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ZZZPXVLFDOÀGHOLW\FRP    CONTENTS

VINYL & RECORD REVIEWS NEWS AND OPINION

74 Classical Companion 13 Welcome Christopher Breunig’s guide to A message from the editor

classical music continues with 14 News 15 JULY Beethhoven’s Pastoral Symphony Focal unveils Sopra speaker range, 76 Vinyl Release tube-based CD player from Icon As Led Zeppelin’s debut album is Audio, Wilson debuts diminutive reissued on 180g vinyl as part of a Sabrina fl oorstander, and more... series remastered by Jimmy Page, 16 Show Blog Steve Sutherland reminds us of the Exotic-looking turntables, majestic music that infl uenced their sound amps, mighty speakers and early 78 Vinyl Icon listens to new tech as we report ELO’s Out Of The Blue couldn’t from the Stockholm High End Fair have jarred more with the lo-fi DIY 22 Investigation punk ethic of the day yet it went Not everyone agrees on the effect on to be a runaway commercial that phase has on sound quality. success. Johnny Black fi nds out why 52 Benchmark SMS1 Keith Howard digs deep into the 84 Classic Rock Venues Brand best known for DACS and amps topic and also explains why speaker Steve Sutherland continues his tour branches out into speakers, with a phase distortion is tricky to measure of the world’s iconic rock venues at two-way, sealed-box standmount 103 Opinion California’s Coachella Festival 56 Cambridge Audio Azur 851N Insider comment on the audio 90 Music Reviews Something of a departure for the UK topics of the day from Paul Miller, Audiophile LPs, hi-res downloads company as its latest network player Barry Fox, Jim Lesurf, Steve Harris and the very latest rock, jazz and packs a DAC and a digital preamp and, writing from the US, Barry Willis classical albums reviewed 60 Unison Research Triode 25 112 Sound Off Anniversary valve amplifi er offers Help with restoring a B&O turntable DEFINITIVE PRODUCT REVIEWS switchable pentode and triode modes and receiver, seeking a modern amp along with a convenient USB input to replace an ’80s Krell, ripping 28 KEF Blade Two 64 Oppo PM-3 SACD to hi-res PCM, plus internet Company equips Blade loudspeaker Chinese fi rm expands its range of radio and BBC changes revisited with more compact drivers to add planar magnetic headphones with 138 Off The Leash appeal for those with smaller rooms keenly priced closed-back cans With the recent passing of two of 34 Constellation Audio 68 Acoustic Research AR-UA1 the high-end’s most important Inspiration Pre/Stereo 1.0 AR aims for the mass market with a fi gures, Ken Kessler takes time to New entry-level Inspiration pairing USB DAC and headphone amp said mark their contributions to audio from high-end amp manufacturer to offer high-end sound at a low price costs £20,000. Value for money? 40 Thales TTT-Compact VINTAGE Swiss deck boasts a battery-driven motor and a ‘tangential’ tonearm 118 Vintage Review comprising two tubes. We listen... How does the classic kit of yesteryear 44 Lehmann Audio Silver Cube measure up today? This month we With four gain settings the German test the A&R Cambridge A60 amp, company’s fl agship phono stage is which fi rst appeared in 1976 certainly fl exible. What of its sound? 124 From The Vault 46 Métronome Le Player This month’s pick of articles from From a manufacturer with a passion HFN’s archive is from 1980 where for top-loaders comes a machine Tomlinson Holman of THX talks power that simply plays CDs. Can it cut it? amps designed to drive ‘real’ speakers ABOVE: Our defi nitive fi ve-page Investigation on Phase Distortion LEFT: Easy to drive begins on p22 and able to rock BSCRIBE! out – the SMS1 from SUBSCRIBE! Benchmark marks the company’s fi rst foray into Special Christmas offer: the loudspeaker FREE!Three Audioquest’s issues for NRG-X3 just £3! market, p52 power cable See page 60888257

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 3

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Dynaudio UK Tel: +44 (0)1353 721089 Email: [email protected] THIS IS WHERE THE QUANTUM LEAPS. THE NEW FOCUS XD SERIES. Reinventing the high-end loudspeaker.

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[[[EVGEQGSYO BRINGING MUSIC AND MOVIES TO LIFE JUL/15

RIGHT: Oppo’s headphones just keep getting better, and more affordable! We bench ever let it be said test the ‘portable’ PM-3 that Hi-Fi News planar magnetics on p62 doesn’t respond to the issues, Nquestions and misconceptions that keep its readers up into the wee small hours, even if it means sacrifi cing the odd sacred cow. So when one enthusiast wrote to us about the thorny subject of there’s Constellation Audio, ‘phase distortion’ we thought famous for establishing itself it an obvious candidate for this almost overnight as the ‘next big month’s Investigation feature. thing’ in cost-no-object high-end The topic of audio phase, amplifi cation. The price of its ABOVE: Cambridge Audio’s fl agship network player, the ’851N, on p42 encompassing group delay and Reference series components phase distortion, has grown is suffi ciently high that it might into something of an cryptic as well be in orbit, so the new cause célèbre for some in hi-fi ’s Inspiration preamp and stereo chattering classes. But, as our power amp at ‘just’ £10k each

MARTYN ATKINS MARTYN in-depth exploration of the mark a return to earth with no subject reveals, such concerns are far from groundless. Point ‘Constellation’s new is, this is no new amps mark a return to blight on our quest for supreme sound earth with no bump’ quality, rather a fact of engineering life that much of bump, leaving the sound still up the audio industry conveniently with the gods (see p34). steps over, if not entirely ignores, Neither is our other cover for years at a stretch (see p22). star, KEF’s new and statuesque On the other hand, those Blade Two, a mere pocketknife hi-fi boffi ns that regularly push loudspeaker, distilling all that VINYL: Jeff Lynne’s punk-defying triumph, at the boundaries of audio makes the original Blade great ELO’s Out Of The Blue, is this month’s excellence have recently proved down into a very room-friendly Vinyl Icon (p78), while Steve Sutherland adept at trickling-down fl agship package. In many respects it sets restores history as Led Zep’s eponymous technologies into new products new technical standards (p28). album is re-released on 180g vinyl (p76) that are slightly more affordable. Oh yes – and I hope new and At one extreme we have long-term readers alike will enjoy RIGHT: Hi-Fi News & RR is the exclusive Oppo with a closed-back the return of the traditional Hi-Fi UK representative of EISA’s Hi-Fi Expert version of its planar magnetic News cartoon on p112! Group and editor Paul Miller is EISA’s headphone, stripped down for Hi-Fi Expert Group Manager life on the move. On the other PAUL MILLER EDITOR

HI-FI NEWS’ EXPERT LINE UP: THE FINEST MINDS IN AUDIO JOURNALISM BRING THEIR EXPERIENCE TO BEAR ON ALL AREAS OF HI-FI & MUSIC

BARRY FOX JOHN BAMFORD KEN KESSLER KEITH HOWARD STEVE HARRIS JOHN HOWES STEVE SUTHERLAND Investigative journalist JB brings huge is a long-serving has written about Former Editor of this Foremost collector and Worked on Melody supreme, Barry is the industry experience, a contributor, luxury hi-fi for 30 years, and very title from 1986 archivist of vintage Maker and then edited fi rst with news of the penchant for massive goods writer and edited Hi-Fi Answers through to 2005. A hi-fi , famous for the NME from 1992-2000, latest developments speakers and a love of champion for the for nine. KH performs lifetime in audio and UK’s bi-annual Audio the Britpop years. Steve in hi-fi and music hi-res audio in all its renaissance in valves our speaker and a love of jazz makes Jumble, John shares his brings a unique slant to technologies diverse guises and ‘vintage hi-fi ’ headphone lab tests Steve a goldmine experience with HFN our Vinyl Release pages

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 13 NEWS We reveal the latest products and upcomingming eventeventss Focal Sopra ‘UTOPIAN’ INNOVATION TRICKLES DOWN TO A NEW LOUDSPEAKER RANGE

Utilising much of the driver, crossover Focal’s patented 25mm IHL (Infi nite and cabinet technology developed over Horn Loading) beryllium tweeter which nearly 20 years for its Utopia range of works into a shaped cavity that opens luxury loudspeakers, Focal has squeezed at the rear of the cabinet. Both Sopras’ this know-how into two new models are also equipped with a 165mm ‘W dubbed ‘Sopra’. The Sopra No1 is a Sandwich’ bass/mid driver – the cone 2-way standmount, priced at €8000 comprising two layers of fi breglass with including steel stand and toughened a plexiglass foam fi lling – incorporating glass base, while the larger Sopra No2 ‘tuned mass damping’ resonance (pictured, right) is a 3-way fl oorstander, control and an improved motor system priced at €12,000. Five fi nishes are with a narrow Faraday ring dubbed offered at the same cost and include ‘NIC’ (Neutral Inductance Circuit). lacquered Black, Carrara White (white The extra cabinet volume afforded with a hint of grey), Electric Orange, the Sopra No2 also accommodates two Imperial Red and Dogato Walnut (with extra woofers – a pair of 180mm ‘W a gloss black baffl e). Sandwich’ drivers that extend the low Both loudspeakers are refl ex-loaded, frequency response down to a claimed both rated at a nominal 8ohm but 28Hz. The Sopra No2 is quite a bit with a 2dB difference in sensitivity heavier too – 55kg vs. 19kg. between the 89dB No1 and larger Focal-JM Lab UK Ltd, 0845 660 2680; 91dB No2. Again, both designs share www.focal.com Up tempo server French fi delity MÉTRONOME RANGE EXPANDS AUDIOMAT BRAND LANDS IN THE UK Founded over 25 years ago, the French Audiomat brand has grown to encompass a considerable range of tube amplifi ers, a CD/ KEF GETS AHEAD SACD transport, no fewer than four USB DACs KEF’s latest ‘Personal and Digital and two streamer/media rendering products. Audio Range’ includes several Now available in the UK via Ikon Audio additions to its M-series headphones. Key newcomer is the £200 M400 Consultants, Audiomat is hoping its 30W (up to portable on-ear headphone that a claimed 23W in Class A) tube integrated – the Last year [HFN Dec ’14] we reported that features a ‘sleek and robust design’ £3295 Aria – will tempt anglo-audiophiles. The Métronome Technologie founder Dominique incorporating a full-range 40mm tube complement includes 3xECC83 double- Giner had transferred management of the driver with neodymium magnet, triodes and two pairs of EL34 output pentodes. high-density memory foam ear pads company to French audiophiles Christian Audiomat, 07956 476299; www.audiomat.fr, and in-line mic and volume controls Bat and Jean Marie Clauzel. Giner remains as compatible with most iOS and www.ikonaudioconsultants.com designer and a raft of new products have been Android devices. Available in Racing promised, including its ‘Le Player’ disc spinner Blue, Sunset Orange, Deep Black which we review this month [see p46]. and Champagne White colours, the Now its CD8 Signature CD player and DSD- M400 weighs a mere 175g. www.kef.com ready C8+ two-box DAC solution have been formally announced alongside its fi rst foray into RHODIUM STYLUS the world of media servers. The Music Centre Prolifi c cable innovator, Black 1 (or MC1) includes a slot drive and automated Rhodium, has announced two new CD ripper with onboard HDD storage to interconnects for tonearm-to-phono accommodate ‘all high resolution fi le formats’. stage duty. The £350 Stylus and The MC1 is driven by a bespoke smartphone/ £500 Stylus VS-2 employ separately screened conductors with silver- tablet app and includes wireless and wired plated copper cores and low-loss Ethernet connections, USB inputs and outputs PTFE insulation. Rhodium-plated DIN plus legacy S/PDIF and AES/EBU connections. and GN-3 RCA plugs are offered. Métronome Technologie, 0208 971 3909 www.blackrhodium.co.uk www.metronome-technologie.com

14 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 NEWS We reveal the latest products and upcoming events Wilson Audio Sabrina Icon Audio CDX2 UNASSUMING FLOORSTANDER IS PACKED WITH KNOW-HOW TOP-LOADING CD WITH TUBE-BASED ANALOGUE STAGE The compact disc may have Audio offers a range of ‘David been with us for over 30 years Shaw Signature’ upgrades but Icon Audio is just launching including Jensen copper foil its second-ever player, the oil-in-paper capacitors and £995 CDX2. More affordable premium ‘new old stock’ valves than the earlier CDX1 model, (price on application). this new CD spinner features Icon Audio, 0116 244 0593; a top-loading mechanism and www.iconaudio.com contemporary 192kHz/24-bit upsampling digital section. However, the real core of this player lies in its Class A, all triode valve output stage. Selected T J Full Music or original Mullard valves are employed here while, The trickle-down trend has made from Wilson’s proprietary as the CDX2 player is not escaped Wilson Audio’s composite X-Material, the assembled in the UK, Icon attention as its diminutive woofer is the same 8in unit Sabrina fl oorstander clearly employed in the Alexia while illustrates. Priced at £14,498 above the 5in mid driver is a HI-FI NEWS? JUST ASK... this new model is a ‘distillation specially adapted version of If you can’t always fi nd a copy Please reserve/deliver my copy of Hi-fi News of everything Wilson Audio has Wilson Audio’s Convergent of this magazine, help is at on a regular basis, starting with issue...... learned in three decades of Synergy Tweeter. hand! Complete this form, Title...... First name...... loudspeaker design’. As such, Wilson Audio, 0208 971 3909; hand it in at your local store the Sabrina’s front baffl e is www.wilsonaudio.com Surname...... and they’ll arrange for a copy Address...... of each issue to be reserved ...... for you. Some stores may AR takes on A&K even be able to arrange for it ...... to be delivered to your home. Postcode......

UPMARKET HI-RES PORTABLE PLAYER BOASTS TOP-END SOUND Just ask! Telephone number...... Continuing the ‘reboot’ of Acoustic Research [see p68], the IF YOU DON’T 60-year old brand has announced its fi rst hi-res portable player, WANT TO MISS the £899 AR M2. Featuring a top-end PCM1794A DAC, quad- AN ISSUE... core processor, high current Class A headphone amp (rated at 250mW/32ohm) and ‘audiophile grade’ ALPS volume pot, the AR M2 also includes 64GB of storage and full Wi-Fi streaming. Acoustic Research (AR), Voxx International Corp, Hong Kong, 07734 064360; www.acoustic-research.com

Upcoming Events IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR HI-FI DIARY 29-31 MAY T.H.E. Show, Hilton Hotel, Newport Beach, CA, USA 28 JUN N. West Audio Show, Cranage Hall, www.audioshow.co.uk 04-09 SEP IFA Berlin, The International Funkausstellung, Germany http://b2c.ifa-berlin.de 16-18 OCT High End Swiss 2015, Hotel Moevenpick Zuerich Regensdorf, Switzerland; www.highendsociety.de/ 24-25 OCT The Hi-Fi Show Live 2015, Beaumont Estate, Windsor; www.hifi news.co.uk/show

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 15 SHOWBLOG Sights and sounds from around the globe Stockholm High End 2015 Words & pictures: Jonas Bryngelsson, Per Sundell, Mats Meyer-Lie

Meridian Audio demonstrated one of the most interesting new technologies at the show, namely the company’s MQA super audio standard for HD streaming and downloading [see p21 and HFN Apr ’15]. A Sooloos Streamer was used as source, hooked up to a Meridian 818 preamplifi er (left). www.meridian-audio.com

As was the case last year, the Stockholm High End Fair straddled two venues, with most exhibitors taking up residency at the Sheraton hotel while others chose the palatial surroundings of the Lundqvist & Lindqvist hotel just Advance Acoustic’s X-L1000 steps away. Visitors revelled in the sound of mighty systems is a three-way fl oorstander comprised of components from the likes of Martens, Focal, assembled in France. dCS and Nelson while there was no shortage of valves, vinyl Standing 125cm tall, it and headphones too. There was even an early demonstration comprises three independent of Meridian’s MQA technology. MDF cabinets, each decoupled in a bid to control unwanted vibrations. The top cabinet houses a neodymium magnet ribbon tweeter measuring 125x35mm. www.advance-acoustic.com

This little cracker is the W5 standmount from Swiss company Boenicke Audio. Measuring just 30x10.4x Swedish recording engineer Jan-Eric Persson (left) was in 20cm (hwd) it is designed to attendance with a wide selection of audiophile recordings sit as happily on your desktop released over the years on his Opus 3 label – the independent as a stand, thanks to four record company he founded back in 1976. One could not only custom-made springs on its buy these audiophile offerings but listen to the discs through base. It’s available in walnut, headphones via TEAC’s little 500 system with DSD conversion. ash, oak and cherry. www.opus3records.com www.boenicke-audio.ch

16 | www.hifinews.co.uk | JULY 2015 SHOWBLOG Sights and sounds from around the globe

PL Audio celebrated its 20th anniversary with a system that was one of the event’s major draws: Focal’s Stella Utopia EM loudspeakers coupled to a Pass Labs Xs preamp and Xs300 monoblocks – the company’s latest fl agship power amp with standalone power supplies. The source was just as ambitious: a four-box dCS Vivaldi. The sound? A sledgehammer wrapped in silk, as we say in Sweden. www.focal. com; www.passlabs.com

Marten showed its majestic Coltrane Supreme 2 loudspeaker. Standing 200cm tall and sporting no fewer than ten front-facing drivers (including two diamond tweeters) it was driven by several thousand watts of amplifi cation from German company Analog Domain. Unfortunately, the AD rep pushed the power to 2kW, blowing the speakers’ tweeters and midrange. Only after several frenetic round trips to Germany was normal service restored. www.marten.se

Many visitors were curious about the exotic-looking Continuum Criterion turntable with its Copperhead tonearm. The deck features a ‘nested platter’ that weighs 30kg in total and measures 330mm in diameter. An inverted 30mm bearing shaft runs in steel bushings while the motor boasts proprietary DSP software ‘designed for ultra-low cogging’. The turntable fed Engström & Engström’s The Lars amplifi ers with their mighty 300B XLS triodes, hooked up to Tannoy Prestige speakers. www.continuumaudiolabs.com

We were among many who were taken aback by the sheer sophisticated sound of these planar magnetic headphones. Custom made in the US by JPS Labs for Abyss, the AB-1266 may look brutal with their pitch black anodised aluminium sides and aluminium headband but in the grip of a Chord Hugo DAC/headphone amp the sound caressed the ears. www.abyss- headphones.com

JULY 2015 | www.hifinews.co.uk | 17

SHOWBLOG Sights and sounds from around the globe

ENIGMAcoustics’ Mythology M1 is one of the most remarkable speakers on the market right now, thanks to a frequency response said to reach a bat-friendly 40kHz when the 34mm tweeter and 7in mid-woofer are used with the optional ‘self-biased’ Sopranino electrostatic supertweeter. www.enigmacoustics.com

Designed by Mark Levinson, the The Line Magnetic LM-501 IA integrated amp hails M1 speakers from Swiss-based from China. Tube complement is a single 12AU7, twin company Daniel Hertz sport a 66SN7s and 12AX7s with four KT120 valves said to 3in high frequency horn, 12in kick out 100W per side. Other niceties include point- mid driver and an 18in woofer. to-point wiring throughout, 4, 8 and 16ohm speaker The company has limited the terminals, four line-ins, remote control of volume and dynamic range ‘to around a fascia coloured gold! www.lm-audio.com 126dB for ear safety reasons’. Electronics are Nagra. www.danielhertz.com

Sennheiser was out in force with all manner of models from its Music & Entertainment series. Pictured are This adorable little loudspeaker is the Micra III from headphones from its Momentum Italian company Diapason. It features a 26mm soft line-up, which offer Bluetooth dome tweeter, 110mm bass driver and claimed connectivity, noise cancellation plus sensitivity of 88dB. Dimensions are 205x285x280mm. headbands and earpads made of soft Driven by a Line Magnetic LM-2181A amp it was a leather. www.en-uk.sennheiser.com sound to be enjoyed in the company of a glass or two of Franciacorta. www.diapason-italia.com

Pictured here is Violalabs’ Crescendo preamp racked above the company’s Concerto power amp. The pre can be controlled via Wi-Fi using an app and features a USB DAC input compatible with music fi les up to 192kHz/24-bit. Meanwhile, the matching power amp delivers a claimed 125W into 8ohm. www.violalabs.com

JULY 2015 | www.hifinews.co.uk | 19 UK Distribution SHOWBLOG Sights and sounds from around the globe

It may have a hammered enamel fi nish and silver brushed enamel fascia – unlike the LM-501 IA pictured p19 – but this is one of Line Magnetics’ more lavish amps. The LM-210 IA is a single-ended integrated using 300B valves in the output stage along with 310B driver tubes and twin12AX7 input tubes. Said to produce 8W per channel, the LM-501 Andy Luckham of Meridian Audio takes questions from IA also offers a ‘Japanese showgoers about the company’s new MQA technology. His grade’ ALPS volume presentation may have taken place in one of the smallest control, four inputs and rooms at the event, but the Meridian DSP5200SE speakers terminals to take 4, 8 or used for the dem left everyone impressed with the sound. 16ohm loudspeakers. www.meridian-audio.com www.lm-audio.com

The Model S-15 speaker is part of Steinway Lyngdorf’s smallest system. It measures just 26x20x7.9cm (hwd) and features an AMT tweeter plus DSP room correction. www. steinwaylyngdorf.com

Time to unleash your inner teenager! First released in 1957, the Heresy from Klipsch is now in its third iteration and, at 23.8cm tall, has to be one of the shortest fl oorstanders Thorens showed its new TD 203 turntable we’ve clapped eyes on. Beneath the Tractrix which it hopes will appeal to buyers of entry- horn sits a 30cm woofer while mounted above level decks as it’s supplied pre-assembled and it is a 2.5cm tweeter. Finishes are Walnut, is designed to be up and running out of the Cherry and Black Lacquer. www.klipsch.com box. The arm is a unipivot type and comes fi tted with a TAS 257 MM cartridge. www.thorens.com

Jeff Rowland’s diminutive preamp, Capri, was on Next display in the room of Swedish distributor, Perfect Sense. The preamp is said to month be environmentally friendly, drawing just 6W of power in We revealWe report the winners from the of Class A. Optional phono cards are available to enable it to theMunich EISA Awards High End 2011-2012 Show be used with vinyl sources. www.jeffrowlandgroup.com

JULY 2015 | www.hifinews.co.uk | 21 INVESTIGATION Fazed by phase? Keith Howard explains phase and examines its effect on sound quality

RIGHT: The hase is a subject that tends KEF KUBE was to fascinate and confuse an electronic audiophiles in equal equaliser Pmeasure. As this article designed to be will attempt to explain, actually used in a tape there is no mystery to it. But the loop or between effect of phase on sound quality – a preamp and an issue made pertinent again by power amp. the increasing use of digital signal It enabled processing – is controversial, and has a speaker’s been for many decades. effective cut-off To illustrate that last point, frequency to be what follows are three snippets of pushed down to audio history – all related to phase below 20Hz. The performance – that older readers effect on sound may recall but our younger audience quality was may never have encountered. surprising Interesting not merely as historical items, they remain relevant because, Phase Detection: Part 2’ – which A brief fl urry of interest in surprisingly, the issues they raise questioned the generally held ‘linear-phase’ loudspeakers remain largely unaddressed to this view that phase effects in audio notwithstanding, including the day. Later in the article I will explain equipment are inaudible. launch of the stepped-baffl e B&W those issues in more detail. Baekgaard’s paper described DM6 in 1976, the idea didn’t B&O’s practical response to this catch on and both B&O and B&W FILLER DRIVERS research, which would later come eventually dropped it. In 1975 Danish manufacturer to market in the Beovox Uni-Phase It was the following decade, in BELOW: To Bang & Olufsen (then less a colour M75 and M100 loudspeakers. These 1985 to be precise, that another provide accurate supplement brand than it is today) were four-way and aspect of time alignment introduced a novel concept called fi ve-way designs loudspeaker phase of its three the fi ller driver, fi rst described in an respectively, but ‘It’s as if the hi-fi behaviour came drivers, the Audio Engineering Society paper one of the drive industry has under scrutiny, ‘linear-phase’ portentously entitled ‘Loudspeakers units – the so-called this time in an AES B&W DM6 of – The Missing Link’ written by Erik fi ller driver – had shut its ears to paper by Laurie 1976 was one Baekgaard. At the time B&O was an unconventional Fincham, then of the fi rst to perhaps uniquely focused on phase role. It was included phase distortion’ technical director use a stepped performance whereas the subject for one reason and at KEF Electronics. baffl e. Because was largely ignored elsewhere. one reason only: to cancel the phase Entitled ‘The Subjective Importance of its novel The previous year two other B&O distortion (I’ll explain this term of Uniform Group Delay at Low appearance it researchers, Villy Hansen and Eric shortly) introduced by the woofer- Frequencies’ it explored the audible was nicknamed Madsen, had set the scene with to-midrange crossover. effect of the phase distortion ‘the pregnant earlier AES papers – ‘On Aural Phase associated not with loudspeaker penguin’ Detection: Part 1’ and ‘On Aural crossovers but with a loudspeaker’s bass roll-off. KEF had built an electronic equaliser to allow a speaker’s effective cut-off frequency to be pushed down to 5Hz, three octaves or so below that typically achieved by an uncorrected loudspeaker, and the effect on sound quality proved to be surprising. As Mike Gough, also at KEF at the time, recalled in 50 Years of Innovation In Sound, the 2011 book celebrating the 50th anniversary of KEF’s founding, ‘Listening to a system that was truly fl at down to 20Hz was weird, and not what you

22 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 would expect. You didn’t always phase distortion, in the source ABOVE LEFT: something that Laurie Fincham in hear more bass… but male voice material. But while digital recording [Fig 1] Two sine his experiments had not: to correct lost all its chestiness and we began offered up the means for achieving waves of the the low frequency phase response to realise that what you heard as this in a way that analogue had not, same frequency, of a loudspeaker without affecting chestiness, what you thought was that didn’t mean that commercial one (red trace) its frequency response, ie, without an excess of bass, was actually digital recordings always delivered; displaced extending the roll-off to infra-bass the transient response of the bass there were still many potential relative to the frequencies as KEF’s analogue roll-off… Move that group delay… sources of low frequency roll-off other by a time equaliser had done. out of band and everything sounds in the signal chain. And, of course, delay equivalent Intriguingly the phase correction much more natural.’ KEF went on there was – and still is – a large to a quarter- appears, according to articles Stan to market its equaliser as the KUBE archive of analogue recordings. wavelength Curtis wrote about the project [HFN (KEF Universal Bass Equaliser) but – This was a theme picked up on a Dec ’91 and HFN Jan ’92], to have not least because audiophiles were few years later by Michael Gerzon TOP: [Fig 2] had a more obvious effect on sound suspicious of the op-amps inside it – when working as a consultant Three sine waves, quality than the room correction it wasn’t a commercial success. for B&W on an early digital room doubled in system, or at least certainly in In his AES paper Laurie Fincham correction system that – despite frequency (F, 2F, better-behaved rooms. had remarked: ‘Listening tests… being demonstrated to the press 4F) subject to the Gerzon himself wrote of it (in indicate that a reduction in group and extensively publicised – never same time delay. an article entitled ‘Digital room delay [ie, phase] distortion at low saw the light of day as a commercial As the delay equalisation’ written for Studio frequencies is probably worthwhile product as it was cancelled at the is equivalent Sound and downloadable from the only when the recorded material is eleventh hour. to a quarter- Gerzon Archive at www.audiosignal. itself also free from such distortion.’ wavelength co.uk): ‘The subjective effect of Indeed KEF had made an HALF THE STORY for the lowest phase compensation of the bass orchestral recording especially for Calling the B&W project a digital frequency, it from loudspeakers is very marked, the listening tests, using a digital room correction system is actually equals a half- giving a much tighter and more recorder and B&K 4133 pressure only half the story because it also wavelength “punchy” quality, with greater microphone, to ensure extended low acted as a loudspeaker equaliser. and a full transparency, and interestingly frequency response, and minimum In particular, it was able to do wavelength for a subjective extension of bass the two higher response of a least half an octave.’ frequencies, as In the higher-spec of what were shown by the two planned versions of the B&W dotted traces processor, low frequency phase correction was not just limited to ABOVE RIGHT: correcting for loudspeaker phase [Fig 3] Plotting but could be adjusted ‘to correct for the phase shifts phase changes that have developed vs frequency for through the recording process’. the three sine In other words, to correct for low waves of Fig 2 we frequency phase distortion in the fi nd they form source material too. a straight line which passes WHAT’S CHANGED? through the In the 40 years that have elapsed origin (0,0) since B&O conceived the fi ller driver, how much has changed in respect LEFT: Beovox of the phase distortion introduced Uni-Phase M75 by loudspeakers? Actually, very little. and M100, each Most speakers – with the exception with fi ller driver of passive designs using fi rst-order to cancel phase networks and DSP-equipped active distortion speakers using digital linear-phase

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 23 INVESTIGATION

that make up a complete audio chain – microphones, amplifi ers, loudspeaker drive units – are not linear-phase by nature but ‘minimum-phase’ instead. What this means, in effect, is that they have (near-) linear-phase response within their passbands (where the frequency response is fl at or thereabouts) but not at either frequency extreme where the response rolls off. Here they introduce phase distortion, changing fi ltering – still introduce phase ABOVE LEFT: represented by the vertical axis to the waveform of complex signals by distortion in their crossovers, and [Fig 4] Group the left, equivalent to 90º phase more than that due to the amplitude if anything the problem of phase delay (in for the lowest-frequency sine wave. changes inherent in the roll-off. distortion at bass frequencies microseconds) Because the frequency of the second has become exacerbated by the for second-order sine wave is doubled, its phase delay DELIBERATE ROLL-OFF preponderance of refl ex-loaded Butterworth is doubled too to 180º; likewise, the Both high-pass and low-pass designs, which have now largely low-pass fi lter phase delay of the third sine wave is roll-offs result in phase distortion replaced sealed box types. with a corner quadrupled to 360º. but, of the two, high-pass roll-offs It’s almost as if the hi-fi industry frequency of If we plot these phase values on are much the worse. One result of at large has determined to shut its 20kHz. The fi lter a graph versus frequency, we obtain this is that while it’s common for ears to phase distortion. And yet introduces an Figure 3. Joining up the points direct-coupled power amplifi ers experiments I’ve conducted with almost (but not (represented by crosses) we fi nd that to have a low frequency corner crossovers and bass correction have quite) constant we have a straight line that passes frequency of around 2Hz, an order convinced me that its deleterious time delay up through the origin (zero phase at of magnitude lower than the 20Hz effects are discernible – and a few to 20kHz, so its zero frequency). nominal lower others in high-end audio agree. phase distortion In other words, limit of human is modest a constant time ‘Phase distortion hearing, at the WHAT IS PHASE? delay is equivalent doesn’t introduce other frequency So what exactly is phase distortion, ABOVE RIGHT: to a linear phase extreme it’s and how and where does it occur? [Fig 5] Group versus frequency new frequencies unusual for To answer these crucial questions delay (in response, and vice- bandwidth to fi rst we have to understand what milliseconds) for versa: if a system to the signal’ extend out to phase is, then we have to grasp the a second-order displays straight- 200kHz, an signifi cance of how phase behaves Butterworth line phase versus frequency and has order of magnitude higher than our relative to frequency. high-pass fi lter zero phase at zero frequency, then it hearing’s 20kHz nominal upper limit. Figure 1 shows two sine waves with a corner imposes a constant time delay. In fact the frequency response which have the same frequency frequency of When a complex signal like of many power amplifi ers is and amplitude but are slightly 20Hz. Unlike music, comprising many different deliberately rolled-off not far above out of step. We can express their the low-pass frequencies, is passed through 20kHz. Designers can get away with misalignment directly as a time fi lter of Figure 4, such a ‘linear-phase’ system, it this because the consequences in delay or indirectly in terms of a here the group emerges with the original waveform respect of phase distortion are much phase difference, expressed in delay varies intact. Whereas if the phase versus less than for a high-pass roll-off at angular units of either degrees or considerably frequency response is not a straight low frequencies. radians. As degrees are the more within the line, the different frequency This disparity in the severity familiar unit, we will use them in audible components of a complex signal will of phase distortion introduced what follows. In this example the frequency be delayed by different amounts and by high-pass and low-pass roll- two waveforms are offset by one range, so phase the waveform will be altered. offs is easily shown using graphs quarter of a wavelength so, as a distortion is large This is what phase distortion is: of group delay versus frequency, whole wavelength is equivalent to non-constant time delay resulting where group delay is defi ned as 360º, there is a phase difference in alteration of a complex signal’s the negative of the local slope of between them of 90º. waveform. As such it is a linear the phase versus frequency curve. In Figure 2 we go a vital step distortion as opposed to a nonlinear (There are alternative measures of further, with three sine waves of distortion (such as harmonic or phase linearity but this is the most different frequency (and different intermodulation distortion) because commonly used.) amplitude to make them clearer). it doesn’t introduce new frequencies In a linear-phase system the If the fi rst has a frequency F then to the signal. Rather, it alters the group delay is constant with the second has a frequency double relationship between the signal’s frequency and has a value equal to that (2F) and the third a frequency constituent frequency components. the time delay introduced by the quadruple the fi rst (4F). All have Unfortunately it is not generally system, whereas in non-linear-phase exactly the same time delay relative the case that audio equipment systems the group delay versus to the common reference point is linear-phase. Most of the items frequency curve is not fl at over the

24 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 INVESTIGATION

across the audible spectrum, particularly when compared to the loudspeakers it will typically drive. It should never be forgotten that concatenating (chaining) fi lters with benign phase distortion may result in overall phase distortion that is audible. (Perhaps worse, accumulated fi ltering also progressively degrades system transient response.) But for potentially troublesome, ie, audible, phase distortion we must look to loudspeakers, trusting that the engineers who make music recordings strive to minimise low frequency and high frequency phase distortion in our source material. (This may be wishful thinking and is probably worth an Investigation of its own.)

VENTED SPEAKERS As we’ve seen, loudspeakers principally introduce phase distortion at low frequencies, entire frequency range, although it TOP: [Figs 6 is as fl at as can be achieved, because of the minimum-phase bass may be over part of it. and 7] Group without ripples or peaking near the roll-off, and in-band at the crossover As examples let’s look at the delays at low and corner frequency; such fi lters are frequencies. Let’s begin with the group delay versus frequency for high frequency alternatively known as Butterworth former. Figure 8 shows overlaid second-order (12dB per octave after corner types.) The results are shown in group delay versus frequency plots roll-off) maximally fl at high-pass frequencies of Figures 4 and 5. for closed box loudspeakers with and low-pass fi lters at 20Hz and Figs 4 and 5 are In the case of the low-pass fi lter system Q of 0.7071 (Butterworth 20kHz respectively. (‘Maximally fl at’ moved to 50kHz with a corner frequency of 20kHz alignment) and octave-spaced bass means that the frequency response and 2Hz [Fig 4] the group delay curve is resonance frequencies of 5, 10, 20, pretty fl at over much of the 20Hz- 40 and 80Hz respectively. ABOVE LEFT: 20kHz passband, ie, the fi lter Figure 9 repeats Figure 8 but for [Fig 8] Low- introduces an almost constant time a vented (refl ex) loudspeaker, again frequency group delay. Only as the corner frequency with a Butterworth (B4) alignment. delay for closed- is approached does the group delay Due to the fact that vented box loudspeakers change, and then not by very much. loudspeakers have a steeper, fourth- with a maximally In other words, the phase distortion order (24dB per octave) roll-off, not fl at resp. Corner introduced by this fi lter is small. the second-order (12dB per octave) freqs. 5Hz (black Contrast this with the behaviour roll-off of closed box bass loading, trace), 10Hz (red of the 20Hz high-pass fi lter, shown their phase distortion is greater – trace), 20Hz in Figure 5. Here the group delay although there are better-behaved (green trace), is anything but constant versus refl ex alignments than the one 40Hz (cyan frequency and so the resulting phase illustrated here. Filter-assisted refl ex trace), 80Hz distortion is large. alignments, with sixth- or higher- (orange trace) If we lower the high-pass corner order roll-offs, are worse still. frequency to 2Hz and raise the What can be done about audible ABOVE RIGHT: low-pass corner to 50kHz, making LF phase distortion in loudspeakers? [Fig 9] Low- the situation more typical of an The ‘simple’ solution is to push the frequency group amplifi er, then the group delays at bass corner frequency low enough delay for vented- low and high frequency are as shown to obviate it – what KEF did with the box (refl ex) in Figs 6 and 7 (note here that the KUBE. But with a passive speaker this loudspeakers low frequency graph, Fig 7, now requires an external equaliser that with a maximally extends down to 10Hz). Group delay may impact on sound quality in less fl at (B4) response due to the low-pass roll-off varies by desirable ways. just 4.5 to 5.1μs up to 20kHz, while In an active speaker or powered LEFT: Meridian’s at 20Hz the group delay is limited to subwoofer the equalisation can be DSP7200SE has a less than 1.2ms at 20Hz. applied internally and restricted to linear-phase mid- Such an amplifi er introduces very the LF section but the extension of treble crossover little in the way of phase distortion frequency response to infra-bass

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 25 FURUTECH Pure Transmission

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+44(0)1276-501-392 [email protected] INVESTIGATION

To implement high-order crossovers that are linear-phase requires the use of digital signal processing which (ironically, given DSP’s increasingly wide application) explains why phase-distorting loudspeakers remain the norm. Despite the DSP active loudspeaker having been with us since 1990, when Meridian introduced the DSP6000, speaker manufacturers have mostly fought shy of the technology despite its manifold frequencies means that digital to illustrate the effects of phase ABOVE: [Fig 10a, benefi ts – of which linear-phase sources are mandated, and even distortion because they comprise left] Group delay crossover fi ltering is but one. some digital recordings will have a fundamental plus odd harmonics (in microseconds) very low frequency content that (3rd, 5th, 7th, etc) at decreasing versus frequency ON MEASURING... overloads the bass driver. Vinyl amplitudes. If the phase relationship for a second- Why does Hi-Fi News not publish replay would do this pretty much all between the fundamental and order Linkwitz- measurements of loudspeaker phase of the time. harmonics is not maintained, ie, Riley crossover distortion? Unfortunately, measuring A DSP solution which doesn’t if the system through which the network (low- it is not straightforward. As Michael require the frequency response to square wave passes is not linear- pass plus high- Gerzon observed in ‘Digital room be pushed down to, say, 5Hz makes phase, then the square wave’s pass) at 3kHz equalisation’, ‘Since the very overload less likely. As characteristic with [Fig 10b, low-frequency performance of a an example, Meridian shape is modifi ed. right], the effect speaker in a room is very diffi cult has patented such ‘Measuring The mangling of on a square wave to measure, even in most anechoic a system (WO speaker phase the square waves at the crossover chambers, the phase compensation 2014/106756) which [Figs 10b and 11b] frequency. Black is derived from the theoretical bass is now deployed in distortion is not looks spectacular trace is the alignment of the loudspeaker…’ In its latest-generation but is this phase square wave other words, it is much easier for a DSP speakers under straightforward’ distortion actually input, red trace loudspeaker manufacturer to specify the name of EBA – audible on music? is the crossover LF phase performance than it is for a enhanced bass alignment. Some industry gurus, such as output reviewer to measure it. Siegfried Linkwitz, have concluded A more realistic prospect is to DRIVER CROSSOVER that it isn’t; my own experiments simulate the phase performance The second area in which suggest otherwise. The subjective on the basis of impedance loudspeakers generate phase benefi t of linear-phase crossovers measurement – but that won’t work distortion is at crossover between may appear relatively subtle, but with an active speaker, of course. drive units. Of the classic passive then subtleties are high-end audio’s Measuring the phase distortion crossover alignments, only the fi rst- bread and butter. And taking a introduced by crossovers has its order crossover – with high-pass and pragmatic view, it seems only diffi culties too but is easier. Perhaps low-pass slopes of 6dB per octave sensible to use linear-phase fi ltering when HFN implements its planned – is linear-phase but it brings with it if you can, provided that nothing online expansion of our published signifi cant disadvantages (on which desirable is sacrifi ced. BELOW: [Figs loudspeaker test results, as is already there is no room to expand here). (I explored one potential issue 11a and 11b]. As in place for PM’s lab reports on Higher-order passive fi lters are more – the off-axis time-misalignment Fig 10a and 10b electronic items, then we will commonly used, therefore, but they of steep low-pass and high-pass but this time for include there a graph of group delay are not linear-phase. Rather they linear-phase impulse responses – in a a fourth-order versus frequency. Who knows: have ‘all-pass’ characteristics – the 2006 article [‘Digital Dangers’, HFN Linkwitz-Riley perhaps it would encourage the name given to any circuit or device April] and concluded that the effect crossover, again loudspeaker industry at large to that has a fl at frequency response wasn’t audible.) at 3kHz examine this topic anew. but a non-linear phase response. Figs 10a and 11a illustrate this for two popular crossover types, the second-order and fourth- order Linkwitz-Riley (aka double- Butterworth or Butterworth-squared) alignments. In addition to showing the graph of group delay versus frequency, these two fi gures also illustrate the resulting change in waveform for a square wave at the crossover frequency (here 3kHz). Square waves are useful

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 27 Floorstanding three-way refl ex-loaded loudspeaker Made by: GP Acoustics (UK) Ltd, Maidstone, Kent Supplied by: GP Acoustics (UK) Ltd Telephone: 01622 672 261 Web: www.kef.com LOUDSPEAKER Price: £16,000-£18,000 (depending on fi nish) KEF Blade Two

Just slightly scaled down from the big, still-current Blade, the Blade Two might be a better fi t for your listening room Review: Steve Harris Lab: Keith Howard

here aren’t too many speakers with glass fi bre. Each cabinet is made from that successfully escape from the two half mouldings which are subsequently traditional straight-sided cabinet bonded down the centre-line. Needless to Tform, but the tall, slim, curvy KEF say, you can’t see the slightest trace of the Blade does so with conviction. Now we have join in KEF’s peerless paint fi nishes. Although the slightly smaller but otherwise outwardly the initial cost of tooling was extremely high, identical Blade Two, once again available in the moulding approach made it easy to build black, white, red, grey and metallic silver. in all the necessary partitions and other It’s priced at £16,000 a pair, but for an extra internal features, and ensured consistency. £2000 you can have the speakers in one of two Kent Engineering and Foundry Edition THE SINGLE POINT CONCEPT special fi nishes: namely Frosted Blue or Despite this radical design, the Blade and Frosted Copper Black. Blade Two can be seen as much evolutionary Seen from the listening seat, the Blade as revolutionary. That’s because the Two lives up to its name, its narrow frontal technical back-story really starts in 1988, aspect and clean sweeping lines belying its when KEF introduced its very fi rst Uni-Q size and weight. From this viewpoint, the coincident-source drive unit. Uni-Q is so only drive unit visible is the Uni-Q mid/treble, long-established and so well documented centred eyeball-like in an elliptical apron that it hardly needs introduction here. But of soft black rubber material. You won’t be for those who’ve been living on another aware of the four bass planet, the basic idea was units clustered behind, to take a midrange (or two facing outwards from ‘Blade Two can bass/midrange) drive unit each cabinet side. be seen as much and build a tweeter into KEF fi rst introduced this its centre. special driver confi guration evolutionary as With Uni-Q, KEF was in 2009 with the Concept able to approach the Blade, precursor of the revolutionary’ speaker designer’s ideal current Blade and Blade of a single point sound Two. Concept Blade was ballyhooed as source. In practice the early Uni-Q designs ‘the world’s fi rst single apparent source had defi nite shortcomings, but KEF fi rmly loudspeaker’, and with this description KEF believed in the rightness of the principle and lays claim to one of the great theoretical continued to develop its Uni-Q mid/treble ideals of loudspeaker design [see boxout]. drive units through many iterations over the The striking cabinet shape was achieved next 20 years. Then, with Concept Blade, the in collaboration with Eric Chan, founder and idea of a coincident source was extended to principal of New York industrial design house the bass end. Here, working in combination ECCO. With all the drive units located up with the Uni-Q mid/treble, the four bass units around ear-height, the design had to provide ‘are mounted symmetrically equidistant on the necessary cabinet volume without either side, so that their acoustic centres looking too bulky, at least from the front. occupy exactly the same point in space’. Chan’s solution was a shape that tapered By the time Concept Blade emerged in gracefully upwards from the base, inspired 2009, the Uni-Q unit itself was a very far cry by Brancusi’s sculpture ‘Bird In Space’. from the 1980s combination of a simple As originally conceived, the Blade cabinet Bextrene-coned bass and soft-dome tweeter, was to be constructed in laid glassfi bre, and included many refi nements aimed at but this would have been too expensive and cumbersome for continued series RIGHT: The Blade Two’s sleek moulded cabinet production. So instead, Both the Blade stands on a substantial oval plinth with sturdy and Blade Two are moulded in a special feet. The standard of fi nish is superb, with no composite material, a plastic that is loaded visible fi xings for the drive units

28 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 POINT SOURCE

In acoustic theory a point source is an infi nitesimally small source of sound which radiates equally in all directions, ie, is omnidirectional. Because a loudspeaker is of fi nite size it can never be a true point source but it can approximate point source behaviour, as the Blade Two does. While it isn’t – and KEF almost certainly wouldn’t want it to be – omnidirectional, it does behave, to a close approximation, as if it radiates sound from a single point in space (the acoustic centre). Of course, the Uni-Q array of midrange cone plus dome tweeter, positioned where the dustcap would otherwise be, has always achieved this; what makes the Blade, and now the Blade Two, different is that the arrangement of the four bass drivers – two on either side, at levels above and below that of the Uni-Q driver – ensures that this behaviour is extended to low frequencies. The behaviour of the acoustic centre at LF can be complex but with opposed drivers it is stably located mid-way between them, coinciding here with that of the Uni-Q array. KH making sure the mid and treble sections variant of the 225mm (9in) units from the really did blend seamlessly together, while original Blade, and incidentally [see sidebar, achieving the desired wide dispersion. But p31] they are also used in the current you could say that the modern history of KEF Reference series. In these bass units, Uni-Q started just before this, with the unit the space between the voice coil and the introduced in the spectacular Muon fl agship diaphragm is vented, allowing air to escape speaker, launched in 2007 [HFN May ’08]. freely however hard the speaker is driven. With the Blade, where the drivers are THE TANGERINE WAVEGUIDE mounted rigidly back-to-back, this venting is This wasn’t the fi rst Uni-Q tweeter to essential. Also, instead of using a high-order feature a metal dome, but it was the crossover fi lter to prevent the bass unit fi rst to offer a frequency response that operating up to its break-up frequency, there extended out to 35kHz. This meant that the is a decoupling element between voice coil separate supertweeters (which KEF called and diaphragm. This has allowed the use of a Hypertweeters) of the early-2000s Reference low-order fi lter. models could be dispensed with. Then came As KEF points out, even in the Reference 5 the next-generation Uni-Q used in Concept with its pairs of bass units above and below Blade itself. This used a liquid crystal polymer the Uni-Q unit [HFN Oct ’14], the apparent midrange cone, so that both mid and treble acoustic source does not shift away from the sections now had rigid diaphragms, and it axis of the Uni-Q at any frequency. But the was also the fi rst Uni-Q unit to include the way this tall loudspeaker interacts with the now-familiar tangerine waveguide. After this, room can be quite different. lower-priced models were given a version of In the Blade and Blade Two, each back- the tangerine waveguide too, essentially for to-back pair of bass units operates into its tweeter protection. own section of the enclosure volume, each In the production Blade speaker, the with a curved internal port tube leading to Uni-Q unit was similar but the front skin of a separate fl ared port or vent on the back of the midrange diaphragm was now formed the speaker. Rear terminals provide for single as a metal pressing, actually a lithium/ or bi-wiring [see photo on p33]. magnesium/aluminium alloy, braced behind by a liquid crystal polymer skeleton. Further ALL THE DETAIL’S THERE stiffening of the cone is provided by KEF’s Auditioning the Blade Two, once we’d found ‘nodal drive’, in which a larger than usual the optimum placement, became an entirely 3in-diameter voice coil is used to bear on pleasurable experience. It’s quite hard to the cone at the point of its fi rst resonant sum up the speaker’s sonic character in mode. The Uni-Q units used in the current words, though, since it is very neutral. The Reference series look similar but do not have treble is smooth and unexaggerated, so this feature. Finally, the aluminium-dome it does not throw detail in your face, and tweeter now had a deeper dome shape yet all the detail is there. It gives excellent than before, and with this went a new style stereo imaging, while the bass is clean, even tangerine waveguide. and quick, and seemingly goes deep enough Naturally, the 165mm (6.5in) bass to deal with anything that a recording units used here essentially are a smaller engineer might throw its way.

