YEARBOOK 2015 WWW.HIFINEWS.CO.UK THE HOME OF REAL HI-FI

135+ REVIEWS SEPARATES, VINTAGE 172 pages! & MUSIC

PLUS Equipment Music Over 60 The best LPs, standout CDs and hi-res separates tested downloads Vintage Opinion Audio icons Our columnists’ of yesteryear hi-fi high points

• VINYL DS Audio to VPI • CD/SACD PLAYER/DACS Quad to T+A • NETWORK/USB AUDIO A&K to Naim UK £4.99 US $14.99 Aus $12.99 • TRANSISTOR & TUBE AMPS Audio Research to Rotel • HEADPHONE AMPS Auralic to Simaudio • LOUDSPEAKERS & HEADPHONES AKG to Wilson Audio • VINTAGE B&O, Meridian, Technics & more 0) 683(5,253(5)250$1&(+($'3+21(6

Music Is Our Religion 9(5<+,*+48$/,7<‡086,&$/),'(/,7<'(6,*1(' %$/$1&('$50$785(‡1(2'<0,80'5,9(81,76

ZZZPXVLFDOÀGHOLW\FRP    CONTENTS

MUSIC REVIEWS: BEST OF 2015 59 KR Audio Kronzilla DX 99 Triangle Signature Alpha Monoblock with titanic dual-triodes New meets old in French design 138 Vinyl, CD & Downloads 61 Ming-Da Dynasty Cantabile- 101 Wharfedale Diamond 230 Our pick of the audiophile LPs and Grandé MC998-A Budget addition to a historic range hi-res downloads, rock, jazz and Chinese behemoth using rare triode 103 Wilson Audio Sabrina classical albums of the year 62 Audio Research Corp. Its best-ever value speaker: sublime GSPre/GS150 SOURCES: BEST OF 2015 Delving deep into the world of sound CABLES: BEST OF 2015 63 Constellation Audio 24 EAT C-Sharp/C-Note Inspiration 1.0 Preamp/Stereo 104 Atlas Asimi Ultra A more affordable EAT turntable Music of the gods via California Luxurious silver interconnect has style 15 YEARBOOK 25 Pro-Ject RPM 3 Carbon 65 GamuT D3i/M250i 105 Audience Au24 SE Fuss-free intro to vinyl replay Minimalist looks but a thrilling ride Sleek speaker cable sounds smooth 27 Rega RP10/RB2000/Apheta 67 NAD Masters M12/M22 Flagship deck with new MC option Modular pre and slimline power amp VINTAGE: BEST OF YESTERYEAR 29 SME Model 15 68 Naim Statement NAC/NAP S1 Sublime full suspension deck Salisbury’s ultimate amp pairing 110 Technics SL-150 30 TechDAS Air Force Two 70 Primare PRE32/A34.2 The mid-’70s ‘go to’ turntable Baby brother to the formidable One Feature-rich pre/power combination 111 B&O Beogram CD50 31 Thales TTT-Compact 71 Rotel RC-1590/RB-1590 Aiwa-based Beosystem CD player Battery power and Swiss precision Affordable high-end challenger 113 Meridian MLP 33 VPI Prime/JMW 10 3D 73 Auralic Taurus MkII Preamplifi er in modular form US deck with 3D printed tonearm Neve-inspired Class A headphone amp 115 Cambridge Audio P50 34 DS Audio DS-W1 74 Oppo HA-2 Advanced technology integrated Radical approach to pick-up design Stylish pocket-sized budget amplifi er 117 Hitachi HMA-6500 35 Ortofon Quintet Blue 75 Quad PA-One Compact MOSFET power amplifi er Moving-coil at a modest price Funky valve-powered headphone amp 119 Acoustic Research AR-7 37 Parasound Halo JC3+ 77 Simaudio Moon Nēo 430HA King of mid-’70s compact speakers Freshly evolved phono stage ‘World’s best ’phones amp.’ Really? 38 Astell&Kern AK500N EVENTS AND OPINION Network player with unique styling HEADPHONES: BEST OF 2015 39 Ayre QB-9 DSD 15 Welcome DSD-capable USB converter 78 AKG K812 Message from the editor 41 Cambridge Audio ‘Sound sealed’ and high on comfort 18 Best In Show 2015 Azur 851N 79 Audeze EL-8 Our pick of events across the globe Network-ready player/DAC/preamp Sharp styling for open-back ’phones 122 Opinion 43 Melco N1A 81 AudioQuest NightHawk The hi-fi highs of the past 12 months Entry-level network audio library The company’s innovative debut 170 Off The Leash 45 Métronome Technologie C8+ 82 Furutech ADL H128 Ken Kessler looks back over 2015 USB DAC and headphone preamp Triangular capsules offering ‘oomph’ 47 Naim NAC-N 272 83 Oppo PM-3 Its fi rst network player for DSD fi les Affordable closed-back planar cans 48 T+A PDP 3000 HV HV Series adds DAC/SACD player LOUDSPEAKERS: BEST OF 2015 49 AudioQuest JitterBug Plug-in computer audio enhancer 84 B&W CM6 S2 Standmount with top tweeter pod AMPLIFIERS: BEST OF 2015 85 Crystal Cable Arabesque Minissimo 51 Quad Artera Play/Stereo Curvy monitor on tall chromed stand New range, new modern styling 87 Dynaudio Evidence Platinum 53 D’Agostino Momentum New drivers for this 2m-tall speaker Integrated 89 Focal Sopra No2 ABOVE:ABOVE GloriousGl i hihigh-end h d gear (p16 onwards) Stunning separates derivative Striking design looms over the listener 54 Krell Vanguard 91 KEF Blade Two Flexible 200W integrated Rescaled Blade in sculptural casework 55 Mark Levinson No585 93 Opera Audio Callas II SUBSCRIBE! Long awaited high-end integrated Italy’s homage to the opera diva 56 SPEC RSA-717EX 95 Sonus faber Lilium Cutting-edge Class D amplifi er Luxury fi nish options include gold-leaf 57 Benchmark AHB2 97 TAD CE1 Special Christmas offer Ultra-compact power amp debut Ultimate space-saving standmount? See page 108

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

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“I found myself completely unable to play short excerpts, the sound so captivating I simply had to play it through to the end.”

Phil Gold Enjoy The Music, July 2015

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8KUKVYYYHQECNEQOVQFKUEQXGTOQTG ‘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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+44(0)1276-501-392 [email protected] YEARBOOK/15

hristmas has come a little early this year as Hi-Fi News & Record Review Ccelebrates the most memorable equipment and ABOVE: Vinyl supremacy, SME-style, with the Model 15 turntable (p29) music from 2015. Few of the 60-odd goodies reviewed in this RIGHT: Mark special Yearbook issue could be Levinson’s described as stocking-fi llers but powerful, USB it’s certainly worth leaving your extend their reach, the SACD DAC-equipped mag open at a choice page in fraternity has been reinforced amp features case a particularly benevolent by the success of sites like on p55 Santa should be watching in the nativedsd.com. The concept run up to the festive season. of ‘high-res on the hoof’ is also Of course, dreaming about gaining traction thanks to the that next upgrade is part and efforts of Tidal and, in the future parcel of our shared passion. perhaps, Meridian’s MQA. That and listening to fabulous At the same time turntables music from hi-res analogue and and the heavyweight LP also digital sources while leafi ng continue to fl ourish in this virtual through this bumper 172-page ‘Join us on Oct 24-25th issue – a feast of the most delectable as our Yearbook pages source components, amps, headphones come alive with music’ and loudspeakers from across the globe. world. We’ve never had so many We’ve also more than a few fabulously-engineered turntable vintage audio heroes on show designs grace our Yearbook. to remind us of hi-fi ’s deep So why not join us on 24th- roots together with a piquant 25th October at our high-end selection from our Budget Hi-Fi Show Live in Windsor as our MUSIC: Bob Dylan’s The Times... is Esoterica series, proving there’s pages come alive with music and reissued on two heavyweight 45rpm LPs some very affordable hardware you can witness many of these (p139) while Mark Knopfl er’s Tracker ready and eager to tempt our amazing products in action. It’s (192kHz/24-bit download) mixes rock, musical tastebuds. not too late to purchase advance Celtic and country infl uences (p145) Our music pages refl ect the tickets via www.eventbrite.co.uk growth in ‘virtual media’ as the (search for The Hi-Fi Show 2015) RIGHT: Hi-Fi News & RR is the exclusive high-res download sites continue or see www.hifi news.co.uk/show UK representative of EISA’s Hi-Fi Expert to expand the territories they for more details. Group. Editor Paul Miller is EISA’s Hi-Fi service. As the likes of hdtracks. Group Manager and President-elect com and highresaudio.com PAUL MILLER GROUP 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 ANDREW EVERARD STEVE SUTHERLAND Investigative journalist JB brings huge is currently our Senior has written about Former Editor of this has reviewed hi-fi for worked on Melody supreme, Barry is the industry experience, a Contributing Editor hi-fi for 30 years, and very title from 1986 over 30 years and Maker and then edited fi rst with news of the penchant for massive and almost singularly edited Hi-Fi Answers through to 2005. A is still effortlessly NME from 1992-2000, latest developments speakers and a love of responsible for the for nine. KH performs lifetime in audio and enthusiastic about new the Britpop years. Steve in hi-fi and music high-res audio in all its renaissance in valves our speaker and a love of jazz makes technology, kit and brings a unique slant to technologies diverse guises and ‘vintage hi-fi ’ headphone lab tests Steve a goldmine discovering new music our Vinyl Release pages

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 15 EVENTS Latest from the UK’s premier high-end hi-fi show

THE SHOW 2015 Now in its third year, with more exhibits than ever, the UK’s only high-end audio show continues to gather pace as the ‘who’s who’ of world-class hi-fi plan their debuts 24th-25th October

Some three years after the launch of Tickets are on sale until Sonus faber’s well-received Venere 23rd October for the UK’s loudspeakers [HFN Dec ’13 and Mar premier high-end audio ’14], the range is now joined by a event – The Hi-Fi Show Live stunning fl agship, dubbed the Venere at the Beaumont Estate, Signature. Taller and heavier than the Old Windsor on Sat 24th Venere 3.0 and featuring a and Sun 25th Oct 2015. revised fl oor- Tickets cost £20 (£30 for fi ring refl ex a weekend pass) via www. port, the eventbrite.co.uk or via the Courtesy of Decent Audio, the Hi-Fi Show Live three-way link on our website. will reveal the brand new ‘baby’ turntable from Signature will Concessionary £15 day Kronos – the Sparta .5 (point fi ve) fi tted with be unveiled passes are available to Hi-Fi Kronos’ own Helena tonearm. Come and hear alongside News subscribers on 0844 it alongside Van den Hul’s state-of-the-art Grail PrimaLuna’s 848 8822 or by visiting phonostage and hand-built Crimson MC cartridge DiaLogue HP www.myhobbystore.co.uk/ range of tube contact/ and fi lling out a amps at the request form. Please return Hi-Fi Show Live regularly to www.hifi news. co.uk/show for updates.

Dan D’Agostino’s line-up now includes the Momentum Lifestyle Amplifi er, dubbed the MLife. This extraordinary new integrated DAC/ amp with comprehensive wireless streamingLive facilities will be premiered at the Hi-Fi Show

AlongsideAlongsiidei its Hugo TT DAC/ headphoneheadph amp and fl agship DAC [[DAVEDA – previewed in HFN At the Hi-Fi Show AugAug ’15],’15 Chord Electronics will Live Kudos Audio will be demonstrating a full Linn Exakt system, alsoalso dedemo its new 60W Mezzo featuring a pair of its new MkII powerpo amp from the stylish fl agship Titan 808 Choral range. Chord Electronics fl oorstanders in full active mode. Fasten your belts for an amazing, musical willwill alsoalso be unveiling a new rollercoaster ride! headphoneheadph product at the Hi-Fi ShowShow LiveLi ...

16 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOKK 2015 EVENTSNTS LatestLatest ffromrom the UUK’s only high-end hi-fi show STOP PRESS… Alongside Icon Audio’s impressive valve amps, Hi-Fi News provided ranging from the entry-level Stereo 20pp up its exclusive, full to the gargantuan MB81 monoblocks, this UK technical review & Record Review brand will also be demonstrating its FRM2 of the remarkable Workshops loudspeaker [right]. Featuring just one full- ‘optical’ DS-W1 rangeange8 8in ddrive veu unit, t,t it ppromiseso ses tthe e ‘dynamic dynac pick-up in the Nov immediacyimmediacy ooff a live musical eventevent’’ ’15 issue. Based on technology developed for the optical mouse, the DS-W1 cartridge looks at the grooves on your LPs and Keith Howard declares: ‘Let there Hi-Fi News magazine be light!’ Prepare for illumination at the Hi-Fi Show Live...

Ever wondered what one of the world’s largest high-end TICKETS amplifi ers can Tim Jarman deliver? Wonder ON SALE Hi-Fi News magazine no more as you sit in front of Magico’s new S7 loudspeakers NOW powered by Unveiled alongside Quad’s new Artera Constellation Audio’ss Play/Stereo CD player/DAC/amplifi er Virgo III preamp combo [HFN Nov ’15], this most revered and mighty Hercules II of UK marques will also pull the stereo power amp, rated at wraps off its Z4 fl oorstander from the 550W/8ohm stunning, soon-to-be-launched Z Series Matthias Bode Stereo magazine

Big on performance but economical on space, Magneplanar’s new Paul Miller 0.7 [left] is a scaled- Hi-Fi News magazine down version of the ever-popular 1.7. Like its bigger Editors and key brother, the 0.7 is contributors will a full range ‘quasi present a series ribbon’ panel of Hi-Fi News loudspeaker that Workshops, hosted employs a very thin by exhibiting The Hi-Fi Hi-Fi Show LiveLive isis eaeagerlygerly fi lm backing to manufacturers. anticpating the world preview hold the delicate With topics ranging of JBL’s 4367 studio monitor metallic foil ribbon from the sound of [above]. The fl agship of three array in place. No vintage CD; FLAC vs. new compression driver cone, no surround, WAV fi les; balanced speakers, the 4367 is based on no box – come and and single-ended the vaunted JBL Professional experience the headphone drive, M2. This awesome monitor is iconic ‘Maggie’ there’ll be a subject expected to launch in 2016, sound at the Hi-Fi but you can hear it fi rst with us Show Live for every audiophile

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 17 SHOWBLOG Sights and sounds from around the globe USA, Las Vegas – CES

HI-FI NEWS SHOWBLOG

One of the advantages of being the oldest hi-fi magazine in the world is that we’ve had time to station our reporters in audiophile hot-spots across the globe, eager to fi le stories from the biggest shows. Every month we offer our Showblog from a major international event somewhere in the world, including CES in Las Vegas and the High End Show in Munich through to the annual shows in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Portugal in addition to our very own Hi-Fi News show in Windsor [see p16]. Our Showblogs provide a unique glimpse of the world’s latest and tastiest hi-fi , all from the comfort of your armchair!

A time-honoured agreement between Michell Engineering and Germany’s Transrotor has prevented the distribution of the latter’s comprehensive turntable range in the UK. This huge machine is a Special Edition version of the Tourbillon and features an acrylic/alloy sandwich chassis with a chromed metal platter in place of the 80mm transparent acrylic platter used in the standard version. www.transrotor.de

SAE is back with a beast of an amp! The 2HP is so-named because it’s said to deliver 2x746W, or ‘one horsepower per fully differential push/pull channel’. Another claim is that it is the quietest amplifi er ever made, the engineers allegedly measuring it as having a >128dB signal-to-noise ratio. Our picture shows a prototype with polished steel fascia, but it’s unlikely to reach production any time soon. www.hear-sae.com

Described by Antelope Audio as the world’s fi rst ‘atomic ADC/ DAC’ – it uses a super-precise 10MHz rubidium clock – the Rubicon supports DSD128 and 384kHz/24-bit LPCM via its USB input. A transformer/J-FET based phono stage and headphone amp are also included. www.antelopeaudio.com

Miura-san of Air Tight showed the PC-1 Magnum Opus, coming in at the pinnacle of the range with new, curvy body shape and a commensurate price tag. At $15,000, it joins the rarefi ed strata of certain bespoke Powered by a pair of Krell Solo 375 amplifi ers, the new Koetsus and the Clearaudio MartinLogan Neolith hybrid electrostatics were delivering a Goldfi nger Statement. We’ve suitably colossal sound. A combination of 15in and 12in woofers reviewed two of Miura-san’s are married to a 48x22in mid/high frequency CLS XStat panel cartridges in the past, and above 400Hz. www.martinlogan.com eagerly await this version. www.airtight-anm.com

18 | www.hifinews.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 SHOWBLOG Sights and sounds from around the globe UK, Windsor – Hi-Fi Show

Kevin Akam of Signature Audio Systems with PS Audio’s sprightly 50W Sprout integrated amp, priced £650, and partnered with Vandersteen Model 1Ci speakers at £1300. A second system featuring PS Audio’s £5250 DirectStream DAC, Jeff Rowland 525 monoblocks (£3999) and Vandersteen’s Treo speakers ensured the room was packed with visitors. www.signaturesystems.co.uk

Heard alongside a very fi ne series of front-end components, including an Oracle Delphi turntable, TAD DA1000 DAC and TAD C600/M2500 pre/power combination, the Brodmann Acoustics JB155 fl oorstander, seen here with Bernd Gruhn, did a grand job of fi lling this huge Suite with music. The smaller Festival F1 is pictured adjacent. www.brodmann.at

Japanese company Melco made its UK debut as Alan Ainslie showed off the revived ’70s audiophile name with two digital music storage solutions, backed by Buffalo Technology know-how. The £6200 N1Z packs a 1TB SSD drive (expandable) while the N1A [p43] comes with a 4TB traditional HDD and costs £1650. Both serve as dedicated network and USB audio hubs. Here’s Irv Gross with Constellation Audio’s spectacular £33k http://melco-audio.com Cygnus DAC Server, seen here with Metronome’s Kalista Ultimate Signature transport/DAC/PSU combo [HFN Dec ’13]. However, Constellation’s Inspiration Series pre and Stereo power amps (£10k each) were the real stars [p63], delivering a jaw- dropping sound via Magico S5s. www.constellationaudio.com

Chris Green of Sound Fowndations showcased Clearaudio’s Master Innovation turntable with fl oating platter, priced at £16k. It was fi tted with the £15.5k Statement TT1i parallel tracking tonearm and Here Primare’s Siemen Algra shows off the company’s 60 Series placed on the matching £8k pre/power combo [HFN Nov ’14]. The PRE60 preamp hosts a Olymp stand. Heard through 192kHz/24-bit DAC/media board, while the companion A60 GamuT pre/power amps and stereo power amp is rated at 2x250W. Priced £6500 apiece and speakers, it had visitors glued partnered here with Revel’s £4750 Performa F208 fl oorstanders, to their seats. the duo wowed visitors. www.karma-av.co.uk www.soundfowndations.com

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifinews.co.uk | 19 SHOWBLOG Sights and sounds from around the globe Germany – Munich Show

This was the fi rst thing we saw upon entering the High- End show, one of the most over-the-top turntables ever. Construction of Acoustic Signature’s Invictus is fl awless – it accepts four arms, the platter is a three-layer aluminium/brass sandwich and the parts count is 479. The huge platter is driven by six motors and comes on a dedicated stand that’s above waist-height – at least, for our 5ft 8in reporter. www.acoustic-signature.com

AudioValve reminded arrivistes that it has been producing standalone all-tube headphone amps for over 30 years! The latest, the Luminare, is an OTL design with external power supply, said to handle any headphone load, however ornery, and whether normal or balanced. It also powers Stax ESLs – so Stax fans Reviewer Michael Fremer (left) and needn’t buy an energiser. It’s available in black/white, Bé Yamamura stand in front of the or all-black. www.audiovalve.de latter’s massive steel horn speakers, described in depth in HFN Dec ’13. Bé was present to show, too, the new YC Digital system consisting of the YC-1 music server, YC-2 192K digital audio interface and YC-3 192K DAC, also described in the HFN article. www.yamamuracrawley.com

Tim De Paravicini was showing a new CD player in the Acute range but he seemed far more excited about the tape deck seen at the right. It’s a super-rare Denon DH-610S, a Japan-only item that falls in the pro/semi- pro category. The system consisted of EAR-Yoshino components entirely, heard via the BBC-ish Graham Astell&Kern showed two new LS5/8s. www.earyoshino.com digital players at both ends of the spectrum, the AK380 costing ~£3k, and this, the AK Jr. At just ~£400 it delivers that At a show awash with new A&K 192kHz/24-bit quality in cartridges, many were in awe of DS a package smaller and lighter Audio’s DS-W1 ‘Nightrider’ Optical than an iPhone 5. It’s gorgeous, Phono Cartridge and Equaliser [p34]. all-metal, sleek, easy-to-use and Shades of the 1960s – only now supplied with 64GB of internal the technology benefi ts from the memory. The AK380 services low temperature LED technology up to 384kHz/32-bit, and developed for the optical mouse and comes with 256GB of internal guitar pick-ups. www.ds-audio-w.biz memory! www.astellnkern.com

20 | www.hifinews.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 SHOWBLOG Sights and sounds from around the globe Portugal – The Audio Show

Pro-Ject tempted with a tasty selection of some of its most popular turntables, plus the new RPM 1 Carbon (second from left). Costing £325, the deck features a new arm made from carbon fi bre and aluminium resin. www.henleydesigns.co.uk

A beautiful shot of the polished-chrome Avid Acutus turntable, complete with three-point suspension, 10kg platter and dual-belt drive system. Seen here with SME V tonearm, the Acutus was illustrative of the analogue-only front-ends used by many exhibitors. www.avidhifi .co.uk Once again, Wilson Audio was responsible for some of the most beautiful sounds at the show. A pair of the company’s Sasha Series-2 loudspeakers [HFN Jul ’14] was driven by a D’Agostino Momentum Integrated [p53] – weighing in at 54kg and said to deliver 200W/ ch – fed by a CD8T CD player from French company Métronome Technologie. Power to the whole system was fi ltered through a Nordost Quantum Qx2 mains fi lter and distributor block. www.absolutesounds.com; www.nordost.com

Electronics from Canor in the form of its TP106 VR integrated amplifi er and CD2 VR+ CD player were partnered here with the Cambridge Audio 851D upsampling DAC/preamp and Tannoy’s DC10 fl oorstanders. www.canor-audio.com; www.tannoy.com

These magnifi cent loudspeakers are the Coltrane Supreme IIs from Marten Audio. Despite being taller than most visitors and weighing 200kg a piece, they ‘disappeared’ as soon as the music played. Electronics were courtesy of VTL, its Siegfried II power amps also dominating the scene. The total system cost was nearly €700k with the Ultimo K2 turntable from Portuguese designer Rui Borges. www.marten.se; www.ruiborgesturntables.com

What could be more fi tting for Focal’s fl agship Stella Utopia EM loudspeaker than a magnifi cently decorated room with a beautiful view over Lisbon’s Tagus river? Electronics were Naim through and through, with the company’s NSX streamer as source feeding a NAP 500 power amplifi er. www.focal.com; www.naimaudio.com

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifinews.co.uk | 21 SHOWBLOG Sights and sounds from around the globe Japan – Tokyo Audio Show

Further evidence that cool DACs with headphone amps are the defi ning product of this age. Marantz’s HD-DAC1 [HFN Apr ’15], uses Current Feedback technologies from its Premium 11 Series. The HD-DAC1 can ‘even drive audiophile high-impedance headphones of up to 600ohm’. www.marantz.co.uk

Ayre’s MX-R Twenty is a mono amp rated at 300W and has zero-feedback, fully-balanced discrete circuitry. It features the company’s proprietary Ayre Double Diamond output stage, AyreLock power supply and Ayre Conditioner power line RFI fi lter. Size is 280x480x95mm (wdh). www.ayre.com

Our pic doesn’t do justice to the sheer scale of the massive Triode Junone Reference M212 Monoblock. To give you some idea, the 212E output tubes are over a foot tall – dwarfi ng the 845 driver just behind. Meters are switchable from 10W to 100W maximum readings. www.triode.co.jp

Esoteric’s unapologetically high-end fl agship Grandioso range was demo’d alternately through both Tannoys and a complete Avantgarde horn set-up with subs. The range consists of the two-chassis C1 line preamp, 300W M1 monoblocks and P1/D1 SACD/DAC combo. The latter, a dual-mono source, amounts to a four-chassis digital front-end. www.esoteric.jp Audio Alchemy, probably the fi rst brand to offer killer budget digital hardware way back in 1990, was reprised in 2015. The all-new range consists of DDP-1 Digital Decoding Preamp, PS-1 Power Station outboard dual transformer linear PSU, DPA-1 150W/ch Class D Power Amp and MRD-1 Media Rendering Device high resolution fi le player. www.audioalchemy.com

Two of Accuphase’s new A-70 stereo power amps, seen at the front of this display, were set up to demonstrate Fostex G2000A and Magico Q3 loudspeakers. The A-70 is a Class A design, rated at 60W/ch and weighing in at 44.3kg. Also launched was the fully-loaded C-37 phono amp. www.accuphase.co.jp

22 | www.hifinews.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 SHOWBLOG Sights and sounds from around the globe Hong Kong – High-End/AV

The huge HK$195,000 (£16k) Legacy Aeris speaker from the US features a dual AMT (Air Motion Tweeter), 8in ‘titanium- encrusted’ Accordion Edge midrange plus 10in mid-bass and dual 12in subs. The bass section is powered by 1kW of ICEpower amplifi cation and extends down to a claimed 18Hz. www.legacyaudio.com

Cambridge-based dCS showed off its latest DAC product, the HK$206,000 (£17k) Rossini, which replaces the Puccini range and promises a new performance standard. Tidal, Spotify and Deezer are all supported over Ethernet while USB, AES/EBU and S/PDIF cater for DSD and LPCM fi les from PC/legacy sources. www.dcsltd.co.uk

A departure for Sonus faber, the leather-bound bookshelf/standmount Chameleon B allows owners to change side Triangle Art or work of art? panel colours to match This superb turntable, the their décor or mood. Great Signature, weighs a little shy of sounding and ostensibly 90kg and includes a 48mm- great value, the Italian- thick composite platter to designed and built two-way dampen any extraneous noise. vented speaker features The deck is fi tted with a 12in a 29mm fabric dome ebony Osiris arm and Zeus tweeter and a 150mm MC cartridge for HK$423,000 plastic-coned mid/bass unit. (£35k). www.triangleart.net Sensitivity is rated at 87dB. www.sonusfaber.com

It looked as if Devialet had pulled out all the stops with the arrival of its networked and ADH-powered Phantom speaker solution, as, for the fi rst time ever at the HK show, the French had turned up in force. And with audiophiles able to choose the music playing through the pods outside the demo room, it certainly was turning heads. www.devialet.com

Given the strength of the Swiss Franc, one wonders how Swiss producers manage to export for profi t. No such problem for Nagra, evidently, whose Seven, a portable two-channel recorder is really a ‘Pro’ front-end source with touch screen. The CDC disc player/DAC/pre may be connected directly to an amp. www.nagraaudio.com

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifinews.co.uk | 23 TURNTABLE

Belt-driven turntable with electronic speed control and arm Made by: European Audio Team, Prague Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd, UK Telephone: 0208 971 3909 Web: www.euroaudioteam.com; www.absolutesounds.com Pricece ((includingcud g arm): £2498

sounding warm and open, so we ended up just wanting to listen to more and more music. On music with a beat, the turntable had a lively bounce about it. Listening to funky guitarist Mel Brown and the neat little instrumental ‘W-2 Withholding’ from Eighteen Pounds Of Unclean Chitlins And Other Greasy Blues Specialties [Bluesway], Brown’s trademark tricky blues picking seemed hugely energetic. Brass and organ sounds were light, bright and clean, while the unidentifi ed bass EAT C-Sharp/C-Note player’s great sound came over with immediacy and clarity. The EAT seemed to be quite ith the £2498 C-Sharp, to be lifted off with ease. A separate ABOVE: While good at humanising a relatively EAT has created speed controller takes low-voltage the C-Sharp processed recording too. On Stevie another high-mass DC power from a plug-top PSU and shares the 2012 Winwood’s Arc Of A Diver [Island], W design that looks very synthesises the appropriate AC E-Flat model’s he overlaid all the instruments stylish indeed: a turntable of classic feeds for the two motor speeds. heavyweight himself, to a point where his vocals proportions and elegant design – in Imposing if rather ‘blingy’, the oversized platter, often seem almost buried in the fact it’s a scaled-down successor to new 10in C-Note arm fi tted is said it carries an all- mix. Yet with the EAT they were the Forte S [HFN Dec ’10] and E-Flat to ‘combine all advantages of a new 10in arm. always intelligible and impactful, so [HFN Jan ’12] but fi tted this time unipivot arm with a Cardan design’. A control unit the songs made sense. with a single motor. It doesn’t wobble all over the place with electronic With Last Dance by Keith Jarrett Immaculately black-lacquered, like a unipivot, but is easy and switching is a and Charlie Haden [ECM], we were the plinth is made of high-density comfortable to handle; and there is separate item immediately captivated by Jarrett’s MDF and is supported on three almost no bearing play in the lateral connected at the spiky, instantly communicative adjustable aluminium cones. plane. Some play in the vertical rear of the plinth. piano on ‘My Old Flame’, while Nestling within the rim of the plinth, direction will not be critical, as the The C-Note arm’s Haden’s string bass had terrifi c the carbon-fi bre-patterned top plate bearing will always be loaded by the counterweight energy and presence, with a forms a suspended subchassis on mass of the arm. is damped by a seemingly extra deep response from which the main bearing and arm are The sleek-looking tapered sorbothane-like the EAT giving weight and gravitas; mounted. It’s actually a sandwich of carbon-fi bre arm tube is completed polymer, while his later bass solo burst out of the carbon-fi bre and MDF, supported on by a polished aluminium headshell. the tube itself speakers with real passion. ten compliant elastomer cones. Its geometry makes installing combines high The inverted main bearing has cartridges simple and EAT says that rigidity with VERDICT a 10mm-diameter shaft topped by inside the arm tube a silicon-based a moderate EAT’s unique advantage is its a ceramic ball. Over this fi ts the grease damps tonearm/cartridge effective mass close association with Pro-Ject’s substantial sub-platter, a machined resonances ‘by more then 50%’. manufacturing resources, and many The counterweight of the design decisions and material ‘A seemingly extra deep shell is fi lled with a choices seem to refl ect the latter sorbothane-type material company’s expertise. Yet this is still response from the EAT and an accessory disc can an eminently luxurious product and, be added to balance out if the looks grab you, the sound gave weight and gravitas’ the heaviest MCs. Setting certainly won’t disappoint. up the thread-and-weight aluminium disc 80mm in diameter bias adjustment is slightly fi ddly but HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS and 15mm thick, complete with the C-Sharp is still a joy to install. its matching bronze journal. The Turntable speed error at 33.33rpm 33.23rpm (–0.32%) belt, a round section type, is said to WITH A LIVELY BOUNCE Time to audible stabilisation 9sec be made from a special anti-static Fitted with an Ortofon Cadenza Peak Wow/Flutter 0.03% / 0.04%

rubber, which is then glue-joined Black the EAT gave a strong and Rumble (silent groove, DIN B wtd) –69.8dB and polished. commanding sound, with a fi ne, Rumble (through bearing, DIN B wtd) –68.9dB The chunky two-part record extended and very well-controlled clamp irons-out mild record warps bottom end, and detailed upper Hum & Noise (unwtd, rel. to 5cm/sec) –56.8dB while the platter’s bonded-on registers. However, we felt Power Consumption 11W polymer playing surface, measuring that a Benz Micro Glider SL was Dimensions (WHD) 500x135x400mm just under 300mm, allows records subjectively a better match, always

24 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 BUDGET ESOTERICA – TURNTABLE

Belt-driven turntable system with manual speed control Made by: Pro-Ject Audio Systems, Austria Supplied by: Henley Designs Ltd, UK Telephone: 01235 511166 Web: www.project-audio.com;www.project-audio.com; www.henlwww.henleydesigns.co.ukeydesigns.co.uk Price:Price: £599 (inc.(inc. arm and cartrcartridge)idge)

nicely opened up to reveal their intentionally relaxed tones, while each shake of the tambourine was presented with a natural ring and decay. The horn sections within the track had a welcome sense of warmth around their edges, making it all the more accessible, while at the same time retaining enough focus for them to be equally well defi ned in the soundstage. What also hit us early on were the impressively low levels of background noise. Cueing up a 1984 pressing of Foreigner’s Agent Provocateur [Atlantic] that has seen Pro-Ject RPM 3 plenty of action, we found ourselves hard pressed to tell this vintage edition from a new LP straight out of its shrink-wrap. And when the Carbon slow-building music kicked in from the standout power ballad ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’, the deck ro-Ject’s £599 RPM 3 The RPM 3’s 32mm-thick platter ABOVE: S-shaped rolled back the album’s years to Carbon deck follows the is made from machined MDF with carbon fi bre show its production remaining just original Genie aesthetic, a 5mm layer of recycled vinyl tonearm boasts as crisp and enticing today. Peschewing a traditional bonded to its upper surface. On the an alloy inner The sustained echo of the rectangular plinth in favour of a underside, numerous strategically tube, magnetic synthesisers and percussion had boomerang-shaped chassis, which drilled holes of varying depths anti-skate real body in the midrange, showing extends from under the platter to around its outer edge help to adjustment and that the RPM 3 package is well support the arm and motor. balance it dynamically. a new Ortofon equipped to punch beyond what its It comes with a 10in tonearm Pro-Ject’s latest AC motor sits pick-up. The physical form might suggest. What and a newly designed Ortofon 2M in a cut-out in the RPM 3’s plinth, deck’s gloss also came across was a real sense Silver MM cartridge which upgrades which aids correct positioning and fi nish also comes of cohesion, suggesting arm and the entry-level Red version with belt tension. Alongside the pulleys in red or black. cartridge were pulling together. silver spools in its generator system. for 33.3 and 45rpm the motor A vinyl topped No single sonic aspect stood out; Every aspect of this turntable also features a top-mounted on/off MDF platter is instead you had a very even delivery feels solid, and our review sample’s switch with a red LED. dynamically of the music, making it all more white fi nish looked top quality, The new S-shaped tonearm has balanced at the involving and enjoyable. emphasised by fi nely chamfered a bonded carbon fi bre skin over an factory upper edges and countersunk inner alloy tube, while its superbly VERDICT bearing screws. This main chassis fi nished joint-free headshell, fi nger- The Pro-Ject RPM 3 Carbon faces lift and main wand are stiff competition and yet has plenty ‘Rolling back the album’s fi xed to a barrel-like to shout about, with its superb bearing housing and arm- arm, bearing and MM pick-up. years, its production was pillar which offer VTA and What really marks it out is its sheer azimuth adjustments. A ‘completeness’, delivering a sound still crisp and enticing’ new type of magnetic that hugely exceeds the sum of its anti-skate is operated modest parts. sits on three cupped conical feet, by a fi nger-wheel and sliding scale the rear two with rubber isolators. neatly integrated into the arm pillar. HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS The bearing itself is an inverted design – a 50mm polished stainless A SENSE OF WARMTH Turntable speed error at 33.33rpm 33.32rpm (–0.03%) shaft with a ceramic ball at its tip, As soon as the deck’s elliptical Time to audible stabilisation 5sec spinning inside a brass sleeve that’s stylus hit the groove of Ron Peak Wow/Flutter 0.03% / 0.03% pressed into the platter’s underside. Sexsmith’s ‘Me Myself And Wine’ Rumble (silent groove, DIN B wtd) –68.5dB The lower bearing shaft attaches [Forever Endeavour – WEA], the Rumble (through bearing, DIN B wtd) –71.6dB to a 20mm-thick round steel plate, Pro-Ject illustrated perfectly why bolted to the deck’s underside, vinyl’s appeal has endured. We Hum & Noise (unwtd, rel. to 5cm/sec) –64.4dB serving to balance out the deck’s were greeted with a well balanced Power Consumption 5W weight distribution while keeping blend of mature detail and plain Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 447x118x373mm / 5.5kg bearing noise low. fun. Sexsmith’s vocals were

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 25 Hugo Nielssen with the legendary Contour 1.8

Contour S 3.4 LE The legend continues.

Dynaudio Contour – a magic name among audiophiles. And the living example of H[Y\LOPNOLUKSV\KZWLHRLY*VUZPZ[LU[S`YLÄULKHUKM\Y[OLYVW[PTPaLKZPUJLP[Z launch in 1986 to this very day. Completely handmade in Denmark, the new *VU[V\Y:HUK:3PTP[LK,KP[PVUTVKLSZVќLYHIZVS\[LYLÄULTLU[PU KLZPNUHUKÄUPZOJVTIPULK^P[OHOPNOLYSL]LSVMZV\UKX\HSP[`[OH[PZPUZ[HU[S` H\KPISL;OLSLNLUKJVU[PU\LZ^^^K`UH\KPVJVTJVU[V\Y

All there is. TURNTABLE

Belt-driven turntable, arm & MC cartridge Made by: Rega Research Ltd, Essex Supplied by: Rega Research Ltd Telephone: 01702 333071 Web: www.rega.co.uk Price (including arm): £3698

Pure Pleasure’s reissue of Eric Bibb’s Natural Light was a great example. On ‘Guru Man Blues’ Bibb’s fi ne rhythm section seemed to have things cranked up to a new level of precision and urgency, with a truly solid and stable bass matched by natural-sounding snare and cymbals. With ‘Champagne Habits’ there was great natural ambience around Bibb’s vocal while the acoustic guitar with its ringing high notes was tangible and totally convincing within the soundstage. Here the tonal balance was sweet and Rega RP10/ natural, and never over-bright. Listening to Rega’s own Christine Collister album, Love, we felt that the textures of her voice were RB2000/Apheta 2 presented so effortlessly that you could imagine yourself present at the recording session itself, while ou can now have Rega’s Rega, there has been an ‘intelligent ABOVE: A the bowed double-bass of Rory latest RP10 turntable with redistribution of mass’, in order to subtly revised McFarlane was woody and full- the superb RB2000 arm reduce stresses and resonances. ceramic platter bodied with a rock-like stability that Y pre-fi tted with the revised To suit the low-mass chassis the is topped with made it very realistic. Apheta 2 cartridge. This moving- RB2000 has a lighter assembly to an all-wool white The RP10/Apheta 2 seemed well coil normally costs £998 but you house the vertical bearing. Its arm mat, while the equipped to deal with classical can save £700 with the complete tube casting is highly polished, decoupled outer orchestral music too. With the package reviewed here. with no paint or coating, while the plinth frame also original Apheta cartridge [HFN Rega has always believed that wiring is in one continuous run from provides a base Aug ’08], we had found that the a turntable plinth needs to be as cartridge tags to phono plugs. for Rega’s hinged 1967 Barenboim/ECO recording light and rigid as possible, and that The RP10 has a ceramic platter dustcover. The of Mozart’s Piano Concerto K467 rigidity is really needed between rather than glass, the thickness all-metal RB2000 could benefi t from the treble cut the turntable spindle and the arm. varying constantly from the point tonearm includes provided by the notch fi lter on the To this end, in the RP10 a double- where it sits on the sub-platter a new, stronger earlier Rega Ios phono stage. But braced skeletal plinth is made from right out to the inner edge of its and lighter this didn’t apply with the Apheta 2 a core of hard, very light closed-cell fl ywheel-effect rim. It comes with a housing for the as, this time, the strings were nitrogen-expanded polyolefi n foam white 100% wool mat and, as usual vertical bearing vivid-sounding but not too edgy or between two skins of phenolic resin. with Rega, there is no provision for and comes overbright, and the EMI LP sounded The glossy black rectangular record clamping. with a tungsten fundamentally well balanced. outer frame (which you need not A sophisticated custom power counterweight supply is built around VERDICT ‘McFarlane’s bass was a high-stability crystal With this RP10 package, Rega is oscillator with a new DSP offering a clear advance on its woody and full-bodied control system which can earlier decks. The combo excels generate a ‘near perfect’ in Rega’s strong suits of pace with a rock-like stability’ sinusoidal waveform to and vitality, ably assisted by the drive the motor. Factory- improved Apheta 2 cartridge. use) is there to support the usual set adjustments are then made Rega hinged dustcover. to the PSU to tune the motor HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS Although this chassis is the same for optimum performance. The as the RP8’s [HFN May ’14], the turntable is boxed complete with its Turntable speed error at 33.33rpm 33.46rpm (+0.37%) RP10 turntable comes with Rega’s two belts in place, and the RB2000 Time to audible stabilisation 4sec current top tonearm, the RB2000: arm set-up too is straightforward. Peak Wow/Flutter 0.03% / 0.03% which is a further refi nement of Rumble (silent groove, DIN B wtd) –69.9dB the RB1000 [see HFN Jun ’10] PACE AND VITALITY Rumble (through bearing, DIN B wtd) –73.7dB made possible by modern 3D CAD/ Given a well-crafted modern studio CAM techniques. There’s now a recording, the RP10/Apheta 2 Hum & Noise (unwtd, rel. to 5cm/sec) –63.3dB better blending of the curves in combination could demonstrate Power Consumption 6W the shape, in order to improve the an almost magical combination of Dimensions (WHD) 450x120x365mm arm’s resonant behaviour. And, says inner detail and timing.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 27 Fresh Ayre

With the introduction of the AX-5, Ayre has taken a fresh approach and breathed new life into the Integrated amplifier.

Integrating a number of unique innovations together has allowed Ayre to create an elegant single-chassis design, without sacrificing functionality and Ayre’s award-winning sound.

In the words of Charles Hansen (CEO & Head of R&D at Ayre): ‘In the simplest view, the Ayre AX-5 is an amalgamation of the Ayre AX-7 and the Ayre KX-R. Yet in another way, the AX-5 is the most radical integrated amplifier ever designed.’

For the full story please go to www.symmetry-systems.co.uk.

t: 01727 865488 e: [email protected] w: www.symmetry-systems.co.uk TURNTABLE

Belt-driven turntable with electronic speed control Made by: SME Limited, Steyning Supplied by: SME Ltd Telephone: 01903 814321 Web: www.sme-audio.com Price (with Model 309/Series V arm): £6884/£8398

guitar-driven band, and the sounds are manipulated, the playing was staggering in its fl uidity and speed. Never did the SME stumble. Transparency is the order of the day, and those who have played Brothers In Arms to death, even in digital form, would hear teensy details that are often buried. Add to that the physical form of the deck, which is so utterly, genuinely ‘open architecture’ that changing cartridges or arms is freed of whole layers of hassle. Another MoFi 45rpm release, Bob Dylan’s New Morning, let us think less about the sound and more about the performance. What this LP produced, and what we certainly were not expecting, were lower registers of such command and mass that it was hard to reconcile SME Model 15 with its alt-country-ish feel. ‘If Not For You’ had the atmosphere of a back porch sing-a-long, but with eaders familiar with the surface that is diamond-turned with ABOVE: Isolation world-class musicians. SME range will recognise a fi ne scroll not unlike an LP groove. is much improved Most persuasive, though, even instantly that this new SME says ‘this method of fi nishing over SME’s Model beyond the instruments, was R£5373 design is, in upsets a myriad of tiny fi bres which 10 thanks to its Dylan’s voice, a sound so distinctive essence, the much-loved Model 10 interface with the underside of the ‘rubber band’ that you’d recognise it over two ‘with a full suspension’. It increases record’, while a screw-down clamp suspension tin cans and a piece of string. The the space requirements but is still ‘provides the largest possible platter of the upper rasp, the nasality: what was so chill- a relatively compact turntable, and contact even when an appreciable chassis, as per inducing was the intimacy – Dylan looks so, thanks to the absence of a record warp is present’. Models 20/3 and in your listening room. And behind rectangular base. Like all of its siblings, the Model 30/2, as well as him, a luscious mix of fl uidity in the SME has realised that clients 15 has an outboard control unit- height-adjustable, strings, contrasted with wheezy liked the compactness of the Model cum-power supply that delivers fast springy feet. A harmonica and percussion made to 10 but wanted the added benefi ts start-up, impossibly quick braking socket for the sound like orange crates. We had no of a true suspended chassis, as in of the platter and very fi ne speed PSU cable sits at idea so much was going on in this the Model 20/3 [HFN Mar ’11]. How adjustment in ±0.01% increments. the back of the seemingly simple tune. this was done is sublimely clever. lower baseplate SME added three ‘circles’ to the AIR A’PLENTY VERDICT bottom plate, and fi tted the towers Lionel Hampton’s Newport Uproar! We did not expect the Model 15 to with one near the arm, a second at [Pure Pleasure] was a wise choice perform so astoundingly that we’d for showing off the scale think of it in terms of, say, Wilson’s ‘We had no idea so much of the system. Fitted Sabrina or the Koetsu Black… The with Series V arm and a world is awash with delightful was going on in this Kiseki Blue MC, the SME turntables, but this is the world’s spread the sound across best deck below £10k. seemingly simple tune’ the room, with front-to- back depth suggestive of HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS 10 o’clock and the last front-and- a massive proscenium, as was the centre. As a three-footed construct, stage at Newport. Turntable speed error at 33.33rpm 33.32rpm (–0.03%) it’s easy to level, especially thanks to For something wholly studio- Time to audible stabilisation 4sec the adjustable feet, offering perfect born, we turned to Dire Straits’ Peak Wow/Flutter 0.015% / 0.03%

fi ne-tuning as regards height, Brothers In Arms [Mobile Fidelity] Rumble (silent groove, DIN B wtd) –72.5dB (with clamp) isolation and other parameters that which also provided the opportunity Rumble (through bearing, DIN B wtd) –74.9dB the Model 10 achieves only with to play with 45rpm. Despite its careful placement. digital origins, this is an impressive- Hum & Noise (unwtd, rel. to 5cm/sec) –59.2dB Its distinctive 4.6kg platter is sounding LP, especially if you want Power Consumption 4W machined from aluminium alloy and to hear detail and attack. Although Dimensions (WHD) 452x175x361mm / 18.5kg fully damped. Records rest on a top Dire Straits are, for some at least, a

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 29 TURNTABLE

Belt-driven turntable with electronic speed control Made by: Stella Inc., Tokyo, Japan Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd Telephone: 0208 971 3909 Web: www.techdas.jp; www.absolutesounds.com Price: £28,898

enjoyed the sense of ‘presence’ that had been conveyed by the One. Plenty of low-level detail and air ensured that one heard as realistic an acoustic guitar as could be obtained from vinyl. But it was a marginally ‘smaller’ image than can be extricated through the good graces of the Air Force One. Turning then to the detailed, immaculately-produced masterpiece, Willy DeVille’s Miracle [Polydor], provided just the ammunition for assessing the two turntables’ way with attack, extension, dimensionality, et al. This is, of course, where ‘Assassin Of Love’ fi rst appeared, and it TechDAS proved to be one of DeVille’s most anguished performances. With either deck DeVille’s voice materialised from an inky black Air Force Two silence, the noise fl oor so low that one could mistake that aspect of the performance as near-digital. Our echDAS has followed the and weighing 10kg. Two tonearms ABOVE: Its impression was that the One bested ground-breaking Air Force can be fi tted: 9in or 10in in the enamel fi nish and the Two in this area, but not so you One turntable [HFN Jun conventional position, while across more utilitarian would think, ‘Hmm, where can I fi nd T’13] with this ‘scaled-down’ the back the user can fi t either 9in, aesthetic another £47k?’. version – albeit with a slightly wider 10in or 12in arms, and TechDAS distinguishes the The coherence of the Air Force footprint than the One’s. says it will supply boards to suit any Air Force Two Two’s playback will fi nd favour with The One remains the prettier arm you care to fi t. from the One, those who adore wide dynamic of the pair, but the Two possesses Although the TechDAS turntables but soft-touch contrasts, the surprise element its own ultra-functional charm seem to present daunting set-up speed control/ of ‘attack’, especially from, say, while offering all of the operational regimes, a trained dealer can do adjustment and punchy horns. While not quite as niceties of the One, including the this in about 30 minutes. Once set vacuum LP hold- sharp as the leading edges heard illuminated display, pitch control up, it maintains a stable state of down features through the One, the etching is of in ±0.1% steps, and pretty much tune with near-mythic consistency. are retained. The such a high calibre that it can fail adjustable everything else. Across its front are the buttons Two’s machined to impress only those who have the The chassis is made of cast for all functions, including Stop, 10kg alloy platter dearer deck to hand. aluminium, with a textured grey 33.3 and 45rpm (left of the speed is lifted 0.03mm display), Pitch High, Pitch above a hard VERDICT ‘The noise fl oor was Low and Suction (to the glass surface by a The Two is among the fi nest right). Operationally, the cushion of air turntables you can buy. But the so low that one could joyous feeling is similar One remains the big brother in this to that of the One. There family. Considering the huge price mistake it as near-digital’ is something absurdly difference, though, it’s a decision satisfying about a vacuum that will probably be made by your paint fi nish, sitting on four pillars. system that actually works without wallet rather than your ears. There’s a hybrid suspension system drama, and does so with almost with a sealed upper air chamber indecent haste. HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS and a more economical lower section: a ‘macromolecular polymer’ TWO VERSUS ONE Turntable speed error at 33.33rpm 33.33rpm (+0.005%) with a built-in spring, internally For the listening sessions, we used Time to audible stabilisation 18sec damped with oil in a sealed the EAT E-Go tonearm [HFN Apr Peak Wow/Flutter 0.01% / 0.02%

chamber. The Two retains the ’13] with Koetsu Blue Onyx MC Rumble (silent groove, DIN B wtd) –73.0dB (with vacuum hold) air bearing pump, suction pump, cartridge, choosing the same discs Rumble (through bearing, DIN B wtd) –74.0dB external motor power supply and we’d played through the Air Force condenser, just like its predecessor One. With Rodriguez’s Cold Fact Hum & Noise (unwtd, rel. to 5cm/sec) –64.3dB – but in one external box, not two. [Blue Goose], from vocal textures to Power Consumption (PSU + pump) 39W (4W standby) The Two has one standard the resonances one associates with Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 685x160(+arm)x460mm / 47kg platter, made of solid aluminium acoustic guitars, the entire album

