Articles Archive - Page 5 of 272

Soulution Audio 331

For most brands, the 331 integrated would be at the peak of their product performance abilities. For Swiss audio experts Soulution Audio, it’s still on the nursery slopes. There is the entire Series 5 and Series 7 above this elegant and powerful performer.

The 331 replaces the popular 330 integrated amplifier from Soulution. From the exterior, you can easily spot the difference because of the number ‘1’ in the product name. Seriously, that’s it. The front, rear, remote, display, and placement of buttons, knobs and connectors is all identical to its predecessor. This is no bad thing; it’s a simple yet elegant design that doesn’t need to change. Mungling about with timeless style for the sake of a revamp might work in the Bumper Book of Industrial Design. However, Soulution doesn’t work that way. It knows its aficionados are more concerned with what goes on inside the case than the case itself.

Changes

So, what’s changed? As Soulution itself puts it, “more power reserves and less phase shift in the audio band.” This is realised by four new SMPS (switch-mode power supplies) out of six in total, which Soulution labels as “cutting-edge.” Like their predecessors, these power supplies deliver 1.2 kVA of continuous power, feature high-performance filtering at the input and output. They also sport custom-made high-speed voltage regulators. However, these new power supplies can provide up to 4 kVA of peak current for more than five seconds. This improves an already impressively stable power delivery that it eschews reservoir capacitance. It widens the gap between this technology and transformer-based amplifiers even further.

The change has resulted in a net reduction in output power. The Soulution Audio 331 delivers 100 watts into eight ohms. That’s more than the 120 watts into eight ohms of its predecessor. However, this is not due to alterations in the amplifier circuitry but rather a reflection of the design’s enhanced refinement. Given that most of us seldom, if ever, listen to an amplifier at its maximum output, the reduction in power is extremely unlikely to present an audible issue.

The rest of the integrated amplifier remains identical to the 330 it replaces. It retains the amplifier technology used in the company’s Series 5 amplifiers. This relies on a three-stage current amplification system, with each stage having a narrow, almost linear operating range. It has a high-precision idle current management circuit. This keeps the amplifier in optimal high Class A operation under all conditions. There’s RF and DC protection at the input and short circuit protection at the output.

Volume, two ways

The volume control is relay-switched and features high-precision metal film resistors, forming an 80, 1dB step volume control. Unlike most relay-switching circuits, the 331 features a second signal path that is only active during volume adjustment. This Programmable Gain Amplifier chip acts like a conventional potentiometer during volume adjustment. The amplifier reverting to precision resistors when the volume level is set. Notionally, switching between resistor array volume and integrated circuit volume pathways should slow down operation. In the real world, any delay was extremely short.

Inside the chassis, the audio signal path, power supply and digital circuitry are all shielded from one another. Meanwhile the power amplifiers and their supplies are physically separated in a dual-mono layout. This results in exceptional channel separation (>105dB) for an integrated amplifier.

In its standard form, the amplifier features a line-only design with two XLR and two RCA inputs. However, there are also optional modules available for a phono stage and DAC. You can add these later, but it’s probably best to buy the 331 to your requirements at purchase. The phono stage comprises a two-stage, active Moving Coil design, exclusively incorporating passive RIAA equalisation, and offers a useful 60dB of gain with adjustable impedance.

LEEDH of the pack

The DAC includes inputs for S/PDIF, AES, USB, and Ethernet; it up-converts music to DXD, performs zeroPhase DSP processing, and boasts a LEEDH volume control. With one PCM1792 per channel and passive reconstruction filtering, this – much like the phono stage – is more than just an afterthought. Both can be used in the same amplifier, and they fit into otherwise blanked-out spaces on the rear panel.

The Series 3 range also includes the 326 preamplifier and the 312 stereo power amplifier. Additionally, there is a separate 360 DAC along with the 350 MC phono stage. All models in Series 3 share the same design (the 312 features just the display and one button), the same functionality and specifications, and generally utilise the same architecture. So, it’s not too far of a stretch to say the 331 has the functions and features of the 326 preamp and 312 power amplifier in one chassis. The differences in each case lie in the enhanced physical isolation and improved power supply delivery that brings.

Guy in a cape

Operationally, then, the Series 3 all perform very similarly. Most people will drive their Soulution 331 they way they do with all 300 series products; through the remote handset, which is cleverly weighted so that it sits upright on a table… like a Weeble. The remote’s functions are mirrored by the volume control on the right-hand side and the three small buttons—power, mute, and prog—near the centre line of the amp’s front panel. While the button marked ‘prog’ switches sources, I want it to add a MiniMoog riff by a guy in a cape.

There’s a common thread running through all things Soulution, from the top Series 7 products to the optional MC and DAC boards on the Soulution Audio 331; a dedication to wide-bandwidth, low-noise musical replay, adding or omitting as little as possible to the received musical signal. The wide-bandwidth part is a tough nut to crack in a range like Series 3.

Ship-to-shore

Absent the engineering and technology that make the Series 7 models true heavyweights, achieving a frequency response that runs to within 3dB limits from 0-800kHz shows just how much goes into building the 331. It’s difficult because it demands a lot of rejection of the outside world (you are firmly into radio frequency territories, with AM radio, ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore, aircraft voice communications, and some phone signals all in the 331’s ambit). However, in rejecting the outside world, you also risk undermining the performance. Soulution Audio has managed to keep the world at arm’s length while sounding great in the process.

I mentioned the ‘timeless’ design earlier, but the Soulution 331 highlights a dilemma that runs through the audio business. Many consumer electronics industries update their industrial design when they change a model line; for the audio world, this is not as crucial. Some apply the ‘Porsche’ method of design, with subtle changes to each generation, retaining the brand’s identity while subtly keeping it up to date. Others prefer the ‘36mm Rolex Datejust’ method, where the external difference between a 2025 model and one from 1975 are minimal in the extreme, and the changes are all under the skin. It’s this latter approach that Soulution has taken in the 331.

Top Trumps

While there are distinctions between the 330 and 331, if you view them from a ‘Top Trumps’ perspective of specification matching, aside from the difference in power output, the two models look as identical on paper as they do on the surface. However, the fundamental differences between this model and its predecessor are entirely performance-based. It’s only when you sit down and listen to the two in comparison that the differences become apparent. If you make that comparison and own a 330, you become the proud owner of a 331, and your dealer will have a second-hand 330 to sell.

That’s all fine for existing Soulution owners, but the 331 is also the gateway into the brand’s products and ethos. Parking the 330 vs 331 question, how does the 331 perform in its own right? Impressively well.

Unthanks a lot

I’ve returned to listening to The Unthanks recently, and ‘Bread and Roses’ performed live [Diversions Volume 5 – Live and Unaccompanied, Rabble Rouser] and found the three solo voices (Rachael and Becky Unthank are joined by Niopha Keegan here) are powerful, passionate and the sense of being in the room with three folk singers in close harmony is palpable. The enigmatic ‘Magpie’ is on the same album, but this early Suffragette ballad was so moving I wanted to run out and chain myself to a railing.

This proved to be a common theme for the 331. I played ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ and found myself wanting to raid a clipper in very well-spoken prose. Then, I played ‘Clara’ by Jarvis Cocker and Chilly Gonzales and felt the need to sink a bottle of bourbon. Next, I played the overture to Tannhäuser and found myself sweeping majestically eastwards. It’s that kind of amplifier; evocative as well as informative.

I played many women’s voices during my time with the 331. Not because it skewed my listening, but because the sense of presence and power in those voices shone through. Vocal articulation was first-rate when listening to someone like Lady Blackbird’s ‘It’ll Never Happen Again’ [Black Acid Soul, BMG], and the power and dynamics of her voice come across brilliantly, too.

Terrifying synths

A track I don’t discuss very often is ‘Chocolate Chip Trip’ by Tool [Fear Inoculum, RCA]. The reason I don’t mention it frequently is that it can tear apart a flawed system. However, in this instance, it merely made you crave more razor-sharp percussion and terrifying synth bass lines. This also demonstrates just how precise the soundstaging is through the 331, as there is a considerable amount of extremely accurate panning across the stage.

Nothing I played through the Soulution Audio 331 challenged it, and everything remained thoroughly musical. I didn’t find myself drawn to particular aspects of the performance as being exceptional, as they were all exceptional. To say it ticked all the boxes is reductive, as it delivered an effortless and outstanding performance throughout.

The Soulution Audio 331 possesses an astounding ability to stay in its lane, and in a positive way. This is a crucial consideration for a company that offers far higher-end products in its lineup, as it provides more than just a taste of the impressive Series 5 and Series 7. At no point does it reveal limitations in the types of systems that might feature the 331. Pair it with a good digital or analogue front-end and loudspeakers at a similar price point, and it will truly shine. In fact, apart from needing large floorstanders speakers to fill an expansive room, the 331 occupies a sweet spot of enjoyment where ‘gear acquisition syndrome’ levels out. You can acquire ‘more’ than the 331, but not necessarily ‘better’.

Listenability

Perhaps the big thing about the Soulution Audio 331 is its sheer ‘listenability’. I found myself getting irritable at any distractions from listening to music, including taking notes to write up how it performs. You just want to listen to music on this amplifier because the musical experience is so enjoyable. That doesn’t seem to be limited to any genre or musical style. I would happily play music of all sorts and at almost all levels on the 331 thanks to that listenability.

Paradoxically, I often find this trait in more affordable audio equipment. It seems that, at times, high-end audio adopts an almost dour, soulless approach to sound. Music is exceptionally well organised spatially, and the presentation is highly detailed and informative, yet Lady Day singing ‘I’m a Fool to Want You’ [Lady in Satin, Columbia] is lauded for its detail and staging, while her impossibly broken voice is nearly overlooked. With the Soulution, you receive all the detail and analysis, but you also hear the sound of a woman on the edge, making the record the difficult listen it was always intended to be.

