Audio Research has announced the introduction of their Foundation Series. From the same engineering and design team responsible for the Reference Series, “the Foundation family of vacuum tube components has been created to provide incredible musical experiences”.

The first three components include the LS28 line stage preamplifier, the PH9 phono stage, and the DAC9 digital- to-analog converter. A new amplifier will follow, with other products to complete the series. All models will be available in both black and natural anodized aluminium finishes. Each unit comes with its own custom metal remote control.

All products at Audio Research follow the exact same path from concept to production, regardless of the series or model. The Foundation Series shares the same lineage, build quality, and many design characteristics found in the more costly Reference Series.

Many of the parts in an Audio Research product are proprietary, while some are designed for a singular model. This attention to detail is inherent to all processes at Audio Research – from the hand-soldering of every circuit board, to the final listening test which is conducted by the same person who helped guide the design. Our commitment at Audio Research is to deliver the most musically satisfying experience at every level.

The LS28 line stage is a flexible  preamplifier. Four balanced and four single-ended inputs, and two sets of both balanced and single-ended outputs, allow maximum connectivity. The straightforward menu allows control of numerous parameters, including input naming, tube hours, auto shutdown, and home theater passthrough. Phase invert and mono are also standard functions. At the heart of the LS28 are four 6H30 vacuum tubes in the analogue circuit.

While the LS28 is the perfect match for any Audio Research amplifier, it has been designed to work with nearly any amplifier on the market today. Shipping to begin in June.

The PH9 phono preamplifier is a great pairing with most cartridge and turntable combinations. A trio of 6H30 vacuum tubes are at the core of a simple and clear signal path to provide the most transparent preamplification possible. Five different impedance settings allow for cartridge loading, which can be changed on the fly with the included metal remote. Cartridge impedance, tube hours, auto shutdown, and other features are included in the menu system. Shipping to begin in July.

The DAC9 digital-to-analog converter decodes most current formats with state-of-the-art vacuum tube technology. Five digital connections – USB, RCA, BNC, AES/EBU, and Toslink – provide connectivity to all of your digital sources. Quad DAC architecture provides a balanced digital signal, wide dynamic range, and decoding resolutions from red book CD up to 384 kHz and native DSD sampling rates.

A pair of 6H30v vacuum tubes are the heart of the analog circuit. Both balanced and single-ended connectors are provided for output connectivity. Native-rate upsampling and selectable digital filters allow customisation of the digital signal. Shipping to begin in August.

Karma-AV say they are delighted to announce the availability of the Mark-Levinson № 536 monaural power amplifier to UK dealers, installers and customers.  

Engineered to deliver a substantial 400W into 8 ohms and 800W into 4 ohms, the № 536 will drive demanding loudspeaker loads to generous volume levels even in larger rooms. It is designed for exceptional sonic purity, stability, consistency and reliability, blending discrete class AB amplifier topology with Class A voltage gain and driver stages. No integrated circuits are used in the signal path.

The Mark Levinson № 536 includes an XLR balanced and an RCA unbalanced input, and provides two pairs of heavy-duty speaker binding posts fitted with Mark Levinson’s characteristic hurricane wings to facilitate secure speaker-cable tightening without tools.

The № 536 also includes Ethernet, RS-232 and 12V trigger inputs and outputs for integration with Mark Levinson preamplifiers, networked installations and control systems. EuP-compliant the amplifier will go into low-power standby mode when not in operation.

In keeping with all Mark Levinson audio components, the № 536 has a distinctively elegant appearance. Its unmistakable black and silver industrial design blends iconic Mark Levinson aesthetic elements with an angular, modern contemporary look.  More details here. 

Mark Levinson No 536 Monaural Power Amplifier typical retail price inc VAT: £14000.00 each and are available in July. Hifi Pig heard this and it’s matching preamplifier at Munich High-End and it is really something!

At £14500 for the pair, the Grandinote Proemio preamp and Silva power amplifier are far from bargain basement fodder, but do they warrant such a price-tag? Stuart Smith finds out. 

About Grandinote 

Grandinote are based in Italy and headed up by Massimiliano Magri. The company use a technology they call Magnetosolid where solid state components are used in circuits more typical of valve amplifiers. Grandinote say this offers the advantages of both solid state and tube amplifiers. All the low signal stages in the amps are direct coupled without capacitors and every device has its own dedicated power supply. All their amplifiers run in Class A. 

First of all let me say that the packaging of both items was very good indeed; sturdy single boxes with plenty of thick cardboard packing, a nice red felt cover over each item and a pair of white gloves for handling. 

Proemio Preamplifier

Grandinote’s £6500 Proemio is a line preamplifier offering three unbalanced inputs on RCA and three fully balanced inputs on XLR. The balanced XLR inputs can be converted to unbalanced inputs but I didn’t mess with them as I had no need to.

Outputs offered are a balanced output and an unbalanced output. It’s a full dual-mono constructed preamplifier operating in Class A with no feedback.

Like the Silva power amplifier it is a tad deeper than a standard bit of kit at 40.8cm, a bit higher at 19.6cm and less wide at 31.8cm- it has sort of a shoebox on steroids kind of look about it and on the rack it looks rather attractive with its clean, almost industrial aesthetic.

On the front of the unit there’s six buttons that control program and volume (have a look at the photo) and a red LED screen. It’s all very minimalist and sits on three solid aluminium hemispheres.
Round the back there’s a lot more going on with all the aforementioned inputs and outputs. The only other input on the back of Proemio is the power socket.
Where I come from we have a specific saying when something is well built and solid, but for the purposes here let’s temper that phrase a bit and say that this unit is built like a brick outhouse. There’s an immediate sense of solidity and that the unit is really well put together. A peek through the slotted aluminium top-plate shows us nicely soldered boards and a neat looking layout.

The review unit came with a basic looking remote that was functional rather than being anything special but I am assured that all Grandinote’s retail offerings now come with a rather splendid looking remote control. The supplied remote did end up controlling the Lampizator Big7 DAC too but never mind, I completely lost the supplied remote anyway (found only after the units were returned) and resorted to using the buttons on the front of the Proemio.
Switch on the Proemio and there’s a 99 second countdown shows on the front panel and you can do nothing but wait until the unit is up to speed. Choose inputs one to three for the unbalanced RCA inputs and four to six for the balanced inputs. This caught me out when I first used the Proemio (I’d not read the manual) with a balanced input into the top XLR input, though to be fair to Grandinote it is clearly labelled as input 4!

Press the PRG button on the front and you can personalise some of the functions of the amplifier and decide what volume you’d like each of the inputs to open up at…this is a useful function and allows you to set different volumes for each of the inputs automatically. For example you could have your DAC into input one to start at volume eight whilst the Reel to Reel on input three could start at volume 10. This function allows you to compensate if one source is quieter or louder than another without having to faff with the volume all the time. If you choose not to set the volume for each input it will automatically go to zero when you restart the machine or change input…so worth spending the time to set this up from the off as the resetting to zero soon gets old.
Another feature of the Program button is balance left and right and I’m pleased to see this!

The buttons on the right are labelled vol+, vol- and mute and are self explanatory. 

Silva Stereo Power Amplifier 

Apart from having only a large black button on the front of the unit the £7995 Silva amplifier looks just like the Proemio. It’s bloody heavy though, weighing in at 40Kg! Again this is a full dual mono construction offering up to 37Watts a side in full Class A operation.
Round the back of the unit there’s a bit of a break from the norm as the Silva has two power inputs, one for the left channel and one for the right…I like this concept! There’s a pair of pretty standard looking but well made speaker posts that will accept spades, bananas and bare wire.

Inputs on the Silva are limited to a pair of fully balanced XLRs only which may limit the amps appeal to some.

The amp runs pretty hot and you’ll need to make sure you place it somewhere where there’s plenty of ventilation.

Sound 

I had the Proemio and Silva in the system for pretty much the whole of their time with us (a couple of months) and used them almost exclusively during this period. All electronics were put through the Lab 12 gordian conditioner on automatic settings. Front end kit used was the Lampizator Big 7 being fed from a Melco unit or laptop, a Tascam 32 reel to reel and  AnalogueWorks turntable with Wand arm and OC9III cartridge. Speaker cables for the duration were Tellurium Q Ultra Blacks, whilst interconnects were from Portento, Chord and Tellurium Q. Loudspeakers used were Avantgarde Duo XD, hORNS Mummy and Leema Xens.