30 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 TURNTABLE

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 Price (including arm): £14,985-£15,645

of drums and vocals make way for the opening lead and bass guitar riffs, you can hear how each instrumentalist feeds off the other, each being granted their own air and space within the soundstage. The Thales’ sound isn’t forward or too centrally focused, so no instruments or parts of the audio spectrum are shown obvious favour. Instead, you get a soundstage that’s evenly formed, affording you greater access to all that’s going on. As it comes so close to the run-out groove, ‘A Sailor’s Life’ on Fairport Convention’s Unhalfbricking [Island], will cause many a turntable Thales TTT-Compact arm to ‘cower’, as the threat of the those low rumbling bass notes and Denny’s majestic vocals lay down a icha Huber, owner and 150mm grooved sub-platter for the ABOVE: The challenge for pitch-perfect tracking. designer of all Thales precision-ground circular rubber Thales’ three But with the Simplicity tonearm products, is a man who belt. Drive is by a (gold-plated!) threaded feet we were treated to a sure-footed Mhad a background in brushless DC motor, isolated from with captive performance, which allowed us the mechanical engineering of high- the main chassis. Four rechargeable ball-bearing tips simply to enjoy the music. end watch brands before he turned batteries in the base of the plinth give fi rm support. Via the Thales, the bass sounds his hand to vinyl replay. Rather like supply power within a closed loop Speed change lithe, well rounded and of a depth SME he started out by making top- system to keep the motor speed is via plinth-top you perhaps wouldn’t expect from fl ight tonearms, before expanding constant, by comparing its feedback buttons for such a tidy package. The lower to include a range of equally unique to a precise reference voltage. 33.3/45rpm with notes on Daft Punk’s ‘Giorgio By partnering turntables. The matching fully adjustable fi ne adjustment Moroder’ [Random Access Memories The £8795 TTT-Compact is the Simplicity II tonearm has two through two – Columbia] underpin the music more costly of Thales’ two decks, ‘chopstick’ style aluminium arm fascia holes, with plenty of punch in the upper graced with the high specifi cation tubes, in a range of fi nishes, to and there’s a bass, seamlessly reinforced with Simplicity II tonearm (£6190 as reduce tracking error. Cartridge battery-driven, lots of body in the lower registers. standard, or £6850 with ‘direct’ fi tting is made convenient by a suspended There’s lots of bass texture too, wiring, as per our review sample) removable headshell plate, while, DC motor which shows how this deck isn’t just and the deck’s deceptively in situ, azimuth and VTA can also about moving lots of air to show off, understated aesthetic hides some be fi ne-tuned on the fl y, and the when it can defi ne each note and very sophisticated technologies. TTT-Compact is provided with a instrument in so lifelike a manner. Its elegant chassis is milled from surprisingly heavy, non-threaded a slab of low-stress black anodised clamp with a rubbery underside. VERDICT aluminium. In this plinth sits the Few superdecks can equal the main bearing, which is a hand- NEVER FLUSTERED Thales for its Swiss-watch build polished chrome-plated carbon tool Many high-end machines can create quality, in such a stylish package. steel main shaft running against a a sonic landscape that catches The jewel in its crown is of course your attention, but with the ‘tangential’ pivoting tonearm, ‘The Thales’ sure-footed the Thales there’s an which offers an exceptionally open added sense of harmony and balanced sound. performance allowed us within the soundstage, suggesting that nothing HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS simply to enjoy the music’ is being compromised as it throws open a grand Turntable speed error at 33.33rpm 33.31rpm (–0.08%) hardened steel ball in two sintered window onto the music. Time to audible stabilisation 5sec bronze bushings. Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Caroline’ Peak Wow/Flutter 0.10% / 0.04%

Lift the 6.5kg alloy platter, with [Tango In The Night – Warner Bros] Rumble (silent groove, DIN B wtd) –66.6dB its proprietary ‘high density surface’, has plenty going on in the mix, Rumble (through bearing, DIN B wtd) –67.4dB and you see its mass is concentrated and it can leave even the most around the outer edge – equalling measured decks a little fl ustered, Hum & Noise (unwtd, rel. to 5cm/sec) –49.2dB the effective mass of an 8kg but here there’s no sense of it Power Consumption 1W platter, says Thales. Its hollowed- being overwhelmed by the track’s Dimensions (WHD) 435x100x313mm / 16kg out inner circumference hides a complexity. As its dazzling intro

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 31 Let’s Play

GamuT is a Danish creator of high end H\KPVLX\PWTLU[Z\JOHZZWLHRLYZHTWSPÄLYZ CD-players, cables and connections. www.gamutaudio.com TURNTABLE

Belt-driven turntable with manual speed control and unipivot arm Made by: VPI Industries Inc., New Jersey, USA Supplied by: Renaissance Audio, Scotland Telephone: 0131 555 3922 Web: www.vpiindustries.com;p www.renaissanceaudio.co.uk PricePrice ((includingincluding arm): £3750

subtle nuance as his singing style intentionally blurred each word into the next. The echo of plucked guitar during the opening section was noteworthy for how the Prime gave it real clarity, and for how the deck allowed its ringing echo to extend way back into the soundstage – more than we’re used to. With the title track from Laura Marling’s Once I Was An Eagle [Virgin Records], from the soft shakes of the tambourine to the more pronounced strings and guitar work, the Prime served up each tone-colour with just the right amount of focus, without making them either overly pronounced or sidelined in the mix and all VPI Prime/JMW 10 3D benefi ting from the Prime’s inky- black backgrounds. Bass depth and impact were ooking very much a modern an anti-static rubber, while the ABOVE: also notable Prime/JMW strengths, VPI, the Prime continues in supplied threaded spindle clamp is Freestanding evidenced during the Laura Marling the Scout aesthetic of black also top quality, and gets a stainless AC motor drives ‘You Know’ and ‘Breathe’ tracks, Land silver with an exposed steel upper section in place of the the 9kg alloy/ with the Prime letting the plucked plinth and freestanding motor. Scout’s all Delrin version. steel platter bass strings reach low enough to Rather than follow the predictable Drive is via a dedicated low-noise with a rubber give them physical presence, while rectangular plinth approach, the 500rpm Hurst motor housed in a belt around its ensuring they began and ended Prime’s 38mm-thick vinyl-wrapped solidly built cylindrical alloy case periphery. Speed with real precision. MDF plinth is elegantly shaped with that carries a push button on/off change is manual. Switching to a Denon DL-103R sumptuous curves that make it switch and mains inlet socket. You The deck’s curvy MC revealed more of the deck’s stand out from the crowd. can upgrade to VPI’s £1500 SDS MDF chassis is low-level capabilities. With Ásgeir Its four isolating corner feet (Synchronous Drive System) at just steel-braced on Trausti’s ‘Hærra’ from his 2014 incorporate a fl exible rubber nut £1250 if bought together. its underside, album Dýrð í dauðaþögn [One Little sandwiched between solid Delrin Completing the package is the and its 10in 3D Indian], it was the quality and detail plates. The lower one ends in a 10in JMW 10 3D armtube, the printed tonearm of the lower notes that marked out cone shape that locates into the name referencing its 3D printed offers easy the Prime’s performance. centre of a puck-like base packing design. This arm offers adjustment adjustment a trio of ball bearings fi tted into its of VTA on-the-fl y and has clamping VERDICT underside. Pressed into the Prime’s screws that can be secured by hand As a newcomer to VPI’s stable, the plinth is an inverted bearing with instead of with fi ddly hex keys. Prime offers a whole lotta turntable a stainless steel shaft and chrome- VPI recommends having it for the money (its 10in arm alone hardened ball at its tip. This turns in protruding around 6mm proud costs £2k). Right down to its funky of the chassis when feet, it’s clear that every aspect of placing the motor within this deck has been considered for ‘Plucked bass strings the deck’s cutout. The maximum performance and ease of reach low enough to have peripheral belt fi ts to use in a package designed to make the upper pulley for a style statement. a real physical presence’ 33.3rpm, or the lower one for 45rpm. Both HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS a phosphor bronze bushing with a pulley sections also allow limited PEEK thrust disc in the platter. fi ne speed tuning via extra grooves. Turntable speed error at 33.33rpm 33.21rpm (–0.37%) The 9kg heft of the Prime’s Time to audible stabilisation 5sec

48mm-thick machined aluminium DIGGING DEEP Peak Wow/Flutter 0.02% / 0.04% platter is largely accounted for by Using the revealing Goldring 2500 Rumble (silent groove, DIN B wtd) –68.1dB a stainless steel damping plate MM [HFN Mar ’11], we started with bonded to its underside. You can ‘The End Of The Affair’ [I Forget Rumble (through bearing, DIN B wtd) –70.6dB also add a ‘Periphery Ring Clamp’ Where We Were – Island] where Ben Hum & Noise (unwtd, rel. to 5cm/sec) –55.1dB (£700) to hold your LPs fl at. Howard’s vocals sounded thickly Power Consumption 7W The Prime comes equipped with textured via our Dynaudio Focus Dimensions (WHD) 535x190x400mm a new 2mm-thick mat formed in 260s, and we were treated to every

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 33 CARTRIDGE

Photo-electric pick-up cartridge Made by: Digital Stream Corporation, Kanagawa, Japan Supplied by: Soundfowndations Ltd, Berks Telephone: 0118 9814238 Web: www.ds-audio-w.biz; www.soundfowndations.co.uk Price: £6250 DS Audio DS-W1

n optical pick-up using an The black box comes LED as a light source? No with pointy feet and wonder DS Audio’s DS-W1 cups to site it on a surface A costs £6250 – by today’s that’s not spike-friendly. standards, a median price for a loony tunes, boutique cartridge. DYNAMIC SWEEPS This price also includes its own Starting with Dire Straits’ dedicated phono amplifi er, because Brothers In Arms [Mobile it doesn’t feed an MM or MC input. Fidelity] we immediately felt the Indeed, you have to combine DS-W1 had its own ideas about the DS-W1 pick-up with its own soundstage shape, detail retrieval, energiser/equaliser as the optical ‘air’ and tonal balance. ABOVE: Inside albums, and this is one, that evoke a system needs a power source. We were shocked at the the DS-W1 sense of ‘woodiness’, and we don’t Once you’ve installed the incredible dynamic sweeps, the light from an just mean the bodies of the guitars. cartridge, connected your turntable blackness of the background LED shines on a We can almost smell cedar when to the outboard box and fed its and the speed of transients. photocell, which we simply think of them. For all of output into a preamplifi er line input, The bass, though, was more generates an its science-fi ction-like high tech, the switching it on activates a red light overwhelming than we’d expected: electrical current DS-W1 managed to sound as rustic at the front edge of the cartridge. not fat however, not too rich, just that’s modulated as New Morning warrants. (We were instantly reminded of the pronounced in the manner of the by the (rear) of But the killer moment? The piano Cylons in Battlestar Galactica as well modern listener’s preferences. the vibrating salvo that starts ‘Take It To The as the cartridges from Soundsmith.) The Dire Straits album sounded cantilever Limit’ on Etta James’s Deep In The The technology is based on the as rocking, fl uid and involving via interrupting its Night [Pure Pleasure]. If ever piano design of Toshiba’s old C-100P the DS-1W as through our normal path. A machined playback lacked artifi ce, it is here. cartridge, transformed by DS Kiseki Blue and was coherent and aluminium body Via the DS Audio cartridge, the Audio into a more viable product consistent throughout. and fully enclosed majesty shone through. by refi ning the concept with But, aah, the bottom! With threaded lugs miniature laser-optic technologies any system already balanced on a ensure the VERDICT not available 40 years ago. DS precipice of ‘too much bass’ the DS DS-W1 can be With the DS-W1, it’s as much about Audio CEO Tetsuaki Aoyagi believes Audio could tip it over that point. cranked tight fascination with the technology ‘this is the very best and most We hooked up a pair of LS3/5As and, into any standard as it is the merits of the actual advantageous method to reproduce sure as shooting, the midband really headshell performance. It is, by any measure, musical information on vinyl.’ is BBC-neutral, while the lack of a superlative device, a serious The cartridge – lightshow aside lower octave activity from an LS3/5A contender in its price class, while – looks like any MM or MC, and it ameliorated any bass issue. the sound is enough of a departure With Lionel Hampton’s from classic MC/MMs that you Newport Uproar! [Pure absolutely must hear it for yourself – ‘The majesty of Deep In Pleasure] we weren’t it’s like going from ribbon speakers The Night simply shone expecting the DS-W1 to to electrostatics. be as big-band-friendly through via the DS-W1’ as an MC, but here the HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS Kardashian-esque lower employs a boron cantilever and registers supported the 20-piece Generator type/weight Optical / 6.5g Shibata stylus. It is installed exactly orchestra with mass and scale Recommended tracking force 1.3-1.7mN (1.5mN)

as any other, so we had no trouble appropriate to the performance. Sensitivity/balance (re. 5cm/sec) 767mV / 0.40dB (from Eq unit) in fi tting it to a SME Series V-12. Everything sounded natural, as Compliance (vertical/lateral) 15cu / 25cu The outboard PSU/eq box takes glorious in its analogue-ness as if we care of all settings – no worrying were hearing a Decca Maroon. Vertical tracking angle 29 degrees about impedance, capacitance, etc Turning to Bob Dylan’s New L/R Tracking ability >80μm / >80μm – and, besides the regular outputs, Morning [Mobile Fidelity], the L/R Distortion (–8dB, 20Hz-20kHz) 0.9–5.5% / 0.65–7.5% there’s a pair with a subsonic fi lter, DS-W1 proved expert at dealing L/R Frequency resp. (20Hz-20kHz) +3.9 to –9.7dB / +3.8 to –9.5dB which cuts off below 25Hz at 12dB/ with its variety of unamplifi ed Stereo separation (1kHz / 20kHz) 33dB / 4dB octave, to cope with warped LPs. instruments. There are certain

34 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 CARTRIDGE

Medium-output moving-coil cartridge Made by: Ortofon A/S, Denmark Supplied by: Henley Designs, Oxfordshire Telephone: 01235 511166 Web: www.ortofon.com; www.henleydesigns.co.uk Price: £325 Ortofon Quintet Blue

here’s long been a the cartridge body to provide presumption that for a plenty of protection during set-up. decent low-output MC Tcartridge able to give its A BALANCED ACT MM rivals a run for their money Even if you’re not able to you’ll need to spend north of see the Blue’s innards, you’re £500. Thankfully Ortofon doesn’t certainly presented with a subscribe to this thinking, as this window into its soul, thanks new £325 Quintet Blue illustrates. to its refreshingly open sound. Ortofon’s new Quintet range And installed on a VPI Scout 1.1 gets protective bodies made from turntable [HFN Oct ’14] it seemedd a special thermoplastic material to relish the freedom afforded by – acrylonitrile butadiene styrene the VPI’s unipivot arm. (ABS) – chosen for its strong yet A few opening bars from Little ABOVE:ABOVE: material.material. EachEach iinstrumentnstrument was givengiven lightweight and anti-resonant Dragon’s ‘Paris’ from Nabuma An aluminium plenty of air and space to let the properties. This ABS body acts Rubberband [Because Music] let cantilever and notes form with convincing realism, as a shell for the pick-up’s inner the Blue show how it can pull out nude elliptical which the Ortofon then knitted workings, which are fi xed only to its plenty of detail with ease, allied stylus are key together into a cohesive whole. aluminium mounting plate and back to real dynamism. The synthesised features of the Bass was also nicely articulate plate, but not to its outer body. percussion had ample depth and Ortofon Blue. and evenly presented without The Blue’s nude elliptical stylus attack, and we could feel each Closely spaced being over-emphasised or lacking is a solid diamond bonded to an notes’ textures as they were served pins means extra in tangibility. The ‘Paris’ track aluminium cantilever, while the up by our Dynaudio Focus 260s. care is needed underlined how the Blue liked to internals pack lightweight coil wires Despite the soundstage being when connecting show its hand in the lower registers, made from pure 4-nines copper fi lled with multiple drum rhythms the tonearm not just trying to impress with lots and powerful neodymium magnets. of varying pitch, the Blue’s even wiring tags of low-down wallop, but by making And because Ortofon has its own delivery meant we could still enjoy sure the bass sounded natural rubber making facilities, the Blue’s the contrastingly slow, drawn-out and fully formed – neither overly suspension is designed entirely vocals of lead singer Yukimi Nagano dominant nor hollow, so low notes in-house, offering a compliance as they fl oated within the song’s had genuine substance. suitable for a wide range of arms. buoyant beats. A straight-sided body and The opening riff to REM’s ‘Turn VERDICT threaded mounting holes make it You Inside-Out’ from Green always While there may be alternative easy to align, although its output makes a grand entrance, and with pick-ups out there for similar cash pins need wider spacings, so extra a ‘hot’ sounding cartridge Peter that shine brighter with detail or Buck’s lead guitar can strive for a grander presentation, sound a little too ripped you’d be hard-pressed to fi nd a ‘Guitars sounded raw open and shrill across better alternative that’s as well and edgy but without any the treble. With the Blue, balanced across the board. the track’s guitars were spittiness at high levels’ still given free rein to HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS sound raw and edgy, but care is needed to ensure none of without being allowed to become Generator type/weight Moving coil / 9.0g your cartridge tags is touching. ‘spitty’ at high SPLs. Recommended tracking force 2.0-2.5mN (2.3mN)

Weighing in at 9g, the Blue is While the Blue took full Sensitivity/balance (re. 5cm/sec) 620μV / 0.12dB a good match for medium-mass advantage of the expansive Compliance (vertical/lateral) 16cu / 16cu tonearms, although it’s a little taller soundstage afforded by the VPI than most cartridges (18mm), so it’s deck, what was more striking Vertical tracking angle 26 degrees worth checking that your tonearm’s was its talent for separating out L/R Tracking ability 80μm / 70μm height can be adjusted should you instruments. Turning to Nick Drake’s L/R Distortion (–8dB, 20Hz-20kHz) 0.75–16.2% / 0.34–19.4% need to raise it for optimal VTA. ‘Fly’ from Bryter Layter [Simply Vinyl] L/R Frequency resp. (20Hz-20kHz) +0.5 to –3.4dB / –0.25 to +1.35dB Ortofon also includes a hard showed how well this cartridge Stereo separation (1kHz / 20kHz) 33dB / 26dB plastic stylus cover that slides over coped with more challenging

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 35 EISA Award. The highest quality level.

EISA is the unique association of 50 special interest magazines in hi-fi , home theatre, in-car electronics, mobile electronics, photo and video, from 20 European countries. Every year the EISA jury of experts rewards the best products in each class with an EISA Award. Where you see the EISA Award logo it’s your assurance that the product is of outstanding quality.

Your assurance of quality Tested by the Experts

www.eisa.eu PHONO STAGE

MM/MC phono preamp with balanced outputs Made by: Parasound Products, Inc, California, USA Supplied by: The Multi-Room Company, Glouc. Telephone: 01242 511133 Web: www.parasound.com; www.multi-room.com Price: £3300

– Mercury]. There’s no one type of music it thrives on, or is voiced for. We were delighted by the ease with which the Parasound picked through the Rush track, since it’s a compressed recording with close-miked vocals, a tight, heavily damped drum kit and lots of electric guitars running through multiple effects pedals. Yet the JC3+ scythed through the mix like the proverbial sharp knife through butter, hitting just the right balance between Parasound Halo JC3+ detail retrieval and the ability to communicate the innate musicality of the song. rom the moment the hi-fi giving fi ne adjustment capability ABOVE: The JC3+ And if it doesn’t have the velvety world realised that separate for each channel from 50-550ohm. comes in a choice patina of a tube phono stage (or phono stages could and Meanwhile the phono module of black or silver indeed their associated slightly lazy, Fusually did sound better PCB has been tweaked to further fi nishes. Its front hazy demeanour) there is none than the phono boards built into optimise the sound, and has 24kt panel confi nes of the tonal brittleness that some pre and integrated amps, the gold-plated copper circuit traces. itself to a power transistorised designs possess. market hasn’t looked back. In use, the new Parasound button and a It offers an admirably taut and One such was Parasound’s JC3, has the look and feel of a luxury mono switch for controlled bass, which is strong a beautifully fi nished unit just product, although it is quite large use with early but not overblown, a smooth and as lovingly executed internally. compared to some designs. Its LPs, while the transparent midband completely Carefully compartmentalised and thick, curved alloy fascia has just fi nely fi nished devoid of the characteristic solid- heavily shielded to reduce noise a power switch, a mono switch rear panel offers state sheen than many competitors it also offered a choice between and an illuminated logo, while at unbalanced possess, and a delicate yet well- balanced and unbalanced inputs the rear you fi nd both RCA phono RCA phono or resolved treble. and a mono switch for the and XLR inputs – and those load- balanced XLR It acted like an open window enjoyment of early vinyl pressings. adjusting potentiometers will inputs, plus MC on the Donald Byrd track ‘Lhasa’s But some vinylistas thought its obviously have real appeal. load adjustment Dream’ [from Street Lady, Blue Note lack of variable cartridge loading potentiometers, Records], exposing the distinct was a serious omission. In truth, FLAVOURSOME SOUND MM/MC sound of the studio with its rather most users of modern pick-ups don’t Essentially, the JC3+ is an unerringly switching and a rudimentary four-track analogue really need this facility, and designer clean and crisp, modern-sounding ground terminal recorder, yet letting the music soar John Curl had decided to omit it design, yet one that remains fully out and beguile the listener too. since it would add complexity which able to communicate the alluring That’s quite a trick! might compromise sonics. sound of vinyl replay. Now though, the designer has With the title track from Joan VERDICT decided that it is possible to offer Armatrading’s Me, Myself, I [A&M Parasound’s Halo JC3+ phono stage improved fl exibility without sullying Records] the phono stage showed indeed stands out: beautifully the sound, and has come up with its very low noise levels, making designed and built, it also boasts the Halo JC3+, pitched at £3300. the opening solo vocals appear a good range of facilities. We’ve to come out of nowhere. It heard few better sounding designs carried the opening drum at any price, and this makes it an ‘It scythed through the strikes powerfully too, exceptional product. mix like the proverbial the reverberation audibly bouncing off all four corners of HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS knife through butter’ the studio booth in which the drum kit was recorded. Input loading (MM/MC) 47kohm / 50-550ohm As well as adding independent The Parasound can impart the Input sensitivity (MM/MC, re. 0dBV) 3.04mV / 583μV load adjustment for moving-coil inherent ‘fl avour’ of a recording Input overload (MM/MC, re. 1% THD) 31.5mV / 6.1mV cartridges, the unit’s dual mono with consummate ease. For Max. output (re. 1% THD) / Impedance 19.6V / 195ohm (balanced) phono module circuit boards have example, the lush early ’70s soul A-wtd S/N ratio (MM/MC, re. 0dBV) 88.1dB / 71.5dB been improved, and the power strains of the title track from Isaac supply has been uprated too, says Hayes’ Shaft OST [Stax] sounded Frequency response (20Hz-20kHz) +0.2dB to –0.45dB the manufacturer. dramatically warmer and more Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, re. 0dBV) 0.0017–0.012% The load varying potentiometers sugary than the quintessentially late Power consumption 3W on the unit’s rear panel are made ’70s dry rock sound of Rush’s ‘The Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 437x105x350mm / 8.6kg by Vishay to Curl’s specifi cation, Spirit Of Radio’ [Permanent Waves

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 37 NETWORK AUDIO PLAYER

Network-enabled media player/storage/USB DAC Made by: Astell&Kern, Seoul, Korea Supplied by: Computers Unlimited, London Telephone: 0208 200 8282 Web: www.astellnkern.com; www.unlimited.com Price: £8999

LEFT: The with a little familiarisation it’s easy AK500N’s top to get to grips with the set-up. touchscreen is its control hub: side SOLIDITY AND SPEED connections allow The AK500N impressed with a big- for ’phones plus boned yet agile and fi nely detailed USB and MicroSD sound – we found it to be most storage. The only impressive when playing from its conventional internal storage or as a network controls are player. Battery power removed a for volume and slight thickening of the sound when power we opted for ‘charge while playing’, so our listening also majored with the power supply disconnected. There’s a solidity and speed to the bass that very few network devices, or CD players, can match, while the sense of soundstage focus shows just how well midband and treble information is handled. The AK500N also copes very well with high-res fi les on USB storage, but sounds just a little softer when connected direct to a computer via a USB cable, and used in DAC mode. With David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust in DSD [EMI], we were immediately impressed with the Astell&Kern AK500N thump of the bass as the album opened, and the sheer impact of the acoustic guitar, sharply focused he AK500N is the fi rst and Android control apps for along with Bowie’s voice, plus ‘desktop’ model from this smartphones and tablets are due the way the sound maintained its Korean company, and is next April. But it’s possible to ‘drive’ integrity and clarity even when the Tset to be joined later by a at least the playback functions of tracks got rather rockier. matching power amp and enhanced the AK500N using third-party apps. Similarly with ELP’s Brain Salad supply. But for now we have a unit As a CD ripper, the A&K offers Surgery [HDtracks], the A&K showed combining the functions of network WAV or FLAC storage, and can its stuff with real drive from the server/player, CD ripper, USB/ handle content up to 384kHz/ drums and guitar, allied to a MicroSD card player and DAC with 24-bit, as well as offering playback wonderful bass snarl from Keith asynchronous USB and Bluetooth of DSD64 and DSD128 fi les. The Emerson’s bank of synths. – all in a striking, almost cubic AK500N has 1TB of SSD storage, package, just over 240mm tall. upgradable to 4TB, and an internal VERDICT There’s a slot-loading CD battery that works for seven hours Unconventional in styling, the transport for disc-ripping only, or so when the unit is disconnected AK500N offers a sound with from the mains. excellent slam and weight allied to ‘There’s a solidity to The A&K provides fi xed very fi ne detail for sustained and and variable-level RCA serious musical involvement. the bass that very few and balanced analogue outputs, AES/EBU, optical, HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS network devices match’ coaxial and BNC digital inputs and outputs, Maximum output level (Balanced) 2.97Vrms at 3ohm not playback, while the slightly USB-B and USB-A ports to the rear, A-wtd S/N ratio (S/PDIF / USB disc) 112.0dB / 112.0dB offset sculpting reminds us more of and USB-A and MicroSD card slots Distortion (1kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.00019% / 0.00017%

‘stealth’ technology than the Swiss on the side-panel. There’s also a Dist. & Noise (20kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.0008% / 0.0032% Matterhorn said to have inspired choice of balanced or conventional Freq. resp. (20Hz-20kHz/45kHz/90kHz) –0.0dB to +0.0dB/+0.1dB/+0.4dB it. The top fl ip-up 178mm WXGA headphone output, using 2.5, 3.5 touchscreen panel plays host to and 6.35mm sockets. Digital jitter (S/PDIF / USB disc) 275psec / <10psec an extensive series of set-up and Each of the audio connections Resolution @ –100dB ±0.1dB control options. can be enabled or bypassed Power consumption 13W (9W standby)

There’s no conventional individually using the menu system. Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 214x243x238mm / 11.4kg remote control handset, but iOS The latter may seem complex, but

38 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 OUTBOARD USB DAC

USB DAC with DSD conversion Made by: Ayre Acoustics Inc., Colorado, USA Supplied by: Symmetry Systems, Herts Telephone: 01727 865488 Web: www.ayre.com; www.symmetry-systems.co.uk Price: £2495

at it, be it DSD, ‘hi-res’ PCM or CD rips, making even the most unlikely candidate come shining through. It’s a thrilling, addictive sound, and it gets better as you explore higher resolution musical formats. With Joe Stilgoe’s witty Songs On Film Live at 48kHz/24-bit [Linn Records], recorded at the 2013 London Jazz festival, the Ayre just hit us with a great ‘whoomph’ of live ambience, and some of the most realistic piano, bass and drums we had heard for a very long time. Similarly with Bowie’s ‘Fashion’, from Nothing Has Changed [Parlophone], the Ayre laid down a tight, funky, wall-shaking groove Ayre QB-9 DSD with metronomic precision, driving the track on relentlessly. Does the QB-9 DSD sound even here are some defi nite The Burr-Brown DSD1796 ABOVE: The better when playing 24-bit or high oddities about the £2495 DAC of the original QB-9 has now Ayre QB-9 front sample rate PCM or DSD fi les? Yes. Ayre QB-9 DSD DAC: been replaced with the ES9016S panel contains It plays both kinds of fi les splendidly, Tresolutely a one-trick pony ‘Sabre Ultra’ 32-bit converter from no controls, and with greater clarity, dynamic range it’s an asynchronous USB converter ESS, and the audio master clocks the display simply and presence; and even doing and that’s all. It has just a single USB upgraded. Changes were also made lights up when a some direct comparisons between Type B input plus RCA phono and to the analogue audio circuitry, and signal is locked to DSD fi les and downsamples to XLR balanced analogue outputs, and the power supplies for the analogue show the sample PCM revealed little to tell between a display to show the sample rate to and USB sections. rate. At the rear, DSD64 and 176.4kHz/24-bit PCM. which it’s locked. There are dip-switches to the the DAC offers a Some recordings sounded better in There’s no remote control, no rear of the product, and these USB-B input only, their DSD form, with better vitality Bluetooth or AirPlay, not a sniff of cover: 1) digital fi ltering – ‘Listen’ to alongside single- and dynamics, while others had just a coaxial or optical digital input, improve time-domain performance, ended (RCA) and an edge of sparkle in ‘hi-res’ PCM. or even a power switch… connect or ‘Measure’ to tidy up the balanced (XLR) Both showed clear benefi ts in USB, mains and audio cables and frequency-domain; 2) power mode analogue outs detail and dynamic range over CD the QB-9 DSD will simply wake up – on when computer is on, or only and AyreLink quality fi les, superbly though the when the computer starts. on when an audio application is ports Ayre does play 44.1kHz/16-bit. Styling is self-effacing although sending data; and 3) display on/off. the compact casework is beautifully There’s also a USB mode selector, VERDICT fi nished and feels good and solid. allowing for standard or high-speed The QB-9 DSD DAC excels with working – the ‘Rsrv B’ one-bit music and high-resolution ‘The Ayre laid down a position is required for PCM alike. Even more striking is just anything above 96kHz how good it can make CD-quality tight, funky, groove with audio, and works fi ne with fi les sound, with a rich, solid and Mac OS X computers, taut bass combining with treble and metronomic precision’ while requiring an Ayre midband clarity for an involving and driver available as a free satisfying presentation. The one visible fascia feature is the download for Windows. display with blue numerals. HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS The QB-9 was fi rst launched INSTINCTIVELY RIGHT in April 2009 and subsequently We’ve never encountered a product Maximum output level (Balanced) 3.92Vrms at 61ohm upgraded to add 192kHz capability with a presentation that seems so A-wtd S/N ratio 110.5dB and ‘single’ (aka DSD64 or DSD2.8) instinctively right from the get-go, Distortion (1kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.0065% / 0.0012%

DSD compatibility, as tested here. while absolutely making the most of Dist. & Noise (20kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.0037% / 0.0032% Ayre promises that a DSD128 the system with which it’s used. Freq. resp. (20Hz-20kHz/45kHz/90kHz) +0.0 to –2.4dB/–5.9dB/–10.2dB upgrade will follow in time and this What pours forth from this little will also add 352.8kHz and 384kHz box is a sound with striking bass Digital jitter (48kHz/96kHz) 145psec / 150psec PCM capability. A free upgrade will weight and defi nition, allied to all Resolution @ –100dB ±0.1dB be offered to owners of the QB-9 the vibrancy and attention-grabbing Power consumption 12W (standby 11W)

DSD when that double option detail one could want. And the Ayre Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 215x75x290mm / 2.3kg becomes available. does it with any music you throw

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 39 Distributors and consultants for high-end audio systems.

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THET WORLD’S FINEST HIGH-FIDELITY

OFFICIAL UK DISTRIBUTOR 01563 574 185 FiAUDIO.CO.UK NETWORK AUDIO PLAYER

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 Price: £1200

was the low-end clarity of which the 851N is capable. Add to this an ability to drive even complex rhythms and present a stinging, but never tortured view of cymbals, plus those characteristically ‘period’ synth sounds – these were revealed in all their edginess. This view was reinforced with Kyle Eastwood’s Timepieces [Jazz Village] which makes clear the bass extension and defi nition on offer with the 851N, as Eastwood and drummer Ernesto Simpson bounce off each other, while above, the Cambridge Audio piano of Andrew McCormack sounds deliciously full-bodied and the brass of Quentin Collins and Brandon Allen has beautiful blare. Azur 851N Switch to ‘Pyongyang’, from Blur’s comeback album The Magic Whip [Parlophone], and again ambridge Audio has been with one also being enabled ABOVE: The there’s that sense of the music involved in digital audio for the charging of connected 851N comes in breaking free from the speakers as long as almost any smartphones, and there’s a further black or silver; its and fi lling the room. The sound is Cmanufacturer, its CD1 CD USB on the front panel. Add Internet big, clear display instantly attractive, and yet rewards player dating back to 1984. Latterly radio and Spotify Connect, and you provides track/ close attention with the information it has also brought affordable have a pretty comprehensive digital album/artist it contains about the tonality of streaming/network audio products front-end for any system. info and album/ voices and instruments. to the market, with the £1200 Azur Thanks to a large, clear display station artwork. Unsurprisingly, this sonic ability 851N its most ambitious music it’s possible to operate the 851N A main rotary means the Cambridge Audio also player to date. either from its front panel or across control offers makes a fi ne fi st of classical music, Although described by the the room via remote. But for the turn-to-scroll/ and we greatly enjoyed Britten’s company as a network audio player, smoothest experience it’s better press-to-enter Young Person’s Guide To The it’s also a DAC, complete with to use an Android or iOS tablet or operation for Orchestra in DSD64 [Reference USB and S/PDIF digital inputs, and smartphone running the Cambridge simple ‘hands on’ Recordings]. Every instrumental a preamplifi er. As well as wired Audio Connect app. navigation timbre was crystal-clear, even in Ethernet connectivity and built-in The 851N draws on a digital the relentlessly building fi nal fugue. Wi-Fi (with a USB antenna provided), design already familiar from the Hugely exciting listening! it supports Apple AirPlay and can fl agship range’s 851C CD player and also accept an optional BT100 851D DAC/preamp. Its ‘Adaptive VERDICT Bluetooth ‘dongle’. Time Filtering’ provides fl exible Combining solid build with fl exible, Digital inputs are provided on upconversion to 384kHz/24-bit intuitive operation and a glorious two RCA phono coaxial sockets, and there’s a choice of digital fi lter sound, this is a fi ne addition to the settings too – there’s fl agship Azur range. Either as a no ‘right’ setting, source or keystone of a complete ‘Piano sounded deliciously but rather only the system, the 851N offers excellent full-bodied while the brass one best suited value for money. to source, system had a beautiful blare’ and personal taste. HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS Running the show is one AES/EBU input and two optical, a 32-bit SHARC processor, designed Maximum output level (Balanced) 4.27Vrms at 45ohm the former supporting fi le formats to maintain full digital resolution A-wtd S/N ratio (S/PDIF / USB / Net.) 112.2dB / 111.3dB / 112.1dB up to 192kHz/24-bit, as does the even as the volume is reduced, by Distortion (1kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.00020% / 0.00022%

Ethernet/Wi-Fi streaming capability, resampling at every level-step. Dist. & Noise (20kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.00024% / 0.00045% while the asynchronous USB 2.0 Freq. resp. (20Hz-20kHz/45kHz/90kHz) +0.0dB to +0.08dB/–1.4dB/–3.3dB Type-B connection also allows A WIDE OPEN SOUND DSD64 fi les to be played from a Starting off with some classic prog Digital jitter (S/PDIF / USB / Network) 50psec / 55psec / 385psec connected computer. in the form of Rick Wakeman’s Resolution @ –100dB ±0.1dB The three USB Type-A sockets The Six Wives Of Henry VIII, in a Power consumption 22W (<1W standby) to the rear can be used for the 96kHz/24-bit rip from vinyl [A&M], Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 430x115x360mm / 8.1kg connection of storage media, what was immediately apparent

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 41

NETWORK AUDIO LIBRARY

Network-enabled media storage device Made by: Buffalo Technology, Japan Supplied by: Kog Audio Ltd, UK Telephone: 024 7722 0650 Web: melco-audio.com; www.kogaudio.com Price: £1599

the spaciousness of recordings made in churches and concert- Melco N1A halls was revealed. Even with a release such as Blur’s The Magic Whip [Parlophone] in good old elco’s £1600 ‘entry third party UPnP control point apps ABOVE: The CD resolution, the dense layering level’ N1A music including Audionet Music Manager, OLED panel of the recording opened up and storage solution brings Kinsky or Lightning DS. and navigation revealed its strands effectively. And Mover much of the In addition to playing music buttons allow with a high-quality DSD release, thinking behind the N1Z [HFN Feb stored on the N1A itself, this the Melco to the San Francisco Symphony’s ’15], albeit with a simplifi ed PSU and Melco+DAC set-up will also play be set up and Mahler Symphony No 5 [SFS Media], casework – nonetheless still sturdy other music in shared folders on customised: the the Scherzo had sparkle and vivid and impeccably fi nished – and with the same network, with whichever display can be instrumental textures – especially in the advantage of an expanded 4TB app you choose. Pre-installed switched off, and the brass – when things were done of hard drive storage. media server software is the DSD- power on/off the Melco way. Rather than feeding a network compatible Twonky Media Server 7. executes quickly. However, the real revelation music player via a conventional The Melco, which uses a single The front port is here was what the N1A can do network and switch/router switch mode supply, has rapid USB 2.0 with USB when used as a source straight arrangement, the Melco N1A is power-up and shutdown from a 3.0 at the rear into a DAC connected to its USB designed to sit downstream of front panel button, and protection output. With a Marantz HD-DAC1 your router just before the network against accidental power-off. headphone amp [HFN Apr ’15], player. And it has a direct Ethernet No computer is needed to set the direct connection from Melco output to feed that player, plus the N1A up, and content can be to DAC provided noticeably more a loop-through Ethernet input to copied to and from it using the USB focus and an overall sense of a allow Internet connectivity, and ports to the rear, one of which is cleaner sound when compared to thus the likes of streaming radio and dedicated to expanding the amount using the DAC with our MacBook other online services. of storage with the addition of an Air. The effect was especially striking It also has a USB socket to which external USB drive. with the MacBook running on mains a suitable DAC can be connected power, and slightly less so when left directly for music playback. This FOCUSED AND CLEAN running on its battery power. means that you could actually If you’re going to use this server use the N1A to ‘push’ fi les into an straight into a DAC then it’s VERDICT outboard DAC and amplifi er (For defi nitely an effective, if still rather The N1A’s advantage is very expensive, improvement dependent on the quality of your ‘The revelation here was over a direct computer home network – if this is constantly connection, but for us battered by numerous connected what the N1A can do as a this jury is still out on devices then the Melco will prove how sensible a buy the an audiophile godsend. Similarly, USB source into a DAC’ N1A would be for use used as a USB source in place of PC with a network player. or Mac, the N1A typically offers a more on this see PM’s Opinion, HFN The differences we could discern palpably superior sound. Aug ’15, p103: with the Devialet between our well-sorted networking Le 800 monoblocks he thought solution and the optimised Melco HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS the results were ‘blissful… with way were not really compelling, minuscule details revealed from although things slotted into place A-wtd S/N Ratio (Chord Hugo) 105.0psec (91.5psec via PC/USB) vanishingly quiet backgrounds’.) when the USB output of the N1A A-wtd S/N Ratio (Oppo HA-2) 106.9psec (96.6psec via PC/USB) However, with this direct route was used directly into a DAC. Digital jitter (Chord Hugo) 7psec (18psec via PC/USB) you’ll still need a connection to However, with the Melco directly Digital jitter (Oppo HA-2) 60psec (97psec via PC/USB) a Wi-Fi router – so you can use a connected to a Naim NDS network Power consumption 17W tablet or smartphone on the same player, the bass was fi rm with Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 436x70x352 mm / 7kg network to ‘drive’ the Melco via good rhythmic defi nition, while

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 43

OUTBOARD USB DAC

DSD-compatible USB DAC Made by: Métronome Technologie, France Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd Telephone: 0208 971 3909 Web: www.metronome-technologie.com; www.absolutesounds.com Price: £15,900

antithesis: ultra-crisp percussion with aggressive ‘thwack’ and a dependence on transient attack for it to have all the necessary impact. The two coalesced into a rich whole, but one that allowed the listener to appreciate the individual talents of the sort of band Clapton often assembles, including the late Billy Preston and Macca’s regular drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. The next track, ‘Superstition’, which Beck would record many times, is a perfect impression of Wonder’s version by Glenn Lewis, again exhibiting attack to test one’s woofers, with brass way in the background. The Métronome presented distinct layers of sound, Métronome extending all the way to the back of the room and beyond. We then dug out 1950s tracks by The Cardinals [Collectibles]. Technologie C8+ With mono, and everything dead centre, it’s easier to focus on the sound rather than the effects. The re we really still to switch between solid-state or ABOVE: Controls unaccompanied opening bar of considering DACs with valve output stages and, as much are utterly ‘Shouldn’t I Know’, immediately fi ve-fi gure price tags, in as we favoured the valves overall, minimalist: on/ joined by the massed voices of A an era when a £99 USB the performance proved very much off and ground the group, with a lone guitar DAC sounds so good? Apparently so: programme-dependent. (earthing) lift on and discreet percussion for the France’s Métronome Technologie As with every product we’ve seen the power supply, backing, oozes with a silkiness that addresses this cost-no-object sector from Métronome, the construction and source select a digital source could massacre. with multiple converters, lavish is superlative, the components of and solid-state Not so with the Métronome. It was multi-chassis construction and other the highest order. Unusually this or tube output one big caress, a musical shawl expensive solutions. two-box player is minimalist to a on the DAC. The embracing the listener that was For the C8+, which comes in degree that’s almost, well, circa- display shows just also manifested by ‘The Door Is Still below the company’s Nausicaa DAC 1977 British. A total of four toggle what is necessary Open’, where the sound via C8+ [HFN Dec ’13], £15,900 pays for switches on the two faceplates was just gorgeous. two options over its less-expensive handle all your choices, while the C5 and C6 siblings. Most obvious back hosts four digital sources (AES/ VERDICT is the addition of the Elektra EBU, Toslink, coaxial and USB) and a One has to ask: who spends this choice between balanced much on ‘digitalia’? There’s a big XLR or single-ended RCA ‘however’, though. The sound, ‘Distinct layers of sound phono outputs. especially via the valve output, is extended way beyond so ‘analogue’ that we can see how DAZZLING! the well-heeled will say, this is how the back of the room’ The Métronome pairing digital should sound. proved to be dazzlingly outboard power supply, the two convincing, in the manner of good HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS chassis connecting through a analogue. It’s a thoroughbred 4-pin umbilical – isolating power sound, make no mistake. On the Max. output level /Imp. (Balanced) 5.07Vrms / 20ohm (1.3kohm tube) supplies from audio circuitry being Stevie Wonder tribute, Conception A-wtd S/N ratio (S/PDIF / USB) 114.1dB / 114.0dB / 100.4dB (tube) inarguably wholly benefi cial. [Motown], Eric Clapton’s ‘Higher Distortion (1kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.0022% / 0.0008%

The C8+ has one other trick Ground’ opens with a whucka- Dist. & Noise (20kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.018% / 0.0007% up its sleeve to differentiate it whucka guitar pitched somewhere Freq. resp. (20Hz-20kHz/45kHz) +0.0 to –1.5dB/–5.4dB (–4.1dB tube) from the C5/C6, while support for in between 1970s funk à la higher sampling rates adds the ‘+’ Wonder’s original and early Jeff Digital jitter (48kHz/96kHz / USB) 500psec / 310psec / 535psec suffi x. (Although the C8+ currently Beck, demanding the kind of fl uidity Resolution @ –100dB (S/PDIF / USB) ±0.2dB / ±0.1dB / ±0.6dB (tube) resamples to 96kHz/24-bit, it does that many refuse to attribute to a Power consumption 31W (1W standby) still handle source material up to digital source. Via the Gallic player, Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 450x105x435mm / 18kg (total) 384kHz/32-bit.) It allows the user a liquidity complemented its sonic

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 45 FURUTECH Pure Transmission

+44(0)1276-501-392 [email protected] WWW.FURUTECH.COM

New from ADL

New ADL 24-bit/192KHz GT40 USBUS DAC/ADC with Phono Stage! TheTh GT40 HHarmonizes Computer Files and Analog Inputs --- the renowned GT40 taken to a new level of performance

ADL H128 headphones featuring Alpha Triform Contour Earcups

+44(0)1276-501-392 [email protected] NETWORK AUDIO PLAYER

Network media player/preamp/DAC Made by: Naim Audio Ltd, Salisbury Supplied by: Naim Audio Ltd Telephone: 01722 426600 Web: www.naimaudio.com Price: £3300 (£3595 with DAB+/FM option)

rhythmic drive with subtlety and refi nement, plus a clean, tightly controlled but well-extended bass. Even better, it sounds the same whether you use the USB, S/PDIF or network streaming inputs and it also does well using Bluetooth. Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds in DSD64 [Columbia] came up fresh, thanks to the added dynamics and impact the format can bring, and fairly powered out of the Naim NAC-N 272 speakers. Similarly, the DSD release of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here [Analogue Productions] was full of hen it comes to recently rolled out to other Naim ABOVE: Front details one might overlook on the network audio network products, and aptX panel layout is CD version, and gained from the playback, Naim seems Bluetooth. Separate antennae are familiar Naim way the Naim allows the subtlest W determined to fi t that provided for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, stuff: volume information to be heard. But it old TV ad line ‘Yes, madam, we along with an Ethernet port for control, USB-A in could also deliver all the slam of a have all the colours in all the sizes’. wired networking. There’s also a and headphone track when required. You can have your streaming in front-panel USB Type A socket which output to the It’s hard to argue with what the combined ripping/storage devices, is iOS compatible and usable to play left, display and NAC-N 272 does and the value for in all-in-one systems from the Uniti music from USB storage devices. control buttons money it offers to the Naim owner range, as separates players in the The familiar Internet radio to the right. wanting to upgrade their system ND range, and even as network- functionality is provided by the Rear phono to network capability without capable preamplifi ers. This last vTuner platform, with Naim’s usual (RCA) connections increasing their box-count – not group now has its second member, customisation to provide a choice and DIN sockets to mention its ability to create a the NAC-N 272, at £3300 or £3595 line-up of stations [though see our are included for complete streaming/amplifi cation with optional DAB/DAB+/FM radio May ’15 Investigation for more]. analogue input system when used with, say, a NAP tuner module. The NAC-N 272 also provides and output. 200 or the NAP 250. It’s the fi rst Naim network three coaxial and three optical Naim also offers To our ears, the NAC-N 272 is product able to handle DSD fi les. digital inputs, which are 192kHz/ six digital inputs, a much more convincing package Admittedly these have had little 24-bit capable. There are also two a wired Ethernet than the NAC-N 172 XS, with little impact on the consciousness of the sets of analogue inputs, on both connection and sign of compromise even when used general music buyer, but they have RCA sockets and Naim’s preferred three antenna via its analogue inputs, and real star gained a following among a sector DIN connectors, and it’s possible inputs quality when working digitally. But of the high-end audio community, to adjust the input trim on each of an asynchronous USB input would while DSD is now increasingly these. The same choice of RCA or certainly have helped. supported by streaming server DIN sockets is offered for line- and packages such as MinimServer and preamp-level output, but there are VERDICT TwonkyMedia. no XLR analogue outs. The NAC-N The Naim NAC-N 272 has wide- This means that it’s possible to 272 can also be upgraded with one ranging input fl exibility, and sounds stream this content, as well as high- of Naim’s external power supplies. equally good across all its digital Naim’s Statement connections, from streaming to USB ‘The new Naim player amplifi er [p69] informs stick playback, and whether with the design of the volume CD-quality rips or downloads, or allows the subtlest control, which uses high-resolution content. an analogue resistor information to be heard’ ladder under digital HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS control, while a Class A resolution PCM, from a computer headphone amp is also included. In Maximum output level (preamp) 8.9Vrms at 0.9-70ohm or NAS over a home network, to other words, the NAC-N 272 is an A-wtd S/N ratio (Pre / S/PDIF / Net.) 97.4dB / 107.7dB / 107.6dB devices such as the NAC-N 272. analogue preamplifi er with a range Distortion (1kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.002% / 0.003%

The NAC-N 272 will handle of digital input options onboard, Dist. & Noise (20kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.03% / 0.0012% DSD64/2.8MHz fi les (both DFF and rather than taking the easier, but Freq. resp. (20Hz-30kHz, preamp/DAC) +0.0dB to –1.5dB/–12.5dB DSF), but not the DSD128/5.6MHz less desirable, all-digital path. or even DSD256/11.2MHz offerings Digital jitter (48kHz / 96kHz) 35psec / 40psec now available from some of the DSD A NAIM SOUND? Resolution @ –100dB ±0.1dB enthusiast music vendors. Sound quality can be summed up Power consumption 20W (<1W standby)

Other new features here include as ‘it sounds very Naim’: it’s a sound Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 432x87x314mm / 12.5kg the Spotify Connect compatibility combining plentiful detail and

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 47 SACD PLAYER/DAC

CD/SACD player, USB & S/PDIF DAC Made by: T+A elektroakustik GmbH & Co. KG, Germany Supplied by: Kog Audio Ltd, UK Telephone: 024 7722 0650 Web: www.taelektroakustik.de; www.kogaudio.com Price: £11,200

in D-minor with the Dutch Ragazze Quartet (which we described as bold and richly-coloured when played via the USB input of T+A’s MP 3000 HV media player) we were transfi xed by the manner in which it portrayed the players’ instruments with such vivid three-dimensional body and precise image focus. And especially when playing the native fi le with the PDP’s playback mode set to ‘DSD 4’ and ‘True DSD for DSD64’ enabled. Meanwhile the 1976-vintage analogue recording of ‘Julsång’ from the Proprius label’s Cantate Domino [88.2kHz/24-bit, HDtracks] similarly appeared exquisitely ‘open’ and unvarnished. The massed voices in the chorus remained clear and T+A PDP 3000 HV unforced even during the loudest climaxes, and the powerful bass served up by the organ’s largest +A’s newest ‘HV’ To reinforce the company’s no- ABOVE: A rotary pipes was utterly seismic. source component, the compromise design approach, DSD source selector As well as listening to the PDP £11,200 PDP 3000 HV, data fed into the PDP 3000 HV’s and menu/ 3000 HV via our Mark Levinson Tis designed to tick all the USB input from a computer source media navigation No383 integrated amp, we also boxes required by today’s most is handled entirely separately from controls fl ank auditioned it with T+A’s fl agship demanding audiophiles. It’s the PCM data. The PDP’s DAC section is the unit’s large ‘HV’ pre/power combo, complete company’s latest ‘statement’ largely identical to that featured in VFD which with additional PS 3000 HV power D-to-A converter, which supports the company’s MP 3000 HV media incorporates supply bolstering the A 3000 asynchronous data transfer of player [HFN June ’13] and four touch-sensitive HV’s power stages [HFN Sept ’14]. PCM up to 384kHz/32-bit and digital fi lter options can be selected controls for What was clearly apparent, even DSD64/DSD128. Moreover with via remote control. You can have standby on/ when listening to run-of-the-mill a supplied ASIO driver, PC users endless fun experimenting with the off and disc CD-resolution recordings, was that running Windows can also play back PDP 3000 HV’s different settings! drawer open/ the player/DAC’s unadorned dead- DSD256 and even DSD512. As befi ts a high-end source close. The rear pan delivery is precisely what the T+A has built in an SACD rather with a price tag exceeding £10k, panel has seven amplifi er components require to than simply a CD drive – a top- both balanced (XLR) and single- digital inputs give of their very best. loader incorporating an anti- ended (RCA) analogue outputs are plus there’s an resonance puck which you place provided on the rear panel. S/PDIF output VERDICT on top of the disc – while there are and separate Given the PDP’s top-notch sound, six additional digital inputs: one HOLOGRAPHIC SOUND analogue outs for plus the fact you’re getting three AES/EBU (XLR) and fi ve S/PDIF (two The PDP’s sound quality, with CD or the DSD and PCM high-end components (SACD/CD Toslink, one RCA, two BNC). pushing data into its USB input, just sections disc transport, DSD and PCM DAC) sounds ‘right’. There’s for less than many standalone DACs, no dramatic colouring or this new T+A is unquestionably an ‘The bass served up by augmentation to musical audiophile bargain. the organ’s largest pipes events, rather it sounds ‘pristine’ and squeaky- HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS was utterly seismic’ clean. Familiar high resolution downloads Maximum output level (Balanced) 4.60Vrms at 44-50ohm The construction of the PDP of audiophile-quality recordings, A-wtd S/N Ratio (SACD / S/PDIF in / USB in) 114.9dB/114.1dB/114.5dB 3000 HV is nothing short of superb, for example from 2L and Channel Distortion (1kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.0008% / 0.00045%

built around a pure aluminium Classics, sounded as holographic Distortion & Noise (20kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.00085% / 0.015% chassis and boasting complete and breathtakingly realistic as Freq. resp. (20Hz-20kHz/45kHz/90kHz) +0.0dB to –0.37/–0.5/–7.2dB symmetry and channel separation we’ve experienced, the sound so throughout. Substantial twin power obviously unsullied that we found Digital jitter (SACD / S/PDIF in / USB in) 33psec / 10psec / 12psec supplies feed the PDP’s analogue it near impossible to determine any Resolution @ –100dB (SACD / S/PDIF input) ±0.1dB / ±0.2dB and digital sections separately, and ‘character’ from the unit itself. Power consumption (Digital/Analogue) 10W / 15W

you fi nd two IEC connectors on the With Channel Classics’ beautiful Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 460x170x460mm / 26kg rear panel for its individual AC inlets. recording of Haydn’s String Quartet

