Published: 4. June 2013, No. 109 363 companies from 35 countries More visitors this year – a whopping 16,159 5211 audio professionals (“trade visitors”) from 71 countries (18% more this year) Large international media coverage A tangibly jubilant atmosphere amongst the exhibitors The 32nd HIGH END show in a row, also the 10th show held at MOC in Munich, once again proved to be the most important event for the entire audio world, gathering 363 exhibitors from 35 countries. Between the 9th and 12th of May the space of the main halls of the convention center, as well as the atriums on the floors above, was fully occupied, which corresponded with the crowds of visitors present. Renate Paxe (PR & publicity dla HIGH END SOCIETY) 10 years in Munich The High End convention, which was first held in Düsseldorf in 1982 had its little jubilee this year – it was held in Munich for the 10th time, in the massive halls of Munich Order Center, just a stone’s throw away from the BMW factory. Before, annually for twenty-two years it took place elsewhere, in hotels, and notably the Kempinski Hotel in Frankfurt which seems to have imprinted in everyone’s memory. I vividly remember the pleasant, slightly sleepy atmosphere of those editions of the show, especially with the good memories in the park-like Gravenbruch district of Frankfurt where the hotel stands. It was a great exhibition... An exhibition that couldn’t remain in that format, which is clearly visible now. Audio exhibitions can be divided into the ones held in hotels and the ones in halls. The former, such as the Polish Audio Show, have the organizer rent part of a hotel, and the exhibitors prepare their systems for display in separate hotel rooms. Some get larger spaces, usually on the ground floor, but the vast majority has to make do with tiny, classic hotel rooms. There are many advantages of such exhibitions. Primarily, they’re held in rooms which resemble the environment we listen to our music in, especially in terms of size and equipment – tables, sofas, carpets, wallpaper, and lamps. Narrow hallways, the short proximity between all the exhibitors and an intimate atmosphere are characteristic of this type of location. Events like this create their own little “community”, created forcefully by the conditions, on one hand, and on the other practically made impossible. Although there’s music playing in every room, and the neighbors are usually complaining about the room next door being too loud, often forgetting that they too are making an equal amount of noise, the “vibe” of these events is based on the close contact between exhibitors, visitors and the press. Like I said, I really like this particular type of shows and I nostalgically recall the Frankfurt days of HIGH END. And nostalgia may very well be the brake in our audio trade. It’s a great feeling, so long as it doesn’t cloud our broader point of view. When I went to Munich instead of Frankfurt for the first time in 2008, I didn’t know what to expect. The city immediately captured my heart with its atmosphere – very similar to Krakow’s, my city’s – its food, and great beer of every kind. The show itself left me with mixed feelings, however. Instead of being shown in friendly, intimate hotel rooms, exclusive lobbies and quiet corridors, devices costing thousands upon thousands of Euros were displayed in huge halls, usually atop some sort of “counter”, or inside temporary cubicles built right in the middle of the halls. Those lucky enough to afford it (and the exhibition is very expensive, they’re a huge expense for audio companies, let’s not forget that!) and be on time to reserve a place had their devices displayed in the cold rooms of the atrium – usually large, but with walls of glass and plaster-cardboard. I don’t know myself what’s worse... In the first two, three years the nostalgia for Kempinski was tangible in nearly all media coverage. But only in the audio media. People from outside of the audio world saw what only became obvious to all after several years: an event like this has to evolve at some point; if it wants to develop, it must someday leave the cozy atmosphere of a hotel for the sake of space and freedom. Because although it isn’t directly visible, freedom in any trade is connected with popularity and money. And Munich provided both of these prerequisites. What is High End A.D. 2013, really? It’s the biggest, most important event of its kind in the world. This year’s visitors from the USA, previously very self-centered – back then still convinced that the world revolves around them – said in unison that although the CES in Las Vegas is still the most important event regarding electric house appliances in general, when it comes to audio, and high-end audio in particular, it lost its lead to High End. I mainly heard this from exhibitors, but also from the representatives of American press (although those were more reluctant to admit to it). I’m convinced that Steven Rochlin, the editor-in-chief of “EnjoyTheMusic.com”, whom I’ve talked with a few times, would also say this if he wasn’t preoccupied with his new, young wife and what she’ll do with him upon coming home… Either way – Munich is currently the very center of the high-end audio world. The time to analyze this will come one day, however it must be said that the success of the convention wouldn’t be possible without breaking the hotel-room’s shackles. Events organized in hotels and small centers are incredibly important as that’s when premieres of small companies and micro-companies are held, which give audio its special character. As Kurt W. Hecker, the director of High End Society e. V. and organizer of High End says, the convention in Munich isn’t dangerous as there are lots of such exhibitions in Germany, and not only (see: Kurt W. Hecker, 10 Years of High End in Munich, Messekatalog 2013, Munich 2013). The only thing is that hotel exhibitions have isolation encoded in their DNA, they focus only on the trade and its users. Whileas what we really need is a new, grand opening. It’s time to make use of newest technological advancements, especially music connected with computers, files and their playback (it’s the inner objective, “internal”). But it’s also time to show to millions of new audio users (and I mean smartphones, iPhones, iPads, and headphones) who have never dealt with high-quality sound, that the music they listen to – and currently more people listen to music than ever before – can sound immensely better (and this is the “external” objective). Even a few years back it seemed that audio is dying, that it’s all 40+ year-old people, and that young people who will soon be the ones spending money have been sucked up by video games and home cinema. But please look at what’s happened: home cinema systems have been pushed into the background, the market’s got enough of them, and it turns out there are very few people who would treat it as a hobby or way of life; the vast majority of users – it would seem to me – of home cinema users treat it utilitarianly, like a washing machine, blender or iron. Video games are a different story – it’s a growing industry and nothing is going to change about that in the near future. But if my son and his peers can be used as an example, you could point out some internal change – aside from games, social interactions have become very important, with discussions and exchanges of music being a leading topic. Games aren’t just interactive movies, but also a source of music, often inspiring one’s own, personal pursuits. And this means that you won’t just find money for a new graphics card, but also for a better music card and – who knows? – for speakers bigger than a nickel. Because good headphones are a must nowadays. Three Days in Munich Kurt Hecker, the aforementioned director of HIGH END SOCIETY wrote in the materials sent to the press after the convention was over: “Far from confrontation between options of signal playback, High End is a place of perfect coexistence of the past and the future. It is the diversity offered by this event which allows visitors a full view and a direct meeting with the entire spectrum of what our trade has to offer.” I think he was right. This year, you could see almost everything that audio’s had to offer for the past one hundred years: from massive horn speakers, once used in theatres; NOS tubes; turntables and reel-to-reel tape recorders; through CD players, solid state amplifiers, SACD players and class D amps; all the way to file players and – most of all – computers as sound sources. If I was to point to the most prominent trends, it would be the evolution of computer audio systems and the relevant abundance of headphone amplifiers, DACs and headphones. This year you could hear the magical “DoP”, telling you about the possibility of sending DSD signal over USB, in every corner. Everybody was excited about this possibility and who knows whether this doesn’t mean a renaissance of DSD recordings, and the return – in some sense – of SACDs? You could see much less SACD players, and if you did, they mostly played the part of D/A converters receiving DSD signal. There were still plenty of CD players, but barely anyone was using them. A deep rift separating computer audio and analogue audio is starting to dig itself much more prominently than before. It’s just that these two elements appear on the same system – a computer (or file player) and turntable. This still isn’t the end of the CD, but its end is unambiguous. It seems that the quality of master files, now available to anybody, is so tempting that companies are standing on their heads to be able to use this one-of-a-kind situation. From the very beginning of audio we’ve been dependent on formats, the distribution of a physical product and record companies. Now we have the chance to receive the very same material which the sound engineers heard in the studio. We’re still far from an ideal situation, and a large percentage of companies manipulate files, but there’s a big chance of working out a mutual model of a “new world” of music sales. The growing career of computer files also had input in fortifying the return of the analogue medium of the vinyl record. Although we owe most of this to DJs who got young people interested in the black disc, in the audio world the return to the analogue is connected with the feeling that it’s the only tested format: safe, good, and immune to the passing of time. The requirements in computer audio are – and will be – constantly changing; the numbers will be growing and what is good today, e.g. 24 bits, will be outdated tomorrow, because you’ll have to process 32 bits and 2 x DSD. I wouldn’t, however, consider the CD a lost cause yet. A large part of the journalists I’ve talked with are convinced that it’s still one of the best media formats, and we are unaware of its full potential. Record companies follow this up – SHM-CD, Blu-Spec (now in the “2” version), and other improvements are all meant to extract even more information from the CD. Personally, I think that the best CD players sound no worse, if not better, than the best file players and DACs with computers as a source. The road of improvement before computer audio is still a long path, and the CD has been on it for thirty years, which is audible. Little is happening, on the other hand, in the field of speakers – for years now all we’ve seen is improving old solutions, refining what we already know. A certain change has been brought by planar speaker drivers, mostly ribbon that replaced classic tweeters in many designs. Although a trend for returning to broadband drivers, horn speakers, open baffles, speakers with electromagnets is visible, this is, however, a fraction of the market. It doesn’t look like anything’s going to change here anytime soon. When it comes to amps, the trend is clear: D-class amps are entering the game, including high-end. Many of the best systems at the convention used this type of amplifier – e.g. SPEC, Mola-Mola. Although there’s still much work to be done, there are already devices of this type which sound just as good as classic A or AB class amps. I think that more and more devices that work in the D class will be found their way to our homes. The tube market is taking advantage of this. Just like the career of computer files reinforced the vinyl market, the changes in the amp market will strengthen the tube amplifier niche. It will by a style of life, a personal declaration on the same level as the sound quality. Where are we, then? In my opinion, there’s a large chance for audio being reborn as an important sector. What’s the indicator of this? Young people’s interest in music and products used for its playback. In Munich there were whole families walking from exhibit to exhibit, like on the IFA exhibition in Berlin. This carries another paradigm change: young people aren’t only interested in the sound, but also in the ease-of-use and the external appearance. A “black box” won’t interest anybody any more, regardless of how it sounds. Maybe it’ll be a change for the better – the audio branch always pretended that it’s only the “sound that matters”, which let it “ignore” the design. It will be different now. And better, in my opinion. Although hard-core audiophiles will stand their ground, the vast majority of them needs a new opening, something fresh. Products that won’t break, that won’t be capricious but will be pretty and user-friendly. And if they fulfill these requirements, they’ll be able to fight for an increasingly better sound. And the fact that you can have both has been proven by high-end companies like Devialet, Wadia, Gato Audio and others. It’s a good time for us all. Below you’ll find a list of systems which, in our opinion, deserve special recognition. There were a lot fewer of them than in previous years and the overall level of sound quality was low. But that didn’t hurt me at all. And that’s because Munich’s High End was a place for doing business, visiting exhibitions, talking, discussing, asking questions, fulfilling wishes. It wasn’t an audiophile ghetto – it was an agora of information exchange. Amphion - Two15 | Antelope Audio Avantgarde Acoustic - Zero1 Avid HiFi – Ingenium | EgglestonWorks | Hegel | Isotek Devialet - model 170 Dynaudio – Excite (new) | NAD – D7050 Finitus – Puralio, Poambo Goebel High End – Epoque Reference | Ultimate Sound Machines | Stahk~Tek Illusonic | Soulution | Focal | Vovox | mbakustik | TAOC | Dr. Feickert Analogue Kaiser Kawero | Thrax | JPlay Kondo - Ginga II, Kagura, Biyuras | Esoteric Lansche Audio | Mola-Mola | emm Labs Living Voice - Vox Olympian | Kondo | CEC ManuFaktur | Balanced Music Concept Raidho - D-1 | Jeff Rowland | dCS Siltech - SAGA | Crystal Cable – Arabesque, Absolute Dream SoundKaos - Wave 40 | Bakoon Products International - AMP-12R SPEC Corporation | Acoustic Revive | Kiso Acoustics - HB1 Stein Music | Artesania Audio | Pyon Sound – Ultima | Kronos Straussmann - MC-Phono 2010, CC, E-50 | Tone Tools Tannoy - Canterbury Gold Reference | Pathos Reports from previous HIGH END shows High End 2012, read HERE High End 2011, read HERE High End 2010, read HERE High End 2009, read HERE High End 2008, read HERE High End 2007, read HERE High End 2006, read HERE High End 2005, read HERE Year 2011 2012 2013 +/- in comparison to 2012 Exhibitors 337 366 363 -1% Accredited journalists 437 483 481 +/- 0% Audio professionals 4398 4427 5211 18% Sold tickets 9681 10 244 10 948 7% Total number of visitors 14 079 14 671 16 159 10%

Published: 3. July 2013, No. 110 If you think about it for a minute you will realize that there are two ways new companies might take, when entering market for the first time. The first one, I would call it a 'safer' one, bases on small steps – start with a relatively simple, offering great value product, and after initial success start to offer more elaborate, more expensive ones and climb up the ladder, trying to squeeze somewhere between companies who's been already there for some time and are not too willing to give up any space to newcomers. So the latter have to fight they way up the ladder and it takes a lot of time, money and effort, and some luck too. The second way might seems easier – why not start from the top? It is surely a much more risky way to start a business, but on the other hand you know what they say – no risk, no gain. There is but one 'small' catch, if you want to chose the second strategy – you need a very special, innovative product that would find its place almost automatically if not on the very top, than at least close to it, allowing you to skip several steps of the market ladder, and not to fight with more experienced market players. Two examples might not be enough to constitute a rule, but the fact is that two French companies come to mind that in the last few years proved that this second strategy is feasible, and they both succeeded, although for now to a different extend. The first one is Devialet, that came almost out of nowhere and made so much fuss that now most audiophiles at least now the brand if not the product itself. It is a highly appreciated, and awarded product (Premier Air I mean) that quickly made its way to a high-end category. The second company might not have collected so many awards, brand awareness might not be that great (at least yet), but having existed on the market for a even shorter period of time (than Devialet) it made quite some fuss too. This company is called TotalDAC. It's a small, French company, founded just 3 years ago, in 2010, by Vincent Brient (first two photos are: Mont Saint-Michel – a famous place near his hometown, and his listening room with horn speakers built into a wall). Vincent, like many other well know audio designers, started to build some audio equipment while still a very young man, during his studies. Later he worked with, and learned a lot from, Mr John Westlake, a guy behind well known products like Pink Triangle Da Capo D/A converter, Audiolab's M-DAC and Cambridge Audio Magic DAC – these products should be familiar to many audiophiles. Vincent himself started his work with active digital crossovers. Achieving satisfactory results took him years and when he finally succeeded he focused his creative attention on digital-to-analogue converters. He auditioned most commercially available DAC chips and found none that would satisfy him completely, so he decided... to create his own. When he finished it the final effect was so good that also some of his friends wanted to have their own units so Vincent founded a company that designs, builds and sells D/A converters – he named it TotalDAC. As already mentioned the D/A converter created by Vincent Brient doesn't use any commercial DAC chip. Instead he uses a discrete R2R ladder, and that places this product in quite a respectful company of products from top brands like EMM Labs, or MSB. There is one more very important feature of this DAC you should be aware of right away – this is a „non-oversampling DAC” (NOS DAC), so it does not use any oversampling, and of course that's a choice it's designer consciously made pursuing top performance. Vincent underlines one more fact – when he designed TotalDAC the only goal he had in mind was performance regardless the costs and a final price of the product. At the moment there are few models of DAC available – the one I tested is for now a top one, called d1-Dual. The other ones are: d1-Single, which is a simplified version of d1-Dual with a single resistor ladder par channel (Dual has two of them), with no balanced outputs, and not so advanced USB input. This year during Munich High End exhibition TotalDAC presented two newest products that should be available for purchase within next few months. Whoever attended presentation in their room had a chance to listen to prototype versions of d1-Tube DAC (name is self-explanatory – output stage sports tubes in SE mode), and a d1-Server, which is a music server, of course. You can still buy an older model of DAC called A1, and a digital re-clocker that is supposed, according the manufacturer, to improve a sound of any digital transport (including also a computer). Even thought TotalDAC's website is a bit shy of information about digital crossovers, in fact Vincent offers 69-bit active ones that can be integrated with D/A converter. SOUND Recordings used during listening sessions (a selection) Georges Bizet, Carmen, RCA Red Seal 74321 39495 2, CD i FLAC. Chie Ayado, Life, Ewe B00005EZRV, CD/FLAC Stevie Ray Vaughan, Texas flood, epic/LEGACY EX65870, CD i FLAC. Isao Suzuki, Blow up, Three Blind Mice B000682FAE, CD i FLAC. AC/DC, Back in black, SONY B000089RV6, CD. Vivaldi, Four seasons, Giulano Carmingnola, Sony Classical SK 51352, CD. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin, Atlantic/Warner Music Japan WPCR-11611, CD/FLAC. Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones, Live At The Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981, Eagle Rock Entertainment B0085KGHI6, CD/FLAC. Buddy Guy, Blues singer, Silvertone 01241-41843-2, CD/FLAC. Pink Floyd, Wish you were here, EMI Records Japan TOCP-53808, CD i FLAC. Rodrigo y Gabriela, 11:11, EMI Music Poland 5651702, CD i FLAC. Peter Gabriel, New blood, EMI 6785522, CD/FLAC. Dire Straits, Communique, Vertigo 800 052-2, CD/FLAC TotalDAC is one of these few audio companies that (at least at the current stage) don't really work with audio magazines – I mean you can't get a DAC from Vincent for a review. Any reviewer who wants to review one of his devices has to buy it (with 10 days return option), or borrow it from some owner. It would be great if I could afford the first option, but in a real world I had to use the second option – Adam Mokrzycki was kind enough to spare a TotalDAC for some time so that I could review it – an official 'thank you!' is in place. Even though a d1 is already highly acclaimed device I'd like to start with... a little complaint, I hope you don't mind? The device is very well made, and while whether you like its look or not is up to you, I can say that I really like the design. Solid, rigid metal casing must make a good impression, the acrylic front too. There is a small 'but' though – if you want it to stay 'pretty' you need to keep it in a 'dust-free' environment. Surely all devices catch dust on the outside, and so does TotalDAC here, so you need to clean it once a day, but the real problem is that dusts gets also behind the acrylic plate (unless it got there while this unit was actually made), and to get rid of it seems impossible. Underneath acrylic plate there is a very nice OLED display, that shining nice and bright backlits dust very clearly... OK, it's a small thing, maybe if you keep your room cleaner than I keep mine, or you live outside polluted city center you don't even notice such problem. End of complaint. Wasn't so bad, was it? The converter under review sports four digital inputs: USB (asynchronous), coaxial S/PDIF (it is possible to order it with BNC instead of coax), optical TOSLINK, AES/EBU, and analogue outputs: balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA). Additionally back panel sports also a headphone output (6,3 mm), and power inlet, that is bound to be connected with external power supply. For customers with amplifiers equipped only with RCA inputs manufacturer offers (paid separately) his own XLR/RCA adapters that allow to use XLR outputs and thus to utilize a better performance of the latter (using dual ladder not a single one as RCA outputs do). There are no buttons or knobs to operate this device manually – the only option is a remote control – the unit came with a standard one made by Philips. Apart from classic functions like volume control and input selection, this remote allows you to operate also additional features: phase polarity (PHASE), possibility to disconnect earth (EARTH), turning display on/off (DISPLAY), non-oversampling DAC compensation filter that can be activated or deactivated (TREBLE FIR – when off, DAC is strictly non-oversampling one), and a highpass bass filter (BASS BW). Each of this functions/features allows user to slightly adjust sound to his taste. Don't expect some huge changes in a performance, rather noticeable ones, but since they are just a remote's button away go ahead and find the best setting for yourself. After finding best settings (for particular system/room/personal preferences) I could start my auditions. TotalDAC d1-Dual did not impress me much at the beginning. There was no „wow!” effect, it did not change my perception of the world in general, or of well know recordings in particular, nothing shocked me from the first minute, nothing really surprised me. And whatever you're thinking right now it was a good thing! With very few exceptions like the device from another musical dimension I reviewed recently – Kondo Souga – majority of high-end devices don't make huge entrances, unforgettable first impressions and so on. Why is that, you ask. Because they usually present music in an... accurate way – it sounds how I expect it to, there is no surprise, everything is in the right place, and such presentation is... well, natural. Should I expect anything else, or anything less from a high-end device? Music sounds simply like it should – so when I hear it that way I start to wonder is it really possible to play this music in another way? (yeah, in cases like these my memory doesn't serve me too well, and I somehow forget about many devices I listened to, that did play it in another, not so natural, ergo worse way). So how d1-Dual fit in all my experiences, how did it actually sound like? In short – sound was coherent, smooth, natural, nothing stood out, no obvious weaknesses to this presentation I was aware of. What I got from my speakers was a serenity, lack of any nervosity I mean. If I was describing a man (or a woman) I would call him/her very confident of his/hers ability of delivering top performance regardless of what I'd thrown at him/her. The French DAC seemed to be in a perfect control of everything in every recording. It dealt equally well with fabulous Chie Ayado (I have to admit that until recently I didn't know this amazing vocalist), or Muddy Waters with Rolling Stones, but also with my favorite recording of Carmen, or crazy rock and roll from Australian veterans of AC/DC. Not until I served TotalDAC with some not so well recorded music, like U2 albums, I fully realized that d1 differentiates recordings very well, so when it was forced to play less good pieces/albums it pointed it out immediately, refusing to make them sound any nicer than they really were. This serenity, self-confidence of TotalDAC was build on several elements. One of them being a size of soundstage, clearly different each time depending on what was caught in the recording, the other being how well organized the soundstage was, how palpable and three-dimensional. That's still not all – it presented also an impressive resolution and selectivity that both contributed to the great insight to each recording, that allowed me to follow all events in the back of the soundstage almost as easily as these in the front. No part of the frequency range was emphasized, or in other words the frequency response seemed flat. That's what gave me an impression of a very natural sound – many other devices to achieve the same have to 'tweak' midrange a bit, warming it up slightly. Here natural sound came from it being neutral, which often creates an impression of a slightly 'cold' sound, but here it was not a case. A bit cold sound is also what one often gets from devices offering a very analytical sound, great insight into recordings, that are able to get to the inner layers of sound that other 'warmer' devices usually can't. TotalDAC is an analytical D/A converter, I have no doubts about it, but since it doesn't cross certain line, it doesn't sound 'cold' and it doesn't mess with music's inner-coherency. It is still the music that comes first not the sound – that's what makes this device so special, you can flow with the music enjoying it, experiencing it, or, if you like, you can analyze even tiniest details, cause they are all there for you to reach for them. That's what makes a difference between great audio devices and those just good ones. The latter usually offer either good musicality or analytical skills – if you want both usually only high-end devices can offer you that. And these keep proper balance between being very musical and highly analytical without crossing either of lines, offering listener a choice of what he wants at the moment – experience some wonderful music, or analyze sound, musician's technique, sound engineer’s job an so on. TotalDAC leaves a choice to the listener and is fully capable of satisfying both needs, and it is really good at it. Today it might not be something special anymore, it's rather a must for all digital devices aspiring to a high-end class (well, even to a solid hi-fi class actually). Let's say 5-6 years ago almost all digital players could be still easily recognized by their sonics as there were some digital artifacts in the sound, especially in the treble. You could hear some brightness, some graining which all lead to some level of harshness of the sound. Today, even though I still believe that best analogue systems perform slightly better than the best digital ones, the significant gap between these performances is much, much smaller. What a good digital player (CD/SACD/DAC) is able to deliver is amazing and TotalDAC, no doubts, belongs among the best. The aforementioned: serenity, coherency, smoothness of the presentation, plus something that, because of a lack of better word, I would describe as a delicacy of the sound, makes listening to this device a very pleasant experience. But on the other hand, unlike many other devices, that achieve similar effect by warming sound up, rounding it up and thus losing some details, clarity an so on, d1-Dual offers great resolution, lots and lots of details, impressive range extension at both ends, very nice dynamic range, clarity and transparency, and an accurate dosage of analytical skills, that allows you to study the recording, but without losing emotions, magic of the music. The latter elements are key ones if you want to live, experience music and not just listen to it. Some designers make their DACs as analytical as possible and that gives listener a great insight into the recording, overwhelming amounts of details, most aspects of the sound presented very distinctly, but it is more like dividing recording into basic elements and forgetting about the essence of the music as an art. A clou of a top performance is finding an accurate balance between both approaches to a music presentation – you need both, a proper insight into music, and a good share of emotions, ambiance and so on. Only than you really know what a composer and/or vocalist/musician tried to express when creating/playing/singing a particular piece of music. TotalDAC is one of the „good guys” that does just that. As I already mentioned one of my recent musical discoveries was an amazing vocalist, that for whatever reason never had come to my attention before – Ms Chie Ayado. Ms Ayado is an incredible singer with amazing, deep, powerful, 'black' voice. There is the same kind of passion in her voice, the same 'putting heart, soul, and mind into the singing' that I love so much about Etta James. All her recordings were made in Japan which ensures outstanding sound quality too. TotalDAC delivered an abundance of details, wonderfully presented a timbre and texture of her voice, a convincing 3D soundstage, with instruments precisely placed on it, and each of them having sharply outlined body. But there was also plenty of emotions, passion in vocalist voice, astounding palpability that added even more intimacy to this presentation. All that made listening to Ms Ayado's recordings an extraordinary, realistic experience. Similar passion, tones of emotions I found also in my favorite Leontyna Price's performance in Carmen, and not only in her and other singers voices, but also in a characteristic, very 'von Karajan's like' orchestra performance. Such a complex, dense music fully benefited from all the virtues of this D/A converter – clarity, transparency, great resolution, a very good selectivity and precision of the presentation. All that allowed me to truly enjoy this fabulous interpretation of a famous opera as it is a very demanding piece of music. There is a lot going on on the stage with few vocalists, sometimes even two choirs singing and walking around in a distance, an all that backed up with highly dynamic performance of the orchestra lead by von Karajan. Each of this elements must be presented precisely, in proper balance with the others, so they can all come together and create this remarkable performance. To be honest, as I use this recording a lot during my tests, I've got a bit tired of it, but TotalDAC allowed me to enjoy every second of it, reminding again me why I appreciate this particular version of famous opera so much. Everything comes with a cost. If you have a DAC that gives you such a good insight into recordings, delivers all the details in such a clear, transparent way a cost comes when you start to listen to some 'non-audiophile' recordings, like most of rock ones. I don't mean that TotalDAC doesn't like rock, but that when it comes to this music genre it is, in general, not as well recorded as jazz or classic music. I mentioned U2 already – I really like this band but I listen to their music only in my car, and not because I have such a good stereo there, but rather because I have a poor one, so quality of recordings doesn't really matter (so much). At home, when it comes to rock, I listen mostly to old, mainstream bands like Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin, and while they (and some others back in the days) did a much better job in studio (I mean sound engineers did) the quality of these recordings is still not necessarily what we would call today an 'audiophile' one. With a source as detailed, transparent and precise as TotalDAC I could hear all the imperfections really well. Obviously it is NOT a downside of this device, it is its feature you need to be aware of. You will love it as long as you listen to high quality, 'audiophile' recordings, but you won't be that happy when you hear some of your favorites that were not recorded perfectly. I wanted to mention that to make it clear for you – don't expect TotalDAC to deliver miracles. It will not make poor recordings sound nice, it will not hide recording's weaknesses, or do anything to make it sound better than it really is. It will not do the opposite either – it will not emphasize these weaknesses, won't make these the most important element of the presentation (unless the recording is really, really poor), it will take weak and strong elements of each recording and present them with equal intensity. So in case of some 'not-so-perfect' recordings the upsides plus artistic value will prevail and you will enjoy it very much, in some downsides will take lead and soon you will throw these out no matter how much you like the music itself. Summary TotalDAC d1-dual is a remarkable device. Taking into consideration that it was created by a small company that doesn't have resources nor experience that could compare to those of „big dogs” like dCS, MSB, or some others I am most impressed. A clear, neutral and natural, coherent and smooth sound with a reasonable dosage of analytical skills presents all the magic of silver discs and music files. I mean it will present the magic if it is there. It won't turn some far-from-perfect recordings into unforgettable spectacles, so if you plan to buy it remember that most likely you'll be forced to get rid of some part of your music collection. Is it a bad thing? Well, that is for you to decide, but by definition we are all searching for high fidelity, are we not? And that's what TotalDAC d1-dual delivers. DESIGN TotalDAC d1-dual is currently a top model of a D/A converter in French company's portfolio. It is a non-oversampling (NOS) DAC. It sports a rigid, nice looking, metal casing with an acrylic front panel, with a very nice OLED display underneath. There are no push buttons, nor knobs on the front panel as the device is controlled only with a remote control. There are four digital inputs – asynchronous USB (based on XMOS chip), coaxial S/PDIF, optical TOSLINK, and AES/EBU. There are three analogue outputs – balanced XLR, unbalanced RCA, and a headphone output (for 6,3mm jack). D1-dual doesn't use any commercially available DAC chip. Instead its designer decided to use a discrete R2R ladder developed in house, that sports 200 Vishay Foil 0,01% resistors per stereo channel. d1-Dual is a fully balanced design with a discrete class A transistor output stage. Whole circuit is mounted on two PCBs – the upper one is a R2R ladder, the lower sport inputs and outputs. In order to minimize distortions designer decided to put a power supply with a large transformer in a separate enclosure. For the same purpose there is an option that allows user to switch a display off, and also all unused digital inputs are being automatically turned off. Manufacturer offers additional option – a 69-bit active digital crossover can be integrated into DAC – that's why you can see a places for additional outputs on the back panel of d1. A remote control, apart from basic functions of volume control and input selector, allows to use some additional features of this DAC: you can change an absolute phase (PHASE), disconnect grounding (EARTH), turn off a display (DISPLAY), turn on/off a non-oversampling DAC compensation filter (TREBLE FIR), turn on/off a 12dB/oct high pass filter to attenuate sub bass. Specifications (according to manufacturer) - 192KHz asynchronous Xmos USB, optical, RCA and AES-EBU digital inputs, selected from a remote control - 44.1KHz, 48KHz, 88.2KHz, 96KHz, 176.4KHz and 192KHz, 16 to 24 bit formats supported on all inputs except 96KHz max for optical input - USB input compatible with Jplay in 24 bit "extreme hibernate" mode - 3.3Vrms max RCA, 6.6Vrms max XLR analog output and 32ohm-600ohm 3.3Vrms max headphone amplifier - digital volume control, adjusted by a remote control, value displayed on an OLED display - phase polarity selected by remote control - non-oversampling DAC compensation filter activated or deactivated by remote control - display switched off by remote control or automatic - all unused inputs are completely disconnected (including the ground) to keep the optimum noise floor even when several sources are connected - R2R DAC technology using 0.01% VAR Bulk Metal Foil resistors Vishay Foil Resistors, 200 resistors per stereo channel - dual DAC option included, using 2 DACs per channel for a 100% balanced DAC. Upgrades the XLR output only. A special XLR to RCA is available as an optional extra to get the dual DAC sound to an amplifier with RCA inputs - class A discrete transistor output stage - external PSU - aluminum and PMMA enclosure with massive pure copper anti-vibration plate - power consumption: 21 W - dimensions: 110 x 360 x 290 mm (HxWxD) - PSU dimensions: 65x122x180 mm - weight: 6,5 kg

