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Tenderlonious: You Know I Care

Tenderlonious, aka Ed Cawthorne, is one of the leading lights of the London’s underground Jazz scene. He’s a DJ, producer, the leader of the excellent Ruby Rushton four-piece, which also counts Yussef Dayes as a member, and the founder of the 22a record label, which he co-founded with the highly talented Kamal Williams, and on which he releases his own albums as well as music from the likes of Jeen Bassa and Dennis Ayler. 

As you can tell from that opening paragraph, there are a lot of connections to be made when discussing Tenderlonious; he acts like the spider at the centre of a web of highly talented creative musicians. 

Perhaps more than any other individual in the London Jazz scene, Tenderlonious is adept at seamlessly switching between genres. Whether it’s beat-heavy tunes designed to tear up the dancefloor, wildly diverse internationally inspired pieces, or more reflective, traditional Jazz sounds. 

This new recording fits solidly into the latter category, and the beat-adverse among you will find nothing to complain about across You Know I Care’s 42-minute running time – unlike his 2021 EP Tek-88, which was a homage to the iconic Roland TR-808 drum machine. 

And while there are definite global moments, this album is as close as anything Tenderlonious has ever created to a collection of by-the-numbers Jazz standards. Don’t take that the wrong way though, this isn’t a throwaway moment or a backwards step; You Know I Care is a wonderfully rich, perfectly pitched homage to the American Jazz sounds that have inspired him throughout his career, from artists such as Wayne Shorter, Jackie McLean and others who originally performed the six pieces on the album. 

The self-taught Tenderlonious takes up alto-sax and flute duties, and is ably supported throughout by Hamish Balfour (piano), Pete Martin (bass) and Tim Carnegie (drums), and the opening ‘On The Nile’ sets the tone for who the quartet fits together for the entire album. Originally recorded by saxophonist Jackie McLean, the grand, large-scale piece delivers the perfect start. 

Track two, ‘Maimoun’, kicks off with a sensual bass line and the skilful pitter-patter of drums before a top-drawer sax line kicks in to propel things forward, while the piano plays a vital but understated role throughout – this really is an incredible eight-minutes of soulful Jazz. 

Track three is the Wayne Shorter penned ‘Infant Eyes’, and sees Tenderlonious pick up his flute, and have an incredible back and forth with Hamish Balfour on the keyboards. It’s a peacefully mellow way to end side 1, and one of the highlights of the album to our ears. 

Side two kicks off with another classic in the form of ‘Poor Eric’, another track made famous by Jackie McLean, but which was written in memory of Eric Dolphy. The sax solo is incredibly vibrant, but the highlight for us is again Balfour’s dexterous piano work, which provides a wonderful, sweet and tender centre. 

‘John Coltrane’ is a tribute to… well, no prizes for guessing who Tenderlonious views as one of the greatest saxophonists who ever lived. As many think Jazz died with Coltrane, he’s probably not alone in thinking that. This version sticks close to the Clifford Jordon original in its heart-felt tribute. This track swings in the Coltrane style, and is one of the most truly old-school pieces on the album. 

Finally, You Know I Care closes with the title track, a reworking of the classic 60s ballad that sees Tenderlonious pick up his flute once more to see us home. It’s a beautiful end to a cracking album. 

A final point in favour of You Know I Care, should one be needed, is its crystal clear, lovingly produced recording. The sax is sweet, and the drums, bass and piano well rendered and detailed. This all comes together to make it one of the best Jazz releases of its year. 

Back to Jazz

 

Ayre Acoustics EX-8 2.0

Over the last decade, the boundary between an ‘integrated amp’ and ‘all in one system’ has broken down to the point where there is little more than a preference on the part of the builder to call their product one thing or the other. As you move up the pricing structure, it becomes more common to find devices that need nothing other than a pair of speakers to function that are described as ‘integrated amps’, perhaps because there’s still a little reticence to consider an all-in-one at these elevated price points. 

In the case of the Ayre Acoustics EX-8 2.0, though, the decision to describe it as an integrated amplifier is reasonable because it is possible to order one in the state that warrants the term. It’s also possible to order it in a specification that makes it a true all-in-one, making the EX-8 2.0 an interesting case of ‘Schrodinger’s amplifier’ but one that is unusually flexible in terms of how it works in the context of a modern system.

Fundamental underpinning

The fundamental underpinning of the EX-8 2.0 is a class A/B stage that delivers 100 watts into 8 ohms and 170 into 4. It’s the most affordable way of experiencing an Ayre amplifier, but you still get all the bespoke engineering that the company goes in for. This includes the ‘Double Diamond’ output stage, an evolution of Ayre’s longstanding design practice of using two pairs of bipolar transistors connected via their emitters and bases by adding a new buffer stage to them. The result is an exciting alternative to a more conventional push-pull output but now runs cooler and more efficiently. This is combined with the ‘Equilock’ gain stage, which combines two transistors in a manner that allows them to work as a single unit. 

In all cases, the volume control of the EX-8 2.0 operates in the analogue domain (although this doesn’t prevent it from being something you can control in Roon), and it’s relatively unusual today in that it has a start and finish point. In addition to controlling the volume via the speaker terminals, it also controls a very flexible headphone stage that offers balanced and unbalanced connections and has its own ‘Double Diamond’ output. One final part of the Ayre EX-8 2.0’s specification that many will find helpful is the inclusion of a balanced and unbalanced pre-out.

Ayre EX_8_black_back

The basic EX-8 2.0 makes this amplifier available to a single XLR and a pair of RCA inputs to make a traditional integrated. The version tested here adds a digital board that significantly boosts the connectivity. Six extra inputs (Ethernet, USB, AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and two Toslink) are added, and the ethernet connection means that the Ayre can be used to access UPnP content directly, either via apps like MConnect or as a Roon Endpoint. This digital board is built around an ESS ES9038Q2M DAC and incorporates Ayre’s custom clock and minimum phase digital filter. Sample rate handling is solid rather than state-of-the-art, but the Ayre will handle most real-world libraries without issue. 

To hub or not to hub…

In the UK, distributor Decent Audio brings the EX-8 2.0 in as a straight analogue integrated and in full digital hub specification. If you choose the former, it can also be upgraded to the latter later. In a market where people might have been enjoying using an all-in-one at the three to four-thousand-pound point, the Ayre Acoustics EX-8 2.0 looks like a compelling upgrade path. A few hypothetical customers might only miss an HDMI ARC input, and the reasonably bare-bones UPnP operation for non-Roon users might be a small step back. Otherwise, the Ayre is impressively flexible. 

It’s also pleasant to interact with. In the black, the casework is subtle, almost to the point of anonymity, but it’s well-made and attractive. Some parts of the EX-8 2.0’s design are a little idiosyncratic; the widely spaced inputs and spade-only speaker terminals could well require a bit of a rethink to your existing cabling, and the remote control brings to mind the ones used to control hotel TVs in the 1990s. However, it works well enough, and for people using the Ethernet port, it is not going to be used that much. 

My First Ayre

The EX-8 2.0 represented my first experience with an Ayre product (as I suspect will be the case for many), so I started using it via the XLR input. I used my resident Chord Hugo Mscaler and TT2 pairing to separate what the analogue and digital sections contribute to overall performance. It quickly became clear that the core amplifier version of the EX-8 2.0 is a very enticing proposition in part because it delivers a sonic balance that is uncannily and consistently well judged. 

Listening to Paint the Roses, a live performance by duo Larkin Poe and the Nu Deco Ensemble [Tricki Woo] is a genuinely exciting experience. There are dynamics and muscle on offer here that belies that relatively terrestrial power output and the Ayre is impressively fleet of foot for an amp that hits as hard as it does. At the same time, though, the sweetness it brings to the Lovell sisters’ harmonies and how it handles the supporting string section of the Nu Deco Ensemble is profoundly satisfying. This amp allows you to potter through an evening of music and never once feel the urge to nudge the volume down. You’ll likely finish the night at a somewhat higher level than you started. 

With such a strong foundation, the digital board has much to live up to, but it doesn’t let the side down. Compared to the Chord duo (which cost very nearly the same as the total price of the Ayre), there is a reduction in the overall soundstage that leaves the live performance of ‘Hammers’ on Nils Frahm’s Spaces [Erased Tapes] sounding spacious rather than utterly vast. Still, that incredible ability of the Ayre Acoustics EX-8 2.0 to deliver an invigorating punch with lovely tonal richness is unaffected. Frahm’s piano is a tangible presence in the recording, and it invites the suspension of disbelief in a way that simply doesn’t come naturally to some rivals. 

Hold up

Something I’ve found interesting while the Ayre has been on test is how consistently this presentation holds up across partnering the EX-8 2.0 with different speakers. The bulk of testing took place with a pair of Kudos Titan 505s that have virtues that complement the Ayre very closely, and the results have- perhaps unsurprisingly- been very enjoyable. Switching over to a pair of Focal Kanta No1s – a speaker intolerant of less than stellar mastering – the Ayre still extracts a sweetness from the Focal I don’t generally experience. What’s maddeningly hard to convey when I state this is that the Ayre isn’t steamrollering the character from the speakers you connect it to. Instead, it simply ensures that their virtues are something you can keep experiencing when rival electronics might be getting their hackles up a little. 

A final ribbon to an already gratifying bow is the headphone output. Some testing with the Focal Clear MG very quickly demonstrated that this is a more complex convenience feature. The same hard-hitting sweetness that is so enjoyable via the speaker outputs is no less apparent here, and it lends Amadou & Mariam’s La Confusion [Because Music] a flowing, head-nodding momentum that manages the single most crucial trick a headphone setup can do, and that’s to forget you’re listening buttoned up. Something I find especially interesting about the performance is that it is achieved without any post-processing options. The Ayre pushes the material in front of you via engineering nous rather than digital cleverness. 