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 29 THE FUTURE OF INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS HAS ARRIVED

karma

For more information please contact audio-visual Karma (01423 358 846) LEFT: The twinned pairs of 6.5in bass drivers are JACK OCLEE-BROWN mounted into separate chambers and operated back-to-back to cancel out the large kinetic forces Here’s how KEF’s Head of Acoustics, generated. Note selective use of damping pads Jack Oclee-Brown, explains the rationale for the Blade Two. controlled. Tracks that featured acoustic ‘We had pretty good feedback on double-bass rather than an electric the original Blade, but people have instrument confi rmed the accuracy and said that it’s bigger than they can impressive extension of the Blade Two’s accommodate without necessarily bottom end. On the classic ‘Easy Money’ being out of their budget range. from Rickie Lee Jones [Warner 256 628], So we aimed to design something jazzman Red Callender’s string-bass intro smaller while retaining as much of was reproduced with absolutely even the performance as possible. And weight, and with that rock-solid certainty because we were developing the that comes from a response extending well Reference range at the same time as below the lowest fundamental. the Blade Two, we developed a bass unit that we could use on both.’ EVERYTHING IN PLACE As with the Blade Two, each In theory, the Blade Two should give you Reference 5 [HFN Oct ’14] uses a decent stereo image whether toed-in four of these bass units. How does or pointing straight ahead. After settling Oclee-Brown view the comparison temporarily on a slight toe-in, where a between the two models? centrally-seated listener could just see the ‘They’re actually very similar on inner sides of the cabinets, we returned measurement, but they do sound to the conventional angles, with speakers quite different. I’m not exactly sure aimed directly at the listening seat. if that’s down to the positioning With this setting, on suitably coherent of the drivers in the room, being recordings, everything just fell naturally that much higher above the fl oor. and effortlessly into place. A good example The other difference is the Force was Patricia Barber’s ‘Snow’ from The Cole Cancelling confi guration, which Porter Mix [Blue Note 50999 5 01468 2 6]. does change how the output from Here Barber’s intimate vocal was centred the four drivers adds up. On the with a real sense of depth, while Neal Reference 5, you’ve got a much Alger’s guitar was full-bodied and luscious. taller overall array, and on the With Rebecca Pidgeon’s ‘Kalerka’ from Blades it’s more omnidirectional. The Raven [Chesky SACD329], the speaker ‘One more thing which makes a gave the vocal a real focus while allowing surprisingly big difference is that by the mixed plethora of backing instruments just having the drivers on the side, to provide a gently rolling background, you don’t get little refl ections off more rhythmically enticing than on many a the trim rings and so on.’ system, perhaps because the bass end was Some buyers might like to see an so clean and free from overhang. even smaller Blade, but the concept Listening started with speakers placed Although the Blade Two could be very doesn’t lend itself to scaling down by rule of thumb fairly near the back informative about the quality of recordings, further. Jack Oclee-Brown confi rms corners of the Editor’s listening room sometimes devastatingly so, it wasn’t that there are absolutely no plans [see www.hifi news.co.uk/news/article/ unforgiving. On ‘Dog Days Are Over’, [Lungs for a ‘Blade Three’. meet-the-team;-paul-miller/9952], and – Island/Moshi/Moshi], the speaker clearly driven by Devialet 800 monoblocks. In exposed the gritty low-res character of the that position the bass CD master. Importantly, end was overpowering it did this without and subjectively tended ‘Barber’s intimate making the record to muddy up the whole vocal was centred sound unpleasant. You sound. But this effect could still admire and disappeared when we with a real enjoy Florence’s gutsy moved the speakers delivery and the sheer further out into the sense of depth’ energy of the band, but room, to positions just it was as if you were over a metre from the side and rear walls. looking into the production with a higher A track with really weighty bass, ‘Mary magnifi cation than usual. Magdelene’ from Me’Shell Ndegeocello’s Classical music provided some rather Peace Beyond Passion [Reprise Records different examples of the speaker’s 9362 46033-2], which had been almost analytical ability. One was an old standby unlistenable before, now sounded of mine, Heifetz, Munch and the Boston engagingly layered while the bass was well- Symphony in the Mendelssohn Violin

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 31 STYLE. PERFORMANCE. FUNCTION.

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Distributed by Henley Designs Ltd. T: +44 (0)1235 511 166 | E: [email protected] | W: www.henleydesigns.co.uk LAB REPORT KEF BLADE TWO KEF claims 90dB sensitivity for the Blade Two (just as for the Reference 5, which uses a similar driver line-up) but our LEFT: Rear view shows the two refl ex measured pink noise fi gure of 87.2dB, averaged for the review ports for the upper and lower bass unit pair, is signifi cantly below this. Nominal impedance of 4ohm is pairs. Fitments between the two pairs in keeping with the specifi ed impedance minimum of 3.2ohm but we measured a dip to 2.7ohm at 37Hz. This explains why, of bi-wire connectors connect links to despite quite good control of impedance phase angles, the facilitate standard single wiring EPDR (equivalent peak dissipation resistance) dips to a narrow minimum of 1.7ohms at a low 34Hz – not that this fi gure presentation. It was intriguing then marks the Blade Two out as anything atypical among modern to hear how the Blade Two handled fl oorstanders. Elsewhere the EPDR is above 2.0ohm, which I understand to be the current KEF design target. the typically ‘left/right’ miking of an Forward frequency response measured on the tweeter early stereo jazz recording. axis [Graph 1, below] is signifi cantly fl atter than we recorded On Art Pepper Meets The for the Reference 5, albeit with a mild presence band dip. Rhythm Section [Contemporary Response deviation is exceptionally well controlled at ±1.5dB and ±1.6 respectively for the pair – the best fi gures I can ever 0025218633826] from 1957, recall from a passive loudspeaker, and even more remarkable Pepper’s alto sax is placed hard over for one having a coaxial mid/tweeter array. Pair matching was the left while the rhythm section also impressive at ±0.8dB over the same 200Hz-20kHz. Bass is grouped somewhere behind extension of 55Hz (–6dB re. 200Hz, diffraction-corrected near- fi eld measurement) is exactly as we obtained for the Reference the right speaker. In this case, the 5 but some uncertainty is involved due to the oval shape of matchless double-bass of Paul the twin rear ports, which makes it diffi cult to weight their Chambers had tremendous body and contribution correctly. Ultrasonic output is dominated by a drive, each note in the low register very high-Q dome resonance at 39kHz. The cumulative spectral seeming to move air without any decay waterfall [Graph 2] evinces fast treble energy decay and well controlled treble resonances. KH hint of sluggishness.

CYMBALS SPARKY AS EVER… The sound here also exemplifi ed the Blade Two’s slightly laid-back treble quality. If you’d never heard these speakers before, you might at fi rst have thought that Philly Joe’s cymbals could have had more sparkle. But after listening for a very short time it became clear that while those cymbals were as sparky as ever, they just weren’t over-emphasised. ABOVE: The Blade Two offers an exceptionally fl at Finally I turned to a big, lush rock axial resp. Note ultrasonic (39kHz) tweeter resonance production. With the reunion version of ‘Hotel California’ from The Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over [Warner], the Blade Two was truly luxuriant. The bass end was warm, generous and powerful with truly satisfying depth, yet quick and rhythmically convincing. That dB 0.0 huge soundstage populated by - 6 1.0 - 12 multiple guitars was as impressive as 2.0 - 18 I’ve ever heard it. 3.0 - 24

- 30 4.0 HI-FI NEWS VERDICT 5.0 msec 200 1000 10000 This speaker can produce great Frequency in Hz >> results in rooms that aren’t big ABOVE: The Blade Two’s cabinet is well damped with enough for the original Blade, only the merest resonance at 10kHz in the treble although it still needs plenty of Concerto, from 1959 [JMCXR-0010]. space to breathe and should be HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS With the Blade Two you could be placed at least 1m away from the aware of Heifetz’s characteristically walls. It is very revealing of source Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 86.9dB/87.2dB/87.0dB piercing sound, yet it didn’t assault quality but, quite admirably, it Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 2.7ohm @ 37Hz your ears. Instead, you were just manages to achieve this without 13.8ohm @ 2.5kHz impressed with his sheer presence. making poor recordings less Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –35o @ 6.5kHz You could be aware too of the listenable than they need to be. 42o @ 1.5kHz boxy quality of the orchestra, which A well-judged and subtle design, Pair matching (200Hz–20kHz) ±0.8dB sounds strictly contained rather recommended for larger rooms. than blooming in an open space. LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 55Hz / >40kHz/>40kHz Nonetheless, the orchestral timbres Sound Quality: 86% THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 0.2% / 0.6% / 0.1% made sense and there was a reality 0 ------100 Dimensions (HWD) 1461x338x475mm and immediacy to the overall

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 33 Preamp & stereo power amplifi er. Rated at 200W/8ohm Made by: Constellation Audio, Newbury Park, CA, USA Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd Telephone: 0208 971 3909 Web: www.constellationaudio.com, www.absolutesounds.com PRE/POWER AMPLIFIER Price (pre/power): £10,000/£10,000 Constellation Audio Inspiration 1.0 Preamp & Stereo

Eagerly anticipated, this new and more affordable Inspiration Series faces internal competition from the Performance Series. Does a fair price preclude a fair match? Review: José Victor Henriques Lab: Paul Miller

aunching a new high-end amplifi er also threaten to set new standards of Meanwhile, the Inspiration Preamp 1.0 brand from scratch and then performance at this price point. has its power supply built into the front of establishing it as arguably the Now, for a fraction of the price you the unit, rather than outboard – though Lhigh-end amplifi er brand in just a can have the same core circuit topology this is still shielded to protect the audio few short years might seem an impossible and features that set the Reference/ circuits – and the Stereo 1.0’s input and dream. But audiophile entrepreneurs Performance apart from gain stages are on Murali Murugasu and David Payes, have the pack, albeit in an one PCB instead of done just that with Constellation Audio. aesthetically simpler ‘The 1.0 combo separated as in its Seasoned audio engineer, Peter Madnick, package. So cost savings has guts, wallop, larger amplifi ers. was commissioned to drive the project and have been made by Nothing else has given carte blanche to create the world’s building the cases from punch, impact, altered, not even the ultimate audio amplifi cation system. aluminum slabs rather unexpectedly messy Madnick put together a task force of than solid billets, and the kick, whack...’ innards with its bundles the best specialists in each area of audio front panel is fl at, not of wires (contrast, say, expertise: John Curl, Bascom King, Demian sculpted – gone are the sensuous curves such industry exemplars as Demian Martin’s Martin, Keith Allsop, James Bongiorno and fancy ripples. But the bee-hive side own Spectral Audio). In short, The ethos is – who sadly passed away in 2013 – and panels were kept. Hence the sweetness of essentially unchanged, only the ingredients many others. Alex Rasmussen, the industrial the Constellation sound? I wonder... are more cost-effective. All the other genes designer co-responsible for all the amazing metalwork at the Neal Feay Company, was also part of this outstanding think tank. Its debut Reference Series products – the Altair, Hercules (and Pegasus), Sirius and Orion – were certainly the stuff of audiophile dreams and were closely followed by the slightly more affordable Virgo and Centaur Performance Series pre/power amps [HFN Jul ’13]. But if the Reference Series was a leap of faith and the Performance Series an example of prudence then the new Inspiration amps are positively pragmatic – £10k a pop is ‘entry-level’ by Constellation standards!

TAKING INSPIRATION If the Reference and Performance ranges are inspired by demi-gods and mythological beasts, then the Inspiration 1.0 preamp and Stereo power amp are mundanely-named. But don’t be dismayed, for the Inspiration amps not only uphold the brand’s state-of-the-art sound, they

RIGHT: FETs throughout – a J-FET voltage stage and six pairs of N-channel MOSFET power devices per channel on each of the Inspiration’s Stereo’s internal heatsinks

34 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 LEFT: A 432x230- pixel screen on the Inspiration preamp’s fascia is fl anked by rotaries for balance and volume. Pressing and holding the bar on the front of the Stereo 1.0 initiates a series of self-diagnosis checks. Once ready, the LED switches from red to blue

that inform the Constellation DNA are with the Virgo preamp, the volume control Reference Altair/Hercules II combination there: the ‘Line Stage Gain Module’, the is also slow as a turtle. It’s a rotary encoder [see PM’s Opinion, HFN Jun ’15]. I started ‘Direct’ interface, the fully balanced audio type with no built-in hysteresis so use the my evaluation here with that memory circuitry, the mechanically isolated circuit remote if in a hurry. indelibly imprinted on my mind. It was boards [see PM’s boxout, below]. The Stereo 1.0, too, is simplicity itself. an absolute reference by which to judge The Inspiration preamp 1.0 design is Yet like a triode tube amplifi er the circuitry Constellation’s younger brethren. simple. The fascia has one rotary button for takes its time – one minute – to warm up Alas, the Inspiration Preamp/Stereo balance, another for volume, either side (LED fl ashing green) and cool down (LED 1.0 didn’t come close to recreating the of a generous touch screen. Five buttons fl ashing red). Hold the left side of the bar former’s overwhelming sense of musical control all the menus – power on/standby, across the front for three seconds until the plenitude. I know it’s not a fair comparison: input selection and levels (with a Min LED turns red, wait till it turns blue and you the Altair plus Hercules costs ten times and Max setup), mute, phase, bypass (for are ready to go. Just touch it again and it the price and the M-Project is simply in a home cinema integration), screen setup goes into Mute mode (fl ashing blue). league of its own. So I settled instead for an (brightness, contrast and timeout). A/B comparison of the Preamp/Stereo 1.0 Nevertheless, its operation is sometimes MUSIC OF THE GODS and Virgo II/Centaur combos driving a pair embarrassingly slow, so keep your cool In Lisbon in March, I attended a of Wilson Audio Sabrinas [full HFN review while you wait for power-on from standby presentation of Magico’s M-Project next month] in the same room, using mode (ten seconds). And, as we reported loudspeakers, driven by Constellation’s the same Transparent Ultra V cables and Metronome sources. DIRECT INSPIRATION Additional sources included the proven Audio Research CD9 [HFN May ’13] and Instead of using one power amp stage comprising multiple complementary my desk iFi Micro for DSD (for DXD my transistor pairs, the Inspiration Stereo employs matched N-type MOSFET modules preference goes to the excellent Chord in a balanced bridged confi guration. The concept, according to Constellation, is Hugo), using JRiver software on my to achieve the delicate sound and musicality of a small single-ended triode amp, portable as media server. albeit one with the capacity to ‘play much louder’. For both Performance and Inspiration Each Stereo 1.0 has three inputs, including traditional RCAs and balanced combos the proprietary Direct mode XLRs. The latter may be switched to Constellation’s ‘Direct’ mode which omits connection (bypassing one internal ‘Gain one of its proprietary J-FET line stage modules, making use of the higher Module’) offered increased refi nement and (voltage) output capacity of the Inspiration preamp [see Lab Report, p39] transparency over the ostensibly gutsier thereby demanding less voltage gain in the Stereo 1.0. The overall pre/power but more opaque Balanced mode. voltage gain remains the same just as there’s no change in the maximum And that’s when things got really weird power output of the Stereo 1.0. It’s likely that the relative sensitivity of the because the Inspiration Series comes loudspeakers and analogue output level of the source will play a big role in dangerously close to the Performance determining which mode is preferred. PM Series. There are differences, of course. The Performance’s soundstage is ever so

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 35

PRE/POWER AMPLIFIERIEER

MURALI MURUGASU

We asked Murali Murugasu, Constellation’s CEO and co-creator of the Continuum turntable brand, about the prospect of more Inspiration separates. ‘The Inspiration Integrated 1.0 amp is nearly ready to ship and we’ll also be adding a phono stage and a DAC/ media player to the range.’ However, this looks about as far as Constellation will ‘downsize’, as Murali explains, ‘We have no plans of introducing anything lower-priced or smaller than the Inspiration line. When David Payes and I started Constellation Audio, we conceived it from the start as a no-compromise brand, constantly pushing to exceed the state of the art. We originally planned on having lines in three price ranges. Now we’ve got that.’ Constellation unveiled its Virgo III and Centaur II amplifi ers at Munich High End but hinted at more to come. ‘Constellation Audio was founded and based on the concept ABOVE: Inspiration preamp employs separate R-core transformers for left and right channels, and a of a “dream team”. We got the third transformer to power the control circuits. The FET-based audio line stage is fully balanced best engineers and designers in the world, and encouraged them to slightly wider and deeper, if a little more of absence of light or lack of clarity, more work together without constraints laid-back, and the resolution level is a like dark chocolate. It’s a sound you can so they could pursue their wildest notch higher, while the Inspiration’s bass almost taste. ideas. Now that we’ve proven the has better foundation and articulation. With a clear recording you can hear concept works, we’re going to take If the Altair/Hercules II combo had all the way into the back of the stage it to the next level. managed to get the best out of the without any impediment or obstruction. ‘We’re immensely strong in M-Project’s outstanding This see-through magic analogue design and in standard tweeter, then the also applies with small- approaches to digital audio. But we Inspiration Series did the ‘We just sat there scale recordings that know if we want to expand into new same to the Sabrina’s fl abbergasted, as otherwise might sound technologies, we have to bring new XLF-based tweeter – the claustrophobic. Take members to the team. We’re excited whitish, etched character if beamed up to António Zambujo’s to see what will happen when we of the old design had ‘Nem às paredes add more great minds to the mix.’ now gone, and the treble the MUPA Hall’ confesso’ [Outro became an inextricable Sendido, Universal extension of the midrange, as it should. Music Portugal, 0602537713400] by way of example. It’s a simple studio recording SUPERCHARGED TRIODES (voice and guitar) but also slightly Constellation has a ‘house’ sound, a claustrophobic. So the engineer placed character reminiscent of a fi ne single- him inside an ‘electronic bubble’ that ended triode amplifi er but without the seems to expand with each heartbreaking hindrance of harmonic distortion and utterance, hence his bigger-than-life image. other colorations, not least lousy control The Inspiration allows one to distinguish of the associated loudspeakers and failure between the fake hazy air inside the to reach realistic sound pressure levels ‘bubble’ and what little air there is in a (unless, that is, you have glaring horns to small dead studio. shout at you convincingly). The Inspiration stereo 1.0 also All Constellation Audio amplifi ers allow reproduces the airiness of concert hall you to enjoy a degree of transparency acoustics with uncanny realism. A good which has until now, with a few honourable example is Mitsuko Uchida playing Mozart’s exceptions, eluded solid-state technology. Piano Concerto No 23, live with the And yet, paradoxically, the sound is on the Cleveland Orchestra [Decca 478 1524]. dark side of neutral. Not ‘dark’ in the sense The power of resolution is so high you

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 37 
  




 









 


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%",-' LAB REPORT CONSTELLATION INSPIRATION As the core, fully balanced audio circuits of the Inspiration pre/power are ‘distilled’ from the Virgo/Centaur there are strong parallels to their performance [see HFN Jul ’13]. The Inspiration preamp still uses a rotary-encoded volume control (addressing a polysilicon resistor array), offers the same +26.5dB gain (balanced) and remarkably fl at and extended response (±0.01dB from 1Hz-100kHz). Noise and distortion are higher than with the Virgo but the 91dB A-wtd S/N ratio and 0.0015–0.0019% distortion (both re. 0dBV) are still impressive – the latter for its consistency with frequency [see black trace, Graph 2]. Distortion increases with preamp output above 1V to 25V (0.002% to 1%) which may explain any differences heard between Normal and ‘Direct’ power amp inputs as the preamp augments the former’s reduced +14dB gain in this mode. Constellation rates its Inspiration Stereo at 200W/8ohm – a specifi cation smashed by the 2x395W/8ohm and 2x660W/ 4ohm measured here, increasing to 470W, 845W and 1.20kW into 8, 4 and 2ohm under dynamic conditions. Output into 1ohm loads is limited [see Graph 1] but it’ll still drive any likely partnering speaker with ease. Output impedance is a uniform 0.033-0.045ohm (20Hz-20kHz), increasing thereafter, while the response into 8ohm is fl at to –0.3dB/100kHz but (unlike the Centaur) rolled away to –2.1dB/20Hz and –10dB/10Hz in the deep/subsonic bass. The 91.6dB A-wtd S/N (re. 0dBW) actually ABOVE: Constellation’s Inspiration preamp [top] has three balanced (XLR) and single- bests the Centaur while THD is not dissimilar – 0.0013-0.033% ended (RCA) ins with pairs of XLR/RCA outs. The USB port is for control/updates. The (20Hz-20kHz, 10W). Readers may view comprehensive QC Suite Stereo 1.0 [bottom] has 4mm speaker outlets, RCA and low/normal gain XLR ins test reports for the Constellation Audio Inspiration preamp and Stereo 1.0 power amp by navigating to www.hifi news.co.uk and clicking on the red ‘download’ button. PM can hear the air set in motion by commentators. Until now I couldn’t the audience swarming into the hall detect any signifi cant improvement even before the concert begins. when listening to DSD64 versus Stage noises, the squeaking of a DSD256 other than in dynamics. distant door, and the occasional But it only took a few bars with Iván coughing off-axis in both channels Fischer conducting his Budapest sound so clearly located they help Festival Orchestra in Mendelssohn to map the concert hall precisely. Session [JLBFOMendelssohnsession], You can almost feel the audience to discover the beauty of the slowly shifting from the restlessness holographic image, the texture of its that anticipates the fi rst piano notes harmonic fabric, the purity of timbre to being moved by the masterful and the awesome dynamic swings, playing as the music develops and without congestion, or hardness as ABOVE: Dynamic power output versus distortion into penetrates their souls. conveyed by the DSD265 master. 8ohm (black trace), 4ohm (red), 2ohm (blue) and And the magnifi cent soundstage 1ohm (green) speaker loads. Maximum current 24.5A AIR AND POWER didn’t change signifi cantly whether You need lots of power to achieve I sat (or stood) in the sweet spot the goal of reproducing a big band or moved off-axis. Indeed, I had to or a symphony orchestra at full call two witnesses for fear I was throttle, the vastness of a huge hearing things, and we just sat there choral work at fortissimo or a rock fl abbergasted, listening repeatedly band at live concert levels. The 1.0 as if we were beamed up to the combo has guts, wallop, punch, MUPA Concert Hall. impact, kick, whack… you name it. The same Inspiration Stereo 1.0 that HI-FI NEWS VERDICT reproduces the eerie lightness of Constellation’s Inspiration air with physical palpability can also Series is aptly named for the ABOVE: THD vs. extended freq. Stereo Pre (1V out, deliver clean, awe-inspiring power Preamp and Stereo 1.0 power black trace) vs. Stereo Power (10W/8ohm, blue trace) well beyond the specifi ed 200W [see amp combination reproduces PM’s Lab Report, opposite]. music with a freedom, neutrality HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS The fi nal test was the most and conviction that belies even revealing of the Inspiration’s high Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 395W / 660W this substantive price tag. Its level of resolution. Native DSD Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 470W / 845W / 1.20kW / 420W sheer honesty is something of [www.nativedsd.com and see p111] Output imp. (20Hz–20kHz, pre/power) 119ohm / 0.033–0.045ohm a revolution in the world of is a small Dutch company that audio. The stars just got a little Freq. resp. (20Hz–100kHz, pre/power) –0.0 to +0.0dB / –2.1 to –0.4dB makes pure DSD recordings – the closer, for no longer will you Input sensitivity (for 0dBV/0dBW) 47mV (pre) / 157mV (power) closest thing to direct-cut vinyl need a king’s ransom to buy a available today, according to some A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBV/0dBW) 91.0dB (pre) / 91.6dB (power) Constellation system. Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, 1V/10W) 0.0015–0.0019%/0.0013–0.033%

Sound Quality: 90% Power consump. (pre/idle/rated o/p) 27W / 127W/856W

0 ------100 Dimensions (WHD Pre/Power) 432x133x381/432x216x483mm

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 39 Belt-driven turntable with electronic speed control Made by: HiFiction AG, Switzerland Supplied by: Fi Audio, Scotland Telephone: 01563 574185 Web: www.tonarm.ch; www.fi audio.co.uk TURNTABLE Price (including arm): £14,985-£15,645 Thales TTT-Compact

With its revolutionary take on tonearm tracking alongside a battery driven motor, does this Swiss precision vinyl spinner show that great things come in small packages? Review: Andrew Simpson Lab: Paul Miller

he tag ‘Made in Switzerland’ Lifting the deck’s 6.5kg alloy platter, speed constant by comparing its feedback immediately puts your name which makes up a sizeable chunk of the to a precise reference voltage. When fully amongst brands offering some of deck’s overall 16kg total weight, reveals charged, the batteries have a claimed 16 Tthe most luxurious craftsmanship its mass to be concentrated around the hours of use, before needing a boost via a on the planet, while at the same time it outer edge – which, says Thales, makes supplied charger which plugs into the back implies a standard that you need to reach its effective mass equal to that of an 8kg of the Compact’s chassis. to be worthy of the association. platter. The platter’s hollowed-out inner HiFiction AG’s founder, owner and circumference hides a stepped sub-platter, GETTING A QUICK FIX designer of all Thales products, is Micha 15cm across its lower section and with With the unit powered down, these Huber, a man with an enviable background a groove around its periphery to receive batteries can hold charge for many months, in the mechanical engineering of high-end a short precision-ground circular rubber while a recharge takes up to four hours, watch brands before he turned his hand belt. Drive is by a customised Portescap with the bulk-charge achieved within an to vinyl replay. Rather like SME (and unlike brushless DC motor with ironless windings. hour. And if you need a ‘vinyl fi x’ before a most turntable manufacturers) Huber Exploring the deck’s inner workings full charge is achieved, you can part-charge started out by making top-fl ight tonearms, further reveals exquisite levels of detail, without worry, as the LiFePos don’t suffer before expanding to include a range of including the gold-plated motor sited from any memory effect. equally unique partnering turntables. at the nine o’clock position, which is To get the Compact up and running, suspended between two decoupling you fi rst have to free the sub-platter that’s A CONCEALED SOPHISTICATION towers via a fl at metal spring to isolate it raised from the bearing during transit via The £8795 TTT-Compact is the more from the main chassis, while preventing it a pair of precision-made locking towers costly of Thales’ two decks, priced above turning on its own axis under load. (turntable makers using cheap cardboard its stripped-back TTT-Slim turntable and To get the motor running, in place of wedges take note). With their hex bolts partnering Easy tonearm package (£8850). a mains controlled supply, four LiFePo removed, rotating these towers a half-turn The Compact is graced with Thales’ higher batteries are housed within the base of allows the sub-platter to drop fully into the specifi cation Simplicity II tonearm (£6190 the plinth supplying the power within a bearing, ready to receive belt and platter. as standard, or £6850 with ‘direct’ wiring, closed loop system, which keeps the motor You can then turn your attention to the as per our review sample) and the deck’s deceptively understated aesthetic hides some very sophisticated technologies. Its elegantly shaped chassis is milled from an oversized slab of low-stress black anodised aluminium. Within this plinth sits the main bearing, comprising a hand- polished chrome-plated carbon tool steel main shaft, which runs against a hardened steel ball in two sintered bronze bushings – the preparation involving a specifi cally formulated oil. And for the bearing’s outer casing, ‘spheroidal graphite iron’ is the order of the day, given its noise and vibration absorbing qualities. Of course, all of this is fairly standard fare for a turntable of this calibre, and this is also where the Compact’s homage to traditional turntable design largely ends.

RIGHT: Solid alloy chassis hides a battery-driven, suspended DC motor. Platter has a rubberised surface and note how the headshell’s angle adapts as the twin arm tubes pass over the LP

40 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 equally well fi nished partnering Simplicity rod which winds vertically against the ABOVE: Three threaded feet with captive ball- II tonearm, which employs two chopstick base plate to lift the arm. Downforce is bearing tips give fi rm support. Speed change is style aluminium arm tubes (available in a set using one of three supplied weights via plinth-top buttons for 33.3/45rpm with fi ne range of fi nishes) to reduce tracking error (7-23g) which clamp to the arm’s rear adjustment through two fascia holes [see boxout], alongside via two sliding rods. a wealth of adjustment Once set, all that’s Benz Micro ACE high-output MC cartridge options. ‘Stereo images left to do is place your [HFN Sept ’11], the music that greets me Armed with Thales’ are rendered with LP of choice onto the is immediately defi ned by a broad and alignment tool and platter’s proprietary dense soundstage. The Compact lets my some of the smallest such an even- high density surface, Dynaudio Focus 260 speakers simply fall hex keys known to man, before adding the away as both stereo channels combine I couldn’t help thinking handed control’ short, yet surprisingly to ensure Harding’s voice and plucked its ‘Simplicity’ name heavy, clamp which acoustic guitar sound clear and confi dent. carried a certain sense of irony. But with sports the same rubbery fi nish on its base. What’s apparent from the outset is the a steady hand the arm allows degrees of This material affords it impressive amounts Thales’ ability to render a stereo image fi ne adjustment you’d only expect from a of grip for a non-threaded record clamp. with such even-handed control across the precision watchmaker. Cartridge fi tting is board that you’re at once made aware made convenient by a removable headshell BEGUILING VOCALS of nuances and details which could have plate (held fast with a minuscule hex After cueing up the opening track, ‘Stop previously passed you by. Gone is the bolt), and there’s a supplied site stand to Your Tears’, from Aldous Harding’s self- slight hardness that I’m used to hearing get your stylus aligned bang-on, before titled debut album [Lyttelton Records as Harding’s vocals become more fi rmly reinstalling and connecting the cartridge LR-006], and with the Compact hooked projected, replaced by a gentility that tags. These are joined to some of the up to my Primare R32 phono stage [HFN allows all the emotion to come through as thinnest wires I’ve experienced. This Jan ’12], feeding Musical Fidelity M6PRE/ her singing gets more powerful, leaving her implied delicacy is further brought home PRX amplifi ers [HFN Nov ’13], I depress sounding frankly beguiling – more so than by the lack of any clamp to secure the arm the deck’s 33.3 button and watch an inset with most other turntables I’ve heard. to its rest when not in use. orange ring rapidly cycle through a dozen This ability to bring each performance Azimuth and VTA can also be fi ne-tuned fl ashes, before settling to a static glow to life is further underlined by how the using more hex-key tweakery, which can with the platter up to speed. Continuing Thales reveals the haunting background be done on the fl y, thanks a short threaded the refi ned Swiss theme having fi tted a vocals within the track to steadily grow from deep within the soundstage, and with TWIN TONEARM all the sonic drama of a large choir in a cavernous cathedral acoustic. From 12in pivoting tonearms to parallel trackers fl oating on beds of air and Many high-end machines can create mimicking the travel of the mastering cutting head, tonearms come in many a sonic landscape that catches your shapes and executions in their attempts to minimise variations in tracking attention, but with the Thales there’s angles, as the stylus sweeps its way to the run-out groove. Thales’ ‘tangential’ an added sense of harmony within the approach uses two separate arm tubes, independently attached to a fi xed rear soundstage it conjures, suggesting bearing of inner/outer rings and precision micro ball bearings, which determine that very little, if anything, is being the pivoting headshell’s angle, keeping it tangential to the LP groove. Using compromised as it throws open a grand two tubes in this way has allowed Thales to adopt the compact proportions of a window onto the music. Fleetwood Mac’s standard 9in arm while replicating the behaviour of a more substantial parallel- ‘Caroline’ from their Tango In The Night tracker. Hi-fi historians may also recall tonearm designs of decades past using album [Warner Bros 925 471-1] has plenty the twin-tube method: Garrard’s Zero 100 leading the charge in the ’70s. going on in the mix, which can leave even the most measured decks a little

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 41 MUSIC PRODUCES A KIND OF PLEASURE WHICH HUMAN NATURE CANNOT DO WITHOUT. Confucius, from The Book of Rites

£34,949

When you’ve made desirable, top-end valve amps for over twenty years, you don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Probably the largest valve amp manufacturer in China, we are proud of the Ming Da heritage. Proud because of the skills of the highly trained people who build them: no printed circuit boards, no automation, just proper “point to point” assembly. Add hand wound transformers tailored diff erently for each amplifi er design, an easy upgrade path, sixty hours burn-in before shipping and further testing and burn at our Malvern base and you’ll see our 3 year guarantee is based on rock-solid foundations. We import Ming Da products because we love them. But also because, as audio engineers [we design and make our own kit under the Audio Detail brand-name] we know quality. And we believe you will too. Listen to your kind of pleasure at our Great Malvern showroom or check the website for details of your nearest, carefully selected retail partner.

Vision House, Davenham Close, Great Malvern WR14 2TY. Mark: 07831 197019/Raj: 07875 527116. www.mingda.co.uk LAB REPORT THALES TTT-COMPACT Thales’ TTT-Compact is an undeniably innovative, very fi nely engineered and fi nished deck but it was not without technical issue on the lab bench. The main bearing employs a hardened and ‘hand-polished’ shaft running in a graphite sleeve but the DIN-B weighted through-groove rumble was an acceptable, but not exceptional, –66.6dB (re. 5cm/sec), a fi gure which actually fell slightly to –65.5dB once the LP was coupled more closely to the heavyweight platter via Thales’ clamp. Measured through the bearing, rumble components at ~75Hz and particularly ~112Hz held the fi gure to –67.4dB. The onboard DC supply, decoupled motor with ‘short belt and fl ywheel’ are other innovations and while fl utter is kept low at 0.04% (peak weighted) the wow fi gure is mildly infl uenced by a low-rate drift ABOVE: The Simplicity II tonearm wires can be terminated via block connections [see Graph 1, below]. We have reported the same phenomenon with DIN/RCA/XLR sockets or direct wired phono (RCA) leads which cost extra. Rocker with other DC motor-driven turntables [see HFN Apr ’08]. switch next to its charger input caters for standby/off/charge settings The partnering Simplicity II tonearm is an exquisite piece of design that succeeds in minimising tracking error throughout the arc its describes across the LP radius. Friction within the fi ne fl ustered. With the Thales taking Via the Thales, bass sounds lithe, gimbal bearing is very low indeed at <10mg (both planes) and charge there’s no sense of it being in well rounded and of a depth you achieved without play. However the necessary complexity of anyway overwhelmed by the track’s perhaps wouldn’t expect from such the structure encourages a more complex resonant behaviour complexity. Instead it seems to revel a tidy package. The lower notes on [see Graph 2, below]. The various bending and torsional modes of both arm tubes are refl ected at the headshell from 105Hz- in the challenge, going beyond Daft Punk’s ‘Giorgio By Moroder’ 450Hz with higher-Q modes (possibly from the bearing or arm simply pulling out all the musical [Random Access Memories – lift structures) at 580Hz and 1.4kHz. Readers may view full QC detail, and presenting it with a Columbia 88883716861] underpin Suite reports for Thales’s TTT-Compact turntable and Simplicity cohesion that brings it all together the music with plenty of punch II tonearm by navigating to www.hifi news.co.uk and clicking on the red ‘download’ button. PM as the recording engineers intended. in the upper bass, seamlessly As the track’s dazzling intro reinforced with lots of body in the drums and vocals make way for the lower registers. opening lead and bass guitar riffs, There’s lots of bass texture too you can hear how each instrument for my Dynaudio drive units to chew feeds off the other, while being on, which shows how this deck isn’t granted lots of their own air and just about moving lots of air to show space within the soundstage. off, since it can defi ne each note and The Thales sound isn’t forward instrument in a lifelike manner. In a or too centrally focused, so no similar vein, the stripped-back piano instruments or parts of the audio of REM’s ‘Nightswimming’ from spectrum are to the fore or shown Automatic For The People [Warner obvious favour. Instead, you get Bros 9362-45055-1] reveals how a soundstage that’s more evenly the Thales’ sound is nicely balanced ABOVE: Wow and fl utter re. 3150Hz tone at 5cm/sec formed, affording you greater access through midrange and treble. (plotted ±150Hz, 5Hz per minor division). Note very to all that’s going on within the mix. The midrange piano notes low rate drift as the W&F signal is averaged over time have more sustained weight in END OF SIDE CHALLENGE their echo compared to the upper As it’s sited so close to the run- ones, highlighting their differing out groove, the last track on the reverberation qualities and offering A side of Fairport Convention’s an insight into the way the piano Unhalfbricking LP [Island ILPS 9102], was played during recording. It’s ‘A Sailor’s Life’ has caused many these qualities that set the Thales a turntable gracing my reviewing TTT-Compact apart. shelf to ‘cower’, as the threat of the those low rumbling bass notes and HI-FI NEWS VERDICT Denny’s majestic vocals lay down a Rival superdecks can command challenge for pitch-perfect tracking. prices in this bracket, but few ABOVE: Cumulative tonearm resonant decay But with the Simplicity tonearm can equal the Thales for its Swiss spectrum, illustrating various bearing, pillar and ‘tube’ I’m treated to a sure-footed watch build quality, or offering vibration modes spanning 100Hz-10kHz over 40msec performance, which allows me to such a small and stylish package. spend less time concerned with the The jewel in its crown is of course HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS physicalities of playback and more the gorgeous ‘tangential’ pivoting Turntable speed error at 33.33rpm 33.31rpm (–0.08%) time to simply enjoy the music. tonearm, which offers the Denny’s voice sounds without usability of a standard 9in arm Time to audible stabilisation 5sec constraint as it swoops within the while providing a longterm cure Peak Wow/Flutter 0.10% / 0.04% soundstage uninhibited, and when for tracking paranoia. The result is Rumble (silent groove, DIN B wtd) –66.6dB the rumbling low bass kicks in, a sound that’s exceptionally open Rumble (through bearing, DIN B wtd) –67.4dB there’s no sense of erring towards and balanced. bloom or bluster at the extremes Hum & Noise (unwtd, rel. to 5cm/sec) –49.2dB (which I have had with the Benz Sound Quality: 83% Power Consumption 1W mounted on lesser tonearms with 0 ------100 Dimensions (WHD) 435x100x313mm / 16kg this particular track).

