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Neat Acoustics Ultimatum XL6 loudspeaker

Neat Acoustic’s Ultimatum range is a three-strong expression of Bob Surgeoner’s distinctive take on loudspeaker design. It comprises a stand-mount Ultimatum XLS, the flagship XL10 tower, and this, the XL6 floorstander. The logic behind having three flagships instead of just the one behemoth design is simple; people don’t just live in man-caves, and some of those with high-end audio aspirations do not live in similarly high-end palaces with rooms large enough to accommodate said behemoth. As the name suggests, the Ultimatum makes a bold statement; it just makes it for people in varying domestic circumstances. It’s that kind of pragmatism that defines almost everything about Bob Surgeoner and, by extension, everything about Neat Acoustics too.

Unlike many modern loudspeaker firms, the accent in design is placed on ears over meters. Neat Acoustics is not a measurement-free environment, and the products rely on tried and trusted loudspeaker designs, but when it comes to the final sign-off for loudspeaker design, the way it sounds in a domestic setting takes precedence. Despite suggestions to the contrary, observation-led product design is all too rare in today’s loudspeaker world, and Neat receives praise and opprobrium in equal measure from the Twittering classes as a result. Once again, though, this reflects the pragmatism of the company; given a loudspeaker spends most of its time being listened to instead of being measured, perhaps assessing how it sounds might  actually prove useful! Who would have thought it?

Ultimatum started life as a single design, the 150cm tall MF9 from 2001 (which spent six years on the drawing board). This was quickly joined by three more models, which eventually morphed into the XL range seen today. In the process, one of the four designs – the 120cm tall MF7 – was sidelined. The three remaining models all share many common approaches and even common parts. They all feature a pair of upward-firing 25mm EMIT planar/ribbon super-tweeters on the top-plate, they all use the same 26mm SONOMEX domed tweeter, all use the same 168mm NEAT-designed mid-bass unit with an aluminium phase plug, and they all use isobaric bass loading in the design of the birch ply enclosure. The 1m tall XL6 and the 1.5m tall XL10 use NEAT’s other 168mm driver (the one without the phase plug) for pure bass duties. The difference is the size of the enclosure dictates both the number of drive units used and, as a result, its the complexity. In the XL6, this means small sealed chambers for the supertweeter and the tweeter, a rear ported chamber for the forward firing mid-bass unit, a second (larger) ported chamber for the internal down-firing primary bass unit, and a similarly-sized sealed box for the other driver in that isobaric design, which fires out of the base of the loudspeaker. This makes the outriggers and feet mandatory and unpacking the XL6 a little more complicated than most.

Isobaric loading is relatively uncommon (in part because of the complexity of the enclosure, the need for the tightest of matching in the drivers in the isobaric chamber itself, and – as it is usually sealed – requiring a very tightly sealed inner chamber, making construction a bit ‘spendy’). Isobaric enclosures, like many designs, dates back to Olsen in the 1950s. It requires two identical drivers to operate at the same time within a fixed and common body of air on one side of each diaphragm. The pressure between the cones is constant (assuming driver identicality) and the drivers are often laid out in a cone-to-magnet design (otherwise the phase of one driver needs to be inverted). The two drivers operate in tandem, effectively making a performance akin to one drive unit in twice the cabinet volume. In other words, isobaric loading effectively yields a driver with twice the moving mass, half the compliance, and half the impedance of a single bass unit, but achieving the low frequency extension afforded by a cabinet nearly twice its actual size. This can come at the expense of some non-linearity, if different air circulation properties cause the isobaric chamber to act non-symmetrically. However, outside of some pretty wild listening sessions in the rainforest in the height of summer, such non-linearities are more ‘notional’ than ‘actual’ and playing at party levels for protracted periods leaves the XL6 with distortion-free bass far more than what you might expect from a 1m tall box.

 

Aside from care and attention in installation (don’t pick up the speaker by putting a hand under the base-plate because you’ll put a finger through the bass driver, and remember there are drivers on the top of the cabinet too), the Ultimatum XL6 is perfectly behaved in typical medium-sized European living and listening rooms. The equation is simple; if you have a place smaller than 12’x16’, you will probably be best with the XLS stand-mount, and if it’s larger than 20’x24’ then the XL10 is perfect. Between those two points (± a healthy amount of wiggle room), go with the XL6. Start with about half a metre from the rear wall, 60cm from the sides, and a 10°-15° toe in to begin, give the speakers a couple of hundred hours to run in and feed them good quality audio. Its 87dB efficiency and a minimum impedance of about five ohms makes the XL6 not the first choice of speaker for a single-ended triode design, but a good quality solid-state amp of about 70W or beyond should suffice. Bob has used Naim’s Classic and 500 Series products to good effect with these loudspeakers, as well as designs from some like-minded brands. It’s about quality, not quantity… and about rhythm, not refinement.

In a way, that sentence defining the amplifier could pithily sum up the XL6 too. The loudspeaker is one of the best I’ve heard going into real-world rooms owned by people who don’t have a six-figure disposable income and a listening room that could hold a medium-sized orchestra. It’s a tidy, open, airy, and most of all musically-entertaining sound, and one that is possessed of incredible levels of bass for a loudspeaker of its size. It feels like you have found the magic spell that lets you squeeze a quart into a pint pot in such real-world European rooms.

As you spend longer listening to the XL6, you begin to detect how some of this beautiful performance is tailored toward sounding good. At that point, you have a ‘head vs heart’ moment; either that tailoring will trouble you (in which case, you have probably started down a path that ends with electrostatics)… or it captivates you, and you spend the next decade or more loving music through the Ultimatum XL6. In short, although we say a demonstration is vital in audio, with the XL6 it’s all but mandatory. There is no easy arbiter to say whether the XL6 leaves you speechless, or dumbfounded. I suspect, it’s not even a matter of taste and certainly has little to do with musical tastes. Speaking personally, I couldn’t get enough of the XL6 performance; it didn’t just rattle my musical chain, it practically bonded to my DNA. The way it portrays that upper-register openness just makes arias take flight; listening to Victoria de los Angeles sing Carmen under Beecham’s deft baton on a classic EMI reissue from 1959/60 just pulls you deep into the music. But then the underpinnings hit you as you turn to something with more ‘graunch’; My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless[Creation] is not a popular audiophile choice, but that acme of shoegazing, dripping with distorted guitars, ethereal vocals, and the sheer wall of sound makes the XL6 act like a time machine.

I found myself listening more for the ‘earthy truth’ behind the music rather than the filigree detail, even in recordings that emphasise that information overload. Norah Jones registers a 0.9 on the Krallometer but is the closest I could get to the Full Diana. Her rendition of ‘Court and Spark’ on Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters[Verve] is full of interior detail, microdynamics, spatial information, and all the other things audiophiles crave. And when I listened to it on the XL6, those things didn’t matter and instead I was listening to some really talented musicians riffing on a Joni Mitchell classic. It wasn’t a different track, but it fired off other parts of my brain than usual. Odd… but oddly brilliant too.

Where this speaker does hit its absolute peak, however, is the simple stuff. ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’ from Fairport Convention’s 1969 Unhalfbrickingalbum [Island] is hard to get wrong because it’s very likely the best folk/rock track ever recorded, but that didn’t prepare me for hearing it on the XL6. Sandy Denny’s voice has a beguiling quality at the best of times, but here it goes beyond mesmerising. It’s just you and her (and the band, most notably Richard Thompson’s subtle guitar mastery) and all the artifice of the studio, the recording, and even the years themselves slip away. It’s that time machine again… it’s 1969, you are there in a studio in Chelsea. All other considerations are set aside; play that track on these speakers, and I defy you just to shake the experience off. We in audio talk about getting new blood into audio; replicate this experience and anyone in earshot got minted as an audiophile.

 

I’m concerned that this speaker got under my skin so much that I cannot be objective about it. But, in fact, it’s that very aspect that holds the key. If it doesn’t move you, move on. I’m sure if I had been in with a group of people at the same time as I played that Fairport album, there would have been those for whom it left no mark. They might be impressed by such bass depth and dynamics from a relatively small loudspeaker, but they might also find that bass goes for pace over solidity. Personally, if that has to be a trade-off, it goes in my right direction, but not all will agree. There is also a very mild dip in the upper registers, but this is mild enough to be of little actual concern unless you listen to a lot of plainsong and choral work. Similarly, those airy EMIT supertweeters in the wrong room (either too reflective or just too large) will make the soundstage seem diffuse and vague, instead of spacious and direct. And yes, there will be those who find those EMITs make a perfect observation post for the feline neighbourhood watch.

In truth, I had to stretch for these observations, because the Neat Acoustics Ultimatum XL6 had penetrated deep into my musical psyche. To call up these observations seems like a betrayal, or agreeing with someone who tells you your child ‘is a bit ugly’. That’s how far the bonding process goes with the Neat XL6. If the same intensity of emotional connection with the music happens to you through a pair of loudspeakers, I’m pretty sure you would have the same atavistic reaction. I can fully get the notion that not everyone will share the same experience and that many will prefer a different presentation. And I can’t help feeling that the Neat’s presentation has to be suited to making music sound good, rather than some sterile ‘hi-fi’ concept. But, maybe that’s just what good speakers do!

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Type: Multi-chamber, multi-driver array, incorporating isobaric internal cavity, plus upward firing super‑tweeters
  • HF Unit: 1x26mm SONOMEX Domed XL
  • Super HF Units: 2x EMIT 25mm planar/ribbon
  • Bass / Midrange: 1x168mm NEATBass/Mid Unit with Aluminium Phase Plug
  • Bass Units: 2x 168mm NEAT Bass Units
  • Sensitivity: 87db/1 watt
  • Recommended amplifier power:
    25–200 watts
  • Impedance: 8 ohms average / Minimum 5 ohms
  • Finishes: Oak, Black Oak, Walnut, Figured Birch (standard), Piano Black, Velvet Cloud, Red Velvet Cloud (High Gloss)
  • Dimensions (hwd): 100 ×22 ×37cm
  • Weight: 34Kg each
  • Price: £9,750 per pair (£1,460 extra for high gloss finish)

Manufactured by: Neat Acoustics Ltd.

URL: neatacoustics.com

Tel: +44(0)1833 631021

https://hifiplus.com/reviews/

Audiovector R8 floorstanding loudspeaker

Audiovector has something of a gap problem. The Copenhagen-based brand has a couple of ranges of superb loudspeakers that cover the entry-level and attainably-priced regions of the audio market, it has the R11 flagship that costs an order of magnitude more than anything else the company makes, and then it has… nothing in between. Until now, as the R8 is perfectly designed to fill that gap.

However, filling in gaps in the portfolio is not Audiovector’s style; a good thing because too often those range-fillers in rival lines seem to be more about the ‘filler’ than adding something worthwhile to a loudspeaker line-up. As a result, the R8 pulls together the best of both Audiovector-shaped worlds; bringing much of the R11’s performance and technology to a wider audience both in terms of pricing and installation concerns, while distilling the best of what the more affordable SR-Series has to offer. In the process, the R8 allows Audiovector to take stock of developments in design and also becomes a platform to give us a taste of what might trickle down (and trickle up) into future designs.

