Döhmann Audio Helix One Mk3

There’s something about Australian ‘mate’ culture that permeates audio turntable designers from the continent. Mark Döhmann of Döhmann Audio is a perfect example. The maker of the Döhmann Audio Helix One Mk3 could easily be an egomaniac. But he isn’t. He’s the kind of disarming expert who is confident in their designs and fascinated by the designs of others. He’s not the kind of guy who will tear down a rival. Instead, he’s fascinated by why people make engineering decisions and how they positively shape products.

Döhmann has also made his own design decisions and can explain the concepts and their reason for inclusion. However, it never feels like he’s fighting his corner or making bold claims. The late Max Townshend was cut from the same cloth. This excited interest is why Mark Döhmann can list dozens of similarly excited audiophiles. Audiophiles who are top-class turntable, tonearm, and cartridge makers. They consider him a force for good and a friend rather than a rival.

Of course, his kudos among his peers would dip sharply if the product he made wasn’t up to scratch. Still, Melbourne-based Döhmann Audio has been producing world-class turntables under its own steam since 2015. For several years before that, Mark had been a key figure in the production of high-end turntables. His design smarts contributed to one of the most respected high-end turntables of this century, the Continuum Caliburn.

No flash in the pan

The original Helix One was Döhmann’s first commercial design. The more affordable Helix Two followed in 2017, a couple of years later. This helped demonstrate that the company was no flash in the pan. It also allows Mark Döhmann more leeway in honing these two designs to perfection.

It’s worth winding the clock back and looking at the Helix concept’s original and Mk2 versions. The move from Helix One to Helix One Mk2 created a virtually new turntable. It upgraded and simplified every subsystem along the way. This is especially true in the case of the floating arm suspension system. You could argue that the changes from Mk2 to Mk3 are more ‘evolution’ than ‘revolution’. You’d be an idiot, though. It has a new composite bearing, DC power supply, drive, resonance control system, composite armboards, record clamp and an improved platter. That’s more than just ‘evolution.’

Retrofittable

You can take any Helix One and upgrade it to the latest spec. It might be ‘spendy’ because there are so many changes over the years, but it’s possible. The fact that these changes are retrofittable is a testament to Döhmann’s respect for its owner base. It’s also a sign of the quality of that original platform.

A key part of the Döhmann Audio Helix One Mk3 design is the MinusK negative stiffness isolation base. This, drawn from the world of electron microscopy, provides isolation at 0.5 Hz vertically and 1.5 Hz horizontally. That is far outside the bandwidth of LP replay. Mark Döhmann handles the Australian distribution of MinusK in the audio and professional fields. But if you are thinking that the Helix One rests on a MinusK, think again. That’s not how Döhmann works. The turntable exists in a symbiotic relationship with a custom version of the Minus K.

MinusK

Using the MinusK falls in line with Döhmann Audio’s core principles. Any turntable must be a supremely accurate vibration-measuring machine. It converts vibrational energy, from the shape and cut of the grooves, into an electrical signal. In an ideal world, the turntable would retrieve and convert that vibrational energy and nothing more. The sound would be unadulterated by the surroundings or the mechanical shortcomings of the turntable, arm, and cartridge.

Sadly, that ideal world is not the real one. A vinyl replay system introduces a lot of unwanted energy at the source. We’re not dropping great revelations here. This reduction in unwanted energy has been a goal in turntable design for over 130 years. However, Döhmann dedicates considerable time to researching the unwanted distortions introduced by the front-end. Mark Döhmann quickly found that resonance was the problem. Resonance is three problems wrapped into one. The mechanical aspects of a turntable introduce a resonance. Then, there is resonance from the environment, such as footfall. Finally, some is coming from the electrical subsystems in a turntable (such as power supplies for a turntable motor).

Moving resonances

In the process, Döhmann found that these resonances constantly move through the turntable itself, creating its own internal resonance artefacts along the way. And in trying to eliminate their impact on the music itself, Döhmann inevitably looked toward platforms designed to keep extremely sensitive equipment stable, which led to MinusK.

That engineering also includes a “mechanical crossover” that creates a ‘least harm’ mechanical pathway to dissipate vibrations above 100Hz. This works by mounting the motor, bearing, and armboards on interlocking plates to reduce unwanted vibration impacting the stylus/record interface.

However, nothing was off the table, and that included getting in touch with NASA engineers to discuss mechanical isolation in satellites or mining engineers to talk about taking sensitive equipment down mines was all fair game. That resulted in some serious left-field ideas to crack the vinyl nut.

Many of these revelations hit pay-dirt between the original Helix One and the Helix One Mk2. This saw even deeper integration of the Minus K vibration isolation system utilising what the company calls ‘NSM’ technology, fully floating armboards, a custom-designed Swiss-manufactured motor designed to Döhmann Audio’s specifications and carefully designed resonance dissipation pathways within the chassis. Döhmann Audio’s PowerBase contains the power supply, with control software to drive the new motor and special high-frequency and radio frequency absorption features. It also contains a suspension stabiliser to lock the table from moving during record changeover, a lighting control system and power filtration functions.

That button…

Looking at the front of the PowerBase from Helix One Mk2 onwards, there is a large, circular push-button. It’s even more noticeable because it contrasts both colour schemes of the Helix One Mk3. Press it, and… it does nothing. At least, at the moment, it does nothing. A big part of the promise of the Döhmann design is its flexibility and upgradability. That button will operate a vacuum record hold-down at one point in the future. Mark Döhmann promises that all the vacuum ‘gubbins’ (save for the external pump/compressor) will fit inside the ample Helix One Mk3 footprint.

The turntable’s size has an added and obvious bonus, multiple arms. The Helix One Mk3 and its extremely clever floating arm bases are designed to work with two arms, whether for stereo or mono use or to get the sonic benefit of multiple arm and cartridge combinations. This is so intrinsic a part of the Helix One genetic make-up that if you are a ‘unidexter’ (borrowing the term from Peter Cook’s famous ‘One Leg Too Few’ sketch), you should probably be looking at the smaller Helix Two Mk3. This incorporates the technologies rolled into the Helix One Mk3, but in a smaller, single-tonearm footprint, saving you almost £19,000. However, we went for maximum chonk in the Helix One Mk3, despite using it primarily with the one tonearm – the excellent Reed 5A tested in Issue 219.

Look ma, no belt?

Maybe the least prominent part of the Döhmann Audio Helix One Mk3 is that it’s a belt drive. Döhmann thinks that, though good, the limitations in a direct drive are noticeable enough for belt drive to still reign supreme from an audio perspective. The platter housing hides the belt. The end-user can change it, but I think this should be considered part of a periodic service. That’s not a suggestion directed at the Döhmann deck alone. If you have a significant investment in a complex piece of engineering, regular (maybe bi-annual) maintenance is a good idea. Over the years, I’ve heard a few potentially excellent decks in dire need of service.

The platter-and-bearing system draws on the 15kg triple-sandwich non-ferrous alloy/thermoplastic platter topped with a permanently attached damping mat. However, this, too, has undergone significant changes, including adding a new ‘Advanced Composite’ bearing with a single ceramic ball and a thrust pad designed to place the rotation point within the centre of the platter itself. A dual-groove, machined-aluminium pulley drives the platter. This uses a pair of dissimilar-diameter O-rings, each with a different hardness grade.

This speaks to Döhmann Audio’s engineering concepts, best summed up as ‘build it to last’. The powerfully built platter, platter housing, motor and its housing, and power supply module are all testaments to that. That power supply module is the size of a small power amp. Just visible from the front, this is – almost – hidden from view.

No compromise

How little Döhmann Audio is prepared to compromise extends to the motor. It’s a custom-designed, Swiss-manufactured, high-torque design controlled by a custom, software-based, closed-loop servo control system that monitors and calibrates speed more than 130,000 times per second. Turntable brands tend to buy off-the-shelf motors and often deploy surprisingly simple means of speed control (such as having a line or two cuts into the inside of the platter, which is read by an optoelectronic circuit to adjust speed once or twice per platter revolution).

That Döhmann Audio goes for the road less travelled shows how seriously the company takes its vinyl replay. This is probably a good idea for a company that only makes turntables!

Masterwork

This all spells a masterwork of a turntable and the kind of device that should be the stuff of professional installation. With an all-up weight of 76kg, it’s not a 10-minute installation project anyway, and in fairness, the Döhmann Audio Helix One Mk3 is not the kind of turntable that is in any way prone to drift or sag; when it’s set, it stays set. You need someone exceptionally well-versed in making it ‘set’ properly.

This is why I think the nearest most people get to the sophisticated engineering of the Helix One Mk3 will be when they press the two buttons on the carbon-fibre top plate, backed up by a rear-panel–mounted speed-adjustment feature, which can be adjusted and diagnosed over the Internet. The top-plate buttons control operation and speed and pressing them shows how free-floating the Helix One Mk3 can be. This is an almost unnerving experience, even for those used to turntable design. This high-mass platter is set in a heavy chassis; you don’t expect those to move around. You don’t expect them to dance with the freedom of movement you might expect from something like an old but well-maintained Pink Triangle. Because it has the freedom of movement and the authority of sheer mass, your first time cueing up a record comes as a bit of a shock.

Passing albums

And then you listen to it. An album passed, played front to back. the listening notes don’t even go as far as listing the album or track, just some shorthand that reads ‘listener hypnotised by sound. Try again later.’ I’ve never played quite so many records and made so few notes because each time I played a record, I was absorbed by the music that to write anything about what I was hearing was an act of musical heresy. I didn’t want to pollute my music by breaking the spell and writing something down.

After several warm-up albums, I felt sufficiently ‘dunked’ in sound to start to make some observations. The first of which is, for so heavy a turntable, it has a very light touch, but not too light, just relative to what you might expect from a large and weighty design.

The sound is full of grip and drive, with none of the over-refinement from high-mass turntables nor the steely sound you can sometimes get from suspended designs. It’s just… damn good.

Sheer musical excellence

While there are differences you can point to in sound between extreme high-end decks, they mainly converge on a point of sheer musical excellence. So, if I say the sound of the Air Force One is ‘smoother’ it’s not like the Air Force One is satiny sounding throughout or that the Döhmann Audio Helix One Mk3 is more rough-hewn. These are nuanced differences, akin to adding or subtracting a couple of contrast steps to your TV set’s picture. That this turntable trades blows with the established vinylista best-in-breed shows just how good the Helix One Mk3 gets.

The Helix One Mk3 has its accent, but it’s a mild one. The language it speaks is absolute fidelity to the groove; if it were more faithful to that goal, you’d find it burning digits at the stake. The turntable has fewer points of omission or emphasis than most turntables, and this is all too clear to the listener when they play a record on their existing deck; I listened to ‘Canadee-i-o’ by Nic Jones [Penguin Eggs, Topic] and you would expect the relatively simple combination of acoustic guitar and male folk vocals to be fairly free from exaggerations or absences. Still, that total sense of ‘thereness’ the Helix One Mk3 bestowed on the music wasn’t as present on other top-end decks I’ve tried over the years. And the more records I played, the more that distance was confirmed.

Quicksilver

However, I mentioned that mild accent, and it’s one of quicksilver leading edges and dynamic range as opposed to a more ‘beauteous’ approach to the musical presentation. This worked remarkably well with various musical styles, from the unrelenting Stravinsky-based assault on a piano by Alexander Toradze [EMI] to the twisted beats and electronic percussion sounds of Orbital [‘Are You Alive?’ Optical Delusion, London], the speed and precision of beat information are paramount… and often a point where super-decks fail to shine. I’ve erroneously attributed this to the sheer amount of information being processed in our heads.

Still, the Helix One Mk3 shows it’s just a form of distortion and a turntable can deliver all the detail and do it fast. In both these recordings, the speed of attack dictates the recording, and any flatness or slowing of the sound is simply a mistake. Granted, there are audiophile arguments about whether Orbital should be included in a review of high-end equipment, but if a high-end deck cannot play everything as well as possible, arguably it doesn’t deserve the high-end epithet. Döhmann Audio’s Helix One Mk3 plays both albums with excellent speed and precision. That doesn’t just form the basis of ‘Pace, Rhythm and Timing’ but points back to the ‘you are in the listening room’ concept at a deep level.

Audiophile-friendly

Naturally, when the turntable is fed something more audiophile-friendly – ‘Do Nothin’ Till You Hear from Me’ from This One’s For Blanton!, by Duke Ellington and Ray Brown [Pablo] – the sound is astounding. The instruments are in front of you, with a believable dynamic range. It also has the sort of detail that makes you feel as though you’ve stepped back 50 years. This is an overplayed recording at high-end audio shows for a reason. However, heard through the Döhmann, it’s like hearing it anew for the first time. Wow!

