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This Issue

JANUARY 2015 Issue 14www.hifipig.comTelephone: +33 (0)2 97 23 70 78E mail: [email protected] - 488 244 898 00018

CONTENTSPage 3. Electronics

Page 92. Turntables andAccessories

Page 111. Loudspeakers

Page 166. Headphones andAccessories

50. Cables and Mains

Page 336. Accessories

Page 352. Competition. One luckyHifi Pig reader will win a bundle ofkit worth £2500

Welcome to the Hifi Pig Yearbook. Here you will find every reviewthat we have carried out over the year - there are over a hundred!

What a great year 2014 was for Hifi Pig - we have seen ourreadership figures soar, introduced the free Hifi Pig Magazine,media partnered the North West Audio Show and visited severalother European audio shows.

Moving forward we have some very innovative plans that willfurther consolidate our position in the audio world including amedia partnership with the SIAV Hi End Show in Shanghai.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all Hifi Pig readers forshowing us your continued support and wish you happy listeningfor the coming year.

Stuart Smith

WELCOME

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Van de Leur Audio is arelatively young company withjust two products in theirportfolio – the 402 poweramplifier and the 002preamplifier. Both productsare designed and hand-built inHolland and the poweramplifier is of a class D designusing Hypex modules, whilstthe preamplifier uses valves.Both units come with a fiveyear guarantee and arriveddouble boxed and very wellpacked.

We first bumped into Pim Van de Leur onthe last day of the Munich High endshow, but we never got more than a

cursory listen in less than ideal conditions to whatlooked like very interesting first products from ayoung, vital and funky Dutch company. You onlyneed to take a look at the company’s website to seethey’re setting themselves apart from the oftenstraight-laced high-end branding that is prevalent.002 PreamplifierThe 002 preamplifier certainly looks the part with itsbrushed aluminium fascia, hefty carrying handles and“Van de Leur” engraved top plate. On the front youget a large volume control knob, source selector, afunkyly lit on/off button, a balance control knob anda headphone output.Move around to the back and you have four lineinputs, a home theatre pass through and inputs forboth moving coil and moving magnet cartridges –when ordering the 002 you will be asked the MCcartridge brand and model you intend to use and theunit will be set specifically for this cartridge. The

Van de Leur 002 Preamplifier and 402 Power Amplifier


moving coil input uses Vanderveen MC10 step uptransformers. You get outputs for power amp, recordand direct out for connecting to anotherpre/processor.All in all the 002 is a very well equippedpreamplifier and the included infra-red remote isweighty and well made with just volume up anddown buttons.Tubes used are two E88CCs for the line stage, four12AT7s for the phono stage and wiring throughout issilver.Plug the pre in to the mains and the on/off buttonglows red. Press it and it glows light blue whilst thepreamp sets itself up and then brighter blue whenready to use – set up takes a few seconds. Nice!402 AmplifierThe 402 power amplifier matches the looks andstyling of the 002 preamplifier perfectly and thepairing certainly looks handsome and purposeful onthe rack. On the front you get an on/off switch,whilst round the back you have switchable inputs forRCA and balanced XLR. Now this struck me as a bit

of an odd one – clearly the 002 and the 402 werecreated to work together but the preamp doesn’t havethe option for balanced XLR output. You also get apair of Audio Note silver plated speaker connectorswhich will accept banana or spade connectors.The amp is dual mono, delivers 2 x 400 watts via itsHypex modules and inside looks very clean and tidy.Let’s Have a ListenNaturally the sensible thing to do here is to listen tothe preamp and the amp together as they were madeto compliment each other. Straight into the mainsystem they go with the VAD DAC, the usual vinylfront ends and the hORN Mummys. First up is analbum that’s hardly been off the CD player since itarrived and Sano “Sano”. Bass is deep, bouncy andwell controlled with the stereo mix being fairly wideand with good depth - sound effects do jump outfrom the mix as they should. The overall character isquite “analytical” and very accurate and dynamicwhich may not be to everyone’s taste and I think thisis down to the nature of the Class D amp, but the pre-amp does seem to be tempering this Class D-ishnessa tad. Cranking up the volume you get more of the



same and you get the impression that the amplifier isbarely even breaking a sweat – given its quotedoutput it certainly shouldn’t be.Popping on “Apostrophe” by Zappa you get thevocal very much centre stage and slightly forward inthe mix. Lead guitar has good attack and decay and isfast in that not lingering in the air kind way that Ihate. Instrument separation is very good withinstruments being positioned left to right and back tofront correctly. Where the Black Pearl integrated wereviewed recently was quite “warm”, with the VanDe Leur you seem to get what is on the recordingwithout a great deal of embellishment – some willenjoy this whilst others may find it not to theirindividual tastes. I suppose like a lot of things we allhave our own personal way of preferring how thingsare done – and the World’s a better place for it! TheVan de Leur amplifier certainly could never beaccused of being warm in its character; it’s verymatter of fact “here’s what you gave me and that’swhat you’ll get”.If you enjoy an accurate portrayal of the studio mixthen you’ll love this pairing as there seems to be very

little added or taken away. There is certainly plentyof detail in the sound and with “Cosmic Debris” youreally can hear everything that’s in the recording – itjust hasn’t got that X factor for my taste – some willsay that the X factor I’m referring to is an artifice andshouldn’t play a part in true high-fidelity audioreproduction anyway.On Vibert/Simmonds’ “Rodulate” there is a realpower to the music with the machine drum hatssounding just like they do on the actual drummachine. Here I found myself thinking that thiswould be the perfect amplifier to have in the studio.Bass is deep and powerful and does that stop startthing that I like – no overhang. On complex passagesin the mix the pairing is nonplussed and just gets onwith banging out what it is presented with withoutgetting befuddled or confused in any way. Sub basssounds (Room 28 Rap) go LOW and are very wellcontrolled.I think that what shines through with the Van DeLeur pre and amp pairing is that there is anoverriding sense of the amp being very much wellimplemented Class D in that it sounds accurate, fast



and detailed …but bit lacking in creating anemotional involvement with the music for my owntaste. This is all very subjective I’m well aware and Iknow lots of people will really love the no nonsenseapproach to the presentation!Pop the pre in front of the Tellurium Q Iridiumpower amplifier (SECA) (at around double the priceit has to be said) and here things seem to take a leaptowards what I’d consider to be a great pairing. Goneis the sound I’d like to hear in front of a pair ofmonitors in the studio and out comes a fabulous bitof home audio.Jean Michel Jarre’s “Sessions 2000” simply comes tolife and is the best I’ve heard with any pre in front ofthe Iridium. The detail is still apparent but thepreamplifier doesn’t seem to be there only to give theamp a bit of character as it seemed with the Van deLeur amp in the chain.The Van de Leur pre adds something to the Iridiumthat has my own preamplifier cowering in the corner,afraid to show its face – musical is the word I’d use Isuppose – gloriously musical!Fat Freddy’s Drop again comes to life with“Shiverman” bouncing along in the bass departmentand being nicely controlled too. The reverbed soundeffects come out of the mix in a totally 3D fashionand the soundstage is deep with excellent height.Vocals are very clearly defined as being separate toother instruments and the whole thing is wonderfullycoherent in a believable home-audio-experiencesense. There is delicacy when it’s needed and there iswhoomf when it’s needed.Vinyl O’ClockSwitching from CD to vinyl and the MM input usingthe Wilson Benesch Circle turntable, Origin LiveSilver arm, the Cartridge Man Music Maker III andthe SECA amp in place you are rewarded with agreat sense of the music. Hats are snappy, bass isdeep and controlled and vocals just sound right. Thisis certainly a step up from my Electrocompanietphonostage I hate to say. Gus Gus “Arabian Horse”is deep in the bass, shimmery in the tops and the midfrequencies bring everything together nicely. Vocalsleap out from the mix and are correct in tone. There’smasses of detail and a wide and deep soundstage…much more so than with my reference pre andphonostage in place.Time to switch turntables and over to the Technics1210, Origin Live Silver arm and Audio TechnicaEV33 Moving Coil cartridge we go. There’s a little

toggle switch on the back of the preamp to switchbetween moving coil and moving magnet – it wouldhave been nice to have it on the front, but to be fairI’m sure not everyone who buys this pre is going tobe switching between MM and MC every fiveminutes.Fleetwood Macs old faithful “Rumours” comes outof hiding and there just seems to be a whole lot moreof the record there than I’m used to with mypre/phono combo – lots more detail and on “SecondHand News” and there’s an extra layer to the top-endwhich sounds sublime. “Dreams” is bouncy with thevocal silky and hats sparkling and crisp. I love thisalbum and this is as good as I’ve heard it soundinganywhere with any pre/phono/amp combo. Guitarstrumming is fast and controlled and there’s anagging hi-hat noise that I’ve honestly never been


In isolation thestand out producthere is thepreamplifier – it’smusical and has ahost of featuresthat add to theusefulness andvalue. When pairedtogether you havea very competentduo thatcompliments eachother very nicely.


aware of before. The sound is hugely detailed,delicate and yet powerful. “Songbird’s” vocal iswonderfully rendered and the sense of space withinthe recording is very apparent. Again, as with theMM section of the pre there are certainly nocomplaints here.As a bit of an experiment before the Van de Leuramp and preamp are returned to Holland I thoughtI’d plug them into the little Concept 20 loudspeakersfrom Q Acoustics – they’re still in the main listeningarea and firing across the room. Now I wasn’t goingto bother with this as price-wise this is a completemismatch…but how wrong I was. There certainlyseems to be a bit of a synergy thing going on here.Yes you’ve still got that overall sense that the amp isClass D but the combination is very pleasing. Theamp just seems to grab hold of the little Concept 20sand it drives them really well. Well whoda thunk it –a few hundred quids worth of loudspeakers on theend of €8498 of amp and preamp? Actually I’m a bitgobsmacked by the combo. Bass is rendered tightand controlled on “One Night in Comene” whereasPhantom Limb sounds nice and fast with a lovelyvelvety rich tone to the vocal. There just seems to bea little more musicality brought out with the 002, 402and Concept 20 mix than with my Mummy speakers- vocals in particular stand out as being well done,appearing warmer and more rounded, whilst still

accurate, but without that analytical feel I mentioned- bass is deep and powerful. There’s definitely moreof an emotional connection to the music than withmy own speakers. Perhaps a bit of clever loudspeakerpartnering with the amp is what is needed to bringout the very best from it!Headphone TimeIt’s good to see a headphone amp on a pre and thislooks like a feature more and more manufacturers areembracing…and that’s a good thing for occasionalheadphone users. There are certainly no complaintsfrom me with regards to the headphone output. Itdrove all the headphones I plugged into it very welland the sound was good, clean and well balanced.For most but the diehard headfi fanatic the includedoutput will be more than satisfactory.ConclusionBuild of both the 402 amp and the 002 preamplifieris of very high quality and the overall designaesthetics will please many – they manage to pull offthat “guy-fi” image whilst maintaining an elegantstance on the rack which will satisfy those in need ofkeeping domestic bliss. I can see it appealing to thosewho want to have a fantastic looking bit of kit ondisplay and who want a no nonsense, accurate andpowerful reproduction of their music collection.One of the things I enjoyed about the 002 preamp inparticular was the inclusion of a full functionphonostage and a headphone amplifier. Thephonostage is easily better than my currentElectrocompaniet stage and would stand its ground incompany of stages up to the £1500 mark, perhapsbeyond, I would have said.In isolation the stand out product here is thepreamplifier – it’s musical and has a host of featuresthat add to the usefulness and value. When pairedtogether you have a very competent duo thatcompliments each other very nicely.The preamp comes in at €4999 and the amp is €3499which isn’t a drop in the ocean by most people’sstandards, but for your money you get well made,great looking kit that delivers on sound quality. TheClass D amp will not be to everyone’s taste I am wellaware (some folk just don’t get the Class D soundwhilst others do), but even if you aren’t a fan of thisimplementation you really should give the Van DeLeur pairing a serious audition as this is Class Ddone well.Stuart Smith


The preamp comes inat €4999 and the ampis €3499 which isn’t adrop in the ocean bymost people’sstandards, but foryour money you getwell made, greatlooking kit thatdelivers on soundquality.


http://www.coffmanlabs.com/


It’s beautifully put together and feels bomb-proof.I also love the way the knobs on the front of thepreamp feel – the selector switches clunk into

place and they have a firm and solid feel to them –they’re also of a size that just feels right. On top ofthe rack it looks absolutely fabulous and issomething of a work of art to my eyes.OK, so it looks great but what do you get for the notinconsiderable sum of $5500? Quite a lot actually!There’s a separate and visually matching outboardtube rectified (5AR4) power supply which connectsto the main unit by a thick and sturdy umbilical. Youget a phonostage with a step up transformer movingcoil input and moving magnet input, a headphoneamplifier, three line level inputs, two variableoutputs and a tape output. Feature-wise the askingprice is starting to stack up to seem pretty reasonableand then we look inside where we have NOS paperin oil capacitors sourced from cold war Russian, theswitches are military aircraft grade and designed formillions of operations and all wiring is point to pointand by default labour intensive. Then there’s the factthat there will only ever be 500 of the G-1A made

Coffman Labs G-1A Preamplifier

First of all let mesay that Iabsolutely love theaesthetics of the$5500 G-1A fromCoffman Labs withits purposeful andalmost steam-punk looks.


and so you actually get to own something that has adegree of rarity value too.So who are Coffman Labs?Based in Oregon, USA Coffman Labs is thebrainchild of Damon Coffman a classically trainedviolinist and physicist (that classic combination)whose stated aim is to “create products thatreproduce the natural sound experienced during liveperformance”. Damon comes from a background indeveloping and patenting specialised medical passivemonitoring devices and was involved in creating avisual stethoscope which allowed cardiac caredecisions to be made by medical assistants in rural3rd World countries.Expectations are High!!!So knowing what we had learned about the history ofCoffman Labs and the background of the maincharacter behind the brand expectations werenaturally very high when the unit arrived for review.A quick read of the instructions – there’s a specificsequence to follow when turning the unit on and off– and it was plumbed into the system and left to

warm up for a while. We settled back to listen tomusic through this new wunderkind on the blockonly to look at each other and say “this doesn’tsound right”. Perhaps it needs more warming up sowe persevered. Nope, this thing sounds screechy andpositively headache inducing and we were of a mindthat Damon, given his violin background, had tunedit specifically for this instrument …surely not. Icontacted Damon and explained that I didn’t think Icould review the preamp as it didn’t reach ourbenchmark and he suggested there may be a problemwith the power supply and so sent out a new rectifiertube…nope, still the same problem. We popped it infront of different amps, we tried different sourcesand still the same.Without any further comment from me a new unitwas shipped to us at great expense to Coffman andafter the usual French custom hassles we had ahopefully working preamp to play with.Expectations are Low!!I have to say we were both a little nervous when weplugged the newly arrived unit into the main rig andto be absolutely honest I was of the mind that the G-



1A was a bit of a lemon and Coffman Labs hadproduced something that was tuned specifically toDamon’s hearing after our first experience!However, I can truthfully say that having lived withthis preamplifier for a good while now it is awonderful piece of equipment that sounds reallybeautiful in our system with whatever kind of musicwe throw at it. I can only assume that, despite theexcellent packaging the original review unit arrivedin, somewhere along the line it was damaged intransit. The unit’s been sent back and I’m sureDamon will do a thorough investigation as to whatwas wrong with the first pre – certainly there seemedto be no physical damage!In front of the Iridium amp you get a wonderfullybalanced sound with no frequency band dominatingand that is absolutely crammed full of detail.SpecificsOn the Moving Magnet input using the variableloading at 47K (95K, 70K are available too) usingthe Cartridge Man Music Maker the word thatimmediately springs to mind is coherence.

Soundstage is very wide and deep, bass bouncy andtight on Dillinger’s “Cocaine” with the vocal trackbeing clearly forward in the mix. Each instrument iseasy to identify in the mix and there’s an overall verypleasing tone to the sound. The lead guitar thatcomes in at the end of this track is particularlyrealistic sounding which had me reaching for theLatin rhythms and virtuoso guitar of “L’Ame deBaden Powell” by Baden Powell. The close micingof the guitar is very evident in the recording and theillusion of there actually being a stage in front of youis very real indeed with the G-1A in the chain.There’s a bit of microphony from the valves in MMmode (evident if you tap the top of the preamplifier)but I’m fortunate to have the electronics in a separateand relatively isolated part of the living space so thisreally wasn’t an issue for me. Had I the time andinclination I’d have loved to have explored a bit oftube rolling to see if this could be cured for the sakeof Audiophillia Nervosa. On poor recordings theCoffman pre is pretty unforgiving and would suggestthat whatever it adds to the sound it not trying tomask the original recording in any way.



Switching to the MC input and the Technics1210/Origin Live Silver/AT33EV combo themicrophony is still evident when you tap the unit.From previous listening there is no doubt that onacoustic instruments this pre is really a top classperformer but now it’s time to throw a bit of technoat it in the form of 3 Phase and “Current 1” and theCoffman copes very well indeed. The soundstageopens up even further than with the MM input andyou get a very 3 dimensional and enveloping soundwhich is layered with loads of detail. In comparisonto my own Electrocompaniet phonostage I’d say theCoffman Labs clearly outshines it by a country mile.In comparison to the recently reviewed Van de Leurthe flavour is slightly different but overall I’d say Ipreferred the Coffman, particularly when using theMC input – it’s slightly more 3 dimensional in itspresentation.Switch to the line input the microphony disappearscompletely. There is still the feeling that this pre issomething very special indeed with that allenveloping sound. It’s still got a degree of“neutrality” but I wouldn’t say it is completelytransparent and it definitely brings something to theparty that may not be everyone’s idea of “high-fidelity” in its strictest sense but by God does itallow you to really enjoy the music. On NeilYoung’s “Cortez the Killer” Young’s distortedguitars are clearly layered and have that “in theroom” feel again. Hats are crisp and that overhangthing that I really hate on bass and drums justdisappears. The stereo image is clearly defined andyour left with a sound that is delicate and yet visceraland very, very lifelike.On the subject of bass this is an interesting aspect ofthe Coffman Labs preamp. My initial impression wasthat bass was perhaps a little light but you soonrealise that it’s not – it’s just not overblown and, as Isaid, the overall sound is very balanced.I had the opportunity to test the headphone amp witha few pairs of headphone amps we have in the houseat present and it’s very good indeed. As I’ve saidpreviously I’m not a huge headphone listener andmost of the listening I do is on little and relativelyinexpensive desktop systems so my experience oftop-top flight headphone amps is pretty limited.However, the Coffman Labs performed as well asanything we’ve had in the house over the last coupleof years and was easily a match for my prototypeheadphone amp I have used for the last couple ofyears as my reference.

Conclusion$5500 (£3350 at today’s exchange rate) is a gooddeal of money to spend on a pre-amplifier and theCoffman Labs amp is clearly aimed at a pretty highend market. However, given the quality of the unitoverall, how well it is specced and the fact that it ishandbuilt in limited numbers I’d say it representedvery good value to anyone living in the US. Adddelivery and taxes to the EU and you’re gettingcloser to a preamplifier that costs upwards of £4250so the relative value thing becomes a little moreblurred, but I’d still say that the Coffman Labs offersexcellent value against anything I’ve heard in thisprice bracket available in the EU!The sound is open and balanced and decidedlyincisive. It’s not the last word in neutrality but thenagain it’s not hugely coloured either – it’s certainlynot a “warm” sounding preamplifier by any stretchof the imagination and it is transparent to a largedegree. Feed it with good quality recordings and youwill be rewarded admirably, feed it with sub standardrecordings and it is unforgiving. Listening to the ampin my system I found myself lost in the music and Ithink that for the Iridium amplifier from Tellurium Qit is a perfect match.It excels with acoustic music but pop in rock ortechno and it’s equally superb.On the downside the issue of microphony on thephonostage may be an issue for some but by isolatingit well I had no issues other than when tapping theunit with my finger.Without a doubt well deserving of the Recommendedaward and I defy anyone who hears this pre in adecent system to say otherwise. Had this review beenwritten in 2013 the pre would have been my joint"electronics" product of the year along with theIridium power amp I’m now using. Do I hope to do adeal for the demo unit? – yes I do !Stuart Smith


The sound is openand balanced anddecidedly incisive.


http://www.amptastic.com/


A while back now, I wrote a Hifi Pig reviewof Amptastic's first product, the diminutiveMini-T class D amp. That was something of

a rave review; genuine audiophile sound quality for afew tens of £.Amazing, astonishing.I loved that little amp. And I still do. In fact, I stilluse it as the amplification for a second system,powering a pair of very nice Usher X-719standmount speakers. A £60 amp powering a £1400pair of speakers. Loopy stuff! But it works for me.

I keep a Mini-T as a 'spare' for my main system aswell, just in case a stand-in is required to use withmy 5 £figure MBL speakers. Even loopier - but thatworks for me, too.

Crazed equipment swapper that I am, the Mini-T isone of the very few (quite probably the only) pieceof audio electronics that I can return to time aftertime and still just kick back and enjoy it without anyniggly qualms.

But Chris at Amptastic is not one to let the grassgrow under his feet, and after extensive design and

Amptastic Mini-1

Amptastics Mini-1 amplifier is thefollow up to theBritish company’sMini-T that JerryJacobs loved somuch…and itcosts £99


development work a range of new product, includinga DAC, is being rolled out over the coming months.The first of these to be released for sale is the £99Mini-1 amp reviewed here.

TechnicalitiesAs with the Mini-T, the Mini-1 is based on thesuperbly transparent TA-2020 chipset. The circuithas been redesigned and refined and better qualitycomponents are utilised. The power supply, too, hasbeen uprated and a 5A wallwart PSU comes asstandard.

The TA2020 chip is a popular one, and there aremany lower quality copies available at lower cost,but Amptastic use 100% genuine Tripath chipssourced in Europe.

On-board advanced power management has beenadded to the main circuit board so that the amp is notreliant purely on an external PSU to deliver constantsmooth power to the amplifier. The amplifier itselfcan monitor and cope with very large demands andstores power reserves right next to the TA2020 IC.

Custom made copper ‘Air Core’ output inductors areused to reduce the amplifier's harmonic distortion.The output filter is a key part of the design, andAmptastic say they have benchmarked and testedmany different inductors and found that any amountof ferrite causes unwanted distortion. A long timewas spent selecting the best quality ‘Air Core’ outputinductor and better than Tripath datasheetperformance in some areas is claimed.

While still small, the chassis is a little larger and isbetter finished than the Mini-T. With its beautifullyrounded edges I think it looks seriously cool as wellas purposeful. The single pair of RCA input socketsand the speaker cable binding posts (acceptingspades, bare wire and banana plugs) grip well and areof good quality. There's adequate cable room at theback and I was easily able to bi-wire from theterminals, simultaneously using spades and 4mmbanana plugs.

The volume control can be bypassed, turning theMini-1 into a power amp, and the quite bright bluepower LED turned off, using on-board jumpersettings; a fairly simple procedure for the customer

Amptastic Mini-1


requiring a pair of needle-nosed pliers.

Sound QualityWhere the older Mini-T amp really excels is inopenness and transparency, image focus andsoundstaging, palpability and presence. Which isfine by me as that is where my own audio prioritieslie. It's not just good for a £60 amp, in my honestopinion in many musically important ways it cantake on the best amps I have heard at 5 or even 50times the price or more. Happily, the new Mini-1amp retains these qualities, while spreading its wingssomewhat and providing noticeably more power andheadroom in the bass. It's a more powerful soundwith a solid, taut, extended and free-flowing bassfoundation.

There's an overall naturalness, a "yeah, that's howthe music should sound" about the Mini-1 that I findpretty much totally satisfying and that I can return towith a smile again and again. It's musically alivewith a sense of tactile palpable presence in a way thatis so rare in an audio component.

Well, that all sounds very impressive, doesn't it. But

is it really the Perfect Amplifier?

Well, no. Resolution is good but not top notch.Despite its amazingly open and extended highfrequencies, like the Mini-T before it, the Mini-1doesn't quite resolve the last layer of detail. Forexample, the repeated 'spangy clap' in Eddy Louiss's

Amptastic Mini-1There's an overallnaturalness, a "yeah,

how the musicshould sound" about theMini-1 that I find prettymuch totally satisfyingand that I can return towith a smile again andagain.


Atoll - due to the occasional but very positiveonline and magazine 'vibes' I'd picked upover the years, I'd had a hankering for quite

a while to try some of their kit, but for some reason itjust hadn't happened. Then I spotted an eBay auctionfor one of the early AM80 power amps, and soon itwas firmly ensconced in my system ... and showingmy beloved Krell KAV-250a power amp a thing ortwo about playing music!I was a bit surprised, to say the least.So I was on the old email pronto to suggest to Stu(Mr Hifi Pig) that some current Atoll kit may well beof interest for a review. A handful of emails wereexchanged with Atoll-GB and some Atoll

Electronique-labelled boxes soon arrived.With the commendable philosophy of providing"reasonably priced true high-end audio electronicsfor budget-conscious audiophiles" Atoll was foundedin September 1997 by 2 brothers, Stéphane &Emmanuel Dubreuil and is based in Brecey,Normandy, France.Atoll's product line is quite extensive, and includes 5integrated amplifiers, starting with the 50wpc IN30.The IN200 SE reviewed here being part of thePrestige range. Digital streamers and AV equipmentare also available.Similarly, there are several CD players, and optionalboards are available allowing USB and coaxialdigital inputs to access the onboard digital to analogconverter (DAC).UK prices are currently set at £1495 for both IN200SE amp and CD200 SE-2 CD player, and start ataround £400 for the IN30 amp.There is also a "high end" range called Gamme or400 Series, priced at around £4,000 per component.The styling of these is rather more adventurous thanthe rectangular boxes of the mid-priced range, and Iam sure the intention is to provide sonics of evenhigher fidelity. I've not heard these, but given thefine performance of the lower-priced range, I wouldbe very interested in doing so!The IN200 SE integrated ampWith MOSFET output devices, this solid stateintegrated amp is a bit of a powerhouse, providing upto 120wpc (8 ohms) and 200wpc into a 4 ohm load.Available with black or silver faceplates, this is asolidly made substantial piece of gear and quiteattractive in a conventional rectangular box kind of

Atoll IN200SE & CD200 SE-2

Atoll seems to be littleknown outside theirFrench homeland butHifi Pig has alwaysbeen impressed withthe sound of theirelectronics when we’veheard them at showsand so we thought ittime to take closerlisten.


way. A finishing touch that greatly appealed to mewere the ventilating grille holes on the top panel ofthe amp; a swirling array of small circular holes, verynice!Five single-ended inputs are provided (one of whichcan be modified to access an optional phonostage),one tape loop, a home theatre bypass (to access thepower section directly without passing through thevolume control) and two pre-outs. Unusually, theIN200 SE also has a balance control (this is notaccessible from the remote control, though).Usefully, but sadly rarely seen these days, there is a(6.3mm) headphone socket lower left corner of frontfascia controlled by the amp's volume knob. Outputto the speakers is muted when the jack is inserted.The display can be dimmed (3 settings) or turned offaltogether.

The CD200 SE-2 CD player

This uses a TEAC drawer and laser mechanismdesigned purely for audio purposes. The draweraction is solid and purposeful, none of the shakyquickfire jerkiness sometimes encountered.

A BURR-BROWN PCM1794 d-a converter chipsetis used providing 24bits/192 kHz and 8xoversampling.A stereo pair of RCA outputs is accompanied by aRCA digital output. As mentioned, an option isavailable to access the onboard DAC by adding USBand co-ax digital input sockets.Unlike the IN200 SE amp, the display cannot bedimmed or turned off. The middle dimmer settingon the amp is a very close match.Usefully, the remote handset provided could controlboth the amp and the CD player.Sonics

Individually or together, the amp and CD player hada similar sonic signature and undoubtedly workedextremely well when paired. There was definitely alot of positive synergy at work here.Where these Atoll components excel is in midrange

and treble resolution and transparency - vocals arecrystal clear, higher frequency percussion is superblyrendered, and complex musical mixes are unravelledwith genuinely excellent lucidity and articulation.Quite exceptionally so when price is considered.The Buggles' Age of Plastic album has wonderfulclarity and presence with the Atoll gear, and theseparation of the vocals from the supportingelectronic mix saw me with a huge grin on my face -to be honest, in many ways I've never heard it thiswell portrayed before. Quite stunning. Thankfully,the transparency is not artificially enhanced byhyping up the treble response; the high frequenciesare clean and pure and are a pleasure to listen to.The Buggles album also highlights one of therelative shortcomings of the Atoll equipmentreviewed here - it doesn't have the deepest, grippiestbass I have heard. It's pretty good and has moderateslam and control, but there is a bit of an added gentlysoftening bloom. Some listeners may well like this,but in my view the real joy of this equipment liesfurther up the frequency spectrum.But, realistically, you cannot have everything,

Atoll IN200SE & CD200 SE-2Loreena McKennitt'sParallel Dreamsalbum againhighlights the Atollpairings superblucidity in vocalmusic, and it'scommendable lackof confusion whenthe music has manysimultaneousinterwoven strands.


especially with what must be regarded as mid-pricecomponents.Loreena McKennitt's Parallel Dreams album againhighlights the Atoll pairings superb lucidity in vocalmusic, and it's commendable lack of confusion whenthe music has many simultaneous interwovenstrands. It also shows up another slight limitation -the soundstage is of only moderate depth. The trackBreaking the Silence doesn't throw the almostholographically 3D soundstage that can be obtained -usually with much more expensive equipment! Leftto right (lateral) imaging is excellent and clearlybenefits from the top class resolution that the Atollcomponents provide, but for some reason front torear separation is a bit truncated. It's not at all bad,actually it's pretty good, but it can be improved on.Component MatchingI'm usually a 'mix & match' kind of audiophile,happy to have each component in a system from adifferent manufacturer, so long as it's synergisticallydone and is enjoyable to listen to! But I might makean exception here. The Atoll amplifier and CDplayer really do complement each other well -considering the very reasonable prices asked, there isexceptional transparency to be had in the mid andhigh frequency bands and I would be wary of pairingeither item with another brand for fear of dilutingthis.A little care is probably also needed so as not tocombine the explicit midrange and treble of the Atollequipment with a loudspeaker that is on the forwardand bright side of neutral - the combination may bea bit much and result in a tiring sound.ComparisonsThe slightly higher priced Roksan CaspianM2integrated amp that I reviewed a while back forHifi Pig provides an excellent example of analternative approach to amplifier voicing. TheRoksan's presentation is funky and upbeat, withgrippy bass and real slam across the frequency range,and a way with rhythms that just propels the musicalong. Great for some music, but, for me, lacking insubtlety and finesse for less upbeat musical genres.So - bring on the Atoll IN200 SE!

With the Atoll amp everything is a bit moreevenhanded. The rather 2 dimensional imaging ofthe Roksan is improved upon by a subtler and moreinsightful rendition of the recorded acoustic,although as previously mentioned, more can be had

in this respect. The truly excellent high resolution inthe Atoll midrange and treble gives a startling andsubtle insight into vocals and higher frequencypercussion, for example.

But does the Atoll amp re-arrange your internalorgans and have you stomping your feet to dubsteprhythms in the way the Roksan can? Well, no - itreally is a case of horses for courses. It would bevery interesting to hear what the top range Gamme /400 Series of Atoll components provides - the veryfine sounding mid-price units reviewed here wouldcertainly form an excellent foundation for a true highend range - at the cost, of course, of nearly triplingthe prices!

Summary

Excellent sound and equally excellent value formoney are to be had with both the Atoll CD200 SE-2and IN200 SE.If bass-led musical genres are your main interest, theAtoll equipment adds a bit of low frequency bloom,and you can get better grip and control elsewhere.But for pretty much any other music, the exceptionallevels of midrange and treble resolution of theseAtoll Electronique components and their ability todeftly handle all the complexities that music canthrow at them should most certainly qualify them tobe on your audition list.

Jerry Jacobs

Atoll IN200SE & CD200 SE-2It would be very interestingto hear what the top rangeGamme / 400 Series ofAtoll components provides- the very fine soundingmid-price units reviewedhere would certainly forman excellent foundation fora true high end range - atthe cost, of course, ofnearly tripling the prices!


http://www.gryphon-audio.dk/


The diminutive Qute EX is capable of playingDSD files up to 128 decoding levels andPCM from 44.1 to 384khz 16-32 bit. It has

USB, optical, coaxial via BNC and an input for thewall wart based power supply, whilst the simplemilled and anodised aluminium casework is complet-ed with a magnified fish bowl type circular windowgiving a visual indication to power and lock LEDsmounted on the circuit board.Burning InBurning in with the EX is essential so give it at least150 hours to tone down the sharpness of the extreme-ly detail driven presentation in order to round theedges a little and calm the higher frequencies. Basswill fill out in the lowest frequencies and upper bassbecomes more tuneful too.The SoundOn first listen the tiny Qute EX has an absolutelyhuge, robust and dominating sound that is in extremecontrast to my Totaldac. It is very clean and temper-

Chord Electronics Qute EX DAC

Needing nointroduction thehugely well knownand popular ChordElectronics providedHifi Pig with theirultra compact andaptly named Qute EXDAC (£1195) forreview.


ed displaying an extremely wide bandwidth. Itsounds peakier than I am used to, but has a real talentfor exposing detail… and I mean every detail. Also,quite noticeably from the outset there is a largeamount of gain meaning I could only turn my Emilleamplifier up to around half of where I would normal-ly to achieve similar listening levels.Listening to vocal and acoustic music I would saythat there is an emphasis on the recorded materialthat really stands out. I know a few guys who reallyenjoy delving into the mix of a recording and thistype of sound would suit them perfectly but for me Ifelt that the DAC didn't render the decay of the in-struments with a flowing nature, but that it stops andstarts on a dime displaying leading edges with abso-lute precision and timing. It's fast, very dynamic, hasa soundstage that can explore every reverb, perform-er and musician without breaking a sweat and all in amore upfront nature that offers the listener a seminear-field experience.

Playing some 'Power Ballad' type rock music I lovedthe grunty and raspy electric guitar that rang throughthe soundstage and I don't think I've ever heard somuch detail extracted from this type of music before.Every note, chord, string, cymbal, drum beat and vo-cal is absolutely right there to hear in all its glory -upfront, close and personal.Bass notes were particularly good with the extensionand size of the bass being accurate and it just rollsacross the room effortlessly.Some new age jazz shows terrific sound-staging andalthough forward as a whole the Qute EX still dis-plays a very good amount of intelligent layering withdynamic flurries of instruments. Clarinet solos canbecome a little hard I thought and the Chord doesfavour very good recordings for sure. I'd listen to onepiece of music and think wow this is awesome andthen the next song would sound a bit grainy andpeaky, so be very careful when feeding the Qute EXDAC with anything less than the best recording youcan obtain – it lays them bare!

Chord Electronics Qute EX DAC


However, playing a great recording on the Chord hasit expressing detail and flow in double bass and com-plex cymbal work with sax or trumpet that will utter-ly impress and astonish. For my personal taste therewas an overall desire to critique each instrument andget so drawn into the recording that I found myselfdrifting away from listening to the music as a wholepiece sometimes.I'm giving with one hand and taking with the otherhere I know and my personal tastes are somewhatirrelevant here - it's more about describing the over-all sound of the DAC which I am trying to convey.A simple piece of music such as 'Blue Jeans Blues'by ZZ Top - the acoustic version, sounds absolutelyfantastic through the Chord. This is an unclutteredstripped down piece of music and the Chord allowedeach instrument and the vocal to shine through in-credibly well, rendering each individual portion ofthe record in a way the Totaldac just cannot. Andthen we have the flip side of the coin as on ‘SevenWonders' by Fleetwood Mac and it all gets a littlemuch for me, I just don't think my brain is capable ofcomputing that much information in one go. In com-parison the Totaldac doesn't actually miss out on an-ything, but to me it comes across as a more relaxedpresentation which for me makes for a less fatiguinglisten.Listening at lower volumes late at night is a bit of atreat using the Qute EX and being able to hear everysingle note and nuance without disturbing family orneighbours was really nice.Higher resolution files fed from the Mac showed de-tail in even more abundance and great quality record-ings really gave a huge wow factor with anextremely clean sound that I’d liken to the sound youmay get whilst monitoring in a studio.In ConclusionThe Qute EX is exactly that, it looks absolutely fan-tastic. Sound-wise it not within the boundaries ofwhat I would consider to be perfect for me across thebroad range of music I listen to day to day, but forthe nearest of acoustical performances and late nightlistening I thoroughly enjoyed its hugely detailed andforward presentation.The Qute EX really is massively detailed, clean andhas an extreme bandwidth, with the sound being for-ward and upfront. Feeding it with great recordings isa must, partnering with good quality electronics is anecessity and I would say it definitely bridges thegap between hifi and pro audio.

If this type of high-fidelity, recording laid bare pres-entation is the sound that you strive for (and I knowmany who do) then partnered with equally goodequipment before and after the Chord is sure to im-press the pants off you.Would I recommend it, well I'm leaning towards nobut then that would be a more personal take on theDAC and that’s not what a review like this is reallyabout.I was asked by a friend 'but if someone you knewwas after a DAC and enjoyed a more analytical, de-tailed and upfront sound and asked your opinion onwhat to buy, what would you suggest?'The simple answer has to be without a doubt theChord.Dan Worth

Chord Electronics Qute EX DACThe Qute EX really ismassively detailed,clean and has anextreme bandwidth,with the sound beingforward and upfront.Feeding it with greatrecordings is a must,partnering with goodquality electronics isa necessity and Iwould say itdefinitely bridgesthe gap between hifiand pro audio.


It's housed in a stylishaluminium case andsports connections for

coaxial RCA, optical andAsync USB digital inputssupporting up to 24/192,along with one set ofanalogue inputs which runthrough an ADC (Analogueto Digital Converter) in orderto utilise the inbuilt amp.Output is 40wpc. Theamplifier is not a standardclass D and DACcombination it is in fact a fulldigital amplifier which themanufacturer has thefollowing to say about it"Diva is full digital amplifier,that means input PCM(pulse

code modulation, master digital signal) signal isprocessed and amplified in digital format. So there isno DAC(digital to analog converter) needed. DAC isnecessary for conventional analog amplifiers(bothsolid-state and tube) because analog amplifiers needinput analog signal to amplify.DDC converts input PCM signal into PWM signalwhich can be amplified by PWM amplifier in digitaldomain. The Critical part of digital amplifier is thisPCM to PWM converter. Performance of DDC isbased on how the algorithm used can minimize thedistortion and noise and do the exact conversionwhich results in final sound quality. One of the mostimportant factor to sound quality is SNR(signal tonoise ratio) and especially residual quantizationnoise and RF(radio frequency) switching noise ofPWM should be removed from the audible frequencyrange(20-20kHz)."The external power supply is a very high quality ana-logue design and is very heavy in comparison to themain unit and there's no doubt that the quality of thePSU is a key factor to the Divas performance.Substantial packaging encases the cute little Divakeeping it safe for its long journey overseas and dur-ing unpacking its easy to appreciate the units all alu-minium build quality and substantial weight to thehigh quality power supply, along with a true creditcard sized remote control with only 6 buttons - infact this is all that is needed for full control of theunit. First impressions left me feeling satisfied withwhat I was presented from this new kid on the block.

Brunoco Diva Amplifier and DAC

Originatingfrom Canadathe BrunocoDiva is a smallform factordigital amplifierwith integratedDAC and is onlya little biggerthan a MacMini.


I ran the unit in for a week of continuous play timeensuring it was ready for a good listen.First impressions were, “digital amplifier” but duringthe week I noticed a certain amount of weight and alittle more richness coming through filling out thebottom end nicely, my only gripe was this addedweight to the bass was emphasising a steep roll offpoint giving the bass a more one note approach.There is an equaliser built into the device - not theusual rock, dance, acoustic type, it's way more subtlethan that, the settings have a couple of letters and anumber (ie BaMd2) to refer to them, each setting islike a slightly different version of the previous. Thegoal is to use these settings as more of a digital roomequalisation than the typical graphic equaliser foundin cheaper products. Playing through these differingsettings I found one or two which I preferred, nota-bly for their smoother roll off of the bottom end al-lowing notes to fade more naturally in my listeningspace, which even though subtle was a very welcomeaddition. The EQ really does seem to be very trans-parent indeed, has been implemented very well anddoesn’t seem to get in the way.Chris Jones' 'Soul Storm Comin' has many overlaidsmaller guitar details which is a highlight of the Bru-noco - it has a great way of picking out these smallerdetails even in a strongly central focused track andeach can be heard in its entirety along with each tex-tural strum of string and richness to Chris's vocal.I've found many times with Class D amps (not all ofthem) that the attention to detail is fantastic yet theperformance as a whole can suffer with a colder ton-al balance, the Diva is voiced extremely well anddoesn't suffer from this'coldness' - it's not a ClassD amp after all. It's farfrom coloured and farfrom warm, it's has all thecharacteristics of Class Dyet with a richness to thesound!Phantom Limbs 'Don'tSay A Word' displayedglossy vocals with greatundertones of rich harmo-nies, sound staging withthe dinky Diva is fantasticalong with great layeringallowing drum rolls, gui-tar strings and doublebass to really recreate

stage placement fantastically well, encapsulating theperformance in a high end way that belies its meagreprice point.As you’re all probably are aware by now I am partialto some heavy dance beats - I've always liked what

Brunoco Diva Amplifier and DACI've found many timeswith Class D amps (notall of them) that theattention to detail isfantastic yet theperformance as awhole can suffer with acolder tonal balance,the Diva is voicedextremely well anddoesn't suffer from this'coldness' - it's not aClass D amp after all.


digital amplifiers can achieve with this sort of music- a clean and crisp representation of the genre - andthe Brunoco is no different. Hitting the volume seri-ously hard the little Diva achieved some insane vol-umes and spl's through my loudspeakers, I reached avolume which was so loud I had to turn it down alittle before I reached any perceivable levels of dis-tortion and the neighbours came knocking! A slightchange in the equaliser settings to add some morepunch to the sound and I was really amazed withwhat could be achieved from the unit.In comparative terms at twice the cost of the Bruno-co Diva is the £1000 Peachtree iDecco, also usingsimilar technology. The Brunoco makes for a much

more engaging and exciting listen in comparison,leaving the iDecco's blander and colder sonic signa-ture behind in the stakes of sound reproduction.I've written this review using my Squeezebox Touchas in my mains system it is my most known sourceand is easier to gain an impression of what theBronoco Diva adds to the sound. However, I did geta little carried away in what we can call my own freetime testing the unit with some big and small singledriver speakers, some two way bookshelves in adesktop system, with some wall speakers in a bed-room system and also with other sources such as theMac Mini, a Windows laptop and an Apple TV andI'd be very happy to use the little Diva with any or allof these sources. Notably in the bedroom with a TVon the wall a set of wall speakers and an Apple TV,it's was a wonderfully minimalist approach to repro-ducing great unobtrusive sound quality.ConclusionConnected to a Mac/PC, Streamer, CD/DVD, Televi-sion or Smart Device, the Brunoco Diva can cater forall of today's digital devices and can be setup in thesmallest of spaces.Whether the chosen music be a stripped down acous-tic or a big medley for an evening listen or a morebeat driven piece - or let's say 'party mode' - the Divahas a substantial amount of intelligence at reproduc-ing each sound and note with plenty of air and spacearound them and can hold a coherent overall imagewith rich tones and decay that just makes it such anenjoyable listen.It can pride itself on having a 'grown up' sound and asound that belies its small size and low cost, withplenty of inputs, great looks, a decent outboard pow-er supply and the ability to use what we could call asimple but effect room equalising option which hasgentle changes in the sound that allows for some finetransparent tuning - all in all with its enjoyable andtoe tapping sound is an excellent in a modern homeor hard core audiophiles second system.Build Quality - 8.5/10Sound Quality - 8.5/10Value for money - 10/10Overall - 9/10Price when reviewed - £499Highly Recommended for its detail driven,exciting performance that is true value formoney.

Dan Worth

Brunoco Diva Amplifier and DACHitting the volumeseriously hard thelittle Diva achievedsome insanevolumes and spl'sthrough myloudspeakers, Ireached a volumewhich was so loud Ihad to turn it down alittle before Ireached anyperceivable levels ofdistortion and theneighbours cameknocking!


The amp is a dual-mono integrated affair whichwill deliver 2 x 30W into 8Ohms ( 5 of whichare in Class A) and 2 x 50 W into 4 Ohms and

it costs around £775.I won’t go too much into the history of Onix aswe’ve already covered this when Jerry reviewed theOnix RA-125 back in July of last year.It has to be said that the A-25 is a smart looking bitof kit with its half-width elongated shoebox designand glass panelled front. There’s a big gold volumecontrol (Alps Blue Velvet), a source selector buttonand a power button on the front. It’s sleek, it’selegant and I really like the look of it, though I’msure that it will have its detractors who will say it’s abit blingy – I don’t think it’s at all blingy and justlooks understated and classy when parked on therack.Round the back you get two pairs of RCA inputs, apair of balanced XLR inputs and a pair of RCAs forbypass for when you want to use the amp in asurround sound set up. There’s also a pre out sectioncatered for by another pair of RCAs and finallythere’s a nice pair of loudspeaker binding posts.

Onix A-25 Amplifier

The A-25 amplifierwas created tocommemorate the30th anniversary ofthe much lovedOnix OA21 and torecall the “old-style” sound of theoriginal Tony Bradyproject.


Feature-wise it’s well catered for I’d say with enoughinputs to satisfy most people. A remote is availablethough the review sample came without.

ListeningWe thought that the ideal partnership for the Onixwould be the Q Acoustics Concept 20 loudspeakersfed with the computer through the DAC and we feltthat this partnership, which comes in at around the£1500 mark using a computer and not taking thereference DAC as the source into account, would beprobably where Onix would like to pitch this amp.We’ll also use it for watching a few films I dare say.

First onto the virtual turntable was a healthy dose ofdisco in the form of Patrick Adams Presents Phreekand here I found that the Onix offered good overalldefinition and tightness in the bass kick and whilst itdoesn’t dredge the very lowest registers it is perfectlyacceptable for such a modestly priced amplifier.Comparing with the recently reviewed Tellurium QClaymore, which excelled in the bass department, theOnix could be seen as lacking a tad, but then theClaymore costs four times as much as the Onix and

Onix A-25 AmplifierThere’s a slight overallwarmth (which somewill really enjoy) andthis leads to a reallynice non-fatiguinglistening experience –you really can listen tothis amp for hours andfeel the music as beingas fresh at the end ofthe session as it wasat the start.


so we’re comparing apples and oranges. Comparingthe Onix to the slightly less expensive Clones Audioi25, bass was somewhat tighter with less flabbinesswith the Onix.On with Brian Jackson and Gil Scott-Heron's“Winter in America” and its opening tunedemonstrating the amps ability to give a really goodinsight into the recording. Vocals are a strongpointwith the A25, as is the portrayal of all the mid-rangefrequencies and I reckon this amp will be reallypopular with those whole love vocal music - I'm sureit will also shine at hifi shows given the kind ofmusic often played at them.There’s a slight overall warmth (which some willreally enjoy) and this leads to a really nice non-fatiguing listening experience – you really can listento this amp for hours and feel the music as being asfresh at the end of the session as it was at the start.Overall the mids do dominate slightly and, at therelative budget end of the scale of things where thisamp sits, this is no bad thing I’d possibly suggest.Piano and acoustic instruments were particularlynicely portrayed I noted, as were hi hats which weresharp and crispy. Again comparing it to the littleClones amp there’s a touch more colouration andwarmth to the overall presentation which dependingon your preferences you'll either prefer or not.Soundstaging is very wide and extends way beyondthe speakers left and right and there is good, but notexceptional, portrayal of depth of stereo image.Overall you get a very acceptable, and somewhatenjoyable, insight into the mix and it’s also verystable.On Rock (Hawkwind’s glorious re-release ofWarrior On the Edge of Time) compared to the £6Kreference amplifier there is a slight blurring of theoverall image but it is still possible to pick outindividual instruments from the mix quite easily. Ananalytical tool the A25 is not, but the soundstagingon this kind of music was highly entertaining. Hihatswere again crisp and basslines easy to follow.The amplifier performs at its best when allowed tobreathe a little at medium to high volumes, but at lowvolumes (to which I rarely listen) you are left withvery little bass content and a mid and top heavysound…so any excuse to turn up the noise I suppose!If you are a late night listener then this amp may notbe for you and perhaps here the inclusion of aheadphone amplifier for occasional late night

sessions would have been useful.

Shifting to electronic music I expected to be underwhelmed by the Onix, but popping on Tresor.136(Annex 3) I found it a very interesting listen indeed.The opening track on the record has a kick that’seasy to mess up, but here it was tight and taut and thesub bass synth was certainly very much in evidence.There’s still that slight warmth to the overall sound,but again I found myself really warming (punintended) to the Onix. Instead of that cold andanalytical, studio type sound you can get with someamps you are offered up a portrayal that allows goodinsight into the music without there being so muchinformation you end up mentally pulling a track topieces and losing a degree of enjoyment.Track two on the Tresor album by Stewart S Walkerhas an electronic hat sound that really cuts throughthe mix and this was portrayed superbly by the Onix.There is still that ever so slight blurring of the soundat the very top end compared to the best but for itsclass I thought the sound was really very acceptableindeed. Dave Tarrida’s “Mouse Catcher General” hasa really cool sub bass synth sound that some ampscan struggle with, but despite what I’ve saidpreviously about the bass on the Onix it coped reallywell.

ConclusionAt the asking price I believe that the Onix A25 offersusers a very good value product. Its sound is weightyand nicely controlled in the lower registers anddespite its moderate quoted output it certainly packsa punch.With the great value Q Acoustics Concept 20s Icertainly got the impression that the two werebringing the very best out in each other and as arelatively inexpensive system this pairing would bevery good.

At playing music the Onix does a formidable job andit certainly gets your toes tapping for extendedperiods. It’s fast, punchy and a good deal of fun and

Onix A-25 Amplifier

Overall the sound of the Onix A25is very enjoyable indeed with abalanced musicality erring infavour of the midrange especially..


whilst it may not have the very last degree of finesseat the frequency extremes as our (£10K) pre andpower partnership, it certainly does a great job atconveying what it is fed with in a coherent and (Ican’t stress this enough) fun way. The Onix lacks alittle of the Clones overall finesse too, but what itmisses out on here here it makes up for in spadeswith clout and foot tapping enjoyment. Bass isn’talways the last word with the Onix in absolute depthbut what is there is tight and taut, whereas the Clonescan sound slightly flabby and uncontrolled in thisarea.Overall the sound of the Onix A25 is very enjoyableindeed with a balanced musicality erring in favour ofthe midrange especially..Soundstaging is wide (very wide for an amp at thisprice) but when compared to the best it lacks that 3Dthing a little and here it’s on a par with the Clones ifnot actually slightly better.It does well with all the genres you can throw at itwithout having to make too many compromisesalong the way and after extended listening I reallygot to like the overall balance of the sound. Iparticularly enjoyed its punchiness!

In the sub £1000 price range there’s a lot of choice inamps to be had but I’d strongly suggest that the Onixshould be on your short list of amps to audition withyour kit. It performs well, is well specified and looksfabulous.

As an after-word, we had a pair of speakers thatcame in for audition and it was clear that they neededa kick up their backside to get them singing and ofthe five amps we had to hand the Onix, despite beingone of the least expensive, gave us the best results.Build Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 7.5/10Value for money - 8.5/10Overall - 8/10Price when reviewed - £775Recommended for listeners looking for a rel-atively inexpensive amplifier with goodlooks, good features and a non fatiguingsound profile that is fun to listen to with awide range of musical styles.

Stuart Smith

Onix A-25 Amplifier


The very first thing I did as I carefully peeledaway the protective covering after lifting theEclipse out of its carton was whisper and

astonished "Wow". The pre-amp is gorgeous to lookat! An absolutely stunning mixture of Art Decoarchitectural loveliness and German hi-techprecision. It has a see-through perspex top and isgently internally illuminated with a couple of redLEDs when in operation. You just have to see it,photos really do not do it justice.The Eclipse (or Eklipse as it is called in Germanspeaking areas) is a valve (tube)-based remotecontrolled pre-amplifier. The review sample had"Eclipse" on its faceplate.It has 7 stereo RCA inputs, 2 pairs of RCA outputsand 1 pair of XLR outputs.The front panel sports and output selector (includingmute), source selector, volume control and, quiteunusually, a balance control.

Valve optionsI decided to perform this review with the pre-ampvalves in stock form; four Electro-Harmonix12AU7A. The audiophile world is practically awashin tube-rolling options, and undoubtedly the overallflavour and presentation of the Eclipse pre-amp canbe substantially modified by inserting your ownchoice of valves. Which in a way makes this reviewsomething of a snapshot of a moving target, but hey

AudioValve Eclipse Preamplifier

AudioValve have beenaround for quite a whileand have earned areputation for makinggood sounding valve-based equipment withsalon-level visualappearance. The currentproduct rangeencompasses 14 differentmodels of valveamplification, fromheadphone amps to preand power amps, andintegrateds. Here theEclipse Preamp is putthrough its paces.


ho, that's part of the fun of valve based kit, I guess!According to Steve Dorian, of the UK distributorAudioelec, "The Eclipse is a “tube rollers” dream.Depending on what your sonic tastes are willdetermine which tubes you will want to use in theEklipse. While you may like the sound of the Eklipsewith the stock Harmonix tubes, in my opinion, NOStubes like the RCA Clear Top take its performance toa higher level."Yep, based on my experience of other valve pre-amps, I can well believe that. And I would certainlyencourage Eclipse owners to try a few alternatives tosee how the sonic standard can be raised further fromthe excellent performance already available with theElectroHarmonix valves.The Sound in EclipseThis is a very fine sounding pre-amp - there's animmediate feeling of rightness and a wonderful senseof dynamic ebb and flow. I knew I was going toenjoy this review from the off.Overall tonality is pretty much spot on, I think. Agenuinely full-range sound, from the generous (butnot too generous!) bass thru a very palpablemidrange to a smoothly extended treble which getsvocal sibilance (a difficult challenge) just right.Vocals have more individuality and character than Ioften hear, with excellent articulation and clarity, andsheer in-the-room presence. There's a rich tonaltexture conveyed in voices that make them seem

more real than usual with the Eclipse. Very niceindeed.Bass is deep, textured, controlled, powerful andvibrant. It really is impressive. I'm tempted tocharacterise it as solid state bass done right! Thoselisteners who prefer some valvey bloomy lovelinessto the lower frequencies may well be disappointed bythis valve pre-amp, but my own view is that theEclipse is far more realistic in its portrayal of lower

AudioValve Eclipse PreamplifierVocals have moreindividuality andcharacter than I oftenhear, with excellentarticulation and clarity,and sheer in-the-roompresence. There's a richtonal texture conveyedin voices that make themseem more real thanusual with the Eclipse.


frequencies than that.There is an impressive lucidity in complex, multi-strand music. Nothing seems to phase it, music isjust presented clearly and without confusion nomatter how 'busy' it gets. I was very impressed bythis, all too often the musical plot is lost as the goinggets going, not so with this pre-amp.Despite the eulogy of praise so far presented in thisreview, its imaging ability is, quite possibly, wherethe Eclipse pleases me most. There's a wholeness tothe soundstage, a sense of immersion in therecording space that really encourages involvementin the musical experience. There's a 'you are there'feel to the presentation that really tops off an alreadyimpressive performance.The one area that I have any real reservation about isin the ultimate resolution of detail. Leading edges oftransients are slightly smoothed over, a little of the'spang' of plucked strings, for example, is lost; rapidruns become just slightly homogenised and runtogether. The feeling of musical immediacy isreduced compared to some amps, you may feel thatyou are seated a little further back from themusicians than with some components. I know thatsome listeners will like this aspect of the Eclipse'spresentation, those who enjoy a slightly laidback andless intrusive presentation. Others, like me, wouldprefer to feel they are closer to the action.I often find it illuminating to try and come up with asingle word which encapsulates a hifi component'snature, a word that instantly conveys my emotionalresponse to its sound. For the Eclipse I think thatword would be "vibrant".UsabilityThere's a warm-up period of about a minute afterswitch-on before the Eclipse becomes operational.The remote control of volume is nicely slow inoperation but not too slow, you are unlikely to getwhisked to unexpectedly high volumes by thecareless press of a button.But the manically flashing red light indicatingremote operation is a bit distracting! - personally, I'dcover this with a small piece of black insulating tape.An unusual feature of the Eclipse is its ability toclean and deoxidize the internal relays' contacts. Anamazing racket of clicking switches results when thisfeature is selected - it's quite worrying when you firstdo this. And there is a firm recommendation in theuser manual to turn your power amp OFF when

using this function - I suggest you follow thisrecommendation!

Tube hiss / valve noise? Nope, I never heard any.OK, if I turned up the volume toward full there was afaint tracery of hiss - but the volume level wouldhave been insanely, ridiculously, speaker-destroyingly loud - I can't believe that anyone wouldever have an issue with this.

Value for money

This strikes me as being reasonable, not one of theworld's great bargains, but you get what you pay for.Current UK pricing is £3,700, for which you obtainwonderful appearance (subject of course to personaltaste), superb build quality and genuine high endsound. My feeling is that you pay a bit extra for thevisual design aspects, but that seems fair enough tome and will be an important aspect for many buyersat this price level.

Summary

Despite the slight shortcomings heard in ultimateresolution, I can imagine many music lovers fallingin love with the Eclipse pre-amp. You can count meas one of their number! It really is a musicallyrewarding and engrossing pre-amp.

So the Audio Valve Eclipse pre-amp isrecommended! - for its musical palpability and senseof involvement, and yes, the vibrancy of thepresentation. If you want the ultimate in resolutionand micro-detail I would suggest you may want tolook elsewhere, although you may have to sacrificeother aspects in which the Eclipse excels if you doso!

Build Quality - 9/10Sound Quality - 8/10Value for money - 8/10Overall - 8.3/10

Price when reviewed - £3700

Recommended for its musical palpability,sense of involvement and the vibrancy of thepresentation

Jerry Jacobs

AudioValve Eclipse Preamplifier


Yes, me too! I’d never come across theSoulNote brand before but it appears theyhave a long and illustrious history spanning

back several decades and have close ties to aJapanese chap by the name of Mr Nakazawa who ispresident of CSR in Japan (the first company to belisted on the Tokyo stock exchange by all accounts).It’s a history that involves Marantz, Superscope andPhilips, plus the launch of a number of breakthroughproducts including Mr Nakazawa’s development ofthe world’s first two-body CD player (PhilipsLHH100) back in 1988…there are lots moreproducts I could mention but this is a review soperhaps not the place to delve into the history bookstoo far! Suffice to say, SoulNote was born out of thedesire for Mr Nakazawa to create products free fromthe constraints of the “bean counters” andconcentrate on delivering on sound quality for musiclovers.The SA710 isn’t a new design by any stretch of theimagination having been launched in 2008 and so Iwas a little intrigued having not heard of this littleClass A/B beasty that boasts no negative feedbackand so accepted it for review with the usual caveats.First impressions were that it looked nice enough butnothing spectacular – it’s a black box of normalwidth with a power switch, input selector, a volumeknob (stepped) and a quarter inch headphone socketon the front. Flipping the amp round you get a goodrange of inputs including three line level inputs and abalanced XLR input, a gain switch that gives about14dB lift in its high position, some nice and sturdy

SoulNote SA 710 Amplifier

Nippon Hifi are soledistributors for theSoulNote brandthroughout Europeand it’sthey who firstcontacted Hifi Pigwith a view to takinga listen to one oftheir little SA 710integratedamplifiers. They alsodo a larger amp anda CD player we’lltake a listen to lateron.


speaker terminals, two variable level pre-outs and theAC input. Overall it looks decently put together.The user manual states that the speakers must be of 8ohms or more but I connected it to the Mummy’s (4Ohm/94dB) anyway as these were the most sensitivespeakers I had available and given the ampsdiminutive output I thought these the most suitablefor the job in hand.The manual talks about their being “spike pins” toallow the amp to sit on spikes but none were in thepack and so I never tried this option, though there arethe threads on the underside of the amp should youfancy a go and they look to be standard fit.Packaging is ok (single box and polystyreneprotection) and adequate but I’d be happier having itdouble boxed if I was sending it out personally –though it arrived here in perfect condition which issaying something given the care most couriers seemto take over kit. Finish is pretty good and the volumeand source selector knobs have a good and solid feelto them. On the rack it looks stylish in a minimal nofrills kind of way and I sort of like the way it looks,though others will have it down as being a bit dull anlack lustre…it’s definitely quite utilitarian!I’ll be honest and say that, given I had never heard ofthe SoulNote brand, I was fully expecting sendingthis back without review, but as I plumbed it in forthe first time and turned it on there was a “crikey thissounds pretty decent” moment that happens once in awhile with review kit – sometimes it’s the other wayround and stuff goes straight back without a wordbeing said other than “thanks, but no thanks”.As mentioned, this is a 10 watts a channel amplifierbut given the deep bass that came out of the speakersand the control that the amp exerts over these low

frequencies you’d hardly believe it was such a weedy(on paper) amplifier. The bass notes fair bouncealong and are tight, controlled and deep. In the bassdepartment (I’m a bit of a bass head) this is a verycapable amplifier to my mind and it certainly made avery positive first impression on me.It was a bit of a revelatory experience listening tothis amplifier if I’m honest and the last time I hadthis kind of feeling was listening to Neil Young onthe Tellurium Q Iridium for the first time. I was a bitgob smacked with the SoulNote from the off. I wastelling Hifi Pig colleague (Danny) on the phone

SoulNote SA 710 AmplifierWhen I put a posting up onFacebook about us reviewingthis amp a while ago there wasa comment made along thelines of “10W for €1800 isridiculous” but in hifi, as in life,it isn’t necessarily about whohas the biggest willy wavingrights in the Watt departmentand often its more to do withhow those Watts are used togive a great and emotionallysatisfying experience... and it’shere the SoulNote reallydelivers.


about first turning it on and had goosebumps whilsttalking about it – surely a good sign.

The first record I put on was Deep Dish’s“Yoshiesque Two” which is a great tech/housealbum that rarely fails to please but does put amp andspeakers through the wringer. Tonight really was nodisappointment in any way and there’s that greatbass quality that I mentioned, crisp and sparklinghighs and an overall balance that suggests that this isa great little amp. Sound stage is wide and there issome depth too – in no way three dimensional butpretty good. The amp is neither cold and harsh norwarm and fluffy but overall pretty neutral in itscharacter.

It’s dynamically engaging too as on Hawkwind’s“Warrior at the Edge of Time” album and it’s able toportray the full on acid freak-out wall of sound, butalso communicate minor details of the mix nicelyand with a good deal of finesse that belies its modestoutput and relatively modest pricepoint. In someways this amp reminded me of my much lamented300B PSE amplifier which is high praise indeed!

As I’m writing this I’m aware I’m becoming a littlegushing, but I do think this is a good amplifier and

especially for the money they are asking. When I puta posting up on Facebook about us reviewing thisamp a while ago there was a comment made alongthe lines of “10W for €1800 is ridiculous” but in hifi,as in life, it isn’t necessarily about who has thebiggest willy waving rights in the Watt departmentand often its more to do with how those Watts areused to give a great and emotionally satisfyingexperience... and it’s here the SoulNote reallydelivers.

On the negative side I do think that you will needreasonably sensitive speakers with this amp to allowthe 10 Watts to really sing (even with that 14dBboost) and if you feed it with crap it will dish outcrap. But feed it good quality files through speakersthat are relevant and I think many will love this amp.I’m not sure about the thing about speakers needingto be 8 Ohms either as this would suggest the ampmay be unstable with more difficult loads, but Icertainly had no problems with the Mummys. Theemotional connection to the music (and isn’t thatwhat hifi is all about) with this amp is really at a highlevel, but in the grand scheme of things that doesn’tadd up to a whole hill of beans in the reviewinggame…you want to know how it actually soundsdon’t you?



I played a lot of techno and house music through thisamplifier as I simply loved the slam and overall feelwith this genre, but being able to play one kind ofmusic does not a great amplifier make! Roy Harper’s“Flat, Baroque and Broke” was on next and there arenot a lot of negative comments to be made – again Iwas pleasantly reminded of my 300B amp. It’s verysmooth in the midrange but seems to be deliveringthe power across the frequencies fairly evenly andwithout a great deal of effort – it just doesn’t seem toget in a flap and get all flustered even when pushedto pretty loud volumes. There's a good degree ofopenness to the music too which I liked withinstruments sitting in their own space in the mix.

"Acoustic guitar sounds wonderful” I wrote in mynotes, but there is a tiny bit of brittleness to the verytop end but you do have to listen out for it. There isgood amount of detail to the sound that does againbelie this amps relatively modest price-point. Thereis an “in the room” experience on the tune “I Hatethe Whiteman” with the level of detail being veryhigh but without being too in your face andoverwhelming. Vocals are well portrayed being cleanand relatively lifelike with only a little colour beingadded by the amp and the main vocal being slightlyforward in the mix. The midrange frequencies are acertainly a strong point of this amplifier.Soundstaging isn’t overblown or exaggerated andwhat you get overall is a natural and organicsounding amplifier. There is little in the way of thisamp feeling at all over analytical and things have anunforced feel to them which I enjoyed a lot.

On acoustic music there is good space aroundinstruments and a delicacy to the way instruments areportrayed. The sonic image doesn’t get blurred withcomplex music as the Onix amp we recentlyreviewed had a slight tendency to do, but then youdon’t get the same degree of oomph you got with theOnix... though the SoulNote does have more controlin the bottom end and this leads to a pleasantlyengaging punchiness - it just doesn't go as low as theOnix I didn't think.At high volume (but without clipping) the very topend gets a bit brittle as I mentioned, but listening atlow levels you get a good balance of the frequenciesand also good insight into the sound. The midrangedoes dominate a little at these volumes, but there isstill that feeling that everything is representedproperly. Lovers of late night listening sessions will

really enjoy this amp I think!

The headphone output is adequate and a usefuladdition to proceedings, but isn’t going to win anyprizes with those dedicated to headfi. It goes loudand it is powerful, driving the three pairs of cans Ihad to listen to with ease – it just doesn’t seem tohave the same level of intimacy and openness thatthe amplifier itself brings to the table. Mostoccasional headphone users will find it more thansufficient for their needs I think!

ConclusionIt goes without saying that I really enjoyed my timewith this little amplifier and if what I’ve said in thecourse of the review appeals to you and you’re in themarket for a well put together, great soundingamplifier that doesn’t cost a fortune then try and geta listen to it. You’ll need to have relatively sensitiveloudspeakers though. Price wise I think it punchedslightly above its weight and I stand by mycomments comparing it to my 300B PSE amplifier.It does all genres pretty well (no classical musiclistened to i'm afraid) with its strong points being anopen, detailed sound that you can listen to for hourson end. It has a strong midrange and good punchyand tight bass. The very top end does give way alittle, but this was a minor negative point in anoverall sea of positives.The little SoulNote is pretty basic in its facilities, butmore than adequate for listening to music but it hasno AV facilities and no remote control.What this amp does in conclusion is just get on withthe job of playing music and as such it will appeal tothose people that love music rather than the kit thatthe music is played on and for this I recommend it.Build Quality - 8/10Sound Quality – 8.5/10Value for money – 8.0/10Overall – 8.2/10Price when reviewed - €1799Recommended for listeners looking for a nofrills yet reasonably specified integrated am-plifier that delivers an effortless sound atboth high (if you have the right speakers)and low volume without breaking the bank.

Stuart Smith



http://blackpearlsaudio.com/index.php/en/


I’d been waiting to get hold of one of these littleamps for a long time ever since I read about themon one of the many hifi forums and then when I

read that one of our readers was using the poweramplifier version on the end of a Shindo Labs preamplifier I just had to get one in for review...and fast.There seems to be a good few folk who are ditchingtheir uber-expensive amps in exchange for these littleclass D affairs, so what gives?Temple are a family business that sells direct to thepublic and are based in the UK. They offer a numberof products including the amplifier we're reviewinghere, monoblocks, a headphone and pre-amplifier,

Temple Audio Bantam Gold Integrated Amplifier

Made in Britain andwidely regarded insome circles, theBantam Gold fromTemple Audio is a lowcost and versatile littleamplifier.


the Bantam Classic and the Bantam USB witheverything coming with a 60 day no quibble moneyback guarantee plus three year warranty - can't sayfairer than that then!Just how tiny this amp actually is came as a bit of ashock if truth be known – they are very small indeedand come with just a push button on/off switchwhich glows blue when powered up, a volume knoband then round the back a pair of decent qualityspeaker binding posts and a single pair of stereoRCA inputs. One input, no switches and that’s yourlot. Now I don’t mention this lack of facilities asbeing a bad thing at all as this is a low cost andpurposefully minimal on features amp that to be fairsatisfies my input needs most of the time. It’s solidfeeling, certainly reasonably well put together andoffers up a surprising 25 Watts via a chip. On therack it looks absolutely lost it’s so small, but thensize isn’t everything and it coped fine with the heavyUltra Black speaker cables I was using without beingdragged down the back of the rack. The amp comeswith a dedicated wallwart but many people are usinga dedicated battery supply with reportedly very goodresults, though for the purposes of this review I’ll besticking to the standard PSU it arrived with. The

paint job on the amp I had was a little lumpy inplaces but overall absolutely acceptable.As I’d read so much about this amplifier being thebest thing since part-baked foccacia it was straight inat the deep end for it and so I plumbed it into themain system. Now at around £200 (£189.99 to beprecise) putting the Bantam Gold in the company ofkit costing god knows how much would seem at firstglance to be absolutely nuts, but the hype aroundthese amps is huge and, as I mentioned, folk areusing them in high-end systems in favour of muchmore expensive offerings and so I thought this was awarranted and legitimate exercise... but the reviewdoes need to be read in the context of a £200 amp ina £15K plus system.


Vocals were very nicelyportrayed and separatedfrom the otherinstruments in the mix.


During the review period I used digital filesthroughout with some being ripped as FLAC fromCD and some being Hi Resolution downloads. TheDAC used was the VAD DAC, the speakers hORNSMummys and the cables were all Tellurium Q.Source was a laptop running JRiver and Bliss and aNAS for storage.First impressions were very positive on Pink Floyd’s“Wish You Were Here”. The mids are nicely done,the bass is deep enough and nice and tight, but thetop end was quite harsh I thought. I contactedTemple Audio about this and was asked if I’d run theamp in which I duly did for a few weeks beforerestarting the review process proper.On my return to the tiny little Bantam I found it inmany ways quite similar to the SoulNote amp wewere reviewing at the same time – revealing, punchyand quite dynamic, but where this amp fell down alittle in my opinion and in comparison, was still inthe top end. Running in had calmed things down agood deal, but there was still a feeling that this ampwouldn’t compete with the best out there at thefrequency extremes. Now don’t get me wrong aswe’re comparing a sub £200 amplifier with an €1800amp and so the more expensive amplifier reallyshould be better - and it certainly is to my mind. TheOnix amp we recently reviewed was in some ways abetter amp too, but again that is four times the priceof the Bantam. Where the Onix was warmer andmore forgiving the Bantam is ruthless andunforgiving and it’s certainly a good deal leaner andless warm with a good degree of transparency.On some hi-rez piano files I found the amp to renderthe sound a little unnaturally when compared to thereference amp and this niggles at me quite a bit.However, the bass and mids with the Bantam Goldwere thoroughly enjoyable and you get a really goodportrayal of the stereo image in both depth andwidth. Vocals were very nicely portrayed andseparated from the other instruments in the mix.Listening to “Closer” from the Deadmaus album Ithink I’ve discovered what this amp does really well(and I mean REALLY well) and that’s that side-chained compression pump that is ubiquitous onmodern dance and techno. Here the bass was reallygood and, despite what I’ve said earlier, so was thetop end. OK, so we’re talking about a specific genreof music here, but what was coming out of thespeakers was deep, detailed and thoroughlyenjoyable. Perhaps further burning in was beginningto pay dividends. On the strength of what I heard

with lots of house and techno, I’d suggest that if youlike these genres then this is a great choice of ampfor you if you’re on a budget and have reasonablysensitive loudspeakers – it really is very good indeedand everyone in the house listening was in agreementwith this.Now I’m going to allow myself to be sidetracked alittle here but I’m forever banging on at people thathow in the 80s every teenager wanted the standard“beginners” system of a Dual turntable, a NAD ampand a pair of Wharfedale or KEF something-or-others and it strikes me that what we have here withthe Bantam is the modern day equivalent of the oldNAD 3020 amps – something that gives you a greatbig slice of the audiophile pie but leaving youcraving for more…if that makes sense. Jerry listenedto the similarly priced Amptastic amp recently andenjoyed that a good deal, but sadly I don’t have onehere to do a direct comparison – I’d like to verymuch and if it happens I’ll add a little post script.What I do have is one of the second generation TAmps from Sonic Impact and in a direct comparisonthe Bantam Gold wipes the floor with its older chipbased counterpart – it’s similar in flavour but youjust get more of everything, more controlled and just“better” in every respect with the Bantam Gold.Anyway back to the music and on with Chic’s “GoodTimes” and we’ve got an expressive and dynamicsound with great separation of instruments in the mixand a particularly tuneful bass – certainly no one-note-fart-fest here! On the Streets “Too MuchBrandy” tune there’s a richness to the bass but onother tracks from the same album the really deepbass can be a little much for the Bantam and it doesstruggle a little.On most acoustic music I found the Bantam to be areal hoot and thoroughly enjoyed it. The GreatReunnion album I play a lot had musicians stood onthe stage in the correct places and again the vocalwas rich and well defined in its space. Horns werenatural enough sounding but again I found pianos tosound ever so slightly not quite right.ConclusionI don’t think this amp is the panacea that some areclaiming it to be, but I still believe that it is a verygood amplifier that offers exceptional value formoney and will offer a great introduction to what isavailable in the audiophile world without having tospend a fortune. I also believe that for a personstarting out down the slippery audiophile slope the



amp will allow them to climb a good few more rungsup the ladder with other kit without having to worrytoo much about buying a new amplifier and for thatreason I think it is a great buy. If I was to be in theposition of not having my main amp to use all thetime then I would be happy to use the Bantam Gold,but I also think I would miss the added finesse,refinement and all round better quality afforded bywhat is after all a £6K amplifier.If I was a teenager or anyone looking to get a greatquality amplifier at a bargain basement price then theBantam Gold would most certainly be on myshortlist. As I say, it will allow a buyer to upgradeother components before feeling the need to changethe amplifier and in that time it will give a great dealof satisfaction and enjoyment I’m certain. In absoluteaudiophile terms if falls down in a couple of areas,namely at the extremes of the frequency spectrum,but who cares to be honest - it’s £190, performsbrilliantly in the main and you can play with powersupplies to satisfy the tinkerer in you should you sodesire.In the main system it did a very good job, but wasbettered by the significantly more expensive amps

we had in to compare it to...and so it should be.As a low cost amplifier to use in a second systemthen this really is going to be very hard to beat in myopinion…and so I bought the review sample.Build Quality - 8/10Sound Quality – 7.5/10Value for money – 9.5/10Overall – 8.3/10Price when reviewed - £189.99Recommended for those that want to have agreat introduction to what is achievable inthe audiophile world and who are on a budg-et. Very highly recommended to those look-ing for a very good and low cost secondsystem amplifier presented in a format thatis easy to accommodate even when space isat a premium.

Stuart Smith



Gone are the days when valve amps soundedlike a lush, overly warm and romanticinterpretation of the music. These days a

typical valve amplifiers circuit is more gearedtowards a sparkly more dynamic and gutsy type ofpresentation and the PrimaLuna Prologue Premiercontinues this trend. This particular valve integratedfrom PrimaLuna was sent along to Hifi Pig forreview from Absolute Sounds in the UK.The amp looks modern and clean and on the fronthas just the volume control (ALPS Blue Velvet) andthe source selector knob. A valve cage is included toprotect the valves from inquisitive fingers and thepower switch is on the left hand side of the amp.Around the back is a good selection of four line levelRCAs, a home theatre pass through and speakerterminals for 8 and 4 Ohm loads. Inside wiring ispoint to point. Included in the design of thePrimaLuna is a Bad Tube Indicator which takes theform of a small LED on the chassis in front of eachvalve and as its name suggests this indicates if avalve is bad. The Power Transformer Protectioncircuit allows the amp to switch off and reset shouldthe power transformer overheat and there’s a similarcircuit (OTP) for the output transformers. In place ofa plate fuse the amp utilises a “+B relay” which

PrimaLuna Prologue Premier - Valve Integrated

With EL 34 valvesonboard this greatlooking amp fromPrimaLuna comes in at£2300. Specify it withKT88 and the pricegoes up a little to£2600, which for a wellput together valveamplifier is prettymuch loose changethese days, but will itcut the mustard? .


works in conjunction with the OTP circuit to protectin case of valve failure.The model we were sent had 4 El34 power tubes and4 smaller ECC82/12AU7 valves. The more typical'old school' valve enthusiast would take one look atthis valve compliment and suggest that the ampwould have a large, overblown midrange, soft bassand perhaps a rolled off treble. How wrong he wouldbe!It's such a common misconception with valves thatthey are nothing but trouble ridden unreliable andunnecessary parts of an audio setup - this is also un-true. Yes, a valve can have issues of its own fromtime to time, but they are far from unreliable in theirmodern form and with the ability for a user to re-place a valve rather than send an entire transistor am-plifier to an engineer for repair general maintenanceis somewhat simpler in the main. I have personallybeen using valve amps for a fair few years now andapart from one instance (which a quick valve changesolved) have not had any trouble with them whatso-ever.One of the main advantages for me is that the valveplatform allows for tube rolling where the valves canbe changed to offer a slightly different soniccharacteristic and flavour to the music, which is

certainly something that cannot be achieved withsolid state amplifiers.The Prologue Premier being all valve has this tuberolling capacity, but taking this notion one step fur-ther the PrimaLuna has the ability to configure itsAuto Bias settings via the flick of a switch to powerKT88 valves and it's variant a 6550 - as well as theEL34's (provided for this review) and their variantsof KT77 and 6CA7 valves.Then there are the four ECC82/12AU7 which alsohave various and different sounding equivalents inmodern or NOS (new old stock) vintage tubes, indus-trial, military and broadcast forms. A minefield yousay? No, a fun way to tailor the amp to specific re-quirements and tastes in that all valves convey slightvariations in bass, treble and midrange presentationwith some have larger effects than others.There's a certain unmistakeable quality to vocals andinstruments using a good valve amplifier, a richnessof tone, a naturally glorious and beautifully liquidmidrange which is both expressive and organic. ThePrimaLuna Prologue Premier is one of those valveamps which certainly ticks these particular boxes forme.SOUND



The first thing apparent when switching the Pri-maLuna on is its cleanliness in the top end. It has awonderfully sparkly and airy treble which blendsdown into a clean upper midrange. Details are promi-nent and easily depicted even when listening to largecrescendos and larger orchestral pieces. Dynamics inthis portion of the frequency range are not overlystrong, they are however far from subdued or mellowand they are a little more energetic and cleaner thannatural.Moving down into the midrange most listenerswould agree that this is the strongest area of thesound reproduction with valve amplifiers (and whichI agree with) although there are vast differences intonal balance in this area from amplifier to amplifier.Vocals on the Prologue Premier are strong vibrantand clean in nature, projected and very slightly up-front - which is how I like them. An EL34 tube willalways have some added warmth in the midrangeand the cleaner circuit on the PrimaLuna allows for agreat flavour to vocals. As well as the cleanliness themidrange conveys there is an unmistakable richnessto the undertones of male vocals and an organic andnatural rasp to the sound which really allows the lis-tener to hear the great vocal range of the likes ofFrank Sinatra… or his modern counterpart MichaelBuble.Female vocalists like Rachelle Farell, Ilse DeLange,Mariah Carey and Diana Krall all have a pitch oftone respective to their vocal presentation. Here, al-though a little bit cleaner than some other modernEL34 amplifiers, upper midrange factors in a bitmore forwardness when hitting higher volumes, butat reasonable volumes it's not as apparent.

Moving along into the bass regions – another com-mon trait of an EL34 amplifier is that its bass is alittle fuller, less driven and a little less complex. Thenature of the PrimaLuna circuit actually complimentsthis very well! There isn't a lot of bloom, there is atightness compared to other amps such as the EasternElectric M520 and a simple change of the powervalves to the 6CA7 or KT77 would increase pace,drive and lower mid information. Bass as I said isfull and it's surprisingly well extended for an EL34which is a testament to the circuit used in the Pri-maLuna. I would say that overall it was more com-plimentary to live performances than manufacturedmusic.Exploring some other aspects of the sound a littlefurther Damien Rice’s 'Volcano' showed marvelloustimbre to the running of guitar strings to the left handside of the realistic soundstage allowing both themale and female vocals to sound fluid and engross-ing. This is a great late night listening track withgreat flow and although a modestly stripped downpiece of music, the Premier really brings out all thesmall nuances and finely detailed sounds within thesoundstage in a true 'out of the box fashion'.I wouldn't say that there is a great amount of refine-ment in this amps presentation, although it can con-vey delicacies which for a bit of soft rock such as'The Sultans of Swing' from Dire Straits allows forthe electric guitar to pierce the air and give a bit of anedgy grunt to proceedings.Of course, being an ardent tube roller I just had toswap out the tubes in the amp and opted for a quadof Gold Lion (GL) KT77's which bias from the EL34

switch on the side of the amp.I also changed the stock12AU7's for a quad of Sie-mens and Halaske (S & H)triple mica E82CC long platesfrom the early 60's. From ex-perience the GL's should pro-vide more bass drive whilstretaining warmth whilst theS&H will add bandwidth, bal-ance and control.Switching back on and allow-ing the PrimaLuna to preheatthe valves and do its usualsafety circuit checks the dif-ferences that could be heardwere immediate.There was a larger bass re-



sponse which was also tighter and more driven. Mid-range gained openness and the silky clean expressionof the vocals attested to a more 'in the room' feelingwith them being more lifelike, less muddy and abso-lutely wonderful in every way.Top end was a huge leap for me with the depictionbetween details and the airy silences really added amore intense and lifelike feel to the sound. Noteswere crisper yet more controlled and the detail re-trieval seemed greatly improved with added band-width and rendering.Dynamics also seemed to sound freer and came froma darker background which was never overly deadand still allowed for that seductive valve flow towash across an improved soundstage.I ended up concluding my time with the PrimaLunalistening to some rock and I'm sure most of you thatfollow my reviews know this really isn't my favour-ite genre, but then I do like a little from time to time.One of my favourite rock albums of all time is the'Hysteria' album by Def Leopard, definitely their bestwork and with the rolled tubes on board I easily wentthrough the whole album. The amp still retained theprevious grunt with the genre that I enjoyed earlierwhen listening to some Dire Straits and this was trulyunexpected. I'm sure some would argue that valveamps just don't do rock music but I enjoyed it verymuch with the PrimaLuna in the system.

Accompanied with the amplifier is a seriously sleek'wand' type remote in black metal and with just sixshiny stainless buttons. I never touched on this earli-er in the review as my example had run out of batter-ies - probably due to having a button depressed whenit was packaged after it's last review, I never both-ered to change the batteries as you need to removethe two rubber rings (which prevent it from beingscratched (or scratching) a flat surface and whichstop it from sliding about on a table) to reveal a cou-ple screws which then expose the battery compart-ment. I'm used to having to turn two volume pots onmy Emille so one was still an easier solution thannormal.I just found myself holding the remote from time totime and admiring it instead… and playing air guitarwith it too from time to time!CONCLUSIONI would conclude that the PrimaLuna Prologue Pre-mier's circuit is highly accomplished and with thestock valves in place it a sounds fantastic. Howeverwith a few changes in valve compliment there reallyis a whole heap of detail, complexity (amongst otherattributes) which can be achieved to provide for areally engrossing listen.With its ability to switch between KT88, EL34's andtheir variants via a simple flick of a switch and itsnon-deadly auto-biasing feature, the PrimaLuna isextremely flexible and should cater to the specifics ofmost users.Looks-wise it's simple, attractive and well made andit comes with that super sexy all metal remote con-trol.I for one would certainly stump up the pennies forone of these. Have a listen and see what you thinkand if your already on the valve train and have any ofthe variants of the tubes mentioned take them alongand see if your dealer will let you have a play - if notwait 'til you get it home.Build Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8/10Value For Money - 8/10Overall - 8/10Price when tested EL34 - £2300 (KT88 -£2600)Highly recommended for its flexibility,simple good looks and core sonic signature.

Dan Worth


With its ability toswitch between KT88,EL34's and theirvariants via a simpleflick of a switch and itsnon-deadly auto-biasingfeature, the PrimaLunais extremely flexibleand should cater to thespecifics of most users.


My first contact with Clones was when Ireviewed their 25 watt per channelintegrated amplifier the i25. I was quite

literally stunned when I opened it up and saw thewonderful quality of workmanship the unitcontained.As a result of the auditory results this unit achieved, Iimmediately asked them if they would like me toreview their, soon to be released, 55 watt mono-block power amplifiers. I got in touch with Stuartand all I had to do was to wait!The UK Distributor LW audio were contacted and aloan pair of amplifiers and the matching Pre-amplifier were duly dispatched.They took a couple of days to arrive and from theirdouble boxed packaging they emerged unscathed.

55pm. Monoblock Power Amplifier.Amplifier specification.

Output Power - 55Watts (into 8 ohms) 100Watts(into 4 ohms)Input Impedance - 22Kohm (unbalanced only)Gain - 30dB inputSignal to Noise Ratio - <95dB (minimum)Dimensions - 170(w)x100(h)x170(d)

CLONES Audio Pre-amplifier and Monoblock Power Amps

CLONES Audio area small companyproducing ahandful of productsthat have been wellreceived the worldover. Here Hifi Pigtakes a listen totheir monoblockpower amps andpreamplifier.

http://hifipig.com/clones-audio-25i-integrated-amplifier/


Nb. all dims are in mm.Weight - 4.2 kg each.These units are covered by a five year warranty.Cost - £890.40 per pair inc VAT and delivery

AP1 pre-amplifier comprisesThree line level inputsOne pair of line level outputs ( a dual line leveloutput is an option)This is the same size as the Mono BlocksWeight - 2.5 KiloGuaranteed for five years.Cost. - £543,60 including VAT and delivery.

HOW ARE THEY BUILT?These power amplifiers are elegant in an understatedway, and have a diminutive footprint. Ideal for thoseamongst us that value aesthetics. Although, how theylook is not all of the story! They are equipped withexcellent socketry, the phono sockets are amongst,with the legend CMC USA engraved on them, the

finest I have ever used. They grip the plug with justthe right amount of pressure. They are not the usualphono sockets fashioned from rather cheap plate,they are properly cast and machined sockets whichare located with nuts and washers. Along with theusual, switched and fused, IEC mains socket on therear they also have a pair of heavy duty Loudspeakerterminals, these are large enough to accept any typeof cable or termination. The front panel has the Logoalong with a green led to indicate when the unit ispowered up. This shows some thought has gone intothis as Funjoe (he owns the company) has resistedthe urge to put a blue high intensity LED in. I findthese really bright LEDs draw my eyes all the timeand cant take my eyes off them!

Inside the robust case sits a large toroidaltransformer, in the compartment at the front. Alongwith the power supply regulator board and of coursethe power indicator. In the rear compartment is theoutput stage and most of the internal wiring.



So the amplifier is built along logical lines. From itsalloy case to its three cone type feet, although caremust be taken when using large and heavy mainspower leads, this amplifier has been thought throughproperly. The case is built from sensible materialsand is screwed together using metric thread machinescrews rather than the ubiquitous self tapping screwsthat we see on most of the other amplifiers we seethese days. Funjoe's soldering is second to none,each joint has been made correctly - again unusual asall of the soldering has been fashioned by hand.

All of these points instilled into me absoluteconfidence in the manufacturers build quality. This isimportant to Hi Fi enthusiasts as it promotes pride ofownership.

Funjoe built these amplifiers to drive largerloudspeakers that needed a bigger current swing.This of course is not a bad thing and it shows that heis aware of his clients needs. This awarenesscontinues with the,”stiff”, power supply, whichalmost doubles the amplifiers output into 4 ohmloads.

Before switch on I always check the DC offset, as amatter of course, which was commendably low.

The AP1 pre-amplifier is built along the same linesas the 55pm power amplifiers. It has the same frontface as the 55pm's save for two control knobs. Theseare the selector switch and the lower one is thevolume control. Inside the case the transformer sitsin the front compartment. All of the active circuitryand switch and potentiometer sit behind the“Firewall” which is a logical choice as toroids can beresponsible for RF pollution unless mountedcorrectly. Funjoe uses the same phono sockets as hedoes on his power amplifiers. The pre amplifier alsouses the same IEC switched and fused mains inputsocket. The AP1 is identical in size as the 55pmunits, but as you may suspect the AP1 is almost halfthe weight, at 2.5 Kilos, of the 55pm.

If you are not familiar with the use of separate poweramps and a dedicated pre amplifier, you will find thatit is best practise to switch the pre on first, wait a fewseconds and then switch the power amplifiers onsecond. Of course you will make sure that the pre isturned down to zero before switching on. If you dothis then you will get no “Burps” nor noise at all.The Clones units made no sound at all on switch onor indeed when powering down. Switching them offis the reverse of the instruction I have just written.Upon switch on I always listen to a mono radio

programme at low level, at first, to make sure that theamplifier is working correctly. Also, I give anyamplifier at least fifteen minutes to allow the powersupply to stabilise, before turning the amplifier up tonormal levels! Ben Duncan alluded to this someyears ago in an article about power supply design.

HOW DO THEY SOUND?As regular HiFi Pig readers will be aware I am on aquest to replace my ageing Crown DC300aamplifiers. The replacements must be physicallysmaller, deliver large amounts of current and use lesspower from the mains and must sound as good if notbetter! You may say this is an impossible quest, but Ihave tried many power amplifiers and only threehave come close!

The amplifiers are warmed up, I have a pot of tea,milk and sugar, and loads of music so let thelistening begin!

As is usual I first listened to some Radio Four, thestereo image was HUGE! With all the newsreadersspread in an arc between the loudspeakers. Thefamous R4 signature was evident, in that they always


First disc into themachine was JoniMitchell, “TurbulentIndigo”, from the firstbar of the music I knewthis was a very goodpair of poweramplifiers with asumptuous, tight bassand the almost liquidpresentation of the midrange allied withcrystalline treble.


sound as if they are too close to the microphone.Coupled with the usual bass lift on the voice.

First disc into the machine was Joni Mitchell,“Turbulent Indigo”, from the first bar of the music Iknew this was a very good pair of power amplifierswith a sumptuous, tight bass and the almost liquidpresentation of the mid range allied with crystallinetreble. It was easy to identify the instruments in thecavernous sound stage. The depth of the stereo imagewas astonishing, although it was a littleforeshortened in comparison to the Mighty Crownand the large Sumo Five (a 50 Watt per channel “Aclass” monster), although the HH AM8/12 amplifiersgave a very similar presentation. As an aside the HHamplifiers were designed for BBC use along withtheir LS3/5A speakers. The internal equalisation wasset to “flat” before the test was started. This provedthe manufacturer of the Clones has gone for anessentially flat frequency response, rather than a“Rose tinted Spectacle” type of response.

Larry Klein's bass playing was a joy to listen to, ashe plays the melody on his instrument. Along withWayne Shorter and Jim Keltner on the drum kit. Ijudged this album to be represented correctly.

The Reiner Beethoven discs were inserted next,Symphony No 6 rang out in my large listening room.Confidently played, I think this piece is happy music.With little or no restriction on the dynamic range ofthe original recording this piece always brings asmile to my face and although rarely heard on Radio3 these days it is amongst the finest use of asymphony orchestra. From its very first performanceon December the 8th 1813 it still sounds like it hasbeen composed recently. The image was almostshoulder to shoulder in a wide arc in front of me.Along with precision, as the music demands, you canalmost see Fritz waving his arms frenetically in hisattempt to control the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.Although if I were to be critical I would say that theversion was played with a little too much gusto andwas a little quick. From the woodwind to the hugebass section this piece certainly is a show stopper.



Along with the lush first and second strings this wasdisplayed as a very emotive rendition.

The next disc was the Archiv production of theBrandenburg Concertos, played by The EnglishConcert directed and led by Trevor Pinnock. This isone of the most unusual recordings as the Orchestrauses period instruments. It was recorded in the HenryWood hall in between 1982 to 1984.

With the use of period instruments there had to be alarge amount of care taken during the recording so asto not make the instruments sound “artificial!”Concerto Number four was played next, and I wasgreeted with a huge stereo image coupled withexcellent transient attack and recovery. All of thedetail of this small orchestra was described withinthe image. I did notice a little colouration in theupper bass. This gave a warm presentation to themusic. Although it did not take any enjoyment fromthe Concerto.

I was loaned a copy of Melody Gardots album “MyOne and Only Thrill” and this was duly inserted intothe CD player. Oh WOW! She soundsso..........................sleazy, as if she was in a smokefilled bar late at night, instead of a modern recordingstudio. From the first track,”Baby I'm a Fool” to thelast, “If the Stars Were Mine”, her voice was socaptivating. I am sure this was due to the engineer onthe desk as well as her rather fine musicians. LarryKlein no doubt had a large part to play in this as thisalbum is full of subtle parts, as well as a wellbalanced recording. The musicians seem to play intheir own space, in other words a well built amp doesthis. I must go out and buy a copy of this album! Thesound was so infectious that I listened to very late atnight, but I had to just try another album.................

Amadou and Maria, “Welcome To Mali” waspressed into service next and there's that spaciousimage again, displayed with plenty of space betweenthe musicians. The bass instrument was delicious,and the percussion was almost perfectly played, bothtechnically and from the sound quality perspective.Again this album was played from end to end. I amnot familiar with all of the instruments, but can saythat this is a great album, although if you are intoheavy rock it maybe wont suit you.

I played King Crimson,”Red” next, with plenty ofbass definition and loads of lower midrange to uppertreble detail this album certainly scooted along.Robert Fripp dancing on his guitar pedals wasevident from the beginning, coupled with John

Wettens bass mastery, as well as Bill Bruford on thedrums. A wonderful three piece band, but on thisalbum they had the assistance of a couple moremusicians who certainly fill out the sound. I havelistened to Mr Fripp for more years than I care toremember, and the excitement generated as I cuedthe album up was almost tangible!

Tentatively I placed the next album into the machine,Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, with theiralbum, “The Tracks Of My Tears”, from theintroduction as the drum solo kit gives way to theband, which had weight and drive, words fail me todescribe the album, as this takes me back to myyouth in the Night Clubs spread over the North Eastof England. But the sound quality was exemplary.The amplifiers describe the album with pace,precision, and weight. Oh and the songs...........propersongs that tell me a story, recorded in the heyday ofSoul Music. The pick of this album has to be,”ShopAround”, a warning to young stud from a worriedmother.

Funk was the next genre to be played with an albumyou probably have never heard before, “The J.B's”.In James Browns career there were loads of bands inAmerica who copied his style, the J.B's wereamongst the best as they captured his sound andenergy, and James Brown appeared with them onnumerous occasions. He took this copying of his


The bassinstrument wasdelicious, and thepercussion wasalmost perfectlyplayed, bothtechnically andfrom the soundquality perspective.


style as a compliment. From the weighty bass line tothe flautist this album just makes me want to do acouple of spins and drops, but sadly I am not in thefirst flush of youth. Although the music is full ofsubtle licks as well as brass and strings, and ofcourse James Brown appears on some tracks as wellas Fred Wesley. This has to be one of the stand outFunk Compilations, so if you are not yet into Funkgo get a copy and listen to it.................LOUD!