First of all I turned the units on and got nothing (see earlier comment and why you should always read the instruction manual) but then when I phoned Jack at UK Distributor BD Audio he soon put me right as to what I’d done! There was now sound but it wasn’t good…it was far from acceptable, being grainy and decidedly lo-fi! Another call to Jack and I was told to let both units run for a while to “burn in” which I did, doing no critical listening for a good week or so. These take a lot of running in before they are on song it has to be said and I’d like to see them fully sorted before being sent out to paying customers. That initial turn on and playing your first tune can have a marked impact on the way a person relates to a new piece of kit and I’d suggest it best to get it right out the box rather than having to go through all that fumbling and uncomfortable getting to know you period.

For the most part I used the Proemio/Silva pairing with the Avantgarde Duo XD loudspeakers which many readers will know have active bass and so are really only relevant in assessing the mids and tops of a new piece of equipment in the system…but in this respect I find them so revealing as to be a really useful review tool.

On Jazz program you are treated to a very believable sound with trumpet and guitar sounding as lifelike as I’ve heard it in the system. There’s speed and great bite to the music, with everything stopping and going back to silence when it should. When there are subtle decays these are really nicely portrayed and I put this down to the incredible quietness of the pairing; play no music and you can turn these up to very high volume settings and even through the 103dB sensitive Avantgardes you get nought but a gentle hum…not absolutely dead quiet, but on more real world sensitivity speakers as good as. There’s a real feeling here of there being real musicians in the room rather than listening to a recording. Vocals are well projected into the room and presented without adding anything “false” to proceedings; you get the feeling of nothing being forced or artificial. The Grandinotes are not as absolutely transparent as my Class D power amps and Music First pre in the mids, but what they add to the mix is a really pleasant warmth with regards to vocals.

On the 11:11 album by Rodrigo y Gabriela we are treated again to a very realistic portrayal of the music and small nuances in the couples playing style – slaps on the strings or against the guitars body – feel authentic and “in the room”. Again the fast attack and decay of the Grandinote pairing make for an exciting, edge of your seat presentation. High frequencies were never harsh, grainy or metallic sounding and again the word that comes to mind is natural. Looking into the stereo mix it’s clear that the Grandinote pairing put instruments where they should be and keep them locked there…there’s no drifting at all and this leads to a feeling of things being right mix-wise. It also makes the stereo image more believable/palpable.

Playing techno I felt the need to turn the volume up a little to get the effect I look for with this kind of music. Am I suggesting the Grandinotes are a bit polite and laidback with techno and the like? No I’m not, but to feel the slam and vigour inherent in this kind of music it deserves to be loud and the Grandinotes let you go loud without feeling they are running out of steam or being pushed to hard…but then they’re not going to given the Avantgardes’ makeup, so let’s talk about them with perhaps some speakers that present a bit more of a challenge in the form of the Leema Xens.

Regular readers will be aware I use the Xens when we have less expensive electronics in for review and they’re 85dB sensitive and 6 Ohms. They don’t go super low but are great speaker in that nearfield studio monitor kind of sense of things. The Grandinote pairing struggled a little to be fair, but then with just 36 Watts on tap they were always going to, that said I’ve used the Xens with other low powered amps without issue. However, it’s time to hook up another pair of speakers in the form of the hORN Mummy, a 95dB sensitive pair of loudspeakers with 12” bass driver and horn loaded tweeter. I’ve already got a good handle on the Proemio/Silva pairing in the mids and highs and I’m looking here at how the Silva controls and presents bass frequencies and it’s good. There’s grip and a feeling that the Silva is definitely in control of things. There’s also speed and that on-off thing, which if a component can’t do in the bass is a deal killer for me – flabby, woolly and overhanging bass is one thing I really cannot abide in a component. The bass guitar on Deep Purple’s live version of Smoke On The Water was dirty and powerful…just as it should be whilst double bass had “texture” and (again) a natural feel to it.

My reference preamplifier is the Music First Baby Reference V2 and for the sake of a bit of experimentation I thought it would be fun to pair the Silva with it, connected via the Baby Ref’s balanced output of course. First on the turntable was the new Rebolledo album, which is a killer by the way. Speakers in use were the Duos and what a treat this was. As mentioned these speakers are active bass, but somehow this pairing just allowed you to feel more of it – I don’t know why this should be (answers on a postcard please). However, the Baby Reference is a passive design and to get realistic (ok, foundation shaking) volumes out the Silva necessitated turning the volume knob all the way to Thirty One (eat your heart our Marshall). With less sensitive speakers the Music First struggled to feed the Silva enough power and as such this would be a deal breaker for me to buy the Silva on its own.

And here we are sort of getting to the crux of the matter; yes the Silva and the Proemio will work with other preamplifiers and other amplifiers, but to get the best out of each of them (with the limited experience I had in this regard – I also hooked up the Coffman Labs tube pre I have here) you really need to see them as a two box integrated… ok I know that’s nonsensical, but you get my drift.

Conclusion

So, what is there to add to what has already been said? The Proemio preamplifier and Silva amplifier form a spectacularly natural sounding partnership that gives the listener a great experience that has real class and finesse.

With the two Grandinotes you have a stunningly revealing pairing with slam, speed, energy and when needed elegance and grace. They are clearly made to be used together and play to each others’ strengths.

It’s clear that you are listening to components that can compete with some of the best out there in the price range and as such, should you be in the market for new amplification and have the required £14 500, they should certainly be on your audition shortlist.

This is definitely one of the best sounds I’ve heard in the reference system and, had the Silva had more gain and worked more efficiently with the Music First pre it would have been a keeper.

We don’t do a Highly Recommended award, but if we did these would certainly have got it.

Pros:

Natural and revealing

Fast and controlled

Very well built

Cons:

Need reasonably sensitive loudspeakers

Really need to be used together

Long run in period

Price:

Proemio: £6500

Silva: £7995

Stuart Smith

The Nēo ACE from Moon is “A Complete Experience of musical ecstasy” says the company’s press release. The all-in-one ACE is an integrated amplifier and streaming DAC music player so all you need do is simply hook up a pair of speakers, connect to the internet and play. The ACE features Moon’s MiND* control system which provides a full graphic interface allowing access to a digital music library or streaming service.

The ACE features all-new advanced setup software and will decode DSD up to DSD256 and 32- bit/384kHz PCM. The ACE also features a moving magnet phono preamplifier and has RS-232 and IR ports for use in custom-install environments.

RRP £2,800, though on offer at £2500 until July 1st

MOON NEO ACE FEATURES 

• Three line-level inputs including a front-mounted 1/8” mini-jack for personal media
• Headphone output on 1/4” TRS jack located on the front
• Seamless integration with MOON’s MiND
• Eight (8) digital inputs include USB (hi-res audio), SPDIF (2), Optical (2), aptX® Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi and Ethernet
• The first MOON product using an OLED type screen – provides more detailed information.
• Simple MiND setup via on-board software
• Moving magnet phono preamplifier
• Analogue inputs are configurable to “pass-through” mode, which bypasses the gain stage to accommodate components like a home-theatre processor

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 

• Output Power at 8Ω: 50 Watts per channel
• Input Sensitivity: 370mV – 3.0V RMS
• Input Impedance : 11,000Ω
• Gain: 37dB
• Signal-to-noise ratio: 100dB @ full power
• Frequency response (full range): 10Hz – 60kHz +0/-3dB
• Crosstalk: 90dB

   THD (20Hz – 20kHz @ 1 watt/50 watts): 0.015% / 0.02%

• Intermodulation distortion: 05%
• PCM Bit-depth range/sampling rates: 16-32bits / 1-384kHz
• DSD sample rates: DSD64, DSD128 & DSD256
• Shipping weight: 24 lbs / 11 Kgs
• Dimensions (width x height x depth): 42.9 x 8.9 x 36.6

“The SI-300.2d integrated amplifier is yet another milestone as Cary Audio forges deeper into the new era of sought after premium audio systems” the North Carolina company says in its latest press release. 