An example of what this deck does so well is ‘The Ghost’ by Alice B Savage [in|FLUX, City Slang]. Her small, yet powerful voice, sings “Stop haunting me, please” in the chorus. She sings about an ex-partner who sounds suspiciously like a stalker. It is chillingly beautiful and stops you in your tracks in a way many decks purport to do. But the Helix One Mk3 does! That voice stands both apart from and integrated into the rest of the music.

If that sounds impossible, it usually is. The skills of the Döhmann Audio Helix One Mk3 to extract and resolve that aural dichotomy in one. And that is what sets the turntable apart from others. This musical Mise-en-scène is something that, once heard, is never forgotten. It is also surprisingly prevalent in the best recordings. Unfortunately, we often equate it with ‘image separation’. Sounds are artificially spaced out instead of cohering within a musical whole. The Döhmann shows us an alternative view!

Don’t stop believin’

Some years ago, I believed we had reached the limits of what could be pulled from a groove. I was very wrong. What never ceases to amaze me about vinyl is how much more we can extract from records made decades ago. The level of information extraction possible from the Döhmann Audio Helix One Mk3 – and the handful of super-decks that form its very select peer group – was almost impossible to achieve 10 years ago and completely unattainable at the turn of the century. Information hidden in grooves cut as Sputnik was bleeping its way around the planet. How much more is still locked away, waiting for the next generation of vinyl replay systems?

The Döhmann Audio Helix One Mk3 arrives fully formed at the spearhead of the best in vinyl replay. It’s so much more than the spiritual heir to the Continuum Caliburn. This turntable gives an insight into the recording that’s nothing short of jaw-dropping. It’s a platform that deserves the best arms and cartridges – preferably two of each. It also demands the finest phono stages known to humanity. In return, you get a level of sound quality previously only open to those in the studio control room when recording. It hints at still more from its vacuum hold-down platter when it arrives. That makes it a strong contender for the very best in LP replay today. It really is that good!

Technical specifications

Type: Belt-driven turntable built into Minus K suspension system
Operation: Two push buttons on the table top-plate for speed selection/on/off
Speed Control: Speed is constantly calibrated over 130,000 times per second to deliver precise 33.33 or 45.15 rpm (factory default). Default factory set speeds are 33 RPM and 45 RPM. Please note that 78 RPM and other custom speeds are available by request. Simple user-adjustable speed control is accessible via two intuitive push buttons on the rear of the main chassis
Drive System: Fully integrated Swiss-manufactured high torque motor (de-coupled). Dual-belt platter drive designed to reduce static electricity and vibrations
Tonearm facilities: Two armboards to facilitate the mounting two tonearms up to 12” (305mm) simultaneously. All Helix One Mk3 turntables come with two Mk3 Advanced Composite Armboards. The armboards are removable and allow simple interchange and calibration
Finish: Titanium or black. All Helix One Mk3 turntables have a carbon fibre top plate
Dimensions (without clamp or tonearm, W×D×H): 60 × 48 × 25cm
Weight: 76kg
Price: £64,998

Manufacturer

Döhmann Audio

www.dohmannaudio.com

UK distributor

Absolute Sounds

www.absolutesounds.com

+44(0)208 971 3909

Innuos PhoenixUSB and PhoenixNET

This is the easiest review to write. We have examined both the Innuos PhoenixUSB reclocker (https://hifiplus.com/articles/innuos-phoenixusb-reclocker/) and PhoenixNET network switch (https://hifiplus.com/articles/innuos-phoenixnet-network-switch/), and their status remains unchanged since our previous reviews. However, when used together, they serve a shared purpose and offer a fantastic upgrade for current Innuos server users and beyond.

Nevertheless, a brief review is essential. Both are identical-looking, half-sized boxes resting on three sturdy feet. The PhoenixUSB has a single USB input and output, along with a regenerator, an oven-controlled crystal oscillator with a 24MHz clock, and a very low noise 5V rail, all powered by separate linear power supplies. This reflects the USB stage within the Innuos Statement Next-Gen server (https://hifiplus.com/articles/innuos-statement-next%E2%80%91gen-music-server/).

Meanwhile, the PhoenixNET is an audio-specific network switch operating at 100Mb/s rather than the noisier Gigabit Ethernet protocol. Noise is further reduced by short signal paths and clean power supplies that feed the chips. Avoiding traffic priority circuits and switching regulators (which are unnecessary for audio) also helps minimise noise. Even the standard method of noise reduction through opto-coupling is avoided because converting light back into an electrical signal adds more noise than it eliminates from the system. Once again, a custom clock manages the operation, resembling oven-controlled, crystal-oscillating precision timing!

Wait!

Innuos advises that both products be powered on for two days before critical listening. This isn’t about ‘running in’ a new product (neither sample was exactly ‘new’), but it’s partly necessary to ensure that those clocks are functioning at the correct temperature. I couldn’t help myself and listened straight out of the box and… yeah, give it a couple of days!

To evaluate the pairing, I used both an Innuos Statement Next-Gen and an original Melco N10 outputting to the DAC. The PhoenixNET replaced a Nordost QNET network switch. The Melco demonstrated the strengths of the two Phoenix products both separately and together very well. The Innuos devices added a sense of order and calm to the sound without diminishing the energy of the musical content. Given the many ‘Zen’ products in the Innuos range, it’s almost amusing that the two that bring that nearly meditative calm are called ‘Phoenix’. But it’s also very fitting since the sound is reborn from the ashes of noise.

Subtle tells

The subtle ‘tells’ demonstrate how much this Phoenix duo enhances the performance. I played the atmospheric ‘Albo Gator’ by Michael Brook [Albino Alligator, 4AD], which is mainly hang drum, percussion, and spoken voice, with clever use of reverb to create a swampy atmosphere. Before introducing the Innuos duo, the hang and voice dominate, but with the PhoenixNET and PhoenixUSB in place, the cicada-like percussion becomes more integrated into the mix; it’s still persistent and ever-present, but more ‘there’ in the music than before.

Although the two Phoenix products are not in the same signal chain, they work harmoniously. Their strong shared sound qualities make them sound better together than the sum of their individual parts.

That sense of calm order grows on you the longer you spend with the two Innuos Phoenix products. Even when playing something jagged and deliberately chaotic like ‘Terminal Slam’ by Squarepusher [Be Up A Hello, Warp], the Innuos duo make it seem more understandable and less like someone committing atrocities on a sequencer.

Next-Gen user

However, as an Innuos Statement Next-Gen user, I’m probably the least likely beneficiary of the powers of PhoenixUSB, and in truth, the PhoenixNET did most of the sonic heavy lifting here. Even when used with the Statement, there’s a gain to be had by utilising both Phoenix models, providing a performance boost over using the PhoenixNET alone. I wouldn’t automatically recommend both to Statement owners (the improvement is there, but it isn’t as marked as in other systems). However, I would strongly recommend the PhoenixNET. It benefits the Statement Next-Gen through its no-noise approach to networking, and they are both visually and sonically on the same page.

That said, if you want to get the most performance from the Innuos Statement Next-Gen (perhaps you prefer the more ‘direct’ sound of this model over the latest ZEN Next-Gen, tested in Issue 240), then the combination of the Statement Next-Gen, PhoenixUSB, and PhoenixNET is the peak of that design. If you are using one of the original Innuos ZEN models and don’t plan to upgrade to the higher-end models, the PhoenixUSB and PhoenixNET complete the system very well. If you intend to do this in stages, start with PhoenixNET; however, PhoenixUSB is excellent, but the lower the noise entering the server, the better.

One more thing

There’s one last element to consider. Most people who are familiar with Innuos are aware of its server products. However, those with older rival models who might be looking for a replacement… well, the Innuos PhoenixUSB and PhoenixNET together serve as the perfect introduction to the line. The boost in performance will enhance your existing server, so you may not feel an urgent desire to switch server products quickly. However, when you do, the chances of not choosing an Innuos product after discovering what these two can do are slim. As proof of concept for Innuos for someone with an existing server, this Dynamic Duo is hard to beat.

It seems like an unusual synergy, as Innuos’ PhoenixUSB and PhoenixNET are not part of the same signal path; one operates on the network side of the system, while the other likely sits between the server and DAC. Nevertheless, they work harmoniously, and the sound produced when both are in the system is unattainable with just one Innuos Phoenix box.

Even with the Statement Next-Gen, which effectively includes one PhoenixNET and two PhoenixUSBs, the two extra units add a dedicated PSU, 100MB/s rather than gigabit Ethernet, larger noise isolation transformers, no LEDs, heavier-gauge sockets, and more to the digital setup — and that is exceptionally appealing. Like all the essentials for a high-quality system, the Innuos Phoenix duo does not fundamentally alter the sound of the devices; instead, it enables those devices to perform at a higher level.

Prices and contact details

Innuos PhoenixNET: £3,249, $4,349, €3,599
Innuos PhoenixUSB: £3,249, $4,349, €3,599
Both PhoenixNET and PhoenixUSB are sold with 20% saving if bundled with any Innuos music server or streamer

Manufacturer

Innuos

Homepage: https://innuos.com

Phoenixnet: https://innuos.com/phoenixnet/

PhoenixUSB: https://innuos.com/phoenix-usb/

Where to buy: https://innuos.com/where-to-buy/

Wilson Audio redesigns smallest floorstanders with top-tier tech from six-figure speakers

20 June 2025: The new Sabrina V is a thoughtful and in-depth redesign of Wilson Audio’s smallest floorstanding loudspeaker. With a beautifully updated silhouette exuding elegance while delivering a more harmonically rich and immersive sound, Sabrina V takes everything Wilson Audio has learned from its reference-level loudspeakers and distils it into a design that is inviting and approachable.

A material upgrade

Sabrina V pioneers a groundbreaking addition to the Wilson Audio materials library: H-Material. Developed as a high-density composite with organic and phenolic properties, this front baffle advancement sets a new benchmark in performance engineering. H-Material is similar to X-Material in inflexibility, yet slightly softer with different construction, which lends itself to be more musical inthe midrange than the previous model, the SabrinaX, with its use of X-Material as a baffle substrate.

Complemented by X-Material in all outer panels and structural reinforcement, the entire Sabrina enclosure benefits from an increase in mechanical stiffness. These material choices enhance vibration control, sharpen spatial imaging and achieve an impressively low acoustic noise floor – recognisable traits of Wilson Audio construction.

With decades of fine-tuning, materials like Wilson Audio’s proprietary X-Material, V-Material and our new H-Material front bafflebring music to life with incredible clarity and warmth. Each of these unique materials is meticulously chosen for its specific performance characteristics, whether in the realms of vibration control or sound reproduction. This commitment to material excellence is one of many elements that ensures all Wilson Audio loudspeakers deliver the best audio quality possible. Whether it is the impassioned pulse of a cello or the intimate breath of a vocalist, Sabrina V captures it all with breathtaking realism.

V-Material discs

Taking a page from the Wilson Audio Acoustic Diode design, V-Material has been nested and integrated into the bottom of the Sabrina V enclosure where the spike diode interfaces. This upgraded isolation technology (V-MCD) and enhanced vibration control provide an even quieter background, letting your favourite recordings unfold effortlessly.

This is music reproduction at its finest – it feels deeper and more alive. If there are room related issues with vibration management, Sabrina V’s spike thread size enables an easy and direct upgrade path to Wilson Audio Acoustic Diodes to further enhance isolation.

Speaker synergy

At the heart of the Sabrina V lies a symphony of advanced driver technologies shared with Wilson Audio’s most celebratedflagships. The Convergent Synergy Carbon (CSC) tweeter, originally developed for the Alexx V, delivers an astonishingly natural high-frequency response. This lightly coated textile dome tweeter seamlessly blends with the AlNiCo midrange driver and 8-inch woofer. The CSC offers extended linearity, refined harmonic detail, and a natural sense of acoustic space.

Wilson Audio has integrated its revered 7-inch AlNiCo (Aluminium – Nickel – Cobalt) QuadraMag midrange driver into its smallest floorstanding loudspeaker, the Sabrina V. Originally, it was developed for the Chronosonic XVX and subsequently utilised in the Alexx V, Alexia V, Sasha V and The WATT/Puppy. This distilled technology produces a tonally rich sound in the audio band to which the human ear is most sensitive. The goals and development of this driver results in a truly engaging listening experience. The AlNiCo QuadraMag driver is renowned for its exceptional ability to settle and maintain linearity resulting in greater depth and dimensionality.

The same 8” woofer used in the Sasha V and The WATT/Puppy anchors the low frequencies and foundation of the Sabrina V system. This driver is specifically chosen for its agility and authority resulting in bass that is articulate, textured and intimately tied to the rhythm of the music.

With Sabrina V, technical mastery meets musical truth.

