustic Revive RST-38H platforms and hooked them up using Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500 power chords. The preamplifier landed on a shelf of my Finite Elemente Pagode Edition rack and was using Tellurium Q Silver Diamond power cable. The RCA interconnect connecting it with power amplifiers came from the same Tellurium Q line. As a source we used my Ancient Audio AIR V-edition CD Player connected to the preamplifier with RCA Siltech Triple Crown. Two hours later I was ready for my listening session. Recordings used for the test (a selection): Artur Lisiecki Acoustic Harmony, Stone & Ashes, Fonografika 559040, master-tape copy, CD-R (2010); Artur Rubinstein, Artur Rubinstein plays Chopin, Polskie Nagrania MUZA/Polskie Nagrania PNCD 487, CD (1984/2008). 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). J.S. Bach, Cello suites Nos 1,3&5, wyk. Mischa Maisky, Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music LC (Japan) UCCG-50085, “Best 100”, SHM-CD (1999/2011). Laurie Anderson, Homeland, Nonesuch 524055-2, CD + DVD (2010); Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis, Polydor 537 688-2, CD (1988). Mendelssohn & Brahms, Violin Concerto, wiol. Hilary Hahn, „Best Classics 100”, Sony Classical/Sony Music Japan, SICC 30088, Blu-spec CD2 (1997/2012). Nat King Cole, The Christmas Song, Capitol/Audio Fidelity AFZ 225, „No. 0115”, SACD/CD (1967/2015) Stan Levey, „Grand Stan”, Bethlehem/Toshiba-EMI TOCJ-62028, CD (1957/1999) Tom Yorke, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, Hostess | LANDGRAB RAB001J, CD (2015). Wes Montgomery & Wynton Kelly Trio, Smokin’ At The Half Note, Verve 2103476, „Verve Master Edition”, CD (1965/2005). Wes Montgomery, Full House, Riverside/Universal Music (Japan) UCCO-9207, „Jazz The Best | Legendary 100 | No 7”, CD (1962/2008) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] Before I began I thought that it would be an easy one – the very short time for getting to know this set would let me just touch the topic without getting in too deep, just describe my initial impressions. Right after I started critical listening I knew that this was such a refined, fantastic performance that the review had to be very serious. A much shorter than usual listening session had to be enough; but I still tried to listen to as many albums and tunes that I could before Silvio and Geoffrey packed the devices and drove back to Monaco. On the other hand maybe it was for the best, the short listening session I mean. This Timbre Lock feature, the key to the sound of Audiopax products, is simply addictive. Despite the fact that, in theory, there was only one 'correct' setting, I couldn't help myself and experimented with it while listening to the first few albums only to get back to the settings Silvio initially chose using the recording of cello played by Mischa Maisky – it was simply the best one. Regardless of chosen Timbre Lock settings the system had its own sonic characteristics that I could describe and assess. It might seem that this solution allows for actual change of fundamental sound characteristics; but it's not quite that simple. It's not as though using the knobs one could set the amps to sound like Krell, VTL or Kondo. It's always going to be an Audiopax amp. The real purpose of Timbre Lock is to allow the system to perform at its best. And within this type of sound one could find similarities to sonic characteristic of other brands of amps. And still – similarity concerns rather a certain design type and not its particular embodiment. Performance of this set reminded me of that of the Naim Statement. Some differences were obvious; but so were the similarities. It was an amazingly refined sound of similar class as Naim's but also Einstein's and Ayon's (Spheris III + Crossfire Evo). Similarities in terms of richness of the sound, tangibility, large, three dimensional phantom images and fantastic resolution. The latter is simply remarkable – Audiopax delivered even more resolving sound than my own, reference system, which so far happened only once with the aforementioned mentioned Naim Statement. I mean 'real' resolution and not just the, often mistaken for it, highly detailed and selective sound. It is a resolving and yet warm sound. Without even as much as a hint of artificial 'warmth', as this amp delivers particularly linear performance, and yet the sound is warm. We agreed about this with Silvio, an expert on picture quality – that one should compare the image quality of LCD or even plasma 4K TV sets, with the resolution of an image provided by a 4K DLP or even better – with a film. The former would impress with an incredibly detailed image. Compared to them the image one can see in movies at the cinema seems very smooth, as though it lacks details. But does it? Of course not – this smoothness is the result of millions of details that combined, offer an added value. When details are very distinct they tend to destroy the illusion of the image or the sound in our case. The system consisting of the l50 and m50 monoblocks does exactly the opposite – it unites elements rather than separates them. Don't get me wrong – differentiation of every aspect is fantastic. This might have directed my choices towards live albums. To be honest I'm not particularly fond of 'live' albums. Since I go to many concerts I can clearly see a difference between what I can hear live and what live recordings have to offer. It is easier for me to accept some artistic concept created in a studio. Studio recordings in this system sounded very coherent. Even when I listened to electronic music, such as Tom York's album, with something 'new' he created, something I could not compare to 'live' sound. The frequency range was nicely extended, including the lower end, and all parts of the range combined into a coherent whole. It seemed that there was a slight emphasis in the lower midrange and I think that there actually was, as the other systems I mentioned before had given me exactly the same impression. But it is just a gentle touch – nothing that would bother the listener. But when I played Full House, Wes Montgomery’s concert recorded in Tsubo Club, or Mark Hollins solo album I had to admit to myself – as I wasn't ready just yet to say it out loud – that in terms of tangibility of the sound, its naturalness, its 'normality', this Brazilian system offered something absolutely extraordinary. It perfectly conveys even the smallest changes in instruments' placement on the stage, it creates an amazing space, also around the listener, if that was the producer's idea, instrumental separation is also fabulous and yet they come together to create a wonderful musical spectacle. I think that it is one of the advantages of mono (monoblock) amplifiers – they are able to recreate this amazing ambiance of many recordings. With a more analytic approach I'd have to admit the leading edge seems slightly round. But even if it is so, it simply doesn't matter. Because this type of presentation will remind everybody of what they know from real life – many elements that together create something dense, rich, and it’s the sum of those elements that finally arrives at our ears. Lower bass is tuneful, well differentiated and energetic. Top quality, powerful solid-state amplifiers such as Naim Statement and Soulution 710 are able to deliver even lower and faster bass and equally tuneful They might be solid-state amplifiers but they don't sound like a 'sterotypical' transistors. They deliver the 'right' sound – slightly soft but energetic and internally focused. The extreme of the range is simply put: perfect. Not as 'soft' as delivered by SET amps such as, for example, Phasemation M-1000; but instead, capable of differentiating recordings in an even better way. There is no brightness, no harshness – this doesn't happen at the top-high-end level. Summary One of the tests any audio product has to pass to attract my attention is playing some old recordings. I mean older than me, and maybe even older than my parents. Such as bonus tracks on an album of Rubinstein's recital, or Sinatra from 1930’s and 1940’s. Audiopax delivered rich, deep performance with them, not trying to make them something they were not. They sounded right, as I imagined they should have. The system played recently recorded albums in a similar way, giving them something 'behind' the sound that made the presentation fluid, effortless, energetic. It's an amazingly immersive performance that I loved to dive into. l50 preamplifier The l50 preamplifier is a two-box device. The larger chassis holds a gain stage and choke, the other is a power supply. Both are made of aluminum plates bolted together, anodized for the black color. Both fronts feature a stainless steel element with the brand's logo. The product's name is nowhere to be found on the chassis. Front panel sports five polished steel knobs. Each knob features a 'collar' with a proper scale on it. The first two knobs allow adjustment of Timbre Lock for the left and right channels. In the middle sits the volume control and the next two work as input selector and standby switch. To turn the device completely off one has to use an on/off switch on the separate power supply. The rear panel sports high quality Neutrik connectors. There are five RCA inputs. One of them is a “bypass” that allows integration of this preamplifier with a home theater system. One of the inputs features both, RCA and XLR sockets. There are three outputs – two RCA and one XLR. Even though the XLR output might suggest it, the preamplifier is not a balanced design – input signal is symmetrized and before output it is de-symmetrized using high quality transformers. The connectors' descriptions are engraved directly in the metal panel. There are also two Neutrik made multi-pin sockets used to connect the device with power supply using two long cables. One of them is a power cable, the other delivers the signal from remote control receiver. Volume control is realized using a black Alps. The remote control is of RF (radio) type which increased its range. The rear panel of the power supply chassis sports an antenna socket (that looks like a wi-fi one), two multi-pin sockets to connect PS with main device and and IEC socket. Also there is a ground switch. One finds two switches on the rear panel – one changes the gain setting, the other selects whether the RCA or XLR sockets of the CD input is active. The whole electronic circuit sits on four PCBs. One of them hosts inputs, matching transformers and input selector relays. All audio paths go through one circuit stage that uses a single Mosfet active device working entirely without feedback. The controlled polarization of this device is the key to its performance. Starting with two independent 240VDC power supplies (very unusual for a solid state preamplifier) passing through a circuit that controls the distortion spectrum and is capable of greatly reducing, or even eliminating, the characteristic distortion inherent in loudspeaker drivers. Another innovation present in the Maggiore L50 is the use of inductive load which, due to the instantaneous current capacity obtained in this configuration (doubles the traditional resistive load), resulting in visceral dynamics. m50 mono amplifiers These Brazilian amplifiers feature vertical design. Just like top Mark Levinson amps, these also are build in layers. There is a steel frame with aluminum plates bolted to it. The top cover is made of polished, stainless steel. This is where three EAT KT88 power tubes sit accompanied by three drivers – CV4024. Tubes work in single ended configuration in class A. Drivers are placed very close to the inputs. Input tubes deliver high gain (x35) and output tubes work mostly as current amplifiers. In the front there are three knobs that allow to adjust Timbre Lock. Each knob has a transparent cup with green, orange and red LEDs under it. Behind the knobs there is a Timbre Lock switch, and on/off switch. Inputs, RCA and XLR, are placed on the rear panel The latter is followed with de-symmetrized transformer. There is also a toggle switch that allows the user to chose between these inputs. Each amplifier sports single, gold-plated speakers posts. Below there is an IEC socket and a multi-pin socket marked as “synchronicity” that allows to synchronize switching on and off of both monoblocks. The Amplifiers sit on small feet fixed to the wooden base. Make and finish are really good. A PCB with the amplifier's circuit is fixed to the upper panel It features the same capacitors as used for the preamplifier, and high quality resistors in the input section. There are also three large filtering capacitors. Power supply section sits on a separate board fixed to the bottom panel next to a large toroidal power transformer. [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/17.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/17.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/17.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/18.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/18.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/18.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/19.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/19.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/19.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/th/20.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/20.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/audiopax/20.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

ompany materials present P-1 as a “Digital Speaker/Headphone Processor”. However, when I looked at it during the Audio Video Show 2015 exhibition and then listened to, I saw and heard a headphone amplifier equipped with a digital signal processor called the “P-3 MK IE Processor Chip” which corrects the imperfections of different types of headphones. It is because our attitude and intentions regarding the use of a product which consists of a few devices determine the category to which we assign it. If the P-1 function (speaker correction) is more important to us, then we will call the device a “digital signal processor/headphone amplifier”. If we are interested in a headphone amplifier, then it will be a “headphone amplifier/signal processor”, or even simply a “headphone amplifier”. The manufacturer mentions the following areas that the processor influences the most: sound dynamics, musical separation of instruments, the positioning of musical instruments on the sound stage, space and acoustics of recording venues, bass control, micro-detail reproduction. The description is supplemented with a detailed list of features regarding the functionality of the P-1: the unique P-3 MK IE Processor Chip, 64-bit calculation precision, 32-bit the dynamics – 105 dB incredible improvement of neutrality, bass and focus, increased space and improved detail reproduction, creating excellent big sound from small speakers, not demanding for the source, amplifier and cables, improved room acoustics, improved A/D and D/A processing, over 120 speaker/headphone settings preamplifier function: 2 RCA analog inputs, 2.5 Vrms max RCA output, 2 Vrms max headphone amplifier for 16 – 600 Ω load, dimensions (W x H x D): 125 x 60 x 190 mm, weight: 2 kg. P-1 as a headphone amplifier As it can be seen, the preamplifier function can be added to the processor and headphone amplifier function. It is because, I think, the P-1 was created as an element of a cool “desktop” system with a computer in the main role, small speakers and headphones close at hand. In such a role, we would make use of all the three functions of the P-1. Let me remind you that Ancient Audio offers two top-class near field speakers, designed to work with a computer: Studio Oslo and Master Oslo. Although they are equipped with analog correction circuits, i.e. a kind of analog “processors”, the functioning of the digital P-3 MK IE circuit is incomparably more precise and its range of use is more versatile. Taking it all into account, I used the P-1 in its secondary role (from the point of view of the manufacturer), as a headphone amplifier. This decision was influenced by my interests. I am a “headphone man” and everything that can potentially improve the quality of sound of the music that I listen to in this way, instantly attracts my attention. Headphone sound correction is a way of making headphones more “civilized” and adapting them to one’s own needs. I do not know if you remember, but Mark Robinson wrote for “High Fidelity” in his reportage from Japan that he has been correcting the sound of headphones with the use of computer programs for years (more HERE). The P-1 gives us a possibility of doing something similar, but in a much more elegant and compact form. P-1 as a processor The P-1 is a small device which owns its style to Jarek Waszczyszyn, Ancient Audio owner and constructor. The prototype was the P-3 processor we wrote about in a Krakow Sonic Society meeting coverage. At the front there is a brass plate with engraved inscriptions. There is also a small aluminum knob, two toggle switches and a headphone jack. So, it is the style of the 1970s. The device is placed on a small granite plate which is another Jarek’s “hallmark”. At the back there are two RCA inputs and an RCA output. A mini jack hidden under the power cable is used to install programs with processor settings. The back panel also houses one more element that Jarek is emotionally attached to: a “recovered” non-removable power cable. In Oslo speakers, Jarek used a power cable taken from a scrapped lighting lamp, while here we have a cable from a recycled hair-dryer. I am sure that Ancient Audio is going to be awarded a suitable medal by ecological organizations for promoting the reuse of electrical components. It is a curiosity that the P-1 has been designed for the user to be able to remove the upper panel safely, in a way similar to removing the tube cover in tube amplifiers. The components are painted with black varnish and all connections are hidden under a printed circuit board. JAROMIR WASZCZYSZYN Owner, constructor Where has it come from? The P-3 processor has its admirers and owners. Its influence on the sound of speakers is enormous. However, its price (40,000 PLN) has been too high for many potential users. So, this is how a prototype of a less complex device was created. Its heart is the P-3 MK IE processor. It has the same capabilities, program and structure as the representative P-3 MKI, but its memory contains 125 settings (instead of 250) and it uses an economical version of the housing (hence the "E" at the end of the name). So, what has been reduced in comparison to the P-3? The P-1 has simpler A/C and C/A converters, output stage, amplifier and control. P-1 prototype There was also a prototype with XLR connectors and easy program selection “Easy” is a relative term. It occurred to me somehow that instead of programming a simple controller it will be much faster to solder a few diodes. That led to creating a pocket model of “Enigma”. However, there was also a headphone “trait”. Having written his review of the P-3 with Raidho speakers, Piotr Ryka started questioning me about headphones. By that time, I had stayed away from headphones, although once I had taken an “unborn” headphone amplifier (but one equipped with V-Caps) to Wojtek Pacuła. The experience with speakers made me aware of how much they can be improved using a processor. So, I made an attempt with the Fostex TH 900 headphones. Fostex headphones are very good, but something in their sound irritated me a bit. So, the P-3 processor had to be reprogrammed to be used with headphones. It is all much simpler with headphones than with speakers. First of all, the problem of room influence disappears. Headphones themselves are generally based on one full band transducer. There are fewer problems with headphone housing than with speaker housing. After a few days the program was ready. Fostex correction proved beneficial, as the irritating sharpness of sound disappeared. The sound became more filled and spacious. That would probably have been the end, if another company owned by a friend had not asked me to continue my headphone experiments. The test set was constructed, as usual, according to the MiniMax rule: minimum aesthetics, maximum music: There was little to do to move on from the prototype to make a “2 in 1”, i.e. a column/speaker processor. It was premiered during the Audio Video Show 2015 exhibition. The processor was used with a tablet and the HyperX Cloud headphones. It was a quick test to check if people like it. They did... As I have mentioned, adapting a program to headphones is much simpler than in the case of speakers. I mastered the headphones that Wojtek chose for tests in one evening. I spent another evening on making small corrections. The rest was the pleasure of playing music on HiFiMAN headphones with the processor. As for now, the database is limited. If anyone would like to correct their favorite headphones, they can simply send them to us. After the program has been tuned, they will be sent back with the processor. The programmable DSP circuit that constitutes a basis for the P-1 can “remember” 125 different correction speaker/headphone characteristics. In real world it is not necessary, as Jarek Waszczyszyn conducts measurements and introduces changes to the program by himself, separately for each user. It is hard to call it an especially effective method, but it is definitely the most precise one. Before the test, Jarek took some headphones from my collection and prepared a correction program with reference to these headphones. Changing modes is easy – it is enough to put the DIP switches situated next to the processor chip in an appropriate configuration. Jarek prepared a legend for the headphones that I had given to him and placed it on the upper panel of the amplifier, from the inside. The P-1 headphone amplifier was first listened to in order to compare the sound without the processor and with the processor. Unfortunately, it is not known whether in the “off” position (processor switched off) signal flows without being converted by A/D and D/A converters or it is converted anyway. The next step was to compare the sound of the amplifier with the processor switched on, with a reference amplifier. In this case it was the Bakoon Products International HPA-21 headphone amplifier. It is a battery-powered device with a current headphone output, that cost 13 500 PLN at the time of the test. I used the following headphones during the test: HiFiMAN HE-6, planar magnetic headphones, impedance: 50 Ω, efficiency: 83.5 dB, test HERE | headphone cable: Forza Audio Works Noir, review HERE Sennheiser HD800, dynamic headphones, impedance: 300 Ω, efficiency: 102 dB/V | headphone cable: Forza Audio Works Noir Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (1988 version), dynamic headphones, impedance: 600 Ω, efficiency: 96 dB, test HERE (Polish) Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro Limited Edition 32 Ohms, dynamic headphones, impedance: 32 Ω, efficiency: 96 dB AKG K721 Studio, dynamic headphones, impedance: 55 Ω, efficiency: 92 dB | headphone cable: Oyaide HPC-35 Recordings used in the review (a selection): Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff, RCA Red Seal/Sony Music 8697-48971-2, “Zenph Re-Perfomance”, CD (2009) Art Pepper, Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, Contemporary Records/JVC VICJ-42524, K2 CD (1957/2006) Art Tatum, Piano Starts Here, Columbia/Sony Classical 97 22218 2, “Zenph Re-Performance”, SACD/CD (2008) Artur Rubinstein, Artur Rubinstein plays Chopin, Polskie Nagrania MUZA/Polskie Nagrania PNCD 487, CD (1984/2008) Frank Sinatra, Lost & Found | The Radio Years, Sony Music 8875147142, CD (2015) Glenn Gould, Bach: The Goldberg Variations, Sony BMG Music/Sony Classical/Zenph Studios 9703350-2, “Zenph Re-Performance”, SACD/CD (2007) Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Rosary Sonatas, viol. Rachel Podger, Channel Classics CCS SA 37315, 2 x SACD/CD (2015) Karl Bartos, Off The Record, Bureau CD 974282 BB079, CD (2013). Milt Jackson Quartet, Statements, Impulse!