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 43 Variable gain MM/MC phono preamp Made by: Lehmannaudio Vertriebs GmbH, Germany Supplied by: Henley Designs Ltd, UK Telephone: 01235 511166 Web: www.lehmannaudio.com; www.henleydesigns.co.uk PHONO PREAMP Price: £3000 Lehmann Audio Silver Cube

Better known for its more affordable designs, Germany’s Lehmann Audio also offers a more aspirational phono stage option, in the form of its Silver Cube Review: Adam Smith Lab: Paul Miller

ention the name ‘Lehmann Audio’ to a vinyl enthusiast and, chances are, their fi rst Mreaction will be to refer to the company’s Black Cube range of phono stages. Any one of these models has been a fi rst step on the ladder towards vinyl heaven for many, and deservedly so. However, what is often forgotten is that Lehmann Audio has also offered a distinctly below the switches in question, with no ABOVE: The Silver Cube is built into a milled- high-end option for a number of years now, clue as to which position corresponds to from-solid (rectangular) aluminium case and in the form of its £3000 Silver Cube. which. Naturally, it is not diffi cult to work features ‘vibration-damping’ feet from SSC This was fi rst introduced in 2002 this out with music playing but I would and while the circuit topology has recommend keeping your amplifi er’s balanced connection is disappointing at remained largely unchanged, its fl agship volume low while you experiment. this price. An XLR connector is present performance has been kept ‘up to speed’ Also at the rear of the unit are two rows on the rear panel but this just carries the with running production enhancements to of inline DIP switches that permit a range ±18V rails from the standalone PSU unit. the gain stages and passive components. of input resistance and capacitance values This is heavy and hardly an aesthetic match to be selected. As standard the resistor for the Cube, but the interconnection lead AMPLE SETTING OPTIONS options are 47kohm, 470ohm and 100ohm is lengthy so it can be hidden away. Currently the main amplifi cation duties but there is an extra position on the PCB The Silver Cube’s build is, frankly, are performed by a Burr-Brown OPA637 for custom-loading a particularly fussy gorgeous. Machined from a single piece of op-amp alongside a high precision THAT pick-up. A further three switches select the aluminium, it bestows a solidity and sense Corporation 1510P instrumentation input capacitance values of 47pF, 100pF, of purpose, while opening up the unit and amplifi er. All other signal circuitry is 220pF and 470pF. peering inside is even more of a delight. discrete and the output stage is a Class A Once again this row of switches is It reveals a meticulous circuit layout with type using FETs implemented with a merely labelled 1-6 with ‘Res’ marked near the PCB itself supported on strategically- claimed no (overall) feedback. the switch 6 end and ‘Cap’ near the switch located alloy struts. In terms of compatibility, the Silver 1 end. No hint is offered as to which switch Cube scores very highly. It offers four gain selects which option so the user manual is BEAUTIFULLY CLEAN SOUNDS settings through two switches per channel essential when confi guring the unit. I listened to the Silver Cube at both its on the rear panel. One is labelled ‘MM/MC’ Internally the Silver Cube is beautifully lowest and highest gain settings using and the other ‘HI/LO’ and in combination laid out in a true dual mono confi guration an Ortofon 2M Black MM cartridge and a they give gains of 36 and 46dB (for MMs) – hence the duplicate gain and loading Charisma Audio MC-2 MC [HFN Feb ’15]. and 56 or 66dB (for MCs). Unfortunately, switches. Solid WBT RCA sockets facilitate In both cases it was remarkable how the MM/MC and HI/LO labels are both the inputs and outputs, but the lack of a consistent the Lehmann proved to be, offering up a sound that was beautifully LEHMANN’S LEGACY clean and detailed throughout the frequency range. I was also pleased to Norbert Lehmann is an audio engineer who originally studied at the Robert note that the Silver Cube seemed to have Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. During this period, Norbert found himself no preference for MC over MM. It handled comparing two amplifi ers that exhibited ostensibly similar (albeit basic) both types with aplomb, allowing the true measurements, but sounded very different. This in turn led to his investigations sonic character of the cartridge in question into circuit details and the components themselves. He founded Lehmann Audio to shine through. in 1988, with the intention of building audio equipment that ‘communicates Norbert Lehmann’s background in the musician’s intentions as musically and faithfully as possible’. The Black circuit analysis and component selection Cube phono stage was launched in 1995 and this was followed by the original [see boxout] is also clear to hear, as the incarnation of the Silver Cube in 2002 and the Linear headphone amplifi er in Silver Cube has a remarkable purity to its 2004. Today, Lehmann offers a range of six phono stages and six headphone performance. I can’t help but feel that amplifi ers, the latter covering domestic, studio and portable use. the Lehmann really does offer a sense of precision and insight that is usually the

44 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 LAB REPORT LEHMANN AUDIO SILVER CUBE Not new but progressively improved over its decade-long life with latest-generation op-amps and passive components, the Silver Cube remains as fresh as ever. Four gain settings are offered, the lower two defi ned for MM pick-ups at +36dB and +46dB while the MC option adds a further +20dB to deliver +56dB and +66dB. In practice these settings are accurate to within ±0.6dB (the channel balance of this dual-mono design) while the A-wtd S/N ratio(s) are rather better than Lehmann suggests (to the tune of 8-9dB) at 88.8dB (MM gain settings, re. territory of even more expensive ABOVE: Input/outputs are via WBT 5mV) and 77.2dB (MC gain settings, re. 500μV). units. As a result, instruments are Nextgen RCAs, loading via DIP switches Your choice of gain setting should be governed by matching beautifully defi ned and it was easy and MM/MC gain via toggles the output of your MM/MC against achieving the best S/N ratio without overloading the Silver Cube’s input. Fortunately, in to follow them in a complex mix. this case, input headroom scales with sensitivity so the +36dB In fact, the Lehmann turned out to when a proper bass note arrives and MM setting (15.8mV input for 0dBV output) clips at 158mV; be something of a master in gently one realises that it’s really missing the +46dB MM setting (5.5mV) clips at 52mV; the +56dB MC coaxing the fi nest details from an LP. nothing at all. setting (1.45mV) clips at 14mV and the +66dB MC option (484μV) has suffi cient headroom for a 4.9mV input. With Pink Floyd’s recent Distortion is also broadly consistent with gain and, unlike release, The Endless River [Warner SNAP AND PRECISION some recent phono stages we’ve tested with wholly passive 825646215478], each performer Stanton Moore’s drum strikes on DJ RIAA networks, Lehmann’s part-active eq. offers a very low occupied a well defi ned space Shadow and Little Dragon’s ‘Scale <0.001% THD below 300Hz, rising gently to 0.03% above 10kHz [see Graph 2, below]. The response is also extremely between my loudspeakers. Gilad It Back’ from Reconstructed – The extended from 100Hz-100kHz at ±0.05dB, with a selectable Atzmon’s tenor sax on ‘Anisina’ Best Of DJ Shadow [Island 3712862] bass roll-off offering a –3dB point of 9Hz in its default position was absolutely glorious in terms of were snappy, precise and punchy. [see Graph 1]. Maximum output is a generous 9.5V but the atmospheric detail, and blessed with They never outstayed their welcome source impedance is 53ohm, not the quoted 5ohm. Readers a delightful brassy – at all times may view a full QC Suite test report for the Lehmann Audio Silver Cube phono preamp by navigating to www.hifi news. rasp. The central there was a real co.uk and clicking on the red ‘Download’ button. PM image was perhaps ‘The tenor sax sense of purpose a little softer than was blessed behind them which I would have liked propelled the track but the Lehmann with a delightful along superbly. otherwise had no Again, though, the trouble in creating a brassy rasp’ vocals were perhaps wide soundstage. not as centrally At the bottom end, the Silver focused as I am used to. Cube strikes just the right balance. Nevertheless, I played a handful It does not seek to impress with a of tracks that I know to offer a thundering bass that would become good sense of sonic perspective wearing but, rather, holds itself in and, generally, the Lehmann took check until required. As a result it these comfortably in its stride. ABOVE: RIAA-corrected frequency response via MM can almost appear a little bass shy The instruments on Bach’s Double input from 5Hz-100kHz (‘soft’ LF roll-off selected) at times – right up until the point Harpsichord Concerto with the Sarre CO under Karl Ristenpart [Nonesuch H-71019] were all neatly arranged across the soundstage. Equally, Ol’ Blue Eyes’ performance from Sinatra At The Sands [Reprise RSLP-1019/1] was fi rst-class in terms of depth, atmosphere and detail. HI-FI NEWS VERDICT The Silver Cube is a fi tting pinnacle to the Lehmann phono ABOVE: Distortion versus frequency from 20Hz-20kHz stage range, with a build quality at 1V output. THD increases gently with frequency that would embarrass some dearer designs. Sonically, it HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS

expands on the strengths of Input loading 100ohm, 1kohm, 47kohm its cheaper brethren to offer Input sensitivity (re. 0dBV) 15.8mV/5.5mV/1.45mV/484μV a remarkably even-handed performance. Although I felt its Input overload (re. 1% THD) 158mV/52mV/14mV/4.9mV stereo presentation might have Max. output (re. 1% THD) / Impedance 9.5V / 53ohm enjoyed a sharper focus, the unit A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBV, MM/MC) 88.8dB / 77.2dB is still blessed with sound that is Frequency response (20Hz-20kHz) –0.95dB to +0.02dB

smooth, detailed and punchy. Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, re. 0dBV) 0.00055–0.034%

ABOVE: Mundorf tin foil and mica caps Sound Quality: 78% Power consumption 13W feature in the dual-mono eq and input 0 ------100 Dimensions (WHD) 185x50x300mm amps, the latter using mic-grade op-amps

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 45 CD player and USB DAC Made by: Métronome Technologie, France Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd Telephone: 0208 971 3909 Web: www.metronome-technologie.com; www.absolutesounds.com CD PLAYER/USB DAC Price: £5490 Métronome Le Player

In a multipurpose age, this French machine does (almost) no more than play CDs, via a top-loading transport. Freed from the burden of excess features, how does it deliver? Review: Andrew Everard Lab: Paul Miller

or those accustomed to the French usual Métronome fashion it’s extensively manually, and if there’s a drawback to being held up as leaders of fashion, modifi ed with a proprietary shaft on which this design it’s that putting a disc in and Métronome’s Le Player is going to the disc spins, and a Delrin polymer clamp extracting it is something of a tight fi t. I Fcome as quite a shock. For, fl ying to hold the CD in place. Taking a leaf out have to say standard drawer-loaders are, in in the face of the current trend towards of the book of the upmarket Métronome my experience, just that more convenient. multifunctionality, Le Player is just a player, transports, the entire disc-reading and only a CD player at that. Yes, it has a mechanism is mounted into a Perspex REDUCING INTERFERENCE USB input to allow a computer or external support, chosen for its rigidity and inert Like all of the company’s products, Le digital source to be connected and play nature, thus keeping vibration away from Player is built in-house in France, with through its onboard conversion, but then the business end of the player. particular attention being paid to the just about every budget CD player does The design also incorporates a power supply design. Three toroidal that these days. At heart this really is a continuous ground link all the way from the transformers are used, feeding seven single-function piece of equipment, mech’s surfaces to the player’s electrical independently regulated power supplies, hand-built around technology designed earth, to dissipate static electricity no fewer than four of which are dedicated and customised to get the very best from created by the spinning disc, and avoid it to the transport section, with one each for those silver discs. interfering with the electrical and optical the display, servo mechanism, motor and assemblies. Covering the whole transport digital output stage. It’s all done in the ‘OLD SCHOOL’ STYLING mechanism is a sliding lid, operated quest for interference reduction, as well as It will cost you £5490, placing it at the entry-level of a range extending all the way up to the massive Kalista CD transport with its separate Elektra power supply and Nausicaa DAC [HFN Dec ’13]. As befi ts its function, Le Player only comes in silver, and while it’s undoubtedly beautifully put together, there’s so much here that’s almost defi antly ‘old school’ – from that top-loading mech through to the basic blue-on-black display, the little pinhead pushbutton controls with their slight ‘form over function’ labelling, and miniature toggle switches. This is how high-end CD players used to look some decades ago, when several French manufacturers were still championing the top-loading design, requiring that their products took pride of place atop any equipment rack. In an age when the upper-mass-market is dominated by drawer- or slot-loading players, most of which use variations on DVD-ROM or ‘universal’ drives, the Métronome is designed to stand out from the crowd. The transport here is essentially a high-grade Philips device, but in the

RIGHT: Top-loading CDM12Pro mech with Daisy SD8.1 software on a MediaTek platform. A CS8421 192kHz/32-bit upsampler and 192kHz/ 24-bit AK4395 DAC with pairs of OPA604 op-amps drives the balanced analogue output

46 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 the removal of EMI/RFI radiation between with Windows PCs, but are plug-and-play ABOVE: The display is distinctly retro, as are the the stages of the player. with Mac OSX hardware, the Métronome stylised legends for the little pin-head control There’s an entirely conventional S/PDIF also requires Mac users to load a buttons. Toggles at either end of the control coaxial digital output, limited to 44.1kHz/ proprietary driver onto their computers. panel select on/off and CD/USB functionality 16-bit, and while that USB input will accept A software disc is supplied with the fi les at up to 192kHz/24-bit, as explained player but it would be more helpful if the sound of early CD players (we’ve had more in PM’s Lab Report [p49], such content drivers were also available as a download than three decades to get it right) but even is downsampled to 96kHz/24-bit before from the Métronome website. Not ideal… by modern standards there’s something passing through to the DAC stage. There’s Analogue output is on a choice of RCA warm, generous, even ‘analogue-sounding’, also no provision for DSD content, which phonos or balanced XLRs, both sets being about the way Le Player handles music. will either be a major annoyance or a total permanently active, and that’s about it – as It’s a very cultured presentation, as well irrelevance, depending I said, this is a pretty suited to high-quality audiophile-approved on your point of view. simple, straight-down- jazz recordings as it is to large-scale My take on it is that ‘Le Player’s big, the-line CD player. classical works, and while this means it this is something of lush sound suited Completing the design trades away a little openness and ambience an omission at a time is a trio of compliant – meaning this isn’t the crispest or most when there appears the Bach track feet, and the player sparkling listen in the world – there’s no to be a resurgence of comes partnered with denying the sense of scale and substance interest in DSD content, extremely well’ a slimline remote this presentation delivers. especially in some handset in a classy Spin Blur’s comeback outing The Magic non-European markets. While I can see black rubberised fi nish [see p49]. So often Whip [Parlophone 0825646141692], that Le Player is entirely optimised for CD high-end hardware is let down by the use and while there’s not quite the bite and playback, the fact that even budget DACs of inexpensive-feeling ‘parts bin’ remote edge on offer with some players, it’s hard and headphone amplifi ers now offer DSD controls, but there’s no such problem here. not to like the rich, full-bodied sound of ‘I compatibility makes its absence all the Broadcast’, with the bass and drums having more disappointing. A CULTURED PRESENTATION both pace and weight, and the sparky lead The USB input is selected using one of So the Métronome doesn’t look like a instrumentation and vocals presented with two little toggles on the front panel – the common-or-garden CD player, and neither good detail – even if things could do with a other turns the player on and off – but it’s does it sound anything like the old clichés shade more eagerness and slam at times. worth noting that while most products of digital audio. OK, so we’ve all moved The Métronome is on safer ground with a USB input require a driver for use on a long way from the hard-edged, glary with Marcus Miller’s sinuous take on ‘Papa Was A Rolling Stone’ from his Afrodeezia MÉTRONOME’S MOMENTUM set [Blue Note 472144-2], giving the lead instrument – Miller’s bass – both Founded in 1987 by Dominique Giner, Métronome Technologie was set up as great character and defi nition, and the a loudspeaker company, before moving on to the digital products for which accompanying second bass-line, percussion it’s now best known. Those products are still hand-assembled at its facility and brass plenty of punch. Again the sound at Roquemaure, near Toulouse, and for a long time the company’s focus was is certainly a little on the warm side of entirely on CD playback, with not even a sniff of a digital input for other formats, neutral, but in this context there’s really let alone a USB socket. The fl agship of the range is the Kalista/Elektra/Nausicaa nothing wrong with that. CD player referred to in the main review, to which can be added the company’s It’s rather less happy with the dense, Silent Base supports or even tripod legs to create a fl oorstanding player sitting guitar-driven mixes of Johnny Marr’s 2014 right at the very top of the high-end CD-spinning market. Of late the company Playland album [Warner Bros NVCD002], has expanded its line-up with more players and DACs, and now even has a music with tracks like ‘It’s A Trap’ sounding a little server, the Music Centre 1, as part of ‘a new start’ for Métronome. Le Player is splashy and constrained. Yes, the vocals the fi rst fruit of that move, which began with Giner transferring the company are clear and intelligible, the music motors to new ‘associate managers’ Christian Bat and Jean Marie Clauzel. With this along pleasantly enough, but that warm new management in place, Métronome is promising ‘a huge program of new bass can tend to muddle things a bit. products’ – including the adoption of DSD64/DSD128 capability. There’s a strong argument to be made that a player with a slightly leaner sound

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 47

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LAB REPORT MÉTRONOME LE PLAYER It has been reported that Métronome’s entry-level player/DAC has a ‘tube-based’ output stage, but it doesn’t. The OPA604 op-amps driving the analogue output are resolutely solid- state. Furthermore while both balanced and RCA outputs are specifi ed at 2.5V, in practice the XLR outs actually deliver 4.8V at 0dBFs from a relatively high 575ohm source impedance. The output is also phase-inverting – worth noting before anyone leaps into an A/B comparison! The USB 2.0 driver performance mirrors that we obtained for Métronome’s Nausicaa DAC [HFN Dec ’13] with its 16-bit ABOVE: A USB-B input addresses the same DAC stage as Le Player’s CD section. 96dB A-wtd S/N ratio and re-sampling to 96kHz (including Outputs include S/PDIF digital and both single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR) audio 192kHz inputs which are downsampled). Via CD, the A-wtd S/N ratio is a rather fi ne 114dB although distortion, courtesy of a raised 3rd harmonic, is higher than we might expect for would bring out the raw edge of the same recording, the playing fi eld this DAC at 0.015-0.04% (0dBFs, 20Hz-20kHz). The lowest music rather better, as is made even levelled by downsampling the distortion (<0.001%) is achieved between –15dBFs to –20dBFs clearer with the charging ‘Playland’, fi les to CD quality to obviate any and – in common with other Métronome players/DACs – is remarkably consistent with frequency [see Graph 1, below]. which only really snaps into focus mastering differences between CD The difference in white noise between CD and USB inputs when it breaks down momentarily and beyond-CD versions. is clear from the jitter spectra [black and red, respectively, and the bass-line is exposed. Once However, it’s as a CD player that Graph 2 below] while the artefacts are largely PSU-driven, the listener has something to latch the Métronome will be bought, with lending Le Player a slight warmth. The frequency responses are astonishingly fl at and extended right out to the Nyquist limit onto, the track becomes easier to the USB input as a bonus facility. And with HF points of –0.01dB/20kHz (CD and 48kHz USB inputs) unravel, but it’s still rather hard although Le Player has a somewhat and to –0.05dB/45kHz (96kHz and 192kHz USB inputs). work, and just a shade more ‘wall of mannered sound, for more than a Readers may download full QC Suite reports for Métronome sound’ than would be ideal. few buyers this will be just what is Le Player’s CD and USB performance by navigating to www. required for their systems, and with hifi news.co.uk and clicking on the red ‘download’ button. PM THE HIGHER-RES OPTION more than a hint of the capability of Slow things down with the its manufacturer’s fl agship products. exemplary Linn release of Bach Just before returning the sonatas for violin and harpsichord, Métronome to its box at the end of played by Lucy Russell and John the review, during which it had been Butt [CKD 433], and the big, lush subjected to extensive listening, I sound Le Player can conjure suits the loaded up Coltrane’s My Favourite music extremely well, and the focus Things [Atlantic 8122-79577-0], and on the two musicians is extremely just sat back and let this 50-plus- persuasive. Whereas brighter players year-old music wash over me. It was might make this recording a bit at that point that I think I fi nally too spiky, the weight in the lower ‘got’ what Le Player is all about, octaves of Butt’s harpsichord gives it as the gentle strains of ‘Everytime ABOVE: Distortion vs. digital level over a 120dB range a solid foundation. We Say Goodbye’ poured from at 1kHz (16-bit CD, red; 24-bit USB, black) and 20kHz There’s even a decent sense of the speakers – all delicate piano, (24-bit USB, blue) ambience, although playing the brushed skins, subtle bass and that same set in 96kHz/24-bit through characteristic sax, along with the the USB connection (from a Mac sense of musicians working with an running Audirvana) shows that easy familiarity. Unforced, generous the recording has more to give in and easygoing – that’s the sound terms of space and airiness than here. And in a dwindling CD player the CD section of the Métronome market, such character should fi nd can deliver. That’s a bit intriguing, itself some fi rm fans. as experimenting with CDs played conventionally and CD-quality rips HI-FI NEWS VERDICT fed in via USB suggests that Le Player This is less of a fully-fl edged has just a shade more defi nition CD player/DAC than a disc- ABOVE: High res. jitter plots with 16-bit/44.1kHz data when used as – well – a player, player with benefi ts – there’s (CD, black with markers) and 24-bit/48kHz (USB, red) rather than as a DAC, with just a only a USB input, and even that little edge of bite in evidence, and a downsamples higher-resolution HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS slightly tighter bass. fi les to 96kHz/24-bit. However, Maximum output level (Balanced) 4.82Vrms at 575ohm However, comparing CD with a what Le Player does, it does very ‘hi-res’ version of the same recording well, and although the slightly A-wtd S/N Ratio (CD / USB input) 113.9dB / 95.9dB sees the soundstage open up and over-warm sound might not be to Distortion (1kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.017% / 0.0035% ‘breathe’ a little more freely, with an every taste, it certainly makes for Distortion & Noise (20kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.011% / 0.0004% increase in three-dimensionality and an enjoyable – and easily-enjoyed Freq. resp. (20Hz-20kHz / to 45kHz via USB) +0.0dB to –0.01dB /–0.05dB body of instruments. – listen across a wide-range of Digital jitter (CD / USB input) 401psec / 250psec That’s even true when comparing well-recorded music. ‘hi-res’ and CD-quality fi les of the Resolution @ –100dB (CD / USB input) ±0.2dB / ±0.3dB Sound Quality: 82% Power consumption 15W

0 ------100 Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 450x115x435 mm / 15kg

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South East - Guildford Audio 07979 515577 / Audio Venue W5 0208 567 8703 / Audio Venue Maidenhead 01628 633995 / Stereo Now 07870 192618 / Phase 3 Audio 01903 245577 / Stone Audio 01202 630066 / Unilet 0208 942 9567. South West - Audio Destination 01884 243584. Ireland - Cloney Audio 353 (1) 687 5951. Distributed by: Signature Audio Systems 07738 007776 l www.psaudio.com Two-way sealed-box standmount loudspeaker Made by: Benchmark Media Systems, Syracuse, NY, USA Supplied by: SCV Distribution Ltd, Herts, UK Telephone: 03301 222500 Web: www.benchmarkmedia.com; www.scvdistribution.co.uk LOUDSPEAKER Price: £2499-£2599 Benchmark SMS1

From Benchmark, one of the pioneer makers of DAC/headphone amplifi ers, comes a small monitor that’s served the brand at hi-fi shows for years: the SMS1 two-way Review: Ken Kessler Lab: Keith Howard

ithout knowing it, I had been ‘contributing to a tight and well-defi ned valve amplifi ers, though large valve amps repeatedly auditioning the bass response’ [see Lab Report, p55]. will suffi ce. Naturally, they recommend the £2499 Benchmark SMS1 Still, given that its customers are, in brand’s own solid-state AHB2. W speaker, albeit in an earlier the main, professional users, Benchmark Vertically arrayed are a 170mm custom- form. It has been a habit of mine to drop in has made the speaker rugged in a chunky, made co-polymer woofer and a 25mm on Rory Rall, Benchmark’s Sales Manager, off-road-vehicle way. soft dome tweeter. at the International CES and any other The durable stainless The passive crossover, shows we might be attending, because steel mesh grilles are ‘Voices sounded operating at 3kHz, is he and co-exhibitor Dave MacPherson of fabricated from the same lifelike, with a fi tted with audiophile- Studio Electric have a penchant for The material used for fi ne grade components Beatles – often using the 24-bit versions microphones, boasting blessed absence including non-inductive on the USB ‘apple’. Their room has always excellent acoustic wire-wound power been a haven for weary visitors, and the transparency. And the of sibilance’ resistors. Benchmark sound, via Dave’s speakers, complemented toggle for selecting is obsessive about Benchmark’s electronics. between single and bi-amping modes is tolerances, especially to ensure unit-to-unit industrial-grade, rather than use a matching [see boxout]. COMPLETES THE SYSTEM teensy-weensy mini-switch. Interestingly, instead of fi tting two pairs Because Benchmark is more of a pro brand Benchmark proudly calls the speaker of binding posts, the company chose to use than audiophile, it was a pleasant surprise ‘a return to acoustic that its compact, high-value-for-money, suspension’, arguing combination DAC/preamp/headphone that small, ported amp units found such favour among speakers ‘create domestic users [HFN Jul ’13]. Recently, the the illusion of AHB2 power amp joined these control bass extension by units [HFN Mar ’15], so it was natural that emphasising certain the company would want a speaker to frequencies – hence complete a system. the name “tuned Subconsciously, they’d been ‘road port”.’ It feels that testing’ Dave’s now-discontinued SE ports, at least in Monitor, on which this is based, in the smaller speakers, toughest of conditions: at shows. The ‘often produce a non- SMS1 is a re-worked speaker [see boxout], linear bass response’, not least in its more elegant appearance. I or the dreaded ‘one- loved the steam-punk/retro aesthetic of the note bass’. original SE version, but this is even prettier. Returning to a Despite serving studios since 1983, sealed enclosure, Benchmark chose to make the speaker Benchmark says that domestically tolerable, offering it in a the performance choice of black, mahogany or padauk side is more linear, panels, the latter two of solid hardwood and capable of and adding £100 to a pair. In addition to ‘impressively deep matching your décor, they are removable bass’. As audiophiles for repair or replacement. are aware, and as Benchmark also adds that the panels users of original AR aren’t purely cosmetic because they stiffen speakers learned a and dampen the sides of the enclosure, half-century ago, the cost of this is RIGHT: Beefy black cabinet with wooden side sensitivity. As a result, panels is fronted by a mesh grille with robust Benchmark advises frame in a natural metal colour, protecting a against using low- 170mm woofer and a 25mm soft dome tweeter power single-ended

52 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 a conventional pair of multi-way binding READY MADE MONITOR posts for single wiring, with a SpeakON 4-pole connector for bi-amping. This is Benchmark’s VP of Engineering, John Siau, told HFN, ‘The SMS1 was designed by certainly more convenient for all the wiring Dave Macpherson of Studio Electric. We had shared space with him at a number needed to bi-amp. of shows because we appreciated the clarity and overall sound of his speakers.’ Benchmark subsequently purchased exclusive rights to the design and moved A TIGHTER BASS production to its facilities in Syracuse, NY. The crossover was split to facilitate While studio users might simply position bi-amping and upgraded with audiophile components including custom-built these on mixing desks, I gave them the Clarity caps, from the UK, and close-tolerance air-cored inductors. full audiophile treatment. Benchmark ‘A key to Dave’s design’ says John Siau, ‘is the crossover frequency set above recommends 36in-high stands, but – the midrange, which we believe contributes to the vocal clarity of the SMS1. At relative to my listening seat – there was the low end, the sealed-box design was chosen for a tight, well-controlled bass a trade-off. Bass increased slightly when I while the tweeter was selected for low distortion and a smooth response.’ put them on 24in Cliff Stone Foundation stands, and they were better vis-à-vis my ear-height but resulted in a slightly recommendation of an amplifi er in the they had was a characteristically tight and reduced soundstage. I suppose I could 30-200W region. My trusty Audio Research dry bass. The Benchmarks are nowhere have piled cushions onto the seat, but the REF 5SE preamp, Marantz CD12/DA12 CD near as overly damped as those much trade-off was not so great as to alter the player and Pono and Astell & Kern digital larger classics, sounding in many ways performance in a crippling manner. Toe-in players completed the system. more natural, if arguably less precise. is a matter of taste. It struck me that I had heard this Despite the reduced sensitivity noted speaker’s parent at least a half-dozen COPING WITH KODO in our Lab Report [p55], they didn’t seem times, and fi gured that I had a pretty good Instinctively, I put on Kodo’s Heartbeat: inordinately hungry – I even gave them measure of it, enough to start not with Drummers Of Japan [Sheffi eld Lab CD- a burst of PS Audio’s wee Sprout [HFN my verdict on the SMS1, but with the KODO], which exacerbates shortcomings Feb ’15], which coped nicely. Things differences between the old and the new. found in mini-monitors. Bless ’em, the changed dramatically, however, when The natural choice of music was the 24-bit Benchmarks coped better than manfully, they were connected via Crystal Cables Beatles material mentioned in my intro. delivering extension that would have to the D’Agostino Stereo Momentum Memories play tricks, but my gut feeling rattled an LS3/5A to destruction. The [HFN Aug ’12] – more in keeping with the is that Benchmark has tweaked the SE by weight and the mass were convincing, tightening up the bass leaving the listener in no doubt that one – which is still a bit was hearing absurdly oversized percussion. rich – and refi ning Only a slight fl uffi ng in the decay of the the top end. I bigger ‘thwacks’ reminded me that my loved the original customary, and signifi cantly costlier, Wilson SE simply because Alexias were not in use [HFN Mar ’13]. To it was so musical. reproduce those notes, a lot of air has That has to be moved with incredible fl uidity and not been lost, control. Even so, the SMS1 was more than as evinced by convincing: it was exceptional given the George Martin’s speaker’s size. piano solo during Because anomalies in the low end ‘In My Life’ from are less offensive to me – too much bass Rubber Soul, notwithstanding, which will drive me which had the from a room – I was more concerned with same engaging the mid and treble. The SMS1 has a high naturalness crossover point, so the larger driver is (despite being acting as a true mid/bass unit. Suffi ce it to speeded up). say, voices sounded genuinely lifelike, with But I was a blessed absence of sibilance. thrown by a Wanting to hear how the character couple of things, of the bass might affect voices delivered having lived through the same transducers, I put on the for many years Four Seasons’ ‘Walk Like A Man’ [Rhino Box with AR’s 2ax Set 8122795939]. Its ‘footsteps’ ensured and Radford’s that there was bass present below the TriStar 90. Both harmonies and that world-class falsetto, were sealed and it was a reminder never to presume enclosures, the – whatever experience tells you – that a latter also having speaker will do such-and-such. a woofer that There was no compromising of the seemed too large vocals’ clarity, no clouding of the space. for its volume. What The bass was soft-ish, as it should be, but

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 53

LAB REPORT BENCHMARK SMS1 Benchmark claims 88dB sensitivity for the SMS1 but our measurements suggest this is a considerable overestimate. LEFT: Rear has Our pink noise fi gure of 84.3dB indicates that 84dB is a terminals for more representative fi gure, and much as you would expect conventional wiring of a closed box speaker of this size. The quoted nominal impedance of 6ohm is also too optimistic: we measured a via multi-way posts, minimum modulus of 3.6ohm, indicating a 4ohm nominal or SpeakON NL4 fi gure. Impedance phase angles are well controlled, as a result 4-pole twist-lock of which the minimum EPDR (equivalent peak dissipation input connector for resistance) is a relatively high 2.2ohm at 54Hz, although a bi-amping, selectable second dip to 2.3ohm at 358Hz means that the SMS1 isn’t quite as amplifi er friendly as that fi gure suggests. through a substantial Measured at 1m on the tweeter axis with grille removed, toggle switch the forward frequency responses [Graph 1, below] show a distinct presence band dip followed by a rise to a peak at with speakers of 17kHz. As both occur above 3kHz they must largely be laid at the door of Benchmark’s choice of tweeter. Response errors higher cost and are consequently a little on the high side at ±4.7dB and ±5.1dB greater dimensions: respectively (200Hz-20kHz). Pair matching error is a little high a ‘real’ sense of the too at ±1.3dB but would be much tighter but for narrow-band metallic resonance disparities near 3kHz and approaching 20kHz. Diffraction- corrected near-fi eld measurement showed the bass extension to his banjolele. to be 56Hz (–6dB re. 200Hz) – fair for a small cabinet – but with The effect was a peak of +4dB at 100Hz, suggesting that the bass alignment is as pronounced with underdamped. This is confi rmed by analysis of the impedance the piano playing which indicates a system Q of >1.5. Stir in the obvious breakup throughout Lou resonances seen in the CSD waterfall [Graph 2] and it’s hard not to conclude that the bass driver is oversized. KH Rawls’ At Last [Blue Note CDP 7 91937 2], essentially the correct with more weight than I expected. reproduction of the sonic clues that, What made it so involving was the for example, distinguish one make of way the harmonies meshed, the piano from another. resolving power of the tweeter Studio denizens and audiophiles ensuring that each singer could not are inherently suspicious of each only be heard clearly, but defi ned in other. Few in either camp realise their own space. that they should have a mutually benefi cial interplay. In this instance, RETRIEVING DETAIL Benchmark has been working with With such fecund lower registers, and selling to receptive audiophiles ABOVE: Forward response shows a dip in presence Little Feat was an inevitable choice, for some years now, so it is among followed by a treble peak. Bass is underdamped the Rad Gumbo: The Complete the very few from the pro sector Warner Bros Years collection [Warner that realises hi-fi enthusiasts actually 8122796057] allowing me to listen, and for the music – not just indulge in their hits. For those who an earth loop or some overload that attribute rhythmic properties to a might have crept into a recording. hi-fi system, the boogie that is ‘Oh, With this background, the SMS1 Atlanta’ shuffl ed and slid with the standmounts join a select group dB 0.0 requisite swampy feel. Even the that includes the JBLs, KEFs, Tannoys, - 6 1.0 - 12 forlorn ballad, ‘Willin’’, impressed Harbeths and others with both 2.0 - 18 3.0 with its precise, perfect tempo. Little studio and home suitability. - 24

Feat always married super-tight - 30 4.0 playing with a faux-sloppiness. This HI-FI NEWS VERDICT 5.0 msec 200 1000 10000 sophisticated playing with rhythms Frequency in Hz >> This classy monitor has a distinct never caught the Benchmark SMS1 character, leaning toward the speakers unawares. ABOVE: There’s a clear breakup mode at 3-4kHz that rich at the bottom and the Given that Benchmark’s roots correlates with the dip in its forward response analytical at the top, rather than are in studios, making the SMS1 a the totally neutral ‘studio’ sound HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS monitor in the true sense, it was I might have anticipated. If the important to hear what they could balance suits your taste, you’ll Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 85.5dB/84.3dB/83.7dB do with detail retrieval and clearing fi nd it sounds bigger than a small Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 3.6ohm @ 20Hz away sonic debris. George Formby’s two-way, it’s easy to drive and the 22.2ohm @ 1.9kHz When I’m Cleaning Windows – His perceived value suggests a price Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –37o @ 2.7kHz 52 Finest 1932-1946 [Retrospective o of at least a grand more. And it 42 @ 996Hz RTS 4104] had, I thought, yielded is defi antly, unapologetically, a Pair matching (200Hz–20kHz) ±1.3dB all of its riches over wide bandwidth speaker for rockers. systems into which I’ve fed it. Silly LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 56Hz / 31.9kHz/32.8kHz me… to my delight, the Benchmarks Sound Quality: 84% THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 1.9% / 0.9% / 0.1% delivered a little benefi t of their 0 ------100 Dimensions (HWD) 345x260x250mm own that I had previously noticed

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 55 Network-enabled media player/USB DAC Made by: Cambridge Audio Ltd, PRC Supplied by: Audio Partnership PLC, London Telephone: 0207 551 5413 Web: www.cambridgeaudio.com NETWORK AUDIO PLAYER Price: £1200 Cambridge Audio Azur 851N

The London-based company’s latest network music player is its most ambitious yet, doubling as a DAC and digital preamp. But just how good is it at multitasking? Review: Andrew Everard Lab: Paul Miller

ambridge Audio has been Digital inputs are provided on two RCA from its front panel or across the room involved in digital audio as long phono coaxial sockets, one AES/EBU input with no additional equipment, the main as almost any manufacturer, and two optical, the former supporting control providing simple scroll and click Chaving launched the Stan Curtis- fi le formats up to 192kHz/24-bit, as does operation when using it ‘hands on’. designed CD1, a multi-box CD player, back the Ethernet/Wi-Fi streaming capability, in 1984 [see Vintage Review, HFN May ’14]. while the asynchronous USB 2.0 Type-B CAMBRIDGE’S CONNECT APP Over the years, with a change of ownership connection also allows DSD64 fi les to be There’s a perfectly functional remote along the way, it built a strong following played from a connected computer. control handset supplied, but for the for its DacMagic digital-to-analogue The three USB Type-A sockets to the rear smoothest experience it’s best to use converters, from the early designs through can be used for the connection of storage an Android or iOS tablet or smartphone to the current range, which encompasses media, with one also being enabled for running the redesigned Cambridge Audio models down to the pocketable DacMagic the charging of connected smartphones Connect app, available free from the XS. It’s also brought affordable streaming/ and laptops, and there’s a further USB on Google Play and iTunes stores. This is one of network audio products to the market, the front panel. Add internet radio and the best-designed network player control starting with the NP30 and StreamMagic Spotify Connect, and you have a pretty apps I have yet encountered, combining models. Now it has launched its most comprehensive digital front end for any clarity with fl exibility, and it works ambitious network music player to date, system, and just for once all this fl exibility pleasingly with that display, showing both the £1200 Azur 851N. isn’t achieved at the expense of usability. what’s playing together with sleeve/radio Thanks to a large, clear display – the station artwork. COMPREHENSIVE FRONT END visible face of a new streaming module, An interesting aspect of the app’s The Azur 851 range runs from the 851A internally known as Zander, and running design is the way it interacts with both integrated amplifi er [HFN Aug ’12] to the the in-house StreamMagic software stack the 851N and the music stored on the all-analogue 851E preamp and 200W – it’s possible to operate the 851N either user’s network. Usually in such systems 851W stereo power amplifi er [HFN Jun ’14]. The only CD player, the 851C, is actually a player/upsampling DAC/preamp, while there’s also a dedicated DAC/preamp, the 851D. So, it’s to be expected that the 851N should be something beyond ‘just’ a network audio source component. And so it proves, for though described by the company as a network audio player, it’s also a DAC, complete with USB and S/PDIF digital inputs, and a preamplifi er, usable straight into a power amplifi er via its variable outputs. As well as wired Ethernet connectivity and built-in Wi-Fi (with a USB antenna provided), it supports Apple AirPlay for direct connection of iOS devices and computers running iTunes, and can also accept an optional BT100 Bluetooth ‘dongle’, selling for £70 and compatible with aptX, to allow a wider range of computers and Android devices to be connected.

RIGHT: A SHARC DSP handles all digital processing (including the 2nd-gen ATF2 384kHz upsampling and switchable digital fi lter modes) while twin AD1955 DACs feed a balanced analogue audio and preamp output stage

56 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 the app merely controls the player, which In addition, there’s a choice of digital ABOVE: Big, clear display provides track/ browses the network music store(s), but fi lter settings, also as seen on the player album/artist info and album/station artwork. not here. As Cambridge Audio’s Dominic and DAC. Linear and minimum phase Main rotary control offers turn-to-scroll/press-to- Baker explains, ‘Although Zander is one of fi lters are available, as well as a steep fi lter enter operation for simple ‘hands on’ navigation the fastest modules available, it’s no match setting, all selected using a front-panel for a modern smartphone when it comes button, which also reverses absolute phase powerful SHARC was chosen here in order to network browsing. So we now use that if held for a couple of seconds. Cambridge to support DSD64 over USB (DoP). Baker power that you have in a smartphone to do Audio suggests a ‘suck it and see’ approach explains that the choice of DoP, and thus all of the browsing, select tracks, etc. Only – there’s no ‘right’ setting, but rather only the SHARC, was a prosaic one: ‘At the time when you press Play does the app point the the one best suited to source, system we were developing the 851N we couldn’t product at the correct fi le. This makes for a and personal taste. The player memorises fi nd any DACs that supported DSD natively faster and slicker experience.’ the setting chosen for each input, so that would outperform the AD1955s.’ Under the lid, the 851N draws on digital it’s possible to employ different fi lters design already familiar dependent on the source, A WIDE OPEN SOUND from the fl agship range’s internal or external, you’re As the Lab Report suggests [p59], the 851C CD player and 851D ‘Immediately using [see PM’s boxout]. Azur 851N turns in a fairly remarkable DAC/preamp, using twin apparent was Running the show is a performance across a range of sources and Analog Devices AD1955 32-bit SHARC processor, bit/sample rates, but what immediately DACs in dual differential the 851N’s low- responsible for not just impresses is the fresh, clear and wide-open mode, one DAC dedicated the upsampling but also sound of which it’s capable. This is as true to each channel. end clarity’ the volume level when the when used as a source component into Ahead of this conversion, 851N is used straight into conventional amplifi cation as it is making there’s the ATF2 upsampling also found a power amp. This processor is designed use of the variable output facility straight in the 851C and 851D: this second- to maintain full digital resolution even as into a power amplifi er. generation ‘Adaptive Time Filtering’ the volume is reduced, by resampling the I had some initial teething problems system provides fl exible upconversion to signal at every level-step – rather than when playing fi les from my NAS drives 384kHz/24-bit before the digital data hits resorting to the bit-reduction used in some using my preferred MinimServer streaming the DACs, and is used to reduce jitter as digital preamps. software, as the 851N had an annoying well as shifting digital noise far beyond the The other 851-series digital products habit of skipping midway through a audible band. use a Blackfi n processor, but the more track and playing the next selection. The problem seemed linked to my FILTER-FEST preference for FLAC-to-WAV transcoding in MinimStreamer – it was less prevalent, but Not only does the Azur 851N employ a SHARC DSP to upsample all internally no more predictable, when transcoding decoded media to 384kHz/24-bit (and process DSD64 streams via USB and was turned off. However, when using network connections) but there’s plenty of spare overhead to accommodate TwonkyMedia Server to dish up the data in three different digital fi lter algorithms prior to the Analog Devices DACs. (These straight FLAC there were no such problems. replace the 192kHz Wolfson DACs used in its earlier USB DACs and players.) The As well as trying out the admirably Linear Phase fi lter offers a constant group delay, yielding a time-coherent output well-sorted internet radio implementation with limited pre/post ringing and is most listener’s preferred option when and even Spotify Connect (the sound streaming 44.1/48kHz media. The Minimum Phase option behaves rather like of which I still fi nd rather bland and an apodising fi lter, freeing the impulse response of any unnatural, acausal pre- anonymous), I used music fi les from CD ringing but increasing the energy of its post-ringing and incurring a non-linear quality all the way up to 192kHz/24-bit group delay. The fi nal, Steep fi lter option is the classical brickwall approach that over the network: CDs via Metronome’s Le offers little damping of any pre/post ringing but provides a linear phase output Player [see p46], and some DSD fi les played with excellent attenuation of any digital images immediately outside of the over USB via Audirvana Plus software. audio range. Also, perhaps courtesy of higher-rate upsampling, the 851N offers While the S/PDIF inputs perhaps have a a more extended and fl atter response than its forebears. PM slight edge over the USB when all things are equal, with just a hint more

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 57

LAB REPORT NETWORK AUDIO PLAYER CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AZUR 851N Tested in its fi xed analogue output setting (and USB confi gured for 192kHz-ready 2.0 mode), the 851N offered a near-fl awless set of numbers. The by-now-familiar Linear, Minimum Phase and Steep roll-off fi lter options offer responses of –1.4dB, –1.3dB and –9.7dB at 45kHz, respectively, with 96kHz media and –3.3dB, –3.2dB and –11.5dB at 90kHz with 192kHz fi les. Maximum output is a heady 4.27V (balanced) via a 45ohm source impedance while the A-wtd S/N ratio is impressively wide at 112.2dB, 112.1dB and 111.3dB via S/PDIF, network and USB digital inputs. Distortion and low-level linearity are fi rst-rate via all inputs but, if minuscule differences are analysed, the rank order is as above. Unlike with most DACs there’s no peak-level compression here, so distortion remains incredibly low at ABOVE: Four S/PDIF inputs and two outputs, one AES/EBU in and out, asynchronous ~0.0002% over the top 15dB of its dynamic range through USB-B, four USB-A (including an iDevice-compatible USB-A on the fascia), trigger, bass and midrange, increasing to just ~0.0004% at 20kHz and external IR and RS232. Analogue outs (fi xed and variable) via RCA and balanced XLRs ~0.0006% at 40kHz with 96kHz inputs [see Graph 1, below]. Jitter is also lowest at 50psec (48kHz) falling to 10psec (96kHz) via S/PDIF, increasing marginally to 60psec (48kHz) information, the balance is unforced soundstage, and complete via USB and then to 385psec (48kHz) via the wired network redressed when playing DSD fi les with real ambience and lovely connection. These are all low-rate jitter sidebands [see Graph 2, when the 851N offers just the right instrumental textures. below] and decrease further to 125psec (96kHz) and 50psec combination of smoothness and Switch to ‘Pyongyang’, from Blur’s (192kHz) via the network input. The latter does not handle 32-bit fl oating-point WAV fi les, by the way. The remaining, captivating detail. comeback album The Magic Whip analogue, parameters including separation (130dB) and This isn’t really a ‘kick back and [Parlophone 0825646141692], and channel balance (0.04dB) are all superb. Readers may view relax’ kind of player, as the sound is again there’s that sense of the music comprehensive QC Suite test reports for the S/PDIF, USB and much too interesting and attention- breaking free from the speakers network audio performance of Cambridge Audio’s Azur 851N grabbing for that – although using and fi lling the room. The sound is by navigating to www.hifi news.co.uk and clicking on the red ‘download’ button. PM the ‘Steep’ fi lter setting did smooth instantly attractive, and yet rewards things down a shade. It’s never close attention with the information rough or unruly but manages to it contains about the tonality of deliver a sound that’s both musically voices and instruments. satisfying and impressive in all those Unsurprisingly, this sonic ability hi-fi ways, from soundstage depth means the Cambridge Audio also and focus to power and defi nition. makes a fi ne fi st of classical music, and I greatly enjoyed the Kansas THE BLARE OF BRASS City SO/Michael Stern recording of Starting off with some classic prog in Britten’s Young Person’s Guide To the form of Rick Wakeman’s The Six The Orchestra. This music could Wives Of Henry VIII, in a 96kHz/ almost have been written as a 24-bit rip from vinyl [A&M AMLH system-tester, and in DSD64 [from ABOVE: Distortion versus 24-bit/48kHz digital signal 6436], what was immediately Reference Recordings RR-120 SACD] level over a 120dB range at 1kHz (S/PDIF, black; apparent was the low-end clarity of every instrumental timbre was Network, red; USB, grey) and 20kHz (USB, blue) which the 851N is capable. Add to crystal-clear, even in the relentlessly this its ability to drive even complex building fi nal fugue. Hugely exciting. rhythms and present a stinging, It’s hard not to conclude that but never tortured view of cymbals, this is a major league contender, plus those characteristically ‘period’ and from a brand still (wrongly) synth sounds – now revealed in all associated with budget separates their edginess. in the mind of many an audiophile. This view was reinforced with Kyle Which is their loss… Eastwood’s Timepieces [Jazz Village JV 570034 – see HFN Jun ’15] which HI-FI NEWS VERDICT makes clear the bass extension and Combining solid build (what defi nition on offer here as Eastwood Cambridge cheekily calls ‘Full ABOVE: ±500Hz zoomed, low-rate jitter spectra and drummer Ernesto Simpson Metal Jacket’) with fl exible, comparing S/PDIF, black; USB, grey and Network, red bounce off each other while, above, intuitive operation and a glorious the piano of Andrew McCormack sound, fully capable of slamming HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS sounds deliciously full-bodied home rock or drawing out the Maximum output level (Balanced) 4.27Vrms at 45ohm and the brass of Quentin Collins scale of classical music, this is a and Brandon Allen has beautiful fi ne addition to the fl agship Azur A-wtd S/N ratio (S/PDIF / USB / Net.) 112.2dB / 111.3dB / 112.1dB breathiness and blare. range. Network DSD streaming Distortion (1kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.00020% / 0.00022% It’s hard not to like the way the would have made it perfect, but Dist. & Noise (20kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.00024% / 0.00045% music explodes out of the speakers whether as a source or keystone Freq. resp. (20Hz-20kHz/45kHz/90kHz) +0.0dB to +0.08dB/–1.4dB/–3.3dB in all its three-dimensional glory, of a complete system, the 851N is Digital jitter (S/PDIF / USB / Network) 50psec / 55psec / 385psec with performers reliably placed in an excellent value for money. Resolution @ –100dB ±0.1dB

Sound Quality: 87% Power consumption 22W (<1W standby)

0 ------100 Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 430x115x360mm / 8.1kg

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 59 Integrated tube amplifi er. Rated at 25W (triode mode) Made by: Unison Research (A.R.I.A), Italy Supplied by: Henley Designs Ltd, UK Telephone: 01235 511166 Web: http://en.unisonresearch.com; www.henleydesigns.co.uk INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER Price: £2500 Unison Research Triode 25

With this handsome anniversary design, the long-established Italian valve amplifi er specialist offers triode sounds without tears, and a convenient USB input to boot Review: Steve Harris Lab: Paul Miller

he triode tube (or valve) is the Unison Research itself has long created three front-panel controls, an on/off switch, oldest and simplest amplifi cation SET amplifi ers. But the Triode 25, intended a rotary source selector and a volume device, but for many audiophiles it as a modern, versatile and user-friendly knob. There is no standby function, while Tstill takes pride of place. There are product, is a conventional push-pull design. warm-up is quite rapid, plenty of practical, affordable and easily- It’s essentially a new and thoroughly Below the on/off toggle is a receiver accommodated triode amplifi ers to choose updated version of the original Triode 20 window for remote control commands, as from. Among these some of the most [see boxout]. But instead of a phono stage, the Triode 25 comes with Unison’s system elegant are the wood-fronted creations of the Triode 25 offers a built-in DAC with remote handset [see p63]. This too has a Unison Research, whose latest offering is associated USB digital input. wooden housing. But of the 30 rather tiny this £2500 Triode 25 integrated. Its output tubes are EL34 pentodes, with buttons on its metal front plate, only two the circuit confi gured to (volume up and down) SO WHY NOT SET? run these in either triode are relevant! Unison Research owes its existence to or pentode mode – the ‘The Triode 25 While the volume Professor Giovanni Maria Sacchetti, who latter specifi ed at roughly presented vocals control operates founded the company in 1987. Sacchetti double the triode-mode remotely thanks had always nurtured a passion for music, power output (50W). A in an almost to a motorised and began experimenting and building further user adjustment potentiometer, the amplifi ers from a very early age. After gives two options for caressing manner’ source selector is graduating in electronics, he embarked the level of negative strictly manual. Switch on a career as a university lecturer, and feedback used. Along with the four EL34s positions start with the USB input, and continued to teach for some 25 years. the Triode 25’s valve complement includes continue with three line inputs labelled CD, At the same time, he developed and three small-signal double triodes, two Tuner and AV, plus one for Tape. Above the designed all the products for Unison ECC83s and a single ECC82. fascia, on the apron beneath the chromed Research – although, in the case of the With a well-made chromed valve cage cage, are some further controls that won’t Unico hybrid series, he was assisted by a surmounting the wood fascia, the Triode be needed every day. To access these you long-time university colleague, Leopoldo 25 is tidy and compact. There are only need to loosen four bolts at the corners of Rosetti. But at the end of 2014, after a period of serious ill-health, Sacchetti relinquished his role. The Triode 25 was in fact his last design for Unison Research. However, with improving health, there’s a possibility that he’ll be coming up with something new of his own in the future. For some enthusiasts, the only amps worth considering use triodes in single- ended mode, where the audio signal is amplifi ed by a just one tube. But single- ended triode (SET) power amplifi ers are expensive to build, partly because they need a special type of output transformer; and they are bulky and low-powered in relation to their cost. So all but the most specialised tube amps today use the push- pull principle, where a pair of output stage tubes amplify the positive and negative halves of the audio waveform.