What’s in a crossover

Five decades ago, it was common for loudspeaker designers to use capacitors with simple, single- wound construction. To befair, options at the time were limited. While some loudspeakers available in the market currently still use these elementary versions as their capacitor of choice, Wilson Audio continues to redefine what is possible. Additionally, printed circuit boards, when used in loudspeakers, inherently dynamically compress the sound. Wilson Audio avoids this sonic issue by taking the time to painstakingly handcraft and join each component with point-to-point connections (inductors, capacitors, resistors, connecting cables, hardware and so on).

The multi-section Reliable Capacitors (Rel-Cap) found in all Wilson Audio loudspeakers are crafted at Wilson Audio using custom state-of-the-art machines and finished by hand. This proprietary process produces some of the most accurate, complex,consistent, and sonically superior capacitors available. The soul of Sabrina V resides in its crossover, the critical system of components that tells each driver exactly what to play while preserving the truth of the signal. At the heart of this crossover are Wilson Audio’s uniquely wound AudioCap X-WA capacitors, produced in-house to ultra-tight tolerances. These Rel-Caps deliver exceptional low-level resolution and tonal subtleties which can be often lost in between the binding posts and the drivers with other options.

A newly engineered copper version of the AudioCap X-WA, a variant first introduced in Sasha V, now includes a copper end-spray. This refinement improves high-frequency micro-detail and spatial clarity, resulting in a more articulate and natural sonic presentation.

Bass integration is also enhanced through the development of a new woofer capacitor, structurally aligned with Wilson Audio’s exclusive midrange capacitors. This upgrade creates a cohesive, tonally balanced transition from low to mid frequencies – a hallmark of the Sabrina V’s remarkably lush and immersive sound profile.

At Wilson Audio, our relentless pursuit of excellence is reflected in every component we craft. The meticulous in-house development of our capacitors is just one example of our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in high-fidelity sound; ensuring that every note, every beat and all harmonies are delivered with an authenticity and emotional impact that transcends the ordinary.

Hardware and resistor access

Sabrina V is not only a stunning music reproducing instrument – it’s a thoughtful work of craftsmanship designed for everyday elegance and ease.

Refining the rear bass port dimensions and the midrange vent geometry has revealed deeper, more natural low frequencies while filling your room with warmth and soundstage dimension.

New rear-panel resistor access simplifies service and tuning – a welcome shift from the previous Sabrina bottom-mount approach. Resistors are secured with high-quality toolless thumbscrews, which makes tweeter and midrange resistor changes swift and intuitive. This new access point on the back of the enclosure is accentuated with a beautifully machined aluminium frame with the Sabrina V logo.

Even the speaker cable connectors on Sabrina V use premium Wilson Audio binding posts, offering a secure, innate fit for both spade and banana plugs. This world-class connection system maintains a clean and musical signal path.

With Sabrina V, every detail has been refined to elevate the listening experience.

Resolution

The Sabrina V underscores Wilson Audio’s ongoing leadership in precision loudspeaker manufacturing and its dedication to purposeful innovation. Every element embodies technical refinement and sonic intent, crafted to reveal more of the music. More honestly, more beautifully.

The Wilson Audio Sabrina V launches worldwide on 3rd July and begins shipping soon after. The UK RRP is £32,998 per pair inc.VAT in standard WilsonGloss colours.

Specifications

Drivers:

Treble: 1 inch (2.54cm)
Midrange: 7 inches (17.78cm)
Bass: 8 inches (20.32cm)

Enclosure:

Type: individual driver enclosures within single-piece cabinet
Dimensions: 98×30.48×39.07cm (HxWxD)
Treble: sealed enclosure; X-Material/H-Material baffle
Midrange: rear-vented enclosure; X-Material/H-Material baffle
Bass: rear-ported enclosure; X-Material/H-Material baffle
Damping inserts: V-Material (spike/footer interface)

Linn Klimax Solo 800

Most audio companies stay in their lane. They make electronics, turntables, or loudspeakers. Some specialise ultra-narrowly and focus on just one subsection of those fields, such as cartridges or preamplifiers. A few brands make a complete system. But only Linn makes full-on audio ecosystems. And the difficulty with creating a complete ecosystem lies in the ‘point of entry’. In the high-end, there are many outstanding loudspeakers out there that were outside of Linn’s purview. The company didn’t make a power amplifier with the gravitas and muscle to drive them. Linn cracked that nut with the Klimax Solo 800 mono power amplifier.

The easy route for Linn would have been to take its previous Klimax Solo 500 amps and upgrade them. The Solo 500 was a great performer in its own right, but was intended to play nicely with eight-ohm loudspeakers. The occasional sub-two ohm parts of a high-end loudspeaker’s impedance plot didn’t sit that comfortably. Beefing up the Solo 500 would make for a relatively low-distortion amplifier. But ‘relatively’ wasn’t in the Klimax Solo 800 brief.

The brief, briefly

Instead, Linn wanted to plant a flag in the high-end power amplifier market. But not just any flag. It aimed to establish the Definitive Statement flag in the high-end power amplifier market. To achieve that, the brief was simple: provide vanishingly low distortion across the board. Also, make it capable of driving any high-end loudspeaker you can think of to ‘healthy’ levels. Then, do it with headroom to spare at all levels. Oh, and it shouldn’t double up as a heat source and rack up the fuel bills in the process. Reshaping the world of high-end audio amplification in a single stroke; how hard can it be?

Putting on the cynical hat for a moment, changing high-end amplification need not be as Herculean a task. There is a lot of laurel-resting going on in that arena. A company might have made a ground-breaking design or two to make its reputation back in the day. However, since then, the same company has reinvented the wheel, often with minor variations on the same theme.

Shake the amp tree

Arguably, the last product to shake the amplifier market was Devialet. It’s shiny pizza box hid the all-new Class ADH circuit. While ultimately Devialet didn’t upend the high-end amplifier industry, it had an impact. Linn’s Klimax Solo 800 has the potential to have an even bigger impact.

Why? Because what happens on the inside of the Linn Klimax Solo 800 is different to the high-end mainstream. You don’t redraw your system to add a pair of power amps. Devialet’s great selling point is that it replaces everything except a turntable and loudspeakers. That’s something not everyone wants to do; they might like their digital front-end or preamp. Even the box-count reduction wasn’t much loved by die-hard audiophiles, where every shelf in the rack tells its own story. While going down Linn’s ‘Exakt’ digital ecosystem route does require the listener to change almost everything to Linn’s own components, Linn’s Klimax Solo 800 mono amps are analogue power amplifiers and can be a direct replacement for your existing mono amps, or an upgrade for stereo designs.

Poor push-back

That’s not to say Linn didn’t get a spot of push-back when releasing the Klimax Solo 800, but that push-back was unjustified. There’s a tendency to oversimplification in audio circles (not helped by unfriendly rivalry resorting to lies). In this case, that meant “runs cool = Class D = bad!”.

This is a bit like farting in an elevator; wrong on so many levels. First, the Linn Klimax Solo 800 is not a Class D design. Second, even if it was Class D, this is not 2000 anymore and Class D has improved significantly since its early day. And third, it’s not Class D. I know just repeated the first one, but it’s such a significant bit of wrong, it’s worth repeating just in case someone is still dense enough to still think this is a Class D amplifier.

So, what we have in the Linn Klimax Solo 800 is a 27kg power amplifier that is ‘big’ by UK standards and ‘tiny’ compared to the likes of Boulder and D’Agostino. It’s also an amplifier that runs cool to the touch no matter how much punishment you choose to give it and is stable enough to just keep pumping out the power under any conditions this side of throwing rocks at the thing. But not Class D.

Tough on the naysayers

How did it make such an amplifier? OK, I’ve been a little tough on the naysayers. There are two recent errors introduced into audio amplification. The first is irrelevant here; the ‘D’ in Class D stands for ‘Digital’. The second is that a switch-mode power supply automatically means ‘Class D’. It’s a flawed syllogistic logic that was pointed out as being wrong 2,500 years before the invention of Class D amplification. Linn has been making amplifiers with switch-mode power supplies for years. Not for efficiency, low cost or even heat-dissipation reasons, but because they intrinsically move power supply noise out of the audio band. The Klimax Solo 800 power supplies have very high switching frequencies that are nowhere near the audio band.

It’s worth comparing this with a conventional linear power supply. They operate at 50Hz or 60Hz (depending on your country’s alternating current frequency). Not only can this cause transformer hum, the spectrum of noise is right in the audible range, with harmonics hitting our most sensitive frequency range, which itself causes a mild hum, this time heard as low-level noise through the loudspeakers.

Also, Linn hires a lot of extremely bright mechanical and electronics engineers and this really is a meeting of minds. Which means that chassis size is no accident, and its heatsinks create ideal thermal pathways to help cool the already cool-running amplifier circuit. It also vents through the chassis itself, from the bottom plate up to top. This is nothing new… if you are used to building skyscrapers. Some amplifiers have also adopted a similar means of cooling, but often rely on a fan to force air through the chassis. The number of audio companies that use this kind of passive cooling and do it so successfully are extremely rare.

Adaptive Bias Control

We often only think of bias in terms of balancing the output of tube/valve amplifiers. However, all Class A/B amplifiers apply a bias voltage across the output transistors to set bias current during crossover (when one set of transistors that generate the positive half of the musical waveform hands over the signal to the set that generates the negative half). This applied bias compensates for changes in temperature, voltage, current, and transistor age.

In that great empirical tradition of every scientist since Sir Francis Bacon died of pneumonia from trying to stuff a chicken with ice, Linn asked the question… is that all? The result is the company’s Adaptive Bias Control.

On the Linn Klimax Solo 800, Adaptive Bias Control uses a digital algorithm to monitor the current flowing in the output transistors and then extract the bias from the music signal. The result is far lower distortion than an amp which operates in Class A at a higher power level. This gives the amplifier the potential to make the changeover from Class A to Class B so seamless, the only things that stop you from thinking it’s an 800W Class A amplifier is the absence of sweltering heat and a fuel bill so large you can see it from space.

Monitoring of the status of the amp is simple, and uses the roundel on the front panel. This has 100 LEDs that can be dimmed, but glow white under normal use and red when things go wrong… or so I’ve been told. Nothing went wrong. It almost unbreakable. It has a single RCA and XLR per chassis, two chonky speaker terminals, a 20A IEC input, and the power switch under the front of the amp.

Anointed audiophile

Moving out of ecosystem is a good thing for Linn, as it shows just what the company’s electronics can do when partnered to those ‘best in show’ anointed audiophile greats. Such as a pair of Wilson Audio Sasha DAWs. And that’s a fascinating exercise.

The degree of control over those speakers is immense. It doesn’t change the inherent ‘Wilsonosity’ of a pair of Sasha DAWs, but it just lays out what a lot of amp systems don’t quite get to. Sure you expect that big and expansive sound – and you get that – but with a sense of grip to the bass that gives Moving over to Francine Thirteen’s ‘Queen Mary’ has that fast percussion move from left to right perfectly with her voice and her own backing track perfectly delineated in the centre.

A murmuration of penguins

Go Go Penguin’s ‘Murmuration’ is a bit of modern Brit Jazz that’s usually left off the audiophile play list because it’s subtle and atmospheric, and so often played dead wrong. If the percussion and piano don’t hold together, it just sounds like noodling. Played well, it’s like a Keith Jarrett improvisation but with a full band playing together. Here, that’s precisely what it does. There’s not artifice here, and for some wanting their speakers warm, soft, spongy, a little background might need to look for something softer and milder. This is amplification that leaves you excited and breathless from all that endless information on offer.

I got into a brief sojourn through modern female artists, starting with Charlotte and the Queens, going through (in the not bad way) to Billie Eilish to Taylor Swift. ‘Billie Bossa Nova’ and ‘Anti-Hero’ by Tay-Tay are often audiophile poison; close mic’d and self-assured, they can sound peaky and ‘flubby’, or thin (because the recording itself is thin). Here, the honesty of the Linn amps doesn’t hide anything, but neither does it detract or point to its mistakes.

I switched over Angus and Julia Stone’s ‘Draw Your Swords’ with its really good guitar strummed part, a piano in background, atmospheric vocals, and it’s ‘nothing added, nothing taken away’. Antipodean Americana at its best. There’s no unnecessary air, although sounds are atmospheric and wide.

Metal and glass

Similarly, play ‘End of the Road’ by Infected Mushroom. This should sound industrial, like bits of metal and glass are being hit, but in a good way. And here it does. Often in big audio systems it just sounds large and boomy. The Linn just makes you feel the adrenalin rush.

It gives the scale and majesty to opera too. This is a telling part of tempo. Some systems tend to sound like they are racing through the music, or give it too much portent, here it’s just balance and poise. The characteristic clean, dry and detailed sound of Linn is a function of the electronics, but it’s not an imposition. It’s like the music with all the fluffy stuff taken out of the mix.