This nous is evident at every stage of the Ayre’s specification and performance, and it’s hard not to be won over by it. The core amplifier is good enough that the basic integrated version is appealing, but the full specification version of the EX-8 2.0 appeals the most. It offers every point of convenience that all-in-one systems do while delivering a level of performance that gives you a hefty taste of what the more premium Ayre offerings promise. This might be Schrodinger’s amplifier on paper, but in reality, the Ayre Acoustics EX-8 2.0 knows precisely what it needs to do and does it sensationally well. 

Technical specifications

  • Audio Inputs
    • USB: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384 kHz, PCM 16, 20, 24 bits, DSD64 and DSD128 (as DoP)
    • Optical/SPDIF/AESEBU: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz, PCM 16, 20, 24 bits, DSD64 (as DoP)
    • Network: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz, PCM 16, 20, 24 bits, DSD64 (as DoP)
  • Analogue: 1 Balanced XLR, 2 Single-ended RCA
  • Outputs: Speaker Terminals (spade lugs and bare wire only)
  • 100 watts per channel continuous into 8 ohms
  • 170 watts per channel continuous into 4 ohms
  • Line Output: 4.5 Vrms balanced, 2.25 Vrms single-ended
  • Headphone Output: 4.0 Vrms balanced, 2.0 Vrms single-ended
  • Dimensions 44cm x 33cm x 11.5cm 
  • Weight 11 kg
  • Finishes Black and Silver 
  • Price: £ 5,950/$8,000 (analogue only), £7,950/$9,300 (digital hub version)

Manufacturer

Ayre Acoustics Inc.

www.ayre.com

UK distributor

Decent Audio

www.decentaudio.co.uk

+44(0)1642 267012 

More from Ayre

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Sonus faber Duetto

Sonus faber first dipped a tentative toe into the deep and fast-flowing waters of digital audio streaming a couple of years ago with its Omnia wireless speaker. It was (and is, for that matter) a reasonably pricey option – but thanks to a prodigious combination of looks, finish and performance, it didn’t disgrace the brand’s proud name. Quite the opposite – it went toe-to-toe with the acknowledged market leaders and emerged as an eminently viable option. 

Demonstrably flushed with this debut success, Sonus faber is back with a bigger, more extensive, and considerably more expensive variation on the ‘wireless digital audio’ theme. This ‘Duetto’ system is Sonus faber’s take on what is now an established product type—an audio system with wired and wireless connectivity options contained in a pair of loudspeakers. 

Of course, new ground can only be broken once, and Sonus faber plants its flag in territory that Bowers & Wilkins, KEF, and JBL (to name but three) have been involved in for some time now. But if the company can ‘do an Omnia,’ the Duetto could be a very diverting alternative indeed.

Looking the part

Indeed, it looks the part. The relative elegance and unarguable quality of Sonus faber’s cabinetry have been a Point of Difference for the company ever since its founding in Veneto, Italy, back in 1983. Regarding aesthetics and tactility, Duetto is well up to the standard the asking price demands. The cabinets are the brand’s trademark lute shape – they’re beautifully constructed and flawlessly finished and look the business, whether in ‘walnut’ or ‘graphite’. At the rear of the cabinet, both a bass reflex port and finned heat sink are seamlessly integrated into the overall shape – and as well as being a sophisticated solution where visual appeal is concerned, Sonus faber suggests the arrangement assists in the rejection of internal resonances. 

Sonus faber Duetto lifestyle

Those of a more traditional audio persuasion will opt for a pair of fine-looking optional Duetto loudspeaker stands. However, the design also lends itself to desktop or bookshelf use. While you could argue the same applies to any small two-way design, the inherent flexibility of the Duetto’s active speaker system makes a good case for extremely flexible use.

Further design flourishes are apparent in the front baffle surrounding the driver array and at the top of each cabinet. Here’s where Sonus faber has deployed – and tidily applied – its customary faux leather. There are small, magnetically attached grilles supplied with the speakers, but (at least as far as I’m concerned) the front of the speakers look better without them. The ‘primary’ speaker uses that elegant faux leather-covered top of its cabinet to house the ‘Senso’ control interface.

Bring the power

Both speakers require mains power, of course. Each has a 25mm silk-dome tweeter with a copper-capped ferrite magnet system and a 133mm paper-pulp long-excursion mid/bass driver with a Neodymium magnet system with copper cap and aluminium ring housed in an airflow-easing ‘organic’ basket. Each driver has a dedicated DAC (provided by AKM and Sabre). In a drive to balance performance with efficiency, Sonus faber has specified that each tweeter be powered by 100 watts of Class A/B amplification while each mid/bass driver receives 250 watts of Class D power. This arrangement gives a working frequency response of 37Hz – 30kHz, and the Duetto is compatible with every digital audio file type up to 32bit/192kHz resolution.

Aside from the illuminated ‘Senso’ interface, what separates the ‘primary’ from the ‘secondary’ speaker is its selection of wired and wireless connectivity options. The wired stuff consists of an Ethernet socket, a pair of stereo RCA inputs that can be switched between line- and phono-level, an HDMI eARC socket (so a TV can be part of the action), a digital optical output and a pre-out for a subwoofer. All these sockets are hidden in a recess at the bottom of the speaker; this looks better than a rat’s nest of trailing wires, but it makes installation more ‘fiddly’ than plugging into a rear panel. The sockets are also grouped closely, precluding ‘chonky’ cables. Wireless connections run to Bluetooth (with aptX HD codec compatibility), and dual-band wi-fi – which means Duetto is compatible with Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect. It also allows Chromecast to be built and the system to be Roon Ready too. 

Active art

The art of an active speaker system is to convey just the right amount of information to listeners without overloading them. This is often best done through a combination of basic display functions on the loudspeaker backed up with an iOS or Android app to provide more ‘granular’ detail. ‘Senso’ has a deliberately constrained range of functions, such as power, play/pause, input selection, connection, and volume, with illuminated insets on the top plate, all controlled by gesture. With lights that move from side to side, it can look like a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica, but it performs its functions properly. There is a small remote too.

SONUS FABER_DUETTO_top

Its app allows the listener to drill down into the system set-up, accessing a webpage that informs the primary speaker if it constitutes the left or right channel of the stereo pair, lets it know where it stands concerning boundary walls, informs it as to the presence (or otherwise) of a subwoofer, and checks for firmware and software updates.  

Poised and informative

The Sonus faber Duetto’s sound matches its elegant looks. No matter if it’s receiving an aptX HD Bluetooth stream of a 320kbps file of Punk as F**k by The American Analog Set [Tiger Style] from a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, a vinyl copy of 13th Floor Elevators’ Easter Everywhere [International Artists] via a Technics SL-1200GR2, a 24bit/96kHz FLAC file of Arooj Aftab’s Last Night [New Amsterdam] from some network-attached storage or a Netflix-derived stream of the soundtrack to Daniel Goldhaber’s How to Blow Up a Pipeline [Neon], the Sonus faber is a poised, informative, and thoroughly entertaining listen.

Low-frequency extension and substance are significant, but the Duetto doesn’t ignore the finer details in favour of kicking right off. It controls its bass output heroically, ensuring convincing rhythmic expression and momentum, and it loads on plenty of information regarding colour and texture as it does so. It’s nice that Sonus faber has fitted a pre-out for a subwoofer, but anyone with a listening space more modest than ‘cavernous’ needn’t rush to attach one.

Duetto on stand

It’s a similar story in which detail retrieval and insight are concerned when considering the midrange. No matter if voices are speaking or singing, the Duetto transmit lavishly, forking over every scrap of information regarding tone, attitude, emotional state, and even the shape and dimensions of the room where the vocalisation is occurring. The broad strokes are all there, of course, and in total – but the system is just as alert to the transient inputs of palate, or tongue at the back of teeth. 

Despite the unpromising nature of the 1,900Hz crossover point, the transition to the top of the frequency range is smooth – and once it’s up there, the Duetto is just as substantial, just as fanatical where detail retrieval is concerned, and just as willing to sink its teeth in, as it is in every other part of the frequency range. The control of attack and decay of individual treble sounds is approaching martial, and a balance between ‘fidelity’ and ‘entertainment’ is struck with real expertise.  

Tying it together

The Sonus faber ties everything together with a real sense of unity and commonality, creating a large and persuasive soundstage from which to communicate. Even dense, foggy, or inexpensive recordings get plenty of elbow room, and the Duetto keeps the gaps between individual elements lovely and dark. It dispatches even those significant dynamic shifts apparent when a symphony orchestra shifts into overdrive with no apparent effort. Still, it is alert to tiny harmonic variations when the same orchestra stands down while the pianist takes a solo. Its sense of authority and its powers of organisation is/are considerable.  

The only way to make the Duetto sound anything less than utterly assured is by playing at significant volume levels. Its composure doesn’t desert it, but the previously wide-open soundstage loses a little of its three-dimensionality, and… no, there’s no ‘and’. That’s about it.

So, as far as getting a hefty serving of convenience with no commensurate drop-off in pound-for-pound sonic performance, your options became more numerous. Ultimately, a separate amp, speakers, DAC, and necessary cables will yield better audio results at the same money as the Sonus faber Duetto. But whether those results will be anything like as discreet, good-looking, or sonically vibrant, well… that’s by no means a given. 