The slim floorstanding design is very much Audiovector, so much so that the launch of the R8 at this year’s Munich High-End Show almost passed unnoticed. Unless you are an eagle-eyed follower of the brand, or see the models sitting side-by-side, you might be forgiven for mistaking the R8 as perhaps an SR6 Avantgarde Arreté in a rich and glossy burr walnut. Those eagle-eyed brand-followers would spot the extra bass unit and the increased height of the R8, but still might associate it with the SR6 line. This is quite remarkable because up close, you begin to realise just how physically imposing the R8 really is. It’s a tall, deep standmount that stands a smidgeon or two higher than a pair of Wilson Alexias, but because of the narrow front baffle and the boat-tailed rear, you simply don’t notice that size. It’s only when wheeling out the R8 and wheeling in the SR6 do you realise just how big they really are. The same holds to a lesser extent for the R11 flagship, but they stand noticeably tall. The R8’s advantage here is that you are not buying a visually arresting, room-dominating loudspeaker, unlike many of its up-scale contemporaries. OK, those who buy audio by the yard may want something more ostentatious to show off just how much they spent, but those of us who have shared listening rooms instead of dedicated man caves will relish the notion of outstanding sound without that constant ‘it’s too big and ugly’ complaint from your non-audiophile other half.

Audiovector isn’t a company that makes changes without good reason. It does have a consistent view of how to make a good sound and this is realised by its engineering. And like many companies, this corpus of engineering standards is improved upon with each successive product, adding its own innovations into the mix. The R8 is no different; it brings several important additions to the Audiovector canon. 

For example, its new ‘Cross Woven Sandwich Carbon Driver’ was developed specifically for the R8 to improve upon the existing drivers found in the SR and R models: these have much lighter, stiffer, and more acoustically ‘dead’ membranes made from precision woven aramid fibres, sandwiched with artificial wood resin. Aramid is a term used in describing a range of extremely heat-resistant and exceptionally strong aromatic polymers. Audiovector claims this new membrane material produces faster, more uncoloured midrange and bass performance, and that certainly seems to be proved out in the listening.

Similarly, the company’s clever cabinet with an internal isobaric compound bass system uses hand-built 100mm rear-firing mid-bass drivers. This once again builds on the technology used in previous Audiovector designs (in this case the R11), but develops upon the previous model’s strengths. Also, the quasi-rear-firing Air Motion Transformer folded ribbon tweeter driver (Audiovector’s own, now in its third generation) is incorporated from the top Avantgarde Arreté models of the SR series and the R11. Internally, the R11 features cryogenically treated, ‘seven nines’ (99.99999% pure) copper wiring, in an asymmetrical loom and using the company’s own ‘Nanopore’ damping material, which is again developed from existing models, and is designed “to give a smooth and natural musical reproduction”.

The big development at present unique to the R8 is what Audiovector calls its ‘Freedom’ earth grounding system. This uses an extra terminal on the rear panel, designed to accept an earth cable, running to either an electrical or floating ground (such as Entreq). A notionally similar star-earthing arrangement was developed by Tannoy some years ago, but Audiovector’s Freedom system takes the concept and runs with it.

Freedom has the kind of across-the-range potential that companies like Audiovector crave. And, given the company’s strong adherence to an upgrade path in the SR series, don’t be surprised if an extra ‘speaker’ terminal begins to trickle down to more attainably-priced models in the portfolio. This might require a high degree of performance from the loudspeaker (I’m working with a sample of one here, and it’s a bit of a good one at that), but notionally this might be the kind of upgrade that only works with the biggest and best Audiovector has to offer. Or it might become a part of every product in the range. It’s certainly extremely audible, and that is easy to check – plug it into an earth, and the sound lifts further out of an already extremely quiet background. Unplug it and it drops back a couple of notches. And it does it instantly. I won’t say it’s audible to all or idiot-proof, because there are some remarkably resistant ears in audio, and nature has a way of constantly designing a better idiot, but if you can’t hear the difference between an earthed and unearthed speaker with the Freedom grounding system, you probably don’t need a loudspeaker as resolving as the R8. Or any of the SR range. Or a clock radio. Hell, if you can’t hear Freedom in action, stick with car alarms and klaxons. That’s about  all your ears are good for… sorry!

 

As with the SR models, installation is fairly straightforward, and the usual ‘equilateral triangle, with a slight toe-in’ rules apply. But it’s here where Audiovector begins to show what it can be capable of. Just place them in the room as a ‘first fit’ as described and you’ll get good sound from them. Take time to install them with great care and attention, in particular making sure the distance from the side walls, rear wall, height and overall level are just right, and you go from ‘outstanding’ sound to ‘awesome’ sound! Of course, at this level, it’s likely you might not be the mover and installer of this loudspeaker, but make sure the person doing the installing knows what they are doing, all the same.

Also like existing Audiovectors, the R8 craves quality amplification. Not necessarily vast amounts of power, but something that combines power with some rhythmic ‘sass’. Audiovector was for the longest time Naim’s distributor in Denmark (perhaps understandably, that came to an end when Naim and Focal acted more in alignment across international distributors, and the electronics division in the hands of a rival to the loudspeaker division was never going to sit right) and that classic Naim sound blends perfectly with the R8. A NAP 300 power amp, for example, is ideal. More recently, Audiovector has been nuzzling up to fellow Danes Gryphon, and the Diablo 120 integrated from the brand makes for an awesome combination, especially when you mix in the Mohican CD player from fellow Scandiwegians, Hegel. But more on that later…

In a way, the review is easy. This does all the things the top of the SR range does, but more so and a lot, lot better. Most notable is the increased dynamic headroom. This will stump some of Audiovector’s detractors, who mistake control and grip for foreshortened dynamic range. The R8 proves them wrong in spectacular fashion, combining as it does edge-of-the-seat dynamics with the control and precision we have come to expect from the best Audiovectors.

This dynamic range comes across as a sense of unforced and effortless energy and scale to any recording. Play ‘Memphis Soul Stew’ [King Curtis Live at Fillmore West,ATCO] and when that brass section of the Memphis Horns kick in, instinct pushes you back in the seat. This track also highlights the freedom of the R8’s sound; Bernard Purdie’s powerful, rhythmically complicated yet deceptively simple shuffle pattern not only requires some muscle, but also needs a light touch to prevent it sounding like a distant and disorganised military band. On the R8, he’s in such good form, anyone with some drumming chops nearby will ‘just happen to pop round’ listen to him play those triplets against a half-time back-beat, look at their hands and feet, and start crying. It’s that effortless.

The R8 is also extremely detailed, and it’s here the Freedom earthing makes its mark. It ‘disappears’ the loudspeakers, leaving you with a soundfield of good, solid instruments in a physical space. It doesn’t sound like there are electronics, wood, and drive units in the way because that noise floor that you barely perceive, but underpins and undermines everything you hear drops further into the background. Vocal articulation, especially of solo female voices, is exceptional, even the syrupy close-miked Malia singing ‘Celestial Echo’ [Convergence, Universal] sounds less processed and more ‘in the room’.

I threw all kinds of music at the R8, from Richard Wagner to Kurt Wagner and back again, and nothing phased the R8. In comparison to the biggest of the SR series and the R11 context was quickly established. The R11 had more bass depth and ‘slam’, but the R8 had better finesse and control over that bass. Put another way, the R11 was the loudspeaker with the on-paper advantage of a few more bass pedal tones, but the R8 is the speaker you would happily prefer to live with. Meanwhile the SR series showed just how big a jump you make when going for the R8. It’s still a great – make that ‘outstanding’ loudspeaker system, but the R8 betters it in every respect. Tonally all three are close to one another, but the R8 just sings more in key.

Back to Hegel for the last blast. While the companies bigger amps would be a good match, the little Röst integrated amplifier couldn’t be a good match for the massive R8, could it? Actually, it worked extremely well. OK, so at anything beyond a reasonable early-evening chill-out volume level, the Röst began to run out of steam, hardening the top end and thinning down the bass slightly, and the overall package lost a lot of the finesse of the Gryphon-Audiovector combination, but the performance was still perfectly acceptable. OK, no-one is likely to plant a top-notch speaker with an amplifier this affordable, no matter how good the partnership, but it shows the R8’s ease of drive is not simply confined to the spec sheet. I’d still not use it with a low-power tube amp no matter how highly regarded, because I think the relative lack of damping factor valves bring may make those cones flap around too much, but in all other aspects of performance, the R8 is genuinely amp-agnostic.

 

I’m something of a fan of the Audiovector sound, as it combines the precision of something like a Dynaudio with the melodic sophistication of something like a Devore, or a Neat. But that combination gets taken to new levels in the R8, arguably more so than the R11. So often, flagship designs lose as much as they gain, and the best model (in musical terms) can be a more affordable model that was the original test-bed. ‘Less is more’ has resonance in high-end audio among those who let their ears decide their system choices, but the R8 takes that maxim on… and wins. This is the point of inflexion in the Audiovector range; yes the R11 is bigger sounding and in a very large room is generally a better performer, but the quality of the R8 makes it one hell of an upstart. I’d choose the R8 over the R11, and – perhaps more telling still – over the models in the SR range. It’s all pointing in the right direction!

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Type: Four-way, rear-radiating floorstanding loudspeaker

Drive units: 1×Audivector-produced 3rd generation AMT folded ribbon tweeter with acoustic lens, 3× 152mm Audiovector titanium Aramid Sandwich mid-woofers

Frequency Response: 22Hz–52kHz (-6dB)

Sensitivity: 92.5dB

Nominal impedance: 8Ω

Crossover point: 100Hz, 250Hz, 3kHz

Reflex ports: 8” + 6” compound bass reflex

Star earth grounding: Audiovector Freedom Purifier

Dimensions (W×H×D): 22 × 145 ×47cm

Weight: 69.8kg

Price: £50,000 per pair

Manufactured by: Audiovector

URL: audiovector.com

Tel: +45 3539 6060 

Vitus RI-101 integrated amplifier

It’s interesting how having a high quality streaming capability and a Tidal account changes your style of listening. As a result, I have been on a bit of a retro kick recently and looking more deeply into the complete works of Steely Dan. I always liked the albums and had massive respect for the musicians they assembled to bring the songs to life. Then they slipped out of my consciousness for a while. I would occasionally catch an audio glimpse of them and be reminded that it was time for a re-visit and this, courtesy of Roon and Tidal, grew into a renewed fascination as I have become more intrigued with their songs. Time has actually leant them a new depth for me.

It was during this musical period that I took delivery of the RI-101, the latest version of the entry-level integrated amplifier from Vitus. This is the successor to the eight-year-old RI-100. I have lost count of the amount of Vitus products that have passed through my hands since their arrival in the UK, and I am a big fan of the way they go about their business. Their SIA-025 has become an integral part of my whole listening experience and has been both fed and has driven many, many high-end components for years now. It is a real classic amplifier of the modern era design, fully deserving of the many accolades that have been heaped upon it.

I liked the RI-100 when I first heard it several years ago. It didn’t have the Class A switching, perhaps so vital to the SIA‑025’s creamy smoothness and tonal subtlety, but replaced it with sledgehammer driving power and a firework display of dynamics and grip of the rise and fall of musical movement. Who needs 300 watts? Well, the RI-100 can provide an answer to that question every time you sit back to listen. The seemingly bottomless well of power gives its own sense of ease. My abiding memories of that amplifier is that it ultimately lacked a bit of resolution and crisp articulation and it was perhaps a little flat and dark in musical perspectives. Certainly in comparison to the SIA-025 which, it must be remembered, is a considerably pricier investment.