The Klimax 800 Solo lets loudspeakers do things you don’t expect. Lateralus by Tool really shows what the Klimax 800 Monos can do. That slow build from quiet squishy synth sound to full-thickness graunch is played perfectly. Everything under control, everything in reserve. It’s not bringing a gun to a knife fight… it’s bringing a tank.

Advanced audio engineering

More than anything, this sounds like really good, really advanced engineering in audio form. Nothing is making it sweat. Any load, any music, any volume. That’s a sure sign of that engineering is playing quietly, as the same sense of grip and control applies just as much at lower levels as it does further up the chain.

I played ‘Memphis Soul Stew’ by King Curtis through the system. You hear each musician flow perfectly together, but you can’t help but focus on Bernard Purdie’s ‘going like a train’ Purdie Shuffle. The conga often gets lost beneath this heavy mix as it’s off to the left of the stage and sometimes lost in the percussion. It’s rendered perfectly here.

Finally out came ‘The Ghetto (live)’ by Donny Hathaway. The hand claps and audience make it. They clap in a surprisingly complex sequence, and you can hear individuated sounds in the audience. It’s a great track anyway, but it becomes something so much more. And, if you carry on and play ‘You’ve Got A Friend’, you can hear the point where every woman in the audience is set on sleeping with him.

A bonus. Those cubes run cold. I gave them some bad sonic hurting. I played them to practically PA levels, to the point of wearing ear protection to see who gave in first. The amps fed such a clean sound to the speakers, they ran loud and proud (admittedly, this is one of the things Wilson loudspeakers can do… they can be given some good clean power without getting into distress), and even then it was my ears that folded first. The Klimax 800 had just been through a thorough thrashing and were cool running throughout.

Not a radiator

Downsides? There will be those who want a stereo amp instead of mono models, and it’s not hard to think something is coming that will satisfy their demands soon. But otherwise, unless you like the idea of your amplifier doubling up as a radiator in winter months, like the sound of your woolly existing amps, or maybe prefer the look of a specific amp that doesn’t match the Klimax, what’s not to like?

Linn wanted to plant a flag in the high-end amplifier ground. With the Klimax 800 Mono it’s done it. And it’s a huge Scottish saltire telling the high-end world to buckle up… Linn’s back and this time, it means business!

Technical specifications

Type: Solid state, class-AB, mono power amplifier with 2kW Utopik power supply and Adaptive Bias Control,
Inputs: 1x RCA single-ended and 1x XLR balanced input per amplifier
Passthrough: 1x RCA single-ended and 1x XLR balanced outputs per amplifier
Outputs: One pair Furutech 4mm multi-way loudspeaker terminals
Power input: 20A IEC connector
Power Output: 400W into eight ohms, 800W into four ohms, 1.2kW into two ohms
Nominal gain: 26.6dB unbalanced, 22.6dB balanced
Bandwidth: 150kHz into 8 ohms, 140kHz into 4 ohms, 130kHz into 2 ohms, –3dB
Output impedance: 0.10 ohm at 1kHz
THD+N: 0.0004% at 1kHz, 400W into 8 ohms; 0.0005% at 1kHz, 800W into 4 ohms; 0.0006% at 1kHz, 1.2kW into 2 ohms
IMD 18kHz+19kHz): <–115dB at 100W total into 8 ohm
Finish: natural aluminium or black anodised
Dimensions (WxDxH): 35×41.2×26.8cm
Weight: 27kg per amplifier
Price: £75,000, $90,000, €89,260 per pair

Manufacturer

Linn Products Ltd

www.linn.co.uk

+44 (0)141 307 7777

Magnus Öström & Dan Berglund: e.s.t. 30

We may have lost Esbjörn Svensson but the love for his music and the dedication of his drummer and bass player in e.s.t. remain as strong as ever. Two concerts were organised in 2023 by Magnus Öström (drums) and Dan Berglund (bass) to celebrate 30 years since e.s.t. was formed, they were performed in two venues; the Kölner Philharmonie, Köln and the Filadelfia church, Stockholm. Öström and Berglund needed a ‘voice’ to take over the duties of the trio’s founder and found it in close musical friends Joel Lyssarides (piano), Magnus Lindgren (tenor saxophone, flute), Verneri Pohjola (trumpet) and Ulf Wakenius (electric guitar). It’s hard to find a piano lead ensemble today that doesn’t sound like e.s.t. in one way or another.

The concert on this recording was performed at the Kölner Philharmonie and consists of six e.s.t. favourites that open with the sublime ‘From Gagarin’s Point of View’ from the album of the same name released in 1999. Here Lyssarides gets to bring his own style to the piece, adding some bass rumble but largely letting the piano shimmer over a slow beat. This is a superb recording and opens up a huge vista with a near silent background, but you can feel a powerful atmosphere produced by an eager audience. By starting slowly however the band keep them hungry and this warm, inviting entrée clearly wets their appetites for the haunting intro to ‘Seven Days of Falling’ (2003) where Lindgren and Pohjola weave a mesmerising tune over slowly building drums. The band waits until over halfway through before the beat kicks in and the horn gets more intense with a soupcon of gruff skronking that takes it to the crescendo before the band returns to the theme with the piano bringing things down with a shimmering denouement.

The piano on ‘Eighthundred Streets by Feet’ (2006) sounds more like the original Svensson version with some kind of treatment on the strings, here we get the two horn players echoing one another, a mute in the trumpet, with a slow build for the first half. Here they add some effects and the groove gets stronger with the brass section going off in directions unimagined when the tune was composed but not frightening any horses either. With Öström’s brushwork propelling the sound they build up to quite a crescendo which really ignites the audience. ‘Tuesday Wonderland’ (2006) is an old favourite and sounds superb in this performance, here Lindgren picks up his flute to illustrate the melody over a great riff with plenty of dynamic oomph. Riffs are the essence of many great e.s.t. tunes, they are what brought their music to the attention of a mainstream audience, with the original rhythm section on this they remain as powerful as ever. There’s more to it than that of course, the snare work on this is particularly snappy and keeps your thighs twitching while the flute break builds up a head of steam, taking the audience with it on a piece that ends superbly with high pitch bowed double bass matching the tone of the singing tube.

‘Elevation of Love’ (2003) also has a strong driving groove and here involves Pohjola and Wakenius over deep bass notes from Berglund, the guitar is particularly good on this and brings an emotional impact that is unexpected. The change of arrangement from the original doesn’t jar as it might but reveals the strength of the composition.

The final number is ‘Believe, Beleft, Below’ (2003), of which there are more cover versions than any other in this selection. Here the band takes the tempo down with a gentle tune that brings out the beauty in both piano and guitar playing. You get the sense that they are calming the audience down so that they will get to go home without being drowned out by calls for more, I doubt it worked because this piece reveals a softer, more intimate side of both the composer and performers with both horns proving that they too can play sweetly. It’s no surprise when the applause lasts over 40 seconds.

This was a very special concert and one that reminds us just how engaging Esbjörn Svensson’s work is. There are excellent live recordings of the original band but this sounds better than most of them.

Back to Music

Violectric DHA V226

You can forgive attentive readers of hi-fi+ for doing a double-take at the Violectric DHA V226. Even a cursory glance at the design language employed on the front panel of the V226 suggests that it might be a very close cousin to the Niimbus US 5 PRO. Just so. The DHA V226 is designed and manufactured in Germany by the same team responsible for the Niimbus. However, it has a retail price of £1,300 compared to the US 5 PRO’s £5,140.

Lifting the lid

Lifting their respective lids makes the relationship between the DHA V226 and the Niimbus even more apparent. Violectric’s design head, Fried Reim, has not entirely made a mini-Niimbus in the V226. His flagship amplifier features a more complex circuit, higher-quality components, a stiffer and more robust power supply, and a significantly superior volume control arrangement. Even so, the power supply and gain circuit employed in the Violectric DHA V226 feature essentially the same design principles. However, they result in half the output power of the Niimbus in a chassis some 50% smaller.

However, unlike the Niimbus, which is purely a headphone amp, the Violectric DHA V226 also contains a DAC. This is based around a 32-bit Cirrus Logic CS43131 chip. The V226 can, therefore, handle PCM up to 384 kHz and DSD 64-256. It costs £3,840 less than the Niimbus. Additionally, buyers get the same five-year guarantee.

Design choices

Some might be disappointed that the V226’s only digital input is a USB-C socket. Adding a S/PDIF input would have been challenging both from a real-estate viewpoint – the rear panel on the Violectric DHA V226 is already crammed – and would have required additional circuitry. This has implications for cost and internal layout. Violectric has also assumed that most customers for a one-box solution at this price point want to connect to a tablet, a phone or a DAP. Thus, USB is the de facto standard.

Headphone amplifiers must have an adjustable gain because headphones vary so much between makes and types in their need for current and Voltage. Sources have variable outputs, too. With fixed gain, headphone A might be dangerously loud, while headphone B is hopelessly quiet. Fried Reim is a thinker and a bold engineer, not afraid to do things his way. Evidence of this engineering boldness is at the rear of the Violectric DHA V226. Here, we find DIP switches that adjust the gain in seven steps from -18dB to +18dB.

Take a DIP

Unlike most alternative amplifier designs, the critical thing to note is that Reim’s DIP switches allow pre-gain or sensitivity to be adjusted, not output gain. While an alternative headamp might switch its output between low, medium and high gain settings, Violectric amplifiers have fixed output gain. In the case of the V226, it is + 2dB unbalanced and 4dB balanced. Reim argues that the advantage of this approach is that you can optimise the entire amplification path for the lowest noise and maximum load driving ability, whether connected to high-efficiency IEMs or low-efficiency dynamic headphones.

Also on the back panel of the V226 are two pairs of analogue RCA inputs and a single pair of RCA line stage outputs. A push button configures the line stage for operation with or without the integral ALPS RK27 volume control. On the front panel are status LEDs, miniature toggle switches that allow inputs and outputs to be selected, a large rotary volume control, single-ended 6.3mm TRS socket, plus 4-pin XLR and 4.4mm Pentaconn sockets. The latter are both balanced, of course. The Violectric DHA V226 mirrors Reim’s other designs by incorporating protection for headphones and IEMs from DC. They are electrically isolated on start-up and shutdown to prevent possible damage. Output impedance is 0.5 Ohms, input impedance 10 kOhms.

Warmed up

The run-in and warmed-up review sample V226 was connected to a 5th-generation iPad Air using the standard Apple USB cable. A Susvara headphone was connected to the V226’s XLR socket. Qobuz was launched on the iPad, and Zsela Thompson’s first studio album, Big For You (released mid-June this year), was played.

It’s quite a while since I last heard a Cirrus chip in a DAC. The V226 reminded me how, while they might be less ubiquitous than the common-or-garden ESS equivalent, the Cirrus series sounds very good indeed. To my ears, it is perhaps as resolving yet notably more natural-sounding. The amplification that follows the DAC stage in the V226 is linear to plus or minus half a dB from 5Hz to 250kHz. It features a dynamic range of 131dB and THD+N of 102dB.

Through its XLR and Pentaconn outlets, the V226 delivers 23.2 Volts in a 600 Ohm load and 1.5mW at 16 Ohms. Into 100 Ohms, the output is 3.5mW. The damping factor into 50 Ohms is 200 single-ended and 100 balanced. The above are all respectable rather than exceptional figures. Still, the Violectric DHA V226 could drive the Susvara headphones to such a standard that I could happily adjust to living with the result.

Bass-ics

Having just set aside the Niimbus US 5 PRO, despite its simpler circuitry and much lower cost, the V226 sounds noticeably Niimbus-like. That’s not to suggest it’s in the same league in terms of sonic quality. Rather, it exhibits the recognisable Violectric house sound. This sound combines flowing musical naturalism with clean, tightly controlled muscularity and transparency.

The keyed-bass stabs that punctuate the track ‘Fire Escape’ on Big For You were rendered by the Violectric DHA V226 driving the Susvara with very satisfying power and texture. Simultaneously, over and around them floated the smoky, breathiness of Zsela’s intriguing voice. She reminds me of a young Joan Armatrading. Her voice was given an appropriate balance of intimacy and prominence. The V226 presents a nicely layered sound stage too. Changing the system configuration and using the V226 as a headphone amplifier revealed its more profound competence.

I removed the Niimbus US 5 PRO from the circuit, replacing it with the V226 and connecting that to the reference Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC using XLR-to-RCA converters. Despite the balanced-to-single-ended hack, not something I would do out of choice, the results were rather sobering, given that I have recently spent my money buying the Niimbus. Yes, the Niimbus gives reassuringly superior results in terms of transparency, dynamic expression and tonal density when fed by the Tambaqui. Still, the little Violectric DHA V2266, when given the same high-quality input, was not quite as far behind as I had imagined it would be.