/Universal Music (Japan) UCCI-9088, “More Best 50. No 38”, CD (1961/2001) Nirvana, In Utero, Geffen GED 24536, CD (1993) Oscar Peterson, Unmistakable, Sony Music/Zenph Studios 951702, “Zenph Re-Performance”, CD (2011) Radiohead, Kid A, Parlophone/EMI 27753 2, CD (2000) Siekiera, „Nowa Aleksandria”, Tonpress/MTJ cd 90241, 2 x CD (1986/2012) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] It is characteristic for computer programs that they are constantly improved. On the one hand, it is their disadvantage, as it is assumed since the very beginning that they are imperfect. On the other hand, it is an advantage, as it allows to improve their operation in the future, without the need to change the product that they operate within. It is the same in the case of the P-3 processor that constitutes the basis for the tested headphone amplifier. I heard it for the first time during a meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society, when it was used to correct Dynaudio speakers. Based on this text, it can be said that the participants had mixed feelings about it. I think it partly resulted from the fact that Jarek was just at the beginning of his quest at that time. In the P-1 we get much more advanced correction algorithms, although it is easy to notice that the changes introduced by the processor are very similar to those in the A-3 that we heard at Tomek’s. However, the advantages of correction are undeniable this time. Depending on the type of headphones used, the changes ranged between “interesting” and “very interesting” to “fascinating”. Interesting It was interesting to listen to the DT770 Pro Beyerdynamic and K271 Studio AKG headphones. The former ones are, in my opinion, not a very good choice. Their sound is very light and its resolution is low. They are characterized by high detail and can show a well-focused sound picture, also when it comes to its location on the “stage”. In this case, the P-1 works mainly as a frequency correction device. Using the processor resulted in obtaining better tonal balance, achieved through the deepening of sound. The musical message as a whole had a greater volume and it was more “solid”. Individual instruments also became greater in volume and were not as “plastic” as before. However, I did not notice any special breakthrough. The P-1does not turn headphones whose sound I do not like into high-end headphones – it does not work like this. It is true it tamed them, correcting many aspects of their performance. However, I have not become their fan. Although the changes were heading in the direction which I thought was right, they were just changes and not a “transformation”. The DT770 Pro did not magically become the HD800 Sennheiser headphones. It was similar in the case of AKG headphones. Similarly to Beyerdynamic headphones, they originated in the studio and their sound has specific properties. It is mostly about their selectivity and clarity, as well as high power durability. In contrast to the TD770 Pro, I used them quite often when I was still working in a studio and I know that with a suitable headphone amplifier they can render really interesting sound. An example of such an amplifier was the Funk Tonstudiotechnik LAP-2.V3, an amplifier designed for recording studios. However, these headphones often also give quite flat and not very engaging sound. The sound undergoes a total transformation with the Ancient Audio amplifier – both for the better and for the worse. First of all, the outstanding selectivity and detail are gone. The sound settled much lower – it is something that occurs in the case of all headphones connected to the P-1. However, with the AKG the depth of this change was incredible. It was in the case of this model that the signal level with the processor was much lower than without it. This shows well how much correction was introduced. I think that it is the key to understanding what the given headphones can do and what they cannot do. The P-1 introduces changes that are as deep as needed by a given model. Changes introduced in the DT770 Pro in the 32-ohm version and in the AKG K271 Studio were the greatest. That confirmed what I had already known before: these are the “weakest” of all the headphones that I had asked to prepare the correction algorithm for. It appears that the better the design, the more sophisticated the construction, the less correction was needed, but also that, which is very important, that the final effect was best with the latter. It is not a paradox, but a simple extension of a rule known from other fields of audio: the higher on the quality scale we are, the smaller changes a system needs to perform at its full capacity. At the same time, these little corrections contribute to the greatest final effect – they are small, but also the most important steps. Fascinating It is about what I heard, to some extent, with the DT990 Pro and, fully, with the HD800 Sennheiser and the HE-6 HiFiMAN. The latter are very difficult to drive. A few high-class watts are the minimum that they should be provided with. If we do not take care of it, they will produce thin and vociferous sound. The P-1 is not strong enough to correct them in the case of every type of music. In the case of classical music, where little signal compression is used, it was possible to quite quickly reach the point at which the output circuit was over-przesterowany. However, even then the sound was high-class, it was excellent. In the case of pop and rock it was different, it was possible to turn the volume up so much that the overdriving was no audible and the message was excellent. So, it is worth trying out other magnetostatic headphones with the P-1, ones that require less power. The HD800 headphones are another story – not that resolved, not that dynamic, but it was the P-1 that made them come as close to the HE-6 as possible. I listened to this combination for a very long time, with different music and a great pleasure. Without any correction, Bakoon delivered even deeper and more resolved sound. Instruments and vocals had more breathing space, they were better projected and their sound images were more tangible. The difference in price (more than double) did not result, in any way, in a huge difference in sound. When I listened to the P-1 for a longer time, without making comparisons with the HPA-21, the difference would disappear to such an extent that I did not worry I lacked something. The sound was smooth and fluid, just like from the best tube amplifiers. The dynamics was incredible and surprising each time. Add to it the number of details, slight changes in tone, movements, air and tape noise... I had had no idea that Sennheiser headphones can do that. I assume that this is equally true for the HD600, HD650 and HD700 models. The processor did something that the best sources, amplifiers and cables (e.g. the Siltech Triple Crown) do – it darkened the sound, increasing the amount of information. The P-1 lets you hear that the brightening of sound that producers often make use of is a fake, deception. The fact that it seems to us that we then get more details is a cheat – we are simply tricked. The dark, deep sound of the Ancient Audio amplifier controlling the HD800 is THE right one. Conclusions 6000 PLN is a very high price to pay for a headphone amplifier. However, the P-1 is something else. It is a processor designed for speaker correction with an “attached” headphone amplifier. Additionally, it is also a line preamplifier. So, it is a pity that it does not have a digital input, as then it could also work as a DAC, which would be of use in the case of computer systems. Apparently, however, one cannot have everything. As Jarek told me, 6000 PLN is the lowest price that can be offered by such a small manufacture for such a high-class correction system. However, while listening to it with the best headphones that I have at home (unfortunately, I did not have time to listen to it with the Audeze LCD-3), I knew that I was given a powerful tool – one that you can go on improving forever. The sound was so sophisticated that only top-class and many times more expensive solutions offered by other manufacturers offer something that is yet better. However, which is interesting, these devices aim at producing sound of the same kind as is intended in the case of corrections made by the processor in the P-1. It is the first device of this type in the catalogue of Ancient Audio and it is already very successful. The P-1 has the form of a small rectangular prism. It would be very lightweight if it was not for a granite plate to which the chassis is attached. It is made of bent metal, has the shape of the letter C, with bent front and rear panels. A brass plate with descriptions is attached to the front. There is a power switch, a switch which activates the correction program and a volume knob. The program switch can be placed in three positions: in the central one correction is switched off and the device operates as a line amplifier. There is one group of programs in the upper position and another one in the lower position. Such a solution proves effective when we quickly want to switch programs between two devices, e.g. headphones and speakers. The descriptions of connectors on the rear panel are attached to a marble plate. There is an RCA line input with the so-called “pass-through”, an RCA line output, as well as a mini jack (3.75 mm diameter) to enter the program settings. Here is where the power cable comes out. It may seem funny, but in such an expensive and sophisticated device this is simply unacceptable. The device is covered with a chassis from above, but only during transportation. At home we can easily take it off – all the components have been assembled in a way that makes the device both safe and look nice. On the right there is a small amplifier with a small transformer, two filtering capacitors and a voltage-stabilizing circuit. The line input is based on the OPA 134 Burr Brown integrated circuits. Next to them there is a large DSP chip covered with a plate with the Ancient Audio logo and the name: P3-MK IE. Signal that goes through it must first be converted into a digital form in the A/D Crystal CS5343 chip and then into analog signal again, in the D/A Crystal CS4333 chip. Next to it there is an eight-position DIP switch. We use it to select the correction program. Signal is then sent using flat, computer tape to the front panel where it is damped in a small, “car” (ALPS) potentiometer, sent back to the circuit, amplified in the LM 4808 integrated circuits and then sent to the front panel again, to the headphone output. Robust, clean work of a small manufacture. [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/ancient/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/ancient/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/ancient/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/ancient/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/ancient/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/ancient/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/ancient/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/ancient/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/ancient/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/ancient/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/ancient/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/ancient/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/ancient/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/ancient/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/ancient/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

ijiri 聖 is a new Mr Kazuo Kiuchi, Combak Corporation owner's, brand. The first product of this line was an analogue interconnect, that we reviewed in August 2015. The awards we granted to this product: RED Fingerprint and Best Sound 2015 – (see HERE and HERE) best proved our appreciation of Mr Kiuchi's latest achievement. On the outside the IC looked quite ordinarily maybe accept for the extraordinary make&finish. What caught the eye was a very nice wooden block placed mid-length of the cable, and a cotton sleeve (not a plastic one). The sleeve coloring was also quite particular, here in Poland it reminded us of a main lead used for irons, and it surely visually distinguished this product among others. Before Mr Kiuchi created similarly looking Harmonix power cables. Now the above mentioned IC has a new partner in the line, a power cable called Nagomi. 聖Hijiri in Japanese means ‘maestro’ or ‘important leader’. Mr Kiuchi chose this name for his new interconnect to emphasize its distinctiveness and how important this new product actually was for him. Now it would seem that we can expect the whole line of products. The next member is a power cable called Nagomi (Japanese for: peace in soulfully relaxing). As usually we know almost nothing about technical details of this cable – Mr Kiuchi when asked about it each times suggests they I should enjoy the music and forget about technologies involved or specifications as these are only means to ultimate goal - performance. He also told me one that „no matter what he would write about a product, whatever specifications would he give, it all wouldn't matter at all unless music sounded right”. The company's paper on this products starts with: „The world only Tuned Power Cord”, which suggests that the design was 'tuned' during numerous listening sessions. The same wires used for Nagomi were also used for cables working in JVC mastering studio, the one that masters material for XRCD releases. What we do know is that Mr Kiuchi used a directional OFC. The plugs with rhodium-plated contacts are marked as: 350iRH and 390iRHi. Polarity is clearly marked on the plug and one should follow this marking. There is a writing on plugs' heat-shrinks that says: „Extraordinary Dynamic & Clear”. Nagomi is a pretty flexible cable. It is available in five standard lengths: 1/1,5/2/2,5/3 m. While tested Nagomi was compared to my reference cables: Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500, Crystal Cable The Absolute Dream and Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version. I used it to power my Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition CD Player, RCM Audio Sensor Prelude IC phonostage and Soulution 710 power amplifier. COMBAK CORPORATION in „High Fidelity” BEST SOUND 2015: 聖HIJIRI HGP-10R „MILLION” – analogue interconnect, see HERE REVIEW: 聖HIJIRI HGP-10R „MILLION” – analogue interconnect, see HERE 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 REVIEW: Harmonix X-DC350M2R IMPROVED-VERSION – power cable, see HERE (Polish) REVIEW: Harmonix RS15-ANV – anti-vibration platform, see HERE (Polish) KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY, meeting #72: KAZUO KIUCHI (Combak Corporation) in Kraków, see HERE (Polish) REVIEW: Harmonix HARMONIC-STRINGS HS101-EXQ EXQUISITE + α1 speaker cable + speaker cable stands, see HERE (Polish) REVIEW: Harmonix HS-101-GP + HS-101-SLC - interconnect RCA + speaker cable, see HERE REVIEW: Reimyo + Harmonix + Bravo! – Combak Corporation audio system, see HERE (Polish) Records used for the test (a selection): Compact Disc Diary of Dreams, The Anatomy of Silence, Accession Records A 132, CD (2012); review HERE Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, Ella and Louis, Verve/Lasting Impression Music LIM UHD 045, UltraHD CD (1956/2010) Jean-Michel Jarre, Essential Recollection, Sony Music Labels SICP-30789, BSCD2 (2015) Kenny Drew, Undercurrent, Blue Note/Audio Wave AWMXR-0024, XRCD24 (1961/2010) Miles Davis, The Complete Birth of the Cool, Capitol Jazz/EMI 4945502, CD (1957/1998) Peter, Paul and Mary, In The Wind, Warner Bros. Records/Audio Fidelity AFZ 181, „Limited Edition No. 0115”, SACD/CD (1963/2014) Schubert, Lieder, wyk. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, dyr. Gerald Moore, EMI 55962 2, „Signature Collection”, 4 x SACD/CD (1955, 1957, 1958,1959/2012) Smolik/Kev Fox, Smolik/Kev Fox, Kayax | Agora 92781141, CD (2015) Long Play John Coltrane, Blue Train, Blue Note/Esoteric ESSB-90123, SACD/CD (1957/2015) w: 6 Great Jazz, „MasterSound Works”, Blue Note/Esoteric ESSB-90122/7, 6 x SACD/CD Keith Jarrett, The Survivor’s Suite, ECM Records ECM 1085, LP (1977) Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia | Sony Music Entertainment/Mobile Fidelity MFSL 2-45011, „Special Limited Edition 05371”, 45 RPM, 2 x 180 g LP (1959/2015) Oscar Peterson, Exclusively For My Friends, MPS/Edel Germany 0209478MSV, „A | A | A Reissue Series”, 6 x 180 g LP (2014) Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Differences introduced by power cable might be more or less obvious but they are always there. They are less obvious if the cable we compare to our reference cable has a similar sonic signature or when the system we use is not resolving enough to show these differences. Sometimes a system is quite resolving, fully capable of a very good differentiation but some other particular attributes, either in tonality, dynamics, or something else, mask the differences introduced by power cable. In general one might assume that if after replacing one power cable with another there are no sonic differences this particular system isn't resolving enough to present them or the two power cables used in comparison sound very much alike. I assume that we are talking about a system of a man who can hear differences. Regardless of the reason if one can hear no difference one shouldn't even bother. If that's not a case one should read the text below. Owners of Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version power cable after replacing it with Nagomi should notice a difference at once. If they don't – see above. Let me start with this comparison as many users who use previous model of particular manufacturer hope that a newer one would let them improve the performance of their system without changing its general characteristics. I have a message for them: Nagomi is different from Harmonix. In many aspects it outperforms the latter, at least I think it does, but for sure it is different. If you want to stay on course set by X-DC350M2R Improved-Version you should direct your attention to X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro. Yes, I know that price difference is insane but you have to remember that the latter offers absolutely top performance, probably the best one I ever heard. Nagomi follows a different path. While both Harmonix cables belong to rather warm sounding cables like: Acrolink's copper cables, Mexcel 7N-PC9500 most of all, silver cables by Siltech and silver-gold ones by Crystal Cable, the latest Mr Kiuchi's proposal resembles rather products of Furutech and MIT. This cable delivers a different tonal balance than Harmonix chords. The first impression tells us that there is much more treble, that tonal balance shifts toward upper part of the range. After a while this first impression turns out to be wrong as actually Nagomi's tonal balance is set LOWER that the one of the less expensive of the two Harmonix mentioned above, reminding me in this way the „Million”. This impression of some emphasis in trebles comes from a large amount of information and energy delivered in this part of the range. Actually the same can be said about the rest of the range. Treble attracted my attention because I focus on this part of the range in particular knowing that many manufacturers can't properly deal with problems with the said sub-range. Using absolute terms one would probably describe this treble as strong and distinct. This means that bright systems, or those with already emphasized leading edge could react to this cable in a bit nervous way. But if they do that would only mean that some changes/improvements to such systems are required. All other systems will allow their users to appreciate a great resolution Nagomi has to offer, much better that the one of older Harmonix, but also of Acrolink. Only Crystal Cable The Absolute Dream as well as „Million” by Harmonix have even more to offer in this respect. Considering its price the new Japanese cable is plain and simple remarkable. Even more so as this great resolution is combined also with outstanding clarity, purity of the sound. The performance is simply clearer, more distinct, derived of any noise. And finally – tonal balance – more natural, actually well balanced. The older Harmonix added some emphasis in higher bass area, around 250-300 Hz and it lowers upper midrange. It does it in a very enjoyable way offering incredibly palpable vocals and instruments operating in the midrange, but still – that's one of its features that user has to accept. With Nagomi there is this amazing clarity, purity to the sound that is also so well balanced. Its performance is not that three-dimensional, so palpable as offered by 'darker' sounding cables, nor is it as rich, dense, but it's a price worth paying for its qualities. One won't find even a hint of emphasis when it come to sibilants, leading edge is never 'hardened'. I think that the latter quality is common for all Combak Corporation cables. What they do offer is a 'confident softness', a 'deep inner elasticity', so to speak. Leading edge is really fast, dynamics is high, but there is no exaggeration, no aggressiveness of the sound. What makes both Harmonix cables, as well as Acrolink, Siltechs and Crystal Cable different, which some will find very important, is something that might be described as a particularly 'sensual' flow of music. They are still dynamic, fast, so it's not about their performance being 'slow' or 'soft' or 'round'. Phantom images are bigger though, everything happens closer to the listener, is even more tangible. Spacial presentation seems better differentiated, we are offered a better insight into the depth of the stage. Nagomi on the other hand draws more precisely described phantom images which makes them more distinct, better described in space. It also delivers out-of-phase sounds in a brilliant fashion creating, with proper recordings, truly surround experience. Summary Clarity, resolution, purity not causing brightness or harshness of the sound – these are main features of this cable. It is really great to see my favorite manufacturer experimenting and making progress in terms of sound quality. Nagomi offers great performance. If you believe that beautiful sound means the same as true to the music – that's a cable for you. But if beauty has to be created, different than reality you should look somewhere else.