Tarkus

The interface is the closest this gets to a downside. The single line of red LEDs is informative, dimmable, and on the cusp between ‘classic’ and ‘slightly old-fashioned’. Moreover, the remote eye relies heavily on line-of-sight; unless you point the handset at the left side of the front panel, changing sources and adjusting the volume is often more honoured in the breach than in the observance. That said, I prefer the more physical approach to oversensitive handsets that max out the volume just by picking up the damn thing. And, I want ‘Prog’ to immediately start playing Tarkus by Emerson, Lake and Palmer… but that’s just me.

My time with the Soulution Audio 331 integrated amplifier was all too short, but I suspect I could have spent the whole of the last year listening to it every day and still make that claim. Products like this make my job obsolete because, if you listen to this amplifier, you might never want or need to buy anything else again. It really is that good.

Our thanks go to Sebastian at KJ West One
(www.kjwestone.co.uk) for his assistance in this review.

Technical specifications

Type: Integrated amplifier
Inputs: 2x balanced XLR pair, 2x unbalanced RCA pair, 1x unbalanced RCA for Phono MC (optional), 1x AES/EBU, 1x S/PDIF, 1x USB, 1x Ethernet for DAC (optional)
Outputs: 1x balanced XLR pair, 2x pairs loudspeaker terminals
Power output: 100W @ 8Ω, 200W @ 4Ω, 400W @ 2Ω (<5 sec.)
Output current max: 30A
Frequency Response: 0-800kHz (-3dB)
Phase shift @ 20kHz: <-3°
THD: <0.0005%
Damping factor: >5,000
Dimensions (WxHxD): 43x49x14.2cm
Weight: 18kg
Price: From £25,000, €30,000, $44,475

Manufacturer

Soulution Audio

soulution-audio.com

UK distributor

Select Audio

selectaudio.co.uk

+44(0)1900 601954

The Funk Firm Eeze-Lign

The Funk Firm’s approach to turntable making can be summed up in one simple maxim; if it ain’t broke, improve it! Arthur Khoubesserian has a long list of vinyl-based hits under his belt. These range from the original Pink Triangle decks of the 1980s to the present. Each challenges the status quo of the most mature sub-set of audio. The Eeze-Lign is the latest in these disruptive technologies.

Eeze-Lign is a patented shim. It is a bespoke, perfect match to align your cartridge at speed. It fits between the cartridge and headshell. Additionally, it is an obvious – but not exclusive – partner with The Funk Firm’s adjustable Cobra headshell. It also works with the Houdini cartridge decoupler. The Eeze-Lign is pictured as 1mm white gasket between Houdini and Cobra. But in reality it will be half that size and black. That means it blends in with the rest of the assembly.

The ‘bespoke’ part comes because when you buy an Eeze-Lign, you are asked to provide cartridge details up-front. The Funk Firm will call on its database – or call the manufacturer of that cartridge – to provide accurate dimensions of that model. Specifically, it will get the position of the mounting holes.

Eezy-peezy!

Installation is Eeze easy. Going ‘Full Funk’, mount the Houdini to the cartridge. Then fit the cartridge tags to the cartridge. Next, slot the thin shim between cartridge/Houdini and the bottom of the Cobra headshell. Now attach the headshell to the arm and adjust downforce, antiskate and VTA as usual. The Eeze-Lign clips into the Cobra so there’s no play on installation.

The clue to Eeze-Lign is in the name; it makes the alignment protractor a thing of the past. It also does a more accurate job of alignment than most people. At least, it is more accurate than anyone with astigmatism can do by sighting the cantilever against a grid on a protractor.

Checking that is a little long-winded. However, it is just as Eeze easy as fitting the cartridge. Mount the cartridge to the Houdini, that assembly to the Cobra, mount it, use an alignment protractor to fix the cartridge in the correct position and play. Listen to the whole album as end-of-side distortion is the most audible key to this.

That’s some Funky shim

Eeze-Lign was at least as good as my best attempt at precise alignment. Had I just gone with some Funky shim, I would have saved myself some time lost to getting the alignment almost right. And I would have saved a lot of hours getting it as spot-on as I could get. Thanks, mild astigmatism and long-sightedness; glasses help, but don’t help enough. In fairness, I reckon that I didn’t get the end-of-side distortion nailed to the same finesse as the Eeze-Lign did right out of the box.

Of course, Eeze-Lign demands cartridge makers provide the correct information to The Funk Firm, but the majority are keen to do that. And, avid cartridge swappers will pretty soon rack up a collection of tiny shims with the attendant cost for each one. Also, despite the added faff involved in cartridge alignment (and the range of tools that vary from bits of paper with some grids and a hole to a Chamber of Horrors of interesting implements), some actively like that engagement with their vinyl set-up.

But for most people, making your turntable easier to set up, and doing a better job than you can, makes The Funk Firm Eeze-Lign a no-brainer!

Price and Contact Details

Eeze-Lign: £42, $45.50, €39.20
Cobra: £120, $130, €117
Houdini: £300, $325, €292.50

Manufacturer

The Funk Firm

thefunkfirm.co.uk

+44(0)7846 798367

Network Acoustics Launch: Muon2 Precision Network Switch

UK, May 2026: Network Acoustics, the British company renowned for pushing the boundaries of streamed music reproduction, is excited to announce the first product of their new reference Muon2 range: the Muon2 Precision Network Switch. This new product is the definitive realisation of the company’s mission to Bring Streaming to Life.

Building on the success of the award-winning Tempus, the Muon2 represents a complete reimagining of how a network switch can impact the sound quality of streaming. Developed and hand-built in the UK, every detail of its design has been meticulously researched, developed, refined, and most importantly listened to. The result is the first network switch capable of fully unlocking the potential of streaming as a high-end source.

Inside Muon2

At the heart of Muon2 lies its inbuilt unique hybrid power supply, improving on the award-winning Origin Power Supply to combine the precision and dynamics of switch-mode operation with the fluid, low-noise behaviour of linear delivery. The result is a silent electrical environment and more faithful timing, essential for musical realism.

The solid beechwood enclosure is crafted from a hand-selected piece of beechwood and precision-milled by high-end speaker maker Auer Acoustics. Beech was chosen after exhaustive materials testing for its uniquely balanced and neutral sonic character. Its natural damping eliminates the subtle resonances that metal and composite housings introduce.

Supporting this are Network Acoustics’ newly developed Pyramid Isolators. Machined from hardened silicate minerals and precision-tapered to a sharp point, each foot presents the smallest possible contact to the base of the Muon2 switch, effectively eliminating the transmission of surface-borne vibration into the chassis. The audible effect is even greater focus, improved micro-detail, and a more stable soundstage.

Co-Founder Rich Trussell says:

“In creating the Muon2, our priority was to enhance every aspect of a switch’s performance. While the motherboard and clock are important, our research and listening tests constantly demonstrated the defining factors lie in the power supply and in controlling vibration through careful enclosure design and isolation.

Engineered Without Compromise

The Muon2 Network Switch is the result of 7-years of listening-led development in noise rejection, materials science, and power delivery. Key innovations include:

Single-chassis architecture: complete segregation of signal and power domains ensuring total isolation.

New generation hybrid power supply, designed for ultra-quiet dynamic power delivery.

Precision-machined solid beechwood enclosure, developed in partnership with speaker cabinet specialists AUER Acoustics, chosen for its remarkable vibration damping properties

Network Acoustics Pyramid Isolators, specifically developed to decouple the Muon2 chassis from external vibration.

Ultra-low-jitter clock for precise timing and exceptional musical realism.

Future proofed connectivity: 5 x 10Mb–2.5Gb LAN and 1 x 10Gb SFP+ ports

Dedicated grounding point for use with external grounding devices.

Finishes: high-gloss metallic black or silver.

Each Muon2 Network Switch is hand-assembled and individually tested in the UK against a reference system to guarantee consistent performance.

Streaming First And Last

As with all Network Acoustics products, the Muon2 is purpose-built to remove noise and preserve timing integrity of the Digital to Analogue conversion, preventing jitter and allowing streamed music to sound fluid, open, and alive. With the Muon2 Network Switch, Network Acoustics have transformed the idea of a “network switch” into an essential audiophile component, one that lets high-end streamers and DACs reveal their full musical potential.

Co-Founder Rob Osbourn says:

“We hand-engineer and manufacture our products in the UK. This means we can’t make the cheapest switch, but we can make the finest. This is thanks to our unique expertise and a holistic design approach, where we exhaustively explore every possibility. In Muon2, we are confident that we have created the best network switch on the market. We know this is a big claim, and we invite listeners to decide if we’re right.”

Try the Muon2 Network Switch In Your System Risk Free

The Muon2 Network Switch is available for home demo through Network Acoustics’ worldwide network of authorised retailers or you can order direct from networkacoustics.com, with free worldwide shipping, a 60-day home trial money-back guarantee, and a 2-year warranty.

Pricing UK: £6,999/ Europe: €7,999/ USA: $7,999

Music Interview: Giles Martin

It’s early spring 2025 and hi-fi+ is sat in Giles Martin’s office in Abbey Road Studios, where he’s showing us how he uses his walnut Wrensilva M1 hi-fi console – the flagship record player by the high-end, Californian manufacturer – to listen to test pressings of albums he’s remixed.

To demonstrate the unit, which comes in a wooden cabinet and looks more like a piece of luxury furniture than a hi-fi, he’s chosen to play us a test pressing of this year’s 40th anniversary deluxe edition of INXS’s breakthrough 1985 album, Listen Like Thieves – this is no coincidence, as this is the record we’re here to talk about.

Alongside audio engineer, Paul Hicks, Martin, who is INXS’s executive music producer and the son of the legendary George Martin, has created a brand-new stereo mix of the album, which was originally produced by Chris Thomas, in collaboration with the band.

Shortly before playing the record, Martin tells us: “I’ll take a test pressing, and I’ll import it into Pro Tools, and listen to it through the Wrensilva console and the studio speakers to see whether the record sounds like the mix – it’s going to sound different, because it’s vinyl, but I want to see if it has any imperfections on it.

“On the first test pressing of this record, the guitars sounded a bit crunchy and distorted halfway through one of the songs, so we had it pressed again.

“There are instances with test pressings where the whole record might sound fantastic, but there might be a little click on one song. If you approved that, every single record made would have that click on it. That’s why it’s important for us to have a great playback system that we can trust – we’re making decisions in here that could affect every single record sold.”

