his is probably not the first and neither the last time you shall read a similar introduction to the review of this type of product. I believe, however, that some things are worth repeating again and again. Those who are already well aware of the role of anti-vibration elements should just skip this part without losing anything important for them, but maybe there are at least few people whom I can convince about it. For them it is worth to repeat once more that the anti-vibration elements are important parts of the audio system. I'm not going to tell you how important they are, quantify their contribution to the final performance of the system because this contribution will be different in various systems. Some components such as, for example, turntables, CD players, or tube devices, are more sensitive to vibrations, and there are those whose sensitivity is lower, sometimes even very low. It is safe to say though, that other components - electronics and loudspeakers – are more important for the sound of the system. I will go even further with that - in my opinion, elements such as racks, platforms, feet, stands and so on are, along with the cables, the last elements of the puzzle (although some cables are recommended if you actually want to listen to any music at all :) ). Setting up a high class audio system is about fitting together several pieces of the puzzle. There are “easy” solutions available - complete systems offered by a single brand – all one has to do is buy such a system, bring it home, place it on the shelf / cabinet / table / floor, turn it on and play some music. Is this an optimal solution? - each music fan has to answer this question for himself. In my opinion they may be if the entry or basic level of performance is expected, and people who don't want to spend too much and highly value convenience often buy such systems or even an all-in-one. However, if you can afford to spend more for your audio system and/or expect high quality performance you need to start playing with several components offered by different brands to find the best matching ones. There is a reason behind using the word “block” as a synonym for an audio component – one uses blocks to build bigger structures, right? Same goes for an audio system. So looking for the best – let me repeat once more - for the individual user! - solution many people reach for products from various manufacturers. When building system from the scratch one should start by choosing electronics and loudspeakers first (not necessarily in that order), and then connect them with cables, including power chords, and only then decide what to place this system on, or in other words, how to "fine-tune" one's sound system. At this point a large range of manufacturers from around the world and, importantly, also from our country enter the stage. I emphasize at every turn, that the audio industry in Poland is doing pretty well, at least when it comes to always increasing variety and quality of the offer. Some of you (the bit older Readers) probably remember the days when those well informed audiophiles used racks made by Mr. Sroka, those who preferred more avant-garde solutions purchased products made by Stand Art, and the majority chose the more friendly priced products by Ostoja or VAP. A little later another name appeared on the market with truly world-class products offering fantastic design, make&finish but also... appropriate price level. I mean the JTL brand. After a few years, the company has disappeared from the market, but fortunately some time ago they returned again offering classy products. Today there are even more manufacturers of audio anti-vibration furniture and accessories in Poland. The are brands like the well-known: Rogoz Audio, Franc Audio Accessories and AudioPhilar (review in Polish), to name just a few. It is therefore plenty to choose from. Unlike with electronics, loudspeakers, or even cables, it is difficult to test and compare anti-vibration elements. I mean when it comes to platforms, or feet tests are feasible and even recommended. But when it comes down to the rack selection decisions are usually based on the aesthetic qualities, workmanship, ergonomics or answering some specific needs. Rogoz Audio One of the few truly successful Polish audio companies is the already mentioned Rogoz Audio. I dealt with their products many times testing racks, platforms, anti-vibration feet, and even acoustic panels. Reviewing numerous products over the years gave me an opportunity to observe how brand's lineup developed and improved. How the relatively small, local company, Rogoz Audio, transformed into a firm working with distributors in many countries around the world. The company followed a similar path to many well-known, global brands, fine-tuning details of their designs, improving quality of make&finish, creating new solutions and working on adapting the offer to the actual needs of the customers. From the beginning (at least from my first contacts) the company presented a professional and technical approach to the subject. By "technical" I understand both, such a (seemingly) simple matter as technical drawings with dimensions of products, but also an extensive knowledge of the materials that company uses for their products to achieve certain results. Nothing is left for a chance here, and detailed descriptions of the materials used are not supposed to impress customers, but rather to tell people with proper knowledge that the engineers of Rogoz Audio actually know what they are doing. Lets add one more advantage to the equation, one shared with many domestic manufacturers, although in the case of Rogoz Audio not only Poles can fully benefit from it. It gives these brands a huge advantage over most imported ones – I mean the so-called "customization". And in this particular case, unlike in the case of many foreign manufacturers, it is not only a choice of finish or between few available dimensions. Browsing the product catalog of this Silesian company one can not help noticing that virtually every model can be adapted to individual customer's requirements. On the website even before the presentation of the current lineup one can also read: CUSTOMIZE THESE PRODUCTS TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS You can change any of these: • size • kind of frame • kind of audio stand shelves • shape of speaker stand tops • kind of decoupling And than: To satisfy our customer's needs, we can modify our stands according to individual requests. It is possible to alter the frame size and color and select a different kind of shelves. In other words, the purchase of a Rogoz Audio rack is not a matter of a simple choice – one doesn't just choose model and click "buy" or ask for the chosen item to be packed and shipped to his home. I know that from experience because I underwent this process myself twice already, buying the first, and later also the second rack from Rogoz Audio. Ordering a rack is quite a time-consuming process – one has to choose preferred model, color of shelves and frame, dimensions of all shelves, the distance between them, type of legs - the more things will be specified, the better the product will fulfill specific needs of the customer. What's more, customers can count on practical tips, as long as they need them. I remember that while I was ordering a rack for myself Mr. Janusz drew my attention to some practical aspects, and it was definitely helpful in obtaining the desired end result, that is, the rack not only looking nice, fulfilling its core, anti-vibration function but also being practical, which in reviewer's case is even more important than in a "normal" system. It may seem that all this is not worth the effort, that it is better to just go to the store, choose a nice product and ask for home delivery. But I see such an approach as a great opportunity for a customer who wants to get a product that will perfectly fit into his room's decor and which, if he gives it enough thought before ordering, will easily, conveniently receive his precious system, and in addition will offer an easy access to it. Most manufacturers of audio furniture offer customization of their products, but its scale offered by Rogoz Audio is simply unique. 5SMX12/BBS This time I received the 5SMX12 / BBS audio rack for a review, which combines two important features. First of all it features the patented solution called BBS (Balancing Board System). For explanation of the BBS system let me quote the manufacturer: The system consists of a threaded, height-adjustable spike made of high-fiber-content steel alloy, on top of which two elements are placed, each with an inner bearing. An intermediary (middle) element is made of carbon fiber and supports another element, a steel bearing inserted into the shelf. Point contact between the steel spike and the carbon intermediary element prevents movement of either element relative to its axis, but it allows pendulous motion. Meanwhile, the contact between the intermediary element and the bearing inserted into the shelf allows restricted rolling motion and sliding motion. Consequently, the advantages of spike point support (contact area has been minimized and kinetic energy turns into heat) have been combined with the effects of deadening vibrations owing to to sliding friction and rolling resistance. Secondly the tested model is a modular one. The former solution has been used by the Rogoz Audio for some time now not only for racks but also in the stands and platforms including the ones for the cables. The latter is particularly interesting for people who have large systems, or relatively often replace components with new ones. In the latter case it is always possible to add more modules or to take some out, or use single modules separately – basically one can do whatever is needed with such rack. This model, that's a solid information and not just my guess, gets chosen also by distributors and dealers for presenting their systems in their own showrooms, but also for trade shows. They appreciate the versatile configuration, a possibility to take only a required number of modules for some event, also the fact that they don't have to carry a big, heavy single-body rack but rather smaller, not so heavy modules is a clear advantage of this model. We agreed with Mr Janusz Rogoż that he would deliver pretty minimal configuration for this test - just two levels, which would simply not take up so much space in my room. As you can see from attached pictures and drawings one can build a much bigger structure using the same modules. ROGOZ AUDIO in “High Fidelity” REVIEW: Rogoz Audio 4SG50/BBS + BW40MKII - anti-vibration platform + anti-vibration feet PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2014: Rogoz Audio 3RP1/BBS – anti-vibration platform REVIEW: Rogoz Audio 3RP1/BBS - anti-vibration platform | RED Fingerprint REVIEW: Rogoz Audio 3T1/BBS - anti-vibration platform for cables CONTEST 10/10 – PEOPLE, COMPONENTS, WINNERS: Rogoz Audio – anti-vibration rack (in Polish) CONTEST 10/10 – CLOSE-UP: Rogoz Audio - anti-vibration rack (in Polish) REVIEW: Rogoz Audio 3SG40 – anti-vibration platform (in Polish) Recordings used for the test (a selection): AC/DC,  Live , EPIC E2 90553, LP Mahler, Symphony no. 1 , EMI Classical/Hi-Q Records Supercuts HIQSXR35, XRCD24 Mccoy Tyner, Solo: Live from San Francisco , Half Note Records B002F3BPSQ, CD/FLAC Alan Silvestri, Predator , Intrada MAF 7118 , CD/FLAC Isao Suzuki, Blow up , Three Blind Mice B000682FAE, CD FLAC The Ray Brown Trio, Summer Wind , Concord Jazz CCD-4426, CD/FLAC Renaud Garcia-Fons, Oriental bass , Enja B000005CD8, CD/FLAC Leszek Możdżer, Kaczmarek by Możdżer , Universal Music 273 643-7, CD/FLAC Michał Wróblewski Trio, City album , Ellite Records, CD/FLAC Coleman Hawkins, The Hawk Flies High , Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-290, LP Arne Domnerus, Antiphone blues , Proprius PRCD 7744, CD/FLAC Miles Davis,  Sketches of Spain , Columbia PC8271, LP Cannonball Adderley,  Somethin' else , Classic Records BST 1595-45, LP Keith Jarrett, The Koeln Concert , ECM 1064/65 ST, LP Pavarotti, The 50 greatest tracks , Decca 478 5944, CD/FLAC John McLaughlin Trio, Que alegria , Verve B00000478E, CD John Coltrane, Blue train , Blue Note TOJJ-6505 (BN-1577), LP Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro , dyr. Teodor Currentzis, MusicAeterna Orchestra, Sony Classical, B00GK8P1EG, LP Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington, The Complete Session. Deluxe Edition , Roulette Jazz 7243 5 24547 2 2 (i 3), CD/FLAC Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] This rack consists of two types of modules, labeled A and B. The first one is a metal frame with three, round legs. Adjustable spikes are fitted to the legs to allow leveling of each module. Leveling (screwing / unscrewing) is performed using a supplied key, which makes the operation relatively simple, even under load. The set includes user also anti-vibration pads placed under the spikes. On the top side of each module one screws on three cones and on top of these places three carbon fiber "caps". On top of those one places a shelve with three steel bearings inserted into shelve's bottom side. These are components of the BBS system. There is one important notice for prospect users – each component should be placed centrally on each shelve so that the “balancing” could actually work. One can always place another A module on top of previous one, thus adding another level to the rack. B Module is sort of a metal frame that by means of four adjustable spikes (also positioned on the anti-vibration pads) sits on the two A Modules positioned side by side (at a suitable distance). Both A and B modules are big enough for a full-size component. This means one can put up to three devices on each level. The top shelves are bigger than the ones on lower levels, allowing user to place the biggest components on the top level of the rack such as, for example, a turntable. A modules are equipped with the right or left elements that allow putting B Modules on top of them. It is something one has to remember about when ordering additional modules – even number of “right” and “left” A modules is a must unless one wants to use them separately. The thick legs of A modules are made of S235JR carbon steel, used for load-bearing structures subjected to high dynamic loads such as cranes, while bars connecting them are made of S355 stainless steel with increased strength. The frame is filled with quartz sand ballast - holes bolted in the back of each leg make it possible to change the amount and type of ballast. The unit that was delivered for the review featured golden brass finish with the shelves finished with natural Czeczor Birch veneer with matte surface. This color set screamed for some devices with gold or champagne finish, such as, for example, Accuphase products. This does not change the fact that all the devices in different colors also looked great when placed on the rack. The rack itself looks fantastic, in my opinion of course. One has to appreciate how well might this rack satisfy individual needs due to so many features that might be customized. Of course, there is still one aspect, quite important one, I might add. If you already invest in a high quality audio rack, and let's be honest - it's usually quite a significant investment if we want to have something as cool as the reviewed model – you are right to expect that it will not only look good, fit into your room (in terms of size and appearance), but also allow your system to perform better. In one of my previous rack tests I honestly admitted that a direct comparison of the two products of this type is highly troublesome – it requires a lot of patience and a healthy spine. While I could offer a lot of the former, the latter was out of question so there was no way I could move the whole system from my rack to the reviewed one and back several times. What I could do was to move single components of my system and some of those I had in for other reviews to Rogoz rack and try to assess how they performed on it. Among some other components, I also placed two turntables on top shelves of this rack – the affordable Pro-Ject The Classic and much more expensive Vertere MG-1. In the first case the word best describing the first impression was a "refinement" of the sound. Just like other relatively inexpensive turntables from Pro-Ject's lineup also The Classic delivers a musical, engaging performance, but it is not the most resolving or most transparent deck on the market. Placing it on Rogoz Audio rack did not change that but there was an audible improvement to the performance also in these areas. There was an improvement of the sound's purity and transparency, and a better detail retrieval and more colorful presentation were noticeable when the Vertere landed on this rack. This improvement was primarily a result of a “blacker” background, or in other words of the lower background noise level, which is difficult to notice itself but impacts our perception of music. With both turntables on top of Rogoz I tried thumping and jumping around the rack to check whether or not it would influence playback. It didn't, which proved a good isolation from even significant vibrations this rack provided. I did a test with two tube preamplifiers too - my ModWright LS100 and Air Tight ATC-2. Placing them on 5SMX12/BBS shelves resulted on one hand with deepened saturation of sound that seemed even more natural, organic, on the other hand improved control and precision of presentation. The sound became even more fluid, smoother, but certainly not by rounding band's extremes. The sound became also more vivid. Both the bass and treble, gained on compactness and precision, yet without adding any harshness to the sound. Presentation seemed to receive kind of energy shot, but a well controlled one. Setting my digital devices (no CD Player though), on the reviewed rack also delivered noticeable results. I moved a dedicated PC and its separate linear power supply and the Lampizator Big 7 DAC (just in case, let me remind you that it features tubes) to the Rogoz rack. This time the noticeable influence on the performance included even greater tangibility of the sound and enhanced impression of performers' presence in my room. On one hand it was a matter of bigger phantom images, on the other a higher precision of stereo imaging. When I listened to live recordings the ambiance seemed a to play a greater role with components placed on this rack enhancing the feeling of participation in the event. The above described better clarity of the sound and higher energy of the presentation were also confirmed here. I observed relatively smallest impact on the performance after placing solid-state amplifiers on the 5SMX12/BBS rack. I used my ModWright KWA100SE and Bryston 4B3. Yes, this time the presentation was also a bit more energetic, and it seemed that performance had more drive. Sound, while even better controlled and defined, seemed more vivid, more visceral. Bass extension improved a bit too as well as its richness. Also its differentiation seemed slightly better allowing me to enjoy a full range of double bass sounds, and the lower octaves of the grand piano. Even when I played some not so perfect rock recordings, sound was more orderly, less chaotic. Summary Most potential buyers of audio racks have little, if any, chance to perform any comparative listening tests. So they are stuck with a judgment based on what the eye sees and the mind understands, where the eye assesses the looks and make and finish, and the mind studies the ergonomics and the technical information presented by a manufacturer. To help you make an informed decision (although it still has to be your decision) let me summarize this text. Rogoz Audio products have some undeniable advantages – starting with the quality of make and finish, the ergonomics and flexible customization. The 5SMX12/BBS rack features the patented BBS system and additionally offers a choice between number, size and finish of modules, distances between shelves, and colors of both frame and shelves. Even when the rack is already installed in one's room it is still possible to “tune” the sound by adding more ballast inside A Module legs. Leveling using a supplied key is feasible even when the rack is already loaded with components – that's another big advantage. And what sound enhancement can this beautiful piece of audio furniture provide? It depends on the system you use, type of components and so on, but I think that some improvements should occur in most cases. The sound will be energetic, well-controlled, focused - the difference is most apparent in the bass range, but it really applies to the whole band. You can also count on greater palpability of the sound, on more convincing presence of the performers in your room whenever particular recording will allow it. Sound should also be more liquid and smoother, but still very natural. You'll hear more details, subtleties, or at least - depending on what equipment you actually move to Rogoz – they will be easier to perceive, it will take less effort to hear them. This effect is a result of noticeably lower noise level, and the sound “cleared” of all this "dirt" will be perceived in all its glory with an abundance of details, plenty of color, it shall be properly differentiated and delivered with a nice separation and dynamics. Tests with turntables and vacuum tube devices proved best that the tested rack provides a very good isolation from vibration, which is crucial for maximizing the performance of this type of components (I mean it is more important for such devices than it is for other types). Will this rack elevate your system's performance to a whole new, much higher level? I don't think so. No rack or other anti-vibration elements shall do that. It should however allow you to push a performance of your already sophisticated system to its limits. It should dot the “i”, cross the “t”, polish already great sound. Do not expect any huge, spectacular changes, jaw dropping experience or anything like that (unless of course until this moment you kept your system on some crappy piece of furniture). You will, however, get used to all these small improvements this rack introduces to the performance of your system and soon you won't be able to go back to living without them, living without Rogoz Audio rack. Again, the gains/improvements introduced to the sound due to placing the system on 5SMX12/BBS rack will be minor, but they will cover many aspects of the performance and summed up will most likely pay off this investment. Specifications (according to manufacturer): • Maximum height - 1158mm • Overall width: - 1814.4mm • Overall depth: - 550mm • Leg profile: steel pipes (Ø 76 mm – front/back) • Top shelves: (A modules) – 662,2 x 550 x 50mm • Lower shelves (A modules): 490 x 460 x 40mm • Top shelves (B modules) - 490 x 550 x 50mm • Lower shelves (B modules) - 490 x 550 x 40mm • Usable distance between the A modules (moving upwards) - 300, 180, 180 mm (the order of modules may be changed) • Usable distance between the B modules (moving upwards) - 300, 180, 180 mm (the order of modules may be changed) • Ballast: quartz sand • Net weight - 160kg • Maximum load for each A module - up to 80kg (total: 640kg) • Maximum load for each B module - up to 25kg [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/rogoz/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

e've lived to finally see Polish audio brands that offer products of high, not to say - indeed - world-class. And it's not just about the performance anymore, but also about original design and top quality of make&finish. Products offered by My Sound are a “living” proof of my words. We've known each other with guys from My Sound for several years. I mean we regularly met during audio shows. This Polish manufacturer participates every year in Munich's High End Show, where it made its debut in 2012, but also in the Warsaw Audio Video Show (previously Audio Show). In the Bavarian capital My Sound along with several other Polish brands every year present a system which makes me (and probably many other Polish audiophiles) truly proud. It consists of high-class components. And it is true in terms of performance, workmanship, and even - which in the case of our domestic audio products until recently was a real rarity – attractive look, arousing an interest and even admiration of visitors coming from around the world. The company was founded 4 years ago, but if you just take look at their website you'll see, that this is not one of the brands that hurries to release new, more or less successful, products every few months. Company's name, My Sound, is a clear message explaining company's approach to what they do. Namely, they build devices that sound the way they want (like) music to sound. Of course, this is not the only such case - from conversations with engineers from many, especially smaller, brands I learned that in their projects they try to realize their own visions of sound, hoping that others (customers) will share their point of view. In this particular case thing is probably not only in the sound, but also in a very original design. The amplifiers offered by My Sound are called Cube, and the name originates directly from their shape. The basic offer includes three different color version of the chassis, but actually custom versions are welcome too. Each of the color versions is made with utmost care and looks astonishingly well. I found out an interesting fact about the genesis of these amplifiers - the prototype was made when one of the designers could not find any amplifier on the market to drive his own Sonus Faber Extreme so that he would love the sound. As he told me, he tried out amps by many famous brands, including most powerful solid-state beasts and none of them "clicked", not even once he thought it was IT. And so he built a 12 W tube power mono amplifiers based on one of the relatively few tubes that were actually designed for audio use - the EL84 – and... it turned out that "it was IT!" Nobody would have thought it could be IT and yet it was. The final form of these amplifiers, and the company producing them came only later. It was the form that gave this amp its name, "Cube", and it is used for all My Sound designs. Today's lineup consists of the mono power amplifiers (under review), and their version with a volume control. When picking up Cubes after review designers revealed to me that they should be finally ready with their matching preamplifier for this year's Audio Video Show. As an option this device will also include a phonostage module. The prototype of the device was already presented in Munich (hence I know how it would look like), but apparently these two men are perfectionists and until they are absolutely sure that the product is ready, finished, perfected in every possible way, they do not intend to release it to the customers (nor reviewers). They also told me they were working on some completely new products too but, as they told me smiling, knowing how long it takes before they think product is finished and ready for release, it might take a while before these will actually see the light of a day. Regardless of how long it will take it is worth the wait especially considering, that one of this new products will be a PSE amplifier with my favorite triode …, guess which one :-) Recordings used for the test (a selection): Chopin Recital, wyk. Maurizio Pollini, Toshiba-EMI EAC-55137, LP TREME, soundtrack, Season 1, HBO 0602527508450, CD Aerosmith, Pump, Geffen Records, FLAC Cannonball Adderley, Somethin' else, Classic Records BST 1595-45, LP Dead Can Dance, Spiritchaser, 4AD/Mobile Fidelity MOFI 2-002, 180 g LP Dire Straits, Love over gold, VERTIGO 25PP-60, LP Eva Cassidy, The Best of, Blix Street Records G8-10206, LP Georges Bizet, Carmen, RCA Red Seal SPA 25 064-R/1-3, LP Kermit Ruffins, Livin' a Treme life, Basin Street B001T46TVU, CD Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, Atlantic 8122796438, LP Lee Ritenour, Rhythm sessions, Concord Records CRE 33709-02, CD Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain, Columbia PC8271, LP Mozart, Cosi Fan Tutte, dyr. Teodor Currentzis, MusicAeterna Orchestra, Sony Classical B00O1AZGD6, LP Wycliff Gordon, Dreams of New Orleans, Chesky B0090PX4U4, CD AC/DC, Back in black, SONY B000089RV6, CD/FLAC Guns N' Roses, Use your illusion 2, Geffen Records B000000OSG, CD/FLAC Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] I don't know about you, but for me EL84 is not a tube associated with high-end performance. Similarly to EL34, this pentode makes me thinking about inexpensive, quite simple amplifiers, nice sounding, but never really achieving anything more but a certain level of performance. It is true that many people like Leben amplifiers and even the famous Japanese Kondo introduced an expensive (maybe not in Kondo terms, but surely in “objective” ones) integrated amplifier based on EL34 a while back, proving once again that the output tube is responsible only for a fraction of the final performance. It's the application that is the key, and Kondo used their extensive knowledge and experience to offer fantastic performance. But could a Polish brand, founded only a few years back, really achieve similar sonic effect? Listening to Cubes during shows could not have given me a definitive answer to this question, but I knew it was an interesting product that I should listen to in my own system. That is why already some time ago we agreed on this test. Actually we agreed for a review of a set with preamplifier and monoblocks. But – as I already explained - perfectionism of My Sound designers translated into a delay of preamp's premiere. So finally only two mono amplifiers landed in my room and I listened to them using my own trusted ModWright LS100 preamplifier and another one under review, EternalArts HLP OTL preamp/headphone amplifier. The Cubes deliver 12 watts output per channel, which suggests that they should be combined with relatively easy to drive loudspeakers (although the previously described reason for their creation may suggest otherwise). During shows they usually play horn speakers by Lublin based brand called hORNS and there was even a chance that also during this test I could use products of both brands. Unfortunately, timing failed us and therefore instead I used another high efficiency speakers that I'd been already using for few months. These come from a successful American brand called DeVore Fidelity and the particular model is Orangutan 93. In the name of this speaker manufacturer hid an information revealing their sensitivity - 93 dB, which together with the nominal impedance of 10Ω (min. 7.75Ω) makes them a perfect fit for even low power tube amps. As usually I used both, digital - Lampizator Big7 and analogue - Janusz Sikora turntables (my Basic and a novelty that will debut during Audio Video Show in Warsaw this year called Starter) sources. I'll start with the feature that in the case of tube amplifiers is not so obvious. The My Sound amplifiers are “trouble-free” products, using them does not require any special attention, treatment or setup, and it was true regardless of which preamplifier and source I played them with. Since the very beginning I could hear a dead silence in highly sensitive speakers, no hum, noise, glitches or whatsoever - I connected the system and right after that I could start enjoying music. I've dealt with more than one, sometimes even great sounding, vacuum tube device, that required a lot of effort to eliminate hum or noise coming from connected speakers. Not this time. Obviously I could not check every possible configuration, so I can not guarantee that it is “trouble-free” in every possible setup, but the few tested suggest that these devices simply do not cause any problems. It is worth noting that this effect was achieved despite the fact that Cubes feature relatively small enclosures which prevented their designers from ensuring there was a big distance between elements that might interfere with others thus effecting the sound. This also explains why it takes so long before new product is ready. As I said – these guys are perfectionists. Usually the beginning of the test is quite simple – right away it is easy to identify some characteristic qualities for the device under review and start the text with them. But this time it wasn't that easy. Although I always try to have an open mind, free of any prejudice, stereotypes or bias, when I started my listening session, however, at least subconsciously I did have some expectations. In my mind the EL84 translates into sweet, not too fast, warm, nice, but not particularly transparent, resolving nor dynamic sound. That's a stereotype of this pentode that was still there in my head. And yet ... The first thought that came to my mind was something like: it does not sound like a tube amplifier at all. Only a few, maybe a dozen minutes later, in turn, I thought: I was wrong, it does sound like a tube. And so it went for almost the entire first evening I spent listening to the Cubes. Where did this ability come from? To explain that let me start with a question: did Cubes really sound warm like a tube amplifier usually does? Not really. OK, maybe it was not absolutely neutral, say it was more of a +0.5 degree rather than absolute zero. But many, if not most tube amps and even some transistors deliver even warmer performance. So, these are not typically sounding tube amplifiers in this respect. Round, slow, dragged bass? None of these features apply here! There was a very good control over the 10-inch woofers, that were easily pushed to deliver nicely extended bass, that was also rich, full-bodied, very well controlled and differentiated. I listened, for example, to Marcus Miller on bass playing on TuTu and it sounded almost equally well controlled, fast and dynamic as it did during excellent Warsaw concert last year. Leading edge speed was impressive, as well as instant suppression of sounds, or the long decay, when the musician allowed it. Orangutan 93 that are not big speakers driven with Cube's 12 watts filled my mid-size room with music and it truly rocked! When, for a change, I cued in the Ray Brown's album and listened to his double bass my assessment turned 180 degrees - only tubes can deliver such a “flashy”, but at the same time crispy and fabulously colorful, beautifully differentiated, acoustic bass. It's the vacuum tubes that specialize in delivering proportional amount of wood in this instrument's sound, it's their tangibility that allows listener to “see” how big the bass is. And in the end it is they that take care of the full, long sustain, one of the key features of this instrument's sound. Just ... not all tube amplifiers are capable of delivering properly fast attack, convey the immediacy of a plucked string, or of a gentle, but extremely quick tap on string on a fretboard. The key is not in the micro-dynamics alone, because that is a strength of most such designs, but in the speed, immediacy which this burgundy (in this version) My Sound amplifiers were able to deliver sound with. What is important is that differentiation of various recordings was also very good – after all not at recordings of double bass sound as good as on Soular energy. On those of a bit lesser quality where there was a bit too much of wood, or sounds were sustained for too long, Polish amplifiers delivered it honestly. Continuing the convention, it can be said that Cube played like a tube amps, but very good ones, that didn't sugarcoat downsides of the recording, which is true also for high quality solid-state counterparts. And, just as any high quality tube device, they offered bass that sounded organically, was never dry, never featured an underlined phase attack. Yes, high-quality transistor amplifiers can deliver even faster, even more dynamic sound, but in turn only a very few can match a high quality tube amp in terms of timbre presentation and differentiation. I would say that the creators of Cubes found a good balance between the advantages of both technologies. For the bass they preserved the best qualities offered by tubes, but wherever tubes have their weaknesses they managed to eliminate them replacing them with more solid-state-like qualities. And what about the dynamics on macro level when playing more complex, dense tracks, eg. some orchestral music or rock? To find that out I dropped a needle into the groove of one of the classic albums by Led Zeppelin and pushed the volume knob way up. This is not an audiophile recording, and it was pretty obvious when played with Cubes – again they did not sugarcoat anything, they didn't try to smooth this material over. There was a lot of typical rock 'dirt', a lot of energy, quite good dynamics, clean (as far as it is possible for Plant) vocal. Was is the best presentation of this album I've ever heard? No, I've heard a couple of amplifiers that delivered this music with even bigger momentum and more energy, with better dynamics and better control over the “hottest” moments in the mix thus limiting the chaos. But on the other hand they did not capture the expressiveness of Plant's voice in such a fantastic way as Cubes did, and Page's guitar sounded more dry, less colorful than with Polish monoblocks. I would say that it is more of a individual preference, rather than actual, significant superiority of one method of presentation over another. Next I listened to some Mozart (The Marriage of Figaro conducted by Currentzis) - a large orchestra plus opera singers in a very good recording, and performance which is one of my favorites. The recording is not as spacious as Carmen with Leontyne Price, so it wasn't my intention to assess this aspect, but the dynamics of the orchestra and the presentation of voices was. My Sound amplifiers confirmed they impressive abilities in terms of micro-dynamics, showed clearly that there was nothing to complain about in terms of resolution and selectivity and that in terms of expressiveness they could go (almost) head-to-head with the best SET amps. Therefore the singers sounding amazingly well and the ambiance of the presentation simply drew me into the story causing time and again a smile on my face. Orchestra playing in the background sounded very pure, its placement in the space seemed natural (as far as it is possible in a home system). There was a lot of those small details, subtleties nicely delivered by the reviewed amplifiers, just as any true performer should do. This was this type of performance that made me quickly forget that my reason for these sessions was a review, an assessment of these amps and not just enjoying the music and wonderful performance caught in the recording. To be quite objective, however, I have to say that I've heard this opera played with in even more vivid, energetic way, with even higher levels of this incredible, joyful energy that the great Amadeus hid in the notes and MusicAeterna conducted by Currentzis so perfectly conveyed. To be clear – I would not give up this level of expressiveness, beauty of the vocals, and saturated, full color of instruments for a higher level of dynamics. But I realize that some of Mozart fans to be completely satisfied must feel the power of the orchestra deeply in their guts. That they can not expect from Cubes, at least not with the speakers that I had available (which are easy to drive but not large, which in itself does not help in portraying the scale orchestra) and most likely macro-dynamics aficionados might keep it against these amps. I listened also to one of Patricia Barber's albums and I was immediately grabbed by her fantastic vocals, delivered by Polish Cubes in a way that resembled me my favorite SETs. Maybe Patricia's voice wasn't just quite as "moist", and her presence in my room wasn't quite as strong as with amps based on 45 or 300B triodes (in SET mode), but tonally the presentation was very alike and the level of expression was quite unique too. In short – it sounded like a good tube again. But it was a very pure, resolving and detailed tube, more of a 2A3 (in a good application) than 45 or even 300B (although there is again a question of a specific application – I elaborated on the issue in my review of Tektron amplifier; review in Polish). The reviewed amp gives a good insight into the mix, allowing listener to look close at the smallest details presented in a very clear, but not intrusive/aggressive way. I wouldn't call this an analytical sounding device, but simply very resolving and highly detailed. It offer a great micro-dynamics, but is also very good in presenting the timbre of voices and instruments and smallest subtleties hidden within the recording. How much more realistic get a sounds of an acoustic guitar, when you can hear individual strings being struck one after the other instead of one compact sound of all of them presented simultaneously, how much more convincing is knowing from the first pluck whether musician uses nylon or metal strings, hearing perfectly fingers moving along the strings, or even minor knocks on the soundbox. How much more beautiful is a presentation of a trumpet, when you can hear a musician when he takes on the air, as he works the valves, as he moves the trumpet around the microphone following the rhythm. Listening to the famous Koeln concert I heard every Jarrett's grunt, every tap of his leg, not to mention the surprisingly large colony of constantly coughing people in the audience. When listening to the Jazz at the Pawnshop I became agitated by the clang of the cutlery and the clatter of dishes made by those who didn't manage to finish their meal before concert started… I could go on and on with more examples to tell you how good Cubes are, but I hope you're already convinced. At this point I can smoothly move to the next item on the list, which makes Cubes sound like very good tube amplifier. I'm talking about spaciousness of the soundstage, about three-dimensionality and the tangibility of phantom images, about how precisely each of them is placed in particular part of soundstage's space and last but not least about the already mentioned feeling of the presence of the musicians in the room. The latter is achieved without pushing the closest instruments forward in front of the loudspeakers. Everything takes place behind the line connecting fronts of the speakers and the depth of the stage goes on and on. The phantom images are rendered in a "tube" way – or in other words their real feeling, palpability comes from density and mass of instrument's or vocalist bodies rather than from outlining their shape in particularly distinct way. Yes, the best SET amps are even more convincing in this aspect of the presentation, but the Cubes while being a slight disadvantage here have also an upper hand in a few other aspects described above. Summary Let me end this review the same way I began it – it is really great to see that our countrymen create such a high quality and beautiful audio products. The market share of such amplifiers is and always will be rather small. I think, however, that many people looking for musically engaging, beautifully sounding amplifier who don't mind spending some time looking for proper loudspeakers might find that Cubes are exactly what they need. Because EL84, as it turns out, does not necessarily sound warm and slow. It can sound clean, resolving, detailed, with a very good micro- and good macro-dynamics. They do give way to some high-end SETs in terms of holography of the presentation, tangibility of the sound, but on the other hand, they are more versatile than many triode based amplifiers. They shall deliver a lot of fun while you're listening to acoustic jazz or vocals, but also with the good old rock, blues, or even with classical music including operas and symphonies. The more drama, emotions in music, the better Polish Cubes convey them. It's too bad that, like many other wonderful Polish products, also these amplifiers are more appreciated abroad than in our country. That's why let me put it this way - if you are looking for low-power tube amplifier, or simply a wonderfully musical, natural sounding and yet detailed, precise amplifier, next to the products of well-known foreign brands you simply have to give a chance to the My Sound Cube too! These sound as great, as they look (or even better), and are made in Poland by a small manufacturer, by the people who put in a piece of their heart. Give them a chance and you shall be wowed! The Cubes are tube push-pull amplifiers featuring EL84 power tubes, and delivering 12 watts output per channel. As we received pure power amps for the test (manufacturer offers same amps with volume control based on the 48-step resistor ladder) there are no buttons or knobs on the front panel but only a single power LED located near the bottom, and the model name located near the upper edge. On the top surface there are three sockets hosting tubes- a 12AX7 driver and two power tubes – EL84 pentodes. On the back one finds a very solid RCA jack (input) and speaker terminals with separate taps for 8 and 4 Ω. There is also an IEC socket, on/off switch and that's it. Almost. Almost, because the amplifiers are not equipped with an auto-bias system. Bias current has to be set manually (surely it is done by manufacturer prior to delivery to the customer but later it should be check from time to time and if necessary adjusted). That's what the extra slot (Bias interface) and two mini-potentiometers are for. The element, which further distinguishes these amplifiers is a glass protective cover. Guys form My Sound felt that this element, usually used in the form of a not necessarily beautiful grille/metal mesh, that does not add to device's appeal, in this case may constitute the originality and beauty of the Cube. They created a sort of glass C, which encompasses the amplifier from the bottom, through the front, to the top panel, It a C with the "belly" in front of the amp, and the opening at the rear for an easy access to rear wall with all the connectors. In the lower part there are four holes and four very nice and effective anti-vibration feet go through them fixing also the glass cover to amplifier's body. The edges of C connecting the bottom and upper parts with the front are nicely rounded. At the top there is a lot of space between amp's enclosure and the glass to leave enough space for tubes. Photos, especially mine, don't do Cubes justice - in fact they look much, much better. The color version delivered for this review is called Red Wine and just one look at the picture will tell you why. The other two standard finishes are: Gold and Black & White. Regardless of the color version side panels are made of bubinga wood. The Black & White's cover is made of lightly smoked glass, which better matches the color of the housing. Beauty is always a matter of taste, but I think that the percentage of people delighted with that design is extremely high. Inside manufacturer used high quality components such as Mundorf capacitors or CMC tube sockets. The most important elements (of each tube amplifier), however, are the output transformers. Polish manufacturer uses two versions – the one under review featured the more expensive transformers with amorphous cores. They are shielded, filled with special resin and additionally isolated from the rest of circuit with anti-vibration elements. As declared by the manufacturer, much attention was also paid to the issue of power - all voltages are stabilized. Specifications (according to manufacturer): Tubes: EL84 PP, 12AX7 Output: 12W Input sensitivity: 1V Frequency range: 16 Hz-65kHz  THD+N: 0.1% (1W) TIM: 0.08% (1W) Output impedance: 4 Ω/8Ω Weight: 12.5kg/PC. Dimensions (W/D/H): 210/260/340mm [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/mysound/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/mysound/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/mysound/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/mysound/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/mysound/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/mysound/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/mysound/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/mysound/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/mysound/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/mysound/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/mysound/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/mysound/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/mysound/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/mysound/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/mysound/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/mysound/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/mysound/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/mysound/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