onsidering the present times and other Pylon Audio products, ‘23’ loudspeakers from the Sapphire series have untypical proportions. If they had been produced a few years ago, that would not have been strange. At that time, almost all loudspeakers offered by Pylon Audio, Monitor Audio and other manufacturers representing the base and medium price ranges looked similar to the tested pair, especially when it comes to their narrow front panel and considerable depth. Such “column” loudspeakers had been promoted for years as a solution to the problem of “disappearing” from a listening room. It was said that if the width of the front panel is narrower than or close to the distance between the ears of a listener, it is “acoustically” invisible for him or her. The narrow front was also a move towards lifestyle products. It is because, apart from the actual (or just assumed) advantages, speakers of this type have a light look and are easier to accept for other household members. So, I think that the manufacturer had both of these features in mind. One of only a few companies that have been seriously involved in the technical aspect of this field is the German company Audio Physic. The loudspeakers that it offers, narrow and deep by definition, with inclined front panels that are supposed to ensure an equal response time of the transducers, also have a special setup procedure. The loudspeakers have to be positioned much further apart from one another than usual, almost at the sides of the listener, and inclined towards him or her (you will find some advice on how to do this HERE http://www.audiophysic.de/aufstellung/index_e.html). I have taken part in a few well-prepared listening sessions in which such loudspeakers were used and I have to admit that the spatial effects were spectacular. In my opinion, they were not as natural as could be obtained with loudspeakers having wide front panels, but the size of the sound stage, its depth and spatial effects (in the counterphase, for example) were outstanding. However, there is a problem that has to be faced, since you always have to make choices in audio – it is not possible to fix large woofers onto a narrow front panel, but only a few small ones at the most. Physics is physics and a large surface area of a single speaker is better than the area of many small speakers, even if the latter is, overall, the same as the former. The problem has been dealt with by moving large speakers to the side panel. It can be done, as bass frequencies are all-directional and do not have to be emitted directly onto us to be heard. Of course, there are some issues connected with such an arrangement. Apparently, synchronizing such a speaker with other ones is not that easy. There have been some successf SAPPHIRE 23 The sapphire “columns” are 2 1/2 column loudspeakers, with two 130 mm bass-midrange speaker units. That means one of them operates in a full range, working in combination with a dome tweeter, creating a two-way system, like in a monitor. The other speaker is damped in the midrange and supports the other two only when it comes to bass. The transducers are located in a considerably large housing. They operate in combination with a large-diameter bass-reflex system, so a sensible bass foundation can be expected. However, these are not speakers to be used in large rooms or for playing loud music. Premium models, i.e. Sapphire 25 and 31serve these purposes. In the case of ‘23’ loudspeakers, Mr. Mateusz Jujka, the CEO of Pylon, talks about rooms of up to18 – 22 m2 surface area. However, I think that the tested loudspeakers will work best in even smaller rooms, starting from about 15 m2. Finally, it will be possible to furnish small rooms with floor loudspeakers that do not occupy too much space. MATEUSZ JUJKA CEO The Sapphire 23, similarly to the larger Sapphire 25, are 2 1/2 column loudspeakers. The idea behind creating this model has been to provide a floorstanding loudspeaker set that would be as compact as possible, allowing it to operate in small rooms. As in all other models from the Sapphire series, we have used a textile tweeter produced by the Norwegian company Seas, while there is also a pair of 13 cm bass-midrange cellulose speaker units manufactured by the German company Visaton. Smaller bass-midrange speakers make it possible to bring the acoustic centers nearer to one another. Thanks to optimizing the crossover, it is possible for us to use the floorstanding loudspeakers smoothly in conditions in which bookshelf loudspeaker sets are most frequently used. The proposed set of advantages and natural constraints allows us to use the loudspeakers without any problems in rooms of up to 18 – 20 m2 that are relatively large bearing in mind the small size of the Sapphire 23 set. When it is comes to design, it is similar to other models from the Sapphire series. Here we also have a classic cubic form with characteristic beveled edges of the front panel. The crossover is based on polypropylene capacitors, as well as high-class coils and resistors, mounted, similarly as in the premium models from the Sapphire series, using the point-to-point mounting. PYLON AUDIO in “High Fidelity” AWARD OF THE YEAR 2015: Pylon Audio SAPPHIRE 25 – loudspeakers, read HERE TEST: Pylon Audio DIAMOND 28 – loudspeakers, read HERE TEST: Pylon Audio SAPPHIRE 25 – loudspeakers, read HERE http://highfidelity.pl/@main-598&lang=en AWARD OF THE YEAR 2014: Pylon Audio PEARL 25 – loudspeakers, read HERE TEST: Pylon Audio PEARL 25 – loudspeakers, read HERE BEST SOUND Audio Show 2014: Pylon Audio SAPPHIRE 25 – loudspeakers, read HERE BEST SOUND Audio Show 2013: Pylon Audio TOPAZ MONITOR – loudspeakers, read HERE AWARD OF THE YEAR 2011: Pylon Audio PEARL – loudspeakers, read HERE TEST: Pylon Audio PEARL MONITOR – loudspeakers, read HERE TEST: Pylon Audio PEARL – loudspeakers, read HERE Recordings used for the test (a selection) Cantate Domino, wyk. Sistine Chapel Choir, dyr. Massimo Palombella, Deutsche Grammophon 479 5300, CD (2015); Adam Bałdych & Helge Lien Trio, Bridges, ACT Music + Vision ACT 9591-2, CD (2015); review HERE Carlo Gesualdo, The Complete Madrigals, Delitiae Musicae, Marco Longhini, Naxos 8.507013, 7 x CD (2013) Enya, Dark Sky Island, Aigle Music | Warner Music UK/Warner Music Japan WPCR-17045, CD (2015); review HERE Jachna, Cichocki, Urowski, Krawczyk, The Right Moment, Requiem Records 99|2015, CD (2015);review HERE Jamie xx, In Colour, Young Turks/Hostess YTCD122J, CD (2015/2016) John Coltrane, Coltrane (Deluxe Edition), Impulse!, 589 567-2, 2 x CD (1962/2002) Pink Floyd, The Endless River, Parlophone Records 4621333, CD + Blu-ray (2014 Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] The Sapphire 23 column loudspeakers are not expensive, but they produce exceptionally good sound. They incorporate all the advantages and disadvantages of this type of loudspeakers, which cannot be avoided. However, the price compensates for the drawbacks and the benefits are considerable. The loudspeakers really disappear from the equation – they are not present in the room. This is an advantage that small bookshelf loudspeakers are often supposed to have, but equally often lack it. A small size must be accompanied by speaker phase optimization and the speakers must be appropriately “sewn” together. People from the Pylon Audio company have a good sense of hearing, which I have written about many times, so the Sapphire 23 column loudspeakers have all these good features. When we listen to them, it is like listening to a single, but invisible speaker. One has to get used to their spatial presentation, since at the beginning we do not know what is happening. The speakers generate a large sphere of sound around themselves and around us. They do not identify sound planes and sources precisely, but focus on spatial relations, reverberations, decays and phase shifts. It is a truly holographic message, i.e. the sound stage is deep, but it is not situated BEHIND the loudspeakers. It is everywhere and we are at its centre. The recordings that have seemed to be “good”, i.e. recorded without spatial excesses, appear to be more complex, as sounds emerge at unexpected places. We are used to hearing sound at the line of column loudspeakers and behind them, while here we face a presentation in which a large part of the message is also around us, as well as between us and the loudspeakers. In the case of monophonic material, sound is built up directly in front of us and has a large volume. The precision in focusing the sound plane in front of us is very good. This comes in handy in cases when a sound engineer has placed a vocal a bit closer to us, like in the case of Smolik’s and Kev Fox’s album. However, everything around that central point starts to “go up”, as it is not confined to any particular place. Pink Floyd’s Endless River album starts with a quiet entry. It comes into our room, while we, accompanied by the Pylon column loudspeakers, are agog with anticipation, waiting for what will happen next. After a moment, a speaker’s voice comes out exactly of the left channel. Normally, the voice is chained to a loudspeaker and we know the loudspeaker is standing there. As regards higher-class speaker units, it is different – the voice comes from BEHIND the loudspeaker which seems not to be there at all. When it comes to the Sapphire 23 column loudspeakers, yet something else happens – the voice comes out from behind the loudspeaker, but it is accompanied by considerable reverberation which additionally liberates it from the medium from which the sound is emitted. The tonal balance has been selected very nicely here. I see people from Pylon Audio quite regularly – we talk to each other, they have listened to my system and they know what my views concerning sound are. I might sound like a megalomaniac now, but who cares: I have an impression that the Pylon Audio loudspeakers have been tuned the way I would tune them, at least when it comes to tone. Perhaps I am wrong, but, anyway, I think that this is a good direction to take and that the price one has to pay for going into another direction is too high. This type of a compromise is better. Generally speaking, the tonal balance of the tested loudspeakers is close to what Harbeth premium models offer. The Sapphire 23 loudspeakers are not as warm as, for example, series A Splendor loudspeakers or Castle loudspeakers from the Knight series, but they head into this direction. There is no pretending that at such a price you can show the cymbals with their natural attack and vibrancy. Such attempts are generally not successful. Here, the focus is on the connection with the midrange which becomes the most important player. There is no low bass at all and its medium range is not especially deep. However, since the low midrange is dense and saturated, and the transducers are excellently synchronized with one another, I do not care, as these are the reasons why the Pylon loudspeakers sound like a full-range speaker. They perform very well not only with electronic music and rock, but also with jazz. The first two genres do not have a clear “foundation”, so we do not get the rhythmicity that makes us move our body. Such is life. However, the message is consistent and dense, which is just perfect in jazz. I was especially surprised with the albums recorded by the Jachna, Cichocki, Urowski, Krawczyk quartet and Coltrane, where Coltrane performs for the first time with his classical quartet. The surprise was caused by an incredible amount of space (the former album) and lively, dense performance (the latter one). What the loudspeakers lacked a bit in the case of electronic music, i.e. low bass frequencies, did not bother me here at all. The double bass was quite strong and it was very well defined. Classical music is not the most popular music genre in the world, but, with time, even if we have not got involved in it yet, we listen to more and more of it, on the condition that we become mature and have a specified musical taste. You will see – you will listen to classical music one day, even if it seems abstract to you today. With Sapphire No. 23 you will be prepared to do that better than anyone else, especially if you do not focus your attention on Mahler and twentieth-century experimenters, but on baroque. Try this out now – the space from which the voices of singers reach us when we listen to Cantate Domino, recorded in the Sistine Chapel, will captivate you and everyone around. These features will also emerge in the case of any other material and make us enthusiastic each time. When we get used to such presentation, any other will seem flat to us, even if it is more natural. The price of this is lower bass saturation and a lack of a solid “foundation” under the sound. The instruments are not precisely focused within their 3D images and they sound more like a live concert, which is not always true. If a microphone was placed close to an instrument, the recorded sound of the instrument is tangible and clear. It is a departure from neutrality, but it is part of the world of recordings and of the art that it constitutes. So, the musical message is always very spatial and it is not tangible, while there is no low bass at all. Summary Expecting a lot of bass from such small speaker units does not make sense. However, since there are two speaker units located in a large housing, they might be placed lower in it. However, that would not be the same loudspeaker column and the sound would not be so coherent anymore. So, you must decide yourselves what you are looking for and what you can sacrifice to achieve something else. In this case, you must sacrifice the energy, beat and dense rhythm. The Sapphire 23 column loudspeakers have a nice and robust design, they are excellently tuned and produce characteristic sound. Give them good surroundings and they will give you twice as much in return – in many respects they will sound like loudspeakers that are two or three times more expensive. The former will not take the place of the latter – that is out of the question – but when it comes to space and coherence, Sapphire No. 23 will impress quite a few designers. SETUP Pylon Audio has created column loudspeakers that are valuable enough to make us think of a system in which they would stay for a longer time and would not be replaced, whereas other elements would be changed. I will give you examples of two different systems in which the loudspeakers will find their place. The first of these systems is based on the Fezz Audio Silver Luna tube amplifier. No. 23 loudspeaker columns are easy to tune, so a tube amplifier is ok here, the more that it is very good and nicely designed. Another element will be the Pro-Ject Primary The Rolling Stones Edition turntable with the Phono Box E preamp from the same manufacturer (a test this month). The result is an outstanding system based on an analogue source. We can expand it by adding a CD player, e.g. the Denon DCD-50 or the Soul Note SA300 and it is going to be beautiful. The other system is for the people of the 21st century who value design and comfort, but also attach importance to sound. Listen to the Pylon Audio loudspeakers with the PMA-100 (an amp and a streamer in one) and you will never part with this stylish minimalistic system. A Pro-Ject turntable will be a nice addition to it. The tested loudspeakers are easy to set up, but if we devote more time than usual to them, they will give us better localization and focus. It is all about setting them both up in exactly the same way. Even differences of 10mm to the left, right, front and back change sound. You can buy a laser distance meter and do it yourself (a cost of about 250 PLN), or buy beer and do it with a friend. All you need is inextensible string. You need to hold one of its ends in your hand, while the other end should be held by your friend. You measure the distance from the external edge of the front panel of one of the loudspeakers, mark it on the string (e.g. using sticky tape) and then position the other column loudspeaker in an exactly the same way. Next, you do the same thing with the internal wall. After that you check the external edge once again. It is worth experimenting, since No. 23 loudspeakers offer us something else in each setup. For me, they worked best quite far away from one another, directed towards me, turned a bit more towards the inside, with axes intersecting at the distance of about 30 cm in front of me. When I sat upright, I could see the thin strip of their external walls. The Pylon Audio Sapphire 23 are 2 1/2 standalone column loudspeakers with three speaker units each. They are quite high (almost 1 m) and their front panel is very narrow. The housing is covered with artificial veneer, whereas the front is lacquered. Three speaker units are attached to it: a soft SEAS 27TDC dome tweeter (27 mm in diameter) and two Visaton W 130 S bass-midrange speaker units with a tin embossed basket and a paper lacquered membrane (130 mm each). One of them works together with the dome (they are close to one another) and the other one is placed close to the floor. That makes it possible to minimize interference and increases the amount of bass a little. In Pylon Audio’s company documents, both speaker units have the company’s own, not the manufacturers’ labels. The crossover was assembled using the point-to-point mounting and there are polypropylene capacitors, air coils and a powder core coil in the bass section. Clamps on a flat rating plate also look very nice. Big companies will not provide us with such luxuries, while small manufacturers have to use such means to make up for the difference in their brand perception. The housing is made of MDF board and damped using artificial wool. The bass-reflex outlet is located on the rear panel, at a half of the loudspeaker’s height. The loudspeakers are placed on quite high spikes and they are not equipped with grilles. These are very well-made, nice column loudspeakers having a well-thought-out design. Technical specifications (according to the manufacturer): Nominal impedance: 4 Ω Frequency response: 45 Hz – 20 Hz Nominal power: 80 W Maximum power: 160 W Efficiency: 87 dB Dimensions [W x H x D]: 160 x 980 x 270 mm Weight: 14.5 kg/unit Bass-midrange speaker unit: 2 x Pylon Audio PSW 13-80.8 Tweeter: Pylon Audio PST T-120.6 (Seas 27TDC) Bass-reflex housing Warranty: 3 years + 1 year (product registration) Available colors: black, hazel, wenge, HG white, HG black. Natural veneer: wenge, black, hazel, cherry. The company also offers customized design solutions (RAL colors). KINSKY Copula Mundi SPV Poland/Requiem Records 104 | 2015 Premiere: 1993 Re-edition: 2015 Medium: Compact Disc The Kinsky band, which was created in 1992, existed only for six years and recorded only one album, but, perhaps thanks to this, it has become the legend of underground rock music in Poland. Its music is most frequently described as a combination of noise rock, industrial rock and avant-garde rock. The band consisted of four musicians, philosophy students of the University of Warsaw, using the pseudonym von Paulus. In December 1993, the band’s Copula Mundi album was released by the Polish branch of the German SPV company. The album was re-issued by Requiem Records, known to “High Fidelity” readers from Rudnik’s box. Grzegorz Sawa-Borysławski remastered the material and the graphic design has been changed completely. The album has the form of a small book (a little smaller than a 7” single), featuring archival photographs, the history of the band and a reproduction of press articles. The whole album has a unique character – it is one of the most interesting releases of this type, not only in Poland. This impression is reinforced by the expensively made cover, with the band logo cut through it. The album was released in a limited number of 500 copies. SOUND It is not easy to write a review of an album which was badly recorded and contains music that ostentatiously breaks with sophisticated studio techniques. Fortunately, looking at punk music from the perspective of sound quality has become easier since re-editions of Sex Pistols’ albums were released in Japan on the best kind of CDs ever invented so far – the expensive Platinum SHM-CD. When seen in this way, the re-edition of the Kinsky’s album is very, very good. The dynamics is not very high and there is no point in talking about resolution. However, the album still gives us a kick, it has the drive, rhythm and power. The treble is not featured, but sound suppression has been avoided. We can hear very nice selective bass from time to time and quite low, full sound of the drum pedal. It is very hard to adjust suitable tonal balance for such music and I am impressed by what the person responsible for remastering managed to do here. The album as a whole, i.e. the music, design and sound deserve to be applauded. PS At the end of 2015, Kinsky was reactivated and released a single entitled 92.96.15. Sound quality: 5/10 Remaster: 10/10 [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/pylon/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/pylon/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/pylon/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/pylon/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/pylon/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/pylon/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/pylon/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/pylon/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/pylon/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/pylon/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/pylon/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/pylon/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/pylon/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/pylon/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/pylon/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/pylon/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/pylon/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/pylon/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

en Kessler, asking in a Canadian web magazine „Soundstage” questions such as: „How cheap is cheap? When is cheap too cheap? Is such a thing even possible?”, reversed a direction reviewers usually follow. Usually we look up, towards higher quality. We ask how expensive a products can get, why is it so expensive and so on. Questions like Ken's are asked in audio magazines rarely. And it is OK. Let's not pretend: we are professionals interested in the best products, best sound quality. It's an amazing job and I wouldn't trade it for any other. I'm not going to. But I also do realize that we live in a sort of „matrix”, and out there is a “real world”. It's a world where young people buy vinyl looking for some new, interesting music without carrying that much about sound quality. They are a necessary, even fundamental part of 'music consumers' and also future audiophiles. So we have to take care of them too. The Elemental turntable presented by Austrian manufacturer Pro-Ject in 2013 was a proposal for this type of customer. It was supposed to be an alternative for many different cheap, plastic, poor quality turntables flooding the market. Despite its low price it was a well thought through minimalist design – one didn't need any particular knowledge about turntable setup – one just bought a product that was (almost) plug&play. 