RIGHT: Lifting the protective cage reveals the choice of 2xECC83 (12AX7), ECC82 and 4xEL34 output tubes. Bias adjust, mode and feedback options are all accessible from here

60 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 LEFT: Rotary controls on the Triode 25’s sculpted wood fascia are for source selection and volume, the latter also operable by remote control

you could often fi nd yourself being drawn almost unexpectedly into the meaning of the lyrics. It didn’t lack power at the bottom end, but with my B&W CM10 loudspeakers [HFN Sep ’13], on some tracks a heavy bass line could seem to muddy the overall effect. However, I got very good results with the Dali Ikon 6 and the excellent little Dynaudio Excite X34 fl oorstanders. Before going far, I naturally tried the pentode-mode option. But with repeated experimenting I found the comparison problematic and in the end I felt I just the cage using the long hex key provided, phono sockets for line input connections, couldn’t be sure that the pentode function when the cage can be removed. along with a pair of outputs for Tape and was operating as intended. Two samples In the centre are two small toggle another for line-level connection to an were tested by PM with the same outcome, switches, one to select triode or pentode active subwoofer. so I continued listening – as I’m sure most mode, the other to change the negative Finally, there is the vaunted USB digital users of this amplifi er will do anyway – on feedback between ‘high’, nominally 5dB, input, specifi ed as compatible with LPCM the Triode setting. and ‘low’, nominally 1.8dB. It’s stated that signals up to 384kHz and DSD up to As for the high/low feedback option, the level of feedback is always relatively 5.6MHz (DSD128) via DoP. Complete and after experimenting it became clear that low in any case, never exceeding 12dB. helpful instructions are provided, covering the low-feedback position actually was Nearer the front is a small illuminated driver installation and confi guration for preferable, breathing just a bit more life meter, a toggle switch and a pair of rotary foobar and JRiver under Windows. As usual, and realism into the sound. trimmers to adjust the output tubes’ bias. for Mac users no driver is needed. No Given a modern studio production The Triode 25’s adjustment is described problems were encountered setting-up and the Triode 25 could deliver with warmth as ‘approximately 20% self-biasing and the DAC worked very well. and power. On the 2003 re-creation of 80% manual’, Unison Research saying that ‘The Pink Panther Theme’ from Ultimate its mixed approach ‘minimises calibration FREE AND AIRY Mancini [Concord SACD-1034-6] the heavy errors while preserving the power tubes Once in place and warmed up, the bass sound of Abraham Laboriel had real and other circuits.’ Triode 25 made an immediately pleasing shape and depth. There was a feeling of On the rear panel are the expected impression, sounding warm, sweet and air around Plas Johnson’s solo sax, while speaker terminals, though with no appealing on many recordings that I the brass ensemble sounded free and airy. provision for load matching [see PM’s Lab tried. It could present vocals in an almost Joey DeFrancesco’s Hammond-and-Leslie Report, p63]. Then come the ranks of caressing manner, so that on familiar tracks sound really swirled and overall the Triode 25 brought life to what can often seem a UNISON’S TRIODES rather dry recording. This amplifi er was capable of bringing Back in 1987, this Italian company got started with the Glowy, a fi ve-tube tangible sounds up out of a convincingly preamp with phono stage. Its fi rst power amplifi er was the solid-state 80W Ruler, black silence, which is certainly not the but this was soon followed by a valve power amp called Nimbly, using KT88 case with some valve models! A good beam-tetrodes in push-pull and claiming 25W in triode mode, or 50W in pentode example was the beautiful unaccompanied mode. By the early 1990s Unison had launched its fi rst all-valve integrated, the voice of Rosa Passos on ‘Duas Contas’ from Triode 20, using two pairs of EL84 output tubes and again switchable between opening Rosa [Telarc CD-83646]. Here the triode and pentode mode. Also using two ECC83 and four ECC82 tubes, the singer’s voice is heard in an environment Triode 20 included a MM phono section. Unison Research continued to develop that is dead quiet but not dead (if you single-ended triode amps, from the baby Simply 2 up to the big Absolute 845. see what I mean), so while her delivery is But for its 25th anniversary, the company has created a thoroughly modernised intimately miked, it is bathed in a delightful version of the push-pull Triode 20, the appropriately-named Triode 25. studio ambience. Rosa’s voice and her gorgeous guitar were captivating.

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 61 Powerful Innovation

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Find out more about IsoTek’s award winning range of power cleaners, and for your free brochure, please contact: [email protected] • www.soundfowndations.co.uk www.isoteksystems.com • www.facebook.com/isoteksystems LAB REPORT UNISON RESEARCH TRIODE 25 Ordinarily I will test pentode/triode mode amplifi ers in both settings but with greater deference to the higher output/lower THD typically offered by the former. In this case, with some uncertainty about the pentode confi guration, and in the spirit of the amplifi er’s name, I focused on the 25’s triode mode performance. With its output transformer broadly optimised for 6ohm loads, power output was roughly equivalent into 8 and 4ohm loads (2x28W and 2x23W respectively) with very little headroom beyond this under dynamic conditions – 30W and 25W into 8/4ohm loads, falling to 18W/14W into 2/1ohm loads [see Graph 1, below]. As ever with a low feedback triode mode amplifi er, maximum power output is largely determined by how much distortion is tolerable rather than by a hard clip. In practice THD rises from 0.14% at 1W to 1% at 8W, 1.5% at 25W and 5% at 28W (all 1kHz into 8ohm). Versus frequency, distortion rises through low bass and high treble (to 1.6/1.5% at 20Hz and 20kHz at 1W and 4.6/8.5% at 10W) as the transformer core begins to saturate and as the infl uence of any compensation falls away [see Graph 2, below]. Unison has engineered a very fl at response from its Triode ABOVE: Three line inputs are provided alongside tape in/out and a line-level ‘sub 25 – within ±0.3dB from 20Hz-20kHz and with no obvious ultrasonic resonance as the output falls away beyond 60kHz out’ connection. The fi xed-tap speaker connections are via substantial 4mm posts/ to a respectable –3dB point of 80kHz. There is a +3dB lift at sockets while the USB input is compatible with 32-bit/384kHz and DSD128 fi les 3Hz however, so turntable/refl ex-loaded speaker combos will need to be used with care... Noise, meanwhile, is low for such With orchestral music, the Triode Listening to a recent jazz a design, assisting an A-wtd S/N ratio of 83.5dB (re. 0dBW). 25 once again seemed able to recording like the Tori Freestone Readers may view a comprehensive QC Suite test report for Unison Research’s Triode 25 by navigating to www.hifi news. breathe life into recordings that can Trio’s In The Chop House [Whirlwind co.uk and clicking on the red ‘download’ button. PM sometimes seem rather thick and Recordings WR4648], which features uninspiring. Listening to a Barbican just saxophone, bass and drums, recording of Brahms’ Symphony No 1 proved intriguing with the Triode. It with Haitink [LSO Live LSO0045] the gave a warm and engaging result, Triode 25 conveyed the timbres of with Freestone’s sax singing and the orchestra well, and although crying with real ‘humanity’. The the overall feeling was still rather character of the double-bass was constrained, the recording became quite well conveyed with only its very listenable provided you had the very lowest notes becoming a little volume setting just right. soft and uneven. As for soundstaging, the SWEET OLIVIA VOCALS Triode could certainly deliver an With ‘The End’, the opening track expansive, open picture with plenty ABOVE: Dynamic power versus distortion into 8ohm of Kings Of Leon’s Come Around of atmosphere. On Muddy Waters’ (black trace), 4ohm (red), 2ohm (cyan) and 1ohm Sundown [Sony 88697782412], I Folk Singer [Discovery Sounds (green) speaker loads up to 5-10% THD couldn’t help being impressed by HDR CD1001] a satisfying stereo the big drum sound and shimmering image extended well beyond the cymbals and, as I’d found on so speakers, and Muddy’s vocals were many other examples, the Triode 25 compellingly intense, in the centre gave a lively presence and tangibility of an enormous and very ‘live’ space. to the vocals. But eventually I felt The Triode 25 really seemed to that it was in danger of running out thrive on the reverberant quality of of steam on this material. recordings like this. Returning to female vocals, I put on Olivia Trummer’s Fly Now HI-FI NEWS VERDICT [Contemplate CMN14005]. In the Neat and stylish, the Triode 25 opening ‘Precious Silence’ I felt that represents good value thanks ABOVE: Distortion versus frequency at 10W/8ohm the Triode 25 successfully made to its inclusion of a more than (20Hz-20kHz, black) and 1W/8ohm (5Hz-40kHz, red) the most of the sweet and alluring satisfactory USB DAC. It gives texture of Trummer’s voice, and a good deal of the enticing, HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS the way she complements this tactile quality we hope for from with her liquid-sounding pedalled Power output (<5% THD, 8/4ohm) 28W / 23W tubes, without compromising piano notes. The subtleties in this Dynamic power (<5% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 30W / 25W / 18W / 14W too much on bass extension, and recording were well brought out, yet Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 1.9–2.2ohm with commendably low noise. the Triode 25 sounded a little less Despite a question mark over the Freq. response (20Hz–20kHz/100kHz) –0.3dB to –0.16dB/–9.7dB graceful as the track built up to its pentode-mode option, as a triode Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/25W) 35mV / 123mV loud and densely-recorded climax. amp, with suitable speakers, it A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/25W) 83.5dB / 97.5dB

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JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 63 Closed-back, circumaural planar magnetic headphone Made by: Oppo Electronics Corp., China Supplied by: Oppo Digital UK Ltd Telephone: 0845 060 9395 Web: www.oppo-bluray.co.uk HEADPHONES Price: £349 Oppo PM-3

At fi rst sight this looks to be a scaled-down, closed-back version of Oppo’s two earlier planar magnetic headphones, for use on the move. Only there’s more to the story… Review & Lab: Keith Howard

pinning off technology from headband, so in its zip-up denim carrying variability has been small, albeit somewhat fl agship products to more case the PM-3 is too large for most pockets. greater in the PM-3 than the PM-1/PM- affordable cousins is an old and On the plus side, the just-circumaural 2. This good sealing also bodes well for Shonourable tradition in audio, one earpads ensure more reliable sound effective sound isolation in the PM-3. which Oppo has quickly adopted with isolation than is often provided by supra- its expanding range of planar magnetic aural (on-ear) alternatives. OPPO’S NEW DRIVE UNIT headphones. It is only a year since we While we don’t measure isolation To make the PM-3’s capsules smaller, Oppo reviewed the top PM-1 [HFN Jul ’14] yet performance in our lab tests, Oppo’s has developed a new, circular variant of already we’ve had the less costly PM-2 three headphones have all demonstrated its planar magnetic drive unit, which in [HFN Feb ’15] and now, here, the yet consistent bass performance when, in the PM-1/PM-2 is oval. The same seven- cheaper PM-3. But the third in line, priced our standard procedure, we record and layer diaphragm construction is used, as is at £349 in the UK, is notable for a good average ten frequency the double-sided spiral deal more than its friendlier price tag, or responses per capsule, ‘voice coil’. Despite this that it’s closed-back whereas the PM-1 and removing and replacing ‘The PM-3 was smaller 55mm driver the PM-2 are open-back. the headphone between very much at PM-3 retains much the each measurement. same sensitivity as the ‘A TOUCH OF EXCITEMENT’? Although it isn’t home with more PM-1 and PM-2 (all three What Oppo doesn’t make crystal clear published in the Lab are specifi ed as 102dB about the PM-3 – although the press Report, a statistical lyrical pieces’ SPL for 1mW) which release says it is ‘tuned to have, deep, analysis is performed means that it’s broadly tight bass and a touch of excitement’ – is on the ten measurements to display similar to that of moving-coil alternatives. that it embodies a signifi cantly different confi dence limits around each capsule’s Oppo has achieved this by decreasing frequency response, and hence tonal averaged response that reveal the the impedance slightly, from a nominal balance, from that of its forebears. frequency ranges of greatest variability. fi gure of 32ohm for the PM-1/PM-2 to Whereas the PM-1 and PM-2 have a Often the bass is one of these, indicating 26ohm here. Although this requires virtually fl at uncorrected response below capsule sealing issues, but with all three commensurately more current from the 1kHz, the PM-3 has a hump in output Oppo headphones the low frequency driving amplifi er, most headphone sources centred on 150Hz. It is also signiignifi cantly will easily accoaccommodate the PM-3’s more energetic in the critical ppresenceresence demands,demands, whiwhile its almost constant band region around 3kHz, andd further up impedanceimpedance ensuresen that frequency the treble band too. So while the PM-3 response is virtuallyvir unaffected by may seem in many ways to bee a chip off whatever sosourceu impedance is presented the same block as its costlier siblings,siblings, by the amamplip fi er. this new design actually soundsds HeadphoneHeadp comfort is, necessarily, signifi cantly different. a subjsubjectivee issue, affected by the Oppo has made the PM-3 widewide variabilityv that exists in head closed-back to provide the size,size, ear shape and – for some of higher degree of sound isolationion us – the lushness or otherwise of often necessary when listeningng our cranial upholstery. on the move. It has also madee ButB with its soft earpads, the PM-3 lighter and smaller, well-paddedwel headband, medium but compared to some truly ifif notno featherweight mass and specialised, minimalist portableble modestmo capsule clamping force designs, it is still on the bulky (Oppo(Op specifi es 5 newtons, side. Its capsules turn fl at equivalentequ to the gravitational but don’t fold up into the forceforc of 0.5kg), the PM-3 willwill surelys feel comfortable to RIGHT: Inside the PM-3’s closed-backd-back mostmost ppeople while at the same capsules is a new version of Oppo’so’s time bbeinge secure enough for use high-sensitivity planar magnetic dridriveve pperipatetically.eripatet Unusually, no fewer unit, this time circular rather thann ovaovall than four connecting cables are

64 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULYLY 20120155 LEFT: Two fi nishes are available: this all-white option or the black and silver combination familiar from the PM-1 and PM-2

a result of which it sounded deliciously smooth and warm but perhaps not as directly informative as the very best headphones with a subjectively more even tonality. Sonically the PM-2 was more of the same and this model attracted equally positive reviews.

A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE I fully expected the PM-3 to continue the trend, but as soon as I played some music through it – as part of the initial listening I habitually perform prior to putting a headphone on the artifi cial ear for measurement – I realised that my expectation had been confounded. The PM-3 may still have a warmer than neutral tonal balance to my ears but, as the measured frequency responses confi rm, it sounds signifi cantly different from its costlier forebears, principally because the vital presence band region is no longer so obviously denuded. That ‘touch of excitement’ to which the PM-3 press release alludes is to be found right here, and it makes Oppo’s third headphone iteration not just different but better. The review sample of Oppo’s HA-1 headphone amplifi er [HFN Sep ’14] having long since returned whence it came, I used the PM-3 with my resident Teac HA- 501 fed analogue signals from a Chord provided, all of which plug into a 3.5mm is as accommodating of different signal QuteHD DAC. A second-generation Mac jack socket on the underside of the left sources as you could possibly wish. mini running Windows XP and JRiver Media capsule. The fi rst, for home use, is 3m long When I reviewed the PM-1 I came Centre v19 acted as music server, driving and can be used from either 3.5mm mini- to respect it rather than like it. For all a TC Electronic Impact Twin FireWire jack or 6.35mm jack sockets with a screw- its attributes – high sensitivity for a interface that in turn fed S/PDIF signals to on sleeve adapter. The three shorter cables planar magnetic design and extended, the Chord. are all 1.2m in length and offer mini-jack low-distortion bass – it continued what Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Grazioso! (from connection only. One is a straight cable had already become established as the A Constant Obsession, a 96kHz/24-bit with no inline remote, the second has an trademark tonal balance of PM designs download from Resonus Classics) is a iOS-compatible remote and the third an by Audeze. In particular it lacked a full- piece you might well choose to start the Android-compatible remote. So the PM-3 on presence band and treble output, as second half of a concert if you suspected the audience might need waking up COMING OF AGE after 20 minutes at the bar. Its shrieking piccolo alone sets nerve endings a-tingle, With the arrival of the Audeze and Oppo planar magnetic (PM) headphones, appropriately for a piece which despite its this old technology has at last become a realistic contender to the otherwise refi ned sounding title was inspired by the ubiquitous moving-coil. Originally described in a patent application fi led by works of Led Zeppelin (Grazioso being the two Israeli inventors in 1958 and granted as US Patent 3,013,905 in 1961, the make of Jimmy Page’s fi rst guitar). Turnage planar magnetic drive unit came to audiophile attention when Wharfedale claims ‘a very slight allusion to the group’s launched its futuristic-looking Isodynamic headphone in 1972, receiving a Design 1971 ‘Black Dog’’ but I suspect only the Council Award for it the following year. Promoted as combining the thin planar most committed of Led Zep afi cionados will diaphragm of an electrostatic with the simplicity and ruggedness of a moving- recognise it. coil, Wharfedale’s design was in truth hamstrung by the magnetic materials of As the notes put it, ‘The music is the day, rendering it highly insensitive. It took the development of neodymium- highly energetic and there are few lyrical iron-boron magnets and the application of fi nite element analysis to the design moments’. Absolutely: this is music which process to achieve the competitive sensitivity of modern PM headphones. should sound anything other than cosy and comforting. Rather, it should slap you

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 65 with music in mind since 1974

Exposure Electronics Limited Unit 18, Winston Business Centre, 43 Chartwell Road Lancing, West Sussex BN15 8TU, United Kindom. www.exposurehifi.com LAB REPORT OPPO PM-3 Oppo claims the same 102dB/1mW sensitivity for the PM-3 as for its PM-1 and PM-2 [HFN Jul ’14 and Feb ’15] but a lower nominal impedance of 26ohm (not 32ohm). This is equivalent to almost 118dB for 1V, which would be a very high value for a planar magnetic. We measured the lower value – averaged for both capsules – of 114.0dB at 1kHz (similar to the PM-1 and PM-2) but this is still impressive. Like the PM-1, PM-2 and Audeze LCD-X at 115.1dB [HFN Sep ’14], the PM-3 is a planar magnetic that defi es the type’s increasingly out-of-date reputation for being insensitive. Indeed, many moving-coil designs are no more sensitive than this. As you’d expect, electrical impedance is almost constant across the audible range, ranging from a low of 24.9ohm to a high of 25.9ohm. This exemplary consistency means that the PM-3 is largely immune to frequency response changes caused by differing (headphone amp) output impedance, amounting to a mere 0.1dB for a 10ohm source or 0.2dB for a 30ohm source. I always wear the headphone when impedance is measured, round the chops. For it to have its ABOVE: Four connecting leads are which, as well as providing an appropriate acoustic load, allows full stimulating effect it’s vital that provided to ensure the PM-3 broad me to judge whether there is any perceptible carry-over of the instrumental timbres are not compatibility at home and on the hoof sound from the active to the inactive capsule due to headband resonance. I could hear no such effect with the PM-3, and homogenised and that the well- no change in sound quality when I reached up to grasp the defi ned, open acoustic in which the argue that the PM-3 should deliver headband (thereby damping any vibrations). Uncorrected recording was made is allowed to a more percussive piano sound frequency responses for the two capsules [Graph 1] were play its full part too. and be more explicit about the obtained using a GRAS 43AG ear and cheek simulator fi tted with KEMAR large left and right artifi cial pinnae. Compared to The PM-3 was guilty of some of live recording venue and audience the PM-1 or PM-2, there’s a hump in output between 70Hz and the aforesaid homogenisation, but conversations in the background, 300Hz, and a notably stronger presence band output around then, a lot of headphones would but I suspect many people would 3kHz and treble output around 8kHz. As a result the diffuse- be, particularly the modern breed settle for its slightly less explicit fi eld-corrected response [green trace, Graph 2] is much fl atter above 1kHz but shows an excess centred on 130Hz. KH characterised by excess bass and a depiction of the event. subdued presence band. But while Was Tony Overwater’s double- Oppo’s latest offering was less bass also a bit bloated sounding? than outstanding in providing the I played two of my favourite bass necessary separation and therefore test tracks – Jennifer Warnes’ the intended impact of this piece, it ‘Somewhere, Somebody’ (ripped didn’t do a bad job – particularly for from The Hunter, Private Music the type of listener who likes to keep 82089) and Béla Fleck and the his musical experiences the polite Flecktones’ The Flight Of The Cosmic side of strident. Hippo [Warner Records 9 26562-2]. In the event, I concluded that, yes, A SMOOTH RENDITION the PM-3’s bass is just a little ‘fat’, Although I had neither the PM-1 nor perhaps because of that excess PM-2 to hand for comparison, I have output centred on 130Hz, but is ABOVE: The PM-3 shows a stronger mid-bass and little doubt that that I’d have found also well capable of delivering true presence band output than Oppo’s PM-1 and PM-2, the PM-3’s rendition even more low bass fundamentals. so the DF-corrected response [below] is fl atter >1kHz captivating than theirs. All told, it’s a combination On classical programme the many will relish and a far better PM-3 was more at home with less compromise than that offered by gritty, more lyrical pieces such as many modern headphones with a Vaughan Williams’s Oboe Concerto similarly shelved-up bass. (ripped from EMI Eminence CD 5753112), although even here the HI-FI NEWS VERDICT soaring, keening quality of VW’s You had to suppose that Oppo string harmonies was a little under- would continue to bring its planar developed, loosening somewhat magnetic technology to a wider the emotional grasp that this audience, but it may have made a piece unerringly applies whenever rod for its own back in the PM-3. ABOVE: 3rd-octave freq. resp. (red = uncorrected; I hear it. There was no gainsaying, If you’ve found the PM-1 and PM-2 cyan = FF corrected; green = DF corrected) though, the PM-3’s smooth, polished slightly lacking in verve then their rendition – further testament younger sibling – while short of HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS to sound quality a little on the their ultimate in transparency and Sensitivity (SPL at 1kHz for 1Vrms input) 114.0dB emollient side of plain neutral. engagement – is likely to be more Low-energy jazz suited the PM-3 Impedance modulus min/max 24.9ohm @ 358Hz to your taste. That it costs less (20Hz-20kHz) 25.9ohm @ 20kHz rather nicely, and vice-versa, an than its predecessors is just icing Capsule matching (40Hz-10kHz) ±3.0dB example being ‘Silence’ from the on the cake. 96kHz/24-bit download of Tony LF extension (–6dB ref. 200Hz) <10Hz Overwater and Bert van den Brink’s Sound Quality: 86% Distortion 100Hz/1kHz (for 90dB SPL) <0.1% / <0.1%

Impromptu [www.soundliason.com, 0 ------100 Weight (inc cable) 352g also available in DSD64]. You might

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 67 USB hub-powered DAC and headphone amplifi er Made by: Acoustic Research (AR), Voxx International Corp, HK Supplied by: ATC EnergyTech Corporation Limited Telephone: 07734 064360 Web: www.acoustic-research.com HEADPHONE AMP/USB DAC Price: £399 Acoustic Research AR-UA1

A famous brand is the latest arrival in the sprawling DAC/headphone amp arena, but if Acoustic Research’s roots go back more than 60 years, this is no exercise in retro hi-fi Review: Andrew Everard Lab: Paul Miller

ne of the surprises of the 2015 OSX). And for those of us using computers which have the ability to be used with a Sound & Vision show in Bristol without an optical disc-drive, the Windows variety of sources such as smartphones/ [see HFN May ’15, p16] was the driver can be downloaded from the AR tablets or even conventional digital Oreturn of Acoustic Research to website. (Media Centre software can be sources, but it makes complete sense when the mass-market fray. Another was the line- downloaded from www.jriver.com.) you consider that AR is targeting the UA1 up of products with which it was making But back to the AR-UA1 itself, and purely as an adjunct to a computer, be it its comeback, including headphones, a the design will be familiar from those notebook or desktop. personal music player and the combined rival products mentioned above, with a DAC/headphone amp we have here, the couple of signifi cant changes. As already NO FIDDLY MICRO-USB! £399 AR-UA1. In fact, the AR-UA1 is the mentioned, this DAC/amp is purely USB Freed from the need to cart its own power fi rst product in a complete reinvention of hub-powered, albeit via a decent quality supply around, in the form of an onboard the AR brand, starting in the UK and Japan AR-branded USB Type-A rechargeable battery, and then spreading out into other markets, to USB Type-B cable, it can be optimised and also the fi rst arrival from the newly- which also of course ‘It encourages you to work with USB as a formed Acoustic Research Digital and High- carries the digital audio to crank up that source of both power End Division. from computer to DAC. and signal, not to In 2013 AR launched its AR-M1 personal It has no power switch little click-stopped mention fi tted with music player, able to play FLAC fi les directly – connect it and it’s on a good substantial (unlike iPhones, iPads and the like), and – and has a headphone volume control’ USB-Type B input fi tted with a high-power amplifi er module output on a full-size rather than those designed to drive even tricky headphone 6.35mm stereo socket, complete with fi ddly Micro USB sockets. And of course, loads. The current version, the AR-M2, a volume control, plus line-out on high that also opens the AR-UA1 up for those has expanded that capability to DSD and quality gold-plated RCA phono sockets who like to experiment with different USB DXD playback, and the AR-UA1 is basically on the rear. There’s also an optical digital cables in their search for improvements in that player shorn of its battery power and socket, but this not an input, as one might performance, since these are more readily player facilities, to create a USB-powered expect, but an output limited to 96kHz. available with full-size USB connectors. headphone amplifi er with built-in hi-res That specifi cation may seem lacking The single indicator LED on the front D-to-A conversion. when compared to some of the rivals, panel is a multicolour device, changing

FREE JRIVER SOFTWARE At £400 it’s pitched rather higher than some of its obvious rivals, such as the TEAC HA-P50, Onkyo DAC-HA200 or Denon DA-10, but bundled in with the amplifi er is a free licence for JRiver Media Centre, which would set you back £50 if bought separately. You don’t have to use JRiver with the AR, which will also work perfectly well with a range of other software players, but if you want to you can do so for free, using the software for Windows and Mac provided on the disc in the box, and a licence code on the rear of the disc sleeve. The disc also contains the manual and Windows drivers for the DAC (as usual, no drivers are needed for Mac

RIGHT: Wrap-around casework is made from high-grade aluminium, giving both durability and impressive looks. Two rubber grip-strips on the base keep it stable and slip-free on a desk

68 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 RIGHT: Keeping it simple in the quest for sound quality: front-panel has just a full-size 6.35mm headphone socket, a multicoloured LED for signal lock and a click-stopped volume control

were switched off when changing connections. That seemed to do the trick, but AR’s UK distribution has agreed that normal consumers are likely to treat such a device with rather less care and to indicate the expect it to keep on working, so the sampling rate to which defunct samples were sent back to AR HQ the DAC has locked: white for for further investigation. 44.1kHz, cyan for 48kHz, blue 88.2kHz, This hitch was something of a pity, purple 96kHz, red 176.4kHz and yellow as when the AR-UA1 is good, it’s very for 192kHz. Dual clocks are used for that this explains the simple single lamp good indeed. Re-starting my listening, a accurate handling of digital signals – one indicator for lock and lack of additional DSD rip of Alice Cooper’s Billion Dollar for 44.1kHz and its multiples, the other for digital inputs. Anything more, the Babies [Audio Fidelity AFZ 170] seemed 48kHz, 96kHz and 192kHz. company suggests, would draw power appropriate, and though downsampled Under the lid, or at least within the away from the job in hand. Instead, the to 176.4kHz/24-bit, ‘Elected’ snarled wrap-around aircraft-grade casework, headphone section has been designed out impressively, whether through the the AR-UA1 has what the company with plenty of oomph to drive cans from selection of headphones I had to hand describes as its ‘M-Class Audio Engine’. This 16 to 600ohm, and as you can read in or into my system. Used as a headphone encompasses discrete circuits for its digital, PM’s Lab Report [p71], does not clip when amplifi er, the AR-UA1 will drive as hard analogue out and headphone amplifi er fed a peak-level digital input. as any listener is sensibly likely to want it stages, using Burr-Brown’s PCM1794A DAC, too, and while there are other – principally and the same company’s OPA2134-based BILLION DOLLAR BABY mains-powered – rivals able to deliver even line output. A proprietary headphone Listening was subject to some fi ts and more level if you really must, the most amplifi er, complete with an ALPS analogue starts, as the AR-UA1 proved rather striking thing about the AR is that it sounds volume control, powers the front-panel susceptible to what we suspect was clean and neutral, with tight, driving bass, output. It’s worth noting that, as the only ESD, with one sample failing during at lowish listening levels, and stays exactly hardware control available, this one is the lab-testing procedure, and another the same all the way to the end-stop of the well-judged, with a milled edge for easy when listening. The problem seemed to volume control. operation and a click-stopped action to occur when hot-swapping the DAC – in There’s no shifting of tonality, sense of avoid accidental jogging of the setting my case between headphone listening compression or even any suggestion that away from the chosen level. and connection to my normal system the amplifi er is working hard, even when AR says that the design eschews almost via the phono outputs – so I handled it’s going fl at-out, and that can create anything likely to get in the way of the the third sample rather more gingerly, the illusion that it really doesn’t go that simple task of driving headphones, and making sure both computer and amplifi er loud, even when it is… On the upside, that means the AR encourages you to crank up WHAT’S IN A NAME? that little click-stopped volume control; the downside is it’s not always apparent just Although it has a heritage going way back to postwar America, when so many how loud you’re pumping music into your well-known hi-fi companies appeared, in more recent years Acoustic Research ears, so some caution is urged. has slipped off the hi-fi radar. Founded by 1952 by Edgar Villchur and Henry Kloss The neutrality and driving ability of the as a speaker company, the birth of AR was based around Villchur’s invention of AR-UA1 means that the sound you get the acoustic suspension loudspeaker. Under his presidency, from 1954-67, the is all about the headphones in use, and company expanded into making turntables and other components, and was whether driving the affordable, weighty famed for its ‘live vs recorded’ demonstrations. It still makes speakers, but in and hilariously enjoyable PJB H-850 1983 developed the fi rst universal IR remote en route to becoming an accessory (designed for bass-players but so much manufacturer: it launched premium interconnects in the mid-’90s, and expanded more capable than that might suggest) or into HDMI cables in 2004. In other words, it’s proved adept at reconfi guring its decidedly upmarket Oppo PM-1 [HFN Jul line-up to suit the demands of a changing market, and under its current owners ’14], it proved an attractive, involving and Voxx International, which – as Audiovox – acquired the company in 2003, it’s informative listen. As indeed it did with the again adapting to current trends with digital and desktop audio products. likes of the Bang & Olufsen H6, Focal Spirit Pro and Musical Fidelity MF-200 models.

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 69 “I don’t know these guys from Germany but the sound was fantastic...”

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www.gauderakustik-uk.co.uk LAB REPORT HEADPHONE AMP/USB DAC ACOUSTIC RESEARCH AR-UA1 Based around the 192kHz/24-bit PCM1794 DAC from TI, along with the TPA6120A2 headphone amp that forms its ‘M-Class audio engine’, the AR-UA1 is one of the very few hub-powered USB DAC/headphone amps that doesn’t clip when fed a 0dBFs digital input at full (analogue) volume. With the gain control wound fully clockwise and a maximum digital level applied, the AR-UA1 offers 285mW/1kHz/25ohm at just 0.005% THD – not far off AR’s rated 400mW/32ohm. Into higher impedance headphones, the amp offers up to 3.8V – ten times higher than some competing hub-powered devices – and still at a consistently low distortion [see Graph 1, below]. The amp’s response is ruler-fl at with 48kHz fi les at –0.19dB/ 20kHz and only mildly rolled-off at –1.7dB/45kHz and –9.0dB/ 90kHz with hi-res 96kHz/192kHz fi les. Nevertheless this does rather depend on an undeviating headphone load, as the AR- UA1’s high 10ohm source impedance will cause progressively wilder response variations when driving low and variable impedance ’phones. Into our fl at 25ohm test load this already ABOVE: In fact, I was completely unable USB B input supports LPCM represents a loss of 2.8dB though channel balance remains fi ne to wrongfoot the little AR amp, up to 192kHz (352.8/384kHz and at 0.09dB and separation excellent at 75-100dB (20Hz-20kHz). whichever headphones I chose. It DSD64/128 via JRiver Media Centre). Possibly unrelated to the high source impedance, and while was amusing to be able to ‘tune’ Joined by Toslink optical digital output the AR-UA1 boasts very low distortion at midrange and high frequencies, THD does increase under load at low frequencies, the sound I was hearing simply by (to 96kHz) and RCA stereo outputs reaching 0.09% at 20Hz/10mW/25ohm [see Graph 2]. On the swapping cans, to the extent that I digital front, AR’s jitter rejection is truly superb as the AR-UA1 could almost understand the head-fi there’s no shortage of competition suffers a mere 25psec, loaded or unloaded. Readers may view fanatics with a sizeable collection of at around this price, the AR’s big- a comprehensive QC Suite test report for Acoustic Research’s models to choose from. boned yet fi nely detailed sound is AR-UA1 USB DAC/headphone amplifi er by navigating to www. hifi news.co.uk and clicking on the red ‘download’ button. PM more than competitive. DELIVERS ALL THE INFO However, most buyers of this That said, most of the critical little unit will purchase it for use listening here was carried out with between a computer and a pair of the Spirit Pros and the PM-1s, and high-quality headphones, and it’s with these headphones it was in this confi guration that it is most clear just how much information convincing. This makes it a good the AR can deliver, whether with choice for those wanting something mainstream rock and pop or for use while travelling – just as long intricately detailed acoustic music, as there’s somewhere to power your from chamber and small-ensemble computer as, obviously, the USB- jazz to large-scale orchestral and powered nature of the amp does choral works. work the connected computer’s Worked a bit to get some heat battery a bit. ABOVE: Distortion versus digital signal level at 1kHz (red into its circuits, at which point It does the hi-fi thing very well, = unloaded; shaded red = loaded where 0dBFs = 285mW, –10dBFs = 28.5mW and –24.6dBFs = 1mW) that sleek aluminium casework is giving fi ne insight into the character at around body temperature, this of voices and instruments, but little amplifi er sounds much bigger at the same time makes a highly and more forceful than anything convincing musical case for itself. powered by no more than the 5V Handle it with care, and it’ll reward USB hub has any right to do, as was you by making the most of a wide clear with the recent set of Mahler, range of headphones, wherever you Zemlinsky and Wagner from Trevor happen to be listening. Pinnock and the Royal Academy of Music Soloists [Linn CKD 481]. HI-FI NEWS VERDICT Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll sounded We’re assured the operational especially glorious, with its rich problems we encountered are instrumental textures beautifully ABOVE: Distortion versus frequency from 20Hz-20kHz (solid being addressed as matter or red, 1V unloaded; shaded red, 10mW into 25ohm load) realised and the dynamics of the urgency. With that note of piece enhanced by the effortless caution sounded, there’s much HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS power of the amplifi er. Similarly the to like about the simplicity and Maximum output (re. 0dBFs into 47kohm) 3800mV @ <1% THD high-quality recording of Norwegian capabilities of the AR-UA1, and choir Cantus on their SPES album the way it drives ’phones from Max. power output (re. 0dBFs into 25ohm) 285mW @ <1% THD [2L-110], with the sound of the the entry-level to the upmarket. Output Impedance (20Hz-20kHz) 9.7-10.8ohm voices wrapped in a richly captured The closely-detailed, unburstable A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBFs) 89.5dB church acoustic, was particularly sound puts the onus on the Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, re. 10mW) 0.0026–0.085% convincing, with no sense of headphones you use – just be Frequency response (20Hz-20kHz) +0.0 to –0.19dB hardening even with the upper careful with that volume control! registers of the choir at high levels. Stereo separation (20Hz-20kHz) 101dB to 75dB Connected into my main system, Sound Quality: 84% Digital jitter (unloaded/loaded at 25ohm) 25psec / 25psec the AR-UA1 also proved highly adept 0 ------100 Dimensions (WHD) 84x25x138mm when used as just a USB DAC. While

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w:audioemotion.co.uk e:[email protected] t:01333 425 999 Classical Companion BEHIND THE MUSIC WITH HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW Beethoven The Pastoral Symphony Composed at the same time as his Fifth, this was Beethoven’s only programmatic symphony. Christopher Breunig takes a trip out into the Wienerwald…

ost-Christmas I made the The only and it will cost you around £85 mistake of going to see a BFI èmusic for as part of a boxed LP set. So that screening of Disney’s 1940 Walt Disney’s won’t do. PFantasia. Very soon, the kids 1940 fi lm ill-advisedly brought by their parents Fantasia was THE CLUYTENS PASTORAL were fi dgeting, while I was inwardly prepared and In the early 1950s we had the groaning at the pretentious intros, conducted extremes of Furtwängler with the posing maestro and – above by Leopold the VPO on HMV (lethargic) and all – the banality of the animation Stokowski Toscanini with his NBC Orchestra concept. I didn’t mind the musical (rigidly driven) on RCA. Later on cuts, though even Mickey Mouse we also had, on LP, Toscanini’s (Sorcerer’s Apprentice) outstayed his preferable 1937 recording with the welcome, so much as the tweeness. BBC Symphony Orchestra. This is Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, for now on a Naxos CD in transfers by instance, brought coy encounters DECCA RECORDS PHOTO: Mark Obert-Thorn, from Victor 78s between camp male centaurs and together with the Storm, that and restoring material lost in EMI’s pubescent girls bathing. Stefan made the work suitable for ‘music LP updates [8.110877]. Beethoven himself enjoyed íDecker’s appreciation’ classes at school More central interpretations walking in the woods and fi elds chalk portrait of (do these still exist?). But it’s the came from Kleiber again, this outside Vienna, though precluded Beethoven Scherzo, with its time with the from hearing the birds he introduced (May 1824) amateurishly inept Concertgebouw into his programmatic Sixth is now in wind band players, ‘Klemperer (Decca, 1954), Symphony. It was the nightingale, the Vienna that delights me conducted the Karajan and the cuckoo and quail cited in the score Historisches more today. Philharmonia (EMI, at the end of the second movement, Museum In his succinct Scherzo as a 1953) and – even note for a new LPO fi ner – André CD [see boxout] dogged tread’ Cluytens’s earlier Lindsay Kemp version with the describes how ‘the music tips over BPO [HMV ALP1408]. He went on to into an earthy dance where we can record all nine symphonies with the almost hear feet stamping’. The Berlin Philharmonic in stereo. Good movement circulates the Peasants’ though it was, his second Pastoral relaxed enjoyment until darkening didn’t surpass the 1957. I would rain clouds send them scurrying have thought this would now be a for cover – a transitional link such collector’s item, commanding high as Beethoven exercised in his Fifth prices, but it only seems to reach Symphony, which he composed at about £10 on ebay. However, in the same time. The Vienna concert 2000 Testament added it to its CD when it was premiered in 1808 catalogue [see boxout]. comprised both these symphonies, Early stereo versions included the Fourth Piano Concerto, the Bruno Walter’s very amiable Choral Fantasy, excerpts from account, part of a 1960 cycle the Mass in C, and a keyboard with the hand-picked Columbia extemporisation, no less! Symphony Orchestra. The Sixth If I were to pick a single had been the odd man out in recording, at the moment it would Walter’s earlier set, as it was with be the 1947 Decca, made with Erich the Philadelphians rather than the Kleiber and the London Philharmonic NYPO. His prewar 78s with the VPO – tremendous in Scherzo and Storm, (1937) were transferred to EMI’s as I suggested in last month’s ‘Great Recordings’ series, in their Classical Companion. But it’s mono stiff blue, gold-labelled covers. What

74 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 surprised me there were the tempo Karl discrepancies from one 78rpm side èBöhm’s to the next. 1971 VPO A Decca stereo with Ansermet Pastoral is now and the Suisse Romande had on a DG Originals principally an attractive freshness in CD [447 433-2] its sound quality, while Szell’s with the Cleveland [CBS] refl ected little of the composer’s ‘Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the countryside’ but was predictably effi cient in terms of execution. A good choice, from 1960, was Kubelík’s HMV LP with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The original vinyl [ASD349] now commands anything up to £200, but it’s in a Warner budget 13CD set with all of Kubelík’s EMI recordings, dating back to 1937 and a Czech PO Má Vlast. Uniquely, Kubelík’s much later complete – if rather variable – DG – more so than No 1, for example. spark – indeed Sergiu Celibidache cycle had a different orchestra for It’s a shame that the Speakers once pronounced, to a French each work: the Orchestre de Paris Corner LP transfers have gone, televison interviewer, that ‘he didn’t for No 6. There is also a 1967 Audite although DG itself has produced have any music in him at all.’ recording: see boxout. a recent 6CD set with all nine But his Pastoral (Böhm then 77) After the success of his (mono) symphonies duplicated on a Blu-ray was extremely successful: with some Beethoven Fifth, Third and Seventh 96kHz/24-bit bonus disc; it also fl exibility within well-chosen tempi includes reharsal excerpts for the and with the fi rst-movement repeat Ninth [479 3442]. Presto Classical observed, you could hardly wish for offers high-res FLACs as single tracks more from the Vienna Philharmonic. if preferred (with highresaudio.com Coming more up to date, there’s it’s the whole set or nothing). a fi ne Channel Classics coupling of Probably With so many Sixths tucked away Nos 4 and 6 with Iván Fischer and ënot what in box sets (Abbado’s, Bernstein’s, the Budapest Festival Orchestra Beethoven had Kletzki’s) it’s good to fi nd that the [CCSSA 30710, SACD or downloads in mind: a clip version Karl Böhm made with the on DSD64]. Rather as Stokowski from Fantasia, Vienna Philharmonic, in excellent might have done, he decided to which you can 1971 analogue sound, can still be reseat certain wind soloists to Symphonies, Otto Klemperer was see complete found separately [DG 447 4333-2]. ‘immerse them’ more in the sound engaged to complete all nine. on YouTube Some of his recordings were without of the music. What drew much comment was the tempo he preferred for the Scherzo in No 6: a dogged tread. ‘You’ll get ESSENTIAL RECORDINGS used to it!’ he’s supposed to have said at the Philharmonia recording LPO/Klaus Tennstedt sound), only as a 44.1kHz/16-bit download, at sessions in Oct 1957 – but would his LPO LPO-0085 Presto Classical or from The Classical Shop. EMI producer really have been taken A new release from a Feb ’92 RFH concert aback? He had made a not dissimilar (with an earlier Egmont Overture), this Bavarian RSO/Rafael Kubelík earlier VSO version for Vox in 1951, typifi es the intensity of a Tennstedt/LPO live Audite 95.531 and performances with the RIAS performance when he was principal condctor. Recorded live in Munich, this 1967 Pastoral is Berlin and Concertgebouw were coupled with Symphony No 2 (given in Paris) broadcast in 1954/56 (both much Berlin Philharmonic/André Cluytens and is a warmly affectionate, humane reading later to appear on CD – see boxout). Testament SBT 1182 (mono) – even in the Storm. Strongly recommended. The earlier, preferable, 1955 Pastoral, now WHICH KARAJAN – IF ANY? coupled with a 1960 stereo ‘Unfi nished’ – Bavarian State Orch/Carlos Kleiber Of the three Berlin/DG cycles made Cluytens’s only Schubert recording. Orfeo C600031B by Karajan I have always preferred Only for Kleiber completists: from Nov ’83, the fi rst. His Feb ’62 Pastoral Concertgebouw Orch/Otto Klemperer this was his only performance, preserved on a attracted plenty of criticism – Philip Music & Arts MACD0246 (mono) family cassette tape. So poor sound and given Clark’s view at sinfi nimusic.com the Coupled with Symphony No 8, this 1956 with all Beethoven’s repeats cut. Some argue exception – yet for me (few repeats Pastoral is available (albeit in rather dim it’s worthwhile for its lack of sentimentality. notwithstanding) it is still enjoyable

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 75 STEVE SUTHERLAND Steve edited NME from 1992-2000, the Britpop years, launching NME.com and reviving the NME Awards. Previously he was Assistant Vinyl Release Editor on Melody Maker. Among his many adventures he has been physically threatened BEHIND THE MUSIC WITH HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW by Axl Rose, hung out awhile with Jerry Garcia and had a drink or two with Keith Richards... Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin (180g) Talent borrows, genius steals... as Led Zeppelin’s debut album is reissued on 180g vinyl Steve Sutherland looks at the musical past the band took and made their own

‘ he blues had a baby and they mostly panned by the critics on its January Smith picked up on it and started playing named it rock ’n’ roll.’ Muddy ’69 release. Those critics came to eat their it in her live shows, one of which was Waters said that and Muddy should words while the band attained godhead attended by Joan Baez, who recorded it on Tknow. The Rolling Stones named beyond even their own wildest dreams. her 1963 LP In Concert, Part 1, mistakenly their band after one of his songs, honed But you probably know all that. What crediting it as ‘Trad. Arr Baez’. their chops covering his tunes and were you may not know is that the majority Due to that mis-credit, Mr Page could be evangelical in their admiration of his talent. of these songs were birthed in such an given the benefi t of the doubt, and by the But not every birth was so straightforward, extraordinary fashion that Led Zeppelin 1980 reissue, Bredon shares co-authorship as Led Zeppelin’s debut LP – the one we’re not only goes down in history as one of with Page and Plant. ‘Dazed And Confused’, here to laud – will testify. the most ground-breaking albums ever, on the other hand, is an entirely different but also one of the matter. Arguably STEEPED IN THE PAST most controversial, the album’s Recorded pretty much live in October 1968 bullishly trampling all ‘Led Zeppelin’s centrepiece, Page in South London’s Olympic Studios, in just over the accepted line fi rst LP ushered in famously utilises a 36 hours for less than a self-fi nanced two between inspiration violin bow across grand, the album was the result of Jimmy and plagiarism. a whole new era of the strings of his Page rising phoenix-like from the ashes Take the spooky Fender Telecaster, of The Yardbirds and taking everything – ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave swaggering rifferama’ a technique blues, rock, folk, pop – to another, never- You’, for example. suggested to him before-imagined level. Credited on the album as ‘Traditional arr. by classical musician David McCallum Snr Inventive, dramatic, sexy, heavy, steeped By Jimmy Page’, it was actually the work (father of the groovy Man From UNCLE in the past with its head in the future, Led of Anne Bredon, a student folk singer actor) who’d done a few sessions with Page Zeppelin’s fi rst LP ushered in a whole new at Berkeley College in California who on other people’s records. On the album, era of swaggering rifferama so ahead of performed it on a local radio station in the Wagnerian masterpiece is credited to what anyone else was cooking up it was 1960. Another folk singer called Janet ‘Jimmy Page’ but it was actually composed by a bloke from San Francisco called Jake Holmes who recorded it on his 1967 LP, The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes.