The SI-300.2d mates a 300 watts per channel stereo Class A/B power amplifier with analogue RCA and XLR inputs to a Class A analogue preamplifier gain stage. The amplifier itself is biased to run Class A for an extended portion of the power output. The digital section is a chip off Cary’s reference products thereby including technologies like their proprietary TruBit™ Upsampling and OSO™ reclocking features.

Digital inputs include; XMOS USB capable of True native DSD up to 256 and PCM/DXD up to 32 Bit / 384kHz, as well as Coaxial (2), Optical, AES/EBU, and aptX® Bluetooth inputs. All SPDIF and Bluetooth digital sources offer 10 TruBit™ selectable upsampling or PCM to DSD conversion options. On the analogue side, the SI-300.2d includes 4 analogue inputs (2-balanced XLR, 2-RCA), with one each of the XLR and RCA inputs offering true Cinema Bypass features.

Additional features include: a pre/subwoofer output, coaxial and optical digital outputs, IR hand held remote, trigger out, IR sensor input, and Ethernet and Wi-Fi for controlling the SI-300.2d with free iOS and Android apps.

Weight:  52 lbs.

Dimensions:  6″ H x 17.25″ W x 18 ” D

Retail Price:  $5,995

The SI-300.2d is now shipping

The £3785 Naim Superuniti is an all in one box streamer, DAC and amplifier, but is it a Jack of all trades and master of none? John Scott finds out for Hifi Pig. 

After thoroughly enjoying Naim’s all-in-one Mu-So player at the end of last year, I thought it would be a good idea to try out their Superuniti streamer/DAC/amplifier combo.  The Mu-So is a great piece of kit but it’s not quite a replacement for a “proper” hifi setup.  The Superuniti, however, does set out to provide a high quality system in one box – just add your own speakers. I had heard the Superuniti doing its stuff in a couple of shop demos in the past and had been pretty impressed and so I was keen to put it through its paces at home.

UNBOXING AND APPEARANCE

The Superuniti arrived well protected in a large Naim branded box.  As a previous owner of a Naim 250 power amp, I was unsurprised at the weight of the box but I was grateful that I did not have to carry it far before laying it gently on my living room floor.  Accompanying the Superuniti inside the box were a power cable, wifi and Bluetooth aerials, a comprehensive instruction booklet and a remote control.

If I was asked to sum up the appearance of the Superuniti in three words, those words would be: solid, understated and classy.  It is available in a Henry Ford choice of colours – any colour you like as long as it is black – and that is just as it should be.

The Superuniti weighs in at 12.8kg.  Its front panel is reasonably minimalistic; the left hand side features a large, smooth volume control, mini toslink and USB inputs and a headphone output.  The centre of the panel contains a Naim logo which glows green when the unit is powered up and functions as a mute button when pressed.  Immediately to the right of this is a small multi-function display, featuring green text and this is flanked by an arrangement of 9 backlit – guess which colour –  buttons that control input and a host of other functions. While the display panel and the buttons provide flexibility in allowing the user to control the Superuniti from the front panel, as well as from the remote control and an iOS app, I personally never found the need to use them and arguably the Superuniti could be made to look even more classy if they were omitted.

The back panel is where all the action is with more inputs and outputs than you can shake a stick at.  These are listed in the specifications below so I won’t go into great detail here but they include S/PDIF, RCA, and toslink.  HDMI is not catered for, however.  Other outputs include a preamp out so that the Superuniti can be used with a separate power amplifier and a subwoofer out.  Aerial connections for FM and DAB radio are also provided. Surprisingly, there is no phono input.

The supplied remote control is Naim branded and clearly designed to be specifically used with the Superuniti.  It is intuitive to use but, for me, was rendered redundant by the iOS app.  As this is the same app that controls the Mu-So, I was already familiar with it but first-timers will get to grips with it quickly, and it will soon become your default means of controlling the Superuniti.

If you have read my Mu-So review you will know that it was a piece of cake to set up.  Unbelievably, the Superuniti was even easier.  All I had to do was connect my speakers, plug in the Ethernet cable and the power cable, switch it on and use the app to select the UPnP input and we were off and running.

THE SOUND

Before I really get into how the Superuniti sounds, indulge me, if you will, while I get all philosophical for a second or two.  It is a well established truism that hifi equipment needs some time to run in before it sounds at its best – indeed the instruction manual that accompanies the Superuniti states that this is the case. When the Superuniti arrived I was informed by Naim that this particular unit had been run in and aside from a short period of settling in should be good to go.   So, I left it switched on for a day and when I did listen to it, it sounded horrible. There was an unpleasant stridency in vocals and the soundstage seemed non-existent.  I retired to bed with a headache and exactly the same thing happened the next night.  This was worrying and was completely at odds with the sound I had experienced on the other occasions that I had heard the Superuniti do its stuff.   What I need to point out now though is that at this particular point in time I had just recently recovered from a bad bout of man-flu and although I was feeling to all intents and purposes okay, I did have to wonder whether the fault lay with the Superuniti or with me.  I had certainly been feeling run down but did I now need to be run in as well? After all, if hifi products are extremely complex then hifi reviewers – and  other normal humans – are infinitely more so. I’m glad to say that within the week the Naim or I – perhaps a bit of both – had got back “on song” and the Superuniti was sounding much more like I had expected it to.  So the next time your hifi isn’t thrilling you the way it usually does, stop and think for a while: is it maybe you that needs a bit of a tweak?

PRAT is a term that is often used in relation to Naim equipment – it has occasionally also been used in relation to our esteemed Editor [Oi, I do read this stuff you know – Ed.] Where Naim is concerned, it refers to Pace, Rhythm and Timing.  Throughout the time I spent with the Superuniti, I found that my feet and fingers were constantly tapping along to the music and that I was moving in my seat.  If I were the kind of person who gets up and dances, I’d have got up and danced.  This sense of rhythmic engagement is where the Superuniti really shines.

Some systems are edgy and exciting but result in fatigue after an hour or so of listening. The Superuniti is not one of those.  Hour after hour of enjoyment is guaranteed.  And it’s not just about excitement: While Diana Ross’ Love Hangover is like an  edge of your seat white water raft ride as the tension builds relentlessly, Shelby Lynne’s Just A Little Lovin’ is like luxuriating in a warm bath as her vocal envelopes and caresses you.  There is bags of excitement when the music calls for it but plenty of elegance and refinement as well.

I paired the Superuniti with my own Linn Keilidhs as well as a pair of  Audio GE Sincerus 80 floorstanders  that I had for review.  Both speakers retained their individual characteristics while sharing an open, detailed soundstage.  Playing Stravinsky’s Rite Of Spring (Antal Dorati, Mercury Living Presence), with my eyes closed, it was easy to imagine the orchestra spread out in front of me and all of that pace, rhythm and timing was out there in full force.  Whatever kind of music you throw at it, the Superuniti opens it up for rediscovery.

CONCLUSION

Paired with a good pair of speakers, the Superuniti really does offer high-end hifi as a single box solution. The absence of a phono stage is a missed opportunity though and maybe something that Naim should reconsider given the vinyl resurgence since the unit was originally released.  You won’t get a lot of change out of £4000 so it’s by no means a cheap option but if space, aesthetics or just personal preference dictate that a collection of boxes and wires are not for you then the Superuniti needs to be on your short list.

AT A GLANCE

Sound Quality: The trademark Naim sound is present and correct with pace and excitement to the fore.

Build Quality:  Reassuringly solid and built to last – it’s a Naim, and that says it all.  

Value For Money: Not cheap by any means but could you put together a separate streamer, DAC and amplifier system of this quality for less? I don’t think so. 