48 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 USB CONDITIONER

Passive USB conditioner/RF fi lter Made by: AudioQuest, California Supplied by: AudioQuest UK Telephone: 01249 848 873 Web: www.audioquest.com Price: £39

so much tidier and better focused that we feared we were losing our faculties… However, PM’s lab tests [HFN Oct ’15] confi rmed both noise and jitter were clearly further improved with the JitterBug in situ. We almost fell off the sofa when hearing how the JitterBug improved the clarity and focus of John Martyn’s soulful reworking of Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’ from The Church With One Bell [Independiente]. Where his voice had sounded smeared, hazy and lazy now the vocals popped into focus, occupying a distinct space in the soundstage, with enhanced clarity and diction. Playing Shelby Lynne’s lovely analogue recording, Just A Little Lovin’ [Lost Highway], AudioQuest JitterBug also demonstrated the AudioQuest JitterBug’s effi cacy. So much for hearing it transform fter the success of the 5V DC USB voltage bus (VBUS), and ABOVE: The the sound of a laptop PC and DragonFly v1.2 USB DAC a signal fi lter for the USB data line. JitterBug is a DragonFly v1.2 rig hooked up to [HFN Mar ’14] AudioQuest AudioQuest says ‘it also purely passive Levinson No383 and Townshend A has a new ‘widget’ already attenuates the entire signal to device, drawing Galahad speakers… what really commanding worldwide attention remove parasitic resonances, while no power from fl oored us was observing how it from budget-conscious audio also reducing – or in some cases the USB hub, also improved the performance of a enthusiasts playing music from their completely eliminating – packet but providing second set-up of Mac mini and T+A computers: the £39 JitterBug. errors within the data stream.’ transformer- DAC 8 [HFN Oct ’12]. It’s another USB (Type A) dongle, Computer audiophiles will isolation and RF Time and again we found it this time with a Type A socket at be well aware of specialist fi rms fi ltering of both made music sound more natural, the other end. You simply plug offering dual lead USB cables which the 5V USB ‘VBUS’ more believable. But where the the JitterBug into a USB socket on separate power from data. But you and its differential JitterBug really scored was in the your laptop (say), and perhaps a won’t fi nd one for £39! Anyway the data lines. Two manner in which it appeared to DragonFly DAC into the JitterBug’s JitterBug approaches the fraught JitterBugs may be clean up less than stellar recordings, socket. However, AudioQuest says issue of a computer’s inherently used in parallel seemingly removing any fatiguing it’s not designed just for DragonFly hostile environment from a different ‘sizzle’ or hash. owners, rather that the JitterBug angle: by attempting to reduce Thus when revisiting some classic noise generated by the Holland-Dozier-Holland songs from USB bus at its source. 1968, the title track from Diana ‘We almost fell off the If you simply push Ross & The Supremes’ Refl ections sofa hearing how it could data from a computer [Motown/Universal Japan SHM-CD], to a USB DAC, the sound was altogether cleaner improve clarity and focus’ AudioQuest suggests and better defi ned. further improvement will improve the performance of any should be noticeable when using VERDICT USB-connected DAC. a second JitterBug in parallel (not Considering the modest £39 In fact the company goes further series) on the same USB bus. asking price, it’s impossible not than this, claiming it’s an essential to be impressed by the sonic ‘tweak’ to benefi t pretty much all A QUIET NIGHT IN improvement offered by the computer audio set-ups. Everybody’s mileage is going to JitterBug between a computer and So what exactly is it? While its vary, since some DACs use the DAC. You could spend that much on name might imply that it re-clocks incoming USB’s 5V DC power while a takeaway curry for the family! the audio stream to lower jitter, it’s many do not. If we’d hoped it a purely passive device designed might improve the performance HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS to fi lter out ‘nasties’ by reducing of the little DragonFly v1.2, we the amount of electrical noise certainly weren’t disappointed. In USB Risetime (without/with JitterBug) 22.0nsec / 14.8nsec generated by the source (ie, the fact we were completely blown Digital jitter (DradonFly, without/with JitterBug) 223psec / 165psec computer) travelling along a USB away – there’s no other way to Dimensions (WHD) 19x13x50mm cable. It’s a line conditioner for the say it. The sound was subjectively

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 49

CD/USB DAC & AMPLIFIER

CD player/DAC/preamp and power amp. Rated at 2x140W/8ohm Made by: International Audio Group, China Supplied by: IAG Ltd, Cambs Telephone: 01480 447700 Web: www.quad-hifi .co.uk; www.internationalaudiogroup.com Prices (Play/Stereo): £1400/£1500

LEFT: The Knows’ were easily separated. The Artera’s strings on ‘Eleanor Rigby’, the liquid all-new look feeling of ‘I’m Only Sleeping’… the relates to the Artera combo encouraged deep minimalism of concentration on the sound. Lush, Quad’s classics, gorgeous – the Artera pair always especially the respected the music. Play [top], which Etta James’ intensity shone – thanks to its through with the magnifi cent round display/ remastering of ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ touchscreen – [Tell Mama – MCA]. The sense of recalls the look space with the background vocalists of every Quad and brass section enjoying their preamp that had own ‘layers’ was massive, the a rotary volume openness encouraging the focusing control on its left on each instrument or voice in turn. And the overall ‘picture’ was consistent in its positioning, depth, width and height. With ‘She’s A Liar’, from the box set The Warner Bros Years 1971- 1977 [Rhino], we had to check the fi lter setting because the sweetness of the upper registers was almost valve-like. And yet at no point was Quad Artera there a softening of the brush sounds or attack of cymbals. Solo piano at the beginning of ‘Today’s The Day’ was palpably more Play/Stereo ‘analogue’ in its natural chiming, the bass intro to ‘Letter’ had a roundness and form that delivered oth the Quad Artera Play fl exibility, outputs include digital in-the-room presence, allied to CD player/DAC/preamp via both coax and Toslink optical, convincing decay. Then we played (£1400) and matching and single-ended analogue through the CDs through an outboard B140W/ch Stereo power RCAs or balanced with XLRs. The (Pro-Ject) transport to see if it also amp (£1500) have separate glass Stereo also accepts balanced or applied to the digital inputs and not panels that fi t into the top recesses unbalanced signals. just the on-board disc player: it did. and heatsinks along their sides, so The round fascia display is also they’re handsome, modern-looking a touchscreen, a multi-function VERDICT and oozing luxury. You even get a source selector and volume control Nothing about the Artera range choice of black or silver fascias. – however, we preferred to use the should surprise Quadophiles, The Play uses the 32-bit ESS remote. The manual shows you as both the Elite and Vena Sabre 9018 8-channel DAC chip, its how to operate seemingly hidden foreshadowed it. Here, modern asynchronous USB input supporting functions, like auto-shut-off and the aesthetics, full digital integration truly useful digital fi lters. and user friendliness address the ‘The studio sounds on 2015 status quo. A superb effort SPINE-TINGLING with a price that’s easy to justify. The Beatles’ Revolver In our listening sessions, the best digitally-supplied HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS had a visceral presence’ sounds came from the on-board CD player, Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 165W / 265W high-resolution media up to followed by an Astell&Kern into Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 195W / 368W / 265W / 150W 384kHz/32-bit as well as DSD at optical, with music downloads of Output imp. (20Hz–20kHz, Play/Stereo) 116ohm / 0.014–0.053ohm

64/128/256 fi les. Although hosting varying high-resolution. Filter choice Freq. resp. (20Hz–20kHz, Play/Stereo) +0.0 to –2.71dB/+0.03 to –0.35dB a more than ample number of ultimately proved a matter of taste. A-wtd S/N ratio (Play/Stereo) 114.5dB (0dBFs) / 89.0dB (0dBW) digital inputs, including two coaxial, With The Beatles’ Revolver two optical and USB-A, there’s no [Capitol], the studio sounds at the Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, Play/Stereo) 0.001–0.0037% / 0.0003–0.025% Bluetooth (but some future Artera beginning of ‘Taxman’ – including Digital jitter (CD / S/PDIF / USB) 565psec / 65psec / 14psec models will have it). the ‘cough’ – had a spine-tingling, Power consumption (Play/Stereo) 8W/488W (36W idle)

Analogue is addressed through visceral presence. The layers of Dimensions (WHD, Play/Stereo) 320x105x320/320x158x338mm two pairs of line inputs. Ensuring sound loops in ‘Tomorrow Never

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 51 ""  !"!" ##
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 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

Integrated amplifi er with outboard PSU. Rated at 200W/8ohm Made by: D’Agostino LLC, Connecticut, USA Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd Telephone: 0208 971 3909 Web: www.dagostinoinc.com; www.absolutesounds.com Prices: £43,998 (black); £41,998 (silver)

‘feel’ what bass can do. Even with the title track, Rawls sounded more convincing than we’d heard before. ZZ Top is as far removed from Lou Rawls as one can go, perhaps, and the opening salvo of ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’’ [Warner] is blatant in its intent. The Momentum Integrated delivered all of the slam, every erg of the guitar assault, with a freedom from restraint that suggested unlimited power. With our Alexias the Integrated never indicated that it was ‘smaller’ than its separate stereo power amplifi er sibling. In both cases, the presentation was wall-to-wall, with that elusive, yet treasured ability to make the speakers ‘disappear’. If you’re addicted to a convincing D’Agostino soundstage, this amplifi er will alter your perceptions. What sealed our esteem for the Momentum Integrated, though, Momentum Integrated was The Band’s The Band [Mobile Fidelity]. ‘Up On Cripple Creek’ has a bass and kick-drum opening that’s ere is an integrated amp rotary volume control. The supplied ABOVE: Rotating dry, distinctive and rich with an from a designer who has remote control is also round, too, the outer ring of ambience that means lots of moving made zero-compromise itself a gorgeous metal construct. the watchface air and a clearly palpable sense of Ha cri de cœur. Certainly, There’s a shock around the back dial adjusts space. You can hear the drum-skin the D’Agostino Momentum isn’t the for those with legacy components volume while stretch. It builds up: a Jew’s harp fi rst ever integrated with a price and no phono-to-XLR adapters. the defeatable injects the unmistakable metallic to match a loaded Lexus but it just The Momentum Integrated only bass and treble twang; swirling Hammond organ; may be the most over-the-top. provides balanced inputs. Also fi tted controls (right) tinkly piano; those moonshine-and- It is a two-box affair, but not in are stout speaker binding posts and offer subtle tonal barbecue vocals. All of a sudden, it the sense of conventional amplifi er a socket to accept the umbilical adjustment. The was 1969, we were 17 and didn’t combos, ‘separate preamp/separate from the power supply. amp and PSU even feel the need for a joint… power amp’. Rather, there’s an D’Agostino rates the output at connect via a outboard power supply in the form 200W/ch into 8ohm and 400W/ch short umbilical – VERDICT of a massive slab machined from into 4ohm, although the amp’s the former offers We weren’t expecting the baby of solid aluminium that sits beneath maximum power can be adjusted. six balanced the range to prove so rewarding. It’s the main unit. inputs and pairs an exceptional product irrespective At fi rst glance you might think UNCANNY PRESENCE of 4mm speaker of its topology, blowing away any you are looking at the Momentum This beauty has a charm of its own binding posts nagging belief that an integrated is Preamp [HFN Nov ’13], as they that was made apparent from the a compromise. Powerful, graceful, very fi rst notes of Lou musical – and (in black) the sexiest- Rawls’ At Last [Blue looking amplifi er we can name. ‘All of a sudden we were Note]. And we mean 17 again, and didn’t even instantly. Those who HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS have heard Momentum feel the need for a joint’ components will be Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 215W / 295W familiar with what may Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 345W / 635W / 1.07kW / 1.62kW share identical styling, though the be the most commanding lower Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 0.33–0.35ohm dimensions differ. To the left are octaves in the business. Freq. response (20Hz–20kHz/100kHz) +0.0dB to –3.5dB the on/off and source buttons for There’s an uncanny presence Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/200W) 45mV / 638mV (balanced) choosing between six line inputs. recreated through the Integrated A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/200W) 93.9dB / 116.9dB To the right are the by-passable that combines all of what are tone controls. In between is the arguably the virtues of authentic Distortion (20Hz-20kHz re. 10W/8ohm) 0.018–0.11% signature illuminated Momentum bass reproduction – not least being Power consumption (Idle/Max. o/p) 116W / 830W (22W standby) meter, styled to resemble a classic a sense of the physical. You need Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 457x109/102x406mm / 54.4kg timepiece. Its ‘bezel’ is also the only stand next to a kick-drum to

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 53 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

Integrated amplifi er. Rated at 200W/8ohm Made by: Krell Industries LLC, Orange, CT, USA Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd, UK Telephone: 0208 971 3909 Web: www.krellonline.com; www.absolutesounds.com Price: £4500

The transfer of the title track on George Formby’s When I’m Cleaning Windows… [Retrospective] is a fabulous means of fi nding out what a full-range system can extract from what must surely be a limited bandwidth recording – but it was no less satisfying than much newer recordings. While the spectacular ukulele break wasn’t as clearly delineated as we’ve heard through much dearer integrateds, it was still a source of wonder. Throw on Kodo: Heartbeat Drummers Of Japan [Sheffi eld Lab] Krell Vanguard if you want to hear what it does in the lowest reaches of one’s hearing. Fat and rich, with suffi cient haring the look of the Krell accept bare wire or spades. Also at ABOVE: As with attack, if not quite delivering the Duo 300 power amp [HFN the back is the power on/off switch. previous Krell hammer-blow of the S-550i [HFN Oct ’14], the Vanguard is That impressive bit of sculpture integrateds, there Jul ’13]. The latter lacks any digital Sa slightly lower-powered in the middle of the fascia contains is a welcome option (a crucial factor today), integrated derivative. We have the lighting which glows red in standby lack of clutter. while the Vanguard seems more line-only analogue version here but and blue in operating mode. To its Pushbuttons to forgiving of the rest of one’s system. a future digital module will add right are the menu display, the IR the left choose It rose to the brutal challenge of Bluetooth aptX, HDMI inputs and sensor below it, and a USB-in above. sources and set the Wilson Alexias, if not quite output, optical and coaxial inputs, There’s no headphone socket. levels, while testing its bottom octaves, while as well as activation of the front accessing the it also seemed at home with small panel-mounted USB input. ABSOLUTE PRECISION menu (viewed to monitors like the LS3/5As. The Vanguard’s bold look owes It was The Kinks’ Arthur (Or The the right) If a component can exhibit much to the chassis design and Decline And Fall Of The British ‘attitude’, then this amp never construction of the new Krell Empire) [Universal] that revealed sounds sniffy about what it’s fed, Foundation preamp/processor instantly the Vanguard’s prime nor what it is feeding. We even had and, inside, is a typically massive strength. What this album a quick burst with the sub-£120 power supply with a 750VA toroidal exposed in seconds is that the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR speakers. OK, transformer. It also runs coolly Vanguard creates a fabulously wide they belie their size and price, but thanks to a pair of surprisingly quiet, soundstage. We say ‘wide’, because they’re hardly what you’d hook up thermostatically-controlled fans. its front-to-back stage depth is to an amp costing £4.5k. The Krell Krell’s Illusion-series preamplifi ers merely OK. loved ’em, made ’em sing. provided the topology of the But if you like broad vistas, this balanced and fully-discrete Class A amp has a wall-to-wall spread. VERDICT preamp stage. Moreover, like earlier Central images were solid and A solid, commanding performer, properly positioned, but and something of a bargain. It the extremities were just maintains a Krell tradition, yet with ‘If you like broad vistas, as clearly defi ned. This balanced input, full remote control, this new Krell amp offers amplifi er knows how to user-adjustable settings and the resolve image placement forthcoming digital module, it’s a a wall-to-wall spread’ with the fi nesse of a ‘proper’ Krell for the 21st century. Denon DL103 MC. Krell integrateds, it offers user- Bob Dylan’s Blonde On Blonde HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS confi gurable options viewed from a [Mobile Fidelity] was a great rather archaic display. showpiece for vocal textures, Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 225W / 380W Once you get past the vintage though one needs a sense of Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 270W / 510W / 348W / 185W dot-matrix graphics, the panel humour to wallow in the weirdness Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 0.067–0.090ohm accesses a menu to allow you to that is ‘Rainy Day Women #12 & 35’ Frequency response (20Hz–100kHz) +0.01dB to –2.06dB

confi gure input naming and input and its drunken feel superimposed Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/200W) 11mV / 162mV (Balanced in) level trim. At the back, along with on a militaristic beat. Dylan’s near- A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/200W) 88.8dB / 111.8dB the Ethernet and remote control sneer presents a contrast with inputs, are three line-inputs, plus the Dylan of nearly a half-century Distortion (20Hz-20kHz re. 10W/8ohm) 0.0067–0.017% one stereo balanced input on an later, but the Vanguard integrated Power consumption (Idle/Rated o/p) 74W/650W (10W standby) XLR socket. The latest generation presents enough detail to portray Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 434x105x445mm / 17.7kg gold-plated WBT speaker terminals both with absolute precision.

54 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

Integrated amp with S/PDIF & USB DAC. Rated at 200W/8ohm Made by: Harman International Ind., Northridge, CA, USA Supplied by: Karma-AV, York Telephone: 01423 358846 Web: www.marklevinson.com; www.karma-av.co.uk Price: £10,500

with a smooth midrange and sweet treble but without ever appearing too creamy and mellow. On New Moon Daughter [Blue Note] Cassandra Wilson’s opening ‘Strange Fruit’ had all the sumptuousness and atmosphere we are accustomed to hearing from this track, with the cornet solo at the beginning occupying a perfect space at the rear of the soundstage. The reverberation tails sounded convincingly natural. We were entranced by the manner in which the amplifi er portrayed the atmosphere in her psychedelic jazz re-working of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart’s classic ‘Last Train To Clarkesville’. Mark Levinson No585 In comparisons with a T+A DAC 8 [HFN Oct ’12] and Antelope Audio Zodiac Platinum [HFN Feb ecently, parent company signal switching relays for each of ABOVE: The ’15] we never felt the least bit Harman opened a brand its analogue inputs, while volume rotary source short-changed listening to the new electronics R&D facility adjustment is via discrete 15-bit selector and No585’s built-in D-to-A converter Rin Connecticut and this new R-2R resistor ladder networks and volume controls There’s much to be said for having ‘entry-level’ amp is Mark Levinson’s low-noise analogue switches. are also used everything integrated – though fi rst integrated since 2006, when The No585 has been designed to navigate future upgrading becomes less the old No383 was discontinued. with typically meticulous attention the amplifi er’s straightforward, of course. Rated at 200W/8ohm, the No585 to detail, having a heavy-gauge confi guration Due to its crisp immediacy we is a considerably more beefy, fully chassis and card-cage architecture menu – such sometimes thought it a little ‘lean’ balanced Class AB design employing to isolate critical low-level analogue as naming/ in bass weight, only to be caught 12 output devices for each channel and digital circuitry. Its four trimming inputs. off guard by recordings with true in a double mono confi guration. analogue and six digital inputs cover They fl ank the low-bass content – eg, ‘Comes Love’ There are digital inputs too. pretty much all possible source unit’s red display from Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now At the heart of the amplifi er’s requirements and the fascia sports at 96kHz/24-bit resolution [Reprise], on-board digital audio processing buttons for display, polarity, mute, when the bass trombone doubled stage is an ESS Sabre 32-bit DAC balance, and menu access. by the string bass suddenly goes with proprietary jitter reduction and All functions, including standby very deep indeed. So the No585 is fully balanced, discrete current-to- on/off, can also be accessed via the very revealing of LF detail. voltage circuitry. The USB interface amplifi er’s IR handset. allows transfer of PCM fi les at up to VERDICT 192kHz/32-bit resolution and DSD SUPERB TRANSPARENCY The No585 sounds simply sublime natively at both 64 and 128fs with Most owners surely will fi nd it a and delivers adequate power supplied ASIO drivers. lovely amplifi er to use thanks to to drive even pretty demanding its easy-to-read display loudspeakers. Its built-in hi-res PCM ‘Bass trombone, doubled and ultra-fi ne volume and DSD-capable USB DAC makes it adjustment. However, even more desirable. by the string bass, went DAC fi lter options are buried in the menu and HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS very deep indeed...’ not directly switchable via the handset. Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 285W / 455W The No585 has multiple Vantage Point’s Resolution Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 355W / 635W / 988W / 1211W optimised separate power supplies, album at 96kHz/24-bit [AIX Records] Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 0.025–0.130ohm while a 900VA toroidal transformer revealed just how vigorous a Frequency response (20Hz–100kHz) –0.03dB to –1.28dB discretely feeds the power amp performer the amplifi er is, and Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/200W) 25mV / 365mV (balanced) channels and analogue preamp confi rmed its fi rst-rate transparency A-wtd S/N ratio (Analogue/Digital) 89.4dB (0dBW) / 107.7dB (0dBFs) circuitry. Linear voltage regulators to fi ne detail. It delivered provide ‘a quiet, rock-steady power convincing images of the musicians Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, An/Dig) 0.05-0.0045% / 0.12-0.040% source for critical preamp and performing in a natural space, all Power consumption (Idle/Rated o/p) 88W / 845W (1W standby) DAC analogue circuitry’ says the the while the sound remaining Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 434x193x506mm / 34kg design team. It employs individual endearingly luscious and ‘relaxed’,

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 55 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

Class D integrated amplifi er. Rated at 50W/8ohm Made by: Spec Corp., Tokyo, Japan Supplied by: NuNu Distribution Telephone: 0203 5442338 Web: http://spec-corp.co.jp; www.nunudistribution.co.uk Price: £3900

Don’t think the SPEC can’t play loud or rock out, as this was made clear with some vintage ZZ Top. That combination of hard-hitting rhythm section and boogying guitar break on ‘Cheap Sunglasses’, from Chrome, Smoke & BBQ [Warner] was delivered convincingly, albeit in a rather polite fashion. A little of the snarl of the guitar was dialled out, and bass-lines were deep and rich rather than entirely whip-crack fast, but the whole thing was still hugely entertaining, albeit in a slightly ‘audiophile’ fashion. SPEC RSA-717EX With the Kansas City Symphony’s recording of Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No 3 [Reference Recordings], the ompany co-founder it’s supplied as standard with the ABOVE: Build SPEC made the most of the big, lush Shirozaku Yazaki had amplifi er, and provides volume up/ is impressive sound of the orchestra and organ, been an inveterate hi-fi down and muting. from the quality as well as giving a shimmering Chobbyist in his spare One interesting aspect of the metalwork to view of the solo piano in the fi nal time, designing and building his design is the use of a switch mode those spruce movement. There was not quite own valve-based amplifi cation. This power supply in place of the linear side panels. the ambience on offer via a more interest informs SPEC’s solid-state supplies found in previous SPEC Controls are kept upfront-sounding amp, but both Class D amps – like this £3900 RSA- amplifi ers. It seems the designers to a minimum recording and performance were 717EX – which aim to recreate the decided to see what they could do of source and massively enjoyable. distinctive characteristics of 300B- with a switching PSU after all. And volume, plus The same goes for the SCO’s new powered amplifi cation, described judging from the sound, it appears switches for SACD of Mozart opera overtures by the company as ‘Real Sound’. they’ve got this one cracked. power and and arias [Linn Records]. The SPEC It’s the least expensive amplifi er speaker on/off. view of proceedings was again in the SPEC range, delivering a CAN’T BE PROVOKED Line-ins include rich and warm, but there was no claimed 50W/8ohm, and double Two things stand out about the three on RCA and shortage of drive or rhythmic acuity that into a 4ohm load, fi gures which sound: the sweetness and purity one balanced in the overtures, while the soprano our lab tests showed it just about of the midband, and the sense of XLR, plus 4mm soloist (Elizabeth Watts) had plenty achieves. On fi rst acquaintance, effortless control it exudes, even speaker binding of character, and a quite deliciously the RSA-717EX impresses with the when you push things up to pretty posts, all good- luminous quality to her voice. Again, simplicity of its design and the serious levels. quality WBT parts if it wasn’t the most explicit sound quality of its build. Whichever speakers we tried, we’ve heard, it was very enjoyable. The casework is both admirably and whatever the music played, compact and beautifully fi nished, it maintained the same smooth, VERDICT being trimmed with solid spruce cultured sound, notable for For all the ‘Real Sound’ billing, the side-cheeks and maple isolating the expressive, unforced way it presentation of the SPEC amplifi er feet. Four line-ins are provided, presented instruments and voices. is best described as ‘characterful’. And the SPEC can really Fortunately it’s a character likely ‘Via the RSA-717EX there shine when fed from a to appeal to many with its bass high-end source. richness, smooth treble and a clear, was a wonderful sense of This isn’t the most natural midband presentation. hard-charging or easygoing musicianship’ attacking of amplifi ers, HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS it concentrates instead along with outputs for a single on that lucid and organic – well, Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 55W / 98W set of speakers, while the fascia valve-like! – sound for which its Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 56W / 103W / 188W / 301W controls are limited to a source designers were aiming. But it’s hard Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 0.065–1.94ohm selector and volume control, a not to like the enveloping cosiness Freq. response (20Hz–20kHz/100kHz) –0.25dB to +1.10dB/–10.5dB

speaker on/off switch and a main with which it played James Taylor’s Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/50W) 70mV / 500mV (balanced) power switch. Before This World [Concord]. Via the A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/50W) 79.7dB / 96.7dB Remote control is provided by RSA-717EX there was a wonderful SPEC’s RSR-1 handset and receiver, sense of easygoing musicianship, Distortion (20Hz-20kHz re. 10W/8ohm) 0.0044–0.10% connecting to a socket on the rear and a writer/performer with nothing Power consumption (Idle/Max. o/p) 8W / 110W panel of the amp. This is an optional to prove, just making a recording Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 350x95x375mm / 7kg extra in some markets but in the UK because he wanted to.

56 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 POWER AMPLIFIER

Stereo power amplifi er. Rated at 100W/8ohm 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 Price: £2895

Blues’ from Tooth & Nail [Cooking Vinyl]. And with the atmospheric Sun Studios recording of The Dodge Brothers’ The Sun Set [Weeping Angel Records] it did a superb job with the pounding, foot-stamping, hand-clapping percussion of ‘Mr Jones’ while keeping the laconic lyrics, Mike Hammond’s banjo and Mark Kermode’s plaintive harmonica very much to the fore. What’s more, when we loaded up hi-res tracks from Bowie’s The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust… [RCA] we were struck by just how much focus and clarity was on offer. It gave a delicious sense of Benchmark AHB2 the music having more presence and vitality about it, forty-odd years falling away to make it sound as enchmark’s £2895 The fascia has just one control, ABOVE: Just good as memory suggests it did AHB2 power amplifi er for on/off, while indicators for over 11in in all that time ago. Bowie’s voice doesn’t conform to any muting, clipping and over- width, the AHB2 was close-focused and packed Bof the stereotypes for big temperature are provided. is available with with character, the music had real American high-powered amps: it’s Benchmark suggests that full rated either a silver or weight and substance, especially very small, light and designed to be performance is reached in less than black fascia, and a in the title track, and that ability to cool-running without any recourse one minute. So there’s ‘no reason to 19in face plate is listen in to the elements of the mix to forced air-fl ow. (There are keep the AHB2 powered on when optional. A row of was as appealing as ever. substantial side-mounted heatsinks.) not in use.’ fascia LEDs shows That subjective speed and Claiming 100W/8ohm, and Benchmark also says that the muting, clipping dynamic ability was also deployed up to 480W/6ohm as a bridged peak power output of the amplifi er and over-temp to good effect when playing a wide monoblock, it weighs less than 6kg is unaffected by mains input voltage fault conditions variety of classical music. Here its and is not much more than half the or speaker load. In practice, the handling of microdynamics kept the width of usual hi-fi components very effi cient ‘mixed Class A/B elements of a small string ensemble (although there’s a standard 19in and H’ amplifi er adapts its power beautifully tight and well-realised, wide rack-mount faceplate option). supply voltage to signal conditions, while the amp still had plenty of The inputs are only on XLR claiming to combine a Class A-like power in reserve for those big sockets, but the speaker outputs freedom from crossover distortion orchestral works to burst forth are provided on both combination with the low waste heat and power when required. binding posts and Neutrik SpeakON consumption of a Class D design. terminals, these extending to VERDICT separate L/R outputs, plus a single BIGGER THAN IT LOOKS The Benchmark AHB2 is an amplifi er central connector for use when the Almost from the off the diminutive seemingly impossible to wrongfoot, amplifi er is bridged. AHB2 showed that it can deliver a and it delivers a quite remarkable much bigger sound than sound from a seemingly impossibly one might expect from small package. If it doesn’t make ‘The amp has power in its size, and is capable you smile every time you listen, we reserve for big orchestral of serious level, speed don’t know what will. and dynamic attack. We works to burst forth’ began with some classic HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS Police tracks, from the Bridging is set using a simple hi-res release of Ghost In The Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 106W / 200W stereo/mono switch on the fairly Machine [A&M], the Benchmark Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 108W / 200W / 346W / 230W tightly packed rear panel, which immediately impressing with the Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 0.034–0.17ohm also carries a three-position punch with which the bass and Frequency response (20Hz–100kHz) +0.01dB to –0.93dB sensitivity selector and 12V trigger drums were delivered on ‘Spirits Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/100W) 204mV / 2035mV (Balanced in) sockets – allowing multiple AHB2 In The Material World’. And it kept A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/100W) 106.0dB / 126.0dB amplifi ers to be switched on and it all together however loud we off together, or controlled by one decided to play things. Distortion (20Hz-20kHz re. 10W/8ohm) 0.0001–0.0014% of Benchmark’s DACs, which have The Benchmark then made clear, Power consumption (Idle/Rated o/p) 19W / 305W variable-level outputs so they can to striking effect, every syllable and Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 280x98x237mm / 5.7kg be used straight into the amp. nuance of Billy Bragg’s ‘Handyman

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

POWER AMPLIFIER

Single-Ended triode tube amplifi ers. Rated at 100W/8ohm Made by: KR Audio Electronics sro, Prague Supplied by: Audio Emotion Ltd, Scotland Telephone: 01333 425999 Web: www.kraudio.com; www.audioemotion.co.uk Price: £32,400 (pair) KR Audio Kronzilla DX

fter reviewing the Kronzilla the feeling that these meaty SXI integrated amplifi er monoblocks deliver a heftier, [HFN Aug ’13] we’ve been more voluptuous and richer- A looking forward to hearing toned low end than the SXI what the company’s fl agship, gas- integrated, and consequently guzzling Kronzilla DX monoblocks the sound appears slightly might deliver, priced at a somewhat less snappy and sprightly. eye-watering £32,400 per pair… But the bass is Prague-based KR Audio builds its fantastic, each power range of amplifi ers entirely in-house. amp keeping a It even employs skilled artisans who vice-like grip on blow the glass to manufacture its our B&W 802D’s own KR-branded valves – in this case woofers as the the 31cm-tall T-1610, a dual-triode synthesized capable of producing 50W in a bass line of single-ended implementation. There Yello’s ‘Junior really is nothing quite like it. B’ from The Eye All KR Audio’s Kronzilla amps [Motor Music] employ discrete J-FET devices in the threatened to front-end circuit and electron tubes rattle the light with an output transformer in the fi ttings from the walls as we cranked ABOVE: A the DX power amps’ delicious fi nal stage – to deliver ‘real valve up the volume to ‘party level’. pair of huge, delicacy and expressiveness. As sound’ with potentially lower noise Similarly when hearing Boz hand-crafted we enjoyed hearing the likes of and hum compared to hybrids with Scaggs’ heavenly ‘Thanks To You’ dual-triode London Grammar and Nerina Pallot tube preamplifi er stages. from his 2001 album Dig [Virgin] tubes, featuring we were seduced by these power Says KR Audio: ‘Our T-160 can the infra-bass detail was quite polished brass amps’ immersive charms, working be diffi cult to drive because of its sublime, as was the depth and sheer bases and wonders at bringing us close to relatively low input impedance, so scale of the sonic picture. tinted glass, are the unique sounds and emotions of a FET is used to maintain linearity Where the Kronzilla family connected in each musical event. while driving large voltage swings.’ resemblance seemed most apparent parallel for this The tubes are spec’d for 10,000 was the manner in which the 100W-rated VERDICT hours, but should an accident occur, monoblocks encouraged the B&W single-ended Should 50W/ch prove insuffi cient replacement tubes cost over £1000 fl oorstanders to throw up a vividly monoblock. to drive the loudspeakers in your each! You might also want to bear etched sound image across the Two amps are room, you like to play it large, in mind that running a pair of DX room’s back wall, far exceeding the required for and price is really no obstacle… speakers’ boundaries. stereo well, the sight of a DX’s paralleled Traditional SET T-1610s placed adjacent to each of ‘We were seduced by amplifi ers suffer not your monitors might simply be too the DX power amplifi ers’ only from limited power much to resist. output, but often from immersive charms’ a curtailed frequency HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS extension. Not so here: monoblocks for a few hours every there was nothing soft or rose- Power output (<3% THD, 8/4ohm) 102W / 100W day will likely see your electricity tinted about the sound, midrange Dynamic power (<5% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 107W / 99W / 45W / 21W bill increase by a couple of hundred and high frequencies appearing Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 1.27–1.18ohm pounds a year as well. ‘fast’ and crisp yet remaining Freq. response (20Hz–20kHz/100kHz) +0.78dB to –1.5dB/–13.8dB

mellifl uous and seductive. Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/100W) 119mV / 1261mV (balanced) FAMILY RESEMBLANCE Where these SET monoblocks A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/100W) 79.6dB / 99.7dB Having previously enjoyed truly shone was when playing the sound of KR’s Kronzilla SXI more natural-sounding recordings. Distortion (20Hz-20kHz re. 10W/8ohm) 0.52–2.6% integrated, we hoped for some Dipping into a few tracks from The Power consumption (Idle/Rated o/p) 475W/480W (1W standby) family resemblance – and we sure Saturday Sessions From The Dermot Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 385x415x550mm / 37kg weren’t disappointed. We had O’Leary Show [Sony] showcased

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 59 




 






 
 




 



 
 





  
 


  
 
  




 
   POWER AMPLIFIER

Integrated triode tube amplifi er. Rated at 80W/8ohm Made by: Mei Xing Electronics, China Supplied by: Ming Da Valve Audio UK Telephone: 01684 293111 Web: www.mingda.co.uk Price: £34,950 (pair) Ming Da Dynasty Cantabile-Grandé MC998-A

his is one of a fascinating passive componentry: Jensen and new sub-species of valve Sic Safco capacitors are used, along amplifi er – the high-end with Mills Audio, AMRG and Takman Taudio equivalent of a Rex resistors. Jensen pure silver wire monster truck. With the £34,950 and high quality bronze rhodium- Ming Da Dynasty Cantabile-Grandé coated input RCA connectors and MC998-A monoblocks it’s hard to speaker cable output binding posts get a real sense of their positively are also fi tted to the MC998-A. Brobdingnagian proportions without regarding them in the LIMITLESS EFFECT metal, so to speak. The Ming Da Cantabile-Grandé is Each amplifi er comprises two accommodating in its ability to play boxes that together weigh some pretty much any kind of music you 70kg. The lower box is the power choose, at almost any reasonable supply, and the upper one the volume, with no apparent ill amplifi er itself, where you will effects. Cue up some classic rock see the massive FU80 RF Pentode music such as Dire Straits’ ‘Money punching into the air like a Shanghai For Nothing’ [Brothers In Arms – skyscraper. A single JJ ECC83 and Vertigo] and snare drums are tight Tung Sol 6L6 ride shotgun. and well damped, bass guitar taut Says Ming Da’s founder (and the and tuneful, and lead guitar raw designer) Jigui Xiao ‘The output is and cutting. This monster amp 80W in Class A – this is a powerful throws out a wide and powerful pentode that requires a strong and soundstage with real depth too. reliable power supply’, adding that Moving on to some iconic the FU80 RF has a power output electronic music in the shape of ABOVE: This VERDICT ‘that few other valves can match.’ Jean Michel Jarre’s ‘Oxygene 4’ sturdy two-box This seminal power amplifi er sounds The juice for the plate/grid [Essentials And Rarities – Sony], mono amplifi er is excellent across all types of music, voltage and for the fi lament voltage we found the Ming Da completely very well fi nished is less intimidated by loudspeakers comes from separate power unfazed by the huge scale of the and crowned by than many an esoteric valve amp, transformers, and that’s partly recording, taking the speakers by the striking FU80 and needs absolutely no excuses the scruff of the neck and tube in its ‘space made for its bass performance. commanding them to age’ enclosure This unique, exotic design warrants ‘The Ming Da amp was punch out an almighty, serious consideration if you think completely unfazed by Phil Spector-like ‘wall big is beautiful. of sound’. Within this, the scale of “Oxygene 4”’ there was a wonderful HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS sense of proportion, with why a two-chassis per channel excellent image placement and Power output (<4% THD, 8/4ohm) 66W / 71W model was used. With 450W of uncannily real depth perspective. Dynamic power (<5% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 70W / 75W / 40W / 19W anode dissipation, there’s no Mozart’s March, K189, played by Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 3.05–0.77ohm underestimating how serious this is. the SCO [Linn Records] showed just Freq. response (20Hz–20kHz/100kHz) +1.6dB to –1.5dB/–11.0dB

Ming Da makes all of its products how inherently open and neutral Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/80W) 222mV / 2145mV (balanced) from the ground up, and that this amplifi er is. Image placement A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/80W) 80.9dB / 99.9dB includes the output transformers, was excellent, and the recorded said to use ‘the best Japanese steel acoustic was conveyed brilliantly. Distortion (20Hz-20kHz re. 10W/8ohm) 0.50–10.2% laminations available, along with Strings soared and brass stabbed, Power consumption (Idle/Rated o/p) 475W/460W the best oxygen-free copper wire’. giving a great sense of the music’s Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 440x860x455mm / 65kg Care has also been paid to the dynamic direction.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 61 PRE/POWER AMPLIFIER

Pre & power valve amplifi ers. Rated at 2x155W/8ohm Made by: Audio Research Corp, Minnesota, USA Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd Telephone: 0208 971 3909 Web: www.audioresearch.com; www.absolutesounds.com Prices (Pre/Power):(/ ) £12,250/£17,000 ,

the GSPre boasts a tube-based headphone amplifi er, it hasn’t gone the whole hog and dropped in a DAC like the GSi75 integrated. Before operating the power amp, you have to install the four 6H30 valves and the two matched quads of KT150 output valves. As shipped, bias is set to a nominal 65mA per KT150 and the GS150 is otherwise ready to go out of the box.

IMMERSIVE SPACES Using Sonus faber Ex3ma loudspeakers a large, transparent, colourful and multi-layered musical wall-to-wall canvas opened like a hovering parachute, the enfolding acoustic conferring a sense of space that was both staggering and utterly immersive. Whether with the complexity of Beethoven, the romanticism of Berlioz or Handel’s religiousness, Dylan’s raucity, Sinatra’s velvety crooning or Supertramp’s buoyant productions, the GS150 took charge of all the musical proceedings with poise and aplomb, presence and control, exhibiting clarity, speed, and supreme resolution of ABOVE: The instrumental and vocal textures. GSPre [top] We listened to Mariza’s Audio Research marks a return to Transparente [EMI] where she sings traditional rotary ‘Duas Lágrimas De Orvalho’ (solo and pushbutton voice accompanied by a weeping controls. The cello), and there were tears in our GSPre/GS150 former also eyes, such was the power of the facilitate GS duo to convey pathos, emotion, navigation of the sadness, suffering and pain. ith the Galileo Series, fully balanced design (there are no on-board menu. designer Livio Cucuzza single-ended inputs) down to the The GS150’s VERDICT and his team have rear variable speed whisper fans. analogue meters The GS150 is not only the fi nest W aimed to refl ect classic By contrast, the GSPre is less show mains line sounding but also the most Audio Research pieces in homage to obviously a REF 5 in new attire voltage, tube beautiful stereo amplifi er Audio founder Bill Johnson’s legacy. And [see HFN Jan ’10]. The new ‘retro’ bias current and Research has ever built. The the results are revelatory. preamp has two large rotaries power output GSPre is the perfect partner both for volume and source aesthetically and sonically. ‘The GS duo brought selection and buttons catering for power, mono, HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS tears to our eyes, such muting, headphone switching and access Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 171W / 170W was its emotional power’ to the limited onboard Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 185W / 185W / 200W / 175W menu. The GSPre also Output imp. (20Hz–20kHz, pre/power) 995-315ohm / 0.600-1.00ohm We fi rst saw the GS150 at offers a pair of balanced and four Freq. resp. (20Hz–100kHz, pre/power) +0.0 to –0.55dB / +0.1 to –0.2dB

Munich’s 2014 High End Show, and single-ended inputs alongside Input sensitivity (for 0dBV/0dBW) 204mV (pre) / 170mV (power) had the impression it must be a ‘REF balanced and single-ended outputs. A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBV/0dBW) 96.2dB (pre) / 88.3dB (power) 150 light’ [see HFN Feb ’12] with The programmable phono stage better aesthetics and beefed up is a separate circuit powered by two Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, 1V/10W) 0.0004-0.0026%/0.038-0.098% by the new Tung-Sol KT150 output 6H30 tubes and can accommodate Power consump. (pre/idle/rated o/p) 90W / 470W/780W valves. It does indeed look like a variety of MM and high output Dimensions (WHD Pre/150) 483x197x438/483x251x572mm an undercover REF 150, from the MC cartridges. However, while

62 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 PRE/POWER AMPLIFIER

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 Prices (Pre/Power): £10,000 (each)

magic also applies with small-scale recordings that otherwise might sound claustrophobic. Take António Zambujo’s ‘Nem Às Paredes Confesso’ from Outro Sendido [Universal Music Portugal]. It’s a simple studio recording (voice and guitar) but also slightly claustrophobic. So the engineer placed him inside an ‘electronic bubble’ that seems to expand with each heartbreaking utterance. The Inspiration allows one to distinguish between the fake hazy air inside the ‘bubble’ and what little air there is in a small dead studio. The Inspiration Stereo 1.0 also reproduces the airiness of concert hall acoustics with uncanny realism. A good example is Mitsuko Uchida playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 23, live with the Cleveland Orchestra [Decca], where you can hear stage noises, the squeaking of a distant door, and the occasional coughing off-axis in both channels, Constellation Audio so clearly located they help to map the concert hall precisely. You need lots of power to reproduce a big band or a Inspiration 1.0 symphony orchestra at full throttle. But it only took a few bars with Iván Fischer his Budapest orchestra f Constellation Audio’s debut audio circuitry, the mechanically ABOVE: A in Mendelssohn Session [Native Reference Series offered the isolated circuit boards. 432x230-pixel DSD], to reveal the beauty of the stuff of audiophile dreams then The preamp’s simple fascia has screen on the holographic image, the purity of Ithese new Inspiration amps, at one rotary button for balance, preamp’s fascia timbre and the awesome dynamic £10k a pop, threaten to set new another for volume, either side of a is fl anked by swings conveyed by this DSD256 standards of performance at a more generous touch screen. Five buttons rotaries for master. We sat fl abbergasted, affordable price point. control all the menus – power on/ balance and listening as if we were beamed up Cost savings have been made by standby, input selection and levels, volume. Pressing to the MUPA Concert Hall itself. building the cases from aluminium mute, phase, bypass, screen setup and holding the slabs rather than solid billets, and (brightness, contrast and timeout). bar on the front VERDICT the front panel is fl at, not sculpted. The Stereo 1.0, too, is simplicity of the Stereo 1.0 This combination reproduces itself, though both take initiates a series music with a freedom, neutrality their time to warm up. of self-diagnostic and conviction that belies even ‘The sound is on the dark checks this substantive price tag. It’s a side of neutral; and it’s REVELATORY revolution in the world of audio. All Constellation Audio one you can almost taste’ amplifi ers allow you HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS to enjoy a degree of Meanwhile, the Inspiration transparency which has until now, Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 395W / 660W Preamp 1.0 has its power supply with a few honourable exceptions, Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 470W / 845W / 1.20kW / 420W built into the front of the unit, eluded solid-state technology. And Output imp. (20Hz–20kHz, pre/power) 119ohm / 0.033–0.045ohm rather than outboard, and the yet, paradoxically, the sound is on Freq. resp. (20Hz–100kHz, pre/power) –0.0 to +0.0dB / –2.1 to –0.4dB

Stereo 1.0’s input and gain stages the dark side of neutral. More like Input sensitivity (for 0dBV/0dBW) 47mV (pre) / 157mV (power) are on one PCB instead of separated dark chocolate it’s a sound you can A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBV/0dBW) 91.0dB (pre) / 91.6dB (power) as in its larger amplifi ers. almost taste. All the other genes that inform With a clear recording you can Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, 1V/10W) 0.0015–0.0019%/0.0013–0.033% the Constellation DNA are there: hear all the way into the back of Power consump. (pre/idle/rated o/p) 27W / 127W/856W the ‘Line Stage Gain Module’, the the stage without any impediment Dimensions (WHD Pre/Power) 432x133x381/432x216x483mm ‘Direct’ interface, the fully balanced or obstruction. This see-through

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 63 7KH0RGHOFRXOGEHGHVFULEHGDV¶WKHXOWLPDWHLQUHFRYHU\YHKLFOHV·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

Pre & mono power amplifi ers. Rated at 250W/8ohm Made by: GamuT A/S, Denmark Supplied by: Stoneaudio UK Ltd, Dorset Telephone: 01202 630 066 Web: www.gamutaudio.com; www.stoneaudio.co.uk Prices (Pre/Power): £5770/£17,315 (pair)

entirely unburstable right up to the limits of what a pair of speakers can handle. They deliver a sound that’s loud, proud and in the face when required, but are equally at home shimmering through delicate acoustic recordings at low levels. Play some close-recorded jazz, like the title track from Kyle Eastwood’s The View From Here [Jazz Village], which opens with Eastwood’s bass and Andrew McCormack’s piano in unison laying down the riff of the track over Martin Kaine’s drums, and the timbre and speed of the bass is superbly realised as a distinct instrument. When they break and go their separate ways, the understated bass line remains metronomic and tightly defi ned. Play some vintage Queen and the way John Deacon’s bass and Roger Taylor’s drums lock together to rocket the music along is inescapable – whether with ‘Seven GamuT D3i/M250i Seas Of Rhye’ from Queen II [Island] or ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ from The Game [Island]. f your speakers are able to bypass mode. Outputs are on ABOVE: Rotary Bjork’s latest album, Vulnicura handle it, the £5770 GamuT both RCA phonos and two sets of controls on the [One Little Indian] is challenging D3i preamp and £8658-apiece balanced XLRs, with all socketry D3i govern input at CD quality, even more so in IM250i monoblocks (with a from Neutrik. Naturally, a remote selection and 96kHz/24-bit, especially on tracks rated output power of 250W/8ohm) control handest is also provided. volume. Buttons like ‘Black Lake’, with its electronic are likely to rearrange not only your The D3i is a dual-mono preamp are for dim/ bass coming from somewhere down expectations of the sheer clout a designed for ‘low impedance and bypass/mute. in the depths. Here, the GamuTs’ hi-fi system can deliver, but also wide bandwidth’ with MOSFET input The robust, no- ability to both grip and drive our some of your furniture – should you and output buffering and separate nonsense styling PMC OB1 speakers was, to put it really decide to wind the wick up! power supplies for each channel. It carries through to mildly, jaw-dropping. The D3i preamp uses shielded even has special feet to provide a the M250i (one internal compartments to avoid ‘compliant chassis suspension’. of a stereo pair is VERDICT interference and noise. In silver or For the M250i GamuT uses just shown here) The GamuTs have all the agility and black, its anodised aluminium fascia one complementary pair of very fi nesse required for fi ne sound, but just has input and volume controls, large MOSFETs to do the job, saying underpinned with a massive sense ‘a powerful amplifi er made of power and total control. This with 32 transistors is more amplifi er combination is priced well ‘They deliver a sound likely to sound like a choir into the high-end, but it’s worth that’s loud, proud and in than a single and clear every penny. voice’. There’s a massive the face when required’ power supply, while a HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS monitoring circuit detects and an indicator panel. Inputs are HF distortion content above 20kHz Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 330W / 630W provided at line-level on four sets of should you manage to provoke Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 363W / 704W / 1320W / 1120W single-ended RCA phonos and one clipping, and there’s short-circuit/ Output imp. (20Hz-20kHz, pre/power) 145ohm / 0.019-0.027ohm set of balanced XLRs. low-impedance detection which will Freq. resp. (20Hz-100kHz, pre/power) +0.0 to –7.2dB / +0.0 to –3.3dB

Although one set of inputs is mute the amp. Input sensitivity (for 0dBV/0dBW) 550mV (pre) / 102mV (power) called ‘RIAA’ at the front and ‘MM/ A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBV/0dBW) 98.1dB (pre) / 85.4dB (power) MC’ at the rear, to connect a JAW-DROPPING GRIP turntable you’re going to need an The GamuT amps are an absolute Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, 1V/10W) 0.0001-0.0007%/0.0009-0.11% external phono preamplifi er. Both riot, not just fi nding information in Power consumption (pre/power) 17W / 417W (43W, idle) the balanced CD inputs and one set tracks lesser amplifi cation merely Dimensions (WHD, Pre/Power) 431x111x420/431x164x470mm of line-ins can be set to a unity-gain suggests might be there but proving

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 65 “It’s easily the best DAC I’ve ever heard in my system, making digitalldigitally-recordedy-recorded music sousoundnd bettebetterr tthanhan I’vI’vee eeverver heard it” VVadeade FForresterorrester – TThehe AAbsolutebsolute SounSoundd

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40 years in the making, PS Audio's DirectStream DAC with Yale OS upgrade.

PS Audio's new BHK Signature stereo & monoblock amplifiers

PS Audio welcomes you to The Hi-Fi Show at the Beaumont Estate on 24/25 of October. Come and visit us in Sandringham Suite 7 where we look forward to providing you with a demonstration of PS Audio's products, including the DirectStream DAC and the new BHK Signature amplifiers. If you would like to hear your CD or digital music in pure single bit DSD via the DirectStream DAC please do bring your music with you and hear for yourself why this product is a game changer.