Published: 3. July 2013, No. 110 Tannoy speakers are manufactured in China. The vast majority of reviewers and especially retailers avoid the subject like the plague, fearing a reaction of potential buyers. A negative reaction, as they think. They are often right. A great deal of audio products manufactured behind the Great Wall is still made not quite “kosher”, not by the book and don’t sound as they should. The only advantage of these products is their low price with which they can compete with recognized brands in the West and in Japan. The picture is somewhat different in Asia, which I know from the manufacturers involved in that part of the world, but here, in Europe, it is exactly as described. The reason is very simple: manufacturing in China is driven by maximum profit and even the smallest saving on each single unit at this scale of production translates into huge money. But what are we to make of such expensive product as the Tannoy DA10A speakers? We look at them and sigh with jealousy, envious that stuff like this isn’t made back home, that others can make such beautiful cabinets, and that the metal components fit so well and that the speaker drivers are perfect. In the case of such expensive speakers moving production to China has the same objective of minimizing production costs. However, there is no way the final quality may be compromised just to make profit. It’s actually the other way round. A product of such quality manufactured in Europe would cost twice as much. Were it to cost the same as that made in the country that brought us paper and gunpowder, the manufacturer would have gone bust. Current brand owner, the TC Group registered in Denmark has chosen brand’s existence over its nonexistence. From the moment it took over in 2002 it has made Tannoy a "healthy", well-managed company that is present on the audio world map. Care was taken at the same time not to cut it from its roots which are everything for Tannoy. Founded in 1926 under the name Tulsemere Manufacturing Company that was officially registered on March 10th, 1932 (last year celebrated its 80th anniversary), it was tied up with audio from its beginning. Its current name TANNOY was made up of two words: Tantalum Alloy. It was the material used in an electrolytic rectifier developed by the company’s founder, Guy Fountain in 1926. Tannoy is famous for its coaxial speaker design called ‘Dual Concentric’ developed in the late 1940s, which has become its trademark. In classic speaker designs the drivers are placed one above the other. In a coaxial system individual driver units are placed on the same axis and the tweeter radiates the sound from the center of the woofer where the dust cup is normally located. The best known manufacturers that offer this type of speaker systems are KEF with its Uni-Q system and Cabasse. Coaxial drivers are manufactured by SEAS (see Bravo! speakers) and Altec Lansing. The latter actually has a patent similar to Tannoy’s in which the tweeter is mounted behind the woofer and radiates the sound through a small metal horn that smoothly converts into the woofer cone. This Tannoy design is called PepperPot WaveGuide after the horn shape that resembles an upside down pepper pot or shaker. They employ the Dual Concentric system that draws on the best practices from the past. The 10-inch woofer diaphragm is made of paper pulp and has a twin roll fabric front suspension. The driver units incorporates proprietary AlNiCo magnets, named after their alloy composition with aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co). Their characteristic is markedly different than that of the commonly used ferrite magnets which contributes to their different tone. They are much more expensive and hence rarely used. The Alnico magnets used in the DC10A are Tannoy’s most recent version to date referred to as Alcomax 3. The tweeter uses a large 2-inch aluminum dome to provide high power handling capacity. The speaker cabinet has been very carefully designed starting with multiple internal bracing, through the use of proprietary Differential Material Technology, parabolic curved ply-wood laminate side walls, internal wiring on PCOCC copper cable and ending with Deep Cryogenically Treated crossover - the process where the entire crossover is super-cooled and warmed over a controlled period of time. It is rounded off with two pairs of WBT Nextgen binding posts (bi-wireable) that incorporate a fifth speaker terminal to electrically ground the driver chassis. Everything here screams class! Traditionalists will surely grumble that these are not “true Tannoys” since, firstly, they are manufactured in China, and secondly, they belong to the new line that uses a classic shaped speaker cabinet. They will have “their” point. All those for whom the top line huge jukeboxes or their prices are beyond reach and who will see and touch the DC10A and feel their class I’m talking about can sit down to listen. There is lots of listening to. SOUND Albums used during this review Depeche Mode, Soothe My Soul, Columbia Records, 730682, SP CD (2013). Depeche Mode, Soothe My Soul, Columbia Records, 730692, SP CD (2013). Józef Skrzek, "Pamiętnik Karoliny", Polskie Nagrania/Metal Mind Productions, MMP CD 0535 DG, CD (1978/2009). King Crimson, In The Court of the Crimson King, Atlantic/Universal Music [Japan], UICE-9051, HDCD (1969/2004). King Crimson, Lark's Tongues in Aspic, Atlantic/WHD Entertainment, IECP-20220/221, "40th Anniversary Series", 2 x HQCD (1973/2012). Kings of Leon, Only by the Night, RCA/BMG Japan, BVCP-40058, CD (2009/2010). Led Zeppelin, Celebration Day, Swan Song/Atlantic/Warner Music, 79688-1, 2 x CD + Blu-Ray + DVD (2012). Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin (I), Atlantic/Warner Music, 826325, “mini LP”, CD (1961/1994). Miles Davis, In A Silent Way, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity, UDSACD-2088, “Special Limited Edition, No. 1311”, SACD/CD (1969/2012). Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto, Getz/Gilberto, Verve/Lasting Impression Music, LIM K2HD 036, K2HD Mastering, “24 Gold Direct-from-Master Edition UDM”, CD-R (1964/2009). The Oscar Peterson Trio, We Get Request, Verve/Lasting Impression Music, LIM K2HD 032, K2HD Mastering, “24 Gold Direct-from-Master Edition UDM”, CD-R (1964/2009). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from People often ask me in their letters for advice on choosing speakers that would be detailed without being sharp; crisp but with the emphasis on midrange. They are often interested in big speaker designs yet ones that wouldn’t kill with excessive bass. Although I try to answer any such questions as best I can, a proper combination of these, often contradictory, qualities proves extremely difficult. Most often, if a speaker is detailed its tonal balance is raised and it tends to brighten the sound. If it’s large it usually pumps out plenty of bass. And if it’s crisp it turns out tiring in a longer listen. Now I have found a simple answer: Tannoy Definition DC10A. Simple as long as it can be afforded, obviously. The Tannoys sounded different than 99% of speakers I’d heard at home. Actually, that remaining 1% is reserved for those speakers I can’t exactly remember. In short, it was the first time I heard huge, powerful floorstanders sounding like larger British monitors. My first impression was that of a good selectivity and strong midrange solidly supported at both ends. Speaking of “monitor” I refer to a certain stereotype in which such speaker lacks the bass and treble. In the case of the DC10A it’s not true as both ends of their frequency range extend far beyond what’s available for stand mount speakers, yet their emphasis on human, especially female, vocal range is so intense that we don’t notice anything else at first. It is key in understanding this speaker. Before I address it and include a few examples, I’d like first to look at the issue that is the raison d'etre of concentric and coaxial systems (which are similar but not identical designs). Systems like the Dual Concentric aim to bring together the radiation axes of separate speaker drivers. It is assumed that the phase shift introduced by moving apart the radiation axes of the drivers covering individual parts of the frequency range is deteriorating to many aspects of sound like spatial location, coherence, attack and rhythm. In my experience, a well-designed multi-driver speaker with a classic driver placement that is built with attention to detail handles all these elements very well. Many of the best speakers sound like having a single big driver. However, coming face to face with a well-executed coaxial system like that in the Tannoys shows that there are things we won’t get anywhere else. Except perhaps systems based on a broadband driver. It is primarily the homogeneity of the sound field. I do not mean the soundstage which is - I would say - normal, but the coherence of what is referred to during a live performance as “the sphere of the emitted sound”. Let me explain what I mean by that. The soundstage is defined as the space occupied by the instruments and the accompanying acoustics - whether natural or added in the recording studio. The soundstage is never too large – it’s usually too small – provided that the size of particular instruments is not too large. What I mean in the context of the Tannoys, though, is something within the soundstage. The British speakers show the spatial relationships between instruments in a manner I have rarely heard. For example, when the drums hit on The Oscar Peterson Trio’s album We Get Request you can hear them in their location and their delayed sound recorded by the piano microphone, but you also hear everything between these "events". The album was recorded in one take without any overdubs, with all the musicians present at the same time in the same studio. Hence, the instruments were "heard" not only by their dedicated microphone but also, with some delay, by other microphones. Good speakers show this relationship quite accurately, but very rarely do it so naturally. The Tannoys focus not only on the dominant sound sources but also on their acoustic environment and mutual relations. I think it’s the latter that makes us realize when listening to albums we know well that they have more "air", are more spacious and show more reverbs. All the sounds are set in a kind of air "cushion", which on the one hand makes them less "explicit", and on the other better connected with each other. And that’s the thing that the traditional multi-driver speaker systems don’t have. As announced earlier, after demonstrating the benefits of placing the drivers in one axis, I’d like now to go back to the beginning, to my discussion of tonal balance. Speaking about the midrange I pointed to it as the most important range of these speakers. Although a longer audition confirms that, it’s a bit unfair. The midrange may be so free, open and dynamic only because it is supported both at the top and bottom. Without the two, it would be just another speaker with a small sound. As these are big speakers, the bass needs to be discussed first. It’s set to be as resolved and clear as possible. Needless to say, it has a great definition. Although rock recordings, such as Led Zeppelin’s debut album, Depeche Mode’s single Shoot My Soul and other similar albums make us realize this with a slight delay, the recordings that feature organ, not only classical but also Józef Skrzek’s Pamiętnik Karoliny, let us immediately appreciate this feature. It is important, because it means differentiation that the speakers struggle with, understood as the ability to show tone and dynamics changes without emphasizing bass. In the final analysis, it needs to be said that the amount of low frequencies is lower than that of the midrange and that the tonal balance is raised above a few hundred hertz. In any case, this should not depreciate these speakers as full-band sound sources. Actually, it can be remedied, at least to some extent. The Tannoy DC10As are designed to be placed close to the wall. Large rear vented speaker designs react very badly to any such attempts. While the amount of bass increases, it happens at the expense of its differentiation and speed. Imaging is significantly worse, too, including the depth of the soundstage. The Tannoys are different. Near the wall there is more bass, but it has exactly the same character as when they are placed in the center of the room (which I strongly advise against). The soundstage actually doesn’t change – it’s the advantage of loading the tweeter with horn and then with the midwoofer cone, acting as a waveguide and determining the sound waves radiating direction. The use of the horn also determines other things. First of all, the listener's head needs to be close to the tweeter level. Sitting below the tweeter level results in losing a part of treble and the upper midrange becoming less selective. That's one of the advantages of this design - the upper range has a clear attack, is shown directly, without "beating around the bush". And again – in classic designs it would cause anxiety and fatigue in a longer listen. Here the treble is silky and very vivid, even on inferior produced recordings. There is no sign of "material fatigue". There is plenty of sounds and information, but it makes sense. Despite their strong attack, the speakers disappear as soon as we close our eyes. The sound is not projected close to us, but is rather shown behind the speakers’ line. Neither is it located in the drivers, but rather behind or next to them. It’s a part of the "freedom" I’ve mentioned. There is no sense of the instruments and vocals trapped in the cabinet, nor can you hear them as if coming from the speakers. Despite their large size the DC10s can evaporate, leaving us alone with the music. The more so that the generated sound field is uniform and coherent. The soundstage and instruments are one thing, although - as I’ve already mentioned – it is the reverbs that will draw our attention at first. Not because they are emphasized and exaggerated, but because we hear them for the first time in such a clear and understandable manner. The soundstage itself is broad and deep. Instruments’ bodies don’t have great depth and everything is shown in single plane, with no clear distinction of what is nearer and what is further away. The do not merge, however; that’s not the case. The soundstage is deep, as it shows acoustic recordings. Even the sounds located behind the listener are different than usual - less palpable but very stable and well-connected with what we hear before us. Conclusion The DC10As are beautifully crafted speakers. Their heart is a unique driver, manufactured the same way as it used to be forty years ago, save for using modern tools. I see their role this was: if anyone would like to have the advantages of classic-looking Tannoys (of course classic for Tannoy) – large, old-fashioned cabinets – but with a modern twist, the choice is the DC10A. The speakers under review are different than almost everything else we will hear in an audio salon. They combine the opposites, each of which individually would be a disadvantage. In these speakers they turn into advantages and strengths. The use of a coaxial driver system provides ultimate flexibility in showing spatial relations within a group of instruments. So well portrayed reverbs are very rare. The range that draws the listener's attention is the midrange. Not because there is no top and bottom but because the two edges of the frequency band complete it so well to create together a new quality. A small speaker has no chance to show this range so nicely. The sound attack is strong but the tone remains silky. On the weaknesses site, the DC10A stops at some point in showing instruments textures which are here averaged. The tonal balance is slightly raised which necessitates a careful speakers positioning. To explore their potential I would pair them with a tube amp in the style of Italian Pathos (or just Pathos) or a solid state like the Ayre AX-5. The tube will provide a deeper, softer sound in terms of color, while the solid state will prove to be better defined. The speakers are best suited for jazz, electronica and rock recorded in the 1970s, and vocal recordings. Well positioned and properly driven, they will become a beautiful complement to the living room, a living legend in contemporary edition. DESIGN Tannoy is primarily known for its Dual Concentric system. It consists of two coaxial transducers – a mid-bass driver with a large cone in the center of which is placed a metal horn hiding a large dome tweeter. The DC10A under review employs drivers with the diameter of, respectively, 10 inch (205 mm) and 2 inch (51 mm). The mid-bass driver is a new unit, using Alcomax 3 Alnico magnets. The voice coil has the diameter of two inch (52 mm). The speaker has a vented cabinet design with two large vents on the rear panel. The drivers work in their own frequency ranges crossed over with a 2nd order crossover network mounted to the internal vertical brace. All its components, such as polypropylene capacitors, and PCOCC copper cables are Deep Cryogenically Treated in a process of instant cooling to a very low temperature (-190 degrees Celsius) and warming up over a controlled period of time. DCT reduces mechanical material stress but most of all lowers transition resistance between copper crystals. The DC10A is a very large design. Its cabinet’s shape is quite elaborate – the front baffle is flat, like the back. The latter is narrow, with parabolic curved side walls. The cabinet is made of ply-based laminate. The entire enclosure is made of several different types of wood in Differential Material Technology (DMT), and is covered with high-quality, natural veneer. The speakers are finished in high-gloss lacquer. These are prestigious speakers with high quality components to match – not only the drivers and the cabinet, but also the base. The DC10A plinth consists of two thick and heavy all-aluminum sections that are attached to the cabinet bottom for better speaker stability and rigidity. Thick and long floor spikes are inserted into the threaded holes in the base and tightened with locking wheels. Small steel cups are provided to be used under the spikes. I suggest to immediately buy either Acoustic Revive SPU8 spike receptacle insulators (as have been tested), or Ceramic Disc Slim Foot from Franc Audio Accessories. The plinths and all accompanying accessories are packed into large boxes together with a hex key. The cabinet is engineered with a Mass Loading Cavity (MLC) in the lower section which is sealed from the main cabinet. It can full or part filled with a heavy material - lead grit or sand. We all remember this solution from the past. By mass loading the cabinet and changing its mechanical properties an audiophile can change the bass character. The icing on the cake are excellent WBT-0708 binding posts from Next-Gen series sporting the minimum amount of metal. There are five binding posts that are very comfortable to tighten. We are used to multiple connectors for bi-wiring, where we have two pairs of connectors to drive the tweeter and mid-bass driver separately, and even for tri-wiring in three-way speaker systems. Years ago Tannoy developed its own system in which we have an odd number of binding posts - the "redundant" terminal is connected internally to the driver basket. It should be connected to the system ground. Tannoy shows measurements which indicate that this arrangement reduces the noise. Driver baskets act as a Faraday cage, shielding the drive systems. Ideally, such arrangements should use shielded speaker cables. It’s an advanced, very well made design with a beautiful, unique driver system. Speakers provided for testing by: Audio Styl Specifications (according to the manufacturer) Recommended amplifier power: 30–300 Wrms Continuous power handling: 150 W Peak power handling: 600 W Sensitivity (2.83 V/1 m): 93 dB Nominal Impedance: 8 Ω Frequency response (-6 dB): 28 Hz – 22 kHz Dispersion: 90 degrees Crossover frequency: 1.1 kHz Crossover type: 2nd order LF, 2nd order compensated HF, Deep Cryogenically treated Cabinet Volume: 103 liters (3.64 cu. ft.) Dimensions (H x W x D): 1135 x 345 x 438 mm Weight (each): 42.7 kg (94.1 lbs) Finish: High gloss black, high gloss cherry, high gloss dark walnut Distribution in Poland Electronic International Commerce Sp. z o.o. 02-434 Warszawa | ul. Łuki Wielkie 3/5 tel.: (22) 594 83 83 | fax: (22) 594 83 84 e-mail: eic@eic.com.pl www: www.eic.com.pl

Published: 3. July 2013, No. 110 Speakers’ specifications quoted by their manufacturers are very useful. Reading those supplied with the D-1 from Raidho Acoustic one can learn that they are two-way speakers with the dimensions of 200 x 370 x 360 mm and weight of 12.5 kg (each), sporting a 2nd order crossover at 3 kHz and rear vented design. And that they feature a ribbon tweeter and a 115-mm “Diamond” mid-woofer. The quoted diameter is that of the woofer cone itself, without the front suspension. What one doesn’t find out is that they are very expensive, that they look beautiful and are very solidly built, and that they employ a proprietary Raidho Cutting Edge Diamond Technology of woofer cone coating that was used for the first time in this model. And one more thing – the latter is the only difference between the D-1 and the C-1. Although the difference might seem small, Jonathan Valin, editor of "The Absolute Sound" had no doubts awarding them the Best Sound of Show Award in his coverage of CES 2013 (see HERE). Diamond has long been known and appreciated in audio. It’s been used in turntables (styluses and bearings) and speakers (tweeter and midrange driver diaphragms) for it unmatched rigidity and abrasion resistance. In the case of driver diaphragms the key is diamond’s hardness that gives them unparalleled stiffness. According to Raidho diamond is 140 times harder than ceramics, considered by many manufacturers to be a much better material than paper (see the Avalon speakers). Raidho has implemented diamond differently than most manufacturers. Instead of using it to make the whole driver cone, a thin diamond layer is formed on its surface. The amount of diamond applied to each cone equals 1.5 carat of pure diamond and makes it extremely expensive. The cone’s base is a sandwich composed of a thin aluminum layer with sintered ceramic on both sides. By adding diamond to both sides for a total of five layers it is possible to push the first fundamental cone resonance frequency from the – already very high – 12.5 kHz beyond 20 kHz. It may seem not that important as the driver is crossed over much lower at 3 kHz and even a gentle 2nd order filter should adequately deal with the resonance. In reality, parasitic cone resonance is extremely difficult to suppress. I know this only too well from various driver designs. The D-1’s 3 dB resonance peak which, it must be stressed, is quite modest is damped by 36 dB at the crossover frequency. It's still not very much but significantly more than in the case of aluminum and ceramic cones. The Raidho speakers also feature a unique tweeter. The manufacturer uses a rather large FTT75-30-8 quasi-ribbon in a sealed chamber to provide damping. It incorporates an array of neodymium magnets to drive an ultra-thin 0.02 g aluminum membrane. The woofer is angled upward to ensure a better phase alignment with the tweeter. A thick aluminum front baffle and an aluminum panel bolted to the back ensure proper cabinet rigidity. The D-1s come with great looking stands (at 6,950 PLN / pair). They are not too heavy but their design is well thought out and tailored for these particular speakers. Special care has been taken to provide a maximally efficient speaker isolation – the speaker doesn’t sit directly on the top plate but is decoupled from the stand by small discs supported on metal ball bearings. Using heavy speaker cables like my Tara Labs Omega Onyx may prove to be a problem. The vibration decoupling system in the stands works on the basis of movable isolation elements that have some play – both those under the speakers and in the floor spikes. If we put some weight on the rear of the speaker, the whole unit moves backward lightening the front, which is less than ideal. I solved this by simply putting a pile of heavy books on each stand’s bottom panel made of MDF. Two men are responsible for Raidho speakers and drivers design - Michael Børresen, president and chief designer, and Lars Kristensen, co-designer and sales manager. Lars’s professional career is particularly interesting. He is associated with the Nordost Corporation which is why all Raidho speakers use very expensive Nordost cables for internal wiring. In the case of the D-1 it’s the Odin Supreme Reference. He is also associated with the Dantax Group led by John Jensen, a former owner of another Danish manufacturer, Scan-Speak. The latter association has resulted in the development of in-house drivers, which is quite unique. Typically, speakers’ manufacturers – with a few exceptions, to name Dynaudio, Focal, Triangle, Cabasse, Harbeth and Spendor (save for tweeters) – use driver units manufactured by big specialists like Scan-Speak or SEAS. Developing an advanced transducer in-house requires lots of money and experience. In this case, both were provided by the Dantax Group, with the addition of Raidho’s own design and creative ideas. In fact, almost all the components we find in these speakers were made in a small Raidho factory or made to order by one of its Danish subcontractors. Only the wooden cabinets are made in China. And - by coincidence? - they look better than a large proportion of those made in Europe. SOUND Albums used during this review Bach, Violin Concertos, Yehudi Menuhin, EMI/Hi-Q Records, HIQXRCD9, XRCD24, CD (1960/2013). Depeche Mode, Delta Machine, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan, SICP-3783-4, 2 x CD (2013); Depeche Mode, Delta Machine, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan, SICP-3783-4, 24 bity, FLAC [źródło: HDTracks] (2013); Dominic Miller & Neil Stancey, New Dawn, Naim, naimcd066, CD (2002). Dominic Miller, Fourth Wall, Q-rious Music, QRM 108-2, CD (2006); Frank Sinatra, Where Are You?, Capitol Records/Mobile Fidelity, UDSACD 2109, “Special Limited Edition No. 261”, SACD/CD (1957/2013). Jean Michel Jarre, Essentials & Rarities, Disques Dreyfus/Sony Music, 62872, 2 x CD (2011). Miles Davis, ’Round About Midnight, Columbia/Legacy, “Miles 75th Anniversary”, CK 85201, CD (1957/2001). Miles Davis, ’Round About Midnight, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity, “Special Limited Edition No. 167”, UDSACD 2083, SACD/CD (1957/2012). Miles Davis, In A Silent Way, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity, “Special Limited Edition No. 1311”, UDSACD 2088, SACD/CD (1969/2012). Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto, Getz/Gilberto, Verve/Lasting Impression Music, LIM K2HD 036, K2HD Mastering, “24 Gold Direct-from-Master Edition UDM”, CD-R (1964/2009). The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Laydyland, Columbia/Sony Music Japan, SICP-30003, Blu-Spec2 CD (1968/2013). The Oscar Peterson Trio, We Get Request, Verve/Lasting Impression Music, LIM K2HD 032, K2HD Mastering, “24 Gold Direct-from-Master Edition UDM”, CD-R (1964/2009). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from There are many fans of stand mount speakers. They praise them primarily for their perfect soundstage presentation (spatiality and imaging) and little bass coloration. The former is associated with narrow front baffles, narrower than the distance between the (statistical) listener's ears. This belief underlies the emergence and popularity of floor-standing speakers with very narrow fronts and woofers mounted on the side of deep cabinets. I must say that although I find its theoretical arguments appealing, my experience however shows a completely different relationship between soundstage/imaging and speaker design type. What helps the speakers create – or re-create, depending on the adopted philosophy – an immersive soundstage is primarily a proper phase coherence between drivers and a solid front baffle, not to mention driver units’ quality. Another important factor is their frequency response, especially in the bottom end. Although it may seem illogical, it is the bottom rather than the top range that is much more important in building a natural space and relationships between the instruments. Hence, the best speakers I know in terms of imaging, or building a phantom image and placing it in a specific place in the soundstage and linking it with other instruments, are large floorstanders. Save for a very few exceptions that actually seem to prove my point, only those monitors that produce strong, coherent bass can show something similar. The Raidho D-1 do it better than almost all such designs, except the Sonus faber speakers driven by electronics from Ancient Audio that stand in Janusz’s living room (of the Krakow Sonic Society fame). They do it almost as good as the best floorstanding speakers. That’s not, however, what I wanted to start with. A few words on space and imaging were necessary due to legacy “deposits” distorting the perception of stand mount speakers. I will come back to it as it's a fascinating subject, something else is more important, though - the tonal balance of the Danish speakers. This is what I’d like to focus on first. The D-1 is one of the few designs that resemble my Harbeth M40.1’s tone color, at least within their useable frequency response range. I swapped them back and forth looking for differences and could hardly find any. It’s the type of presentation I like more than anything. Slightly warm but the warmth results from smoothness and the lack of coloration, not from any warming or coloration. A similar music presentation can also be achieved by rounding, withdrawing and softening the attack to provide a seemingly better vividness and differentiation. This is just a trick, however; one that may be at a premium in budget oriented speakers but is dubious in high-end. It is only acceptable on condition that it serves something greater and more important. The D-1s offer warmth and smoothness, depth and “black” background without leaning on anything that might impair their other characteristics, especially speed and resolution. The speakers sound as if they had a single driver due to excellent pairing of the transducers that prove to be a great match. I was somewhat cautious about the planar tweeter as it’s rather difficult to integrate with other types of drivers and to suppress its resonance, which almost always messes up its frequency response. The quasi-ribbon from Raidho seemed to be free of such problems. I heard no irritating coloration, sharpness or hardening. Prolonged listening posed no discomfort. This is probably helped by the decision to cross it over quite high at 3 kHz, but it also reflects the skill of the crossover’s designer and his choice of its - apparently high quality - components. The praise that was heaped on the speaker after its demonstration at this year’s CES in January was dominated by something else – a reflection on its high bass quality. The amount of bass is something we pay attention to on every stage of our audiophile-music lover pilgrimage. At first it’s a pure fascination with "meat" and power. Quite normal in every way. The needs are then clearly defined: more, stronger and lower with the predominance of ‘more’. As we grow up towards a true music reproduction we begin to appreciate things like speed, definition, color, differentiation to end up with the soundstage and scale of the reproduced sound and the volume of the instruments. At this stage we are often willing to sacrifice the amount of bass for its quality. The D-1 is a stand mount speaker with a low cabinet capacity and a relatively small mid-bass driver. Each of these elements defines the amount of bass and its extension. However, it doesn’t say anything about the things I’ve just mentioned. And it’s them that make it a truly unique speaker. The first impression after hooking up the speakers is that there is no shortage of bass. We play the tracks from the second disc of Jean Michel Jarre’s double album Essentials & Rarities and we know that it’s good. There is growl and rumble, great color differentiation and a physical sense of "push". The impression is similar with the guitars on the New Dawn album from the duo of Dominic Miller & Neil Stacey. Although a purist Naim release, it shows the work of sound and mastering engineers to bring the instruments closer to us and to give them a meaty sound even if they are slightly lighter live. And it sounds awesome! Especially on such speakers as the D-1. Their excellent low-end reproduction was confirmed by listening to the new releases from Mobile Fidelity - Frank Sinatra’s Where Are You and In A Silent Way, and Miles Davis’s 'Round About Midnight. Mobile Fidelity CDs are known to sound similar to well-mastered XRCDs – warm, deep and smooth. In other words, exactly as the speakers do. However, the characters of the CD medium and the speaker were not superimposed on each other and did not "up the ante". They combined the advantages without showing weaknesses. The result was a beautiful, clean, warm, intriguing sound, inviting to turn the volume up. Even at high volume levels the Danish speakers did not change their tone and resolution or show any signs of distortion. I promised to get back to the subject of imaging and space. Those who expect of the high-end monitors a good imaging and large soundstage will not be disappointed. The speakers can show the instruments placed on their axis (and usually heard IN them) as if they were BEHIND them, as long as they were so recorded. The soundstage is presented OUTSIDE, not just between the speakers. They just need to be positioned slightly more straight on than usual, without too much toe-in. In my opinion, their outstanding soundstage reproduction and great imagining, without as much as an attempt to isolate the instruments from each other or to show them too selective, does not result from their narrow front baffle, but rather stems from their very well braced cabinet, finely tuned crossover and above all their exceptional midwoofer. The fact that the speakers are able to show the low range with power and softness, the way it sounds “live”, and that there is no impression of limited bass results from a fantastic definition and resolution of that sub-range. Although the bass extension seems very low, a comparison with the large Harbeths and a look at the measurements will tell us that it is not, nor can it be. The impression, however, comes from the great handling of higher bass harmonics. They are largely responsible for the fact that we "hear" it. The D-1’s tone is beautiful. Let me repeat – it’s dark, warm and naturally silky. Dynamics and differentiation go hand in hand. This involves (or perhaps results from?) the ability to present the events on the soundstage in a very precise way. Despite what I wrote earlier. Take for example the already mentioned 'Round About Midnight, a mono recording from 1956. Played from the vinyl it delights with its fullness and depth. Its 2001 release in the “Miles 70th Anniversary” series is pretty good in showing the definition and music planes. The sound, however, is focused exactly in the center and is compressed. How do I know that? First of all, I know the original vinyl release, but also by its comparison to the new Mobile Fidelity version. Although imaging should be the same on both records, at least in terms of the volume of sound, it is not. The Mobile Fidelity release is much fuller, with the instruments occupying a large space between the speakers. Their presentation is much more credible. How is this possible? Both being mono recordings, they don’t carry spatial breadth information, only spatial depth, do they? Well, in mono presentation the impression of "being there" is actually related to how well the speakers handle the low range and how well-defined are the instruments that are hidden behind each other. In the case of the D-1 this comes naturally and easily. Hence, the differences between the two Davis’s album releases were so clear. Conclusion Does it mean that the D-1 is without flaws and can safely replace any floorstanding speaker, provided one gives up on a narrow range of lowest frequencies? Not really. One needs to make sure that one likes a closely shown, palpable, warm foreground and a dense sound. This is how the Danish speakers emphasize sound coherence, but they also tend to focus listeners’ attention on what is happening just in front of them. Decays, reverbs and details located deep in the back of the soundstage are very natural and distinct, but they are “covered” with what’s in front of them and may seem faint and less clear. One also needs know that low bass but do not get. The low extension on Dominic Miller’s Fourth Wall and the 24-bit version of Depeche Mode’s Delta Machine was impressive, also because it was part of something bigger and never existed for its own sake. But the lowest end, which was also audible with the double bass, was only indicated and not really reproduced. The volume of sound was thus lower than that of the Harbeth. Not by much, but still. Although we may never notice that – due to a close up foreground presentation the impression is exactly opposite. These are, however, only minor details against a whole lot of goodness offered by the speakers. Excellent resolution, coherence, fluidity, dynamics, warmth, softness and imaging. We have all that. While I still think that the Dynaudio tweeter used in the Electa Amator (I) from Sonus faber shows more resolution and sounds more delicate, the difference is not large by any means. From now on, the quasi-ribbon from Raidho secures the second place by me, losing by a small margin. The D-1 means huge money but the sound is equally big, as is the pleasure of listening to music on them. This is real engineering, with high own costs and great performance. You won’t get that anywhere else. The D-1 speakers from Raidho Acoustics receive the RED FINGEPRINT AWARD. DESIGN Two-way speakers almost always look the same: small, rectangular boxes with two drivers mounted to the front baffle. In most cases the cabinet is made of MDF, sometimes fiberboard, multilayered hardboard, or plywood. Very few are made of solid wood. Their fundamental shape archetype was modified by Franco Serblin in Sonus faber speakers and then in his Accordo speakers, designed and manufactured under a new brand, Franco Serblin (see HERE), with the cabinet sides curved in the shape of a lute. We will miss you Mr. Serblin! Speakers of this type have a wide front baffle and narrow, rounded back. The D-1 from Raidho Acoustics uses only the latter "patent", developing it in a similar way as seen in the last Magico and Sonus faber speakers, with stiff, thick panels on the front and rear baffle. Here, the front panel is actually made of two parts: the vertical upper half with the quasi-ribbon tweeter and the lower half angled upward that houses the 115-mm midwoofer. Only the sides (including the top and bottom) are made of naturally veneered MDF. Both drivers are made in-house by Raidho, which makes it stand out from almost all other speaker manufacturers. The quasi-ribbon tweeter sports a 0.02 g aluminum membrane and powerful neodymium magnet. Neodymium magnets are also used in the piston type mid-bass driver in which they are arranged vertically in a push-pull configuration around a dual voice coil. This creates an open structure to allow air to move more freely. It's a very expensive design with a highly durable basket. As in the C-1, the cone is made of a sandwich material consisting of three layers - aluminum with sintered ceramic on both sides, here additionally coated with a thin diamond layer. This gives the cone an even greater stiffness. The cabinet back panel features a single pair of speaker terminals and a bass-reflex port. Internal wiring is made of the most expensive Nordost cable – the Odin Supreme Reference. Lars Kristensen’s Nordost links apparently paid off. It is extremely rare for speaker manufacturers to use premium cables in their designs, not to mention such expensive cable as the Odin. Off the top of my head I can only think of one other company, Crystal Cable, which uses its own top-series cables. The D-1 cables are soldered to the speaker terminals. The cabinet is not only reinforced with aluminum plates on the outside, but also heavily braced inside with a vertical MDF frame, with cutouts to allow airflow to the back of the enclosure. There is no damping material in the front but the space behind the frame is tightly packed with natural wool. The same damping is used in a small tweeter chamber. All internal wooden components look as if they were impregnated with wax-like material. I didn’t manage to see the crossover network apart from a large ribbon coil silicon-mounted in a frame cutout. Removing the aluminum back panel shows that the designer didn’t neglect the bass-reflex port. Almost always, including the Harbeths, the port is made of paper and its exit is made of plastic. Wilson Audio has its own way where the whole port is made of several aluminum components. So does Raidho – the exit is made of aluminum and the port of some kind of plastic, probably polyethylene. The level of workmanship and finish quality is exceptional, as is the quality of all the components that must cost a fortune. Nothing has been left to chance. Apart from that, it’s a classical two-way stand mount rear vented design... Specifications (according to the manufacturer) Type: stand mount speakers Frequency Response: 50 Hz - 50 kHz Impedance: > 6 Ω Crossover Frequency: 3 kHz / 2nd order Cabinet: rear vented Drivers: 1 x quasi-ribbon tweeter 1 x diamond coated sintered ceramic/aluminum sandwich, 115 mm mid-bass driver Finish: Black Piano, all available veneer and lacquer colors Dimensions: 200 x 370 x 360 mm Weight: 12.5 kg / piece Distribution in Poland Chillout Studio ul. Na Ustroniu 3/2 | 30-311 Kraków tel.: 12 266-2663, 510-841-574 e-mail: biuro@chilloutstudio.com www: www.chilloutstudio.com

