general rule, which I try to follow selecting audio products for my tests and when performing the test boils down to credibility. On the one hand, my own, ultimately, what I write will stay online “forever” and it attests in my favor or against me, and on the other hand it defines a company whose product I decide to listen to. For both sides of this coin to be equally trustworthy I am looking for information about the brand and product. I talk to - if possible - with its designers and / or company owners. I read tests, descriptions, interviews and so on. Such approach surely gives some advantage to the well-known, widely recognized, valued companies, one can find tones of information about. On the other hand, it makes it much harder for new, and / or small manufacturers. It gets even more expensive when such company comes up with some novelty, something I unheard-of. And when it comes to a product nobody ever heard of before, the problem grows to such an extent that getting involved/interested in such company and its product becomes sort of "leap of faith". In the particular case of the Polish company Yayuma it bit simpler, because during fifteen minutes, I had for them during Audio Video Show 2016 I met competent people, received credible explanation of their product and I heard the sound, which seemed to me at least interesting. All that together managed to get me seriously interested, not to say fascinated, also from a cognitive point of view. The Best of the Best Audio Video Show 2016 Award was therefore a formality. PONA sound Pure Original Natural Audio sound The Yayuma crew, from the left: Jarek Proksa - Jurek Pona - Marcin Skrzypczak. The quite exotic name Yayuma has Polish roots, although it is stylized – it was formed from the first two letters of the names of its creators, Messrs YA-YU-MA, ie. Jarek Proksa - Jurek Pona - Marcin Skrzypczak. Gentlemen Jarek and Marcin ran previously a trading company, which they left two years ago to deal with the implementation of a production conceived by Mr. Jurek, who in turn dealt with the automation of biological processes. The opening motto on their website reads, "because of the passion for physics, because of the passion for music," and then “we take care of technology but we are fascinated by PHYSICS – mother of SOUND”. These are nice statements but what's important is that in this case are more than words. The heart of Yayuma is Mr. Jurek Pona, an engineer, and privately fan of flying. As he says, the idea that became a core if the whole company, just came up one day. It was so simple that he initially rejected it as too obvious. Once again, however, the reality surpassed wildest imagination - no one had thought of it before the way he did. To the extent of Yayuma applying for patent on a mathematical model, that their signal processor is based on. It's about modification of the audio signal. The idea, as I said, is very simple, and perhaps that's why nobody had thought about it seriously before, and we all accepted the present state of affairs. Mr. Jurek asked himself, why is an audio signal captured by the microphones reproduced by loudspeakers without any processing (except, of course, amplification). Intuitively, it seems to us that this is just normal - microphone's membrane vibrates to the rhythm of air pressure changes, converting an acoustic signal into an electric one, and a driver does the same, but opposite, ie. converts an electric signal into the sound. Along the way, the signal is amplified, its parameters are changed, such as its tone and dynamics, usually it is also recorded. Piece of cake. But, says Mr. Jurek, the microphone is an element recording velocity of a diaphragm movement while a driver is trying to recreate a position of a diaphragm. For the former the amplitude of a signal depends on how quickly the membrane vibrates - the faster the movement the higher the amplitude. The driver, in turn, vibrates proportionally to the amplitude of the signal. As long as we measure these elements using a sine wave, this difference does not matter. However, if we take into account the fact that the audio signal is actually a repeatedly superimposed sine waves, and the signals of different shapes, including pulses, we shall understand that the signal at the output of a signal, reproduced by a driver has a different shape than the output signal of the microphone. In short – details and subtleties are masked, and levels of various parts of the band are changed. To compensate that, engineers in the recording studios use a frequency correction. In this way they restore the "original" tonality of the signal that was "heard" by the microphones (that concerns also electric and electronic instruments), but the signal finally played by loudspeakers in our homes is different, deprived of some information. That's the point - signal is “deformed” only during playback. Before signal is delivered to loudspeakers connectors it is complete, it includes all the information that are later lost. The idea was simple – to come up with an algorithm that would translate a “velocity” signal into one that could be properly interpreted by a driver (in a loudspeaker or headphone). To succeed Mr. Jurek wrote a mathematical model of a human ear and of a driver. Based on these he wrote an algorithm named after him – the PONA sound. The company materials translate this acronym to Pure Natural Original Audio sound, but it is clear it was named after its creator.. Knowing all this we have to remember first of all, that the ASP has a different function than the Accuphase DG-58 and Ancient Audio P-3 also the version with a headphone amplifier P-1). It does not correct anything, it doesn't change the frequency range curve not the phase. Its only role is to "translate" the “velocity” signal to one that is reproduced through the speakers. From the systematic point of view Yayuma is not an "equalizer" but an “interface". AWARNESS LINE ASP 01 The information given above are just a small part of what I heard about the product and what I read in patent's description. However, I hope that you already understand what this device is - an analogue sound processor that minimizes the error of a signal conversion from what is registered by a microphone to what a driver ultimately reproduces. It should be placed in the signal's path between the source and an amplifier (or preamplifier) or between preamplifier and power amplifier. The signal is NOT converted to a digital form, the only digital element of the device is the control circuit, hence the name of the processor: ASP (Analog Signal Processor). It's a low profile device featuring a solid aluminum chassis, allowing user to adjust some parameters. For example, user may choose to turn on an analog system that eliminates excessive sibilance - the so-called. de-esser, a key tool in mastering studios. One can also turn the DC signal lock on, that should not appear on discs. When it is present, the driver's membrane is constantly deflected to one side, so that the sound is distorted. Though it is elementary knowledge, I've encountered this error on a surprisingly large number of discs. User decides whether to use any of these modifications "by ear." The menu is displayed on a big, monochrome display, and the changes are carried out using a toggle switch. In addition to the above mentioned modification user has at his disposal an adjustment of the output signal and the depth of the processor's operation. This seems to be crucial to me. When you listen to Yayuma in a controlled environment, you will realize that some recordings with it in a system seem to have much more information at the top and bottom of the band, what you might perceive as a brightness and emphasis of this part of the range. Its level depends on how strong a compression and tonal equalization was introduced by sound producer - the greater it was the smaller the effect introduced by the processor. It is actually explained in the manual: The algorithm we used to retrieve information exposes the excessive use of compression and equalization of the recordings. All works prepared without the use of equalizers and compressors (or at least with minimal compression ratio) when listened using our processor will show the wealth of previously unheard sounds, taking listener much closer to the musical truth. [...] ASP YAYUMA is equipped with a variable depth of processor's operation. This feature is useful when listening to recordings distorted using EQ. The recordings realized without the use of EQ allow user to set the depth to the maximum, for all others this function should be used at the discretion of the listener. The processor is supplied in a sturdy box together with a power cable, XLR cables and operating manual stored on a nice thumb-drive. It also contains some tracks recorded without EQ, with a minimal level of compression. In turn, on the included CD one finds a 1 kHz, 0 dB signal, that allows user to set the input sensitivity of the device. The designers told me that plans for the future include designing their own DAC, launching a less expensive version of the processor, the implementation of the mass production of high-end headphone amplifier, and ultimately - selling license for PONA sound technology. An important step may also be entering the audio-pro market. The latter may be particularly interesting, because the processor is a ready tool for sound engineers. It is possible to record the audio signal with an algorithm that eliminates the need for the usage of the processor in the system. The digital signal must however be recorded at 192 kHz sampling frequency or higher. Unless… It would be amazing to be able to play the audio file, which would cause a PONA sound logo to lit up in our DAC. I guess you remember the HDCD format? The famous green LED or a logo on the display (at least in Linn CD 12 and Naim devices it was green) gave incredible satisfaction to the users. Here and now a toggle switch turning on and off the processor would suffice. I would suggest introducing some sort of control, a toggle switch or a knob that would allow user to adjust the depth of the processor operation. This function is, of course, accessible from the menu, but … I also think that it would be justifiable for the higher model to use an OLED display, which would feature a bar graph used to control the input sensitivity. The test version featured rectangular LEDs, straight from the 1980s, which slightly differed stylistically from the artistic project of the device. And anyway, the digits on a display could be bigger, as already from a 2 meters distance I was not able to read them, which makes using a large remote control bit difficult. Luxman solved this issue in a great way, giving users a handy tool called the "zoom" - pressing a button causes main information being displayed in twice the normal size (more HERE; Polish). Having said that let me summarize this part. The device is well thought-through and well-made. It is definitely not a "working prototype", but a patent protected device, the YA-YU-MA gentlemen dedicated several years of their life and invested much of their own money. The ASP 01 is, from the audio system point of view, an interface. During the AVS, as well as at my place, it was presented working in a "bypass" mode. In this mode signal bypasses almost all circuits, except for the output buffer. Compared with the direct connection this mode requires an additional pair of interconnects. This means that it modifies signal even if the processor is not active. So in order to really check how the device affects the sound I compared with the processor and without it (meaning completely out of the system), without using the bypass mode. I listened to the Processor in three systems: the reference one between Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition CD Player and Ayon Audio Spheris III preamplifier, with Kondo OnGaku integrated amplifier – ASP 01 worked between Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition CD Player and the said amplifier, in a headphone system with Bakoon HPA-21 and HiFiMAN HE-1000 V2. The device was placed on the Acoustic Revive RAF-48H platform, and on top of it I placed two passive EMI/RFI Verictum X-Block filters. To connect with power I decided to use the Acoustic Revive Power Reference Triple-C. It was an A/B/A comparison with A and B known. I used both, 1 minute long fragments as well as full albums. Let me add that during the whole test I used the de-esser function, because without it most tracks sounded too bright. In a perfect world sound engineers would have used this function while working on these albums and in turn I wouldn't need to use it. Recordings used for the test (a selection): Cantate Domino, dyr. Torsten Nilsson, Oscar Motet Choir, Proprius/JVC Victor Company XRCD 7762, XRCD2 (1976/2003) Andrzej Kurylewicz Quintet, Go Right, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland 4648809, „Polish Jazz vol. 0”, Master CD-R (1963/2016); Arne Domnérus, Jazz at the Pawnshop. Vol. I, II & III, Proprius/Lasting Impression Music LIM UHD 071 LE, 3 x UltraHD CD + DVD (1976/2012) Depeche Mode, Wrong. Remixes, Mute Records BONG40, maxi SP CD (2009) Fisz Emade Tworzywo, Drony, Art2 Music 26824180, CD + SP CD (2016); Frank Sinatra, Sinatra Sings Gershwin, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music Entertainment 507878 2, CD (2003) Nat ‘King’ Cole, Love is the Thing, Capitol/Analogue Productions, CAPP 824 SA, SACD/CD (1957/2010) Nat ‘King’ Cole, Penthouse Serenade, Capitol Jazz/EMI 94504, „Super Bit Mapping” CD (1952/1998) Paradox, Drifting Feather, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland 9 59035 7, „Polish Jazz | vol. 26”, CD (1971/2016) Pet Shop Boys, Super, Sony Music Labels (Japan) SICX-41, CD (2016) Rosemary Clooney, Rosemary Clooney sings Ballads, Concord/Stereo Sound SSCDR-007, „Flat Transfer Series”, CD-R (1985/2016) Zbigniew Namysłowski Quartet, Zbigniew Namysłowski Quartet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland 9 59036 1, „Polish Jazz | vol. 6”, CD (1966/2016) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] The Yayuma processor is so different device, even from sound processors that we already know that to understand what it actually does one needs a long time. A short demo, that I also witnessed during the AVS, will give you a general impression of change, but will not tell you what exactly this change is. I also think that this is the type of product hat requires some knowledge and experience to assess it properly. If you do not have one and/or the other I would propose to approach this device as the proverbial "black box", limiting the assessment to either “like” or “don't like” choice. But this will not be an objective evaluation, but only impressions about the sound. The first observation after turning ASP on was as if someone raised the level of treble and bass. The impression is very strong. Therefore, for the first few listening session when comparing the sound of a system with and without the processor I instinctively turned the volume down when the processor was in use (let me remind you that I did not use the bypass function - the device is not that transparent). It was not a big adjustment – maybe 1 or 2 dB - but every time it seemed necessary, despite the fact that I earlier calibrated the gain of the device. After a few days I sat for the next session and something has changed - since then I regularly turned down the volume by 1 or 2 dB, but this time when I listened to the system without the processor. I think I just got used to the change of perspective and slowly I began to understand - even unconsciously – what was going on, as if I finally started to get rid of toxic habits. Ultimately the situation clarified and I could definitely say that the treble with the processor was quieter, more delicate and the bass more powerful, but less contour, usually also less artificial. When one uses the process one tends to turn the volume up because the sound less tiresome, even when the music plays loudly. The device changes the sound significantly. First of all it modifies the perspective from which we see the events on the stage. With large ensembles recorded in the concert hall or in church, Cantate Domino is a good example, everything was presented a little further away from me, the singers seemed to be all recorded from a greater distance. As if someone had placed the microphone further away from them. Without the processor sibilance sounded separately from the voices, with the processor they were embedded in the vocals, they were never heard separately. It was easy to notice that the processor worked best with high quality material, as well as with the older recordings - frankly speaking, the older jazz recordings I played, the more impressed I was with the processor's operation. The sound with it was less "plastic" and less artificial. It is, of course, about more pointed attack and better resolution, but I did not perceive it as a more detailed presentation. On the contrary - probably a large part of the listeners, especially if they won't have enough time for the accommodation, will say, that with the processor there is less information. That the sound is more withdrawn. It's not true. The truth is that this processor extracts all these small changes, transitions, and so on, which makes the sound smoother, more consistent, more like what we can hear during live concert where we never "see" musicians with our ears, simply because we can see them. The sound and mastering engineers change the sound so that it becomes more "visible", compensating for the lack of visual stimuli. When this is done properly, it fulfills its desirable role. The Yayuma processor does something else and better – it restores the sound to the "ears only" state and yet the presentation is more convincing, more emotional, restoring a realistic perspective. That's how the new Polish Jazz remasters sounded like, or the productions of the records labels such as Proprius, and finally also recordings of Sinatra, Nat 'King' Cole and others. With commercial recordings in which everything was raised to 0 dB, and even distorted – for example in Pet Shop Boys' Super - the situation is different. Here a withdrawal of treble was really strong as if the mastering engineer went nuts, and the processor while reversing that changed the tonal balance too. The bass was strongly emphasized, and sometimes even obtrusive. Reduce the impact of the sound system to 6 dB helped, but only partially. Perhaps the recordings prepared using so much manipulation benefit from lower resolution that obscures their issues. Downsides? An integral part of life is the balance of profit and loss. Also in this case we have to answer ourselves the question, whether what we loose adding one more device to our system is worth sacrificing for the upsides of this solution. I guess it is clear that each device changes the sound is some way. With the ASP 01 the system becomes slightly less resolving. This probably can not be avoided, even in the most sophisticated product. The change is not large, and will be noticeable only in the top systems, but you need to know about it. Secondly, to some extent palpability of the sound disappears. I described it as a larger perspective. These recordings that delighted us with the amazingly "present" vocals, almost "tangible" texture, where we had something within arms length, won't do that anymore. Their perspective will be more realistic. If we listen carefully, we will realize that this tangibility was actually an artifact resulting from the signal manipulation. But still - many music lovers love such presentation and find it extremely attractive. Also, not with every recording the processor's operation will translate into a better sound. As I said, the not-so-perfect realizations sounded better without Yayuma, because despite losing some of this natural velvety softness of the sound provided by ASP 01, the tonal balance and bass attack were better in uncorrected form. It is a truly revolutionary device. Its strength, but at the same time its weakness is that it removes from the sound delivered by our loudspeakers or headphones (I strongly recommend such an experiment!) elements masking the actions of sound engineers – the company papers are right about that. So this is not a universal product, and although the problems which it solves, are the most universal ones, not everyone is going to need it. Summary The answer to the question of whether the Yayuma ASP 01 changes the sound is very simple: YES, it does. The second question is whether this is a positive change – and the answer is: YES and NO. But the fundamental question, as it seems to me, is: whether the processor is worth its price, ie. whether one should even bother to test it in one's system? After the time I spent with this device the short answer is: it depends, but in my opinion, everyone should at least listen to it. Whether this is something for a particular music fan will depend on what he expects from the system, what kind of music he listens to, and how experienced he is. And it's obvious that some might say that they don't like what the ASP 01 has to offer and it doesn't make them fools – that's absolutely not the case! In this particular case, I bow deeply before any independent, conscious choice. Why? Because listening to the music is a very intimate, emotional experience. So you should not convince anyone, how he should listen to it. If someone thinks that the processor changes the sound in a way that he doesn't like, he should spend his money on something else – a trip around the world, a new car, etc. But if someone hears this "new" sound and understands it nothing else will matter except for money one has to spent to buy this device. If we accept this new perspective it will allow us to go even deeper into the music, finding new layers of emotions we previously were unaware of. The jazz from the 1930s and 1940s sounded with the processor sounded wonderfully, and so did good jazz and classical recordings prepared more recently. It is a product that brings real change to the world of audio and if it is widely accepted in some form, it will bring us closer to the "absolute sound". [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/yayuma/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

hich part of the audio world has been growing most in recent years? - The answer is simple: the headphone one. It was noticed not only by small, specialized companies, but also large corporations. Today nobody can afford not to offer headphone as it would mean resigning from a large part of the revenue stream. It is also quit obvious that it is a mass movement, and so it has nothing to do with a perfectionist audio. It is equally clear that we, music lovers, who want to hear what really has been recorded, benefit from it as well. But main impact this market situation has had on a popular audio segment. Why is it so? I may be wrong, but after all, it is a natural "state" for a man. But if these efforts were concentrated mainly on high quality audio, and most people would start to use headphones in order to hear better, the record labels would start offering tones of binaural recordings. Only recordings of this type allow the sound to be presented “outside” the head and put listener in a very realistic space. And it's not happening, the recordings of this type are and probably will remain a curiosity, as once the Ambisonic recording in the home cinema world did. The only company that regularly releases recordings of this type is Chesky Records. The situation is slightly different with USB cables. Although the flourishing of this segment of our industry, associated with playing computer files using a computer and a digital-to-analog converter, also owes much to the mass market streaming, yet it still remains something that is assigned just to us, audiophiles. First of all, because to this day, many engineers negate the effect of the USB cable on a transfer of the digital audio signal. I will not even try to correct that. If you also think so, let me invite you to read some different tests, this one is for those who took the trouble of checking this theory themselves and who heard the difference. USB REFERENCE I (Improved) The reviewed cable came to us from Rome. Fabio Sorrentino, the designer, founded the company with his wife, who is the owner of Neutral Cable, in 2002 and a year later they began to sell their cables. The business model, which is now a widely accepted standard, back then, at least in the audio industry, was still rare. From the very beginning they used direct sales through their website. This type of sale saves two margins - distributor's and retailer's - and so the final price is about 50% lower than in a classic audio showroom. That's a big plus. But there are some downsides too. First of all, customers must somehow learn of the company and its products and advertising budget of such company is close to zero. Secondly, customers can not see or try-out products as these are not available in retailers' shops. On the mass-product market it does not matter much, because people buy products based on the brand name, design and advertising. However, in audio a direct contact with the product before buying it is crucial. Companies of this type introduced sort of a "safety measure" for customers who can pay for the product and if they don't like it they can return it within specified time frame covering only the cost of shipping. Neutral Cable works just this way. Its reputation is based solely on the reviews in audio magazines and feedback from customers one can find online. We tested the most expensive USB cable offered today by this company - the 0.8 m long unit costs 500 EUR, and a 1.2 m long costs 600 EUR. It is made of 7N silver conductors insulated with Teflon. A pair of conductors used for power supply (5 V DC) is individually shielded and physically placed away from the pair of signal conductors. Both couples have, however, a common outer jacket. This yellow mesh, which makes the cable look very cheerful. It's terminated with classic plugs, and the place of their connection to the cable is masked with a black heat-shrink. A nice looking Bakelite plate is attached to the cable with the name of the company and the cable model engraved on it. The cable is delivered in a black suede pouch. FABIO SORRENTINO Designer Neutral Cable is a company based in Rome, Italy, that produces and sale directly worldwide high end cable since 2003. Our cables have been reviewed and awarded by magazines such as: „Fedeltà del Suono”, MonoandStereo.com, HiFiPig.com, Hifi Korea and HDPhonic.com. Our products are also very appreciated in Italian forums. I would like to explain briefly why Neutral Cable could be different from other cable brands. First of all Neutral Cable products are all hand made using the best conductors available. The hand craft allows us to go beyond the geometry and the materials imposed by cable machine-making. Secondly, the cables are made with Teflon insulated conductors because the dielectric quality has a great effect on the overall sound. Teflon has a very low dielectric constant and this allows us to design cables with a neutral response, with no coloration to the sound, detail and with great dynamic, clear transients and very good PRAT. Thirdly, the Neutral Cable are made with different kinds of conductors: copper, silver plated copper, silver and hybrid combinations between them. Each metal has its sonic signature and Neutral Cable's aim is to provide the solution for every different system or listener taste. And other important feature of Neutral Cable products is the control and possibly the elimination of vibrations and resonances traveling along the conductors. But even if we can say all Neutral Cable products sound differently depending on the line of cables or the model, there are also some common features to all of them. All Neutral Cable products  exhibit timbre accuracy, high dynamics and musicality. Details? Of course there is a lot of detail, but it is well integrated in the musical message, in an holistic way, in an overall view, and not shouted or emphasized like in some extremely analytical cables and hi fi gears (I call it „false detail” or the „wrong side of transparency”). USB Reference had to wait for its turn a while which gave me a chance to listen to it in a few various systems. The actual test was performed in two configurations: 1. With Exogal Comet DAC Plus with Ion amplifier (more HERE); this system featured also Harbeth M40.1 loudspeakers. 2. iFi iDSD Black Label (Polish) DAC/headphone amplifier; in this test I used HiFiMAN HE-1000 v2 headphones. USB Reference I was compared to two other USB cable: Curious by Curious Cables and USB 1.0SP by Acoustic Revive; the latter has separate runs with two plugs for signal and power conductors. In both cases I used my HP Pavilion hv7 with SSD 128 disc and 8 GB RAM featuring JPlay player. For the test I used mostly hi-res DSD and PCM files, but for comparison with a CD Player I also used 16/44,1 WAV files. Recordings used for the test (a selection) Files Aga Zaryan, Remembering Nina & Abbey, Parlophone Music Poland, „Master Files from mastering studio”, WAV 24/96 (2013) Alan Parsons, Eye in the Sky, Arista/Classic Records HDAD 2011, rip DVD-A 24/192 (1982/2005) Dominic Miller, Ad Hoc, Q-Rious Music QRM 129-2, rip WAV 16/44,1 (2013) Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, Ella and Louis, Verve/HDTracks, WAV 24/96 (1956/2010) Jerzy Millian, Baazaar, Polskie Nagrania „MUZA”/GAD Records GAD CD 017, rip WAV 16/44,1 (1967/2014); Kate Bush, 50 Worlds For Snow, Fish People/HDTracks, WAV 24/96 (2011) Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Columbia/HDTracks, WAV 24/192 Peter, Paul and Mary, In The Wind, Warner Bros. Records/Audio Fidelity AFZ 181, „Limited Edition | No. 0115”, rip WAV 16/44,1 (1963/2014) USB cards 2xHD. DSD, USB Flash, DSD64/DSD128 2xHD. PCM, USB Flash, WAV 24/192 FIM Super Sound! I, First Impression Music FIM DXD 066 USB, Promo USB Flash, FLAC 24/176 Anne Bisson, Blue Mind, Camilio Records CAMUSB141, USB Flash, FLAC 24/96 (2009) Dead Can Dance, Anastasis, [PIAS] Entertainment Group PIASR311CDX, „Special Edition Hardbound Box Set”, CD+USB Flash 24/44,1 WAV (2012); Maânouche Swing Quintet, Montreal Jazz-Up, Fidelio FAMF030, “Master Flash”, USB Flash, WAV 24/96 Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] "A cable so transparent it seems it's not even there" is a beautiful fairy tale, that all of us love to hear even knowing that it is nothing more but a fairy tale. But it has an extraordinary power – it seduces, gives a sense of security, organizes world, frees us from the responsibility for our choices. And there is no much difference between us, the people living at the crossroads of technology and art, from our ancestors wearing furs and staring into the fire (since the evolution theory was withdrawn from primary schools program in Poland it can be also now treated just like another fairy tale). Tales about neutral audio signal transmission should be put right there where they belong, between other fairy tales. Even wireless transmission has its problems, for now even bigger ones than cables do. But it is also worth listening to what the producers we trust have to say. Even if in their message or press materials there is a bit of wishful thinking, we should try to separate it from what they are aiming for because it allows us to calibrate our expectations prior to listening session. And if that does not work, it means that the description was created in the PR department and can be treated as advertising, not valuable information. The case of Neutral Cable belongs to this first category. So when Fabio says he uses various conductors for different cables because each one has its own sound signature, ie changes the signal in its own way, he points out that while he strives for neutrality - the name of the brand suggests that - it will ultimately be a “controlled” neutrality. Which is quite clear when listening to USB Reference I (Improved). To make things simpler I shall refer to the cable as Reference I from now on. The Italian cable is very resolving. I have no doubt that it conveys more information than Curious and Acoustic Revive (the latter was recently replaced with a new version with Triple-C conductors but I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet). The difference manifests itself with more detailed and better controlled presentation. The latter feature is most obvious in the low frequencies, because the Reference I accentuates a start and stop of each sound more accurately, and also more precisely presents an acoustic environment in the recording. It was useful, for example, with the Aga Zaryan recordings. They were mixed and masted in a very natural way, with a lot of bass, without limiting its extension and contouring. With Curious the lower end seemed overblown, with decay that was not that well controlled. It was not unpleasant and had its charm. The Italian cable shortened bass a bit, disciplined it, and above all it improved coherence of the whole band. These differences were most obvious when I listened using headphones, but loudspeakers conveyed them clearly enough, too. And this presentation seemed to me to be more neutral, closer to the situation in the recording studio. I'm talking about the bass, because it allows me to explain it in an easiest way, but really with the Italian cable the whole range is well focused. The top end is a bit more lit up than the two reference cables and there is simply more of it. Depending on the system - again confirming what Fabio said - it will be a step in the right direction, ie towards the sound opening up, or to the side, ie shifting tonal balance up. If the system sounds pretty light, or if our source (computer or streamer) sounds like that, then Curious will do better job because it offers a more “fleshy” sound with a sweet top. But if we want to know more about what's going on in the recording, but without artificial highlighting of details, without treble being too bright, then Reference I will be a better choice. Even with ultra-clear and fast HiFiMAN HE-1000 v2 headphones the sound was balanced and full. The tonal balance was slightly shifted up, but only because I got more treble, that was also more open and resolved, and not because something was sound was leaner. Silver conductors, if wrongly used, tend to sound dry, but this is not the case. I would even say that with some recordings Neutral Cable sounded more creamy as if it filled up the recording with information that was previously missing, eg. in 24/96 files from the Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong Ella and Louis album. So the cable is a detailed one. It allows listener to hear more of those little, tiny elements, such as flipping pages in Under a Blanket of Blue. Summary I focused on these two elements, ie control and resolution, but not because these are the only two advantages of the Italian cable, but because it them that give it an edge over the competition. Not always and not in every system, but each time one can use them without a fear of destabilizing the performance, they will be irreplaceable. This cable offers a clear, yet saturated, well-balanced sound that clearly allows system to take its performance a step up. The Curious remains my favorite USB cable, but mainly because it is a very "safe" choice, i.e. it never causes system to sound too bright, to sharp, it always delivers a refined, rich sound. The USB Reference I (Improved) adds more information on top of that. If that's what you expect from you cable, i.e. a "tube", which is able to passed as much information as possible from the source to the receiver, then the Italian cable will be an excellent choice. It will let you to hear more music.

aweł Skulimowski, the owner of Franc Audio Accessories, is one of three people I know personally, next to Mr Władysław Skrzypczak (Pro Audio Bono) and Janusz Rogoż (Rogoz Audio), who has been for years consequently developing his ideas in regard to vibration damping and also – which is important – a successful one. The brand is highly acclaimed not only in Poland but also abroad. And this guy has his vision of brand's development and his own approach to the topic of vibration damping. The Franc Audio Accessories emerged on audiophiles' radars in 2008, from the very beginning with a refined product - Ceramic Disc anti-vibration feet, which, after introducing various variants, were re-named to Classic. Perfectly made, well packed, they changed the sound of the devices and speakers placed on them and it was surely a desired kind of change. I quickly became an owner of three sets and since then I have been using them as a decoupling elements for my CD player, preamplifier and for the various devices I have tested over the years. To say that I used them with no less than 200 different products would be quite conservative. And they never let me down. A natural way for company's evolution was to develop anti-vibration platforms, which we reviewed once with the Krakow Sonic Society. After a few amendments these found their way to some very expensive systems, and the Polish distributor of Soulution brand used them at exhibitions under 701 power amps. And since company already offered platforms, why not a whole rack? That's how the Wood Block Rack came to life, combining the advantages of several Ceramic Disc feet, the Slim and Fat Wood Block platforms, and the specially designed frame for them. And finally, it was time for OEM production, providing specifically for this occasion developed Tablette feet, used, for example, for Amare Musica products such as Diamond Tube DAC DSD . Modular, or how I put a rack together It is seems obvious that Paweł Skulimowski intended his products to music lovers who could afford to spend a lot of money on audio. But a time came to create some more “for the people”. To do that Paweł came up with an idea of a modular rack that could be used also by beginning audiophiles and which - importantly - could grow with them or their systems. The concept itself is not new, let us remind you that the same is behind the Rogoz Audio 5SMX12/BBS rack, but for some reasons this one is particularly interesting. The Modular system is supposed to be as cheap as possible, to be delivered to a customer packed in a flat box, that reminded me of IKEA furniture boxes, and to be simple to put assembly. I mentioned the name of the Swedish manufacturer, who changed the way we think about furniture, on purpose and expect its appearance a few more times in this test. And indeed - the courier brought to the 3rd floor a medium-sized package without much sweat. Inside the box there was a smaller size box, say, an extra large pizza - say, five of them stacked on top of each other. Inside I found carefully placed elements: at the bottom three shelves, and on top of them feet and bolts together with elements to fix shelves. The ordered rack was to consist of three levels. The Modular's design is pretty simple. One can start one's adventure with it with a classic anti-vibration platform, eg for an amplifier. Its base is a board of varnished MDF, to which in the four corners we screw up the aluminum booms. Each of them are screwed together with two screws, pulled through the board and reinforced from the top with an aluminum pad. The nuts visible from the bottom are covered with rubber "cups". In the other end the booms feature a drilled hole which is put over a screw screwed to the bottom foot. This is an anti-vibration foot, consisting of an aluminum cylinder and Tablette pads. The latter are adjustable which allows to level the rack. In the milled hole of the foot one presses a rubber ring, which decouples the two elements. From the top the boom is fixed with a knurled nut. A cork insert is placed between the nut and the boom. The whole operation takes about 20-25 minutes and one has a lot of fun (or curses as hell) same as with IKEA products. With the kit one receives an illustrative drawing from which most of the necessary actions can be deduced, but a more detailed instruction could be useful. The set includes an Allen key and a wrench. One has to use both of them to tighten the bolts properly, as the stability of the rack will depend on it. The basic platform consists of 57 elements - 14 for each corner plus a top. This basic top has a company logo attached. If one wishes to extend the platform to a small rack, four aluminum legs need to be tighten from the top, and four booms and board – the process is the same as with a platform assembly. Between the legs and the booms there are rubber rings, pressed into the milled groove. The crimped screws, previously bolted to the platform, now serve to close the table from above. The table can have two, three, or even four shelves. It can also be extended to the side so that we can place two devices side by side. PAWEŁ SKULIMOWSKI Owner, designer Paweł Skulimowski during Audio Video Show 2016, and behind him you can see the first version of the Modular rack; an interesting fact - Paweł designed his tattoos himself… The goal was straightforward: I wanted to make something visually simple and not as expensive as my current exclusive Wood Block line. This didn't mean though, that it was supposed to be something "Made in China". I guess everyone knows that it's not what I do in Franc Audio Accessories ... In Modular I used materials and technical solutions, of which I am sure they work, that proved themselves (in my other products) and that were highly acclaimed by many reviewers and a whole lot of customers in Poland and abroad. I used, for example, ceramic Tablette feet, which are, for example, a direct insulator of shelves in my top Wood Block Rack and in all Wood Block platforms. So I didn't go cheap here. As for the quality of the above mentioned "Tablettes" - just have a look at my website to the OEM tab and check the constantly expanding list of companies that use them for their devices. The shelves are made of lacquered MDF, CNC machined. The same applies to all other elements of the rack. I spent a lot of time refining isolation aspects and finish, so all screws are hidden from an eye so that the rack looks clean and neat. I think I did a good job :) Due to the CNC machining of the shelves, however, I had to narrow down the color pallet, so for now, available finishes include black mat shelves + black frame and white mat shelves + black frame, but it is possible that some other color versions will be added in the future. The Modular line is designed for people who are not quite sure how many audio devices their system will include and / or who do not want to spend large sum on a dedicated rack with a specific, limited space, which may become insufficient at some point. The Modular and its modular design hopefully will allow me to reach to the customers who, without having to spend large sum of money on a dedicated rack at the beginning of their audiophile adventure, will be able to afford to buy only one platform (or rack) for a start and expand it later with additional elements. If / when a need appears (and money allows) they will be able to buy net elements and build next level(s) going either up or adding another platform/rack next to the one already in use. The first impression Assembling the rack should not cause any major difficulties. Although, as usual with IKEA furniture, I did not look too closely to the instructions, because I "knew better" and initially I fixed the legs upside down so I had to disassemble the whole shelf and start again. The assembled rack looks very nice, because it does not dominate the room, and yet it inspires confidence. Its stability depends on several factors. The first is the height - the higher it is, the less stability it offers. The second factor is the force with which we screw the booms to the shelf. However, even with two shelves tightened really well, this is not a super-rigid construction, mainly because shelves are parts of it. Despite this, the three-level rack had no problem supporting the, weighing 41 kg, Kronos Pro Ltd turntable. Looking at the Modular you can see a huge potential in it. It is not expensive and everyone can afford it, expanding it as needs grow. It looks really nice so it shall fit into a classic room, with a TV, coach and so on. And last but not least, I see in it an incredible upgrade potential. If they are well thought out and logically explained, it will be possible to improve this rack each time when user shall decide that "time is right". I have some ideas. The first one concerns booms - they can be replaced in the future with a “cross”, that would connect the corner pillars, thus adding more rigidity to the whole rack. The platform could be screwed to the cross. Another improvement could be a better platform, eg Slim. And finally, the platform could be decoupled from the cross with the next set of "Tablettes". These are ideas that came to my mind within just five minutes and I am sure that, after a deeper analysis, they could be still improved significantly. After I wrote this text Paweł sent me a message confirming my intuition: I already started to think about upgrades. One would have to unscrew four (outer) screws from each board and from the bottom one would put in new, slightly longer ones, that would stick out on top. Then “rubber” nuts would be screwed on these screws and additional shelve would be put on top. Let's say, however, that already in its basic form the Modular makes an excellent impression, especially when we take into account its price and I would not be surprised if, after assembling it and placing the system on it the owner would not even bother to think about any upgrades. The rack stood near my right loudspeaker (Harbeth M40.1), so in a not quite optimal position. But such is life ... On the table I placed the Kronos turntable. After assembly, I compared the sound of my Ancient Audio AIR V-edition CD Player placed on the top of the Finite Elemente Pagode Edition table and then on the top of the Modular rack. Under the player I used a set of Ceramic Disc feet - a separate set for the Pagode and a separate one for the Modular. For the Player I used the Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version (Polish) power cable, and the 1,8m long Acoustic Revive SPC3.0 Triple-C FM interconnects. FRANC in „High Fidelity” TEST: Franc Audio Accessories WOOD BLOCK SLIM PLATFORM (Polish) – anti-vibration platform KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY, meeting #82: Paweł Skulimowski and his Franc Audio Accessories HYDE PARK: Franc Audio Accessories about themselves (Polish) Recordings used for the test (a selection) Artur Rubinstein, Artur Rubinstein plays Chopin, Polskie Nagrania MUZA/Polskie Nagrania PNCD 487, CD (1984/2008) Fausto Mesolella, Live ad Alcatraz, Fonè/Master Music NT017, XRCD24 (2014/2016) 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); Miles Davis, Bitches Brew, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDSACD 2-2149, „Special Limited Edition | No. 1229”, 2 x SACD/CD (1970/2014) NOVI Singers, NOVI in Wonderland, MPS/Edel/Victor Entertainment NCS-10139, K2HD Pro Mastering CD (1969/2016) Sohn, Tremors, 4AD/Hostess CAD3403CDJ, CD (2014) Sonny Rollins, Plus 4, Prestige Records/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2006, SACD/CD (1957/2002) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] The differences between the tables are clear. Of course, I'm talking about changes in the sound they introduce. Hearing what I can hear, over and over again, with one product after the other, I am amazed by the ignorance of those who negate the impact on the performance of audio devices of what they are placed on. Mostly they are dabblers, but often also people with technical education, who are smart people but with a "book" approach encoded in their brains (sorry for the simplification). By a “book” approach I mean a very basic one. The problem is that there is little or nothing about audio products in these "books". And if anything can be found than this is only a partial knowledge, selective, not covering the results of observations from the last dozen or so years. The sound we get with the Modular shelf has a “low center of gravity”. The average bass is strong, energetic and it sets the sound in the lower part of the band. Compared to the Pagode rack, the phantom images are less focused, the attack of the sound is not so accurate and the bass not so well differentiated. The foreground is no so well-defined either. It does not differ from all other racks and platforms I listened to in my system. The Pagode has always been one step or sometimes a few steps ahead of them. Taking the price into consideration, we can see, however, that it is a rack that does not quench the energy of the presentation and at the same time it presents upper midrange is a slightly milder way. So it avoids the common problem of heavy racks - the choking of the energy - but also the light ones, which have their own resonances located high, which brighten the midrange, and often also the treble. The Modular never did it, either with the Kronos turntable or the Ancient Audio player. It rather made sound even richer, denser. It was especially obvious with vocals, for example on the NOVI Singers album, which was recently released in Japan in K2HD Pro Mastering format. The voices sounded rich, full, they were dense and big in volume. Same happened with instruments such as Sonny Rollins' saxophone and Fausto Mesolelle's classic guitar. All that was in the foreground had a slightly blurred attack. I base that on the comparison of Pawel's and Pagode racks, but not only on that. This is a feature of light audio furniture, most often those with undampened shelves of MDF. That, paying as much as we pay for such products, can not be solved. We can later minimize this using anti-vibration feet under the products, and even additional platforms, but the shelf itself for this kind of money can not deliver a better performance. All the more so I need to emphasize that the Modular does not go in that direction too far. At the same time it colors the sound to a much smaller degree than even solid, classic shelves eg book ones. We get a low bass and a mild treble. However, the clear advantage is the midrange spacial presentation. This rack allows user to appreciate the events in the back of the soundstage. These are quite resolving and clear. The insight into the back of the stage seems exceptionally natural, providing many spatial impressions that usually vanish covered with a cacophony of "effects." Summary The Modular has been designed as a system for beginner music lovers and audiophiles, but also those who want something more than an IKEA shelf. Not that I have anything against the latter, it works in 99% of cases, but audiophiles are after this last percent. The shelving system is simple in design, but offers a wide range of "interpretations" depending on our requirements and expectations. The table is precisely and nicely made and it looks great when assembled. I think this is just the beginning of Paweł Skulimowski's adventure with the Modular. RED Fingerprint. [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/franc/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/franc/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/franc/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/franc/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/franc/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/franc/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/franc/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/franc/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/franc/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/franc/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/franc/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/franc/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/franc/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/franc/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/franc/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/franc/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/franc/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/franc/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/franc/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/franc/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/franc/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/franc/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/franc/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/franc/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/franc/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/franc/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/franc/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/franc/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/franc/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/franc/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