he function of a digital cable is to transmit digital signal from a transmitter to a receiver. As we are living in a digital world, there are many types of such transmissions, also in the audio domain. For a long time, we have been witnessing manufacturers’ efforts to get rid of cables. Therefore, there has been improvement in Bluetooth transmission in which CD quality signal can be transmitted without compression thanks to the apt-X codec. Wi-Fi is also used more and more often, e.g. in Arcam systems with a soundbar as the base and a subwoofer as the receiver. However, as it seems, cables are going to remain the dominant medium for transmitting music signal for a long time (perhaps forever) in high-end audio, mainly in recording and mastering studios. There are two dominant types of connections in home audio: USB and S/PDIF with AES/EBU as add-on variant. HDMI and Ethernet cables are much less often used for this purpose. Some companies, e.g. Ancient Audio and CEC use their own connections. AES/EBU is a connection in which signal is transferred using a single cable with XLR connectors at each end (impedance: 110 Ω). It used to be used in recording studios, but it is also quite often found in consumer audio systems. Its advantage is that balanced signal is sent through it, so it is resistant to interference. A “home” version of the AES/EBU is the S/PDIF standard (SONY/Philips Digital Interface Format), based on a professional AES3, making it possible to send uncompressed stereophonic signal up to 24 bit and 96 kHz or compressed multi-channel signal (e.g. Dolby Digital or DTS). Some of the latest DACs also accept DSD signal packed as DoP (DSD over PCM) in this way. S/PDIF signal can be sent optically or electrically – i.e. either via TOSLink cables or single electrical cables, most often coaxial ones, with RCA or BNC connectors at their ends and characteristic impedance of 75 Ω. An advantage of optical transmission is the galvanic isolation of the transmitter (transport) and the receiver (digital-to-analog converter), while its disadvantage is a narrower frequency response than in the case of an electrical cable. Digital cables seem to be the simplest type of connections. In fact, they are one of those that are most difficult to make. They have to handle extremely broad frequency response, be resistant to electromagnetic and FR interference, as well as maintain characteristic impedance. Each deviation causes jitter interference (irregularities in the timing of a rising or falling edge). In reality, every cable changes something and there are no ideal cables, because, apart from the cable itself, there are also problems with connectors, among which only BNC connectors let us precisely maintain nominal impedance (RCA connectors change it a bit). The only 75-ohm connectors are WBT nextgen connectors, like Bullet Plug connectors in the past. HIMALAYA Pro DIGITAL CABLE The Pro version of the digital KBL Sound Himalaya cable in the test is an RCA cable. At the time of the return of external digital D/A converters in audio, it is one of the most popular methods of transmitting digital signal (next to USB), while HDMI prevails in the video world. In the article you will find manufacturer’s specifications regarding the cable’s design, so I am not going to write a lot about them. Let me just say that the Himalaya Pro is made of single crystal OCC silver wires and has top-of-the-range silver-plated WBT RCA connectors from the nextgen series at its ends. There is a bulge on the receiver side, as if a snake has swallowed a mouse – these are the so-called Bybee Slipstream Purifiers, components produced by the American company Bybee Technologies whose function is to purify signal. I do not know them from other applications and I do not quite understand how they work, so I am testing the cable as a whole component. The cable is quite flexible and covered with gray mesh, just like all other Himalaya cables. It is packed in a nice wooden box with a certificate of authenticity. The standard length of the cables is 1, 1.5 or 2 m. Let me add that on a special request the cables can be made not of silver, but of single crystal OCC copper. KBL Sound In order to satisfy the needs of even the most demanding music lovers, we have included a new top-of-the-range line of signal and speaker cables in our offer: the Himalaya PRO. It is different from the previously launched Himalaya series in that the signal is additionally purified by the Quantum Bybee Purifiers. These are small components that work similarly to filters, but their function is not really to filter noise or interference, but rather to “order” the flow of electrons at the quantum level. As a result, none of the factors that influence sound get sacrificed, which may be the case when filters are used, but all sonic aspects are improved. This happens because the purifiers operate at the most basic level where the flow or exchange of electrons between atoms becomes easier and more effective. Bybee products already gained recognition in the world several years ago and many companies are using them in their most exotic products (e.g. Boenicke or Jorma Design). We have become convinced that the manufacturer’s claim that the purifiers “result in an improvement in sound reproduction surpassing whatever is achievable in any cable, no matter how well designed it is” is true. Indeed, the purifiers also allow us to “tune” our cables even better. In order to be able to offer these and other interesting solutions proposed by Bybee Technologies on the Polish market, we have become the company’s distributor in our country. The digital Himalaya PRO cable belongs to this new type of our cables which constitutes the essence of KBL Sound’s guiding thought, as we have used the most modern and advanced technologies in the world to produce it. Similarly to Himalaya signal cables, the conductor is single crystal OCC silver which ensures a homogenous environment for the flow of electrons. In this respect there is no better solution than a single crystal of metal from one plug to another and it can be treated as an ideal standard. Any other forms of even the purest metals or alloys will cause distortion in transmission because of their granular structure, and therefore they will make sound less natural. The function of an insulator that is close to an ideal is performed in the Pro cables by foamed Teflon whose loss coefficient is much lower than that of Teflon itself. It is an expensive and therefore rarely used solution that is also extremely difficult to apply, dedicated only for uncompromising applications. We use top-class WBT-1052 Ag nextgen Signature plugs with a minimized contact surface to avoid unfavorable electromagnetic phenomena, such as eddy currents. The cable has a characteristic spatial arrangement in which the hot core and the return core are separated and separately screened, four times in total. This effectively protects the cable from the influence of harmful RFI and EMI waves that are more and more often penetrating our environment. Finally, what makes the Pro series unique are the Bybee purifiers applied directly between the plug and the cable, selected and tuned specially for a given model. It is worth adding that the Himalaya interconnects and speaker cables that have already been bought can be modified and upgraded to the PRO version for an additional price. The Himalaya Pro cable is one of the most expensive digital cables that we can currently buy. It does not cost the most, but is definitely in the lead. So, I listened to it attentively in a few configurations, using different transports and converters for this purpose. As regards transports, these were the Reimyo CDP-777, the Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition and the Marantz HD-CD1. When it comes to converters, I used the DAP-999EX TOKU High Fidelity Edition and the Amare Musica Diamond Tube DSD DAC. My reference point were two digital RCA cables: the Acrolink Mexcel 7N-DA6100 II (1 m) and the Acoustic Revive COX-1.0PA (1 m). KBL SOUND in “High Fidelity” TEST: KBL Sound ZODIAC – analog interconnect + speaker cable + AC power cable TEST: KBL Sound SIGNATURE SERIES HIMALAYA – AC power cable AWARD OF THE YEAR 2015: KBL Sound SIGNATURE SERIES HIMALAYA – interconnect + speaker cable TEST: KBL Sound SIGNATURE SERIES HIMALAYA – interconnect + speaker cable AWARD OF THE YEAR 2014: KBL Sound REFERENCE POWER DISTRIBUTOR + RED EYE – power strip + AC power cables (system) TEST: KBL Sound REFERENCE POWER DISTRIBUTOR + RED EYE – power strip + AC power cables (system) TEST: KBL Sound RED EYE – digital S/PDIF cable Recordings used for the test (a selection): Charlie Haden & Chris Anderson, None But The Lonely Heart, Naim naimcd022, CD (1997) Aqua e Vihno, wyk. Kuropaczewski, Szymczewska, Zdunik, Staśkiewicz, Budnik-Gałązka, Polskie Radio | Ponte PRCD 1315, CD (2010) Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet, Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland, „Polish Jazz vol. 4”, Master CD-R (1965/2016) Brian Eno, The Ship, Warp Records/Beat Records BRC-505CE, SHM-CD (2015) Depeche Mode, Ultra, Mute/Sony Music Labels SICP-30543, Blu-spec CD2, (2007/2014) Dominic Miller & Neil Stacey, New Dawn, Naim naimcd066, CD (2002) Franz Liszt, Agnelle Bundervoët plays Liszt, Decca France/Sakuraphon SKRP33020, CD (1955/2015) Michał Wróblewski Trio, City Album, Elite Records 11529024, CD (2014) Ryszard Sygitowicz, Bez grawitacji, Wifon/GAD Records GAD CD 029, CD (1985/2015); Schubert, Song Cycles, wyk. Nathalie Stutzmann, Inger Södergren, Erato/Warner Classics 4623701, 3 x CD (2014) Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] It is easy to prove that a digital cable changes sound. The Himalaya Pro works like any other product, i.e. it modifies the musical message, which cannot be avoided. However, since it is a good cable, it modifies music in a specific way, for a given purpose. A lot of digital cables pretend that they do not contribute to sound in any way, which results in chaotic attempts to improve one aspect of sound or another, without paying attention to the musical message as a whole. The tested Himalaya cable, let us make it clear straight away, proposes coherent transmission which orders sound. What attracts attention in the sound of the Polish cable is the emphasis on the part of the frequency range which is usually referred to as the “midrange”. It would be easier for me to talk about “favoring the midrange”, but this is not it. That would suggest warming up, perhaps even like in the case of a stereotypical tube amplifier, but the reality is completely different – the Himalaya Pro produces open and detailed sound. In this case, emphasis on the midrange is both about showing direct sounds more strongly and promoting the foregrounds. Phantom images, i.e. instruments and human voices are strong and close to us. Therefore, the musical message is very tangible and “human”. I am talking about such kind of music that makes stereotypical “digital sound” a thing of the past – now it is about warmth, density and fluidity. However, this is not blobby or sticky sound. Its open quality makes us sensitive to many details that are not always properly captured when weaker cables are used. I am not only talking about musicians’ breaths or the sound of a moving chair, because it is obvious, but also completely “musical” elements, such as the way of blowing the trumpet, the act of hitting the percussion with a beater or the double bass playing technique. These are seemingly unimportant elements, but they build the credibility of the musical message, bringing us closer to the performers and the performance itself. This is what the Himalaya Pro cable deals with easily, without being lavish and overwhelming us with information, but simply by providing the information and building a whole grand musical message. The act of bringing music closer to the listener can also be taken literally, as the foregrounds are distinct and constitute the most important element of the message. We “see” the playing instruments and vocalists, and we do get a credible message. The foreground is strong, but not because the background is pulled up. The depth of the sound stage is really nice. However, slight shifts of accents make us subconsciously focus on the foreground while, for example, listening to recordings in which there is a lot of reverberation – for example Schubert interpreted by Nathalie Stutzmann and Inger Södergren. What is further away – room response, in this particular case – is smooth and nice, but does not occupy a lot of space between the speakers. I perceived the duet of Charlie Haden and Chris Anderson (recorded from a certain distance, which is typical for Naim), but also Brian Eno’s ambient collages from his last album – The Ship in the same way. The focus on “here and now” was clear. The cable does not lead to closing the sound stage. There is breath and swing in the recordings, and if these are intimate recordings, captured using microphones located close to the sound sources, they retain their specific character. The cable does not diminish the size of instruments, either. The effect that I am talking about relies on focusing our attention on what is closer to us. The sound is direct and “literal”. However, it does not impose itself on us with its presence as it is very smooth. It makes the tested Himalaya cables different from cables which are unambiguously warm (closeness) or detailed (distance). Therefore, even though it is a cable “with a personality”, it is neither imposed on us nor even unambiguous. Everything depends on how we interpret that and not on what interpretation we get. I am repeating myself, but “smoothness” is, in my opinion, a good description of this kind of sound. It is neither warm, nor does it make the foregrounds larger than they are; it has a clear upper midrange, but does not brighten sound up. The low bass is lighter than in the copper reference cables and the upper treble is sweeter. It can only be heard during a direct A/B/A comparison. When we listen to whole tracks and albums, we get the impression of an open midrange and smoothness, but there is also sufficient filling. If we compare the tested cable with a top-of-the-range copper cable once again, we will hear the specific character of the Himalaya Pro. If we listen to it for a longer time, we will quickly get used to it. It reminds me of the way signal is modified by Siltech digital interconnects (apart from the Triple Crown). Summary Companies promoting wireless connections claim that the best cable is no cable. This is true, of course, but in a completely different sense and reminds me of another similar statement: “the best preamplifier is no preamplifier”. I agree that eliminating the cable solves certain problems, but then new, more serious ones emerge. So, we must accept the fact that cables modify sound and simply look for products that do it in accordance with our expectations. The Himalaya Pro cable raises sound a little, emphasizing the midrange (including the upper midrange). It is detailed and accurate. By including it in a top system, we retain good presentation, rhythmicity and details. There is no chaos or disorder. At the same time, the cable produces smooth and nice sound, focusing our attention on direct sounds, and frees us from the necessity to constantly analyze what we hear. Can this be done better? Surely – by making the bass deeper and reverberation longer, and increasing resolution that results in greater background saturation. However, there are two disadvantages of this. First of all, we will have to sacrifice something in return (e.g. decrease the amount of details). Secondly, even though the Himalaya Pro cable is very expensive, we will have to pay just as much for these “improvements”. BOBBY PREVITE & THE VISITORS Gone ForTune Production ForTune 0100(065) Premiere: 2016 Medium: COMPACT DISC JAZZ In 1996, Bobby Previte travelled around Europe with his young band Weather Clear, Track Fast, introducing a new generation of musicians: Jamie Saft, Cuong Vu and Andrew D’Angelo to the European stage in this way. Twenty years later he did this again and returned with musicians from Brooklyn: Mike Gamble – guitar, Michael Kammers – saxophone and keyboard, and Kurt Kotheimer – bass guitar. The Visitors is Previn’s first live band in the last ten years. Rehearsals took place in his new studio – Three Horses in a Wood (surrounded by a forest, as the name itself suggests). Robert "Bobby" Previte is an American drummer and composer born in 1951 in the state of New York. He studied economics and the percussion at the University at Buffalo – both at the same time. In 1979 he moved to New York where he became a very active representative of experimental and jazz music. He cooperated with John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz, Elliott Sharp and many other musicians. Bobby Previte describes his collaboration with The Visitors in the following way: “I very much like playing with, and simply being with younger musicians. Their energy is contagious, and they don't have any axes to grind. They aren't so invested in who they are as to limit themselves to whom they think they should be, and the current Visitors are among my very favorites. I thank them for the music, the intensity, and all that I have learned from them. And especially for the quarter-speed Elvis hang at 3 am. Epic!” The album Gone is a record of a concert which took place in Warsaw, at the 12on14 club on 21st January 2015. The club was then still situated in the Warsaw Old Town on Piwna street. (Source: adapted from company materials) SOUND Concert records are not always technically perfect, even if it can be heard that efforts were made to keep everything under control. This is also true for the album Gone. Reconciling stage and recording requirements is difficult and you often have to compromise, and sacrifice the latter. Bobby Previte’s album is neither selective nor offers much resolution. It is strong music with electric and acoustic instruments, and it is hard to reconcile these elements with one another. The timbre of individual instruments is preserved really well. The frequency response is limited from the top and bottom, so it seems that the midrange and upper bass are most important here. The sound stage is quite narrow and we do not get clearly defined sound planes. I listened to this album through headphones for the first time and everything that I wrote about above did not mean much anymore. The density, energy and vitality that this recording is full of makes us wait for the next move of the musicians with excitement. The free-jazz convention merged with traditional fusion is used very well here and gives listeners a kick. It is an album that makes us give up our habits – if we do not want to listen to the same music as always again, let us listen to Gone and get fresh music that will increase our appetite for life each time. Sound quality: 6/10 bobbyprevite.com store.for-tune.pl SILVA RASMUSSEN SOLBERG Free Electronic Band ForTune Production ForTune 0101(066) Premiere: 20.07.2016 Medium: COMPACT DISC FREE JAZZ Silva Rasmussen Solberg is a trio (Mette Rasmussen, Alan Silva and Ståle Liavik Solberg) that made their debut as a spontaneously formed band at the Oslo’s Blow Out! Festival in 2013. Their performance was then acknowledged as one of the most interesting and important events of the festival. Mette Rasmussen is an artist who likes to experiment – she is constantly examining the possibilities of sound, trying out various techniques and expanding the instrument’s grammar as a result. The American “Downbeat” called her “a young Scandinavian saxophone sensation”. “The Wire” perceives her as an artist who “is moving on the border of controlled lyricism”. Vebopspokenhere, UK sees her in the Premier League of young improvisers. Alan Silva is an American multi-instrumentalist, a double bass player (one of the most creative and innovative ones in jazz) and keyboardist. Throughout his long career, he has gained a reputation of being an innovative improviser. He has collaborated with such avant-garde stars as Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, Suny Murray, Frank Wright, Bill Dixon or Archie Shepp, Johannes Bauer and Roger Turner. In 1964 he took part in the October Revolution in Jazz festival in New York as a pioneer of the free jazz movement. He recorded the album Live in Greenwich Village with Albert Ayler. In 1969 he moved from New York to Paris where he established and managed the star-studded Celestrial Communication Orchestra, a group dedicated to free jazz and musical experiments. In Paris he also set up the famous Institute for Artistic & Cultural Perception where he also worked as a teacher. Ståle Liavik Solberg is one of the central characters in the domain of musical improvisation in Oslo. He is part of bands such as VCDC, regularly collaborates with the British guitarist and distinguished promoter of free improv – John Russell, pianist and keyboardist Jim Baker, saxophonist Martin Küchen, or composer and cellist Fredrick Lonberg-Holm. Solberg is also one of the organizers of the Blow Out! festival in Oslo. He is responsible for the organization of the event together with the drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. The album consists of a single composition Free Electronic Band that is 45 minutes and 55 seconds long, recorded all at once on 21st July 2014 in Centrum Kultury Agora (Agora Cultural Centre) in Wrocław. (Source: adapted from company materials) SOUND Shortly before I obtained the album Free Electronic Band, I bought another “batch” of discs produced by the French company Actuel for review, beautifully remastered and issued as mini LPs, i.e. in “packets”. The reviewed album does not come across as worse when it comes to music (although there is a difference, of course, in how recognizable and famous the artists are) and it is better as far as sound is concerned. The sound is distinct, but warm at the same time. Good dynamics has been maintained and the frequency range is not closed from the top. It does sound a bit like a live performance, i.e. like from dynamic microphones, but I have no problem with that. The sound stage is broad, quite deep, with clearly presented individual sound planes. There is also quite high dynamics which prevents everything from getting mashed. The recording lacks resolution and selectivity a bit, as if someone was trying mainly to prevent the brightening of sound at the mastering stage, but we cannot do anything about it. Above all, this is energetic music that gets meditative at times and can be listened to non-stop without making us bored or tired. Sound quality: 6-7/10 store.for-tune.pl [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/kbl/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/kbl/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/kbl/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/kbl/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/kbl/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/kbl/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/kbl/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/kbl/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/kbl/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/kbl/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/kbl/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/kbl/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

aunching a few new products in a short period of time requires a lot of effort from a specialist audio company. For a small firm, such as Haiku-Audio from Cracow, it is like being turbocharged with jet fuel. And we only just tested its largest integrated amplifier (so far)– the iovita in June. However, circumstances are clearly favorable for the company’s development and there are people willing to get acquainted with different types of Haiku-Audio products. The SOL III differs from all Wiktor Krzak’s (the owner of Haiku-Audio) products that we have already presented in “High Fidelity”. It is a 100% solid state amplifier (SOL = SOLid State), whereas the ones that we had tested before were hybrid amplifiers with a tube preamplifier and a transistor power amplifier. It is already the third version of the SOL model that is described on the company website in the following way: The simplicity and transparency of the circuit, as well as the way the SOL amplifier reproduces sound make it more similar to tube amps than to traditional transistor designs. The heart of the circuit is one Single-Ended transistor stage. A push-pull pair of A-class transistors is located on the amplifier output in order to increase output power and make it possible for the amplifier to work with speaker sets with a complicated impedance course. The whole amplifier has three gain stages and is not placed in a feedback loop. A stronger version of the SOL – the SOL II model – was created after some time. It had double power, up to 50 W/8 Ω and 90 W/4 Ω, and many improvements were introduced in the circuit. For example, the amplifier was equipped with a stabilization circuit and additional enormous capacitors (total capacity: 0.1 F). Volume was controlled using a DACT switch potentiometer with gold-plated contacts and channel synchronization better than 0.05 dB already from the first step. The SOL III was created on that basis. At the time of the test there is still no information about it on the company website but it is known that there has been a significant increase in the price – from 8700 PLN for version II to 14,400 PLN for version III. Why is it so? The reason for the higher price are, of course, changes introduced in the design. I asked the constructor himself about them and their purpose. WIKTOR KRZAK Owner, constructor The SOL series includes transistor amplifiers consisting of three gain stages – not many, compared with transistor standards. When it comes to topology, they are more like tube amplifiers than average transistors, all the more that the main point of the amplifier is the middle Single-Ended A-class control stage. Moreover, the circuit has no global feedback. The latest SOL III version is different from the previous ones when it comes to its dual-mono circuit, i.e. separate power transformers for each channel, its housing made entirely of anodized aluminum and processor which controls the on/off procedure, input selector and remote control. The input selector itself is placed on a gold-plated plate and uses air-tight signal transmitters. The best quality components are used in the amp, including Nichicon-Gold capacitors, precise metalized resistors in the whole circuit or Toshiba transistors. The power transformers are manufactured by Haiku-Audio. These are rarely used toroidal transformers with a tall core and excellent parameters. Output power has been increased to 60 W/8 Ω or 110 W/4 Ω (constant power). During measurements it was possible to obtain 90 W/8 Ω and 145 W/4 Ω of instantaneous power, respectively. Idle power consumption of the device is 100 W and peak power consumption is almost 0.5 kW. All amplifiers from the SOL series are produced in two versions: an integrated amplifier and a power amplifier. The integrated amplifier has a pre-out socket which can be used to connect an additional power amplifier in order to get a bi-amping set without the need to have a separate preamplifier. A black and a silver version are available. The price of the amp is 14,400 PLN (the integrated amplifier) and 12,000 PLN (the power amplifier). SOL III looks very similar to the iovita and to the Haiku-Audio Bright Mk3. As regards the height of the devices, the iovita is higher than the SOL III and the Haiku Bright Mk3 is lower. All amplifiers manufactured by Mr. Krzak have a similar housing based on modules produced by the Italian company Modu, also used by other firms that our readers have got acquainted with thanks to “High Fidelity” – sinusAudio (review in Polish) and RT Audio Design. These are robust and aesthetic housings with characteristic radiators on the sides. The front has been designed by Haiku-Audio and it is almost identical for all the company’s amplifier models. It is an aluminum plate with an opening to place a black insert on which there are input switches with green rims, a button which reduces signal by 20 dB and the standby switch (both with orange rims). Next to them there is also a large robust volume control knob that is very characteristic for this manufacturer. Such an arrangement of elements is included in the company logo, which looks really professional and aesthetic. The only problem (if it is a problem at all) is the fact that all the company’s amplifiers look very similar at first sight. The SOL III is an integrated amplifier with high output power, to which we can connect an additional power amplifier. This is what the unbalanced amplifier outputs controlled by a potentiometer are for. And where is the beautiful “DACT switch potentiometer with gold-plated contacts and channel synchronization better than 0.05 dB already from the first step”? Well – the deity of progress demands sacrifice. Having been pressed, pushed and molested, Wiktor finally gave in and decided to control volume remotely – both in the iovita and now in the SOL III. Everything has pros and cons, right? Functionality and user comfort have been improved in this way, but we get a slightly worse attenuator (mainly when it comes to channel balance, but not only). The remote control is minimalist and very easy to use. The high plastic column has a standby switch, volume control and a button which reduces signal by 20 dB. There is no classic “mute” circuit here. Interconnects Haiku-Audio has only recently started manufacturing and selling interconnects. We got the tested amplifier with interconnects that we comment on in a separate section of “The listening session” in this article. The cables look quite ordinary, they are very thin and have no fancy decorative mesh on them. The really nice element are their pins produced by the American Charming Music Conductor (CMC) company. The semiconductor is a thin cord made of silver-plated copper. The uniqueness of the cables lies in their geometry and the materials that the dielectric is made of. The inner insulation in Haiku-Audio interconnects is made of an electret, i.e. material which maintains a constant electric field. It can be compared to an electric equivalent of a permanent magnet. Using such insulation has an effect similar to when an external amplifier is used, but without any complications or discomfort for the user. Another untypical feature of the cables is the arrangement of the signal conductor. It is loose and comes into contact with the dielectric at a few points only. As a result, most of the conductor has air insulation which is characterized by excellent linearity. Additionally, the capacity of the cable is reduced, making it more friendly for delicate sources, e.g. ones that have tube outputs. The outer glossy black insulation is a non-flammable polymer which has unique mechanical properties. It makes the cable a bit rigid but virtually impossible to damage, at the same time effectively preventing Haiku-Audio cables from getting tangled. The price of the interconnects is 590 PLN for 75 cm. HAIKU-AUDIO in “High Fidelity” TEST: Haiku-Audio iovita – integrated amplifier, read HERE TEST: Haiku-Audio GANYMEDE + BRIGHT Mk3 POWER – line preamplifier/phonostage + power amplifier, AWARD OF THE YEAR 2015: Haiku-Audio HAIKU BRIGHT Mk3 – integrated amplifier, read HERE TEST: Haiku-Audio HAIKU BRIGHT Mk3 – integrated amplifier, read HERE Recordings used in the test (a selection) Alessandro Rolla, Duets for violin & viola, wyk. Isabelle Faust & Thomas Riebel, Glossa GCD C80021, CD (2016) Andrzej Kurylewicz Quintet, Go Right, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland 4648809, „Polish Jazz vol. 0”, Master CD-R (1963/2016) Anita Lipnicka, Vena Amoris, Mystic Production MYSTCD 244, CD (2013) Franc Schubert, 4 Impromptus D899 & D935, wyk. Maria João Pires, Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music Japan UCCG-50095, SHM-CD (1997/2011) Franz Schubert, Winterreise, wyk. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Alfred Brendel, Decca 464 739-2, CD (1986/2001) Laurie Anderson, Homeland, Nonesuch 524055-2, CD + DVD (2010); Mark Knopfler, The Trawlerman's Song EP, Mercury 9870986, CD (2005) Martyna Jakubowicz, Burzliwy błękit Joanny, Universal Music Polska 376 131 8, CD (2013); Nat ‘King’ Cole, Penthouse Serenade, Capitol Jazz/EMI 94504, „Super Bit Mapping” CD (1952/1998) Pet Shop Boys, Super, Sony Music Labels (Japan) SICX-41, CD (2016) Radiohead, The King of Limbs, Ticker Tape Ltd. TICK-001CDJ, Blu-spec CD (2011) Suzanne Vega, Close-Up. Vol.1, Love Songs, Amanuensis Productions | Cooking Vinyl COCKCD521, CD (2014) Wes Montgomery & Wynton Kelly Trio, Smokin’ At The Half Note, Verve 2103476, „Verve Master Edition", CD (1965/2005) Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] The stereotypical opinion that tubes provide warmth and transistors give power, and therefore hybrid amplifiers are a perfect combination of these two features, is both true and false at the same time – just like any other stereotype. It is true from a historical perspective because people really used to try to “tune” these amps in this way. A good example of nice devices of this type were Jolida amplifiers. However, it is also false, because what is discussed here are choices, not real pros and cons. Hybrid amplifiers (and more broadly: devices) have not sounded like this for a long time. It is because good tubes do not give us “warmth”, but rather an abundance of colors and great linearity, while transistors do not really give power but build a robust sound structure, giving it both tube and transistor features – such as high dynamics and low noise, etc. Good examples of top-class modern hybrid amplifiers are: the Trilogy 925 and the Linear Audio Research IA-120H. I have recalled the stereotype of a “warm and powerful” hybrid amplifier for a simple reason: the hybrid iovita amplifier that we tested a few months ago did not have anything in common with it. If we put the iovita and the tested SOL III next to each other and told test participants that one of them has a tube preamp and the other one a transistor one, and that both are solid-state power amps, I am sure that most people would say that the SOL III is a hybrid amplifier – not because it sounds warm, but because it is closer to the stereotypical representation of this type of a device than the iovita. The new Haiku-Audio amplifier sounds fresh and loud. The loudness relies on the high energy that the device transfers to the room and the presence of huge sound images, high volume and an excellent definition of instruments. The freshness refers to open sound without rounding the attack of the treble, characterized by amazing resonance. It is not stereotypical “tube” sound, as it does not warm up, smoothen or additionally sweeten anything. It is the kind of tube sound that really improves sound and not only “kind of makes it” nice and safe. I think it is because the clarity and dynamics. Both these features are very prominent in the SOL III. Therefore, sound sources have solid 3D images and are large. Their foreground is located a little behind the line which connects the speakers and they rarely “step out” in front of it – unless the sound engineer decided to tune up the vocal, e.g. on Nat ‘King’ Cole’s albums. I think that such a perspective comes from the musical training that Wiktor has received – in classical music it is always about showing an event from a certain perspective, emulating a situation that took place at a concert hall. The SOL III does not move everything to the background to such an extent – all in all, it is a reproduction of material recorded using microphones, i.e. “made-up” already at the recording stage. However, the Haiku-Audio amplifier does not bring anything forward, either. Listening to the device was extremely pleasant and comfortable for me. I was able to appreciate the well thought-out tonal balance, stability of instruments on the stage and great differentiation. The last of the features makes us listen to music with interest, which is not easy when we listen to our favorite or “test” material the n-th time. This time there was no problem with that and I flowed with the music, taking out one album after another, in accordance with what my curiosity and imagination prompted me to choose, without paying attention to the selected “set”. As regards the tone, the SOL III sounds fresh but also a bit saturated. Vocals sound open, with clearly articulated sibilants which neither dominate nor are emphasized and are, therefore, clearly heard. We get good selectivity but do not reach a point where it would dominate in any way. This is a feature which makes us look closer at the speakers that are going to be used with the amplifier. This is because the tweeter and the corresponding section of the crossover are usually at the bottom of our list of expenses, because of which they emphasize the attack, are not sensitive to sound shades and only select those sound elements that can be “roughly” heard. If we connect this with an amplifier which does not round sound up, sibilants may get over-interpreted, leading to the brightening of sound. If we hear something like this with the SOL III, let us remember it means there is a problem with the speakers, not with the amplifier. Anyway, we may not notice that at all because the device excellently saturates the bass, shows its power, textures and colors. After listening to it for a longer time, it is possible to feel a slight increase in the lower midrange, because of which the sound is never too light, even if the given album goes in this direction. High power makes it possible to control the dynamics of the lowest range freely. The sound structure is preserved even in such demanding recordings as Falling from Laurie Anderson’s Homeland album, with accurate bass control and its beautiful saturation. The sound stage, or rather imaging, is another strength of the SOL III. The amplifier shows space in a way which does not attract attention. Instruments have their own space around them and constitute part of the same “universe”, while the elements around us (if there are any) have nice timbre and are precisely located. Interconnects I think that interconnects offered by Haiku-Audio were listened to at the production stage in combination with the company’s amplifiers, which is probably obvious and can be heard straight away. They add some warmth and a stronger bass to the sound, as well as slightly correct the attack of the treble. When compared to more expensive reference cables, they show this means interfering with sound, but in order to achieve a specific effect – probably to increase the volume and add “color” to the system. This is sound in which dynamics and energy come first, and the attack is slightly rounded. The low range is controlled really well, but it is not a case in which we get clear textures and definitions. It is similar with the treble which is otherwise active and precise. The cables really well reflect spatial depth, without cutting off background elements or gluing them together. These are nice good cables characterized by high dynamics and nice bass – perhaps without especially good resolution, but that is the domain of expensive interconnects. Summary People who value coherence, dynamics and truth in music will like the SOL III. Its sound is accurate, dynamic and sonorous, as well as nicely saturated and colorful. It neither hides anything, nor focuses on the disadvantages of recordings. The slightly increased low midrange is a good thing to have in this case, as it gives recordings swing and depth. The amplifier is really well-made, although its functionality is limited – there is no recording output (to which we could connect a headphone amplifier) or DAC, it is not possible to send Bluetooth signal, as well as there is no phonostage or headphone amplifier. Most amplifiers manufactured by large companies, from the price range of up to 15,000 PLN, have all these elements. However, this is what a purist amplifier from a micro-manufacture looks like. Its defends itself with its really exquisite sound and the feeling that there is a real person with an idea behind it. Haiku-Audio is a small company led by an audio enthusiast, active musician and, generally speaking, a “positively twisted” man focused on his passions. However, Wiktor Krzak is not only a “God’s madman”, but also a competent manager who can count money. Without that, no company (no matter how brilliant its products are) has a chance to survive. The SOL III, just like all other Haiku-Audio products, is a purist minimalist device with excellent components and a refined (though simple) design. The elements of the housing are standardized in order not to unnecessarily increase the prices. Therefore, the SOL III resembles other Haiku-Audio devices from the outside. Its rigid housing is made of aluminum elements – panels and radiators. There is a double bottom panel – it has been reinforced to allow the amplifier to be attached to a stable basis. The upper panel that is attached to radiators has been damped using a piece of material manufactured by General Music System – it is a layer of aluminum and a vibration-damping material. The front and back In my opinion, the front panel is really nice, as it is minimalist and clean at the same time. There is an oblong opening in its surface, with a piece of black acrylic attached at the back. One can see the lights of button rims – a green one indicating the chosen line input and two orange ones (signal reduction by -20 dB or the standby switch). The mechanical switch which cuts off power supply is integrated with an IEC power supply socket. On the right there is a huge black aluminum volume control knob. There are four line inputs in the device, in the form of nice, gold-plated RCA sockets. It is worth paying attention to their configuration – their pairs are placed vertically, separated by quite a large distance. One can notice that their colors are different from what is commonly accepted – red and green. What is more, the channels are labeled in a different way, as the color red is assigned to the left channel, even though in engineering it is used to label the right channel. As I wrote in the introduction, an additional power amplifier can be connected to the amp and speakers can be controlled in the bi-amping system in which one power amp supplies the tweeter sections of both channels and the other one – the woofer sections. Of course, it is necessary to have double clamps in speakers for this purpose, from which we remove the metal plates that fasten them (jumpers). The device also has single gold-plated speaker outputs that are convenient to use. The inside The SOL III has a dual mono design, with separate power supply units, and left and right channel amplifier plates attached to the radiators on both sides of the housing. The only elements that they have in common are: the board with inputs and relays, and a blue Alps potentiometer with a motor. When we look inside, our attention is mainly attracted by the powerful power supply unit with large toroidal transformers. They are tall and do not have a large diameter – Wiktor has already mentioned that. Each transformer is accompanied by an enormous capacitor, with a diameter similar to the diameter of a Coca-Cola can of 250 ml capacity. Next to these elements there are also integrated bridge rectifiers attached – for cooling – to the bottom panel of the housing. The amplifiers are mounted on single printed circuit boards – it is a circuit with an attenuator on the input. It only has three stages, of which the middle one operates in class A, in a single-ended circuit which resembles a tube circuit. Nice passive components are used here, e.g. precise resistors and Wima polypropylene capacitors. There are also orange LEDs, visible through openings in the top panel, operating as voltage references. The whole circuit looks quite simple and that is the point – to make it simple, but not primitive. The remote control The remote control is a universal control device with the RC-5 code. It is made of plastic and surprisingly convenient to use. It has a large “standby” button, two volume control buttons, two more input change buttons and a small “mute” button reducing volume by 20 dB. Reducing signal by 20 dB means a big change from playing loud music to playing background music. This function can be useful during a telephone call or in situations when we want to hear what our “second half” is trying to tell us. I am sure that most of our partners would like to possess such a button forever :) Technical specifications (according to the manufacturer): Output power (8 Ω): 90 W Output power (4 Ω): 140 W Frequency response (-1 dB): 14 Hz-52 kHz Frequency response (-3 dB): 8 Hz-84 kHz Operational class: A/AB Input sensitivity: 600 mV Idle power consumption: 100 W Power consumption (max): 500 W Dimensions: 450 x 360 x 190 mm Weight: 20 kg Previous panel versions: black or silver [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/haiku/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/haiku/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/haiku/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/haiku/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/haiku/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/haiku/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/haiku/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/haiku/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/haiku/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/haiku/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/haiku/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/haiku/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/haiku/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/haiku/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/haiku/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/haiku/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/haiku/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/haiku/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