 

Technical specifications

  • Type: Bass-reflex loudspeaker system with integrated amplification, DSP, and wireless connectivity
  • Driver complement: 133mm paper pulp cone mid/bass driver; 25mm silk-dome tweeter
  • Amplification power (w)/type: 100 watts Class A/B (tweeter); 250 watts Class D (mid/bass) 
  • Frequency response: 37Hz – 30kHz
  • Crossover frequencies: 1900Hz
  • Inputs: Ethernet; stereo RCA (line-level or phono); HDMI eARC 
  • Wireless inputs: wi-fi; Bluetooth 5.1 w/aptX HD
  • Outputs: subwoofer; digital optical
  • Digital audio sample rates: 192kHz (streaming and optical); 48kHz (Bluetooth)
  • File types: AAC; AIFF; ALAC; DSD; FLAC; MP3; MP4; OGG; WAV; WMA
  • Dimensions (hwd, cm): 34 x 21 x 27 
  • Weight (kg): 6.8
  • Finishes: walnut; graphite
  • Price: £3,490/$3,999 per pair, optional Duetto stands: £649/$749 per pair

Manufacturer

Sonus faber

www.sonusfaber.com

UK distributor

Fine Sounds

www.finesounds.uk

+44(0)1592 744710

More from Sonus faber

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Audiobyte SuperHUB streamer

The previous generation of Audiobyte products showed the world that the people behind high-end superstar Rockna can bring their best game to a more down-to-earth price. The trio of Hydra products (the HydraVOX DAC and HydraZAP power supply tested in Issue 187 and the HydraHUB streamer tested in Issue 208) showed the audio world that designer Nicolae Jitariu not only knew how to make some of the best digital audio systems around but could also produce very high-performance equipment without the bank-busting price tags.

The SuperHUB ‘Native I2S Multifunctional Streamer’ is the first product in Audiobyte’s new line. In functionality terms, it sits somewhere between ‘streamer’ and ‘digital transport’. Like its predecessor, it runs a streamlined Linux operating system as its platform. Its audio hardware is built around Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chips. That means the SuperHUB is highly flexible and as future-proofed as modern digital audio can get. And downloadable firmware is a doddle. 

Like its HydraHUB predecessor, there’s some nominative determinism going on. It is a digital hub or nerve centre, a comprehensive and complete digital audio file transport system. SuperHUB can upsample PCM files to high-rate DSD if you so will it. A programmable clock controls jitter. It’s designed to work with the current alphabet soup of network compatibilities: UPnP, DLNA, Roon, AirPlay and OpenHome. It has no digital conversion but many old-school and new digital connections. The most notable among these is I2S, connected over HDMI. This will ultimately mean the SuperHUB joining forces with the upcoming SuperVOX converter. Still, for now, it means a relatively limited range of converters, including Rockna’s Wavedream DAC (tested in Issue 201).

The power of aluminium

The SuperHUB’s circuit sits in an impressive sandblasted, anodised chassis hewn from a solid aluminium block. While not a new thing in the audio world, the complexity of the side heatsinks and their interwoven ‘S’ shape, as well as building practically everything except for the front panel and top plate into the same aluminium block, is impressive. It underlines the commitment to quality and excellence in all areas Audiobyte stands for. With minimal joints and that smooth matte finish (black or natural), it’s a significant step forward from the already well-made HydraHUB. Also, by controlling production to this degree, the chassis can be designed with precisely laid out standoffs to make final assembly more rugged and easier.

Audiobyte SuperHUB_black_open

Of course, that helps when you make your circuit boards in-house. That way, the motherboard maker isn’t going to come out with a Mk II board that renders your latest batch of chassis unworkable. But that’s not the main advantage of making your circuits. Audiobyte’s FPGA architecture far removes the SuperHUB from the “let’s just slap an OEM streamer in a box” design school. However, the goods must be up to scratch; Audiobyte uses a 10-layer PCB designed in-house. This not only optimises the signal path but also means Audiobyte is no longer at the mercy of the required specifications of board-makers. 

So, where many streamer and server makers struggle to improve upon a simple switch-mode power supply, Audiobyte went for a linear power supply because this is the best design for the finest possible sound quality, even from streamed digital audio.

Breaking free of control

Couple this careful power supply architecture design with a clever phase-locked loop implementation to recover signals from the potentially noisy comms channel, and you have a very audiophile-oriented SuperHUB. However, the front panel’s capacitive touchscreen isn’t intrinsically noisy. Regardless, it’s a very good idea to make sure it’s at one remove from the rest of the architecture (both physically—it sits outside the main chassis—and electronically). 

The upsampler is coded into the Audiobyte SuperHUB. There isn’t provision for an external clock. Although the master clock signal is not part of the I2S standard, it’s commonly included. It syncs the internal operation of connected devices. So, the quality of the SuperHUB clock defines the streamer’s and DAC’s performance.

App-iness, app-iness?

Audiobyte’s set-up is totally ‘plug and play.’ The manual is comprehensive, describing functions that could be off-putting to the newbie, but it’s easy to navigate and use. It’s flexible enough to be driven by the touchscreen, establish preferred input (others can be accessed of course, but this is your default choice), output connection, network services, whether you want this to be a Roon endpoint, upsampling options, phase… in short, getting all the ‘fit and forget’ choices out of the way early. This is joined by the Android or iOS App, which helps to configure and set up the Audiobyte SuperHUB.  

Neither the apps nor the front panel provide much in the way of track handling. That might seem odd for what is essentially a streamer, but the point of the SuperHUB is to be a transparent platform to route your music to a DAC. It’s taking the PC or laptop out of the equation. You can still access these streaming services or your local network storage using the best apps for the task, and they route them through the Audiobyte SuperHub. In truth, those who make streamers with their app to wrangle music are divided into two camps: the ones with a vast team of coders on tap to write and update software almost daily and companies that make streamers people hate using. Audiobyte, to its credit, is one of the few that instead remains agnostic.

A game of two halves

There are two Audiobyte SuperHUB reviews here. One is for people without a DAC supporting I2S, and one is for those who do. The first crowd can still get a lot out of the SuperHUB, but it’s like driving a low-riding supercar in rush hour city traffic; you aren’t getting any of the benefits, and other options might do a better job. In fairness, that’s a little harsh as the output to a USB DAC is extremely good… but it’s still not I2S. On the other hand, if you have an I2S-compatible DAC, this is your streamer! It has that ‘stripping away layers’ presentation that makes the streamed audio sound more honest, more direct, snappier, more dynamic, and better focused. None of these musical elements changed the sound from the streamed source; it uncovers sound quality typically lost in translation. 

Audiobyte SuperHUB combo

The upsampling option works well, too, although I’m not the guy to review this as I rarely like upsampled files compared to the original. I find them teased out. Yes, they often sound nice and their micro dynamics and imaging are improved. However, they lack the drive and cogency of the unadulterated files. 

The land of nod

However, this is one of the best implementations of upsampling I’ve heard from a streamer, so I’m giving the SuperHUB the nod. And, if the SuperHUB can turn a ‘no’ into a ‘maybe’, then those who get upsampling more than me will likely extoll the virtues of the Audiobyte for years. 

Sampling aside, the SuperHUB did precisely what it should do with digital files, as little as possible. It was highly transparent to the source. That sounds trivial until you hear that a lot of network audio flatness and unevenness (often attributed to music played through online streaming and local servers) comes from the streamer. The SuperHUB doesn’t play that music-flattening game.

Audiobyte SuperHUB rear

I was worried that, with the SuperVOX still in the pipeline, the Audiobyte SuperHUB was an I2S streamer in perpetual search of a DAC. However, although I2S unlocks an even better performance when used with USB digital converters, it offers transparency and fidelity to the upstream music servers. It has a place in today’s digital systems. By not interfering with the performance of streamed music, it levels the playing field. It makes such sources as good as CD and exposes the lie about flat-sounding streamed music. The SuperHUB shows just how much other streamers contribute to poor sound. Buy it now and then get an I2S-chummy DAC later and be pleasantly surprised. 

Technical specifications

  • Type: I2S Native Streamer
  • FPGA: AMD ZYNQ 7000 series SoC 
  • Digital Inputs: S/PDIF Coaxial/Optical, AES/EBU, USB Type B, RJ-45
  • Digital Outputs: I2S (via HDMI), S/PDIF coaxial, USB Type A (native only)
  • Network protocol: NFS / SMB v1-v2-V3 / UPnP 
  • Control apps: Android, iOS 
  • Streaming Services: Roon Bridge, AirPlay, HQPlayer DLNA, UPnP, OpenHome, Tidal / Qobuz 
  • Maximum Supported Resolution: 384kHz (PCM), DSD512 (USB in/out and I2S)
  • Display: 3.0-inch IPS 24bit colour touch screen 
  • Resolution: 640 x 360 px 
  • Body material: Aluminium alloy 
  • Finish: Sandblasted Anodised 
  • Colours: Matte Silver / Black 
  • Dimensions (WxDxH): 30x29x6.2cm 
  • Weight: 6kg
  • Price: £2,999, $3,200

Manufacturer

Audiobyte

www.audiobyte.net

Distributor

Audiofreaks

www.audiofreaks.co.uk

+44(0)208 928 4153

More from Audiobyte

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Out of The Box – IAS Loudspeakers Ltd

Our ‘Out of the Box’ Series features companies who might slip through the net from time to time. Companies with something more than hot air, who make loudspeakers but make them with a rare passion that drives them and shapes the products they design and build.

When did you start the company?

Post lockdown, though research began just before this time.

Is making a loudspeaker an ‘art’ or a ‘science’?

Science is key, but variables inevitably influence and define what is reproduced across a room from a given loudspeaker design. Therefore, a designer has to assume certain skill sets as artisan in sound as adjunct to scientific measurement parameters

where accomplishing the shaping of such influences toward a perceptibly realistic reference level can assume as near lifelike representations of a given recorded performance.

What makes your loudspeakers different to other brands?

From original horn loading concepts derived from efficient cinema-theatre loudspeaker systems of the 1930’s and the subsequent experiments in home high-fidelity from the 1950’s onward, the Beaulieu 40R has deployed, with some subtleties of re-design, the

acoustical benefits of these earlier concepts, but from a more size-efficient enclosure. This, in combination with the use of critically matched speaker units and a clever minimalist series crossover, tailors the presentation to a more neutral and transparent purpose than colored sounding horn designs found elsewhere. Additionally, with bare minimum critical enclosure damping, this not only affords the loudspeaker system the widest possible dynamic range envelope, it also achieves the lowest bass extension of any standmount loudspeaker made, and with speed, thanks to a low resonant frequency bass/mid-range unit that increases the soundstage to levels normally associated with floorstanding designs of much larger proportions. The crossover design also affords a far more open and expressive treble response, giving realism that influences the system as a whole to more dynamically realistic levels that assimilate real-life sounds. Further considerations such as the attention to wiring and the connections deployed, standards of crossover components used and system isolation, all contributing to heighten the performance still further through judicious tailoring.