rench company Cabasse, founded in 1950, launched its first loudspeakers. And already this first product in brand's history, a two-way speaker designed for Cinemascope cinema, was build around a coaxial driver. Since then such transducers have become sort of a trademark for Cabasse, that have been developed and used for over 60 years. The famous top of the line La Sphère were presented in 2006 and featured a coaxial three-way transducer complemented by a 55 cm woofer. This was the top embodiment of an idea of a point source sound, as all the diaphragms had a common axis and were embedded in one another. Interestingly, this design includes also four mono power amplifiers per channel - each of which drives one diaphragm in one speaker. By purchasing the La Sphère a lucky buyer became an owner of two large loudspeakers featuring fancy stands, eight mono amplifiers, plus an additional control unit. Equally unusual as the design of these speakers was their shape reflected in their name. And because these "spheres" were 70 cm large in diameter and featured those cosmic-looking stands, so the whole was (and still is) one of the most original speakers in history of audio industry. I'm not sure if I should even admit it, but despite the long history of this respected brand, the Jersey MC170 is the first model of their speakers that I have a pleasure to review. Wojtek, chief editor of HF tested the Jersey MT32 model in 2015, the predecessor to the MC170. It was a design of nearly the same size and weight, but a two-way one. It featured, beside the two polypropylene woofers, a classic tweeter dome working in a small wave-guide While coaxial speakers have always been a trademark for Cabasse, due to their price they have not been used for cheaper models. JERSEY MC170 For the reviewed model, Jersey MC170 and the second, smaller one called Antiqua MC170, the French company has developed a completely new coaxial transducer. Its design is a development of the driver used previously in the Eole satellite speaker. The two 170 mm woofers the complement MC170 are also new products. Though they have an identical size and distinctive shape, their diaphragms are different from the ones used for MT32. The manufacturer does not specify the material they are made of, but first of all they are silver (in MT32 they were black), although it is not aluminum, to my eye and ear at least, and secondly, their surface is not smooth, but rather crimped. Same as in the previous model, they work in a vented cabinet with b-r port shooting downwards. A plinth is screwed to the bottom of the cabinet the ensures proper distance between b-r port and the surface we place speaker on. Adjustable spikes are screwed onto the plinth and a set of protective pads is also included. Through the use of a coaxial driver in contrast to a previous model, the Jersey MC170A is a 3-way design. All these changes resulted only in a slight increase in prices, which at least in part we own to the inflation, so the price change is really only a “cosmetic” one. For a test we received loudspeakers finished with white oak veneer and although it is not my favorite color, I have to admit that looked really attractive. Of course, the quality of the make and helped too. Before I started my first listening session I checked parameters declared by the manufacturer. While the nominal efficiency (90 dB) and the impedance (8 Ω) might be considered to be very friendly even for low power amplifiers, information about impedance dropping down as low as 3.2 ohms suggests that these boxes are not really good partners for such low-power tube amps. These do not tolerate such impedance drops too well. CABASSE in „High Fidelity”; TEST: Cabasse JERSEY MT32 (Polish) – loudspeakers Recordings used for the test (a selection) AC/DC, Live, EPIC, E2 90553, LP Alan Silvestri, Predator, Intrada MAF 7118, CD/FLAC Arne Domnerus, Antiphone blues, Proprius PRCD 7744, CD/FLAC Cannonball Adderley, Somethin' else, Classic Records BST 1595-45, LP Coleman Hawkins, The Hawk Flies High, Riverside Records/Mobile Fidelity MFSL, 1-290, LP Isao Suzuki, Blow up, Three Blind Mice B000682FAE, CD/FLAC John Coltrane, Blue train, Blue Note TOJJ-6505 (BN-1577), LP John McLaughlin Trio, Que alegria, Verve B00000478E, CD 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 Mahler, Symphony no. 1, EMI Classical/ Hi-Q Records HIQSXR35, Supercuts XRCD24 McCoy Tyner, Solo: Live from San Francisco, Half Note Records B002F3BPSQ, CD/FLAC Michał Wróblewski Trio, City album, Ellite Records, CD/FLAC Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain, Columbia PC8271, LP Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro, dyr. Teodor Currentzis, MusicAeterna Orchestra, Sony Classical B00GK8P1EG, LP Pavarotti, The 50 greatest tracks, Decca 478 5944, CD/FLAC Renaud Garcia-Fons, Oriental bass, Enja B000005CD8, CD/FLAC The Ray Brown Trio, Summer Wind, Concord Jazz CCD-4426, CD/FLAC Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] I started with one of the Aga Zaryan's albums. From the first moment I was impressed by the presentation of the vocal, and as soon as they came out, also with the particularly vivid percussion instruments in the background. Aga's vocal was first of all big in volume, and secondly, amazingly natural. I was truly surprised by Jerseys, because although four thousand Polish zlotys is a lot of money for a regular Joe, in the audiophile terms it is just an "entry-level". Apparently, the new Cabasse coaxial driver benefits from the vast experience of company's engineers, and even though it can be assumed that had to meet some particular cost criteria, they have apparently done their job perfectly. With the placement I found optimal in my room, some 50 cm from the rear wall, slightly toed-in, the Cabasse rendered a soundstage starting behind the line of speakers. The vocalist never stepped in front of this line, and yet she was able to focus my attention on her completely. The rest of the band was placed clearly behind her on a fairly deep stage. Each of the instruments was precisely placed on the stage and even if their outlines were not clearly described, they were three-dimensional, they had mass which was enough to convince me that the band was only a few meters away. In one of the tracks producer used a nice trick moving Ms. Aga step by step towards the back of the stage while instruments, one by one, appeared now in front of her. Interestingly the MC170 were able to present that really well. I mean her movement was smooth, as if she was actually walking, or rather drifting away. The piano moved now to the foreground of the stage became bigger and louder, and the sound was almost realistically deep. The only element that did not work out as well as I would have liked, was my favorite double bass. Let me point out that while I like this recording as a whole a lot for its intimate, addictive atmosphere, the bass is a bit overblown. The Cabasse did not add anything here, but they did not try to discipline it either and played it just as it was recorded. So the instrument was large, heavy and powerful but there was a bit more wood in the sound, so the individual sounds were dragged, sometimes they sounded a bit dull. This album showed me, however, that the Jerseys feature two woofers for a reason, not just for show. They can create an impression of a low, deep bass, even in such a recording. It was time to play some higher quality (in this respect, I mean) recordings. Instead of listening to one of Ray Brown's or Garcia Renauld-Fonse's albums I played... Al di Meola's Flesh on flesh. I will get back to the master's guitar in a moment, but first, it was supposed to be about bass, although this time an electric one. It did not have the same weight as with my Ubiq Audio Model One speakers, but that was easily explained by the difference in size (of both, woofer and whole loudspeaker). It was clear, however, that Jerseys were quite capable in this respect. With fast passages they presented short, tight, even quite “hard” bass, and when needed, bass went deep down allowing me to not only hear but also feel lowest notes. These French loudspeakers differentiated and saturated low range nicely, as well as the rest of the band, with a large dose of energy. This was not as extremely energetic performance, as for example the absolutely unique in this respect Bryston Mini-A (Polish) but still impressive. The Cabasse at first glance did not impress me as boxes that would really rock, but they actually did it sounded easy, unconstrained. Hence, with an album such as Flesh on flesh it was impossible to play it in a background while doing something else. There is a lot going on in this music and the Jerseys were able to communicate (I would even say: surprisingly well given their price) so much information that there was no time to relax, to do something else because in the opposite side of the room, mostly (but not only) between the speakers constantly something attracted my attention. It was master's acoustic guitar sounding very natural, and a moment later an electric “fleshy”, fast, agile guitar and then cymbals shimmering gently just to change a pace within a splinter of a second to sound fast, powerful and almost aggressive. Leaving the acoustic bass session for later, I reached for a few more jazz-rock and rock albums. Those belonging to the former genre sounded really good because of the high quality of these recordings nicely conveyed by the reviewed speakers. The Jersey MC170, as I have already mentioned, are not particularly analytical, nor tonally perfectly neutral, but it doesn't mean that there is any (that I noticed) tendency to “improve” poorly sounding recordings. They did really well even when playing faster tracks, nicely differentiating the whole range, surprising me with their dynamic range and kicking it with mid and upper bass really strongly. They nicely saturated and differentiated the midrange, where after all most “action” is happening in such music, while sounding also pure and quite transparent too. The latter elements had a big impact on the perception of the whole presentation, which seemed rather bright. Not too bright, but clear open and transparent enough to create this impression, which was surprising considering the price tag on these boxes. Also, many loudspeakers, especially those (relatively) inexpensive, are voiced with some emphasis in the lower midrange / upper bass range to make them sound more “friendly”, but it seems Cabasse engineers did not choose to use this trick. While listening to many different recordings sometimes I even wished they had, because I personally like more tangible and the present. Sure, it is a coloration of the sound, which objectively should be avoided, but it does often make listening even more enjoyable especially with lesser quality albums. While listening to the above mentioned albums of John McLaughlin or Pat Metheny I also could not just sit back relaxed, because of tones of details, or usually less "audible" elements of the music, when played with Jersey constantly attracted attention. It was not about intrusive presentation of details, about emphasizing them - such a performance might be good to analyze the correctness of the recording, but not when it comes to enjoying music. A credit for this feature, as well as for the openness and clarity of this sound, and also for the extraordinary coherence I have not yet mentioned, goes to this new coaxial driver. A coherence is an intrinsic feature of this type of speakers – in the MC170 the coaxial plays the range from 700 Hz up (the tweeter takes over from 3600 Hz) and acts as a point source. This combines into a presentation, which in terms of coherence is difficult to match using two separate, classic transducers. As I mentioned, I listened to several rock records. Those when played with Jersey MC170 sounded... sometimes really well and in some cases not that good. A bit pop, mostly electronic Genesis album seemed to sound quite "shrill" – that's were the above mentioned “emphasis” in lower midrange could come handy. Collins' vocal also sounded rather bright, with strongly emphasized sibilants, and the cymbals tended to sound "glassy". This does not really prove weakness of Cabasse, because they only conveyed the nature of this recording, without sugar-coating it, without making it sound better than the actual recording. Next albums proved that, despite belonging to a price range that suggests pairing with inexpensive electronics and so a need to partially “cover” for its shortcomings, the Jersey MC170's performance is more “high fidelity” than that of most of their competitors. It has its advantages and disadvantages. The good thing is they can be combined with a system with more expensive components and they won't necessarily be the weakest link, they won't color the sound, they won't impose their own sonic character. The downside, or should I say “downside” is that they won't do a job of hiding shortcoming of accompanying system or of the played recordings too well. Genesis was one example, another was Dire Straits Money for nothing album, where the poor quality of bass guitar or drums recording (when played from 24/96 files) was painfully obvious. Especially the drums sounded very artificial somewhat in opposition to the Knopfler's well-recorded vocals and guitar. Most of the loudspeakers, even a little more expensive one, let you forget the weaknesses of this recording in one way or another and make sound more “friendly”, better. But again, that's not a real downside of the Jerseys if you after the truth about the recordings you play. This is actually an advantage when it comes to playing good quality music, such as most Pink Floyd and many Led Zeppelin albums. They impress with dynamics, are able to show fast, fairly tight bass, well reflect the springiness of the drums, cymbals "chirp" nicely and are not monotonous due to a good differentiation, the sound is open, full of air, and the essence of such music, electric guitars' performance, sounds great. There is proper drive, they sound “fleshy”, sometimes harsh and even sharply when needed. Floyd's discs were beautifully rendered with all the fun spatial elements – that's a strong side of the tested loudspeakers. Sounds appeared not only in the space between the speakers but also far beyond them, thus creating a huge soundstage surrounding listener. Finally, I came back to acoustic, well-recorded bass with Christian McBride's, Isao Suzuki, Ray Brown's albums. And again, it was confirmed that these French speakers needed a good quality material to present their full potential. The double basses in the hands of such masters of this instrument were powerful, agile, fast, colorful (not colored) and each time, in every song, different. The McBride Trio's "live" recording showed that the Jersey MC170 may not be the masters of conveying room's acoustics, but again let me remind you what price level they represent, and in that context they do a very good job. And because the reactions of audience (quite spontaneous on this album) were convincingly conveyed, so this lack of such a prominently “audible” room did not really matter and I did enjoy listening to this album anyway. Same goes for other live recordings – each time proper dose of fun was guaranteed. Summary In most cases when I know that I would be reviewing some 4 kPLN speakers I also know I have to prepare myself for several compromises in sound quality. The Cabasse Jersey MC170 are not perfect speakers, of course, but it is difficult to point out any obvious weaknesses. Sure, more expensive competitors will present many aspects in even better way, but that's what one pays more money for. The new coaxial driver, which reproduces midrange and treble, performs exceptionally well. It delivers clear, transparent, well differentiated performance, with nicely conveyed timbre of vocals and instruments. The whole presentation is open, spatial and well organized. The two woofers supported by down-firing bass-reflex might not perform as remarkably as coaxial driver, but they their job very well too (this is, of course, just my theory, but I believe that the coaxial driver could be used even for more expensive models with higher grade woofers). Bass is nicely extended even it doesn't cover the very lowest part of the range, it is not rounded-up in the bottom, not colored in any part. How the bass performs depends mostly on the recording and its quality. It was obvious when playing tracks with well-recorded bass, bass guitar or drums, which Cabasse presented in an unconstrained way with a large amount of energy, clean and with good control and definition. The Jersey MC170 are not this type, that is very forgiving, so one needs to make sure that the accompanying system offers a good quality, balanced presentation so that it delivers maximum information to the speakers and they will return the favor by rendering a quality, engaging performance. The high fidelity and good performance are not the only advantages of this model. The manufacturer hasn't forgotten about high quality make&finish which makes Jersey a nice piece of furniture their owner might proudly place in their living-room. The Jersey MC170 are mid-size floor-standing 3-way loudspeakers measuring less than 1 m tall and with a narrow, 21cm front baffle. They attract attention with high quality make and finish and unusual (for this price range) presence of a coaxial driver. This transducer is a new unit marked with the symbol 10T15MC. This is a development of a designed used previously for Cabasse's Eole model. Below, still on the front baffle, one finds two woofers. These are also new models marked with 17TN20. Both share the size (170 mm) and the characteristic shape, same as the drivers used in the previous model, Jersey MT32, but the membrane is definitely different, although the manufacturer does not share information about what it is made of. These speakers feature a vented cabinets with down-firing bass-reflex port. To ensure optimum distance between the b-r port outlet and the first reflecting surface, manufacturer added a plinth which is fixed to the bottom of each cabinet to ensure correct distance. Four solid, adjustable spikes are screwed into it, and the small protective pads are also provided to protect the floor. The cabinets are made of MDF. Unlike n the case of their predecessors, these are not classic rectangular boxes. The front baffle is slightly wider than the rear one, while the side walls are slightly rounded, which allowed designers to avoid too many parallel surfaces, thus preventing formation of standing waves inside cabinets. There are four types of finishes – tow cheaper ones: black mahogany and white oak; and two more expensive ones with five layers of white or black glossy lacquer. The plinths are finished with black mat color. A solid plate with a pair of single speaker connectors is located at the rear of the enclosure. The loudspeakers come fitted with elegant grilles. The manufacturer opted for magnet-mounted ones so that their assembly is very simple, and when listening without them, the user does not have to look at usually not very aesthetic mounting holes, nor worry about often broken (especially with less expensive models) mounting pins. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Ways: 3 Drivers: 1 x 10T15MC, 2 x 17 cm 17TN20 Sensitivity: 90 dB Nominal impedance: 8 Ω Minimal impedance: 3.2 Ω Frequency range: 57 – 20 000 Hz Crossover points: 700, 3600 Hz Power handling: 100 W Peak power: 700 W Dimensions (HxWxD): 990 x 210 x 300 mm Weight: 15 kg/pc. [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/cabasse/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

torm Mk2 firmy Acoustic Signature, along with the cheaper Challenger Mk3 and the more expensive Thunder Mk2, belong to the subgroup of the company's turntables, which we call mass-loaders, with a minimalist chassis. Except for the Triple X all cheaper models in the offer feature a classic look, ie they sport a rectangular base, are also relatively light, and all the more expensive ones are rather heavy, but their chassis are extremely elaborate, in the top model Invictus its chassis actually turns into a full size rack. The Storm Mk2 can be equipped with three motors and / or three arms. For an additional armbase one has to pay 880 PLN, and the for the motor 2960 PLN. The look of the Storm Mk2 turntable is quite distinctive and refers to the iconic turntable by Michell Engineering. Its base is round and has a diameter slightly bigger than the platter. The latter is 50 mm high, the base is 45 mm, hence the Storm Mk2 looks really solid. This impression is emphasized by large feet, which slightly stick out outside this contour. And that was the idea – to minimize vibrations, and at the same time having a large weight. The German turntable weighing 31 kg meets both of these assumptions. The Acoustic Signature, led by Mr. Gunther Frohnhöfer, develops quietly, without any rush, applying modifications and changes based on their experience with the new models, but also on feedback from their customers. Probably this was an origin of idea for the 2nd version of the Storm deck. The original version we tested in the "High Fidelity" in 2012. The Mk2 version came out a year later and is still on sale. What's most important The basic construction element of AS turntables is the main bearing called Tidorfolon. We describe what it stands for in each Acoustic Signature test, but it does not hurt to repeat the basic information. Tidorfolon is relatively soft but extremely abrasion resistant. It is an alloy of vanadium, Teflon and titanium, from which the bad for a hard ball is made. The latter is fitted into a hardened steel axle. The bearing linings are made of sintered bronze which is self-lubricating and therefore maintenance free. These elements work together so well that after they have been fitted together, fifteen minutes is enough for failure-free, precise operation for ten years without interruption. The second characteristic feature are the so-called "silencers". These are brass rolls mounted near the perimeter of the plate, serving to damp it and give it more weight. We find them in most turntables of this manufacturer, and the more expensive model the more of them it features. There are eight of them in Storm Mk2. The Silencers minimize vibration near 15 kHz by 80 dB, and with them the resonance decay takes less than 20ms, just 1/10th the time of an undampened platter (more HERE). Golden discs, clearly cut off on the top surface of the plate, simply look nice, so it's no wonder that manufacturer decided to cut out holes in the optional leather mat to keep them visible. Additional damping of the platter is provided by a damping material fitted to the bottom. The Mk2 differs from Mk1 also with a larger platter weight and improved power supply, now in Beta DIG version. The control panel looks very interesting because it seems to be part of the chassis while it actually does not really touch it, preventing the vibration from being transmitted to the turntable. There are two buttons - on / off and change the speed. It is a pity that there is no LED indicating this change, so we do not know at what speed the platter turns. This control panel was used previously in Challenger. The reviewed unit sport a more advanced version of power supply, costing an additional 3060 PLN, Storm PS-1. It's a small, solid box that can be placed somewhere far away from the turntable. Tonearm The Storm Mk2 can be used with 9 to 12 inches tonearms. At one time, AS offered their turntables with arms manufactured for them in an OEM system by, among others, Rega and SME, but in October 2014 they introduced their own tonearms: TA-1000 (9, 10 and 12"), followed by the next ever better models: TA-3000, TA-5000 and costing almost 78,000 PLN, TA-9000. The tested unit featured the 9 "(6160 PLN) version of TA-1000. This is a pivoting tonearm with gimbaled bearings and the precise miniature bearing are made by the German company SKF. The arm tube is made of carbon fiber and is extremely durable. It owes it to its specific structure – there is inner and outer tube. There are three connecting elements along the whole length of both tubes. This creates a very rigid tube but still having a high damping and resonance poverty and it is also very light-weight. The arm offers all the classic adjustment, including VTA and azimuth. The latter is implemented in a precise way. Just near the bearings, where the arm is mounted to the aluminum element, one has to unscrew three screws and turn the arm within the +/- 5º range. In turn, adjusting VTA is very simple: unscrew the clamping bolt in which the column of the arm moves and move it up or down. After finding the correct height, screw the screw back. The downside is that this operation is that it can not be performed "on the fly", only with the raised arm, and since there is no scale it is difficult to set precise setting. The arm is wired with the 1877 Phono cable that runs from pin inserts to the solid nextGen WBT plugs. Together with the arm we receive tools helping in setting up the tonearm and cartridge. With them the pickup calibration is quite simple. The Storm Mk2 was reviewed with Miyajima Laboratory Madake cartridge and RCM Audio Sensor Prelude IC phonostage. I used exactly the same components a few days before when reviewing Kronos Pro Ltd. (in Polish) with additional power supply, although Kronos was placed on the Franc Audio Accessories Modular (in Polish) rack while Acoustic Signature on Finite Elemente Pagode Edition, in exactly the same spot as the three-motor Thunder Mk2 (in Polish) one did. The deck rests on three massive, adjustable feet. Since the top shelf of Finite Elemente rack is made of a soft wood I decided to use Acoustic Revive SPU-4 under the feet and CP-4 under SPU-4. I used Storm Mk2 also in my reviews of: Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC and Hana SL cartridges. Usually when reviewing turntable I decide to use one of the Pathe Wings clamps, that differ with the material they are made of and thus their weight. This time I preferred the sound without any clamp. It was faster, more open and focused. The clamp added some more weight to the sound and reduced the width of the soundstage. You should try it yourself as your preferences might be different than mine. ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE in „High Fidelity” TEST: Acoustic Signature PRIMUS (Polish) - turntable TEST: Acoustic Signature THUNDER (3-MOTORS) + TA-1000 (EnjoyTheMusic.com) – turntable + tonearm TEST: Acoustic Signature TRIPLE X – turntable TEST: Acoustic Signature STORM – turntable Records used for the test (a selection) POLISH JAZZ. Modern Jazz From Poland 1963-1975, Jazzanova Compost Records JRC 007, LP (1999) Count Basie & Tony Bennett, Basie/Bennett, Roulette/Classic Records SR 25 072, “45 rpm series”, 4 x one side pressing, 180 g LP Czesław Niemen, Niemen – vol. 1, Polskie Nagrania „Muza” SX 0895, LP (1973) Julie London, Julie is her name – vol. II, Liberty/Analogue Productions APP7100, 180 g LP (1958/2014) Skaldowie, Rezerwat miłości, Polskie Nagrania „Muza” SX 1763, LP (1979) Skalpel, Transit, PlugAudio PL02, 2 x 180 g LP (2014) Soyka, Acoustic, Zig-Zac P1/91, LP (1991) Wes Montgomery & Wynton Kelly Trio, Smokin’ At The Half Note, Verve/Universal Music K.K. [Japan] UCJU-9083, 200 g LP (1965/2007) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] Those of you who had the opportunity to see me in the Premium Sound showroom in Gdansk did not quite get what I promised them. The meeting called “Touched by High Fidelity”, part of Tour de Pologne, on the one hand, was an opportunity to present the Emerald HF speakers, including my sound preferences, on the other an opportunity to discuss speaker placement, the best ways to set up and connect components, and so on. However, it so happened that I got carried away and spoke mostly about music, how it is being recorded and released and thus what one should look out for during the listening sessions. I apologize to everyone I failed, but it was probably inevitable – after all, this whole hobby is about music. And probably this is the best way to popularize your views and opinions, not just dry data and facts. It does not mean that this time I shall skip the methodology that I have worked out, but only that I will shed a bit of light on it. The test methodology is governed by its laws. One needs to determine all the basic sound elements of a given product, then project it on the performance of other similarly priced products and finally evaluate it. The tests you read in "High Fidelity" are actually a form of notes, reflections, conclusions. Their "raw" version includes the perception of specific albums and tracks. So I suggest this time, to break the routine, something similar to the "first version" of the test, which only later is synthesized the final text. I would like to take a look at four records I bought within two weeks before Storm Mk2 arrived, and it so happened these were all Polish ones. Then we shall move to a short review of the discs I usually use during turntables' reviews, and finally to the summary. I'm talking about individual discs, because it's only when we know where the recording came from, how it was prepared, we can better understand the music itself, and why the record sounds one way or the other. And at the very end one can try to evaluate the sound of the device used to play this particular music. SOYKA, Acoustic Zig-Zac P1/91, LP (1991) The Stanisław Soyka album Acoustic was released in 1991 by the Zig-Zac label. Recorded in August 1990 by Peter Sedlaczek in Krakow's studio STU (also first few Maanam's recording were made there) and in Szczecin Polish Radio's studios, were mixed in Warsaw in the Polish Radio S-4 Studio with Leszek Kamiński, who was soon to become the most important Polish sound producer. It was an analog recording and so was the mix. The vinyl version, however, is a rarity, and the recordings are known primarily from the 2002 CD (Pomaton EMI) reissue. An interesting fact - the Wikipedia.pl informs that the recordings were made in Wisla Studio, and the Internet Catalog of Polish Gramophone Records claims that it was Joanna Sedlaczek who produced this record. Where do these discrepancies come from? I do not know. The LP version sounds “light”, you can even say that too lightly. The Storm Mk2 presented the voice closely while the rather light sounding and slightly colored piano was placed in the back. Still, the sound was not dry or too bright (it's obviously relative, but I'm talking about my impressions). AS did not seem to make sound brighter or dry. And when in I Never Felt This Before came the bass and drums, sound got deeper, more slummy. After a while I realized that bass was rather monotonous. But that's how it sounded on the records and the turntable only presented it accurately without making it softer. So the low range, despite the fact it was quite tight was not tiring, I accepted it as it was. The top end was soft, without particular selectivity and resolution. Nevertheless, the “spirit” of the event was there, rising above all, making sense of the whole performance. In turn, the relations between instruments were conveyed perfectly. SKALDOWIE, Rezerwat miłości Polskie Nagrania „Muza” SX 1763, LP (1979) I have two copies of this album. I bought this one because for 25 PLN I got a mint version (unfortunately without an insert). The downsides are quite high numbering of the matrix - A-2 / B-3. Well, but it contains such evergreens as Wierniejsza od marzenia and Dopóki jesteś. From my point of view more interesting are other tracks, though - those with Wladyslaw Komendarek on synthesizers. At the time he was a member of the Exodus band. Wikipedia.pl wrongly ignores his participation in the Nie widzę ciebie w swych marzeniach, mentioning only that Stanislaw Wenglorz guest starred in it. The material on this disc is recorded in various ways, i.e. the idea for a sound differs from a track to track. There are also some common elements, such as a narrow soundstage and rolled off both range extremes. Vocals sounds very distinctly because they are limited only to a middle of the range. If, however, we know what we are listening to, we can easily find a "testimony" of the times in this album – similarly to Soyka record - and then these defects become traits, and these turn into a particular story. All the more so because there are excellent fragments here, like Jerzy Tarsinski's guitar solos in the Jasny dzień przynosisz and passages with Komendarek's synthesizers. The reviewed turntable showed these elements clearly, but without unduly emphasizing the defects. The difference between this record and the previously listened to, Soyka's one was huge, their musical and sonic aesthetics were clear. They both shared a kind of "fidelity" to the spirit of music, ie if the Acoustic was to be bright and light, it was so, and if the Rezerwat... was supposed to be rather warm and dense, it was. The turntable worked well with these records as a "relay" that was trying to stay in the shadows. Which does not mean it was clinically cold, far from it! POLISH JAZZ. Modern Jazz From Poland 1963-1975 Jazzanova Compost Records JRC 007, LP (1999) The international popularity of Polish jazz from the 1960s and 1970s is due in part to the activity of our musicians at that time in the West and on the other to the discovery of this music by DJs. In Poland, it was primarily performed by the Skalpel duo, and behind our western border it was a group of Berlin's DJs and Jazzanowa producers. Not only did he use samples like Skalpel, but he also released two LPs from PJ: Polish Jazz. Modern Jazz From Poland 1963-1975, with Kurylewicz, Wroblewski and Milian music, as well as recordings of NOVI Singers vocal group. On the cover of the first one one reads that the recordings obtained a legal license and that the material was remastered from the "original master tapes". It is not clear, however, whether Jazzanova actually was given access to the original tapes, or the material was copied from Polish tapes and delivered to Germany in a digital form. I would bet the latter. Mainly because the tracks on this disc are quite dark, and they are not particularly refined in terms of imaging. The 2016 digital remaster of Polish Jazz records, including Go Right , from which we have the song Naymaland here, sounds much better. But there is some of this raw intensity of jazz music, of its wildness, not quite defined status, on this album which I know from the original edition. The 2016 remaster is a bit polished and nice sounding. Here the sound is not as resolving and yet exceptionally reliable. I can not explain it otherwise than by the way the German gramophone showed the soundstage. Its layers are differentiated by a different acoustics of each instrument, and by how their volume (size) changes - when the saxophone, in the above mentioned track, plays far in the back, it has a different tone and is smaller than the instruments from the foreground. Once again, one can hear a precise, accurate bass, which is a bit muffled again – it so happens that all the so far pressed records sound this way. Differences in the way the low notes are presented are clear between them, but probably the whole concept is what is most important. Bo Kondren, responsible for the remastering of this material, made sure that all the songs sound as coherent as possible, even though they'd come from different sessions and from different years. So he cut a low bass and rolled off the treble. The cymbals are massive and heavy, but they are not really extended toward the top and so they are not as realistic as on the new remasters. CZESŁAW NIEMEN, Niemen – vol. 1 (Marionetki) Polskie Nagrania „Muza” SX 0895, LP (1973) This is a special album. Niemen invited the, at the time amateur, Silesian Bluses Band (SBB) to play with him. The group debuted on December 22nd, 1971, and a year later, along with Helmut Nadolski, they presented the songs that were later included on a two-disc album known as Marionetki. The Polish Recordings (Warner) have just released their re-release in the form of a two-disc album using a digital remaster prepared by Eleonora Atalay, Niemen's daughter (Jacek Gawłowski converted analogue material to the digital version). I have several copies of this album, and I bought this one because it was in a very good condition and was signed by Skrzek, Apostolis and Piotrowski, ie SBB members. Unfortunately, it was pressed using very high numbers matrix: A-3 and B-6, so it is not a perfect copy. In addition, it was quite a late re-release, because the “L” from the original sign of “SXL” disappeared, leaving only the “SX”. One can also easily hear the difference. This is another, after the Skaldowie, dark recording, so characteristic of the 1970s and 1980s in Polish Recordings. There were more pops and cracks than on of the previously listened to records and actually it was the first one that, when listening to, made me fully aware that music was played from vinyl. Previously it was not that obvious, because the German turntable suppresses the pops and cracks very well, giving the listener a comfort of listening to the music itself. Equally low is the background noise. Marionetki sounded, as already mentioned, in a dark way, without a clear treble. All layers of the soundstage were presented pretty close to listener, unlike on the original (blue and red) editions. That's how they should sound like, and they do on this release. On the copies pressed using matrices with lower numbers there is bit more treble and it is more accurate but it does not change a general character of this presentation. The Storm Mk2 presented accurate tones, colors and managed to keep me on my toes while waiting for what was coming next. Pace&rhythm are one of the key feature of this turntable. Here, however, the ability to keep everything on a high level all the time was especially important and it translated into a particularly pleasant listening experience. The rest It so happened that all the records I received during this test were discs with Polish music (apart from already mentioned ones there was also an album called Omni by a group of the same name). This turntable dealt with their weaknesses perfectly. It was a deep, distinctive performance, the differentiation was above average, and the dynamics was impressive. All of them also shared some features that I verified later with some modern AAA pressings. With them the treble opened and the bass was much better extended. It was a full-band presentation with a great focus. It was incredibly refined. There were also some things confirmed that I had heard before, but I was not sure whether it they came from records or the turntable. Like the mid-bass that was slightly emphasized and not so well differentiated as with the more expensive Thunder Mk2 model of the same company, nor is it was as rich as with the cheaper Triple X. Here we get a better focus and greater dynamics. But this part of the range averaged. In turn, the treble, especially its upper part, is a bit darker than, for example, delivered by the Transrotor and SME decks. This can be corrected with a more open sounding cartridge, but I do not know if it is worth it. I would not trade it for these almost inaudible pops and cracks, and this amazing coherence with the midrange. But the choice is not mine – it's yours if you decide to purchase this deck. Summary I hope you did not get bored reading about particular records. To tell you the truth, that's how my job as a reviewer looks like. The fact that you usually receive the synthesis and extraction from it is inevitable, otherwise each test would have to be two or even three times longer, and no one would be able to stand it. And I would have to write half the texts. But I think that even this one time will help you better understand the sound of this turntable and to let you confront it with your expectations. It offers a dark, dense, very mature performance. The differentiation is above average, giving an insight into every disc that speaks with its "own" voice. At the same time, however, there is emphasis on the attack phase despite the high dynamics, which stops the differentiation in the right spot for the sound not to become too analytic. Analyzing the sound is our job not turntable's. Pops and cracks are almost inaudible, as it the background noise, and the presentations is refined – that's what we get with any record, whether it is Julie is her name - vol. II by Julie London (by the way, the recordings were made in a all-solid-state studio in 1958!) or the one-sided 45-rpm records from the Basie / Bennet set. The turntable emphasizes part of a mid-bass and delivers a slightly dark treble. I think it's a low price to pay for so many other advantages this turntable has to offer. Most of the details of the Storm Mk2 design are identical to what we wrote about the more expensive Thunder Mk2. The following description was therefore modified only where it was required. Chassis + platter The Storm Mk2 is a mass-loader that is not decoupled in any way, ie it features neither a decoupled sub-chassis nor any soft element in any other place. The turntable is made of aluminum - 50 mm platter weighing 11 kg and 45 mm chassis. The whole device weighs 31 kg. The feet are very solid and have small adjustable elements that allow user to level the deck. It can be equipped with three tonearms and three motors. The platter is dampened in two ways – with brass, gold-plated "silencers", ie inserts placed inside platter close to its perimeter. As declared by the manufacturer, they are most effective in the 400-6000 Hz range. Underneath there is another vibration damping element. A leather mat is applied to the top – an element characteristic for this manufacturer. In order not to lose sight of the golden "silencers" there are cut-outs in the mat. Main bearing The Storm Mk2 features a bearing that uses a material called Tidorfolon. This is an alloy of vanadium, Teflon and titanium which is relatively soft, yet extremely resistant to abrasion. It creates a bed for an extremely hard tungsten carbide ball, combined with the axis passing through the plate. The axis is made of hardened, polished steel. The bearing linings are made of aged sinter bronze, which is self-lubricating material and therefore maintenance free. These elements work together so well that after they have been fitted together, fifteen minutes of work are enough to the bearing to work seamlessly with utmost precision for ten years. In each subsequent version the parameters are improved for both abrasion and the fit. The company is confident enough to offer a 10-year guarantee on the bearing. Power supply + motor The power supply is provided by an electronic system called BetaDIG, which works with a synchronous AC motor. The controller is a separate component, but it slides in front of the turntable, from the bottom, so it looks like it was permanently attached. Its core is DSP chip and quartz clock. The motor voltage is output from the rear of the housing, using a multi-pin gold-plated RS-232 socket. In fact, apart from the RJ-45 (Ethernet) socket for the external power supply, there are three RS-232 jacks. This power supply is adapted for special arrangement with three motors - the one we tested once with the Thunder Mk3 model. This controller features two buttons. One turns the power on and the other one selects the speed. The former is accompanied by a red LED and the latter sports no indicator. The synchronous motor, is made by - as the manufacturer says - "one of European companies". It is sealed in a large, solid milled aluminum housing that is filled with vibration damping material. It is stands on several rubber cones - it is the only decoupling element in this turntable. The axle is fitted with a large aluminum pulley with a belt cut. The belt is made of rubber. It is seamless with a square cross section. It is placed around the platter. The tested version of the turntable received a higher quality power supply than the standard one. The Storm PS-1 is a pretty box with aluminum front and blue LED. Tonearm The chassis for Storm Mk2, Challenger Mk3, and Thunder mk2 are designed is such a way that the chassis itself and an armbase are two separate elements, joined by a thick flat bar that can be moved to adjust the distance for 9, 10 or 12" tonearms. We tested a 9'' version of the Acoustic Signature TA-1000. This is a pivoting tonearm with gimbaled bearings and these precise miniature bearings are made by the German company SKF. The arm tube is made of carbon fiber and features the same diameter along its whole length. In fact there are two tubes, one inside the other with three connecting elements along the whole length of both tubes. This creates a very rigid tube but still having a high damping and resonance poverty which is also very light-weight. Hence no additional damping elements were needed. The wiring runs in the inner-tube. It's made of 6N copper placed in Teflon. There are two options – the one in the reviewed unit included seamless wire that runs from pin inserts to the solid nextGen WBT plugs. The cable is made by 1877 Phono. Deck features a plastic tonearm holder – not a very elegant solution but it works fine. The TA-1000 does not have a classic headshell. Instead, there is a flat element screwed to the aluminum tip with a single screw. I've seen it a couple of times before, for example in the Clearaudio Verify and Unify tonearms. The cartridge is screwed to a metal plate and it moves forward and backward while changing the azimuth at the same time. This is a bit more difficult to handle than with more popular solutions, but it can be mastered. Especially that user receives also a cartridge calibration tool with the tonearm - a metal plate with a small auxiliary element that sets the arm's distance. The counterweight is made of brass - turning it, one moves it forward or backward. The thread is fine so one can adjust the VTF for a cartridge accurately. After selecting the right value, one fixes the counterweight with three small screws. VTA adjustment is not so easy to operate because it's a classic buckle clamping the column of the arm without the scale. The anti-skating system looks nice, although it's a classic John Crabble, once the chief of Hi-Fi News, solution. It's just a string and a weight. The weight moves inside an aluminum housing, which prevents the weight from swinging too much. Specifications (according the manufacturer) Storm Mk2 Motor: Synchronous, electronically regulated, Power-decoupled through an S-Alpha supply, switch for speed adjustment. Bearing: TIDORFOLON Chassis: 45 mm, aluminum Platter: 50 mm, aluminum Speeds: 33 1/3, 45 rpm Power supply: 100 V – 260 V AC Weight: 31 - 35 kg, depending on configuration Color: black or silver TA-1000 Total length: 9” | 252 mm Mounting distance: 222 mm Effective length: 237 mm Effective mass: 9.3 g [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/acoustics/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