When the new RI-101 arrived it seemed like a case of “Meet the new amp, same as the old amp,” but looks are inevitably deceptive. From the outside, the new version has little to distinguish it except, I am told, some extra cooling vents. The chunky industrial design, finished in black for the review sample, makes a bold physical statement with a very familiar and unmistakably Vitus look. Aluminium slab fronts merge into the small central illuminated control window while three flush buttons per side provide the control inputs, volume, and settings. An Apple remote, supplied as standard, offers fuss-free access to essential functions, including standby.

Internally, as you might imagine, there have been many improvements in critical areas. As usual, this Vitus is a modular design. It is beautifully assembled and laid out internally, so much so that it would actually look great with an acrylic top. The heart of all Vitus products is the transformer, and anyone who has spoken to Hans Ole will know just how meticulous he is where these are concerned. This one, an improved version of that found in the RI-100, has an EI-core instead of the UI-core found in the Signature series. The lettering indicates the shape of the core. It really does sit at the very centre of what the Vitus is all about and in the latest amplifier also provides an impressive 300 watts (at least) with extensive and complex modifications to the voltage regulation aimed at reducing noise at this critical stage. This leaves an even inkier black backdrop. But, perhaps the more notable differences between this and the amplifier it succeeds come in the preamplifier section. When you make as many products as Vitus does and arrange them into different categories, upgrading each of them as time passes will undoubtedly incorporate a degree of trickle-down technology. This means a constant striving towards new levels of perfection across the whole range. As one component is improved, so the next level will also be undergoing experimentation to raise performance. No company embodies this quite like Vitus. As such, the ultra-low-noise power supply in the R1-101 is further complemented by the inclusion of the high-resolution volume control from the SL-103 and MP-L20. The whole section of the amp that handles the inputs is improved too. The result is an amplifier that builds on the original with noticeably increased resolution. It was this that caught my ear as I made my way through my Steely Dan renaissance.

 

Connections are comprehensive and the rear panel, in stark contrast to the simplicity of the minimalist front, is crammed full of sockets of one kind or another. There are three pairs of balanced (XLR) inputs and two single-ended (RCA) ones. There is a balanced XLR line output too which can be used should you feel the need to go for a bi-amped set-up which would be fascinating. Speaker connections are a model of excellence as you can employ 4mm or spade terminals with ease and superbly solid connections. They are some of the best out there.

To further enhance the amplifier’s versatility there are two optional modules available either on delivery or as a half-hour retro-fit by your friendly dealer. Vitus has an excellent reputation where DACs are concerned, and for around £2k you can enhance the possibilities of the RI-101 considerably by adding one. For £3k you have the option of adding a DAC / streamer. These include additional digital inputs and allow the amplifier to function as a digital hub. Now that streaming has really come into its own I can imagine many customers being very interested in this option. The review sample had not been fitted with these modules though.

From the box, I thought the new Vitus to be rather flat sounding and quite dry, which I had anticipated. It was as powerful as expected and the promise of fine detail sitting atop a low-end of unusual power, and impressive grip needed several days to come together and a few weeks of musical work-outs before finally expanding into the joyous, muscular device that sits atop some Stillpoints as I write. Just have a bit of patience and it will come good as the whole scope and presentation of the amplifier moves to another level, the focus clicks into place, and the recorded ambience opens wider and wider. It’s about now that it really begins to flex its considerable muscles at all levels and gets to grip with really ‘driving’ the speakers.

So, I am trying to learn the ‘Kid Charlemagne’ guitar solo (from The Royal Scam), played by Larry Carlton, courtesy of Tidal and the RI-101 has taken over amplification duties while a dCS Vivaldi DAC is giving it every musical chance to perform. Down in the basement of the song lurk Bernard Purdie and Chuck Rainey, the drummer and bass player, and I became entirely fascinated with the semi-shuffle pattern they are laying down. The Vitus has complete control over the song and the recording. Bernard is the master of doing everything while seeming to do very little. His little pushes and angular rhythmically hypnotic skips are really what drive the song and give it such a classy feel. The RI-101 punches this rhythm out, and the way that his very understated bass drum works with Chuck Rainey’s astonishingly precise bass guitar is nothing less than magical, bringing a really locked-in feel. This amplifier allows you to delaminate the song if you want. This is a rhythm section like very, very few others and I cannot think I have ever heard better. The sense of movement through time and the way that these guys bring their utterly superb skills to the song, with so little apparent fanfare, move it to another, timeless level. I love the way the Vitus resolves all these components and that the increases in resolution and quietness have been so brilliantly incorporated to the benefit of the music. It’s not so much the extra detailing of the instruments but more about highlighting the way that the instruments are being played for me. It is also very good at allowing you to easily follow each and every line while maintaining a clear view of the whole. As for the guitar solo? It is one of the greats in my opinion, but I’m still struggling with that one I’m afraid.

The amplifier can swing a mighty 300 watts into 8 ohms and this, of course, is one of its significant features. As I asked earlier, who needs 300 watts? In my small room, I probably don’t, but that bottomless well of power makes itself felt even at modest levels to give a notable sense of ease to the dynamics. It’s that sense that you really need to hear to appreciate. Such a well of power is not only about volume. Add the increases in amplifier resolution and a purer sense of clarity to the rest of the onboard improvements, and you’ll realise that this has released the amplifier to open new musical details and subtleties and quite often, that’s where the magic lies.

The bass delivery is excellent and even better when you realise how joined-up it is with the entire bandwidth. It is about as tight and grippy as I have heard, but there is not even the slightest hint of compression or any compromise in extension. Tonally it is superb too. Push the RI-101 and it will ask big questions of the whole system. Play some music with thunderous bass and some serious drive and the RI-101 shows what it is all about. I have spoken in the past at the way the Class A Vitus amplifiers have such a beautiful way of unfolding rhythms, tempos, and sheer pace and have often described them as being like a fast flowing river of movement. The improvements to this new amplifier suggest that the Class A setting is not wholly responsible for this. This Vitus is a driving, punching rhythm machine. It delivers timing emphasis with ease and has the speed of recovery to match its sense of impact and note shaping. I can’t help but feel that this comes under the general heading of resolution that I see as covering a lot more than instrumental or vocal detail. The vital way that Hans Ole’s products illuminate musical movement inevitably has something to do with the inordinate amount of care taken with the power supply in his amplifiers. Add the lower noise floor and the excellent leading-edge control, ask it to drive a system fully capable of responding to high-end musical demands, and the new amplifier seems to be a much more capable performer that operates at a higher level altogether than the model it supercedes.

 

Many factors make just about any significant purchase a tricky decision and a serious audio amplifier is no different. Price is a prominant place to start. The reputation of the manufacturer is indeed another. The appearance and general presence of the product, its future compatibility with the rest of the system, perhaps the potential for an upgrade and the reality of how it compares with rivals. All these things are likely to play a part. But, maybe the most important thing for me is just whether I enjoy listening to it. A strange comment perhaps. I can’t remember the last time I heard an amplifier that was “bad”. By that, I mean an amplifier that left me emotionally cold and disinterested. Desirability though is a different matter and carries a lot of intangibles that are personal to each of us. This new integrated Vitus knocks it out of the park on so many levels, and the ability to supplement its capabilities with a genuinely excellent onboard retro-fittable DAC or streamer shouldn’t be underestimated, especially taking into consideration the extra costs concerning space and cabling that a separate DAC will incur. It also has that sense of drive-anything power and stability and a seriously engaging sense of very fine detail with something of an iron fist behind it. Musically it has all the Vitus hallmarks of really elastic rhythmic focus and precision coupled with excellent tonality and balance. I can see it being an excellent investment for the serious music lover for years and years. When an amplifier is this good, it has to get a recommendation from me.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Type: Solid-state two-channel integrated amplifier
  • Analogue Inputs : 3 ×balanced (XLR), 2 ×unbalanced (RCA)
  • Power Output: 2 ×300 watts RMS into 8 Ohms
  • Frequency Response: DC – 500KHz
  • Signal To Noise: >100dB
  • Input Impedance: 22k
  • Optional Inputs: Dac or DAC / Streamer (consult dealer for details)
  • Dimensions (H×W×D): 195 ×435 ×470 mm
  • Weight: 40Kg
  • Price: £11,800
  • DAC: £2,000
  • DAC/ Streamer: £3,000

Manufacturer: Vitus Audio

URL: vitusaudio.com

Distributed by: Kog Audio

Tel: + (0)24 7722 0650

URL: kogaudio.com

https://hifiplus.com/reviews/

Moon 390 network player/preamplifier

I’ve come across Moon’s output several times in my reviewing career, as a few years ago I was asked to review a Moon phono stage. I enjoyed living with it; it was not only well-constructed, well thought-out, but it had a lovely communicative sound that was striking.

At the Munich show a couple of years ago, I heard the Moon Ace, the all-in-one Swiss Army Knife that Alan reviewed in Issue 138, playing through a pair of bookshelf Martin Logan’s, and was staggered that the unit could quietly, without any hint of pretence be producing an arresting sound that was quite out of the price point in which it was born. I bought the unit and have enjoyed it ever since.

This year at Munich, the Simaudio room was using the 390 Network Player Preamplifier, along with the 400M monoblock power amps, driving some B&W802d2 speakers. Again, I was struck by the talent of this combination and by its effortless music making, and on some of the hardest tracks I could throw at it. I listened for a good hour, not really being able to comprehend the how and why of what this combination was doing, so I was naturally thrilled at the prospect of spending more time with this kit.

The 390 Network Player Preamplifier is more than just a Swiss Army knife. In fact to call it thus would be to sell it short. It has been brilliantly thought out. As a preamplifier, it’s reasonably comprehensive. It has analogue and balanced inputs and it has a configurable phono stage, suitable for use with moving magnet and moving coil cartridges and with the ability to set capacitance, gain, input impedance and even change the EQ curve from RIAA. It has a built-in DAC with Toslink, SPDIF, AES inputs, and a USB Type B input capable of up to DSD256 and PCM 384kHz.

There are four HDMI inputs for video or SACD, which is a brilliant touch. I have experimented with video receivers, and I am always shocked to see what a hit you take on audio quality over two channel audio. The 390 does not support multichannel audio, however.

Thus the 390 can take HDMI inputs from say a Sky Box, a DVD player, Apple TV etc., and impressively play the audio. Useful, and maybe a game changer for some. The HDMI output is 4K compatible. There is a USB port for connection to a hard disc etc., and a Simlink for a proprietary way of connecting a Moon CD player.

The volume control operates purely in the analogue domain and avoids some of the sonic compromises associated with a digital control. It uses an optical encoder to create the same ‘feel‘ as a digital control. The power supplies benefit from trickle-down technology from the 780D Digital Converter, which also uses the Moon Hybrid Power Supply, where there is essentially a digital switch in the first stage of the supply blocking DC et al., and a linear analogue power supply to feed the unit.