'Almost' as one had to fix driving belt on. Price was really customer-friendly especially considering the fact that it included also cartridge. And yet something went wrong. As one can read in Return of the deck – how turntables are taking over, published by „The Vinyl Factory” magazine, during weeks before Christmas Amazon sold more turntables than any other audio components. At the same time HMV sold 1 turntable per minute! The point is these were the cheapest decks on the market, or should I say integrated systems, such as Cruiser CR8005A by Crosley, and this design is totally unlike Elemental. Primary The Rolling Stones Edition Why not Elemental? I think it's pretty clear – it did not attract attention, it was too 'average', too simple and 'regular folks thought it being too pricey. Plus probably distributors were not very happy about it either as they preferred to sell Debut and RPM lines. SO the idea of the product under review seem really good. Manufacturer used basic elements of Elemental (tonearm, platter with main bearing and motor), added a classic plinth and wowed customers with its looks. That's how the Primary The Rolling Stones Edition turntable was created. Band's logo and this characteristic tongue make this deck look really great. Customer receives this turntable ready to use – or as young people would say today – it's a „plug'n'play” device. It features a cartridge that also had been already set up including VTF – in this particular case of 1,86 g. One has to take it out from a box, place it on even, firm surface, mount driving belt and cover and it's ready to play. It takes no more than 5 minutes between taking the box out of the car and dripping a stylus into a groove of a first record. It is possible also due to a simple, although solid looking “gimballed arm”. It is bit shorter than classic 9'' arm, as it is 8,6” long. Arm wand is made of aluminum; head-shell is made of some plastic. Tonearm features a magnetic anti-skating but it is already properly adjusted so one doesn't even have to worry about it. The 300mm in diameter, made of MDF platter is driven by a synchronous 15 V DC motor. Belt is placed over platters rim. Main platter bearing made from stainless steel runs in bronze bushing with Teflon bottom. Felt mats in different colors are available. Upgrade Turntable is delivered together with Ortofon OM 5E MM-type cartridge. It's a nice cart despite the fact that is quite cheap. It can be used with any phono input of an integrated amplifier or to an input of dedicated phonostage. One of the advantages of turntable coming from larger manufacturers is an upgrade path they usually offer (apart from a good quality sound). The deck under review can be fitted with a light-weight clamp. One could also consider replacing this felt mat with some other, preferably cork one. One can buy such mat from Pro-Ject, but one could source it also somewhere else, at Pathe Wings for example. The best option would be a cork mat with some rubber added to the mix. And – that's important – it should be as thin as possible! as there is no VTA adjustment available for this deck.. One should also considering purchasing a nice phonostage. For this test I picked Phono Box E. It's a small, cool looking box, available in white. PRO-JECT in „High Fidelity” REVIEW: Pro-Ject PRE BOX RS – D/A Converter, see HERE (Polish) REVIEW: Pro-Ject BOX DESIGN MaiA – integrated amplifier, see HERE (Polish) BEST SOUND 2014: CD BOX RS + PRE BOX RS DIGITAL – CD transport + DAC/preamplifier, see HERE REVIEW: CD BOX RS + PRE BOX RS DIGITAL – CD transport + DAC/preamplifier, see HERE REVIEW: Pro-Ject 1XPRESSION CARBON CLASSIC + Ortofon M SILVER – turntable + cartridge, see HERE (Polish) REVIEW: Pro-Ject Box CD SE + DAC Box FL – CD Player + DAC, see HERE (Polish) REVIEW: Pro-Ject ART-1 (+ Denon DL-A100) – turntable (+ cartridge), see HERE REVIEW: Pro-Ject RPM6 SB + PRO-JECT PHONO BOX SE – turntable + phonostage, see HERE (Polish) REVIEW: Pro-Ject 2XPERIENCE – turntable, see HERE (Polish) REVIEW: Pro-Ject RPM5 SUPERPACK – turntable, see HERE (Polish) REVIEW: Pro-Ject HEAD BOX MkII – headphone amplifier, see HERE (Polish) Records used for the test (a selection) Aidan Baker & Idklang, In Red The Room, Karlrecords KR021, „Test Pressing II”, 180 g LP (2015) Clannad, Nádúr, ARC Music/Music On Vinyl, 180 g LP (2013) Clutch, Psychic Warfare, Weathermaker Music WM042, 180 g LP (2015) Kabaret Starszych Panów, Piosenki wybrane, Polskie Nagrania L0393, „Płyta wzorcowa”, LP (1962) Metallica, Master of Puppets, Elektra Records/Warner Bros. 470908-1, 45 rpm, 2 x 180 g LP (1986/2008) Otis Redding, Otis Blue, Volt Records/Rhino 8122795608, „No. 5340”, 2 x 180 g LP + 45 RPM SP (1964/2015) Pharrell Williams, Happy [From Despicable Me 2], Columbia 884305363, 45 RPM LP (2014) Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio, Misty, Three Blind Mice/Cisco Music TBM-30-45, „Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Limited Edition, No. 0080/1000”, 45 RPM, 2 x 180 g LP (1974/2004) Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Autumn in Seattle, First Impression Music FIM LP 004-LE, 200 g LP (2001/2011) Wes Montgomery, California Dreaming, Verve/Cicso Music CLP-8672, „Limited Edition | No. 0734”, (1966/2007) Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] I already mentioned that but repeating won't hurt: we, audiophiles, hidden behind our high quality re-issues released by: Mobile Fidelity, Analogue Productions, ORG and others, forget about the 'real world' out there. In a real world price of the record matters most and many analogue fans prefer to buy two or even records of maybe lesser quality rather than one super-duper issue. It is absolutely understandable and I even envy these guys their focus on music rather than release quality. I try to keep a reasonable balance between the two but it happens that I let some good music go because of poor quality of the release. This type of product is intended for young people, or for those just entering the world of black records for whom this might be the first and the last turntable they'll ever buy. So this test can not be the same as a test of some 100.000 PLN deck – that would make no sense at all. The goal here is to write a few observations about how it behaves with records it will most likely play in the 'real world'. Most likely its job will be to play latest re-issues of some classic albums but also of completely new releases. Which means with those using digital master tapes as a source material. So let me start with an important message – this deck offers a rich, dense sound. A dryness of at least some of above described records, upper midrange domination and lack of deep, rich bass won't be much of an issue here. Pro-Ject should deliver rather warm performance with emphasis on the midband – voices and guitars. It seems that in the lower part of the range accent is placed in the upper and mid-bass. Bass is not particularly well controlled but one can't really expect that on this price level. But its worth mentioning that it is quite powerful. If small speakers are used with this turntable they might seem bigger, an amplifier might seem more powerful and the room more spacey. Large scale recordings like Clannad's Nádúr will be presented properly – sound will fill the room. Second group of records, that most likely land on the platter of such turntable will be used original pressings, maybe re-issues but most likely also used copies. Such records surely will have some issues but many of them will also have something special to offer – a particularly natural, organic sound. Which our turntable will be able to even emphasize. I haven't mentioned it yet, but the treble is slightly rolled-off and rather delicate. Percussion cymbals sound pretty nice with no audible distortion, but they will always play in the background, behind other instruments. Well, who cares? In this case it might be even a blessing. I enjoyed playing even really worn off records I bought in 1980ties as a kid that I played, back then, on machines young people don;t even know existed. With Pro-Ject these sounded damn good! It offered rich, full, highly enjoyable sound. And there were only few pops&cracks. Nobody likes those and with worn-off records these could drive some crazy. PTSE pushes through pretending these do not even exist. Even those this is not particularly resolving turntable it still does clearly differentiate recordings by the quality of pressing, mastering and so on. I discovered some real gems among 45 rpm 12” maxi-singles I never thought any good of. Like on the 1987 Gdynia record that includes tracks by different rock bands from that city. The mixing and pressing of these recordings done in Radio Gdańsk Studio were really good. Sound is dense and incredibly analogue – it's not done this way anymore! And surprise surprise – this inexpensive Pro-Ject was able to communicate all that in a very convincing way. It's a really good, budget turntable, and a cool piece of audio equipment too. But to be clear I have to write a bit about its performance in objective terms. Dynamics is not particularly high. Presentation is rather about one general image not precise individual ones, It is clear that there is some emphasis in upper bass and a roll-off in treble area. There is no lowest bass like at all. Few words about phonostage. This turntable is a great idea for somebody who's just entering a wonderful world of music and doesn't want to spend much money. But this phonostage has more to offer. It costs a ridiculous 299 PLN but it offers a performance of a 1000 PLN device. It might not be as resolving as competitors at this level and its bass is not as focused, but these sonic features are not so important here. It delivers a rich, dense sound. With rich midrange. It's a great partner for Pro-Ject turntable but it will do its job equally well with some Rega but also with some cheap, 'plastic' no-name that will sound with it like never before. Summary I had to do it, I'm sorry but choosing not to would be cheating. Praising a product without mentioning of its shortcomings would be nothing but a lie. If you happen to read a text on this product with nothing but praises please know that someone is trying to take advantage of you. The point is to be aware of these shortcomings and make an informed decision. In this particular case of a system with turntable and Phono Box E there can be but one 'correct' decision – buy it. A unique design, cool sound, easy setup, possible minor upgrades – these are strong upsides of these products. Many other cheap 'plastic' turntables can not compare to this one in any way. A well deserved RED Fingerprint for both products. Phonostage should even get a double (if it existed) :) Specifications (according to manufacturer): Primary The Rolling Stones Edition - Speed: 33,3/45 rpm (manual speed change ) - Wow & Flutter: - 33,3: +/- 0,14% - 45: +/- 0,13% - Speed drift: - 33,3: +/- 0,2% - 45: +/- 0,18%  - S/N: - 65 dB - Effective arm length: 218,5 mm - Effective arm mass: 8 g - Tracking force: 10 – 25 mN - Overhang: 22 mm - Power consumption: - 4 W (max) - < 0,5 W (stand by) - Dimensions: 447 x 118 x 373 mm (WxHxD) with cover closed - Weight: 4 kg Phono Box E Output impedance: 47 kΩ Capacity: 120 pF Gain: 40 dB Output signal: 500 mV/1 kHz Noise: 88 dB THD: [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/project/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/project/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/project/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/project/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/project/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/project/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/project/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/project/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/project/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/project/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/project/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/project/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/project/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/project/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/project/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/project/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/project/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/project/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/project/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/project/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/project/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/project/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/project/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/project/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/project/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/project/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/project/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/project/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/project/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/project/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

ublin is a city in the south-east part of Poland and the capital of Lublin Voivodeship (province). The name Lublin, exactly the same as today which is quite rare, first appeared in chronicles in 1228. Just like „Kraków” comes from the name of Krak, a legendary ruler residing on Wawel Hill, also Lublin comes from a name - Lubomir. In Lublin in Fabryka Samochodów Ciężarowych cars like FSC ‘Żuk’, and later FSC ‘Lublin’ were produced. In 1974 Lublin witnessed a formation of Budka Suflera, one of the most important Polish blues-rock, progressive rock, and later rock and pop bands. It is not quite clear when the band was formed as different dates are given. In Wikipedia Jerzy Janiszewski says that after Janusz Fifowski came back to the position of Lubelski Dom Kultury in 1972 he printed some posters with information about a blues-rock bands called „BUDKA SUFLERA” being a part of LDK's activity. These discrepancies could come from the mistakes made by authors or maybe of the unclear status of the band that at beginning was experiencing lot of member changes. Maybe that is also why the Wikipedia input does not include an information about one of the first drummers that played with the band - Kazimierz Grymuza, who, after a short time, was replaced by Zbigniew Zieliński. At the time Lublin's music environment was particularly active. Bands formed and disbanded rapidly. A member of one of such 'short-term' bands, apart from above mentioned drummer, Kazimierz Grymuza, was a guitar player, Janusz Sikora. He never became a professional musician but had a chance to play, among others, with Henryk Mazurek, the first solo guitar player of another Lublin based band, Bajm Bajm (source: Maciej Skarga, Sikora Turntable – z miłości do winyli, „LAJF – Magazyn Lubelski”, see HERE http://lajf.info/?He never became a professional musician but had a chance to play, among others, with Henryk Mazurek, the first solo guitar player of another Lublin based band, Bajm (source: Maciej Skarga, Sikora Turntable – z miłości do winyli, “LAJF – Magazyn Lubelski”). J. Sikora Mr Sikora did not become a musician. He worked for several different companies and finally, after turning 30, he sold his Fiat 126p, or so called: „Maluch”, and started his own business – he became a locksmith specialized in brass products. Company Allmet has been on the market for over 30 years specializing in metal products. But its not the only thing they do. As Mr Sikora says, the machines, while not working for his main business, allow him to take on his passion - audio. Years ago Mr Sikora was known due to his involvement in Burdjak & Sikora brand manufacturing tube amplifiers, but a few years ago his focus shifted to turntables. His professional experience, knowledge and experience of his workers, as well as an advanced machine park are perfect means for realizing his audio ideas. He does not use CNC machines as these come handy only when large quantities are produced and as we all know high quality audio is rather about small batches and not mass production. His story sounds somewhat familiar. Mr Sikora bought, not so cheap, turntable to indulge his need of high quality sound. It sounded fine but not exactly as Mr Janusz expected it to. So he designed his own deck, used a tonearm he bought and... it sounded better although still not 100% satisfying. But he knew that he was on a right track. Using trial and error method, also learning from other manufacturers he finally arrived at the point when he could proudly present his achievements to the public. For the first public presentation he chose AudioShow in Warsaw. J. Sikora firm was ready to conquer the market. J. Sikora REFERENCE Today Mr Sikora offers two turntable models – Basic and Reference – and two phonostages: Basic and Reference. When looking at them what strikes anybody who knows a thing or two about audio is how well made these products are. It's a „boutique” manufacturer (I mean the audio part of the company). Such manufacturers often offer really good sounding products with not so cool, to say the least, aesthetics. The Reference model under review easily matches in terms of its looks, of make and finish best mass-loaders I reviewed including: Transrotor Argos and Kuzma Stabi XL2 among others. The Reference turntable is in fact an already uncompromising concept of the Basic model taken even further. There are six different materials used for this deck, four DC/PAPST motors with a single controller; platter is a combination of three materials, statically and dynamically balanced; we used even more advanced main bearing that is made of steel, self-bonded carbide source: company's website Company's paper points out few key elements of this design, but of course having an actual look at the device reveals even more. If you ever saw above mentioned Kuzma Stabi XL you should realize that it clearly inspired Mr Sikora. Being inspired by a product of another designer and developing this inspiration towards a chosen direction is a special sort of tribute paid to this designer. The Reference turntable consists of few main elements such as: a plinth with a main reversed bearing, platter, four motors, an aluminum base with controlling circuit and power supply. Of course to have a complete setup one needs a tonearm and cartridge too. Again, an inspiration with Kuzma's works becomes obvious when one realizes that Mr Sikora delivered his turntable for test with Kuzma 4Point arm – one of Stereophile's Michael Fremer's favorites, but also the first choice of Mr Sikora. He believes that when it comes to tonearms Franc Kuzma is a genius. For this test we received deck together with a special version of 4Point, the 14” one. The CAR-50, MC cartridge with Microridge stylus and 4N silver coil wire came from the same brand. Kuzma 4Point 14” Tonearm The Kuzma 4Point tonearm is one of the most interesting and the best tonearm money can buy. Its design is similar to uni-pivot but it sports a unique bearing configuration of four points. For increased stability and better resonance control arm features lateral and vertical oil damping. Tube features a conic shape and continuous silver wiring from the pins on one side to the RCA sockets on the other. Interconnect terminated with silver Bullet Plugs by KLE Innovations uses exactly the same silver wire. Arm features also a great VTA adjustment mechanism. The counterweight consists of two elements placed on two pivots. One placed the main one on lower pivot – this one is chosen basing on the weight of the cartridge one intends to use. The actual VTF is set using the second, smaller one that allows precise adjustment. The version we got for the review is the 14'' one and it's probably the first official review the includes this version of the arm. Previously we tested the 11” version together with Kuzma Reference XL2. CAR-50 cartridge CAR-50 is the top Kuzma MC cartridge. For its coils manufacturer used 4N silver. It also features a Microridge diamond on a Sapphire cantilever. It delivers an output of 0,3 mV, and offers a 10x10-6cm/dyne compliance. Its body is made of brass and aluminum which makes it relatively heavy. Its regular shape makes setup rather easy. Kuzma cartridges are custom made in Japan – we don't know which manufacturer exactly does the job, but we do know that it is a one with “50 years experience”. JANUSZ SIKORA Owner, designer Mr Sikora (on the right) and helping us with turntable setup Jerzy „Szela” Stankiewicz – musician (Texasy), DJ and radio journalist. WOJCIECH PACUŁA: How and when did your audio adventure start? JANUSZ SIKORA: In the times of Technics and Pewex, meaning 1980ties replacing vinyl with CDs was supposed to offer us a better sound quality. Only it didn't. So after many experiments I gave up on digital sound and returned to the black records. The first high performance turntable I bought maybe 10 years ago – boy, was I disappointed! SO I had no choice but to create my own designs. You're also a musician – what was your instrument, when did you play it and what kind of music? Yes, I did play some music. In 1970ties everybody started their own bands. I played guitar, although, unfortunately, I never was a genius player, so after some not so successful years of trying I turned my interest to carting. I was even a member of our national team from 1975 til 1980. In 1980 I decided to give audio another try and with some help I built some tube amplifiers. At first I worked with my own father making stage amplifiers, and later since 1984, together with Olek Burdiak, we build amplifiers under Burdiak&Sikora brand. Your sons also play instruments – which ones and where? Robert and Jakub started a band called Crab Invasion. Jakub is the leader of the band, he plays guitar and composes music for the band. Robert plays bass guitar. Both of them also sing. They played on Open’er Festival, Off Festival, and Męskie granie. In 2013 they released their debut album „Trespass”. Now they are working on material for their second album. Is vinyl your exclusive medium or do you listen to digital music too? For the last 8 years I've been listening to vinyl. I do listen to CD too, in my car. I can't imagine me going back to listening to CDs. Sound delivered by vinyl is so tangible, so real, so natural! I listen to music with my ears and my whole body, not with measurement equipment. I don't care about vinyl shortcomings (that exist according to technicians and engineers who believe only in measurement results). SETUP Most turntable I ever reviewed were placed on Finite Elemente Pagode Edition (today this version is called Pagode APS). I ordered my unit with a standard upper shelf and a „heavy duty” lower one, as it accommodates Soulution 710 and power supply for Ayon Audio Spheris III. Lower shelf can carry up to 120kg, while the upper one 'only' 60 kg. I could, of course, order a version with both 'heavy duty' shelves but I didn't want to. So this particularly heavy turntable had to be placed on Mr Sikora's rack. Shelves are made of high quality aluminum, pillars are made of Inox steel and brass separated with a zirconium ball. Deck was placed on the top shelf and the power supply on the one below. By the way – that's probably the most good looking power supply I've ever seen. I think that if Mr Sikora could make a similar design preamplifier or power amplifier these could be very special and unique. Mr Sikora's rack was placed in exactly the same spot as Transrotor Argos did some time ago, and more recently also Transrotor Zet 3 Infinity. Final tests using, among others, a mono version of Niemen's Sen o Warszawie and we're ready to rock'n'roll... By designer's suggestion I decided to treat this turntable as a system. So I did not replace the tonearm nor cartridge. That's how I carried also other reviews before, such as: TechDAS Air Force One, Air Force Two, Thales TTC-Compact, Kuzma Stabi XL2 and many others. All above mentioned turntables worked with RCM Audio Sensor Prelude IC phonostage and so did the Reference. For comparison I also used Mr Sikora's own Stereo Phono Preamplifier. Both phonostages were used together with Crystal Cable The Absolute Dream power chord. Records used for the test (a selection): Aidan Baker & Idklang, In The Red Room, Karlrecords KR021, „Test Pressing II” 180 g LP (2015) Bert Kaempfert, Bert Kaempfert – From The Original Mastertapes – Four Hits On 45 rpm, Image HiFi, 007, 45 rpm, 180 g LP (2004) Budka Suflera, Czas czekania, czas olśnienia, Polton LPP-011, LP (1984) Depeche Mode, Stripped, Mute 12 BONG10, 45 rpm maxi-LP (1986) Johnny Hartman, I Just Dropped By To Say Hello, Impulse!/Original Recording Group ORG 027, 2 x 45 rpm, 180 g LP (1963/2013) Kabaret Starszych Panów, Piosenki wybrane, Polskie Nagrania L0393, „Płyta wzorcowa”, LP (1962) Keith Jarrett, The Survivor’s Suite, ECM Records ECM 1085, LP (1977) Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia/Sony Music Entertainment/Mobile Fidelity MFSL 2-45011, „Special Limited Edition 05371”, 45 rpm, 2 x 180 g LP (1959/2015) Miles Davis, Water Babies, Columbia Records PC34396, „Demonstration | White Label”, LP (1976) Oscar Peterson, Exclusively For My Friends, MPS/Edel Germany 0209478MSV, „A | A | A Reissue Series”, 6 x 180 g LP (2014) Polly Bergen, Four Seasons Of Love, Columbia CL 1451, LP (1960) Stone Temple Pilots, Shangri-La Dee Da, Atlantic Recordings/Music On Vinyl MOVLP1440, „Limited Numbered Orange Edition | MOV 000143”, 180 g LP (2001/2015) Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Autumn in Seattle, First Impression Music FIM LP 004-LE, “First 2000 Pressings” 200 g LP (2001/2011) Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Sound I can assess J. Sikora Reference by its make&finish and describing my perception of this product. Make&finish, performance and ease of its operation place it clearly among the best turntables I know. I don't know all the best decks in the world – that's clear, but some of those I reviewed belong, together with this Polish turntable, to the elite high-end club. Reference is different than any other member of this exclusive club and I'm not going to call it a 'king of all kings' as such statement could not be taken seriously. Why? Because at such a high level of performance one can't really name one, clear leader. Even smallest details matter and might become key issues in given system; one should rather talk about preferences and not about objective facts or hard proves of one turntable being better performer than the other. So released of this pressure I can boldly claim that Mr Sikora's Reference is a particularly interesting, remarkable product. While listening to it one can expect everything and anything one would from any top high end system. First of all the noise level is extremely low – it's a very, very quiet device. The level of noise produced by a stylus moving along the groove was extremely low, also there were very few pops&cracks. Never before have I heard such a 'quiet' turntable. Air Force One, equally quiet, delivered bit more pops&cracks and delivered them in a bit different way separating them from music completely. Reference brings these two elements of the audible sound closer while masking the mechanical noise even more. So what one can hear is a large scale, very energetic sound. It also seems to “separate” both range extremes further away from each other. Both treble and bass are presented in a very powerful, distinct way, there is not even a hint of a roll-off, of any rounding or softening either at the bottom nor at the top of the range. And there is no emphasis on any of them either. By 'separation' I mentioned I mean that an impression of a better extended range is created, it's just as if bass went deeper, and treble higher. Comparison with any other top quality turntable proves that it's not about emphasis on range extremes but rather about showing their real value, just as if other turntables couldn't really do it to the full extent, as if they were not fully committed whereas Reference is. These two elements, particularly quiet performance, and this incredible range extension are supported by another particular feature – sound stability. This is an element offered only by the best products and here I perceived it as something completely natural. I played record after record and each time I entered the world of music at once, I didn't have to interpret anything, I didn't have to adapt to what I heard. I heard everything just the way it was. It was a remarkably precise presentation which could be expected from product of this type. Reference represents already such a high level of performance that it is not about the 'mechanics' of the playback but about the ultimate goal – the music. So the precision is not a goal here, it's just a means to extract as much information as possible to make the presentation as rich, full as possible. Because that's how Reference sounds – it delivers large scale, rich, smooth, precise and energetic performance. Often mass-loader loose the energy of music somewhere along the way. But not in this case – here there is plenty of energy in the sound. That's why also dynamics is highly impressive. Even with medium (at best) quality Polskie Nagrania „Muza” records from 1980ties, even with electronic and new romantic from the same period and with recent records made using digital master tapes there will be drive, rhythm and powerful attack. Spacing and imaging is spectacular – you might be surprised how many such elements clearly projected by Reference are not there when same records are played with other turntables. Each image has its depth, groups of images have their depth and finally the whole soundstage is particularly deep. All the spatial relations between instruments are rendered in a very convincing, perfectly controlled way. Yes, this outstanding 'control' again - simply most other turntables are no match for J.Sikora in this respect. It is a total control and yet the sound is absolutely unrestricted. This turntable delivers a very open, dynamic, tonally balanced, fluid, wonderfully differentiated performance. Comparisons Comparison (not head-to-head but based on my notes and my memory) between Reference and other turntables that impressed me in the past proved that Air Force Two offered the most similar sonic characteristic. These two offer similar tonal balance, similar way of sound articulation. Reference delivers even deeper bass and renders larger phantom images. Air Force Two seemed more resolving. In this respect Polish turntable reminded me of Avid Acutus Reference SP. Air Force One sounded quite differently. It seemed to deliver softer, even deeper sound. Both range extremes seemed more nuanced and not so accentuated. But one should remember that Air Force One costs 10 time more than Reference. The considering its price is a real reference machine. If it was sold via retail network it would have cost triple the price it does now. And than it would be a worthy competitor of another decks at 120.000 PLN price level. With the price one has to pay today... well, you can tell the rest yourself. Summary It