y adventure with Kondo and their products started a few years ago. As an introduction to the coverage of my trip to Japan I decided to write a few words about it on HiFiKnights.com – you might want to visit it first (see HERE) or just keep reading here. Trip to Japan Trip to Japan, especially considering that it was the first one for me, was exciting enough, but adding a visit to Kondo factory on top of that, meeting all people behind the amplifiers that left such a profound impression on me, was simply something else. The highly anticipated day finally came. A huge upside of time that passed between pitching an idea for this trip and it actually happening was a new direct connection between Warsaw Airport and Narita Tokyo. It's a long trip, all right, so a direct flight on board of a Dreamliner was highly appreciated. After a long, lasting more than 10 hours flight, we touched down on Narita on Thursday morning. Fortunately due to mindful planning of our hosts we had a full day ahead to rest and adjust to a 7 hours time difference. The hot, humid conditions we faced were another factor to get used to. I was tired but excited! Seeing Tokyo for the first time was a special experience and on top of that there was this anticipation of a next day's visit to Kondo headquarters. Peaceful residential area close to Kondo HQ Tokyo is a huge city with over 13,5 million inhabitants, and the Great Tokyo Area adds another several millions to that number making it an unbelievably crowded city. Kondo's factory, however, is located in a residential area of the Kawasaki city in the Kanagawa prefecture. After a wonderful evening spent in a traditional Japanese restaurant tasting real Japanese cuisine for the first time and a long sleep, on Friday morning, we took a train to get to Audio Note Japan's HQ from our hotel, planning to arrive around 10 a.m. there. By arriving at this hour we hoped to get there right after the morning staff's meeting. Traveling by a train around Tokyo area deserves a separate story. We were so happy having a guide who took care of us, especially after we saw dozens of tourists on every station studying maps, using every app available in their phones to find directions to get to their destinations. They looked really frustrated... :) We were told that the whole team meets every morning to first of all plan their work for the day but also to exchange experiences, share knowledge and to pitch new ideas. With such a small team of specialists, as there are actually 7-8 people working in Kondo's HQ, each of them contributes in many ways not only to the production but also products development and everyday activity of the company. Such morning brainstorms are surely a good way to exchange new ideas and to make sure all the processes go as smooth as possible and the happy customers around the world get their dreamed Kondo devices. Walking from the station to the factory through this quiet neighborhood let us appreciate the choice of the location, surely much more friendly than the city center or some industrial zone. By the way, the company changed its location several years ago, after Mr Kondo's passing so it is not the same you might have read about in reports from several years ago. On our way we passed by a nice, small temple that, as we were told, is “watching over” Kondo's headquarters and team's well-being. Despite all the excitement and anticipation we took our time to get a closer look at it (it might be a shrine, though – sorry, but the difference between these two still eludes me despite Masaki-San's efforts to explain it to me). Even with this small delay we finally arrived at THE door around 10 a.m. as we planned. A beautiful temple near Kondo HQ I know that not everybody loves Kondo products as much as I do, but try to imagine yourself in front of the door leading to the company that you appreciate, admire most. Do that and you might start to feel the way I did at this very moment – excited but not really sure what awaits me inside. The present location of the factory is quite inconspicuous – I guess many people could pass right next to it without realizing that it is the place where true audio magic happens. As mentioned before, it is a residential area and the facilities occupy the ground floor of a regular apartment building. Writing on the glass door says: “Audio Note” and there is a not so big plaque with the famous logo and the name of the company in Japanese next to it. And that's it – nothing fancy, nothing that would scream out loud: this is THE place where some of THE BEST tube amplifiers in the world are made! I guess that would be against Japanese nature in general, and surely against Masaki-San's in particular. As I'd met him before a few times I knew already that he is a modest, humble man despite all that he has already achieved running this company. Since we talked about the company with Masaki-San few times before I knew it was not a big firm. It actually employs less than 10 people. And yet the first thing that came to my mind after crossing the door was: wow! the place is smaller than I'd expected. Later, after the tour, I realized that the space was absolutely sufficient and there was no reason for additional square meters (as you might imagine probably quite pricey in Tokyo), but at first this disproportion between great things this company has achieved that took Kondo to the top of the audio world and the size of the team and this space was simply astonishing. That's amazing what a small, dedicated, passionate team of highly skilled and driven people is able to achieve. No matter what's your opinion about Kondo products you have to admit that it is one of the most recognizable audio brands in the audiophile world. It looked so different from any other factory I'd visited before. It's basically one large (well, not so large) open space plus a separate listening/burning-in/testing room. All people working there wear the same blue uniforms – I remember reading about it in the Factory Tour coverage from several years ago when the company was run by its founder, Kondo-San and that obviously hasn't changed. All of them work together including the boss, Masaki-San and his lovely wife, so it actually feels like a small family company. After spending just two days there it's hard to form a definitive opinion but it surely felt like all these people really liked their jobs an each other. I guess that's a proper “work environment” to design and build audio devices with love and care. No wonder these make their owners so happy (I imagine, based on my personal experience with Souga and Kagura in my listening room). This is it! We finally arrived! After the first excitement passed I could take a closer look around. Right at the door there is a small storage area where the items ready for shipment wait for a pickup. On the right there is small social area. On the left side (from the entrance) along large part of the main room there is a storage area with racks full of boxes with parts and components. As any high end company also Audio Note Japan pays attention to even smallest elements and details of their products in order to offer the top quality performance to its customers. As you can see even such small part as screws are custom-made for them. You need to know that Kondo takes pride in making most components for their products in-house, but some, as screws, knobs or chassis are custom-made for them by carefully selected suppliers. In the middle there is the biggest part – the work area. There are several stations around, some of them specialized, some for general assembly. One of the specialized stations stands out because it is sort of a small, “sealed” area/chamber closed behind thick plastic sheets. That's where the famous Audio Note Japan capacitors are made. It is a manual, painstaking, time-consuming process that requires a very clean environment. There is one person who actually makes them – Ms Naoko Watanuki. I had a chance to see her at work. She puts special cloths on (white apron, hat and gloves), goes inside this chamber and starts with cleaning all key elements and machines and only then she starts building capacitors piece by piece. As I mentioned before, it is mostly a manual job so it requires utmost precision and despite extensive experience it happens that some pieces have to be re-done. It happens now and then when Ms Naoko Watanuki is not happy about the quality of her own work. That's a unique approach to everything they do in Kondo. They are very proud of what they make and feel responsible for every single piece of a final product. For these to be perfect also each component used inside must be flawless. Some of you might remember times when most companies were named after their founders/chief engineers who actually felt personally responsible for each product they delivered to customers because their name was on them. When watching this small crew work it looked to me that not only Masaki-San, the successor of Kondo-San, but also every employee treated their work in the same very serious, perfectionist way. No wonder these amplifiers, preamplifiers and so on, work flawlessly for many years – they are simply perfectly made. Another specialist, called by his co-workers Big Brother, Mr Shiro Yoshida is THE man who winds fantastic Kondo's silver transformers. That's another painstaking job that requires utmost accuracy and attention to the smallest details. After all, the transformers are key elements of tube amplifiers and their role in the final performance can not be underestimated. Mr Yoshida has been making them for many years so, as I was said, he could do his job with his eyes shut... Actually, when I watched him doing it he had his eyes wide open, but while making a transformer he simultaneously read an obviously quite old book on... transformers to even further extend his knowledge or maybe to find an even better way to do his job. Yes, that's the guy who most likely knows more on the topic than anybody else, maybe except for a very few individuals around the world. And yet he still feels he could learn something. Another specialized station included two microscopes which suggests that it is exactly where the Kondo's cartridges are made or some small coils winded. The former are actually made by Masaki-San himself. As you can imagine this job requires an ultimate precision and unlimited patience. Masaki-San told me he makes cartridges in very short series – spending a whole day building them he is able to make only a couple. As a part of the assembly process comes internal wiring of, for example, amplifiers. To make this easier Kondo uses color-coding for wires and sort of schemes that help them prepare and shape a complete wiring for particular model before it is actually soldered inside chassis. On the photo below you can see an example – that's the entry level, EL34 amplifier called Overture. Using the scheme person preparing it creates a “grid” of different wires that later goes inside chassis ready to be soldered to specified points. Obviously there is also a place where ready products, prototypes and designs in development are measured and tested. The beautiful, natural, live-like performance is what Kondo products promise to deliver but to achieve that measurements and testing are necessary too. Most of the work is done in the middle of the room. All the assembly takes place around these tables. In fact, it is done by almost everybody who works there. As I mentioned before some people are specialists in their areas but even they don't make capacitors or transformers or some other things whole day every day. Once no more of these components are required for the day same people perform different tasks, including assembly of Kondo's amplifiers, preamplifiers, phonostages and so on. There is a small office space – logistics, accounting, everyday business has to be conducted somewhere too. After the tour and having a chance to see everyday operation we could finally go into Masaki-San's den. It's mid-size room with some acoustic treatment where one finds most of currently made Kondo models and some older ones too. When we visited the main system included Kagura monaural amplifiers – actually two pairs of them. One that some of you could have seen in Munich during High End Show in 2013 when they were presented in Europe for the first time. They are somewhat different from current version. They feature these green on/off switches and are powered with a single power cable. The other pair, currently manufactured one, and the one I had a great pleasure to review, features different, dare I say, better looking metal switch and is powered with two separate power chords (each amplifier). The latter solution, as Masaki-San told me, was an unexpected discovery. Once they tried it they found out that Kagura simply sounded better when powered with two separate cables. In this system Kagura drove old B&W Nautilus 801 loudspeakers – an interesting choice if you ask me, but Masaki-San explained that their main job is to clearly present differences between various devices and/or different versions of products under development. Going into this room is a one of a kind experience for a Kondo fan. Out there, in the main area, there are a lot of products at different assembly stages. Don't get me wrong – it is very interesting and exciting to see them made but at this point, at least for me, they are all just... objects, devices, machines being made. Once you enter the listening room you suddenly face racks full of finished products, that are about to offer you a remarkable musical experience. They are not just objects anymore, they become means to a musical nirvana. So even before the system starts to play music you might find yourself just drooling and greedily feeding your eyes with this wonder view of so many remarkable pieces of equipment gathered in one place. If I were to imagine an audio heaven – that would be it! OK, maybe rather with BiYura than B&W loudspeakers but still. I've mentioned already the current top-of-the-line Kagura – an amplifier designed from the scratch by Masaki-San. It took me a while but I also found my personal favorite, the amazing 2A3 Souga. Of course the amplifier that actually made Kondo famous, On Gaku was also there. Actually you won't find Ginga in current Kondo's range but of course a huge fan of analogue sound, Masaki-San uses one in his system with Kondo-SME tonearm, silver wiring and fantastic IO-M cartridge. During two days I spend in Kondo's factory we had a few listening sessions too. Not only with the stunning Kagura amplifiers, but also with the entry level Overture PM2. The former sounded as expected – absolutely astonishing confirming everything I described in my review (see HERE) and maybe even more due to a complete (apart for speakers) Kondo system. The refinement, naturalness and palpability of this sound was beyond incredible. The Overture on the other hand surprised me. Yes, I knew it would be impossible for Audio Note Japan to release a product that didn't offer an extraordinary performance. And yet I never expected they managed to push the EL34 pentodes' way beyond anything, based on my experience, I thought would be even remotely possible for these particular tubes. It proved that what really matters is a whole design, all the components used for it plus knowledge and experience – something Kondo guys have in excess. Power tubes are but just one element of this puzzle. So let me just say that Overture offered a true Kondo sound too! Maybe not as refined as On Gaku, Souga or Kagura, but still simply amazing. If you love Kondo sound but can't afford one of these three top amps you should listen to Overture – despite much lower price (although hardly “low” one) it offers a wonderful performance you shall appreciate. I can't really fit all the impressions of a visit to the Kondo factory into one short text. There were simply too many. I tried to give you an impression of where and how ones of the best audio components in the world are made by a small group of fantastic, dedicated people led by Mr Masaki Ashizawa. I'd admired the effects of their work before having a chance to review some of their products but seeing how things are actually done made me respect them even more. I would like to thank Masaki-San and the whole Audio Note Japan crew for their hospitality, patience while answering hundreds of questions and the unique opportunity to see with my own eyes where the Kondo magic is created. It was an incredible, one-in-the-lifetime experience for me. Soon on HiFiKnights.com I will publish some more coverage of this trip including an interview with Masaki-San. You'll be able to find even more information on the company, its history and current operation there. [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/08.jpg" desc="This may look like a chaos but there is a method to it – everything has its place there"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/09.jpg" desc="Custom-made screws? Yes!"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/10.jpg" desc="Custom-made tube sockets in a copper plate"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/11.jpg" desc="There in the back – a small sealed-in “chamber” where capacitors are made"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/12.jpg" desc="Ceramic core with silver foil wrapped around it"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/13.jpg" desc="A capacitor developed for Kagura with ceramic core"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/14.jpg" desc="Comparing the new (bigger) and older capacitors – see the difference?"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/15.jpg" desc="Making transformers requires lots of experience and proper meticulousness"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/16.jpg" desc="To work with such tiny elements as the ones used for cartridges one needs microscopes"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/17.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/17.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/17.jpg" desc="All cartridges are made personally by Masaki-San"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/18.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/18.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/18.jpg" desc="Lots of different color-coded wires; different gauge and material, each with a specific purpose."] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/19.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/19.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/19.jpg" desc="That's wiring scheme for Overture – as you can see different color wires are used in one device"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/20.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/20.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/20.jpg" desc="So, you don't believe it's a silver wire? Let me show you..."] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/21.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/21.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/21.jpg" desc="There it is!"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/22.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/22.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/22.jpg" desc="Let's crank the voltage up..."] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/23.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/23.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/23.jpg" desc="Measurement equipment (hammer might come handy, too :) )"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/24.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/24.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/24.jpg" desc="Let's see whether this GE-1 phonostage works properly"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/25.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/25.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/25.jpg" desc="That's a device for testing and burning-in cables "] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/26.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/26.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/26.jpg" desc="Soldering is one of the very basic skills of every Kondo's employee"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/27.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/27.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/27.jpg" desc="No rush – precision is everything"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/28.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/28.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/28.jpg" desc="After morning's meeting everybody knows their tasks for the day – in the back Mr Koichi Hirano"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/29.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/29.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/29.jpg" desc="This is Mr Katsura Hirokawa, the chief engineer in Kondo who with Masaki-San designs new products"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/30.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/30.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/30.jpg" desc="This young man, Mr Hiromichi Kume, is Masaki's apprentice – who knows, one day he might run Kondo "] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/31.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/31.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/31.jpg" desc="Fine-polishing is sometimes necessary"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/32.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/32.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/32.jpg" desc="Work is important but so is learning that allows one to do a better job "] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/33.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/33.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/33.jpg" desc="I'd be happy too, working in such an incredible place, too"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/34.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/34.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/34.jpg" desc="Day is almost over – job well done, products ready for testing"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/35.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/35.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/35.jpg" desc="Yes, if you write to Masaki-San that's where he reads and answers it."] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/36.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/36.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/36.jpg" desc="Of course Maestro Toscanini is there, too. After all he's one of the reasons why Kondo-San started this company"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/37.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/37.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/37.jpg" desc="Legacy is important for Audio Note Japan – hence Mr Toscanini and Kondo's History on office's walls"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/38.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/38.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/38.jpg" desc="Kondo-San is also always there"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/39.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/39.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/39.jpg" desc="I might choose different speakers but that's surely one-of-a-kind, dream setup!"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/40.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/40.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/40.jpg" desc="Yes, I'm not the only one who appreciates Kondo products"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/41.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/41.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/41.jpg" desc="And some more well-deserved awards "] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/42.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/42.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/42.jpg" desc="The one and only BiYura - Kondo's own loudspeakers sadly not offered any more"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/43.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/43.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/43.jpg" desc="Wouldn't you drool over THAT?!"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/44.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/44.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/44.jpg" desc="My precioussssss...."] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/45.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/45.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/45.jpg" desc="The legendary On Gaku -211 based integrated amplifier – one of the all-time best!"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/46.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/46.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/46.jpg" desc="The legendary On Gaku -211 based integrated amplifier – one of the all-time best!"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/47.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/47.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/47.jpg" desc="A real beauty, isn't she?"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/48.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/48.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/48.jpg" desc="A real beauty, isn't she?"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/49.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/49.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/49.jpg" desc="Two fantastic preamplifiers – G-70 and the top-of-the-line G-1000"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/50.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/50.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/50.jpg" desc="Two fantastic preamplifiers – G-70 and the top-of-the-line G-1000"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/51.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/51.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/51.jpg" desc="The entry-level GE-1 phonostage"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/52.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/52.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/52.jpg" desc="Wonderful KSL-M7 phono "] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/53.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/53.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/53.jpg" desc="The latest GE-10 phono presented in Munich in 2016 but still under development"] [img mini="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/th/54.jpg" big="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/54.jpg" src="foto_testy/1702/kondo_1/54.jpg" desc="Masaki-San has every reason to be proud"] [/hfgallery]

he iFi products iFi have earned their own nickname: "the Swiss Army Knife". And rightfully so - when we take a look at the latest version of the flagship product of iFi Micro series, Micro iDSD BL (Black Label), it will be difficult to argue. This compact device is a DAC, headphone amplifier and preamplifier. The DAC section accepts via the USB input all currently used digital signals, both DSD and PCM: DSD 512/256/128/64 | 24,6/22,6/12,4/11,2/6,2/5,6/3,1/2,8 MHz, DXD 2x/1x | 768/705,6/384/352,8 kHz, PCM 768/705,6/384/352,8/192/176,4/96/88,2/48/44,1 kHz. It also accepts, via the „combo” RCA/optical input PCM signal up to 24 bits and 192 kHz. As far as I know it is one of very few converters that can works with native signals up to DSD512 and PCM 768 kHz, meaning with any downsampling (True Native). It can do it utilizing Burr-Brown DAC chip. A multi-color LED informs user what kind of signal DAC receives in any particular moment. It's a similar, although a bit more elaborate solution is used by Chord and one can get used to this kind of communication. The device is equipped with variable digital and analog filters, interchangeable output voltage for headphone output allowing user to adjust the signal level to their effectiveness, the processor named 3D+ Holographic Sound System that enhances spacial aspect of the presentation, processor energizing bass (XBASS +) and other features. If this product was made by some other brands we would see dozens of logos, names, technical details. The iFi guys, however, have a special gift of giving proper names and organizing information in an orderly way. Reading the descriptions on their website is so pleasant adventure. MICRO iDSD BLACK LABEL The black "label" version (associations with Jack Daniels seem fair) has been carefully tweaked by iFi's designer, Mr. Thorsten Loesch, who says about his new piece of work: "it's been tuned up through the roof" and "sound even better than it looks." It's heart are two, one per channel, latest D/A converters from Burr-Brown, used in this device and in flagship Pro model. They are now clocked with an extremely precise "femto" clock, which was originally developed for high-end AMR CD players and is called the AMR named Global Master Timing. It allowed designers to further minimize jitter. The analog section instead of the classic integrated circuits features exceptionally rarely used, custom-made OV2627 and used to stabilize the voltage sensor, OV2028. Made by one of the German companies (hence the name OV = Operationsverstärker), they use HCOFC copper lead-frames and 4N Gold bond-wire instead of commonly used aluminum. The power supply has also been improved by using highly prized electrolytic Sanyo Os-Con capacitors, now manufactured by Panasonic. Originally they were used for the top AMR CD Player, CD-77, because they cost 10 times more than conventional capacitors. iDSD features as much as 12 of them. A new feature are also tantalum capacitors from Kemet and high quality resistors for SMT. The Xbass technology has been redesigned as well as the 3D one, now with a "plus" in the logo. Also headphone output stabilization network offers now less distortion. The latter is able to drive even the most difficult headphones. The device features an USB input for a computer, a second USB through which one can charge Apple devices, as well as digital RCA and TOSLink (S/PDIF) inputs in one "combo-type" socket. So we can use either RCA or the TOSLink. To use a classic optical cable we need to use an appropriate adapter that is delivered together with the device. It's worth noticing that one gets a lot of accessories with the iDSD - different types of adapters, non-slip mat, small rubber feet that one can stick to the bottom of the device, analog interconnect, short mini-jack / mini-jack cable and two rubber bands one can use to hold the device and a smartphone together. I left out one of the most important information until now - the iDSD BL is powered by a lithium-polymer battery. That means it can be used as a portable device. In the box one won't a charger, only a USB cable to be used with a smartphone charger. How long the iDSD BL will work on one charge will depend on the volume output and efficiency of the connected headphones. With the most demanding loads, ie. HE-6 HiFiMAN one should be able to listen to music for 6 hours, and with some easier to drive, such as high-efficiency Sennheiser IE-800 even up to 12 hours. Note that if you do not use the converter the device can serve as the Power Bank and should be able to charge an iPhone twice. iFi AUDIO in “High Fidelity” TEST: iFi Audio (Micro) iUSB POWER | iDAC | iCAN (Polish) - USB PS + headphone amp + D/A Converter USB TEST: iFi Audio iTUBE - active buffer/preamplifier TEST: iFi Audio STEREO 50 + LS3.5 - integrated amplifier/DAC + loudspeakers EDITORIAL: i = interactive, Fi = fidelity... O iFi Audio słów kilka (Polish) Recordings used for the test (a selection) DSD and PCM hi-res files Andrzej Kurylewicz Quintet, Go Right, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland 4648809, „Polish Jazz | vol. 0”, Master CD-R (1963/2016); Brian Eno, The Ship, Warp Records/Beat Records BRC-505CE, SHM-CD (2015) Josquin Desprez, Missa D’ung aultere amer, Motets & Chansons, wyk. Almere, Andrew Lawrence-King, Obsidian CD701, CD (2007) Krzysztof Duda, materiały do płyty Altus, Master CD-R (2013); Martin L. Gore, Counterfeit e.p, Mute/Sire 9 25980-2, CD (1989) Oleś Brothers & Antoni Gralak, Primitivo, ForTune 0118 | 075, CD (2016) Röyksopp, The Inevitable End, Dog Triumph DOG013CD, 2 x CD (2014) The Hilliard Ensemble, The Hilliard Sound. Renaissance Masterpieces, Erato 4632795, 3 x CD (1985, 1986/2014) Yoko Ono, Open Your BoxAstralwerks ASW 88710, CD (2007) Yoshio Otomo Quartet, Moon Ray, Three Blind Mice TBM-XR-3007, XRCD (1977/1998) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] The "Black" iDSD has been tuned in two ways, by replacing key components for higher quality ones, and by using multiple careful listening sessions to introduce such changes in the circuit that would allow to better utilize the potential of this device. Which is pretty clear. I used this converter in a system where each element, even anti-vibration feet, is more expensive that the reviewed item, and yet I did not feel any discomfort. For a few days, before I proceeded to the formal assessment, I used only the iDSD BL in my listening sessions using both, headphones and loudspeakers. DAC The sound of the BL DAC was voiced in such a way that it reminded me of a turntable performance. That's my impression, at least. Maybe the components they used as replacement pushed the performance in this direction, and iFi engineers made the best of it. There is also another possibility – maybe the idea was to make the digital files in any format and resolution to sound in a way that we expect from the hi-res files, ie. in a rich, dense way. Regardless of the intention, it worked really well - the sound this device delivers meets all of these assumptions. iDSD BL replacing in the system some expensive digital and analogue sources fits into this type of presentation perfectly. It delivers dense, big-scale, avid sound that allows for a differentiation of small changes of tone, dynamics and detail. The treble sounded fantastic, as it was resolving, selective and resonant. Since the sound as a whole is bit darker than, for example, my reference Player, one might say that it sounds warmer. But the sound is not rounded. I found it surprising, but the much more expensive Exogal Comet Plus DAC compared to iFi sounded as if it had a rounded attack and warmer sound, despite the fact that the tonal balance with the American converter was set higher. iFi delivers the density and purity without making the sound brighter. The lower midrange and upper bass are powerful, so the sound doesn't seem lean. Yes, obviously the more expensive devices generate bigger volume of the sound, everything is bigger and more substantial. Even if I'm talking about a CD player compared with iFi playing DSD128 files. It's one of the features of high-end products - the better one, the sound sources, such as vocals and instruments are larger, more three-dimensional, have better defined shape. But even placed in such a difficult situation the iDSD BL did very well, playing music with proper momentum and power. This powerful bass surely helps. It is not particularly well extended, doesn't go very low, but one can realize that only if (a) compares it with a much more expensive device, and (b) has loudspeakers capable of conveying lowest notes. Under normal conditions, ie. in systems in which iFi will likely be employed, users will not even know about it. Although I wouldn't recommend limiting usage of this device only to entry level systems. We would lose a chance to save a large amount of money - if we accept the limitations I mentioned, the converter is able to play in much more expensive systems, and nobody will realize that our DAC is two or three times cheaper than the amplifier or loudspeakers. It does offer a balanced and refined enough performance to achieve that. But one might use it also with headphones ... First I listened to iFi as a DAC, then as DAC and headphone amplifier using a digital input. Its performance in a system with loudspeakers was very good, and it left a favorable impression. Nevertheless, as a headphone system it proved it could do even more. First of all, the manufacturer's claim that iDSD BL is able to drive any headphones is true. I tried it with the HiFiMAN HE-6 and it turned out to be one of few cases when I didn't feel as if these cans were not properly driven. Usually I achieve this with large, powerful amplifiers, and here this little box did the same. With current less demanding and better sounding models of this manufacturer, such as HE-1000 v2 and Edition X v2 iFi delivered an extremely clean and dense sound. XBass+ | 3D+ Every time I used the XBass + system and I'm not ashamed of it. Change in the tone was clear, but at the same time so subtle that it did not change the tone of the midrange. To check that I listened to recordings of vocal Renaissance music, including The Hilliard Ensemble and Alamir. The vocals in these releases are placed quite high, so the XBass + does not influence them directly, at most, increasing the acoustic environment (volume). This system did not affect voice in any negative way, which proved its good implementation. On the other hand, whenever I wanted a punchy, powerful bass, it worked very well not overloading the presentation but rather completing it. After my initial attempts to behave like a true purist I finally gave up and left the 3D + system also on all the time, just because in this case it clicked perfectly with the nature of the amplifier and the requirements of my headphones. The sound with it on is genuinely more spacious, it comes out from the "head" and remains at the same time tight and focused, which other “space enhancing” systems can't do. The sound of such a system is excellent because it is well-defined and saturated, refined. It performed really well with both, recording of Röyksopp doe, so the electronic music, as well as with the Master CD with Polish Jazz. Each of them presented its own “face” though. But every time I could hear a great treble and a nice midrange – which is what I described in the section about loudspeaker listening. The scale of the sound is smaller than with the reference vacuum tube amplifier, Ayon Audio HA-3, but that's what I expected, each technical solution has its limitations. Quickly, however, I adopted to this change and after a short time I did not pay attention to this difference anymore. Summary iDSD BL will be a good match for both, entry-level and much more expensive systems. It sounds a little warm, with an emphasis in lower midrange. Its macro-dynamics is slightly eased, and the bass doesn't go as deep as with more expensive sources. So what? - it still sounds very accurate, tight, focused, rich and resolving. On top of that comes this very musical and highly current efficient headphone amplifier, which can be used with both, inexpensive headphones like AKG Y50 (Polish), in-ear Focal Spear and AKG K3003 (Polish) as well as with the most expensive planar-magnetic cans. Every time iFi will present headphone's own sonic character, never obscuring it with its own problems. iDSD Black Label is a tiny device featuring an aluminum housing painted black. All the writings were made using an orange lacquer and I have to admit that this combination looks really good. Same combination was previously used by Bakoon, Vovox and Chord and it always worked perfectly for their products. The Sockets and manipulators are positioned at the front, rear, on the side, and even underneath, which clearly reflects the complex nature of this device. On the front there is a volume control knob, coupled with the on/off switch, “large jack” 6,3mm headphone socket, line 3,75mm "mini-jack" input, as well as two flip switches for XBass + and 3D + systems; Both work only with headphone output. On the rear panel one finds: analog RCA line outputs and three digital sockets, ie. USB serving as input and charging socket plus a "combo" RCA/TOSLink jack. The latter may serve as either a digital input or as an output. On the side there is another USB input, which can be used to charge an Apple device. On the other side there are three softly but surely working buttons: - One is used to set a maximum current for the headphone output in three steps depending on cans' efficiency. Time the device will work on one charge will depend also on the chosen setting; Turbo = 6 hours, Normal = 9 hours, Eco = 12 hours. - The second allows user to switch the phase polarity of the output signal;. - The third allows user to choose between digital and analog filters; for PCM up to 192 kHz there are 3 digital filters (I preferred the „minimum phase” one), for DSD there are 3 analogue low-pass filters that limit frequency range from the top, and for DXD, meaning for sampling frequencies of: 768/705,6/384/352,8 kHz there is one fixed analogue filter. Underneath there are two more switches: - One allows user to choose whether analogue output delivers fixed (2V) or variable signal. The latter option allows iDSD BL to be used as a preamplifier. - The other one changes the gain for headphone output The electrical circuit sits on a single PCB. The USB input features XMOS chip, and the S/PDIF digital receiver comes from Wolfson Microelectronics. D/A Conversion is handled by two Burr-Brown DSD1793 dual-core chips, one per channel. These latest chips accept DSD and PCM signal in native form, without conversion. The I/U conversion and signal amplification is performed by custom-made OV2627 op-amp with FET input. The OV2028 is used as voltage regulator. The power supply features great Os-Com capacitors. Headphone amplifier features no coupling capacitors, and this solution is called DirectDrive. Specifications (according to manufacturer) Audio formats: - DSD 512/256/128/64 | 24,6/22,6/12,4/11,2/6,2/5,6/3,1/2,8 MHz - DXD 2x/1x | 768/705,6/384/352,8 kHz - PCM 768/705,6/384/352,8/192/176,4/96/88,2/48/44,1 kHz Filters: - PCM - Bit-Perfect Processing/Minimum Phase/Standard (digital) - DSD - Extreme/Extended/Standard Range (analogue) - DXD - Bit-Perfect Processing (fixed analogue) DAC section Dynamic range (line): >117 dB (A)   THD & N (0dBFS Line): 2 V Output impedance: < 240 Ω Headphone amp Output power: • Turbo mode 10 V/4000 mW/16 Ω | >1560 mW/64 Ω | > 166 mW/600 Ω • Normal mode 5.5 V/1,900 mW/16 Ω | > 950 mW/32 Ω | > 100 mW/300 Ω • Eco mode 2 V/500 mW/8 Ω | > 250 mW/16 Ω Dynamic range: >115 dB (A) (Eco Mode, 2 V Out)   THD &N (HP 500 mW/16 Ω): < 0.008%   Output impedance: [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1703/ifiaudio/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