The final disc was put into the machine and Play waspressed. It was Diana Krall, “Live in Paris”, the discopens with applause ringing out, and it did soundrealistic. Unlike a lot of much more expensiveamplifiers, on poor amplification applausesometimes sounds like rainfall but this was not thecase with these Mono blocks. I settled myself intomy sofa, and the music begins.

My large listening room was transformed into theParis Olympia. From the sumptuous piano, to thecrystal delicacy of her voice this album is one of mymost prized recordings. Of course the room acousticwas displayed with alacrity. This is not an easy trickto achieve and as we are all aware the acoustic of therecorded space depends on the equipment having analmost ruler flat frequency response.

I could almost hear the musicians breathing with thisalbum in the machine. As well as the huge stereoimage there seemed to be a definite cavernous depthto the image as well. The music was played with

breakneck pace as the set settled down, At trackFive, “East of The Sun”, the playing slowed downand the subtlety of Diana's band showed themselvesto be extremely fine musicians. A very fine result,the CD was played from to the end and I almost hadtears in my eyes as the final track was played.

CONCLUSIONSThese are fine amplifiers, along with a fine preamplifier. They display music as it was recordedsave for a tiny bit of upper bass boost. But, becauseof my size of listening room, they didn't quite haveenough power for me. With my equipment theyreally shone. From their excellent build quality to thelovely aesthetic they represent an almost obsessivelybuilt Solid State amplifier. Although I do have onecomplaint! The control knobs have no cursor onthem, and in dim lighting it can be very difficult tosee what input is connected, and what level the pre isset to.

I did notice a difference when I plugged in theClones pre amplifier rather than my home builtpassive pre-amplifier. The sound became muchricher, although the sound stage shrunk a little. Thiswas only in depth not in width. Now the thornyquestion, would I replace my Mighty Crown Poweramplifier and my Denon pre amplifier with them.Firstly I sadly wont be replacing my Denon as theClones does not have enough inputs and outputs in it,but its sound quality is not that much different. Thisis because my system is rather large and the Clonesdoes not have any video inputs nor a monitor out.The Clones power amps are very good and reallywell made, but sadly don't have the power output Irequire. If I was just starting with my first or secondsystem and I had a smaller listening room then Iwould buy these three units at the drop of a hat!

The Clones units have the ability to transport me tothe recording studio, or the venue where the eventtook place.

Simply put, they are truly astonishing units, I willmiss them after they are returned, sigh...........

I rate these power amps and pre very highly!Build quality - 10Sound quality - 9.5Value for money - 9.0Overall - 9.5

Stewart Wennen


These are fineamplifiers, alongwith a fine preamplifier. Theydisplay music as itwas recorded savefor a tiny bit ofupper bass boost.


The latest Lampizator Dac, the Level 7, hasbeen causing quite a stir amongst those whohave had the pleasure to listen to one and

when I was offered to review it I gladly accepted. Ihad been getting many emails and phone calls fromconsumers who had either listened to, bought one orwanted to know if I had heard one recently, that theoffer came just as I was about to make the enquiriesmyself to get a sample delivered.The Level 7 is Lampizator's most minimalist DAC todate, utilising 2A3 power output tubes. Yes 2A3's,that you only find in an amplifier! The chip is direct-ly connected to the grid of the single ended triode,with absolutely no series components in the path.Level 7 is a combination of insight from previouslevel DACs which due to the compliment of compo-nents could not be housed in a single enclosure, sothere is a PSU box and that Lampizator refer to asthe music box (the DAC).The two units arrived in two separate double boxesand lined with medium density furniture foam, notthe most professional of packaging but very effectivenonetheless.To connect the two units together there are two neu-trik speakon type locking cables or umbilical chords,one for the main power and the other to power the32bit Asyncronous USB, this one for the USB isvery thick and substantial and the other even thickeragain!Connections on the sample I had were thin on theground, a coaxial RCA and a USB, which is thestandard input configuration for the base model, witha toggle switch on the rear to flick between them.

Lucazs' primary goal is to keep the DAC as simplis-tic as possible in order not to injure the signal path inanyway.Although when ordering there is the availability forany connection the heart desires as long as they arenot balanced XLR outputs, which I'm sure you havealready worked out due to the tube implementationof the design.On purchase the end user has the option to choosethe tube compliment. The DAC runs with two 6X5rectifiers known for their low sag. The main tubescan be either 2A3, 45 or 300B, the variants are notinterchangeable and the option must be specified onorder.A multitude of digital connections, AES/EBU, Coax,Optical, BNC, multiple analogue output sections inorder to use the DAC as a multi room hub and vol-ume controls can be specified, but be prepared forsmall compromises in sound with the likes of addinga volume control as this will sit in the signal path anddisturb the purity of signal transfer.All digital inputs will read files of up to 24/192, yetwith a push of the button on the front of the musicbox the DAC enters DSD mode, allowing for USBstreamed files to be read at 64X and 128X in DoPformat.The PSU is a completely separated dual mono powersupply with vacuum tube rectification stage andchoke, employed for filtering in each channel. Thepower reservoir is big enough to serve medium pow-er Push Pull amplifiers. This is where Lampizatorsays the bass control secret lays.

Lampizator Level 7 DACLukasz Fikus gained anenviable reputation inmodding off the shelf hi-fibut now has his ownportfolio of kit available foraudiophiles to purchase.Here Hifi Pig listens to the£7200 Lampizator Level 7DAC to see if all the hypearound this product is wellfounded.


The build of the Lampizator is somewhat industrial -it is a handmade product which could be more relat-ed to a workbench type product rather than a state ofthe art machined piece of engineering.The front aluminium plate and it's simplicity worksfor me and is the face of the product… the rest of thecase, which has a more industrial feel to it is coveredwell in my rack.Note - you are NOT paying for expensive casing,pretty appearance and a piece of jewellery here, whatyou ARE paying for are two well constructed boxesof the highest grade components and experience ofimplementation.The SoundOn first impressions the Lampi displays a purity ofsound which I simply have not heard from any digit-al source, there is clarity and presence which can on-ly described as true 'realism'.Kathryn Roberts 'The White Hind' conveys a breath-taking vocal which has its own three dimensionalspace in the centre of the soundstage, with haunting-ly realistic height and an overall tonal balance whichbreathes with an organic and natural completenessthat only vinyl enthusiasts with rigs of the highestquality would dream of. Sean Lakeman's accompa-nying vocal similarly embodies its own presence andparameters of positioning totally different in charac-ter and expressively as convincing.'Hey Laura' - Gregory Porter conveys a piano har-monic to the listener which is both totally accurateand harmonically proficient. The acoustic of the lis-tening space is so developed, allowing for notes toappear to reflect off the rear wall of this intimate per-formance that it gave me the perception that my ownlistening room was a direct comparison in size of thatof the recordings.The Level 7 was really digging its heels into my lis-tening experience to the point that it's holographicrepresentation of the music all but allowed me towalk through and around the performance with theability to look each area part of the music up anddown, through and through.'Liquid Spirit' from the same album gave remarkabledepth to the bands positioning within the recording,displaying what can only be referred to as a sculp-tured scene of sound waves. Differing depths andheights of brass, tambourine, bass, piano and Grego-ry's own vocal which was convincingly a few feetback into the surrounding band simply gave that im-

pression of undeniable realism.The Lampizator oozes a sound of pure single endedbeauty and grace. I listened thinking of how correctthe sound was, how natural it was presented to meand how for each instruments dynamic a truth couldbe heard, effortlessly spacious captivating the listen-er. With a bass that delved down into the notes deep-est depths with a preciseness that left megobsmacked.Fond memories of listening to the TQ Iridium cameto mind. The midrange of the Level 7 was absolutelycrystal clear and liquid, it's difficult to express aneducated take on the balance when it just doesn'tseem that balance plays any factor in a sound whichis so pure and true.Being able to reproduce Laurie Anderson's roboticvocal throughout a range of her music which is soheavily midrange dependant can be a chore. Her mu-

Lampizator Level 7 DACYou’re not payingfor expensivecasing, prettyappearance and apiece of jewelleryhere, what youARE paying for aretwo wellconstructed boxesof the highestgrade componentsand experience ofimplementation.


sic is plagued with many synthesized sounds and tobe quite honest annoyingly repetitive lyrics.The DAC arranged portions of the music prettyamazingly, listening for tonal effects and representa-tion of natural and computer generated notes was theonly true appeal to her music for me, but nonethelessfor a few review criteria such as complex staging andrendition of midband properties it can be quite aninteresting listen, which reflected again at how cohe-sive the Lampizator can separate many differentsounds whilst still displaying a complete image.The DAC really does have that instant “draw in” fac-tor, not a wow factor as I talk about so often, more ofa mesmerising grasp, that sits the listener down in ahypnotic state for hours on end without even allow-ing thoughts of the day to enter the mind.Dynamically strong and naturally expressive of har-monic flurries 'The Courier' Seth Lakeman exploresfast violin work that soars across the right side of thesoundstage stating its position firmly in its acousticspace. Bass notes are so full and deeply accurate.The speed of the track entwined with its dynamicflare adds an excitement to my system which is nor-mally a more subtle affair, never noticeable until theLampi reproduced it the way it does.The good old saying 'you can't miss what you haven'thad' comes to mind and then 'you don't know whatyou've lost until it's gone' comes shortly after remov-ing the DAC from the system.More beat driven music such as Derrin Nauendorf's'Universe Demands' lost out on its rhythmic flow andwarmer fuller undertones for me, the tubes I weresent - the Psvane 2A3's and their cleaner flavourdidn't embody the strength of the driven beat, al-though when talking to Greg at G-Point Audio (theUK importer) he said that thealternative mesh variants have awarmer and fuller bodiedsound, which for me on thistrack would have been an im-provement.However 'Ghost Town' from thesame artist with its more acous-tic vibe hit bass notes of accu-rate proportions, tighter andincredibly well extended downto the darkest depths of myrooms resonant ability. TheLevel 7 may not have that fastpunchy rhythmic flow of more

up beat tracks but when it comes to reproducing thepurest of natural bass notes, I simply have not heardanything that comes close.This leaves me to reflect on the genres that I person-ally feel the Lampizator in its current incarnation iscapable of reproducing. Acoustic and vocal was un-deniably strong, involving and utterly to die for. Thisgenre does make up the majority of my listening al-though I do like to listen to some other genres with amore driven beat.Quite obviously Jazz was stunningly impressive. BenWebster's smooth sax was beautiful and emotional,each breath could be heard and the piecing nature ofits dashing flow throughout the soundstage was abso-lutely gorgeous. Bass notes were bouncy andweighty but lacked that little bit of warmth I person-ally prefer which a tube roll could offer to this andsome other performances.Trad’ had overlays of articulation and undertones offullness that were a more pleasing listen with thetube compliment to hand, exploring older recordingslower end detail far better for me without losing

Lampizator Level 7 DACBen Webster's smooth saxwas beautiful and emotional,each breath could be heardand the piecing nature of itsdashing flow throughout thesoundstage was absolutelygorgeous.


body, adding more depiction to a naturallywarmer rounder tone.I didn't expect much from pop and dance mu-sic, but a fair few tracks I played were prettygood, the bass doesn't have that slapstickspeed on upper bass notes, but then we aretalking about an all tube DAC here and whoreally goes out to buy a DAC of this type forthis type of music? Clarity, sound staging,dynamics and air in the top end were greatand there are strong harmonics nonetheless.Rock was a little too refined and didn't have apresence of weight and grunt to it which someof the other Lampizator models can do betterwith. I do predominantly think that this DACexcels mostly with instrument and vocal workand 'excel' truly is an understatement it ispretty damn incredible!I don't really listen to classical music, but ex-ploring this genre was pretty impressive. Big orches-tral movements were easily separated into differingproportions, singling out instruments as well asgroups of brass or woodwind for example. Spatialawareness, large dynamic shifts and reverbs wereconveyed again with that single ended type of purityand clarity with absolute control and sophistication.The Level 7 can handle complicated arrays of dy-namic surges with ease allowing for larger bass notesand finely tuned harmonics to scale the soundstagewith absolute ease creating for a really complicatedportrayal of a performance to sound so effortless.Polished triangle and sharp strings floated around aparticularly busy soundstage never losing there crispappeal during busier fore-fronted brass and deep fullbodied bass notes, allowing for their decay to neverbe overshadowed by lower end dynamic shifts.ConclusionThe Lampizator Level 7 is a truly remarkable listen!It has the ability to reproduce naturally formed notesand vocals with an organic and breathtaking sensa-tion of purity, embodying the true essence of a per-formance. It renders these aspects effortlessly givinga correct balance and tonal appreciation that is verydifficult to question and can only be described as'lifelike'.However, it doesn't explore a huge range of genresand for me I require a DAC that can so this for thepurposes of reviewing, but then it's clear to tell whenreviewing this product that it was clearly voiced and

focused for the natural beauty an instrument and vo-calist can offer, reproduced at it's very best and asanalogue as digital can truly be.A very difficult task to really nail with true substanceand if there has to be trade offs then who cares, ifthis DAC reproduces the music you love so much,that is the vast proportion of your listening materialeverything else just fades into the background anddoesn't matter, leaving the listener with the truestrepresentations of these genres that I believe is avail-able right now anywhere in this industry.Personally I love the understated simple appearanceof the two units and thought they looked fantastic onmy rack. You are not spending your money on blinghere, that is obvious, it's all gone into the quality ofthe internal components and the obvious painstakingR&D which has given this DAC it's stunningly regalsound.I for one have been Lampizated!Build Quality - 7.5/10Sound Quality - 9/10Value For Money- 8.5/10Overall - 8.3/10Price at time of review - £7200 plus £500 forDSDHighly Recommend - For being at the pinna-cle of what it's been voiced to achieve, re-producing instruments and vocals inbreathtaking fashion.Dan Worth

Lampizator Level 7 DAC


http://www.astintrew.co.uk/index.html

http://audioshow.co.uk/


This review comes from a personal experiencewith the Astin Trew Concord DAC1 I recent-ly borrowed from Tony Sallis at NuNu Distri-

bution.

I had been very impressed with the Totaldac D1 tubesince reviewing it last year and subsequently boughtit. However, I began to increasingly feel that I re-quired a unit which being my main source needed tobe more of a jack of all trades rather than strong in ahandful of areas.Having a system for reviewing other products cannotalways be a system which is suited perfectly to thereviewer’s personal needs, or a particular flavour ofmusic, as this can inherently cause a bottleneck whenreviewing other products.An amplifier strong in bass could be reflected on asbeing thin and light sounding in a system that doesn'thave a good balance. This can be a tricky situationfor the reviewer.Fortunately I like and listen to a good few genres ofmusic which contrast hugely in their system demandsand so I admit this was my initial intention, but as Ithought more about the consideration of changes theabove conclusions soon became just as important forme.There was previous talk between myself and MichaelOsbourne of Astin Trew a few months ago after therelease of the Astin Trew Concord USB review withthe Never Connected Power Supply about trying

Astin Trew Concord DAC 1

The £3760Astin TrewConcordDAC 1impresses.


their Concord DAC. With it having the option forbalanced XLR and tube buffered RCA outputs Icould run both a solid state and valve amp simultane-ously, just as I did with the Totaldac.So I put in another enquiry to have a listen as soon asit was possible, a few other DACs I had tried overthe past months still didn't offer the ability to domany thing “right” instead of one or two things greatfor me and the option for straight transistor output ortube could well be a balance that would offer a takeon the varying genres I wished to be able to cover.Connectivity and SpecsI'll go through an overview of what the ConcordDAC has to offer connection-wise and run throughsome specifications before I move on to the impactthe sound had on me and convey the abilities whichultimately led to me purchasing one.First up I’ll mention that the DAC is constructed inmodular form, this allows for future upgrades, whichan Astin Trew insider has informed me are beingtweaked and finalised for a future release. A Signa-ture version, or, by Astin Trew's past form, maybe aPlus version?There are 6 separately regulated supplies within theDAC and power sections are 'firewalled' from thedata sections reducing EMI interference even further.The casework is substantial and solid, very nicelyfitted together with a wrap around - up and underchassis lid and sides. The coating on the chassis feelslike it could be scratched fairly easy (not a test I wishto perform though) by the feel of it… it's not rubber,but it is a compound specially formed to reduce reso-nances that the chassis may be subjected to.The underside has four of AstinTrew's proprietary feet fitted - awide and shallow coned footerwhich is created from a special mixof compounded polymers.So what do you get connection wise?A fair bit is the answer:There are RCA tube buffered out-puts, a pair of ECC82's fulfill thistask and are under run ensuring extralong lifespan.Also included is a pair of XLR out-puts, fully balanced and running insolid state. Both sets of outputs worksimultaneously which for me allowsme to have a constant connection to

a solid state and valve amp without having to con-stantly change connections.Two breakout cards are available when purchasingthe DAC, an “either or decision”, to occupy the sin-gle slot on the board and rear panel. They is anAsyncronous USB or Firewire connection, capableof decoding files of up to 24/192 from a computerbased source.An I2S connection via HDMI, this is purely an inputand Astin Trew's Concord Transport due very soonwill make full use of this connection for the optimumin digital data transfer.There's also the usual suspects, which you would ex-pect on quality DAC these days- an optical, RCAand pleasantly a BNC as well as the RCA coax input.(Another great feature for me reviewing transports).All inputs are selectable from the front right knob viarelays rather than mechanical switches conservingthe purity of the signal. The left hand knob is forpower on and off.Now the important bitThe Concord's immediate sonic signature is one ofcomplete textural musicality with an authorativebass. Undertones are completely fleshed out, rich andrhythmic. midrange clarity is unmistakably naturallypresented with each note and vocal dropping throughits range into a natural bodied reflection of the mate-rial played.Higher frequencies and overtones are marvelouslydisplayed - notes begin with accurate rendition ofedges, enter the musical performance with absoluteclarity, explore the note naturally and decay with fullexpressive tonality and that for me encapsulates thefull timbre and embodiment of the instrument.



Dynamics from the Concordare pretty huge, not sharplyexplosive but more of a fullbodied largeness in scale andpresence, they are completelycohesive and focused in thefact the higher pitches of notesgrab lower frequencies withboth hands and lift their dy-namic integration hand in handwith perfect timing.Pronunciation of phrase is sowell developed every spoken word has a clearly de-fined status due to the extremely impressive way inwhich the Concord renders texture.There's no fading of the pronunciation of words trail-ing off into a more defined edge of the next, there isclarity from start to finish in a completely sibilantfree manner.The pace and rhythm of the Concord is utterly en-gaging… fluid and encapsulating... driven with abass force and tempo which is full of degrees ofspeed and layering that never gets too tight or dry.There is a controlling punch and extension whichleaves other higher priced DACs in its wake, a realforce to be reckoned with when listening to pacierbeats.

On the flip side delicate passages have a fluid andliquid characteristic to them that is so involving, ex-tended and smooth, with attention to flow that takesthe listener to a level of commitment from the soundthat intimate late night listening deserves, exploitingbandwidth with care.

By contrast to these points Kathryn Roberts silkytones sounded beautifully fluid on the 'Ballad ofAndy Jacobs' precise, centred, never too large, butamply projected with a clarity of tone and focus.Then on the other hand a strong electronic beat withfantastic dynamic range, impact and harmonic ex-citement during Route 94's 'My Love' shows off theAstin Trews ability to hold strong, deep bass notescoupled with pace and rhythm. I found it increasing-ly more difficult to throw off the Concords balance...Micheal Buble's 'All of Me' is also dynamically rich,with the big band giving slam and impact which nev-er clouded or muddied Buble's lead vocal. Top endbrass quality was undertoned with texture adding a“trueness” to the range the Concord was able to con-vey convincingly.Gregory Porter’s jazzy vocal in contrasting tempoand varying instrument backing on his 'Liquid Spirit'album proved to me how subtle, contrasting and ex-citing the Concord can be and how much inner detailand rhythm it can put across in layers of three dimen-sional imaging without leaning to a specific charac-teristic, which could be deemed as DAC infused.Soft rock through to harder grungier tracks fromcompilation albums such as the 'Power Ballad' al-bums quickly reinforced opinions that this DAC canmanage a whole range of genres and that it's abilitiesacross the board were strong and competently evenhanded.I have heard instruments and vocals done better, suchas with the Lampizator Level 7, which has a depthand scale to acoustic and classical musical which isat the pinnacle of today's offerings, but where theLampizator triumphs for some musical genres it failsagainst the Concord on others.In comparison to the Totaldac which I have ownedfor the best part of a year, the Totaldac sounds verybeautiful and compares well across music types such


The pace and rhythm ofthe Concord is utterlyengaging…fluid andencapsulating... drivenwith a bass force andtempo which is full ofdegrees of speed andlayering that never getstoo tight or dry.


as jazz and acoustic with the Concord. The Astintrewis slightly forward in the mids and the Totaldacslightly recessed or laid back, both swing each wayof a stable mid-point in the depth of a system andcomparing their vocal strength is also difficult andsystem dependent.My own system is already a little forward in this de-partment which is something I tune for as I enjoy aprojected vocal, I like to here the singer really beltout the words, yet not overshadow the instruments inthe music to a point where the artist sounds too for-ward.I spent a great deal of time comparing the vocal con-trasts between the Totaldac and that of the AstinTrew, both use tube outputs (both just on the singleended outputs). The Astin Trew with its tube buff-ered output and the Totaldac has a full valve output.The Totaldac has a wonderful refinement yet lacksdrive, punch and excitement but has a seductivesound. The Astin Trew swaps absolute refinementfor a vibrancy and excitement. Detail is still magnifi-cent, but displayed very differently. There is an un-mistakeable clarity, pace and rhythm to the soundand being buffered still gives a truly musical sub-stance to the music and is just so involving, it leavesone not necessarily admiring the sound, but gettingmore involved and invigorated by it.I had a chance to listen to the XLR outputs vs theRCA outputs when I had a Roksan Caspian M2 inte-grated here recently (my own transistor amp whichcan accommodate both connection types is away tohave some work done).Both connections do sound different as the RCA out-put is buffered and the XLR isn't, there's not a fa-vourite in my mind, just a different take on the samecore sound. There's an arguably cleaner, more dy-namic nature to the straight transistor and a richer,slightly rounder character to the midrange of the sin-gle-ended output with a little less bass extension andfirmness. The top end is also slightly more roundedand has a little less air through the RCA outputs, butit's really down to personal preference and not by anymeans better or worse.I will be intrigued to compare the differences evenfurther and more in depth with my Kavent when itcomes back.So in ConclusionAfter demoing a fair few DACs over the past fewmonths and as I stated at the beginning of this re-

view, I did purchase the Concord and I think thattime will prove that the decision was a correct onefor me with my musical preferences, system needsand wants for connectivity having all been ticked.Of course I would recommend it, that goes withoutsaying. The only reasons I can summarise is that it'sability to reproduce so much music so well out-weighs any DAC I have heard which can do one ortwo genres better… and from what I've heard uptoand around £8k there aren't many.Some seriously technically minded and serious mu-sic enthusiasts have had their fingers and thoughtsinvolved in the final tweaked production model ofthis DAC and it shows. Great time and attention hasgone into voicing the product. An ability to do allthings well and nothing short of that fact, is the Con-cord's calling card.I keep saying it does all things well, but I would liketo emphasise it's better than just well done, the AstinTrew Concord does everything great and then some.In many cases it has punched above its weight. I cansay confidently that I don't see the product being onethat falls into a category of system synergy, it simplyfalls into the category of outstandingly diverse andmusically competent!

Build quality - 8.3/10Sound Quality - 9/10Value for Money - 8.7/10Overall - 8.6/10Price at time of review - £3,760DAC with USB input - £4,100 (as reviewed)DAC with Firewire input - £4,200 Highly recommend for being able to performmany genres fantastically and in some caseseven better than one trick ponies that costmore money… and because I know own oneof course!

Dan Worth

Astin Trew Concord DAC 1After demoing a fair few DACsover the past few months and as Istated at the beginning of thisreview, I did purchase the Concordand I think that time will provethat the decision was a correctone…


As European amps continue to expand insize, and as this amp is rather small bysome American standards, this £5000

McIntosh MA5200 100W per channel integrated isperhaps a McIntosh which might contend well in theEuropean market place. With 9 inputs, including 1Moving Magnet phono and 3 digital inputs that willdecode digital music at up to 32 bits and 192kHz, itdeserves to: as well as being exceptionally well-equipped and capable, it is a very musical all-in-oneamplifier.

McIntoshes are very American both in terms of de-sign cues and in terms of size. Visually it will happi-ly sit alongside any Mac made over the last fiftyyears – it has the distinctive black fascia with bluedials and a shiny green logo, like it or hate it.

By American standards, it is quite svelte at 48 x 15.1x 44.3cm but its depth and width might trouble manyEuro equipment racks. It weighs a hernia-inducing17 kilos, so frequent moving is not desirable. On theother hand, this unit (in common with several com-peting offerings) provides scope for considerable ra-tionalisation as it could credibly replace a preamp,power amp, DAC and phono stage, and accordinglysave on all the associated cables, isolation, rackingetc. It also supports multi-room implementations. Putthat way, £5000 seems reasonable if not fantasticvalue. Judgement on fantastic value will depend onthe sonics.

First impressions

Opening the rather hefty box produced the first sur-prise and it was a good one – typical of the thoughtthat has obviously gone into this kit. Lifting the ampout of its shipping carton revealed that it had beenattached by two screws to both a cardboard base anda rigid MDF base which secured the amp completelyagainst the tender mercies of couriers during itstransport. A cheap but highly effective way of pre-

McIntosh MA5200 Integrated Amp

Well lovedAmerican brandMcIntosh’s 100wper channelM15200 integratedamplifier gets putthrough its paces.


venting needless returns to base. Other manufactur-ers might take note.

So how about first impressions? Let’s get the gripesover first. It is very much a Mac - very American,and I mean that well. It is very muscular but somedesign aspects jar; the level and source selectors lookand feel so plasticky that using them does not givethe confidence that the amp’s visual cues offer. I im-agine it is the same feeling that Aston drivers used tohave when they wallowed in lovely leather seats anddiscovered switchgear from the Ford parts binplonked on their dashboards. With a £5000 amp, tac-tility matters and there really is no excuse not havesqueezed a few cents extra spend on some betterparts. This is, after all, the main interface with theuser, especially as the remote is a seriously hideouspiece of lightweight plastic. This must particularlymatter when you are fighting the likes of Devialet forbusiness. In fairness, I should add that neither theswitches nor the remote failed to do what was re-quired of them; my complaints are all about whatgoods at this price level should feel like.

Under the hood

The controls are actually quite sophisticated. Not on-ly do they turn, but they can also be pressed orclicked to navigate the user menu. Reading throughthe manual, which is well written and comprehen-sive, you find instructions for a bewildering array ofsettings such as activating the S/PDIF inputs for thebuilt-in DAC, applying home theatre throughput orsetting up comms for a multi-room system. Thebuilt-in DAC has a built-in Windows driver which

allows simple access through a USB connection. TheS/PDIF options are set through the menu where oneof the five line-level inputs (4x RCA, 1 x XLR orRCA) is deactivated. All these inputs can be named.In addition to the line level inputs, there is an in-builtMM phono stage and a pre-out/main-out loop withmetal jumpers. Helpfully there is a 6.3mm head-phone socket on the front. The speaker terminals arechunky and are standard rather than multi-tapped.

Let us look first at the pre and power amplifier sec-tions. Sadly, this Mac is made without the proprie-tary autoformers for which the marque is renowned.Instead, McIntosh has deployed new circuitry calledDynamic Power Management or DPM, designed tointelligently adapt to varying loads. In all fairness, I


Forget theclichés aboutAmericanamps, this isnot a brute, butnor is it polite.


cannot claim to have presented anything difficultenough to this amp to comment on the effectivenessof this circuit. Living in a built up area and not want-ing an ASBO, the limits of my testing were such thatthis amp never broke a sweat, less still challengedany of my speakers.

How does it sound?

Forget the clichés about American amps, this is not abrute, but nor is it polite. Many amps are voiced toimpress in the showroom but then blare and graterather after some time listening. Or they are just toomellow to stir the soul. What this amp does so well isto let the music come to the fore and simply providethe power when it is needed.

In the interests of brevity, as I lived with this amp fora month and played it every day, I shall not list allthe music I tried on it. I applied all the standard tests– female voices, male voices, organ, large orchestralpieces, chamber orchestra, piano, drums and guitarthrough FLAC, redbook and vinyl.

Like all McIntoshes I have ever heard, the MA5200generates a credible and large soundstage – you real-ly do get the sense of the concert hall,the cocktail bar or the rock concert. Butit is also very well balanced indeed. Itcomes across with a fluidity andsmoothness which makes it very easy tolisten to for long stretches.

The treble never obtrudes and the bass isalways well rendered without veeringtowards the flatulence that sometimescomes with big amps, but this is no win-dow shaker, unless you want it to be. Itplays good recordings well with only asmall suggestion that the top and bottomends could go further but it also has atendency to make poorly recorded musicmore listenable - it tames slightly edgymodern (digital) recordings and itrenders sometimes flabby 50s and 60s(especially classical) recordings well. Itis not the last word in detail retrieval,nor in resolving transients but what itputs out is recognisably music.

The most impressive thing about the MA5200 is justhow self-effacing it is: It is a Jeeves of an amp, shim-mering about in the background, quietly ensuringthat the music is given every opportunity to showitself at its best, and keeping all those reserves ofpower for when they are really needed. If you are notlooking at the amp itself, it is easy to forget that it isin the musical chain. It just sounds good and this ishelped by the consistency across the line stages, theDAC inputs and the phono stage which all behavewith a similar tonality and integrity. This amp is veryeasy to live with and I can see why Mac buyers havesuch brand loyalty – in technological terms, it reallyis “fit and forget” – no tweaking, no perpetual chasefor upgrades, no “voicing” – just listen to the music.

I used the MA5200 with both a pair of Sonus FaberGrand Pianos and a pair of Bastani open bafflespeakers alternating between runs of Skogrand IgnisPurist cable and my normal Electrofluidics cable. Ialso borrowed a pair of Spendor BC1s from a friendto try out on the MA5200. Again, consistency ofsound proved to be the order of the day, even withspeakers as coloured as the SFs. I tried a pair of eld-



erly Sennheisers on the headphoneoutput and can report that latenight listening will not be a chore.

Turning to the built-in DAC, Isimply could not differentiate be-tween the two S/PDIF inputs. Tomy ears, they had the same tonali-ty. The asynchronous USB inputhad marginally clearer resolutionthan the coax input from mystreamer but that might just bedown to differences in cabling. (I understand that theDAC circuitry in the MA5200 is substantially thesame as that in McIntosh’s rather more expensiveunits, so that the consumer here is getting the benefitof some rather tasty trickle down technology.)

As an experiment, I ran my satellite box through theDAC and will happily report that using the MA5200as a stereo TV amp with my Sonus Fabers deliveredby far the best audio I have ever heard from my TV,far, far better and clearer than the dedicated AVRamp and 5.1 speaker system!

In comparison to the V1 DAC in my Naim rig, Icould not honestly say much more than that the V1was marginally better resolved and had more “bite”i.e. it sounded typically Naim and that the Macsounded typically McIntosh. But would I spend£1250 on a separate V1 if I kept the MA5200? Prob-ably not. In my opinion, you would have to findquite a lot of money more conclusively to beat theMac’s DAC.

I’m afraid I was much less taken with the standard47 K ohm MM phono stage, but then I listen to vinylmore than any other medium. For “residual” vinylusers it will do the job with a good MM or HOMC. Itdoes its job adequately but compared to any of myoutboard phono stages, even the humble DynavectorP75 Mk III, it falls quite short.

Tonally the MM input shares the MA5200 sonic sig-nature but it was not fully up to the job on dynamics,soundstaging and separation for serious and extendedvinyl listening. It might, of course, be that McIn-tosh’s own turntables and cartridges mate better withthis amp than the ones I had at my disposal.

I tried my Reference Fidelity SUT with my Zu AudioDenon 103 into the MM input and it sounded a bitclearer, more dynamic and differentiated more of theinstruments and voices than either the MusicMakerMI or my Ortofon Black MM, but if you listen to alot of vinyl, you will probably need to plan on usinga discrete phono stage. The good news is that a goodone really sings - my Whest PS30RDT came throughdynamically and clearly with a line input, as did myElectrocompaniet.Conclusion

I have long been a fan of McIntosh kit and theMA5200 does nothing much to disappoint. For me,the McIntosh MA5200 is an excellent amplifier, witha quality DAC and a no fuss approach to presentingmusic. The amp is very tolerant of supports, cablesand sources and requires only simple set up and pre-cious little tweaking. Set it up in an hour or so andoff you go.

If I were in the market for a £5000 all-in-one amp,I’d be perfectly happy to take the MA5200 and pairit with a good pair of loudspeakers. As for sources,you could get going with only a laptop. It is an out-standing amplifier with a fantastic sound quality anda build quality (despite my quibbles regarding theknobs and the plastic fantastic remote control) farbetter than much of what is produced in the UK.Build quality – 9/10Sound quality – 8./10Value for money – 7/10Overall – 8/10

Peter Stanton-Ife



http://www.nipponhifi.com/


I took a listen to SoulNotes little SA710 amplifier a few months ago and awarded itan overall score of 8.2/10 so when we were

asked if we’d have a listen to it’s bigger brother andassociated CD player I was very keen!The design of the two black boxes carries on fromthe SA 710 and is simple and elegant with little be-ing given to unwanted and unnecessary frippery. The

only concession to any kind of blingness is the Soul-Note nameplate which sits in the middle of each ofthe two units’ facia. Both units are of standard widthbut are both quite shallow in depth.

SC710 CD PlayerThe SoulNote SC710 uses a Burr-Brown 1792ADAC with filtering provided by the NE5532 chipimplemented without negative feedback. An 80VApower R core transformer is used as well as doubleDarlington discrete non-negative feedback powersupply.On the front black panel you’ve got all the usual but-tons dealing with play, stop, eject and search backand forward. There’s the on/off switch and abovethat you have a blue LED to let you know the unit ispowered up. The display is a simple red, LED affairshowing track number, minutes and seconds.Round the back there’s a pair of RCA outputs, a pairof XLR outputs and an RCA digital output.

SA730 Integrated AmplifierThis is a 75W a channel (8 ohms) integrated thatagain used negative feedback circuitry. Into 4 Ohms

SoulNote SC710 CD Player and SA730 Integrated Amp

JapanesemanufacturerSoulNote’s SC710 CDPlayer and SA730integrated amplifiershould be a greatmatch, but are theyreally?


you get a healthy 115W a side.The front has button selectors for the two XLR in-puts and 4 RCA inputs which click with a pleasingsolidity and have a green glow around them whenselected. A power on button with blue LED and amotorised volume pot and that’s your lot.On the back panel there’s the two stereo XLR inputs,the four stereo RCA inputs and a pair of substantialloudspeaker binding posts.

The pair look good together on the rack and comewith a lightweight remote commander that controlsboth the CD player and the amplifier. This remotecovers all the necessary functions with the volumegoing up slowly which is a nice feature.

For the purposes of this review I wanted to use theSoulNote CD and amplifier as a pairing as I believethis is likely how they will be bought. With the refer-ence 95db Mummy speakers we usually use the 75Won offer was a bit overkill and as we had a pair ofRoksan Darius S1s in fro review (thanks Tufan forthe extra couple of weeks with these) we used theseas they’re a more real world partnering.The two were listened to in the main system too andI’ll note that where applicable.

Some Tunes

Over the period of time we had with the SoulNote kitwe managed to listen to pretty much every genre ofmusic we own from rock to folk to jazz to electronic.

Regular readers will know there’s a distinct lack ofclassical in our collection!

On rock music such as Marillion’s “Fugazi” it’s clearthat the CD player is delivering the amplifier with agood quality signal and there is certainly nothingmissing in the mix. At low to medium volumesthere’s a solid stereo image presented and you get thefull range of frequencies with mid and highs to thefore slightly. There’s good speed and slam withsnares having the required snap to them. Bass is alittle recessed at these volumes. Fish’s vocals sitbang in the centre of the mix and there’s good insightinto is vocal style, with little vocal effects in the mixcoming through well. However, this kind of musicisn’t made for these lower volumes and cranking upthe pot you get the feeling that the amp is really com-ing into its own. There’s a real sense that the amplifi-er is taking control of the speakers and that speedand slam I mentioned a moment ago just gets “moreso”. Bass is tight and a little dry with no bloom oroverhang. Vocals are pushed a little forward in themix and synth and guitar leads have the requiredsoaring quality. This pairing do rock music very wellindeed with drums having impact and power to themwhen needed, but also allowing softer touches oncymbals to have the right ring and shimmer to them.

Even at loud levels the amplifier doesn’t feel like it’srunning out of steam and remains in control of thespeakers. Perhaps at louder volumes the very high



frequencies become a little more pronounced than Iwould have liked but the bass and mids remain tightand controlled.Popping the SoulNote CD player into the main sys-tem and taking out the Pioneer DVD transport intothe Valve Audio Devices DAC there is good airaround instruments in the higher frequencies with adecently open sound. Bass has a touch more controlto it than my valve based reference, but vocals areprojected further forward in the mix than I’m usedto. Overall the tube DAC I have suits my taste moreand I would say it presents a more harmonious, rich-er sound, but perhaps lacks the snappiness and im-mediacy of the SoulNote .

Back to the pairing and switching CDs for somethinga little less hectic and I reach for Madeleine Peyroux’“Careless Love” and as I’m putting the CD into thetray I notice the tray is a bit on the flimsy side – acommon enough complaint with CD players usinggeneric transports! Pressing play on the remote hasthe tray sliding in to the machine silently andsmoothly though. There’s a few seconds delay whilstthe player reads the CD which had me reaching forthe remote to press play again for the first few discs Iplayed.

I buy a lot of second hand CDs and often take potluck on artists I’ve not come across before and some-times the discs look like they’ve been used as fris-bees at a chimps tea party to the point my usualtransport gets quite fussy about playing them. Not so

the SoulNote with it playing pretty much every CD Ithrew at it bar the very worst examples... which I re-ally ought to get round to binning!

Anyway, back to Madeleine and it’s clear from thefirst opening bars of “Dance Me To The End OfLove” that the SoulNotes can play this popular jazzstyle too. There’s not the same finesse as when I’musing the Tellurium Q SECA and reference DAC andpre, but there is a feeling of control again …and ofcourse the SouleNote goes louder with these speak-ers! The play between drums and bass is portrayed


Even at loudlevels theamplifier doesn’tfeel like it’srunning out ofsteam andremains in controlof the speakers.


really well and with the syncopated rhythms youcan’t help but tap your feet along in time to the mu-sic.There’s good balance to the sound with mids (vocalsagain) being slightly highlighted and I think thatmany will actually enjoy this kind of presentation.There’s loads of smaller details in the music in evi-dence with little touches on the bass fretboard beingclearly distinguishable. This pairing seem to be over-all pretty neutral sounding with just a hint of warmthto the sound which I put down to the mids beingslightly exaggerated.When switching out the SoulNote amp for the littleClones audio i25 (which I really rate for the money)you appreciate the extra power of the SoulNote aswell as the firmer control it displays over the loud-speakers.

Some electronic music now and to Deep Dish’s ex-cellent “Yoshiesque Two”. The East Coast discopens with the fabulous vocal of Julie McKnight onThe Kings Of Tomorrow’s “Finally” and I immedi-ately began to get that goose bump thing you getsometimes when you hear a tune you know portrayedreally well. There’s a clarity and tone brought outthat just sounds great, with the slight delay effect be-ing very much in evidence. I found myself hitting therewind button on the remote but found it pretty unre-sponsive and it taking me back to the end of thealbum…pressing the track number button workedfine!When the beat finally comes in there’s that speed andslam thing again and it really suits this kind of musicvery well. The stereo image is wide enough, but notoverly exaggerated, with different layers of instru-ments being clearly defined. Bass lines are bouncy,tight and stand out in the mix. This style of music isagain well suited to the SoulNote pairing’s style ofdelivery.Switching out the Roksan speakers for a pair of Tri-angle Signature Alphas we have in for review there’sstill that sense that the SoulNotes are taking controlof the speakers and you can clearly hear the very dif-ferent presentation the two speakers have.

ConclusionsThe SoulNote CD and amplifier are a natural pairing

that clearly play to each others strengths. The openand airy nature of the CD player is complimented bythe amps powerful and forceful presentation. There’soodles of power and great speed and slam (sorry forrepeating this yet again but I can’t think of how elseto describe this) to the music (PRAT perhaps?).

I’d suggest that the systems strong points are playingmusic that has solid rhythmic foundations and comesinto its own when the volume is turned up loud. Theamp isn’t the last word in absolute finesse whencompared to our reference, but it will appeal to thosethat like to boogie and enjoy listening to music ratherthan analysing the sound coming out of the speakers.

There’s a slight forwardness to the mids, but this isnicely tempered by the rest of the character of thepairing and overall gives a well balanced presenta-tion.

There is scale and there is dynamism to the musicwith the SoulNotes and I for one really enjoyed mytime with them…not sure about the people down thevalley though as I did play a lot of music very loud.As I say not the last word in absolute finesse whencompared to our reference system, but they do loveto party and will appeal to a good few people I be-lieve!The pairing isn’t by any stretch of the imaginationfalling into budget territory, but for the money youget an amp with power and control, plus a transportand DAC that perform reasonably well in compari-son to our much more expensive reference.

Build Quality – 7.9/10Sound Quality – 8.3 /10Value For Money - 7.9/10Overall – 8/10Recommended for people that are lookingfor a no-nonsense, well performing pairingthat deliver a powerful sound with greatbass weight and punch.Price when reviewed:Amplifier - €4200CD Player - €4000

Stuart Smith



http://www.roksan.co.uk/


As previously mentioned in the earlier DariusS1 review, I always really enjoyed the firstCaspian Integrated Amplifier and asked to

try the M2 when I had the pleasure of having the S1'sin for review. Subsequently after using the Caspianwith the Darius' I asked if I could hang on to it for alittle longer to try in place of the Emille in my mainsystem.

I wanted to hear if the musical magic I once enjoyedwith the first Caspian was still apparent years on.

The M2 is now equipped with a set of XLR inputs (aflick of a switch on cd input) which was a surpriseand also a very welcome addition over the two previ-ous models and these aren't just a pair of sockets ei-ther, they are fully balanced.

Along with the XLRs are a plethora of RCA inputsand outputs - no less than 5 pairs of inputs and twopairs of pre outs for running upto a quad set ofmonos for bi-amping, or two separate power amplifi-ers and due to the Caspian having a separate 60VA

Roksan Caspian M2 Integrated

We’ve taken alisten to the £1995Roksan CaspianM2 Integratedamplifierpreviously, butthought itdeserves a secondairing.


high quality stage for the preamp section a goodclean signal can be utilised from the integrated.

The power amplifier stage of the M2 dishes out85wpc into 8 ohms and 125wpc into 4 ohm loads.Coupled with a low noise high quality 350va trans-former the M2 is on paper ready to be able to compe-tently kick out some tunes!

Looking at the specifications after admiring the in-dustrial-chicesqe main chassis of the M2 with itsgenerous amounts of ventilation slots, I saw that theheatsinks in the unit were fan assisted. Well that wasa surprise because at no point in time did I notice anyfan noise emanating from the unit - it is thermallycontrolled so to be honest if your rocking it out thenany fan noise would be completely drowned out.

I gave this a good test by playing some loud tunes fora prolonged period of time in order to warm the unitthrough nicely, then turn down to Sunday Servicelistening levels and ascertain if this would leave anyperceivable noise from the fan before the amp cooledagain. I can report I heard no fan noise just a little bitof transformer hum when poking my ear into theshelf, nothing much though.

So looks wise, what did I personally think of it?Yeah, I like it! The front panel is solid, has nice styleand shape and as mentioned in the last paragraph, Idid like the stainless steel main chassis to the amp asit gives a feel of a substantially made purposeful de-sign. It kind of relates to the substance behind thefacade, visually adding the feeling of industrialstrength to the prettier forefront - imagine a nice foy-er with a pretty receptionist against the hard workingpowerplant worker. Yes it could have been fittedwith dirty great heatsinks down the sides and a largerchassis, but remember this is an integrated costingunder £2000.If I had one complaint with the newer Roksan ampsis that I feel the knobs on the front are too shallow,not to shallow for use but I like to have a good sizedselector and volume dial to turn. I feel this is down tothe aesthetics/style of the dials as they are at theircentre point deep enough, it's just their rounded edg-es that allow for that shallow feeling to the touch.Yes, Roksan do provide a remote, a full system re-

mote actually, allowing for the control of all ofRoksan's accompanying equipment, so yes you couldargue that what does it matter, stop complaining! Butit's my review and I'll cry if I want to!

The remote is bit of a treat for me to be honest asusually I have the pleasure of turning two volumepots on the Emille, counting the clicks on each toreach the left/right balance, a royal pain when there'sa passage on a track that you quickly want to addsome volume to, then subsequently turn back downbefore the neighbours from four doors away begin tocomplain.

Roksan Caspian M2 IntegratedThe M2 like theDarius' have aunique voicing tothe upperfrequencies. Theyaren't attenuatedin any way but theyhave a cleverresponse which forme allows them tobe more forgivingto nasties andgrain reproducedby lesserrecordings.


Channel balance on an amp is something which,since having the Emille, has become a more promi-nent area and one I listen to carefully. I have hadamps in the past, monoblocks, which I could swearhad an imbalance in output or I felt the timing wasoff quite badly. After having the manufacturer comearound for a listen and a couple friends too, they alltold me that I needed to get my ears cleaned, but Iwas adamant and pulled out a multimeter and yes, Iwas correct, the amps were 9mv out from each other.

The Caspain M2 caused me think about this event,not because I heard an imbalance, quite the oppositein fact. During listening I remarked to myself at howwell timed I felt the presentation to be. I don't get a

huge sweet spot in my listening room due to its mod-est size, it's ample don't get me wrong, but I've heardbetter in larger rooms. The M2 gave me a great cen-tre focus and sound staging was very accurate, wideand full.

Depth to the centre stage was really pretty good withthe Ayons and the Darius'. Listening to 'Latch' fromDisclosure and Sam Smith highlighted what I consid-er to be a strong attribute of the M2's performance -whilst there is great dispersion into the room the Cas-pian has an extremely strong and solid spread to thefront of the soundstage, conveying rich bass, stronglyprojected mids and that finely tuned treble which Ienjoyed so much in the Darius.

I have always considered the older Caspian to be anon-offensive amp which has sat well in many com-binations of system electronics and transducers in thepast for me and I have had systems in the past wherethe Caspian was by far the cheapest product on therack, even the cabling costing many times more,which was a testament to it.

The M2 like the Darius' have a unique voicing to theupper frequencies. They aren't attenuated in any waybut they have a clever response which for me allowsthem to be more forgiving to nasties and grain repro-duced by lesser recordings.

Not as transparent or revealing? I wouldn't say so, Inever felt during my listening tests that I lost any ofthat timbre or shine on brass instruments, the echoingeffect of higher guitar notes in smaller acoustic spac-es or a sense of atmosphere, there was just a sweeterrepresentation of higher frequencies which was morepalatable.

Musicality has always been an overwhelming aspectof Roksan gear and the better models of electronicsand newer versions seem to have retained this, alongwith more refinement and detail retrieval but withoutlosing soul and the essence of a performance.

I've had and reviewed the new Kandy K2 BT andwhere it is a strong performer in dance and rock mu-sic I never felt it was particularly strong across a verywide range of genres, the Caspian is more than capa-ble of dealing with many different genres effortlesslyfrom electronica to acoustic.

Roksan Caspian M2 IntegratedThe musicalityand ability tostronglyreproduce musicof the mostdelicate tones,yet have enoughpace and rhythmto excite mustmake this ampone of the verybest in its classat the moment.


Damien Rice’s 'Older Chests' begins with a few barsof delicate acoustic guitar before Rice’s vocal joinsin. His vocal was represented very well, I could herethe breaking of his voice and the emotional qualitywas conveyed as it should be. There's also smallersounds of children playing in a park to the left of thesoundstage. The trick with this track is the ability toconvey to the listener that Damien is sat on a smallstage slightly off centre to the right and the childrenare actually outdoors in open space with associatedbackground noise. You could imagine the scene withhim sitting in his living room with patio doors openon the left. The Caspian really portrayed this pictureand in fact nailed it.

On Rice’s 'Cheers Darlin'' from the album 'O' a fluid-ity was expressed through the sound expressing fan-tastic soundstage detailing front to back with greatspacious rolling soft bass notes and violin whichwashed through the soundstage. The track is a veryspacious affair when reproduced well and the Cas-pian added body and a touch of warmth to the overalltake on the sound.

Reading back through this review I haven't touchedreally on the dynamics in bass slam or dashing tran-sient shifts. I can only put this down to the fact thatthe amp got me completely engrossed into my acous-tical tastes and I listened to a few more albums ofthis type and stopped writing for a while.

I'm not going to go into too much detail regardingthese aspects I'm afraid as I am still sat here enjoyingsome music, but I did have the chance to listen tosome music which has great dynamic qualities (sub-tle transients and some larger passages with goodslam) and my take was that the Caspian M2 can hitslam with ease and body. The amp isn't smooth, it'srich sounding and this richness adds a fantasticweight and fullness to large fast notes. There's noth-ing worse in my book than an overly clean, dynamicamp and the Caspian couldn't be further than that -it's full bodied with overtones of clarity.In Conclusion

The Roksan Caspian M2 for me has retained and fur-ther improved the characterisation of what I loved somuch about the very first model of this amplifier.

The M1 got a little way there but the M2 has nailedthe essence of what (for me) a £2000 price tagshould buy you.

The musicality and ability to strongly reproduce mu-sic of the most delicate tones, yet have enough paceand rhythm to excite must make this amp one of thevery best in its class at the moment.

I think Roksan are at a point after hearing the Cas-pian and the Darius' where they have such an impres-sive technique when voicing products that just makesfor such an engrossing listen and leave me for one inanticipation of what they have up their sleeves forthe future.

Build quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8.5/10Value For Money - 8.5/10Overall - 8.3/10Price at time of review - £1995Recommended - For pure musicality, in-volvement and entertainment across theboard.

Dan Worth

Roksan Caspian M2 IntegratedThe musicality andability to stronglyreproduce music ofthe most delicatetones, yet haveenough pace andrhythm to excitemust make this ampone of the very bestin its class at themoment.


http://www.electromod.co.uk/


I like Schiit’s attitude to their products and con-fess to using their entry level (£90 per box) ModiUSB DAC and Magni headphone amp when lis-

tening none critically on my normal work desktopsystem. They’re made in the USA, well made, attrac-tive and offer very good value for money to mymind, and despite their name they have a solid histo-ry in the audio world - Jason Stoddard and MikeMoffat designed numerous well known products forSumo before branching out on their own to launchSchiit. The entry level kit comes with a two yearwarranty, but the more expensive kit, like we’re

looking at heer, comes with an impressive five yearwarranty. I also like their marketing spiel “Becauseyou’re an audiophile does not have to mean “bornwith a stick up your ass””.Here we have on test the Lyr 2 headphone amplifierand the Bifrost (with full blown USB 2 receiver)DAC which retail in the UK for £340 and £395. Boththe units are substantially bigger than their entry lev-el siblings, but still a good deal smaller than conven-tional hi-fi boxes and suitable for use on a desktop -they each measure 9 x 6 x 3.25 inches. All the bitsand bobs in the boxes are surface mounted with theaim here being to keep prices down to affordable lev-els. The units are finished in brushed aluminium andlook really rather nice I think.Lyr 2Lyr 2 is a high powered headphone amp offering up6W into 32 ohms to 330mW into 600 makingit suitable for just about any headphone you’d care tothrow at it. In the box you get the attractive and dis-tinctive Lyr 2 itself, a power cable, some little stickon feet and a pair of 6B7Zvalves – the Lyr 2 can useany 6Dj8, 6922, ECC88, 6N23P and 6Bz7 tubes sothat tube rollers can play to their hearts content,though I decided to stick with the stock Russiantubes in the box. The Lyr 2 uses a “DynamicallyAdaptive Output Stage” which the company says is a“current sensing adaptive output technology whichallows the amplifier to dynamically adjust to theheadphone load. The Primary benefits are essentiallysingle-ended Class A output for high-impedenceheadphones, moving seamlessly to push-pull Class Aand finally into Class AB as current needs increase”.Set up is a simple case of inserting the valves, plug-ging in the IEC, turning the amp on and then con-necting to a suitable source via the input RCAs. Also

Schiit Lyr 2Headphone Amp & Bifrost DAC

American manufacturerSchiit, yes it ispronounced like that,build all their range ofkit in the US and stillmanage to keep pricespretty reasonable. Herewe take a listen to the£340 LYR 2 headphoneamplifier/preamplifierand the £395 BifrostDigital To AnalogueConverter.


around the back is a pair of RCA outlets (turned offwhen you plug in headphones) allowing you to con-nect to a power amplifier of your choice. You alsoget a gain setting switch for efficient or less efficientheadphones and an on/off toggle switch. Move roundthe front and you have an LED to let you know theunit is powered up, a volume pot, a quarter inchheadphone jack… and that’s your lot.The Lyr 2 has a few “upgrades” over its predecessorincluding a regulated 180V power supply for thevalve stage, separate regulated power supplies for thecurrent sources and DC Servo and regulated suppliesfor the DC heaters.BifrostThe USB input on this Bifrost uses C-MediaCM6631 USB receiver interface andasynchronous data transfer of up to 24/192, but youalso get the option to input via coaxial or optical. TheD/A chip is an AKM4399 and rather than upsam-pling the Bifrost keeps samples at their original rateusing adaptive master clock management system.Round the back of the Bifrost you have the IEC pow-er in, a power switch toggle, inputs for USB, Opticaland SPDIF coaxial and a pair of RCA outputs to con-nect to your preamplifier. On the front you’ve got abutton to cycle through the input selections and threeLEDs to let you know what input you have selected.Set up is a simple affair of downloading the Win-dows drivers, plugging in your input cables and con-necting to your preamp/amp. J Player recognised thedrivers and the Bifrost itself immediately and the

whole set up procedure took no more than three orfour minutes.I’m moving over to a computer based system and somost of the listening will be done using the USB in-put using JRiver as the player, with some listeningusing the coaxial output from a pioneer DVD. Head-phones used will be Audeze LCD –XC and whenusing the Lyr 2 as a preamplifier it will be fed into aTQ Iridium power amplifier.Lyr 2 and Bifrost Paired Using HeadphonesThe first album off the virtual shelf was the excellent

2 Future 4 U by Amand VanHelden, a slab of funkybeats and deep bass whichcomes across here as nicelytimed with snappy beats anda coherency across the fre-quency ranges that was real-ly rather pleasing. There’spunch to the sound but withno frequency range reallydominating. I’ve been test-ing headphones and head-phone amps out a lot overthe last couple of monthsand it’s to the pairing’scredit that I didn’t reallymiss the reference VADDAC and my reference

Schiit Lyr 2Headphone Amp & Bifrost DACThe Lyr 2 has a few“upgrades” over itspredecessor including aregulated 180V powersupply for the valvestage, separate regulatedpower supplies for thecurrent sources and DCServo and regulatedsupplies for the DCheaters.


headphone amplifier on this type of music. Switch-ing to the Tresor 109 compilation it’s really hard tofault what the pairing is doing for just over £700.There’s good separation of instruments in the mix,which is thrown wide and is stable. The combinationgive a slightly more analogue feel to the sound thanI’ve encountered with some headphone/DAC com-bos. The slight softening of the sound will appeal toa good few and make the transition from an analoguefront end to an all digital set up much more accepta-ble. This is not to suggest that the sound here ismushy or compromised, it’s not, it’s just not got thatslight harshness at the frequency extremes that youcan sometimes get with some DACs.On Fleetwood Mac’s Songbird track there is a goodsense of the recording space with the natural reverbon the piano being large and natural sounding, anoth-er area that can leave some cheaper DACs foundwanting. In this area the Bifrost/Lyr 2 combo reallydo rather well when compared to the reference DACand headphone amp, though there is a feeling ofthere being more spatial information being apparentwith the, it has to be said, much more expensive ref-erences. This is evident also on Gil Shaham’s 1930’sViolin Concertos where it’s pretty easy to get a goodsense of the orchestra in front of you and the record-ing space, but not as deep an insight as I’m used to.Could I live with it…well I suppose it’s like anything

isn’t it, if you’ve heard something you consider to bethe best then it’s hard to move down the listeningladder, but for those with 700 quid to splash, then Ireckon you’d be hard pushed to beat this duo whenused with headphones.On female vocals such as Kathryn William’s CrownElectric and Mary Black’s Best Of albums there’s asilky smooth quality that is really addictive. Againthere’s a feeling of a slight softening, or warming tothe sound in the mid frequencies that I really enjoyedwith this kind of music. The combo will be popularwith those that listen to the stereotypical audiophilerecordings that prevail at shows, but that’s not to saythat the Shiit coupling can’t rock out as proved onPixie’s Doolittle where there’s enough power andoomph to satisfy, with that non-analytical feel to thesound that actually makes the combo really easy tolisten to for long periods of time.Lyr 2 in the Main RigPopping the Lyr 2 into the main system and using itas a preamplifier was a pleasant if not overwhelmingexperience, but then the pre it was replacing is theCoffman G1-A costing several thousands of dollars.The soundstage is good, wide and deep with an everso slight feeling that things are being slightly exag-gerated. Instruments remain nice and stable and youget a good idea of where they are seated in the mix.This is an easy to listen to preamplifier with theslight warming effect I noted previously and it has tobe said that it performs very well for the moneySchiit are asking you to pay. There’s reasonableamounts of detail coming through when compared tothe reference and there’s good tonality…erring onthe side of smoothness. In reality there’s little reallyto criticise, but the Lyr 2 is a little out of its depthhere, leaving me with a feeling that I’m not connect-ing with the music in the same way I would normallywith the main pre in place. Sadly I don’t have an en-try level power amplifier in the house at the momentand so couldn’t test the Lyr 2 in a setting it may bereasonably used in, but given its performance so farI’d say it would be a very decent choice for the mon-ey.Plug in the headphones and the output to the mainamp is cut. There’s a sense that you are getting a rea-sonable deal of the VAD DAC’s character, with theLyr doing that slight softening thing again, particu-larly in the mid-band. However, when compared to


On female vocalssuch as KathrynWilliam’s CrownElectric and MaryBlack’s Best Ofalbums there’s asilky smoothquality that isreally addictive.


the Beyerdynamic A20 headphone amplifier costingaround £400 and in the same system it performswell, with the Schiit perhaps being more to my tastewhen listening to cans.The Lyr drove all the cans I threw at it to loud vol-umes and with the Audeze headphones plugged in Ifound that going anywhere past 9 o clock was tooloud. I note here that the Lyr 2 does get very hot in-deed and so this needs to be a consideration whenplacing it on your rack.Bifrost in the Main RigAgain this is a bit of an unfair ask given the price-point of the Schiit DAC, but all in all it performedvery well indeed. On Madonna’s MDNA albumthere’s a terrific drive to the sound, particularly in thelower frequencies and the play between drum tracksand basslines. There’s a real feeling of pace andoverall a big sound that is sure to bring a smile toyour face.On more laidback tracks such as The Rolling Stone’sLady Jane, there’s a warmness of the sound overall,particularly mids, but the plucked strings still man-age to sound fast, precise and sparkly. Actuallythere’s an addictiveness to this little DAC that beliesits asking price. No, it doesn’t have the overall fi-nesse and poise of our reference, but it certainly doesa very admirable job of connecting you with the mu-sic.I’ve mentioned warmness quite a bit in the review ofthese two products, but I’d suggest that the Lyr 2 isresponsible for the majority of this. The DAC is pret-ty well defined with a relatively transparent sound.Soundstaging is pleasing andat the top end of the frequen-cy scale hats sparkle nicelywith good decay, whilst atthe lower end of thingsthere’s good weight andpunch. Mids are an area thatI’d say are a little on thewarmer side of neutral, but asa whole this warmness in thisfrequency band brings anease to the listening experi-ence that I really enjoyed.There is good layering andseparation of instruments inthe mixConclusion

The Schitt kit reviewed here offers great value formoney and at the price point they offer a very highlevel of sound that most will fail to achieve. They arecertainly a step up from many of the products I’veheard at a similar price.As a pairing when used as a desktop system for lis-tening via headphones they are really very good in-deed and despite being quite big for a workspace,they do look attractive and sound great.As separate entities and for use in a main system, Ihave no qualms in heartily recommending each ofthe Schiit products reviewed here and they do punchwell above their weight, but I would suggest thatthey are both best suited to ancillary equipment thatis of a more relevant performance point.Lyr 2Build Quality – 8.5/10Sound Quality – 8.25/10Value For Money – 8.75/10Overall – 8.5/10Price at time of review – £340BifrostBuild Quality – 8.5/10Sound Quality – 8.65/10Value For Money – 8.9/10Overall – 8.68/10Price at time of review – £395

Both these products are recommended asoffering no-nonsense solutions that offer



good sound for a very reasonable askingprice.

Stuart SmithHaving scored over 8.5 the Bifrost was sent forsecond review to Janine ElliotHaving done some PR/advisory work with Tacimamains cables/conditioners, and suggested the namesounded a bit, well, 'Tacky', they then changed thename to Kauden, which sounded like something youfind in a cow shed. So after I got over laughing at thedifferent paraphrases associated with Schiit Audio(there is also a British speaker company called DyerAudio, the list just goes on!) I just got on with re-viewing this DAC, and also putting it alongside thetotally different Slee DAC reviewed last month. Ac-tually, whilst the other names were unfortunate,Schiit audio was named that way quite simply to getattention. And no, the company is not German, butdesigned and built in America, founded by two audi-ophiles, Jason Stoddard (ex Sumo) and Mike Moffat(ex Theta) and not sold at extortionate Class A pric-es, like most American built obesities. This is ahealthy size 6 yet still with the oomph and energyassociated with more expensive products from acrossthe pond. As they say on their website, they are deadserious about audio, and boy is this more than its re-served dimensions would suggest.The Schiit Bifrost is a 24/192 SPDIF and ToslinkDAC with option for 24/192 capable USB input withthe USB Gen 2 upgrade and improved electronics inthe Uber Bi Frost add-on, all for a total of £410 (upa tad from the time of Stuart’s review). It was thiscomplete version that I review here. Unlike the SleeMajestic DAC I reviewed recently, with only24bit/48kHz USB input and balanced output and thebenefit of its own volume control, the much cheaperSchiit has RCA line outputs for connection to an in-tegrated amp or pre-amp. Connected to my PassiveMFA Baby Reference ensured there were no addedsound-prints on the way to the speakers, and throughmy obese Krell monolith and Townshend SuperT-weeter and Torus subsonic generator would ensureall frequencies would get to my speakers unadulterat-ed and with all the energy they deserve. Unlike theSlee, the Schiit is future proof, with separate up-gradeable USB input and DAC/analog cards, and asstated above comes in a variety of versions with orwithout USB. Ok so far.

Schiit pricing is amazingly good, starting with their$99 Modi 2 USB DAC, cheaper than the £99 Cam-bridge Audio USB equivalent, though not so petit.Indeed, their ethos of pricing to meet the mass mar-ket is something new and welcome in the rapidlychanging market place. The design is equally sim-plistic in its use of a single switch toggling betweenthe three sources indicated with white LEDs and witha simple RCA output. There are cheaper and moreexciting looking units out there, but the finish is byno means cheap in appearance. What is welcoming,and something I expect to see in all high-grade HiFi,is that the components are full discrete designs(whether you choose standard or Uber versions), andassembled in such a way that they can be manufac-tured at a price point to compete with cheap Chinesebuilt products. With the Uber analogue stage you getthe more advanced Gungnir DAC and a DC servowhich eliminates the need for capacitors in the signalpath. This all has an effect on the sound I heard.There were no crinkly top frequencies; rather theywere as crisp as the Roast Duck I cooked overChristmas. All frequencies had a clarity and powerthat I would expect in higher price kit. Connected tomy S/PDIF CD player output, Pictures at an Exhibi-tion ‘The Hut of Baba-Yaga’ (Minnesota orchestra)had clear definition between each instrument withrespect to position and a clear ‘space’ between theinstruments, and music was calm and in control, un-


This is a seriouspiece of kit forthe price and wellworth a listen toif you want tospend anythingsub £1000.


like many DACs and CD players I have put thisthrough. Wynton Marsalis ‘New Orleans Bump’ hada very clear musical spread, My Krell KPS20i was inanother league in terms of detail and musicality, butthe Schiit put on a very good show. Spring can Real-ly Hang You Up the Most (Rickie Lee Jones) basswas more forward than through my CD playerthough lacked the deepest frequencies that the KrellCD gives with such authority. The snare in ‘Walkingto the Moon’ (The Yuri Honing Trio) wasn’t soclearly defined, in terms of natural sound decay, butnot so exciting and ‘life-like’ as I would like it.Putting away my aged CD player and joining the 21st

Century, using Foobar2000 I played 24bit/192kHzdigital files from my growing collection. The basshad bite, cymbals had clout and metal rock didn’tsound like aluminium. This was a surprisingly pow-erful piece of kit, not over the top but ‘tight’ andwith authority, and most importantly, musicality. Allinstruments had a clearly defined soundstage in ‘Se-cret Love’, as did complicated orchestration of per-cussion and piano in ‘The Man Who Sold theWorld’, both from Claire Martin(Linn) all fromLinn's kind 24bits of Christmas present to all 24/192fans this December (well worth a download). Thisworked clearer than many DACs I have tried overthe last few years; which often sounded fuzzy or‘digital’ with unclear soundstage. However, once Igot into mid frequencies the clarity, composure anddelicacy of sound wasn’t quite as good as the bestout there. For example in the brilliant Requiem in Dfrom Mozart K626 (Linn) was surprisingly less clearin the violins than it was through the 24/48kHz SleeMajestic, as was the slow Elgar Enigma VariationNo 9. (Lawrence Foster.Houston Symphony Orches-tra). This DAC was better at playing more excitingand easy-to-differentiate sounds, than those that per-haps require a more musical musician’s ear. Maybemore technical specification doesn’t necessarilymean more musicality, and something maybe need-ing a very slight tweak in the analogue section.However, I do not want to sound like I am at allputting down this machine. In terms of detail andcrispness of sound per pound (or dollar), this is astonker of a machine. I could hear compression andlimiting in some of the tracks I played, which I didn’thear in other similarly priced DACs, but I believethis was more of the recording getting to my speak-ers rather than any fault in the equipment. Nothingwas getting passed this machine un-noticed. With no

sample-rate conversion, all data is processed at itsnative rate, which is something I am always in fa-vour of. Unlike the Slee, the muting circuitry camealive every time a track was followed by another oneat a different resolution, preventing those horribleclicks through my speakers. This would play allsources I put at it, though I never got to try24/192kHz through the Toslink, which was neverdesigned for anything greater than 96kHz. DSDsources still wouldn’t work, but this is somethingSchiit looked into doing in 2012 and after askingconsumer opinion came out with the Loki. This isSchiit at its best; not frightened to attempt anything,and making sure it works. Just wish they’d allow HDsound from my Virgin Tivo box. Only ITV1 HDworks.The Uber audio specification is a very respectable2-100,000Hz (-1dB) with a maximum S/N ratio of110dB. Whilst another 34dB is theoretical thoughnot possible today with 24bits, and my favouredBrüel & Kjær 4138 microphone has a dynamic rangeof up to 168 dB and hears from 6.5 Hz to 140 kHz,as a sound engineer I don’t think we have yetreached the end of our search for the perfect soundsystems, though I stress again, musicality is not justdown to numbers. The Schiit deciphers the digitsbrilliantly in terms of detail, but just misses out in itsanalogue stage to stop me giving a really high soundquality number. But I know that Schiit will neverstop searching for audio nirvana, and their overbuiltmodular approach to design will mean they will al-ways be up to date and “won't end up in the dump-ster”, and be something so well built that they areintended to be “passed down to your children”. I’llsay it here, though, I’m not letting my kids near myHi-Fi. Period.Conclusion This is a serious piece of kit for the priceand well worth a listen to if you want to spend any-thing sub £1000. It has a depth of detail that is hardto beat at it’s price, only slightly losing out on musi-cality. But for that, you need to pay much more.Sound Quality – 8.55/10Value for Money – 8.8/10Build Quality – 8.5/10

Overall – 8.62/10

Janine Elliot



Talk about Graham Slee and you think of smallphono and headphone amplifiers of excellentaudio quality, if perhaps unadventurous

looks. But, and many of you will know my BBCbackground, I remember spending many a lonelynight working in Bush House sitting in front of oneof the mixing desks he made whilst working assenior engineer at Audionics. In those days the BBCushered quality and precision. Graham Slee has con-tinued that zest for making the best since then, withhis own projects under the label GSPAudio (GrahamSlee Projects) with a particular emphasis on trying toget the finest possible designs using big discretecomponents into the small spaces. I remember all theworries he had in trying to get great audio afterRoHS changed permissible chemical elements usedin electrical components - including the ban on cer-tain components and lead solder. Following that ban,despite no vicars dying due to the lead on theirchurch roofs or Miss Scarlet dying from the lead pip-ing in Cluedo, political correctness massacred a greatdeal of great audio designs. Slee frantically modifiedcomponents in order to get the best possible soundwhilst China could still import whatever chemicalcocktails they wanted. Mr Slee never gave up tryingto get a triangular peg into a square tube, and hismodified electronics went as far as they possiblycould to get that good sound. By the way, the idea oftrying to fit a triangular peg into a square hole issomething I will be returning to again later.

Since their inception in 1998, GSP Audio have con-tinually worked on new ideas and new avenues toextend their portfolio, including improved versionsof a same product and also completely new avenuessuch as a power amplifier, interconnect and speakercabling, and the Bitzie and Majestic DAC, the latterwhich I am looking at here. At £1600 this is theirmost expensive and the most recent product, andlargest, though at only 17.4cm x 5.7cm x 18.8cm, it

Graham Slee Majestic DAC

The speed and detailof sound was furtherimproved, thoughthe lowerfrequencies are notover emphasised, asthey are slightlyfrom the analogueoutput.


is still anorexic. Packing in 3 coaxial and 3 opticaldigital inputs these both operate 16 and 24 bit and upto 192 kHz maximum on the coax and 96kHzToslink optical (to be precise, frequencies allowedare 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2kHz, 96 kHz and192 kHz). Optical input 1 can be 192kHz to specialorder. There is also a USB and an RCA analogue in-put to boot. More on these later. The unit uses theprofessional and highly respected WolfsonWM8804/WM8741 stereo chipset and all with a140ps jitter, the same as on my Cambridge Audio650C Azur CD player, which usesthe Wolfson WM8740 chip. Outputs include bal-anced through TRS 1/4 inch jacks ideally to be con-nected to the balanced inputs of their Propriusmonoblock power amplifiers, and a fixed-outputline-level RCA connection (though this can be sup-plied variable level at special request). To ensure asmooth and detailed analogue sound the D-A con-verter is run below full scale to prevent signal clip-ping. It is also run in hardware mode so there is nomicrocontroller adding its own signature throughpower supply modulation or interference. Its mutefunction is deprecated to a manual front panel switchto remove another layer of complexity, though thisdoes mean I have to press it to delete digital clicksevery time I switch tracks or change input. The DACuses a digital oversampling filter sending the Nyquistfrequency to 364 kHz, thus allowing for a gentle roll-off and a more natural sounding analogue low passfilter. More about roll-offs later.

At first listening I set it to analogue input. Slee in-cluded an analogue input predominantly for phono,which makes me think this product would be moresellable (certainly at this price point) if it were sim-ply a phono input, since his own phono-stage designscould easily be incorporated inside the box. For thereview I connected a CD player, similarly spec’dCambridge Audio 650C Azur. I then plugged in theseparate power supply; there is no on-off button, typ-ical of all Graham Slee products, and something I dofeel a missing element especially with pulses makingtheir way to the speaker cones. Slee suggests youleave it switched on all the time to keep componentsat their optimum, and so for that reason there is noswitch. I used the designated Proprius mono blocks,again without on-off buttons, connected via SleeTRS stereo 1/4 inch jacks (being balanced outputthere are 3 connections, hence the stereo jack). I alsoused a stereo jack-to-XLR cable to allow direct con-nection to my balanced Krell KAV250a powerampinput. I was immediately impressed by the quality ofsound attainable from my Cambridge Audio. Ana-logue output was by no means an afterthought in thispreamplifier. There was full bandwidth of frequency,exceptional warmth in the lower frequencies and avery quiet noise floor. Through my LS5/9 speakersfrom similarly named Graham Audio, the class-ABSlee Proprius gave a rendition with aplomb, an oldschool rendition that is very easy to listen to and verymusical at the same time. This is a good combina-tion. The volume control is labelled in dB, which Ihave always wanted to see on an amplifier or pream-plifier, but which is very rarely applied. At -30dB or



9 o'clock, there was sufficient audio level even intothe 25watt Proprius.Once I switched to coaxial digital input things goteven better. The speed and detail of sound was fur-ther improved, though the lower frequencies are notover emphasised, as they are slightly from the ana-logue output. The bass warmth from the analogueoutput was highly tempting, and very enjoyable. Incomparison the digital was as clear as glass andopen. This was not a complaint. Where the analoguewas like Irish stew and dumplings the digital was justsalad; much better for you but not quite so much fun!Once my ears got adjusted there was no going back.Unfortunately politics denied me to connect digitaloutput from my SACD player. And similarly, whilstI could connect my Tivo box optical connection andget very musical audio from Radio 3 on channel 903with bit rates of 192kbps (one of the best I have everheard radio, I might add) and alternatively OTT com-pression on Classic FM on 922, HD audio at256kbps wouldn't be able to work. It would havebeen nice to watch the Proms in HD and get decentaudio as well. Never mind. There are no politics withanalogue.

For me to listen to my super dooper digi delights Iwould need to play the HD audio from my laptop.There is one problem with that. Most PCs don't havean SPDIF or optical output, relying instead on digitaloutput forcing itself out of the USB socket. This is

where everything gets either confusing, or rather,mis-confused. Let me explain. The USB socket is notdesigned for audio. And also, the chip doing the D-Aconversion on the laptop does not understand USBeither. With an external D to A converter, all the dig-its for that audio will be sent out of the USB socketinto the external DAC to be translated into analoguemusic. USB audio class 1 (UAC1) works at a slow-er speed than USB Audio Class 2 (UAC2). Bear inmind these are not related to whether your USBsocket is rated version 1, 2 or the latest 3. UAC1 isstandard on all Microsoft laptops, and its design lim-its digital audio to 24bit/96kHz. OSX and Linuxhave a native mode USB audio class two driver(UAC2) so they can cope past 32bit/384kHz. Some,including Slee, believe that with native componentsand drivers digital audio exits PC laptops at only24/48kHz maximum. For that reason Graham Sleeuses;“...plain-honest 48k adaptive isochronous, and theDAC section uses oversampling (8x) to give a verysimilar analogue result without all the faffing about”.USB is converted to S/PDIF and reclocked by aWolfson WM8804 transceiver which sends I2S to aWolfson WM8741 balanced DAC chip. Therefore inthe Slee the USB input quite literally converts thesignal so it can be handled exactly the same as all theother S/PDIF and Toslink digital inputs.There are so many discussions on the internet forumsabout what actually exits the USB, whether it be24/48 or 24/96, that even I got more confused at theend than I was when I started. However, after manyhours (this review has taken me longer than most), Irealised that my Windows laptop played 24/96, andfor those DACs playing 24/192 you can install a suit-able driver on your PC (and which usually comeswith the DAC itself) to convert any USB from UAC1to UAC2. Today USB is the future of digital audiowhether from your PC or mobile phone via a microUSB OTG (on the go) cable converter. SPDIF andToslink limit you to a fixed CD or DVD Audio spin-ner, and in today’s world of hard-disk sourcing theseelder two are disappearing as quickly as DCC did.For Slee not to allow 24bit/96kHz is, I fear, a bigmistake, whether or not he believes it is possiblenow. His belief that the limit from a PC is 48kHz isactually shared by many others. However, whateverthe specification, with many new DACs appearingeach month, limiting the product will not be helpful.The Cambridge Audio DACMagic100, for example,


For £1600 you mightnot get all mod conslike 24bit/192kHz USB,Bluetooth or wifi, andit may well not look asexciting as some at thesame price or cheaper,but this DAC is notintended to be aBugatti Veyron.


allows 24bit/96kHz without a driver from a UAC1USB. And their minute £100 Dacmagic XS, the sizeof a matchbox, will even allow UAC2 if you installthe supplied driver.The best D toA device is a single box, because it willhave the lowest amount of 'jitter'. This is causedwhen the master audio clock has timing errors fromthe information it receives. A well-designed one-boxdisc player places a fixed-frequency master audioclock right next to the D/A chip for the best possibleperformance. My 20 year old one-box Krell KPS20iCD player has an enviable jitter of 0psec and manynew DACs have little more than that. The “adaptive”isochronous USB in the Majestic, means the clock inthe D/A converter “adapts” to match the rate that thecomputer sends out audio packets. The Slee Majestichas a reasonable 140psec, exactly the same as that ofthe ageing Cambridge Audio CD player. In reality,jitter-induced timing errors create artefacts that audi-bly degrade the music signal.USB files played through this DAC were extremelymusical, with no apparent degradation of signal, norlosses in top end frequencies, and the 24 bit noisefloor being used fairly well (theoretically there are120dB, and this DAC read just under a 100dB). Rav-

el Piano Concerto in G (Julius Katchen, with IstvanKerytesz conducting the London Symphony Orches-tra) was very controlled with the piano soundingvery real indeed, something that really surprised mein view of the hardly exciting specification. Similar-ly, J.S.Bach Concerto for Four Harpsichords (KarlRistenpart, Orchestra of the Sarre) was very precisewith no lack of control or clipping. Slee’s attempt tofit a triangular peg into a square hole was perhapsnot in vein after all.

Graham Slee Majestic DACClassical, jazz andpopular recordingsare of equalmusicality in termsof soundstage,speed, and pureopenness and clarity.


For me to take full advantage of the Slee statistics Iwould need, however, to record my excellent audioonto DVD Audio and play via S/PDIF through theSlee. Boy, does that sound musical. Top frequenciesare tight and well controlled, as are the lower fre-quencies through my Krell/Wilson Benesch Arc andTorus duet. Resolution, detail and dynamics are ex-cellent and this unit gives out a commanding feelingof authority and control. Classical, jazz and popularrecordings are of equal musicality in terms of sound-stage, speed, and pure openness and clarity. If youare happy with its limitations on paper, and no Blue-tooth or wifi, then this machine is definitely some-thing well worth listening to. Its technical limits arein some respects its ace card. Just like the LegatoLink “curves” adopted on many Pioneer CDplayers/recorders to make CD almost human, and thefact that some of the oldest CD players actuallysound more musical than later ones as they weren’ttrying too hard to be too clever in the processing.Some folk might consider that conversion circuitryfor frequencies us mere humans cannot hear (ie any-thing above 20,000Hz and therefore anything abovethe 24bit/48kHz maximum) will only add their ownartefacts, such as intermodulation distortion, to infectthe audio quality in the bits we humans can hear.However, I know that even a trumpet has some veryvery quiet harmonics at 80,000Hz (see abstracts fromauthors such as James Boyk), and that even I canhear different frequency patterns from the sametrumpet recording on a CD and on vinyl. The factthat the Slee makes grand pianos sound so amazinglylifelike makes me wonder what magic the Majestic isdoing. It also made me wonder how many of those24/192 downloads are actually that, rather than up-sampled CDs or from master reel to reel tapes thathave a 30kHz roof? Even using the frequency curveson some of my digital downloads show very little

actually getting past 20Khz, which is of course noconcern for the Majestic, since the DAC’s analogueoutput is limited to 11Hz-36kHz (-3dB) from Coaxinput and only 11Hz-20kHz (-3dB) from the USB.However, and I reiterate however, this DAC is onehell of a musical experience. It might sit miles be-hind others in terms of specification, but in terms ofaudio musicality it hits the same spot as do many oftheir other products, and many preamplifiers of con-siderably more cost. Plugged into the Proprius mono-blocks, it makes listening to music very enjoyable.And plugged into the Krell KAV25a Wilson BeneschArc/Torus combo ‘Walking On The Moon’ by theYuri Honing trio eschewed double bass authority andpercussion with dynamics and bite. All frequencieswere in control and fast. Wynton Marsalis ‘New Or-leans Bump’ was more open and fun than I haveheard it in a long time. Even the analogue input fromthe Cambridge Audio CD player gave a very respect-able rendition. Dee Bridgewater was only veryslightly not in control in her loudest yells in CottonTail, but the bass line was full and I was in the audi-ence. No, I was in with the musicians. I was thatclose to the details. This DAC-come-preamp thin-gummy could handle almost anything I threw at it aslong as the digits were no higher than 24bit/48kHz.Whether you can live with this disability on paper isup to you, but if you want to hear pure musicalitythen this is a surprisingly good competitor. In termsof audio sound quality this DAC was one of the mostenjoyable for ages.Conclusion. For £1600 you might not get all modcons like 24bit/192kHz USB, Bluetooth or wifi, andit may well not look as exciting as some at the sameprice or cheaper, but this DAC is not intended to be aBugatti Veyron. This is a Rolls or Bentley with realwood veneer not carbon fibre, and super soft suspen-sion, not spine shattering hardness. This product ooz-es quality and musicality with a useful analogueinput thrown in. Yes, there are cheaper DACs outthere, but this one is musical where many out theremight just be telling you fibs.Sound quality 8.45Build quality 8.3Value for money 8.2 (in terms of sound quali-ty/£)Total 8.28

Janine Elliott

Graham Slee Majestic DACThis DAC-come-preampthingummy could handlealmost anything I threwat it as long as the digitswere no higher than24bit/48kHz.


Having spent a lot of hours and money tryingout and buying active pre-amps from USA,Britain and Germany over the years, I came

to the conclusion that all they did was simply addtheir own imperfections and idiosyncrasies. I couldplay a track of music and instantly know fromlistening what pre-amp it passed through. As a soundengineer, a professional musician, composer and awoman, my ears hopefully tick all the right boxes forbeing reliable at judging what sounds accurate, realand musical, so listening to a passive preamplifier,such as the Baby Reference Pre-Amplifier from Mu-sic First Audio seemed a good idea. Indeed, moreand more passive preamplifiers are coming on to themarket each week, as we begin to realise that all weactually need between a line-level source and poweramplifier is some kind of volume control, rather thannoise or colouration generated with electronics. Overthe last thirty years or so we have realised that forvinyl sources a dedicated amplifier and equalisationunit is far preferable than integrated phono circuitryin a preamplifier. A passive preamplifier is thereforebecoming more and more popular.Whilst some cheap passive preamplifiers simplyhave a dual-potentiometer and input switches to do

that job (I remember the one I built up in my bed-room when I was very young), even that will add itsown sound-print to the original sound, changing im-pedance with frequency and failing badly in areassuch as crosstalk and accuracy between left and rightlegs. Indeed, a dual-gang potentiometer to controlboth left and right channels can have tolerance levels

Music first Audio - Baby Reference Preamplifier

If you have over £5000to spend on a preamp,and aren’t flustered bynot having lights andsomething to plug in tothe mains, you woulddo very well to givethis little Baby alistening.


as bad as 20% between the two. To reduce this, earlypassive volume controls were simply a series of dis-crete resistors. I remember my early days at theBBC World Service using their home-grown rotaryBakelite volume controls on the ‘Type B’ desks,made of a series of resistors out-putting in 2dB steps,meaning you could hear “clicks” as you played a1KHz tone signal and turned the knob, which seemedto entertain a few of the Studio Managers, I recall.Whereas the idea of using a series of resistors im-proved the accuracy, it was still not ideal. Their de-sign would create impedance mismatches and,depending on the setting and cable load, frequencyresponse irregularities. Whilst many hi-fi fans willlike the tinted glass sound, puritans like myself wantnothing added. And where some passive preamplifi-ers have actually “taken away” from the source, interms of frequency response or speed, there are a fewpassives out there that take, nor add, nought. Town-shend Audio and Music First Audio are two such ex-amples. In the Auto Transformer system the wiresare tapped at different sections of its winding andsent to a series of switches – the rotary volume con-trol. The preamplifier is basically just a series ofmulti-tapped attenuation transformers; as each switchis engaged, the voltage level and output impedance

changes and, unlike a potentiometer there is a greateramount of the incoming voltage that makes its waythrough without being lost. Therefore, the lower theswitching volume control, the lower the impedance,and so this passive preamp particularly works well atlow level, whereas many active preamps need to bedriven hard to get a good sound, and probably com-plaints from the neighbours. Channel crosstalk is ob-viously excellent, since the two channels never come


Listening to musicthere was a newstandard of resolutionand timbre, making iteasier to distinguishindividual sounds andtheir placement withinthe soundstage.


into contact with each other. Being a transformer, itdoesn't suffer the impedance matching issues that cansometimes happen, especially if you run long cablelengths. Indeed, I ran different length cables from thepreamp, and didn’t notice any degradation. It alsoworked just as well into powered speakers I tried.Finally, being a form of isolator, any RFA that camewith the source will not make its way passed this de-vice, much like the heavy Isolation Transformers Icarried about at the BBC to protect the mains fromdirty guest musical instruments so there is no needfor mains conditioners , and of course no mains ca-ble. As a transformer there is consistent impedanceacross all frequencies. What you put in is what youget out!Many think the use of passive preamplifiers willmean not enough gain to the speakers, but as weprogress further with modern-day sources, especiallydigital to analogue converters, the levels are muchhigher now than they were 20 years ago, and conse-quently there is actually no longer any need for anygain in sound level in a pre-amplifier. Being humanwe tend to think better of spending several thousands

of pounds on a complex electronic preamplifier withbuttons and lights rather than simply buying a box ofwire. Hand building a passive preamplifier actuallytakes far longer than soldering components onto acircuit board, and wire is not cheap!In my own set-up I have gone the passive route, andhave never ever regretted it. Having bought the origi-nal MFA Classic preamp the prospect of listening tothe Baby Reference was an opportunity I didn’t wantto miss. Playing a wide range of sources and anequally extensive choice of music types took my mu-sic to an altogether new level, and something I wouldnever have believed had I not auditioned it. What Ihad already heard as crystal clear reproduction goteven clearer and with frequency extension. Sincethere is no active circuitry there is little to limit fre-quency response, so 10-100,000Hz is easily possible,and therefore nothing is quoted on the website. Simi-larly, there is no noise created in the unit, whichshould make your power amp sound better than youthought it ever could. At 88mm x 250mm x 260mm, itis a tad wider and deeper than the Classic, but stillvery compact, especially considering the 6 inputsand two outputs at the back made of a mixture ofXLR and RCA connections. Indeed, you can contactMr Billington at Music First Audio and choose thepermutations you so desire. My model had 3 bal-anced XLR and 3 RCA inputs and both XLR andRCA outputs, all using high quality gold plated con-nectors. And, because the unit is basically a trans-former, it means you can connect an unbalancedsource and get a true balanced output signal from theXLR. Listening to music there was a new standard ofresolution and timbre, making it easier to distinguishindividual sounds and their placement within thesoundstage. I was now wearing virtual 3D glasses formy ears! Whilst I have heard some of MFA’s compe-tition, their Baby Reference gives a tighter andquicker top end, perhaps with a slight deficit in thevery lower frequencies compared with, say, Townsh-end Audio’s Allegri Autotransformer passive pream-plifier. However, there is nothing missing. You canstill hear the sounds of lorries driving past the cellosoutside of the Sofiensaal concert hall in Vienna inthe recording there of Mars from ‘Holst PlanetSuite’, Karajan, Decca. The cymbals in ‘Live: AFortnight In France’, Patricia Barber, is equally real-istic and stimulating. The album ‘Aerial’, by KateBush, essentially a multi-layered work recorded byher in her own studio, complete with occasional har-


Being human wetend to think betterof spending severalthousands ofpounds on acomplex electronicpreamplifier withbuttons and lightsrather than simplybuying a box ofwire.


monic distortion and level mismatches, can be easilydissected but still sound very musical with the BabyReference. All its eccentricities come to life with theBaby Reference, including the wide dynamic rangeand despite the didgeridoo and voice of Rolf Harris.Whilst both these models use copper wire, theysound surprisingly different. The Townshend usesthe Fractal (EDCT) copper wire with 80% nickel mu-metal laminations for ultimate performance, and thisMFA Baby uses the TX102 MkIV in its ‘NickelBrick’ guise with a nickel Permalloy core, withtransformers 25% bigger than that used in the ClassicPreamplifier, and bigger than in the Townshend, notthat size matters here. Whilst so much can be as-sumed to be similar both manufacturers keep theirmethodology tight-lipped, and these machines aresurprisingly different in sound. If you are unsurewhich to buy, listening sessions of both is advised,and also do bear in mind inputs and outputs as wellas price difference when choosing. The Mk IV is acomplete revision of the excellent original TX102.The transformers are a labyrinth of layers of windingwire and paper, resulting in a very complex construc-tion making it time consuming to build. As with theClassic Preamplifier, it features twenty three separate

'taps' for a total of twenty four (including mute) dis-creet volume steps. The extra work in all this handwiring shows in the sound in the output.The Townshend and MFA are not here for compari-son (that would be a first); both sound amazing anddifferent. Compared with other passive and activepreamplifiers these, at time of print, are the two bestI have ever heard. What makes me so excited aboutthe Baby is the fact it is so much better than the Clas-sic, which was already my choice at home, andcomes with balanced ins and outs, something miss-ing in the Allegri. I must stress, however, that thereis a vast price difference between the Townshend andMFA. With the £5,000 +VAT Baby Reference I nowcould experience greater dynamic range and a bass todie for; not OTT but uncluttered and incredibly fast.Put up against my Audio Research, Krell and Manleypreamplifiers there was just no competition. This wassweet music to my ears. Brass had bite, clarinets hadclarity and piano had power. Indeed, the latter sound-ed like I had a 9 foot Steinway in the room, ratherthan an upright on steroids (as with many an activepre-amp), and I was left compelled to listen to themusicians in my room. All the time, every day! Thespeed of sound and sheer clarity of audio was whatmade this, for me, the king of the passive preamplifi-ers. Coupled with my meaty Krell poweramp, andTownshend Rock 7/Rega/Kontrupunkt b/ManleySteelhead source, I was in another world.Finally, what makes all this even more exciting is thechoice of 4 colours (black, blue, silver, red). I am awoman, after all!Conclusion If you have over £5000 to spend on apreamp, and aren’t flustered by not having lights andsomething to plug in to the mains, you would do verywell to give this little Baby a listening. For me thisis the King of preamps and certainly lives up to itsname Baby Reference.Build quality 8.5Sound quality 9.0Value for money 8.4Total 8.63*

Janine Elliott*The Baby Reference Preamplifier by Music FirstAudio will now go to a second reviewer to see if itwill achieve Outstanding Product Award. Lookout for this in 2005.


Indeed, the lattersounded like I had a9 foot Steinway inthe room, ratherthan an upright onsteroids (as withmany an active pre-amp), and I was leftcompelled to listento the musicians inmy room.


The Cartridge Man Isolator is an interestingand somewhat off the wall concept I thought.I reviewed the brilliant Cartridge Man Music

Maker III cartridge a few months ago and since thenit’s been sat on the end of the Origin Live Silver armattached to my Wilson Benesch Circle turntable.Truth be known, much to Len’s (The Cartridge Man)annoyance I’m sure, I really didn’t want to interferewith what was a lovely sounding analogue set up.However, the isolator had been sent for review andso a couple of weeks ago I bit the bullet and decidedto fit the isolator to the cartridge.So what is the Isolator then, I hear you ask. Well it’sa sandwich of soft spongy material between two verythin metal plates – have a look at the picture. Itmeasures 25mm x 20mm x 5.4mm and it has a massof 2g. It’s an unassuming bit of kit and if truth be

The Cartridge Man Isolator

The change in sound is notas subtle as mydescription may point toand that feeling that whatyou are hearing is farbetter (more detail, morespace, and more insight)than without the Isolator inplace is immediatelyapparent.


known I was not hopeful of this little device’sefficacy.To fit it you basically peel of a bit of paperprotecting a sticky surface, stick the sticky surfaceonto your cartridge whilst aligning the attachedlocating pins and then tighten the attached bolts toyour arm with the supplied nuts. It’s a bit of an oddexperience not having the bolts go through the actualcartridge body and it be just stuck there by glue, butall seems pretty secure. Literally a two minute job!Of course once you add the Isolator you need torealign your cartridge and set it up again… and addan extra 5.5 mm to the arm height.On Neil Young’s “Out on the Weekend” thereappears to be a good degree more naturalness to theoverall sound, particularly with the quieter guitarwhich now seems to be more apparent in the overallmix – there’s also more insight into the recordingspace which I love to hear. I know that “naturalness”and “apparent” are pretty vague words to use in a

review, but overall the character of the music you’rehearing doesn’t actually change, there just seems tobe more detail and that nth degree of magic that westrive for in our systems. On the next track “Harvest”there is more air and space around the instrumentsand in the mix as a whole. The soundstaging feelsmore true to life and there’s that feeling of being infront of/in the recording space again.The change in sound is not as subtle as mydescription may point to and that feeling that whatyou are hearing is far better (more detail, more space,and more insight) than without the Isolator in place isimmediately apparent. I’ve striven for an analogywith this and the nearest I can get is an optical one.It’s like being happy with your spectacle prescriptionand getting on perfectly well with it day to day andthen having your new glasses with your newprescription arrive and only then do you realise thatactually you were missing quite a bit of finer detail.



Pop on Horace Andy’s “Book of Dub” and the deepbass is a little more natural, tight and taut thanwithout the Isolator in place and that feeling ofgetting a little bit more of everything throughout themix is obvious. The mix is definitely more clearlydefined in the stereo image.Moving onto Jethro Tull’s “Aqualung” there’s acymbal sound at the start and with the Isolator in thechain it’s easier to pick out and the whole tonalpresentation of the music has that feel to it that it’sjust sounding a little more true to the originalrecording.As I’m writing this I’m well aware that the reviewmay seem a little hazy in the way I’m describingwhat the Isolator is doing to the sound of a cartridgethat I already thought was very good, but plonk thisweird looking thing between the Music Maker IIIand the tonearm and it lifts it another rung up theladder - almost as if the cartridge is getting more outof the grooves …I’m sure it’s not, but you do HEARmore in the music. Looking at the Cartridge Man sitehe says the Isolator “has been shown to reduce thenoise floor level by 3dB (a cut of 50%). Thisreduction allows far more low level information intothe audio picture, improving sound stage, imagingand resolution” and this seems to make sense and isa pretty accurate description of what I heard!ConclusionOk, I’ll be honest here and say that for £85 you don’tseem to get a lot of hardware for your money, but theIsolator has been granted a patent and at the end ofthe day it’s what improvements it makes to the soundthat is important. Does it work and is it worth £85?Yes it does work (much to my surprise) it works verywell indeed. The Isolator is well worth the askingprice and much more in sonic terms and as such itcomes highly recommended.If I was to be given the option of spending £85 onthe Isolator or on a handful of albums then I’ddefinitely go for the Isolator– it will add anotherlevel of listening pleasure to the records you alreadyown!If you own a Music Maker III cartridge then I’d saythat this is an essential purchase and I'm surprised itdoesn't come bundled with the cartridge. If it has thesame effect on other cartridges (I have no reason tosuspect it won’t) then, going out on a limb, I’dsuggest it will be one of the best tweaks you willmake to your vinyl front end where “bang for buck”is concerned.