is not a turntable that will delight everyone. Among people who visited me during the period of this review, both audio aficionados and people who had nothing to do with audio, some absolutely rejected even an idea of placing this turntable in their room, others loved the form as well as make&finish. The opinions were strongly polarized and nobody was left unmoved by this turntable's aesthetics. This deck offers an ultra-stable performance that allows to uncover even deepest layers of every recording and of recorded music. This device combined with Kuzma's tonearm and cartridge differentiate recordings in the most remarkable way. This type of turntable should be used everywhere where the quality of recording and of pressing really matters, which means in mastering studios, archives and home systems of true music fans. The less perfect recordings profit from much more information being extracted from groove but their downsides are also revealed. Air Force One plays such records in a different way – while preserving its fantastic resolution it is also able to 'civilize' such recordings allowing user to realize their downsides and upsides and still enjoy them. Reference stops half way here – it has its own idea about how to present such records – it does not emphasis downsides but it doesn't try to hide them either. It is a top, refined product from a high-end company that might be proudly placed next to any other flagship by any other brand. RED Fingerprint. Mr Sikora's turntable is a non-suspended mass-loader with 4 motors. The only elastic elements in the design are silicone 3M washers used under motors. The deck looks a bit like a creation of an architect – there is a flat base with a tall platter base, tonearm base and four cylindrical motors on it. It is a highly impressive design especially because the make&finish are perfect! It is definitely no nice looking DIY product. The base of the turntable is made of PA6 aluminum. The review unit was delivered with this part painted black but a standard finish includes a natural aluminum version. It is a one slab of aluminum with a cavity milled on the bottom to hold a controller circuits. Motors housings are made of Inox steel. In fact each of them is made of a single piece of steel that milled, each also features a base made of bronze. Mr Sikora decided to use Inox steel as it doesn't 'ring' like, for example hardened steel. Inside the housing motor is separated from it with silicone and fixed using Teflon screws that decouple it from the housing. The driving wheel is made of aircraft-grade aluminum using CNC machines; its the only element made using CNC machine. On the outside the platter base looks similar to motors housings – a yellow band at the bottom and a silver part above. In fact the construction is different but the point was to keep the same outer design for all these elements. The external layer of the base is a 4mm Inox, than comes bronze layer, aluminum and finally gray cast. Platter is made of material called POM (Derlon), it is the same one as used by German manufacturers such as Transrotor and Clearaudio. A ring made of gray cast add weight to the perimeter of the platter. It is placed 8 cm from cartridge to make sure it does not affect its operation. On top of the platter comes a graphite glass plate – a similar solution to the one featured by Kondo Ginga. The glass is cut out and not polished to achieve better sonic results. There is a small cutout in the middle where a small, aircraft aluminum grade disc is placed. Reference features a reverse main bearing. It is made of very hard steel (58 according to Rockwell scale). Mr Sikora did not decide to use bronze as he knew this material wears off relatively quickly thus causing a necessity of servicing, even replacing bearing every now and then. Materials he used ensure much better durability. Platter sits on a 4mm zirconium ball that rests on self-bonded carbide thrust point. The clamp weight offered with Reference is a result of many experiments. Mr Sikora told me, that before he got to the final version, as it is today, he used a whole 'bucket' of bronze. The main challenge was to find the right way to cut the clamp – clamp has a sort of chalice shape with cuts all around it. Two rubber o-rings are placed around this part and on top sits a brass nickel-plated cylinder. The tonearm base is made of Inox steel. Lowest part is made of bronze. The controlling circuit is placed inside the base of the deck. On top there is a display and push buttons, and the circuit sits inside a cavity milled on the bottom side of the base. Software for this circuit was written by a friend of Mr Sikora. There are four regulator stages in power supply and almost 350 000 μF total filtering capacity. The chassis of the power supply is a piece of art itself. I took a closer look and I think that many manufacturers would be happy having such great chassis for their preamplifiers and amplifiers. Front features two displays. One provides an information on voltage delivered by power grid, the other presents an output voltage. [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/sikora/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/sikora/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/sikora/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/sikora/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/sikora/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/sikora/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/sikora/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/sikora/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/sikora/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/sikora/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/sikora/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/sikora/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/sikora/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/sikora/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/sikora/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1601/sikora/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1601/sikora/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1601/sikora/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

uring Christmas Holiday I met one of my friends to enjoy some good food and wine and to talk about different things. At some point he said something like: 'nothings is actually produced in Europe anymore'. Well, he is kind of skeptic of European Union, mostly because of its huge bureaucracy, and it following almost Byzantine model. although he doesn't rush us to leave the EU, to be clear. His statement was a result of frustration, a sad confirmation of the fact that the rest of the world, mostly Asia, is outrunning Europe. When I remembered all that I wasn't so sure anymore that nothing was made in Europe anymore. Even more so when one considered that many specialized manufacturers brought their production back to their homelands to have a better supervision over every stage of the whole process. I guess these companies that never moved their production outside Europe (USA and Japan) could feel like moral winners right now. Kiedy tak na to popatrzyłem, nie byłem już taki pewien, czy rzeczywiście nic się w Europie nie wytwarza. Tym bardziej, że coraz więcej specjalistycznych wytwórców wraca z produkcją pod rodzimy dach, doceniając kontrolę nad każdym jej etapem. Tak więc te firmy, które nigdy się z Europy (USA lub Japonii) nie wyprowadziły, mogą czuć się moralnymi zwycięzcami. Gold Note Back in 2009 I reviewed a very innovative (at the time) product called DSS 30 Tube. Back then we didn't even know how to categorize it. The manufacturer, Blacknote, called it Digital Static Source (DSS). Today we would call this product a music server or a music files player that read signal from hard drives and flash drives. It was the very first device offered by Italian company Akamai S.r.l. using Blacknote brand. The brand was new and it confused me a bit as I already had known two other brands owned by the same guy, Maurizio Aterini: Blue Note and Golden Note. I asked him back then to explained this confusion with brands: WOJCIECH PACUŁA: Blue Note, Golden Note or Blacknote – so which company is it, as I can see as much as three different logos here… MAURIZIO ATERINI: [laughing] All of them! The registered company's name is Blue Note, but we also registered three brands within the same company. We created 3 brands to a separate one for each type on device we produced – analogue sources and amplifiers (BeN), digital sources and amplifiers (GN) and 'new technology' devices (BkN) (see more HERE). We dealt with products of all three brands in „High Fidelity” (see below). Some time later they all had been consolidated into one brand: Gold Note. In my opinion it was the right decision to make. It also involved design changes for the products and that also was a good move. Let me add that I love the new logo too. Mediterraneo Mediterraneo turntable sits in the middle of company's range. And it is beautiful. When looking at it man knows right away that it is an Italian product, that it was designed and made by people with a special gift of a natural (not learned) sense of taste. This impression is created by a amazing plinth of Italian walnut combined with a steel insert and an acrylic top. The deck also sports, which is nots a rule today, a hinged cover. User can also adjust how quickly the covers closes. The deck sits on large, steel cones. All the proportions, used materials and finished are truly refined. One might say that this is 'just a turntable' but it introduces a spirit of 1950ties and 1960ties. Range includes also two less expensive models: Giglio and Valore, and a flagship Bellagio sold in three versions: Reference, Conquest and Conquest Black King. The two latter are integrated with a special, stabilized rack „pendulum”, similar to those used by Transrotor and Clearaudio in their top models. Range includes also two tonearms, few cartridges, but also phonostages, amplifiers, CD Players, D/A Converters, loudspeakers, cables and beautiful audio racks. One could easily compose a complete audio system of this range. With one exception – there are no music servers which, considering my first experience with this company described above, seems somehow ironic. SETUP Mediterraneo is a classic mass-loader which makes the setup so much easier. When one orders a whole system deck comes factory fitted with a tonearm and cartridge which make is (almost) ready to use. One has to fit the drive belt, anti-skating and plug in the external power supply. Later one might want to check and if needed adjust tonearm's and cartridge's setup using a protractor delivered with the turntable. One could also adjust VTF (vertical tracking force). In this case manufacturer declares the range between 1,8-2,1 g – in my experience something close to the maximum value works best so I decided to use 2 g and it worked fine. The cartridge delivered with the deck is a high level MC so it should work fine with any MM phonostage. I conducted part of this test using such setting but if you have a MC phono with adjustable gain you should try it too – it might yield better results, as it did in my case. The output signal of Machavelli Gold declared by manufacturer is of 1,2 mV, and most MM phonostages offer gain for cartridges with 3-5 mV output. So if only possible set the gain as close as possible to 1,2 mV. We received for a review a complete turntable. Maurizio designed Mediterraneo to be specifically used with his own B-7 Ceramic tonearm (1550 €), Phono Cable Extra interconnect (1750 €) and Machiavelli Gold cartridge (2750 €). It is a 9” arm and the cartridge, as already mentioned, is a MC HO type (Moving Coil High Output). For this test I paired Gold Note turntable with RCM Audio Sensor Prelude IC phonostage with Crystal Cable The Absolute Dream power chord. AKAMAI S.r.l. in “High Fidelity” TEST: Goldenote KOALA TUBE – CD Player, test HERE (Polish) TEST: Goldenote S-1 – integrated amplifier, test HERE (Polish) TEST: Blacknote CDP 300 + DSA 150 - CD Player + integrated amplifier, test HERE (Polish) TEST: Goldenote BELLAVISTA SIGNATURE + BETANIA + BALDINOTTI – turntable + tonearm + cartridge, test HERE TEST: Blacknote DSS 30 TUBE – music server, test HERE TEST: Bluenote PICCOLO + B-5 Mk II + BABELE – turntable + tonearm + cartridge, test HERE (Polish) TEST: Bluenote MINI KOALA – DVD/CD Player, test HERE (Polish) Records used for the test (a selection) Smoke Sessions - Vol.1, Smoke Sessions Records SSR-1401, „Limited Edition Collection | No. 193/500”, 200 g LP (2013); Depeche Mode, Fragile Tension/Hole to Feed, Mute Records 12BONG42, 2 x 180 g, maxi-SP LP Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms, Warner Bros./Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab MFSL-2-441, „Special Limited Edition No 3000”, 45 RPM, 2 x 180 g LP (1985/2014) Duke Ellington, Masterpieces by Ellington, Columbia/Analogue Productions ML 4418, 200 g LP (1951/2014) I Ching, I Ching, Savitor SVT 008/009, 2 x LP (1984) John Coltrane, Giant Steps, Atlantic/Rhino R1 512581, „Atlantic 45 RPM Master Series”, 2 x 180, 45 rpm (1960/2008) Maria Callas, Maria Callas Remastered, Warner Classics 2564624295, 180 g LP (2014) Mark Knopfler, Tracker, British Groove Records 4716983, „Deluxe Limited Edition”, 2 x CD + DVD + 2 x 180 g LP (2015); Otis Redding, Otis Blue, Volt Records/Rhino 8122795608, “No. 5340”, 2 x 180 g LP + 45 RPM SP (1964/2015) Pharrell Williams, Happy [From Despicable Me 2], Columbia 884305363, 45 RPM maxi-SP (2014) The Montgomery Brothers, Groove Yard, Riverside/Analogue Productions AJAZ 9362, 2 x 45 rpm 180 g LP (1961/2009) 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] Our brains tend to identify what we see with the way we can hear it. Basing on stereotypes and personal believes we transfer certain elements from one world to another. Let's talk, for example, about gold. In audio it is used as a foil on Compact Discs deflecting laser's light, replacing aluminum in this job. Most people believe that gold Cds offer warmer, richer sound. My personal experience confirms that believe. Audiophiles are not the only ones that perceive gold in this way as same might be said about musicians. As it reads in an article by Olga Fibak in “Ruch Muzyczny” magazine: It is believed that gold flutes sound warmer, softer than silver ones, although it is a matter of personal sensitivity to the sound. Olga Fibak, Instrument, moja miłość, “Ruch Muzyczny” #12, December 2015, p. 6 The author adds that research does not confirm this believe and yet most musicians believe it to be true. Admiring Mediterraneo's aesthetic first and then listening to it I was in complete agreement with such believes. In high-end audio wood and Italy are widely associated with a warm, rich, refined sound. Now, if you have better things to do you skip next paragraphs right to the summary, as I will mostly elaborate on these three, already mentioned features. Maurizio's turntable offers particularly enjoyable listening experience. Elements creating this impression are: a complete lack of brightness and harshness, a rich midrange and an inner richness of the sound that translates into sort of calm: calm or peace achieved via meditation and not castration (of dynamics and attack). Listener immediately focuses on midrange as this part of the range is most charming. Both range extremes are not so exposed compared to midrange, and lower should be more powerful. I confirmed that impression listening to Metallica's Master of Puppets, the double 45 r.p.m. edition, AC/DC's concert, or the latest Jean-Michel Jarre’s project. All these albums sounded good, I enjoyed them a lot even though I missed some more powerful, more immediate attack. It didn't take long before I focused on those albums where a vocal played leading part, or instruments operating mostly in lower midrange. Let me say that again – it happened not because I didn't enjoy rock music but simply because jazz, classical music, minimal sounded so good that I didn't feel like changing these genres for others. Despite that I wouldn't say that any part of the range was emphasized. It's a feature is a carefully thought-through designs. Yes, performance in lower bass area was somewhat limited, and mid-bass could be faster and more powerful. But I perceived it not as a flaw of this performance but as its “feature”. A one that I could easily live with or even forget about it at least until I played some music that would clearly remind me about it. When using this turntable I was compelled to play high quality releases of: Analogue Productions, MoFi, ORG, Pure Pleasure and others! Each time I had both, 33 1/3 rpm and 45 rpm at my disposal I listened to the latter. Because with them turntable delved deeper between sounds enriching them with more meaning and delivers tangible, rich presentation. Tonal differentiation is really good and sound is particularly rich. This way Mediterraneo presents all qualities of such records. High quality releases and Gold Note turntable are a perfect match. So the way it played albums prepared using digital masters came as a surprise. Usually such albums deliver rather 'dry', often 'harsh' sound, but with Maurizio's turntable they sound quite OK, acceptable. Like,for example, Maria Callas Remastered, released on vinyl using a CD box release of her complete works as a pretext. Sound it (normally) rather bright but when played on Mediterraneo this album did not sound bright at all. This turntable differentiates recordings quite well so don't expect every vinyl to sound equally well, performance won't always be equally enjoyable. But the way music is played attracts out attention to the qualities of each record making us also ignore any issues of said recording. Another great aspect of this turntable is its very quiet operation – there is only few cracks&pops and background noise is also very low. Of course there are some pop&crack, as these are records dependent, but the Italian turntable places them on the fringe our listener's attention, not in a center. Such approach allowed me to enjoy some Polish releases from particularly bad time (bad in terms of quality of record pressing) of 1980ties. One of these records was I Ching, that I bought for a few zloty on Allegro in mint condition. Also some records that already wore off because of frequent usage sounded pretty well. I truly enjoyed listening to them as they offered a rich, coherent sound with a bit ethereal but also quite resolving treble. Summary Summarizing this review with a quote from Jestem z miasta by Elektryczne Gitary that goes like this: „to widać, słychać i czuć” (‘one can see, hear and feel that’) might seem to be a cliche. And yet here I go because this cliche tells you the whole truth about this device: the Mediterraneo turntable looks, sounds and makes one feel like a wonderful, high quality Italian product should. Chic and style plus many years of experience. It is not a perfect all-rounder as some records won't shine with it although will still deliver rich, enjoyable performance. It is a proposition for someone who is ready for a long time commitment. If that's what you want and if you can afford Mediterraneo than go ahead – this beautiful device will allow you to enjoy the music and will look great in your room – two for a price of one :). Mediterraneo (deck) Mediterraneo is a non-suspended mass-loader. Vibrations are damped due to usage of three different materials for its base: acrylic, steel and wood. What makes it look so special, so Italian is the wooden curved platform handmade from aged Tuscan Walnut. It features irregular shape that helps to control vibrations. Its finish is remarkable – it seems to me that only Italians are capable of turning a piece of wood into such a beautiful piece of applied arts. Yes, I know it is not actually true, but it surely seems like that to me. This beautiful wooden platform sits on three tall, massive aluminium spikes with mat finish, that are placed on three small, brass discs. A maximum thickness of wooden part of the plinth is 60 mm. On top of it sits a 3 mm thick polished steel plate, and on top of that another 20 mm of black acrylic (white version is also available). This steel element is clamped to the wooden platform in 18 different point carefully chosen for the best sonic results. The electronic control circuits are placed in the top layer. The whole plinth measures: 80 x 400 x 500 mm. Mediterraneo features also a nice, acrylic cover. In recent years many manufacturers decided to stop using covers as these often downgrade sound quality. This time I truly appreciated the practical aspect of having a cover as dusting a turntable every day is surely not my cup of tea. A new 12 Volt synchronous motor electronically controlled by the PWM design sits in the rear left corner. The PWM – Pulse-Width Modulator– transforms the power voltage in AC-DC-AC mode, enhancing the best coupling of the two AC semi-waves for a perfect performance, eliminating virtually any motor resistance and vibration, and allowing at the same time the highest motor torque. The Power Supply of the motor electronically controls the 33 rpm, the 45 rpm, and the fine speed adjustment, thus keeping the selection permanently in the turntable memory even without AC power. The new perfectly polished hourglass shaped motor pulley also allows the turntable belt to spin very smoothly reducing the wow&flutter and noise. The platter is 45 mm/ 1.77 inch thick and made of black Sustarin, a special material based on a PTE polymer; rigid but dead at the same time, it features an extraordinary ability to reduce vibration feedback while the high mass helps a regular rotational stability. The platter is designed to stay only 3 mm away from the turntable plinth. Such small platter/plinth interference allows reducing turbulence featuring the greatest noiseless functionality. The bearing is made of polished bronze featuring a 1/100 mm tolerance. The spindle is made of the hardest carbon steel hardened with a boiling oil process. After the boiling process, the spindle is rectified and polished to guarantee a perfect working fluidity Specifications (according to the manufacturer) Wow&flutter: 0,02% Rumble: -82 dB Speed: 33-1/3 and 45 rpm +/-0,1% Power consumption (max): 20 W Dimensions: 470 mm L x 210 mm H x 360 mm D Weight: 25 kg Upgrades External AC filter: Lucca Power Distributor Other: Gold Note Lucca power cords B-7 Ceramic Tonearm B-7 Ceramic is a 9” gimballed tonearm (effective length of 223 mm) that features a titanium arm wand. It is made in six different thickness sections to enhance the damping vibration feedback effect due to both, the material and the geometry. The Tone-Arm features a double counterweight to set up most of the market phono cartridge up to 15 gram mass. Optionally other extra weights are available to handle phono cartridges with higher mass B-7 CERAMIC features four high precision custom made for Gold Note by GRW-Germany micro ceramic ball bearings designed to enable extraordinary low noise quality. The vertical ball bearings are pivoted through custom stainless steel threaded bolts manually adjusted, while the horizontal movement is driven by two micro ball bearings directly inserted in the main rectified pivot of the arm runs into the 23mm diameter arm shaft from which the arm can be secured to the turntable plinth. The internal wiring sports Hyper Litz 99,9999% OFC wire. Using a 5-pin DIN socket one connects turntable with phonostage using Gold Note Phono Cable Extra. Machiavelli cartridge Machiavelli is Gold Note's top High Output Moving Coil cartridge. As the name suggests it is a cartridge with moving coils but it generates a higher output, similar to that of Moving Magnet carts. In this particular case we are talking about output of 1,2 mV. Also the impedance is the same as of MM cartridges - it's 47 kΩ. Its body is pretty light (10 g), but particularly rigid – it's made of Duraluminum alloy. It features a Boron cantilever and line contact diamond. In fact it was made in cooperation with a renown manufacturer, Adamant-Namiki. The used cooper wire for coils and Samarium-Cobalt magnets. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Output level: 1,2 mV Frequency range: 10-40 000 Hz Impedance: 80 Ω Recommended loading: 47 kΩ Compliance: 10×10-6 cm/dyne Channel separation: >28 dB VTF: 1,8 – 2,1 g Diamond size: 5×20 μm Mounting hole diamond distance: 9 mm [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/goldnote/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