he Evolution line by American company TARA Labs stirred the audio-cable world, also in Poland. Reviewed by me in my reference system, and then assessed by the members of the Cracow Sonic Society, left an unforgettable impression, which led to awarding it with the 2016 Statement Award from"High Fidelity" - the highest distinction we offer. Far from the stereotypical "neutrality" allegedly to be featured by top-high-end products, they presented the world of recorded music at its best. The word that was repeated most often during the listening session was "beautiful". Not every system will be suited best with such a sonic character and not every listener needs it. But those for whom this is the only possible direction, were very, very happy. In order to take advantage of knowledge obtained when developing Evolution and even more expensive Master Evolution lines, Tara Labs has prepared the Muse series that is less expensive than Evolution but more costly than 0.3. TARA Labs It's not a coincident that the name TARA Labs is spelled with capital letters – it is an acronym for: The Absolute Reference Audio. Currently company's headquarters are located in Medford, Oregon, and the firm is run by Mr Merrill Bergs. It was founded in 1984 by Matthew Bond, theoretical physicist and electronic. He built his first cables already back in the 1970s to improve the performance of his own audio system. The first commercial product with TARA Labs logo was the Phase II cable. Throughout its whole history, TARA Labs has always used their own solutions. For example, solid-core wiring was used from the beginning. In 1990, the first "floating" cable was presented, ie with a shielding that was connected only on one side. Soon after, the cables received “boxes”, that allowed user to decide on high-frequency energy - their "descendants" are HFX stations. Two years later, solid-core rectangular cross-section cables were introduced, which were renamed RSC - Rectangular Solid-Core. In 1999, company presented the Zero interconnected, that as dielectric featured vacuum instead of air (at least according to company's materials). Muse Series This time the company itself points to this feature that we recognized with the Evolution series - all the other tests I know seem to steer clear of it - the manufacturer clearly says the purpose of their efforts was primarily the MUSICALITY: In a world of audio cable articulations, high frequency extensions, low capacitance, and expansive sound staging, TARA Labs introduces a new cable series with a phenomenal characteristic. And all you need is just one word to describe it: MUSICALITY!!! from: taralabs.com They explain this decision with their knowledge of the expectations of music lovers. They divide them into two categories: “those who crave to hear every detail possible of the musical instruments playing. And those who want to close their eyes and imagine they are sitting right in the middle of a live orchestra, while the musicians play music around them.” However, they finish this statement with a conciliatory (as if this division was to actually divide fans): "The Muse Series audio cables offer an opportunity for an audiophile to have it all! Muse cables offer audiophiles both these worlds." The construction of the Muse begins with the precise measuring, machining, and cutting of TARA labs proprietary materials. Beginning with our 99.999999% (8N) pure rectangular solid core copper conductors (RSC Gen2) that are super-annealed, oxygen–free, mono-crystal, and frequency-tuned. This is a rare case, except for the ultra-limited Acrolink series, of using copper of such extreme purity. For Acrolink conductors are made by Mitsubishi Materials Industries. The conductors are then hand-polished and coated in our proprietary liquid dielectric to prevent oxidation before inserting into PTFE Teflon lumen air tubes. The interconnects can be connected to an external floating ground "station" called HFX ("High Frequency eXtended"). It is very nicely finished. It's made of an aluminum block with powdered minerals placed inside - similar techniques are used by Acoustic Revive and Furutech. It aims to reduce RF noise. We connect the shields of the left and right interconnects to the "station" as well as the ground of the device which the cables are connected to. Muse interconnects are available as balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) cables. These cables are stiffer than the Evolution ultra-flexible cables. The speaker cables look like the top Evolution model, ie in each channel there are two separate runs - for the minus and the plus. They are finished with gold-plated copper BSM connectors, in which one may mount either bananas or spades. Each cable is made up of 72 separate wires. The large cross-section of cables does not result from the conductive material used in them, but from the efforts to minimize vibrations and their effect on conductors. In each run, three smaller cables were connected, twisted and covered with a black mesh. In fact, they look almost identical to the Omega model from the past. I reviewed Muse cables as a set. I compared them with two other sets: Siltech Triple Crown and Acoustic Revive Triple-C. I performed this test in two systems. In the first of them the interconnect connected Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition CD Player's output with Ayon Audio Spheris III preamplifier, and the speaker cable Soulution 710 (solid-state) with Harbeth M40.1. In the second system the same CD Player and speakers were connected using Muse with Kondo Overture II. Additionally I tested the interconnect together with Ayon Audio HA-3 headphone amplifier, comparing it with Crystal Cable Absolute Dream. It was an A/B/A comparison with known A and B. TARA LABS in „High Fidelity” AWARD | STATEMENT AWARD 2016: TARA Labs EVOLUTION SERIES – interconnect | speaker cable | power cable CRACOW SONIC SOCIETY, meeting #103: TARA Labs  EVOLUTION SERIES – interconnect | speaker cable | power cable TEST: TARA Labs EVOLUTION SERIES – interconnect | speaker cable | power cable TEST: TARA Labs OMEGA ONYX – speaker cable (POLISH) TEST: TARA Labs The 0.8 – analog RCA interconnect CRACOW SONIC SOCIETY, meeting #67: TARA Labs THE ZERO – analog RCA interconnect (POLISH) TEST: TARA Labs VECTOR 1 – analog RCA interconnect | speaker cable (POLISH) TEST: TARA Labs PRISM AC/SPECIAL/REFERENCE – power cables (POLISH) TEST: TARA Labs RSC PRIME AC/AIR AC/THE ONE AC – power cables (POLISH) Recordings used for the test (a selection): Anita Lipnicka, Vena Amoris, Mystic Production MYSTCD 244, CD (2013) Carmen McRae, Torchy!, Decca/Universal Music Group (Japan) UCCU-9633, SHM-CD (1955/2008) Carol Sloane, Hush-A-Bye, Sinatra Society of Japan/Muzak XQAM-1031, CD (2008) Dominic Miller & Neil Stacey, New Dawn, Naim naimcd066, CD (2002) Polish Jazz Quartet, Polish Jazz Quartet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland, „Polish Jazz | vol. 3”, Master CD-R (1965/2016); Sohn, Tremors, 4AD/Hostess CAD3403CDJ, CD (2014) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] It is remarkable how close the designers of the Muse cables got to what they achieved with Evolution series. At the same time, however, the sound we receive with the lower series is so different that, I am convinced, there will be the systems in which such performance will be better, more synergistic. How is it possible to achieve such effects when only a few variables are available, or how is it even possible to model the sound using parameters that are difficult to define and measure - I do not know, it's pure magic for me. But that's how experience and proper sense of what's right manifest. TARA Labs in the Muse series have achieved an effect of richness, fullness that even in the top Evolution series did not manifest in such a strong way. This is the fullness based on emphasizing the mid-band, and above all the vocals, while maintaining high resolution and vibrancy of the sound. I heard it right away as soon as I played the Anita Lipnicka Vena Amoris . I play it at the end of my meetings with readers during the workshops called „Audio Tour The Pologne 2017” (POLISH). It was recorded in course of eight days at the London studio by Greg Freeman in a large part on the so-called “hundred”, that is, with all the musicians playing in the same room (except for John Porter's guitars). With Muse, it sounded warm, dense and magical. The final track Comet starts with a silent prelude on a vibraphone - the reviewed cables slightly warmed it up. The same happened with Lipnicka's voice, whose timbre was slightly lower than with both, the reference cables and the Evolution cables. Interestingly, all the subtleties building the atmosphere of this song, like the tiny reverb on Lipnicka's voice, as the layers of her voice overlapping the basic voice, like the synthesizer and - finally – the vast space, all this was reproduced in a perfectly clear way. It is so, and we have become accustomed to it, that for the warm sound we pay with a loss of details. Here the amount of small elements that we understand as "details" was not very big, it is definitely not a "highly detailed cabling system". But I did not seek for them at all, I did not miss “hyper-detailed” sound at all. I heard a lot of information that build up something more than just “detailed” performance./p> Muse delighted me with the tone, depth and weight of the sound. This is definitely this type of cable that completes the system, fills the cracks in the sound that user may not even be aware of, but after trying TARA one shall find out that something was missing without them. In order to be fully convinced of that, let's just listen to Dominic Miller and Neil Stacey. The material released by Naim Records is one of the few that at that time was recorded using the patented True Stereo system. True Stereo – just a reminder - is a variation of the recording method using a single stereo microphone and recording the signal directly onto a stereo analogue tape; It was created by Ken Christianson. This material featured a deliberately manipulated reverb. Rush Hour starts with two guitars recorded with a very closely placed microphone, with an emphasized lower part of the band. Right afterwards, however, we enter a huge space where one of these guitars truly breathes. The Muse cables presented these changes clearly and with ease, have not muddled anything, nor simplified. Although they sound in a warm way and it is the lower midrange that plays a key role, everything else plays an equal role in building the message - even though it's a half step behind what matters most. While filling in and emphasizing, Muse preserved a great perspective. Unlike other cables that build sound on similar base, the tested cables perfectly, remarkably present the perspective. When on the Torchy! album the voice of Carmen McRae is big and presented in front of the band, with TARA it remains in place, but it is bigger. The cables do not push forward the warm, large sources on the listening axis. On the other hand, when on Hush-A-Bye Carol Sloane in Guess Who I Saw Today is placed quite far away, with a rather hard reverb, with Muse she stayed right there - quite far, without pretending that she sings here and now. In both cases, however, the vocals were velvety, warm and natural. From the Triple-C Acoustic Revive cables and all others slightly contouring sounds, with more solid instruments' bodies, Muse differs with a more general approach to the material, as well as with the amount of treble. There is less of high tones, and the attack, edges, etc. are more sophisticated. Because not every elements and not all the time are energetic, the various music is better differentiated. The top Siltech cables are more “raw”, more resolving, and deliver a more even frequency response. But with Muse everything is beautiful, good, one can say "natural". Also spacial presentation, the imaging of the instruments are excellent with the Muse, and at the same time very specific. These cables smooth out brighter elements. They have a good resolution, so the differences are not blurred and the sources of sound are not approximated, but they are presented as denser. Despite the equally large distances, equally large soundstage, all elements seems more inter-connected. The size of the soundstage is smaller than Evolution, but it is closer to what we mean by "neutral". More expensive cables show a huge space in every direction, which reminds of what can be heard with Kondo amplifiers. Although extremely attractive, this presentation is slightly enlarged. In this respect Muse sound more like, much more expensive, Siltech Triple Crown system. With the tested cables one gets a combination of warmth, density, and good resolution and differentiation. The upper treble and the low bass are less pronounced than with the Evolution and even less than with the two reference cable sets. The older TARA Labs Omega speaker cable, which I used for years, was, if memory serves, a bit lighter and showed more dramatic changes in dynamics. It sounded a bit more raw, and therefore more neutral. Muse join everything together, so that the strong passages between loud and quiet fragments are less marked. Also contour is not a priority here, so I would recommend it for a dynamic, accurate electronics. Although, I honestly admit, with the very warm Kondo Overture Pm2 amplifier these cables created a stunning presentation, emphasizing advantages and minimizing the downsides. This is a very particular case, an exception really. Summary Among the sonic qualities of Muse cables described by the manufacturer on his website the ones I most agree with would be the "exceptionally low background noise" and "outstanding musicality." The latter is a blurry term, understood rather intuitively. But listen to the Muse and this term will come to you immediately, whether you know exactly what it is or you just "feel" it. These cables offer a warm, rich, dense, organic sound that encourages listening to more and more music. The presentation with them is extremely “humane” and sophisticated. The most important is the midrange, especially its lower part. Below and above this part of the range everything sound OK, but - just as with "musicality" – it takes but a moment to come to this conclusion: the vocals are remarkable! It seems obvious that TARA Labs focused on richness and density of the sound. Although the Evolution series has something very special about it, Muse does not fall far behind it. In some system Muse might be the preferred choice. [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/tara_labs/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

The world's best turntables use Soundsmith because we've been designing and hand-building the world's best phono-cartridges for more than thirty years. It is a very clear statement. Placing it on top of company's home page can seem bit megalomaniac. Peter Ledermann though, the director and chief engineer of Soundsmith, has a good insight into what he does in comparison to what his competitors do. Objectively I can't really say that his cartridges are absolutely best because in every price range one can find other proposition that are equally good. But I have to admit that his products are among the best money he can get, and in some respects there are none (that I know) that could match Soundsmith's. Soundsmith owes this to a particular design of its products. Since I already discussed that when reviewing model called Carmen (July 2016 | No. 147, POLISH), I shall repeat only what is necessary. Soundsmith cartridges are different than Moving Magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC) ones. This type is called Moving Iron; Soundsmith uses the company's name: Fixed Coil. This type of design is somewhat similar to the MM cartridge but instead of the moving magnets mounted on the cantilever it features a magnetized steel element (hence 'iron' in the name). Eliminating heavy magnets translates into a reduction of the mass of the moving system. And this in turn brings many benefits, such as reduced tracking force without compromising trackability, faster rendering of the transient attack, and the extraction of micro information from the groove that usually is dampened in the suspension of the cantilever. It is also emphasized that much less energy returns from the record to the generator; You will find more information on the manufacturer's website in the article titled Fixed Coil vs. Moving Coil: Why make the jump to a different technology? http://www.sound-smith.com/articles/fixed-coil-vs-moving-coil-why-make-jump-different-technology [Accessed: March 06th 2017]. The MI cartridges offer also other important benefits, including stylus that is simple to replace after some accident or simply when it wears off. It can be replaced same way as in MM pickups, and the exchange cost is relatively small; let me remind you that when it comes to MC cartridges replacing a broken stylus might cost you as much as 75% of new cartridge's price. And for this American company after-sale service is as important as the sales themselves. Let's say that the reconstruction (a repair, restoration, etc.) of the Zephyr MIMC model that is under review, costs only $350. ZEPHYR MIMC★ Peter Ledermann's adventure in the audio world started with audio equipment repairs, including products of Bang & Olufsen. In Alastair Philippe Wiper's monograph, The Art of Impossible. The Bang & Olufsen Design History (London 2015) you won't find any mention of that fact. Which should not come as a surprise, as the book is devoted to the design of this Danish company. Therefore, one will not find much about the ICEPower D amplifier modules either, which have become the basis of many of the famous third-party amplifiers. In the same way, the design of the B&O cartridges was at the base of the Soundsmith's. Today, apart from Soundsmith also Grado offers MI pickups. MIMC is short for "Moving Iron for Moving Coil Preamps". Zephyr is therefore an MI-type pickup, but unlike the cheaper models that can be used with MM phonostages, the output voltage is 0.4V, making it similar to the MC type. The company recommends using a preamplifier with a gain of 58-64dB. This model, which weighs 10.27g, opens the MC series in Soundsmith's range and is the latest addition to its catalog. Manufacturer decided to use Contact Line (6 x 17μm) stylus, and a sapphire cantilever with a cut-out for the stylus cut with laser. Interior design makes Zephyr similar to the $4,800 Sussurro model. The Zephyr's compliance of 10μm / mN is rather low while its channel separation is exceptionally high - considerably higher than other cartridges', even the very expensive ones. This is one of the advantages of the design that Mr. Ledermann has perfected over the years. The second is an extremely low hum. I had hundreds of cartridges in my system and - I have to admit - this is one of the quietest ones. After listening to a few records, it turns out that it's doing something extra - I'll get back to that later. The cartridge comes in a nice wooden box with an encrusted lid and a small envelope with a golden star sticker, in which one finds an information about the prize that one has won. Those who bought one of the Soundsmith cartridges might win a prize - from plastic screws to the phonostage. The Zephyr was tested on the Acoustic Signature TA-1000 tonearm, with Storm Mk2 turntable. I used my trusted RCM Audio Sensor Prelude IC phonostage. Pickup was set up using Acoustic Signature protractor delivered with their tonearm - this is a simple and repetitive procedure. Zephyr was compared with our reference cartridges: Miyajima Laboratory Madake and Zero and Denon DL-103 (HERE and HERE) of recent production, plus Hana SL pickups. An optimal load and VTF for the particular unit is described on the box. I would suggest, however, to look for your own optimal settings, as the manufacturer himself suggests in the materials posted on the website. In my case, the cartridge sounded best with a load of 600 Ω and a VTF of 1.9 g. Although the manufacturer suggested setting the VTA so that the top surface was parallel to the record, I achieved better tonal balance by lifting the arm a little up. SOUNDSMITH in „High Fidelity” TEST: Soundsmith CARMEN - cartridge (POLISH) Recordings used for the test (a selection): Charlie Haden, The Private Collection, Naim Label LP110, 3 x 180 g LP (2000/2008) Czesław Niemen, Niemen – vol. 1, Polskie Nagrania SXL 0895, LP (1973) Ed Sheeran, Divide, Asylum 95859015, 2 x 180 g 45 RPM LP (2017) Kankawa, Organist, T-TOC Records, UMVD-0001-0004, "Ultimate Master Vinyl", 4 x 45 rpm 180 g LP + CD-RIIα + 24/192 WAV; Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, Sunday Best SBEST25, 180 g LP (2008) Kortez, Minialbum, Jazzboy Records JB 030 LP, „Record Store Day 2016”, 180 g LP (2016) Mark Knopfler, Tracker, British Groove Records 4716983, „Deluxe Limited Edition”, 2 x CD + DVD + 2 x 180 g LP (2015); Metallica, Master of Puppets, Elektra Records/Warner Bros. 470908-1, 45 rpm, 2 x 180 g LP (1986/2008) Nina Simone, Silk & Soul, RCA Victor/Original Recording Group ORG 140, „Special Limited Edition | No. 00792”, 2 x 45 rpm, 180 g LP (1967/2013) Polish Jazz Quartet, Polish Jazz Quartet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza” XL 0246, „Polish Jazz | vol. 3”, mono LP (1965) The All Star Percussion Ensemble pt. Bizet/Beethoven/Pachelbel/Berlioz, ar. i dyr. Harold Faberman, MMG/Golden String GS LP 001-LE, „First 1000 Pressings”, 200 g LP (1983/2011) Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio, Misty, Three Blind Mice/Cisco Music TBM-30-45, „Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Limited Edition | No. 0080/1000”, 45 RPM, 2 x 180 g LP (1974/2004) Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Autumn in Seattle, First Impression Music FIM LP 004-LE, „First 1000 Pressings”, 200 g LP (2001/2011) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] I promised something extra about the reviewed cartridge and I would like to start off with that. This "extra" is divided into two parts. The first is related to pops&cracks. A year ago, when listening to Carmen, which was not the most expensive model, I was astonished by its quiet work and how well it separated music from the mechanical medium it is was written on. In part, this has been achieved through a very good differentiation, but perhaps even more so due to the way it conveyed the high frequencies. Zephyr repeats the same thing, but at a much higher level. The differentiation is pushed even further, which helps in conveying an almost tangible difference between music and pops&cracks. There are very few of them, by the way, much less than with any other cartridge I know, apart from the absolutely high-end ones and those made by Miyajima Laboratory, as they also feature the same quality. Zephyr owes it primarily to its tonal balance. It's on the warm side, no doubt about it. It seems dark, but only if that's how particular pressing sounds like - see the “Muza” recordings of the 1970s - or if the recording itself is “dark”. One could listen to some recording with lots of energy in the treble. One spectacular example will be the, prepared by Mr. Winston Ma, Bizet/Beethoven/Pachelbel/Berlioz by The All Star Percussion Ensemble. It will prove that there it is not a case of a rolled-off treble. The tested cartridge, just as the Carmen model, provides an abundance of information and is incredibly resolving. But since it is not bright nor harsh sounding, it seems dark. And if this is not a high-end definition, what would it be? Listening to the music using this pickup is incredibly enjoyable. Zephyr also has incredible dynamics. Not only with the recalled record, which by definition was recorded to make the listener as impressed as possible, but also with pressings, that can hardly be called “dynamic”. So what we have is: a lot of information about the timbre of the instruments playing in the upper frequency range without any brightness, high dynamics without exaggerated contours, and warm, rich midrange. And the resolution that gives us differentiation. The latter translates into a special balance between the absolute truth and the truth of time. The former is - by definition - unrelated to the context. The latter is conditional because it depends on how the material is recorded, released, on the type of music, artistic vision, and so on. The Soundsmith cartridges - if I can say something based on two models - do not lose sight of the absolute truth, ie they deliver all information to listener without any sugarcoating. But even more so, they tie it with the music itself. And that's what makes listening to the music with one of them an almost perfectly "physiological" experience. In a sense, this is similar to what Kondo OnGaku does, but with a stronger accent on the absolute truth. This lack of pops&cracks will surprise many experienced vinyl lovers. The similar effect I get with Miyajima Madake, but it's a much more expensive cartridge. Like the Japanese "colleague", Zephyr allows you to listen to even severely damaged records. For Polish music fans it should be a mandatory item, because not only Polish Jazz, pressed in 1960s and early 1970s on a good quality vinyl, but also other discs, that with other pickups do not sound too well, should sound well, musically, will allow one to focus on music when played with Zephyr. For these attractions we pay with not that accurately defined lower bass, which is slightly emphasized, and also with not quite as good isolation between the sound and the surface noise. I am not saying that these two elements cancel out all the upsides I described before. I listened to this cartridge for a long time, using both, loudspeaker and headphone systems, and each time I started my listening sessions with interest and excitement. With large loudspeakers that slightly, but still, emphasize the range below 100 Hz, it will add on cartridge's own sonic character. The double bass on Charlie Haden's record with his birthday concert, for example, was not so focused in one place and I lacked a bit of decay. In fact all three elements contributed to that in part, the recording itself, Harbeths, but also the cartridge. With Madake everything was much better controlled. In turn the surface noise is something that connects - as I see it - with the intensity of the midrange. Probably in the more expensive cartridges of this manufacturer there is less of it and it's less correlated with the music, but here one can not completely get rid of it, also with 180 g and 200 g "Super Virgin Vinyl" pressing... Summary One of the most intense disputes concerning the discography of the Polskie Nagrania "Muza" from the 1960s-1980s concerns the question, whether the first presses were provided with blue stickers or if the manufacturing plant was free to choose blue or red. Unfortunately, there is no documentation on this subject, so we can only guess. So I think that to some extent listening to a large number of such records could allow one to try to find a common denominator of the different types of stickers (if there is any)./p> For the review of Niemen's albums and then Polish Jazz I performed several such listening sessions. With the Soundsmith cartridge, I listened to three versions of Niemen - Vol. 1 album, or the first part of the so-called Marionette, a title recorded by Niemen together with the SBB group. I had a release with a blue, red, and red sticker with high matrix numbers (A-6 / B-9). Long story short: they differed between themselves and those differences were quite significant. The best version was the "blue" one, because the "red" showed the voice of Niemen with sharpened sibilants. The bass on this one was not so dense, and the sound seemed more edgy. In turn, the "red" version with high numbers sounded very close, very rich but completely flat. As if someone else performed mastering for it. The Zephyr cartridge all these differences presented with ease, in an effortless way. Still, I enjoyed all the versions of Niemen's album, knowing how each of them was different from others but it didn't make me want to replace the “lesser” versions with the best one. Such a combination of a "forgiving" character and the absolute truth is something absolutely unique. Bravo! Specifications (according to manufacturer) Stylus: Selected Contact Line Nude Radius of curvature : 6 x 17μm Cantilever: Laser Drilled Sapphire Recommended tracking force: 1.8 to 2.2 grams Effective tip mass: 0.32mg Compliance: 10μm / mN Frequency range: 15-45,000Hz ± 2dB Channel separation (stereo only): 1000Hz - >28dB | 50-15 000Hz - >25dB Channel difference: [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/soundsmith/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