 

Setting up the 390 is a breeze. There are two antennae which screw into the back of the unit, and you can connect via a network cable, or scan the existing wireless networks. One slight quirk comes when entering the WiFi password, which is a little tricky with a circular knob, the unit predicts the next letter of the password, and you have to take a gamble if the next letter counts or not! That aside, it’s pretty straightforward. There is an IOS app, which is very reliable and does what it says on the tin. I used a combination of the app and Roon, which works well with the Moon, again without any problems. There is a remote control which performs some features and is narrow, shiny, and plastic.

I did many listening tests, with the 400M monoblocks, and also with my VAC Phi 200 power amplifiers, to try and ascertain how the various components within the 390 were contributing overall to the final sound.

I started with the phono input, which was a breeze to configure for my Lyra Etna cartridge. Listening to the marvellously recorded Naim album, Forcione’s Tears of Joy, it became evident that the phono stage in the preamp is not just an afterthought. There is a fast, ‘zappy’ quality here; it’s exciting, dynamic, and thoroughly engaging. The bass is tight, and the wood block is taut; perhaps the decay is not as naturally resonant as my VAC phono preamp, but this is many multiples of the cost of the 390. There is a high-end feel to this; I’ve heard phono stages alone for the same price as the 390 that don’t sound as good.

The area where I suspect this product will be used most is digital. It is interesting to hear the same track played on Tidal, as accessed on the app. There is still the same level of guts and communication, the space is somewhat different, and perhaps the streaming version is a tad less organic, but I’m surprised how similar the two versions sound. I have to navigate between the two inputs using the remote; for some reason the ‘Phono’ input doesn’t come up as an option on the app. A little odd, but one of the only quirks I have found so far!

Onto my terra firma, Simon Rattle and the Berlin Phil playing the eccentric Haydn Sinfonia Concertante, 1st movement. The sound is sweet and totally believable compared with what I’m used to, a dCS Network Bridge plus a Chord DAVE. Rich and full, the bass speed and quality are both excellent. The soundstage is well-presented for the price level of the preamplifier, it’s not as cavernous and as vast as the VAC/Dave/dCS, but it’s impressive. There’s something that’s inviting about what it’s doing. The 390 shows the musicality of the players, the sense of fun, and communication that’s going on. It’s doing the same thing that I heard from the brand in Munich for the last couple of years.

This file is using MQA, both on the native app and with Roon software. The 390 deals with this integration with consummate ease. I moved on to the Oscar Peterson Trio, specifically to ‘We Get Requests’ and ‘You Look Good to Me’, where there seemed to be a problem with the MQA re-release. It sounds fuller and more realistic, but there is quite a lot of wow at the beginning of the track, which isn’t there on the earlier CD version. That aside, it’s interesting to see what the remastering is doing for the presence of the artists. Either way, that’s a bit of a digression, because it has nothing to do with the Moon, except to say it has integrated MQA and Tidal seamlessly into its offering. The double bass is taut, powerful, and the whole track (once we pass the wow-ridden beginning) really rocks.

A brief survey of the headphone output is no surprise. It’s no slouch, punchy, clean, and highly capable. Listening to the ball scene from the Symphonie Fantastique, Ticciati and the SCO on Linn, a beautifully recorded 192kHz affair, there is a pleasing combination of clarity and grunt, but also warmth and humanity. The soundstage is spacious, and it exceeds the capabilities of my old Graham Slee headphone amplifier in sheer presence and communication, a unit which represented excellent value-for-money at over £600.

Substituting the VAC power amps for the Moon 400M’s, and going back to the vinyl, Forcione shows some impressive results. The power amps add muscle, precision, and even more tautness. The resulting sound is exciting, engaging and gives some of the percussion instruments more of a spotlight. This was a surprising case of synergy, the components singing together. Of course, a good transistor power amp can leave a good valve amp standing in the bass department, but these two together and a good vinyl set up has really cracked the timing of the track.

 

It is worth noting that the 400M’s are no spring chickens; they have been around for at least the last seven years, they don’t seem to have been picked up by reviewers anywhere – they appear to occupy space below the radar. At £7,200 they are something of a bargain, and they seem to have a special affinity with the B&W802d2s. They have the power to grip the bass performance of the speakers and to drive them with aplomb. My turntable is an Inspire Monarch, with an SME V, and I’ve not heard such impressive bass performance as this on my system. Continuing with the vinyl odyssey, this time the Amadeus Quartet with Cecil Aronowitz playing Mozart’s early and utterly charming Bb Quintet op 174 on DG, the combination really captures the vitality of this world-class ensemble. The sound is packed with detail, lovely tonal nuance, and the colours of the players’ Strads (not all of them) finessed effortlessly. This is the opposite of many of the digital amps I’ve heard recently. The greyness and lack of tonal nuance kill them for me. None of that here! All this from the phono stage that comes from a preamp costing £4,750.

The 400M’s have fully balanced differential circuitry, matched Moon bipolar transistors, an over-sized power supply using a custom-designed toroidal transformer, and a healthy 400 Watts at 8 Ohms. The monoblocks are also Class A for the first 10 Watts, which goes some way to explaining the sweetness I’m hearing.

So onto some opera, Macbethconducted by Sinopoli on Philips Digital Classics. Using the 390 and 400M’s – a truly stellar (or should I say lunar combination), once again shows the synergy of the three products. They capture the drama of this extraordinary work. The fearsome orchestral crescendi… 0-60mph in 6 seconds! There are choral moments, which can scream on lesser systems, but here have a beguiling line to them. When the music turns comic, the tightness and grip these units have on the music is the perfect conduit for the wit of the score. When Mara Zampieri as Lady Macbeth gets going with her pyrotechnics, there is no hint of harshness and such control! The full personality of her voice is laid bare.

Finally, I tried Leif Ove Andsnes playing Chopin Ballades and Nocturnes on Sony, as heard through Qobuz, a 96k/24 bit recording. The piano is a funny one for me. It’s tough to capture a keyboard well so that it sounds like a single instrument and not a series of drive units- so it’s more a speaker thing, but the amp and DAC also play a starring role in the success of good pianistic reproduction.

Chord’s DAVE is the master of the piano, but somehow what I’m hearing on this hi-res Qobuz recording makes me want to listen further and further. It’s a beautiful sound with no harsh edges, and the incredible subtlety of Andsnes’ phrasing spins the musical line in an arresting way. Not only is the timbre of the piano just right, but the micro-phrasing that you hear when you stand next to a great musical artist is all there. It is so often lost.

 

I’ve been hugely impressed with the Moon 390 Network Player Preamplifier; It’s well-engineered, and highly intelligently thought out. It combines a well-facilitated phono stage made without obvious compromise with a top-class streamer which works without faff or fiddle. The headphone amp section is also a serious contender, as is the DAC. Together with the well-kept secret 400M mono power amplifiers, the whole package creates an award-winning partnership that offer outstanding value for money. Anyone looking for a serious high-end system should give this the most careful consideration. To ignore this would be lunacy!

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

390 Network Player Preamplifier

  • Analog Inputs: Phono Input: MM and MC, RCA Inputs, Balanced Input
  • Analog Outputs: XLR balanced, fixed and variable output (RCA)
  • Digital Inputs: Toslink and coaxial S/PDIF, AES/EBU, 4xHDMI, USB Type B, RJ45
  • Finish: all black, all silver, black with silver cheeks
  • Dimensions (WxHxD): 43 x 9 x 33.2cm
  • Shipping weight: 10 kg
  • Price: £4,750

400M Monoblocks 

  • Output Power at 8Ω: 400W
  • Output Power at 4Ω: 650W
  • Finish: all black, all silver, black with silver cheeks
  • Dimensions (WxHxD): 42.9 ×8.9 ×35.6cm
  • Shipping weight: 15 Kg each
  • Price: £7,200 per pair

Manufactured by: Simaudio

URL: simaudio.com

UK distributor: Renaissance (Scotland) Ltd

Tel: +44(0)131 555 3922

URL: renaissanceaudio.co.uk

https://hifiplus.com/reviews/

Aurender S5W active loudspeaker system

We are living in an age where convenience trumps quality almost every time; commercially speaking MP3 makes all other music formats look insignificant and lossy streaming is so much bigger than its pricey lossless cousin that most people don’t know there’s an alternative. And more and more folk will pay extra for a product without wires. In a world where everything needs little more than a power connection that’s understandable.Why tether your headphones to anything if you don’t have to? Personally I’ve never been very lucky with Bluetooth, which is the ubiquitous wireless connection for audio devices: the place I review in seems to have a force field that stops it working smoothly and for a long time I was baffled that anyone would put up with such a glitchy format. Then I took the same devices to another place and found they worked seamlessly! But Bluetooth, originally compressed the signal it transmits and was limited to the lossy audio formats like MP3 and AAC, however aptX HD changed that as it offers full 24/48 resolution. This last, like AirPlay and Wi-Fi DLNA, are more likely to get a signal to its destination with the minimum of degradation.

Aurender has entered the wireless speaker market with the S5W, which is supplied with a Wi-Fi transmitter dongle that is specified to be good for lossless audio up to the red book CD standard of 16-bit/44.1kHz. There are wireless audio systems on the market that claim to transmit up to 24-bit/96kHz so the Aurender’s is not a game changer. What makes this speaker really interesting is the other side of the equation: power.

Although the S5W is supplied with inline power supplies and cables for each speaker there is also a large aperture in the back of each speaker that will accept a rechargeable battery. I have to admit I was a bit baffled when I opened one of the boxes and found two batteries for a cordless drill and a charger to match, but then I opened the speaker box and made the connection. The 18V Bosch power tool Li-Ion batteries come supplied with this loudspeaker, but additional batteries and charges can be purchased separately, albeit not from many sources in the UK (they are more common in the US); you can get two additional Bosch batteries and a charger for £163 plus carriage. This unusual approach makes the S5W a truly wireless speaker which is a major bonus for installation and portability: the only drawback is that you need to remember to charge the batteries every so often. Aurender claims up to 50 hours of battery operation but that will depend entirely on how loud you play them; more output means more power usage. There’s a small light on each speaker that turns red if charging is required, it blinks green when disconnected or remains solid green in operation.

The speaker itself has an aluminium cabinet that comes in a variety of anodised finishes. It’s a small but chunky bass reflex design with a rear firing port and a Wi-Fi antenna on the back. The main driver is described as being a four and a half inch (114mm) model but I’m guessing that’s the chassis because the cone is no more than 75mm (three inches) in diameter. It’s a SEAS driver and combines with a ScanSpeak soft dome tweeter. Each driver has its own 50 Watt amplifier onboard and the two are paired by a digital crossover with a 2kHz crossover point. One can presume that the power amps are Class D types for the sake of battery life if nothing else. Users of this speaker will see that the two channels are marked L and R, which is worth noting during set up as channels cannot be reassigned.

 

The USB dongle supplied with the speakers can be used with mobile phones or tablets so long as an adapter is used, a micro USB example is supplied in the box for Android devices but Apple users will need to shell out for a USB camera kit to hook up their iOS devices. Pairing from both platforms was automatic once the speakers were switched on, where a laptop was marginally even less idiot proof. Here I had to select Aurender in the list of output devices within the system preferences box on a Mac. Things were less smooth when using Audirvana for music replay; the first track played came out at ear bursting level despite the volume being set at a medium position. Luckily you can press pause with your elbow when your fingers are in your ears! Starting with volume at minimum was far less painful but it’s odd that you can turn it up well past 11 without the level getting excessive once everything has settled down. A remote handset is supplied with which you can adjust volume, but given the importance of the task under the circumstances, it’s somewhat vestigial.