After the demonstration, Martin sits down for an exclusive chat with hi-fi+ about the new stereo mix of Listen Like Thieves, his take on Dolby Atmos, working with The Beatles, and the threat of AI.

SH: You’ve been working with INXS for a long time – you first met them in 1994. How did you approach the new stereo mix of Listen Like Thieves? What did you want to achieve with it?

GM: That’s hard to answer – you’re sort of presuming I thought there was something wrong with the old mix… I guess, if anything, there was a style where records in those days… it’s funny, because it’s a criticism now… were quite limited and compressed. I tried to open the album out a little bit more and make it more live.

I’m still respecting Chris Thomas’s choice of drum sounds, like gated snares and all that sort of stuff.

Listen Like Thieves was an important record for INXS – it was the album that broke them internationally…

Yeah – it was the first time I’d heard of them, as a 14 or 15-year-old. I heard it at school – my best mate had moved to Australia, and he sent me a cassette.

For Listen Like Thieves, a lot of the songs were written during rehearsals, and it was an attempt to capture the live sound and energy of INXS. The studio where it was recorded, Rhinoceros in Sydney, was known for its big drum sound – it had an all-wood live room…

Exactly. I just took each song as it came and tried to give it as much impact and soul as possible.

Originally, I was going to do an Atmos mix of it and keep the stereo as it was – that happened with Goats Head Soup by The Stones as well – but to do an Atmos mix, you have to do a stereo mix. So, I was asked to do a [new] stereo mix as well, because they really liked what I was doing.

I try and intensify the feeling of a record – I don’t drastically change it. I try and use technology to bring you closer to the artist by taking out layers.

I remember when we did The Greatest Hits [INXS] in the ‘90s, there was a process where I think Bob Clearmountain mixed it, but it went to Chris Thomas, who then EQed it, and then Bob Ludwig, who mastered it. There was a lot of layers going on – I’m trying to strip out the layers of process on the record, so you just get a little bit closer to the live performance.

The song ‘What You Need’, from the album, was their first US hit, and it has that funk-rock sound, which became INXS’s trademark…

Exactly.

‘Same Direction’ has choppy, funky guitar, but it’s also quite electronic, with an ‘80s sequencer running through it…

Andrew Farriss used sequencers quite a lot – he was a keyboard player and the main songwriter in the band. Kick [the follow-up album] has a lot of sequencers on it. I think Jon Farriss’s drumming plays around the sequencers very well – there are certain drummers that play like a sequencer, but he played like a rock drummer.

Were there any challenges remixing Listen Like Thieves?

There were a couple of missing parts – we had to look at the strings on ‘Shine Like It Does.’

The challenge is that the record has an iconic sound from that time, and you have to respect old and new – especially with that era.

It’s much harder with that era than The Beatles or The Stones because you’re having to use the big ‘80s studio equipment that doesn’t exist anymore – like a Roland Dimension D chorus unit or an AMS delay on the drums – whereas the older equipment does exist…

This mix took quite a lot of time because we had to get the sounds right, but, generally, I work quite quickly while I’m mixing.

Did you do the mix at Abbey Road?

I did some of it at my studio in The Cotswolds, and Paul [Hicks] works in L.A, so we bounced things back and forth.

I also did a lot of it at Abbey Road – it depends…

Technology now is very different from when the record was first mixed – you can work on a mix now and instantly recall it.

A lot of it is ‘in the box,’ but, in the old days, you’d do a mix, come in in the morning and change it.

If you wanted to recall a mix, it would take a day, and, even then, it wouldn’t sound like the mix you’d done before… You were turning knobs on a desk, you’d look at a screen to tell you where the knobs were, and you’d forget to patch something through. Mixing is different now – for better or for worse.

I’m lucky because I’m fairly slapdash and work very quickly – I work in an old style – but there are people who spend [a long time] trying to get a mix perfect… Of course, there’s no such thing. We live in a world of anodyne perfection, and I quite like the idea that there may be some quirks in mixing.

When you’re mixing in Atmos, you still want the sound to be quite natural, don’t you? You don’t like whistles and bells…

As a rule, I don’t think people should ever listen to a mix – they should listen to a song. You shouldn’t really hear technology. What I like about Atmos is that it’s not a question of where you put things in speakers in a room – it’s about having a three-dimensional depth to what you’re listening to. I have a vested interest in it because I build Atmos speakers [for Sonos].

So, when it comes to Atmos mixing, I like the fact that I can feel like I’m in the same room as Jon Farriss, who is playing the drums, or when Michael Hutchence is singing intimately, or he’s on a big stage – I can have that flexibility.

I don’t treat Atmos in respect of going, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to have everything flying around me?’ because that would be boring. It can work well… I did a Def Leppard album in Atmos, where one of the tracks started with a helicopter – that was perfect for Atmos.

When I did Pet Sounds, the song ‘Caroline, No’ had a train going round at the end – that was great for Atmos, but, generally, you want to be as close as you can to the things you love.

When you first got the opportunity to revisit classic albums and do new mixes of them, were you daunted by it? Obviously, when it came to doing Beatles material, you were stepping into your dad’s shoes, too…

It’s a funny thing… The first thing I did was Love [the soundtrack remix of The Beatles’ music for the Cirque du Soleil show]. It was ridiculous – in Abbey Road, there was a ‘golden vault’, which no one was allowed to touch. Suddenly, George Martin’s son comes in, with not a clue, and starts rehashing and chopping everything up! I was vilified at Abbey Road to a certain degree – one of the engineers said, ‘I work on the serious stuff, and you do the stupid things…’

With Love, my job for The Beatles, who employed me, was to make a different version of something, which I did. I couldn’t get anyone else to mix it, because no one else was allowed to hear it, so I learnt to mix from doing the Love show and then the record. No one was there to help me, and I thought I was going to get fired, so I did what I thought… I might as well go down in flames!

I remember when I got the tape box of ‘Here Comes The Sun,’ I thought, ‘My God – how can I work on this?’

After a while, you have to do a job… When it came to do Sgt. Pepper, which was the first existing album that I was asked to remix, I said, ‘Really? It sounds pretty good to me – why do you want to remix it?’ It was for the 50th anniversary and fans had asked for it… I said I would do three songs and then we could decide if it was worth doing.

It worked out all right, didn’t it?

People liked it. It’s a bit like someone changing their hairstyle – they’re the same person but you maybe look at them differently. Maybe you fall in love with them again…

So, that’s my process. Yes, it’s daunting, but it would be more daunting if, while it was happening, the tapes went through a machine that destroyed them…

There’s a lot of current debate in the music industry about the threat of AI. You’ve used AI-powered technology, like audio separation, with great success on projects like the new mix of Revolver and The Beatles’ ‘final’ song ‘Now and Then.’ Are you a champion of AI?

It’s like asking me if I’m a champion of drinking! I quite like a glass of wine, and I like to go to the pub with my friends, but would I endorse that everyone goes and gets hammered? No, it creates huge amounts of health problems…

Am I a champion of AI? No, I’m not actually – I think it’s dangerous for society. With generative AI, it’s even more of an issue. My partner was married to a great musician called Toby Smith – he was a keyboard player and songwriter for Jamiroquai, and he died of cancer.

With my technology, I could take his playing off the internet and create an AI plug-in that gives you Toby Smith, but his family would have nothing to do with that.

There are so many different tiers as to why it’s wrong. I have spoken to American Congress about why people should own their own voice, but it goes beyond that.

The cat’s out of the bag, but there should be legislation on it. It’s so important that artists have control of what they do. We use technology in all sorts of ways, as The Beatles did, but the differentiator is when it replaces creative thought, which is the one thing left that keeps us being human.

The 40th anniversary deluxe edition of INXS’s Listen Like Thieves, including a new stereo mix by Giles Martin and Paul Hicks, is out now (Universal / Petrol).

For more information on
Wrensilva hi-fi record consoles, visit www.wrensilva.com

Back to Music

Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl

There is something faintly indulgent about multiple-input phono stages. I’ve long argued I ‘need’ one (as if anything to do with this occupation represents a necessity) because it allows for a test unit to run at the same time as a resident reference and allows for a moving coil and moving magnet cartridge to be on the go at the same time but, the increase in designs that support more than one input does suggest that the fundamentally moreish nature of turntables means that they are finding owners in typical systems too.

Musical Fidelity has been active in the multi-input movement for a few years now. Viewed in the context of the existing lineup of models, the M8x Vinyl is an entirely logical creation that bridges the gap between the M6x Phono and the more expensive NuVista Vinyl 2 models. It does this while expanding on another increasingly popular idea in phono stages: balanced operation.

Individual configuration

The M8x Vinyl has four inputs, each of which can be individually configured and will remember its settings. Two of the inputs are standard RCA, but two have balanced XLR connections front to back. This balancing process extends to doubling the relevant components throughout and avoiding using integrated circuits at any point.

The EQ stage all these inputs use is a split-passive design, which Musical Fidelity says offers an accurate representation of the EQ curve in use (and the M8 allows three: RIAA, Decca, and Columbia) with better impedance matching. An encapsulated power transformer, designed to generate as little noise as possible, powers the circuit. Musical Fidelity’s M8x Vinyl sports ‘enthusiastic’ use of EMI filters and DC blockers to stop interferences and eliminate transformer hum. The preamplifier stage is powered by two passively filtered and regulated, symmetrical low-noise power supplies, one for each channel.

The adjustment range for each input is helpful, if not groundbreaking. The M8x Vinyl allows capacitance adjustment from 50 to 400 µF and impedance adjustment between 5 ohms and 1 kOhm, with a 47 kOhm fixed for moving magnet operation. Like other Musical Fidelity phono stages I’ve tested over the years, these adjustments are ‘either/or’; moving magnet allows capacitance adjustment but not impedance, while the reverse is true for moving coil. Some users may find this restrictive. On the plus side, with a maximum potential gain of 69dB, there won’t be many real-world instances where you find yourself low on gain.