e have been long waiting for a time, when products of Polish audio manufacturers would achieve a level of quality and performance that would allow them to compete on a the same level with leading manufacturers from around the world. This time has finally arrived. It is not just about the sound, because in this respect Polish products could successfully compete even before. It is about a PRODUCT. Namely: an audio device (loudspeakers, accessories, etc.), offering high quality performance combined with an attractive, tasteful visual design, precise workmanship, made of premium materials and supplied with appropriately prepared documentation – by the latter I mean a website with good photographs, manuals, brochures and folders. Encore Seven (or. Encore 7), the owner of the Egg Shell brand does that as if they have been doing it for years. And they are good, really good at it. Their amplifiers are grouped in three lines, of which the Egg Shell B & G is the smallest - as it contains one amplifier, dedicated for musicians, to work as, so called, "head" for guitar amplifiers. It might be the smallest amplifier in a lineup but it was company's first product. The next line is called Egg-Shell Classic, at the moment it features one integrated amplifier, 9WLT. The most important line is called Prestige which actually decides about brand's "identity", ie. about its peculiarities and recognition. Amplifiers and preamplifiers, which we find in this line, have a distinctive design. Based on oval shapes and V-shape power tubes placement is not only quite characteristic (but with no frills), but also nice for the eye, proportionate and it simply makes sense. The company calls the chassis design "Woodwind". Through the glass on the front side one can see tubes and their glow that is further highlighted by highly polished stainless steel sheet. The top panel is secured using magnets so if one likes to watch glowing tubes up close, it is very easy to remove this panel. Manufacturer developed quite smart and unique controls for this amp. It features a large, very convenient to use wheel, that reminded me a bit of old McIntosh tuners. Also instead of the traditional remote control they offer a "magic ball" – to change volume level one just rolls the ball on the table. They use a gyro sensor in the ball, coupled to a radio transmitter to allow that - the controller is able to operate within 25 m range from the amplifier (with a clear line of sight). The Egg-Shell devices are highly "customizable." One can order a particular color of the casing, one of several color of the glass on the front panel, also a chosen graphics can be applied to it, shape of the holes in top panel can also be changed, and some graphics can be applied also there. Also the ball control unit is offered in one of many different colors, it can also be made of wood. PRESTIGE 9WST Mk2 Model under review is an integrated amplifier delivering 9 W per channel. This "mighty" output is a result of using a single EL34 pentode per channel, operating in Class A in single-ended triode mode. This is one of the simplest circuits, but also one capable of delivering highest quality sound. Also input and driver stage features tube, even power supply is. The 9W output suggests using this amp with high sensitivity speakers. In this test, in addition to Harbeth M40.1, I also used the Acuhorn 15 and Avatar Holophony Audio Model Two. Mk 2 in its name says that this is a new generation of the 9WST amplifier. Compared to previous version it offers a higher quality make and finish, and features higher quality components: - Much better quality of gloss finish (manufacturer decided to replace a subcontractor with another one, and although costs have gone up, the quality has as well); MK2 version are additionally available in other finishes upon request - matte, pearl, metallic, - Better, tighter fitting of chassis elements, improved cooling (vents) - Different solution for the top cover – front is now more rigid and the back is closed, - Improved rigidity of the bottom of the chassis, - Different finish of the back panel. Also: - Different volume control wheel is made of a different material, and it is also placed in a different, more accurate and more reliable way on a potentiometer, - All the amplifiers are now compatible with the spherical remote control Prestige RCX (Mk1 version featured no remote control) - a motorized ALPS potentiometer is used, - Better quality speaker terminals and RCA jacks from CMC, - Power transformer uses core with thinner fins, also transformers are now better separated from chassis' vibrations, - Some improvements in the audio circuits, - Instead of two tubes now only one is used in power supply (simplification of the system), - There is an additional power LED indicator. KRZYSZTOF GRABOWSKI Co-owner, logistics, PR Encore Seven was officially brought to life in 2010. In 2012, the company presented its debut vacuum tube amplifier. It was a push-pull design based on four EL34 power tubes (18W). From the very beginning the external design was similar to that of the current Prestige line. Half a year later, we launched a single-ended amp and decided to produce from this moment on only class A devices, hence the push-pull model was withdrawn. You were the first magazine that reviewed our amplifier (model Prestige 15WS, see HERE, review in Polish) in September 2013. Our experience with designing of amplifiers, however, is much longer. I run the Encore Seven together with my brother. Andrew is responsible for the engineering and designing part, and, above all, for the audio circuits and ultimately for the sound of our products. I deal with logistics and promoting the brand. Getting where we are with our amplifiers today started with a hobby. Andrew is a musician and already in 1990ties he build tube amplifiers for his own needs – at the time these were guitar amplifiers. Later he started to build also stereo tube amplifiers, still for his own use. So we can easily say that we have been in tube amplifier's “business” for over 20 years and that what we do today stems from our passion. The design of our amplifiers is the result of a combination of our ideas and goal with a work of a professional designer. We wanted the amp to have rather low profile - hence the big tubes do not stand upright. We wanted it to be safe and closed, but functional - hence the removable top panel. And at the same time we didn't want to lose the best feature of tube amplifiers, that is, this wonderful glow that tube provide - hence the glass front. We presented these assumptions to a friend, Paweł Hankus, who was a furniture designer. He created the shape of the amplifier's body with distinctive elements to give it a visual “lightness”. Our activities do not end with the production of our amplifiers. We are actively co-creating Polish Audio Cluster, which is an informal association of ambitious producers associated with hi-fi industry. It was set up basing on an initiative of HiFi Studio shop in Bielsko-Biala, Karol Zieleźnik. Within the cluster we together promote Polish audio, but we also work with each other to offer high quality stereo systems with components made by different brands, but together forming a sonically and visually coherent whole. The first such system has already been presented, and the next one will premiere soon. Encore Seven likes the world of music in a general sense, so from time to time we organize or participate in various music-related projects. The most important projects up to date were: an appointment of an international photographic group MPC (Music Photographers Collective), organization together with Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa and Radio Katowice, of the National Music Photography Contest (mpcontest.mpc.com), also honoring Terri Lyne Carrington with a statuette from MPC during the 30th jubilee of the Glogow Jazz Meetings, and supporting with excellent photos the Michał Wróblewski City Album, and many others. Recordings used for the test (a selection) Ed Sheeran, X, Warner Music UK/Warner Music Japan WPCR-15730, CD (2014); Franc Schubert, 4 Impromptus D899 & D935, wyk. Maria João Pires, Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music Japan UCCG-50095, SHM-CD (1997/2011) John Coltrane, Coltrane. Deluxe Edition, Impulse! 589 567-2, 2 x CD (1962/2002) Maciej Fortuna Trio, Jazz, Fortuna Music FM21, CD (2016) Michael Jackson, Thriller. 25th Anniversary Edition, Epic/Sony Music Japan EICP-963-4, CD+DVD (1982/2008) Niels Thybo, Bo Stief, Lennart Gruvstedt, Super Trio, Sundance/Lasting Impression Music LIM UHD 047 LE, CD (1998/2010) Schubert, Song Cycles, wyk. Nathalie Stutzmann, Inger Södergren, Erato/Warner Classics 4623701, 3 x CD (2014) Serge Gainsbourg, Histoire de melody Nelson, Mercury Records/Universal Music France 277 825 3, „Deluxe Edition” 2 x CD + DVD (1971/2011) Tears For Fears, Songs From The Big Chair, Mercury Records/Universal Music LLC (Japan) UICY-40071, Platinum SHM-CD (1985/2014) The Doors, L.A. Woman, Electra Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-12721, CD (1971/2007) Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] Mr. Winston Ma, the owner of a music publishing company First Impression Music (and its affiliates Lasting Impression Music and Golden String) was not only a great producer, publisher and watchful audiophile, but he was also an infinite source of knowledge, trivia and anecdotes. One of them was quoted in the booklet one can find in Niels Thybo, Bo Stief and Lennart Gruvstedt's Super Trio album. Text entitled “I Like Distortions!” in short said that not everything is what it seems. It tells a story of a man who brought above mentioned album with him to a show and asked that it would be played in several systems. The album brought down to their knees all the exhibitors, but it also caused a few burned drivers and crossovers. It was specifically the No. 3 track, Little Suite. This is a short, two-part piece - the beginning is played on the piano and then comes a percussion solo. And it is this solo, extremely dynamic, fast and powerful that caused damage to the speakers that could not cope with dynamic shifts and drums' rich transients. During the re-mastering process when preparing this material for their own release, the gentlemen of the Five / Four Productions (former Telarc engineers, winners of multiple Grammy Awards) and Mr. Ma found out that a fragment with the drums was distorted. So they carefully lowered the maximum level of the track and changed tone equalization so that the peak impulse was less than 0 dB. And what happened? Everybody preferred the distorted version: "I must say that it was a shock for me to learn, that - for the first time and probably the last time in my life – I also preferred the version with distortion!" I am quoting this story because knowing that we are dealing with a tube amplifier with very low power (2 x 9 W), based on a single power tube, with a tube rectifier, we think of it as of a "specialized product" (within the audio market, which in itself it is a very narrow segment of the home appliances market). And so we become presumptions, we assume that it will be a nice match for one product, but it won't sound well with another. And often we are not mistaken - an experience is something we can rely on, because we have to rely on something, right? However, this way we put on prejudices corset even though there are still so many things we do not completely understand in audio world. Those who think they already know everything are nothing more but buffoons. This amplifier does not give up, however, to this reduction. Very soon, actually, after the first album, John Coltrane's Coltrane, I already knew that using this amplifier would not limit the repertoire that I could use to small jazz ensembles, vocal recordings, or soft ambient music. Albums with all these types of music sounded very nice, interesting, and it didn't feel as if the amplifier tried to make them sound nicer than they really were. I based this observation primarily on the method of presentation – there was a proper perspective in the music, the performers stayed behind the line between the speakers. It let instruments breathe and the presentation was not compressed in order to boost up the front of the soundstage to zoom in on instruments in front of me, like guitars, bass etc., as well as the singers. I like it when the system delivers large scale vocals, when instruments are presented having a distinct, three-dimensional body and when they are shown close to me. When it comes to the top-high-end comes an impressive depth of the stage supports the above mentioned elements, so one does not have to worry about aggressiveness of the presentation. But if some compromise is needed I prefer the more powerful, richer type of presentation. With the Egg Shell amplifier, in which the compromises are obvious and come mainly from a low power output, I heard a different combination of features, which was even more interesting than the one I described above. The sound was not enclosed in a bubble in front of me. Instruments were breathing, there was a multi-layered sound and I did not hear any limitation of the bass area. With one caveat: I did not push the volume up beyond a comfort zone. When listening at regular volume levels, without “rocking it”, everything was in its place and I didn't hear any distortion. And I listened to tracks such as: Billie Jean from Thriller by Michael Jackson, Riders On The Storm of the L.A. Woman album by The Doors, and finally to the Historie de melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg. All these tracks included a powerful bass, especially mid- and upper-bass, which prevented music from sounding “thin”. Everything further down the band was not particularly clear, but it was for the better - such a small amplifier could not provide control good enough to keep the lowest notes in check. But what I heard resulted in sound's fullness. Despite the fact that - as I said - the amplifier did not push the sound to the front of the speakers but rather creates the soundstage behind them. It delivered a vivid performance. The scale of dynamics shifts seemed smaller than with more powerful amplifiers. The transitions between the individual sounds were rich and smooth, and that is why this compression - it's something one can not really hear, but rather feel - it was not bothersome. The device differentiated recordings really well. The greatly produced and remastered Gainsbourg's albums, first of his “concept albums", a very pleasant recording of Ed Sheeran and Songs From The Big Chair by Tears For Fears – all of these recordings had a distinct “personalities”, they differed in color and saturation, range extension and dynamics. And yet, they all had also some common characteristics, such as: lack of aggression, a mellow treble and upper midrange. The amplifier did “tune” them up a bit where it was needed, ie. it did not highlight the compression on Sheeran's album, made a bit colorless Tears For Fears more colorful and emphasized the palpability of a very short, but great album by the author of the Je t'aime ... moi non plus. It should be said that Egg-Shell somewhat slows the tempo of songs. I've heard it with not so easy to drive Harbeths, but also with the Acuhorn 15 and Avatar Audio Holophony Number Two that were a very easy load. The point is that the attack of the sound is rounded, so that one does not feel an immediacy of the attack. I mean first of all the midrange. Bass, which for a low power amplifier is particularly noteworthy, was quite punchy, rich and dynamic. The already mentioned drums solo on Super Trio was explosive, powerful and dynamic - bravo! Combining all these features meant that there was no need to choose particular CDs for listening, rejecting those that usually don't sound well with such small amplifiers. Besides the obvious constraints that would not allow stadium rock concerts to reach proper scale, the range of music one can listen to and not hear any compression is impressive. And even if it occurred - a big volume wheel tends to provoke it - it was a mild overdrive, that made music sound... better. The surprising feature of this device is its versatility. This is a paradox, because its specifications tell a different story and a short listening session can "confirm" it. But let's sit down comfortably, without any hurry, let's ask what we want, and whether it really needs to be threshing, and it will turns out that this an amplifier that delivers a refined sound - because it is well made and features a very short (straight) signal path (Class A single-ended!) - and it allows its user to listen to a wide range of music genres. Summary Prestige 9WST Mk2 is a refined amplifier. Its designers managed to combine the advantages of a simple design without "cutting corners" where necessary - and even if it was done, I couldn't find any negative side effects. The amplifier is not very selective, so those who like to hear a pin drop - just to mention a fragment of an IMAX theater advertising – with gunfire in the background, will leave disappointed. But for them, there are many, equally pleasant devices available on the market. Egg-Shell is for those who like nice tone, prefer to “watch” music from a greater distance, so natural for acoustic recordings (classical and jazz), but do not want to sacrifice the possibility listening also to a different music. This is not a one-dimensional amplifier, because apart from jazz and classical music it can play nicely also pop, rock (but not too loud), new romantic, and sophisticated electronics albums, which elude unambiguous classification. You have pair it with a higher than average efficiency and accept the fact that the noise coming from them won't attract the attention of your neighbors. If you realize that, if you accept that, then a beautiful palette of colors, a high dynamics, rich lower midrange and a nice bass will allow us for many hours of enjoying the music without fatigue and irritation, playing one disc after another. And those who would like to decide on their own which version of the Little Suite they prefer, will find both, the adjusted and uncorrected versions on the Niels Thybo, Bo Stief, Lennart Gruvstedt Super Trio album released by Lasting Impression Music. I would recommend LE version, that is "First Pressings 1000". RED Fingerprint The Egg Shell amplifiers stand out among other tube amplifiers and preamplifiers by several elements. First of all, by their look. You can clearly see that the chassis has been designed by a talented person who knew what he was doing. The body of the device is compact, focused, and yet the whole has a light, even a little "ethereal" aftertaste. This is caused by the rounded lateral edges, by the high and delicate-looking feet, as well as the front glass, behind which tubes glow nicely supported with numerous reflections from polished metal. The glass front is not a new idea, because McIntosh has using it since 1960s, and the Italian Unison Research introduced a similar concept several years ago in the P40 amplifier. Despite these similarities Egg-Shell's design is unique, distinguished by a number of small elements. The problem of a protective grid for tube is solved in a very clever way here – one takes of the whole top that is fixed to the chassis using only magnets. The amplifier looks as nicely with a closed and an open top. The vents on the top can take different shapes and customers can even provide a shape that is cut out there, and even ask for a chosen graphics to be applied there. Also, the front panel may be painted in one of three colors, and upon request a chosen photo can be applied there (all additional options cost extra). The blackened portion of the front wall features two red indicators - one shows that power is on, the second which input is currently selected. These look like old-fashion bulbs rather than like a modern LEDs, which adds a bit of a vintage charm to the design. At first one might miss two consecutive manipulators – an input selector and volume control. The former is a small knurled knob exactly in the middle of the front panel, which, however, isn't particularly visible masked with black background. The volume is adjusted using a horizontal, large wheel, a small part of which protrudes from the bottom. And again it reminded me of McIntosh, this time with their radio receivers, for example. Model 125. It should be remembered that a few years ago, it was recreated by Marantz in their integrated system Consolette. Here, the wheel is much bigger though. It is indeed quite an elaborate mechanism working with the classic potentiometer. The rear panel is covered with a polished stainless steel sheet, which looks very elegant. You'll find there three pairs of RCA jacks and two sets of three speaker connectors. In the middle there is an IEC socket. The RCA jacks sourced from American company CMC offer high quality, the gold-plated speaker terminals – with 4 and 8 Ω taps - also look good. There are two more switches, I would like to point out, hidden underneath nest to the right edge of the device. One is the power switch and the second one turns the anode voltage on. The company suggests to use that switch after a while, to let the tubes warm up. This is to extend their lifespan. The output tubes are mounted in a tilted position. The rectifier, the drivers and tubes in the input stage sit in their socket in the upright positions. Tubes come from several brands - the version we received for testing featured tubes made by the Russian company Electro-Harmonix (input and control EF86EH) and Tung-Sol (output EL34 B) and the Slovak JJ Electronics (Rectifier 5AR4), but the amplifier can be ordered with other tubes: - EL34 Svetlana (S) | EL34 B Tung-Sol - EF806S JJ Gold | EF806S JJ | EF86EH Electro-Harmonix 12AX7 EHG Electro-Harmonix Gold | EH 12AX7 Electro-Harmonix | 5751 EHG Electro-Harmonix Gold | ECC83S JJ Gold - 5AR4 Sovtek | 5AR4 JJ Electronics The electronic circuit was assembled using the most expensive, but also the best point-to-point method. No PCBs were used. It starts with an attenuator – here it is a rotary Black potentiometer by AlpsThan there is an input (preamp) tube, the EF86 pentode, operating in a triode mode. It is coupled to another tube, ECC83 double triode, which drives the power tube through a Pilkor polypropylene capacitor. Each channel has a separate voltage filtering system. The remote control, Prestige RCX, with gyroscopic system tracking rotation, has the form of a sphere with a cut-off bottom. Underneath there is a switch and a socket for charging the battery. Communication between the remote and the amplifier is established by radio, we do not have to remember so that the remote is pointed to the device; besides, how would we do it while this is a ball :) The battery allows for 20 hours of operation, the range of the remote reaches 25 meters. The make and finish of Prestige 9WST Mk2 is really good. It looks good and completely different than other amplifiers available on the market. The unique remote control makes it even more attractive. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Class: A (Single-Ended) Power: 2 x 9W Frequency response: 30Hz – 20kHz (+/- 3dB) Output impedance: 4 and 8 Ohm Inputs: 3 x RCA Tubes: 2 x EL34, 2 x EF86, 2 x ECC83, 2 x 5AR4 Tube power supply system Power consumption: 140W (60W in standby) Weight: 19 kg Dimensions [cm] (W/L/H): 40/39/19 [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/egg/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/egg/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/egg/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/egg/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/egg/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/egg/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/egg/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/egg/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/egg/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/egg/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/egg/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/egg/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/egg/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/egg/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/egg/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/egg/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/egg/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/egg/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/egg/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/egg/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/egg/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/egg/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/egg/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/egg/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

ojtek Unterschuetz rarely shares information on a new product in Acuhorn's range, but when he does he always has something truly interesting to offer. Like when I first saw and heard the tall, narrow, featuring a single driver fullrange speakers, nero125 (review in Polish). It was an unusual design in every respect, because it was made of waxed plywood, and featured no crossover. Beautiful smell stayed in my room for a long time after nero returned to Acuhorn. This was a design clearly referring to the classical techniques of sound reproduction from the 1930s and 1940s, ie. to the relationship between high-efficiency speakers and tube amplifiers. The sensitivity of nero125 was even higher than 94 dB and just a few watts were enough to make them sing. The subsequent models proposed by the company confirmed the direction it took from the start. Strive for perfection was so strong that after a while Wojtek developed his own full-range driver, made with utmost precision, which was used in, released in 2012, Superleggera giovane85. Please take a look at the photographs, which clearly show how complex this design was, despite the fact that after all, there was only a single driver used in it, and thus there was no crossover, and the wiring length was reduced to a minimum. Somewhat earlier, in 2013, the also the first amplifier was designed, conceived as a partner for high-speed horns by Acuhorn. In order to somehow separate the electronics from the basic scope of activities it carried a logo nowe audio (the original spelling). Exterior of these devices is special because they are very low profile and relatively small devices, even those that use tubes. This was possible by eliminating output transformers – this type of design is called OTL (Output Transformer-Less). The mono3.5 amplifier reviewed by us was sort of an exercise of logic – it helped with breaking free from the routine and showed me how different approaches to the same issues might be. 15 The latest Acuhorn's product, loudspeakers model 15, are still different. Number comes from the diameter of a woofer used for this model – it is a 15" (381 mm) monster made by Italian company FaitalPRO operating in this particular case in a bass-reflex enclosure, supported by another interesting driver – a ribbon tweeter by American company HiVi. Both use neodymium magnets. A similar solution used for these drivers is also used by JBL and I'd say it is this brand that would be the closest to the idea behind Acuhorn's "15", although - let me add - only in general terms. It is not the drivers that attract attention when one unpacks these loudspeakers but rather the proportions of their cabinets. This is a very large loudspeakers with a wide front baffle, but limited depth. When in packaging these look a bit like IKEA desks prepared for shipment. Their cabinets were covered with natural oiled veneer and their smell is almost as intense as the one I remembered nero125 by. The crossover frequency is set at 1 kHz, and it is a simple, 1st order crossover. I'd say it is quite low frequency for a tweeter, but at the same time very high for a such a large diameter woofer. This simplifies the design, eliminating many of the problems associated with the more complex crossover, but also suggests a reduction in the frequency range below crossover point. The principle says that the higher the frequency band reproduced by the driver, the radiation pattern is more directional (a phenomenon called "beaming"). And the greater the diameter of the driver, the lower the frequency where narrowing of the beam begins. At 381 mm at the point of crossover there is only a small radiation energy. As alway, however – it's sort of a quid pro quo. Model 15 a offers a high efficiency (96 dB) and flat impedance of 4 Ω, but Acuhorn is able to prepare an 8 ohm custom version. The company declares that bass goes as far down as to 30 Hz and at 30W the SPL of 116 dB is achieved, which translates to a very loud presentation. Model 15 will most likely be working in most setups with low-power amplifiers, because that is the common paradigm in which high efficiency = low power amplifier (preferably tube based). For years though, I've been testing such loudspeakers driving them with powerful amplifiers, because such setup allows me to better assess loudspeakers' quality rather than their interaction with an amplifier. I am not the only one who believes this is a good idea as the famous JBL company also usually drives their horn speakers with large woofers using powerful solid-state amplifiers. The Avantgarde Acoustic prefers such setups too. They've never offered any tube amplifiers, but they do make solid-state ones (more HERE). The model 15's designer seem to agree since one can read in the manual that „a great performance can be achieve also with high-power amplifiers, as long as one is careful when operating the volume control”. The latter is quite important as the HiVi driver's nominal power is just 30W (60W peak). I placed the 15 in exactly the same spots as my Harbeth M40.1 and most other loudspeakers I tested before such as: JBL, Avantgarde Acoustic and Polish Horns FP10 (review in Polish). They must be toed in so that the tweeter radiates directly at listener, because only then woofer is given a chance to use its optimal band. No spikes or anti-vibration feet are included in the package and therefore I placed them directly on the floor. WOJCIECH UNTERSCHUETZ Owner, designer Acuhorn has been a high-efficiency speakers manufacturer, or so called: “Single driver speakers”, since 2003. Our workshop has developed its proprietary solution for audio processing in an Acuhorn acoustic box, consistent for all of our speakers. It has introduced a new standard for the presentation of the soundstage and low frequencies. So far, we presented three lines of loudspeakers, starting with the classic in 2003 with neodymium driver on a metal frame. In 2007 we introduced the improved audio series featuring a heavy, CNC machined design. The latest line - superleggera - from 2012, features a wooden frame integrated with the box, and the diaphragm is mounted directly on the wood. I came up with the idea for the Acuhorn 15 already in 2004, when I visited the High End Show in Munich. Back then the Stereoplay magazine presented a very interesting comparison titled: “Superboxen” focused on large loudspeakers. One could have noticed that the speakers with large bass woofers, for example, Focal-JMlab Grande Utopia BE, were able to deliver a different quality of low frequency sounds. The following year in Munich the Stereoplay editor, Wolfram Eifert, repeated such demonstration of a 15-inch speakers using B&W 801D and JBL K2 S9800 loudspeakers. At the same time, remembering very well the sound of full-range Acuhorn speakers, I found the Ascendo listening room with their top level model, System M, where I heard the sound closest to my nero125's. It featured the RT2H-A Isodynamic Ribbon Tweeter by Swan Speaker (you can find more on loudspeakers with this driver HERE - ed.). And so I carried this impression for 10 years in my memory, up to the moment when I decided to implement this idea in a speaker made for my friend. It's a great man who needs a big sound stage and powerful bass. This was to be a combination of the 15-inch JBL driver sound with a high-end ribbon tweeter's, combined in a purist Acuhorn way. An acoustically tuned cabinet is the basis of this project and it is combined with the purest possible signal's path. ACUHORN in „High Fidelity” TEST: Acuhorn SUPERLEGGERA GIOVANE85 – loudspeakers, see HERE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2007: Acuhorn ROSSO SUPERIORE175 improved audio 2007 - loudspeakers, see HERE TEST: Acuhorn ROSSO SUPERIORE175 improved audio 2007 - loudspeakers, see HERE (in Polish) INTERVIEW: Wojciech Pacuła, Wojciech Unterschuetz, Acuhorn – tuba w każdym calu, see HERE (in Polish) PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2004: Acuhorn NERO125 - loudspeakers, see HERE (in Polish) TEST: Acuhorn NERO125 - loudspeakers, see HERE (in Polish) and HERE (in Polish) Recordings used for the test (a selection) Il Canto D’Oreo, wyk. Il Trionfo del Tempo, Et’Cetera KTC 4030, CD (2009) Dubois, Les Sept Paroles du Christ, wyk. Chœur Radio Ville-Marie, dyr. Simon Fournier, Fidelio Audio FACD008, CD (2002) Ed Sheeran, X, Warner Music UK/Warner Music Japan WPCR-15730, CD (2014); Guttenberg Brothers, #One, 59music, CD (2016) Holst, The Planets, Op. 32, Telarc/First Impression Music FIM UHD 058, CD (1986/2011) Laurie Anderson, Homeland, Nonesuch 524055-2, CD + DVD (2010); Michael Jackson, Xscape, Epic 3053662, CD (2014) Suzanne Vega, Nine Objects of Desire, A&M Records 540 583 2, CD (1996) The Beatles, Revolver, Apple/USM Japan UICY76972, SHM-CD (1966/2014) Thelonious Monk, Tijuana Moods, RCA Records/ORG Music ORGM-174-3, SACD/CD (1962/2015) Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Autumn in Seattle, First Impression Music FIM UHD 043, CD (2001/2011) Jan Garbarek, I Took Up The Runes, ECM Records ECM 1419, „ECM Touchstones”, CD (1990/2008) Jan Garbarek, The Hilliard Ensemble, Officium, ECM Records ECM 1525, „ECM New Series”, CD (1994) Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] We make our purchase decisions using our eyes, even if we do not want to admit it. Also when we think that a simple "black box" is enough for us – such look tells us that the manufacturer "invested all the money in the components”, leaving aesthetic on the side as a non-important factor. Therefore, I am more than certain that the Acuhorn loudspeakers each time have to undergo a severe pre-selection based on their appearance before even a customer actually assesses their sound - the design is very characteristic and one surely either loves it or hates it from the start. Model 15 is so large that it can dominate a room. Fortunately the cabinet is quite shallow so these loudspeakers can be placed really close to the rear wall and there is no need to place them in the middle of the room. Acuhorns dominate the space also in a different way – they deliver a particularly rich, dense presentation and the way they render soundstage is similar to what you get with headphones. This is not the first time I've heard such sound, and usually it is associated with the type of design, which to some extent liberates us from the influence of room's acoustics, transferring us to the acoustics of the recording. I do not know if I'm right, but that's how I understand it - Acuhorns build dense, large "bubble" and we seem to be glued to it. They present full, rich transitions between the instruments. This impression is created due to the robust front of the soundstage, where you see large bodies of instruments of realistic dimensions. They enlarge phantom images, ie. the main elements on the stage are slightly larger than in reality. But it is not a flaw, because a microphone set very close to the source of sound also enlarges it – Acuhorns “notice” that immediately and present it accordingly. So it is rather a feature that should be kept in mind, because it is not a perfectly "neutral" sound. It didn't bother me, because the presentation is not pushed forward towards listener – if it was it could become too offensive. In turn, the lower midrange is slightly withdrawn, which results in vocals that are not properly rich. Suzanne Vega was nicely shown, she was not a just a "point" in a space but a real, palpable image, but also the lower registers of her voice were somewhat tempered. I could hear the same effect on The Beatles Revolver album, which is not particularly rich with low frequencies. Acuhorns set its tonal balance pretty high, slightly emphasizing the little difference between the realization of this type, and one in which a full bandwidth is presented. The point is not that it is a “light” sound, because it is exactly the opposite. But I would like to point out to you that the designer's choices always have different consequences. And so, despite the large woofer and bass-reflex cabinet, the model 15 is not trying to blow us away with a bass, these are not stage speakers and they do not pretend to be ones. I mean they do not try to impose too much of their own character, resulting from their large size, on the reproduced recordings, they do not pump some crazy amount of air. They are not totally transparent in this, and the selectivity, leading edge, creating three-dimensional images, are not among their biggest strengths, especially in the bass and lower midrange area. Also the tweeter is incredibly interesting. It has a sweet, vibrant tone and it does not emphasize the attack, which is a problem of most ribbon tweeters. It is incredibly detailed and delivers a lot of information. It does this without imposing its presence, without brightening the sound. And yet, when the recording consists a lot of noise, say on Anderson's vocal, or on analog recording of Autumn in Seattle by Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, one can hear it better with Acuhorn than with Harbeth M40.1. And only the best speakers such as: YG Acoustic Carmel 2 and Audiomachina Pure NSE (review in Polish) go deeper into it, presenting this information in even more orderly fashion. With this method of treble reproduction, "Fifteen" becomes a loudspeaker delivering warm, sweet sound, with a good bass extension. The latter is not clearly textured and is not very resolving, and yet we feel as if it was really well controlled. Listening to the Laurie Anderson's Homeland while focusing on this aspect revealed that these loudspeaker even tamed some part of the bass range, not to go too far while prolonging its slow damping. Combination of all these small element results in a sound of a large scale, momentum and size. The momentum is a particularly important element here. High efficiency loudspeakers, primarily horns, are capable of delivering incredibly fast sound, so that an impression of the "real" sound is created. And indeed – a compression is one of the major problems of classic designs and one of the most important differences between live performance and a recording. Listening to, for example, live drums and then comparing them with the recording one immediately feels the difference, in large part due to the differences in attack speed. We are much more tolerant to uneven frequency response and other distortions. I can understand what drives many manufacturers to eliminate the compression, because in this way they actually get closer to a live performance. The realization of this postulate has its consequences though, primarily a leaner sound. An attack is fine, also dynamics, punch, but behind them there is not quite as much happening. Perhaps that is why Acuhorn 15 adapt so well to a system even if they are its least expensive component. It's because they do not cause leaner sound, do not deliver a "single-note" performance. They do not try to attract attention to themselves, because it is actually focused on the major phantom images present in the foreground and on a multitude of things that are happening in the back of the stage. The latter is very stable, and the loudspeakers actually disappear from the equation, one can not "hear" them as such. The high tones played by instruments are a sole exception here as these are set exactly in the speakers, thus one can hear them directly from the speakers rather than from behind them. But this is not an intrusive attraction of listener's attention but rather just a reminder of where the loudspeakers actually sit. However, this is nothing more but a distraction, because there is much more happening in the center and we never get the impression that the sound really comes from the speakers. Like other successful designs with a wide front baffle, also these speakers prove that the tendency to use as wide front baffles as possible is not the only choice allowing designers to produce satisfactory results. I would even say that the idea behind Acuhorn 15 is much more interesting and delivers more natural results. Summary There is quite a large group among music lovers who prefer loudspeakers with large bass drivers; there are even special clubs for them (in Asia), which allow only members who own loudspeakers with twin 300mm woofers (and bigger) only. Having lived a long time with Harbeth M40.1 that meet the first of these conditions, having also a chance to listen in my room to some wonderful examples of large woofers implementation, eg. in Tannoy , JBL and Trenner & Friedl speakers, I can easily be accused of certain bias. And most likely rightly so. But the music reproduced in this way sounds, for me, more natural. Large driver not only affects the bandwidth and real bass reproduction, but above all, the scale of sound, its dynamics, momentum, soundstage size and the quality of the treble. It all adds up to fullness, richness, color and naturalness of the sound that I appreciate the most. Acuhorn 15 are the cheapest loudspeakers of this whole group, they do have their own problems as the part of the midrange that is laid back, not the best selectivity and not quite as resolving lower bass. But at the same time they present the better side of every recordings, without any treble roll off and without pretending that these are not even needed. These are really fast, dynamic loudspeakers that deliver a warm, pleasant sound, which fills even large rooms with more refined sound compared to what stage speakers have to offer. Measuring 1050 x 570 x 240 mm (H x W x D) model named ‘15’ is a two-way, large, floorstanding speaker with a ported cabinet and quite large internal volume of 100 l. The front baffle is very wide, much wider than the one of Harbeth M40.1. After all it has to fit a 381 mm (15” – the model is named after this diameter) low- midwoofer. But this was not the only reason – designer wanted to have a wide front baffle reminding of open baffle designs. The cabinets is finished with natural veneer and oiled. The rear panel features a large diameter port and a pair of solid speaker posts. These do not fit large spades, like the ones used in my Tara Labs Omega Onyx, so I had to use banana connectors. The 15FH500 woofer was made by Italian company FaitalPRO. It features a paper cone and rigid suspension, made of coated textile material. Its basket looks like a part of a jet engine - and that was the point: it had to be as rigid, and at the same time the arms had to produce the least interference with the flow of air from the rear side of the membrane. Although historically the first transducers of this type used Alnico magnets and later Ferrite ones, here they used a powerful neodymium magnet. A similar magnet (Neodymium and Barium Ferrite) was used for a ribbon tweeter MdRT2H-A. It was made by the American company HiVi and it uses a Kapton diaphragm covered with aluminum ribbon. Metal covers 90% of the membrane surface and it is polarized with magnets placed on both sides. This solution is called Isodynamic Ribbon Tweeter. The 1st order crossover is very simple and contains Mundorf polypropylene capacitors. One can not ignore these loudspeakers in the room as they become an important part of the room's equipment room. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Principle: 2-way, 1-chamber, ported Drivers: HF - HiVi neodymium | LF - FaitalPRO neodymium Crossover: 1st order Crossover frequency: 1kHz Nominal impedance: 4Ω Sensitivity: 96dB Weight: 25kg/pc. Dimensions (H x W x D): 1050 x 570 x 240mm [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/acuhorn/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

he third meeting of “High Fidelity” readers with Polish Jazz remasters (the so-called second “six”, as the record label decided to launch six albums selected by the editor-in-chief of “Jazz Forum” onto the market each time) is also the first one at which it is not necessary to recall the history of previous releases, but it is possible to focus on the sound of the new versions prepared in Jacek Gawłowski’s studio (reviews of the first “six” can be found HERE and HERE). So, the listening session included both CD and vinyl releases. The text is divided into three parts: in the first one we provide quick descriptions of the musicians and the musical content of the albums (based on materials released by the record label), in the second one we look at the graphic design of the new releases and analyze their editors’ choices, etc., while in the third one we focus on sound. At the end you will find a short summary of the whole article. MUSIC The second “six” that was premiered on 29th July 2016 consists of the following albums: vol. 1 | Warsaw Stompers, New Orleans Stompers Rok wydania: 1965 vol. 3 | Polish Jazz Quartet, Polish Jazz Quartet Rok wydania: 1965 vol. 4 | The Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet, The Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet Rok wydania: 1965 vol. 24 | Michal Urbaniak’s Group, Live recording Rok wydania: 1971 vol. 54 | Janusz Muniak Quintet, Question Mark Rok wydania: 1978 vol. 63 | Stanisław Sojka, Blublula Rok wydania: 1981 (vol. 1) The album of the Warsaw Stompers band released at the beginning of 1965 is the first album issued as part of the Polish Jazz series. The album features, in different configurations, a splendid ensemble of Polish jazz musicians (also those representative of modern jazz). What makes the album different from all other ones in the series is the fact that it does not contain any new recordings, but is a compilation of sessions released earlier by Polskie Nagrania on small discs, from different time periods (1959, 1962, 1963, 1964), in different line-ups. In total, there are 16 pieces on the album, all of them in a monophonic version. One of the advantages of new releases is an excellent booklet with an essay and a lot of photos from the given time period (vol. 3) The Polish Jazz Quartet entered a studio to record this album in December 1964. It was released on an LP in 1965 in a monophonic version. The 2016 reissue is a stereo version, both on CD and LP. The Polish Jazz Quartet album, as the third one in the Polish Jazz series, is an important document in the history and development of the pioneering period in Polish jazz. The icons of Polish jazz: Jan “Ptaszyn” Wróblewski, Wojciech Karolak, Andrzej Dąbrowski and Juliusz Sendecki make up the quartet. This is a formation which heralds the emergence of modern jazz and such bands as Andrzej Trzaskowski, Krzysztof Komeda quintets, and Zbigniew Namysłowski quartet. A half of the album’s repertory was composed by the leader of the quartet – Jana Ptaszyn Wróblewski and the other half includes pieces composed by Wojciech Karolak. (vol. 4) The fourth album from the Polish Jazz series with recordings of Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet is one of the most outstanding albums in the collection. It was recorded in 1965 and constitutes, next to Komeda’s Astigmatic, the Polish jazz artistic manifesto of that time. Its author’s influence on the development of this music genre in Poland is simply invaluable. The album faithfully reflects the compositional artistry of the leader, his improvisatory style and characteristic poetics of his pieces. It was originally issued in a monophonic version, now it is available on vinyl and CD in a stereophonic version. (vol. 24) This is the first such comprehensive release of this excellent album. The new issue has the original cover, but also an additional bilingual booklet with a text written by Tomasz Tłuczkiewicz. The album is a recording of a concert which took place at the Warsaw Philharmonic in January 1971. It was released in the same year as vol. 24 of the Polish Jazz series. It is a special album – Urbaniak’s debut as a leader and violinist, the “baptism of fire” for his new band and an indication of a revolutionary shift towards fusion. (vol. 54) The Question Mark is Janusz Muniak’s first own album, released in 1978 as vol. 54 in the Polish Jazz series. At the same time, this is his only album in the series and one of the most important releases in his career. Muniak’s themes are wonderfully composed, concise, succinct, highly dynamic and releasing a considerable energy potential in improvisations. The leader confidently guides his thoughts with juicy pure sound, sometimes entering the domain of free jazz, which results, however, from the natural logic of the given musical piece. As Muniak himself said once: “In music one can never do everything. You are free to choose whatever means you think are suitable but that kind of freedom has to be accompanied by a high degree of control. Otherwise there will be no music, just gibberish.” (vol. 63) Blublula is the second album in Stanisław Sojka’s discography, recorded and released in 1981 as No. 63 in the Polish Jazz series. At the time of the release, Sojka was a promising 21-year-old vocalist, student of composition and arrangement at the Faculty of Jazz and Popular Music of the Academy of Music in Katowice. The album was well received and chosen as the jazz album of the year 1981. An enormous (as for a jazz record) number of 100,000 copies was issued. Sojka is accompanied by Czesław Bartkowski (percussion) and Zbigniew Wegehaupt (double bass) in the rhythm section, while Wojciech Karolak, one of the founding fathers of Polish jazz, plays the piano. So, this is the second album recorded with Karolak in this selection of six records. What is interesting, none of the albums where Karolak was the leader had been released with the Polish Jazz logo until 2006 when the error was kind of corrected as the album Easy! was issued as part of the “Polish Jazz Deluxe” series. (RE)ISSUES Issues All albums from the Polish Jazz series were originally released on vinyl discs. Some of the albums have been reissued many times, some not. Some of the discs were pressed with the thought of the “friendly” people’s democracies – the Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic in mind. They were packed in the same covers as in Poland, but in the German version the back of the cover was different, i.e. there was a German (not English) translation of the essay. The albums released onto the Soviet market had fly-leaves with a track list written in the Cyrillic alphabet. Despite this, the discs were pressed in Poland. Albums from vol. 1 to vol. 4 were issued only in monophonic versions. Subsequent ones, until the year 1973, were released both in monophonic (a rarity today) and stereophonic versions (symbols in the logo: XL and SXL, respectively). Their re-issues regarded the stereophonic versions only. After 1972, the remaining titles in the series were released as stereo recordings only (with the SX symbol in the logo). I asked people working for Polskie Nagrania if there are separate mono and stereo masters. It appears that almost all Polish Jazz master tapes and their safety copies are stereophonic tapes. So, it seems that mono versions were created by summing two channels. An exception to the rule is the first album in the series (Warsaw Stompers) which only has a monophonic version in the archive. The albums from this “six” were reissued earlier in digital versions on CDs. The first pieces were released already in 1989 in a series produced by Polskie Nagrania, but those were compilations presenting the works of the leading Polish jazzmen. The first whole album was released in 1997 by Power Bros Records and that was Polish Jazz Quartet (PB 00400). however, the album cover was changed and it was released as Jan “Ptaszyn” Wróblewski album entitled Polish Jazz Quartet. The “right” re-issues, with remasters prepared by specialists from Polskie Nagrania were released only in 2004. One album was launched then – Michal Urbaniak’s Group Live Recordings. The album was part of a 16-album re-edition of Polish records, distributed by the Anex company. The rest of the digital re-editions were launched in 2005 in two series. The “Polish Jazz Deluxe” series included Warsaw Stompers (Polskie Nagrania, PNCD 1001), Janusz Muniak Quintet (Polskie Nagrania, PNCD 1054) and Stanisław Sojka (Polskie Nagrania, PNCD 1063), while the 12-album series “Polskie Radio poleca” (Polish Radio recommends) – Polish Jazz Quartet (Polskie Radio, PRCD 531) and Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet (Polskie Radio, PRCD 535). (Re) The re-editions prepared by Warner Music Poland were really well-made. We know the basic facts from the previous reviews, so let me just remind you briefly that the CDs were put in excellent digipack boxes with a booklet. The way the covers and essays were prepared, with interesting photos, is exemplary. Only the records from the “Polskie Radio poleca” box could be compared to them, although the new ones are much nicer (by the way, the layout of the “Polskie Radio poleca” series was prepared by Rafał Lachmirowicz from RLM Studio, who later prepared Savage’s albums – read HERE and HERE, both reviews in Polish). Vinyl discs have thicker covers than the original ones, each with a “spine” featuring its title – something that the original versions did not have. Some of the covers are surprising for someone like me, i.e. a person who did not see the albums when they were released – the covers have a white, not yellow background :) I’ve got so used to old yellowed versions that the new white ones seem to be completely different, even though they are the right ones. The discs were pressed in the Czech Republic using high quality180 g vinyl. The pressing is of really high quality because the travelling noise and the crackling sound are virtually non-existent – much lower than in all the original releases. One disadvantage is the change of the width of the grooves – now they are narrower than in the original versions, because of which the dynamics has to be slightly lower (this is how it works). It can be seen because the recorded part ends much further from the colorful central label than in the original editions. Decisions, decisions… While preparing the re-edition, Warner had to make many decisions, some of which were related to covers. It is known that in Polskie Nagrania archives there are complete files connected with the albums’ graphic design, completed until the design was submitted by Mr. Szaybo or Karewicz. Similarly as in the case of the previous “six”, there are a few changes compared to the original releases. The backs of the covers are not scanned, but written again using font similar to the original one. This also relates to the lettering of the logotypes (numbers and letters). The spacing between graphics, inscriptions and the edges of the discs has been slightly modified, which is especially visible in the case of Michal Urbaniak’s Group and Stanisław Sojka disc covers. However, the differences are really small. Again, in two cases (the albums mentioned in the previous paragraph), wrong logotypes were used. The Live recording disc has the catalog number XL 0733 in the oval with the logotype. It only refers to the monophonic version of the album – the stereophonic version has the number SXL 0733. What is more important, however, is that the two numbers had always been used together (never separately) and this is what they looked like: XL 0733 SXL 0733 The inscription on the cover spine of the digital version of the same album is “Michał Urbaniak’s Group”, while it should be “Michal Urbaniak’s Group” – the inscription on the vinyl version cover is correct. When it comes to Sojka’s album, it is the same story as earlier with Ewa Bem’s album – it has an oval logo that had been used before 1980. Originally, the record had a rectangular logotype with a musical note. These are minor issues, however. What seems more important to me are the choices connected with vinyl disc labels. Vol. 3 and vol. 4 have monophonic version labels, even though they are stereo versions. As the albums were originally released only in the mono version, their stereo versions should have been prepared, e.g. like in the case of Astigmatic. What I liked was the fact that the untypical color of Muniak’s disc label has been maintained – orange is extremely rarely used in the designs of Polskie Nagrania. The labels have new lettering, modeled on the original versions. Summing up, it must be said that these are very carefully prepared re-editions – the best ones in the history of Polish Jazz – both when it comes to CDs and LPs. SOUND I would divide the six albums that I listened to into four sub-groups: (1) Warsaw Stompers, (2) Polish Jazz Quartet and The Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet, (3) Michal Urbaniak’s Group and Janusz Muniak Quintet and (4) Stanisław Sojka. Each of them was treated in a slightly different way during the remastering stage, even though they all have features typical for Jacek Gawłowski’s way of thinking about music. The listening session was conducted and comparisons were made in the “High Fidelity” reference system, with a few additional components. Long Play discs were listened to using two sets: Set 1 (total price: slightly over 210,000 PLN) Döhmann HELIX 1 turntable Frank Schröder CB arm Shelter Accord cartridge Set 2 (total price: 1790 PLN) Edwards Audio APPRENTICE TT LITE Mk2 turntable Edwards Audio EA101 arm Edwards Audio Zephyr C50 cartridge I used the following devices to listen to the Compact Discs: Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition CD player (ca. 60,000 PLN) Amare Musica DIAMOND DSD TUBE DAC (14,600 PLN) Marantz HD CD1 CD player (2,695 PLN) When comparing vinyl releases, I used the original LP issues (both a stereophonic and monophonic version in the case of Michał Urbaniak’s album). WARSAW STOMPERS New Orleans Stompers | vol. 1 First issue: Polskie Nagrania “Muza” XL 0246 (mono) Remaster 2016: Warner Music Poland 9 59601 9 (LP mono) | 9 59602 0 (CD mono) Warsaw Stompers is an album originally released in the mono version and the only one whose original tapes are only preserved in this form – there is no stereophonic version in the archive of Polskie Nagrania. It sounds completely different from other albums in the series. Its tonal balance is set high, there is little bass (almost none) and the focus is on the strike, attack, the almost “street-like” hustle and bustle. Therefore, the original LP version sounds bright, its tonal balance is shifted high towards the top and the most important elements are the upper midrange and the cymbals. Today, we associate the “upper midrange” with errors and brightening up. Despite this, the Warsaw Stompers album is not brightened up – although it is bright. However, it is hard to talk about a realistic representation of the band’s music, as the double bass is almost absent and one can hardly hear the low frequency sounds of the wind instruments. I can almost see Jacek Gawłowski as he shakes his head. I respect him even more because even though he made quite significant changes to the sound, more serious ones than in the case of the other “first twenty” Polish Jazz records, he has maintained the character of the sound and the album itself. The cover of the original LP issue is covered with the noble patina of time – hence its yellowish color In Gawłowski’s remaster, Warsaw Stompers are set lower and we can finally hear the double bass which is not emphasized, however, but made audible – it is very hard to do, as there is a big difference between the two. The midrange is much warmer and that makes most of the difference. The treble is warmer and more “golden”, i.e. its attack is rounded. Almost everything is clearer and more “present” – it seems that the average volume level has been raised by about 1.5-2 dB, so let us increase volume when we listen to the original version while comparing the two issues. The new version presents the recordings in a more homogenous way, i.e. it shows better what they have in common. The album was recorded between 1959 and 1964, and the differences in quality are clearly heard in the case of the original version. Jacek equalized them by leveling up the older recordings so that they do not differ in quality from the material that was recorded later. It is worth emphasizing that the traveling noise level is much lower in the new version – it is not high on the original album, but still always present. When it comes to the crackling sound, it is similar in both cases – there is not much of it. The differences in favour of the original version consist in higher (subjective) dynamics and much better resolution of the treble. I think that we cannot do anything about it and if a tape is not used for 50 or more years, we need to consider a decrease in the energy of the treble and higher noise. The latter cannot be heard and I think that Jacek withdrew it slightly. However, the fact that the cymbals and wind instruments have a stronger “bite” in the original version is simply plain and clear. Therefore, the original edition will still remain the “right” version for collectors. However, the remaster is going to be just as fine for “people”, all the more because the new version, with a stronger midrange and bass, and a distinct foreground, will sound more attractive and modern with inexpensive turntables. It is similar in the case of the digital version – you can read more about the differences between the Polish Jazz Deluxe edition and Remaster 2016 in the section on Stanisław Sojka’s album. SOUND QUALITY Long Play: 6/10 Compact Disc: 5-6/10 POLISH JAZZ QUARTET Polish Jazz Quartet | vol. 3 First issue: Polskie Nagrania “Muza” XL 0246 (mono) Remaster 2016: Warner Music Poland 9 59601 4 (LP stereo) | 9 59601 8 (CD stereo) The third album from the Polish Jazz catalog has sound quality similar to vol. 0, i.e. Kurylewicz’s Go Right. It is well recorded, both when it comes to the timbre of the instruments and their proportions, dynamics and resolution. The original album has a “cult” status among collectors and is very highly priced (even for medium quality). If it is in a “very good +” condition, it may cost from 300 even up to 500 PLN. I do not think I have ever seen its “mint” version. Comparing the monophonic original version and the stereophonic re-issue is like comparing apples with pears. So, one has to keep a certain distance as it is only a rough comparison. However, it is possible to delineate the general framework for it. The remaster shifts sound towards the bass more. It does not emphasize it, but fills up the lower midrange, giving breath to Wojciech Karolak’s piano and Jan “Ptaszyn” Wróblewski’s saxophone on the one hand, and Juliusz Sendecki’s double bass on the other hand. So, we get a fuller version of the original recording. I know, of course, that the monophonic LP version sounds like what it sounds like due to a lack of a stereophonic perspective, but if we listen to a stereophonic Compact Disc re-edition prepared by Karolina Gleinert, we hear that only a new remaster really shows the original tape’s fullness, depth and saturation. The original version is better than the stereophonic re-edition when it comes to the resolution of the treble and openness. It is something that has already been observed in the case of Warsaw Stompers and is going to appear again when I write about the Trzaskowski Quintet, but it really must be mentioned as it is the reason why collectors are still going to look for the original version of the album. What I would like to tell all of them, however, is something that I am going to repeat when I write about vol. 4: buy the new edition! It is the only way to hear a really well-made high-resolution stereo version. Indeed, the dynamics is a bit lower than in the original and the cymbals are more closed and sweet, lacking the openness of the monophonic version. Apart from that, however, the new remastered album has only advantages. Listening to the Polish Radio Compact Disc version again has (again) confirmed Karolina Gleinert’s great talent and sensitivity to sound. Of course, the decade that has passed since that remaster has changed the digital world, providing us with tools that we could only dream about in 2004 and 2005. When combined with Jacek Gawłowski’s studio and experience, they make a real difference. The old version, i.e. “The Polish Radio recommends” was prepared in such a way that it places instruments close to us. Therefore, everything is tangible, full and dense. The cymbals, really important in the case of this album and also very well recorded, are sweet in timbre, strong and distinct. Their attack is rounded and they seem to be cut at the top of the range. There is virtually no noise, which implies that noise reduction circuits were used here. The volume of the recordings is 2 dB higher than of the new version, which suggests stronger compression (that would explain the proximity of the foreground). The 2016 version is much more open and has a less clear cut lower range that is quite strongly emphasized by Ms Gleinert. The sound of the new remaster is more nuanced, much more dynamic and more detailed. I think that Ms. Gleinert gave us sound that we know from good vinyl releases – with all their advantages and disadvantages – and the new remaster resembles more what I know from the analog tape. It is rougher and less predictable as a result. There is some noise which does not disturb the listener, however, and the incredible “breath” that allows a percussion to strike and decay during a solo. The Polish Radio recommends edition on the left and the Warner Music Poland edition on the right As a collector, I would like to have both of the versions as each focuses on slightly different aspects of the recorded material. Jacek Gawłowski’s remaster shows it in a way closer to the analog master tape, while Ms. Gleinert’s version is closer to the original vinyl pressing, but in a mono version (I am talking about the type of presentation, not the number of channels). The new version should be more important for “people”. SOUND QUALITY Long Play: 8-9/10 Compact Disc: 9/10 AWARD: Big RED Button THE ANDRZEJ TRZASKOWSKI QUINTET The Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet | vol. 4 First issue: Polskie Nagrania “Muza” XL 0258 (mono) Remaster 2016: Warner Music Poland 9 59601 3 (LP stereo) | 9 59601 6 (CD stereo) At the beginning let us say that the frequency range of this album is cut, especially at the top, because of which the cymbals sound a bit “plastic” – I am talking about both the original and the re-issues. I do not know why it is so, but the modification is significant. The remaster does not attempt to change this, but adds energy to the cymbals, emphasizing their lower range. It is more distinct on the LP, while the sound on the CD, paradoxically, seems to be better balanced. The new LP version sounds very good – it is energetic and dynamic. The quite high level of noise (recordings, tapes) is disturbing and cyclic low-frequency noise can also be heard when we listen to the first track. However, the music is outstanding and compensates for the shortages of sound, all the more that the new remaster brings out a lot of flavors of the album, placing the double bass and the rest of the band in the right perspective which was unbalanced in the original version. The piano sounds a bit as if it was recorded by Rudy van Gelder, i.e. from a certain distance, with emphasis on the midrange, which also has its charm. What surprises the listener is the swing – it is an album which is very quiet and calm at the beginning, but then explodes and rocks with full power for a long time. And people will like it! The double bass solo in Synopsis is clear, explicit, nicely saturated (as for this type of a recording) and has good resolution. In the original mono version it sounds less expressive and disappears a bit in the noise. It is a must-have for collectors. Apart from the original mono edition, they also MUST buy the new 2016 stereo version as well. It has so many new shades and such a different expression that you listen to it as if for the first time, even if you had been familiar with the Polish Radio stereo CD version before. The new digital version is also excellent! Everything that I wrote about the Polish Jazz Quartet album is also true here – Jacek has done a fantastic job. SOUND QUALITY Long Play: 7/10 Compact Disc: 7-8/10 AWARD: RED Fingerprint MICHAL URBANIAK’S GROUP Live Recording | vol. 24 First issue: Polskie Nagrania “Muza” XL/SXL 0733 (mono/stereo) Remaster 2016: Warner Music Poland 9 59601 1 (LP stereo) | 9 59601 2 (CD stereo) A comparison of the original version and the remaster of Urbaniak’s album shows that these are two different stories. In the case of the previously described albums it was possible to point out the advantages of one or the other version, but here it is quite different. The LP remaster sounds lower – it is something we have got used to, having listened to the Polish Jazz records previously released by Warner. However, it is dynamically smoothened and has a more restricted color palette. It is a concert recording, so one cannot demand miracles from it, but the original has got the freshness which used to make Urbaniak’s music so fascinating. The mastered vinyl version shows recordings kind of as if they were recorded in a studio, i.e. in a more balanced way, with a shorter “breath” and closer to us. Tone adjustment has led to reducing the energy of the whole album. It is different in the case of the CD version – it is the best version of this album, apart from the stereophonic original, and perhaps represents the same level. Digital technology has not killed the vitality and emotions recorded on the magnetic tape, providing low noise, better image stability and more distinct sound planes at the same time. Lowering the tone proves much better in the case of the CD version – when it comes to the LP, it was too strong and explicit, which reduced the dynamics and vitality of the recording. SOUND QUALITY Long Play: 7/10 Compact Disc: 8/10 JANUSZ MUNIAK QUINTET Question Mark | vol. 54 First issue: Polskie Nagrania “Muza” SX 1616 Remaster 2016: Warner Music Poland 9 59600 6 (LP stereo) | 9 59600 5 (CD stereo) Muniak’s album recorded in 1978 reflects a change in the method of recording, mixing and mastering sound (although it was the same process at that time). The sound is more suppressed, as if it had gone through a lot of compressors – this is what Dolby A noise reduction sounds like. The former method was probably used here, as noise is still present. Therefore, the sound of the original version is not too dynamic. The remaster attempts to “make up” for that using better color manipulation and producing a denser musical message. The original LP disc sounds lighter but is not more open at all because of that. The new versions, both the LP and the CD, have more noise than the original recording, but it is good that Jacek Gawłowski did not attempt to aggressively cut it off. Thanks to this, it is the new CD version that sounds better. It maintains better balance between the tone, dynamics and energy. The new Long Play version is smoothened, i.e. does not have the same energy. On the other hand, the vinyl remaster is very “listenable” – perhaps not as much as the CD, but still. Do you know the term “playability” used in the domain of computer games? I have something similar in mind. The new version (CD and LP alike) enters our ears easily and both recordings can be listened to as background music, e.g. when we read a book, and also when we focus on the music, as the whole recording can be listened to easily. As I am a collector, I would not force myself to search for a vinyl version, but I would find the digital one satisfactory. For all other people the vinyl version will be as attractive as the original or even more attractive – if you use an inexpensive turntable, you hear all the flavors better, get nicer bass and, generally speaking, get the impression that the Remaster 2016 brings more “sound within sound”. Only an expensive system or a large collection of original LP records will show that the first edition has better resolution and higher dynamics, as well as a stronger strike of cymbals. SOUND QUALITY Long Play: 6-7/10 Compact Disc: 7/10 STANISŁAW SOJKA Blublula | vol. 63 First issue: Polskie Nagrania “Muza” SX 2320 (stereo) Remaster 2016: Warner Music Poland 9 59600 9 (LP stereo) | 9 59601 0 (CD stereo) When it comes to recordings, the 1980s are yet a different story than the 1970s – in most respects it is another step backwards. In the Polish reality of that period it not only meant having the same problems (that emerged alongside with the development of multichannel recording and omnipresent compressors/limiters) as other people in the domain of music recording all over the world. There were also other problems, typical for the Polish economy of that time, in which people constantly lacked some basic resources – hence the low-quality tapes or vinyl on which music was recorded. While listening to the remastered 2016 LP version, we will acknowledge the incomparably lower level of noise and crackling sound, compared to the original. In this respect, the new pressing unquestionably wins over the old one. The 1981 version has a high level of noise and frequent crackling noises, even if we listen to a “mint” version cleaned using a top-of-the-range vinyl disc washer. The new version is very quiet even without cleaning. Another problem is, paradoxically, the popularity of this album. As it was an edition of over 100,000 copies, the master copies were exploited to the maximum. So, we can both find very nice and dramatically weak pressings – and we never know what we get. So, let us look at the number next to the label – next to the letter indicating the side there is a digit showing which lacquer master it is. All discs above A-2 and B-2 have a quite high level of noise, whereas those labeled as A-4 and B-4 – very high, alongside with weaker dynamics. So, buying a second-hand copy of this album is a bit like playing the lottery. However, if we are lucky and get an ideal version that is well-pressed, we get really good sound (as for the standards of the 1980s). The original recording shows Sojka’s vocal in a more balanced way, with a better visible “body” which somehow escaped from the vinyl remaster. The filling of the bass in both versions is similar, but more colorful in the original. The remaster, in turn, provides us with a better arranged picture of the whole musical message – the original pressing lacks a “clamp” that would hold everything together as a whole. The case of digital remasters is a bit different. The version prepared by Karolina Gleinert who was responsible for the sound of recordings from the Polish Jazz Deluxe series has a better filled vocal than the LP from the year 1981. This definitely improves proportions that were out of balance in the original vinyl version because the upper midrange was raised. Sojka’s vocal sounds nasal in the vinyl version, as if the singer had a little cold. Ms. Gleinert corrected that really nicely, so the vocal “settles” in the mix better than in the original version. In this respect, the new vinyl remaster is closer to the original, but it is not as nice to listen to. The vocal is raised and nasal, which makes the recording similar to the new vinyl re-edition. However, not everything is equally good in the 2005 version. The bass is considerably weighted down and there is simply too much of it. The original vinyl recording has a strong bass, but it does not dominate as much as in the Deluxe version. When it comes to noise, Ms. Gleinert removed them to a large extent, whereas Jacek did not focus on removing them so much. He also compressed the whole recording less, thanks to which we get higher dynamics. The Deluxe version has less noise and is louder (by 2 dB), but also “swings” less, due to higher compression and cleaning up the treble. So, when it comes to the digital version, I choose the new one and buy a second-hand vinyl copy. However, if you have no time for searching and simply want to listen to good music, the new vinyl version will also meet your expectations. SOUND QUALITY Long Play: 6/10 Compact Disc: 7/10 SUMMARY I should probably repeat what I have already said twice in the previous reviews of the 2016 Remaster – people have done a really good job here. The printed materials and sound are of very high quality here. The digital versions of all albums are better or much better than anything we have dealt so far and I would say that these are versions close to what I have expected from these albums. So, I regret we do not have a downloadable hi-res version (this is what Harmonia Mundi does – we get a file download code with a CD; more HERE) or a USB version, like in the case of Rudy Van Gelder’s series released by Blue Note, or microSD, like in the case of Maria Callas recordings (more HERE and HERE). In the case of vinyl discs a lot depends on the given album. If you are not zealous collectors, you can buy them “blindfold” because they deliver good (sometimes fantastic) sound, are not noisy and do not produce crackling sounds. Collectors should have at least two of the new editions. I can see that one of the best series in the history of Polish jazz (and perhaps Polish music in general) is being born – Remaster 2016 has all the features that can make it a classic.