Because the S5W is a small speaker, I initially set it up quite close to the wall and after having plugged the appropriate dongle into my Moto G5 Android phone I gave the Aurenders a spin. It didn’t take long for me to realise the rear ports needed a bit more space; 40cm seemed to give a good balance of openness and bass extension in my room. I say bass extension but with a box that’s less than 22cm high and with what must be a 75mm bass cone this is a relative state of affairs; you can buy sound bars with built in ‘subwoofers’ that are smaller but they don’t produce bass as such. The S5W will produce a thump but it’s not doing much below 50Hz, I doubt any speaker of this size would. That doesn’t stop it delivering quite compelling imaging, partly because small boxes have less cabinet area to vibrate and thus they don’t seem to muddy the sound so much. This set up made relaxed but not exactly revealing sounds and got a bit ragged when the level was pushed. This smoothed off with warm up but the speaker is clearly superior to that particular source.

On the Macbook Air things got more interesting, as the transparency level jumped up significantly and the dynamics went with it, I even tried Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’ [Led Zeppelin III, Swansong] and enjoyed the propulsion if not the full power of the piece. The Aurender is pretty good for such a small box; the active operation and the advantages of clean battery power means that it is inherently very capable and the wireless aspect doesn’t seem to undermine that at all. Muddy Waters’ powerful voice on ‘My Home is in the Delta’ [Folk Singer, Chess] loses some of its dynamics but remains strong, the spaciousness of the studio being obvious at the same time. I tested the bass by putting on James Blake’s ‘Limit To Your Love’ [JamesBlake, R&S] with its loud drum machine, and here the higher notes came through albeit without their room shaking power, though the lower ones were very quiet. The Aurender has not been tweaked to give excessive bass for its size, which is a good thing, but you can adjust tone with two buttons on the back should that appeal.

I also tried some orchestral material using Beethoven’s 7th Symphony [Barenboim, Beethoven For All, Decca]. This worked surprisingly well, the speakers throwing up good image scale and delivering enough of the dynamic impact to make the piece compelling. You need to be a little bit sensible with the volume (the tympani made this clear), but this is in a larger than average, well-damped room. I suspect that smaller spaces would be easier to energise. Simpler material such as Doug MacLeod’s ‘Too Many Misses’ Exactly Like This[Reference Recordings] worked a treat. Yhe quality of the recording was obvious and that seemed to enhance the sense of dynamics that this speaker can produce.

 

Given that you already have a suitable source for these speakers in your pocket they make a good case for their admittedly high price. Using a supplied off-the-shelf high power Bosch power tool battery is a neat touch too, but regardless, Aurender has come up with an impressively wire free speaker system that’s capable of top notch light entertainment wherever you want it.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Type: two-way, two-driver, bookshelf speaker with active drive, reflex enclosure and wireless operation
  • Driver complement: One 25mm ScanSpeak soft dome tweeter; one 114mm mid/bass driver
  • Optional power supply: 18V, 6 Ah batteries
  • Crossover frequency: 2kHz
  • Frequency response: 50Hz–22kHz (-6dB)
  • Amplifier output: 50W LF, 50W HF
  • Input sensitivity: N/A
  • Dimensions without spikes (H×W×D): 220 ×156 ×185mm
  • Weight: 5.2kg/each
  • Finishes: Dark blue, black, wine red
  • Price: £3,200/pair

Manufacturer: Aurender

URL: aurender.com 

Padood

Tel: +44 (0)1223 653199

URL: padood.com

https://hifiplus.com/reviews/

Cayin iHA-6 headphone amp, iDAC-6 DAC, and iDAP-6 digital audio player

If you jumped into an audiophile’s time machine and went back about a year and a half (to late 2016), you might have seen and heard two compact yet very impressive new components from Cayin Audio. The first would have been the fully balanced iHA-6 solid-state headphone amplifier and second would have been its sibling, fully balanced iDAC-6 hybrid solid-state/valve high resolution DAC. In the US, each of these components sold for $699, which is an interesting price point. In the world of high-end audio, $699 is a price expensive enough for a component to be taken seriously, yet also accessible enough for it to be considered affordable (or at least relatively affordable). At the time and ever since, I have had brief opportunities to hear both the Cayin i-Series amp and DAC at various tradeshows and came away with generally positive impressions, but as we all know shows are perhaps not the best environments in which to do in-depth performance assessments of unfamiliar audio products.

I recently got the chance to try out the iHA-6 and iDAC-6 in my own home and using my own suite of reference headphones. Along the way, a third Cayin i-Series component joined the group: the iDAP-6 digital audio player, which acts as a streamer/server/digital player that in essence turn Cayin’s i-Series power trio into a fully self-contained high-end personal audio music system. Just add the headphones or earphones of your choice and you’re good to go! This review will provide an introduction to each of the three Cayin i-Series models and then provide commentary on how they perform together.

All three i-Series models feature slightly wider than half rack-width (240mm wide) chassis that sport thick-walled, satin finished silver aluminium chassis, which share a tightly coordinated design theme. It’s obvious, both from having seen various Cayin displays at shows and from also having seen numerous photos of the components in use together, that Cayin intends the component to be stackable—typically with the amp on the bottom, the DAC in the middle, and the DAP on top (probably to allow clearance for the DAP’s rear panel-mounted WiFi/Bluetooth antenna). In any event, the fit, finish, and visually apparent build quality of the components—not to mention greater than 3kg weight per piece—makes them look and feel far more costly than they actually are.

The iHA-6 is a balanced solid-state headphone amplifier that provides both balanced and single-ended analogue inputs, and two sets each of balanced and single-ended headphone outputs. In fact, there are two single ended 6.35mm headphone jacks, one optimised for low impedance headphones and the other for high(er) impedance headphones. There is also a Left/Right pair of balanced three-pin XLR headphone jacks (for headphones such as the Abyss AB-1266 Phi Edition CC, that have separate left/right signal cables, each terminated with three-pin XLR plugs) plus a balanced four-pin XLR headphone jack.

Faceplate controls are blessedly simple and straightforward; there is a large illuminated on/off switch, and also three smaller illuminated push-button switches: one for input selection, one to engage or disengage high current mode, and one to select either high or low master gain. The only other faceplate control is a large volume control knob connected to a premium grade ALPS four-channel rotary potentiometer. Cayin describes the amplifier circuit as a “quadruple amplifier with full discrete components and full-balanced design.” Expanding on this theme Cayin adds that the circuit uses “Toshiba audio-grade (K246) FETs in a differential input circuit and a “push-pull amplification design with ultra-low on-resistance (HUF 76633) power MOSFETs at the power amplification stage.” The result is a muscular (maximum output is 2 × 7000mW @ 32 Ohms in balanced mode), wide bandwidth (10Hz–80kHz), low distortion (≤ 0.02%), and low noise (S/N ≥110dB) headphone amp that can drive virtually any load and that won’t break the bank in terms of price.

 

As far as both technical and sonic personae go, the iDAC-6 is the perfect complement to the iHA-6. Like the amp, the DAC is a fully balanced design that features dual AKM AK4490 DAC devices (one for each channel), a four-channel active low pass filter system said to “fully explore the potential of the two DAC chipset”, and a pair of independent 5L25 5B K55750 Crystal oscillators claimed to “synchronize DSD and PCM decoding.” Additionally, the iDAC-6’s analogue output buffer stage features a quartet of 6N16B valve’s that can be switched into the DAC’s signal path or deliberately bypassed, depending on the listener’s tastes and preferences.

All the expected digital decoding capabilities are present and accounted for including PCM up to 32/384 and DSD up to DSD128. There are four digital inputs to choose from including USB, AES/EBU, Coaxial S/PDIF, and Optical S/PDIF. Two sets of analogue outputs are provided: one stereo pair of balanced outputs via 3-pin XLR connectors and one stereo pair of single-ended outputs via RCA jacks.

As with the iHA-6, the faceplate controls of the iDAC-6 are straightforward and easy to use. A set of three push-button switches support, respectively, Source selection, Timbre selection (Vacuum Tube or Transistor), and Line (fixed) or Preamp (variable output) selections. A large rotary control, matching the appearance of the one found on the amp, serves double duty as either a volume control (when the DAC’s output is in Pre mode) or as rotary/push-to-engage/select menu navigation control and menu item selector. The key menu driven options include Phase settings (Normal or Inverted) and Filter selections (options include Sharp, Slow, Short Delay Sharp, Short Delay Slow, and Super Slow filter settings). Finally, there is a large, centrally positioned, and slightly back-tilted OLED display window that shows the playback status of the DAC in real time (complete with information on the file type being played). The end result is a capable and sonically refined DAC that provides a just-right amount of flexibility, without overwhelming the user with a bewildering plethora of configuration options and arcane adjustment settings that probably the designer alone could understand or explain.

Last but not least, we come to the newest member for the Cayin trio: the iDAP-6 digital audio player. The iDAP-6 is a multi-faceted player that deliberately blurs the lines of distinction between streamers, servers, and conventional digital audio players with on-board music storage capabilities of their own. I say this because the iDAP-6 can support file sharing via WiFi or Ethernet for devices, notes Cayin, networked “through Samba, DLNA, and Airplay.” Similarly, the iDAP-6 can “transmit or receive through dual Bluetooth v4.1,” and supports, “Bluetooth remote control profile.” However, one of the simplest and easiest ways to enjoy the player is to plug in your own SD memory card or USB storage device loaded with music files and then to control playback proceedings via the iDAP’s own sophisticated user interface, which Cayin describes as a “multi-lingua custom designed UI” via the built-in 3.95-inch AMOLED display screen. The screen shows Album Art, music information, and the unit’s various control menus “in a clear and effective presentation.”

Indeed, this latter option is the one I used in my listening tests, by connecting a spare 2TB music library drive I had on hand to one of the iDAP-6’s USB ports, then using menu controls to read the files on the drive and to load music library information. One thing that is very nice about this approach is that, once you’ve select a file you wish to play and have initiated playback, the selection’s album artwork and other important playback data (for example, information on the file format being played, play/pause status, or the run time of the track in play) automatically appear on the large, colourful display screen. Even from some distance away, you can tell at a glance what material has been selected and is presently running.

The versatile iDAP-6 effectively provides the following inputs: Bluetooth, WiFi, Ethernet, a full-size SD card slot, and three USB ports (USB storage devices are treated as OTG sources numbered 1 through 3). Digital outputs include USB, I2S, AES/EBU, Coaxial S/PDIF, and Optical S/PDIF. Generally speaking, the USB output is arguably the most versatile as it supports both PCM files up to 32/384 and DSD files via DoP up to DSD128 (granted, the I2S interface can go up to DSD 256, but I2S is not an input commonly seen on most DACs—yet).

Given this overview, let’s now talk about how Cayin’s i-Series threesome actually performs. For my tests, I used the Cayin components with three very high performance (though admittedly challenging to drive) headphones: the Abyss AB‑1266 Phi Edition CC, the Final D8000, and the HiFiMAN Susvara. I also ran the components through a mid-priced but very revealing headphone, the Cleer Next, and with the superb Campfire Audio Atlas earphones (mostly in order to evaluate the Cayin’s ability to drive very high sensitivity earphones).