Input arrangement

Something else that Musical Fidelity has done well is arranging the inputs so that it is mechanically possible to connect all four at once. The spacing between the XLR and RCA connections is deliberate to avoid interference. While I’m not delighted with a single ground connection for all four inputs, as it can get busy when you have a few connections on the go, the M8x Vinyl can at least support a few different connections simultaneously. Another nice touch is that the RCA and XLR options each have their own power stages, allowing them to be used simultaneously during playback.

Musical Fidelity may have little trouble putting the connections on the back in an orderly manner, given that it has plenty of back panel to play with. The M8x Vinyl is a girthy bit of kit that is nearly half a metre wide, and, like most offerings from the company, I would describe it as ‘distinctive’ rather than ‘attractive’.

Substantial knobbage

The two substantial knobs control input and gain, while the row of buttons between them allows adjustment of the other functionality. Small blue LEDs indicate settings. These LEDs can become hard to spot in strong sunlight. I think the M8x Vinyl is easy to use, though, and I can’t argue with how it is bolted together, with the all-metal casework feeling sturdy and well-finished. Black and silver finishes are available.

I connected the M8x Vinyl to the resident Cambridge Audio Edge A integrated via the XLR output and, to begin with, used the RCA inputs from a Vertere MG-1 MkII turntable with Mystic cartridge and an AVID Ingenium Twin with SME M2-9 arm and Gold Note Vasari Shibata MM cartridge as known quantities. Even running the M8x Vinyl with a comparatively affordable moving magnet cartridge demonstrates this is a genuinely accomplished phono stage. All the basics are covered nicely; noise levels are low enough to be considered non-existent, ensuring that everything the cartridge sends to the M8x becomes a signal.

Good signal

And a very good signal it is, too. The way Musical Fidelity sets about the dense, challenging Rogues Gospel by Duke Garwood [God Unknown] is an impressive balance of the M8x, which prises things open and reveals nuances and details in these shifting, loose tracks, without making the result sound like forensic reconstruction. The tonal balance is genuinely good, too. Garwood’s vocals and the shimmering instrumentation beneath it all sound compellingly real and impressively immediate.

Switching over to the Vertere, still via the RCA inputs of the M8x Vinyl, shows that the Musical Fidelity can effectively transmit the character of the connected turntable. Where the AVID’s potent and forceful presentation is at the forefront of what it does, it also brings Vertere’s more effortless and expansive sound to the fore. Listening to Talking Heads Remain in Light [Sire] through this combination keeps the same superb tonality and detail, but the Vertere adds extra scale and flows effortlessly into the performance.

Also imposing

The bass on offer is also imposing. Without sounding overblown or dominating, there is more low end to those polyrhythmic basslines than you generally associate with a recording of this era. Running the Vertere’s input at the full 69dB of available gain does nothing to change the fundamental lack of unwanted noise.

As changing the arm-lead on the Vertere is not a matter of moments, and the AVID is resolutely single-ended, it fell to the resident Michell GyroDec, SME309, and Van den Hul DDT II Special to go balanced. Having ‘sighted’ it over RCA, I changed the lead to an XLR one and let the M8x Vinyl do its thing. Significantly, the differences that resulted were not night-and-day, ‘my neighbour phoned up and asked what I’d changed’ sort of thing. Still, it lends weight to the idea that well-implemented balanced phono stages have considerable merit.

Listening to Hidden Orchestra’s To Dream is to Forget [Lone Figures], the Musical Fidelity takes the Gyro’s characterful yet hugely engaging presentation and adds depth and an immersive quality that makes you feel like the soundstage has expanded around you. Given how quiet the M8x Vinyl is on all of its inputs, there isn’t the scope to make the balanced connections significantly quieter. Still, I feel comfortable saying that this is the quietest I can recall the Gyro ever sounding, keeping that indefinable ‘maybe not the last word in accuracy, but I’m not sure I care’ quality of the Van den Hul that I have loved from the moment I first heard it.

All-rounder

One last element of the M8x Vinyl’s performance that is truly worthy of note is that this is a genuine all-rounder in handling a varied music library. With the Gyro on playback duties, one multi-hour session kicked off with Motion by The Cinematic Orchestra [Ninja Tune]. It culminated in Orbital’s Optical Delusion [London Music]. There wasn’t a point where I thought I found the ‘sweet spot’ of what the Musical Fidelity offered, and nothing was rendered unlistenable despite the level of detail on offer.

What results is unquestionably a superb ‘tool’ phono stage; more than once during the time it has been here, I have found myself willing the numbers in my business account to look a little healthier, but it’s something that should appeal to people with one turntable every bit as much as people with a couple on the go. The Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl’s flexibility is never at the expense of how good it sounds, and, for people with the means to go balanced in particular, it is a must-audition.

Technical specifications

Frequency Response: ± 0.2dB (MM) ± 0.2dB (MC)
Input Sensitivity: 5mV in for 500mV out (at 40dB, 1 kHz) 500μV in for 500mV out (at 1 kHz) (MC)
Input Impedance: 47kΩ (MM) 5Ω – 47kΩ, selectable (MC)
Input Capacitance: 50 – 400pF, selectable (MM)
400pF (MC)
Gain: 40, 43, 46, 49dB (MM) 60, 63, 66, 69dB (MC)
THD @ 1kHz: < 0.005% (MM) < 0.008% (MC)
Signal to Noise Ratio: > 102dB (MM) (“A” Weighted @ 40dB) > 90dB (MC) (“A” Weighted @ 60dB)
Overload Margin: 32dB
EQ Curves: RIAA, Decca, Columbia (selectable)
Subsonic Filter: Off / Mild (IEC) / Standard (@ 20Hz, 18dB/octave)
Inputs: 2 x RCA Pair / 2 x XLR Pair
Outputs: 1 x RCA Pair / 1 x XLR Pair
Power Consumption: 20W Max. (0W in standby)
Dimensions (w x h x d): 483 x 102 x 381mm
Weight: 10.6kg (net)
Price: £3,599, $4,399, €3,999

Manufacturer

Musical Fidelity

musicalfidelity.com

UK distributor

Henley Audio

henleyaudio.co.uk

+44(0)1235 511166

Computer Audio Design 1543 MkIII

I have reviewed a CAD 1543 DAC in all three versions. At first glance, it looks very similar to the first example, which I tested back in Issue 95 in 2012. Like its predecessors, the CAD 1543 MkIII is a purist streaming digital-to-analogue converter with a single input and one pair of single-ended outputs. CAD stands for ‘Computer Audio Design’, but it might as well be ‘Compromise Avoidance Design.’

While computers remain a popular source for file streaming, there has been a revolution in the audioverse over the last dozen years, with all manner of music platforms coming into existence, followed by a wide variety of hardware. None of these developments changes CAD or the way it makes converters.

Maximum performance

Scott Berry is the man behind CAD. He is passionate about getting the best sound possible from digital audio, maximising the performance from a USB signal. He is also committed to the Philips TDA 1543 multibit chipset, an example of 1990s technology that limits sample frequency to 176.4kHz (4x CD’s 44.1kHz). It can convert 192kHz with some sources, but that is not a given across the board, and it is not compatible with DSD. CAD recommends that the server convert 192 kHz and DSD files to 176.4 kHz or lower.

In 2016, I wrote about the 1543 MkII, which was an evolution of the original converter with the same captive power lead and matte acrylic case. During the intervening period, Scott started working on grounding devices and created the Ground Control GC1, which has spawned larger and smaller versions. There is a USB Ground Control and another for Ethernet; these are inline filters that reduce noise in digital audio connections, and, like the GC1 and its follow-up, GC1.1, they work very well.

Extra chips

The CAD 1543 MkIII incorporates some significant changes for this purist design. Where the original had 16 TDA 1543 ladder DACs, it now has 20, which is apparently the most that would fit in the chassis. The extra chips provide two benefits: they increase the DAC’s output current, and they have no output stage as such, just a Duelund Coherent Audio capacitor on each channel to block DC. They also improve signal-to-noise and drop output impedance.

The CAD’s five power transformers are no longer toroidal but custom EI types, chosen for sound quality reasons and as an indication of Berry’s interest in tube amplifier design. Audio Note Japan, Trilogy, and others use them. The new DAC also uses choke power filtration, seen chiefly in amps that glow, and custom Japanese capacitors for reservoir filtering.

Asynchronous

On the digital input front, CAD continues to use an asynchronous USB interface, which was among the first to implement the feature in 2012. Asynchronous operation is now a near-universal approach that operates on the DAC clock rather than on the source clock. This interface is compatible with almost all Linux-based audio servers, including Innuos, Auralic, Aurender, Antipodes, Roon, Melco and Fidata. To complete the list, CAD is currently working with Lumin and Xact to have them add the CAD USB Driver to their servers.

The USB input has lower phase-noise oscillators than its predecessor and new galvanic isolation circuitry. An anomaly of the 1543 MkIII is its captive power lead, which is generally unheard of in audio today but was considered extinct in the high end. CAD use a high-quality cable and a very decent mains plug, but this does prevent upgrades and getting the DAC in and out of the rack is a little bit of a faff. The only real external change is in the footwear department; the last 1543 I had featured separate feet in a rubbery honeycomb form; now it’s wearing Krion composite feet, which feature in CAD’s biggest ground control unit, the GC-R. Krion is a mineral polymer material and, thus, a completely different approach to that found in the earlier CAD DACs.

Devices

As I couldn’t get the CAD to play nice with my Lumin U2 Mini streamer, I hooked it directly into the Melco N10 server/streamer, where I store my music files. As a rule, the Lumin improves on the USB output from the Melco, but CAD brought along a couple of devices to help with this. There was already a USB Control in the back of the Melco, but an Ethernet Control and a GC1.1 joined the party, substantially improving the sound quality from the DAC. These devices reduce nsystem noise by delivering higher resolution, more open soundstaging, and even better timing. A lower noise floor is always beneficial for audio, especially digital systems. I hooked up the 1543 MkIII to CAD’s USB II-R cable at the input and to Atlas Arran Ultra RCA Grun interconnects.