I’m dying to take it off the Music Maker III and putit onto the other deck’s AT33EV to see how itperforms on non-Cartridge Man cartridges, but fromwhat I’ve heard of it I really don’t want to riskspoiling what it does in its current home, but I’msure in due course I’ll be ordering another.

Stuart Smith


Ok, I’ll be honesthere and say thatfor £85 you don’tseem to get a lotof hardware foryour money, butthe Isolator hasbeen granted apatent and at theend of the day it’swhatimprovements itmakes to thesound that isimportant.


Let’s get straight to the point: I have never seena piece of kit show this degree of musicalityfor so little. For less than £600 all in, here is a

complete turntable package that will show a cleanpair of heels to almost anything digital that I haveheard up to twice its price. I am also struggling toidentify an analogue package in the same price range

that comes close to competing on sound quality orfinish.Listening to the UKX, I had to remind myself timeand again of the cost as I found myself holding it tomuch higher standards than its RRP justifies.

WHAT IS IT?The Xpression Carbon UKX is a belt drive deck,tonearm and cartridge package, specially producedfor the highly competitive UK market with an RRPof £575.00.WHAT DO YOU GET?The Pro-Ject arrived well packed in a compact box.Inside the box are a turntable with pre-fitted carbonfibre tonearm and an upgraded Ortofon 2M Redcartridge which form the main parts. Also includedare an acrylic platter, a Perspex dust cover, a pair ofRCA connectors and earth lead, a wall wart powersupply and two mats, one felt and one cork. Clearly,there is no desire to scalp purchasers with expensiveafter-market extras here. This really is a completepackage.The plinth for the UKX comes in two colours whichsuggest that this package is not aimed at the pipe andslippers brigade – my review sample was aBurgundy Red; a rather vivid Midnight Blue is theother. I found the UKX well finished, unobtrusive,low profile and visually neat. The paint finish on theturntable is well executed and the deck itself isdesigned to resist audio and mechanical feedback.Rapping the plinth does not seem to affect either

Pro-Ject Xpression Carbon UKX

This Pro-JectXpression CarbonUKX comes fittedwith an arm and agood cartridge fortrue plug and playconvenience. Itcosts just £575,but is it worth theasking price?


speed stability or tracking in the slightest. Like mostturntable users, I don’t usually attach dust covers butfor thoroughness I installed the cover; it can be a bitstiff and is liable to drop suddenly if not put up at ahigh enough angle.

The on/off switch is easy to reach on the front left ofthe unit, although it is tucked out of sight on theunderside of the plinth. The music signal is outputvia 2 RCA phono sockets on the rear of the unit. TheDC supply from a wall wart is changed to AC via amechanically decoupled low-voltage custom-built16V AC generator underneath the turntable. Pro-Jectclaims that gives a very clean and stable powersupply for accurate speed consistency. The lowvoltage generator is designed keep radio magneticinterference to a minimum.

At this price level, a credible fully suspended sub-chassis and platter would not be viable, and thisapproach brings its own problems anyway. Instead,the engineering solution for the suspension system isby the use of vibration absorbing spikes and asorbothane-type material in the turntable’s threeadjustable feet. The motor is isolated from the plinthvia two, Ortofon-designed, rubber grommets,designed to avoid resonance transferring from themotor to chassis. This is very simple and veryeffective engineering.Obviously from the same stable as the Evolutionversion of the 9cc carbon-fibre tonearm, the suppliedtonearm is well engineered. It has an oversized outerring and one-piece carbon-fibre arm. The oversizedouter ring is open to avoid resonance but is also veryrigid to provide the most stable platform for the armto work from. Carbon fibre is highly rated for itsdamping qualities and, when used in a taperedtonearm, can largely eradicate standing waves withinthe armtube itself. Carbon fibre is also veryexpensive.

The supplied MM cartridge is an uprated Ortofon2M Red, tweaked here with silver spools foroptimum signal generation. It has a tipped ellipticalshaped stylus, designed for a low wear rate on thevinyl.

The platter has been upgraded from the standardmodel to an acrylic version with the aim of bettermatching the vinyl that sits on it, improving thetiming and cohesion of sound and offering superior

detail over the standard platter. Two mats (one cork,the other felt) are provided and can be usedaccording to taste. No clamp is provided ornecessary.SETTING IT UPThis package is as close as I have found to a ‘plug &play’ solution, given that the supplied cartridgearrived already mounted and accurately set up. I hadthe package up and running within fifteen minutesfrom opening, of which a full five minutes werespent with my digital stylus gauge, confirming that Ihad dialed in the correct tracking weight byfollowing the Pro-Ject instructions (I had).The instructions are clear and worth reading throughbefore starting on set up, if only to locate where inthe box the parts are. All the buyer has to do is takethe parts out of the box; put the belt around the sub-platter and motor pulley; put the platter (with orwithout its felt or cork mats) on the centre spindle;loop the bias weight thread onto the short rodsticking out the rear of the arm; screw the tonearmcounterweight onto the rear of the arm and balancethe arm for level and then adjust the playing weightto suit the cartridge (around 1.75g for the Ortofon2M Red); and, if so inclined, fit the clear perspex lid

Pro-Ject Xpression Carbon UKXI also checked that thecartridge was properlyfixed in the tonearm,and found that themounting had beendone very well by thefactory. Noadjustments wereneeded for overhang,azimuth or VTA. Thecartridge tracks verywell.


onto the two metal hinge rods at the rear. Attach thesupplied (reasonably good quality) phono leads andground wire to connect the turntable via its rear RCAsockets to your amp or phono stage and that’s it –ready to go.FIRST IMPRESSIONSThe build quality on offer here is extraordinary forthe price. The platter, bearing and tonearm seem tobe built to very tight tolerances. The platter isprecisely balanced and it is hard to discern anymotion at all while the platter is spinning without anLP in place. Speed control (33 and 45 rpm) isachieved by removing the platter and adjusting thebelt on a two-step pulley. I tested the platter with astrobe light and it was rock solid at both speeds.Listening to a Satie LP later, the quality of timbreand decay of the solo piano notes rather confirmedby ear what the measurements suggested.

I also checked that the cartridge was properly fixedin the tonearm, and found that the mounting hadbeen done very well by the factory. No adjustmentswere needed for overhang, azimuth or VTA. Thecartridge tracks very well. Although I notched up

the counterweight to 1.8 grams, that is a matter oftaste, and it was a new cartridge requiring a bit ofbreaking in.

The tonearm lowering mechanism is damped andworks smoothly, although it is not as silky smooth anaction as more expensive arms, but the arm doeslower accurately, gently and safely onto the record.

I initially set up the turntable on my TownshendSeismic Sink Stand, checking all planes with a spiritlevel. Leveling was easily done by simply adjustingthe three spiked feet. Also bearing in mind that likelybuyers for such a turntable might not have specialisthifi isolation equipment, I also tried the unit out on abookshelf and a table; neither caused any problems.Putting the plinth on either Isoplat or Dark Rockisolation platforms had little effect, either positive ornegative, that I could discern.I can only conclude that the decoupling engineeringbuilt into the unit is very effective and this turntableis very tolerant of most surfaces. As a result, unlikemany much more expensive turntables, this one willnot go out of kilter because there is an R in themonth or because the CD player gave it a nasty look.



ASSOCIATED KITFor the purposes of testing, I used the excellentWhest RS30 RDT phono stage for most of mylistening, although I also got good results from theDynavector P75 MkIII, Electrcompaniet ECP-1 andthe Clearaudio Basic Symmetry phono stages. I useda series of Naim amplifiers and my AudiovalveSystem 20 for listening purposes. Speakers were aSonus Faber Grand Pianos and a pair of OpenBaffles (a la Bastani). I also used a pair of cheapoEltax speakers for completeness’ sake. The Pro-Jectwas not obviously out of place with any of this kit.SCOPE OF REVIEWOn first hearing, it immediately became plain thatthere was little point in comparing the Pro-Ject witheither my Clearaudio Reference or my Kuzma StabiS. They are both in a completely different class tothe Pro-Ject, as would be expected given the manytimes price differential and any comparison wouldhave been unhelpful and uninformative. I decidedtherefore to listen to the Pro-Ject on its own termsand also to compare it against a couple of digitalsources where I had duplicate media.THE MUSICBefore getting on to the listening to music. I shouldreport that on all (cleaned) records, the surface noisewas low and rumble close to undetectable.To put the table through its paces and to get somesense of the table’s limitations, out of devilment Idecided to put that audiophile favourite, ThelmaHouston's ‘I've Got The Music In Me’ (Sheffield Lab2), on. The Pro-Ject took the record remarkably wellin its stride. I assumed that this highly dynamic LPwould cause all kinds of trouble (much in the way oftorture tracks on setup discs) but actually it gave agood account of itself. The transients and climaxesfor which this direct-to-disc recording are famousworked well enough, for which I imagine the carbonfibre arm is most to thank. The treble was a littlepeaky and with a rapid high frequency roll off. Themidrange was a little overshadowed by the mid-bass.The deep bass wasn’t really there, but I wasn’texpecting to hear it either, but there was enoughpainted in to give a rounded picture of the music.What I did hear mostly, though, was a decent andstable if not especially deep soundstage, with a clearand consistent spatial positioning of instruments andvoices. There was much more there than I had anyright to expect from a budget MM. The downside

was that drums and female voices could sound a littlethin and brittle at times.So onto some “normal” records - 'Sad Old Red' fromthe ‘Simply Red' album has a full rolling bass line,up and down, which is a good test of how capable aturntable is in the bass regions. The UKX gave agood account of itself although the bass did roll offat the bottom end. The integration with the well-recorded vocals was also good.

Up next was Brubeck’s 'Time Out' album: on 'BlueRondo a la Turk', the cymbal on the left should havea different and very discernible emphasis on eachstrike. The recording is also good enough tohighlight the sound of the reed when the saxophoneis playing. On 'Take Five' the turntable should bereproducing the drum on the left but the drum’s echosweeping back from the right. The UKX managed todig up and convey enough of all of these features togive a real sense of the playing. It also managed toconvey the timing of the music very convincinglywithin a credible soundstage.

Bearing in mind the pricing and possible youthmarket for this package, I then put on the Black Eyed

Pro-Ject Xpression Carbon UKXThe transients andclimaxes for whichthis direct-to-discrecording arefamous workedwell enough, forwhich I imaginethe carbon fibrearm is most tothank.


Peas’ ‘The END’ and Li’l Wayne’s ‘Tha Carter IV’and compared them to the Redbook versions I hadripped into WAV files onto my Mac Mini and playedback through my Naim DAC stage. I also dug out theoriginal CDs to play through my TEAC VRDS. BothLPs were more authoritative in the bass and felt moreairy than their digital counterparts. Interestingly,neither album sounded as musical, dynamic orconvincing on my Kuzma/Cadenza Blue set up asthey did on the Pro-Ject which suggests that the deckmight be better adapted to, or more forgiving of,some more modern recordings than some moreexpensive decks. Whatever the reason, the UKX tookthe material in hand and made the most of it.

On to more testing types of music; LouisAuriacombe’s Debussy orchestrations of Satie werean excellent test of speed stability. The spare tones ofthe piano are some of the easiest things to hear whenthey are “off”, but among the hardest for anyelectronic equipment to reproduce well, let alone abudget turntable. The cartridge, assisted by a stablemotor and quiet tonearm, made a good job ofcapturing the sound of the piano and the decays of itsstrings. The sound was recognizably a piano and thespace it was playing in. This is quite a feat for abudget MM and I was impressed.

However, large-scale classical music, generally,presented more challenges. I think it was thecartridge that did not really have quite the prowess todecode busy orchestral scores, leaving a broad senseof what was on the disc, but not much detail and alittle sense of clutter and congestion during busyperiods. Some soprano voices could also sound a bitshrill and sibilant, but then I’ve heard the same fromMC cartridges at thrice the cost of the whole UKXpackage.

In all fairness, however, I would suggest that operalovers and Wagnerians might want to look elsewhere(and probably spend a lot more, too) for a one-stopsolution, or at least consider my caveat below aboutupgrading the cartridge pronto.All of the comments above are made by a reviewerspoiled for choice with a range of expensiveturntables, arms, phono stages, step up transformersand moving coil cartridges. Of course, a relativelycheap turntable package will fall short in almost alltechnical areas against these. The interesting point isthat it did not fall nearly as far short as I thought itmight – and its virtues tended to mask its vices. Ienjoyed having the UKX and really did not want togive it back…despite its shortcomings, the UKXreally gets to the core of most music and thenboogies with it. I cannot think of any other budgetequipment I have had where I kept digging uprecording after recording to give it a go and where Ihave found myself going to bed at three in themorning quite so often! The UKX is nowhere nearperfect but it really does put a grin on the face.Thinking of it metaphorically: it is like a moderndiesel engine; it is only really in certain rev zonesand at certain times that it is caught out and thensuddenly it is clear why it will never beat a goodpetrol engine. But for most of the time it does the jobvery well and very economically.WHO’S IT FOR?There are, I think, two credible and distinct marketsfor the UKX.

I am open to suggestions, but I am struggling to thinkof a turntable package below £1000 which, in myestimation, improves on the UKX package. Whileextra expenditure on a dearer turntable might givebetter dynamic range, a deeper, more authoritativebass, better image focus and a more convincingsoundstage, that is by no means certain until this


I am open tosuggestions, but Iam struggling tothink of a turntablepackage below£1000 which, in myestimation,improves on theUKX package.


threshold, and even then not guaranteed.

On that basis, the UKX should be considered a verygood starter turntable – it has all that is needed (witha phono stage or compatible amp) to start playingand getting real pleasure out of vinyl. Any moneyleft in the budget could then be invested in enoughnew LPs to start a respectable collection.The other possible market is for those whoseemphasis is more on the digital part of their systemsbut who wish to keep a small collection of vinyl.This machine is quite capable of providing a soundquality at least equal to any digital kit I have heardup to twice its price. I had it plugged into a £5000amplifier designed for the digital world that I amcurrently reviewing and it did not feel out of place atall.

SCOPE FOR UPGRADEOver time, and as budgets allow, I can also see thatthe UKX could provide considerable opportunitiesfor tweaking. My first stop would be the cartridge.As would be expected, while good enough for a sub£100 piece, the 2M is very much the limiting factorin this package. If I owned the UKX, I wouldhesitate before trading up either ‘table or arm until Ihad tried a better cartridge, possibly even an MC;keeping to the Ortofon theme, I see no reason whyany of the new Quintet series would not partnerhappily with the excellent arm, but any medium masscartridge might be worth a spin.

Although I do not imagine many people wouldstump up for this level of upgrade, I hear that anotherreviewer has fitted a Koetsu to very good effect on aPro-Ject Carbon turntable and tonearm, confirmingmy view that the arm and table might well be worthsticking with rather more than the cartridge.

CONCLUSION

The UKX package provides great musical fun. It ismuch better for overall drive and general atmospherethan any digital source that I can think of in its pricerange and some way above.

It would be ridiculous to suggest that this package isa giant beater – it isn’t. Clearly, the UKX packagedoes not offer the highest resolution nor are itsdynamics world-class, but the sound is smooth andreasonably well balanced over of most of the range,

with good imaging and tonal colour. Timing isexcellent and, for most forms of music, it gives avery clear and coherent idea of what is on the disc. Itdoes not get on brilliantly with large orchestralpieces and can make some sopranos sound a bitbrittle, but show me a turntable package below the£1000 mark that does, and I do wonder if that is thelimitation of the supplied MM. The arm is more thancapable of extracting all the detail from the cartridgethat it can dig up. The turntable is, of course, becauseof its relatively low mass, a bit deficient in the lowerbass but it gives a reasonably convincing storygenerally.Regardless of any cavils I may have, the UKX easilypasses my main test of any hifi equipment – I foundthat I was able to listen to most forms of music forhours without fatigue and always wanting more.

I'm genuinely astonished that Pro-Ject can bring thispackage to the market at this price but this is not theplace to muse on the economics of electronicsmanufacture. I’d simply suggest that anybody in themarket for a turntable package in the sub-£1000bracket should put the UKX on the audition shortlist.For the money being asked, I cannot think of a bettersource system – full stop.

Build Quality - 10/10 - (it really is hard to seeon any standards, let alone budget kit, whatthey could do better)Sound Quality – 8.5/10Value for money – 10/10Overall – 9.5/10


Absurdly good value for money plug andplay analogue system for people gettingstarted in vinyl or who need a secondaryanalogue system for their residual vinylcollection.

Peter Stanton-Ife

Pro-Ject Xpression Carbon UKXI'm genuinely astonishedthat Pro-Ject can bringthis package to themarket at this price…


I’ll be absolutely honest and say that when theAnalogue Works turntable turned up I was a bitjaded with the whole vinyl thing and had been

rather enjoying listening to music using a dedicatedcomputer as the source. However, when I was initial-

ly asked to review the Analogue Works TurntableOne I thought why the hell not…and I was glad Idid. Tim at Analogue Works was keen to tell me onthe phone that the turntable was based on TomFletcher designs and was getting rave reviews fromusers, but the proof of the pudding and all that…Analogue Works make just three turntables (The Ze-ro, The One and The Two) with the One costing£799, the Zero £649 and the Two £1599 and they selldirect to the public to keep the costs down to a mini-mum. The turntables are made exclusively in theUK!The One comes in a choice of two plinth finishes,with the one supplied for review arriving in furnituregrade plywood (a black laminated version is availa-ble for an extra £50) and very nice in a minimalistkind of way it is too. You can get the turntable sup-plied with a variety of armboards, but I use the Ori-gin Live Silver tonearm and so a Rega board camepackaged. Fitting the arm is a simple affair and thearmboard is nicely made out of what appears to beblack acrylic.Packaging is really rather good giving a high end feelimmediately and the instructions are comprehensiveyet very easy to follow. Set up is a piece of cake with

Analogue Works One

The AnalogueWorks turntable isa simple lookingaffair costing £799which puts it verymuch in the mid-market pricepoint.How does it sound?


the separate Premotec motor unit resting on whateversurface you put the turntable on and fitting through acutout in the turntable at the back left. The cutout isever so slightly oversized so that the motor can bepositioned so that it doesn’t connect with the plinthin any way other than the belt!It is a belt drive turntable unsurprisingly, offeringboth 33.33 and 45.11 RPM with the change beingmade with the accepted and widely used movementof the belt to a different “cog” on the motor. The lowtorque motor unit has a remote power supply boxwhich can be sited away from the turntable itselfwhich is a nice touch.The platter is a hefty unit, weighs in at a not incon-siderable 6.7Kg and is made of an aluminium alloy.It looks rather pleasing set against the plywood Ithink and has a rubber “band” around it which I’dassumed was for dampening (more on this later) andtapping on the platter produces a solid thud ratherthan any ringing – this is a good sign! Supporting theplatter is the bearing utilising a polished silver steelshaft with a precision ground nipple and a phosphorbronze sleeve with a hardened and polished roller...it’s a smooth as silk and the platter rotates perfectly.You get a choice of mats to put on the platter, a thinrubber one, a foam one and one made from com-pressed cork so that you can play around and find theone that suits you best. I ended up using the rubbermat with the foam mat on top of that but the differ-ences are marginal I’d suggest.The One comes with three solid adjustable feetwhich make leveling of the turntable a much moresimple process thanthose using four feet andyou can add suspendedfeet for an extra cost,though I don’t think it’snecessary. All in all andeven with cartridgealignment, you shouldbe up and playing yourfavourite black discs ina matter of an hour orso...probably much less.Throughout the review Iused the Cartridge ManMusic Maker III and theOrigin Live Silver to-nearm both of which Ihave used for a goodwhile and know well.The photographs used in

Analogue Works OneDespite its nononsense looks andapproach it doesplay music …and itplays music in a waythat really getsunder your skin tothe point where youstop analysing whatthe turntable isadding or takingaway and just get onlistening to thetunes…


this review were sup-plied by AnalogueWorks.On With Some TunesAnd first on the platteris a bit of reggae in theform of Dub Syndi-cate’s “Strike the Bal-ance” LP. This is agood record to play tosee what’s going on inthe bass departmentand there are certainlyno complaints fromme here. Everything istight and deep, withthe flute on the song“Mafia” sounding cor-rect pitch-wise andwith no wobble sug-gesting that the speed is accurate and stable on thisturntable. I don’t have a strobe disc to check this butI’d be very surprised if it’s not cock on!A fairly hefty knuckle rap on the unit the turntablewas sat on didn’t perceptibly travel through to thespeakers (or headphones) and you can tap the actualplinth fairly hard before it’s picked up massively bythe cartridge. This was a bit of a surprise to me if Ican be frank – this is a very simple (but well engi-neered) turntable with no suspension or clever giz-mos aboard, but it seems that plywood is actually apretty sensible material to be used in turntables – I’mnot sure we’d have seen the same result with a solidpiece of MDF!In the spaces between the tracks I couldn’t perceiveany vibrations or noise coming from the motor andreaching the cartridge and it seems the simple meth-od of isolating the motor from the plinth is effectiveas well as simply elegant.Some guitar music to have another listen to the speedand next on the platter is Concierto de Aranjuez withJohn Zaradin plucking the strings. If speed is awryyou’ll hear it on this record, but I have to say there’snothing for me to moan about here! Guitar soundslike guitar and is pitch stable! Instruments are wellseparated in the stereo image and remain where theyare supposed to.Music has plenty of drive and, though it pains me tosay it, I preferred the Analogue Works to my WilsonBenesch Circle as it just seems to connect you with

the actual music in a much more organic and involv-ing way. I even preferred it to my heavily moddedTechnics 1210 with the same arm and cartridge ar-rangement which is high praise indeed coming fromme! The One has plenty boogie factor and the musicbounces along really nicely and it’s a really addictiveway to listen to your music.The motor on this turntable is a low torque type thatyou have to spin above the desired speed and it themslows to the correct speed – this is what the rubberband around the platter is for I guess. Don’t spin themotor fast enough and it will run slow. I’m awarethis is the nature of this kind of motor but I foundthis took a bit of getting used to, but it’s not an un-common arrangement and you do get used to it aftera few album sides.I suppose this no nonsense motor arrangement is onearea that costs have been kept low and it works per-fectly well, but in these modern days of “give meconvenience or give me death” this may be an irrita-tion for some who would prefer an electronic speedshift. This is not to suggest the motor itself isn’tmore than up to the job…it is (and then some) andmy comment is more about convenience than any-thing else! Most audiophiles and music lovers shouldbe more than happy to forgo this convenience for thesake of getting great sounds from their records.As I said at the start of this review, the AnalogueWorks turntable arrived at a time when I was gettinga bit jaded with the whole vinyl thing, but it’s hadme reaching for album after album across loads ofdifferent genres which is a good sign – very often I

Analogue Works One


find a bit of kit can often lean towards (be tuned for)a specific style of music – not so here and it will dobanging techno just as well as it does folk or acousticmusic! Despite its no nonsense looks and approach itdoes play music …and it plays music in a way thatreally gets under your skin to the point where youstop analysing what the turntable is adding or takingaway and just get on listening to the tunes…and thisis what the components in a hifi are supposed to doisn’t it? In fact I don’t think the turntable is actuallyadding very much to the mix at all!Ideally it should be placed on a wall shelf (sadlywe’re having a move around and mine wasn’t availa-ble at the time of review) but the One is surprisinglyunaffected by normal footfall. I did try placing theturntable and motor on an isolation platform, butfound that this utterly ruined the coherence of thesound making it muddy and so when you go out andbuy one of these stick with a solid surface rather thanshelling out on fancy platforms!ConclusionThis is a simple turntable that has been put togetherusing high quality materials and components withoutfrill or frippery and using solid engineering princi-ples. It does its job of spinning the vinyl at the rightspeed very well and brings very little of its own fla-vour to the party.I found myself putting down the tablet and computerfiles and delving into my record collection onceagain and, as I say, this is something I’ve not reallydone in a few months.Overall, what I think you have with the AnalogueWorks One is a good look-ing, straight-forward andwell engineered turntablethat is sensibly priced(very sensibly priced andhence its high score).With the cartridge and armthat I used (and I thinkthey’re priced around theright price point to be thekind of things folk woulduse) you end up with avery capable analoguefront end that just playsmusic for you and puncheswell above weight withregards its asking price.I’m certain that buyerscould use a less expensive

arm and cartridge combination on the One and stillget very acceptable results, but I’d suggest it war-rants spending the extra and it will take arms and car-tridge combos even further up the ladder than mineI’m sure.Regular readers will know that I always ask myself“Could I live with this?” and the answer here is a re-sounding yes, to the extent the WB Circle has goneto make way for this much less expensive model inthe reference system.This is a very good turntable at a price that makes itsomething of a bargain and I think it fully deservesthe scores I have given it!Its solid and no frills approach will make it a turnta-ble that should last you years and when you do wantto upgrade I’d suggest you can do this by improvingthe arm and cartridge rather than needing to go outand buy a different turntable.The Hifi Pig review process demands that this turnta-ble now gets sent to a second reviewer, but had itbeen my decision I'd have awarded our OutstandingProduct award independently.Build quality: 9/10Sound Quality: 8.5/10Value For Money: 9.25/10Recommended for people that want a simpleto set up analogue front end that performswith exceptional musicality and at a pricethat makes it something of a bargain.

Stuart Smith

Analogue Works One


https://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/


Soulines are based in Serbia and make just fourturntables, the Hermes DCX, the DostoyevskyDCX, the newly released Elgar DCX and the

turntable under review here, the Kubrick DCX.The philosophy of Soulines is that the interactionbetween each component that makes up a turntable isequally important and so they balance the construc-tion with a number of “good compromises” to ensurea finished product where all the individual partscome together to work together. Their engineeringprinciples are solid and yet not over-complicated andtheir turntables are essentially hand made with thebenefit of CAD and advanced CNC manufacture.Critical parts of each turntable such as the platter,main bearing and spindle are not manufactured inbatches but individually made so they fit each otherspecifically.The Kubrick is the top of the Soulines range and theysay that it is their most advanced turntable. It is builtaround the company’s inverted main bearing and a40mm thick, 3.2Kg acrylic platter (The same as on

Soulines Kubrick DCX

Based in Serbia,Soulines say theirturntables arepredominantlyhandmade. Hifi Pigtakes a listen totheir €4000, rangetopping KubrickDCX.


the Hermes DCX) and has a very rigid aluminiumplinth and sub-plinth that is constructed from a seriesof “layers” or blocks that are coupled together anddamped where needed using cork-rubber. The blocksused are put together according to the “Golden Ra-tio” and “Fibonacci Sequence” which the company’sliterature says “gains uniform vibration damping andthe reduction of the moment of inertia in all threeplanes (along all three axes) to the centre of mass”.The motor, mounted on the main plinth, is of highquality and you can adjust the speed between 33 and45 with the flick of a switch located on the front leftof the turntable. The Kubrick is a belt drive turntable.The inverted main bearing is machined from solidbrass and stainless steel and, along with the solid alu-minium armboard, is mounted directly onto the subplinth, which is in turn three point decoupled fromthe main plinth. The platter spins freely, smoothlyand is perfectly flat.The Kubrick is supported on three adjustable cones,is a doddle to get level and it comes with three inter-changeable arm boards for SME, Rega/Origin Liveand Jelco.The supplied turntable came with a Jelco SA750 to-

nearm and I fitted my trusty Audio Technica EV33moving coil cartridge. The arm is sub £400 if boughtseparately and is an S shaped arm with removableheadshell. Whilst I do have the Origin Live Silverarm available I wanted to test the Kubrick as sup-plied as it is the turntable we are reviewing here. Theprice of the turntable including the arm is €4000

Soulines Kubrick DCXThere are little detailssuch as the lovely littleon/off and speedcontrol switches thatcertainly add to thefeeling that this is awell designed andhigh-aiming product.


Packaging for the Kubrick is spectacular in its com-pleteness and attention to detail and it even comeswith a simple but effective removable Perspex cover– other manufacturers note that this is a good thingplease. Also included was a set up disc for accuratecartridge alignment, which again is a useful andthoughtful addition – it has three different alignmentmethods. Instructions are clear and concise!All in all unpacking and set up takes around an hourwith most of that being spent with the usual cartridgeset up. Placement was atop the usual IKEA arrange-ment that serves as the hifi rack and no further isola-tion was used.First of all let me say that I absolutely adored thelook of this turntable with its brushed aluminiumchassis and sub chassis, all set off with the substan-tial acrylic platter. It’s modern looking and yet quiteunderstated. There are little details such as the lovelylittle on/off and speed control switches that certainlyadd to the feeling that this is a well designed andhigh-aiming product. I can’t see any but the mosttraditional not admiring this on their rack.There is no extra box for a power supply, but there isa little wallwart.The knuckle rap test on the two forward positionedsupports has little perceptible effect on the cartridge,but when applied to the housing where the motor islocated there is easily perceptible vibration reachingthe stylus. However, when there is no music playingand the stylus is placed on the record there is no mo-

tor noise reaching the stylus that I could hear! Themotor emits a very low volume whirr that you haveto put your ear next to the unit to hear. The Kubrickis not particularly susceptible to foot fall and I didn’tfind myself needing to scream at people to tip toearound whilst listening to vinyl.Some TunesBass is often my first port of call when checking outa new bit of kit and so it was with the Kubrick. Ifound myself grabbing the excellent “SSSS” byVince Clarke and Martin L. Gore on 180 gm vinyl.Well certainly no complaints at all here and the mu-sic forges ahead with the required drive and energy.In some ways, the bass the Kubrick brings is a littlelike my heavily modded Technics 1210 which sug-gests to me that the pitch is stable and rocksolid…very similar indeed to the quality of the directdrive Techy and this is a good thing. The mix (stereoimage) is solid and it is easy to identify individualinstruments in their relative space, which again sug-gests to me that there are no timing issues that needconcern us. In some ways listening to this record onthe Kubrick reminded me of good quality digitalplayback, but with a much more organic and naturalfeel to it. There are no discernible pops and clicksdisplaying themselves overly which was nice!On to some guitar music and Baden Powell’s“L’Ame de”. Here there is no wobbly pitching in theguitar which would otherwise suggest speed incon-sistencies and what you are left with is just a naturalsounding guitar. The attack and decay on guitar iscorrect and there are great levels of detail in the ster-eo image. The delicate and intricate finger work onthe record is all there and this record really was a joyto listen to on the Kubrick. Like the Analogue WorksOne turntable I reviewed recently there’s a feelingthat the Kubrick really isn’t adding a great deal to themusic, but with the Kubrick I’d suggest that there’s a


…there’s thatcoherence andplay betweendrum and bassthat just gets yourfeet tapping to thebeat… yet loadsof detail here too.


smidgen more detail coming through – perhaps thisis due to the more sophisticated isolation at play onthe Kubrick.On Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” there’s a firmnessand sure-footedness to the rhythm section, whilstdelicate taps on the hats come through in fine detail.Again I get the impression there’s more being pulledfrom the grooves with the Kubrick than the One, es-pecially at the top end. Likewise with 10 000 Mani-acs “The Wishing Chair” there’s that coherence andplay between drum and bass that just gets your feettapping to the beat… yet loads of detail here too. Butthat’s not to suggest that these frequencies are exag-gerated or overblown and the mids aresacrificed…it’s just that these are the areas in music Iespecially enjoyed with the Kubrick.I notice here that I’m reaching for quite similar stylesof music - music with a strong backbeat and I thinkthis is where the Kubrick comes into its own some-what – solidity, drive, and rhythm suggesting againto my mind great timing from the Kubrick.Sadly I don’t have a great number of 45s but reach-ing for an ancient copy of Timothy Leary meets TheGrid proves the 45 speed seems to be spot on andconstant too. With this record you get the impressionagain that the Kubrick is really driving the music for-ward and it’s certainly allowing the stylus to dig outthe very deep bass on the record. I do like the factthat you can change the speed at the flick of a switchwithout faffing around with belts and pulleys. I alsolike the fact that the Kubrick starts up at the flick of aswitch!ConclusionsI liked the Kubrick turntable from Soulines a greatdeal and I shall miss it when it goes back toSerbia…which sadly it must… via Holland. The wayit brings out the rhythm section and drive in records

is really very addictive and you will find yourselfreaching for this kind of record just to experiencethis effect over and over. As I mentioned it’s verymuch like a very good direct drive turntable in thisrespect.I don’t believe that the Kubrick favours one kind ofmusic over another though and it is as happy playingfunk as it is playing “classical” guitar. Likewise it’sas equally at home playing “audiophile” female vo-cals as it is banging techno.The design of the Kubrick is such that it allows thecartridge and arm to do their thing and get the mostout of the grooves as possible and I would definitelyclass the Kubrick as adding very little of its own fla-vour.Soulines have gone to a lot of trouble to produce aturntable that performs very well as well as lookgreat and this level of workmanship really must beapplauded. It’s not cheap at €4000 including the arm,but neither is this an extortionate amount of moneyto ask for such a product.Build Quality: 8.5/10Sound Quality: 8.75/10Value For Money: 8/10Overall – 8.4/10Recommended for people seeking a greatlooking, nicely engineered turntable, that isas plug and play as it gets at this level, butalso delivers on sound.

Stuart Smith


The design of theKubrick is suchthat it allows thecartridge and armto do their thingand get the mostout of the groovesas possible …


http://www.originlive.com/


For my first review on HifiPig Ireally thought 'Excellent -they'll send me something

entirely straightforward like aphonostage, or a small & cheapintegrated amplifier' but no. What Iactually ended up with was a pair of£2950 omni-directional loudspeakersin gloss red that look as thoughthey're built from drainpipes. In atthe deep end? Possibly, but nothingwrong with a challenge.

I'm not new to omnis, having had thechance to try some NVA Cubes afew years ago, and really falling forthem, so was rather excited to hearthe Pluto Ultimates.The PU's are an active speaker, butas opposed to having the poweramp(s) built-in, the whole systemarrives as a package with its ownmulti-input integrated amplifier withcrossovers contained within. It's alsofully controllable via a solid,aluminium remote. About as plug &play as it's possible to get in otherwords - even down to being suppliedwith speaker cables (which are alsovery neatly made).The finish on the speakers isimpeccable, and the gloss lacquerflawless. Their bases are made froma single piece of aluminium,machined from billet into which theadjustable floor spikes are screwed.Setting up, and having themworking, is but a matter of a few

short minutes' work - no more than any otherconventional amp/speaker combination in fact.However, setting up the speakers' position within theroom takes a lot more time and care although, as withthe Cubes, this can be part of the fun. They'reextremely sensitive to position but will reward thelistener's time and effort by telling him/her when it'sexactly right - everything clicks into focus quitebeautifully. Worth mentioning though that theowner's manual is very specific, and extremelyhelpful with its guidance on set-up. Follow it closelyand you really won't go too far wrong.

Anyway, enough of all that - how do they sound?

Pluto Ultimate

The Pluto Ultimates are anactive speaker, but asopposed to having thepower amp(s) built-in, thewhole system arrives as apackage with its ownmulti-input integratedamplifier with crossoverscontained within.


I'll start off by saying that I've had a lot of fun withthese - it's not all been plain-sailing but that's purelydown to me having to think outside the boxsomewhat (if you'll excuse the pun). They sound bestwhen used in a near-field setting, with the distancebetween them a good deal greater than that to the

listener. They will sound excellent wherever onesits/stands in the room but the true sweet-spot will beobvious.

In terms of balance, they're fairly neutral with strongbass output which goes remarkably deep consideringthe size of the driver. The strength of it is probablyjust about the only criticism I can level, and of coursedifferent rooms will react differently - our room isquite reactive. The up side of this though is thatbecause the PU's are effectively a sealed box the bassis fast, with extremely well-defined pitch, and eventhroughout the range. The final few bars of VaughanWilliams Symphony No.5 (1st mov't) have two lownotes played against eachother - a D & E - which I'verarely heard as separate entities so naturally - theysound clouded on lesser speakers. Another goodexample is 'Song for Claire' from Dave Weckl's'Rhythm of the Soul' album - the closing bars have abass line, mostly on one note, made up ofsynchopated patterns which keeps the track alivewith musical colour until fade-out. This really needsa speaker with both great timing, and the dynamicclarity to pull it off. On so many other speakers thetrack just dies away and as a result the listener missesout. Such a shame when there's more to come!

Pluto UltimateThey're extremelysensitive to positionbut will reward thelistener's time andeffort by tellinghim/her when it'sexactly right -everything clicks intofocus quite beautifully.


I've spent quite a few hours listening to symphonicwind music, one example being particularly tricky tosound convincing, namely Holst Prelude & Scherzo:'Hammersmith'. Not only does the piece contain hugedynamic contrasts, but at the start the Tubas/lowbrass are playing in D minor, but are soon joined byFrench Horns playing against them in E Major (you'dthink it was a recipe for chaos - but Holst is tooclever for that). Each of these keys has a verydifferent colour - the Minor is dark, brooding,sinister, yet the Major is much lighter and 'floats'across the top. The Plutos pull this off, keeping thecolours separate yet not stripping the sound bare, orartificially detaching them - there's a naturalinteraction between the tonalities.

I'll lay my cards on the table here by stating I'm notreally a soundstage or stereo imagery freak - it's notone of the major aspects I look for when listening tomusic through a hifi system. However, it should stillsound natural. Now, I'm not sure if it's down to thePluto's up-firing main driver (or just a consequenceof the design of an onmi in general - the Cubes werethe same) but I've really enjoyed - refreshingly so -how instruments which do 'project' (ie some brassinstruments) do just that, as of course they should.However, those which don't (eg strings/woodwind)

are allowed to breathe in their own space rather thanbeing hurled at the listener - a Violin isn't a Trumpetafter all (and vice versa).

In summary, I'll be honest the Plutos had me worriedto start with. They look different, some would evensay 'challenging', and will definitely need some user-input to get them singing at their best. However, I'vehad so much fun with them and as a result providedmany hours of listening pleasure. They've also (asdid the Cubes) opened my eyes to something thatwhilst different in so many ways, is a speaker whichgoes about its business in a very natural way andtherefore gets a definite thumbs-up from me.

Richard Joyce

Pluto UltimateHowever, I've had somuch fun with them andas a result providedmany hours of listeningpleasure.


It's a light and small device, which is compatiblewith almost every phone or tablet on the market. (Itested it with a 4th generation iPod Touch).It is perfect to carry around with you (in its little bag)so that you can share your music with your friends,on the go.The Bluetooth pairing is very simple. Press and holdthe pause/play button on the speaker for 3 seconds

then select the speaker onyour preferred device andyou’re ready to go.If you don't have a Blue-tooth enabled devise youcan use the provided minijack cable which worksjust as well.Once paired you can ex-pect a huge battery life - Icharged it after every 2 or3 days, using the providedmicro USB cable, and itnever ran out of juice.The controls work well onthe actual speaker, al-though I rarely used themand used the controls onmy iPod.The buttons feel a bit“flimsy” but this isn't a

huge drawback as the rest of the features on the Goare near perfect. On the bottom of the speakers,there are two rubberized feet that provide great sta-bility on most surfaces. There is also an integratedmicrophone, although I didn’t test this feature.I can see that Simple Audio concentrated a lot on thedesign of the Go, it's easy to use and looks minimaland stylish. Proof that simplicity can be excellent.One disappointment however is that the Go is onlyavailable in black at the moment and I feel that itshould be more customisable (with a range of col-ours to choose from.)The sound quality is very good, the bass is surpris-ingly rich and the high notes are pretty clear too.More importantly for what it is, this speaker is loudand can easily fill a medium/small room. It surprisedme the first time I used it, as I didn't expect suchgood sound reproduction from such a small compactdesign…it really was a ‘wow’ moment when I firstplayed Deadmau5 on it and this was in one of thelargest rooms in our house. When I moved to asmaller room, my bedroom, the Go really filled thespace with music.Being ultra portable, I was also able to use it bothoutside and in the car where it sounded equally good.

Harry Smith

Simple Audio Go

Simple Audiohas a new miniBluetoothspeaker on themarket, theSimple AudioGo.


http://www.leedh-acoustic.com/


The Leedh E2 loudspeaker from LaboratoireEtudes et Developpements Holophoniques isa very interesting design indeed and quite

unlike any loudspeaker I’ve come across. However,let’s step back a while and explain how we firstencountered this speaker. A couple of years ago wewere at one of the Paris hi-fi shows and we’d seenthem in one of the rooms, thought they were quiteinteresting but really thought no more about themthereafter. Fast forward to the Paris shows ofSeptember and November and several of themanufacturers were using them in their rooms andthey were making a really great sound. I introducedmyself to Gilles Milot, the guy behind the speakersand a review was arranged.Now the Leedh loudspeakers are a bit of arevolutionary design to say the least as there are noboxes as such and each of the “drivers” is housed in

its own little“pod”. TheAcousticalBeautyDriver(ABD) isthe keyingredient inthe designand it’s able to operate in just 0.3 Litres of space andthis is where the pods come in.The driver is an ironless motor with a ferrofluidsealed suspension which is designed to reduceharmonic distortion and parasitic resonance modes ofthe diaphragm, the basket and the air in the pod.Without going into the technology too much (readthe website if you want all the techy bumph) each ofthe ABD motors has 20 magnets and this allows the

Leedh E2

Thisloudspeakercertainlylooks like noother speakerwe’veencounteredhere at HifiPig, but wewanted toknow whatthis Frenchcuriositysounded likebefore wepassedjudgement.


coil of the carbon/epoxy diaphragm to move in aconstant magnetic field with an excursion on plus orminus 7mm. Ferrofluid covers the entire volumebetween the cylindrical interior of the externalstructure of the motor and the outer tube of hediaphragm, with the fluid being held in place by amagnetic field. The air in each of the pods (what thecompany call the box/basket) is compressed by theconcave diaphragm and acts as a pneumaticsuspension and this determines the ABD’sresonance frequency of 90 Hz which, given the highmagnetic dampening leads to a gradual cut off slopeof 3dB/oct (50-100 Hz) to 12dB/oct below 40 Hz.With regards to parasitic vibrations experienced byconventional loudspeakers the small volume of thepods allows them to be made very rigid and thevibrations caused by the diaphragm of the ABD iscancelled by a back to back (push push) mountingand the use of a silent mechanicalactuator in the mid pods.OK, I will admit that most of thescience is beyond me and notreally of that much interest to behonest as I’m of the “just make itmake music” train of thought, butthe general gist is that everythingin the Leedh E2 is designed tominimise resonances andvibrations.We have the Leedh E2 here toreview but a smaller Leedh C wasproduced with the main differencebeing that the Leedh E2 has fourABD modules (pods) coupled backto back as opposed to the two onthe LeedhC. The first pair the podsare just off ground level (thespeaker uses the ground for bassreinforcement) with the secondpair about a metre from the groundand on the carbon composite legs.Both these pairs of pods pointoutwards from the main structureat 90 degrees. Above the secondpair of pods is a single forwardfiring pod and above that, again ona carbon composite “leg”, atweeter pod. Have a look at thephotos and you’ll get the idea.Overall the Leedh E2 is prettycompact being just 108cm high and

its open structure makes it very easy to blend intoyour living space. They have an aesthetic that willI’m sure divide opinion and, whilst it has beendescribed by one visitor to the house as looking likea praying mantis, the overall appearance is, to mymind, very pleasing indeed.The speakers have a minimum impedance of 3.2ohms at 300 Hz, will handle 300W and have asensitivity of…wait for it…82dB. Quoted bandwidthis plus/minus 1.5dB from 100 Hz to 20 KHz withbass response being -3dB at 70Hz, -6dB at 50 Hz and-8dB at 20 Hz. The speakers have a price of €16 000a pair.As I say the technical side of things doesn’t reallyinterest me a great deal and so let’s get on to thesetting up and actually listening to what theseloudspeakers do.

Leedh E2


Gilles arrived from Paris (asix or so hour drive) midmorning and we immediatelygot to setting up the Leedhs.They were positioned about ametre from the back wallwith them pointing directly atthe hot seat with the seatmaking up an equilateraltriangle. He also broughtalong a prototype of a suband his own loudspeakercables with a polarised outersheath and a small crossoverdevice built in. However Iwanted to try the speakerswith the unlikely pairing ofthe 20W a channel TelluriumQ Iridium power amp alongwith our usual cablecompliment first of all as thisis our day to day kit and the stuff we know well.20 Watts into 82dB... Surely Not!Ok, so this is an unlikely partnering I’m well aware,but as I say it’s what we know and so this is the firstcombo we tried. The sub wasn’t connected initially!The first thing you notice when you listen to thesespeakers is that they are just so open and uncolouredin that “not at all boxy” kind of way. Obviously nothaving boxes in the conventional sense this reallydidn’t come as a great surprise. I was interested tosee what vibrations were being generated by thespeakers and touching each of the pods in turn I cansay that there was nothing I could feel even whendriving as hard as I dare.The second thing you notice is that the stereo imageis very wide, very high and very deep – this is, forwant of a better word, quite holographic. I knowthere will be those that scoff at the use of this wordbut until you have experienced this they reallyshouldn’t. Listening to Bowie’s “…Ziggy Stardust”there is a real purity to the tone across the wholefrequency range and with even the very modestlyrated power amp we were able to drive the speakersto reasonable levels in our quite large listening room.On the usual audiophile show type material (femalevocals) you can understand why many of theexhibitors at the last Paris show used these speakers -there is that purity to the tone and a real clarity to thelistening experience – all very very life-like.

Instruments are easy to distinguish from each otherin the stereo space and the main vocal elements arepositioned dead centre and forward…quite beautiful.Yes, the bass is a little compromised here and thismay well be an issue for some, but let’s not forgetthat this amp isn’t something you’d usually partnerwith these speakers.In this configuration, whilst having some verypositive attributes, the Leedhs have their limits, butthen many listeners will be just blown away with thatexquisite openness and transparency and will be ableto forgive these minor flaws of the pairing.Personally I could just about live with theLeedh/Iridium combination as it really does drawyou into a recording and you do become literallyenveloped in the sound they present, but regularreaders will be well aware I’m a bit of a bass-headand so a different amp was plumbed in.I knew the Leedhs were coming and I was aware thereference amp would probably struggle to drive themto the levels I enjoy and so I’d asked if I could keephold of the Claymore amp we recently reviewed. It’sa 70W a channel amp and whilst it doesn’t have thelast bit of finesse of our reference it does have plentyof power on hand… and great bass.Ok, now we’re really getting somewhere and there’sa whole new level of drive to the speakers with theextra juice on tap really getting the diminutivedrivers (they are tiny) pumping – you can see themmoving in time to the music!

Leedh E2


Listening to “The World of Bleep and Booster” andtheir techno beats you’d be forgiven for thinking thatyou were listening to MUCH bigger speakers. Theopenness and the airiness are still there, as is thatthree dimensional quality to the stereo image Ipreviously mentioned. The character of the differentamp is also very evident. There’s just so much moredrive and energy here and I have absolutely no ideahow such small drivers manage to deliver this kindof dynamic performance. Yes the bass doesn’t trawlthe very lowest depths but here we’re getting veryclose to what could well be a speaker I coulddefinitely live with long term. It’s worth mentioningalso how fast the speakers are – there is no overhangat any frequency and attack and decay is immediatewhere it should be, they are also a very dynamic andengaging loudspeaker in that edge of your seat kindof way. We listened to loads of different music andthey really never failed to bring a huge grin to yourface whatever the genre.As a bit of an experiment with regards source I tookthe external DAC we use out of the system and triedthe line out of the Squeezebox. Oh dear! The Leedhsreally will highlight any deficiencies in the chain andthis experiment lasted all of one track!As I mentioned, Gilles had brought along a prototypesubwoofer (Expected price will be €5500) that hesays is flat down to 20 Hz, and I’ve no reason todoubt him, along with his own speaker cables withthe built in crossover. With these in the set up andstill using the Claymore you get, obviously, a LOTmore bass energy in the room, but you also maintainthat wonderful wide open and clean feel to thereproduction of music. The sub integrates very nicelyand apart from a slight narrowing of the width of thesoundstage what you get is a beautifully listenablepresentation that is hugely addictive. There is stillthat forward and backward three dimensional feel tothe sound too which will appeal to many I’m sure.Now we are getting into the realms of a loudspeakerthat ranks with the very best I’ve heard and had theIridium something more akin to 100w a channel I’dsuggest that this combo would be hard to beat. I stillmaintain that you need very good (if not exemplary)electronics in front of the Leedhs and so don’t thinkyou can plonk them on the end of just anything andget away with it – the Claymore is about the limit ofwhat would be acceptable I’d suggest.On his return to pick up the speakers Gilles hadbrought his own 3D Labs 1000W monoblocks to tryso we hooked them up with the Coffman Labs

preamp, Gilles own prototype speaker cables and thesubwoofer. Now this is a good pair of amplifiers,although little is known about 3D Labs outside ofFrance, but I’ve heard a number of items in theirportfolio over the last 5 years or so I’ve always beenvery impressed with them. From the outset it’s clearthat the extra power on hand is welcomed by theLeedh E2s, but you can still hear very clearly thedifferent character of these amplifiers comingthrough. Drum hits still have an immediate clout tothem, cymbals still have sparkle and air around them,acoustic instruments still sound like…acousticinstruments and something has just hit me – whatthese loudspeakers are is as neutral as I’ve everheard. They move the air leaving the listener with afeeling that the speakers aren’t really doing verymuch at all other than communicating what they arefed with and as such this makes them quite a difficultbeast to review. How do you describe something thatdoesn’t really have a great deal of character of itsown?For example, on Gil Scot-Heron and Brian Jackson’s“Winter in America” the insight into the recordingspace is as if you are there. On busy tracks thespeakers don’t seem to get lost or confused and onsimple music they just sound so damn lifelike!They are clean, uncoloured and transparentloudspeakers and this review really could have beenwritten using just those three words.At low volumes you don’t miss anything that’s in themix and you still get the incredible soundstage thing,but pop a bit of power up these speakers and theyspring to life. On Hawkwind’s “Steppenwolf” at lowvolumes all the tweets and effects are there, as are allthe stereo effects and when you turn the juice up youjust get more of the same.ConclusionTotal transparency isn’t always what people arelooking for in a loudspeaker and people have theirown personal preferences in the way a loudspeakerpresents the music. Some enjoy horns, someelectrostatics, whilst others prefer conventionalboxed speakers. What the Leedh E2 loudspeakersbring to the table is actually very little andyou are presented with whatever your chosenelectronics fetch to the show.They are equally at home with the aforementionedaudiophile fodder of female vocals, or rock, orwhatever you care to throw at them.

Leedh E2


In some ways the Leedh E2 represents the idealloudspeaker for someone who does reviews as theymake hearing what is happening in the systemVERY apparent. Now this may sound like they arecold and analytical tools and I suppose they areanalytical in that they are high-fidelity in the truestsense of the word.Put quality electronics in front of these speakers andyou will be justly rewarded with a wonderfulrepresentation of the music. Power them with poorelectronics or poor recordings and they will show upany deficiencies in your system. They also manage tothrow a hugely deep and wide soundstage withaccurate placement of instruments and this onlymakes them even more attractive to me.Some will think the speakers challengingaesthetically, but I liked them and they’re reallymuch less obtrusive than many of the loudspeakerswe’ve had through here in recent months.Personally I highly recommend the Leedh E2s fortheir ability to do very little with what they aregiven…if that makes sense. If you have greatelectronics already then I’d suggest these reallyshould be on your “must hear” shortlist.

Stuart Smith

These speakers have intrigued me for the lastyear and a half…I have encountered them atshows and been incredibly impressed by the

sounds that come out of what are, by mostaudiophile’s standards, pretty small speakers.

There is a definite ‘insectoid’ look to them, kind of arobotic praying mantis, almost spindly with the

drivers contained in pods…a bit of a departure fromthe usual kind of loudspeaker.The finish is a very high gloss piano black and theindividual driver grilles add to the insect-likeappearance by looking like a fly’s eyes.I think they are stunning and they are so different butelegant, I think that they will still look futuristic in20 years time and could well become a designclassic.We were fortunate to also have the prototype of thesubwoofer that Gilles, the creator, has indevelopment at the moment. I am hoping that whenthe sub goes into production it will be finished withlarger grilles and will carry the insect theme through.So why do these speakers look so different, they usea completely different technology to traditionalspeakers, I’m not even going to try and go there withthe science bit….a full and detailed explanation is onthe LEEDH website. Basically the drivers are oilfilled pistons, have a look with the grilles off whenthe speakers are playing, the movement is differentto what you will have seen before.LEEDH don’t just think outside of the box…theyhave done away with the box altogether, which, in asimilar way to the TSAE Evince speakers (albeit adifferent approach), frees the speakers from theconstraints of the ordinary.‘He took it all too far, but boy could he playguitar.’This ‘freedom’ comes across in the sound too; theyare described as being ‘holophonic’ which to memeans that they will give a realistic and 3-dimensional reproduction of the music. This isexactly what you get, a real feeling of ‘thereness’with the performers, every detail is heard.Acoustic guitar in particular sounded as if theguitarist was sat in the room with you, I noticed thisand so did Harry, our youngest, who has a keen earand is a guitarist himself.They also sounded fantastic with electronic music(my favourite genre) and could well be the perfect allround loudspeaker, whatever your poison!

Now our main listening set up is a pretty large andhigh ceilinged room but after having heard thesespeakers in a large room before I was confident theywould cope…and they did.They manage to fill the room, but there is nobooming or flabbiness, the sound seems effortless,

Leedh E2

Spiders fromMars? No,insects fromFrance!


defined and clean.

I would describe the sound as like living inan epic film soundtrack, it is actually a veryemotional experience listening to thesespeakers, in much the same way thatlistening to great horn speakers can be.Gilles did tell me that a lot of people whoare fans of Avantgarde Acoustic horns likehis speakers and yes, even though thetechnology is different, I can really see, hearand feel why.

Something that did become apparent is thatthese loudspeakers need to be fed with goodthings……they do show up the quality ofwhat is going into them, both electronicsand music…there is nowhere to hide.Like a racehorse, you can’t expect to putcrap in and get the best performance out.

So what about the sub?Of course this was in its prototype stage sonot as ‘pretty’ as the finished product wouldbe, but it was good to listen to anyway.The sub seemed to integrate with the mainspeakers well, there was non of that beingable to pinpoint the sound as coming fromthe sub, it just became part of the tapestry of thesound stage.It definitely added a different dimension to theoverall sound, but I don’t think that you have to havethe sub with these speakers....I guess it depends verymuch on your musical tastes and how you would beusing the speakers.

In the interest of seeing whether audiophile grade hifican be liveable with, we also tried setting things upso that we could use the speakers in an AV system.This works brilliantly, and the sub really comes intoit’s own in a home cinema environment, adding tothe overall pleasure of watching a film.SummaryIn summary I would say that these are very cleverloudspeakers.You get something that is a bit out of the ordinary, areal statement pair of speakers, that won’t take up aridiculous amount of space.

They will suit audiophiles and they will suit peoplewho want something more liveable with.Having heard them paired with Devialet kit in Parislast year, I would say that combination would bepretty much perfect if you need something that willlook sleek and stunning in your living room andsound great.

LEEDH are pretty much unknown outside of Franceat the moment; however I think that is set to change.Could these loudspeakers be the hifi equivalent ofDaft Punk - Futuristic and French and about to takeover the world?I certainly hope so, the rest of world needs to openits eyes and ears to France and have a little look atwhat gems we have over here….and you neverknow, you may even get lucky!

Linette Smith

Leedh E2


When we heard the X300A loudspeakersfrom KEF ever so briefly at MunichHigh-End 2013 we were pretty impressed

by these powered desktop speakers and so whenKEF approached Hifi Pig and asked us if we’d beinterested in taking a listen to them at home wejumped at the chance.The first thing you notice when unpacking thespeakers is their physical size (they’re pretty big fordesktops) and then it’s their weight, they’re 7.5 Kgper speaker. The next thing is the finish which is asort of metallic textured grey that looks pretty smartand contemporary and finishes off the black frontbaffle very nicely indeed. They look solid and wellput together.Pop them on the desk and you realise that thesereally are quite large speakers for the role they’resupposed to fulfil – they’re about the same size asthe Q Acoustics Concept 20s we had for a while. Iuse an ancient child’s double-width school desk thatI’ve modified for a large person (I’ve stuck new legson the bottom) and the KEFs take up a good deal ofthe available space leaving very little extra space forpaperwork – I’m left with room for my laptop andmouse mat and that’s about it, which isn’t exactlyideal but then I’m aware my desk is a little unusualand most other people will have more conventionalgrown up spaces on which to work.

KEF X300A Loudspeakers

This £600 pair ofspeakers fromKEF includesamplifiers and aDAC so you canplug themstraight intoyour computerand away yougo!


The internal volume of the speakers is 4.7litres andwhat you have essentially is a two-way bass reflexspeaker using KEF’s Uni-Q driver array which is a25mm vented aluminium dome in the centre of a130mm magnesium/aluminium alloy mid/bass unit.What this gives you is a point source arrangementand so I was expecting imaging to be prettyimpressive…we’ll see.The X300 are active and each has twin AB amps thatdeliver 50 watts to the woofers and 20 watts to thetweeters. Of course, being active both speakers needto be plugged into a mains supply. Using thecomputer as source it’s a simple matter of pluggingthe included USB from computer to the back of theleft hand speaker and then connecting the twospeakers together with another included USB cable.Set up takes a couple of minutes and on powering upJRiver Media player you’ve got tunes – you can alsoconnect via a mini jack so you can connect to an ipodor whatever.Controls are minimal and on the back of the leftspeaker you’ve got a tiny little knob for system gainand on the right speaker a similar knob for balance.I’d have preferred to have the controls for gain andbalance more accessible on the front panel. Apartfrom the IEC, the port and an on/off switch (left handspeaker only) that’s about it…apart from the heatsinkand a switch for desktop or standmount positioning –I don’t think the connectivity needs make these reallyideal for standmounting and so it remained in thedesktop position, as did the speakers. The onlyindication the speakers are turned on is a tiny andunobtrusive LED above the driver on the left handspeaker.They’re modern looking, nicely put together and Iquite like them sat on my desk, despite their size andI’m quite happy to sacrifice the space given themusic I’m hearing.They’ll play 96kHz 24bit files straight from the USBjack of your computer and so what they do take up indesk space you sort of make up in that you don’tneed an extra amplifier…they’re still pretty bigthough.First file on the player was Armand van Helden’s “2Future 4 U” and the imaging is an immediate (andexpected) strongpoint of the X300As. OK, thesespeakers are around 70cm apart as I have them setup, but you get thrown up a nice and envelopingstage that is actually very 3 dimensional and you canpick a mix apart pretty easily. Cranking the volume

up a bit gives you decent enough but not mega lowbass which is never-the-less tight and controlled andall the frequencies seem pretty well how they shouldbe here. If you listen to electronic music on yourdesk top then the X300As are really very goodindeed…I found it hard not to just play this style ofmusic if truth be known! My youngest son (you canread his review below) has had the KEFs for a weekor so before I got to hear them and, given his taste inmusic, I know he will have loved them.Essentially what you have here is a nearfield monitorthat has been designed specifically for the homemarket. I had a play with Ableton Live mixing someof my own tunes and they’re really rather good inthat role and I suppose a good few people will usethem as both desk top monitors for music makingand for listening to tunes in a more conventionalsense. It’s a long time since I’ve listened toprofessional monitors if truth be known and so Ican’t really compare on this front to what’s availabletoday…and besides I don’t think this is where KEFsees its market for these loudspeakers being.The new David Cosby album “Coz” is a bit of acracker and I have it as high-rez file and it has to besaid that the little X300s sound pretty good with thisalbum despite them only handling 96kHz/24bit. Ihave to say here that I’d have liked to be able to havethe hi-rez files I have to play at their properresolution and the DSD crowd obviously don’t get alook in which will possibly put off a few desktopaudiophiles I’m afraid to say.There’s that enveloping sound I mentioned before,which is a little headphone-like, but the speakers are

KEF X300A LoudspeakersEssentially whatyou have here is anearfield monitorthat has beendesignedspecifically for thehome market.


so close to my ears that there’s little I can do aboutthis – in fact I quite like it. However, push the chairback a foot or two and you get what is basically anormal stereo image but on a smaller scale than withthe main rig. The imaging and staging of instrumentsin front of you is obviously quite narrow (but wellbeyond the speakers) in width, but it’s really nicelylayered forward and back as well as in the verticalplane.

Mid ranges, as demonstrated by vocals are very wellportrayed, as is piano as heard on Fleetwood Mac’sSongbird. Crank the volume up and there’s a little

breaking up of the sound at the very top end andthings can get a little not quite right overall becauseof this but at normal listening levels all is well.Phantom Limbs “Tumbling Down” sounds deep,resonant and there’s an overall warmth to the soundthat is really quite appealing and makes the X300Asan easy listen in that it’s not over analytical (perhapsprecise would be a more audiophile word to use) …in fact I found myself listening for hours whilst I wasworking and I know I’m going to miss these whenthey go as they surely must.The X300s are a dynamic, great fun and reallyengaging listen. I wouldn’t want them as my onlyspeakers, but for a desktop speaker that sounds reallygreat whilst I’m working they offer a great solutionthat is plug and play.Here’s the thing, with all hifi systems there arecompromises and I think what KEF have achievedhere is a system that will appeal to those folk whowant the convenience of being able to plug in a pairof speakers to their computer and just listen to musicwithout having to mess about or think about cables,amps and DACs.The X300s do play music and they play it in a reallyengaging and enjoyable fashion and if the ultimate inresolution isn’t a main consideration, but having avery good overall sound in a relatively compact

KEF X300A Loudspeakers

The X300s area dynamic,great fun andreally engaginglisten.


package is a priority then I think you will love thesespeakers.£600 is quite a lot of money for a desktop system inmany ways, but then you’ve got no amp or DAC…orcables come to think of it… to spend extra money onand whilst I wouldn’t suggest these offer exceptionalvalue for money they’re certainly not outrageouslypriced. They’re well built, solid and look thebusiness in a cool and modern kind of way.I’ve really enjoyed these loudspeakers a great dealand if I could justify spending another £600 on yetmore speakers I’d buy them in a flash as I knowthey’d allow me to listen to loads more music and ina more enjoyable and more inclusive way than Icurrently do on the desktop headphone set up.Perhaps I’ve actually justified the spend to myself inthat last sentence…Build Quality - 9/10Sound Quality – 7.5/10Value for Money 7.5/10Overall 8/10Price when reviewed £600Highly recommended for people who lovemusic and want to hear it presented in a foottapping and enjoyable fashion whilst at theirdesks.

Stuart SmithGiven that these loudspeakers are very much aimedat the computer generations we thought it would beinteresting to get the opinion of a 16 year old so offthey went to our 16 year old son Harry to give hisopinions on them.

Ever since I started listening to music, I've beenpart of the "ipod Generation" and my primarysource of music and entertainment has either

been my PC or my portable audio device with mid tohigh end headphones.The KEF X300A speakers make the transition fromheadphone to speaker very easy. I only used them inthe desk configuration and coupled them up with mygaming/media PC setup (I should point out that thereis a stand mode as well). The installation is prettysimple, but can get a bit messy with the amount ofcables that are needed for them to function.(2 powercables and 2 mini USB to USB cables). The cablesare nothing special, just bog-standard ones.

The speakers on the other hand are sublime. First ofall they look drop dead gorgeous with their brushedmetal sides and highly detailed drivers, the KEF logosits proudly on the front of both speakers.Moving on to sound, the X300A's sound very good,they give an all round punchy and dynamic soundwithout being over the top. They're also very versa-tile and can excel with all music from electronic toacoustic. I also tested the speakers with other typesof media like films and games, where they performedjust as well.Some may say that £600 is a bit steep for a pair ofdesk speakers but being powered speakers they arethe only thing you need to buy to have a fully func-tioning hifi setup (obviously you need a PC or MACbut I’m guessing that everybody already has one).The sound quality and finish more than justifies theprice.In conclusion, KEF have made a great first impres-sion with me, showing me that entering the world ofhifi isn’t so complicated (or expensive) and that apair of speakers can change the way you listen tomusic.Build Quality- 9/10Sound Quality- 8/10Value for money- 7/10Overall- 8/10I would recommend these speakers to any-one looking for a well rounded speaker fortheir PC or for a secondary/ bedroom setup.For me as a teenager, they fit the bill perfect-ly.

Harry Smith

KEF X300A LoudspeakersIn conclusion, KEF havemade a great firstimpression with me, showingme that entering the worldof hifi isn’t so complicated(or expensive) and that apair of speakers can changethe way you listen to music.


http://www.josound.net/

http://www.siav.com.cn/


JoSound Ra


When Joe from Jersey based JoSoundtelephoned out of the blue a month or soago and asked if we’d like to spend a

month or so with the company’s Ra loudspeakers Ifor one was really pleased. I’d really enjoyed theCartouche loudspeakers we had in for review a whileago and we’ve heard the Ras a good few times atshow too.

Okay, these are expensive loudspeakers at £43 500,but lets put things into perspective a little here. Thedrivers in the sample we have for review are theVoxativ AC-4A, and they come in a £10 000 a pair,and the craftsmanship in the actual cabinets is prettystunning. Given their price tag these speakers arenever going to be accessible to the vast majority ofpeople, but then there are lots of things in this worldthat aren’t. Some will be able to afford a product ofthis type and some will bitch about the price point toanyone who will listen. This is a high-end productand some people can access the high end whilstothers can but dream...I put myself firmly in thedreamer camp here!So let’s put the price point to one side for a momentand look at what you are actually buying when youpull the trigger on a pair of the JoSound Raloudspeakers.

They arrive in purpose built wooden crates, one foreach speaker and once unpacked the first impressioncan be little but WOW! These are not for the timid orthose looking for a loudspeaker to blend into theirenvironment. The Ras pretty quickly establishthemselves as the focal point of the room with theirunusual and unique shape and proportions. Despitetheir size and shape they’re actually quite an elegantdesign I think. They’re basically a large cylinderabout 72cm across and 40 cm deep sat atop a hornshape which opens to the floor. They stand 120cm inheight and the single driver is sat slap bang in themiddle of the cylinder....look at the pics. The wholeof the speaker cabinet is, like the company’sCartouche, made of bamboo. The adjustable stainlesssteel feet (clearly very high quality and costly) fit tothe bottom of the horn structure raising the wholespeaker a couple of inches from the matching bassstand. Despite being a very heavy speaker movingthem around on the stand is a simple affair of slidingthem about until they’re where you want them.Around the back is a beautifully crafted speakerterminal plate with a single pair of binding posts anda set of inputs that allow for the connection of thepower supply if you choose the field coil driversfrom Voxativ.Now the drivers are interesting in their own right andas I mentioned make up a good proportion of theRa’s asking price. They’re 8“, full range affairs withthe cones being made out of wood...yep, wood!Apparently which wood is used is a trade secret butthey are seemingly put together by seamstresseswhich sort of makes a lot of sense.

Visually the art deco look of the Ras appeals to me,but I am sure that they will divide opinion quitedramatically.

Joe arrived and set the speakers up and once wiredup to the usual reference kit there’s an immediateimpression that you are listening to a quality product.There’s an immediate aural sensation of there being alittle more stuff going on and in a more refinedmanner than our reference speakers (hORNSMummy). The speakers were initially set up pointingstraight forward about 190cm apart but I think thatplaying about with the positioning yields significantrewards and a slight toe-in snaps the soundstage intofocus. I’ve heard these speakers at shows and to behonest the set up has not been ideal and I thinkJoSound could get much more out of them with a

JoSound RaAn unusuallydistinctive design theRa from JoSoundcertainly lookimpressive and carry a£43 500 price tag.Stuart and LinetteSmith live with themfor a month and find ithard to give themback.


little careful placement - that said the rooms I’veheard them in are hardly conducive to carefulloudspeaker placement!Before we started to listen critically to the Ras I did alittle search on YouTube to see what had been saidabout them and came across a video where the posterasked the question, where’s the bottom two octaves?Whoever this was is one of several things, butwhatever they may be it’s certain he’s never heardthese loudspeakers at their best because they do havebass and they deliver it remarkably well. Bass is fast,it’s low and it’s really tight. It isn’t overblownthough and I think our YouTube friend is probablymore accustomed to a boom and tizz presentation.As regular Hifi Pig readers will know we listen to alot of bass heavy music and playing as I write isTodd Terry’s Blackout from the Resolutions albumand I can say with honesty and conviction that thereis certainly nothing lacking here at all. The sub basssynth is very well rendered but not over blown. Yesthere are of course speakers that will go deeper (theAvantgarde Trios with Basshorns as one example)but in our relatively large by most standards livingroom this is often overkill and lots of nastyspeaker/room interactions start to come into play.Quality wise bass is, as I said tight, fast and a littledry with no bloom whatsoever. As a serious fan ofthe techno genre I really enjoyed this aspect of theRa’s performance. Moving away from electronicmusic and the opening few bars of Neil Young’sUnplugged version of Like A Hurricane the organ isdeep, resonous and with no over hang.These are a hugely dynamic loudspeakers and onwell recorded live drums the experience is somewhatexhilarating. There’s a real visceral quality and atruly live feel but not at the expense of subtlety -gently hits on hats and cymbals are offered up withjust as much expression of the snap of the snare andthe individual player’s character and style of playingshines through. With electronic drums the effect issimilarly well portrayed with their being cleardifferences between the kick of a 707 and an 808.With acoustic music, particularly acoustic guitar,there is a palpable feeling that there is a live guitarbeing played in the room. Decay of notes is just as itshould be and there’s none of this notes left hangingwhere they shouldn’t be – the same with simplepiano music. However, room reverbs and theacoustic of the recording space on well recorded livematerial is easily discernable and this only adds to

that in the room and live feel you get with the Rasand this kind of music.As you’d expect from a high quality full range driverthe midrange presented with the Ras is particularlystrong and well recorded vocals were a real joy.There’s again a real insight into the singersindividuality and take on a recording and they offerup a true rendition of what they are being fed with.With this in mind I’d suggest that poor quality kit infront of the Ras will be highlighted...but thenspending this kind of money on a pair of speakersyou are unlikely to be pairing them with poor kit!Overall the Ras are very well balanced with no onefrequency band dominating the others at low tomedium-high volumes, but turn up the dial to LOUDthe very highest frequencies can become a little toomuch in the mix.When a little time has been spent positioning the Rasthey offer up a very realistic soundstage withexcellent width and height but they are certainly notforward sounding – they do a similar thing to theCabasse Spheres in that they present a natural stage

JoSound Ra


that presents itself in your minds eye that is neitherartificial or over done.In many ways what you get with the Ra loudspeakeris what we heard with the company’s Cartoucheloudspeakers and in many ways this is a very goodthing. However what you seem to get more of it andwith a little more refinement. This really shouldn’tcome as any surprise as the speakers share the samefamily of drivers.

To my ears these loudspeakers are a very naturalsounding speaker and able to take pretty much anykind of music in their stride. On real acousticinstruments they are superb and the dynamism oflive drums has only been bettered by large bass hornsand the Cabasse Spheres I mentioned earlier.OK, the JoSound Ras are not going to be toeveryone’s taste and I think that the price is certainlyprohibitive for most folk. People who love the singledriver sound and the benefits it can often bring interms of speed and dynamics will absolutely adorethese speakers. For folk used to multi driverloudspeakers with complex crossovers then I thinkthey will take a few tunes to appreciate theirdifferences in presentation style.Visually the Ras are an elegant and yet imposingdesign but sound-wise they seem to offer a prettyopen window to the sound and add very little overall.When reviewing any bit of kit the question we allfind ourselves asking is can we live with these? Withthe Ras the answer is a resounding yes I could.However if I was in a position to buy these I’d wantto be sure that their presentation was to my tastes inmy own living space as the possibilities at this priceopen up a world of choices of presentation.The Ras ooze high-end confidence, they soundterrifically natural and they deliver well on all genresof music but being somewhat impoverished (andfinding it difficult to shake this mentality) I’dprobably go for the company’s Cartoucheloudspeakers as they offer a good percentage of whatthe Ra offers at half the price...however, as alwayswhat we have here is the law of diminishing returnsraising its ugly head and the Ras are, of course, abetter speaker overall!Sound Quality 8.5Build 9Value for Money 7Overall 8.2

Stuart Smith

And here's Linette's review. It should be stressedthat, as always we listened together but wrote thereviews in isolation and without seeing each otherscopy...despite the remarkable similarities!

House of Bamboo part 2.

There is a whisper going around the world ofHigh End Hifi.

Maybe not a whisper, more of an old wives’tale…but something that a lot of people seem tobelieve.I guess it is fuelled by snobbery, in the same waythat wine ‘experts’ scoff at those who quite like toneck a cheap bottle of cold plonk on a hot day…..rather than spending hours extolling the virtues of apricey bottle tasting like freshly rain washed pebblesand a threat of cabbage patch.And what is this nasty little untruth that is beingtouted a rule to listen by?

JoSound RaVisually the Rasare an elegant andyet imposingdesign but sound-wise they seem tooffer a pretty openwindow to thesound and addvery little overall.


‘You should only listen to classical music on HighEnd Hifi’Now, you are probably going to split into two campshere. Some of you will be with me and immediatelyjump up and shout ‘WTF, of course not!!!’Some will say ‘yes, what’s wrong with that???’I think this myth comes from the fact that yes,classical music can be very complex and verybeautiful, it is moving and emotional and whenplayed on a great system sounds incredible….but I’mafraid it just is not my bag.I listen to a lot of different music, acoustic andelectronic, but my big love is dance music.You know when you hit a point in your life and themusic and the social scene all comes togetherperfectly and just feels right? That happened to mein the very early 1990’s. The years of glowstickwaving ravers and illegal parties in fields andwarehouses. That was when I found my groove.It happens to us all and it could be any genre ofmusic in any decade, but whether it’s rock, jazz ordisco you will have found your groove at some pointand it will always be the music that you come backto.

The term ‘Dance Music’ covers a whole range ofmusic and the name tags change and evolve…fromthe funkiest disco and bounciest house to the deepest,darkest techno there is something for everymood…..rather like classical music.

And like classical music it can be complex, detailedand emotional.So why am I wittering on about classical and dancemusic?Well, Josound are breaking that High End mould.Let’s make no bones about it…a £43 500 pair ofspeakers is pretty high end, whoever you are. Thereare still places where you can buy a house for thatmoney……or a pretty flash car.The drivers alone cost around £10,000….that’s morethen many people would even consider spending ona complete pair of loudspeakers.But Mr. Sound doesn’t just want you to listen toclassical music on his creations; you can play whatthe hell you like.Joe has a real ‘open door’ policy at shows, as wehave mentioned before he invites people to bringtheir own music to listen to when he exhibits.Having the Ras ‘chez nous’ for a few weeks has beenheavenly. I thought I was happy when we had their

JoSound RaJoe has a real ‘opendoor’ policy at shows,as we havementioned before heinvites people tobring their own musicto listen to when heexhibits.


little brothers, the Cartouches here….but these onesreally made me smile.I am going to find it very difficult to let them gowhen Joe comes to spirit them off to Munich…theremay be tears!There is a consistency with Josound speakers. Theyare all made from bamboo, have mainly Voxativdrivers, but the Ra is a bigger speaker than theCartouche and it does have a bigger, fuller sound.Looks wise they are even more impressive. Thenumber of people whose jaw has hit the floor whenthey have walked into our house has been, well it’sbeen everybody who walked in!I love the ‘sun rising over the pyramid’ design andthey have that same wonderful Art Deco styling asthe rest of the range….no they won’t be everyone’scup of tea but I think that is a good thing. The worldwould be a very boring place if all hifi looked andsounded the same!They have the same ‘moreish’ quality as theCartouche, the more you listen then the more youwant to listen…but I found there to be more detail tothe sound than I remember from the previousJosounds we had visiting.‘Real’ instruments sound so incredibly real. It is avery natural sound. Listening to a piano one canhear everything, from fingers hitting the ivories tothe hammer hitting the strings, if you close your eyesyou are sat in front of a piano….not a hifi.Proper goose bumps time.

Drums also were amazing; the sound of brushes on asnare drum whilst listening to jazz was incredible.Like the Cartouches, guitar and female vocals werebeautiful. There was a real emotional connection.But let’s get the crux of things here, the reason I’vegone off on one a bit about dance music.There is a track, a tune (or choon) of the hugestproportions.It is an epic anthem of the dancefloor and acelebration of the legendary Roland TB-303.But is also perhaps the best test of a hifi’sperformance that you can get…..I think it gives asystem a better workout than any classical music,Hardfloor’s ‘Once again back’The Ras do more than cope with this tune, they bringit alive. There is so much bass in this track that it

can sound awful, flabby, farty and downright nasty.The Ras sound superb with it.They are tight and fast…no hint of flabbiness here,and they bring out every intricacy of the music, bassincluded.We have listened to a lot of music on theseloudspeakers, and like the Cartouche, I can’t think ofanything that didn’t sound right, but I love the factthat the Ra is not just a refined speaker for lovers ofclassical and jazz, its also a loudspeaker for peoplewho like to crank it up and have a bit of a partylistening to Pete Tong, Todd Terry or Carl Cox.I think there are some people who would be veryhappy to keep High End Hifi as their own littleClassical club, don’t let the plebs in, good lord whatmight happen then?More and more people though are getting a taste forit and will be battering down the doors and makingourselves at home…bringing with us music of everygenre.Something other High End brands should bear inmind, just like Josound.

Build Quality – 9/10Sound Quality – 8.5/10Value for Money – 7/10

Overall – 8.2/10

Recommended for people that wantsomething a bit different….and have a bigbudget. Amazing build quality and addictivesound.

Linette Smith

JoSound RaDrums also wereamazing; the soundof brushes on a snaredrum whilst listeningto jazz wasincredible.


Roksan Darius S1


Roksan has once again produced a speakerwith the name Darius, however now addingS1 to the title.

The old Darius’ were a rather large speaker in com-parison to these more modestly sized standmounts.The older Darius model came in a frame which wasalso the stand and was cleverly coupled/decoupled tothe speaker enclosure with a floating tweeter design,a high frequency driver mounted slightly forward ofa recess in the front baffle via springs in the four cor-ners.Today's design is more conventional - thinner frontbaffle sporting a ribbon tweeter protected with a wiremesh and a 6" mid/bass driver with a metal cagewhich protects the driver from knocks, a brushingpast the enclosure or projectile toys!They have a deepish cabinet and are rear ported withbi-wireable binding posts.The cabinets themselves are weighty and solidlymade, they sound extremely well damped with thetapping of the knuckles test.

The Darius S1's are £4500 including stands and theones I had for review were in a hard lacquered pianoblack finish (white is also available).Unboxing everything was a chore, it took me a goodhour and a half to get everything out of the packag-ing, set up and playing music and I'm not one ofthese people who puts on the white gloves (whichRoksan do supply) and carefully inspects everythingand gently peels open the tape and lids of the con-tainers. Although of course I am careful with equip-ment.Each speaker and stand has multiple layers of pack-aging, triple boxes, layers of Styrofoam, materialbags, plastic bags and tissue paper.Each component is meticulously packaged and thecut outs of the foam are a complete OCD on packagedesign, absolutely no amount of care was sparedwhen ensuring that the S1's arrive in the same condi-tion they leave the factory in and this really adds tothe initial perception of a quality product and prideof ownership.What was in the box was an elegantly finished pairof speaker and stands with fantastic attention to de-tail, quality of finish and those small details such asthe companies branding on the top of the speaker thatexudes quality.Assembly was simple and took less time than un-packing.I set the speakers up on their three point standswhich will generally self level by their very nature,however adjustments can be made on the gunmetalconed feet.With four small balls of blue tack between speakerand stand I felt they were secure enough and posi-tioning the speakers on the floor as whole piece wasan easy task.The finish of the speakers and stands is identical,both in the same piano black finish with Matt blackmetal outriggers at the rear bottom of the stand and acable tidying void through the rear of the stand.Roksan has even taken the care to address resonancein the outriggers by having an oval machined out ofeach arm, a touch which shows great care and atten-tion to detail again.The SoundPositioning the speakers wasn't a fiddly affair to as-certain the best sound in my listening space, a footand a half from the wall and about 7 feet apart was

Roksan Darius S1Many readers willremember theRoksan Dariusfrom 1985 with itsdistinctive designand sprungtweeter. TheDarius S1 fromthis Britishcompany is a verydifferent beast!


the ticket. In larger rooms a few feet from the walland a little further apart dependant on listening posi-tion would factor in good benefits I'm sure. Toe inmade more difference in my room, most speakers Itoe in to fire over each shoulder, The Darius I pre-ferred a little less toe in than normal to open them upas much as the room would allow whilst still retain-ing good depth.Speaking to Roksan prior to the review I asked howthe Darius' would respond to valve amplification andI was assured that the 40wpc from the Emille wouldwork very well with their 89db sensitivity and fairlyeasy to drive load and produce very nice results. Ialso asked for a solid state amplifier from them, tohear the companies electronic/speaker synergy. Ihave the Clones Audio AP1 and 55pm monos here atthe moment also, so a couple goodtests for the modern day Darius wereon the cards.As the Clones were already in situ inthe rack, the obvious first listen to theDarius S1's was via them.After a little warm up time whilst I wasfinding somewhere to store all thepackaging the speakers arrived in, Iwent straight into ascertaining what thebass response was from these averagesized standmounts, a real key deciderfor me when buying standmounted de-signs over larger floor standing speak-ers.I went straight in for some seriouspumping David Guetta dance beats andmy oh my, where does that comefrom? was my first reaction. Bass has arich weight to it with punch a slap to akick drum that shocked me - really!There's a serious tonal quality to thebass, it's so rich, controlled, rhythmic,dynamic and bouncy. It's 47hz limita-tion has a smooth roll off which neverallows for the bass to seem as if it'slacking by having a steeper cut offcurve. Of course the very lowest fre-quencies are not there, but there is asense of sub bass with the slope theyhave down low. The integration intomids and the reinforcement bass givesthe other frequencies, is superb.

Driver dispersion is vast and wide and the harmonicsense of encapsulation is strong in these speakers.Details are produced very accurately, dynamicallybut with a controlled robust sense of flavour through-out the range, every note is under-pinned withweight, body and fullness.Moving into some vocal work and acoustic materialthe Darius S1's had a chance to show off their mid-range.Vocals, wow! Vocals were smooth, natural with topto bottom frequency correctness and all the clarityand vibrancy of the best female artist. Deep richtones of male vocals are conveyed just brilliantly andagain it's the overall integration and coherence of a'whole' that prevails even when focusing on differentareas of the sound. I found myself being drawn away

Roksan Darius S1


from one aspect of the sound so easily andunintentionally listening to the whole again, which issomething which doesn't happen very often at all inmy experience and just reinforces my previouscomment on their overall coherence.The midrange as a whole is just so liquid and deli-cious. Listening to favourite artists such as ChrisJones, Nils Lofgren, The Civil Wars, Loreena McK-ennit, Norah Jones and many others their vocals havea balance and quality that puts the S1's down as oneof the best standmounts I've had the pleasure to listento, even if they just did 'this' type of music right, butthere is so much more to them, so before I get toocaught up in writing the whole review with theClones feeding them, I think it's time for an ampchange.A quick note on the higher frequencies first though,just to be consistent. In one phrase - sparkly, airy andutterly refined yet ready to dance with decays thatadd such 'trueness' to the overall presentation andamalgamates the last portion of the overall pictureinto one.Valves - Emille KI40-LThe Darius are recommended to be driven by ampli-fiers rated between 40-200 watts per channel at 4ohms, the Emille is rated at 40wpc.With Emilly heading the system, notes marched intospace which seemed to have been freed up at hercommand, overall resolution and retrieval was a fairstep ahead of the Clones which produced a sound-stage of such satisfactory proportions I almost didn'tplug her in on the same day, as I was enjoying theperformance so much.Vocals gained added texture and a sense of greaterumpixalated control. Guitar strings rasped and thewooden body resonated so naturally. Precision wasreally at the forefront of this coherent window intothe music. Decay which had been so well conveyedtook on an almost luxurious roll and a grace of beau-ty was presented right through the S1's frequencyrange.Theres a realistic integration of organic detail whichis woven into the musical fabric.There's a definite synergy at work here that has mequestioning my Ayons somewhat, their speed andattack is fantastic, however sometimes I wish thatthey would slow down just a little. The Darius seemto have more ease with various genres and partneringequipment, so far even though the two amps used

have different characters and different levels of ob-tainable performance the S1's haven't seemed tochange their core flavour proving to be incrediblywell voiced. The Ayons can sometimes show up littlenasties in the top end with some amplifiers, whereasthe Roksans almost say 'I'll take what detail you canoffer me and just let me do my thing'.Soundstage depth was better with the more capableEmille and centre focus was solidly portrayed with anice bit of layering leaving a good void for the vocalto present itself with solid stature.Smaller transient nuances, reverb and inner detailsseemed to emerge more strongly now and acousticalspace was more apparent on live recordings. The S1'sreally have the ability to convey micro details andsubtle shifts of texture within the performance andthe soundstage never became over saturated or mud-dy in any way and what people relate to as a valvedistortion or I'd say quality, gave an embodiment tothe sound which was fantastically musical and har-moniously flavoured.Bass did gain another level of texture and layering, amore organic embodiment of the representativesound… a typical characterisation of valves ofcourse. I am dreaming of a good hybrid to cover allmusic types with an even better potential, maybe avalve pre and class A power? That would make foran interesting listen indeed.At this point I can not fault the sound of the Dariusone bit, really. It does give me fond memories ofwhat I liked about the MK1 Caspian. I always en-joyed it with whatever gear I partnered it with at thetime, I always have referred to it as a completelynon-offensive amplifier, but in truth that doesn't do itjustice, it was a lot more than that and alwayspunched above its weight in terms of refinement andmusicality.Pairing with Roksan's Caspian M2 Integrated

Roksan Darius S1At this point I cannot fault the soundof the Darius onebit, really.


Which nicely brigs me onto the latest M2 version ofthe Caspian. I've wanted to hear the new model for awhile and being offered the Darius was a great op-portunity to make the most of the opportunity to hearhow the newer version compared to the MK1 (theM1 for me was not as special as the earlier amp) andalso try the companies speakers with one of theirown amps.Candy Dulfers 'Nikki's Dream' Live In Amsterdamsounded magical on the Caspian, generous amountsof controlled bass coupled her Sax as it tore throughthe air with textural vibrancy, emanating from deepin the soundstage, which was accurately portrayedwith Ulco Bes's electric guitar just to the right of herand layered with applause from the crowd. The sense

of liquidity remained strong through the Darius rightthrough Roger Happel's vocal.In Lauryn Hill's MTV Unplugged performance of'Adam Lives In Theory' she refers to the context ofthe lyrics being about all mankind without exceptionand one phrase she uses is;"Fantasy is what people want but reality is what theyneed"This is a fantastic quote which for me relates to howthe Darius S1 performs. Audiophiles talk about reso-lution, dynamics, big bass slam and huge sound stag-ing, often being initially fooled by a piece ofequipment or a pair of speakers when auditioningthem by their initial, what we refer to as 'wow factor'.Yet find when the equipment is in their own homes

for a prolonged period of time it be-comes tiresome. The Roksans simplydon't, they just continue to grow onthe listener as he/she explores theirmusic library further and in moredepth - the S1's are "reality".The overall flavour of the Roksancombination was great, soundstagewas completely solid and realistic.Detail retrieval was strong and theintegration of frequencies was har-monious and didn't lack anything atboth ends of the musical spectrum.ConclusionDuring my time with the Darius S1standmounts I can confess I fell inlove with them. With their cohesivewell tempered rhythms, their detailedand engaging approach, with theability to handle delicacies and beatswith ease, the S1's offer a tonal com-pleteness which will put an immedi-ate smile on your face.Depth was a notably exceptional at-tribute to point out from a sound-stage which conveyed naturaltimbres and transients, without anartificially over emphasised edge,unless it was demanded of the speak-ers when listening to heavy electron-ic dance music.They may not be the absolute pinna-cle of resolution but any hifi productwhich boasts these claims in my ex-perience tends to be lacking in musi-

Roksan Darius S1


cality and generally has a hard edge, swapping it fora wow factor which very quickly become unlistena-ble. Roksan have spent some serious time listeningand fine tuning these to reproduce a sound whichlacks nothing musically and conveys an awful lotmore.These are simply one of the best standmounts I haveheard.Style, fit and finish as well as attention to detail, rightdown to the efficient use of and complex nature ofthe packaging adds to that pride of ownership andcompliments their high end sound.It has been a very long time since I have heard aspeaker of this calibre able to reproduce music insuch a sensational way, I really can-not convey the joy of my experienceenough. Well done Roksan, welldone!Build quality: 9/10Sound Quality: 9/10Value For Money: 9/10 - in to-day's market these will givemany higher priced speakers areal run for their money.Overall - 9/10Highly Recommended - For sim-ply being a truly outstanding con-veyer of music (full stop)

Dan WorthHaving achieved an overall score inexcess of 8.5 the Darius S1loudspeakers from Roksan was sentfor second review to Stuart Smith tosee if it would score 8.5 again andget the Hifi Pig Outstanding ProductAward

This is going to be a relativelyshort second review as I thinkDanny has conveyed pretty

accurately what I’ve heard with theDarius S1s from Roksan.The packaging is indeed outstandingand the fit and finish is exceptionalon the speakers. The gloss pianofinish is really lovely. They havegood weight to them and the standsmatch them perfectly – if they were

staying I’d be tempted to fill them with lead shot orsimilar. Bolting the speakers to the stands is arelatively painless task, but tolerances are very tight– which is a good sign that there has been a gooddeal of care taken over the construction. They aremade in England!Speakers were set up 1m from the back wall and1.5m from side walls with a small degree of toe intowards the listening position. We tried them nearerthe back wall but found a little into the room openedthe staging up nicely for us.The Tellurium Q Iridium amp with its 9W into 4Ohms produced a really lovely tone overall with thespeakers, but it’s clear that the Darius demands a bitmore power to really get them singing. So with no

Roksan Darius S1


further ado I plugged in the excellent Soul Note SA730 we have in for review which delivers a healthy115W into 4 Ohms.Doug MacLeod’s terrific album “There’s a Time”comes alive with the guitar being portrayed in as reala fashion as I’ve heard in the house. There’s a realfeeling of “being there” and the stage is wide anddeep. There’s a bass drum kick on his Black Nighttune that’s very dry sounding and the Darius portraythis perfectly…as well as the little touches on thehats. Bass guitar sounds deeper than the specs wouldhave you think and this was one area I thought I’dfind these loudspeakers to be lacking – I needn’thave worried - it is tight and accurate! There’stexture to the vocal and you hear all the littleinflections and intonations in MacLeod’s voicewhich brings you emotionally closer to the feeling ofthe blues style of this record. Danny is right in thatit’s easy to appreciate the tonal coherence of thesespeakers across the whole frequency range, thoughyou can’t ignore that the open and airy top end isreally rather special in these speakers and this isdown to the ribbon tweeter! The way the tweeterintegrates with the woofer is really wonderful and thecrossover design and implementation is clearly veryclever which is not something that can be said ofsome.Our bass test track is Hardfloor’s “Once AgainBack” and this can leave a lot of speakers all a flusterwith the extremes of bass and electronic hats. Withthe Darius you get that the bass is pretty much allthere other than the very lowest frequencies, thoughyou do get a sense of them being there…if thatmakes sense - I’ve just read Danny’s review backand he says pretty much exactly the same here. Tome a speaker needs to be able to reproduce bass withrealism and be fast (no overhang or unreal decay)and the Darius’ do this brilliantly which is surprisinggiven they only have a six inch driver!These are very much like a very high quality monitorspeaker in that they don’t accentuate or push forwardany one frequency in the mix and I like this a lot!They also sound a lot bigger than their relativelysmall size would suggest. You do find yourselfturning up the volume to quite high levels, but at nopoint do the Darius’ become tiring or too much assome speakers can – they just keep their composureand just go …well, louder! Our room is relativelylarge, but not once did I feel the Darius were out oftheir depth!

Kathryn William’s wonderful album “CrownElectric” is again brought alive when played withthis set up and I really loved it! The vocal isrepresented accurately and there’s a real silkiness toher voice. Likewise the vocal on Melphi’s “Throughthe Looking Glass” album - the Darius’ just neverget flustered at all and the music and vocal soundcorrect.Soundstaging is really great (deep and wide) but notover done on all the tunes we listened to and thisgives you a very non-hifi sound. You can listen tothese off axis and away from the hot seat, but sit inthe sweet spot and what you are given is a veryrealistic portrayal of the stereo image.ConclusionI’ve listened to the Darius non-stop for the last weekor so and they are very good indeed. My personalpreference is for large floorstanding speakers, but Iwould be more than happy to live with these had I amore powerful reference amplifier – my currentspeakers would be up for sale if I had a suitableamplifier and I’d love to try them with an Americanmuscle amp or Roksan’s own Oxygene amp wereviewed a while ago.They are a great loudspeaker for a reviewer as theyare just so accurate, but at the same time not clinicalor fatiguing so you do find yourself listening forhours on end.With the Darius’ you are given more of the subtletiesof the recording, which is particularly notable onvocals, though the steel stringed guitar on the DougMacLeod album I mentioned is absolutely believableand somewhat stunning!I like these speakers a lot!Build Quality – 9Sound Quality - 9Value For Money – 9Overall - 9Highly recommended for anyone looking fora speaker that delivers an accuraterepresentation of the recording withoutbeing clinical or fatiguing and they fullydeserve their Outstanding Product awardand despite their asking price I do think theyoffer great value for money in comparison tothe competition!