It’s time to rediscover your music collection. PRE/POWER AMPLIFIER

Pre & power amplifi er with USB input. Rated at 250W/8ohm Made by: NAD Electronics International, Canada Supplied by: Sevenoaks Sound and Vision, UK Telephone: 01732 740944 Web: http://nadelectronics.com; www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk Prices (Pre/Power): £3299 (MDC modules extra)/£2699

to be switched on and off remotely by the M12. This is a hybrid digital amp, designed to give, says NAD, ‘massive analogue emotion’.

VIVID PRESENTATION In absolute terms, the M12/M22 package is perhaps just a shade sweeter than we’d like in the treble – there were just a few occasions when we found ourselves hankering for a smidge more sting – eg, with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘That Ain’t My America’ [God & Guns, Roadrunner]. But as a burst from Yes’s ‘Roundabout’ from Fragile [Rhino, 96kHz/24-bit download] made clear, it also has a directness of communication, betraying no sense of the amount of digital processing through which the signal has passed on its way from source to speakers. It unravelled the complexities NAD Masters of the track while still shaking the room with bass, punching the music along, and at the same time giving an intimate view of the acoustic M12/M22 guitar and voice when required. Fed with something dark and electronic, Ólafur Arnalds’ music ew to the Master Series balanced and single-ended preouts, ABOVE: Both for the TV series Broadchurch are this £3299 M12 outputs for two subwoofers, control the M12 [top] [Mercury], and the claustrophobic, preamplifi er, and £2699 connections via 12V trigger in/out and M22 have menacing atmosphere was almost NM22 250W per channel sockets, an IR sensor input and an a notable lack tangible, so well did the M12/M22 stereo power amp. Both draw RS232 socket, plus three MDC cards of any physical handle everything from the droning heavily on developments elsewhere already installed. controls beyond bass and stabbing percussion to in the NAD mainstream range, and This trio encompasses phono touch-sensitive the almost Glass-like melodic lines previous generations of Masters (adjustable between MC and MM) on/standby drifting above them. Series products. The M12 preamp plus line-ins on RCA phonos and ‘buttons’. can be fi tted with a card supporting XLRs; a digital module with two Settings on the VERDICT the multiroom/wireless functionality optical inputs, two coaxial and an preamplifi er can With a refi ned, powerful sound of NAD stablemate Bluesound, and AES/EBU input on a three-pin XLR; be made using even when pushed hard, the M12/ another with HDMI audio capability and USB and computer inputs on the touchscreen M22 combination is designed for and video pass-through. Type-A and Type-B sockets, with display real-world use, not the tweaking another Type-A input brigade. The M12’s fl exibility is below the volume especially impressive, while the ‘When fed with dark and control on the fascia. optional BluOS module adds even electronic material, the Adding the BluOS more useful capability. module (an extra £399) atmosphere was tangible’ means the preamp HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS gains wireless/wired Both the M12 and the M22 networking, streaming content Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 295W / 360W are beautifully constructed and at up to 192kHz/24-bit; aptX Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 400W / 780W / 750W / 450W fi nished, with fascia clutter kept to Bluetooth; and access to Internet Output imp. (20Hz-20kHz, M12/M22) 91-150ohm/0.005-0.014ohm a minimum. The M12 has a clear, radio and streaming services. It also Freq. resp. (20Hz-90kHz, M12 Dig/M22) +0.0 to –11.2dB/+0.06 to –2.0dB sharp colour touchscreen display offers two extra USB sockets. Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/250W) 101mV / 1630mV (balanced) for all its functionality, plus a large The matching M22 power amp A-wtd S/N ratio (M12 Digital/M22) 115.8dB (0dBFs) / 82.2dB (0dBW) volume control, and there’s plenty has both balanced and single- of fl exibility in the menus. ended inputs, and a single pair of Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, M12 Dig/M22) 0.00017-0.011% / 0.0004-0.041% As standard, the M12 preamp substantial combination terminals Power consumption (Idle/Rated o/p) 31W / 570W (M12, 29W) comes with hard-wired socketry for for each channel’s speaker output, Dimensions (WHD, M12/M22) 435x133x383/435x103x379mm optical and coaxial digital outputs, plus a 12V trigger input to allow it

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 67 PRE/POWER AMPLIFIER

Pre & monoblock power amplifi ers. Rated at 746W/8ohm Made by: Naim Audio Ltd, Salisbury Supplied by: Naim Audio Ltd Telephone: 01722 426600 Web: www.naimaudio.com Price: £155,000

LEFT: A simple sockets to match those on the NAC rotary volume S1. An internal ‘chimney’ helps control and dissipate the considerable heat touch-sensitive developed. And loop negative input selectors feedback is taken from before the bely the output stage, meaning it’s not complexity affected by the speaker load. within the Naim NAC S1 [centre SHEER INTELLIGIBILITY unit] – inputs can We were far from prepared for be customised just what the Statement could do. and mapped Most striking of all was its absolute to the virtual linearity, whatever volume level you ‘buttons’. Eight chose, and whatever the music you stereo inputs are played – from background levels, provided on its where it’ll surprise you with sheer rear panel intelligibility, right up to its ability to do the ‘go on, you know you want to’ thing. All the while it tells you more about instruments, voices and performances than you’d ever imagined possible. ELP’s fabulously dense and percussive ‘Toccata’, from Brain Salad Surgery [Sanctuary Records], is challenging, to say the least, with its powerful drumming and percussion, swinging from gentle piano to Naim Statement thundering synth bass, with swirling programmed sounds and even tubular bells. We were pinned to our seats… NAC/NAP S1 By contrast, the violin plaintively winding its way around the voice in Bach’s St Matthew Passion aria t the price of a Bentley vertically, with boards attached via ‘Erbarme Dich’ [Linn], while the Flying Spur everything here coiled springs to the main frame. orchestra maintained the work’s is on the grand scale. The The entire construction uses only heartbeat, was one of those A Statement looks unlike through-hole passive components experiences that made you just sit anything else in the core Naim and discrete transistors, and even in silence when the music stopped. range, and goes beyond anything the volume control uses a ‘fl y-by- else the company has ever made, wire’ system, designed to maintain VERDICT not least in its power output – a constant input and output The NAC S1/NAP S1 lives up to the quoted as ‘one horsepower’! resistance, and thus frequency title with a sound that’s much more response, across the than the Naim signature writ large: adjustment range. this is a truly magical amplifi er ‘It was an experience that The NAC S1 across a huge range of musical made you just sit in silence provides three inputs styles and listening preferences. on RCA phonos, three when the music stopped’ on DINs and two on HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS XLRs, with adjustable Massive power supplies are gain and customisable mapping to Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 795W / 1493W anchored in the base of each of the fi ve input selector options, and Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 790W / 1480W / 2610W / 1585W the three units, separated from the option of unity gain. There’s one Output imp. (20Hz-20kHz, NAC/NAP) 215-10ohm / 0.108-0.124ohm the signal electronics to keep eddy set of balanced outputs on XLRs, to Freq. resp. (20Hz-100kHz, NAC/NAP) +0.0 to –13.8dB / +0.0 to –3.25dB

currents from the transformers at use with the NAP S1 power amps, Input sensitivity (for 0dBV/0dBW) 171mV / 88mV (balanced) bay. In the NAC S1 preamp, this and two sets of unbalanced outputs A-wtd S/N ratio (for 0dBV/0dBW) 96.1dB (NAC S1) / 94.8dB (NAP S1) lower section also contains the on four-pin DINs. input/output circuitry, housed The NAC P1 amplifi er plays things Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, 1V/10W) 0.0003-0.007%/0.0002-0.0012% in a perforated Faraday cage. In pretty simple, with just a single Power consumption (Idle/Rated o/p) 103W / 1410W (NAC S1, 38W) the ‘upper fl oors’ of the preamp XLR input and a pair of speaker Dimensions (WHD, NAC/NAP S1) 270x940x412/256x940x383mm enclosure, the circuitry is mounted terminals, plus communications

68 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015

PRE/POWER AMPLIFIER

Preamp with USB DAC and power amp. Rated at 2x150W Made by: Primare AB, Sweden Supplied by: Karma-AV Ltd, York Telephone: 01423 358846 Web: www.primare.net; www.karma-av.co.uk Prices (Pre/Power): £3180/£1750

rip of Future Islands’ Singles [4AD] ported over USB from a laptop running JRiver, let you know that these amps relish having a more substantial stream to play with. Percussion on ‘Like The Moon’ is razor sharp, while being so foot-tapping and rhythmical it’s addictive. Bass guitar notes take on a textured, robust quality, and the keyboard’s atmospherics go deep and wide within the soundstage as their delayed echoes trail off into the distance. But it’s not just the Primares’ timing and musical scale that grab your attention, it’s the way these amps seem to stay true to the purity of the music without being overly clinical. With a 96kHz/24-bit FLAC download of the Adagio from the ‘Arpggione’ Sonata, from Schubert & Primare PRE32/A34.2 Schumann [Naim] the A34.2 showed its character, adding genuine weight to the piano combined with t’s perhaps easy to overlook just coupled from input to output via ABOVE: Both the right degree of delicacy when how much effort Primare has servos – there are no capacitors in amplifi ers are needed. The cellist was projected been ploughing into keeping the signal path. superbly fi nished with a sense of purpose and poise. Iits mid-market 30-series amps There’s also the company’s and also come Nor is the heart of the preamp up to date, catering for both the MM30 media board, which slots in matching surpassed by its digital add-ons. diehard separates fan and those into a dedicated rear port, adding a titanium silver Playing ‘Small Things’ from Ben audiophiles happy to combine range of digital inputs (while upping livery. The PRE32 Howard’s I Forget Where We Were boxes and save some shelf space. the PRE32’s price to £3000). With preamp’s OLED LP [Island] conjured a very organic The PRE32 is the 30-range’s a Burr-Brown SRC4392 192kHz display, stainless sonic landscape that was very easy dedicated preamp, which costs upsampler and PCM1792 DAC, this steel rotary dials to get lost in. This track’s bass £1750 in standard, analogue-only extra outlay seems like money well and switchgear reaches very deep but the Primares guise. In this basic form, with its spent. Finally, Primare’s £180 aptX are pure class! had no diffi culty in plundering sleek OLED-equipped front panel Bluetooth module takes a fully- The bridgeable these lower registers without over- and remote control, you get four loaded PRE32 preamp up to £3180. A34.2 power amp emphasis. It left you free to relish line-level (RCA) and two balanced Partnering the PRE32 is Primare’s [lower unit] offers the most physical of bass without (XLR) inputs, alongside two sets of A34.2 power amp, housed in both XLR and feeling overwhelmed by it. line-level and one set of balanced matching silver or black casework. RCA inputs outputs, to feed a range of power Its input stage also comprises VERDICT amp options. There’s also a fi xed- Burr-Brown OPA2134 and Analog As an analogue input-only package Devices AD8512 op-amps these amps have lots to offer, but while the output stage paying for the extra digital internals ‘These amps stay true employs Primare’s now is a no-brainer, making this a superb to the purity of the music very familiar and effi cient system for the modern audiophile. Class D UFPD technology. without seeming clinical’ Primare also gives you the HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS option to run the A34.2 level set of analogue outputs over as a higher-powered monoblock Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 210W / 405W RCA, for legacy tape recorders, etc. amp in bridged mode. Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 215W / 410W / 447W / 238W All analogue signal paths are kept Output imp. (20Hz-20kHz, pre/power) 92ohm / 0.021–0.091ohm short and fully balanced, employing CLARITY AND RHYTHM Freq. resp. (20Hz-100kHz, pre/power) +0.02 to –2.4dB/+0.0 to –13.0dB

Burr-Brown OPA2134 op-amps. These amps sound as though they A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBV/0dBW) 95.2dB (0dBV) / 82.0dB (0dBW) Source selection, volume level and have clarity in abundance. But while Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, pre/power) 0.00009-0.0007% / 0.0006-0.052% balance control are all performed in Bluetooth makes for a worthwhile the analogue domain. inclusion, you really need to serve Digital jitter (USB/ S/PDIF) <10psec / <10psec Like its R32 phono stage sibling, them a richer diet to benefi t from Power consumption (pre/power) 31W/340W (22W idle) the PRE32 also uses an R-core everything they have to offer. Dimensions (WHD, CD/Amp) 430x105x385/430x105x385mm power transformer and is DC Exploring a 44.1kHz/16-bit FLAC

70 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 PRE/POWER AMPLIFIER

Preamp with USB DAC and power amp. Rated at 350W/8ohm Made by: The Rotel Co. Ltd, Japan Supplied by: Rotel Europe/B&W Group, West Sussex Telephone: 01903 221500 Web: www.rotel.com Prices (Pre/Power): £1395/£2395

extensive protection circuitry. It’s a true dual-mono design, with input on both RCAs and XLRs. Outputs are on two sets of terminals for each channel, and there’s 12V trigger switching for remote on/off.

EASY-GOING? Our initial impression was of an amplifi er carrying its considerable clout fairly lightly, having both speed and agility to partner its power. What’s more, it manages both impressive dynamic ability and a deceptively easy-going presentation, with the kind of smoothness more commonly associated with amps with less ambitious power outputs. It did unleash some of the beast within when playing Bach Toccatas performed by E Power Biggs [Sony], played as stereo DSD64 fi les through the RC-1590’s USB input. And there was no arguing with the ability of the Rotel’s DAC stage when it came to presenting the sheer impact of this sound. Similarly with the rather more laid-back sound of Eric Clapton’s classic album 461 Ocean Boulevard [Polydor] the Rotels did a fi ne job Rotel RC-1590/RB-1590 of motoring the rhythms along while presenting the layering of harmonies and instrumentation otel’s upmarket 15-Series (unnecessary with a Mac). There’s ABOVE: Styling with plenty of detail. If there were now features this £1395 also an iOS-friendly front-panel is minimalist but times when staccato kick-drums RC-1590 preamp and the USB-A for connection to portable not unattractive could become a tiny bit blurred, it Rmassive – in every sense – players and USB memory, and aptX in its silver livery. was never to the point when the RB-1590 power amplifi er, which Bluetooth complete with antenna. Rows of soft- impetus of the music was lost. sells for £2395. Both are solid, Audio outputs are on pairs of touch buttons neatly turned-out and have controls both RCA phonos and XLRs and govern analogue VERDICT with a precise, well-engineered feel. there are also two subwoofer and digital input These Rotels do a fi ne job of outputs. The menu selection on the delivering a wide range of music ‘Bach Toccatas played by system allows a range of preamp, but it’s with detail and excitement intact. adjustments, including the sheer scale of That Rotel has managed to offer E Power Biggs unleashed balance and bypassable the power amp all this for very sensible money is a tone controls. that dominates tribute to its design strengths. Rotel’s beast within’ It’s also possible to switch the rear-panel HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS The RC-1590 is essentially USB input between Class 1.0 and an analogue preamp with a MM hi-res 2.0, and to set a fi xed level Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 490W / 805W phono input and four line-ins (one on any of the inputs – for example Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 565W / 870W / 455W / 235W set on balanced XLRs), but with for use with an external surround Output imp. (20Hz–20kHz, pre/power) 97ohm / 0.014–0.090ohm the addition of an onboard DAC processor. All these settings are Freq. resp. (20Hz–20kHz, pre/power) –0.45 to –0.0dB/–0.14 to –0.03dB having three optical and three accessible from the remote handset. A-wtd S/N ratio (pre/DAC/power) 90.4dB/103.5dB/91.8dB (0dBW) coaxial digital inputs plus a USB-B The power amp fl ies in the face Dist. (20Hz-20kHz, pre (DAC)/power) 0.0011–0.003% / 0.0006–0.011% computer connection for PCM of the company’s recent use of content at up to 192kHz/24-bit plus Class D ICEPower modules, as the Digital jitter (S/PDIF / USB) 380psec / 220psec DSD64/2.8MHz. RB-1590 is a big ol’ no-nonsense Power consumption (pre/power) 23W/1.19kW (61W idle) A CD provides the drivers Class AB bruiser rated at 350W per Dimensions (WHD, pre/power) 431x144x348/431x237x454mm needed with a Windows computer channel into 8ohm and boasting

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 71 “I don’t know these guys from Germany but the sound was fantastic...”

Michael Fremer Stereophile, T.H.E. Show Newport 2013

BERLINA-SERIES BERLINA RC 9: GOLDEN EAR AWARD 2015 We are very happy to tell you that we receive the “Golden Ear Award” by “The Absolute Sound” magazine this year! So how long will you wait till you have your first encounter with our speakers?

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www.gauderakustik-uk.co.uk HEADPHONE PREAMP

Balanced headphone preamp Made by: Auralic Ltd, Beijing, China Supplied by: Audio Emotion Ltd, Scotland Telephone: 01333 425999 Web: www.auralic.com/en; www.audioemotion.co.uk Price: £1590

Its delivery was smooth, cool, solid but the rhythm dragged a little, and Simone’s voice was mildly clouded in comparison to what the very best – by which we mean the most informative and engaging – headphone amps could deliver. Turning attention to the Taurus MkII’s bass performance, we selected some challenging tracks heard via the Audeze LCD-2 [HFN Mar ’13] – ’phones which have Auralic Taurus MkII exceptional bass extension. So were we aware of being a little short-changed in the low n spite of the rising popularity with the unbalanced output could ABOVE: The bass? Arguably the incongruous LF of DAC/headphone amplifi er damage the output stages. Taurus MkII’s grumblings and pulsings in James hybrids, if you listen exclusively Because the Taurus MkII simple fascia Blake’s 2010 ‘Limit To Your Love’ Ito analogue sources or already dissipates some 19W at idle, incorporates [Atlas Records] plunged, perhaps, a have a high-performance DAC then its smart brushed aluminium unbalanced and little less deeply than expected via an extra DAC stage is surplus to wraparound case has ventilation balanced outputs the Taurus MkII but honestly you’d requirements. What you then need holes along both sides, and across on ¼in socket have to listen out for this to notice is a classic headphone amplifi er the back of the top surface. and four-pin XLR, it, and even then we wouldn’t say with analogue inputs only – like this Its output capability is suffi cient with input and it would signifi cantly infl uence £1590 Auralic Taurus MkII. to accommodate transient peaks output switching musical enjoyment. Its Class A output module is of 120dB SPL or greater on high by toggling Reconnecting a pair of Sony claimed to be inspired by the circuit dynamic range material, even with push-buttons; and MDR-MA900s [HFN Oct ’12] we design of the ‘8078’, the last of low-sensitivity headphones. there’s a domed plunged – and emotionally it’s a the hand-wired analogue mixing volume knob and deep plunge – into Elegy For Strings consoles produced by renowned THE RIGHT PARTNER power button ‘In Memoriam Rupert Brooke’ by electronics engineer Rupert Neve As already mentioned, Auralic the wonderfully named Frederick during the 1970s. Like other Neve has manifestly sought to achieve Septimus Kelly [Dutton Digital]. designs it was admired for what a warm, refi ned sound quality Compositionally simple, this piece Auralic calls a ‘warm, natural sound’ with the Taurus MkII. In this it has relies in large part for its impact on – qualities which the Taurus MkII is undoubtedly succeeded: the Taurus the plaintive string harmonies of its intended to emulate. MkII would have to be provoked opening theme – a theme which, via What differentiates the MkII ever to sound hard or harsh, it’s just the Taurus MkII, was big and noble version from the original Taurus not in its makeup. And therefore without losing more than a mere (2010) isn’t clear from the literature it will partner better with ’phones hint of its bittersweet impact. but it seems the board layout having an explicit sound and less has been changed, apparently well with those that are in any way VERDICT to shorten the signal path, reticent to begin with. Auralic intended to create a electromagnetic shielding has been We began listening with the headphone amp with a particular enhanced and the input switching 96kHz/24-bit version of Peter sonic signature and it has Frampton’s Show Me The succeeded. Whether you fi nd that Way [A&M, HDtracks], a sound warm and natural, as Auralic ‘Kelly’s Rupert Brooke recording which no-one says, or a little soft will rest largely string elegy sounded big with any respect for the with the partnering headphone. term would call hi-res, and noble via the Taurus’ whatever its bit depth HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS and sampling rate. Via revised to improve isolation of the the Taurus MkII it sounded just fi ne, Maximum output (re. 1% THD into 47kohm) 25.0V two inputs and thereby reduce opulent but without any hint of Max. power output (re. 1% THD into 25ohm) 4290mW crosstalk between them. compromised resolution. Just plain Output Impedance (20Hz-20kHz) 2.65-1.60ohm A headline feature of the Taurus enjoyable, in fact. Maximum gain +18.0dB (balanced) is its provision of both balanced and The 96kHz/24-bit download A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBV) 99.7dB (balanced) unbalanced inputs and outputs. The [e-onkyo] of Nina Simone’s Frequency response (20Hz-20kHz/25ohm) –4.4dB to +0.0dB inputs are on a pair of back-panel ‘Baltimore’, from the album of the three-pin XLRs and phono sockets, same name, isn’t the highest of Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, re. 40mW) 0.021-0.00019% with fascia outputs on a four-pin XLR res either but its snappy reggae Power consumption 19W and the usual ¼in sockets. Auralic ‘ground’ tended to highlight the Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 330x65x230mm / 3.6kg warns that using mono jack plugs laid-back mien of the Taurus MkII.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 73 BUDGET ESOTERICA – HEADPHONE AMP/USB DAC

Battery-powered USB DAC and headphone amplifi er Made by: Oppoppo ElectronicsElectronics Corp., China SuppliedSupplied by: Oppo BD UK Ltd, Norfolk Telephone:Telephone: 084508 060 9395 Web: www.oppodigital.co.ukwww.oppo Price:P £259

clear, clean and insightful, able to dig right into the mix and serve up a very animated sound that really involved us. Aja isn’t a brilliantly recorded album – it has a super-dry sound – and the Oppo certainly conveyed this aspect, but didn’t let it intrude too much, and the fi ne handling of the music’s dynamic accents meant that we never lost interest. Indeed the music came over as expressive and forceful, just as it should… Moving to high resolution computer audio, with the Oppo switched to micro USB type-B mode and a recent Apple MacBook Pro deployed, things took a major step Oppo HA-2 forward. That same Steely Dan CD rip – previously played via an iPhone – sounded better still via the ppo’s HA-2, the resolution audio playback at up to ABOVE: The computer running Audirvana, the portable version of the 384kHz/24-bit PCM and DSD256. compact matt HA-2 appearing to fi nally be able to brand’s inaugural HA-1 The headphone amplifi er stage is aluminium case is stretch its legs. Oheadphone amp [HFN Class AB, and you use its ‘High’ gain covered in leather Moving to a 192kHz/24-bit Sep ’14], is designed to partner the setting for low impedance phones, to prevent mastering of REM’s ‘Texarkana’ [Out PM-3 headphone [p83]. while ‘Low’ is for more sensitive, scratches, but this Of Time, Warner] we were delighted The £259 HA-2 is aimed at the higher impedance earbuds. Either is not removable. by how much cleaner and tighter style-conscious market, which is why can be augmented with the Gain and bass things sounded. Again, it was very its leather-clad matt aluminium alloy unintrusive bass boost function. boost controls are open and decently dimensional, chassis looks so smart. Combining located on the although perhaps it didn’t quite DAC and headphone amplifi er POLISHED DELIVERY side and there show the track’s full warmth. functionality in a smartphone-sized This DAC/headphone amp sounds is also a highly Running the gamut of superlative case, it comes with a built-in considerably more expensive than informative hi-res recordings, from ‘Misty’ rechargeable 3000mAh lithium it actually is. Kicking off with well battery condition from Kate Bush’s Fifty Words For polymer battery good for over six recorded pop, and Scritti Politti’s indicator Snow [96kHz/24-bit] to Alex de hours of digital music playback. ‘Small Talk’ [AAC rip – Cupid Grassi’s The Water Garden [DSD64] We liked the rotary volume knob And Pysche, Warner] was highly again showed the Oppo to be an on the top left of the machine, involving. Bass was decently fl uid unerringly detailed performer, which is easy to operate and has a and had a fair degree of weight, punching well above its weight. lovely smooth and positive action, and it moved up to a very spacious and at 175g it’s light enough not to and open midband with lots of VERDICT be overly intrusive when you’re out subtle detailing. The soulful Green One of the best-value headphone and about. Gartside’s intonation was also amplifi ers, the stylish Oppo HA-2 carried well, the HA-2 offers a consistently clean, accurate taking you up close and and open sound across a wide ‘It digs right into the mix personal although this was variety of digital sources and to serve up an animated a compressed audio fi le. formats, and does so with élan. Following this with a and involving sound’ ‘full fat’ uncompressed, HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS 44.1kHz/16-bit CD rip of The HA-2 has two USBs (Type A Steely Dan’s ‘Black Friday’ [Aja, MCA Maximum output (re. 0dBFs into 47kohm) 3.01V (High Gain) and micro B) on the base and two Records], the sound took on a good Max. power output (re. 0dBFs into 25ohm) 173mW (Low)/277mW (High) 3.5mm sockets on the top: one deal more body and life, and the Output Impedance (20Hz-20kHz) 1.3-1.4ohm of these is the headphone output soundstage widened and deepened. A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBFs / 0dBV) 96.8dB (USB) / 98.1dB (Line)

and the other doubles up as an It also became a lot easier to Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, re. 10mW) 0.00085–0.065% analogue input or a line output – so focus on individual items in the Freq. resp. (20kHz/45kHz/90kHz, 25ohm) +0.1 to –0.0dB/–0.3dB/–0.1dB you can hook it up to your hi-fi . mix, with the electric piano work All Oppo products use the ESS running right through the song Stereo separation (20Hz-20kHz) 105dB to 98dB Sabre32 DAC chip: the ES9018- holding tight and playing along with Digital jitter (24-bit/48kHz) 160psec K2M version here is specifi cally for the lead instruments and vocal line. Dimensions (WHD) 68x157x12mm portables, and it supports high- Again the HA-2 proved itself to be

74 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 HEADPHONE PREAMP/USB DAC

Headphone preamp/USB DAC Made by: International Audio Group, China Supplied by: IAG Ltd, Cambs Telephone: 01480 447700 Web: www.quad-hifi .co.uk; www.internationalaudiogroup.com Price: £1199

LEFT: Beside the line inputs, and ‘Digital In’ scrolls (manual only) between digital sources. Tiny LEDs volume control light up for USB, coaxial or optical – are selection the PA-One’s USB DAC supports fi les toggles for RCA up to 192kHz/24-bit resolution. and balanced line ins and VALVE-Y BASS Toslink, coaxial None of a range of headphones and USB digital misbehaved with the PA-One whose ins. High and bass was deep – truly well-extended low impedance – and as tuneful as all those pace/ ’phones are rhythm/timing types worship, but accommodated. it was also ‘valve-y.’ We don’t have Rear RCA outs an issue with that, and it certainly turn the retro- didn’t undermine the walking styled Quad sounds on The Four Seasons’ ‘Walk PA-One into a Like A Man’ [Rhino]. More to the DAC/preamp point, it didn’t affect the weight of the majestic percussion of the Kodo Drummers [Sheffi eld Lab]. With both Badfi nger’s Timeless… The Musical Legacy [Apple] and other tracks from The Four Seasons, it was interesting to hear how the PA-One separated harmonies in what is the confi ned space of one’s skull. On ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, the contrasts between Valli’s falsettos and the bass vocals of Nick Massi were emphasised by a slight bloom to the latter that, if possibly artifi cial, was benefi cial. Turning to the more raucous pop Quad PA-One of The Wonders’ ‘That Thing You Do’ [Play-Tone Records], its jangling/ soaring guitars enjoyed sparkle and f you wanted something ‘funky’, it features balanced inputs but clarity with the requisite attack, It doesn’t get much funkier than not balanced headphone outputs, while the kick-drum opening from this mix of vintage valve sound it accommodates a wide array The Band’s ‘Up On Cripple Creek’ Iand archaic styling, but with a of digital and analogue sources, [Mobile Fidelity], possessed exactly full complement of digital inputs. including single-ended line-level the dryness we hear off the vinyl. The PA-One is the best sort of inputs, along with line-level outputs retro, if that’s your thing. By virtue via RCA phono sockets. For digital, VERDICT the unit accepts Toslink The PA-One is a pugnacious spud of optical, coaxial and USB. a component, it’s chunky and well- ‘The Wonders’ jangling The valve complement made and handsome, and delivers guitars enjoyed sparkle, comprises two 6SL7s, terrifi c sound: incredible value and two 6SN7s and one eminent usability in a teensy box. clarity and attack’ EZ81, suffi cient for a rated headphone output HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS of its ‘elder Quad’ looks alone, power of 500mW. Specifi ed across like the Quad Vena [HFN Jan ’15] 32-300ohm, there are alternative Maximum output (re. 1% THD into 47kohm) 13.5V (high imp. mode) it will charm even the most jaded settings of ‘High’ for ’phones above Max. power output (re. 1% THD into 25ohm) 133mW (low imp. mode) audiophile. And Quad is addressing 100ohms and ‘Low’ for below. Output Impedance (20Hz-20kHz; low/high) 18.8ohm / 70ohm the most powerful trend in home The fascia is dominated by a Maximum gain (low/high) +21.3dB / +27.6dB audio: headphones. ‘Most high rotary volume control, with Quad’s A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBV) 87.1dB quality headphones never realise traditional balance slider under it Frequency response (20Hz-20kHz/25ohm) –0.45dB to –0.40dB their full potential, because they (useful, with ’phones). To the left are normally connected to poorly are two ¼in headphone sockets, Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, re. 40mW) 0.51-1.1% matched amplifi cation’, it says. a toggle for impedance settings, Power consumption 38W Quad’s 180mm-wide PA-One while three pushbuttons choose Dimensions (WHD) 180x164x285mm is truly comprehensive. Although the balanced or single-ended

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 75 1RORVVRIÀQHGHWDLO

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Balanced headphone preamp/DAC Made by: Simaudio Ltd, Canada Supplied by: Renaissance Audio, Scotland Telephone: 0131 555 3922 Web: www.simaudio.com; www.renaissanceaudio.co.uk Price: £2700 (£3300 with DAC)

To listen to ‘Snow’ from Patricia Barber’s The Cole Porter Mix [Blue Note] was to hear a familiar track coming up fresh in new sonic glories. There was a depth and sonority to the piano sound that exceeded anything we’d heard before on ’phones and it retained every bit of its character when guitar, bass and drums came in. Moon’s crossfeed facility had the effect here of fl attening the stereo Simaudio Moon image behind or over your head and reducing its lateral spread. The – ‘hole in the middle’ effect with Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section, Neo 430HA recorded in 1957, was successfully removed. So this is a useful option. With the title track from Eric imaudio offers the option of window with an indication of ABOVE: Bibb’s Get Onboard [Telarc], bass a built-in DAC with the fully- selected input, volume setting and Along with and drums had a lightness and balanced Moon Nēo 430HA, (briefl y) sampling frequency. Input comprehensive bounce that really had our feet Swhich is priced at £2700 in selection is via a pair of buttons. controls, the front tapping. Glen Scott’s organ phrases analogue form, or £3300 with the The 430HA has two unbalanced panel offers a shone through to perfection and DAC and a range of digital inputs. analogue inputs and one balanced, ¼in headphone even tiny elements in the mix were The solid, machined casework with S/PDIF digital inputs including socket, plus clearly delineated. has a luxurious feel, and the front Toslink optical and two coaxial, the balanced After this, we tried the 430HA’s panel features Moon’s distinctive latter accepting LPCM audio up to XLR output built-in DAC. With ‘Get Onboard’ curved side cheeks – the right-hand 192kHz/24-bit. A USB port extends connectors the sound was still excellent – a one accommodating a comfortably- sampling rates up to 384kHz and revealed by big, expansive sound – but it didn’t sized volume knob. DSD to DSD64, DSD128 and ‘quad- sliding back the seem to have quite the last bit of Drawing on developments for speed’ DSD256. display panel foot-tapping life and bounce that Moon’s top Evolution series, the There’s a 6.35mm headphone we expected. High-res downloads volume control system boasts 530 fascia socket output and a 3.5mm included the RPO’s Mozart Wind steps in level and a claimed channel mini-jack socket input, while Serenades and cellist Tim Hugh’s matching accuracy of 0.1dB. the 430HA also has concealed recording Hands On Heart, both Similarly, the comprehensively balanced headphone outputs: two from Naim. The wind music was regulated power supply – with a three-pin XLRs and a single four- appealingly clear-toned yet forceful, ‘virtually unmeasurable’ noise fl oor pin XLR socket. A compact remote and Hugh’s account of the Kodály – sustains a fully-balanced amplifi er duplicates all the fascia functions. Sonata was gripping. Apart from the rear analogue and digital inputs VERDICT ‘The Art Pepper “hole in there are connections for The 430HA offers useful facilities, the middle” effect was Simlink system control, balanced operation and great a 12V trigger input sound. It ensures the music comes successfully removed’ and output for remote through with freedom and aplomb operation, and an RS-232 while its USB DAC option only section using discrete components port to facilitate fi rmware updates. bolsters its desirability. and offering a rated output of 667mW/600ohm or 8W/50ohm. CLEAN AND CLEAR HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS User features include high and Listening fi rst via analogue inputs, low gain settings, for ’phones we were soon won over. The treble Maximum output (re. 1% THD into 47kohm) 12.5V of differing sensitivity, and a was clear and clean, not sparkling in Max. power output (re. 1% THD into 25ohm) 4208mW switchable crossfeed setting to give any exaggerated way, but allowing Output Impedance (20Hz-20kHz) 1.10-1.18ohm a more relaxing ‘out of the head’ you to enjoy enticing musical Maximum gain (High/Low setting) +16.1dB/+10.1dB (balanced) stereo effect on many recordings. nuances. The treble blended A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBV) 97.8dB (balanced) The DAC is described as 32-bit, fully seamlessly into a neutral midrange Frequency response (20Hz-20kHz/25ohm) –0.0dB to +0.1dB asynchronous, and intended to that again seemed to foster musical accept virtually any digital source. communication. The bass end Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, re. 40mW) 0.0018-0.00012% The front panel is well populated was clean and unfettered, so that Power consumption 22W (2W standby) with control buttons and a standby acoustic bass instruments appeared Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 429x89x351mm / 9kg switch lights up the large display to breathe with a natural presence.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 77 HEADPHONE

Open-back circumaural dynamic headphone Made by: AKG Acoustics GmbH Supplied by: Sound Technology Ltd Telephone: 01462 480000 Web: www.akg.com; www.soundtech.co.uk Price: £1099 AKG K812

his is a £1099 over-head, open, much more transparent and open-back, dynamic design informative than its forebears. that makes no pretence On every track we consider to Tto being suited to use on be notably testing of bass quality the move. To wit: it has a long, 3m the K812 delivered clean, ‘fast’ lead which does not include a mic/ LF at replay volumes up to the remote for use with compatible loudest one would care to handheld music sources, its capsules tolerate. That said, there’s do not rotate fl at or fold up into a peak at around 6kHz in the headband and it is not supplied the diffuse-fi eld corrected with a carrying case – although response, and unevenness there is an omega-shaped plywood in the impedance versus headphone stand provided. frequency trace between Although the K812 is 2kHz and 5kHz that suggests conventional-looking it nevertheless the presence of resonances. remains distinctly ‘AKG’. Styling This means that any cues from earlier K-series models, potential purchaser should particularly the circular capsules, listen before buying. But our conical perforated rear enclosure Teac HA-501 headphone and circumferential trim ring, have amp [HFN Apr ’14] suited been retained. the K812 well – any treble Most signifi cant of the changes, forwardness didn’t prevent though, has been to AKG’s ‘Sound us from enjoying the AKG’s Sealing’ earpads. The velour- strengths, particularly its covered circular items of old give neutral tonal balance and its way to (faux?) leather-fi nished powers of analysis. earpads that are more D-shaped at With ‘You Look Good To their opening. We found them very Me’ from The Oscar Peterson comfortable, aided by the K812’s Trio’s 1964 album We Get modest head clamping force. A Requests [an 88.2kHz/24-bit rip gimbal bearing allows each capsule from the Analogue Productions/ to rotate horizontally and vertically Verve SACD] we thought the K812 for best fi t. did a very fi ne job of rendering Ray Other features of note are that Brown’s double-bass, strings bowed ABOVE: AKG’s portrayal of the reverberant church the K812 incorporates a new and plucked. D-shaped earpad acoustic and its faithful rendition 53mm diameter drive unit with a We also tested Jennifer Warnes’ opening is a of the bell-like purity of Kirkby’s voice coil wound from copper-clad The Hunter [Private Music], Daft novelty, designed familiar voice. aluminium wire, to save on moving Punk’s Random Access Memories to improve bass mass, and fi tted with ‘the strongest [HDtracks], ‘The Saga Of Harrison sealing around VERDICT Crabfeathers’ from Brian the critical jaw The K812 marks a sea change for Blomberg’s Wood [A440 line beneath AKG, largely retaining the tonal ‘We were captivated Records] and ‘Limit To Your the ear. It works neutrality of earlier K-series models by the bell-like purity of Love’ from the eponymous effectively but consigning their frustrating James Blake album [Atlas and remains opacity to the trashcan of history. Emma Kirkby’s voice’ Records]. Any headphone comfortable over We found the K812 a thoroughly that can handle all these long periods engaging and informative design. magnet system available on the with equanimity is doing very nicely, market’, says AKG. Nevertheless, thank you, and the K812 delivered HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS its sensitivity is towards the lower exactly that. end of what modern high-quality As for the K812’s treble, it didn’t Sensitivity (SPL at 1kHz for 1Vrms input) 109.6dB headphones typically deliver. bother us overly and we certainly Impedance modulus min/max 39.1ohm @ 6.2kHz didn’t fi nd sibilants a problem with (20Hz-20kHz) 51.2ohm @ 81Hz POWER OF ANALYSIS Emma Kirkby singing the moving Capsule matching (40Hz-10kHz) ±6.7dB Overall, we liked these, not least ‘Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies,’ LF extension (–6dB ref. 200Hz) 11Hz because it puts the old AKG ripped from the BIS SACD Musique Distortion 100Hz/1kHz (for 90dB SPL) 0.2% / 0.1%

fuzziness of sound fi rmly in the And Sweet Poetrie. Rather, we Weight (inc cable and 0.25in connector) 456g past. The K812 sounds much more were captivated by the K812’s fi ne

78 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 HEADPHONE

Open-backed planar magnetic circumaural headphone Made by: Audeze LLC, California, USA Supplied by: Computers Unlimited, London Telephone: 0208 200 8282 Web: www.audeze.com; www.unlimited.com Price: £599 Audeze EL-8 (open-back)

hanks to some industrial control for Apple iOS devices. But design by Designworks, a the EL-8 is essentially too big for spin-off of BMW which has most users to consider using it on Tone of its three studios in the move. LA, the £599 EL-8 is as sleek and modern looking as its predecessors SUMPTUOUS were chic-free and clumsily retro. The EL-8 may look a whole The only visual element linking the lot different from its two is the wood fi nish encircling ancestors, and cost the EL-8’s capsules. It’s a large a whole lot less into headphone and a heavy one too the bargain, but in – though lighter than the LCD3 its fundamentals [HFN May ’14] – but it wears a well- its sound quality tailored suit in place of dungarees. is much the same. The advent of rare earth In other words, its neodymium-iron-boron magnets tonal balance errs and the ability to optimise magnetic on the side of warm design using fi nite element sophistication rather techniques have enabled Audeze to than balls-out clarity. create a series of planar magnetic In fact up to 1kHz headphones having broadly the EL-8 is as near comparable sensitivity to their tonally neutral as makes no moving-coil competitors. difference. Above that, though, The need for all that magnetic it becomes reticent – although material does of course mean extra many listeners will adore a ‘one weight (530g with cable), but pace back’ presentation that never everything has been done to make sounds harsh or hard unless the the EL-8 as comfortable as possible source material is truly grim. ABOVE: The EL-8 Thy Father Lies’ [88.2kHz/24-bit rip, – large and soft circumaural earpads We found the EL-8 to sound most in open-back form Musique And Sweet Poetrie – BIS], plus a well-upholstered headband. at home on simple vocal material, is not a makeover while notched back in respect of Audeze says that the EL-8 ‘works where its warm tonal cast can make of previous presence, conveyed the bell-like beautifully with smartphones, for an attractive sumptuousness, Audezes so much clarity of the divine Emma’s voice tablets and portable players’, which and on material with clean and as a clean-sheet, with very well controlled sibilants. should not be taken to mean that well-extended bass – an area of ground-up the EL-8 is a natural candidate for the audio spectrum where the reassessment of VERDICT EL-8 unquestionably how a modern Audeze continues to plough a shines. It coped almost headphone consistent tonal furrow that gives ‘The EL-8 coped quite disdainfully with all should look the EL-8 a specifi c appeal. If you disdainfully with all our our favourite bass test dislike bright sound and don’t mind tracks, delivering deep, reproduction that is just a little favourite bass test tracks’ low distortion, tuneful slugged tonally and dynamically, the LF. Mercifully stripped of EL-8 will surely delight you. use on the hoof. Yes, the capsules room effects, it gave the lie to the fold fl at, the 2.0m mini-jack new headphone response target HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS terminated Y-cable is short enough, functions with their shelved-up bass. and there’s a drawstring carrying We don’t need that, folks! Sensitivity (SPL at 1kHz for 1Vrms input) 115.2dB pouch provided. On the vocal front, ‘Songbird’ Impedance modulus min/max 31.2ohm @ 12.2kHz Plus there are balanced cable from Eva Cassidy’s Simply Eva (20Hz-20kHz) 31.8ohm @ 4.2kHz options available for use with [Blix Street Records] – an over- Capsule matching (40Hz-10kHz) ±9.2dB the Astell&Kern or Pono personal EQ’d recording that strays into LF extension (–6dB ref. 200Hz) 7Hz players and Sony’s PHA-3 portable harshness – benefi ted from the Distortion 100Hz/1kHz (for 90dB SPL) <0.1% / <0.1% headphone amplifi er, or a cable EL-8’s emollient touch, while Emma Weight (inc cable) 530g equipped with an inline remote Kirkby’s haunting ‘Full Fathom Five

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 79 DSP8000SE LOUDSPEAKER OF THE YEAR CES 2015

Meridian’s DSP8000 Special Edition Digital Active Loudspeaker.

The most lifelike-sounding loudspeakers Meridian has ever made, bringing the authentic sound of the studio into your home. Experience Meridian for yourself at your nearest retailer – call 0330 134 6037 or visit meridian-audio.com/store-locator

meridian-audio.com HEADPHONE

Dynamic, semi-open back circumaural headphone Made by: AudioQuest, California Supplied by: Audioquest UK Telephone: 01249 848 873 Web: www.audioquest.com Price: £499 AudioQuest NightHawk

ou can divide headphones too, to the upper headbanddband into travel models and itself, which is a curvedd metametall those for use in the home, rod encased in fabric, wwhilehile Y but by virtue of its bulk the circumaural cushionsons – and despite its lightness and are covered with a ‘proteinotein sensitivity – AudioQuest’s new £499 leather’ which allows oone’sne’s NightHawk falls fi rmly into the ears to breathe. ‘home’ category. Inside each cup is a Unlike equally sizeable models 50mm ‘pistonic’ driverr with which fold fl at to make them fl ight- a biocellulose diaphragmgm bag-friendly, the NightHawk’s cups and a patented split-gapap don’t swivel out of the way, while motor designed to reduceuce the carry case is the size of some intermodulation distortion.rtion. pieces of hand luggage we’ve seen. The actual earcups are But that means nothing if you made from injection want headphones solely for purist moulded ‘Liquid Wood’’ listening via a high-end system. They – a heat-treated wood// are clearly ‘voiced’ by audiophiles, plant fi bre mix. and they can hold their own against models selling for thrice the price. SPOOKY! And the NightHawk boasts The NightHawk comes so much novel thinking and with two 8ft cables – a innovation that one must marvel thin one with a 3.5mmm at it, even if its drivers are moving- jack and a heavier cablele coil rather than the more radical fi tted with a 6.35mm ppluglug – fl at diaphragm types which are and these sounded different,ferent, tthehe increasing in popularity. heavier cable seeming more opeopen.n. It’s the details that make We began with Nilss LLofgrenofgren – the NightHawk so fascinating. Face The Music [Fantasy]. On ABOVE: Records], a disembodied voice The most talked-about aspects ‘Two By Two’ the sound positively Headband is spoke so out of the head that it are the use of 3D printing and sparkled, but there was a distinct minimalist and sounded as if someone had come the unusual material for the softening at the extremes. Were therefore very into the room! earpiece. AudioQuest says the 3D these ’phones voiced to match the light, with a high comfort factor, to sub-strap resting VERDICT encourage long listening on the head to AudioQuest’s NightHawk blends ‘The “3D grille” was sessions? At no point did support its 346g a sane-ish price, wonderful inspired by the structure sibilance intrude, and even weight. Note construction, truly lush comfort the twangiest playing of the rubber- and, above all, delightful sound of a butterfl y’s wing’ ‘Cry Tough’ managed the suspended with no fatigue-inducing quirks. trick of ferocious attack earpiece Openness, bass extension, detail ‘biomimetic grille’ was inspired by without aggression. and a sense of space are all part of the underlying structure of butterfl y With ‘Bad Things’, the raunchy the package, and it looks ‘cool’. wings – ‘a complex diamond-cubic theme from True Blood (via latticework to diffuse sound and download), things got a bit muddy, HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS defeat resonances’. but the roiling, turbid bass had As for the headband, there fabulous mass and depth. These Sensitivity (SPL at 1kHz for 1Vrms input) 110.8dB is little that’s rigid about the headphones have no problem Impedance modulus min/max 26.1ohm @ 25Hz NightHawk’s suspension. Even the whatsoever conveying the majesty (20Hz-20kHz) 27.0ohm @ 20kHz cups connect to the framework with of a full-range recording heard Capsule matching (40Hz-10kHz) ±7.6dB rubber bands and move with one’s through a pedigree amp. LF extension (–6dB ref. 200Hz) <10Hz head. The resultant experience is Twelve seconds into ‘Come And Distortion 100Hz/1kHz (for 90dB SPL) <0.1% / <0.1% a miraculous marriage of a snug fi t Get It’, on Let Us In Americana: The Weight (inc cable) 354g with no sense of pressure – thanks, Music Of Paul McCartney [Reviver

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 81 HEADPHONE

Closed-back, circumaural headphone Made by: Furutech Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan Supplied by: Sound Fowndations, Berks Telephone: 0118 981 4238 Web: www.adl-av.com; www.soundfowndations.co.uk Price: £295 Furutech ADL H128

n most respects the H128 is a there’s a lot to like about the H128 pretty conventional closed-back as it will give an informative and headphone but it does depart enjoyable account of the music. Ifrom the norm in the shaping Listening a 44.1kHz/16-bit of its capsules and earpads. ADL version of the third movement calls them ‘Alpha Triform Contour of Mozart’s Divertimento in Earcups’ – its way of saying that E-fl at, K375, from the SCO Wind the cavity for your ears is triangular Soloists [Linn Records], we looked rather than rectangular or circular. for the key requisites of delicacy This does improve the earpads’ and fi delity of instrumental seal to the head, assuring a more timbres. While the H128 fattened consistent bass response, while the the textures marginally and lack of parallel surfaces reduces didn’t quite have the ‘air’ to standing waves within the volumes render the full expanse of of air enclosed by each capsule. the recording acoustic, the However, the H128’s capsules could skill and enjoyment that hardly be called capacious and its the SCO soloists bring to head clamping force is rather on this programme remained the high side – not all will fi nd them abundantly obvious. ideally comfortable to wear. If you are a DSD afi cionado It comes with a short (1.3m) as you will probably know about well as a long (3.0m) connecting Native DSD (www.nativedsd. cable and a zip-up hard-shell com). Some of the tracks are carrying case. To accommodate the offered in DSD64, DSD128, two different-length cables ADL has DSD256 and DXD format, used mini-XLR connectors to join allowing for some interesting these to the left capsule. comparisons, and multichannel Within each capsule is a 40mm versions are available as well as ABOVE: The beauty of both the music and the driver featuring a diaphragm stereo. We particularly recommend most notable recording really shone through. formed from PEEK (a robust the ‘Heiliger Dankgesang’ feature of Once the track had started playing semicrystalline thermoplastic), a movement from Beethoven’s String the H128 is it would have been a wrench to neodymium magnet system and Quartet Op.132, played by a Boston its triangular- stop it prematurely. copper-coated aluminium wire in string orchestra [Dreams & Prayers, shaped capsules, the voice coil to reduce moving Crier Records], which is available in intended to VERDICT mass. Three external colour options both DSD64 and DSD128 formats. improve the seal The H128 merits adding to the There’s also a binaural of the earpads shortlist of anyone looking for a version yet we fi nd the to the head and standout £300 model. Its bass is ‘The big-boned beauty of standard stereo version suppress internal shelved up, but not so much as to Beethoven’s music really to sound signifi cantly resonances. Three obscure its inherent resolution and more spacious replayed colour options musicality, qualities which make it shone through’ over these headphones! are available enjoyable across a wide range of This recording is programme genres. are available – silver/black, silver/ extraordinary and (even if you brown or dark blue. convert the DSF fi les to 88.2kHz/ HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS 24-bit PCM as we did) the difference INFORMATIVE LISTEN between the DSD64 and DSD128 Sensitivity (SPL at 1kHz for 1Vrms input) 115.0dB Both the test measurements and versions is plainly audible, in favour Impedance modulus min/max 71.6ohm @ 20Hz the listening show that ADL has of the latter, as you’d suppose. What (20Hz-20kHz) 83.7ohm @ 76Hz chosen the now popular boosted makes this recording so special Capsule matching (40Hz-10kHz) ±4.5dB bass route. This is moderate but it is the gargantuan size and sheer LF extension (–6dB ref. 200Hz) 19Hz nevertheless gives a distinct cast presence of the stereo image. Distortion 100Hz/1kHz (for 90dB SPL) 1.3% / <0.1%

to the H128’s sound. If you accept It’s a challenge to which the Weight (inc cable) 336g its tonal weighting towards LF, H128 stood up well. The big-boned

82 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 HEADPHONE

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 Price: £349 Oppo PM-3

pinning off technology from remote, the second has an iOS- fl agship products to more compatible remote and the third an affordable cousins is an old Android-compatible remote. Stradition in audio which Oppo has quickly adopted with its TOUCH OF EXCITEMENT expanding range of planar magnetic The PM-1 continued what had headphones. After the PM-1 [HFN Jul already become established as ’14] and less costly PM-2 [HFN Feb the trademark tonal balance ’15] comes the yet cheaper PM-3. of PM designs by Audeze – it But at £349 it is notable for a good sounded deliciously smooth and deal more than its friendlier price warm but perhaps not as directly tag, or that it’s closed-back where informative as the very best the PM-1 and PM-2 were open-back. headphones with a subjectively What Oppo doesn’t make more even tonality. Sonically the crystal clear is that it embodies a PM-2 was more of the same… signifi cantly different frequency The PM-3 may still have a response, and hence tonal balance, warmer than neutral tonal from that of its forebears. There’s a balance (to our ears) but, hump in output centred on 150Hz, as the measured frequency while it is also signifi cantly more responses confi rm, it sounds energetic in the critical presence signifi cantly different, band region around 3kHz, and principally because the vital further up the treble band too. presence band region is no The PM-3’s closed back provides longer so obviously denuded. the higher degree of sound isolation That ‘touch of excitement’, to often necessary when listening on which Oppo’s PM-3 press release the move, and it’s well sealed. Oppo alluded, is to be found right here, has also made the PM-3 lighter and and its third ’phones iteration is smaller, although it is still on the not just different but better. bulky side and the zip-up carrying Mark-Anthony Turnage’s case is large for most pockets. Grazioso! [Resonus Classics] To make the capsules smaller, is, as the notes put it, ‘highly Oppo has developed a new, energetic and there are few lyrical ABOVE: is just a little ‘fat’, it is also well 55mm circular variant of its planar moments’. Its shrieking piccolo The PM-3’s capable of delivering true low bass magnetic drive unit. The same alone sets nerve endings a-tingle, closed-back fundamentals. It’s a combination seven-layer diaphragm construction appropriately for a piece inspired capsules have many will relish and a far better is used, as is the double-sided spiral by the works of Led Zeppelin. For a new circular compromise than that offered by ‘voice coil’. Despite this smaller it to have its full stimulating effect version of Oppo’s many modern headphones with a driver the PM-3 retains much the it’s vital that the instrumental high-sensitivity similarly shelved-up bass. timbres are not planar magnetic homogenised and that drive units. Four VERDICT ‘The Oppo PM-3 is well the well-defi ned, open connecting leads If you’ve found the PM-1 and PM-2 capable of delivering true acoustic is allowed to will ensure broad slightly lacking in verve then this play its full part too. compatibility for younger sibling is likely to be much low bass fundamentals’ And while Oppo’s use at home and more to your taste. So its lower cost latest offering was on the hoof is just icing on the cake. same sensitivity as before but has a less than outstanding in providing slightly decreased impedance. the necessary separation – and HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS And with its soft earpads, well- therefore the intended impact of padded headband, medium mass this piece – it didn’t do a bad job. Sensitivity (SPL at 1kHz for 1Vrms input) 114.0dB and modest capsule clamping force, We played two favourite bass Impedance modulus min/max 24.9ohm @ 358Hz the PM-3 should feel comfortable test tracks – Jennifer Warnes’ (20Hz-20kHz) 25.9ohm @ 20kHz to most people. Unusually, no fewer ‘Somewhere, Somebody’ [The Capsule matching (40Hz-10kHz) ±3.0dB than four connecting cables are Hunter, Private Music] and Béla LF extension (–6dB ref. 200Hz) <10Hz provided (one 3m, three 1.2m), all Fleck And The Flecktones’ The Flight Distortion 100Hz/1kHz (for 90dB SPL) <0.1% / <0.1% of which plug into the left capsule. Of The Cosmic Hippo [Warner] – and Weight (inc cable) 352g One is a straight cable with no inline concluded that, if the PM-3’s bass

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 83 LOUDSPEAKER

Two-way refl ex-loaded standmount loudspeaker Made by: B&W Group Ltd, West Sussex Supplied by: B&W Group Ltd Telephone: 0800 232 1513 Web: www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk Price: £1499 (stands £399) B&W CM6 S2

owers and Wilkins’ £1499 combination of transparency and CM6 S2 draws on the refi nement increases. technology of models in the On Claire Martin’s new Time And Bmore rarifi ed strata of the Place [Linn Records], she’s backed Worthing company’s catalogue. It by the Montpellier Cello Quartet, comes in a choice of black, white and the snap and drive of the or rosenut fi nishes, and there’s a tango-infused take on Bowie’s ‘The dedicated 56cm stand, price £400, Man Who Sold The World’ showed to which the speakers are bolted. both the ability of the speakers with This is in silver or black to match intertwining instruments – in the the various speaker fi nishes, and has form of big fi ddles both bowed and a central column divided for mass- pizzicato – and the way they can loading and to provide a cable- focus a solo voice and bring out its management channel. (We used true character. 15kg of Atabites fi lling material These new B&W standmount from Atacama for stand loading.) speakers can certainly make a Familiar features include the statement, and not just a visual yellow woven Kevlar cone of one, but in the way they get their the 165mm mid/bass driver, the teeth into a wide range of music. Flowport dimpling of the rear- The growling bass-lines, beautifully- venting port and the use of a realised instrumentation and tapered Nautilus tube behind the characteristic tones of Leonard 25mm aluminium-dome tweeter to Cohen on his Popular Problems dissipate unwanted rear radiation. album [Columbia] were rendered As seen in the photo, this is by the B&Ws with every detail intact. With voice very much centre front, ‘Instruments were kept the speakers gave in focus even in the more the accompanying instruments plenty of Spectorish arrangements’ space to snake around behind the vocals. mounted in a decoupled pod atop Similarly with the breezy pop of the main cabinet – a design element Nick Lowe’s Jesus Of Cool [Proper derived from the 800 Diamonds. Records] the B&Ws’ combination of The mid/bass driver fi xings are speed and defi nition was attractive, concealed by fl ush trim-rings, while keeping instruments in focus even in the tweeter has a fi xed metal mesh the more Spectorish arrangements. protector (a tool is provided to So these B&Ws manage to be remove this should the user wish analytical as well as highly musical, to). The main speaker grille, grey in even crashing out The Clash’s the case of the satin white fi nish, London Calling [Sony 2-89056] with ABOVE: The bi-wirable CM6 S2 uses the familiar B&W has hidden magnetic fi xings, leaving more than reasonable conviction. Kevlar-coned mid/bass driver, but mounts the tweeter in a a clean front baffl e when removed. What was lost in absolute low-end pod, compliantly attached to the top of the main cabinet As suggested by B&W, we placed slam would, for many listeners, be the speakers some 3m apart, more than compensated for by their HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS

around 70cm out from the rear wall speed and dexterity. Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 88.8dB/87.3dB/86.6dB and the better part of a metre from VERDICT Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 3.7ohm @ 19.7kHz side walls, and we opted for a slight 53.6ohm @ 29Hz toe-in toward the listening position. B&W’s CM6 S2 speakers offer an Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –60o @ 3.8kHz attractive mix of refi nement in the 60o @ 24Hz AN EXPLICIT VIEW upper vocal and presence bands Pair matching (200Hz–20kHz) ±1.2dB This is a design not built to impress and airiness in the extreme treble, with hi-fi fi reworks straight out of enabling them to convey a good LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 52Hz / >40kHz/>40kHz the box, but to grow on the listener sense of space and ambience with THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 0.7% / 0.7% / <0.1%

over a familiarisation period, during the right recording. The extra for Dimensions (HWD) 403x200x301mm which the appreciation of its stands is also money well-spent.