Lenco L 75 or Thorens TD 150 / II - that was the question that I asked myself in 1969 when I had to buy a new turntable. The mechanism of the my automatic old Dual 1015 turntable completely fell apart after only a few months. It was hard to survive these three weeks, when Dual had to undergo repair and I could not listen to new albums. I decided that it should never happen to me again! My friend recommended a Thorens deck. He didn't praise about advantages of the belt drive, synchronous motor, or decoupled sub-chassis. But to me, the guy who devoured hi-fi not only with my ears, but also with eyes, those light-weight chassis and tonearm counterweights that looked like black balls didn't really look quite appealing. Perhaps that is why it was rather the shining chromed Lenco, with its significant size, clean design and convincing stability that spoke to me. So there was no problem with a decision: heart prevailed against the reason. Then came the time for a "reasonable" Thorens TD 150 / II. Both were technically very good, but on an absolute scale, both offered only medium quality. Joachim Bung, Swiss Precision. The Story of the Thorens TD 124 and Other Classic Turntables, Schmitten 2007, p. 118 47 years have passed since the above described events, and many people still ask themselves the same question: Lenco or Thorens, Thorens or Garrard? Among those who believe that with the progress we have lost something important, something that such designs represent, I mean turntables with a drive in a form of intermediary wheel, or so called idler drive, discussions are conducted still today and probably they will be until the audio will exist as an art form. The vintage trend in question, is not monolithic. There are as many ideas of how to restore “old” technologies, as there are “followers”. There are those for whom it makes only sense if they use an accurately restored turntable, so no components are changed, no modern ones replace old ones and so on. If one needs to replace some part using a new one it is OK but only as long as it is identical as the original one. On the other hand, there are people who use the most interesting components of old machines and combine them with more modern ones. With the latter, and it was a great example of such project, we already dealt in "High Fidelity" in our issue no. 126 of October 2014, when we tested the PTP Audio SOLID9 turntable with Audiomods SERIES FIVE tonearm based on a drive and a platter taken from Lenco Between these two opposite poles one can find an infinite number of different takes closer to one or the other approach. The one proposed by the Polish company Nomos, our good friends comes from somewhere in the middle of this whole range. Their chose Lenco L 75, which - according to the already mentioned Joachim Bunga – was "the best among Lenco turntables": In 1967 Lenco replaced the well proven L 70 model with a new top of the range L 75. Although the veteran was reasonably priced and brought joy to many audiophiles around the world, there was nothing to miss. Lenco L 75 differed from its predecessor with only a few, but very important, details. Its main asset - a simple and reliable drive system - has remained unchanged. The mass of the dynamically balanced cast platter has been increased to four kilograms, and only much more expensive Thorens TD 124 / II featured a heavier one. The diameter of the platter with an integrated switch has also increased to 312 mm. op. cit., p. 132 Lenco is a Swiss company, founded in 1946 in Burgdorf, a small town near Bern. It was the result of Fritz Laeng's fascination with devices for sound reproduction. By the late 1950s the company offered two models of turntables, one of which, L 60, featured an “idler” drive. The design of the drive system featured a shaft on the motor with a conical shape that allowed for a smooth change of speed. The first turntable, which was considered to belong to hi-fi category, was the L 70 of 1960. The most successful model, however, was the already mentioned L 75, of 1967. Heavy platter, a wheel used to drive it, powerful motor- these were the key distinguishing features of this design. Nomos ARTUR CIUBA – service MICHAŁ NOWIŃSKI – sales Our Lenco turntables use two versions of drives: L 75 and L 78. The drive mechanism can be as close as possible to the original, ie. with all the writings, or after complete dismantling, painted in black with gloss finish. The drives are of course serviced and properly adjusted. An important element of the drive is the idler wheel that is carefully examined. There are two versions of the chassis for the drive and the choice depends on the installed arm. We use two types of arms: SME 3009 and 3012, that is, 9 and 12 inch arms, in the two oldest production versions, ie. S1 or S2. The arms are dismantled to the smallest part - the bearings are serviced, tested and maintained, we do replace internal wiring, usually we use braided silver [you can check this out on the pictures in the gallery below - ed.]. The internal tonearm cabling is directly connected with the RCA outputs on the rear panel. Under the turntable we install anti-vibration feet using ball bearings sourced from a Polish producer. We prefer to install cartridges that come from an old production: Shure V15 series and top models by Elac. Of course, if that's customer's wish, we can use a cartridge of his choice. Interconnects, which we offer with our turntables are made by us. They are based on silver wires, and the material is sourced from cables used for military applications. Turntables are offered with a Plexiglas dust covers. Lenco L 75 by Nomos is a turntable based on the "vintage" components, but with current production base and cabling. It uses a drive system, platter and chassis, along with visible switches from Lenco L 75 turntable and SME 3009 S2 tonearm. The basis is composed of precisely cut out multi-layer glued plywood and finished with natural veneer. At the bottom a thick plate of steel is crewed on, and the whole turntable sits on Pro Audio Bono feet, similar to the PAB Acrylic AVF (review in Polish), but made of “panzer” plywood. The signal is delivered to great looking Neutrik RCA outputs. An element added by Nomos that immediately catches the eye is the record clamp of the semicircular shape and specific appearance. It was made of decorative stone and it is very heavy. It features a layer of a red cloth on the bottom, which resembles the materials used for turntables already from the 1920s. The placement of the tonearm is atypical – it is not mounted on the side but in the back of the turntable. As the guys from Nomos told me, the idea was to achieve a maximum decoupling from motor generated vibrations, and the lowest level of vibrations was found at the back of the chassis. Initially, it seemed bizarre to me, but it turned out that this location was very convenient to use. The tonearm featured the Elac DN 795 E cartridge with the original stylus; One can also order it with a modern production needle. The test was carried out with Nomos interconnects, their power cable and RCM Audio Sensor Prelude IC phonostage. It was compared with two other turntables: Pro-Ject RPM-9 Carbon and Kronos Sparta. 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 Duke Ellington, Masterpieces by Ellington, Columbia/Analogue Productions ML 4418, 200 g LP (1951/2014) Frank Sinatra, Come fly with me, Capitol Records/EMI 88653 13, 180 g LP (1958/2009) Maurice Ravel, Klavierkonzerte G-dur D-dur, wyk. Monique Haas, Orchestre National Paris, dyr. Paul Paray, Deutsche Grammophone/Clearaudio DGG 138 988, 180 g LP (1965/?) Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool, Capitol Records T 762, LP (1957) Ravel/Skrjabin/Liszt, wyk. Rolf Plagge, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi DMR 228, Direct Metal Mastering, LP (1987) Shantel & Bucovina Club Orchestra, The Mojo Club Session, Essay Recordings | Edel: Content 0209517CTT, Triple A Series, 2 x 180 g LP (2014) Tommy Schneider & Friends, The Hidden Port, Kolibri Records no. 12001, 180 g LP (2012) Yama & Jiro’s Wave, Girl Talk, Three Blind Mice/Cisco TBM-2559-45, „45 RPM Special Limited Edition | No. 0080/1000”, 2 x 45 RPM 180 g LP (1975/2006) Japanese CD editions are available from [REKLAMA5] It is very simple: the "idler" turntables, ie. the ones using drive with an idler wheel offer some features that most other turntables don’t, except perhaps the most expensive ones. Although products by Garrard, Thorens and Lenco differ structurally and sonically, they all share those qualities. Nomos modified Lenco "pushed" the sound forward, it offers a true drive, that is often mentioned in the context of the Naim Audio electronics. Naim achieves this effect by hardening of the attack, focus of the sound and excellent current efficiency. Nomos' Lenco (let me use this term for the turntable under review) does not “harden” anything, nor add focus. The "longitudinal" dynamics, if I may call it so, ie. thrust, as in rocket's thrust – is a result of a perfect control of the bass, delivered with a fantastically preserved timing in a precise, accurate fashion. If you ever listened to a good quality turntable of this type, meaning, with full bass, then forget about how much you liked it. Nomos' Lenco delivers true fullness and scale of the lower end and it does it better than any turntable at that price point, and its advantage is huge. It is not only able to present the power, depth and texture of the bass, but also its place on the stage. You think other decks can do that too? - No, they don't. The vinyl records require a special preparation of the signal, including summing the lowest bass to mono, otherwise it might be too much for cartridge to play. Therefore, what we perceive as the location of the double bass, bass guitar, left hand of the piano player are harmonics and not the basic sound of these instruments. Polish modification can, however, enter into it more deeply, as if it could read even deeper stereo signal. I could clearly hear that when using headphones, that always strip the sound of a turntable of all with appearances so that nothing stays hidden or is sugarcoated. Lenco by Nomos surprised me with this greatly, even though I'd known other models with idler wheel, including those based on the same brand's drives. The sound is warm in nature, focused on the midrange and bass. This was to be expected from a vintage product and it was delivered by it. Treble is not particularly clean, or selective; one can only dream about high resolution of the sound – this was also not unexpected. It's not like we can have it all at once, and it were these elements that once led manufacturers to search for other solutions. The new ones led to excellent results and today many turntables offer similar qualities. But there was a price to be paid for this progress. Swiss-Polish construction points it out clearly delivering flawless smoothness, density, cohesiveness. This is what, apart from the great bass, makes its sound so attractive. Each album I listened to presented large scale, excellent stereo and depth. The soundstage was not too deep, but was very wide and thanks to high micro-dynamics it was vivid, it constantly changed and pulsated. There were no clear phantom images, don't expect that. It is rather sort of an impression, not a documentary photograph. The downside of this system, which I would rather attribute to the cartridge than to turntable itself, was a slight reduction of the elements from the middle of the stage. Macro-dynamics of the elements presented there was not high, and neither was the momentum. The whole presentation was “saved” by the "wings" (left and right side), but it could not make up for everything. Despite the warm sound, focusing on the events in the front of the stage, the vocals were not very large, unless they have been placed far in one of the channels (as they were recorded back in the 1960s). Summary It is not simple to test this type of product, because although I knew what I could hear I wasn't quite sure how to evaluate it. The sound delivered by the turntable modified by Nomos offered some unique and highly desirable features, as well as those that were unwanted and got rid of a long time ago from modern designs even at lower price point. So it is in fact more of a “custom" product that is “tuned” for particular taste and not a regular product. But if what someone expects from his system is primarily musicality, emotional communication, then it will be difficult for that person to return to listening to any modern turntable design, the difference between them will be too significant. On the other hand, those who believe that there is more to music than that, that for the full experience they need something else, they will never even look at Lenco, not even as cool as the Nomos' version, again. This is a unique product for a unique customer who knows exactly what he wants. When these two are paired together it will be for life. Further reading: Joachim Bung, Swiss Precision. The Story of the Thorens TD 124 and Other Classic Turntables, Schmitten 2007 Thorens. The fascination of living legend, red. Gerhard Weichler, tłum. Siegfried Ludvig, Hohberg 2006 [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/17.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/17.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/17.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/18.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/18.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/18.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/19.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/19.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/19.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/20.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/20.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/20.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1609/lenco/th/21.jpg" big="foto_testy/1609/lenco/21.jpg" src="foto_testy/1609/lenco/21.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

y everlasting passion for music was first ignited a long, long time ago, when I was still just a kid. Our country back then was not a good place for music lovers (well, not only for them but that's another story). Neither music nor audio equipment were widely available at the time. My first audio device was a simple cassette player with integrated tuner made by Grundig. My first musical instrument was a small no-name guitar. That was actually all I could really have at that time to satisfy my newly discovered passion. These were times when music was available only on the radio and those who were lucky enough to somehow acquire a few dollars could buy one or two cassettes in “Pewex” (special shops with products from the West) to record some favorite tracks directly from a radio. Those times have fortunately come to an end and finally several years ago I had a chance to listen to my very first decent quality tube amplifier. This single experience turned me into a huge fan of tube sound. It is tubes, triodes in particular - of course not all of them but surely most – that play music in a way that appeals to me the most. So when after spending a few years with my first own, Ukrainian 300B PSE amp I wanted to take another step towards the musical nirvana, I began to search the internet to find some other, interesting devices. At some point I came across a review of an amplifier made by Italian company Tektron. In the pictures it looked absolutely stunning, and according to the author of the review, it also performed wonderfully. For me an interesting and equally important factor was one of its numerous features – it allowed usage of various power tubes (triodes): 300B, 2A3 and 45. Purists would probably say that such an amp could not possibly offer the highest possible sound quality, because an output transformer should be made specifically for particular tube of type. On the other hand, however, for someone who could not afford to buy a few amplifiers utilizing specific triodes, to find out which of them suits him best, this relatively inexpensive, versatile device could be an ideal solution. Moreover, as experience shows, one should always approach new audio devices with an open mind, should not make any assumptions – one should listen first and assess it later. So I figured then, that it would be a perfect choice for me – I would buy this amp with a few sets of different tubes to try different sonic "flavors". Perhaps, after a while, I would decide that I preferred one triode over others and then would have this amp replaced with another, specialized one. I contacted Attilio Caccamo, who proved to be a very nice man, and patiently answered all the questions. Ultimately the transaction did not happen, because at the time I did not trust my “audio intuition” enough just yet to buy an amplifier without auditioning it first, which was not possible. I have never, however, forgotten the brand. A few months ago, when trying to get rid of old emails, I found this very correspondence with Tektron and now, as a reviewer, I decided to contact them again, this time asking if they would be interested in delivering one of their devices for a test. The response was positive, albeit with a small "detour" - Attilio pointed me to his distributor, Mr. Greg Drygała, our compatriot living in the UK, running his audio company called Gpoint-Audio. We'd already virtually known each other with Greg - his company is a kind of a “Polish island” in the UK, as he distributes many of our domestic brands there. When choosing a product for the review I mentioned about the situation from the past and the amplifier that allowed the user to try various triode types. Greg suggested that instead of an integrated amplifier I mentioned, he could send me the reference monoblocks that would let me use different types of tubes too, plus a matching preamplifier. Now all I had to do was to wait for a shipment to arrive. Recordings used for the test (a selection): Al di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucia, Friday Night in San Francisco, Philips 800 047-2, CD/FLAC. Arne Domnerus, Jazz at the Pawnshop, Proprius ATR 003, LP. Etta James, Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, Blues in the Night, Vol.1: The Early Show, Fantasy B000000XDW, CD/FLAC. Eva Cassidy, Live at Blues Alley, G2-10046, CD/FLAC. Georges Bizet, Carmen, RCA Red Seal 74321 39495 2, CD/FLAC. Keith Jarrett, The Köln 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. Michał Wróblewski Trio, City album, Ellite Records, CD/FLAC. Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain, Columbia PC8271, LP. Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro, dyr. Teodor Currentzis, MusicAeterna Orchestra, Sony Classical B00GK8P1EG, CD/FLAC. Patricia Barber, Companion, Premonition/Mobile Fidelity MFSL 2-45003, 180 g LP. 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. Tri Continental, Live, T&M 020, CD/FLAC. Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] Greg prepared a special, wooden shipping case for all three devices. He also included some tubes (all NOS), so I could play with them, looking for the best (from my perspective) combination. Despite such solid packaging, one of the two 2A3's (Greg's most precious NOS pair) was damaged, thus limiting my options. Once I finally got over this fact I could get on with unpacking the case, and take a closer look at this small, beautifully made devices. Before I received these items for a review I had a chance to see some Tektron products in Munich, as that year Italian company had its stand at the High End Show. So after this first personal encounter I was not surprised about Tektron product's appearance (I repeat again – they look stunning!) nor their size (as for tube devices these are really small), and yet they were so beautiful that for the first several minutes I was just admiring this wonderful "Italian Job" involving a beautifully finished, natural wood. If you have already seen the attached pictures, you've probably noticed that it's natural wood, which can be detected by some, quite natural differences between the shades of individual housings. To be honest, comparing Tektrons against my own Art Audio Symphony II did the latter no favors. I decided to get acquainted with these Italian beauties gradually. As I mentioned in one of other reviews, I'd received two prototypes of new Mr. Andrzej Matusiak's (that's Audiomatus brand's owner) designs (class D amplifiers). All of my previous experience with such amplifiers (I mean class D) told me that they would sound best (to my ears) when combined with a good quality tube preamplifier. So I listened to them, among others, also with Tektron preamp. I used the latter also with my own ModWright KWA100SE power amp. For this test I received the reference version of this preamplifier. All “reference” versions differ from standard ones mostly with usage of higher grade components. In this articular case another difference was a single (instead of two) power amplifier output (although the second can be added upon order, for an additional charge, of course). Greg fitted this preamp also with NOS tubes. TK 6J5-REF compared directly with my ModWright LS100 delivered a more colorful sound. The presentation with it in the system was more vibrant, more “shiny”, and had an accurate, that is neither too small nor too large, dose of tube-ish sweetness. ModWright seemed to show the events on-stage in a more structured, more selective way, Tektron on the other hand made it more palpable. Interestingly, the Italian unit delivered a tighter, faster bass. Both preamplifiers seemed to offer same level of detail retrieval and transparency. As the price of both devices is comparable, the choice will depend more on potential buyer's taste, preference that on a clear advantage of one of them over the other. The Tektron is, without a doubt, nicer looking, it seemed to offer little more "tube-like" sound but with a really good, fast, tight bass, which is not necessarily an intrinsic feature of a tube device. After these listening sessions, I already knew that the Attilio's products are not just inexpensive, warm sounding tube devices "for the people", but rather serious contenders despite relatively low pricing. I assumed that listening to the entire set would confirm this impression created by TK 6J5-REF. 300B Western Electric Although these preliminary listening sessions with TK 6J5-REF provided a lot of positive impressions, the real fun began when I connected my Matterhorn loudspeakers to the complete Tektron system with drivers and signal tubes delivered by Greg (again – all NOS valves), and my Western Electric 300B in the output. I started from the Miles Davis, Yesternow (A tribute to Jack Johnson) album that I hadn't listened to for a very long time. The great Miles is accompanied by, among others, John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock, and in some parts also by many other “jazz giants” - Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, Dave Holland and so on. I simply forgot what a fantastic album it was, even if at the time of its released it wasn't very successful. The Tektron set delivered a wonderful performance, although different than the one of my 300B amplifier, despite the use of exactly the same pair of power tubes. Symphony II delivered sound that could be described as "typical 300B", with an emphasis on the fabulously colorful, saturated, silky, smooth midrange. The same pair of Western Electrics when used in Tektron amplifiers sounded quite differently (which just proves how big is a role of the application/circuit itself) - with a punctual, taut bass, with really pretty good drive, with beautifully vibrant, open, detailed treble, though slightly less sweet than the Symphony II. These extremely smooth, devoid of any harshness, or even the slightest roughness, treble was at the same time particularly vibrant, it sparkled with freshness. I was truly surprised when listening to the performance of these Italian amplifiers with my 300B WE tubes on board. As I said, sound was incredibly smooth, there was no hint of any artificial roughness, but on the other hand, when necessary, a proper aggressiveness, or sharpness of Miles' trumpet was easily delivered too. It could almost “pinch” my ears but it never got unpleasant and it sounded so natural all the time. The whole musical spectacle happened in a large space in front of me, a space full of vibrating air, of breathing instruments, of sounds flowing towards me from individual instruments. All sounds started in the space between the loudspeakers and around them, in a nicely sketched, three-dimensional instruments, which, as it seemed, I could touch with my hand. The reality, tangibility of this presentation was impressive, and I spent days and nights listening to dozens of albums out of curiosity, just to find out how they sound on this set. I could not help but feel that finally I heard the ultimate performance of my favorite WE tubes. 45, NOS As I already mentioned one of the 2A3 was damaged during transport from UK, therefore the only pair of output tubes I had at my disposal were the 300Bs. Fortunately Wojtek Szemis, Kondo distributor, was able to help me, lending me not only a pair of Psvane 2A3, but also fantastic 1934 NOS 45 triodes! It is the latter pair that I listened to first. I admit that I have not had much previous experience with 45 triode, so basically did not know what to expect. But subconsciously I expected that this, give or take 2W tube, would deliver a more rounded, warmer sound. One of the first things that were obvious to me was an amazing saturation and richness of the midrange, that became even more colorful and slightly warmer than with WE 300B. Not that 300Bs gave me any reason to complain about these aspects of the sound, as so far they had been THE ones offering the most saturated, the most colorful mids, and when used with Tektron monoblocks they did not loose these qualities, but mostly gained in both range extremes. With the 45s, although it was not clear to me from the very beginning, presentation was slightly less linear, both band's extremes were slightly rolled off, which favored this wonderful midrange. It had nothing to do with a muddy, rounded sonic signature some people associate with tube sound, but still, compared to the previous experience with 300Bs, bass and treble were slightly, but noticeably rounded, bass was not as tight and springy, and the treble was more "golden", a little less sparkling. And yet the color saturation, fantastic differentiation of the latter was still amazing. As usually in audio, one advantage was gained at the expense of another, but the end result was amazing, although different than with 300Bs. With 45s sound was fabulously colorful, sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow (and thousands of others), which made this presentation irresistible, immersive. It didn't matter whether I listened to a violin, double bass, acoustic guitar or piano – I listened to each instrument holding my breath, admiring this quality of the amplifier that used such a huge color pallet and saturation of the sound to create a wonderful, engaging experience. A great role here played these not worse, and perhaps even better, fuller and more powerful decays than ones delivered by 300Bs. Of course, this kind of presentation favored acoustic recordings and vocals, just where these elements of the sound play a far greater role than in the case of electric music. The latter sounded better with 300Bs because they offered more linear sound, faster and better defined bass and clearer treble. As it befits triodes, 45s rendered a large, three-dimensional soundstage, although in my opinion 300Bs did it a little better too, organizing it in a more orderly fashion, with more air on the stage that filled in the space between instruments making them more “real”. Both tubes created equally tangible, convincing, three-dimensional images of the instruments, though both achieved this effect in a slightly different way. The 300Bs clearly outlined contours of each phantom image, while 45s delivered denser, more fleshy body of each of them. Despite various means the final result was equally realistic and the equally delightful. 2A3 Psvane Last but not least the time came for the last triode I had available – 2A3. These were not NOS tubes but ones of recent production of Psvane, though branded Audio Note. I think I haven't mentioned one important piece of information yet. The manufacturer (Tektron) provides the customer with an instruction describing settings for different types of tubes. Firstly, one selects using a dial, one of three positions: 'A' for 45, 2A3 or Princess 300B (2.5 V filament), 'B' for 'standard' 300B (5 V), or 'C' for 50 and VT 52 (7 5 V); (50s and VT 52 are really rare and I could not get any for this test). In addition, one needs a small screwdriver to adjust bias current for the tubes using a tiny potentiometer. Long story short – it is not as simple as replacing one set of output tubes with another. To be clear – it doesn't take a professional to deal with tube rolling here. Even a person with little or none experience with tube amplifiers will do fine (following instructions) – and the whole “operation” will take no longer than two minutes. Just in case, let me remind you that the tubes must be replaced with the amplifier powered down! And one more notice for those who don't have much experience with tubes – after replacing one set of tubes with another one has to give it at least several minutes for a warm up before listening to the device critically. I am not talking about breaking new tubes in – that's a separate issue. Simply with tubes one can not perform quick comparisons replacing one set with another and listening for differences right after that operation. Each tube needs several minutes before it reaches its optimum performance. Try it for yourself – it should be clear that after several minutes each tube sounds different and clearly better than right after you turn the device on so quick comparisons make little, if any, sense. The third power tube and yet another sound signature. Better balanced than with the phenomenal in the midrange 45s. This performance was closer in this respect to the one of 300B, although the general impression was that of a bit cooler (by no means cold!) and slightly more delicate, ethereal presentation. Interestingly, these tubes took longest time before reaching their optimal performance - hence the reminder of the kind of obvious things, ie. time that tubes need to warm up. Once they did reach the optimal temperature, which took them almost half an hour, they started to impress me with their precision, with great retrieval of details, and this very orderly sound. There wasn't such an incredible saturation of the midrange as offered by 45s, it was not a sound so incredibly rich with natural colors, but to be honest in this regard no other, known to me, tube could quite match the 45. This does not mean that the 2A3a sounded thin, or colorless - absolutely not – they just couldn't match 45s in this regard. Here the midrange was above all very pure, transparent, highly detailed. Sound was very resolving and offered a very good selectivity, too. Also the top of the band had a lot to offer – there was plenty of air and an abundance of vibrating, glittering details, that gave this impression of an openness and freshness to the performance. One could not complain about sustain or decay, as these elements of the sound simply delighted, even though they were slightly different, "lighter" than delivered by the 45s. Bass was equally fast, taut as presented by the 300Bs, it was tuneful and very well differentiated, but I had the impression that the latter triodes delivered it with even more weight. As a result the 2A3 seemed to sound a bit "lighter" but still very rich, saturated and simply beautiful. Tubes – summary I can not say that a Tektron's set is an inexpensive proposal for tube fans, even if its price compared to, for example Kondo's Souga, seems very attractive. It is not, as I once imagined, a "toy" with a simple purpose to allow people to familiarize themselves with a sonic signature of various triodes, thus allowing them to choose their favorite. It is in fact a great, very reasonably, against the performance, priced, beautifully made system that will delight many SET connoisseurs, not to mention tube beginners. Not for a moment, not with any of various triodes I had at my disposal, did I feel that this amplifiers were not good enough to present true qualities of these valves. I personally have the greatest experience with different designs, partly due to my own Art Audio Symphony II, based on 300B triodes. Compared to other amplifiers I had an opportunity to listen to, Tektrons presented themselves as true contenders. My favorite Western Electric 300Bs never before sounded so well balanced, delivering such a punctual, taut, punchy bass, and such a beautifully illuminated, so extremely vibrant treble, as they did when used with these wonderful Italian monoblocks. I have least experience with 45s, but after these listening sessions I already know that as an owner of Tektron amps I would reach for these triodes each time I felt like listening to vocals and acoustic instruments. 2A3 was, perhaps, the least "tube-like" (in a common understanding of this word) sounding triode among these three. But still it had nothing to do with the sound of, for example, KT88, that usually pretends to sound like a solid-state. Instead 2A3 offered a well balanced combination of the best tubes features – timbre, richness, saturation, smoothness, vibrancy, openness, spaciousness and tangibility - with speed, attack and timing associated rather with transistor devices. Final words This set consisting of TK2A3/50M-REF mono amplifiers and TK 6J5-REF preamplifier offers not only the possibility of using various power tubes, but also just incredibly beautiful, immersive, high class performance. I can easily imagine that I spend the rest of my life with this particular setup and (the bigger the better) supply of different tubes that would allow me to change the flavor of served music depending on the mood, whim, or simply out of curiosity, to see how my favorite albums could sound like with a different set of tubes. Among the valves that I had available, each presented a slightly different set of advantages, but in my opinion the WE 300Bs offered the most versatile set of them. Perhaps these tubes would be a basic choice for me (if I had these amplifiers), while others I would use to change the sonic signature a little either for a specific music or mood. But I also realize, that tubes from different brands could change my choice again. This is one of the most wonderful things about tube devices! Their owners are not stuck with one and the same sonic signature but rather easily can change/shape it and all they need to do so are a few spare tubes. In this particular case, the sonic advantages of Tektron devices are complemented with undeniable beauty of these small Italian pieces of art, that will be a wonderful addition to any room thus hushing any protests from your family members who will love the looks but most likely also the sound of Tektron. Beautiful work and equally amazing performance! TK2A3/50M-REF TK2A3/50M-REF are tube mono SET amplifiers manufactured by an Italian company, Tektron. We received for this test the Reference version of these devices. They offer users quit a unique feature – they allow the use of various types of power tubes. One can utilize: 2A3, 45, 50, 300B or VT-52. These are relatively small and not particularly heavy tube devices. Their design tells you at once they must come from Italy – the beautiful front and side panels make it very clear. A copper top cover holding tube sockets and transformers' housings adds even more class to Tektron's appearance. Face-plate features a backlit on/off switch and the company's logo on the small, gold badge. The rear panel sports a single RCA jack (input), speaker terminals that accept both, spades and bananas, and a power inlet. Each amplifier is equipped with three tubes - the primary driver is 6J5, an 80 works as a rectifier (I had their substitutes available, respectively CV1067 and CRC-5Z3), and as a power tube one can use one of the following triodes: 2A3, 300B, 45, 50 or VT-52 (I used the first three). The output depends on the power tubes - the lowest will be achieved with 45s (approx. 1.8 W), and the highest with 300B (approx. 6.5 W per channel). In short, regardless of the choice of power tubes one needs rather high efficiency, easy to drive loudspeakers. On the top panel a small switch is placed that allows user to choose one of three settings: 'A', 'B' or 'C', depending on the power tube used at the moment. In addition, there is a small VU meter and a mini-potentiometer that enable precise adjustment of bias current for the power tubes. Inside one finds only high quality components assembled in the point-to-point fashion. The transformers used by Tektron are made in Italy and may be purchased separately, as well as the tubes, using manufacturer's website. TK6J5-REF TK6J5-REF is one of two preamplifiers in company's lineup, here in the reference version. The specification compared to the standard one, is basically the same, the difference being the application of the top quality parts and components. The standard version has one output instead of two (the second can be added for extra charge on request). The preamplifier is no different either in size or weight from the tested mono amplifiers. It is equally beautifully made and finished - a wooden body and a copper top plate are making an excellent impression. On the front one finds the same backlit on/off switch and a bolted plate with the company's logo, as in the amplifiers, and additionally two small knobs - input selector and volume control, plus a specific display showing the selected input. On the rear there are four pairs of gold-plated RCA jacks - three pairs are inputs and one is an output, plus a IEC socket. As a standard this preamplifier features two pieces of 6J5 (hence the name of the device) and the 5Y3 rectifier. I used a pair of the same tubes as in amplifiers, namely CV1067, and the recommended 5Y3 rectifier. All were NOS tubes. Like the amplifiers, also the preamp's circuit features a point-to-point montage, without PCBs. Specifications (according to manufacturer): TK2A3/50M-REF Tube set: paired 2A3 x 2 (or 45 x 2 - or 50 x 2 - or 300B x 2); 6J5 x 2; 80 x 2 Input impedance: 800 mV (for max power). Output: - 45 – 1.8 W - 2A3 – 3.2 W - 50 – 3.5 W - 300B – 6.5 W Finish: wood (many various types available) Output impedance: 4 - 8 Ω (other values possible upon order) Dimensions: 310 x 220 x 160 mm Weight: 8 kg TK6J5 REF Tube set: 6J5 x 2; 5Y3 x 1 Finish: wood (many various types available) Output impedance: 100 kΩ Dimensions: 310 x 220 x 160 mm Weight: 8 kg [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1507/tektron/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1507/tektron/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1507/tektron/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