From the very start, the sheer levels of power, articulacy, and overall control offered by the iHA-6/iDAC-6 pair simply floored me. Candidly, if you listened to these components without knowing their identities or prices, my guess is that you might take them to be components priced north of, say, $4,000-$5,000, judging purely by the sound quality on offer. On a track that thrives on textural subtlety and timbral nuance, such as ‘Bon Soir’ from “Apricot Blossoms against a Sky. Chang Jing. Guzheng” [10th Anniversary of Rhymoi, 2001–2013, Rhymoi, 16/44.1], the Cayin amp and DAC answer the call with a deft and delicate touch. The track contains some beautiful and intimate-sounding cello passages and the Cayin pair captures their incisive transient sounds and almost vestigial shadings of tone and expression with impressive grace and realism. As I listened to the track I found analytical thoughts were quickly pushed aside as I became caught up in the sheer richness and desirable intricacy of the sound.

On tracks where rhythmic drive, power, and dynamic expression is called for, such as “Yesternow” from Miles Davis’ soundtrack for A Tribute to Jack Johnson[Columbia, DSD64], the Cayin pair again proved its mettle with a sound that captured the propulsive groove of the music; the sometimes ‘in-your-face’ dynamics of the bass, drums, and trumpet; and the at times mysterious, otherworldly vibe of the soundtrack.

Finally, the iDAC-6’s five digital filters proved useful, too, because they allowed listeners to compare and choose from among five subtly different approaches to the overall sonic presentation. Which filter(s) you prefer will largely be a matter of taste or a function of the music you choose, though I personally used the ‘Short Delay Sharp’ filter more often than the other (your mileage may vary, of course).

I attribute this strong performance partly to Cayin’s strong and well-executed circuit designs, but also to the fact that Cayin chose a “let’s stick to the fundamentals” approach to these designs. Many manufacturers seemingly delight in piling features on top of features in their products, but Cayin wisely understood that if you get the sonic fundamentals right, you really have no need for additional ‘gongs and whistles’.

I was delighted, too, to find the iHA-6/iDAC-6 pair had sufficient transparency and power to take full advantage of my reference Abyss, Final, and HiFiMAN headphones, which is saying a mouthful (especially in the case of the very difficult to drive HiFiMAN Susvara). At the same time, with its gain setting backed down to ‘Low’, the iHA-6 proved quiet enough to be used with my revealing Campfire Audio Atlas earphones.

 

The iDAP-6 proved convenient, fun, and reasonably straightforward to use, once I made sure I had the unit configured to output higher res DSD128 files correctly. Sonically, I compared the iDAP-6 to the Lenovo/Windows/jRiver media server I normally use and found the iDAP-6 was in most respects competitive with the server, although the server perhaps enjoyed a narrow edge in terms of resolution of very low-level sonic details and an ever-so-slightly lower noise floors. On the other hand, the iDAP-6 was arguably more convenient to use and had that lovely AMOLED display to boot.

Together, Cayin’s iHA-6, iDAC-6, and iDAP-6 form a powerful, articulate, easy to use, and musically satisfying high-end personal audio playback system whose sophisticated sound more than justifies the trio’s moderate price.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

iHA-6 headphone amplifier

  • Inputs: 2x RCA jacks, 2x 3-pin XLR jacks
  • Outputs: Two single-ended via 6.35mm headphone jacks, two balanced outputs (1x L/R pair of 3-pin XLR jacks, 1x 4-pin stereo XLR jack).
  • Frequency response: 10Hz – 80kHz, +0/-0.5dB
  • THD+Noise: ≤0.02%, 1kHz@32 Ohms
  • S/N: Single-ended: ≥105dB (A weighted), Balanced: ≥110dB (A weighted)
  • Power Output: Single-ended: High Current, 2 ×1100mW @ 32 Ohms. Low Current, 2 ×2200mW @ 32 Ohms Balanced: High Current, 2 ×5000mW @ 32 Ohms Low Current, 2 ×7000mW @ 32 Ohms
  • Dimensions (H×W×D): 69mm ×240mm×252mm
  • Weight: ~3.8kg
  • Price: £599; $699 US

iDAC-6 digital-to-analogue converter/preamp

  • Valve complement: 4 ×6N1B valves
  • DAC complement: 2 ×AKM AK4490
  • Inputs: USB, Optical S/PDIF, Coaxial S/PDIF, AES/EBU
  • Outputs:  2x RCA jacks, 2x 3-pin XLR jacks
  • File formats supported: PCM to 32/384, DSD to DSD128
  • Frequency response: 20Hz – 30kHz, ±0.5dB
  • THD+Noise: Valve: ≤ 0.8% Solid-State: ≤ 0.004%
  • S/N: Valve: ≥105dB (A weighted) Solid-State: ≥110dB (A weighted)
  • Dimensions (HxWxD): 69mm x 240mm x 252mm
  • Weight: 3.8kg
  • Price: £599; $699 US

iDAP-6 digital audio player

  • Inputs: WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth v4.1, SD Card, three USB ports
  • Outputs: USB, I2S, AES/EBU, two S/PDIF (one optical, one coaxial BNC)
  • File formats supported for playback: DSF, DFF, SACD-ISO, FLAC, AIFF, WAV, APE, ALAC, WMA, MP3, AAC, OGG
  • Output formats supported: PCM to 32/384, DSD to DSD128 via DoP or DSD256 via I2S
  • Dimensions (H×W×D): 69mm ×240mm×269mm
  • Weight: ~3.29kg
  • Price: $799 US

Manufactured by: Cayin

Tel: +86 (0)756-3828711

URL: cayin.cn

https://hifiplus.com/reviews/

The Funk Firm launches its RAGE range of turntable upgrade products – for Rega turntables.

Comprising of Funk’s award-winning Achromat platter mat, Bo!ng turntable isolation feet and one of Funk’s ultra-low resonance arms: FXR (RAGE 1) or F7 (RAGE 2) Funk’s Arthur Khoubesserian will run a series of closed demonstrations of the products throughout the Bristol show, revealing what really matters in turntable design and debunking several turntable design myths.

Khoubesserian said, 

“The new RAGE products reflect my anger at the myths and falsehoods that abound when it comes to what matters in turntable design and are an attempt to allow existing owners of turntables to significantly upgrade the performance of their deck with scientifically designed, precision engineered components. We happen to have launched the range with upgrade products for Rega turntables, but upgrade kits for other turntables are already in the pipeline – watch this space.”

Q Acoustics Concept 300 stand-mount loudspeaker

Editor’s note: we had an opportunity to hear these innovative loudspeakers in London last week, and were so impressed by the concept of the Concept 300, we’ve ordered a pair for review. Keep watching this space…

From the Q Acoustics press release: Q Acoustics’ flagship loudspeaker, the award-winning Concept 500 floorstander, arrived with an elegant design and innovative audio technology, delivering an audiophile performance way beyond what is expected of its £3,999/$5,999 price point, while allowing everyone to enjoy high-end sound in the home.

Building on the success of its flagship model the company has developed the groundbreaking Concept 300 (£2,999/$4,499). Harbouring leading edge acoustic and speaker stand technology, this standmount is the company’s most progressive loudspeaker yet, refining and advancing all the technological highlights of its bigger brother, while boasting a statement interior-friendly design.

The Q Acoustics Concept 300’s audio design innovations include:

    • Dual Gelcore™ cabinet construction 
    • Internal P2P™ (Point to Point) bracing
    • Tensegrity tripod stand
    • Isolation base suspension system 
    • Spring-tension fitted drivers 
    • New stylish silver and ebony dual finish

Design

As its flagship standmount model, the Concept 300 sports a premium design and finish to match its audio innovations. Combining real wood veneers with multiple gloss lacquer, the dual finish is sophisticated and stylish to fit seamlessly into any interior space, while the introduction of a new eye-catching silver and ebony finish joins the elegant gloss black/rosewood and gloss white/oak models.

Q Acoustics Concept 300 silver and ebony

Pictured: Q Acoustics Concept 300 in silver and ebony

Cabinet construction

The Concept 300 employs the same Dual Gelcore™ cabinet construction and internal P2P™ (Point-to-Point) bracing found in the Concept 500. Comprising of three individual layers, separated by a specially developed non-setting gel, this special bespoke adhesive dissipates high-frequency vibrations, generated by the moving drivers, into heat to maintain a focused audio performance.

Working in tandem with the Dual Gelcore™ construction to further eradicate sound-degrading internal vibrations is the extra P2P™ (Point to Point) bracing fitted to interior areas of the cabinet susceptible to low-end frequency reverberations.

Tensegrity speaker stand

A fine example of striking but elegant industrial design that would enhance any living space, the unique and innovative Tensegrity tripod stand is integral in further reducing the transmission of vibrations and providing a stable support system for the speaker. Constructed from load-bearing low-profile aluminium rods and thin stainless-steel cables that define and maintain the spatial orientation of the rods, this self-supporting structure, made up of elements either in compression (tubes) or tension (cables), is never subjected to bending force. The outcome is a low surface area that eliminates radiating sound and reflections for a purer sonic performance.

Isolation base suspension system

q acoustics_concept 300_black_rosewood_isolation_base_close_2_detail

Rigidly coupling a speaker to a stand is crucial to minimising the intensity of vibrational energy and maintain an accurate audio performance. Q Acoustics’ expert engineers have developed the Isolation base plate system that is integrated into the bottom of the Concept 300 cabinet. Not only does it securely anchor the cabinet to the stand but provides a flexible suspension system.

The entire mass of the speaker rests on four springs, damped using a special material called Sylodamp™. A polyurethane elastomer, precisely tailored to the mass of the speaker converts any vibrational energy in the springs into heat. The result is a more controlled but extended bass response and improved stereo imaging.

Driver design

To preserve the sleek minimalist design and aesthetic – a facade free from unsightly bolt-heads – the Concept 300 adopts a clever design allowing the mid/bass driver unit to be held in place from behind by strong spring-tensioned retaining bolts. Not only does this remove the need for vibration-attracting decorative trim to hide the screws but it keeps the torque constant with no adjustment needed throughout its lifetime, maintaining a consistent performance.

The Concept 300 also features the wide-dispersion high-frequency driver and isolating mount developed for Concept 500. This design protects the tweeter from sending or receiving unwanted vibrations and allows it to be mounted close to the mid-bass driver, enhancing integration with the larger mid/bass driver and improving timing.

The Q Acoustics Concept 300 dual finish model (including Tensegrity stand) comes in three finishes: Gloss Black/Rosewood, Gloss White/Oak and Silver/Ebony and is available from March 2019, priced £2,999 / €3,749 / $4,499 (SRP). Please note the loudspeaker and Tensegrity stand are not sold separately.

WIN! A VIP tour of the Linn Products factory

We have teamed up with our friends from Linn to bring you an exciting competition for a chance to win a VIP trip to Glasgow including a full-access tour of Linn’s factory. Money can’t buy this kind of experience –  living and breathing the Linn experience at its most heady; from the Richard Rogers-designed factory and its sophisticated engineering assembly floors to the luxurious Linn Home that shows what the company can do, and more.