Come on!

The Tambaqui is superior by all measures to the Cirrus chip in the Violectric DHA V2266, but come on. What should we reasonably expect given the enormous price difference? The more sensible and balanced way to view this is that as a combined DAC/amplifier combination, the V226 is far from disgracing itself in posher company.

Violectric’s studio-cum-industrial design language may not be to all tastes. However, electronically and functionally, the V226 has an awful lot going for it. There’s more than a whiff of diminishing returns here, as there is with pretty much all of audio. As I re-packed theViolectric DHA V226 for return to the UK distributor, I did so with the conviction. Anyone who buys one is going to have good reason to heartily congratulate themselves for making such a smart conservatively priced choice.

Technical specifications

Type: headphone amplifier/DAC/line stage preamplifier
DAC: 32-bit with typical 130 dB dynamic range, -115 dB THD+N
Power 3500mW into 100 Ohm, 23V RMS into 600 Ohm
Inputs 1 x analogue stereo inputs (unbalanced via RCA), 1 x digital input (USB-C with up to 32-bit and up to 384kHz for PCM signals, DSD 64 256)
Outputs: 1 x 4-pin XLR, balanced / 1 x Pentaconn, bal. / 1 x 6.3 mm jack, unbalanced.
Line Out: Stereo outputs (unbalanced via RCA)
Dimensions: (W x H x D): 17 x 5.5 x 29 cm
Weight: 3 kg
Price: £1,300, $1,599, €1,599

Manufacturer

Violectric

www.violectric.de

UK distributor

Electromod

www.electromod.co.uk

+(0)1494 956558

Back to Reviews

Focal Aria X No3

When Focal launched the original Aria range back in 2013, it did something that no previous Focal speaker had previously achieved… for me. Before it, I had admired Focal products, respected them, and even coveted them at points, but I’d never truly loved what they did. The Arias arrived, still doing all I expected Focal speakers to do. However, they did so with a level of out-and-out fun that hadn’t previously been part of the repertoire. Subsequent launches above and below the Arias have maintained this essence of joy. This means any update to its source has always piqued my interest. So, how does the Focal Aria X No3 floorstanding loudspeaker, from its revised Aria line, shape up?

The No3 is the second-highest model in the range, a like-for-like replacement of the outgoing Aria model. A single stand-mount is joined by three floorstanding models, which unusually retain both supporting centre, surround and subwoofer options too. The No3 is exactly the same height as the range-topping Aria X No 4. However, as it uses more significant 203mm bass drivers, it is significantly wider. This means that No3, while comparatively svelte, is a fairly large speaker in its own right.

Aria developments

The driver complement is recognisably similar to the original Aria models but includes many of the developments that Focal has been working on in the ensuing decade. The tweeter is an aluminium and magnesium alloy unit that employs the M-shaped profile the company has been moving to in its tweeter and headphone drivers over the last few years. It was first used in the Vestia range, which overlaps the lower levels of the Aria X models. The tweeter itself sits in a urethane plate. This acts as a shallow waveguide with a claimed upper-frequency response of 30kHz.

This is partnered with four 165mm ‘F Sandwich’, a term that Focal proudly emblazons on the driver surround. It’s a name that has consistently baffled those less committed. These use a layer of flax fibre sandwiched between two layers of glass fibre. Focal claims this results in a combination with ideal acoustic properties. It’s also vastly easier to make than the composite designs used in the Sopra and Utopia models. They are used on the Kanta No1s that have been resident here as test speaker units.

While all four units are the same size, the uppermost unit is set up as a dedicated midrange unit. It features a distinct dust cap and motor assembly to facilitate its operation across a frequency range of 260Hz to 3.1kHz. The three lower drivers are dedicated bass drivers. They extend down to the claimed low-frequency roll-off of 39Hz at the ±3dB measurement point, starting from 260Hz.

Port smart

One of the most significant changes for the Aria X concerns how these drivers are ported. The lower section of the cabinet contains both a pair of forward-firing ports and a lower-firing port that acts against a plinth that works as a fixed boundary. The plinth is a very smart piece of industrial design, as it ships with the spikes already fitted but placed in a raised position. You can attach the plinth, move the Focal to the desired location, and then deploy the spikes via a supplied tool once the Focal Aria X No3 is where you want it.

At over a metre tall, the Focal is an imposing speaker and is littered with touches that have you convinced it costs more than it does. The non-parallel sides and separate top plate all feel of a very high standard, and the speaker itself is a good-looking bit of kit.

Fine finish

In addition to the expected gloss black and ‘Prime’ walnut options, Focal has also made them available in ‘Moss Green High Gloss’, in which the review samples were supplied. This won’t be a perfect fit for every living space, but it looks genuinely excellent, giving the speaker an identity and working well with the black front baffle and flax drivers.

The engineering changes that have gone into the Aria X are not night and day different to the original. Still, one fairly profound difference to the old model revealed itself early on. The original Aria might have ushered in some changes in how much fun a Focal speaker could be, but it was very much in keeping with older designs in terms of the effort that went into positioning it. The Focal Aria X No3, by contrast, has been happy in most locations and angles I have tried it in. So long as it is two metres apart and at least two metres from the listening position, I’ve enjoyed consistently good results. The claimed sensitivity of 92dB/w feels a little high. Meanwhile, the minimum impedance dip of 2.8 ohms means that a reasonable amount of power will be needed to get the best from them.

Worth it!

That best is worth working for though. The way the Focal tackles Regina Spektor’s Live in London [Sire] encapsulates everything it does so well. The space of the venue and the energy of the audience is palpable and well worked into the presentation. When the opening On the Radio begins, the piano’s weight and scale, even relative to the venue is readily apparent. Spektor herself sounds utterly convincing; her energy and staccato vocal style are perfectly delivered.

And above all, it’s fun. This woman loves to perform live in front of an audience psyched to be there, and without losing a single nuance in the recording itself, the Focal radiates this joy into every aspect of the performance. Even better news is this joy is measured and never dominates material that is more considered and reflective. A lovely run through Bill Fay’s Countless Branches [Dead Oceans] doesn’t seek to lift the mood of this gentle and heartfelt body of songs—instead the Focal concentrates on the consistent tonal excellence that has defined their offerings for many years.

Double-priced comparisons

Indeed, there have been points during my time with the Focal Aria X No3 when I made comparisons to the Bowers & Wilkins 702 S3 Signature that passed through shortly before and wore a price tag double that of the Focal. When you lean on the Focal, it doesn’t have the same composure as the Bowers & Wilkins and neither can it hit quite as hard in the bottom end, but until you are pushing it firmly into the realms of the antisocial, the differences are tiny.

Other improvements to the Focal have ensured that the gap to more expensive rivals is closer than they might like. This still wouldn’t be my choice of speaker to listen exclusively to victims of the late nineties and early noughties loudness war, and it will always make it clear when a recording is a little on the hard side. The key difference is that it does so with an almost apologetic edge; making you aware of issues in the background rather than highlighting them to the extent of masking any good in the recording. It does this while still being able to respond to high-quality recordings. A considered Sunday morning in front of Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden [Parlophone] was a chance for the Focal to truly shine at sounding big, believable and utterly unforced in how it goes about making music.

Aria Evolved

What is interesting for me is that this also meant the Aria lets me still find joy in this minimalist set of songs in exactly the same way as it does with the rather more overtly ballistic 1999 by Cassius [Virgin]. Time signatures are nailed down and the effortless flow of music is captured in a way that makes the reproduction an art and science. So long as your partnering equipment is up to supplying the power and not tripping over itself, the Focal effortlessly builds on the achievements of its ancestors.

The fact that it does this while not significantly adding to the price of a range of speakers that have already done a very good job of holding their value over their long lives means that the Focal Aria X No3 winds up looking like superb value, too. This is a large, attractive, and superbly made speaker that takes on rivals at considerably higher price points. In short, it continues to mix key Focal attributes with a welcome sense of joie de vivre.

Technical specifications

Type Bass-reflex 3-way floorstanding loudspeaker
Speaker drivers 3 x 6.5” (16.5cm) Flax bass
6.5” (16.5cm) Flax midrange with TMD® surround
Aluminium/Magnesium ‘M’-shaped inverted dome TAM tweeter
Frequency response (+/-3dB) 39Hz – 30kHz
Response at -6dB 32Hz
Sensitivity 92dB Nominal impedance 8Ω
Minimum impedance 2.8Ω
Recommended amp power 40 – 300W
Crossover frequency 260Hz/3,100Hz
Dimensions (HxLxD) 451/4×115/8×145/8” (115×29.4×37.1cm)
Weight 63.93lbs (29kg)
Price; £3,499, $5,198, €4,000 per pair

Manufacturer

Focal

www.focal.com

Fyne Audio Vintage 5

Very few loudspeaker manufacturers appear fully-formed as if from nowhere. But the Fyne Audio Vintage 5 comes from different stock. ‘Fully-formed’ was how it felt in 2017 when Fyne Audio exploded onto the scene. Before we could get our bearings, it had brought out several complete ranges. Fyne offered a range of solutions, from budget to high-performance, from the outset. Before we’d recovered from that, it brought out several more. It then revised and updated the ranges, introducing enhanced variants with upgraded drive units. Fyne has certainly been busy, but when your core team comprises several of the key personnel from the old Tannoy company, you’re probably better equipped to hit the ground running than most fledgeling speaker companies.

Most of those earlier ranges were designed to a modern aesthetic style. That is, with slightly curvaceous cabinets and high gloss finishes. They fit well in a contemporary room. However, you know these guys had a hankering to revisit the classic, old-school designs their erstwhile employer was known for. And more recently, Fyne has done just that. The company has two new ranges. There’s the Vintage Classics in simpler, rectangular, pro-audio-inspired cabinets. Then there is the Vintage range, featuring more finely worked, boat-backed, and elegantly veneered cabinets. Their sophistication is more than skin deep. The Vintage series is mostly substantial floorstanding designs. They sport 10”, 12” or 15” versions of Fyne’s top-spec IsoFlare coaxial driver, as also seen in their F-series. However, there’s also the baby of the range, the Vintage 5. As its name suggests, sports a 5” version of the drive unit, in a cute-as-a-button compact bookshelf design.

Mini Monitor

The Vintage 5 is similarly sized to the classic BBC LS3/5a mini monitors. That means a cabinet volume of around five litres. The Fyne Audio Vintage 5 will never provide the room-filling output of its larger siblings. Nor does it have the sort of scale and weight they can deliver. But it does sound bigger and bolder than those diminutive proportions might suggest. So, don’t dismiss it out of hand if, like me, the BBC models don’t deliver the goods for you.

This is likely to be the Vintage 5’s biggest problem, though. At around £3,750 a pair, it’s pricey for a dinky stand-mount speaker. Especially when the BBC clones (themselves usually at the ‘luxury’ end of the small speaker market) are coming in at under £3k. They, too, are competing on price with larger models elsewhere, which may produce a room-filling sound effect a bit better. Therefore, many prospective purchasers may take one look at the size and one look at the price and dismiss it outright. That could be a mistake…

If you close your eyes, it’s not difficult to imagine this is a bigger loudspeaker – it feels less constrained by its dimensions than most rivals, less reserved and more willing to step up and boogie. Once you get beyond the bottom octave in the bass, there’s little to remind you that these are tiny enclosures. The fundamental notes are still there, just not quite as fully fleshed out as a bigger driver can manage. But even here, there’s a winning side to this trade-off. The Vintage 5s exhibit an extraordinary level of focus. Larger, multi-driver assemblies struggle to achieve a degree of coherence comparable to this.

Driver configuration

With the coaxial driver configuration, the compression tweeter is so close-coupled to the mid/bass cone that it is literally and sonically closer to the ideal of a point source. The small size emphasises the nature of that relationship all the more. Stand-mount loudspeakers are often said to ‘disappear’ sonically much more readily than larger, floorstanding designs. That’s especially true of the Vintage 5.

The drive unit is the 5” variant of the top-spec IsoFlare coaxial driver. It features the super-light magnesium compression tweeter, multifibre paper cone, and Fyne’s proprietary fluted driver surround. This last is said to reduce coloration from edge reflections. Fyne Audio produces lesser versions of this driver, though they all share similar technology and cone profiles. However, the Vintage series shares the most sophisticated drivers with the F1 series. As with all the models, it’s a reflex ported design. The enclosure itself isn’t the full height of the cabinet. Instead, it extends down to a few centimetres above the baseplate, and the port exits from the middle of the bottom of this box. It is directed by a tractrix-profile (a curved cone) diffuser to vent radially in all directions through apertures in the front, sides and rear at the foot of the cabinet.