t rarely happens a company with a narrow specialization conquers another segment of the market so successfully as it happened for American, Boulder, Colorado based company PS Audio. The specialty, which this company is known of today, are active power conditioners. Unlike conditioners, which only passively filter voltage, PS Audio products actively compensate for its variations, frequency fluctuations, or simply generate a new sine wave. Today, many companies do it this way, but then it was a pioneering work, which lead to many discoveries - like the fact that the 60 Hz frequency works better than 50 Hz – that inspired successive constructors. Suffice to say that a power supply for Ayon Audio Spheris III actually works in a very similar way as these "AC Regenerators", generating ideal sine wave for tubes. Of course, of a frequency of 60 Hz. Founded by Paul McGowan (P in the name) and Stan Warren (S), PS Audio has undergone many changes over time. Suffice to say that the State Warren left the company in the early 1980s, and a decade later Paul McGowan also left in order to, along with Arnie Nudell (formerly Infinity Systems), build ultrahigh-end speakers at Genesis Technologies. Contrary to common association, the PS Audio started its activities from completely different products. It was founded in 1973, and its first product was a phonostage. After that came the time for linear preamplifiers and power amplifiers. As one of the first firm, PS Audio modified CD Players replacing their output stages. One could say that the modern history of the company started in 1997, when after the bankruptcy of the PS Audio Inc. Paul McGowan bought the rights to the brand name and soon after that introduced the power conditioner P300, that was called PowerPlant. NuWave DSD Another new chapter in the history of the PS Audio was launched with a special product – a two-box files and CD Player and DVD PerfectWave, later joined by DirectStream. The next inevitable step was adding power amplifiers to the lineup, which was realized with the introduction of BHK Stereo 250 BHK Mono 300. All these are relatively expensive products. To use some of the solutions developed for them for less expensive products company decided to offer less expensive digital-to-analog converters: DirectStream Junior DAC and NuWave DSD DAC. The latter is really inexpensive, and yet, as it reads in the company's materials, is expected to offer similar sound quality to that of a top DirectStream DAC. Furthermore: Lessons learned from years of building DACs aided design decisions critical to the mission of few musical compromises.  We believe that one audition of a simple CD, played through the NuWave DSD, will open your eyes to the magic these design efforts have brought. And than: Important to both designers would be bringing as much musical detail as possible out of Red Book CDs, and reducing the sonic gap between 44.1kHz/16 bit performance and high resolution PCM and DSD.  source: psaudio.com It is not just "another" product, but the one that the chief engineer, Mr. Bob Stadtherr and director of the company, Paul McGowan worked for the past year. As a result of their efforts a DAC was developed, which looks great, features a solid, sturdy built, and its sound is "tuned" exactly as these two gentlemen wanted it to be. It accepts PCM signal via RCA inputs (up to 24 bits and 192 kHz) and TOSLink (up to 24 bits and 96 kHz) and PCM up to 24/192 and to DSD (up to DSD128) via USB and I2S. The latter connection uses HDMI link, so one can use wide range of available cables of this type. Via USB input DSD files are sent in the DoP format, while the I2S accept its native form. The device's operation is to be as simple as possible, so it automatically recognizes an active input and features a minimum set of manipulators - four LEDs indicating the active input, two indicating whether device receives PCM or DSD signal and there are two buttons for manual input selection. No display, no information about the sampling frequency, no volume control nor headphone output. It does feature, however, a FPGA for input signal, a passive filter on the D/A converter output and the class A output circuit. NuWave features both, RCA and XLR analogue outputs. Recordings used for test (a selection) CDs Now the Green Blade Riseth, The Stockholm Cathedral Choir, Proprius/JVC XRCD 9093, XRCD2 (1981, 1993/2001) Johann Sebastian Bach, Three Works For Solo Harpsichord, BWV 974, 971, 831, harp. James Weaver, Smithsonian Collection of Recordings ND 0383, CD (1990) Kenny Drew, Undercurrent, Blue Note/Audio Wave AWMXR-0024, XRCD24 (1961/2010) Laurie Anderson, Homeland, Nonesuch 524055-2, CD + DVD (2010); Megadeth, Dystopia, Universal Music Japan UICY-15449, SHM-CD (2016) Megadeth, Fatal Illusion, Universal Music Japan UICY-5130, SP CD (2015) Paul Desmond, Desmond Blue, RCA Victor/BMG 6638982, „Bluebird First Editions”, CD (1962/2002) Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners, Riverside/Universal Music Japan UCCO-9220, „Jazz The Best. Legendary 100 | No. 20”, CD (1957/2008) Music files W czasie odsłuchu skorzystałem z plików PCM 24/44,1, 24/96 oraz 24/192, a także DSD, z szerokiej gamy stylów muzycznych i wytwórni. Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] If the name of a device includes supplementary information, in this case, "DSD", we are faced with one of two possibilities: the manufacturer indicates to its specific feature, that makes different or similar to other devices, or indicates its main feature, the one that is most important to him. I think in this case it was the former and the goal was to point attention to the fact that a relatively inexpensive device is capable of decoding a DSD signal. Or maybe the manufacturer combined both options in this particular device because it offers a sound characteristic for DSD files and SACD discs. If I had to guess, I would say that it was about offering the richest and most tangible sound. These are two of many features, that make recordings encoded in the DSD so appealing to the taste and sensitivity of music lovers. These are very important features, because they make a performance believable. That is why the PS Audio Converter delivers a very attractive and enjoyable performance. The first evening with this DAC I spent listening to music using HiFiMAN HE-1000 V2 headphones, that are very transparent, but at the same time very rich sounding. The last Megadeth Distopia album sounded with them really nice, without any harshness and wheezing, despite the lack of dynamics and deep compression. What is responsible for that is this specific, to this type of product, ie. DSD oriented, way of shaping of the leading edge. It is, or at least appears to be rounded. Along with a slight warming up of treble and adding an emphasis to mid-bass results in this type of sound. By this type I mean so wonderfully complex and coherent internally and very "humanly". Once, in a similar manner people described sound of most tube amplifiers, for example of McIntosh, QUAD and Kondo, and this is a good clue. Here, however, it's not about the classic warm-up of the sound. Performance is very pure and carries a lot of energy that is lost when sound is actually warmed up. It is no coincidence that warm sounding devices are often referred to as lacking energy and playing is a slowed way. NuWave DSD presents a way of how to do something similar, but without extinguishing performance's energy. I would even say that the presentation is slightly boosted - this is why it is so impressive, so catchy. There is a lot of energy in the sound that has also a large mass, which creates an impression of intimacy and naturalness of the performance. This impression is even stronger because of emphasis placed in the midrange area and pushing the foreground closer to the listener. When listening to Megadeth it might not be so clear, but with classical and jazz music it becomes obvious. Because, for example, harpsichord on, released as part of Smithsonian Collection of Recording, album called Three Works For Solo Harpsichord by Bach, with NuWave was presented closer to me, and with the reference DAC and reference CD players there was more air around it. It reminded me the way Amare Music Tube DAC DSD and Kronos Sparta turntable presented music . But this modification of the sound was not unpleasant or wrong. I perceived it as a re-interpretation of what is included in the recording, and it's not just about CDs, but also files. Without comparison with other devices it will be easy for us to assume that this is the right way, the right sound. Turntables, such as Sparta, modulate sound in a similar way, which works very well for them. I would even say that the most expensive turntables, such as TechDAS Air Force One also go in this direction, but along with that they also offer a much wider perspective, and more even tonal balance. The fans of DSD encoding claim that it is very similar in nature to that of an analog master tape from which it was copied, and if the registration is made directly in the digital domain (DSD) is it closer to the real events than one encoded in PCM files. I will not elaborate on that, but I will say that my experience tells me that, that indeed, there are some qualities which make the sound obtained with this type of signal very attractive. The DAC under review applies them to each signal, regardless of whether it is sourced from CD, hi-res PCM or DSD file. We must therefore say that the promise made by the manufacturer in the description of the products, according to which the CD will play in a really unique way is really fulfilled. Provided that we agree that this is kind of interpretation to which all recordings are subjected. But it is really good. Even more so because it is a – relatively, of course - inexpensive DAC. It is well made and it delivers a really good performance, with a strong lower end, sweet top and warm, close midrange combined with very high dynamics. It's a very similar way to build sound to what we know of the more expensive devices, such as Exogal Comet Plus DAC and said Amare Musica. It's not a coincident, since both these companies treat DSD format as THE RIGHT ONE for encoding and playing music. NuWave DAC is much cheaper and still follows the same idea and does it in an equally spectacular way. What distinguishes it from both above mentioned products, it is mainly slightly lower resolution and not so good definition. There is no shortcut for that, one needs to pay more money to get it. But even at this price level we already get a lot of what the more expensive devices have to offer. I.e. naturalness and softness that characterize live sound. That's not all, there are other elements of the natural sounds that are not fully realized here, but it does not change the fact that it is a very good performer. Especially when we use it to play high resolution files. There is no information available on conversion of PCM signal to DSD in NuWave DAC, which is clearly described for other devices. And yet, the 24/96 and 24/192 files sounded similar to DSD files, even the attack was formed in a similar manner. Just in this case, DSD files had even higher dynamics and were more tangible than PCM ones, but this may be caused by designers' – perhaps even subconscious – preference of Direct Stream Digital. However, regardless of what type of file I played, as long as it was a 24 bits one, it sounded more relaxed and less muffled than a CD. This is the case, when for owners of this type of DAC it actually pays to invest in the high resolution files, preferably DSD. A sound one shall get from them will not be totally different from the CD, it won't be day and night type of difference. One will notice changes, which may seem subtle, but if achieved by replacing a system with a higher quality, more expensive one, one would have to pay a lot of money for it. Here you can just buy a hi-res file rather than rip a CD and the effect will be similar – fuller, richer, more spacey sound, more poignant sense of the performers' presence and thicker, blacker background. Summary There is not much to add to what has been already written. This is a beautifully made device featuring a lot of inputs offering a beautifully voiced - within a certain aesthetic - sound. The device delivers an attractive performance that will help systems at this price level sound in a more natural and emotional way, and in bit more expensive systems it will not lower their sound quality and even allow them to sound more "analog" (quotation was used deliberately). RED Fingerprint. The PS Audio NuWave DSD is digital-to-analog converter with a fixed voltage output (ie. not adjustable). Its proportions are chosen so that it seems even smaller than it actually is. The front wall, with rounded side edges, has a width of 210 mm, exactly half of a classic size device. DAC is also not high, but relatively deep, measuring 360 mm. And it is heavy, which is particularly surprising. The enclosure is made of aluminum with an acrylic top. Front features only few elements which creates an impression of order, what was probably designer's idea. There are six blue lights, four of which indicate the selected input and the two signal type - PCM or DSD. The unit automatically synchronizes with an active source. We can, however, also select input manually using two buttons. On the left side there is an illuminated logo and that's it. Thus, no information about the sampling rate or word length. Housing is available in black and silver. The rear panel of the device is more classic, so to speak. In addition to the IEC mains socket with a small mechanical switch (manufacturer recommends leaving the DAC on all the time) there are also digital inputs and analog outputs. There are four digital inputs: USB, I2S, TOSLink and RCA. I2S is unusual, because it utilizes a HDMI socket. It makes it easy to acquire a high quality cable of any length for this connection. Other companies using this format for the transmission of data use Ethernet jack (Ayon Audio, Pro-Ject, Accuphase etc.). All components are installed in this device on its “back". Unscrewing the bottom will allow you to see that the transformer and PCB are bolted to the upper wall. It is made of aluminum, but from the outside it features a black acrylic sheet which has a decorative function, but it also dampens vibrations. The RCA input accepts PCM signal up to 24/192, TOSLink up to 96 kHz, and USB and I2S the PCM signal up to 24/192 kHz, also DSD64 (2.8 MHz) and DSD128 (5.6 MHz). USB input operates asynchronously. All incoming signals are routed directly to the FPGA in a "Native Mode", i.e. without upsampling and interpolation. This chip detects the sampling frequency of the input signal, overclocks it, hence reducing the jitter, and filters it. The chip comes from Xilinx. The USB input features XMOS chip, which was used also in the PS Audio top DAC, DirectStream. The DAC chip is a well known and respected ESS Hyperstream 32, adopted by engineers to work in this particular system. It features passive filters in the output, rather than active - a solution used also, eg. by Polish company Ancient Audio. Only after we have them there are gain and buffering stages, composed of integrated circuits and transistors. The signal is transferred in its balanced form. The analog section operates in class A, there are no capacitors in the signal's path, and its frequency response riches up to 60 kHz. Interestingly, the integrated circuit used here is an inexpensive, popular NE5532, surface mounted, like the rest of the elements in this section. The power supply is based on a really large toroidal transformer. It was placed in the front part of the casing, so it was not necessary to use long wires with a signal – inputs sit directly over PS boards. The power supply features seven independent voltage regulators with fast Schottky diodes and capacitors with total capacity of 15 000 mF. Parameters (according to manufacturer): Output signal (RCA | XLR): 2.8 V | 5.6 V Output impedance (RCA | XLR): 100 Ω | 200 Ω Frequency range: 10 Hz – 20 kHz (+0/- 0.3 dB) THD: - 1 kHz, 0 dB FS: < 0.01% - 20 Hz -20 kHz, 0 dB FS: < 0.2% - 1 kHz, -10 dB FS: < 0.01% Noise: [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/psaudio/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

believe that the cover of the January issue of "High Fidelity" (January 2016, No. 141), turned out very nice. That was mainly attributed to the beautiful sculpture of the Silver Luna integrated amplifier, a photo that we placed there. Bearing a large logo of the Fezz Audio brand, it sounded just great, it was very nicely crafted, and for a low – as for this type of device - cost. It utilized classic vacuum tubes operated in push-pull, AB class, the EL34 pentodes, driven by equally classical low power triodes, the ECC83. Both types of tubes were originally designed for application in audio systems. The amplifier looked particularly good, due to its red housing. The company offers four basic colors of the chassis paintwork. Attention was also drawn by the low profil cans, covering the power and output speaker transformers. This is where the secret of Fezz Audio is nested: toroidal transformers. This type of transformers is rarely used in tube amplifiers, mainly because of their excessive cost. A yet other important reason is simply plain habit - historically it were the E-I based sheet iron core transformers that were first to the market, and so it stayed. But Fezz Audio proposes a vastly different solution, mainly because it is a brand owned by a manufacturer of toroidal transformers: Toroidy Transformers Lachowski. Therefore, they can produce exactly the transformers they need, and whats more important – at the best possible price – the price of own production costs. Other producers have to buy them from external suppliers, relying on their reputation. This is the reason that Fezz Audio amplifiers are relatively small - especially the covering cans, which are enclosures for the transformers, can really be low in profile. TITANIA The Silver Luna – the model which opened the initial offering of this manufacturer, has quickly found supporters among both reviewers, shops, and among the most important of groups, ie. Music Lovers. But along with the popularity, also came the challenges, however. It turned out that in some systems, this amplifier has a too high power, and in others, its power was too low. For the former, the company has now designed an amplifier called Mira Ceti, which is based on 300B tubes and works in Single-Ended mode. An amplifier, the premiere of which is planned for the November exhibition, the Audio Video Show 2016. This indeed shall be a unique device - it too will be based upon toroidal transformers at its output. Whats more, the manufacturer represents that such will be the world's first tube amplifier with this type of transformer output! As for latter systems, in need of higher power, a different model was created, with the meaningfull name Titania. At first glance, Silver Luna and Titania look very similar. But suffice to give them a second glance, to recognize that we are dealing with a different project. This amplifier is larger than its predecessor - broader and much deeper - but its height is almost identical, and that is why it still seems so light, at least optically. Its bigger depth was enforced by much larger transformers, which needed be used here. In place of the EL34 pentodes, the output stage now uses the KT88 streaming tetrodes. They require stronger transformers: both for power supply and output. On "paper", the power increased only but slightly, from 35W to 45W, but there is a trick here – The power of the Silver Luna is specified at 1% distortion, whereas for the Titania, at only 0.2%. So, if we were to apply similar criteria as typically adopted for tube amplifier specifications, i.e. power measurements at THD = 3%, then the difference in power would be much greater. The power transformer has been sealed in a round shielding/damping cover, just as in the Silver Luna, but the output transformers have now received stylish triangular covers. The finishings are very good, and only the transformer covers could have been better (specifically at the joints). The large transformers have enforced placing all the tubes in a line. Two of the push-pull KT88, working in class AB, with the single ECC83 placed between them; This small double triode operates both as a preamplifier section, but also serves as a driver for the output tubes. The amplifier has three line inputs, unbalanced (RCA), the choice between which is made with the aluminum knob on the front panel. The second knob changes the volume. The amplifier does not have a remote control. In its construction, high-quality, low-voltage Nichicon Gold capacitors are used, high-voltage Vishay capacitors, and polypropylene WIMA as coupling capacitors. The output transformers have a wide bandwidth, so the frequency response of the entire amplifier is as high as 103 Hz (at -3 dB). The Total Distortion of the unit at full output power of 45 W is a small 0.2%. The Titania looks very nice and neat. For the test, we prepared it together with the RCA FAC01 interconnects, also produced by Fezz Audio. MACIEJ LACHOWSKI Constructor The Titania is, thus far, the most powerful amplifier within the Fezz Audio offering. We decided to create such a construct, because feedback has reached us with indications that in combination with the Silver Luna, issues were occasionally experienced when driving low efficiency loudspeakers. But still, it was our aim so that the purchase of a Fezz amplifier does not ruin the budget of a potential customer. For this reason, we used inexpensive KT88 tubes, the Russian production by Electro-Harmonix. They are characterized by a very good quality to price ratio. As in the case of Silver Luna, the Titania is based on toroidal output and mains transformers as produced by Toroidy.pl. With the experience gained whilst designing transformers for our previous amplifier, we can now boast about even better parameters. The bandwidth - below 20 Hz at the lower end of the frequency range, and above 100 kHz at the top, with a very low THD of

trick of a wobbly rack and turntable placed on top of it, which did not even twitch, while the rack wobbled, as if it was about to fall apart, was one of the highlights of this year's High-End Show in Munich (more HERE). Every visitor could approach this product, wobble it personally and than wonder about the solution that made this is possible. And this is really a really advanced solution. The turntable was in fact integrated with anti-vibration MinusK platform, designed for research laboratories as a support used under electron microscopes and sensitive to external vibrations measuring instruments. A similar pedigree has the Mr. Ken Ishiguro's pneumatic Acoustic Revive RAF-48H platform, used at the University of Tokyo, but in this comparison, it is like a bicycle, and MinusK as high-class Mercedes. Innovative feature of this solution lies in such decoupling of the element placed on it that the resonance in the horizontal plane equals 1.5 Hz and in the vertical, 0.5 Hz. This is a significant achievement, as it means that they are far below the usable bandwidth. The mechanical, passive system is called Negative-Stiffness Mechanism (NSM), and it uses a solution called the Micro Signal Architecture (MSA), reducing noise and micro-vibrations and it was developed by an American engineer, Mr. Dr. David Platus. His company MinusK Technology has developed a unique system of mechanical isolation, where the central part rests on a large spring, but in both planes it is supported with thin shanks, which prevent two boards from moving – the upper one, on which the isolated device is placed - and the lower one, which the actual basis. The system is extremely sensitive and needs to be adjusted for a particular load. AUDIO UNION His company MinusK Technology has developed a unique system of mechanical isolation, where the central part rests on a large spring, but in both planes it is supported with thin shanks, which prevent two boards from moving – the upper one, on which the isolated device is placed - and the lower one, which the actual basis. The system is extremely sensitive and needs to be adjusted for a particular load. This is not the first creative manufacturers' group, which included Mark DOHMANN. He is the man who designed the Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn turntable and Cobra tonearm! This turntable has been in Michael Framer's, from the "Stereophile", reference system for years. He is one of the most influential personalities of the analogue world. This realization of this project was possible thanks to the financial support of David Payes, privately analog audio fanatic, who made a fortune on the PC market. HELIX 1 TURNTABLE The novelty of the solutions used in this turntable lies in the fact that the MinusK system is permanently integral with it, or in fact it is the turntable that is integrated with the system. The upper board of the system is at the same time a top cover of the turntable, with motor and platter attached to it, and the lower board is integrated with feet. The whole system can be viewed through a large glass window in the front wall. The upper board is made of precision machined aluminum and integrated with the "collar" screening the platter. It seems that it is serving an aesthetic purpose, because he platter consists of several elements of different diameter, which does not make it look good. It's a thick aluminum latter, to which via sort of separating layer, a lower, wider platter is fixed. It features three layers - aluminum, metal similar to iron and pasted on the top, fairly soft mat. The brass pin is threaded so that a clamp can be screwed on. One needs to be careful not to overdo it – if you tighten it too much that record might warp. The motor is bolted in an unusual spot – behind the platter and close to its outer edge. We know this solution from Rega turntables, but in the extreme high-end it is rarely used. It seems that it was just in order to best balance MinusK. Driving torque is transmitted from the high aluminum shaft screwed to the motor shaft, to the bottom platter using two, translucent strips of circular cross-section. Power to the motor is supplied by a large, massive module, resembling a power amplifier in a well-made aluminum housing. It is connected with turntable using two cables – one for power (4-pin XLR) and another for control and feedback signals (Ethernet). The power supply is in fact a complex, microprocessor-controlled digital voltage converter. When we look at the rear panel we can see another socket, that allows software actualization. It turns out that the control has a lot of different modes of action, and each of them results in a different sound! Perhaps manufacturer should let users to select one of them? The turntable can be fitted with two tonearms attached to the dual modules. Originally they were single, and therefore lower, but Polish distributor, RCM, suggested that they needed to be strengthened – and manufacturer agreed. Usually turntable designers seek for the greatest possible rigidity of the arm (stylus) - platter (record) system. Here it is solved differently. The bases of tonearms are suspended on a heavy element, which is in turn suspended on thick pulls and controlled with magnetic cushion. The compliance of this element has to be determined in each case for particular arm/s. SETUP As you can see, Helix 1 is not just "another" turntable. It is a decoupled design, but also a mass-loader like once Thorens Prestige. Its decoupling system, however, can move not only up and down but also sideways - SME prided itself on the fact that although their turntables were decoupled, they were forced to move only vertically. This was an element distinguishing them from other decks, eg. from Avid, Linn and so on. This is an a-typical design, so it requires an unusual preparation. I would suggest using the services of a distributor. They will not only assemble the turntable - and this comes in a large, sturdy box - but perform the whole setting and adjusting. MinusK system is very sensitive to changes in pressure, so it's a pity that the manufacturer did not provide users with an indicator that would inform them whether the turntable is in the optimum position (balance). Another problem might be turning the rotation on. This is done with two buttons - for 33,33 and 45 rpm, glowing green - "ON" - or red - "OFF". The buttons are located on the board, which on the lightest touch moves, bumping inside the base. In my opinion some sort o locking mechanism would come handy - even a very simple one – that would allow to lock MinusK in a given position (maybe even via remote control). The person installing the turntable will also be obliged to get rid of hum – the power supply is extremely eager to introduce interference. You can overcome this, but a help of an expert will come handy. Anyway, the PSU must be put as far as possible from the turntable. During this test it was placed a bit too close, but it was acceptable. The idea was to put it on anti-vibration platform - please try it with high quality power cables and elements protecting from RF and EMI interference, such as X Block Brown and you will see for yourself how it changes the sound. Following my own recommendations I did not participate in the process of turntable assembling (on the upper board of Finite Elemente Pagode Edition). It allowed me to study the design and its execution. Distributor delivered it with Frank Schröder's dedicated CB Tonearm and Shelter Accord (13 500 PLN) cartridge – almost the same setup as with TechDAS Air Force Two. CB is a fantastic tonearm with an unusual length of 9.4 ", and its tube is made of carbon fiber. The rest of system was my usual setup: RCM Audio Sensor Prelude IC phonostage, Ayon Audio Spheris III preamplifier, 710 power amplifier and Harbeth M40.1 loudspeakers placed on stands made by Mr. Ken Ishiguro of Acoustic Revive. The signal between phonostage and preamplifier was transmitted using Siltech Triple Crown IC, and Crystal Cable Absolute Dream was used between preamp and power amp. Records used for the test (a selection) Brendan Perry, Ark, Cooking Vinyl/Vinyl 180 VIN180LP040, 2 x 180 g LP (2011) Count Basie & Tony Bennett, Basie & Bennett, Roulette/Classic Records SR 25 072, 45 rpm, 4 x one side, 180 g LP Depeche Mode, Ultra, Mute Records DMLP9, 180 g LP (2007/2014) Jean-Michel Jarre, Magnetic Fields, Disques Dreyfus/Polydor Super Pols 1033, LP (1981) Manuel Göttsching/Ashra /Daniele Baldelli, Volcano Extravaganza, The Vinyl Factory VF178, 45 rpm, 180 g LP (2016) Mel Tormé, Oh, You Beautiful Doll, The Trumpets of Jericho - Silver Line, 904333-980, 180 g LP (2000) Omni, Omni, Savitor SVT 021, LP (1985) Oscar Peterson, Exclusively For My Friends, MPS/Edel Germany 59094784, „AAA Reissue Series”, 6 x 180 g LP (1992/2014) Painkiller, Execution Ground, Karlrecords KR025, „Test Pressing”, 2 x 180 g LP (2016) Polish Jazz Quartet, Polish Jazz Quartet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland 9 59601 4, Polish Jazz | vol. 3, 180 g LP (1965/2016) The Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet, The Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland 9 59601 3, Polish Jazz | vol. 4, 180 g LP (1965/2016) Zbigniew Namysłowski, Winobranie, Polskie Nagrania „Muza” SXL 0925, Polish Jazz | vol. 33, LP (1973) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] I approached Marek DOHMANN's turntable test with a certain dose of distrust. Apparently on one hand, the designer himself guaranteed a high class of the product and appreciated the idea behind the Helix 1, confirmed by other two, highly respected designer participation in this project, Messrs Frank Schröder and Rumen Atarski, and yet ... Let me put it this way: many smart, accomplished guys in the past came up with something that either turned out not to function well in the real world, or was so technologically ahead of its time that it was impossible to realize the idea exactly as planned. The idea itself is sometimes not enough. And on top of that there was this irritation, which was growing in me when I was using the turntable – it's quaking during the operation was depressing. And finally, there is this thing that even now, after my conversion to "döhmannizm" bothers me – the turntable's decoupling in all planes was (and still is) for me, contrary to intuition and experience. Because this is one of the features of Avid HiFi turntables, which is raised the supporters of rigid constructions and SME lovers (now also Kronos Audio), that's causing a warming up of the sound and blurring the attack. Plus there is the soft isolation of the tonearm from the platter – a complete heresy. Although, on the other hand, I could have guessed that there was more to it than just child's curiosity of an engineer who asked "what if ...?" The same goes for Avid turntables, that I really like and that while presenting a certain sonic signature, remain among the most pleasant sounding devices, one of my favorites. If, however, manufacturer used only the original theory, and just decoupling a large mass in all directions, Helix 1 should sound similar to the Avid Reference, right? And maybe even like Kronos Sparta and to some degree as Linn turntables. But in fact it sounds completely different. I verified my initial expectations to another batch of Polish Jazz reissues. With the first, released a few months earlier, six of these records I assumed that it was only an addition to digital editions (Compact Disc), designed to appeal to young people who have recently bought a turntable and are into vinyl collecting; for true collectors - I thought – new re-issue were unnecessary. I was wrong. Listening and comparing them with the originals and subsequent re-issues proved their high value and made me cautious in my assessments. Ultimately, I had to use a individual approach to each title and each of them could become attractive for both the novice and the experienced vinyl fan. Another "six" turned out to be even more interesting, mainly due to the stereo (analog) versions of Polish Jazz Quartet and The Andrzej Trzaskowski Quintet (respectively, vol. 3, and vol. 4) albums. Mainly because - I think – the turntable under reviewed was incredibly differentiating device. Differentiation is the ability to show changes in the material, while maintaining its consistency. Only partly it is connected with detail retrieval, because that is associated rather with better selectivity, and it is closer rather to a resolution. Helix 1 in this respect was simply stunning. It showed even little changes between successive pressings of Zbigniew Namysłowski Winobranie (new remaster is coming) in a very firm and solid way, as though it perfectly "knew" how the shape of the grooves tracked by the Shelter's stylus changed and in addition it was able to translate it into language understandable for the listener. Also, any change in the pressing method, in the master (digital or analogue) selection of consecutive releases was perfectly clear. Which brings us to the place where one should ask oneself how much one cares about the "ruthless" truth, and how much one prefers the "liberating" truth. Contrary to appearances, is not only some logical exersize, or useless theorizing, but rather the question of the basic priorities for any audio fan. I introduce this concept, because the differentiation test turntable leads to acceptance. It is rare in audio, where the focus is mostly on negation, because it pushes us forward, provokes us to search for new, better devices and recordings. But here the acceptance comes from having all information on system and particular recording delivered by this turntable, and this knowledge allows us to calmly listen to virtually any pressing and release. I have not found even a single record that I would have to remove from the platter before the music ended. Another important feature of this design is momentum of the presentation. This is a quality known from top-mass-loader, such as the flagship TechDAS top Transrotors; partially also from the SME 30/12 and said Sparta Kronos Audio. It develops sound in a way that makes us believe that we deal with the real size room, in which the recording was registered and the real size of the instruments. This is obviously a trick, otherwise the audio would have no reason for existing – it is not possible in an average listening room, with loudspeaker smaller than two meters, to reproduce something that would be similar to the real event. Helix 1 does not break the rules of physics, nor "smashes the walls and ceiling". But it is so convincing in it that we almost immediately accept that we actually listen to something real. Because along with differentiation, momentum and power we get excellent dynamics and attack speed. It is the latter that defines how close does the system approach the real sound. Here it is extremely well done, because even though it's obvious that we listen to recordings, all elements of the sound build up a credibility of the performance. There is, for example, a really fast kick drum, an attack of metal cymbals is reproduced brilliantly, sibilants are clearly marked in vocals (because they are natural part of the voice). But it doesn't stop there – the attack phase is followed with a proper weight of each sound that gives it the momentum I was talking about. I mentioned the upper part of the band - if was to try to determine the tone of sound that we get from the tested system (turntable + arm + cartridge), I would have to say that it is neither bright nor dark; it does not resemble in this regard either TechDAS Air Force Two nor Kronos Sparta. The closest in terms of color balance and saturation in my (a bit risky) opinion is TechDAS Air Force One. In a blind test I would probably say that it presented maybe a bit scaled down version of top TechDAS deck. Which considering such fundamental design differences poses questions about the real impact of techniques and technologies on the sound and how we interpret them while listening. On one hand Helix 1 is characterized by a sonic signature that comes from soft suspension, which would make it closer to other such designs (though, let me add, rather to SME than Kronos and Avid). It offers a beautifully colorful sound, great vividness and lack of harshness; the latter by the owners of the mass-loaders may even be considered as a sign of warmed up sound. But it is not a warm sounding turntable, far from it. It delivers a lively and dynamic sound, rich in detail, with a strong, well controlled bass, which in turn sends us back to the non-suspended turntables. And finally, it is not something in between - let's say (to stay in the same price range) - TechDAS Air Force Two and Kronos Audio Sparta. "Between" always means some compromise and often, unfortunately, lack the advantages of both solution and instead their combined drawbacks. The Mark Döhmann's design offers the best qualities of both competitors, but is not a golden mean but rather a separate, top quality party. One that remembers the sound of other top turntables could of course point out their particular advantages. Sparta, for example, has a richer lower midrange and in results renders more tangible phantom images, this is how a turntable, understood as the type of a source, sounds like. In my opinion Avid Reference represents very similar type of sound. Air Force One is even better in shaping the leading edge, that is naturally soft, but extremely fast. On the other hand model Two of the same company, as well as once Kuzma Reference, and recently another Reference by Mr. Sikora, have even more accurately portrayed the attack of the sound, they are even better in detail retrieval. Helix 1 sound more like them in this respect than any other, above mentioned, suspended decks. None of them, except perhaps Air Force One, does not render such a fantastic soundstage depth or such momentum as the herewith reviewed turntable. Summary This is the first known to me turntable built around MinusK system. It is not placed on top of it, it doesn't use it as a decoupling system but actually is integrated with it. Such a radical exploitation of any technology does not happen to often and I'm incredibly curious about results it could yield used for a CD Player. Combined with the engineering skills of Audio Union it resulted in an incredibly fast sound with great momentum. Differentiation provided by Helix 1 is amazing and the sound reminded me a bit an analog master-tape, ie. there was no warming up of the sound that is characteristic for vinyl records. It comes at a cost of this slight stiffening of the upper bass attack and not really "sweet" treble. Maybe some music lovers will prefer designs that offer richer midrange. However, if you seek the truth, but one that generates interest in material you're listening to, be sure to give it a try, because it's a great example proving how to show abundance of detail and not kill listener with it, how to tell about how the album was recorded, but not spend all time just talking about it. The turntable is quite large, but its its actual is much larger than actual area between its feet. The manufacturer recommends that the shelf one intends to place this device on should be at least 620 mm wide and 500 mm deep. It should also have a load capacity of over 70 kg. The basis turntable is made from precision machined aluminum - it has a height of 120 mm. Vibration damping element is made of a polymer, same as the mat. Along with the MinusK system and the platter it adds to the total weight of 50 kg. Front of the base was cut out so that one could see the MinusK system. Weighing 15 kg platter, composed of several layers of different materials, features a lowered center of gravity. The upper parts has a damping layer in its rim - the solution is called EDR - Edge Damping Ring. One can screw a clamp on the threaded the axis of the platter. The main bearing has been developed specifically for this turntable by Stanislava Stoyanova and is made of so called "maraging steel". Steels of this type are generally characterized by high nickel content, very low carbon content and the use of substitutional elements or precipitates to produce age-hardening. Steel pin rests on ceramic ball. The material used for the lubrication of bearing was sourced from the aviation industry. The motor has been positioned very close to the main bearings. It is a type of belt drive - two belts of circular cross-section transmit torque to the lower plate. This is a solution with a powerful motor called HTAD - High Torque Adjustable Drive. It is controlled by a digital converter associated with the 16-bit monitoring system allowing to track the platter at 120 000 points per revolution. The controller features many different work modes, that can be accessed via port, which connects to the computer. The turntable may accommodate one or two 9 "to 12" tonearms. The platforms where the tonearms are installed are not rigidly fixed to the board but decoupled with magnets. The power supply is fitted into a very solid, well-made aluminum housing. On its front panel there are two switches – with one we can turn off the PSU and deck's logos illumination, and the second turns on the system of pumps that suck the record to the platter. This solution known, eg. from the Air Force One turntable, is optional - the switch in the reviewed unit was inactive. The power supply connects to the turntable with two cables. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Dimensions (turntable/PSU): 600 x 480 x 250 mm/483 x 480 x 133mm Weight: 50 kg Selectable speeds: 33,33/45 rpm (optional – 78 rpm) Motor: 100 W [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiou/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiou/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiou/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiou/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiou/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiou/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiou/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiou/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiou/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiou/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiou/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiou/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiou/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiou/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiou/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiou/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiou/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiou/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiou/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiou/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiou/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiou/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiou/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiou/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiou/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiou/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiou/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiou/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiou/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiou/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