Stuart Smith

Roksan Darius S1


Arriving in a smallish single box with someserious weight to it the new kid on the blockOphidian Audio sent for review a set of

standmount speakers named Solo.The finish I received was in black Ash, with a gun-metal toned aluminium grill design to the front bafflewhich conceals both the tweeter and the recessedmid/bass driver.The main driver is loaded into a tuned chamber andaperture which improves dispersion and integration.The drivers themselves are high quality Scanspeakunits.The reflex port arrangement is also novel wherein theport is built as part of the cabinet and includes anti-standing wave devices.I initially rigged the Solos up with an old Inca TechOberon amplifier, a good old trusty solid state ampfrom Colin Wonfor. After about 200 hours of burn-ing in time I began to listen to a mixture of music togauge a feel of what these heavy little boxes were allabout before exploring things a little further.The top end is incredibly airy and clean soundingwith an unmistakeable first class presentation with

pop, dance music and crisp cymbal work, projectingelements with excellent timing and precision.The midrange is clean also and with a brightish ampI thought "these could run into problems". Bass isextremely tight with no overhang or boom at all, de-tailed and fast.Listening to some complex string work the intricacyand detail the Solos extract is nothing short of in-credible for its price point in the upper frequencies,but I missed the fuller nature of instruments and low-er-end roll off seemed a little steep which limiteddecay somewhat. I wondered if it was due to thetighter punchier nature of the Oberon after playingaround with speaker positioning for half an hour orso.I plugged the Emille in and fired her up listening tosome more string based acoustic material again. Yes!Much better! Detail retrieval was still excellent andthe cleaner airier top end of the speakers prevailed.Midrange now took on a more natural rather thanclean and neutral presentation with the valves inject-ing that magic that they do into vocals and instru-ment undertones which to my surprise matched theSolos perfectly. I was convinced that they would be a

Ophidian Solo

The OphidianSolo is anunusual lookingloudspeakersystem thatcosts £1795,but what doesit sound like.


speaker which would bias strongly towards solidstate amplification! How wrong I was and how glad Iwas that their character shifted from clean to morenatural as the midrange did become too sharp at in-creased volumes (not to discount a warmer solid stateamp of course) but with what I had to hand on theday solid-state wise it proved that the Solos like thatadded bit of flavour offered by the valve amp.Bass now also became more natural and less of thatsteep slope which I interpreted to be their statedcharacteristic was true now, a gentler and softer rolloff at the lower end was clearly audible yet it re-tained some good punch with faster more beat drivenmusic.Listening to a variety of beat driven music reallyshowed that the little Solos have great rhythm andtiming capabilities, although with comparisons tolarger floor standing speakers and larger standmounts they don't have the SPL's, or go as low, but

just listening to the Solos on their own I never feltthat I was lacking anything. Using the Oberon gave atightness to the bottom end which rocked the sym-metry and exposed their capabilities, but with thevalves they seemed more coherent, bouncy and en-

joyable and the mids or top no longer out-shone or ripped the balance of thepresentation.I recently listened to some Art StilettoMonitors here on the same rig and theydid lean more towards a mid/treble enthu-siasm and I felt that they just couldn't re-produce quite the coherence or impact thatthe Solos have.Another note in the Solos honour is theirholographic nature. After just a slight toe-ing in dispersion was at its peak in myroom and they did convey a very goodthree dimensional and holographic sound-stage with more manufactured Electronicawhich is good test for a speakers ability inthis department. Although artifacts were alittle softer than the best, their solidly con-trolled edges of details in the forefront ofthe soundstage was the real draw in, pinpointing artifacts wonderfully strongly.Dynamics for the same music were alsovery strong throughout the frequencyrange, there were even times where I feltand heard a bass note flare out and suckback in again which I've generally onlyheard with larger speakers. The Soloshave a way of drawing you into the fullmusic spectrum without even being ableto reproduce those lowest of notes. I attestthis is due to their cabinet design and driv-

Ophidian SoloDynamics for the same musicwere also very strongthroughout the frequencyrange, there were even timeswhere I felt and heard a bassnote flare out and suck backin again which I've generallyonly heard with largerspeakers.


er implementation, with the bandwidth they offer. Ireally couldn't hear any attenuated portions or asense of over filtered areas due to their unique de-sign, which I can imagine some may expect fromunderstanding their construction. I personally thinkthat they are very cleverly done and admit I didn'texpect the level of coherence and quality that I heardfrom them.I also played a whole heap of music fromSpotify, 320kbps MP3 and the top end wasstill great and didn't over expose any nas-ties in poorer recordings at this level. Iwould imagine that anybody buying a setof speakers bordering on £2k wouldn't bethrowing nasty recordings at them so thelower quality Spotify is what I consider asa fair test for lesser recordings and theycoped admirably.ConclusionIn conclusion I can firmly state that once abit of fiddling with positioning is done(which I think is largely related to thewidth of the room more than the depth dueto the speakers’ wide dispersion) to attaina strong centre stage and that holographicnature which I mentioned, the Solos willreally sing.Be careful not to partner them with ampli-fication that is too clean or bright andpunchy, it will spoil the broth in my expe-rience and to look at them they immediate-

ly say, powerful solid state to me with their modernand clean styling. But do not let their appearance foolyou, get some good valve watts up them and theirown characteristics of excellent clarity, timing andpunchy presentation will really give a most enjoyableperformance. If you’re a bit of a bass monster theSolos don't have the room pulsating character andlack the lower octave reproduction, though the addi-tion of a subwoofer would solve this.The clarity in the top end is standout, so airy andclean without edginess and absolutely up there in itsprice bracket at retrieving everything the recordinghas to offer.The Ophidian Solos are absolutely rhythmic, fun andbouncy and can also do delicate and engrossing, im-mersive and musical. I for one was extremely sur-prised by this new kid on the block.Price at time of review - £1795Build Quality - 8.0/10Sound Quality - 8.0/10Value For Money - 8.0/10Overall - 8.0/10Recommended for their coherence wonder-fully detailed top end and ability to exploremany genres very well.

Dan Worth

Ophidian SoloThe Ophidian Solos areabsolutely rhythmic,fun and bouncy andcan also do delicateand engrossing,immersive and musical.I for one was extremelysurprised by this newkid on the block.


Focal are a well known, French loudspeakermanufacturer and as such will need little intro-duction here but they do have a philosophy

which I really like in that they produce a range ofloudspeakers to suit most pockets and are keen tobring audiophile reproduction to the masses.Focal build their own drivers at the facility in StEtienne, France and they use these drivers as thefoundation upon which they build the rest of thespeaker – I like this approach as it means less con-cessions have to be made with the crossovers.The Aria 906 we have here is a new loudspeaker thatuses the company’s 6.5” flax sandwich mid/bassdriver which is essentially flax fibres sandwichedbetween two sheets of fibre glass (see close up pho-

Focal Aria 906

French loudspeakermanufacturer Focal areperhaps best known for theirmegabucks Utopia range ofspeakers, but they alsoaddress the needs of the lesswell to do that still want highquality audio in their homesuch as the £758 Aria 906standmounts.


tograph). The concept here is that the driver is stiffand very light, another Focal philosophical stand-point. We visited the Focal factory a few months agoand found that the quality control on the productionline is high with each driver being checked by earbefore being released.The inverted dome tweeter is amagnesium/aluminium alloy and again this is de-signed to be both light and very rigid.These are a front-ported, two-way, largish stand-mount that looks quite smart with its glass top, leath-er front baffle and non-parallel side panels. Lookingaround the back of the Arias there’s a single pair ofbinding posts and these are of a high quality and ac-commodated the bare wires of our chosen 4mm ca-bles easily. Finish on the speakers is good as youwould expect for a speaker costing £758.Throughout the review process we used high qualityFLAC files from a computer feeding an inexpensiveDAC and a Clones i25 amplifier. Cables used were4mm Van Damme Blue and Gotham interconnects. Iwanted to put these loudspeakers into a system thatwould be indicative of something someone in thereal world might use and the system, including theloudspeakers, comes in at around £1500, which Iwould suggest is pretty much “entry level” and cer-tainly not an exorbitant sum to spend on music repro-duction.I was also very careful to place the speakers in what Iconsider a realistic living space with them set around2.5m apart and well away from walls. In fact, theywere placed either side of a settee and firing acrossthe room at a second settee about 3m away. The Ari-as were placed on modified, 50cm Target standswhich put the tweeters at ear height when in the mainlistening position.Getting away from the speaker specifics I have to sayI was really surprised what this little system could dowith the Focals out front. I know the amp and DACwell enough but was certainly not expecting to havethe speakers elevate the whole to something I’d cer-tainly be more than happy to live with. I found my-self really enjoying listening to music and this isproof that you do not need to spend a King’s ransomto put together a system that plays music really well.Some MusicThe ubiquitous Random Access Memories by DaftPunk is presented with really good extension to thelower frequencies with the bass being fairly wellcontrolled and fast/tight. Top end frequencies cometogether nicely to give an overall feeling of “right-ness” to the music. In some circles Focal have a rep-

utation for producing loudspeakers that sound overlybright but I’m clearly missing something completelyin this regard!The soundstage thrown by the Arias is within thespeakers and so not exceptionally wide, but there isgood front to back depth with height that is reallyrather pleasing. What stand out with these speakers isa sense of tonal balance that doesn’t over emphasiseany particular frequency and this makes for an easylistening experience that isn’t at all fatiguing. Incomparison to the Q Acoustics Concept 20s whichare a couple of hundred quid or so cheaper whentheir stands are factored in, the 906 goes lower and isoverall a bigger and more dynamic listen which Ipreferred.In absolute terms there’s a sense of something miss-ing in refinement but then that’s when comparing tospeakers costing many times the asking price of theArias and so like comparing apples with oranges.

Focal Aria 906I wanted to put theseloudspeakers into asystem that would beindicative of somethingsomeone in the realworld might use andthe system, includingthe loudspeakers,comes in at around£1500, which I wouldsuggest is pretty much“entry level” andcertainly not anexorbitant sum tospend on musicreproduction.


However, crank up the volume to high levels withthe Arias and things can get a little much with thespeakers not feeling fully in control of the music, butlet’s face it, these speakers are designed for relativelysmall spaces - when we did put them in the main rigand firing down the large living room they were alittle out of their depth I think and if you do have abigger room you should perhaps be looking at thelarger floorstanders.Playing Ti-an-guis’ eponymous album on SnipRecords there’s good reproduction of the acousticinstruments and a solid feeling of the recordingspace. Instruments don’t necessarily have the airaround them as when using the Roksan Darius S1sbut then the Darius are six times the asking price andin reality there’s little to moan about at this pricepoint. Female vocals are reproduced with clarity andthere is good snap to percussion instruments.I’ve found myself listening to loads of music on thislittle system with the Focals being the main eventand they don’t seem to favour one kind of musicover another which is a good thing to have a broadappeal in the market.At low to medium volumes they really do deliver andI believe they do punch above their relatively modestasking price.However, the Aria 906 is not a high-end loudspeaker(and to be fair, at this price it was never going to be)but what it does offer is an unpretentious, good valueintroduction to proper high fidelity reproduction ofmusic around which to build a modestly priced play-back system for the music lover uninterested in get-ting involved with all the audiophile malarkey.The Focals look pretty conventional but aren’t un-pleasing to look at and they should find favour withthose looking for a loudspeaker that doesn’t standout like a sore thumb in the domestic environment.They’re not the smallest of standmounters (certainlybigger than the Q Acoustic Concept 20s in dimen-sions) but then I find that standmounts tend to takeup a similar amount of floorspace to one another an-yway!There’s an even-handedness with these speakers andwhilst I wouldn’t suggest that they are absolutelyneutral in their reproduction of music they are a thor-oughly enjoyable loudspeaker. High-end on a budg-et? I don’t think so, but partner with a good budgetelectronics and you will have a system that you canenjoy for years to come without feeling the need toupgrade or change if listening to music is your mainpriority.

Focal should be applauded for the Aria 906, it’s agood value, good sounding loudspeaker that is wellfinished. It offers music lovers a product that is wellthought out and designed from the ground up anddelivers musically. Focal’s philosophy of getting thedrivers right and building a loudspeaker around themcertainly seems to have paid off.

Build Quality – 8Sound Quality – 8Value For Money – 9Overall – 8.3Recommended for those looking for a goodvalue loudspeaker around which to build amodestly priced system that plays musicvery well.Price as reviewed £758

Stuart Smith

Focal Aria 906The Focals lookpretty conventionalbut aren’tunpleasing to lookat and they shouldfind favour withthose looking for aloudspeaker thatdoesn’t stand outlike a sore thumbin the domesticenvironment.


It's not always possible to accommodate largespeakers in our listening spaces. We are notall fortunate enough to have large living rooms

or rooms dedicated solely to Hifi. With the con-straints of a modern home, should we consider thisfactor a limitation on obtaining great sound qualityfrom a small package?

The Motive SX1 floorstanding loudspeakers fromUK manufacturer Neat acoustics, are full range, 3driver units with a modest footprint of only 22cm x26cm. They also stand a reasonable 92cm in height,never really imposing themselves on the home or itsdécor.

Coming in a large range of real wood veneers andany other specialist finish to order, you can rest as-sured that whatever any significant “other” may

deem fit for the living room then the Neats can ac-commodate!

The finish I was sent was Natural Oak, coincidentlymatching my listening room perfectly. The bottom ofthe speaker has a black plinth and under the plinth isthe reflex port, firing downwards to once again allowfor further ease of placement in the room.

Driver compliment is a 25mm inverted polydometweeter surrounded by foam for reflection absorptionand two 13.5cm doped paper cone mid/bass drivers.

The cabinet which houses the drivers leans back-wards by a few degrees helping to aim the tweetersmore towards the ears and to control time alignment.The cabinet is pretty inert and the overall finish isvery nice indeed from top to bottom where a set ofspikes raise that downward firing port above floorlevel.

Neat Motive SX1British loudspeakermanufacturer NeatAcoustics have areputation for buildinggood soundingspeakers that haveproven to beconsistently popularwith music lovers formany years. In thisreview we takes alook at the company’sfloorstanding MotiveSX1 model at £1888.


Setting Up

Although the SX1 have a down firing port, place-ment is still somewhat crucial but… not as much asrear firing speakers. With my room being about 15foot wide I found the Neats to work exceptionallywell at about 7 feet apart tweeter to tweeter, less thana foot from the back wall provided the best bass re-sponse across a broad range of music and in line withmy various room interactions. Toeing in was mini-mal and the speakers sat almost flat, reproducing awide soundstage with strong centre focus.

Running In

Straight out of the box the SX1 had an over-livelytop end which showed up some brash artifactsat beyond average listening levels. Bass responseoffered a leanness restricting lower mids from sound-ing full and fleshed out.

Moving towards 60 hours of average volumes tobreak the drivers in, a richer tone began to comethrough allowing piano notes to have more body.The top end gained better control and edges had lesssharpness allowing guitar, strings and cymbals toshow more character.

The midrange of the SX1 is slightly forward of flat,well pronounced and, after around 100-120 hoursuse, well fleshed out, bringing lower-mid upper-bassfrequencies into more cohesion with the whole. Thisadded period of running-in time, where volume lev-els could be raised more comfortably, gave a morerelaxed and confident overall appeal to the presenta-tion. With a little care and patience, as with any othernew component, this running-in period always bene-fits long lasting performance.

The Sound

As already mentioned, the SX1 does have a slightlyforward midband with female vocalists soundingclean and fully formed, offering great projectionfrom a height in the soundstage and which directlycompares to any other larger speakers in my listeningspace. The few degrees of rearward lean to theseloudspeakers offers the presence that a realisticsoundstage should portray, despite the cabinets phys-ical dimensions.

The very top andlower end of theSX1 is slightlymore recessed thanthe mid-band. Now,I wouldn't necessar-ily say that the topend is rolled off, butits slightly morelaid back nature al-lows for female vo-cals to hold bodyand extension with-out any harshness.

On the flip side theoverall cabinet sizedoes only allow for a degree of real bottom end. Ifound the height of the spikes and flooring materialadds to the overall bass response, so have a play withgranite slabs on carpet and spike shoe’s height aswell as the height of the spike itself.

Playing male vocals always allows me to hear wellthrough the lower-mid reproduction. The Neats fortheir size really don't do too bad a job in my moreaverage sized room, allowing for good undertones ifnot really filling out the lower tones of deeper vo-cals. If I had to make any compromises with a soundand had to state a key feature I want in a speaker,

Neat Motive SX1Dynamically the Neatshave a better punch thandeep slam and give astrong dynamic rangewhen it comes tomidrange notes whichresulted in a responsiveand convincing vocalwith energy andpresence.


then for me it's a strongly projected vocal and theSX1 for their size and price point do tick that boxwith a thick marker pen.

Moving on to soundstage attributes I was once againvery impressed with the height capabilities of theSX1. Soundstage width was beyond the cabinets’outer width and the front to back image was prettygood, giving a better rear sensation behind me withparticular music/tracks than depth behind the speak-ers which was shallow.

Dynamically the Neats have a better punch than deepslam and give a strong dynamic range when it comesto midrange notes which resulted in a responsive andconvincing vocal with energy and presence.

The top-end conveys good smaller details and flaresof small dynamics, especially aroundthe boundaries of the room, allowing for anopen stage that doesn't sound forced but re-mains controlled and restrained.

Considering all these factors I can under-stand why a lot of people enjoy Naim ampli-fication with Neats, adding top-endexcitement and lower end slam which willbalance the overall presentation better thanmy Emille or Kavent amps could. TheKavent did however give the SX1 a good bitof juice which they responded to more em-phatically, allowing them to offer betterdrive and pace.

Conclusions

The Neat SX1 is a small speaker for the bigmusic fan. Combined with some good solidstate muscle they will deliver good strongnotes across a broad range of musical genres,giving an exciting and engrossing soundwhich will keep the avid listener satisfied.

The finish is particularly nice on the Neatsand the wood grain has nice texture. Place-ment of the speakers will need to be paidattention to, but the design implementationmakes it nowhere near as tricky to extractthe best from them in any modern home.

With the addition of complimentary speakers for afull theatre experience, a good solid 2 channel amprunning with home theatre bypass into a surroundsetup would offer a complete system for all require-ments.

Build Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8/10Value For Money - 8/10Overall - 8/10Price at time of review - £1888Recommended - for their flexibility of place-ment, soundstaging abilities and strong mid-range.

Dan Worth

Neat Motive SX1


http://www.robsonacoustics.co.uk/


They comprise of a 140mm Magnesium Alloycone covering bass and mid frequencies andatop this driver sits a ribbon tweeter. The

crossover is a second order affair. They really are asmall speaker standing just 33cm high, with a widthof 16cm and a depth of 20cm. They weigh in at 6Kg.The review sample came in a black textured paintfinish that I’d initially assumed was some kind ofleather/pleather covering, however, you can havethem made in striking red and yellow colours too.Sensitivity-wise they’re 86dB, are a nominal 8 Ohmload (minimum 5Ohms) and they will handle up to150Watts.Inside the speakers are wired with silver plated cop-per to the tweeter and copper for the woofer.

With their gold fittings they certainly look prettystylish in an understated and classy kind of way andthe lack of grilles is certainly no loss…I rarely putgrilles on speakers anyway, preferring to see thedrivers at work. For £750 (factory direct) I certainlythink the fit and finish is above average and the nice-ly finished plate for the speaker binding posts reallyfinishes them off – you don’t see this in use obvious-ly, but it’s this attention to detail that inspires a de-gree of confidence even before firing the speakersup.On their website, Robson ask if these could be theultimate desktop speaker and I’m sure some mayvery well use them in this kind of nearfield situation,but for the duration of their stay here at Hifi Pig theywere placed on our custom built 50cm

Robson Audio Opulus PrimaThe RobsonAudio OpulusPrima is asmall monitortypeloudspeakerwith a rearfiring bassport.. Robsonsuggest theycould be theultimatedesktoploudspeaker…


stands…which were actually the perfect height whenslouched in my Ikea chair, but I would suspect thatfor people listening from a standard heightchair/settee then 65cm would be a better proposition.That said, their foot print is slightly smaller than thepowered speakers I use on my desktop.Initially we placed the Opulus speakers in our largemain listening area and it was clear that they were alittle out of their depth trying to fill this spaceeffectively…it’s a big space. Fortunately we have asmaller listening space off the main room which ismore realistically proportioned at around 3m x 4.5mand it is here I did most of my listening. I had themfiring down the length of the room, 150cm apart andaround 20cm from the back wall, with the main lis-tening position around 3m away. I believe this is arealistic position for these speakers and probably typ-ical of the kind of environment they are likely to beused in.SoundI spent a good deal of time listening to these littlespeakers without really taking much notice, takingnotes, or playing the test tracks I like to throw atspeakers and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyedthem. Whilst my preference in the main listeningroom is for large floorstanders (or larger stand-mounts) I could perfectly happily live with the Opu-lus Primas in this smaller space. There’s a really nicefeeling of balance to the speakers that really lets yourelax and get on with just listening to your tunes,whichever genre. I found myself delving further intomy collection than I’ve been for a while and playingloads of different music (even some classical) andreally connecting with it…which, the critical reviewprocess apart, is surely what hifi is all about. No,these little speakers don’t do trouser flapping bass,but they do go pretty low and the bass is tuneful andfast…no one note wonders these!Anyway, the “job” here is to try and pull thesespeakers apart by giving them something to chal-lenge them and search out their strengths and weak-nesses, so on with Leftfield’s Rhythm and Stealthalbum which has deep basslines aplenty. Actually it’ssurprising how much bass information these speakersconvey. Phat Planet, which many will know from theGuinness adverts a few years ago, has complex beatsand sub-basslines that can get quite confusing andincoherent on some loudspeakers. Not so here, theintegration between that little woofer and the ribbon

tweeter is seamless, offering up a sound that worksas a whole, but still with the ability to pick out indi-vidual elements in the mix. On the dubby Chant ofthe Poor Man, I have to be fair and say that any morebass output would have been too much for the room.Soundstaging has decent depth and height, but doesnot extend massively beyond the sides of the speak-ers. Playing with toe in was interesting and I foundthe most pleasing image was when the speakers werefiring directly at my head – slightly toed in…theclassic set up. The feeling from a spatial point ofview is very much like listening to a large speakeronly on a smaller scale….if that makes sense. Withelectronic music I really expected the Opulus Primasto struggle, but they really don’t and that tightness ofthe bass and the crisp top end really compliment thisstyle of music. Within the stereo image individualelements in the mix are properly positioned, sit stableand it’s easy to see why these are described as a “ref-erence monitor” by Robson Acoustics.Popping on the nicely produced, eponymous NatalieMerchant album there’s that speed to the soundagain…and a feeling of integration too. Whilst Mer-chant’s voice is clearly the main event, the rhythmsection’s interplay and feeling of “integrated yetseparate” sound the Primas give, adds pace andbounce to proceedings, with the tweeter rendering hihats crisp and shimmery. Merchant’s voice is ren-

Robson Audio Opulus PrimaNo, these littlespeakers don’t dotrouser flappingbass, but they dogo pretty low andthe bass is tunefuland fast…no onenote wondersthese!


dered very nicely and accurately with the Primasseeming to add very little character of their own.Regular readers will know that one of my pet hates isa sloppy/slow sound and this is where theses littlespeakers really shine. Rage Against The Machine’sKilling in the Name is a good example of a tune thatcan sound messy on some loudspeakers, but here it ispunchy and hard hitting. Likewise Deep Purple’sSmoke On The Water from their Made In Japan al-bum with the grunty bass being well produced.I mentioned the soundstage being quite narrow andnot extending far beyond the speakers earlier, but puton Talvin Singh’s Traveller from the OK album,where the width of the soundstage is exaggerated andit’s all there. Jerry, who used to review for Hifi Pig,

often said where a particular pair of speakers wouldmake him feel he was sat in the concert hall and withthe Opulus Primas I got the impression of being fair-ly far back in the hall with a clear stage being por-trayed in front of me. Indeed, referring back to theMade In Japan album it’s easy to “see” the musicianson the stage, or rather where they had been placed bythe engineer on the desk.ConclusionThis is a good loudspeaker when not pushed beyondits limits! In the right sized space it offers a level ofrefinement and coherency that should be applaudedfor the asking price. In the average sized living room,or smaller space, it will perform perfectly well.The Opulus Prima’s stand-out attributes are speed

and integration and for these reasons it’sa speaker that really appeals to mytastes. There’s a distinct feel that you arelistening to a quality near/mid-fieldmonitor that has been refined and madefit for domestic use. There’s an accuracyto the sound that really does deserve themonitor description.Given my saying that these are accurateand monitor-like speaker, you’d be for-given for thinking that they are clinicaland fatiguing…they’re not at all. Onevery kind of music I threw at them theyperformed really well and I found my-self listening for hours on end and justrelaxing into the music.All in all I heartily recommend the Opu-lus Primas, they sound great for such asmall speaker, have surprisingly low,fast and tuneful bass and the way inwhich the woofer and tweeter integratemakes for a really entertaining and en-grossing listen.Build Quality – 8.15Sound Quality – 8.25Value For Money – 9.1Overall – 8.5The Opulus Prima loudspeakers are agood value for money, great soundingloudspeaker, which will suit listenerslooking for a fast and detailed sound.

Stuart Smith

Robson Audio Opulus Prima


Having achieved a score of8.5 the Opulus Prima havebeen reviewed a second timeby a different reviewer, Ja-nine Elliot, to see if theywarrant our OutstandingProduct status.

Getting the chance to give a second review ona pair of speakers with ribbon tweeters wassomething I grabbed at gently – well, rib-

bons are very fragile beasts. As a lover of Townsh-end Maximum Supertweeters, I like their unfetteredclarity and speed. Whilst for the majority of the re-view I stuck to one particular amplifier and source, Idid initially listen to several systems and intercon-nects, knowing their idiosyncrasies and thereforewhat I knew was possible. This included powerhous-es from Krell, Quad, Manley and Sony. I finally de-cided to do my listening via the Propious monoblocks from Graham Slee (another 'cottage' Britishcompany better known for small headphone ampsand phono stages) and using their Magestic DACpreamp. I chose the Slee amps because their ClassAB design, following proven old-school transistortopology, giving a faithful, flat and full frequencyresponse in a pint pot 25W design, a bit like thesound I found from these minute speakers them-

selves. It reminded me of my Videotone Minimaxspeakers of the 70's. Their introduction amazed thehi-fi press with the amount of sound available fromsuch a small space. This speaker, however, has comea long way from my 70s youth. Mid and top frequen-cies were bullet proof. Hence, I decided for this re-view to use sources digital 24/192 sources as well asdigital outputs from CD, digital radio via TiVo boxand some vinyl.Rob Hudson, founder of Robson Acoustic, is firmlyof the belief that amazing sound quality shouldn'thave to break the bank. Indeed, the Opulus Primacomes in at only £750 if bought direct from their fac-tory. Unpacking this Northumbria company is like apandora’s box of toys. There is so much that thiscompany is producing; this includes no less than 8speakers - all with ribbon speakers costing up to£12,000+, a power amp, passive preamp and a mediaserver. Me thinks I need to look into this company abit more.The Opulus Prima is their cheapest speakers, but inno way do they look cheap. Finished in a strong nex-telle type paint in either black, red or yellow, they arecertainly tough little boxes. The ribbon tweeter usesa specially chosen Clarity Cap capacitor giving themincredible high frequency detail and dynamics belit-tling their size. The sample I received was beautiful-ly finished, though the screws holding the bass unitinto the "box" were loose after traipsing across LaChannel from their first review in France. Easilyscrewed back in. Maybe the company should look at

a different air-tight fixing sys-tem. The rear ported 2-way unitlooked smart, but as your stereo-typical female I found the roughsurface could attract a bit of de-bris and dust. A small cost forsuch a mightily good design.Topped off with a classy metalname print on the front of thesecover-less monitors, this tallnarrow design fitted beautifullyon top of my weighted Atacamastands. At last a company thatdoes away with the pointlessfabric covers.Compared with aged and mod-ded BC1 and my LS3/5a's thesemonitors had a slightly narrowersoundstage, though instruments



were clearly defined no matter what I played at it.Even with the 25W Slee these speakers punched forEngland. Using a top-end Sony transport feeding bitsinto the Slee DAC I could sense a slightly warmmid-range in Mike Valentine's Chasing the Dragontracks. The Bach Cello prelude recorded out doorcould sense the atmosphere and hear the birds butthere was a little compression heard in the loudersections, which I didn't hear in the delicate LS35/a's.The student orchestra on track 13 with the Decca-treemic’ing, didn't do the musicians much favour, butyou felt you were there in the audience. It just lackedthe depth and deep bass available in larger and moreexpensive speakers. Whilst bass end was limited dueto physics, the top end, thanks to the ribbon tweeters,was quick, precise, and tireless. Indeed the accuracyat all frequencies, and its depth of soundstage, wouldmake excellent studio near field monitors.Continuing my look for badly recorded music, DavidBowie album 'The Next Day' sounded less clutteredthan I was used to, for example the forward and rearsoundstage on track 3 'The Stars are Out Tonight',though it was more 'tizzy'. Whilst my Graham LS5/9might offer extra space, and of course an extra oc-tave, I found the Robson Audio's were faster. Thenext track showed just how good the forward andrear soundstage was for such a small size, and price.As an introduction model in the RA fraternity it leftme wanting to hear more. Swapping again with myprized Chartwell LS3/5a's was not easy to compare -they were just so different despite similar size. Thebass was better in the Robson, but the soundstage notso clear as the BBC Chartwell LS3/5a's . I couldn'treach out and touch the musicians, as I could on theBBC design. On some music the sound compressedwhen pushed, where my 15ohm 15W Chartwellshandled with ease.'Pictures at an Exhibition' (Minnesota Orchestra,"Tutti! Orchestral Sampler) was amazingly strong,and 'Walking in the Moon' by The Yuri HoningTrio had a surprisingly powerful baseline, that man-aged to keep itself tight and well controlled. I'm al-ways in favour of small bass/mid units as they cankeep a tighter bass. The drum solo mid into ‘CottonTail’ Dee Dee Bridgewater was tight and all correct-ly placed in front of me.So, how do I conclude my prognostication on thispiece of equipment. To say I was surprised is an un-derstatement. Whilst these 140mm Magnesium Al-loys can get pretty low (42Hz +/-2dB is stated) and

the ribbons get to frequencies my bat might like, theyare low output by today's standards at 86dB/metre,meaning levels need to be risen a wee bit. But if thatmeans I need to turn a knob just once that is not aproblem to me. These speakers are so clear and pre-cise they put many speakers at least twice the price toshame. They tick all the right boxes for me. Workingbest in smaller living rooms and away from wallsand with power amplifiers with enough grunt to pushthem a bit when needed. My only criticism is a slightcompression in sound with some music I played.Build quality 8.2 (despite the bass/mid driverfixing)Sound quality 8.3Value for money 9.0Total 8.5

Janine Elliot


These speakersare so clearand precisethey put manyspeakers atleast twice theprice to shame.They tick allthe right boxesfor me.


The thought of reviewing a pair of BBC speak-ers was, to me, like being offered a packet ofjammy dodgers. Let me explain, having

spent many hours, and nights, broadcasting and mix-ing at Her Majesty's Broadcasting Corporation (andeating jammy dodgers) I had got so accustomed tothe sound it was like reliving old times when review-ing this modern incarnation.The BBC in its heyday designed their own speakers,because no other speaker was good enough, particu-larly for 'speech'. When I joined the corporation as astudio manager (incidentally the same year as theLS5/9 was conceived), their premises were full of allvariants of speakers designed by them, some datingback to the 1950s. There were near and far monitorsnumbered as LS3/ and LS5/ respectively. Generallythe latter appeared in the larger studios, hence con-sidered as "a" grade as opposed to "b" grade officespeakers, where the LS3/5a were widely used. That

was confusing in the LS5/12a, being the last near-field BBC speaker - the size of an LS3/5a. That onehas been reborn by Spendor, but was not used muchat all at the BBC. By the time BBC speakers reachedthe end of their broadcasting life I worked in my ca-pacity as Resource and Development Manager tolook at their replacements. In the end the BBC optedfor domestic stock Dynaudio speakers.The LS5/9 was a smaller loudspeaker to replace thegoliath precursor LS5/8, and work began on develop-ing this excellent speaker in 1983. Regrettably it nev-er saw service until the 90’s. Harbeth later sold theirown variant Monitor 30 and later still the 30.1, whichis used by a number of major recordingstudios/professionals. Whilst the older LS5/8 wasfinding itself more and more unlikely to make it tothe studios, and certainly the recording suite vansand lorries, as it was too big, it could also sound tooslow and lacking top end frequencies. Hence the

Graham Audio LS5/9The £3450Graham AudioLS5/9loudspeaker is aspeaker builtvery much in thetradition of thewell loved BBCmonitors, indeedthis is arecreation of theloudspeakersoriginally madeby Rogers for theBBC.


LS5/9 was designed to match as closely as possiblethe "sound" of the former iconic speaker, but at28litre much smaller than the 109litre LS5/8. Indeed,the original tweeter was identical to that in the 5/8 toaid that similarity. It also needed to have the abilityto acoustically measure 100dB(A)/1m. Whereas theearlier LS3/6 and LS3/5a were 50litre and 5litre re-spectively, the new speaker needed to operate at ahigher sound level, and be midway in cabinet vol-ume. No mean task, and all done at only the cost ofone quarter of an octave of the lowest tones of theLS5/8.Derek Hughes, son of Spencer and Dorothy Hughes,who of course formed Spendor, was brought in tohelp with the Graham LS5/9 project. His dad, Spen-cer, had many years earlier left his job in BBC R&Dto build the BC-1 after developing the LS3/6, andson Derek worked in the company, too. His experi-ence therefore was vital in the new Graham AudioLS5/9, in understanding the original design, and tohelp reinvent the original design. This was done overtwo years. British manufacturer Volt, who make thewoofer for this incarnation worked closely withDerek to create a design similar to the original BBC200mm unit made by Rogers, and using the sametranslucent polypropylene diaphragm material. Theoriginal could change its frequency curve with age,so time was spent creating a design that would lastforever. The original 34mm Audax tweeter is still inproduction in a similar guise today, protected in amesh housing, just as it was in the original BBCsafety feature. Similarly, the speaker cabinet contin-ues the original strategy of thin walls, largely be-cause the BBC wanted to make them as cheaply aspossible. It is important to say that it is a complicateddesign with bitumen damping, highly braced andwith Rockwool-type insulation held together withblack cloth. It is highly engineered, despite lookingjust like a box! The target was to create a cabinetwith short resonance within a limited Q, so that reso-nance didn’t carry across a large frequency range, asin many loudspeakers. As the original was designedfor all types of music, including classical which hasmany small individual instrument sounds across awide frequency bandwidth, it was important that itwasn’t masked by cabinet sounds.Whilst many within the BBC tried, and eventuallywon, to get rid of the 'BBC sound', including engi-neer and colleague Peter Thomas, who built somebrilliant unusually shaped speakers using transmis-

Graham Audio LS5/9

When testingduring manufacturetheir objectiveperformance isrecorded for futuresupport, and eachpair is carefullymatched, just likein old BBC days.


sion line "porting", and then who left to form PMC, Istill wanted to hear the traditional BBC sound. Call it'pipe and slipper' sound, I don't mind. If anything, thesound should be called ‘Old Faithful’, as will be-come clear throughout my spiel. The sound is veryforward with a feeling of slight accentuating of mid-range, and being very easy to listen to for long peri-ods, something which sound-engineers obviouslyfound to be very important. Placed correctly in anisosceles triangle, slightly toed in, then these nearfield monitors’ sound is just so right, with nothingmissing or added as is the case for many expensivespeakers. Indeed, one can get so used to too muchtop end in modern speakers that these could soundlacking. Actually, putting my meter across the outputthese are impressively flat, all the way to the top. At

£3450 Graham Audio's remake on the theme is veryreasonably priced for the sound you get and for mecertainly an incredibly cheap revisit down memorylane for my days at Aunty. It can be bought with atidy looking heavy, and typically BBC, metal standat an extra cost, which ensures it is the correct heightand is securely held.During this test, I brought out in tribute my ownLS3/5a and Spendor BC1 (closely connected withthe LS3/6, but that's for another day). I always foundthe Spendor had a highly coloured mid frequency,and this was particularly evident testing now upagainst the Graham model. The aged speaker feltoverworked and fragile in comparison, plus, as anearly variant I was worried in case I over-drove it, soI therefore decided to mod the internal wiring withsilver cabling and add, after a few calculations, auniquely designed 3.75" length/2" diameter port,rather than the simplistic "hole of hope" on the origi-nal. What an improvement. I'll share my design withyou all soon.

Back to the Graham Audio. When testing duringmanufacture their objective performance is recordedfor future support, and each pair is carefullymatched, just like in old BBC days. The model ismade from birch plywood and available in 3 finishes.It has a magnificently built enclosure in cherry, rose-wood and ebony maccasa. Whilst many might laughtoday at building a traditionally shaped box speaker,favouring something with curves, carbon, plastic,glass or perhaps with a baffle and no enclosure, thisone really does work, and you get a piece of acoustichistory thrown in. The box is critically braced in adifferent way to that of the original BBC model. Thespeaker is single-wired, and it has a 1dB adjustmentpanel for the tweeter level, but this is factory set.This is done to account for minor variations in thetweeter design.

I found the speaker to work better with the frontgrille removed, which was easily done, since it iscleverly held on magnetically (not on the originalLS5/9s, I might add). I found it happier playingclassical and jazz music, being a wee stodgy on someof the pop music I played, especially when loud.

Graham Audio LS5/9

The LS5/9 was a smallerloudspeaker to replacethe goliath precursorLS5/8, and work began ondeveloping this excellentspeaker in 1983.

I found it happierplaying classical andjazz music, being awee stodgy on some ofthe pop music I played,especially when loud.


Naim's 'True Stereo' CD with its uncluttered and un-processed recording was just that; it sounded just asthe engineer would have wanted it to come across tothe listener, relaxed and not rushed. The flutes, whis-tle, guitars and drum in Mark Knopfler' vinyl album"Get Lucky" were all clear but very, very, powerfulat the same time, largely because the sound was for-ward. For me, being used to soundstage behind thespeakers, these monitors could perhaps be tiring iflistening to at recording studio levels - which is whatI wanted to do, all the time. At low and normal levelsnothing stuck out, and bass was punchy like thedrinking-straw-tuned bass ports in those MeridianM2 powered speakers, from 30 years ago. Manyspeakers fail miserably at low level. These certainlydidn’t. When going back to my reference Wilson Be-nesch Arcs, suddenly the sound went back to thirdgear as the soundstage disappeared behind the speak-ers and the lower octave needed support from theTorus infrasonic generator. Eagle's 'Long Road outof Eden' was so in control; the sweet vocals contrast-ed the punchy drum 4 beat in 'I don't want to HearAnymore'. Ironically I did want to hear more, andwhilst I was reliving my BBC past, I wondered whythe world had ever advanced from NICAM andflared trousers. Both were statements of their time.These speakers were a statement of quality, and of atime when things ran a little slower and more re-laxed. These speakers did the same for me; nothingwas hurried, and all the music showed total com-mand. For example, ‘A Taste of Honey’ from Patri-cia Barber's 'Cafe Blue' has a relaxing butinformative lilt. This was how life should havesounded. The depth in recording was absolutelyright; being forward speakers didn’t mean the soundwas two dimensional. I was amongst the musicians,not sitting back in the 10th row. These speakers are,however, like Marmite. You will either love them ornot. They are worthy of a listen to fully appreciatejust how good sound used to be.The soundstage has an exceptional stereo spread, andwith its clear but polite footprint it can make any mu-sic sound pleasurable, whether driven from my Krell,Roksan, Musical Fidelity, Leak, Sony, or anythingelse I threw at it. It works best on understated ampli-fiers, though whatever I connected to it gave a reallyaccurate reading of the music. Compressed musicsounded compressed, and real vinyl sounded, well,real. Whilst I perhaps would have preferredScanspeak tweeters, doing so would render this

speaker a fraud, and hence not a LS5/9, and ultimate-ly not get that BBC accreditation. And it gets better,Graham Audio will be releasing their 21st CenturyLS5/8 in November.In conclusion, this is one hell of a good speaker, andone which is so hard to evaluate. With my BBC hatoff this time, I have thought much about the sound aswell as build. Indeed, it is incredibly well made andboxed, and gives an equally good and honest musicalrendering, though it can sound a bit boring with cer-tain music. This is not a criticism, as there was noth-ing missing; it was just honest, something we are justnot used to in many speakers. I was no longer listen-ing to speakers. I was listening to the musicians, orthe singers, or the spoken voice, just as the BBCsound engineers, myself included, would have need-ed to hear. Forget all those fancy boxes or new tech-nologies. It was all right, back in 1983, and it's stillall right now.Sound Quality – 8.5/10Value for Money – 8.6/10Build Quality – 8.6/10Overall 8.57/10

Janine Elliot

Graham Audio LS5/9The depth inrecording wasabsolutely right;being forwardspeakers didn’t meanthe sound was twodimensional. I wasamongst themusicians, not sittingback in the 10th row.


http://www.audioemotion.co.uk/triangle-449-c.asp


I’ve always enjoyed Triangle loudspeakersever since I first heard a pair on the end of somevalve amps at an enthusiasts hifi show about four

or five years ago. Since then I’ve had the opportunityto hear several more pairs including the rangetopping Magellans and have never been disappointedwith their sonic abilities. I also like the ethos of thecompany; they’re inclusive and as well as having therelatively mega-bucks Magellans, they have the cool,

funky and very affordable Color range and severalranges in-between to suit all pockets. Triangleloudspeakers, in France at least, are available notonly in the rarefied atmosphere of the high-endretailer, but also in more down to earth “high-street”outlets.

Triangle Signature Alpha

Hugely wellknown andrespected intheir homecountry ofFrance, Trianglemakeloudspeakers tosuit mostpockets. Herewe take a listento thecompany’sSignatureAlphas costing£6800.


Here for review we have the top of theSignature range, the Alpha, which iscertainly an impressive looking three-way loudspeaker. It stands 1.3M high,has three fibre glass bass drivers, apaper cone mid-range driver andTriangle’s die-cast aluminium horntweeter which sports a 2mm titaniumdome originally developed for theMagellan. The Alpha has a front firingport, a nominal impedence of 8 Ohms(down to a minimum of 3.3) and asensitivity of 92dB. For the duration ofthis review I’ve been using ourTellurium Q Iridium that gives outaround 17 Class A Watts per channel.The review pair arrived in white in very substantialand well thought out packaging that is certainly atwo man job to get the speakers out of. In the box isa cleaning cloth, a pair of white gloves, a very basicbut detailed enough owner’s manual, a warrantycoupon and a little metal key device that I neverreally found a use for. Set up and placement is adoddle with the Alphas having a substantial plinth oftheir own built in, with an adjustable footer at thefront to change the angle the speakers point in. TheSignature Alphas are stable enough on the floor andshould be safe enough should you have smallchildren running around. Around the back are somevery high quality and simple to use binding posts –two pairs to allow for bi-amping or bi-wiring.The Signature Alphas proudly sport a “Handcraftedin France” plaque and the whole of the Signaturerange is conceived, designed and implemented inFrance at the company’s facility in Soissons. Thecabinets themselves are constructed from seven highdensity fibreboards of 3mm each which are pressbent to shape and bonded to give an overall thicknessof 21mm. The knuckle rap test has the cabinetssounding pretty much dead which is reassuring. Thefinish on the speakers is really rather nice andblemish free. They’re a big speaker but they’re prettynarrow so they don’t dominate the room and thecabinet itself bows in the middle making thenarrower at the front and back than they are at thesides – have a look a the pictures to see what I mean.SoundUpon plugging the Signature Alphas in for the firsttime I have to say that I was a little underwhelmed at

what I was hearing. There was a feeling that theAlphas were constrained and closed in and theycertainly sounded nothing like I’ve heard Triangleloudspeakers sound before. A distributor friend whoknew the Triangles were arriving for review phonedand asked what I thought of them and I said at thetime that I thought they sounded pretty dull andlacklustre. However, I kept playing the speakers andthey do loosen up and start to sound better (lots)pretty quickly. With this in mind I’d suggest thatstraight out of the box you are not getting the realdeal from these speakers and it is worth spending alittle time banging some tunes through them for afew days before really starting to listen with anything


I must confess that thisreview has been a longtime coming as I knowthat once it’s publishedthe Signature Alphaswill be winging theirway back toTriangle…I’ve reallyenjoyed my time withthem….


like a critical ear. To temper this paragraph I mustconfess that this review has been a long time comingas I know that once it’s published the SignatureAlphas will be winging their way back toTriangle…I’ve reallyenjoyed my time with them.For the duration of their stay here at Hifi Pig thespeakers have been set up in our main living space,well away from side walls and back walls and toed intowards the listening position. To be fair to theseloudspeakers they have been pretty unfussy withregards to positioning, but they do prefer to have alittle space around them. The best seat in the houseobviously gives you the best soundstaging and thereis a pretty narrow window here, but off axis listeningis pretty enjoyable too.Once the speakers have had time to loosen up for afew days the first thing that hit me was how muchlike the Magellans they sound. They’re perhaps notperhaps as ultimately sophisticated and refined astheir bigger siblings, but there is definitely a familysound going on here – lively and dynamic - which Ireally enjoyed.At lower volumes and listening to Massive Attack’sBlue Lines record there is a really nice and energeticfeel to the sound with the Signature Alphas. Nothingis overly emphasised or over done as can sometimesbe the case with some loudspeakers, as if they aretrying to over compensate for something being

lacking at low volumes. Crank the volume up andyou simply get the same feeling only louder.Stereo image is solid and whilst it is not as wide assome, it is still very good front to back. Bassextension is good and low with good control andeven with the bass heavy Blue Lines there is never afeeling of boom or their being too much of the lowerfrequencies, which can lead to a mushy anduninvolving listen with some loudspeakers.At higher frequencies there’s sparkle and shimmer tothe hats and I think this is a positive aspect of theSignature Alphas – chatting with some people therewas a couple of folk who suggested the Trianglesound was over the top at higher frequencies, but Ijust don’t get this accusation in any way! To me thisalleged “over the topiness” is just that they areexperiencing more high frequency information andas such more detail across the board than they areused to .The Signature Alphas have a big sound that at thesame time has poise and balance which whencombined with their speed and excitement makes fora toe tapping listening experience.Flipping over to the recently released Cheek toCheek by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga (a greatalbum with a classic big band sound) you really get asense of this being a live orchestra playing in front ofyou, albeit on a slightly diminished stage. On thetune Anything Goes you are presented with the bandpositioned behind the vocalists with each of theindividual sections and instruments being easy topull out of the mix. Drums are tight which add to thegreat timing and feeling of rhythm and pace thatthese speakers add to proceedings. On the vocal,which here is slightly forward sounding, there is agood insight into the little inflections and intonations

Triangle Signature AlphaI did find myself reachingfor harder dance music likethe stuff that Bonzai used toput out and the Triangles dothis style with aplomb – thesound is perhaps a tad morerefined than is absolutelynecessary for this style oftune but the speakers’punchiness, oomph andslam really do play to thestrengths of this genre.


of the singers’ voices – Lady Gaga has a great jazzvocal style by the way!I did find myself reaching for harder dance musiclike the stuff that Bonzai used to put out and theTriangles do this style with aplomb – the sound isperhaps a tad more refined than is absolutelynecessary for this style of tune but the speakers’punchiness, oomph and slam really do play to thestrengths of this genre.Switching back to real instruments such as withGoblin’s Beyond The Darkness and there is anaturalness to the instruments with huge amounts ofdetail being brought out of the recording across thespectrum. I do think the horn tweeter employed inthese speakers is responsible for much of thisapparent detail and resolution. Much in the same waythat a super tweeter adds space and airiness to aloudspeaker, the tweeter on the Signature Alphasadds something that is indefinable but effective. Onthe Goblin record there is a tune called Trumpet’sFlight, which needless to say has a trumpet featuringas the main instrument, and the Triangles allow thisinstrument to cut through the mix to appear moreprominent, but without overshadowing the rest of theinstrumentation.ConclusionAs previously mentioned, I kept hold of theSignature Alphas for a long time and so thanks toTriangle for their understanding. Truth is I couldhave had this review finished a good month or soago, but I really have enjoyed my time with them somuch I didn’t want to give them back with any haste.The speakers as reviewed are hugely entertaining in adynamic and punchy sense, with an ability to bouncealong through tunes in a fashion that is sure to getyour feet tapping to the’ music, but that is only reallyhalf the story with the Signature Alphas. As well asthis punchiness you also get the impression that thisis a really refined speaker that can do subtlety too.I’m really inclined to say that these offer a good dealof what the big Magellans bring to the party at afraction of the cost… and that is high praise indeed.The Signature Alphas don’t prefer one genre overanother and are equally happy to pump out techno asthey are to playing more subtle music and this is agood thing for those with a wide taste in music.On the negative side the casing which covers thetweeter (the bit that sits on the top of the speaker) is a

bit “just stuck on” and I’m not a huge fan of thedriver surrounds or the plasticky bass port ( you cancover the fronts with the grilles but I didn’t evenhave them out of the protective covering), but thenround the back the plate for speaker binding postsand the posts themselves are amongst the best I’veseen… Overall fit and finish is very good other thanmy issues with the casing for the tweeter and giventhe finishes available there will be a style to suit mosttastes.Build Quality - 8.25/10Sound Quality - 8.5/10Value For Money - 8.15/10Overall – 8.3Price as reviewed £ 6800Recommended for listeners looking for aserious loudspeaker that delivers excitementand subtlety in equal measure when needed.

Stuart Smith



Italy, the country known for its fast cars, beautifullandmarks and now completely bonkers hifi!

When I first set my eyes on the Vario's range ofspeakers at the High End Munich show a few monthsago, I was taken aback by their completely uniquedesign. This “in your face” design echoes though theentire range of speakers.I was given the Vario Jr to review. From the unbox-ing onwards the speakers ooze quality. Each littlespeaker has its own carrying case which is a greattouch.They feel weighty for their size (120×175×150 mm)and once set up, will sit proudly on any desk.Every aspect of the Junior's design is near perfection.The varnished wood casing and high quality plasticon the back and front are soft to the touch. No screwsare showing on the front and sides which adds to theflow of the design. The speaker grill on the front ismade to look like an eye and is very well done, it ismagnetic which makes removing it very easy.

Behind the speaker grill is a tiny 2 inch driver that alot of people may say is no way big enough, but thedesigners have worked around this and by some mir-acle the sound stage is huge considering the size.The look of the Jr and the whole Vario line up ofspeakers has what I like to call a Marmite effect:“You either love them or you hate them”Personally I love them and I think it's a bold step fora relatively new company and I respect them for that.

The Varios Jr Loudspeakers

Behind the speaker grill isa tiny 2 inch driver that alot of people may say is noway big enough, but thedesigners have workedaround this and by somemiracle the sound stage ishuge considering the size.


They stand out from the crowd despite their smallsize. Very stylish and 100% unique.Vincent and Lola (yes, they have theirown names!) have their very owncartoony style and fun personali-ty.But are the Vario Jr style oversubstance?The short answer is no!When listening to the Var-ios I used lossless FLACmusic files running thougha Schiit Modi DAC andalternated between variousamplifiers.I tried to listen to manydifferent kinds of musicand although the Variosstruggled with super bassheavy music like dubsteband some hiphop, they sound-ed amazing with rock, house mu-sic and just about anything with anacoustic guitar.The driver is very responsiveand snappy. The sound is

bright and mids are rich. It is definitelyfavourable to the top-end but the bass isnot in any way lacking. In fact at highervolumes the bass suddenly comes alive.So to get the most out of the Jrs youshould run them closer to their limit.The stand out songs for me with this set-up were:By The Way by the Red Hot Chilli Pep-pers. The song was brought to life by the

Jr. The vocals and electric guitar sounded rawand natural. And the signature bassline

sounded deep.Strobe by Deadmau5. Surpris-

ingly this very bass heavytrack sounded great on the

Varios. They brought akind of orchestral feel tothe track.Feel Good Inc by Go-rillaz. This mix of hiphop and alternative rocksounds sublime on theJuniors. The atmosphericand almost scary aspectsof the song were accen-tuated by them. The calmacoustic section soundedvery natural.The Vario Jrs proved to

be very versatile acrossmany genres of music.

Now moving on to price, theVario Juniors are 850 Euros. It's a lot

of money for such a smallspeaker, but when you buythem you are not just buy-ing a speaker, you are

buying a piece of art….that just happens to be a greatsounding, handmade Italian speaker too.The Vario team have made a quirky unique speakerthat not only looks the part but also sounds verygood for its compact size. It is beautifully made andrivals the best of the best in build quality.Build quality: 9.5/10Sound: 8/10Value for money: 7.25/10

Total: 8.25/10Price when tested: 850€:Recommend for people looking fora smaller, desktop speaker that isincredibly well built and has a fun

and unique personality….a workor art!

Harry Smith

The Varios Jr Loudspeakers

The Vario Jrs provedto be very versatileacross many genresof music.


Ooooh lovely, stuff in the post for me!Monster wanted a bit of a Bird’s Eye Viewof their new Pussycat Doll-fronted

headphones….so they rushed a pair over to me, evenif I am a bit more Madcat Lady than Pussycat Doll!Now, any of you that have read my reviews beforewill know that I do put a lot of emphasis on thewhole package, not just performance.I like things to look and feel right and that starts theminute you get presented with the box.Headphone manufacturers seem to have cottoned onto the fact that it’s not just performance focusedaudiophiles that will be buying their products, thewhole Head-Fi market is opening up the world ofhigh-fidelity sound to a broader spectrum of people,people that want the feeling of luxury and quality inevery aspect of their purchase.The packaging is lovely, well designed and witheverything that you need for your headphonesincluding cable, USB charging cable, neat carryingbag and even an antibacterial cleaning cloth.So it should be because at £240 these are not cheap.

Monster iSport FREEDOM

Headphone manufacturersseem to have cottoned onto the fact that it’s not justperformance focusedaudiophiles that will bebuying their products, thewhole Head-Fi market isopening up the world ofhigh-fidelity sound to abroader spectrum ofpeople, people that wantthe feeling of luxury andquality in every aspect oftheir purchase.


Living up to the packaging the phones themselveslook pleasing and, even though they are madepredominantly from a rubbery/silicone material, theyhave a satisfying weight to them, not too heavy butnot throwaway plastic tat either.They feel rugged enough to cope with being foldedup and slung in your bag without worry that they willdisintegrate!To my eyes they look a lot nicer than the muchmaligned Beats headphones with which I am sure theFREEDOMS will be compared – of course Monsterused to manufacture the Beats by Dre until the end of2012.They fold up rather niftily and also the headbandextends if you need it to.They were never going to be an understatedheadphone coming from the company that brought usa £20k gold and black diamond encrusted pair ofheadphones , but I like bright colours and think thatthey still manage to look tasteful.I was concerned that as an on ear rather than over earheadphone these might be a bit uncomfortable.We have all tried headphones that clamp your skullin a vice like grip and leave your ears feeling likeyou’ve been in a rugby scrum but I needn’t haveworried, the wearabilty of these headphones isexcellent, my ears felt cushioned and cradled ratherthan clamped.However, they also fitted snugly and didn’t dislodgeeven with some rather furious head shaking!They also…and this may seem a trivial thing to nonspec wearers, do not interfere with your glasses orpush them into your head.The cocooning feeling is enhanced by the fact thatthese really do close you off from the outside world,even with no music playing outside sounds aresignificantly muted…I may just take to wearingthese all the time so I can’t hear what Stuart israttling on about!!The headphones are actually Bluetooth enabled sothat you have the choice to use them with thesupplied mini jack cable or wirelessly. This meansthey have to be powered and the battery chargespretty rapidly (under 30 minutes from flat to full)from a USB port using the supplied USB to microUSB cable. Both the micro USB and cable socketare hidden when not in use by little flick up covers.The blurb that came with the phones said a 30hrplaying time could be expected from 1 charge withup to 100hrs on standby.

So, let’s play some choons!First of all I paired them with the ipod touch to testout the Bluetooth, this was a painless affair.With the control buttons on the right hand headphoneyou feel for, rather than look for the buttons….thiscould be tricky but the layout actually makes it prettyintuitive so that you get the hang of skipping tracksand changing the volume really easily.You can also turn off the music instantly by hittingthe centre button.I did use the headphones for a while before actuallydoing some critical listening and really liked the factthat you could leave the ipod where you liked andwander about while listening…also worth noting thatthere was little or no sound ‘leakage’ so would beperfect for on public transport too.With the styling of the phones and the fact that theyare designed for ‘working out’ I expected them to begood with dance music so I kicked things off with abit of Deadmau5 and >albumtitlegoeshere<.On ‘Closer’, a track featuring the iconiccommunicating-with-the-aliens 5 note sequence fromthe film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, thesound was anthemic, good deep bass…possibly a



little bass heavy for some people’s taste but I ratherenjoyed it. Top and mid did not suffer…there wasn’tbass and nothing else as I have seen complaintsabout for other headphones of this kind of genre.Of course, the ipod meant I was using MP3 but thesound was overall pretty good and bearing in mindthat these are designed to be worn when exercisingand give you the freedom of Bluetooth wirelessness…it was not a bad compromise.I ran through quite a bit of dance music from CalvinHarris to Daft Punk and was impressed with what Iheard.I then swapped over to some more acoustic and vocalmusic, the 2012 Radio 1 Live Lounge CD alwayssounds well recorded to me, and even on MP3sounded great on these, Emily Sandé’s voice wasparticularly beautiful and clear and acoustic guitarwas a pleasure to listen too. The sound was verynatural, which did surprise me.It is worth noting that I did compare these to theNAD Viso headphones that we reviewed recently,although the NADs are over ear rather than on, theyare priced similarly to the Monsters. I found the

sound detail slightly better on the NADs but not bymuch and the FREEDOMS are headphones clearlyaimed at a very different market and with extrafeatures.

Wired for sound?I did try the ipod using the supplied cable but did notnotice a difference in the sound quality, though usingthe cable disables the on ear controlsI then switched to the Hi sound music player to listento FLAC, going through many of the same tunes Ihad just heard on the ipod.Of course the sound was much better, this littlemusic player blew the ipod out of the water when Ireviewed it. The sound stage opened up becomingmuch more 3D and the bass was more detailed,overall very impressive.I purposefully did not use a headphone amp withthem as…well, it kind of defeats the portabilitypurpose that they are designed for; I can’t see manypeople using them with a headphone amp, more



likely straight from the music player on bluetooth.

Would I recommend these headphones? Yes, butwith a couple of caveats.Despite their styling they are not just for the ‘yoof’,if you are looking for headphones that you can usefor exercising and perhaps you travel on publictransport a lot they would be reallyhandy…especially if you want great quality sound.I would not recommend them if you are just going tosit and listen to your home hifi with them, that isn’twhat they are designed for.I also did not test them with classical music so can’tcomment on the suitability there.Now perhaps I am not the target market for theiSport FREEDOM headphones, I am neither aPussycat Doll or a Gym Bunny, but I feel that thewearabilty and comfort of the headphones would suitanybody looking for the convenience of headphonesthat you can put on and forget about…go for a run ora walk without worrying about getting rained on (orsweaty…no perspiring ears with these!)To get the maximum performance with them thenpair them with a device that can play high qualitymusic files AND has Bluetooth, that way you willget to experience the true freedom that they offer theuser.One tiny little gripe….perhaps a few differentcolours please, Hifi Pig Pink would be ratherfetching……..Linette Smith

As I knew that Monster used to make theBeats by Dre headphones, which I feel don’thave a particularly good build or sound qual-

ity, I was a little sceptical about how these new Mon-ster headphones would perform.

Monster have extended their iSport range of head-phones to the over-ear category with the new iSportFREEDOM, a headphone that offers high perform-ance audio and that is easy to use when doing sport.As the other reviewer Mrs HiFi Pig (AKA my mum)doesn’t do a lot of running, I was asked to test theseout as I do frequently run in the local countryside.The FREEDOM's felt heavy to hold at first but theyhad plenty of cushioning in the headband so felt verylight once over my ears.

The build quality is quite impressive, the main con-struction feels strong and sturdy and the rubber usedfor the ear pads feel's very comforting. They also feel‘airy’ and don’t make your ears sweat…which is acommon problem with many headphones when usingthem for sport.The Blue-tooth works very well I was able to con-nect to my Ipod in under 10 seconds and the batterylasted a long time.The sound is very good when the headphones arecharged, the bass is heavy but unlike the beats byDre the top end doesn't suffer as much.However when the battery is flat the sound loses it'soomph and falls short of what I expect from a head-phone of this price (around £240). I would makesure to use them charged and switched on, even ifusing the cable.All in all the Monster iSport FREEDOM's are a verywell built, easy to use, comfortable headphone. Ithink the styling and the bright colours are great andstand out from the crowd. They look very ‘sporty’and trendy, but more individual than some otherbrands.I recommend them to anyone who likes doing sportto great sounding music, just remember to keep themcharged, which is really simple and remember toplug them in between uses.Harry Smith


Hifi Pig’s teencorrespondent HarrySmith takes a listen tothe Monster iSportFREEDOM headphones.

The sound is very good whenthe headphones are charged,the bass is heavy but unlikethe beats by Dre the top enddoesn't suffer as much.


Sabre Audio productsfrom ESS are nowemployed in many

high end systems, but back in2009 Mark and Martin noticedthat some audio companieswere not doing a particularlygood job of designing the chipinto their products and felt thatthey could do better.Resonessence launched theirfirst Audio DAC product,Invicta in 2011 and now have6 DAC products ranging inprice from $350 CAD to$4,995 CAD.Mark states, 'Our goal is toproduce audio products thatwe can all be proud of. To thisend we design, manufacture,assemble and test our all ofour products locally.'Resonessence Labs' products

are 'Field Upgradeable' giving the end user the abilityfor hardware and software tweaks and changes,which presents interesting options for those in theknow and with the required skills.

Review OverviewI have a few options in the way I could use the £299Herus in my system: - As intended from a USB source such as the Macor Squeezebox Touch (SBT) then with an iOS andAndroid tablet (Resonessence claim compatibilitywith IOS and Android devices) with a range ofdifferent headphones to throw into the mix. - Secondly I planned to use the Herus as astandalone DAC feeding the Icon Audio HP8 valveheadphone amp. - Lastly as standalone DAC into my main rig. - I also have a few different USB cables rangingfrom the modest in price Chord Silver Plus andWireworld Starlight 7 to the more expensiveTellurium Q Black Diamond and another option theAstintrew Concord which has a split data and powercable.

Using the Herus as intended (as a combined DACand headphone amplifier)Firstly was to use the Herus fed by the USB of mySBT using the free ‘Enhanced Digital Output’software. Plug in the Herus (red backlit logo) and

Resonessence Labs Herus DAC and Headphone Amp

Mark Mallinson isPresident of ResonessenceLabs and along with hisbrother Martin, launchedthe company in 2009. Priorto this Mark was theOperations Director for ESSTechnology where his teamwas responsible for thedesign of the company’sSabre Audio DAC chips.Mark left ESS in 2009 tostart ResonessenceLabs…a coincidence?...Mark laughed and said 'notreally!' The brothers saw abusiness opportunity.

http://hifipig.com/resonessence-labs-invicta-dacpreamp/


enter the Audio settings on the SBT, navigate to theDigital Output menu (where the Herus now shows upas a selectable device), a quick click and the SBTreboots with the Herus showing as the device readyfor use (now a blue backlit logo on the Herus toinform the user of lock on). I plugged in a pair ofAKG K702's into the device and the Chord SilverPlus USB and unchecked the fixed volume controlon the SBT in order not to damage the headphones -the Herus as it has no volume control itself and isfixed at full output. Without going into all the techydetails, basically the source’s volume controlbecomes obsolete and the on screen volume slideractually is the Herus' internal volume which istransposed onto the screen so to speak.I began to play some Stevie Nicks. The presentationof the sound was crisp and clean, with a greatopenness to the vocal, a typical sound for theseheadphones I felt. I continued to play on throughsome more vocal and acoustic based albums from thelikes of Chris Jones, Norah Jones and Jack Savoretticoncluding that the Herus was extremely transparentto the character of the source and headphones, but Iwas concerned that the top end was a little too sharpand the headphones, although extremely revealingeven with the Icon valve amp, has a tamer top endwhich can be exploited and refined to expose somebeauty in the detail and so I tried swapping out theChord USB for the Wireworld Starlight 7.Playing Annie Lennox's 'Little Bird' proved that asimple change of the cable calmed down a slightlyspittier response, yet still retained the source’scharacter along with the revealing presentation ofthese headphones. I have a tendency to listen toheadphones very loud, not great for the lug-holes butit's a fetish of mine. Even if it's late at night and I'mjust intending to play some gentle background typemusic within 6 or 7 tracks the volume is crankedright up, so for me at louder volumes I need to beable to hear the clarity of a track especially withthese cans, otherwise it's headache time after a while.The Herus in this respect came across to mefantastically, the amplifier inside is very powerfuland belies the units size, driving these headphones tovolume levels I really never expected, distortingminimally as the full volume was nearly reached andremaining clean and neutral.Using the Herus with the Tellurium Q BlackDiamond USB cable was a step up in performanceagain, cleaning and expressing a midrange thatbreathed with presence in the soundstage and givinga noticeably greater width to the sound. Smaller

details were more defined and cymbal workespecially shimmered very realistically. Bass whichhad been taut and tuneful gained more detail andrhythm which was gratefully received especially withElectronica.The last USB option I had with this rig was to tryAstintrews 'Concord' USB with has split power anddata cables and their patented power supply design.This gave a punchier and little leaner upper-bass/lower-mid response, most noticeably a lowernoise floor which added a really nice spaciousness tothe sound - to be expected I guess from what I haveheard with this device partnered with my Macalready.The modded SBT is already very quiet, but theConcord did take the background hash down a littlefurther and due to the AKG's having that extremelyrevealing presentation they were ideal for this part ofthe review and the Herus was left as the true heart ofthe system, decoding and amplifying a sound thatwas complete in resolution and powerful enough toreally drive the AGK's very well indeed.When listening to the Civil Wars 'I've Got ThisFriend' the Herus presented remarkable detail in thestring work and each vocal was beautifully rendered


http://hifipig.com/tellurium-q-black-diamond-usb-cable-2/


in harmony stating there own position on the track,clearly defined and wonderfully recorded.The transparency, accuracy and robust presentationof the Herus is absolutely astonishing, each piece ofmusic sounds the way it should. Listening to specificmusic for certain attributes when testing equipmentis something we all do and I can quite confidentlysay that the Herus ticks virtually every box for me.Critically against much more expensive headphoneand DAC combos there will be flaws of course, but Ihave ticked way more boxes than I ever expected andmore than with my previous PS Audio DACcombined with other standalone headphoneamplifiers around the £300-£500 mark. Theresolution, detail, excellent dynamics and balancethat the Herus has is pretty awesome.

Further testing with other headphonesAn obvious next test to confirm some of my initialthoughts would be for me to try other headphones,fortunately enough I have a pair of SennheiserHD598s and some Beyerdynamic DT-990s, bothvery different from each other and from the AKG's.Leaving the Concorde USB in to exploit the best ofthe Herus and reveal as much of the otherheadphones character partnered with the amp/dac aspossible I plugged the Beyers full size jack into thetiny Herus.I'm not a great fan of these partnered with the Iconamp, I feel they thrive with good solid state amps,They can be a tad laid back, have a gorgeousmidrange but can lack that bit of air in the top end.The Herus really exploited the midrange assuspected, darker than the AKG's but wonderfullyrich and fleshed out, I like the Beyers on theEpiphany Acoustics head amp very much but foundthe Herus to transmit better low end grip into them,the top end never got that air like with the AKG's,yet still had a nice sharpness and sparkle with greatclarity and control, it was all just a little darker andnot as transparent sounding, still very true to thesource I feel and the character of the headphones,fantastic for some genres and poorer recordings, butafter listening to the 702's just lacked that bite andpunch, I'm sure if I listened to them first I wouldhave raved about how well the Herus drove the 300Ohm load and how fantastic I thought they sounded,but then that has to simply be down to me and mypersonal preference of cans and in no way makeslight of the Herus’ charms.Onto the Sennheiser HD598's which are a great andnot too expensive, fun headphone and on the little

Resonessence amp these for me are a great matchboth sound-wise and price point-wise. Clarity andvocals are at the forefront of their presentation with afantastic volume level that would be more thanadequate for anyone - even me!Back in went the Wireworld cable and the smootherand less clean sound that it gave against theAstintrew was actually preferable - overall a morefun, musical and bouncy sound rather than a morerevealing type of sound that has you listening out fordetails and attributes. I spent a fair bit of time withthis combination in place, writing part of this reviewand surfing around the net on my iPad, feet up androcking backwards and forwards in my computerchair, probably with a daft grin on my face!I even put a stock USB into the Herus from the SBTas I realised I hadn't done that (I always use a betterthan stock USB cable for piece of mind for buildquality on everything) and even with that in place Iwas happy with the presentation of the Herus,although I would recommend something mid pricedas it does help performance.

Android and IOS device testsResonessence Labs claim on their website that thedevice is compatible with iOS and Android devices –fantastic, so I can take the Herus anywhere I go andenjoy my Spotify playlists in their full glory!I’d ordered the camera connection kit for the iPadAir assuming that this must be the way to connectthe USB type B connector on the Herus to the iPad.Plugging the adapter into the iPad with a normal A toB USB cable illuminated the Herus' logo in red andthen quickly into blue to confirm that a lock andcompatibility was made. Next I simply chose thedevice from the Airplay menu and I was away.Sound wise the Air sounded fantastic through thelittle DAC/amp, the Herus' balanced and powerfulsound drove the three sets of headphones great,though I found the iPads physical buttons whenstreaming Spotify gave larger than preferred volume


Indoors and listening from aPC or Mac or as an upgradeto a gaming rig the Herus issimple to use and soundsvery 'audiophile' andextremely musical.

http://hifipig.com/beyerdynamic-dt990-premium-headphones/

http://hifipig.com/epiphany-acoustics-ehp-o2-portable-headphone-amplifier/


increases/decreases but moving the volume slider inthe software gave a more precise control to thelistening levels.I had a little bit of a setup issue initially using theAndroid based LG G Pad 8.3" V500. I had bought afew variations of adapters and connecting cables toachieve what was a micro USB to required male Binto the Herus. Using a micro USB 'Host' adaptercable which had a female A socket to micro USBmale cable proved the answer, although its simpleadapter duplicate did not work so make sure it is the'Host' cable type adapter you use.Again no complaints with the sound, the Herussounds great in all tests and only has moderate levelsof increased performance with the more expensiveUSB cables and I would be satisfied with a wellmade and inexpensive cable. Characterisation of thesound does vary dependant on source, but the controland balance of the Herus' DAC and amp’s soundprevails to keep everything neutral and very musical.

Using the Herus as a Standalone DAC (IconAudio HP8 Headamp)

To achieve the connection to the Icon I used a6.3mm headphone jack to stereo RCA adapter fromthe Herus and my Oriton Symphony Orange RCAinterconnects and as the Astintrew cable was still onthe desk I re-plugged it in to the Herus from the SBTfeeding the AKG headphones.A very similar character as previously mentionedwas heard through the Icon as I revisited tracks andalbums from this review, the Icon added some greatliquidity to the vocals with the Civil Wars playingand gave more control to louder listening levels inthe upper regions. Lower mids and upper bass werefuller with transients a little more energetic. Not bigdifferences in the performance really just theflavours.Comparing the presentation to the Totaldac throughthe Icon was interesting, there were differences inperformance and a slightly different character, anobviously perceivable tonal difference betweenvalves and transistors but to the credit of the Herus Ithought 'well I could definitely live with this'.Popping in Chords Crimson Vee3 with theWireworld cable again for sensibility against pricepoint retained my previous thoughts. I also tried the


http://hifipig.com/oriton-diamond-red-and-symphony-orange-interconnects/


recently reviewed QNKTC DAC in placement of theHerus and found its upper end to be quite sharpconsidering my favourable comments about it in themain rig. I found the overall enjoyability andmusicality of the Herus to be closer to the Totaldacthan the QDAC which isn't as transparent and doesn'tallow the SBT to show its character.

Using the Herus as a Standalone DAC (mainsystem)Using the SBT to Herus via the Asintrew cables andinto the Emille KI40-L integrated via the Oritoninterconnects connected to the Herus via the adapterI immediately took note of the superbly balanced anddetailed sound. Consequently whilst using the samesetup through the Mac using Amarra there was anoticeable bass hump around the lower mids/upperbass, a trait of the Mac which in the QDAC reviewwas most favourable to its character but here, hearingthe difference between the SBT and Mac, the humpdoes get a little irritating in comparison to themodded SBT's extremely detail driven bass which isneither too tight or loose.The Herus with its ability to pass through what's infront of it accurately really gelled well in this contextand supplied the amp and speakers with atremendous amount of information and imaging witha great tonal balance across the frequency range. Iwould conclude that the DAC, although not ascritical in exploring the finest of details, the extendedhandling of notes, or the dynamic shifts of the muchmore expensive Totaldac, was a very respectableachiever in conveying a solid and most enjoyablemusic performance from 16bit and 24bit musicstreamed from the NAS.ConclusionUsing the Herus as a portable device outside of thehouse is of course possible but it would require somecareful laying out of the cables in a pocket as therewould be a couple of connections from an iOS orAndroid based smartphone and of course theheadphone connection itself. My concern would bewith the connection to the phone itself as mostsmartphones these days have the smallest ofconnectors which could easily break or damage thesockets, so not ideal. I myself would still prefer asmall Fiio for outdoor purposes, however if therewas an option for Resonessence to add a smallBluetooth module with the correct USB socket andan integrated rechargeable battery then for outdooruse it would be a winner.

Indoors and listening from a PC or Mac or as anupgrade to a gaming rig the Herus is simple to useand sounds very 'audiophile' and extremely musical.The Herus can perform how you would like it to witha good chunk of its character being source andheadphone dependant, it has enough power to pleaseeven the daftest of loud listeners. If there was anysort of characterisation I could pin on the Herus apartfrom its obvious transparency it is that with all theheadphones and USB cables I used I never got a bassheavy approach to any of the combinations or genres- bass is very evenly balanced and never overblownin any way but it's all there. I have heard more bassfrom these headphones through other amps but not asdetailed and taut a bass in some cases. Withheadphones I have to have a shining midrange and anopen and airy top end and the Herus caters to thisperfectly. Coupled with fantastic detail and tone thetests on this products primary intended use areextremely positive and the fact it requires no externalpower supply means it can be taken anywhere withthe above caveats about cabling?As a standalone DAC with the Astintrew Concordsupplying a clean power source the Herus waselevated in performance, although in standard formwithout upgraded cables made for a fantasticcompanion and upgrade to any computer streamingrig with a solid, detailed, robust sound whichcompletely took me aback for its size and price pointand with the ability to simply whip out theconnecting analogue cables and pop in theheadphones it covers both areas of listening with acomputer based audio system wonderfully.Highly recommended for its ease of use, flexibilityand high fidelity sound quality.

Dan Worth


With headphones Ihave to have a shiningmidrange and an openand airy top end andthe Herus caters tothis perfectly.

http://hifipig.com/q-n-k-t-c-ab-1-2-dac/


After using a headphone amp for a couple ofmonths now I couldn't go back to just usingmy headphones. The Carot One Fabriziolo

stereo tube preamplifier/headphone amplifier is agood example of a well rounded amplifier.To start off the packaging is good, plenty of paddingand protects it very effectively. Postage is freeworldwide! In the box is the Preamplifier, some nofrills cables and a power-brick.The Fabriziolo is 65mm x 25mm x 98mm. It has afront panel jack for headphones and another for theinput of an MP3 etc. Around the back there are a pairof RCA inputs and a line out jack. The Carot One isCE stamped!Here is all the technical spec provided by Carot one:Vacuum Tube: 6DJ8/6922 series or 12AU7 series

Carot One Fabriziolo Pre/Head Amp and Titta Earphones

Italian brand CarotOne’s €49 in- earheadphones and€199 valve preand headamplifier.


(exchangeable)Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): 92dBTHD + Noise: 0.05% @ 10k ohm 0.15% @ 33 ohmInput Audio: CD IN RCA (Left/Right) x 1 [3Vppmax.]Power Socket: (5.5mm/2.1mm) x 1Output Audio: OUT 3.5mm x 1Headphone: OUT (3.5mm) x 1Knob Audio and power switch x 1Power Indicator: (Blue LED under Tube Socket) x1Volume Knob x 1Power Supply DC 12V-13V (max.)After taking a close look at the preamp you start tosee that the finish isn't great: The screws look cheap,the valve is lopsided and the sound knob feels flim-sy. These are minor problems however and couldeasily be fixed by the manufacturer. This isn't to saythat it looks bad. It looks great! I love the way itglows blue when turned on and its a very wellthought out design to fit in such a small enclosure.The design is also very bold with the signature Carotcolours of orange and highlights of blue. The singlevalve sits proudly on the top and makes it stand outfrom the crowd.To test the sound I ran the preamp though a PC play-ing FLAC audio files. I ran the Fabriziolo though aSchiit Modi DAC and used NAD Viso hp 50 head-phones ( I also compared it to a Schiit Magni pream-plifier though the same setup). You can also playyour Mp3 player through the unit using the frontmounted socket or as a preamplifier if you have pow-ered speakers.The audio performance is amazing and unexpected.The music sounds crisp and clear without any inter-ference. The sound isn't particularly bass heavy butit's personally just enough. I listened to many genresof music (Rock, Electronic, Blues, Funk...) and itcame alive especially with electronic music. I couldhear many layers to the music and discovered partsof a song that I couldn’t hear with just my head-phones.Compared to the Schiit amp I personally think theCarot amp sounds better.( This could be somethingto do with the valve) ...But this is to be expected asthe Fabriziolo costs more than twice as much as theSchiit.It's a shame that the Carot One preamp couldn't makethe 100 pound price point but it's price still isn't toooff-putting.

I was also Given the Carot One Titta to review, a pairof in-earphones that follow the same design of theFabriziolo (and all the other Carot One products).These earphones are great value for money. They areextremely comfortable, they're light and isolate pret-ty well from outside sounds. They are very wellrounded and are a good all purpose in-ear head-phone. They work perfectly with, and looks wise re-ally complement the Fabriziolo preamplifier. If youare an audiophile on a small budget these earphonesare for you!In conclusion Carot One is a brand that needs recog-nition for their great sounding and stand out lookingaudiophile products. (based on what I've heard)Carot One Fabriziolo preamplifier: Price attime of review 199€Sound: 9/10Price: 7/10Build quality: 6/10Overall - 7.3Recommended for people looking to im-prove their headphone experience withoutbreaking the bank.Carot One Titta earphones: Price at time ofreview 49€Sound: 8/10Price: 9/10Build quality: 8/10Overall - 8.3Recommended as a good value all round in-ear headphone that works well with theCarot One Fabriziolo

Harry Smith

Carot One Fabriziolo Pre/Head Amp and Titta Earphones

Carot One is a brandthat needsrecognition for theirgreat sounding andstandout lookingaudiophile products.


You can’t explore the world of headphonestoo far without coming across the Califor-nian manufacturer Audeze sooner or later as

they seem to be just everywhere. I’d been speakingto Jonathan Scull who handles the Audeze PR in theUS for a good while on social media and finallymanaged to get hold of a pair of their LCD-XC head-phones whilst at Munich High-End earlier this year.The £1500 (1799 USD) Audeze arrived in a wellpadded, moulded plastic carrying case that looks allbut bombproof and is a neat solution for transportingthe headphones from place to place. Along with theheadphones there’s a useful quarter inch to minijackadaptor that I think thoughtful addition to the pack.The 2.5m cable attaches to each of the cans via amini XLR jack with a rugged quarter inch jack onthe amp end… I believe a number of aftermarket al-ternatives are available for those looking to explorethis particular route. Overall this packaging reallydoes it for me as it is both practical and attractive inan industrial kind of way – it certainly screams high-end. If you are buying these headphones you’ll alsoget a wood care kit, a personalised frequency re-sponse graph and some warranty documents in thebox.The LCD-XC are the second to top price-wise of theAudeze hierarchy and are the companies only closedback design. Like the HifiMan HE560s the Audezeare a planar magnetic design and they have a 38.9cm

sq diaphragm. However, they are a heavy headphonetipping the scales at 650g which is considerablyheavier than any of the headphones we have in forreview. Appearance-wise the LCD-XC are BIG and,despite their luxurious Bubinga wood cups and lambskin earpads, their looks will certainly divide opin-ion… I think they look pretty cool and have a retrosort of vibe about them. Needless to say at this pricepoint the Audeze headphones are for serious head-phone enthusiasts and whilst their closed-back de-sign certainly isolates you from the world and it fromyour music, I’m not sure I’d personally feel comfort-able hopping on the bus with them strapped to myhead… but if you do I’m sure you’ll get both the odd“what the hell” gawp as well as a few admiringglances. That said I did wear them pretty much non-stop for the ten hour train journey from Munich toParis and despite their weight I found them fairlycomfortable for the whole journey.The cans themselves are big and cover the whole ofmy ears and the earpads are very thick and very com-fortable indeed with no sense of them rubbing, itch-ing or becoming sweaty. The earpads are thicker atthe back than they are at the front in the same waythe HifiMan HE 560s are…only more so. They pressfairly tightly onto your head and to some extent yourface, but they do move around a bit when you shakeyour head about. The headband adjusts fairly simplyto the correct size and is pretty comfortable given

Audeze LCD-XCAt £1500 theAudeze LCD-XC area serious purchase,but do theywarrant beingperhaps the mostdiscussedheadphone outthere?


their weight, though not as comfortable as some ofthe other headphones we have reviewed.The LCD-XC are 20ohms and have a sensitivity of95dB and seemed to be easy to drive, though I optedto use my reference headphone amp over the outputon the reference preamp. With the little HiSoundStudio portable player and our son’s iPod they wentloud enough, but there seemed to be a little missingand I’d suggest a good quality portable headphoneamplifier to be the order of the day whether at homeor on the go.The SoundThe first thing that grabs you about the Audeze’ isthe size of the sound, the second is that you are com-pletely isolated from the outside world and all youhear is the music. There’s certainly a good impres-sion of the soundstage and out-the-head feeling andinstruments sit within the mix as they should withfabulous separation and space. I’d suggest the sound-staging is better than the FinalHope VIs which surprised megiven the Audeze’s closed backdesign and I can only put thisdown to the fact the actual driv-ers are a way from your ears –whatever, it’s pretty impressive.There seems to be a greaterweight to the music with these‘phones across the frequencyrange and popping on DavidCrosby’s “Croz” there’s simplymore detail than with any of theother phones we have in for test.Drums have dynamism with thetoms being precise and hard hit-ting, whilst bass kick hits andthen stops with no overhang.Bass guitar is tight, punchy andplays along with the drums tocreate great rhythm.Sonically on this kind of musicit’s really hard to fault the Au-deze LCD-XC and it’s difficultnot to perhaps suggest that theseare the best headphones I’veever heard…but then that wouldmake for a pretty short review and there’s an awfullot of ‘phones I’ve yet to experience.Despite how gorgeously the Audeze ‘phones play thelikes of David Crosby I found myself pulling loads

of harder edged rock from the virtual shelf. Therejust a feeling that the Audeze bring a dynamic feel tothis kind of music that really makes it…rock. I knowthis is petty vague but, apart from the weight of thephones, you can forget to some extent you’re wear-

Audeze LCD-XCThere just a feeling thatthe Audeze bring adynamic feel to this kindof music that reallymakes it…rock. I knowthis is petty vague but,apart from the weight ofthe phones, you canforget to some extentyou’re wearingheadphones at all.


ing headphones at all. The grunge sounds of Bush’s“Everything Zen” is visceral and raw and this isdown to the way the LCD-XCs do dynamics. If youlike rock then you’re gonna really enjoy these head-phones, just be careful about the headbanging asyou’ll end up with a severe case of “HeadbangersNeck”.Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” is one of the tracks Iuse to listen to how a bit of new kit puts out thefeel of a room’s space as it’s recorded on a largestage in an empty hall and with the Audeze you geta really good sense of the space. It’s not as pro-nounced as with good loudspeakers, but then itwas never going to be. When the dry kick of “TheChain” (the next tune on the record) comes in itsounds correct and when the rhythm section getsgoing there’s speed and control displayed thatdrives the beat – other headphones we’ve reviewedhave speed and control, but I can honestly say it’sa notch above both the HifiMan HE 560s and theSennheiser HD800s with the Audeze in place.On electronic music the bass lines are deep, whilstall the little intricate noises and effects comethrough… and then there’s the kick drum whichgets me to thinking perhaps the bass is a little overdone on these headphones. I toyed with this con-cept a good while and came to the conclusion afterlistening to loads of tunes that it’s not over done, it’sjust powerful and the ‘phones are capable of giving agreat sense of what they are actually playing acrossthe frequencies – there just seems to be more of eve-rything.ComfortThese are heavy headphones and you do know youare wearing them, particularly when sat typing Ifound as I lean forward to look at the keyboardwhich led to a little neck ache, but they’re also prettycomfortable all-round when sat in your armchair.The headband is well padded and comfortable overlong periods (though not as comfortable as the Hifi-Mans nor perhaps the Sennheisers mentioned) andwhilst the cans are big and do press onto your face abit you get used to it.For long periods of listening I found the earpadswere very comfortable with no irritation as with theHifiMan HE 560s, but they were certainly less com-fortable than the Sennheiser HD800s over longer pe-riods. As with most things you lose with one thingand gain with another.Conclusion

£1500 is in most people’s book a good chunk tothrow down on a pair of headphones and yet the Au-deze seem to be selling very well, so clearly there arepeople out there who can justify this kind of expendi-ture.This is both an audiophile product and a luxe product

and when thinking about them you need to keep thisin mind. The fit and finish is very good and there’sthe attention to little details that set them apart fromthe competition.I suppose the question that needs to be asked is doesthe extra expenditure bring you a suitable increase inperceived sound quality and whilst I’d suggest thatthere’s the dreaded law of diminishing returns com-ing in to play here, these are none the less a very,very good headphone indeed.There’s something almost unfathomable about theAudeze LCD-XCs that stands them apart from thecrowd. Yes they do stonking basslines with aplomb,but they also manage to temper this with being ableto be subtle where required. No one area of the musicstands out and to me they seem almost perfectly bal-anced, giving a wonderfully musical experience.If headphones are your only source and you want thebest then you ought to audition these immediately! Ifyou don’t have this kind of money to splurge thenthere are alternatives for you (look out for lots of re-views in the days to come), but be aware you may bemissing out on that nth degree of magic.

Audeze LCD-XC


Sound – 9.25Comfort – 8.00Fit and finish – 9.00Value – 8.00Overall – 8.56Recommended for those wanting a no com-promise headphone listening experience.

Stuart Smith

And now Linette’s thoughts on the Audeze LCD-XCheadphones.

I had been itching to get my hands on (and earsin) these headphones since we picked them up atMunich. They very much seem to be the audi-

ophile flavour of the month and I wanted to find outfor myself if they lived up to the hype.They have a very different look to them than mostheadphones with their Bubinga wood cups and blacklambskin earpads, they look like they mean seriousbusiness, especially as they come in a very robust‘ruggedized’ carry case…resembles something thatIronman might use to take his butties to work.There is a definite air of ‘manliness’ about them.

Picking them up it was a case of ‘whoa, these areREALLY heavy!’ (650g according to the Audezewebsite)I had visions of developing a neck like an F1 driverif I wore them for any length of time…surely thesewere headphones for big, beefy men, not a delicateflower like myself!Putting them on for the first time made me realisethat although they weigh a lot for a pair of head-phones, they are actually perfectly balanced and ex-tremely comfortable.It’s kind of like having your head firmly hugged.The leather earpads are exceptionally soft and proba-bly the most comfortable I have ever felt on a pair of‘phones. They sit nicely around the ears with no‘lobe crush’ or hard bits digging into you, plus theheadband is well padded and caused no discomfortand I could leave my glasses on without them beingpushed into the side of my head…..I was impressed!It felt like sinking into your favourite, soft leatherarmchair…..cocooning is probably a good word todescribe them….and I hadn’t even turned the tuneson yet!So enough about how these feel, how do they sound?First impressions were great and I spent quite a bit of

time listening to tunes from mylaptop, particularly memorablewas a stream of Carl Cox DJingat Space in Ibiza …..I scribbleddown the notes ‘feels like anightclub on my head’ whichjust about says it all!On goes Hardfloor’s ‘Onceagain back’. This is my go totrack to test out a system, it’sespecially tricky with deep subbass, swirling 303s and skippytop end. It is a track that has thepossibility to make things soundterrible if they are not up to thejob.With the Audeze the bass wasdynamic and interesting, notjust a splodge of sound…greatdefinition and that proper ‘inthe music’ feeling.I really love Rudimental, theiralbum ‘Home’ gets a lot of playhere, I have a lot of respect for adance act that can play and sing

Audeze LCD-XC


live and have a real horn section.This is uplifting music, hands in the air time and Igot a big case of goosebumps listening to tracks like‘Feel the love’ and ‘Right Here’. With the Audeze Igot a sense of just wanting to sit and listen and notactually do anything else.I do love a bit of disco so appropriately ‘Lost in mu-sic’ by Sister Sledge went on next. Driving bass,funky guitar and breathy, sweet vocals all soundedperfect. The sound stage with the Audeze is big and3 dimensional and I get the feeling that I am reallyhearing what I should be hearing…this almost asgood as listening to the main system to my ears.Still feeling the Nile Rogers vibe I put on ‘GetLucky’ from Daft Punk. Again, funky and crystalclear …I’ve heard this tune many, many times butI’m hearing things in the backing vocals that Ihaven’t heard ever before…fantastic detail.A bit of Gil Scott Heron and his ‘Ghetto Style’ al-bum next and once again I’m struck by the depth andclarity I’m getting from the music, there is a realsense of where each of the artists is playing or sing-ing in the soundstage and little nuances in the back-

ing vocals and from the drums that I haven’t heardbrought out so well before.So have these headphones got it all? Well crafted,comfortable and incredibly engaging to listento………and then there’s the elephant in the room…the price.At around 1800 US$, and retailing around £1500 inthe UK, these are not cheap headphones by anystretch of the imagination.But have a think about it. Would you balk at spend-ing over a grand and a half on a pair of loudspeak-ers? Probably not. Probably, if you are an audiophile,you would be happy to spend quite a bit more thanthat.But what if you have a love of listening to your fa-vourite music, on your great hifi….and you haveneighbours who just don’t share your enthusiasm?Short of becoming the vilified ‘Neighbour FromHell’ what options do you have?And I guess this is where exceptional sounding, in-credibly well-made, expensive headphones come in.I wouldn’t use these to walk about in, or go joggingin, they really aren’t made for that (for a start theIronman Lunchbox would be a bit inconvenient to

cart about) I would wear themto sit down, chill out and getlost in music. Perfect playbackof your tunes, from your desk-top system or from your mainhifi, even when you can’tcrank up the volume usingyour speakers.The Audeze LCD-XC certainlylive up to the hype.Sound – 9/10Comfort – 9/10Fit and finish – 9/10Value – 8/10Overall – 8.75/10Highly recommended asan exceptionally wellmade extremelycomfortable, enjoyable tolisten to headphone, forthose wanting analternative to usingloudspeakers in the homeor who want the best froma desktop system.

Linette Smith

Audeze LCD-XC


Although Oppo are known for their bluray andcd players (and mobile phones, outside ofthe audiophile market), I didn’t know they

made headphones….and they didn’t until recently.So, is a high end, £1099 pair of planar magneticheadphones what you would expect for a company’sfirst foray into the headphone market? Notreally……this is certainly going to be interesting!Right from the off you know Oppo have gone highend. The box arrives…surely this can’t be head-phones, its too big and heavy?! But headphones it is.Nestling in the Oppo branded box is another box, inan understated silvery finish. Sliding off the lid andits Christmas morning and my birthday all rolled intoone. Oppo have obviously made a mistake and sentme a beautiful, shiny wooden box with some luxuri-ous jewellery instead of headphones!The understated, luxury vibe continues as I open thebox and lift out the ‘phones. Cool, sleek andminimal…and very light for planar magnetics, just395g.I love the feel of these headphones. The leather issoft and flawless and everything, twists, pivots and

moves just as it should do with a effortlessly smoothaction, they put me in mind of a well oiled, top of therange Mercedes…perfection!There is also a very nice, denim carry case for takingthem out and about, an extra pair of velour earpadsand the choice of a long cable and a shorter one forportable use.They slip onto my head and the feeling is one ofcomplete and utter comfort, indeed rather like set-tling into the seat of a high end car. They fit me likea glove, like they were tailor made for me; I reallylike how the earcups pivot in their mountings toachieve this. The leather feels soft on my ears and,even though they are an open backed design, I feelcosseted and cocooned.Are these the most comfortable headphones that Ihave ever tried? They are, I thought that the Hifimanwere the pinnacle but these are even better for me,and even with extended wear they remain exception-ally comfortable, my ears don’t sweat and my glassescause no issues.This does surprise me because looking at them, thePM-1s do not appear to be ‘over padded’ in the way

Oppo PM-1Oppo are perhapsmost well known inaudiophile circlesfor their wellregarded Blu-rayplayers, but theyalso make a coupleof pairs of planarmagnetic cans anda headphone amp.Here we test the£1099 PM-1s.


that the Audeze are, a little investigation reveals thatthey use a hypoallergenic natural latex for padding,so perhaps that has something to do with it.

As soon as I turn the music on I get chills in the sameway as I do when I listen to a high-end hornsystem…this is weird! And I’m listening toDeadmau5…which is not really the most ‘chill in-ducing’ music in the world…it’s brash and banging,but the Oppos bring so much detail and feeling it isreally uncanny.I described my first experience of listening to theAudeze LCD-XC headphones as being ‘like a night-club on my head’ Oppo take it one stage further, thisis total music immersion. To be fair, I didn’t thinkthat anything could blow me away more than the Au-deze, much less an open backed pair of ‘phones, butOppo have done something VERY clever here andare starting to seriously justify their grand+ price tagThe soundstage is perhaps the most 3D I have heard,the music is all around me with an incredible depthand clarity, there are layers toDeadmau5‘s tunes that I neverknew existed or expected.It extends in every direction butstill retains the drive in the centreof my head; there is a sense of thesound coming from many differ-ent directions.The bass is very controlled andagain detailed and fast…and thereis plenty off it, enough to satisfyeven a basshead like me!Don’t get me wrong…I love,love, love the Audeze but I justfeel that where they seem to shoutwith a sharper brightness, the Op-po’s whisper and reveal moredetail…with the Oppos the di-mensions in the soundstage areunsurpassed and I feel that Icould walk around quite happilyin a way I could not in theAudeze…yes there is sound bleedfrom the open backs, but I’m feel-ing a bit selfish and don’t careabout that right now.The chills are back again as I putRudimental’s album ‘Home’on…..’Feel the love’ is elevated

to epic status, I love this tune…I hold my hands inair to it and I just feel that the Oppos have theedge…best headphones I’ve ever listened to? Righthere right now……. I would say yes.Of course Hardfloor are back for the serious bass testwith ‘once again back’….again I am getting incredi-ble levels of detail and clarity and serious, seriousbass…better than the other headphones I have re-viewed? Yes, and bear in mind that I have them allon my desk and am switching between them to gaugemy aural memories.I switch to Gil Scott Heron and his ‘Ghetto Style’album, again, something I have listened to with allthe headphone reviews this month. With more natu-ral than electronic music the 3Dness of the sound-stage is even more apparent…I pick out ‘No Knock’because the bongo player is sat about 4 feet diagonal-ly behind my left shoulder….I have to look round tocheck he is not really there!I need to rock out a bit, Eels ‘Beautiful Freak’ goeson …I forget that I am supposed to be ‘reviewing’

Oppo PM-1


and just lose myself in the music in the way that Ihave only really done before with the Audeze. Theconnection with the music is incredible, combinedwith the comfort and the fact that you could wearthese headphones 24/7 if you were so inclined makesme very, very happy. I could go on…I’ve listened toloads more music on these headphones but I am justdrawn into listening and enjoying rather than review-ing, that has to count for something.So which would I pick? They are both stunning intheir own way; I guess it just comes down to person-al preference, if they were cars then the Audezewould be a seriously rugged Jeep and the Oppo aslick, silver Mercedes…horses for courses and hardto decide between; but for me the emotion and detailcoupled with the slickness of the design and supremecomfort puts the Oppo PM-1 as the best headphone Ihave used.Yes the Audeze are a bit more expensive , but basi-cally the two are competing for the same market,they are both £ grand plus planar magnetic head-phones from California, but where as you probablyhaven’t heard of the Oppo PM -1 you can’t haveavoided Audeze if you have any interest at all in Hi-fi.If the Audeze are the A list celeb, posing for the pa-parazzi at the VIP lounge in the airport, Oppo willhave already slipped discretely through security andbe sat on their private jet sipping champagne ….Au-deze are what all the cool kids say we should buy,Oppo are what the cool kids haven’t discoveredyet…………..go figure, be a leader not a follower.Sound – 9.5/10Comfort – 9.5/10Fit and finish – 9.5/10Value – 8.75/10Overall – 9.3/10The best headphones that I have heard….I’mputting my neck on the line and saying it.The ultimate combo of sound and comfort…I

would happily live on beans on toast for amonth to pay for them.Probably as close to a perfect ten as I cangive.