Pros:

The precise, lively and dynamic sound you expect from Naim, without the hassle of individual components

Anything easier to set up would be hard to imagine

Understated good looks ooze quality

Cons:

Would be even better with a phono stage

Not a con as such but this is not one for the box swappers – if this is right for you, you might never need anything else

Price – £3,785

John Scott

Specifications:

Audio Inputs

– 1 x coaxial BNC – up to 24bits/192kHz

– 1 x coaxial RCA – up to 24bits/192kHz

– 3 x optical TOSlink – up to 24bits/96kHz

– 1 x front panel mini-TOSLINK – up to 24/96kHz

Analogue –  2 x RCA, 1 x front panel 3.5mm jack (combined optical), 1 x DIN

USB – 1 x front panel Type A socket

Input Sensitivity – 270mV at 47kΩ

Wi-Fi  – (802.11 g or n at 2.4GHz), F type (plus PAL adapter)

Antenna – 802.11 b/g at 2.4GHz

Spotify Connect, Tidal ,Bluetooth (SBC, AAC and aptX Classic, aptX Low Latency)

Audio Outputs:

Digital (S/PDIF) – 1 x BNC (75Ω)

Analogue – Speaker output, preamp output (RCA)

Power Output – 80W per channel into 8Ω, 120W per channel into 4Ω (0.1% THD both channel driven)

Frequency Response – 10Hz-20kHz, +0.1/-0.5dB

Signal-to-Noise Ratio – W85dB A-WTD ref 1W 8 Ω

Output Impedance – 22Ω

Load Impedance – 10kΩ min

Sub Output – 1 x RCA pair

Headphone Output – 1 x 3.5mm jack

Remote Control – Infra Red (RC5)

Audio Formats         

WAV (up to 24bit/192kHz)

AIFF (up to 24bit/192kHz)

FLAC (up to 24bit/192kHz)

DSD (single rate DSF64 & DFF64 only)

ALAC (up to 24bit/96kHz)

WMA (up to 16bit/48kHz) must be WMA 9.2

Ogg Vorbis (up to 16bit/48kHz)

M4a (CBR and VBR up to 320kbit/s)

MP3 (CBR and VBR up to 320kbit/s)

Playlists – (M3U, PLS)

Internet Radio Provider – vTuner 5* full service

Internet Radio Formats: Windows Media-formatted content, MP3, ACC, Ogg Vorbis streams and MMS

Multiroom    

Master: Will stream WAV, FLAC and AIFF (up to 24bit/48kHz), ALAC (up to 16bit/44.1kHz), AAC and MP3 (up to 16bit/48kHz) files only as MP3 320kbps quality.

DAB Tuning Range – Band III and L Band, F Type

FM Tuning Range – 87.5 – 108MHz, F Type

User Control

Handheld remote handset included and optional Naim app for iOS and Android.

Power Supply Voltage – 100V, 115V, 230V; 50 or 60Hz

Power Consumption – 400VA (max)

Dimensions (HxWxD) – 87 x 432 x 314 mm

Weight –12.8kg

First Watt’s new F7 power amplifier (MSRP: $3,000) is a very unique power amplifier says the company’s press release that’s just landed at Hifi Pig. It’s a two-stage push-pull JFET (input)/MOSFET (output) topology with fewer parts than any First Watt amplifier to date. The new F7 has been created as an updated version of the earlier F5 amplifier. Conceived in 2007, the F5 was a push-pull Class A amplifier employing eight semiconductors and 23 resistors to achieve 25 watts output with good specifications and good sound. 

According to Nelson Pass: “The F7 bests the earlier F5, comprising even better sound and even simpler circuitry.”

Like all First Watt designs, it is a relatively low power (25W/channel into 8-ohms) simple Class A circuit, designed with an unusually low parts count. It is the 19^th product from First Watt, since its founding in 1998 as Nelson Pass’ “personal laboratory”.

Explaining First Watt, Nelson Pass says: “I spend a lot of time building and evaluating basic amplifier concepts with an eye toward producing the highest quality sound with elegantly simple circuits.

“There is no such thing as a perfect amplifier, but there is a best amplifier for each type of speaker, music, and listener. Each First Watt model is a unique design and is ‘best’ in some particular way. They look alike because they all use the same basic chassis and power transformer. On the up side, it makes it easy for me to test ideas and compare different designs with the hardware being a fixed constant.

“Looking for tomorrow’s faceplate with yesterday’s circuits? You’re in the wrong place.”

The desire for a simpler circuit is self-explanatory – apart from the aesthetic, Nelson Pass believes that that simpler circuits tend to sound better: “In such a simple circuit, there are opportunities for improving performance by careful choice of transistors, resistor values, voltage and current values and precise matching of parts.”

The F7 has most of what was on his Wish List:

Very wide bandwidth

Low distortion and noise

Large Class A operating region

Less feedback

No degeneration in the output stage

Very low thermal distortion and drift

No capacitors or transformers (apart from the power supply)

Uniquely, it incorporates a very innovative balance of very low Negative Voltage Feedback and a small amount of Positive Current Feedback to give an “astonishing measure of control over reactive loudspeaker” loads.

Modest amounts of Negative Feedback are balanced in counterpoint to a small amount of Positive Current Feedback, creating an equilibrium where the output impedance approaches zero, improving transient and frequency response. “Of course you can achieve a similar effect with tons of negative feedback, but I think this is more elegant and sounds better. For brevity, I call it ‘PCF’,” explains Pass.

“Also, I put more capacitance in the power supply and found a clever way to further reduce the effect of high frequency DAC noise and environmental RF. This is a different amplifier. The diversity of audio taste being what it is, not everyone will prefer it. I presume that a certain segment of audiophiles will like it.”

MSRP Price: $3,000

Dimensions: 17W x 15D x 5.5H

Weight: 30 lbs.

Warranty: Parts and labour for 3 years, not covering shipping costs or consequential damages.

Now in its 81st year, Quad has been making valve amplifiers for home use since the late 1940s. The company’s latest model, the VA-One, brings the concept bang up to date; a compact integrated amplifier that fuses Quad’s traditional valve-based audio expertise with modern digital audio streaming.

With a footprint measuring just 18x33cm, the VA-One is very compact for a stereo valve amp – sufficiently small to sit comfortably on a desk.

Three digital audio inputs – optical, coaxial and asynchronous USB – support data up to 24-bit/192kHz, and an RCA-phono input gives the option to connect an analogue source like a CD player or a turntable (when used with a suitable phono stage). In addition, those who enjoy the freedom of wireless connectivity can pair smartphones, tablets and computers via Bluetooth, with support for the sonically superior aptX codec.

The preamp section incorporates an ECC83 high-impedance triode, feeding an ECC82 twin triode driver and phase splitter stage. The output stage uses two EL84 pentodes per channel in push-pull configuration, delivering 2x15W.

External styling is classically Quad, finished in traditional ‘Lancaster Grey’. The amp’s front panel sports a smooth-acting volume control incorporating a motorised potentiometer, allowing adjustment via the supplied remote control, together with a headphone output and controls for input selection and Bluetooth pairing.

The Quad VA-One integrated valve amplifier is available from mid-August, priced at £1299.95 (RRP). It joins the similarly styled PA-One headphone amp in Quad’s expanding ‘One’ range of valve-based amplifiers with integrated DAC circuitry.

Specialist UK Distributor Sound Design Distribution Ltd has signed a UK distribution deal with Mola-Mola. Mola-Mola is the brainchild of Bruno Putzeys, “he wunderkind of Class-D technology” originator of Universal class-D (UcD) in 2001 while at Phillips and as chief tech guru at Hypex, responsible for the development of its game-changing NCore Class-D amplifier technology.  

Presented in strikingly distinctive rippled all-aluminium enclosures the ‘Makua’ Control Amplifier, complete with modular DAC and phono options, and ‘Kaluga’ Monoblock power amplifiers will be the first Mola-Mola designs to be made available to UK audiophiles through Sound Design Distribution Ltd.

The Makua is a fully balanced gain stage and routing matrix, accommodating optional DAC and phono stage modules and programmable via a dedicated App through USB or Bluetooth to access any combination of channel, processing and routing. Via the phono stage option for instance, vinyl-lovers can connect up to five turntables and program the settings individually for each.  All five inputs are switchable between XLR and floating RCA connections, and all can be assigned as either phono or line.

All stages in the Makua employ discrete amplifier modules using a little known topology called “single-ended driven differential”, which prevents noise from propagating all the way through to the outputs (paralleled for bi-amping). The relay-based volume control directly controls the gain of the output stage.

• 5 balanced and 5 unbalanced inputs, all routable through optional processor boards like the phono stage and DAC
• 2 parallel outputs for bi-amping
• 4 programmable trigger outputs
• Distortion at maximum signal level (THD, IMD): negligible – estimated around -150dB
• Bandwidth >200 kHz
• Dimensions: 420mm(W) x 110mm (H) x 345mm (D). Depth includes volume knob and connectors
• Weight: 11kg

Based on Bruno Putzeys’ Ncore technology the Kaluga amplifier uses a circuit from Mola-Mola derived from the Hypex NC1200 amplifier, featuring an audiophile layout of short, isolated signal paths and eliminating board-to-board connectors in favour of star-quad cables soldered directly to the circuit board. The input stage on a separate circuit board uses the same discrete buffers as those found in the Makua pre-amplifier. The redesigned output filter uses monolithic capacitors.

