Arcam Fmj Cds27 Cd Player and A19 Integrated Amp
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1 C:\Users\Stuart\Desktop\DOCUMENTS THIS ONE\Hifi Pig\DESKTOP BACKUP\HIFI PIG\ADVERTISEMENTS\TQ\Grand Slam Large 2 (1).png 2 Hifi Pig www.hifipig.com CONTENTS REVIEWS 5. Lampizator Big 7 DAC 15. Aaron “The Chrome One” Integrated Amplifier 23. PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP Integrated Amplifier 30. Arcam FMJ CDS 27 and FMJ A19 Integrated www.hifipig.com Amplifier Telephone: +33 (0)2 97 23 70 78 E mail: [email protected] 39. Naim Mu-So 46. Russell K Red 100 Loudspeakers 55. Hana S Range Moving Coil Cartridges 60. A Chord Company Budget Loom 101. BenQ BL2420Z Monitor 103. Gibson Trainer Wireless Headphones 105. Huawei Mate S Phone 109. Sengled Pulse JBL Speaker & Bluetooth www.gadgetynews.com Lightbulb E mail: [email protected] 111. Intempo Bluetooth Jukebox 113. Oppo F1 First Impressions MUSIC 87-97. Music Reviews 96.This month John Scott continues his Classic Album series and takes a look back at David Bowie's The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. What else? COLUMNS 68. Retro Bites - Janine Elliot continues her series of articles for Hifi Pig highlighting classic hifi from yesteryear. This month, given that Sennheiser have recently announced a new $55 000 Orpheus, she turns her attention to the original Sennheiser Orpheus, first released in 1991. 70. Voice Of Dom - Many readers may think the life of your average hifi reviewer is a non-stop round of high- end luxury, champagne breakfasts, fast cars and supermodel baubles. Think again says Dominic Marsh as he tells it like it really is. 73. Fidelity Matters - Valves or solid-state? Solid-state or valves? The question that is always getting brought up in audio circles. Ian Ringstead looks at a bit of the history and some of his preferences. 76. The Views Of Stu - High-End audio and why people buy into the whole concept is a complex subject…Stuart Smith talks about very expensive cars instead. 80. Bird’s Eye View - Linette Smith takes a look into her crystal ball and see’s if she can pluck out some trends for 2016 out of the swirling mists. 76. Dealers’ View - Mike Twomey continues his monthly look at the hifi and audio business from the perspective of the dealer. This month he focuses on that all important, but oft' forgotten aspect of the business that is customer service and why it is so important to the industry. 3 4 Hifi Pig www.hifipig.com LAMPIZATOR BIG 7 DAC At €11000 plus taxes as tested the Lampizator Big 7 is certainly no budget DAC, but does it deliver on sonic ability? Stuart Smith finds out. first heard the Lampizator Big 7 last year at panels and so it seemed a sensible to at least audition Munich High-End in the Sound Galleries of the Big 7 to see if we would get along with it at Monaco booth, along with a pair of home. Of course, if we liked it, there was always the Avantgarde Duos, cables from Tellurium Q option to dig deep and make it a permanent fixture. and room treatment by GIK and for me it was And you will need to dig deep if the Big 7 does the Ione of the standout sounds of the show. Now we put sonic business for you as it comes in at a not an order in for a pair of the new Duo XDs at Munich inconsiderable €11 000 plus appropriate taxes as and we use TQ speaker cables in the main system featured here. much of the time along with GIK’s room treatment 5 Hifi Pig www.hifipig.com LAMPIZATOR BIG 7 DAC Let’s get the negatives out the way first because Now I’ve got that little lot off my chest let’s begin there are a few issues I have with this unit, and, with the review proper. whilst these issues are not deal breakers by any stretch of the imagination, I do think certain features So what do you get for your money when you buy could be improved upon. First of all we have the the Lampizator Big 7? Actually you get a pretty packaging that this particular unit came in. Yes it comprehensive unit that, although expensive, can arrived safe and sound, but this is a premium product save you a few quid elsewhere in your system. The and as such I expected much more than (an sample we have here has the preamplifier board built admittedly double boxed) package with what looked in that has one input via RCAs, meaning that you can like