he Diamond 25 is a smaller version of the Diamond 28 model, both made by Pylon Audio. The loudspeakers are quite large, but due to a narrow front baffle and tilted cabinet they look very light. The Diamond series is still based on transducers purchased from external subcontractors, but modified for this specific application. In the future, all Pylons will feature company's own transducers. The tweeter was bought from the Danish Scan Speak, and two low- midrange drivers from the Norwegian Seas. There are three drivers altogether but it i The loudspeakers look very nice and feature a solid construction. You can choose among many colors of natural veneer, RAL color varnishes and high gloss (black and white varnishes) finishes. The grilles are mounted on magnets, so after removing them one doesn't see ugly holes for grill's pins. Pylon decided to use high quality components. In the point-to-point crossover, there are only polypropylene capacitors and air core coils and powder cores. I used the loudspeakers together with spikes and washers included in the set. Then I placed them on the Acoustic Revive RST-38H platforms. The Pylon Diamond 25 replaced my Harbeth M40.1 taking exactly the same spots and were toed-in so that their axes would cross exactly on my head. My experiments proved that a powerful solid state amplifier is a better match for these speakers. The manufacturer suggests they are best fitted for room of 18-32 m2. It seems to be true as I did not notice any limitations in their performance, such as compression, and despite high volume levels sound remained clear. PYLON AUDIO in „High Fidelity” AWARD: BEST SOUND 2016 | Pylon Audio OPAL MONITOR – loudspeakers TEST: Pylon Audio OPAL MONITOR – loudspeakers (POLISH) TEST: Pylon Audio SAPPHIRE 23 – loudspeakers AWARD: BEST SOUND 2015: Pylon Audio SAPPHIRE 25 – loudspeakers, read HERE TEST: Pylon Audio DIAMOND 28 – loudspeakers, read HERE TEST: Pylon Audio SAPPHIRE 25 – loudspeakers, read HERE AWARD: BEST SOUND 2014: Pylon Audio PEARL 25 – loudspeakers, read HERE  TEST: Pylon Audio PEARL 25 – loudspeakers, read HERE AWARD: BEST SOUND Audio Show 2014: Pylon Audio SAPPHIRE 25 – loudspeakers, read HERE AWARD: BEST SOUND Audio Show 2013: Pylon Audio TOPAZ MONITOR – loudspeakers, read HERE AWARD: BEST SOUND 2011: Pylon Audio PEARL – loudspeakers, read HERE  TEST: Pylon Audio PEARL MONITOR – loudspeakers, read HERE  TEST: Pylon Audio PEARL – loudspeakers, read HERE Recordings used for the test (a selection): Depeche Mode, Where’s The Revolution [Remixes], Columbia | Sony Music 5420022, SP CD (2017) HOTS, Numbers, Multikulti Project MPJ020, „Jazz Series”, CD (2016) Krzysztof Komeda, Krzysztof Komeda, Polskie Nagrania „Muza” PNCD 026, „Polish Jazz vol. 3”, CD (1989) Mark Knopfler, The Trawlerman's Song EP, Mercury, 9870986, CD (2005) NOVI Singers, NOVI in Wonderland, MPS/Edel/Victor Entertainment NCS-10139, K2HD Pro Mastering CD (1969/2016) OMD, English Electric, 100% Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3810, CD (2013); Polish Jazz Quartet, Polish Jazz Quartet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland 95960186, „Polish Jazz | vol. 3”, CD (1965/2016); Polish Jazz Quartet, Polish Jazz Quartet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland, „Polish Jazz | vol. 3”, Master CD-R (1965/2016) Przemysław Rudź, Let Them Float, Generator.pl GEN CD 039, CD (2016) Sohn, Tremors, 4AD/Hostess CAD3403CDJ, CD (2014) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] What does an "own sound" of an audio product mean? The answer would seem straightforward, because it could be said that these are sonic features that are unique to this single device, loudspeakers, cables, etc. But how does one extract them? This part of the issue is the most troublesome. Fortunately, what helps us in this matter is a "differentiation", a concept that determines the scale (size) of changes that a given product presents when moving from one recording to the other. And only then combining these two things, ie, differentiation and “own sound”, allows to describe a given product. But at the very end, one still has to say what are the most important features of this product and why it is interesting. When approached in this way the Diamonds 25 very quickly turned out to be loudspeakers delivering uniquely spacial presentation. The scale of the sound that we get is huge and for this price level it is especially worth emphasizing. It's not true that only mini-monitors can throw at us a holographic, endless space. This anachronism has its origins in the days when most designers of large loudspeakers focused on other aspects of sound, especially on tone and dynamics, leaving the spatial aspects to a pure luck. Smaller speakers gain from it because of their size, ie narrow front walls, small diffraction, rigid cabinets, no coloration from bass, simpler crossover, and often thanks to the higher class components used in it, gave them an advantage. It was not really their quality, however, but it rather emphasized issues of the floor-standing speakers. In fact, to build a credible space a proper volume of the sound is necessary. And it comes from the bass and its harmonics. That is why the Diamond 25's are incredibly convincing in this regard - they deliver very, very coherent sub-ranges and pretty extended bass. So firstly, what we they offer, or at least what is worth noticing, is space. It is large, huge even, with a large sound volume. The instruments are not crowded on the stage and they have a lot space to breathe, or a distance and depth in one. Unlike with other loudspeakers with narrow front baffles, to achieve this effect I had to toe-in Diamonds so that they pointed directly at my ears. Typically, the better the effects are achieved with even more toe-in when the speakers' axes cross in front of me. The loudspeakers set up in this way sounded too dark, the treble seemed “extinguished”, and in the case of these speakers this part of the range is very important as it decides about overall tonality. Perhaps it is a result of the combination of the small dome and a specific filter in the crossover, I do not know - I know, however, that these speakers must "look" directly at us. The tone is then fresh and open. These are speakers intended for those listeners who like to hear a lot and are not interested in a warm sound. Open does not mean bright. Yes, the treble is rather strong, but not even once with different recordings did I notice any sharpness of the sound. And I listened looking for some hints of harshness for example to OMD's English Electric, which is a highly compressed material with expressive high tones. With other recordings the amount of treble is changing, and its tone changes. The latter doesn't change as much as with higher class speakers but enough to show, for example, a difference between a Master CD-R version of the Polish Jazz Quartet recordings from a regular CD version. A nice saturation of the midrange helps with that. Along with the very clean treble, we get an open midrange with its upper part slightly tempered. This is why there is no brightness nor harshness in the sound. And the weight of this part of the range helps to set the presentation on a good basis, assisted by a very well-tuned bass. The clarity of midrange-treble parts is, I would say, above average. To confirm that one could listen to Tempest, the opening track of the Sohn's album Tremors. This is as good electronic music as it comes, released by a renown 4AD record label. Vocal surprised me with harmonics, consistency and – let me repeat - its scale. And then there's the bass. There was plenty of it with this recording, just as required, and it was well controlled. But in this area Diamond 25 show a bit of their own character. Their mid-bass does not have the same energy and dynamics as the midrange and the lower part. This is not a big difference, but it is sufficient to slightly shift the tonal center of gravity; it is one of the reasons why we have this impression of freshness and openness of the sound. The lowest part of the range is supported by bass-reflex, which become obvious with recordings where the bass is not particularly well controlled. This was the case with Depeche Mode track Where's The Revolution. The basic version of this song is quite warm, low-set, but the bass could be better focused. The Pylons conveyed this accurately, slightly losing control of the lowest part of the range. Dynamics is good, but the limited by the drivers, ie the price. The large scale of the sound I mentioned overcomes it though, so we will have the impression of unfettered sound. Resolution is good, really good, because one can hear not only the differences between different releases, but it is also easy to tell what are these differences. For example, it takes just a few seconds to tell why the first CD issue of Komeda recordings released by Polish Recordings in 1989 is not a very good one, while the latest remaster prepared by Jacek Gawłowski from 2016 is stunning. Summary The Diamond 25 do a lot of things very well, and only a few just well. Like every design, this one also required specific decisions based on one hand on a specific vision of the sound, and on the other hand, on the means that could be used to achieve a targeted price. These are loudspeakers that deliver perfect imaging, build an expansive, well-arranged soundstage. They combine instruments within it, but they leave enough room for them to breathe. Their tonality is fresh and the sound is open. These are not "romantic” sounding speakers. The bass is well extended but is not always controlled in equal measure. I would say that the best match for them is a powerful solid-state amplifier. It will allow user to utilize the extraordinary clarity of the sound of these speakers, to control the bass, and to not “bleach” the vivid tonality. The resolution is good, but the drivers used here have their limitations. This is a well thought-through, coherent, open sound with a very universal expression. You can listen to any music, and enjoy the same set of features each time. The Pylon Audio Diamond 25 is a 2.5-way, three-driver, floor-standing loudspeaker with bass-reflex cabinet. It's pretty big, nice design with a narrow front wall, tilted slightly backwards. Apparently it was about phase alignment of the transducers, but also to minimize the impact of the standing waves inside the enclosure on the sound. The cabinets are made of MDF and reinforced inside with two horizontal rims, improving rigidness of the construction. The loudspeakers can be ordered in natural oak veneer, ennobled with the oil-wax. The oak can be covered with a clear lacquer or one of four wood stains: wenge, black, walnut or cherry. They can also be ordered with high-gloss finish, white or black, or in any RAL color varnish. The Diamonds 25 feature a small plinth, separated from the main body with a strip of polished steel. The plinth is a decorative element, but is also a part of the whole structure: it stabilizes the cabinet that is tilted back. High steel spikes are screwed to the plinth from underneath, pads protecting floor are included in the set. One could later replace these with bigger once. Included are black grills, that are fixed on magnets hidden under the veneer. These loudspeakers feature a small 19mm textile dome by Danish Scan Speak, midrange and bass are reproduced by a pair of 150mm SEAS drivers with a coated paper membrane. Both have been modified by manufacturers for this particular design, so they carry the "company" names: Pylon Audio PST 19.T (Scan Speak D2010 / 851300) and Pylon Audio PSW 15.8.CA (2 x SEAS CA15RLY). For the damping manufacturer decided to use bituminous mat (back and sides) and natural wool – for the bottom of the cabinet. The crossover is assembled on a plate screwed to the rear wall at a low- midrange woofer level. It features high quality elements such as: air coils and powder coils as well as very good Jantzen Audio polypropylene capacitors. OFC braided wiring was used for internal connections. A nice looking name plate with single, solid speaker terminals is placed on the rear of each speaker. Above you can see a large bass-reflex port. This is a solid design utilizing very good components. Specifications (according to manufacturer): Impedance: 4Ω Frequency range: 40 – 20,000Hz Nominal power handling: 100W Maximum power handling: 200W Sensitivity: 88dB Dimensions (W x H x D): 165 x 942 x 290mm Weight: 19kg / pc Warranty: 3 years + 1 year upon product registration Available finishes: - Natural veneer OAK, ennobled with the oil-wax - 11 decors - Natural veneer OAK, colorless lacquer: wenge, black, walnut, cherry, natural. - High Gloss: white HG, black HG. - Lacquer Mat - white, black. - Individual orders with RAL colors. [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/pylon/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/pylon/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/pylon/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/pylon/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/pylon/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/pylon/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/pylon/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/pylon/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/pylon/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/pylon/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/pylon/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/pylon/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/pylon/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/pylon/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/pylon/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/pylon/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/pylon/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/pylon/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/pylon/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/pylon/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/pylon/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

he Wilson Audio made their patent for „time alignment” public in 1984. The ultimate effect of efforts to set up transducers in a cabinet in such a way so that a sound from each of them reached a listener with the smallest possible time offset is a 680,000$ pair of limited to 70 pairs model called WAMM Master Chronosonic. As one reads in a short note on them: […] the sound wave moves at a speed of about 0.135 'in 10 μs. Above 5 kHz these 10 μs are the threshold from which people are able to recognize when the wave-front coming from several transducers in a multi-driver loudspeakers is not aligned. At lower frequencies, greater displacements are acceptable. Jason Victor Serinus, Industry Update. US: Provo, Utah, „Stereophile”, Vol. 40 No. 3, March 2017, p. 15 The Wilson Audio WAMM Master Chronosonic are a legacy the Mr David Wilson, a founder and until recently also a CEO of this company. The time alignment brought up by Mr Wilson is one of the critical issues for all loudspeaker designer who know what they are doing. Most of them design their speakers so that at least partially solve this problem with a suitable crossover filter and possibly a tilt of the front wall. Some take mechanical alignment even further placing transducers at different distances from the listener, a solution that can be found in the loudspeakers of such companies as: Bowers&Wilkins, Vandersteen, Focal and Goldmund with an ultimate achievement delivered by Wilson Audio. In all these cases it is a matter of phase alignment of transducers. However, there is a method that offers even better results – using so called coaxial transducers. The best know examples of such approach are Uni-Q systems by KEF (UK) and Dual Concentric by Tannoy (UK). Equally interesting and even more advanced with 3 and even 4 ways, are offered by companies such as: Piega (Switzerland), Musikelectronic Geithain (Germany and Cabasse (France). You might remember the monumental La Sphère from a presentation held during Audio Video Show 2016. SEAS All these solutions have one thing in common – a large size. For example the WAMM Master Chronosonic are 214,29 cm tall, and the 100 kg Cabasse La Sphère have a diameter of 70 cm. For years, however, some companies offer also mini-monitors where the idea of phase equalization was reduced to two transducers - low midrange and tweeter. The KEF solution is a dome located in the acoustic center of a larger cone transducer, and a unique example of this concept is the LS50 monitor. I can remember the press conference when KEF for the first showed the upgraded Uni-Q system, which eventually received the name Tangerine. It was about such combination of drivers to make high frequency waves reproduction independent from the shape and movements of the larger transducer. Similarly, a Norwegian manufacturer SEAS, proposed a driver with an aluminum dome placed in the center of the glass fiber braided membrane in a characteristic yellow color. I was utilized, among others, by the Finish company Gradient Labs Ltd. that in 1999 introduced Prelude mini-monitors, that quickly became on of their bestsellers. They also inspired Mr Kazuo Kiuchi, CEO of the Combak Corporation, that includes brands such as Reimyo and Harmonix. In 2002 Gradient prepared custom model that after a tuning performed in Japan, with a different cabinet and addition of a few elements, were finally offered to customers as Bravo! (POLISH). In Finland, they sold a version of this speaker called Lauri. In 2016 Mr Kiuchi introduced a new model, replacing Bravo!, called Encore ENC-5. As it turns out it was a modified version of a new Grandient speaker called Five. FIVE The Five (on the nameplate we also find name: 5.1) is the latest version of the Prelude loudspeaker of 1999. It looks very modern, thanks to the cabinet made of a Finnish birch plywood, and on the front and back baffles usage of a new material called Fenix NTM. This is not the first time the audio industry uses materials designed for other products, but that's the way it is – audio industry often uses materials that were developed for completely different purposes. And it's a good thing – the Fenix NTM looks great and has good mechanical properties as well. This is an innovative material created for the interior design by the Italian concern Arpa Industriale. It is produced in the process of thermolamination under high pressure conditions. Its core consists of phenolic papers impregnated with thermosetting resins. The outer shell has been developed using nanotechnology, and owes its appearance to the latest generation of resins also created in the Arpa Industriale labs. The most surface of the front baffle is occupied by the SEAS coaxial system. It has a diameter of 175 mm and a 25mm dome. The loudspeaker features a black metal mesh grill that can be taken off. Unlike the Prelude, which was a closed enclosure speaker, this one features a passive radiator. A 200 x 140 mm passive radiator (that is one to which we do not apply a signal) occupies most of the rear baffle. It is designed to improve low-frequency performance without compromising impulse properties, which is a problem for all bass-reflex designs. The loudspeakers look beautiful, very modern. Since the transducers are located coaxially, we can set the speakers vertically or horizontally. This is why the nameplate is supplied separately, and you can mount it after selecting loudspeakers' orientation. The name "5.1" I was talking about is not accidental - Five are ideally suited for being a part of a discrete, consistent multi-channel system, such as home theater, but also for surround audio systems. The manual is not very elaborate, but it offers much useful information. It suggests that the loudspeakers should be placed on stands or on shelves at a height of 60 to 80 cm. It's a fairly wide range, but in my experience, it's best that the tweeter of the coaxial system is at the level of the ears. Similar situation is with a recommendation for a toe-in. The manufacturer recommends that the axes of the speakers cross in front of listeners head, but ... As I wrote in the article entitled The first ten seconds, or how to listen ("High Fidelity", No. 154, February 2017, read HERE toe-in is a great way to improve a stereo imaging. And indeed, Gradients set up according to manufacturer's instructions delivered the best focused and stable sound stage with a great depth. However, there was a problem with a slight roll-off of the upper midrange, which made the sound a bit nasal. Finally, I chose the setting in which the speakers were pointing directly at my ears. This was the best compromise between the quality of the sound stage and the tonal balance. The speakers were placed on Sonus faber stands, and those on Acoustic Revive SPU-4 washers. Under the brass pads, I put the CP-4 discs of the same company. The whole was placed on the Acoustic Revive RST-38H platforms. The distance between speakers was 195 cm (from the nearest edges) and 210 cm from the listening position. Because of a passive radiators on their backs, their position in relation to a wall will allow you to control the amount of bass. I agree that this is a much better solution than bass-reflex because when placed closer to the surface (wall) bass does not get boomy, instead it actually helps to create a more powerful sound of a larger scale. But it's always a compromise - the closer to the back wall, the shallower the soundstage. During the test the loudspeakers were placed 1 m from the wall and that allowed me to achieve a spectacular spacing. For this test as a source I used the Acoustic Signature Storm Mk II deck with the TA-1000 tonearm and SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC cartridge. Recordings used for the test (a selection): Archie Shepp, On Green Dolphin Street, Denon YX-7524-ND, „Denon PCM | Jazz in New York”, LP (1978) Duke Ellington, Masterpieces by Ellington, Columbia Records/Analogue Productions ML 4418, 200 g LP (1951/2014) Kraftwerk, Radioactivity, King Klang Produkt/EMI STUMM 304, „Kling Klang Digital Master“, 180 g LP (1975/2009); Nat “King” Cole, Just One Of Those Things, Capitol Records/S&P Records S&P-508, „Limited Edition: 0886”, 180 g LP (1957/2004) Peter, Paul & Mary, Peter, Paul & Mary De Luxe, Warner Bros.-Pioneer Corporation P-10002W, „Top Artist Series”, LP (1975) Skalpel, Transit, PlugAudio PL02, 2 x 180 g LP (2014) The Bassface Swing Trio, The Bassface Swing Trio plays Gershwin, Stockfisch SFR 357.8045.1, 180 g LP + SACD/CD (2007), The Montgomery Brothers, Groove Yard, Riverside/Analogue Productions AJAZ 9362, „Top 100 Fantasy 45 Series”, 45 rpm, 2 x 180 g LP (1961/?) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] The use of a particular technical solution is intended to produce a specific result. Provided, of course, that there is a choice. It would seem that in the case of loudspeakers the choice is huge. In fact, it is narrowed down to several well-tested solutions, supplemented by innovations and experiments, that are nothing more but a curiosity. Therefore, everyone, even slightly different, approach to the problem grows to the level of a "breakthrough". Which is an obvious overstatement. So we should not expect that by selecting loudspeakers of this type, as Gradient, or others that mechanically compensated the transducer's response time, we will solve all the loudspeaker related issues, that we shall hear the angelic choirs assisted by the bass from the deepest abyss of hell, all that presented in the endless interplanetary space. That will not be the case. However, if we treat the matter responsibly, with the knowledge of the profit and loss calculations that every designer performs, we will be able to appreciate what has been achieved by choosing one solution over the other. Starting out from technical assumptions mention at the beginning of this text, Mr Jorma Salmi, the owner of the Gradient, achieved with the Five a remarkably consistent performance. It is about a "compatibility" of tone, dynamics, space and imaging. The sound reaches us as a whole in an unobtrusive, easy way. It is a conscious “easiness”, not a passive one, so there is also a place for a particular idea for a presentation as a whole. But it is just that, this beautiful focus on the goal, pulling us into the created musical world, that hits us from the first album we play. The Gradients create in front of us a focused, deep, but also wide picture. It's not the first time I heard this type of presentation, so I can say that this is how the phase-aligned systems work; this also a reason why there are many fans of a single-driver loudspeakers. Everything is well organized, properly arranged in the presentation, but - as I mentioned – it seems unforced, easy, smooth, light. The space in front of us is thoroughly saturated with the sounds and "air" of the recording. There is this "elasticity" as if the space ahead of us could slightly bend under pressure. Usually it is just a quite thin air - here there is something thicker. Speaking of lightness, I do not mean a lack of bass. The low range is clearly limited by the size of the cabinet and do not expect a strong impact, nor very large phantom images (instruments). There is nothing missing in them, provided that one understands that one listens to monitors. And then we will appreciate the following: although not very deep, the bass extends in a controlled manner, without a sudden drop, hence delivering a proper support for the midrange. And the center of the band is the most important here. Both the upper treble and the low bass are barely marked in these loudspeakers. I have no doubt that these columns were so tuned because the "fantastic" saturation and focus of the midrange was a goal here. So-voiced sound, that is, with a large soundstage, accurate imaging and perfectly saturated midrange, in some way imposes the choice of musical material. These are not all-round loudspeakers and probably they were not supposed to be. Jazz, vocals and, in general, everything that was released in the 1950s and 1960s will sound beautiful. Also electronics, unless we expect a great momentum and very low bass, will sound really great. Human voices are shown in an excellent way, because they are saturated and at the same time do not impose themselves on a listener with a body; they are just there. The loudspeakers are quite resolving, so the differentiation is good. One can hear, for example, what was the problem of early digital recordings from the 1970s, and what was so good in them that until today these can be a model for the contemporary sound engineers. What the Gradients Five can not do, even if we do not ask them to, is to deliver a really deep, low bass. Kraftwerk from Radioactivity album sounded very nicely, mainly by conveying the idea of sound and presenting everything in an equal measure. But there was no powerful bass here that normally allows the sound to fell “large”. Also with a Scalpel duo album I felt some shortage of power in the lower end of the band. This will not be a particularly selective sound. There is nothing missing from it, but the loudspeakers render rather big events without separating sounds from each other much. In this respect, Mr. Kiuchi's speaker goes much further. Their sound is also bigger, because they have a stronger emphasis in the lower midrange which thus is denser and more tangible. But these speakers will cost you much more than a pair of Fives. Summary The Finns live in beautiful country and make beautiful things. In their craftsmanship, because that's what we are dealing with here, there is a hint of Japanese Zen, ie calm and consideration. It is no accident that the Gradient's and Combak Corporation's loudspeakers have the same DNA and that it was conceived in Finland. The sound of Five loudspeakers is just such - focused, full, I would even say: passionate. Minus dynamics - it's ultimately just a very small speaker. If we accept it, we will get a product that is beautifully aesthetic, and as if created for the music we associate with the evening listening accompanied with a glass of good alcohol and reading. The Gradient Five is a two-way, two-driver, stand-mounted loudspeaker with additional passive radiator. Their cabinets are proportional, and perfectly finished. It is made of Finnish birch plywood, with front and back baffles reinforced - and at the same time finished – with boards made of synthetic material called Fenix NTM. It is supposed to dampen the vibrations and complete the external design. The SEAS concentric system on the front features a 175 mm midrange speaker with a fiberglass braided diaphragm and an acoustically centered aluminum tweeter dome with a diameter of 25 mm. Almost the whole rear wall is occupied by a 200 x 140 mm passive radiator, with an extruded basket. Therefore, the speaker terminals are placed atypically in the corner and at the slant. Surprisingly, this arrangement is very convenient when connecting cables. The inside of the cabinet is tightly filled with an artificial non-woven fabric, resembling wool. The crossover was stuck on a narrower wall to an additional MDF. One finds high quality components in it, ie air coils and polypropylene capacitors. An assembly was done by point-to-point method. Because of the small size, the cables that go from transducers to crossover are very short. Well done! Specifications (according to the Manufacturer) Frequency range: 60-25,000 Hz (+/-2dB, 45 Hz: -6dB) Impedance: 8Ω Sensitivity: 8dB / 2.83 V / 1m Recommended amplifier power: 20-150W Drivers: - 1 x 175mm, fiberglass midrange, - 1 x 25mm, coaxial aluminum dome - 1 x passive radiator 140 x 200mm Crossover point: 2800Hz Dimensions (H x W x D): 324x 200 x 22mm Weight (1 piece): 6kg [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gradient/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gradient/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gradient/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gradient/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gradient/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gradient/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gradient/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gradient/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gradient/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gradient/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gradient/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gradient/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gradient/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gradient/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gradient/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gradient/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gradient/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gradient/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gradient/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gradient/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gradient/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gradient/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gradient/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gradient/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gradient/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gradient/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gradient/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

auder Akustik Vescova MkII is a new version of the loudspeaker that we were able to look at "High Fidelity" in April 2008 (No. 48, read HERE). These speakers belong to the Ceramic series, that includes also the larger three-way Cassiano MkII and the stand-mounted FRC MkII. The Ceramic is the middle series in this German manufacturer's range. As usually in such a case it has the best value for the money - it's not as expensive as the top Berlin series, but it's expensive enough to fit in some solution borrowed from the flagship line, which makes it significantly different from the less expensive series, Arcona. At first glance, the second version of Vescova looks similar to MkI. These are 2,5-way floorstanding loudspeakers measuring 1060 x 210 x 410 mm (H x W x D) and weighing 26 kg (pc). They feature two identical 180mm Acuton ceramic drivers, with one of the filtered from the top at 130 Hz and working in a down-firing bass reflex cabinet. The second of the ceramic Acutons is located just below the dome tweeter and is not filtered from below. It works in a closed enclosure. The loudspeakers feature a lute-like shape and their cabinets are made of bent plywood. Vescova MkII, like other Gauder Akustik speakers, are made in Germany. There are, however, differences between the old and new version. First, of course, is the new name of the company. The Isophon brand under which they were once sold was founded in 1929. Between 1997 and 2012 the company was called Isophon Acoustic Consulting GbR, and Mr. Roland Gauder was responsible for the designs. In 2013 he founded a company bearing his name, Gauder Akustik, and he took with him all the designs he created in Isophone, adding some new models to them. The next difference is the crossover point between the woofers – previously it was at 180 Hz, now is at 130 Hz, also moving the speaker terminals from the bottom to the rear, and some other upgrades. An important change compared to the MkI is the option of using not only the Acuton's ceramic dome, but also a diamond dome, and we are testing the latter version. The price increases by almost 25,000 PLN, but the qualitative difference between these drivers is simply huge. One can also choose one of the available finishes. For this test distributor delivered a very nice, most expensive version, with high gloss lacquer. The loudspeakers were brought by - as always reliable – guys representing RCM, the Polish distributor of the Gauder Akustik. During transport, they are packed in large boxes, so despite the fact that each of them weighs no more than 26 kg, when packaged, they weight much more. Along with the speakers they brought granite basis shaped after cabinets, which in the price list are called Flagstone and cost 2590 PLN (per pair). The speakers were place in exactly the same spots that my own Harbeth M40.1 usually occupy. At the time of the test, the speakers stood on the granite bases provided with them and on their spikes. Under the front ones we placed small pads, the rear ones stood directly on the base. User can adjust the amount of bass by changing the setting of the jumper visible on the bottom. In my case, the best setting was the "neutral" one, ie 0 dB. The jumper supplied by the manufacturer is very nice and aesthetic. However, it is best to treat it as usual "company" jumpers, ie replace it. The Polish Gauder distributor brought for the tested pair jumpers made by themselves, made of copper, with silver BFA plugs, connected with a Furutech cable. I think in Poland customers will get them with speakers for free :) Unlike usually, they were placed facing straight ahead, without any toe-in. As Wojtek (who you might know as an author of the TURNTABLE CALIBRATION – course for beginners, POLISH), said in the distributor's listening room, this setting gave the biggest and simply the best sound stage. Because in my room almost always speakers sound better when toed-in I tried both variants. This is the first time I decided that positioning without toe-in sounded better. When setting up Gauders, one should also pay attention to the height of one's ears relative to the midrange/tweeter section (ie how high you sit). With the Vescova MkII one has to sit so that the ears are exactly between two upper drivers (tweeter and low- midrange). If one sits lower, the sound will be slightly nasal, with a slight emphasis on a part of midrange. When one sits down on the right height everything shall fall into place. ISOPHON in “High Fidelity” TEST: Isophon BERLINA RC7 - loudspeakers TEST: Isophon VESCOVA - loudspeakers Recordings used for the test (a selection): Alan Parsons Project, Eye in the Sky, Arista Records AL9599, LP (1982) w: The Alan Parsons Project, The Complete Audio Guide to Alan Parsons Project, Arista Records SP 140, Box: 8 x LP (1982) Archie Shepp, On Green Dolphin Street, Denon YX-7524-ND, „Denon PCM | Jazz in New York”, Japan LP (1978) Brendan Perry, Ark, Cooking Vinyl/Vinyl 180 VIN180LP040, 2 x 180 g (2011) Count Basie & Tony Bennett, Basie/Bennett, Roulette/Classic Records SR 25 072, „45 rpm series”, 4 x one side pressing, 180 g LP Depeche Mode, Spirit, Columbia 411651, 2 x 180 g LP (2017) Julie London, Julie is her name. Vol. 1, Liberty Records LPR 3006, LP (1955) Miles Davis & Milt Jackson, Miles Davis All Star Sextet/Quintet, Prestige/Victor Musical Industries SMJ-6530, Japan LP (1956/1976) Niemen, Terra Deflorata, VeriTon SXV 1001, LP (1989) Paul O’Brien & Uli Kringler Trio, Stockfisch Studio Session 2009, Stockfisch SFR 357.8010.1, 45 RPM, 180 g LP SBB, Hofors 1975, GAD Records GAD LP 008, „Limited Edition Clear Wax”, 180 g LP (2016) Sonny Clark Trio, Sonny Clark Trio, Time Records/Teichiku Records ULS-1801-V, „Time Original Collection”, Japan LP (1960/?) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] I could not help but to write about it in the beginning: the sound we get with the Vescova MkII speakers is in many ways similar to the earliest open baffle loudspeaker designs with horn tweeters. Playing record after record I felt as though the eight decades that had passed were only a short interlude, and only now we are "re-discovering" a similar type of presentation. But it is not the same sound, that's not the point - in some respects, Gauders are at the opposite end of the spectrum from products from the 1930s and 40s. Speaking of open baffles and horns I meant a general idea for sound presentation. If I understand it correctly, it is supposed to be an absolutely coherent presentation, both internally, between small elements and externally, ie with interrelated big assumptions. The point is that these speakers sound like a single transducer set in a large room and working with this room closely. What's more, when it comes to tonality they sound in an absolutely aligned way. And there is also this great holography – the Vescova MkII should be able to easily convince any fan of small monitors that large speakers can provide very good imaging too. It all happens at the same time, everything is intertwined and even if I am forced to distinguish the different aspects of this play, it is an artificial division. The tonality of the tested loudspeakers is – forgive me for that - warm. It's not artificially warmed up, it is about how resolving it is which might be interpreted as a warm sound. That's another case I'm familiar with of a tall, well-thought-out design that go in that direction offering rather dark sound, at least if one compares them to “standard” models, not to mention horn ones. And it does not really matter what transducers are used, or what kind of enclosure, because what matters is their class and talent and knowledge of designers. I think they are getting more and more familiarized with inherent features of drivers they work with and they understand them better. I can not explain this in any other way than with self-awareness - Vescova MkII in terms of tonal shaping sound in a very similar way to diametrically different constructions like YG Acoustics Carmel 2 (metal drivers, ultra-rigid aluminum enclosure) and Harbeth M40.1 (plastic and material drivers, wooden, tuned cabinets). These German boxes perfectly penetrate the recording, differentiate it both in the “general picture” and inside, within each of them. It is, in a sense, a warm performance but perfectly differentiated, resolving. Although these are large vented designs, they do not deliver monotonous, large bass. Yes, it's a bit rounded up and warmed up, but just because it's in line with the whole idea for this model. Bass is very well extended, it is fleshy and impressive. I have tried different jumper settings at the bottom of the cabinet and ultimately decided for the initial one, ie the "0 dB" position. By increasing the amount of bass we pump it up a little, but it does not go any deeper. It is not the lowest bass that I heard from a loudspeaker of this size, but there is nothing to complain about either. When listening to any album, everything is just accurate, I've never looked for a missing octave, because it was never missing, and even if it seemed so to me, it wasn't really true. I stayed longer with the bass performance, because it plays its role very accurately. It is not a “separate being” within presentation, nor does it steal it. At first, it might seem that the loudspeakers are focus on a mid-band, as once open baffle speakers did, and later monitors from Great Britain. It lasts until we realize that monitors do not have a chance to deliver such a full, dense midrange, they can not build such a large volume of sound unless they are supported at the bottom of the band. This is how the woofer in the Vescova MkII works - it relieves the bottom of the two-speaker system above, allowing it to breathe. I realized how good all these elements work together, how organized they are when I listened to Czesław Niemen's Terra Deflorata. This recording is based on the extraordinary saturation of the midrange, that is also very selective, although it is easy to miss that element in all that warmth and density. Gauders excelled at these two things and the treble quality was also above average. The way they are voiced resembles a live sound. There is weight and "body". The impact of the cymbal is not just a click, because of a strong leading edge and proper saturation of the sound. And the resolution of this sub-range is unusual. Despite such a fantastic high-resolution of treble, when we listen to vinyl records with jazz records from the 1950s, it's noteworthy that the pops&cracks, surface noise, and even noise from the tape, are somehow withdrawn by these loudspeakers. Despite the fact that the last thing I would say about these speakers is that their treble performance is rolled-off. I heard that again when listening to high-class speakers, and it seems that if these inherent elements of LP playback are presented clearly, become annoying, then there must be something with the playback system, and they really do not have to be something that irritates listener. With Vescova MkII the music was always put first, and the whole "technology" was somewhere in the back. All these goodies will cost you. After all, these are not the largest or the most expensive speakers available (although the tweeter could be used in any construction, whatever the price level). They also use specific techniques and technologies that are not transparent to the sound. The tonal balance is just outstanding. The fact that we are dealing with a few transducers will be heard not at the tonal level but rather at dynamic one. The upper bass, somewhere near the crossover point, has less energy than below this point. This limitation on energy level of which I am speaking, is manifested by the calming of the dynamics in the range of 120-200 Hz (that's not a measurement, just an estimation). That is why these speakers sounds in a majestic, distinguished way, in contrast to the horn speakers that give everything right away, immediately. The sound is not as palpable as presented by some other loudspeakers - such as Harbeth - but also with open baffles. It is full, dense, saturated, but is presented behind the line connecting the speakers, and the bodies of the instruments - though large, beautiful - have no clear beginning and end, they tend to "blur" with the acoustic environment. There is also a preference for direct sounds, slightly quenching the reverb, especially at the top of the band. Summary The Vescova MkII with diamond tweeter is a dreamed loudspeaker for anyone who plays music from a turntable and hi-res files. They show a better world, not forgetting its disadvantages, but moving them back to the second plane. Their sound is full, saturated, warm, but they also perfectly differentiate recordings, especially in the midrange and treble area. They react a little nervously to the recordings with strong compression, like the latest Depeche Mode album Spirit. Then they tend to “compact” the sound in the midrange area, so it is slightly pushy. But that's an issue with some recordings not the loudspeakers. Besides, they should fit into any room and every good system with either solid-state or tube amplification, bringing serenity and fulfillment into owner's life. It's kind of a "ultimate speaker", if you're able to just let go of the chase for the unattainable. Vescova MkII is a floorstanding loudspeaker made by the German company Gauder Akustik. This is a 2.5-way, vented design. It features two Acuton drivers with a ceramic diaphragm working as bass and midrange woofers. A mesh is attached in front of the diaphragm, which secures an extremely rigid but very fragile membrane. Upper suspension is made of rubber. The lower driver works in a vented chamber and it works up to 130Hz. The other driver works in closed enclosure and is filtered only from the top, at 3200Hz. The tweeter (an inverted dome) can be either ceramic or diamond – for the test we received a version featuring the diamond tweeter. The crossover is the heart of every speaker set. Ceramic transducers are quite difficult in the application, because over 7kHz in low- midrange drivers there is a strong resonance that needs to be suppressed. Mr. Gauder has the answer based on his experience and mathematical model - he uses very steep, symmetrical filters of 50 dB per octave. That's something that fans of the 1st order crossovers (6dB / oct.) might be hard to accept. The crossover featuring component sourced from the Inter-Technik company is divided into two parts: one for tweeter and the other for low- midrange. The first consists of several components, including a polypropylene capacitor and an air coil; it was assembled using the point-to-point method. The second one is assembled on a PCB that was screwed to the side wall of the cabinet at the upper woofer level. The cabinet is made of bent plywood, finished with natural veneer. There are various versions available with matte or high-gloss lacquer finish. Each speaker features four feet that are screwed to the speakers base. Manufacturer provides user also with protective pads to be used under feet. However, one may, at an additional cost, purchase special feet ("Spike-extenders") to improve the stability of the speaker. These will also make Vescova MKII look even better. Very good quality, robust and easy-to-tighten WBT connectors are placed on the back of the speaker, on a narrow flat piece. Specifications (according to manufacturer): Principle: 2.5-way, bass-reflex Nominal impedance: 4Ω Maximum power handling: 340W Crossover points: 130/3200Hz Crossover type: 50 dB/oct., symmetric Dimensions (H x W x D): 1060 x 210 x 410mm Weight: 26kg/pc [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gauder/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gauder/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gauder/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gauder/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gauder/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gauder/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gauder/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gauder/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gauder/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gauder/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gauder/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gauder/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gauder/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gauder/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gauder/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gauder/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gauder/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gauder/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/gauder/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/gauder/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/gauder/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