What challenges do you face in making and selling loudspeakers?

Reaching musically attuned people who seek heightened musical experiences in the home in an age of compressed media, convenience and time-constrained lifestyles.

Where do you hope the company will be in five or ten years?

To merely continue with a base of clients, equally sharing a love of music, with an engaging product that acquits itself more than admirably.

Where can consumers hear about your products and find out more?

Full details on the Beaulieu 40R loudspeaker system can be found at www.iasloudspeakers.co.uk or by contacting Carl Beckwith on +44-(0)7947-122806 (weekday business hours only).

The Beaulieu 40R is on permanent demonstration (by appointment) in the historic North Dorset Saxon town of Shaftesbury, just south of the A303.

IAS Loudspeakers Website

Music Interview: Dee C Lee

Dee C Lee is back with her first new music in 25 years.

Just Something, which is released on the iconic Acid Jazz label, is an album full of mostly upbeat and positive tracks from the British soul singer and songwriter, who has worked with acts including Wham!, The Style Council and Jamiroquai, and had a solo hit in 1985 with ‘See The Day’, later covered by Girls Aloud.

Opener, ‘Back In Time’, is a big and brassy, reflective disco-soul anthem that celebrates the power of music and the 7-inch single; ‘Walk Away’, which was co-written with ex-Style Council member, Mick Talbot, who plays keys on it, is Motown-style pop, and first single, ‘Don’t Forget About Love’ is summery and jazzy with flute, horns and organ, and a smidgen of The Style’s Council sophisticated sound.

But every so often there’s a touch of darkness to the lyrics – the moody and mellow ‘Mountains’ is a melancholy breakup song, while ‘Trojan’ sets an angry revenge lyric to a floaty jazz backing. 

hi-fi+ spoke to Lee, who was married to Paul Weller from 1987 to 1998 – their daughter, Leah (who we interviewed in issue 214)has co-written a song on Just Something – about the record and why it was the right time for her to relaunch her career. 

“I’ve got an excitement and a hunger for making music right now,” she tells us.

SH: After 25 years, you’re making music again. Why did you take a break from the industry?

DL: I made music for a very long time – I started early, when I was a young girl. I turned professional around 18 / 19.

All I’d ever done was make music and tour. I never had any love – I wanted to fall in love and have a family. So, when that started to happen, I was happy to take time out and just enjoy what it was like being a mum.

As it turns out, I was a bit rubbish – I’m lucky my kids are still standing – but it was worth doing.

Dee C Lee

Sometimes after coming away from something and then going back into it, the love is real – I think you can tell that in the music. The love is real for what I’m doing. I’ve got an excitement and a hunger for making music right now, so we’ll see how it goes.

The reception for what I’ve been doing has been great – I hope it keeps growing because that will help me to keep making music.

In 2020, Sky Arts made a documentary called Long Hot Summers – The Story of the Style Council, in which you reunited with band members Paul Weller, Mick Talbot and Steve White to perform a version of ‘It’s A Very Deep Sea.’ How was that?

It was lovely being with the boys again – we just looked at each other and clicked and made it happen, and it did trigger a vibe for performing again – I had been thinking about it for a little while.

Out of all the bands I’ve worked with, I really enjoyed The Style Council – not only did I grow musically from being in that environment, but I also got friends and brothers for life. There’s nothing I regret about it whatsoever – it was a great time. 

So, the Style Council documentary made you decide to make music again?

Because of the documentary, I bumped into my old mucker, Eddie Piller [Acid Jazz founder / MD] again, who I adore.

He asked me if I’d make another record and I said I would but that there was nobody knocking at the door, and I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t want to put music out by myself again – it’s far too hard and I haven’t got that kind of energy.

He said: ‘Let’s do something about that – do you want to work with us?’ 

I jumped on that, and we made it happen quite quickly – the love and support that Acid Jazz has shown me has really helped. They have talented in-house musicians and production – it’s all good and it was like coming home. 

It’s been even more pleasurable to make music – I’m with a record company that knows what they’re talking about and enjoys music. If they give you criticism, it’s constructive and not just mean.

I guess you get a lot of freedom and at this stage in your career, you haven’t got anything to prove – you’ve been there and done it…

Exactly. On a major label, unless you’re Beyoncé or Jay-Z, I don’t think you have much of a say in anything if you want that gig – you have to do what you’re told.

There are people out there who do that and that’s fine…

I make my living from music and I love music… I couldn’t be involved with tracks that I feel have been massacred.

In autumn last year, you released the first tracks from the album – the double A-side single, ‘Don’t Forget About Love’ / ‘Be There In The Morning’…

‘Don’t Forget About Love’ was one of the fresher tracks I wrote for the album – I wrote it to order because I wanted to have something really upbeat. I got sent the backing track and there you go…

It has a summery, jazzy feel…

Yeah – I like to think that, as much as possible, everything about me should say ‘summer’ – I was born in the summer, and I love the sun. I’m a summer person and when I’m not in the sun I hope to bring it wherever I go. 

Even when I write about things that are slightly darker, I like to counteract it with a light backing track. 

The lyrics on ‘Trojan’ are vicious – you sound like you’re out for revenge on someone. Whoever they are, I pity them… 

(Laughs). The production is all bright and light, but underneath I’m literally threatening someone. The lyrics say it all – that song is about a friend gone wrong.

One of my favourite songs on the album is ‘Mountains’, which is a moody and melancholy track – it’s very atmospheric…

Thank you for saying that – it’s one of my favourites too. The only good thing about all these extra years that keep being added on – not to my pleasure, I can tell you – is that I’m growing with my own music. 

I’m particularly proud of ‘Mountains’ because it’s about a heartbroken woman and some of the things that one goes through when a relationship breaks up. I think it says it all – when you’re so consumed by sadness, you can lose your mind. That’s what I was thinking about – it’s kind of deep. 

The world is going through a dark time – you wanted to make an album that was upbeat and positive, didn’t you?

Yeah – I’m hoping it’s good for the soul because the soul doesn’t get fed enough these days. These are seriously such freaking dark times – it will stop one of these days, but, in the meantime, just hanging on to your sanity and your soul is hard. Music helps me, that’s for sure.

Had you been writing much music during your time off from the industry?

Not really, but there were a couple of old school tracks hanging around that are on the album – one is ‘Mountains’ and the other is ‘For Once In My Life’, which I wrote quite a few years ago. I went to New York on a writing trip and hung out with some writers and producers. I was young – I’d just left CBS Records and I was very angry with them. That song was about taking control – people were annoyed with me every time I tried to step up. 

I write with different people, and I like to get different things out of my voice – I think I have quite a distinctive voice, but I don’t want to be too samey. It’s interesting and important for me to move around and work with different writers – it always brings something a little fresher out of yourself.

You wrote ‘Anything’ with Paul Barry, who’s worked with James Bay and James Morrison. That track has a slightly more contemporary pop feel than some of the others…

He’s definitely got that vibe. That’s what I mean about working with different writers. I like to see what it pulls out of me. I love that song – it’s very uplifting. 

One of the songs on the album, ‘Walk Away’, was written by yourself and former Style Council member and keyboard player, Mick Talbot, who also plays on some tracks. It’s got a real Motown feel… 

That’s right – I can’t believe how Motown we went on that, but it felt good. Mick works with a lot of the Acid Jazz guys. Him and Steve [White] are like my brothers – they’re family.

You’ve written three songs on the album with Michael McEvoy and Ernest McKone, who you first worked with in the ‘80s…

They’re my go-to guys – when I started the album, I said: ‘Boys, right – I need some tracks.’ One of the songs they played me was ‘Don’t Forget About Love’ – they just know me – and straight away I was like, ‘Oh, yeah – that’s beautiful.’ 

There’s a little Style Council in there – it’s a bit like ‘If You Ever Had It Blue’, which wasn’t deliberate, but it just comes from loving the same kind of music. We’re very much part of that scene – the same musicians… 

‘Back In Time’, which opens the album and was co-written by you, McEvoy and McKone, has a disco-soul feel. Lyrically, it’s a celebration of the power of music. It reflects on your younger years, when you were listening to vinyl and going out dancing…

Yeah – exactly. I’m glad that you can see where I’m coming from. It’s about missing the days of being able to dance. My God, if I start dancing now, I’ll put something out – I have to be careful, and I’ve got grown-up kids who still roll their eyes at me whenever I try and get on the dance floor. 

The song is a reminder of being young and of how important music was in those days. 

And your daughter, Leah Weller, has co-written a song on the record: ‘Everyday Summer…’

My darling daughter is a prolific and fabulous songwriter – she takes after her dad, I think. She’s got a baby, but she writes a lot more than me. 

I heard ‘Everyday Summer’ when she was writing it and it stuck in my head – the melody and the way she sang it. I had an idea about how I would sing it and she said, ‘Oh, mum – I don’t know what to do with it. You have it.’

What music did you listen to growing up? Was it mostly soul?

I started off as a typical teenager and I was really into Marc Bolan and Mott The Hoople – I loved the song ‘Roll Away The Stone.’

I liked Labi Siffre and Joan Armatrading – I was listening to people like that because they were in the charts.

In the early ’70s, I started going to youth clubs and heard disco sounds – I was there, giving it all with the look, and listening to tunes that have now become part of my make-up. 

After that, I stopped listening to what was in the charts – I went to a club and started listening to Donald Byrd, Lonnie Liston Smith and Roy Ayers.

I used to style my voice on the female vocals you hear on early Donald Byrd tracks like ‘Wind Parade’ – all very floaty and atmospheric. The vocals were almost used like instruments. 