have already written this a few times: 1973 was a good year. Apart from my birth, some other important events took place then and became part of the history of audio. Among them, a few deserve our special attention: Rega Research, Naim Audio and Accuphase Laboratory were established, the Linn company presented its Linn Sondek LP12 turntable, Pink Floyd released The Dark Side of the Moon and the “Stereo” magazine started to be published in Germany. What we are interested in this time is the establishment of the Swiss company FM Acoustics in May (the month in which I also celebrate my birthday). The company was set up by an acoustics engineer, Mr. Manuel Huber, and has been a family company ever since, managed by its founder. History The company started as a consultancy and served as a research facility for small companies and laboratories focused on audio and acoustics. As we read in the company literature, Mr. Huber owns many patents in these fields. He has also developed some solutions that have not been patented, but are now being used by other companies, such as the shape of a loudspeaker horn of low distortion, a woofer with a coil cooled by forced air flow, etc. The company’s first own commercial product was created as a result of a coincidence. While Mr. Huber was doing research on room acoustics, an amplifier used for taking measurements damaged expensive speakers a few times, generating constant voltage of 70 V on the output – no converter would handle that. To avoid any further surprises, Mr. Huber designed and made his own well-secured amplifier characterized by high output power, a high damping factor and efficient (enforced) cooling of output transformers. Only four such devices were constructed. Te looked like products from a recording studio (a standard in the 1970s). And everything might have remained the same, if it was not for one of Mr. Huber’s friends – a musician who borrowed one of the amplifiers and refused to give it back, claiming that it was the best device he had ever heard in his entire life. This is how the first amplifier offered by FM Acoustics was created – the FM 800A model. It was soon followed by its smaller version – the FM 600A. Although these amps were only occasionally used at homes, both were strictly professional devices designed for recording and sound engineering studios. The first device designed specifically to be used at home was the FM 212 phono preamp. Company policy Although the FM Acoustics company is already 43 years old, we can find few of its product tests online. Compared to other brands, there are virtually none. There are also few of its devices sold on the secondary market. I saw them for the first time in the Japanese magazine “Stereo Sound”, next to rarities such as Goldmund, U-Bros and others. There are a few reasons why it is so and all of them result from the company policy. One of them is the production scale. The devices are entirely made in Switzerland, usually using components available there. The transformers used are also wound at the company. Each piece is created at its own pace – there is no production quota to be met. Since the company is small, production is not increased, so the number of units ready for shipment is limited – you have to wait for them for quite a long time, just like for devices produced by Spectral or Phasemation. Another reason why the company products are not present in the press is a conscious choice – Mr. Huber does not need publicity and “allows” others to conduct tests of his products rather than makes endeavor towards them. Finally, there is the issue of reliability – FM Acoustics products operate flawlessly for many years and their prices on the secondary market are not much lower than on the primary market. Besides, no one wants to resell them FM 268C | FM 711 MkII Acoustics When we are “introduced” to the company devices, we instantly notice many elements that are unique to the brand or shared by it with just a few other companies. This is mainly stylistics – these are products rooted in the 1970s and taking pride in that fact. The champagne front panel (see Accuphase, Leben, Phasemation, Koda or older Luxman models), gold-plated knobs and characteristically shaped buttons are proudly presented here. On the front panel of the preamplifier, next to the volume control and balance knobs, there are also five smaller knobs that are used to change the tone. The company name for the FM 268C is the Line Level Linealizer, which implies its major role – preparation of signal for the power amplifier, including tone correction. Let us not forget that Mr. Huber is a specialist in the field of room acoustics. A similar tool is also offered by McIntosh in some of its amplifiers. However, the rear panel features something that I have never seen before. There is a row of potentiometers labeled as Acoustic Resonance Compensation. There are two sets – Comp 1 and Comp 2 – activated using separate buttons, comprising parametric potentiometers known from recording studios. In short – these are analogue narrowband filters with adjustable center frequency and intensity. Their function is to eliminate colorings resulting from room acoustics, especially when it comes to resonances at low frequencies. The range is from 20 to 100 Hz. They are set separately for the left and right channel. The presence of these two elements makes the present FM 268C model different from the previous FM 268. Having corrected something in a previous device model, which does not happen too often, FM Acoustics adds the extension MkII to the device name. In this case, only the letter “C” was added. In the company materials, it is an abbreviation of a “correction system”. Thanks to this, we get a powerful tool – a line preamplifier with an in-built analogue room acoustic correction system which can also be used to correct the tone of recordings. Let us add that the FM 268C model was created in 2013 to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary. Cables The company also has its own unique approach to cables, resulting both from opinions known from the professional market, as well as the company’s own experiences and technical requirements. Let us take power cables as an example – they are permanently attached to FM Acoustics devices and cannot be replaced. The intention is to ensure current flow undisturbed by connectors and plugs, and to make it unnecessary for us to buy them. It is similar in the case of speaker cables. If we want to buy an FM Acoustics amplifier, we also have to purchase original Forcelines speaker cables. They have a very large section, are really heavy and made of copper wiring, and have banana plugs of an exceptionally large diameter at the end which enters the amplifier. The company says that its amplifiers have low output impedance, which is worth maintaining up to the loudspeaker clamps. All the devices have a symmetrical design and also offer such connectors only. It is best if we use the company own XLR interconnects. Unsymmetrical signals are detected by the preamp and power amp, and instantly converted into balanced signal. Classics Apart from that, these are classic audio devices. The FM 268C is a balanced A-class line preamplifier, without feedback. It offers six line inputs, an adjustable and unadjustable line output that is buffered and designed for recording or for a headphone amplifier. The device is equipped with a nice wooden remote control with volume control, the “Mute” mode and the activation of the tone change section. The stereophonic FM 711 MkII power amplifier is much simpler to use. There are two knobs on its rear panel, which we use to adjust input sensitivity. When selecting it, we need to make sure that the volume control knob in the preamp can operate between 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock (clock position). Signal is supplied only through balanced connectors, which resembles solutions used in Nagra, BAT and Audio Research devices. It is a high-power amplifier, also at a peak – it delivers 260 W RMS up to 8 Ω, 500 W RMS up to 4 Ω and as any as 1000 W up to 2 Ω, and at a peak (respectively) 520/100/1600 W. HARI STRUKELJ The owner of Natural Sound WOJCIECH PACUŁA: Hari, tell us about your company – Natural Sound. You are a distributor of FM Acoustics, aren’t you? HARI STRUKELJ: Yes, we are. The company was set up in 2014 out of love for music and high-end audio equipment at my and my Polish partner’s initiative. After many years of listening to different, most demanding devices and speakers, we decided to show others the absolutely best products representing two different aspects of the top high-end approach to design: FM Acoustics, semiconductor devices and products based on Audio Tekne tubes. How do these companies differ from other firms on the audio market? We are deeply convinced that FM Acoustics and Audio Tekne devices are the last ones that demanding music lovers will purchase in their lives, as they will not need anything else afterwards. When we are done with experimenting and we truly begin to listen to music, this journey also ends. It is something we should strive to achieve in our wonderful hobby – forget about the system and get carried away by the infinite pleasure of music reproduction while sitting in a comfortable chair with a bottle of good wine. The exclusiveness of our products is connected with more than just the fact that we own them. The majority of important elements, such as music itself, are hidden from our eyes. This is what exclusivity is or at least should be. Tell me a few words about the most important features of FM Acoustics devices. Manuel Huber’s fantastic ideas have been incorporated into many elements useful for any music lover. For example, into the “Linearizer”, which can be used in any audio system and ensures immediate and considerable sound improvement. The FM 133 & FM 233 Harmonic Linearizers allow us to enhance not-so-well-made recordings precisely. Although the almost perfect recordings do not require using the device too much, good ones can become outstanding, medium-quality ones – pleasant, whereas some that we have not been able to listen to are now possible to listen to. The sound corrections that these devices make are very interesting and you must experiment to fully use their potential. Another FM Acoustics revolutionary solution is connected with vinyl discs, i.e. the so-called “de-clicker” and “de-cracker” that we will find in the 223 phono preamp. This brilliant invention is for those who collect vinyl discs and those who have always complained about the crackling sound generated by their rare and very expensive recordings of superb music. Using two little buttons, in real time, you can reduce or even completely eliminate the crackling sound and cracks. The “Crackle Removal Circuit” which does the task for us operates, of course, in the analogue domain. The third unique solution is the “Acoustic Resonance Compensation” circuit introduced in the 268C and 266C preamps. The ARC minimizes room modes and unwanted resonances. Modes occur when one or more resonances are generated between two parallel surfaces, and then get added to the musical signal, resulting in rumble and a weak bass definition. The ARC also helps us reduce other kinds of resonances, for example those coming from air conditioning systems. Similarly to the two previous ones, the ARC is an entirely analogue circuit. As regards the Inspiration speakers and speaker cables, their greatest advantage is that the user can adjust system settings to any room. Thanks to this, we can always obtain the best sound everywhere we are. Finally, there is a solution which is not accepted by many other high-end companies: the possibility to change the absolute phase. It is said that about 80% of recorded music is with reversed absolute phase. All FM Acoustics preamps are equipped with a switch that makes it possible to change it. If you do not change phase with incorrectly recorded music, you will not hear it in the right way. What is your ultimate goal when it comes to audio devices? The ultimate goal is to create an illusion of a real event with its weight, size, body and instrument colors heard against a black background. Tell me a few words about the music you listen to, please. After all these years, rock and progressive music have remained my favourite genres – e.g. Pink Floyd, Genesis, Jethro Tull and Uriah Heep, as well as my latest discoveries: East of Eden, Patto, Love and others. I also like jazz and classical music. Venice, The Royal Ballet and Clair de Lune are my three favourite classical music albums. Records used for the test (a selection): A Day at Jazz Spot 'Basie'. Selected by Shoji "Swifty" Sugawara, Stereo Sound Reference Record SSRR6-7, 2 x SACD/CD (2011) Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, Ella and Louis, Verve/Lasting Impression Music LIM UHD 045, UltraHD CD (1956/2010) Jean-Michel Jarre, Essential Recollection, Sony Music Labels SICP-30789, BSCD2 (2015) Miles Davis, The Complete Birth of the Cool, Capitol Jazz/EMI 4945502, CD (1957/1998) Peter, Paul and Mary, In The Wind, Warner Bros. Records/Audio Fidelity AFZ 181, „Limited Edition No. 0115”, SACD/CD (1963/2014) Schubert, Lieder, wyk. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, dyr. Gerald Moore, EMI 55962 2, „Signature Collection”, 4 x SACD/CD (1955, 1957, 1958,1959/2012). Simon & Garfunkel, Bookends, Columbia/Sony Music Japan SICP-1484, CD (1968/2007) Smolik/Kev Fox, Smolik/Kev Fox, Kayax | Agora 92781141, CD (2015) Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Line Level When we choose an FM Acoustics system, we do not only get equipment for reproducing music, but also a serious tool which may help us adjust sound to the room which we will use and to our speakers. A change of sensitivity in the power amp makes it possible for the preamp’s potentiometer within a range in which its input and output impedance are optimal for the amplifying circuit. In my case, the knobs on the rear panel of the amplifier were set at 12 o’clock, the right one being turned on a bit more. The latter results from my loudspeaker setup – the left one is located closer to the side wall, whereas the right one, as a matter of fact, operates without it. In order to obtain similar sound intensity from both, you need to amplify the right channel signal a bit. I also used the Linealizer and Acoustic Resonance Compensation. I write about the former in a separate section below. The ARC allowed me to reduce the main resonance which occurs in my room. However, I carried out the main listening sessions as if the FM 268C was a classic line preamplifier. Its operation in this mode is most important all the other possibilities make sense only if it is a top-class device in itself. Recognizing the high quality of the device was not difficult at all. Instantly, from the very first track that I played, I could hear that the system without compensation is one of the most neutral systems that I have ever had at home. I will make this comparison already now, since it is going to be recalled: in this respect, only the Naim Statement system represented the same league. As regards shaping the tone, sorting out what is more and less important in sound, it is in the same group of audio devices as the tested FM Acoustics system. The Swiss system delivers exceptionally clear sound. It seems that there is nothing between the source and speakers. I did not notice any compression or slowing down, not to mention the rounding of the attack. My Soulution 710 power amp reacts to signal in a similar way. However, when my system works with the Ayon Audio Spheris III preamp, it is a bit warmer, more “cultured” and polite than the tested FM Acoustics system. It is because Mr. Huber’s system is very honest. It does not attempt to correct or improve anything. It is one of the best examples of how to pursue the ideal of a “straight wire with gain”. Of course, the device has its own character, mostly determined by how it “understands” the tone, but it is its intuitive nature that is secondary to clarity. However, there are quite a lot of such transparent and accurate systems. I will go a bit further – you can buy some of them for a few thousand Polish zlotys. It is one of the views on how sound should be reproduced by an audio system, well-grounded in theory and engineering. However, as for me, there would be nothing more to write about, as music is, perhaps (this is my opinion on this matter, not any revealed truth), something more than that. In this way we approach the key feature of the Swiss system: it is characterized by exceptionally high resolution. It means that an enormous amount of information that we get with it is ordered, coherent and full of meaning. It can be heard especially well at the treble that is as rich in decays, harmonics and chords as the treble in the highest-class SET-type tube amplifiers – or at least it is close to them. Among semiconductor devices, only the Naim Statement took a step further towards perfection. So, the musical message is rich and tangible. I very rarely hear old recordings that require special care and attention sound so natural and spectacular. The voices of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong were close to me, but they were not “plasticized” in this respect, like in tube systems before, produced by e.g. Einstein and Ayon. Also Miles Davis’s band (nonet) from the album The Complete Birth of the Cool sounded credible. The nature of these early recordings was bright and clear, but it was hiding under music. Even a much worse quality recording of a concert from the year 1948 had drive and rhythm. Both the clarity and naturalness of the FM Acoustics system were demonstrated equally strongly in the case of recently recorded or remastered material, such as Jean-Michel Jarre’s Essential Recollection prepared for the Japanese market on a Blu-spec CD2, or Smolik’s and Kev Fox’s album. The treble was exceptionally sophisticated in its tone, while the midrange was meaty and dense. I was incredibly impressed by the dynamics. It seemed that the sound reached me instantly, without any medium in between. However, it was deep and full of content. Now, however, something more could be heard – that the bass is shown with a bit of restraint. It does not lack anything and the control over loudspeakers is perfect, but that was sound close to (I need to make the comparison again) the Statement system. I do not want to be misunderstood: there is enough bass, but it is delivered quickly and shortly, so it seems that there is less of it. Tube systems, but also my reference system, sound lower and the emphasis is shifted towards the low midrange; the FM Acoustics system does not have a clear emphasis.. Linealizer This is what the author of the article entitled The diet of a rational human being writes: Diets are becoming contemporary religion. What do all religions do? They divide the world into what is saint and what is bad, dirty and harmful. The human being of the past, called “irrational” today, believed in many things that the authorities told him to believe in. Today, a new religion is talking to us in the language of science. We believe it, although the “diet facts” are constantly changing and if bring them all together, they appear contradictory to one another. However, we do not want to analyze all this. We want to believe that we have a religion which, just like any religion, brings answers to all our questions. Paweł Droździak, Dieta człowieka racjonalnego (‘The diet of a rational human being’), “Wysokie Obcasy Extra”, January 2016, No. 1 (44), pp. 74-75 Does that ring the bell? Does it remind you of anything? In audio we also have as many “churches” as there are followers. This is because there is no single conventional interpretation of the Scripture, so we do not know for sure how a given recording should be played at home. So, there is a considerable margin which allows us to interpret things in our own way. Having said that, I need to point out the very strong conviction that a signal path should be as short and simple as possible. This is why SET amplifiers produce such incredible sound – there are only a few passive elements in them, two or three simple lamps, a transformer – and that’s all. I have to say that I am a fellow believer. However, I also have some heretical inclinations. My work at a recording studio and in the field of concert sound engineering taught me that it is usually necessary to find a compromise and that simple things are often too simple and therefore worse, which needs to be changed. That is why tone adjustment in the FM 268C was not a religious offense for me – I am talking about the religion of a “straight wire with gain”, the more that clarity did not become much worse when I compared sound without using this section and after activating it, with potentiometers set to zero. There is no point in deceiving ourselves – treble resolution became a bit worse, as well the foregrounds became less tangible. There are no miracles. However, the differences were not big – they were much smaller than what I had got used to with professional devices. However, this became insignificant after I had adjusted the tone in a way that seemed best to me. After a short period of time during which I switched the Linealizer on and off with every recording, I left it turned on and listened to the rest of the recordings in this way. The corrections that I made were small, which shows the good quality of my system and listening room. We need to be aware that corrections higher than, let us say, 3 dB in any direction will show some serious mistake on our part. The changes that I made, fell within the range of +/- 1 dB, with one exception: 50 Hz/+1,5 dB | 200 Hz/-0,7 dB | 800 Hz/+ 0,7 dB | 3,2 kHz/– 0,5 dB | 12,8 kH/+1 dB There is a rule in acoustics that “better is the enemy of good” and it is worth following in the case of such corrections. With such a correction, the system delivered smoother sound that was more balanced and even more sophisticated. This was especially useful in the case of rock and electronic music albums. Without corrections everything was also ok, until I heard the recordings with compensation. The sound was a bit less energetic and the foreground was a bit further from us, although still close. However, individual elements beautifully “settled” – it is something that is done during the mastering process with the use of tone correction. Summary The Swiss system made a big and good impression on me. It could be used in a mastering studio of a good company as a reference amplifier. I am not talking about “studio” sound, it is not the right category, but JVC Victor studios and XRCDs, or about Jacek Gawłowski and his JG Master Lab (e.g. the Niemen’s album remaster). This means that at home it will give you source signal fidelity and variety which is usually sacrificed in the case of professional systems in the name of selectivity. Room acoustics compensation is very useful and applying it is justified. The price we pay is slight deterioration of clarity and tangibility, but we get a message that is much richer when it comes to meaning. It is a case in which advantages outweigh disadvantages. Anyway, this is what people do in a recording studio. I have already mentioned Davis’s album and I did it on purpose. The version that I listen to was remastered with the help of Mark Levinson (yes, THE Levinson), using an analogue tone corrector called the Cello Audio Suite Palette. It sounds brilliant. We will obtain equally brilliant sound with the tested FM Acoustics system. Both of the devices were manufactured in the Swiss FM Acoustics factory. They have champagne front walls made of brushed aluminum and their remaining walls are covered with gold-like paint that is highly resistant to scratching. It resembles paint used in studio and concert hall devices. The power amplifier additionally has something like a black “rim” around the golden front. Both devices stand on the company’s own plastic and elastomeric feet. In both cases, the power cables are inseparable and have high-class golden-plated Oyaide plugs at their ends. The devices are very well made and exceptionally robust. FM 268C The preamp is smaller than the power amp. There are a volume control and balance knobs on the front wall, both scaled in dB. At the side there are five gold-plated tone adjustment knobs with centre points at the frequencies of: 50/200/800/3200/12800 Hz and an adjustment range of +/- 6 dB. The adjustment is turned on using a separate button. Below we have two rows of the same buttons that we use to choose one out of six line inputs, the cassette player loop, the “Mono” mode, as well as change the absolute phase (signaled by a blue LED), and incrementally turn down signal by 20 dB. The last button is accompanied by another blue LED. There is a company logo illuminated in green, flashing in a window until all the sections stabilize. At the back there are two rows of gold-plated Neutrik (Switzerland) connectors – six inputs, two adjustable outputs, one cassette player output and a multi-pin XLR with DC voltage for the company’s external FM 222/223 phono preamps. The housing is made of different types of materials. The top and bottom are made of thick steel plates, whereas the sides are thick aluminum slabs. The device has a modular structure and our attention is especially attracted by black “cubes” that enclose individual active sections of the device. A similar strategy is used by a few other companies, e.g. the American Boulder. It is supposed to make it harder for competitors to copy the solutions used, as well as to keep similar temperature for all the active elements. There are separate boards for the amplifying section, with a malachite motorized Alps (Japan) damper; for the tone adjustment section where we also have Alps potentiometers (black this time); for the “compensator” section with micro potentiometers, as well as for the input section. The compensator circuit uses potentiometers with conductive plastic specially selected for this purpose . The power supply is located on the main board. It consists of a large toroidal transformer, Nichicon capacitors (Japan) and active elements that are attached to the side panel. Signal is amplified in low-noise transistors, selected manually with regards to the curve and distortion. The circuit does not have feedback. The remote control is placed in a wooden housing. Using gold-plated buttons, we can change volume, activate the “Mute” mode or change the absolute phase of the device. If we look inside, at the board with input connectors, we will see a small switch next to each XLR connector – apparently, these switches are used to pre- set the absolute phase. FM 711 MkII The original FM 711 model was created to be sold exclusively on the Japanese market, as a result of an agreement with a local company distributor. In 2008 the agreement expired and FM Acoustics prepared an updated international version of the device with the Mk II extension in the name. Other company devices had led to the creation of the tested model (e.g. the FM 1811, FM 115 and FM 411-MKII). Among the improvements, there is a considerably larger power supply unit in which double bridge rectifiers of a high switching speed have been used. The power amp is large and quite heavy. There is the characteristic, illuminated company logo on the front panel. After switching on the power supply, the series and company name are also displayed under the oblong black plate. At the back we have speaker connectors in the form of openings in the housing – something also used in Naim devices, for example. Here the openings have a large diameter and standard “banana plugs” will not fit in them. The connectors, called the Forceplug 200, are manufactured by FM Acoustics. Above, there are gold-plated input Neutrik XLR connectors and knobs that we use to set the input sensitivity of the amp. Instead of carbon potentiometers, the company has again used potentiometers with conductive plastic. They are much more resistant to ageing and abrasion. The housing is made entirely out of thick steel plates. When we remove the upper plate, we discover that inside the main housing there is one more housing, shielding the whole power supply unit. It includes eight large Nichicon capacitors that filter ripple voltage, situated right next to output transistors, but the transformers are hidden beneath. The input section consists of small HR modules. Thanks to them, the device is characterized by excellent efficiency in eliminating CMRR distortion (i.e. noise, interference, etc.) at the level of - 100 dB. This is an A-class circuit which automatically detects whether the input signal is balanced or not, and adjusts to it. Unsymmetrical signal is made symmetrical right at the input. The control section uses Motorola transistors of a very rare TO-5 type, with a round metal housing. These are NOS elements that have not been produced for a long time, known from the 1980s – complementary bipolar pairs 2N5416+2N3440. They are cooled using compatible radiators. Transistors that look like Toshiba elements operate in the power amp. However, their original inscriptions have been removed and replaced with the inscription “FM 17420”, which was done at the FM Acoustics factory. All the transistors are manually selected and paired. The current section operates in what the company calls an “enhanced Class”, which should be read as “A class with alternating bias.” Technical specifications (according to the manufacturer) Minimum power output: 520 W peak/8 Ω 1000 W peak/4 Ω 1600 W peak/2 Ω 260 W RMS/8 Ω 500 W RMS/4 Ω 800 W RMS/2 Ω   Maximum output voltage: 140 V pp. Maximum output current > 35 A (continuous) Distortion: 0.005% THD Bandwidth: 1 Hz – 60 kHz Risetime at full power: 3 μs Hum and noise: -110 dB Input sensitivity: 1.6 V RMS Input impedance: 40 kΩ [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/fmacoustic/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