Published: 3. July 2013, No. 110 Small companies, like Entreq, to achieve some level of success, have to find some market niche for themselves. Finding a niche inside another niche, because after all that's what audiophilism, a perfectionist audio actually is by itself, might seem easy. All one has to do is to come up with some creative idea, add some marketing strategy, do some PR and voila! Or not. Because when you think about it for a minute you will surely figure out that it seems that all niches have already been taken. Each detail, even the smallest one that might improve the sound of our system has already be invented/presented, taken by some company that already exists. Well, fortunately that is also not the whole truth – you need some interesting idea, a bit of luck and there you go – a new company emerges on the market and makes some fuss. Like Entreq did. Their offer might be divided into three main groups of products: cables, AC products and anti-vibration accessories. I've been using for quite some time now Konstantin 2010 headphone cables, and now I'm auditioning Challenger 2010 (yes – it performs even better!). These cables are made manually, which has also some downsides, are also heavy, but I use them in my reference headphone system. Recently I decided to try out another product, Minimus, that was supposed to minimize noise arising from problems with grounding, and it really worked for me. But I think that a clou of Entreq program is a trio consisting of power distributor Powerus, AC filter Cleanus and a virtual earth/ground, Tellus. Together they create a complex system for audio system powering. For this review I requested two of these three products, plus some additional accessories. As I knew that large, wooden boxes of Powerus and Tellus were equipped only with small feet, I requested also from Entreq their „apparatus feet”, a LynxFoot model to be specific. There is a product in this manufacturer's portfolio that seems to have no competition, at least one, that I'm aware of – a special AC Wraps filled with some mixture of minerals (used also in other Entreq products), and I asked for these too to complete the test package. So let me explain how exactly have I conducted this test. I put large boxes of Powerus and Cleanus on LynxFoot, and put Acoustic Revive RST-38H platforms underneath. I decided to use these products together as I realized that both gentlemen - Per-Olof Friberg, the owner of Entreq and Ken Ishiguro, the owner of Acoustic Revive – seem to think in a similar way. Both of them use natural minerals (crystals) for vibration and noise damping, both prefer to use wood whenever possible and both believe that the less metal 'around' signal path, the better. So Cleanus was plugged in to Powerus, and the latter's power cable was plugged to a wall receptacle It's a pure coincident, of course, but the fact is that Per-Olof used for his power distributor exactly the same power outlets that I use to power my system - Furutech FT-SWS (R). I have three of these, in parallel connection, fed with separate line (Oyaide cable) from a separate fuse in my power box. And since plug on Powerus power cable is a top Furutech product, when I plugged it in my top Furutech power outlet I created a nice, coherent power system. I used Wraps around all power cables plugged to Powerus. I plugged my power set to the second Furutech's wall receptacle My reference set consists of Acrolink Mexcel 7N-PC9300 power cable and Acoustic Revive RTP-4eu Ultimate power distributor. On my power cable I use a Audio Replas CNS-7000SZ (see HERE), which is a Cable-Noise Stabilizer and it is supposed to do something similar to what AC Wraps do. Test was conducted as A/B/A comparison, I was plugging power cables, Acrolink 7N-PC9300, feeding my system, to the Acoustic Revive and than to Entreq, and back again. And again and again and again... I have two devices in my system, with tubes on board (CD Player and preamplifier) so each time I made a switch I gave my system a minute to heat up before critical listening. Entreq in HighFidelity TEST: Entreq KONSTANTIN 2010 – headphone cables, see HERE TEST: Entreq MINIMUS - Energy Transforming Equipment, see HERE (included in Air Tight ATM-2 test) SOUND Recordings used during test (a selection) Audiofeels, Uncovered, Penguin Records 5865033, CD (2009). Bach, Violin Concertos, Yehudi Menuhin, EMI/Hi-Q Records HIQXRCD9, XRCD24, CD (1960/2013). Bogdan Hołownia, Chwile, Sony Music Polska 5052882, kopia z taśmy master, CD-R (2001). Frank Sinatra, Where Are You?, Capitol Records/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2109, “Special Limited Edition No. 261”, SACD/CD (1957/2013). Jean Michel Jarre, Essentials & Rarities, Disques Dreyfus/Sony Music 62872, 2 x CD (2011). John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, Impulse! 589 945-2, “Deluxe Edition”, 2 x CD (1965/2002). Michael Jackson, Thriller. 25th Anniversary Edition, Epic/Sony Music Japan EICP-963-4, CD+DVD (1982/2008). Miles Davis, In A Silent Way, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2088, "Special Limited Edition No. 1311", SACD/CD (1969/2012). OMD, English Electric, 100%/Sony Music Japan SICP-3810, CD (2013). Perfect, Perfect, Polskie Nagrania Muza/Polskie Radio PRCD 1596, CD (1981/2013). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from If we lived in a perfect world..., OK, too general, if our audio world was perfect..., still too general, if we had a perfect current in our wall outlets, there would be no reason for products like these to even exist. We would have a perfect 230V (in Poland) sine wave in power outlet with perfect frequency of 50 Hz, an impedance of voltage source would be infinite, and grounding perfect. Since we are already in a fantasy world I would add that there would be no interaction between system components. There would be no noise, vibration, nor EMI. That's a fantasy world. In a real one a situation is dramatically different: surges, spikes, asymmetry, voltage and frequency ups and downs both short and long term ones, high-frequency noise, dc voltage (bias), impulse distortions – we get all that from our wall power outlets everyday. Depending on where you live you get more or less of all these „attractions”, but even in the least „polluted” environments distortions in power grids reach values of at least few percent. One might think that advanced power supplies of electronic devices should deal with these problems easily – after all power transformers act like low pass filters, they are (often) accompanied with huge banks of capacitors, power regulators, and sometimes even AC filters in power inlets. Well, they don't, not fully anyway. Getting to the bottom of this might be expensive as most of us get there making small steps and that costs a lot of money. I, myself, am a very good example of taking this road and ending it with power cables, distributor, outlets that cost not so much less than my electronics. Each of us who builds a system, gets finally to some satisfactory results and than, some of us at least, make another effort and we change a (in our opinion) good power system for a very good one. And there is no turning back once you have tried that. If you go back to a 'just good' power system the knowledge of how much more you can gain in terms of performance of the whole system using a better one will eat you alive. But it seems that this is still not the most interesting part of the story. You can easily find out that using different power conditioners, power distributors, cables, sockets and plug will give you different sonic effects – all you need to do is to try to change some of these elements in your system. What is more difficult to recognize is that different power enhancement products have a different impact on the sound – to learn that you have to try out many of them focusing on their influence on sound of the system. Of course all these products, regardless of make and brand will have some sonic elements in common, but the final effect will be different depending on what power products you use. Entreq system is, in this respect, no different – comparing its impact on sound with the one of a regular, 'non-audiophile' power distributor proved huge difference beyond any doubt. A long time ago, when I just started my audio adventure, each change of standard power cables, or plastic power distributor from Castorama for better ones seemed a step back. The dynamics was gone, treble rolled off, transparency diminished, selectivity obviously worse. Today I realize that then I simply didn't know what I was talking about as I was still to hear a good audio system and to realize how it should have sounded like. What I then thought was dynamics actually was a caricature emphasis on the attack phase, selectivity of treble was in fact brightness, and the whole sound was chaotic and simply unpleasant, non-friendly in a long run. Entreq reminded me of those first experiences, because the extend of its impact on sound almost doubled what I heard in the past when I switched from 'junk' power products to the 'audiophile' ones for athe first time. The sound becomes soft and smooth. It's dark and treble might seem slightly rolled off. There is a lot of power and kick in a bass but it seems not to be too well defined especially at the very bottom. From my experience I know that the darker and smoother sound is (if carrying lots of information), the better. Entreq system belongs to the best ones in this respect. The most significant change it brought to the sound is tranquility, for better and worse. I switched from my power system to the Swedish one many times and each time same thing happened – I thought that with the latter the volume was slightly lower. I needed to increase volume by 1-2 dB to get back to the level I listened all the time at. But even after I matched sound levels sound wasn't the same. Entreq seems to smoothen the attack phase of the sound, to round it up a bit. Doing so it eliminates many elements of the recording's or system's sound signature that might be annoying – if necessary it eliminates excessive brightness, some imperfections in treble articulation or in an attack phase. In short, it introduces some tranquility, or serenity if you will, to the sound. That is why it seems quieter and you need to pump up volume a bit and when you do that volume is OK, but you can heard that the sound changed/improved. Yes, it is still slightly rounded, but it is more palpable, more 3D. That's because the depth of the image, with Swedish products in the system, is amazing. The bodies of the instruments are not so clearly outlined like with my reference system, and I had to accept that. But the softness, silkiness of the presentation, highly required for most systems, will compensate that little downside in excess. Another interesting finding – Swedish power system changed tonality of my system – in short, it made it sound a bit darker. Some amplifiers have a 'tone control' and if you turn „treble” down sound becomes darker – here it wasn't the same kind of 'dark'. Direct cymbal stroke in Coltrane's Love Supreme, upper tones of Davis' trumpet in In A Silent Way and Art Davis' in Chwil, bells and other percussion elements in the latter recording and also cymbals in Michael Jackson's Thriller were not so well expressed, like they were hidden behind everything happening in a midrange and lowrange. But at the same time all the reverberations in the treble were more obvious, were easier to listen to. Listening to Jackson's Billie Jean I realized I was actually following closely finger snapping that usually is not so easy to notice, as it blends into the mix hidden behind a 'wall' of sound. With Entreq products in a system the reverberation was more obvious, clearer and that somehow drown also the snapping itself out. It has nothing to do with brightness of the sound, because, as I already said, Entreq does quit the opposite. It is rather about being thorough about micro-information, tiny, little detail that are connected with more significant elements of the sound. The resolution of the system power by this power system is very good, but not outstanding, and the same goes for selectivity. Still, the acoustic ambiance around cymbals in Davis' and Coltrane's recording was amazing in its naturalness and palpability. The methodology of the test has already been described but let me remind you one more time that what I did was comparing this system to my reference one. My system consists of Acrolink power cable and Acoustic Revive power distributor. I also have a secondary power system consisting of Oyaide products. I also reviewed many other power system's reviews, including a one from Synergistic Research, which was one of the most interesting, and one with the most consistent idea behind it, I ever dealt with (see HERE). Each of these systems was compared with my reference one. So I believe that such an extensive experience gives my tests credibility and that the results of my tests should be similar to those in other systems. Comparing Swedish system with all others I know I must say it is something different. It's influence on system's sonics is significant and „intended'. It throws out all unpleasant elements from the sound whether they come from a recording or a system. But the sound doesn't close-in, and does shine, even though it is quieter than with Oyaide, or active systems like the one by Synergistic Research. You need to crank up the volume a bit but what you get is more 3D and smoother sound than with any other power system I heard so far. Palpability and sound differentiation of Acrolink/AR system is more convincing – they offer an absolute top performance in these aspects. But still Entreq does damn well being clearly ahead of Oyaide and only slightly behind Synergistic Research system. Unlike the latter two, Entreq offers a sound that seems more natural. The outlines of bass notes are not so sharp but nobody should be complaining about its power, weight and kick. It delivers amazingly natural, like most materials used by Per-Olof Friberg are, sound with most important features being smoothness and three-dimensionality. Distributor's comment The sound you described with a rounded attack phase came from placing AC Wraps near power plug plugged to receptacle. I don't know if you followed a procedure I suggested and tried Wraps placing them in the middle of the power cord length, or just on one of the conductors. When used like that they provide faster and brighter sound. So depending on placement you can achieve a different effect and thus chose the one that suits your needs/your system best. The same goes, as I mentioned to you, for using them on speaker cables – AC Wraps can do their job there too. Please ask Mr Jurek Herzyk of Harpia (I know you had Doberman speakers in the past) about his impressions of using AC Wraps in his system. The Lynx Feet are intended for use with electronics. Sound will have a faster attack when Powerus and Cleanus are placed on standard harder, wooden feet. Perhaps using additionally Acoustic Revive platform was simply too much, an that's why sound wasn't 'sharp” enough. You realize that very well, how much impact anti-vibration accessories have on sound and how important is finding the proper configuration for each system. I wish you had considered all my suggestion and than maybe the outcome of this test would have been slightly different. I hope that at least you could include my explanations, because I don't think that Entreq system softens attack. If it really did it would have never attracted my attention as I truly dislike this kind of sound. DESCRIPTION Per-Olof Friberg prefers using natural materials for his audio products, so he uses wood, silk, cotton, leather and minerals. You can see that in each and every product he makes. A power distributor Powerus and passive mains filter Cleanus both sport a wooden casings. I have learned that first test batch of Tellus and Powerus send for beta tests had casings made of raw wood and customers who were testing them were delighted. Than they received a final version with wooden casings but now covered with some lacquer, and they found their performance not that good. So finally, after some experiments, Per-Olof decided to use a special formula resin. It doesn't impact performance any more but it does preserve wood. That's how all wooden elements of Entreq products are finished nowadays. Cables sport cotton sleeves. When necessary Per-Olof uses highly processed elements like plugs and sockets. Powerus Even though it is a large, wooden box, it is 'just' a power distributor. There are no electronic passive nor active elements inside, and canceling of RF and EMI noise is based on turning them into heat that is than dissipated in one of the layers of internal cabling made of carefully chosen minerals. What mineral exactly – I don't know, that's manufacturer's proprietary recipe he doesn't share. The same type of solution is used by American manufacturer Shunyata Research in their power distributor Hydra, but also in power strip of Acoustic Revive. On the front manufacturer decided to put a engraved large logo and the name of the product. On the back wall there are four very fine Furutech FT-SWS (R) receptacles with rhodium plated contact areas and with a carbon and glass fiber finished front plate, that helps to damp vibrations. I use exactly the same receptacles in my system. The distributor sports a permanently fixed power cable, model Apollo, that is also available as a stand-alone cable. It sports two conductor runs, and a top Furutech FI-E50 (R) plug, with rhodium plated pins and the body of that combines two “active” materials: nano-sized ceramic particles and powdered carbon, nylon and fiberglass are incorporated as well. Halfway through cable's run there is a wooden cube with a logo, product's name and a serial number. It is clipping both conductor runs together. The whole box stands on small, wooden feet. This devices sports also an additional terminal with copper contact area, that can be used to connect this device to a one of „virtual ground” products, Minimus or Tellus. Cleanus Although Cleanus looks a lot alike Powerus, its body is actually bit smaller, and the box is made of a different wood. I think that a complete system would look better if the design and look of all devices would have coherent. On the back wall there is a single terminal to connect either Minimus or Tellus. Cleanus also sports a permanently fixed Apollo cable but with less expensive Furutech plug – this time it's a FI-35 (G), with gold plated contact pins. Wooden feet are identical to those used for Powerus. LynxFeet To have both tested devices properly isolated from what they stand on one needs to use some proper feet. I can obviously recommend Franc Audio Accessories Ceramic Discs, but Entreq also offers its own feet, called LynxFoot. These are made in a form of a cone, with a small cylinder made of wood filled in with vibration damping minerals, that is closed from the bottom with piece of leather. Set combines of three pieces. AC Wrap Last but not least – a product that I knew about for some time but until this test I had no chance to test myself – AC Wraps. These are made of leather (artificial?). Name is self-explanatory – you wrap these around power cables – preferably near the plug. Wraps sport elongated sockets filled with minerals – same ones as used in Cleanus. You use Velcro fastener to keep them in place on a cable. Polish Distributor GFmod Audio Research ul. Kisielewskiego 18/28 , pok. 32, III piętro 42-218 Częstochowa | Polska tel.: 510-44-99-90 e-mail: gfmod@gfmod.pl Strona internetowa: www.gfmod.pl

Published: 3. July 2013, No. 110 Marja and Henk are a couple writing reviews for the Swiss internet magazine 6moons.com by Srajan Ebaen. It’s quite a unique situation as specialist journalists and reviewers are usually lone wolves enjoying one’s own company, valuing own opinion and independence. To have to work out a common position on such a sensitive subject as sound is for them (us) simply unthinkable – win or lose. Yet one look at this couple (I took the photo at the Audio Show 2012; see HERE) is enough to understand it a bit better – they seem like a single four-arm two-head person. Their own, carefully balanced but at the same time explicit opinions are written with such originality that they contribute something fresh to audio literature. They seek out small, unknown manufacturers and watch them with interest, giving them a chance. Their visit to Warsaw in 2012 resulted in new contacts with Polish manufacturers and new product reviews. They first reviewed anti-vibration accessories from Franz Audio Accessories (see HERE) and Audiomica Laboratory cables (see HERE). Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Marja & Henk in a double interview! In "THE EDITORS" series we have interviewed so far: Matej Isak, "Mono & Stereo", chief editor/owner, Slovenia/Austria; interviewed HERE Dr. David W. Robinson, "Positive Feedback Online", USA,, chief editor/co-owner; interviewed HERE Jeff Dorgay, “TONEAudio”, USA, publisher; interviewed HERE Cai Brockmann, “FIDELITY”, Germany, chief editor; interviewed HERE Steven R. Rochlin, “Enjoy the Music.com”, USA, chief editor; interviewed HERE Stephen Mejias, “Stereophile”, USA, assistant editor; interviewed HERE Martin Colloms, “HIFICRITIC”, Great Britain, publisher and editor; interviewed HERE Ken Kessler, “Hi-Fi News & Record Review”, Great Britain, senior contributing editor; interviewed HERE Michael Fremer, “Stereophile”, USA, senior contributing editor; interview HERE Srajan Ebaen, “6moons.com”, Switzerland, chief editor; interviewed HERE Wojciech Pacuła: How did you appear in 6moons.com? I mean – how did you start your cooperation? We have been reviewing for a couple of Dutch magazines and a website since the beginning of this century. It was in 2003 that we liked the early 6Moons website so much that we contacted Srajan and introduced ourselves to him. Result from that contact was Srajan’s question to write a sample review to assess our reviewing and writing qualities. With that we passed the balloting and our first review was published on the website in September 2003. Writing for an international website is a bit like pen-palling. All communication is done via e-mail. Luckily there are many audio shows around the world that offer great excuses to travel around and at many occasions we met with Srajan in person. Please tell me something about yourselves – your past, your career, and your plans. The ‘we’ is Marja Vanderloo and Henk Boot. We both carry a Dutch passport and are recently relocated to a house with plenty of listening possibilities in rural Holland. Our income comes from working in IT; audio writing is a pure hobby that ran a bit out of hand. Music has been the theme in all our life. Growing up in the 60’s is definitely the ground for this and we developed a broad appetite for all kinds of music. A true guide through the musical universe was Frank Zappa. He led us on a musical path through classic and modern music. It was he who pointed at Miles Davis, another great music teacher and guide. Of course playing in a band was almost mandatory those days and listening to LPs at home could be loud when you used a double Marshall stack as ‘hifi’. Those LPs came from recommendations from friends, day-long listening sessions in record stores and of course the underground radio stations that played wonderful new stuff late at night. Nowadays we discover tons of new music via internet. Sites like Bandcamp and CDBaby offer hundred thousands of independently released albums which first can be listened to and when liked bought and downloaded in at least CD quality for a fair price. What is your review philosophy? What are you looking for in a review? The gear we review is most of the time not the average you find in stores everywhere. We try to find new and exciting designs that offer something very special. It is the passion of the designer that we look for. That passion once transformed into something physical that is capable of transforming in turn captured music on a medium into music in the room complete with all the emotion – that is what we look for. Music equals emotion and that should be passed on to the listener. That journey towards Musical Ecstasy as our late friend Harvey ‘Gizmo’ Rosenberg called it, is what drives us. Do you think that web-based magazines can be a reliable source of knowledge? Why print magazines try hard to discredit everything related to internet magazines? Web based magazines are a true source of knowledge and information starting with the ability to quickly search for an article of interest. You can Google a word and direct the search engine towards a specific website or let it roam the entire World Wide Web. Print magazines lack that possibility and the best they can offer is a summary of published articles ordered by subject or name. Web magazines can also react to current affairs much quicker as they are not bound to maximum number of printed pages, deadlines and distribution. Of course many printed magazines see the web based versions as a thread but that is only because they do not fully use their own capabilities. When they would use the energy they now waste on bashing web magazines instead to make a beautiful printed magazine, they would be much happier. Tell me something about the Dutch audio market – what is it like? Is it healthy or not? We see the market the same way we see the audio magazine market. If you do nothing and only complain, the only way is down. Yes, there is a financial crisis and some sales are down. The sales that are down are the sales of middle-of-the road gear, the stuff that fills the racks of the big Media Markt type of stores. Distributors hire so many square meters in such a shop and fill that space with boxes. The more the store turns over the better the price they get for the square meter. Audio dealers that work on the same basis – just shift boxes – have a hard time. Those dealers who add value still do good business. Due to the so called crisis many shops have closed. We think that they closed because their business model was not right. Just sitting in your shop and wait until a customer comes in does not work. A dealer has to be active, offer real great service. A dealer should be a partner on the way to audio happiness and help the customer as much as possible. Think of home installing, power quality assessment, acoustic tuning and correct setting up of loudspeakers. Those who practice such services make good sales even today. There’s even a benefit of the ‘crisis. Money in the bank does not make any interest. Inflation percentages are higher than the interest rates so spending money on something fun is a much better investment. What are the main Dutch print audio magazines – we mainly know English ones…? In Holland there are two competing print audio magazines. One is a privately owned company the other is part of a bigger publishing company. The first is a more glossy and block-bound monthly and fully focusing on audio while the latter magazine is also covering video. Both magazines are also distributed in Belgium as Dutch is also spoken there. What is your reference audio system? Why this choice? At the moment we have three reference systems ready to play. For digital we have a system that consists of a custom built Windows PC that runs XXHighEnd software and is driving the Phasure NOS1 DAC. From there the signal is sent to a pair of Hypex Ncore 1200 Class-D mono blocks that in turn drive a pair of huge Arcadian Audio Pnoe full range AER MD 3B based horns. For the frequency range from 40Hz down we use a Zu Audio Submission MK1 subwoofer that is also using a Hypex amplifier, Cabling in this system is by Nanotec of Japan and Dutch Crystal Cable. Another system setup for digital playback uses a PS Audio PWT transport as source. All other signal handling is done by a Devialet D-Premier AIR which also accepts streamed input from an iMac. Loudspeakers in this system are Avantgarde Acoustic Duo Omega and cabling is by Nanotec and ASI. For movie watching we use a system that has Belgian Vaessen Aquarius loudspeakers while the Philips DVD player and the satellite receiver send their S/PDIF signals to a second Devialet D-Premier. For our analog pleasure we use a Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable with DFA 1o5 tone arm and Zu DL-103 cartridge. As phono stage there is a Trafomatic Reference One Pre that is followed by a Trafomatic Reference pre amplifiers and a pair of Trafomatic Kaivalya mono blocks. By just swapping the Crystal Cable loudspeaker cables the Pnoe can be the loudspeakers. All systems are electrically phase aligned and use various AC treatment. Of course the setups change when review gear comes in and we are looking for the best match we can achieve. In storage we have various cables, spare connectors and all other things one might need just like a collection of 300B tubes from different makes and years for our Audio Note Meishu. In all our own equipment we look for speed and dynamics. Those two factors are for us the most important; they make the liveliness and are like salt and pepper in a dish. You need plenty to get all the flavors from the ingredients. What do you think about the future of audio? About how we see the future of audio we can be brief. The future is bright! Downloading and streaming are the magic word for musical sources and now more and more record companies are cut out of the loop and artist take their own responsibilities much more beautiful music is available in great quality. Speaking of quality, the high res hype is not going to make it. Super high res will stay marginal. There is still so much hidden in the CD format as we notice nearly on a daily base when we add more CDs from our collection to the hard disks of our PC. Eventually we think new recordings will get available in 24/192 format for downloading only. Eliminating the restrictions of physical media makes the transition easy. What do you listen to at home when you want to relax? You ask what we listen to for relaxation. Well, that can be anything from large opera to experimental free jazz. Most of the time – and PC based audio makes that even simpler – we compile a musical menu. That menu can be theme based like all music from a certain composer, musician or having a main instrument in common. It is a bit like a real home concert. What web-based magazines can learn from print magazines and vice-versa? What we think print and online magazines could learn from each other is that they should stick to their own media code. A printed magazine is slow reading stuff. Most webzines are intended for fast reading – browsing. With the exception of a few webzines like Tone and 6Moons all webzines use busy layouts that distract and run relative short articles. Printed magazines are rooted in the art of graphic layout. They know what type font to use. Many webzines are made by well intending amateurs and that shows. What audio magazines do you read? All in all we do not read audio magazines. Occasionally we flip through one when we are in a magazine shop but we don’t read it cover to cover. What kind of live music do you like, what concerts you go to? As we think that music reproduced at home is a different art form from live music, we listen with a different mindset to live music. In live music there is no soundstage, no imaging, no holographic depiction, no prat-factor or whatever audiophile description. With live music there is just that: live music. The music cannot be repeated, is unique with all its flaws and errors and that just makes the beauty. It is the beauty of the imperfection, the beauty of the uniqueness and the beauty of the temporality. With these parameters, it does not matter what the music is and who is playing. What do you believe “the absolute sound” is? You ask what we think ‘the absolute sound’ is. We think there is no absolute sound at all. Everything you hear is subjective. Just like I can’t tell you how I see colors (where does green end and does blue start in the spectrum?) I can’t tell you what I hear let alone that I can say that it is ‘absolute’. If that were true, there would be only one audio reproduction system in the world. Imagine what consequences that would have for freedom, democracy etc. Do you think that audio magazines should be specialized or rather wide open to everything on the market? In our opinion a print magazine should be specific oriented and let the ‘rest’ be covered by the WWW. A small group of highly qualified writers covering a subject in depth is what we think is added value to a print magazine. Web magazines more and more get crowd-sourced articles. Look at the colophon – or equivalent - of web magazines and see all those associated names. Then look at the colophon of specialized magazines; only a handful of paid (!) editors. Could you list your 10 most loved albums that you are listening to now? With thousands of albums on vinyl, CD and on disk it is not easy to make a top-10 but here’s a try but in random order: Miles Davis, Live Around The World Frank Zappa, Zoot Allures Karim Bagilli, Lea & Kash Stokowsky, Symphonic Transcriptions Johnny Cash, American Recordings Gert Vlok Nel, Beaufort Wes Hadouk Trio, Live a FIP Various, Woodstock (soundtrack) Bill Evans, The Gambler Live in Tokyo L’Arpeggiato, All’ Improvviso Thank you for the interview and see you soon at the next audio show! See you!

Published: 3. July 2013, No. 110 In April 2013, Srajan Ebaen published a long and extensive review of the HPA-21 headphone amplifier from the Korean manufacturer Bakoon Products International (see HERE). I found out that our Korean friend and the company’s head, Soo In Chae, was preparing this type of product at the end of 2012, about the same time Srajan did. We made an agreement with Soo In that the chief editor of “6moons.com” will be the first to publish his test, seeing as he was the one who discovered the company to Western Europe and he deserves to go first. Having access to Bakoon’s materials about the new design at a very early prototype stage, he superbly portrayed how the amp was being developed. I won’t repeat that, sending instead all interested to Srajan’s review. For those who don’t feel like it, don’t have the time, or don’t care about other reviews let me say a few words of introduction. The first component from Bakoon Products International that gained recognition in the West was the AMP-11R integrated amp. It’s a small, wonderfully made modestly powered machine with an outboard power supply and optional, fantastic RCK-11 anti-vibrational platform. Its heart is the SATRI-IC-EX implementation of the proprietary SATRI Circuit. It’s a current-mode integrated circuit with amplification in the current not voltage domain. It therefore works best with current-mode signal and the amp features special BNC SATRI-Link inputs for that. Until now, the only source with suitable outputs has been the EQA-11R phono preamplifier, but there’s a DAC in the making that should be soon released. SATRI is the fruit of research and development and lifetime’s achievement of Mr. Akira Nagai (featured on the picture from the High End Munich 2013, see HERE), the owner of Bakoon Products Co. Ltd. The company offered SATRI amps and unique DACs, which you can see on the last picture from this year’s Munich show. Korean Bakoon came into existence through the determination and ambition of Mr. Soo In Chae whom I met in Munich, and who turned out to be a fantastic person. He designs the enclosures and carries out additional calculations wherever applicable, adapting Mr. Nagai-san’s ideas. I don’t know what their exact division of responsibilities is. A clue may be found on unit’s back panel, which states that the amp was designed in Japan and made in Korea. I’m not entirely convinced that Soo In Chae only “re-packs” Japanese devices, because their mechanical build quality is a hundred times better than that of their Japanese predecessors, and I know for a fact that Soo In made many of the calculations for the HPA-21 design. One thing is for sure, though – the SATRI circuit, surface mounted on small printed boards that plug into the main board, was made in Japan, which is confirmed by the corresponding marks on the boards. The rest was made in Korea. The HPA-21 is the outcome of a careful reflection on the incredible popularity of the previous AMP-11R model commonly used as a headphone amp. Although its 6.3 mm port was added just for user comfort and the amp was designed with speakers in mind, many users including myself began to treat it as a headphone amp with an option to drive the speakers. This is nothing new to mention another integrated amp, the Leben CS-300 (and its following versions) that met a similar fate. Its Custom edition custom made for me has long been a reference headphone amp in my audition system. Due to much lower HPA-21’s power output, Mr. Soo In was able to design a cheaper unit that offers even a better sound than the integrated amp. The new machine could also be equipped with another trademark company product, battery powered power supply. Based on the BPS-02 power supply circuit (see HERE), it has a much higher output voltage. As Mr. Soo In says, the power supply features a dual design and employs four Samsung batteries, working at the highest permitted voltage of 16.8 V. The unit is powered by plugging in a small switched mode PSU. When we power on the HPA-21, the battery-charging section is disconnected and the amp works solely on battery power. The batteries allow for 6.5 hour of continuous playback, despite the amp’s Class A output topology. Charging them fully takes nearly the same amount of time. Bakoon’s proprietary bias system allows for a quick thermal transistors stabilization. The machine is ready for playback and achieves optimal sound after as little as 10 minutes. Bacoon Products International featured in “High Fidelity” REVIEW: Bakoon Products International AMP-11R + RCK-11 – integrated amp + antivibrational platform, see HERE (RED FINGERPRINT award) AWARD OF THE YEAR 2012: Bakoon Products International AMP-11R + RCK-11 – integrated amp + anti-vibration platform, see HERE REVIEW: Bakoon Products International BPS-02 – battery AC, see HERE (in a system) SOUND Albums used during this review Estampies & Danses Royales, Hesperion XXI, Jordi Savall, Alia Vox AV 9857, CD (2007). Filia Praeclara, Ensemble Peregrina, Divox CDX-70603, CD (2008). L’Amor de Lonh, Ensemble Gilles Binchois, Glossa GCP P32304, CD (2010). Ludi Musici, Hesperion XXI, Jordi Savall, Alia Vox AV 9853, CD (2007). Audiofeels, Uncovered, Penguin Records 5865033, CD (2009). Bach, Violin Concertos, Yehudi Menuhin, EMI/Hi-Q Records HIQXRCD9, XRCD24, CD (1960/2013). Bogdan Hołownia, Chwile, Sony Music Polska 5052882, kopia z taśmy master, CD-R (2001). Frank Sinatra, Where Are You?, Capitol Records/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2109, “Special Limited Edition No. 261”, SACD/CD (1957/2013). Guillaume Du Fay, Diabolus In Musica, Antoine Guerber, Alpha 908, CD (2007). Hildegarda von Bingen, Canticles of Extasy, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 77320 2, CD (1994). Jean Michel Jarre, Essentials & Rarities, Disques Dreyfus/Sony Music 62872, 2 x CD (2011). John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, Impulse! 589 945-2, “Deluxe Edition”, 2 x CD (1965/2002). Michael Jackson, Thriller. 25th Anniversary Edition, Epic/Sony Music Japan EICP-963-4, CD+DVD (1982/2008). Miles Davis, In A Silent Way, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2088, "Special Limited Edition No. 1311", SACD/CD (1969/2012). OMD, English Electric, 100%/Sony Music Japan SICP-3810, CD (2013). Perfect, Perfect, Polskie Nagrania Muza/Polskie Radio PRCD 1596, CD (1981/2013). Xymox, Metamorphosis, X-ULT Records/Alfa Records (Japan) ALCB-653, CD (1992). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from I’ve been listening to this amp for the past four weeks, nearly non-stop, with obvious breaks for sleep, auditions and family life. However, all my remaining time, even while writing this review right now, I’ve spent with headphones on my ears. During this time a few things changed in my system and every single one of these changes only reinforced my belief that the HPA-21 is one of the best, if not the best, headphone amp I’ve known, regardless of price, technology, country of origin or my preferences. This Korean amp clearly showed all the changes in a bullet-point list, both in terms of its sound and design. Klutz Design                           CanCans Leather Ed Black In addition to the new RCA-RCA interconnect between the player and preamp (or headphone amp) – now it’s the Siltech Royal Signature Series Double Crown Empress (see HERE) – new headphone cables – previously the Entreq Konstantin 2010 (see HERE), now the new Challenger 2010, I’ve finally received the newest Klutz Design CanCans stand (see HERE), finished in black leather with a white thread. I’ll write about the cable some other time, this time I’ll be talking about the stand. Michael Hollesen, the owner of Klutz Design (pictured below), showed me the orange-thread edition in Munich. It’s made specifically for use with Bakoon products, which Michael is a big fan of. I decided to get the white thread version, mostly because it’s more universal. It’s the fourth stand from this company I own. When you see the CanCans for the first time, you’ll be surprised by how large they are – they’re 310 mm tall, the width of the base is 140 mm, and they weigh 2.1 kg. They’ll be visible in any system and in any room. Their finish precision is perfect. You can order them in different colours, in different finishes with different “pins” which you spool the cables around when you’re not using your headphones; you can set them up to ideally cater to your expectations. The class of Bakoon and Klutz designs are from the same top shelf. It’s no wonder that the companies work together very closely – people with a similar mindset quickly find a common language. The newest version of stand is finished in black leather. I think it was black matte first, with black pins and the unofficial name Black Knight, prepared as a tribute to the latest Batman movie. The leather is a natural extension of that project. www.klutzdesign.com If you remember my review of the AMP-11R integrated (which can also work as a headphone amp), you’ll know that its incredible cleanness combined with outstanding resolution opened before the listener’s a wide open window to what’s before the unit. It’s an outstanding machine. I’ve heard a very similar effect when plugging in headphones to the HPA-21’s output labelled “Voltage”. I think that lowering the output section requirements and powering the whole unit with an ultra-stable battery voltage has pushed the whole deal forward. Although the improvement isn’t massive, one can hear even more information that the signal carries and the top-range is even more open and precise. The amp used in this way would probably be the cleanest-sounding machine I have ever come across to drive headphones, with the least amount of own coloration. Everything else, including my beloved Leben, seems saturated, as if their sound was more “set up”, and often even manipulated. I’m not talking about flawed designs but about the best ones, like the Leben CS300XS [Custom Version], SPL Phonitor 2730 (see HERE) Funk Tonstudiotechnik LAP-2.V3 (see HERE), Ear Stream Sonic Pearl (see HERE), or even the Phasemation EPA-007 (see HERE). Only the last one was equally resolute and selective. The Leben, on the other hand, showed a better saturation across the whole range and was fuller. It was also much more natural at presenting low frequencies. None of them, however, I repeat: none of them sounds like the Bakoon does via its “Current” output. I had a great time with all the aforementioned amps, listening to one album after another, changing headphones, sources, and cables. At the end, when I finally had to describe what I heard, I would return to my Leben to find again something new and more absorbing in its sound. After a few days I was right back under its spell, embarrassed that I’d ever doubted in it. Enter the HPA-21 headphone amplifier from Bakoon Products International, coming from Korea but having its roots in Japan. The first machine I’d listened to without feeling the need to return to my Leben. My custom CS-300 XS is still a wonderful work of audio engineering, my beloved baby I’m not going to give away. The thing with the Bakoon is that I’ve got no need to analyse what I’m hearing. It’s probably a transition state, and surely someday I’ll hear something even better and I’ll change my mind (that’s exactly what progress and “learning the sound” is about) and find this amp’s weak points. As of now, I can’t see any. They are definitely there as there is no such thing as “ideal sound”. Remembering how shocking the Siltech interconnects were after the Acrolinks that seemed perfect back in the day, I am absolutely, painfully aware that the same thing will one day happen with the HPA-21, and I’ll be standing there surprised at how I missed such obvious things. But now is not the time. At the moment I don’t feel the need to analyse anything. The amp’s sound in combination with the Sennheiser HD800 headphones is unbelievably natural. It’s obviously resolute and selective, differentiating and detailed, except that none of these traits “jumps out”, asking for attention. The most important thing for me is the excellent balance between resolution and selectiveness. The first is infinite in its character – the more, the better. There is no such thing as too high resolution (or differentiation, at that). On its own, without proper tonal support it is irrelevant. Yet it is the driving force, the power behind a natural, normal presentation which is close to what we hear live. The resolution shows HOW the individual sounds differ from one another. Selectiveness on the other hand, or the ability to separate really close, similar-sounding sounds, instruments, and events – often mistaken for detail – is a quantity which should be kept in balance. It can be exaggerated and when the selectiveness is too high, it will shatter the illusion of live sound, leaving nothing but pitiful hi-fi in its place. The amp we’re talking about does a wonderful job at setting it up – it’s very good, but not exaggerated, and the notes aren’t forcefully separated. The resolution, on the other hand, is so remarkable that it gives the feeling of smooth, silky sound, despite lots of information and detail. Together they give a lot more than in other machines, allowing to break through the analytical layer. Despite the high selectiveness, and probably thanks to what I’ve described above, the amp gives lots of pleasure regardless of what album you’re listening to, no matter how it was mastered and produced – as long as it’s musically ‘digestible’. We notice many elements we didn’t hear before, and that’s normal. But its key to success is something different – a perfect harmony of color, soundstage, imaging, body and tangibility. At first, and for a very long time, I listened to recordings from before the year 1600, mostly vocals recorded in large churches. It’s easy to mess something up and to dig out vocalists or reverbs. And although the amp clearly pointed out better and worse recordings, I had no problems listening to any of them and nothing really pushed me away. Only after an audition and giving it some thought I started deciding which CDs I wouldn’t listen to and should put them back in a box. They were decisions based on musical taste, however, not their sound. The same was true with electronica and rock, for example the new Daft Punk and OMD albums. I compared the Japanese CD release of Random Access Memories to its hi-res 24/96 FLAC version played back on the Naim NDS, and I chose the CD every time. Although the Naim had previously nearly killed me with the quality of 24/192 and 24/96 classical music. The “box” version had a deeper tone, saturation and palpability. Hi-res showed more detail and flavor, but I still preferred listening to the CD. The Bakoon showed these differences with ease, as though in passing and without making a fuss. As if it were saying “this is how it is” and carrying on with its life. It’s a new quality, because we’re used to emphasizing differences and in the audio world. Conclusion During the review I mostly focused on the HD800 headphones from Sennheiser. I had a very good reason for that – it’s an excellent combination. I’m full aware of the weaknesses of the top designs from this German brand, but their advantages are much more important to me. The HPA-21 allowed me to discover them all anew, and showed me some for the very first time. The Korean amp sounded very well with all of my other headphones, although the higher the impendency, the better it was. I least liked the combination with the Beyerdynamik DT-770 Pro {Limited Edition} with a 32-ohm impendence. The HE-6 HiFiMAN planar headphones are a wholly different ballgame. I know a large percentage of music lovers uses the Bakoon with other headphones of this type (by Audeze) and they’re in heaven. I’ve got to say that the HPA-21 was the second amp, after the Phasemation EPA-007 (in balanced mode), which made Mr. Chang’s headphones finally sound like they’re meant to. I’ll return to the Bakoon and HE-6 someday, but for now I’ll just say that the sound was more precise and better-defined than with my Sennheisers. The perspective was different, though – the vocals and instruments were closer, and the acoustic background seemed less important. The bass didn’t extend as low as it could, but had an excellent, almost model definition. What really won me over in the Korean amp was its compatibility with the HD800. I don’t know another equally successful combo, except perhaps the HD800 and Leben CS-300 XS. In this comparison the Japanese amp is clearly oversaturated sounds and sometimes you have to use the “Bass Boost” button to compensate for a recording’s flaws. The Bakoon doesn’t make you do that, and I never felt an absence of anything. I’m immensely impressed, because this headphone system is like nothing I’ve ever heard before. The amp receives the RED FINGERPRINT award DESIGN Mr. Soo In Chae, who in my opinion is responsible for the mechanical part of this design, has truly gifted hands. His products are small and extremely solidly and precisely made. The HPA is no different. Its enclosure is made of thick aluminum panels. No joining elements can be seen as the top panel is mounted with long screws from the bottom. The front panel sports a large, flat volume knob, three small toggle switches and two headphone jacks. Two ports but not providing the same signal as the Phasemation EPA-007 does or offering balanced signal as the circuit is unbalanced. Here we have a completely different solution. One 6.3 mm port outputs a classic voltage signal as all other headphone amplifiers. The second port is a current output with 2.5 MΩ impedance. The switches are used to select circuit gain, active input and to power on the device. The amp’s active state is indicated by an orange LED visible through a small cutout in the bottom panel. Next to it is a red LED indicating low battery state. On the back we have two pairs of inputs – a classic voltage input on Cardas RCA connectors and a current input for SATRI-Link hookup to Bakoon sources on 75 Ω BNC Amphenol connectors. Next to it is a small port for the outboard power supply. The unit sits on tiny felt pads. But there seems to be another possibility while sticking to the company's "code": the bottom panel features symmetrically spaced recesses and threaded holes. Apparently, it’s possible to integrate the HPA-21 and RCK-11 anti-vibration platform, previously detaching the top plate from the latter. This way we end up with an amplifier integrating mechanical vibration control. Since I didn’t have the RCK-11, during the review I used Finite Elemente CeraBall that are base on exactly the same idea – decoupling of two metal surfaces with a sintered ceramic ball. Electronic circuits are divided between two printed boards mounted above each other. The boards, the assembly and the components used are all of the highest quality. After removing the top panel the upper board that houses the batteries charging circuit. Next to it are Omron relays to disconnect the outboard power supply after powering on the amplifier. The gain circuit is mounted on the lower board. SMD mounted boards housing the SATRI circuit are located near the input and plugged into the main PCB. The signal is then attenuated in the Tokyo Ko-on Denpa 2CP Series potentiometer, located on the front panel. The potentiometer is connected via short, shielded cables. All amplifier stages are built on transistors, with Class A output stage on two pairs of output transistors per channel. The latter are bolted to the bottom panel that doubles as a heat sink. I repeat: beautiful, clean assembly work using excellent passive components (Dale resistors, Wima capacitors and others, tantalum). Congratulations! Specifications (according to the manufacturer) Input Impedance: 3.68 Ω (SATRI-LINK), 100 kΩ (Voltage, RCA) Gain: High/Low – switchable (current output only) Maximum Power Output: 1 W (32 Ω, 1 kHz) Frequency Response: 10 Hz ~ 1 MHz Battery: Li-ion, Samsung Battery Operation Time: up to 6.5 h Battery Recharge Time: 4 hours (80% capacity) | 6 hours (full capacity) Dimensions: 195 mm (W) x 237.5 mm (D) x 55 mm (H) Shipping Weight: 4.5 kg Since my opinion and final verdict on the HPA-21 largely coincides with Srajan Ebaen thoughts and findings, we both felt that the new Korean amplifier deserves a special award. Srajan suggested that our joined award might be called blue fingerprint which I thought to be an excellent idea. The Bakoon HPA-21 thus becomes the first ever recipient of this special Blue Fingerprint award. It is a mark of our appreciation to two great minds behind this design. Congratulations Nagai-San and Soo-In Chae! The amplifier receives Blue Fingerprint award