An extremely relaxed and natural balance typified the last two generations of this DAC. They had an effortlessly clean yet organic presentation that was very easy to enjoy. Berry has decided to liven things up with the MkIII, which is more upbeat and exciting than its predecessors. The CAD 1543 MkIII is still a beautifully relaxed and refined DAC, making much of the competition sound grainy and forced. However, it has more spring in its step, which is great for timing and appears to have no drawbacks, even for someone who loves relaxed sound.

Energy without hardness

It proves that you can have energy without digital hardness by sounding more natural than other converters at the same price. I bought the Bricasti M11 Classic, which I reviewed a couple of months ago (another ladder DAC), but it isn’t as good as this CAD, even via its most effortless LAN input. However, the £7,649 price difference is not insignificant, and the Bricasti is a more versatile tool for reviewing. Nonetheless, I revelled in the CAD’s ability to make sense of the most complex and challenging pieces of music; it never loses its composure regardless of how much it is processing.

The CAD 1543 MkIII also reveals qualities in the music that other converters fail to convey; Sultan Stevenson’s latest album, El Roi, proved better than I thought it would be, the DAC making more sense of the brass elements in the mix and revealing what a talented pianist this young Brit is.

I also revelled in Dweezil Zappa’s renditions of his father’s work on Return of the Son of…, even with heavy tracks like the ‘Deathless Horsie’, the shredding remained coherent and easy to enjoy. The CAD presents the density of the guitar playing in all its glory. This live album is a little compressed, but the CAD opened it sufficiently so that I could enjoy what was going on, with weighty, tuneful bass and a bit of thickener on the guitar, making it more powerful. Zappa senior could play just as well, but didn’t have the quality recording gear available to his son.

Imaging strength

Imaging is also a strong point; the CAD 1543 MkIII can draw immense depth from a variety of recordings and presents voices and instruments in all their three-dimensional beauty, pulling out mountains of reverb on Marc Johnson’s Bass Desires as well as Bugge Wesseltoft’s latest release, Am Are. The latter has superb timing, and the groove on the piano trio piece ‘Bag’ is particularly gratifying thanks to an intense double bass line and nimble drum work. The tone is probably where the CAD is at its strongest.

However, it sounds so authentic and honest that you feel it is telling the unvarnished truth. Many DACs have a very even tonal response, but few match the fine detail that this one brings to the picture; low-level characteristics of each note that give them a genuinely analogue feel. There is no polish or apparent enhancement to the delivery, and it feels as if you are hearing what they heard in the studio, assuming they had decent monitors, that is!

More than aesthetics

This performance isn’t just an aesthetic thing; it’s also what makes the CAD 1543 MkIII so engaging and coherent; it’s a sign that noise no longer interferes with the result. We’re talking about electrical noise, of course. You never hear it as noise, but it’s audible as a mask on the sound, which gets between you and the music. This CAD DAC does a better job removing that mask than most of the competition, even at its elevated price. This musical transparency is worth paying the small convenience price; the sample rate limit is an impediment only to those obsessed with hi-res files. Those looking for musical truth would do well to seek out the CAD 1543 MkIII; it’s a real treat.

Technical specifications

Type: Solid-state high-resolution USB digital-to-analogue converter
Digital Inputs: Asynchronous USB
Analogue Outputs: Stereo single-ended (via RCA jacks)
DAC Resolution/Supported Digital Formats: All PCM from 44.1KHz to 176.4KHz with word lengths up to 32 bits
Frequency Response: Not specified
Distortion Not specified
Output Voltage: 1.75Vrms
User Interface: N/A
Dimensions (HxWxD): 85 x 430 x 280mm
Weight: 9.7kg
Price: £18,000, $19,500, €21,500

Manufacturer

Computer Audio Design

computeraudiodesign.com

+44(0)203 397 0334/ +1 541 728 3199

Audiovector R 5

Audiovector has been making speakers big and small for 45 years. So, the Audiovector R 5 floorstanding loudspeaker draws on extensive design history. And not just the distant past. The new R 5 draws heavily on the company’s current R 10 flagship (which we tested in Issue 243). It sits between the R 3 Arreté (tested in Issue 253) and the R 6 (tested in Issue 191). It’s in the same price range as the Trapeze Reimagined (tested in Issue 231). In the world beyond Audiovectorland, it joins a very contested sector of the market.

That means a tough job, and it likely goes one of three ways. It could be a ‘bitza’ product that dumpster-dives through the parts bin to deliver so-so performance. It could be the ‘superstar’ product that’s so good it cannibalises half the products in the catalogue. Or, it could be that finely balanced ‘tweener’ model that fits perfectly into the line-up. The R 5 is somewhere between ‘superstar’ and ‘tweener.’ It offers a real upgrade for R 3 Arreté owners and doesn’t tread on the Trapeze Ri’s sonic toes. It also offers more than a taste of what the R 6 and beyond can do. However, it does this without undermining or diminishing the R 5’s bigger brothers.

No halfway measures

The R 5 is a three-and-a-half-way loudspeaker with a down-firing bass reflex system. That additional halfway section allows one bass driver to operate higher into the lower midrange. Meanwhile, the second bass driver focuses on deep bass extension. This improves dynamic headroom, reduces intermodulation and increases overall clarity. In addition, by venting low-frequency energy towards the floor, bass integration becomes smoother and more consistent across different placements.

These two elements help give the R 5 a weighty, deep bass extension while retaining the slim, svelte lines of the R series floorstanders. This is more important than it might seem at first. There seems to be an unspoken – and often unnecessary – inflexion point in loudspeaker design. The clean, domestically-friendly lines of the company’s first models give way to something a little more ‘statementy’. The R 5 sits in that danger zone, where ‘aesthetically pleasing’ can flip into exaggerated lines that border on the grotesque. Fortunately, Audiovector remains firmly Scandinavian in its design criteria… in all the right ways. It is large enough to offer a substantial improvement in performance over the R 3 without being a challenging ‘ask’ for those who also share that listening space.

No ice forming

I’ll be honest here; you aren’t immune to such pressures even when reviewing audio equipment is your job. A frosty reception—“How long are those going to stay?”—is a sure sign that a product crossed the aesthetic Rubicon. In some cases, ice forms on the wife’s upper slopes within moments. Audiovector, on the other hand, has remained mercifully free from arctic blasts. The R 5 is no exception.

Similarly, that down-firing port means the Audiovector R 5 is comparatively easy to install in most listening rooms. It needs a bit of space and ultimately benefits from being further into the room than the brand’s smaller models. However, it doesn’t include the rear-firing drivers of the R 6 and beyond that require deeper placement in the room.

It also demands high-quality equipment partnerships and an installation commensurate with its performance. But that doesn’t mean a complete re-think of the system or speaker position. A three-position damping control makes the R 5 uniquely adaptable, as it can match the damping factor of medium and high-damping-factor amplifiers, as well as the low-damping-factor of valve amps. It’s worth a spot of experimentation to see what setting works best for you. In short, the R 5 gives a good performance under most conditions, but going the extra mile in care and feeding delivers some truly first-rate performance; the sort of sound that trickle-down from the R 10 flagship.

Drawing inspiration

It’s easy to say a loudspeaker draws inspiration from a flagship design. It’s quite another to actually do it. The R 5 calls upon the R 10 range-topper in places like its midrange driver. The R 5 is the first model outside that flagship to feature the second generation of the company’s Freedom Grounding system. It is also the first outside the R 10 to feature Audiovector’s Accelerated Force Concept (AFC), developed to minimise inertia during the critical first millimetres of diaphragm movement. Instead of a conventional heavy half-roll surround, the driver uses a lightweight concertina suspension formed from a carefully developed rubber compound. This reduces mechanical resistance.

Additionally, the motor structure has been redesigned to improve magnetic symmetry, resulting in a more balanced magnetic field around the motor. This enhances control of the drive unit (the part of the speaker responsible for converting electrical signals into sound) throughout its excursion (the movement of the speaker cone back and forth) and improves its initial acceleration.

Low Compression Concept

This design works in tandem with Audiovector’s Low Compression Concept (LCC), which reduces air pressure build-up behind the driver (the moving part that creates sound), improving transient response (how quickly the speaker responds to changes in input) and giving it greater freedom under dynamic loads (changes in sound intensity).

The R 5 also uses the latest version of the company’s Air-Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeter—a high-frequency driver that moves air rapidly using a folded diaphragm, rather than a dome or cone. This tweeter was first introduced with the R 10 model. The updates here are refinements of previous technology, rather than completely new developments.

Several features distinguish the R 5 as a unique model. Most notably, the Arreté plinth has a larger footprint and an open-slot design. The wider base enhances energy distribution, improves floor coupling, and lowers the speaker’s centre of gravity. The open-slot design also benefits the reflex port by reducing turbulence and compression. The Arreté-level crossover network features carefully selected components that are twice cryogenically treated.

No signature required

These last improvements imply that the R 5 is an Arreté-grade product. That could do with some explanation. Models like the R 1 and R 3 come in two grades. The ‘Signature’ models are best recognised by their use of a soft-dome tweeter, a dome-shaped component that produces high-pitched sounds by moving air with a soft diaphragm. Meanwhile, ‘Arreté’ replaces that driver with the company’s own AMT (Air Motion Transformer) folded ribbon high-frequency unit, a device that moves air using a pleated membrane for clearer treble. ‘Arreté’ also adds cryogenic component treatment (a process exposing parts to extremely low temperatures to potentially enhance performance), Freedom Grounding (a grounding method to reduce electrical noise), a carbon terminal plate, and the company’s internal damping and shock absorption techniques (design features to reduce unwanted vibrations within the product).

There is no ‘Signature’ version of the R 5. So, the need to give it the ‘Arreté’ suffix goes away, as with the larger models in the range. However, that also invites a philosophical discussion that extends to the rest of the R range: should every model just be at Arreté level performance? Looking at current trends (and the vibrant Audiovector owners group on Facebook), most buyers today choose the QR or the Arreté level loudspeaker at any given size. I would not be too surprised to see future models that replace the R 1 and R 3 to have just one performance grade.