• Output power: 400 W/8 ohm; 700W/4 ohm; 1200W/2 ohm
• Unweighted Signal/Noise Ratio: 128 dB
• Distortion (THD, IMD): <0.003 % (all frequencies and power levels)
• Bandwidth: >50 kHz
• Balanced and unbalanced input
• 2 pairs of Furutech binding posts, bi-wired directly to the amplifier PCB using Kubala·Sosna cable
• Dimensions: 200mm (W) x 110mm (H) x 335mm (D). Depth includes speaker terminals
• Weight: 7kg

The DAC from Moma-Mola has been designed from the ground up using circuits and digital algorithms developed entirely in house. The converter is a three board stack that fits in one of the option slots in the MAKUA preamp. On the first board, all incoming digital audio is upsampled to 3.125MHz/32 bits and converted to noise shaped PWM. The two remaining boards are mono DACs, in which a discrete 32-stage FIR DAC and a single-stage 4th order filtering I/V converter convert the PWM into analogue with a 140dB SNR. This is near the theoretical limit for 24-bit files and far beyond that of even quad-speed DSD.

• Inputs: XLR, Optical, USB and Bluetooth (A2DP)
• Supported formats: PCM up to 384 kHz /32 bits (>192 kHz and >24 bits only via USB); DSD up to quad speed (DDSD and up only via USB)
• Performance: Signal to Noise Ratio: 140 dB (standalone version), 130dB (preamp option board); THD, IMD: negligible – estimated around -150dB.
• Bandwidth: Up to 80 kHz. Choice of sharp or slow upsampling filters, minimum or linear phase.
• Integrated jitter: <1 ps from 10 Hz upwards, <300 fs from 1 kHz upwards.
• Jitter rejection: >80 dB at 1 Hz after 20 seconds of lock.

A standalone version of the Mola-Mola DAC is in the final stages of development

The RIAA add-on for the MAKUA Preamp has MC/MM input stages are optimised for current noise and voltage noise respectively.

Unlike the more common arrangement of MC head-amp feeding the MM stage, the two stages are fully independent, realising an equally short signal path for both. Input gain is switchable in 5dB steps over a 40dB range. Input resistance and capacitance are individually switchable. Available EQ settings cover practically all known cutting curves ever used, including most 78RPM. 

UK retail price (inc VAT):

Makua – £7,299; Kaluga (each) – £4,999; DAC board for Makua – £3,999; Phono stage for Makua – £1,699

Availability: September 2016

The NS-6170, equipped with Google Cast, AirPlay, Spotify, Wi-Fi, and HDD-ready USB input, is based on a twin-monaural L/R channel layout with separate power supply paths, discrete custom capacitors for each channel, and dual-differential 768 kHz/32-bit AK4490 DACs to decode the positive and negative halves of the signal waveform.  

Developed by Onkyo’s R&D team after years of exploratory research into Hi-Res Audio, a new wideband DIDRC Filter replaces the standard DAC output filter, eliminating ultra-high-frequency distortion inevitably generated as a result of the digital-to-analogue conversion process, says the company’s recent press release.

For music lovers looking to update an existing Hi-Fi system with audio casting and USB-HDD playback, the NS-6130 retains features with flagship AK4490 768 kHz/32-bit DAC, symmetrical L/R-channel circuitry, and VLSC digital pulse-noise filtering.

Both the NS-6170 and NS-incorporate HDD audio via rear USB input. A new control app simplifies selection within a user-friendly interface that displays album art and song information, together with on-demand music from TIDAL, TuneIn, and Deezer. Users can stream directly from the Spotify app or cast audio from any smartphone or PC application that supports Google Cast or AirPlay.

Prices (available in September, in black or silver)

NS-6170 Network Audio Streamer – £699

NS-6130 Network Audio Streamer – £449

In addition to the network streamers, Onkyo has also announced the launch of a compact system and CD player which they say is a “solution for music lovers who seek pristine sound from an elegant and unobtrusive Hifii separates package, the R-N855 receiver forms the centerpiece of Onkyo’s new CS-N1075 Compact Hifi System”.

CS-N1075 Compact Hifii System – £1049

Chord Electronics’ new SPM 1050 MkII power amplifier, first unveiled at High End 2016, Munich, is now available worldwide. The new MkII version directly replaces the original and introduces the latest Chord amplifier technology, plus some key aesthetic improvements.

The latest-spec MkII model offers reduced output distortion plus improvements to capacitance for cleaner power delivery. The second-generation version also includes enhanced isolation on the mains transformer to reduce interference. In keeping with the original, the SPM 1050 MkII uses Chord’s low-distortion amplifier circuitry and features four proprietary lateral-structure dual-die MOSFETs per channel (eight in total).

The SPM 1050 MkII offers both balanced XLR and RCA phono inputs, plus two pairs of loudspeaker outputs with gold-plated connections. A single power button offers operational simplicity from stand-by mode and the amplifier’s status is indicated on the faceplate by a simple two-LED sequence showing power and relay functions.

Aesthetically, the MkII version includes a new vented aluminium lid, akin to the DSX1000 streamer, plus a new piano-black acrylic side-panel option giving the power amp a fresh, contemporary look. Additional options include a choice of finish for the established Integra leg system supports, these include: nickel, satin-black anodised and aluminium. 

As with all Chord Electronics amplifiers, the new SPM 1050 Mk II features Chord’s proprietary 2KW high-frequency switch-mode power supply, which was originally developed for use in aerospace, telecommunications and data processing, where quality and power is needed in a very space-efficient design. The technology allows instantaneous power to be taken from both power rails simultaneously when the audio track demands.

The technology is complemented by a large bank of energy storage capacitors that are ‘recharged’ by the power supply many thousands of times a second, giving the amplifier huge reserves, plus the ability to react effortlessly to any signal. This configuration gives increased voltage swing, greater dynamic range, plus the ability to cope with even the most demanding loudspeaker loads. Unobtrusive protection circuitry constantly monitors the amplifier status and magnetic current-sensing will shut down the SPM 1050 MkII in the event of a short circuit, or DC overload.

The Ultra High Frequency power supply is a self-contained, self-monitoring module, which is common to all Chord amplifiers and is fundamental to their exceptional performance. A sophisticated mains input filter ensures that the power supply is exceptionally well shielded from disturbed mains input, and more significantly, the mains itself is completely untouched by emissions from the amplifier.

Specifications

• OUTPUT POWER: 200W RMS per channel @ 0.05% distortion into 8Ω; 350W RM per channel @ 0.05% distortion into 4Ω
• DYNAMIC HEADROOM: 300W RMS per channel into 8Ω; 400W rms per channel into 4Ω; 1 kHz, 20 cycles on, 480 cycles off. Channel peak into 2Ω.
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE (8 ohms): -1dB, 0.2Hz to 46KHz; -3dB, 0.1Hz to 77KHz
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE (4 OHMS): -1dB, 0.2Hz to 39KHz; -3dB, 0.1Hz to 75KHz
• SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO: Better than -103dB; ‘A’ weighted two-thirds power
• CHANNEL SEPARATION: Better than 95dB
• PRE-AMPLIFIER INPUT CONNECTION: 2x gold-plated, fully balanced XLR sockets; 2 x gold-plated custom phono sockets, unbalanced
• INPUT IMPEDANCE: 100kΩ, unbalanced/balanced
• INPUT CAPACITANCE: <30pf
• OUTPUT IMPEDANCE: 0.02Ω
• OUTPUT INDUCTANCE: 2.6mH
• OUTPUT CONNECTIONS: 4x touch-proof-gold plated binding posts
• SLEW RATE: 70V per mS 1KHz 20V square wave
• GAIN: 30dB
• STABILITY: unconditional
• DIMENSIONS (Standard): 420mm (W) x 355mm (D) x 133mm (H)
• WEIGHT: 15Kg

The SPM 1050 MkII is available now priced at £4,950

Pioneer today announces the release of three new Network CD Receiver Systems with speakers – X-HM76, X-HM76D and X-HM86D. As well as the playback of existing CD libraries, each model supports various music streaming services combined with stylish design and support for high-resolution audio sources.      