Published: 3. July 2013, No. 110 The DAC-V1 D/A converter and the NAP100 power amplifier are the latest additions to British Naim’s Classic Series lineup. Complementing the UnitiServe network player, the smaller in the Uniti line, they refer to it with their front panel size – half the standard “rack” – and enclosure design. The latter is especially important in Naim’s concept. Naim’s engineers have been working for years to minimize the impact of vibration on electronic components, both those generated by the components themselves as well as those from the outside. Multi-faceted approaches and strategies have been employed. It all starts with the enclosure. In the reviewed units it is fully made of aluminum. The front panel is a thick aluminum cast plate. The other panels, except the rear, form together a kind of rigid, pull-over “sleeve”. Naim products feature electronic PCBs that are usually flexibly mounted rather than screwed-on tight. That’s why the connectors seem a bit “loose” as they are not fixed to the rear panel but only mounted to the PCB. Moreover, Naim’s engineers suggest not to screw on tight DIN-terminated cables connecting the DAC to the power amp. Since the two units under review belong to the budget line they don't feature Naim’s trademark “loose” board assembly. It’s possible to move up a level in terms of anti-vibration control without parting with Naim. The manufacturer offers specialized equipment racks designed especially for Naim's electronics. The modular racks are assembled of individual shelving levels. The bottom shelf called the base level provides foundation for multiple shelving levels placed one upon another. One can choose between the reference level Fraim and entry-level FraimLite versions. The former has shelving levels that feature MDF shelves supported by aluminum uprights and additional sub-shelves made of toughened glass decoupled from the wooden shelves with hardened steel ball bearings. The FraimLite doesn’t have the additional sub-shelves. The base level sits on tall floor spikes with clamping rings on top to support the spikes of the shelf above. The whole looks very nice and I recommend this setup. A FraimLite with two shelving levels costs 2,890 PLN. There's a subject that can’t be passed over when discussing Naim. DIN connectors. DIN stands for Deutsches Institut für Normung (the German Institute for Standardization) and its standards. For a number of years DIN connectors used to be a common standard in Germany. They were also popular in Poland where they were licensed from German companies like Grundig. Great Britain, USA or Japan early on employed a different type of connectors known as the RCA (Radio Corporation of America), which were used as early as 1940s. Outside Germany, DIN speaker connectors held out much longer than line level connectors. The DIN 41524 line connector have certain advantages not shared by the RCA, mostly constant connector impedance and common ground for both channels. If devices employ star grounding topology, which is the case of Naim, splitting ground at the output to reconnect it at the input of the next device is a mistake. The world of audio however is governed by its own rules and has long since phased out DIN connectors. A small group of manufacturers like Naim or The Chord Company that manufactures cables have remained faithful. For some time now Naim has equipped their devices with both DIN and RCA connectors, leaving the choice up to the user. The reviewed devices were accompanied by Naim’s proprietary four pin Snaic cable that I used throughout the review. Speaker connectors that we find in Naim amplifiers are equally unorthodox. While they are not DINs, they are nothing like classic binding posts accepting banana plugs, spades and “bare” wire. The speaker connectors are two pairs of 4mm sockets that accept banana plugs and BFAs. Naim’s own two-pin speaker plugs are provided and the manufacturer recommends to use them, preferably with Naim speaker cables. I declined and instead used Acoustic Revive speaker cables fitted with banana plugs. The description of both devices is much simpler. The DAC-V1 is the second D/A converter from Naim, after the DAC. As a matter of fact, the DAC was also a file player, albeit in a limited capacity. The DAC-V1 is quite versatile, too. It combines a D/A converter, analog preamplifier (with digital inputs only) and a headphone amplifier. It can be fed a 32-bit 192 kHz S/PDIF signal via its BNC, RCA and TosLink inputs. There is also an asynchronic 24/384 USB port. The preamp section is similar to those employed in standalone Naim components. For example, the filtration and jitter reduction circuit is taken straight from the DAC. The converter circuit is the same as the one employed in the NDX and SuperNaiti network players. The amplifier features classic Naim dual mono topology to output 50 W at 8 Ω (75 W at 4 Ω). It is based on the circuit used previously in the SuperUniti all-in-one system. SOUND Albums used during this review Random Trip, Nowe Nagrania, 005, CD + FLAC 24/44,1 (2012); SATRI Reference Recordings Vol. 2, Bakoon Products, FLAC 24/192. T-TOC Data Collection Vol. 1, T-TOC Records, DATA-0001, 24/96+24/192, WAV, ripy z DVD-R. Al Di Meola, Flesh on Flesh, Telarc, źródło: HDTracks, 24/96 FLAC (2011). Bach, Violin Concertos, Yehudi Menuhin, EMI/Hi-Q Records, HIQXRCD9, XRCD24, CD (1960/2013). Charlie Haden & Antonio Forcione, Heartplay, Naim Label, 24/96 FLAC [źródło: NaimLabel]. Depeche Mode, Delta Machine, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan, SICP-3783-4, 24 bity, FLAC [źródło: HDTracks] (2013); Dominic Miller & Neil Stacey, New Dawn, Naim, naimcd066, CD (2002). Frank Sinatra, Where Are You?, Capitol Records/Mobile Fidelity, UDSACD 2109, “Special Limited Edition No. 261”, SACD/CD (1957/2013). Jean Michel Jarre, Essentials & Rarities, Disques Dreyfus/Sony Music, 62872, 2 x CD (2011). Miles Davis, In A Silent Way, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity, “Special Limited Edition No. 1311”, UDSACD 2088, SACD/CD (1969/2012). Persy Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy, Dallas Wind Symphony, dyr. Jerry Junkin, Reference Recordings, HR-117, HRx, 24/176,4 WAV, DVD-R (2009). Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto, Getz/Gilberto, Verve/Lasting Impression Music, LIM K2HD 036, K2HD Mastering, “24 Gold Direct-from-Master Edition UDM”, CD-R (1964/2009). The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Laydyland, Columbia/Sony Music Japan, SICP-30003, Blu-Spec2 CD (1968/2013). The Oscar Peterson Trio, We Get Request, Verve/Lasting Impression Music, LIM K2HD 032, K2HD Mastering, “24 Gold Direct-from-Master Edition UDM”, CD-R (1964/2009). Perfect, Perfect, Polskie Nagrania Muza/Polskie Radio, PRCD 1596, CD (1981/2013). Dire Straits, Brothers in Arms, Vertigo/Universal Music Ltd. Hong Kong, 5483572, XRCD2 (1985/2000). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from That Naim favors DIN sockets is commonly known. That Naim started from analog sources to move over to high resolution digital – just like Linn did – is no secret, either. There is another constant line in all Naim equipment reviews: rhythm and pace as its basic sonic characteristics. What is understood by that is the ability to show temporal aspects of recordings, the so-called pace-keeping, a proper handling of time – both crash and pause. Generally, something that makes us tap our feet, shake our head or tap a finger on the table to the beat. It needs to be said that it’s true. Among many characteristic features of Naim devices (shared by them) their fantastically portrayed rhythm section work and the sound attack – without its hardening – is the most important. To achieve that it is usually necessary to use very expensive components (huge capacitor banks, a special circuit topology) and not all will guarantee that. While Naim’s product lineup includes very expensive audio systems, the said pace, rhythm and timing is characteristic of all its products, including the DAC-V1 and NAP100 under review. What that means is that their sonic character must have been shaped in a specific way. At first sight it’s difficult to say exactly what has been done. The Naim system sounds dense, dynamic and saturated with no sharpening. Although I had heard a few Naim systems that sounded rather hard, with emphasized upper midrange, I believe it was due to poorly matched speakers or power supply problems, not the components. Paired with the Harbeth M40.1 and the Raidho D-1, the system under review was well-proportioned overall with no discernible brightening or sharpening and no trace of hardening. The proportions I describe are characteristic for this manufacturer. First of all it is the emphasized range around several hundred Hertz that makes the sound strong and rhythmic. The sound attack was not hard or tiring. Apparently the coherence of the basic sound and higher harmonics as well as proper phase coherence were maintained. I can’t explain this phenomenon any other way. Resolution was exceptionally good which might also partially explain the result but selectivity was nothing remarkable. And it is the latter that makes the instruments seem clear and is often responsible for a fast, attractive sound. Here the sound planes weren’t clearly separated and phantom images lacked clear shape and body. The foreground was preferred, almost to the point of having “exclusive rights” to the listener’s attention. The accompanying acoustics was dense and pretty but decayed quite quickly which had its effect on direct sound. Given that, the vitality of music presentation was all the more shocking. The modest 50W stated by the manufacturer can’t explain that. The amplifier is compact in size and doesn’t double its power at half the impedance so its current capacity may seem limited. I know this effect from amplifiers from another British manufacturer – NAD. The point is that the power supply and amplifier are able to deliver very high peak current. The Naim is exceptionally good in that respect. I know only one group of amplifiers where power output seems higher than it is in reality – tube amplifiers. The NAP100 does something very similar. What we get are clear, fleshy guitars, even on recordings that usually sound under-saturated, like Dire Straits Brothers in Arms or the CD reissue of Perfect’s debut album. I don’t mean that they sound light but that most systems choose contouring over saturation. The system under review seems to focus on what’s most important in that kind of guitar-driven sound – the rhythm and aggressiveness of full on guitars. Actually, lower midrange and upper bass are stronger than with more neutral amplifiers, which is audible on Miller and Stacey’s album New Dawn. It features mostly acoustic and classical guitars with electric guitars making appearance from time to time. It is the former that sound low and deep – much more so than in reality. The sound engineer is partly responsible for that in his pursuit of a deepened sound at the expense of neutrality, and his choice of an intimate contact over breath. Yet the Naim also added its own attribute, saturating the guitars even further and showing them even nearer. The midrange and treble are dense, too, which combined with nice detailness makes for a very pleasant listen. We get an almost perceptible tape noise as on Miles Davis’ In A Silent Way, but in the positive meaning of the word – as a part of presentation, an integral element of the “record” viewed as something separate from live music event. Conclusion Yes, the Naim system sounds in its own special way. Strong, full, with strong bass, great pace, rhythm and resolution. However, selectivity is not that high which results in showing larger ensembles, bigger planes rather than particular details, outlines and textures. Imaging favors the foreground – almost at hand’s reach – over acoustics, soundstage width or reverbs. The sound is very engaging and “from the gut”. An exceptionally well designed USB input will allow high quality playback of audio files from the computer. The headphone output works very well, too. I didn’t feel any discomfort even with the demanding Sennheiser HD800 and although the sound was lighter than on the speakers I had no problem with that since it was resolute and clear. This option is so good that using an additional headphone amp will only make sense if we are really “fanatical” about it. In any other case it will be throwing money down the drain as Naim offers a high quality headphone output included in the price of the main component. The Naim system, for that’s how the two reviewed components need to be treated, is relatively inexpensive. Its sound, however, doesn’t indicate that. Beautiful colors, saturation, resolution and great functionality are the system’s most important characteristics. What’s also important is that the brand has its own group of faithful, intelligent followers. And being in a group, especially such an elite group as this, is something unique. REVIEW METHODOLOGY The system was reviewed in an A/B test with both A and B known. Music samples were 2 minutes long. The source was: Ancient Audio Lector AIR V-edition transport section (Philips CD-Pro2) and my HP Pavilion dv7 laptop, 128 GB SSD, 320 GB HDD, Foobar2000+JPlay connected with the Acoustic Revive USB-1.0SPS USB cable. The system sat on the stock board which was placed on the floor. The speakers were connected via Acoustic Revive SPC-PA speaker cables. I had three pairs of speakers at my disposal: the Harbeth M40.1, Raidho D-1 and Castle Richmond Anniversary Limited Edition, signed for me by Castle’s chief designer. That must have improved their sound a lot. I’m kidding. DESIGN I’ve already given the basic information at the beginning. Both devices are modest sized and sport 207 mm wide aluminum cast front panels. The rest of their enclosures and chassis are also made of aluminum. The DAC-V1 front panel features a nice green OLED display that shows basic information on the current volume level and selected input. Volume level change is indicated by large digits. The display dims out after a user-predefined time. The input selectors and the logo remain lit. The latter may also indicate the Mute mode. On the left side is a large volume knob and the headphone socket. The rear panel clearly shows the unit’s true purpose. It’s a D/A converter with a built in preamp section. We have only digital inputs at our disposal: USB, BNC, two RCAs and two optical TOSLINKs. The S/PDIF inputs, in other words all inputs except USB, accept signal up to 32-bit and 192 kHz. The asynchronic USB input works up to 384 kHz but its bit length is limited to 24 bits. As such, it doesn’t support the 32-bit or DSD signal. Next to the inputs are analog outputs – a pair of RCAs and Naim’s preferred DIN, here in a less typical 4-pin configuration. There is also a small ground lift switch. The picture is completed by a mains socket and mechanical switch. There is no standby switch which suggests that the unit should remain on all the time. The electronic circuit is mounted on one PCB that features a cut-out hole for the transformer. The latter is a 210 W massive toroidal unit from Talema, center potted with vibration damping epoxy and mounted to a thick rubber mat. It sports three secondary windings – separately for the inputs and digital filters, DAC and analog section. Next to the USB input we see a DSP chip from Atmel that works as a USB receiver. All other inputs are isolated with impedance matching transformers. From the selected input the signal goes to the SHARC ADSP2148 DSP chip from Analog Devices that houses Naim’s custom written software for digital filters (with 16 x oversampling) and jitter reducing circuit. Such prepared, the signal reaches a single stereo Burr-Brown PMC1791 D/A converter. Next to it are two fine clocks, separate for the 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz families of sampling frequencies. The analog section is mounted on the same board but is separated from the digital section by a distance and optoelectronic components to isolate from high frequency noise. It also allows a layout with each section having its own grounding point. I/V conversion is performed by Burr-Brown OPA604 chips. The volume control uses an IC resistor ladder network. The control is digital but the attenuation is performed in the analog domain. The output stage employs transistors mounted on small heat sinks that work in a single-ended Class A circuit. The headphone output is driven from the same circuit. To provide enough current, after plugging in the headphones the gain is automatically raised by x5. The outputs are switched by reed relays. The complex power supply section looks impressive. The plastic remote is rather small and can additionally control the basic functions of a computer software player. The amplifier is housed in a similar enclosure as the DAC, except that its front panel only sports the logo and the rear an IEC mains socket with a mechanical switch, silver plated speaker sockets and analog inputs – a pair of RCAs and DIN. Both are active at the same time. The NAP100 circuit employs a full dual-mono topology, starting with two separate secondary windings of a large solid toroidal transformer from Noratel. Power filtration uses four 47,000 μF capacitors. The gain stage is built on discrete transistors. The push-pull AB Class output stage is based on 2SA1386+2SC3519 transistor pairs bolted to the bottom panel strengthened with a thick aluminum plate. This ensures that the whole enclosure acts as a heat sink. The assembly is mixed technology with SMD and THT components. Specifications (according to the manufacturer) DAC-V1 Type: D/A Converter / Preamplifier Inputs: 5 x S/PDIF (1 x BNC, 2 x RCA, 2 x TOSLINK) / 32 kHz – 192 kHz, 32-bit + USB (asynchronic) / 44.1 kHz – 384 kHz/24-bit Frequency response: 10 Hz – 20 kHz (+0.1dB/-0.5dB) THD:

omponents used for music reproduction (audio) are quite "specific" electronic devices, because during their design phase many more conditions have to be fulfilled than for electronics not intended for audio. When we properly build e.g. an intercom, it will work, but if we make a mistake somewhere - it will not. If we properly build an amplifier and it will work, it does not necessarily mean that it will sound good. So, although it works it won’t fulfill its role. In audio equipment we can often see specially selected components (because e.g. capacitors from different manufacturers sound in different ways) and custom solutions (manufacturers own patents), which is why the design of well-sounding audio devices takes so much time. Their sound is also not always adequate to measurements performed on them (sometimes a great sounding device comes up very average in the measurements and vice versa), and the combination of seemingly the same electronic components can often give different sound effects. This is the real world, other than the computer-testing environment where you can isolate and simulate the behavior of individual components or parts of the design, without changing the rest. Therefore, the "almost perfect copies” made in the DIY audio world are not really copies, but better or worse completed designs based on standard wiring diagrams. The great characters of the audio world are not afraid of copying them, and sometimes even publish their best designs diagrams, but without the guidance of their assembling. Why is this happening? Designing of audio equipment is really the fight for the least distortion in sound reproduction or, if you prefer, showing as many advantages as possible, hiding flaws and sketching by the designer an intended end result. Obtaining the "desired" sound is always the result of many attempts, correcting the values of individual items, making changes in the circuit-board layout, or its location in the chassis, etc., etc. All components work together to create a new quality. When one of the 100 elements is wrong, it will affect the others (change their operating characteristics) and disrupt their proper operation. It's a kind of a domino effect. We also need to realize that it is not about changes in the order of 10 or 20%. Not even one percent but only one part mille will often be important. For example – moving a capacitor on the circuit-board by a few centimeters (or an inch) closer to the grounding will trigger changes in the sound, and yet the wiring diagram (as well as measurements and computer simulations) won’t show any change. After all, it’s "only" one ten-thousands of Ohm of circuit path resistance which is, however, easily perceptible to the human – not to mention the audiophile – ear. It’s hard to imagine how precise the sense of hearing is! All of electronic components are located in the electromagnetic field, they co-create it, receive it, and are somehow a part of it. Any disturbance of this field affects the operation of these components, the "quality" of their work with others and, as a consequence, the level of distortions and the final sound effect of the device. Therefore, it is very important to separate the unit from the external conditions, and to create the correct "isolation" for it. The fight against electromagnetic interference must also occur inside the chassis. The largest of magnetic field generators inside the device – the transformer – includes within its influence all system components. Alternating current (AC) with a frequency of 50 or 60 Hz (USA, Japan) produces a huge amount of distortion. And so we came to VIBRATIONS. Almost all of us have heard the buzz, and sometimes even the whirr of the transformer. Its elements are not rigidly connected to each other. The alternation of the electric field causes changes of the magnetic field, and you can imagine that the individual turns of wire in the transformer “dance like the strings". The frequency of 50/60 Hz is also perfectly audible by humans and perceptible as the vibrations. These vibrations are transferred to the rest of the chassis. In the case of tube amplifiers, to the tubes, disrupting the path of the electron beam between the cathode and the anode. In CD players – to the laser beam, affecting the error correction system. Imagine that 50 or 60 times per second, someone tells us to jump up and down slightly and on top of that to read a newspaper in such conditions... Next to the transformer vibrations are those from the outside - such as from unstable wooden floor and most of all vibrations coming from the bass speakers when we listen to loud music. In extreme cases, when the laser beam of the player is showing its age, we can even see that at loud listening it loses track and jumps to another location of the recording. To the laser head it is like an earthquake to the building. When we feel the music by "whole our body", imagine what happens to the turntable needle, which is sensitive to tiny grooves in the record (?). The CD is able to rotate more than 500 times per second, DVDs or Blu-ray up to several times more. Mass production of disc rotating engines, as well as hundreds of millions of CD’s is unable to provide the perfect distribution of weight - almost none of the CDs is properly balanced. When we "load" a CD to the player, it is pressed by a small disc, often made of plastic, imposed automatically by a little spring. Who opened the casing of the player certainly watched the head follow the path during each rotation of the disc. When the unbalanced weight rotates, centrifugal force is created, the vector of which is attached not to the axis of rotation, but on an eccentric - the whole system begins to vibrate. Error correction system of the player easily deals with these vibrations, but how more accurate would be reading of the disc, if the vibrations were be reduced by half? For this purpose let's provide the device with an accessory that will help reduce at least partially all vibrations listed above. When we listen to loud music, the device will be less responsive to the “bass kick”, the chassis vibrating under the influence of the transformer will not resonate so strongly, and even the transformer will fell into resonance much harder. The entire system will have more stable magnetic field, less interference will reach the rectifiers, in consequence the power supply will be more stable, electron beams in tubes will be less disturbed, the vibrations of a spinning CD will also be partially suppressed. As a result, the overall level of distortion will be reduced. It is like a change from a "rack wagon" to a car with modern air suspension. That's why all kinds of feet, legs, stands, and finally complex anti-vibration platforms makes sense. Where did the idea for the vibrations absorbing platform come from? In daily life, every day we have to deal with a variety of "harmful" oscillations and vibrations, which we are trying to fight with. In the second half of the 20th century seismology and seismography has grown markedly. Countries located in areas subject to earthquakes introduced standards specifying how to design buildings that are strong enough to survive even large quakes. Buildings in these areas of the world are built differently than "normal" buildings in the "quiet areas" such as Poland. Among others, they use additional joints in the foundation, more powerful and carefully selected construction materials, and additional elements to help the building survive during an earthquake or hurricane. A great example of the use of such technology is "Taipei 101" skyscraper in Taiwan, built almost on the tectonic ledge, which at the height of half a kilometer can survive an earthquake measuring 7 degrees on the Richter scale and resist hurricanes without damage. Inside this building there is a pendulum several floors high – a large extra mass which helps to suppress vibrations and reduces deflection of the structure during high winds. There is even an observation deck from which you can observe how the pendulum moves sometimes up to several meters in relation to its initial position. In the heavy industry during machining of heavy elements a powerful processing stations are used - lathes, milling machines, etc. The rotation of the elements of these machines along with machined structures on them causes powerful vibrations that can sometimes cause subsidence and destruction of the foundations for the machines. Designing the foundation is distinct, important field of knowledge. On the basis of the equipment, their possible loads and engine speeds, resonances that arise in the foundation are defined. The result of the calculation is required later in the foundation of the weight distribution, the measurements and the schematic design for the machine set to not fall in excessive vibration. A properly designed foundation is an "anti-vibration platform" for this device. To partially suppress machine vibration during their work, in some cases, a powerful subwoofers with a power of several kilowatts can be applied. Subwoofers are placed next to the machine and generates a corresponding vibration frequencies, accordingly displaced in phase. When we bring the above described and similar ideas and technologies from the "macro world" to the world of audio equipment and we use them skillfully, we’ll create anti-vibration device that will affect positively to the sound of our audio system. Why every part of the platform is important? There are several ways of fighting with vibrations and resonances. Every substance having a mass also has dependent on it vibration frequency. By changing the weight of the body, we’ll change the frequency at which it falls into resonance. Different materials have different hardness, internal structure and other properties of transmission or absorption of vibrations (energy accumulation). For example - hard steel is a very good "relay" of vibration, while rubber will cumulate and suppress these vibrations very well. This property is defined as the damping factor, which depends on the density and internal structure of the material. Parts made from the same material but with different external dimensions will also have different resonance frequencies. Not without significance is the internal structure of the material - glass with amorphous structure will behave quite differently to materials with crystal structure, such as metals or minerals. By the proper choice of materials we can influence the transfer and the damping of specific frequency - such as the vibration frequency of the mains transformer. It should be remembered, however, that it is impossible to „adjust” vibration damping for one of the frequencies. Any material, or a combination of several different ones, will operate at wider frequency range (not one specific), and also to the frequency of a quarter, half, and an octave higher and, respectively, for the next quarters, halves and full octaves above (difference of an octave is frequency doubling). Simplifying - if we "set up" the resonance of the anti-vibration platform to exactly 50 Hz, it would operate well at frequencies of 100, 200, 400 and 75, 150, 300, and at all intermediate, but weaker. It could also be that it would act almost as much on the frequencies on which we don’t want to influence. We can often hear that the material causes these or other changes in the sound (it has its own characteristic sound), such as granite, glass, acrylic or wood. In the construction of anti-vibration platform this “sound of material” can be skillfully used, but you can also do it badly and the audio system will sound even worse than before. For example, if we find that an amplifier or DVD player placed on granite slabs with the thickness of an inch (2.5cm) sounds better (decreased resonance of the entire system - its mass has increased), it doesn’t mean that placing it on granite slabs with a thickness of 2 inches (5cm) will double the improvement in sound. Too much weight can in fact cause so strong shift of the resonance of the entire system that ultimately contribute to increasing oscillations in certain frequency ranges, which in turn will impair the sound quality perceived by us. So it is easy to "overdo it". Some of the frequencies are very difficult to suppress. In that case we can try to transmit most of them (unfortunately, it will never be fully possible) by using the materials which transfer vibration well (hard). You can also try to isolate the unit from vibration, using the smallest possible area of contact between two parts – a spike with a very small area will transmit less vibration than a plate with a much larger area. For the anti-vibration platform design you can use many different materials, with different mass and dimensions, whose vibration transfer and damping characteristics will work together. The variety of combinations is almost unlimited. An important factor in designing a vibration absorbing platform is its geometry. Not all audio components are in fact build symmetrically. Transformers are often more to the left or right side of the chassis, the mechanisms are often more at the front, rather than in the center. Resonances are also distributed differently on quadrilaterally-spaced supports (when the device has 4 feet), and differently on the triangle basis. It must also be taken into account. There are many factors to be taken into account, therefore it is very difficult to build an anti-vibration platform that will properly interoperate with multiple different devices. It will always exhibit a better "fit" with some, and will work worse with others. It is therefore necessary to seek a solution that will eliminate (or mask) as many flaws as possible and to expose the advantages of the configuration. The best would be such platform design that can "break" or lower the resonance level within the largest frequency range, properly isolate the device from the influence of external vibrations and at the same time skilfully "control" the vibrations generated inside the device. With all this in mind, I designed the GRAVITY platform. When I was working on it, I tried to use as many of the above written characteristics as I could. I encourage you to test it in your own audio system. Author Divine Acoustics 46-040 OZIMEK | ul. Sikorskiego 29/11 skrytka pocztowa 22 | Polska tel.: +48 774 653 259 | tel. kom.: +48 784 187 814 e-mail: info@divineacoustics.com WWW: www.divineacoustics.com

hat drew my attention in the name of the Rogoz Audio 4SG50/BBS anti-vibration platform, was the last part of the abbreviation. The letter-numerical symbol preceding it is so anonymous and tells us so little that I did not even think about it. It turned out that I had good intuition – BBS (Balancing Board System) is an anti-vibration system Rogoz Audio developed specifically for this series of platforms. Janusz Rogoż, the company owner and BBS designer said: The platform structure incorporates a new proprietary Rogoz Audio antivibration system, BBS (Balancing Board System, Patent P.404137 Pending). The system consists of a threaded, height-adjustable spike made of high-fiber-content steel alloy, on top of which two elements are placed, each with an inner bearing. An intermediary (middle) element is made of carbon fiber and supports another element, a steel bearing inserted into the shelf. Point contact between the steel spike and the carbon intermediary element prevents movement of either element relative to its axis, but it allows pendular motion. Meanwhile, the contact between the intermediary element and the bearing inserted into the shelf allows restricted rolling motion and sliding motion. Consequently, the advantages of spike point support (contact area has been minimized and kinetic energy turns into heat) have been combined with the effects of deadening vibrations owing to to sliding friction and rolling resistance. We wrote about the company itself on a few occasions, so you might know by now that Rogoz Audio offers anti-vibration products – pads, racks, platforms, and speaker and audio stands. What they all share is high quality, great look, a positive impact on sound (which was confirmed in tests for both High Fidelity and Audio) and reasonable pricing, which might be of the highest importance for many music lovers. All of this holds true for the 4SG50/BBS platform. It is a system with four legs ballasted with quartz sand. The top is made of a 50mm thick rosewood-veneered MDF board. It is separated from the frame with the BBS system. The structure is complemented by two other elements – 3S40 spikes and BW40MKII anti-vibration bases, which can be put beneath the device that you want to decouple: Anti-vibration spikes with sandwich structure and adjustable height are designed for high end audio systems. The anti-vibration effect of the spikes, which rest on massive protective disks, consists in minimizing vibration transmission between the base and audio components. Minimizing contact area results in kinetic energy turning into heat energy (entropy). The spike structure has been tuned by means of special blending of alloy and high-fiber-content steel and carbon polymers. Available colors include silver, gold, and silver-gold. BW40MKII anti-vibration bases also have a sandwich structure. The anisotropic properties of the materials used and the differences in their surface densities (tensile and compressive stresses) allowed the desired damping characteristics. Available finishing colours are silver or silver-gold. For logistics reasons, I used only BW40MKII legs, which, in the conducted test, supported an Ayon Audio Spirit III amplifier. It so happened that the legs were just above the mounts connected with the top from beneath. The spikes should be first glued to the amplifier and then precisely inserted each time into the pad holes – I could not do it despite dozens of attempts during a single session (the amplifier weighs 31 kg!). We already wrote about Rogoz Audio REVIEW: Read about Rogoz Audio 3SG40 - anti-vibration platform HERE Records used to monitor platform performance (selection) A Day at Jazz Spot 'Basie'. Selected by Shoji "Swifty" Sugawara, Stereo Sound Reference Record SSRR6-7, SACD/CD (2011). Dominic Miller, Fourth Wall, Q-rious Music QRM 108-2, CD (2006); Daft Punk, Random Access Memories, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3817, CD (2013). Nirvana, In Utero, Geffen GED 24536, CD (1993). Danielsson, Dell, Landgren, Salzau Music On The Water, ACT Music ACT 9445-2, CD (2006). Frank Sinatra, Sinatra Sings Gershwin, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music Entertainment 507878 2, CD (2003). The Modern Jazz Quartet, Pyramid, Atlantic Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-25125, “Atlantic 60th”, CD (1960/2006). Johann Sebastian Bach, St. John Passion, BWV 245, Smithsonian Chamber Players and Chorus, Kenneth Slowik, Smithsonian Collection Of Recordings ND 0381, 2 x CD (1990). Japanese versions of records available at The effect of the Rogoz Audio system on sound is easy to identify and define. Changes brought about by the platform are clear and very positive. Their character has a clearly defined direction, however, their perception might not be equally warm in all systems. After placing the amplifier on the platform with BW40MKII legs under Ayon bases, everything became more abundant. It is a truly interesting experience: let's listen to the device on a classic shelf (top) and then put it on this system (I regard the platform and the legs as a system designed to work together) – this will persuade any doubter (or, to put it more precisely, someone with inadequate knowledge) that products reducing vibration really change the sound of devices put on them. The difference is huge, a zero-one kind of difference. What improved in particular was the sound energy. Perhaps that is why I had an impression of abundance of everything – both high and low frequencies, mass and space. The sound grew and became more refined. The changes were not as fundamental as with expensive platforms from top producers such as Finite Elemente or HRS, the modification was much shallower, to put it so (it is not about the size of modification, rather its effect on the structure of sound). There is no doubt here – if you want the absolute high-end you will need to pay much more. If you have a mid-range (or basic) system, your money will be well spent. What impressed me most was the spread of the bass. Or, perhaps not as much its spread as the energy of the bass. With Mr Rogoż’s anti-vibration system, the bass from a Daft Punk album was remarkable in its volume, in its physical strike. This is a sound of a bass guitar played live with a large guitar amp. As I once said, I was at one of Edyta Bartosiewicz’s concerts marking her return to the stage. I sat then a few metres from an amp like this. During the concert, the bass player somewhat changed the sound volume, effects and also played in a different way. The platform tested had an impact on the sound of this instrument as if the musician put some more energy into it, as if he slightly turned up the sound volume knob. Without blaring, without stretching, with simply a better presence, a harder hit. To tell you more – I felt the effect of the platform the same way when I came back home from a Portishead’s concert on the 25th of June in the Nowa Huta ArcelorMittal Poland tinning hall and put on the latest third record. The amplifier put on my table top played it hard, in a complete way, with the bass going quite down (these are the characteristic features of this amplifier). I liked it. When I put the amplifier on the platform, my half-sleepy wife came from the next room with her eyes blazing and “asked” me to turn this “pounding” off. When I asked if she had heard anything earlier (I lost my sense of self-preservation for a while), she suspiciously asked if I had listened to something. She didn’t notice anything earlier. I can wholeheartedly confirm it: the second time listening was much more energetic, the bass going down much more. No wonder it was heard stronger on the other side of the wall. This is the way I enjoyed the concert I am talking about. Records do not convey a flicker of the energy and power conveyed live. Records sound chill-out! The platform pushed sound this way, it livened up the sound, infused it with energy and pulsation, increased phantom sources and enhanced their volume. These were still only records, but the sound was closer to my concert experience. High frequencies performed similarly. With the platform, the accent insignificantly yet perceptibly shifted towards the upper diameter. The change was most audible with commercial records targeted at the mass market and perhaps the direction given to the sound in the studio was brought to the fore. I do not know that for sure, I was not there. But this manifested itself in a stronger presence of the open centre, its being slightly raised. I am not talking about the brightness of the upper centre, I am talking about the centre being subjectively raised. With more purist records, including both jazz performers such as Danielsson, Dell, Landgren, Salzau Music On The Water as well as the classical music of Johann Sebastian Bach, St. John Passion – the effect I am talking about manifests itself in a clearly more refined form. Though the bass was exceptional with Daft Punk, the upper frequency range in which human voices operate was cleared to the point that you could hear the work of many people and devices associated with those voices. It was otherwise with the records I have just mentioned. I had no impression of the sound being clarified neither with a vibraphone nor with a violin. I have confirmed this impression by listening to a Sinatra’s record – what I got was a higher volume, clearer sounds without their attack being exaggerated. It seems then that the platform slightly highlights gaffes (oversights) in sound engineering. By not much, it is not an x-ray, it is more of a “sonar,” but you need to keep it in mind. Only very expensive platforms will give you something more – they will fill the message with an amount of information big enough to regard this kind of mistake indulgently. Summary The platform is large and will not fit all systems. If the table is high or is supposed to stand between tops, the platform might not be the best choice. It looks best on the floor or a low table. It has superb quality build and the top veneer looks particularly impressive – it is evident that this is the company’s forte. The metal elements are solid, though the visible welding points both between the profiles connecting the legs, between the legs themselves, and below the profiles show that this is a product of a small manufacture. The spikes supporting the top, the same as those supporting the whole platform, and mounts into which the spikes are inserted, are of ideal quality. The product as a whole makes a good impression. The shelf significantly modified the sound of the amplifier put on it. It opened the sound, added energy to it and deepened the bass. I was especially impressed with the latter. Without exaggeration, without blaring, low sounds became more prominent and faster. All sub-ranges were well clarified, which is good, but the higher diameter was sometimes conspicuous – when something on the CD was not the way it should be. It is a good, solid and affordable product with something only few products offer – incredible bass. Anti-vibration platforms should be matched for a particular system and a specific device of that system, primarily considering the changes made by the platform in sound. One also needs to take account of how the shelf will look in our room. After all, it is a piece of furniture. 4SG50/BBS + BW40MKII is a very high system, raising the device 200 mm above the floor or shelf. If it stands on the floor, no problem, it is even better, it will look great. However, if it is supposed to stand on a shelf, you should first check if you have enough space. The test was conducted as a listening comparison – the system was compared against a Base table top as well as with the amplifier standing directly on the floor. It was an A/B/A comparison, with A and B known, and 1 minute music samples.