Linette Smith…and now Stuart Smiths thoughts.

The Oppo PM1 headphones have gained quite areputation as a very well regarded set of canssince their launch and so we thought that

Headphone Month at Hifi Pig would be incompletewithout taking the opportunity to take a listen to this£1099 pair of planar magnetic headphones.They arrive packaged in a luxurious, polished wood-en box with a good quality, long OCC cable that iswrapped in a black fabric and terminated with an Op-po branded quarter inch jack. The cable is terminatedon the headphone end with a pair of minijacks whichmeans you can have a play with aftermarket cables.There’s also a handy denim carrying case which al-lows the headphones to be popped in your hand lug-gage when travelling about (the PM1s foldcompletely flat which I think is a useful and advanta-geous feature). Topping off the accessories is an al-ternative set of velour pads which OPPO say offerusers a slightly different presentation over the lamb-skin pads the headphones come fitted with. All in allthis is a good start for the Oppos, initial impressionscount for a lot and at the asking price buyers shouldexpect to feel they are buying a lavish product.The cans themselves are over the ear, a squared ovalin shape and pretty much cover the whole ear, but areactually relatively small in comparison to the likes ofthe Audeze cans. I’d have preferred the cans to be asmidge larger so they did cover the whole ear as Ifound they rubbed slightly on the outer part and tothe back of my ear.I’d certainly be happy to walk about with these onmy head and the design is relatively understated soyou don’t stand out like a spare part at a wedding.They also leak very little noise into the surroundingenvironment which will be a boon for your fellowpassengers on public transport. They are well paddedwith natural latex and sit fairly firmly on your headbut not with too much clamping effect – thoughshaking your head about does move the phones aboutso they’d not be ideal for vigorous exercise.The headband is well padded, covered in the samelambskin as the earpads which coupled with the rela-tively light weight of the PM-1s (395g) makes themextremely comfortable on the top of the head.

Oppo PM-1Probably as closeto a perfect ten asI can give.


They’re not as comfortable on the top of the head asthe HifiMan HE 560s but you can wear them forlong periods without any problems at all. Alteringthe headband is nice and easy and can be done whilethe PM-1s are on your head, meaning you can get theperfect fit quickly, even if you share your head-phones.Along with the Audeze and HifiMan headphoneswe’ve been sent for review the OppoPM1 have a pla-nar magnetic diver and here it’s 85 x 69mm with asymmetric push pull neodymium magnet system.Oppo also say that the They are a 32 ohm load and102dB (1mW) sensitive and I found that they wereeasy enough to drive from both the output of thepreamp and the headphone amplifier. Plugging theminto my portable player I found that they were amuch easier load to drive than the Beyer DynamicT1s with me struggling to get the volume above20/30 without it being too loud. Indeed I’d be reallyhappy to have these connected to this whilst out andabout as the sound quality was really rather good.The Sound

Relaxed and unforced are the first words that cometo mind when you first listen to the PM1s. Nothingseems to be at all shouty and theirs an evenness tothe way they reproduce the music. You put these on,turn the music on and it’s as if a feeling of calm de-scends. There’s also really good isolation from theoutside world with the PM1s that add to this feelingof calm.Emiliana Torrini’s Fisherman’s Woman sounds ab-solutely gorgeous and theirs detail in her breathy vo-cal that is certainly up there with the very bestheadphones I’ve had the pleasure to hear. The simplearrangements on this record play very much to thestrengths of the PM1s with every little nuance of theguitar work being audible and you find yourself real-ly drawn into the recording. This isn’t to suggest thatthese are an over analytical headphone, they’re not,but there is a natural easiness to the sound withoutthe feeling that you are missing out on any of the de-tail on the recording.This story is repeated on Kathryn Williams’ CrownElectric record and whilst this album has more going

on than the previous it’s the velvetysmooth vocal that is the first thing tograb your attention. Strings are lushand hats are crisp and sparkling withthe bottom end having good weightand authority. It has to be said that itwould be easy to go to female vocalsconstantly with the Oppos but conven-tion suggests I ought to seek out tunesthat I think will test these headphonesand find out any weaknesses.And do it’s on with Smoke On TheWater from Deep Purple’s Live in Ja-pan album that I’ve been listening to asa bit of a test track whilst reviewingheadphones this month. The gutturalbass guitar is difficult for some head-phones to reproduce with any sense ofrealism but I’m happy to say the PM1sdo a good job here. They perform simi-larly well with the other bass checktrack from Hardfloor that I’ve beenusing, with the growling bassline anddrum kick sounding as it should. In-deed here there is a really good senseof what the musician’s were doing inreinforcing the bassline with the kick;the kick is clearly apart from, but en-hancing, the bassline if this makes

Oppo PM-1


sense. There’s also good speed with the bass notes,and particularly the electronic drums starting andstopping on a pin. Like the Audeze and to a lesserextent the HifiMan HE 560s, there’s pace andrhythm that brings the bass and drums together tocreate a really exciting listen, despite my fears thatthese would sound a touch lack lustre and polite withthis style of music given my comments about thembeing relaxed and unforced. Indeed, there’s a realdynamic feel to these cans that makes them reallyquite addictive. I’m no scientist by any stretch of theimagination but I’m guessing, given the similar qual-ities of the Planar Magnetic headphones we’ve beenplaying with, that something in the way this driversystem works adds to the dynamic feel they have.Herbie Hancock’s One Finger Snap goes on next andyou do really get a great sense of soundstage. It’s notover exaggerated though and the musicians do stayin their place between you head with a reasonablefeeling of front to back space too. Moving onto In-Duologue’s Blue Skies record there’s excellent senseof the recoding space and a great insight into the waythe recordings were made.ComfortThese are a pretty light headphone and so over thetop of the head they are pretty comfortable, not thebest but very acceptable.Now here’s where I fell out with the PM1s a littleand it must have something to do with the shape ofmy right ear because whichever way round I hadthem (right can on right ear, or left can on the rightear) I was getting a degree of discomfort, but only onmy right ear and in one particular spot. I asked Li-nette to wear these for an afternoon before I contin-ued the reviewing process and she reported nodiscomfort at all, so, as I say, I reckon this is down tosome issue with these particular headphones and myright ear shape. On the left they were as comfortableas you’d like. They do get quite warm after extendedperiods but this is pretty normal with any headphonein my experience.ConclusionAt over £1000 OPPOs PM1s are not a cheap head-phone by any stretch of the imagination, indeed theyare the second priciest headphones I’ve heard andonly beat in this respect by the Audeze’s. That saidthey aren’t massively more expensive than the Sen-nheiser HD 800s or the Beyer Dynamic T1s and socompare very favourably with them.

There’s a sophistication to the sound of the Opposthat is hard to ignore. At first you get the impressionthat they are going to be polite and a little bit on theboring side but then you listen further and realise thatthis is only a very small part of their presentation be-cause presenting them with dynamic and complexmusic really gets them singing. Add to this a greatlevel of detail speed and you really have a headphonethat is difficult to better I’d say. Yes, overall the Au-deze are a better headphone, but they cost more, areheavier than and not as portable as the Oppos, so youtakes your pays your money and you takes your pick.They are easy to drive, even with a portable deviceand they fold flat into their nifty little denim carrycase and so a good choice for those looking for ahigh quality sound on the go.From my perspective I wouldn’t buy the Oppos be-cause of the issues mentioned with comfort on myright ear, but then not everyone experiences this.The Oppos are a luxurious product with very carefulattention to detail being made in the packaging andfit and finish and this should be applauded.Sound – 9Comfort – 7.5Fit and finish – 9Value – 8.5Overall – 8.5A very good sounding, refined headphonethat is portable and offers a level of pride ofownership that will be hard to beat.

Stuart Smith

Oppo PM-1At first you get the impressionthat they are going to bepolite and a little bit on theboring side but then you listenfurther and realise that this isonly a very small part of theirpresentation becausepresenting them with dynamicand complex music reallygets them singing.


Final audio is a Japanese company that makeunique looking earphones and headphones. Iwas given the Heaven II and Heaven IV to

review that are both in-ears. The Heaven II are thecheaper option retailing at £69 look identical to themore expensive option apart from the slightly morelimited colour choices. The Heaven IV is the moreexpensive option retailing at £139.So what are the key differences between these 2 in-earphones?Heaven IIStarting with the Heaven II it’s a very well pricedproduct. I love its unique “futuristic” design and ithas got a nice weight to it. Its stainless steel con-struction gives it a very solid feel. The earphonecomes with a number of silicone ear buds to accom-modate all shapes and sizes of ear I tried all of thedifferent ear buds and found that the smallest oneswere the most comfortable and gave the best sound. Inever felt any strain on my ears even after manyhours of listening.The cable is flat which means that it doesn’t get tan-gled up in your pocket. The build quality is second tonone and there were no faults or flaws in the con-struction.The Heaven II, being the cheaper option, should notsound as good as the Heaven IV. That being saidthey still sound impressive. They have great presenceand have rich lows and mids.I felt however they were a bit lacking In the top-end.They sounded best with bass heavy dance musictracks.

The track that brought out the best of these ear-phones for me was “One more day” by Example.The baseline and piano sounded rich and punchy andthe vocals were not overshadowed by the bass thank-fully. There was also great noise isolation from out-side sounds and let me hear the music even in loudpublic spaces.All in all, these earphones are a good and I wouldpersonally use them as my daily in ear monitor. Theymight be a bit bass heavy for some but I like that andfor the low price of £69, you can’t really complain.Heaven IV

Final Audio Heaven II and Heaven IV In Ear Monitors

Final Audio’sHeaven II at £69and Heaven IV at£139 are putthrough their pacesby Hifi Pig’s teencorrespondent.

All in all, these earphonesare a good and I wouldpersonally use them asmy daily in ear monitor.


The Heaven IV improves on what the HeavenII lacks. First of all they come with a verynice stainless steel carrying case. The sound

brings the bass and mids from the Heaven II butgreatly improves on the top end and adds a lot moredepth to the music. The combination of the rich bassand sparkling top end produces an almost perfectsound for me. The stand out track with these wasdefinitely ”Right Here” by Rudimental. The vocalswere a lot more prominent than with the Heaven IIand the bass and mids sounded even better. The gui-tar riffs sounded really vivid. I also felt that the bassresponse was a lot more efficient on the Heaven IV.After listening to the Heaven IV I would find it diffi-cult to go back to the Heaven II, but is the jump up insound performance worth double the price of theHeaven II?I think it is as they are one of the best sounding in-earphones I have heard in a long time and even out-perform some more expensive headphones.Final Audio Heaven II:Price as tested: £69Sound – 7/10Comfort – 9/10Fit and finish – 9/10Value – 8/10Overall – 8.25/10

Final Audio Heaven IV:Price as tested £139Sound – 8.5/10Comfort – 9/10Fit and finish – 9/10Value – 7.5/10Overall – 8.5/10I would recommend the Heaven II to some-one on a tight budget but I would suggestthey save up a bit more and buy the highlyrecommended Heaven IV as they are a hugeimprovement and are almost everything thatI look for in an in-earphone; Even if theHeaven II is better value for money.I highly rate both of these earphones!

Harry Smith

Final Audio Heaven II and Heaven IV In Ear Monitors

I think it is as theyare one of thebest sounding in-earphones I haveheard in a longtime and evenoutperform somemore expensiveheadphones.


Sennheiser are one of the first names that cometo mind when speaking about headphones andso it would be remiss of us not to have taken a

listen to at least one of their offerings in what is“Headphone Month” here at Hifi Pig and where bet-ter for us to start than at the top of their range and the£999 HD800s.They arrive in a large fliptop box lined with a silkyfabric that as a whole screams big brand marketingsavvy – understated and corporate. There’s a glossyinstruction manual and attached the headphones 3mplus cable terminated with a quarter inch jack whichis “specially tuned, symmetrical, impedance match-ing with low capacitance”. The cables can be re-placed with aftermarket examples should you feel theurge, but the supplied cable does seem to be wellmanufactured with a twisted configuration. For homeusers this is a proper length which in the main shoulddo away with the need for the use of extension cables– a positive, if small, detail from my perspective.Straight from the box the HD800s look very differentfrom other designs we have in for review. First of allthey are very modern looking with their silver and

black colours giving an industrial looking design –some will like it whilst others will see it as being abit over the top. However, thinking about it this is adesign where form follows function as these are basi-cally loudspeakers for the ears – the drivers are thebiggest used in headphones to date say Sennheiser.They are a physically large headphone, not as big asthe Audeze cans we have in at the moment, butthey’re not the kind of thing you could wear on a buswithout standing out somewhat, not that you’re like-ly to do this with the HD800s without attracting un-wanted attention of fellow passengers, as they doleak music into their surroundings – much as youwould expect from a large pair of open back drivers.The headband is nicely padded and coupled with theSennheisers’ relative lightweight (they are just 330g)is comfortable on the top of the head – perhaps notquite as comfortable as the HifiMan HE560s. Posi-tioning of the cans on the headband is very simpleand a case of moving them up and down with yourhands whilst on your head – certainly a better solu-tion than the HifiMans’. The cans themselves aremassive and comfortably cover the whole ear with athin, but very comfy padding around them covered in

Sennheiser HD-800

Sennheiser is aname that hasbeensynonymouswith headphonesfor decades,here we take alook at theirrange-toppingHD-800s.


micro-fabric to protect your head – they’re also deepso the driver is sitting a good way from your ear. Thecans are slightly sprung so that when you place themon your head they clamp inwards ever so slightly toensure there’s a tight seal between the padding andyour head. This is effective and not over tight, butthis does mean that if you shake your head aboutwith any force they do move about a little – not sureI’d be comfortable running in these…but then that’snot what they’re made for!The HD800s have an impedence of 300Ohms andwere driven very loud and very easily by the Coff-man Labs headphone amp on the GA1 pre, with mehaving to turn the volume down from the previous‘phones I had been using. The little HiSound porta-ble media player certainly had no problem drivingthe Sennheisers to very loud volumes and I imagineyou’d be fine running these easily from an iPod orwhatever player you choose. However, they arelarge, come with no carrying case and so how practi-cal it is to use these ‘phones whilst travelling is opento debate…as it is with most of the non-IEMs wehave at our disposal.The SoundAs mentioned, listening was done using our normalpreamplifier and we used our normal DAC fed withFLACs from the computer using our reference playerwith JPlay.Whilst the perceived soundstage thrown with theHD800s isn’t as wide as with the Final PandoraHope VIs there is still a good feeling that the musicis in its own space and with a good out-of-the-headfeel. Doug MacLeod’s bluesy “Rosa Lee” displaysthem to have a very good feel to the bass with it be-ing deep, tight and controlled – which you’d possiblyexpect from the large drivers used in the Sennheisers.However, this increased bass extension is certainlynot at the expense of the other frequencies and guitarand hats are bright and sparkly with a natural soundto them. Some may prefer the upper frequencies tobe rolled off a little, but then I enjoy the Grado 325iheadphones which some perceive as being overlybright. The vocal is accurate and correct in the mixwithout being over emphasised and this leads to avery pleasing and overall easy to listen to sound thatis nicely balanced. There’s good separation to theinstruments too which adds to the detailed accuracyof the sound.Hardfloor’s “Once Again Back”, as many readerswill be aware, is one of the tracks we regularly use tocheckout a loudspeaker performance in the bass de-

partment and with the HD800s I was certainly notdisappointed. There’s a good hint of the feeling youget when listening to the growling synth-bass per-formed through a proper pair of loudspeakers, withthe associated low level 303 bass being very pleasingalso. There’s speed and there is punch to the soundwhich I like a lot and whilst the Final Pandora HopeIVs lacked a little in the lower bass registers you sac-rifice a little of the 3D presentation they give withthe HD800s – horses for courses then. I foundsearching on the tablet for a lot of techno and dancemusic and I think if you listen to a lot of this kind ofmusic the HD800s will be an excellent choice.The outstanding In Duologue “Blue Skies” album onSnip Records is recorded in a small chapel andthere’s a good sense of the space’s sound particularlyon the vocal track. Again there is a sense of a nicelybalanced sound with the HD800s with the femalevocal being slightly to the fore and playing nicelyagainst the contrebass. The whispered, normallybarely audible, background vocal sound at the startof the opening track is clear and it’s nice to hear this.Contrebass is tight and percussive with good slapand it has the feel that it goes lower than most of theother headphones we have in for test.Pink Fairies’ “Kings of Oblivion” album can soundquite bright to these ears (or my CD copy does), so Iwanted to see if the HD800s exaggerated this at all.It’s still a record that’s slightly exaggerated at thetop-end a little I think, but I don’t believe the Senhe-issers are over emphasising this and what I got fromlistening to this album on these cans was heaps of

Sennheiser HD-800 The vocal track isagreeably reproducedand again I found it to beslightly forward. Basswas nice and bouncy toowhich I enjoyed andadded to a feeling of theHD800s being rhythmicand foot-tappinglyexciting.


detail in the mix and a “live” feel to the music –which is about right I’d say. The vocal track is agree-ably reproduced and again I found it to be slightlyforward. Bass was nice and bouncy too which I en-joyed and added to a feeling of the HD800s beingrhythmic and foot-tappingly exciting.ComfortAs previously mentioned, the HD800s from Sennhe-iser fit over the whole ear which I like a great dealand I think you’d have to be particularly well propor-tioned in the lughole department to have any issueswith them. There’s also a goof deal of space betweenthe divers and the ears which means that there’s nofear of any part of your ear rubbing on the driver, orits protection.The padding between the body of the cans and yourhead is minimal, but, given that the HD800s don’tclamp to your head aggressively, they are very com-fortable to wear.They are a light headphone and easy to wear overlong periods of time without feeling any discomfort.However, the headband can become “evident” afterlong periods of time and in this area I preferred theHifiMan HD 560s.ConclusionThe Sennheiser HD800s are clearly a very goodheadphone that will please people who enjoy a moni-tor type sound. Some may find the upper frequenciesto be a little much, but, like with the Grado 325is, Iperceive this as accuracy rather than anything to crit-icise… you pays your money, you takes your choice.They don’t have the“luxurious/audiophile” sound ofthe Final Pandora Hope VI, butI think this is to the Sennheis-ers’ credit actually and they dohave an overall better balance totheir sound than the Finals, withbass being especially morepleasing and strong. Soundstageis pretty good and there’s a rea-sonably good out-of-the-headexperience but this is not thebest we’ve heard. For extendedlistening they are non-fatiguingand a pleasure to listen to.They are an easy headphone todrive and have no issues withbeing played by portable musicplayers, despite them not being

particularly portable themselves because of their sizeand lack of case.From the perspective of comfort these are great andthe large cans fit over the ear completely makingthem easy to wear for extended periods. My onlyniggle comfort-wise is the headband can become“evident” (if not uncomfortable) after long periods ofwear.On the negative side they are big and I’d have likedto have seen a carry case included in the price to fa-cilitate being able to pop them in a bag when awayon business. Looks will also divide opinion.At £999 these aren’t cheap headphones but they dosound very good, are comfortable and they shouldlast you a lifetime if looked after.Sound – 8.75Comfort – 8.25Fit and finish – 8.25Value – 8Overall – 8.31Recommended for serious headphone lis-teners who want plenty of detail, coupledwith good quality bass reproduction and alifelike interpretation.

Stuart SmithAnd now Linette’s thoughts on the Sennheiser HD800 headphones

Sennheiser HD-800


Well August seems to have turned intoChristmas at Hifi Pig towers with head-phones, headphone amps and in ear moni-

tors arriving in droves.Next on my review schedule were the open backedSennheisers which retail at about £1000.These arrived very nicely packaged in a black pres-entation case and on unboxing them, my first impres-sion was that they were big….but really light.Having previously tested the Audeze and Final Pan-dora headphones, these seemed exceptionally light,according to Sennheiser they weigh in at just 330g.They look big because they fit around the ear, ratherthan on it at all, which I have to say, coupled withthe lightness, makes for a very comfortable fit. Theyseem to curve around the head, hugging it but not ina stifling embrace.The only problem that I had with the fit was Icouldn’t keep my glasses on as the earcups pushedthem into my head.The easily adjustable headband is also well paddedadding to the comfortable fit. They are also suppliedwith a good quality, long cable that has robust con-nectors and is apparently reinforced with Kevlar.I found the design pleasing, and I felt a bit Cyborg-like while wearing them but in my opinion, they didlook a bit ‘plasticky’. I guess this is the payoffthough for them being so light for their size.I started things off with Primal Scream’s ‘Screama-delica’ album. ‘Movin’ on up’ is an uplifting trackwith gospel backing vocals, piano, organ and rockyguitar riffs. Everything sounded in its place and Iwould say the overall feel and impression of thesoundstage was really big and open, like listening ina concert hall.On ‘Loaded’ the bass was deep and defined but themids and tops were there as well, the ‘country’twang of the guitar sounded great.‘Damaged’ sounded beautiful, the vocals were sweetbut gravelly with a perfect balance between pianoand guitar and the background organ ….but it wasstarting to get to the real bass test time.I always itch to hear Hardfloor’s ‘Once again back’on new bits of kit. With the HD800s the sub basswas tight and defined…..all the detail that I wantedto hear was there and they presented the swoopyswirly top and mid range perfectly.Slowing things down a bit, I put on John Martyn’s‘Solid Air’, a track that I hear a lot at hifi shows…for good reason, it shows off a system that is‘right’ really well. This sounded smooth and hon-

eyed on the HD800’s with the vocal and instrumentsall beautifully placed…it sounded very accurate tome.Back to Gil Scott Heron and ‘Ghetto Style’ which Ihave used in all my recent headphone reviews. Thisalbum did sound very good, again with the sense ofaccuracy and definition but I did find I was having toturn things up louder than when using the Audezeheadphones.I tend to prefer my headphones with closed backsbecause if I am either out and about or listening athome I like to keep my music to myself and not forcethose around me to listen to it too.I perhaps did not feel as ‘lost in music’ as I did withthe Audeze LCD –XC which I again put down to theSennheiser HD800s being open backed so theydidn’t give me the isolation that I prefer when listen-ing on headphones, I also found that in a noisy envi-ronment I was cranking the volume higher on theheadphone amp to drown out exterior noise interfer-ence.All in all, they came across as very accurate andcomfortable headphones (minus the glasses conflict)but they didn’t excite me a much as some of the oth-er headphones I have used, they seemed to me to bea little too clinical for my taste, everything perfectlydone, but just missing the ‘wow’ factor…. For somepeople this will be exactly what they are looking for.Sound – 7.75/10Comfort – 8/10Fit and finish –7.75/10Value – 7.25/10Overall – 7.69/10Accurate, comfortable headphones with avery good build quality, suited to people notlooking for complete isolation from theoutside world when they listen to music.

Linette Smith

Sennheiser HD-800All in all, they cameacross as veryaccurate andcomfortableheadphones…


I first had a brief listen to the Japanese made Pan-dora Hope VI headphones at Munich earlier thisyear and thought they sounded pretty nice in far

from ideal surroundings, so was pleased to be offereda review pair to try at home.The £550 Hope VIs arrive in a hexagonal box whichopens at the top to reveal the headphones surroundedby black faux-fur which lines the box and is a prettynice touch which adds to that “Christmas morning”effect. Inside the box you’ve got the very basic in-struction pamphlet, the removable 1.5m cable andthe headphones themselves.Pulling the headphones out the top of the box thefirst thing that strikes is that these are a pretty heavyheadphone, coming in at around 480g. The second isthat they look pretty classy with their silver andblack finish (stainless steel and ABS resin). Poppingthem on your head they’re immediately comfortablewith a well padded headband and position nicelyover the whole of the ear – smaller over ears cansometimes be a problem for this reviewer. The ear-pads (and headband) are covered with faux leatherand well padded. Positioning is by way of a simpleslider mechanism and the cans themselves pivotnicely so you get a comfortable fit automatically –they also rotate slightly, but more of this later.The cable is well made and has two minijacks thatplug into each of the cans on the headphones and onethat pops into the amp’s socket. Now these are prettyheavy headphones and I can’t see me wanting towalk about the town (or heaven forbid exercising)with them and I do most of my listening on head-

phones at home, so would have preferred to haveseen a quarter inch jack on the end of these. On thepositive side of things the fact that the cable is “inde-pendent” will allow, for those so inclined, to experi-ment with after-market cables. I also realise thatmany use headphones when traveling on businessand in hotel rooms using computers and portable au-dio players and so this mini-jack does actually makesense in the real world.From a design perspective the Pandora Hope VIheadphones are an interesting concept. They are ahybrid design that uses a balanced armature alongwith a 50mm dynamic driver and this is where theslight rotation of the cans comes in – you can posi-tion the balanced armature so you get the sound thatsuits your ears best. Personally I preferred themturned full forward, but it was interesting to experi-ment.They are 8 Ohm closed design with a sensitivity of105db and as such an easy headphone to drive.SoundListening was predominantly done using Flacs fromthe computer using JRiver and JPlay via the VADvalve DAC and the headphone amp on the CoffmanGA1 preamplfier we use daily.Popping on the excellent “Coz” album from DavidCrosby you’re immediately aware of there being anice wide soundstage with decent a three dimension-al feel to give a good to very good “out of the head”experience that is sometimes really lacking when us-ing some headphones. Clarity of the sound is very

Final Pandora IV

JapanesePandora Hope VIheadphones thathave a noveldriverimplementation.They cost £550.


good, with piano, guitar and vocals shining out fromthe mix. The sound is tight and accurate with Cros-by’s distinctly toned voice being instantly recognisa-ble. Individual little percussion sounds are veryevident and overall you get a great insight into themix with slight effects on the guitar being easy tohear.Overall the sound is really rather pleasing and veryeasy to listen to with this kind of laidback music andit’s very difficult not to reach for the tablet and pickmore of this from the virtual shelf.The beginning few bars of David Bowie’s “ZiggyStardust” are crisp and precise and when the vocalcomes in it’s a real delight to listen to. Bass is tightand, whilst not as deep as some other headphones, itpresents itself well: There’s a tendency these days toover exaggerate the lower frequencies with cheaper(and some more expensive) headphones to appeal tothe younger generations of listeners desire to con-form to the “beats” sound. The Pandora Hope VI willcertainly appeal to the more mature (in experiencerather than years) listener who appreciates a balancedsound over and above the boom and tizz offered upelsewhere. “Smoke on the Water” from Deep Pur-ple’s “Made in Japan” record has a great electric basssound that is a bit of a highlight of the record for meand here, despite it being a little light overall, it’swell toned giving a good impression of the effectused.

Square Pusher’s “Ufabulum” album is clever drumand bass at its very best with complex sounds com-ing and going in the mix and with the Hope VI youfeel that there’s an accuracy to the sound. The snap-py snare hits cut through the intricate mix and there’sthat out-the-head sensation to the soundstage again.Do you miss the very lowest bass registers?…wellno, not really you don’t. Personally I’d rather havethe tight and well toned bass the Pandoras give up

rather than an overblown, dominating and, in the fi-nal analysis, artificial sounding bass “the youth”seem to crave. Here you have speed, control andtautness that is a delight to listen to…really musicaland enjoyable!On the funky disco of Salsoul Orchestra’s “StreetSense” record and particularly listening to “BurningSpear” the infectiousness of the groove comesthrough brilliantly and the horns, when they begin,cut through the mix just as they should. Bass kickhas that tightness again as does the electric bass gui-

tar which, given the overallbalance of the Pandoras,sounds right in this context.Moving onto a bit of jazz inthe form of Herbie Hancock’s“Cantaloupe Island” the senseof the recording space is ap-parent and Freddie Hubbard’scornet soars to the fore.There’s an overall “liveness”to the music and Tony Wil-liams light touches on cym-bals and hats glimmerthrough the other instruments.

With the Pandora Hope VI there’s a sense of separa-tion of the instruments in space that allows you tolisten critically should you want to, but the overallfeeling is one of a cohesive and enjoyable listen.Plugging the headphones into the little Studio porta-ble player from HiSound they prove to be really easyto drive and you can crank them up to outrageousvolumes should you wish. If I was popping off for

Final Pandora IVWith the Pandora Hope VIthere’s a sense ofseparation of theinstruments in space thatallows you to listencritically should you wantto, but the overall feelingis one of a cohesive andenjoyable listen.


the weekend on business I’d bemore than happy with the sound ofthis combo.ComfortThese fit nicely over the ear enclos-ing it and ensuring good sound iso-lation from the outside world, butthe faux leather earpads can be-come a little “sweaty” on warmevenings when you’re wearingthem for extended periods – Iwould have liked to see a fabricalternative in the box. *There isalso a tendency (with my earshape) for the hard plastic meshinside the can to rub slightly on theantihelix (I had to look that up),part of the ear – this could be simply cured by havingdeeper cushions on the earpads, though I’ve experi-enced this with other headphones and so, as I sug-gest, it could just be my ear shape. They fit quiteloosely on the head and if you do move your headabout over enthusiastically they do move about. Allthat said they were pretty comfortable on the wholeand I managed to spend a good few hours at a timewearing them.ConclusionsThe Pandora Hope VI from Final are a superior prod-uct both from a finish and sound quality perspective.Sonically they perform very well with all genres ofmusic, offering up a clear and cohesive sound that’sa real pleasure to listen to. There’s a sense that theyhave a balance and sophistication to them that clearlyputs them in the audiophile bracket. Bass is tight andtuneful (though not massively low), mids and topsare clean and precise. Soundstage is one of their real-ly strong points and they really do that out-of-the-head thing really well with instruments clearly sepa-rated and in their own space.Comfort-wise I found them to be fairly comfortablewith the caveats mentioned. Given their loose fit Idon’t see them being suitable for the very active, butgreat for the commute to work or for when away onbusiness.At their price-point they are not in any way a budgetor impulse buy and whilst I do think they punchsomewhat above their weight sonically, I’d suggestyou see if you can get a pair to try on before youbuy, or take advantage of current distance sellingregulations, to see if they fit your ear-shape properly.

Sound – 8.25Comfort – 6.75Fit and finish – 8.5Value – 8Overall – 7.88Recommended for those looking for a wellmade an “audiophile” sounding headphonethat punches above its weight and has a fab-ulous soundstage.

Stuart SmithAnd now Linette’s thoughts on the Final PandoraHope VI headphones.

I have said it before and I will say it again, thewhole process of buying a new bit of hifi andthen bringing it home to unbox should be a bit of

an event. A cracking product carefully packaged andboxed will make more of an impression than some-thing just slung into a plain box with a bit of bubble-wrap.Final Audio have nailed it with these headphones;they come in a hexagonal black box, with silver em-bossed logos, like something you would get jewel-lery or expensive perfume in. The inside of the box islined with a thick, black (fake) fur and acts as a head-phone stand which the ‘phones nestle into, very nice.Taking them out of the box I was impressed with thestylish, minimal design and the build quality. Theyhave a quietly retro feel to them with polished blackABS plastic that has a matte finish and stainlesssteel. The headband is broad and well padded and theearcups slide easily up and down to adjust the fit.

Final Pandora IV


The detachable cable clips in, in a satisfy-ingly solid fashion.One thing I would say, these are not real-ly grippy headphones and I don’t thinkthey are designed for anything muchmore active than sitting and listening tomusic. They are not for running about in(which is fine by me!)They also sat comfortably on my headwhile wearing glasses, if I’m sat using mycomputer whilst wearing headphones, thisis pretty important to me.Although the earpads were pretty thickand comfortable I did have a bit of an is-sue with some parts of the driver or driverhousing that were not covered by the pads and wereslightly uncomfortable on my ears.The Final website states that the Pandora Hope VIfeature ‘a hybrid design that merges balanced arma-ture with a 50mm diameter dynamic driver unit cou-pled with BAM (Balancing Air Movement)mechanism’ and that they have ‘achieved an extraor-dinarily vast sound stage’Have they? Well it sounds pretty good to me!‘Papua New Guinea’ from Future Sound of Londonsoared through my ears with plenty of detail in themid and top and a huge punch of bass.The soundstage did sound wide and deep…maybeFinal have something here.Not quite on the same level as the Audeze LCD –XC but the Pandora Hope VI are a third of the priceat around £550 UK retail.The Hardfloor ‘Once again back’ test was next….thistune really does get played on every piece of reviewequipment that comes in. Again they seemed reallybassy, but controlled and tight with everything elsepresent in the top and mid that I was looking forfrom this track.Wanting to listen to some of the same tracks in eachheadphone review I put on Gil Scott Heron’s ‘GhettoStyle’ again. It was engaging to listen to with a welldefined soundstage and the bass/mid/top mix sound-ed right to me.I would have happily sat and listened to the wholealbum but things were starting to get quite uncom-fortable in the ear department.I was pretty disappointed, the Final Pandora Hope VIsound very good….but they are just not the head-phone for me. Comfort is really important to me witha pair of headphones.

*I found them quite uncomfortable after wearing fora while, I think the way that the driver and housing isdesigned makes the part not covered by the padsstick out too close to the ear, I imagine this could beovercome by increasing the earpad thickness to takethe driver a little further back away from the ear.However, headphones are not a one size fits all and Iwould definitely suggest trying them to see how theyfeel on your own ears….just because they didn’twork for me doesn’t mean they won’t for you.Linette SmithSound – 8/10Comfort – 5/10Fit and finish – 8/10Value – 7/10Overall – 7/10A great sounding, beautiful looking set ofheadphones, just not a recommended fromme because of the comfort issues, whichother people may not have a problem with.

Linette Smith

*Robin from KS Distribution, who arethe UK importer of Final Audio prod-ucts, contacted Hifi Pig to tell us that ”larger earpads are available if some-one doesn’t like the original earpads –these were produced specially forthose who find the original pads un-comfortable. The larger pads were pro-duced for western markets and one ofthe guys at KS who experienced somediscomfort said they resolved the is-sue completely”.

Final Pandora IV


The £650 HE-560 from HifiMan open-backed,planar magnetic headphones arrive in a smartlooking wooden box with a metal nameplate

taking up the slide-out lid’s top surface. Inside youare presented by a very nicely cut out foam insertthat protects the headphones during transit, the own-ers manual and the detachable cables. This is a goodstart – first impressions count for a lot with lots ofpeople and it’s good to see another headphone manu-facturer realising this.Taking the HE-560s from their packaging it’s imme-diately apparent that these are a relatively lightweight design and they come in at 375g which ismore than 100g lighter than the Final Pandora HopeVI headphones we reviewed recently but slightlyheavier than the Sennheiser HD800s. I’d certainly behappy to use these whilst moving about or doingmild exercise. They look pretty cool with a woodenbanding around the outer circumference of each ofthe cans and this looks pretty classy.The cans are nice and big and fit over the whole ofthe ear (or most of it in my case) pretty comfortably-they aren’t as big as the Sennheisers but should begood for most folk. The headband is simple band ofplastic material and not actually part of the metal“headband” making it very comfortable indeed and itcan be adjusted by sliding little black plastic blockslocated on each side of the headband. This adjust-ment is a bit fiddly, but once it’s set you’re done un-

less you share your headphones with your family.They fit pretty firmly to your head too so you canmove about quite freely which is a good thing!The actual earpads themselves are made of whatlooks like faux leather with the surface that touchesyour head being a smoothish velour fabric. The ear-pads are thicker at the back of the ear than they are atthe front which positions them correctly over yourears.The cables are a decent 2m length and terminate atone end with a good quality Neutrik quarter inch jackand on the other with faffy little things that screwonto the bottom of each of the cans’ – I personallydidn’t like these at all, but again, once they’re in…they’re in. Cable enthusiasts on the other hand willbe pleased with the non-captive design so they canplay with cables from other manufacturers.Overall I really like the sleek design of these and thefinish looks to be pretty good, though I wouldn’t liketo be altering the headband overly often due to thenature of the mechanism.As a departure from previous Hifi Man models thedrivers have their magnet at only one side of thedriver’s membrane which is good for weight andmeans there’s nothing between the driver membraneand your ear, but it does mean that they are prettyinefficient at 90dB and have an impedence of 35Ohms. The output from the Coffman pre didn’t reallydrive the HifiMan HE560s and I’d suggest that a

HifiMan HE-560The £650 HifiManHE-560headphones arecausing quite a stirin some circles. Wetake a listen to seewhat all thecommotion isabout.


dedicated amp with a more healthy output is the or-der of the day. Fortunately I own a reference of aprototype solid state design from Epiphany Acous-tics that pumps out a healthy 2W should you needthat much. Plugging into the Studio portable playerfrom HiSound means having to crank the volume afair bit, but I’d suggest you’d be better off with a de-cent quality portable headphone amplifier.The SoundFirst listen straight from the box weren’t very im-pressive at all with the HE-560s sounding a littlebrash and yet closed in…but then to be fair the userguide does suggest 150 hours of breaking them in sothere they sat for a few days playing along to them-selves, which made me realise just how little theseopen backed designs bleed sound into their surround-ings. I’d be cautious on public transport, but I reckonyou’d get away with it if you sat at the back of thebus and kept yourself to yourself.After a suitable running in period the sound doeschange pretty dramatically and very much for thebetter. I’d been listening to the “Kings of Oblivion”from Pink Fairies on the Sennheiser HD800s and no-ticed that the bass on the HifiMan headphonesseemed to be a little tighter and more akin to a realbass guitar and if anything I’d say they were evenbetter in this department which is surprising as Iliked the bass on the Sennheisers a lot! A very briefintroduction but very positive none the less.Natalie Merchants eponymous album is a bit of fa-vourite with me at the moment and I just love theopening track “Ladybird”. Here her vocal is reallyquite beautifully rendered. It’s silky smooth andprojects from the backgroundinstrumentation as nicely asI’ve heard it on headphones.Bass is punchy, tight and dy-namic. I don’t think the Hifi-Mans go as low as theSennheisers but there is aquality to it that is reallypleasing to listen to and whichappeals to me. There seems tobe a slightly warm presenta-tion overall, but there’s equal-ly tons of detail with theseheadphones. The soundstageis difficult for me to express inwords – it’s not as wide ordeep as the Sennheiser HD800or the Final Pandora Hope

VIs, but there does seem to be a better forward toback sensation if that makes sense.On to some electronic music, which I actually reallyenjoy on a good set of headphones, and VCMG’s“SSSS”. To enjoy this kind of music I think you needheadphones that do speed and dynamics really welland the HE560s don’t disappoint. Whilst they don’tgo mega low (or as low as the Sennheiser HD800s)they do that start and stop thing on the bass that isessential for me and there is bags and bags of infor-mation in the higher frequencies making this albumin particular come alive with all the little synthesisedbleeps and twitters in the mix.Nolwenn Leroy’s “Brettone” album emphasise thenice balance these headphones have, but also high-light the fact that you need to drive them pretty hardto get the very best from them. There’s snap and im-

HifiMan HE-560Given their speed you arepresented an accurateand realistic impressionof the overall mix with nooverhang of sounds andwith each instrumenthaving its place on thestage.


pact from the drums and the traditional Breton in-struments, which tend to be pretty highly pitched, cutthrough the mix without being over emphasised andtaking over. Given their speed you are presented anaccurate and realistic impression of the overall mixwith no overhang of sounds and with each instru-ment having its place on the stage. Leroy’s versionof “Greensleeves” is naturally a simple rendition andthe HE560s perform this tune really beautifully withthe simple instrumentation layered in the mix to ac-centuate her voice. She is singing in a language thatis not her own (she’s Breton/French) and it is quiteeasy to pick out slight American inflections in hervoice.ComfortOver the top of the head the HifiMan HE560s are themost comfortable we have in for review andthis isdown to the simple headband arrangement – in thisrespect you are hardly aware you are wearing them atall.The cans themselves are pretty large but don’t coverthe whole of my lugs and this can become evident, ifnot actually uncomfortable, after long sessions withthem.They clamp quite tightly to your head which I reckonwould make them useable when doing light exercise,but the velour covering to the earpads did get prettywarm and a little itchy after long periods of use –perhaps an alternative could be included in the fu-ture.Conclusion

There’s a quality to the sound of the HifiManHE560s that really draws you in and makes you situp and listen. They are balanced and detailed in thetop end and, whilst the bass doesn’t go as low assome others in for review (notably the SennheiserHD800s), I do think there’s a punchy quality to thebass that is in balance with the rest of the frequencyrange they convey and it’s really quite endearing.That upper frequency detail isn’t at all over done andmany will actually prefer this quality of the HifiMansover the Sennheisers.Mids and vocals are really nicely done and overallthere is a hint of warmth to the HE560s which manywho listen to headphones for extended periods willenjoy a geat deal.The out-of-the-head experience isn’t as defined asthe Final Hope VI and there is a feeling of them be-ing slightly closed in left to right, whilst on the flip-side there’s a feeling of front to back space.Although I feel the soundstage is quite narrow theinstruments in the mix do have position and a degreeof space around them.Overall the sound the HE560s make is really ratherspecial and they play a wide variety of genres with-out issue and they don’t demand anything from thelistener.I personally found them a little uncomfortable on theears after a long session and they do need a decentheadphone amp to get the very best out of them. Thatsaid, they are light, relatively portable and the boxthey come in is of a size you can pop in large handluggage when traveling. I do worry that the littleclips for adjusting the headband will not be robust

enough over time if used alot.At £650 the HifiManHE560s come in at £100more than the Pandorasand I believe this is justifi-able as they do offer, formy tastes, a more coherentand less “audiophile”sound. At almost £350 lessthan Sennheisers and £849less than the Audeze LCD– XC they are a seriouscontender that will surelyget a lot of attention fromheadphone enthusiasts andserious listeners looking

HifiMan HE-560


for a more cost effective alternative.Sound – 8.5Comfort – 8.0Fit and finish – 8.0Value – 8.5Overall – 8.25Recommended for those looking for a light-weight headphone with a high quality, de-tailed sound throughout the frequency rangeand at a price-point that is attractive to thosenot wanting to spend mega-bucks.

Stuart SmithAnd now Linette Smith takes a listen to the Hifi-Man HE-560 headphones

I was expecting good things when the Hifimanheadphones arrived in their very stylish and stur-dy box. Well constructed wooden box with a

slide off lid that comes with an aluminium panel onthe front…very stylish indeed and the headphonesare perfectly protected in transit.Taking them out of the box was a bit déjàvu…….these headphones seemed to have a touch ofthe Audeze to them looks wise, was I getting acheaper interpretation from China? I hoped not!The first thing that strikes me is the weight; these areactually a pretty light set of ‘phones at 375g. Despitethe lightness they feel well built and durable with adefinite solidity to them, these are no cheeky rip off,they are a well made set of headphones.I really like the suspended head band. Slipping themon they feel very, very comfortable, with just the softband on my head I can only actually feel the earcups,sure, the metal frame of the headband does make melook a bit like a cyber man….but I like the design.The earcups themselves fit my ears perfectly and feelsupremely comfortable. Not as big as the Audeze andnot as heavy so they don’t need as much padding.They are definitely cocooning and even though theseare open backed I get the isolation from the outsideworld that I look for in a pair of headphones.They even work well with my glasses, no conflict atall……..I have to say I am pretty impressed by Hifi-man so far!I’m really excited to actually hear these so I put onBlondie’s ‘Parallel Lines’.‘Hanging on the telephone’ is rocky and lively andslips nicely into ‘One way or another’ with Debbie

Harry growling seductively in my ears.The soundstage is big and I get all the detail that Iwant to hear….drums sounding particularly good,everything is tight and well balanced and I am drawnin to listen more….actually I forget that I’m sup-posed to be writing a review and just enjoy listening!I switch back to Primal Scream’s ‘Screamadelica’which I last listened to with the Sennheisers that Ireviewed a few days ago.Wow! This is great, the bass is much deeper and allthe little nuances in the rhythm are clean and detailedwith nothing lost from the mid and top.I’m getting the ‘lost in music’ feeling that marks outa great pair of headphones for me….a lot of fun!I am very impressed that Hifiman have got such agreat balance with the HE-560s.Comfort, lightness and a great sound and all foraround £650 ….not a cheap pair of headphones byany stretch….but they are coming across as verygood value for money.It’s Hardfloor test time again so on goes ‘Once againback’. Driving basslines with lots of sub…..what’snot to love? Tight and detailed…..perfect, the Hifi-man ‘cans pass with flying colours, I think someonewill have to prise them from my head when it’s timeto send them back, I am hooked!I was impressed right from opening the box, but ifyou buy these headphones they will spend a lot moretime on your head than in the box! Thoroughly en-joyable.Sound – 8.75/10Comfort – 9.25/10Fit and finish – 8/10Value – 9/10Overall – 8.75 /10Excellent sounding, comfortable head-phones that give much more expensiveheadphones a run for their money. Definitelyrecommended.

Linette Smith

HifiMan HE-560Wow! This is great, the bass ismuch deeper and all the littlenuances in the rhythm areclean and detailed withnothing lost from the mid andtop.


Talk about headphones, and there is one namethat always springs to mind. When I was ateenage hi-fi fanatic I always wanted to own a

Stax. I remember then the company were adamantthat they should actually be called ‘Ear Speakers’,and I could see why with the Lambda. These mon-sters of the day looked more like speakers tied to thehead with a vice rather than headphones. Whilst theoriginal conventionally shaped Staxwas in 1960 it wasn’t until 1979that the Lambda – if you like, theoriginal baby of the SR-407 – wasborn. Indeed, many of the originalexterior parts, such as headband,driver yokes, earpads, and outercasing still play a part in the current207, 307, 407 and 507 incarnations.Only the Jecklin Float offered analternative electrostatic design, butthat particular offering was prone tofall off your head if you leaned for-ward. Koss, Sennheiser and PWBdid produce electret and electrostat-ics, but that’s for another day.These ear speakers couldn’t be

plugged directly into your standard headphone sock-et but rather had to be connected to a special electro-static generator, known as an ‘Energiser’, in the caseof the Stax using a 6 pin, and later 5 pin, connector.The energiser was itself connected to the line outputof your pre-amp. Quite unique in design, the highvoltage Lambda transducers were angled inwards,rather than being parallel to the ears like most cans.

Stax SR-407Stax seem to havebeen around foreverwith theirinterestinglydesignedEarspeakers thatrequire a specialenergizer to work.We take a listen totheir £1695 SR-407s


This gave it a distinctive soundstage, as ifthe instruments were in front of yourhead, rather than cramped inside betweenyour ears. This made listening to musicall that much more realistic and less tiringthan most others, particularly when lis-tening to centralised vocals. Coupledwith the electrostatic diaphragms, it madefor a quick and extended frequency re-sponse. Many years later I bought myfirst pair, and have never looked back.Having been brought up on Quad ESL57and 63’s these cans could do everythingthat those speakers could, only muchlouder.Looking more like something from theSecond-World War with its distinctive rectangularbrown plastic scaffolding to keep weight down andfaux leather ear-cups, the 2011 Stax SR-407 usuallygets mated up with the two 6FQ7 valve SRM-006tsenergiser to make up the SRS-4170 system. Interest-ingly, both parts can be bought separate though theyare useless unless mated together, and when boughtas a pair aren’t any cheaper, either! With a specifica-tion to die for (frequency response 7-41,000 Hz) andthe prospect of a fully balanced audio path from theXLR output of my Krell CD all the way to my earsvia the custom-made double axis 4-gang volumecontroller I knew this was going to be special. After

a long run-in to get some flexibility in the tight 1.35micron plastic membranes, I began to listen. By theway, the human hair is at least 40 times thicker!Compared with the original Lambda, the 2011 modelhas many changes to the inside, making for a muchbetter bass end, though the slightly more expensiveSR-507 (which is black, with real leather) gives amuch more confident lower end than this model, andis £250 more as a consequence. With that extra bassthis psychologically makes you feel the top end isinferior, which of course it isn’t. Perhaps the originalLambda was a little bit more comfortable, but withits large design fitting around my ears I was still ableto listen for extended time.Listening to the Dadawa ‘Sister Drum’ it was evidentthat my ears would probably hurt before the electro-static membrane did. The thud of the bass drums wasvery quick and precise and the wide dynamic rangemade my Krell KPS20i, renowned for its excellentbass production, sound better than I ever thought itwould. Everything was there, crystal clear. Listeningto my own album ‘Get Over It’, I could hear ele-ments of my recording that had not been apparentwhen I made it; things like slight level changes orchanges in perspective mid-verse. This led me toDire Straits ‘Love Over Gold’, an old favourite that Iknow has a few bad edits in it that many headphonesand speaker systems will miss out. The opening track‘Telegraph Road’ has a terrible sound stage shift ofKnopfler singing at 3’38”. The SR-407 precision wasstill very musical, however, and that finding this spoton the music was a doddle. These were musicallyclinical, if you hear what I mean.As well as the extended horizontal sound stage, withtheir large curved rectangular diameter fitting overthe ears these ear speakers had a massive vertical

Stax SR-407

The sound wasall around myears, not just acentralised pin-point. This madeit much morerealistic tolisten to.


soundboard as well. The sound was all around myears, not just a centralised pin-point. This made itmuch more realistic to listen to. Their size was par-ticularly evident playing J.S. Bach organ trackswhich made this sound like St Pauls, rather than thelocal village church organ. Conversely quiet decaysof instruments were allowed to do so in their owntime, not being quickened by the limitation of a con-ventional heavy cone driver. This was precisionstuff. My ears felt like I was listening again back inmy twenties. I wish. The soundstage of The DavidRees-Williams Trio ‘Classically Minded’ had always

confused me with its width and multi-pianoforte‘layering’, which sounding quite claustrophobic andconfusing. The Stax made it far easier to discern thedifferent piano melodic lines, which don’t sound cor-rectly placed as if you were listening in the audience,making me wish I’d actually done the mix myself. Itjust didn’t sound natural; a fault of the 2001 album,and not the Stax. Nothing could get past this kit! Al-so, as is often in a lot of recordings, the drum kit hada “large” fingerprint, but not as wide as had the dia-phragms not been angled to my ears, as they are onthe Stax. The valve energiser gave a precise velvetysound to the badly mic’d piano that was quite com-pelling. I just didn’t want to stop listening.Time to switch over to vinyl. To test the power andbass I listened to the last two tracks of the new re-master of Pink Floyd ‘The Division Bell’. There wasno end to the musicality, with precise cymbal highsand a bass just went lower and lower. Finally I puton Patricia Barber ‘Live in France’. I felt like I wasin the audience, and I listened tirelessly to all foursides of the disc. I was in love with these cans, Imean, Ear Speakers. The sound was transparent andfocused. It was ‘so easy’, that the only problemswere the slightly incorrect bias on my Rega arm dis-torting the vocal to the left channel a tad. Easily rec-tified whilst 580 volts between my ears.If I have to criticise this product it is the slightly pla-sticky feel, though this keeps down the weight, andweight of the ribbon cable if left dangling. With theprospect of balanced all the way through, two XLRinputs rather than just one in the Energiser would forme be preferable. Small price to pay. Combined withthe energiser this outfit costs five pounds short of£1700, and for me is the starting point for seriouslistening in the Stax family. Cheaper outfits includ-ing the SR-207 or SR-307 ear speakers lack much ofwhat is possible. The SRS 3170 combo, for example,comprises the SR-307 with a less able transistor en-ergiser. The price of the SR-407 on its own is £495,but useless without an appropriate energiser. But, atlittle more than the cost of a very decent pair ofheadphones and headphone amp, this weird contrap-tion is to my ears easily the winning combination.

Sound Quality – 9.2/10Value for Money – 9/10Build Quality – 8.2/10Overall – 8.8/10

Janine Elliot

Stax SR-407

The Stax madeit far easier todiscern thedifferent pianomelodic lines,which don’tsoundcorrectlyplaced as ifyou werelistening in theaudience…


The thought of swapping the review of a £60pair of headphones to a £3,495 Stax monolithwas like getting out of a 2CV and taking off

in a McLaren F1. There was just going to be no com-petition. So, what I decided to do in this review wasto compare the SR-009 with the £495 SR 407 com-bined with the £1,295 SRM-006tS and £2,295 SRM-007t ll Kimik vacuum tube energisers, which areneeded if you wish to hear any music. The Kimik,with its play on the letter K (just like Linn), is £200more than the standard 007t ll, but has better qualityselected old/new stock 6FQ7 cryogenically frozentubes fitted with EAT dampers, and the pins are 24carat gold plated. Before getting to the customer thebias and balance is adjusted over a five-day period.Lots of TLC, then.The SR-009 is the flagship of the extensive rangewhich starts with the £275 in-ear SR-02. Whilst Ipersonally prefer the gold finish of the cheaper SR-007, the conventional shaped aluminium SR-009 isof improved build quality. This ear speaker was pureclass. Lambs wool, and a comfort that makes the pla-sticky, rattley, rickety, cheap finish of the SR-407feel more like something from another manufacturer.The SR-009 differs specifically from the £1500cheaper SR-007 in that the drivers are angled, as inthe Lambda based’ 207/307/407/507 fraternity. Be-

Stax SR-009

At £3495 theStax SR-009headphonesare intendedfor thecommittedheadphonelistener.

The clarity, in a ratherclinical track, was as ifmy ears had just beensyringed. I didn’t realiseCDs could be this good;power, channelidentification, frequencyresponse. And in the32ft pedalboard of theorgan of Nicolas deGrigny – Recit de Tierceen Taille (Dorian DOR90134) couldn’t be anyclearer, or deeper.


lieve me, this extra £1500 is worth everypenny in order to gain a more realistic sound-stage in front of, rather than inside, the listen-er! Similarly the SRM-007t II Kimik is thevery top of their range, though I personallythink the additional two valves duplicatingthe output circuitry somewhat veils the soundquality. I believe in keeping things simple.For those unaccustomed to Stax ear speakers,the sound is generated between two “parallel-arranged fixed electrodes” – the electrostatictransducer -between which is suspended alow-mass, high-polymer film that is less than2µm thick. This is basically a push-pull driv-er system. When the fluctuating voltage ofthe audio signal is applied to the electrodes the dia-phragm is pulled and pushed. With frequency re-sponse from 5 to 42,000Hz and a maximum soundpressure level of 118dB, this needs a premium sourcefed into it to even start to appreciate its sound quali-ty.Whilst the product has gone through the most exten-sive research and building, commemorating 50 yearsof its electrostatic ear speakers (excluding electretmodels), the sales brochure is a lot more confusing. Imean, tell me what all this is about;“It will exactly be as a result of “work” each prede-cessor piled up, if a race, a company, and an individ-ual have “pride”. And it clearly depends on the wayof life we live now to inherit it and to bear “enhance-ment” and “evolution”.Just saying a lot of pride and craftsmanship has beenput into what is our most iconic and best ever earspeaker would have been good enough for me. Luck-ily the posh-card manual inside the wooden-box-adorned SR-009 was a lot more specific. At the out-set I have to say that this product is nothing short of‘out of this planet’. The head pad is extremely com-fortable and, unlike the SR-407, has a lockable slidermechanism for different size heads that actually staysput when you’ve set it. Comfort matches my favour-ite Audio-Technica ATH-W1000X, but that is wherethe comparison ends.So to the tests. First of all I listened to both Staxmodels through the cheaper SRM 006tS energiser,with Krell KPS20i CD and Townshend Rock7/Merlin, Rega/Ortofon Kontrapunkt, Manley Steel-head vinyl. After this I used the Kimik energiser.Playing Eva Cassidy ‘Fields of Gold’ was mindblowingly open. The cheaper energiser had a thinner,

Stax SR-009

So, to conclude,the SR-009 are thebest sounding earspeakers, cans,headphones, orwhatever you orStax want to callthem, that I havehad the pleasure oflistening to.


brighter sound and made the difference between theSR-407 and 009 greater than when both were fedthrough the Kimik. The sound in both ear speakerswas highly accurate, with the guitars sounding asbright as the title in the song, Golden. The SR-009had far more space between instruments and thesinger; I mean in front of me, not just middle, leftand right. Listening to a live version of Dire Straits’Private Investigation there was a wider ambiance andI felt I was in the audience. The SR-407 were claus-trophobic in comparison, even though compared willmost other gear out there the SR-407 is streets above.I would be scarred for life (if you’re my age andknow the words, you’ll realise the play on wordshere….) if I had never listened to these marvels. Thiswas not confidential information. Enough.Bird song repetition between the first and second vi-olins in The Four Seasons was much more open andcrisper, and therefore easier to listen to in the SR-009. There was more in front of the listener. TheBattle from The Gladiator was far cleaner on SR-009; open, precise, easy to listen to, but more thananything, musical. The sudden loud ‘rages’ don’tsound as muddled or as heavy, even though there ismore bass, as they do on the SR-407. Yes, more bassapparent on the SR-407 than the SR-009! The thingis, because the sound is more muddled on the SR-407 you think there is actually more of it! Believeme, the SR-009 is not lacking in anything. The soundis further forward from the ears. A sudden edit at5’17″ midphrase has an increase in level that theSR-407 can’t pick out. Indeed, it is more noticeablethrough the SRM-006tS than on the Kimik. Indeed,if I were to make a really radical statement here; Iactually prefer the £1000 cheaper SRM-006tS! Inter-esting then, perhaps, that Stax themselves are pres-ently designing a new energiser to replace/be analternative to the SRM-007t Kimik.Vocal “ums” in Jennifer Warnes “Bird on a Wire”(Cypress Records 258418) were much clearer identi-fied in space. The whole soundstage appears muchless cluttered. Donald Fagan “I G Y” from the album‘The Nightfy’ (Warner Bros 923696-2) made mewonder how much I had been missing for 32 years.The clarity, in a rather clinical track, was as if myears had just been syringed. I didn’t realise CDscould be this good; power, channel identification,frequency response. And in the 32ft pedalboard ofthe organ of Nicolas de Grigny – Recit de Tierce enTaille (Dorian DOR 90134) couldn’t be any clearer,or deeper. Nothing could get past these, not even thereal canons firing off in Tchaikovsky 1812 overture

(Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Telarc CS 80041).In contrast Deep Blue Sky from John Lee Hookerwas so laid back with velvety warmth and musicalitythat I wondered if life could get any better.So, to conclude, the SR-009 are the best sounding earspeakers, cans, headphones, or whatever you or Staxwant to call them, that I have had the pleasure of lis-tening to. They, combined with the Kimik, were wellworth the combined £5,790 if you wanted the verybest in sound quality. If you were to spend money ona comparable loudspeaker based system, expect tospend £30,000 plus. If cost were an issue, then I haveshown that the SRM-006tS, at £1,000 less, is morethan a match for these cans, and I actually did preferthem in much of my listening tests. The SR-009 andenergiser do need significant run-in to get to theirbest, but even at their worst were as exciting as UKimporter Nigel Crump, Symmetry, sounded everytime he talked to me about them. He has every rea-son to be very proud.Sound Quality – 9.5/10Value for Money – 8.5/10Build Quality – 9/10Overall – 9/10

Janine Elliot

Stax SR-009

If you were tospend moneyon acomparableloudspeakerbased system,expect to spend£30,000 plus.


French manufacturer Focal aren’t the fist namethat comes to mind when you think aboutheadphones but perhaps they should be given

Harry and Linette’s eens think of buying their first“quality” headphone, they often look at a brand thatis quite infamous with most audiophiles, Beats byDre.So why do people buy Beats?Well first of all they look good, there are plenty ofcolour choices and they have loads of BASS!!!!!Apart from this however the build quality is poor andthe sound suffers from the bass overload. You canbarely hear the highs or mids.But this isn’t a review of Beats so I’ll tell you whyI’m talking about them …Many Hi-fi companies have failed in trying to knockbeats of its pedestal by bringing great sound andbuild quality to the “on the go” headphone market.But is that about to change?Focal are a big French name in the Hi-Fi businessand are world renowned for their speakers. TheSpirit One S is Focal’s big leap in to the head-fiworld and an upgrade from the previous Spirit OneHeadphone. I briefly listened to the Spirit One at theHigh End Munich show earlier this year. Both head-phones are designed for “On the go” usage.Starting with build quality. The Spirit One S feelssolid and their were no faults with the example that Iwas given. Focal have combined high quality plasticand brushed metal in the design that give it a great

weight and feel. The cable provided is thick anddoesn’t get tangled up in your pocket. You can alsodetach it completely from the headphone which helpsfor carrying it around your neck. There are also in-line controls to that can be used on most mobile de-vices for pausing the music, skipping tracks and an-swering calls. There is also a very nice hard carryingcase that comes with them.The Headphones are also very comfortable, there isplenty of foam padding on the ear cups and head-band. They feel a bit tight at first but they adjust toyour head size after around an hour. I had themaround my neck or on my ears for most of the dayand never felt any strain on my head or ears. I lovethe over-ear design that provides plenty of noise iso-lation from outside noises.Personally, I think they look very stylish and standout from most headphones. I think however that theycould benefit from a better choice of colours.When it comes to sound, the Spirit One S wipes thefloor with any pair of beats. The bass is warm andthere is plenty of it without loosing too much out onthe highs and mids. The sound is very balanced may-be leaning in favour of the bass a little. The sound onthe whole is dynamic and caters for most genres ofmusic.The stand out song with these headphones was ‘LaLa La’ by Naughty Boy. The heavy bass line reallycomplimented the high notes of Sam Smith’s voice.A lot of headphones struggle wit this song as there is

Focal Spirit One

Focal makeloudspeakers,everyone knowsthat, but can theymake headphonestoo? Here we trytheir 179 euroSpirit Ones.


such a huge contrast between the bass of the instru-ments and the high pitch voice but the Spirit One Shandled it perfectly.They actually performed very well with more or lessanything I could throw them. A great all rounder!Build quality – 8/10Comfort – 9/10Sound – 8/10Value – 9/10Total – 8.5/10Price when tested: 179 eurosFocal have created a great headphone foruse in home and out ad have designedsomething that (with the right marketing ofcourse) could steal the Teen market from itscompetitors. A Beats killer indeed!

Harry SmithAnd now Linette takes a listen and gives her opin-ion.

Having been lucky enough to vis-it the Focal factory and officesin Ste Etienne, France earlier

this year, I know how much workgoes into their R&D. They also ‘filterdown’ the technology developed for thehigher end products into the cheaperones, so that you know when you seethe Focal logo, you are getting a qualityitem.That certainly goes for the Focal SpiritOne S headphones. Properly packaged,they come with some nice accessorieslike a rigid carry case and a soft bag,along with a cable with a remote on itthat will work with your ipod orphone….if you are that way inclined.There is also a full sized jack adapterand an adapter to use on aeroplanes.The ‘phones themselves are very stylishlooking in tones of dark grey, black andbrushed aluminium with a pop of redinside the earcups.They have a modern, slick look to themand I imagine they would draw admir-ing glances from the youngergeneration….there is good but discreetuse of the Focal logos and branding.They fit very comfortably on and

around the ears, with a good grip so that you wouldfeel safe walking or doing exercise whilst wearingthem, but they are not so tight as to be uncomforta-ble. There is the sense of isolation from the outsideworld that I like to have with a set of headphones.They are also very light for what feels a very solidand well made set of headphones at just 280g.They adjust easily and feel ‘right’ on the head; over-all I am very impressed with them straight out of thebox. After wearing for quite a while, I can tell that Ihave them on…but they are not uncomfortable at all.I want to kick off listening with something bassy, ongoes car Cox’s ‘Phuture 2000’. Right from the startthere is the big ‘whump’ of bass that I expect to hearfrom this album, but it sounds controlled and tightrather than woolly and though these come across asbass heavy there is still plenty of top and mid to pre-vent the bass from becoming too much. I’m gettingall the little breakbeaty snaps and jumps in a nicelydefined manner.The soundstage is not as big and open as with someof the other headphones that we have reviewed, but it

Focal Spirit One


is pretty damn good, especially when youtake into consideration that these cost around179€.Feeling ‘at one with da yoof’ I stick onDeadmau5 and ‘Albumtitlegoeshere’This sounds great on the Focals, driving,bassy and energetic…particulary one of myfavourite tracks ‘Professional Griefers’….abanger if ever I heard one.Not just a wall of noise though, great detailtoo.Before I try something a bit calmer I have toput on ‘Once again back’ by Hardfloor. Itsounds tight and fast with plenty of growlingsub bass…. Not quite as ‘out of the head’ assome of the headphones I have reviewed re-cently, but some of those were up to 10times the price of the Focals.I switch to ‘Beautiful Freak’ by Eels and thetrack ‘Susan’s house’ sounds excellent, gui-tars and vocals come across well. These arenot just a set of ‘phones for fans of electroni-ca, they sound great with more rocky musictoo as is further proven when listening to‘Rags to Rags’ with its grungy guitars andvocals.For the sake of comparison Gil Scott Herons‘Lady Day and John Coltrane’ goes back onagain. Once again it is obvious that the pres-entation is better with some of the otherheadphones I have listened to…however the differ-ence is not as big as you would think from the differ-ence in price, overall I am very, very impressed withhow the Focal Spirit One S perform for the money.The whole Beats by Dre phenomenon has opened upa new market for headphones, now, rather than justusing a cheap pair of earbuds, loads of teens want‘proper’ headphones…and Beats filled that market-place.Hopefully if we can get today’s teens using some-thing much more well built and better sounding theywill develop a much more educated ear and not justimmediately go for that little ‘b’ logo……we needsome good headphones to fill the gap in the marketat a price that kids can aspire to.With their Spirit range, Focal seem poised to do justthat, perhaps a few more colours would be a goodthing, but I think the more discerning will be moreconcerned about the build and sound quality of these

headphones than whether they come in a rainbow ofcolours.Not only for the kids though, these are affordable,comfortable, portable and stylish and have benefitedfrom the Focal legacy of great design and sound….Ireckon if you buy them for your teenager this Christ-mas you will and up pinching them back again!Sound – 8/10Comfort – 7.75/10Fit and finish – 8.75/10Value – 9.5/10Overall – 8.5/10Great all-rounders, with a build quality that Iwould expect from much more expensiveheadphones, a lot of headphone for yourmoney! Heartily recommended.

Linette Smith

Focal Spirit One


Hifiman area Japanese company that make head-phones, earphones, media players … Ranging fromthe affordable to the not so affordable. The RE-400sare a very small form factor in-ear that packs a punchfor their small design and affordable price. (£79)In the box you get the earphones (obviously), a car-rying case and plenty of earpieces that can fit allshapes and sizes of ear including ones made out ofmemory foam that are the most comfortable for me. Ithink its great that Hifiman took the trouble to in-cluding so many extras for customisation.The earphones themselves are very well built andfeel solid, although the aluminium on the back isprone to scratching. The cable is braided which youdon’t see much on budget earphones.When listening to to the RE-400s you often forgetthat you have something in your ears. The memoryfoam does a great job of filling your ears so no soundcan escape. Hands down, the most comfortable ear-phone I have ever used. The highs and mids are crispand are very well balanced. Personally I feel that thebass could be a bit lacking but these are tuned to anaudiophiles ear and not a teen bass nut. The RE-400ssound best with acoustic pianos and guitars. Femaleand high male vocals sounded sublime. Whateveryou listen to they do a great job at layering the musicand make it feel like a live band.I don’t often take the time to listen to classical musicbut it actually sounded very good. Not that I wouldlisten to it again, but violins had an amazing reso-nance.

The stand out track for me was “Within” from DaftPunks newest album. I could hear everything 20-56-13742-ea4a7f7e3bbaae79ca8fa81e8b1c01a6individuallywhether it be the drums, the piano, the organ or thetrademark Daft punk vocoder voice. All the individu-al sounds combined into a huge orchestra. I felt that Iwas listening to the music in a huge concert hall. Theearphones performed just as well with the entire al-bum.When listening to more bass heavy genres like dub-step it sounds different to what I’m used to. You hearmore of the top end and it changes the whole charac-ter of the music.All in all, there is not much to say about the HifimanRE-400 as they do barely anything wrong and somany things right. Its comfortable, sounds very goodand has solid build quality. You can’t do much betterfor its price. I recommend these to any audiophilewho wants great music on the go and on a budget.£79 well spent !

Build quality-8/10Sound quality-8/10Comfort-9.5/10Value-8/10Overall – 8.38

Harry Smith

HifiMan RE-400

HifiMan’s £79RE-400 in earmonitors are putthrough theirpaces by HifiPig’s teencorrespondent.


The thought of me walking into the local elec-tronics store and spending £250 on the latestdesigner headphones with unrealistic bass-

heavy response would only appear in my worstnightmare. Just as I love the idea of owning the latestdesigner sports footwear, I only buy something thatfits well, whatever its colour or name engraved. Sowith audio, sound comes before the brand.I take my non-designer hat off to Dr Dre for manag-ing to sell unrealistic sounding, but highly enjoyableand good looking headphones. But £260 for an over-ear white, red or black iPod attachment is as cost ef-fective as me putting on my central heating andopening all the windows. So, reluctantly I decided totry out a number of headphones designed for theyoung iPod trendy. Names included Sony, JVC,Sculcandy, Beats by DrDre, etc.For the purposes of this re-view I’ll just say they wereall bland, boring, too trebly,too bass heavy, uncomfort-able or too expensive. Noneof them made me enjoy lis-tening to music on themove and, with some, thebass just made me ill. Ex-cept for one. Ironically, thisdesigner named, brilliantlypackaged, well accessorised(non-tangle cord, carryingpouch), comfortable, pleas-ant to listen to and goodlooking little number is ac-tually made exclusively in

Hemel Hempstead for Currys/PC World. Well, madein China, actually.Coming in white, black and, if you’re lucky, in red,this foldable over the ear Goji Tinchy Stryder isamazingly good value and £200 cheaper than someDr Dre’s, yet it’s handling of bass without distortion,and crispier top end is without equal. In use whilstwalking the noisy streets of London, I could actuallyget more out of the music than my expensive inner-ear phones. The closed back covers the ear withenough energy to stop most of the traffic getting in,yet not too much to make them uncomfortable forlong periods of time. Only in really hot conditionsdid I find the faux-leather construction a bit sweaty. Idisabled the EQ settings on my iPod, as the increasein bass and top end equated to the “R&B”or “Rock”settings that I could have selected. It should be main-

GOJI Tinchy Stryder On Cloud 9At Hifi PIg we’re keen notonly to bring you reviewsof the high-end, expensiveproducts but also like topoint out the odd bargainthat is out there.Here wereview of a £60 set ofheadphones availablefrom the high street.


tained flat, or on “Electronic” setting at the verymost.Made by ‘Goji’, they are designed in collaborationwith Tinchy Stryder, the stage name for 1986 Ghana-ian- born Kwasi Danquah III. As well as founder ofthe headphone and phone accessories label, he is amusician, investor, and even oversees his own cloth-ing range. The MOBO award-winner now has threehit albums under his belt and his CV is longer thanthe small print on my bank account.This was an amazingly musical headphone for theprice. The droning lower bass D at the start of TheDivision Bell, Pink Floyd, was there, clearly defined,but not so prominent as I perhaps had expected. Thegentle cymbals and bass drum at 4’27″ were justright; not OTT. Only in the next track did I feel anysaturation, and at high level I could feel the windblow like the 18″ drivers of my subwoofer. Somepeople like this, especially the young Vauxhall Novadrivers outside my house at midnight. But I didn’tneed any extra equipment for my ears to get the sameeffect, and this was much more musical. However,switching over to Slee Voyager (also under test thismonth) through my open back Sennheiser HP650s,the soundstage widened enormously and the cymbalrim shots had a completely new lease of life. Thebass was still there, just cleaner, quicker, painless. Inthe normal world, when you set up your subwoofer,it should be just loud enough not to be individuallynoticed. Low bass in the £60 and £70 (for white orblack, respectively) GOJIs were noticeably loud atlow frequencies, and hence worked better on popularmusic or watching an action movie, rather than clas-sical music, where the positions of instruments wasless easy to define as were they on my much moreexpensive cans. However, the dynamic range, partic-ularly in the lower end, was magnificent.

I don’t normally speak so fervently about productslike this. It goes against all 25 years of my BBCsound engineer background. But this product is actu-ally pretty amazing for the price. Having it onlyavailable to the DSG empire (the largest electricalretailer in the UK) also based in Hemel Hempstead),keeps that price down. Whilst I won’t want to listenlike this for too many hours, it’s a bit like comingaway from the dentist after fillings. You just so wantto tuck in to sweets, but know you just daren’t do it.Sound Quality – 7.3/10Value for Money – 9/10Build Quality – 8.5/10Overall – 8.3/10

Janine Elliot

GOJI Tinchy Stryder On Cloud 9

I don’t normallyspeak sofervently aboutproducts likethis. It goesagainst all 25years of my BBCsound engineerbackground. Butthis product isactually prettyamazing for theprice.


Let’s say you have bought yourself a new mu-sic player and a nice pair of headphones foron the go but you feel there is something…

missing. Most people overlook the need for an ampon the go as most are impractical and oversized.With the Lehmann Audio Traveller, the size andpracticality are a huge improvement from other“portable” amps. The Traveller can also be used as apreamp for speakers but I just tried it with a mediaplayer and a range of earphones and headphones.The build quality is great and there are only 2 screwsshowing on the back. It feels solid and I love thebrushed metal chassis that obviously helps with cool-ing. The front is made out of black soft touch plastic.It’s a nice contrast from the cold metal (the metal didget warm after a few hours of use but it never gothot) The amp has 2 inputs and 2 outputs though3,5mm headphone jack.In the box, you also get a very nice cable to connectto your media player.Battery life is not a problem with the Traveller and itwill last around 20 hours of audio playback.The Traveller uses lithium ion batteries (the same

Lehmann Audio Traveller Headphone Amplifier

GermanmanufacturerLehmann Audio havebuilt themselves anenviable reputationover the years butdoes their Travellerheadphone amplifiercontinue thistradition?


that you would find in your smart-phone) and it willprobably outlive your phone on battery life. If you dorun out of battery you can use the micro USB port tocharge it.When you use it for the first time you can hear aninstant difference with all headphones.It performed very well even with power hungryheadphones. I think it performed best with my ownpair of NAD Viso hp 50s. The bass was deep andresponsive. The mids had a great richness and thehighs where bright and crisp. The whole sound stage

was improved thanks to theTraveller.This amp can also help youhide the fact that you areusing a cheap music player.I put a £100+ music playeragainst a HTC Desirephone, playing the sameaudio file and playingthough the amp. I couldn’thear any noticeable differ-ence … However when Iremoved the Traveller fromthe equation the smart-phone fell far behind thesound quality of the musicplayer.The stand out track usingthe Traveller was “Can’tstop” by the Red hot chillypeppers. The iconic guitar

rhythm of this song sounded much less monotonethan without Traveller. The bass line was not over-powered either. I could hear every instrument. Just asthe artist intended.It performed best with rock songs but that is not tosay that it did not perform admirably with most othergenres of music.With very bass heavy tracks it can fall behind what Iam used to but I do love a lot of bass and I don’tthink this will bother most audiophiles.

So is the Lehmann AudioTraveller worth the £400 pricetag? If you are looking to up-grade your headphone set upand also want an amp so versa-tile it is a good price. A bit onthe expensive side for a teenthough. Despite this the Leh-mann Traveller amplifier is amust buy for your portable Hi-Fi as it brings the expensivesound of a full size Hi-Fi toyou on the go.Sound quality-8/10Build quality-9/10Value for money-7/10Overall-8/10

Harry Smith



As the name suggests theLehmann Audio Travelleris a headphone amplifier

intended for use whilst out andabout. I first came across this ampin its prototype version at the2013 Munich High-End showwhere details were scant, but in-terest from the public and compet-itors to Lehmann High. Nowavailable the Traveller costs £400and available widely.I like the idea of great quality au-dio on the go and always have mylittle player with me when awayon business, but despite the decentoutput of the player I often feelI’m missing out a little – enter theportable headphone amplifier.In the box you’ve got the diminutive (80mm x 90mmx 25mm and 196g) but very nicely finished Travelleritself, a very well written operating manual, a USBcable for connecting to the computer and chargingthe Traveller and a short, well made minijack to min-ijack cable to connect your player to the box. TheTraveller feels sturdy and decidedly solid and pur-poseful.Around the back you’ve got an input for the USBcable, a mini jack input and a mini jack output. Upfront you’ve got another minijack input and output, atrio of LEDs which indicate the status of theamp/battery and a pair of little buttons to turn thevolume up and down and control other functionssuch as balance which I thought was a nice andthoughtful touch.The inclusion of inputs and outputs on both the frontand back is a nifty little touch and one that showsthat there’s a good deal of thought gone into theTraveller. This feature means you can use whicheveris the most convenient or use the amp to power twopairs of headphones from one portable player whichis another useful touch . For those using activespeakers you can put the Traveller between yoursource and the speakers and it will work as a pream-plifier.Using the Traveller is pretty intuitive and the con-trols are responsive.The Traveller has a battery runtime of a claimed 20 hours (volume dependent) andcharges from empty in six hours. Another clever lit-tle feature is that the volume will return to its last


Again, there’s thatdrivingpercussive-ness,but listen moreclosely and theTraveller seems tobe allow-ing youto delve deeperinto the mix withlittle details youdidn’t noticebefore coming tothe fore.


setting when tuned off and on again, with the caveatthat there must be charge in the battery.The SoundI listened to the Traveller using a wide range of head-phones we have in for review, both in-ears and con-ventional headphones, and it drove every pair I threwat it to volumes suitable for those with a deaf wish.Most of the review process was done using the Au-deze LCD XC cans.Immediately on plugging the little headphone amp inthere is a perceived improvement in the sound thanwith the standalone player; Bass has a more authorat-itive punch with basslines seeming much easier tofollow. There is a clearer definition between individ-ual instruments in the mix, with an apparent increasein the amount of detail present. Clearly the amplifiercan only amplify the signal with which it is fed, butyou do get the feeling that there is more going on inthe mix with the Traveller inline.This is a very good start and I found myself flickingthrough loads of tracks and many different genres.Hawkwind’s Astounding Sounds has the mix splitinto its component pieces with everything being easyto pick out and identify. This is a complex record inparts that can sound very busy and sometimes comesacross as a blurred jumble, but the Traveller seems toimprove separation of instruments. This effect is ap-parent most in the interplay between bass guitar anddrums giving the music drive and rhythm.Comeme’s compilation album Gasoline is a hard hit-ting, electronic album which needs to be driven toget the very best from it and with the Traveller inlineyou certainly get that feeling that you are listening asit should be heard. Again, there’s that driving percus-siveness, but listen more closely and the Travellerseems to be allowing you to delve deeper into themix with little details you didn’t notice before com-ing to the fore.Reading what I’ve just written back to myself you’dbe forgiven for thinking that the Traveller just em-phasises the bass frequencies, but that’s certainly notthe case with all the little nuances on the hats onNebel Dance from the same compilation comingthrough really well. On female vocals the Travellerjust seems to give you more of an insight into thesingers particular inflections and tone.At this point I thought I’d try out the Traveller usingthe headphone out on the laptop and again I was re-warded with a big improvement in perceived driveand quality of the sound and I think this will be of

interest to many business travellers who don’t partic-ularly want to invest in a potentially expensive mediaplayer but always have their laptop to hand. I’d bequite happy with this arrangement and would be hap-py to leave the DAP at home.ConclusionThe Traveller is impressively well built and solidfeeling with a good set of features that should appealto both headphone aficionados on the go and for lessdedicated listeners who none the less want a greatsound whilst away from their main source of music.One of the features I particularly loved was the abili-ty to attach two pairs of cans at once and also the unitreturning to the last volume you had it set at afterturning it off and on again. Its compact size and flex-ible inputs/outputs make it a perfectly portable andusable product.Sound-wise the Traveller performs very well and is aclear step up from some of the less expensive porta-ble headphone amps I’ve tried, with an ability to givethe perception of there being much more going on inthe music. The Traveller’s strong points are the driveit gives to music and the detail of a recording it man-ages to bring out.Sound Quality – 8.8/10Value for Money – 8/10Build Quality – 9/10Overall – 8.6/10

Stuart Smith


One of the features Iparticularly loved wasthe ability to attachtwo pairs of cans atonce and also the unitreturning to the lastvolume you had it setat after turning it offand on again.


So, a little while back now I got myself anEpiphany EHP-02 portable headphone ampli-fier. The unit was very handy being of a porta-

ble design with it’s built in rechargeable batterywhich lasted across many days of decent length lis-tening sessions. I subsequently recommended theunit to a few friends who still cherish them to thisday.A month ago during the build up to this monthsHeadfi Special at Hifi Pig, Epiphany contacted us tolet us know about their latest model of headphoneamplifier with built in Dac the EHP-02Di. So natu-rally after enjoying the standalone portable amp Iwas happy to have a look at the 02Di.Epiphany Acoustics have not just had a eureka mo-ment deciding to add a DAC to their already awardwinning headamp, they have in fact as many will beaware already have a DAC/amp in the product lineup namely the EPH-02D. User feedback to Epiphanywas extremely positive in the performance stakes butmany people found as I did with the portable devicethat having the power input jack socket on the frontof the unit was an eyesore and also a little uneasy inuse, most of us have our power sockets trailing off ofthe rear of a unit or desk.Epiphany has addressed this issue by moving thesocket to the rear now. Another user friendly

want/upgrade to the existing 02D is a pair of stereophono jacks on the rear. What’s clever about thesesockets is they act as an input for an analogue signalto the headphone amplifier or when the USB DAC isutilised from a computer (which is plug n play anddoesn’t require drivers) automatically switches to anoutput to any normal system as a usable standaloneDAC with integrated headphone amplifier. The twodevices can be used simultaneously.Power to the DAC is via the USB host computer andfiltered on board. The data is controlled by the on-board crystal oscillator to improve performance.The DAC is based on the TE7022L UAC1 engineand ES9023 24 bit DAC chip. It supports 16 bit and24 bit at sample rates of 44.1kHz, 48kHz and 96kHz.The Setup and SoundAfter leaving the EHP-02Di on 24 hours a day forweek through my AKG K702′s fed via USB from theDAC to ensure good burn in time as I was fairly busyso wanted to make sure it had some good hours on itI was ready to rock and roll.As well as having the AKG’s running from thedac/amp I also made use of the analogue outputs run-ning a set of Harman Karson Sounsticks which sat onthe desk. This would give me an idea of the DAC’sperformance against the analogue connection straightfrom the Mac to the Soundsticks.As a Headphone Amp

Epiphany Acoustics EHP-02Di DAC & Headphone Amp

At a penny off£180 the littleEHP-02Di DACand Headphoneamplifiercertainly looksto offer greatvalue for money.


First impressions were very nice top end detail, vi-brant mids and a good bouncy bass when listening toSpotify’s Top 100 list which consists very extensive-ly of the world top pop music. A good mixture ofdance, rock and vocal work adorned the list and wasa great way to see how the EHP-02Di would fairwithout being overly specific.Vocals were extremely pleasing sitting a little bit for-ward of flat, allowing them to be projected and vi-brant in nature. The top end is very neatly handled,remaining controlled with wailing females and intri-cate when listening to synthesised dance music. Thetreble doesn’t slope severely, cutting off high fre-quency extremes, they do seem to keep going on andon. As far as bass is concerned I would say its a bitbouncy, a little tight and fast. The lower end could besaid to have a more neutral tonality, it’s not dry orweighty nor is it coloured. The cleanliness in thisarea depicts details well and those of you out therewho are not bass heads will appreciate the extra de-tail here.Flicking over from Spotify to Amarra increased per-formance and rendition of a higher quality bit depthand better recording.The EHP-02Di shows better delicacies in the mixwhen fed with quality recordings, midband presenta-tion is a little more fluid with better undertones. Topend is a tiny bit more refined and bass remains cleanand explicit.Singling out the DAC

I use the Harman Kardons very often when sat atthe desk, whether it’s to use them for music, tV orFilm. They are normally plugged into the head-phone output of the Mac Mini. The wonderfullyversatile feature of added RCA’s on the 02Di al-lowed for me – the user to be able to have theSoundsticks always plugged in to what was origi-nally just a headphone amp/dac in the first incarna-tion of the product the EHP-02D.Improvements were decisively apparent and imme-diately noticeable. The Mac itself is fairly modded,has the fan removed, runs three linear power sup-plies, is solid state and has OS tweaks. These im-provements made a difference at the time to theSoundsticks (and the main system) but utilising thedac from the Epiphany was a larger step up in per-formance.I’ve had many high end active and passive speakersin the alcove where the desk is but the Soundsticks

are of a size that just compliments the space so well.The EHP-02Di didn’t change the presentation totally,it does seem to be extremely neutral, what it doesoffer tho is a far better detail retrieval, a strongerpresence of bass characterisation and a vocal whichstands out and doesn’t get so lost in the mix.The headphone amplifier itself can be as mentionedran from the RCA sockets on the rear. Using the de-vice in this manner is just like using the standaloneportable EHP-02 which Hifi Pig has already re-viewed if you wish to check it out.ConclusionWith a compact and attractive design the EpiphanyAcoustics EHP-02Di is a terrific desktop unit whichcan be implemented as the main hub for a computer.Whether it’s music, games or films through a set ofpowered speakers or a set of headphones for thesame for more intimate listening the EHP-02Diwon’t fail to impress.Build Quality – 7.5/10Sound Quality – 8/10Value For Money – 8.5/10Overall – 8/10Price at time of review – £179.99Recommended for – it’s ability to run head-phones and speakers simultaneously andhaving a terrific sound to pound perform-ance which is neutral, detailed and involv-ing.

Dan Worth

Epiphany Acoustics EHP-02Di DAC & Headphone Amp


Headphones are of course used whilst on themove and so Janine Elliot takes a listen tothe £190 Graham Slee Voyager headphone

amplifier.Graham Slee is renowned for putting big ideas insmall packages. His large collection of low–to–midpriced phono stages and headphone amplifiers beganin 1998 and has received rave reviews in Europe andthe States. Graham is always keen to advertise hisproducts as ‘Made it Britain’, and his ability to getthe best from the components he uses is truly inspir-ing. As a happy owner of the Solo headphone amp, Ihoped that his battery operated Voyager would alsooffer an equally precise and extended audio-stageinto my choice of cans.There are, of course, a wide range of Walwart-fedheadphone amplifiers around, largely introduced toextend the feeble output levels of the iPod fraternity,particularly when paired with inefficient high imped-ance 300ohm professional headphones such as Sen-nheiser HD650’s. I regularly used these cans as areference point in my last years at the BBC, butwhen connected to my iPod these needed to be fed atfull volume to get anything approaching a nominallevel of sound. By adding an extra ‘oomph’ via anexternal amplifier a reasonable 320kbps of mp3

Graham Slee Voyager Headphone Amp

The GrahamSlee Voyager isa portableheadphoneamplifier costing£190, how doesit performamongst stiffcompetition.


could actually sound quite musical. But, I kept ask-ing myself, what is the point in playing compressedaudio in the home? Much as I loved my Solo, it wasonly ever used in the house when I was too lazy topresent its parent compact disk into my main KrellCD player. No, what I needed was a portable unit Icould carry around with me when I wasn’t in theconfines of my sofa.In the last few years numerous portable battery oper-ated headphone amps have appeared as we get onwith our busy lives. We need our music in thestreets, on the bus, train or tube, and as a teacher amoften finding it playing merrily away during lessonsin my students ears, until of course I confiscate it. Toget that greater sound output for inefficient cans,more and more companies such as FiiO are comingout with really good looking kits and supplying pro-prietary Apple 30 pin – to – 3.5mm connectorswhich allow you to mitigate the degrading EQ sec-tion of the amplifiers via the headphone socket.The Graham Slee Voyager is another addition to thefamily of portable headphone amps. What makes thisunit different from many is the use of discrete com-ponents hand soldered by, as Slee puts it; “timeserved engineers” from premium through-hole Ni-chicon capacitors, to the two highly reputable op-amps from Analog Devices. Unlike most headphoneamps gracing the pages of Amazon, this product ooz-es quality when viewed from the inside; high qualityJalco 3.5mm jacks for input and headphone output,Alps switches, and a miniature Alps “velvet” potenti-ometer similar to the Alps AC27/30 that is oftenfound on expensive amplifiers, complete the work.

Even a little red LED warns you when the Voyageris switched on during the conservative 50 hours bat-tery life. As well as on/off switch there is provisionfor the unit to be powered by USB or mains. A con-tour switch (more on that later) completes the me-chanics.Quality also exudes in the audio. A velvety, almostvalve-like quality of sound immediately becomesapparent, and improves the longer I listen. All tops

and bottoms are there; theSennheiser demonstratesjust how good its bass endis when listening to Mars,The Planets, Karajan (Dec-ca 417 709-2). It’s not somuch the double bass orkettle drums, but more thesounds of the lorries drivingpast the cellos outside ofthe Sofiensaal concert hallin Vienna, before it gotburnt down in 2001. I couldsense the windows, brickwalls and the raised woodenflooring. Even where themicrophones were placed,and when the conductorturned the page.

Graham Slee Voyager Headphone AmpThe soundstagewas powerful andit wasn’t chaoticdespite all thatwas going on in‘Repentance’(Dream Theatre;‘SystematicChaos’).


Top ends are very preciseand not tiresome with ex-tended listening. Indeed, thatis what makes this unit somuch better than many Ihave listened to. Only thetight headband of the HP650forced me to change to mycomfortable closed-back Au-dio-Technica ATH-W1000Sovereign’s. The latter areunusually mid-band heavy,but the Voyager didn’t makethis painful at all. Indeed, themidband opened up with aclarity I had not heard fromthe iPod alone. This was get-ting fun. To check this fur-ther I played The DaveBrubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall recording, a re-cording fully of mid frequency weightiness. Even theclose-mic’d cymbals sounded pleasant and not out ofplace. Of course, I could turn on the contour switchwhich adds further bass and treble weight (just likethose ‘Loudness’ controls in ancient hi-fi amplifiers),but I didn’t want my £600 cans to sound like Beatsby Dr Dre. That said, it wasn’t at all bad when I hada go; ideal for low level listening, or when compet-ing with traffic noise, or making a crass recording orbad headphone sound more exciting. This unit did itwith aplomb and without the added distortion that aloudness control can often bring. The soundstagewas powerful and it wasn’t chaotic despite all thatwas going on in ‘Repentance’ (Dream Theatre; ‘Sys-tematic Chaos’). The distorted bass guitar and synco-pated rhythm sounded quite natural as had the 11/4and 5/4 time in Brubeck earlier. This was quite somekit.It was solid but not forceful, precise but not clinical.

I mentioned earlier about the exuding quality insidethe box. Unfortunately that is where it ends. The out-side lets it down a tad, giving it the impression ofbeing more of a Maplin kit; made of plastic and at12.5 x 6.7 x 2.8 cm, whilst it matches an iPod girth itis quite deep in order to house the 9v PP3 battery,and even deeper when you sit the iPod on the top.However, an off-the-shelf box is inevitable in abudget non mass-produced product such as this, andthe unit is actually very well constructed and protectsthe circuitry inside. A specifically designed case in-cluding a thinner lithium-ion battery would increasethe cost substantially. A metal stamp on one side la-belled with all the connections and company logo dogive it a professional feel. It’s ironic that the SleeSolo headphone amp in its metal box is so revered inChina, yet the bucket loads of Chinese-made portableheadphone amps deluging Amazon at lower costlook so much better than the Voyager. BUT, and Istress but, they do not sound anything as musical orinspiring. Yes, there are better portable headphoneamps around, but at £190 you get more than yourmoney’s worth with the Voyager, and if you’re hap-py to put up with its distinctive looks, then this prod-uct certainly warrants my take on the famousstatement “Never mind the width, feel the quality”.Sound Quality – 8.7/10Value for Money – 8.2/10Build Quality – 8/10Overall – 8.4/10

Janine Elliot

Graham Slee Voyager Headphone Amp

Yes, there are betterportable headphoneamps around, but at£190 you get more thanyour money’s worthwith the Voyager…


I was rather surprised when the Verto squeezedthrough the front door, particularly as this prod-uct itself is only the size of a very large wallwart

power supply. Luckily, my surprise turned to excite-ment when I dived down to the bottom of the mas-sive box between the foam to find the RKV Mk3, aheavy eight-valve headphone amplifier behemothaccompanying this unit. During my few weeks withthese products I had many more surprises, lots of ex-citement, and a lot of questions to ask.The Verto is a small black 110 x 105 x 165mm boxwith two Neutrik 6.3mm & XLR Combi sockets forXLR or dynamic and planar headphones, a three po-sition silver knob to select the correct impedance,

and a permanent short lead ending in a 6.3mm jackwhich is then connected to one of the two headphonesockets of the RKV (or to the headphone socket ofyour integrated amp). That is all quite normal. Aswell as a pair of loudspeaker connections what isslightly unusual is the Teflon 6-pin socket to power300V and 580v 6 pin and 5 pin Stax electrostatic earspeakers. As a passive unit, and costing a reasonable£690, this unit uses transformers in step up modewith an array of capacitors to store up enough powerto drive the electrostatics. Because the input wattageis very low (around 400mW) this can take severalminutes. This technique is nothing new. Passive en-ergisers like the Verto have been around before. In-deed, I remember with affection the late 1970’s PWBelectrostatic headphones that took their power fromthe speaker terminals of your power amplifier. Thatwas Peter Belt at his very best, before he and his wifegot into somewhat questionable audio tweaks likesound-changing furniture polish and silver paper.The Verto was originally designed for the RKV mark1 and 2. Those two models only have the uniqueOTL output (Output Transformerless), a bit like myold EarMax headphones, so the switch for 8 and 32ohm headphones on the Verto was quite useful. TheRKV iii has provision for a wide range of low im-pedance cans as well, which therefore means a bit ofduplication of features if both are used together.Since the Verto can be switched to 8 ohm you canconnect loudspeakers to those speaker terminals,

AudioValve Verto & RKV III Headphone Amps

A Pair ofheadphone ampsfrom AudioValvewith considerablydifferentpricepoints.


though with the Mark 3 RKV, with its own speakeroutputs, there was no point in using this facility.Whilst the VKR was a beautiful looking product theVerto was in comparison a Friday afternoon job, be-ing made of two halves joined together, and thosejoins were easily evident and spoilt my first impres-sion of product build (see photo).