hen, in 2014, information was published that the Dynaudio company had been sold and one should expect changes in its offer, we all started wondering what development model the new owners would choose (more HERE [accessed: 16.03.2017]). Let me just add that the purchase was made by the Chinese GeorTek company. At the moment, it seems that there will soon be more lifestyle products, but also that the core of the offer (i.e. high-end, technologically advanced speakers) will remain unchanged. So, that would be a policy similar to the one adopted by the Chinese owners of other European speaker legends – KEF and Tannoy. However, the Dynaudio company that is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year (est. 1977) is undoubtedly going to change. Perhaps as a some kind of a reaction to globalization and a shift towards the mass market in the audio industry, mostly when it comes to artistic design, ostentatiously conservative products are regaining their popularity – ones that belonged to the audio mainstream several years or a few decades ago. It seems that a good example of a firm which makes such products is the Danish Buchardt-Audio company . Established by Mads Buchardt, it has a seat in Silkeborg – a small town with just over 40,000 inhabitants. The town is “young” as it was granted municipal rights only in 1900, thanks to the earlier establishment of a paper factory that was closed in 2000. Today, the town is known for being the seat of the Jyske Bank, one of the largest banks in Denmark, as well as for the Riverboat jazz festival. By coincidence, Silkeborg is located not far from Skanderborg – a small town with nearly 15,000 inhabitants, known to us as the seat of the abovementioned Dynaudio. I am making references to the two companies for two reasons. Firstly, they are Danish both when it comes to the place where they were registered and their spirit (a Scandinavian approach to the product). Secondly, they are both associated with Mr Kasper Raun, a former Dynaudio engineer, who designed the S300 MKII bookshelf speakers that we are presenting. S300 MKII The S300 MkII model is the bigger one of two bookshelf speaker models offered by Buchardt-Audio. It is a development version of the earlier S300 model, with a completely redesigned crossover, thanks to which we get, as the manufacturer declares, “a completely new product, even though it looks the same as its older version.” And it does look totally classic. It is a cuboid made of MDF covered with natural veneer. The configuration of the speakers is equally conservative – it is a two-way design with a soft tweeter dome and a bass/midrange speaker with a membrane made of minerals doped polypropylene. Apart from selecting high-quality drivers, the most effort was dedicated to the crossover, which constitutes the “heart” of every speaker. When we look at its photo, we notice that it has little in common with minimalist circuits preferred by many manufacturers. It is because it is a circuit with second order filters and, additionally, baffle step correction. Baffle step correction means easier load for the amplifier. Measurements taken outside the main axis played an important role in the development of this design. Manufacturers usually focus on axis mesaruments, since characteristics obtained in this way in an anechoic chamber look impressive. However, a listening room has nothing in common with an anechoic chamber. On the contrary, it is part of a creation that we obtain thanks to an audio system. That is why in S300 MkII, designers were trying to gain equalized frequency response not only on but also off the main axis. As we can read in company materials, the tweeter response time was also corrected, without the need of moving it mechanically. When we look at how the speakers are made, what components have been used in them and, above all, where they are manufactured, their price must seem at least “friendly”. 5000 PLN for a pair of SUCH speakers, even before we move on to listen to them, is really not much. It is possible thanks to the direct sales model adopted by Mr Mads Buchardt – the speakers are available in an online store, without intermediaries (distributors and stores). In the audio industry this is a risky method, as one of the most important things that we need to make a decision is a listening session in controlled conditions. However, based on the example of a few other companies, the model is viable when a few conditions are met. I wrote about the pros and cons of direct sales when I tested the USB REFERENCE I (Improved) cable of the Italian company Neutral Cable. MADS BUCHARDT Owner My name is Mads Buchardt and I deal with music. I am a musician myself and I have a lot of knowledge of instruments and the recording studio – I had been working as a sales person in a music shop for seven years before I set up Buchardt Audio. Music is my passion. I established Buchardt Audio to bring high-end sound to all people and to give up high-end prices. I am aware that I have had to sacrifice certain things to achieve this aim. However, using cheaper components was out of the question. The solution was the direct sales model – clients can buy our speakers via our website. Thanks to this they save some 60 – 70% of the amount they would have to spend in order to buy these speakers at a store. The speakers were designed by Kasper Raun, a former Dynaudio engineer. The speakers stood on Sonus Faber stands, placed on the Acoustic Revive SPU-4 stands. Under the brass stands, I placed the Acoustic Revive CP-4 insulators. The whole combination stood on the Acoustic Revive RST-38H speaker platforms. The S300 MkII speakers stood 195 cm away from each other (considering the closest edges) and 210 cm from the place where I listened to them. The distance between their rear panel to the wall was equal to 1 m – I obtained a spectacular amount of space in this way. The sound source was the Acoustic Signature Storm MkII turntable with the Acoustic Signature TA-1000 arm and the Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC cartridge. Signal from the Soulution 710 power amplifier was sent by the Acoustic Revive SPC3.0 Triple-C cables. The speakers were compared to our “editorial” Harbeth M40.1 speakers and the bookshelf Gradient Five speakers. Recordings used for the test (a selection): Archie Shepp, On Green Dolphin Street, Denon YX-7524-ND, „Denon PCM | Jazz in New York”, LP (1978) Artur Rojek, Składam się z ciągłych powtórzeń, Kayax Production 072, 180 g LP (2014); Brendan Perry, Ark, Cooking Vinyl/Vinyl 180 VIN180LP040, 2 x 180 g LP (2011) Depeche Mode, Fragile Tension/Hole to Feed, Mute Records 12BONG42, 2 x 180 g, 12” maxi-SP LP (2009) Diahann Carroll & The Duke Ellington Orchestra, A Tribute To Ethel Waters, Orinda Records ORC 400, „Digital Master Disc Recording”, Test Pressing LP (1978) Mel Tormé, Oh, You Beautiful Doll, The Trumpets of Jericho - Silver Line 904333-980, 180 g LP (2000) Nat “King” Cole, Just One Of Those Things, Capitol Records/S&P Records S&P-508, „Limited Edition: 0886”, 180 g LP (1957/2004) Skalpel, Transit, PlugAudio PL02, 2 x 180 g LP (2014) The Bassface Swing Trio, The Bassface Swing Trio plays Gershwin, Stockfisch SFR 357.8045.1, 180 g LP + SACD/CD (2007) Yuri Tashiro Piano Trio, Aiji Arai & The Beat Sounds, Digital Explosion, EastWorld EWJ-80181, „Soundphile Series (Digital Recording)”, LP (1980) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] When we read that “the speakers are designed for medium-sized and large rooms – up to 60 m2” and then that “you do not need a separate subwoofer to support bass”, a red light turns on in our head. The smaller the columns advertised in this way, the more alert we become, as a lot of “big” bass is supposed to come from a small housing, i.e. bass without any control. I took both of the quotes from the Buchardt-Audio website. So, it gave me a lot of food for thought, even before I placed the S300 MkII speakers on stands. Perhaps it was not anxiety – in the end, they were designed by a person with undisputed knowledge and experience, but what matters is the assumption, idea – and it might have been like this. As it turns out, there is nothing to be afraid of. However, one also becomes aware of the meaning of the abovementioned Internet quotes. The speakers produce very large sound that would also suit a lot of floorstanders from this price range and also more expensive ones. Recordings from albums that usually impress us with their volume and swing were also ravishing this time. It was a musical message with no place for “holes” or rarefied air, where everything was dense and strong. The bass that I mentioned does not go as low as in larger speakers, but everything is so ordered that it gives an impression that it does. It has a warm tone and is not especially contoured, i.e. the attack is not strongly marked. This lowers the dynamics a little on the micro scale, as everything is smooth and liquid rather than rapid and active. Such sound reception is also shaped by the sweet and never too sharp treble. There is never too little of it, but there is also no doubt that nobody has intended to overexpose recordings, or to cut out the contours of musical instruments on the stage in front of us. However, the Buchardt-Audio speakers are still far away from classic warm sound. Yes, we first perceive them as dense and warm, but only for a moment. Then, we formulate this concept in our head and adjust it to the stereotypes that we are used to. Stereotypes are like quick selection keys in a phone – they are the starting point which later needs to be supplemented with content. The content is related to the inner organization of the sound and a surprisingly big amount of information that we receive. However, since this is real information and not “details”, we do not realize that straight away. It appears that the tested speakers are characterized by very high resolution. Both of the drivers used have their limitations, but these are not limitations typical for this price range. We get sound characterized by rich inner complexity without clear separation of planes, instruments, etc. We can hear nuances in sound, in sound engineering, tone changes, etc. Even with such inexpensive speakers, it was perfectly clear what impact the Harmonix TU-812MX analogue record clamp has on sound. This Million Maestro work of the applied arts costs over 12,000 PLN. It might seem that the improvement it provides will be possible to detect in very expensive systems, however… the S300 MkII speakers showed very clearly that sound was richer, deeper and darker with the clamp. What the columns will not surprise us with is connected with the dynamics and building up the treble. It is rather calm (in a good sense of the word, but still calm) sound. The incredibly dynamic sounds of the drum pedal on the Yuri Tashiro Piano Trio, Aiji Arai & The Beat Sounds Digital Explosion album were a bit smoothened and not as surprising as with other speakers of the same size. The treble is very well differentiated and I had no doubt that when it comes to recordings from this album, the method of digital recording of the material (Sharp/Optonica) was worse than, for example, in the case of the Archie Shepp On Green Dolphin Street album (Denon). The low bass is not massive, either. In the end, these are small bookshelf speakers. Conclusion However, I do not want this to sound like an accusation. Considering the given price range, all the remaining aspects are excellent and these – just OK. Anyway, a feature of these columns that makes them worth our interest in the first place is the ability to create big sound with incredible swing. Albums such as Brendan Perry’s Ark will sound great with them. Jazz will be reproduced even better – please listen to what older recordings, such as the ones from Mel Tormé’s Oh, You Beautiful Doll and Nat “King” Cole’s Just One Of Those Things albums sound like, as well as completely new ones, such as The Bassface Swing Trio plays Gershwin recorded using the direct-to-disc system. It will be beautiful! RED Fingerprint. The S300 MkII are two-way bookshelf speakers with a bass-reflex enclosure – the vent is placed on the rear panel. They have classic proportions and the following dimensions: 370 x 190 x 330 mm (h x w x d). Each unit weighs 10 kg. The housing is made of thick MDF panels and covered with natural veneer. We are testing a version with walnut veneer finish, but a black and a white version are also available (lacquer). The first one is the most expensive. The speakers have quite a large volume, obtained thanks to their considerable depth. The SB265TC AC-C0004 tweeter has a soft dome of a 26 mm diameter and a magnesium front. It was manufactured by the SB Acoustics company in Indonesia. It is characterized by, among others, the use of copper-clad aluminium wire in the coil and silver connectors. Bass and midrange are reproduced by the 170 mm SB17FMC35-4 driver manufactured by the same company. It has a very robust, aluminium-cast basket and a membrane made of minerals doped polypropylene. The colour of the upper suspension is similar to colours used in the 1970s – i.e. it is grey rather than black. When we touch it, it appears it is made of highly resilient rubber. Drivers manufactured by the company are designed by Ulrik Schmidt who had been responsible for drivers from the Revelator and Illuminator series produced by the Danish Scan-Speak company. In 2006, Mr Schmidt, together with his colleague from Vify, engineer Frank Nielsen, left Scan-Speak to join the newly created SB Acoustics. It was established by the Danish manufacturer Danesian Audio that is responsible for design and its Indonesian partner Sinar Baja Electric that manufactures drivers in its factory. The crossover is mounted on a printed circuit board attached to the bottom of the housing. One can almost only see polypropylene Bennic capacitors and air coils in it. There are a lot of components, as baffle step correction is used here. The drivers are connected using not very thick copper braid with caps. Signal is transmitted to a pair of gold-plated speaker clamps. The bass-reflex vent is located above – the pipe is made of sized paper. We get grilles together with the speakers – they have a round shape and cover only individual drivers. A perfect edition of a classic product. Technical specifications (according to the manufacturer): Operating principle: 2-way, bass-reflex Impedance: 4 Ω Sensitivity: 88 dB Frequency response: 33 – 30,000 Hz (+/- 3 dB) Crossover: 2nd order, baffle step corrected Power recommendation: 40 – 200 W Dimensions (h x w x d): 370 x 190 x 330 mm Weight: 10 kg/unit. [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/buchard/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/buchard/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/buchard/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/buchard/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/buchard/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/buchard/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/buchard/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/buchard/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/buchard/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/buchard/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/buchard/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/buchard/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/buchard/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/buchard/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/buchard/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/buchard/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/buchard/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/buchard/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

oles laugh at Czechs and Czechs laugh at Poles – it is so and nothing can be done about it. The reason for laughing really does not matter – it may be the language, behaviour or even peoples’ names, but we have always laughed at each other – perhaps because we are so similar that it makes us different. However, the history of our two nations intertwines in a really special way. It started with the Prague bishop Wojciech Sławnikowic, a Catholic Church saint (one of two patrons saint of Poland), then there was the Czech princess Dobrawa who brought Christianity (Catholicism) to Poland; next, Bolesław Chrobry was crowned thanks to help from our southern neighbours, there were mutual invasions and plunders, the Przemyślid dynasty ruled Poland and the Jagiellonian dynasty ruled the Czech territory. More recently, there was a border dispute concerning Zaolzie (lands beyond the Olza River) and the Prague Spring. A view of Prague from a café terrace on the 11th floor. On the other hand, there is also Czech literature, constantly popularized in Poland by Mariusz Szczygieł. The similarity also extends to Prague and Cracow, the two royal cities. The former capital city of Poland is simply a miniature Prague. These are just a few of many issues from the domain of Polish ‘common knowledge’. Differences are equally significant, as Poles are struck by many things that our southern Slavic brothers have in common with Germans – celebrating afternoons in pubs, drinking beer, eating food, etc. I had been aware of all that before I came to Prague, but I had not expected I would feel so good there, as if at home. Peoples’ relaxed attitude towards life and towards themselves, lack of aggression and friendliness make Prague a good place to live. Anyway, the Czech Republic is a small country. Its territory covers the area of 78,866 km² and there are over 10.5 m inhabitants. For comparison, Poland has a territory of 312,679 km² and 38.5 m inhabitants. So, the audio industry in the Czech Republic is proportionally less developed than in Poland. Audio magazines, such as “Stereo & Video” or the Internet “Hi-Fi Voice” are published there, and the AUDIO VIDEO SHOW PRAGUE exhibition has been organized in Prague for the last three years. This year, for the first time the “High Fidelity” magazine, along with both the Czech and Slovakian “HIGH & Style” magazines, provided media sponsorship for the event. The four-star Don Giovanni hotel has a large body. Even though its architecture makes references to a few styles, it is a new building. Its construction started in 1993 and the opening ceremony took place on April 1st 1994. Exhibition The exhibition takes place at the Don Giovanni hotel. The location is excellent, as there is a metro (line A) station right next to the hotel, next to a tram station (lines: 5 and 21). It takes no longer than 15 minutes to get to the Charles Bridge by metro from here. The hotel had been chosen not only because of its location, as Prague offers, I have to say, very good public transport services and it would be possible to find a few other, equally interesting places. The thing is that the ‘patron’ of the hotel is Mozart, loved by the Czechs and worshipped, considered to be ‘almost-Czech’. The lobby is dominated by a Mozart’s statue, posters presenting Mozart can be found everywhere, his music is played in the lift, while the names of prestigious rooms and conference halls either refer to the composer himself or his music. So, there is a strong musical trace and music combined with comfort is something that is hard to resist. A view of the Mozart’s statue located opposite the main entrance. The event is taking place for the third time and two people are responsible for its organization: Daniel Březina and Peter Žaloudek. A very nice and well-prepared catalogue, which looks like a good magazine, accompanies the exhibition. While attending the event, one can have something to eat or drink – usually coffee or beer – and also buy some albums. The exhibition is held in hotel rooms and, in a few cases, in larger conference halls. The whole exhibition is centered around three floors with an additional, exclusive Mozart room on the 11th floor, with access to a terrace located on the roof of the building where one can admire the panorama of the more recently built part of Prague. As regards its atmosphere, the exhibition resembles Polish Audio Show exhibitions from 7 –8 years ago, mostly those organized at the Jan III Sobieski Hotel, but the place is less crowded and everything is more relaxed. As the exhibition in Prague is a local event, I wanted to see and hear mostly the local, Czech and Slovakian brands. So, I was surprised with some European and even one global premiere of: a Metaxas headphone amplifier costing 50,000 USD, the Shangri-La HiFiMAN headphone system (50,000 USD) and the Audio Physic Avantera III loudspeakers presented to the public for the very first time. It appeared that I was also able to listen to many top products from all over the world there. I asked Daniel Březina, who had invited me to Prague, to tell me a few words about the event. DANIEL BREZINA Organizer The person responsible for the whole event, Daniel Březina, on the first floor, where the exhibition started. WOJCIECH PACUŁA: Tell me a few words about yourself, please. DANIEL BŘEZINA: I am the editor-in-chief of the largest audio Internet portal in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and also an organizer of the exhibition in Prague. The event originated simply because we desperately needed fresh blood – it had previously been organized by older guys who had considered the status quo to be a comfortable situation and had not seen the need to change anything. So, I took care of the preparations and started to implement things seen at other exhibitions all over the world. The people I mostly wanted to attract to hi-fi were those who had not been aware of its existence at all. When did you start dealing with it? I got the idea in 2013, when distributors and dealers, but also visitors who had come to the previous exhibitions started to complain that everything had always looked the same. So, I started knocking at the doors of dealers and distributors, asking them if they were ready for a significant change in the way the exhibition had been organized, which took me a year and a half. In 2014, the original exhibition became history and a year later the exhibition was held in a new form for the first time. Was it successful? It must be admitted that it was a complete failure. It appeared I did not know at all what to do and where, because of which everything almost fell to pieces… However, every failure is an opportunity for improvement, so I analysed what I had done wrong and I changed it… I’ve managed to improve many things by 100%. This year I did it again and almost everything worked out :) I hope that by noticing and eliminating problems, I will make the exhibition grow and in 2019, when it is going to be held for the fifth time, everything will be absolutely perfect :) How many visitors did you have this year? And last year? This year we had 2939 visitors, which is close to the 3150 who had visited us the year before. We had expected a slight rise, but the almost summer weather on Saturday must have made many people choose open air activities instead of visiting the hotel. However, everything is OK… One of the places where visitors could buy records had been organized by the Music Point store – the official representative of the Supraphon company that is celebrating its 85th anniversary. One could get the excellent “Pure Analog” vinyl discs there. How would you describe the exhibition in Prague – who is it for? We are trying to reach out to people who like music – those who have only accessed online shops or supermarkets selling cheap products before and had no idea that there is something bigger than that. So, I am trying to attract young people who have already forgotten their parents’ stereo and do not remember how nice listening to it may be. However, obviously, half of the visitors are hardcore audiophiles, which is awesome! Nevertheless, we would generally like the exhibition to be a place where 16-year-olds will be able to find decent headphones and listen to things that they will be able to afford when they are 40 or 50. We are trying to teach people that they are limited by no barriers apart from their own ears and passion :) Your plans for the future? Right now our thoughts are focused on looking for things that will make our exhibition grow and on ways of reaching out to “new” people. We are trying to enter a strategic partnership with a large dealer who can help us reach this aim. We would also like to prepare more workshops and educational meetings. But, for now, I’m going to take a week off :) The best: BEST SOUND At such exhibitions, i.e. when meetings are held in small hotel rooms, sound is not the best and the event in Prague was not an exception in this respect. So, the more pleasure I have in presenting a few systems to you that, despite such unfavourable conditions, produced good or very good sound. I focused on brands that originated in countries located at the southern border of Poland, but also looked at other companies, too. XAVIAN Epica Norma Audio | Yamaha | Tsakirdis Devices The Xavian company has a seat in Prague. There were bottles of champagne at its stand that had special customized company labels, etc. I am not sure whether this is a coincidence or not, but that was not an exaggeration. The sound that was obtained from floorstanders from the Epica series (a premiere) was fantastic – warm, large and properly controlled. The company took care both of good electronics – combined Norma Audio and Yamaha – and the acoustic preparation of quite a large room. A conditioner produced by the Greek company Tsakirdis Devices ensured the delivery of appropriate voltage to the device. SROLL Sroll | Casea The demonstrations of speakers and electronics of the Czech Sroll company reminded me the most of what we can see during the Audio Video Show in the Ancient Audio company room: a passionate constructor-hobbyist who knows what he is talking about and his products that deliver simply excellent sound. From what I learnt, Sroll mostly produces electronic components and the speakers presented in the pictures are the most recent addition to its offer. In the foreground you can see Mr Luděk Šroll, the company’s owner and constructor. Apart from its own electronics, the company has also used products of the Casea company that our readers are already familiar with (more HERE). GRANDINOTE Shinai Grandinote, for a change, is an Italian brand. However, Czechs are closer to Italians than we are – they are similarly relaxed. It is no coincidence that the owner of Xavian, Mr Roberto Barletta, comes from the Italian Peninsula just like Ms Eunice Kron, the owner of the Czech KR Audio company which we are going to talk about again later. The system presented in Prague consisted of this company’s speakers powered by an inconspicuous Shinai amplifier with a Volta power supply unit. What is unique about it is that amplification is possible thanks to a system which combines ferromagnetic and solid-state elements, operating without feedback in class A – the company has called this system “Magnetosolid”. It produces big, strong and very well-filled sound! RD ACOUSTIC Euphoria Denon Very good sound! At the back there is the incredibly good-looking acoustic diffuser QRD67 and there are speakers produced by the Czech company RD Acoustic in front of it – the Evolution (the bigger ones) and Euphoria models. Despite cheap electronic components used, they produced first-class sound! NEO Alpha | Double Tripoth Hegel Audio | Acoustic Signature The Chord Company | Gigawatt If anyone had needed confirmation of the specific flavour characteristic for ceramic Acuton loudspeakers, they could get it by listening to the Alpha speakers produced by the Slovakian NEO company. Powered by Hegel electronics, with the WOW XL Acoustic Signature turntable, they provided excellent warmth and resolution. Besides, they look beautiful and are excellently made. They go with the amazingly looking NEO Tripoth and Double Tripoth racks, and Chord Electronics cables. What is interesting, a conditioner produced by the Polish Gigawatt company was used in the system. 440 AUDIO G6 KR Audio | KEF | Pro-Ject It was impossible that it would work, but it did: placed in a tiny room, the KEF Blade 2 speakers powered by the monophonic KR Audio VA910 power amplifiers (a novelty), with the KR Audio P130 line preamplifier and a Pro-Ject phono stage, let a turntable made by the Czech 440 Audio company produce incredible sound! The G6 model with a 12” Jelco arm looked incredible. A SPECIAL AWARD: METAXAS Mr Kostas Metaxas, the owner of the Metaxas & Sins company, is an artist. One can feel it by looking at his older and newer products, but this is also how Mr Metaxas feels about himself. It can be confirmed, for example, by the fountain pen that he has designed (a limited edition). At the exhibition, he presented his most recent Ikarus amplifier and, first and foremost, the two-in-one Marquis headphone amplifier and preamplifier (in the photo). The system was standing in a tiny room and it was connected to the small AKG K702 speakers and headphones, so it was hard to talk about especially good sound. However, even in such conditions the sound was interesting. Additionally, everything was very well made and designed! Summary Intimate, pleasant, well-organized, clear, unhurried, interesting – these are just a few adjectives that accurately describe the exhibition in Prague. There were quite a lot of people but not enough to make the corridors crowded. Some rooms were constantly filled with visitors and some were not so frequently visited, which is typical for an audio exhibition. It was interesting that there were also representatives of Poland – the Horn and Voice companies that deal with the distribution of some of their brands in both countries. However, I did not notice some companies from the Czech Republic and Slovakia that should have been there. Perhaps next year… The Audio Video Prague 2017 exhibition was very pleasant and successful, and I felt good there – similarly as in Prague itself. I’d like to encourage everyone who wants to recall what a “hotel” exhibition (but with quite a lot of young participants) is like, to come to Prague next year – it’s worth it! Since I am going to Prague one more time already in July, I am going to stay at the Don Giovanni Hotel again – this time only in order to do some sightseeing. If you ever go to Prague, I recommend you have dinner at a small restaurant close to the market: U Provažnice 3 (Provažnická Street 3). If you order mushrooms in beer bread crumbs, cheese in bread crumbs and Staropramen beer, you won’t regret it :) [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/13.jpg" desc="A presentation of the KEF and Tannoy speakers, prepared by their Czech distributor, the Perfect Sound Group company, took place at the nicest room at the whole exhibition – the Mozart Room on the 11th floor of the hotel. Listeners were able to compare three pairs of speakers and decide which ones they liked the most. "] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/14.jpg" desc="Mr Blaž Erzetič standing next to headphone amplifiers produced by his company Erzetich (Slovenia)."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/15.jpg" desc="A SACD of the Japanese Exton company – material is recorded in the Czech Republic."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/16.jpg" desc="One of the stands with LPs, CDs and SACDs."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/17.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/17.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/17.jpg" desc="Cool electronics and cool sound – the Estelon X Diamond speakers powered by a two-piece amplifier from the Strumento series created by the Italian Audia Flight company, with a source – the most recent EMM Labs flagship product, i.e. the two-piece SACD TX2 + DA2 player. The presentation had been prepared by the Hi-Fi Studio Tykon company."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/18.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/18.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/18.jpg" desc="Another “system of our dreams” was placed in the same room – Avantgarde Acoustic presented the new versions of its columns – the Zero 1 XD and Duo Mezzo XD. An EMM Labs DAC was the signal source, with an inexpensive Cambridge Audio player used as transport."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/19.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/19.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/19.jpg" desc="Bowers & Wilkins loudspeakers were placed in a neighbouring room, including the new 805 D3 bookshelf speakers and the top 800 D3 speakers."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/20.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/20.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/20.jpg" desc="At the back… an original red-lacquered Nautilus. Four monophonic amplifiers per channel and an active crossover are needed to power each of the speakers. The system was presented by Eurostar."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/21.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/21.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/21.jpg" desc="A complete Technics system with the top SL-1200GAE turntable, the SU-G30 amplifier/streamer (a new product) and the SB-C700 speakers."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/22.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/22.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/22.jpg" desc="A multi-channel system with speakers produced by the Czech RIHA Audio company, prepared by Audio-Visual Technology, with amplification from the Primare company and an OPPO source."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/24.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/24.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/24.jpg" desc="Italians from Sonus Caber with the new Homage Tradition series. The photo shows (from the right) the Guarnieri Tradition and Serafino Tradition models."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/25.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/25.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/25.jpg" desc="The KR Audio Kronzilla SXI with the company’s own powerful tubes always looks great. Here, it is used in a system developed by the Czech speaker manufacturer Acoustique Quality (AQ)."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/26.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/26.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/26.jpg" desc="I spotted the Mille amplifier made by the Polish elinsAudio company in the same system."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/27.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/27.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/27.jpg" desc="We get these amazing shapes by purchasing the Acoustique Quality Passion Orca speakers."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/28.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/28.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/28.jpg" desc="The Castle speakers from the Avon series – a rare product, even though it was launched some time ago; the photo shows the three-way Avon 2 bookshelf model. Its characteristic feature are ribbon tweeters."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/29.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/29.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/29.jpg" desc="It was such a wonderful system! If I wasn’t limited by common sense (I cannot award every presentation), it would have been given the Best Sound award: it included, alternately, the new Vivid Audio G1 Spirit speakers or the Gryphon Pantheon speakers (placed closer to us). Amplification was provided by the Diablo 300 amplifier produced by the same company. There were three sources, including two (!) CD players – the Gryphon Mikado and the Audionet Planck; the turntable was the Wilson Benesch Full Circle (white) and the whole presentation had been prepared by the RP Audio company."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/30.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/30.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/30.jpg" desc="In the same RP Audio room, one could see the handmade silver WAY Cables; the photo presents the Silver3 Ana speaker cables."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/31.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/31.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/31.jpg" desc="It is probably one of the first presentations of the newest Chord Electronics CD transport – the Blu MkII model. Underneath there is the DAC DAVE. The presentation had been prepared by the Polish Voice company and it was delivered by a Czech, Mr. Milan. The system was placed on a rack manufactured by the Polish Rogoz Audio company."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/32.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/32.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/32.jpg" desc="As usual, a meeting with Mads Klifoth, the constructor of the new Audiovector QR series, was really pleasant. In Prague, he both presented his QR3 speakers, as well as the Avantgarde and SR6 versions of the SR3 models (from right to left) that had been prepared by his father."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/33.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/33.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/33.jpg" desc="Another photo of the Xavian system again, with the Tsakirdis Devices conditioner – the Super Athina model. It offers four filtered asymmetric, two symmetric and for isolated slots; maximum power – 2500 W."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/34.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/34.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/34.jpg" desc="Another system that could wear the Best Sound badge: electronics from the Japanese Esoteric company, with a SACD player, a two-piece amplifier and the SN-470 speakers produced by the German Fischer & Fischer company. Its characteristic feature are housings made entirely of slate (walls) and aluminium (front). The presentation had been prepared by the IBD Czech company."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/35.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/35.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/35.jpg" desc="Warm and full sound is what I like. The electronics was provided by the Cyrus Audio company, cables – by Keith Louis Eichmann Innovations and speakers – by Zingali Acoustics. Bravo!"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/36.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/36.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/36.jpg" desc="One of many places where one could experience sound from headphones. The photo shows a very interesting Klipsch X12 Neckband model. The headphones connect with a smartphone using Bluetooth. They are worn on the neck, but the little headphones are earbuds – and they look fantastic. The product was presented by CPT Praha."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/37.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/37.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/37.jpg" desc="Here is where I met the most young people – a stand with Marshall products, prepared by the Praha Music Center."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/38.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/38.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/38.jpg" desc="One of the most expensive products at the exhibition –the HiFiMAN Shangri-la system: a tube headphone amplifier based on 300B tubes and magnetostatic headphones. The source were either files or CDs played from a top Meridian CD player. The Ketos company was responsible for organizing the presentation of the 50,000 USD system at the exhibition."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/39.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/39.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/39.jpg" desc="The Shangri-la headphones are only available with an amplifier. They are based on the HE-1000, but there are so many changes that it is hard to compare the two models. Their sound is very similar – if one can compare two listening experiences from two different exhibitions – what I heard in Prague to what I heard in Warsaw from the electrostatic Sennheiser Orpheus set."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/40.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/40.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/40.jpg" desc="These are the Audeze iSINE 20 headphones. Even though they look as designed to be hanged on the ear, in fact they are earbud headphones – with a planar converter!"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/41.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/41.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/41.jpg" desc="Right next to them there is a collection of top Audeze, Sennheiser and Audio-Technica headphones (at the back), but mostly with the two Focal models: the Utopia (on the left) and Elar (on the right). They were placed at the stand of the Empatria company."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/42.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/42.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/42.jpg" desc="Very pleasant and clear sound from a system which included Hegel electronics and Raidho Acoustics speakers."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/43.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/43.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/43.jpg" desc="In our friends’ room from the Studio Panský Dvůr company, next to Ayon Audio electronics (e.g. the CD-35 player), one could listen to speakers produced by Polish companies – hORNS by Audio Tech and Pylon Audio. The photo shows the hORNS FP10 speakers."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/44.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/44.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/44.jpg" desc="Mr Kostas Metaxas, a true gentleman."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/45.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/45.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/45.jpg" desc="The Metaxas Ikarus model – miraculous design and a great audio device."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/46.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/46.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/46.jpg" desc="We have known the RiAudio company for a long time – we tested their phono stage many years ago. Here we can see their power conditioner. When it comes to design, it is similar to the Polish Gigawatt, but one should only follow the best companies :)"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/47.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/47.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/47.jpg" desc="Another “A+” or even “A++” presentation: the Sausalito speakers produced by the American Ocean Way Audio company, powered by the Progression Mono monoblocks created by Mr Dan D’Agostino. Have a look at the matching colours of the stands and racks – copper rules! The presentation had been prepared by the Soundstyle company."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/48.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/48.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/48.jpg" desc="A very interesting presentation of the Elfon Vegas speakers that were a great attraction at the exhibition. The Czech manufacturer uses the most expensive components in them (Jantzen, Mundorf, AMS-Tecsound). The system includes four loudspeakers – a paper woofer, a paper-papyrus (!) midrange driver and two silk tweeters. The room was clearly too small for them, but one could hear their potential."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/49.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/49.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/49.jpg" desc="Something for retro lovers, but in a modern version – the Jamo desk speakers. They are as high as an LP 10” and have an open design. However, they produced exceptionally good sound with a subwoofer – it was coherent, filled and dense. One could listen to them at the CPT Praha stand."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/50.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/50.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/50.jpg" desc="MudrAkustik is a German company. It offers advanced power conditioners with isolation transformers and power strips with filters."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/51.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/51.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/51.jpg" desc="Wolf von Langa is a manufacturer that specializes in high-efficiency speakers using loudspeakers with electromagnets. The photo shows the company’s SON speakers with the Air Motion Tweeter. The speakers were powered by an amplifier based on 300B tubes, modified by WVL."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/52.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/52.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/52.jpg" desc="Voxativ is a company who has also been coming to exhibitions in Warsaw for the last few years, with speakers based on full-range drivers and the company’s own electronics: The Voxativ 9.87 System speakers (the full-range Pi module and the Voxativ PI Bass module), with an Ampeggio amplifier."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/53.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/53.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/53.jpg" desc="At the exhibition, the Revox Rebox company probably presented all iconic Revox products designed for the consumer market, including the CD B 225 player (in the photo) with a view of a turning CD. The company repairs and rebuilds Revox products."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/54.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/54.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/54.jpg" desc="Symbio speakers with the largest Samurai model and Halcro electronics. The presentation had been prepared by Media Trading."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/55.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/55.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/55.jpg" desc="The Operly Intelligence are speakers produced by the Russian Operly company. They are enormous and beautifully designed, based on a single full-range driver of a large diameter. Despite a small room, the sound was wonderfully integrated and did not lack anything – frequency extension, dynamics or control. The speakers were powered by a BAT power amplifier with the Threshold T2 preamp produced in the 1990s. The source was the Pathos CD Endorphin."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/56.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/56.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/56.jpg" desc="Another example of speakers having an unusual shape – a spherical one this time: in the foreground there is the Sound Lamps DAF-350 model, behind it – the DAL-200, both manufactured by the Russian Deluxe Acoustics company with a seat in Saint Petersburg."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/57.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/57.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/57.jpg" desc="One could see these columns last year in Warsaw at a “little exhibition”. I listened to them in Prague and I must say they have potential and produce good sound. They are manufactured by Vienna Physics and the model is called Diva Grandezza, with a horn (midrange and treble) and an active subwoofer (bass)."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/58.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/58.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/58.jpg" desc="A very nice presentation including the incredible Keiser Acoustics rack (we are using a similar one in our B system) and the company’s Kavero! Classic speakers. The source was the inexpensive file player/preamplifier Aurender A-10 with electronics provided by our friends from Trax Audio."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/59.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/59.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/59.jpg" desc="Almost at the end – two photos of a 21st century system: active speakers produced by the German Kii Audio company – the Three model and…"] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/60.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/60.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/60.jpg" desc="…a laptop with a converter and a preamplifier – it produced very good sound and was incredibly easy to use."] [img mini="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/th/61.jpg" big="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/61.jpg" src="foto_testy/1704/avs_p/61.jpg" desc="Despite beautiful weather, there was quite a long queue at the ticket office the whole day. See you next year!"] [/hfgallery]