ymposium Acoustics has been present in Poland in the official distribution since 2009 and is still represented by the same company, audiofast from Lodz. I know it from many shows and presentations, where it usually appears as a fully-fledged part of audio systems alongside electronics, speakers and cables. For the first time, however, I now had the opportunity to have a closer look at a set of Symposium Acoustic products at home. Previously I came across it only once, reviewing the Dan D'Agostino Momentum Stereo amplifier , when I used the Ultra Padz mini platforms on which it was placed. Yes, it’s that kind of quality level and that is how products from this American manufacturer are perceived in the world. For this review I asked to receive a whole set, an anti-vibration system designed for a single audio component. It included: Ultra Platform anti-vibration platform Rollerblock Series 2+ (with Superball - Tungsten Carbide Balls) isolation devices Rollerblock Series 2+ Double Stack Kit isolation devices The platform sat on double Rollerblocks (Rollerblock Series 2+ / Superball / Double Stack Kit), and the auditioned component on footers that came with the set. The Ultra Platform that evolved from the Super Platform is the second from the top in Symposium Acoustics’ product lineup. It's a nice, solid product made of several layers of varying elasticity materials. There are no elements that travel relative to each other and hence the platform can also be used under turntables, even those with decoupled subchassis. While it is not designed to protect against extremely low frequency vibration, and for that needs to be combined with other products from this American company’s catalogue, it provides a notable isolation of upper nine octaves of the audible frequency range. The Ultra has virtually no weight limit to the audio components it supports. Its top and bottom surface layers are precisely machined aluminum plates, giving it a distinctive look. The platform works on principle of multi-layered design in which layers are arranged in a specific order, from dense metal top to less dense in the middle and back again. According to the manufacturer, the idea is that the vibrations are absorbed in two directions – both from the component side and the support bottom side. To make the best use of its mechanical properties, care must be taken to provide good mechanical coupling in the two directions – between the component and the top layer of the Ultra, and between the platform’s bottom and the underlying surface. Symposium postulates that it is best to quickly transfer vibration and suppress it in different mass density layers. Hence, no components with a high mechanical ‘reactance’ (like rubber or elastomer) are used and all connections are rigid. Together with the Ultra Platform, we receive three large metal Precision Couplers with perfectly polished tops and bottoms, to be used instead of standard component’s feet. The manufacturer recommends placing the Couplers directly between one’s component's chassis and the top of the Ultra Platform. This is to help quickly drain vibration energy from the component, and prevent it from being trapped. However, if we want something more, it will be inevitable to reach for what the Americans are probably best known for – the Rollerblock isolation/coupling system. They operate on a similar principle to that we find in the Cera series of spacers from Finite Elemente and the feet from Franc Audio Accessories. In short - a ball acting as a mechanical interface is inserted between two hard surfaces. In the Rollerblocks we have very heavy, despite their small size, Tungsten Carbide Balls. The Finite and Franc products employ ceramic balls and the Human Audio Libretto HD CD player uses steel ones (see HERE). In the Symposium isolation devices the balls sit in polished steel cups. The latter are in turn mounted to rectangular blocks with a specially shaped bottom that improves mechanical coupling between the body of the block and the supporting surface on which it is placed. The blocks are made of aircraft grade aluminum and are finished with s special "hard-coat" anodizing. It resembles a roller bearing design, highly praised in the context of vibration isolation by Mr. Wladyslaw Skrzypczak, owner of Pro Audio Bono (see HERE). All the more so as the ball can be put in the Double Stack Kit to make a three-piece unit. The Rollerblocks are mainly used under audio components. But they can also be used under the Ultra platform which was what I did. A review published by the magazine "Confessions of a Part-Time Audiophile" quotes the following statement by Peter Bizlewicz, head of Symposium, on the newest version of Rollerblocks: In 1999, Symposium determined that grade precision – that is, how perfectly round each ball is, and how similar in size each ball is to each other – is of critical importance to performance in ball bearing isolation devices. All Tungsten Carbide balls now supplied by Symposium are Grade 10 precision; off-the-shelf bearings, by comparison, are Grade 100, or 10 times LESS precise. How perfectly round a ball is has a profound effect upon its vibrational characteristics and directly influences the amount of distortion produced (or not produced) by the Rollerblock system as it responds to micro-displacements caused by vibration. The more perfect a ball and the more uniform each ball is, the better the Rollerblock system can respond to vibration, and the less distortion is induced into the electro-mechanical system which the Rollerblock system is protecting. Scot Hull, Symposium Acoustics: Rollerblock Series 2+, Junior, Svelte Shelf, Precision Couplers and more, „ Confessions of a Part-Time Audiophile”, 14.12.2012, see HERE, accessed: 18.06.2013. Records used during auditions A Day at Jazz Spot 'Basie'. Selected by Shoji "Swifty" Sugawara, Stereo Sound Reference Record SSRR6-7, SACD/CD (2011). Dominic Miller, Fourth Wall, Q-rious Music QRM 108-2, CD (2006); Daft Punk, Random Access Memories, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3817, CD (2013). Nirvana, In Utero, Geffen GED 24536, CD (1993). Danielsson, Dell, Landgren, Salzau Music On The Water, ACT Music ACT 9445-2, CD (2006). Frank Sinatra, Sinatra Sings Gershwin, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music Entertainment 507878 2, CD (2003). The Modern Jazz Quartet, Pyramid, Atlantic Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-25125, “Atlantic 60th”, CD (1960/2006). Johann Sebastian Bach, St. John Passion, BWV 245, Smithsonian Chamber Players and Chorus, Kenneth Slowik, Smithsonian Collection Of Recordings ND 0381, 2 x CD (1990). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from It is interesting that while anti-vibration platforms come in different designs and employ various types of materials, as long as the theory behind them translates into practice, the end result is generally similar and the sonic changes are in a similar direction. There are, of course, differences; what they have in common, however, appeals to us more strongly. The reason is that the sound is more refined with such a "contraption" under an audio component. The system from Symposium is a perfect illustration. Initially, it is not clear what to look for. The sonic change is clear, but only after three or four tracks a pattern can be noticed and we are able to identify the elements that change after coming over from an ordinary shelf. It results in a slightly different "set" of changes in each track on every disc, but their origin is common. This is actually quite symptomatic of vibration isolation products. Listening to the components for which they are intended as they sit on their own feet on a classic shelf of an equipment rack, if they are good components and the sound is good (which means that the audio system has been set up properly) it doesn’t seem to need any improvement. We are aware of the fact that swapping a component for another, usually much more expensive, will bring an improvement but we don’t really care for now, since we are happy with our current "belongings" and at the same time somewhat apprehensive of what a misguided upgrade might bring. It is true until we make an "extracorporeal" upgrade, something - at first glance - insignificant such as changing the surface on which the component sits. If everything else is fine and our efforts to set up a coherent audio system proved successful, "plugging" the Ultra Platform with the Rollerblocks in the audio chain will show what it’s been missing. Symposium products release in the sound what we call air around instruments, their acoustic environment. To some extent, they also improve room acoustics – natural or sound engineered – but the most striking, colossal change concerns the immediate space around the instruments and vocals. Everything seems take a little step back and is not as close to the listener as before. Yet it’s not because something is now muffled, but rather because it is clearer and we are presented with more information. While the piano on Daft Punk’s Within track previously seemed resonant and free, with the Symposium it is deeper, more resonant and freer. Moving over from the platform back to the shelf moderates all that. The sound becomes closer again, or so it seems, but it is much drier and less refined. The American products enhance the depth of sound. It was incredibly clear and tangible on Sinatra's track I've Got A Crush On You. After placing the amplifiers on the Symposium his vocals grew bigger and nicer. In comparison, they seemed crippled before, sounding dry and lifeless. It was a very interesting experience, because I was dealing with mono material, more than sixty-year old. Sometimes the vocals are closer up to the listener. If everything is OK, we're happy with that. However, sooner or later, usually on other tracks than those listened to in the beginning, it turns out to be an exaggeration and we realize that some "breath" is needed, a little distance from the recording plane. The Symposium gives something like that. It indulges us with a large space, distances us from the foreground, and at the same time brings us emotionally closer to the artist. Really great! Lifelessness is probably the best word to briefly describe the sound without the Rollerblocks and without the platform. In spite of what I’ve said before that without a point of reference it can’t be easily heard and hence we’re not aware of it. What’s really puzzling is how much our evaluation of the sound depends on our experience that comes through listening to audio products and systems better than our own! Conclusion The anti-vibration system from Symposium will bring out the best from our audio components, without changing their color and general sonic "parameters" for which we value them. The amount of treble does not change, for example. With the platform the treble is more vibrant and much deeper, but its overall level remains exactly the same. Some improvements, such as the better resolution, vibrancy, and definition are clear and reproducible from album to album. Nevertheless, that does not change the overall tonal balance. We can, however, have an impression of such change in the case of midrange. The reason is that one of the advantages of the American products is a better tonal saturation, adding taste and maturity to the sound. Hence, the vocals and instruments seem stronger and better defined in that range. This, in turn, creates a feeling of "stronger" midrange. But it is really not so. I had to listen to a few albums I know very well to come up with a kind of explanation: the whole range from the mid-bass to the top end had a very similar tonal balance with or without the Symposium products. Nothing was emphasized or withdrawn. Subjectively, however, the midrange seemed stronger. It is not a zero-one kind of change, which takes place with a real shift of accent and color modification, but rather a different "flavor" of the sound. The accent does not change as clearly as with the platforms from HRS or CEC, but it is even deeper, more visceral. So if we are missing something like that in our system, if we like deep vocals that slightly dominate the rest of the presentation, the Symposium system will be the best high-end modification to our audio system we can imagine. It will not break anything in an already set up system, but instead will emphasize the features we most care about. During the review the platform was placed on the top plywood shelf of the Base VI [Custom Version] rack, supported by the three sets of Rollerblock Series 2+ / Tungsten Superballs / Double Stacks – one in front, two in the rear. The auditioned component was the Ayon Audio Spirit III integrated tube amplifier. The audition was a multiply repeated A/B/A comparison with the A and B known. The A was the sound of the amplifier sitting directly on the rack shelf, and the B was with the platform under the amplifier. For a cross-comparison I used the RST-38H platform from Acoustic Revive and the Pagode Edition from Finite Elemente. I listened to 1 min. long music samples. Distribution in Poland FAST M.J. Orszańscy s. j. Romanowska 55e, | 91-174 Łódź | Polska tel.: 42 61 33 750 | fax: 42 61 33 751 e-mail: info@audiofast.pl audiofast.pl

Monolith Audio brand is a little enigmatic. The owners of this.pl Audio, a company owning this brand, eagerly share information about the design, but avoid disclosing much information about designers team: The design of this anti-vibration platform was created by a this.pl Audio team lead by Tomasz Kamiennik and Arkadiusz Supieta. We were hoping that we would be able to send you a unit from a regular production but as we didn't manage to start regular production we had to ship a pre-production unit, the only one we actually had at our disposal. As it is a pre-production version it still has some minor flaws that, of course, won't be a case with final product. The official name of this platform is "Anti-vibration Platform Monolith Audio", so no model name – in this way we wanted to express that this was our flagship model. Several people were involved in this project, so it would be difficult to name all of them even if we tried. Each and every of this people brought something to the project in their area of expertise, even if some inputs were quite small, they still were vital for the success of the whole project. Anyway, two leading persons of this project were: Arkadiusz Supieta and Tomasz Kamiennik. There are another two man responsible for the block design and anti-vibration feet, who do not wish their names to be disclosed. The previous version was equipped with ceramic feet (made of ceramic alloys), and you had reviewed it already some time ago, but the production of these feet was so expensive that we decided to replace them with something costing less but equally good from sonic point of view. The recipe of an alloy we use now for feet is to remain undisclosed by the request of its designer. What we can tell you is that this is not an aluminum alloy, and that the designer is a person who has been active in audio industry for many years. Tomasz Kamiennik Lets summarize what we already know. This brand belongs to the Polish company this.pl Audio, who is a Polish distributor of well known brands like: Rega, Guru, Neotech and ArtAudioLab, but also a manufacturer of wooden elements for other companies. Actually the main field of company's activity is a production of wooden components, and raw wooden panels for other manufacturers. Most of company's production output is exported to the most demanding European customers. This.pl Audio has its own CNC machining center, 3D moulding machine, as well as its own drying room and paint room. The company offers also following services: • loudspeaker casings • casings for audio devices and accessories • turntable plinths • platforms, bases and stands • wood panel fronts • roller painting • spray painting (also high polish piano finish). The platform under review consists of two wooden panels – a thicker, heavier upper one, and thinner, lighter lower one. Both panels are decoupled with small balls made of some undisclosed alloy. It looks like a tungsten carbide, but that's just my guess. I also don't know what the cradles for balls are made of. There is a company's logo which is also a name of the platform engraved on the front edge of the platform. Although Mr Kamiennik declared it was only a pre-production unit (I needed it to be delivered quickly for this review), apart from few very small details, make and finish were great. This platform is very well made, looks damn well, its really heavy and its impact on the sound is very obvious. When you look at it, see how it is made, then listen how it impacts sonic of the device placed on it, you have to admit that this price is a real bargain. Anti-vibration feet The platform combines two special wooden plates with three anti-vibration feet between them. Each foot consists of a ball placed between two round, concave discs. When a weight is applied to the upper board all three feet try to achieve a balanced position, which means that each ball should find itself between lowest spot of lower disc and highest spot of upper disc. This helps to compensate vibrations coming from below platform by micro-movements of upper board. The precise placement of all discs has great importance as it guaranties that platform works in a way it was designed to. Using some kind of ball suspension is not a new idea, but the key factor here is a choice of materials balls are made of. This product evolved over few years during many tests and trials and the final choice was a proprietary alloy. Wood type Anti-vibration feet are not the only element that dampens vibrations, the other one is a special structure of both wooden boards. Boards are namely made of a pine wood. But this is not any pine wood, but carefully selected wood with the natural parallel wood grain that ensures a deep aesthetic experience and proper dampening properties. Using of alternate layers of soft and hard material helps to dampen vibrations, and lack of knags eliminates risk of vibration transmission between layers. Owing to the block structure, it is possible to obtain material with no defects, one that is dimensionally stable in changeable conditions of use. This wood looks a lot like plywood as it has several layers, some of which are softer, some are harder which also helps to dissipate vibrations. Pine wood was chosen for some reasons. The most important are special proprieties of this wood, its multilayer structure, and its high availability is also an important factor. In order to manufacture one platform, it is necessary to presort ca. 100M3(!) of sawn timber that is dried to reach the humidity of 8-10%, which requires a lot of work and high production capacities. There are few manufacturers who could afford such a hard selection and using so few material sorted out of such a large quantity. But in this case the material that is not selected is sold to other companies manufacturing windows, doors and so on. Wood used for platforms comes from own sources, than it is properly dried, and finally used for platform production, which ensures high, repeatable quality of each unit. Manufacturer of this platform has an additional asset - its 35 years of experience in wood business. Mr Kamiennik told me also that they did some trials with beechwood, but considering presumption of a block design, this material couldn't be used as it wasn't dimensionally stable in changeable conditions of use. This type of wood is harder (than pinewood), its structure is homogenous and as a result it rather propagates vibrations instead of damping them. Oak wood wasn't really considered because of its hardness and embrittlement. Other materials were not even considered because they were not commonly used in wood related business, and this was a necessary condition to make sure that the most of the material not used for platforms could be sold to other manufacturers. Upon customer's order it is possible to make such a platform of any wood (although it will not have the same properties) in any color in any size. Monolith Audio in HighFidelity • TEST (as a part of a system): Rega RP6 'Union Flag Edition' + Exact – turntable + cartridge, see HERE • AWARD (as a part of the system): Best Sound Audio Show 2012, see HERE Recordings used during test (a selection) A Day at Jazz Spot 'Basie'. Selected by Shoji "Swifty" Sugawara, Stereo Sound Reference Record SSRR6-7, SACD/CD (2011). Daft Punk, Random Access Memories, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3817, CD (2013). Danielsson, Dell, Landgren, Salzau Music On The Water, ACT Music ACT 9445-2, CD (2006). Dominic Miller, Fourth Wall, Q-rious Music QRM 108-2, CD (2006); Frank Sinatra, Sinatra Sings Gershwin, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music Entertainment 507878 2, CD (2003). Johann Sebastian Bach, St. John Passion, BWV 245, Smithsonian Chamber Players and Chorus, Kenneth Slowik, Smithsonian Collection Of Recordings ND 0381, 2 x CD (1990). Portishead, Dummy, Go! Disc Limited/Universal Music LLC (Japan) UICY-20164, “My Generation My Music”, SHM-CD (1994/2011). Portishead, Third, Go! Disc/Universal Music K.K. (Japan) UICI-1069, CD (2008). The Modern Jazz Quartet, Pyramid, Atlantic Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-25125, “Atlantic 60th”, CD (1960/2006). Japanese versions of CD and SACD available at A structure of human ear is a subject of studies of science called physiology, how a man perceives sound is an object of psychology studies. The branch of science that studies physical structure of human ear, the way that sound has to travel, and the interactions between these two is called psychoacoustics. It is a relatively new branch of science of particular interest for us, as it covers both, human ear structure and how this ear works. The soundwave entering human ear starts some processes, that result in sending signal via nerve cells to the brain thus creating some auditory sensation. At this point a question arises: how the sounds are recognized and interpreted in our brain? Despite many years of research considering all aspects of human hearing, our knowledge in this respect is still limited. […] We can't actually „read” results from eyes or ears, but ears are a perfect instrument for making comparisons F. Alton Everest, Master handbook of acoustics, Katowice 2010, p. 65, 95. I couldn't think of a better introduction to the Monolith Audio platform review. As you will see in the „Test methodology” section I did A/B/A comparisons with A and B known. „A” in this case is an amplifier standing directly on my rack, and „B” amplifier standing on platform. I used 1 minute long samples for this test. It is the simplest experiment man can perform, that offers relatively scientific and reliable results. To perform it one, obviously, needs a lot of experience, and some sort of training in „listening” that comes with years of doing it. As the author of Master… wrote, a skilled man after proper training, when listening to the sound of violin is able to tell apart different aliquot tones from a basic tone. When comparing platforms to a shelf of a regular rack even not so „skilled” person should be able to hear some differences. An inexperienced audiophile/music lover might have a problem with proper interpretation of these differences. For example – when one moves amplifier from shelf to the platform sound seems to get bit darker. When one moves it the other way around sound seems to be more dull. Which impression is actually real? Both are, but they require proper interpretation, which is only possible if one realizes what FORCES such perception of the sound. Moving amplifier from shelf to the platform slightly moves tonal balance towards lower end plus there is a general impression of a more orderly presentation. It seems that there is less treble, and that presentation centers more around lower midrange. I had a similar impression with CEC Wellfloat platform (see HERE). The Japanese platform apart from many things it did right, also introduced small tonal alterations. Monolith Audio doesn't change tonality at all, instead it makes listener to focus his attention on something else than before. But the consequences are far more important than you might think after reading this previous sentence. Slightly lower tonal balance comes in fact from much better resolution and better definition. Treble doesn't attract attention so much any more, because it seems to be integrated better with the rest of the range. It is clearer and richer. So actually when you compare sound of an amplifier put on the shelf with same amp placed on the platform, the sound of former setup (A) seems bit brighter, harsher, with not so much punch in the bass. This sound seems bit raw, less sophisticated. Obviously that is a subjective assessment because when I finished my test and got used to listening to this amplifier without platform, I started to appreciate its sound again, and I also liked it a lot. The point is that when I placed it on Monolith (sound B) sound got even better, which made me think about how we really perceive sound, how we interpret it; it is not a simple, „linear” process at all. The tonality did not really change a lot – other elements of sound changed and that affected my perception of tonal balance. As I already said, psychoacoustics influences our subjective perception of objective changes. That is why going back from platform (B) to my stand (A) produced different observations. Then I could hear that amplifier, when placed directly on the shelf of my rack, without additional anti-vibration platform, sounded dull. I observed the same effect each time with different recordings – sound A seemed flat, muddy, like with its colors bleached. Placing an amp on the platform (B) immediately added some verve, colors, vividity to the sound. When I got used to the „new” sound (B) I could finally try to define what changes to the sound should be expected when using Monolith Audio platform, and even try to establish why. This platform improves resolution of the sound, I have no doubts about that, because presentation gets richer and the differentiation better. Without this platform in the system all music seems to sound more alike. For example all cymbals on A Day at Jazz Spot 'Basie'… sounded the same, and dynamics on Portishead's Dummy didn't change at all, and Beth Gibbons' voice always delivered the same level of emotions. Which was of course false in all of these cases even considering that these recordings are much more quiet than anything you might hear during live concert. And I've recently attended one – in Hala Ocynowni ArcelorMittal (June, 25th 2013). A concert is a pure power, energy. But regardless such a huge contrast between live performance and above mentioned recording, when listening to the latter using good quality system you can easily tell, that Gibbons' voice is not flat at all – there are a lot of different emotions in it, and it has a nice depth to it. Monolith allows you to hear even such small nuances and even with hardly compressed material of an old recordings that are not supposed to contain so much information about dynamics and such a nice three-dimesionality. The first example are above mentioned albums of Portishead, available as SHM-CD (highly recommended version – available at CD Japan). The other is amazing Sinatra from Sinatra Sings Gershwin. Not all pieces on this album are so well recorded, but you should listen to 1947 I’ve Got A Crush On You, and then you should wonder what's wrong with the recording industry as within last 60 years not only haven't they improved recording techniques, but maybe even got it worse. An amplifier placed on the platform delivered Gibbons' and Sinatra's voices with bigger volume, in a more intense, more colorful way. The whole presentation sounded better, but the elements that profited most from using Monolith were vocals. Now there were more 3D instrument bodies, also voices gained some body, there was finally a real „chemistry” between musicians – it all seemed like a color, sharpness and clarity were added to and old discolored photograph. Summary As always I'd like to point out that there is some subjectivity to all my observations. I don't mean that these are not reliable or listener's dependent. What I mean is something that is called in the literature a „learning curve”. There is no such thing as an „absolute sound” and none of us really knows it. In our audio business we have some references, the best sound we know, and until we hear a better one we don't really know it even exists. Only when we finally come across something more sophisticated, more complex we realize that our reference point is only just that – a point on a long line going to non-existing “absolute sound”, and not the end of this line. The anti-vibration platforms are a good example of this process, especially the Monolith Audio one. Since this platform doesn't change tonality of an amplifier placed on it there is no quantitative change/improvement. What we witness is a qualitative change/improvement. It delivers better resolution, that is followed by better depth, better differentiation which leads to more vivid, more „alive” performance. I was satisfied with the sound of an amplifier before I placed it on Polish platform for a first time, but once I did place it there I simply could go back to listening to it without Monolith Audio platform. When using only our ears all we can do is to compare what we hear. While testing audio products we compare an object of a test with our reference device of the same kind. When testing anti-vibration platforms one more variable has to be considered – a device we put on the platform. Reviewing different platforms I used few devices but the main one was Ayon Audio Spirit III integrated amplifier. I chose it because it is a tube device (tubes are susceptible to microphoning effect), has large transformers (that generate vibrations) and it's quite heavy (31 kg). The latter factor allowed me to put a lot of pressure on the platforms. During tests I occasionally used also Jeff Rowland 625 power amp and Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition CD Player. Test, as already mentioned, was based on many A/B/A comparisons, with known A and B: A was a top shelf of my Base VI [Custom Version] rack, and B was a Monolith Audio platform. I compared it also to other platforms like: CEC Wellfloat, HRS M3X and Rogoz Audio 4SG50. I used 1 minute music samples. Polish distributor this.pl Audio ul. Nowickiego 5/54 | 02-112 Warszawa | Poland tel. +48 78 4 50 50 50 www.this.pl

hile you're reading this text, the latest issue of Polish „Audio” magazine should be already available, containing my test of the Japanese C.E.C. (I should use from this moment on CEC abbreviation to make it easier) CD3N CD Player. It's an outstanding product, one of the first made in a new, own factory build in Japan, some time after a „divorce” with Carlos Candeias. A trauma after this „divorce” was so significant that Japanese decided to go back to their core activity and manufacture only CD Players/Transports – for now there are no amplifiers with CEC logo, or are any even planned in the nearest future! CEC is a large Japanese company, that has been manufacturing OEM audio parts since 1954, mostly turntable elements like motors, power supplies and bearings. They had such well known customers as SME and Oracle. In 1993 they presented the first product with their own brand, that was named: TL1 drive. This device quickly earned a lot of interest because of its innovative Belt Drive CD mechanism. A lot has changed since then but this drive has been and still is what differentiates CEC from other manufacturers. The flagship at the moment is a TL-0X model. It's a masterpiece of engineering art, with two belts driving main ax and laser pickup. The TL0X's revolutionary three part chassis suppresses micro-vibrations and resonances that cause unwanted jitter in the digital data stream. A superior isolation of the TL0X drive mechanism has been achieved by suspending it from three rubber-damped suspension, which towers extend to their tiptoe feet as unified assemblies to decouple resonances from the chassis and drive mechanism. The drive mechanism is a massive 30mm sandwich of nonmagnetic materials with dissimilar resonances a 20mm aluminum plate and a 10mm brass plate. Since the drive mechanism is only slightly wider than the compact disc it must hold, the susceptibility to airborne interference is greatly reduced. I mentioned that because CEC offers also an anti-vibration platform that works in a similar way. There are two boards – upper and lower - and they use a patented pendulum movement floating suspension system. The system consist of an U-shaped special stainless steel spring connected via a piano wire. When weight is applied on top board, U-shaped stainless steel comes down to make piano wire free movement. Piano wire works for pendulum movement. Thus the vibration up-down, right-left, forward-backward will be totally absorbed. This is super effective at minimizing floor vibrations and eliminating microphonics within components. Obviously CEC wanted to offer to its customers something that would work basing on similar approach as the suspension in their own flagship CD Transport. The Wellfloat platform carries CEC logo, but in fact it was designed by other Japanese company, G-CLEF Acoustic, and Wellfloat is a brand name (owned by Zeke lev sound Co., Ltd.) that is used for the whole family of platforms. The ASB3545WF Wellfloat model, we received for a review, is also called Wellfloat BW-001 and it is offered also by some other Japanese companies (AirBow for example). C.E.C in HighFidelity TEST: C.E.C. DA 3N i TL 3N – D/A converter + CD Transport, see HERE TEST: C.E.C. CD 3800 + AMP 3800 – CD Player + integrated amplifier, see HERE TEST: C.E.C. DA53N – D/A converter, see HERE TEST: C.E.C. TL53Z + AMP53 - CD Player + integrated amplifier, see HERE TEST: C.E.C. TL51XR – CD Player, see HERE TEST: C.E.C. TL1N/DX1N – CD Transport + D/A converter (world premiere), see HERE TEST: C.E.C. AMP3300R – integrated amplifier, see HERE TEST: C.E.C. AMP6300 – integrated amplifier, see HERE Recordings used during test (a selection) A Day at Jazz Spot 'Basie'. Selected by Shoji "Swifty" Sugawara, Stereo Sound Reference Record SSRR6-7, SACD/CD (2011). Dominic Miller, Fourth Wall, Q-rious Music QRM 108-2, CD (2006); Daft Punk, Random Access Memories, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3817, CD (2013). Nirvana, In Utero, Geffen GED 24536, CD (1993). Danielsson, Dell, Landgren, Salzau Music On The Water, ACT Music ACT 9445-2, CD (2006). Frank Sinatra, Sinatra Sings Gershwin, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music Entertainment 507878 2, CD (2003). The Modern Jazz Quartet, Pyramid, Atlantic Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-25125, “Atlantic 60th”, CD (1960/2006). Johann Sebastian Bach, St. John Passion, BWV 245, Smithsonian Chamber Players and Chorus, Kenneth Slowik, Smithsonian Collection Of Recordings ND 0381, 2 x CD (1990). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available at The anti-vibration platforms come in all forms and shapes. I think that the only common element of almost all of them is a flat surface one puts a device on. There are still some exceptions – there are „spider” platforms , with just some sort of frame with feet, one puts device on. Anyway – whatever it looks like it is the look that impresses us most even though its the sound, the design, the idea behind particular solution that should be more important factors when choosing platform for particular system. For me how the platform looks like, or should I say, how the device I put on a platform presents itself on it, is equally important. Honestly Wellfloat doesn't really fulfill the last criteria too well. When put next to any other platform I tested for this issue of „High Fidelity”, it looked unimpressive: its height was smaller, there were no elements that would attract the eye, and it was... well, just black. By its look it reminded me of a Polish product manufactured many years ago by a company Troks. Both are made of two decoupled MDF boards and that's it. At least until you check the smallest details that, as I found out later, really make a difference and make CEC platform one of the most interesting products I tested for this issue. You can find similar information in marketing material from many companies dealing with vibration dampening, or turntable manufacturing, that in the process of vibration dampening it is important to deal with movements in horizontal plane to minimize them, while leaving lateral movements unaffected. This goes for turntable suspension as well as for CD Transports and anti-vibration platforms. That is why Wellfloat designer's approach is quite unorthodox, but obviously using pendulum movement floating suspension system is very effective. A sound of an amplifier put on CEC platform seemed very mature. Although tonal balance did not change almost at all (I mean there was no emphasis on any part of the range, nor roll-off of any), it seemed as if a general balance was placed slightly lower. Sound was very rich, saturated, with more three-dimensional instrument bodies. It also seemed slightly warmer. And again, like when concerning tonal balance, it was more of an impression than true sonic change, and it was caused by an immanent set of features that this platform introduced to sound. I already told you about richness of the sound. You can hear it mostly in the midrange, which makes sound more palpable, richer. But it doesn’t mean that soundstage gets closer to the listener. Usually warmer sound means also that the front plane gets closer to the listener, attracts his attention and on the other hand it decreases the depth of the soundstage. This platform does the opposite – whatever is happening in the front of the soundstage seems to get back a bit giving listener an even better perspective. But since bodies of instruments are more three-dimensional, with a clearer outlines, what we get is more distinct, more 3D sound that we can watch from some perspective and not just up close. Also everything that happens deeper into the stage is shown in a clearer, more distinct way. At the beginning one might think that there is less treble, that it is more dull. But again that's just the first impression. What one really gets is a much richer treble. I could hear that very clearly when listening to the breathtaking, realistically sounding Salzau… – when different elements of artistic installation were jogged from time to time by musicians (see the pictures taken during recording) the slightly dull sounds made by them, sounded truly realistic. I could guess what these pieces of installation were made of and how strongly they were hit. When I listened to this recording with CEC platform under amplifier, these sounds were no longer just occasional, additional elements I listened to independently from the music, but they became a part of the performance, having common acoustic background with singing birds (it was recorded at the lakeside), with instruments' texture, with „air” surrounding musicians that „sounded” different from own tapes' hiss or microphones' noise. It was a PERFORMANCE and not just a listening session. Actually you don't need such a sophisticated recording to hear and appreciate what I'm talking about. Nicely produced, but still a commercial production (meaning – meant for wide audience and many different playback systems) a Daft Punk album sounded more natural, and the sounds of all instruments coexisted in a better harmony, playing together and not just one next to the other. Until I heard that I was very happy with the sound without this platform – the Ayon amplifier and Jeff Rowland D/A converter delivered a nicely extended range, great dynamics, fast attack, and very good timbre. A vibrant, powerful piano opening Within piece seemed to offer bit lower pitch, but this change was introduced by an Austrian amplifier, as I did not hear that with Jeff Roland's DAC itself. There was a nice, fast attack of a kick drum and rich, saturated voice right after that. The platform did not do any significant, revolutionary changes. As already mentioned Wellfloat does not change the tonal balance much. It rather introduces a lot of information to the presentation, as if there was more sound in sound. Sound is more dense, and everything that is happening is more meaningful. The outlines of instruments become better defined, but their three-dimesionality seems to gain even more, and the differentiation of instruments improves. After a while I took platform out and sound seemed flatter, lost some depth. It doesn't mean that there is some problem with amplifier, nor DAC – these are very good devices – but it is a way our brains work – the best sound we hear automatically becomes a reference, and that makes us immediately forget about previous reference. When listening to Daft Punk recording I also heard something, that, when now going back to listening to it before reviewing Wellfloat, I also heard but didn't fully realize. When I listened to, already mentioned, Within I realized that when kick drum hit very hard with a very low sound, difference between the sound with and without platform was very clear, surprisingly clear. This might be the best, short description of how Wellfloat influences sound: what you get with Wellfloat reminds of what you get with a very good, closed design speakers, compared to what you get without it reminding a sound from bas-reflex design. Even the best BR speakers offer very good impulse attack phase and somehow worse decay phase. Closed designs deal with decay phase in a much better way. That offers clearer sound, although bass is not so well extended. Sometimes you might miss powerful punch of a BR design, but in this particular case of CEC platform, you might not even hear that. The lower midrange is so rich, and so 3D that this part of the range attracts attention giving us little chance to realize that we might be lacking something in the upper or lower part of the range. Summary The CEC anti-vibration platform is quite an inconspicuous design. You cant' really see how elaborate mechanism was used, as it is hidden from our eyes inside upper board. Also its height is rather unimpressive – the upper board is 30 mm thick, the lower just 15 mm plus there are few millimeters clearance between them, which will make it a perfect choice for systems where the space is limited. Its only downside, and that's from my point of view as for some of you it might be an upside, is that it looks so normal, so „boring”. Other than that it does its job extremely well, slightly changing the sound towards bit warmer, more 3D presentation. Most of the manufacturers of resonance control/damping products specialize only in these. Surely there are some examples of companies doing otherwise, like Finite Elemente for example, that manufactured also some lifestyle electronics (Hohrizontal), and surely some others too, but most manufacturers stick to what they do best. Some manufacturers of loudspeakers and/or electronics also introduce some vibration control products once in a while, but usually they do it to complement their portfolio rather than to become an important player in this business. So it should not be a surprise that CEC, a synonym of belt drive CD players, asked a specialized company to prepare an anti-vibration platform for them. I have no idea whether this is a coincident or not, but the solution used by Wellfloat is similar to the solution used in TL-0X – the top model of CEC CD transport. Another interesting fact is, that these platforms were originally designed to be used with loudspeakers, which is clearly stated by its full name in the manual. Later on in the manual you will find information that it can be used with amplifiers, speakers and other components. It is highly recommended for turntables and CEC CD transports and players with belt drive. In fact there are two logos on the sides of each platform – on shorter, and on longer side – so depending on its application (wider side to the front under electronics, shorter side to the front under most speakers) there will always be a logo on the front side. This platform measures 350 x 450 x 58(h) mm and it weights 5,5 kg. A weight capacity of Wellfloat is between 5 and 90 kg. During this test I used Wellfloat for Ayon Audio Spirit III amplifier, Jeff Rowland Aeris D/A converter and Ancient Audio Lector AIR V-edition CD Player. Test was run as A/B/A comparison repeated many times, with A and B known. The platform was placed on the top shelf of my Base VI [Custom Version] stand with shelves made of special plywood. I was comparing the influence of using WellFloat by putting each device on it and directly on the top shelf of my Base stand. I used 1 minute music samples, meaning shorter than usually, but that allowed me to repeat test many times without getting to tired of carrying quite heavy devices. Polish Distributor RCM S.C. 40-077 Katowice | ul. Matejki | Polska tel.: 32/206 40 16 | 32/201 40 96 | fax: 32/253 71 88 e-mail: rcm@rcm.com.pl www.rcm.com.pl