Alan Sircom reviewed Linn’s new Selekt DSM network player in HiFi+ issue 164. The Linn Selekt DSM is the perfect ‘now’ product because of its refusal to be classified. It means if you are starting out, starting anew, simply changing up your streaming source, or refreshing a few products in the chain, this becomes one of the front-runners.

He went on to say, “Between the display and the dial, there are six small fully user configurable buttons… You can assign anything from a single track held anywhere in your musical sphere, through a mounted source component, an internet radio stream, right through to a specific playlist or even a track you love… These are all driven from Linn’s free Kazoo app”.

Details of the prize

  • Flights to Glasgow for two people from a UK airport.
  • A day at the Linn factory including a tour, lunch, meet and greet, and listening sessions.
  • Two nights’ accommodation in a Glasgow city centre hotel.
  • Dinner at a fantastic Scottish restaurant.
  • Transfers to/from Glasgow Airport.
  • A Linn goodie bag.

Competition Question

What is the name of Linn’s free app?

A. Baloo

B. Kazoo

C. Lulu

To answer, please visit Linn’s dedicated competition page at www.linn.co.uk/hifiplus-competition Alternatively, send your answer on a postcard (including your name, address, and contact details) to Linn Competition, Linn Products Limited, Eaglesham, Glasgow, G76 0EQ, Scotland, UK

Competition Rules

The competition will run from January 31st 2019 until April 4th 2019. The competition is open to everyone, but multiple, automated, or bulk entries will be disqualified. The winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries, will be contacted via email (where possible) and their name will be published in the magazine. The Editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Absolute Multimedia (UK) Ltd. is compliant with the Data Protection Act and UK laws apply. Our policy is such that we will not pass on your details to any third party without your prior consent.

AKG N5005 earphones

Victoria Station to Ealing Broadway, on the District Line of the London Underground. At around 9:15 on the evening of Thursday 23rd August, 2018. That was the precise moment I understood why the AKG N5005 is thehigh-end earphone for today. And it’s not just because it sounds excellent.

You see, on that particular moment, I was on a train half full of people, the majority of whom were wearing headphones or earphones. Some of these headphones and earphones were quite expensive, although probably not N5005 expensive. Some were noise cancellers, some were deep-dive earphones used to drown out the clatter of new trains on very old tracks. And as I looked casually from listener to listener, one thing jumped to my attention… only one of them was using a cord between phone and headset. Not one of them was using anything apart from a phone or a tablet, either… Although Digital Audio Players sound like a great idea to the audio cognoscenti, in the neon-lit reality that is the Tube train, they don’t exist.

This might be a sweeping generalisation (drawn from watching people on a train carriage) but such observations on trains and ‘planes around the world shows a correlation. That correlation means that high-end personal audio faces something of a crisis that AKG resolved in the N5005’s box. Because, in the comprehensive package of AKG’s top earphone sits a Bluetooth receiver of pretty good quality. Despite our love for devices like the excellent Chord Mojo and Hugo portable DAC/headphone amp/streamer, I think too many of today’s listeners rely on their phones and – regardless of how good the headphone or earphone – if a product relies solely on a wired solution, prospective buyers will smile sweetly and pass buy. That’s how fast things have changed in the real world of personal audio, and AKG jumped the right way!

Setting aside the Bluetooth device and staying with ‘legacy’ cable (hey pigeons… meet the cat!), the AKG N5005 is a formidable piece of earphone engineering, set in one of the most comprehensive packages in audio. If there is such a thing as tyranny of choice, the AKG N5005 box gets close.

There are seven sets of ear-tips as standard (and there are also Comply tips – not supplied – that provide even greater levels of rigidity of insertion), a de-gunking tool, a 3.5mm standard braided cable, a 2.5mm balanced braided cable, the aforementioned Bluetooth adaptor (eight hours play, two hours charge), the two-pin in-flight adaptor for in-flight systems that haven’t been in use for the last 25 years, a small shell case to carry everything in, and a set of three different filters to gently shape the sound of the N5005. Phew!

The earphone system itself is equally comprehensive, in that it’s a hybrid system that combines a 9.2mm dynamic driver for the bass that sits closer to the outer ceramic section of the earphone, coupled with a four-driver balanced armature array for the mids and highs. After that five-driver system comes the easy to drop-in quartet of filters to tune the sound to your tastes. As standard, the N5005 is fitted with the grey-ringed ‘Reference’ filters, and a supplied card includes a pair each of the black ‘bass boost’, green ‘mid high boost’, and white-ringed ‘high boost’ filters. The most aggressive of the four is the bass boost, the rest being mild variations on a theme. I liked the ‘reference’ and ‘mid high’ filters as they seemed to work extremely well with voices and the mid-high just gave a touch more presence. Even the ‘high boost’ was comparatively mild, and this should be applauded; there is a temptation in many earphone systems to show off just how much detail balanced armatures can resolve by throwing detail at your ears in an unrelenting manner. Even at it’s most forward, the N5005 doesn’t push too far, and that restraint deserves praise. As does the fact the filters are easy to install (some models require the dexterity of a Jimi Hendrix and needle-width fingers to swap out their filters – not so, AKG!). Similarly, the interchangeable cables are easy to switch, but not so easy they fall out. Their over-ear design also helps keep the 11.4g earphone in place.

 

There are two observations about using the N5005. First, make damn sure you are using the right tips, and don’t be afraid of making the jump to Comply or even experimenting well beyond the norm. With most earphones the difference between tips is a comfort issue, but here it’s the difference between a reasonably OK sounding earphone and ‘wow, that is the best earphone I have ever heard.’ Secondly, although the N5005 is more than efficient enough to be driven by the output of any phone that still has a headphone socket, don’t do it. This earphone demands quality, and quantity when it comes to amps. It’s deceptively demanding.

Observe those two conditions and you are left with one of the best non-custom earphones money can buy. With the right seal from the correct tips, the bass is deep, authoritative, stentorian, and yet incredibly well controlled. And that’s without the bass boost. OK, so without the boost, the N5005 is more about clean depth and texture, and with the boost in place it’s more about weight and slam, but for most audio enthusiasts, the Reference filter has more than enough weight and also has the perfect balance.

Midrange, meanwhile, is lithe and liquid regardless of filter. It’s incredibly detailed and insightful, with the kind of undistorted, accurate vocals that make it sound like you took two or three steps out of the recording process making you closer to the studio. This is ‘pure as the driven snow’ clean, and with a very pure female vocal, such as Feist singing ‘Mushaboom’ from her 2004 Let It Diealbum [Polydor], and you quickly get past the fact it was overplayed at the time and she unwittingly spawned a generation of breathy songstresses with meaningless cover versions. Instead, you hear into the vocals and enjoy the music as if new.

The high frequencies start out a little forward, but soon run in. The Reference filter is, to my mind, the best balance here and it makes the most noticeable difference, but even the high boost filter doesn’t make the N5005 aggressive; rather, just brings back that forwardness. Otherwise, the N5005 has an effortless, almost valve-like tonality and insight into the treble. It’s extended way up into the bat-eared territory, but without harsheness, just with accuracy and honesty. This can be a double-edged sword with some more compressed and pinched-sounding recordings from the early part of this century, but even here I find that intrinsic honesty alluring, except with the most strident and compressed of sounds. In fairness, however, I find those albums (Metallica’s Death Magneticfor example) almost unlistenable no matter what system is being played, so while it doesn’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, neither should the AKG N5005 be criticised for making a sow’s ear out of a sow’s ear!

The overall imaging of the earphones is surprisingly good, given they are earphones and not electrostatic headphones or similar. There is always going to be a significant amount of lateralisation (projecting sounds inside your head instead of the space around you), but the effect is mitigated somewhat by the overarching sense of naturalness to the sound, which gives the listener the distinct impression they are not listening to an electronic device. As this was Proms season, I had the chance to listen to a live binaural recording on BBC Radio Three, and that really showed just how good the AKG N5005’s performance is in this soundstaging respect. It sounded uncannily like the real thing, and made me immediately wish for more dummy head recordings (I drank deep from the Chasing The Dragon catalogue as a result).

 

Comparisons are interesting, as I put this up against two known benchmarks: the Sennheiser IE800 and the Noble Audio Katana universal fit. The IE800 was perhaps the most coherent of the three, but lacked the extension and dynamism of the AKG, while the Katana went in the other direction; incredible neutrality, but not as deft as the AKG. They really are that good!

Theatre critics have a cliché phrase that’s used for many hits – “Kill to get a ticket!” I’m not a big fan of this phrase as I’m fairly convinced that sooner or later someone will take this as a command in our insane world and start opening fire in a box office. But the sentiment fits. The AKG N5005 – Kill to get a set!

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • System: Hybrid technology
  • Driver size: 9.2mm + four balanced armature
  • Dynamic frequency response range: 10–40kHz
  • Sensitivity: 116dB SPL/V@1kHz
  • Impedance: 18 ohm
  • Bluetooth transmitted power: 0–4dbm
  • Bluetooth transmitted modulation: GFSK, π/4 DQPSK, 8DPSK
  • Bluetooth frequency: 2.402–2.480GHz
  • Bluetooth profiles: A2DP V1.2, AVRCP V1.4, HFP V1.6, HSP V1.2
  • Bluetooth version: V4.1
  • Battery type: Lithium-ion
  • Polymer rechargeable battery: 120mA/3.7V
  • Charging time: Around 2 hours
  • Music playtime with Bluetooth: 8 hours
  • Talk time with Bluetooth: 8 hours
  • Weight: 11.4g
  • Price: £799.99

Manufactured by: AKG

URL: akg.com

Tel: +44(0)1612 223325

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Read more AKG reviews here

AudioQuest Niagara 1000 power conditioner

AudioQuest’s Bill Low takes a long-term approach to product development. He’s been in the industry longer than many and seems to have figured out what counts (and what doesn’t) when it comes to creating accessories that people actually want. His last success (in my world, at least) was the Dragonfly USB DAC, a very neat and easy to use device for your PC or smartphone. But some years before that came to market, Bill was looking at the power cable and conditioners on the market to see what he could learn about how to develop one in house. At the time he came to the conclusion that the pro oriented US brand Furman were top of the heap so he approached a designer there called Garth Powell with a view to bringing him over to AudioQuest (AQ) to develop power delivery products for them. Powell was happy where he was at that time, but some years later Furman was bought by Panamax and the emphasis in R&D was shifted from sound quality to ease of integration for smart home applications. This change in direction was enough to get Powell to move from San Francisco to just over 400 miles away to work at the AQ HQ in Irvine, at the end of 2012.

Since that time, Powell has been working on what are being called ‘noise dissipation systems,’ which is Garth-speak for mains distribution products that absorb and reduce AC-borne noise. Noise is a problem of varying degrees for audio components and digital audio is often extremely sensitive. Mains borne noise is all around us, being produced by wireless devices like phones, tablets, and white goods with their switched mode power supplies; one day, these things will be identified as pure evil and abolished, but until then we will need ‘noise dissipation systems’. AudioQuest make three Niagara power distributors of which the 1000 is the most affordable; it’s quite large but not very heavy in a very shiny case that comes with its own cleaning cloth. Five filtered outlets are accompanied by a largely straight through one on the end for amplifiers, which has some DC blocking but nothing else. If you like dynamics that is as much filtering as you want. The outlets for constant current components such as sources and preamps have RF filtering capacitors, ‘18 octaves’ of AC differential filtering (the top Niagara 7000 covers 21 octaves) and AQ’s ground noise dissipation system. The overarching theme of the spec is linear noise elimination.