Cabinet of delights

The cabinet construction is also a particular delight. Beautifully finished in exquisitely jointed, wax-finished Walnut veneer (Fyne provides a small tin for refreshing this), there’s a craftsmanship to these cabinets that you rarely see at this price. These are not inexpensive loudspeakers, especially considering their diminutive size. To add a little context, the next smallest model, the floorstanding Vintage 10, is £18,000, and the largest, the Vintage 15, is £30,000. There can be little doubt that the cabinetry contributes somewhat to the cost. However, it also quickly becomes clear that the Vintage 5s are not some cynical marketing gimmick designed to sell off the halo effect of their bigger siblings. There’s a genuine level of serious performance available here, which earns them their place in this illustrious lineup.

The Fyne Audio Vintage 5s may need a little more room around them to breathe than those sealed box BBC designs. However, this wasn’t limiting in my room because I’m not siting them on a shelf, or a wall. Fyne do sell suitable 60cm stands, whereas I used the Vintage 5s on my own 60cm MusicWorks acrylic speaker stands. These might not be a good aesthetic match, but they do perform well. Because the diffuser allows the port to vent omnidirectionally, the proximity of the port exit to reflecting surfaces isn’t quite as much of an issue as it can be in some instances. Siting these a little nearer to the wall than I usually do did help add a little more body to the bass output.

Bottom-end mass

Solo piano isn’t a bad test of whether you’re going to miss the bottom end mass. So, Alfred Brendel playing the Arietta from Beethoven’s last piano sonata, Op.111 [Philips], and the first thing you notice is the way he measures out every note; there’s a considered, thoughtful quality to the playing here. It brings a cohesiveness to the, somewhat disparate, theme and variations form that some speakers have failed to portray.

There’s sufficient weight to the lower registers. However, the articulation and the placement of the notes are so exquisitely delivered that it wouldn’t matter if the bass were a little shy because the music is rendered so intelligible. Similarly, Graham Fitkin’s ‘The Cone Gatherers’ from Flak [Fitkin] might not put a concert grand piano in your living room. Still, it delivers a very convincing ‘salon’ acoustic that anchors the listener firmly in the performance space, even if not adjacent to the instrument.

After Kim

Coming directly after listening to my own FinkTeam Kims, with their 200mm two-way design, the period of readjustment was remarkably and surprisingly brief. Once I’d got the speaker placement settled, the coherence and the levels of musical communication on offer from these diminutive boxes quickly dispelled any misgivings about their ability to scale. It was easy just to get on with enjoying the music.

Take ‘Miel et Ciendres’ from Dhafer Youssef’s album Divine Shadows [Jazzwise], the speakers’ articulation and focus are such that you really feel the way he plays the Oud, the small embellishments, the speed and delicacy of his fingerwork that propels the track; the string quartet accompanying the piece has form and structure, the percussion tight and solid. ‘Wind and Shadows’ from the same album, the polyrhythms are very well articulated, and thus make more sense working with what the Oud is doing. The insistent rhythm is captivating; almost, but never quite tripping over its feet, it adds an exciting and propulsive dimension to this track. This is a performance as good as any I’ve heard, and largely down to that extraordinary level of coherence achieved by this small, coaxial drive unit.

Personal performance

Last year I was fortunate to go to a live performance of the set featured on Esperanza Spalding and Fred Hersch Alive at the Village Vanguard [Palmetto]. Sadly, not at the Village Vanguard, but all the better for seeing these two extraordinary performers together. Spalding’s chatty, conversational style of delivery, married to Hersch’s freewheeling, idiosyncratic piano makes for a very personal performance, where you, the audience, are very much drawn into the proceedings. The speakers’ ability to disappear brought out the intimacy of this gig. It captured and recreated the atmosphere, allowing me to recall my response to the performance that evening vividly. This, surely, is what hi-fi is meant to do.

If you’re still bothered about the Fyne Audio Vintage 5’s ability to do scale and mass, put on Christopher Seitzen, Incantations [Sony Music]. ‘Indoafrica’ from Avner Dorman’s concerto ‘Frozen in Time’ sounds full, vivid and fleshed out, Seitzen’s percussion convincingly set off by the Romanian National Symphony Orchestra. The opening percussive crash explodes from the Vintage 5s in a way that makes wanting any more seem churlish and insensitive. Their sheer articulation, speed and cohesiveness bring a sense of real energy and dynamism to Seitzen’s marimba playing. This, coupled with an orchestra clearly positioned behind, allows for a more appreciable dialogue between percussion and ensemble.

Presence

Another interesting feature of the Vintage series is the ‘presence’ control. The crossover is user adjustable via a dial on the front panel, allowing the listener to tweak the energy levels in and around the presence region. It’s subtle, like so many aspects of this loudspeaker. This further enhances the flexibility by allowing for a degree of adjustment for different rooms or listener preferences. It’s more restrained than many a tone control: turned fully down, Simon Phillips’ drums on ‘Spark’ from Hiromi’s album Spark [Telarc] have more ‘body’; turned fully up, they have more ‘skin’ for example, but there’s no gross shift in overall tonality of the music.

What the Fyne Audio Vintage 5 does deliver on this track is more insight into the way Hiromi’s percussive style marries so well with Phillips’ percussion technique. It’s clear each is very sensitive to the playing of the other at every point. The presence control does give a little more flexibility while you’re playing with placement to get the best balance of bass weight and articulation, or if your room is a little unhelpful sonically, but for the most part, I left it set to the 12 o’clock ‘neutral’ position.

Supertrax

Not long after the Vintage 5s arrived, Fyne Audio announced the Supertrax supertweeter (these guys are incorrigible, and I’m starting to wonder if they ever sleep). I won’t steal anybody’s thunder, but if anybody out there is wondering whether there’s any sense in adding a £3k supertweeter to a £3.75k loudspeaker, the answer might surprise you. Or, if you’ve digested my thoughts above, it might not. Revisiting the Seitzen album, Incantations, the marimba gains structure and tonal depth, the orchestra occupies a clearer, better delineated and more three-dimensional space. For some reason, Fyne Audio hasn’t released a Vintage 8. This could use the 8” driver from the F1.8. Come on, guys, what have you been doing all this time? But in its absence, I have an odd feeling a Vintage 5 plus Supertrax could step up to the plate.

The Fyne Audio Vintage 5 doesn’t so much occupy a niche, as create a niche. It delivers a performance which is so far outside what I expect from even the best miniature loudspeakers that it confounds expectations. There’s a level of coherence and cohesiveness here that makes even the best integrated 2-driver designs feel slightly disconnected. Look elsewhere if you have a big space to fill and an extensive Mahler collection. However, in a smallish suburban room like my British Standard suburban semi-detached offers, who could ask for anything more? I got rhythm? Yes indeed.

Technical specifications

Type: Two-way bookshelf/standmounting loudspeaker, reflex ported, downwards-firing port with Tractrix diffuser.
Driver complement: 1 x 125mm IsoFlare point source driver, multi-fibre bass / midrange cone, FyneFlute surround with 19mm magnesium dome compression tweeter, neodymium magnet system
Crossover frequency: 1.9kHz
Crossover type: Single wired passive low loss, 2nd order low pass, 1st order high pass. Deep Cryogenically Treated
Power handling: 50W (RMS, continuous), 200W (peak)
Frequency response: (-6dB in room, typical) 46Hz-38kHz
Impedance: Nominal 8Ω
Sensitivity: 87dB @ 2.83V / 1 metre
Dimensions (HxWxD): cabinet: 350 x 219 x 260mm
Weight: 6.2Kg each
Finishes: Walnut
Price: £3,750, $4,999, €4,500 per pair

Manufacturer

Fyne Audio Limited

www.fyneaudio.com

+44 (0)141 428 4008

Magico S5 (2024 edition)

Magico is updating its S-series of loudspeakers, including the Magico S5, which was first introduced in late 2024. The new Magico S5 (2024 edition) is not merely a ‘Mk III’ upgrade of an existing product. There is no badge engineering that disguises minor changes to a popular item. In fact, one of the only parts shared between the S5 and its predecessors is the badge. These are fundamental alterations to some of high-end audio’s most prized loudspeakers. The new S5 is so remarkable that Jimmy Hughes felt compelled to share his thoughts based solely on tracks played at the press conference. I’ve included his comments as a second opinion below.

Magico launched the original S5 in 2014. This was one of Magico’s first products to feature a beryllium-domed tweeter. It was also one of the first to feature Nano-Tec (carbon fibre nanotube) cone technology in its midrange driver. Its successor—the S5 Mk II—arrived about three years later. That model was heavily influenced by the company’s 10th anniversary ‘thank you!’ M Project statement loudspeaker. In 2024, to celebrate 20 years in the speaker-making business, the S5 was reimagined from the ground up.

Arrivederci, sourdough

While everyone else was making sourdough bread and struggling to learn a foreign language, the 2020 lockdowns represented a period of significant investment at Magico’s San Francisco base. The company renovated its testing and listening facility. That infrastructure improvement informs this new generation of Magico. For example, its new Polytec Laser Vibrometer enables precise measurement of minute vibrations. This measures the cabinet panels and the sound levels they produce.

Similarly, the company’s new Klippel Near-Field Scanner robot allows for multiple acoustic measurements of the 3D sphere surrounding the S5. This provides a comprehensive view of the speaker’s on- and off-axis response. Together, they aid in creating a loudspeaker enclosure that minimises vibration and achieves a near-ideal acoustic response for a multi-way loudspeaker.

You begin to understand why the Magico S5 (2024 edition) isn’t merely a ‘MkIII’ version when you compare enclosures. These new measurement tools, combined with 3D simulation, have led to a loudspeaker with a 31% increase in internal volume. It produces a sound that reaches a realistic 20Hz in-room (5Hz lower than its predecessor) while maintaining the same sensitivity rating.

Even a cursory glance at the front baffle reveals that Magico isn’t messing around here. The new curve of the front baffle and the resulting change in cabinet shape visually softens the cabinet’s overall appearance. It also enhances stiffness and aids damping.

Drive time

The new S-series benefits from the latest (version eight) Nano-Tec drivers for the 15.24cm midrange and two 25.4cm bass cones. These drivers feature an aluminium honeycomb core sandwiched between graphene-reinforced carbon-fibre skins. This core structure—achievable only with recently developed manufacturing techniques—enables lower thickness, lighter weight, and more effective damping.

This is complemented by a new driver chassis, resulting from three years of meticulous research and development. Magico claims that this third-generation chassis structure enhances force distribution (no sniggering at the back, Skywalker!), permits better suspension designs, and features a dual-post configuration that balances dynamic tensile wire forces. It is also said to combine stiffness and damping while allowing minimal acoustic contribution by reducing modes and maximising airflow.

Both mid and bass units feature oversized titanium voice coils (76mm for the midrange and an impressive 130mm for the woofers), equipped with a copper cap. The long-throw voice coil in the bass units offers an impressive 1.27cm of linear movement.

Developed for the M-Series, the 28mm diamond-coated beryllium tweeter uses a neodymium-based motor system. This design provides greater power handling compared to other models in the S-Series. Careful FEA modelling enabled Magico to enhance the mechanical and acoustical performance of the tweeter’s back chamber; however, due to the meticulous nature of the design, every aspect receives the ‘careful’ treatment.

That careful approach extends to the crossover. The S5’s three-way Elliptical Symmetry Crossover (ESXO) is a 24 dB per octave Linkwitz-Riley filter featuring the highest of high-grade components, such as Mundorf MResist Ultra resistors and MCoil Foil inductors.

The loudspeaker is mounted on a new three-foot support system featuring constrained-layer damping and high-quality materials. While the front baffle is consistently black, the sides and top plate come in six smooth-feeling Softec finishes and six high-gloss options.

Two schools

There are two schools of thought in high-end loudspeaker design: ‘musicality’ and ‘accuracy.’ While there is significant middle ground (most are somewhere on a continuum between these two poles), Magico has traditionally favoured the ‘accuracy’ side. This aligns well with those seeking precision in their musical playback. However, the Magico S5 (2024 edition) bridges the gap between accuracy and musical enjoyment better than most. The reason for this is that it doesn’t sacrifice Magico’s signature accuracy for the sake of enjoyment, or vice versa. This makes it an exceptionally easy loudspeaker to listen to.

And then there’s the bass. The bass is deeper and better defined than its S5 predecessors, providing a more organic sense of slam and purpose. Sealed box bass is generally tighter and more accurate than its ported counterparts, though this often comes at the expense of depth and ‘meatiness’. However, the S5 again delivers a ‘best of both worlds’ bass performance.

The S5 and its predecessors are all about the detail. However, where the new model differs from its older brothers is that does not preclude a sense of musical scale and, especially, flow. There’s a real sense of musical dimension (not just soundstage, but the ability to convey music within that soundstage).