am familiar with Divine Acoustics as a manufacturer of unique, very interesting speakers, with a wide front panel resembling an open baffle but with a classic cabinet sporting a midwoofer assisted by a bass-reflex port. Their appearance is absolutely unique and while in the details their finish reveals a tiny manufacturer, it is very interesting. I am sure that with appropriate capital that allows to go crazy with CNC machines and with unlimited access to the materials Mr. Peter Galkowski, the owner and designer in one person, would be able to make products looking better than most swanky Italian designs. It doesn’t mean that now there are some problems; it’s simply that the limits force him to think harder than if they were not there which is reflected, again, in the details. Generally, however, it is a high quality assembly work, a lot of it put in fine-tuning of the details and a "tasty" look. An e-mail about a new product of the company, thrown in my mailbox in October 2012, concerned, however, something completely different – an anti-vibration platform: Hello and welcome! I'm preparing the latest product - GRAVITY. It will be an anti-vibration platform in the form of a base resting on four legs. It consists of more than 200 elements and uses over 20 different materials including gemstones for vibration damping. Currently I’m assembling the first few units and around Saturday / Sunday I am planning a photo session. Would it be possible to place photos and description in this month’s news section? If so, when at the latest can I send the information? I will be grateful for your response. Yours sincerely Piotr Galkowski The surprising move turns out to result, as I assume, from working with speakers that, due to a very shallow cabinet, require an appropriate platform to keep them in the vertical position and at the same time isolate them from the ground. In the Electra 2 model, for example, Mr. Piotr employed a sandwich type platform, consisting of two outer layers of MDF with a plastic mass in the middle. An additional absorber was a layer of cork under the speaker. The whole sat on spikes that we also find under the Gravity anti-vibration platform, which is what I would to talk about this time. This platform has been designed for CD, DVD and Blu-ray players, amplifiers (especially tube amps) and turntables. Although it seems to remind many other platforms, especially the 3SG30 from Rogoz Audio, a Polish manufacturer (see HERE), its design and look are quite different. While it’s a platform with a frame and a worktop "lying" on it, it is housed in a kind of enclosure and uses a different type of mechanical coupling between the support and the top. Although, as I said, they are completely different designs in details, their similarity results from using round tubes with spikes, acting as feet. I assume that the frame is also similar; here the pipes are not welded together but mounted as a lever to the bottom. But that's where the similarities end. The Gravity, although it costs surprisingly little, is a product composed of 200 items! As the manufacturer says, more than 20 materials with different densities and damping factors has been used to build it, and the resonance damping and distribution system was created during testing that employed a variable frequency vibration generator. And he adds further: It enables the platform to very effectively suppress the vibrations in the range of 40-120 Hz which are harmful vibrations generated in audio components transformers and caused by electrical network. The platform rests on four aluminum feet with adjustable chrome spikes. Each foot is connected to the lower deck of the platform independently by using rigid thick wall steel tubes coated with black PVC and filled with a mixture of damping materials. Each tube has a different length and, thus, suppresses a different range of frequencies. At first sight the Gravity looks classic, though there’s no denying its character - it looks quite predatory. Its sides are covered with eco-leather with the model name embossed at the front. The sides are rigidly connected with the top surface that looks like an artificial coral, something known from the German Copulare platforms. It turns out, however, that this is another "patent". The top (visible) layer on which the component is placed is described this way: It has been made of a combination of epoxy, acrylic and filling - irregularly shaped fractionated minerals. The structure of the layer requires a very complex process during its application and slow drying to prevent the formation of internal stresses, because after drying the material exhibits shape memory properties. The irregular layer structure perfectly dampens resonances coming from the component sitting on it. Close to the front edge of the platform the level scale has been mounted, similar to those found in turntables, to help in leveling the platform. The whole structure - the sides and the top - is independent of the feet. They move quite freely up and down, in the range of 1 cm. After placing the platform, it does not feel to have any spring elements inside. The whole unit is rigid, although the box is independent of the supports. As we read in the company materials, the lower deck has been dampened with a special acrylic coating containing silica and cork mats. It provides the basis for the three steel rods. At the top, there are gemstones that were selected during listening sessions, as a result of matching them to this specific project. Thanks to their crystal structure, high hardness and a diamond cut they are an excellent isolating material for broad frequency spectrum. On the gemstones lies the worktop made of four different density layers. Standard dimensions of the worktop are 44 cm (17in) width and 38 cm (15in) depth (the worktop can be made with custom dimensions), and its weight is 8 kg. Divine Acoustics in “High Fidelity” • REVIEW: Divine Acoustics ELECTRA 2 – floorstanding speakers, see HERE • REVIEW: Divine Acousitcs PROXIMA – floorstanding speakers, see HERE Albums used during this review A Day at Jazz Spot 'Basie'. Selected by Shoji "Swifty" Sugawara, Stereo Sound Reference Record SSRR6-7, SACD/CD (2011). Dominic Miller, Fourth Wall, Q-rious Music QRM 108-2, CD (2006); Daft Punk, Random Access Memories, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3817, CD (2013). Nirvana, In Utero, Geffen GED 24536, CD (1993). Danielsson, Dell, Landgren, Salzau Music On The Water, ACT Music ACT 9445-2, CD (2006). Frank Sinatra, Sinatra Sings Gershwin, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music Entertainment 507878 2, CD (2003). The Modern Jazz Quartet, Pyramid, Atlantic Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-25125, “Atlantic 60th”, CD (1960/2006). Johann Sebastian Bach, St. John Passion, BWV 245, Smithsonian Chamber Players and Chorus, Kenneth Slowik, Smithsonian Collection Of Recordings ND 0381, 2 x CD (1990). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from In the treasure trove of audiophile "truths", passed on from review to review, from exhibition to exhibition and from post to post there are some that are completely meaningless, harmless in its naivety and those that contain a lot of truth, but there is no knowledge about where they came from and what are their limitations. There are also those that drive in the wrong direction and are inherently bad. One of the most damaging "articles of faith" of audiophile industry is a conviction that the so-called accessories should change the sound, and should be used to control the tone, dynamics and what have you. This relationship is particularly emphasized in the case of anti-vibration accessories. I suspect, as I don’t know for sure, that it results from the former common use of rubber-based materials and spring absorbers. While each of these methods may be useful in some applications, of course provided the resonances are calculated, they are not universal and are (or should be) related to a specific product and should only be used in certain specific cases. We’re of course talking about the high-end, or generally about high quality audio equipment – in budget systems rubber, such as the Vibrapod isolators, can do wonders. But not because they correct something, but because they eliminate the most troublesome problems. Experience teaches us something else: isolation products should have the least possible effect on the fundamental aspects of sound in the sense that they should not change the tonal balance and turn everything upside down. In practice, each element modifies the sound, but the best do that "WITH" the component, not "AGAINST" it, bringing out the best in it. And only now, knowing what it’s about, we can add: each of the products designed for vibration control and elimination does it in a different way, and works on some other aspects of the sound. Take for example the Gravity platform. As the name suggests, it makes use of gravity to convert vibrations into heat, resulting in their minimization. That is why the inner frame with feet moves freely inside the outer box and "sags" under the weight. A specific platform design forces acting on the selected frequency range, both in terms of its various segments, as well as the damping rate and the curve shape illustrating pulse attenuation. This gives a completely different set of characteristics, which translates into a different effect on the sound of the component placed on the platform. Placed on the Gravity, the Ayon Audio Spirit III tube amplifier got a sort of "kick". It turned out that the Polish platform perfectly cleans everything, improving definition and selectivity. To a large extent, it also improves resolution, though not in a similar manner in the whole spectrum. Selectivity and definition, however, are better from the bass to the treble. While previously this was not so audible – which is the feature of audio and how we "learn" the sound – the sound was much clearer with the Gravity under the amplifier. It was best heard at high frequencies, but the other edge of the frequency band was also strongly influenced. With the tracks from Daft Punk duo’s album Random Access Memories, in which energetic low sounds build the entire presentation, Mr. Piotr’s platform slightly shortens the lowest bass decay, while improving its definition. It may be that improving the definition it thus eliminates dirt, responsible for the impression of fuller bass. In this regard, the Gravity is very similar in its character to the Acoustic Revive RST-38H platform. Using the latter in a system with similar problems, there will appear to be less bass and more treble. But once we straighten it out, the platform will show such wealth of information that we won’t be able to believe we’ve listened to the music without it. But that is how "listening experience" works, this is how we learn the sound. And something very similar, despite the huge price difference, I heard with the Polish platform. The Gravity leads us exactly in this direction. The sound of components that are placed on it becomes clearer and more accurate. There seems to be more treble and less bass – not by much, but still. In the audio such changes are not always desirable because they lead to a leaner, drier sound. And this is where the platform shows its value: the fact that there is more treble and less bass is only an impression created by the direct comparison with the amplifier placed directly on the rack shelf. However, after a while comes reflection and what we took for color modification turns out to be something deeper - a change in the definition of sound, its purification. So if anything in our system seems to be slightly calmed down, not entirely clear, the Polish platform will allow to sort it out – that’s its principal characteristic – and define. The change of tonal balance is not the only "presumed" change that turns out to be something else once we adapt to and come to understand it. We are in for a similar adventure when it comes to dynamics. First auditions seemed to show that the sound was slightly calmed down. With the platform everything was clearer and more precise, but also less "impulsive". It turns out that it was the elimination of nervousness and artificial "excitement" from the sound. The Gravity smoothes it out and hides, so there is no feeling of being attacked by the sound. And this is often synonymous with calming. In this case, it is only an illusion. In fact, the dynamics improves significantly. Previously overlooked relations come to the top and the instruments seem to be more "present". Not by their fulfillment, it is not that case, but by clearing the space between them, by a better attack definition, and better shown character and color. Conclusion While being in Cracow, Ken Ishiguro, the owner of Acoustic Revive, stated repeatedly that anti-vibration platforms should not change the sound of components sitting on them, but only bring out the very best from them, eliminate mechanically induced noise, and thus better define the presentation (see HERE). The Gravity does just that – it clears, defines, clarifies, and reveals. It also adds a little from itself and we need to see if that's what we’re missing in the system. I referred to Mr. Ishiguro not without a reason - his RST-38H platform works in much the same way, its design comprising two wooden surfaces with large, amorphous silicon crystals between them. Owner of Divine Acoustics combines different materials in his platform design, but crystals also play an important role. I don’t know if I should say this, but the Polish platform is “cheap like chips”. It works and it does so perfectly fine. Looks great too. It is fully based on company owner’s design "method", being the result of his thoughts and a comprehensive, thoughtful approach to the subject. I like that all very much - congratulations! The platform is easy to use, even though it consists of two separate segments. With the frame housed in the enclosure, the platform can be used as a solid design. Spikes are the only element that can be adjusted; they are placed in small spacers, included in the set. They are the only thing that needs changing - the spacers should have a larger diameter and be heavier. And have a more precisely made spike holes. The Gravity, however, is really inexpensive and such changes can be made on our own. We can even try out under the spikes the CeraBalls from Finite Elemente. During the review the platform was placed on the top plywood shelf of the Base VI [Custom Version] rack. The component auditioned during the review was the Ayon Audio Spirit III integrated tube amplifier. The testing was a multiply repeated A/B/A comparison with the A and B known. The A was the sound of the amplifier sitting directly on the rack shelf, and the B was with the platform under the amplifier. For a cross-comparison, I used the RST-38H platform from Acoustic Revive and the Pagode Edition from Finite Elemente. Music samples had the length of 1 min.

Published: 7. August 2013, No. 111 The meetings of the Krakow Sonic Society usually have the goal of identifying a problem, diagnosing it, comparing old and new products, records, and technologies. We approach it with an open mind, although everybody has their private expectations and agendas. The goal is the same for all, however: to explain something, to reach a conclusion. Of course, everything is very temporary and make-shift, since audio is a field in which there are no “sure” things, rather “highly probable” at most. That’s why every meeting of a group of people accustomed to a certain auditioning practice, whose have viewpoints on sound and hardware, is a unique meeting of MINE with ANOTHER, an attempt at using this as a base for forming a new viewpoint. An important aspect of this is that it all happens before our eyes, and a meeting aims to reach a conclusion there and then. This time things were different. When I sat down to write this report I had a powerful feeling that everything I wanted to say here had been said before. We were after a few auditions of this company’s products (see HERE, and HERE), and I had just interviewed its owner (see HERE) and tested a whole system (see HERE). The Golden Fingerprint Award, given to Mr. Ken Ishiguro and his company, Acoustic Revive – the heroes of the evening – should speak for itself. We established it for this very occasion and it was handed out for the very first time. Meeting this guy in real life, as well as his co-workers and friends – Mr. Yoshi Hontani who represents Acoustic Revive outside of Japan, and Mr. Yuichi Matsuki, a photographer following them along their tour around Europe (his work can be viewed HERE) – was an exceptional experience. For years I’ve called for the unbroken bond between a product and its creator, which directly translates into the sound produced. To cut it short – a good man creates things that give inner peace; a bad man (excuse the generalization, but I’m sure you know what I mean) is able to prepare a phenomenal product which, however, gets stuck in our throat. I didn’t come up with that, but I completely agree with this sort of understanding of the relationship between the creator and the result of his work. That’s why knowing Acoustic Revive by its products that are extraordinary in modeling the sound of many systems I’m familiar with (mine included), I was sure that the man behind them is equally exceptional. I was not disappointed. Ken Ishiguro is completely and absolutely submerged in what he does. In the audiophile world (because he has another life altogether) he is the producer of products that suppress and cancel vibration and electromagnetic radiation that influence the structure of sound-related components as well as cables. I (and presumably the rest of the members of the Krakow Sonic Society) am most interested in the first two groups. The basis of his actions is the conversion of mechanical vibrations into heat and its immediate elimination, as well as the reduction of RF and EMI noise. Both of these areas, low-frequency and high-frequency vibrations, are – according to him – the reason behind the inferior sound of many systems and devices. His observations are backed up by scientific measurements carried out at the Faculty of Engineering at Gunma University. And of course by his incredible hearing. The influence of his products on sound could’ve been heard on last year’s Audio Show in Warsaw, where he led seminars and auditions. One of the most important assumptions is that although each of the accessories offered by Acoustic Revive does its job in any given system, the cumulative effect of using a maximum number of accessories is a much more interesting combination. Auditions of such products can be done in several different ways, the two basic ones being as follows: we apply one element at a time to the system and we search for the changes it brings, or we apply all the elements at once, listening to the aforementioned cumulative change. I tested the latter method in my reference system. However, during the meeting at Janusz’s place with Ishiguro-san and his friends we auditioned individual elements. We had the whole array of Acoustic Revive accessories – the boxes they arrived in took up the entire hallway and part of the room. After a short discussion we decided to choose what interests us the most, because we didn’t have time to audition every single component. Acoustic Revive accessories that were auditioned Acoustic Conditioner RWL-3 – acoustic panels Ultra Low-Frequency Pulse Generator RR-777 – Schumann generator PCOCC-A Single-Core Power Cable Power Reference – power cord AC Stabilizer RAS-14 – filtr sieciowy Quartz Under-board RST-38H – anti-vibration/isolation platform Natural Quartz Insulator RIQ-5010 Natural Quartz Resonator QR-8 – quartz pads applied in strategic locations Cable Insulator RCI-3H – cable insulators Disc (CD DVD) Demagnetizer RD-3 Conduction improvement cleaner ECI-100 Pure Silk Absorber PSA-100 – natural silk fiber material absorbing sound You also have to remember that Janusz has been using many AR products at home for a very long time – the RAF-48H platforms, the SPU8 spike receptacle insulators, and the RCI-3 (the previous version of the current RCI-3H) cable insulators. We decided that we wouldn’t take them off, because we’re familiar with how the system sounds with them. AUDITION Acoustic Conditioner RWL-3 Janusz I have no doubts that these elements change the sound. With these panels everything was more precise, clearer and more three-dimensional. The biggest change definitely concerned the sound of the instruments in the higher range – a lot of information that hadn’t been there before suddenly appeared. It sounds better. Robert B. The vocals were the most important change for me – they sounded closer now; the whole soundstage was closer. On the other hand, it seemed the drums rumbled a lot more – maybe because it was just louder, I don’t really know… Andrzej The change is audible in a matter of seconds, and it’s not some small difference or shift. I confirm I heard what Janusz and Robert are talking about, however the biggest difference for me was the larger space. I know this is exactly how acoustic panels work, but here there was no sound dampening, which often happens, or hollowness and the soundstage was much larger. And the bass extension was nicer – it appeared lower but most importantly clearer. Rysiek I agree – the panels provided for a better organization of the soundstage. The tangibility seemed worse, though. I disagree that the instruments and vocals sounded closer or clearer. Tomek Rysiek in opposition as always... For me, instruments’ focusing was much better now; not a bit, but a whole lot. And there were no flaws that usually follow such presentation. The panels definitely changed the sound, but everything they brought in was better; I have no more remarks. Ken I have to say that this was a very high quality system to start with– congratulations! I really liked it. But, I think we can all agree with that, just two panels significantly changed this already high quality sound. For me the most important was a change of a more general nature that I would describe as more pleasurable listening. As if some kind of irritation that we didn’t pay any special attention to was gone, calmed down. Paweł I’m sitting towards the side and I’m currently ill, so I won’t digress, but even over here I could hear that while two panels did their job, the third built it all up, and now it all makes sense – everything sounds cleaner, as if there was nothing to upset us. Before adding the panels the sound was super, but adding them showed that there was something that shouldn’t ever have been there. Andrzej Indeed – it was better with that third panel in the middle, but the changes that it brought were different than with the two side panels. Before, I noticed the same changes in all the recordings; now the instruments were much better differentiated. On Peggy Lee’s album you could hear more “studio”, you could tell that it was not a live recording, that the acoustics was set up. On Procol Harum’s live recording on the other hand the “cubature”, i.e. the space where the recordings were made, really increased; everything was “inflated” with new information and space. I expected the sound to come forward before the speaker line, because that’s what I’d heard before with two panels, but I was wrong. I’d say that the sound was even more distanced, behind the speakers’ plane. Robert B. “The sex lady” [Peggy Lee; please listen to this CD, and you’ll know what he means – Ed.] moved a little to the left, as if that’s where she was really meant to be. I didn’t really notice it before, but now it makes more sense together with the instruments. The improved selectiveness on the Messiah also caught my attention. Everything was clearer, but without an exaggerated top. Ryszard Everything was better this time, but it was mostly audible with studio recordings. The contrast between instruments – tonal and dynamic – was improved and the legibility was better, too. I didn’t hear any major changes with the live recording and the Messiah. Tomek I’m answering after Ryszard again and I have to say again I’m hearing differently from him :) For me, the improvement is evident and larger than with only two panels. Everything is deeper and better defined; clearer, but without sharpening. I’m really impressed. Janusz I’ll say this – the sound of my system, which I know and love, is now liquid, milder, and silkier. It’s a big improvement. I’ll also say that everything sounds less distorted now. The third panel makes the music more “listenable”. RST-38H + RIQ-5010 The next step was replacing the Acrolink 7N-PC9300 power cord with the Acoustic Revive Power Reference with the RAS-14 filter. I won’t describe it in detail, because in our opinion, it was a change for the worse. Not in all aspects, as the sound became calmer and smoothed out, but the dynamics and sound coherence took a real dip. The Power Reference is a very good cable, and the filter is excellent (I know it from my own system), but it didn’t really work well with Janusz’s system – in the end, it costs a lot less than the Acrolink. Another obstacle could be the fact that solid-core cables need lots of time to “settle down” and “warm up” in a given location. That’s why we rather swiftly moved towards the next point on the program, to the RST-38H quartz platform and the RIQ-5010 quartz insulators. Janusz placed the RAF-48H air floating platforms underneath the transport and amp ages ago. We didn’t change that. There wasn’t any space underneath the D/A converters, unfortunately. What we did was to place the Ancient Audio First Generator power conditioner on the platform, and to use quartz insulators under its feet. I also showed Mr. Ishiguro and the guys a “trick” I tested in my own system – I used the RIQ-5010 quartz insulators instead of Franc Audio Accessories aluminum spacers (see HERE). Andrzej It’s an interesting change, because it’s rather surprising. I wouldn’t expect the platform underneath the power conditioner to have a significant effect on the sound. But in this case the changes were comparable to those with the panels, although their character was different. Now everything was smoother and deeper. The panels gave better focus, definition, and precision. Here at first glance there seem to be less details. When I listened to it longer, though, I have to say that there’s actually more information now, but it’s better organized and ordered, which is why the sound seems smoother with all records. Ryszard Before, with the panels, I thought the changes were sensible, but not necessarily going in the direction I wanted them to. Things were worse with the cables. But this time I’ve got to say it’s superb. It’s an excellent improvement. I’m surprised at how much something so seemingly insignificant like the platform under the power conditioner, influences the presentation. The tonal balance has lowered – and that’s good. I didn’t hear it before, but it’s a trademark trait in good systems, although I know now that some elements of the sound were irritating. The platform and quartzes cleaned it of its nervousness and over-brightness, which – I must say it again – I didn’t hear before! This set should definitely stay in this system! Tomek The change is clear, and clearly for the better. I won’t digress and I’ll just say that for me, it seemed like every tone, each note had a wider spectrum, was deeper, as if there was more of it. The whole was more normal and fuller. For the first time I’ll agree with Ryszard. Janusz With Ricci, right at the beginning of track number 4 you first hear the tape noise. It’s a distortion, to clarify, but because we only know the recording with this distortion and it’s part of the presentation, its audibility influences the entire sound. With the platform this noise wasn’t a hiss, like the one I still remember from tape recorders, without Dolby, but had positive value, substance and depth. The sound that appeared afterwards was, therefore, stronger, more natural, more 3D. Paradoxically, it was best audible with the sounds at the bottom of the range; the bass was stronger, more stable and softer. It’s a huge change! Although if the system lacked the panels, we’d hear much less. Ryszard doesn’t have to agree with this, of course :) CD’s used during the auditions Gill Evans Orchestra, Out Of The Cool, Impulse!/Universal Music Japan UCCI-9034, “Best 50”, CD Haendel, Messiah, Naxos 8.550667-668, CD Procol Harum, Live, Victor VICP 62044, “20 Bit K2”, CD Peggy Lee, Mint Jazz, Capitol/Toshiba-EMI TOCJ-9327, CD Ruggiero Ricci, Pierino Gamba, Carmen Fantasie, London Symphony Orchestra, Decca/JVC JVCXR-0227-2, XRCD24 RCI-3H For the first time this evening we didn’t add a new element to the system, but we changed the old version for a new one. I remember clearly when we put the wooden RCI-3 cable supports under the Tara Labs Omega speaker cables, mostly for laughs. I remember, even more clearly, our faces (Rysiek’s, too). That shouldn’t have happened. Repeated and tested time after time they achieved the same effect and the sound was better. That’s why we approached this test with full seriousness. The new version differs from the predecessor in its use of Hickory and mahogany wood. Andrzej With every opportunity like this, I always get the feeling that we’ve changed something more than the examined component in the whole system. Such small modifications shouldn’t have such a big impact. It’s kind of depressing, because it means that we still know very little and there’s a long way ahead of us. The real question was whether we listened on equal volume levels – it turns out we did. Because it seemed like we turned everything up, though, it’s worth pointing out what’s responsible for this effect – the wooden supports. The sound is now more dynamic, as if something heavy that had been “lying on it” was taken off. The imaging is also better. Ryszard It’s a positive change for me, but it’s borderline perceptible. The soundstage is clearer and denser, as if there were more sounds in its each centimeter. The change jumped out at me with the platform and the quartzes – it’s still audible now, but it’s more like an evolution. Tomek I perceive it differently again – although visibly this is the smallest change thus far, I think it’s the most significant in terms of sound. But maybe that’s a snowball effect – the previous changes built up so much that now even the smallest changes reach a high rank? Either way, the sound is livelier, more dynamic and seems louder. You can therefore turn down the volume and get a better, less obtrusive sound. Janusz I have to say I’m slightly shocked – everything seems much brighter. But when you listen to the hi-hat, it’s not any flashier or sharper, the sound isn’t brightened or sharpened – it’s clearer and more emphatic; it has more energy and is deeper. Hence the sound is, perversely, calmer. Everything is denser and fuller, as if something was thrown off this sound. What’s interesting, the smallest difference was with the classical music, the biggest – with Procol Harum. QR-8 Along with the tiny “flakes” of crystal, exactly the same kind as in the RIQ-5010 spike insulators, we’re entering an area that I still haven’t “grasped”. Although just the mention of Acoustic Revive’s name is enough for many a “straightforward” engineer to conclude that we long ago left the healthy group of non-crazies that know their stuff. But I don’t give a toss about that. I respect different opinions, but I think of such critics as of people with impaired hearing. You can of course think that meetings such as the ones at Janusz’s, albeit often repeated and confirmed by auditions using our own systems, are all about group hypnosis where we convince ourselves that we’re hearing something. However, given the large number of people involved and the repetitive nature of tests, it is much easier to presume (without even mentioning Ockham – we don’t need heavy artillery) that these changes are actually audible. Either way, the QR-8 is a product which I hadn’t tested on its own before. Ken attached them anywhere he could – under the shelves with the audio components, in the front, in the middle, under the top and bottom panels of the speaker stands, on the CD transport, under the D/A converters, on the power cord plugs, and even on the safety fuse that provides power to the mains socket Janusz’s system is plugged into (see HERE). We looked at it rather disoriented, but faithful, knowing that it’s all done by a man whose products, one after another, keep becoming part of our systems and change their sound in a desirable direction. Andrzej I didn’t know what to think about this – in the end, it’s such a tiny “nothing”. But we’re all hearing it, aren’t we? I’m not hallucinating – there’s an audible improvement. This time it’s based on a better tonal differentiation, and there’s a larger sound color spectrum. Before in the violin recordings I couldn’t really hear the plucking, but now it’s obvious. I was most struck by the realism that appeared. We’ve said it many times before, but I’ve got to say it again: this was an excellent system that didn’t seem to need any improvements. But a change in a good direction showed what was lacking and what could be changed. This, of course, implies something more serious: that there is no “wall” stopping you, that audio systems can be improved practically endlessly. To know what to do and how, though, you need to do what Mr. Ishiguro’s doing. Robert B. I have to say, this really impressed me. I’m a sceptic, and I don’t “buy” most things that many audiophiles find normal. But this completely blew me away. It’s such a small change in the system, but you can hear many more details, and the hi-hat played like on a live set. There was truth in this sound. Ryszard More tonal diversity, a denser scene – and not through suppression – these are the more important differences upon sticking those discs on. By God, how does it work? – I don’t know... I’m very surprised. Tomek Whatever these Japanese lads have done – I don’t understand how it works – the sound is bigger and stronger. I agree with Ryszard – everything is thicker, but also more defined. The sound is more natural. Janusz This is THE sound. I can’t sit still – I thought it’s been great so far, and that every change we made here was a step toward a natural, thick, darker and more versatile sound. But the discs just polished it off. The test system CD player: Ancient Audio Lektor Grand SE, see HERE Power amplifier: Ancient Audio Silver Grand Mono, see HERE and HERE Stand mount speakers: Sonus faber Electa Amator (I), see HERE Interconnects: Siltech Crown Speaker cable: Tara Labs Omega, see HERE Power cords: Acrolink 7N-PC9300, see HERE Power conditioner: Ancient Audio First Generator Accessories: Acoustic Revive, see HERE and HERE Conclusion The Japanese have lots of skill in their hands. When they’re the hands of a man like Mr. Ishiguro, then the effects are unbelievable. He started with a simple observation that any noise deteriorates the sound. And he started eliminating it, suppressing it in an equally simple way. He uses a mechanical noise suppression by light elements based on crystals and wood. The presence of natural materials around power cords and line cables is key. Whenever it can be confirmed with measurements, however, he’s a supporter of active processes like demagnetization, cleaning the connectors, generating waves that have a positive effect on people. I wasn’t present for the latter, the meeting at Janusz’s went on long into the night, yet the participants were increasingly surprised by the effects. And they build up. You can begin with one of these accessories, but the more of them in a system, the stronger and more extensive their influence is. What’s important is that none of them changes the sound but rather models it, bringing out the good of the audio system. If it’s any different I’m now 100% sure that you made an error while setting up your system and you need to take it apart again. I wish you all the privilege of attending a show like this. The more alert ones had the opportunity to see Mr. Ishiguro in action on Monday, after our meeting, during the open days at the Nautilus audio salon. I was also there, but I didn’t drink anything. What I had on Sunday was absolutely sufficient. The wine at the meeting was provided courtesy of Mr. Michał Klamka and the shop dobrewina.pl ul. Kobierzyńska 139a | Kraków