84 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 LOUDSPEAKER

Two-way standmount loudspeaker Made by: International Audio Holding, The Netherlands Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd Telephone: 0208 971 3909 Web: www.crystalcable.com; www.absolutesounds.com Price: £9998 Crystal Cable Arabesque Minissimo

erived from the dearer determining the internal volume RIGHT: Arabesque Mini, the with greater precision. Machined-from- £9998-per-pair Minissimo Crystal Cable fi ts this enclosure solid cabinet Dis Crystal Cable’s most with the same 25mm tweeter has seamless populist take yet on its highly and 150mm woofer used in the surfaces and a original speaker shape. The price Arabesque Mini, addressed by fl awless fi nish. Its includes integral pedestals, a ‘new topology’ crossover. We downward-fi ring which are fi xed at the factory – measured a minimum 7.2ohm port allows great making these small monitors for impedance and the speaker seemed siting options, standmount use only. easy to drive. irrespective of The original idea was to create proximity to rear a speaker with ‘continuously WALL TO WALL ARRAY walls, while the curved walls’. Unlike its dearer We found the SACD of the Grateful superb WBT silver siblings’ multi-part construction this Dead’s American Beauty [Mobile terminals accept charming little beauty is actually Fidelity] inescapably involving. Stage spades, bananas milled from a single piece of ‘metal width was almost deliriously broad, or bare speaker loaded polymer material’. The result a wall-to-wall experience that cables placed the musicians across the room in an ‘The bongos were so array free of ‘holes’ vivid that we looked up in between the players. The Minissimo’s a moment of confusion’ seamlessness was evident in airiness and textures of is a true monocoque enclosure unimpeachable uniformity. Listening noteworthy for its sublime fi nish. to Simon & Garfunkel: The Complete Yes, the Minissimo is a non- Albums Collection [Columbia resonant, robust work of art that Legacy], we were struck by the oozes luxury. Even the three-legged sheer naturalness of the bass. The integral pedestal is a carefully- bongos stage-left on ‘Patterns’ were devised stand, with the cylindrical so vivid that we looked up more supports arranged to follow the than once in a moment of confusion profi le in three diameters and between reality and reproduction. create a further visual treat. Then there was the exquisite Add to that a choice of colours detail retrieval. There was nothing using automotive paint – the hygienic about this abundance of review pair was in Solar Orange, information, with everything kept in but you can opt for Aquamarine proportion. But so clear and clean HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS

Blue or Pearl White – and you have was the playback that subtleties Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 80.1dB/81.0dB/80.7dB aesthetics that are hard to fault. were always easily discernible. Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 7.2ohm @ 47Hz Crystal Cable also found that, 74ohm @ 86Hz in addition to simplifying the VERDICT Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –61o @ 96Hz construction, the new material The audiophile world is not short 55o @ 23Hz and manufacturing methodology of sublime, small two-ways with Pair matching (200Hz–20kHz) ±1.0dB allowed it to exercise even greater big price tags. But the Minissimos control over the curvature of the combine so many virtues – sweet LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 43Hz / >40kHz/>40kHz walls as well as their thickness. This, sound, ease of use, gorgeous looks THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 1.4% / 0.2% / 0.2% in turn, allowed optimisation of the – that it’s impossible not to smile Dimensions (HWD, inc. stand) 960x300x250mm structure’s resonant behaviour and when you see and hear them.

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

LOUDSPEAKER

Three-way fl oorstanding loudspeaker Made by: Dynaudio A/S, Denmark Supplied by: Dynaudio International, UK Telephone: 01353 721089 Web: www.dynaudio.com Price: £58,500 Dynaudio Evidence Platinum

his new Platinum model The woofers are in heavily braced RIGHT: (£58,500) is the latest and damped refl ex enclosures with Dynaudio’s latest design statement in large rear ports. The sculpted centre fl agship model Tthe Evidence series. In section of the Platinum containing stands almost 2m essence it’s a heavily turbocharged the tweeters and midrange drivers tall. The top and Temptation, with Dynaudio’s latest is in a CNC-machined aluminium bottom woofer drive unit and accompanying structure which also houses the enclosures are crossover designs. Its form factor is crossover network. refl ex loaded almost the same: a ‘totem pole’ of with large a monitor that nonetheless won’t AN EXPLICIT PICTURE ports while an dominate a room. From the opening bars of the aluminium centre Its enclosure is immaculately evergreen ‘Private Investigations’ section contains fi nished in piano lacquered real from Dire Straits’ Love Over Gold the speaker’s wood veneers with a choice of [Mercury] we were struck by the network in a black, mocca, rosewood and Dynaudio’s uncommonly vivid and chamber behind Bordeaux fi nishes. subjectively clean and uncoloured the tweeters and All the rigorously matched presentation. Bass is taut and midrange units drivers are laid out vertically explicit, the midrange clear, and as symmetrical pairs. Dynaudio high frequencies crisp and open, endeavours to control vertical with little evidence of any ‘sizzle’. dispersion to make its speakers less You might think the Platinum speaker rather dry at fi rst, but the longer we ‘We were struck by the listened the more we uncommonly vivid and came to appreciate its three-dimensional uncoloured presentation imaging and its complete lack of coloration. infl uenced by the room and less The speaker is wonderful, for critical of positioning. The company example, at reproducing the sound eschews bi- or tri-wiring. of a piano, with life-like scale and The Platinum has the latest dynamics, the attack and decay of 28mm Esotar2 tweeters – coated, notes reproduced with fabulous silk domed units, with aluminium precision and clarity. voice coils suspended in ferrofl uid The insightful midband and its and a rear damping chamber excellent tweeters seem to combine acting as an acoustic absorber. just the right amount of vibrancy The two 150mm midrange drivers and sparkle. And it packs a muscular have diaphragms made from a wallop when the music warrants it. magnesium silicate polymer (MSP), However, while the speaker might a composite boasting low mass/high remain civil and easy to listen to for rigidity and ‘ideal internal damping most of the time it’s not afraid to HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS properties’, says Dynaudio. portray the unvarnished truth with Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 90.5dB/89.5dB/89.1dB The cones’ one-piece moulding poorer material! Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 3.2ohm @ 99Hz has been geometrically optimised 7.4ohm @ 20kHz so that its dispersion pattern VERDICT Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –30o @ 21Hz adapts as frequency and amplitude This is an extraordinarily fi ne 21o @ 310Hz increases. Their motor assemblies speaker that sounds simply right Pair matching (300Hz–20kHz) ±0.5dB feature neodymium magnets with all manner of music. Its and large voice coils made of analytical ‘matter-of-factness’ is LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 150Hz/10kHz) 42Hz / 29.9kHz/28.1kHz lightweight aluminium wire rather skilfully combined with an enjoyable THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 0.3% / 0.2% / 0.1% than copper. The four 180mm bass musicality that obviates listening Dimensions (HWD) 1940x210x510mm units are also MSP designs. fatigue. It’s a world-class design.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 87 01202 911 886 01592 744 779 bournemouth store glenrothes store follow us

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Floorstanding three-way loudspeaker Manufactured by: Focal-JMlab, France Supplied by: Focal-JMlab UK Ltd, Salisbury Telephone: 0845 660 2680 Web: www.focal.com Price: £9599 Focal Sopra No2

tyling of the distinctive It’s the same thinking that £9599/pr Sopra No2 informs the use of a new ‘Neutral fl oorstander is clearly Inductance Circuit’ in the drive- Sderived from Alain Pineau’s units’ motors. NIC aims to maintain work on its bigger brothers. Yet a stable magnetic fi eld, and thus it’s hardly tiny, at 1.2m tall, and reduce distortions. nor indeed is it a lightweight, at a substantial 55kg. You can celebrate MAGICAL IMAGING the shape of that curvaceous After careful set-up, it was clear that cabinet in a choice of Carrara these Sopra speakers are capable White, Imperial Red or Electric of power, punch, refi nement and Orange automotive quality lacquers, a quite magical sense of stereo also in all black or in walnut/black. solidity and image focus. It’s a three-way design, with a They delivered a lovely, spacious pair of 18cm woofers handing over presentation of Supertramp’s Crime to a 16.5cm midrange at around Of The Century [A&M] in 192kHz/ 250Hz, and one of Focal’s familiar 24-bit, with good ambience and beryllium inverted-dome tweeters focus on the voices of the title track. taking up the baton at 2.2kHz. But things really took off when The midrange is mounted playing the histrionics of Muse’s above the tweeter in its own upper ‘The Handler’, in 96kHz/24-bit housing, separated from the main guise from Drones [Warner], the enclosure by the wedge-shaped thundering bass line delivered in tweeter section which Focal particularly thrilling fashion and describes as offering ‘Infi nite Horn with plenty of snarl and attack. Loading’. The enclosure for the bass Queen’s ‘Keep Yourself Alive’, drivers also extends to part of this in DSD from the SACD [Universal Japan], had the chugging guitar-line much in ‘These speakers ensure evidence, and Freddie you are listening through Mercury’s voice delivered with excellent clarity. them, and not to them’ Roger Taylor’s drum solo was tight and powerful, upper section via two vents that and the soaring Brian May guitar pass through the treble IHL wedge. delivered with its characteristic Focal’s patented IHL design is tonality singing out of the mix. one of several Focal innovations What these speakers do so well here – it is perhaps sometimes is make instruments sound real and overlooked that its base in Saint- unforced, ensuring you are soon Étienne is also the hub for a lot of listening through them, not to theoretical research and practical them. This was especially apparent ABOVE: The Sopra No2 has much of the style of the Utopias development, meaning that just with Lake Street Dive’s version of with the twin 18cm bass units in the lower cabinet, and the about every new Focal speaker ‘I Want You Back’ [Fun Machine 16.5cm midrange above the beryllium-domed tweeter range arrives bristling with fresh – Signature Sounds], where the in-house technology. jaw-dropping voice of lead singer HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS

Thus the familiar Focal W-cone Rachael Price just hung in space, Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 88.7dB/88.2dB/87.9dB drivers, so-called because they pretty well defi ning the term ‘in the Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 2.6ohm @ 104Hz use two layers of glass-fi bre either room presence’. 46.2ohm @ 20Hz side of a fi ller to create a sandwich Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –72o @ 56Hz (hence ‘double verre’ or ‘double-V’) VERDICT 45o @ 900Hz are used here, with the addition The Sopra No2 is one of Focal’s best Pair matching (200Hz–20kHz) ±1.1dB of a new Tuned Mass Damper in designs to date. It offers an explicit, the surround to better manage involving sound with stereo imaging Frequency response error (200Hz–20kHz) ±3.4dB / ±3.5dB resonances. Focal says its inspiration and soundstaging bordering on the LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 37Hz / >40kHz/>40kHz was the suspension of Formula 1 magical with the speakers set up Dimensions (HWD) 1190x358x540mm cars – Renault, of course! and ‘dialled in’ to suit your room.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 89 Powerful Innovation

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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 Price: £16,000-£18,000 (depending on fi nish) KEF Blade Two

he slim, curvy shape of deal with anything that a recording RIGHT: The the original KEF Blade is engineer might throw its way. Blade Two’s replicated in the smaller A track with really weighty bass, sleek moulded TTwo reviewed here. Priced ‘Mary Magdelene’ from Me’Shell cabinet stands at a more accessible £16k in black, Ndegeocello’s Peace Beyond on a substantial white, red, grey and metallic Passion [Reprise Records], sounded oval plinth with silver, it also comes in special ‘Kent engagingly layered while the bass sturdy feet. The Edition’ fi nishes at a premium. was well-controlled. On the classic standard of fi nish Seen from the front, the Blade ‘Easy Money’ from Rickie Lee Jones is superb, with no Two belies its size and weight, with [Warner], jazzman Red Callender’s visible fi xings for the only drive unit visible the Uni-Q string-bass intro was reproduced the drive units. mid/treble unit, centred eyeball-like with absolutely even weight, and At the rear are in an elliptical apron of soft black with that rock-solid certainty that two refl ex ports rubber material. Four bass units sit comes from a response extending for the upper and behind, two on each cabinet side. well below the lowest fundamental. lower bass unit KEF fi rst introduced this special With the ‘left/right’ early stereo pairs. The Blade driver confi guration in 2009 with Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Two is bi-wirable, its Concept Blade, ‘the world’s Section [Contemporary], Pepper’s if preferred fi rst single apparent source alto sax was placed hard over the loudspeaker’. The tapered cabinet left while the rhythm section was shape allows the drive units to be grouped somewhere behind the located up around ear-height, and it right speaker. With the Blade Twos is moulded as a two-part shell made the matchless double-bass of Paul from a special glass fi bre-loaded Chambers had tremendous body plastic composite. and drive, each note in the low register seeming to move air without any ‘Philly Joe’s cymbals were hint of sluggishness. as sparky as ever, but The sound here also exemplifi ed the Blade weren’t over-emphasised’ Two’s slightly laid-back treble quality. You The mid/treble unit with its might have thought at fi rst that newest tangerine guide and a Philly Joe’s cymbals could have had deeper dome tweeter shape is the more sparkle. But it quickly became latest variant on a design dating clear that while those cymbals were back to the Muon Flagship [HFN May as sparky as ever, they just weren’t ’08], while the four 165mm bass over-emphasised. units have a vented space between And with the reunion version voice coil and diaphragm and a of ‘Hotel California’, from The decoupling element that allows Eagles’ Hell Freezes Over [Warner] the use of a lower-order fi lter. Each the Blade Two was truly luxuriant. pair operates into its own damped The bass end was warm, generous section of the enclosure volume, and powerful with truly satisfying with a curved internal port tube depth, yet quick and rhythmically leading to a fl ared rear vent. convincing. That huge soundstage HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONSPECIFICATIONS

populated by multiple guitars was Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 86.9dB/87.2dB/87.0dB BODY AND DRIVE as impressive as we’ve ever heard it. Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 2.7ohm @ 37Hz It’s quite hard to sum up the Blade 13.8ohm @ 2.5kHz Two’s sonic character, since it is VERDICT Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –35o @ 6.5kHz so neutral. The treble is smooth This speaker can produce great 42o @ 1.5kHz and unexaggerated, so it does results in rooms that aren’t big Pair matching (200Hz–20kHz) ±0.8dB not throw detail in your face, and enough for the original Blade. It is yet all the detail is there. It offers very revealing of source quality but LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 55Hz / >40kHz/>40kHz excellent stereo imaging, while the achieves this without making poor THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 0.2% / 0.6% / 0.1% bass is clean, even and quick, and recordings less listenable than they Dimensions (HWD) 1461x338x475mm seemingly goes deep enough to need to be.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 91 



      

  LOUDSPEAKER

Two-way refl ex-loaded standmount loudspeakers Made by: UK Distribution SRL, Treviso, Italy Supplied by: Henley Designs Ltd, UK Telephone: 01235 511166 Web: www.operaloudspeakers.com; www.henleydesigns.co.uko.uk Price: £4000 Opera Audio Callas II

talians know a thing or 14 litres. Meanwhile the thickness two about style, so it’s not of the enclosure varies from 25 to unreasonable to expect that a 50mm and the reverse side of the Inew Opera loudspeaker won’t baffl e is milled in order to minimise be a dull, square box, and this air turbulence behind the woofer. £4000 Callas compact standmount Behind this driver there’s a layer design is most certainly neither. of open-cell foam with a pyramidal Frankly, the fi t and fi nish is stunning shape to absorb internal refl ections. and they are an elegant break from Due to the construction of this the loudspeaker norm. more diffuse material, Opera claims However, this latest design – that no other absorbent is required we’re calling it the Callas II – is inside the cabinet, thus improving rather more conventional than its the midrange performance. forebear, which boasted no fewer than fi ve tweeters on its cabinet. WORTHY OF THE NAME These operated over different Opera’s Callas IIs really are molto frequency ranges in an attempt bene. They do a remarkable job to regulate the speaker’s high of impersonating much larger frequency dispersion. For the new loudspeakers and have a scale Callas, however, each loudspeaker and dynamism that is addictive. In simply uses the drivers that can be short, they are genuinely high-end seen on the front baffl e. loudspeakers, merely scaled down and precision of each string pluck. ABOVE: The The SEAS 7in mid/bass driver into a manageable package. They certainly have plenty of impact Callas II utilises is made to Opera’s specifi cations Across the midband they and depth to them, and they do drive units and is loaded at the rear of the projected superbly, picking fi ne a remarkable job of imitating from SEAS and cabinet by a 55mm-diameter port. instrumental detail from the depths something bigger, particularly Scanspeak and High frequencies are handled by a of recordings with aplomb. And when fed a rollicking bass line. This is enclosed in Scanspeak 9700 tweeter, which has at the top end, that lovely SEAS was highlighted by the opening to a very stylish a 1in textile dome with a moving tweeter served up a deliciously crisp Lissie’s ‘Further Away’ from Back To and sturdy MDF mass of 0.45g and, unusually, no and clean treble. Forever [Sony] where the low end and plywood ferrofl uid in the magnet gap. Playing one of our ‘good music action was punchy and taut, setting cabinet. The main Opera is clearly confi dent of buried in a bad recording’ test the rest of the track up perfectly. curved body is Scanspeak’s engineering, as it tracks, ‘Only When I Sleep’ from The available in high utilises the same tweeter in several Corrs’ Talk On Corners CD [Atlantic] VERDICT gloss Walnut other of its loudspeakers. fazed the Operas not one little bit. These new Opera Callas speakers or Mahogany They certainly didn’t give are beautifully crafted and based veneers the generally unpleasant around high quality drive units. They ‘The live recording was overall rendering we offer a sonic stature and rhythmic vivid, Clapton locked have heard from lesser demeanour that belies their loudspeakers but confi rmed relatively compact dimensions. perfectly centre-stage’ that Andrea Corr’s voice is a truly delightful thing to HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS

The crossover that unites these behold and was in fi ne form on this Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 89.4dB/88.6dB/88.2dB two drivers uses second-order 1977 recording. Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 3.5ohm @ 236Hz slopes on both bass and treble ‘Hey Hey’ from Eric Clapton’s 16.5ohm @ 81Hz and is split to allow bi-wiring or Unplugged LP [Reprise Records] Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –46o @ 102Hz bi-amping. Additionally, there’s a showed off the Callas II’s strengths 41o @ 22Hz switch on the rear of the cabinet more effectively. The live recording Pair matching (300Hz–20kHz) ±1.2dB that is claimed to alter the output was vivid and atmospheric and of the 300-3000Hz band by 2dB. Clapton was locked perfectly LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 53Hz / 37.7kHz/31.9kHz The cabinet is made from centre-stage. His acoustic guitar THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 0.7% / 0.5% / 0.1% veneered MDF and curved plywood even seemed to have grown in Dimensions (HWD) 420x245x420mm and boasts an internal volume of stature, such was the immediacy

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 93 2 Xperience SB DC

Th e Ultimate Xperience

Th e 2 Xperience SB DC takes the core design principles Th e new motor is powered by the built-in automatic from one of our most popular turntables of recent years, speed control and fi nished with a precision-engineered and adds a variety of enhancements to achieve a new exposed pulley. performance standard. Th e established 9CC Evolution carbon fi bre tonearm, Th e striking plinth, available in four stylish fi nishes, is with advanced anti-resonance technology and pre- accented by the thick vinyl-topped platter, which spins installed Ortofon 2M Silver cartridge, completes the on a high-quality bearing and accommodates a light package to a true audiophile standard. screw-on record clamp. Available Now for £1,050.00 (UK SRP)

Distributed by Henley Designs Ltd. T: +44 (0)1235 511 166 | E: [email protected] | W: www.henleydesigns.co.uk LOUDSPEAKER

Floorstanding three-and-a-half way loudspeaker Made by: Sonus faber SpA (Fine Sounds Group), Italy Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd Telephone: 0208 971 3909 Web: www.sonusfaber.com; www.absolutesounds.com Price: £47,000 (Gold leaf fi nish, +£20k approx.) Sonus faber Lilium

ith this £47k Lilium reinforcing the bass are the SW26 RIGHT: The fl oorstander, Sonus XT-08 260mm infra-woofer and its complex 3.5-wayway faber has produced companion ABR. topology includesudes W perhaps a more The crossover operates at a top-mountedd ‘realistic’ loudspeaker than its 80Hz, 250Hz and 2500Hz, and infra-bass basss fl agship The Sonus faber [HFN Feb incorporates Mundorf’s Supreme unit with a ’11]. Though if you happen to be a Silver/Gold/Oil capacitors with diffracting cover,ver, Russian oligarch, an extra £20k will Jantzen inductors. A rotary control 28mm tweeter,er, add a lacquered gold-leaf fi nish! on the upper back section sets the 180mm mid anandd The tapering cabinet is shaped in bass level, while there’s a choice of three 180mm the form of company’s now-familiar single, bi- or tri-wiring. woofers. Bass ‘lyre’ cross-section. Another nod to level can be Sonus faber’s historical precedents A NEW TRANSPARENCY adjusted by ±2dB2dB is the sloped glass plate above the However much we may love for the room oorr top-mounted infra-bass woofer. small two-ways, when it comes to personal taste,e, The Lilium is a further exercise in speakers there is no substitute for while three pairsairs eliminating vibration and spurious size. In this respect, Sonus faber’s of terminals noise. The recipe includes separate Lilium is a classic tower, with its allow for up too enclosures for the subwoofer broad stage width amply balanced tri-wiring or and isolation of the tweeter by similar depth. tri-amplifi cationon and midrange in their own sub- And with its additional enclosure, and a ‘no port noise’ transparency, Eric Clapton’s ‘Tears passive radiator. The structure is In Heaven’ was as intimate as we damped and ribbed to help reject have ever heard, the closeness ‘spurious vibrations and standing apparent on every track. Our version was taken from the remastered Unplugged ‘Eric Clapton’s “Tears In in 192kHz/24-bit, and Heaven” was as intimate every sparkling note, every plucked string had as we have ever heard it’ a presence so real that to say ‘in the room’ almost waves’, and incorporates aluminium seems insuffi cient. Transient attack? damping shelves at the top and Nigh on perfect. bottom of each enclosure. ‘Nobody Knows You When You’re All the drivers are new. They Down And Out’ had a glorious include a 28mm H28 XTR-04 ‘Arrow lilt, the piano accompaniment so Point’ damped Apex Dome tweeter authentic that we felt a pianist with neodymium magnet, and the could tell the instrument’s make. M18 XTR-04 180mm mid with The ringing, chiming notes and the neodymium magnet and CCAW wire liquid fl ow… we were at a loss to on a composite former. fi nd any area to criticise. The mid employs a diaphragm By contrast, two old recordings damped with a viscous surface – vintage mono tracks from The coating and made with ‘a blend of Cardinals and George Formby traditional cellulose pulp, kapok, – that we’d ripped from CDs HI-FI NEWSWS SPECIFICATIONSSPECIFICATIONS kenaf and other natural fi bres’. spoke volumes about the Lilium’s Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 92.4dB/90.2dB/89.5dB Behind the tweeter/mid sub-baffl e is prowess… if getting closer to the Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 3.1ohm @ 27Hz an acoustic chamber, with a coaxial music is what this is all about. 15.9ohm @ 1.4kHz anti-compressor to reduce cavity Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –42o @ 2.1kHz resonances and distortions. VERDICT 45o @ 108Hz Below this mini-baffl e are Sonus faber has certainly Pair matching (200Hz–20kHz) ±2.3dB the three W18XTR-16 180mm rediscovered its ‘mojo’ for making midwoofers. These feature huge fl oorstanders. Stradivari/Amati LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) <40Hz / 38.1kHz/38.4kHz sandwich cones made of a ‘syntactic win on grace and subtlety, Lilium on THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 0.4% / 0.8% / 0.2% foam’ core and two external surface power and sheer scale. This a truly Dimensions (HWD) 1600x491x705mm skins of cellulose pulp. Further magnifi cent loudspeaker.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 95 Our Mavros cables have gathered extensive praise Sometimes of course, less can mean more. and multiple awards over the last couple of years, Our new ‘Transpose’ modular connection system becoming best-sellers around the world. simplifies the plug assembly process, fewer steps So when it came to improving them, we thought allowing us to ensure not only higher performance the best thing to do was to give you a little less. and reliability but also maximum flexibility. In our ‘Ultra’ wideband RCA plugs, reduced mass The same thought, research and attention to detail means less distortion and minimal signal loss. is applied to every Atlas product.

the performance connection atlascables.com LOUDSPEAKER

Three-way refl ex-loaded standmount loudspeaker Made by: Technical Audio Devices Labs Inc., Japan Supplied by: NuNu Distribution Ltd, UK Telephone: 0203 5442338 Web: www.tad-labs.com; www.nunudistribution.co.uk Price: £15,995 TAD CE1

lthough the TAD Labs web sections are available in black or page calls the 67-litre CE1 white. Additionally, the brushed ‘a bookshelf speaker’ it’s aluminium panels are offered in a A surely a standmount and choice of silver or dark grey. indeed there’s a £1395 matching stand in matt and piano black. REMARKABLE INSIGHTS The design of the CE1 is clearly The fi rst, almost overwhelming, a nod towards the company’s aspect of the loudspeakers’ Reference Series CR1 Mk2 design performance is their truly but with a few innovations of remarkable clarity. As a result of its own. Technologies shared this, every musical performance with the CR1 Mk2, however, becomes a masterclass in are TAD’s ‘Coherent Source atmosphere, detail and insight. Transducer’ coaxial driver design The subtle effects that linger and ‘Structurally Inert Laminated in the background of Madonna’s Enclosure Technology’ cabinet ‘Frozen’ from Ray Of Light [Warner] construction. This technique is seemed to hang in the air in the based around a framework of rigid space between the loudspeakers plywood combined with MDF, in a most uncanny way, while at achieving high strength with low the bottom end, the TADs revealed levels of ‘boxy’ resonance. themselves to be more than The enclosure has absorbent capable of digging deeply. material to damp standing waves, The bass line to ‘What I Am’ all strategically placed as a result of from Edie Brickell And The New acoustical analysis. Bohemians’ Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars [Geffen Records] was beautifully ‘The double-bass was as detailed and tautly fruity and deep as could rhythmical. And the double-bass pattern possibly be hoped for’ supporting Patricia Barber on ‘Bye Bye The CE1 sports a 140mm Blackbird’ from Night Club [Blue magnesium main driver and 35mm Note] was as deliciously fruity and beryllium dome tweeter with a deep as could be hoped. Each note crossover point of 2kHz. Tweeter arrived with impeccable timing, manufacture involves a vapour exhibited a vivid fulsomeness and deposition process that TAD claims then faded off into the distance. gives excellent rigidity and strength An equal delight on this track but with low mass and reduced was the piano accompaniment – coloration. Below 250Hz, there’s a the CE1s captured the innate nature dedicated 180mm bass unit, based of the ivories being tinkled and ABOVE: TAD’s coaxial driver combines a magnesium around a one-piece dust cap and presented them so magnifi cently midrange with a beryllium tweeter for the CE1. The aramid cone assembly built from multiple that we hit the ‘repeat’ button a fi bre-based bass driver is augmented by side-fi ring refl ex ports layers of aramid fi bres. number of times and forgot all The unit’s surround is a pleated about review notes and analysis! HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS

‘accordion’ – relatively uncommon Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 86.4dB/85.4dB/84.8dB but offering advantages in terms of VERDICT Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 3.7ohm @ 125Hz linearity and high power handling. The CE1s may be TAD’s ‘entry level’ 31.7ohm @ 3.9kHz The bass driver is refl ex-loaded, but, loudspeaker but there is no sense Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –66o @ 25Hz in a departure from its siblings and that any corners have been cut. 52o @ 1.9kHz predecessors, the CE1 utilises a Intelligent engineering, magnifi cent Pair matching (300Hz–20kHz) ±1.7dB novel ‘Aero Dynamic Slot’ port. build quality and an impeccable Fit and fi nish is nothing short fi nish all add up to a loudspeaker LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 48Hz / >40kHz/>40kHz of stunning. The central section is that can claim a place among the THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 0.7% / 0.1% / 0.1% completed in a high gloss Tropical fi nest made. Music through the Dimensions (HWD) 524x290x446mm Olive wood veneer and the side CE1s is truly captivating.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 97

LOUDSPEAKER

Three-way fl oorstanding loudspeaker Made by: Triangle, France Supplied by: Audio Emotion Ltd, Scotland Telephone: 01333 425999 Web: www.triangle-fr.com; www.audioemotion.co.uk Price: £6000 Triangle Signature Alpha

ike all Triangle’s designs, centre line of the speaker. The RIGHT: Available the new £6000 Signature plinth has what Triangle calls its in white, black or Alpha is unmistakably Gallic ‘SPEC’ system, in which a special mahogany gloss Lin conception, but it’s a fi fth foot is placed directly under lacquers, the product that’s evolved far beyond the front baffl e to act ‘like the Signature Alpha any national barriers. endpin of a cello’, says Triangle, ‘to is bi-wirable. The The sleek moulding that peeps ground mechanical energy.’ integral plinth up above the Alpha’s gracefully- features a front curved cabinet houses the latest PROPER SCALE ‘grounding’ version of Triangle’s horn-loaded Here was a speaker that gave an support pin. The TZ2550 25mm dome tweeter, immediately pleasing and enjoyable three bass units which handles frequencies sense of scale, delivering a really are refl ex-loaded above 2.6kHz and sits in a new big stereo image that had a by the special compression chamber claimed good feeling of height as well as ‘Twin Vent’ port to improve ‘detail, fi nesse and width. On Diana Krall’s ‘California in the middle transparency’. Dreamin’’ from Wallfl ower [Verve] The 185mm midrange unit those wonderful strings arched uses a doped paper cone with a right over the imaginary stage, small-pleat short-travel suspension, above and behind the singer. All but the old phase plug has been the while there were plenty of little replaced with a dustcap of identical details to remind you what a classy production this is. With pianist Paul ‘There was a real sense Lewis and Pictures At of hearing a concert An Exhibition [Harmonia Mundi] there was a grand placed on a stage’ real unity between the elements that made up shape and size, while the aluminium the piano sound, from the initial chassis has been redesigned to attack through to the end of a note improve the ventilation of the two- as the hall reverberation tailed layer voice coil. away. There was a real sense of The three bass units have a hearing a concert grand on a stage, fi breglass cone with an aluminium and the lowest registers – as in centre cover or dustcap, and an ‘Bydlo’ – were truly impressive. inverted half-roll rubber surround. And with the Voces8’s take on Each of these drivers has a two-layer Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’, from their album voice coil embraced by a substantial Lux [see p145] we felt that the double-magnet motor system, the Triangle’s attractively big sound upper and lower units being refl ex- really helped it win the day. Here loaded in two separate sections of the voices were really laid out the cabinet. beautifully in the recorded acoustic, HI-FI NEWSNEWS SPECIFICATIONSSPECIFICATIONS

The curvaceous cabinets have producing a thrilling effect. Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 90.9dB/90.1dB/89.9dB their side panels made by bending VERDICT Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 3.5ohm @ 115Hz and laminating seven 3mm sheets 20.7ohm @ 62Hz of fi breboard in a press while the That almost daunting array of drive Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –56o @ 72Hz front baffl e is reinforced further to units is harnessed successfully here 33o @ 21Hz a total thickness of 25mm. A closer to give a vibrant, lively mid and Pair matching (300Hz–20kHz) ±2.0dB look down below reveals the way treble with a deep, satisfyingly the bottom edges are bevelled off free-sounding bass and huge stereo LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 49Hz / 30.6kHz/29.8kHz at the sides, so that the main plinth stage. This is a likeable speaker with THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 0.3% / 0.3% / 0.1% supports the cabinet on a relatively real individuality that demands to Dimensions (HWD) 1270x233x372mm narrow spine section along the be heard.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 99  
  

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   ( BUDGET ESOTERICA – LOUDSPEAKER

Two-and-a-half-way fl oorstanding loudspeaker Made by: Wharfedale Hi-Fi Supplied by: Wharfedale Hi-Fi UK Telephone: 01480 431737 Web: www.wharfedale.co.uk Price: £499 Wharfedale Diamond 230

iamonds of the into the room on their plinths and Wharfedale variety have spikes, gently toed in. so far lasted 31 years, Dwith each incarnation TIGHT AND TUNEFUL putting the accent on getting a big The Diamond 230 is a most capable sound from a small box. performer at the price, with a clean However, everything today and dry yet powerful and punchy seems to be getting bigger – and sound. This speaker offered a that includes this £500 fl oorstander. deeper bass than we expected, and The third model up the new a more articulate one too. Diamond 200 range, the 230 is the Scritti Politti’s ‘The Word Girl’ smallest fl oorstander and it sports a from Cupid And Psyche [Virgin], new refl ex-loaded cabinet sandwich for example, can often overwhelm construction. The baffl e design is smaller fl oorstanders but singularly new too, along with an improved failed to knock the Diamond off ‘Slot-Loaded Distributed Port’ that is course – instead it sounded taut, said to reduce air turbulence. tight and tuneful. Singer Green To achieve resilience and to Gartside’s silky vocals were carried avoid smear or boom, Wharfedale with consummate smoothness, yet has elected to use an 18mm-thick the chiming digital synthesisers sandwich of particleboard and MDF still came over with great visceral (‘Crystalam’) for its 35litre cabinet. impact and bite. Nor is REM’s ‘Driver 8’ from Fables Of The ‘The chiming digital Reconstruction [IRS synthesisers came over Records] an easy ride, but the Diamond delivered with a visceral impact’ the song with a mixture of refi nement and power. The front baffl e – a one-piece affair Its drive units and cabinet were of in the same colour as the rest of the suffi cient quality to ‘get out of the speaker – is fi tted with two 165mm way’ so you could hear through a woven Kevlar bass/midband drivers murky mix. Indeed, the 230 has no with semi-elliptical ‘break-up’ areas, ‘hot spots’ anywhere in its range visible as raised ‘V shapes’. that we could discern. Diamond-cut drive unit trim rings The song steamed along at a fair add to a feeling of sophistication rate of knots, with fi ne resolution while the smooth piano lacquered of the leading edges of notes and ABOVE: The gloss white ‘Crystalam’ cabinet is a hybrid of cabinet fi nish is excellent and good tracking of dynamics. This variable density particle boards. It houses a 25mm soft dome comes in a choice of black, white speaker can throw images out into tweeter and twin 165mm woven Kevlar mid/bass drivers (as here), walnut and rosewood. the room with real accuracy and Kicking in above 2.3kHz, the hang them back well too. HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS

25mm textile dome tweeter Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 87.6dB/87.3dB/87.1dB employs an advanced ferrite VERDICT Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 3.3ohm @ 151Hz magnet system and it has a special This new Wharfedale Diamond turns 13.0ohm @ 2.6kHz waveguide around the fabric dome in a musical performance that’s Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –29o @ 4.7kHz for improved dispersion. surprisingly devoid of problems. 30o @ 601Hz The bass port is a slot at the Smooth, open and detailed yet Pair matching (200Hz–20kHz) ±2.6dB bottom of the cabinet, and it works powerful and confi dent, it delivers in a subtle enough way to enable excellent results. Factor in attractive LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 59Hz / 28.9kHz/30.5kHz the 230 to be placed a little closer styling and fi ne build quality, and THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 0.5% / 0.6% / 0.1% to boundary walls than with many you ask what’s not to like about this Dimensions (HWD) 938x196x306mm rivals. Our review samples sat 30cm little gem?

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 101 For Th e Love Of Valves

Ever since their humble beginnings in 1987, Unison Research have fl own the fl ag for valve technology in high-end audio applications. Th eir years of meticulous testing and development has produced a contemporary range of pure valve amplifi ers that can suit any serious audiophile. Th e company’s preference for integrated designs across the product range brings not just convenience, but also improved reliability and a guaranteed sound performance of the highest calibre. Th e full Valve range is available across the UK now. www.unisonresearch.co.uk

* Model Shown: Sinfonia Anniversary (£5,000 SRP) LOUDSPEAKER

Three-way fl oorstanding loudspeaker Made by: Wilson Audio Specialties, Utah, USA Supplied by: Absolute Sounds Ltd Telephone: 0208 971 3909 Web: www.wilsonaudio.com; www.absolutesounds.com Price: £14,999 Wilson Audio Sabrina

hough far from budget- fi rst thing that struck us was the priced at £15k per pair, bass. It was the drumming – the the new Sabrina screams magnifi cent Al Jackson – that T‘bargain’ so loudly that sounded so utterly real, with proper every model the company sells for decay, which immediately rendered below £35k is now under threat! Sabrina’s size a non-concern. To create this little miracle père- For this song, scale might not et-fi ls Dave and Daryl Wilson looked seem that important, but when the backward to the original WATT/ brass section swells, you appreciate Puppy, as well as to the current that intimacy can be preserved even Alexandria XLF [HFN Oct ’12]. This when the performance involves new baby had to exhibit exceptional more than a duo or trio. The way time-alignment, despite employing that these Sabrinas merged any an enclosure lacking the tuning three-dimensional aspects with capability of designs using two or tonal realism ensured that the more adjustable sections. experience would be as fresh as at Its sleek, angular form breaks any point since it was fi rst heard 48 away from parallel-sided, wooden years ago. or black boxes to become wholly Moving on to mono, The modern, functional sculpture. Cardinals’ ‘The Door Is Still Open’ and ‘Shouldn’t I Know’ ‘The Sabrina recreates [Collectibles] demonstrated the Sabrina’s capacity for both the ambience and focus. Familiar with these through the far dearer the spatial specifi cs’ Alexias we found the smaller speakers’ treatment of one And because all Wilson cabinets central image exhibited the same are made with proprietary enchanting qualities, sharing an materials, the fi nishes provide the ability to make the listener forget option to choose the colour of that the sound was only in mono. what will invade a room despite With Angie Stone’s cover of ‘You its relatively diminutive size. When Will Know’ for the Stevie Wonder constructed, each enclosure is tribute, Conception [Motown], the hand-sanded, gel-coated and percussion was again the element painted with multiple layers of that grabbed the ear, but the track automotive-grade paint in Wilson’s also had a unique atmosphere, a bespoke booth. fl uidity that contrasted with the ABOVE: Wilson remains committed to single-wiring-only The Sabrina utilises the 8in paper crispness of the drumming. The connections. The Sabrina has dedicated ‘ports’ for bass and cone woofer from the Alexia [HFN vocals – so natural and real as mid/treble sections and uses the tweeter found in the Alexia Mar ’13] modifi ed specifi cally for to defy belief – hovered without this enclosure, a 5¾in paper pulp seeming disembodied because HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS mid and the company’s proprietary the Sabrina recreates both the Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 87.7dB/87.6dB/87.6dB 1in doped-silk dome Convergent ambience and the spatial specifi cs. Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 2.4ohm @ 146Hz Synergy Tweeter. The sloping front 20.1ohm @ 20Hz baffl e, says Wilson Audio ‘has been VERDICT Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –64o @ 68Hz optimised for correct driver time The Sabrina is the best-value Wilson 32o @ 253Hz alignment in the typical room.’ speaker ever – and we’ve heard Pair matching (200Hz–20kHz) ±0.8dB all of ’em since the fi rst WATT. It SIMPLY REAL sounds as ‘big’ as a speaker double LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 54Hz / 31.0kHz/29.0kHz Starting with a burned-to-CD its height and there isn’t a trace of THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 0.3% / 0.3% / 0.3% transfer of Otis Redding’s ‘(Sitting compression when blasting loudly. Dimensions (HWD) 965x305x386mm On The) Dock Of The Bay’, the It’s truly sublime.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 103 INTERCONNECT CABLE

RCA and XLR-terminated silver interconnect cables Made by: Atlas (Scotland) Ltd, Kilmarnock Supplied by: Atlas Cables Telephone: 01563 572666 Web: www.atlascables.com Price: £2750 (1m RCA stereo set)

refl ected in the low 56mohm/m loop resistance we measured for the Asimi Ultra, a fi gure complemented by its low 86pF/m parallel capacitance, moderate 0.45μH/m inductance and 33Mohm leakage. It’s obviously a good choice for long runs, and Atlas offers a range of 0.5m, 0.75m, 1.0m, 1.5m, 2.0m, 2.5m and 3.0m lengths. A 1m set costs £2750.

SILVER TONGUED Used between an Oppo BDP- 105D player/DAC and Krell S-1500 amp, the Asimi Ultra immediately dispelled the notion that silver cables necessarily emphasise treble detail. Recorded live to two-track and mastered by Doug Sax, the percussion and rich guitar work that infuses Jerome Sabbagh’s The Turn [96kHz/24-bit FLAC; Bee Jazz] was dripping with opulent detail. Notes Atlas Asimi Ultra rolled off the cymbals with a casual clarity while the lush tenor sax lit the scene with a warm glow. We ilver has long been the Atlas claims one grain boundary ABOVE: The were hearing an ‘analogue’ system conductor of choice for per 125m of cable, but this is likely Asimi Ultra at its best, enjoying music with no many audiophiles even to increase over time due to its interconnect hint of grain pervading the open, Sthough its implementation physical handling in construction is terminated atmospheric and fresh-sounding typically comes at a premium and use. Avoid tight radiuses as with Atlas’s own vista before us. price. Atlas’s fl agship is certainly you hook Asimi Ultra between solder-free Ultra Vocals typically sounded superb not timidly priced, but it’s far from components, and certainly avoid phono plugs too, as was shown by the fabulously being the costliest silver-based treading on long runs between which have self- unlikely duet between Tony Bennett interconnect to tempt the well- racks, and its crystal structure will cleaning contacts and Lady Gaga [Cheek To Cheek, heeled enthusiast. be preserved. Choice of dielectric 96kHz/24-bit FLAC]. The Asimi was Befi tting of its place in the Atlas is also key to the ‘sound’ of any party to revealing a powerful set of range, the Asimi Ultra is beautifully cable and here Atlas has chosen a lungs on the Lady while TB sounded constructed and fi nished – its new microporous PTFE tape covered by a as assured as ever. A fun recording Ultra phono plugs are exquisitely fl exible polyethylene layer. revealed by a great cable. machined and polished, the The new Asimi Ultra adopts silver-plated contacts offering a a symmetrical geometry with VERDICT deliciously snug fi t with standard identical signal and return cores Just as there are audio bloggers comprising six who never like an amp once they bundles of 12 silver fi nd it’s Class D, there’s a similar ‘The Turn’s percussion strands surrounding myth that silver cables all sound and rich guitar work a thicker strand ‘bright’. They don’t, as the Atlas in the centre. The Asimi Ultra demonstrates. It allows dripped with opulent detail’ twisted signal/ the very best hi-fi systems to return pair is sing: loud, sharp and clear when RCA phonos (XLR termination is covered by a continuous copper- required, or soft, slow and relaxed also offered). These plugs offer a mylar electrostatic screen and a as the music demands. 57% reduction in material weight silver-plated copper braid, offering over their predecessors and employ shielding from RF and other HFN SPECIFICATIONS a solid cylinder of Tefl on as the extraneous noise. The outer sheath internal dielectric. is made from HD PVC covered by a Series Inductance (1m loop) 0.45μH Each conductor strand is drawn very attractive and functional light Parallel Capacitance (1m) 86pF using the OCC (Ohno Continuous grey woven cotton. Resistance (1m loop) 56mohm Casting) process, employing a Silver has the highest electrical Leakage 33Mohm

heated die to minimise interstitial conductivity of any metal, ahead Price (1m RCA pair) £2750 grain boundaries within the metal. of copper and gold, and this is

104 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 SPEAKER CABLE

4mm/spade-terminated loudspeaker cable Made by: Audience, San Marcos, CA, USA Supplied by: High End Cable, UK Telephone: 01775 761880 Web: www.audience-av.com www.highendcable.co.uk Price: £2090 (3m stereo set)

proportionally if not vanishingly low at just 0.41μH/m.