Covers ground

The Audiovector R 5 is one of those products that covers a lot of ground. It’s a loudspeaker that just fits in. It fits in most rooms and with most systems. If you like a particular musical genre or love a bit of everything, it fits your taste. Prefer polite or club-level volume? Once again, the R 5 fits in. To answer the question that started the review, it fits perfectly into the Audiovector line. It contrasts and complements the Trapeze Ri well. It’s a perfect upgrade from the R 3 Arreté, but there’s more in the R 6 and beyond. Far from being ‘filler’ in an established range, it completes the line-up.

As you might expect from an Audiovector loudspeaker, the R 5 delivers clean, clear sound with a fine sense of rhythm. The treble is delicate, sweet yet extended, fast, and focused. The midrange is articulate and communicative. The bass is deep, yet taut and tidy. The R 5 produces an excellent, three-dimensional image. Its dynamic range—both broad and nuanced—is expressive and powerful. There is less distortion from the drivers, less coloration from the cabinet, and—especially with Freedom Grounding—less noise from the crossover. Whether you are familiar with Audiovector or experiencing it for the first time, the R 5 sound is sure to impress and uplift.

More than terms

I’ve placed the usual audio terms together because that’s just the start of the
R 5 experience. Beyond those elements is how the Audiovector R 5 brings everything together to make music. It does not differentiate at all. You can be as musically eclectic as you want with these loudspeakers; nothing fazes them. I went from the symphonic bombast of Mahler’s Second Symphony to the Unthanks singing acapella in a tiny pub back room, and everything in between. In each case, the R 5s brought out the information and the enjoyment equally.

Of course, a part of that is because the Audiovector R 5 can go loud, but they are not simply boomboxes. There are trends in high-end audio demonstration, and Audiovector brought Danish DJ and producer Hedegaard into the mix. Hard techno recordings like ‘Rachets’ and ‘Inferno’ are used by many high-end brands in demonstrations to show that their products aren’t just for plinky-plonky audiophile music, but Audiovector got there first. And in the R 5, it shows many of those rivals still have a way to go to catch up.

Visceral ablomb

The R 5 plays these recordings with aplomb: a visceral, pounding beat, lots of fast-attacking synth sounds, and a vocal transparency that allows you to hear what’s being spoken with clarity even within such an onslaught of a recording. They make sense of this fast-paced track, whether it’s played at a whisper or at organ-liquefying levels. The tight rhythmic properties of the R 5 are best expressed at the drop mid-way through ‘Rachets’ by Hedegaard; when the beat comes back, it comes back with all the pace and excitement you would even need. This might be a double-edged sword in the wrong hands; a lively loudspeaker can sound too forward and edgy. But the R 5 stays just the right side of ‘bright’ for all but the most ‘pipe and slippers’ of listeners.

But, beyond the bass energy and drive, there’s a deceptively subtle and lithe loudspeaker beyond that. That midrange unit from the R 10, coupled with the latest version of the AMT tweeter, helps make for a vocal presentation that is extremely articulate and transparent. You hear every scintilla of information, be it the finger noises on an acoustic guitar or even the quality of a singer’s embouchure and its impact on their tone and articulation; it all just makes more sense. Those ‘surprising’ recordings – such as Nick Cave singing Leonard Cohen’s ‘Suzanne’ – are less of a surprise because you recognise the voice faster. That doesn’t detract, though. As your brain spends less time thinking ‘who is that?’, you flip into just enjoying the performance.

A red thread

That ‘enjoying the performance’ line ran through my listening notes like a red thread. It put everything else into a distant second place. Yes, imaging is great. OK, the bass is fast, deep and very tuneful. Sure, vocals are clear and distinct. But, underpinning all of that is a sound that never, ever forgets that people like listening to music. It’s a speaker that puts a smile on your face even before it sets your foot tapping.

The Audiovector R 5 hits the ground running. It joins the Trapeze Ri as one of the loudspeakers you should hear at this price. But even more importantly, like the Trapeze Ri, it puts music – rather than polite hi-fi sounds – at the centre of your life. This R 5 is Audiovector at its finest!

Technical specifications

Type: trear ported, three-and-a-half-way loudspeaker
Drive units: 3800 AMT N 51 tweeter, 6.5” AFC carbon sandwich midrange, lower-midrange and bass drivers
Frequency Response: 23Hz-53kHz
Sensitivity: 90dB
Nominal Impedance: 8Ω
Minimum Impedance: 3.6Ω
Crossover frequencies: 200Hz, 600Hz, 3kHz
Finishes: Black Piano, White Silk Matte, African Mahogany Piano, Italian Walnut Matte. Custom paint finishes available on request.
Size (WxHxD): 111cm x 22cm x 41cm (with plinth width and depth 26cm x 48cm
Weight: 32.1kg per pair
Price: £17,950, €19,950, $24,500 per pair

Manufacturer

Audiovector

Home Page: audiovector.com

R5 Product Page: audiovector.com/r-5/

Where to buy: audiovector.com/where-to-buy/

UK distributor

Renaissance Audio

renaissanceaudio.co.uk

+44(0)131 555 3922

Audio Note releases IZVOR, the first-ever Discrete Ladder DAC module built with Premium Analogue Components

May 2026- 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for Audio Note (UK) Ltd. The vanguard of high-fidelity vacuum tube and analogue-centric design has released a new version of their classic integrated amplifier, the OTO, and has quietly been developing a new Digital Audio Converter (DAC). The IZVOR (pronounced is-vor), a Slavic word meaning “source, spring, or well”, is a fundamental ground-up reimagining of the digital audio conversion process itself: a discrete ladder DAC module using premium-grade resistors to construct the array.

Audio Note made its first iconoclastic statement in digital audio back in 1992, with the introduction of the original DAC3. This model’s patented transformer/filter interface circuit proved that there was far more information to be retrieved and heard on CDs than was previously thought possible. In 1996, they introduced the DAC 5, the first-ever non-oversampling (NOS) DAC, which proved to be another defining step change in digital audio conversion.

By removing oversampling and digital filtering, Audio Note discovered that the fatiguing digital harshness and flatness, such a common criticism of digital audio, had all but disappeared. Their 1x oversampling ‘Direct from Disc’ approach reshaped what many people thought they understood about digital audio, and it wasn’t long before other manufacturers’ DACs followed suit.

Since then, all Audio Note DACs have been based on R2R chips, without oversampling, filtering, or jitter correction. But Audio Note was convinced that more could be achieved with digital, so for the past twelve years, they have been developing the technology to improve their DACs.

The IZVOR DAC module takes the company’s purist methodology to its logical next step by removing the DAC chip completely and replacing it with a discrete ladder DAC architecture. While Audio Note is by no means the first company to explore such an approach, as has been shown previously, when Audio Note (UK) turns its hand to pre-existing technology, a paradigm shift often follows.

“Affording our design team near-limitless R&D resources allowed us to interrogate every facet of ladder DAC topology,” says Peter Qvortrup, founder of Audio Note (UK). “After twelve years of refinement, every stage of the IZVOR has been validated through rigorous empirical testing and, crucially, critical listening.”

The engineering breakthrough of the IZVOR lies in its uncompromising component selection. “We looked at every ladder DAC on the market,” says Qvortrup. “In each case, it was clear that the quality of components used in the array was restricting performance. Our thinking was simple: if we want a ladder DAC to sound analogue, don’t build it like a computer. Instead, use the same calibre of resistors as in our phono stages.”

IZVOR designer Darko Greguras expanded further: “In much the same way musical instruments are designed, the key to the IZVOR’s musical quality, and all audio design, lies in the harmony and complementary properties of the components. By designing an architecture that allowed for larger resistors, I was able to fine-tune the voicing from a greater range of Audio Note parts. We even designed an entirely new resistor specifically for this project.”

“During development, we auditioned virtually every type of resistor currently in production,” explains Darko. “Ultimately, we determined that standard 5-watt resistors introduced subtle but perceptible temporal blurring. By designing our own bespoke 1-watt resistors manufactured to tolerances of less than 1%, and pairing them with a proprietary DAC code authored by Andrejs Dmuhovskis and me, we have achieved something spectacular.”

Early feedback from the first private demonstrations and international audio shows suggests the IZVOR has already started to challenge the perceived weaknesses of digital audio. Critics have noted a “palpable sense of realism” and a “startling lack of digital artifice.” Reviewers highlight the IZVOR’s ability to render complex textures with an almost analogue-like presentation.

Audio Note is introducing the IZVOR technology into its existing flagship range with the Fifth Element, DAC5, and DAC4.1 Balanced. An upgrade scheme is available for existing owners of these models. Pricing is available upon request from your Audio Note dealer. Find your local dealer at audionote.co.uk/dealers.

Hana SH MkII

The Hana brand is the enfant terrible of affordable cartridge design. It launched its first models in 2014. Ten years later, the SL and SH moving coils are now at Mk II status. As the name suggests, ‘SL’ and ‘SH’ are low- and high-output variations on the same moving coil theme. We looked at the high-output SH MkII.

These are not simply minor changes to the previous models. Between the original SL and SH launches, Hana produced the higher-end M series and two top Umami models – the Red and Blue. These new cartridges have more in common with these top-end models than the original Hanas.

Tapered cantilever

Central to these upgrades is the inclusion of a tapered aluminium cantilever, which replaced the straight model in the previous version. While the Hana SH MkII retains the nude diamond Shibata tip, the tapered cantilever is designed to reduce tip mass. Like its predecessor, the Hana SH MkII is designed to track at around 2g. It comes in a nice little black box (albeit the outer packaging is no longer two-tone) and has the same small self-seating stylus guard. I’d prefer something that gets your fingers further from the stylus when fitting it. Nevertheless, it gives the Hana SH MkII minimalist appeal.

Critical parts, including the yoke, pole-pieces, and gold terminal pins, have been cryogenically treated. As before, the 2mV output, the 47kΩ suggested load impedance and 130Ω internal impedance of the SH (original and Mk II), make it compatible with the majority of moving magnet phono inputs. In addition, the increased mass of the SH MkII (rising from 5g to 8.6g due to a brass top plate) enhances its compatibility with suitable tonearms. It now features a broadly curved body, akin to the M series. Also, it is coated in a matte black elastomeric paint. This paint is reputed to provide better resonance control than its predecessor.