After that, I started listening to Chaka Khan and Rufus, and Diana Ross in her jazz days, like Lady Sings The Blues.

There was a lot of class about her singing and delivery, which I really liked. 

You ended up working with Donald Byrd, Lonnie Liston Smith and Roy Ayers…

Yeah – that was the icing on the cake. I’ve done everything I needed to do in my career – I’m done! (Laughs). I’m not done, there’s still more to come. 

Dee C Lee’s new album, Just Something, is out now on Acid Jazz Records.

Back to Music

Nordost QBASE Reference

Nordost calls its QBASE Reference a “multifaceted, reference-level AC distribution unit.” That’s cramming a lot of heavy lifting into a very few words. The QBASE Reference uses a passive distribution, star-earthed designand takes it to the extreme. This has proved successful with its standard QBASE distribution blocks. These are now in Mk 3 form and will betested here soon.

Like existing QBASE blocks, using star-earthing and ground separation for each connected device helps isolate the signal and ground conductors. This reducing the risk of introducing noise-related crosstalk. A central ground provides a route for stray voltages and eddy currents. It has internally wires of micro monofilament cables, as you might expect from Nordost.

QBASE Reference differs from its fellow QBASE distribution blocks in the degree of isolation, which is raised exponentially. The Nordost QBASE Reference adopts a dual PCB layout, with truly symmetrical live/neutral topology and separate grounding. This allows the user to place all the low-level signals on one entirely separate and isolated distribution platform. The second platform goes to the amplifiers and any additional QRT treatment. But before we get into that, it’s time to catch up (QATCH up?) with Nordost’s system.

QRT Revisited

Nordost’s QRT system has been heavily revised recently, and it’s worth looking at how things have changed. It bears almost no similarity to the QRT system of a few years ago. As the name suggests, QBASE and QBASE Reference form the basis of the tuning system. It’s the first (well, second… the first is the power cord from the wall to the QBASE) port of call. It’s also the power hub for all devices, both system and Nordost QRT.

From here, Nordost recommends a QKORE grounding system. This should run from the earth tag of the QBASE/QBASE Reference to a QKORE 6 (or similar) and then grounding connections to virtually every piece of non-QRT-related electronics in the system. However, on the QRT side, running a power feed to a QSOURCE linear power supply is recommended. This includes QPOINT resonance synchronisers under the audio electronics and the QNET network switch. 

The QRT portfolio also includes QSINE, QKOIL (initially known as Qk1) AC enhancers, and QWAVE and QVIBE (or Qv2) AC line harmonisers.

Back to QBASE 

Nordost’s QBASE Reference includes the company’s latest QPOINT resonance synchroniser technology at its core. It also features a QSINE AC enhancer and QWAVE AC line harmoniser for each side of the distribution system. While QPOINT resonant sync. tech is always active so long as the QBASE Reference receives power. The colour-coded front buttons activate and deactivate QSINE and QWAVE on either circuit. The two buttons on the front display four states for each side of the QBASE Reference. Predictably, all LEDs off means both are inactive, while blue means QWAVE is active, red means QSINE is running. Green means everything is ‘go!’ 

You can control the status of both sides, which is advantageous in rare cases where the sources and amplifiers/additional QRT devices differ. It’s possible, for example, that QSINE isn’t needed for a line input like a phono stage or CD/SACD player. However, both are used for preamp and power amplifiers. As an end user, you only need to cycle through the power buttons and potentially learn to live with two different colour status lights on your power distribution device. Listeners should experiment to see which QWAVE/QSINE combinations are ideally tailored to their system. However, in most cases, I suspect the full QWAVE and QSINE setup will work best. It did for me. 

Nordost QBASE Reference

The QBASE Reference sits on four Sort Füt variants. These feet site and level the distribution unit. Nordost recommends it sits on a dedicated shelf; weighing in at a shade under 12kg and roughly the size of a stereo power amp, that’s probably a good idea. Also, the company says it should allow maximum separation between the system’s AC power cords and signal leads. 

Simple sample

The manual for the Nordost QBASE Reference shows a sample system. This gives a good baseline system comprising a preamp, power amplifier, server, streamer and phono stage. Interestingly, this system takes the server away from the distribution unit and feeds it from the QSOURCE. I suspect this is because Nordost is considering a Roon Nucleus as a server and using the QSOURCE’s linear power supply as an upgrade.Other servers run from one of the QBASE Reference’s power outlets. Then use either an additional QKORE cable to one of the Ground connections or – for optimum performance – an additional QKORE unit with both connected via QBASE Ground. 

However, I would consider active subwoofers and turntables ‘outliers’. Each requires careful listening inside and outside the Nordost QRT ‘ecosystem’ to find whether they benefit from inclusion. This isn’t sitting on the fence; a Kuzma Stabi R sounded more ‘comfy’ plugged directly into the wall, and a VPI Prime preferred life a little more inside the QBASE’s enclosure. 

Two of the Nordost QBASE Reference’s ten sockets are ‘primary’ and designed for a preamplifier or integrated amplifier. However, for most people, the one on the correct defaults to a ninth standard input. Unless you have a proper dual mono preamp or integrated amplifier with two separate power feeds, the channel-two primary socket (top row, right middle) is not a primary one and is recommended to stay that way. If you do have a dual-mono preamp, there is a switch beneath a cap on the underside of the QBASE. However, one primary socket and nine secondaries should be enough for most systems, even with a QSOURCE attached. The rear panel includes an IEC C-20 input, laid vertically, with a fuse and the QKORE grounding post flanking it.

What it is, what it isn’t

In describing what Nordost’s QBASE Reference is (a very high-performance two-section AC distribution unit bristling with the company’s QRT devices), it’s essential to describe what it isn’t. This isn’t a power conditioner in the conventional ‘big filter’ sense, as it has no filtration. Nor is it an AC regenerator. It purifies AC by its topology and the QRT enhancement and harmonisation effect. Nordost feels the QBASE Reference and additional QRT devices obviate the need for conditioners and regenerators. I’d agree… with a caveat. If your power is so poor that heavy filtration or AC regeneration is mandatory, place what you need before the QBASE Reference. In other settings, the QRT concept will do a fine job of getting the most from your AC.

While we are talking caveats, two more spring to mind. First, although Nordost doesn’t mention it, the QBASE Reference improves slightly over a couple of days as the QRT devices gradually spread their sphere of influence across the system. Second, and probably most importantly, the QRT effect is cumulative and doesn’t sit well with similar grounding treatments. If you like what something like Entreq, Shunyata, TriPoint, or similar does, go with that.

QBase Reference_with Power Cords_US

None are intrinsically ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’; they do similar things in different directions. Don’t mix and match; nothing will suffer damage, but you are creating an infrastructure ecosystem that effectively works against itself. It’s like alternate tunings on a guitar; pick one. It doesn’t sound good to use standard ‘EADGBE’ tuning on the bottom three strings and ‘DADGAD’ on the top three. The different harmonising effects of two or more different ecosystems might not sound as extreme as trying two different tunings on the same guitar simultaneously.

Two reasons

Discussing guitar tunings is deliberate for two more reasons. First, a track highlighting what the Nordost QBASE Reference does so well features a guitarist who used alternate tunings to great success; ‘Canadee-I-O’ by Nic Jones [Penguin Eggs, Topic]. Here, the QBASE Reference ticks all the modern audiophile upgrade boxes; it lowers the noise floor, opens out the stereo image in width and depth, and tightens and deepens the bass all the while imposing no fundamental character on the system itself. So far, so everything!

Nic Jones’s recording speaks to what the QBASE Reference does so well because it lets the harmonic structure of both his playing and singing snap into focus. The delicate overtones and finger squeaks of his playing are made even more focused than usual… and that’s saying a lot. They aren’t exaggerated or given unnecessary emphasis; the QBASE Reference helps get the system out of the way of the music. His expressive guitar playing – the playing that leaves other guitarists considering their life choices – is given even more of a chance to shine. It’s not only that he seems more ‘there,’ but that sense of immediacy and musical cogency is brought out exceptionally well.

The other guitar-related concept is more philosophical. The sound of a good guitar is the combination of a great player and guitar, sympathetically recorded. That guitarist has spent years honing their craft and hundreds of hours practising that piece. The guitar is likely to have its intonation set perfectly and is tuned to perfection with strings at a balance point between being not so new that they sound jangly and bright and not so old that they sound muted and stretch out of tune too easily. The sympathetic recording is more than just a Shure SM57 six inches from the sound hole!

Off kilter

Get any of these things out of kilter, and what could have been a musical masterpiece falls back into the musically ‘outstanding’ or worse. The QBASE Reference applies similar demands to the audio system, ensuring everything works harmoniously to bring out the best in any recording. This goes beyond the surface ‘lowering the noise floor’; it’s like reducing the risk of those ‘meh!’ sounding system days. 

This is a somewhat abstract concept to get across. We are used to listening to changes in timbre, tone, pace, detail, soundstaging or dynamics, for example. And yes, the Nordost QBASE Reference does all those things well. But what it does that so few other things can do is tie the whole system together. It doesn’t matter if the music playing comprises vast, Mahlerian orchestral swells in a concert hall you could land a Boeing in, small-group jazz in a room so small, the soundstage smells of cigarette smoke, or pumps out wild distortion across a field full of muddy revellers… the Nordost QBASE Reference ensures the system treats the music with equanimity and respect. 

QBASE Reference EU rear

It’s a curious combination of making you relax into the music and wanting to listen more intently to those albums you know so well. That usually happens fleetingly in a system when all the Audio Gods are smiling on your equipment. Nordost’s Audio Gods smile more frequently, because that sense of a perfectly aligned system often happens with the QBASE Reference in place. 

Wrinkle smoothing

By QBASE standards, the QBASE Reference is a hefty financial investment. But this also helps smooth out the wrinkles in Nordost’s QRT platform relative to its cable lines. The QBASE Reference’s price point puts it in Valhalla 2 and beyond territory. It demands a system and system infrastructure at a concomitant level of performance. With Valhalla 2 or Odin 2, if you put these cables on a more affordable system, the system will rise to the occasion. However, it can only rise so far… and the same applies to the QBASE Reference. 