The first two clicks on the silver knob on the frontselect 8 and 32 ohm impedance for the conventionalheadphones with the third position, OTL, for a Staxear speaker. Unfortunately my Verto wasn’t goingplay music for me. The 6.3mm jacks only worked onthe left leg and whilst I sat waiting endlessly for theLED on the front of the box to light up to tell methere was enough voltage to work the Stax, it wasnever going to shine. It reminded me of universitydays looking endlessly at my knickers revolving at200mph in the campus washing machines. I reallyneeded to connect a DAC with enough oomph to getthis thing playing games, I mean music. I then con-

nected the speaker jacks in reverse mode to my250W Krell leviathan to see if that would drive theStax but after 10 minutes there was no light and all Igot was a very low level and no bass. Selecting con-ventional headphones did give me both legs workingthis time, but there was some hum, suggesting earth-ing damage on its trip across the English Channel.My role was as a reviewer, and not as fault finder, soI continued my review looking at the RKV mk3 as aconventional headphone amplifier. Such a shame, asI know this unit can sound so good.AudioValve, not to be confused with Valve Audio, isa small German brand who has been making somequite iconic and mid-priced valve based audio since1982. Like many an audio CEO, boss Helmut Beckerwas a musician, himself a guitarist and music enthu-siast who began building amplifiers 40 years agowhen he was 15. Indeed, his father was the owner ofa small electronics business, and even as a 12 yearold, Becker would often be seen tinkering with tubetelevisions in his father’s shop; taking them apart andgetting to grips with the way they worked. Interest-ingly, his career has not just been devoted to audio,as it has also included numerous medical patents,including to fundamentally revolutionising analysistechniques for the detection of blood coagulationtimes.Taking my first look at the RKV mark 3 was certainto increase my own blood pressure. The model inthis test was the third incarnation of the RKV, theoriginal dating back to 1982. Just like the predeces-sors this larger 10kg 400 x 340 x 150mm monsterwas a sea of blackened steel and plastic (also availa-ble in silver or limited ivory editions), with largefront and top Plexiglass windows that proudly re-

vealed everything in-side. You could sensethe importance ofshowing the machin-ery that made it all‘work’, and in thiscase included 8 valvestowering from abright red PCB, theterrain for a city ofindividually solderedcomponents. It lookedmagnificent and need-ed to be seen! Thecomponents were alltop class with a Pika-tron transformer,



OPA134 op amps, and a fully automatic biasing ser-vo controller circuitry, which he has in all his ampli-fiers to regulate the valves. And the valvesthemselves, number PCL805, he designed himself.The previous incarnation had four ofthem.Having listened to and owned a size-able collection of headphone amplifi-ers, the £3262 RKV is one of themost expensive. The instructionmanual was very detailed, though theGerman to English translation wasamusing in places; particularly theway it went from highly proficientand poetic nuances to phrases usuallyseen in the Chinese to English trans-lations of cheap Amazon purchases.Apparently “the care tensions arewon from a strong, free of litter,Torodial-transfomator”. Whether you

are a big or small company the instruction manual isa core part of the package, and as such, detail shouldgo into this vital component.The top acrylic plate is machined with an array ofventilation slots for the tubes. The rest of the chassisis crafted from laser-milled stainless steel, rather thanaluminium, as Becker says it ‘sounds’ better. Thelarge red PCB and components are of the highestquality and hand soldered liberally and sensibly, andwith affection.On the front panel there are two combi headphonesockets, just as on the Verto, and below these is theMode switch. This switch selects either high-imped-ance headphones (> 100 Ohms), or in the second po-sition allows you to select from five low impedance(8, 16, 32, 64, 128 ohm) settings in the next knob.Why a single 6-position knob wasn’t used, I didn’tget a chance to ask.With the last of the three rotary switches, you couldselect the source you want to listen to. The manualsuggests that there were 45 RCA inputs at your dis-posal, but my limited algebraic knowledge broughtthat figure down to 5, or maybe 7. Let me explain;there are 5 RCA sockets (the fifth being a very sim-ple, but useable “old school design” MM phono-stage input), and inputs 1 and 2 were paralleled withtwo XLR balanced inputs. There is a pair of speakerterminals, should you wish to drive the respectable5.8W output into efficient drivers, though for my 4ohm B&W 804s the output level was insufficient todrive them. Indeed, the sound quality was nothing towrite home about. Completing the socketry is a pairof male XLR sockets to connect to a power amplifi-er. This piece of equipment was festooned with pos-sibilities, and could easily be placed at the centre of a


I then turned to anequally complexhotchpotch, MartynBennett’s Grit, thoughthis ‘busy’ album was ahandled a lot morepanache than in manyheadphone amplifiers. PatMetheny Group The WayUp was as sweet astreacle; perfectlyexecuted, with warm butmusically precisecymbals, and againeverything is up front, avery full sound, but justso right.


respectable hi-fi set up. Perhaps Mr Becker was try-ing to do too much in the reasonably priced £3262presentation.So to the tests. I wanted to ensure that, despite theimposition of Verto testing, this product was givenan opportunity to shine. Not only did I listen to CDand vinyl sources, but I also included mp3 andFLAC.One of the drawbacks of listening on headphones isthat because of the closeness of the source to our earswe only hear an exaggerated sound stage, becausenone of what is in the left gets to the right, and viceversa, unlike with our ears when we are listening tolive sources or loudspeakers. Angled ear speakers,such as Stax Lambda electrostatics, go part the wayinto making the experience less stressful, but thisAudioValve unit has the provision to allow some ofeach channel’s information to reach the other chan-nel, and which can narrow the soundstage, making itmore realistic and, in their words, “less mentalstress”. However, unlike those wonderful ambisonicrecordings I listened to back in the 1970’s, there isno time delay, as there would be in reality. Indeed, itcaused me a bit of mental stress trying to work outwhere exactly this facility was on the AudioValve.Again, an unclear instruction manual.Now, you might be starting to think that all I do iscriticise. I’d like to think that actually I just makesensible observations, and, once I started to listen tothe sound, I wasn’t that bothered about my qualmsanymore. Once I was constrained between the ear-pads of my Sennheiser’s, Audio-Technica’s andGrado’s, all I wanted to do was experience more andmore of my vast archive of music. I found that withimpedance adjustment my Audio-Technica’s sound-ed better than I had managed on any other headphoneamp, though the Sennheiser HD650 was a bit toobass heavy. I listened to my Holst Planet Suite, Kara-jan (Decca 417 709-2), just as I had with the £190Graham Slee Voyager test. There was much moreweight in this offering, and the sound was more for-ward. It was more far more authoritive, largely dueto the larger available output stage, and I had to becareful to set the impedance correctly and not turnthe volume up too much. I felt at times the enormouspowerhouse led to a little confusion in some of themusic, compared to other amplifiers, and especiallyelectrostatics. For that reason I then turned to a com-poser 8 hours away across the pond and a work com-posed 15 years later, Ferde Grofe and his GrandCanyon Suite (Naxos 8.559007). Both are program-

matic works; this one is about donkeys wanderingacross the Arizona desert. It is a powerfully creativedrama, something I fell in love with at the age of 10,when my imagination could whisk me across the At-lantic in an instant. This CD would be a great exam-ple to test the depth and power of soundstage andseparation of instruments, particularly with a variedcollection of distant brass instruments, glockenspiel,celesta, coconuts, wind machine and thunder maker.The instruments all came to life; the woodwindssounding like birds and the trumpets like crickets.This was as real as it could get. There was richness inall the harmony, and at times it could sound a tadcarried away in this powerful recording. The thirdmovement has a lovely solo violin part, which, par-ticularly through HD650′s, seemed to wander fromleft to right depending on whether there were low orhigh notes. Maybe it was a windy day in Arizona.The intense instrumentation in the fifth movementduring the storm scene was, for most of the time, on-ly a storm in a tea cup for this player.I then turned to an equally complex hotchpotch, Mar-tyn Bennett’s Grit, though this ‘busy’ album was ahandled a lot more panache than in many headphoneamplifiers. Pat Metheny Group The Way Up was assweet as treacle; perfectly executed, with warm butmusically precise cymbals, and again everything isup front, a very full sound, but just so right. Tubehiss was virtually non-existent (100dB S/N ratio)and, with a bandwidth from 10 – 150,000Hz, no in-strument would be spared. This was more than fun,and took listening on headphones to a completelynew level. This was no side salad; this was thickstew and dumplings. It was able, as its creator sug-gested, to render unparalleled “harmonic richness”.This machine was no slouch. It had the energy of theScottish Independence YES voters. This was morethan just an acoustic statement, more than just aheadphone amplifier, and it was beautiful, too. Myonly worry was that it was perhaps though trying toohard to be everything to everyone.Sound quality 8.55/10Value for money 8.4/10Build and design quality (RKViii) 8.5/10Overall 8.5Price RKV Mk III £3262Verto £690

Janine Elliot



On the Tisbury Audio website the company make apoint of stressing that the majority of the parts thatmake up the CA-1 are sourced from British manufac-turers. The price of the unit is £349 including freeinternational shipping and a three year warrantywhich all seems to be very reasonable indeed.Out of the box the first thing that strikes you is howlight the CA-1 is and this is in no small way down tothe fact that a wallwart power supply is used. Thesecond thing you notice is that it’s actually quite anattractive beast with its solid American black walnutside cheeks and bottom “plate” which complimentthe 3mm aluminium enclosure pretty nicely. OK, thisisn’t going to win any international awards for itsaesthetics but it’s simple, functional and good look-ing. Size-wise the CA-1 is 204 x 170 x 74 mm so it’spretty compact and bijou.Round the back you get a couple of good qualityRCAs for inputting your source, in this case our ref-erence Valve Audio Devices DAC 10 fed via USBfrom a dedicated laptop running JPlayer and JRiverand playing FLAC files, there’s an on off toggleswitch and the socket for the power supply to pluginto. Flip it round to have a look at the front paneland this too keeps things to a functional minimum.There’s a proper quarter inch jack Neutrik socket, an

Tisbury Audio CA-1 Headphone Amp

Tisbury Audio are asmall company basedin the UK thatcurrently makes justtwo products, the MiniPassive Preamplifierthat we took a listento and enjoyed a fewmonths ago and theproduct on test here,the CA-1 HeadphoneAmplifier costing £349.


Alps Blue Velvet pot, a toggle switch for the highand low gain output modes (6 dB (2x) and 16 dB(6.3x) gain) and an LED to show you it’s plugged inand functioning. Build quality looks to be simple andof a good quality. The CA-1 has a nifty little mutingcircuit onboard which essentially disconnects yourprecious headphones if the AC power supply is inter-rupted or switched off.For the purposes of this review the main cans usedwere the 20 Ohms Audeze LCD-XC headphones wehave in for review and have listened to extensivelybut we’ll also be trying it out with some other cans.SoundTisbury claim the noise floor is very low with theCA-1 and it is, there’s no distinguishable noise what-soever as far as I can tell on the low output or highoutput at normal listening levels and with no musicplaying you have to turn the volume pot all the wayto the top to get any noise at all. With regards vol-ume it goes plenty loud enough with the Audeze’ andI wouldn’t think anyone but the most hard of hear-ing, or those with a deaf wish would need to crankthis up to anywhere near the max –Tisbury give afigure of 3.4V and 725mW at 16ohms and8.3V/115mW at 600ohms. With the more demandingHifiMan HE 560s you need to crank the volume pota bit but again all is well and likewise with the Sen-nheiser HE 800s and their IE 800s.Immediately on plugging in the ‘phones and puttingon the tunes it’s pretty clear that this is a good sound-ing little box with good transparency that allows youto get on with listening to the tunes. Eels’ NovacaineFor The Soul shows there to be a really nice sleeksound in the upper frequencies and vocals. Thestrings are lush, full and luxuriant. In the lower end

there’s bass there but I’m not sure it has the requiredheft to it that I enjoy with this kind of tune. Likewiseon the Body Count track Bowels Of The Devil I justfeel there’s something missing, as if the amp is beinga little on the polite side.However, popping on the wonderful Kathryn Wil-liams’ Crown Electric album you are rewarded withabsolutely gorgeous vocals and a great lush feel tothe strings (again) that defies the moderate askingprice of this little unit. I’m reminded here of my old300B PSE amp (no bad thing) and it comes as a bit

of a surprise as it’s clear that what wehave here with the CA-1 is a refined andsophisticated sound that will immediatelyappeal to those that listen to “audiophile”type music or enjoy a more well-man-nered sound.Reviewing kit can be a soul destroyingpass-time at times as you need to concen-trate and listen in a critical way, but withthe little CA-1 I genuinely found myselfjust listening to Williams’ record thewhole way through and loving everyminute. Bass isn’t the deepest I’ve heardbut it’s ok for this kind of music.

Tisbury Audio CA-1 Headphone Amp

The piano isnaturalsounding andthere is a goodinsight into theperformer’svery distinctivevoice.


Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s Winter InAmerica is one of my go to records to get an idea ofwhat’s happening with relation to getting a feel forthe recording space and with the CA-1 in place it’s apretty good effort. Not as good as the best I’ve heard,or as good as my own reference, but very acceptablefor the asking price. The soundstage is not as wide asI would have liked but again, at this price it’s veryacceptable. Vocals appear to be slightlypushed to the fore but the tops aresmooth and slightly rounded out.Chie Ayado’s version of the BeatlesDon’t Let Me Down from her GoodLife record again plays to the strengthsof the little Tisbury unit. The piano isnatural sounding and there is a goodinsight into the performer’s very dis-tinctive voice. And this is what I meanabout this unit appealing to those thatlike to listen to audiophile music; pushit too far with music that demands amore dynamic sound and it loses out tothe competition a little – here I’mthinking of the likes of Deep Purple’s

Made In Japan version of Smoke On The Waterwhich although sounding OK didn’t inspire me andget me rocking as it should.ConclusionThe Tisbury CA-1 is a fine sounding little headphoneamplifier that does have some limitations when pre-sented with rock and more complex bass heavy mu-sic. Some will enjoy this some won’t.For those looking for a relaxed but accurate presenta-tion without bells and whistles then this is a verygood choice for the money.Jazz fans will love it and with female vocals it’s alovely little unit with an audiophile sound that willsurely appeal to a good number of people.It drove all the headphones I used with it admirablyand with good control over most of the frequencyrange and does have a slight valvey feel to it- think300B midrange.Overall the Tisbury is a unit that deserves to do welland given its price point I’m sure it will.Build Quality – 8/10Sound Quality – 8/10Value For Money – 8.5/10Overall – 8.17/10Price at time of review – £349Recommended for those looking for asmooth, audiophile sounding headphoneamplifier that gets on with the job at a goodprice.

Stuart Smith

Tisbury Audio CA-1 Headphone AmpThe layout is verysimple: one knob toincrease ordecrease thevolume, a switch tochange betweenhigh and low gainand an ON/OFFswitch on the back.Couldn’t be moresimple!


And now it’s over to our tame teenager in residenceHarry to give his perspective on the Tisbuy CA-1

Tisbury Audio is a relatively new company thatonly makes 2 products at the moment (theCA-1 and a passive preamplifier).

I was given the Headphone Amp, the Challenge Amp1 to review that retails for just under £350. For myreview I used it with a Schiit Modi DAC and variouspairs of headphones.The amp looks great and stands out from the crowdwith its bold design.The brushed metal chassis is enclosed with woodwhich gives it a “retro” look. It is very tactile withthe contrasting use of materials. It’s also not too “inyour face” and can sit proudly on any desk or Hi-Firack.Most importantly this amp is handmade in the UK.It’s great to see that Made in England stamp on a rel-atively low priced product.The layout is very simple: one knob to increase ordecrease the volume, a switch to change betweenhigh and low gain and an ON/OFF switch on theback. Couldn’t be more simple!Not only is the design fantastic, the build quality isalso exceptional. It feels solid but also surprisinglylightweight (thanks to the external power supply.) Tobe fair this is the level of build quality that I expectfrom a Made in England product, though sadly this isnot always the case.To test the sound I tried to listen to as many musicgenres as I could (dance music, folk, rock, jazz, dub-step, and hip hop.) Obviously avoiding classical mu-sic (which I can’t listen to for more than 2minutes…)This amp is very “true to the music” and can easilyshow the flaws in a cheaper pair of headphones.Thankfully Tisbury offer a 30 day free trial so youhave the time to find what sounds best with it beforeyou actually buy it.I personally thought it sounded best with my ownpair of NAD viso hp50s which I also feel are very“true to the music”.The sound is tailored towards strong female vocalsand punchy guitar riffs. It also brought dance musicbeats to life.However I thought the track that sounded the bestwith the CA-1 was ‘Loose yourself to dance’ by Daftpunk, the signature Nile Rodgers guitar rhythm hasnever sounded so good. I could actually pinpoint

where all the instruments were in my head which isvery impressive.The sound stage is very wide and provides plenty ofbass. The mid and the top end are very bright andcolourful. It brings a lot of life to the music and isversatile enough to be enjoyed by lovers of all kindsof music.I didn’t experience any background noise and no irri-tating buzz that you can find with a lot of amps.There is no “pop!” when turning the amp on and offthat I have found with other amps, both of which aregreat plus points in my view.All round the looks and sound combine to an almostperfect headphone amp for the price (£349 is a lot ofmoney but considering the quality that you are get-ting it is valid).A definite recommendation for anyone wanting toenter the Head-Fi world, on a smaller budget.Sound- 9/10Value- 8/10Build quality- 10/10Overall- 9/10

Harry Smith

Tisbury Audio CA-1 Headphone AmpAll round the looksand sound combineto an almostperfect headphoneamp for the price(£349 is a lot ofmoney butconsidering thequality that you aregetting it is valid).


Beyerdynamic were my favoured headphoneswhen in the recording or radio studio back inthe day and soi t was great to get the oppor-

tunity to try out some of their headphones made spe-cifically for the home and audiophile marketplace.Here we’re taking a listen to the top of the range T1semi-open headphone which retails at 949 EUR.The T1s arrive in a stylish aluminium box designedto look a little like a professional flightcase and iswell padded inside. This inspires confidence immedi-ately and gives you some indication of Beyerdynam-ics’ professional and studio heritage. There’s acertificate of authenticity and that’s it – straight for-ward, no messing.The cable is a good length for home use at around2.5m and looks to be a no-nonsense (thick) designterminated at the end with a Neutrik quarter inchjack. The cable is fixed to the headphones and sothere are no opportunities for playing with alterna-tives.Looks-wise the T1s are pretty conventional lookingwith circular cans that cover the whole ear. They arean attractive champagne colour for the most part withthe cans being attached to a metal frame. It’s a sim-ple enough design that works well with the cans piv-

Beyerdynamic T1

Family ownedBeyerdynamiclaunched in 1924 andhave since becomesynonymous with theproduction ofheadphones andmicrophones for prostudios, but they alsooffer a wide range ofcans for home use liketheir top of the rangeT1 headphones costing949 EUR.


oting vertically to ensure the correct fit over your ear.They clamp firmly but not uncomfortably to yourhead and you can shake your head quite vigorouslywithout them moving about, so those predisposed toexercise should be fine with these. The earpads aregood and thick and made of a velour material whichis pretty comfy over longer periods of listening. Thehead band is well padded and covered in leather –it’s not as comfortable as the HifiMan HE-560s butit’s pretty good and should cause no one any issues.Adjustment of the length of the headband is a simpleslide affair which you can do whilst the T1s are onyour head. They weigh in at a 530g which is prettylight when compared to the likes of the Audezeheadphones we’ve had in for review. All in all theselook like well thought out and built to do what theyare supposed to do which I really like.The T1s have drivers that are angled towards the earand are quite a bit off centre and to the front of thecan with each driver achieving over 1.2 Tesla (the SIderived unit used to measure magnetic fields) whichBeyerdynamic say is twice the value of traditionalheadphones. As a result of the increased magneticfield the voice coil used in the T1s is more compactthan in traditional headphones but still efficient. Theactual membrane that makes the sound is whatBeyerdynamic call a three layer“compound foil” and all in thismakes the T1s a 600ohm load.Using my reference headphone am-plifier on the end of the Valve AudioDevices DAC10 using the computerto deliver FLAC files the T1s wentplenty loud enough but pluggingthem into the HiSound StudioDAP required cranking the volumepretty much up to the max to get adecent volume. With this in mind I’dsuggest that if you are consideringusing the T1s whilst out and aboutyou will need to use an external port-able headphone amplifier.The SoundThese headphones throw a reallygood soundstage that feels quite nat-ural and not overemphasised and Ithink this is down to the way thedrivers are angled towards your ears.The soundstage isn’t as wide as the

final Pandora Hope VIs and yet there is a good out ofthe head feeling that seems very natural. There is adefinite accuracy to the positioning of instruments inthere without any exaggeration, some may think thatthis is a narrowing of the stage but I thought it gave amore “real” feel to the music. There is also a goodfront to back feeling to the soundstage, particularlyaround the ears (if that makes sense) which is againdown to the positioning of the drivers.Clarity is really very good with T1s and whilst themidband is really gorgeous it’s not to the detrimentof other frequencies. On David Crosby’s Croz hisvocal is presented very nicely and with a littlewarmth that seems about right for his vocal style.There’s a part of the vocal on Time I Have which isobviously an edit and it’s very easy to spot this onthe Beyerdynamics. Bass is really nice and tight butnot overblown or bloated – this leads to a very niceand natural sound on this record which I really en-joyed. Other headphones we’ve tested have the feel-ing that they go lower but on this kind of music Icertainly never thought I was missing anything at all.However, popping on Daft Punk’s Homework albumI did need to push the volume a little higher than nor-mal to really get the full effect of this album. Oncethe volume is cranked up though, you are given a

Beyerdynamic T1


really dynamic and balanced sound whichagain really appealed to my personal taste.Again, it’s a feeling that nothing is over doneand what you are getting is a pretty muchstraight forward interpretation of what is goingon on the record. Some will prefer a head-phone that pushes to the fore a certain frequen-cy band and others will love this no messingapproach.With the Made In Japan version of Deep Pur-ple’s Smoke on the Water I again found Ineeded to turn the volume up quite a bit to getthe full effect of the record. There’s bags ofdetail at lower volumes and it’s all there, but toget real excitement from these headphones Ibelieve you need to turn up the volume a bit.I think a really good test for headphones is lis-tening to house and techno and so to DeepDish’s Yoshiesque Vol II, an absolute master-piece of a mix album. You get a total insightinto the record from the very opening lines of Finallyand the slightly effected vocal. All the little nuancesto the mix are there and when the beat does kick init’s powerful and taut which is just right for this kindof music. The little touches in the mix fly around youhead and there’s a good deep feel to the basslines.Some headphones struggle to keep pace with thiskind of music and get lost in everything that is goingon but to the Beyerdynamic T1s credit they manageto stay up with the action and are an exciting listen.The obvious comparisons here are going to bethe HD 800s from Sennheiser as they come in ataround the same pricepoint, the Sennheisers areslightly more expensive at £999. It’s a very close callindeed but the Beyerdynamics have it by a short noseI’d say. I loved the bass on the Sennheiser cans butwith the T1s it just seems to be subjectively moreappealing. They’re a tad more explosive and excitingto listen to. On the negative side they’re not as com-fortable.ComfortBy no means are the T1s an uncomfortable head-phone and I found myself able to listen for long peri-ods without any discomfort at all. The HifiManHE-560s were better on the headband but worse onthe ears and the Sennheiser HD 800s were better onthe ears and slightly easier on the top of the head(they’re lighter after all).

The earcups cover the whole of the ear very comfort-ably indeed, but the velour fabric can become a little“itchy” after long periods of wearing them. Theyclamp firmly to your head but this isn’t overly doneand so they remain comfortable in this aspect.ConclusionI liked the Beyerdynamic T1s a great deal and insome respects they could be the final headphoneyou’d ever need to buy. When paired with a head-phone amplifier they come alive and offer a dynamicand explosive sound that is full of detail.They don’t have the lushness of the Final Hope Pan-dora Vis and overall are a more balanced headphonewith a slight warmth to the midband. The SennheiserHD 800s offer a crisper top end but I prefer the morebalanced approach of these cans, but only by a hairsbreadth.Bass is good tight and powerful without being overdone in any way and whilst the soundstaging is betteron some of the headphones we’ve had in for review(Final and Audeze) it’s up there with the best withthe little nuances of the stage being particularly ap-parent around the ears in a front to back sense.I believe the T1s are suited to a wide range of musi-cal styles and offer a clear window into what is hap-pening, with bags and bags of detail but not so muchthat they become a pain to listen to.

Beyerdynamic T1


Beyer Dynamic are perhaps best known for their stu-dio kit and it’s clear that the T1s have benefited fromthis experience, but to their credit they also manageto bring their credentials to the living room too.On the negative side, you will need to have a goodheadphone amplifier on hand if you want to get thebest from these as they do need to be driven quitehard.Sound – 8.85Comfort – 8.15Fit and finish – 8.25Value – 8.5Overall – 8.44Recommended for those looking for a dy-namic and yet balanced headphone that isvery good across all the musical styles wetried them with.

Stuart Smith

And now Linette's thoughts on the BeyerdynamicT1 HeadphonesBeyerdynamic have been making headphones andmicrophones for a long time….the company wasfounded in Germany 90 years ago and has become abit of a byword for Germanic excellence.The T1 was the first headphones in their range to usetheir Tesla technology which, without going into theentire science bit, makes the drivers more compactand more efficient.Straight out of the packaging and the presentationcase really does scream understated Germanclass…..they come in their own embossed, brushedaluminium flight case.The ‘phones themselves are also very classy looking.Again brushed metal but with a slightly golden greyhue. They are industrially sleek and I really like thesubtle styling like the ‘herringbone’ detailing on theearcups and the cut out T1 logo on the sides. Theyare described as semi-open, whatever that means…Ithought headphones were either open or closed, butapparently these are somewhere in between.The padding is generous on both the earpads and theheadband but the way the Tesla drivers are placedmeans it seems to take a while to find a comfortablelistening position with them….I also found myselfadjusting quite a bit while listening.

They actually feel quite light on the head, eventhough they weigh in at over half a kilo (530g).Worth noting though that they actually became morecomfortable the longer I wore them.Happily they pass the ‘glasses test’ and sit comforta-bly with my specs on.Once slight annoyance that I noticed was that the ve-lour on the pads ‘creaked’ quite loudly when Imoved my head…I’m guessing this is down to thevelour not the actual pads so I imagine it could becured by changing for a leather pad?So, feeling in a Germanic frame of mind I decided tolisten to some techno, one of Ben Klock’s sets fromthe infamous Berghain club in Berlin. Now, seeingas this is a club that you can queue hours and hoursfor….only to be turned away by the fickle doorman

Beyerdynamic T1

Tremendousand definedbass and asound that isvery drivingand detailed,I guess that’sthanks to theTesla techthen.


when you finally make it to the entrance, I guess arecording of one of Klock’s sets from the main roomis a more guaranteed way to actually hear sometunes!The sound is big and intense, giving a real sense ofbeing in a club in what was a power station. Tre-mendous and defined bass and a sound that is verydriving and detailed, I guess that’s thanks to the Tes-la tech then.The ‘phones do feel very isolating from the outsideworld but the soundstage is very open, perhaps not as3 dimensional as the Oppo PM1 but I love the bigsound that I am getting.Florence and the Machine’s album ‘Lungs’ is next.Florence’s voice on ‘Dog Days Are Over’ rangesfrom ethereal to powerful and sounds perfectthroughout. The music sounds as defined when itreally gets going with very energetic drumming andvocals as it does in the more simple and strippedback parts of the song.I put on Florence’s version of ‘You’ve got theLove’….which sounds great, but it makes me wantto listen to the original (and in my opinion, best)version…the epic Source featuring Candi Staton tunewas the song me and Mr Hifi Pig got married to afterall!The Beyerdynamic T1s really deliver on bass, vocalsand everything else in the mix.The good mix of vocal and bass without anythingbeing too much is again evident when I put on Rudi-mental’s ‘Home’ album…the way this album hasbeen recorded it can often come across as far toobass heavy but it works with the T1s.Speaking of bass…yep, time for ‘Once again back’by Hardfloor. The bass is dry and rumbling, rightthrough my head, tops are skippy as they should beand the mids are good too……I am overall very im-pressed by these understated, Germanheadphones…a bit of a dark horse.So in the interest of equality I get Gil Scott Heron’s‘Ghetto Style’ on as I’ve listened to it with all theheadphones I’ve reviewed recently.‘Lady Day and John Coltraine’ is very engaging tolisten to, I am left wanting more, which has to be agood sign. There is that sense of being in thestudio…not quite as much detail in the soundstage asthe planar magnetic headphones as I mentioned be-

fore, but there is definitely something there thatmakes me really enjoy these headphones.They are very well styled, well made with great ma-terials and perhaps a bit more wearable out and aboutthan some of the headphones that I have listened torecently, quite understated.The detail and 3 dimensional immersion into the mu-sic is not up there with the top of the range planarmagnetic headphones that I have tried but I do thinkthey come out better than the Sennheisers HD800.Euro for euro or pound for pound I like the looks,build quality and sound of the T1s best out of thetwo.Yes again these are expensive headphones at 949€,however there are plenty of people wanting to spendthat kind of money to enjoy their musicprivately….the T1 just adds another choice of fla-vour to the top level available.I would suggest to anyone in the market for a pair ofgreat quality ‘phones, read the reviews make a short-list and then get down to your hifi dealer, headphonespecialist or get to a hifi show and test listen to a fewdifferent ones and pick your favourite.Sound – 8.5/10Comfort – 8.2/10Fit and finish – 9/10Value – 8/10Overall – 8.4/10Very well made, high quality and reliableheadphones. High end without screaming itin your face.

Linette Smith

Beyerdynamic T1

The BeyerdynamicT1s really deliveron bass, vocalsand everythingelse in the mix.


Hifi Pig recently reviewed the T1headphones from Beyerdynamic andliked them a great deal and so I was

curious when we were sent the £246 (279EUR) T 51i on ear headphones from the company.I’ll not repeat the preamble in the previous reviewother than to say I’ve been a fan of Beyerdynamicfor a good while and have used their cans at homeand in the studio in the past.In the box you get a nice and compact nylon fabriccarry case which looks rugged enough to pop in yourhand luggage when travelling, but is small enough tocarry about in its own right too. As well as the carrycase you get an instruction manual, a male to femaleminijack cable (I wasn’t sure of the use for this I’mafraid) and a doodad for using the headphones onplanes. The T 51is are clearly meant for portable useand the permanently attached cable has (lost on me)in-line controls and mic for your iPhone 3GS or lat-er, iPad, iPod touch 2nd generation or later, iPodClassic and 4th generation or later iPod nano; this ca-ble is a good length (1.2m) - short enough to not gettangled, but long enough to reach your media playerin your pocket. Also labelled on the pack is a quarterinch adapter but this was missing from the suppliedheadphones.The construction of the T 51is is pretty straightfor-ward and they look minimal and quite stylish, but Idon’t know if they will appeal to the youth giventheir distinct lack of blinginess….though I like theirunderstated aesthetic a good deal.

The headband is metal and padded with a thin cush-ioning… as are the cans themselves. Despite theirrelatively modest padding the T51is are very com-fortable indeed and easy to wear for extended periodswithout experiencing any aches or pains. They alsofit on the ear with very little pressure and so are verycomfortable in this respect, though they also feel sur-prisingly secure in the headshake test.The German made T 51is are marketed as a “premi-um portable headphone” and utilise the same Teslatechnology as their bigger T1 siblings. They have a

Beyerdynamic T 5liThe BeyerdynamicT 5li is a compactand good lookingon-ear headphonewith a healthypedigree, costing£246.

The first thing I noticedwhen popping these canson my head was just howcomfortable they are andhow much isolation tothe outside world theyprovide allowing you toreally get lost in themusic.


closed design with an impedence of 32 Ohms andweigh in at just 174g.Although clearly a headphone for the portable mar-ket I used them pretty much exclusively with my lit-tle day to day desk set up of Schiit Modi and Magnibeing fed with FLACs from JRiver Media Centre.The SoundThe first thing I noticed when popping these cans onmy head was just how comfortable they are and howmuch isolation to the outside world they provide al-

lowing you to really get lost in the music. Beingclosed back they also isolate folk on the outside fromyour music, which is a good thing for those wantinga set of cans for on the go.Popping on Neil Young’s Harvest album there’sclearly an endearing quality to these headphonesfrom the outset. The opening lines of Out On theWeekend have the bass nice, punchy and tight andwith enough detail in the mix coming through –there’s a reverb on Young’s voice that’s easily lost,but here it’s pretty much all there. There’s nothing inthe mix shouting out “Listen to me, listen to me” andas such, on this kind of material, they are even-hand-ed and quite a smooth sounding headphone. Giventheir diminutive size I’d expected these cans to soundclosed in but they’re really not at all – they have agood and wide soundstage that sounds natural andunexaggerated. Some will prefer a more artificialsounding soundstage, but I like this naturalness to theimage. This naturalness of the sound was a feature ofthe more expensive T1s too and Beyerdynamiucmust be congratulated on this.Given the recent death of LFOs Mark Bell I thoughtit fitting to virtually reach for Bjork’s Homogenicrecord on which Bell collaborated. Here the (easilyoverdone) electronic, low-bass notes are again tight,taut and enjoyable if a little more pronounced thanother frequencies. There’s reasonable insight into the

Beyerdynamic T 5li

They arecomfortable,light, easy topack away andoffer prettygood value formoney I’d say.


recording again and whilst I’d not be comfortabledoing a mix on these cans, they offer a standard ofreproduction, detail and openness that is very goodfor their price-point. Again it’s clear that there is noone part of the frequency spectrum being pushed tothe fore, though arguably they do err on the side ofbass a tad.The Ship Of Fools’ record Let’s Get This MotherOutta Here goes on next, a sort of spacerock/psychedelic album, and again there is an evenhandedness to the sound these little cans produce.There’s a little harshness (perhaps breakup would bea better word) at the very top end of the frequencies,but the music bounces along in a highly enjoyablefashion that is a great deal of fun to listen to. There’snot the refinement of the T1s, or other more costlyheadphones for that matter, but these are a hoot tolisten to and for the money there’s very little to moanabout. There’s good dynamics and punchiness and Icould easily see me using these as my go to head-phones of choice whilst traveling given their diminu-tive size and big sound, though I enjoyed them mostwhen turned up loud rather than at low volumes.On female vocals such as Lucinda Williams (HappyWoman Blues) the mids are nice and open with alittle drift from overall neutrality and a slight warmthwhich I enjoyed and which made for an easy andnon-fatiguing listen.Time and time again though I kept going for theharder techno and dance tracks which really play tothe strengths of these cans - low and tight bass withreasonable if not perfect fidelity at the top end ofthings, but that’s not to say they will only appeal tothe bootsncats (bootsncats n bootsncats)brigade…there is enough detail and finesse here tosatisfy listeners of more sedate music too.ConclusionGiven the asking price of these little headphonesthere’s not a great deal to criticise if truth be knownand a good deal to praise.Build quality is reasonable, if a little utilitarian andsound-wise you are presented with a nicely balancedfeel that is slightly on the warm side of neutral. Bassextension is good and not too over blown and whilstat the very top end of the frequency range things canbecome a little unstuck, it would be churlish to moanexcessively.

They are comfortable, light, easy to pack away andoffer pretty good value for money I’d say. No, theyare not in the same league as the likes ofthe Audeze and Oppos of this world, oreven Beyerdynamic T1s, but they offer a great dealof enjoyment for relatively little outlay. Of coursethe T 51is have their limitations and aren’t the lastword in being totally neutral (they’re not a monitor-ing headphone) and they’re not bad at all on a widerange of music, but particularly I enjoyed these whenbanging out techno at loud volume.The question is could I use these on a daily basis andthe answer has to be a resounding yes when they areused as cans for on the go. In the home I think themajority of readers would want something moresophisticated/neutral tonally, but if you are lookingfor a reasonably priced out and about headphone thatyou may use occasionally in the home, then theselittle Beyerdynamics offer a great compromise.Sound – 8.10Comfort – 8.05Fit and finish – 8.0Value – 8.30Overall – 8.11Recommended for users looking for a goodsounding, reasonably priced headphone thatis genuinely portable but that can be usedfor the occasional listen at home.

Stuart Smith

Beyerdynamic T 5liThe question iscould I use theseon a daily basis andthe answer has tobe a resoundingyes when they areused as cans for onthe go.


Following on from last months HeadphoneSpecial you were warned that we had evenmore to come…

The world of audio is going crazy currently over afew things, the vinyl revival is one, computer basedaudio is another and portable headphone amplifiers isright up there with the latest must haves of consum-ers wanting the best discrete sound for their highquality music downloads.Take a bow the Geek Out 1000 which combines aportable headphone amplifier and a HD High Reso-lution DAC in one dinky little device.The Geek Out 1000 arrived this week in a nicely de-signed box with good artwork and inside was anotherbox which resembles a necklace case with soft foaminserts cut out perfectly for the Geek itself, the um-bilical cord (a USB A female to USB A male) and asmall nylon drawstring pouch.The Geek 1000 is the most powerful of the three of-ferings from LH Labs boasting 1 whole watt of PureClass A Amplification which in headphone termsthat's a lot of welly! It's recommended that if your

Geek Out 1000 Headphone Amp/DAC

At £299 the GeekOut 1000 is anaffordable,compact andsleek headphoneamplifier andDAC. TheAudiophile worldseems to loveit…will we?


headphones are over 100ohm to choose thismodel for the best performance.Each of the models are constructed with an alu-minium body and comes in a range of stylishcolours, the review sample is in anodised redand looked pretty cool.The unit has only two buttons on it, used for vol-ume and 3D mode. For 3D mode simply pressboth together. Both buttons are different to thetouch with the down volume having a recesseddip to its centre and the up volume a raised bit -a very thoughtful touch making it easy to deter-mine which button is which. It's unsurprisingthat such a simple little thought has been includ-ed as LH Labs strictest policy is listening to theircustomers and producing products which theyreally want, suggest and give input towards.Common sense you say? Of course! But youwill be surprised at how many companies offerconsumers what they think they want.Plugging the Geek into a computer can be achievedvia its in built USB A male Asyncronous 20 socketor with the aid of the including trailing 6 inch cableattachment for an easier placement.The Geek has two rows of lights on its front, the firstto show sample rates and the second for indication of3D Sound being on …around the rear of the Geekthere’s a corresponding key as to what each light isindicative of.There are two 3.5mm headphone output sockets onthe Geek Out 1000, one labelled 0.47ohm for In EarMonitors and a 47ohm socket for those big bad boysof rock!So Geek is ready to go wherever you go…When I say portable, more to the point I mean theGeek only requires USB power to function from alaptop, thus making it portable.However if you wish to connect Geek to an IOS orAndroid device I'm afraid this is not possible -I didtry and unfortunately there is currently no driver sup-port for these devices. This is in fact a good thing asthe Geek gets tremendously warm! Anyone with ex-perience of Class A amplifiers will know how hotthey get but how good they sound. I wouldn't fancyhaving it in a breast pocket or in a pair of shorts con-nected to a phone. Some sort of belt clip would be anobvious choice if LH ever decide to widen compati-bility.

High Resolution File PlaybackChances are if you’re buying a Geek you’re not lis-tening to crappy MP3's ruining all the musical enjoy-ment and hopefully you have ripped your cdcollection and are downloading high quality musicfiles online.Geek will support:Bit rates from 1bit to 32bit


Vocals on Geekare very niceindeed, they havegreat tone andtexture and thatlittle sprinklingof clarity that Ipersonally prefer.


Sample rates from 44.1khz to 384khz and DSD 64and 128 protocols.Not bad for a device the size of a lens out of a geeksspectacles!.So, what does the Geek Out 1000 sound like?Ummm, pretty damned awesome! I'm really sur-prised at how good this device sounds. At the start ofthis review, whilst writing the introductory part Ihave been listening to a playlist of many genres ofmusic which I created on the Mac using AmarraSymphony 3.0.I don't think at any point during writing the previousparagraphs my head and body has stopped moving.Geek Out 1000 is extremely musical and is reminis-cent of quality Class A amplification - a warm mid-range, concise highs and a deep informative bassline.I'm listening through a pair of AKG K702 head-phones with a custom Tellurium Q headphone cable,which produces a fantastically clean and articulatesound.Adding the Geek 1000 over say the ResonessenceLabs Herus, or the recently reviewed EpiphanyAcoustics EHP-02Di headphone amp/DAC, theGeek 1000 really seems to suit these headphones tre-mendously well, adding texture and warmth to themidrange, body to the bottom end and a thicker yetstill incredibly detailed top ends which just seemedto have gained more confidence and rapport with oneanother.The detail is very realistic and whilst listening to Alt-J's new album, for the first time I quickly pulled theheadphones off and slapped the side of my head...During the track Nara there is a bumble bee whichflies from ear to ear and hovers about a bit to theright and with this being out of the blue and so realis-tic I honest believed I was being attacked as it's lateat night now here and I have a large flourescent tube

light on above my desk and a large window opennext to me… and I'm generally attacked by all sortsof flying monsters!The Geek Out 1000 has this uncanny ability to doswitching between left and right of the soundstage,the entire image is very stable, but a few times on afew tracks I've had this sweeping effect from left toright and a silence left each side as if one ear hasdropped out. Obviously it's a trick of the song playedbut the silences here on quiet passages and gaps be-tween tracks is really very black.Vocals on Geek are very nice indeed, they have greattone and texture and that little sprinkling of claritythat I personally prefer. I've got to have a little pro-jection and vibrancy in a vocal, hence my headphonechoice, but having this requires great care to the mid-range undertones to express tonality correctly other-wise it's popped ear drums time, or at least that lastfemale artist you played high pitched vocal ringingyour ears late into the night whilst your trying tosleep.Geek Out 1000 ticks this box with a magic marker.3D AWESOMIFICATION!!!

Geek Out 1000 Headphone Amp/DACThere's no doubtthat it's not likelistening tospeakers, but theimprovements areworthwhile andadd a clearpositive to theheadphoneexperience for me.


What a name hey? Sounds like someone in the facto-ry got ever so excited when they named this featurehaha. Oh well, let's allow them to have their momentof fame...The idea behind this feature is to take the sound outfrom being trapped inside your head and have itsounding like the performance is in front of you.Does it, well, yeah, kinda. For me there's a definiteimprovement on having a mini band trapped I be-tween your ears which is the main reason I do notlisten to headphones on a regular basis.There's no doubt that it's not like listening to speak-ers, but the improvements are worthwhile and add aclear positive to the headphone experience for me.The sound has gone from 9 and 3 O'clock to between10-11 and 1-2 O'clock. Outer and rear cues and nu-ances are more apparent now as the main focus of thesound has shifted forward. 3D AWESOMIFICA-TION, ok, I'll let you have that one!Using Geek as a standalone DACDuring my listening tests with the Geek I had a chatwith Alan Rosen of AVS (UK Distributer) regardingsome functionality of the unit.Alan asked if I had tried it as a standalone DAC yet,I answered "no".Alan went on to describe that at a dealer evening hehad recently he had the Geek playing in the systemas folk arrived. It was simply hanging down the back

of the rack connected to his laptop whilst the mainDAC was perceived to be on in the rack. The usualchat moved on towards the sound of the system inthe room and many commented on the excellentsound and were left gobsmacked when he revealedthe Geek to be the DAC in use.In light of this I connected the Geek 1000 to my ampvia an Epiphany Acoustics Atratus 3.5mm to twinRCA cable. I continued to listen to my previousplaylist sat on the sofa.I too was very impressed by its performance. I waspresented with a soundstage which imaged extremelywell. Detail retrieval was a stand-out point for me,renditioning decays on delicate notes in extremelybig boy fashion. Bass notes were full and secure,leaving small amounts of bloom to warm through thepresentation and allowing for a smooth lower mid-range that gave body to the vocal.I didn't have any intention on trying the Geek 1000singled out as a DAC but I was pleasantly surprisedand equally fascinated at how LH manage it.ConclusionTo conclude my time with the Geek Out 1000, I cantruly say how impressed and taken in by its qualityof sound. It's like getting a pair of tiny bookshelfspeakers, plugging them in and saying out aloud holyshit, where the hell does that sound come from.For a tiny portable device the size of the Geek tohave a pure Class A amp and a DAC inbuilt had tobe a somewhat tricky feat, especially what with hav-ing on-board controls, lighting indicators and twinoutput sockets. Most manufacturers leave the extrafeatures to software.Plug and play on Mac and Linux and a driver forWindows, well that's Windows for you and I'm sureyou guys are used to it so not the end of the world.Bottom line is Geek Out 1000 is easy to set up, com-patible with virtually any ear sound devices andsounds fantastic.Build Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8.6/10Value For Money - 8.8/10Overall - 8.46Recommended for - great size, great soundand great price, oh and it comes in snazzycolours too!

Dan Worth


Bottom line isGeek Out 1000 iseasy to set up,compatible withvirtually any earsound devices andsounds fantastic.


I’ve been a user of the Grado 325i headphones forover two years and preferred them over manyheadphones costing more until I very recently

heard Audeze LCD headphones which surpassedeverything I'd heard. I had always thoughtthe Grados to be very good indeed with superb topend detail and an openness I really enjoyed. Yes,there are those that think they are bright, but as I said

in my previous review, I think these people arewrong and mistaking upper frequency definition andclarity for harshness.So, a while ago I was sent the Grado ProfessionalSeries PS500e headphones to try and was somewhatunderwhelmed when they arrived. The 325is are justshy of £300 whereas the PS500es tip the scale at afew pennies short of £600…yet outwardly they lookidentical, but then looks can often be deceptive.I’ll not go into too much detail about how these lookas you can read the 325i review and the only percep-tible differences I can see are that the headband onthe PS500e is slightly (very slightly) better paddedand the driver housing is a slightly differentshape…for all intents and purposes they look physi-cally the same, though the newer headphones comewith a mini jack and an adaptor rather than the prop-er quarter inch jack – I’d rather have cans with aquarter inch jack and downsize if I need to, but thenthe vast majority of headphone listening is done atmy desk and not on the go.The Sound

Grado PS500es

At around £600 theGrado ProfessionalPS500es cost a gooddeal more than thecompany’s 325is butthey look pretty muchidentical. Will the extramoney be well spent?


For the whole of this review I have used the excellentBeyerdynamic A20 headphone amplifier (review tofollow shortly). There is an immediate and startlingdifference between the Grados I own and this newmodel. The PS500es are clearly more open and morethree dimensional sounding, with instruments havingbetter separationin the mix, whichis perhaps whythey are giventheir professionalmoniker. Prettymuch, comparingthe 325is to thesenewer and moreexpensive head-phones is a bit ofan unfair ask, thenewer PS500e isclearly and imme-diately a bettersounding can andso it should be.For the recordthey are 32 ohmswith a frequencyresponse of 14 –29 000 Hz,99.8dB sensitive(1mW) and eachdriver is matchedto .05dB.Putting on Dono-van’s Colours,there is a clearand identifiablesoundstage appar-ent with instru-ments sitting inthe mix where they should and with instruments hav-ing good tone. The harmonica sounds raspy and likea harmonica, whilst the vocal is slightly forward. OnGoldwatch Blues the studio’s reverb effects on thevoice are clearly identifiable and clear as a bell. Thisseparation and clarity will please many I think andgives the Grados a distinctly audiophile quality – notthe refined and smoothed out sound that some prefer,but a hard hitting and distinct feel to the music. Gui-tar has good timbre and great speed and accuracy.Ok, popping on the Audeze LCD XC and it’s clear

there has been another step up in quality with thesound, being more of everything and even betterspeed and control, but again we’re comparing applesand oranges price-wise.On Deep Purple’s Made In Japan there is an appar-ently wide soundstage presented with a good out of

the head feel. I’vebeen using thistrack to listen forthe quality of thebass guitar andwhilst there isplenty of wellywith the Gradosit’s not the verybest I’ve heard, butthen we’re notcomparing likewith like again.The Grados do feelopen and very “leftand right” wheninstruments arepanned and again Ithink I’d be fairlyhappy to mix onthese headphones.It’s also apparenthere that theGrados are niceand easy to drive.Now here’s thething, given whatI’ve just writtenabout the GradosI’d have expectedthem to be prettytough to listen tofor long periods

but they’re just not at all, actually,for all this detailthey are surprisingly non-fatiguing.The drum solo on The Mule (Live In Japan Again)has a great dynamic feel to it, particularly in the tomsand I really enjoyed the Grados here, sadlythe Sennheiser HD 800 headphones are long gonebut I think, if my memory serves me correctly, thatthe dynamic feel with the Grados is on a par withthem – there’s a real depth and “feel” to the drums…texture if you like. Rock heads will like these and Ibelieve lovers of dance music will do so too.

Grado PS500es


The bass manages to underpin the mids and top fre-quencies really nicely and with that separation of in-struments in the mix there’s a real feel of sidechainedpump. Daft Punk’s Around The world has punchthroughout the frequencies with bass being clearlydefinable from the other instruments and I really en-joyed this feature of the Grados. Like the Sennheis-ers they are pretty exciting to listen to and have greatrhythm and speed.Ok, so they can do rock and dance with aplomb butwhat about less bass dominated music? I’d listenedto a little Donovan initially but now for a bit of Emil-iana Torrini in the form of her excellent record Fish-erman’s Woman. There’s a slight harshness at thevery top end of her voice and whilst there had previ-ously been good width to the soundstage there was afeeling of things being a little compressed and fo-cused towards the middle of the skull and that out ofthe head experience that is so important with head-phones seemed a little lost when compared to thebest. That said the vocal frequencies are overall real-ly nicely produced and you do get a real feel for hervocal style – unforced and almost child-like.ComfortOver long periods of listening the earpads start to ruba little and become uncomfortable and I really wishthat Grado would look at supplying their headphoneswith alternative earpads or covers for the foam pads.They sit on the ear rather than over it and I thinksome will find this to be an issue after prolongedwear. They are very light though and the headband ispretty comfy overall, though I’d potentially like tosee a little more padding in there, they’re certainlynot as comfortable as the HifiMan HD 560s whichwere a bit of a revelation in this respect.Whilst out and about you can shake your head abouta fair deal before they become loose…and they areeasy to drive with a portable player, but being openbacked you’re likely to get lynched on public trans-port if you wear these.ConclusionThese are a good sounding headphone that are quiteanalytical and clinical sounding, but then they are aprofessional headphone and so you should take thisinto account. This said, they are perfectly happy inthe home environment and do a very good job ofbringing out the dynamics and emotion within arecording…this sounds like I’m contradicting my-

self, but if you want a sound close to the master re-cording then these do offer that insight.On the build side I find the Grados a bit on the lack-lustre side of things. They have a certain steam punkkind of charm and they feel sturdy enough, but theyjust don’t really excite me in the way some head-phones have. The headband needs addressing andI’m going to moan about alternative pads again…Overall I can recommend these headphones if youare looking for a mid-priced headphone that doesnothing massively wrong and an awful lot right.There is a family sound to the Grado range and I likeit a lot and if you already own Grados down therange and enjoy them, then these are certainly goingto bring a smile to your face.Sound – 8.25Comfort – 7.85Fit and finish – 8.00Value – 8.5Overall – 8.15Recommended if you are looking for an ac-curate sounding headphone that representsdecent value for money.

Stuart Smith

Grado PS500esThese are a goodsoundingheadphone that arequite analytical andclinical sounding,but then they are aprofessionalheadphone and soyou should takethis into account.


Digital to Analogue Conversion is like solv-ing a connect-the-dots puzzle. Your hand'shorizontal movement drawing a line

between the dots is analogous to the DAC's clockprecision. Clock noise (dubbed jitter) is comparableto a left-right shake of your hand as you draw. Verti-cal movement is comparable to the DAC chip's quan-tization levels and output precision. A poor DACchip will add something comparable to up-downshake of your hand. A good picture (actually, soundquality) will only emerge when both kinds of shakeare minimized.The Henry Audio USB DAC 128 mkII tries to mini-mize both errors by using a good DAC chip andgood clocking solution. Both the DAC chip and ref-erence clock chips have abundant power reservesplaced right next to them. All of this is situated on aprinted circuit board which has been designed andanalysed in minute detail.

Henry Audio 128 MkII Asyncronous USB

The Henry 128MK II is anAsynchronousportable USBDAC that costs£210. In this busymarketplace howdoes it do?


The Henry Audio USB DAC 128 mkII uses asyn-chronous USB Audio. This is a technology with adirect influence on audio quality. That is because theclock signal used to convert the audio is not coupledto the often noisy clock signals inside a computerand on the USB cable itself, but rather generated byprecision clock chips right next to the DAC chip.These clocks are made by UK company Golledge."Harsh" and "digital" sound signatures often stemfrom improper clocking and timing noise. Jitter iscomparable to wow and flutter in its nature, but oper-ates at much, much higher frequencies.The USB DAC 128 MkII builds on the very wellreceived USB DAC 128 (aka. QNKTC AB-1.2). Thenew model uses the same DAC and clock chips butwith much improved decoupling capacitors and pow-er filters. This has an audible effect such as morebass punch (due to larger energy reserves), better res-olution (due to cleaner power) and a more naturalsounding character (due to energy reserves beingavailable quicker on the circuit board).The Henry Audio 128 MkII comes with a single Mi-cro USB input (Asyncronous) with a plug and playimplementation with Mac OSX and Linux although,as usual, Windows will require a separate driver,available on the Henry Audio website. Output is viapair of analogue RCA sockets.The Sound

Although simple in its configuration and limited in-puts, Borge Strand-Bergesen told me during his re-cent visit to the UK when he dropped off a DAC tome that he is looking at addressing this in a futuremodel, a very beneficial option increasing the DAC'sflexibility hugely, although this will require a sepa-rate power cable as the current and former models


At this price level it'sso difficult to fault thisstrong achiever, theformer model wasexcitingly good valuefor money and the 128MkII takes this up alevel with its moresophisticated take onthe sound withoutlosing the excitementof the earlier model.


are both powered directly from the USB. All of thisaside and concentrating on the current model theMac locates the DAC instantly and is ready to play inmere seconds.When comparing the former MkI version of theDAC formally known as the QNKTC DAC and thenrevised later to the Henry Audio brand, one can au-rally understand where the improvements in soundquality are and appreciate its MkII guise.The rendering of leading edges in upper frequenciesis more refined and a little more opulent, culminatingin a less 'digital' type sound than its predecessor. TheDAC borders towards a more natural flavour and itspresentation oozes value for money.During the beginning of Fleetwood Mac's 'Every-where' the sparkling that begins the track had goodair and separation allowing for each separate ring tofloat across the soundstage, leading into the basslinewhich is slightly richer, tauter and larger than theolder MkI version. More bumpety bump rather thanbump bump, a bouncier rendition of the bottom end.I found myself particularly more impressed with thebass of this new version over the old as my listeningtests progressed, noting a strong representation ofmany genres of music. A double bass had more full-ness and was rounder in presentation whilst listeningto Damien Rice and Dance music was fast and tightexpressing the slap of a kick drum more competent-ly. Extension and decay of lower registers was verygood and really delved into the lower octaves withpower and finesse.Whilst exploring some of my favourite vocalists,male and female my impressions were instantly con-vinced that the artist had a slightly more solitude po-sition in the soundstage, an air of space and a finerdegree of depth presenting their vocal. Never seclud-

ed from the performance and band yet sin-gled out enough to demand their ownpresence within the performance, allowingfor the artist to shine a little more.Male artists had a throatines and rich toneand female vocalists projected incrediblywell considering the price point of the 128Mk II DAC from Henry Audio. I've heard afair few dAC's costing a little more in com-parison and a fair few of them can leavethe upper end of a female vocalist too ex-posed and a little splashy, yet with the new

found refinement in the MkII, although still a touchforward there is a suitable amount of refinementwhich holds the whole performance together and ex-udes a more natural and explorative midrange.ConclusionAlthough the new Henry Audio DAC looks physical-ly the same the improvements are apparent, not in-credibly so but cleverly subtle in some areas. Topend information is more refined and open, the mid-band portrays better texture and depth and the basscommands a great deal more respect from the listen-er, expressing a weightier, bolder and muscularsound.A coax or optical connection would be great andBorge and I did talk about its continued applicationof portability and the possibility of a new versionstill being powered through the USB socket. So onthe road another device could be accommodatedwhilst a laptop or portable USB based battery couldprovide power duties.At this price level it's so difficult to fault this strongachiever, the former model was excitingly good val-ue for money and the 128 MkII takes this up a levelwith its more sophisticated take on the sound withoutlosing the excitement of the earlier model.Build Quality - 7.5Sound Quality - 8.2Value For Money - 8.7Overall - 8.13Price at time of review - £210Recommended for - portability, good soundquality with finesse, strong bottom end andability to explore many genres very well.

Dan Worth



Ok, Lindy is a new name to me but they areapparently pretty well known among com-puter types…read youngest son Harry… so

I was a bit sceptical about having a go with thesebudget (£84.96) headphones.Lindy have been providing technology products suchas petrol lamps and electrical appliances since the1930s and have offices throughout Europe, the USand Australia. These headphones are designed, de-veloped and voiced in the UK and when I opened thebox I was a little taken aback. Packaging is verygood and inside you are presented with a foam linedand sturdy looking carrying case which contains theheadphones themselves, a spare pair of ear pads andthe removable cable.The cable seems of reasonable quality and pushesinto the bottom of each can with a satisfying clunk.At this price-point I suspect that after-market cablesare not something that would be a consideration,though it is possible.The headphones themselves arelightweight and plasticky but they appear to be prettyrobust. They’re an over-ear design, open back (alsoavailable in closed back), the earpads are well pad-ded, as is the headband and the headphones feature a“vented driver” enclosure designed to get rid ofstanding waves reflecting back to the listener.

The 42mm drive units have Copper Clad AluminiumWire voice coils resulting in a 64 Ohm impedenceand a sensitivity of 100dB.The SoundI’ll be absolutely honest here and confess that I’veput this review off for ages as I really wasn't relish-ing trying out a pair of headphones that are decidedlyon the budget side of things after having been luckyenough to have experienced some truly outstandingcans in the recent past. However, perceptions can becompletely wrong and so it is with the Lindys.OK, these aren't going to compete with the likes ofthe Audeze or Oppos of this world, but the truth isthey are pretty good…andparticularly for the modest asking price.Playing the Tresor 109 compilation rewards you witha solid and deep bass response that, whilst powerful,doesn't completely overshadow everything else thatis going on. The top end is good and crisp, but thereis a feeling that the mid-band is a little muddy whencompared to the best out there. This results in aslightly nasal sound on vocals when there’s lots ofother things going on in the background of a tune,but when there is just a vocal they’re pretty clear.The vocal on David Crosby’s Croz album feels a lit-tle further back in the mix than it should and likewiseon Gil Scott-Heron’s Back Home tune. I am beinghyper critical here considering the price of these butit needs to be said.

Lindy HF-110 HeadphonesLindy were anew name tous, but at lessthan £85 for apair ofheadphones wejust had to givethem a whirl.


Popping on Massive Attack’s Be ThankfulFor What You’ve Got plays to the Lindys’strengths. Bass is hard-hitting and deep, not asfast as some headphones I’ve had the pleasureof hearing, but tuneful and fairly easy to fol-low. This is a feature that is going to appeal topeople who enjoy the likes of dub and bassheavy music. NWA’s Alwayz Into Somethingis another tune that also plays to the Lindys’strengths with bass being deep (perhaps a littleoverblown) and dominant – ironic really giventhis is a Dr Dre tune. Playing a collection ofold Acid House I thought they were great andended up listening through the whole collec-tion without really finding anything wrong atall…but then this music is all top end andbass.At the start of Jeff Buckley’s version of LilacWine, you get a good insight into the singer’sdistinctive vocal style as well as the spatialeffects on his voice. You also get to feel theemotion of the tune. When the music comes inthere’s a little of that muddying, but this isperfectly listenable stuff and had I not beenspoiled by much more expensive audiophileofferings, something I could live with. Out ofthe head experience is pretty good but not out-standing and soundstaging isn’t too bad at all.ComfortGood breathable earpads that are really well padded,along with the Lindy’s well padded headband makethese headphones really comfortable and being solight you can wear them for long periods without anybother. They are quite tight on the head but not un-comfortable and you can shake your bonce about agood bit without shaking them loose, so good for themore active folk out there.They are open back but don’t leak sound too badly atall so youd probably get away with wearing theseon public transport too.ConclusionThese are not the best headphones in the world andfor the asking price they were never going to be.However, they sound pretty reasonable, offeringgood powerful bass and tops. Things get a little con-fused when there is a lot going on in a track and thisis brought out in the mid-band in particular.

For fans of dance music and the bassheads amongstHifi PIg's readers, these offer a dynamic and power-ful sound (particularly in the bass department) thatconveys enough of the rest of the musical informa-tion to make them perfectly usable and as such I’drecommend them for people who use headphonesonly once in a while and don’t want to spend a smallfortune.For the money it’s hard to be overly critical of whatrepresents a good package, with good accessoriesand a sound that makes them well usable.Sound – 7.25Comfort – 8.15Fit and finish – 8.00Value – 8.9Overall – 8.08Recommended for those who like bass andtops to be dominant and those looking for acheap but very usable headphone.

Stuart Smith

Lindy HF-110 Headphones


I hadn't planned to review this cable at all, but onewas supplied by David Brook at Mains Cables RUs (MCRU) as part of the package with the

excellent LongDog Audio VDt1 DAC that I recentlyreviewed here. Swapping out this mains cable forone of my own favourites produced an unexpecteddiminishment in sound quality. "Hmm", I thought,"interesting".Solidity and control, dynamics and resolution, clarityand precision. All seemed to benefit from this cableon the LDA DAC.At £95 or so for a 1.5m length, reasonably flexibleand looking very well made and presented, this cableis by no means expensive as such things go.It's available in any configuration of plugs you careto think of, including high current, Schuko, Figure-8,UK 3-pin, US 2-pin etc .…

TechnicalitiesThree 2 sq mm conductors made from silver-coated99.9999% OFC (oxygen free copper) are used tocarry the current. The dielectric covering is extrudedTeflon and the conductors are given a rotational twistto improve RFI rejection.

IsoTek Evo 3

At £95 or so for a1.5m length,reasonablyflexible andlooking very wellmade andpresented, thiscable is by nomeans expensiveas such things go.


A cotton filler reduces microphony and bolsters theinternal strength of the cable and a paper wrap isused to secure the construction prior to theapplication of the flexible PVC jacket

The moulded IEC and three pin mains plugs aredesigned and made by Isotek, and the solid copperconducting components are coated in 24ct gold.ComparisonsAh, the 'sound' of mains cables. One of the morecontentious issues in hifi!How can mains cables affect the sound of acomponent? - I have no idea, but experiencedemands me to accept that they do. I could list adiscouragingly large number of mains cables thatspoil a component's sound for me.I tend to keep several brands, each with their ownsonic characteristics that suit some components butthat do not necessarily synergise with others.Here's a comparison between the Isotek cable and acouple of my established favourites .…

Nordost Magus (re-branded as Blue Heaven ataround £150 for 1m) has been one of my 'keeper'mains cables for quite a while. As well as lookinggreat with its lovely deep blue outer sheath, it alsoperforms admirably sonically! It has a slightlyrelaxed but fluid take on the music; there's a naturalflow and tonal richness that is very appealing. Incomparison to the Isotek, though, it seems a bit toolaid back, less tonally neutral and missing out onsome of the excitement, boldness and solidity ofmore rhythmically propelled music.The Isotek EVO3 Premier sounded closest to my oldMusicWorks mains cable, the latest version of whichretails at around £350 for a 1.8m length. Similarly

controlled and dynamic, it was actually quite difficultto tell them apart on small to medium scale music.When the music really gets going, though, and withhigher powered amps like my 250wpc Krell, thebenefits of the more expensive cable can be heard asa further expansion of dynamic freedom and heft.With a lower powered amp like a Topping TP-6027wpc t-amp, or with low powered sourcecomponents, differences of this kind were marginalat best.

SummaryAll 3 of the power cables mentioned here are fineexamples of the cable maker's art, and I wouldhappily commend any and all of them to you. TheNordost has a bit more 'flavour', and that may suityour system or preferences. The MusicWorks issimilarly neutral, defined and explicit as the Isotek,and is capable of taking a high powered amplifier'sdynamic freedom even further - but it also costsseveral times as much!So, the Isotek EVO3 Premier power cable is a bit ofa no-brainer as far as I am concerned - the benefits ofhigh end power cable design, but without the highprice.

Jerry Jacobs

IsoTek Evo 3The Isotek EVO3Premier soundedclosest to my oldMusicWorks mainscable, the latest versionof which retails ataround £350 for a 1.8mlength.


I received two Starlightcables from The UKdistributor; one had an

ordinary type B connector onthe end and the other with amini B connector.The cable is very easy to routearound the back of a rack anddue to it being flat, bendsaround other pieces ofequipment and shelf edges veryeasily. The cable is lightweight,very well built and has nicegold connectors.The SoundConnecting the Starlight to myMac and streaming music withAmarra 2.5 the cable has simi-lar qualities of presentation asthe UltraViolet but with a fairgain in detail and sparkle in thetop end, a warm rounded mid-range leading into a firm bass,solid and full. I found the Ultra-violet to be much warmerthroughout the range and not asrevealing of smaller inner de-tails as the Starlight.Male vocals were strong andfleshed out and women's vocalshad a good smoothness to theirupper registers. Instruments hadgood timbre but not as naturallytrue as the likes of the higherpriced TQ Black Diamond. Dueto the warmer nature of the ca-ble it can lack that extra littlering or rasp at the end of a noteto give the most convincing of

performances but what it does put forward is an ut-terly musical and enjoyable presentation.Dynamics from the cable are fairly average really,not huge and fatiguing nor too soft and gentle, so Imay sound like a politician when I say they're just"nice".I go into detail in my Q N K T C review about theDAC being fed by the Starlight with the mini B typeconnector and how the overall 'Class A' flavouredsound of the combination was extremely enjoyableand very musical so I won't touch on it too muchhere, although I will mention that I found the Star-

Wireworld Starlight 7 USBThe WireworldStarlight 7 is a wellconstructed, flexibleand pretty snazzycoloured cable.Sitting in the lowermid-price band ofUSB cables (£99.95for a 1m length) it isthe next up theWireworld line to themulti-award winningUltraviolet which isa cable which I hadpreviously owned fora prolonged periodof time with my MacMini due to its warmand pleasant easylistening characterthat is veryfavourable to digitalplayback.


light to be great with upper frequency detail and airwhich coupled with mid and lower end warmthsounded great.Comparing the Chord Silver Plus with the Starlight7into the TotalDAC was interesting. The Chord hasmore of an emphasis on a detail ridden sound - a bitmore crash, wallop bang whilst the Starlight justcruises along in an easier fashion reproducing all thedetails I had heard from the more revealing Chordbut in a less forceful and smoother manner. Hearingthe Chord allows the listener to really pick out detailsand dynamics and on first inspection I though 'there'smore going on here' but hooking the Wireworld backup proved that it was a characterisation differencenot a lack of ability. Deeper rolling extended basswas an advantage of the Starlight, a more natural ren-dition of an instruments trailing edge. The Chord isexciting and great for lower listening levels but forvocals and instruments the a Wireworld really ex-plores the music better.Once again in detail on the Resonessence Labs Herusreview I explore the Wireworld further, I concludedthat out of all the USB cables I used I found the Star-light 7 to be a very musical match for the littleDAC/amp adding a nice bit of smoothness to somequite revealing headphones I had partnered with thedevice.

ConclusionThe Wireworld Starlight performed admirably in my

system using the two configurationssent to me and with the products test-ed. The sound could be referred to as'safe' but is also one of detail, balanceand warmth. Forgiving may be agood phrase to use with this cable - ithas a very forgiving nature whichtakes away any edginess which digitalequipment can inject into the systemand also lends its hand to a similartake with poorer recordings.The Ultraviolet was a great awardwinning cable but the Starlight is a bitof a leap ahead in detail retrieval andresolution, yet still having that gen-tler, easy to listen to character thanthat of the Chord Silverplus.Overall the Wireworld Starlight is asolid performer at a great price point.Recommended for build quality andsound per pound.

Dan Worth

Wireworld Starlight 7 USB

The soundcould bereferred to as'safe' but isalso one ofdetail, balanceand warmth.


http://www.soundfidelity.co.uk/



Somewhat different to other USB leads of this naturethe Astin Trew has a patent which covers the powersupply, which is quite intriguing and leaves onewondering about the exact technology utilised withinthe boundaries of the patents broader description.The cosmetics of the power supply itself are veryappealing indeed, a fantastically well constructeddesign with quite beautiful lines. In the blurb fromAstin Trew it's stated that the power supply will sitneatly at the rear of the rack or on the floor, I quiteproudly had it sat next to the Mac so it was clearlyvisible on a shelf as it looked great.The cable which comes with the Concord is userselectable on purchase. There is an option to havewhat I would deem 'the standard' cable - which is aUSB split into the two potions (data and power) withdata connecting the music source direct to the DAC

Astin Trew Concord

The Astin TrewConcord USB falls intothe category of'powered USB cables'utilising a separatepower supply for the 5vportions of the cablesinner conductors.


and the power having a DIN plug which firmlyconnects to the power supply.The other option available means you can use a USBcable of your choice. This consists of a short tail witha USB B type female socket to accommodate theexisting cable, which serves data duties accompaniedby the same power sectioned portion as previouslyfor the power from the supply.Each of the cables are thin and lightweight and areconstructed from solid core copper, have a 1.5mlength and are very well made and terminatedensuring ease of routing and placement of the powersupply which has an IEC inlet for choice of powercable and length required.

The Sound - using the Standard cableFirst up I plugged the Astin Trew Concord into myMac using the 'standard' cable, fed into the TotaldacD1 Tube - I used a standard power cable.Creating a usual run of the mill playlist in Amarra2.5 I sat back and began to have a quick listen notexpecting much due to the unit being new and notburned-in yet.Tones were nice and relaxed and unforced, there wasan ease to the sound, a silky flow to the music and,most importantly, the nasty upper bass hump that theMac has was smoothed out beautifully giving a far

better balance to the sound overall. There waspossibly a little more openness to come from thesound and I felt and a bit more width and depth couldbe a plus point, so I left the Mac switched on withAmarra on repeat for four days in order to put about100 hours on the unit before listening again.So, four days later and time to listen again, I turnedon the amp and walked away concerning myself withother “to do's” and allowed the amp to warm up for alittle over an hour at a moderate to low volume.Walking back into the room during Chris Jones''Angel From Montgomery' which is one of my

Astin Trew ConcordThe midrange especiallyhad an added openness andvocal depth was greater,the top end had a little moreair and was actually a littlebit smoother and refined butdid seem a little sparklierwith a cleaning up of grain.


favourites from the Moonstruck album, I wasextremely pleased with the sound that presenteditself.Instruments sounded more developed than previouslyand were more finely textured than in the days beforeburn-in. A definite opening of the soundstage wasapparent allowing for a better perception of depthand width. The overall tonal character remained thesame - balanced, gentle and silky and best of all thebass hump was still nowhere to be heard.Listening through more acoustic and vocal workfrom other artists was also a treat, with that midrangesilkiness, good interaction between instruments andtheir recording surroundings and with an overallneutral and very open character. I was very muchenjoying the Concord.Gutsier vocals had a cleaner lower-mid to them withthe Concord sounding more natural and truer. Therewas also a better range of perceivable detail. Bassnotes also had more detail and conveyed a moresubstantial layering effect after cleaning up of thisdirtier area of the Macs presentation.With the nature of its presentation becoming veryapparent and even though not my first choice ofmusic, I could imagine that the Astin Trew would beexcellent with classical music. I have the odd albumand compilation along with the option of Spotify, soI played some classical tracks and was correct in myassumption. Instruments once again had a naturaltimbre and reverb, soundstage placement was correctand dynamic transients were wonderful. The ease ofapproach the Concord has and it's openness really(and to my surprise) allowed dynamic shifts to slam,leaving smaller details to flow in open space with thetiming being very much on point - no muddiness orconfusion of layering in busier passages was audible

and I felt if anything that the dirty power supply ofthe Mac itself would be only contributing a smallishpercentage to what could be an even more engagingperformance.Using the Enhanced Digital Output software on theSqueezebox Touch (SBT) connected to the TotaldacI connected the Astintrew Concord. I thought thatthis would be an interesting test as the SBT alreadyuses a very high quality Paul Hynes power supply.

The midrange especially had an added openness andvocal depth was greater, the top end had a little moreair and was actually a little bit smoother and refinedbut did seem a little sparklier with a cleaning up ofgrain. I didn't feel that the Concord had the sameeffect to the lower-mids and upper-bass as with theMac, which was a blessing because it's alreadybalanced and so thinning out of this area would havedestroyed the whole balance of the sound for me.

The Option CableThere is a full review of the Tellurium Q BlackDiamond USB published on Hifi Pig and being of asimilar price this is a good comparison to the AstinTrew Concord. They do have a differentpresentation, the Tellurium is more energetic, faster,punchier and upfront, but retains a great balanceacross its presentation, whereas the Concordalthough fantastically balanced also has an ease ofcharacter that washes over you and gives a moreintimate appeal.So what would these two flavours be like oncecombined?Into play come the 'option' cable from Astin Trew,the one which I mentioned before which can utilise alisteners own USB cable for the data side of things.

Very interesting indeed, thecombination of the two to my earsextracts more prominence in thesmaller details of upper frequenciesand a more robust and upfrontmidrange, with a stronger vocal. Thebass hump of the Mac is stillsmoothed out nicely but there is atiny bit more grunt to the lower endof male vocals. Bass detail andlayering was still very similar to theConcord on its own and the intimacywas still there but had a little addedspice.

Dan Worth

Astin Trew Concord


The LessLoss website has enough technicalinformation, graphs and tables about theirproducts to give even Steven Hawkings a

headache!Louis comes across as an extremely personable guy,friendly and easy to chat to, but if you get him start-ed he will blind you with science in a matter of min-utes (well he does me), all with absolute relevance tohis products, tried and tested methods behind thetechnology utilised, not to mention other tweaks andexperiments he will have you doing.Not being of a techy/geeky nature as such, well notto Louis extent, I will provide you guys with the keyinformation on the cables and proceed to conveyingtheir sonic signature.The Products Under ReviewLouis sent over a few of each range of power cablesfor me to have a play with, the DFPC Original, DF-PC Signature and the DFPC Reference. For this re-view I'm going to be concentrating on their middle ofthe road DFPC Signatures $1152 1m, further reviews

LessLoss DFPC Signature Power Cables

LessLoss Audio is anAmerican/Lithuanianbased companyheaded by LouisMotek and a team ofindividuals who areextremelypassionate -bordering onbonkers about audio!


of the cables either side of these will be publishedlater in the year.Bling bling is the sound of the doorbell when thecourier arrives with these American lovelies! Thecables are extremely sexy and exceptionally substan-tial. Made up of four conductors each in a separateouter braid and weave which is perfectly symmetri-cal and finished by hand to a very high degree.I will add that the Signatures are made up of threelarge cross sectioned solid core copper, doubled forthe live, and single for the neutral. Looking a littledominated by its partners there is a fourth 6mm crosssection conductor of a similar type for earth duties.LessLoss opt for Oyaide at each end and a Furutech1363 on the UK version of the cable as Oyaide stillto this day have not manufactured a UK power plug– why, I have no idea!So you can now imagine the considerable size of theSignatures! Each one I received was 1.5m and to behonest I expected them to weigh a little more thanthey actually did. The flexibility of the cable is fan-tastic and very unexpected, as soon as I looked atthem in their packaging my immediate thoughts were“oh Christ I'm going to have problems here!” But itsimply wasn't the case at all.

Burning InI placed all four Signatures into my system at theoutset and had an initial listen. First impressionswere pretty good, nice detail, deeply layered mids

and an informative bass. Soundstage width was goodand there was nice harmonics outside of the speakerboundaries. An overall ease to the nature of thesound, a little gentle in the bass but extended.I left three cables in my system, one for the mainsblock and one each on the Totaldac and SqueezeBoxTouch to burn in while I had some household DIY toget on with. The fourth was removed altogether andplaced onto the television. There was no way I wasgoing to leave the valve amp on for any long periodof time (imagine the electricity bill) and my otherhalf watches so much TV I thought it would proba-bly burn in before the other three!Every few days I would take the fourth cable andplug it back into the amp and have a listen to the sys-tem briefly. After about 75 hours the cables openedup further revealing more expression to the midrangeand air in the upper registers and after about 150hours the bass began to fill out further too. A matterof about two weeks in total passed by before I satdown to have what I would call my final listeningdays where I noticed a greater liquidity to the mid-range and a slightly more fleshed out upper-basslower-mid. Top-end was a little more atmosphericand controlled but during these days of critical listen-ing I really didn't notice any further changes.The SoundPlaying Loreena McKennits 'Raglan Road' it wasimmediately clear that the midrange of the Signa-tures were highly developed, her vocal sits back in

the soundstage and has astrong projection of widthwhich can be localised fromit's source point in the per-formance. Her tones werevery liquid and silky and theupper registers had a qualityof control that gripped me intothe performance. The album isof a live performance and theatmospheric presence of thestage could be felt - airy andspacious.Contrasting her vocal with amale artist such as Nils Lo-gren and the 'Acoustic Live'album, the fleshed out lower-midrange is expressed verynaturally indeed and the li-



quidity heard previously didn't wash over his tonalcharacter.The speed and attack of Nils' guitar solo in 'KeithDon't Go' highlighted a strong degree of control inthe upper frequencies and the layering of decay onnotes where a fresh note started was easily heard. Ifelt I have heard the guitar with a little more richnessto lower notes in the past, maybe a slightly more ac-centuation of cabinet tone on a lower notes, but theease of presentation across the board made for suchan interesting and harmonically complex listen focuswas drawn primarily to other areas of the music.Chris Jones' 'Angel From Montgomery' is one of themost addictive of tracks for me, an extremely musi-cal and enjoyable piece which is actually fairly com-plex in micro details and harmonic artifacts on a nicesystem, it's one of these songs you can have a goodsingalong to when busy with something else, butwhen you sit down and really analyse it, it has somegood key aspects to use for auditioning components.The Signatures made good work of the extension inbass, again a little gentler or easier in the upper bassbut informative nonetheless. Chris' vocal comesacross wonderfully with the enhancement the cableadding to the quality of midrange sculpture. The ca-ble also seems to extract a certain magic from theambiance of the recording, helping to give a naturalnature and almost lifelike take on the music.I haven't mentioned a black background in this re-view and have just thought about this, I don't believethere is one, or one that stands out to me. What thereis though is a lifelike atmosphere instead, not noiseas such rather an organic sense that something isclearly heard or not. Don't get me wrong, there arequiet passages in the music, but there's always thatsense that the music is alive.I went on to play a variety of dance music to lookfurther into the bass. Playing music from Tiesto, Mi-kado and Armin Van Buren gave good slap and kickto the music. Firm bass registered, as did extendedbass notes, but there wasn't a real solid driving forceto the sound at lower levels, crank up the wick andthe cleanliness, pace and kick of those upper bassregisters were fantastic, a real metallic feel. Ambientharmonics and dynamics were great and the proc-essed nature of the music really showed off the layer-ing ability of the Signatures.Listening to some of the big film soundtracks fromthe Royal Philharmonic Orchestra the Signaturesdisplayed a window to each instrument that was nev-

er closed and allowed for reverbs and decay from theneighbouring musicians to wash through with menoting that complexity of rhythm and structure is akey accomplishment of the LessLoss cables. Cym-bals shimmered and were well controlled with thefirst hit but had enough presence to loosen and dissi-pate the sound correctly. Large dynamic shifts (inbass especially) sat across the performance ratherthan explode in height and confusion which linkednicely with the atmospheric presence.ConclusionsThe LessLoss DFPC Signature Power Cables have asonic signature of ease and stability; they open awindow to individual portions of the music yet stillremain locked on to the performance as a whole. Themidrange has a sense of liquidity, the upper frequen-cies are fleshed out and controlled, with good insightinto a layered performance and there’s good exten-sion to the bass leaving me to conclude that these areindeed an extremely well accomplished cable. Iwould have liked to be presented with all of this anda little more driving force in the upper bass regions,however there is a wonderful sense of musicality as awhole and a great sense of connection to the music.The cables look and feel great are very well madeand you do feel that pride of ownership when youhave one in your hand.All in all I personally thoroughly enjoyed them andwould recommend them for their natural ease ofpresentation, musical insight and build quality.

Dan Worth


The LessLoss DFPCSignature Power Cableshave a sonic signatureof ease and stability;they open a window toindividual portions ofthe music yet stillremain locked on to theperformance as a whole.


http://www.airaudio.co.uk/



For as long as I can remember the audio markethas been lacking an alternative to the Furutech1363 audiophile standard plug which will

accept thick cable and larger conductors. I actuallymentioned in my last review of the LessLoss cablesthat I'm surprised someone hasn’t already dealt withthis issue and produced an alternative – there isclearly a market!

So, unknowingly and to my surprise a knock at thedoor produced a packet which when I opened it con-tained a UK plug that looked somewhat different toany other I had seen before.With a semi smoked plastic body and a cable clamp-ing system (much like the Furutech but with differ-ences) the MS HD Power is air tight and patented.There are two screws either side of a plastic torsion

MS HD Power Plugs

UK Plugs that willaccept heavy gaugecables are few and farbetween so when hifiPig was given thechance to try out theMS HD Power Plugs wejumped at theopportunity.


grip, but my eyes were drawn towards the rear of theplug (the smoked plastic part) where I could seethrough the outer body at what looked like three larg-er than normal conductor tightening screws side byside and horizontally along the inside.The plug came from Air Audio who are the distribu-tor for these 'MS' plugs, so I gave them a call andthey explained that the plug is capable of acceptingmuch wider cables – up to 16mm in fact and thepoles can take conductors of up to 4mm. They addedthat the plugs are available in a standard, highly pol-ished copper version and also with a range of popularplating options - silver, gold and rhodium, all pol-ished inside and out. Looking at the gold version it’svery apparent that the polishing is carried out to avery high standard and the metal surfaces really dolook perfect.The plugs meet every British Standard and are fullycompliant with all the necessary regulations - this hasbeen a controversial point amongst some enthusiastswith regards some UK plugs that have been market-ed as suitable for audiophile use.Opening the plug up reveals an amount of layout androuting for individual conductors that is a breath offresh air. I dread to count the number of times I'vewired MK and standard sockets and have had to chis-el, chop and hack plastic out of the way to get thecables and I'm sure many of our readers have experi-enced this too.Between the live and earth terminals of the MS HDPower is a silver plated fuse which is also a nicetouch and so I decided to get one of my big chunkyDH Labs cables and test how simple it was to wire athick cable to this plug.

The fixing point of the conductors into the pins con-sists of a large opening with a loose U shaped pieceof matching metal passing through the top part of thehole. This clamps down on the conductor sandwich-ing it to the base of the hole once the screw is tight-ened.Fitting a Thick CableThe DH Labs AC Power Plus cable which is madeup of 12 gauge conductors fit with ease and thethicker 10 gauge conductors from the companies RedWave also fit nicely, so what more can I say than Iwas extremely impressed. The pathways to the pinswere unobstructed and wide enough to take a sub-stantial thickness of cable without any trouble at all.Three screws secure the three conductors, there are

two screws to clamp and two screws to fit the caseback together - it really couldn't be easier.Inserting the plug into my extremely rare all copperMK unswitched socket gave a tremendously tight fitand the cable management bit of the plug keeps thecable closer to the wall and very easy to route. I havefound that my right angled Furutechs have a tenden-cy to been knocked occasionally when I'm playingwith different bits in my setup as they come out ofthe socket partially to one side - I've actually neverbeen a huge fan of this plugs build quality over themore robust straight plug, but then even that plug isterrible if knocked or a wire snags when reachingbehind the rack – it’s for this reason I must alwaysensure all plugs are firmly in place after fitting newkit. The MS HD however has a much lower profileand stays snug to the wall plate and even with a goodpoke it remained in place.SoundAs far as the sound is concerned I can only submitmy view of the gold plated version I received,against the Furutech 1363G with both sporting a 10amp Bussman fuse. I found the MS HD to be a bitfuller sounding on the Red Wave cable with a tinybit more weight which had a nice effect on the treble.There really isn't much in it to be honest and onecould argue the Furutech had a bit more air in the topend, but then it has been used for a long period oftime now and fully “burned in” so I guess it wouldreally come down to styling and cost at the end of theday as to which you would prefer to spend yourmoney on.Conclusion

Starting from £30 for an unplated version and risingto £60 for the heavily rhodium plated version, theMS HD Power UK Plug is a product that I for onehave been crying out for for many year. The plug is amore affordable and with its BS1363 fully compliantstandards, low profile tight fit, and the ability to beable to terminate very large cables it is a no brainer. Ishall be ordering some very soon.Highly recommended!

Dan Worth

MS HD Power PlugsThe plugs meet every BritishStandard and are fully compliantwith all the necessary regulations.


I reviewed the original Reference FidelityComponents (RFC) Pluto cables for Hifi Pigsome while back and I think it is fair to say that I

gave them a rave review!I know of quite a few folks who subsequently boughta pair and were very happy indeed with theirpurchases.It is only right to remind you that I know Paul, theproprietor of RFC, well. But that cuts no ice as faras reviewing his gear is concerned - as always, I tellit like I hear it!The Pluto Mk2's use the same conductor cables asthe originals, but take advantage of the latest RCA

connector technology with the new EichmannHarmony copper plugs.TechnicalitiesEichmann claims the following features and benefitsfor the Harmony plugs;- Signal/Ground pins are pure Copper and >101%IACS (not Tellurium Copper (95% IACS) or Brass(28% IACS).- Signal/Ground pin optimization to enhance electronflow- Signal/Ground pins are now much stronger andshaped like a tag, which makes solderingsmall/large/multiple wires, very easy.- Signal/Ground Anti-Short shield has been addedbetween the Signal/Ground solder tags.- Signal/Ground pins are arranged to maintain amaximised distance from each other, and the utilisedfoil technology ensures that Capacitive, Inductive,and EMF effects are minimized.- The Head Assembly jaw structure has beenredesigned and mechanically improved, to allow aneasy snap-like connection to a Phono/RCA socket,ensuring the ultimate connection with easy removal.

RFC Pluto II Interconnects

The first product to winthe Hifi Pig OutstandingProduct Award since itsintroduction, the £105RFC Pluto II interconnectscertainly wowed some.


- Ground pin includes thread teeth which ensures thata metal Housing is star-point grounded.- The Housing Assembly uses 2 screws to retain andsecure the Cable.- Extremely high temperature melting pointthermoplastic polymer has been utilized.If you're a technical specialist the above willcertainly mean more to you than it does to me, butRFC says that connection to sockets is muchimproved ... more positive and plug is more durable,they are lower in capacitance, too, for a cleanersignal and use pure (5 or 6 nines pure) copper ratherthan using the commonly found pitch or telluriumbased coppers, which has then been silver plated.Oh, and personally I think they look damn sexy, too!The SoundWell, the proof of the audiophile pudding is, as ever,in the listening ....They are stunningly transparent cables. A new levelof detail has been resolved for me in recordings Ihave played dozens of times.Bass is deep, powerful, vibrant and superbly defined.No fat or flab, just the music.They lock on to rhythms like a hungry python, justamazingly foot-tapping.Imaging is naturally focused and in-the-room 3D.Treble is extended and pure, not harsh at all,sibilance is naturally presented.This is one of those happy occasions whencomparisons become difficult, because thecomponent is unequaled in my experience, sosuperlatives become mandatory!The Pluto Mk2 are not a 'nice' cable like some,colouring and smoothing or accentuating the signalin a euphonic manner. They just allow the mosttransparent pathway for the music signal that I haveyet heard.They take the excellent Pluto mk1 and just do it alleven better.At £105 for a 1m pair the value for money iscompletely out of sight.They are the best cables I have heard at any price andI have bought the review pair. No way was RFC get-ting these back!Build Quality - 10/10Sound Quality - 10/10Value for money - 10/10Overall - 10/10


Jerry Jacobs

Following Jerry's recent enthusiastic review ofthe RFC Pluto MK2 interconnects I contactedPaul for a second listen, which is now

common practice at Hifi Pig when a product receivesa score of 8.5 or over overall.The cables arrived the following day sporting thenew KLE (Eichmann'esque) plugs which look andfeel great and were an extremely snug fit into myamp and dac, which is how a quality plug should bemade.Sound wise, I have a few cables I can compare themto, which due to Jerry's comments will be ones inmuch higher price brackets and to get straight to thepoint I know many readers have been asking 'arethey the best cable I have ever heard at any pricepoint?' No they’re not in my opinion but do read on...The Pluto MK2 is what I would deem as a highlyaccomplished and resolute cable for the money.It's a bit forward in the top end and very clean sound-ing. Midrange is very much of the same flavour,which would have left the cable to sound extremelylean if it wasn't for the ample serving of bass.The bass notes are fairly extended but lack the over-all drive, presence and information conveyed withthe Oriton Symphony Orange cables which also holda strong coherent spread and never sacrifice tonalcomplexity for perceived resolution, which withsome cables equates to an emphasis on top end regis-ters or a certain brightness which is slightly evidentin the Plutos.


The Pluto MK2 iswhat I would deemas a highlyaccomplished andresolute cable forthe money.


Sound staging is exceptional with these RFC cables.Central focus is strong and soundstage width andheight is a great attribute to the cables. Indeed I haveheard cables costing way more than the new Plutosthat are not as keen to spread their wings as wide andsome other cables which have the ability to do so butcan mask the finer details with overwhelmingcoloration.My Audioquest Sky interconnects, have a hugelydeveloped harmonic graduation to rolling off roomboundaries beyond the physical parameters and ex-plore micro dynamics in a far more developed man-ner whilst still drawing the listener in the centre ofthe stage and pulling your gaze back towards thenext cue whilst your following the decay of the pre-vious note. The Plutos show the bigger picture soconvincingly but just don't have the fine inner detailson the further points of the stage.There is a definite sharpness to the sound of the Plu-tos, very similar in presentation to the Acoustic ZenMatrix Ref II, in fact I'd go as far to say in many sys-tems I have heard with the AZ's in I think the bettercontrol of the Plutos leading edges would lean memore towards them rather than the AZ's which costconsiderably more.I would say that the AZ's have a little more weightand presence to vocals but the Plutos have an encap-sulating effect to them which is unmistakably awe-some. As I mentioned before they don't have thecomplexity of the Sky's spread/resolution, but thedirect sphere of sound which I find myself sat in isabsolutely incredible - you could argue that its threedimensional capabilities and imaging is right upthere, never over exaggerated width wise but front toback I'd firmly say that they do it better than mostother cables - I'm throwing in the mix here and I be-lieve that this where the MBL's that Jerry has aremaking this cable sound pure magic.To accompany the marvelous soundstage is the sheercontrol that the Plutos have and their sibilant freenature which makes for an extremely accurate yetnon analytical sound.Bandwidth registers the top end miles beyond manycables I've heard costing many times the price. How-ever, I would have liked it to have more refinementand the ability to have discerned the higher and low-er frequencies with more rendering, displaying noteswith more individual tonal detail to deem it 'the bestcable at any price point'.

The cables have fantastic speed and timing, one offthe best cable I've heard for absolute precision in thisarea is the Graditech Kides - the Kides have a betterrendition of inner detail, being more accurate to eachdetail, instrument or vocalist. Although the Plutosonce again have a trait of a high-end cable their over-all capabilities are masked a little, but I am findingthis slight trade off a small factor in comparison withits sheer imaging capabilities.I could sit here all evening and keep throwing com-parisons at the Plutos, as I could any cable I mightadd so I think it's best to now concentrate on what Ithink about them as a whole.The Plutos delve into the music way further thantheir price could even begin to suggest, there is hugeamounts of detail which manages to remain strongthrough the central focus and can still remain promi-nent enough to fill a huge soundstage convincingly,displaying great height, width and three dimensional-ity. The absolute rendering of the details is not as'grown up' as some of the big boys and where assome individual frequencies are displayed perfectlythey don't all have that trait and one minute sparkleswill sound incredibly clear and natural and the next aguitar rasp would sound a little muted, but in com-parison with cost the Plutos take bounds and leaps topush themselves closer to the high end completionthat no other cable anywhere near this price point hasever achieved for me.ConclusionThere is no doubt in my mind that the Pluto MK2from RFC is ridiculous value for money. Its perform-ance is second to none in its class and can even playwith the big boys without being out of its depth. Theoverall refinement of the detail it displays is slightlylacking, but its overall presentation and magicallyimmersive soundstage will have many people tradingin their more expensive cables for a pair I'm sure.In their price range, popular mainstream branded ca-bles simply sit in awe of the Pluto's capabilities andcomparing them to the rest in this review should be ajoke.Build quality - 8.5/10Sound quality - 8/10Value for money 9/10Overall 8.5/10Highly recommended for their bewilderingperformance to price ratio.

Dan Worth



http://www.skograndcables.com/


As a child owner Knut Skogrand was broughtup listening to classical music on vinyl withhis Father and it was his Father that taught

him how to feel the moods, colours, patterns, dynam-ics, overall structure and intent of the creator of themusic.Knut says;"I am originally – and at the core of my being – amusician. Working as a musician for decades I haveperformed within many settings live, in studios andat rehearsals, always feeling a kind of urgent lack ofsilence. Growing up in the peaceful countryside andliving in the serene mountain hills of Norway I havegrown accustomed to filtering sound through a meshof tranquility and sonorous peace – having soundsaround me standing out as meticulously shaped enti-ties from a perfectly silent background. This is some-thing I have strived to reconstruct in my musicalthinking and performance"Skogrand Cables is supported by two branches of theNorwegian government for their global research andfindings in the field of effective and unpolluted ener-gy transfer.

SC Centaurus A (Speaker Cables)The Speaker Cables are very large in diameter, theyare thick, heavy and need a little careful managementwhen routing. Their construction utilises 12awg cop-per with a complex array of air and Teflon structureddielectrics leaving one part of the cables two twistedcores thicker to the touch than the other.Replacing the Audioquest K2 speaker cables with theCentaurus A into my system was quite simple con-sidering the dominating size of them. The smallspacers at the each end of the cable act like bendingnotches allowing the user to gently bend the cable toaid routing at set increments for ease of connectionwhich was great for my amp as my rack is fairlyclose to the wall.Routing of the rest of the cable isn't as easy but thereis a good amount of flexibility but there is no chanceof hitting right angles with the main bulk of the ca-ble.Once sited and the system switched on keeping Ori-ton's interconnects and power cables in place to sin-gle out the Skogrands feeding my Ayons from theEmille, I began to play a few tracks from the SSD

Skogrand Centaurus A Speaker Cables and Interconnects

The Skogrand Cablesworkshop is situated allthe way up a mountainsideat the end of a steeplyclimbing dust road in therural parts of EasternNorway not too far from theOlympic village ofLillehammer. It is a placeof peace and the quiet andserene surroundings offer aharmonic backdrop to thehumble building housingthe Skogrand team.


fed, modified Squeezebox Touch into the Totaldacd1 tube.Initial impressions are one of a clean and delicatehighly resolving sound, a little 'over airy' with a veryslightly forward top end and a taught and light basscompared with the K2's. The Centaurus A alsoseemed to excel with speed and rhythm.Over a period of about 200 hours I felt comfortablethat the cables were burned in and ready for someserious listening. After this time I fount the cableswere retaining all the qualities of my initial listeningexperiences with the plus point of the top end thick-ening up to give a more solid higher frequency spar-kle and cleaner, tighter edge.I will say that although the cable seemed a little morerelaxed and even more resolving and more harmoni-cally developed, I wouldn't go as far to say I felt thatthere were dramatic changes, especially in the tonalbalance of the cable which was still clean, tight andfast.The cables strengths lie in detail retrieval, delicacyand the ability to express through to the listener har-monically accurate nuances and transparency withease and an unmistakable finesse.Listening to Keisha White 'The Weakness In Me' hervocal was so refined and sensual, piano notes wereaccurate in tempo and had good leading edges, al-though I felt they lacked a little fullness in under-tones which is a difficult task for most setups torecreate absolutely correctly. Bass showed a slightlightness to me, yes it was textured and extended butit didn't have the overall presence and richness oftone which I am used to hearing in my room.A raspy almost scalping of the strings could be heardon the acoustic version of Fleetwood Mac’s 'BigLove' which in my reference cabling setup doesn'tquite have that edge as cleanly defined as it has asomewhat richer tone. Each pluck of a string had atwang which could only be described as having morein the room appeal. The speed of the cables reallycame through on this track through the guitar solo asit did with the intense solo on 'Keith Don't Go' byNils Lofgren a track which I always play for speedand accuracy tests. I found the bottom, most fleshedout notes were slightly sacrificed for the crispness ofthe strings leading edge accuracy and the pin pointimaging of the guitar. Vocals on both tracks fell intothe same scenario, pronunciation of each word andphrase was clean, completely non sibilant and ex-pressive, but the tonal characteristic lent to a more

clean nature whereas my system is tuned to leanmore to the warmer side of neutral which is more tomy personal taste.Swapping the Ayon loudspeakers out for the Frugel3speakers, which are around a 10th of the cost butwith a very different tonal character, was pleasantlyreceived. The more textural presentation ofinstruments came through wonderfully with theCentaurus A speaker cables in the system. Theexpression of notes and vocals with the 1/4 waveenclosure were conveyed more naturally and thecleanliness and brighter side of neutral tone favouredthe Frugels better than the already clean soundingAyons.Imaging and layering of sounds was superbly accu-rate with both speakers and harmonically both have ahuge spread of micro detail,s but now using the sin-gle drivers there seemed to be a more fleshed out to-nality to the sound and the speed of the cables'hurried up' the bass response of the cabinets wonder-fully giving more attack to a speaker design which isrenowned for having a slower and less taught bassthan a conventional design.The Frugels don't do Electronica or rock very welland in my system I didn't feel that the Skogrands dideither, but for vocal and instrument reproduction asingle driver design hooked up with these cables wasan absolute match made in Heaven!I could imagine very large multi driver speakers tohave a wonderful touch with the Skogrands withthere natural spls and horns would also be an abso-lute joy to listen to as well as single driver speakers.I don't think my ceramics were the best match for theCentaurus A speaker cable but there are so many at-tributes such as the airy detailed and delicate top end,the beautiful midrange and soundstaging which abso-lutely shone, there was just the shift of the tonal bal-ance the wrong side of neutral that didn't suit them.