know Gerhard Hirt pretty well, I think I can call him my friend. He runs his company, Ayon Audio as a top class manager should but at the same time he is an audiophile and music lover too with a large collection of records, CDs and music files. He is so creative and full of ideas all the time that he can't help himself and he simply has to present an improved version of one of the products every now and then. He simply can't wait to share each of his achievements with the customers. Audio tycoons rather try to achieve at least certain level of profit from current products before introducing new ones. That's why one can see brands such as Accuphase, Mark Levinson, Audio Research and others to release new products or versions every 2-3 years. But Gerhard as a truly passionate man is sort of impatient and simply has to deliver all improvements to customers as soon as possible. I think that was the genesis of the first ever Ayon SACD player and the new files player that will premiere in November during Audio Video Show 2016 in Warsaw. Same goes for Scorpio monoblocks. These are sort of a "spin off" of an integrated amplifier carrying the same name, which we've known since the last year. I think they are supposed to show what this particular design and the KT88 tubes are truly capable of when one is ready to spend bit more and free the power amplifier from difficult duties by leaving the preamplifier section out and separating right and left channel. Thus one reduces a crosstalk between channels, improves power supply capacity (because now there are two of them) and lowers vibration level thus reducing microphonics of valves. Scorpio Mono The amplifier does not cost much - for this type of product - and does not take up much space, because these monoblocks are surprisingly small. It's a real relief after other huge and heavy beast that seem to be a specialty of Ayon Audio. Manufacturer used here two beam tetrodes KT88 working in push-pull configuration in A class. These are readily available valves in a wide range of brands, both of the current production and NOS ones. So this is an amplifier for the "people", a “volksamp” if you will. Tubes are pre-selected, measured and paired. One can find specifications of each tube, including signal ones, on their boxes. That's a good practice for any tube device. The amplifier has been designed to operate within an optimum gain curve for tubes, which means that they are better utilized than usually. The problem is the higher the temperature and the need for constant monitoring of their work. Especially for the latter purpose a few years ago Gerhard designed, herewith utilized its latest version, an automatic calibration system called Intelligent Auto-Fixed-Bias (AFB). As highlighted in the manual, it is neither a system of semi-automatic adjustment, nor fixed bias system. Preparation of the amplifier to operate is pretty straight forward, but it does not hurt to ask your distributor or dealer to do that for you. Once the system is calibrated it will work perfectly operating in optimal conditions. One could, of course, prepare amplifier even easier to use, with multiple protective circuits but that would cause an inferior sound quality. One can indeed, within certain limits, change amplifiers sound depending on one's preference and loudspeakers one uses. For example, by choosing the mode tubes operate in - as a pentode or triode. To do this simply press the small button on the back of the amplifier. However, it should be done ONLY when the device is switched off! This is the case, where one definitely should read the manual or listen carefully to the advice of a party who sold him this device. In the pentode mode amplifier is capable of delivering 45W output, and while operating in triode mode a 25W (30W) output – that's what manufacturer specified. I've included the second value in two versions, because I found two different values on the website and in the manual. Please notice how the number is given at distortion of 5%. Let me remind you that for tube amplifiers, it is assumed that power is given usually at 3% (for transistor amplifiers is 1%). So when comparing values between Scorpio Mono and other amplifiers one should take that into consideration. This, of course, are mono power amplifiers, so there is a separate amplifier for each channel, each amplifier features a separate power cable. The devices are, however, extremely small and sleek; they actually occupy the same space as a stereo amplifier. The Scorpio Mono amps were tested with Ayon Audio Spheris III preamplifier, Soulution 710 power amplifier and Harbeth M40.1 loudspeakers. I used Acoustic Revive RCA1.0 Triple-C FM interconnect between the CD player and preamplifier and preamplifier and power amplifiers and Acoustic Revive SPC2.5 Triple-C FM speakers cable. The speakers were plugged into 4-ohm output. I used Oyaide Tunami GPX-Re v2 power cables plugged into KBL Sound Reference Power Distributor. The latter was plugged into the wall socket using KBL Sound Himalaya power chord. Recordings used for the test (a selection) Il Canto D’Orfeo, wyk. Il Trionfo del Tempo, Et’Cetera | Klara KTC 4030, CD (2009) Brian Eno, The Ship, Warp Records | Beat Records BRC-505CE, SHM-CD (2015) Depeche Mode, Ultra, Mute/Sony Music Labels SICP-30543, Blu-spec CD2 (2007/2014) Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms, Vertigo/Mobile Fidelity Labs UDSACD 2099, „Original Master Recording, Special Limited Edition | No. 1808”, SACD/CD (1985/2013) Jean-Michel Jarre, Electronica Project. Vol. 1 Time Machine, Columbia | Sony Music Entertainment 88875108352 , Box No. 465/1000, CD + 2 x 180 g LP + FLAC 24/96 (2015); Johann Sebastian Bach, Solo Cantatas BWV 35, 169, 170, wyk. Bernarda Fink, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Harmonia Mundi HMG 502016, CD (2009/2016) Michał Wróblewski Trio, City Album, Elite Records 11529024, CD (2014) Owlle, France, Sony Music Entertainment France, „Promotional Copy”, CD-R (2014) Smolik/Kev Fox, Smolik/Kev Fox, Kayax | Agora 92781141, CD (2015) Zbigniew Namysłowski Modern Jazz Quartet, Lola, Decca/Universal Music Japan UCCM-9173, „From Europe With Jazz. Vol. 2”, CD (1964/2003) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] Tube amplifiers are grateful object of experiments. Trials with various tubes - power and input one - anti-vibration elements (valves are prone to microphonics) and some others make it possible to adjust the sound to your taste and system. There are, of course, certain limits of those changes, even if you occasionally hear some people claiming that tube rolling resulted in "a totally different amplifier." At first one might observe particularly spectacular changes, but after some time it turns out that they are only slight modifications. It is not possible to achieve anything more because of the limitations of an electrical system, used parts, materials and the way they are put together. The same can be, in my opinion, said about the power tubes operating modes - triode and pentode. These are, of course, the same tubes - pentodes or, in this case, beam tetrode, which can however be used in two ways. Listening to Ayon while comparing its sound in either mode, I could always say that it was Scorpio, not two different devices. The basics sound qualities are in fact the same for 'triode' and 'pentode' mode. This does not mean, of course, that the sound is exactly the same, but the differences are in fact rather just slight modifications of the same sonic signature and not something totally different. To be honest I preferred the pentode mode and so I shall describe how these amps sound like when using it. At the end I will present the main differences between both modes and how they affect the perception of music. The sound signature of this amplifier is quite similar to the Crossfire EVO, which I reviewed once for the „Enjoy The Music” magazine in terms of tonal balance, the setting of priorities, including how the objects in front of a listener are presented. Sound is warm, full, dense. Already these three words situate it in a slightly different place than amplifiers that manufacturer offered a few years ago. Older models were about being quick, transparent and delivering pure power. The new generation, perhaps in part due to the precise bias control of power tubes presents more traditional tube-ish sound, especially in the models that still use KT88, but adding to that good resolution and dynamics. This performance reminded me of other classic amplifiers using these tubes, such as: McIntosh MC275 and QUAD II. I have a vague feeling that somehow, subconsciously engineers responsible for the Scorpio Black had to remember this sound signature It is not just a copy, but a new device inspired but some classics and in an interesting way too. The device delivers a very rich, dense sound. Everything is included - a 3D body and detail and space, accompanied by a focus on a large volume, although there is no doubt that the body of each phantom image is the most important element of the presentation. The instruments are so large in size, will never disappear in the background, they are presented with utmost attention to details. It is, I believe, a result of certain modification of the sound, ie. an emphasis in medium bass and lower midrange area. That's exactly a type of sound modification that one usually calls a "physiological" or “friendly” or simply “enjoyable”. I listened to some albums taking the above discovery into consideration and established that these recordings had with Scorpio their own, distinct sound characteristic. So when I listened to Bach cantatas performed by Bernarda Fink, her voice, but also the trumpets, sounded slightly leaner, had tonal balance gently shifted up, but they were not made artificially richer, heavier due to amplifier's emphasis. At the same time one clearly hear this features of the recording and accept it as something natural. And that's because Scorpio are “cruel” for imperfect recordings. They tend to “cover up" such shortcomings either with color saturation, or the volume of the sound, but should not emphasis weaknesses of any recording. Such, ie., warm sound with somewhat naturally soft attack usually results with a preference of a particular type of recordings, that sound best (please forget about the so-called "neutrality", it does not exist in real life, there are only successive approximations to it). I wouldn't really say that some particular music genre or type suits these amps best, and that one can not listen to other types, even though the above description usually ends with such conclusion. Ayon is too powerful, too fast, too dynamic for such limitation of repertoire to be true. Warm? - Yes, but not muddy. Rolled off treble? - I think it's safe to say, but the sound doesn't lack freshness and is surely not dark. We are talking about a very well tonally balanced presentation, that is perceived as particularly rich, complete. All events have their own importance and purpose, which I have heard before with some amplifiers of a completely different design, such as elinsAudio manufacture Concerto and also with Ayre AX-5 Twenty. Comparing this performance with more precise sounding devices, eg. next Polish integrated, Abyssound ASA-1600, one can realize that Ayon stresses the importance of all instruments, combining all sound sources together at the expense of selectivity. When on a wonderful album, Il Canto D'Orfeo , that was sold in the main building of the National Museum in Warsaw (I bought it when visiting a very nice exhibition Brescia. Renaissance in Northern Italy) including works related to the myth of Orpheus I heard theorbo, it sounded pretty clear, warm and more "present" than in reality. The same is true when harpsichord or organ start to play. When one listens to these instruments during the concert, even when sitting close to them one identifies them mainly through the transient attack, more powerful plucks. The recording, of course, "highlights" them, but Ayon goes even a step further by aligning them eg. with vocals. Baroque music, vocal (Smolik!), Electronic (Jarre), jazz (Namysłowski), ie. every genre with a clear central point, a leader - all these discs sounded fabulously. Triode, my triode! Such type of presentation is usually associated with triode amplifiers. The Ayon delivers it right away, but in pentode mode. It is clear that the top triode amps are the single-ended ones (SET or Parallel SE), but everything below their price and quality is not so obvious. Because Ayon for example, when playing in triode mode delivers less clear, less tangible instruments. The sound is obviously more relaxed, because eg. classic albums in terms of sound character are more like a live performance – one “sees” it from a bigger distance, and the edges are subjected to diffusion. On the other hand sound is not resolving enough to deliver performance even close to live-like dynamics and resolution. That's why every time I returned to pentode mode as the one that better reflects full ability of Scorpio Mono, which gives sound a stronger character and differentiates it in a better way. Summary I have not listened to Ayon amplifiers for quite some time, dealing with thousands of other products. It's time to catch up, because Gerhard's works are always interesting. Soon, we shall take a closer look at new Ayon players (SACD and music files), both – in reviews and during the Krakow Sonic Society meeting. For the Audio Video Show 2016 we are also planning a joint presentation of Polish Jazz recordings, hosted by Jacek Gawłowski. The Scorpio mono amplifiers very nicely fit the present Ayon's sound philosophy. It's an incredibly rich, dense performance of a warm character. Its dynamics is very high and powerful, low bass extremely well controlled. Even the Harbeth's 30-cm woofers performed accordingly, realizing Gerhard's ideas about bass extension and punch. There is a proper momentum, fullness, and full control. What one gets with Ayon's more expensive amplifiers, especially triode ones, is a better resolution and selectivity. But with Scorpio one gets a sweet - both in terms of appearance and sound – compact monoblocks that can work easily with a wide range of loudspeakers, including those with a more difficult impedance curve. And the performance is sooooo enjoyable! Even in the dark it is clear that Scorpio Black is a product of Ayon Audio. The distinctive shape of the housings made of aluminum elements and the illuminated red logo (this is why in the dark is even easier to recognize this brand's products...) are unchanged for years. A novelty is the size of these particular devices – they are significantly smaller than any previous models, and it is because there is only one pair of power tubes instead of two or even three of them. Gerhard decided to use KT88 beaming tetrodes, or to be exact the KT88sx, custom made for Ayon by a Chinese company Shuguang. The 12AU7 (unmarked) and 12AX7EH Russian Electro are employed as drivers and phase inverters. The power tubes work in class A in push-pull configuration, and one can choose the mode they work in - a classic pentode or triode. To change the mode one uses a button placed on the rear panel. Until recently, all amplifiers featured a toggle switch placed on top cover next to tubes. Ayon changed that for Scorpio for some reasons – either it didn't fit stylistically, or there was something else. From what I heard from some people, the Ayon devices are seen by some as an not reliable. I've been using their preamplifier for many, many years and nothing ever happened to it. The amplifiers used in accordance with instructions also perform very well for many years. Yet, they are not immune to stupidity. For years Gerhard has been developing his proprietary auto-bias system, that allows tubes to always work in optimal conditions. Its calibration, however, was initially quite complicated, so many impatient users ruined their tubes and blamed amplifiers for that. And even after the procedure was simplified, nothing changed, except the direct cause of damage. Nowadays the tubes are usually damaged by the irresponsible use of the triode/pentode switch. And all one has to do to avoid that is to read the manual, which clearly states: DO NOT do this when the amplifier is switched on. First, turn off the power, wait 2 minutes to make a change and turn the power back on. And one does that - back to the description of this design – using a mechanical switch on the bottom panel. Behind the tubes there are two large housings with transformers inside – mains and output, cast in a special resin, which dampens vibrations and shields against RF and EM radiation. Each stage has a separate power supply and DC filament for tubes is regulated. The circuit includes choke for filtering power for tubes and a soft start system and in-rush current limiting. The power on cycle takes approx. 1 minute, during which the illuminated logo on the front keeps flashing. On the back there is a single solid RCA input and three speaker terminals - separate one for 4 and 8 Ω loudspeakers (ground terminal is common for both). There is also a toggle switch that cuts off the signal's ground from chassis' ground. This might come handy if there is hum coming from speakers. It's a very solid device with the classic and characteristic Ayon design and appearance. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Class of operation : Triode or Pentode mode, Class-A Power tubes: 2 x KT88 Load impedance: 8/4Ω Frequency response: 15Hz – 40kHz Output power (triode/pentode): 25W/45W Input impedance (1kHz): 100kΩ Input sensitivity (full power): 700mV S/N (full power): 98dB NFB: 0 dB Input: RCA Dimensions (WxDxH): 200 x 440 x 230mm Weight: 15kg [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/ayon/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/ayon/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/ayon/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/ayon/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/ayon/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/ayon/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/ayon/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/ayon/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/ayon/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/ayon/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/ayon/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/ayon/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/ayon/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/ayon/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/ayon/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/ayon/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/ayon/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/ayon/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/ayon/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/ayon/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/ayon/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/ayon/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/ayon/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/ayon/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

ads Klifoth, with his father in the picture (more HERE), had proudly told me about the new QR series, the successor of the X3, which he had prepared for Audiovector by himself from start to finish, a moment before the photo was taken. Even though these are the cheapest speakers of that manufacturer, they are surprisingly mature when it comes to technology and look as good as (or even better than) those from higher series. The characteristic feature of this series is the original version of the AMT (Air Motion Tweeter) with the so-called Gold Leaf, i.e. gold plated mesh whose role is to minimize signal distortion without signal modification. The transducer operates together with two classic piston speakers, each 150 mm (6”) in diameter, with “sandwich” membranes consisting of three layers. Both outer layers are made of aluminum, with foamy glue in between to counteract resonances. Mads Klifoth says that the membrane performs like a pure piston up to the frequency of 3 kHz and that is why the system was called Pure Piston Technology. The QR3 that we tested are rectangular floorstanders with a bass-reflex system, radiating towards the plinth integrated with the speakers. This makes it possible to control sound dispersion from the bass-reflex system better and to make the amount of bass-reflex more independent of the distance between the speakers and walls. Three color versions of the speakers are available: white matt, black piano lacquer and a novelty in Audiovector’s offer – dark walnut natural veneer. Magnetically mounted grilles are also included. The speakers perform best when they are facing a listener directly. Their tonal balance changes when they are moved to the rear wall, but not as much as in other speakers with bass-reflex systems. So, they are quite easy to set up. They should also be easy to drive because of their high sensitivity – 90 dB. Although their impedance is between 4 and 8 Ω, so we should probably think of 4 Ω and below, but experience shows that they will perform even with a small amplifier. The speakers are placed on spikes (included), but you have to buy insulators. Let us not use just anything, but think of something decent. I used Acoustic Revive insulators. AUDIOVECTOR in “High Fidelity” BEST SOUND High End 2016: Audiovector QR1 - speakers BEST SOUND 2015: Audiovector SR3 SUPER - speakers TEST: Audiovector SR 1 SIGNATURE - speakers TEST: Audiovector SR3 SUPER - speakers TEST: Audiovector Ki3 - speakers TEST: Audiovector X3 SUPER - speakers TEST: Audiovector Mi3 SIGNATURE - speakers BEST SOUND 2005: Audiovector Mi1 SIGNATURE - speakers TEST: Audiovector Mi1 SIGNATURE - speakers Recordings used in the test (a selection) Duo Bednarek-Zgraja, Walking Colour, Poljazz/GAD Records GAD CD 047 (1983/2016) Ed Sheeran, X, Warner Music UK/Warner Music Japan WPCR-15730, CD (2014); Jan Garbarek, I Took Up The Runes, ECM Records ECM 1419, „ECM Touchstones”, CD (1990/2008) Jean-Michel Jarre, Electronica 2: The Heart of Noise, Columbia/Sony Music Japan SICP-30956, BSCD2 (2016); King Crimson, Live in Toronto, Penegyric/WOWOW Enterteinment IECP-20252/253, „King Crimson Collectors’ Club: Special Edition”, 2 x Ultimate HiQuality CD (2016) Leonard Cohen, Popular Problems, Sony Music Labels SICP-4329, CD (2014); Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis, Polydor 537 688-2, CD (1988) Mikołaj Hertel, Epizod A, GAD Records GAD CD 035, CD (2015) Pet Shop Boys, Super, Sony Music Labels (Japan) SICX-41, CD (2016) Renee Rosnes, Written in the Rocks, Smoke Sessions Records SSR-1601, CD (2016) The Handsome Family, Singing Bones, Carrot TopSAKI036, CD (2003) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] It is, naturally, impossible, as we do not know each other that well, but I get the impression that Mads Klifoth’s and my way of thinking about sound have a lot in common. It came to my mind for the first time when I saw small QR1 bookshelf speakers powered by the powerful Gryphon Diablo 300 integrated amplifier at the High End 2016 exhibition in Munich. Owing to the enormous price difference between the two devices (costing, respectively, 4490 PLN and 53 999 PLN in Poland), the system was regarded as an oddity by most visitors. However, it is sometimes similar in the case of “High Fidelity” readers who regularly ask me why I test speakers, e.g. the Russell K. RED 50 with a two-piece amplifier which costs 300,000 PLN (without cables). Well, for a really simple reason: I want to hear the given product the way it sounds, without being modified by the remaining elements of the system, to the extent this is possible. Mads was probably driven by the same goal and wanted to demonstrate what his speakers are really capable of. There is one more thing which also makes me feel connected with Mads in an unexplainable way – the sound of the QR3 (and also the QR1) has features that I value and that I was searching for while working on the Emerald Touched by High Fidelity speakers. These are not the same speakers – not only do they look different, but also, ultimately, sound different. However, the main goal of the search is really similar. The QR3 focus on the sound fill and tone. Their bass-midrange resolution is not high – we get larger sound planes rather than details, but treble differentiation is outstanding. We have been expecting that, haven’t we? AMTs (Air Motion Tweeters) are known for their excellent resolution. Even though they look like planar (ribbon) speakers at first sight, their sound is much denser and warmer, and that is why it is easier to integrate them with other drivers. When I see a ribbon speaker in an inexpensive product, I wonder what caused the constructors to place it there… The metal membranes of the bass-midrange drivers might suggest an analytical musical message, but it is not so. They sound really similar to the AMT, nicely providing density and contributing to tangibility. This is what the QR3 sound like – they focus on the foreground and tangibility. They have excellently differentiated treble, which cannot be achieved for the same price with domes in speakers. The differences in tone, sound decay and attack are excellent with these speakers and represent features that are typical for the high-end. The speaker sounds excellent with recordings that are well-made, but does not get lost with those that have been made for streaming services and to be used with small headphones connected to smartphones. While listening to Pet Shop Boys Super album, I got very well emphasized rhythm, nice pulsating bass and a clear vocal which was neither sharp nor glaringly brightened up – this is another feature of the QR3. There was no depth and the vocals were one-dimensional, but we are talking about a highly compressed recording with a limited range and speakers that are not very expensive. The bass goes low and it is not uniform. It is differentiated depending on the recording and the instrument, without merging everything into a pleasant, perhaps, but also monotonous low-pitched “background music”. It is also necessary to know that although the bass is nicely filled and has good tone, it is also quickly suppressed at the very bottom of the range. These are not speakers designed to go as low as possible. Thanks to such an approach, the QR3 are highly effective and easy to drive, but they will neither surprise us with a sudden burst nor built up a powerful volume. Comparing the QR3 with the RED 50 Russell K. speakers is especially instructive. The latter were meant to sound “big” and impress the listener, which was excellently accomplished by the constructor. The price we pay is lower sensitivity – we need a quite strong amplifier to drive the speakers and the sound as a whole is a little “tuned”. There is nothing wrong in it, but it is impossible to listen to them really loud because the magic is gone then. Subjectively, the QR3 neither go much lower nor build larger phantom images. The images are large, but not larger than those we get with the RED 50. What we get thanks to the size of the Audiovector speakers, their two bass-midrange drivers and a better tweeter, are: breath, relax and a lack of “pressure” somewhere at the back. We can also play music louder with them, without violating its coherence. What do we not get is resolution at the bottom of the range and a deep look into the back of the sound stage. These are not speakers aimed at a spectacular presentation of sound planes behind the musicians right in front of us. The backgrounds are pulled up and function as part of the foreground which is robust, strong and full. The lowest bass is not strongly presented. It cannot be heard directly as the speakers sound natural and we neither hear compression nor get the impression of sound being compressed. Despite this, when I played recordings in which the bass is really low, the speakers suppressed its lowest range at a certain moment. I do not know whether this is important because most speakers will probably not notice this, anyway, without comparing the QR3 to large speakers, but I just want to make things clear. Summary The award for quality sound during the exhibition in Munich was not a coincidence. What I heard then in the Audiovector’s room was intensified and more audible in mine. Larger QR3 housings and two bass-midrange drivers brought the sound a level or two higher, towards saturation and richness. With these speakers, music will sound warm and nice, but also with excellently differentiated and distributive treble which is going to remain in a very good relationship with the rest of the range and will never get separated from it. Anyway, we will tend to listen to the treble more attentively than to the lower part of the range because it will let us discover a lot of information that we did not know before. RED Fingerprint. The QR series is small and includes only two models: the QR1 bookshelf speakers and the QR3 floorstanders. It is the cheapest series of the Danish manufacturer but it is really well made – the speakers are nice and make use of an advanced technology. The QR3 are two-and-half-way floorstanders with a bass-reflex housing. They are not particularly large (942 x 190 x 232 mm), but have good proportions emphasized by their rounded upper edges. They are available in a few color versions – white matt, glossy black and natural dark nut veneer. A black plinth is attached at the bottom of each speaker. Plinths usually serve to improve speaker stability thanks to being broader than the bottom panel. The plinth in the QR3 is almost as large as their bottom panel and has a different function – it regulates the distance between the bass-reflex port and the floor. It is because the rectangular bass-reflex port (called the “Q-port” by the manufacturer) is located at the bottom of the speaker. Spikes are attached to the plinth. The set does not include insulators and it is worth buying some really good ones. The speakers, as Mads Klifoth says, are made by “the best (Danish) manufacturers” using parts designed and supplied to them by Audiovector. The housing is also manufactured outside the company and I guess it is made in China – it looks great. The cross-over frequency is 400 Hz/3 kHz. There is a special tweeter on the top – the AMT (Air Motion Tweeter). We wrote a lot about it in the test of the Kaiser Acoustics Kawero! Chiara so there is no need to repeat that. Audiovector considers AMTs to be the best tweeters and uses them in the high-end versions of its speakers as the top upgrade. The version that we get with the QR series was designed specifically for these speakers. The front of the speaker is machined from thick, rigid, aerospace grade aluminum and there is a neodymium magnet driver. Metal parts are anodized in the “Tungsten Titanium Grey” color. A gold-plated mesh is placed in front of the membrane. As we can read in company materials, the aim was to control sibilants, just like in the case of POP filters used with microphones in the professional recording industry. Although POP filters mainly aim to minimize the so-called “pops” (strong “p” sounds) , they also reduce sibilants. The frequency range of the speaker (with a -3 dB drop) is up to 40 kHz, but emits sound up to 105 kHz. The manufacturer’s name of the tweeter is the “Gold Leaf AMT with S-stop”. The bass-midrange drivers are also interesting. Designed by the Audiovector, they have a sandwich membrane consisting of three layers: two external aluminum layers and foamy damping material that connects them in between. There are no classic dust filters here as the membrane has no opening to place a coil. The coil is attached, using another patch of aluminum, to the back. Similar solutions, i.e. the sandwich membrane and the coil attached in the same way to the speaker, can also be found in speakers made by other manufacturers – for example, the British company Monitor Audio. The driver baskets are made of sheet metal and there are dual magnet drivers. The company claims that this allows the drivers to operate as pistons within a wide range, much higher than other drivers (manufacturer’s name: “Pure Piston”). So, milder filters can be used with them. Talking about the crossover, let us say that it is attached to a small printed circuit board located behind the middle driver. It does not look complex, with air coils and a polypropylene capacitor. The interior of the housing is reinforced with rims and a little damped – especially in the top part, using felt and sponge. Bituminous patches are used at the bottom. One of them is placed on a large aluminum plate with single gold-plated speaker terminals. It is worth repeating that these are very well-made speakers with advanced drivers that have no well-known logo but are very good. Technical specifications (according to the manufacturer) Frequency response: 30 – 45 000 Hz Gold Leaf upper limit: 105 kHz Sensitivity (2.83 V/1 m): 90 dB Impedance: 4 – 8 Ω Cross-over frequency: 400 Hz/3000 Hz Power handling (music): 200 Watts (music) Dimensions (H x W x D): 942 x 190 x 232 mm Net weight per piece: 15.4 kg [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/audiovector/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

t's ironic, but the most interesting things happening in the Compact Disc player market segment are taking place at a time when the format had already been definitively rendered obsolete by most audio manufacturers and is considered a "descending" by the music companies. The solutions proposed by companies associated with the format for years, for example: the C.E.C. and Reimyo allow you to achieve sound quality of a CD which one could only dream of looking enviously at what performance turntables and tape recorder offered. Even sooner similar signals began to come out of the SACD (Super Audio CD) camp – a super-niche format, which survived mainly thanks to the passion of some people in Japan and fantastic NEO-VRDS drives made by Esoteric. This format's revitalization, however, was possible only because of popularity of high-resolution file players, including those capable of playing DSD (Direct Stream Digital) files. At first it seemed that it wouldn't be affected by this race towards higher and higher numbers that took place in the PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) camp, but now if the DAC doesn't decode the PCM up to 384 kHz and 32 bits resolution it is "outdated." And yet ... pretty soon new DACs were introduced capable of not only decoding DSD64 (ie the basic sampling frequency the SACDs are encoded with), but also DSD128. Now we are talking about DSD512 which translates into a sampling frequency of 22.5792 MHz (512 x sampling CD frequency). Decoding DSD Decoding a DSD signal seems pretty straight forward – many currently produced PCM DACs provide an interface that allows them to “accept” also a DSD signal. The technical specification of such chips usually mentions their "compatibility" with the DSD signal. If you take a closer look you will find out that such statement is based on a lot of good faith, a bit of naivety and a lot of cynicism. Virtually all currently produced D/A Converter chips are of multi-bit Delta-Sigma type; including the Ring-DAC, a converter designed by dCS. This means that a single-bit DSD signal must be converted to a multi-bit one and only then it can be converted to an analog signal. I remember perfectly that, when I worked for the "Sound & Vision" magazine, I received for a test the DX-SX1 Sharp SACD player (it was some time around 2002). Its sound was fantastic - as it turned out, not only due to the excellent chassis, fantastic transport mechanism, but in large part due to the great, one of the last ever produced 1-bit DAC chips. It was based on the experience gained by Philips, that already in 1987 introduced Bitstream DACs, which were true one-bit systems. They had their advantages, such as better small signals linearity, however, there were some issues, too. The audio world took a different direction, following the revolution of home cinema systems. Today, firms betting on SACD and/or DSD try to deal with it in a different way. One example of an interesting solution is the Multiple Double Speed DSD (MDSD) from Accuphase, which works as a low-pass filter, greatly simplifying the system, and among those coming from small companies I could point out the Bulgarian APL, which for years has proposed converters that convert PCM signal to DSD, upsample it to DSD128 and only then the signal is decoded (more HERE). It is worth to note that first man in Poland that made “DAC-less” conversion of DSD signal alive was Mr. Łukasz Fikus of LampizatOr. A year ago, however, I heard again about a solution that was supposed to eliminate an active converter from DAC. The solution was proposed by Polish company Amare Musica. Almost at the same time a similar concept was introduced to me by Gerhard Hirt from Ayon Audio. The DSD signal can be decoded using a relatively simple analog filter composed of resistors and capacitors, and no other additional chips/circuits are needed for that. Of course, to make such DAC compatible also with the PCM signal, it must be equipped with a PCM / DSD converter. That's the idea behind Tube DAC DSD. Tube DAC DSD From the practical point of view it is simply just another "DAC" with a simplified operation. There is no display, no input selector, it is just a silver "cube". Well, not exactly a cube – a characteristic truncation on the front make the shape similar to the one of a diamond, which is also confirmed by the name of the series this device belongs to. The USB port is the key input, accepting PCM signal up to 384 kHz and 32 bits, and - above all - DSD up to Octuple DSD, ie. DSD512. There are also classic PCM signal inputs - RCA (S/PDIF) and XLR (AES/EBU), accepting only the PCM signal, and "only" up to 192 kHz and 24 bits. The device looks very solid, because it is made from perfectly matching 10 mm aluminum plates. Proper care was also taken about vibration damping – DAC features manufactured specifically for Amare Musica, Ceramic Disc Tablette by out good friend from Franc Audio Accessories. And this is an important feature of this device since the output signal is amplified using electron tubes. This is a balanced design with both, balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) analogue outputs. The digital circuit features actually only digital D/D converters, that convert one type of digital signal to another. It works just the same for USB input as well as for RCA and XLR ones. The former "unpacks" PCM and DSD signals and sends it to the circuit that converts signal to DSD. Also a signal from the RCA / XLR inputs is converted. If, however, the device receives a DSD signal it is sent directly to the passive filter. MACIEJ LENAR An owner and designer Designing and building a DAC, which would meet today's customer requirements is a real challenge. Our idea to interfere as little as possible in the digital signal and avoid using of traditional DAC chip required us to wait for an appearance of newer technologies on the market. The solution came with AKM4137EQ DAC from Asahi Kasei Microdevices, which was finally introduced to the market. It met our requirements and helped us to design a DAC without a classic DAC chip. Yes, it is possible. The input PCM/DSD signal from USB, S/PDIF or AES/EBU inputs is converted inside AKM4137EQ chip to DSD signal. Then it enters the R2R filter and passive filter of the first order. The advantage of this solution is, in our opinion, a very analog sound. To even deepen the benefits of sound obtained from the digital section of our device we decided to utilize a tube analog stage using a differential amplifier with a current source and repeaters. Members of 6DJ8 / 6922 / E88CC / 6N23P family are perfectly suited for the job. Stabilized power supplies for analog and digital sections complemented the properly designed circuit. Anodized housing milled on a CNC, a flightcase in which the device is packed, anti-vibration feet made by Franc Audio Accessories and above mentioned advantages mean that one has the feeling of communing with a device of a much higher price range.. After one installs USB drivers (S/PDIF and AES/EBU require no drivers) Tube DAC DSD is ready to go – no adjustments, no settings, just “plug'n'play”! I used Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition as a CD transport and PC HP Pavilion dv7 (JPlay, Windows 10, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD + 520 HDD) as files transport for Tube DAC DSD test. I played both, CDs and music files. The latter were mostly DSD ones, some of them also DSD128. But I listened to a lot of 24/96 and 24/192 PCM files too. Playing CDs was no different from using a classic player of this type. With files it was somewhat more difficult. First I needed to install the driver, available for download from Amare. Once installed, it turned out that the high resolution files delivered a much lower volume than a CD played with a player – there was a few dB difference between them. A DSD files were even quieter. A lot depends on the settings on your computer, but you have to reckon with a pushing the volume knob higher than usually. Perhaps a better choice would be a dedicated music server. AMARE MUSICA in „High Fidelity” TEST: Amare Musica ASPIRIAA - phonostage TEST: Amare Musica DIAMOND – music server BEST SOUND 2013: Amare Musica ENTROPY – integrated amplifier TEST: Amare Musica ENTROPY – integrated amplifier BEST SOUND Audio Show 2012: Amare Musica + Clockwork Albums used for the test (a selection) Compact Disc Deep Purple, Now What?!/Now What?! Live Tapes, EAR Music 0209064ERE, 2 x CD (2013); Frank Sinatra, Songs For Swingin’ Lovers!, Capitol/Mobile Fidelity UDCD 538, gold-CD (1956/1990) Franz Liszt, Agnelle Bundervoët plays Liszt, Decca France/Sakuraphon SKRP33020, CD (1955/2015) Michał Wróblewski Trio, City Album, Elite Records 11529024, CD (2014) OMD, Music Complete, Mute Artists/Traffic Japan TRCP-200, CD (2015); Pet Shop Boys, Super, Sony Music Labels (Japan) SICX-41, CD (2016) Schubert, Song Cycles, wyk. Nathalie Stutzmann, Inger Södergren, Erato/Warner Classics 4623701, 3 x CD (2014) Music files Aretha Franklin, Aretha’s Gold, DSD64 | Billie Holiday, Body And Soul, DSD64 | Cream, Disraeli Gears, DSD64 | Depeche Mode, Black Celebration, PCM 24/48 | Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms, DSD64 | Elvis Presley, Elvis is Back!, DSD64 | John Coltrane Quartet, Ballads, DSD64 | John Coltrane, Blue Train, rip z DVD-A, PCM 24/192 | Kate Bush, 50 Worlds For Snow, PCM 24/96 | Klipsch Tape Reissues Vol. II, DSD128 | Tomasz Stańko, Wisława, PCM 24/88,2 Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] Let's not kid ourselves - it IS a specialized product. I could keep this statement for the end of the test to sum it up with a strong, catchy slogan, but delaying something that has to be said anyway doesn't make much sense: the Tube DSD DAC is designed, optimized, fine-tuned in order to play: (1 ) files (2) of high resolution, preferably (3) DSD. This belonging to the Diamond Series converter very nicely deals with a signal delivered using S/PDIF cable from a CD transport and its performance with standard CD resolution files is also very good. But what makes music breathe and live are mostly hi-res files, especially DSD ones. When I used CDs as signal source the performance was smooth and free of sharp edges. Since I tried to spot any problems with treble in particularly adverse conditions, ie. with albums with a strong signal compression and "dirty” treble, I reached for the last OMD and Pet Shop Boys albums. The latter is not so bad, but still it is meant for listening in the car and by small headphones from your smartphone. DAC changed the way the sound was presented. There were no hard edges, nothing “jump out” of the mix, the treble wasn't harsh. The presentation was actually quite nice, ie., it gained some depth, it wasn't just a flat wall of sound. Also, the colors' differentiation seemed better - and with this type of music it is a welcomed feature because it shows changes in the instruments. The rhythm was also nicely preserved, timing was good which one of the key elements of the music. With high-quality recordings two things were happening simultaneously: one on hand all these actions "ennobling" sound, on the other their side effects. The former meant emphasizing an acoustic background, or ambiance and harmonic background of the recordings. Since there is no hard, clear leading edge, elements from the background play a bigger role than when same recordings are played by more detailed, more selective devices which in fact sort of skip these elements. I mean nice harmonic relations, something under the direct sound, which "glues" the presentation together in a meaningful way. This way of presenting music works best with of classical music and jazz recordings. Everything is smooth, soft, does not attack listener. A powerful, active bass and good pace and rhythm prevent this presentation from blending into a “hot soup”, that would make it difficult to differentiate individual ingredients. I would rather compare it to a tasty cream with lots of toppings. Vocal recordings sounded simply fantastic as they were particularly enjoyable and natural sounding. Same goes for tracks with lead instrument placed in front of the rest of them. Every time I replaced one disc with another, I had the impression that the DAC simplified presentation, making different recordings sound similar, "trimming" them to the same punch. An extremely nice, you could even say beautiful one, but always the same. This impression came from a lack of proper differentiation and a roll off the treble. This element of the performance shall draw an attention of everyone, even those without proper experience. I think it will be as easy to identify slight warming of medium and low bass. That made different albums sound nice, enjoyable, that's why they never sounded "thin" or dry. On the contrary – the Amare Music DAC soaked/enriched the sound, which emphasized its dynamic and tone texture. By doing so it unifies the presentation. ALL CDs played with it sounded nice, smooth, sometimes really delicate (though not entirely, because the bass is strong and unambiguous). A tone modification is also clear – there is a roll off of the top frequencies that is a result of a mitigation of the attack rather than lowering its level. There is also a detectable emphasize in the midrange. The latter can be heard eg. in the female voices that seem to have the range from around 500 Hz emphasized. With some recordings it creates sort of a over-representation of the vocal over instruments, in some others it highlights some of their nasality. In contrast to the devices, that warm up midrange (which Amare does not do) voices are not pushed forward and are not enlarged. All elements of the presentation have the right volume, the proportions are preserved, but still voices sound in a more distinct way. Listening to the first hi-res file changes this situation almost beyond recognition. What had been pleasant, nice, very safe, now becomes ambiguous. It is clear that with such a signal this DAC delivers a different, very sophisticated performance. It does not try to bring us closer to sonic signature of an analog master tape as these, above mentioned D/A Converters by CEC and Reimyo do. It does something else – it proposes a new, original approach to the musical material, where there is space for color, dynamics, depth and thought. This is a presentation which on the one hand is unmistakably a pleasant and non-invasive, and the other says a lot about the recordings – it tells listeners mostly about their advantages using mainly superlatives. Because the presentation breathes, has proper momentum, and tonal richness – these are all elements that are most often mentioned as the distinctive features of hi-res files. In my opinion, more important, however, are some other things more concerned with music than with hi-fi. It's a sound that features all traits of a high sophistication, which has a beautiful depth, sensitivity to smallest elements that hide "under" the sound, without emphasizing details. This is, I believe, an intrinsic feature of DSD format – there is little selectivity and a lot of resolution. It is difficult to point the leading edge of the sound, and so instruments are clearly not "cut out" from the background. Listening to this DAC I confirmed what I heard with the best SACD players I auditioned, including dCS Vivaldi and 900/901 Accuphase system and which - I believe - so fascinates many sound engineers, reviewers and music lovers. The sound that you get with high-end devices that support the DSD signal (either from a file or from DSD and SACD discs) is incredibly fast. It resembles a live sound in this regard. One can not feel any blur of the attack. Subjective relaxation goes hand in hand with perfect focus, which translates into a distinct signature of sound's "presence". It has real weight, size, it is dense. It all produces an outstanding dynamics, especially on the micro scale. All other recording systems, except for to analog tape recorders and truly top level digital systems, compress the sound and slow it down. They add to the sound an artificial richness that is supposed to mask that. But this is only a trick to full a listener. The reviewed DAC proved that it can be done in a much better way for relatively, considering true high end level, low price. DSD files with jazz music from the 1950s and 1960s, and then some new projects, such as, for example, Dead Can Dance and Dire Straits albums, sounded in a concrete, focused way. They were open, but rather towards inside than outside, ie. they did not emphasize treble. Treble with Tube DAC DSD is always smooth, but it's not what I meant – it's about an abundance of information without explicit details. Every time I felt like participating in the show, in the event. The sound was incredibly rich internally, filled with music. We all know that in audio it is always a "quid pro quo", so after all the praises come a downside. Amare does not play a powerful rock in such a convincing way as PCM systems and turntables. So it won't deliver properly punchy, focus and punctual bass and it won't add an aggressive attack metal cymbals and guitars. It simply is not able to do that. Its low bass is powerful and tuneful, but it lacks focus that would allow it to always control the sustained double bass' sound played of recordings that are, in this respect, often exaggerated. If the recording has a lowered tonal balance, the DAC tends to emphasize and deepen that effect. Usually without consequences, but sometimes there is too much "richness” in its “richness”. When bright recordings are played Amare does not make them any brighter than they are. Summary The Amare Musica's DAC make and finish is very good. It is obvious that it's a well thought-through design and not something created on impulse. And even if at its roots there actually was an impulse, it has been properly “digested”. Same goes for its performance. In physics every action causes reaction, and so in audio use of a certain solution changes the balance between elements, and it is not possible to achieve same level of presentation of all elements of the sound at the same time; unless it's a very low level one wants to achieve :) When a decision was made in Amare Musica to convert the digital PCM signal to DSD and to decode the latter in a passive system it automatically meant choosing a certain "package". It produces excellent results, but rather with high-resolution files, especially with DSD ones. It should be clear from the start, but it is worth making sure that ones realizes that before making a purchase decision. If CDs are preferred medium and one listens not only to classical and jazz music, this particular "package" may not be enough. But if we you are music lovers and you want to get the most out of high-resolution files, the reviewed DAC can help you with that in a unique way, while not ruining your budget. It offers proper dynamics, color, fleshiness of the sound and the "shimmering" of the elements in the background, which gives an impression of listening to live music. This is, of course, only an approximation, but a very interesting and convincing one. The Tube DAC DSD by Amare Musica is a compact, well built device. The front panel measures 440 mm – 2/3 of a classic rack width. Its chassis is composed of tightly fitting and nicely finished panels made of 10 mm thick aluminum. It features a front with beveled, in a characteristic way, sides, which makes it look like a cut diamond - hence the name of the series, this DAC is a part of, Diamond. The device sports four high quality Ceramic Disc Tablette feet made by Polish company Franc Audio Accessories. Front and rear The front features only two LEDs - orange and white. The first lights up after powering the device up with a mechanical switch on the back of the device and the other after tubes are ready. Besides these two LEDs there are no other indicators that would reveal synchronization with the transmitter or give up information on the sampling frequency of the input signal. It's part of an idea for a "maintenance-free" device that does not require user's attention. Also the the system that turns off the device after a certain period of inactivity is a part of the general approach, and it also prolongs tube's life. On the back, in addition to a power outlet and on/off switch, they are also very nice Neutrik connectors – a digital S/PDIF RCA, XLR (there is a small selector to choose between them) and USB. These two are the first priority inputs, so if you want to play music through USB you need to turn off the CD transport (or other source) with a digital signal, or pull the plug from DAC's input, which is not a very convenient solution. Unless of course a computer or music server are the only source you use via USB output, then there is nothing to worry about. Inside The power supply and the analog section were assembled on a large PCB, and two smaller ones, with digital circuits are bolted to this main one. The transformer preceded by a mains filter are separately screwed onto the bottom of the enclosure. The transformer's housing is filled with a vibration damping material. The transformer features four secondary windings, separately for tubes' anode voltage, their filament and for low voltage electronics. All of them, including the filament one, are regulated by systems using Nichicon capacitors. The USB input is supported by Atmel microcontroller featuring two high quality oscillators. It seems that this PCB was purchased from an external supplier. Beneath there is a slightly larger board, with AKM AK4137 chip, which converts PCM signal to DSD. Next to him there is a secondary Atmel chip. RCA and XLR inputs are supported by digital receiver, Wolfson Microelectronics WM8804. Both are galvanically isolated using small impedance matching transformers. A passive system that converts DSD digital signal to analog and the 1st order analog filter sit on the main board – these are Wima precise, non-inductive resistors and capacitors. The output signal is amplified and buffered in two double triodes per channel – the reviewed unit featured NOS 6H23П Soviet tubes, plugged into ceramic sockets with gold pins. But one can replace them with other, compatible with this model, tubes and thereby to obtain a slightly different sound. The output features high quality coupling capacitors, Mundorf M-Cap MKP, followed by relays, muting output signal. This is a very decent, clean solution. The device is delivered in solid case with company logo on the top side. Amare Musica, as usual, prepared a refined, well thought-through device that sounds and looks really good. Specifications (according to manufacturer) USB input: PCM: 44,1 | 48 | 88,2 | 96 | 176,4 | 192 | 352,8 | 384 kHz, all 32 bits DSD: 11,2 MHz | 12,4 MHz | 22,6 MHz | 24,6 MHz (DSD64-DSD512) Inputs RCA/XLR: 22,05 | 24 | 32 | 44,1 | 48 | 64 | 88,2 | 96 | 192 kHz, all 24 bits Tubes: 2 x 6H25П per channel Output signal (RCA/XLR): 2 V/4 V RMS/0 dB Output impedance (RCA/XLR):180 Ω/360 Ω [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1610/amare/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1610/amare/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1610/amare/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