Because of its layout, the Nordost QBASE Reference is only available for US, EU, and Australian plug connections. The UK 13A power socket is just that bit too chunkinormous to fit. The 10-socket QB-10 would become, at best, a QB-4. However, if Nordost made the QBASE Reference large enough to accommodate ten 13A plugs, it would need to be far taller and would likely need a platform rather than a shelf on your rack. UK users can obtain an EU version equipped with Schuko sockets.

Nordost has always been about correctly establishing a system’s foundations, and the QBASE Reference is a cornerstone. This is your next upgrade for those already in audio’s First-Class lounge. This could be your first upgrade if you are in the category just below that reference point. Nordost’s QBASE Reference is important for the sound of your system. 

 

Technical specifications

  • Type: AC Distribution system
  • Features: 10 (9+optional) inputs, including 1+1 Primary inputs for preamps and integrated amplifiers. 
  • Star Earth Topology 
  • Dual PCB Design, Symmetrical Live/Neutral Topology + Separate Grounding (with Voltage Directionality Technology)
  • Multiple, internal QSINE and QWAVE devices
  • Specifically optimised and modified QPOINT Technology
  • Pre-QKORE Ground Design
  • Resonance Control Sort Supports
  • Dimensions (WxHxD): 48x20x14cm
  • Weight: 11.75kg
  • Price: £18,000/$18,000

Manufacturer

Nordost

www.nordost.com

UK distributor

Renaissance Audio

www.renaissanceaudio.co.uk

+44(0)131 555 3922

More from Nordost

Back to Reviews

Out of The Box – Diptyque Audio

Our ‘Out of the Box’ Series features companies who might slip through the net from time to time. Companies with something more than hot air, who make loudspeakers but make them with a rare passion that drives them and shapes the products they design and build.

logo diptyque noir

When did you start the company?

We (Eric and Gilles) met in 1999. We soon discovered that we shared a passion for HiFi and music. We also had complementary skills and experience, Eric in mechanics and Gilles in electroacoustics. We built our first planar loudspeaker prototype in 2000, and since then we’ve never stopped making progress!

Is making a loudspeaker an ‘art’ or a ‘science’?

We think it’s exactly the combination of the two. We’re scientists and technicians who build loudspeakers with objective, measured elements. We are artists who imagine and design unique objects with new ideas, and a great deal of sensitivity in the service of an incomparable art: music.

What makes your loudspeakers different to other brands?

1. Our technology: planar loudspeakers with two unique patents: bipolar push pull and crossed push pull technology for the Reference model.

2. All the well-known qualities of planar loudspeakers in the midrange and treble + firm, controlled bass, even with small panels.

3. A unique aesthetic design with numerous customization options.

4. 100% French manufacturing with industrial partners near Toulouse who work for the aeronautics industry.

5. Eco-responsible design, 100% easy to repair.

What challenges do you face in making and selling loudspeakers?

Over the past 25 years, we’ve taken many steps forward, with the aim of improving our products and making them better known.

Here are a few key steps:

  • Finding the right recipe for the sound we dreamed of.
  • Creating the specific tools to rigorously manufacture membranes, coils, structures.
  • Finding industrial partners who meet our requirements.
  • Find financing for this crazy project and buy our own building.
  • Find and train talented technicians to work with us.
  • Participate for the first time, in 2018, in the Munich High End show.

Where do you hope the company will be in five or ten years?

We want to keep our identity and our know-how as a high-level craft company. We want to continue to develop commercially worldwide.

Where can consumers hear about your products and find out more?

We are now distributed in over 30 countries. See the list of our distributors on our website. We are present at numerous trade fairs, including the annual Munich High End.

Our UK distributor is Reference Audio Distribution.

Diptyque Audio Website

Out Of The Box – Coppice Audio

Our ‘Out of the Box’ Series features companies who might slip through the net from time to time. Companies with something more than hot air, who make loudspeakers but make them with a rare passion that drives them and shapes the products they design and build.

Coppice Audio

When did you start the company?

Coppice Audio was founded in 2019 by two friends who wanted to diversify from their normal carpentry based work, Ryan is a talented music producer and Mal always had an interest in Hi-Fi. The result has been an extremely rewarding journey into high end speakers.

Is making a loudspeaker an ‘art’ or a ‘science’?

Making speakers is both an Art and a Science. We start with a concept then use science to work out the technical aspects. After making a prototype it is back to the Art of critical listening to fine tune.

What makes your loudspeakers different to other brands?

Through multiple listening tests we found that some woods sound more musical than others. We use locally-sourced solid hardwoods for our cabinets. Wood is a natural product that can move and shrink and it took us a couple of years to come up with a method to overcome this issue.

What challenges do you face in making and selling loudspeakers?

Our biggest challenge is getting our brand known, we have dedicated any spare funds into doing as many shows as possible as you really need to hear the products, this has paid off as we are building a reputation for good sound and good quality as well as getting feedback from the hundreds of people who have seen us at the shows so we know for sure that we have great products and built Coppice Audio on a solid foundation.

Where can consumers hear about your products and find out more?

For more information visit our website where you can sign up for a newsletter or keep an eye on the show guides. Alternatively you can visit our listening room in Malvern, UK.

Coppice Audio Website

Music Review: The Cure – Songs of a Lost World

A lengthy introduction featuring guitar riffs, soft-toned keyboards, and pounding yet subdued drums marks The Cure’s return to the musical world with the opening track, ‘Alone.’ More specifically, it showcases Robert Smith’s return—the lyricist and composer who plays guitar, bass, and keyboard and provides lead vocals. He also produces, mixes, and more. You can see where this leads: Robert Smith is The Cure. Trusted longtime musician Simon Gallup plays bass on many tracks in their latest album, Songs Of A Lost World. This 14th studio album appears 16 years after The Cure’s previous release and follows years of extensive touring. Many of the tracks were written and recorded years earlier.
I lost touch with The Cure when Robert Smith switched from guitars to bass as his main instrument on Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, on which the poppy electronic-sounding drums and poppy ‘Why Can’t I Be You’ became too poppy for me (even though the album had a few good tracks).
Eight tracks are on their new album, and they feature many familiar features to The Cure fans, such as Robert’s unusual vocals—like a whispering, desperate voice crying out from the void!
Robert’s vocals sound as they always did, and you would never mistake his vocals for someone else’s. Likewise, as in the past, the lyrics on this latest album seem devoid of hope. With a grim outlook on life, love, and relationships, they are similarly familiar. Robert’s lyrics have not become more joyful or hopeful with age.
But many things are different. I am happy this is not a ‘poppy’ album, even though Robert has kept the soft-sounding keyboards on many tracks. But the guitars are ‘noisier’ and more dominant. Likewise, before Robert starts singing, the long intro that we encounter on the first track, ‘Alone’, continues on all the tracks. On many tracks, more than half of the opening is only instruments until his characteristic vocals finally kick in. His guitar use has also changed somewhat, and he seems more atmospheric than on previous albums.
‘Warsong’ plays like a noisy yet melodic funeral hymn about how hateful a couple can treat each other. Likewise, ‘Drone:Nodrone’ is an insightful song about how you can ruin your life, even while you know you are ruining things.
The very personal song ‘I Can Never Say Goodbye’ is about his brother’s death and is heartbreaking and very catchy at the same time. This track musically stands apart from the rest of the album, with its almost innocent/naive feel. Repeating pleasant piano notes and laidback guitars create a pleasant soundscape. You can almost feel the rain falling on the window as you feel Robert’s tears.
The lyrics of the album, especially the last track, ‘Endsong’, tracking at over ten minutes, deal with him dealing with old age and mortality – “It’s all gone, it’s all gone//I will lose myself in time//it won’t be long//It’s all gone, it’s all gone, it’s all gone.”

If you’re feeling down about your age, you should probably not listen to those lyrics—or maybe you should, as you will most likely feel better about your life.

Robert Smith is the only constant member of The Cure, but nothing indicates that Smith is slowing down musically, even though he might feel he is. On this album, lyrically, there is no hope in sight. But musically, The Cure has created a very atmospheric album, making one recall their earlier albums from the early 80s. This album is a welcome surprise from a man who started the band back in 1976 and who once again has returned with his unique voice and outlook on life. The Cure, a.k.a. Robert Smith, is back!

Stillpoints Ultra ESS equipment support

For more than a decade, Stillpoints has specialised in products addressing vibrations in audio equipment. its isolators specifically address the fact that when electricity is supplied to any discrete component, it vibrates. Those very high frequency vibrations cloud the signal, and in turn faithful musical reproduction. Further, Stillpoints recognises the internal architecture of every audio component is different. This is why all their isolation products bypass existing equipment feet, meaning Stillpoints isolators can be placed closer to internal components, sources of vibration, such as circuit boards and transformers. 

In this review, I take a holistic look at the new Ultra ESS rack fully loaded with the latest V2 Stillpoints isolation products. I will be comparing the new Ultra ESS with Rail Grids to my ESS rack with X Grids and a combination of older V1 Ultra isolators. There are many Stillpoints V2 isolation products in this review rack that can be used in many permutations on any rack. Therefore, part two of this review, in a future issue, will look at the V2 products and the new, very special, Component Stand. 

Looks different but…

The new Ultra ESS rack looks quite different to the open frame ESS rack with masts and central cross bars. The ESS remains a current product. The Ultra ESS retains the ingenious, precisely highly tensioned stainless-steel ropes, to which internal stainless steel support bars attach, that can be easily spaced as required. I say ingenious, because, in a previous life, I learnt that steel ropes have inherent compliance and mechanical vibration damping, provided by friction between individual wires. Think of a vehicle suspension leaf spring, albeit in helical form.