AN AUDIENCE WITH... Straight out of the blocks, Audience’s Au24 SE moves with grace rather than a fl at-out sprint. In our Devialet/B&W 802D system it encouraged a particularly relaxed but still very insightful and fi nely detailed sound. The brightest of brass instruments typically sounded silky-smooth, the roughest of rock recordings coated in a rich honey. And yet modest lengths of Au24 SE do not render the music in so civilised a fashion that it fails to stir the blood. Take Troyka’s recent Naim Label release, Ornithophobia, as a case in Audience Au24 SE point. This is a powerful recording with occasionally fi erce percussion but its somewhat dystopian subject here’s much more to which is suffi cient to cause some ABOVE: There’s matter never grates, thanks to Audience’s loudspeaker exaggeration of the amp/speaker no 24K gold the Au24 SE’s trick of maintaining cable than meets the eye, system response in line with swings inside Audience’s all the musical bite while Talthough its Au24 SE model in the speaker’s impedance. Au24 SE but this simultaneously lancing any poison. is already one of the more attractive Any ‘change’ in sound will also svelte cable does Bass is robust and well-rounded too, and unimposing designs on the depend on the output impedance of harbour plenty if perhaps not so taut as achieved high-end scene. In fact, the sylphlike the amplifi er, the effect necessarily of innovative with the Devialets coupled with build of its cable goes directly to less obvious with many tube amps thinking. It a far thicker cable. Not that we the heart of the company’s two key but arguably more so with designs is available especially noticed any lack of grip design philosophies. like the NAD M22 or Devialet 800s with Z-plug or drive, for the system possessed Audience claims with some used in our listening tests. (BFA banana) an almost liquid ease and fl uidity, justifi cation that reducing Audience also subscribes to the and spade the Au24 SE ensuring the sound was eddy currents within a cable idea that aspects of transmission terminations, or serene without lacking authority. will necessarily improve signal line theory – normally applied even a mixture of propagation, the former also to the propagation of very high both to suit amp VERDICT infl uenced by the thickness – frequency/RF signals – extend and speaker You might baulk at the Au24 SE’s the mass – of the conductors down to the audioband and, by seemingly under-nourished frame. themselves. Part of Audience’s way of example, has contrived a But there is method in Audience’s juggling act is realised in reducing geometry that achieves a notional sparing application of OCC copper the conductor size without unduly 15ohm characteristic impedance. strands and in the unusual choice of impacting on its resistance, a trade- Other cable companies have a tighttight coaxcoaxialial geometrgeometry.y. It’s a ververyy argued similarly in smooth-sounding cable, arguablyarguably the past, achieving best suited to shorter runs, but still ‘The Au24 SE ensured a low characteristic supremelysupremely compecompelling.lling. that the sound was serene impedance by paralleling multiple without lacking authority’ 50ohm coaxial lines. Capacitance off amounting to 85mohm/m or a also typically rises as a result, so power loss of 0.092dB/m for the Audience, in another carefully tuned Au24 SE. Audience specifi es very trade-off, has opted for a single and HFN SPECIFICATIONS fi ne strands of superior OCC (Ohno extremely densely-packed coaxial Series Inductance (1m loop) 0.41μH Continuous Casting) copper, but the geometry for the Au24 SE using a overall cross-sectional area of the hard polypropylene dielectric and Parallel Capacitance (1m) 595pF conductor is evidently quite small. polyethylene sleeve. Capacitance Resistance (1m loop) 85mohm If you were to stretch to a 5m is still higher than average at Leakage 100Mohm stereo set (a not inconsiderable 595pF/m (a full 1.8nF for the Power Loss (8ohm speaker) 0.092dB/m

£2750) this would amount to £2090, 3m set reviewed here) but Price (3m stereo set) £2090 a loop resistance of 0.425ohm, at least the associated inductance is

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 105 “I have to say, “The DS is a game I was blown away by the changer… The DS gets my “I have to say, soundFree of to the DirectStream…” highest recommendation” John Bamford – I was blownKarl away Sigman by the – DirectStream DACHi-Fi owners –News sound of theAudiophilia DirectStream…” The latest DS operating system John Bamford – upgrade (Yale) is now available Hi-Fi News

free ofwww.psaudio.com/support/downloads charge. To update your DS DAC visit: Pioneering world class audio products 40 40years years inin the the making, making, Hi-Fi’sHi-Fi’s Holy Holy Grail of Grail sound of is elevatedsound to a new level with its latest free operatinghas arrived system in upgrade PS Audio’s release. PS Audio’snew multi-award DirectStream winning Direct StreamDAC. DAC. PS Audio’s reference DAC is a game changer. The unique DirectStream DAC features hand written, discrete, perfection based conversion that uncovers the missing information that has been hiding in your digital audio media for all these years. CD’s, downloads, high-resolution PCM or DSD based media are expertly upsampled in the DirectStream, to ten times DSD rate and output as

In The July sound 2015, isPS simply Audio astounding. released their However latest operating don’t take system our word upgrade for it, instead to take your music to one of our approved PS Audio dealers listed below and discover the DirectStream DAC. Already declared “product of the year” by Stereophile and The Absolute Sound magazines, this DAC just keeps getting better. With each free op-system upgrade the DirectStream effectively becomes a new DAC. If you have not heard the DirectStream DAC, now is the time to ask one of our approved PS Audio Dealers about a home demonstration, and ask about a very 2014 2014

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counter this would have been with a softer-sounding amp. Leaving such matching issues aside, the combination performed well and was fast paced, vivid and capable of extracting plenty of detail from records. A turntable with a brisk turn of pace and a lively sound like the Technics’ is a natural fi t for rock music so we began with Sniff ’N’ The Tears’ Fickle Heart [Chiswick]. The key track here is, of course, Technics SL-150 ‘Driver’s Seat’ and sure enough the music seemed to be propelled along in perfect time by the deck’s echnics made some of servo. However, it was based on a ABOVE: precision. Each note had a defi nite its direct-drive models completely different line of models The classic start and end; fi ne detail was noted available as ‘motor units’, and the two decks have little in combination of around the strummed guitar chords Tie, just the motor, platter common, the name probably being Technics SL-150, and the combination appeared able and plinth – no arm. These tended chosen for marketing reasons alone. SME 3009 arm to offer real insight. to come from the upper end of the The SL-110 had established and Shure V15 Similarly, Toto’s ‘Rosanna’, from company’s range, but here we have a synergy between the Technics cartridge. And it’s IV [CBS], satisfi ed with its stops a more basic offering: the SL-150. direct-drive motor unit, an SME still a tempting and starts, only the splashy sound It fi rst appeared in 1975 and was 3009 arm and a Shure V15 one as each of the cymbals counting against also available with a factory-fi tted cartridge, the combination being manufacturer the presentation. This track is arm. The SL-150 could take a variety so popular that it almost became was a leader in recorded on a grand scale, which of arm types, but the SME 3009 was a cliché. Our sample of the SL-150 its fi eld when the Technics/SME/Shure team favoured, the deck coming ready tested here continues that theme the ensemble was well able to render. We can’t cut to take one with the minimum with updated versions of both arm was new imagine many rock fans would be of fuss. At around £130, it was a and cartridge. It is fi tted with an disappointed with the delivery. reasonably priced motor unit worth SME 3009 Series III, which was Sade’s Promise [Epic] opens with fi tting with a decent arm. announced in the Sep ’77 issue ‘Is It A Crime’ and ‘The Sweetest The Technics direct-drive motor of HFN. It’s an arm that polarised Taboo’, both of which benefi ted is uniquely designed. The driving opinion and fi rst impressions are not from the near silent background coils are attached to a plate, which overwhelmingly favourable. It still of the Technics/SME/Shure is mounted in the plinth, and the feels as if savings have been made combination. Each instrument was magnets fi t into a machined recess in construction, when compared presented in vivid relief, with plenty in the rigid diecast aluminium with earlier versions. of space around it. The Shure V15 we have is also the ‘III’. The VERDICT ‘Each instrument was Shure V15 was one of the As a basic motor unit, the Technics presented in relief with fi rst cartridges that the SL-150 excels. It is sturdy, silent and public new by name and holds its speed admirably. We were plenty of space around it’ aspired to own. Although not convinced that the SME 3009 not especially exotic Series III tonearm and Shure V15 III platter. The thinking behind this nowadays, it still has a certain draw. cartridge are the best match for it, arrangement was to minimise the however, but that’s the joy of units number of interfaces between the A SILENT RUNNER such as this – just try another! motive force and the record. Like many Japanese turntables, This method of construction was the SL-150 forgoes any sort HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS used in all the top Technics direct- of internal suspension but has drive turntables, from the SP-10 vibration absorbing feet. Audio- Turntable speed error at 33.33rpm 33.26rpm (–0.2%) professional model downwards, and specifi c furniture is therefore Time to audible stabilisation 2.5sec was well respected for the excellent recommended. Flicking the switch Peak Wow/Flutter 0.02% / 0.03% results that it could give. makes the SL-150’s platter lumber Rumble (silent groove, DIN B wtd) –69.5dB The SL-150 is not quartz-locked up to speed smoothly and silently, but the motor is still electronically and once it’s running you can’t hear Rumble (through bearing, DIN B wtd) –72.7dB regulated and can have its speed the motor at all. Hum & Noise (unwtd, rel. to 5cm/sec) –62.9dB tuned to a fi ne degree. In 1978 In our system the SL-150/3009 Power Consumption 4-18W (1W idle) the SL-150Mk2 was introduced, Series III/V15 III sounded a little too Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 453x139x366mm / 7.8kg which did include a quartz-locked bright and the traditional way to

110 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 VINTAGE CD PLAYER

The player’s weaknesses are to be found in its slightly splashy high B&O Beogram CD50 treble and in the indistinct nature of any centre stage imaging. Both these effects were clear n the mid 1980s, once it the completed player the correct ABOVE: The with the Fleetwood Mac track became clear that CD was B&O fi nish and feel. Beogram CD50 ‘Gypsy’ [Warner]. The percussion set to become a winner, hi-fi The Aiwa’s signal circuits were makes almost was just a trifl e busy and Stevie Imanufacturers at all levels were untouched so the Beogram CD50 every other CD Nicks’ vocals never seemed to quite keen to have a player in their range. and the DX-1500 thus offer an player look fussy gel in a central position. For many the easiest thing to do identical performance. Technically, and cluttered, Vocals aside, the various was to buy in machines from the big the DX-1500 was a typical second- regardless of instruments were better placed and, boys then re-brand them. generation Japanese machine. This era. Black glass as is often the case with early CD For the CD50 B&O went to Aiwa, meant that 2x oversampling and and machined players, the presentation was bright selecting the DX-1500 model as the digital fi ltering were now included, aluminium are and bursting with sheer energy. donor. However, what made the courtesy of Yamaha’s YM2201 used for the Orchestral pieces fl attered the Beogram CD50 different from other chip. The 16-bit Burr-Brown fascia. Internally, CD50 more, we thought, as we early CD players was the way it was PCM53 DAC was still time-shared while the PCB, enjoyed a delicious performance integrated with the host system. between the two channels, so the transport and the of Svendsen’s Romance [DG]. The To properly match the other machine was still somewhat behind transformer came solo violin stood out clearly against Beosystem 5000 components, the contemporary European practice. from Aiwa, the a deep background, about which new CD player also had to fi t into A three-beam laser pick-up rest was made by the other performers were spread. the same slim chassis – in contrast was used and, unusually, this was B&O It had none of the feared wiriness with most early CD players which mounted over the disc, shining that a lesser player could introduce, were narrow and tall rather than downwards. Consequently, the disc and the other sounds were rich yet fl at and wide. Nevertheless, the had to be loaded label side down! neither excessively thick nor tubby – Aiwa fi tted the bill, although it was The drawer could be closed either a fi ne balancing act, which it is easy necessary for B&O to machine away by pushing it or by using the play to get wrong. Another plus point is part of the inside of each top cover key, so the few controls – ‘play’, that the CD50 is mechanically quiet to accommodate the mechanism. ‘skip’, ‘off’ and ‘drawer open’ – were once the track has been selected. Other Beosystem 5000 hallmarks suffi cient to get you going and were also present, like the red four- choose a track. VERDICT digit LED display and the control Even without the remote control A durable machine and a competent the player is still usable performer, the Beogram CD50 is ‘There’s not a great deal today, and the B&O probably employed to best effect seven-pin DIN connector in a complete B&O system. The to give away that this is is augmented by a pair of DX-1500 would be a better general standard RCAs, although choice, were it not so unusual. an early player at all’ some bulky modern plugs won’t fi t inside the recess HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS functions at each end of the silver at the back of the player. strip on the front. Even the four- Maximum output level / Impedance 1.99Vrms at 445ohm character name had been chosen BRIGHTLY ENERGETIC A-wtd S/N ratio 98.7dB so that the text could be laid out to Tonally, the Aiwa circuits provide an Distortion (1kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.0017% / 0.026% match that of the other units. even-handed account of what’s on Distortion & Noise (20kHz, 0dBFs/–30dBFs) 0.0093% / 0.0012% The Beogram CD50 was the disc and nothing jumps out as Frequency response (20Hz-20kHz) –0.19dB to +0.45dB assembled by B&O in Denmark. obviously defi cient once the music There, bare Aiwa units from Japan starts to play. In fact, there isn’t a Digital jitter 1920psec were fi tted into a B&O chassis and great deal to give away that this is Resolution @ –90dB –16.5dB cabinet and equipped with a B&O an early player at all, apart from the Power consumption 15W front panel, microprocessor control lazy nature of the track searching Dimensions (WHD) 420x75x325mm system and connections. This gave system, which works in small jumps.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 111 C-SHARP TURNTABLE AT OXFORD AUDIO

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were spry, deep and effortlessly rhythmical, with the MLP lapping up material that had a good beat. With ‘Let Go’ from Frou Frou’s 2002 CD Details [Island], the MLP grabbed the bass line by the scruff of its neck, pounding it out with a truly impressive sense of purpose. The percussion effects behind this were clear and crisp, and Imogen Heap’s vocals soared forth. Across the midband, Meridian’s MLP was as detailed as could be wished for, the preamp spotlighting Meridian MLP individual instruments, keeping them as vivid as possible within the overall performance without s the 1970s drew to a Under each fl ap was an additional ABOVE: With the sounding too ‘hot’. close, people started to ‘Tape Copy’ button that would send front fl aps closed, Switching between the Aux and say goodbye to huge amps the module’s output to the Tape the MLP was a CD input modules at this point A festooned with every knob, module for recording purposes. paragon of style. proved interesting as there was a button, switch and slider you could Also available was a Tone Control In this state, the faint softening of the sound through think of, giving preference to more module. Finally, at the right hand modules’ source the dedicated CD section with minimalist concepts. end, came the volume control buttons could some material. Diana Krall’s ‘I’ve But with the arrival of CD in unit and, at the rear, this carried a still be operated Got You Under My Skin’, from her 1982/3, all those amps with just single 5-pin DIN socket providing and an LED CD When I Look In Your Eyes [Verve], phono, tape and tuner inputs the L/R stereo output. All modules showed which became ever so slightly smoother suddenly found themselves a were interconnected by a series one was selected. through the CD input. However, the connection short. Meridian’s of gold pins. To connect them, the Each module differences were very subtle. Allen Boothroyd and Bob Stuart units were simply pushed sideways offered source Through the MM module, things then came up with the idea of an together and this linked power, and tape copy were, if anything, even better. Guy amplifi er that could be customised. balanced audio signals and logic selection and Garvey’s vocals on the beginning They reasoned that the concept control lines throughout the unit. could memorise of Elbow’s ‘New York Morning’ of modularity seen in their earlier Adding a new module was simply switch-on source from The Take Off And Landing Of models could be taken a step a case of undoing the volume selection and Everything [Fiction] were emotive further and applied to a whole control and removing it, fi tting tone control and beautifully reproduced. When amplifi er. Their thinking led to both the spacers supplied with the new settings the pace of the track picked up, the the Meridian Component Amplifi er module, locating the unit and MLP rose to the challenge to give a (MCA) and the Meridian Component re-fi tting the volume control. strong, clean and taut performance. Preamplifi er (MLP), featured here. In addition to the input and tone The MLP consisted of three control sections, it was suggested VERDICT modules in its most basic form. To at launch that both FM and AM The Meridian MLP preamplifi er was the left was a routing and control tuner modules would be available. an ingenious design and while the unit that accepted a low voltage The AM unit never appeared and, Nextel fi nish isn’t the most robust, while the FM variant was the balanced internal circuitry and released in the form of its clever implementation mean that ‘The MLP rose to the the Meridian MFM tuner, the sound quality is still excellent by challenge to give a clean this turned out to be a today’s standards. standalone design with and taut performance’ its own power supply. HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS The Meridian AC input from an external plug- Component Amplifi er (MCA) was Maximum output (<1% THD, 47kohm) 4.3Vrms (unbalanced) top power unit. To the right of the designed along similar lines but Maximum input level (<1% THD) 7Vrms power supply module came the used a larger switchmode power Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 233–235ohm input modules, six of which could supply unit feeding the two 30W Frequency response (20Hz–100kHz) –0.25dB to –7.8dB be run by the single MLP power power amp units. Input sensitivity (CD / MM, re. 0dBV) 315mV / 3.31mV supply unit. Inputs were available for MM PURPOSEFUL SOUNDS A-wtd S/N ratio (CD / MM, re. 0dBV) 98.1dB / 76.3dB phono, MC phono, CD, FM Tuner, The Meridian MLP proved to be a Distortion (20Hz-20kHz re. 0dBV) 0.00075–0.0046% Aux and Tape. Each of these units very ‘modern’ sounding unit, serving Power consumption 4W had a front panel fl ap that you up a deliciously punchy, taut and Dimensions (WHD, main/module) 80/40x60x300mm pressed to select a particular input. well-paced performance. Bass lines

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 113 Internal processing 5,6 MHz, 72 bits Formats PCM 24 bits up to 384 kHz, DXD, DSD 2x

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Playing Paul Simon’s The Rhythm Of The Saints album [Warner] we Cambridge Audio P50 found the P50 to be an entertaining and endearing performer. The deep percussion found on tracks such as ambridge Audio’s P50 most easily dealt with by using ABOVE: Neat ‘Can’t Run But’ pushed at the edges integrated (1970) is a external attenuators. and timeless of the P50’s envelope, where it pretty looking thing. The Cambridge Audio P50 looking, the P50’s sounded slightly fuzzy around the CThe unit is styled and circuit concept differs from its most enduring edges at higher volume, and we’d properly fi nished on all faces, even contemporaries in a number of aspect is probably also have liked a little more top the underside. The colour scheme areas. The selected radio and its styling. end sparkle, but these foibles rarely too is attractive, the use of natural auxiliary inputs enter an amplifi er Aluminium and detracted from the ‘big picture’. aluminium set against dark wood stage whose gain is variable from dark stained For a change of mood, we also following the Continental trends of close to zero to around x13, and it’s wood was also tried the VPO’s 1992 New Year’s the time and still appealing now – this stage that’s used to regulate favoured by Concert [Sony]. Here the P50 was as are the delicate bespoke controls the volume. So when you rotate continental impressively able to convey the and the tiny but immaculately neat the P50’s volume knob what you manufacturers scale of the music if perhaps not lettering on the fascia. Recessed are actually doing is reducing the at the time. Its its frenetic pace. The orchestra sockets at the rear complete what amount of negative feedback neat rear panel was rendered across a large gives the impression of being a applied in the unit’s fi rst stage. The with recessed and expansive soundstage with thoroughly professional job. balance control works similarly. sockets, was no obvious pooling around the The P50 was also a well specifi ed The P50 would also have been fi nished to the loudspeakers. If there was a niggle it unit: the claimed power output was regarded as progressive for having same standards was that notes could, on occasion, 25W per channel into 8ohm while a DC-coupled power stage whose as the front smear into one another, taking two turntables (one with an MM output reached the loudspeakers away some of the impact of pieces cartridge and one with a ceramic without having to pass through a like Josef Strauss’s Village Swallows pick-up, such as the Decca Deram) transformer or capacitors fi rst. It From Austria. could be connected, along with a was also unusual in having a relay- tuner, an auxiliary source and a tape based speaker protection system. VERDICT recorder. Switchable fi lters set at The stylish Cambridge Audio P50 50Hz and 10kHz were also fi tted. A GOOD COMPANION may have some quirky circuitry but Connecting the P50 to modern Using a Cyrus CD8 SE2 as source at heart it is a fi ne-sounding amp equipment is fairly straightforward and with the P50 driving a pair that would be well suited to a small of Monitor Audio PL100s system based around just a few loudspeakers we were simple sources. With secondhand ‘We were treated to a treated to a pleasingly prices highly affordable, it’s a fi ne pleasingly warm sound warm sound with a fulsome vintage buy. bass, although in the with a fulsome bass’ absence of a signal there HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS was noticeable background since standard 4mm sockets are hum, albeit at a level well below Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 33W / 45W used for the loudspeaker outputs. what you’d expect from a vintage Dynamic power (<1-2% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 48W / 83W / 88W / 37W The inputs are RCA types, although valve design. Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 0.026–0.078ohm not all modern phono cables will fi t Treble was just a touch diffuse: Frequency resp. (20Hz–100kHz, 0dBW) –0.75dB to –2.5dB them properly. top end ‘softness’ was not an issue, Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/25W) 70mV / 350mV (Radio input) The auxiliary input could be but this model does not offer pin- useful for a CD player or a DAC, sharp focus. In contrast to, say, the A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/25W) 73.9dB / 87.9dB but its sensitivity is high, giving an A&R A60 [HFN Jul ’15], the midband Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, 10W/8ohm) 0.011–0.148% abrupt volume control action if is, if anything, recessed rather than Power consumption (Idle/rated output) 10W / 97W the source component has a high prominent, and this lends it a more Dimensions (WHD) 419x51x238mm output level. But this problem is luxurious tonal balance.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 115 Guildford t. w. Audio 01483 537 577 ZZZJXLOGIRUGDXGLRFRXN e. m. :HDUH($76SHFLDOLVWV VDOHV#JXLOGIRUGDXGLRFRXN 07979 515 577

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Suzanne Vega’s ‘Ironbound’ from Solitude Standing [A&M] helped reveal the HMA-6500’s strengths and weaknesses. The fi rst thing that struck us was its slight lack of warmth, especially when it came to the guitars, though the percussion sounded brisk and detailed. The bass at fi rst sounded somewhat mechanical and weak for a model in the 50-75W class. This brought out the midband, giving the impression of a ‘grey’ tonality and a faint glare around vocals. Hitachi HMA-6500 On the plus side, treble was neutral and well controlled – there being a good balance struck itachi is recognised The HMA-6500, for example, ABOVE: New between dullness and excessive for one thing above all contains a special integrated model or 35- sparkle. And whereas we fi rst found else: reliability. It also circuit that monitors the amp’s year-old classic? the bass line to sound fl at, with Hpopularised an amplifi er functioning, signalling a relay to It’s hard to other music we slowly became technology which is still in use disconnect the loudspeakers if it tell now that aware of a subsonic landscape that today: the MOSFET (transistor). looks as if anything is about to go Hitachi’s late ’70s other amplifi ers miss completely. With MOSFETs very little energy wrong. The same relay is used to styling is back in Far from being clipped, the bass is needed to regulate the device, so ensure quiet and clean operation at vogue. Finish is is actually properly extended rather useful power gains are possible. The switch-on and switch-off. immaculate and than the sort of kick-up that makes Hitachi HMA-6500 reviewed here The MOSFETs themselves are it’s good to see you think that low frequencies are (which appeared in 1980) requires mounted on a large heatsink at the a headphone being dealt with correctly. just eight transistors in each of its back of the chassis due to the high socket, so often ‘Magical Ring’, from Clannad’s two channels to reach a claimed standing current that is necessary omitted. But If Theme From Harry’s Game [RCA], 55W at <0.02% THD midband. Quite to eliminate crossover distortion. using preamps is usually underpinned by a series some achievement! Nearly 30W is dissipated here alone, from other of deep drones and, although the Hitachi’s MOSFET amplifi ers even when no music is playing. brands, use the greater part of these did seem to began to appear towards the As a styling exercise, the HMA- rear DC coupling disappear down the HMA-6500’s end of the 1970s. As well as 6500 could easily be dismissed switch with care mid-bass hole, the vocals retained being powerful, their measured as generic and bland. The fascia a haunting quality and sounded performance was remarkable, giving is dominated by two oversized startlingly transparent when played excellent fi gures for distortion, meters which at least serve to break at an extended volume. noise and damping factor. up what would otherwise be an A company the size of Hitachi uninviting slab of plain metal. VERDICT was not only able to design and The two controls, one for power A true classic and representative make its own amplifi ers but was and one to select which of two of the early MOSFET vanguard, possible pairs of speakers are Hitachi’s HMA-6500 is clearly a connected, are solid and feel powerful and capable amplifi er ‘Vocals had a haunting like they will last forever, and even if its distinctive sound will not quality and they were there’s a headphone socket be to all tastes. But if you like a on the fascia too. Inputs are tangy taste to your hi-fi you’ll love startlingly transparent’ on standard RCAs while the this beautifully made model. speaker terminals are screw also able to manufacture the clamps that’ll accommodate all but HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS components that went inside them. the thickest cables. The 2SK133 and 2SJ48 power Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm) 68W / 74W MOSFETs at the heart of the HMA- HAUNTING VOCALS Dynamic power (<1-2% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm) 84W / 93W / 51W / 28W 6500 are Hitachi originals. The HMA-6500 is a joy to use – Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz) 0.25–0.30ohm

Despite all the imitators, there are no clicks, pops and bangs Frequency resp. (20Hz–100kHz, 0dBW) –0.05dB to –0.8dB Hitachi’s amplifi ers remained the when you switch it on and off, Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/50W) 138mV / 1000mV most reliable. This was due in part regardless of how the controls may to the high quality materials and be mishandled. When it comes to A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/50W) 98.0dB / 115.0dB construction methods used but was inputs there is a choice of either AC Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, 10W/8ohm) 0.0008–0.0062% also thanks to features aimed at or DC coupling – the former is safest Power consumption (Idle/rated output) 43W/216W preventing minor mishaps turning unless you are certain your preamp Dimensions (WHD) / Weight 435x153x306mm / 9.4kg into major catastrophes. has a very low DC offset.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 117

VINTAGE LOUDSPEAKER

Acoustic Research AR-7

n the 1950s a great step that bass response almost matched forward was taken in domestic that of the larger AR-4x. speaker design when audio Of course, it was not just a Ipioneer Edgar Villchur of reduction in size that prompted Acoustic Research came up with a the birth of the AR-7, but also method of achieving greater bass a corresponding drop in cost. output from an enclosure far more As a result, the 7’s cabinet was compact than those already on fi nished in vinyl wrap rather than the market. Not only that but the real wood veneer. Gone, too, was concept gave lower distortion, too. the continuously variable tweeter Called an ‘Acoustic Suspension’ output level control from the AR-4x, speaker, the design did have the which was replaced by a two- disadvantage of being low in position switch: ‘Flat’ and ‘Normal’ – effi ciency, meaning lower SPLs with though one might not unreasonably amps of the era. But as amplifi ers assume that fl at is normal! But this became bigger and more powerful, position reduced tweeter output by this was much less of a concern. around 2-3dB above 3kHz. The fi rst loudspeakers of this The AR-7 sold well and was very type, the AR-1 and AR-3, became highly regarded, contemporary true classics. However, Villchur and reviews praising its ‘bite’, lack of his team looked at shrinking their brashness and impressive bass. of keeping all the players easily ABOVE: An 8in revolutionary design even further. distinguishable. pulp woofer And by 1972 the series had reached FILLING THE ROOM At the top end, the ARs gave was specially the AR-7, a design that could sit With the AR-7s on Atacama SL-600 away their vintage a little more. designed for neatly on a bookshelf – and was well stands and driven by a Naim Although things were clear and this small suited to quadraphonic needs. Supernait amp we were very nicely detailed, crispness was enclosure but The well-proven tweeter from impressed by the way they fi lled lacking. Switching to ‘Flat’ added AR saved costs the larger AR-6 was mated to a our 33x15ft room with sound. They a little more presence, but the last by fi nishing brand new 8in bass driver using sounded gutsy, punchy and spry modicum of sparkle was still rather the cabinet in a simple crossover at 2kHz. Both from the off, with a surprising level elusive. That said, with the right a vinyl wrap. units were housed in a sturdy but of bass for their size. material this was less of an issue. The oatmeal compact cabinet weighing 5kg and ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ from cloth grille was measuring 400x250x160mm (hwd). The Best Of Holly Cole [Metro Blue] VERDICT anchored by The new bass driver was in many starts with a solidly plucked double- The AR-7 was Acoustic Research’s Velcro ways a departure for Acoustic bass line and while the ARs certainly fi rst real attempt to miniaturise its didn’t entirely plumb the acoustic suspension technology and ‘The AR-7s seemed to low frequency depths they we’d say the result was spot-on. more than made up for They wowed the 1970s speaker puff up their chests and this with their sheer punch market and a good pair will likely and verve. have the same effect today. set proudly to work’ Each note snapped into focus perfectly and HI-FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS Research. A foam surround was used when the vocals commenced, the in lieu of treated cloth and a new ARs continued to impress. Miss Cole Sensitivity (SPL/1m/2.83Vrms – Mean/IEC/Music) 85.4dB/86.2dB/86.0dB design of cone, voice coil and motor was vivid and well placed within Impedance modulus min/max (20Hz–20kHz) 4.7ohm @ 8.9kHz unit ensured that the acoustic the centre of the soundstage and 12.8ohm @ 68Hz suspension principle would perform as the rest of the instrumentation Impedance phase min/max (20Hz–20kHz) –26o @ 87Hz 28o @ 19.7kHz optimally in the new cabinet. gradually joined in, the AR-7s The woofer also exhibited a seemed to puff up their chests and Pair matching (200Hz–20kHz) ±12.3dB free-air resonance of 25Hz – a set proudly to work on weaving a LF/HF extension (–6dB ref 200Hz/10kHz) 55Hz / 32.6kHz/19.7kHz remarkably low fi gure – which gave pleasingly cohesive overall picture. THD 100Hz/1kHz/10kHz (for 90dB SPL/1m) 1.6% / 0.3% / 0.5% an overall resonance of 68Hz when They never sounded strained or Dimensions (HWD) 400x250x160mm mounted in the cabinet. This meant congested, and did a very fi ne job

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music is our passion w:audioemotion.co.uk e:[email protected] t:01333 425 999 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 Evolution, not revolution There’s been plenty of promise but no seismic shift in hi-fi product design, says Paul Miller who sees evolution and subtle feature-creep as 2015’s theme. He’s got another new job, too...

here was every risk that my Yearbook opinion piece might turn out like one of those awful TChristmas card missives where we get to hear about little Johnny’s school report card, mum’s prowess at the London Marathon and the family’s Caribbean holiday. I’ll do my best to avoid falling into the trap but it’s been one of those years where we’ve seen the green shoots of evolution, if not outright recovery, from one month to the next. It was also the year that Hi-Fi News resolutely held its own as a 140+ page magazine while others shrank, the year when our Hi-Fi Show Live expanded to burst the seams at Beaumont in Windsor and also the year that our European colleagues did your editor the honour of representing EISA as its new President for the 2016 season onwards. Dammit – just couldn’t resist being optimistic... ABOVE: EISA, the unique association of European technologyhnology titlestitles, has a new PrPresident...

TRICKLE-DOWN TECH portable hub-powered devices like the Project and Focal Sopra No2 fl oorstanders If 2014 was the year that headphones DragonFly, which kicked-off this revolution, [p89]. The latter turned out to be no soared from armchair seclusion to to fully-fl edged separates including less impressive when installed in chez must-have street fashion, and prompted Quad’s valve-powered PA-One [p75] and Ed – they may not have quite the bass the launch of numerous high-end Simaudio’s fully balanced Moon 430HA extension of my resident B&W 802Ds, but cans to boot, then [p77]. The minimalist the holographic quality of their imaging 2015 has seen this USB-in/RCA-out DAC is truly spine-tingling. Ironically, just as technology trickle ‘USB DACs have intended to marry I thought the 802s might have met a down into more your PC/Mac with your worthy competitor, B&W has announced affordable headgear evolved into hi-fi system has all an entirely revamped ‘D3’ 800-series... and a diversity but disappeared, this of partnering headphone preamps technology having HEAR IT LIVE electronics. with digital inputs’ now grown into USB/ B&W’s new 800-series loudspeakers will Audeze and Oppo network-enabled formally roll-out after our Hi-Fi Show Live [p79 & 83] both DACs like the 851N in October at Windsor but I can promise introduced ‘entry-level’ planar magnetic from Cambridge Audio [p41] and Naim you the fi rst full technical review of the headphones while other specialised NAC N-272 [p47] as well as very specialised D3 version of its iconic 802 fl oorstander brands, including AudioQuest, felt music storage/players like the N1A from immediately after [HFN Dec ’15]. In suffi ciently emboldened to launch into Japan’s Melco [p43]. the meantime you can experience the what is, for them, an entirely new space We’ve seen a real resurgence in sheer scale and impact offered by the [p81]. And, just as so many CD players sublimely engineered turntables too, from highest high-end systems by treating your have morphed into outboard USB DACs a new Rega [p27] and SME [p29] to the ears to a day, or even a full weekend, with an integral disc drive, so too have TechDAS Air Force 2 and VPI Prime [p30 & at our Windsor-based Show [see p16] standalone USB DACs evolved into 33] although perhaps my most memorable where numerous of the products in this headphone preamps with analogue auditions were loudspeakers, including Yearbook will be featured. I look forward and digital inputs. These range from hearing the limited edition Magico M to greeting many of you there.

122 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 OPINION Barry Fox Technology journalist Barry Fox trained in electronics with the RAF and worked as a patent agent, but he gave that up to enter journalism. He is one of the world’s top technology writers The real masterstroke Stereo soundbars, the death of Blu-ray and CD, the attraction of streaming to the music industry and mixed experiences with Windows 10... Barry Fox casts a wary eye over the past 12 months

hen Klipsch recently let slip RIGHT: Joe that an Atmos soundbar Belfi ore, corporate was on the drawing board, vice president W it just confi rmed what of the Windows anyone with half a memory of the AV and Devices world has been predicting. Surround Group, addresses sound for music has been launched, Microsoft failed, re-launched and failed many times employees at a over the last 50 years. AV ‘5.1 in a box’ rally in Seattle surround has dead-ended in the same as the company way. It’s all just too much trouble for the announced mass market with ‘real world’ homes. Windows 10 Immersive surround, needing yet more speakers – some of them Voices of God in the ceiling or cluttering the room to fi re up at the ceiling – is yet more hassle. That’s why stereo soundbars, with some optional phase distortion to costs 99p. Not so long ago it was just one buried inside a multi-gigabyte memory spread the image wider, sell so well. An of a 100 or so carefully transferred tracks or computer disc store. immersive soundbar which squirts sound on one of the wonderful Proper Records’ It’s generally illegal too, especially up at the ceiling might even sell, too. 4CD box sets that cost £12 and came with after a UK High Court decision in July, But just don’t call it hi-fi or pretend it a booklet packed with facts and pictures. which confi rmed we have no right to enhances the music experience. I use two fi xed-line broadband accounts, make copies of what we have bought. one unlimited and one capped at 40GB. NO JACKET REQUIRED After a couple of teenagers with mobiles NERVE WRENCHING The music industry has done sterling visited for a few days, my capped usage The year brought mixed blessings for work this year in killing off CD and DVD had gone from near zero to near max. anyone who uses a PC to store and and Blu-ray Pure Audio. Streams and The mobile networks now encourage us network music. Microsoft launched downloads are a better way for them to do without a fi xed phone line. I recently Windows 10 and is encouraging us all to to sell the same stayed in a house upgrade for free. music (and movies) with only a mobile Upgrading to Windows 10 proved all over again. No ‘The year brought data connection. to be a long and nerve-wrenching factories are needed Data speed experience. On one PC the upgrade for production. mixed blessings for measured 0.01Mb/s failed with an error message that must No warehousing for download go down in history as Microsoft’s most is necessary and anyone who uses a with upload unhelpful ever – ‘Something happened no man with van PC to store music’ unmeasurable. Just – Close’. After a successful upgrade, deliveries. The try streaming music various programs like AOL email, which customer pays to with that. previously worked, no longer functioned. receive, in broadband fees. And with no The music industry’s real masterstroke All this will be quite literally music sleeve notes required there’s no need to has been to progress towards a future to the ears of all those companies now pay someone who knows about music to where there is no secondhand. Until now selling home music store and network write anything informative. we have been able to lend, give, borrow systems that don’t involve a computer. Some of what passed as progress and buy tapes and discs. There is no Twenty-sixteen should be a very good in 2015 will not be everyone’s idea process for doing the same with either year for them. And it should also be a of progress. I heard a music track I streams or downloads. Technically it’s far good year for people like me who now liked (‘Since I Fell For You’, by Dinah more diffi cult to pass on digitally stored scour the secondhand shops and bargain Washington) on the radio and thought content; logistically it’s a nightmare to bins for CDs that the music industry that I’d buy it. A krutty MP3 download separate, label and index whatever is wants us to stop buying.

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Mail Order Direct • 60 Day Home Trial • Cable Upgrade Scheme • Free Delivery (orders over £100 within UK Mainland) OPINION Christopher Breunig Music Journalist Christopher Breunig trained as an architect but became won over by music and collecting classical recordings. He was Hi-Fi News’ Music Editor from 1986-2000 Vinyl resurgence Christopher Breunig is happy enough to fi nd many classical recordings are coming out again (or for the fi rst time) on vinyl, but wonders how younger listeners really get on with a turntable

hen I was compiling the – although they also list some of the old Yearbook Classical reviews RCA ‘Living Stereo’ LPs on the Acoustic pages I found more than Sounds label, and it’s good to fi nd Reiner, W one instance of Universal Munch, Heifetz, et al, newly transferred at introducing a 96kHz/24-bit download 200g, after the disappearance here of the option when at fi rst a new release Classic Records catalogue. would only be listed as on CD. Before Interested collectors really have to be buying, it’s worth checking at http:// vigilant, as these LPs don’t usually get umusicdirect.com/classics. sent out by the companies and the fi nal Presto Classical’s website invariably curtain falling on the magazine Classical suggests a wider range of current Recordings Quarterly this spring means choices for a given work than some other even fewer published reviews appearing. selling sites, and the download option It’s a shame you can’t track each month’s (together with listening examples) is new classical releases on all the record always given for all labels. companies’ websites! Clearly, there must still be a demand for AUDIOPHILE VINYL classical vinyl (the ‘grey pound’ perhaps?), EUROARTS PHOTO: Another area which Universal seems to with the provision of expensive boxed sets ABOVE: Martha Argerich’s piano concerto be exploring more and more now is vinyl like the Decca monos I wrote about in recordings with Abbado are now all on vinyl transfers of classic Decca recordings Classical Companion [HFN Jun ’15], Piano – the Solti Mahler Eighth Symphony Concertos with Argerich and Abbado marketing. The tactile experience of [4788551], the Ansermet Ravel Daphnis [4794548] and the 1952-5 Anthony unsleeving the LP in that fi ne glazed Et Chloé, the VPO/Karajan Nutcracker/ Collins Sibelius symphonies with the LSO cover is something you just can’t match Peer Gynt Suites [4788556] the magical [4788497]. The former includes the recent with scrolling through a long list of music Hérold/Lanchberry La Fille Mal Gardée Beethoven 2/3 with fi les on a laptop, [4788555], were all announced in the Mahler Chamber and hoping your August (again, see umusicdirect). Orchestra and ‘You hope your Mac Mac Preferences Formerly, to fi nd these you had to Mozart’s K466/503 haven’t forgotten go to Speakers Corner, but they are at with Abbado’s Preferences haven’t which DAC you present transferring CBS/Sony recordings Orchestra Mozart (also have connected! separately available forgotten which DAC In fact our on 4793601). I’m reprint of an really tempted by this you have connected’ article on the 6LP set, even at £75, best and worst as my Ace Of Clubs pressings are missing of classical LP sleeves [HFN May ’15] half of the cycle (though I have the CDs prompted an unusually large reader issued by Beulah, 14PD8, superseded now response. Obviously part of the appeal of by Decca’s box-set 478 8589 which adds these remastered Deccas and DGs is just other remastered Sibelius). nostalgia – why else, for instance, would I want to go back to those mono Sibelius GOING DOWN MEMORY LANE? symphonies, when I can listen to Davis, I was also tempted after reading our Oramo or Vänskä? review of the Rega RP10 turntable [p27] to You do wonder how younger listeners pension off my old LP12, with its wobbly really react to turntable replay. After all, subchassis (although it’s fi nally stopped those sudden patches of noise and the sagging after time, with my last set of likelihood of static lifting the mat with springs). Steve Harris also wrote [Opinion, the record, and sliding sideways towards ABOVE: Universal is expanding its vinyl Oct ’15] about the mystique of vinyl replay, your costly stylus tip, can make it all a bit catalogue – as with this box reviewed in June versus the developments with digital nerve-wracking.

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custom-cable.co.uk highendheadphones.co.uk KLÀKHDGSKRQHVFRXN richersounds.com OPINION Barry Willis Journalist for top American audio-video publications While his main interest is high-end audio, Barry Willis also writes about the culinary industry, visual art and theatre for a huge variety of US newspapers and magazines Advancements and retreats It was the year Bluetooth for music came into its own and musicians began to bite back at Apple. Meanwhile, interest in the ol’ black stuff saw a raft of new, yet affordable, kit, says Barry Willis

o the surprise of many audio Peter Noerbaek of San Diego-based PBN industry veterans, the vinyl Audio, whose beautiful custom tables are resurgence continues to gain based on vintage Denon motor/platter Tmomentum, with several new assemblies (‘best ever made’, he claims), or refurbished record plants now in which he completely repopulates with round-the-clock operation. Meanwhile, new capacitors before installing stunning quality equipment makers are rolling out hardwood bases fi tted with SME arms. turntables in numbers not seen since the What we haven’t seen, other than DJ last gasp of the analogue era. tables available in pro music shops, is a Stalwart brands such as Rega, return by other great Japanese brands Thorens, and Music Hall are delivering of the 1970s and ’80s: Micro-Seiki, JVC, great-sounding and great-looking tables Pioneer, Kenwood. And while record (in colours!) to a whole new generation bins full of new and reissued vinyl have of music lovers, supported by old-line sprung up in unlikely retail locations, the cartridge makers such as Ortofon, whose discouraging news is that they are usually ABOVE: Peter Noerbaek of PBN Audio much-praised stalwart 2M Red moving- accompanied by the cheesiest possible magnet cartridge retails for only $100. cheap plastic record players. Old school audiophiles may scoff, but it’s It’s now possible – likely, even – It is the duty of every audiophile to truly a high-fi delity technology. that music lovers can enjoy extremely discourage friends from buying these satisfying analogue playback at a things. They would have been abominable CORE DECISION reasonable entry fee. 40 years ago; today they are beyond On the musical performance front, the intolerable. Say ‘no’ to poor performance! most interesting news of the year was CUSTOM BUILDERS In the digital audio arena, 2015 was the pop star Taylor Swift’s confrontation with This year has also seen a renewed year that Bluetooth wireless technology Apple, in which she refused to lend her interest in high-performance direct- fi nally came into its own. In mid-summer, recordings to a promotional programme drive technology as exemplifi ed by I heard two knockout demonstrations that withheld payments to artists during VPI’s Classic Direct Drive ($30k) with that put all doubts to an iTunes trial a ‘cogless’ motor built by Thin Gap of rest. One was from subscription period. Ventura, California. an iPad playing Apple ‘Discourage friends ‘We don’t ask you Custom builders are also going in for Lossless fi les to a for free iPhones,’ direct drive in a big way. One such is prototype one-piece from buying these Swift posted, ‘Why Class-D integrated should you ask us amp; the other, from things. Say “no” to for free music?’ a recent-production poor performance’ With more money LG smartphone than most nations playing WAV fi les to a in the world, Apple prototype Bluetooth streamer feeding an agreed to pay, in an obviously benefi cial all-valve amplifi cation chain. public relations move. In both cases the performances were For musicians there’s still almost no exemplary – sonically transparent and revenue in streaming. According to a musically evocative. mid-August National Public Radio report With tremendous bandwidth and up on the subject, superstar Pharrell Williams to 32-bit depth, Bluetooth avoids Wi-Fi’s netted only about $2000 from ‘Happy’, handshaking protocols and has proven one of 2014’s biggest hits. The real itself (at least to me) as the clear 21st money is in concert tickets – a boon for century solution for short-range wireless the likes of Swift and Williams, who sell performance. Bluetooth is no longer out sports arenas year-round. Thousands ABOVE: Upmarket vinyl playback for the simply a convenient way to make your of lesser-known talents are still hoping to masses – Ortofon’s 2M Red MM cartridge smartphone talk to your car’s dashboard. support themselves with their art.

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oliticians and admen often use terms such as ‘new’ and ‘modern’ as if they Pwere synonyms for ‘better’. Sometimes what they want to sell you is an improvement. But there are other occasions when they’re just using these words as pretty labels to stick on the box. And sometimes, upon investigation, you might well discover that you prefer something ‘old’. My personal audio highlight of 2015 happened just a few ABOVE: For in-depth information on the Armstrong 626 and modifi cations to the author’s own weeks ago. But it’s based on something amplifi er, navigate to www.audiomisc.co.uk/armstrong/626updated/repairandmod.html from a past millennium! using new test and analysis methods, and amplifi ers and speakers as superior REALLY STYLISH so on. So I don’t feel I’m a fuddy-duddy to those in my secondary system, but After years of dithering, I fi nally decided reactionary who regards the past as a of course, the 700 amplifi ers were to send my 1970s Armstrong 626 tuner- fabled ‘golden age’. I know very well that developed at the start of the 1980s amplifi er to be serviced and modifi ed modern components and methods have and hence aren’t much younger than by Mike Solomons of London Sound [see produced technical improvements and the 600 range. And even the 2805s are www.londonsound.org]. When returned, excellent kit that we could only have essentially improved ESL63s! unpacked from the carton and hooked dreamed of in the 1970s. For me, the most signifi cant ‘new’ back into my system, I fi red it up. What I To be honest, back then I took for developments in recent years have heard impressed me so much that it set granted that by the 21st century no-one centred around the ability to play high- me wondering about ‘new versus old’ would still be using such old equipment. resolution fi les and the BBC iPlayer, when it comes to home audio. Using However despite all that I’ve always had using computer set-ups via a USB DAC. a pair of LS3/5A loudspeakers, the 626 a soft spot for the 600 range. And it has The analogue side of audio seems to be delivers thoroughly become quite clear one where I fi nd I am still quite happy enjoyable music. from the many to enjoy using equipment designed and What’s more, the ‘I regret that it’s taken emails I’ve had over built decades ago. set-up also looks the years that I’m really stylish. decades to have certainly not alone. BEST FROM BOTH OK, I admit to The surviving 600s Is it simply that I am old fashioned and being somewhat modifi cations added are an example of ‘vintage’ myself? I don’t think so. I feel biased because to the design’ designs that seem the reality is that some old equipment I worked for to have developed a simply goes on sounding – and looking – Armstrong Audio ‘classic’ status. And good. Hence, so far as the 600 range is when it was making the 600 range. – like vinyl – they have survived and remain concerned, my only regret is that it has Back then I did make some changes to loved long past their predicted demise! taken decades to have Mike Solomon’s production 600 units, improving their The snag, though, is that age and wear modifi cations added to the design. performance. But some unresolved do tend to mean that old equipment Indeed, now that I can combine new quirks remained, which I never got sometimes needs some TLC. Fortunately with old and play high-resolution fi les around to tackling. Mike’s modifi cations there are a few specialists, such as Mike, and Radio 3 from the BBC iPlayer as well dealt with these neatly. who can meet that challenge. as FM, I can really appreciate just how As time has passed, better electronic My 626 and LS3/5As are for a secondary good the results can be. devices and components have become system I use in my home offi ce. My main So in some cases ’old’ might be a available, and the skills and methods hi-fi system uses the more ‘modern’ synonym for ‘vintage’, ‘classic’ or even available for engineers have grown. I’ve Armstrong 700 amplifi ers driving Quad ‘great’. And combining old with new, we always tended to keep up, learning, 2805 speakers. I do regard both these can all now obtain the best from both!

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and more… OPINION Andrew Everard Reviewer/writer Andrew Everard has reviewed consumer electronics for over 30 years and is still effortlessly enthusiastic about new developments, discovering new kit – and music A delightful revival This is looking like a year that promised much yet delivered very little, says Andrew Everard, but a number of discoveries (and rediscoveries) have so far managed to keep him entertained...

’m getting (even) more cynical about the continuous onslaught of new/reinvented/rebranded Imusic streaming services, and the technology behind them. The great Tidal relaunch turned out to be a star-studded embarrassment, with a lot of idealism being spouted about putting the means of distribution in the hands of the creative artists, seizing back the spirit of creative expression and so on. That’s a pity because I’m a great fan of Tidal’s aims of delivering lossless streaming, but given the egos involved I can’t help feeling this is a car-crash waiting to happen.

PRETTY POOR So, Apple Music, then: I was amused to see press reports hailing 11m sign-ups to the service within a month of its launch, ABOVE: This year saw Ken Ishiwata mark 30 years of tuning Marantz products with the release of and the comment of Eddy Cue, Apple’s the matching £1799 apiece Marantz SA SACD player and PM-14S1 SE integrated amplifi er senior vice president of Internet software and services, that ‘We’re thrilled with be able to fl ick between them to fi nd the and PM-14S1 Special Edition player/DAC the numbers so far.’ OK, so there’s an morsels they’re seeking? Doesn’t that kind and amplifi er [HFN Oct ’15]. element of talking the service up, but my of defeat the whole ‘world of music at your Having spent a day listening with him immediate reaction was ‘Is that it?’ fi ngertips’ idea of streaming services? and talking matters audio and digital, Just 11m worldwide sign-ups to a It has all the hallmarks of those format it’s clear that after more than three free trial service sounds pretty poor to wars fought in the audio world over the decades with the company, Ishiwata has me, but then so years and we all still ‘got it’ when it comes to designing does Apple Music know how those tend fi ne-sounding products, and is still itself, hamstrung ‘It’s the best £100 or to pan out. However exploring both new musical avenues and by its 256kb/s AAC big the guns rolled technological side-turnings in his search format, and thus in so I’ve spent on my out by the opposing for ever-better sound. the same ballpark sides, wars eventually as the current system for as long as have losers. BENEFITS OF FIBRE Spotify service. Just I can remember’ On which subject, Mind you, I’m not sure what he made for once, it seems I’m viewing with of my new-found interest in the Apple’s ability to some delight the sonic benefi ts of fi bre-optic network do something able to redefi ne a market revival of the DSD format, both in big- connections between music storage and sector has slipped, and there’s a danger money streaming hardware and highly network players [see http://tinyurl.com/ that Apple Music will become just affordable pocket players and DACs. I’ve aefi bre]. I’m not trying it for network another ‘me too’ service. recently upgraded my reference Naim speed but for improved isolation As the streaming services come thick NDS network player to DSD capability, between noisy NAS units and the audio and fast, each offering no more than having been tempted by the excellent electronics of high-end streamers and tidbits of unique content to attract the performance of the company’s NAC-N272 I’ve been amazed how much difference curious, surely a major shakedown looms streaming preamp [HFN May ’15], and I it can make. It’s certainly the best £100 on the horizon. Will users really keep have to admit to having been blown away or so I’ve spent on my system for as long a fi stful of subscriptions going, just to by the Ken Ishiwata-tuned Marantz SA-14S1 as I can remember.