t was clear from the very beginning that the Harmonix X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro power cable was a highly limited product, so it was intended for a small group of customers. Its price only this sealed this exclusivity. I envy the lucky ones who have it in their systems - it is the best power cable, I have ever heard. In addition, it perfectly fitted in my understanding of sound - it was not only good, but also synergistic with my system. In a kind of a "letter" customer receives with his new cable, Mr. Kiuchi makes a clear statement: the Hijiri 聖 SMT 'Takumi' Maestro is intended for experienced music lovers who missed a chance to own X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro. And then - it costs half as much, but the sound it offers does not differ much from that of the "Million". It was prepared according to the (if I understand correctly) Harmonix Tuning Maestro rules, through the use of carefully selected, tested materials, such as custom-made copper conductors. Each cable is hand-made. The copper conductor is directional. The cables feature cotton braid and are terminated with custom-made plugs by US company WattGate. This custom-make involves, among others, applying wooden barrels on plug's ending that dampen vibration. The wooden element is placed also over the cable along its run. The plugs look very nice - it's 390i Rh model on one side and the 350i Rh on the other, both feature rhodium-plated contacts. The cables are available in of 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 m lengths. The cable comes in a beautiful, hand-carved box. The nature of power cables prevents user from head-to-head comparisons as one needs a longer or shorter interval to switch cables. It requires turning the device one uses it with down, unplugging the chord, plugging in another one and then still waiting a moment until the device parameters have stabilized, which is particularly important in the case of tube devices. So in this case listening to longer album fragments, or even entire discs becomes the way to go about such test. The Hijiri 聖 cable was used with four devices: Ancient AIR V-edition CD Player with a tube output, Audionet Planck CD player with solid-state output, transistor power amplifier Soulution 710 and vacuum tube headphone amplifier Ayon Audio HA-3. I compared it with three cables I use permanently in my system: Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500, Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version and Acoustic Revive Power Reference Triple C. It was plugged into Acoustic Revive RTP-4EU power distributor, and the latter featured 2,5m Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500 power cable plugged into dedicated power line via Furutech outlet with rhodium-plated contacts (all cables and power sockets used in the test featured rhodium-plated contacts). HARMONIX & 聖HIJIRI in HF TEST: 聖HIJIRI NAGOMI X-DCH - power cable 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) Recordings used for the test (a selection): Estampies & Dances Royales, wyk. Hesperion XXI, dyr. Jordi Savall, Alia Vox AV 9857, SACD/CD (2008) John Coltrane, Coltrane. Deluxe Edition, Impulse!/Verve 589 567-2, 2 x CD (1962/2002) Laurie Anderson, Homeland, Nonesuch 524055-2, CD + DVD (2010); Nirvana, In Utero, Geffen GED 24536, CD (1993) Paula Cole, Courage, Decca B0008292-02, CD (2007) Rosemary Clooney, Rosemary Clooney sings Ballads, Concord/Stereo Sound SSCDR-007, „Flat Transfer Series”, CD-R (1985/2016) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] Mr. Kiuchi's new cable is the result of a reflection on the reproduced sound. Trivial? - A little bit, yes, but it is also the key to understanding what this man is seeking and from which side he climbs an audiophile Mount Everest. I've heard this before with Harmonix and Hijiri 聖 power cables, so this is not a surprise for me. I also experienced what Kiuchi-san is capable of achieving when making cost-no-object product and having sufficient time for a project – the result is so unique cable, as the X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro. This is an approach, in which the most important is the experience, not the technological advancement of the product. This is more of a "listen first, measure later" approach. If the measurements seem off but the sound is right, well to hell with measurements (this comes from me, not Mr Kiuchi). The power cable under review had even more difficult task. On the one hand it had to be better than - very successful - 聖HIJIRI Nagomi X-DCH, on the other hand it had to preserve as much sound quality as possible of the limited "Million" cable. One thing you can say about it right away, is related to sound's liquidity. It is a feature of all Mr Kiuchi's cables, but here it is simply phenomenal. The sound is deep, dense, with pitch black background. It presents instruments and vocals in a very natural way, without emphasizing the elements that "tune up" the sound. These are cool, usually very likable, but ultimately it is about as high fidelity towards the recorded material as possible, right? With that Takumi has no trouble being in this respect better than the Acoustic Revive Power Reference Triple-C and at least as good as Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500, if not better. In terms of tone and three-dimensionality it comes close to other Combak Corporation cables, especially to X-DC350M2R-Improved Version and "Million". So there is this naturally soft attack and smoothness. You can not hear any harshness, because there is none, neither can you point out any signs of coloration, because again, there is none. From the first to the last album I listened to, I witnessed an extremely well balanced sound. Moreover, the cable beautifully presents the differences in tone, in instruments placement, as well as dynamic range. In this respect it is superior to Harmonix X-DC350M2R and the Acoustic Revive. And from Hijiri Nagomi X-DCH, too. In the Nirvana's Rape Me track first comes a guitar and voice, relatively little compressed, and immediately after them enter the drums and bass, that are withdrawn compared to the voice and highly compressed, the reviewed cable delivers it very clearly. It does not try to hide anything. But it is, however, still Mr. Kiuchi's cable and as such, it avoids being literal. In this respect, Acoustic Revive seems to render everything using thicker lines, it emphasizes treble bit more and delivers slightly tighter bass. Takumi focuses bit lower in the middle of the band and this range is incredibly natural, very three-dimensional, it's even better in this regard than my reference, Acrolink. Only “Million” did even more in this respect, adding even more saturation and delivering even more palpable "body" of the sound. In this comparison the reviewed cable appears to be slightly softer, but not much – the yellow-black X-DC350M2R is even smoother. What I find especially convincing about this cable is a combination of natural sound and differentiation, that has already been mentioned. Only handful of cables copes so well in this regard, primarily Million, but also Acrolink. The latter is darker, offers less treble, so that it appears more vivid. In fact it is not, but the impression remains. Only after longer listening Acrolink turns out to be not so illuminated internally, is also not so dynamic as Takumi. The new cable offered vividness, fluidity, saturation and differentiation - a deadly combination. After such a performance one does even want to listen to other cables. Acrolink still has some features that make it one of the best proposals in the market - for example – an absolute smoothness, that with Takumi is not quite as fabulous, better defined lower bass, which at the same time goes even deeper; Takumi stops a little higher. As far as one listens to acoustic music, such as jazz and classical, it has no meaning. One can hear it only when listening to electronic music. I have to say, however, that knowing all this about this cable, it didn't bother me at all. It worked perfectly especially with my CD player, and before that its also brilliantly supported the Audionet Planck, and what it did with the power amplifier Soulution 710 was also of a very high level, even though it replaced there the Acrolink cable, that tempered this amplifier's tonal balance, moving it slightly down the band. Ultimately it counts how the component sounds during long listening sessions, without direct comparisons. And here Takumi is hard to beat, as it is a fantastic match for a variety of devices and music genres. It does not try to improve recordings, as I heard it with Acoustic Revive on one hand, that added more power to the attack and changed tonal balance emphasizing both range extremes, pushing them forward, nor smoothed treble up as the Acrolink did. It delivers music in a very honest way, never forgetting about its emotional layer. Summary “Not forgetting” is an understatement – emotions are in its performance, the most important element of music and TAKUMI seems to specialize in conveying them. It's a combination that is very versatile. It is a cable that will improve nothing in the system, neither will it degrade anything. It will allow recordings to sound in an emotional, naturally soft, full-bodied way. Even in those, that were not “tuned-up” during remastering, it finds lots of music and shows listener why analog master tapes are so amazing. Just listen to a special edition of the Rosemary Clooney Sings Ballads album of the Flat Transfer Series. It's a copy of the master tape copied without any sort of interference directly to a CD-R, which was commissioned by the Japanese magazine "Stereo Sound" (in Japan). The album contains only two songs. Takumi delivered a credible presentation with proper internal drama intensity. It was a beautiful experience and so I know what Santa will bring me this year :) And the cable itself, right now, receives the RED Fingerprint. Dystrybucja w Polsce: MOJE AUDIO ul. Sudecka 152 53-129 Wrocław | Polska www.mojeaudio.pl [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hijiri/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

ithin past several years the world of high-end audio took a course leading it towards the "wall". What wall? A complete price stratosphere. Sure, quality has to cost, and for an exceptional quality one pays double or even triple. Despite this, the current prices for the audio equipment of the highest quality become outrageous even for those who had listened, reviewed and bought such products without batting an eye before. This state of affairs has been noticed and commented on repeatedly by most editors and journalists of numerous specialized magazines around the world. Which of course has not changed the market even a bit. Because, it seems to me, it is inscribed in the DNA of the luxury products industry - the pursuit of excellence on one hand and maximizing return on investment on the other. Since we are talking about products that are amortized over long period of time, the margin has to be sufficiently high. The downside of this trend an increasing distance between brands leading the pack and the rest of them, resulting in fewer and fewer people deciding to keep up with the former even if they could afford to. The advantage, in turn, are large sums spent on R&D. Changes can best be seen among manufacturers of loudspeakers, amplifiers and cables, but the other segments of perfectionist audio market adapt to the situation including headphone manufacturers. Because when seven years ago, the HiFiMAN, then not very well-known producer from USA, associated with designers and engineers from China, launched a magnetostatic headphones, HE-6, it seemed that shot itself in the foot. Yes, it was a perfect headphones that we bought for our reference system, but its price, almost 6000 PLN, seemed completely disconnected from reality. Even if the biggest HiFiMAN's competitor, Audeze, offered their LCD-3 (though also in our reference system), that cost even more at the time, around 8000 PLN. EDITION X V2 | HE 1000 V2 During the High End Show 2015 in Munich I saw and listened to the new HiFiMAN reference model, HE-1000, for the first time. These headphones made a huge impression on me, and as a result we decided to award it with the Best Sound High End 2015. The problem, however, was obvious – asking price for the new flagship was nearly 18 000 PLN. Note, that the competition kept up, because the Audeze LCD4 cost more than 17 000 PLN. In this way, we left the four-digit price level and firmly entered into a five-digit one. In the case of HiFiMAN increase in price amounted to, more or less, 150%. Now lets recall, please, what I said about the reasons for the pursuit of the impossible: on the one hand companies try to protect their financial liquidity, and the other they need money to finance research and development of new technologies, solutions, also better, more expensive materials and higher quality workmanship. Just look at the new HE-1000, now available in V2 version (that we're testing), and compare them with HE-6. While changes in aesthetics and performance for LCD-4 Audeze compared to LCD-3 are not so spectacular, that new Mr. Fang Bian's flagship is a different story, which has – apart from the general concept - almost nothing to do with the past. First of all, their appearance changed significantly. Previously, all HiFiMANs had round ear cups, now they feature elongated ones, more like what we find in the Sennheiser HD800. The round shape was a simple transfer of the shape of the membrane. New versions of both the original (V1), and V2, have elongated shape and thus adapt better to the anatomy of a human head. These are still magnetostatic headphones, but with asymmetric membranes and grill that reminded me a car's air intake grill. This solution is called Window Shade Grill, and it is intended to improve the rigidity and at the same time facilitate an outflow of air from the outside of the membrane. To take advantage of nanomaterial membranes used in HE-1000 V2, engineers redesigned also the magnetic system. It is called Advanced Asymmetric Magnetic Circuit and is composed of magnets arranged on both sides of the membrane, but in an asymmetrical manner - on the outer side they are much larger than on the inside. Both models under review - HE-1000 V2 and V2 Edition X - look similar, but differ with some important details. The diaphragms of the former are made of 0,001mm Nanotech. These are headphones, with ear cups made of metal and wood. The headband is made of leather. The X Edition V2 features a soft, pleasant to touch material, and the ear cups are not finished in wood, but rather in Mylar. The soft parts of ear cups in both V2 models are made of polyester - previously it was a velour in case of HE-1000 and the EDX for Edition X. Changes (V1 vs. V2) include also a system keeping headphones on one's head. Now the adjustment range is bigger allowing better fit to a wider range of shapes. One of the most important changes compared to the series, whose crowning achievement was the HE-6 is also a way of connecting cables. Previously, all headphones featured good quality twist-off plugs used eg. in high frequency technology. In everyday use they turned out to be not very convenient, also soldering was complicated, so with new models manufacturer decided to go with, smaller than a classic, mini-jacks. Below what the founder a head of HiFiMAN, Mr Fang Bian said about moving to V2 versions: “Many years of R&D went into the development of HE1000 and Edition X and they have been highly praised by both reviewers and enthusiasts. Despite that, I am never satisfied with how things are, even with successful products. I am always looking to improve so we listened carefully to user feedback and acted on it. The V2 versions are lighter and more comfortable, better sounding and are enhanced cosmetically with a better fit and finish. I am especially pleased we were able to make these popular models even better with no increase in price.” In addition to differences in the mechanical design and finish both new models also have a slightly different so called "Virtual user". Edition X feature higher efficiency - 103 dB vs. 90 dB - and lower impedance - 25 Ω vs 35 Ω - so they are easier to drive for portable systems (players and headphone amplifiers). Also lower weight suggest mobile usage - 399 g vs. 420 g. Both models are supplied in a tasteful boxes covered with “Eco” leather. Each model is also delivered with pretty good cables. With the HE-1000 V2 three are - balanced, terminated with 4-pin XLR connector and two unbalanced ones - with a large (f6,35 mm) and small (3.5 mm) jack. These are custom designed three core, crystalline copper cables with silver plated wire. With X Edition customer receives two slightly different cables - both unbalanced. The V2 versions premiered during Hong Kong High End Audio Visual Show, that took place between 5th and 7th August 2016. Recently manufacturer announced that original version can be upgraded to V2. I am a proud owner of HE-6 and I use these headphones as a reference model when reviewing other cans or headphone amplifiers. It's an a very difficult challenge for the latter, because they require amps capable of delivering high current output. If reviewed amps can not provide that I use Sennheiser HD800 and AKG K701 instead. Stock cable has been replaced with Polish one made by Forza AudioWorks. My reference headphone amplifier is also a special model, battery-powered with current output. It is the Bakoon Products HPA-21. HE-1000 V2 and Edition X V2 were compared to that system, both using stock cables. But I also performed separate listening sessions using thee new Ayon Audio headphone amplifier HE-3 and Forza AudioWorks Noir Hybrid HPC cable (the owner of the company, Mateusz Przychodzień, calls it that), in which the core is made of Java cotton. And finally I also compared both HiFiMan's stock cables. HiFiMAN in „High Fidelity” TEST: HiFiMAN EDITION S – headphones (in Polish) TEST: HiFiMAN HE-560 – headphones TEST: HiFiMAN HE-300 – headphones TEST: HiFiMAN HM-602 + EF-5 + HE-4 – DAP + headphone amplifier + headphones TEST: HiFiMAN HE-500 | HiFiMAN HE-6 – headphones Recordings used for the test (a selection) Il Canto D’Orfeo, wyk. Il Trionfo del Tempo, Et’Cetera | Klara KTC 4030, CD (2009) Now the Green Blade Riseth, The Stockholm Cathedral Choir, Proprius/JVC XRCD 9093, XRCD2 (1981, 1993/2001) Now the Green Blade Riseth, The Stockholm Cathedral Choir, Proprius/Lasting Impression Music LIM K2HD 027, K2HD Mastering CD (1981/2008) Alessandro Rolla, Duets for violin & viola, wyk. Isabelle Faust & Thomas Riebel, Glossa GCD C80021, CD (2016) Andrzej Kurylewicz Quintet, Go Right, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland 4648809, „Polish Jazz | vol. 0”, Master CD-R (1963/2016); Billie Holiday, Body and Soul, PolyGram/Mobile Fidelity UDCD 658, gold-CD (1957/1996) Jean-Michel Jarre, Electronica Project. Vol. 1 Time Machine, Columbia | Sony Music Entertainment 88875108352 , Box No. 465/1000, CD + 2 x 180 g LP + FLAC 24/96 (2015); Johann Sebastian Bach, Solo Cantatas BWV 35, 169, 170, wyk. Bernarda Fink, Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Harmonia Mundi HMG 502016, CD (2009/2016) King Crimson, Radical Action (To Unseat The Hold of Monkey Mind), Penegyric/WOWOW Entertainment IEZP-108, 3 x Ultimate HiQuality CD + Blu-ray (2016) Max Roach & Clifford Brown, Daahoud, Mainstream Records/Mobile Fidelity SOund Lab MFCD 826, CD (1972/?) Pet Shop Boys, Super, Sony Music Labels (Japan) SICX-41, CD (2016) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] The temptation to start the using more expensive headphones was huge, but I managed to resist it :) I preferred to start by comparing the HE-6 and similarly priced model because it could offer a real information about the changes/progress. So let me state that the description of the Edition X V2, then I'll move on to description of what changed when switched to HE-1000 V2. Edition X V2 The new version of the Edition X offers a completely different set of characteristics – both advantages and disadvantages - than HE-6. It's hard for me to imagine two more different pairs of cans, yet remaining within the same overall aesthetics of sound. If we said that the HE-6 in terms of shaping the attack of the sound, tonal balance and speed is similar to what Stax electrostatic headphones offer, the X would be close to what the sound characteristics of a classical Beyerdynamic model, DT-990 Pro (600 Ω). In short, the point is that these headphones focus presentation in the midrange. They are well balanced but upper end is gently rolled off, and it starts already at fairly low frequency. There is no doubt that the idea was to create as pleasant and rich presentation as possible and the goal was achieved. But there is no denying that compared to HiFiMAN Beyerdynamic are a lot less resolving and less spatial. Although the DT-990 Pro are capable of delivering really great depth, the Edition X V2 are clearly superior in this area. They present events in incredibly realistic manner, ie. from a distance, obscuring, losing details. The upper treble is clearly rolled off, at least compared to classic, dynamic and electrostatic models, but this roll off doesn't mean also extinguishing higher frequencies. When you turn up the volume everything goes back into place, even though it is still a smooth, creamy sound. And that kind of music, ie. needing spacial presentation with nice, “gentle” treble sounds incredibly well with these cans. I did not want to open with that, which is why I refer to Audeze only now - in general terms, ie. in terms of tonal balance Edition X V2 and LCD-3 sound similar. On the other hand the HE-6 are so radically different from all Audeze models that there was no hesitation – it was always "either, or" choice. It was , moreover, not only about the sound but also aesthetics and comfort of wearing – those who loved one of them didn't like the other. With Edition X V2 it seems, at first glance, to be a different situation, because the quality, design, comfort, and the performance are really close to the one of LCD-3. But they are not the same. After listening to it over extended period of time, I think, that Audeze are even more creamy and uniquely warm sounding. They over nicely extended, tuneful and well differentiated bass, but there is no clear definition and no real punch. The X show it in a more physical way and go down even lower. Their midrange is also warm, but not by using rounding of the attack. It is simply the most saturated part of the frequency range, and the treble falls a little behind. These cans perform especially well when it comes to the material, where spacing, imaging, vocals and coherency are particularly important. In this respect, they are much better than the HE-6 and better, though not in such a spectacular way, from LCD-3, too. The latter provide even denser, richer presentation thus still remaining a very attractive choice. HiFiMANs are so engaging that if this is our sound, it will be totally ours, without any exceptions. Classical music listened with them sounded great. HE-6 deliver close, direct sound, with a clear attack, strong treble and slightly weakened bottom end and are thereby extremely resolving. And this combination of qualities might not work best when it comes to classical music. Take, for example, an Il Canto D'Orfeo album of seventeenth-century music inspired by the myth of Orpheus. HE-6, as well as the Sennheiser HD800, show instruments, which play normally very quiet, in a fairly clear, distinctive way, as equivalent elements of the presentation to vocals. The Xs prefer the latter placing theorbo and harpsichord behind them, which is more a live-like situation. On top of that they add a very credible space with air between the performers, between us and them. In a word – they offer a very natural presentation. There is, however, one obvious "but": the recordings are prepared so that the presentation of the said instruments, were more distinct. In a concert hall or a church, or rooms with plenty of reverb, these instruments are part of the sound's "tissue", even if at first we do not pay any attention to them. Recording and playback can not recreate the dynamics and attack of a live performance, and must therefore, be supported with a slight emphasis in lower and upper end areas, shortening the distance between musicians and listener and these “tricks” might be used in different combinations. This is done either at the recording stage by using additional microphones, or/and at the mastering stage. Edition X V2 play music in such a way as if they tried to restore the real sound/meaning to the recordings. For good and for bad, often against the wishes of the sound engineer who prepared said recording. HE-1000 V2 Just as in classical music - and electronic too – Edition X V2 build the sound of jazz, rock and pop. In jazz it also very likable, just listen to good editions, Billie Holiday Body and Soul, Max Roach and Clifford Brown Daahound, and - returning to the Polish albums – Kurylewicz Quintet Go Right. But listening to these albums we can clearly notice what more have the HE-1000 V2 to offer. As I said, the Edition X V2 are, at first glance, similar to the Audeze LCD-3 tonal balance, which means they significantly differ from a HiFiMan's idiom, which culminated in the HE-6. The transition to "1000" might seem like a return to the roots. But it only seems so, because with them these “roots” start to appear to be a mirage. The top model offers more open treble than the X, more powerful attack, it more clearly renders bodies of instruments. It opens recordings to much more detail, also information about the recording, which is crucial. But it doesn't seem to be too bright, which sometime happened with HE-6to me. With the HE-1000 V2 one can clearly hear powerful, rich, but also sweet cymbals on Kurylewicz Go Right (Jacek Gawłowski's trademark). With Edition X V2 these were rather delicate and clearly pushed to the back, but one could not clearly say whether that came from headphones or the recording itself. Also a trumpet attack with them was weaker. It didn't bother me, it was just another interpretation of the recording. A comparison with sound produced by high-end loudspeakers, whether Harbeth M40.1 or YG Acoustic Carmel 2 clearly informs us, however, that it were "1000" that were closer to the truth. And that they better defined the sound, without “hardening” it (by the way - if the HE-1000 V2 is a step towards YG Acoustic, the X Edition V2 would be a step towards Harbeth and so called BBC sound). Interestingly, even stronger in this respect, HE-6 seem to over-blow the treble and attack, forget about proper richness of the sound and lowest bass. Previously, I did not mind that, even when I listened to them immediately after the very rich, saturated Harbeths. But one listening session with the HE-1000 V2 was enough to know how successful were their creators in improving almost all elements of the sound and pushing them even further in the direction set by HE-6, that the latter never achieved. These headphones offer open, powerful sound with fantastically extended range extremes. If really wanted to, I could prove that, and they also focus presentation around midrange. It would, however, be far-fetched. Although supported by reliable data. Because they do deliver this very creamy and full midrange. Vocals are large in volume, have a "body", are substantial. The volume of sound is impressive and even mono recordings have the weight and impact, which are associated rather with the stereo version. But also treble and bass are defined in a better way then I ever heard via any other cans. It is not about a simple extensions and presence, but credibility - the sound of HE-1000 V2 is very real, it shows best what is in the recording, and that's what makes it a reference model for me. V2: X/1000 The X and "1000" are, at first glance, very different headphones. In fact, they have a very similar sonic signature, because their performances are built on an excellent, very similar presentation of midrange, modifying only what happens is treble and bass area. Their common feature is a fantastic differentiation. I started listening late in the evening with two Prioprius albums, both being their showpieces - Now the Green Blade Riseth and Cantate Domino. I have them in several versions, but the most important ones are Japanese releases on XRCD2 and K2HD released by Lasting Impression Music (though also pressed in Japan). As Mr. Winston Ma wrote in a booklet to his release, we do not always feel like having a sumptuous dinner, sometimes we just want to relax - and that's what these two releases offer. I had no doubt that these belong to the few exceptions, and both sound better on older, XRCD2 releases. The K2HD sound is more distant, gentler, but less transparent, less is happening there. Choirs in both cases sound stronger on XRCD2 and were also more believable on those versions, more "alive". Despite the fact that the perspective from which they were shown in K2HD versions may seem more suitable for this type of music. I didn't think so. Both headphones have confirmed these intuitions, but only with the HE-1000 V2 I knew exactly why this happened. The Edition X V2 rather seduced, being informative, of course, but trying to play both versions equally well. Cables Both HiFiMAN pairs were listened with their stock cables. After purchase one might be interested in trying some other cables from specialist companies. I will surely do so. It is interesting, however, to see what sort of modification these specific cables bring to the table with Edition X V2 and HE-1000 V2. It turns out that they are really different and that they are, in part, responsible for the sonic character of both HiFiMan's models. The cable supplied with X has a smooth, silky sound. The attack is smooth with it, and the resolution of the treble a bit limited. The presentation is very coherent though. In turn, the stock cable for “1000” sounds more open and faster. It is also more resolving, losing in this way some silkiness So I wonder if the choice of cables was made in order to highlight the specific features of each model. One can try to exchange one with the other if one wants to modify the sound in one or other way. Summary Although both tested models represent different price levels I wouldn't say that HE-1000 V2 are clearly better, and that I liked them in all aspects better than Edition X V2. If you listen to a lot of classical music, smooth jazz, electronic, ambient, then X might be what you need. It is not worth it to pay more, because although objectively you will get better sound, subjectively you will actually loose - and the music is still an extremely subjective experience, is not it? If you answer the above question positively, this is this model for you and it will be your absolute reference. For me, accustomed to the sound of the HE-6, features offered by HE-1000 V2 such as: definition, resolution, tonal balance and space, are more important. With them I am closer to what is on the disc - as close as never before. But ... if I could afford it, I would buy two pairs and, like the Japanese have different cartridges for each music genre, and sometimes even the label, I would have a variety of headphones. It proves how well both models were prepared – both represent absolutely top performance. Both receive the RED Fingerprint and HE-1000 V2 become my reference headphones, replacing the HE-6 (that I will keep using though). ACCESSORIES, COMFORT, AESTHETICS This part of the test is usually devote the description of the design of reviewed items. However in this case I decided it was not necessary, since you've already received most of the relevant information in the beginning. Now I suggest you discuss things related to the accessories included with the cans, comfort of use and the quality of make&finish, including the appearance. The HE-1000 and, introduced for sale a little later, in December 2015, Edition X meant a complete change in company's approach to the ergonomics, design and make of their cans. HiFiMan must have spent a lot more money on development of these models and added even more for the production stage. I think that this move was forced by a fierce competition on the market, and customers' expectations. The V2 are somewhat “enhanced” versions of the original ones. They look great and are really well made. Even the Edition X V2, not so glamorous and unequivocally "designer'-style" as the HE-1000 V2, present true class. The metal alloys used for the more expensive model, leather, subtle details – all that translates, of course, to the "wow!" effect. They will not, however, appeal to everyone because they make this design much more distinct and little showy. But, as I say, it is an excellent job. Both pairs are supplied in large boxes with a fairly rigid foam inside, finished sort of a velvet. On the outside boxes are finished with a material simulating leather - light brown (HE-1000 V2) or black (Edition V2), with edges "pierced" with with a thread. On the top there are the elements on which logo and symbol of the headphones are applied. To be honest I like the Edition X's box better, because it has class, does not pretend to be something else. Inside one finds the headphones, manual, and under a removable panel, cables. The manual for a more expensive model is bigger and more "showy" – it really looks good. There's a lot of images associated with headphones and some others, and a lot of information about headphones. The "1000" comes with three sets of cables, each 2.5 m long. On the headphones end they are terminated identically, ie. with small "microjack" connectors, and from the amplifier site with large 6,35 mm jack, 3,5mm mini-jack and 4-pin XLR (all made by Neutrik). The latter is used to connect cans to the headphone amplifier with balanced output. With X one receives only two sets of cables – no balanced one. It could come handy especially with mini-jack connector – HiFiMan's DAPs offer such output. Both cable types are flexible and easy to arrange. There are also not heavy. And so aren't the headphones themselves. Although these are still magnetostatic designs, and therefore using large magnets, they offer a high comfort. The HE-6 were extremely comfortable for me, but I know that they are not for everyone. Both new models are made in a more universal way, they better fit on a head (elongated, asymmetrical shape of the ear cups). The pressure on the head is also smaller, and yet one has the impression of better insulation from the environment. This does not, of course, apply to the other side of the diaphragm - these are cans that people around us can accept, because they can hear whatever music we are playing loud and clear. This is an important note, I know this from experience. When years ago I got from my wife the perfect gift, the first version of the Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro (600 Ω), my reverie lasted about three seconds. When I put them on in the evening and started the first track it was about that much time that took my wife, who sat next to me reading something, to realize her mistake - for a long time after that I heard again and again "it's not as I imagined!" Before that I used small, closed back Tesla headphones and my other half thought that the new would behave similarly, ie. she wouldn't hear anything. If I then started to listen to the music using HE-1000 V2 such a gift would have probably been quickly replaced with a drill, soldering iron or some other, equally romantic gift. Specifications (according to manufacturer) HE-1000 V2 Frequency response: 8 Hz – 65 kHz Nominal impedance: 35 Ω Sensitivity: 93 dB Weight: 420 g Edition X V2 Frequency response: 8 Hz – 50 kHz Nominal impedance: 25 Ω Sensitivity: 103 dB Weight: 399 g dB Waga: 399 g [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/hifiman/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

t is very difficult to understand why companies specializing in devices based on electron tubes did not rush to the new market segment, which suddenly opened up to them - the headphone amplifiers' one. Very few really noticed this opportunity and made some effort to solve, it would seem, a simple problem, of creating an amplifier designed to drive headphones. Which is strange because this part of the audio market has been rapidly growing n the recent years attracting even some companies that never had anything to do with it. It is no coincidence that today one finds headphones in lineups of many loudspeaker manufacturers even such prominent ones as: KEF, Bowers & Willkins , PSB, Focal JM-Lab etc., because all of them had the experience in the field of electromechanical transducers - although historically speaking, companies specializing in microphones became also specialist in headphone making. These are brands such as: Shure , AKG, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Audio-Technica, or Sony. But apart from them also some other companies with indirect experience, joined the “market fight” too, such as: Harman/Kardon (via Revel) or even some having no experience at all, such as: Audioquest and Cardas. The reason for this change was, it seems, a desire of expanding to a new market segment, that at the time wasn't that crowded as the other ones. The number of new models, brands, designs available in the second decade of the 21st century is incredible. The more incomprehensible it seems to me the silence in this matter of such companies as: Kondo, Ancient Audio (apart from the solid-state P-1), Octave, Jadis http://www.jadis-electronics.com , and until recently also Ayon Audio. Why is this happening? Could it be, perhaps, because different laws apply to headphone amplifiers and one needs proper experience to design something that would be good enough to uphold company's reputation? Probably yes. But when someone takes the risk and devotes time and efforts to such purpose, they might come up with unique devices, such as ones offered by American Woo Audio. Let me remind you that in Poland, one of the most important pioneers of the tube headphone amplifiers was the Dubiel Accoustic company. Or maybe there is another possibility - the owners and designers of companies focused on tube designs usually listen to music using high-efficiency loudspeakers, often large in size. It is not possible to transfer such sound into the world of headphones, because here room acoustics element is not involved. As it happens in life, probably both of these explanation include some truth but are incomplete and there must be some sort of a "trigger" to ignite a concept mechanism, a series of events that can culminate with the decision to build a headphone amplifier. HA-3 HA-3, a tube headphone amplifier by Ayon Audio, was in a way, "inevitable", it just had to wait for the right time. And this time came, it seems to me, along with the Conquistador preamplifier, a completely new Ayon's design, which uses, instead of Siemens C3m pentode, used eg. by the German Post Office, the 45 triode, the AA45 Mesh version produced by Ayon. Precisely the same tubes can be found in the HA-3 amplifier. The are driven by the dual triode 12AU7, which is less common than 12AX7. The entire circuit works in class A. The tubes look really nice in a small, but extremely robust housing, which is a smaller version of the chassis used, among the others, for Scorpio Black monoblocks. On the front side there is a knurled knob to adjust the volume, and next to it, an alphanumeric red LED display, which is lit only for a few seconds after one adjusts volume. HA-3 can be fed only with an unbalanced signal as it is an unbalanced design – the headphone output is also unbalanced. We can use a wide range of headphones with it - the manufacturer claims it will work fine with impedance loads between 16-600 Ω, which is very wide range. HA-3 is a tube amplifier, but not entirely - is powered from the solid-state power supply. It received a separate chassis of the same size as the amplifier's, minus - of course - transformers and tubes on the top. The power features an on/off switch placed on its bottom. Both modules connect using a multi-core cable terminated with connectors similar to those used in Spheres III, only smaller. GERHARD HIRT The Owner WOJCIECH PACUŁA: Who designed HA-3? GERHARD HIRT: The HA-3 was designed by our two Preamp engineers, who are normally doing only Polaris, Spheris and Conquistador, but this time they got a special job and based on their preamp extensive experience they developed the HA-3. Why did you choose 45 triode for this project? We believe that the AA45 tube is the best sounding one for "low signal" designs, like in a preamp ( Conquistador) etc. and of course perfect for headphone amps, like the HA-3. I've noticed that there are two coupling capacitors in signal's path instead of one, and additionally, two of different type … Well observed: In this position where the cap is located, it is a very critical place and in the headphone amp more sensitive than in any other device. We were trying so many caps but with none of them we were 100% satisfied until we started up with an unusual combination. Two totally different caps and also different values from even different series. The black one (Mundorf Supreme Evo – Silver Gold ) has only 0,001 uF capacity, which normally is too small to have any meaning, but when used in combination in this SET/DHT design with the white one, 0,47uF Mcap Evo, it delivers an outstanding performance. These two together add so much "air and space" – that caught us by surprise too, no other cap (of standard value between 0.1 to 0,47uF for this purpose) could do that. Again the black cap is not 0.1, or 0.01, it is ONLY 0.001uF, but is makes a huge difference in the HA-3 design! The HA-3 is a two-box amplifier, powered from power grid. The power supply and the main part are connected using a flexible, quite long cable, so it's best if we put them on separate shelves. If side by side is necessary leave as much space between them as possible. During the test the amplifier section stood on its own feet, on the top shelf of Finite Elemente Pagode Edition rack, while the power supply was placed on a lower shelf, additionally on the the Acoustic Revive RAF-48H anti-vibration platform. On top of the power supply I placed passive EMI/RFI Verictum X-Block filters. The device was powered using Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved Version (2 m) and Hijiri 聖 SMT 'Takumi' Maestro (2 m) power cables. The amplifier was compared with a "High Fidelity's" reference, the battery-powered Bakoon Products HPA-21, using its current output. I used also the Synergistic Research HOT filter. The basic headphones for this test were the phenomenal HiFiMAN models - HE-1000 V2 and V2 Edition X, but I also tried it with: AKG K271 Studio, AKG K701, Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro Limited Edition (32 Ω), Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro (600 Ω), Sennheiser HD800 and HiFiMAN HE-6. AYON AUDIO in „High Fidelity” Integrated amplifiers TEST: Ayon Audio CROSSFIRE III – integrated amplifier, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio SPIRIT III (NEW) - integrated amplifier, see HERE KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY: Meeting #79 – Ayon Audio KT88sx tubes, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio ORION II - integrated amplifier, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio SPARK DELTA - integrated amplifier, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio MERCURY II - integrated amplifier, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio 300B - integrated amplifier, see HERE Preamplifiers TEST: Ayon Audio Spheris III Linestage, see HERE - preamplifier TEST: Ayon Audio ORBIS - preamplifier, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio Spheris II Linestage - preamplifier, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio Polaris II - preamplifier, see HERE Power amplifiers TEST: Ayon Audio SCORPIO MONO, see HERE - power amplifier TEST: Ayon Audio ORTHOS XS - power amplifier, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio VULCAN II – power amplifier, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio TRITON MONO – power amplifier, see HERE Digital sources • TEST: Ayon Audio SIGMA – D/A Converter, see HERE • TEST: Ayon Audio CD-3s + NW-T – CD Player/DAC/preamplifier + music files transport, see HERE KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY: Meeting #80 - Gerhard Hirt and his S-3 (Ayon Audio), see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio SKYLLA – D/A Converter, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio CD-2s – Compact Disc Player, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio CD-5s Special - Compact Disc Player, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio CD-1s (as part of a system) - Compact Disc Player, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio CD-1 – Compact Disc Player, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio CD-3 – Compact Disc Player, see HERE TEST: Ayon Audio CD-07 – Compact Disc Player, see HERE Others AN INTERVIEW: Gerhard Hirt, Ayon Audio – owner, see HERE Recordings used for the test (a selection) Abraxas, 99, Metal Mind Records/Art Muza JK2011CD07, gold-CD (1999/2011) Duo Bednarek-Zgraja, Walking Colour, Poljazz/GAD Records GAD CD 047 (1983/2016) Galahad, Sleepers, Avalon Records GHCD4, CD (1995) Galahad, Sleepers, Avalon Records/OSKAR Productions OSKAR 1065 CD, CD (1995/2015) Gesualdo, Terzo Libro di Madrigali, wyk. La Compagnia del Madrigale, Glossa GCD 922806, CD (2016) John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Blue Note/Esoteric ESSB-90138, SACD/CD (1963/2015) w: Impulse! 6 Great Jazz, „MasterSound Works”, Blue Note/Esoteric ESSB-90133/8, 6 x SACD/CD (2015) Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly, Top Dawg Entertainment | Intersope/Universal Music Japan UICS-1287, „Sample” CD (2015) ; Oscar Peterson, Unmistakable, Sony Music/Zenph Studios 951702, „Zenph Re-Performance”, CD (2011) Portishead, Dummy, Go! Disc Limited/Universal Music Company [Japan] UICY-20164, SHM-CD (1994/2011) Rosemary Clooney, Rosemary Clooney sings Ballads, Concord/Stereo Sound SSCDR-007, „Flat Transfer Series”, CD-R (1985/2016) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] No one would probably say anything, if the HA-3 proved to be one of those devices that being the first in company's history, opening a new area of interest, was a good, successful, maybe even really successful product, and yet not quite as good as what this company offers in other areas o its activities. In the specialist, perfectionist industry, which audio is a part of, the first, second and third key factor when making a great sounding device is: experience, experience and experience, while money and reputation might only support it but never replace it. But the truth is that the Ayon headphone amplifier is a mature product. That means that it delivers performance as if there were many other amps of this type in Austrian company's lineup before, and it was the culmination of this road towards perfection, a ripe fruit of many years of effort. This maturity/ripeness is based on filling in the outlines with a living tissue. HA-3 presents music in an effortless way, with en ease but firmly. Anyone who has ever had earphones on his head for more than a short demo will be delighted with volume of the instruments. The sound is rich and dense, which translates into a large phantom images. It is especially clear when it comes to the vocal recordings and those with instruments that operate in the middle of the frequency range. Madrygały by Gesualdo performed by La Compagnia del Madrigale are the best example, but it's not about narrowing the repertoire to the acoustic, ascetic music captured in a real acoustic environment of the church. Because I perceived exactly the same way the Rosemary Clooney Sings Ballads album and – which should better work for your imagination - Dummy by Portishead. Every album, whether jazz, rock, classic confirmed what I heard at the very first moment: Ayon offers a truly beautiful performance! It's the kind of amplifier that doesn't force user to become picky about which music can and which shouldn't be played on it. Despite the fact that we're talking about a device that does not mask the own character of each recording, at most it appropriately corrects them. It's a real high-end amplifier, so it delivers a lot of information about the recording. Yes, these are slightly modified (every audio device modifies the signal in some way), but these are planned changes resulting from a certain idea for the sound, developed by Ayon's engineers and Gerhard Hirt's approved. They do not go towards blurring of differences, nor quench problems, but rather offer somewhat different perspective for each recording. HE-3 proposes a big scale, warm sound. I'm not an orthodox and I don't blindly push for certain solutions, such as tube, for example. But I also understand perfectly what they bring to the sound which polarizes audiophile strongly – most either love tubes or hate them. Ayon clearly benefits from their advantages and raises them to the level of art. Above all, it saturates sound with harmonics, that we usually perceive as emotions. If emotions are what you are looking for in the music, you won't b disappointed, there will be plenty. As with that said Portishead album. Being a pioneer of trip-hop, this group recorded their debut album in the lo-fi style, with two track even being recorded in mono. Still, with devices such as HA-3, the album makes an electrifying impression. The beautiful It Could Be Sweet and Glory Box tightly filled the space between the headphones without attacking with a mass of the sound, or even less so with excessive detail, which is not liked by both. headphone novices (those with claustrophobic sensation) and the experienced headfiers (those in turn, know this trick and how tiring it might get). I do not know whether this was the intention of Gerhard, but it seems to me that HE-3 in many respects emulates the sound qualities I know from Crossfire Evo amplifier, working with my Harbeth M40.1 loudspeakers. So: there is this richness and density of the sound. The attack is slightly mitigated, and the main emphasis is placed on the sustain phase of sound, which results in exactly what we talk about here, the “mass” of the sound. It's a presentation with large instruments, their have clearly rendered bodies, which promotes direct sound over the reflected (echo) one. If it was just a warm, dense sound, an impression foreground domination would be clear – I mean in headphone listening categories. And here the sound is a little more distant from us. The binaural recordings do part of the job for us, regardless of the system, but with the HA-3 the sound is not right in front of our noses, but rather a little further - both with this special type of recordings and with classic albums. At the same time the edges of the "soundstage", meaning sounds located to the extreme left and right are shown wider (further away from each other) than with my reference, Bakoon Products HPA-21. It's one of the things that are so intriguing about the Ayon amplifier. The space in front of us is fully filled with sounds. Bakoon delivers a narrower stage, and the instruments have a slightly smaller volume. Paradoxically, it is Korean amplifier that presents events closer to the listener ie. the sound in axis is closer, more accurate and clearer. Ayon, because it delivers a large volume sound, makes similar an impression, but only for a moment. Both range extremes are serving the midrange with Austrian device. Not to the narrow mids but to a wide sound panorama where cymbals in the top and lower end can be heard in a less clear and direct way, as with the Bakoon. This modification is unambiguous, but its assessment is not. Bakoon offers a cleaner sound and more accurately defined phantom images, so what? Ayon is not as resolving, does not define everything in such a perfect way, and yet the sound with it seems to be truer. Which reminds me listening to Master CD-Rs and comparing them with regular CD version during the meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society # 105. Opinions were divided as Master CD-R sounded more like Bakoon and CD as Ayon. I know that what's on the CD-R is closer to the “truth” of mastering studio, I heard it, but I can not fail to notice that the CD changes the sound towards richness and sweetness of vinyl record. Hardly anyone will tell you that vinyl doesn't sound natural - not necessarily in a way one artist sees it (see. EMADE – (S)TWORZYCIEL ), but certainly it is never not natural. And that's how HA-3 sounds like. It doesn't really matter what headphones will one use. Ayon will perfectly show their own character, but it implements its “filters” that add some density and weight to the sound and slightly rounds the top end. Bass is well extended and only Bakoon can control it a little better where other amplifiers fail at all. Even so difficult to drive headphones as AKG K271 Studio and 32-ohm version of the Limited Edition model DT-770 Pro Beyerdynamic sounded classy. But it turned out to be a phenomenal combination between HA-3 and my well over 15 years old DT-990 Pro (600 Ω). It delivered a great tonal balance and beautiful spacing. The amplifier proved powerful enough so that the HE-6, which is usually to difficult for most headphone amplifiers, played very well without compression and distortion. Summary Tube amplifiers occupy a special place in the audiophiles' heaven. The first Ayon's headphone amplifier sounds as if Austrians had years of experience designing this type of amps. It delivers a beautiful, big, warm sound, with absolutely no irritating, no bothering elements. This is high-end, so there is no masking of details and colors, not to mention the dynamics. I have no doubt that music lovers looking for excitement and emotion in the music will be delighted. Ayon by slightly emphasizing lower midrange and not attacking listener with detail (and yet differentiating recording very well) will lead them to their own imaginary, private paradise. Is it possible to find even more refined, better sound? Sure – the top Woo Audio amplifiers (much more expensive, I should add) are even more resolving. But even they can not top Ayon in terms of this wonderful timbre presentation. And there is also Bakoon that goes even deeper into the recording, conveying in even better way its acoustics and more clearly emphasizing the impact/attack that might have some significance for some eg. when listening to piano recordings. However, a set of qualities that HA-3 proposes is hard to beat and simply irresistible. So could I not award it with RED Fingerprint? I simply don't have a choice here… A robust aluminum housing, black anodized, is sort of Ayon's trademark. HA-3 received its smaller version, but it by no means is less rigid or less resistant to vibration. Theoretically, one could place one on the top of the other, but it would be contrary to the idea of separation - it's better to place them on separate shelves and, if there is no other choice, next to each other. The device feature small, plastic feet, which probably the owners will quickly swap with so specialized anti-vibration products – I'd recommend ones from Pro Audio Bono or flat ones made by Franz Audio Accessories. The internal design seems quite elaborate, ie. high quality component were used and they didn't forget about such things as high current filament-regulator for pre/driver tubes. Gerhard says that there are "two regulators, 5 A each, or 10 A for a tube, also for the 12AU7 tubes." The power supply is built around large toroidal transformer with multiple secondary windings. The anode voltage is choke-filtered separately for each channel. The amplifier circuit is mounted on several small PCBs. One of them is a driver section for power tubes, with two double 12AU7 triodes, one per channel. Tubes come from China and have no indication of the manufacturer. In turn, the output tubes are these great-looking AA45 triodes with Ayon logo. Selected polypropylene capacitors, soldered in parallel operate as couplers: Mundorf Supreme Evo - Silver Gold with a capacity of 0,001 uF Mundorf MCAP and Evo with a capacity of 0.47 uF. These particular caps were selected as a result of numerous listening tests. Volume is changed in high-performance stereo volume control Burr Brown PGA2310 – a knob on the front panel works with encoder. For RCA inputs Ayon used gold-plated, high quality jacks. But I am more than confident that there will be those, who are going to ask for some Furutech or WBT ones instead. A signal to the tubes is delivered via long interconnects. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Class of operation: Pure Class A, SE Triode Tube complement: 2 x AA45 Mesh, 2 x 12AU7 Output impedance (headphones): 16-600 Ω Output power (@ 32 Ω): 500 mV Frequency response (@ 32 Ω ): 15 Hz – 35 kHz Input impedance (1 kHz): 50 kΩ Input sensitivity (@ max power): 700 mV THD: 0,01% S/N ratio (@ max power): >100 dB (unweighted) Channel separation: >89 dB Negative feedback: none Input: RCA Power consumption: 65 W Dimensions (amp/power supply, WxDxH): 220 x 300 x 200 mm/220 x 300 x 100 mm Weight (amp/power supply): 8/7 kg Polish distributor NAUTILUS ul. Malborska 24 30-646 Kraków | Polska nautilus.net.pl [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_ha/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