t so happened that together with some friends we delivered the Audio Tekne system I reviewed before directly to the Audio Video Show 2015. As soon as we finished carrying all those damn heavy devices to the exhibition room Hari (from Natural Sound) told us the good news – next we would get the top Audio System for review. To be perfectly honest my feelings were... ambivalent at first. Sure, a perspective of few weeks with probably one of the best systems there are felt great and exciting. Having reviewed already two smaller AT systems I was fully aware that I was to be in music lover's heaven through all that time. But on the other hand since my back still hurt from carrying not the heaviest AT system, remembering that the top phonostage was a two box (monoblock) design weighting 63kg each I also realized what a challenge it would be to get them to my room. But hey, we, audiophiles, are crazy, right, we would do anything for a good sound. So yeah, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist Hari's offer. Some day, beginning December it happened – the already known to me from the previous test top linestage TFA 9501, top power amplifiers TM 9502 and most likely (I did not do proper research about it) the biggest and heaviest phonostage on planet Earth, TEA 9501, landed in my room. Those of you who visited Natural Sound room during last AVS, or Munich's HiFi Delux Show 2015 had a chance to see these monsters. Yes, monsters, plural as these are monoblocks and each of the weights 63 kg and measures 75 cm on its longest side (width or depth, depending on how one places them). So yes – a phonostage weighting 126 kg altogether despite the fact that it is powered from TFA 9501 linestage. To place both channels of said phonostage one need a shelf measuring at least 50 x 75 cm, capable of supporting this kind of weight too. Surely not all of you read my previous review of AT system so let me explain that the preamplifier TFA 9501 is an obligatory partner for this phonostage as it contains a power supply for the top phono. There is no other way to power up TEA 9501. One could use preamplifier alone of course, but phonostage must be paired with this pre, period. There is a big red button on the front of linestage that turns the phonostage power supply section on. When phonostage is not used user can leave this section off. The TFA 9501 is a top of the line preamplifier in Mr Imai's range. It features an interesting volume control system that has a clear advantage over the one used in integrated amplifier I started my AudioTekne reviews with. The volume control in this integrated wasn't were precise so it was quite a challenge to set required level. Actually the biggest problem was setting a low enough level for night listening sessions. This preamplifier features two attenuators – one 'standard' one, meaning that it is used for adjusting level of output signal, and the second one that allows user to attenuate input signal. This might not be the most handy volume control I've seen, even more so because there is no remote control, but it is precise, and it ensures proper sound quality level required by Mr Imai. One easily gets used to using two knobs instead of one although when one needs to mute the sound quickly it is easier to user input selector. Last element of this systems are top Audio Tekne power amplifiers, TM 9502 based on Mr Imai's favorite power tube, 6AS7G working in push-pull configuration. Just as almost all AT amplifiers (there is only one exception I know of) also this one delivers relatively low output power (11 W). In other words they require high-efficiency, easy to drive loudspeakers as their partners. Soon Natural Sound will offer new versions of American high-efficiency speakers by dc10Audio and Japanese Maxonic that most likely will be perfect partners for AT systems. But for now I had to settle on my trusted Bastanis Matterhorn. I couldn't resist the urge and partnered AT system also with remarkable Ubiq Audio Model One at least for a short time. AUDIO TEKNE in „High Fidelity” REVIEW: Audio Tekne TFA 9501 + TM 8801 + TEA 8695 - preamplifier + power amplifier + phonostage TEST: Audio Tekne TFM 2000 + TEA 2000 - integrated amplifier + phonostage Records used for the test (a selection): AC/DC, Highway to hell, EMI SVLP 325, LP. Arne Domnerus, Jazz at the Pawnshop, Proprius ATR 003, LP. Cannonball Adderley, Somethin' else, Classic Records BST 1595-45, LP. Dead Can Dance, Spiritchaser, 4AD/Mobile Fidelity MOFI 2-002, LP. Dżem, Detox, DZEM SC 001/91, LP. Georges Bizet, Carmen, RCA Red Seal SPA 25 064-R/1-3, LP. John Williams, Star Wars, 20th Century Records STEC 264/65, LP. Keith Jarrett, The Köln Concert, ECM 1064/65 ST, LP. Lou Donaldson, LD+3, Blue Note MMBST-84012, LP. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, COLUMBIA CS 8163, LP. Milt Jackson/Ray Brown, It don't mean a thing if you can't tap your foot to it, Pablo Records 2310-909, LP. Mozart, Cosi Fan Tutte, dyr. Teodor Currentzis, MusicAeterna Orchestra, Sony Classical B00O1AZGD6, LP. Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones, Live At The Checkerboard Lounge. Chicago 1981, Eagle Rock Entertainment B0085KGHI6, LP. Patricia Barber, Companion, Premonition/Mobile Fidelity MFSL 2-45003, 180 g LP. Pink Floyd, The Endless River, Parlophone Records 825646215478, LP. Vivaldi, Le Quatro Stagioni, Divox/Cisco CLP7057, LP. Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] This time I started my session with pre + monos combo receiving signal not from AT phonostage but from digital sources – my Lampizator Big 7 and Leema Acoustics Libra. This time the first quality of this presentation that caught my ear was a huge soundstage, that combined with amazing resolution of the sound allowed me to enjoy an amazingly precise render of Michał Miśkiewicz's brushes dancing on cymbals and drums of his percussion on the album Trio. Each strike whether on cymbal or drum had outstanding clarity so even during fast passages it was still a series of fast sounds and not a constant noise, if you know what I mean. Precision of the whole soundstage and localization of each sound was truly amazing – I could 'see' the whole drum set set up in the space, I could see drummer turning around to play this or that cymbal/drum, I could clearly hear where the sound was coming from. Also clarity of cymbals tones was remarkable and a nice, long decay followed each sound. Listening to many different recordings I paid special attention to the decay phase of sounds and if this phase was properly recorded Audio Tekne never cut it short. But I enjoyed not only cymbals but also drums – each strike had this outstanding immediacy, was fast, taut, very convincing. Also differentiation was great taking this performance on (almost) live like level that only few powerful solid state amps I reviewed could match. Yes, I was amazed by drums performance because that was bit unexpected from 11W tube amplifiers, but double bass and piano sounded also amazing. These instruments also had a large, full body and proper 'weight'. Both impressed with dynamics, vibrancy and wonderful timbre – it was a top performance and I mean of both, the band and this remarkable system. Equally precise was spacial localization of musicians on Al Di Meola's All your life and on brilliant Friday Night in San Francisco. Guitars, especially acoustic one, belong to my favorites, and here I felt like I could just go there and touch each musician, each instrument. Just in case that somehow you never heard Friday night... - it's a live performance of three absolutely brilliant guitarist, the late Paco de Lucia, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin. Some tracks are played by all three of them, some by two. I must have listened to this album hundred times at least and was still amazed this time by how easy it was to say where which of them sat, how far from the others, and of course (based on style and different sound of each guitar) which is actually playing. Audio Tekne's presentation kept me on my toes despite the fact that I knew what would happen in a moment. And yet it was still exciting to wait for Paco to start paying, and now John, yeah go Al, go... That's so much more than just listening to music, that's what our hobby is truly about – experiencing music at home in a way we can't (at the moment or at all) experience it live (because we can't spend live attending concerts). Roy Hargrove's album (thank you Marek for a tip!) offered another wonderful, musical experience. Kick drum again had this immediacy and... well – kick, cymbals were wonderfully vibrant, fast and their sound sent made the air in my room vibrate. But what swept me of my feet was breathtaking performance of brass instrument. I simply had to pump up the volume to not only hear but also feel this incredible energy, I mean the one you can physically feel while attending a live concert while being really close to the stage. Trumpet was sharp, able to sting an ear but never going beyond pain threshold (which never happens when you listen to a trumpet live but it does happen on some systems). I think it was also while listening to this album that I finally realized how rich, dense sound Audio Tekne system offered. And I mean in this respect it outperformed almost all other systems I know. Trumpet might have sounded 'sharp' but its sound had proper weight, and was amazingly rich, too, I played, one of the older albums by Marcus Miller, Renaissance, to confirm what I already knew. The top Audio Tekne system amazed with its dynamic and presented bass, both acoustic (which many top quality tube amplifiers do) and electric, in the most remarkable way. Also this time playing Marcus' album reminded me of his recent Warsaw concert. The only regret was that AT monos offered only 2x11W which meant I couldn't use them with Ubiq Audio Model One. I knew that if to these amazing dynamic abilities of Audio Tekne I could add this extraordinary quality of Slovenian speakers of conveying an energy of live music the way they do, it would create even more spectacular, more live-like presentation. Matterhorns couldn't convey that much energy but they amazed me again with level of performance they offered despite the fact of being relatively (comparing to AT) cheap. I knew they could perform damn well – each time I thought they would be clearly the weakest link in a system with Kondo, Robert Koda or Audio Tekne amplifiers, they delivered outstanding performance doing their best to keep up, not to spoil the pleasure of listening to such remarkable amps. And they didn't let me down this time either, despite the fact that for their price I could maybe buy these carbon feet of AT amps :) Sound was very rich, dense, powerful, rhythm was almost perfect too – almost was obviously a limitation of speakers and not of electronics. The last album by Lee Ritenour, A twist of rit proved how fantastic an electric guitar sounded on the reviewed system – powerful with drive when needed, and very smoothly and refined on other tracks – regardless of tracks 'climate' presentation was very realistic each time. Obviously, since we're talking about electric instrument in a studio recording, realism is relative, but I heard many guitars in my live playing live, I even played a bit myself back in the day, so I might say that I know how an electric guitar sounds like. And yes, Audio Tekne system brought Lee and his band to my room and had them play just for me.... My initial assumption was that I would use digital sources only for a short while and then move to analogue rig. But the system sounded so well already with digital sources that I spent with them few days before finally moving to the Raven Black Night with Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum, (later replaced also with my Air Tight PC-3). I placed the first record on the platter, let stylus drop in the groove and... and that's when the real magic began. This first album was Dark side of the Moon starting with this powerful pulse and later developing in one of the best pieces of rock music ever created. With digital source sound was already great, so how could I even describe what happened now. Well – it was pure magic! It felt like before it was all great but only because I did not realize that there was still a piece missing to make it all perfect. Now it was there, it all just clicked and even though I couldn't really tell what exactly got even better I simply knew IT WAS IT! Beautifully rich, powerful, liquid and coherent sound with a thunderous bass that never dominated rest of the range though, with sparking, breathing, open treble, and remarkably colorful mids. Sound was 'crazy' rich but also very transparent, detailed, crystal clear, intense, energetic but also subtle and refined. Phonostage delivered also differences between cartridges just out right. It was obvious to me which changes AirTight introduced after Koetsu but these differences were only a small part of all the information delivered, something I noticed but didn't care much about, as in both cases I enjoyed music first of all. Koetsu delivered bit more rounded sound in both, bass and treble area, an incredibly dense midrange which added on top of the same quality of the AT system. Air Tight delivered more flat, better balanced sound throughout the whole range – so no rounding on both extremes but also rich but not as dense midrange. But again – it was more like a different taste of the same pure magic that Audio Tekne and Raven created regardless of which cartridge was used at particular moment. This setup created a fantastic in every aspect presentation, rich, particularly expressive and amazingly immersive. Before I had a breathtaking experience listening to Friday Night in San Francisco, or Jazz at the Pawnshop played from hi-res files, and now using vinyls I was even more impressed about how natural, organic and real this presentation got. I was so immersed in music that I actually felt like a participant of these concerts. There was even more wood in guitars sound, the decay phase seemed even longer and the whole ambiance of live performance including fun that both musicians and crowd listening to them obviously had was simply overwhelming – I felt like I was right there have as much fun as they had. I spent all days listening to one records after another feeling a bit like a kid who found some super cool but long forgotten toys that still give him as much fun as they did years ago. If that's not what our hobby is about then I don't know what is. It should be a (constant) search for a system that makes us feel just like that - this Audio Tekne setup could surely be it for me! Summary After a spending few weeks with a system like THAT I can only say that I understand why people who can afford it would spend that much money to buy themselves such a unique experience. Because that's what it is really all about – about being able to experience the same sensation of a new discovery of particular piece of music again and again. It's not about discovering new details or subtleties on a well known records, but about being as exciting while placing a record on the platter, as one was during that very first time when one listened to this album for the first time. If you can feel the same excitement before listening to the same records for the 10th, 20th, or 50th time than you mean you have a remarkable, very rare setup. The one I reviewed here is surely one of very few existing that can provide its owner with this feeling. It's like going to concerts of a favorite artist – they often play the same music but in a slightly different way – that's why we go to see them as often as we can. Even though I had AT system at home for a limited time I listened to some records few times and each time I was as excited before and as satisfied after as it would have been the first listen. During these 2 and half weeks I played La nozze di Figaro probably 6, maybe even 7 times (and that's a double album), Dark side of the Moon and Friday Night in San Francisco at least 3-4 time. And I was equally thrilled each and every time. Of course in the review I had to mention bass, midrange, transparency, richness and so on, but the fact is it did not matter at all while I experienced music. Time with Audio Tekne was a real feast for my mind, heart and soul – what more could I, or any other fan lover, want? Just like in case of all other AudioTekne products information on these products provided by manufacturer are scarce. As all of them also these three use characteristic enclosures placed on carbon anti-vibration feet. TFA 9501 Information provided on this top of the line preamplifier, TFA 9501, states that it uses double triodes 5965 or E180CC (either former or latter type). Altogether it uses 6 tubes. Just like in other products Mr Imai makes, these tubes sport carbon anti-vibration “hats”. To replace tubes one has to unscrew these pieces of carbon first. Tubes are placed in small spaces between six transformer housings. Transformers use SuperPermalloy cores (Ni79Fe15Mo5). An interesting thing about this design is that when used together with top of the line phonostage, TEA 9501, it acts as a power supply for it. On the rear panel one finds additional power outlets that, when unused, are secured with metal caps. One uses these to deliver power to TEA 9501 (if used together – TEA 9501 can not be used without TFA 9501). On the front panel there is the main on/off switch with a red indicator light that come on when device is switched on. Next to it sits another big, backlit push-button that turns on and off power supply for phonostage. Next switch turns record out. There are also four gold knobs. Two of them, the one on the left and the one on the right side, allow user to control volume, two inner knobs act as input selectors (the right one allows to select phonostage, the left one all other inputs). Rear panel sports XLR input and output, 5 linear inputs (RCA), Rec out, and RCA output (plus a small switch to select whether one uses RCA or XLR output). There is also IEC socket and above mentioned power outlets for external phonostage. This preamplifier an exclusive system of transformer sound attenuator called ATT: all transformers on the signal path use Super Permalloy cores, fixed bias, class A push-pull circuits. TM 9502 The mono amplifier TM 9502 is a flagship in Audio Tekne range. It Is based on Mr Imai's favorite triode, 6AS7G and Permaloy transformers. It's a push-pull design delivering maximum output of 11 W. It features both, RCA and XLR inputs – a small toggle switch allows user to select one or the other. On the rear panel one finds inconspicuous speaker posts that in fact are quite clever, and an IEC socket. Front panel features a characteristic on/off switch with a red power on indicator. TEA 9501 TEA 9501 is also a flagship product. In fact these are two monoblocks – one, separate for each channel, each weighting impressive 63 kg, despite the fact that the power supply is placed inside TFA 9501 linestage. These are particularly big devices measuring on the longest side 750mm which means one needs not only a sturdy surface that can withstand over 125kg weight, but also a big one. Phonostage works only with low signal MC cartridges with low and high impedance. The RIIA is implemented with the LC topology. Transformers feature cores made of Permaloy. The device sports both, RCA and XLR inputs and output. Just like in all Audio Tekne devices also here anti-vibration carbon elements were used. Specifications (according to manufacturer): TFA 9501 Inputs: Phono, CD, Tuner, Tape, AV, Aux Maximum input signal: 3 V rms Outputs: Rec Out; Pre Out XLR and RCA Frequency range: 20 Hz-20 kHz (+/- 1 dB) Dimensions: 445 x 225 x 346 mm (W x H x D) Weight: 55 kg TM-9502 Inputs: RCA and XLR Input sensitivity/impedance: 1 V/3,3 kΩ Power output: 11 W Harmonic distortion: < 5%/11 W Frequency range: 10 Hz-20 kHz (- 1 dB/- 3 dB) Residual noise: < 1 mV/8 Ω Power consumption: 160 W Dimensions: 475 x 225 x 300 mm (W x H x D) Weight: 51 kg/pc. TEA 9501 Inputs: phono, only MC Low & High impedance Max input level: Phono Low 25 mV rms | Phono High 85 mV rms Output level: 1,6 V rms (std.) - 13 V rms (max) Outputs: XLR and RCA RIAA accuracy: +/- 1,5 dB (20 Hz-15 kHz) Power consumption: 70 W Dimensions: 750 x225 x 240 mm (W x H x D) Weight: 63 kg/pc. [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1602/audiotekne/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

he 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition which took place between the 1st and 23rd October 2015 in Warsaw was a tremendous artistic and, in a way, commercial success. It was not a coincidence – the National Fryderyk Chopin Institute responsible for organizing the competition, in cooperation with the Polish Television and Polish Radio (that, reportedly, do not support Polish culture at all), made a lot of effort for the event to be organized professionally, at a world-class level. So, special (very nice and functional) websites were created where one could find all the news (e.g. videos, interviews and articles) related to the competition, and an even nicer and more functional application was developed, which offered the same information for smartphones. A decision was also made to arrange a studio – one very similar to those organized during the most important sports events – to which eminent guests were invited to comment on the performance of currently performing artists. The quality of media coverage (both on the radio and TV) was also very high. Above all, the cultural triumvirate managed to do something much more important: during the (virtually) entire October, Polish people got to know the kind of music that they normally do not listen to at all; Chopin decided to leave elite locations and chose to spend his time on the couch of an average Pole, making him or her nobler and enriched inside. The atmosphere of those days is wonderfully shown by a satirical drawing which presents typical Polish prefab concrete blocks of flats whose inhabitants shout out things like: “Mind the notes, you motherfucker!”, “The fucking forte now!” or “What the fuck was that? An etude?”. During the competition, the sacrum met the profane and won. Yes, that time was truly beautiful. Some aspects of the 17th edition of the Polish piano competition were mostly available only to experts in the field of classical music and its true lovers. The most promising artists from all around the world came to Warsaw and had to face often difficult compositions. Their success or failure was to be determined (and was determined) by nuances, details, things that most of us hardly hear or cannot hear at all. Of course, everyone could have their favorite (not necessarily the same as pointed out by TV or radio experts) and count on his or her victory, and the possibility to move on to the next stage of the competition, so that they could continue showing their talent. However, the piano masters were evaluated by a carefully selected jury consisting of people whose entire life is defined by the piano and classical music. Having listened to all the ten final concerts, the jury had no doubt – the winner of the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition was Seong-Jin Cho, born on May 28th 1994, a Korean student of the prestigious Paris Conservatory, the winner of the International Chopin Competition in Moscow (2008) and the International Piano Competition in Hamamatsu (2009). Additionally (although – who cares, if you win the entire competition), Cho received a reward for the best polonaise performance. Using the opportunity, Seong-Jin Cho started a concert tour straight away. One of the oldest record labels in the world, the legendary Deutsche Grammophon, also took immediate action and released the debut album of the Korean pianist on November 6th (so after just over two weeks!), entitled “Winner of the 17th Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition”. Anyone who felt emptiness or sadness after the competition ended was not abandoned and could still “meet” the artist and his music. I have consciously used the word “meet”. I myself decided to “meet” Cho at least once. I thought about buying his album at the beginning, but I managed to organize as many as three “meetings” with him. The first meeting took place at my home when I played his album. For the second time, I saw the Korean pianist during the masters’ recital at the Krakow Philharmonic. Finally, although I still cannot believe it really took place, I met Cho one more time, face to face. The artist agreed to meet me during his stay in Cracow and answer a few questions. Of course, Seong-Jin Cho has had many such conversations since his triumph in Warsaw, so I decided to ask him different, audiophile questions. I hoped they would show him from a different perspective, perhaps as interesting, but totally overlooked by most Polish and foreign music journalists. I describe my three “meetings” with Cho below. First, I present the interview as the main course and then something in addition – the Krakow concert coverage. Wojciech Pacuła is responsible for the dessert, in the form of a review of Cho’s debut album, assessing the recording both with regards to music and (mainly) to sound quality. RACOW: INTERVIEW The Cracow Philharmonic is one of the most important concert halls in that part of Poland. Its history is vivid, but relatively short – the opening concert took place there in February 1945. Despite this, the most important representatives of classical music have visited the place, for example: Krzysztof Penderecki (its art director between 1988 and 1990), Fabio Bondi and Marc Minkowski. The Capella Cracoviensis also has its seat on Zwierzyniecka 1. There are three halls in the Philharmonic building (which served as a Catholic institution before 1945). The largest concert hall with 693 seats houses the most important events and there is also the Johannes Klais – Orgelbau Bonn organ, while the remaining two halls (called “Gold” and “Blue”) are for “chamber music”, as we can read on the official website. I am writing it because I contributed a little to the history of this place on December 19th 2015. Right there, at the “Golden” hall, I met Seong-Jin Cho. He was there alone and our chairs were so close to one another that I had to be careful not to step on his shoes. Though Cho must be aware of his talent and high position in the music industry that he has reached in such a short time, he did not look overwhelmed by all this. As he said himself, he does not feel like part of “some kind of an elite club”. He spoke very calmly and quietly, often smiled and let me take photos willingly. Let me remind you that this is a person who has been constantly travelling since last October from one concert hall to another, practicing playing the piano at least four (!) hours a day. So, if was tired with all that, he did not show it. The conversation was not long, though I managed to ask him all my questions. I asked him about many issues that he is rarely asked about, such as audio equipment, sound quality or the “collectible” aspect of music. Well, I even managed to confirm the statement (published in Gazeta Wyborcza, as far as I remember) that the sound of pianos changes after some time when they are moved to new locations. BARTOSZ PACUŁA: So, my first question is about you feeling exhausted. Do you feel exhausted by performing all this time? Because, essentially, all the finalists of the International Chopin Piano Competition are touring right now. So, it’s a lot of concerts, a lot of interviews and a lot of practicing. So, do you feel exhausted or is it something that you enjoy the most? SEONG-JIN CHO: I enjoy it very much. I’m not yet exhausted. I have played 16 concerts after the competition. It’s quite a lot. I think I have to limit the number of concerts for the next year because I want to deliver good quality. I have to prepare, I need some time to practice, so it’s not because I’m tired, I just want to be well-prepared. I imagine that you have seen not quite a lot, but a bit of Poland. Do you like this country? Do you like people from Poland? It’s a tricky question. I like Poland, especially Cracow. It’s one of my favorite cities – very beautiful. And Warsaw also, I like Warsaw very much. The audience here is very warm, I think. And there are many very good music composers like Chopin, Szymanowski and Lutosławski. I think it’s a very musical country. My next question is connected with your debut album. It was released by the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon. Deutsche Grammophon is connected with Christian Thielemann, Karl Böhm or Herbert von Karajan… Karajan, yes. And do you feel you have joined a very elite club or you don’t really care about all these record labels and their history? Honestly, I am really honored to release my debut album with the Deutsche Grammophon label. It is, of course, a top label in the world, but I don’t think I’ve become part of the Deutsche Grammophon club. I want to become one of those great artists (laugh), but I don’t think I’m at that level yet. Yeah, I think the label is important. I don’t care if it’s big or small, the producer is very important to me. “High Fidelity” is an audiophile magazine, so we deal with audio equipment, especially expensive audio equipment. So, do you have any experience with that kind of stuff?  