The X-HM76, X-HM76D and X-HM86D Network CD Receiver Systems support an extensive range of network streaming services including TuneIn, Spotify®, TIDAL and DEEZER. Furthermore, each system supports Google Cast, allowing the user to access the variety of streaming services Google Cast supports. The fascia-mounted 3.5” LCD screen can show album art along with a wide range of information to enable intuitive operation. Each model also includes Wi-Fi functionality including AirPlay. The playback of high-resolution audio files is also supported (FLAC/AIFF/WAV up to 192 kHz/24-bit) along with Apple Lossless and DSD up to 11.2 MHz.

The X-HM76 (SRP – £429.99), X-HM76D (SRP – £469.99) and X-HM86D (£649.99) will all be available during September 2016.

*The X-HM86D is also available without speakers (XC-HM86D) from select retailers for an SRP of £399.99.

TRINNOV Audio is introducing the new Amplitude8 power amplifier at CEDIA 2016.

With two large, linear power supplies, each with its own toroidal transformer and dedicated power cord, each of the eight channels of the Amplitude8 can deliver up to 500 watts rms at 2Ω. Perhaps more importantly, any single channel associated with either power supply can deliver 1200 watts peak power to handle transients.

The amplification stage of the Amplitude8 features the industry’s lowest-distortion and noise specifications say the company, and what little noise there is remains frequency independent with a s/n ratio of -125 dB..

As you might expect, the Amplitude8 integrates seamlessly with the Altitude32 AV preamp which was launched back in June and supports Dolby Atmos®, Auro-3D® , DTS:X® and has just been selected the Best Product 2016-2017 in the High-End Home Theater category by the European Imaging and Sound Association.

A full 32-channel system including the AV preamp and all amplification requires less than 20U of rack space, yet delivers almost 10,000 watts of power at 8Ω.

The Amplitude8 is made in America and available now. MSRP is $13,500.

The £5500 Audio Music AM RT-1 active TVC single ended valve preamplifier is made and designed by Mr A M Fang in Guangdong Province in China. It comes with a fine pedigree, but will it cut the mustard with Dan Worth. 

Audio Music evolved from the Stereo Knight brand of high-end, yet relatively affordable products. Designer and engineer AM Fang wanted to create a newer more vibrant company that pushed the boundaries of design and high precision engineering even further with a line up of products to rival some of the world’s greatest talents in audio reproduction.

Previous products from the Stereo Knight range were extremely well constructed and implemented with the preamplifiers being TVC based (Transformer Volume Control), many years of creative testing also demonstrated the brands knowledge to influence the design of valve based mono power amplifiers.

Today Audio Music have continued there pursuit of musical bliss with the edition of more complex and refined preamplifiers and passives, along with some serious looking 833 and 805 based mono power amplifiers.

FIT AND FINISH

There’s no doubt that when an AM product comes for a visit the courier needs to be a fairly large chap or have a trolley handy! In the case of this review product it’s the AM RT-1, a valve based preamplifier utilising transformer volume controls in a dual mono format, with a transformer coupled output stage. The courier was not expecting the answer I gave when he said ‘my god, what on earth is in here this time Dan?’ With me replying ‘just a preamp’.  The overall weight of the two units (one preamp and one power supply) is 38kgs! An absolute beast, that size wise only comes in at 38x31x11cm per unit.

Opening the boxes to get a glimpse of the two units was an unbearably exciting event. I’d studied many photographs of the preamp over the previous weekend admiring its build quality and beautifully thought out layout. To finally have the physical articles in front of me was a true joy.

The build quality is absolutely phenomenal, the attention to detail and accuracy of machining puts AM products up their with the very best that I have ever experienced in the high end world of Hifi, which is a world usually only ever inhabited by the purely unobtainable. Each panel is precisely engineered to the finest of finishes, internal boundary sections of machined billet are impressively accurate and each component and its wiring is of the neatest possible standard. Mr Fang should be truly proud of this accomplishment alone.

What are those big caps inside you say? Well, these are from a company called u-cap, not heard of them? No, nor have I. Talking to Iain Borthwick of lwaudio (UK Distributor) he relayed a short story which I would like to share – Mr Fang, the stickler for perfection that he is, decided that the capacitors on today’s market were not quite at the specification he would have truly liked, so what would any engineer/designer do in this case I ask you? They would contact one of the major brands of course and have capacitors made to their very particular specifications, surely?…. no, not Fang, he decided that along with meticulously winding his own custom transformers he would build a factory that would be able to produce capacitors to his exacting standards! Now in my mind that’s overkill to the last degree, but for Fang this is just another day at the office. The saying “if you want something done right, then do it yourself” springs to mind. I’m going to have to slightly change the initials to this mans name, AM Fang becomes AMS Fang (A Mad Scientist Fang), his efforts are pretty much unheard of today, every meticulous nut and bolt, cap, transformer, PCB layout, casing positioning is just phenomenally critiqued by Fang before us reviewers and consumers alike even get the chance to have a look. Really though, this level of attention to detail deserves applause.

Now, I hear everyone saying ‘yes, yes that’s all good and well Dan and we appreciate your candour but what does it sound like, does all the visual hype translate into equally exceptional sound quality?’

With a selection of three inputs, whether you opt for using the units assigned unbalanced XLR or unbalanced RCA inputs, a choice must be made for each of the three inputs available. My first instinct of course is to connect to the unit’s XLR inputs, but as the design is single ended and not truly balanced  it shouldn’t really matter. I only have the single ended DiDiT 212 DAC at the moment as the balanced version is in final stages before production and my pre-ordered unit will not arrive for a little while yet.

The RCA version of Studio Connection’s Platinum interconnects were plugged from DAC to pre, the same brand XLRs then trailed from the AM RT-1’s balanced output sockets rather than RCA as the Muse Reference 300 monos I’m using are much more comfortable running on balanced, even if pseudo for some unknown reason. My usual modded Ayon Seagull Ceramic speakers are in play and all of this fed from the modded Mac using various software for normal and hi-res audio playback, through the recently reviewed Hydra S and Chord’s Sarum Super Aray USB.

THE SOUND

The first most clearly defined aspect of this preamp’s sound signature is true transparency, after a few steps on both mono switches whilst listening to Nils Lofgren’s ‘Keith Don’t Go’ I felt I was really hearing my system for the first time in all its natural beauty. I specifically picked this track to begin as it’s live, well recorded and needs a critical ear on leading edge performance, pace, and decay during the guitar solo off of the ‘Acoustic Live’ album.

I’ve never previously heard the decay of strings fade into such a dark background, especially on a live album so intrinsically natural, whilst the next leading edge saturates the foreground with precision and clarity. This all becomes so valuable when the wooden casket of the instrument itself can be heard as an extra resonating layer which fulfils a realism in the music, which I haven’t before heard any other preamplifier achieve in my system.

Transformer based volume controls have a nature of being transparent and great ones will produce a level of detail and timbre which can be hard to achieve from an active preamp, however they can have some pitfalls. Drive can be a little weak, also grip and control can suffer, trading these aspects slightly for natural tones and detail retrieval generally outweighs any shortfalls for most enthusiasts.

The AM RT-1 takes all of the best aspects from each of the topologies and runs with it. Transformer volume switches to improve the noise floor, a single-ended valve stage to increase dynamic range and tone and critically wound c-core transformers with mosfet voltage stabilisers for drive and grip on some of the most demanding basslines makes me wonder what on earth some are missing from their designs.

I could play bass from a passage of Bach, a track from a Damien Rice album, playful Jazz and Trad, or even Pop with a little Dance music thrown in and each time the grip drive and gusto for each music type was enthralling!

I especially loved how the influence of popular music from across the decades sounded as each track from a playlist would be discernibly different… as the playlists are from various artists. Each track had a character of its own and my own system’s signature, or house sound, disappeared and was replaced by music that had a relative tone and position with more truth to the mix. Each recording could be explored further than when using my Jeff Rowland preamps which add a characteristic warmth and body to the sound.