SCI Centaurus A (Interconnects)The complimentary Centaurus A interconnects areconstructed from 22awg solid copper conductors inTeflon tubing with a suspended shield of tinned cop-per lightly twisted up the length and with gold platedplugs.The overall size of the interconnects is bewilderingcompared to their tiny conductors and this is due tothe dielectrics and shielding used. They are fairlystiff and need a good 6 inches plus of space behindthe connected equipment before they will bend



around safely to another piece of kit. So beware assmaller Dacs and headphone amps will need to tele-phone the tower to be given clearance for take off!Once again singling the cables out by removing thespeaker cables and adding my Audioquest K2 backinto the system (after around 150 or so hours of burnin time) the cables displayed a very well balancedand solid sound, if not a little touch of bass lightnessmuch as the speaker cables did. Never sacrificing thetaut and extended performance of the lower notes theinterconnects have a great ability to inform the listen-er of soundstage placement in busier brassier passag-es as if the room had been further damped to rid anywobble and of bloom.Exploring the midrange with some stronger vocals Iexpected to hear the slightly leaner character and thetipping of the scales towards the brighter aide of neu-tral as I did with the matching speaker cables - eitherthis or a warmer tone which would compliment theaforementioned speaker cables.In fact I didn't hear either of these expected charac-teristics! Instead I was presented with an almost deadon neutral and clean presentation, again with an in-

formative amount of layering and spread. Vocalswere a little larger than pin point which allowed formore perceived depth and height without losing fo-cus and were conveyed naturally.I like a little bit of warmth in the lower mids to ticklemy own tastes and I didn't find this in either of thecables. However the clean, controlled and stronglyedged flavour of the sound (which can stop and starton knife edge and has a certain quality of silkinessrather than the warmer feeling I like) never sacrificedtexture in the music.Again I’m feeling that the cleanliness of the Ayons isnot best suited to the slightly cleaner Skogrand inter-connects as they do like a little bit more body tosound completely cohesive to me and I would imag-ine some good paper cones would be more of a suita-ble match.Using the Frugels was a better balance and the slightlack bass of their cabinets really tightened up won-derfully and created a far more detailed and devel-oped presentation to their character.Using both cables together into the Frugels (whilewe're on the subject) was nothing short of beautiful.



The textured and expressive nature in the midrangewas a joy, especially allowing for previously men-tioned guitar solos and vocals to take on a silkinessto the sound that I've never heard in such a cleanmanner before. For me it seems to be a key charac-teristic and standout attribute of the Skogrands. Ican't say I've heard a cable combination that canachieve this combination as well before withoutsounding bright at the same time.The top end mirrors the midrange perfectly in its at-tributes and nature. It's open, transparent and airy,fast and clean with a silky leading edge and a very'clear' and 'articulate' way of decaying notes withoutdistracting the listener from the main body of themusic.I found the bass in both cables to be identical in iso-lation and when paired together - obviously a pur-pose made choice of characteristic by Skogrand.I would conclude that using the Skogrand speakercables and interconnects together does give a littlemore of a balanced presentation from midband up-wards. The combination fleshing out the vocalsslightly, gaining more of a pronounced and precisetiming to instruments and I much preferred the cue-

ing and decay of instruments which for me with justthe speaker cables was a little aerated and softer inprecision and tonal representation.The absolute balance of the sound for me as a wholewas more palatable and enjoyable, although bassnotes were refined and had fantastic finesse for myown tastes in my own system and I would have en-joyed a little more emphasis on drive rather thanflow.ConclusionThe Skogrand Centaurus A are like a good singlemalt… delicate on the palette, able to convey eachdetail of the ingredients and flowing across the pal-ette like silk. They are excellent in absolute finesseand display details in one of the most non-offensiveand yet highly resolving nature that I have heardfrom a cable at this price point.For my own personal tastes I would have enjoyed alittle more of a fleshed out lower midband and upperbass and the whole presentation was just a little toobeautiful and graceful for me with the Ayons. Usingthe single drivers the synergy was more palatable anda warmer more robust speaker suits their characterbetter for me.Encapsulating the music and the listener is theirtrick, they are very seductive and alluring, displayinga wide, deep and high image that doesn't leave anyvoids or blank spots in the listening room. They havea way of energising the listening space with absolutegrace and precision.If you can accommodate their very generously pro-portioned size and pride your systems attributes onvocal representation, clear and clean imaging, preci-sion and realism, the Centaurus A's will enthrall you.Build Quality - 8.5/10Sound Quality - 8.5/10Value for money - 8/10Overall - 8.3/10Speaker Cables - $4,750 - 3m PairInterconnects - $3,250 - 1m pairRecommended for its beautiful finesse, ultraquiet background and encapsulating charac-teristics.

Dan Worth


The SkograndCentaurus A arelike a good singlemalt… delicate onthe palette, ableto convey eachdetail of theingredients andflowing across thepalette like silk.


I've actually had a chance previously to try theUltra Blacks from Tellurium Q in my system,however it was at the same time as I had the

opportunity to listen to the Iridium amp and so in allhonesty everything else went out the window and myconcentration was unintentionally fully focused onthe Iridium and nothing else for the time I had withit.So now with nothing else to stray my ears from thetarget I once again have the Ultra Black intercon-nects in for my undivided attention and review.First of all I'll pass judgement on their build qualitywhich is very nice, flexible and they look sleek. Ilike the locking Tellurium Q TeCu RCAs as they arelightweight and low mass, something that some man-ufacturers fail to address all too often.

Routing them into the system is completely simpleand I didn't need to pull the rack out into the middleof the room to accommodate them or employ a twoman team to bend them around to the neighbouringcomponent.Tellurium Q pride themselves on a simple “suck itand see” philosophy when offering their productsrather than filling the mind with jargon and scienceto attain a somewhat preconceived idea of what toexpects, so let's switch on and have a listen...THE SOUND

Tellurium Q Ultra Black Interconnects

British cablemanufacturerTellurium Q havequickly gained areputation formaking greatsounding cables.The Ultra Blackinterconnecttested here cost£380 for a onemetre stereo pair.


The first impression I had of the UB (Ultra Black)was how strong and focused the central focus was,how projected the vocals were and how clean themidrange was as a whole.Bass notes are very full, a tad dry and with a greatamount of weight. Bass extension rolls out separatelyto the punch, a beat can be heard and before youthink “is that it” all of a sudden a rolling wave of ex-tension spreads out across the room.Top end is a little more relaxed than a lot of cablesI've heard, it's all there but the mids dominate a littlemore and there isn't a complete evenness or balancefrom the treble through to the upper mids. The cablesrender vocals strongly and there isn't that upper-midtreble harshness or glare that a lot of cables sufferfrom. It's a very different presentation and my earstook a little while to get used to the sound as it's sodifferent to the Oriton Orange Symphonies that I useon a day to day basis (which have a far more relaxedmidrange) but the UB really showed off some amaz-ing details in the centre stage and completely placedthe performance in front of the listener without anartificial spread or unnatural interpretation of the per-formance.It's easy to imagine a singer at the forefront of thestage and the band and/or speaker system beingplaced around the edges of the stage and further tothe rear of the main focus of the vocalist.

Tellurium Q Ultra Black InterconnectsBass extensionrolls out sepa-rately to thepunch, a beatcan be heard andbefore you think“is that it” all of asudden a rollingwave of exten-sion spreads outacross the room.


I always have issues with cables that suck out themidrange and try to give an enhanced depth to thesoundstage allowing for smaller finer details to sitcloser to the listener to give an artificial “wow fac-tor”. Personally I'd rather have the main artist at theforefront and be exposed as the star of the perform-ance. Don't get me wrong, there’s bags of detail be-ing conveyed by the cables here but not to theexpense of over shadowing the vocals.Also during first listening I kind of thought to myself “is this sounding a little disjointed”, but afterexploring many different genres and vocals fromboth male and female artist I grew to appreciate whatI was hearing.There is a certain quality to the separation of the mu-sic with the Ultra Black interconnects - rather thanhaving an overall wall of notes that blend into oneanother (with time smearing or added/extra decay)there were clear definitions and a quality of air andspace around the individual sounds.Vocals are strongly projected from centre stage, ac-companying instruments have volume levels relativeto their depth on the stage and lower bass notes havethat slight delay before their respective sound wavesroll out to the listener. I perceived some notes as be-ing completely independent of the performance invarious places in the room and they seemed to havelittle initial connection to the music but once adjustedI gained a respect for this completely spatial and de-fined effect - if the notes were supposed to be overthere then that's where they were heard.It seems as if the Ultra Black has such precisionwith regards to timing that it gives a presentationwhich is very different to virtually every cable I'veever heard, no bloom, added decay, colouration ordrag.It's simply on point, to the point and all there for youto hear.I'm not going to add a conclusion to this review, Iwill just add that the UB is a cable of very differentcharacteristics to any I've ever heard and it took me alittle adjusting to this sound, but I have a great re-spect for what they do and they certainly stand outfrom the crowd with their unique character.Now if this sounds like something that would suityou then do what Tellurium Q suggest and try it foryourself.Build Quality - 8.5/10Sound Quality 8 /10

Value for Money 8.5/10Overall - 8.3/10Recommended for their bold and uniqueapproach to reproducing music accuratelyand with great timing.Price at time of review - £380 - 1m Pair

Dan Worth

Tellurium Q Ultra Black Interconnects

Vocals arestronglyprojected fromcentre stage,accompanyinginstruments havevolume levelsrelative to theirdepth on thestage and lowerbass notes havethat slight delaybefore theirrespective soundwaves roll out tothe listener.


Next to the iec connector is a push buttoncircuit breaker rated at 20amps which is afar more transparent feature than fusing

the unit.The block is beautifully designed and constructedand its crowning glory is the highly polished goldbranding plate, etched with the company’s logo.The unit comes in at slightly over 5kg and feels verysubstantial. On the underside there are 3 roundedbrass spiked cones which are removable if chosenallowing the unit to be seated on its rubber feet. Thisis a useful feature and interchangeable dependent oneither the surface you’re standing the unit on or per-sonal preference.Also supplied for review was the MS high currentMS-30PUK, a thick, well constructed, silver platedcopper, shielded mains cable with a rhodium plug.THE SETUPPlacing the E01 block on my wooden rack with itsbrass cones in place I connected it in using the Ori-ton AC-5 mains cable which usually feeds my Isol-8Axis Powerline DC Blocking distribution unit. I haveused many different units from the likes of PS Au-

MS HD Power MS-E01 Power Distribution Mains Filter and MS-40PUK HighCurrent Mains Cable

The MS-E01 distributionblock has six upwardspointing rhodium platedsockets arrangedaround its elongatedtriangular shaped allaluminium body. Theend plate has a standardiec input rather than the16amp horizontal pinneddesign of others similarin style. It costs £450.


dio, Isotek, Dezorel, Vertex AQ, Power Inspired,Russ Andrews/Kimber, Black Rhodium and Ayreamongst others and my greatest success has beenwith the Isol-8 which I do tend to recommend fre-quently coming in at around the £500 mark. It's ter-rific value for money and has been a better performerfor me against far more expensive units of varyingtechnologies ie regenerators, filters and conditioners.For initial set up I left the Emille Ki40-L integratedplugged directly into the wall as usual and used Ori-ton AC-3 cables from the MS Filter to power themodded squeezebox and the Totaldac d1 tube.THE SOUNDThe first piece of music I played was 'All Of Me' byJohn Legend and immediately I stood back andthought 'wow, this is more holographic'. Legend'svocal was rendered with a quality which I could onlydescribe as organic, the end phrasing of each wordhad a breath of such natural throatiness that I havenot heard using my Isol-8 Axis. Piano notes hung inthe air for perceivable longer period of time andsounded more accurate and true to the instrument.

The initial feeling was that adding the conditionerwasn't like opening a window to the music it wasmore like opening up a window to the artist.I played the duet ‘Say Something’ from ChristinaAguillera and A Great Big World deciding to staywith recent popular music I’d been listening to dur-ing the course of the day. I found myself completelyengrossed in the music - more so than I have donewith my current system previously. The vocals were


Dynamics, details andharmonics were justdashing around in alldirections and what wasso special was that thisnever becameexhausting in theslightest.


so expressive and meaningful, piano, violin and basswere totally magical and the airy nature to the sound-stage conveyed that the music was set in an intimatescene. There was a definite finesse to the softer sideof Christina's voice which is a rarity on many albumsfrom her.The E01 seemed to make sense of the music adding agreater sense of appreciation for my system, convey-ing notes and harmonics which I have simply notheard produced in such a manner before in this lis-tening space and making more efficient use of theroom.Playing a range of Dance and Electronica pushed therooms boundaries so far that the room didn't seem toexist anymore, all that was left was a front to back,left to right encapsulation of absolutely holographic,detailed rhythmic beats and rhythms, a glorious massof intricate detail, dynamic rushes sweeping the voidmy system had carved into the atmosphere with suchcomplexity I can only describe it by referring it tovisiting the French Science Museum and experienc-ing 4D technology.Dynamics, details and harmonics were just dashingaround in all directions and what was so special wasthat this never became exhausting in the slightest.I had a friend come over as I had to involve someoneelse in the excitement that I felt towards the improve-ment the unit has given the system. After he hadstopped looking around for hidden surround speakershe just sat there and said “it sounds ridiculously in-credible. What have you done to the setup?” When Ishowed him the MS E01 he just stood there with ablank look on his face and I said 'honestly, that's allI've changed'. He still continued examine the rest ofthe components on the rack and cables, looked at meand just sat back down staring into the centre of thesoundstage whilst I went and made a drink with agrin.The beautiful saxophone solo by Candy Dulfer on'Nikki's Dream' Live in Amsterdam again conveyedexcellent emotion, a trueness to the soundstage andconcert hall acoustics with reverbs manifesting as Ifelt they should have being seated a few rows backof centre stage. Similarly the electric guitar solo wassmooth and echoed through the room decaying tre-mendously as each note cut through the last and theodd tighter pluck held a very different space slightlybouncing towards the left rear of the room.

When both musicians joined forces and began play-ing together I could feel the rush of excitement in thecrowd as if I was sat there.A common trait of many filtering conditioning appli-ances is a brightness, a leanness, a lack of dynamicsor a sucked out midrange whereas the MS E01 onlyadds spatial awareness, more natural tonality, timbreand an overall lifelike appeal coupled with an abso-lutely silent background which allows decays, small-er harmonics and that magical breath of a vocalistwhich people spend thousands in other areas of thesystem to obtain.'Swinging on the Tree of Life' Eric Komar and 'MiShebeirach' Debbie Friedman (two tracks producedby Craig Taubman) expresses the timbres and tonali-ty of instruments against the dark background allow-ing strings, piano and woodwind to really tell thestory of the song so elegantly without being preten-tious.The E01 from MS HD Power almost seems like ithas the intelligence to adapt itself to the musical gen-


The MS-E01filtereddistribution unit isa product whichis extremely wellconstructed fromhigh-end partswith greatattention todetail.


re and give sonic benefits which make it more inter-esting and enjoyable. Vocals have breath and tone,instruments are true to the engineered construction,intimate passages have refinement and hard beatshave drive and rhythm.Listening to Chris Jones' 'Angel From Montgomery'clearly showed the enhanced soundstage attributes Ihave talked about, with air and space between instru-ments (and around the vocal) being greatly improvedand the soundstage appearing more realistic and tall-er in comparison to the Isol-8.ADDING THE MS CABLESupplied with the distribution filter was a MS-40PUK mains cable as recommended by MS HDPower for its high current capabilities. The cable isan added cost of £450 and is constructed from 6NSilver plated Copper in an all shielded design. It’sextremely thick and solidly made with MS RhodiumUK plug and IEC.Switching out the higher current Oriton cable, whichalso use MS plugs, I began to troll through the musicpreviously mentioned and a range of other tracks Ihad been previously listening too.The overall sense of the music was still there, al-though in comparison to the Oriton cables (£795) theMS 40 had a slightly warmer and bloomier midrangewhereas the Oriton is more focused and more refinedand natural to the vocal presentation and has a moreholographic sensation to the soundstage.Drive of lower notes was similar yet slightly morerounded in bass presentation, although layering andcontrol was marvellously informative.Higher end notes were still airy and the soundstageinvolvement was still terrific, the cable is just slight-ly smoother throughout.Comparing to the $700 DH Labs Red Wave mainscable showed the MS to give a wonderfully centralfocus just a handful of rows from the performers. Incomparison the DH Labs was very much more up-front and its overall presentation was heavily detaildriven. The DH Labs is an impressive cable, but Ifelt the richer smoother tones of the MS 40 made fora more musical and intimate listening experiencewith a delicate approach to recreating smaller detailswith generosity and finesse.The MS 40P is quite similar in presentation to theHarmonic Technology Fantasy AC10 with propor-tions of front soundstage performance depth and de-

tail leading to an unforced and easy to appreciatecable with no nasties.I am still a firm believer of running the amplifier di-rect from the wall and although I have terrific resultsusing isolated or balanced power supplies I still con-tinue to use this method.CONCLUSIONSThe MS-E01 filtered distribution unit is a productwhich is extremely well constructed from high-endparts with great attention to detail.With a simple swap out of the Isol-8 the performanceof my system reached new heights, particularly in therendition of detail in a superbly organic and naturalway, a real sense of feeling from an artist and a pres-ence to instruments which gave them a true “in theroom” feeling that allowed for even the body con-struction of wood based instruments to be conveyed.Using my everyday Oriton mains cables for me wasa bigger improvement in performance all around thanthe supplied MS-40PUK cable but then they aretwice the price. However, the MS cable in its ownright is still a fantastically musical cable. It is non-offensive, non-fatiguing and actually performed bet-ter than some other higher priced cables. It conveyeda smooth sound with no forwardness, had goodsoundstaging abilities and great detail retrieval allpresented in a musical manor.I've put an order in for the E01.MS-E01Build Quality - 8.5/10Sound Quality - 8.5/10Value for money - 8.5/10Overall - 8.5/10Highly recommended for its build quality andholographic natural sound.Price when tested £1699

MS-40PUKBuild Quality - 8.0/10Sound Quality - 7.5/10Value for money - 7.5/10Overall - 7.6/10Recommended for it's musically detailed andsmooth presentationPrice when tested MS-40PUK - £450

Dan Worth



In line with their philosophy of providing straightforward products at pricepoints within reach ofmany music lovers, Audio4Soul offers one and

only one speaker cable - the OCC IT! Xtremespeaker cables, with a very reasonable price, byaudiophile standards, of 300 Euro for a 2.5m pair,worldwide shipping costs included. Custom lengthsare available. Stuart (Mr Hifi Pig himself) hasalready reviewed Audio4Soul's Xtreme16amplifier/DAC and gave it a Recommended Award.

As you might be able to deduce from the name, thecable's conductors are high purity copper made withthe Ohno Continuously Casting (OCC) methodology.With most copper casting methods the metal formsinto a multitude of grains, each having a distinctboundary which the signal has to traverse. The OCCmethod results in cable lengths of up to 125m madeof a single copper 'grain', so avoiding the grainboundary signal distortions - sonic benefits, ofcourse, suppose that such distortions exist and areaudible! Carefully sidestepping the rathercontroversial issue just raised, a very high purity ofcopper is used in these cables - somewhere around99.9999% (so called "six nines").

The cables appear robust and well made, the bananaplugs are lightweight and fit fairly snugly intoequipment sockets although a tighter fit might bebeneficial. They aren't the easiest of cables to handleand lay, as they have a pronounced "sproingy"characteristic. By which I mean that they are quitestiff and are impossible to lay in curves of radius lessthan about 8 inches (20cm) without actually nailingthem down!

Audio4Soul OCC IT! Xtreme Speaker Cables

Aeuvdiieows4Soul OCCIT!Xtreme SpeakerCables costing £300 for a2.5m pair use OCCcopper in theirconstruction but how dothey perform?


I guess the labelling / identification scheme will be amatter of taste, with the "Audio4Soul" identificationbeing made with a large doublesided Velcro-backedrectangle of stiff material that wraps around the cableand sticks out rather like clumsy wings. I must admitI was rather taken aback by this - consider me to notbe an admirer of this scheme. On the other hand,these labels are easy to take off!

Sonics

My initial impressions of the cable were verypositive as the first notes of music issued forth with adistinctly lucid and open quality to them. I wasimpressed!

Resolution is very good, with rapid lute finger runs,for example, being distinct and well separated.Many a cable will tend to slur the individual notestogether. Vocals are tangible with excellent presenceand immediacy, where appropriate.

Tonal neutrality is very good, although a slightlightening in the lower bass does tend to produce asound that is just a little bit forward on full rangemusic.

Bass is taut with very good texture and definition.Some folks might prefer a bit more 'bloom' orfullness, but that's a matter of taste. Slam is good,and transient edges are well captured throughout thefrequency range, but the overall feel of the deep bassis that it is a bit lightweight compared to my moreexpensive reference cables.

Complex music is deftly handled and remains nicelycoherent and lucid as the going gets going, it doesn'tget smeared or confused. But the sheer scale of really'big' music isn't fully conveyed, lacking a bit indynamic scale and heft in absolute terms. In myexperience, sadly, the sheer scale of music is only tobe had with more expensive cables ... perhaps adouble run of the cable would achieve this? Thatwould be an interesting thing to try.

Imaging is nicely focused and tangible, and theoverall impression is one of being close to andinvolved with the music. The feeling of the overallacoustic space of the recording is a little diminishedcompared to some cables, the musical focus is moreon the musicians themselves than the environmentthey are in.

Comparisons

Tellurium TQ Black is a highly regarded speakercable at around the same price point as theAudio4Soul and provides a similar overall standardof musical reproduction, although the two cables dooffer a rather different presentation.

With the TQ Black the sound is a little more laidback, a bit smoothed off at the high frequency end,rather more relaxed and easy-going. Image focus isvaguer and less well-defined, the resolution of detailsubtly but noticeably reduced. But soundstaging ismore open and spacious. Overall you are placed abit further away from the music with the TQ Blackthan you are with the Audio4Soul cables. My ownpreference is for the latter cable's approach, othersmay prefer a more relaxed and immersivepresentation.

If deciding between these two fine cables, I think itcomes down to personal taste and system synergy - ifyour system seems a little too laid back and you'dlike to pep it up a bit, go for the Audio4Soul cable asit does provide a more explicit sound, a more openwindow to the signal. If you prefer a more relaxedand less forward sound then go for the Tellurium TQBlack.

My own reference cables do show, though, that thereare further sonic gains to be had if you are preparedto spend significantly more money. My XLOPro600 and, even better, XLO Type 5 cables do offera worthwhile improvement in transparency,resolution and sheer scale and dynamic heft. But theXLO cables are substantially more expensive.

Conclusion

I enjoyed the Audio4Soul speaker cables a lot. Sothey are definitely recommended at their price pointfor their fine resolution, focus, clarity and sheermusical involvement.

Build quality: 7/10Sound Quality: 7.5/10Value for money: 8.5/10Overall: 8/10

Jerry Jacobs

Audio4Soul OCC IT! Xtreme Speaker Cables


The DirectWave Directors interconnectsrecently appeared connecting some very niceequipment at the Bristol 2014 Hifi Show.

The Directors are a parallel design twin conductorcable utilising ultra pure silver, gold platedconductors. Each conductor has thick Teflon tubecovering then the cable is covered with a copperbraid which is connected to ground at one end in apseudo balanced configuration. Utilising WBT's topof the range Nextgen RCA and silver solder formaximum signal transfer and covered in a nice black

braid sleeping the Directors look very well finished,simple and elegant.Derek Robinson, Managing Director of DirectWavewho constructs the Directors completely by hand andto order sent along a set of 1m for me try in my sys-tem.Our initial chat to point of delivery was very quickand the cables come pre-burned in as standard, whichis great for the customer to be able to demo the ca-bles instantly. Note to other cable manufacturers –send your cables for review pre-burned, it’s MUCHmore convenient for us guys!The cables come in a stylish box, adding a nice touchof pride of ownership whereas too many cables thesedays arrive in Jiffy bags and plastic sandwich/freezerbags despite having a considerable price tag attached.Although the packaging cannot help the sound quali-ty it's nice to have some consideration to packagingand DirectWave gets a tick here.The SoundThere's always a first noticeable aspect or impressionto any system change and the Directors gave fantas-tic separation without damaging the flow of the mu-sic. They retrieved details very well if not a littlecleaner and leaner in the midband than the OrironSymphany Oranges which are my day to day cable.

DirectWave Directors Interconnect

British companyDirectWavelaunched with theirfirst product, theDirectorsinterconnect.


This allowed for more articulation ofthe timbre and lacked a little bit of itsbody.Turin Brakes 'Underdog' displayed avast soundstage of clearly depicted in-struments, acoustic and light electricguitar notes were easilyascertainable and a clean vocal waspresented. The undertones of the mid-range made way to a tauter and precisebass image, allowing for good layeringproperties and information to be con-veyed.I am used to hearing this track with alittle more flavour, coloration? Iwouldn't say so just a little more body,however thinning down on the body alittle allowed for more upper bass in-formation with more perceivable detail.I felt a lack of harmonic richness again on bass guitarduring John Martyn's 'Solid Air'. There was plenty ofdetail conveyed, but overall a little tighter at the verybottom, which becomes more noticeable at highervolumes, throwing the balance ever so slightly to-wards the cleaner upper frequencies. I do tend to lis-ten louder than most people however.Sound staging and layering once again was excep-tional and Martyn's vocal was fantastically portrayedalong with plucked strings.The slightly cleaner nature and tautness of the cablesworked in harmony on Moloko's 'The Time Is Now'.I can't say I have often heard as much informationfrom this track and there was a perfectly neutral con-trolled vocal which shone strongly from a solid cen-tre focus and harmoniously with other soundstagedetails, making for a rather enjoyable and better takeon this track than I was used too.Listening to some more upbeat and rhythmic musicsuch as an array of recent and past pop music the Di-rectors are incredibly controlled and just don't showany hints of grain at all. Dynamics were strong atboth ends of the scale, possibly a little shy of thelowest note fullness, but an undeniable quality ofpunch that really bounces the music along.Silences were golden adding a great feeling of spaceand realism to the overall sound, The DirectWavesalso add a really addictive plus point to that out ofthe box sense of holography and three dimensionali-ty.

The slightly richer lower mids of the Oriton's took acouple listening sessions to get used to being withoutand the more detailed representation of these areasportrayed by the Directors really grew on me and I


I can't say I have oftenheard as muchinformation from thistrack and there was aperfectly neutralcontrolled vocal whichshone strongly from asolid centre focus andharmoniously with othersoundstage details,making for a ratherenjoyable and bettertake on this track than Iwas used too.


found myself exploring agreat deal of music, con-centrating quite heavily onthis area of the sound.In Chris Jones' 'AngelFrom Montgomery' snaredrums were absolutely onthe money, lower bassnotes were accurate andcymbals rang true. Theslight cleaning up of Chris'vocal was a nice surpriseto me as it didn't lose anybody, yet seemed to regis-ter with fewer undertonesand had a more legiblefeeling of accuracy. This isa favourite of mine alongwith 'Long After YourGone' from the Moon-struck album whichopened up an extension of bass notes I hadn't heardfrom the Directors up until this point.So my earlier reflections on hearing 'less fullness' inthe very lowest notes are actually a reflection of alesser coloration in general to some lower notes ashere the notes were extremely extended and control-led, weighted and accurate.So I concede, the DirectWaves are in fact portrayinga truer representation of the music and I can categori-cally state this as the past two tracks are very wellknown to me in their entirety.'Blanket' by Urban Species has a sultry vocal fromImogen Heap with big strong weighty bass notes ful-ly extending through a sleazy, smokey, intimate littleback street Brooklyn Jazz Club. The Directors reallyhelped the system to create Heap's vocal in a puremanner. I'm used the bass sounding fuller at its ex-tremes, but with these cables in there was an upperroundness, with a more detailed articulation - a littleless smooth but with more organic hit.ConclusionWith a realistic top end full of detail and air the Di-rectors from DirectWave are a neutral to clean cablethat is wonderfully controlled and arguably 'truer' tothe music. They are definitely not a warm sounding,coloured cable and their neutral midrange reflectsthis. I am firmly the type of audiophile who runsaway at speed from analytical overly detailed soundsand the Directors even with their tauter bass still do

not fall into that category. Later reflections on thisarea of the sound actually confirmed to me that thelower frequency response is also truer to the music.Their controlled and fast edges are representative ofsilver done correctly, exceptionally well timed with-out the smear or lag, giving a soundstage of hugeproportions.They are a really noticeable change in a system andif you feel your setup is lacking clarity and presence,then I urge you to try these cables. They inject lifeinto the sound without overstepping the mark and I'dimagine a beautifully smooth vinyl rig would benefitwell with their characterisation.At first glance they come across as quite clean, onfurther inspection they show themselves to be accu-rate and controlled as I for one found out during thecourse of this review.Build Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 7.5/10Value For money - 7.5/10Overall - 7.6/10Price at time of review £360 - 1m pairRecommended - For accurately describingthe music without coarse hardness and re-flecting a true representation of the materialplayed.

Dan Worth



http://telluriumq.com/


Ultra Silver? Since when? Since now!So what about a basic non Ultra Silver mod-el? Yes, they will also be available.

Can we be led to believe that these cables are madefrom silver, or some sort of silver alloy by the silverZ Plugs on their ends?Who knows... in typical Tellurium Q fashion theywon't utter a word of information regarding theirconstruction, so if you want to spend £500 per/m todisassemble some to scratch an itch carry on, butfrom my experience with the brand I couldn't careless if they were made from ground Pelican beaks aslong as they held up Tellurium Q's long standing tra-dition of excellent performance.Just like Tellurium Q's other cables, they also havethat Tellurium Q statement ribbon or band type de-sign to them.Holding the Ultra Silver next to the Ultra Black theyseem similar apart from the mesh braid on the UltraSilvers, the density and compound also has differentsolidity and flexibility to the central band which sep-arates the cores. The Ultra Silvers feel stiffer but inno way detrimental to the designs routing abilities.Both cables can be flexed and bent around compara-bly.

Tellurium Q Ultra Silver Loudspeaker Cables

British companyTellurium Q aremaking quite aname forthemselves amongsta dedicated groupof audiophiles. Herewe check out theirlatest loudspeakercables dubbed UltraSilver.


So where do they sit in the range?This was one of my first questions when talking withGeoff Merrigan at Tellurium Q.My question was also backed with:"…you don't really give a lot of information techni-cally about your products Geoff, which I can appre-ciate in one respect as there can be too much blurbsometimes which can put people off. So when itcomes to the Tellurium Q cable range I simply as-sume that the higher the price the better the perform-ance?"While Geoff agreed that "of course there is a gain inperformance to justify the cost, we are now establish-ing our cables into ranges and these ranges will havekey, unmistakable qualities and characteristics tothem."

The coloured range, which currently consists of theBlue and Green, will also be looking to move for-ward to incorporate further designs. These colouredcables are know for a slight soft edge or relaxed na-ture to the sound, ideal for brighter sounding systemsor simply to suit ones personal taste.The Black range of cables is known by many fortheir natural ability of reproducing a note or vocaland have fantastic soundstaging abilities.Then there's the new Silver range, these are voiceddifferently again being extremely detail driven andcleaner, with increased top end air and extension andmidrange transparency.So that's where they sit and why they have been spe-cifically created, now onto the sound.My first impressions of the cables were not influ-



enced in any way shape or form by either Geoff orColin Wonfor of TQ. Their normal "have a listen andtell us what you think" applied as always.My first noticeable impression was the degree of ex-tension in the upper frequencies, how exposed butwithout hardness the midrange felt and, from what Iwas used to with my current Audioquest K2 cables,that bass was a little lean.So I played through some acoustic music such asDamien Rice and Seth Lakeman. Top end was clear-ly beyond what the K2 had to offer me and I was re-ally trying to hear something which presented itselfto me which would lead me to believe that it was abit over the top, harsh and spitty but it just didn'thappen. A true increase in perceived bandwidth wasshining through with strings giving small nuances ofreverbs that I hadn't heard so well articulated before.Attributes of transparency, layering and focus in themidband were wonderful, not as full and rich as theAQ's but more neutral and yet still with endearingclarity and speed.After some very close listening to the reproductionof bass notes I feel that there is a leanness in upperbass frequencies which allows for great exposure ofdetail in this area and the midrange leading to argua-bly less muddiness to the sound.What I didn't expect to accompany this less empha-sised take on bass rendition was how low and ex-tended the Ultra Silvers can go.Listening to faster paced music was great in terms ofspeed, pace and accuracy… the Ultra Silvers do in-credibly well in this department. Symphonised har-monics, dynamic shifts and detailed bandwidth shone(no sparkled) some more and if your not a bass mon-ster this “Nordost-with-substance” type sound (thatis clean and detailed without a thin or forward na-ture) will have you dancing before too long.As with all TQ cables, fat or thin, big or small, Blackor Blue, key attributes of timing, soundstage place-ment and a grip on the focus of all portions of thesoundstage is bang on the money, no matter whetherI listened to a busy ballad, a soft or octave rich vocal,a funky or flowing instrumental, or some strongdance, the TQ's ability to give equal portions to all ofthose sat at the dinner table was the mark of a truehost.ConclusionsHaving the range of Tellurium Q cables banded intosections, retaining definite core characteristics, yet

mixed with just that little bit of flavour here andthere, proves to me in a real world situation that theyhave knowledge that; 1, people do use cables fortone controls and 2, that people do actually enjoydifferent sounds regardless of system integration.Yes in an ideal world, cables wouldn't make a differ-ence and yes in an ideal world they wouldn't need to,but they do and the Ultra Silvers can be seen as miss-ing link in an already established line up of fantasticcabling. Some like it smooth, some like it natural andsome like it very detailed and my god the Ultra Sil-ver does detail in spades, but not once over the peri-od of weeks that I had them constantly playing in mysystem did their clean nature ever pin me to the ceil-ing or have me recoiling and squinting, which hashappened on more than one occasion in my cabledabbling experiences.

Build Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8/10Value For Money - 8/10Highly Recommended - For their pin pointprecision, excellent timing, huge bandwidth,ability to remain clean and still stay truewithout hardness.Price at time of reviewSpeaker Cables - £500 per/m terminated mo-no length.Jumpers - £336 per 12" set

Dan Worth


Attributes oftransparency,layering andfocus in themidband werewonderful…


The centre conductor LSC is made up of 12,000 indi-vidually insulated strands of 7 micron carbon! Youthought that sounding tricky in terms of termination?Well, the outer screen of the First Ultimates are madefrom 6 layers of the same LSC (Linear StructuredCarbon) wires, no less than 114,000 separately insu-lated strands?The cable is not one the Van Den Hul will offer offthe reel as terminating is a little tricky (!) and theystate that it's due to internal reflection issues if notmounted to the plugs correctly. Or course the trade-marked Hulliflex outer jacket is the final out finishon these creamy/lightship yellow cable.I have had experience with pure carbon cabling inthe past, namely with speaker cables and I've hadmany VDH cables that also have had a mixture ofcarbon and silver in their construction but I've neverheard an all carbon interconnect, so this one shouldbe interesting.The Sound

Van Den Hul First Ultimate MK2 RCA

The Van Den Hul FirstUltimate MK2 RCAinterconnects are anall carbon affair. Eachconductor is madefrom pure carbon andis arranged in acoaxial design. Itcosts £275 for a 1mpair.


As soon as the VDH's entered my system betweenDAC and amp a seductive musicality captivated asoundstage of such remarkable layering in knew Iwas in for a treat.At the time of changing over the interconnects I waslistening g to Ed Sheeran’s new album 'Ed Sheeran'and the fluidity of how the First Ultimates renderedthe vocal was pretty stunning. Being fully aware ofVDH's trademark smooth sound after owning manyof their cables in the past I didn't expect a sharp topend at all and Sheeran's guitar confirmed that the allcarbon affair was going to be a musical treat ratherthan a rush of bandwidth, especially in the top end.I will convey that the background is so damn quietthat transparency in the midrange and air in the topend felt very present and convincing giving each per-formance on the album a naturally reflected sound-stage, reproducing portions of focus very nicelyindeed.The top end no doubt sounds as if it's rolled offsomewhat, but the overwhelming musicality just out-weighed any perceived losses in resolution.As well as being familiar with VDH cables, I am alsofamiliar with the sound of conductive carbon cablingand in my experience they are very forgiving to cer-tain digital nasties in a system, too much and thesound can get a bit under-emphasised, just the rightamount and the effects can be so seductive that hunt-ing for that next cymbal crash becomes a thing of thepast and instead it's "what can I play next?".With this more forgiving nature of the all-carbonssonic signature I moved into Spotify world and juststarted trawling through my own personal playlists ,what was hot at the moment around the world andfound that the cables did exactly what I expected ofthem.The acoustic version of 'Your Winter' by Sister Hazelcan get a little sharp in its extremities when playedloudly from its live venue, the First Ultimates, as ex-pected gave a slightly rounder nature to leading andtrailing edges, bass notes were still crisp and the vo-cal was pretty awesome. The cable seems to begin todo its magic in between the notes first damping andcleaning up background hash and finishing its jobjust on the leading edge in order not to destroy pro-nunciation or detail.Another part of the sound which I really felt wasgreat was the proportions of bass the cables had tooffer. The way I feel it's best describe is that theVDH's have bags of non-peaky bass, they give a welldriven upperbass/lower-midrange which tackles

fast and slower notes equally well They don't havethe ultimate slap, tightness or pace of say the OritonSymphony Oranges and TQ Black Diamonds that Iuse, but they have this unmistakable presence thatjust makes the listener feel that their power is effort-less and that turning the volume up further and fur-ther just has them smiling and saying "is that allyou've got for me".Extension is deep, long and wide and the fullnessnever lost its tightness, although not as tight as theother cables mentioned in comparison, but there justaren't any sort of issues when hearing how well thelower mids integrate right down to the ground. Infact there's a great deal of respect for how this por-tion of the frequency range is handled. The amountof information produced at the lower end of the spec-trum is also notably remarkable.In ConclusionThese all carbon cables are so musically engrossingthat when changing back to any other cable thesound takes a little of a readjustment and the over thetop volumes that were being played ten minutes pre-viously need to be wound down just a little to savethe ear drums.The fluid and unforgiving nature of these is unmis-takeable, rendering of instrument timbre is a big stepup over other VDH cables I have previously heard,with a presence of soundstage layering, midrangedepth and quietness of background that simply al-lows for vocals to shine.If your digital rig still gives you that edge that hasyou running for the vinyl, give the First Ultimates awhirl, they will certainly tame all those nasties andpresent you with some truly seducing sounds.

Build Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8/10Value For Money - 8.5/10Overall - 8.1/10Recommended - For absolutely pure, grain-less musicality which never had me cryingout for more or felt as if though I was beingshort changed by it's beautifully smooth andnon fatiguing sound.Price at point of review - £275 - 1m pair

Dan Worth

Van Den Hul First Ultimate MK2 RCA


A little while ago now I was able to have alisten to the LessLoss DFPC Signaturemains cables, which made quite an impres-

sion on me and my listening experience offering fan-tastic refinement, liquidity, presence and an overallnatural presentation, which really made for an enjoy-able listen.The Reference cables are similar in construction Uti-lising a similar geometry to the Signatures they em-ploying four separate conductors - two Live - 12mmcross section, One Neutral - 12mm cross section anda single Earth - 12mm cross section.Where the cables differ from the Signatures in theprocessing stages, through LessLosses' 'Skin-filter-ing' techniques. The Signatures reach a Level 2whereas the Reference chords achieve a Level 4 in

LessLoss DFPC Signature Mains Cables

AmericancompanyLessLoss’$1800 DFPCSignature mainscables.


what is a labour intensive and timely affair carriedout in house.I'll allow Louis Motek (Managing Director) of Less-Loss give his overview;"Each LessLoss Skin-filtering grade marks audiblysignificant improvements in performance. The DFPCOriginal uses Grade 1. With just this technology,many customers insist that their stand-alone "caps &coils" power filters are no longer needed, and oftenthat comparing with a DFPC reveals that their previ-ous filter imparts an undesirable flavour to the sound.Grade 1 Skin-filtering makes a substantial step be-yond the performance of standard or industrial powerchords; indeed, a substantial step even over powercords with much higher price tags.The DFPC Signature’s Grade 2 Skin-filtering re-quires a more extensive processing of the conduc-tor’s outer skin. It involves a unique utilization ofpigments in a specialized in-house preprep process.This achieves more attenuation of wide-bandwidthHF noise and results in an even cleaner sound as thetrue nature of the signal is better revealed above aneven lower noise floor.For three years we have been refining Skin-filteringGrades 3 and 4, found only in the new DFPC Refer-ence. Here, we not only implement all steps involvedin the production of the DFPC Signature, but, in ad-dition, carry out several more crucial steps in theprocessing and assembly of each cable. This level ofattention to detail and performance places this cablein an entirely different category. Each DFPC Refer-ence undergoes half a month of controlled steps inproduction. Assembly alone takes 12 hours of scru-pulous labor. There is much more than meets the eyein this product, with performance to match."There is a plethora of technical information on theLessLoss website referring to each aspect of the en-tire conception of the cables, right down their choiceof Oyaide plugs implemented on each cable.Note: If a UK power plug is required then the Furu-tech 1363 is employed.The SoundSo on to the important bit, how do they sound andare the added techniques, processing and cost worth-while?Sometimes when progressing through a companiesrange of products, upgrades can offer a marginallysubtle improvement and sometimes improvementscan be larger in relation to the additional costs.

Sometimes a subtle change is all that is needed toreally have a product click or just sound so right.Other times a huge difference can be obtained whichpresents itself very differently and can be unexpectedand destroy all expectations of a house sound.The LessLoss DFPC cables sit somewhere in themiddle (no I'm not a politician, I don't have the pa-tience to be diplomatic).When listening to one of my favourite albums fromChris Jones 'Moonstruck' I am presented with a coresound of liquidity, exceptional detail and a smooth-ness that allows for leading edges to imprint theirnote into a wonderfully dark soundstage that oozesmusicality and presence.


…They canonly be de-scribed as oneof the verybest powercables I havehad thepleasure oflistening to,plus they looksexy too.


The References developed these leading edges withmore defining realism, organic flare and responsive-ness to the transient nature of strength, dependent onhow intensely each note is struck or blown. Decayjust dissipates magically into the blackness wherenotes are still emerging from, retaining overallrhythm through smaller delicacies and nuances.Chris' vocal is so genuine sounding and focused itjust draws the listener right in, gets you toe tappingand singing along to the point where I for onethought I needed to shut up and listen, I can have agood old sing song when I've finished the review!That didn't last for long, soon enough I was offagain...Right, so getting back on point I contrasted Jones'vocal with the power and delicacy of Loreena McK-ennit. What a treat her vocal really is, fortunately forreview purposes I can't even begin to sing along toher voice, it's something to really sit back and ad-mire.I started off with 'The Mask and the Mirror' albumand the track 'Full Circle'. A very old world Celticvibe flows throughout this performance; I can imag-ine it being played during a Macbeth play when pan-ning across the highlands at dusk. I can only describethe flavour of Loreena’s vocal as intense. The decayof each phrase simply washes through the depths ofthe soundstage and the ability of the Reference ca-bles over the Signatures was one of added control inupper octaves, instead of describing this factor asrestraint is more of a freedom of expression. The vio-lin in this track emanates from the upper centre ofMcKennits vocal and the breath that was added withthe DFPC References allowed the graceful notes toshine… so well polished with no smear or maskingof itself or the vocal.From 'the Nights at the Alhambra' album which is alive recording I love the 'Raglan Road' track. McK-ennit's seductive vocal is as delicate and powerful asin any other track she has ever performed, but a realstand out performance for me. The pure liquidity ofher vocal which is already established with suchgrace and beauty in my system was enhanced so wellwith the Reference power cords and violin which satto the right hand side of centre stage had a qualitythat one would imagine the musician to almost be inthe room. The overwhelming realism really wassomething special within the acoustic space of theperformance.

Moving into some more beat driven music from thelikes of Fleetwood Mac and The Beautiful South,rhythmic qualities were very strong and natural, de-tail rendition and dynamics were effortlessly propor-tioned in a busy soundstage of more than one leadvocalist and accompanying instruments.A cleanliness took over Stevie Nicks vocal whichhad a smoothness to its edges during 'Seven Won-ders' that allowed me to really turn up the volumeand let her wail.If I have to balance this review with a negative thenthe only portion of the wondrous display which I canbe critical of is the upper bass drive. As with the Sig-natures when I reviewed them they stay clean in thisarea and my own personal tastes want for a littlemore fullness in this area to help really drive alongthe dance music I enjoy so much… but that's just me.I don't come across too many audiophiles who stillthink they are 18 in a nightclub, well there's one Ican think of who edits my reviews before they arepublished, so we'll see if 'Disco Stu' leaves this com-ment in...(Oh ye of little faith.)ConclusionTo sum up the time and the experience which I havehad with all the LessLoss power cables (DFPC Orig-inal review to come) it can be said that their naturalpresentation coupled with masses of detail retrieval,undeniable purity and smoothness just culminates ina soundstage which is enhanced with such musicali-ty, grace and presence that they can only be de-scribed as one of the very best power cables I havehad the pleasure of listening to, plus they look sexytoo.The DFPC Signatures were great, but the Referencejust takes things a step further in overall refinement,precision and soundstage presence without changingthe core character of LessLoss' take on the sound.

Build Quality - 8.5/10Sound Quality - 8.75/10Value For Money - 8/10Overall - 8.4/10Highly Recommend - For their clean, smoothand detailed sound, build quality and greatstyle visually and musically.Price at time of review - $1824 - up to a 2mlength (reviewed at 1.5m)

Dan Worth



There’s been a very rapid increase in availabil-ity of exotic USB cables over the past year.Many companies are offering a range of this

cable type which can consist of as many progressiveversions through the range as digital coaxial cableswhich were for many the main digital link betweentransports and DACs.

The Digital Music Box has concentrated their effortson two USB cables:• The Linus which is an ordinary single cable con-taining data and power conductors."Solid silver conductors are used for the data wiresand termination to the plugs is with silver solder togive a very highly conductive path. The conductorsare helically wound with silk and contained in PTFEtubing to give exceptional dielectric properties Thedata conductors are screened from the voltage andground wires to ensure total protection from datacorruption.High quality USB gold plated plugs are used, sup-plied with a clear hard plastic hood to protect theplugs."The Kalliope a separately powered USB cable leav-ing the data lines only to be connected to the sourcecomputer. "The power supply is a very high qualityprecision regulated linear design housed in an alu-

minium extrusion, available in anodised black or sil-ver with black end plates. A high quality lockingpower connector is used to maintain a permanentconnection between cable and power supply.The low voltage cable from the Kalliope Power Sup-ply is a totally separate screened cable to be certainthere is no chance of data corruption, it terminates atthe USB B plug to supply the 5V required to com-plete the link between computer and Digital-to-Ana-logue Converter.99.99% silver wire is used for the data cables whichare soldered to the USB connectors with high qualitysilver solder to give superior conductivity for thetransfer of data. The conductors are helically woundwith silk and inserted into PTFE tubing giving ex-ceptional dielectric properties. The USB plugs aregold plated and supplied with a clear hood for greaterprotection."The two implementations of USB are a somewhatconsiderable outlay with the Linus coming in at £500and the Kalliope at £1000.

Bearing in mind how important the link between thetwo source components (computer and DAC) are andwhat many of us are willing to and have spent ondigital link cables in the past, the two cables are sit-ting in a position in the market that already has manyother digital cables fighting for dominance.Before we get into how I found my time with the twoDMB cables, let's talk about that 'pride of ownershipfactor' a little.

The Digital Music Box -Linus and Kalliope USB Cables

The digital MusicBox offer up theLinus USB cableat £500 and thepowered USBcable Kalliope at£1000. Hif Pigtakes a listen toboth.


Both cables arrive pre-sented in beautifully creat-ed embossed logo'd, thickwalled boxes with mag-netic flaps for secure clos-ing. The silver text andsatin black is very appeal-ing and immediatelypresents the company(who I was not aware ofbefore) as one who's at-tention to detail is cleareven before I've even gotmy hands on the actualproduct.

Opening the two boxesreveals medium density foam which is cut out veryneatly keeping the cables and in the Kalliope's powersupply nice and safe.

Each of the cables and the power supply is extremelywell made, the clear USB plugs look nice and I ap-preciate the amount of strain relief protecting thesedelicate plugs.

The Sound - Linus

We'll take a look at the Linus first and then moveonto the more expensive separately powered Kalli-ope, make a few comparisons and then concludethings.

Once I had finished creating a playlist in Amarra 3.0on my Mac and letting Chris Jones' 'Long After YourGone' begin to play I initially thought “wow, thissounds clean and dark”, but I was a little apprehen-sive at how the overall balance was going to be asthe lower notes started. So, whilst holding mythought process for a few more seconds this big, fulland rich bass just sank down straight in front of mebefore it opened up and then rolled throughout mylistening space.

Yes, this is a cohesive and generously proportionedcable in frequency terms. Full bodied articulate andhas a background silence that you don't listen for, it'sjust there - or not so if you catch my drift.

Leading edges with a range of female vocals wasclean and ultimately grain free. There's no masking

of any part of the range and the grainless, stable na-ture to each part is effortless.

Listening to some faster bassier tracks through Am-arra and Spotify was also great and dancer beats canbe said to have good impact with a pace and speed of


I found the Linus tobe well groundedfrom top to bottomwithout anynasties orcommonalitieswhich reallyfavoured aparticular genreand not another.


execution that is undeniably attractive, engrossingand rhythmic.

Small note flecks in and around soundstage bordersare clear and concise, allowing the systems microdynamics and inner depth to come through withoutrestriction and there is an enviable openness to thesound.

After some more time with some other male vocal-ists, the undertones for me can always be understoodmore definitively when demoing or reviewing a newproduct. The openness that shines through on the ca-bles mid to upper registers would not work as well ifit didn't portray this thick, rich and detailed lowerfrequency or undertone and the picture as a whole isjust great!

I found the Linus to be well grounded from top tobottom without any nasties or commonalities whichreally favoured a particular genre and not another.

The Sound - Kalliope (Powered USB)

My first take using the Kalliope was how more threedimensional, refined and silkier the sound was.

When the bass came in on the same Chris Jones trackas previously mentioned, there wasn't as much over-all weight. Extension was still long and deep, butwhat could be described as an outer spectrum wob-ble, or less natural or clean rendition of the frequencyin this area which didn't seem apparent on the Linusbefore was now more natural and expressive.

Upper frequency extremities and the pitch on aplucked string had more refinement, more stabilityand rang truer in a more holographic soundstage.

This soundstage still seemed dark, deep and veryblack just as the Linus did but its depth of field andfront to back positioning was more developed. If theLinus was wonderfully three dimensional, then theKalliope was more structured and had more points ofreferenced depth exploring points of detail more de-finitively.

Midrange as a whole was silkier and a little sweeter -I really like the Linus here as it has a more raspygrunt instead of this silkier appeal and fleshes out thebottom end of a male vocalist incredibly well, but theKalliope is just so organically natural and developed

in any vocal it has its hand in allowing the system toconvey just flows through with absolute presenceand grace.

With a beautiful female vocal the Kalliope allows forthat upper-mid to flow so well it can only be de-scribed as beautiful, gorgeous or luxurious. Femalevocalists with huge ranges such as Rachelle Farrellhit octaves that sounded utterly magical with suchcontrol and the Kalliope retains all this flare, remainsclean and never forward.

The Kalliope is also very rhythmic, holding the toneof a bouncy tune with ease whilst rendering lower-mid, upper-bass detail with ease and precision.

In short the Kalliope can be seen as a more refinedLinus with better soundstaging and a more naturalbass, with an overall silkier feel to the sound, butwith clarity and definition to the higher registerswhich takes the Linus' definition a step further.

Some Comparisons

There's a lot to be said for what power supplies canoffer a USB cable but this is very dependant on theDAC used - whether or not the DAC is already pow-ering the USB chip separately to make the need ofthe added supply even necessary.

Fortunately - I guess, the Astintrew Concord doesn'tself power the USB, this allows me to be able to tryboth of the cables from The Digital Music Box.

I do have an Astintrew Concord USB cable whichuses a separate 'Never Connected' power supply.Similarities between this and the Kalliope are therefor sure, most notably the 'silkyness' and the dark-ness of the background. I would say the Kalliope is


The Kalliope isalso very rhythmic,holding the tone ofa bouncy tune withease…


cleaner in sound though and has a better more holo-graphic soundstage, especially in depth perception. Ipreferred the cleaner nature in the upper-mid and tre-ble articulation which lead to solidly defined edges,it's never to the point where I would ever say it getsanywhere near analytical whatsoever and arguably itexposes minimal amounts of added detail, it's justhas more air, sparkle and shine right up there at thetop.

Another cable I use is the Tellurium Q Black Dia-mond. Now, being a single cable without the addedpower supply, it doesn't have this silkier more re-fined nature which I have come to the conclusion isan added trait of a powered USB cable implementa-tion.

Bass control on the TQ falls somewhere between thetwo Digital Music Box cables - very exciting, fulland fast. It's midrange is a little more relaxed andextremely detailed throughout, but not as sparkly asboth of the DMB cables with their clarity being astandout attribute and one that I haven't yet comeacross in all the USB cables which I have heard todate.

Conclusion

This was never a “shootout” or a comparative reviewbetween what I've heard and the two Digital MusicBox cables, but some small comparisons betweenother cables I currently have in my procession arenecessary when detailing the sound of a company'sproduct which will be unknown to many.

Both the Linus and the Kalliope have outstandingdetail right across the board, a background of silencethat it is one of the first characteristics one noticeswhen listening to each cable and a clarity and air thatuntil now I haven't experienced from a USB cable…and I've heard a fair few.

Unpowered the Linus has grunt, pace and rhythm,tackles dance and rock music with a distinctive na-ture that I personally feel an over refined system sim-ply cannot achieve.

The powered Kalliope has a refinement, a depth ofscale and a sculptured soundstage that brings vocalsand instruments more to life and throws detailsaround the soundstage so effortlessly that the musicas a whole can only be described as a holographicavalanche.

Yes, they are on the richer side of a lot of USB ca-bles, but boy don't they both make an impression. Ifyou’re in the market for a new USB then try the twocables from The Digital Music Box and see whereyour benchmark lies thereafter.

Linus - £500 - 1mBuild Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8/10Value For Money - 8/10Overall - 8/10Recommended - for background silence,tonal balance, detail retrieval and excite-ment.Kalliope - £1000 - 1mBuild Quality - 8.5 (The power supplies fitand finish gives it some extra wow)Sound Quality - 9/10Value For Money - 8/10Overall - 8.5/10Highly Recommended - for absolute preci-sion of clarity and tonal balance, a formida-bly structured soundstage and ability toallow through all micro details.

Dan Worth


Both the Linusand the Kalliopehave outstandingdetail right acrossthe board…


It has been somewhat of a bone of contentionwhether it is necessary to run external powersupplies with USB cables. A couple of

manufacturers/designers I have talked with state 'it'sunnecessary if done correctly' and others say 'thecomputers dirty power needs to be removed and theUSB chip should get the cleanest supply available'.

Now I'm no designer or technical whizz kid but Ihave listened to many USB cables and to these earsregardless of implementation I have found that USBcables display as much difference in sound reproduc-tion as any other digital cables. Some I have experi-enced with separates PSU's have not sounded asgood as the all in one design and vice versa, provingthat implementation of each design from one end tothe other is absolutely crucial.

Even though my Mac runs a couple of Paul Hynes'linear power supplies and its USB output power willbe a lot cleaner than most systems, each of the afore-mentioned designs still have an effect as a whole on

Computer Audio Design USB Cable

This USB cablefrom UK companyComputer AudioDesign (CAD)uses separatedata and powercables and costs£480 for a 1.1mlength.


sound and I would not under any circumstances ruleout the fact that an outboard PSU would now haveno effect on overall performance.

Scott Barry's design of his USB cable without an ex-ternal power supply is believed by him to be, afterrigorous R&D, the most pleasing and best implemen-tation of the cable that he could obtain. The cable hastwo wires - a data cable of thicker overall propor-tions and a separate power cable running externallyof the main data cable.

There's no information about the internal structure ofthe cable and its conductors. Sometimes this is agood thing, not allowing people to have precon-ceived ideas about what a cable may sound like. I forone never do any research prior to getting a cable, orany other product for that matter, in for review, so Ican judge its performance blind - so to speak.

The CAD Cable is well made, solid and flexible,there is plenty of strain relief to protect the annoying-ly small solder tags of a USB plug (manufacturersnote this point) making routing and connecting verysimple compared to some other behemoths I own andhave had in the past.

The Sound

Ed Sheeran's 'Runaway' from the 'X' album soundedtotally authorative, with distinctively projected andpure vocals that convey a touch of echo applied to

the mic and a slap to the drum that produced a crys-talline bass line, with punch and rhythm.

Ben Harpers 'Whipping Boy' proved thatthe CAD USB can definitely do texture. Its nature isclean and clear in the top end and full and extendedin the lower end. Ben's playful, raspy guitar had allthe presence of its acoustic chamber, the reverbs ofits close environment coupled with that textured anddetailed upper mid/treble, conveying a most organicand full frequency rendition of the reproduced instru-ment.

Chris Jones' 'Angel From Montgomery' is one of mytruly favourite tracks and the CAD'sability to render the harmonics andlend its hand to maintaining the sys-tem’s wide and tall soundstage wasimpeccable. A small negative wasthat I would have liked a bit morewarmth in the upper bass, particular-ly with this track and my all ceramicdrivers, which by their very naturerequire it. Vocals however startedfrom a natural and true distancewithin the stage and projected withgreat clarity and control.

The CAD USB conveys such a 'sat-isfying' sound. The data retrievalabilities during complex passages is


Its nature isclean and clearin the top endand full andextended in thelower end.


totally engrossing and never etched, exploringevery part of the music without any brightnessor analytical portrayal.

Moving onto some Dub Step, Tiesto, Mikadoand Seb Fontain, showed that the well balancednature of the CAD USB was very much at homewith fast paced, heavy beats and searing treble,allowing a huge and airy soundstage to fill myentire room with pulsating and explosive dy-namics.

To flip the coin again I made a playlist of sultry,sexy and delicate female vocalists. The uppermids in particular were hugely impressive. Theyexploited all the upper tones of a broadly na-tured vocal, remained clean and clear and in particu-lar fantastically controlled without rounding anyedges or sounding rolled off in any way.

From time to time I loan cables to a friend John, be itmy own or ones that have come in for review. Johnhas a high end headphone rig with some pretty seri-ous modifications to the amp, DAC and power sup-plies, running into a pair of Audeze LCD-2headphones with the latest driver upgrades. His sys-tem is very transparent and shows any changes insystem configuration very well. After he had thesome time to play with the CAD USB he gave me anupdate on its performance exclaiming that "vocalshave that eerie sensation, the balance is tremendousand top and bottom end sounds very right".

John listens to a good varied range of genres andspends many hours lost in music and tweaking hissystem with power cables, interconnects and socketswhich he has found makes quite substantial differ-ences in his highly detailed rig. When John reluctant-

ly returned the cable for me to complete my reviewhe stated "this is the best USB cable I've heard and Ithink I'll buy".

Conclusion

It can be a little difficult to pin point certain aspectsof a cable or piece of electronics when the sounddoesn't do any particular aspect very well but doesthe whole so impressively good. There's nothing inparticular to latch onto and admire or attribute areasof the system to benefit from its characteristic. Beingable to simply sit and listen, not be drawn to any par-ticular area or feature is a testament to the productand the CAD is a fantastic all rounder that excels innot one or two particular aspects, yet impresses em-phatically in all.

At its most reasonable price the CAD has to be audi-tioned, don't listen with intent, just put your feet upand let the music flow.

Build Quality - 8.5/10Sound Quality - 9/10Value For Money - 8.5/10Overall - 8.66/10Price at time of review - £480 - 1.1m lengthRecommended for abundant amounts of de-tail, top end control and excellent balance,making it one of the very best USB cables onthe market.

Dan Worth


"this is the bestUSB cable I'veheard and I thinkI'll buy".


The only other companies I've come acrosswith such an extensive range of cables as JIBoffers are Chord and Audioquest. JIB's inven-

tory consists of every type of Audio and Video cablea consumer could require, along with power cablesand car audio cables.So who are JIB?JIB is a German company run out of Berlin byfounder Jurgen Isaac Bauer, his love for Classicalmusic spurred him on design and create cables whichhe felt suited his system best. After a few years hebegan to develop on his growing knowledge of con-ductors and dielectrics and soon formed JIB whichwas to launch with not just one cable but an exten-sive range of cables.I was asked by our editor Stuart if I'd like to have alook at the range JIB offer and choose a couple ca-bles which would interest me for review - the list waslong and wide! I decided to take a listen to a fewcables - a glass fibre toslink, a silver USB and thetopic of this review the Krypton XLR's.Their construction is made up of:Overall size of the cable is 18mm99.9999% pure HG-OCC® (Ohno Continuous Cast)copper.Cable structure of high conductivity micro-conduc-tors, in Teflon.PTFE coated chlorine free cotton dampingConnectors made of Fiberglass with 24K gold plat-ing.Packaging wise the cables arrived in a wooden casewith metal clasp, externally trimmed in a two tone

leather and internally with a velvety/suede type ma-terial. Very nicely done and substantial.The cables were burned in for a few days and thensubsequently connected to my Kavent Acoustics ampfor some listening. These cables are very thick and alittle on the stiff side. I had to hold and bend, whichwasn't natural to the cables original curve, with onehand and then locate the XLR socket with the otherhand. Once in they didn't seem to pose any threatin moving or raising any of my components, it wasjust the contour out of the plug that was a bit tricky.Sound'Stolen Dance' by Milky Chance is a great track tolisten to when ascertaining the harmonic flare of apiece of equipment, or in this case a cable. The JIBseemed to offer a quite a substantially more envelop-ing rear soundstage, spreading rear width and heighton both sides further than I've previously heard onthis track with any other combination of components.Centre focus remained absolutely solid and depth toowas impressive. Overall three dimensionality is supe-rior to many other cables I have heard of this type,complimenting the Kavent amp's abilities to imageincredibly well.Overall tonality of the cable is a little warm, a touchsmooth and engrossingly immersive. The presenta-tion is one of a sultry infection - late night bar ratherthan a nightclub.Detail retrieval is pretty good with the most promi-nent details being a little rounded, well controlledand expressive. The smaller nuances, harmonics andmicro details are fantastic. I found myself less fo-cused on pin point imaging, but just emerging myselfin the entire musics’ acoustic.

JIB - Krypton Balanced XLR Interconnects

JIB is based inBerlin, Germanyand here we checkout their KryptonXLR interconnectscosting £385 for a1m pair.


Sam Smith's acoustic version of 'Latch' originallyperformed by Disclosure gave a splendid fluidity tohis vocal tone, piano notes had a strong tone andsounded really quite natural. The overall perform-ance held strong attention from me and left me dig-ging out some more of my favourite acoustic tracks,hunting for this insightful appeal to reverbs and cueslike an archaeologists digging for ancient ceramics.Live performances from the likes of Loreena McK-ennit and Candy Dulfer kept ticking box after boxwith regards arena and hall acoustics, picking outareas of the crowd who applauded more emphaticallythan others before the whole included themselves tocongratulate the performance.I wouldn't say that the Kavent is the most dynamicamplifier and the Krypton equally isn't either. Iwould state that the overall presentation is moregeared towards musical flow rather than typical 'Hifi'type aspects, many will appreciate this and some en-ergetically fatiguing systems I have heard wouldsurely benefit from this approach.During Chris Jones 'Soul Storm' I was drawn to thefact that the music remains very explanatory and co-hesive during busier passages, yes there's a touchmore grain when things get more complicated, butthe slight colouration to the cable helps mask this in

the midrange very well.So, what are the individual portions of the bandwidthlike if I had to nail it down?Treble seems to have two aspects to it:One would be that extremes are a little soft but stillthere and the upper end focuses the forefront of thesoundstage well.Two, lower portion of the treble is hugely open, justfloats around the listening space of its own accord,expressing harmonics which late at night with thelights off can be a little eerie.

Midband is a little thick and juicy, three dimension-ally it's fantastic and tonally gives real body to a vo-cal, great expression, presence and real musicalinvolvement. There's a naturalness with a little bit ofadded flavour.Bass is firmly big and round, not lumpy or bloomybut just nice and plump. Expressively I'd say theKrypton does a great job of allowing notes to dropdown and around the room, retaining good informa-tion in its upper registers.ConclusionThe JIB Krypton is a substantially thick, well madecable which offers a truly engrossing musical charac-ter as opposed to the cleaner 'Hifi' typical soundingcables. One could suggest that it doesn't do this orthat on first listen, but after taking some time to lis-ten on your own, in your own time it's pretty damnaddictive and draws the listener into the way it al-lows the music through from the system components.With some sexy looking plugs and a case which youcould use take your hand luggage on to a plane, itsvalue and pride of ownership factor to price ratio isoutstanding!Build Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8/10Value For Money - 8.2/10Overall - 8.06Price at time of review - £385 - 1m pairRecommended - for being truly musical andremaining true to the whole reason behindhifi - the music!

Dan Worth

JIB - Krypton Balanced XLR Interconnects

With some sexy looking plugsand a case which you coulduse take your hand luggage onto a plane, its value and prideof ownership factor to priceratio is outstanding!


Virtually every manufacturer on earthbelieves that their cables are the nextinnovation in sound reproduction -

enhancing dynamics, detail retrieval and giving asoundstage which sits in the darkest of backgroundsetc....you all know where I'm coming from.On one hand we all like to have some sort ofunderstanding of material choice, dielectricproperties, geometry and whatever other technologymay have gone into the extensive (or not) R&D that

has been put into the cables which we purchase forour systems. It does add to that 'pride of ownershipfactor' and also allows us to make judgments onsilver vs copper and other influences which we maybe aware of that can influence system performance.Some manufacturers, TQ come to mind, simply havea reputation based on market and consumer reviews -the tried and tested method rather than attempting tosell their products to you on specifications, keepingthe construction of the cables close to their chest.Well, SLIC Innovations Eclipse C is a cable whichfalls into this category - in the sense that anyconstruction methods and materials used are notpublished, leaving the raw experience of the cable tothe listener, no preconceived ideas or notions on howsaid conductor in such a geometry with suchdielectric should perform. Risky? For a newcompany I'd say so!The trick is finding an established outlet which canmarket the cable and get it into the public eye, this iswhere MCRU have stepped in. David Brook stronglybelieved in the performance of the cable known inshort as 'SLIC' and after a friend of mine listened to

SLIC Innovations - Eclipse C RCA Interconnects

SLIC Innovations -Eclipse C RCAInterconnects cost£492 for a one metrepair and promise todeliver…do they?


one and brought it over to me I also had the chanceto appraise it.An interesting aspect for me is that I was made awarethat the cable is of a design built from the ground up,taking the design back to basics, attempting toeliminate crosstalk to its very minimum and patentshave been since granted for the design. It's refreshingfor me to be able to test a cable such as this thatdoesn't simply use an off the reel, standard RG cableor a cable made for industrial use, adopting itsapplication to hifi.The SoundOn first listening I didn't think wow this isexceptionally good, but after spending an hour or sowith SLIC I asked if the cable could be left with meso I could do some serious listening on my own inmy own time.

The reason being and what did draw me in (eventhough my friend and I were discussing HiFi a fairbit, not always ideal when ascertaining theperformance of a product when in company) was thegreat deal of texture and the unforced relaxed naturethat SLIC presented.I talk so much about the initial 'wow factor' ofproducts and how many of us can be drawn in andsubsequently make wrong decisions when buyingequipment or accessories, later to find that duringlong listening sessions the music falls apart.When I had my first evening with the Eclipse C I hadthat initial first impression again that maybe thesound was a little relaxed, now I wouldn't saycoloured or masked but a little lacking in excitement.Once the amps had truly warmed through and I wasconfident that the sound was as it should be I put onthe new Ed Sheeran album 'X'; the album is veryacoustic in nature and there needs to be goodtransparency to the system to really expose Ed’svocal and all the texture of his guitar.To say I got totally immersed in each performance issomewhat of an understatement, I really enjoy thisalbum and have spent many a long nights with itbeing part of the playlist. This evening I had thepleasure of hearing it in a slightly different way.Normally Ed’s voice has an upper midrangevibrancy, tonight there was more of a depth ofclarity, as if his voice had been warmed up for longerbefore he came on stage and just effortlessly putacross his lyrics. Texture to the lower end of thevocal was also very well conveyed, equally too wasinstrument timbre, giving an extremely organic feelto the album.SLIC has a way of addressing every detail so that itis apparent in the mix, yet isn't as emphaticallydisplayed, adding a more natural listen to the soundwhich really doesn't get appreciated until you havesat down relaxed, cleared your mind and just listen tothe music rather than the system.Another favourite of mine is the 'Moonstruck' albumby Chris Jones - if you have noticed I am talkingabout albums here rather than individual tracks. Thisis simply the way the Eclipse C has played out withme this evening, I'm not just listening to myreference songs I'm playing whole albums andenjoying every minute.


SLIC has a wayof addressingevery detail sothat it isapparent in themix, yet isn't asemphaticallydisplayed,adding a morenatural listen tothe sound…


There are many passages in the album which hasthose little small breaks and silences - which leavesthe listener semi expectant on the next note eventhough the album is well known and has been playedmany times. An older gentlemen friend of mine oncecommented when listening to classical one afternoon'it's the silences which give this piece substance', Iforget what we were listening to now as I'm not a bigclassical fan but it's very true. SLIC allows forspatial cues and pauses to really become moreemotionally connective.SLIC does background silence, darkness and depthincredibly well and is one its top features for sure.The decay of Chris Jones guitar or Nils Lofgrens onthe 'Acoustic Live' album is simply wonderful, atextured note just fades into the darkness for a briefsecond as the next begins with body and control toits leading edge.Leading edges on all aspects of what SLIC conveysis just solid and falls into fully fleshed out andunforced delicacies which has you sinking furtherand further into the sofa and that bottle of wine onthe table, never realising that your actually listeningabout 30% louder than usual.There is so little grain and mush to the sound. If agood cable is like a windbreaker at the beach than theEclipse C is a brick wall. It does take a little bit oftime to appreciate the difference between SLIC andwhat has been previously used as its rendition of topedges is very different, yet I argue with myself stillnow that I just can't be so bold as to say it'sattenuated in any way. My Roksan Darius S1 speakerreview reflects on the presentation in a similarmanner, simply put - it's very clever.During my late night listening tests and beingfortunate enough that my current neighbours are verygood and don't have children I was quite surprisedthat I had reached such volumes and was still notoffended by any brightness or hardness from myceramic drivers. So I started to play with the volumeknowingly.The Eclipse C throughout all my time with it alwaysproduced a good solid soundstage with a depth thatcame from its robust way of dealing with upperfrequencies. Increasing the volume a good bit higherthan what I had been listening to which was alreadylouder than ordinary. The cable notably helped toretain the stability to the soundstage to a point whereroom interaction was clearly the discerning factor

with a build up of bass boom in an alcove to the leftfront. SLIC itself held the music together and nevercollapsed in on itself becoming less explanatory,confused or inject unwanted nasties into the darkbackground it portrayed even under pressure frombusier music at higher volume levels.ConclusionI must say that at first I wasn't overly impressed withthe Eclipse C from SLIC Innovations, although it'sorganic texture warranted me to explore it furtherand I'm glad I did.What I found was a clever, astute and personabletake on the sound that drew me in and representeditself to me as a cable that can truly produce no frillsmusic which in the long term was more engaging,exciting and tempting than many cables ive heard.Reproducing the body of the music rather than thetop and bottom edge of a recreated note or vocal iswhere the Eclipse C is fascinating. There is truesubstance to music with the aid of SLIC in a systemand that comment probably describes it best.Build Quality - 8.3/10Sound Quality - 8.7/10Value For Money - 8.1/10Overall - 8.36/10Price at time of testing £492 for a 1m PairRecommended - for being the undercard thatwins the race. A textured, grain free musicalcable that does excitement without all thebells and whistles.

Dan Worth


What I found was aclever, astute andpersonable take on thesound that drew me inand represented itself tome as a cable that cantruly produce no frillsmusic which in the longterm was more engaging.


I have to admit to not getting too excitedreviewing cables; not only do you convince somereaders who believe that all cables the same, but

conversely I have to make every effort to ensure thatwhen I do review something, it's not the footprint ofthe hardware itself that's actually making all thedifference. I have therefore, over the years, puttogether different hi-fi set ups that I know to behonest purveyors of the original sources that I havemixed myself in the studio or know really well. It isalso essential to make sure an over-biasedeccentricity created in one wire is not compensatedfor in another wire along the chain. Therefore, I havemy cable favourites and pet hates. Careful placementand material is vital in establishing my audioparadise. Over the years I have ascertained the blandand dull, and similarly discovered the bright andthin. So much depends on the metal, the amount ofoxygen in it, the dielectric, and the casting process(called extrusion and annealing) from the master rawmaterial. For example, Silver is the most conductivemetal above copper, but it has the tendency to soundbright and thin, which initially can make the musicsound more compelling. Whilst that might soundgreat for bland sources, or those of us who have topend frequency deficiency, what is really needed is anabsolutely flat cable that takes nothing away nor addsanything. It must not act like a capacitor or resistor,nor like an aerial and add RFIs. Max Townshend hasspent his life trying not to add anything to the music(in his passive autotransformer preamplifiers), and todampen everything else that tries to get in (with hisTroughs, Paddles, Seismic Sinks and Isolation Feet,etc).So, to be given a cable that has both wires as closetogether as humanly possible was for me the lastthing I wanted to see, and something, to be honest I

Townshend Audio F1 Stereo RCA

This new cablefrom TownshendAudio is asradical a move aswas his excellent2002 DCT300interconnect withits metal sheetconductors sideby side in theirown PTFE airtubes. The priceis £899 for a 1 to2 metre RCA pair.


didn't expect Max to do. This new cable fromTownshend Audio is as radical a move as was hisexcellent 2002 DCT300 interconnect with its metalsheet conductors side by side in their own PTFE airtubes. This design ensured that 99% of the cable hadair as its dielectric. The new F1 uses Townshend'slatest incarnation of enhanced DCT (Deep CryogenicTreatment), better known as 'Fractal-wire', hence theletter 'F', and which he guards in strict secrecy,having learnt a lesson from his original DCTtechnique which is now copied around the world.Indeed, Fractal wire is also used in the windings ofhis Allegri autotransformer passive preamplifier. TheF1, like its precursor, ensures the cable has anabsolute minimum contact with the insulator. Indeed,the thin and thick layers of PVC or PTFE dielectricsin 99.9% of cables can add their own distinctivecolouration and microphony. Think of the commoncapacitor as two pieces of metal held apart by somenon-conductive material (dielectric), and you'll seehow much your interconnect resembles this majorelectrical component. Wire Resistance in cables isfairly insignificant, and general 12 gauge housewiring, being around 0.016 ohms per foot, issometimes used as a cheap alternative, though thismisses out other major 'parts' that make a cable andtherefore far greater affect the sound. Having heardso many cables at all price points I can even, morethan occasionally, recognise manufacture, metals anddielectric blindfold simply by listening. Thedifferences can be so big that at times the cables canmake a bigger difference than comparing differentsource. Hence, auditioning cables tends to be mucheasier to do than pieces of Hi-Fi, but that means youreally need to know your sources, and fullimplications of mixing components and cables. Forexample, silver can work better on valve thantransistor.

Unfortunately many feel that spending a significantamount on cable is a waste of money. And if thedielectric is quite simply air, that payment in theshop or on-line can be even more painful. Thechoice of dielectric is, however, as important as themetal itself. Indeed, one of the best dielectrics to useis air, and I recall writing in HiFi News about AbbeyRoad Cables doing a similar stunt a few years back,using wiring held in place with grommets in air-filled tubing. In Max's cable the signal travelsthrough a singular very thin polyester-coatedenamelled copper wire, which spirals around a muchthicker bare copper ground wire. Because signal and

return conductors are so tightly spaced, externalelectric fields cannot get in. As a result, these cablesblock radio frequency interference (RFI) and help tostop hum in valve amplifiers. The cable reminds meof Litz cable (incidentally, this is used in their SuperTweeter cabling). Each thin strand in Litz cable hasits own enamelled coating, and relies on the skinfactor, whereby the majority and faster electronsvibrate at the edge of the cable. In a good conductor,skin depth varies as the inverse square root of theconductivity. This means that better conductors havea reduced skin depth. Therefore there is no need for'thicker' wire - something perhaps more favourable tothe wallet-fearing customer.

I remember my A-level Physics talking about energyand electric field in relationship to AC (and thereforeaudio) flowing in a wire. It tells us that the electricfield vanishes inside a conductor, in other words noenergy flows inside a conductor but actually justoutside. Therefore, the speed of a signal depends on

Townshend Audio F1 Stereo RCA

I have personallyonly found twootherinterconnects thatdon't leave amusical signature -whether it be tonalor timing - this F1was up on the topwith them, andmuch faster thanLewis Hamilton.


the dielectric properties of the insulation. The bestdielectric allows flow of “the signal” at around 70%speed of light. In Townshend F1 the signalconductors only come into contact occasionally withthe inner of the two concentric PTFE tubes. Most ofthat dielectric is air, as I mentioned earlier. ThePTFE tubes are in turn placed inside a third, andclear, PVC outer cable. Such a clever and simpleidea. In many cables, linen or cotton can be used todampen the wire movement inside that cable fromvibrations. With the F1, if vibrations appear in theouter layer of PVC, the air dampens it from the nexttwo PTFE tubes. Brilliant. The fact that the twocables are so close together means this is not likely tobe a problem. The whole is terminated in theindustry best Neutrik Profi RCA phono plugs whichhave a spring loaded ground collar. There is also abalanced version, which incorporates two strands ofthe ultra-fine enameled copper conductor spiraledtogether with a parallel drain wire but no shielding,and again terminated with Neutrik XLR plugs.I played lots of different music using a selection ofsources, both valve and transistor. I particularlywanted to check three areas; 1) depth of frequencyrange, 2) dynamic range, and 3) how complex soundstructures were conveyed from source to amplifier.The first area passed with flowing colours, fromlowest bass thumps in 'Sister Drum' by Dadawa, tothe cymbals in 1970's LP ‘Feel the Love’ by LoveSong was the best I have ever heard. The skin factor,which can limit high frequencies would be off thescale, so no problem there. Dynamic range was notan issue in even the most complex tracks I played;whether Nono, Neillson, Mahler, Sibelius or Britten,or Tangalgo’s energetic 'La Zucca Barucca'. Thecomplex orchestration in The Pines of Rome,Respighi, (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) wasunflustered. This cable could do it all, and with alltypes of music. Quite simply, this cable was so open,transparent and unflappable, uninfluenced byanything around it, that I was quite taken aback.Nothing added and nothing taken away. I could justconcentrate on the music around me; not the cablesand not the hi-Fi! The cable, itself, was just not there.It didn't worry me that it wasn't the most beautifullooking or the thickest. I actually didn't want to seeit, I just want to ‘see’ the sound in a 3D audio arenafrom two speakers. And I really could! It workedequally well with Wilson Benesch, B&W or GrahamLS5/9s, and with vinyl or CD into transistor or valveamplifiers. My Krell KSS 20i CD is well known forbass emphasis, sometimes overstating the rest of the

audio, but it didn’t mask or slow the rest of thefrequencies. I have personally only found two otherinterconnects that don't leave a musical signature -whether it be tonal or timing - this F1 was up on thetop with them, and much faster than Lewis Hamilton.I rarely get excited about cables, and having initiallyexpected these to not be anything special, going bythe unique design, I have to admit I was wrong.These proved that thinking outside the box canactually be the most sensible thing to do. SomethingMax does every day.

Build quality 8.5Sound quality 9.1Value for money 8.7Overall 8.77

I rarely get excited at interconnect, speakeror mains cables. There can be suchdifferences in them. But to find one that justdoesn't leave any footprint and makes mymusic sound as real as it did in these test, issomething I really want to shout out about.This is as good as it gets.

Price £899 for 1 to 2m Phono to phono and£949 for XLR

Janine Elliot

Townshend Audio F1 Stereo RCAThe cable, itself, wasjust not there. It didn'tworry me that it wasn'tthe most beautifullooking or the thickest.I actually didn't wantto see it, I just want to‘see’ the sound in a 3Daudio arena from twospeakers.


Model Information

Vermouth Audio are not that familiar a namein audiophile cable circles and have onlybeen founded for some four years or so

in 2010, though Hifi Pig did review their BlackCurse interconnects back in 2012. They originatefrom Bali, which again doesn't have a reputation yetfor producing top flight audio products, but if wetake Vermouth Audio founder Mr Hendry's opinionas valid, then all that is set to change in the not toodistant future. The Black Pearl speaker cables forreview here are at the top of a three model speakercable range comprising the Black Pearl, Black Curseand the Red Velvet, in descending order. Similarly,they produce a range of interconnects with the samemodel designations, along with Black Curse and RedVelvet power cords, plus a Black Curse integratedamplifier.When it comes to buying cables, most audiophiles Ireckon will use three simple criteria as theirinitial judgements for their intended purchasingdecision:

· Firstly, they will use their eyes. It has to lookright and fit for purpose, because more oftenthan not this is how we first encounter our

Vermouth Audio Black Pearl Loudspeaker Cables

Kick drum toohas a solid“whump” thatfeels like it'shitting you in thepit of thestomach as muchas you hear itwith your ears.


objects of desire, as photographs in variouspublications or indeed an internet basedsource. If it doesn't look “right” then it'sprobably not even going to appear onanyone's short-list of candidates for audition.

· Secondly, with their ears. Ears are used todecode how much details and resolution isavailable from the cable in terms of bass andtreble absolutes and that all-importantmidrange clarity and naturalness. Does itexcite? Does it offend? Is any part of thesonic spectrum lacking? Does it suit the hi-fisystem and listening environment? Will theoverall presentation the cable gives providelong term satisfaction?

· Finally, with the brain which decides whetheror not the cable represents an investment insound qualityover the returnin terms ofcash outlay.

And so, I will attempt to apply thosethree criteria on your behalf dear reader to theVermouth Audio Black Pearl speaker cablessubmitted here for review.AppearanceIn terms of appearance, the Black Pearl cable rateshighly in my estimation, better in fact than themajority of cables with any pretensions to being highend. There are simply stunning carbon fibre shellcovers fitted to the plug terminations and someexquisite screen printing denoting manufacturer andmodel details. In the sample submitted for review,there are 4mm banana plugs at one end withgenerously sized spade connectors at the other end,but I understand that either connector array isavailable to order. “Cold forging Tellurium CopperRhodium Plated Termination” as Vermouth Audio'swebsite proclaims is what the connectors materialsare and attachment to the cable itself which measuressome 21mm in diameter along the main body of thecable with bifurcated tails of some eight inches inlength of a smaller diameter up to the connectors. Atthat junction we find “Anodised sandblastedaluminium cable stoppers” and very nice they looktoo. Internal construction is said to be10 AWG UPOCC multisize and multilayerconductors with air spacing suspension. The outer

covering is of braided expandable nylon mesh with asilvery criss-cross pattern. So, on looks alone theBlack Pearls score well on the eye candy scale. Itlooks very substantial and rather heavy too, which itis.SoundWith most cables there seems to be a trade-offsomewhere, from excellence in one area of the soundat the expense and detriment of another. A cable canhave stunning bass performance, yet the treble can bevague, the midband nasal and muddy (and viceversa), yet we can all easily be beguiled by that bass,mid, or treble performance at first hearing butoverlook, even forgive the short-falls initially, whichwill eventually manifest itself into the conscious lateron and lead to dissatisfaction. Having lived with theBlack Pearls for a while now I can say that this cable

is not one ofthose.VermouthAudio BlackPearl

Loudspeaker CablesI don't see thatas a negative in any way because it means it isn'tbusying itself revealing faults with partneringcomponents and recording quality that will irritateand annoy.For example, while listening to the opening trackLondon Grammar's excellent 'If You Wait' albumthere is a wealth of synthesized reverberation effectsand a deep penetrating bass line to the music,underpinning the female vocals. The Black Pearlsportrayed this track with both the delicacy and powernecessary to make it an enjoyable and satisfyinglisten. Track two from the same album contains somevery obvious and deliberate fret fingering on steelstrings from the guitarist and that comes across ascrisp, defined and uncannily real sounding.Ginger Baker's epic drum solo on Wheels of Fire byCream has the drum kit close mic’ed during theperformance which is ideal for testing transientability. Snare drum and tom toms sounded taut anddynamic the way they should be and the cymbalshave a polished refinement with no splashiness ortizz. Kick drum too has a solid “whump” that feelslike it's hitting you in the pit of the stomach as muchas you hear it with your ears.Moving on to Derrin Nauendorf's 'Live at theBoardwalk' which is a live acoustic recording with

Vermouth Audio Black Pearl Loudspeaker


Derrin playing solo acoustic guitar and accompaniedonly by a basic set of drums, the tonality of theguitar's sound was conveyed realistically and full ofnatural resonances and timbres. Every pluck on thestrings was heard in great clarity and detail, althoughI cannot say that Derrin is the best of vocalists, butan enjoyable listen nonetheless.Treble then is clean and clear, and I was able to pickout minute detail and finer points, even when themusic got hectic. Bass has depth and power, withoutoverhang or delay and is able to react to fasttransients in a clear delineated fashion. Femalevocals were up there with the best of thecompetition. Play a simple acoustic recording in alive venue and all the reverberation effects andambience in a venue are delivered with solidity andcompetence. They have a balanced and neutral soundwith no peaks or troughs to trouble or perturb and itis due to that neutrality I was very pleased with theBlack Pearl's performance.The acid test for me personally is whether or not Iplay entire albums or just my favourite “showcase”tracks off albums and secondly, how long do mylistening sessions last for, so a very late bed timewithout realising what the time actually is, is a hugeendorsement. The Black Pearls met those two criteriaeasily.Sound Per PoundAnd finally, how much bang for the buck do theBlack Pearls provide? Plenty, I say.Starting at £575.00 for a 1.8 metre pair they are notcheap by any means, but given that they costconsiderably less than similar sounding rivals in themarketplace, then they do represent good value inmy view. Oddly enough, they are available in 1.8,2.3, 2.8, 3.3, 3.8, 4.3, 5.1, 5.4, 5.7 and 6 metres inlength. But, the benefit to that is buying a closermatch in length to what you actually need to reachfrom amplifier to speaker, rather than the standardmetre or if you are lucky, half metre increments.SummaryWhile the Vermouth Audio Black Pearls are not theabsolute best at resolving every last drop of musicfrom a recording, I don't see that as a negativeattribute, rather as a positive benefit because a cablethat can and does wring the very last drop of detailwill also have the undesirable trait of being utterlyruthless with issues from recordings or systems,

resulting in not being able to be listened for hourafter hour without fatigue. That also means they aregoing to be a good match in synergy terms to abroader spectrum of system components, so on thatbasis the Black Pearls will, I am sure, easily winmany friends and followers. Having listened tocables costing twice and three times as much for anear identical performance to the Black Pearls, thatputs their pricing into context . As usual,the caveat is seek out a home demonstration to formyour own opinion regarding these cables.Did I mention they look rather tasty too?

Build Quality 8.3/10Sound Quality 8.2/10Value For Money 8/10Overall 8.2/10Price as tested £575.00 for a 1.8 metre pair.Recommended for: Any system whereneutrality is the overriding sound attribute,where extended listening without fatigue isrequired.

Dominic Marsh

Vermouth Audio Black Pearl Loudspeaker

Having listened tocables costingtwice and threetimes as much fora near identicalperformance to theBlack Pearls, thatputs their pricinginto context .


http://epiphany-acoustics.co.uk/


Model Information

What's this, a second bite of the cherry youask? As regular Hifi Pig readers will nodoubt have already spotted, a review of

the Epiphany Acoustics “Atratus” interconnect wasconducted way back in March 2012 by our esteemedJerry. He more than liked the first Atratus model –he jolly well bought it! And, judging by the warmreception he gave it then, he was surprised at theprice too, costing under £40. That cable is still avail-able and at an affordable price.And so we blow away the mists of time and fast for-ward to the present day to evaluate the latest incarna-tion of the Atratus interconnect in Mark 3 guise,

Epiphany Acoustics Atratus 3 Interconnect

Well, the Atratus Mark3 shrugged it off withabsolute ease fromthe first note onwardsand this really did getmy attentionimmediately.


which sits alongside its stable mates, the Atratus 1and 2 models.ConstructionBarring the name of course, the Mark 3 cable is asomewhat different beast from the 2012 variant.Gone from the Mark 3 version are the “bubble” RCAconnectors and this particular cable now sports KLESilver Harmony connectors – a welcome addition inmy opinion. The outer jacket has also upgradedfrom a plain black with white spiral design to a sub-tle shade of green with white criss-cross patternedjacket which looks very attractive and I am ratherhappy to say, also sets it apart from the herd of theplain black cloaked cables and its siblings.Construction is said to be OCC (Ohno ContinuousCasting) Copper conductors with a double shield ofcopper foil and braid. OCC, PC-OCC, OFC, BBC,ITV, what does it all mean? I won't explain it all asit would take more than a mere brief review to dothat, but suffice to say a clever chap called ProfessorOhno from Japan discovered that drawing copperwire in a slow continuous draw from the die at a veryspecific temperature produced less grain boundariesin the resulting wire which happened to sound betterthan high speed ejection at high temperatures fromthe die which produces conventional copper wire.Still with me? No? No matter, I will just ask you toaccept that it is apparently 'better' for now and let'smove on to what really counts in the final analysis,the sound.SoundIf Jerry got somewhat enthu-siastic about the original At-ratus interconnect hereviewed, I wonder what hisopinion would be about thecurrent Mark 3? Unfortunate-ly I never had that pleasure ofhearing the earlier variant, so I ammore than content to accept this particularcable at face value and report on my findings ac-cordingly.For whatever reason I still don't understand, I con-ducted my listening sessions with this cable startingwith the “torture tracks” first rather than my custom-ary gentle acoustic recordings, moving on to someclassic recordings, then onto some easy listening andso on, with the murder music up last to put the cable

under review to a real workout, I'm sure you can pic-ture the natural progression I would normally take.First into the CD player then is Porcupine Tree's“Deadwing” which sounds either superb or prettyawful and takes no prisoners along the way. Many acable with high-end pretensions has fallen victim tothis CD and I have become rather ambivalent aboutthe outcome each time I play it with new componentsin the system. Well, the Atratus Mark 3 shrugged itoff with absolute ease from the first note onwardsand this really did get my attention immediately.