No, I don’t have such expensive equipment at my home. But you have some audio equipment – I’m not talking about expensive devices, but, you know, some amplifier and speakers?  I live in Paris. It’s a very small studio, so I have no amplifier and speakers, but in Korea I have Japanese equipment. I think it’s an interesting question – do you listen to any music at home? Classical music? Any music. Yes, I listen to music very often. Classical music is the most important. In your opinion, is the sound aspect part of music, or is it just technical stuff that doesn’t really matter? (laugh) It’s a really hard question Yes, yes – I know (laugh). We cannot ignore the sound, but music is more important than sound because there’ve been generations of pianists at a time when sound was not so good. It is very cold, filthy, but we can feel how great the pianists were. So, music is more important and sound comes second. As regards acoustics, the piano is just one instrument, but I know from experience that there are some places where even the piano doesn’t sound very well. Have you had any good or bad auditory experience with some places? The worst and the best experience? (laugh) I can’t tell you about the worst experience, because I can’t give you the name of the venue. The best experience… I think the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam is a very good hall with great acoustics. And in Japan there are many good venues and they have fantastic pianos. And in Poland… In Katowice they have a very good hall and in Warsaw also. And another question connected with the piano – during this competition I read in some newspaper that pianos are delivered to a hall a year before an event, because they need to stay at that place as their sound changes due to the change of surroundings. I deal with cables that actually change sound in an audio system, but I have to ask – does it really work like that with pianos? Do they sound different after one year? After one year – yes, it’s true. And is it difficult to hear? Could some guy from the street hear the difference or not? Or only a professional pianist? I think it’s very delicate, so the people who have a delicate ear can, of course, feel the difference. Yeah, because a new piano is very difficult to play. Everything is stiff and sound is also stiff, but after one year it becomes softer. With more music to play sound changes, of course. And, for a pianist, it is very difficult to play a very new piano. It’s better to play a one-year or a two-year piano. Would you like to see your first album released on vinyl? Because nowadays we’ve got the Renaissance of vinyl. Would it be, I don’t know, cool – or are you not interested? I think it would be cool (laugh). And do you have any vinyl discs? Yes, I have some vinyl records in Korea, for example Krystian Zimerman. There are multiple, not widely known record labels, but most of them release very good editions of their albums – in collectors’ boxes. Is it something that matters to you, that appeals to you? You know, a big box with a big book and an art cover? Or is it just something that does not really matter? No, I don’t care about that. OK, so my last question will be: could you recommend 3 – 5 best classical recordings to our readers?  My favorite, I can say, my favorite record is Schubert’s Impromptus by Radu Lupu. I can recommend Mahler’s 2nd Symphony by Zubin Mehta – I think it was released by Decca. Chopin’s 4 Ballads by Krystian Zimerman. There is Simon Goldberg, the violinist… And Mozart’s sonatas performed by Earl Wild, all Wild sonatas. And the last one … You know, you don’t have to mention five. (laugh) Very good. Thank you very much for the interview and for answering all my questions. Thank you. It was very nice talking to you. CRACOW: RECITAL Listening to something from an album or on the radio is a completely different experience than listening to it live. It seems obvious, but is not always so. Too frequently, people who willingly express their opinions concerning music (and especially sound) rarely go to concerts. Then, they usually say that going to such an event requires an enormous investment of time/money, which is often far from the truth and serves as a convenient excuse. As I repeat, listening to live music brings us so many emotions and precious information that it is not possible not to go to concerts if you want to know something more. An excellent example was Cho’s performance in Cracow, thanks to which I could, for the first time, fully understand the decision of the jury and comprehend why they decided to give the first prize to him, from among a whole lot of incredibly talented musicians. The emotions that were evoked by his performance are hard to describe. When I went to his recital, I naturally expected musical high-end. The program included compositions well known to all Chopin lovers – Nocturne in C minor op. 48 No. 1, Sonata in B minor op. 35, Scherzo in B minor op. 31 and Preludes op. 28, so it was very promising, but what I heard that day literally overwhelmed me. I just want to assure you that it had nothing to do with the fact that I had already talked to Cho when I sat in the audience. He managed to create incredibly intense atmosphere, filling the whole Philharmonic hall with Chopin’s music using only one instrument. What is important, he did it consciously and his creation by no means resulted from a combination of a few external factors that he had no control of. He was completely in charge of the instrument and the venue, and what he gave us was undoubtedly well-thought-out and very well prepared. He evoked my (and not only mine, judging by the spontaneous reaction of the audience) admiration also through the precision of his performance and technical mastery specific only for an ultra-small group of people with exceptional skills. Of course, Cho (an incredibly modest person) may refuse to accept all the praise and complain that he still makes too many mistakes, but it cannot change the fact that his talent cannot be ignored. From my point of view, the “modernity” of his performance deserves additional praise. He never parts with the art of the old masters, but he also does not attempt to match them or to copy their style at all cost. He chooses his own path instead and it depends on us whether we like the way he performs or not. My whole praise regarding Cho’s performance sounds really strong and my statements about his genius may seem exaggerated, but I am fully aware of what I am writing. I am also calm, as other people share my view on the matter. The audience from Cracow, that has had many occasions to experience music and witness the best kind of performances, liked the artist’s performance so much that they did not want to let him go, so he had to play encores. Everyone was really sorry when the concert finished and when we realized that we would have to wait for some time for the next such event. Fortunately, as the National Fryderyk Chopin Institute informs, “an exceptional recital of the winner of the last International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition – Seong-Jin Cho” is going to take place already on March 1st at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw. As we read further, “his March recital will be combined with the promotion of an album containing recordings of concert performances, released as part of the Błękitna Seria (Blue Series) released by the NFCI – a cycle of portraits of the most interesting personalities of Chopin Competitions”. So, there is nothing else left for me to do, but to encourage you to buy tickets for that concert. I guarantee that it is most probably one of the best things that you will hear not only this year, but perhaps in your entire life.  BP REVIEW Written by: Wojciech Pacuła SEONG-JIN CHO: WINNER OF THE 17th FRYDERYK CHOPIN PIANO COMPETITION The 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition was one of most effectively publicized editions of this event. The Polish Television provided 130 hours of live broadcast, similarly to Polish Radio 2. There were also online broadcasts. As we read in “Culture.pl”, after the Competition results were announced, the name of the winner was the most frequently searched word in Korean Google – the Korean pianist had never received so much attention before, at least on the Internet. On February 2nd 2016 the artist performed in Seoul, which must have been a very special experience for him, as he had not performed in his fatherland for a long time. The interest in the winner is even stronger than normal because, according to a consensus, after a few editions that lacked individuals as unique as, for example, Maurizio Pollini, Krystian Zimerman and Martha Argerich, we finally have a real Personality. According to the director of the Chopin Institute, Mr. Artur Szklener, Seong-Jin Cho is an emerging star: Chopin’s music, which constitutes the basis for the piano repertoire, tests performers in every respect, from their performance technique to the depth of their interpretation and imagination. This year’s edition of the Chopin Competition attracted an incredibly large number of candidates from all over the world. The best pianist was chosen from among those who performed in the finals and moved the hearts of the audience. Seong-Jin Cho was given the first prize for his unmatched performances. Thanks to renewed cooperation with the Deutsche Grammophon, listeners all over the world will be able to experience his emotional strength, expressive nuances and mature interpretations of Chopin’s works.pl.chopin.nifc.pl Mr. Szklener’s views are shared by Costa Pilavachi, the International Senior Vice President who coordinates repertoire-artistic issues regarding classical music in the Universal Music Group: During the three intensive weeks of the Competition full of wonderful music, we were enchanted by his performances and we believe that he will become one of the best artists of his generation. The International Chopin Competition sets standards that become compulsory for other music competitions. It is one of the most important events of this type and, by attracting the attention of the whole world, it presents the best classical music performers. We are honored to be able to bring the Competition closer to a new audience using our social media campaign and live broadcasts of the final auditions, and now also using Seong-Jin Cho’s debut album. www.deutschegrammophon.com During the three intensive weeks of the Competition full of wonderful music, we were enchanted by his performances and we believe that he will become one of the best artists of his generation. The International Chopin Competition sets standards that become compulsory for other music competitions. It is one of the most important events of this type and, by attracting the attention of the whole world, it presents the best classical music performers. We are honored to be able to bring the Competition closer to a new audience using our social media campaign and live broadcasts of the final auditions, and now also using Seong-Jin Cho’s debut album. Jessica Duchen from the “Sinfini Music”portal that was a partner for this release (the portal’s logo was placed on the album booklet), gave the album the maximum number of stars (5). She wrote that Cho’s recital is like a breath of fresh air: “His performance is pleasant, communicative and faithful to the spirit of the composition, and the composer’s imagination. It is also – in pianistic terms – performance of the highest quality.” She adds that in Preludes Cho had a nose for delicious details served with exceptional sensitivity. “It is a rare ideal – when we experience it, we enjoy it to the full” – she says further on. It is also important to her that each of the Preludes, and even each repetition, has its own expression We can find the echoes of other reviews in her enthusiastic appraisal of the album. David Smith of “Presto Classical” thinks that we do not get the impression that the difficult part of the program proves difficult to Cho in any way and that the Preludes and Sonata were performed equally well. “It can also be heard, he adds, that Cho is neither scared off by the scale of the latter, nor the virtuosity of the former. Seong-Jin Cho is undoubtedly a brand – it is a good debut that any young artist could only dream about. If there is any justice in the world, we will hear about many more of his achievements!” The reviews from “The Guardian” (“His performance of 24 Preludes is thrilling”, “incredibly clear, characterized by unbelievably good articulation”) and “The Telegraph” (“unambiguously brilliant”) seem to exclaim : we have a PIANIST! FOUR RELEASES The album with Chopin’s music played by Seong-Jin Cho was released right after the Competition ended, on November 6th 2015, by the Deutsche Grammophon – it is a tradition. Initially, it was released in two countries: Poland and Korea. The edition for “the whole world,” prepared by the German headquarters of the record label, had to wait until December 18th. On the same day, the Japanese edition was released on a SHM-CD (unfortunately, the recording has not been delivered to us since the review was published). The album was a great success already in the first few weeks after its release. As we could read on the Facebook profile of the record label, over 100 000 copies of the album were sold at the beginning, including 15 000 copies sold in Poland and 90 000 in Korea. In Poland, Korea, Japan and Germany the album was prepared by local branches and, though the versions are generally similar, they differ with regards to detail. All the versions were released in jewelcase boxes with the same imprints. The Polish version, however, has a unique white strip around the cover and the inscription: “Foreign recording – Polish price” visible under the transparent cover. It is part of a campaign that has been continued for years by the Polish branch of the Universal company which is trying to make records released in Poland as cheap as possible. In this case, the “Polish” recording costs 42 Polish zlotys and a “regular” one – 54 zlotys. Such album booklets are usually more modest and the discs are pressed by the Polish company Tact. This time the album is made in Poland, but, apart from the abovementioned white strip, the booklet is the same as the one made for the German version, including information given in three languages: English, German and Polish. The Polish version has the catalog number 4795680. The Korean version, which was published on the same day, has a booklet similar to the one included in the “worldwide” version. It differs from the Polish and German releases with regards to the third language used – here we have Korean instead of Polish. Additionally, the main album booklet is accompanied by another black-and-white one with additional information in Korean, which is a standard practice also in the case of Japanese releases. The album was pressed in Korea and has the catalog number DG40101/4795332. The foil that covers the album features a golden sticker with the imprinted words of Dr. Atrur Szklener, the Director of the Chopin Institute, who refers to Seong-Jin Cho as an “emerging star.” The German version intended for distribution all over the world was released as the last one. Apart from the lack of the white strip around the cover, it is the same as the Polish version. Mareike Walter was the person responsible for its design. Bartek Sadowski’s (the Chopin Institute) photo is placed on the cover and more of his, and Wojciech Grzędziński’s photos can be found inside. RECORDING Recording took place during the whole competition in October 2015 in a concert hall of the National Philharmonic in Warsaw. These are “live” recordings and it is a pity that there is no information in the album when exactly they were made. The producers were: Stanisław Leszczyński, representing the National Fryderyk Chopin Institute, and Sid McLauchan – a representative of the record label Deutsche Grammophon. The recordings were made by the staff of Polish Radio 2 that transmitted all the Competition stages on air and on the Internet. Polish Radio 2 also supplied sound to Polish Television transmission cars. Quite a lot of people worked on the project, including a team of sound engineers: Lech Dudzik, Gabriela Blicharz, Julita Emanuiłow and Ewa Guziołek-Tubelewicz. Gabriela Blicharz and Julita Emanuiłow were also responsible for mastering, and Anna-Lena Rodewald was the project manager. The album features four musical works divided into 30 tracks: 1. Préludes (24) for Piano, Op. 28 Time and place of origin: 1836-1839; Paris, France  Recording date: 10/2015  Recording venue: Live | A concert hall at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw Length: 33 min 29 s  2. Nocturnes (2) for Piano, B 142/Op. 48: no 1 in C minor Time and place of origin: 1841; Paris, France  Recording date: 10/2015  Recording venue: Live | A concert hall at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw Length: 6 min 12 s 3. Sonata for Piano no 2 in B flat minor, B 128/Op. 35 "Funeral March" Time and place of origin: 1837-1839; Paris, France  Recording date: 10/2015  Recording venue: Live | A concert hall at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw Length: 20 min 12 s  4. Polonaise for Piano in A flat major, B 147/Op. 53 "Heroic" Time and place of origin: 1842; Paris, France  Recording date: 10/2015  Recording venue: Live | A concert hall at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw Length: 7 min 23 s  Total album length: 72 min 53 s SOUND Polish Radio Recordings from Chopin Competitions are well-made and dependable, and correctly render the atmosphere of the recorded performances. It proves very effective mainly during a live broadcast. The listener seems to be taking part in the live event and the recording method comes across as really good. Starting from stage 3, I followed most of the auditions on the radio, both using the small Tivoli Model One, as well as through headphones, and on this basis I assume that the sound crew did their duty very well. The final concert which I watched on TV only confirmed that. One of the basic elements that made the listener feel like a real “participant” was the aesthetics chosen by the sound engineers. There are many canons related to recording classical music, but two main “schools” can be differentiated: the “documentary” (“far”) one and the “creative” (“close”) one. Their differ in their views on what mechanical reproduction of music should be. The former pays attention to rendering spatial impressions as faithfully as possible, from the perspective from which a listener perceives the event. Here we talk about fuzzy phantom images, their larger distance from the listener and strong acoustic surroundings, i.e. reverberations and reflections. The latter brings us closer to the instruments, emphasizing their individual 3D images and tone, while focusing less on sound reflections. It is tangible, almost “palpable” sound. Engineering Polish Radio sound engineers prefer the former method (I am sorry for this generalization, as I am referring to individual sound engineers, who, anyway, are united in this respect). I know the work that they have been doing for many years during the Misteria Paschalia festival in Cracow, both when it comes to live broadcasts and recording, and I have had an opportunity to compare their recordings with what I heard myself during a given concert. Seong-Jin Cho’s recordings, even though individual tracks differ in sound, resemble a “documentary”. They are dominated by reflected sounds, while the 3D image of the piano, its “body” is not strongly emphasized. Although a decision was made to introduce a small deviation (show the right and left hand a bit separately – though in reality one cannot hear that), it is a delicate shift which makes the recording better. The piano is shown from quite a far perspective, so there is no impression that we are sitting close to it. It can be heard especially clearly in the case of bass which is shown quite sparingly, which is different from studio Deutsche Grammophone recordings, e.g. Ivo Pogorelich. It is a method which, historically, is probably closest to Polish phonography – it is enough to listen to an album recorded at the same place: Artur Rubinstein w Filharmonii Narodowej (Artur Rubinstein at the National Philharmonic). It is a recording of a concert which took place on February 22nd 1960 (live). As a counterweight, let us take the recording of Mazurka in E minor performed by Rubinstein in 1939, being part of a digital re-issue of the album of the year 2008. The piano here has a large body, it is close and has a large volume. The drawback is insufficient resolution. Each of the album tracks has been treated in a slightly different way. I assume that happened during the process of mixing and mastering. It is about diversified background – in Sonata… and Polonaise… we have a much more strongly emphasized “hall”, as if the microphones placed close to the audience were made more sensitive. Of course, live recordings have their own dynamics of events, especially because recording took place on different days. However, there is no doubt that these two masterpieces were mixed with different balance. The Nocturnes were treated in a yet different way. Their tone is colder, as if someone wanted to emphasize their mood. The piano shines brighter here and the sound attack is clearer. The piano is shown farthest away in Preludes, and closest in the Polonaise. Personally, I prefer the “close” version since I think that playing music at the home of a listener is an event separate from the moment of recording (concert). This is connected with an entirely different listening environment and a lack of visual stimuli. Our sight is replaced by a closer and larger instrument volume here, the more that the acoustics at the moment of listening has nothing to do with acoustics at the time of recording. However, this is my opinion and you most probably have your own one. Releases So far, the album has been released in four countries and pressed at four different locations. As I assume, the same “master” recording had been delivered to all of them, probably in the form of 16/44.1 files. However, the sound of each of the three pressings that we are evaluating is significantly different. It is no use demonstrating one’s disbelief, as it is technically justified. Each pressing facility prepares its own pressing templates and produces the physical discs. Even though it is a standardized process, there are clear differences between pressings, interpreted by a CD player in its own way. There is a reason why Japanese pressing facilities have been regarded as the best ones for many years, with JVC (XRCD), Sony (Blu-spec CD, BSCD2), Memory-Tech/EMI (HQCD, UHQCD) and Universal (Platinum SHM-CD) as the leading brands. In the case of Seong-Jin Cho’s album, the German pressing is the best. When you compare the Polish version to it, you will hear that its sound is subdued, a bit “crumpled”. Treble selectivity is worse and higher bass is less clear, as if there is not enough precision in the attack. Therefore, the range between, say, 600 Hz and 2 kHz is more emphasized. The sound of the treble is similar in the case of the Korean version, though it does not seem “dirty” at the top – there is simply less treble than in the German version. The bass in the Korean version is similar to the bass in the German version – it has appropriate weight and fullness (within the accepted aesthetics). The differences between these versions can be expressed numerically as ca. 5%. It does not seem much and if we listen to any of the versions without comparing it to the other ones, the differences will not be of much importance. Since in “High Fidelity” we deal with such comparisons and are obliged to point out the best solutions, it is worth taking into account. The 5% seem to be very little, but in the case of a good audio system they are worth fighting for. So, my final assessment is related to the German version. It is a truly well-made album. Small changes in the presentation of individual musical works have been introduced to underline their exceptional character. It is a recording which shows the piano from a certain perspective, with a lot of reflected sounds and little importance attached to bass, which constitutes an attempt to repeat a live event through a recording of this type. WP Sound quality: 7-8/10 www.deutschegrammophon.com SUMMARY There will not be too many people who will have the honor of meeting Seong-Jin Cho in person. Many more people are going to see him perform live during a concert, but this number will also be (relatively) small. One is most likely to “meet” him by buying his debut album. However, regardless of what sort of a “meeting” with the incredibly talented Korean we talk about, it will always be time well spent. Additionally, I would like to encourage all our readers to get to know Cho’s artistic achievements and personality (e.g. by reading interviews). I guarantee that it is going to be the best sort of entertainment for everyone! I would like to kindly thank Ms. Izabella Dargiel and the National Fryderyk Chopin Institute for helping me arrange the interview. I also want to thank Ms. Małgorzata Koch-Butryn, a PR specialist at the Cracow Philharmonic, for letting me take part in the concert. BP