Equally remarkable is the soundstaging of the AM RT-1. I really appreciate how different genres are protrayed, giving a more realistic perception of a performance, especially with live music, where I felt I could place each member of the group more accurately and each band members instrument had its own void to emerge tones from that was never disjointed from the music as a whole and remained utterly focused in its own free space.

Levels of excitement built drastically over the follow weeks, where I found myself listening to music more than I had done for a long while in my own personal time. I’d find myself getting up in the mornings and listening to the main system before I left the house and likewise when I came home again, I’d even just leave everything turned on whilst I was away from home so that when I arrived back I could have a fully warmed up system to just sink into.

A strong curiosity with the AM RT-1 was, if it sounds so utterly mesmerising now, how will it sound with a careful valve change? The valve compliment used in the RT-1 is two 6922/E88CC and two 6H30P. The hunt was now on for the best sounding equivalents in this circuit. The 6H30P tubes, which are the Electro Harmonix gold pin version were swapped out for the only real possibility, the early 80’s model, legendary Russian Reflektor 6H30P-DR ‘Super Tubes’, which were incredibly hard to source and cost a small fortune. After some competition the 6922 valves I settled on were the USA made Amperex White Label, which bring a more organic flow to the mids and give a more dynamic bassline, again difficult to source and quite pricey but the way things were going with my time courting the AM RT-1 I could see us having a long and loving future together.

How gorgeously the vocals developed in tonal balance and natural dynamism after the valve upgrade left me mesmerised by every piece of music I played. I have only ever heard such fluid and liquid vocals like this once before with Lampizat0r equipment, but the AM RT-1 had no fear of breaking down and is built like a piece of fine jewellery, so in comparison its material wealth was simply greater. Coupled with the units subtle, sultry, dynamic, fast, gritty, deep and delicious characteristics that exuded from my transducers I felt very flattered to have found this brand.

There’s the cliche ‘it’s like someone has lifted a veil’. I could agree with this in terms of transparency and insight but to try and convey some more meaningful context to the sound, my analogy can only be stated as a difference between watching a high school play compared to that of a Broadway show, the raw emotion and power in the performance gives the AM RT-1 true believability.

I laughed to myself, thinking back to when the AM RT-1 first arrived some two months ago. I had just placed the units on the rug in my living room, side by side waiting for my friend Richard to come over. Richard is a DIY enthusiast and has some very interesting equipment. I knew as soon as he walked in he would just stop and look at the units then turn to me and offer that grin of acceptance he does when something pretty catches his eye. How correct I was, however I didn’t expect him to sit cross legged on the rug for a good five minutes just turning the witches backwards and forwards, but there you go. Fortunately they are of superb quality and this over exuberant wear and tear didn’t phase the solid build one little bit. He then spent the next twenty minutes along side me just glaring into the custom made and engraved acrylic lids Iain Borthwick of lwaudio had got custom made to show off all the lingerie the electronics was adorned in.

Well, Richard was here again today and we both spent some time listening through a great range of West African and Asian music which he is very fond of. It’s the first time my ever critical friend has remarked at how natural and full instruments sounded, with areas of micro dynamics which belie the very room we were listening in. I pointed out to him that centre focus was no longer as prominent and although the central soundstage was so well defined and characterised he needs to have a seat in my sweet spot to really enjoy how the stabilisation of imagery has now grown to include all areas of the soundstage in height and width, giving more maturity and insight into what is a true full picture or image of the performance, which I felt my previous preamps did well, but in hindsight barely scratched the surface and he agreed without hesitation.

Mr Fang’s meticulous approach taken to the design of his products is truly reflected in the sound of this preamplifier. I am just so impressed with the level of performance obtained at this price point. The true impact and emotion coupled with intricate detail, timing and top end air simply put, proves itself time and time again with each and every piece of music I have thrown at my system.

Every venue is accurately portrayed, each note is produced with body and the story told within each piece of music, whether containing vocals or not, is emotionally connective. I can only speculate the improvements of the models further up the line, but right here, right now the AM RT-1 is the very best (by quite a margin) preamplifier I have had the pleasure of having in my system and there is no chance of it going back to the distributor, even if it’s the only one he has in stock.

CONCLUSION

The Audio Music RT1 is an absolute giant killer in my eyes. The brand offers another two incarnations of the design which take the performance even further. Firstly an RT-2, which, is an RT-1 that has all silver wiring throughout, then the RT-3, a silver wired dual mono power supply like the previous two models but this time you will receive three boxes rather than two, with more isolation and tweaks to power sections.

Performance of the AM RT-1 is absolutely natural and emotionally engaging, having me listen to more music than I have in a few years. I currently have lots of other activities which I am enjoying in my life and finding some real solid time to just sit down and have long listening sessions has not been as easy as years gone by, but I am finding myself making time to change this and my listening sessions have been becoming more frequent since the Audio Music AM RT-1 arrived and my listening has included many albums I haven’t listened to for a very long time… as well as the enthusiasm to find and listen to new music.

The standard unit was a dream to behold, but the addition of the specially selected NOS valves really enhanced the RT1’s natural abilities to reproduce timbre and vocal complexity.

Already the soundstage was a triumph, but the additional valves made instrument placement more accurate in sense of timbre and naturalness, whilst also pushing the layering of venue acoustics and reverbs to the next level. The base unit will amaze even the most hardcore audiophile, but with these careful choices in play sonic greatness is achieved.

For my musical tastes, which are vast and varied, good solid state amplification coupled to the cleverly implemented valve line stage of the AM RT-1 suits my needs absolutely perfectly.

AT A GLANCE

Sound Quality: Absolutely stunning, liquid midrange, very dynamic bass and a bandwidth that combines inner and upper end details with emotional insight and clarity.

Build Quality: Will compete with a lot high-end offerings and surpass many, absolute precision and quality inside and out, with a meticulous view on circuit and component implementation.

Value For Money: The AM RT-1 is a fairly costly preamplifier, but in the realms of high-end prices the RT1 is a bit of a bargain.

Pros:

Highly detailed natural sound

Naturally dynamic and transparent

Emotionally communicative

Timbre rich

Cons:

Only three inputs may not be enough for some

Lack of remote could be a problem for some

Price – £5500

Dan Worth

SPECIFICATIONS

Tube complement: Two 6H30 or 6H6N as the drivers, two 6922 as the amplifiers

Frequence response: 20 Hz ~ 100KHz

Input Impedance: 47k ohms variable depending on the source

Volume control: 33-speed volume control

Output Impedance: 600 ohms . RCA output & BAL output.

Input selections: 3 pairs RCA single-ended ; 3 pairs balanced / XLR

Gain: Input 0.5V  output 2.5V

S / N: > 98dB

Distortion rate: Under  0.5% / 5V

Power consumption: 45 watts

Dimensions (W * D * H): 380W*340D*110H*(mm)

Weight: 38 Kg shipping weight

At £900 for the amplifier and £995 for the CD player these two units from Audiolab are relatively inexpensive but well specified. Ian Ringstead plumbs them into his system and rather likes what he hears. 

Those of you who are old enough to remember the original Audiolab 8000A and 8000CD player from the 1980’s will have fond memories of what a highly regarded pairing this was. I sold many of them and remember excitedly awaiting delivery of the original 8000A amplifier when Philip Swift told us about it and brought a demo model to try out. The rest as they say is history. I even went on a factory tour in the eighties to see them being made in Huntingdonshire. 

TAG McLaren then came along in the nineties and decided to buy Audiolab out and develop the brand further. With mixed success TAG pulled out after a few years and so it was IAG who came along to rescue the brand name and resurrect a great product with a proud background. What I like about IAG is that they are a company who understand the hifi business very well and they were adamant that the Audiolab brand name would not be besmirched and the brand would be brought back to the fore.

The 8300A amp and 8300CD player/processor/pre amp are an evolution of the previous 8200 series that has proved popular over the last few years, but as Audiolab state in their promotional video they didn’t want this series to be just a tweaked and cosmetic change. A lot of research and development has gone into this new series and Audiolab have listened to customer feedback to provide new useful facilities and improvements.

FIT AND FINISH

I received the review pairing in the very smart and clean looking silver option, but you can buy them in black  if you prefer. The units were very well packaged in good strong boxes and come with a good instruction manual, mains lead and a quality remote control each which will work with both the amp and CD as it is identical. The build quality as you would expect from a company like IAG is excellent and both the amp and CD are beautifully put together looking very clean and simple on the eye. The front panels are kept straightforward and although the back panels are busy they are clearly and logically laid out with excellent connections.

