1 Copyright © 2015 Hifi Pig This Issue CONTENTS Page 3. Electronics Page 92. Turntables and JANUARY 2015 Issue 14 Accessories www.hifipig.com Page 111. Loudspeakers Telephone: +33 (0)2 97 23 70 78 E mail: [email protected] Page 166. Headphones and Siret - 488 244 898 00018 Accessories Page 250. Cables and Mains Page 336. Accessories Page 352. Competition. One lucky Hifi Pig reader will win a bundle of kit worth £2500 WELCOME Welcome to the Hifi Pig Yearbook. Here you will find every review that we have carried out over the year - there are over a hundred! What a great year 2014 was for Hifi Pig - we have seen our readership figures soar, introduced the free Hifi Pig Magazine, media partnered the North West Audio Show and visited several other European audio shows. Moving forward we have some very innovative plans that will further consolidate our position in the audio world including a media partnership with the SIAV Hi End Show in Shanghai. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all Hifi Pig readers for showing us your continued support and wish you happy listening for the coming year. Stuart Smith SUBSCRIBE TO HIFI PIGS FREE MONTHLY MAGAZINE BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK AND SIGNING UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER 2 Copyright © 2015 Hifi Pig Van de Leur 002 Preamplifier and 402 Power Amplifier Van de Leur Audio is a e first bumped into Pim Van de Leur on the last day of the Munich High end relatively young company with Wshow, but we never got more than a cursory listen in less than ideal conditions to what just two products in their looked like very interesting first products from a portfolio – the 402 power young, vital and funky Dutch company. You only need to take a look at the company’s website to see amplifier and the 002 they’re setting themselves apart from the often preamplifier. Both products straight-laced high-end branding that is prevalent. are designed and hand-built in 002 Preamplifier The 002 preamplifier certainly looks the part with its Holland and the power brushed aluminium fascia, hefty carrying handles and amplifier is of a class D design “Van de Leur” engraved top plate. On the front you get a large volume control knob, source selector, a using Hypex modules, whilst funkyly lit on/off button, a balance control knob and the preamplifier uses valves. a headphone output. Both units come with a five Move around to the back and you have four line inputs, a home theatre pass through and inputs for year guarantee and arrived both moving coil and moving magnet cartridges – when ordering the 002 you will be asked the MC double boxed and very well cartridge brand and model you intend to use and the packed. unit will be set specifically for this cartridge. The 3 Copyright © 2015 Hifi Pig Van de Leur 002 Preamplifier and 402 Power Amplifier moving coil input uses Vanderveen MC10 step up of an odd one – clearly the 002 and the 402 were transformers. You get outputs for power amp, record created to work together but the preamp doesn’t have and direct out for connecting to another the option for balanced XLR output. You also get a pre/processor. pair of Audio Note silver plated speaker connectors All in all the 002 is a very well equipped which will accept banana or spade connectors. preamplifier and the included infra-red remote is The amp is dual mono, delivers 2 x 400 watts via its weighty and well made with just volume up and Hypex modules and inside looks very clean and tidy. down buttons. Let’s Have a Listen Tubes used are two E88CCs for the line stage, four Naturally the sensible thing to do here is to listen to 12AT7s for the phono stage and wiring throughout is the preamp and the amp together as they were made silver. to compliment each other. Straight into the main Plug the pre in to the mains and the on/off button system they go with the VAD DAC, the usual vinyl glows red. Press it and it glows light blue whilst the front ends and the hORN Mummys. First up is an preamp sets itself up and then brighter blue when album that’s hardly been off the CD player since it ready to use – set up takes a few seconds. Nice! arrived and Sano “Sano”. Bass is deep, bouncy and 402 Amplifier well controlled with the stereo mix being fairly wide and with good depth - sound effects do jump out The 402 power amplifier matches the looks and from the mix as they should. The overall character is styling of the 002 preamplifier perfectly and the quite “analytical” and very accurate and dynamic pairing certainly looks handsome and purposeful on which may not be to everyone’s taste and I think this the rack. On the front you get an on/off switch, is down to the nature of the Class D amp, but the pre- whilst round the back you have switchable inputs for amp does seem to be tempering this Class D-ishness RCA and balanced XLR. Now this struck me as a bit a tad. Cranking up the volume you get more of the 4 Copyright © 2015 Hifi Pig Van de Leur 002 Preamplifier and 402 Power Amplifier same and you get the impression that the amplifier is little added or taken away. There is certainly plenty barely even breaking a sweat – given its quoted of detail in the sound and with “Cosmic Debris” you output it certainly shouldn’t be. really can hear everything that’s in the recording – it Popping on “Apostrophe” by Zappa you get the just hasn’t got that X factor for my taste – some will vocal very much centre stage and slightly forward in say that the X factor I’m referring to is an artifice and the mix. Lead guitar has good attack and decay and is shouldn’t play a part in true high-fidelity audio fast in that not lingering in the air kind way that I reproduction anyway. hate. Instrument separation is very good with On Vibert/Simmonds’ “Rodulate” there is a real instruments being positioned left to right and back to power to the music with the machine drum hats front correctly. Where the Black Pearl integrated we sounding just like they do on the actual drum reviewed recently was quite “warm”, with the Van machine. Here I found myself thinking that this De Leur you seem to get what is on the recording would be the perfect amplifier to have in the studio. without a great deal of embellishment – some will Bass is deep and powerful and does that stop start enjoy this whilst others may find it not to their thing that I like – no overhang. On complex passages individual tastes. I suppose like a lot of things we all in the mix the pairing is nonplussed and just gets on have our own personal way of preferring how things with banging out what it is presented with without are done – and the World’s a better place for it! The getting befuddled or confused in any way. Sub bass Van de Leur amplifier certainly could never be sounds (Room 28 Rap) go LOW and are very well accused of being warm in its character; it’s very controlled. matter of fact “here’s what you gave me and that’s I think that what shines through with the Van De what you’ll get”. Leur pre and amp pairing is that there is an If you enjoy an accurate portrayal of the studio mix overriding sense of the amp being very much well then you’ll love this pairing as there seems to be very implemented Class D in that it sounds accurate, fast 5 Copyright © 2015 Hifi Pig Van de Leur 002 Preamplifier and 402 Power Amplifier and detailed …but bit lacking in creating an emotional involvement with the music for my own In isolation the taste. This is all very subjective I’m well aware and I know lots of people will really love the no nonsense stand out product approach to the presentation! Pop the pre in front of the Tellurium Q Iridium here is the power amplifier (SECA) (at around double the price it has to be said) and here things seem to take a leap towards what I’d consider to be a great pairing. Gone preamplifier – it’s is the sound I’d like to hear in front of a pair of monitors in the studio and out comes a fabulous bit musical and has a of home audio. Jean Michel Jarre’s “Sessions 2000” simply comes to host of features life and is the best I’ve heard with any pre in front of the Iridium. The detail is still apparent but the preamplifier doesn’t seem to be there only to give the that add to the amp a bit of character as it seemed with the Van de Leur amp in the chain. usefulness and The Van de Leur pre adds something to the Iridium that has my own preamplifier cowering in the corner, value. When paired afraid to show its face – musical is the word I’d use I suppose – gloriously musical! together you have Fat Freddy’s Drop again comes to life with “Shiverman” bouncing along in the bass department and being nicely controlled too. The reverbed sound a very competent effects come out of the mix in a totally 3D fashion and the soundstage is deep with excellent height.