off cuts of packing foam to protect the unit – I use the Big 7 without a separate preamplifier and expected that Christmas morning feeling that we feed it straight to your amplifier (s) of choice, saving constantly bang on about! Of course this would add you the added expense of buying a pre. This of to the already not insignificant cost of the Big 7, but course only works if you have a relatively basic come on guys! Secondly is the joke of a remote system, but to be fair the vast majority of folk will be control which is a cheap, plasticky affair that would catered for in this respect as you can put your CD’s be more at home with a seventy five quid portable digital out in to the Big 7’s S/PDIF input, your television from CostCo or Argos. Finally the unit computer’s USB out into its USB input (32 bit/384 supplied had a loose digital RCA input that required kHz PCM and DSD upto 128x ) and your phonostage tightening…this meant taking off the top of the DAC (or whatever else you have that feeds a line signal) and sorting it out myself…this really should have into the preamplifier section’s RCA inputs. Outputs been checked at the final stage of packing! offered on the model we have are a pair of RCAs and a pair of balanced XLRs. There’s also an AES/EBU 6 Hifi Pig www.hifipig.com LAMPIZATOR BIG 7 DAC input on XLR but that hasn’t been used. So, The immediacy and connection wise you are nicely covered with the Big 7 and could run a system with just a computer or realness of what was transport, the DAC, amp and speakers should you wish. coming out of the On the front of the unit you get the volume knob (on this version) and an LCD display showing you the speakers was, in my input you have selected and volume…it’s not a great display and I had to be close by to see what was experience, simply selected. without match. Via USB you get a DSD engine that will deal with 64x and 128x and whilst I’m well aware that there is a number of people who believe that DSD is little with the tubes, you can do a good degree of tube more than a fad I would say that these folk should go rolling (I chose not to) and use 101D, 45, 245UX or out and take a listen to a properly encoded DSD 2A3s with the heater voltage being changed recording on a proper DAC and then make their accordingly by a switch inside the DAC. Wiring minds up. The DSD engine uses “unmanipulated, inside the unit is all silver in Teflon and you get filtered, raw, native data-stream as the signal” which separate transformer windings for the valve circuit, a essentially means there is as little as possible separate transformer for the digital section and happening to your DSD signal before it is output. separate secondary windings “for every task”. As Inside the Big 7 it has to be said that it is beautifully with most reviews I write I won’t get bogged down put together and is a bit of a testament to the in the technical side of things as I just don’t have the engineer’s skill. There are two standard chokes (the knowledge or interest other than the end result and Golden Gate version has “premium chokes”) the music that comes out the speakers and so urge Copper/wax Jupiter caps and the unit comes as you to read the Designer’s Notes that follow this standard with four 101D Psvane tubes and a review. Shuguang 274B rectifier tube. Now as we are on 7 Hifi Pig www.hifipig.com LAMPIZATOR BIG 7 DAC The Big 7 is so called with good reason because whilst it may not actually be that heavy (it weighs First let’s have a chat about the Big 7 in use as it is 16KG) it is pretty large, particularly in depth, not your usual “plug and play” type scenario. You measuring 45cm in width, 12cm in height (25cm if turn the Lampy on with a big toggle switch located you account for the tubes) and…wait for it…53cm round on the back panel. This is centrally located and deep. Most racks will not accommodate this depth of whilst it’s pretty easy to find, I would have preferred course, but the Big 7 has six feet underneath to have this on the front, on the side, or even meaning that the front two pairs will sit nicely on a underneath the DAC. Flick the switch and the unit standard depth rack, with the remaining pair and the slowly comes to life and the warm glow of the valves back end of the DAC overhanging by 12cm on the begins.