Stillpoints Ultra ESS equipment support system

The reason the Ultra ESS rack looks so different to the ESS, is to address the needs of modern high-end turntables that can be big, heavy, and sometimes have two arms. They require a larger, higher load capacity platform, more so if you have a wobbly suspended wooden floor. 

That explains the four solid legs complemented by Ultra 7 V2 feet at the floor, and Ultra 6 V2 feet at the top, supporting a beautifully and dimensionally precise formed black stainless-steel top shelf. Speaking to Paul Wakeen, Stillpoints founder, about the development of the rack, he mentioned the importance of metal to metal contact between isolators and supported components. So, where the underside of the top plate contacts the Ultra 6 V2 isolators, there is no coating. That’s just one example of the immense attention to detail invested in the design, development and manufacture of the rack, and the latest V2 isolators. Although initially the design goal was for turntables, it soon became clear the new design of the Ultra ESS greatly benefited all components, as I have found with my dCS Rossini APEX Player and Master Clock.

Evolution not revolution

Good news for upgraders. The design of the new Ultra ESS rack considers owners of the current ESS rack by allowing their existing support bars and shelves (be they Acrylic, X Grids or Rail Grids) to be simply transferred to the new Ultra ESS. Further, at the time of writing, Stillpoints are developing a trade-in programme should ESS owners want to upgrade to the new Ultra ESS rack.

Dismantling and rebuilding a system always takes forever so I was very grateful for the help and guidance from Fraser Robertson of Airt, who is the distributor for Stillpoints in the UK. Rebuilding the system together gave me some fascinating insights into the rack’s design and attention to detail. The rack is supplied in modular form, where the sides are pre-built with the pretensioned stainless-steel ropes. The sides are connected by two pairs of crossbars, top and bottom precisely joined by spigots locked by stainless steel socket head grub screws. All perfectly selected tools are supplied for assembly and set up.

Ultra precision

Getting the Ultra ESS rack and support bars perfectly level is critical. First, we levelled up using the supplied spirit level which was then supplemented by my own engineers’ precision level which can measure with an accuracy of 0.02mm per metre. After that we added the internal, beautifully machined, stainless steel Rail Grids, and the top plate, also precisely levelled. 

Rail Grids are Stillpoints’ latest and most advanced interface between the support bars and isolators, allowing optimal positioning of the chosen Stillpoints isolator under components. We were then ready to present the components. 

Stillpoints V2

The Ultra ESS arrived with four shelves, three internal and one on top.  Within the rack, I positioned my David Berning QZ mono power amplifiers on the bottom two and my Pre-One preamplifier above. The support bars were linked with two Rail Grids to support four Ultra 6 V2 isolators. My dCS Rossini APEX and Master clock were on the top plate supported with Ultra 6 V2 Isolators and Bases for perfect levelling without rocking. 

Locked-in confidence

As a mechanical system, the Stillpoints Ultra ESS rack is a joy to set up with ease and micro millimetre precision. It gives confidence that once set up, it will remain that way for consistent performance that will not change with temperature, humidity or over time. More so because every interface is a solid mechanical connection that cannot go out of adjustment, ever. I can’t wait to set up a turntable on the Ultra ESS!

Important: The system had just been fully rebuilt into a new mechanical support infrastructure. So, as with all high precision electromechanical systems, our audio systems, over the following days, the system sounded better and better as everything warmed up and restabilised. 

Freedom to experiment

This is the setup stage that really highlights the benefits of the new Stillpoints Rail Grids compared to previous solutions. I could easily position the Ultra 6 V2’s under each component and experiment where I thought the sound was best. As mentioned at the start, every component is different. Please don’t underestimate this. I remember being at a dear friend’s house many years ago listening to a high-end CD transport thinking “yeah that’s okay”, but then my friend repositioned the Stillpoints Ultra 5’s and I was shocked how much better it sounded to the point where I said, “I would now buy that transport!”. So, please do exploit the freedom Stillpoints allows to experiment. You will be shocked.

There is a common theme with all the music I’m enjoying with the new Ultra ESS. A new level of detail and understanding. What really stand out are nuances and subtleties in vocals, instruments, 3D space, atmosphere, and especially timing changes. Combined as a whole, those things can transform your listening experience and emotional response to another level, one that I have rarely experienced with any upgrade. 

There is also a greater sense of full bandwidth with unlimited resolution throughout the spectrum, especially lows. For example, I continue to be blown away by how a bass guitar, a damped kick drum, a cello, brass instruments and more are now so clearly separated, on display with full colour, 3D and texture yet integrated with artistry and beauty I haven’t experienced before from an audio system. It’s both astonishing and moving.

Freedom to explore

I was listening to Peter Gabriel’s version of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ from the album Scratch My Back [Real World]. It is intimate and staggeringly authentic where the almost crying Peter Gabriel, feels to be performing only for you, perhaps for the last time.  The track starts quietly and builds with modulating violins, a double bass is joined by a cello where, with the Ultra ESS, I can virtually see the low frequency waveform of the cello’s bowed strings with beautifully superimposed harmonies. Yet the higher frequencies of the violins and cello both interplay without interfering with each other.

It feels like a privilege to be allowed to witness a magical collaboration between amazing musicians with staggering results. At any time, I could choose to marvel at an individual musician yet, whenever I wanted, stand back and equally marvel at the whole; there was a newfound freedom to be inquisitive and explore at will.

I then noticed how sounds started, phrased and stopped, the leading and trailing edge, be that a note or a vocal. My system had a newfound clarity and without any sense of lag or smearing. Listening to ‘That’s the way’ from the album Led Zeppelin III [Atlantic], starts with multiple guitars, a ukulele plus a beautifully voiced electric guitar in the right speaker, of which I became aware that the rise and decay of the notes was far from linear. It was a complex profile that I could easily visualise that added new meaning to the lyrics. I was left open mouthed thinking how can a song take on a new meaning, and how did that happen? 

Noise floor

I must comment on my systems new low frequency performance. It was always amazing, a trademark of David Berning amplifier designs. But it is now on a new super intelligent intuitive level. My system with the Stillpoints Ultra ESS rack somehow knows when to produce more bass depth with more resolution, texture and resonance at the right time. Yet another time, reign it in, all in proportion and with magical balance and empathy. Stillpoints has always been about adding nothing but removing noise, lowering the noise floor, and never has it been so evident as now, allowing the music to breathe, unrestricted, with ease.

Stillpoints Ultra ESS rack

That leads into another effect of the Stillpoints Ultra ESS rack, one that I had not previously considered. I was listening to ‘Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45: I. Selig sind, die da Leid tragen (Choir)’ by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra from the album Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem [Harmonia Mundi], that once sounded, dare I say it, dark and tonally slightly dull. The music is concentrated in the low to mid bands where there is so much happening both quiet and loud including the choir (male and female), their precise interactions, an organ, plus the hall. With the lowered noise floor, greater resolution was liberated – another Stillpoints attribute – and the piece now made perfect sense. The piece took on a new musical brightness where the close concentration of sounds was something to behold. 

And I thought I knew

Before the new Stillpoints Ultra ESS rack with V2 isolators was installed, I had no complaints with my system’s performance with the ESS rack and V1 isolation products. Sure, there were some recordings where I felt things could be ‘better’ but, given I had a beautifully transparent, open and musically involving system, I put that down to the odd recording. 

It’s now clear. Crystal clear. The excellent components I have can perform at an astonishingly higher level when floated on a lower, subterranean, noise floor. This is amongst the most significant upgrades I’ve ever experienced. The Stillpoints Ultra ESS rack with Rail Grids and V2 technology is an essential foundation product for high-end audio systems. It looks great too. 

Pricing and Contact Details

  • Note: The review sample features Stillpoints Ultimate Ultra 6 V2 Isolators and Shelf Support options on each level. The Ultra ESS support can be configured in both height and width like a standard ESS support. This allows options for any performance level a client chooses based on either budget or preference for individual components, this includes the choice of Shelf Support and/or Isolator for each tier as well.   
  • Review Rack configuration:
    • 1 x Pair Ultra ESS 34” Tall Masts – price includes 4 bespoke               $19,700        £17,500
    • Ultra 7 Isolator Footers, 4 Ultra 6 V2 Isolators for top plate,
    • 1 x Stainless Steel Bespoke top plate as support for a Turntable or other Source Component.
    • 3 x Pairs 20” Blank Stainless Steel Support bars                                     $4,500           £3,300
    • 3 x Pairs Rail Grids – Stainless Steel Shelf Support                                 $7,500           £6,000
    • 12 x Ultra 6 V2 Isolators – 4 for each Shelf Support                             $15,408        £13,200
  • Total cost as tested:   $47,108        £40,000
  • Current ESS owners should contact Stillpoints or Airt Audio to cost/facilitate upgrade options to Ultra ESS.

Manufacturer

Stillpoints

www.stillpoints.us

UK distributor

Airt

www.airtaudio.co.uk

+44(0)754 879 6382

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Acoustic Energy Corinium floorstanding loudspeaker

For audio manufacturers, few activities are as fraught with risk as designing a product to occupy a new price point, particularly one a good bit higher than where you have built your reputation. Your existing engineering must be present in the new product but augmented so that you are seen as competing against the established order. If you change the basics beyond recognition, however good the product might be, there will be little to no association with the existing models lower down. These hazards all apply to the Corinium floorstanding loudspeaker for Acoustic Energy. 

Corinium is the Roman name for the town of Cirencester, which is close to ‘home’ for Acoustic Energy. Since its early days of designing and building sophisticated AE1s, the company has long been perceived as making smaller rather than bigger speakers. Thus, the decision to make the Corinium a floorstander looks slightly risky, but there is a nod to the company’s past in how the Corinium is laid out, which is quite a clever one. 