ntroduced at the 2011 CES show in Las Vegas (USA), the Overture, an amplifier made by Japanese manufacturer Kondo (Audio Note Japan) caused quite a stir. Designed by Mr. Katsura Hirokawa and refined ("tuned") by Mr. Ashizawa Masaki, the current general manager of the company, was a proposal for the "novice" music lovers and audiophiles. As usual for luxury products, in this case a true high-end component, the quotation marks are necessary - these indicate a relativity of this term. With a price tag of 33,900 USD – that was the price of the Overture at the time – it is difficult to consider it a truly entry-level proposal. One thing is sure - this was an unusual amplifier for this famous brand. The push-pull configuration of the output tubes was not new to Kondo. A novelty was the choice of tube - EL34 pentodes. This is a valve that by the vast majority of single-ended triode fans is considered "a cheap tube for the people": "That's what's audiophiles keep constantly asking. At CES 2011, visitors praised the sound of the Overture as silky smooth, elegant yet with very clean and good dynamics. They thought that the circuit must be either Triode or Single Ended design (unlike other Kondo amplifiers Overture features a full chassis that hides tubes inside – ed.). Once we told them that they were listening to an EL34 Push-Pull circuitry, they were amazed about the quality level that EL34 can deliver. It was at that point we knew that we had reached our goal." Kari Nevalainen, „InnerWorld Audio” 2012, more HERE The goal was simple: to build an amplifier with the best possible performance, that would also be easy and enjoyable to use. And also a more affordable than the other propositions from the Kondo's range. EL34 EL34 is a vacuum tube of a power pentode type and it features an octal base with 8 pins. Its American equivalent (slightly different from it) is the 6CA7, and in the USSR they made the 6P27S (6П27C) valves. It was designed to work in audio circuits - PA and guitar amplifiers. It was introduced to the market in 1949 (various sources offer different dates - from 1949 to 1954) by Philips under its Mullard brand. Currently it is produced by Russian companies - Svetlana (New Sensor), Sovtek, Genalex, Electro-Harmonix, Tung-Sol (Reflector), - Slovak JJ Electronic and Chinese Shuguang. According to the data sheets found in old vacuum tube reference manuals, a pair of EL34s with 800V plate voltage can produce 90 watts output in class AB1 in push–pull configuration. More commonly found is a pair of EL34s running class AB1 in push-pull around 375–450V plate voltage and producing 50 watts output (if fixed bias is used). In the same circuit with the same plate voltage but working in class A these tubes can deliver between 25 and 32W per channel. The EL34 name includes following encoded information: E = heater voltage 6,3 V, L = pentode, 3 = octal, 8-pin base, 4 = model number. Overture II As a result of these assumptions came the device at first glance similar to many others, such as the once famous Copland amplifiers. There is a silver front panel with two knobs and one switch, a black chassis that hides all the tubes and one LED. The only distinguishing feature on the front is the Kondo's gold logo, but a glance at the rear panel, and then a thorough inspection of the whole chassis and its interior allows us to understand what we are dealing with. The quality of make and finish of Overture's chassis is delightful. The aluminum chassis plates are made with utmost precision - the screw holes on the top perfectly fit into the threaded holes below - something that is not as common as you might expect. The rear panel strikes with colors, red and gold - it is actually a thick copper sheet rather than copper-plated aluminum. A double plate inside hosting tubes and other components is made in a similar way. In earlier versions these elements were made of aluminum. Copper is coated with a layer of lacquer to keep it from oxidizing. The covers of flagship Kagura amplifiers are made in the same way. The RCA sockets - four pairs of linear inputs - are silver ones, the same as used in OnGaku. The same are also the AN-BP3 loudspeaker connectors - large, easy to use and made of silver. There are separate taps for 4 and 8 Ω loads. Amplifier features also selected Kondo silver capacitors (a premium version with gold sticker), silver Ls-41 cables (standard version features the KSL-VzII) from inputs to potentiometer and custom-made resistors with silvers taps. The Japanese manufacturer chose the Alps HQPro potentiometer for the job, one the best available on the market. Electrically the input circuit and phase inverter are coupled directly, without any capacitors. It features tubes rarely used in audio - 12BH7 and 6072, one per channel. Amplifier is delivered with tubes made by the Russian company Electro-Harmonix, but the Polish distributor has fitted the reviewed sample with sophisticated NOS tubes. The output stage is a class A circuit operating in an ultra-linear push-pull mode. Designer decided to use a shallow (-3 dB) negative feedback taken from the primary windings of the output transformers. Output tubes operate in a fixed bias system - Masaki-san says there are no good enough high-voltage resistors on the market that can be used for cathodes in a “floating-bias” circuit. This circuit was developed in-house by Kondo and is called Constant-Current Bias (CCB). The music signal in it is separated from the voltage supply. The amplifier delivers 34W of power per channel (this particular unit according to given specification delivered 32W) and features a wide frequency response. It is very heavy, so it uses five feet instead of four - the fifth one is placed under the transformers. This model does not feature a remote control. The make&finish is flawless. Together with a Kondo device a new owner receives a certificate signed by Mr. Masaki printed on a handmade cotton paper with his family seal. Also included in a box is an instruction manual and an amp specifications with measurements for the particular unit. The Overture II was compared to the two and a half times more (including additional cables) expensive reference system consisting of the Ayon Audio Spheris III tube preamp and the Soulution 710 solid-state power amplifier. But also, I couldn't help it, to Kondo OnGaku, which I recently reviewed having it placed on top of the same Finite Elemente rack. In the latter one thing changed - I strengthened the top shelf by adding four Tablette Audio Franc Accessories feet, similar to those used in Amare Musica devices. The goal was to increase the maximum weight I could place on the rack. The amplifier worked with my reference loudspeakers, Harbeth M40.1. These are rather difficult to drive due to a quite low impedance. The best SET amps, such as the Phasemation MA-1000 (Polish), and recently OnGaku, did a pretty good job driving them, but it was clear to me that there were some limitation. The Overture II drove Harbeths with more ease which suggested a better current efficiency. During the test I used two power cables for the amplifier: either Acoustic Revive Power Reference Triple-C or Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500. Interconnect and speaker cables came from Siltech Triple Crown series and Tara Labs Muse. KONDO in „High Fidelity” COVERAGE: KONDO FACTORY TOUR KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY, meeting #108: KONDO ONGAKU – integrated amplifier INTERVIEW: MASAKI ASHIZAWA | Audio Note Japan – general manager REVIEW: Kondo ONGAKU – integrated amplifier (Polish) REVIEW: Kondo KAGURA – power amplifier REVIEW: Kondo SOUGA – power amplifier Recordings used for the test (a selection) Best Coast Jazz, EmArcy/Mercury M.E. [Japan] PHCE-3062, "2496 Spectrum Rainbow CD", CD (1954/1998) Western Electric 300B Vacuum Tube Sound, ABC Records HF1043, „HD Mastering”, CD (2012) Billie Holiday, Body and Soul, PolyGram/Mobile Fidelity UDCD 658, gold-CD (1957/1996) Mikołaj Hertel, Dźwięki dalekiego świata, GAD Records GAD CD 052, CD (2017) NOVI Singers, NOVI in Wonderland, Saba/Edel/Victor Entertainment NCS-10139, K2HD Pro Mastering CD (1969/2016) Perfect, Live April 1, 1987, Pronit/MTJ CDMTJ90406, 3 x CD (1987/2017) Sohn, Tremors, 4AD/Hostess CAD3403CDJ, CD (2014) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] There is no doubt that Kondo has its own sonic signature. This is partly due to the materials and components they use, but it is also - at least I think it is - a result of giving a lot of thoughts to the question of what are the most important elements of the sound, which of them are worth focusing on. Achieving such results as Kondo has, takes many years and spending countless hours in a listening room to find answers to these questions. Measurements are certainly important, as they allow designers to eliminate all key errors from the start, but I do not know any audio products representing this level of refinement, that are based purely on measurement results. A key element of making sound the way they do are always hundreds of hours spent on assessing and fine-tuning the sound during listening sessions. In short, Overture II sounds a lot like the OnGaku's amplifier. It does not sound the same but they both do share some common sonic qualities. It is primarily about tonality, as it seems to be this brand's key focus and it does make a huge first impression on most listeners. It is shamelessly warm. All music one plays using this amplifier sounds as if someone has turned up the heat in the room or as if the listener just took a sip of something stronger, something absolutely astonishing. No, I am not exaggerating with these comparisons, this amp really offers THIS level of saturation and richness. The warmth in question is derived from the ingeniously conveyed texture of the sound and combining into one all of its basic components and harmonics. But it is also supported by the emphasis in the lower midrange / upper bass area. This was done extremely skillfully, with class, so it doesn't even feel right to call that a “coloration” or modification of the sound. One can feel that the range is not "flat", that there is something “there”, but that conviction is the result of a sound as a whole, not of its elements. The point is that there is no chance to analyze the sound properly and pinpoint what exactly is different. The warmth and emphasis I am speaking of are siblings of emotion. After all, this is a key aspect of music presentation and it should be emphasized, right? Overture II is like a small generator of emotions that lead listener with a steady hand from one recording to the next. It does not matter what record it is - each will be treated in the same way. Which of course leads us to the question regarding differentiation. I don't have a problem with answering it, but the answer must be preceded by the phrase "it depends". On one hand, we can discuss sound quality and then there is no doubt that we are talking about the beauty that places this amplifier among the best ones there are. So perceived, it conveys what's best in a given recording. On the other hand, taking a position of an impartial observer, we can easily point out that this type of presentation involves also omitting some shortcomings of the recordings, their problems of both philosophical – such as the choice of recording techniques, the way of mastering in general - and technical nature – the same as before but taken literally. Overture II is also not as resolving as my reference system, much less the Ongaku. Let's take, for example, the latest remaster of NOVI Singers album NOVI in Wonderland. It was prepared by Victor Entertainment, using the mastering tools (and presses) they referred to as "K2HD Pro Mastering". The most important are the voices of the singers, it is clear. Kondo's amplifier didn't just convey that, but emphasized it. Played by this amplifier they were actually rich, had a large volume, and so sounded incredibly realistic. Although warm, it is not a dark sound (the reference system is darker). The accompanying instruments were very well-structured and well fitted into this vision. But those voices ... Overture II perfectly presented what the whole K2 process is about, its strengths and weaknesses. The former are: density, richness, an amazing richness; the latter are: warming the sound up, and an emphasis on sustain at the expense of decay phase of the sound. The same happened again with Billie Holiday and Sohn's albums. In this case the amplifier proved that these were quite different types of recordings, of different aesthetics. So there it is – a good differentiation. After some time I concluded that when it comes to presentation of timbre, tone in all of their shades and types, Overture II is sufficiently resolving and analytical. I mean, it's not an ultimate resolution, it is a specifically “voiced” type of sound, but on a different level than a warmed up sound offered by devices from, say, 5000 or 10 000 PLN price level. This is not about covering up the own problems of the amplifier, but rather about emphasizing qualities of each recording. The stronger “presence” of the lower midrange and upper bass translates into a large volume of sound that I've already mentioned before. It will always be a powerful and exciting presentation with lots of sound between the loudspeakers, without any discontinuities and holes. It will fill the whole space between the speakers and pull us into it, bringing the foreground closer to the listening position. Unlike with most tube amplifiers, in this case it does not matter what kind of music we want to listen to because Overture II handles almost everything equally well. Even Vader's extreme music was exciting and energetic. The dynamics of the device on an absolute scale is lower than one of my reference system, physics can not be cheated. In spite of that, subjectively, the discs, that when played on a more precise system, didn't sound too well, became interesting with Overture II. One example may be Perfect's Live April 1, 1987, very nicely remastered in analogue domain by Damian Lipiński. I have this material on the original LP and I must say that listening to it has always been a challenge. Remaster improved all aspects of this recording, straightened it all up, but one thing remained unchanged – the dynamics is still very flat. The Kondo amplifier played this record, in short, better than the reference system. I could still hear the problems of this recording, but the ability to create beautiful three-dimensional images made the guitars finally come out of the background and the gave vocals a strong foundation. Only the drums remained in the background. On the other hand when I played a high quality recording I could clearly hear a dizzying array of sounds, coherence, harmony, depth. The latter concerns more tone than space aspect. The Overture II delivers music effortlessly, in a very good, impressive way, but within certain sound aesthetics. Of course, it's not the same as OnGaku as it is one of a kind. Also differentiation within soundstage is done using tone rather than palpable imaging. The amplifier shows everything legato, combining rather than dividing elements. It slightly shortens the reverb (acoustics), because the focus is on the main tone (sustain), where the most energy is. Everything is presented close to listener, tangible, intimate. As I've already said, this presentation does not limit our choices of music to jazz, or small classic pieces /ensembles such as baroque. This is an ability that every tube amp has, intensified at the very top: the amplifier delivers more powerful, louder, more dynamic performance than its specification might suggest. Even with such difficult speakers as the Harbeth M40.1 Overture II with dynamic, powerful electronic and rock music sounded better, more energetic than many solid-state amps with an output of 100+ watts. One of the consequences of the choices adopted by the designers is a lesser than with a powerful solid-state amplifier, but also OnGaku, differentiation of the lower range. Listening to e.g. infrasonic sounds on the Anja Garbarek Briefly Shaking album, or precise pulse of the lowest bass notes from the Sohn's disc, it was easy to come to two conclusions: the amplifier does not extend anything, does not let anything go, and at the same time, at the very bottom, below 100 Hz it delivers much less differentiated sound than above this frequency. And so we've reached the physical limits of tubes in general and EL34 in particular. But why pentode? The question that comes automatically to mind even before listening to such an amplifier, i.e. a push-pull featuring tubes other than triodes, is whether it would make more sense to buy an even less expensive SET. First of all - it has to be a personal decision, we are talking here about an amplifier that is an equivalent of the best tailor made suit. If it is our "size" and style then there is nothing to think about, just buy it and stay with it forever. On a more general level, the question can concern the technique itself, i.e. whether the pentode push-pull is capable of delivering better performance than a SET counterpart. I do not know how to answer this question because I'm not objective - in a sense that I really don't care much about technologies because I've heard my share of poor sounding SETs, many crappy turntables, and so on, so I'm pretty sure that a particular application of the technology is much more important than the technology itself. When used properly, particular application may deliver performance that other applications of the same technologies are not able to provide. And that's the case with Overture II and its push-pull circuit. It won't offer you such a perfect insight into the recording as the best SETs, nor equally perfect holography of presentation. On the other hand, this is a more forgiving amplifier, and therefore more versatile. While SETs are often "purpose-oriented" amplifiers, requiring the proper easy-to-drive loudspeakers (and those usually have their own problems) and targeted selection of recordings, a well-built push-pull allows user to forget all such problems and to use speakers of user's, not amplifier's, choice. Summary The Overture II amplifier shows user a better world. It belongs to this type of audio components that make our world more beautiful. Because it represents an absolute top-level performance, these are no lies, no omissions, but rather intelligent choices. The amplifier offers a warm, large in scale, beautiful sound. It is surprisingly universal, i.e. listening to the Gothic compositions performed by The Hilliard Ensemble user will experience the same level of excitement as during the first listening to Ed Sheeran's Divide. Presentation will be mostly about emotions, energy and coherence. This is a beautiful device that makes its user to forget about its technical aspects and just focus on music. And I believe that this is what we all are looking for, aren't we? Overture II is an improved version of the Kondo (Audio Note Japan) Overture model, introduced in 2011. The differences from standard version include: Ls-41 input wires instead of KSL-VzII, selected silver capacitors (gold label), silver speaker connectors AN-BP3, the same as used for Kagura and Ongaku, copper chassis (similar to ones used for G-1000, M-1000 and M-77), copper rear panel finished with lacquer (similar to the cover of Kagura). The improvements were introduces as results of hundreds of hours of listening sessions. Also passive elements were carefully selected - potentiometer, resistors, capacitors, etc. As Mr. Masaki-san said, "these changes have significantly improved the sound quality." The amplifier features two knobs – volume control and input selector. The first one is connected directly to the potentiometer, bolted to the front wall. This is a powerful, large Alps HQPro potentiometer available only in Japan. Its solid, brass housing stabilizes it mechanically. Same as other potentiometers of this class, eg TDK Type C (Tokyo Ko-On Denko), used in Octave Jubilee Pre preamplifier, it is not controlled by the motor. It is connected with input on the rear panel with quite long sections of silver Audio Note Ls-41 interconnects. The mechanical input selector was moved to the rear of the device, and the knob is connected with it using a a long spindle. The inside is divided horizontally into two parts. On top there are tube, output and power transformers, and power supply choke. Transformers in the previous version were produced by another Japanese specialist, ISO Tango, but those used in the PM-2 version bear Kondo's logo. This was explained by Mr. Ashizawa Masaki: Copper […] delivers its best audio performance in its high purity form. Applying annealing will oxidize it easily, which eventually lowers its purity. Therefore we did not apply any annealing to the copper used at the Overture transformers. But don't worry, winding skills is another very important factor in making transformers, and all transformers in Overture are skillfully hand-made by ANJ. This is at least as significant a feature than the wire material." Kari Nevalainen, (see HERE) The passive components are installed underneath. They were soldered on excellent pads, shielded with copper sheets, but using the point-to-point method, utilizing the gold-plated auxiliary bolts. Silver capacitors are wound up manually in Kondo. They are designed to counteract oscillations on lining, that distort sound at fast transitions (transients). A large battery of capacitors with a total capacity of 500 μF was used in the power supply section. Once the voltage has passed through choke, it is filtered separately for left and right channels. All capacitors are bypassed using high quality polypropylene capacitors (they are better at high frequencies). They were also used for tubes' cathodes. The rectifier bridge was made using high speed Shottky diodes. Specifications (according to manufacturer): Power output: 34 W + 34 W/1 kHz, 5% THD Frequency range: 8 Hz – 100 kHz (0 dB, - ­3 dB/1 W) Noise: 0,5 mV Input impedance: 50 kΩ Tubes: 4 x EL34, 2 x 12BH7, 2 x 6072 Power consumption: 180 W Dimensions (W x H x D): 438 x 201 x 409 mm Weight: 26 kg [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/16.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/16.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/16.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/17.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/17.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/17.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/18.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/18.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/18.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/19.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/19.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/19.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/kondo/th/20.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/kondo/20.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/kondo/20.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

he matte and the clamp, the elements that stay in direct contact with the vinyl records while it's being played, form an important part of a mechanical system of a turntable. A matte is sort of interface between a record and a platter, making sure that these two elements connect mechanically with each other. Although the stylus movements are small, the energy that is released at its rapid movement that is transferred to the record and then back to the stylus is large enough to affect the work of the cartridge, modifying the signal. So the matte is supposed to suppress these vibrations. In turn the record clamp is part of the mechanical system called: the main bearing. Its role seemingly is to press the vinyl record against whatever it is placed on (e.g. matte) a platter and thus better integrate the two elements mechanically. In reality, however, clamp plays a much more important role – placed over the main axle it dampens the vibrations from the main bearing, which otherwise are transferred to the record and then to the stylus. The mattes are known ever since a turntable has been invented. Initially made of fabric, such as velvet, then of rubber, for the iconic turntables of the 1970s, such as Linn Sondek LP12, it was made from a black felt. Today it is still one of the basic ways of damping the vibration , but not the only one. We also find mattes made of cork or cork and rubber and other materials. For some turntables designers decided not to use any matte, or rather to integrate them with a platter (see - Transrotor, Avid HiFi and Pro-Ject) or to eliminate them completely (see - Talk Electronics; Polish). The record clamp on the other hand is a relatively new idea, although it has been used for several years too. There are two main types: ones that are screwed on the axle (see - Avid HiFi, Kronos) and ones that are placed over (see – Transrotor, Pro-Ject). The former ones are usually quite light, because they only have to press the record to the platter, which is achieved by screwing them on the threaded axle. There is a variant of this type of clamps that is not screwed on but rather clamped on the axis, using a clever mechanism. The representatives of the other type are usually heavier because they press record against platter only with their weight, and also because they act as an extra mass in which the vibrations from the main bearing are suppressed. The turntable manufacturers, who have the most experience with their own products, usually deliver mattes and clamps together with their turntables (and included in its price). But it is not always the case – it often happens that one has to pay extra for the clamp. Some companies offer higher quality mattes and better clamps as optional upgrades. And that's where some specialized manufacturers come in offering their own mattes and clamps. Apart from the well-known to the "High Fidelity" readers Berlin-based Pathe Wings brand, also some other ones offer products of this kind. Some of the best but also most expensive mattes and clamps are offered by the Japanese company Harmonix. TU-800M Tribute The manufacturer uses for the TU-800M „Tribute” Maestro a revealing name: “Tuning Record Matte”. This name gives away a hint on the design assumptions for this product. Vibration reduction can be achieved by two main methods: by dampening them using materials, usually by a heavy weight of the element, or by minimizing them by appropriate "tuning" of the elements. Both methods are popular and used by many manufacturers in their products. Mr. Kiuchi, same as many other Japanese manufacturers, definitely chooses the latter method. His new matte was being developed for four years during countless hours of listening sessions spent by the owner of Harmonix to find the ultimate solution. The starting point was a special, thin material, resembling graphite, but soft. The matte is only 0.5 mm thick, and on its top one finds longitudinal metal strips going from the center of the matte towards its perimeter plus there are some "dots" of a diameter corresponding to the elements of the mountain crystal fixed by Mr. Kiuchi to the various elements of the system to reduce vibration. The record does not contact the matte with its entire surface. Usually the idea is to provide as big contact area as possible, that was also the case with Mr. Kiuchi's previous model, TU-800EX, which I have been using for four years. Since the center of the record, the round area with label, is recessed against the surface of the record, one should not use heavy clamps with this matte. The matte weighs just 47 grams and has a diameter of 298 mm. Its surface is rugged and it easily catches dust, which is difficult to remove later. So whenever one does not listen to music it is worth to use something to protect surface of the matte against dust. The matte is very expensive. Its price has been influenced primarily by the time that gentlemen in Combak Corporation devoted to her project. But it's not the only factor here. Mr. Kiuchi treats his products as works of art - ultimately "tuning" is a personal choice of a designer. To emphasize this status, we receive the matte with an unusual wooden red relief, which you can hang on the wall as a work of art, that it actually is. It is made by one of the Japanese companies that's been in this industry for several hundred years. Unfortunately, its name remains unknown. The matte is placed inside the relief and I know that the latter is used in different ways - wife of one of matte's owners uses it as a box for her scarfs. TU-812MX Manufacturer uses term “ Record Tuning Clamp” for the Harmonix TU-812MX "Million" Maestro. Same as in the case of the matte, this clamp was created using trial and error method using painstaking process of combing through different materials and shapes. It can be used with any matte, but its true partner is the TU-800M "Tribute" Maestro matte. As the company materials reads: In its time-honored tradition, COMBAK has developed the TU-812MX to deal amazingly effective with all resonances of analog records and turntable by tuning the record its self and record platter assembly at a frequency outside the audio band. The results are astonishing fantastic– musical clarity is greatly increased, and the separation of musical instruments releases unprecedented depth of sound. An infinitely improved sense of reality and palpability make for the kind of sound you have never ever experienced before with analog record sources. New TU-812MX record clamp lends solidity to much expanded soundstage, making it not only an extremely worthwhile contribution of the potential of analog record, but a necessity, to the art of faithful and exquisite analog music reproduction. Try new TU-812MX. You will be completely astounded! Extracts unparalleled Sound quality of Analog Records, combak.net [accessed on: March, 21st 2017] With its 360g the TU-812MX is rather lightweight contender. It is made of chrome-plated metal (brass?) and wood. Its shape reminded me of a blooming flower that we lift by the "stem". Its diameter is 85 mm and the height is 43 mm. It's the most expensive gramophone record I've ever encountered. During my tests I use two different turntable matte's: Harmonix TU-800EX and one if Pathe Wings', the one that combines rubber and cork. I also use two different clamps, also by Pathe Wings - weighing 250 g, made of stainless steel and 450 g one made specifically for the "High Fidelity" from an alloy that remains company's secret. During the Harmonix mattes and clamp's test, I used all of the above, as well as the leather matte made by the Acoustic Signature. Test was performed with a relatively inexpensive Storm MkII turntable, with the TA-1000 tonearm and Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC cartridge. The changes that these components bring to the sound are perfectly audible and easy to characterize and then evaluate. So I expect that with more expensive turntables their impact on the performance will be even more clear. HARMONIX in „High Fidelity” AWARD | Statement Award: Harmonix X-DC STUDIO MASTER MILLION MAESTRO – power cable (Polish) TEST: Harmonix X-DC STUDIO MASTER MILLION MAESTRO – power cable (Polish) TEST: Harmonix TU-666M „BeauTone” MILLION MAESTRO 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION - anti-vibration feet TEST: Harmonix X-DC350M2R IMPROVED-VERSION - power cable, see HERE (Polish) TEST: Harmonix RS15-ANV – anti-vibration platform, see HERE KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY, meeting #72: KAZUO KIUCHI (Combak Corporation) in Krakow, see HERE TEST: Harmonix HARMONIC-STRINGS HS101-EXQ EXQUISITE + α1 speaker cable + cable supports, see HERE TEST: Harmonix HS-101-GP + HS-101-SLC - interconnect RCA + speaker cable, see HERE TEST: Reimyo + Harmonix + Bravo! – Combak Corporation system, see HERE INTERVIEW: Kazuo Kiuchi | Combak Corporation Recordings used for the test (a selection) Archie Shepp, On Green Dolphin Street, Denon YX-7524-ND, „Denon PCM | Jazz in New York” LP (1978) Billie Holiday, Songs For Distingue Lovers, Verve/Classic Records AS AVRJ 6021, “Special 45 Edition, One-sided”, 2 x 200 g LP (1957/2012) Brendan Perry, Ark, Cooking Vinyl/Vinyl 180 VIN180LP040, 2 x 180 g (2011) Budka Suflera, Cień wielkiej góry, Live 2011 + studio 1975 (box), Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Budka Suflera Productions BSP 05-2011, 2 x 180 g LP + 2 x CD (1975/2011); Depeche Mode, Spirit, Columbia | Sony Music 5420022, 2 x 180 g LP (2017) Polish Jazz Quartet, Polish Jazz Quartet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza” XL 0246, „Polish Jazz | vol. 3”, Mono LP (1965) SBB, Hofors 1975, GAD Records GAD LP 008, „Limited Edition Clear Wax”, 180 g LP (2016) Skaldowie, The 70s Progressive German Recordings, Kameleon Records KAMPLP 3, „Limited Edition”, 180 g LP (2013) The All Star Percussion Ensemble, The All Star Percussion Ensemble, arr. Harold Farberman, Golden Strings/First Impression Music GS LP 001-LE, „First 1000 Pressings”, 200 g LP (1982/2011) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] A matte and clamp are the final touches that allow user to achieve an ultimate performance from his rig. It's really a dot on 'i', and I would not want you to think that these are basic elements of a turntable setup. These two should be added at the very end when everything else in the system is well-thought-out, selected so that the system already meets our expectations, gives us a lot of satisfaction when listening to the music. I'd say that both a matte and a clamp add up to 5% to the performance. This is good news because in a way it removes from our shoulders a burden of having to buy more items for the system. But it is only a momentary “relief”. Once we start to compare few different clamps, mattes and their combinations, preferably using numerous turntables of different type/design, we inevitably come to a moment when it turns out that these 5% can actually complete a given sound, that without them the sound is actually not as good, not as satisfactory. Even if before such trials we were absolutely satisfied with it. Because that's what audio is about: our main job is to compare, and if a comparison proves a superiority of a particular element over another, we gain a new experience, we know more, our point of view changes. That's the worse part of the news, because eventually we will get to the moment when we will have to deal with it. Regardless of the price of the turntable we own – whether this is a 1500 PLN Pro-Ject or a deck for 10 000, 50 000 or even more. I was aware of that when I sat down to listen to new Harmonix products, and once again, both parts of the equation I wrote above were confirmed. But I also again heard that the changes that a matte and a clamp are able to introduce to the sound in some, incomprehensible (for me) way, are clearly audible no matter what turntable I use. After all, I listened to the clamp and matte costing a staggering 19,000 PLN combined on a turntable, that costs about 45,000 PLN (deck, tonearm and cartridge)! Mata TU-800M TRIBUTE „Million” Maestro Series The Harmonix matte belongs to the "fine-tuning" elements, not just damping vibration. It is very light and the contact between it and the record is limited only to the selected spots chosen purposely by the manufacturer. Its impact on the sound is greater than that of both mattes it was compared with. Interestingly, sound-wise the Acoustic Signature leather matte was closer to the older Harmonix one, than the two Japanese were to each other. The most important changes that the TU-800M Tribute introduces to the sound about tone and resolution. Both mattes to which it was compared, lowered the tonal balance, added some weight to the bass and slightly “pumped up” phantom images. It was cool, it might have been pleasing, but it seems that it was achieved at the expense of selectivity and differentiation. Harmonix slightly shifted the tonal balance up, mainly because it opened the midrange. The clarity of all sub-ranges has increased significantly too. The sound was clearer and more energetic. It was achieved without resulting in adding any brightness or harshness to the sound. I would say that it was exactly the opposite, that with the matte the sound was calmer, i.e. everything in the presentation was better arranged, more orderly. It was only in comparison with the new Harmonix that it became obvious that the previous model offered a bit more monotonous sound. This is of course a subjective impression, because the leather matte goes much further in this direction, but a direct comparison of both Harmonix products proved a much better differentiation provided by the new version. But still, the most important feature of Harmonix matte's sound, in my opinion, was the band's extension. To assess that I listened to Archie SShepp's On Green Dolphin Street (particularly to assess treble extension) and Brendan Perry's Ark (for bass). These recordings proved to me that using the TU-800M Tribute resulted in a significantly more resolving performance. I used the term "significantly" on purpose here, because the change was, no doubt, positive and easily noticeable. The bass went lower and it was more articulate, and the treble sounded sweeter and was better differentiated. Both band's extremes sounded more natural and less mechanical. The change was not as significant as, for example, with replacing one cable with with another, of higher quality, but ultimately, after a few days of listening, it turned out to be just as important in achieving an “ultimate” performance. With the matte on, changing the cable I'm talking about, had more meaning than without it. Docisk TU-812MX „Million” Maestro Series Harmonix clamp used in combination with the new matte of this manufacturer deepens all the positive qualities I already described. Since I did not find in the changes the matte introduced to the sound anything negative, I can say that the clamp strengthens all its qualities. As it turned out, it actually works best with this matte. The other three I compared the TU-800M Tribute with, allowed me to understand better what's so special about this “gadget”, but none of them worked with it as good as Harmonix matte. With the clamp to the sound that I described, a new level of refinement was added. The impression of a positive impact on the sound was even stronger, as I heard it first listening to the album that should not have benefited from the tested elements, i.e. with the latest Depeche Mode's album. Spirit. As I wrote in the April's editorial, this is not the best quality recording, mainly because of a high compression of the material. The matte and, above all, the clamp calmed down the slight chaos present on this record and balanced the treble. It was less energetic but better differentiated. With the clamp sound seemed a bit deeper, more “serious”. If there was something in the treble that was slightly “off” before - maybe even to a small extent, but still – with the clamp it became more refined, better balanced. The sound was deeper, more resolving, and richer. In short, music sounded more like music, and not like recording playback. Summary The ultra-expensive audio products stir a lot of emotion among audiophiles and it will most likely never change. That is the way it is and nothing will change that. All the more, when it comes to a clamp that costs more than 12 000 PLN and a matte for another almost 5000 PLN. For this money one can buy a fantastic cartridge, excellent cables and even a turntable. That's why one can assume that these are the components for the people who already have it all, i.e. a fantastic turntable, a amazing cartridge, excellent cables and a sophisticated phonostage. Unless all these components are the right ones, one should not bother to purchase either clamp or the matte as these do not improve performance. Harmonix products release music from restrictions. If it is poorly recorded, produced or released, these element will not help. But the clamp and the matte will do something that other products of this type can not: from almost every record they will extract some “primal” element, that will allow user to better understand music DESPITE recording's/system's limitation. If this is not what the magic of this type of products is about, then I do not know what other it could be... [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/th/09.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/09.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/09.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/th/10.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/10.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/10.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/th/11.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/11.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/11.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/th/12.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/12.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/12.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/th/13.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/13.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/13.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/th/14.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/14.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/14.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/th/15.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/15.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/harmonix/15.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