OUT OF COURT Page knew this because when The Yardbirds were on tour in the US during August 1967, Page saw Holmes perform it at a folk club in Greenwich Village and went out and bought The Above Ground Sound the very next day, assimilating the song thereafter into the band’s live set. It took until 2010 for Holmes to get paid in what is assumed to be an out-of- court settlement, the version on the live Celebration Day 02 Arena release and the 2014 re-master credited as ‘Written by Jimmy Page, inspired by Jake Holmes’. Another bone of contention is the intricate acoustic showcase, ‘Black Mountain Side’. Credited to ‘Jimmy Page’, it is actually a traditional Irish folk song called ‘Down By Blackwaterside’. The tune was The band in 1969 (l-r): bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, singer Robert Plant, taught to top folkie Bert Jansch by fellow ìdrummer John Bonham and guitarist Jimmy Page. The band formed in London in 1968 folkie Anne Briggs, and Jansch recorded a

76 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 Priced £14.99, the 180g vinyl reissue ìof Led Zeppelin on the Atlantic label is available for order online at www.1note.co.uk strikingly similar version to the Led Zep one on his 1966 LP, Jack Orion which another folkie, Al Stewart, claims to have taught Page to play when he was helping out as a sessioneer on Stewart’s fi rst album. Jansch got the hump and took legal advice but it was found there was no case to answer because, although Page may have been ‘inspired’ by Jansch’s version, Jansch did not own the copyright. Then again there’s the tortured rocker ‘How Many More Times’. On the B-side of Jimmy Page’s Yardbirds pal Jeff Beck’s 1967 hit single, ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’, is a his producer, Mel London (an extremely complete with more Willie Dixon lyrics, track called ‘Beck’s Bolero’, a guitar piece talented bloke who wrote Muddy’s was picked up by The Small Faces who fashioned loosely on a classical piece signature anthem ‘Mannish Boy’), hit the reworked it on their eponymous debut composed by Ravel in 1928. record button and thought no more of it album as ‘You Need Loving’ in 1966, Page plays on the track and claims to until a year later, when, looking for more credited to Steve Marriott and Ronnie have written it. Future Zepper John Paul product for his Age label, he released the Lane. By the time Page got hold of it for Jones plays bass. Beck claims at least co- instrumental as a single called ‘Blue Guitar’. Zeppelin’s second LP, he was calling it authorship but it didn’t pan out that way ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and claiming authorship and imagine his chagrin when just over GOBBLED UP as his own. A 1985 lawsuit saw another out a year later, the track pretty much shows The single did ok, well enough to attract of court settlement to see Dixon all right. up again in the middle of ‘How Many the attention of Leonard Chess who bought Page earned millions from the track. Earl More Times’, credited to Page, Jones and the rights, passed it to Willie Dixon who Hooker, whose name appears nowhere, Bonham, with lyrics partially borrowed by fashioned some lyrics with JB Lenoir about died poor from tuberculosis in 1970, aged Robert Plant from ‘The Hunter’, a track an extra-marital affair, then overdubbed 41. No wonder they called it the blues. released by Albert King in 1967 on his Muddy singing them onto the track. Stax LP Born Under A Bad Sign, which was Hey presto, ‘You Shook Me’, which written and backed by Booker T & The MGs. arrived in the UK on an EP on the Pye label RE-RELEASE VERDICT More straightforward is ‘I Can’t Quit in 1963, credited to Dixon and Lenoir, with Remastered by Jimmy Page and packaged You Baby’ which is duly acknowledged as no mention of Earl Hooker. The EP was in a sleeve that replicates the LP’s fi rst the work of Chicago blues legend Willie gobbled up by such whippersnappers as pressing in exact detail, this release is part Dixon, though it pretty much copies the Page and his pal Jeff Beck, who recorded of an extensive reissue programme that 1956 Otis Rush version, released on Cobra. a version of it for his post-Yardbirds album will eventually see all nine of the band’s We’ll let that one lie, and turn instead to Truth with John Paul Jones on bass. studio albums reissued on 180g vinyl, in a gentleman called Earl Hooker, a snappy Nine months later, the Led Zeppelin chronological order. dressing slide guitar wizard who did all the version appears, uncannily like the Beck Our copy was in great shape, being behind-the-back and playing with his teeth one with the addition of some lyrics by ruler fl at and having no noticeable needle stuff at least a decade before Jimi Hendrix Robert Plant taken wholesale from Delta weave or inner-groove distortion. Even and used a double-neck guitar again a blues giant Robert Johnson’s ‘Stones In My the artwork looks crisp – quite a feat given good decade before Jimmy Page. Passway’. Beck was furious. the origins of the cover image. Sonically On the 3rd of May 1961, Earl was And just to add insult to injury, the punchy, at £14.99 this is a great buy. HFN warming up in the studio for a recording Muddy ‘Shook Me’ single was so successful, Sound Quality: 90% session, putting his band through the Chess bought three more Earl Hooker 0 ------100 paces with an impromptu slow blues. As tracks off Mel London for Muddy to he coaxed out the cool, moaning notes, overdub. One of these, ‘You Need Love’,

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 77 VINYL ICONS

BEHIND THE MUSIC WITH HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW

ELO Out Of The Blue As the pubs and small clubs on both sides of the Atlantic pounded to the sound of punk, one of the biggest selling rock acts of the mid ’70s set about booking string sections and commissioning artwork for a lavish double LP. And it all began with Peter Frampton... Words: Johnny Black

78 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 usic that was reviled by the critics in its day frequently proves to Mhave lasting merit which only reveals itself in the fullness of time. ELO’s 1977 double-album Out Of The Blue, their seventh studio opus, is a perfect example. With the lo-fi DIY punk ethic ruling the day, Sounds whined, ‘Why do ELO sell so many records?’ Similarly, Melody Maker grumbled that, ‘the experimentation between orchestra and pop music has become somewhat watered down over the years.’ So, given that the fl avour of the The moment was the frantically thrashed ì band three-minute, three-chord single, pictured what inspired ELO founder Jeff Lynne in 1973. to create a lavishly-produced, lushly- Standing orchestrated double album? (l-r): Richard Tandy, Bev AMERICA CALLS Bevan, The answer lay on the other side Jeff Lynne, of the Atlantic. ‘The boss of United Michael De Artists asked me if I would do a Albuquerque double live album, because Peter and Wilf pop classics – ‘Turn To Stone’, ‘Sweet Frampton had just had a huge hit Gibson. Talkin’ Woman’, ‘Wild West Hero’ with his Frampton Comes Alive!,’ Sitting (l-r): and ‘Mr Blue Sky’ among them – plus Lynne has explained. ‘I said, “Oh, Colin Walker prog-rock epics ‘The Whale’ and I wish you’d said studio album. I’d and Mike ‘Concerto For A Rainy Day’. have done that, but I don’t want to Edwards incredible rate. “There’s going to do a live album.” Later on he came be no problem,” he told me on the STRANGE PRACTICES back to me and said, “OK, you’re on. Epic/ phone. “I’ve started writing at last The sessions lasted three months, Studio album!” It was terrifi c that I ìLegacy and I can’t seem to stop.”’ during which Musicland’s house got the freedom to do it.’ publicity One of the fi rst to emerge was engineer Reinhold Mack found In the spring of 1977, Lynne photo of Jeff ‘Mr Blue Sky’. ‘It had been cloudy Lynne’s personality hard to rented a chalet in the village of Lynne and misty and horrible, you couldn’t comprehend. ‘Every morning, his Bassin, overlooking Lake Geneva in see where you attitude would Switzerland, giving himself a month Live in were, and then be cold – walking to write the necessary songs. ‘I was ìOslo, one day the sun ‘Engineer Mack straight past me there for two weeks and didn’t come Norway, 1978 came out and the found Lynne’s without even up with anything,’ he remembers, mist disappeared. saying hello, ‘but fi nally they started coming.’ 7in It was fantastic, personality hard whereas at night, ELO drummer Bev Bevan has ísingle of these giant after about 12 recalled how, ‘He suddenly began ‘Mr Blue Sky’, mountains to comprehend’ pints of beer, to produce song after song at an on blue vinyl appeared he’d be sitting on everywhere. So I wrote “Mr Blue my lap, kissing me goodnight.’ Sky” – very literal!’ Mack also found Lynne’s working A week later, Lynne brought the method diffi cult to get to grips other members of the band out to with. ‘He’d leave the engineering Switzerland, by which time, says completely to me and ask things Bevan, ‘He had every song for that like, “Can you get a big piano album on tape. As usual, he had sound?” After I tried my best to do done it with a piano, guitar and that, he’d then say, “OK, that’s really by humming the tune.’ good. Now can you screw it up?” By May the 22nd, 1977, “What’s the point of doing this?” I’d when they started recording at ask. “I could have screwed it up in Musicland Studios in the Arabella the fi rst place.”’ House Hotel complex in Munich, Bevan, however, asserts that Lynne had the makings of a clutch of Lynne was, in fact, very methodical.

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 79 &&&($"!( (% "   +$"!( (%  '
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PRODUCTION NOTES United Musicland Studios, birthplace of çArtists Out Of The Blue, was established in press shot of the late ’60s by disco-synth pioneer the band from Giorgio Moroder in the basement 1975, used of Arabella House, a 21-storey to promote mixed commercial development in their Face The Munich. Situated several miles from Music LP the town centre, this grim edifi ce was surrounded by bleak building sites, towering cranes and industrial wasteland. Nevertheless, it was a favourite studio of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and The Stones, to name only a few. Jeff Lynne recorded several albums there with house engineer Reinhold Mack. ‘We always build up an album in the naughty bits, the sound While working on Out Of The Blue, same way,’ he states. ‘Drums and effects, everything Mack was using Westlake monitors bass fi rst, then piano, followed by is exactly what I and the latest Harrison console, a rhythm guitar. Electronic keyboards imagined ELO to be.. boon because, ‘You could pretty would come next, fi nishing with Particularly much do anything at the push of a guitar solos.’ Only once the distinctive was the couple of buttons. It had a very clean instrumental tracks were complete track’s inclusion of recording sound. You’d go from the would Lynne write and sing lyrics. voices rendered preamp over the monitor port onto electronic via the era’s the tape machine, and that was it: a SONS OF THE BEATLES hottest new musical really short and clean signal path.’ Lynne has admitted that he has to toy, the Vocoder Part-way through the sessions, ‘chain myself to the desk when it 2000. ‘The factory Mack suggested recording the comes to writing words’ and his that had just built the prototype Poster 54-piece string section on the huge lyrics can change dramatically as a was in Stuttgart, only an hour from éfor sound stage at Munich’s Bavaria song progresses. ‘Living Thing’, on Munich,’ Lynne has explained. ‘So the original Film studio but, ‘it was a complete the previous album A New World we sent the girlfriends off to pick it LP release, disaster. I could not get the right Record, famously began life as a up. There was no manual, it was that playing on rumination on the grim after-effects new. We spent the whole day just the fact that of food poisoning. Yet despite his getting it to do something, but once it is a double idiosyncratic methods, Lynne’s we got it going it was beautiful. album fi nished lyrics on It’s still the best Out Of The Blue ‘The voices were Vocoder I’ve Lynne are generally hard heard. That was a çat to fault. rendered through treat, you always work in the The album want to innovate recording opens with the era’s hottest and get ahead studio in the ‘Turn To Stone’, with technology.’ mid ’70s sound.’ Undeterred, he crammed the a beautifully- new musical toy’ Because the strings into Musicland. ‘There was textured track song is located ‘Sweet also a 32-piece choir,’ he recalls. ‘It with a beat which prefi gures early at the end of Side 3 of the album, êTalkin’ had to perform in the lobby while techno, a quirky Moog bass played the Vocoder voice at the end sings, Woman’ went some of the orchestral musicians by Lynne, and a vocal melody in ‘Please turn me over’. to No 6 in the played their instruments lined up which each line is answered by tight Lynne has also revealed that the UK singles against the walls. The place was multi-part harmonies. It became the album’s epic 19-minute ‘Concerto chart mobbed, and in those circumstances fi rst of four major hit singles to be For A Rainy Day’ grew naturally out the sound we got on tracks like “Mr drawn from the album. of ‘Mr Blue Sky’. ‘I loved Blue Sky” was pretty good.’ The second single was the the second side of Abbey Drummer Bev Bevan has also aforementioned ‘Mr Blue Sky’, a song Road and I thought I revealed that one ELO technique so Beatlesque that it’s easy to hear wouldn’t mind trying a involved double-tracking all of his why John Lennon once hailed ELO as suite like that. Because it drum parts, playing the second the ‘Sons of the Beatles’. was a double album I had track while listening to the fi rst on Understandably, Lynne remains so much room to work headphones. ‘The concentration particularly proud of ‘Mr Blue Sky’. with. It was quite complex hurts. If I’m a split second out the ‘The song captured what my vision to make.’ whole thing has to be repeated, but of ELO was all about. All the bits The album’s third hit Mack gets a drum sound that I like, that come in and out, the backing single was ‘Sweet Talkin’ big, heavy and powerful.’ vocals, the cellos sliding, all the little Woman’ of which Lynne

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 81 Guildford t. w. Audio 01483 537 577 www.guildfordaudio.co.uk e. m. [email protected] 07979 515 577

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30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION This appeared in February 2007 with three bonus tracks, as part of the Sony/BMG Music Epic/Legacy series. A desirable, great-sounding artefact, it was a limited pressing FRONTIERS RECORDS inside a hardback book with an In 2014 Lynne received a star With over 80 different iterations and Out Of The Blue was one of the expanded 24-page full colour ìon Hollywood’s Walk of Fame of Out Of The Blue released handful of double albums accorded booklet. Sleeve notes by Lynne and globally since 1977, please this treatment [JT-EA823-L2]. ELO archivist Rob Caiger, as well as has recalled, ‘It was a song called consider this discography merely Because of the short playing rare photos and memorabilia, add “Dead End Street”. I’d done all the a representative selection of the time on each track of an 8-track to the interest. A push-out replica words and everything, fi nished it. more interesting variations. cartridge, the songs ‘The Whale’ ELO Space Station [smaller in scale And I came down the next day in and ‘Night In The City’ are divided than the 1977 original] is included the studio and I went, “I hate that. ORIGINAL LP 1977 somewhat awkwardly between and there’s a standard jewel case Let’s rub all the vocals off.” Which The fi rst issue of Out Of The Blue tracks and, as ever, the LP artwork edition with an edited full colour is exactly what Mack did. And I’d beamed down in a lavish full- cannot be replicated [JT-EA823-L2]. 12-page booklet [82796942722]. been sitting up in the hotel, which colour gatefold sleeve adorned Similar artwork restrictions A single, ‘Latitude 88 North’, is above the studio, working at inside and out with sci-fi artwork apply to the cassette was released in the form of night just trying to think of a new by acclaimed album cover [2TCK 100] but the a digital download and tune and new words, which I did. illustrator Shusei Nagaoka. It sound isn’t quite as as a 7in promo single. I tried them the next day and they depicted the exterior and interior bad as that of the Two additional worked. But it also meant changing of a fl ying saucer/mothership that 8-track release. rarities were the arrangement slightly. So a lot of always looked a bit too much like included – a home pairs of scissors were used that day.’ a frisbee – a tad too Hasbro – for FIRST CD 1986 demo version of The album swoons to a close my liking. ELO didn’t penny- The fi rst CD ‘Wild West Hero’ with the fi lmic grandeur of its pinch when putting the package version of Out with a different fourth hit single, ‘Wild West Hero’, together, because the artwork Of The Blue [CDJET bridge and ‘The Quick a tongue-in-cheek cowboy pastiche also included a cardboard cut-out 400] appears to have And The Daft’. The album on which Melvyn Gale, normally the of the spacecraft and a fold-out emanated from Holland, again reached the UK Top 20 band’s cellist, provided distinctive poster of the band. and came as a two-disc set in a album charts, peaking at No 18 piano stylings. The number JTLA 823 L2, fatbox jewel case. Within a year shown on the shuttle arriving at the set was reissued as a single BLUE VINYL 2012 ULTIMATE ALBUM the space station, is the album’s CD [JETCD400]. Sound quality was Courtesy of Music on Vinyl To an extent, Out Of The Blue’s original UK catalogue number [UK, more than decent, offering an [MOVLP383], this was another 180g runaway commercial success Jet Records, JTLA-823-L2 1198/ almost analogue-like reproduction. release but the fi rst 1000 copies became something of a millstone USA, United Artists, JT-LA-823 L2] were on transparent blue vinyl. round Lynne’s neck. Shortly after release, however, POLISH CASSETTE 1989 ‘There was no way of following copies of Out Of The Blue, deemed This hard-to-fi nd item [MT-064] was BLU-SPEC CD2 2013 that, but there were contracts to to be defective, turned up at an ‘unoffi cial’ cheaply-knocked-off The latest regurgitation of Out fulfi l, so I was forced to do things discount prices in record shops in release by the Polish company Of The Blue [SICP 30111] boasts I didn’t want to do, just because the US and Canada, affecting the Megaton, featuring only ten ‘Phase Transition Mastering, of signing bits of paper when you album’s sales. Consequently, Jet tracks – including the four singles. the technology developed for don’t know what you’re doing: “Sign sued United Artists and switched Amusingly, the label bears the mastering of Blu-ray discs, to that?” “Oh yeah, of course, thank distribution to CBS Records [KZ2 warning: ‘Unauthorised duplication further perfect the acclaimed you”. You can have 50 quid and all 35530] worldwide early in 1978. is a violation of applicable laws’. characteristics of Blu-spec CD.’ the brown ale you can drink. You The US version of the vinyl, Doncha just lurve the concept of don’t realise what you’re getting cut by Stan Ricker and said to CD REISSUE 1992 ‘to further perfect’? into. So it turned out I had to do have been half-speed mastered This release [EPC 450885 2] didn’t another 93 albums for ELO!’ from the original master tape, is sound signifi cantly better than the Whatever Lynne’s misgivings, generally considered preferable fi rst one on CD, but did boast a with four massive hit singles and to the UK release. Ricker himself, 28-page full colour booklet with some of Lynne’s most memorable allegedly, once asserted that the lyrics, credits and pictures from the production work, Out Of The Blue is whole band came to his studio to original album artwork. arguably the ultimate Electric Light deliver the master by hand. Orchestra album, even if some of its 180G VINYL 1999 more experimental material, notably TAPE VERSIONS 1977 The jury is still out on whether ambient/orchestral eco-hymn ‘The Hi-fi afi cionados at the time briefl y this 180g release on the Simply Whale’, still induces the screaming enjoyed the delights of somewhat Vinyl label [SVLP 101] was an abdabs in some critics. better audio on reel-to-reel tape improvement on the 1977 original

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 83 CLASSIC VENUES

BEHIND THE MUSIC WITH HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW Coachella Festival, Indio, CA Now spanning three consecutive weekends in April each year, this music and arts festival is as famous for hosting appearances by groups that have reunited as it is for showcasing emerging acts. Steve Sutherland has the story of the Coachella Festival

‘ ou must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh…’ Try telling Y that to Madonna. When she leaned over and snogged Drake onstage at the recent Coachella Music & Arts Festival, lingering just long enough to be captured by several thousand cameraphones, it was no impromptu surrender to passion, nor an intimate display of affection. This was Madonna, remember, a lady who’ll do – and has done – just about anything to remain in the headlines. According to the Twitterati and Instagram crowd, Drake didn’t look too thrilled at Madge’s pucker, but hey, any publicity’s good publicity, Sunset fi ve-thousand fans showed up to to return in 2001 after Tollett had right? So, job done! ì at the the event, which passed off so sold his company (but kept his role) But the Material Girl’s blatant bid festival in successfully that Tollett, a big fan to promoters AEG. And that’s when to grab the headlines is merely the 2014 and of the UK festival scene, began to the career resurrections began. latest in a long run of resurrections (inset) fans in scheme his own US version. Struggling to attract a headliner at Coachella, a festival which, front of the It was a plan which came to that would sell out the now one-day, sometimes by plan and sometimes stage in 2013 fruition over the weekend of the $65 event, Tollett convinced Perry by accident, has become famous for 9th and 10th of October 1999, Farrell to reform local alt-heroes bringing the dead back to life. A kiss when a $50 ticket gained access Jane’s Addiction, a trend of reunions êin 2015 to the beautifully manicured polo that carried on the next year with a TAKING UMBRAGE and Madonna grounds and performances by reformed Siouxsie & The Banshees The whole thing started out as the hit the news Beck, Morrissey, sharing a bill brainchild of a clever and passionate Rage Against The with Björk, Oasis, gentleman called Paul Tollett who’d Machine, Tool, Perry ‘Peter Murphy Prodigy, Foo been tasked with helping Pearl Farrell, Underworld, hung bat-like, Fighters, Queens Jam arrange a tour of the USA that Spiritualized, Of The Stone Age would bypass any Ticketmaster Pavement his hair bleached and fl avour of the involvement. This was back in and Moby. month, The Vines. 1993 when the band were at their Unfortunately, the pure white’ The event was grungey peak and took umbrage good vibes were held in April, a at what they considered the hampered somewhat by a camping slot which it still occupies to this ticketing company’s high, and ban (which was enforced until day, specifi cally to avoid the 100+ sometimes hidden, service 2002) brought about by authority degree dry heat that hangs over charges. fears that there could be a repeat Indio through the Summer and Fall. Tollett found the Empire of the ugly Polo Club in Indio, a small riots which ANOTHER COUP ex-South Pacifi c Railroad had marred The next year, 2003, saw the return town in Riverside County, the revived of the two-dayer and boasted The California, some 127 Woodstock festival just Beastie Boys as headliners. They’d miles and two hours three months earlier. been out of action since 1998’s East inland from Only 37k attended across the Hello Nasty album and their signing Los Angeles, a lush weekend (expected capacity was up for a comeback was another man-made oasis in 70k), Tollett’s company Goldenvoice Coachella coup. Sharing this bill the harsh Sonoran took a bath to the tune of $80k and were Blur, The Libertines and

PHOTOPROJECT.EU / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM PHOTOPROJECT.EU Desert. Twenty- the Festival took a year off in 2000, Pharrell Williams’ NERD, while Iggy

84 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 Pop reunited with The Stooges on Original day two to maintain the theme of ëposters the festival providing nuggets no for the 2001 other rival event could deliver. Also and 2003 on this excellent bill were Red Hot events. The THOMAS HAWK Chili Peppers, The White Stripes, latter was Sonic Youth and Primal Scream. the fi rst year that on-site HOLLYWOOD TYPES camping was The following year’s main attraction provided – despite the headliners being Radiohead – was the fi rst festival Pharrel appearance in 11 years of the ì Williams Peter Murphy, as I recall, hanging reformed original line-up of The on stage at bat-like upside-down from the Pixies, who played a stunning set the 2014 rafters of the main stage, his hair to a massive crowd who were also Coachella. bleached pure white. Coldplay treated to sets by The Cure, Flaming The rapper headlined while Trent Reznor’s Lips and Kraftwerk. and record Nine Inch Nails also returned By now the festival, with its producer also to the fray after six years out of The other big revitalisation beautiful site, wonderful weather, appeared in action, headlining the second day was Rage Against The Machine. weird sculptures and air-conditioned 2003 with over New Order. The band had split back in 2000 tents, which went by such names NERD A year on found Depeche Mode over some policy issues but chose as Gobi and Sahara, was attracting headlining over Franz Ferdinand, Coachella as the kick-off point for a its fair share of fashionistas and Jesus with Tool, Massive Attack and Yeah reunion to protest against the Bush cool Hollywood types. In fact, if I ì and Yeah Yeahs also on the bill. But the administration. Also on the bill were hadn’t started this article quoting Mary Chain’s big story was Daft Punk, who were Arcade Fire, Kings Of Leon, The ‘As Time Goes By’, it was going to William Reid playing the States for the fi rst time Good, The Bad & The Queen, LCD read: ‘So Danny DeVito and I are at Coachella in nine years and performed in their Soundsystem, the Black Keys and sitting around on a sofa backstage in 2007 famous robot suits inside a pyramid 13th Floor Elevators’ psychedelic discussing the Polyphonic Spree to an ecstatic reception. legend Roky Erickson who turned when Juliette Lewis and Winona French Indeed, such is their affi nity out to be nowhere near as crazy as Ryder walk right over…’ But that êelectro with the Coachella audience that rumoured. The festival stretched would have been showing off. music duo when they chose to preview their across three days, a sure sign that, Back from the dead in 2005 were Daft Punk in 2013 masterpiece Random Access eight years in, it was making good goth shockers Bauhaus with singer robot suits Memories with a video teaser of the money and here to stay. Pharrell/ Nile Rogers collaboration ‘Get Lucky’ at the 2013 Festival, PIGS WILL FLY it was greeted with mass hysteria The Verve were arisen in 2008. and reported as the highlight of the They’d jacked it in in 1999 after the whole weekend. rest of the band couldn’t deal with The 2007 reanimations came in singer Richard Ashcroft anymore the form of The Jesus & Mary Chain, but time healed the wounds, who’d recently gotten back together albeit temporarily, and they played despite the glowering sibling rivalry Coachella, released ‘Love Is Noise’ between Jim and William Reid. The and then fell out again. At the time highlight of their set was a pure of writing, they are still ‘on holiday’. Coachella moment, A-list actress Others on the comeback trail Scarlett Johansson joining them in ’08 were Kim Deal’s Pixies side onstage for a lovely rendition of the project The Breeders, Prince, who song ‘Just Like Honey’. headlined with a greatest hits set,

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 85

CLASSIC VENUES

a nine-year rest and some UK festival warm-ups. Twenty-thirteen found The Stone Roses reformed and headlining the fi rst weekend and then swapping with Blur for the second. In 2008 Meanwhile, indietypes salivated over é Prince the reformed Postal Service, playing took to the live for the fi rst time since they stage. The packed up in 2005. festival was and Roger Waters, who released who returned after 16 years (and a said to have the famous Pink Floyd fl ying pig and brief UK tour) to perform on a bill THE REAL BIG THRILL grossed $13.8 performed the whole of The Dark alongside Kings Of Leon, Arcade Fire, Outkast were the comeback kings million Side Of The Moon. Kanye West and The Strokes. the next year, celebrating their 20th Twelve months later, the big Twelve months later, though, anniversary with their fi rst show Dr attraction in indie circles was the and Coachella delivered the daddy in seven years, a gig that kicked ëDre at reformed My Bloody Valentine who of all resurrections when, during an off a summer of some 39 other Coachella were coaxed back extremely rare festival appearances. Also back from in 2012. His by Tollett, who is a Dr Dre headline oblivion were The Replacements, set saw him big fan, after over ‘Assassinated set that also who’d knocked it on the head in ’91. share the a decade in the in 1996, Tupac starred 50 Cent And so to 2015 and that Madge stage with a wilderness. Paul and Snoop Dogg, smacker. She may have grabbed hologram of McCartney was one appeared in Tupac Shakur rose the headlines, but the real big the deceased of the headliners, from the grave. thrill was the live return after rapper, Tupac The Cure had the hologram form’ Assassinated in fi ve years’ absence of AC/DC who power cut on them Las Vegas in 1996, played a resplendent set despite Kanye after breaking the curfew, and M.I.A. Tupac was brought back to life in the sad absence of guitarist and ë West on replaced the ailing Amy Winehouse. hologram form to perform freakily founder member Malcolm Young, stage at the realistic versions of ‘Hail Mary’ and, hospitalised with dementia. event in 2011 SCHMALTZY COVER in a duet with Snoop, ‘2 Of Amerikaz So that’s Coachella’s MO – Again for the indiekids, the talking Most Wanted’. bringing ’em back. If that Morrissey/ The point in 2010 was the re-formation Pulp were also making their Marr Smiths thing ever does happen, ê Postal of Stephen Malkmus’ Pavement, American comeback on this bill after chances are it will happen here. Service who’d last played Coachella 11 years (below) before, and the Second Coming and The of Faith No More who played their Replacements fi rst US gig since returning from a (left) both decade-long hiatus with a round of re-formed UK shows in the summer of 2009, for the 2013 opening their set with a schmaltzy festival cover of the Peaches & Herb MOR classic ‘Reunited’. Jay-Z headlined, joined on an encore of ‘Young Forever’ by Beyonce. Muse, Gorillaz, The Dead Weather and Them Crooked Vultures also put in a shift. A year on and the Festival was uncharacteristically bereft of reunions. Tollett had failed to coax The Cocteau Twins back together so the only real revival was that of

Mick Jones’ Big Audio Dynamite THOMAS HAWK

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ALBUM REVIEWS: VINYL

NINA SIMONE Folksy Nina Pure Pleasure PPAN SCP 465 (180g vinyl) Yeah, I had to laugh at the title, because – overall – folksy she ain’t. But this unusual release from 1964 fi nds the versatile, enigmatic jazz chanteuse moving with the times, the USA then on the tail-end of a frenzy of folk music (being squeezed by British pop bands). Simone, to be fair, was always eclectic, and never strayed too far from blues or gospel infl uences. Recorded in Carnegie Hall in May ’63, it features her with a drum/bass/ two guitar backing and her own exquisite piano playing, covering folks tunes from the USA, Great Britain, Israel and other cultures, delivered in her own, inimitable style. But – in the context of this magazine – sound quality is paramount, and trust me: it’s sublime. KK Sound Quality: 91% 0 ------100

THE ANIMALS ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS FAIRPORT CONVENTION We’re Gonna Howl Tonight Blood & Chocolate Myths And Heroes R&B Records R&B2 (180g vinyl) Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-433 (180g vinyl) Matty Grooves MGLP053 (180g vinyl) Limited to 2000 copies worldwide, this Back with the estimable Nick Lowe as With a sleeve parodying 1970’s Full House, ‘Record Store Day’ mono set contrasts producer – in my opinion, probably the Fairports’ fi rst in four years – and their vividly with the later, hippie-period LPs his fi nest collaborator – and with The fi rst on vinyl since the ’80s – lacks four of reviewed here in May/June: it’s all blues, Attractions behind him, Costello enjoyed a the CD tracks, but sandal-wearing, granola- R&B and hard rock. The 13 tracks come return to post-punkish form in 1986. Not crunching fans will probably buy both. The from live sessions broadcast in 1964, the only was he re-discovering synergy with 2015 line-up of founder member Simon Newcastle band soaked in R&B, blues and his old band, he managed (and this was Nicol and long-termer Dave Pegg, with early rock ’n’ roll, with standards from the something like his 11th studio album) to post-1985 veterans Chris Leslie, Gerry likes of Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker and sound like the angry, if resolutely obnoxious Conway and Ric Sanders, employs an Chuck Berry. Among them are songs which young man that fi rst brought him to the if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fi x-it stance. There’s would become signature tunes, including world’s attention a decade earlier. There the usual mix of British folk of a fi nger-in- ‘Boom Boom’ from their debut LP that year are few stand-out moments here, and the the-ear/medieval vibe, light rock and roots and their biggest hit, the best-ever take sound is less than pristine (not, I hasten music, with self-composed and guest-writer of ‘House Of The Rising Sun’. The rating is to add, MoFi’s fault), but then this is not a tracks, including a new Ralph McTell song, about sound quality and doesn’t refl ect happy, touchy-feely set. Mid-level Costello – ‘Clear Water’. Still sounds to me like an how, musically, this is a ‘90’. KK not a throwaway, but neither a classic. KK English version of The Grateful Dead. Sound Quality: 85% Sound Quality: 80% Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

90 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 AUDIOPHILE: DIGITAL COMPACT DISC SUPERAUDIO DVD BLU-RAY VINYL DOWNLOAD

THE BEACH BOYS HAWKWIND TED NUGENT Surfi n’ Safari This Is Your Captain Speaking – Your Captain Is Dead: Ted Nugent Analogue Productions CAPP058SA (mono SACD) The Albums and Singles 1970-1974 Analogue Productions CAPP33692 SA (SACD) Let’s get this one out of the way: the fi rst in Parlophone 1729790825646 (11 discs) Everyone’s favourite bow-and-arrow- Chad Kassem’s series of Beach Boys reissues Do you know what it’s like listening to wielding headbanger went solo with this is their so-so debut, running to just under a eleven Hawkwind CDs in one sitting as a eponymous, double-platinum-selling release half-hour. Value-for-money does not enter non-drug user? I’m now a gibbering wreck, in ’75. Those who followed Nugent from into it: you will buy this if you’re a Beach OD’ing on acid rock excess. This is ‘the his days in the Amboy Dukes knew what to Boys completist. And, yes, it sounds pretty United Artists’ era, the seminal early period expect, because that band – though borne fi ne, retaining much of the sound of the when Lemmy joined, ‘Silver Machine’ was of psychedelia – rocked in the true manner vinyl, with plenty of detail. The harmonies issued and they delivered the collectible of its Detroit roots. This set showcased were just starting to take shape and Brian live Greasy Truckers Party. Over the span of Nugent’s fi ery, ferocious guitar work to Wilson co-authored nine of the dozen tracks seven albums (including three doubles) – excess, its opener, ‘Stranglehold’, featuring – impressive for a debut. But that aside, it’s the eighth in the box collects the 45s – a lengthy solo rated as the 31st greatest banal surf music and even Capitol didn’t they laid the foundations for space rock, lead break of all time by a leading guitar reissue it in the 2012 digipac remasterings. worked with Michael Moorcock and had publication. This is no-nonsense hard rock, The best was yet to come… as you’ll see nude women on stage. This is defi nitive the SACD’s clarity making the screaming next month. (This will also be issued on English psychedelic/prog/whatever… and it highs all the more intense. Nice to see that 180g vinyl.) KK gave us Motörhead. KK metal fans aren’t being neglected. KK Sound Quality: 80% Sound Quality: 89% Sound Quality: 89% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

GRATEFUL DEAD Workingman’s Dead Mobile Fidelity UDSACD2137 (SACD) Defi nitely the album that broadened the Dead’s appeal beyond the hippie/druggie crowd, this 1970 release eschewed the turgid psychedelic excess of the previous studio album, Aoxomoxoa, but expanded on its acoustic component. The resultant set is a gorgeous progenitor of alt.country and roots music, as important as any of the earlier country rock milestones. Indeed, one might rate it alongside The Band’s eponymous second album. The guitar work is sublime, the songs memorable: ‘Uncle John’s Band’, ‘Casey Jones’, etc – a perfect example of the down-home vibe that signifi ed the times. And I write this as the only American long-hair of that era who detested the Dead with a passion. KK Sound Quality: 92% 0 ------100

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 91 ALBUM REVIEWS

HI-RES DOWNLOADS

TROYKA Ornithopobia (44.1kHz/24-bit; WAV/FLAC/ALAC) www.naimlabel.com; Naim CD210 So what’s with the Hitchcockian title? Well, London-based trio Troyka tells us the title of its new album comes from guitarist Chris Montague’s fear of birds – this ‘escalated into an album set in a fi ctionalised London: a post-apocalyptic dystopian nightmare in which people have contracted a form of avian fl u that is slowly turning them into MARIALY PACHECO human-size birds’. Hmm… so the concept is Introducing (96kHz/24-bit; FLAC) high, but fortunately so are the playing and www.highresaudio.com; Neuklang NCD4091 It’s a tight little trio, able to kick production values: the sound is dense and We’ve only just been introduced, and back on tracks such as ‘Cambodian convoluted, but retains good impact and already 32-year-old Cuban-born Ms Smiles’ or motor through ‘En El clarity, while the ever-changing rhythms Pacheco is sitting at her piano in just Camino’, while the album centres and clear musicianship lift this set above her drawers – what is one to think? around the pianist’s three-part being yet another teenage rough-book Actually, Marialy Pacheco already ‘Cuban Suite’, exploring the country’s jotting – always a danger when jazzers get has six previous releases under her dance styles. And the ‘klang’ here is an idea for a ‘concept’. Producer Petter belt (not that she’s wearing one), certainly impressive: yes, the piano is Eidh holds it all together well, despite the and is an acclaimed classical and jazz rather spotlit, but the bass and drums complexity, and this is an album with demo- pianist. This is simply her fi rst album are resolved well, and this is a very quality sound that you might actually want for the Neuklang label, and fi nds attractive-sounding set. AE to listen to a second time. AE Pacheco going back to her Havana roots, accompanied by Colombian Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 90% bassist and drummer Juan Camillo 0 ------100 0 ------100 Villa and Miguel Altamar.