It wasn't the notion of sparkling treble or subterrane-an bass that captivated me, it was how each and eve-ry instrument was clearly delineated in its own spaceand time. By that I mean that each instrument had a

clear and distinct start and end to its contribu-tion to the performance, irrespective of

what anything else was happeningaround it. A long low bass note re-

mained fixed in its own spacewhile the drums were playingconcurrently during that bass

note with their own dynam-ics and stop-start timings,not to mention the lead andrhythm guitars' involve-ment in the musical com-position as well, socomplex transients werenot troublesome at all for


It stuck true to itselfthrough it all, thick andthin, a delight to listento even when the goinggot tough, where eachstrand of the musicremained separatedand clearly definedwithout masking.


this cable. The silences too drewmy attention and it came as acomplete surprise when the musicexploded from that silence and farfrom being shocked, I was pleas-antly surprised by it. Meanwhile,the imaging remained centre/frontand rock steady in position, withplenty of depth and incrediblywide staging beyond the speakers.That's an awful lot of words Ihave just typed to convey to youwhat this cable does, but let mefinish that by saying it is only anelite band of cables that can dothis effortlessly with highly com-plex and dynamic music.I followed Porcupine Tree withPaloma Faith's “Fall to Grace”album, which is not an album Iactually like. Errrrm, what?Strange you may say, but if a sys-tem can lift the sound of this al-bum above the ordinary andactually get me to enjoy what I'mhearing, then that is some trick it has pulled off.Paloma's voice to me doesn't have much tonal range,power or depth to it compared to other singers,which no amount of orchestral backing can elevatefrom what to me is the mundane. Sorry if I offendall you Paloma fans. You may be glad to hear Iticked this particular box with no complaints, as theAtratus injected some much needed sparkle and dy-namics that make it enjoyable – well, sort of. I thinkall audiophiles should also dig out and dust off simi-lar recordings, using them as an acid test as part oftheir evaluation process, rather than just their show-case demonstration music. Works for me anyway!A track I will often use to evaluate treble perform-ance is Jack Johnson's “Staple it Together” from hisIn Between Dreams album. The percussion on thistrack has been recorded with high energy and almostnil compression, so needs very little provocation intosounding overly bright and splashy, quite painful tolisten to in fact with unsuitable components. Withthe Atratus interconnect in the system, it came so, so,so close to the threshold of being over indulgent withthe cymbals, but never actually crossed that line inmy own system. Given that other cables many timesthe price of the Atratus have stumbled at this particu-

lar hurdle, then in all fairness any criticism here(however slight) of the Atratus should be taken incontext, but I felt then and now it is a facet of theAtratus which readers of this review should be awareof. However, if you are looking for a cable withverve, sure-footed lithe dynamics and crisp defini-tion, you have just found it.Next up was a favourite of mine; Joe Satriani's TheExtremist and in particular the track “New Blues”.This track begins with some solid weighty kick drumand cymbal work from the drummer, joined soon af-terwards by a simple guitar riff from Joe, then thebass guitar with string plucks that go deep. Then acountdown 1, 2, 3, 4 with the drummer crashingdrumsticks together in time. Now that really sound-ed like wood against wood, not plastic or any othermaterial… it was wood for sure. That kick drum toohas a double stroke, the first softer than the second,which you can feel as much as hear. The Atratusdidn't quite manage the raw power, energy and depthfrom the kick drum that other (read more expensive)cables have managed, but it still sounded clean, pow-erful, above all realistic and a credible showingnonetheless. The biggest surprise though was at the



tail end of that track where the faders are graduallyreducing the recording down to zero level, it was thehi-hat cymbals that were the last instrument thatcould be heard… just. I am sure during previoushearings it was the guitar that was last instrument tobe faded out, but with the Atratus there was no ambi-guity. You live and learn as they say.Close mic’ed acoustic guitar is I think one of thehardest instruments to recreate faithfully and somepeople are rather irritated by the guitarist's fret work,but I find it a rich source of inner detail to test micro-dynamics. If I cannot hear the difference betweensteel, gut and nylon strings being drawn along byfingers, I need to ask questions as to where thosesounds have gone. The Atratus cable had no diffi-culty in delivering those microdynamics from myreference recordings, nor did it skimp anywhere onreproducing the timbres and textures from the bodyof the instrument either.I haven't mentioned bass performance so far and itwould be remiss of me to say nothing at all about it.I found the bass to be a trifle 'dry' by nature andwhilst all the lower octaves were indeed reproducedwith no curtailing of frequencies, there seemed to bea slight lack of heft and weight to bass notes. Thismeant I was listening out for the bass, rather thanhaving it presented to me as part of the total musicallandscape which I am used to with my resident ca-bles. That to me is a better compromise than a tub-by, ponderous, or overhung bass that seems to plaguebudget cables and much further up the cable hierar-chy as well if we are to be honest. Bass like that alsotends to swamp or dominate the lower midband as aconsequence, but on the plus side the sound packagethe Atratus presents has that lively clean bouncy en-ergy without bloom anywhere in the audible spec-trum which I am very sure many listeners will enjoyand relish.ConclusionI intensely dislike the term “giant killer” becausethose cables that have been labelled with that epithetare anything but in my experience. They lack thedetail, fidelity, solidity, finesse and sophistication oftrue high-end cables, even though they outwardlypresent a superficial facsimile at first encounter. Alarge number of cables on the market can easily pro-vide a clean-ish balanced sound that soundsgood tonally with simple uncomplicated music, butgive them some fast, complex, multi-layered and di-

versely dynamic music and they quickly fall apart orcollapse inwards on themselves to present what Iwould describe as a mangled mush of music withinstruments and/or vocals crashing into one another.It would be fair to say the Atratus Mark 3 intercon-nect is not one of those types of cables as it can keepup with cables existing higher up the performancetiers and price brackets.It stuck true to itself through it all, thick and thin, adelight to listen to even when the going got tough,where each strand of the music remained separatedand clearly defined without masking. The treble canat times be a tad unforgiving and verging ever soslightly on the uncouth, but only verging mind you,never quite stepping over the line during my ownlistening sessions, although I'm not so sure how thepartnership would fare when paired for example withspeakers that have metal treble drivers. Bass is atouch on the lighter side for me personally, but youmay love all its positive qualities and attributes tobits and an audition should settle that matter for yourown individual tastes and partnering components ofcourse.The Atratus 3 easily manages to climb up the greasypole of sophistication in sound that very few “budg-et” cables can attain, which is highly commendable.When I tell you that they cost £99.99 for a one metrepair, it will perhaps enable you to make some sort ofjudgement from my outpourings in this review andmaybe come to the conclusion that I am not in factnit-picking or criticising a cable costing many hun-dreds of pounds, I am actually describing with highpraise the Epiphany Acoustics Atratus Mark 3's stun-ning performance envelope which I say stands headand shoulders above its immediate rivals and furtherbeyond too.Build quality: 8.2Sound quality: 9.1Value for money: 8.7Overall: 9.0Price as reviewed £99.99 for 1m pair.Recommended for: Systems that wouldbenefit from some treble and midband verveand vitality, or those looking for a more con-trolled, taut and less dominant bass.

Dominic Marsh



The Epiphany Acoustics Atratus 3 Interconnect went for second review to see if they would achieveOutstanding Product Award status. You can read thefull results of Dan Worth's second review below.When I had a chance to listen to the new AtratusMark 3 in my system, my initial perspective wasdrawn immediately to how good the soundstage ofthe cable was. I've had a plethora of interconnectspass through my current system over the past fewmonths pertaining high-end status of which manyexcelled in their huge soundstage but not all...Being able to layer the performance with great depthis not the same as being able to create what I refer toas a 'huge soundstage' being able to have a wide andopen soundstage is not like having a 'huge sound-stage'.

The Atratus III gave an open soundstage yes, but af-ter further listening a strong element of the phrase'huge soundstage' was very apparent. Comparing tosome of the more exotic and expensive Interconnectswhich I have had here lately the Epiphany falls a lit-tle short but it's ability to convey 90% of what I'veheard achieved by some of the very best cables for5-10% of the costs is simply staggering, givingdepth, height, width and three dimensionality thatsimply belies its price.As Dom says - the phrase 'giant killer' is thrownabout too often and there are many fads with cablesthat soon run their course but the Atratus III has adefinite sustainable palpability and presence which Iconsider to be very grown up articulate, embracingand highly musical.

My own experience with the cable showed the soundto have many qualities and only one real criticism.Assessing the performance of a cable can be some-what user or system specific and it's only when com-paring notes with other users that a more generalisedopinion can really be offered as to the specifics of itssonic signature, anything else is simply how the ca-ble has performed in my system, so having othercomponents and or other systems to use a cable inwill reinforce these opinions. So I tried it on threedifferent amps as well as hearing the cable with Domone afternoon.Midrange quality is great, clear concise, articulateand layered, the one area where I could grumble isthe lower midrange. There is a cleaner, thinner pres-entation here leading into the upper bass, extrapolat-ing detail but at the expense of some body.mtgeundertones of the vocal especially male vocals can bea little leaner with the up the line effect of its alsoleaner bass line.Bass is a little dry due to this but I am being pickyhere. Bass is as a whole, very informative, extendedand quick. Treble too has a strong linear extendedbandwidth. It remains airy musical and true convey-ing cymbol work with great texture and appeal.The amount of detail the Atratus III can muster up isreally quite remarkable, I never once even consideredthe fact that I was missing information in any per-formance although the lower end conveyed it in aslightly less cohesive way for me and a point whichcould have been easily missed as it never came tomind whilst listening, never drawing myself to a lackof resolution, dynamics or intrigue into the musicalpalette.All in all I think Dom really summed this cable upvery well and although I could have simply wrote 'Iagree' I was enthusiastic to convey a little of whatreally made this cable for me a fantastic piece of wireand a stellar buy.Build Quality - 8.2Sound Quality - 8.6Value For Money - 9.3Overall - 8.7Recommended for its performance to priceratio.

Dan Worth


Comparing to some of themore exotic and expensiveInterconnects which I havehad here lately the Epiphanyfalls a little short but it'sability to convey 90% of whatI've heard achieved by someof the very best cables for5-10% of the costs is simplystaggering…


Model Information

There’s no need for an introduction to Telluri-um Q - today I look at how the new 'Com-plete' Blue range stacks up in a triple review.

BlueThe Blue is constructed to look like a ribbon and sitsat the base of Tellurium Q's cable range coming in at£17 p/m.The cable is extremely flexible and easy to twist turnand route in and around the system.What I admired from the off with the Blue was howit was able to simply convey good strong musicalflow right out of the box. Its signature is a little live-ly but soft(ish) in regards to instrument leading edg-es, digital music and recording of not the bestquality.

The Blue likes to show off without showing off, tak-ing that confident walk with head up and shouldersback, sporting a small grin as it walks past otherbudget cables in its price range and some of a greatercost in my experience as a bit of a cable nerd.Now at £17 a meter we aren't expecting the earth butwhat we do get is a large chunk of the moon. A real-istic take on what a performance means and tries toconvey and a good deal of that emotion that makesthings more 'real'.A sparkly and vibrant top end that doesn't over stepthe mark, a transparent midrange with a decentbassline to conclude what I consider to be an estab-lished class leader and a best buy budget cable.

The Ultra BlueThe Ultra Blue is also one of the smaller ribbonforms that TQ produce, very different in size to thelarger band type cables, but equally as visually ap-pealing with a nice sky blue finish and white heatshrinks.Ultra Blue is immediately a stronger performer andallows through such a surprising amount of detail itreally took me by surprise, how much is this ametre...£31...There is still that softer edge to it, whereas the Blackrange of cables has a more neutral and tighter leadingedge. It's a clever little devil in the way it presentsinformation.Take a brighter sounding chip amp and some book-shelfs and the Ultra Blues will take that grainy harshedge off of the edge of a note, yet flow through thenote’s extension with sparkle and vibrancy, a verydifficult trick to pull off, but here it is right here rightnow doing it in spades.

Tellurium Q Blue Series

Now at £17 ameter we aren'texpecting theearth but whatwe do get is alarge chunk ofthe moon.


I've heard many cables that can downplay or smoothout a note and be classed as a non-fatiguing andsometimes coloured cable, but the Ultra Blue doesn'tdo that at all. What it does do is kinda train the musiclike a dog getting to the roadside waiting to cross -wait, wait, go on then....good boy.The detail retrieval really is remarkable allowing meto hear all the small cues, nuances and rubbed strings

on 'Seven Wonders' by Norah Jones, leaving her vo-cal sultry with that tiny bit of sombre edge that I loveso much in her voice but which many find boring… Ifind it relaxing and the Ultra Blues conveyed all thelate night intimacy I love about this track and othersfrom the same album.The Ultra Blues may not have the crystalline slap,kick and punch to a kick drum of some higher pricedofferings but they never lack presence in weight orshape of the bass registers. Listening to a bit of dancemusic took away a sharpness which can intimidatethe listener into turning the volume back a fewnotches. Instead I was allowed a louder listen withplenty of searing treble, deep bass and the over em-phasised soundstage which make dance music soundso good for me. Not as esoteric as it can sound, butgiving a definite representation of every frequencywithout missing any portions of enjoyability due to alack of bandwidth or potential in conveying convinc-ingly what the recording artist has laid down on thetrack.They are actually such a good listen in my systemthat I could actually live with them and I've tried thelikes of the Black, Ultra Black and Ultra Silver.Don't get me wrong, without a budget I could happi-


The Ultra Blues may nothave the crystalline slap,kick and punch to a kickdrum of some higherpriced offerings but theynever lack presence inweight or shape of thebass registers.


ly drop way more money, but if I had to strip downmy system then the Ultra Blues would be a consider-ation for about two seconds and they would be in themix.The Ultra Blue just seem to do something specialwithout even trying, I could definitely declare themas one of the very best budget cables I’ve ever heard.There's no, I can do this but can't do that, they justconvey a coherence that doesn't allow the listener tocriticise, especially at their meagre price point!I've now had the Ultra Blues in my system for twoweeks solid without even batting an eyelid. Normallyif I have someone coming around and what with al-ways chopping and changing kit in and out for re-view purposes, unless necessary for an opinion I tendto put my system back together as I am and havebeen making gradual changes and tweaks to it, but Ican honestly say the Ultra Blues have been stared at,thought about and walked away from thinking, 'I'llleave ‘em in I think'.They don't warrant a second thought and that's a tes-tament to Tellurium Q, I've always been very fond oftheir cables, but for me the Ultra Blue stands out be-cause it doesn't make a scene, it just creates one.

Blue DiamondWell my enthusiastic self is a little worried now -I’ve given the previous cable so much praise I don'twant to feel in anyway disappointed with the newBlue Diamond which tops the Blue range. I just hopeit's not like the day when your son reaches 16 andsays “No Dad, I'm bigger than you and if you want togo outside then we can sort this out like men”.The Blue Diamond are not of the smaller ribbon typeof cable. I always look at the these, the Ultra Blacks,Ultra Silver and Black Diamond as a 'band' ratherthan a 'ribbon' due to their overall size, thickness andrigidness.Routing these bad boys is somewhat trickier. Yesthey will route, but you just need to take your timebe a little more careful and all will go according toplan in next to no time.So can the big daddy hold its own against its off-spring? Uh, yes! I was hoping that I didn't have tocall Tellurium Q daft as I didn't fancy going outsideas its cold now in November.The Blue Diamonds are a good step up again fromthe Ultra Blues and coming in at £170 p/m I shouldthink so.



Listening to London Grammer's Hey Now producedthe deep dropped progressive bass notes in the firstparagraph of play that roll across the room and gen-tly resonate the sofa and which puts an instant smileon the face and leaves a bit of intrigue in the mind asto what these cables may be capable of, whilst listen-ing to this slow and somewhat bland track that hasgood intimate characteristics, yet doesn't have the zipand excitement that you want to hear from first hear-ing something new in the system, before the brainrelaxes and the music does too as the day progresseson.A total change of direction and as I was scrollingthrough my album library I thought as I went to-wards Nils Lofgren I hadn't heard the Natasha Bed-ingfield album for years. Quite poppy but there arehuge sections of tracks which offer an interpretationof strong 3D imaging if the systems components areup to the job.People talk about sound memory only lasting for amatter of seconds and I had this conversation withour latest addition to the Hifi Pig team Dominic onthe phone earlier. I personally remember very vividlyattributes and aspects of equipment and music, heagrees and he does have ears I trust, so visiting thisalbum was like shaking the hand of an old acquaint-ance whom I hadn't seen for some time.Natasha's excited vocal had all of her passion andhigh pitched narrative to the tracks story. The BlueDiamonds seemed to register themselves as a con-troller of all that is wild without losing the faithful-ness of the music and the aforementioned threedimensional, studio generated effects were complete-ly as I remembered them in guises of better dayswhen I've heard the album with some truly compe-tent kit.Not forgetting about Nils Lofgren I later moved ontohis Acoustic Live album (for me his best work) Inavigated to 'Keith Don't Go' in order to hear someexposed areas of the Blue Diamonds such as top endcontrol, instrument timbre and vocal body.This track is always played loud when I'm testing orreviewing an item as the guitar solo three quarters ofthe way through the track gets extremely lively and ifnot careful ear piecing and fatiguing very quickly.The Blue Diamonds refinement addressed vocal clar-ity projection and body impressively. Decay ofstrings and timbre of the acoustic guitar led into spa-

tial awareness including crowd interaction and thea-tre perspectives. Yet what I found really intriguingwas how the clever top end functioned.Remember the dog crossing the road? Well this wasa little more sophisticated than that. The dog had mi-grated and matured from a walk around the blockand gone to Crufts with a fluffy perm and a rosette!In English what I'm getting at is the Blue Diamondsreflect a note in a manner that allows it to shine, stillhave that clarity and controlled subtlety to its leadingedge, but also allowed for that note to breath and thatbreath of a note was the key aspect that made thiscable a substantial outlay compared to the other bluecables. The son may have grown into his boots butthe father had time and experience on his hands andnew how to address and deal with a situation.Soundstage is an area where all TQ cables are excep-tionally well versed and the Blue Diamond is excep-tional in this category also. I've found that withTellurium Q cables it's not about how big theirsoundstage is as they can all spread their wings, it'sabout how clean and strong the boundaries of thatsoundstage can stay, maintaining the strength of thecentre stage out to its borders and the Blue Diamondand it's clever upper end attenuation and presenceproduces width height and perceived depth extreme-


Soundstage is anarea where all TQcables areexceptionally wellversed and theBlue Diamond isexceptional inthis categoryalso.


ly well indeed displaying attributes of its internalconstruction which has obviously been filtered downfrom the even more expensive and complex designsfurther up TQ's rangeConclusionAll three cables are in their own right and price rangeterrific achievers and more than that stand-out musicmaking aids, and each deserve respect, not just as thelink between amp and speakers, but as a key integralpart of the whole and never any less.From Blue to Ultra Blue and Ultra Blue to Blue Dia-mond, there is an aura of consistency even if theprice jumps considerably. But then so does the per-formance.There's no denying that the Blue Diamond is an ab-solutely stellar performer, but the level of perform-ance to price ratio that the Blue and especially theUltra Blue exhibits is something of a statement.I appreciated the Blue range as a whole has a certainsound preference of control and careful explanationof leading edges and top end attributes that puts it inits own class of cable from TQ. I simply suggest notto jump in straight away on the more well knownBlack range and see your local dealer about tryingthe Blue against the Black and even the Silver, aseach range has a particular characteristic which youmay realise that you don't need until it sits in yoursystem and explains the music to you in your ownliving space.Blue

Build Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8.5/10Value For Money - 8.5/10Overall - 8.33Ultra BlueBuild Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8.7/10Value For Money - 9/10Overall - 8.56Blue DiamondBuild Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8.9/10Value For Money - 8.7 (sound quality is re-spective of price and vice versa)Overall - 8.53

Dan WorthAs is customary with Hifi Pig, whenever a prod-

uct scores 8.5 or more then a second review iscalled for, so after Danny's scoring ratings, I havebeen asked to conduct the follow up reviews.

It's very nice (although rather rare) for a reviewerto be asked to review a component or cable thatthe reviewer themselves has actually owned at

some point in time. Being the curious and fickle lotthat we are, we do like to dabble amongst the availa-ble equipment on the market, hoping to perhapsmake that rough diamond find that nobody else hasyet latched onto. It isn't curable, trust me!So it was with me and the TQ Blue speaker cable,back when TQ as a company was in it's infancy so tospeak and a blind purchase if ever there was one, asto the best of my knowledge there were no publishedreviews to analyse for making an informed choice. Ienjoyed it immensely back then and it was a pleasureto revisit it again wearing the reviewer's hat thistime.BlueBuilt as a flat rectangular 'shotgun' layout, it is anunobtrusive cable that isn't difficult to route and min-imize it's profile. It can be purchased in off the reellengths to terminate yourself, or better still TQ willdo in my opinion a very neat and professional jobwith compact 4mm “Z” banana plugs or spade con-nectors soldered on and heatshrinked to make a solidand lasting connection.As with all the TQ cable products, there is absolutelyno technical specifications supplied regarding con-

Tellurium Q Blue SeriesThere's no denying thatthe Blue Diamond is anabsolutely stellarperformer, but the level ofperformance to priceratio that the Blue andespecially the Ultra Blueexhibits is something of astatement.


struction and materials. You may think differently ofcourse, but personally speaking I would not care ifthe major constituent in the construction was coldporridge as long as the cash pounds I paid bought thesound level I have paid for.Blue SoundTalking of which then, here is my perception of thiscable's sonic performance.Given that it can be bought for around £17.00 a me-tre unterminated, we are not talking bank-bustingexpenditures now. It has a bouncy sound but not tothe point where the listener is fatigued by it. Trebleis well defined and clean with no nasties, easily pick-ing up details and nuances in the music, presentingthem clearly and concisely. Cymbals have a crispmetallic 'ting' to them without unwanted shimmerand without any sting to it, so no concerns at all thereeither. Bass is firm and solid, full of articulation,while not the quickest on transients, it's no sluggardeither. All in all, a great performing honest cablewhich belies it's modest price. Rather short descrip-tion I agree, but see that as a good sign from mefolks!Ultra BlueVirtually identical in size and physical layout to theBlue cable, the Ultra Blue has a different (lighter)shade of blue for the outer covering and bright whiteheatshrink over the terminations. Price has risen to£31 per meter for the Ultra Blue and the burningquestion then is can a person justify the additional

cost of the Ultra Blue or the standard Blue? Read onand judge for yourself.Ultra Blue Sound

Tellurium Q Blue SeriesDon't arrive at theconclusion though thatit is laid back orsluggish, far from it, itdoes transients anddynamics, but not in aspotlit manner thatwaves a flag or drawsattention to itself,rather going about it'sbusiness efficientlyand diligently as agreat cable should do.


A step up in price and performance from the Blueand the differences are rather more than just subtle.From the first note onwards you can tell instantly itis a Blue by ancestry, but fed on a course of steroids,rippling with energy. The same fundamental toneswith an equally balanced treble and bass palate ashitherto found with the Blue , just a 'bigger brother'version with maturity, expansion and power that says“Don't mess with me”. I found it excitement all theway and not in a brutish way, hell bent on savagingthe senses with it's presentation, more like a larger ormagnified version of the Blue's sound, similar in factto selecting a larger font size on your computerscreen to make reading text just that little bit easieron the eyes. When required to, the Ultra Blue was aslight in touch as a feather and female vocals exempli-fied that with a sweetness that allowed what we alllove in female vocals to convey richness, silkinessand depth, yet snap into instant dynamics as only theladies know how to. The cable could also demon-strate the velvet touch as well, with music that wasrecorded at very low levels or with a close intimatefeel, played back with delicacy, softness and beguil-ing finesse that left you utterly spellbound.Blue DiamondThe construction of this cable moves away from theflat rectangle shotgun style seen in the Blue and Ul-tra Blue into a widely spaced parallel configuration,not unlike the Ultra Black and Graphite models inthe TQ range. This is in fact a revamped Green mod-el and given it's new “Blue Diamond” epithet toplace it precisely in the product lineup. It is a stiff-ish cable and less easy to make inconspicuous be-cause it has a propensity to do what it wants to do,not what you want it do. Still, the serious audi-ophiles among us bothers not about such irrelevancesdo they?Blue Diamond SoundSurprisingly, the Blue Diamond manages to create asmooth silky understated sound that isn't at all lack-ing in detail and refinement. Don't arrive at the con-clusion though that it is laid back or sluggish, farfrom it, it does transients and dynamics, but not in aspotlit manner that waves a flag or draws attention toitself, rather going about it's business efficiently anddiligently as a great cable should do. This cable alsodoes imaging and soundstaging you can almost walkinto and around the musicians and vocalists, the ef-fect is so palpable and real. The word “holographic”

does tend to get over used these days but describesthe effect perfectly and I searched for ages for a bet-ter word to use and failed, so you are stuck with itI'm afraid. Nevertheless whatever word we do use, itadds another layer of listening pleasure to be derivedfrom this cable and a live recording really does comealive and a smoke filled room with the clinking ofglasses comes flooding back to the memory as youlisten to some good jazz music. Microdynamics areanother forte of the Blue Diamonds and during mylistening sessions I noted many instances of subtletonal textures and nuances that I had heard before inthe recordings with other cables of a similar perform-ance level, but not with the same degree of absoluteaccuracy, so a gently struck triangle for examplewould ring with better clarity and detail and for amuch longer duration as well, then fading away tosilence in a delicious way. With that also comes tre-ble content that is completely under control. Think


Treble is welldefined andclean with nonasties, easilypicking updetails andnuances in themusic,presenting themclearly andconcisely.


about it, that is a bold statement to make about a ca-ble's treble performance.I am a lover of fast transients and not ashamed to ad-mit it. A snare drum MUST have a sharp “crack” tothe sound so you are under no illusion whatsoever itwas struck with anything other than a wooden stickfor only the briefest of moments, with a razor sharpdefined start and stop on the proverbial sixpence.When evaluating the Blue Diamonds I played a di-rect cut recording on Sheffield Labs by James New-ton Howard 'And Friends' which isn't that enervatingor involving in a strictly musical sense, but can cer-tainly puts a system through its paces and unerringlyfinds the weak spots in a hi-fi system like a CruiseMissile. The track from the album called “L'Daddy”starts with a three beat countdown with the drum-sticks and then some intense strikes of the snaredrum that simply EXPLODES at you to catch youunawares, because the previous track called “She”has a quieter more relaxed pace and flow. The pointis that the Blue Diamonds relished those fast tran-sients and delivered them with realism and sure-foot-edness, with that anticipated sharp “crack” deliveredrather impressively, equally so with deep articulatebass laden with well defined and executed timbresand textures found on this album recorded impecca-bly as a bonus.Conclusion - BlueThe Blue speaker cable is a good example that goodsound on a budget is within easy reach. It is not afinicky highly strung cable, but a good all-rounderwith no vices to speak of – at least I couldn't detectany and I humbly suggest that I am rather accom-plished at that task. It has a bouncy sound that pleas-es with it's vitality and I would suggest it will findmany admirers of it's performance.Conclusion - Ultra BlueEffectively, this outshines the Blue in what the Bluedoes best, so it really has a strong kinship with it'ssibling and no mistaking it is the better cable of thetwo by a good margin. More detail, more definition,more bass and a cleaner midrange not only sets itabove the Blue, it sets it well above a great numberof other cables in the market at this price point too.In terms of price and performance, the latter is great-er in value to you the listener than the former. Inother words it offers huge bang for the buck, sorightly deserves the high praise I give it.

Conclusion - Blue DiamondThe lineage is less clear here between the other twocables in this review, but I believe it is allied moreclosely to the Blue range than any other and fits herelogically. The construction is completely different tothe other two cables under review and hence that willbe reflected in it's cost, so that factor negates the pro-gression in price we have seen with the Blue and theUltra Blue. While there is no denying the cable iscapable of top-notch performance, we the reviewersmust also balance out all the factors like price versusperformance and that of course affects the “ValueFor Money” rating. Having said that, if price tagsdon't faze or give you the shivers, then who am I toargue?TQ BlueBuild Quality – 8/10Sound Quality - 8.8/10Value For Money - 8.8/10Overall - 8.53

TQ Ultra BlueBuild Quality – 8/10Sound Quality – 9.1/10Value For Money - 9/10Overall - 8.7

TQ Blue DiamondBuild Quality - 8/10Sound Quality - 8.9/10Value For Money - 8.6/10Overall - 8.5

Dominic Marsh

Tellurium Q Blue SeriesThe Blue speakercable is a goodexample that goodsound on a budget iswithin easy reach.


Model Information

Picture the scene . . . You hear a knock at thefront door early one morning and you open itto find a person you have not seen for years.

Thankfully, you like this person, so you invite themin without any hesitation and spend hours reminisc-ing about the great and not so great times you've hadtogether in the past with your old pal.Pretty much the same happened to me when I wasgiven a pair Van Damme Blue Studio speaker cablesto evaluate. Van Damme Blue and I had a glorioustime together once long ago and it was just like meet-ing that old friend once more. But this time I didn'topen the door in my pyjamas. Silly place to put adoor.Also included in this review is Van Damme's 6mmmodel in the UP-LCOFC Hi-Fi speaker cable series.I sure as heck am not going to type that lot in eachtime I make reference to it, so for the sake of brevityI will simply call it “Hi Fi” with the clear inference itis the variant aimed at the domestic market listener.Construction (Blue series cable)

Van Damme “Blue” and Hi-Fi Grade 6.0mm Speaker Cables

Van Damme alsomanufacture a TourGrade version of thiscable which is evenmore robust with amore resilient outersheath, plus a “Hi Fi”variant too, more suitedto the gentler homeaudio environment –more on this cable laterin this review.


The Van Damme Blue speaker cable under reviewhere is some 6.00mm squared per conductor plus thePVC insulation of theconductors, plus a substantial rubberoid outer jacket,means we are talking about a seriously built cable at14mm in diameter. It has to be, as it's design brief isto survive being manhandled and abused in the pro-fessional music arena, ranging from the recordingstudio and often out into the tour circuit, set in ven-ues where build up and strip down is not done at allwith kid gloves on by the technicians.Van Damme also manufacture a Tour Grade versionof this cable which is even more robust with a moreresilient outer sheath, plus a “Hi Fi” variant too,more suited to the gentler home audio environment –more on this cablelater in this review.Van Damme alsomanufacture theBlue series design ofcables with smallerdiameter conductorsranging from0.75mm, to 1.5mm,2.5mm, 4.00mm andof course the6.00mm we are dis-cussing here, so therange of gauges ca-ters rather well forvarious applications.The cables arrived supplied with 4mm banana plugssupplied by Van Damme, similar in style to Michellscrew down banana plugs which easily accepts largegauge cables. My one reservation about these con-nectors is the knurled 'bolt' works itself loose overtime so needs regular checking for tightness. In factone plug had worked loose during transit, but soontightened up again by hand.Conductor material is said to be high purity copperof 0.20mm per strand, 189 strands per conductor, sothere is a lot of metal in there giving a commendablylow resistance reading of 3.2 Ohms per kilometre.No inductance or capacitance measurements are pro-vided.Sound (Blue series cable)Taking into account this cable was deemed to be un-used and fresh off the reel, it required some running

in to let it settle down. It took what seemed to be anexceptional length of time to become listen-able so Iwould advise new owners to be a little bit patientwhen first installed and not to make hasty judgmentsat first hearing.Given that the Blue is not considered to be a “hi-fi”cable in a domestic setting and aimed more at being arugged studio workhorse, it was evident from thesound that refinement is not at the top of this cable'spriorities. I wish I could point out to you where ex-actly its strengths and weaknesses lie, because oneCD track where I was listening to it would soundfine, another less so and variations in between, so Iwill try and pick out the reliable consistencies that Iexperienced.

Midrange wascertainly congest-ed sounding, withfemale vocalshaving a lack ofair and grace thatI know is there inthe recording.Treble had aslightly steelyedge that wasprevalent withcymbals in partic-ular, while bassdidn't have the

rich fullness that a cable of this diameter should bedelivering with ease in my opinion. It is a listen-ablecable nonetheless and I wouldn't condemn it out ofhand as I know there are many folks out there thatown and enjoy the sound it makes for them.However, the next cable to be evaluated happened tobe the Van Damme LC-OFC 6.0mm “Hi Fi” variant,so let's see how this cable fares . . . . . . . . .Construction (Hi Fi variant)This cable has a completely different geometry to theBlue series, arranged in a parallel “shotgun” arrange-ment, in a clear slightly tinted outer sheath nick-named “clear”.Once again, supplied fitted with the Michell style4mm banana plugs and I have already stated my res-ervations about these plugs.Sound (Hi Fi variant)

Van Damme “Blue” and Hi-Fi Grade 6.0mm Speaker


As we have black and white, ying and yang, so it waswith the Blue and these particular cables. While theBlue failed to impress on a sonic level, the 'clear'cloaked Hi Fi variant certainly was a breath of freshair by comparison. I was immediately impressed bythe bass, which simply flowed out the speakers incopious amounts that fair took me by complete sur-prise, it was so unexpected. That isn't to say thoughthat the bass was bloated or overbearing, far from itin fact and the best way I can describe it to you is thesonic difference between an eight inch bass driverand a twelve inch bass driver, there was simplyMORE of it in a powerful, extended and coherentway with terrific solidity, lushness and texture. Bassguitar acquired a background 'growl' to it, sensedrather than actually heard, instead of just a stan-dalone vanilla bass note, kick drum too had a real“whooomph” to it, underpinned with a firmness andcontrol that I haven't heard in quite some time, evenfrom some esoteric speaker cable confections. Any-one who has heard a Tannoy fifteen inch driver infull song will know what I am saying here regardingthe bass energy level and how it makes it sound 'big-ger' than it actually is. The icing on the cake for mewas that lush full bass I was hearing didn't intrudefurther up the frequency band to taint the upperbass/lower midrange region, as some cables areprone to doing. My one concern is how this cablewould perform in another hi-fi system with someoneelse's hearing acuity, but an audition prior to pur-chase should answer that query.Treble too was transformed from an unsophisticatedfizzy sound the Blue was providing, to a startlingsweetness and clarity that enthralled. Instrumentseparation was good rather than exceptional and themid-band was slightly coloured but not excessivelyso, manifesting itself on male vocals in particularwhich tended to slightly lose the innate silky warmththe male voice has. Being picky here so don't add toomuch credence to this remark.To put that into context, I played Fink's “Biscuits ForBreakfast” album on CD and that really did empha-size what this cable was doing. I like the album be-cause it has a slow precise pace to it and a greatfrequency palette despite its simplicity which I findto be a great analytical tool. Bass literally filled thelistening room and worse luck did excite the awk-ward corner bass nodes I have, so the volume turneddown a notch or two alleviated that problem. I envythe people who can hit number 10 or 11 on the dial

with impunity. I was stunned at just how much tonaltexture actually exists with a bass guitar when youlisten closely, plus that sound lived in perfect harmo-ny with the percussion from the drums, a definedseparation between the two. Cymbal crashes and tophat beats are recreated accurately with a detailed me-tallic ring so highly convincing and palpable.I hope you have gathered by now I liked these “HiFi” cables because that's what they are, with onesmall exception. Transient attack was not as fast,refined and polished as I would like, with leadingedges seemingly having a slower rise time, so losingthat keen knife edge excitement and the semblance ofmuddling at high volumes crept into the sound. Forthose of you that have read some of my other re-views, you will know this is my own personal hobby


However, Van Dammewith their Hi-Ficonsumer orientated“UP-LCOFC Hi-Fispeaker cable series”certainly have createda speaker cable aimedsquarely at thedomestic user thatperforms far betterthan I had anticipatedand at a price that hasleft me in awe at VanDamme'saccomplishment withinthat parameter.


horse I am a tad fastidious about and regard as anessential hallmark of cable performance.ConclusionDespite being the long serving darling cable ofchoice for budget conscious audiophiles, I don't thinkthe Van Damme Blue speaker cable should any long-er be accepted as such. Correct me if I am wrong,but my understanding of the whole design ethos ofthe Blue cable is to live in the professional studioenvironment with all the challenges that locationpresents. It's raison d'être is more about survival inthat environment within a given budget being theprimary objectives, rather than aimed at absolutesound quality, even though it has a very adequateperformance in that role. Yes there is a budget in-volvement because wiring an entire studio or concertvenue with anything substantially more expensivewould result in an installation invoice containingmore zeros than the Starship Enterprise's odometer.It belongs where it belongs and long may it continueto do so.However, Van Damme with their Hi-Fi consumerorientated “UP-LCOFC Hi-Fi speaker cable series”certainly have created a speaker cable aimed square-ly at the domestic user that performs far better than Ihad anticipated and at a price that has left me in aweat Van Damme's accomplishment within that param-eter. A full rich bass, a more than competent mid-range and a treble with clarity and fluidity make upan attractive package at an enviable price. Ignore myremarks about transients that only an obsessive fuss-

pot would even dare to mention. A recommendedbuy verdict from me then.I do have one complaint though, I wish Van Dammewould put their thinking heads on and promulgate abetter product designation than “UP-LCOFC Hi-Fispeaker cable series” because acronyms mean some-thing only to the people who know what it means.Even the name “DA KABLE” is a lot easier to re-member and so much less of a brain teaser andtongue twister than “UP-LCOFC Hi-Fi speaker cableseries”. If you use my suggested name, VanDamme, then kindly remember who the copyrightbelongs to!

BLUE 6mm SPEAKER CABLEConstruction 6.5/10Sound Quality 7.0/10Value For Money 6.00/10OVERALL 6.5/10

UP-LCOFC Hi-Fi 6mm speaker cableConstruction 7/10Sound Quality 8/10Value For Money 8/10Overall 7.6/10Recommended for: This cable should haveuniversal appeal and application amongstthe audiophile and music lover fraternities.An audition prior to purchase is advisedthough regarding bass performance suitabil-ity.

Dominic Marsh


It's raison d'être is moreabout survival in thatenvironment within agiven budget being theprimary objectives, ratherthan aimed at absolutesound quality, even thoughit has a very adequateperformance in that role.


Model InformationJIB - 'Digital Glass' Toslink Cable

Toshiba originally created TOSLINK to con-nect their CD players to the receivers theymanufactured, for PCM audio streams.

The software layer was based on the broadcast audiostandard AES3 and was adapted as the "Sony PhilipsDigital Interconnect Format" (S/PDIF) which variesfrom AES3 only in voltage level.TOSLINK was soon adopted by manufacturers ofmost CD players. Early TOSLINK systems used theraw PCM data from the CD player; theSPDIF standard has now become nearly universal foraudio streams. It can often be found on DVD playersand some game consoles to connect the digital audiostream to Dolby Digital/DTS decoders.The name is a registered trademark of Toshiba, creat-ed from TOShiba-LINK. Variations of the name,such as TOSlink, TosLink, and Tos-link, are alsoseen, while the official generic name for the standardis EIAJ optical.Although TOSLINK does not suffer from electricalproblems such as ground loops or RF interference itsapplication still has its limits. A typical plastic corecable will only comfortably transmit signals acrossdistances of up to 10-15m without losses but a glassfibre core will transmit signals over far greater dis-tances without damage to the signals integrity and isthe material of choice for Telecom companies. Bothapplications are fragile and a kink or sharp bend inthe cable will damage its internal fibres and renderthe cable unusable.

The JIB 'Digital Glass' from their 'First Line' range ofcables is just that, I have no specifics on the internalconstruction of the cable but we can assume that itsglass transmission cores are centralised in a bundleof supporting cores which are all coated in acrelyte,aiding the cables flexibility yet never interfering withthe refraction of the light.Outer jacket is thick and overall gauge looks to be agood 6-8 gauge with a fantastic eye catching finishwhich set off by the rhodium and gold connectorsmakes a serious statement for an optical digital cable.

Dynamically withinstruments and electronicmusic the Digital Glasshas a fullness of impact, adelicacy of flow and aresponsiveness that addsan organic texture which Ihave simply not heardanother optical cableachieve before.


The SoundPlaying Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' album throughthe Digital Glass was a revelation in new found innerinformation and naturalness compared to my favour-ite plastic optical cable. Strings rang free of the per-cussion of other instruments holding foregroundpositions alongside the vocalist with the drums agood six feet or so to the off side rear. Whilst timbrewas a stand-out point, upper-end clarity was asstrong a factor, seeming more effortless in presenta-tion, relaxed, efficient and proud.Dominic, another Hifi Pig review team member,brought around his ultra-rare Sting 'Live from theRoyal Albert Hall'. I could pick so many aspects ofthis album which excited me showing how very dif-ferent listening to Sting Live is in comparison to astudio produced album and I really gained a new re-spect for the artist.Many live albums can be imploded with hash fromthe surrounding crowds interaction with the venuesacoustics. There is a little of this here, but the record-ing is strong none-the-less. What I admired withJIB’s portrait of the album was how well defined anddealt with each portion of the sound was displayed.For instance, whilst Sting was giving small solos andthe crowds ambient levels would flutter, there wasnever any crosstalk masking the higher notes andadding a grain to the sound, there was a hash of somesort but this was reflective of the crowd and re-mained specific rather than inflicting on the band.Dynamically with instruments and electronic musicthe Digital Glass has a fullness of impact, a delicacyof flow and a responsiveness that adds an organictexture which I have simply not heard another opticalcable achieve before. I have experience with oneGlass optical cable (and a very well constructed oneat that) but I would imagine as it is a great number ofyears old its implementation is not as up to date asthe JIB and the lack of its overall size in comparisoncould well suggest that structurally and mechanicallythe JIB is superior.Although the Digital Glass from JIB Germany is abit of an Anaconda in a goldfish bowl its looks canbe deceptive. The beautiful tones of Loreena McKen-nit conveyed a delicacy that was clean, incrediblyarticulate, sibilant free and natural in reflective toneto the artist. And the current pop favourite Ed Sheer-

an reflected this approach from the tonal balance ofthe cable from a male perspective.Worth mentioning again is how impressed with thecables ability to handle separation, whether it wasbetween instruments, depth of the field or width andheight perspectives in the room, there never feels likethere is a void in the sound and its coherence is greatbut there are pockets of blackness and areas of airthat paint an extraordinarily good picture of the per-formance.ConclusionIt's no doubt obvious from this experience with aglass based fibre optic cable that the implementationis of a considerably higher standard than plasticbased cables, although there will be exceptions to therule. I'm sure my favourite plastic fibre based cablewill be better than a poorly constructed glass version.So it's not just about the technology it's about the at-tention to the implementation.JIB have no doubt constructed this cable using ex-tremely highly polished Quartz glass and have adopt-ed the very best of techniques to ensure that itsimplementation, light transfer stability and mechani-cal precision is nothing short of the best they couldachieve and with its final fit and finish the DigitalGlass exudes this.I have always been more of a fan of Coaxial orAES/EBU over optical, although dependant on theimplementation of the equipment one can never be100% sure which digital interface will sound better.JIB bridges the gap for me, offering a cable which isa true contender with electrical SPDIF based cablesmaking the decision no longer as simple as I thoughtit once was. I'm extremely impressed with this cableand can highly recommend it over any plastic fibreoption.Build Quality - 8.5/10Sound Quality - 8.4/10Value For Money - 8.5/10Overall - 8.46/10Price at time of review - €79 for 2m lengthRecommended for fantastic value for money,exceptional sound quality over plastic fibrecables costing similar prices and great fitand finish.

Dan Worth

JIB - 'Digital Glass' Toslink Cable


Model InformationAudiomica ERYS Excellence Interconnect and CELES ExcellenceLoudspeaker Cables

Anyone who thinks reviewing Hi-Fi compo-nents is an easy job, let me persuade youotherwise. Firstly. You have to entirely

switch off all your own personal preferences and beneutral minded to begin with, lest preconception andbias sets in – no easy task for sure. Secondly, all theemotions and gut feelings have to be well lockedaway and for you to remain detached and dispassion-ate. Part of the review process is also to study whatthe manufacturer has to say about their product, usu-ally swathed in plenty of Marketing wrapping anddare I say it, pseudo-scientific babble as well and al-so disentangling their emotions and passions whichmay be included, from pure fact. It pays to find outhow long they have been in business and what theirdesign criteria aims at for the reviewer to weave intothe resulting review. I have seen enough new ways toslice bread to make it the best ever and washing pow-der that washes whiter than white, to last me a life-time so thankfully I am immune to all that. Thepurpose of writing this seemingly useless paragraphis to tell you that there are some components youevaluate that throws it all straight out of the windowand you think to yourself “Oh, what the heck” and toenjoy what you hear on a personal level and set asidethe review until later. Other times you can tear yourhair out when the partnering components are simplynot gelling together and this review is one of those,

needing different amplifiers with different qualitiesto come to a conclusion, plus a heady cocktail of ca-ble changes to serve a particular purpose. Intrigued?Read on . . . . . . .And so we get back into dispassionate mode andstudy what the Audiomica Laboratories Erys Excel-lence interconnect and Celes Excellence speaker ca-bles have to offer.Audiomica hail from Poland and are one of thegrowing band of cable makers that are moving awayfrom the familiar standard co-axial type cable con-struction and really looking into what makes a cabletick.They say a lot of research and development hasgone into their cable designs and to their credit, theydo provide plenty of somewhat variable documenta-tion to support their claims for all of their cables,which is quite an extensive range I believe. You ei-ther accept or reject what they say of course. Person-ally, it bothers me not.ERYS InterconnectConstructionThis interconnect lies mid-range at number five in aseries of eight in the Audiomica interconnects lineupand this particular cable sports a DFSS “pod” situat-ed along the cable's length, which I believe is an ex-

I would havethem just for thattreble andmidrange qualityalone and teachmyself somedisciplinedrestraint with thevolume control.


Model InformationAudiomica ERYS Excellence Interconnect and CELES ExcellenceLoudspeaker Cables

tra cost option above the 'standard' Erys cable. It isdeemed by Audiomica as one of the “Excellence”series which shares the same bright red outer sheathcolour as the “Red” series (Yes, it also confused metoo). Be aware too that Audiomica constantly refineand improve their product ranges, which did lead tosome misunderstanding over which cables I was ac-tually reviewing, as they had incorporated one or twochanges to the review sample.Audiomica say the DFSS pod contains filtrationcomponents designed to address distortion with whatI understand to be ferro-magnets and spacers placedfor accurate gap and alignment, which they term as“Double Filtering Signal System”. What that meansto you and me is neither here nor there, provided itdelivers the sound we expect from it and for themore curious amongst us to pay a visit to Audiomi-ca's website which should provide you with the tech-nical information, although the translation fromPolish to English is quite challenging to assimilate.Outwardly, we see a smart bright red outer wovensheath, the DFSS pod situated some 30cm from oneend of the cable and silver locking RCA phono plugsall round. Conductor material is said to be pure cop-per with a copper screen. None of the WBT lockingRCA connectors have a polarity marking, so con-necting up is a bit more considered when doing the“over rack pike dive” hunched over to connect it allup in a poor light. Even a quarter inch piece of redheat shrink band at each end of one cable in the pairwould cost pennies and make connecting up less of ablind fumble. The cable supplied for review at 1.5metres long has a price tag of €958.00 and that putsit squarely into a fiercely competitive territory withinthe circa £1,000 bracket of the interconnect market.CELES Excellence Loudspeaker CableConstructionCloaked in the same bright red outer sheath as itsstable mate the Erys interconnect, it lacks any “pod”in its construction and is said to be multi-strandedcopper of 99.99999% purity. The main body of thecable is some 18mm in diameter bifurcated into two'tails' of around 20cm in length, the junction maskedby black heat shrink with the Audiomica Laboratoryname printed on it. Silver (plated?) “Z” bananaplugs were fitted to the review sample which do anadmirable job of gripping the sockets. Reassuringly,each of the tails is coloured red and black with thecorrect polarity for installation, unlike the Erys in-

terconnect which isn't marked for polarity. Priced at€980.00 for the 2.5 metre pair supplied for review.Sound QualityMy first report will be the Erys Excellence intercon-nect paired with the Celes Excellence speaker cableand then partnered with another brand of speaker ca-ble. This will hopefully determine what the Erys'sperformance is for those that are looking to purchasethe interconnect on its own, or conversely, for thoseinterested in the performance of the Celes speakercable alone, so other interconnects will be substitutedinto the chain.The ERYS and CELES Pairing SoundMy first impression of the Erys and Celes pairedsound was generally very good indeed, with fastcrisp dynamics, excellent separation, a terrific soundstage with plenty of depth and height. Clean concisemidrange and a powerful bass also greeted me aswell, so all green lights are on so far. When it cameto the treble, this presented a paradox; it was verymuch clean, crisp and highly accurate, but recessedsomewhat. Cymbals sounded further back in the mixthan I was accustomed to, seemingly slightly out ofbalance. At the time they were connected to an am-plifier that had been loaned to me which I was notwholly familiar with, so back into the system wentmy resident amplifier, which of course I know inti-mately.Now, the sound was full of energy and giving me a'big' sound at normal listening levels. Explain your-self Dom. Yes I will. The term 'big' here means thatthe sound rose from a zero baseline of silence to aperceived amplitude in excess of what I would nor-mally expect at a given volume setting, which sug-gests a higher dynamic headroom. How these cablesaccomplished that is beyond my understanding oreven speculation, but hear it I did and did cause a bitof an upset during my evaluation. The treble too keptaccurate track with the bass and midrange now andthe recessed nature of that frequency band was nowin perfect alignment, placed equally within the totalsound landscape so I no longer had to listen out forit. I was enjoying this sound so immensely, I almostforget to put my dispassionate reviewer's hat back onagain. Bass was thunderous and weighty, yet stillunder control. Mid-band, particularly vocals, had asilky richness with crisp inflections that enhancedrather than detracted from the performance and thatTREBLE, oh yes, that treble was the icing on the


cake. I have not heard such exquisite treble for a verylong time and with such clarity and precision too. Nosplash, no fizz, no tizz, no nasty artefacts, so rich intextures and palpability, that married very well withthe mid-band seamlessly too, so I will say it again, itis accurate almost down to atomic clock level. Ithink I am in love. Stop it Dom.So to translate these observed sonic snippets intosome music some of you might be familiar with, Iput Supertramp's “Crisis, What Crisis?” in the CDdrawer and pressed play to hear my favourite trackon the album, 'Lady'. This track has raw edges to itthat comes straight at you in a direct way, which wasnot unexpected. However, when the music got some-what hectic with the volume turned up, some of thefiner details got a bit lost, yet everything held togeth-er fairly well. The vocals sounded like they were re-corded elsewhere like in a cavern, there is so muchecho and reverberation added, but they still soundedyards deep throughout the entire track, while bassand drums are recorded to the foreground and formthe underpinning of the track. Kick drum was solidand tangible almost, cymbals are represented by hi-hat beats which never vanished into the mix evenwhen the band was playing at frenetic levels. The lastone third of the track is comprised of the bass guitarin a 1 – 3 repetition, the hi-hat beat, clicking of fin-gers and simple vocals. Delightfully simple, but notexactly challenging either, so I suppose it is part ofthat track's charm. Track 8 is another favourite onthis album called “Just a Normal Day”. A slowerpace perhaps, a touch on the melancholy side as well,but the track has piano, saxophone, violins and ahaunting vocal that either touches your emotions orleaves you rather cold, depending on how well it allhangs together, which it did with the Erys and Celespairing.Next into the CD drawer went Fleetwood Mac's livealbum “The Dance”. Track one “The Chain” starts ofoff with solo kick drum and various other percussioninstruments in the background. This kick drum beatset the floorboards off in my listening room andcould feel it with my feet the same time as I was lis-tening through the speakers, nor did it diminish dur-ing the entire track and remained consistent. With alive album of course we also get to hear the audienceclapping, cheering and whistling and that is quite achallenge to recreate accurately without soundinglike paper tissue being torn and crumpled up. Clap-ping in particular can all too often be tainted with a

“shoosing” sound, but not so with the Audiomicacables it wasn't, each individual hand clap of whatseemed like hundreds and more all around you waseerily recreated with realism. Track three on the al-bum called “Everywhere” has a pounding kick drumand Maracas playing throughout the track so I couldfollow both with ease, whereas there have been manycables I have heard that simply couldn't accomplishthis. However, that slight muddling manifested itselfonce more at high volumes and I was starting tobecome perturbed by this, as I half expected it withthe Supertramp recording with its raw energy but notwith Fleetwood Mac's recording which I know sowell. Puzzlement has set in now.So, on to the next step and see if there is a star per-former out of the two, or are they the inseparablematch?Sound Quality – ERYS Interconnect AloneI then paired the Erys interconnect with a pure silverspeaker cable and straight back to the FleetwoodMac album. Being constructed of silver rather thanthe copper of the Celes, I was expecting a different'flavour' of sound from the silver speaker cable. Thekick drum now had a small measure of additionalsolidity, plus a modicum of extra weight to it, but notto a large degree and just didn't sound right with adarkened midband. Treble though acquired a mistyveiled sensation to it, not as crisp and realistic as Ihad with the Celes speaker cable in situ.In for a penny, in for a pound they say, so a real leftfield choice now with the TQ Blue speaker cable,simply because it was there available to hand ratherthan digging about in the cable cupboard, so not real-ly a conscious choice by any means. Seems theErys interconnect won't jump into bed with just an-ybody. Bass was not as solid, it was ponderous andloose by comparison, midrange had become a bitvague and yet the treble had plenty of sparkle andvitality although not with the same accuracy and fi-delity as with the Erys/Celes pairing.Sound Quality – CELES Excellence AloneI tried a SLIC Innovations Eclipse C interconnectwith the Celes Excellence speaker cable and thatfared much better with a close match to the Erys inoverall sound. Good solid bass, clean mid ranges anda whisker away from the Erys's treble. It might aswell have been a mile to be honest. Still heartbroken.Hold on a minute, where has the muddling at high

Audiomica ERYS Excellence Interconnect and CELES ExcellenceLoudspeaker Cables


volumes with the same setting gone to? Aha, time toinvestigate further and found that my resident ampli-fier and the Erys interconnect were having a bit of asynergy clash going on, so at least that particularmystery was solved. I installed another amplifier andthere was no muddling whatsoever from then on-wards.I then paired the Celes Excellence speaker cable withthe Epiphany Acoustics Atratus 3 interconnects (Re-cently reviewed in Hifi Pig) to see if love could blos-som between these two. Nope. Biggest loss was basspower and dynamics, but midrange and treble stoodup well, although where has the object of my desiregone – THAT treble? Treble was crisp and clear, butthat stunning corporeal touchable realism was notthere as it was with the Erys interconnect.At that point I was coming to the realisation that itwas probably futile to proceed any further along thatparticular avenue, because it seemed that just likeLaurel and Hardy or Morecambe and Wise, the Au-diomica pairing were a really great act together andno true solo performers in their own right without theother.ConclusionThe things us reviewers do for our craft and your en-lightenment dear reader. After a lot of back breakingdives leaning over the rack and repeatedly pluggingand unplugging cables and amplifiers, I am shattered.Still, I hope that you are forming your own opinionsabout how the Audiomica Laboratory cables soundfrom my writings and perform together superbly as aduo.So, to sum up then, the pair produced a powerful andsolid bass with articulation and resolution aplenty, aliquid transparent midrange that had clarity and so-phisticated enunciation, natural and detailed, not for-getting the exquisite treble qualities that got mewanting it's babies, it was that good.To follow on from that, I don't really know howmuch seriousness I should attach to the 'loudness' insound I was hearing with the review pairing at highvolume levels – and I mean really high. I recall thatthese cables produced a high dynamic headroomright from the start, which no other cable partner-ships did, so was it a case of input overload some-where in my system? Probably. Maybe nobody elseis as crazy as I am in winding the volume control thatfar round? Certainly! As it turned out, it was my am-

plifier which wasn't gelling well with the Erys inter-connects, as another two amplifiers I used were justfine. It is rather unusual for my resident amplifier tobehave this way, but I will dust off the usual faithfulget-out clause reviewers use and say that an auditionwill determine the outcomes for your own personalcircumstances, as I would be very loathe to unfairlyblight these cables from my time with them, becauseI think their performance together overall is very,very good indeed, so I will give my recommendationto them.I would have them just for that treble and midrangequality alone and teach myself some disciplined re-straint with the volume control. Some hope. There,I've said it and the pleading note addressed to SantaClaus is winging it's way to him as I write this.Build quality: 7.9/10Sound quality: 9/10Value for money: 8.5/10Overall: 8.4/10Note: Scored as a pair.Recommended for: Sounds best as the pair-ing as described above, in a system capableof tonal accuracy. Audition is advised.PricesErys 0,5m - €730Erys 1m - €828Erys 1,5m - €958Celes 2,5m - €980Celes 3m - €1198Celes 4,5m - €1415

Dominic Marsh

Audiomica ERYS Excellence Interconnect and CELES ExcellenceLoudspeaker Cables

My first impression of theErys and Celes pairedsound was generally verygood indeed, with fastcrisp dynamics, excellentseparation, a terrific soundstage with plenty of depthand height


Model Information

http://www.chord.co.uk/


Mike Stone is the man behind Oriton and hisbackground in the military has led him totake a path of designing audio components

(racks, cables and cones) with vibration control verymuch to the fore. Danny has reviewed Oriton cablesin the past and very much enjoyed what they did.The R33 Support System looks for all intents andpurposes to be a regular and straight forward hi-firack, but look a little closer and you begin to see thatfirst impressions can be deceptive. The pillars aremade of carbon fibre, the whole thing is very lightand each of the four removable shelves is isolatedfrom the rack by four cones which allow theindividual shelves to move around. The whole rack isquite wobbly and this was initially a bit of a worry,but it needn’t have been – the R33 will happily takemy not inconsiderable weight and once in situ andwith kit on it it’s certainly not going anywhere.Putting the rack together was a simple enough affairbut care is needed as tolerances are very tight, butfifteen minutes was all it took for me to have the rackready for the kit it was going to be housing.Finish on the rack is exemplary and whilst the yellowand black colour scheme I got may not be toeveryone’s taste I really loved how it looked. Miketells me that other colours are in the pipeline and sothose wanting a more subdued colour scheme will bewell catered for.

There are a set of hefty spikes on the bottom of therack which in turn sit on some specially made pucksand it’s the spikes you adjust to get the whole racklevel. Each of the spikes has a 4mm hole through itso you can stick in a suitable implement and adjustthe level of the spikes so you get the rack dead even– actually I was able to turn the spikes quite easily byhand. Again the finish on the spikes is really first rateand they really add to the high-end feel of the rack.Fortunately I chose a spot that was pretty much leveland so I didn’t really need to adjust the spikes verymuch at all, but for the sake of completeness I canreport that the whole procedure is really simple andstraightforward.You definitely get the feeling that the R33 has beendesigned from the ground up with no buying in of offthe shelf items and, despite its very modernappearance, it really does exude a certain luxury andhigh-end feel to it – much in the same way that amodern super car does. It may not be all polishedwood and whatnot, but the modern materials usedand the way they're put together lend it a feeling ofbeing a quality itemSpacing of the shelves is not uniform (ie spacesbetween the shelves are not the same) as you can seefrom the photograph but you can set the rack uppretty much as you like to accommodate theequipment that you have and I’m sure that you cantell Oriton exactly what you want and they’ll build

Oriton R33 Support RackThe R33 SupportSystem looks for allintents and purposesto be a regular andstraight forward hi-firack, but look a littlecloser and you begin tosee that firstimpressions can bedeceptive.


something accordingly – I had the biggest shelf inthe middle to accommodate the valve DAC… I putthe Technics 1210 on top of the rack, then the CDplayer, then the DAC and I sat one of my powersupplies on the very bottom shelf.For the last twelve months I’ve had a turntable on awall mounted shelf and the second turntable (theTechnics 1210) has been on a IKEA type rack onsuspended floorboards rendering it all but unusableunless everyone was told to sit down and not movewhilst I was playing records on it – hardly an idealsituation with regards domestic harmony - and so Iwas keen to see how the R33 from Oriton wouldcope with the Techy sat on top. Walking aroundpretty heftily causes the rack to wobble quite bit butthe needle refused to jump. Walking around the roomnormally you’d be forgiven for thinking the turntablewas actually on a wall shelf and I couldn’t detect anyfootfall at all through the headphones. Put the styluson the record without the platter spinning, tap theturntable and you get the expected thud in theheadphones, but tap the shelf the turntable is sat onand this thud is reduced a good deal. You need to tapthe legs of the R33 quite hard to get a sound throughthe headphones at all with the stylus sat on the recordand as I say I couldn’t perceive normal footfall at all.My kit is pretty well isolated from the loudspeakersas the electronics are in a different part of the room,

but it would seem that the Oriton rack doesn’t justlimit external vibrations from reaching yourequipment and it does seem to be doing something tothe overall sound of kit placed on it to a greater orlesser extent. I'm suspecting but have no way ofconfirming that internal vibrations within the kit isbeing subdued somewhat.The effect on other kit (CD Player and DAC) is lessdramatic than with the turntable, but still veryevident to my ears and I’ve listened long and hard totry and make sure this is an actual effect rather than“expectation bias”. Bass frequencies appear to besomewhat tighter and the effect is one of there beingan increase in definition of the stereo image... whichhas to be a good thing. On vocals there is an increasein the overall clarity and the stereo image (possiblyas a result) seems to be more accurate. Taking theCD drive and the DAC on and off the shelf by wayof experimentation, I’m convinced the effect of thistightening and increase in definition is very real andindeed positive to the overall sound.ConclusionThe price of the Oriton R33 is to be confirmed but,given the materials used, the way that it is clearlyvery well thought out and put together and with itsoverall luxury feel, I doubt it is going to be bargainbasement fodder - I suspect it to be a major purchasefor most given the price of units that purport to offersimilar benefits. The R33 rack screams luxury in ahigh-tech and high-end kind of way.The Oriton rack certainly works, looks great andperforms well, offering great isolation from negativeexternal forces as well as offering a positive effect onoverall sound quality.I couldn’t test the efficacy of the R33 with amps andpre amps as my current kit just doesn’t fit (both preand amp are big and hot) but I’d certainly be keen totry having the amp sat on a purpose built version ofthe R33.On the negative side (and for my specific purpose)the vertical rack format doesn’t really work for meand I’d have liked to have seen a 3 shelf high unitmade double (or triple) width, but keeping eachindividual shelf isolated from each other as they arenow – but then not everyone is forever pulling kitand cables out of their rack as I am. I suppose analternative would be two shorter units placed side byside.

Stuart Smith

Oriton R33 Support RackBass frequenciesappear to besomewhat tighterand the effect is oneof there being anincrease indefinition of thestereo image...which has to be agood thing.


Recently, due to popular demand, the businesshas expanded with David taking over thecommercial side and his team of experienced

engineers building Paul’s designs, leaving him ableto concentrate on further R&D with more productsfinding their way into his range in the not too distantfuture I'm told.I initially contacted Paul regarding a power supplyfor my Squeezebox Touch (SBT) rather than about areview product as I had been recommended his pow-er supplies by many users and wanted to give one atry - I thought it would be a good comparison againstmy Teddy Pardo PSU which has lived in my systemfor sometime now and I’ve been very happy with.Discussing my requirements and the standard I wasused to he recommended it may be worth trying theSR3 power supply (£300), 'it comes in various forms'Paul said 'and can be configured to your devices spe-cific power requirements' – Sounds good tome. TheSR3 was the first product to be handed over to DavidWebb and his team (which I think Paul was thankful

Paul Hynes SR3 Power Supply

Paul Hynes(PH) is a longestablished designer andbuilder of bespoke powersupplies. He is located justoff the Scottish Coast on acold and misty island andwith his business partnerDavid Webb in Wattonproduces a range of powersupplies which can be usedwith many hifi productsincluding analogue, digitaland amplification.


of due to a backlog of orders) so I contacted David tomake arrangements to purchase one to try.

The Actual SupplyThe supply can be bought with a plaited DC cablemade from solid core copper (£50) or solid core finesilver (£85) and there's also an option to complimentthe silver output cable with matching lines from theregulator to DC socket internally (£10)My current Teddy Pardo(TP) PSU has an externalsilver DC cable and internal silver Deltec cablingwhich was a mod I had done after purchase and Ithought offered up further improvements over thestandard unit, but I opted to have the all copper PaulHynes solution and run with that for a while and toultimately upgrade to the fine silver cabling thereaf-ter if I thought it would offer an upgrade in soundquality.Burning InA couple days after purchase my supply arrived. Avery smart aluminium case with a black aluminiumfaceplate sporting the companies branding, the un-derside has the serial number. The DC cable is madeup of three copper conductors in individual teflontubes braided by hand.I swapped out the TP supply for the PH unit andfired up the system for a quick listen. First impres-sions were one of added weight mainly but it wasclear to hear the supply needed some good burn intime as it wasn't sounding anywhere near as open anddetailed as the TP did, which was to be expected.Over a period of about three weeks the sound reallydid gain snap, sparkle and openness and vocals wereallowed to breathe considerably more. I would say inthe later parts of the fourth week that the supplyseemed to hit a more stable ground and I was con-vinced that any further burning in would only add afew more percent in performance.The SoundThe SR3 gives very good weight to the sound, a richand tempered feel to the music. It's extremely naturalin its reproduction and has dynamics to suit. Playingmy favoured array of female and male vocalistsalong with some acoustic music I found transientswere well defined whilst vocals were strong, fo-cused, sat in the soundstage just to my likening andnever had any hint of forwardness. In all, I foundthere was simply a display of natural ease and flowto the sound which was great.

The Teddy Pardo PSU which I was A/Bing back andforwards into the system has a more dynamic andenergetic shift to the presentation and although veryentertaining I felt that it made for a more exhaustiveand a little more of a manufactured sound in compar-ison.The TP PSU did however have better sparkle and airin the top end and I enjoyed the pronounced clarityof reverbs more, inner detail and the emphasis it gaveon harmonics, which with both power supplies I feltfilled the room equally, expressing the qualities ofthe modified SBT which was producing a fantastical-ly solid and spacious soundstage but the TP just hadthe edge when it came to the clarity of those smallerdetails and nuances.Impressed with the nature of the Paul Hynes PSUwith its very natural flow, I tossed up the idea of thesilver cabling for a day or so, wondering if it wouldtake the edge off the presentation that I enjoyed andreplace it with a more cutting edge and sparklier dy-namic sound like the TP.I had a chat again with David and Paul and they gra-ciously agreed to doing the silver upgrade for me andif I didn't like it I could have it returned to the previ-ous copper and so of course I agreed.The following day the supply was collected and twodays later it was returned! Which allowed me to havesome good critical listening with the TP and create aplaylist of songs I could use to compare certain as-pects of the sound, bearing in mind there was noweven more burning in to do.Reinserting the Paul Hynes supply into my systemand switching back on showed immediate differencesin tone and timbre. Sparkle and airiness were moreapparent and vocals took on a gorgeous silky tonewith improved clarity and so far the weight and natu-ral dynamics which I’d enjoyed was still there.After about another three weeks the playlist that Ireally wanted to use to compare and contrast the twosupplies with finally came into play. I chose a mix-ture of music as I would for any session of this kind,female vocals to test sheen on upper mids, good solidmale vocals to hear how fleshed out the lower midswere and a mixture of instrumental and manufac-tured music such as dance and electronica for nuanc-es, dynamics top end and bass response.The Paul Hynes power supply was a dream that leftthe Teddy Pardo behind, not by a huge margins atall, but enough to conclude that the silver upgradewas the correct decision.



Cymbals absolutely shim-mered and on busier sym-phonies there was a greatspatial awareness anddarker background that Ididn't feel the Teddy Par-do managed quite as well,concerning itself morewith impact on dynamicflurries and allowing alittle more grain to enterthe soundstage, whereasthe SR3 retained that natu-ral feel but added extraclarity to those smallerdetails allowing them tobe a little more prominenton and around the bound-aries of the soundstage.The Teddy Pardo had a wonderful 3D image, or atleast contributed to the SBT's characteristic of one,but the Paul Hynes arranged the layering with moredefinition which added character to a performance. Ioften talk about 'sculpture' referring this to the likesof layering and 3D imaging which was cleaner andless misty now.Vocal work was better than the copper wired version,a cleaner more frisky tone to the female vocal, slight-ly better pronunciation and no sheen or brightness inupper registers. The natural, weightier presentationof the SR3 was key to me enjoying the more fleshedout raspy tones of male vocals, which was preferableover the Teddy Pardo’s cleaner midrange as a whole.With regards to top end breath and air, sparkle andshine there really wasn't much difference betweenthe two supplies, but the integration down into themidrange on the Paul Hynes with its slightly warmerside of neutral balance added to a more pleasingpresentation to these ears.Bass notes were detailed, responsive and extendedand with manufactured music showed off the power-ful and dominant side and I really can't fault the Ted-dy Pardo in this area and especially with this type ofmusic as it is one of its true strengths knocking outkick drums and dynamics with absolute ease.Since owning the Paul Hynes SR3 I have purchasedanother standard Squeezebox and can confirm theattributes mentioned in this review to be apparentand feel it an extremely worthwhile upgrade, espe-cially in bass reproduction which develops a tighter

and more informative response with greater exten-sion and detail.It's also worth playing with different power cables Ibelieve and I have had very worthwhile improve-ments in selecting a particular cable that favoured mytastes from a few I already owned.

ConclusionBoth supplies are extremely well made byprofessionals which are really at the top of theirgame. The Teddy Pardo is a clean sounding dynamicsupply with incredible attributes. However, for meand to cover a wider range of genres, the Paul Hynesis a far better fit and does excel in certain areas, somein smaller degrees and some in amounts thatconvinced me it was a better all rounder. The PaulHynes supply was able to produce a beautifullynatural and silky presentation in the midrangecoupled with added body and tone, without eversounding exhausting dynamically. I also found itable to replicate an image convincingly clean andclearly without adding grain and remaining true tothe tonal balance of a track and also having a strongsolid engaging soundstage.I would recommend the silver upgrade if it's withinbudget when purchasing but it's always somethingthat can be done at a later date.Highly recommended for its clarity, attention to de-tail and natural overall presentation.Dan Worth



What is AUI?Audiophile Inventory's AUI ConverteR is a Win-dows or Mac based tool for professionals as well asthe home user. For use in Hifi its main features are -ripping discs for streaming and the conversion of filetypes for device specific requirements such as anyhigh resolution home audio device, potable playersand car head units etc.The software offers:- High quality sound conversion- High precision (64-bit floating point) algorithmssample rates and bit-depth conversion (alphaC)- Gentle dithering algorithms (alphaD) for decreas-ing audio bit resolutions to 16 bit.- Uses a solid and simple user friendly interfaceThe user is also able to add their own input and out-put audio formats (by using command line software -encoders, players, etc). The more professional fea-tures are not really something the average audiophilewill be interested in and their specifics are beyondthe scope of this review.In short AUI is in my eyes a tool for ripping and con-verting files for the day to day home user, which of-fers a very high quality rip for a file based system,with features such as "Dithering" to retain the integ-rity and quality of a digital file allowing for (in expe-rience) a smooth and transparent sound.Applying Dither to conversions

When truncating an audio file (reducing its bit depth)from say 24bit to 16bit for example, maybe if theuser wishes to burn a disc for a car CD player or an-other disc player elsewhere in the home we can runinto "Truncating Errors".Truncating Errors are the result of this compressionwhich manifest itself as missing bits, missing 1's and0's in the digital signal leading to a loss in details,nuances and information within the audio track.The effect of these truncating errors is what manyrefer to as a nasty digital sound or recording. Arti-facts, hard edges and high frequency grainy noisebecomes very apparent on down samples and com-pressed music. So, how can the signal integrity beretained and smoothed out? This is where "Dither-ing" comes into play.

Audiophile Inventory AUI ConverterAudiophileInventory’s AUIConvertersoftware usedprimarily for fileconversion andripping of CDs.

Ripping is verystraight forward.The trick is tocreate a Masterdirectory on thechosen drive youwish to save all ofyour rips to.


Applying dither during the process of sampling fromthe 24bit original to the 16bit copy eradicates theseloses and retains the information by adding a lowlevel noise to the sine wave. Dither however is not amagic wand, it does add a background hiss to themusic just like a tape recording of old, yet at levelsfar below. This level of hiss is only apparent on 16bitand above files when at very high volumes duringextreme silence cues between passages.The audio signal with dithering remains intact, re-tains details and does not have a hard digital edginessor apparent noise across the frequency range whichhas been left by the missing 1's and 0's. The sound ismore transparent and smoother sounding.AUI has a built in dither slider in the settings tab andfine tuning the levels of dither will produce betterresults dependant on the recording (whether it hasalready been dithered or not) any down samplingwhich needs to be undertaken or whether the user isripping from a disc. The standard amount of ditherwhich AUI provides is deemed by them as the idealrate for ripping on the fly and in my experience usingthe software I have found that applying dither to a ripmakes for a more musical and smoother rip, retainingor adding transparency and being a safe method toreach the optimum quality or the rip.If a rip seems to have a level of background hisswhich is not on the original disc then it's advisable tore-rip that particular album again with dither turnedoff. I myself have not encountered this as of yet. Therecording may already have some high dithering inplace when originally mastered to physical copy. Re-member, nearly all recording are originally masteredin the studio at either 24 or 32bit and are down sam-pled to 16bit for a standard CD .A 24bit SACD would have less or no truncating ofthe original file (due to its original deriving from a24bit master or 32bit) and therefore dithering is notessential. AUI has the ability to rip SACD's to DSD64 or 128 formats allowing for the playback of HighRez files on compatable DACs and PC/Mac directsystems also.DSD is trademarked by Sony/Phillips, the actual fileextension is .dsf (data stream file). AUI refers toDSD files within the software as DSF "1bit/2.8mhz"and "1bit/5.6mhz". These numbers equate to:1bit/44,1 kHz x 64 = 2,8 MHz (known as DSD64).1bit/44,1 kHz x 128 = 5,6 MHz (known as DSD128).

The Software in UseUsing the AUI Interface is a breeze, the user is pre-sented with a very simple GUI with options for sam-ple rates, bit depths and file output type. Thesoftware covers all major file types, so if you wish torip a disc to ALAC, FLAC,WAV,AIFF the option isthere. Likewise if you wish convert pre-ripped files -

Audiophile Inventory AUI Converter

If a rip seems tohave a level ofbackground hisswhich is not on theoriginal disc thenit's advisable tore-rip thatparticular albumagain with ditherturned off.


say you originally ripped all of your files to AppleLossless and have the need for them to now be inFLAC this is also an available option, or if you sim-ply wish to make copies in other formats such asWAV for burning a CD for the car or MP3 for aportable music player.Like other ripping software on the market AUI canobtain metadata by first opening iTunes. When theinserted disc ready for rip is recognised by iTunesand message appears asking if you wish to import thealbum simply click no. Leaving iTunes open howev-er will allow for the album and track names to appearwithin AUI and be located into the albums folderonce ripped.Ripping is very straight forward. The trick is to cre-ate a Master directory on the chosen drive you wishto save all of your rips to. Within this folder simplyadd sub folders with a preference to how you wishthe library to be displayed. Personally I create a fold-er with the artists name and sub folders for individualalbums.Then on the AUI GUI click "Open Files" navigate tothe disc and select all files and open. Then clickingthe three dots at the bottom of the AUI screen allowsyou to navigate to the destination folder, once select-ed click "Start" bearing in mind the chosen outputfile format, bit depth and sample rate required, aswell as clicking on the "dither" button which will berequired 99 times out of 100. A more specialiseddithering can be obtained through a trial and errorprocess using the slider in the advanced settings, butfor standard usage of the optimised settings it's justclick click click and Start.- Note: Some players/streamers will state that theywill playback files of many variants, but in fact theycan often convert these files to FLAC "on the fly".You may wish to investigate this and copy and rip allyour albums to FLAC for piece of mind so that thereis no converting necessary and to maximise harddrive capacity. Personally I rip everything to the ex-act file it appears in on the disc, mostly WAV and onthe odd occasion AIFF, for me I feel why change an-ything about the original recording, especially if theplayback software will play these files directly as myAmarra 3.0 does.My impressions of the ripped media files.Bearing in mind as earlier stated I haven't (yet) foundthe need to not use dither and have found that in

practice multiple rips using AUI have sounded in-credibly good and sometimes better than the originalCD itself, offering a more analogue take on thesound with great midrange transparency and perceiv-able air in the top end. Now I'm not saying that thesedifferences are game changing, but the subtletieswhich they convey are very pleasing to a high endsystem.Details seem to portray a more solid leading edgeand allow for a more natural decay of instruments,also revealing reverbs which are more understanda-ble.The difference is in these smaller notifications andcues which add more atmosphere to the performance.Before AUI and being Mac based I would use X-ACT which is free software. X-ACT is extremelygood software and gives an audio reproductionwhich is leaps and bounds ahead of iTunes, causingme to re-rip my entire library again after discoveringit.Now with AUI I find myself working back throughmy albums as and when I have the time. The distinc-tive difference is in all the smaller nuances, detailsand cues which add to and are crucial to the entireperformance.With many audio playback softwares available to theend user such as JRiver, Audirvana, Puremusic andAmarra, it makes absolute sense that a good solidripper is essential too. Once you have experiencedthe differences with specifically and professionallydesigned playback softwares, it makes sense to putyour trust into a ripper of the same calibre andAudiphile Inventory's AUI ConverteR 48x44 is oneto consider. A Free Trial as with any good vendor isavailable from the Audiophile Inventory website.Price - Varies from $33 - $249 dependent on edition.

Dan Worth

Audiophile Inventory AUI ConverterThe distinctive differenceis in all the smallernuances, details and cueswhich add to and arecrucial to the entireperformance.


The theory goes that the material touching theconductor, the dielectric, has an effect on theperformance of a cable and this has been been

noted from very soon after the introduction of radioand the widespread use of conducting cables. In thepast there was much speculation as to why thisshould be the case, but the work of Nickola Tesla inthe latter part of the 19th century provided theanswer when he passed very high voltages andfrequencies (around 2000Hz) through a human withno ill effects. This phenomena is known as the ‘skin’effect and is essentially the signal passing over theskin and not through the person.It is said that cable can act in a similar fashion andthat high frequencies will be passed along the surfaceof the wire and will avoid the inner parts of the wire.This means that in a cable used in your hifi system, itis not only the purity of the conductor that has aneffect but also the wrapping/dielctric that is used.The Blue Horizon website states "However, themanufacturing process creates tension, stress andstatic charges between the conductor and dielectric,

and the resulting deleterious effects remainpermanent unless properly dealt with". It is widelyaccepted (and I've certainly experienced the effect)that sound, be it the music you listen to on a dailybasis or carefully generated frequencies playedthrough your rig (such as from a burn in CD), willimprove a cable’s performance over time. BlueHorizon claim that this method of burn-in isfundamentally flawed given the lack of high-frequency content being fed through the cable .In my experience it can take months of use before acable reaches its optimum potential and the reasonput forward by Blue Horizon is that the music welisten to has very little high-frequency energy and assuch its ability to improve a cable’s performance islimited. Blue Horizon also claim that the limitedbandwidth of the achieved recording when played onCD is only about 20kHz at best and, by extrapolationof their theory, normal music, or dedicated burn inCDs, will never allow a cable to achieve its fullpotential.Time is of course a major issue for a person such asmyself who may have any number of cables in forreview at one time and so I’d been on the look-outfor a product or doodad that could:

1. Speed up the time it takes for a cable to “burnin”

2. Improve on the results achieved by playingmusic/burn in CDs alone

Blue Horizon Proburn Cable Burn-In and Conditioning Machine

This £695 box oftricks is designed totake the hassle outof cable burn in.


Both these are claims made by Blue Horizon for the£695 Proburn.The Proburn in use.What did I think of the performance after use?Since having the Proburn here I have used it to burnin many cables that have come in for review, shavingweeks or even months off what a cable canpotentially take to fully settle in and sound at its peakperformance. How do I know this?After using Proburn on XLR, RCA and SpeakerCables the most obvious experiment for me toundertake was to place each set of conditioned cablesinto my system again and then to leave them in withmusic playing as much as possible for a further weekto see if their character improved further.Placing the cables in fresh from burn in showedusual improvements which one would expect to hearafter a good amount of time of usage. Bass was morefleshed out and had better extension, mids becamefuller and vocals gained presence. Top end claritywas less grainy, more airy and controlled.Now I hear you say - How can you be so distinctiveabout a cable which you have only know for a veryshort period?As mentioned before, I left each of the pairs ofcables in my system for a week after burning and Ihonestly didn't notice any further improvements, Iactually just moved on to completing the reviews forthe said cables after a few days as the sound seemedso consistent.I'm just an Audiophile, so what can Proburn do forme?Moving on to what I believe is the stronger point ofusage for the general consumer and enthusiast -System Enhancing.My everyday interconnects are the Oriton OrangeSymphony and the TQ Black Diamond. The OrangeSymphony have been in my system for around a yearand the TQ's a couple months. The Oritons have justbeen used in my system from new and the TQ's had aweek on their own cable burning in machine before Ireceived them.So, I popped the Oriton interconnects onto theProburn for a period of 24 hours. Plugging themback into the system I wasn't that optimistic to behonest and thought that if there was a couple percentimprovement in performance then I would be

extremely happy - a couple of percent in this gamecan cost a considerable amount!The differences really weren't subtle, theperformance of the cables were significantlyimproved. The weight of bass notes was the firstaspect which struck me. Bottom end notes weremuch of more expressively extended and fleshed outthe midrange in a way that didn't ever tip towardsoverbearing in any way, just lend their hand to a newfound confidence to the overall sound.Midrange clarity stood firm and pronounced againstthis new found body and also seemed as if it had astep forward in performance. Treble articulation andsparkle raised an eyebrow or two also. Top endextension seemed to grow and dictated a commandto the sound from the peak of the mountain rightdown to its depths of the valley floor.All these aspects in culmination increased dynamicshifts, exposure to micro details and smaller nuancesas well as conveying a hint more of emotionalpalpability during some of my very favouriteperformances.The TQ black Diamonds were up next. I gave themthe same 24 hour burn in time as I did the Oritons.Plugged them back into the system and, er... theysounded the same as before. Geoff Merrigan had leftthem on his own cable burning machine just 7-8weeks earlier for a week.Would I have liked to get an improvement from theprocess? Of course, we always want better for oursystems but I guess the experiment confirms thatburning in cables on a dedicated machine makesbigger improvements in performance than generalcan.

Dan WorthI'm not going to score the Proburn but I amgoing to highly recommend it. In myexperience, any cable that the Blue HorizonProburn can accommodate will no doubtbenefit from its extensively wide bandwidthsof signal frequencies to bring them up totheir full potential.Note:It's been recommended by Blue Horizon to repeat a24 hour conditioning period every 6 months or soalong with cleaning cable plugs and sockets forpositive effects.

Blue Horizon Proburn Cable Burn-In and Conditioning Machine


Depending on traffic conditions, I spend be-tween 2-3 hours of my working day on pub-lic transport so having music to accompany

me has always been important. I was, therefore, real-ly curious to see how Tidal worked as a portable mu-sic player on my phone. As it happens, I was makingmy way home on the bus when I registered for theservice - it helps that my local bus company offerfree Wi-Fi access - and within about 2 minutes I haddownloaded the Tidal app onto my phone and wasstreaming The Way Young Lovers Do by Van Mor-rison into my headphones. Tidal offers three ways tostream music while on the move: through 3G usingyour call plan's data allowance, by Wi-Fi where aconnection is available, or by downloading the tracksdirectly to your phone’s storage and playing themoffline. I don't have a large data allowance in my callplan so 3G access is not really an option and my busroute goes through some areas of patchy coverage so

Tidal Music Streaming Service

Threeindependentreviews of thenew Tidal musicstreaming servicefrom users withdifferent listeninghabits/styles.


Wi-Fi caused some dropouts. I fairly quickly decidedthat the offline option was the best for me.Choice of MusicTidal claim to have over 25 million tracks availablein lossless quality and Ireckoned that even if 24million of those turned outto be music I wasn't inter-ested in, there would stillbe plenty to keep me occu-pied. I immediately set to,trying to catch Tidal outwith my favourite obscuri-ties. Seventiespsychedelic/jazz/rock jamband Sweet Smoke werepresent and correct, includ-ing a live album I was pre-viously unaware of.No-Wave New York chan-teuse Lizzie Mercier Descloux is well representedwith 8 albums. Finnish jazz fusion bassist/keyboardplayer Pekka Pohjola also did well with 6 albums,several of which were new to me although there wasunfortunately no sign of his 1977 Mike Oldfieldcollaboration Mathematician's Air Display. Goingout on a limb slightly, I have a couple of friends who

are musicians and, with no real expectation of suc-cess, I decided to put their names into Tidal's searchbar and hope for the best. Scottish band Shatterhandcame up trumps with their 2012 album Chaos AndThe Art Of Dissent - a great mix of punk/hardcorewith pop hooks. My erstwhile school friend, next-door neighbour and bandmate Kevin Walsh also de-livered the goods with 3 albums including his recentmusical Outlander, based on Diana Gabaldon’s nov-els. I actually struggled not to come up with at least apartial result for almost everything I searched for -some artists are represented by a handful of albumsrather than their full catalogue . A few searchesfailed completely: No joy for session guitarist BarryReynold's 1982 solo album I Scare Myself (If youare familiar with Marianne Faithful's BrokenEnglish or Grace Jones' Nightclubbing albums thenthat is his distinctive slashing guitar that you hear).King Crimson fans will also be sorely disappointedat the lack of KC content although that is hardly sur-prising given Robert Fripp's well-documented viewson streaming royalties. A big zero also for one of myfavourite female vocalists Mary Coughlan.Tidal aim to have new albums available on the day ofrelease. As I write this, I'm listening to PinkFloyd's Endless River, released today. The What'sNew section of the app has a wide selection of re-leases featured across all genres with albums from

artists such as NeilYoung, Damien Rice,Aretha Franklin, AnnieLennox, The FlamingLips, Jessie J, JacksonBrowne etc., etc., etc. Allin all, I think it's fair tosay that choice isn't aproblem. I haven't evenscratched the surface ofTidal's classical or jazzofferings.The Tidal InterfaceTidal's interface is subtlydifferent depending on

whether you use it on a phone, tablet or desktop.This is welcome as I imagine most users will want touse the mobile version on their phones differentlyfrom how they would use the desktop/tablet versions.All versions are intuitive and easy to use; the phoneversion leaves Apple's standard iPhone music appdead in the water in every respect and that's probably


Ongoing accessto new releasesis highlyattractive andvery probablyworth thesubscriptionprice on its own.


as much as you need to know. Barring a couple ofminor style differences, the Android phone interfaceis identical in use. One of Tidal's selling points istheir "curated content" - interviews and features re-lated to the music. This is present in the phone andtablet versions but is not easy to spot, it really comesinto its own on the desktop version. My writing ofthis review was interrupted when I spotted an articleon the new Pink Floyd album. It certainly adds an-other element to the Tidal experience. Tidal also of-fers high definition videos but that is not an aspectthat I have so far explored.PlaylistsMy very first commuting companion was an Aiwarecordable portable cassette player. I bought it inOctober 1983 and it cost around £100 – a reasonablylarge amount of money back then. It used to take meabout 2 hours to make up a 90 minute mix tape, aprocess I went through at least twice a week. UsingTidal, I can make a 2 hour playlist in about 2 min-

utes. One thing I really, really like (and I really, real-ly can’t tell you how much I really, really like this) isthat I can build a new playlist on my phone on myway home from work and once I get home, launchTidal on my home set up and have that playlist readyand waiting to play. If you are too lazy to spend acouple of minutes creating a playlist, Tidal has hun-dreds of readymade themed playlists for you to tryout.If this kind of thing floats your boat you can postyour playlists on Facebook or Twitter and other Tid-al users can play them or comment on them to letyou know how great they are. This latter aspect ap-pears to be broken as although my playlists appearedon Twitter, the thousands of responses congratulatingme on my exquisite taste evidently got lost some-where in cyberspace.The Listening Experience



Using Tidal as a mobile player with downloadedfiles is excellent and it does everything I would wantit to do. Sound quality is great - I haven't done a di-rect comparison with mp3 files but I certainly haveno complaints. For my home setup I downloaded theTidal application to my laptop, connected my laptopvia USB to my DAC and was good to go. The fileswere streamed via Wi-Fi from my router to the lap-top and I did experience the occasional drop out. If Iwas to invest permanently in Tidal, I’d also invest ina wired Ethernet connection – something I shouldreally do in any case. Once again, I had very littlecomplaint over sound quality when compared to myusual streaming set up – a Squeezebox Touch intothe DAC. I did have one major gripe though: Tidaldid not initially appear to support gapless playback.This was a real problem for live albums or any otheralbum where tracks run together and really spoiledany affected tracks. However, I’m happy to say thatafter a few days this was resolved.As mentioned above, my usual streaming is done viaa Logitech Squeezebox Touch. When I began mytrial, Squeezebox devices were not supported.Thankfully, a Squeezebox update was made availa-ble, enabling Tidal to be accessed directly throughthe Touch. This made a huge difference as I reallydidn’t want to tie up my laptop to use the service. Ifyou currently use a dedicated computer solution toplay your digital files then I guess this is not a prob-lem. If, however, you use a streamer then you willwant to have Tidal supported by your streamer’smanufacturer. Happily, Tidal are in negotiation witha range of hifi manufacturers about integrating theservice into their products.ConclusionWhile, for me, a streaming service such as Tidalcould never replace my own music collection it doesprovide a very appealing add-on. Ongoing access tonew releases is highly attractive and very probablyworth the subscription price on its own. The lackSqueezebox integration and support for gapless re-play would have been deal breakers for me but withboth of these issues resolved, I was highly impressedwith what Tidal offered. Looking to the future, sup-port for high resolution files is something that I, andI imagine most audiophiles, would want to see. Allin all, using Tidal is a very enjoyable experience andI would certainly recommend giving it a trial. Themore I use it, the less likely it is that I’ll want to bewithout it.

John ScottTIDAL...Bang Tidy or not ????First off, TIDAL certainly looks the part, slick andsimple and pleasing to the eye. When I first log in,helpful instructions pop up to guide me…it all seemspretty straight forward, now what do I want to listento?The suggested playlists that pop up first are all forChristmas so they get a wide berth (it’s Novem-ber!!!) but they may well come in handy when I amin a more festive frame of mind.I flick to the genres section and select Dance…whichseems to be mainly Calvin Harris and Avicii, andthen realise I will probably be more at home in theElectronica genre.At first glance there doesn’t seem to be that manyoptions, even when I hit ‘show all’ on the album sec-tion, so I pick a Simian Mobile Disco album to startwith.The TIDAL interface seems pretty intuitive to use. Itmakes sense that if you click the title of the albumthat’s playing, it comes up into the main screen toshow you the full track listing…and that’s exactlywhat it does….also scrolling down there are moresuggested albums by the same artist, which I swearwere not in the ‘all albums’ option that I startedfrom!There is a bit of a delay for a new track/album tostart playing, but to be fair that’s probably down tothe ‘oh so slow’ internet in our rural neck of thewoods (we have been promised fibre-optic broad-

Tidal Music Streaming ServiceDiscovering new musicis probably where TIDALis working best for me,browsing through thegenres and listening toplaylists brings yousomething new at theclick of a mouse.


band but I am not holding my breath!) I do also getthe odd break in playback……….again I am sure thisis my internet connection as once the internet is be-having itself the breaks disappear.The promised lossless, HiFi quality sound is justthat. I’m listening at my desk using my laptop with aChord Company USB cable to connect to my littleami Musik DAC/Headphone amp and Oppo PM1headphones. The sound quality is as good, if not bet-ter than listening to Flacs from J River. Clean, clearand detailed, I feel like I am getting the most frommy headphones. This is a really good start!Although TIDAL splits the music into genres, I don’tfeel like this is specific enough. While not one forpigeonholing music too much, I feel it would be easi-er to find new music that might be my taste with subgenres too like House, Techno and Drum nBass….Electronic covers a huge range of musicalstyles. I guess this would work for all the other gen-res too, maybe something for TIDAL to think aboutdown the line.I have a bit of a dabble with the TIDAL playlists(avoiding the Christmas ones!)…these are pre donefor you so you can just pick what you fancy listeningto and press play, a great feature to use while sittingat my desk working. Plus if a track comes on that Ireally like its easy to select it as a favourite or save tomy own playlist which I can rearrange into the per-fect track order later.I recommend the Equatorial Beats playlist to liven upa rainy afternoon!Discovering new music is probably where TIDAL isworking best for me, browsing through the genresand listening to playlists brings you something newat the click of a mouse. I like the feature that if yousearch an artist it brings up what album their tracksare on, often compilations or mix albums, which is agreat way to discover other music from similar artiststhat is either new or that you missed before. For ex-ample I found was Hardfloor’s remix of House clas-sic “Jack your body” from Steve “Silk” Hurley……Ihad missed this remix when it was released!Will it replace my CD collection or using ripped cop-ies of them?No, because although it is great for discovering newstuff, there isn’t everything I want to have to hand tolisten to on TIDAL yet, however it is excellent to

have in complement to your own music collection,especially as the sound quality is so high.I for one am looking forward to using TIDAL moreand finding out all of its features.

Linette SmithI’ll not go into most of the features and whatnot ofTidal as John has already covered most of these.I was pretty interested in hearing this new-fangledTidal thing given the recent hype surrounding its re-lease, but at the same time somewhat skeptical abouthow it would perform. However, set up is a doddle,the layout clear and simple to navigate… and itstreams FLAC direct to my desktop.In the last couple of weeks I’ve given it a fair oldhammering and I like it a lot, but let’s deal with afew issues that I personally encountered.Searching for Chumbawamba’s “Pictures Of Starv-ing Children” and “Never Mind The Ballots” drew ablank. A search for Crass also drew a blank otherthan an albums called “Crass Moments In 20th Cen-tury Culture” by The Klone Orchestra which waspretty interesting and not a record I’d had the pleas-ure of hearing before and so whilst I was initially atad disappointed, there was a silver lining to this par-ticular grey cloud.I wanted to test Tidal’s content for the obscure giventhe distinct lack of a couple of bands I enjoy and so Isearched for “Nurse With Wound” expecting to getsimilarly disappointing results. Wow, Nurse WithWound are pretty obscure, or so I thought and so Iwas pretty overwhelmed with the plethora of albumsTidal was able to offer. Now this is a band of whom Ihad a few vinyl albums back in the day before Inter-net and so it was interesting to read the band’sbiog’…nice feature.Also a nice feature is the Related Artist button whichin this case brought up the likes of Skinny Puppy andPsychic TV. Like I say this is a nice and useful fea-ture and it does open you up to bands you may nothave heard of before that are relevant to your tastes,but I found myself jumping around from track totrack and not really listening to whole albums. Thisis more a quirk of my personality I think than a prob-lem with Tidal, but it does open a new way of listen-ing to music that some will enjoy and others willnot…it’s certainly quite addictive. So I hit the Relat-ed Artists button yet again and up popped an old fa-vourite LFO, hit it again and, hang on a minute…I



“get” how Speedy J and Two Lone Swordsmen arerelated to LFO but NSYNC and Five…mmm.The What’s New feature is also pretty cool andyou’re offered a load of Playlists (I didn’t explorethese as I’m too old for that kind of thing but appar-ently they are all the rage with most folk) as well as awhole load (100 plus) of Recommended stuff under aseparate tab. This feature is interesting and so I hitplay on a record by The Hum called Hookworms.Yep, my kind of thing so top marks to Tidal for help-ing me discover a new band. I like this feature a lot!The Top 20 tab is ok, and brings up pretty much thestuff you would expect, Pink Floyds last album, An-nie Lennox and Ed Sheeran, but also some other lessexpected stuff like Flying LotusI added a few of my favourite bands to the My Musicsection of Tidal with one of these being Hawkwind,so on with “Live Chronicles” and one of my favour-ite tracks “Moonglum”..oh hang on a minute that’snot Moonglum but an entirely different track. Some-how all the songs are out of kilter somehow – “Mas-ter Of The Universe” (side 1, track 12) plays “SeaKing” (side 1, track 5), “Angels of Death” (side 1,Track 7) plays “Naration” (side 1, track 10)…I lostpatience and moved on before finding “Moonglum”I’m afraid to say. Now this is a live album and hereis another niggle as playback is not gapless. Howev-er, click on the Hawkwind biography and that’s pret-ty good, detailed and well written, but then hittingthe Related Artists button brings up just four bands,one of whom was Mike Oldfield. However, there areplenty of other Hawkwind albums to go at, so it’s notall negative.Ok, so there are some niggles with the content onsome of the albums (perhaps I stumbled inadvertent-ly across an album that was the exception rather thanthe rule) but what about the sound quality? Well,most of my working day is spent sat at my desk ad soout of necessity this is where I do the majority of mylistening. I’ve got a nice little system based aroundKEF X300A speakers fed directly from the USB onthe computer and with Tidal set up to play FLAC1411 (again a doddle to set up) there really is verylittle to complain about with regards the quality ofsound I’m experiencing with Tidal…it’s excellent. Ifound that having the volume on Tidal cranked up tothe max and controlling the volume via the knob onthe speakers’ amp gave best results. There is a bit ofdelay when you first fire up a new album and I did

experience the odd glitch/dropout in the playback,but these were few and far between and likely an is-sue with the frankly appalling Livebox router wehave been lumbered with – given that this is losslessmusic being supplied wirelessly I was pretty im-pressed.ConclusionFrom the perspective of someone who listens to mu-sic all day Tidal has proved to be something of a rev-elation and at just shy of twenty quid a month itrepresents a bit of a bargain. There is a catch withthis however in that Linette and I both work fromhome and both listen to music independently at ourdesks and so to get the most out of Tidal we wouldhave to have two subscriptions.The Offline mode, videos and most of the editorialare pretty irrelevant to me given the way I listen tomusic, but for others they will, I’m sure, be a majorselling point…though I did read a few of the biogs, Imust confess.As always, the main consideration and question hasto be “Would I pay for this service or not?” and theanswer is a resounding YES…probably. The newmusic content is excellent and above all soundquality is excellent. Tidal isn’t perfect (what is?), butfor my needs and the way I listen to the majority ofmy music it’s not that far off. Like John, I will find itdifficult to change the way I listen havingexperienced Tidal and recommend you take the trial.Stuart Smith


No scores for thisone but all threeagree that despitethe odd niggle it'sdefinitely worthyofrecommending.


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