he premiere of the new T.LOVE band studio album, the first one in 4 years, simply entitled T.LOVE, took place on November 4th. As we can read in promotional materials, the day after the premiere the band went on a one and a half-month tour promoting the album. It started on November 5th in Muniek Staszczyk’s home-city – Częstochowa. The premiere album includes pieces composed by all the band members with the frontman’s lyrics, apart from the song written by John Porter and the song entitled Pielgrzym (Eng. Pilgrim) which was co-written by Przemysław “Stachu” Pawłowski, Muniek’s and the band’s friend. In contrast to the previous album – Old is Gold from the year 2012, whose lyrics mostly focused on spiritual matters, the new album includes many references to the present times. As it was said in our conversation and pointed out in press materials, the songs are almost journalistic, focused on Poland and the world, here and now, and they touch fears, fascinations and uncertainty. “The album – says Muniek – rocks hard with music based on good melodies and guitar riffs. It is a kind of soul-punk, i.e. an intersection of the black Motown or Stax tradition with white rock’n’roll.” Jacek’s contribution to the album was much larger than just “technical”. He took part in many decisions regarding its final shape and that is why the band has asked him to deal with production together on the new album. There is more to it – the idea for the Old is Gold cover is also Jacek’s. The new album is equally interesting, as it has not only been created in a similar way, i.e. recorded on a multi-path analog tape recorder, but also its cover was designed by Rosław Szaybo, responsible for the covers of the first albums in the Polish Jazz series and the author of the series’ iconic logo. The T.LOVE album differs from the previous band albums, as it is going to be issued in a few versions. The basic version will be one-disc album (13 tracks). Apart from it, a “de luxe” version will be available with an additional CD with tracks that complement the basic album version (18 tracks altogether). There will also be an analog version with 12 songs and, finally, a version exceptional for the Polish market – this is probably the first rock album in Poland (and probably in the world) that can be bought in the form of a high-resolution 24/88.2 file, i.e. the version which was mixed and mastered, and downsampled to 16/44.1 in order to press a CD. Before the interview, I listened to the almost final versions of six songs from the new album with Muniek Staszczyk and Maciek “Majcher” Majchrzak, straight from a workstation. I must say some of them shocked me and threw me on the floor. A combination of extremely “up-to-date” lyrics that make us get goosebumps (as they are so likely to become reality) and strong, heavy music with dense groove was excellent. Never before had I heard such a coherent combination of these elements, including one more component – exceptional sound. I have not dealt with rock music recordings that would sound so good for a long time. MUNIEK STASZCZYK and MACIEK “MAJCHER” MAJCHRZAK interviewed by Wojciech Pacuła. WOJCIECH PACUŁA: Your first publishing medium, still at the times of T.Love Alternative, was a cassette. Recently, more and more bands are starting to publish their music again in this way – does it mean the music industry has a hiccup and does not know what to do with itself? MUNIEK STASZCZYK: There has been a crisis in the music market for a long time. I do not do any market research, but I know there are some paradoxes in certain countries, e.g. Japan that is mega-technological and ultra-modern, but they are still selling vinyl and CD there. The digital domain rules in other countries. In Poland, CDs are still selling – perhaps because we are traditional, or maybe delayed. However, this is all coming to an end. It is enough to look at Gold Albums are awarded – I remember that when we started performing, we used to get it for 100,000 CDs sold, in the 1990s – for 50,000 and later for 30,000, while today you get Gold for 15,000 sold CDs. When it comes to the cassette – I still have quite a lot of them myself, since our first albums were released on cassettes, but I think it is a gadget rather than anything serious. JACEK GAWŁOWSKI: Perhaps there will be some kind of revival of the cassette market in Poland because there are still cassette players in many old cars that are being imported to Poland from Germany :) However, it is just a gadget that has nothing to do with the music market. MACIEK “MAJCHER” MAJCHRZAK: To me, it is a similar tendency to the return of vinyl. MS: No, I think it is about something else – in the end, vinyl sounds different. MM: I would perceive it as a present trend, however. Hipsters like such things, they are fascinated by the vintage, they like vinyl recordings that produce low-quality sound – and the worse they sound, the better for such users, but for me it is completely different :) Cassette recordings have characteristic noise and compression, thus creating very specific sound, but nothing more. MS: I see it in a different way. You are asking me about the cassette and our first cassette Nasz Bubelon (T.Love Alternative, 1984 – editor’s note) was produced by us. Our first manager did it using a two-cassette recorder – that was our concert from Jarocin. We started selling it in Toruń during the New Wave Festival. Jarek Knorowski, our guitarist, made some cassette stickers, as well as covers at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Of course, it was illegal, but the communist authorities luckily had other things to do. We were first to do this in Poland – I remember Dezerter asked us how we did it. However, thanks to that we started to exist in people’s minds. Wherever we went, we had our album and we sold about 1000 copies in a few years, but then people copied these cassettes, as they used to share music. That was a kind of prehistoric Internet :) However, all things change with time and now everything is part of the real Internet. How do you see these changes, i.e. for example the fact that people no longer want to pay for music and want to have everything for free? MM: I would worry more about the socio-political situation :) But if you ask me, what David Bowie said is becoming true: fewer and fewer records are going to be sold, unless some strict regulations are imposed on piracy. However, I don’t know if it’s going to happen. If Babylon has put its hand on something, it will remain there for good and if it can get money, it gets it. So, perhaps the need to impose taxes will hinder piracy. For now, however, all these streaming situations are not working out at all. Theft is being replaced by streaming, which harms us in a similar way, as it pays us very little money we can buy toilet paper for. MS: We’re a not-too-digital band. Our audience includes people of different ages – from 25 to 50. Young people often get to know us through their parents or siblings – but we are surely not oriented at the young. Income from records used to be similar to income from concerts. What I earn from concerts has been my main source of income for quite a long time and I say this as an author. Well, we do sell some records – in two days we are going to receive our Platinum Record for Old is Gold – a record that was not easy to handle, without singles, prepared in the same team that you can see here today. We are incredibly proud of the fact that our fans have given us such a gift – Platinum, even though it was a long double album. So, it is not true that people do not want to listen to music. However, you need to be a realist – rock music is not as important as it used to be. It does not convey any new message or lifestyle and it is not revolutionary. It is just an addition to toys and gadgets. People no longer look for albums that change their lives. They listen to one song and you’ve got to accept that. Rock has lost its significance. The concept of an album as such seems to be losing its significance, too. MM: Definitely. It has always been like that, perhaps except for a short period in the second half of the 1960s when young people emancipated. The tools that they used for that purpose were recordings that conveyed certain ideas. Refrains would change the whole generation. And then, in the 1970s, this domain turned into big business. Artists used to earn quite a lot on their albums, even though that was less than a half of their income. Now you earn 1% of your income from albums and the rest from concerts and the radio. MS: My generation is a bit of an exception – in Poland of the 1980s people still would hold on to what was sung by artists. However, this was happening because of the specific historical conditions. The communist rule and the martial law had impact on people’s perception of music. And we have so many possibilities today – music is just one of the elements of reality. However, I know one thing – concerts have always been and will always be important, as people will want to see artists live. So, artists will always have some income from concerts. MM: Probably just from them. MS: But albums let you show that you are doing something, that you are alive. Everyone has a CD and if someone comes to me after a concert with a demo and says that we might, perhaps, help them record something, they do have the CD. These recordings sound ok, as now you can record something anywhere you want. And in the past… I remember when the Abaddon band recorded their material in the former Yugoslavia, in Ljubljana and even though they did not play musical instruments too well, it did sound 100% better than what we recorded in Poland. Of course, there were also exceptions in Poland, as Maanam, Klaus Mitffoch or the original Lady Pank sounded fantastic. Now there is no difference. Why go to London to record an album, as we can get equally high quality here, in Poland. JG: The studio where T.Love recorded their new album – Custom34 is wonderfully equipped and, honestly, it would be hard to find such a good studio even in London. All western studios are equipped with a standard set of devices, instruments, etc. If you want something extra, you need to order it from a special rental agency or pay extra cash. At Custom34 everything is ready for us to work. There is absolutely everything – a wall of guitar amps, percussions, just everything. MM: As we are talking about Custom, let us say that this is a unique place on a global scale – it is not about profit at all – the studio is not run according to principles of economy. They have an analog 40-channel Neve mixing console with two layers of legendary preamps: the 1073 and 1081 per each channel, ale but also 7 or 8 racks behind your back with almost all classic preamps, compressors and limiters that are worth having in a recording studio. There is also a room with many, many microphones, including those totally legendary ones, such as the Neumann U67 from Abbey Road that the Beatles must have used. JG: What is more, they know how to use this stuff. Piotr Łukaszewski, who recorded tracks onto that album with his son, Łukasz, has a lot of studio experience. How did you get there? MS: Jacek recommended the studio to us – I recorded two bonus tracks there to be added to the reissue of our Szwagierkolaska album (the Luksus album, 1995 – editor’s note). I saw what it was like to record there – the place has a specific atmosphere and the resulting sound is warm and full. When we recorded Old is Gold, the studio did not exist and we had to record at a few different places. Now we have everything there – available and ready to use. We went there to carry out some quick tests and we instantly knew we would record there. Thanks to that, we have sound that beats the shit out of our ears :) JG: With ambience at the studio, we get really broad warm sound, like unpainted wood. MS: And the microphones… I sang to an old Telefunken ELAM, one that was neither too old, nor too new. It’s great to work there and that is why the place is becoming more and more crowded. Custom34 is a studio where you can make analog or digital recordings, or combine both of the techniques. You decided to make an all-analog recording and now, surprisingly, you will be the first Polish band that is going to release an album in the form of 24/88.2 high resolution files, i.e. exactly in the same form in which Jacek mixed and mastered the material. JG: The album was mixed and mastered in 24/88.2 to obtain good resolution at the very beginning. For analog-to-digital conversion we used very good converters from the Canadian Burl Audio company. I do all the mixing in the analog domain – I have an SSL mixing console. So, I could have set the clock on the output at 44.1. However, I carried out a test and recorded the same mix on 44.1 and 88.2 – there was a striking difference! Converting 24/88.2 into 16/44.1, using a good algorithm, gives excellent results. So, it is worth doing everything in hi-res since the beginning. As we obtained such good sound and people have better audio equipment at homes, we decided to start selling the same sound as we have here, at the studio. Even if there are only going to be 1000 downloads, we will be really satisfied, as it will mean there are people who will hear sound that is as close as possible to the recording studio. The same files will be used to press vinyl discs. Old is Gold was released on vinyl straight away and you plan to do the same with T.LOVE. Was it your idea? MM: Surely – I am the “constant” vinyl man here. What I said before referred to the reasons for vinyl revitalization, not to the medium itself. I do not like contemporary vinyl recordings. The fact that something is “180 g” does not mean anything, as in most cases it is crap. The sound is most often ugly and does not sound what it should like, as it is rarely done well. However, vinyl discs from the 1970s, the first issues from the USA and the UK – there was so much bass and they all sounded so good! Also German vinyl recordings from the 1970s and 80s are fantastic and very durable. MS: I like vinyl as a gadget. Over 1000 copies of the vinyl version of Old is Gold have been sold so far, which is a great achievement in Poland, comparable with the sales of Pink Floyd or the Beatles albums. That was a return to blues and vinyl helped us in this respect, as it fits the aesthetics. I have a turntable but I rarely use it. However, I like it when people come to us with vinyl copies of our album – then I treat them like VIPs :). JG: Everything depends on the engineer responsible for sound at the final stage. If he has old elliptic Neumann equalizers in the console and does not screw up the whole bottom of the scale (different things may happen here), everything is great. Polish engineers used to process everything in a system with the high-pass filter permanently set at 100 Hz, without listening to music. Everything that was below was cut off. And even if the sound was well-made in the studio, the recording lacked bass altogether. What is more, in the 1980s there were bands whose records did not sell and their albums were thrown away by record labels together with their labels. The discs were processed in grinders and the powder was used to make new vinyl discs. That simply couldn’t work. Returning to T.Love – I talked the boys into making a double album, as we had plenty of material. In the end, we removed one track from the album in order to maintain proper distance between grooves, to achieve better sound quality. MS: Yeah, the LP will include twelve tracks and the CD – thirteen. JG: Sound quality was a priority for us – we did not want to have more than 44 – 45 minutes of recorded material, perhaps even not more than 43 minutes (if we shortened the pauses), which is an ideal recording duration for an LP disc. I knew the material was to be released on LP, so I have made the master versions loud, louder than usual, which will result in better sound. Vinyl is very noisy. If we raise sound a little, it will always be high and noise will not modulate it. Thanks to this, crackling sounds on the T.Love album will not be that audible. However, this is also the result of assumptions that the album is based on. When they came to me, they said they wanted to have a modern record, with a kick, groove and pulsating rhythm. I instantly knew that my approach has to be totally modern and different than towards jazz albums. So, the recording is loud but you can hear everything in it. There is bass, there is dynamics, there is simply… MS: … sound that beats the shit out of your ears :) I’m really glad that T.Love albums are released on vinyl and even though I don’t know if they sound good or bad, this is an important souvenir. Jacek is the co-producer of the new album. What is production all about today? MS: The main album producer is Maciek and he did most of the work. I presented the album outline and I was also responsible for the selection of songs. The album was made quickly, during rehearsals between January and April this year. I wrote all the lyrics then and the boys had come up with ideas. The whole team was more engaged in making the previous album, now me and Jacek are the co-producers, while Maciek is the producer. MM: When it comes to the production of our records, Muniek first comes up with some very general idea for an album. As regards Old is Gold, he just said it was time to play roots rock, including blues that we had never dealt with before. That opened a new door in my head. So, Muniek shares an idea that inspires me – or, indeed, fertilizes :) – I develop it and then wonder how to implement it. When I get an idea, I “fertilize” Jacek with these mixed ideas and he adapts some kind of a working method. So, Jacek has tremendous impact on the final outcome. Actually, he was also the co-producer of the previous album, even though the information was not given on the cover. It was he who invented the patent with the Decca Tree (more HERE and HERE – editor’s note). JG: Maciek gave me the idea at the very beginning and when I heard it was to be a return to the roots, I simply had to use the Decca Tree. The whole album is mainly made using these microphones. We started the mix by raising the tracks with the Decca Tree on the mixing console and changing their equalization a bit. Only after that did we add microphones and “direct” signals, but really rarely – e.g. if the guitar was supposed to bite, etc. However, in most cases (70% – 30%) it is signal from the Decca Tree microphones. Only one of the tracks, in which the proportions are reversed, is an exception. Nobody has done that in Poland before. JG: To give you an example, I will tell you I had an important role in creating the sound of the Pielgrzym single that is already available. I had an idea for the opening part: vintage percussion in the left channel and guitar in the right one – both elements with extreme panorama settings, with Muniek’s distorted vocal in the centre. After the opening part, normal percussion bit enters and the sound opens with a subkick and reverse cymbal that I added from my archive of samples. The recording is suspended twice at the word “God”, to which I added extremely long reverberation on the vocal, opening “heavenly” space. I added subkicks to strong parts of the measure in other tracks as well, such as, for example, Siedem, or in order to give the recordings a more “dancing” character. MM: We wanted to have a lot of air in that album – we wanted it to breathe and to be something between modern Dylan and old Muddy Waters. And now it is the reverse – we come to Jacek and tell him we would like the album to be rhythmical, with a good beat. MS: As regards my idea, that was supposed to be soul-punk. MM: And then we have to add flesh to it. We wanted rock music that could compete with everything that is now happening on the market with regard to rhythm and pulse, to be better than all of that. But we also wanted people to hear live drums, fucking strong guitars and a clear vocal. I think we’ve managed to achieve this. Well, you could hear it a moment ago. But to say something is one thing and to do it is something completely different – that is why Jacek is the co-producer. We experimented a bit and he contributed a lot of ideas to the recording that allowed us to fulfill the assumptions I was talking about. The sound does beat the shit out of people’s ears, so we have what we wanted – play this recording, having listened to any new album, even a dance one, and you will see what we have managed to do. We smother everything with a “punch”. JG: To make it possible, I combined two processes at the same time – mixing and mastering. We have already talked about it, but here it is the easiest to see. In order to maintain such high average sound level, I have to have control of signal from the beginning to the end. I cannot make a mix first and then mastering, as it won’t work. There is always some compromise. Fortunately, it is changing and there are people in the world who do these things my way. MM: It’s true, as we’ve been making records with Jacek in this way for years. I do it in a similar way when I deal with some additional tasks not connected with T.Love – I can’t imagine doing my work differently anymore. Muniek, I listened to Marsz and I got scared. It is a super-strong thing, very much up-to-date and disturbingly realistic. Are you not afraid of being categorized as belonging to one of the “options”? Indeed, we have some powerful tracks on the album, such as Marsz that you are talking about or Bum Kassandra and other ones. My whole life, I have portrayed myself as an outsider and observer in all T.Love lyrics. I have never taken any sides, I do not have the temperament to become part of some political party or to fall in love with a politician. However, I am also a Polish citizen, I take part in our country’s political life by voting, for example – I have always taken part in elections. Anyway, there are a few songs on the album referring to our divided nation. I am looking at it from where I’m standing and it both scares me and pisses me off, as there are absolutely no reasons for such a division. I am not using any names or surnames, but just talking about the situation. T.Love has always been firmly set “here and now”, which is especially true for the new album. The media, The Holy Bible, conversations with friends, things I overhear at a pub – everything provides me with inspiration. Marsz is a song about the current situation – there are two groups of marching people, shouting different slogans and it is all strongly polarized. When I talk about it, I am not afraid of anything, as I don’t offend anyone. I just say what I think. Anyway, I reckon it’s a very ecumenical recording – I am talking about reconciliation here – as the album generally strongly pinpoints and addresses important issues. However, this album is not only about Poland – four songs are devoted to our motherland, while the rest are related to the world and to love. I am not pretending to be a punk and I do care a lot about my country. I can see a lot of paranoia in what is happening and I am for reconciliation. May no clash occur… At the same time, I try to be responsible for what I say. We release an album with songs and anyone can buy it. It would be strange for me to pretend that “it wasn’t me”. I have always treated my lyrics seriously and it is still the same. While preparing lyrics to be used with this album, I did it really quickly. It took us four years to make Old is Gold and its music had existed long before the lyrics were written. This time I also did not have anything for a long time and then my mind suddenly opened up. From February to May I wrote seventeen songs – one of them is John Porter’s. The last three tracks on the album are a kind of a trilogy related to Poland: Marsz, Ostatni gasi światło and Kwartyrnik. These are songs that are strongly focused on what is “here and now”. I know that people expect some message from me and I’m not going to write about just anything – I can’t even do that. It sometimes happens that some lyrics seem to make no sense after a while – for example, Bum Kassandra originally had completely different lyrics. However, generally speaking, I instantly write the final versions of my songs. The world is taking a turn that we don’t know what is going to happen next. There is too much of everything and people’s greed is incredible. We don’t know who rules the world – is it countries or perhaps the two hundred richest people? Everything is changing so quickly that we cannot stay up to date with the changes. I used to know what people listened to or watched, only judging by the way they dressed, but it’s a thing of the past. Music is just one of many areas of interest for young people and it is not the most important one at all. Isn’t it so that people nowadays listen to music more than ever before? MM: They do, but the function of music has changed – now it’s usually just “wallpaper” which doesn’t change people’s lives or points of view. MS: I once went to an HMV store in London and wanted to buy myself something that would hit me hard and blow off my mind, something strong. I asked a young buddy with fifteen earrings for it and he gave me albums of such bands as Thirty Seconds to Mars… some kind of a joke. Next to him there was another assistant, a hippie with dreadlocks, who saw the other one was not giving me anything sensible. Some indie, but pure plastic, even for a youngster… After my unsuccessful conversation with the young buddy, the hippie came to me and said he knew what I was looking for – an album that would turn my life upside down and change my whole world. He said he could only recommend the new Noel Gallagher album to me, as it’s cool, but it doesn’t change anything. And it is so. You’ll no longer find Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, London Calling or Dark Side of The Moon on the shelves. The end. There are no more albums that might shape us. Of course, I know something has to change in music, I’m no old man. However, it does not change anything in us. So, why are you releasing a new album in such a world? To demonstrate how we think and show that we seriously treat our audience. We are following our musical path and the album is not being released because of any contract. Fucking shit, it’s not about making money at any cost, but about releasing something that has accumulated in us. We have to get rid of it. Let’s return to sound – we are constantly repeating that this is a strong, loud album… JG: I think that the Bauta loudspeakers that I designed helped us a lot to create the sound of this album... MS: The bass, the keyboard… Anyway, we have already tested some of the songs during concerts and received really positive feedback. JG: Ambience that we get thanks to using the Decca Tree had an important role in the case of the Old is Gold album, but here I did not play with phase too much. There are certain flavors added and I pray that nothing goes wrong when the vinyl recordings are prepared. I wanted to hit hard, but also convey information. There’s a track in which a police car enters and the klaxon is in counter-phase – one can hear it in the background. If you listen to it in your car, you’ll definitely brake, as you will think the police is stopping you. Despite such an enormous amount of information, it is still a very strong and loud recording which sounds good when it’s played really loud. MS: It’s a very modern album, but not one that enforces modernity. We have just become mature enough to do certain things and we’re comfortable with that. There’s an excellent duo with John Porter, there is also Sławek Łosowski from the original line-up of the Kombi band who played atmospheric things on the keyboard in two of our songs. Additionally, there are also strong guitars. I think we’re not fucking things up and that this is a good album for the year 2016, with the necessary POWER. MM: But even when you turn it down, it still “bites” and beats the shit out your ears… Thanks for the conversation, it is going to be an excellent album! MS: We also think so, but time will tell :) T.LOVE – DISCOGRAPHY (albums) 1988: Miejscowi Live | Klub Płytowy Razem/Polton 1989: Wychowanie | Polskie Nagrania 1991: Pocisk miło¶ci | Arston 1992: King | Baron Records 1992: Dzieci Rewolucji 1982-92 | Pomaton EMI 1994: I Love You | Pomaton EMI 1994: Prymityw | Pomaton EMI 1996: Al Capone | Pomaton EMI 1997: Chłopaki nie płacz± | Pomaton EMI 1999: Antyidol | Pomaton EMI 2001: Model 01 | Pomaton EMI 2003: T.LIVE | Pomaton EMI 2006: I Hate Rock'n'Roll | EMI Music Poland 2012: Old is Gold | EMI Music Poland 2016: T. Love | WARNER Music Poland Record label: WARNER Music Poland ul. Osmańska 11 | 02-823 Warszawa POLAND T.LOVE: Muniek Staszczyk and Maciek “Majcher” Majchrzak, i.e. BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF YOUR EARS is the third interview in a miniseries that I conducted during three days at the JG Master Lab studio. The first one, entitled I Love… Marek Sierocki, was published in the September issue of HF (No. 149, read HERE), the second one, Emade, czyli (s)tworzyciel – was published on October 16th (No. 150, read HERE).

he Super Audio CD Player, Ayon Audio CD-35 turned out to be significantly different from typical products of this type, both in terms of technical aspects, the sound quality and price/performance ratio. We believe that this is the player that changes - in a micro-world, but still - rules of the game, because it aspires to the level previously reserved for true "high-end" while representing a surprising, to say the least, price level. Thus we have decided to devote two separate articles to this device. We begin by describing a meeting of the Krakow Sonic Society, where you will find basic information about the CD-35 and a concept behind it and the opinions of the people who were the first in the world to officially listen to this new Ayon Audio player prepared together with StreamUnlimited. In the second part, which will publish in December, you will find the official test. As I already mentioned more then once before, the fast and straightforward conversion of many vinyl lovers to music files user could be surprising. After all, "analog is analog", and we heard many times that "digital signal is just a highly shredded one" and "it is not possible for a digital player to ever match a turntable." It was hard to argue with that, because the truth is that there is something special in the vinyl, which draws people into the analog world, regardless of how much they actually spend on their turntable... It offers warmth, smoothness, high (subjective) dynamics, there is something very "humane" about the way the needle reads musical information from a groove of an analogue record. One of the biggest fans of the black record always has been and is still Gerhard Hirt, the owner of the Austrian company Ayon Audio. He is our friend, an honorary member of the Krakow Sonic Society (with a safety certificate :)) whose products are often reviewed by numerous magazines around the world. Also we, in "High Fidelity" regularly discuss his new products and he also is one of the most frequent visitors of KSS meetings. And it is so because he creates not only high quality products, but from time to time also, to a certain extent, groundbreaking ones, pointing a direction audio world will follow shortly (see HERE and HERE). Such was the case, for example, of when he came to us to Krakow with the to present for the first time in the world his player that streamed DSD signal in its native form, not using the DoP protocol, as most companies do it today. I was surprised then with his enthusiasm when he spoke of DSD files. I knew that he was a collector of LPs and created a high-end turntable Mystere, which he sold under the Lumen White brand. Moreover, I perfectly remembered an interview he gave me in 2011, in which he excluded all SACDs from his interests (see HERE, No. 88 , August 2011, in Polish). More then once he also told me that his friends from StreamUnlimited, with whom he's been working closely for years, did not appreciate this format either, believing that it still wasn't able to offer sound quality comparable to the one of Red Book CD, as well as of PCM files. And so we return to the question that opened this text, to the “conversion” of vinyl fans to DSD-men. Because it is not the Super Audio CD (SACD) that is in question here, but the Direct Stream Digital signal, in short DSD, that is used to code data for those discs. Direct transfer of DSD signal to Ayon file player was an idea that came from StreamUnlimited and it indicated that something had changed. It turned out that properly treated it is able to bring analog and digital worlds much closer together, and the reason behind it is that both formats feature similar sets of advantages and disadvantages. And that is, in my opinion, the key to understanding the said “conversion”. Ayon Audio CD-35 I do not know whether this was Gerhard's intention, or maybe this is a results of brand's logic, but on the tenth anniversary of the premiere of the first ever Ayon Audio CD Player presented in 2006, called CD-1, now we get a product that doesn't have to much in common with it other than a similar chassis, being a top-loader and featuring tube output stage. And yet it is the culmination of research intended to close as much of a gap between analog and digital sound, as possible. Of course, I mean a culmination as a point in time, because perfectionist industries never stop their search for perfection, but it is such an important point that it should make a difference not only in the perception of the company, but in our way of thinking about the sound. Its symbol – CD-35 - indicates Gerhard's main interest – the Compact Disc (playback). Nothing has changed in this regard and Gerhard during conversation pointed out that despite the fact that CD sales had been steadily decreasing in the world, the number of silver discs own by music fan makes it still a very important music medium. In addition, the player can play also SACDs – that's sort of a bonus for those who think that this is the format offering superior quality. The device plays SACDs, but only as a "bonus". The company materials emphasized that this is a "SACD/CD Player". It turns out that previous Ayon Audio players, except for CD-5 and CD-T, could also play SACD, but this function was turned off to focus efforts on delivering best possible performance with Red Book CDs. The new model converts the PCM signal read from a CD to DSD. There are three user-selectable options – 64, 128 and 256 DSD. The idea is not new, it has been promoted for years by dCS (see HERE), and not it might be executed relatively cheap using off-the-shelf chip, such as the one used in Amare Musica Tube DAC DSD. As always the devil is in the details. Digital conversion, especially from one format to another is an extremely complex mathematical operation that must be performed in real time. Any software engineer can create algorithms for such conversions, but same as with novel writing – anyone can write a novel but only very few are awarded the Booker Prize (The Man Booker Prize for Fiction). That is why for the years I claimed that it's best to listen to music in the format in which it was recorded. StreamUnlimited created software for CD-35 and then it was tested by Ayon Audio for three years. That's why they stopped making CD-5s and there were no news about a successor. One can try different degrees of signal conversion from CDs, but also with SACDs, converting the signal up to DSD256. The detailed description of the device you will find in its review. Now, let's just say that this player will be available in three versions: basic, costing 31 900 PLN (CD-35 Standard), with analog preamplifier, which will cost around 1990 PLN more (CD-35 Preamp), Signature version, ie with full upsampler and Mundorf Silver/Gold capacitors that will cost you additionally 5690 PLN (CD-35 Signature). CD-35 is a modular design. It means that even after purchase any unit can be upgraded. For out listening session and review we used the top version. This is a player with a tube output, which was developed specially for this project. In each channel there are two 5687 and one 6H30 tubes powered via a rectifier tube - the Russian version of GZ30. Power supply features two R-core transformers. The CD-35 player is a top-loader with a magnetic clamp and cover made of acrylic. LISTENING SESION Gerhard came to us with his new player almost directly from Japan, where he's recently been spending a lot of time. Recently for the first time I saw Ayon Audio's advertising in the "Stereo Sound" magazine. As he told us, his company is among the very few brand from outside of Japan, which were accepted by the retailers associations of this country. And in addition Ayon's products are highly appreciated by local audio journalists. Congratulations! Our listening session of the CD-35 was an absolute world premiere. It was the very first time it was officially presented and evaluated. Comparison was simple – we threw into deep water from the start, ie. into a system that we know inside out since we participated as listeners and commentators in its evolution for the past several years. It's been built around devices made by Krakow based Ancient Audio company - active power conditioner, power amplifiers and three-box CD Player. Note that Lektor Grand SE version 2016 costs twice as much as the CD-35. We had a chance to listen to most available top digital sources in this system, including the majestic 4-box dCS Vivaldi SACD Player. We first listened to several CDs using Lektor, and then the same CDs using Ayon. Then we compared all conversion modes still using CDs, and finally we played some SACDs. Marcin Comparing Lektor to Ayon when we played a CD without conversion was quite difficult for me. The differences were not big, and I admit that did not put attention to nuances, because when he played CD on Ayon and used DSD (probably 64) conversion my jaw dropped to the floor. I did not expect such an effect, such a huge difference in favor of Ayon. The depth and space that I heard was simply unbelievable. I was wondering how was Ayon even able to read so much information from a regular CD? It was MY sound, I would buy it without hesitation. The next step (conversion to 128) was not so spectacular anymore. In fact, the differences compared to the previous sound were insignificant. Comparing this to the music played with the SACD layer is again difficult. With the SACD layer sound was fuller and denser than with a regular CD, but I still liked the sound of the CD converted to DSD64 more. Another upsampling – SACD to DSD128 and DSD256 also gave no significant improvement. It was good, but not as spectacular as before. Tomek I must admit that eagerly waited for the release of the new Ayon Audio "flagship" CD player. I was surprised by the fact that they stopped the production of CD-5s, and offered no successor. Now I know that Gerhard Hirt was busy over the years, and the long waiting time was due to work on the revolutionary, in a sense, technology. Converting PCM signal read from a CD to DSD was a fantastic idea. The differences between "raw" CD and its “improved” version were in every case perfectly audible and the CD-35 delivered a large scale, pastel presentation that would be impossible not to like. The device has boldly challenged the Ancient Audio player in a complete and very hermetic system of this manufacturer, as in some respects it turned out even superior. I can not wait for the implementation of this converter in the next Ayon Audio devices, and I'd love an opportunity to assess it in my own system. Wiciu It was probably the most difficult KSS meeting. At least for me. It was nice to get to know the Ayon Audio boss personally and his opinions concerning. the market, but from my perspective there was not enough time for listening and comparing. Generally speaking, in my pinion, Ancient Audio offered more refined presentation, more balanced sound. I had trouble recognizing Ayon CD-35 upsampling as a progress in sound quality, but at the moment I'm listening at home to Ayon player using AES/EBU cable and upsampling and it seems to me that in a way it sounds richer and more spatial. I discovered that this upsampling creates interesting opportunities in my system, so with great joy I will spend a few days alone with "35" in my room to discover its qualities, because it is surely worth it. Therefore, my conclusion is as follows: before we decide to condemn indiscriminately or we praise like never before any audio device, whatever it might be, we should repeat the listening session and possibly more than one time. Single moment, momentary mood do not serve objectivity. Even when Gerhard Hirt is among us. Maybe especially then. Janusz I sat on the side, so my I can't elaborate, go into details and I shall focus mainly on the overall impression. By far the best sound with upsampling to DSD256. The most improved aspects were: space, momentum and maybe even dynamics. The difference was obvious. When it came to playing the SACD layer and its upsampling I wasn't thrilled. To sum it up, I would like to once again listen to this CD player version with upsampling to DSD. This could be IT. Summary As you can see already after these short impressions the CD-35 stirred things up. Listening session during KSS meeting wasn't long (a few hours), but extremely fruitful. Tomek and Marcin clearly chose Ayon with upsampling, which compared to the Lektor was not an underdog at all. Wiciu and Janusz in their statements are more cautious, but I clearly remember their reactions in real time and I know that they were also surprised by the Ayon's performance. Probably never before, maybe except for dCS Vivaldi, we had to deal with so surprisingly mature, refined sound from the CD. And even if in this or that the reference Lektor is still better, the differences are not big. So I'd like to encourage you to read the next part of the article covering a regular test performed in my own listening system - as early as next month (Vol. 2 | TEST). But I also would like to congratulate Gerhard and the StreamUnlimited crew already now on their achievement, because it is not so easy to move and excite Krakow Sonic Society members. SYSTEM USED FOR LISTENING SESSION CD Player/preamplifier: Ancient Audio LEKTOR GRAND SE Power amplifier: Ancient Audio SILVER GRAND MONO Power conditioner: Ancient Audio Re-GENERATOR Loudspeakers: Sonus faber ELECTA AMATOR Interconects: Siltech DOUBLE CROWN (1 m) Speaker cable: Siltech DOUBLE CROWN (bi-wire, 2 x 2,5 m) Power cables (for all components): Acrolink MEXCEL 7N-PC9500 Rack: Base Anti-vibration accessories: Acoustic Revive Wine: delivered by LocusVini.pl + participants [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1611/ayon_kts/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]