Logged hours

Sadly, I didn’t have an original SH to hand in testing this cartridge, but I have an Umami Red. Having logged some hours with the SH in the past, it was clear this new SH MkII was a lot closer to the Umami than the original SH. The Umami Red is possibly the most exuberant of the Hana range. The new SH MkII is slightly more mellifluous and warmer than the Red. However, it is not so warm that it sounds lush or a little dull.

Everything you played through the SH MkII sounded really coherent, lithe and legato, with excellent presentation of vocals or guitars front and centre. It made sense of more complex and shouty pieces of music. Even those on ‘Machine Gun’ from Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsies album [Reprise] came across clearly. As a result, you get the sense of being there in the audience.

Midrange out

Like all the best designs, the Hana SH MkII leads from the midrange out. Sure, that means the extreme top end isn’t as extended and expressive and the bottom end isn’t as full or deep as the Umami Red. But in its class, it’s a tough one to beat. Additionally, any rivals that outperform the Hana at the extremes of treble and bass never seem to match its articulation in the midrange.

There’s one more feather in the Hana SH MkII cap. It’s perfectly poised, both in performance and its place in the world. This isn’t the cartridge you use in some grandiose tonearm that costs as much as a BMW. However, it sounds fantastic in the sort of places where a sub-£1,000 cartridge might venture. Its balance of warmth, good sense of rhythm and flow, and dynamic power make it the perfect partner for something like the Technics SL-1300G, which is also tested this issue. In contrast, moving up or down the cartridge price points unseated that sense of effortless balance, making the results more uneven.

The Hana SH MkII is an excellent addition to the cartridge line-up and goes to the head of the class for cartridges at its price. I really can’t think of anything better in its category.

Price and contact details

Hana SH MkII: £645, $850, €749

Manufacturer

Excel Sound

youtek.jp

UK Distributor

Air Audio Services

airaudio.co.uk

hana-cartridges.co.uk

+44(0)1491 629629

Tech Talk: Ted Denney of Synergistic Research

Ted Denney needs no introduction to many of our American readers. However, he might not be quite so well-known on this side of ‘The Pond’. However, his company – Synergistic Research – is well-known for making system-transforming components that throw down a gauntlet to audio’s many traditionalists.

Now, the company has produced its first music server, Voodoo. Is there more to it than the supernatural, and is it where the magic happens? We speak to Ted Denney to learn more…

Tell us a little about yourself…

I’m Theodore Walton Denney III — Founder, Lead Designer & CEO, Synergistic Research. I founded Synergistic Research in 1992 from the humblest of starting points — a 1,200-square-foot industrial space, a $100 IKEA futon, and an income under $10,000 a year for the first three years. What I had instead of money was a clear-eyed understanding of something the entire audio industry had, in my view, fundamentally misunderstood. Specifically, where the music actually lives in an audio system.

Today, SR operates from a 13,000-square-foot factory in Southern California. The product range spans cables, power conditioning, active shielding, grounding systems, network infrastructure, acoustic field control, and now streaming servers — all built around a single coherent physics framework. This approach is different. Rather than a collection of independent product categories, it unifies all elements under one system.

How do you do that Voodoo that you do so well?

A Cole Porter quote… nice!

At its core, Voodoo addresses a problem that, to my knowledge, the rest of the streaming server market is not attempting to solve. The industry’s focus on improving digital audio quality — with better DAC chips, lower-jitter clocks, enhanced power supplies, and USB isolation — is valid and produces genuine results. However, it tackles the well-known adversary in digital audio. At the same time, it leaves the hidden one unchallenged.

The unseen threat is the electromagnetic field environment created by computation itself. Every CPU, RAM chip, and integrated circuit in a streaming server produces high-frequency switching noise as a direct result of its operation. That noise does not exist in the digital signal itself. Instead, it exists in the electromagnetic field surrounding and carrying the digital signal — and because energy in a conductor system travels through the field around the conductor, not within it, this contamination cannot be removed by any downstream filtering or isolation method.

Improve the field

The only solution is to improve the field environment at the point of generation — within the architecture itself. That is what Voodoo’s built-in ULF/ELF biasing and electromagnetic cells do. They do not suppress noise after it occurs. Instead, they continuously maintain a corrected field environment, preventing contamination from forming in the first place.

The results, once the high-frequency RF contamination was eliminated, did not just narrow the gap with analogue. They surpassed it — particularly in the aspects where analogue had always excelled. Soundstage depth, height, and width all exceeded our reference turntable. The music projected into the room and enveloped the listening position in a way that even the finest vinyl playback had not managed. High frequencies featured more air and transparency. Bass was tighter and more defined — not the rounded, forgiving bass of digital, but genuinely more resolved and present.

Then something unexpected occurred. Freed from the layer of high-frequency noise we had always assumed was simply characteristic of digital sound, we started to perceive our turntable differently. Mechanical noises we had previously ignored — bearings, motor artifacts, the physical contact between stylus and groove — became audible in ways they hadn’t been before. We had tolerated these sounds unconsciously because we were so captivated by how the turntable reproduced spatial and timbral qualities. However, with Voodoo surpassing it in those same aspects, the mechanical noise had nowhere left to hide.

When did development for Voodoo begin?

Development commenced in 2023. The catalyst was a particular and exasperating realisation that emerged gradually through our earlier work on network infrastructure.

The development of Voodoo started with a careful, systematic year-long process: we aimed to build the best-sounding computer we could before making it uniquely ours. Every variable that could be altered was changed. Different CPUs, motherboards, RAM chips, internal buses, and linear power supplies — literally every component and pathway inside the machine — were considered open questions. We tested dozens of configurations over hundreds of hours of double-blind listening tests. Importantly, during tests, we used chassis that looked identical from the outside. This was so no visual cues could influence the results. No assumptions, no shortcuts. The methodology was the same as we use for every SR development. We determine the performance ceiling through a thorough controlled comparison. Then we progress from there.

The second phase was when Voodoo truly became Voodoo. We started integrating our ULF/ELF biasing technology and electromagnetic cell architecture — previously developed for our ground blocks and power conditioners — directly into the computer’s infrastructure. This involved taking field measurements with probes inside a live computing environment. We looked for electromagnetic signatures we already knew linked to improved sound quality. Next, we confirmed those measurements through further double-blind listening tests.

How did prototyping move from here?

All critical listening decisions were made in our reference system at the SR factory in Southern California — the same controlled environment we use for every product development. When prototype performance stabilised, advanced units went out to a network of beta testers across different systems and listening rooms. Their feedback informed subsequent refinements.

The power supply architecture for the PC environment was initially developed in collaboration with engineers who specialise in that domain — we were not, and are not, a computer company, and we had no desire to reinvent expertise that already existed. Once those foundations were in place, we integrated our own UEF technology and electromagnetic cell designs into those supplies. In this way, we made them genuinely and distinctly ours. The starting point was borrowed. Everything that makes Voodoo sound the way it does is not.

How easy was the move from ‘lab’ to ‘listening room’?

The shift from a unit that excelled in our reference room to a product that performs consistently in the real world was, frankly, more challenging than the core engineering. Our reference system offers an ideal environment, but the market does not.

When Voodoo was launched, several units were returned. The issues were traced to voltage variations across different markets—something we had not fully anticipated—and to BIOS settings that behaved differently under real-world conditions than they had in our laboratory. As a result, each returned unit was examined, the failure point identified, transformer headroom in the power supply adjusted, and firmware settings refined. The final production Voodoo now performs reliably across the wide range of conditions found in the open market. In addition, it sounds better — even under the ideal conditions of our own reference system — than its predecessors.

Where does Voodoo sit in the Synergistic Research product line?

Voodoo sits at the top of SR’s network infrastructure hierarchy and represents the logical culmination of a chain that begins with our earliest cable designs, extends through our ground blocks and power conditioners, and continues to our Ethernet switches and routers. Each of those products addresses the field environment at different points within the signal chain. Voodoo manages it at the source.

Manufacturer

Synergistic Research

synergisticresearch.com

Synergistic Research Voodoo

It’s a bold move. In the argot of English football commentators, Synergistic Research is “a game of two halves.” On one side, it offers a range of well-regarded cables, power conditioners, and platforms. On the other hand, many of its products take an unconventional route, even by audiophile standards. So, naming your streaming music server ‘Voodoo’ is quite the flex. That name alone should evoke a wry smile from most, except perhaps the most stubborn of audio’s self-appointed gatekeepers.

In fact, scratch the surface of any of Synergistic Research’s products and that ‘unconventional route’ is baked into every product.

So, on the face of it, the Voodoo is just a good Roon-based server in a well-made case with a couple of top screens set in bronze to improve cooling and let you see into its internal gubbins. It feeds a DAC either through USB or Ethernet like any good server of its type. But, the closer you look, the more this brings to the party.

Gateway

Furthermore, in the tradition of all things Synergistic Research, the Voodoo often serves as the gateway to many more products within the company’s philosophy. We’ve taken our time to examine the Voodoo. As a result, there’s a whole array of products that are likely to follow once it captures your interest. Consider this the first part of a two-part feature. Once the Voodoo wins you over and you find yourself under its spell, much more will follow.

A Roon-based server is a fine ‘proof of concept’ for a company like Synergistic Research. Roon’s own Nucleus One means that any audible improvements have a well-established baseline. And, if the product ticks the ‘damn good server’ box, the ‘introduction to Synergistic Research’s concepts’ follows afterwards.

However, the issue Synergistic Research faced is that a computer-based product uses a computer. That sounds fairly obvious, but an off-the-shelf computer in a nice box will not achieve that ‘damn good server’ goal.

So, in developing the Voodoo, Synergistic Research went back to basics. The team applied the sort of listening tests it uses for every product it produces, but this time to every component and subsystem that goes into making a computer-based server. Eventually, you know you’ve crossed over into a world of obsessive-compulsiveness when you can recall the sonic plusses and minuses of a dozen Ethernet connectors. This might seem, well… nuts to most people. Still, if your company’s core is to try to reduce the effects of the electromagnetic field environment, you better make damn sure that your source component isn’t acting like a ham radio on the sly.

In making an electromagnetic field-generating product that produces as little electromagnetic field effects as possible, Synergistic Research found it had made a good-sounding music server. But that was just the start.