Detail and Flow

This combination of detail and flow allows a listener to pick out an individual singer within a choir while simultaneously taking in the whole musical work [Lux Aurumque, Meditatio: Music for Mixed Choir, Rakel Edda Guõmundsdóttir, Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis, Hörõur Áskelsson, BIS]. It’s an uncanny ability, and one that is only possible with a loudspeaker as intrinsically neutral and accurate as the S5.

With a quality loudspeaker, you want to play all those discs you know to judge its performance. With an exceptional loudspeaker, you can set that aside and simply enjoy the music you love. The Magico S5 (2024 edition) is an exceptional loudspeaker, allowing me to transition quickly to the recordings I wanted to play instead of those I needed for testing. So, it’s less about ‘cataloguing differences in performance’ and more about Cat Power or Cat Stevens. A significant part of that is that it excelled in every test I could devise.

The deliberate absence of character that Magico aims for in all its loudspeakers is still not fully realised. This is an inherently neutral transducer – one of the most neutral available – and it isn’t designed to push your fun buttons. That isn’t damning with faint praise; Magico enthusiasts choose their speakers precisely for that ‘just the facts’ approach. However, the S5 also possesses more ‘magic’ than most Magicos; not hocus-pocus or undue warmth, brightness, or alterations to the frequency response; the S5’s structure stays out of the way and allows you to focus on the music. However, those seeking a lush, rose-tinted approach to music should keep looking. This is not for you!

Nowhere to hide

Yes, the S5 leaves no place for a recording to hide. If an engineer uses poor microphone technique, a singer moves their head excessively, or the producer applies too much reverb, the S5 reveals everything. Even well-known audio classics like Peter Gabriel’s So album [Charisma] unveil details usually lost inside the cabinet. This makes the lyrics of ‘Don’t Give Up’ an emotionally powerful experience, reminiscent of the first time you heard it nearly 40 years ago. However, that doesn’t mean you should cherry-pick through your music collection; old Motown and Northern Soul tracks provide just as much information and – despite sometimes being recorded cheaply and harshly– aren’t ruined by the loudspeaker.

On the surface, not much has changed with the original Magico S5. It remains a three-way, four-driver sealed floorstander. While it is wider, deeper, and heavier, it retains the same height, has the same number of drivers, and looks similar from a distance. The original Magico S5 is still an exceptional loudspeaker, albeit one from ten years ago. So much has evolved, and the Magico S5 2024 edition illustrates just how far we’ve progressed.

Second Opinion: Jimmy Hughes

Thursday, January 30, 2025 – an unmissable invitation to visit KJ West One in London to discover Magico’s latest S5 floorstanding loudspeaker. Magico’s founder and CEO, Alon Wolf, flew in from the USA to lead the presentation and discuss the changes and upgrades made in creating this new loudspeaker. He emphasised his philosophy of making the S5 a high-quality, no-compromise design built to a standard rather than a price point. Wolf believed that compromising performance – by lowering build quality or using inferior components to reduce costs – was not morally justifiable.

But, what might a speaker of this calibre actually sound like?

Effortlessly dynamic

Powered by D’Agostino electronics, the Magico S5 (2024 edition) sounded beautifully clean and precise. While listening, I measured peak levels typically around 65dB, with a few tracks reaching 73dB. Across all types of material, the musical presentation was relaxed yet focused, incisive, and effortlessly dynamic.

The sound quality was exceptional. The first track we heard – ‘The Sound of Silence’ by Nouela –featured a solo female voice accompanied by soft piano. The voice floated from the speakers and lingered in the air –both disembodied yet vivid and highly present. The voice had an abundance of breathy presence but wasn’t harsh or thin. Although highly detailed and extremely revealing of subtle tonal and dynamic nuances, the S5 seems largely free of colorations that might emphasise shortcomings in the source material.

Exceptionally clean and well-behaved, the S5 neither booms nor resonates. It also does not sound harsh or edgy due to limitations in the loudspeaker driver units. It’s truly an open window to the music, neither adding nor subtracting from the signals it receives.

Playing Saint-Saens’ violin showpiece, the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso with Ida Haendel, her 1696 Stradivari violin sounded crisp, immediate, and tactile without seeming edgy. Via the S5, the instrument projected powerfully and effortlessly into the room.

Sub-seeking

‘Where’s the sub?’ was everyone’s surprised reaction while listening to In the Dark by Max Richter. Magico claims its S5 goes down to 20Hz, producing acres of deep, firm, decisive, exceptionally clean bass. Interestingly, we were unaware of the Magico S5’s prodigious bass capability during any of the previous tracks played. The speakers had simply seemed fast, nimble and lean. But when real bass emerged, boy, was it there.

However, when ‘4 Marzo 1943’ by Lucio Dalla started, it seemed as if the volume had been set a notch too low. Then, unexpectedly, Dalla’s raw, throaty voice entered – commandingly loud and full of presence and immediacy. Such extreme dynamic contrasts were remarkable- shocking, even…

We heard many other tracks too, but by now it was abundantly clear that the Magico S5s met the demands of just about every genre of music and recording. At the same time, one’s focus remained on the music itself, rather than its reproduction.

Sure, we listened to the S5s, evaluating their technical performance. However, each time a new track played (especially one I was unfamiliar with), I found myself instantly captivated by the music and its performance. There is no greater praise…

So, is it all worth it? Musically, the results speak for themselves. Costly? Without a doubt. However, the S5 is less expensive than some rival designs. It’s a beautifully crafted item that should offer a lifetime of listening pleasure.

Technical specifications

Type: Three-way, four driver, sealed box dynamic loudspeaker
Driver Complement: 1 x 28mm diamond-coated beryllium dome tweeter, 1 x 15.24cm Graphene Nano-Tec Gen 8 midrange cone, 2 x 25.4cm Graphene Nano-Tec Gen 8 bass cones
Sensitivity: 88dB
Impedance: 4 ohms
Frequency response: 20Hz-50kHz (in-room)
Recommended Power: 50-1,000 Watts
Finish: Piano Black, Titanium Grey, Pearl White, Racer Blue, Corsa Red, Octane Orange (Magico Gloss finishes). Midnight Black, Graphite Grey, Silver Ash, Cobalt Blue, Sienna Bronze, Aubergine (Softec finish)
Dimensions (HxDxW): 122cm x 49cm x 48.5cm
Weight: 118 kg
Price: From £90,000

Manufacturer

Magico LLC

www.magicoaudio.com

UK distributor

Absolute Sounds

www.absolutesounds.com

+44(0)208 971 3909

The new AE320² completes the new 300 Series

10 June 2025: Acoustic Energy is proud to announce the arrival of the AE320 floor standing loudspeaker completing the recently launched, reimagined 300 Series line up. With a larger form-factor based on the Corinium driver array, the new AE320² sets new standards for performance, design, and value in the mid-range loudspeaker market.

Suitable for medium to large sized rooms the AE320² features new cabinet design and drivers with considerably improved performance in all areas.

The AE320²’s all-new mid-woofer is crafted from a unique blend of paper and coconut husk, delivering a smooth, natural tonal balance with the dynamic punch of Acoustic Energy’s traditional aluminium cones. This is paired with a newly developed soft-dome tweeter, derived directly from the Corinium, offering open, delicate, and natural high frequencies.

For the first time at this price point, the AE320² incorporates Resonance Suppression Composite (RSC™) cabinet technology—originally developed for Acoustic Energy’s Reference Series – dramatically reducing cabinet coloration and allowing the drivers to perform with exceptional clarity and precision.

The AE320² also debuts a sleek new aesthetic, featuring a durable ‘silk-touch’ matte finish available in walnut, black, or white, with colour-matched trims and premium grille fabrics. Solid aluminium feet provide both stability and a refined visual touch.

Mat Spandl, Managing Director of Acoustic Energy, commented “The development of the new 300 Series has been a journey of innovation and discovery. By leveraging the insights from our Corinium project, we have been able to push the boundaries of what is possible in loudspeaker design at this price point. Our goal was to create a speaker that not only delivers exceptional sound quality but also integrates seamlessly into modern living spaces. We believe the new AE320² achieves this and more.”

The AE320² are available from late June from authorised retailers.

HiFi Rose RA280

On occasion, audio companies can positively delight in subverting expectations, and the device you see here is a magnificent example of the practice. Suppose you were to consider the range of HiFi Rose streamers, most recently the RS130 streaming transport that featured in issue 230. In that case, you might assume that any matching amplifier would feature extensive connectivity and be firmly into the ‘smart’ category of amp we’ve seen in increasing numbers over the last decade.

One look at the RA280 should have you questioning such assumptions, and a more involved glance at the back panel will be enough to let you know you would be very far off the mark. Regarding operation and connectivity, the RA280 is undoubtedly a very ‘trad’ piece of kit—almost the complete opposite of the streamers. However, HiFi Rose has channelled their willingness to do things a little differently into the actual amplifier section itself.

No shortage of power

Like the larger (and more visually spectacular) RA180, the RA280 is a class D design. There are only two channels here as opposed to the four in larger amps, but there’s no shortage of power, with 250 watts available in 8 ohms. The genuinely exciting part of this section is lurking in the output. HiFi Rose has sought to deal with the notional ‘dead time’ when the circuit switches between states. The RA280 incorporates ultra-high-speed gallium nitride FETs intended to reduce this notional dead time to an irreducible minimum. I will note at this point that, by an astonishing coincidence, the most vocal proponents of the dead time concept happen to make other types of amplifiers, but it shows some interesting thinking on the part of HiFi Rose.

Neither is this the only interesting material choice in play. A switching power supply is used, and this can swing 2.5kW for dynamic peaks as required. It uses silicone carbide FETs to further beef up the means of delivery. Something potentially handy is that this is a switching PSU with universal voltage. Even if the means by which the RA280 works are notionally conventional, the details by which it does it are not.

This amplifier section connects a preamp stage that uses a conventional volume pot with an actual start and finish point. This has a very pleasant weight and feel, but it’s only fair to point out that, with the balanced input especially, the minimum position on the volume control is not actually silent, and the mute function will be needed to ensure that the amp actually stops making noise. It’s unclear if this is deliberate, but this is my first time seeing it.

Exclusively analogue

The RA280 is exclusively analogue in operation: a single XLR input and a moving magnet phono stage support three RCA line inputs. There are no digital inputs, streaming, or headphone sockets, for that matter. This might seem odd given the connectivity of the streamers, but when you consider them as a pair, it makes rather more sense, with each box handing its own selection of inputs. There is only a single subwoofer out, though, which means that any thoughts of routing an external headphone amp will need a modicum of thought.

However, many people will be willing to work with that issue because the RA280 manages to be utterly charming in the metal. Nothing I’ve ever tested from HiFi Rose has been anything other than solid, but the exquisitely made RA280 belies the asking price. The casework is extremely solidly built and immaculately finished (and your irregular reminder that these are not the same thing) in the black and silver options. The reduction in ‘visual drama’ over the larger RS180 works to the advantage of the smaller amp as it retains plenty of fascinating features, the lovely input selector and VU meters being particular highlights, but without looking like a committee of people that never actually met designed the thing. A small but perfectly useable remote control completes the functionality department.

The RA280 doesn’t let up on the surprises when you start listening to it. Having never previously sat there listening to Class D devices, acutely aware of much in the way of a notional dead zone in the performance at any point during listening, it might not be too surprising a statement that I haven’t heard anything on the RA280 where I can definitively say ‘yes, that’s the gallium FETs.’ If this sounds underwhelming, it really, really shouldn’t.

It doesn’t sound underwhelming because the RA280 performs like it contains a highly potent quartet of KT88 or KT120 valves instead of the class D modules and their attendant output devices. How it gets stuck into Over Tage by Svaneborg Kardyb [Gondwana] is positively luscious regarding its richness and tonality. It distinguishes between avoiding sounding overblown or soft and matches refinement with an extraordinarily vivid presentation.

Headroom heading

Where the RA280 is entirely unlike any valve amp I’ve ever tested is that headroom is heading happily in the direction of unlimited. The bulk of listening was undertaken in company with the excellent Focal Aria X No3 and nothing in the Focal’s requirements so much as scratched the surface of the headroom on offer from the HiFi Rose. The power on offer is never overt; it’s perfectly possible to select a low-level, late-night friendly volume setting without recourse to a pair of tweezers. At the same time, there is a level of drive and current delivery that ensures that the Focal is driven rather than powered. The more current-hungry Kudos Titan 505 stood in for the Focals for a time, and the RA280 was utterly unphased by its requirements.