OUR PROMISE LAB REPORT LAB REPORT

Following our Investigation feature [HFN, Jun ’11] where we examined the claimed quality of high-resolution downloads, Hi-Fi News & Record Review is now measuring the true sample rate and bit-depth of the HD music downloads reviewed on these pages. These unique reviews will be a regular source of information for those seeking new and re-mastered recordings offered at high sample rates The bandwidth of the piano is necessarily Densely recorded in parts with plenty and with the promise of delivering limited to ~12kHz but percussion makes of percussive energy right up to the end better use of this 96kHz fi le’s 40kHz+ stops of this (necessarily band-limited) the very best sound quality. (Note: span. The artefacts at ~30kHz/41kHz 44.1kHz fi le, it’s clear that a substantive asterisk in headings denotes technical [see Graph] are from the piano feed and chunk of ultrasonic content – real or reservation explained below.) PM absent from the vocal intro on trk 7. PM distortion – has been lopped off! PM

92 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 COMPACT DISC SUPERAUDIO DVD BLU-RAY VINYL DOWNLOAD

CAROLL VANWELDEN BARBER/BRITTEN DE PROFUNDIS Shakespeare Sonnets 2 (96kHz/24-bit; FLAC) Piano Concertos, etc; Elizabeth Joy Roe/LSO/ Russian National Orchestra/Moscow Synodal Choir, www.highresaudio.com; Jazznart Records JNA7014 Emil Tabakov (96kHz/24-bit; FLAC)* et al/Hilarion Alfeyev (96kHz/24-bit; FLAC) Belgian singer/songwriter Caroll Vanwelden www.highresaudio.com; Decca 478 8189 www.highresaudio.com; Pentatone PTC 5186486 takes another stab at the Bard’s back- Elizabeth Roe is a young Chicago pianist You can of course sample tracks at HRA and catalogue with this collection – the follow- with already an impressive CV. Well worth read the booklet PDF (texts dangerously up to her fi rst disc of sonnets, released a hearing, she’s also half of a piano duet close to ‘Pseuds’ Corner’ territory) before couple of years back. Ms Vanwelden has a (see http://www.andersonroe.com/ thinking of buying, which is probably just decent set of pipes, which are unleashed videos/a-kiss.html). Here, she rounds out as well for the compositions of this Russian full-blast on tracks such as her take on her programme with two solo ‘night pieces’ Orthodox Bishop (Metropolitan), born in Sonnet 124: ‘If My Dear Love’. She is well – Barber’s Nocturne ‘Homage To John Field’ 1966. There’s a Concerto grosso and a recorded, as is her backing trio of Thomas and Britten’s Notturno written (1963) as a fugue on B-A-C-H – ‘the sense of the infi nite Siffl ing (brass), Mini Schulz (bass) and test piece for the very fi rst Leeds Pianoforte contained in these four notes continues to Rodrigo Villalon (drums), even if the overall Competition. Both main works exist in excite’, we are told – but the rest is vocal: sound is perhaps a bit ‘in yer face’ and defi nitive recordings: John Browning’s (for an ultra-conservative Stabat mater, which relentless in some instances. However, her whom the Barber was written) with Szell/ I admit I quite enjoyed, Songs of Death vocal style is somewhat mannered, at times Cleveland on Sony; and Richter’s with (after Lorca) and De Profundis, a 24m Psalm sounding almost like a parody of female Britten/ECO on Decca. The Barber Nocturne settings piece. The Concerto grosso is pure jazz singers, and the incongruity of this and restores calm after the motoric drive of Baroque-pastiche, the fugue like an old the words being sung, plus a sense that his concerto fi nale – the work far more Stokowski Bach transcription. While nothing there’s often a disconnect between the spaciously conceived than the Sony (6m will frighten the horses, it’s depressing to subject-matter of the sonnet and the music longer). The Cadogan Hall recordings are fi nd this sort of sub-Pärt ‘me too’ music, we hear, makes this set something of an reminiscent of Decca’s best analogue work copying its ‘sawing’ motifs and liberal use of acquired taste. AE with piano/orchestra. CB tolling bells, being written today. CB Sound Quality: 80% Sound Quality: 85% Sound Quality: 65% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

LAB REPORT LAB REPORT LAB REPORT

While this is a genuine 96kHz recording Recorded and mastered by Sempre la Recorded by (Dutch) Polyhymnia I’m given to wonder whether much of Musica, the download on offer here while International B.V. at the DZZ Studio 5 the energy from 20-40kHz comprises lighting the 96kHz LED on your USB DAC in Moscow, the engineer’s penchant brassy harmonics or simply ultrasonic is clearly an upsample of a 48kHz digital for SACD and DSD is illustrated by this distortion from the cymbal mic(s) or fi le. A clean recording but with the Pentatone download which is evidently compressors further downstream. PM orchestra’s harmonic reach cut short. PM an asymmetrical 96kHz downsample. PM

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 93 by “Compared to many high-end cables whose bulk and rigidity (or fragility) seem contrived to make their installation as arduous as possible, Black Rhodium’s Duet DCT++ CS is a positive joy to hook up. But while the cable is unusually ‘bendable’ its sound has real spine – its bass powerful and robust while the treble is smooth rather than incisive or biting. Certainly one for the shortlist, the Duet’s warm quality is suited to sharp-sounding systems.” Paul Miller, Hi-Fi News, March 2015


 


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ROCK COMPACT DISC SUPERAUDIO DVD BLU-RAY VINYL DOWNLOAD

CORNELIA Balun Camp Mozart Big Bang-type techno-geeks out there may already know that a balun is an electrical device which ‘converts between a balanced signal and an unbalanced signal’. I had to look it up and I still don’t quite understand. What I do understand is that this is a stunningly lovely hi-tech electronic pop album by Swedish singer- songwriter and innovator Cornelia Dahlgren. Not only does Dahlgren possess a gorgeous voice, but she writes songs infused with Bjork- like imagination and records them via her laptop, anywhere from kitchens to church halls. She won’t immediately have any international EDM smash hits, but she will stretch your mind. Balun is also available as a ‘limited edition audio poster’. This may just be the future. JBk Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

NAI HARVEST BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE THOUSAND Hairball Power In The Blood Thousand Topshelf Records TSR129 True North Records TND603 Talitres Records TAL083CD (LP: TAL083LP) This Sheffi eld-based ‘fuzz punk’ duo drags Much as I loved Buffy Sainte-Marie back Opening cut ‘The Flying Pyramid’ starts out the spirit of mid-’70s New York CBGB’s-style in the days when she wrote ‘Universal like a folksy-version of Lou Reed and then rock kicking and screaming into the present Soldier’, ‘Cod’ine’, ‘Until It’s Time For You un-expectedly transforms into African- day with a reckless abandon that must To Go’, and other folk-rock protest classics, infl ected pop à la Vampire Weekend. It’s be heard to be believed. Their simplistic, I had no serious expectations from this, followed by ‘The Kill’, a potent melange of distorted, hi-speed guitar riffs are overlaid her 20th album. It’s good to have your chilled pop-rock and disco whoops, and with electronic howls and effects pedals expectations over-turned now and again, so the spooky ‘To Dance In A Circle Of Fire’, set to 11, making the two-piece sound like I’m delighted to report that Buffy took me making it clear that Stephane Milochevitch, an axe army. What really makes it work, entirely by surprise with a dozen songs that aka Thousand, is an imaginative newcomer though, is that guitarist Ben Thompson ingeniously combine her folk roots with on the international landscape. Essentially, and drummer Lew Currie write melodically- techno beats and rhythms bringing a new he’s a folksy singer-songwriter, but his rich, emotionally resonant songs that soar validity and vitality to her Native-American- easy familiarity with a range of eclectic up through the sonic murk to implant inspired craft. Now 74, she also sounds instruments and exotic percussion sets him themselves in your head for the rest of the genuinely angry, as befi ts any politically- apart from most musicians in that currently day after one listen. Why can’t all noisy inclined songsmith, on cuts like ‘Not The over-subscribed category. Ed Sheeran he head-banging rock music be like this? JBk Lovin’ Kind’ and ‘The Uranium War’. JBk ain’t, but that’s no bad thing. JBk Sound Quality: 88% Sound Quality: 91% Sound Quality: 93% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

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JAZZ COMPACT DISC SUPERAUDIO DVD BLU-RAY VINYL DOWNLOAD

REZ ABBASI ACOUSTIC QUARTET THE BEN COX BAND SARAH VAUGHAN Intents And Purposes This Waiting Game Original Album Series Enja ENJ-9621 2 Cinnamon Records CINNCD1 Warner1 Jazz 0825646179787 [5 CD box set] Back in 2010, putting aside his electric Though he’d also learned piano, Ben Cox This budget box puts together fi ve of the guitar, Abbasi teamed up with New York cut his performing teeth as trumpeter dozen or so albums Vaughan recorded for vibes player Bill Ware, bassist Stephan and vocalist with the Essex Youth Jazz Roulette between 1960 and 1964. You Crump and drummer Eric McPherson to Orchestra, then went on study at the get Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan plus the create this unusual acoustic group. RAAQ’s Guildhall. Singing live in London, his more adventurous big-band treatments of fi rst album Natural Selection refl ected the distinctive vocal timbre caught the ear Quincy Jones on You’re Mine You, but you Karachi-born guitarist’s eastern heritage of Ian Shaw, who became Cox’s mentor might prefer the small group settings of The as well as the jazz he’d grown up with in and the fi nally the producer of this much- Divine One, with long-time Vaughan pianist the US. This time, he’s focused on tunes vaunted album. Most of the songs are Jimmy Jones and trumpeter Harry Edison. from the ’70s fusion era, digging out their by Cox and his co-writer, pianist Jamie There are gorgeous moments too with acoustic potential from the old electric Safi ruddin, while the covers range from guitarist Mundell Lowe and bassist George shell. So his ‘Black Market’ is bright, light, ‘And I Love Her’ to ‘A Nightingale Sang In Duvivier on the intimate After Hours, and upbeat, more engagingly melodic Berkeley Square’ (with Claire Martin). There though it doesn’t include the song of that than Zawinul’s dark original, while his takes are also guest spots for Kirk McElhinney and name which Vaughan made memorable on songs by Corea, Hancock, McLaughlin, Emily Dankworth, rounding off a pop-jazz years earlier. And you can hear her soaring Coryell, et al, are equally appealing. SH package that marks an impressive debut. SH incomparably over strings on Dreamy. SH Sound Quality: 85% Sound Quality: 85% Sound Quality: 80% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

JOEY ALEXANDER My Favorite Things Motéma 233988. At six, at home in Bali, Joey Alexander was picking out tunes from his father’s jazz record collection. At nine, he was invited by UNESCO to play solo piano for visiting celebrity Herbie Hancock. A year later, in 2013, he won the international improvisation contest in Odessa. By 2014, he’d reached New York, where he made this debut recording with name players including bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. So, here we have an album of jazz standards, interpreted with unerring harmonic sense and a pleasing combination of fresh melodic ideas and traditional values, put over not just with ample technique, but also with mature musicality. And all this from a pianist who is just 11 years old. Astonishing. SH Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 97 ALBUM REVIEWS

CLASSICAL COMPACT DISC SUPERAUDIO DVD BLU-RAY VINYL DOWNLOAD

BRAHMS/WEINER Clarinet Quintet; Two Waltzes, etc/Two Movements Otto Andreas Ottensamer, et al DG/Mercury 481 1409 In the wake of a fi ne BIS recording of the Clarinet Quintet with Martin Fröst, this new DG also fi nds the clarinettist in company with some ‘star’ string players: Leonidas Kavakos, Antoine Tamestit (vln/vla), et al. The expressive warmth makes a very different impression from old versions like the classically constrained Berliners on Philips or even the Vienna Octet on Decca. The theme here is Brahms’s ‘Hungarian connection’ (Ottensamer himself is half- Hungarian). So we move via two Waltzes and Hungarian Dances – cimbalom joining in – and short pieces by Budapest teacher-composer Leo Weiner to a lively ‘pot pourri’ of traditional music, accordion now added to the group. CB Sound Quality: 85% 0 ------100

BEETHOVEN CHOPIN SIBELIUS/WAGNER Piano Trios Op.1:1 and Op.96; Allegretto, Hess 48 Piano works Vol.4 (Waltzes; Nocturnes) Symphony 2 in D/Tannhäuser Overture Gould Piano Trio Louis Lortie Boston Symphony Orchestra/Andris Nelsons Somm SOMMCD 0144 Chandos CHAN 10852 (downloads up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution) Boston Classics BSO1401 (downloads up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution) Ending their Beethoven cycle (recorded live Lortie likes his Chopin programmes to With a high-res option at $10.99 at the at St George’s, Bristol – applause included) make a pleasing sequence, rather than Boston orchestra’s website, this is the fi rst the Gould Trio sets an attractive little a numerical one in a specifi c genre. So coupling to appear under Andris Nelsons’ Allegretto from 1792 between the early towards the end of the 21 Waltzes grouped name: live recordings from Sept/Nov ’14. E-fl at and the fi nal ‘Archduke’ – where direct here he intersperses four Nocturnes. He’s An odd pairing, but the Wagner (from his competition comes from Cropper/Welsh/ playing on a pair of Fazioli F278 grands inaugural concert as Music Director) is the Roscoe on a Sonimage CD. Their readings at Potton Hall (only in Vol.2 do we have a piece which sparked the idea – when he are not without a few minor mannerisms Steinway); the recordings were made in was fi ve – of becoming a conductor. It’s whereas the Gould Trio creates an entirely 2011, ’13 and ’14. There’s a wonderful great to hear the Boston Orchesra again, clean, fresh effect here, with complete elegance to Lortie’s Chopin. Try the E-fl at, conjuring up qualities we heard in its unanimity in phrasing. Recorded with good Op. Posth B21, or the way in which the Munch, or early Ozawa periods. No minute spread and ambience, this is perhaps the quick phrases are spun in Op.64:1 (‘Minute’) detail escapes Nelsons in the Sibelius, in this best modern-instrument ‘Archduke’ to be – never rushed – then contrasting with the spacious account (but will those daringly had today. (Faust/Melnikov/Queyras for inward-looking C-sharp minor Nocturne that extended pauses bear repetition?). Telling fortepiano, etc – on Harmonia Mundi.) CB follows. A lovely recital. CB spatial separation in the symphony. CB Sound Quality: 80% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 80% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

98 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 PODSPEAKERS HAVE LANDED

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AT OXFORD AUDIO B The NEW Chameleon collection from Sonus faber brings colourful design, sound quality & traditional craftsmanship to modestly priced speakers. Hand made in Italy, the entire cabinet is covered in leather and offers a level of customization previously unattainable at the price.

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ˆSaturday 20 June 2015 ˆWednesday 15 July 2015 Monthly Vinyl Music ž11-4pm ž12-7pm Club, Monday's at 6.30pm OME OMC ˆ oxford music event Turntable & Phonostage Devialet Day. Experts will be oxford music club Next dates: Day with experts from all on-hand throughout the event 1 June 2015 3 Manufacturers. Hear to answer any questions. 6 July 2015 models from Michell, 10 August 2015 Pro-Ject & Rega. OPINION Paul Miller Editor Technician and writer on all things audio for some 30 years, Paul Miller took over the editor’s chair in 2006. He invented the QC Suite, used across the audio industry Lightspeed USB By breaking circulating RF earth currents, optical digital interconnects lay a potential sound- enhancing trump card over electrical coax, says Paul Miller – a concept now extended to USB

utboard DACs are now more RIGHT: The fi rst fi rmly embedded in the hi-fi ‘conductor-free’ USB mainstream than at any interconnect from Otime in the past – including Corning Optical the early ’90s heydays of the two-box Communications CD player. The difference is we’re now extends the reach connecting to our DACs via network of 5Gbps USB-to-USB or USB rather than the S/PDIF standard ‘cable’ to 50m of the past (though new DACs still accommodate this legacy interconnect). And, just as the two-box disc spinner helped spawn an entire industry of audiophile S/PDIF cables, today’s DACs are indulged by an equally diverse range of ‘audio specifi c’ USB cables. (75ohm for S/PDIF, 90ohm for USB and interconnects are limited in length to 110ohm for AES/EBU). But while the around 5m. Audio data rates, even for CORNING’S CONNECTION optical link offers the great advantage of DXD or DSD128, are a mere splash in this We’ve tested a large number of these breaking any circulating RF earth currents surging white water of data, but that USB cables [see HFN Jul ’13 & Jul ’14] between source and DAC, the 1mm-thick doesn’t mean we audiophiles cannot and while they employ different metal PMMA plastic Toslink fi bre together with take advantage of new technologies. conductors and supportive dielectrics, the limited pulse response of the opto- Utilising Corning’s ‘ClearCurve VSDN’ there’s a limit to how far their design transmitter/receiver restricts both its optical fi bre these new USB cables are and construction may evolve without bandwidth (the risetime of digital edges) up to ‘50% thinner and 80% lighter than moving outside of and the practical length comparable copper cables’. They also the (very strict) USB of the fi bre. boast a ‘zero-bend’ radius and ability to specifi cation. Until ‘Optical USB may Five metres is about withstand ‘more bending, squeezing, now, that is, with the maximum thanks to and tangling without damage or loss of launch of the fi rst be the dream signal degradation function’, while operating over extended optical USB 2.0 and along its length and 50m lengths. USB 3.0 cables from US interconnect for insertion losses between communications giant audiophiles’ the cable and the MUSICAL MUSINGS Corning Incorporated. opto-coupler (Toslink) These optical links may turn out to be We’ve had optical sockets. The longer the the dream interconnect for custom cables before, of course, but the Toslink optical fi bre, the higher the likelihood of installers and those of us who’d rather interconnects used between transports digital jitter. This is the trade-off between push music fi les from PC to DAC via USB and DACs are necessarily limited in their electrical and optical audio connections than over a network. The real benefi t scope. Compared with coaxial S/PDIF and the reason behind many of the specifi c here is we’re no longer tied by proximity interconnects, optical digital links do not differences in their sound quality. to the DAC or by bulky cables. suffer from electrical interference or the I’m straining at the gate to test a 10m need to match termination impedance OPTICAL USB set and report back next month because, All of which brings me on to the exciting for all their technical advantages, we prospect of optical USB interconnects have no idea what impact these optical where the electrical-to-optical data USB interconnects will have over sound conversion (and vice-versa) is embedded quality. Presently available in 10, 15, 30 into the plugs themselves. Ironically, or 50m lengths, they are terminated in the very high data rates associated with A-type connectors only, so we’ll need ABOVE: Inside both USB connectors an USB 2.0, 5Gbps USB 3.0 and the new A-to-B adapters at the DAC end. Price is electrical-to-optical converter is linked to a ‘SuperSpeed’ 10Gbps USB 3.1 standards just €109/10m. An audiophile bargain? pair of high speed photodiodes means even the hardwired electrical USB Let’s wait and see...

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 103 CS-300X(S) | integrated amplifier by Leben The EL84 based CS-300X(S) is for music lovers who value simplicity, nuance and tonal correctness. Weighing in at 10.5kg, the CS-300X(S) is all about luxury from its beautiful 24K gold- plated knobs to its sumptuous real-wood side panels. There's a complete absence of anything remotely mechanical or electronic about this beguiling integrated amplifier. Partner the Leben CS-300X(S) with speakers of the same quality and you have the ingredients for something very special indeed.

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JAZZ | pre-amplifier by Nagra The JAZZ uses three high-grade vacuum tubes and Nagra-made transformers to provide a irreproachable sonic clarity. The JAZZ is a Pure Class A vacuum tube preamplifier, with a totally redesigned circuit concept when compared to the concepts of the world-renowned PL-P and PL-L. It pushes the barriers of deep, natural, highly defined sound to the limits. It boasts a fine tune balance control allowing minute differences in the stereo image to be delicately adjusted. Built-in a jewel-like machined anodized aluminum case, the JAZZ is a wonderful achievement.

Retail 0% Finance: 20% deposit, then £8,750.00 £233.33 x 30 months*

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World Class | Audio Systems

t | 01202 911 886 bournemouth store t | 01592 744 779 glenrothes store w | www.jordanacoustics.co.uk OPINION PaulBarry Miller Fox EditorTechnology journalist BarryTechnician Fox trained and writer in electronics on all things with audio the RAF for overand worked25 years, as Paula patent Miller agent, took overbut he gavethe editor’s that up chair to enter in 2006. journalism. He invented He is onethe QCof the Suite, world’s used top across technology the audio writers industry Blumlein remembered In April, a plaque was unveiled at Abbey Road Studios in honour of engineer Alan Blumlein, the inventor of stereo sound. Barry Fox was there and returned with some fascinating audio tidbits

can’t help wondering whether the RIGHT: Several long overdue honouring of Alan generations of the Turing’s work at Bletchley Park Blumlein family, I on cracking the Enigma codes, IEEE offi cials and helped achieve the equally overdue industry stalwarts unveiling of a plaque to honour Alan gathered at Abbey Dower Blumlein’s seminal work at EMI Road Studios in on stereo, telecoms, eg, long-tailed pair London to see the circuit design, electronic TV and radar. plaque unveiled Although there was nothing secret about Blumlein’s work on stereo discs, fi lm and TV, he died aged 38 in a UK aircraft accident while testing the H2S radar system in 1942. This had to be hushed up at the time.

CRUMBLING TO DUST After the war, son Simon Blumlein only know of their safe existence because groove LP stereo in 1958, it was agreed for a tapestry enthusiast the original 1930s ribbon and moving- described as the brainchild of American called Francis Thomson to hold the coil microphones and disc-cutting heads company Westrex. This prompted British family archive with a view to writing were on show at a full-day celebration of technical journalist Percy Wilson to write a biography. The biography never Blumlein’s work, held recently at Abbey a series of blistering editorials, which set appeared, and anyone asking Thomson Road studios when the IEEE (Institute the record straight. when it might be expected received of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) obfuscating replies. The Blumlein family unveiled its 154th Milestone Plaque – to A AUDIO TIDBITS only got their D Blumlein, ‘the fi rst During the Abbey Road event some papers back after name in stereo’. fascinating audio titbits came out of Thomson died. ‘Worried insiders Over a hundred panel discussions. David Fisher of the EMI management industry veterans, University of Surrey owned up to a showed little ensured copies of the along with some mistake made by himself and other BBC interest in company audio engineers and engineers when FM stereo signals were history and had to original discs went students, got the being routed to transmitters round the be shamed into into safe keeping’ chance to hear rarely country by early 14-bit PCM links. letting an outsider, heard or seen audio All the measurements, he recalled, ITV Technical Chief and fi lm recordings, were done with high level signals and Norman Green, rescue the stereo sound including early stereo music tests with showed ‘perfect’ lack of noise and fi lms which Blumlein had made in the Sir Thomas Beecham and Ray Noble, and freedom from distortion. mid-1930s. These were on nitrate stock the world’s fi rst ever stereo sound fi lm, ‘But if we had thought to measure and crumbling to dust. Norman Green Trains At Hayes Station. low level signals,’ Fisher admitted, ‘we transferred them to video. At the same The new plaque is for the front door of would have found the distortion that FM time worried insiders at EMI made sure the studio building, alongside a memorial listeners were complaining about – and copies of the original stereo disc tests to composer Sir Edward Elgar, and close to being brushed off.’ went into safe keeping. the road crossing where tourists fl ock daily Respected cutting engineer Sean Then, like buses, two biographies to take photos which try to re-create the Davies had an interesting theory on why came along at pretty much the same sleeve for The Beatles’ Abbey Road album. vinyl sounds ‘warm’. time. Universal merged with EMI and the It was especially good to see the ‘Often there is very low level vertical new company seems to have put some US-based IEEE honouring Blumlein in cut rumble with antiphase effects,’ money into preserving historical relics. this way because when the RIAA set the he explained to the audience. ‘That They are not on public view and we standard for mono-compatible single reproduces as a feeling of space.’

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Also available 44 High Street, Eton, Berkshire SL4 6BL Ikon Audio Consultants Tel: 01753 863300 www.studioav.co.uk t: 07956 476 299 [email protected] e: [email protected] @studioAVltd w: www.IkonAudioConsultants.com Contact us for a: Ipswich Suffolk United Kingdom more information... eton.studioAV OPINION BarryPaul Miller Willis JournalistEditor for top American audio-video publications WhileTechnician his main and interest writer on is high-endall things audio,audio forBarry some Willis 30 also years, writes Paul about Miller thetook culinary over industry,the editor’s visual chair art in and 2006. theatre He invented for a huge the variety QC Suite, of US used newspapers across the and audio magazines industry A little-noted centennial A sculpture celebrating the invention of the loudspeaker has Barry Willis wondering if we have now extracted the maximum performance possible from components with inherent limitations...

ineteen-fi fteen was a pivotal diaphragm in the small end of a horn, year. The European continent thereby taking advantage of the horn’s was consumed by a savage, ability as a natural acoustic amplifi er. Nintractable mass insanity that It’s likely that others may have been would determine the course of the working along similar lines at the same world’s events to the present day. Albert time – there would have been nothing Einstein published his General Theory Of unusual about this, given that the vibrating Relativity, and in May that year, far away diaphragm was well-known in the 19th in the idyllic wine country town of Napa, century, and an essential element in the California, Peter Jensen and Edward fi rst practical telephone patented in 1876. Pridham invented the loudspeaker. Or so proclaims the plaque attached IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE? to a commemorative statue of their The loudspeaker enjoyed a tremendous invention, which stands at the edge of a spurt in growth, prompted by the plaza on Napa’s First Street, next to one development of better amplifi cation in the of many ornate old buildings undergoing 1920s. Engineers and inventors tweaked repair after last year’s earthquake. its basic design and in relatively short order Perhaps the it morphed into only public tribute the many variations to the ubiquitous ‘Loudspeakers have we know today – ABOVE: Monument in Napa commemorating device, this statue tweeters, midrange the debut of the moving-coil loudspeaker by sculptor Franco colorations that drivers, woofers, Vianello was subwoofers. the basic design. What’s needed to bring unveiled in 1985, impart fl avours to Material science recording-and-playback performance up 70 years later. everything they play’ and electrical to the level of contemporary electronics If this is true refi nements have is a complete re-examination of how to – Wikipedia has led to the many convert electrical signals into sound. no entries under ‘invention or history high-performance varieties in use today, of loudspeaker’ – Jensen and Pridham but the fundamental principles of the A GENERAL GOODNESS had the insight of mounting an electro- loudspeaker’s operation haven’t changed. There may be other more transparent magnetically-controllable vibrating Nor have its fundamental limitations. and more realistic ways to do so than Loudspeakers have colorations that the methods we now use, but current impart dominant fl avours to everything technology is so widely available and easy they play, to our pleasure or dismay. It’s to implement that no-one would bother something we all know, and all accept as a to seek alternatives. It’s like the global fact of life. It’s something glaringly obvious dominance of entrepreneurial capitalism when comparing a live performance to any – it’s the most effi cient economic system recording, regardless of its quality or the developed so far, but that doesn’t mean quality of the playback gear. it’s the only possibility. Damage to signal integrity occurs at The audio frontier is stagnant the air/transducer interface. The ‘acoustic because there isn’t much widespread transparency’ that we audiophiles gush dissatisfaction with electro-magnetic about is translucent at best. transducers. Many of them are quite good A century of progress has brought us and their limitations aren’t suffi ciently to what may be an impossible challenge egregious to interfere with our – attempting to extract increasing levels enjoyment of recordings. Their general of fi delity from devices with inherent goodness, in fact, is what prevents us ABOVE: Pridham and Jensen at work in Napa. limitations. Research and development from looking elsewhere. In 1917 they founded the Magnavox company may have gone as far as possible in refi ning Even so, we can dream, can’t we?

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 107 traditional philosophy modern design

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Distributed in the UK by Henley Designs Ltd. T: +44 (0)1235 511 166 | E: [email protected] | W: www.henleydesigns.co.uk OPINION Jim Lesurf Science Journalist Jim Lesurf has spent a lifetime in audio, both as an engineer at UK hi-fi company Armstrong and reader in Physics and Electronics at St Andrew’s University The AudioFactory Jim Lesurf offers some background on the changes at the BBC which resulted in users being unable to access its internet radio stations. Could the jams of today mean jam tomorrow?

arlier this year, some people Over a year ago, the BBC decided found that access to the BBC that the only practical way forward was radio iPlayer services on their to completely replace its pre-existing EWi-Fi radios and network radio iPlayer arrangements with a brand music players abruptly ceased after new system. This saw the creation of the the corporation changed the way it AudioFactory project. The end result will provided content [see HFN May ’15]. be that – for UK listeners – all the BBC’s The immediate reaction of many was UK radio stations will become available via to blame the BBC. But in the rush to 320kbps AAC streams for both ‘live’ and ‘on complain, the bigger picture tended to demand’ listening. be overlooked. This is a big upgrade from the previous At the time, I was putting together a situation where only Radio 3 was available look at the changes from an engineering at this quality level. In the process, the perspective. For those interested, there stream sample rates have also been is more at http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/ upgraded from 44.1kHz to 48kHz, BBC/AudioFactory/AudioFactory.html. removing one conversion that used to be in But, of course, there’s much more to the the audio path from station to listener. The story than engineering... new system should also cope more easily as the number of listeners rises. CUTS AND COSTS The snag has been that old equipment The BBC has had its funding steadily and services have had to be removed to cut, and more cuts are to follow. So it is make space and save costs. In some cases, under pressure to reduce the operating the dates for this procedure had to be costs of its iPlayer. Yet the number of set in stone well in advance. With that in requests for iPlayer access continues mind, the BBC says it did begin contacting to rise. In addition, the system had manufacturers of equipment able to access treated various radio stations in differing its content, in early 2014. ways. So some listeners felt they were As I’ve touched on briefl y, many users receiving a poorer quality service than of certain types of modern consumer others. All of this equipment may not ABOVE: A peek at the new BBC equipment meant changes realise that it relies as it processes data feeds for net streaming were becoming ‘My Digital Service on a continuing unavoidable. service by a third during offi ce hours. If I hadn’t discovered Further fuel to Provider was trying party. In the event this, I might easily have blamed the BBC! the fi re comes from of a problem the fact that when to deter iPlayer use this situation is OLD FASHIONED a consumer buys a during offi ce hours’ very different A decade from now, using traditional commercial ‘closed to traditional broadcast transmissions for TV and radio box’ internet ‘radio’ broadcasting where will probably be regarded as absurdly they’re actually relying on its maker – you could expect the BBC to ensure its old-fashioned. The radio spectrum will or in some cases a third party paid by stations were transmitted over the air. Your eventually be taken over for use by the makers – to ensure that it works TV/radio set then either worked, went back mobile devices. No satellite or terrestrial correctly, and goes on working. Yet the for repair, or you bought a new one. broadcasts can match the eventual user’s only agreement or contract is with The internet has changed everything. range of choice and fl exibility that the the retailer and not the service provider, A few years back when listening to the net will offer. And ‘real time’ viewing which in this case was the BBC. It can be iPlayer the service would suffer from and listening for much beyond news misleading to call these devices ‘radios’ regular breaks. Digging deeper it was on or sport may disappear. I suspect the because they’re essentially special- account of my Digital Service Provider AudioFactory will aid the BBC – and its purpose computers. deliberately trying to deter iPlayer use listeners – to navigate towards this.

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“ In every sense of the word, the Alnico 12 loudspeaker is a true work of art... ” Audio Note Lounge OPINION PaulSteve Miller Harris EditorContributing Editor TechnicianSteve Harris and edited writer Hi-Fi on News all things between audio 1986 for some and 2005. 30 years, He lovesPaul Millerjazz, blues took music,over thevinyl editor’s and vintage chair hi-in fi2006. and anything He invented that themakes QC goodSuite, music used acrosscome tothe life audio industry The numbers game In the ’70s and ’80s we were bombarded with impressive fi gures that turned out to mean little, and we had to accept physical source media as it came. Things have changed, says Steve Harris

n 1961, in what now seems a quaint RIGHT: DSD, the article on hi-fi for the Harvard 1-bit recording Crimson student newspaper, David format behind IPaul wrote: ‘The man in the street SACD, is still will tell you a [frequency] response from thriving in the 20-20,000cps is the test of a good set. era of hi-res The fact is that even the worst Japanese downloading. amplifi er will advertise this rating.’ See www. Back then, you couldn’t have said dsd-guide.com the same for the rest of the system. But for information with the arrival of CD, 20Hz-20kHz could on sites offering be taken for granted. The once-vital DSD content, like statistics of distortion and wow & fl utter nativedsd.com, lost all signifi cance too. which was founded Instead, we started to be told about in 2014 18-bit, then 20- and 24-bit processing, 96kHz and 192kHz sampling. Misleading, if you didn’t realise that these numbers described the converter, not the seemed to imply that there could be As the Editor has explained [‘Opinion’, converted. The CD signal itself could signifi cant music content extending to May ’15, p103], DSD audio owes its never be more than 44.1kHz/16-bit. 50kHz and beyond. But in any case, the accessibility to the DoP [DSD over PCM] That 1961 article had gone on, DVD-Audio launch had to be put on hold protocol. And, as PM goes on to point dismissively, ‘The ability to detect ultra- because of the copyright protection issue. out, there is really no way of knowing for high tones above 15,000cps [15kHz] sure whether the fi le you’ve acquired has is limited mostly to babies and dogs.’ INITIAL CLAIMS always been DSD, or has been converted But by the 1990s, there was a growing Meanwhile, Sony’s rival SACD system to PCM at some stage. consensus that CD’s 20kHz upper also initially claimed a frequency Once free of the restrictions of an frequency limit was too restricting. response extended to around 100kHz. optical disc, the DSD sample rate could Since the sampling frequency must Yet in production, SACD players were optionally be doubled from SACD’s be at least double the highest audio given a 50kHz low-pass fi lter to avoid 2.8224MHz to 5.6448MHz, or 128 times frequency, a higher the possibility that of CD, hence DSD128. This moves sample rate was of connected the inevitable ultrasonic noise to higher needed. Crucially, ‘“The ability to equipment being frequencies, further away from the this would also damaged by audio content. Doubling again produces move any unwanted detect tones above high-frequency DSD256, and the next step, to DSD512, effects of the digital noise energy. is possible, but gives daunting fi le sizes. fi ltering further 15,000cps is limited DVD-Audio never So, while hi-res audio has really come above the audio to babies and dogs”’ got off the ground to fruition with 96kHz, 192kHz and band and further and DualDisc, even 384kHz PCM, there are some new out of harm’s way. launched in 2004 fl avours of DSD as well. But even if the Then came DVD-Audio, which did with hi-res DVD-Audio on one side and terminology and the numbers sometimes offer 24-bit, 96kHz and 192kHz-sampled CD audio on the other, made no lasting seem bewildering, I don’t think we’re PCM audio. For the fi rst, abortive, DVD-A impression either. This left SACD as the only seeing a return to the empty audio launch in 1998, Technics was ready viable physical music release format that specmanship of the 1970s and 1980s. with a complete system that claimed a offered higher resolution than CD. There may still be hype, but there frequency response extending to 90kHz. So DSD, the 1-bit recording format is passion too, and we have at least Rather than offering cogent behind SACD, is still alive and well in a chance of getting the sound of an engineering arguments for such a the era of hi-res downloading, even if it original master recording at home. More wideband response, though, Technics remains a minority interest in a PCM world. than ever before, we have a choice.

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 111 Send in your views to: Sound Off, Hi-Fi News, AVTech Media Ltd, Enterprise House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF or email your views to: letters@hifi news.com – YOUR VIEWS please use ‘Sound Off’ in your subject fi eld

No need to fear

Correspondents express their own opinions, not those of Hi-Fi News. We reserve the right to edit letters for publication. computer audio Correspondents using e-mail are asked to give their full postal address (which won’t be published). Letters seeking advice SUPPLIED DRIVERS AND GOOGLE ARE YOUR FRIENDS will be answered in print on our Sound Off pages, but due to time constraints we regret we’re unable to answer questions on buying items of hi-fi or any other hi-fi queries by telephone, post or via e-mail. I read the letter from Robert Petersson in the June pages of Sound Off and the reply by Barry Fox with dismay. While I take Mr Petersson’s REPLACING AN ’80S KRELL point that confi guring a PC for use as a music server can take a little work, it is no more time- AMP SOUGHT FOR CURRENT-HUNGRY SPEAKERS consuming than setting up a hi-fi system, with its Two recent articles have led me to anything with less than 20 amps cables and speaker positioning – not to mention write with a question that has been peak current quickly overloads setting-up and tweaking a turntable. bothering me for some time. Firstly, and shuts down. For myself, venturing into computer audio has your piece on Class A versus Class The question bothering me proven to be rather fun. Programs like foobar2000 AB amplifi cation [see HFN Feb ’15] is this: if my Krell gives up, are and JRiver are a click away via Google while in in which you noted that the original modern amplifi ers costing under my experience drivers for USB DACs intended to Krell KSA-100 ran in pure Class A £10,000 likely to drive the low be used with a PC are supplied in the box. I just and sounded more valve-like than impedance of the Acoustats, which hope the views of Messrs Petersson and Fox do typical solid-state amplifi ers of the drops to 1.3ohm at its worst? Or not feed into any fears readers might have about time. Secondly your From The Vault would I be in for a huge bill for a exploring the world of computer-based hi-fi . piece on the Audio Research D-70 Dan D’Agostino or similar? Robert Wood, via email power amp [see HFN Mar ’15] led Ken Kessler would probably me to dig out the original issue and have heard the combination Paul Miller replies: I concur with your observations, re-read the review of the Acoustat as he was reviewing high-end Robert. We test USB-enabled separates every month Two Plus Two loudspeakers. equipment when both the Krell and in HFN and have never had any diffi culty loading the I still have a Krell KSA-100 Acoustats were new. audio drivers for PC operation. For Mac users the plug driving a pair of Acoustat Two plus The front-end of the system ’n play process is simplicity itself. Two speakers, which for me makes comprises a Lyngdorf CD1 player a perfect match. It is an extremely and an Avid Volvere turntable with revealing combination and this has SME 1V arm and Zyx 4D cartridge. led to some fascinating component Other amps are an Audio Research WhitWorld matching issues. Some very highly PH6 phono preamplifi er and Audio OUR HI-FI WORLD THROUGH THE EYES OF WHITWORTH rated items actually have less than Research LS3B preamp (also ideal characteristics in this system vintage) while cabling consists – a critical lesson in hearing of Ecosse interconnects and components in your own system Townshend Isolda speaker cables. before committing to buying them. Arthur Boyle, South Africa I have no plans to change either my amp or speakers but, as you Ken Kessler replies: The safest bet for can appreciate, they are ageing. Mr Boyle will be to enquire of each I have, on occasion, tried other manufacturer about the suitability power amplifi ers, the limitation for the Acoustats’ driving needs. being current capability as PM’s lab reports published in HFN every month suggest that most of today’s powerhouse amplifi ers will successfully drive low sensitivity, low impedance speakers. Brands including D’Agostino, Chord, Krell, Constellation and similar are renowned for making robust, stable amplifi ers able to deal with unusual loads. Equally, if provided with the specifi cations and electrical characteristics of older speakers, they would be able to advise to the suitability. I hope and ABOVE: The Krell KSA-100 power amp, suspect the Acoustats might be less which was fi rst released back in 1980 problematic than you fear.

112 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 YOUR VIEWS 8 Lanes On Your Looking back at LP sleeves Entertainment FROM THE VAULT FEATURE EVOKES MEMORIES FOR ONE VINYL COLLECTOR

I was interested to read the From The Superhighway Vault piece on LP record sleeves in the May issue. The article brought back many memories and I well remember how varied sleeve notes could be. Many only spoke of the Since its origins in the early music and mentioned nothing about 1980’s, Ethernet, and the Local the performers, or it was all about the Area Network (LAN) systems soloist or conductor and not much RJ/E it enables, has become the Forestst about the music. In later years, the copper plumbing of the digital typeface used on some issues in the age. Originally deployed only Decca SXL series was so small and over coaxial cable, the Ethernet indistinct as to be hardly legible, and protocols (IEEE 802.3) now I needed a magnifying glass! also apply to fibre-optic and However, there certainly is RJ/E “Category” (Cat 5, 5e, 6, 6e, 7) Cinnamon something special about having cables. These 8-conductor (4 a record sleeve with attractive twisted pairs) Cat cables are the and appropriate photographs and 8 lanes which stream or transport artwork – of the size of a 12in disc. your digital entertainment to This is something lost with CD equipment a foot away or several covers and notes being so much rooms aways. smaller, or almost non-existent. One of the writers of the ABOVE: RJ/E AudioQuest refers to its Inner sleeve and index card Vodkaa republished piece, Trevor Swinson, pre-terminated leading-edge mentioned that the DG Archiv label began collecting in 1958 and wish I had Cat 7 cables as the RJ/E Series … was always well detailed and the kept all that I bought. Often I replaced RJ for the RJ45 connector LP cover stitched at its edges, and LPs when a midprice reissue turned up, standard to the application, also included an index card with as the cut would often show an audible and E for Ethernet. For a summary of the details and track improvement. But mostly the reissues AudioQuest, the highest Cat 7 numbers. This encouraged me to artwork wasn’t as good as the original! RJ/E standard (with all 4 pairs dig one out – the four Handel Organ What is interesting when you look Diamond using correctly differentiated Concertos – which I purchased in back is to see that sleeve-note writers twist rates and individually March 1964. The sleeve and inners often expected a fair degree of technical shielded) is only the solid may bring back happy memories to knowledge when describing a piece of foundation to which AQ then other collectors. I continue to play music. Today, of course, you might get an adds better materials and LPs and would never part with them. illustrated puff for a new artist and nothing Cat 600 unique-to-AQ additional Pearl John Winterbottom, via email at all about the music performed. technologies. I can’t actually recall LP notes which Christopher Breunig replies: I am glad were all about the artists and not the The particulars of the RJ45 you enjoyed the reprinted article although music, even with the likes of EMI’s ‘Great connectors have also received your letter gives me pause for thought. I Recordings of the Century’ or, say, Decca, extreme attention. The plugs DG or CBS ‘artist profi le’ compilations. Cat 700 used on the Vodka and Diamond Pearl While CD offered convenience it was, models (and available for use as you suggest, at the cost of the 12in with bulk Cat 700 models), cover, although you could hardly criticise feature a unique patented the booklet annotations always provided transition-compensating by Hyperion. What we now have too often Cat 700 system which reduces reflections are thin digipacks with barely legible Forest caused by the impedance spine information (or none at all), so fi ling mismatch where 4 twisted pairs and fi nding has become a problem. meet a straight line of 8 plug I personally had no gripes about the contacts. gatefold LP sleeves but DG/Archiv discs What does this all mean? Simple were not at all easy to slide out of the Cat 700 stitched covers you mention! And do you Carbon ... better sound! remember the polythene inners used by Decca at one time which left residual ABOVE: Reader John’s copy of Handel markings on the disc playing surface – Organ Concertos, bought in March 1964 with consequent surface noise?

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For a no obligation demonstration please contact one of the following approved PS Audio dealers: North West - Brian & Trevors 0161 766 4837. East - Analogue Seduction 01733 350878 / LW Audio 01284 716415. Midlands – Oxford Audio Consultants 01865 790879 / Midland Hifi Studio 01902 380083 / Art Audio Salon – 07878 566814. South East - Guildford Audio 07979 515577 / Audio Venue W5 0208 567 8703 / Audio Venue Maidenhead 01628 633995 / Stereo Now 07870 192618 / Phase 3 Audio 01903 245577. South West - Audio Destination 01884 243584. Distributed by: Signature Audio Systems 07738 007776 ● www.psaudio.com WIRELESS YOUR VIEWS FRONTIER? Ripping SACD to hi-res PCM HOW IS THIS ACHIEVED AND WHICH SOFTWARERE IS NEEDED?

For some time now I’ve been considering how I best move to a fi le-based music system. Late last year I purchased a Naim Unitiserve and Devialet 200 amplifi er. I’m very happy with this set-up and, used in conjunction with a turntable, can see it meeting my music needs into the foreseeable future. My only issue is with my collection of SACDs. Neither the Naim nor the ABOVE: Certain Sony PlayStation 3 Devialet handle DSD. I used to play models can be hacked to rip SACDs the discs through an Oppo universal player but the signal was sent through respect of serial number and fi rmware the analogue RCA outputs. The Oppo version. In my experience most sellers, does not convert to PCM and output particularly when asked for the latter, SACD through the S/PDIF outputs either don’t know or couldn’t care. It and, unlike Devialet’s D-Premier amp, took me three months to fi nd a suitable the 200 doesn’t have an HDMI input. machine, and then it was in Austria. In reviews written by Keith Howard If I seem coy about aspects of this Not only are wires still very much the he often refers to 88.2kHz PCM rips process it’s because it is not a route to lowest-distortion highest-performance from SACD. Could Keith please tell take unless you are at least moderately way to send both analog and digital me how he does this and which competent with computers (in a general audio information, but when it comes software he uses? Do I have any sense, ie, you’re not just a ‘power user’ to sending power, “wireless” is just other options to get higher than CD of certain software). It takes some ability a nifty science project, not part of a resolution fi les from my SACDs? and determination to achieve and so I home entertainment rig. Jeff Tacey, via email don’t recommend it to audiophiles per se unless they are appropriately able. The challenge of not adding distortion Keith Howard replies: I’m in the fortunate The legality of the process I’m not as AC power goes from the wall to the position (because I put myself there) of qualifi ed to pronounce upon but given electronics, and the challenge of not having a Sony PlayStation 3 of appropriate that the BPI has publicly stated that adding distortion as audio power is sent vintage which I’ve hacked to rip SACDs. consumers who rip CDs for their own use to a loudspeaker, are almost the same. Anyone who wishes to equip themselves will not be prosecuted, I see no reason The amount of energy transferred likewise needs to perform a web search why the same should not apply to SACDs. through these cables, and the size of to determine precisely which machine is Of course this is not the case, morally the associated magnetic fields, puts required, how to do the hack, and where at the very least, if you download ISO them in a different class from all other to obtain the ripper software to install. fi les or other SACD rips from dodgy sites audio and video cables. Then specify your PS3 requirements online. I maintain a clear policy on this, Speaker cables need to maintain on eBay (other e-commerce sites are particularly as I’m a journalist: I regard perfect integrity across the audio band available, etc) and wait, being very my own SACD rips as entirely defensible and then some, while AC cables only careful to establish that machines on offer whereas downloading rips others have have to try to be perfect in a narrower really do meet the necessary criteria in made is absolutely not. band. AC cable design is therefore a subset of speaker cable design because AC cables are subject to almost all the same distortion mechanisms, and benefit from almost all the same damage minimizing techniques. For the most sophisticated power- transfer cables, for the best sound and video, please visit audioquest.com for more details.