ELF care

From here, Synergistic Research began carefully applying its ULF/ELF biasing and electromagnetic cell technology into the architecture of the server computer itself. Before Voodoo, these only appeared in the company’s ground blocks and power conditioners. This wasn’t as easy to transfer as it sounds. Primarily, this is because the inside of a power conditioner is a relatively controlled EM and RF environment, at least when compared to what’s going on inside most computers. It wasn’t impossible, and the improvements these technologies brought justified their inclusion. However, the application was slow work, and the project took longer than expected to come to market. The question now is ‘was it worth the effort?’

I’ve deliberately excised all other Synergistic Research products from this test, both for its ‘proof of concept’ demands and to prevent jumping to conclusions. If something is said to work by Ultra Low Frequency, EM and RF interference reduction, if you have other devices in the chain that do a similar thing, you risk reviewing the wrong thing by mistake. The downside to this is you are showing off the Voodoo in the worst possible light.

Not more detail

The first impression of the Voodoo server is not ‘more detail’. If your system is already resolving, detail is the one thing you probably have in abundance. The more telling change is a reduction in a subtle kind of glare—an electronic insistence that makes music sound like it’s being lit by an LED rather than by daylight.

With the Voodoo server in place, there is typically an increased sense of ease. That word is overused, but it’s appropriate. Music feels less like a set of discrete events and more like a continuous performance. The system becomes more tolerant of volume; you can turn it up without the top end turning into a stress test.

Well-recorded vocals have more ‘chest’ and less ‘edge’, not because the server is warming them up, but because the electronic hash that undermines sibilants and consonants is reduced. The result is that articulation improves while aggression decreases—a rare and welcome combination.

Fizz-free

Take a close-miked female vocal with plenty of air and potential for sibilance. With many servers, the ‘air’ comes packaged with a faint fizz, a kind of ultrasonic glitter that impresses in a quick demo and fatigues over an evening. The Voodoo Server’s trick is to preserve the openness without the fizz. You still hear breath and space, but you also hear tone.

Acoustic instruments show the same pattern. A steel-string guitar is a particularly good test: it has transients, harmonic complexity, and a long decay. Through the Voodoo server the leading edge is still crisp, but the body of the instrument becomes more obvious. There’s a stronger sense of the wooden cavity behind the strings. Additionally, the decay trails off more smoothly. That smoothness is not softness; it’s continuity.

Piano—often the killer of any romance with streamed digital—benefits in a way that is difficult to un-hear once you’ve heard it. The instrument has both percussive strike and harmonic bloom. With a noisier or less stable digital front end, you tend to get the strike and a suggestion of bloom. With a better one, the bloom occupies the room and the decay becomes a narrative in itself. The Voodoo server leans toward the latter. It allows the DAC to draw the instrument in longer strokes rather than pointillist dots.

Locating performers

One of the paradoxes of high-end streaming is that some setups deliver spectacular imaging by exaggerating edges. You get pin-sharp outlines, but the people inside the outlines are oddly flat. The Voodoo server produces more believable images. Performers occupy space rather than merely being located in it.

Depth is often the most obvious beneficiary. A lowered noise floor and reduced RF contamination frequently yield greater depth perspective: the rear of the stage is easier to see into, and reverberant cues have more gradation. This is the kind of improvement that doesn’t necessarily jump out in a short audition. However, it becomes obvious when you return to the old configuration and find the stage has collapsed a little toward the speakers.

Voodoo doesn’t give you ‘more bass’, but improved bass quality: pitch definition, start/stop control, and the sense that bass lines are played by fingers rather than by an algorithm. On electric bass, the Voodoo server helps you follow the line through dense mixes. On acoustic bass, it brings out the wood and string textures and makes the relationship between note and resonance clearer. The effect is that rhythm sections lock in more convincingly. Drums and bass feel like they are sharing the same time grid.

That last phrase—time grid—is important. This is where noise and timing intersect. It’s not that the server is “changing the bits.” It’s that by reducing electrical interference and improving the conditions at the DAC input, the conversion process behaves more predictably. Also, the system reproduces rhythmic relationships with greater certainty.

More than a filing

The Synergistic Research Voodoo server is a purpose-built music server for listeners who have accepted that digital playback quality is not just about file format or streaming service. It’s about the electrical and temporal conditions under which the DAC is asked to do its work.

It is also, unavoidably, a product that asks you to buy into a worldview. If you’re comfortable with the idea that noise management and system synergy can yield audible gains even in the digital domain, the Voodoo server can be a musically satisfying step forward. If you want a server whose story is purely about CPU load and storage size, there are other options.

For those already deep into high-performance streaming, though, the Synergistic Research Voodoo server makes a strong case for the server as a genuine source component—one that belongs on the rack not because it’s convenient, but because it’s consequential.

Read more about the genesis of the Voodoo here.

Technical specifications

Type: Roon server
Inputs: 2x USB (Type B for DAC connection); Ethernet, Ground Plane connection (to Synergistic Research Ground Conditioner), IEC socket
Onboard controls: ULF bias setting (front panel), manual reset (rear panel)
Onboard storage: 500GB (external NAS drive recommended for file storage)
Dimensions (WxHxD): 8.5 x 46 x 29cm
Weight: 12.25kg
Price: £15,995 (230V version), €16,995 (230V version), $14,995 (110V version), $15,995 (230V version)

Manufacturer

Synergistic Research

Homepage: synergisticresearch.com

Product page: synergisticresearch.com/digital/voodoo/

Where to buy: synergisticresearch.com/dealer-list/

UK distributor

Harmony Hi-Fi

harmonyhifi.co.uk

+44(0)1701 629345

Linn 360 with Pistonik motor system preview

The Linn 360 loudspeaker is already a known quantity round these parts. https://hifiplus.com/articles/linn-360-floorstanding-loudspeaker-2/ Whether in full Exakt active mode or used as a passive loudspeaker with an active bass component, it’s Linn’s shot across the high-end bows. But, like any loudspeaker, it’s hobbled by the nature of the drive units used in most loudspeaker systems. That all changes with the launch of the Pistonik motor system. These are replacements to the 6” upper bass and 8” woofer units in the 360. They will be available as standard to all 360 models from today. In addition, existing 360 users can get them as an upgrade.

In fairness, this hobbling isn’t the fault of most drive units. It’s a combination of things coming together to make the drivers a bottleneck in most systems. Most drivers are off the shelf designs, even if modified to suit a specific need. That means the characteristics of the driver is designed to cover the greatest number of installations. In addition, as a passive system, the drive unit maker needs to be extremely conservative. This is because the upstream amplifiers are unpredictable.

While car analogies are massively overused, it fits here. Most drivers are a little like a production saloon. They are perfectly good and designed for a wide range of drivers. A suspension and drivetrain that comes with a sneeze test. You can take your eyes off the wheel long enough to sneeze and not find yourself in a ditch. Compare this to the British Touring Car Championship, or NASCAR. Now, you have a car with a suspension and drivetrain that reacts to every twitch and movement of the person behind the wheel.

The gloves are off

Linn’s 360 is different. It’s full of known qualities. The Exakt active system or active bass system in passive operation means the way the drivers are driven is entirely controlled. There are no speaker-blowing low-powered valve amps or voice-coil melting ultra-powerful amplifiers. In addition, when you design loudspeaker drivers for a specific loudspeaker enclosure, you get the potential to make a drive unit with the gloves off.

Of course, whether that’s a freedom for a manufacturer or a chance to just make in-house drivers largely depends on how innovative that company’s R&D team is willing to go. And in Linn’s case, they go deep! Rather than take an existing design, Linn went all in and rethought the loudspeaker driver motor. This is the part where the voice coil passes through the magnet. They created a very long-stroke travel through the magnet thanks to a significantly extended magnetic gap. That gives the voice coil an order of magnitude longer travel.

That new motor requires a re-invented suspension system. In the 8” driver, for example, the unit uses two spiders in place of just one in the basket of the speaker. Meanwhile, the drive unit material itself is hard aluminium, to reduce cone break up while retaining low mass.

Such driver tech isn’t just thought up in a dream. It takes a lot of physics. Linn is one of the few companies who use the COMSOL multi-physics modelling program.

Coming soon…

We’re not going to go into too much depth here; for that, read our review in Issue 256 out in early June. But it’s a big change. Playing some traditional ‘fat lady sings’ opera, in the already very good 360, she sounds angry; with the new drivers, she sounds furious! It wasn’t a magnifier on the sound, just laser focused on the music. More importantly, that focus means nothing is off the table. Pick some music not known for its audiophile quality – ‘Know How’ by Young MC for example. That’s old school rap from 1989, complete with janky 80s-era samples. That’s not the kind of thing that ever gets played in audio shows or demonstrations, because it rarely sounds good. Here, it rocks! You have the pumping backbeat reproduced in all its glory.

I moved from Beethoven piano to ‘Rumble’ by Skrillex and everything in between, and in all cases the drivers start and stop with blistering speed, powerful depth and excellent dynamics. It’s fast when you need it, full and rich when you don’t. But, breaking the music down into its audiophile components seems wrong; it’s all about playing music more.

That’s the point, here. The science doesn’t need some granular overview of how the music sounds; it just sounds better. Yes, given that bass drivers are the change, bass is tauter and faster… but more importantly the space and clarity of the midrange and treble get cleaner and more detailed thanks to those bass units.

No debate

If you are reading this while staring at a pair of existing 360s, there’s no debate. This is your next upgrade. Spend ten minutes comparing the two, and you spend two minutes comparing the two and eight minutes arranging and paying for the upgrade. Fortunately, it’s a two-hour dealer fit rather than a Return To Manufacturer upgrade. For new buyers, the 360 is a little more expensive and a lot better… and now with a real-walnut finish. Eather way, once you hear it, you won’t want to be separated from your speakers for too long.

Price and Contact details

Prices: 360 Exakt Integrated loudspeakers: £99,500
360 Passive with Active Bass (PWAB) loudspeakers: £67,000
Drive Unit Upgrade for 360: £16,500

Manufacturer

Linn

linn.co.uk

+44(0)141 307 7777