Where this makes itself felt is a fabulous level of bass extension that possesses a detail and control that ensures that even the huge and complex electronic underpinnings of Martina Topley-Bird’s Game [Self-released] are articulate and engaging while still entirely seismic in its weight and depth. Anyone coming from a more flat earth style presentation might find that the RA280 isn’t as consistently ballistic as amps from that school of design, but it would be a considerable stretch to describe it as languid.

The phono stage is a genuine surprise as well. Having not previously encountered one from HiFi Rose before this point, I wasn’t sure what to expect or if it would be anything other than a by-the-numbers’ we have included this feature type affair. It perfectly complements the lush overall balance of the amplifier. A fine example is Signals by Marconi Union [Just Music]. It plays with weight and authority, nailing the brooding scale and menace of Strata. HiFi Rose has done a fine job covering the basics; noise levels are negligible, ensuring detail is easy to perceive, and they’ve also done a commendable job of ensuring that the gain syncs closely to the other inputs. With these basics in place, the phono stage feels like an organic extension of the amplifier circuit. Calexico’s Algiers [City Slang] manages to be rhythmic and engaging but never at the expense of a fabulous richness to both voices and instruments that encourage you to keep listening, not because the result is technically accomplished but because it sounds genuinely good.

Unshowy

This unshowy but supremely accomplished ability to keep you listening to the RA280 is a party piece that surprised me long after I installed it. A considerable amount of testing took place with an Astell & Kern SE300 portable player running as a Roon Endpoint into the balanced input of the HiFi Rose. The ladder DAC in the SE300 demonstrated the same effortless ability to resolve without nitpicking that the RA280 does. I often found myself using the combination in preference to my resident system because it was so easy to listen to in the wholly positive use of the term.

The HiFi Rose RA280 might subvert your expectations of how it performs based on the sophisticated nature of the streamers, but dig a bit deeper, and the company’s ethos is still readily apparent. Like the streamers, this is an amplifier built the way that the company feels it should be done, and the result is deeply impressive.

Technical Specifications

Type: Integrated Amplifier
Power Output (4/8Ω, per channel each module): 250 W
Frequency Response: 10Hz-66kHz ±1dB
Input Sensitivity (Unbalanced): 300 mV
Input Sensitivity (Balanced): 600 mV
Phono Input Sensitivity (MM): 5 mV
Damping Factor > 250
Signal To Noise Ratio
(Speaker Output @ 250W x 2 Channels, Balanced/Unbalanced) 109 dB
Signal To Noise Ratio (MM Input)
(Speaker Output @ 250W x 2 Channels) 85 dB
THD +N:
(Speaker Output @ 250W x 2 Channels, Unbalanced) 0.007 %
Output Impedance:
(Speaker Output @ 250W x 2 Channels, Unbalanced) 0.03 Ω
Phono Input: MM Input
Phono Stage Impedance (MM): 47 kΩ
RCA Input(s): 3
Input Impedance (Unbalanced Input): 47k Ω
Balanced XLR Input(s): 1
Input Impedance (Balanced Input):47k Ω
Subwoofer Output(s): 1
Dimensions (W x H x D) 430 x 103 x 355 mm
Weight 9.5 kg
Price: £2,999, $2,995, €3,250

Manufacturer

HiFi Rose

www.hifirose.com

UK distributor

Henley Audio

www.heleyaudio.co.uk

+44(0)1235 511166

Music Interview: Fairground Attraction

It’s been almost 35 years since we last heard from Fairground Attraction.

The skiffle-pop-country band scored a number one hit single with ‘Perfect’ in 1988 and their debut album, The First Of A Million Kisses, went triple platinum.

At the 1988 Brit Awards, the group walked away with trophies for Best Single and Best Album – the first act to do so in the same year. Only Blur, Coldplay and Adele have done it since.

Sadly, Fairground Attraction was short-lived – the band split in 1990, but Scottish vocalist, Eddi Reader, and Welsh guitarist / songwriter, Mark Nevin, have both enjoyed successful solo careers.

Now the band’s original line-up: Reader, Nevin, Simon Edwards (guitarrón – a Mexican acoustic bass) and Roy Dodds (drums) is back together, alongside guest musicians Roger Beaujolais (vibraphone) and Graham Henderson (accordion), who both played with the group the first time round, and they’ve released the follow up to The First Of A Million Kisses – a brand-new studio album called Beautiful Happening.

It’s a strong, hopeful and joyous record that soaks up influences including country, pop, folk, jazz, Southern soul, gospel and Tex-Mex.

hi-fi+ talked to Reader and Nevin, who, until last year, hadn’t spoken to each other since 1990, to find out why they decided to let bygones be bygones, get back in the studio and head out on tour.

As a lyric from the title track of the new album says, ‘Something beautiful is going on…’

SH: So, it’s been 35 years between Fairground Attraction’s debut album, The First of A Million Kisses, and the follow up, this year’s Beautiful Happening. That must be some kind of record… How was it making the ‘difficult second album?’

MN: Actually, making the record was a case of putting the pieces back together and it felt incredibly natural and easy. It all fell into place.

You’ve just come back from playing some concerts in Japan – they were your first gigs as a band since you split up in 1990. How was that?

MN: It was very strange – up until the last minute, it was, ‘Will we do it?’ The guitarrón and the accordion couldn’t get on the same flight as us – everything went wrong.

ER: It was like an Ealing comedy…

MN: So, when we finally all turned up and arrived on the stage it was a relief and a great moment for us, and for the audience…

Am I right in thinking that you two hadn’t spoken to each other since the band broke up? What brought you back together?

ER: Me and Mark played together in West Hampstead [in June 2023] – us reconciling was just a beautiful healing moment. Life’s too short – that’s basically been the theme since COVID.

I wanted to reconnect, and I realised that time was going past fast – Mark had told me that Roy wasn’t well, and Mark had also had some run-ins with the hospital… I thought, ‘This is bullshit – these guys are really important to me on a level that’s not even to do with music…’

So, I wanted to reconcile with them in some way, and it was as easy as just picking up the phone and saying, ‘Let’s go for a wee bite to eat’, and it was great. Mark was as shining as he always is.

It’s a great record… You made it at Master Chord Studio, in North London, earlier this year – how was it recording with each other again?

MN: The first day that we were in Master Chord, it was the four us and Roger Beaujolais and Graham Henderson – that was the first time the six of us had been in a room together since we’d all been on stage together 35 years before. It was a very emotional experience and we recorded ‘A Hundred Years of Heartache’, which was very relevant to the occasion… Thirty five years of heartache was over in that moment that we played together again, and it was incredibly powerful.

‘A Hundred Years of Heartache’ was the first song we recorded when we got in the studio because it felt so significant. When I first played it to Eddi, she said: ‘If I sing it, I just might die of crying.’

In Japan, we opened the set with that song – it was a statement.

So, how did you approach the album? Mark – I know that you’d written some new songs ahead of the sessions, and you also revisited some that you’d had for a while. What kind of record did you want to make?

MN: We had an ethos that was about joy – ultimately, that was the bottom line – the currency we deal in. The most important thing we do with our music is to create joy and hope. We don’t want to bring people down or moan about stuff – there are plenty of other people doing that. We’ve always had that from the start – a song like ‘Perfect’ is an incredibly positive song.

I’ve listened to so-called great songwriters who are just wallowing around in misery. Anyone can do that.

A great songwriter is one who can make you feel a bit more hopeful about life, and Eddi has this incredible capacity for joy as a human being, and in her voice, so when you put those two ingredients together, you get this thing that’s bigger than the sum of the parts.

We’re grateful to have somehow stumbled upon each other and have this chemistry that enables us to do it. Once we get in a room together, with the songs, Eddi’s voice and the guys, the rest of it just takes care of itself.

So, you’re pleased with the new album?

MN: I’m delighted. It was important that we came back and did something that felt confident and good, and I’m confident we’ve done that. It was hard to get it together so quickly to go to Japan – the weeks leading up to that were hectic, getting it mixed and mastered.

When I heard it through the headphones for the first time, it was quite a strange moment – I’d missed a flight to Venice and found myself in Pisa, so I was listening to it while walking around the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which was totally random. It was in beautiful sunshine. and I just felt so happy. For me, the Leaning Tower of Pisa will always be associated with that glorious moment.

Eddi – where did you first hear the finished record?

ER: I was crossing Killermont Street at the Buchanan Street Bus Station [in Glasgow]. It was a sunny day and it was lovely, but not as sunny as Pisa… There were leaning buildings…

MN: But they weren’t meant to be leaning…

The first single from the new album was ‘What’s Wrong With The World?’, which was released in March this year. Since it came out, there’s a lot more wrong with the world…

MN: Every day there is…

As well as addressing the state of the world, the song also tackles personal issues – Eddi sings, ‘What’s wrong with the world? Maybe it’s me…’ The track revisits familiar Fairground Attraction territory musically – it’s a laidback country shuffle…

MN: It’s funny – when we first played it, we thought, ‘It sort of sounds like ‘Perfect…’ It’s not ‘Perfect’ but it’s weird how that happened – it was quite amusing, and we were like an audience to our own performance… We were laughing and enjoying it – it just came together in that way.

It resonates with the past but, at the same time, it’s very relevant to the moment we’re living in. But it’s not saying (moans): ‘Oh, what’s wrong with the world? Isn’t it awful? What can we do?’

It’s saying that at the end of the day, we’ve only got ourselves and all we can do is to be the best versions of ourselves.

The title track of the album, ‘Beautiful Happening’, was released as the second single – it’s a beautiful song and, Eddi, your voice sounds great on it… It’s one of my favourite songs on the record and it’s hopeful and positive – about something wonderful coming out of dark and sad times…

ER: That was why I was attracted to it – Mark has always been the musical director of Fairground Attraction. When he writes a song and I get it, it works. Whenever I get to fly, it’s usually because I’m supported by quality musicianship and quality songwriting that’s not trite.

When you hear a new song that’s kind of a modern classic… I think Amy Winehouse’s ‘Love Is A Losing Game’ is a modern classic and so is Mark’s ‘Allelujah’ [by Fairground Attraction] – there are writers who aren’t really appreciated when we’re living in this generation. I’m sorry, Mark – you’re not going to get the appreciation until you’re dead! That’s the world we live in – it’s always been that way and it always will be.

Mark – was the song ‘Beautiful Happening’ inspired by Andrea Bocelli?

MN: Yeah – well, during lockdown, there was a moment when Andrea Bocelli sung hymns in an empty cathedral in Milan [on YouTube]. I don’t know if you saw it? It was absolutely beautiful, and his voice was echoing around an empty square.

There were also shots of an empty New York, Paris, Sydney – all over the world. It was bizarre – all these cities were completely empty because people were in their homes. It was terrifying – the end of the world – but I had this feeling that something great could come out the other side of it, or let’s hope it could…

ER: Thank God you were able to write something like that… I think it’s a big message that needs to be said in a very simple way – the song says that even though you’re going through challenges, it will expand you… That’s the way that spiritual thinking has been for centuries and it’s all in that song.

Mark – the track ‘Sing Anyway’, which is on the new record – originally appeared on your solo album, My Unfashionable Opinion…

MN: That’s right – it has a very similar sentiment. It’s about getting up and carrying on – ultimately, it’s about faith. Without faith, you’re doomed.

‘Sun and Moon’ is a soulful, jaunty and celebratory song about a relationship, and it has the Kick Horns session guys playing on it…

ER: That’s Mark – he has great taste, and he pulls it together.

MN: We’ve known the guys from Kick Horns for a long time – they’re great blokes and brilliant musicians and it felt very familiar having them around.

We thought it would be nice to have horns on it – it felt like that kind of song – and while they were there, they played on a few other ones, which helped to enhance the record and give it something different.

We wanted it to resonate with The First Of A Million Kisses, as it’s obviously the same group, but we didn’t want it to be an identical record – it had to have different elements.

Kick Horns are also on ‘Last Night (Was A Sweet One)’, which has a jazzy feel and a Mexican flavour…

MN: You might say it’s Tex Mex – that partly came about because of the guitarrón that Simon plays. It was an accident – years ago, he was looking for a bass and he saw one for sale in the paper for £90. So, he bought this obscure Mexican bass and when he brought it to Eddi’s prefab, and got it out of his black plastic bag, and played it, it had such a beautiful, sad sound, and when it came together with my guitar and Eddi’s voice, we thought, ‘Wow – we sound like something that’s unique.’

‘Gatecrashing Heaven’ has a soul-gospel feel – the chord sequence reminds me of classic Stax, like an Otis Redding ballad. I like the lyric, ‘All access denied to a sinner like me…’ Who out of you two has a better chance of going to heaven rather than hell?

ER: I think we’re all in heaven – or hell – all the time.

MN: We’re already there, Sean, and you can come as well.

Beautiful Happening is out now (Raresong Recordings)

www.fairground-attraction.co.uk

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