hen it comes to perfectionist audio or audiophilism, the opinions of people outside the audio industry who haven’t got anything to do with it or in other words don’t own high-end or at least sensibly set up audio systems, have not been exposed to high quality sound at audio shows and usually don’t really know the sound of live instruments and how it translates into recording studio techniques and hence the sound played back at home, degenerate. While in most other industries such people are able to acknowledge the value of tests and experiments that complement or even modify existing theories (the so-called state of knowledge), in the case of audio they put blinders on and repeat ad nauseam that “such and such” theory does not predict anything like that. They often try to support their opinion with specific arguments which, however, are derived from the same theory, or at least from what they understood and learned from it. Yet in audio we do exactly the same – we test the existing knowledge and push its boundaries further. Audiophilism is not about “breaking” the laws of physics. That’s nonsense. It’s about their better understanding and interpretation. If we were to believe engineers-theorists who do not listen to music but are instead turned on by their measurements, we would still have been listening to music on audio systems powered by lamp cord, built only on transistors or even ICs, with deep negative feedback and multiple stages to correct each other, housed in substandard enclosures and placed anywhere, even on a cardboard. We would all have been listening to mp3 files, since the ABX or "double-blind" tests conducted at the AES meetings on a representative group of people from the industry showed no statistically significant difference between MP3s and CDs. The theory would have been intact and we would need to forget about genuine music reproduced at home. What caused this state of affairs? Why is it that the people who by definition should have an open mind, be curious and thirsty for new answers, are locked in their cage of an idiotic “NO” that rejects any criticism? Experience has provided a clear answer – it’s because of their ignorance. Although the basic tool of people who are deaf to the results of direct listening tests or auditions is the same, lack of knowledge, in reality they (I apologize for the "us" and "them" that quite unintentionally came out as a kind of segregation) have gaps in their education. Which is a perfectly illustrated by the example of Finite Elemente. We find the following significant statement on this German manufacturer’s website: “For the first time a hi-fi rack designer is using scientifically based arguments in its fight against sound-distorting resonances.” It’s one of a few examples proving that it’s indeed possible to verify and confirm the appropriateness of using such solutions and of engineering anti-vibration racks, feet and other accessories that convert kinetic energy into heat. Finite Elemente is not alone on its path to the goal and has joined forces with scientists from Fachhochschule Dortmund (University of Applied Sciences, Dortmund) to have its products measured and optimized, and provided theoretical background in the document titled Sound Optimization of hi-fi racks using resonator technology (see HERE). I know of two other manufacturers that equally effectively use available theoretical knowledge by collaborating with technical universities and high-tech companies: Acoustic Revive from Japan and VertexAQ from the UK. Finite Elemente employs its own characteristic method of eliminating vibration or actually converting it into heat, which is broadly similar to that used by both above manufacturers. All the components are rigidly connected and their overall mass is small. In the reviewed Pagode Edition HD-09 platform the mechanical coupling of individual components is via finely crafted spikes and their mounts, and ceramic balls. The wooden platform has a rather complex design. Its frame is made of solid Canadian maple wood, with side braces in place. The braces are fitted with mounts of hardened high-carbon steel. The shelf that supports an audio component is not very thick and is made of the same maple wood as the frame. Low spikes underneath are from the same material as the mounts. The spikes are fitted with short tubes of a porous rubber-like material. They can be removed and treated as a cover protection during transportation, but can be also left in place to minimize micro-displacement of the spikes in the mounts. One of the shorter platform sides features an aluminum plate with the series logo. I haven’t yet mentioned one component that makes it more than just another anti-vibration platform. Finite Elemente together with the Dortmund University developed a proprietary system of resonators. These are short steel cylinders with quite long steel rods. Their length varies depending on the frequency at which they start to vibrate. There are six resonator types with resonant frequencies of 220 Hz, 486 Hz, 512 Hz, 550 Hz, 670 Hz and 882 Hz. They vibrate in resonance with the shelf and convert the vibration to heat. The Finite Elemente website features measurement charts showing the effect of the resonators on the shelves structure. The whole platform rests on four spikes and looks insanely awesome. It’s the top level of finish quality I know. The overall dimensions are 640 x 590 mm with the height of 110 mm (including feet). The platform can be fitted with something better than the spikes, like the CeraBall series interface feet for example. I opted for the CeraBase Classic, with three ceramic balls separating other metal components from each other. A set of four costs 2,840 PLN. I also added to the system a component with perhaps a slightly misleading name – Resonator 1000 Hz, designed to minimize vibration at this frequency. It is a flat disc with the diameter of 120 mm and the height of 28 mm. Its aluminum enclosure houses a vibrating component. The latter comprises of metal strips coupled in the center by a 35 mm steel cylinder that protrudes down 1 mm from the bottom to be in direct contact with the top surface of an audio component it is placed on. The whole unit weighs 380 g and is available in silver or black. It operates on the “minimum energy principle,” or in other words the second law of thermodynamics. It states that if we have two flexible surfaces of different weights connected to each other, the lower mass element absorbs the kinetic energy from the one with greater weight and turns it into heat, provided that both have the same resonant frequency. As the name suggests, the Resonator 1000 Hz is tuned to the frequency of 1,000 Hz (1 kHz) and helps to suppress vibration of that frequency. It costs 1,400 PLN per unit. I used two of them during this review. Finite Elemente in “High Fidelity” KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY: Meeting No.51 – isolators, see HERE Records used during auditions A Day at Jazz Spot 'Basie'. Selected by Shoji "Swifty" Sugawara, Stereo Sound Reference Record SSRR6-7, 2 x SACD/CD (2011). Dominic Miller, Fourth Wall, Q-rious Music QRM 108-2, CD (2006); Daft Punk, Random Access Memories, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3817, CD (2013). Danielsson, Dell, Landgren, Salzau Music On The Water, ACT Music ACT 9445-2, CD (2006). Frank Sinatra, Sinatra Sings Gershwin, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music Entertainment 507878 2, CD (2003). The Modern Jazz Quartet, Pyramid, Atlantic Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-25125, “Atlantic 60th”, CD (1960/2006). Johann Sebastian Bach, St. John Passion, BWV 245, Smithsonian Chamber Players and Chorus, Kenneth Slowik, Smithsonian Collection Of Recordings ND 0381, 2 x CD (1990). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from "Theoretically" (I am talking about widely accepted knowledge that is taught at most technical universities) the sound of audio components should not be significantly impacted by the type of surface they sit on. The system from Finite Elemente – even without knowing the measurements taken at the Fachhochschule Dortmund – proves it to be a nonsense. The changes it introduces to the sound are big, even very big and markedly different to just about any other platform and anti-vibration system we review in this issue of "High Fidelity". At the same time, it is the only system whose reception at first is not clearly positive, far less enthusiastic. This experience teaches humility towards one’s own expectations and perception of one’s own knowledge. For the first time in a long time, since the review of the Acoustic Revive RST-38 platform, I have been able to go forward, deeper into what I think I know about audio. Actually, I faced an identical situation as in the case of Mr. Ishiguro’s platform. Back then, my first tests had not been uniformly good, either, and some had been downright negative. The sound with the RST-38 under the speakers or amplifiers seemed to me (and not only to me) sharper and less rich. Exactly the opposite of what I wanted to achieve. It's been two years now; my sound system and my understanding of the sound have changed and I think I know why I was so hopelessly wrong. What I took for dryness was the effect of minimizing euphonies or coloration resulting from vibration. It was a lowering of sound distortion. This in turn allowed to point out weaknesses, to identify places that needed improvement. Among other things, that is why all my power cords are now the top Acrolink 7N-PC9300. Incidentally, I'm most curious about its successor, the 7N-PC9500, which is soon coming to us. The Acrolink cords have moved the sound a few levels up and remedied what seemed to me a problem with the platforms and what turned out to be a problem with wiring and with what my other components were placed on. They allowed a real, big step forward in my system configuration. Not just polishing its sound but the kind of change that opened the way for other smaller improvements impossible to achieve without this step, yet crucial for the high-end. The Pagode Edition with the CeraBase Compact feet and the Resonator 1000 Hz discs that minimize vibration took it a step further, though in a very similar "style". I say “further” as I already had in my system the large RST-38H platforms under the Harbeth M40.1 stands. It turned out, however, that the euphony which I thought I’d dealt with once and for all, without losing tangibility and fullness, richness of sound, was still present in my system. I was of course aware of a slight preference given by the speakers to frequencies below 100 Hz, but I did not think that it was combined with a sort of blurring the attack and boosting the lower midrange. It was not a simple emphasizing of that range but rather such shaping of the sound that results in it being "thick". This distortion has its roots in the superimposing of the sound and distortion, something much more difficult to correct than usual dips in the frequency response. An amplifier placed on the Finite platform with the Resonators on the output transformers housings sounded a little quieter. Not by much, as a 1-2 dB correction was sufficient to even out the subjective sound level, but the change was quite clear due to a further modification. The sound seemed a little smaller and the soundstage felt narrower. That’s why for a while I missed something that was there before. After moving the amplifier back to my rack, Sinatra's vocal seemed to grow larger. Put it on the Finite and the vocal got smaller again. The same thing happened with the instruments on the Daft Punk album and the saxophone and bass on the Salzau… disc. It was the latter purist recording, however, that showed me for the first time what was really going on. I heard it over and over again since, wondering at myself how I could not have noticed it earlier. The problem was a blurred attack and – the way I hear it now – not good enough definition. Raising the volume by 1 dB, apparently not much, restored the instruments’ size and added their much better organization. The difference lied in showing a better, more interesting and richer instruments’ texture and their clearer bodies. The sound was internally richer, more full-bodied and clearer at the same time. The instruments were not emphasized at the top and actually had a little less energy. It's just that they were better defined not only by their clearer attack but also by their richness, now more accurate, anchored somewhere deeper than the surface. The same thing happened with soundstaging. The impressively vast soundstage on The Modern Jazz Quartet album Pyramid, resulting from a simultaneous recording of all instruments with fairly closely placed microphones that’d also caught other instruments, narrowed down with the reviewed platform. Or so I thought. I listened again to the first track, then again and again and once more. After each single "try" I became keenly aware of what was really going on. Apparently, the Finite Elemente system preferred the sounds reaching the microphone directly. All the others were conveyed equally well, but due to a relatively higher level of the former they descended into the background. Now I better understood the ideas of sound engineers who had worked on the album. Earlier I wondered sometimes why they’d needed so unnaturally inflated soundstage. Now the cymbal crashes were better defined and the sound had an overall better definition and nicer body. I think that previously a part of the seeming "space" was in fact noise, something related to a disturbance of the sound field. The Finite Elemente calmed it down. Conclusion This German anti-vibration system is outstanding. It does not alter the sound in the sense that the sound’s color WITH and WITHOUT it is identical. Its effect doesn’t show in certain aspects but is manifested in a more structural way. The improvement of definition and transparency, but not at the expense of richness, covers the whole frequency spectrum and not just its selected band. It’s an overall, homogeneous effort. After this kind of experience, we begin to look for things we can improve in our own system. We begin to think. And that is what separates us from unreflective barraters. Hallelujah! The products from Finite Elemente including the Pagode Edition platform, the CeraBall Compact feet and the two Resonators 1000 Hz were reviewed as a whole system. The platform was placed on the floor, in front of my equipment rack. The Resonators were placed on the metal covers for the amplifier’s output transformers. The testing was a multiple repeated A/B/A comparison, with the A and B known. Since the Pagode was the only platform that did not fit on the top shelf of my Base rack, comparing it with the "bare" rack shelf was one of the two I did. The other one included the amplifier placed next to the rack, directly on the floor. Given that the changes in the sound with the Finite system were very similar for both comparisons and differed only in intensity, I discussed them together in the “sound” section of the review. Sample tracks had the length of 1 min. and as such were shorter than usual, but that allowed me to make more comparison swaps before fatigue set in. Distribution in Poland Audio System tel.: (22) 662-45-99 | fax: (22) 662-66-74 e-mail: kontakt@audiosystem.com.pl www.audiosystem.com.pl

Jürgen Saile: Ashizawa San, after the passing away of Hiroyasu Kondo you became president of the company. Audio Note Japan is a traditional company, but do we have to expect any changes now? Masaki Ashizawa: First, I must correct, I was already president of the company two years before the passing away of Kondo San. Kondo San was seriously ill and had handed over the affairs of the company to me, two years before his death. It is very unusual in Japan to hand over the own company to a foreign person, especially if one has a son in his family. Nevertheless Kondo San remained the spiritual leader, he was my teacher. For that reason, we will carry on with this in mind. Only in terms of quality, we will try to improve still further. Kondo san was the first person who discovered silver material for audio applications. Meanwhile, there are several manufacturers who also offer capacitors and coils made of silver, like Duelund for example. These Components still do not match the requirements of Audio Note? The Kondo cables have a legendary reputation. They are an essential component in the Kondo setup. There exist also versions with copper as conductor. This question is a bit tricky, it's not just the silver material alone, but also how it is used. Of course, in our silver cables and capacitors the design is equally important. (This is where the marketing manager cut in on the conversation) Masaki is a very polite person, so I would like to answer the question. We are not very happy with the products offered, but he can not say that. There are now very good products, but at critical positions we do not like to use them. Therefore we take the trouble to produce them by ourselves, although our production capacities are very limited, we can build a maximum of 50 amp units per year. And each amplifier has four to six silver foil capacitors, that means referring to mono blocks over 400 capacitors per year that must be manually wound. We certainly do not do this work because we want to save money. We have very high quality standards that have been established by the founder of the company. How many employees do you have? Besides me six. They are very versatile, and thus also have different tasks. For power transformers you also use other brands, such as Tango? Not in principle, the presented amplifier here, Kagura, contains exclusively our own transformers. In each case, output transformers and chokes are produced by ourselves. We have very good relations with the developer of the Tango transformers, he can assist us in developing our own power transformers. However, as there exist an enormous number of security provisions, so – with our limited capacities - it is better to leave the production of power transformers to ISO Tango, built according to our own design. We have one employee who has the best skills to wind our transformers. He ist the best, worldwide! Kagura represents the culmination of the development of Kondo amplifiers. One can see the impressive size of the 211 triode compared to the driver tubes in front. The tubes on the rear side belong to the Graetz rectifier bridge circuit. Ashizawa San, you are the chief designer. Now, if you develop a new product, such as the new speaker Biyura, do you make the complete development quite alone, or do you have specialists in certain areas, such as chassis, crossover, housing? The development is located primarily in my hands. Of course I will be supported by employees who make drawings, or keep in touch with the suppliers. But these are all just minor activities. What is so special about this speaker? First, it uses chassis with field coil magnets. We had the chassis with permanent magnets for some time, but at this time we did not have a complete speaker system. When we decided to develop this system here, the decision to use field coils came. Field coils have many good points, but in our listening tests, we have also found some negative ones. These had to be eliminated first. For example, the kind of iron used in the magnet field coil is extremely important. Therefore the development of the entire system had lasted more than four years. The newly developed Biyura Speaker with field coil magnet and of course silver crossover parts. Externally you cannot see the extravagant effort to make these speakers. Right on the board the Kondo DAC, also with tubes in the output stage. Is it a full-range driver with support at high frequencies by the horn? It's a pure two-way system, the bass driver is more of a wide-range chassis. In the crossover of course you use your silver foil capacitors? I think yes! Another topic: your new amplifier Overture uses EL34 pentodes in push-pull configuration. This is rather unusual for a Kondo design. What was the reason for doing this? Related to the Kondo sound most people think of single-ended triodes. But I think it is not necessary to use triodes to get this sound. It goes well with push-pull pentode desingns and it's just a question of how you handle this. The marketing manager adds: these ideas in the public have a long tradition, but Kondo is a company that does not stop at one point, we try to perform as many innovations as possible. This already began at Kondo San times. For example, the Kegon amplifier had a hybrid rectifier, so tubes and transistors in one circuit. The goal in developing the overture was to offer a new product line for beginners. Unfortunately, only for beginners with the necessary financial resources. Now, before someone buys the smallest Kondo preamplifier M7 and for reasons of cost combines it with any improper poweramp, we would rather provide the appropriate amp and offer the whole thing as integrated amplifier. In addition, the new amplifier should have an output power of 30 watts, and of course tubes. If we had to implement this with triodes, something would come out like the Kagura. So something completly different. Therefore we use pentodes in this circuit. EL34 are currently used, but we are thinking of possibly using other types in a new generation. However, it was not easy to realize the typical Kondo sound in this design, not easy at all! We used a psychological trick, the tubes are all hidden in a case, so you have to listen first and then maybe ask whether 300B tubes have been used or not. The push-pull design can also supply more power, so that Overture is suitable for a larger number of speakers. Moreover, we do not just use tubes, but also transistors, but only for the bias setting. Is the EL 34 connected as a pentode or a triode? We use them only in Pentode mode. Now a difficult question: Do you believe that there are different listening habits between Asian and Western people? Because of the different culture? The majority of classical music comes from Europe, so the people here are more familiar with this kind of music. Referring to Jazz things look different. So I think the sound, which people like depends on the tonality of their mother language. In the Japanese language I sometimes miss the tone. Japanese speakers are also not very popular outside of Japan. This one here ( Biyura) is different and designed for all needs. What kind of music do you use to tune your components? Still Toscanini? We like to use vocals, for instance records with Elly Ameling. We have selected ten records with different styles of music, which we use to tune our components. Toscanini was a favorite of Kondo san, but we seldom hear it now. Ashizawa san, arigato gozaimasu! The interview first appeared in German in "HiFiStatement.net", in July 2013

t’s a revelation, truly a revelation! – says one of my friends whenever he is so deeply touched by a particular sonic aspect that he can’t sit still. ‘Revelation’ in this context means something surprising and distinctive at the same time, filling us with admiration and awe. The word is also used for a striking disclosure of something previously unknown or not realized. It just so happens that the American company Revel evokes both those meanings. Founded in the 1990s, Revel Loudspeakers was created with one goal in mind – to complement the product lineup of the high-end giant across the Big Pond, Mark Levinson. At the helm stood a pair of talented designers, Floyd Toole and Kevin Voecks. For the starters, they launched the Gem stand mount speakers gaining instant approval for their appearance. Their unique design was recognized by the movie industry and the speakers featured alongside Mark Levinson electronics and a Rega turntable in Nancy Meyers 2000 film What Women Want starring Mel Gibson. The American market wasn’t captured until Revel launched the next line, Ultima, including the Salon and Studio models. These very expensive speakers were next followed by the more affordable Concentra and Performa lines. A third generation of the latter has just been launched, comprising the M20 and the bigger M30. Both engineers didn’t come out of nowhere and already had an impressive resume. Better known of the two was Voecks who had previously worked for Mirage and Snell, where he designed many highly regarded speakers. He is also known as an engineer who relies in equal parts on auditions and measurements. It is no wonder that he made a great team with Dr. Toole, involved in research at the National Research Council of Canada, the largest such institution in the world. Voecks and Tool pioneered research methods that are used today by most speaker manufacturers. Their idea was to work out a correlation between double-blind ABX tests and measurement results, both on- and off-axis. As we read in an interview with Kevin Voecks, they use a special ABX testing methodology that was developed by Sean Olive (see HERE). The speakers are moved into the same position by a computer-controlled drive belt in a room behind an acoustically transparent screen, to avoid visual recognition of which speaker is currently playing. The auditions are carried out by seven people specially trained for it, in an acoustically prepared room. The people who spend the most time in the listening room are Voecks himself and Mark Glasier. Today, Revel is part of Harman International, along with Mark Levinson, JBL-I, Infinite and AKG. The Performa3 line was showcased at the CES 2012 in Las Vegas and began selling in mid-2012 (see HERE). It includes a full home theater system that can provide two stand mount speakers for stereo playback – the M105 and M106, and two floorstanding speakers – the F208 and the F206 reviewed today. Smaller of the two floorstanding designs, the F206 is actually not all that small. Placed on the Acoustic Revive RST-38H isolation boards, and the Acoustic Revive SPU 8 receptacles under the tightly mounted spikes, they are as tall as the massive Harbeth M40.1. Standing next to each other, both speakers’ tweeters and midrange drivers are at the same height. The F206 is a beautifully assembled three-way, four-driver design in a slim, front vented cabinet with curved sides and the rear. The cabinet features strategically-oriented internal bracing and its thick walls are finished with great-looking veneers. High-gloss black or white finish is also available. Kevin Voecks says that the cabinet was designed by one of the best Italian companies but unfortunately he doesn’t want to reveal its name. All the drivers, the 25 mm dome tweeter, 133 mm midrange driver and two 165 mm woofers have been designed and manufactured in-house by Revel, which gives the engineers a full control over the project. The speakers are manufactured in Indonesia. Have a look at the You Tube clip below with Adam Sankin’s material, in which Kevin Voecks talks about the Performa3 line. Albums auditioned during this review Black Sabbath, 13, Vertigo/Universal MusicLLC (Japan) UICN-1034/5, 2 x SHM-CD (2013). Daft Punk, Random Access Memories, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3817, CD (2013). Depeche Mode, Soothe My Soul, Columbia/ Sony Music/RiTonis, ProXLCDr/P.0006, SP CD-R (2013). Diorama, Child Of Entertainment, Accession Records, A 119, SP CD (2010). Frank Sinatra, Songs For Swingin’ Lovers!, Capitol/Mobile Fidelity, UDCD 538, Gold-CD (1956/1990). Grabek, 8, Polskie Radio PRCD 1372, CD; John Coltrane, Coltrane, Impulse!, 589 567-2, “Deluxe Edition”, 2 x CD (1962/2002). Jorgos Skolias & Bogdan Hołownia, …tales, 8Merch, NSA-V001, "Limited Edition, No. 0001/2000", CD (2004/2012). Miles Davis, In A Silent Way, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD-2088, “Special Limited Edition, No. 1311”, SACD/CD (1969/2012). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from The method of auditioning and evaluating audio products employed by me is to compare the individual components, speakers, cables and accessories of my reference system and the product under review. The better the reference point, that is the higher the quality of the reference system, the greater the certainty that the sonic alterations brought by the newly auditioned component will be identified. The basic assumption is that the reference system is linear, neutral and modifies the sound as little as possible. Equally important, however, is another assumption – that the reviewer simply likes the sound of a reference system. To some extent, it modifies assumption number one as it introduces to the testing method a subjective element. After all, we all like something different. I talked about this with a number of audio journalists, as part of the "The Editors" series, and everyone repeated the same thing - the real trick is not in recognizing the differences between the reviewed product and the reference, but in balancing our personal reasons - what I like - with objective reasons, that is with the knowledge and experience gained over the years of listening to hundreds and thousands of products under controlled conditions and according to a proven method. It just so happens that the first impression is almost always based on personal preferences. It is only later, during the processing of the collected data that the observations are rationalized. That is why what we hear right after swapping the speakers is so important. In my method, it is important to daily "re-calibrate" my hearing to the reference system. Before the actual testing, I first listen to the pre-selected tracks on the complete reference system and only then proceed to do an A/B comparison of each track individually. Changing the powerful Harbeths, equipped with a 300 mm woofer, for the slender Revels I did not expect the latter to retain the scale and "drama" that the British speakers are able to convey. I verified that in the following auditions and eventually heard the difference between one and the other, but through the whole review I had in my mind the moment when I first heard God Is Dead?, Black Sabbath’s track from their latest album 13. What drew my attention was the sound’s scale and breath. Low, slow guitars and drums intro followed by the wall of sound was shown by the American speakers freely, without any sense of damping or stifling. It was evident right from the beginning that their sound was clear and selective. The location of instruments within the soundstage to a large extent resembled the Harbeth’s, although F206’s focus on the first plane was rather obvious and it was showed stronger than further planes. The back of the soundstage was quite far away and the acoustics was not diminished yet further planes were pulled to the front. This can and often does end badly, as all of a sudden lots of various sounds end up on one plane, usually mashed up into a "blob". And if the speakers selectively decided to play, the sound is too bright, almost aggressive. For this reason, many a pair of speakers would only last through the first couple of tracks before getting packed back up and sent back to the distributor or manufacturer. The American speakers, however, passed through with flying colors. The reason is that they combine cleanness, selectivity and a really well and carefully judged tonal balance. Hence, their volume was not significantly different from that of the Harbeths, just like the tonal balance. For me, it simply means it's good. To get to the next layer, I needed louder tracks with more energy and a stronger beat. First, however, I listened to vocals on the remixes of Diorama Child of Entertainment ("Broken"), Depeche Mode Soothe My Soul ("Gregor Tresher Shooted Remix") and Frank Sinatra from his album Songs For Swingin 'Lovers! on Mobile Fidelity. With all them the Revel speakers sounded smooth, large, and full, showing excellent driver integration. Particularly impressive was the presentation of human voices, which were large, saturated and located slightly toward the front, right on the speaker line. I had the impression of "being there" – perhaps not as overwhelming as with the Harbeths, but really rewarding. It’s not something that happens too often. In terms of midrange saturation and resolution, the British speakers are outstanding and every other speaker I heard at home could only try to match it. The American speakers fell just short yet their version was really good and didn’t lack anything in particular, especially considering the multiple price difference between them and the columns of reference. Pressed harder, the speakers showed that they could keep up the pace. Sound definition was really very good, especially in the lower midrange. Bass drum kicks, electrically generated sounds or double bass attack – everything was clear, had splendid attack and nice sustain. These speakers sounded really cool! Presentation clarity didn’t turn into a chaotic cacophony, no matter how many instruments were playing and how high I turned the volume knob. Cleanness, focus, and control over the music material – we get that every time. With higher transients, the stronger upper midrange became more apparent. It’s not unpleasant, but worth remembering. As the speakers show lots of information, very close to the listener, higher vocal registers and the higher range of electric guitars or trumpets, etc. is quite strong. The Revels don’t lose control over it but they need attention in terms of their distance from the listening position. They should be at least 2.5 m, and even better over 3 m away from us. Only then do all the drivers "stick" together and can’t be heard separately, which is important as that’s the designers’ trick that came off. With the right positioning it’s difficult to identify crossover points between the drivers. The low bass will not be a problem, even in a small room. There is plenty of it and the range is well covered, yet the lowest octave sounds a bit weaker compared to those above it. Still, it’s done so gracefully that the only way to figure it out is a comparison against such speakers as the Harbeth. It’s not manifested as a lack of bass and there is a sense of ample power and mass. Rather, the American speakers don’t present such full-bodied soundstage and as firmly anchored to the floor as the Harbeth does. On the other hand, the recently reviewed Tannoy Definition DC10, much bigger and more expensive than the F206, didn’t show a lower bass extension nor did they have a "bigger" sound (see HERE). The PMC OB1i exhibited a stronger and better focused bass, yet clearly emphasized this range (see HERE). However, they didn’t have the same midrange and treble selectivity and breath that makes the F206 sound so astounding. Conclusion Revel is part of Harman International, one of the world's largest audio companies. It has access to extensive research facilities and spends lots of money on development, employing the best engineers who really enjoy what they do and are proud of their results. All of this can be seen and heard in the F206 that looks simply beautiful and its sonic characteristics demonstrate that its designers managed to overcome various problems that prove too difficult for many other manufacturers. The reviewed speakers sound strong, full and well-focused. They have good bass extension for their size and don’t get confused even at high volume levels. One may need to keep an eye on the upper midrange, which – clear and communicative in itself – may become too exposed under certain unfavorable conditions. An example of these would be systems that tend to sound clinical listening rooms with large, hard reflective surfaces. On the other hand, I don’t see any restrictions in terms of accompanying electronics, as long as it’s well balanced tonally. If we pair the Revels with something like an ASR, Lavardin, or a good amp, we’ll hit the bull’s eye. We’ll have vividness, great tonality and dynamics. It’s best to position the speakers 3 m (or more) away from us, with a slight toe-in, and everything will be perfect. The F206s are easy to set up. There are no particular restrictions on more or less toe-in or on the distance to the back wall. They will always sound in a similar way, slightly modified to our expectations. They do not require expensive electronics much above their own price level and will be a good match even for amplifiers costing below 10,000 PLN, as long as they are good. The review had a character of an A/B comparison, with the A and B known, and 2 minutes long music samples. The speakers were placed the Acoustic Revive RST-38H isolation boards with the Acoustic Revive SPU 8 spike receptacles under their own spikes. The point of reference were the Harbeth M40.1 and Castle Richmond Anniversary stand mount speakers. They were driven by the Soulution 710 power amp and two-box Acoustic Advance X-Preamp + X-A160 amplifier. One just can’t dislike slender speakers. When they are nicely assembled and finished, they must please anyone. Although the F206’s cabinet echoes design ideas from several other manufacturers, the whole makes a very good impression. A "hood" covering the top has been taken from KEF. Originally, this was an extension of the inner chamber designed to minimize tweeter diffraction. Here it’s more of a decorative nature as the tweeter is located much lower. I wouldn’t rule out its more important role, though, that of stiffening the top. The "hood" is an aluminum cast and hence is perfectly suitable for this task. A rounded lyre-shaped back of the cabinet, in turn, is the legacy left to the audio world by the late Franco Serblin. Sonus faber’s owner never patented it and the shape is now widely used. This way the speakers from the Performance3 line resemble Revel’s flagship Ultima2 design. The cabinet is made of many layers of curved and laminated wood with a total thickness of 25 mm. It features strategically-oriented internal bracing and the midrange driver has its own separate chamber. The speakers are covered with natural veneer and have a high gloss lacquer finish. They are stabilized with quite tall plinths permanently connected to the cabinet. Four long adjustable spikes with large locking rings are screwed to the bottom. The F206 is a three-way four-driver bass-reflex design. All driver units have aluminum diaphragms. They’re black anodized for aesthetic reasons, and look really good. The midrange driver and the two woofers working in parallel are equipped with ribbed aluminum cones for increased rigidity. They feature rubber suspensions and cast baskets. A 25mm dome tweeter is placed in a concave acoustic waveguide resembling a short horn. It’s not meant to raise its sensitivity but to provide a better integration with the 133 mm midrange driver and better dispersion, especially off-axis. The manufacturer calls this solution "Acoustic Lens Waveguide", here in its 6th generation. Tweeter dome is protected by metal grille. The tweeter has been designed specifically for the new Performa3 line. Bass-reflex port is located on the front panel, below the lower 165 mm woofer. The port features identical flares on both ends and is designed minimize port-generated noise. The crossover frequencies are at 275 Hz and 2150 Hz. As we read in the user manual, the crossover networks are of high-order and use carefully selected components to reduce distortion and dynamic compression and optimize timbral accuracy enhancing on-axis and off-axis phase response. This minimizes sound degradation in listening rooms characterized by a "live" acoustic signature, or in other words by a low absorption coefficient of all surfaces. Such rooms are actually most common. User manual provides valuable information on the speaker placement and acoustic room treatment. Crossover networks are mounted on two boards, attached to the back panel. One board houses components of the woofer crossover network section and the other houses the midrange driver and tweeter section. The crossover components include core and air coils and electrolytic and polypropylene capacitors. Internal wiring is made with stranded copper with slip-on connectors to connect driver terminals. A single pair of solid gold plated speaker binding posts is located on the rear panel. The cabinet is heavily damped with low density felt. Specification (according to the manufacturer) Low frequency extension: -10 dB/30 Hz | -6 dB/36 Hz | -3 dB/42 Hz Recommended amplifier power range: 50-200 W Sensitivity (2.83 V / 1 m): 88 dB Nominal impedance: 8 Ω Crossover frequencies: 275 Hz, 2150 Hz Dimensions (H x D x W): 1051 x 249 x 347 mm Weight (each): 26 kg Distribution in Poland: RBC Al. Korfantego 141 B | 40-154 Katowice | Polska tel. (32) 203 45 09 | tel. (32) 258 08 98 e-mail: jblinfo@rb.com.pl www.jbl.pl