ABOVE: The Naim Unitiserve is a slot-loading, CD ripping, hard disk music player and server audioquest.com

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 115 YOUR VIEWS

Internet radio and the BBC READER SHARES HIS EXPERIENCES AFTER STREAMER LOSES ACCESS TO RADIO STATIONS

I read Andrew Everard’s comprehensive were made, and even those who thought BBC stations to most streaming hardware, Investigation ‘Trouble Downstream’ they’d been working closely with the BBC to and it’s courtesy of the ever-resourceful [see HFN May ’15] with much interest, ensure continuity for their customers found Simon Nash, whose range of ‘Minim’ being one of the listeners caught out themselves wrongfooted. software products – notably MinimServer by changes the BBC has made to its To then read the BBC’s announcement and MinimStreamer – are used in the internet stream. I acquired a streamer that all of its 2015 Prom concerts would be network systems of many enthusiasts, either three years ago to listen to Radio 3 available in what it calls ‘HD’ sound – ie, running on a network attached storage (or and especially its regular live evening 320kbps HLS AAC live streams – might just NAS) device, or on a home computer. concerts. I was quite impressed with be seen as rubbing salt into the wounds of I’m assuming here that as you have a the station’s 320kbps AAC output but it designers and users alike, deprived of the network music player, aka (if incorrectly) a would appear my streamer cannot now means of receiving these streams on high- ‘streamer’, then you either have music stored process the BBC’s new AAC bitstream quality audio equipment. on a computer or NAS device, or at least a and has defaulted to MP3, whether However, the problem is even greater computer on the same home network, be 128kbps or higher I haven’t been able for those manufacturers using an ‘off the it Ethernet or Wi-Fi, as the network player. to fi nd out. Not surprisingly, I am not shelf’ module to build their streaming Using one of these, you can employ the at all happy with this. According to the workaround Simon explains on his website at unbiased and acute ears of my wife, the http://minimstreamer.com/bbcradio.html. INVESTIGATION devices, make them available for 30 30 days and improve the accuracy of the start times of our listen again This involves using both the MinimServer sound is ‘soft and homogenous’. of our listen ag ain Trouble downstreamprogrammes.’ That in itselfƂ nds isis laudable out why enough, Has your net radio lost the BBC? Andrew Everardespecially the bitbit about improvingimproving the audio quality,quality, but it hasn’t quite worked out like I loathe DAB, and not wishing to go worked out like that, simply becausebecause and MinimStreamer packages to make your the Ƃ rst step the BBCBBC took in this RIGHT: From the programme was to stop supporting stop supporting lowliest of Wi-Fi Windows Media as of December the of December the radios to high- 31st last year, despite the fact that end network ‘This will have an effect on somesome back to FM reception with its wretched music players, it online listeners,listeners, as we know thathatt network player ‘see’ (and thus play) the was once simple some devices cannotcannot support the to access the new HTTP streaming methods or ththe e BBC’s internet AAC codec’. stations. Yet the theth WiWindowsd Media-basedMedi services, corporation’s TWO LISTENER GROUPS M dia-basedb d servicesi , ABOVE:ABOAB VE until all hardwahardware manufacturers TheTh with high-quality internet radio decision to The BBC says that listeners usingusin re manufacturers radradio stream radio streams as if they were a playlist stored ‘Optimod’ dynamic compression, I equipment listen – and would like g have managed to catch up with improve things Windows Media – or at least those catch up with aggaggregators, or at least those its changes – anand the BBC admits to have Radio 2, or 6Music, or their has left listeners using it up to tthe end of 2014 – are d the BBC admits vTunervTu and he end of 2014 – are some equipment wwill never be able favourite local station, available in confused and hi-Ƃ in two groups: tthose accessing the ill never be able TuneIn,Tun provide hose accessing the to receive the new services – then the best possible quality. For them manufacturers streams via aggraggregators such as accessacc to the egators such as many of us are stuck with the it’s a case of upgrade, hope the struggling to TuneIn, and those using hardware stationsstat for manufacturer of your equipment decided to phone around manufacturers downgraded MP3 sservice.ervice. on the server. The basic set-up – a text fi le restore service to devices such as internet radios. hardwarehard internet radios. What’s more, while the BBC can resolve the problem, or go back their customers The Ƃ rst group would be OK, manufacturers,man says that those of us listening on to listening to 128kbps MP3. And it said, as they could use the new on and have been high-quality intinternet radio devices having heard what the new streams delivery methodsmethods; but the second? ernet radio devices workingwor hard to ; but the second? account for just 2-5% of the can do even for local radio stations This second grougroup has much less 2-5% of the keep up with the p has much less listenership, it seems that this small (via some of the workarounds and ability to switch to our new forformats seems that this small BBC changes and hi-fi dealers to see what, if anything, mats minority is vocavocal enough to get the temporary streams I’ve played with), loaded into your ‘library’ – will provide a to internet station streams they l enough to get on whatever piece andof internet many interneinternet radio t radios cannot the that’s something of a tragedy. or those who consider the always had until thecorporation’s BBC decided atattention. totention. hardware you happenedeasily beto have,upgradupgraded ed to accept the Oh, and if you’re a sports fan, and whole network audio thing ‘improve’ things. Most services’ high-quality from the lowliest Wi-Finew radioformats.’ right up want to keep up with major events something of a bother, at So what’s gone feedswrong? are Well, now reduced down to to a high-end networkThe music BBC’s player. solutisolution? on? To provide via your expensive hi- least there’s one simple the BBC seems to like128kbps shaking MP3, unless you have Ƃ network F Yet since the nation’san MP3 broadcaster feed of tthe he stations for music player, you may be out of luck source of music for that shiny new things up a bit everyequipment now and able then, ttoo handle the could be done. The situation is, alas, decided to improvewhich things, those there’s listlistenerseners would be even with the MP3 fallback streams. solution as long as your network player can new format, but miraculously network player: while you’re ripping losing their exiexisting streams,whether ‘so to make its content more miraculously been signiƂ cant confusion. sting streams, ‘so BBC Radio 3 has reappeared as a These are running the international your CD collection to a NAS, letting that live radio will continuesecure to or just change the way it’s Some products have lost the willBBC continue to 320kbps AAC strestream available via versions of Radio 5 Live and its your streamer software index work on internet radio delivered,devices for and the latest wheeze is am available via streams altogether. Others have lost radio devices for ShoutCast,something althoalthough the we’re told offshoot stations, which are used however many tracks you have another year or two’. Trouble isis, ugh we’re told the high-quality , thiscorporation is only temtemporary, calls and to allow when major matches, say, clash – stored or whatever, at least you it’s widely acknacknowledged among porary, and to allow audio they used owledged among manufacturersAudio Factory. to get up to speed and those international feeds don’t even more confusing than Andrew have good old internet radio to fall many listeners‘BBC uusing streams high-quality get up to speed handle AAC ADTS network streams. If it to have, let alone sing high-quality carry many football matches and back on. Plug in a network cable, withAs theJim Simmons,new 320kbps AAC via HLSHLS/ the better soundequipment that MMP3P3 doesn’t offer / the like, for rights reasons. But even scroll through tens of thousands of appear, change MPEGSenior DASH Product service. This is the on all stations thethe same quality as the old strestreams. that’s not the whole story… ‘stations’ from around the world, ams. highestManager, of four Audio options to be ofoffered BBC had been And thoughand the BBCdisappear is working on fered decide you really want to listen to by Servicesthe Audio for FacFactory BBCtory streams. Or promising. And the higher-quality replacement ffor TEST TRANSMISSIONS the cricket after all, and off you go. almost at random’or not,Future as the Media, case may be. some have been puts it, Audio For a while late in 2014 there had can’t, MinimStreamer has that covered, too, says in his article. The company that At least that’s how simple it used forced to seek LITTLE COMFORT been a lot of ‘behind closed doors’ to be to listen to the BBC’s output Factory is designed ‘to replace the LEFT: workarounds such as using server An talk from some hardware companies ageing equipmentHow and temporary infrastructure is temporary? Well,Well software playlists to provide access , updatupdate to the about the greatly improved streams RIGHT: that encodes andthe delivers BBC says the the BBC’s current high-quhigh-quality The to what streams are left. ality Audio Factory the BBC was planning to provide, audio streams. RadioThis has 3 AAC/ShouAAC/ShoutCastgrown tCast stream is BBC posts its blog byb BBC and I’d been pointed toward test in different waysthere across to allowthe BBC mmanufacturers,anufacturers, anand made my streamer was unhelpful. Both plans to switch AUDIO FACTORY d Senior Product transmissions compatible with in that it allows you to set it to transcode the thus listeners, to transition ‘w‘without to HTTP Live over the years and we need to ithout ManagerManag Jim Listeners have been confused. interrupting accaccess to the Proms’, existing equipment and offering Streaming and standardise as we replace. ess to the Proms’, SimmonsSimmo on the Radio stream aggregators such as which would suggsuggest it’s going to be greatly enhanced sound. In fact, it’s Advanced Audio ‘We want to make our deliveryest it’s going to be 5th of February vTuner and TuneIn – who provide in place at least until the begibeginning the kind of sound you can now hear Coding and no chains more resilient for every nning this yearyea access to the stations for hardware of September: ththe Last Night is on if you happen to be lucky enough longer support network, improve the audio e Last Night is on acknowledgesacknow manufacturers – have seen September the 1212th. to have equipment fully compatible hardware and software had moved on, Windows Media quality for all stations, have UK th. that theth stream into a format with which the network streams appearing, changing and with the new service platform, or and internationalHowever, versions forthat all wiwill ll come as Audio Streams on disappearing almost at random, move tot new can manage to implement one of stations, havelittle all stations comfort available ttoo those who aren’t its iPlayer help while some manufacturers are infrastructureinfrastr the workarounds so far put in place on the same devicesfans of BBC for liveRadiRadio ando 3 – though the pages at http:// facing considerable expense to will causecau for incompatible equipment. listen again, makecorporation our programmes seemseemss to suggest thathat’s iplayerhelp. sort out their products so they go t’s disruptiondisrupt for Until a fairly late stage, there available to downloadthe only radio to mobile station to which those I was told, and the model that I owned, external.bbc. back to offering the ease of access those some listenerslis was no indication that the BBC player can work, such as WAV. co.uk

MAY 2015 | www.hiƂ news.co.uk 23 22 | www.hiƂ news.co.uk | MAY 2015 |

0022-02722-027 InvestigatiInve 10 PFC by implication, was now Neanderthal. stigatio 10 PFC //3/153/15 090 34:449 34:44 The instructions on the site, though they In short, I was foolish to expect the ABOVE: Lost BBC radio strstreamseams–s – HFNH N May ’15 look daunting at fi rst, are explained in detail, company to do anything about it. and provided you follow them methodically, Dealers, too, proved disappointing. products – a ‘turnkey’ solution meaning the should provide a solution. Simon Nash Though there are many fi ne streamers company only needs to engineer the more also provides support for the products via out there, nobody seemed to know conventional parts of a product, such as the the MinimServer forum at http://forum. very much about the issue and no-one DAC, analogue section and, of course, the minimserver.com, where you will also fi nd could assure me that any streamer was casework and power supplies. fellow BBC sufferers and those who have compatible with the latest BBC Radio 3 Such packages have been available for been through the same process. AAC bitstream, nor tell me how long the some time, coming as a complete chipset, Best of all, it won’t cost you anything BBC would continue with this service. display and even remote control set-up, to give it a try, as the Minim products Given this, I am not willing buy and delivering on one circuitboard network are available for free from the company another (to me, quite expensive) streaming, internet radio, and even niceties website – though if, as I hope, this provides streamer which will be obsolete in such as AirPlay and Bluetooth. a solution, I should point out that Simon a couple of years. Can you give me As such, they present a simple route into accepts online donations, to enable him to any advice apart from ‘Get your Leak network audio capability for a manufacturer, continue the good work. Troughline tuner down from the loft and but the downside is that adapting to changes try to ignore the Optimod’? in format – as has happened here – places Jim Lesurf replies: Roger Simmonds has my Dr Roger Simmonds, via email the audio manufacturer at the mercy of a sympathy. The fundamental problem is that third-party developer, which may or may not when you buy a ‘computer in disguise’ – be Andrew Everard replies: I suspect the be interested in rewriting code to service it an internet radio or a ‘smart’ TV – you rely manufacturer of your network player is as products already in the fi eld. on the maker and probably some form of frustrated as many with the unexpected turn You can see how widespread is the use of ‘service aggregator’ to ensure it continues to the BBC took with its delivery of its internet such modules simply by looking at a number fully function. I prefer to use a PC for internet radio streams. As I suggested in my piece, of network-music-capable devices across radio as I this helps me bypass having to rely some companies have faced considerable the price spectrum: identical displays are on third parties. However, I understand this expense and time in re-development in their something of a tell-tale sign! isn’t practical or preferable for many. I look at efforts to return the owners of their products The good news is that there is a the background to the BBC’s recent moves in to ‘where they were’ before these changes workaround hopefully able to restore the my Opinion this month [see p109].

116 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 YOUR VIEWS

Help with fi rst separates READER SEEKS TIPS TO ENSURE VINTAGE DECK AND RECEIVER GIVE OF THEIR BEST

I have inherited a Beogram 3000 turntable from the 1970s and a Beomaster 3000-2 receiver. Cosmetically both are in good condition and, as far as I can tell, working quite well. However, this is the fi rst turntable I have ever owned while the 3000-2 begins to produce an annoying hum after around 15 minutes of use. ABOVE: The Beomaster 3000-2 receiver I’ve had the SP10 stylus on the was released in 1972 and cost £157.50 turntable cleaned and retipped by the Expert Stylus Co and am happy with Would any of the team be able the work. I do wonder if the belt is in to advise a young man who has not the best condition, and where I might only acquired his fi rst separates, but We’ve Got get a good quality replacement. vintage separates at that! As for setting the downforce: Jon Lewis, via email Your Back ... with the cartridge in place, I set the pressure dial to ‘0’ then turned Tim Jarman replies: The belts used for Your Front and Your Sides! the counterweight at the rear of your model of B&O turntable are of good the tonearm until the support post quality rubber and seldom give trouble. fl oated about 1mm high. I then set the However, parts of the speed changing RCA plugs for the back pressure dial to around 1.2. It would mechanism (the 3000 uses a combination be comforting to know whether or not of belt and idler drive) will almost I’ve done this correctly. certainly be seized up with old grease by The Beomaster 3000-2 only played now if it has not received recent attention. 3.5mm plugs for portables through one channel when using the The symptoms are poor speed stability and more Tape input, but I cleaned the switches and noisy operation. Downforce is most with DeOxit D5 and that solved it. accurately set using a test record. Your The hum can be annoying when method is correct, but from experience DIN plugs for the back listening at low volumes as it can be a setting of about 2.5 is needed for best heard over the music. results and minimum record wear. I would like to know how to The humming noise from the receiver determine whether this hum is is a common fault; it is due to loose iPod plugs for underneath caused by the transformer, the laminations inside the mains transformer. reservoir capacitors or something Since the assembly is sealed in resin else entirely. The capacitors appear there isn’t much you can do about it, other OK – no leaking but I’m afraid I’m no than to place the set somewhere where 3.5mm socket for extension electronics engineer! the effect isn’t so annoying! cables

From solid conductors, superior metals (conductors and plugs) and low-interaction bglneZmbhg mh :Jl Ghbl^&=bllbiZmbhg Lrlm^fZg]:Jl=b^e^\mkb\&;bZlLrlm^f% Zeeh_:n]bhJn^lmlikho^g]blmhkmbhg& minimizing ingredients are used to ensure maZmZee^b`amfh]^elh_;kb]`^l ?Zeel cables bring you beautiful music, clear dialogue and thunderous sound-effects.

ABOVE: Reader Chris’s Beogram 3000 turntable complete with C E Watts Dustbug

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 117 VINTAGE HI-FI A&R Cambridge A60 amplifi er

Stealing a march on the UK cottage hi-fi industry of the time with an amp promising reliability, the company soon had a classic on its hands. How does it shape up today? Review: Tim Jarman Lab: Paul Miller

he A&R A60 amplifi er is one of those hi-fi components that most audiophiles – in the UK at least – Teither seem to have owned, used, had on their wishlist or, at the very least, known someone who did own one. Positive press coverage and a long production life played a part in this. After all, the A60 fi rst appeared in 1976 and remained in production for ten years – an eternity in what was a fast moving market at the time. During this eventful period, which saw CD replace the LP as the dominant source, numerous detail revisions were made to the circuitry yet the essential character and appearance of the amp remained unaltered.

SOMETHING EXTRA The A60 was the model on which A&R (Amplifi cation & Recording (Cambridge) Ltd, latterly known as Arcam) was founded. At the peak of the ’70s hi-fi boom, something extra was needed if a ABOVE: Sales brochure for the A60 amp from the mid 1970s offers a comprehensive list of its component was to stand out among the technical features together with measurements for ‘Magnetic Pick-Up’, Tuner/Aux and Tape inputs crowd, so A&R heavily promoted the A60 for its reliability. credibility and reliability not far off industry As would be expected from a quality While the Japanese by and large had best practice, A&R had come up with a amplifi er, the A60’s output stage was the reliability problem licked by this stage, compelling package and, naturally, huge directly coupled to the speaker load with the same could not be said for many of sales followed with a reported 32,000 no intervening capacitors or transformers. the British cottage industry brands. By A60s fi nding homes over ten years. The design of the circuit here is unusual combining homespun looks with niche The original specifi cation for the A60 in that both output transistors in each was for 30W per channel (2x30W being, of channel are of the same polarity (NPN) course, 60W, hence ‘A60’) with four inputs: with the inversion necessary for correct MM cartridge, tuner, tape and auxiliary. operation being done in the driver stage. Tone controls were fi tted along with a The transistors used were a classic switched HF fi lter, set at around 7.5kHz, design in themselves being part of the and a mono button. 3055 family, whose other versions are A headphone socket completed the common fi tments in early transistor amps front panel and this switched out one such as the Quad 303 [see HFN Jul ’11] and set of loudspeaker sockets when in use. the Beolab 5000 [see HFN Dec ’13]. Meanwhile, a second pair of speaker sockets was wired directly to the amplifi er’s KEY MODIFICATIONS output. Although the fi ttings look generic, It would be impossible to detail every some were custom made, as was the case change that was made to the A60 in with the four rotary knobs. the space available here but a few key modifi cations are worthy of detail. The LEFT: 1st November 1985 and former Foreign phono stage evolved over the years from Secretary Francis Pym (right) joins John Dawson a simple two-transistor affair to a more (centre) as he holds the 25,000th A60 amp to sophisticated fi ve-transistor circuit. Later be built. They are joined by Peter Cowley, then still, an operational amplifi er chip (op-amp) owner of the second A60 amp ever to be made was used with the RIAA characteristic

118 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 dialled-in via the components in the was as a connection for tape recorders ABOVE: Original slimline A60 with its tape feedback loop. Originally MC cartridges built to the DIN standard with sensitive monitoring and mono switches, headphone could not be catered for but subsequently inputs and no requirement for monitoring. socket that could mute the speakers, and red an external preamp, the HA10, was made The ‘tape’ input was built for line-level LED on/off indicator next to the power switch available for those who wished to use MCs. machines and offered basic loop facilities. This unit was powered from an extra The output level of the aux was raised A60AP became the A60AP+ when the aux connection in the phono input connector to line level when the ‘CD’ labelling was input became labelled for CD, although the of suitably equipped versions (the A60 used introduced; DIN standard tape machines actual connection remained a part of the 5-pin DIN plugs for all its inputs) so this unit were no longer common by this stage. tuner socket. was unobtrusive and required no further A special version of the A60, the A60AP, attention once installed. was built for those who STIFF COMPETITION Later the arrangement needed the option to By the mid 1980s the A60 was beginning was changed again and ‘The amp plays its split the pre and power to face stiff competition from a number the MC preamp became best suit strongly, stages of the amplifi er. of quarters. The ever present big Japanese an internal module In this model, the aux brands had endless models offering known as the MC60. which is clarity socket provided the greater power, more facilities and a better Most A60s also necessary input and standard of fi nish for less money. For those featured a provision for and transparency’ output connections. who preferred British equipment, the Naim internal loading networks The aux function was Nait was a cheaper (£180 against £200) to aid the matching of certain cartridges. retained by using the previously blank pins and more fashionable alternative, despite To keep up with developments, the A60’s of the tuner socket, a special lead being having fewer facilities and less power. ‘aux’ key was latterly labelled ‘CD’ and made available to split off the two inputs. Then came the Audiolab 8000A, fi tted with a ‘divide by 2’ attenuator and The A60AP was intended for use with launched in late 1983. For a little more a fi xed supersonic fi lter. By now, so many the SA60X, an extra power amplifi er and money (£250) the 8000A offered 50W changes had been made that the model fi lter unit which together with the A60AP instead of 30W and a fresh, modern look. was given a new designation: the A60+. and a pair of suitable loudspeakers could It was in some ways an intelligent updating The aux socket had a number of roles create a basic active set-up. In line with of the same ideas on which the A60 was over the life of the A60. Its original purpose the development of the normal A60, the founded and effectively replaced the A&R in the hearts of many British listeners. The A60’s other drawback was the matching T21 tuner, which was expensive and not especially capable when compared to similarly priced imported equipment. One thing that must be remembered is that the A60 straddled a time when the way a system was constructed changed at a fundamental level. During the LP era, it was common to pick a combination of deck, arm, cartridge, amplifi er and speakers which gave the desired tonality. Any part could be ‘tuned’ to obtain the required result, the other sources (tuner, tape, etc) being considered secondary. The introduction of CD brought with it a source with line level outputs whose tonal balance changed much less between different makes and models, reducing the potential to fi ne tune a system in this way.

LEFT: The A60 amplifi er was fi rst reviewed in HFN Nov ’77 and later, as part of a full system from A&R Cambridge, in HFN Oct ’84

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 119

Some contemporary reviewers found that a between there is no chance of overload. ABOVE: The ticket shows our A60 was built certain hardness was revealed in the A60’s Commonly available DIN-to-RCA adapters and tested on the 27th of July 1979. The phono midband when it was hooked up to a CD were used to connect the A60 to my Cyrus stage features a (white) plug-in loading module player and that some aspects of the sound CD8 SE2 CD player, while the 4mm output while the power amp uses one pair of (quasi- appeared compressed. Neither were said binding posts accepted my usual Chord complementary) TIP3055 devices per channel to be evident when the amplifi er was used Odyssey loudspeaker cables easily. with a turntable. An amp of this size would have typically mid-priced LP based system of its era: no . been used with smaller loudspeakers wonder it sold so well. TIM LISTENS so my reference Monitor Audio PL100s One of the albums used for the listening The review sample used here is not of the represented a realistic load. The A60 needs that showcased the A60 at its best was an very earliest type but it does represent a no skill to operate, the controls are clearly early CD copy of Nana Mouskouri’s Passport typical specifi cation of those units made labelled and all worked smoothly. [Philips 830 764-2] . The opening number before the A60+ was announced. As such, The sound of the A60 is typically ‘British’ ‘The White Rose Of Athens’ saw beautifully it lacks the CD input attenuator and fi lter and similar in character rendered vocals well but since the inputs feed the volume to that of the Nytech placed over the soft control directly with no active circuitry in CA252 [see HFN Jul ’14]. ‘It has a sense warbling guitars, while It may lack the sheer of accuracy and the simple percussion speed and sparkle of the sounded crisp. best amps from Japan or precision, backed As the track the luxurious indulgence progressed, the of Europe’s fi nest, but it up by a tidy bass’ soundstage opened up plays its best suit strongly nicely and Mouskouri’s which, it will come as no surprise to voice was presented as if a separate entity: discover, is clarity and transparency around such was the defi nition of its rendering. the vocal registers. This 1969 recording can sound overly This is a trait which gives the amplifi er a bright when played through some systems, sense of accuracy and precision, backed up but the A60 kept this in check, suggesting by a neat and tidy bass whose consistency it would be an ideal addition to a system over a wide range of output levels hints at that tended towards an aggressive, a well designed and generously specifi ed fatiguing sound. power supply section. Using the line-level inputs the treble TYPICALLY BRITISH comes over as soft, a feature that may Moving on to more modern material, the have been designed-in to tame aggressive- A60 demonstrated its typically British sounding cartridges when using the phono sound with Crowded House’s album input. In short, it is an ideal amplifi er for a Together Alone [Capitol 7243 8 27048 2 9]. The bass was tight and dry with good LEFT: From Arcam’s archive and the production control, but now the vocals were perhaps a line at the original Cambridge factory – the little prominent. It is the sort of sound that heatsinks and transistors were not fl ow soldered slowly equalises in your mind, however, on to the A60 circuit board but added later allowing you to enjoy the detail in the

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 121 Discover the IsoTek Effect

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A&R CAMBRIDGE A60 (Vintage) In the decades that ‘A&R Cambridge’ has become known as Arcam its amplifi ers have always been generously under- specifi ed, so it’s good to see that the tradition began with its very fi rst model – the A60. Rated at 30W/8ohm our original sample actually achieved 2x45W/8ohm and 2x59W/4ohm with 65W and 73W available under dynamic conditions into 8 and 4ohms, reducing to 27W and 12W into lower 2 and 1ohm loads [see Graph 1, below]. Full gain, via the ‘Tuner’ inputs, was a solid +44dB, requiring 100mV for its rated 30W output, ABOVE: Four DIN connections service Tuner (line) and MM phono inputs with Tape although the A-wtd S/N ratio was a little behind modern-day and Aux in/outputs alongside. Headphone-switched and direct speaker outputs are amplifi ers at 77.5dB (re. 0dBW). With no tone defeat facility, the response of the A60 is protected by in-line fuses. Note the fi nned heatsink for power amp stage still impressively ‘fl at’ with bass and treble set to 12 o’clock. Treble is good to –0.6dB/20kHz, rolling off to –3dB/40kHz and recordings without too much clutter to the rear is small for a unit that has –16dB/100kHz. The bass circuit has some residual infl uence at the extremes. I was aware that this power rating. The effects of this at LF, offering a gentle +0.6dB lift centred at 30Hz – suffi cient some aspects of the percussion, for can be seen in the interior view of to impart a warming glow! Stereo separation is a little weaker than we’d see today at 53dB through bass and midrange, example some of the cymbals and our sample, note the discoloration falling to 32dB at 20kHz, but this would have been (and still snare drums in the song ‘Distant of the PCB near the centre. is) perfectly acceptable for phono sources. Channel balance Sun’, were not as vivid sounding The output stage relies on two is rather better at 0.26dB (500mV in/0dBW out), especially as they would be heard live, but 1.6A fast-blow fuses for protection bearing in mind the A60 used a good, old-fashioned analogue potentiometer. Distortion is fairly consistent at ~0.01% through otherwise the A60 would not be against shorts and overloads. These bass and midrange up to 10W, increasing to 0.04% at 30W, but found lacking by to the standards of must be replaced with identically increases more obviously at HF to 0.06%/20kHz/1W [see Graph its market sector today. specifi ed ones or an important part 2]. Readers may view a full QC Suite test report for the A&R Want to hear the A60’s talent? of the amp’s protection regime Cambridge A60 integrated amplifi er by navigating to www. hifi news.co.uk and clicking on the red ‘Download’ button. PM Try listening to the sounds of the becomes ineffective. street landscape that opens the A&R is to be commended for song ‘Private Universe’. It was so publishing excellent circuit diagrams fi nely detailed that I felt I could and full technical information for the almost see the street before me, A60 so faulty units need not be too especially the Volkswagen that diffi cult to revive. There are no key crosses your listening space from left parts that cannot easily be replaced. to right as the section closes… For those wanting a particular version or specifi cation of the A60 BUYING SECONDHAND it is important to be aware that A&R The A60 has proven itself to be a issued update kits of components reliable amp. However, faults can and other parts (including fascia and do occur. Expect problems overlays) for older models. This due to noisy controls, worn out means that some examples may not ABOVE: Dynamic power output versus distortion (up connectors and cracked soldering be what they initially appear. to 1%) into 8ohm (black trace), 4ohm (red), 2ohm should a sample be well used. The contents of the kits are (blue) and 1ohm (green) speaker loads Heat is one enemy of the A60; detailed in A&R’s documentation the cabinet is slim and lacks any so it is in theory possible (with ventilation slots while the heatsink patience) to verify exactly what work has been done. Prices for the A60 are still sensible and they represent good value, both as vintage collectables and as everyday working units. HI-FI NEWS VERDICT It is not diffi cult to see why the A&R A60 sold in such huge ABOVE: Distortion versus frequency, 5Hz-40kHz at numbers. It is a well considered 1W/8ohm (black) and 20Hz-20kHz at 10W/8ohm (red) package and one that is still useful and relevant today. Easy HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS

to fi nd, not expensive to buy Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 45W / 59W secondhand and a practical Dynamic power (<1-2% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 65W / 73W / 27W / 12W proposition to repair and maintain, it could form the basis Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 0.155–0.540ohm for a wide variety of systems both Frequency resp. (20Hz–100kHz, 0dBW) +0.5dB to –15.6dB vintage and modern. For the Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/30W) 18mV / 100mV latter, the A60+ variant is possibly A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/30W) 77.5dB / 92.3dB

the better choice. Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, 10W/8ohm) 0.008–0.048% ABOVE: Original owner’s handbook Sound Quality: 79% Power consumption (Idle/rated output) 10W / 128W from 1982, the year in which the A60’s 0 ------100 Dimensions (WHD) 450x60x255mm preamplifi er circuit was revised

JULY 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 123 FROMFROM TTHEHE VVAULTAULT The amplifi er/ loudspeaker interface US designer Tomlinson Holman – the ‘TH’ in Lucasfi lm’s THX – outlines his ideas on designing power amplifi ers to cope with ‘real’ loudspeakers

regard for subjective performance. Instead, the design process follows certain established criteria which may or may not have anything to do with perceived performance.

NUMBERS GAME In high fi delity, the numbers game prevails – higher and higher input overload, higher and higher slew rate, greater and greater power. Which of these is worthwhile? How much of a given property is necessary or suffi cient is becoming the pertinent question. In power amplifi er design basic specifi cations are usually limited to frequency ‘stiff’ supplies – which change response, power output capability little under loading – provide the into resistive loads, S/N ratio, total best match into low impedances, harmonic distortion and the like. while those with relatively ‘loose’ While the information thus gained regulation can actually outperform is certainly useful we will see that the stiff supplies so long as the load the sum of the information is usually stays within a certain range. woefully inadequate to understand Let me illustrate. Say that we what is going on in light of the have an infi nitely ‘stiff’, and infi nitely complexity of program material and expensive, supply where the rail real loudspeaker loads. voltage does not change at all with The output transformer of valve respect to the load current drawn. amplifi ers provided a way for the Then the power output capability here technology is amplifi er to be matched to its load versus load impedance would Hi-Fi employed to reproduce impedance. That is, the 4ohm tap be 50W/16ohm, 100W/8ohm, News art, engineering on the output transformer gives 200W/4ohm, 400W/2ohm, etc. W concerns itself with a greater current capability with Enthusiasts with low-impedance Dec 1980 trade-offs of one kind or another less voltage swing then does the speakers benefi t from this design, between various aspects of technical 8ohm tap. Thus, although amplifi er but at a cost. Each month performance, according to certain designers heaved sighs of relief With a less regulated PSU, the HFN will bring criteria which, in the case of audio, when the advent of transistors supply voltage will ‘sag’, that is, go you an article are derived from listening tests. made it easy to dispense with the down under load. But the amplifi er from our vast However, as the human ear is formidable (and expensive) task can be designed to deliver the archive of not a calibrated test instrument, of designing a high-quality output same 100W/8ohm. An amplifi er features and the results of subjective listening transformer, nevertheless the so designed with ‘saggy’ rails reviews from tests are excruciatingly diffi cult to transformer does have this useful could have a power output versus yesteryear translate into engineering language. matching property which, in the load impedance of 70W/16ohm, While some of the world’s largest headlong rush to transistorise 100W/8ohm, 150W/4ohm and companies are slowly extending everything, somehow got lost. perhaps 200W/2ohm. For the the science of psychometrics to user of relatively high-impedance correlate sensual perception with POWER SUPPLIES loudspeakers, clearly this second technical measurements, there is no In today’s solid-state amplifi ers amp is the better one since not rigorous body of knowledge in this the designer has made a choice only does it produce more power area for the hi-fi designer to draw of (largely) power supply output into impedances above 8ohm, but upon. The result is that most hi-fi impedance to determine load it also costs a great deal less. Thus equipment is designed with little matching. Those amplifi ers with one design benefi ts the user of low-

124 | wwwww.hiww.h. ifi newnews.co.uks.co.uk | JULJULYULLY 20201515 series confi guration gives higher voltage (at lower current capability) while the parallel connection gives higher current capacity (at lower voltage). The power transformer in effect makes the voltage/current trade-off formerly made by the output transformer. The resulting amplifi er has more (nearly) constant power output capability versus load impedance than other solid-state amplifi ers: 75W into 16ohm, 100W into either 8 or 4ohm, and 150W into 2ohm.

THEORY VS. PRACTICE By far the most important fi ndings impedance loudspeakers, and the Headroom is very useful in an ABOVE: (Right) we made in the development of other the user of somewhat higher amplifi er designed for music. Fig. 2 shows the the test amplifi er concerned the impedance speakers. When we came to examine the elliptical load line real-life diffi culty of loudspeaker problem of designing a modern of a ‘real’ speaker loads compared to their theoretical DYNAMIC HEADROOM power amplifi er, our thinking load impinging models, and how badly some kinds So far we have only been discussing went along these lines: the output more closely of designs behave when confronted the long-term average power transformer of the valve amplifi er on the power with these non-theoretical loads. delivered to the load. But the two provided a useful function; the transistor’s safe Thoughts along these lines fi rst amplifi er designs illustrated also power supply stiffness required for operating area came to mind a few years ago differ on their best utilisation than the straight, when choosing an amplifi er for the short-term power of the power diagonal, line of diffi cult task of driving a loudspeaker output capability. ‘Fortunately, transformer a purely resistive for a piano recording session. We The stiffl y supplied composers refuse depends on the load (left, Fig. 1) found that, although many different amplifi er has a load impedance; amplifi ers were all right for this fi xed power output to compose with and loudspeaker situation on paper, in fact only very by defi nition, since impedances do BELOW: Naim’s few could reproduce piano music its supply voltages pure sine tones’ in fact range very modern- at realistic levels when one has the do not change from at least day Statement actual piano for comparison. under load. Thus it has no short term 2ohm to 16ohm nominal. amplifi er has an Remembering this subjective higher output capability and no The solution for our ‘test bed extremely stiff experience, we examined the consequent Dynamic Headroom. amplifi er’ was to make its power power supply. traditional engineering notion of The IHF defi nes Dynamic transformer switchable into two Continuous power the power amplifi er ‘load-line’, Headroom as the extra power (in dB) confi gurations. Several identical output virtually which is related to the loudspeaker available beyond the rated power windings on the secondary of doubles between impedance. A simple test-bench for 20 milliseconds every ½ second. the power transformer could be 8 and 4ohm resistive load gives a straight load- The loosely regulated supply which switched into either series or loads but there’s line, one which is relatively easy to ‘sags’ under load has more voltage parallel connection. Thus all of no dynamic drive down to fairly low values of swing capability in the short-term the copper in the transformer is headroom [see resistance because the line does than the regulated supply, and thus utilized all of the time, yet the HFN Jun ’15] not go outside the ‘safe-area of the amplifi er has a greater-than-zero operation’ of the output devices [see Dynamic Headroom. In our example, Fig. 1, above]. the Dynamic Headroom would On the other hand, it is known probably be about 2dB. and predictable from low-level Now the concept of Dynamic speaker impedance curves that Headroom would not be of use if at the frequencies where the the only program material to be loudspeaker is a reactive load played were sine waves (as assumed (ie, at most frequencies for most by the US FTC test procedure widely loudspeakers) more safe area is used used to evaluate the power output up since the load ‘line’ has become capability of amplifi ers). Fortunately elliptical [see Fig. 2, above]. All this for listeners, however, composers has been recognised in the past, steadfastly refuse to compose with though the information has been pure sine tones alone (what a dull applied with only variable success. world that would be). Any signal Looked at another way, a more complex than a sine wave has reactive impedance means that the associated with it a dynamic range, loudspeaker has the capacity to and thus the property of Dynamic store energy. It may store energy

JULYJULULY 202015151 | www.hiwwww .hihifi nnews.co.ukewsews.co.coo.uku | 125 OfÀcial UK Importer: www.decentaudio.co.uk [email protected] Tel: 0560 2054669

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neat acoustics Analogue Seduction are dedicated towards nottingham two channel Hi-Fi, specialising in vinyl replay. primare As well as our on-line shop we have dedicated demonstration retail facilities based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire ortofon and we can offer our customers home demonstrations. pmc (including fact) We stock the finest in amplification, analogue, digital replay and speakers. rega< We also specialise in a cable termination and cable burn in service. sennheiser Please visit our website www.analogueseduction.net to browse or purchase products that are not easily available elsewhere. sumiko signals New vinyl records now stocked roksan trilogy hi-fi for grown-ups Tel: +44 (0)1733 350878 Analogue Seduction, The Manor House, Manor View, ipswich (01473) 655171 Whittlesey, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE7 1TF www.signals.uk.com in the compliance of the drivers interacting with the box volume, or in the crossover. One need not be an engineer to understand ‘stored energy’ as both types of energy storage are present in the ignition system of a car.

DRIVING REAL LOADS The stored energy in the speaker has but one place to dissipate that energy since it is connected to but one thing – the amplifi er. The work we carried out recognises the value of the text-book load-line theory, but extends it to include more actual cases. For example, Figs. 3A and B are perfectly predicted by theory but Fig. 3C [see above right] is not, although it is derived from the same loudspeaker as A and B but at a ABOVE: (Top) actually driving a loudspeaker with that current must keep fl owing no different frequency. Figs. 4A, B and C Figs. 3A, B and program material, yet does not matter what. So the output voltage show the machinations of load-line C – load line for a show up in conventional power snaps to a point where current can changes with fi xed frequency at loudspeaker when output specifi cations. keep fl owing [see Fig. 6, below left], increasing drive level [see right]. driven at (left-to- The IHF has dubbed this capacity but a burst of oscillation may occur Fig. 5 [below] shows a triangular right) 160Hz, 60Hz ‘Reactive Load Drive’ and although as the protection circuit and load load-line with a peak current of and 25Hz. (Below) few companies in the US use it, inductance seek a balance. 24A caused by saturation of a Figs. 4A, B and C Reactive Load Drive capability The irony is that the very circuit loudspeaker’s input transformer. – load line for a should be used as an important designed to protect the amplifi er This property of loudspeakers must speaker driven measure of actual loudspeaker from excursions outside the safe- give one pause in evaluating the near resonance, driving capacity. area, itself causes excursions outside power required to be dissipated in with increasing the safe area. (During the snap, the output stage of a conventional power levels PROTECTION CIRCUITS one circuit in an amplifi er from a Class A/B amplifi er. The ability to Conventional wisdom (such as well-respected source we measured drive such loads thoroughly calls BELOW: (Top) RCA application notes) have said produced 15A of current through for a great deal of safe area for a Fig.5 – triangular- in the past that we should employ the output transistor at the moment given output power, much more shaped load-line safe-area limiters there was 90V than might have been thought for speaker with to prevent across it!) necessary in the past. An amplifi er autotransfomer. output stage ‘Safe-area To avoid these having adequate ‘elbow-room’ (Below) Fig. 6 – voltage/current/ protection comes diffi culties, I feel for anomalous load impedances is waveform distorts time excursions it is practical to indeed valuable when it comes to as protection trips outside the safe on at the sight of include a relay limits to prevent circuit operating destruction of the impending doom’ on the same output stage. The voltage/current/ usual circuitry to accomplish this time conditions in the output trick consists of a safe-area limit stage which disconnects the load detector transistor which switches when necessary, thus obviating any on at the sight of impending doom trouble. (The relay can be made to and steals drive current away from operate in about 2 milliseconds, and the output stages. this is adequate time for even the This is where conventional worst-case conditions.) wisdom goes wrong – let us say that current is fl owing down from CRIPPLING CAPACITORS the positive power supply through Conventional amplifi er tests do not the top-half output transistor and employ asymmetrical waveforms but out into an inductive load. Further, music, and especially speech signals, let’s say that the voltage/current/ can be strongly asymmetric. We time conditions have been exceeded have found that the conventional and the drive current is stolen by use of large capacitors within the the safe-area detector transistor. amplifi er to increase AC gain or to Then no current can come from block offsets can have detrimental the top transistor as it has no drive, effects when asymmetrical (music- but the property of inductance says like) waveforms are reproduced.

JULYJULULY 20201515 | www.hiwwww .hihifi nnews.co.ukews.cocoo.uk | 127  (&


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  Such capacitors tend to take on a net charge due to the asymmetry which must then be discharged by any available path in order to recover equilibrium. The problems caused by such capacitors also extend to reliability in loudspeakers. When such capacitors become charged due to asymmetry and subsequently discharge, they generally do so with a very low frequency time-constant. This means that the effect is not directly audible but that woofer cones are driven through long, Also in HFN this unnecessary excursions. Fully DC-coupled designs month in 1980 overcome this diffi culty since there are no paths which can become POWER MOSFETS charged and which must then ‘latchup’, ie, the output hangs up ABOVE: Pages John Linsley Hood’s outline of discharge. However, amplifi ers against its rail when clipped, due to from the Dec this new transistor. which are fully DC-coupled often can saturation of the output stage. This 1980 issue of exhibit a moderate DC offset voltage is particularly present in older quasi- Hi-Fi News in AUDIO ACCESSORIES at their output since the DC and AC complementary designs where one which Tomlinson A survey of ‘hi-fi bits and pieces’ gains are the same. Such relatively half of the output stage is operated Holman sets out by D. Aldous and J. Atkinson. small offsets are not bothersome in common emitter mode – this his parameters with conventional loudspeakers stage can easily become saturated for designing TAPE MATTERS (transformer-coupled input and ‘stuck’ to the rail. The effect on the ideal power By Douglas Brown. loudspeakers are another matter). the speaker is obvious. amplifi er to cope Other amplifi ers allow large with ‘real world’ FM RADIO OVERLOAD AND CLIPPING amounts of 100Hz (120Hz in the US) speaker loads Angus McKenzie’s monthly When an amplifi er is driven into ripple through to the output under column on all things FM. clipping the feedback loop capacitor clipping conditions. If, for example, does not receive a cymbal AUDIO PATENTS suffi cient charge crash clipped By Barry Fox. from the feedback ‘If a cymbal crash the amplifi er loop resistor, clips an amplifi er, momentarily, GRAMOPHILE so its DC level a blast of hum The record and music scene. changes when it’s accompanied would also the overload is accompany MID-PRICED CARTRIDGES removed. DC by a blast of hum’ the clipping Martin Colloms tests the Audio- equilibrium is condition. Since Technica AT24, Dynavector regained but the long time-constant the hum lies many octaves below 20BII, Ortofon MC20II, B&O of the feedback loop capacitor/ the cymbal there is little masking MMC 20CL and Technics EPC- resistor means that the recovery effect to cover the sin, and the result 205 IIIL. time is also long. is muddiness worse than simple Amplifi ers do have a tendency clipping alone. One way around this PIANISTS EARL WILD & ANGELA to sound different under overload problem is to have separate power BROWNRIDGE INTERVIEWED conditions, and are often clipped supplies for the low level stages By Andrew Keener. momentarily as new, wide-dynamic- and anti-saturation techniques to LEFT: Today’s range program sources become prevent ‘sticking’. amplifi er reviews RECORD REVIEWS available. Some amplifi ers ‘stick’ or There are many aspects of power in HFN are Including classical collections, amplifi er performance that accompanied reissues, cassettes and records are not yet given adequate by extensive lab of the month. consideration. It is not the tests, including ‘speed’ of the amplifi er, a profi le of the LOOKING BACK its THD or any other single amp’s dynamic By Peter Gammond. widely-advertised aspect of behaviour (power performance which makes for output versus THE THINGS I HEAR a ‘good’ amp, but balanced distortion) into By David Pickett. consideration given to myriad 8, 4, 2 and 1ohm aspects of design, of which loads [GamuT READERS’ LETTERS only some are shown up in M250i shown This month’s correspondence. conventional testing. here, HFN May ’15]