s I mentioned in the Furutech DPS-4 Alpha OCC-DUCC power cable review, the confusion caused by Furukawa's cessation of PCOCC copper cables hit all Japanese manufacturers except Acrolink. This brand is actually used by the Acro Japan company, a specialized division of Mitsubishi Cable Corporation, which in turn belongs to Mitsubishi Corporation http://www.mitsubishicorp.com. , a powerful Japanese corporation. And that is because all Acrolink cables are based on, developed in the research department of Mitsubishi Cable Corporation, D.U.C.C. (Dia Ultra Crystallized Copper) copper wires. In company materials, Mitsubishi points out that copper pollution is not just the so-called diode distortion that arises at the contact area between two crystals, which is eliminated in PCOCC wires by maximizing the crystal's length, but also impurities inside the crystals. The researchers came to this conclusion based on the analysis of X-rays. The D.U.C.C. process involves a re-crystallization of copper and during this process the pollutants are released and removed. Copper of this type exhibits much less directivity, but Acrolink marks it on its cables anyway. In addition to D.U.C.C. process the material used for the construction of the cables of this brand is treated to reduce its internal stresses - hence, in the leaflets describing the individual cables, the term "Stressfree" is used. The point is that while wires are mechanically extruded, especially when they are bent, an internal tension, stress builds up, which adversely affect the signal transmission, and thus the sound. Mitsubishi subjects the wires to a process that eliminates this stress. As the company points out, it is not about material "aging", i.e. softening. A large proportion of Acrolink cables have a characteristic impedance of 75 Ω or 110 Ω and these are simply digital cables. Using them when only a low bandwidth is required, which is the case with an analogue transmission, actually makes sense. Wide frequency response, low distortion, etc. are equally important for these two worlds. Their designations reads 'DA' (from 'digital-analog') which means that this particular interconnect model is available as an RCA analog cable and a RCA or BNC digital cable. Sometimes also as analogue XLR cable and a digital AES / EBU (depending on the design) one. 7N-A2030III Pro The tested interconnect is, however, part of the range that does not have a digital equivalent – its name includes only the letter 'A' (from 'analog'). It is offered in two versions – as the unbalanced RCA cable and a balanced XLR. It consists of two wires and a screen, so the RCA version has a pseudo-balanced structure in which both runs – the positive and negative one - are identical. The shield is connected only from the source side. Therefore directivity in this case is important. The runs are strands of D.U.C.C. Stressfree wires of the 7N purity. There are 19 x 0.26 mm2 wires in each of them. Positive and negative runs are twisted in opposite directions. The shielding was made of two separate elements. The first is a classic brass band and the other is an Urethane Enameled Wire braid. These are Litz-type urethane-coated cables. Acrolink decided to use a hybrid layer of polyolefin and conductive polyethylene (inside) layer and a UV-resistant polyurethane (inside) as a dielectric. The both strands are stabilized by a bunch of cotton. The interconnects are green and terminated with RCA connectors custom-made for Acrolink. The plug's body is made of carbon fiber and aluminum. The motif of the carbon braid was used on the cardboard box in which the cables are delivered. The middle pin is a tellurium copper tube, and the mass is made of beryllium copper. All metal components of the plugs are rhodium-plated. The outer diameter of the cable is 10 mm. The 7N-A2030III Pro is a successor of the 6N-A2030II Pro interconnect, made of higher purity copper and has been on the market since 2013. Acrolink changes the range extremely rarely, so it seems that this model is to stay with us for some time. ACROLINK in „High Fidelity” REVIEW: Acrolink 7N-DA2090 SPECIALE - analogue interconnect RCA KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY | meeting #90: Acrolink MEXCEL 7N-PC9500 REVIEW: Acrolink 8N-A2080III Evo - interconnect RCA REVIEW: Acrolink 7N-DA5100 MEXCEL | 7N-DA2100 MEXCEL - RCA interconnects REVIEW: Acrolink 7N-DA6300 MEXCEL - analogue RCA interconnect KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY | meeting #72: Acrolink MEXCEL 7N-PC9100 vs. Acrolink MEXCEL 7N-PC9300 - power cables KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY | meeting #72: Acrolink MEXCEL 7N-D9300 REVIEW: Acrolink MEXCEL 7N-PC9100 - power cable (Polish) REVIEW: Acrolink 7N-PC7100 - power cable (Polish) Recordings used for the test (a selection) Western Electric 300B Vacuum Tube Sound, ABC Records HF1043, „HD Mastering”, CD (2012) Billie Holiday, Body and Soul, PolyGram/Mobile Fidelity UDCD 658, gold-CD (1957/1996) June Christy & Stan Kenton, Duet, Capitol/Toshiba-EMI Limited TOCJ-9321, „Super Bit Jazz Classic”, CD (1955/2001) Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come, Atlantic Records/ORG Music ORGM-1081, SACD/CD (1959/2013) Riverside, Eye of the Soundscape, Mystic Production MYSTCD 303, 2 x CD (2016) Sohn, Tremors, 4AD/Hostess CAD3403CDJ, CD (2014) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] Acrolink cables can be divided in terms of sound into two groups: these striving for ever higher resolution and more detail and those that explore the depth of sound, building richness, mass, saturating sound. Among the former the best are the interconnects including the Mexcel 7N-DA6300 and among the latter power cables dominate, including the quite unique 7N-PC9100. The latter is used by several members of the Krakow Sonic Society in their systems, I use three of them myself. The differences between these cables are extremely interesting because they are a result only of the geometry of the conductors and not the material used to build them. As I mentioned, all Acrolink cables are currently made of the D.U.C.C. Stressfree 7N copper. The cable under review belongs to the less expensive models in this manufacturer's range and it does not belong to the Mexcel series, i.e. its conductors' cross sections are round rather than square and are not separately isolated but the material remains the same. But even considering all that, the 7N-A2030III Pro seems a bit different from both these groups. Compared to a warm, even bit "syrupy" sound of the Crystal Cable Absolute Dream interconnect, made of monocrystalline silver with addition of gold, it delivered a stronger attack and more treble, with an emphasis on clarity and transparency. In turn, when compared to the Acoustic Revive cable with Triple-C copper Acrolink presented softness, depth, refinement when building so-called "drama" and it was just darker sounding one. It would, however, be a mistake to classify it as something "between" these types - because it is ultimately about some types, not specific interconnects. Its sound leans towards a presentation with a proper momentum, richness and power of the sound, but also with a “spark” in the treble too. There is a lot of treble, albeit much less than delivered by the more expensive interconnect of this high-end manufacturer. Transparency is very good and only when compared to more expensive reference cables one realizes that the price of the reviewed interconnect is not a mistake. The point is that more expensive cables, also by Acrolink, are able to better differentiate the depth of sound and are more effective in presenting a unique nature of different recordings and instruments used in them. However, if we forget about the reference system and focus on "here and now" we shall better understand what this particular cable has to offer - and it is simply unique. There is a kind of softness in it, translating into a natural sound, both of vocals and electronic music, both percussion and a violin. It's far from sounding warm, yet it has a rich and saturated midrange. The part between midrange and bass is a bit “lighter”, and probably that is why this cable delivers and open sound instead of sliding into a safe and pleasant niche with other cable that play everything in such a nice and safe way. Their problem is the word "everything". Only the best designs of this type, as the above mentioned Absolute Dream, have both, the warmth and resolution. A very nice saturation is combined with nicely accented treble in the 7N-A2030III Pro. I would even say that it is primarily about the upper midrange and treble. The midrange is particularly sensitive part of the band because the evolution “conditioned” to be particularly sensitive to it. The biggest mistake a designer may make is emphasizing the upper midrange. Usually they do that in order to improve the detail and clarity of the presentation. Equally often they do not achieve one nor the other, but rather “kill” the sound and also us, the listeners. In this particular Acrolink, the frequency between midrange and treble, several kHz that is, is smooth and dark. I once wrote about it - dark actually means natural, because that's what live sound is, even if it includes a lot of high frequencies with cymbals or brass instruments. It's not about the volume of treble, but about its character. The reviewed cable is able to differentiate it very well and if there is a strong treble presence in the recording, it does not soothe it and does not roll it off, but rather melts it with a smooth and rich midrange. All this range is powerful with it, but the impression is as if the system was based on tubes, maybe ones on the steroids, but still tubes. If we compare the warm cables to EL34 and the open and powerful ones to KT120, then the reviewed interconnect would be a KT88 equivalent. In terms of dynamics and scale there is nothing to complain about. As for the money we get both very nice differentiation of powerful attacks and quiet elements as well as large images. This cables does not take away any richness from the sound but it doesn't add any either. The soundstage is big, deep, multidimensional. With naturally recorded instruments and vocals we get an interesting, captivating panorama. Summary The 7N-A2030III Pro is a few years old already and probably sooner or later Acrolink will come up with something new to replace it. Knowing the reality I think it should "later" rather than sooner... I do not really know what the manufacturer could improve about this model, maybe except for making it even more resolving. But for the money, here and now one gets a cable that does everything well and is neither warm nor cold, neither distances itself from the recordings nor gets mixed in. I would say that it is neutral, but a better term would be natural. It will therefore be a very universal choice that will emphasize the character of the system it is used in. That's a really great interconnect and it receives a well-deserved RED Fingerprint! [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/th/08.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/08.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/acrolink/08.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

The bad is a magical space Whispers screams and laughter There is room for happiness There is room for sin It's an island of pleasure A sea of loneliness It's a place of birth And a door to nothingness Olga Jackowska, Łóżko in: Maanam, Łóżko, Kamiling Co. | Pomaton EMI 852718, CD (1996) et's replace the word „bad” with „audio” in this text, and we shall see a surprisingly accurate picture of audio. On one hand it is a social, collective affair, on the other it is particularly private, individual. It's our place of dazzles and refraction, refreshing discoveries and hoaxes. And at the end we are all alone in it. It is worth to rely on oneself, on one's own experience, but one should not forget one's trusted friends and acquaintances, as well as the producers who did not disappoint before and whom one trusts. I would particularly like to focus on the latter - it is really worth to find yourself a trustworthy brand, because it is not true that all of them want to deceive us. Whom to believe, and who should not be trusted one can learn by listening and using the products of the brand and whenever possible compare them with products of other manufacturers. Valuable information can also be found in expert magazines and in users' testimonies. As far as one finds them trustworthy. Because our entire industry is largely built on trust we put on someone else. It is verified by listening, but ultimately they are only one of several elements that affect our decisions, i.e. how we spend our money. Even if we believe we make absolutely independent decisions. We are tried every time a company offers us a new product or a new version of one that we already know. It has to balance its whole activity between the need for updating the lineup on regular bases (a commercial requirement) and the need to make changes, upgrades resulting from new developments, completely new or replacing older models/versions components (a technical requirement). The bigger the brand, the higher the priority of the commercial requirements. And the other way around - the smaller firm, the more important the technical aspect becomes. RAS-14 Triple-C The Japanese Acoustic Revive company, led by its founder, Mr. Ken Ishiguro belongs to the latter. New products are introduced rarely and almost unwillingly. It does happen sometime, however, that the lineup must undergo a revolution as it does when one of the key components disappears from production. In the case of the Acoustic Revive and a large group of other Japanese producers, such an earthquake was caused by Furukawa when they stopped the production of PCOCC cables. I wrote about it several times, for more information please go HERE and HERE http://highfidelity.pl/@main-664&lang=en < a>. Acoustic Revive decides to use the PC-Triple C copper instead. It is obtained by a process similar to forging in which the wire is struck several times. Strikes have the right angle and direction that were experimentally established. As a result of this treatment, material reduces its volume by 70%. This is a clear reference to the Japanese sword-smith tradition, and that is why, in Acoustic Revive commercials, we can find the image of a katana blade. This type of cable has been used in all AR cables, also in the latest additions to the range, RSA-14 Triple-C and RPC-1 Passive EMI / RFI filters. The Passive EMI / RFI filters have been known for many years, used mostly by industry - mainly IT, medical and defense. For several years, they have also been used by audio companies such as, for example, Nordost http://www.nordost.com (QRT Qv2), Entreq, Verictum (X Bulk), the reviewed Acoustic Revive, and also by Furutech (Flux-50 NFC; Polish). The most common are filters that are linked to a power cable (they are sometimes called "serial"), but recently more new products arrived on the market that are plugged independently to a free socket (they are called "parallel"). The way they work varies from model to model, from company to company, but generally the goal is to minimize RFI noise, and often also to minimize the vibration of the conductor. The 5990 PLN RSA-14 Triple-C belongs to the former group of products. It's a kind of "adapter", with an IEC connector on one side and an IEC socket on the other. These are connected with a 20 cm Power Reference Triple-C power cable. Previously, this was the Power Reference PCOCC copper cable. The socket is screwed to something like a rattle - it's a short tube made of carbon fiber braid, closed on both sides with wooden plugs. A mixture of crystals and RFI / EMI reacting elements were placed inside. This is a proprietary Acoustic Revive solution, that has been used in their products for years. For some time now, similar solutions have also been utilized by other manufacturers. From the old version this one also differs with usage of other plug and socket. The FI-50 NCF (R) connector and the FI-06 NCF (R) socket are sourced from Furutech. As I have already mentioned several times, these are ones of the best power plugs available presently, chosen by many top manufacturers. Enough said that for their new top-of-the-line Triple Crown power cables Siltech also decided to use these connectors. Let me remind you that Furutech has used the Nano Crystal² Formula (NCF), a vibration reduction technique that utilizes crystalline material with "active" properties. First, it generates negative ions, eliminating the static charges from the material. Second, it turns kinetic energy into infrared radiation. Hence, it's a piezoelectric material that converts the vibration into heat. Metal contact elements are made of non-magnetic, rhodium-plated materials (OCC) Alpha processed (demagnetization and cryogenic processing). It features a multi-layer body: it combines non-magnetic stainless steel and silver-plated carbon fiber and a layer of acetate co-polymer. The previous version of the filter used Oyaide IEC connector with rhodium-plated contacts, custom-made for AR. The FI-10 IEC socket was sourced from Furutech. New plugs and a new cable. The only part taken from the old RSA-14 is a filter element, although it features now a slightly different mix inside. RPC-1 The RPC-1 is one of the most expensive passive filters I know (11,900 PLN). It is a completely new product in the Acoustic Revive range. This is a filter plugged into a free socket in a power strip that also other power chords are connected to. Like all other AR products, also this one is based on scientific research - in this case of Mr. Jun Shibata. Let me remind you that Mr. Jun Shibata is a man who developed a prototype of a IR computer mouse. The research concerned high frequency noise in AC power lines that caused interference in the prototype's work. Based on his observations Shibata-san built a filter that eliminated this interference. It consisted of a set of capacitors, resistors and coils. His own contribution was a selection of coils assembled in parallel to the cold and hot supply lines. This solution attracted Mr. Fukushima's attention, the head of HWT, working for the industrial sector. He bought the rights to this solution and based on them he developed an industrial filter eliminating RFI noise. Our friend, Mr. Ken Ishiguro, decided to use this work to clean the power lines that the audio devices use. So he established a partnership with HWT and, based on their industrial model, developed a more powerful system, tuned for use in audio systems. The result was the Acoustic Revive RPC-1 Power Supply Conditioner. Its appearance refers to SPEC loudspeaker filters. This is quite a large wooden box with 20 cm Power Reference Triple-C power cable, terminated with FI-E11 N1 (G) connector. The box can not be opened so the components used and their layout remain a corporate secret. My methodology of a test of this type of filter checked out several times in the past. The impact the RAS-14 Triple-C filter has on the sound can be tested in a simple A / B / A comparison with known A and B, where 'A' is a device powered without filter and 'B' wit it. It is important, however, what cables are used for such test - in my experience these should be made of the same material as the cable that is part of the filter. For this test I used the Acoustic Revive Power Reference Triple-C and Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500. The former is made of Triple-C solid-core copper wires and features Furutech Shuko I-E50 NCF (R) and FI-50 NCF (R) plugs, the same as the AR cable. Acrolink cables are made of the D.U.C.C. “Stressfree” square cross section copper made by Mitsubishi featuring custom-made plugs with rhodium-plated contacts and carbon fiber body. The RPC-1 filter is more difficult to evaluate. These type of passive component must be plugged into the mains power for several days before they can be properly assessed. In his case, I performed an A / B comparison, where 'A' was a system working with the filter and 'B' was working without it. For several days, the filter was permanently plugged in, and during the test, after a dozen or so tracks it was removed (unplugged). This procedure was repeated over several days. The filter was placed on the Acoustic Revive TB-38H anti-vibration platform and was plugged into the Acoustic Revive RTP-4eu Ultimate power strip. ACOUSTIC REVIVE in “High Fidelity” AWARD | BEST SOUND 2016: Acoustic Revive RCA-1.0 Triple C-FM (1.8x1.4) | POWER REFERENCE Triple-C - interconnect + power cable REVIEW: Acoustic Revive RCA-1.0 Triple C-FM (1.8x1.4) | POWER REFERENCE Triple-C - interconnect + power cable REVIEW: Acoustic Revive RCA-1.5TRIPLE C-FM + SPC-2.5TRIPLE C-FM - interconnect + speaker cable, see HERE INTERVIEW: Ken Ishiguro – owner, designer, see HERE REVIEW: Acoustic Revive – anti-vibration system, see HERE | GOLD Fingerprint Award KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY, meeting #76: Acoustic Revive – anti-vibration and isolation accessories, system, see HERE REVIEW: Acoustic Revive RTP-4eu ULTIMATE + POWER REFERENCE - power strip + AC power cord, see HERE REVIEW: Acoustic Revive USB-1.0SP/USB-5.0PL – USB cable, see HERE REVIEW: Acoustic Revive RST-38 i RAF-48 – isolation boards, see HERE (Polish) REVIEW: Acoustic Revive Disc Demagnetizer RD-3, Grounding Conditioner RGC-24, see HERE (Polish) REVIEW: Acoustic Revive DSIX/1.0 - 75 Ω digital cable, see HERE Recordings used for the test (a selection) Claudio Monteverdi, Ottavo Libro Dei Madrigali, wyk. Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Opus111 OPS 30-187, CD (1997) Chet Baker, It could happen to you, Riverside/ZYX Music OJC20 303-2, „Original Jazz Classics”, Super Bit Mapping CD (1958/1987) Enya, The Memory of Trees, Warner Music UK/Warner Music [Japan] WPCR-13300, SHM-CD (2009) Novika, Tricks of Life, Kayax 013 CD (2006) OMD, English Electric, 100% Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3810, CD (2013); Polish Jazz Quartet, Polish Jazz Quartet, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland, „Polish Jazz | vol. 3”, Master CD-R (1965/2016); Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] The influence of this type of products, passive filters, whether used for power line or used to block EMI / RFI radiation entering system components from outside (see Verictum X Block) - can only be appreciated when everything else in our system has been "straightened out". Plugging the RPC-1 filter “into” power line, also “upgrading” our power cable with RAS-14 Triple-C filter should be one of the last elements of any audio system "tuning". They can not be treated as a solution to some “sickness” of the system, but rather as a final touch to an already properly setup one. This does not mean, however, that their influence on sound is insignificant. Both these products clearly change it. However, their advantages become more obvious when a “ground” for their work has already been set up, when they do not have to improve some particular aspect of the sound that we couldn't get better in any other way. In a word: they should be supporting those system features that were already good before, minimizing the problem of having our devices powered from a “contaminated” power supply. RAS-14 Triple-C Under such assumptions, we will hear how the RAS-14 Triple-C captivates us with the energy of recordings as well as improves clarity of the presentation. This could be achieved by, for example, emphasizing the sound's attack phase, a slight preference of the leading edge at the expense of sustain phase, and it would also be OK. However, this would be an ad hoc action that is acceptable - when cleverly applied – on an entry to mid price level systems. The Acoustic Revive filter is meant for high end users who shall get the same results via higher resolution and lower "background noise". The point is, that every recording, whether it was the refined classics of Monteverdi's Ottavo Libro Dei Madrigali performed by Concerto Italiano or the compressed but very well-produced OMD's English Electric sound. First of all, the sound was richer and the bodies of instruments were more three-dimensional. With RAS filter sound was more tangible, i.e. the volume was bigger and clarity higher. Vocals had a clearer body, although they were not “cut out”, nor even pushed out of the background. It was about a better definition of both instruments and vocals as well as the whole presentation. The improvement the RAS introduces to the sound is unequivocal and I can not imagine a system in which it would not be appreciated. How big change in sound came from simply replacing the plugs and the 20 cm power cable I learned comparing the new Triple-C RAS to the previous one with Oyaide plugs and the PCCOC copper wire cable with solid-core oval cross section wires. The older version worked perfectly making sound more natural. Its influence one could compare to the replacing granite base under loudspeakers with a high-end wood one. I'm sure many of you have tried such that - with time I increasingly appreciate the Japanese vision of sound, i.e. using natural wood wherever possible in audio system. The older RAS sounds warm, gentle, in a more “round” way. The new, however, is better, because it is clearer, more dynamic, and it ensures a better differentiation of a sound material. The new version is clearly more effective, although the older one has its advantages. The older one charms listener, and the newer one improves the performance. RPC-1 After plugging the new RAS-14 Triple-C filters into all components in the system, I could finally listen to what the RPC-1 added to the mix. Since I had previously dealt with this type of filters, I knew that in their case the advantages and disadvantages would be revealed over a longer time. Quick comparisons could show me this and that, but on a smaller scale and only some aspects of supposed improvement. Despite this, the changes introduced by RPC are readable and one starts to appreciate them quickly. The sound with the filter seems cleaner and more distinct than without it. While RAS smooths the attack, slightly improving the richness, RPC seems more explicit, has a more open midrange. It does not sharpen nor brighten anything, but the sound seems more - I repeat - open. Depending on the system, this effect will be either an advantage, a step up or a step to the side. In good systems we will get more information and, as a result, a more convincing performance. Listening to vocals from the Ottavo Libro Dei Madrigali, plugging the RPC to the system, I felt as if the vocalists came to me a bit closer. It was not that I moved closer to them as the acoustics did not change, everything was the same, but the voices were clearer and slightly moved in my direction. The change was kind of small but with really sophisticated systems it should be perceived as significant one. As it turned out, it was about more details and subtleties delivered in the upper midrange, which translated into a much better differentiation of recordings. And that meant that I was in fact closer to the original than before. Summary Both filters had a significant influence on my system's performance. The introduction of the RAS-14 Triple-C filter could be compared to switching from a "normal" Japanese release of a CD to its SHM-CD or HQCD version. This is a big change, a clearly positive one. The new version of the filter is different from the older one and the place for the latter, in my opinion, is in systems that need coloring, making sound richer and more three-dimensional. Holding on to this comparison, let's say that a non-filtered power cable sounds like a good European release, and with the filter like a Japanese one. The new version adds on top of that a much higher clarity and more energy. The RPC-1 performs differently. At first its impact seems smaller, one realizes and appreciates its importance more in a long run. Then it turns out that it wasn't IT before. It is worth noting that this filter is not as universal as RAS. But it also fits perfectly into what the latter does, because it also cleans up the "foreground" of the noise we previously received with music and we were not even able to point out. Simply without it the sound is less direct, less "here and now". Of these two, RAS-14 Triple-C brings immediate improvement. If you can, apply it to all devices in your system, because the effect is cumulative. And ultimately add also RPC-1 and you will find yourself in heaven :) [hfgallery] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/acoustic/th/05.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/acoustic/05.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/acoustic/05.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/acoustic/th/06.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/acoustic/06.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/acoustic/06.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [img mini="foto_testy/1705/acoustic/th/07.jpg" big="foto_testy/1705/acoustic/07.jpg" src="foto_testy/1705/acoustic/07.jpg" desc="HighFidelity.pl"] [/hfgallery]

apanese companies have been at the forefront of technological avant-garde for several decades now. Several years ago they were joined by firms from South Korea, China and Taiwan, but in audio it is still the Japanese who lead the way, usually those representing big corporations. On the other hand, in the West, many interesting solutions in terms of design, make, finish, etc. presented for the first time by these concerns are today a result of the work of small companies, individual inventors / designers, who do their best to achieve perfection. And yet it was not always the case. The history of high-quality audio is inseparable from large research companies, primarily American Bell Labs. Tubes designed to amplify signal, stereo and binaural recordings, stereo LPs, digital encoding, and even the dynamic driver concept - we owe all those inventions to the scientists. It still works this way in Japan. It's the Japanese universities that produce the most interesting developments - both "solid" ones that are fully accepted by the engineering community (in the field of applied science), but also things that raise disbelief among engineers, sometimes and even disgust, such as anti-vibration products proposed by Acoustic. Revive. Despite the fact that they are also supported by proper measurement results and have a solid scientific foundation. I think that is precisely why Japan has been the source of studies or trends that have somewhat shaped the entire hi-fi industry for years - SET tube amplifiers are a great example, a comeback of the horn loudspeakers with a wide baffle, a renewed interest in mono recordings, etc. On the other hand new CD formats such as: XRCD, HQCD, Blu-spec, SHM-CD also come from there. One of the areas of audio industry that Japan still leads is the production of audio cables. This is just an example of a "hard" product requiring a great research department, a sufficiently large group of stubborn enthusiasts, and a powerful industry capable of putting these developments into practice. Copper – not as simply as you might think Just a year ago, it seemed that the Japanese audio cable industry would have to go through a painful conversion process - in 2013, Furukawa, which produced conductors and cables for most of domestic audio cabling manufacturers, ended production of the most popular variety of high quality conductors - PCOCC (Pure Cooper Ohno Continuous Casting). Individual manufacturers have found new types of conductors and started to use them for their cables. For example, Acoustic Revive has switched to PC-Triple C from Fine Chemicals & Materials (Furukawa branch), Zonotone and Ortofon started to use HiFC cabling, and some other bought a huge stock of PCOCC wire spools and for several years offered cables featuring this conductor. Manufacturers such as: Harmonix and Furutech belong to the latter group. At the same time, Acrolink, also for OEM cables made for Esoteric boldly introduced new models of cable as if all this turmoil on the cable market didn't affect them at all. They had a power ally to "back" them, the Mitsubishi Corporation. Its history starts in 1870 when Mr. Yataro Iwasaki-san, using three old steamboats set up a shipping company. After the Second World War the company was closed. In 1952, along with foreign companies, new technologies began to flow to Japan. In 1954, based on the postwar Peace Agreement, 100 small companies were merged, forming the Mitsubishi Corporation. Today it is a powerful corporation with shipyards, transportation companies, car and motorcycle factories, working for the arms, medical and telecommunication industries, and many others. One of its departments produces connection cables, including specialized audio cables. They use technologies developed in-house, such as D.U.C.C. (Dia Ultra Crystallized Copper). Other ultra pure copper cable types, for example OFC and PCOCC, are about maximizing the length of the crystals and improving the purity of the conductor to eliminate the so-called "diode distortion" generated during signal's transition between neighboring crystals. However, Mitsubishi's research has shown that impurities of this type also arise inside the crystals, not only at the contact areas. D.U.C.C. process involves re-crystallization of copper during which pollutants are released and removed. Interestingly, thanks to this process the resulting copper shows much less directivity effect. DPS-4 Alpha OCC-DUCC The DSP-4 power cable is the first Furutech product I have a chance to review featuring D.U.C.C. (to make it simple I will use the DUCC abbreviation) conductors manufactured by Mitsubishi Materials Industries,. What's more, it combines two different conductors, DUCC and Alpha- OCC, that is, one made using re-crystallization process (DUCC) and the other continuous copper casting and cooling under controlled conditions (OCC). Before the name OCC-DUCC here is one more letter, the Greek α, which refers to the previous cables of this company. Alpha, in Furutech's corporate nomenclature described as Pure Transmission, is a cryogenic material processing and demagnetization (Alpha Super Cryogenic and Demagnetizing). It's a copper of 7N purity. The cable looks completely different from whole the rest of the “serious” products available on the market. The color chosen for the outer sleeving is called by Furutech: Rose Red. However, it is impossible not to notice that it is simply pink and it is this kind of pink that will dominate any system. But the Japanese are masters of this type of games – have a look, for example, at the Sushi Cats concept. This can be seen either as pure madness or extravagance. There is no third choice. DPS-4 Alpha OCC-DUCC is the most expensive power cable from this company sold on a spool (40 m). Final products are actually made by distributors. The RCM, the Polish representative of Furutech made an interesting choice of connectors for this cable: I-E50 NCF (R) and FI-50 NCF (R). Furutech in both used the Nano Crystal² Formula (NCF), a solution reducing vibration. They use a special crystalline material with some "active" properties. First of all, it generates negative ions, eliminating the static charges from the material. Secondly, it converts kinetic energy into infrared radiation. Hence it is a piezoelectric material that directly converts the vibration into heat. Let me remind you that already some time ago this type of anti-vibration elements was offered by Acoustic Revive as a small pads called CE-4. The metal contact elements are made of non-magnetic, rhodium-plated materials (OCC) Alpha processed (demagnetization and cryogenic processing). It features a multi-layer body: it combines non-magnetic stainless steel and silver-plated carbon fiber and a layer of acetate co-polymer. Thanks to silver-plating these plugs differ from older black carbon fiber ones. The IEC FI-50 NCF (R) power socket features a similar construction. The Furutech DPS-4 Alpha OCC-DUCC power cable was tested using two components: the Ancient Audio AIR V-edition Compact Disc player and Kondo Overture II integrated amplifier. It was compared to two power cables of different design featuring different types of copper: Acoustic Revive Power Reference Triple-C and Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500 (DUCC Mexcel) using A / B / A comparisons with A and B known. It was plugged into the Acoustic Revive RTP-4EU Ultimate power strip. A separate comparison was made with the Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version featuring PCOCC conductors. FURUTECH in „High Fidelity” • TEST: Furutech FA-13S | FS-15S | FP-TCS21 - interconnect | speaker cable | power cable • TEST: Furutech FLUX CABLE SERIES - interconnect | speaker cable | power cable • TEST: Furutech REFERENCE III SERIES AUDIO REFERENCE III-NI + SPEAKER REFERENCE III - interconnect + speaker cable (Polish) • AWARD | BEST SOUND 2006: Furutech e-TP80E + FP-3TS20 - power distributor + power cable (Polish) • TEST: Furutech e-TP80E + FP-3TS20 - power distributor + power cable (Polish) Recordings used for the test (a selection) Carmen McRae, Torchy!, Decca/Universal Music Group (Japan) UCCU-9633, SHM-CD (1955/2008) Diorama, Child Of Entertainment, Accession Records A 119, SP CD (2010) Dominic Miller & Neil Stacey, New Dawn, Naim naimcd066, CD (2002) Fausto Mesolella, Live ad Alcatraz, Fonè/Master Music NT017, XRCD24 (2014/2016) Röyksopp, The Inevitable End, Dog Triumph DOG013CD, 2 x CD (2014) Suzanne Vega, Nine Objects of Desire, A&M Records 540 583 2, CD (1996) Talk Talk, Spirit of Eden, Parlophone/EMI PCSDX 105, 180 g LP + DVD WAV 24/96 (1988/2012) Tangerine Dream, Zeit, Cherry Red Records/Belle 121943-4, SHM-CD + CD (1972/2011) Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio, Live at the Misty, Three Blind Mice/Sony Music Direct (Japan) MHCP-10038, SACD/CD (1974/2006) Japanese issues available at [REKLAMA5] It is clear, at least I think it is, that every element of an audio system "performs". In the case of cables, the main part is played by materials used - conductors and dielectrics - their geometry, also connectors they are terminated with. I was particularly curious about comparison of different types of copper. I am not able to separate the conductors' material from the way the cables are terminated or their configuration/geometry, but from experience I know that the hierarchy in this case looks like this: material is the most important factor, than geometry and finally connectors. Furutech cable offers its own sound and this is the first time I encountered this particular combination of sonic features. However, it is difficult to point out the "horizontal" similarities and differences between this model and other cables - here they go across. Its sound is full and to a large extent warm. I have no doubt about it - the color and the way the attack is shaped reminded me of what I had heard in the past with new TARA Labs cables from the Muse line. It's about delivering sound in an unforced, amazingly natural way When we listen this way to vocals, such as Carmen McRea's, it is re-created before us in the same way as good recordings played from a vinyl or high quality SACD or DSD files do that. There is a common DNA which results in this refined, organic sound combining all of its elements in an amazingly smooth way. Also guitars sounded this way – ones played by Dominic Miller and Nel Stancey on New Dawn as well as a quite different one, recorded from a larger distance, played by Fausto Mesolella, produced by Mr. Kazuo Kiuchi (Combak Corporation) and released as the XRCD24. This cable does not enlarge the forefront of the stage, although the density and slight emphasis in the lower midrange could lead to this. This is a more neutral performance than one of the "warm" products made a few years ago. The performance has the same sonic signature when electronic music is played. All the irritation imperfections in the reproduction of the attack phase of the sound are removed, and at the same time all elements are played in a perfect harmony. Even in the case of recordings of questionable quality Furutech will deliver a similar performance. With expressive recordings, ones that nicely convey an atmosphere, the Japanese cable will emphasize these elements. That's why the Röyksopp's album The Inevitable End, a farewell from the band for their fans, sounded so well. A melancholia, even the sadness that accompanies almost every track was perfectly obvious and I felt it even stronger than with other also warm sounding cables. A comparison with Acoustic Revive cable featuring Triple-C copper cable was particularly informative. The AR has a more contoured sound, i.e. there is more of the upper treble and lower bass. Where the Furutech gently retreats, the Triple-C is moving forward. At the bottom of the band Furutech does not differentiate nor focus the bass as well as AR and Acrolink do. Yet I think these two aspects are still better than with Harmonix. When I played Suzanne Vega's Nine Objects of Desire it became clear that Furutech was not as precised or focused. The difference is not significant enough to make it a bigger problem. This is a characteristic feature of high-end products - even if they are not perfect in every aspect, if they let go a bit in some aspects, it is “for the greater good” and instead of complaining about it we tend to shake our heads in delight. The wonderful Kondo OnGaku, and Overture II behaved similarly in this respect. This is a “deviation” from linearity and you have to check it out in your own system to see whether this is what you're looking for. What should surprise even experienced music lovers, I truly believe that, is not only a wonderful tone, but also the quality of the soundstage and holography of the presentation. All the cables I compared Furutech to, delivered a wider soundstage. But only Acrolink did it in a way that made sense, I.e. it did not “inflate” the space, but rather by enlarging the volume of sounds it "expanded" it from within. Furutech, in turn, delivered the greatest depth. It was a great experience "to see" so far back into the stage, as if the wall behind the system did not exist. And additionally it fantastically extracted information from the recording forming a sphere around the listener - if only, of course, such information was available in the said track. Summary This is a unique cable. It combines richness, warmth and insight into recording. In my system its sonic character was similar to that of Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version and Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9500. It delivered clearer, better differentiated performance than the former, while Acrolink was more resolving and it differentiated recordings even better. Its bass was also a bit more extended. On the other hand in terms of smoothness, fluidity of the soundstage and its depth, Furutech offered more than any other cable I had at my disposal at the time. The only power cable offering even better performance from all of those cables was the Harmonix X-DC Studio Master Million Maestro (Polish), that cost five times more. RED (Rose) Fingerprint. The Furutech cable features an interesting design. Although it surprises with this original color from the outside, it seems to be just another ordinary cable based on a twisted pair of conductors – but it is not. Each of its three cores is constructed of three layers of conductors - wires, differing in number, direction of winding and material they are made of. The inner bundle consists of 79 Alpha-OCC wires with a 0.18 mm2 gauge each, twisted to the right. The next layer is wound onto it, made of 37 DUCC (7N) wires twisted left, and finally on top of these two there is another core with 42 DUCC (7N) copper wires twisted to the right; The bundle has a diameter of 2.75 mm2. A combination of materials was selected for the insulation: there is the fluoropolymer layer inside and polyethylene on the outside. The cables are stabilized with cotton fibers and wrapped in cotton fabric. The layered shielding features a PVC spacer filled with nanoparticles of ceramics and carbon. The inner layer of the shield is a copper foil and the outer layer is an OFC copper braid. The whole cable has a diameter of 17 mm2. 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