t’s an interesting thing about numbers. All of them, obviously, but what I mean here is the numbers next to the names of audio components. In November 2010, Ayon sent out information about having just completed a new version of its classic Spirit amplifier, now with the added mark “III”. Some time later, I reviewed it for the "Audio" magazine and it turned out to be a good amp. Maybe not outstanding, in the sense that it would put everything else to shame, but very well built and sounding very solid and well ordered. A strong “B” to denote a good, safe choice. Hence, when I recently heard the news about the launch of a new version of the Spirit III I was a bit confused. Looking at the manufacturer's website and at the amp sitting on my shelf, I had a sense of a split in my personality seeing one thing on my left side and another on my right. It turns out that the Spirit III (New) is based on some design solutions recently introduced in the higher Triton III integrated amplifier and in the Eris line preamp. From the latter it’s taken the preamp section in the form of new circuits and new signal attenuator. Now it’s electronically controlled with an alphanumeric display visible on the front next to the volume knob. The tube driver section is also new and sports 6SJ7 metal vacuum tubes for a much better protection against signal noise, including hum. The tube output section in turn uses brand new speaker transformers with a wider frequency response and better protected against vibration - both self induced and coming from the outside. I asked Gerhard for details: We’ve done a mild exterior facelift and a few upgrades inside but didn’t want to brag about it, hence the amplifier is still called Spirit III. The implemented changes are, in fact, quite extensive: a new volume control with a display screen, a new driver stage, the latest version of the "auto-fixed-bias" circuit and an advanced tube protection circuit, which all brought a big sonic improvement. The reason why we still haven’t showed the new Spirit on our website is that we receive so many orders for it that we just can’t handle them. If we showed it, the pressure would be unbearable. Ask Robert, our distributor, and he will tell you what the situation is and how long he needs to wait for his orders. Regardless of what we think about the amplifier name, the basic specification is not based on “numbers”. We know that it is an integrated amplifier with pre-out but also with direct-in. While the pre-out is a classic, the direct power amp input is quite rare for a tube integrated amplifier. Apparently, however, it is Gerhard’s nod towards home theater owners as the Spirit can work in home theater systems. Just connect your AV’s stereo pre-out to Ayon’s direct-in and you end up with a pimped out stereo and multi-channel system in one. The input can of course be use for something else and if you have a better preamplifier or a source with an integrated preamp that is better than the one in the Austrian amplifier, this way you can skip the Spirit’s preamp. The output stage is based on a pair of KT88sx power tubes per channel, driven by interesting 6SJ7 pentodes in triode mode, housed in characteristic metal cups instead of usual glass bulbs. KT88sx is a variant of the KT88 manufactured for Ayon by Shuguang. A new addition on the front panel is a an alphanumeric display with volume indication. Already in the previous Spirit 'III' the volume control was electronic, but the volume level indication was conventional via the volume knob position. The volume logic was controlled by a classic rotary potentiometer with a start and end point. Hence, there was no need for a separate indicator. The external differences between the "II" and "III" versions can be seen at the photo number 5 Ayon Audio in “High Fidelity” Integrated amplifiers KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY: Meeting No. 79 – Ayon Audio KT88sx vacuum tubes, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio ORION II – integrated amplifier, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio SPARK DELTA - integrated amplifier, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio MERCURY II - integrated amplifier, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio 300B - integrated amplifier, see HERE Preamplifiers REVIEW: Ayon Audio ORBIS – line preamplifier, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio Spheris II Linestage - line preamplifier, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio Polaris II - line preamplifier, see HERE Power amplifiers REVIEW: Ayon Audio VULCAN II – power amplifier, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio TRITON MONO - power amplifier, see HERE Źródła cyfrowe • REVIEW: Ayon Audio CD-3s + NW-T – CD player/DAC/preamplifier + audio files transport, see HERE KRAKOW SONIC SOCIETY: Meeting No. - Gerhard Hirt and his S-3 (Ayon Audio), see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio Skylla – Digital/Analog converter, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio CD-2s – Compact Disc player, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio CD-5s Special - Compact Disc player, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio CD-1s (in a system) - Compact Disc player, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio CD-1 – Compact Disc player, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio CD-3 – Compact Disc player, see HERE REVIEW: Ayon Audio CD-07 – Compact Disc player, see HERE Other INTERVIEW: Gerhard Hirt, Ayon Audio – owner, see HERE Albums auditioned during this review A Day at Jazz Spot 'Basie'. Selected by Shoji "Swifty" Sugawara, Stereo Sound Reference Record SSRR6-7, SACD/CD (2011). Art Farmer and Jim Hall, Big Blues, CTI/King Records KICJ-2186, „Timeless Collection 40”, CD (1978/2006). Bach, Violin Concertos, Yehudi Menuhin, EMI/Hi-Q Records HIQXRCD9, XRCD24, CD (1960/2013). Bach, Violin Concertos, Yehudi Menuhin, EMI/Seraphim 5685172, 2 x CD (1960/1995). Daft Punk, Random Access Memories, Columbia Records/Sony Music Japan SICP-3817, CD (2013). Danielsson, Dell, Landgren, Salzau Music On The Water, ACT Music ACT 9445-2, CD (2006). Dominic Miller, Fourth Wall, Q-rious Music QRM 108-2, CD (2006); Frank Sinatra, Sinatra Sings Gershwin, Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music Entertainment 507878 2, CD (2003). Grabek, 8, Polskie Radio PRCD 1372, CD; Johann Sebastian Bach, St. John Passion, BWV 245, Smithsonian Chamber Players and Chorus, Kenneth Slowik, Smithsonian Collection Of Recordings ND 0381, 2 x CD (1990). Mark Knopfler, The Travelerman's Song EP, Mercury 9870986, CD (2005). Miles Davis, In A Silent Way, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD-2088, “Special Limited Edition, No. 1311”, SACD/CD (1969/2012). Nirvana, In Utero, Geffen GED 24536, CD (1993). The Modern Jazz Quartet, Pyramid, Atlantic Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-25125, “Atlantic 60th”, CD (1960/2006). Wes Montgomery & Wynton Kelly Trio, Smokin’ At The Half Note, Verve 2103476, "Verve Master Edition", CD (1965/2005). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from How do we understand the term "tube sound"? I, for one, am deeply convinced that it is commonly understood in a rather clear-cut way. It is naturally a stereotype, but like any such simplification it helps to quickly assess the situation and there is lots of truth to it. Mostly historical, granted, but truth nevertheless. So how do we understand "tube sound"? Everybody knows it is warm. It also has a rolled off and rounded treble and not fully controlled bass. And there is no use expecting good speaker control unless we are talking about tube monsters. These are the minuses. Among the advantages the first is the so-called musicality. While itself a buzzword disliked by many, in such cases it automatically springs up to mind. It’s a bit like describing a stereotype with another stereotype, but it often works! Musicality would be understood here as vividness, smoothness and fluidity, combined with the absence of irritating sharpness and distortion. If that’s how we understand the "tube sound", then Gerhard Hirt has been for years doing everything to make his amps deny such a stereotype. I'm talking about amplifiers instead of products, generally, because Gerhard "handles" his digital sources in a different way and his preamps in yet another way. At least that’s my understanding based on a comparison to other such products from leading manufacturers. His preamps seem to be the most neutral. Not only are they neutral but they take away the least from the sound. It’s because they are also natural. Gerhard’s digital sources sound incredibly natural, too, except that in their case it’s more difficult to talk about neutrality. Their bass is usually beefed-up and midrange strongly emphasized. It's very likeable and sounds great so it’s not surprising that to many they represent the “Ayon sound”. Last but not least, the amplifiers sound less natural than the preamps but perhaps even more neutral. If anyone is for example worried about tube amp’s bass control, Ayon shows that the problem is largely not in the technology itself but in its proper application. Ayon will prove wrong anyone who finds it hard to believe that a tube amp can drive speakers with a lower-than-average sensitivity. It will also cure of any complexes related to the treble presentation. For all these years, what I appreciated the most was what Gerhard did with his preamplifiers and digital sources (I basically don’t know his speakers). Although his amplifiers sounded great and were liked by many music lovers, I missed a better tonal balance and their sound seemed to me a little too calculated. Not always so, as there were exceptions, but this is how I generally remembered them. Naturally, a careful selection of the accompanying components would be a great remedy and often brought spectacular results. I've heard it many times. Jorgos Skolias & Bogdan Hołownia …tales ZezIvony/Nautilus NSA-V001, CD (2005/2012) | Limited Edition, No. 0001/2000 As I wrote, the latest version of the Spirit III whose first ever review you are reading (the previously reviewed Spirit III with a front panel display was a "transitory" version) is difficult to get. Even the distributor has only a few units, all of which are on display in audio stores. Fortunately, a few people have already managed to buy the amplifier and I borrowed it for a review from one of them. That person is Jorgos Skolias. Born in 1950 in Zgorzelec, this Polish musician and composer of Greek descent has been known for his deep, searing voice and his cooperation with Polish bands such as Krzak, Dżem and Osjan and jazz musicians, to name Tomasz Stanko, Tomasz Szukalski, Zbigniew Namysłowski or Bogdan Hołownia. He has studied archaic vocal techniques and is usually referred to as a "searching vocalist", which – I think – describes his creative approach to music. Poland has gained this great artist by way of politics as his parents were sent over here as political refugees. Although he participated in the events of the Greek minority, he moved in international circles not limited to an ethnic ghetto. In the 1970s he began cooperation with the rock-blues circles in Wroclaw, working with such bands as Nurt, Grupa 1111 and Spisek Sześciu. He started his professional work in 1982 in the jazz rock band KRZAK and became the object of interest to many searching and innovative musicians who invited him to both concert and studio work. For over a year he worked with the band Osjan. From 1988 to 1991 he was a permanent vocalist for Young Power, a formation bringing together young and unorthodox artists who demonstrated an innovative approach to jazz. He was involved in new visions of music, working with Radosław Nowakowski (Osjan percussionist), Tomasz Stańko, Terje Rypdal, Nikos Touliatos, Bronisław Duży, Tomasz Szukalski, Zbigniew Namysłowski, and the bands Tie Break, Pick Up and Free Cooperation. For five seasons he was performing in the staging of Dziady (Forefathers’ Eve) in the J. Słowacki theater in Krakow, where I spent seven years working as a sound engineer. He participated in many recordings of theater and film music. (Source: Jorgos Skolias - boisterous singer, see HERE) It just so happens that the musician currently lives in Krakow and that, after a long search, he chose the Spirit III (new) amplifier for his audio system. His collaboration with the Krakow audio salon Nautilus where he bought the amplifier goes deeper than a simple cash flow. Nautilus actively participated in a reissue of an extraordinary collaboration between Jorgos Skolias and the pianist Bogdan Hołownia that appeared in May 2012. Originally released in 2005 on ZezIvony label, it contains original interpretations of jazz, blues and soul standards. For years, the album was difficult to get. Now it is about to change. While the reissue is limited to 2,000 copies, there is a good chance that more people will hear this fantastic material. For the purpose of this review I secured the album No. 0001. As I didn’t have the original to compare, I auditioned it in the context of vocal and piano music from all over the world and from the past few decades. It was just as well as the music contained on the album and its sound quality are so unique and interesting that can’t be seen within the confines of a "Polish" label. The sound is incredibly deep and dynamic. It's just vocals and piano, yet the complex, melancholic interpretations are full of dynamite. The disc is worth playing on your system if only to hear how the vocals and the instrument can be shown in space. Due to a – presumably – low compression the sound is rich in micro-information and not choked. Its strong bass and unobtrusive treble are equally impressive. Vividness, resolution and depth are the three most important characteristics of this recording. This album is a must have, so hurry up while it isn’t sold out. While I don’t find anything missing in the sound, I would love to hear the same material on a gold CD. After all it’s supposed to be an audiophile, perfectionist release. I also miss information about the recording session and a description of the studio equipment used for the recording and production. This should necessarily be added to the next Nautilus project. It may also be worth thinking of a more attractive form of the release. The CD is available in the Nautilus stores in Warsaw and Krakow. www.skolias.strefa.pl nautilus.net.pl The Spirit III is the first Ayon amplifier that goes in exactly the same direction as the best sources from this manufacturer, such as the CD-5s Special. It doesn’t ruin the image Gerhard worked for years to achieve, but it adds to it some characteristics that make it now an extremely versatile machine. Upon firing it up we get a large volume of sound. It is a bit "tubey" but is not identical with such presentation. The volume that we get with the new Spirit III is not based on emphasized midrange and rolled off highs, which usually results in vividness. Here big simply means big. Listening to Daft Punk we get pushed in a big balloon, into a dense, expansive sound cocoon. It’s not a midrange chirp-chirp just in front of our nose, but an impetuous, colorful sound. The lower bass is massive and well-defined. It is complemented with the treble that’s not harsh but can be feisty and present when needed, such as on Nirvana's In Utero. A heavy compression did not hamper the album from showing the dirty sound created by the musicians together with the sound producer. The Spirit has a tendency to sound just that way. With smaller ensembles where silence, pause and reflection are equally important, such as on Bach’s violin concertos performed by Yehudi Menuhin, the amp was held back, as if lurking. One could sense it was only temporary, just to play with the rules of the game, and it would strike back when needed. Yet it do never crossed the line between what’s acceptable and what’s not. It seems that it results from a kind of focusing on the sound. It's not as much an excessive control as "mindfulness." Although the Ayon has an inclination towards a strong and slightly beefed-up sound, it stays within the operating limits of a high-end amplifier and is very versatile. It differentiates well without blending the material into a pulp. The difference between the new remaster of the said Concerts… supervised by Mr. Kiuchi from Combak Corporation, and their previous version was huge, indeed; nothing of the sort of "a little better here, a little worse there". The classical EMI remaster from 1990s could only be rejected as lacking in comparison. The amplifier is capable of conveying not only the basic sonic components but of something over and above, like the recording atmosphere or the type of remaster in its upper layer, where we talk about artistic expression. The Spirit is at the same time a very safe choice. It may not be exceptionally resolving, but neither does it blend everything together - it just accentuates the larger groups, bigger planes rather than individual sounds. You'll love the soundstage it creates. It is a large and expansive. I think it has been achieved through the saturation of the bottom end. While the common opinion is that the accuracy and size of soundstage is determined by the treble, the reality is that its quality and maturity depends more on what happens on the other end of the frequency band. For the soundstage to have a reliable size, that is to resemble what we know a live event, the sound can’t be rolled off at the bottom or compressed. I know it well from practice. Almost every mixing console sports a switchable high pass filter, typically 100 Hz, at the microphone input. Sound engineers often use it to prevent the speakers from accidental pops and hum (50 Hz and harmonics) and as a kind of general "protection". Theoretically, the relatively low set filter shouldn’t specifically affect the vocals. And yet even a high female voice is thinner and shallower with the filter on. I have experienced this many times and avoid using it now, if possible. Linear bass means a higher sound volume and its better anchoring on the soundstage. That’s exactly what I faced, listening to the Spirit. Its bass was very low and deep, also in the triode mode. Gerhard told me once that he drives the tubes quite hard running them at high plate voltages, but the sound is muffled and "rounded" otherwise. Fortunately, that’s not a big problem for the new Spirit as it employs the latest version of bias adjustment and an integrated soft-start circuit for extended tube life. This translates into the kind of sound we don’t expect from vacuum tubes. In addition to a slightly soft and colorful sound known from good tube amplifiers, we also get here high dynamics and a very good control extending to the bottom end. Conclusion Gerhard Hirt belongs to a group of designers who know what they are doing. He seems to fully control all aspects of his products, from their enclosure design to their sonic characteristics. We may not always agree with him, as these are HIS choices to which WE can say "no" and everything will be fine. But it will be a response to his specific, well thought-out proposition. One that helps us make an equally informed decision. After an endless parade of products that happen to turn out better or worse, sometimes with their designers not even knowing why, the Ayon is a really refreshing perspective. Here, we don’t need to reject the designer’s wrong and accidental decisions but can simply react to his quality proposition. The new version of Spirit III presents us with a big, saturated sound. A large, expansive soundstage is well controlled and "grasped" so there’s no need to worry that something may be too "puffed up". The bass extends low and has a nice color. It skilfully differentiates color and attack, which also stretches over to the midrange. Selectivity is not as good as with the previous Spirit, but apparently something had to be sacrificed for what we get. This new set of compromises suits me much better than the previous one. Gerhard’s new integrated amplifiers sound more like his preamps, in not try to hide they employ tube technology. But they don’t show it off, either. Instead, they manage to keep everything in balance. That’s something needed most in audio. A truly great paradigm shift! I spent with the Spirit much more time than usual because I also used to review all anti-vibration platforms presented in the previous issue of "High Fidelity", (see the archive HERE). While its mechanical design is very good, it sounded different and usually better with each of them. The best results were with the CEC ASB3545WF Wellfloat and the HRS M3X. They are expensive accessories but will help us achieve a much better sound without the need to upgrade the component. It’s also worth trying out the Resonator 1000 Hz from Finite Elemente, which brings clearly positive results. Or to check out quartz resonators, putting them on output transformer casings. The review had a character of an A/B comparison with the A and B known. The reference point was my reference system amplifier and the Corus + the 625 from Jeff Rowland as a two-box amplifier. Music samples were 2 minutes long. The power cord used was the Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved Version, while the interconnects and speaker cables were from Acoustic Revive ("System II"). As strange as it may seem, Ayon components didn’t always have a "typical" Ayon look. Have a look at a 300B amplifier from this manufacturer reviewed by us in June 2008 (see HERE) to find out what I’m talking about. As you can see, its shape and enclosure design solutions brought to mind small manufacturers employing several people, which is actually what Ayon was back then. It turned out to be the last such design from early Ayon whose next components were soon to look like the CD-3, reviewed by us a month later (see HERE). Except for some details, it was the shape that remained with us till today – thick aluminum plates, rounded corners and hidden mounting screws. And a big Ayon logo in the center of the front panel. It all started in 2006 with digital players. Their enclosures were manufactured for Ayon in China by Raysonic. However, as often happens in such cases, this cooperation got out of Gerhard’s control and the market saw CD players and amplifiers with Raysonic’s logo and electronics that didn’t have much in common with the Austrian company. They were, however, associated with it as they looked similar and used similar enclosure design concepts. Gerhard ended it quickly by buying his own factory in Hong Kong, in which he has since manufactured all the mechanical components. And what about Raysonic? Well… Some time ago, Mr. Steven Leung, its owner, embezzled its money and fled, leaving the plant with despairing employees (part of the story can be found HERE). Once a thief, always a thief, it seems. After transferring production to its own factory Ayon visibly improved assembly and finish quality of its products. Eventually, the contemporary "Ayon look" came about. It is based on black-anodized aluminum with touches of chrome. In the Spirit III, the latter is used for transformer casings, located behind the tubes. Silver are also octal valve holders for the KT88sx (Black Treasure) tubes, here one pair per channel working in push-pull AB. The tubes have Ayon logo and a distinctive black glass container. They are manufactured for the Austrian company by Chinese giant Shuguang that also sells them under the name "Black Glass" Treasure Tubes. The rest of the Spirit enclosure is black, including the two knurled knobs for volume control and input selector respectively. Next to the former we find a display screen that distinguishes model III from the II. It shows the current volume level (on an absolute scale, in dB) for a few seconds before going off. It's a proof that volume control is not via a resistive potentiometer but is probably based on a digitally controlled analog resistor ladder network. There are of course more differences, such as improved bias auto-calibration system, of which Gerhard is very proud, and different driver tubes. The input stage is classic, built on the 12AU7W from Tung-Sol, but next we see black metal containers of the 6SJ7, here NOS Russian military 6Ж8 from 1972. Registered for the first time in 1938, this octal base tube was originally intended for radio and then also television sets. It’s a pentode, unlike the input tubes, here working in triode mode. The other knob is the input selector. Adjacent to it we see red LEDs indicating the current active input as well as the “mute” and "triode" modes. Ayon quite often lets the user choose the operating mode of the output tubes. They can be operated either as classic beam tetrodes (which they are) or as triodes. The output power drops in the triode mode but the sound character changes, too. Switch between the modes with a small knob visible in front of the input tubes. I mentioned the auto-bias circuit. In fact, it is semi-automatic as the initial calibration is performed manually. Once that’s completed, auto-calibration is used on each power-up of the amplifier. It doesn’t take long and is signaled by a flashing illuminated logo on the front panel. During this power up time the soft-start circuit gradually increases filament voltage to warm up the tubes before full plate voltage is applied. This significantly extends tube life. A part of this circuit are the LEDs on the rear panel, a "reset" switch and a USB port used to measure voltages. The rear panel also sports two rows of large, solid speaker binding posts manufactured in-house by Ayon. There are three posts per channel – the ground, 4 Ω and 8 Ω taps. Next you we see three pairs of equally solid RCA connectors and one pair of XLR connectors. There is also the "Direct In" input to bypass the preamp and volume control, useful in home theater systems. Adjacent to it is the pre-out connector that can be used for bi-amping. Next to the IEC mains socket there is a switch to decouple the signal ground from the chassis and a red light indicating incorrect phase of the power cord. If it’s on, the mains plug needs to be turned over – if it’s a Shuko. The power-off switch is mechanical and placed on the bottom, close to the front panel. The amplifier can be operated by a small remote control that features volume control and "mute" buttons. The bottom panel is made of perforated aluminum plate, visibly thinner than the other panels. Electronic components are mounted on gold plated circuit boards and yet the interior is full of wires that connect individual sections. Some of them are used in other amplifiers from the manufacturer. Power supply and logic circuits take the most space. Output stage voltage is filtered by eight sizeable capacitors with Ayon’s logo and two large chokes, one per channel. Separate power supplies are used for the preamplifier and logic circuits including the volume control chip, and for filament voltage. The tubes are coupled via polypropylene capacitors without any logo. Attention is drawn to an oversized AC line filter on a massive choke and a capacitor. One of the circuit boards is potted with a black material, which prevents identification of its components. The audio circuit uses no feedback. Specification (according to the manufacturer) Type of work ends: triode or pentode Load Impedance: 4 or 8 Ω Frequency Response (+ / - 3 dB): 12 Hz-60 kHz Output power (pentode mode): 2 x 55 W Output power (triode mode): 2 x 35 W Input Impedance (1 kHz): 100 k S / N ratio (at full load): 80 dB Hum: 0,003 V Feedback: 0 dB Remote control: yes Inputs: 4 x line-out, 1 x direct Dimensions (WxDxH): 460 x 340 x 260 mm Weight: 31 kg Distribution in Poland Eter Audio ul. Malborska 24 | 30-646 Kraków | Polska tel./fax: 12 425 51 20/30 e-mail: info@eteraudio.pl www.eteraudio.pl

ushing through the halls of the MOC exhibition center in Munich, trying to keep all arranged meetings with various people and to attend all expected showcases, I somehow missed the presentation of the latest speaker line from Sonus faber. I have no idea how this happened, but I suspect that the emphasis placed by the exhibitor on the top series didn’t allow me to focus on anything else. Due to my earlier oversight, it was only a couple of months later that I could now see the speakers with my own eyes for the first time. And they are a real treat to look at. The new Olympica line, which includes the Olympica I stand mount speakers under review, look better than any earlier design from Italian masters thus paying tribute to the late Franco Serblin. In fact, all three speakers from this line look as if they had been designed and built under Sonus faber’s founder supervision. In a classic fashion for this manufacturer, the design is a combination of leather, quality walnut known only from Italy and Japan, and metal components, yet it does create something new, echoing the best designs from the past. According to the Sonus faber literature the new series design solutions derive from experience gained with the flagship Aida speaker. The name refers to the monumental Teatro Olimpico ("Olympic Theatre"), the work of a great Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio, created before his death as a gift to Vicenza, between 1580 and 1585. Since 1994, Teatro Olimpico, along with other Palladio buildings in and around Vicenza have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto". The reviewed stand-mounter looks like a classic two-way bass-reflex design. The former is true, the latter not entirely so. While neither bass-reflex port nor passive membrane are anywhere to be seen, the Olympica is not a sealed design. The manufacturer describes it as “paralaminar stealth flow vented loudspeaker”, which is closer to the aperiodic enclosure. Looking at the speaker from the side, we can see that one side is more curved at the back than the other. The resulting gap is plugged with a narrow, vertical perforated metal stripe, covered with a damping material from the inside. This is the aperiodic vent to control the sound radiated from the rear of the driver unit. The rear panel is very narrow due to the Sonus characteristic lyre-shaped cabinet. What's more, its sides are not exact mirror reflections but are shaped differently, vividly recalling the shape invented by Franco Serblin for his last design, the Accordo stand mount speakers (see HERE). Although his design features concave cabinet sides which are convex in the Olympica, the basic idea is the same. Hence I think that the reviewed speakers are to some extent a tribute to Franco Serblin. Let me merely say this: with one exception, it is the most beautiful speaker design ever presented by Sonus faber. It combines in perfect harmony and proportion noble wood and leather with minor metal touches. Only the classic Guarneri Homage has something extra that makes it timeless. The Olympica I has an almost identical DNA when it comes to taste, though. The manufacturer managed to fit on the narrow rear panel a double pair of speaker terminals custom made to Sonus faber order, coupled with jumper plates. The front, rear and the top is covered with natural, hand-stitched leather that looks insanely good, as usual. The sides are made of wooden staves, as in the classic designs from this manufacturer. And, just as with all Sonus faber speakers, instead of the usual grille we have vertical rubber cords, which can be removed. The speakers come with stylistically matched stands. While other stands can of course be used, they need to be of a proper height and allow the speakers to be tilted back. Unlike in the top Guarneri Evolution, the stand columns are not tilted but instead the stands are equipped with different length spikes - longer in the front and shorter in the rear. The speakers must be screwed to the stands as the upper plates are very small. Sonus faber is a company which knows that a proper product presentation is as important as the product itself. Its website and pictures are among the best in the audio business and set an example that should be followed by all high-end manufacturers. The speakers come in a dark graphite and light walnut finish. Albums auditioned during the review Alison Moyet, The Minutes, Cooking Vinyl/Modest! COOKCD585, CD (2013); Black Sabbath, 13, Vertigo/Universal MusicLLC (Japan) UICN-1034/5, 2 x SHM-CD (2013). Chet Baker & Art Pepper, The Route, Pacific Jazz/Capitol/Capitol-EMI Music CDP 7 92931 2, CD (1989). Frank Sinatra, Songs For Swingin’ Lovers!, Capitol/Mobile Fidelity, UDCD 538, Gold-CD (1956/1990). Gesualdo de Venosa, Quatro Libro di Madrigali, La Venexiana, dyr. Claudio Cavina, Glossa GCD 920934, CD (2005). Jorgos Skolias & Bogdan Hołownia, …tales, 8Merch, NSA-V001, "Limited Edition, No. 0001/2000", CD (2004/2012); Martin L. Gore, Counterfeit e.p, Mute/Sire 9 25980-2, CD (1989). Martin L. Gore. Stardust, Mute RCDMUTE296, SP CCD (2003). Miles Davis, In A Silent Way, Columbia/Mobile Fidelity UDSACD-2088, “Special Limited Edition, No. 1311”, SACD/CD (1969/2012). Morales en Toledo, Polifonía inédita del Códice 25, Ensemble Plus Ultra, dyr. Michael Noone, “Los SIGLOS de ORE”, Glossa GCD 922001, CD (2005). Radiohead, Kid A, Parlophone/EMI, 27753 2, CD (2000). Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from Small speakers do not reproduce low bass. It is “obviously obvious” and I will not even go there. Even if they seem to reproduce low frequencies, it’s just the higher harmonics and not the actual acoustic pressure below, say, 50-60 Hz. One listen to large floorstanders that easily handle this range is enough to not to come back to it. However, the question how small speakers show the low frequencies within their frequency response is a different matter altogether. I will come back to that. Sonus faber speakers, and stand mount speakers in particular, are known for their smooth sound. It is the ability to show music events as if there were no miles of wire, tons of electronics and often many years of distance between the performer and the listener. The Italian designs always acted as a kind of intelligent and sophisticated "filter", figuratively speaking. They were something of a search engine algorithm that weeds out information noise from the data that interests us. In this case, the focus has always been music. The new speakers, designed by the heirs of Master’s talent and his followers to some extent – where following the master is the highest form of homage – have gone in a somewhat different direction. Clearer, more accurate, more analytical, they picture the world with contemporary disillusionment. As we could hear at a Krakow Sonic Society meeting, a combination of the old and the new in the best designs such as the Guarneri Evolution opens up new possibilities that the new designers of this legendary audio brand are able to use (see HERE). Much smaller from the Sonus faber flagship stand mount speakers, the Olympica I sound in a very similar way, minus the scale, dynamics, and bass extension. These limitations naturally modify their sound. Within these limits, however, they have reached a place where that can be easily forgotten. We are dealing here with an extremely consistent, coherent sound. What was for years impressive about the original Guarneri Homage has been to a large extent, if not almost completely, repeated. In the context of this brand it would be trivial to write about well-matched speaker drivers. Most Sonus faber speakers sound like one driver, with tiny modifications of dynamics and edge definition in the range where one driver passes the baton to the other. These are smaller in monitors than in floorstanding speakers. The Olympica I is not an exception here. At the same time it gives a foretaste of what we can get from the Guarneri Evolution or even the Harbeth M40.1. The sound is holographic and 3D. While that level of imaging is often only attributed to stand mount speakers and explained by a lower vibration of their smaller cabinets and by their narrow front baffles that help sound propagation, I think it misses the point. This "detachment" of sound from the speakers occurs just as often if not more often with good floorstanders, and the huge flagship Harbeths sporting a very wide front baffle do it flawlessly. In my opinion, the ability to draw images in 3D space comes from a proper phase integration of the speaker drivers, their quality and the quality of crossover components. If these conditions are met, we get what the new Sonus speakers offer: excellent space, great air and imaging with no artificial “inflation”. Performers’ location is very natural, in the sense of good selectivity and the determination of the incoming sound direction without pinpointing it to the last millimeter. There is some freedom in the presentation, at least in this respect, similar to a live concert. The Renaissance music of Morales en Toledo and Gesualdo de Venos, recorded in natural church acoustics, was conveyed with precision without being hyper-analytic. The recordings clearly attempted to cast sound sources more selectively than in reality to compensate for the sense of sight that can’t be used to help sound location while listening at home. On the other hand, accurately portrayed recording venue’s acoustics added some overall breath and so-called "take off" to the presentation, making it less in-the-face. Studio recordings, like Chet Baker and Art Pepper’s The Route or Alison Moyet’s The Minutes, bring a much more direct and tangible sound. The Olympics I speakers showed it exactly that way. The momentum and soundstage scale remained unchanged but now more important became perfect consistency and smoothness. The above recordings are 57 years apart, which was immediately shown as differences in managing sonic images and integrity between the instruments. The Sonus faber’s tendency to combine everything into a logical chain was reflected through coherence. The result was not a set of juxtaposed sounds but their composition. It would seem so obvious, wouldn’t it? In the audio it’s not entirely and completely true. The Italian speakers built presentation as if they directed a performance. It was naturally an illusion as the actual director had been on the other side of the chain, in the recording studio, yet I couldn’t help the impression of them being the "driving force". The point is that playing any given track we get something new, both emotionally and aesthetically. The tracks "happen" every time anew, according to internal rules, developing and creating tension between our expectations and the music. It’s possible to indicate various elements that make it happen. The most important in my opinion, in addition to coherence, is their dynamic freedom and excellent color. Irrespective of speaker cabinet’s volume, a small 150 mm mid-bass driver won’t give the same dynamics as a large floorstander. Physics, no matter how "warped", won’t allow it. If, however, the driver unit is of the highest quality and precisely matched to the cabinet, even such a tiny speaker can show the magic of mechanically reproduced sound, very convincingly simulating and imitating the events that took place in front of the microphones. SPEC CORPORATION RSP-501EX Real Sound Processor I was deeply impressed by My private audio history written by Mr. Shirokazu Yazaki, a long-time engineer and head of research for Teac and Pioneer, a designer and music lover, currently head of SPEC Corporation (see HERE). I wasn’t alone in this and judging by the e-mails from all over the world Mr. Yazaki’s story was a revelation to many. It was the first time I heard a head of research in a large Japanese corporation talk so openly about himself and his work. We could all see that behind its products there are real people of flesh and blood who combine vast experience with incredible work ethic. No wonder that my first audition of the SPEC RSA-V1 integrated amp from a then completely unknown manufacturer made on me an impression comparable to that of the best 300B amplifiers (see HERE) – all the more so as it was a class D design! According to Mr. Yazaki’s story, the amplifier owed its superb sonics to several key components, including Mr. Honda’s novel implementation of a PWM modulator from International Rectifier, and the coupling oil capacitors from Arizona Capacitors, Inc. This American company is the successor of WEST-CAP, manufacturing this type of components for the U.S. military in the 1960s. Mr. Yazaki doesn’t use them only in his amplifiers and preamplifiers. Another remarkable product I have been using for the last two years that sports the U.S. oil capacitors is the Real-Sound Processor RSP-101/GL. Upon unpacking a neat cardboard box and untying a silk scarf, I saw a small wooden box with a pair of speaker terminals. It was wonderfully made as only the Japanese can do, and bore the serial number 0001. The Real-Sound Processor was created to remedy problems associated with class D amplifiers. This type of amplifier design turns out to be susceptible to the back electromotive force generated by the woofer that significantly modifies the original signal. To counter this, the SPEC Corporation engineers designed a special passive filter with an oil capacitor in the main role. What’s the result? Well, their impact extends beyond class D amplifiers. The RSP-101 plugged between the Harbeth M40.1 and the Soulution 710 brought a smoother, fuller and positively darker sound. Beyond any doubt, the results in my system were positive. Since then, the wooden boxes have stayed on the lower platforms of my Acoustic Revive stands, coupled to the speakers with short Oyaide Nigo cables. In March 2013 I received from Mr. Yazaki the following e-mail: I just built a brand new RSP-501EX No. 1 and 2, especially for you. The finish is exactly the same as that of the RSP-101 sold internationally (outside Japan), but the sound is different. You should be able to hear a more strongly accented lower midrange right down to the bottom end. The 501EX is a better, improved version of the 501 designed for Japanese market. Please give it ample burn-in time, which is required by the excellent oil capacitors. We used hermetically sealed oil-filled capacitors. I hope that the sound will be even more beautiful. All that was left for me was to listen whether – and possibly how – the new Real-Sound Processor differed from the old one. For comparison I used three pairs of speakers: the three-way Revel Performa3 F206 floorstander, the two-way stand mount Sonus faber Olympica I, and the three-way stand mount Harbeth M40.1. To rely on the manufacturers’ opinion can be a risky business, at least when it comes to the sound of their products. With eyes fixed on their creation, their "baby", they often can’t or don’t want to see want to see obvious flaws, omissions, modifications or compromises. Their love for and acceptance of what they do is unconditional. Some don’t listen to anything, instead relying on measurements and coming up with fairy tales for the public. Others can hear perfectly well and are capable of accurate assessment of their designs, but in trying to "tweak" their presentation they confabulate. Hence, it is my general rule to read with attention and respect what they write, but also to verify that right at the very start of auditioning. I try not to forget or miss anything under the assumption that the more I know about a product, the better. This is the basic principle of any scientific study and is (or at least should be) taught at every college. So when Mr. Yazaki sent me the filters and stated in an accompanying letter that in his opinion the new version sounded deeper, smoother and more natural, I chose several recordings to help me take a stance on his opinion. Everything he wrote turned out true. This is a rare case of a humble man of great experience who knows what he's doing, hears perfectly and comes up with an accurate diagnosis. The same happened before when I talked to Mr. Ken Ishiguro and reviewed his Acoustic Revive products. The new filters promote midrange. At first glance, they seem to emphasize it. I think the older design had simply less midrange, which was even flatter dynamically and tonally without the filters altogether. The RSP-501EX makes the speaker, regardless of its make and type, sound more saturated, with a clearly more tangible 3D midrange. The new design seems to have less treble. I thought long and hard about it and it seems to me that the top end is indeed slightly withdrawn. Yet it is much richer at the same time and as a result better linked with the rest. The Revel and the Sonus faber particularly benefitted from that. But even the Harbeths showed something new. While they could certainly do with a bit more treble, now they sounded even more absorbing and “from the gut”. If you own speakers, any speakers, give SPEC a chance. If it fits your expectations, it will bring the kind of improvement that is difficult to achieve with anything else. It may not be huge in terms of quantity, but extremely valuable in terms of quality. Manufacturer’s website: www.spec-corp.co.jp I am quite sure that it is the type of loading of the mid-woofer unit that is in some way responsible for such natural dynamics. Listening to the already mentioned album The Route, I turned my attention to the bass drum presentation. Since I happen to do live mixing of drums fairly often, I know that the bass drum true dynamics, speed and color can’t be carried over into home. Audio system limits are still too high. Sound compression is one of the more troublesome among them. This is where home speakers are several lengths behind the – much less linear and less refined tonally – professional speakers. In this one respect the pro audio technology beats what we have at home. In audiophile designs the problem is the type of driver unit’s loading – usually a bass-reflex vent – and the woofer’s high-hysteresis high-excursion rubber front suspension. Knowing that, I have a better understanding for music lovers who prefer old woofer designs – large low-excursion paper cone drivers with textile suspension in a sealed enclosure or open baffle. And for those who prefer full-range drivers. They offer the kind of transient response, immediacy and micro-dynamics translating into precise attack and hence a sense of "presence" and "vibrancy", which are much better than that of the vast majority of modern design. There are of course exceptions to this rule, such as my Harbeths. The Olympica I from Sonus faber also overcame this limitation, and did a very good job of it. The bass drum I mentioned was flat and fast, just like a real "skin", of course to the extent allowed by the recording technique and medium limitations. I had a similar feeling listening to electronic instruments on Martin Gore’s albums or on Alison Moyet’s disc mentioned previously. In the case of electronica there’s no natural "reference point", yet I could compare the Italian speakers to best designs I’d had at home. This comparison is extremely favorable for the speakers from Italian Arcugnano. There has never been nor will ever be a perfect speaker. Every copy is tainted with distortion, and music playback at home is an nth generation copy. We operate within the narrow confines of pre-determined limitations and are doomed to compromise. What the best designs manage to achieve, however, is nothing short of amazing. The Olympica I from Sonus faber is a speaker whose limitations are clear from the first minutes of listening, and whose compromises are fairly easy to identify. Giving up a large enclosure in favor of a small stand mount cabinet and focusing on a small mid-bass driver straight up eliminates much of bass extension and hence of the music. The bass is the foundation of not only the low range sounds, but also of everything that’s above it. Coming over from the big Revel Performa3 F206 floorstanders and even more from the Harbeth M40.1, we hear it immediately, mainly as a decrease in the volume of sound. However, since the speakers under review are exceptionally well designed, we adapt to it very quickly and in a few moments simply listen to them, without comparing to what was a moment earlier. The more so as they are definitely not short on bass. Deep bass notes on electronica albums were clearly indicated and their higher harmonics beautifully conveyed, integrating with the midrange. The classical vocal recordings showed changed room acoustics, but the vocals tone remained virtually unchanged. It’s very nicely audible, assisted by great bass differentiation and its natural color. The treble sounds in much the same way. Not as resolute and rich as with the Guarneri Evolution, it’s still excellent. The midrange is simply natural and doesn’t collide with what is at the top and bottom ends. Actually, as I wrote, the speakers sound more like one driver units, not emphasizing any particular sub-range. Conclusion I vividly remember all the Sonus faber speakers I have reviewed, as well as the two – unfortunately the only two ever – speakers designed and built by Franco Serblin under the aegis of the company named after him. No single one of them can be passed over with indifference. I also remember my doubts as to whether, after the departure from Sonus of its spiritus movens, something of his legacy survives, and whether the company acquired by an investment fund, a profit oriented business whose main objective is to maximize profits, will manage to keep its most important asset – the spirit. It turns out that the Italians went their own way and using the company’s earlier "patents" came up with speaker designs so different as to make them difficult to compare directly with the older products. Such designs as the Sonus faber, the Aida, and – especially – the Venere line manufactured outside Italy were intended to attract new fans, the way I see it. Something changed with the Guarneri Evolution. Or perhaps nothing changed and there is simply a consistent implementation of the plan - I do not know. Regardless of what the truth is, it works. Among the new designs, the Olympica line retained the most of the old Sonus, while employing the technologies developed in the manufacturer’s "new era". And it looks like an ‘old era’ Sonus. It’s really amazing! The speaker’s sound reflects its design. There is lots of grace in it, characteristic of the older Sonus such as the Minima including the Vintage version, but at the same time there’s a move towards precision and selectivity, mainly thanks to a new, quality tweeter. Interestingly, that’s exactly the same way as that made by Mr. Serblin who proposed in his final stand mount Accordo speaker a precise and somewhat light but brilliantly coherent sound. Similarly to the Accordo, the Olympica I needs to be driven by a powerful amplifier to show everything I’m talking about. The 40 Watts suggested by the manufacturer as a minimum should be taken very seriously. Some high-end 300B designs will undeniably be able to handle it, but they need a “tight”, high-current power supply. The new Sonus faber’s tonal balance is shifted higher than that of the above mentioned Minima Vintage and Guarneri Evolution. It’s therefore important not to pair the Olympica with an amplifier that is more analytical than organic. The upper midrange may be then slightly too forward. The sound is very clean, very resolved and free of distortion, including that resulting from compression. Some things can’t be overcome, though. The speakers are simply lovely! As I said before, I would love to keep in my collection some of the designs I review. Unfortunately, the lack of space does not allow that. Next to the P3ESR and M30.1 from Harbeth, and the Castle ​​Richmond Anniversary, which I actually happen to own signed by the chief engineer, this would be another ‘keeper’. The Olympica I from Sonus faber would at the same time be the pride of my collection, on an equal level with the Guarneri Homage. The speakers are awarded the RED Fingerprint Award Design finish has for years been Sonus faber’s hallmark and distinguishing feature. It's an Italian job from beginning to end, by people who know what to do and how to do it. That’s important, since there are so few examples of good industrial design in the hi-fi audio world and any attempt to make this world look better commands a deep respect. On the technical side, the Olympica I is a two-way loudspeaker in a side vented enclosure. Instead of a classic bass-reflex or transmission line we have here a variant of the former called stealth reflex. The only information found in the company literature is that it’s a design based on concepts by Onken and Jensen. The cabinet is made of natural walnut staves, with narrow joints in light maple. Sonus faber calls the cabinet “enhanced Lyre shape” design. The sides are not identical and the rear panel is slightly off-axis, just like with the Accordo from Franco Serblin (see HERE). The company literature speaks of hyperbolic shape and “duck-tail geometry” design concepts. The front baffle, the top and rear panels are covered with natural, black lacquered leather. The bottom and top panels extend slightly beyond the side panels. A vertical gap conceals the vent that loads the midwoofer, plugged with a vertical perforated metal strip. Metal can also be seen around the tweeter dome and in the form of frame on the top panel. Fortunately, there is not much of it and it matches the overall classic design. Although narrow, the rear panel accommodates two pairs of speaker terminals. They are user friendly and seem to be rhodium plated (matt finish). They are coupled with jumper plates that should be immediately taken out and used for something else, and replaced either by real jumpers or by an Acoustic Revive solution, which I once described. The front baffle can be covered with rubber string grille stretched over a metal wire frame. The front is not a simple flat surface and has been shaped a bit like the fronts of Avalon speakers, with its sides and corners diamond cut shaped. Two driver units designed from beginning to end by Sonus faber engineers are mounted to the flat surface of the front baffle with concealed screws. The treble is handled by the "Arrow Point" DAD 29XTR2 tweeter, where DAD stands for Damped Apex Dome, a combination of the classic dome and ring transducer. It has a large 29 mm diameter and features a neodymium magnet and the "arrow point" in the center to linearize phase response. The 150 mm MW15XTR mid-bass unit has a cone made of proprietary material being a mixture of cellulose pulp, kapok, kenaf and other materials air dried in real time. While it’s not visible, the manufacturer claims that the cone surface is coated with a transparent layer of viscous material, designed to help suppress vibration. The CCAW (Copper Clad Aluminum Wire) coil is used to lower the weight while providing good conductivity. A very large dynamically linear magnetic field motor incorporates triple Kellog/Goeller rings to reduce distortion. The basket is cast. The crossover has been optimized for amplitude and phase response and resonance suppression. This design, called "para-cross topology" is crossed over at 2,500 Hz. It is known from the Aida and Guarneri Evolution. The stands also command attention. Although they don’t look as massive as the Guarneri stands, they are really well made and look great. Their whole body is made of aluminum, except for the steel spikes. These are higher in the front than in the back to tilt up the speaker. The stand’s upper plate is very small and the speaker, as usually with Sonus, is screwed to it. Specification (according to the manufacturer) Frequency Response: 50 Hz - 30 000 Hz Sensitivity: 87 dB SPL (2.83 V / 1 m). Nominal Impedance: 4 Ω Suggested amplifier power: 40 W - 150 W Capacity (IEC-268-5): 20 V rms Dimensions: 354 x 222 x 368 mm Stand Dimensions: 708 x 287 x 376 mm Dimensions of speakers and stands: 1068 x 287 x 435 mm Distribution in Poland VOICE Spółka z o.o. Moniuszki 4 | 43-400 Cieszyn | Polska tel.: 33 8512691 e-mail: office@voice.com.pl voice.com.pl