JULYJULULY 202015151 | www.hiwwww .hihifi news.co.uknewsws.co.coo.ukk | 129

Call: 0845 6019390 Email: news@2ndhandhifi .co.uk The UK’s biggest and best used audio selection Analogue Amplifi ers Digital Loudspeakers Aesthetix Rhea dem Call Almarro 318B with cage, excellent boxed used 1199 Arcam Alpha 8, excellent used 149 Acoustic Energy AE1 Classic new 799 Aesthetix Rhea Signature, as new new Call AMR 777 Integrated dem 1999 Arcam Alpha 8se, excellent boxed used 199 Acoustic Energy AE 1 Mk11 in Gloss black dem 799 Alphason Xenon with AudioOrigami rewire dem 299 Anthem Integrated 2 Valve Integrated used 499 Arcam CD17, excellent used 279 Apogee Duetta Signature (Reality rebuilt) Superb used 3249 Audiolici phono stage and line preamp dem 999 Arcam P90, vgc+ used 299 Arcam CD73, vgc+, remote used 179 Art Audio Stiletto in Maple dem 599 Avid Acutus Ref power supply dem 2499 Arcam A85, vgc+ used 249 Arcam CD37, remote excellent, reduced used 699 Aspara Acoustics HL6 in Oak new 1999 Avid Volvere SP turntable, sealed box new 2799 Arcam Alpha 8P, vgc+ boxed used 199 Atoll 100SE DAC new 299 Audio Physic Tempo in Cherry, fair dem 699 Bakoon EQA11r phonostage, near mint boxed used 1499 Arcam Alpha 7, vgc+ boxed used 99 Audio Alchemy digital transmission interface/psu used 99 Audiovector Si3, near mintboxed dem 749 Benz Micro LP, boxed plenty of life left used 1199 Arcam C31 preamplifi er, remote excellent used 499 Audio Analogue Maestro SE CD dem Call Audiovector Si3 Super, near mint boxed dem 1199 Clearaudio Innovation Compact, good condition dem 1999 Art Audio Jota 520b, excellent used 3999 Audio Analogue Paganini (later model) dem 399 Aurum Cantus Music Goddess in Gloss black dem 699 Clearaudio Unify Tonearm excellent boxed used 699 Audia Flight Pre and Flight 50 Class A power dem 3999 Audio Synthesis Transcend CDT (Modded SONY) dem 399 Avalon Ascendant Mk2, mint crated, £10k new used 3499 Clearaudio Basic Symmetry Phono Stage boxed used 699 Ayre Evolution DVD dem 1999 Audio Analogue Bellini VB and Donizetti Cento, superb used 2499 B&W 805s in cherry, excellent used 1749 Conrad Johnson TEA 1b Phono stage used 1999 Bryston BDA1 DAC, excellent boxed dem 1399 Audio Analogue Puccini SE amp. Black dem 379 B&W CDM1se in cherry, excellent used 349 Conrad Johnson Premier Six phono preamplifi er used Call Cary Audio CD306 Pro, near mint boxed used 3249 Audio Analogue Class A Integrated - HUGE! dem 3999 B&W CDM1nt boxed, excellent used 299 Consonance Cyber 40 phono stage dem 599 Chapter Audio Sonnet CD & Nevo remote dem 1999 Audio Project ap60 integrated dem Call B&W DM601s3, vgc+ used 299 Garrard 401, Jelco 750 12” arm, new plinth and lid used 1199 Audio Research Ref 610 Monoblocks, vgc boxed used 14299 Chord ‘One’ CD player dem 1799 B&W DM602s3, vgc+ used 249 Garrard 401 Motor Unit, Bastin serviced used Call Audiolab 8000Q/Ms, silver, excellent boxed used 899 Chord Qute EX DAC, excellent boxed dem 799 Castle Howard, excellent used 349 Graham Phantom Supreme 12”, SME cut dem Call Audiolab 8000C excellent boxed used 199 Consonance CD120 Linear dem 399 Castle Chester vgc later versions used 1999 Graham Slee Fanfare Gramamp 3 used 179 Audiolab 8000P vgc boxed used 299 Consonance CD2.2, new sealed new Call Davone Ray, vgc in walnut, great! used 1999 Hadcock 242 Export, boxed dem 599 Audiolab 8200A vgc boxed dem 499 Consonance Droplet, vgc+ dem 899 Eminent Technology LFT8, some marks used 499 Lehmann Black Cube phono stage dem 199 Audion Sterling Plus KT88 Integrated boxed dem 499 Creek Destiny Integrated CD player, boxed dem 699 Epos M22 in Cherry dem 549 Inspire ‘Full on’ Technics 1210/Plinth/PSU/SME M2 arm used 1899 AVI Lab Series Pre/Power, excellent remote used 1749 Cyrus Discmaster/Dacmaster, vgc+ used 399 Ferguson Hill FH007&8 ‘desktop’ audio set boxed used 349 Linn Majik LP12 with arm cart, near mint boxed used 1499 BAT VK50se preamplifi er, vgc+ used 2499 Cyrus CDXT2, mint boxed just back from Cyrus used 649 Final 400 Electrostatics with ES400 Sub dem 999 Linn Sondek, Ittok, Troika, boxed new lid used 1199 Bryston 4Bsst2, excellent boxed, used 2999 Cyrus CD8, boxed remote used 299 Focal Electra 1008, mint boxed dem 2249 Linn Sondek, Ittok, boxed new lid used 999 Bryston B100sst excellent boxed used 2249 Cyrus CD7Q chip, vgc+ used 279 Linn Sondek, Ittok, nice condition used 899 Chapter Audio Couplet Power Amplifi er dem 1999 Cyrus dAD3, remote, vgc+ used 199 Focal Electra 1028, mint boxed dem 2749 Linn Sondek, Lingo, Naim Aro, superb used 2499 Chord Electronics CPM2650 Integrated, ex boxed used 2499 Cyrus CD8se, boxed remote used 449 Focal Electra 1038, mint boxed dem 3999 Linn Sondek, Grace 707, basik psu, VGC+ used 599 Chord Electronics CPA3200/SPM1200E used 3749 Denon DNP720AE, near mint boxed used 199 Gallo Nucleus Reference 2, rare, superb & boxed used 1999 Linn Sondek, Naim Aro, Staff build Armageddon used 2499 Consonance Cyber 10 Integrated dem 799 EAR Acute 3, mint boxed dem 3749 Heco Celan 500 in Silver dem 499 Linn Lingo, excellent used 599 Consonance Ref 8.8 integrated valve amp dem 999 Exposure 2010CD, remote used 199 Heco Celan 300 in Mahogany dem 399 Linn Basik Plus, vgc+ used 149 Consonance Cyber 211 monos c/w Pavane valves dem 2999 Goldenote Koala , near mint boxed used 759 Heco Statement in gloss black, £3k new dem 1499 Lyra Erodion Step up used 1499 Creek OBH21, excellent used 119 Inca Design Katana cd player (no remote) used 149 Kef Q100, brand new, sealed box new 249 Michell Hydraulic Reference, Fluid arm, excellent used 779 Creek 4330mk2, excellent used 119 Kelvin Labs DAC, rare used 199 Kudos C10, boxed vgc and cheap used 999 Michell Tecnoarm A in black as new mint boxed used 449 Cyrus aCA7.5, excellent boxed remote used 249 Leema Elements CD player sealed box new 749 Leema Xandia Mk1 in black new 2499 Michell Syncro/RB250/Eroica, great condition used 499 Cyrus Power, vgc+ used 199 Linn Majik CD, just factory serviced, excellent! used 749 Leema Xero in Mahogany dem 349 Michell Focus with Hydraulic platter and Linn arm used 349 Cyrus XPower, excellent boxed used 599 Linn Karik 3, excellent boxed remote used 499 Living Voice IBX R2 in stunning Zebrano, excellent used 2249 Michell Orbe, DC motor, SME V boxed used 3499 DartZeel NHB108B, excellent £20+k new used 7999 Marantz CD6003, excellent boxed used 149 Mark & Daniel Maximus with treble extenders £2500ish dem 999 Moth phono stage dem 249 Denon PMA1500AE, excellent used 749 Marantz CD17, remote, excellent used 399 Mark & Daniel Mini in Grey inc. Marble cabinets. dem 699 Musical Fidelity XLPSV8 phono stage dem 199 Graaf GM50B Mk11 Integrated dem 2999 Marantz CD63Ki, remote, boxed excellent used 149 Martin Logan Mosaic, excellent boxed used 699 NAIM Aro, excellent boxed used 1499 Graaf GM100 valve power amp dem 1999 Marantz NA7004, nr mint boxed used 349 Martin Logan Quests, superb sound, reduced used 1299 NAIM Stageline S excellent boxed used 199 Jolida Envoy 211 Monoblocks, £7k new, superb used 1999 Meridian 506/20 with MSR used 399 Martin Logan Prodigy, excellent used 3499 NAIM Stageline N vgc used 179 Leema Hydra 2, vgc+ boxed used 1899 Meridian G08, remote boxed used 1199 Martin Logan Summit X, ex demo dem 8999 Oracle Delphi, Zeta, due in used 999 Merdian 563 DAC reasonable condition used 149 Leema Elements Amplifi er, excellent dem 899 Mission 782se nr mint boxed used 199 Project Phonobox SE phonostage, excellent value dem 99 Meridian 500 Transport, excellent boxed used 599 Leema Tucana 2, excellent dem 1899 Mission Freedom 5, vgc in Rosewood used 399 Project RPM 10 turntable with arm and platform dem 849 Meridian 602/606 combo with remote used 799 LFD LS1 linestage, reasonable shape used 299 Mission 752, rosewood excellent used 179 Project Debut Carbon, exellent boxed used 199 Metrum Acoustics Octave NOS Dac used 549 Linn Majik Kontrol & 4100 Power, excellent used 1499 Monitor Audio RS8 excellent dem 399 Project Xpression mk2, arm and cart used 199 Micromega MyDac, excellent boxed used 179 McIntosh C22 & MC275 Commemoratives, boxed used 6999 Monitor Audio GX300, ebony near mint boxed new 1999 Project RPM 4 Turntable/Arm with cover, great! used 249 Micromega Leader, remote used 99 McIntosh MA5100, excellent! used 749 Monitor Audio GX 5.1 Home Cinema set BARGAIN new 4999 Project Perspective, Speedbox SE, Shure V15Mx used 599 Musical Fidelity 3.5 CD dem 399 Meridian 501V preamp, excellent used 299 Monopulse Model S new 699 Rega Planar 2, RB250, excellent boxed used 179 Musical Fidelity KW SACD, new laser, upgraded ps used 1249 Meridian 501 Pre used 349 Rega RP3 Elys2 cartridge, excellent boxed used 399 Musical Fidelity M1 DAC, excellent boxed used 329 Monopulse Model A speakers new 1499 Micromega IA100, great integrated, boxed dem 599 Rega RP6, Exact cartridge, vgc boxed used 649 Musical Fidelity M1 CDTB dem 499 Monopulse Model C new 399 Moon W7RS, excellent used 4499 Roksan TMS 2 with Reference PSU, boxed as new used 2899 Musical Fidelity M3 black boxed dem 499 Musical Fidelity MC6 Floorstanders, boxed vgc+ used Call Musical Fidelity M3i, excellent boxed, REDUCED used 549 Scheu Laufwerk mk2 with Unipivot tonearm, due in used Call Musical Fidelity M1Clic new 699 NAIM Nsat x 4, NCent and NSub, boxed excellent used 1749 Musical Fidelity A1000 Two box monster Integrated! used 999 SME 3012, excellent used 799 Musical Fidelity XDac, excellent used 199 NAIM Ovator S400, excellent dem Call Musical Fidelity A1 FPB Preamp and PSU, excellent used 399 SME 3009/3, excellent boxed used 249 Myryad Z20DAC, excellent boxed used 199 NAIM Credo, excellent used 399 Musical Fidelity 550K Superchargers, sealed boxes! used 1999 SME V, excellent, boxed, due in used 1499 NAIM CD5i, excellent boxed used 449 NAIM SBL, vgc+ used 699 Musical Fidelity X-T100 Integrated dem 249 SME V12, nr mint boxed dem Call NAIM DAC, nr mint boxed dem 1499 NAIM SBL mk2, vgc+ used 999 Musical Fidelity Pre 8 and 2 x MA65 chrome fronted used 799 Technics 1210, near mint, Alphason Xenon used 599 NAIM CD5si, near mint boxed used 699 Nola KO speakers in black dem 3999 NAIM NAP100, vgc+ used 499 Technics 1210, near mint boxed used 399 NAIM CDS3, excellent boxed, remote used 1899 Nola Micro Grand Reference inc stands, £15k new dem 5995 NAIM NAC82, excellent boxed used 899 Technics SL110 with SME 3009 used 499 NAIM CDi, excellent boxed used 599 PMC GB1, excellent, new boxes used 599 NAIM NAP250, olive excellent boxed used 899 Thorens TD150, SME3009 good condition new 299 NAIM CD3.5, vgc used 299 PMC Twenty 21, excellent boxed, ex dealer demo used 899 NAIM NAP250, very late olive excellent used 1099 Thorens TD160 HD turntable new 1199 NAIM CDX2, excellent boxed used 999 PMC Twenty 22, excellent boxed, ex dealer demo used 1399 NAIM NAC42.5/NAP110, vgc used 349 Thorens TD160, Audio Technica arm, boxed used 249 NAIM CDX2, 2009, excellent boxed used 1399 PMC Twenty 23, excellent boxed, used 1599 NAIM NAP250, excellent late boxed olive used 1199 Thorens TD160,Rega arm, replinthed, lovely! used 349 Oppo BDP83se, excellent boxed used 399 Proac D38 in Yew, boxed fair used 2499 NAIM NAP150, excellent boxed used 349 Thorens TD209 turntable package dem 699 Peachtree DACit, excellent dem 199 Proac D28, good condition in cherry boxed used 1999 NAIM NAC202 with NAPSC, boxed used 1199 Thorens TD2030 Blue turntable new 999 Prima Luna Prologue 8, ex demo boxed dem 1299 Proac D18, good condition in cherry boxed used 1399 NAIM AV2/NAPV175, remote, excellent boxed used 1199 Thorens TD125 c/w SME3009, excellent used 399 Quad 99CDP, excellent REDUCED used 349 Proac Studio 140 mk2, nr mint boxed dem 1199 NAIM NAP180, excellent boxed used 599 Tom Evans Groove, 0.85mv/100 ohm, excellent used 849 Rega Planet 2000, excellent used 199 Proac Studio 110, excellent boxed used 499 NAIM NAIT 5, excellent remote boxed used 449 Townshend Elite Rock c/w Excalibur, boxed excellent used 799 Rega Apollo R, excellent used 449 Proac Studio 115, excellent boxed dem 749 NAIM NAC152/NAP155XS, excellent boxed used 1199 Transfi guration Orpheus L, good condition used 799 Rega Apollo 35th Anniversary, excellent used 449 Quad 21L Floorstander used 199 VDH Colibri M/C cartridge dem 2999 NAIM NAC90/NAP92, vgc used 349 Rega Io DAC, excellent used 149 NAIM NAP250, chrome bumper used 699 Quad 11L2, excellent boxed used 249 VDH Condor M/C cartridge new 1999 Rega Saturn, excellent boxed used 599 Red Rose Rosebud £2.5k new with (used) stands dem 799 Voyd, Voyd, split phase psu and RB900 used 1499 Neutonia Salis Integrated, classy Restek built used 399 Roksan Kandy K2CD, excellent boxed used 449 Onix OA32 Integrated, excellent used 299 REL Sterling, black ash vgc used 149 VPI Scout, JMW arm excellent used 999 Rotel RCD965BX, excellent boxed used 99 Revel M22, excellent boxed new 599 Wilson Benesch Act 1 Tonearm, nr mint superb used 799 Onix OA25 Integrated, excellent used 399 Sugden Masterclass CD original version used 999 Revolver RW45 fl oorstander in Cherry dem 699 Pathos Logos Integrated dem 1999 TAG McLaren DAC 20, excellent used 249 Revolver Cygnis Gold in Black, £14k new dem 4995 Placette Audio Passive Linestage dem 599 Tube Technology Fulcrum CD transport dem 699 Sonus Faber Elipsa, superb boxed used 5999 Prima Luna Prologue 3 Preamplifi er vgc+ used 649 Tube Technology Fulcrum DAC (inc DAC64 chip) dem 899 Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor, boxed used 1199 Radio/Recorders Prima Luna Prologue 2 Integrated, good shape dem 799 Yamaha CD-S3000 near mint dem 2249 Spendor A6, in Walnut excellent boxed used 999 Arcam Alpha 10DAB tuner, excellent used 149 Prima Luna Prologue 3 Preamplifi er, REDUCED dem 749 Sunfi re True Sub Subwoofer dem 399 Arcam T61, vgc+ used 79 Puresound L300 valve preamp dem 3599 Tannoy Prestige Autograph Mini, ex boxed used 999 Cyrus FM7, vgc+ used 149 Quad 99 Pre/Power, excellent, remote, Quadlink used 649 Denon TU1800DAB, excellent boxed used 179 Quad 405, from used 199 AV/Accessories/Cables Thiel CS7.2, vgc, just refurbished… used 2499 Musical Fidelity A5DAB, sealed box used 499 Quad 33/303, vgc, serviced used 299 Audeze LCD2 excellent dem 599 Totem Mani Signature, boxed near mint used 2999 NAIM NAT03, excellent used 199 Resolution Audio Opus 21 S80 Integrated dem Call Audeze LCDXC excellent dem 899 Totem Mite in black dem 449 NAIM NAT01 and NAPST chrome, serviced , vgc+ used 899 Renaisance RA02 Monos, vgc and excellent value used 499 Beyer Dynamic T1, vgc boxed used Call Totem Rokk in mahogany, excellent used 249 NAIM NAT101 & SNAPS, excellent £500 NAIM service used 899 Roksan Kandy K2 Power, nr mint boxed dem 499 Bryston BHA-1 Headphone amplifi er, superb dem 999 Totem Sttaf, near mint boxed new 999 Nakamichi DR10, excellent used 249 Sugden Masterclass Monoblocks, in titanium used 3999 Cyrus PSXR, excellent from used 279 Usher N6311, transit damaged to clear dem 499 Nakamichi DR1, vgc used 199 Sugden A21a line Integrated dem 999 Elemental Audio Equipment Rack dem 499 Usher Mini Dancer 2 in Maple, excellent boxed dem 2999 Nakamichi BX2, excellent used 149 Sugden Masterclass Pre/Monos in Graphite used 6499 Elemental Audio speaker stands dem 499 Vandersteen Quattro, accessories, transformers etc used 2999 Nakamichi 580, near mint boxed used 249 Sugden Masterclass Pre/Monos in Titanium used 6499 Ergo AMT phones with Amp 2 (£2.5k new) dem 1499 Velodyne DD18 sub in black dem 1999 Pioneer CT91a reference used 199 Sugden Masterclass Integrated in Titanium dem 2749 G+W T2.6F Valve headphone amplifi er, excellent used 159 Veritas H3 (Lowther drivers) in gloss black, 100db dem 2999 Pure 701ES DAB Tuner used 89 TagMcLaren 60iRV, excellent boxed used 299 Grado GS1000 and RA1 amplifi er used 599 Wilson Audio Duette, excellent dem 4899 Revox PR99, crated used 799 Talk Electronics Hurricane/Tornado Pre/Power used Call Isotek Nova power conditioner dem 1199 Wilson Benesch Actor fl oorstanders dem 1999 Tandberg TCD440a, superb! used 499 Tannoy TA1400, excellent boxed used 599 Lehmann Rhinelander used 199 TEAC V8000S, superb used 299 TEAC Distinction A1000 Integrated, ex demo dem 599 Musical Fidelity M1 HPAB dem 399 TEAC X1000M, serviced, superb used 599 Trio LO7C good condition used 249 Musical Fidelity TripleX power supply new 199 Special system deals TEAC X10R, serviced, superb used 599 Unison Research Preludio Integrated, excellent boxed used 1199 NAIM XPS DR, ex demo dem 2599 Consonance Ping CD/AMP dem 599 Technics RS1500 in fl ightcase near mint used 2499 Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated dem 999 NAIM XPS, excellent boxed dem 1499 Linn Classik Movie 05, excellent boxed used 699 Rotel RT1080, excellent used 149 Unison Research S2k Integrated, excellent dem 699 NAIM HiCap, various used Call NAIM Uniti 24/192, excellent used 1349 Yamaha KX1200 excellent used 199 Yamaha AS500, excellent boxed used 179 ProAudio Bono Reference Platform dem 399 Orelle EVO CD and Amp was £2700 used 799 Yamaha CT7000, vgc used 499 Yamaha A-S3000, nr mint boxed dem 1999 Stax SR404/SRM006tii, stand, cover etc boxed used 999 Yamaha CXA5000/MXA5000 as new boxed dem Call Tel: 01642 267012 or 0845 6019390 Email: news@ 2ndhandhifi .co.uk Huge range of high end brands Expert system matching advise Used high end hi-fi bought and sold Part exchange welcome All items checked and guaranteed Major credit cards accepted HI-FI E X CHANGE GUARANTEED HIGH QUALITY NEW & PRE-OWNED HI-FI: LLATESTATEST 4400 Infinity Kappa 9 £1,990 Krell KAV 300i £790 Transparent Audio Reference digital balanced £420 Alon Phalanx £4,990 Avalon Indra £9,990 Copland CSA14 £490 Elac FS 207.2 £450 Focal JM Lab Alto Utopia Be £4,750 Krell 400e Evolution Monoblocks £11,990 Theta Data Basic £390 Acoustic Energy AELITE THREE £350 Naim Audio CDX2 £1,490 MIT MH 750 Plus 10ft pair £450 Sonus Faber Minuetto & Ironwood stands £890 Linn classik £350 Nordost Sort Kone AC (x3) £140 Yamaha NS1000M £990 Audio Research LS2 £950 Ruark Rapsody £200 Kubala Sosna Anticipation £190 VPI HW19 Mk3 £600 Bryston SP3 £7,000 Sonus Faber Amati Homage £7,990 Artisan Silver Cables Digital (Pure Silver 1m) £180 Bryston 3-way speaker switch box £495 McIntosh MCD550 CD/SACD player £5,000 McIntosh C2500 £4,500 Welborne Labs DRD45 monos Rectifying psu £1,995 Transparent Audio Referece XL 1.25m XLR £1,200 Transparent Audio Music Link Plus £135 Audiolab 8200 CDQ £650 Avantgarde Acoustics Duo 2.2 & 225 subs £5,750 Transparent Audio Reference XL SS 12ft/ spades £1,990 Cardas Audio Golden cross tone arm cable £350 Wadia Digimaster X64.4 £990 Nordost Vishnu Power Cable £250 Goldmund Telos 150 £1,690 Kondo KSL vc tone arm cable £450 Focal JM Lab Diablos Utopia III & Stands £4,990 VPI Classic 2/JMW 10.5i & SDS psu £2,490

CD PlayersPlayers and DACs Avalon Time £42,500£42,500 ATC S1A2-150 £2,200£2,200 GryphonGryphon Sonata AlleAllegrogro £5,490£5,490 Accuphase DP500 £2,490 Avantgarde Acoustics Duo 2.2 & 225 subs £5,750 Audio Note Kegon £35,000 Jadis JPS2S £9,990 Arcam rDAC + Squeeze £250 B&W DM 70 Continentals £1,800 Audio Research DS450 (New-sealed box) £4,995 Klyne Audio Arts 7LX3.5 & phono £2,790 Audio Aero Capitole Signature £3,300 B&W htm 2D £2,600 B.A.T. VK-255 SE £3,700 Krell Evolution 202 £5,990 Audio Aero La Source £29,500 B&W Matrix 800 £5,990 Bel Canto Ref 1000 M (Mk2) Mono blocks NEW £4,300 Linn Klimax Kontrol £4,250 Audio Aero La Fontaine £17,500 Beauhorn B2.2 Revelation £1,800 Bel Canto Ref 1000 monos £1,990 Luxman C800f £8,990 Audiolab 8200CD £600 Dali 300 MK2 in Rosewood £1,650 BMC Audio CS2 Integrated/ Power Amplifi er £5,495 Mark Levinson No 326s Reference Audiomeca/ Pierre Lurne Mephisto CD Transport £790 Eclipse TD512, A502 + Stands £2,000 BMC Audio M2 Monoblocks £10,990 Dual Mono Pre £8,170 Bel Canto Dac3 £2,199 Eggleston Works SAVOY £15,000 Boulder 2060 £14,990 Mark Levinson No 380 £1,790 Bel Canto USB Link 24/96 £349 Elac FS 207.2 £450 Chord Electronics 1200c £1,690 McIntosh C2200 £3,750 Bluenote Stibbert valve improved £1,800 Focal JM Lab Diablos Utopia III & Stands £4,990 Conrad Johnson Prem 8A monoblocks £4,950 McIntosh C2500 £4,500 BMC Audio BDCD1.1 Belt Drive CD Player £3,795 Focal JM Lab Electra 1028Be £2,695 Crimson Electronics 640 E3 Monoblocks £3,399 Musical Fidelity Kw Phono £1,450 BMC Audio PureDAC £1,550 Focal JM Lab Grande Utopia III EM £121,999 Edge NL Reference Monoblocks £34,990 Sony TAE 900 £2,990 Cambridge Audio dacmagic plus £165 Focal JM Lab Scala Utopia 3 £18,999 Goldmund Telos 150 £1,690 Tom Evans The Vibe pre & Pulse power supply £2,750 Copland CDA822 £650 Focal JM Lab Stella Utopia III EM £47,990 Gryphon Antileon £5,990 VTL TL 6.5 Signature Line Pre £9,990 Esoteric P05 D05 £5,500 Focal JM Lab Alto Utopia Be £4,750 Halcro DM 88 Monoblocks £24,950 Krell EVO 505 (110v) £3,395 Gamut S5 £9,490 Jadis ja-250 £15,000 Turntables/Arms/Cartridges & Phonostages Krell Evolution 525 £5,990 Genesis Technologies Genesis G200. Jeff Rowland Model 3 Monoblocks £2,500 Aesthetix IO Eclipse £15,590 Krell KPS25sc £2,995 4 box system £12,990 Karan Acoustics KA M2000 £22,990 Audio Research PH8 black £3,890 Marantz UD 9004 £2,690 Genesis Technologies 5.3 £7,500 Krell 400e Evolution Monoblocks £11,990 BMC Audio MCCI Phono MC £2,590 Mark Levinson No 31.5 Reference CD Transport £3,590 Hansen Audio Emperor £32,500 Krell EVO 302 £5,500 Boulder MM/MC Phono stage & psu £1,795 Mark Levinson No 512 CD/SACD £12,255 Hansen Audio Prince V2 £18,000 Lamm Lamm M1.1 £6,990 Cello Cartridge £4,000 Mark Levinson No 512 CD/SACD £7,995 Hansen Audio The Knight £9,900 Leema Acoustics Corvus £999 Clear Audio da Vinci V2 £2,890 Mark Levinson No 31 & 30.5 Transp/Dac £7,450 Heco celan 500 £550 Linn klimax Solos £8,995 Clear Audio Insider Gold £500 McIntosh MCD1100 £7,490 Infi nity Kappa 9 £1,990 Luxman M800A stereo power £8,990 Dr. Feickert Analogue NG High-Precision McIntosh MCD550 CD/SACD player £5,000 JBL 250 Ti £2,890 Mark Levinson No 33H £9,900 Cartridge Alignment Tool £149 Meridian Audio 508 £600 KEF Moun £85,000 Mark Levinson No 532 £17,362 ELP LT-1LRC £3,500 Micro Seiki CDM2 £1,290 Krell resolution 3 £2,700 Mark Levinson No 532H Reference EMT 950 Broadcast Turnta Fabulous MICROMEGA Microdac £295 Living Voice Auditorium £1,350 High current Dual Mono Power Amp £7,500 BBC Wide body £6,500 Moon 300D £850 Loewe Reference stand speaker £1,400 Mark Levinson No 532H stereo power amp £4,995 Gale GT2101 Turntable £7,990 Musical Fidelity M6 CD £899 Martin Logan Summit £5,500 McIntosh MC275 (2 Available) £4,250 Jan Allaerts MC1B mk1 £1,495 Naim Audio CDi £650 Martin Logan Logos Centre £890 Musical Fidelity 308 K Mono-blocks £650 Klyne Audio Arts 6PE mm/mc £1,950 Naim Audio CDX2 £1,490 Meridian Audio DSP 5200 £7,500 Naim Audio Nap 180 £600 Kuzma Stabi (wood) & Ref psu £1,990 Opera Consonance Droplet CDP 5.0 £1,295 Meridian Audio DSP 7200 £16,500 New Audio Frontiers NAF Performance 2A3 £4,000 Perreaux DP32 £1,475 Merlin VSM MXR £6,495 Plinius SA 250mkIV £3,495 LFD MCT SE Phono mc £3,500 Plinius CD-101 £1,800 Quad ESL 2905 £3,750 Rotel RB-1510 £295 Manticore Mantra £300 Plinius CD Player101 £2,400 Revel Ultima Studio 2 NEW £8,490 Sony TAN R1 monoblocks £8,990 Nottingham Analogue Wave Mechanic £250 Plinius CD101 £1,890 Rogers LS3/5A & AB1 Subs £1,290 Soulution Audio 711 upgraded from 710 £29,990 Origin Live Digital Stylus Force Gauge £65 Primare BD32 £3,500 Ruark Rapsody £200 Tenor HP 300 £15,500 Pink Triangle Export/ Zeta £1,495 Proceed CDP CD/HDCD player £995 Sonus Faber Amati Homage £7,990 Tom Evans Linear A £4,750 SME 312s £2,050 Shanling CDT300 £1,795 Sonus Faber Minuetto & Ironwood stands £890 Tube Technology Genesis Monoblocks £1,390 SME Model 10A turntable £4,490 Theta Data Basic £390 Sonus Faber Amati Anniversario GR £11,990 VTL MB 450-III Signature Monoblocks £14,500 SME Model 30/2A £8,790 Theta Compli £1,595 Sonus Faber Cremona £2,000 Welborne Labs DRD45 monos Rectifying psu £1,995 SME Series V Gold plated arm £2,395 Wadia S7i £7,490 Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage Palladio Welborne Labs DRD45 £1,490 SME Model 20/12A £11,567 Wadia 381i £3,490 Reference LE £6,750 YBA Passion 1000 monoblocks £6,890 SME Model 20/3A £7,990 Wadia Digimaster X64.4 £990 Spendor A3 £600 SME Model 30/12A £23,950 Pre Amplifi ers Wadia S7i £7,990 Spendor s100 £1,500 SME Series V (gold print) £2,490 3D Labs Exquisite + Exclusive £1,150 Yamaha S2000 CD/SACD £495 Titan 3Way £1,295 SME Series V-12 £3,668 Audible Illusions Modulus 3A £2,250 Transmission Audio M1I £1,750 Loudspeakers Audio Research LS2 £950 Sonic frontiers SFP-1 Phono £750 wharfedale 1950’s Corner Horns £6,990 Acoustic Energy AELITE THREE £350 Audio Research LS25 (mkI) £1,800 Sumiko Pearwod Celebration II £1,150 Wilson Audio Watt Puppy 7 £7,490 Adam Audio Compact Active Version £1,295 B.A.T. VK-53 SE £8,240 Thorens TD 126 mkIV £590 Wilson Audio WATT Puppy 7 £7,490 Alon Phalanx £4,990 BMC Audio DAC1PreHR £3,990 Tri-Planar MK UII £2,890 Wilson Audio Watt Puppy 7 £6,750 ATC SCM300 ASL Monitors £17,500 Boulder 1010 Pre £6,950 Voyd Reference+ Ref psu + Cyalene+ Wilson Audio WP8 £10,995 ATC SCM300AT based custom model £8,550 Bryston BP-26 and MPS-2 £2,200 AN IO LTD & AN7c £20,990 Wilson Audio Maxx 3 £49,500 Audio Acoustics FUNDAMENTAL K2 £5,995 C.A.T SL1 Ultimate £7,295 VPI TNT 4 Flywheel RB1000 £4,500 Yamaha NS1000M £990 Audio Physic Tempo 3i £675 Cary SLP 98L £2,295 VPI TNT MK2.5 suspension £2,490 Aurousal A1 MK £445 Power Amplifi ers Classe Audio CP - 800 £4,000 VPI Classic 2/JMW 10.5i & SDS psu £2,490 Avalon Arcus £3,450 Aesthetix Atlas Mono Blocks £9,990 Classe Audio CP 500 £2,100 VPI HW19 Mk3 £600 Avalon Indra £9,990 Astin Trew At 5000 £400 Crimson Electronics 710 Pre Amp £3,995 Wheaton Tri-Planar MK IV £1,795 100s more bargains online now list your items FREE at www.choice-hifi .com today!* www.choice-hifi .com Email: info@choice-hifi .com Telephone: 020 8392 1959 / 07768 720456

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upgrade to a SME 20/3 and new bought as one with Goldring 1042, THE PLACE TO prices from SME drives the sale of a new cart £400. Buyer collects. BUY & SELL AUDIO cherished turntable. Mint condition Email: [email protected]. £4000 (£6800). Tel: 07730 796204. Tel: 01606 784767 EQUIPMENT & ACCESSORIES Email: [email protected] MICHELL Tecnoarm, black, STEREO Sound record player, boxed £350. ProJect Tubebox S ’60s, Garrard 4SPD Elco speakers, phono stage, black, £125. Both mohogany case, £45. pristine with nine months use. NOW FREE Tel: 0777 5958325 Tel: 01353 665059 GARRARD 301 in slate NORTHWEST Analogue slate 2. AMPLIFIERS PRO9TL Sonaudex tweeters, Northwest Analogue plinth. Music plinth, Garrard 301, SME 3009, mint. B139 bass units. Good example, First Pre (copper). Audio Sterling MBL 121 speakers, mint. Music First ICON Audio Stereo 40 MkIII EL34, From 1976. Black leather, cloth and Plus integrated. Leak Stereo 20 Audio Copper preamp. new, faulty. £800, buyer collects. grills. Offers. 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Immaculate GARRARD 301 in excellent Great sounding, 125W per channel condition. Tel: 07704 722738 condition, mounted on plinth with 12. MISCELLANEOUS into 8ohm or 185W into 4ohm. Little cover, £300, buyer collects. (West used. £250. Tel: 07793 749178. B&O Beolab 9 active speakers, London). Tel: 01895 625636 ALBARRY S508 power amplifi er Email: [email protected] vgc. 700W per speaker. Collect and in very good condition. £250. demo Mddx. £2600. Tel: 01923 DYNAVECTOR DV20X2L Musical fi delity X-PSU V8 power QUAD 50D monoblocks. Fully 829354. Email: michaelhardy10@ MC cartridge. £350. Like new. supply unit. Mint. £275. Onkyo ES- serviced and in great condition, btinternet.com Very little used – perhaps ten hours. HF300s headphones. Hardly used. with upgraded components. Not even run in yet! Complete £150. Tel: 07708 431963. Connectors converted for domestic FOCAL Electra 1028 BE three- with original box and manual. use, BBC stock originally. All original way speaker, fl oorstander, with Will post or can collect (Hull). EAR 834p MM/MC phono stage, connectors and power cables beryllium tweeter, dark wood fi nish, Email: [email protected]. £550. Studer a726 tuner, £225. Both included. £550 the pair. only light use, mint condition. Tel: 01482 672866 (works) items in good condition and perfect Tel: 07856 655776 Boxed. £5075 new, £2500. working order. Tel: 0772 9620621 Tel: 07905 348812 MICHELL Technoarm, all black, HEED Obelisk Si / X2 pre/power new. Unused. £350. Rega RB300 13. WANTED amplifi er offered in mint condition. QUAD ESL63s. Black, visually arm, modifi ed by Origin Live and All the PRAT of Naim amplifi cation good, but one speaker makes a extra height adjustment rings. TOP quality hi-fi separates and but never fatuiging. Can send ticking sound and needs attention. Boxed, Mint condition. £250. complete systems, Naim, Linn, detailed pictures on request. I suspect a faulty panel. Sevenoaks Tel: 01505 346791 Cyrus, Meridian, Audio Research, etc, All packaging £1000. area. Any reasonable offer. fast, friendly response and willing to Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]. REGA 3/full Isokinetik upgrades, travel/pay cash. Tel: 0781 5892458 Tel: 0203 159 3459 must be seen and heard, £250. ARCAM P49, 200wpc stereo Buyer collects. RB 1250 arm, Cardas WANTED Quad 44 preamp, grey power amplifi er, as brand new, MARTIN Logan Montis rewired plus Michell Technoweight, with phono sockets, non workers warranty not yet registered. £2350 loudspeakers in a dark cherry fi nish. can be removed, £200 plus p&p, considered. Tel: 01758 613790 ono. Tel: O7956 121013 Perfect condition, boxed, very little use (eight months old), superb 3. CABLES sound quality. £6250 ono. PLACING AN ADVERTISEMENT IN THE HI-FI NEWS CLASSIFIEDS SECTION Pictures available on request. Fill in your advertisement copy here... CHORD Company Chameleon Email: [email protected]. Please write the product category number that best suits your equipment in the 1m interconnect, £50. Tel: 00974 66312709 fi rst square. The product categories are: 1 – Accessories; 2 – Amps; 3 – Cables; Tel: 01132 933478 4 – CD/DVD players; 5 – DACS; 6 – Software (CDs, records etc.); 7 – Speakers; 8 – 8. TUNERS Tuners; 9 – Turntables; 11 – Complete Systems; 12 – Miscellaneous; 13 – Wanted 4. CD/DVD PLAYERS NAIM NAT01 tuner, olive boxes. We will insert the telephone number you want to appear in your advertisement(s) SONY SCD-777ES direct stream Perfect working order, near mint as many times as is needed. You only need to fi ll it in once and it only counts as digital/fi xed pick-up mechanism casework. Full Naim service 2005. one word – even if you run multiple adverts. for sale, £800 ono. Tel: 07903 Asking £550, delivery included. 887774/01224 485204 Tel: 02890 962201

5. DACS AUDIOLAB 8200T DAB tuner silver/excellent con/latest model STELLAVOX DAC ST2. OLED display/boxed £300 ono. Boxed. Offers around £500. Tel: 079361 84450 Tel: 0208 8575923 9. TURNTABLES 7. SPEAKERS SME 10 plus Series V tonearm PIEGA TS5 slimline column purchased from Walrus in March Tel (to appear in advert): speakers, superb aesthetics and 2012. Full set of exemplary manuals, sound quality. Excellent condition. set-up tools, soft cover and packing Please post this completed coupon to Hi-Fi News magazine, MyTimeMedia Ltd, Enterprise Buyer collects, £575. crate, etc. Pet and smoke free House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, TN8 6HF, or email your advert to letters@hifi news.com Tel: 07944 594705 household. Only a very signifi cant Hi-Fi News accepts no responsibility for description or condition of items advertised.

132 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 30 years of passion : TRIANGLE continues to strive for the highest possible level to provide music lovers with perfection in terms of no compromise sound reproduction, faithfully conveying the emotion and beauty of music.

Signature Theta Magellan Cello Signature Delta £2700 £10000 £4600 Impedance 8 Ohm Impedance 8 Ohm Impedance 8 Ohm Frequency range 45 Hz - 20 kHz Frequency range 35 Hz - 20 kHz Frequency range 35 Hz - 20 kHz Sensitivity 90 dB Sensitivity 91 dB Sensitivity 92 dB (stand not included)

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IAN HARRISON HI FI

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IAN HARRISON HI FI BD Audio CARTRIDGES Malvern, Worcestershire AUDIO TECHNICA AT-ART9 AUDIO TECHNICA AT150MLX AUDIO TECHNICA AT-OC9/111 ZYX R100 Modwright Instruments, AUDIO TECHNICA AT33EV BENZ MICRO ACE SL Tune Audio, J.C.Verdier, AUDIO TECHNICA AT-F7 BENZ MICRO GLIDER SH Signal Projects, Audionote UK AUDIO TECHNICA AT-F2 BENZ MICRO WOOD SL and much more… PLEASE PHONE FOR PRICES 01684 560853 FREE ROYAL MAIL SPECIAL DELIVERY www.bd-audio.co.uk [email protected] [email protected] TEL: 01283 702875

IAN HARRISON HI FI www.soundcinergy.co.uk HARBETH LOUDSPEAKERS TO ADVERTISE P3 ESR MONITOR 30.1 HL COMPACT 7ES3 MONITOR 40.1 HERE Super HL5+ Exposure · Heed · Kudos Lehmann · Linn Marantz · Michell PLEASE CALL Supplier Of Harbeth Since 2003 Monitor Audio · Neat Okki Nokki · Ortofon · Project PLEASE PHONE FOR PRICES Roksan Joanna Holmes [email protected] 01689 869 919 TEL: 01283 702875 37 High Street, Aldridge 01922 457926 To advertise in this section please call Jo Holmes on 01689 869 919

IAN HARRISON HIFI SALE! UP TO 40% OFF! TEL: 01283 702875 [email protected] PHONOSTAGES PRO-JECT BENZ MICRO SRM TECH SME* TRICHORD EAR YOSHINO ROKSAN EAR GRAHAM TOM EVANS ROTHWELL ZYX AMAZON AUDIO MOTH GRAHAM SLEE CARTRIDGES CARTRIDGE MAN AUDIO TECHNICA ORTOFON LEHMANN AUDIO TECHNICA DECCA LONDON DENON PRO-JECT WHEST AUDIO ORTOFON TECHDAS INSPIRE ROKSAN ANATEK DENON MUSIC HALL CARTRIDGE MAN QUAD AIR TIGHT TURNTABLES HELIUS CLEARAUDIO KOETSU MICHELL TONEARMS REED ICON AUDIO GRADO PRO-JECT MICHELL AMG PURE SOUND GOLDRING THORENS REGA MOERCH

PLEASE PHONE TO CONFIRM PRICE & AVAILABILITY PRIOR TO ORDERING. ALL GOODS ARE BRAND NEW & BOXED WITH FULL U.K GUARANTEES. NO EX-DEM OR EX-DISPLAY GOODS. NO GREY IMPORTS. GOODS ARE NOT SUPPLIED ON APPROVAL. SORRY NO GENERAL CATALOGUES. PLEASE PHONE OR WRITE FOR SPECIFIC REVIEWS, BROCHURES OR PRICES. *CALL FOR DETAILS ESTABLISHED 1986. MAIL ORDER ONLY FROM; IAN HARRISON, 7 MILL HILL, REPTON, DERBY, DE65 6GQ TEL: 01283 702875 9am-9pm INCLUDING SUNDAYS.

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All You Need

In One Place & Record Review

 Premium Loudspeaker Drivers  Highest Quality Crossover Parts EDITORIAL TEAM  Crossover Design and Assembly Editor • Paul Miller  DIY Speaker Kits Art Editor • Steve Powell  Wire and Terminals Features Editor • Patrick Fraser  Expert Advice Reviews Editor • Chris Breunig Test & Measurement • Paul Miller Some of our Brands:  Accuton PHOTOGRAPHY  Audax  Aurasound Andrew Sydenham  Eton  Fostex MANAGEMENT TEAM  HiVi Research Group Editor • Paul Miller  Peerless Group Art Editor • John Rook  SB Acoustics Head of Production • Julie Miller  Scan-Speak Group Advertising Manager •  Seas Joanna Holmes  Raal Subscriptions Manager • Kate Hall Chief Executive • Owen Davies Chairman • Peter Harkness ADVERTISEMENT TEAM Your Worldwide Provider of Advertising Sales • Joanna Holmes High End Loudspeaker Parts Tel • 01689 869 919 joanna.holmes@hifi news.com madisound.commadisound.com SUBSCRIPTIONS New, renewals and enquiries... UK: Tel • +44(0)1858 438798 Email: [email protected] USA/Canada: Tel • (001) 866 647 9191 Rest of World: Tel • +44 (0) 1689 869 896 Email: [email protected] WE LIVE AT... MyTimeMedia Ltd, Enterprise House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF Tel: 0844 412 2262 Outside UK: +44 (0) 1689 869 840 www.hifi news.co.uk

HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW, ISSN 2042-0374, is published monthly with an additional issue in January by AVTech Media Ltd, a division of MYTIMEMEDIA  Ltd, Enterprise House, Enterprise Way, 8MK\Z_ Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF, UK. The US d\[`Xck[ annual subscription price is 65GBP (equivalent to approximately 108USD). Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW, Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Subscription records are maintained at CDS GLOBAL Ltd, Tower House, Sovereign Park, Market Harborough, Leicester, LE16 9EF. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent. 2VBE7FOB*OUFHSBUFE"NQMJmFS with DAC £599

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have to use the small studio, Producer’s Workshop, located down the hallway from the Mastering Lab. An unassuming cable ran OFF THE down the hallway from the output of the mixing board in Producers Workshop into the Mastering Lab lathe console. ‘Doug recorded this brief drum performance both on tape and also by LEASH! cutting a direct-to-disc master lacquer. After KEN KESSLERER TETELLSELLS IT LIKE IT IS.IS...... he pressed a few copies of this record, with one side from a tape-generated master Ken Kessler takes time to and the other side pressed from a direct- celebrate the lives of two disc master, he was impressed with the improvement direct cutting yielded. The audio luminaries who result of this test pressing was that Doug and Lincoln pressed forward with their plans recently passed away to record pop music direct-to-disc.’ s time cruelly moves on, we lose Moon, the Doors’ fi rst, the Rolling Stones’ ‘By chance, Doug gave me a copy of this more of the high-end’s most Exiles On Main St, albums from James Taylor, extremely rare drum demo disc. As I became important fi gures. Recently Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Joe Cocker familiar with the nature of Sheffi eld’s A another two entered that listening and so many more, up to Bob Dylan’s latest, audiophile fans I became convinced a drum room in the sky: journalist Robert Reina Shadows In The Night, probably his last. album recorded specifi cally to demonstrate and mastering wiz Doug Sax. I knew Bob the quality – and robustness – of audio from encounters at hi-fi shows back in the GREATEST CONTRIBUTION equipment would be very popular. day when there were enough of them to But you are audiophiles, so it is appropriate ‘Doug expressed some scepticism about be monthly occurrences. One of the more that we recall his greatest contribution to this, so I took my copy of the Dennis St Johns refi ned individuals in an occasionally coarse our little world. Doug founded Sheffi eld drum album to the 1980 CES in Chicago, profession, Bob was a renaissance man. My Lab with pianist Lincoln Mayorga to make and played it for the late Bert Whyte, colleague Mikey Fremer recalls that dining direct-to-disc recordings, some of the fi nest- recording engineer and columnist for Audio with him was a primer in wine knowledge. sounding LPs and CDs ever issued. magazine. When Mr Whyte raved about the Robert Reina was rare among audio Andrew Teton, the label’s manager sound of this early direct-disc drum album, I journalists in that he delighted in low-cost from 1979-1993, recalled the making showed the review to Doug and he said ‘I’ll components, writing in US magazines of a particular milestone in Sound Bites, call Bill Schnee to engineer it for us. I think about small two-way condensed here: we’ll call Jim Keltner and Ron Tutt, too, and speakers and affordable ‘While Sheffi eld ask them to record drum solos for us.’ integrated amps. He will ‘The record blew Lab always strove to be missed. more amp fuses make their recordings YET TO BE SURPASSED So, too, the great of the highest quality ‘Within a few weeks, we were recording on Doug Sax. I fi rst met him than any other musicianship, many the soundstage of MGM Studios. During the 30 years ago, during my hi-fi fans treasured their sessions I sat in front of the drum kit with a marathon trip to cover demo album’ records just as much stopwatch and at six minutes I signalled the the high-end in the USA. for their incredible drummer they had one minute to wrap up I recounted, briefl y, the initial meeting in demonstration, showcase qualities. This was their improvisation.’ Sound Bites – the now out-of-print account the case for the Sheffi eld Drum Record. The rest, as they say, is history. At hi-fi of Hi-Fi News’ fi rst 50 years – pianist and ‘In the late ’60s, Doug Sax did a brief shows throughout the world… The Sheffi eld audiophile recording pioneer James Boyk recording of a drummer, Dennis St Johns, Drum Record blew more amp fuses – and at having arranged a visit to meet Doug at his who was setting up his kit in the studio car audio shows blew out more windows – independent Mastering Lab. behind Doug’s facility in Hollywood. In than any other demo album.’ Doug, of course, had a resumé that essence, he was checking the practicality Only someone of Doug’s stature could included mastering hundreds of the of direct-disc recordings since it was nearly simply ‘call Jim Keltner and Ron Tutt’ to do a greatest albums of all time, including jazz impossible to move the recording lathes. drum solo record. It has yet to be surpassed. masterpieces by Thelonius Monk, Art Pepper ‘If the Mastering Lab was to cut a Doug, beyond The Sheffi eld Drum Record, and Bill Evans, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The direct-to-disc record, the musicians would thanks for enriching all our lives.

ON TEST: PLUS: î Exclusive: Wilson Audio Sabrina speakers î Investigation: KK’s classic rock DVDs, pt2 Aug Issue î Exclusive: Rega RP10/RB2000/Apheta2 î Show Blog: We visit Munich’s High-End 2015 th î Exclusive: Arcam CDS27 SACD/Network DAC î Classical Companion: André Previn JUN î Exclusive: Allnic H-3000 tube phono stage î From The Vault: ‘Magnifi cent Illusions’ on sale26 î Exclusive: Musical Fidelity V90-BHA/200B î Vinyl Icons: Small Faces’ Ogdens...

138 | www.hifi news.co.uk | JULY 2015 “To say the Continuum S2 comes highly recommended is putting it mildly – this is the kind of amplifier I could happily live with and never feel the need to upgrade ever again” (Alan Sircom – Editor HiFi Plus)

are not created equal.

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‘The GS150 is not only the fi nest sounding but also the most beautiful stereo amplifi er Audio Research has ever built’ - José Victor Henriques, Hi-Fi News & Record Review

Modern retro – that’s the thinking behind the new Audio Research G Three new models lead off the G Series. The GSPre preamplifi er, with Series. It pays tribute to the original designs of company founder William it’s internal tube-powered phono stage and integrated headphone Z. Johnson, while at the same time encapsulating the very latest thinking amplifi er. The powerhouse GS150 stereo power amplifi er, capable of on tube amplifi er design. Welcome siblings to this famous family, sitting 155W per channel and the GSi75 integrated amplifi er, combining many comfortably alongside it’s already legendary Reference range. of the attributes of the preamp and power amp in a single chassis, and delivering 75W per channel. It makes use of an all new output tube, the Tung Sol KT150: from the company responsible for the famous 6550, launched 60 years ago, this For any advice and your nearest Audio Research dealer, ask Absolute new design is destined to fi nd a place throughout the Audio Research range. Sounds...everytime.

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