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 131 OPINION Tim Jarman Electronics Engineer Tim Jarman has been repairing and collecting vintage hi-fi for over 20 years. He is an authority on both classic B&O equipment and the Sony Walkman series The price is right Pound-conscious audiophiles will fi nd plenty to please in the vintage market thanks to an absence of fi xed values, and deals to be done. Which is where brochures come in handy, says Tim Jarman

here is more to the vintage audio scene than the hoarding of vast piles of glittering relics – Talthough that has an important part to play. Research and context play a part too. Unless you are content to stick to only the most popular and best- known models then eventually you are bound to stumble across something from a forgotten corner of a manufacturer’s range about which little, if even the most basic of specifi cations, is known. This is where old catalogues and brochures are invaluable. You’ll fi nd boxes of these at any audio fair or radio rally, usually under the tables and ABOVE: Original brochures from Quad, Sony, Lecson and Leak – just some of the brands featured normally offered at negligible cost – in our Vintage Reviews over the years and a minefi eld of information for bargain vintage hunters although some hi-fi sales literature is now considered collectable in its own right period your equipment was on sale, be few more pleasant ways to pass time and so can cost a little more. Anything roughly where it fi tted into the pecking over the Christmas break than thumbing which relates to the equipment that you order of components, what extras the through old catalogues and magazines, have, admire or aspire to own should be more expensive versions offered and which planning ones ‘want’ and ‘need’ lists for considered an essential purchase. other units were suggested as additions to the New Year’s buying campaign. complete the system. SERIOUS PLAYERS The technical data is also useful, BEER MONEY During hi-fi ’s ‘vintage’ period, lavishly but bear in mind that there were many A feature of the current vintage hi-fi produced full-colour catalogues became measurement standards in use at this time, movement which is attractive is the a must. Not only so making direct absence of an agreed structure of values did a quality comparisons between for the vast bulk of equipment. The brochure confi rm ‘One of the units in different ranges is an classic car market does have a generally a manufacturer’s activity full of pitfalls, accepted list of values for most models status as a our Vintage Reviews especially when and, while that can sometimes bring serious player, it considering amplifi er clarity, it does mean that these days also allowed its section cost us less power and cassette there are few (if any) bargains to be had whole range to than a pint of beer’ frequency response. in that sphere. Hi-fi is different since at be displayed and Another mistake present there remain plenty of covetable described in the is to set one’s heart components to go round and still no most economical manner. on a particular model, having seen it in an broad consensus on what most of them Some of the big names produced so old brochure. Ideal it may be, but these are worth, meaning that at almost every many models each year that it would publications give no indication of how exchange there is a deal to be done. have been impractical for any dealer popular each variant was and how many As a case in point, one of the units to stock the full range. A choice of were produced or imported. Often, just a featured in our Vintage Review section ten amplifi ers and 30 assorted source few choices dominate the bulk of sales and this past year was bought at an organised components would not have been the rest slip quietly into obscurity. event for its full asking price, which unusual, each slightly different in ways In the case of my own favourite was less than the cost of a pint of beer. that only a carefully written catalogue marques, there are some models which Nevertheless, the unit in question was could hope to describe. I have never seen, despite their almost working and went on to perform well. With this information in your hands identical bedfellows being commonplace I won’t spoil things by saying which you can quickly determine during which to the point of distraction. Still, there can component it was though!

132 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 OPINION Keith Howard Audio and technical journalist Keith Howard has been writing about all things audio since 1978. Best described as part scientist, part engineer, Keith performs our speaker and headphone lab tests The best of modern audio While the sheer number of new headphones on the market in 2015 made it diffi cult for the true masters of the art to shine, says Keith Howard, the year belonged to Meridian and its MQA tech

n the big stage of the global RIGHT: Andrew audio industry I will always Luckham, remember 2015 as the year International Owhen MQA (Master Quality Sales Consultant Authenticated) properly broke cover. at Meridian Audio To be strictly accurate we knew it demonstrates was coming – though not what it was the company’s called – in mid-2014 and it was offi cially MQA technology launched shortly before Christmas. at the Stockholm But 2015 was the year I fi rst heard High End Show MQA in circumstances worthy of it in February this (the demonstration room at Meridian year. Speakers are Audio’s HQ in Huntingdon as opposed the MQA-ready to a long way up in The Shard) and it is DSP5200SE surely the year that will seal its fate as it achieves, or fails to achieve, critical mass. I sincerely hope it’s the former.

TURNING POINTS As there are with MQA, of course: some sound and who are enthusiasts for hi-res I’m now two years away from clocking people just aren’t happy unless they’re digital, know more or less about what it up four decades as a hi-fi journalist complaining, vociferously, that they’re delivers than an charabanc full of audio yet I can’t recall ever being so excited being hoodwinked or ripped off, often academics and armchair experts who by a new technology. The arrival of both. There was a time when I would can claim no such experience and no CD in 1982/83 was a major event, of have attempted to change the opinions of such intimate exposure to live versus course – a turning point in the history of those who have serially accused me and recorded sound? Answer that question audio – but it will forever be soured in others of like mind of being gullible, naïve, sensibly and you’ll be in a good place to my memory by the grim sound quality stupid or, perhaps worst of all, corrupt. assess the nonsense often promulgated offered up by early players and discs. Nowadays I don’t give a toss. If people are on this subject. In retrospect, it was the inauspicious – from my perspective – foolish enough to start of a journey forgo what the best of HEADPHONE HIGHS that has at long last modern audio design Elsewhere, I continue to agonise over culminated in MQA. ‘When it comes to and technology can the trajectory of the headphone industry. Signifi cant provide, it’s their loss. The downside of the shot in the arm milestones along the MQA I can’t recall For readers of given it by the burgeoning popularity of route were Wadia’s HFN who are relative listening on the move is that many more emphasis on the time- being so excited by newcomers to the players have entered the fi eld and too domain performance a new technology’ maelstrom that is many of them, to be frank, haven’t the of digital fi lters, high-end audio and fi rst idea what they’re about. Pioneer’s double- who, quite reasonably, It is all too common for me to speed DAT recorders that gave us a fi rst feel torn about the benefi ts or otherwise experience headphones that have hint of the benefi ts of higher sampling of hi-res digital having read some plonker manifest colorations only to fi nd them rate, the arrival of DVD-A and SACD, in the national newspapers declaring them being lauded in reviews that, through Peter Craven’s work on apodising fi lters illusory, I would simply counsel this. Listen their enthusiasm, make it even more and, most recently, the establishment to the recordings of artisans like, say, diffi cult for those who truly understand of hi-res downloads as a means for George Massenburg or Tony Faulkner, who the art of headphone design to receive quality-hungry audiophiles to buy music. work with live and recorded sound almost due recognition. But there were high It might appear a logical progression, daily, and ask yourself this: would these points in my headphone listening this only it wasn’t that at all – there were people, who have a proven track record year: the Aurorasound Heada headphone naysayers at every juncture. of striving for and achieving fi ne recorded amp [HFN May ’15]. Bliss!

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 133 OPINION Steve Harris Contributing Editor Steve Harris edited Hi-Fi News between 1986 and 2005. He loves jazz, blues music, vinyl and vintage hi-fi and anything that makes good music come to life Time and money Events in 2015 have Steve Harris taking a fresh look at the past. Who could have predicted a vinyl rebirth or forseen classical concert halls saved with money from the golden age of rock?

year for all formats, perhaps? Hi-res PCM digital audio, the standard of the professional A audio world, has also become the enthusiast’s standard for domestic hi-fi . You can sample alternative fl avours too, with downloads in DSD, the ‘1 bit’ recording format behind SACD. But above all, 2015 has been a year in which there was no longer just a vinyl revival, or even a vinyl boom. It’s now more like a vinyl explosion. Early in the year, I happened on the late Ed Dell’s little book Of Mockingbirds And Other Irrelevancies [see Opinion, June ’15], a collection of the Audio Amateur magazine editorials he’d written ABOVE: Laura Nyro (left) and David Geffen set up Tuna Fish Music, selling it in 1969 for $4.9m between 1970 and 1992. Dell was an astute observer in the of the amazing Laurel Canyon scene, As he told an interviewer [for 92Y early days of digital audio, but even he steering Crosby Stills & Nash to Atlantic, Plus/Business Week] ‘The funny thing couldn’t have begun to envisage the for example. He became a millionaire at was that none of the people... who transformation that was coming. Or the age of 26 by selling the publishing started the William Morris agency... had indeed the resurgence of vinyl. company he’d started with Laura Nyro ever been to school, but they required to CBS. He made several more millions everyone in the mailroom to have been BAD ACOUSTICS in 1972 by selling his Asylum Records to college.’ On another tack, writing in 1975 Dell company to Warner. discussed the problems of New York’s In 1980, he founded Geffen Records, TERRIBLE BATTLE Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Both which then became part of MCA, and Writing about the Fisher Hall in 1975, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the ultimately made Geffen a billionaire when Ed Dell said: ‘Some of us can remember Boston Symphony MCA was bought by the terrible battle that had to be waged had just announced Matshushita in 1991. to save Carnegie Hall from being that they would no ‘There was no longer In the 1990s bulldozed into rubble. Ironically, the longer use the hall. he launched DGC willingness of rock groups to use the old ‘The reason? Bad just a vinyl revival, or Records, which edifi ce tipped the balance on fi nancial acoustics.’ recorded Beck, feasibility. The older building’s acoustics Nearly 40 years even a vinyl boom. It’s Nirvana and Sonic are now likely to put it in the black.’ on, the Avery Fisher now a vinyl explosion’ Youth. But he also So Carnegie Hall survived, and in fact Hall still faced huge became a co-founder the main auditorium was later named problems, needing of the fi lm production after Isaac Stern in recognition of the to fi nd $500 million for a complete company DreamWorks, with director violinist’s efforts to save the hall in the renovation. In November 2014, the Steven Spielberg and ex-Disney chairman 1960s. If Ed Dell was still with us, he Lincoln Center announced that it would Jeffrey Katzenberg. would probably be amused to note that offer the naming rights of the Hall to the Long before all that, Geffen’s amazing New York’s other great classical concert highest bidder, reportedly after paying career began when, after dropping out of hall has been saved, in another sense, by off the Fisher family to the tune of $15 college, he worked briefl y as an usher at money generated originally in the golden million. A new sponsor was found, and CBS television, and then famously landed a age of rock. the venue is now the David Geffen Hall. job in the mailroom at the William Morris But we shouldn’t be surprised. So In the mid-1960s, David Geffen Agency after falsely claiming on his resumé much of the music from that era is still was the great mover and shaker that he had graduated from UCLA. bankable in 2015, in any format.

134 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 THE NEXT GENERATION OF BLUESOUND

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ADVERT VALID UNTIL 18/11/2015. E&OE ALBUM REVIEWS

AUDIOPHILE: VINYL

THE BEATLES In Mono Apple 099963 378716 (14 LPs) A no-brainer? Perhaps, because The Beatles are the greatest rock/pop band of all-time, period. However, following the stereo LPs box controversy, with mixes taken from digital transfers, this avoids a contretemps by being purely analogue. And it sounds it, too. I compared the LPs with mint originals, as did other reviewers, and agree with the consensus that this most important of formats – The Beatles themselves regarded mono as the medium – sounds different enough from the originals to keep pundits busy, but the results are utterly illuminating... and wholly positive. The material is beyond criticism. The sound? So much better than you had ever hoped it might be. KK Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

THE GRATEFUL DEAD NINA SIMONE SARAH VAUGHAN American Beauty Folksy Nina The Divine One Mobile Fidelity MFSL2-429 (two 45rpm LPs) Pure Pleasure PPAN SCP 465 (180g vinyl) Pure Pleasure PPAN SR52060 (180g vinyl) This is a giant American ‘hero’ band I just Yeah, I had to laugh at the title, because – Many years ago I gave up trying to create a don’t get. However, this is one of their more overall – folksy she ain’t. But this unusual pecking order for the great vocalists – Ella accessible, post-too-much-acid releases and release from 1964 fi nds the versatile, vs Dinah vs Peggy, etc – because Sarah one that was a key element in reviving roots enigmatic jazz chanteuse moving with Vaughan always tipped the balance with music, foreshadowing alt.country and other the times, the USA then on the tail-end of LPs like this masterpiece recorded in 1960. genres of a more musical bent. What’s a frenzy of folk music (being squeezed by From her brief span with Roulette, it’s undeniable is musicianship of an order that British pop bands). Simone, to be fair, was simply exquisite: a small group arranged leaves one breathless. From the plaintive to always eclectic, and never strayed too far by Jimmy Jones, with Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison the easy-going, this 1970 follow-up to the from blues or gospel infl uences. Recorded on trumpet, Jones on piano… The trumpet equally-accessible Workingman’s Dead, the in Carnegie Hall in May ’63, it features her playing, for example, on ‘What Do You See album is a feast of country-style pickin’ to with a drum/bass/two guitar backing and In Her?’ shows interplay that makes this the embarrass any Mumford. Also out on SACD, her own exquisite piano playing, covering kind of set that defi nes intimate jazz vocals. this 45rpm version has sonic value to dazzle folks tunes from the USA, Great Britain, She concentrates here on quiet, moody audiophiles and Deadheads. (Footnote: I Israel and other cultures, delivered in her ballads, but there are moments like ‘Jump worshipped the New Riders Of The Purple own, inimitable style. The sound quality is For Joy’ that swing like nothing else. Good Sage. Go fi gure.) KK utterly sublime. KK pressings from Pure Pleasure too. KK Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

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

THE TURTLES BILL WITHERS LED ZEPPELIN 45rpm Vinyl Singles Collection Live At Carnegie Hall Physical Graffi ti FloEdCo/Manifestor Records MFO 48030 (eight singles) Mobile Fidelity MFSL 2-446 2x180g LPs Swan Song R2-544660 (three LPs + three CDs) February’s ‘Album Choice’ going to a box Live funk at Carnegie Hall, circa ’73? This 1975 release is regarded by some set of eight 7in/45rpm singles? Really? How can you resist? The super-sexy soul as Led Zep’s greatest. It is, however, an Let’s look at the evidence. The eight singles singer who gave us ‘Lean On Me’, ‘Ain’t No oddity, consisting of eight fresh tracks plus feature 16 A-sides, though three or four are Sunshine’, ‘Grandma’s Hands’ and other unreleased performances from earlier LPs. semi-obscure. The rest are staggering pop memorable classics presents these with Bands usually do not mix outtakes with new classics like ‘You Baby’, ‘Happy Together’, wonderful intros, followed by performances recordings, but the primary eight ran longer ‘She’d Rather Be With Me’ and others with intimacy that belie the venue’s than a single LP, so they chose to expand penned by the likes of Bob Dylan, Nilsson, immensity. Fourteen tracks over two LPs, it with bonus material. Even so, Led Zep’s Jim McGuinn and Gene Clark, Warren they sound so vivid that this ought to leftovers are fascinating and worthy, with Zevon, P F Sloan, and Bonner and Gordon. rank with the sets by the Weavers and an outtake from Led Zeppelin III, three from The Turtles were as polished as any 1960s Harry Belafonte at the same site: open, Led Zeppelin IV and three from Houses Of act, but underappreciated until they broke airy, authentic. ‘Lean On Me’ will make The Holy. Part of their overkill repackaging up and singers Kaylan and Volman were the hairs stand up on the back of your series, this contains the album on double grabbed by Frank Zappa. This is some of neck – not least because the audience is vinyl and double CD, with a bonus CD and the fi nest sunshine pop ever, and you won’t so appreciative. Note for audiophiles: the LP containing studio outtakes, plus a 96- believe how good vinyl 45s can sound. KK clapping is so real it’s scary. KK page hardback. KK Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

BOB DYLAN The Times They Are A-Changin’ Mobile Fidelity MFSL 2-421 (two 45rpm LPs) Released in January 1964, Dylan’s third studio release was pivotal because it was his fi rst to feature only his own compositions. It was also a monumental statement of protest, made all the more remarkable when one appreciates that the singer was still only 22! (In fact, he would turn 23 the following May.) It is a lean, stark release, but no less rich with imagery; its dark stance presages the fi nal releases from his friend, Johnny Cash. And look at the material: ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’, ‘With God On Our Side’, ‘One Too Many Mornings’, ‘North Country Blues’ and six more of that quality and brilliance. Mobile Fidelity has – again – performed a fantastic service for fans of the Zim. KK Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 139 ALBUM REVIEWS

AUDIOPHILE: DIGITAL

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings Mercury 00602537736973 (three Blu-ray Audio discs) It was inevitable that Live At Fillmore East – one of the greatest live sets of all time – would get the high-res treatment. Unlike the 2003 CD with six bonus tracks, this gives you all four of the original gigs from March 1971 in their entirety, plus the end-of-tour show in June. With this to hand, it’s apparent the best tracks made the original release, but this isn’t fi ller: the Allmans were one of the fi nest blues-based rock bands of all time. On both musical and academic grounds, this ‘ultimate’ 96kHz/24-bit set with both stereo and 5.1 channel remixes (DTS and Dolby TrueHD) on Blu-ray audio, from the original tapes, is one of the most remarkable examples of rock archaeology ever. It’s also offered as a 6CD set. KK Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

THE BAND THE BEATLES CAPTAIN BEEFHEART The Last Waltz Japan Box Sun Zoom Spark 1970 to 1972 Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2-2139 (two SACDs) Apple/Universal UICY-76429/33 (fi ve discs) Rhino R2 541728 (four discs) In the annals of ‘greatest-ever rock With the UK and US Beatles catalogues No-one can argue that Don Van Vliet, aka concerts’, the Band’s farewell, held at reissued as CD and LP box sets, as well as Captain Beefheart, is best-remembered for Winterland in San Francisco on Thanksgiving in mono and stereo, it’s time for another the absurdly over-rated Trout Mask Replica, Day, 1976, ranks among the highest. important territory’s versions to receive but his catalogue included other treasures Because this group was so infl uential – and lavish treatment. Although Germany, for the experimentally-minded. The trio few would downplay their contribution to Canada and other countries issued local in this box – Lick My Decals Off, Baby; The roots music, alt.country and other genres editions, Japanese releases were legendary: Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot – followed celebrating Americana/Canadiana – the lyric sheets, different tracks and artwork, Trout Mask Replica and proved more guests they attracted were all A-listers: Bob stunning sound. While they resisted making digestible, though barely more commercial. Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou these CDs red like the LPs, the fi ve discs are For those unfamiliar with his oeuvre, he Harris, The Staples, Van Morrison, Muddy gorgeous facsimiles of Meet The Beatles, blended rock, blues, psychedelia and avant- Waters, Eric Clapton, Paul Butterfi eld and Second Album, A Hard Day’s Night, No. garde jazz, performed with his Magic Band, others of that calibre. Alternating the 5 and Help! – skipping the albums with his growly voice in between Dr John and guests’ music with Band classics, the set is a identical track listings to the US or the UK. Klaus Nomi. For those enamoured of him, representation of the state of music of the Attention to detail is such that even the the box is stunning and the bonus CD full of day and testament to a musical legend. KK ‘obi’ strips are packed separately: cool. KK surprises. KK Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

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

THE KINKS THE PRETENDERS BIG STAR The Anthology 1964-1971 Pretenders Keep An Eye On The Sky Sanctuary/Legacy/BMG 88875021542 (fi ve CDS + one 7in single) Mobile Fidelity UDSACD2144 (stereo SACD) Rhino 81227 95620 (four discs) No Kinks fan will deny that the band has A natural companion to MoFi’s SACD of This is 2009’s magnifi cent set repackaged been ‘box-setted’ and anthologised far their third album, Learning To Crawl [HFN in a CD-sized box, at a third of the price. too often, their back catalogue exploited Jan ’15], this was the storming 1979 debut It is a stunning testament to one of the beyond reason. Yet here we are marking that put The Pretenders on the musical great ‘lost’ bands, a darling of the critics their 50th Anniversary with another… but map. Even I, who loathe the strident and whose genius was never rewarded with it’s phenomenal. Despite most of their self-righteous Chrissie Hynde as much as massive popularity or chart hits. Big Star albums being reissued with wonderful I do Bono will unashamedly bow to its remain an icon for indie bands, power pop extras, the compilers found more in the greatness. Hynde aside, this was stunning practitioners and others who appreciate vaults. This set contains all the hits, the post-punk hard rock, a return to real catchy melodies with lyrics and attitude key non-hits, live tracks and interviews; of musicianship in place of mere bombast and more in keeping with intellectual drudges these a stonking 25 tracks are previously phlegm. As it contains the undeniably cool like the offensively overrated Velvet unreleased, with two live cuts included on ‘Brass In Pocket’ and a fi ne, Nick Lowe- Underground. Ninety-eight sublime tracks, a 7in single. The sound is stupendous, the produced cover of ‘Stop Your Sobbing’ many unissued and beautifully annotated, new-found material of a superior, non-fi ller (written by Hynde’s ex-hubby, Ray Davies), and you just won’t believe the sound quality nature and the accompanying booklet a it would be churlish to award it less than of the demo, ‘Motel Blues’. Tragically, only visual delight. KK what you see below. KK one founding member survives. KK Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

THE MONKEES The Monkees Rhino R2-543027 (part mono; three discs) Rhino’s ‘Super Deluxe’ reissues suggest that The Monkees created more unreleased material in fi ve years than many bands yield in 50. Their debut fi nally receives the treatment, a 7in singles size box holding a CD of the original album in mono and stereo, plus mono TV mixes and promos, a second CD of session tracks, and a third with the David Jones solo in both mono and stereo, as well as singles, demos and ultra-rare tracks from Mike Nesmith as ‘Michael Blessing’. If you don’t ‘get’ The Monkees and think of them as prefabricated crap, instead of sublime pop, note that John Lennon never missed an episode. Songs from the best writers of the era, performed with the best studio musicians? An utter delight. KK Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

YEARBOOK 2015 |www.hifi news.co.uk | 141 ALBUM REVIEWS

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ANOUAR BRAHEM Souvenance (96kHz/24-bit; FLAC) www.highresaudio.com; ECM 2423/24; 379 7776 Recorded by the Swiss Italian-language broadcaster RSI, this album by oudist Anouar Brahem apparently draws its inspiration from the recent political and social traumas of his native Tunisia. It sees Brahem’s lute-like instrument front and centre in the mix. He’s helped by close miking, and partnered by Francois Couturier BOBBY HUTCHERSON et al (piano), Klaus Gesing (bass clarinet) and Enjoy The View (96kHz/24-bit; FLAC) Bjorn Meyer (bass) – oh, and the small www.highresaudio.com; Blue Note 001977902 understated vibes, and assured matter of the Orchestra Della Svizzera The veteran vibes player Bobby rhythm-keeping by Hart. It’s a relaxed, Italiana. Here the orchestra performs the Hutcherson marks his return to good-time set of tunes, played by a function of the backing drone so often the venerable Blue Note label with bunch of old masters completely at heard in Middle Eastern and North African this all-star set, produced by label ease with themselves. If you’re after music, underpinning Brahem’s lyrical, president Don Was and with an ragged-edge improvisation, it may be refl ective playing and the rich interjections all-star line-up including saxophonist better to look elsewhere, but if you’re of Gesing’s clarinet. It’s an unusual effect: David Sanborn, organist Joey into great musicians doing what they what is basically a background sound takes DeFrancesco, and drummer Billy Hart. do best, and given the space in the on a whole new texture here, and the set None of these stalwart performers sound-picture to shine, then you need as whole is soulful and just a little hypnotic, are exactly strangers to the recording look no further. AE making it one well worth exploring. AE studio thanks to extensive careers. As you might expect, this is Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 95% a joyful set, with DeFrancesco’s 0 ------100 0 ------100 Hammond bouncing off Hutcherson’s

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 A genuine 96kHz recording but not While tracks 7-11 show some spurious and with the promise of delivering without some ‘hot’ ultrasonic content tones (mainly ultrasonic and at <–100dB) [green trace, Graph above] that’s as likely this recording is a genuine 96kHz the very best sound quality. (Note: to be distortion from the percussion mic offering, mercifully free of compression. asterisk in headings denotes technical feed as true >20kHz harmonics. Some Intriguingly, the close-miked oud puts reservation explained below.) PM tracks also have a parasitic at ~38kHz. PM out most of the energy ~10kHz. PM

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

CHOPIN LISZT MARIALY PACHECO 24 Préludes; 3 Ecossaises, etc; Ingrid Fliter Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2; Malédiction; Alexandre Introducing (96kHz/24-bit; FLAC) (192kHz/24-bit; ALAC/FLAC) Kantorow, Tapiola Sinfonietta/Jean-Jacques Kantorow www.highresaudio.com; Neuklang NCD4091 www.linnrecords.com; Linn Records CKD475 (96kHz/24-bit; FLAC) We’ve only just been introduced, and Chopin collectors will (should) have the www.eclassical.com; BIS BIS-2100 already 32-year-old Cuban-born Ms Pacheco Preludes with Friedrich Gulda [Audite/ As a violinist on the Denon label, Jean- is sitting at her piano in just her drawers DG, 1950s] or his one-time pupil Martha Jacques Kantorow’s CDs were invariably – what is one to think? Actually, Marialy Argerich [DG, 1975]. Add fellow-Argentinian well received in HFN/RR. Then he took up Pacheco already has six previous releases Ingrid Fliter to the list! Unsurprisingly, conducting and has amassed a considerable under her belt (not that she’s wearing her Chopin readings have become more discography with his Finnish orchestra. This one), and is an acclaimed classical and jazz interesting since her 2008/09 EMI debut is the remarkable concerto debut recording pianist. This is simply her fi rst album for the CDs with the Waltzes, etc. Boldly individual with his son Alexandre. He’s an astonishing Neuklang label, and fi nds Pacheco going she’s particularly thoughtful in the quiet pianist, only 17 when these sessions were back to her Havana roots, accompanied tracks, while in, say, the thunderous F-minor completed in November 2014 (YouTube by Colombian bassist and drummer Juan (No.18) you never feel that her powerful has a related fi lm). It’s not just his utterly Camillo Villa and Miguel Altamar. It’s a tight sound will run out of reserves. The pacing of fl uent and accurate fi ngerwork that little trio, able to kick back on tracks such No 2 might put you in mind of Mussorgsky’s impresses, but his quicksilver responses to as ‘Cambodian Smiles’ or motor through ‘En ‘Polish oxcart’ from Pictures At An Exhibition Liszt’s abrupt changes from sentiment to El Camino’, while the album centres around while the evergreen ‘Raindrop’ (No 15) red-blooded swagger. And the Steinway the pianist’s three-part ‘Cuban Suite’, makes me long to hear Ingrid Flier in Ravel’s D is equally imposing in this explicitly exploring the country’s dance styles. And Gaspard De La Nuit. Linn’s sound is truly balanced production by Jens Braun. If the the ‘klang’ here is certainly impressive: yes, realistic (Potton Hall), close and rock-solid. Richter/Philips set the benchmark, this BIS the piano is rather spotlit, but the bass and This release also has fi ve Mazurkas and two alternative is no less engaging. Malédiction drums are resolved well, and this is a very popular Nocturnes – a 76m programme. CB (piano/strings) makes a fi ne bonus. CB attractive-sounding set. AE Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

LAB REPORT LAB REPORT LAB REPORT

Sampling at 192kHz may seem excessive Offered here in its original 96kHz/24-bit The bandwidth of the piano is necessarily to record a piano with a harmonic recorded format, this BIS download limited to ~12kHz but percussion makes bandwidth that rarely exceeds 20kHz, shows full use of the available ~45kHz better use of this 96kHz fi le’s 40kHz+ but the noise fl oor is exceptionally clean bandwidth and with good dynamic range span. The artefacts at ~30kHz/41kHz and the ‘window’ so wide it captures too. There’s only a hint of clipping with [see Graph] are from the piano feed and every ambient nuance. PM the loudest brass. PM absent from the vocal intro on trk 7. PM

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 143

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VOCES8 MARK KNOPFLER MOZART Lux (96kHz/24-bit; FLAC) Tracker (Deluxe) (96-192kHz/24-bit; FLAC/ALAC) Serenade in E fl at, K375; Divertimenti K253, 270, www.highresaudio.com; Decca Classics 478 8053 www.highresaudio.com; Virgin/EMI/Mercury 4716979 252/240a and 240; SCO Wind Soloists With Oliafur Eliasson’s 2003 installation Knopfl er’s eighth solo album mixes rock, (192kHz/24-bit; ALAC/FLAC) from Tate Modern as cover (and texts Celtic and country infl uences, and more www.linnrecords.com; CKD 479 white on orange – hard to read!) this vocal than a measure of introspection, providing Most collectors will have discovered the collection of arrangements covers a wide a ‘spot the reference’ game for the casual Mozart Divertimenti and Serenades via time-span, like their Signum album Choral observer and fans alike. There’s more than Decca and its mono/stereo LP series with Tapestry. Their second Decca programme, a hint of Local Hero here and there – well, various Viennese ensembles, from the on the theme of a comforting warmth that quite a lot actually – and his homage to time of Willi Boskovsky. Linn’s enjoyable music can bring, introduces one or two Beryl Bainbridge is pure ‘Sultans Of Swing’, programme with the SCO players – pairs of instrumental ‘guests’ – cello, saxophone, unlikely though that sounds. Inspired by his clarinets, horns and bassoons – has more water-tuned glasses – and spans from Tallis time touring with Bob Dylan – notably in of an ‘outdoors’ style, fresh and open. The and Allegri (Miserere Mei) to contemporary ‘Silver Eagle’ – this is Knopfl er as storyteller, works chosen are varied in form: K375 writers in the pop fi eld: ‘Teardrop’ from from Bainbridge to poet Basil Bunting, has two Menuetto e Trio movements; Massive Attack’s Mezzanine and Ben Folds’ whom he met when he was a copy boy the F major K253 has an opening set of ‘The Luckiest’ from a Richard Curtis fi lm on the Newcastle Evening Chronicle. variations; K252/240a includes a Polonaise. soundtrack – an item I found intrusive. Trouble is, Knopfl er’s writing, scoring, and One oddity with Philips Hobbs’ production, Voces8 (two sopranos, counter-tenors and performance are so distinctive that it can I found, is that you hear the bassoons (and tenors, baritone and bass) were recorded sound like there’s not much new here, even a certain amount of associated key clicking) in helpful acoustics at Dore Abbey, in though the sound quality of the stripped- on the left, answered by clarinets on the Herefordshire, and more intimately, a down recording is gorgeous. Even that’s right. But it’s easy to reverse channels if you Highgate, London, church. Hard to fault, really ‘business as usual’, but no complaints think ‘treble’ ought – as with an orchestra – though arguably best for ‘dipping into’. CB from this listener. AE to be on the left. CB Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

LAB REPORT LAB REPORT LAB REPORT

Cleanly recorded (aside from a signal at Recorded using ‘tubes and tape’ (incl. Recorded by Philip Hobbs at the 31kHz) and with excellent dynamic range a Neumann U47 mic, Telefunken V76 Stevenson Hall, this is a clean 192kHz (the rise in ultrasonic noise is from the preamp and Studer A800 2in decks) the rendering with an excess of bandwidth original – not an artefact of upsampling), mix was stored at 96kHz/24-bit, so this to capture the ~30kHz extension of the this 96kHz fi le perfectly illustrates the 192kHz rendering is an upsample. This is clarinet’s upper harmonics. Dynamic 30kHz extension of a soprano voice. PM a superb example of the art. PM range/headroom is also generous. PM

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 145 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 Mark Levinson 512 CD/SACD £5,990 Arcam AVR350 £400 AVI 2000 MM £600 Ayon Skylla II £2,490 Naim Audio CD5i £350 Focal JM Lab Maestro Utopia 3 £16,990 AVI 2000MP £400 Devialet 120 £2,990 Moon 750D CD/DAC 24/192 £6,990 Nordost CAST (for Krell-2m) £690 Audio Research CD7.5 £3,500 TelluriumQ Ultra Black 2m Speaker £750 Plinius SB 301mkII Pwr & Tautoro Pre £7,995 Krell FPB 400CX £4,490 dCS Paganini Transport/ DAC/ Clock £9,990 Nordost Quantum QX2 (Schuko) £690 Electrocompaniet NEMO AW-600 £4,900 Marantz PM KI Pearl 30th Anniversary £1,350 Totem Hawk £1,400 Diapason Astera £3,990 Mark Levinson No. 532 £9,990 Unison Research C5P £995 ART Stiletto Monitor £500 Guru QM60 £2,750 Tom Evans The Groove Plus mkII £4,990 Diapason Adamantes 3 25th Anniversary £2,490 Plinius CD-101 £1,600 DaVinciAudio Labs Reference Gandezza Cartridge £2,790 Analog Domain Audio GmbH Isis M75D £13,998 Diapason Adamantes 3 £2,490 Linn Sondek LP12, Ittok, Majik PSU, Rosewood £3,500 Nordost Thor £990 Vitus SIA 025 & SCD 025 £23,000 Chord Electronics Symphonic MC phono stage £1,875 Jadis JPL £1,700 Naim Audio Prefix Phono £175 Magnum Dynalab MD108T £3,990 Linn LP12 £1,500 Avantgarde Acoustics Uno G2 £7,490 Karan Acoustics S180 Stereo power £1,890

CD PlayersPlayers and DACs AvantAvantgardegarde Acoustics Uno G2 £7,490£7,490 Boulder 2060 £14,990£14,990 MarkMark Levinson No 380 £1,790£1,790 Accuphase DP500 £2,490 B&W DM 70 Continentals £1,800 Chord Electronics Symphonic MC phono stage £1,875 McIntosh C2200 £3,750 Arcam rDAC + Squeeze £250 B&W htm 2D £2,600 Conrad Johnson Prem 8A monoblocks £4,950 McIntosh C2500 £4,500 Audio Aero Capitole Signature £3,300 B&W Matrix 800 £5,990 Crimson Electronics 640 E3 Monoblocks £3,399 Musical Fidelity Kw Phono £1,450 Audio Aero La Fontaine £17,500 Beauhorn B2.2 Revelation £1,800 Edge NL Reference Monoblocks £34,990 Audio Note DAC Zero £275 Dali 300 MK2 in Rosewood £1,650 Electrocompaniet NEMO AW-600 £4,900 Sony TAE 900 £2,990 Audio Research CD7.5 £3,500 Diapason Adamantes 3 £2,490 Goldmund Telos 150 £1,690 Tom Evans The Vibe pre & Pulse power supply £2,750 Audiolab 8200CD £600 Diapason Adamantes 3 25th Anniversary £2,490 Gryphon Antileon £5,990 Unison Research C5P £995 Ayon Skylla II £2,490 Diapason Astera £3,990 Halcro DM 88 Monoblocks £24,950 VTL TL 6.5 Signature Line Pre £9,990 Bel Canto Dac3 £2,199 Eclipse TD512, A502 + Stands £2,000 Jeff Rowland Model 3 Monoblocks £2,500 Bel Canto USB Link 24/96 £349 Elac FS 207.2 £450 Karan Acoustics S180 Stereo power £1,890 Turntables/Arms/Cartridges & Phonostages Bluenote Stibbert valve improved £1,800 Focal JM Lab Grande Utopia III EM £121,999 Karan Acoustics KA M2000 £22,990 Aesthetix IO Eclipse £15,590 BMC Audio BDCD1.1 Belt Drive CD Player £3,795 Focal JM Lab Scala Utopia 3 £18,999 Krell 400e Evolution Monoblocks £9,990 Audio Research PH8 black £3,890 BMC Audio PureDAC £1,550 Focal JM Lab Stella Utopia III EM £47,990 Krell FPB 400CX £4,490 BMC Audio MCCI Phono MC £2,590 Copland CDA822 £550 Focal JM Lab Maestro Utopia 3 £16,990 Krell EVO 302 £5,500 dCS Paganini Transport/ DAC/ Clock £9,990 Gamut S5 £9,490 Lamm Lamm M1.1 £6,990 Boulder MM/MC Phono stage & psu £1,795 Esoteric P05 D05 £5,500 Genesis Technologies 5.3 £7,500 Leema Acoustics Corvus £999 Cello Cartridge £4,000 Krell EVO 505 (110v) £3,395 Guru QM60 £2,750 Linn klimax Solos £8,995 Clear Audio da Vinci V2 £2,890 Krell Evolution 525 £5,990 Hansen Audio The Knight £9,900 Luxman M800A stereo power £8,990 Clear Audio Insider Gold £500 Krell KPS25sc 24/96 £4,990 Hansen Audio Emperor £32,500 Mark Levinson No 532H Reference DaVinciAudio Labs Reference Gandezza Marantz UD 9004 £2,690 Hansen Audio Prince V2 £18,000 High current Dual Mono Power Amp £7,500 Cartridge £2,790 Marantz SA 8003 CD/SACD £345 Heco celan 500 £550 Mark Levinson No 532H stereo power amp £4,995 Mark Levinson 512 CD/SACD £5,990 Infi nity Kappa 9 £1,750 Mark Levinson No. 532 £9,990 Dr. Feickert Analogue NG High-Precision Mark Levinson No 31 & 30.5 Transp/Dac £7,450 JBL 250 Ti £2,890 McIntosh MC203 £3,950 Cartridge Alignment Tool £149 Mark Levinson No 31.5 Reference CD Transport £3,590 KEF Moun £85,000 McIntosh MC275 (2 Available) £4,250 EMT 950 Broadcast Turnta Fabulous Mark Levinson No 512 CD/SACD £12,255 Krell resolution 3 £2,700 Musical Fidelity 308 K Mono-blocks £650 BBC Wide body £6,500 McIntosh MCD550 CD/SACD player £5,000 Loewe Reference stand speaker £1,400 Naim Audio Nap 180 £600 Gale GT2101 Turntable £7,990 McIntosh MCD1100 £7,490 Martin Logan Summit £5,500 Naim Audio Nait 3 £320 Jan Allaerts MC1B mk1 £1,495 Meridian Audio 508 £600 Martin Logan Logos Centre £890 Pathos InPower £4,990 Micro Seiki CDM2 £1,290 Meridian Audio DSP 5200 £7,500 Plinius SA 250mkIV £3,495 Klyne Audio Arts 6PE mm/mc £1,950 MICROMEGA Microdac £295 Meridian Audio DSP 7200 £16,500 Sony TAN R1 monoblocks £8,990 Kuzma Stabi (wood) & Ref psu £1,990 Moon 750D CD/DAC 24/192 £6,990 Merlin VSM MXR £6,495 Soulution Audio 711 upgraded from 710 £29,990 LFD MCT SE Phono mc £3,500 Moon 300D £850 Revel Ultima Studio 2 NEW £8,490 Tenor HP 300 £15,500 Linn LP12 £1,500 Moon Electronic Supernova CD £1,990 Ruark Rapsody £200 Tom Evans Linear A £4,750 Linn Sondek LP12, Ittok, Majik PSU, Rosewood £3,500 Musical Fidelity M6 CD £899 Sonus Faber Amati Homage £7,990 Tube Technology Genesis Monoblocks £1,390 Naim Audio CD5i £350 Sonus Faber Minuetto & Ironwood stands £890 VTL MB 450-III Signature Monoblocks £14,500 Manticore Mantra £300 Naim Audio CDX2 £1,090 Sonus Faber Amati Anniversario GR £11,990 Welborne Labs DRD45 £1,490 Naim Audio Prefi x Phono £175 Opera Consonance Droplet CDP 5.0 £1,295 Sonus Faber Cremona £2,000 YBA Passion 1000 monoblocks £6,890 Nottingham Analogue Wave Mechanic £250 Perreaux DP32 £1,475 Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage Palladio Pre Amplifi ers Origin Live Digital Stylus Force Gauge £65 Plinius CD-101 £1,600 Reference LE £6,750 Audible Illusions Modulus 3A £2,250 Pink Triangle Export/ Zeta £1,495 Plinius CD Player101 £2,400 Spendor A3 £600 Audio Research LS2 £950 SME 312s £2,050 Plinius CD101 £1,890 Spendor s100 £1,500 Audio Research LS25 (mkI) £1,800 Plinius CD-101 £1,800 Titan 3Way £1,295 SME Model 10A turntable £4,490 AVI 2000MP £400 Primare BD32 £3,500 Totem Hawk £1,400 SME Model 30/2A £8,790 B.A.T. VK-53 SE £8,240 Proceed CDP CD/HDCD player £995 Wharfedale 1950’s Corner Horns £6,990 SME Series V Gold plated arm £2,395 BMC Audio DAC1PreHR £3,990 Theta Data Basic £390 Wilson Audio Watt Puppy 7 £6,490 Boulder 1010 Pre £6,950 SME Model 20/12A £11,567 Theta Compli £1,595 Wilson Audio WATT Puppy 7 £7,490 Bryston BP-26 and MPS-2 £2,200 SME Model 20/3A £8,990 Wadia 381i £3,490 Wilson Audio Watt Puppy 7 £6,750 C.A.T SL1 Ultimate £7,295 SME Model 30/12A £23,950 Wilson Audio WP8 £10,995 Loudspeakers Cary SLP 98L £2,295 SME Series V (gold print) £2,490 Acoustic Energy AELITE THREE £350 Power Amplifi ers Classe Audio CP - 800 £4,000 SME Series V-12 £3,668 Adam Audio Compact Active Version £1,295 Aesthetix Atlas Mono Blocks £9,990 Concordant Exquisite + Exclusive £1,150 Sonic frontiers SFP-1 Phono £750 Alon Phalanx £4,990 Astin Trew At 5000 £400 Crimson Electronics 710 Pre Amp £3,995 ART Stiletto Monitor £500 ATC S1A2-150 £2,200 Gryphon Sonata Allegro £5,490 Sumiko Pearwod Celebration II £1,150 ATC SCM300 ASL Monitors £17,500 Audio Note Kegon £35,000 Jadis JPL £1,700 Thorens TD 126 mkIV £590 ATC SCM300AT based custom model £8,550 Audio Research DS450 (New-sealed box) £4,995 Klyne Audio Arts 7LX3.5 & phono £2,790 Tom Evans The Groove Plus mkII £4,990 Audio Acoustics FUNDAMENTAL K2 £5,995 AVI 2000 MM £600 Krell Evolution 202 £4,990 Tri-Planar MK UII Voyd Reference+ Ref psu + Audio Physic Tempo 3i £675 B.A.T. VK-255 SE £3,700 Linn Klimax Kontrol £4,250 Cyalene+ AN IO LTD & AN7c £20,990 Aurousal A1 MK £445 Bel Canto Ref 1000 M (Mk2) Mono blocks NEW £4,300 Luxman C800f £8,990 Avalon Arcus £3,450 Bel Canto Ref 1000 monos £1,990 Mark Levinson 380s £1,999 VPI TNT 4 Flywheel RB1000 £4,500 Avalon Indra £9,990 BMC Audio CS2 Integrated/ Power Amplifi er £5,495 Mark Levinson No 326s Reference VPI Classic 2/JMW 10.5i & SDS psu £2,490 Avalon Time £42,500 BMC Audio M2 Monoblocks £10,990 Dual Mono Pre £8,170 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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PUNCH BROTHERS PROKOFIEV NEIL COWLEY TRIO The Phosphorescent Blues (96kHz/24-bit; FLAC) Symphony No 5; Scythian Suite Touch And Flee (96kHz/24-bit; WAV, ALAC, FLAC) www.highresaudio.com; Warner Music/Nonesuch Bergen PO/Andrew Litton (96kHz/24-bit; FLAC) www.naimlabel.com; Naim Jazz Records Naim CD206 There’s nothing like being ambitious: www.eclassical.com; BIS-2124 Former Brand New Heavies keyboardist according to Punch Brothers lead singer The Fifth Symphony has fared well Neil Cowley – a child prodigy playing and mandolin player Chris Thile, this on records, right back to the 1946 Shostakovich piano concertos at the age album grew out of the question ‘how do Koussevitsky/RCA and particularly with of ten – can arguably lay claim to being we cultivate beautiful, three-dimensional American orchestras. Prokofi ev’s 1915 one of the world’s most heard pianists in experiences with our fellow man in this Diaghilev ballet commission for Ala Et current times, having accompanied Adele day and age?’. So we have songs about Lolli, a mythological Scythian concoction, on both her 19 and 21 albums. This fi fth recognising a song – the epic ‘Familiarity’, met with rejection: the composer ‘did release from the trio with drummer Evan all ten minutes plus of it – and about not understand a thing about dance’, Jenkins and bassist Rex Horan (replacing shining your light by holding a smartphone said Balanchine. So the score yielded the Richard Sadler after 2010’s Naim album in the air at a gig, complete with a backing dissonant four-movement Suite here. Long Radio Silence) sees Cowley once again chorus comprising vocals submitted by fans, regarded as a riposte to Stravinsky’s La crossing myriad musical boundaries. His these two topping and tailing the set. All Sacre it even sounds quite jolly in Litton’s compositions encompass everything from sound a bit icky and navel-gazing? Far from hands in parts, rather like a piece of fi lm playful jazz-funk and dance rhythms to it: with the assured production of T Bone music, although the fi rst track is suitably anthem-like pop and prog-rock chord Burnett, some serious dynamics and close wild. The symphony is weighty, entirely progressions – making the description of focus on the performers, this set is at turns naturally paced and full of colourful detail. Cowley’s trio as ‘jazz for Radiohead fans’ attention-grabbing, unpredictable, quirky The ‘slow motion’ and acceleration back highly appropriate. Recorded in London’s and sincere. It swings from folk to classical to tempo in the Allegro Marcato is really RAK studios, Touch And Flee is a fabulous to even a little rocky, but all in a good way, impressive, and the production has a wide recording with a naturally open and and is hard not to like. AE soundstage with clear, inner balances. CB authentic sound and lifelike dynamics. JB Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 85% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

LAB REPORT LAB REPORT LAB REPORT

There’s clearly some heavyweight Recorded at 96kHz/24-bit in 2014 this This 96kHz download sees the trio production talent thrown at this album fi le’s metadata may erroneously state performing as just that [The Face Of but levels of noise suggest either ‘1970’ but at least the media itself is the Mount Molehill – HFN Oct ’12 – included analogue recording or mastering at some ‘real deal’ and not a downsample from strings and guitar] but the clean point in the ‘96kHz chain’. Very little BIS’s SACD. Good dynamic range and full rendering, free of digital artifi ce and instrumental content beyond 30kHz. PM use of the ~45kHz bandwidth. PM compression, is equally refreshing. PM

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 147 ALBUM REVIEWS

ROCK

EMMA LOUISE Vs Head Vs Heart Emma Louise Records HENCASDGA1 You may know singer-songwriter Emma Louise best from the Wankelnut remix ‘My Head Is A Jungle’ which recently did well in the charts, or from her original version of the same track, entitled ‘Jungle’, which appeared in a recent Black Opium perfume ad on the telly. Either way, you should have noticed that this 23-year- old Australian who learned her craft busking in the streets of Brisbane, and honed it making tunes on her bedroom computer, is remarkably talented. Check her use of found vocal samples on ‘Atlas Eyes’, or her minimalist synth-lines on ‘17 Hours’, and it’s impossible not to conclude that anyone who ever loved St Etienne or Everything But The Girl or Lights will soon fall under her spell. Don’t wait: get it now! JBk Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

ASTRID WILLIAMSON RACHAEL DADD SAMANTHA CRAIN We Go To Dream We Resonate Under Branch And Thorn And Tree One Little Indian TPLP1251CD Talitres TAL080 Full Time Hobby FTH236CD (vinyl FTH236LP) After six exquisite solo albums, Williamson Experimental multi-instrumentalist Dadd is If you prefer your folk singers a shade more still isn’t a household name. The problem? one of the quirkiest of singer-songwriters traditional than the high-profi le acoustic Musically she’s hard to pigeon-hole and but she’s also one of the best. I fi rst heard popsters currently trading as folk-rockers, lyrically she’s inclined to examine topics her as part of Whalebone Polly, singing the Samantha Crain could be the woman like feminism, war and spirituality in more weird little ditty ‘Our Socks Forevermore’. for you. This is the Shawnee-descended depth and with more individuality than It was obvious that a refreshing new talent singer-songwriter’s fourth album, and it’s our mass media can happily snuggle up had arrived, and this album is a complete a comfortingly solid set of underdog tales, to. Musically, for example, she’ll subvert joy. Songs like ‘Three’ and ‘Bounce The Ball’ vignettes about life as a working person in a beautifully aching, sensitively sung pop are as appealing as they are odd, and her America today. ‘Elk City’, focusing on the tune like ‘Hide In Your Heart’ with big, use of exotic rhythmic devices including sorrows of a young woman who turned to anxious synth stabs – a justifi ed creative prepared-piano, a typewriter, boxes of drink to survive hard times, shines with the decision, but not a hotline to hitsville. Her matches and even her baby’s heartbeat in heartfelt lyrical clarity of Woody Guthrie at skeletal heartache ballad ‘Scattered’, just the womb, makes it a richly eclectic sonic his best, and the jaunty ‘Big Rock’ delivers Astrid and her piano, could sell millions if treat. Dadd may never become a ‘star’, but light relief with a country-rock groove. Crain promoted via any of the TV ‘reality’ shows, I bet she’ll still be making captivating music feels like she’s in it for the long haul and the but it’s probably too real for them. JBk 20 years hence. JBk odds are good that she’ll make it. JBk Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

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

CHRIS WHILE AND JULIE MATTHEWS GERARD WAY IN-FLIGHT SAFETY Who We Are Hesitant Alien Conversationalist Fat Cat Records FATCD029 Reprise Records 9362-49372-1 Conehead Records CONE49 If you’ve never heard of this country-folk When a superb band and its frontman go Canadians, of course, punch a long way singer-songwriter duo, it’s not for want their separate ways it is often the beginning above their weight when it comes to of trying on their part: they’ve worked of the end for both. My Chemical Romance making great rock music. Think Neil Young, together on and off for 20 years. For several no longer exists as such, and the other Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and, in more years, they were mainstays of the venerable members have yet to produce much, but recent times, Arcade Fire. Nova Scotia- Albion Band, but as a duo they exhibit a less frontman Gerard Way has returned to active based duo In-Flight Safety have the songs traditional folk style. After all those years, service with an enormously powerful album and musicianly skills to join that elevated they should be burnt out, but opener ‘If This that is in equal parts hard, driving rock and pantheon. Guitarist John Mullane and Were Your Last Day’ and the banjo-driven catchy pop suss. He’s put a tight band – drummer Glen Nicholson, fi ll out their ‘I Don’t Know’ are fresh as daisies and on The Hormones – together, and although sound in the studio and on stage with a par with the work of more high-profi le the album may lack light and shade as a carefully chosen buddies, and this unusual American combos like Lady Antebellum collection of songs, there’s no denying modus operandi, works. On their third or The Band Perry. They’re lyrically astute, the over-driven energy that animates CD, several songs, eg, ‘Animals’ and ‘Tie A rhythmically powerful and melodically every track. Hesitant Alien batters along String’, come complete with chiming guitar delightful; let’s hope their next two decades relentlessly through its eleven cuts: a terrifi c ambience, solid beats and soaring vocals bring them even greater rewards. JBk start to Way’s solo career. JBk that tend towards the anthemic. JBk Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

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

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 149 ALBUM REVIEWS

ROCK

PINK FLOYD The Endless River Parlophone Records 490-1727 I rarely like to review ‘major’ album releases but a ‘new’ Pink Floyd release is an event which even I can’t ignore. Despite being constructed largely from out-takes recorded for 1994’s The Division Bell, it quickly became the most pre-ordered album ever on Amazon. Primarily instrumental, it features mostly electronic keyboard textures from late keyboardist Rick Wright, enhanced by overdubs from guitarist Dave Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason. Don’t buy it if Pink Floyd, to you, means angry prog- rock magnifi cence (The Wall, Dark Side, etc) but dive right in if you love the spaced-out ambient instrumental side of the band that started (arguably) with ‘Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun’ back in 1968. JBk Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100