The Niagara 1000 is not supplied with a mains cable so AQ supplied both their entry level NRG Y3 (£99) power cords and a single Thunder (£629), a beast of a cable with three separate conductors and battery powered biasing for the dielectric. I started off using the Niagara in full effect with Thunder connecting it to the wall and the NRG Y3 cables powering an AURALiC ARIES G2 streamer, Exogal Ion, and Exogal Comet. Switching from direct to the wall, the result of this near £2,000 upgrade was dramatic with a considerable increase in richness of tone and depth of image. The general effect seemed to be a substantiation of the sound, which became more solid and weighty. The high frequencies seem a little shut in however; there is a darkening of the balance which either means some degree of treble roll-off or, more likely, an elimination of noise. I say more likely because the result was more relaxed and easy to enjoy with greater musicality. I have noticed that digital amplification benefits from mains conditioning in the past and that is definitely the case here.

 

I got similar results with more conventional electronics when I made smaller changes, using the ARIES G2 streamer and VEGA G2 DAC on Isotek power cords. Switching from the wall to the Niagara brought more kick to the bass and enhanced transparency, which in turn increased the separation between instruments. More importantly, timing was not undermined; if anything it was slightly enhanced. It’s not unusual to get lower noise and thus greater resolution with mains conditioning but timing can often suffer in the process; however, the Niagara cleverly avoids that pitfall. I also contrasted it with a similar product in the Puritan Audio PSM136, which looks like better material value for money. Here, using the NRG Y3 to feed the Niagara delivered a slightly more open and well separated result that was better timed and thus more involving, so looks can be deceptive.

When I switched the big ATC P2 power amp from the wall to the high power output on the Niagara, I got a very worthwhile increase in soundstage depth and width, with increased separation between instruments and no sense of dynamic compression; the former was expected, the latter a relief. It also seemed worthwhile to contrast the NRG Y3 with the Isotek EVO3 Premier I usually use on the amp. This did something very similar to the Niagara by calming and adding weight without undermining timing, a perceived reduction in volume level suggesting that distortion and noise had dropped.

The Innuos Zenith SE server should benefit from this sort of power conditioning and the Niagara did not disappoint. A veil was lifted from low level detail which opened up the room and further enhanced musicality, turning a good piece of music into an inspiring one. As a vinyl lover, it was necessary to see if the AudioQuest would improve the sound of my Rega RP8 turntable and Tom Evans Microgroove phono stage. Here the change was more subtle, and it mainly consisted of a slight darkening of the balance alongside a slight calming with quieter backgrounds. There was an improvement but not one that matched the price.

The Niagara 1000 may look a bit shiny but it’s sound is as black as a very black thing. It has a remarkable ability to reduce noise and deliver a calm, musical result that encourages high-level listening. If I could keep it in the system, I would.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Type: AC mains power conditioner.
  • Outlets: Six outlet 13A UK (inc one high current outlet)
  • Dimensions (H×W×D): 100 ×120 ×508mm
  • Weight: 2.5kg
  • Price: £995

Manufacturer: AudioQuest

Tel: +44 (0)1249 848 873

URL: audioquest.com

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Gold Note Pianosa turntable with B-5.1 tonearm

The Italian company Gold Note has a seven-strong range of turntables, although two are limited edition, made-to-order, super-high-end extravaganzas. Of the five main turntables in the company’s range, the Pianosa hits dead centre, with the two Valore models below and the Giglio and Mediterrano above.

The Gold Note models eschew the hair-shirt approach of many modern audiophile turntable designs. It seems many designers forget that, while the worst excesses of audio ugly can be hidden from view in cabinets and the like, a turntable is almost always on show, so it better look pretty good. It’s also a potential dust magnet, and Gold Note is one of the few higher end brands who supplies a dust cover these days.

The lines are simple, classic, and elegant. It’s a simple poly-vinyl coated platter with a simple arm, on an elegant black lacquered MDF plinth, which sits atop a curvy lower plinth finished in walnut, black lacquer or white lacquer. the metalwork is black as standard, but can be anodised silver if requested. It features a round belt that encircles the platter, with a decoupled motor housing sitting quasi-independently on its own base to the back left of the deck. Speed and start-up are controlled by two buttons on the front-left. The deck sits on three adjustable conical feet and comes supplied with the brand’s easy to use 9” B-5.1 gimballed tonearm as standard.

While its ‘wall-wart’ switching power supply may seem under-sized for a turntable of the Pianosa’s price, there are some very good reasons why it was chosen: the power is generated and handled outside the turntable’s chassis so there are no parts of the power supply placed inside it. The results achievable with a large linear power supply – as featured on other decks of the same price – could theoretically deliver slightly better performance but Gold Note took a ‘smart’ approach: it started designing a frictionless and high-efficiency synchronous motor, then an effective decoupling mount for the motor and finally developed the electronic controls in order to deliver the right amount of torque, power, and stability.

Far from being under-powered, in fact the switching power supply currently used is actually ‘over-sized’ resulting in more power than needed to drive the turntable under optimal conditions. And, while those optimal conditions are the test bench, in reality many turntables lead a sheltered life and will be close to optimal conditions in the home. However, this approach is a different from the standard: Gold Note tailors the motor and the electronics to each turntable’s needs, while developing a standard power supply for all its decks. It’s similar to the philosophy of Alfa Romeo and Lotus: instead of using humongous motors and power, these cars are designed to be efficient and precise. “Simplify, then add lightness,” as Lotus founder Colin Chapman was wont to say.

This also means Gold Note can install all the mechanical/electronic parts on board to achieve a more compact design of the deck (obtaining a much higher density at the same time) by simply moving the power supply away from the deck itself. The motor is decoupled from the chassis through elastomer material thus acting as a floating element, which is also calibrated differently for each turntable in order to perfectly match the materials used for the chassis.

 

The Italian walnut used on the Pianosa is claimed to offer some unique advantages too, as it is extremely dense but has good damping properties at the same time. When you lift the deck you can feel how its weight comes mostly from the wood. OK, so Panzerholtz it isn’t, but neither is it made from balsa or cheap MDF.

In fact, Gold Note claims only Italian walnut can offer the correct damping effect, in the process providing stabilisation, insulation, and rigidity to the turntable just on its own. However, it is also extremely difficult to work with and it takes a skilled craftsman to create unusual shapes – as on Pianosa – and to treat it properly. It is also expensive and rare.

The shape of the wooden plinth has been developed as an arch. Gold Note industrial designer Stefano Bonifazi used the mathematics behind the catenary curve to solve two problems at once: giving the best support and insulation from the surrounding environment to the chassis while providing the rigidity and virtual mass of a much heavier object.

The spindle/bearing system allows the turntable to achieve higher precision and control over the rotation of the platter. It also increases the overall rigidity of the system and ensures perfect alignment, in axis damping effect, and less potential oscillations. Like the choice of the wood, this long spindle/bearing system requires very precise processing of every single metal part.

The DIN connector used is the German DIN standard and differs from the common – at least for the hi-fi industry – SME model. Gold Note adopted the standard DIN as it feels this is the “real” DIN and in the opinion of the designer it sounds the best, too. Gold Note uses Hirschmann connectors made in Austria, and premium versions of the phono cable are available as an upgrade.

Installation and set-up of the turntable is exceptionally easy, laying to rest the notion that high-end turntables are deliberately opaque in their installation so that the dealer can charge for set-up. It’s Ikea-grade simple to put together, although the manual does come with some helpful installation tips (such as the four-second ‘power chord’ required to switch from start/stop to speed adjustment mode). The arm in particular is extremely easy to use, and unless you are all thumbs, you’ll be fully set-up and running in no time (you’ll need a stylus pressure gauge, but not much more).

In turntable making, once you get past the super-cheap, there’s two or three clear sonic directions that turntable makers follow: ‘detailed’ (as in ‘bright’), ‘majestic’ (as in ‘warm but slow’), or ‘rhythmic’ (as in ‘the no-bass bounce’). The best of them combine two or more of these elements to make a sound that is well-balanced, and it’s this well-balanced approach that is what the Pianosa is so good at providing. There’s no exaggeration or marked emphasis to the presentation (although if you are looking for a sonic disappearing act, keep looking; the Pianosa trades absolute neutrality for a sound you want to listen to, instead of one you want to analyse). It’s an incredibly refined sound, too, the kind you normally associate with very expensive audio equipment. I played the Overture from my now almost worn-out copy of The Pirates of Penzance [D’Oyly Carte, RPO, Decca SXL], which is on the one hand perhaps the LP with the most natural soundstage I possess, and second a damn enjoyable piece of 19th Century operetta. If you find yourself playing air-triangle as I did here, you know you are on to a good turntable system. It’s not the fastest sounding turntable around (the emphasis is on image separation, coherence, and musical interplay) but what it perhaps lacks in four-on-the-floor rhythm is more than made up for in effortless dynamics and the sense of everything being musically connected.

 

I did find myself more drawn to the classical and jazz ends of my record collection and possibly slightly further from the selection of angular, spiky sounding music from the 1980s. I don’t play records by The Fall that often anymore, but I suddenly felt the need to play ‘Hip Priest’ from Hex Enduction Hour[Kamera] to get that full-on post-punk weirdness, and it showed what the Pianosa does well, and not so well. The random twists and turns of Mark E Smith’s drawl demand endless dynamic range (he often sounded like someone having a psychotic episode being thrown down a fire escape) and the Pianosa does surprisingly well in that respect, but it simply cannot paint the sheer bleakness required. Instead, the Pianosa finds the nice sounds and the happy place where possible, and with The Fall, there is no happy place.

I’m not sure if that’s a benefit or a demerit though. Most music played on the Pianosa sounded lithe and elegant. It’s an easy sound, not a hyper-analytical one, but it still manages to make musical magic.

It’s easy to fall into geographic stereotypes, and if you do an Italian turntable is going to be elegant, seductive, but ultimately insubstantial. The Gold Note Pianosa gets two out of three right, and fortunately it’s the right two. It is an elegant design with a similarly elegant sound, and it has seductive looks. Add to that the simplicity of set-up and this is a turntable that should get lots of attention. It’s easy to use, easy to live with, and easy to love.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

  • Wow & Flutter: 0,1%
  • Rumble: -77dB
  • Speed: 33-1/3 and 45 rpm +/-0,1%
  • Speed changing: electronic with fine pitch control
  • Transmission: 70 shore rectified belt in poly-vinyl
  • Motor: 12 Volt High Torque synchronous externally powered
  • Platter: 23mm Dampened design in poly-vinyl
  • Platter spindle: GN Split-Spindle™
  • Platter bearing: 5mm ball bearing in chromed stainless steel with adjustable brass seat
  • Acrylic Dust Cover included
  • Finishes: Black, White, Walnut
  • Dimensions (H×W×D): 42.5 ×20 ×36cm
  • Weight: 13,5kg
  • Price: £2,230 (£2,500 walnut finish)

Manufactured by: Gold Note

URL: goldnote.it

Distributed by: Audio Pinnacle

URL: audiopinnacle.co.uk

Tel: +44(0)1420 544140

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