Audentes fortuna iuvat

Or, as the Romans said, ‘fortune favours the brave’. Unlike other floorstanders in the Acoustic Energy range, including the hitherto range-topping AE520, the Corinium doesn’t space its drivers evenly down the front panel. At the top, the Tetoron 29mm soft dome tweeter and 120mm carbon fibre midrange are in close company with one another and handle everything from the claimed +/- 3dB roll-off of 25kHz down to 260Hz. They operate as a two-way stand-mount in the vein of the classic AE1 in terms of their relative position and their crossover point at a relatively traditional 3.4kHz. 

The two 140mm bass drivers at the foot of the cabinet are designed to act in the same manner as augmenting a small stand-mount with a subwoofer (although, thanks to the bass drivers being on axis with the smaller ones and working in stereo, the crossover can be high enough to risk a slight directionality to it). In addition to separating them visually, the gap also improves the mechanical aspect of this relationship. While it might look like a relatively big speaker, the Corinium is, in some ways at least, intended to behave like an augmented little one. 

Acoustic Energy Corinium - British Racing Green

To fulfil this premise, Corinium uses several new engineering concepts. Initial prototypes used the same carbon fibre tweeter as the 500 Series, but the decision was made early on to push for something lighter. The exact nature of what this lighter material might be is not something that Acoustic Energy wants to broadcast, but it’s a soft dome slightly larger than the carbon unit at 29mm across. It has a prominent surround and sits inside a shallow waveguide. The 120mm midrange is carbon fibre like the 500 Series but has been reworked to optimise it for the role. The 140mm bass drivers, while still relatively compact for something described as such, are the largest drivers that Acoustic Energy has ever employed. 

Alea iacta est

Acoustic Energy’s ‘the die is cast’ moment that sets the Corinium apart from regular loudspeakers is in the crossover network. The crossover that manages the relationship between drivers is bespoke and benefits from componentry that simply isn’t commercially viable at the 500 Series price point. This factors heavily in the sensitivity and impedance measurements of the Corinium. In sensitivity terms, the 92dB/w claimed figure is usefully high but is matched with an impedance firmly pegged around the four-ohm mark.

What this means, in reality, is that the speaker isn’t hard to drive; the 100-watt output of Ayre EX-8 that is also reviewed in this issue was entirely sufficient, but it does benefit from good current delivery (at which the Ayre excels). Unless you own something valve-based, it is unlikely that the Corinium will be beyond most commensurately priced amps, but it isn’t as easy to drive as you might assume. Connection to an amp is made via a single set of speaker terminals.

Acoustic Energy Corinium - Tectona (Rear)

The cabinet that contains all of this is relatively unusual by the standards of Acoustic Energy because it features a curved edge that helps with standing wave issues and looks rather smarter than more terrestrially priced models. This is partnered with a metal front baffle of 6mm thick aluminium. The cabinet is made from varying thicknesses of Resonance Suppression Composite depending on where it is used. Another departure is that the whole cabinet leans back at four degrees to help with time alignment, although this can be adjusted slightly by levelling the spikes. 

On the rear spine are two ports, one venting the upper chamber and a larger, rectangular one helping the lower drivers. These ports have very little effect on the Corinium’s usefully high tolerance of boundaries. Under test, they were roughly fifty centimetres out from the rear wall. Still, they could have gone closer if needed, and their overall behaviour has been entirely benign, with only a little attention to their toe-in to ensure they performed at their best.  

Aesthetically, the Corinium is, to this set of eyes anyway, a good-looking thing. You can reasonably argue that save for pointed dust caps on the drivers, there isn’t a considerable amount that ties it to Acoustic Energy designs of old, but the proportions and overall design are an attractive balance. Four finishes are available: a ‘Tectona’ wood, black and white sheen for £6,000 and the green of the review samples commanding an extra grand.

Described as British Racing Green, this colour scheme has grown on me considerably in the time they have been here, partly because it isn’t British Racing Green, which, heritage aside, is not a terribly prepossessing colour. This one is from the Bentley paint swatch. It lends the Corinium a sense of identity that is further helped by the fit and finish, even on these very well-travelled samples. It feels entirely in keeping with a speaker at the price and arguably of a higher standard than a few key rivals. 

Sic infinit

‘And so it begins’… the listening, that is! Mat Spandl; Director and head of acoustics for Acoustic Energy showed up with the demo pair. Upon unboxing and placing them, his requested ‘sighting’ track was Taylor Swift’s ‘Exile’ from her Folklore album [Republic Records]. With no disrespect to Miss Swift, I think this is a fine album, and I own a vinyl copy myself; but she’s not necessarily the artist I associate with Acoustic Energy of old. The company also makes no secret that various rival designs were benchmarked against the prototypes and, while some of these were expected, some are a long way from what I associate with the company. 

Credit where credit is due though, the Corinium does a tremendous job with this simple but heartfelt track. Bon Iver’s distinctive vocal turn has the weight and sheer presence it needs to dominate the opening section, and he’s underpinned by a piano with a persuasive amount of heft to it, as well as notes that decay beautifully away to nothing. When Swift begins singing, she’s no less believable, anchored between the two speakers: it’s delicate yet convincingly human-sized. The Corinium’s extensive comparative testing has imbued it with skills that weren’t necessarily in the repertoire of its ancestors.

Acoustic Energy Corinium - Matte White

Neither is this an aberrant one-off. Across a wide selection of musical material that requires delicacy, sweetness, and finesse, the Corinium has shown itself to possess all of them in abundance. Above all these things, there is emotional engagement that is consistently impressive. The astonishing ‘In the Morning (Grandmother Song)’ by Eliza Shaddad on The Woman You Want [Rosemundy Records] is delivered with every ounce of its sadness and anguish intact. Without ever suggesting it’s anything other than a fundamentally accurate performer, the Corinium can ensure that what you listen to is a performance rather than a rendition, driven by the superb performance and integration of those upper two drivers.

Up the scale, and the Acoustic Energy loudspeakers do an excellent job of delivering the extra space and weight that comes with it. Give the Corinium the live performance of ‘Hammers’ on Nils Frahm’s Spaces [Erased Tapes], and the result is profoundly and lastingly impressive. Here, some of the virtues that I have come to associate with the Acoustic Energy brand begin to make themselves felt. How it ensures that every rapid note is defined, delivered, and perceived as such rather than a more slurred general flavour of piano and hints that the speed and articulation that the Corinium’s ancestors that so endeared them to so many of us has not been forgotten in the bid to add new skills. It then defines the space Frahm performs in with accuracy and conviction. 

Quam bene non quantum

Something else that begins to manifest itself as these larger scale pieces unfurl is that the low end of the Corinium is going to be the element that is most likely to divide opinion. For me, a man who owns a pair of original AE1s that he’s likely to be interred with, the Acoustic Energy has enough bass; indeed, it would be somewhat churlish to describe a speaker that bettered its ±3dB low frequency roll off of 38Hz in this room as being ‘bass light.’ Nevertheless, the Corinium is relatively lean in how it operates.

The substantial low note that begins Dead Can Dance’s Song of the Stars [4AD] is deep and beautifully defined, but it lacks the almost stygian depth that some similarly sized speakers at this price can attain with the same material. However, regarding a stentorian bottom end, I feel ‘how well, not how much’ reigns supreme in the Corinium’s bass performance.

Acoustic Energy Corinium - Matte Black

There is a trade-off to this that is worth the price of admission. For all the tonal richness that the Corinium possesses, when you want it to go ballistic, every metallic green inch of it is an Acoustic Energy. Give it the heavyweight electronic workout that is Hybrid’s Morning Sci-Fi [Distinctive Records], and that bass response you queried earlier is suddenly perfectly judged. All too often, the speed and dexterity of this album are lost as the loudspeakers trip over the layered high-tempo basslines. The Corinium dances through them with dexterity and sheer urgency that has you ping an apologetic WhatsApp message to your long-suffering neighbour and nudge the volume up a little more. Pending them not demanding you receive an ASBO, the Acoustic Energy loudspeakers can take a lot of nudging, too, staying usefully uncompressed even when you lean on them. 

Across the less couth side of my music collection (which, if I’m being in any way honest, is rather more than half of it), the way that the big Acoustic Energy has gone about its business has emphatically proved that it still knows the old ways of doing things. Emotional engagement comes in a few flavours, and while sometimes it is conveyed in the sadness and reflection of a piece, sometimes it’s every bit as present in something like the raucous Youth and Young Manhood by the Kings of Leon [Handmedown] where four young men are not going to let their big break get away from them and their determination leaks from every note. The Corinium is detailed, tonally correct and impressively forgiving. It’s also about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. 

Ad meliora

And then, when it’s time to stop being a headbanger, this new face of Acoustic Energy is all primed and ready to revisit its Taylor Swift sighting track and be all the things it demonstrated there. This speaker does things I haven’t always associated with Acoustic Energy, and it does it well enough to ensure that it earns its admission to the price point it contests without a shadow of a doubt. The most impressive part of all, though, is that it has done that without forgetting where it has come from, and I hope the Acoustic Energy Corinium points out the way of things to come for the company at all the levels it contests. As the Romans say, the Corinium points ‘towards better things.’ 

 

Technical specifications

  • Type: three-way reflex-loaded floorstanding loudspeaker with curved RSC cabinet and aluminium baffle
  • Mid-Range Driver: 29mm Tetoron soft dome tweeter, 120mm Carbon Fibre cone midrange, 2 x Frequency Range: 32Hz-30kHz (-6dB), 38Hz-25kHz (-3dB)
  • Sensitivity: 92dB/m/2.83v
  • Power Handling: 200W
  • Crossover Frequencies: 260Hz, 3.4kHz 
  • Impedance: 4Ω
  • Connections: 4mm Single wired banana sockets / 9mm spade connections
  • Finish: Matte Black, White, Tectona, British Racing Green
  • Dimensions (HxWxD, inc. spikes): 110 x 23.5 x 38.5cm 
  • Weight: 40kg (per speaker)
  • Price: £6,000/$7,499 per pair, (British Racing Green finish, £7,000 per pair)

Manufacturer

Acoustic Energy

www.acoustic-energy-corinium.co.uk

+44(0)1285 654432

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