NRVS LVRS OF MONTREAL SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU The Golden West Aureate Gloom BORIS YELTSIN Hz Castle 888295195782 Polyvinyl Records PRC-290 The High Country This excellent San Francisco quartet have Of Montreal – one of the few Athens, Polyvinyl Record Co PRC-295 pulled off a rare achievement by managing Georgia, bands to make a lasting impact Ten years into their prolifi c career, to incorporate deep socio-political lyrics in the wake of REM – are in superstar form Missouri’s indie rock heroes have thrived into what sounds, at fi rst listen, like on their 13th album. It blasts into life with despite their unwieldy moniker. Purveying lightweight electro-pop. As you bop around the Bolan-channeling stomp of ‘Bassem energetic, poppy alt-rock, they improve your front room to the jangly pop candy Sabry’, named for the brilliant Egyptian with every album and, even though it of ‘Black Diamonds’, you’d never know journalist who died last year, then going a only runs to 26m, The High Country is that you’re knee deep in an album about bit more Bowie on ‘Last Rites At The Jane jammed with more memorably tight tunes cultural decay, economic problems and Hotel’ before sounding rather more like than most albums of twice its length. The the housing market on California’s golden themselves on the beautifully-constructed fuzz-rich ‘What I Won’ is a case in point, its coast. This four-piece only came together ‘Empyrean Abattoir’. Yes, despite infl uences layers of guitar distortion overlaid with a a year ago, but they already sound like worn high on their sleeves, Kevin Barnes’ sweet vocal propelled by stone-solid drums they could attract a major cult following if psychedelic-glam quintet defi nitely boasts and insistently thrumming bass. The punky they can get a video into high rotation, or its own sonic identity, snotty and angry, thrash of ‘Trevor Forever’ and the chilled if they’re as compelling live as their studio hyper-intellectual and loadsafun. An angst of ‘Madeline’ are two of 11 reasons recordings suggest. JBk acquired taste but well worth sampling. JBk why this is an album you’ll keep playing. JBk Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

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

HUSKY RESCUE LINNEA OLSSON THOUSAND The Long Lost Friend Special Edition Breaking And Shaking Thousand Catskills Records RIDCD025 Sony Music 88875012202 Talitres Records TAL083CD (LP: TAL083LP) Husky Rescue is a criminally under-exposed A gifted cellist, singer-songwriter and Peter Opening cut ‘The Flying Pyramid’ starts Finnish electronic combo whose fourth Gabriel collaborator, Norway’s Linnea out like a folksy-version of Lou Reed and album, The Long Lost Friend, appeared Olsson is fast becoming a force to be then unexpectedly transforms into African- only as a self-released item in 2013. Its reckoned with on the international scene. infl ected pop à la Vampire Weekend. It’s eight haunting tracks are expanded to 24 Her debut album, Ah!, was notable for its followed by ‘The Kill’, a potent melange of for this special edition, which includes not ambient-experimental instrumentals, but chilled pop-rock and disco whoops, and only rare 7in releases but also an entire this time she’s putting her appealing voice the spooky ‘To Dance In A Circle Of Fire’, new album, Hypnopompic, featuring the and clever songs front and centre without making it clear that Stephane Milochevitch, group’s impressive new line-up. As well as abandoning her avant-garde leanings. aka Thousand, is an imaginative newcomer shimmeringly gorgeous electro-pop songs Imagine Laurie Anderson with pop suss, on the international landscape. Essentially, with meltingly luscious vocals by Johanna Kate Bush with a voice that doesn’t grate he’s a folksy singer-songwriter, but his Kalen, we get computer-synth wiz Marko after ten minutes, or Enya with less sugar, easy familiarity with a range of eclectic Nyberg’s richly atmospheric instrumental and you’re well on the way to Olsson. Every instruments and exotic percussion sets him compositions in partnership with composer cut is delightful, but the insightful ‘The Love apart from most musicians in that currently Anthony Bentley. The most sonically She Kept’ and the vocal-sample-driven ‘I Am over-subscribed category. Ed Sheeran he sumptuous electronica album of 2015. JBk Younger’ are outstanding spine-tinglers. JBk ain’t, but that’s no bad thing. JBk Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 95% Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

THE VERONICAS The Veronicas Sony Music88875012962 After a relatively quiet few years, identical twin sisters The Veronicas recently returned to No 1 in Australia’s singles chart with ‘You Ruin Me’ and followed up with a Top 5 placing for ‘If You Love Someone’. They’ve never yet made a big impact in the UK, but this third album (which includes both of those tracks) could be the one to break them big here. As songwriters, they’re mistresses of killer pop-rock hooks and tasty arrangements; but better yet, they deliver their smart modern woman lyrics with a passionate intensity that burns them into your head at fi rst listen. Almost any track here could be a single, and although they’re not great innovators, the instant appeal of what they do should overcome any opposition. JBk Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 151 ALBUM REVIEWS

JAZZ

WES MONTGOMERY In The Beginning Resonance Records HCD-2014 (two CDs, three LPs; mono) In 2012 Resonance put out Echoes Of Indiana Avenue, containing newly-discovered live recordings of the Montgomery brothers Wes, Buddy and Monk from 1957 and 1958. After that, Buddy’s widow came up with another trove of live tapes from 1956, and these fi ll most of one CD here. On the second disc are the fi ve forgotten studio numbers that Quincy Jones produced at Columbia for the Epic label in 1955. Unless you count Resonance’s two USA- only 10in LPs, which sampled these tracks for Record Store Day, 2014, almost all this material is previously unreleased. To close, there are Wes’s earliest studio recordings, as a sideman with saxophonist Gene Morris in 1949, dubbed from rare 78s. Essential. SH Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

REX RICHARDSON JAZZ IN POLISH CINEMA ELIO VILLAFRANCA AND THE Bugles Over Zagreb Out Of The Underground 1958-1967 JASS SYNCOPATORS RRP 88829519081 Jazz On Film Records JF002 (four discs) Caribbean Tinge: Live From Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola By accident or design, the barnstorming After the ‘thaw’ of 1956, young Polish Motema 233864 trumpeter had two albums released on the fi lmmakers dared to use the music of This great pianist has already made half a same day. This one, of music by fellow VCU pioneer jazz pianist/composers Krzysztof dozen albums since arriving in NY in 1995, educator Doug Richards, was recorded with Komeda and Andrzej Trzaskowski, and including Dos y Mas, a duo recorded with the distinctive Croatian RTV Jazz Orchestra the results are captured in this superbly- his fellow Cuban, percussionist Arturo in 2013. ‘Intercontinental Concerto’ presented box. For Night Train (1959), Stable. But the music here (live, 2011/12) builds on themes from six continents and Trzaskowski adapted Artie Shaw’s ‘Moonray’ has more in common with his The Source requires Richardson to play fi ve different as an unforgettable vocal theme for Wanda In Between, whose title tune is heard in instruments, from slide trumpet to piccolo Warska. With a band including a youthful extended form as the closing number. trumpet to fl ugelhorn. Then comes ‘Dukal Tomasz Stanko, Komeda produced some And the new album’s own title track is Bugles’, paying tribute to fi ve Ellington exciting hard-bop-styled tracks for Innocent like a supercharged Horace Silver blend of trumpet stars. With ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing’ Sorcerers (1960), and the story ends with hard bop and island infl uences. There are as a homage to Cat Anderson, this really his music for Le Départ (1967), recorded two different lineups, both superb, with ends on a high note. And the other album? in Paris with musicians including Stanko, trumpeters Sean Jones and Terell Stafford Blue Shift [Summit Records] has Richardson Don Cherry, Gato Barbieri, Eddy Louiss and and saxophonists Vincent Herring and Greg with his own quintet, and it’s great too. SH Christine Legrand. Unmissable. SH Tardy, and some great Cuban percussion. SH Sound Quality: 85% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

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

FRED HERSCH TRIO JIMMY GREENE CANDIDO Floating Beautiful Life The Master Palmetto PM2171 Mack Avenue MAC1093 Chesky Records JD365 (downloads up to 192kHz/24-bit) Recording consistently since 1984, Fred In December 2012, saxophonist Jimmy A great celebration of an extraordinary Hersch has sometimes seemed likely to Greene’s daughter Ana died in the Sandy career, and a warm-hearted gathering of take on the mantle of Bill Evans, to whom Hook classroom shooting. Harry Connick Jr New York’s Latin-jazz royalty. Havana-born he paid tribute with Evanessence. More sang at Ana’s funeral and recorded the conguero Candido Camaro arrived in New recently, he’s won acclaim for a string fund-raising tribute ‘Love Wins.’ But York from Havana in 1952 and was soon of live recordings, including Alive At The Beautiful Life owes its existence to a fi ne helping pianist Billy Taylor’s ‘mambo’ trio to Vanguard with John Hebert on bass and Eric gesture by Norman Chesky of Chesky fame. After that he never looked back, and McPherson on drums. For Floating Hersch Records. Early in 2013 he offered to remains active in his 90s. Here the music took this well-established trio into the donate the production of a recording that and arrangements are by Ray Santos, best studio but as he says, it’s ‘sequenced the Greene could do whenever he was ready, known as arranger of The Mambo Kings way we play a live set’. After a re-rhythmed and have complete ownership. Weaving soundtrack and Linda Ronstadt’s Frenesi. ‘You And The Night And The Music’ come many elements together in a multi-layered One of the standouts is ‘Lagrimas Negras’, the spacious and transporting title piece, celebration of Ana’s life, Greene included a fi ne vocal feature for Xiomara Laugart more originals, a delightful ‘If Ever I Would her voice, a children’s choir and a string but also a fabulous performance from the Leave You’, and fi nally Monk’s ‘Let’s Cool orchestra as well as guest appearances band. Chesky’s Binaural+ makes the sonics One’. And it’s just a perfect sequence. SH from Pat Metheny and Kurt Elling. SH natural, spacious and relaxed. SH Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

KYLE EASTWOOD Timepieces Jazz Village JV 570034 For his seventh album as leader, the bassist has rebuilt his long-established quintet with two new members. Still on board are British pianist Andrew McCormack and trumpeter Quentin Collins, but they’re now joined by Australian saxophonist Brandon Allen and London-based Cuban drummer Ernesto Simpson. Eastwood says he wanted to pay his debt to the jazz of the late 1950s and early ’60s, music he’d loved since introduced to it by his famous dad, and this line-up is perfectly equipped for the task. For example, a fast and furious workout on Horace Silver’s ‘Blowin’ The Blues Away’ has Allen doing just what the title says, and there’s fabulous hard-bop ensemble work from the two horns, while McCormack shines too. A treat. SH Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

YEARBOOK 2015 |www.hifi news.co.uk | 153

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ROBERT GLASPER Covered Blue Note 4724570 (CD); 4724571 (two LPs) Ten years on, Glasper has reunited with Vicente Archer and Damion Reid, piano-trio bandmates from his fi rst Blue Note album, Canvas, to record live with a studio audience. Apart from a whirligig ‘Stella By Starlight’, this isn’t an album of jazz tunes, but one of covers from other genres. After tributes to Joni Mitchell and Radiohead comes material more familiar to Glasper’s Black Radio fan base – for example from Bilal, who actually guested on that Blue Note debut, and hip-hopper Kendrick Lamar, who featured Glasper on his own last album. Yet a standout original here is ‘Got Over’, with its stunning recitative by Harry Belafonte. Glasper hopes that this album can reach both jazz and R&B audiences, and maybe it will. SH Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

RAMÓN VALLE JOEY ALEXANDER KENNY WHEELER Take Off My Favorite Things Songs For Quintet In+Out Records IOR CD 77121-9 (CD + DVD) Motéma 233988 ECM 470 4653 The Cuban-born pianist recorded for Act in At six, at home in Bali, Joey Alexander With a group of long-term colleagues, this the early 2000s. But this new release for was picking out tunes from his father’s Dec ’13 Abbey Road session would be the another German label is the fi rst fruit of jazz record collection. At nine, he was celebrated trumpeter’s last recording and his collaboration with American producer/ invited by UNESCO to play solo piano in fact his last performance. Saxophonist manager Suzi Reynolds. Bassist Omar for visiting celebrity Herbie Hancock. By Stan Sulzmann had fi rst worked with Rodriguez Calvo has worked with Valle 2014, he’d reached New York, where he Wheeler in the ’70s, guitarist John Parricelli since the ’90s, and the all-Cuban trio here made this debut recording with name in the ’90s. A few years later, bassist Chris is completed by drummer Ernesto Simpson. players including bassist Larry Grenadier Laurence could be heard alongside Sulzman They open with a chopped and sliced ‘All and drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. So, here and Parricelli on Wheeler’s Dream Sequence The Things You Are’ and almost pause we have an album of jazz standards, album, while drummer Martin France majestically midway with Leonard Cohen’s interpreted with unerring harmonic sense became a member of Laurence’s own ‘Hallelujah’. But Valle’s originals range from and a pleasing combination of fresh quartet. They all support their leader ably, the spiralling ‘Levitando’, almost a signature melodic ideas and traditional values, put and stretch out too, giving new shape to tune, to ‘Trance Dance In Blue’ which over not just with ample technique, but some of Wheeler’s favourite compositions. convolves the blues with Latin idioms. Valle also with mature musicality. And all this Rolling down a familiar sunny road, this is exhilarating and he can be tender too. SH from a pianist who is just 11 years old! SH album has a very special atmosphere. SH Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

YEARBOOK 2015 |www.hifi news.co.uk | 155 Chord Dave Linn Exakt

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IVO NEAME COURTNEY PINE ABDULLAH IBRAHIM Strata Song (The Ballad Book) The Song Is My Story Whirlwind Recordings WR4674 Destin-E Records 777102468X Intuition INT34422 (CD + DVD) Despite his busy schedule with Phronesis, Though he made his name on tenor When Ibrahim’s solo album Senzo appeared pianist and composer Ivo Neame has saxophone, the 2000s have seen Courtney in 2008, it could have been a swansong to found time for other projects, notably the Pine concentrating on bass clarinet while a career that had begun in the ’60s. But it octet that recorded Yatra in 2012. For sometimes, as on 2013’s House Of Legends, was more like a new beginning, as 2010 the quintet heard here, along with octet exploiting the more declamatory quality of brought a vibrant album with his group, members Tori Freestone, Jim Hart and Dave the soprano sax. But here, as with 2011’s Ekaya, and another with the WDR big band. Hamblett, he brought in bassist Andrea Di Europa, it’s bass clarinet all the way. And Mukashi followed in 2013, with Ekaya Biase, and worked to create a unifi ed set as with that album, but this time in a reedsman Cleave Guyton. But this new solo of pieces in contrasting moods and styles. duo format, the pianist is the wonderful album opens with Ibrahim on sax, in an So you’ll hear Neame adding spacey synth Zoe Rahman. With sensitivity and deep arresting melody that implies the harmony on the title track, or an accordion on the harmonic understanding, she’s the perfect even with no chords stated. Then, on piano, evocative ‘Folk Song’. For Freestone’s great partner, as Pine, sometimes taking off in the lifelong infl uences of Ellington, Monk, tenor playing you could go straight to ‘Miss Dolphy-like fl ight but more often tenderly et al, are distilled into Ibrahim’s own eternal Piggy’. But that’s against the spirit of the lyrical, explores some favourite ballads. essence. And his graceful, illuminating album, which aims to engage the listener Their lovely take on ‘Someday We’ll All Be spoken introductions on the DVD mean that thoughout. You have to listen to it all. SH Free’ makes a perfect ending too. SH for once, this really is a bonus. SH Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

JASON MARSALIS VIBES QUARTET The 21st Century Trad Band Basin Street Records BSR 0304-2 When Jason followed elder brothers Branford and Wynton into music he started out on violin, quickly moving on to drums and joining father Ellis’s band at a tender age before becoming a master of the vibraphone. This second album from his Vibes Qt follows 2013’s In A World Of Mallets and on the opening ‘Discipline Meets The Offbeat One’ he overdubs brilliantly on almost every mallet-based instrument from marimba to tubular bells. Elsewhere, this virtuosic quartet plays as one through the most exhilarating rhythmic twists and turns. From the title track, with its updated marching beat and playful poke at ‘The Saints’, to the pure lyricism of ‘Calm Before The Storm’, this album grabs your attention and won’t let go. SH Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

YEARBOOK 2015 |www.hifi news.co.uk | 157 ALBUM REVIEWS

CLASSICAL

SCHUMANN Symphonies 1-4 Scottish Chamber Orchestra/Robin Ticciati Linn Records CKD450 (two SACDs; downloads up to 192kHz/24-bit resolution) Those familiar with the full orchestra cycles of, say Karajan, Kubelík, Sawallisch or Szell, might resist the current trend for chamber-orchestra recordings. It would be a huge mistake to forgo Ticciati’s very individual interpretations, which rank as among the most insightful to be had (far superior, to my mind, to the recent hard-driven Nézet-Séguin/DG series which others seem to like). Every detail of Schumann’s scoring is clear and there’s no sense of wanting more in, say the Rhine depiction in No.3. Ticciati opts for the revised Fourth and his reading withstands comparisons with the classic Furtwängler/DG – both slow the trio section of (iii) and I fi nd the SCO tempo convincing. Great SQ as well. CB Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

BEETHOVEN BEETHOVEN BEAMISH/DEBUSSY Piano Sonatas Op.31 and Op.49 Missa Solemnis The Seafarer/La Mer (arr. Beamish) Maurizio Pollini Genia Kühmeier, Elisabeth Kulman, Mark Padmore, Hanno Sir Willard White, Trio Apaches DG 479 4325 (downloads up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution) Müller-Brachmann, Bavarian RSO & Ch/Bernard Haitink Orchid Classics ORC100043 (96kHz/24-bit at theclassicalshop) Had DG reversed the order of the two BR Klassik 900130 For their debut recording, Trio Apaches Op.49 ‘Sonates faciles’ you could say that Beethoven symphony cycles from the asked Sally Beamish for a transcription of La Pollini’s cycle has ended with a whimper LPO, Concertgebouw and LSO, four piano Mer as a companion piece to The Seafarer: (piano) rather than a bang (ff). He began concerto sets, Fidelio… but never the Missa a setting of a pre-10th century poem found recording these works in 1976 with Nos Solemnis until this Sep ’14 live recording, at Exeter Cathedral (following an account 29-32, completing the set with the three when Haitink was 85. (You can also watch of a sea voyage, the principal theme is the Op.31 here – not as light or witty as Kempff it in high defi nition at http://datab. mariner’s spiritual life ashore). Constantly in the elaborated slow movement of the G us/missa%20solemnis%20haitink.) The fascinating as ‘reimagined’ for piano trio, major, but beautifully set out nonetheless, performance has some lovely details, like the Debussy works extremely well – the one and quite outstanding in the D-minor, the the choir’s pianissimi – although I do regret spot which doesn’t quite satisfy is the big ‘Tempest’. Pollini fi nds humour in the two their German pronunciation ‘cr-ee-do’ for tune for cellos 4m 37s into (i). Trio Apaches Op.49, but what is most impressive is the ‘cr-ay-do’ – and of course there’s nothing make the music sound very French, and it way he makes you aware of how audacious false or exaggerated here with Haitink the has been fi nely engineered at St George’s, Beethoven was in his writing of the three ‘conduit’ (the true meaning of conducting) Bristol. The booklet has the texts but says middle-period works. Wonderful! CB for Beethoven’s music. CB too little about the Beamish piece. CB Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 85% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

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

BRAHMS BRAHMS/WEINER CHOPIN Serenades 1 and 2 Clarinet Quintet; Two Waltzes, etc/Two Movements Piano works Vol.4 (Waltzes; Nocturnes) Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Riccardo Chailly Otto Andreas Ottensamer, et al Louis Lortie Decca 478 67775 (downloads up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution) DG/Mercury 481 1409 Chandos CHAN 10852 (downloads up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution) Brahms’s two orchestral Serenades (rather In the wake of a fi ne BIS Brahms Quintet Lortie likes his Chopin programmes to lesser in scope, No 2 is scored with double with Martin Fröst, this new DG also fi nds make a pleasing sequence, rather than winds and two horns, but has no violins) the clarinettist in company with some ‘star’ a numerical one in a specifi c genre. So were not much known until Kertesz’s LSO/ string players: Leonidas Kavakos, Antoine towards the end of the 21 Waltzes grouped Decca LPs appeared in 1968; then an Tamestit (vln/vla), et al. The expressive here he intersperses four Nocturnes. He’s equally fi ne Boult/LPO set was issued a warmth makes a very different impression playing on a pair of Fazioli F278 grands decade later by EMI. In the new booklet from old versions like the classically at Potton Hall (only in Vol.2 do we have a note Chailly refers to Boult’s readings as constrained Berliners on Philips or even the Steinway); the recordings were made in providing a clue for his tempo for the long Vienna Octet on Decca. The theme here 2011, ’13 and ’14. There’s a wonderful opening Allegro Molto of No 1. These new is Brahms’s ‘Hungarian connection’, so elegance to Lortie’s Chopin. Try the E-fl at, Leipzig recordings match the feeling of his we move via two Waltzes and Hungarian Op. Posth. B21, or the way in which the (award-winning) ‘stripped down’ Brahms Dances – cimbalom joining in – and short quick phrases are spun in Op.64:1 (‘Minute’) Symphonies cycle and this ‘prequel’ is pieces by Budapest composer Leo Weiner – never rushed – then contrasting with the gloriously played, conducted and recorded. to a lively ‘pot pourri’ of traditional music, inward-looking C-sharp minor Nocturne that This is a defi nitive coupling. CB accordion now added to the group. CB follows. A lovely recital. CB Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

BEETHOVEN Piano Concertos 3 and 4 Maria João Pires, Swedish RSO/Daniel Harding Onyx 4125 Dedicating her Onyx debut CD to the memory of Abbado, Pires offers her fi rst recordings of these two concertos. And she could not have found a better partner than Daniel Harding (remember his 1999 set of Beethoven overtures on Virgin Classics?) – the orchestral detailing is exemplary. Pires seems to be at a musical peak here, every phrase full of subtle observations; and the sound of her Steinway is wonderful. If I’d heard this coupling when I began collecting these pieces on LP I don’t think I would have looked further! What’s not to like? Nice artwork but a rather tight folded card container, and a note by Pires that, sadly, doesn’t amount to much. Qoboz lists a 48kHz/24-bit download. CB Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 159

ALBUM REVIEWS

CLASSICAL COMPACT DISC SUPERAUDIO DVD BLU-RAY VINYL DOWNLOAD

PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet – excerpts Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Riccardo Muti CSO Resound CSOR9011402 (downloads up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution) Muti has made some excellent Prokofi ev recordings with the Philharmonia and Philadelphia Orchestras [EMI and Philips] including a selection of 12 movements from the Suites from the ballet. The ten here are live/Oct 2013. Although shamelessly close-mic’d, the sound is gorgeous – every detail of Prokofi ev’s orchestration is captured. But then, the Chicago Orchestra is refi ned well beyond anything you would have found in the Solti era. The players’ commitment under Muti’s sophisticated command is palpable and especially lovely in the quiet music. The coda to ‘Romeo At Juliet’s Tomb’ is especially sensitive. Highresaudio charges £2 less than other online providers! CB Sound Quality: 95% 0 ------100

DEBUSSY EL MAESTRO FARINELLI HAYDN Images 1 and 2; Préludes Book 2 18th century vocal and orchestral music Symphonies 92 ‘Oxford’, 93, 97-99 Marc-André Hamelin Bejun Mehta, Concerto Köln/Pablo Heras-Casado LSO/Sir Colin Davis Hyperion CDA CKD450 (downloads up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution) Archiv 479 2050 (downloads up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution) LSO Live LSO-0702 (SACD; downloads up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution) The opening ‘Refl ets dans l’eau’ sets the There’s some thrilling music-making Sir Colin Davis made a very fi ne Amsterdam/ tone for some remarkably fl uent piano- here in a programme of scarcely known Philips set of late Haydn symphonies for LP, playing, recorded in the Henry Wood Hall. overtures (by Jomelli, Marcolini, Porpora, and these LSO performances complement But it’s the thoughtfulness of Hamelin’s Traetta), sinfonias (CPE Bach, Johann Hasse), them perfectly. He really makes you Debussy which impresses more – the dances and arias (Corradini, De Nebra). appreciate anew the composer’s wit, technique comes as no surprise. In the The programme is based on what Carlo formal dexterity and skills in orchestration, Préludes I particularly enjoyed ‘General Broschi, aka the castrato Farinelli, might in beautifully timed and paced readings Lavine – eccentric’ and ‘La Puerto del have introduced to the Spanish court of recorded at The Barbican in 2010/11. The Vino’. Even so, I think there’s greater depth King Philip V. I didn’t like (or review) Heras- ‘Oxford’ is particularly outstanding. In the (and no lesser pianistic control) in Arrau’s Casado’s Schubert on Harmonia Mundi but fi nale of No.98 Haydn suddenly throws Images and Préludes [Philips] – the way in he’s in his element here. And have a look at the keyboard continuo into the spotlight, which he integrated the middle section of the Universal promo fi lm with the animated duetting with the leader – the harpsichord ‘Mouvement’, for instance. And the aloof counter-tenor Bejun Mehta [http://www. balance is good, but (contrary to claims I’ve Michelangeli [DG] remains altogether deutschegrammophon.com] and you’ll have read) I don’t hear the continuo elsewhere in peerless in this music. CB your debit card out within minutes! CB this symphony. CB Sound Quality: 85% Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 161


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R STRAUSS TCHAIKOVSKY/SHOSTAKOVICH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Also Sprach Zarathustra; Till Eulenspiegel Serenade for Strings/String Quartet Op.68:2 Symphony 3; Thomas Tallis Fantasia; The Wasps Philharmonia Orchestra/Lorin Maazel Scottish Ensemble Overture; Five Variants of ‘Dives and Lazarus’ Hi-Q Records HIQLP047 Linn CKD 472 (SACD hybrid; downloads up to 192kHz/24-bit res) Sara Fox, Hallé Orchestra/Sir Mark Elder These were Lorin Maazel’s fi rst recordings This is a fresher, more imaginative Hallé CD HLL 7548 with the orchestra, made in Kingsway Hall Tchaikovsky Serenade than the recent LSO If you saw the admirable BBC4 ‘Symphony’ in June 1962 (when he was 32). It may not Live [HFN Feb ’15], and although the upper series with Simon Russell Beale and Sir Mark quite rank with the Reiner Zarathustras as strings can sound a little steely at high Elder you may recall discussions on VW’s an audiophile release but musically it is levels, the acoustic is cleaner. The playing Pastoral Symphony, its premiere greeted no less interesting and the coupling too is especially lovely in the slow movement with talk of fi ve-barred gates and cow-pats. shows the young conductor’s individualism. and the linking section into the fi nale. But in effect it encapsulated his experiences Maazel’s Till is a rather suave character The coupling is leader Jonathan Morton’s in World War I. It’s perhaps the least easily whose exploits never become tedious! This persuasive transcription of the 1944 string grasped of the nine: not much to draw you pairing is something of a forgotten treasure quartet, rather like those by Barshai of in to (i), for example. The Hallé’s playing in EMI’s archives, with ample hall depth in other chamber works. It brings out the is remarkable, while the solo trumpet the sound – even if the violin sections are, tics and themes heard in the wartime and soprano passages have a beautiful arguably, a bit forward. (The uncredited symphonies, and the solo recitatives in (ii) perspective. The Tallis Fantasy is revealed soloist in the ‘Tanzlied’ was probably the and (iv) are retained to telling effect. The in all its gloom and majesty; and the Wasps then leader Hugh Bean.) CB fi nale has some thrilling string playing. CB overture is new, not the 2010 reissued. CB Sound Quality: 90% Sound Quality: 85% Sound Quality: 90% 0 ------100 0 ------100 0 ------100

TCHAIKOVSKY The Nutcracker Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Neeme Järvi Chandos CHSA 5144 (SACD hybrid; downloads up to 96kHz/24-bit resolution) Neeme Järvi brings down the fi nal curtain in grand style on his Bergen ballet trilogy: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and now this complete Nutcracker. It comes uninterrupted, ie, as a single SACD or high-res download, in excellent sound (whereas classic favourites like the Ansermet or Dorati are now long in the tooth). It’s quite a driven account, which makes listening exciting, although you need to hear, by way of a complementary experience, how much Rostropovich eked out in expressiveness and inner detail in his Suites recording with the BPO [DG 449 7262]. The orchestral playing is impressive – notably the Bergen wind soloists – and there’s a pleasing children’s chorus. CB Sound Quality: 85% 0 ------100

YEARBOOK 2015 | www.hifi news.co.uk | 163 +,‡45(&25'6The name in audiophile quality LPs Catalogue

HIQLP002 HIQLP003 HIQLP004 HIQLP005 HIQLP006 Grieg: Music From Peer Gynt Holst: The Planets Mendelssohn/Bruch* English String Music: Beethoven: Triple Concerto Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra Violin Concertos Elgar & Vaughan Williams Oistrakh/Rostropovich/Richter Sir Thomas Beecham André Previn Yehudi Menuhin/Philharmonia Sinfonia of London Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra/Susskind/Kurtz* Sir John Barbirolli Herbert von Karajan

HIQLP007 HIQLP008 HIQLP009 HIQLP010 HIQLP011 Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture Carl Orff: Carmina Burana Bach: Violin Concertos in A minor Sibelius: Symphony No.5 André Previn’s Music Night (music by Romeo & Juliet/Marche Slave Armstrong/English/Allen and E minor/Double Violin Cto* Finlandia Walton, Dukas, Ravel and others) London Symphony Orchestra LSO Chorus/LSO Yehudi Menuhin/Christian Ferras* Philharmonia Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra André Previn André Previn Bath Festival/Menuhin Herbert von Karajan André Previn

HIQLP012 HIQLP013 HIQLP014 HIQLP015 HIQLP016 Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez Mussorgsky (orch. Ravel): Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 'YRĜiN6\PSKRQ\1RLQ(0DMRU Fantasia para un gentilhombre Pictures From An Exhibition Orchestre National de France Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy/Perlman 6PHWDQD7KH0ROGDX IURP0i9ODVW Angel Romero/London Symphony Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (1919 Version) Leonard Bernstein Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra/André Previn Philadelphia Orchestra/Riccardo Muti Lawrence Forster Herbert von Karajan

HIQLP017 HIQLP018 HIQLP019 HIQLP020 HIQLP021 Fauré Requiem Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 Handel: Music for the Royal Strauss: Ein Heldenleben Beethoven: 7th Symphony in A King’s College Choir Cambridge Sviatoslav Richter Fireworks Symphonic Poem Op. 40 Rameau (arr. Klemperer): New Philharmonia Orchestra Orchestre de Paris Handel: Concertos in F & D Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Gavotte with Six Variations Sir David Willcocks Lorin Maazel London Symphony Orchestra Sir Thomas Beecham New Philharmonia Orchestra Sir Charles Mackerras Otto Klemperer

HIQLP022 HIQLP023 HIQLP024 HIQLP025 HIQLP026 Ravel: Boléro Mozart: Symphony No. 40 Smetana: The Bartered Bride Vivaldi: The Four Seasons Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major Daphnis & Chloé Suite No.2/Pavanne Mozart: Symphony No. 41 ‘Jupiter’ Dvorak: Scherzo Capriccioso London Philharmonic Orchestra Philharmonia Orchestra London Symphony Orchestra Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Itzhak Perlman Paul Kletzki André Previn Herbert von Karajan Rudolf Kempe (Violin & Conductor) MASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL ANALOGUE MASTER TAPES -- FEATURING THE ORIGINAL SLEEVE ARTWORK

HIQLP027 HIQLP028 HIQLP029 HIQLP030 HIQLP031 Bizet: L’Arlésienne/Carmen Berlioz: Harold in Italy Rossini: Overtures Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade Philharmonia Orchestra Orchestre National de France Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Hallé Orchestra Philharmonia Orchestra Herbert von Karajan Leonard Bernstein Sir Colin Davis Sir John Barbirolli Paul Kletzki

HIQLP032 HIQLP033 HIQLP034 HIQLP035 HIQLP036 Nights In Vienna Brahms: Violin Concerto in D The Academy In Concert Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Brahms: Symphony No. 3 in F 6XSSp+HXEHUJHU6WUDXVV/HKiU Perlman (violin) Albinoni, Mendelssohn, Bach, Mozart Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brahms: ‘St. Antoni Chorale’ Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Chicago Symphony Orchestra Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Carlo Maria Giulini Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Rudolf Kempe Carlo Maria Giulini Sir Neville Marriner Sir John Barbirolli

HIQLP037 HIQLP038 HIQLP039 HIQLP040 HIQLP041 Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 Telemann: Suite in A Minor, etc. Elgar: Enigma Variations 6FKXEHUW8Q¿QLVKHG6\PSKRQ\ Music Of Spain: John Ogdon (piano) David Munrow (recorder) Cockaigne Overture Symphony No. 5 in B Flat Turina/Albéniz/Falla Philharmonia Orchestra Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Philharmonia Orchestra Philharmonia Orchestra Paris Conservatoire Orchestra Sir John Barbirolli Sir Neville Marriner Sir John Barbirolli Otto Klemperer Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

HIQLP042 HIQLP043 HIQLP044 HIQLP045 HIQLP046 Schubert: Wanderer Fantasie Tchaikovsky/Glinka/Rimsky Mozart: Piano Concertos 'YRĜiNµ&HOOR&RQFHUWR Debussy: La Mer, Trois Nocturnes Sonata in A Major Op. 120 - Korsakov: Capriccio Italien etc. No. 20 in D Minor Fauré: Elegie Philharmonia Orchestra Sviatoslav Richter Philharmonia Orchestra No. 23 in A Major Philharmonia Orchestra Carlo Maria Giulini Paul Kletzki The English Chamber Orchestra Walter Susskind Daniel Barenboim

HIQLP047 HIQLP048 HIQLP049 Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra Schumann: Concerto In A Minor Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Till Eulenspiegel Liszt: Concerto No. 1 in E Flat Major Philharmonia Orchestra Philharmonia Orchestra Philharmonia Orchestra Yehudi Menuhin (solo violin) Lorin Maazel Annie Fischer (piano) / Otto Klemperer Efrem Kurtz All mastered from the original analogue master tapes at Abbey Road Studios and pressed on 180g vinyl

See full catalogue & order online now from www.hiqrecords.com All Items subject to availability Dealer Directory

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love your music 6HQVLEOHKLðVLQFH Wilson Benesch Michell Engineering · Rega Grado · Naim · Harbeth The Chord Company · Croft Kudos · Quadrasphire Audiovector · PMC · Spendor Audiolab · Quad · Michell Project · Devialet 18 Market Street, Tavistock Devon PL19 0DE Saffron Walden www.radlettaudio.co.uk 01822 618 940 01799 599080 [email protected] [email protected] www.tavistocaudio.co.uk

IAN HARRISON HI FI TRADE IN AN ORTOFON MOVING COIL AND SAVE UP TO 30% OFF ANY OF THESE CARTRIDGES! Malvern, Worcestershire AIR TIGHT, AUDIO TECHNICA, BENZ MICRO, CARTRIDGE MAN, DECCA LONDON, DENON, GOLDRING, Modwright Instruments, KOETSU,ORTOFON, TECHDAS, VAN DEN HUL, ZYX. Tune Audio, J.C.Verdier, Signal Projects, Audionote UK PLEASE PHONE FOR PRICES and much more… FREE ROYAL MAIL SPECIAL DELIVERY 01684 560853 [email protected] www.bd-audio.co.uk [email protected] TEL: 01283 702875

IAN HARRISON HI FI www.soundcinergy.co.uk HARBETH LOUDSPEAKERS P3 ESR MONITOR 30.1 HL COMPACT 7ES3 MONITOR 40.1 Super HL5+ Exposure · Heed · Kudos Lehmann · Linn · Marantz · Michell Supplier Of Harbeth Since 2003 All About The Music Monitor Audio · Naim · Neat Digital & Analogue Audio Specialists Okki Nokki · Ortofon · Project PLEASE PHONE FOR PRICES Roksan 01362 820800 [email protected] [email protected] TEL: 01283 702875 37 High Street, Aldridge 01922 457926 www.basicallysound.co.uk To advertise in this section please call Sonia Smart on 07710 394391

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 SPEND £2000 OR MORE ON ANY TURNTABLE, TONEARM OR TURNTABLE AND ARM, AND GET A £500 CARTRIDGE FREE!

MAIL ORDER ONLY FROM; IAN HARRISON, 7 MILL HILL, REPTON, DERBY, DE65 6GQ TEL: 01283 702875 9am-9pm INCLUDING SUNDAYS.

Asimi Ultra Interconnect

TO ADVERTISE HERE PLEASE CALL

Sonia Smart the performance connection 07710 394391 atlascables.com To help ensure accuracy, your classifi ed advertisements must be submitted by email or post... MARKETPLACE Please email your entries to: letters@hifi news.com

casework. Full Naim service 2005. black fi nish. All in immaculate, THE PLACE TO Asking £550, delivery included. unmarked, as new condition, BUY & SELL AUDIO Tel: 02890 962201 fully working and very little use (non smoking environment). All EQUIPMENT & ACCESSORIES 9. TURNTABLES original remotes, Quadlinks and manuals. Genuine reason for sale. REGA RP-6 turntable. Red, £1200 ono. Prefer collection but immaculate, with original box. No can arrange delivery. cartridge. Photos available. £500. Tel: 01460 220672. Email: Tel: 01942516092/07742758182. [email protected] NOW FREE Email: stephen-holme@blueyonder. co.uk 12. MISCELLANEOUS 1. ACCESSORIES MUSICAL Fidelity A3.2 CD player, £250. Musical Fidelity THORENS TD166MkII record EARMAX Pro2 valve headphone QUADRASPIRE cherrywood Tri-Vista 21 DAC, £550. Owned from deck, £150. Tel: 01708 457691 amplifi er. VGC. £200. hi-fi furniture, four-tier equipment new, excellent condition, original Tel: 07855 744831 rack plus two each of matching CD packaging. Buyer collects. PRO-JECT Carbon Debut and LP cubes. VGC. £250. Tel: 01376 332186 turntable plus 2M Red Ortofon B&O Beocentre 7000 cassette, Tel: 07855 744831 cartridge, £150. Tel: 01782 785734 needs belt, boxed, £160. 5. DACS Tel: 01708 457691 2. AMPLIFIERS LINN LP12 spares. Original fl uted AUDIOLAB MDAC, black, plinth, dust cover, SME armboard, AIWA 009 cassette deck, TUBE Technology Unisys boxed, £275. Buyer collects, cash top plate, sub chassis plate, outer excellent, £175. Tel: 01708 457691 integrated valve amplifi er, VGC, only. Tel: 020 8641 0507/ turntable platter. Sensible offers £400. Tel: 07855 744831 07715 300759 please. Tel: 0208 847 4796 LOOKING for a marked absence of background noise? Clarity? Value ION Obelisk 100 stereo amplifi er, DAC Audiolab MDAC, black, SME 312s 12in arm, mint for money? Brushed aluminum and £100. Tel: 01708 457691 mint, boxed, £350. condition. Less than a year old, low black? Pristine condition, one owner Email: [email protected] hours. Fully boxed with manual/ from new and with original boxes? XINDAK A600E MkII amplifi er, tools. RRP £2500 asking £1500. Then please consider the following 160W, Class A output, light use, mint 7. SPEAKERS Can post or delivery/collection items (will split): Musical Fidelity condition, £950 (£2500 RRP). possible. Tel: 07745 995179. A308cr preamplifi er £590, A308cr Tel: 07905 34812 ATC SCM 100 ASL Tower, black, Email: [email protected] 24-bit upsampling CD player £490, immaculate, with all packing. £7995. A3.2 RDS tuner £290. DEVIALET 400 dual mono Tel: 01942516092/07742758182. ORTOFON Per Windfeld MC, Email: [email protected]. amps. One year old and very little Email:stephen-holme@blueyonder. nearly new (90 hours’ use). Fully Tel: 0750 0804700 use. Boxed, all accessories, latest co.uk boxed. RRP £2500, asking £1000. software, superb sound. Priced to Can post or delivery/collection 13. WANTED sell at £5495 (including delivery) PMC Fact 8 (pair). Tiger Ebony. possible. Tel: 07745 995179. ovno. Pictures available on request. Superb condition. Light use only. Email: [email protected] FAULTY or non-working Quad 44 Email: [email protected]. Can dem. Cost £5250, have receipt. preamplifi ers. Tel: 01758 613790 Tel: 00974 66312709 (Currently retails around £5995.) CREEK OBH 15 Mk1 phono stage Original packaging, but prefer buyer and power supply, VGC, £175 ono. NAGRA CDP or CDC. Cash NAIM Nait XS, as new, boxed, collects. (Eastbourne) £2750. Email: [email protected]. waiting. 07745 995179. Email: genuine reason for sale, £1000. Tel. 01323 767647 Tel: 07939 081504 [email protected] Tel: 075830 78744 LINN Index speakers, £70. 11. SYSTEMS EAR 509 mk 2 amplifi ers. Prefer HEED Obelisk Si plus dedicated Sx Tel: 01708 457691 immaculate or excellent condition. power supply. All the PRAT of Naim QUAD 99 CDP-2 CD, 99 FM Tel: 01942 516092/07742 758182. with none of the fatigue. Absolutely BOWERS & Wilkins DM4 in tuner, 99 preamp and 99 stereo Email: stephen-holme@blueyonder. wonderful. New £2050, totally mint, very good condition and working power amp. All in rare dark grey/ co.uk £1000. Pictures on request. order, £125 ovno. Bowers & Wilkins Email: [email protected] DM11 in immaculate condition and working order, £80. Can PLACING AN ADVERTISEMENT IN THE HI-FI NEWS CLASSIFIEDS SECTION LEAK Stereo 30 amplifi er, demonstrate. Buyer collects from Fill in your advertisement copy here... (working but needs some attention), South London. Tel: 0208 670 6828/ Please write the product category number that best suits your equipment in the £30. Tel: 02476 592585 07796 878504 fi rst square. The product categories are: 1 – Accessories; 2 – Amps; 3 – Cables; 4 – CD/DVD players; 5 – DACS; 6 – Software (CDs, records etc.); 7 – Speakers; 8 – QUAD 33 preamp £100, 303 WILMSLOW Audio horn Tuners; 9 – Turntables; 11 – Complete Systems; 12 – Miscellaneous; 13 – Wanted power amp £100, FM3 tuner £50. 44x13x19in Fostex unit EE 208 All boxed and excellent condition, EZ full range, Fostex horn treble We will insert the telephone number you want to appear in your advertisement(s) hardly used, cables included. unit T90A 97DB £500. Wilmslow as many times as is needed. You only need to fi ll it in once and it only counts as Tel: 07974389279 Audio Classique ribbon speaker one word – even if you run multiple adverts. 36x10.5x12in CD 2.8, Volt M 3. CABLES Bass 91DB BM 220.8 £350. Tel: 020 85315979 CHORD Rumour speaker cable. 7m length and 5m length fi tted with SONUS faber Cremona Mk1 in QED Sure locks. Cost £260. Bargain maple. All parts and packaging. at £140. Pair of Chord Epic speaker Mint, unblemished. £1895. Miller cables, 1.5m, £140. & Kreisel K15/K17 surround system Tel: 01475 529216 with MJ Acoustics Pro 50 sub. Mint. £400. Email: [email protected]. 4. CD/DVD PLAYERS Tel: 01242 677699/07788975856

Tel (to appear in advert): TUBE Technology Fulcrum 8. TUNERS CD transport and matching D/A Please post this completed coupon to Hi-Fi News magazine, MyTimeMedia Ltd, Enterprise convertor both VGC £400. NAIM NAT01 tuner, olive boxes. House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, TN8 6HF, or email your advert to letters@hifi news.com Tel: 07855 744831 Perfect working order, near mint Hi-Fi News accepts no responsibility for description or condition of items advertised.

168 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 2015 Dealer Directory

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 Deputy Editor • Andrew Simpson  Wire and Terminals Art Editor • Steve Powell  Expert Advice Features Editor • Patrick Fraser Some of our Brands: Reviews Editor • Chris Breunig  Accuton Test & Measurement • Paul Miller  Audax  Aurasound PHOTOGRAPHY  Eton Andrew Sydenham  Fostex  HiVi Research MANAGEMENT TEAM  Peerless Group Editor • Paul Miller  SB Acoustics Group Art Editor • John Rook  Scan-Speak  Seas Group Advertising Manager •  Raal Rhona Bolger Subscriptions Manager • Kate Hall Chief Executive • Owen Davies Chairman • Peter Harkness ADVERTISEMENT TEAM Your Worldwide Provider of High End Loudspeaker Parts Advertising Sales • Sonia Smart Tel • 07710 394391 sonia.smart@hifi news.com madisound.commadisound.com SUBSCRIPTIONS New, renewals and enquiries... UK: Tel • 0844 243 9023 USA/Canada: Tel • (001) 866 647 9191 Rest of World: Tel • +44(0)1604 828 748 Email: [email protected] WE LIVE AT... AVTech Media 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 dsb.net, 3 Queensbridge, The Lakes, Northampton, NN4 7BF. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent. LAST WORD

point between Models 10 and 20, with the footprint of the former and the suspension of the latter. OFF THE Wilson Audio blew my socks off with the Sabrina, its best value loudspeaker ever. Naim knocked it out of the park with the Muso, arguably the best single-box music system on the market, and it’s under a LEASH! grand. PS Audio’s Sprout and Pro-Ject’s MaiA KEN KESSLERER TETELLSELLS IT LIKE IT IS.IS...... redefi ned what is possible in affordable integrated amplifi ers for the digital era, Downloads over physical without abandoning analogue. discs, headphones over Audio Research’s nod to its roots, the G Series, was a design tour de force while earbuds... Ken Kessler Luxman and Technics returned to the market with bold recognition of the high-end’s sums up the year so far Golden Age. Sticking with retro, Quad’s here are years when the high points though, is that the words produced by the PA-One proved that an all-tube headphone are so obvious that round-ups seem former are the same as those produced by amp with undiluted audiophile appeal is just unnecessary. This past year has seen the latter. It’s just that getting there was what the headphone generation needs. Tthe ascent of high-res streaming easier, eg, no need for Tipp-Ex. thanks to sources like Tidal. Meanwhile, This is not the case with sound FIVE BRANDS according to Nielsen, a further increase reproduction: however much we (and by Aaah, headphones! We were inundated in vinyl sales by 51.8% pushed global unit that I mean those who still care about sonic with masterpieces, but fi ve brands stood totals to 9.2 million LPs (2014, that is, since merit) try to promote sound quality, it is – out for me: AudioQuest’s terrifi c fi rst-ever 2015’s fi gures come out in mid-2016). pardon the expression – falling on deaf ears. headphone in the NightHawk, as well as If the latter is still relatively insignifi cant more USB accessories to make music via compared to CDs, when CDs dropped to GROWTH OF QUALITY computer more palatable and affordable; 140m or so, then far more momentous is For every child of an audiophile who Oppo for the wonderful combination of the past year witnessing the fi rst time that followed in his or her father’s hi-fi passion, headphone and matching headphone amps, downloads passed CD. They now account for a dozen couldn’t give a toss. Probably the the HA-2 [p74]; B&W’s continued expansion 52% of digital sales. only area for optimism is the continued of its range with models that maintain the Every analyst seems to have reached the growth of quality headphones over earbuds. looks, comfort and quality of the original P5; same conclusion: the latest generation of It took a while before the fashion aspect Master & Dynamic coming out of nowhere music lovers – arbitrarily, was subsumed by with headphones so steampunk-cool- people have always sound quality, but I am looking that it’s hard to believe they’re also reached the age of ‘Wilson Audio blew delighted to observe affordable; and Audeze, for some of the musical awareness and my socks off with that every time I’m best-sounding headphones, period. the formation of tastes on the Tube, or in an I thought we’d had enough losses this and preferences between the Sabrina, its best airport, I see fewer past year, with mastering genius Doug Sax, the ages of 12 and 20 Beats headphones and co-founder of Aragon Paul Rosenfi eld and – has no affi nity with value speaker ever’ more and more models reviewers Rob Reina and Tony Bolton among physical music carriers. from brands such as them. One might cast heavenward, ‘Genug They don’t want to fi ddle with discs, B&W, Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, Sony and ist genug’ – ‘Enough is enough.’ let alone schlep them around; this matters others on younger skulls. Alas, days before writing this, I learned because music-on-the-go is their preferred Not that it was a bad year for hardware, we’d lost another master of LP cutting, the listening milieu. Add mobility to a fetish for especially turntables. TechDAS halved the great Stan Ricker. Is this is the Reaper’s way convenience alongside the desire not to price of the Air Force One with the Air Force of saying that the LP revival has also reached have a physical library and you can see why Two, and the arrival of the Air Force Three at the Hereafter – or should that be Hearafter? all forms of hi-fi hardware are under threat, half the price of the ’Two, is imminent. – and he just wants the best for himself. I alongside the formats that require them. SME served up a masterpiece with the like to think that SME’s Alastair Robertson- It’s as inevitable as the word processor Model 15 [p29]: it appeared unheralded at Aikman and Koetsu’s Sugano-san are up replacing the typewriter. The difference, the Munich High End Show, a perfect mid- there thinking, ‘The gang’s all here.’

ON TEST: PLUS: î Exclusive: B&W 802 D3 fl oorstander î Investigation: Ken Kessler’s best box sets Dec Issue î Exclusive: Audio Research REF 150 SE î Show Blog: The Hi-Fi Show Live from Windsor th î Exclusive: Musical Fidelity NuVista CD î Classical Companion: Wilhelm Kempff (pianist) NOV î Exclusive: Naim NAP 250 DR amplifi er î From The Vault: Mission 770 loudspeaker on sale13 î Exclusive: Zeta Zero Venus Picolla speaker î Vinyl Icons: Van Der Graaf Generator Pawn Hearts

170 | www.hifi news.co.uk | YEARBOOK 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.

For more information and a professional demonstration on Jeff Rowland products please contact one of these dealers:

Midland HiFi Studio 01902 380083 High End Cable 01775 761880 Phase 3 Audio 01903 245577 DB HiFi 07894 136334

Distributed by: Signature Audio Systems 07738 007776 www.jeffrowlandgroup.com

IT TOOK 400 YEARS TO CREATE THIS CARTRIDGE

Ever since the fi rst Koetsu cartridges appeared in the West, nearly 40 years ago, they have served as emissaries for Japanese creativity. Each model, from the earliest Rosewood, has embodied uniquely Japanese skills and attitudes.

Urushi lacquer techniques were introduced to music lovers outside of Japan through Koetsu, when Urushi adorned the body of the eponymous moving-coil cartridge. Jade, rare woods, stone – Koetsu designers turn to nature, as do those who inspire them.

While analogue playback has been with us for only 100 years, the metiers des arts employed by Koetsu date back centuries. The brand’s namesake, Hon’ami Koetsu (1558-1637), was an artisan whose work inspired the founding of the Rinpa school of painting. In the 1970s, Sugano-san demonstrated how these disciplines enhanced the pleasure of LP playback.

Another artist would say: if it looks right, it is right. Or perhaps that should be…if it looks right, it sounds right.

“ ...like having an open window onto the music” - Jimmy Hughes - HiFi Choice

“...singing with a passion and vitality that both seduces and convinces all at once” - Roy Gregory - HiFi Plus

absolute sounds ltd. International Distributors & Consultants of Specialised Hi-End Audio & Video Systems 58 Durham Road, London, SW20 0TW T: +44 (0)20 89 71 39 09 W: www.absolutesounds.com E: [email protected] For Your Nearest Dealer Please Visit The Absolute Sounds Website