The 8300A amp only has three controls on the front for input selection, mode of operation and volume. To the right of these is a standby power switch. The centre of the front panel is dominated by a smart looking oval OLED display panel which tells the user what is selected and the various settings.

On the 8300A Engineers have developed a new phono stage catering for the resurgence in vinyl records with MM and MC configurations accessible via the front panel controls. This was very useful as I major on vinyl use and having facilities for MM and MC was great.

As well as standard RCA unbalanced connections the amp also has a set of balanced XLR’s which I used with the 8300CD to great effect.

12V remote trigger loop feature on all units so as one device is switched on, paired units are switched into or out of standby mode – working as one system for quick operation.

The 8300CD is a deceptively complex unit under the clean and simple exterior with a new slot loading motorised disc mechanism as you used to get in car players. The new mechanism also reduces the occurrence of disc rejection and it was able to play CDs that other CD players may reject for being imperfect from dirt or damage. Its digital buffer circuit is a perfect mate to the asynchronous input of the DAC, improving even this area of performance. A final benefit is increased disc stability and reduced susceptibility to resonance, which additionally contributes to the overall improved sound quality. 

Connectivity options have been further expanded on the 8300CD with the addition of an AES/EBU digital input and XLR digital output. These join a full complement of inputs/outputs retained from the 8200CD: 2x coaxial digital inputs; 2x optical digital inputs; 1x asynchronous USB input; 1x coaxial digital output; 1x optical digital output; single-ended RCA and balanced XLR analogue outputs.

The 32-bit ESS Sabre DAC used inside the 8300CD continues to have a reputation as the best-sounding DAC chip available, and most CD players that use it are much more costly designs. In terms of the way it measures, its distortion figures are extraordinarily low. Around the DAC there are extensive measures to reduce jitter to very low levels. The new 8300CD can accept and process data up to 32-bit/384kHz; this is a far higher specification than that required even by current hi-res music formats, ensuring the 8300CD is fully equipped for future advances in ultra-high-definition digital sound.

The USB input now also accepts DSD data, as well as PCM.

The uprated digital processing associated with the increased resolution at the USB input delivers additional sonic benefits, for both CD replay and other connected digital sources, whatever the resolution of the file. As digital audio reproduction technology has progressed, the importance of the characteristics of reconstruction digital filters has become more appreciated. The Audiolab 8300CD features user-selectable digital filters for optimal listening. These filter settings allow the user to tune the 8300CD’s performance to suit their preference, depending on system configuration and musical taste. These filters are available for CD and PCM audio via digital inputs.

• Optimal Spectrum
• Optimal Transient
• Optimal Transient XD
• Optimal Transient DD
• Sharp Roll Off
• Slow Roll Off
• Minimum Phase

The 8300CD also adds four DSD filters that progressively attenuate the out of audio bandwidth noise floor.

As you can see an awful lot of design and technology has gone into these two products, but that would all be wasted and irrelevant if the results weren’t good.

SOUND 

Fortunately, the sonic outcome is excellent.

I used the amp and CD as a pair for my review purposes as I felt the synergy between the two was spot on. The designers would have spent many hours honing their skills to perfect this pairing and although you can of course use them separately, my instincts tell me they are a marriage that works best as a couple. I have read elsewhere criticism of this pairing with complaints that the previous models, the 8200 series, had more magic about their sound. I am in no position to be able to compare with the older series, but what I heard over the couple of months I had this pairing impressed me mightily. Let’s be honest, all opinions are subjective and I as a reviewer make my views on personal experience. Having spent the last 40 years in the business as a retailer, and now as a reviewer, I respect the hard work and passion that is put in by companies and designers to create a product they are proud of. Audiolab is no exception and have done a fine job here.

The 8300A is certainly muscular in its sound portrayal and although its rating is only 75 watts per channel it easily exceeds that on peaks. I tried the amp with several pairs of loudspeakers I had for review at the time ranging from £400 a pair right up to £4000, and it worked very well with all of them. I know many listeners and dealers find certain combinations of electronics and speakers can either work brilliantly or be a disaster as a pairing, and I for one agree with them. As it was with the 8300A when it had run in over a few weeks and I had got my thoughts settled on its performance, I was happy with its overall sound. 

As always I used a wide variety of musical genres to test the amp and was particularly keen to try the phono stage with my resident Project Extension 9 and Ortofon Quintet Black cartridge. I’m pleased to say it worked very well with no gain issues and low hum, giving a good solid sound with plenty of depth and detail over the entire frequency range. This was the case with all three speaker pairings I tried and the detailed layering in recordings was very well portrayed. Now the Project and Quintet Black are rather good in my humble opinion, but they still require a good phono stage and amp to show what they are capable of. A case in point was a Joe Sample MFSL record “Rainbow Seeker” which I have owned and cherished for over thirty years. This type of contemporary jazz (later known as smooth jazz) is a favourite of mine and I know this record inside out, but whenever I try it out on a new component it intrigues me when I hear something new or had missed on a previous listening session. The detailing was all there and the brush strokes on the cymbals and nuances of Stix Hooper’s sublime drumming were easy to pick out and a joy to experience. Although purists may well prefer a separate phono stage, the built in one does a great job for the money.

The same was true when I tried the 8300CD which I chose to run via the balanced XLR inputs as my preferred option. The single ended inputs are fine and what you would find on most amps, but I liked the solid sound that the balanced input gave. The 8300CD has the option as mentioned already of being used either as a plain CD player or a sophisticated DAC with several input options and finally as a pre amp where you can use it directly with a power amp. I ran the CD player as an integrated unit with the 8300A and the combination performed really well. Again I tried all types of music and they all sounded clear, detailed and the soundfield had a good depth to it. As mentioned earlier, the 8300CD has several filter options which I scrolled through on the menu via the handy remote, but like my resident Sony CD player that has switchable filters this all comes down to taste, musical type and one’s mood, so I stuck to the optimal spectrum rather than constantly experimenting as I was happy with the presentation. 

The CD mechanism worked flawlessly with all my discs and I must admit I liked it as most drawer trays can be flimsy unless expensively engineered (I owned a Yamaha CD-S1000 some years ago whose drawer and mechanism were sublime in build and operation, but that was an expensive machine). I confess I didn’t experiment with the DAC inputs due to lack of digital files and sources as I major on CD and still think there is life in the old dog yet. I wasn’t disappointed as the CD player was excellent with the 8300A and over the time I used the combination felt no need to change it. Yes, a more expensive machine may well outperform the 8300CD but at what cost?

As you will have gathered I rather liked this combination and for the asking price they are great value.

AT A GLANCE

8300A          

Build Quality:  Excellent for the money.

Sound Quality:  Detailed, muscular sound.

Value for Money:  With a price of £900 this is excellent value.

Pros:

Great musicality and detail

Minimalist good looks and ease of use

Good built in phono stage with mm/mc options

Remote works well and easy to use

Cons:

No headphone output, but with so many good external units on the market I don’t see this being a problem.

Price: £900

8300CD   

Build Quality:  Excellent for the money

Sound Quality:  Detailed, musical sound

Value for Money:  With a price of £995 this is great value

Pros:

Musicality and detail

Minimalist good looks and ease of use even though it is a sophisticated unit under the hood

XLR output as well as RCA

Nice slot loading mechanism

Pre out option to drive an external power amp directly

DSD and most of the latest digital formats covered to a good level

Remote works well and easy to use

Cons:

CD maybe less popular as a format now and nearly a grand isn’t cheap, but there is a lot on offer here and the build is excellent

Price: £995

SPECIFICATIONS

8300A Amplifier

Design philosophy and core technology: Dual Mono Power Amp Design

Display: OLED 128×64 pixels 2.7″

Controls: Logarithmic Ladder Volume Design

Finish: Fine Textured Aluminium (Black / Silver)

Standby Features: Yes

12V Trigger: Yes

Phono: MM/MC

Balanced XLR Input: Yes

Pre-amplifier Section 

Inputs : CD, Video, Tuner, Aux 1, Aux 2, XLR (Balanced) & Phono

Outputs: 2 x RCA

Input sensitivity (Phono RIAA): 50K // 100pF

Input impedance (line inputs): 50K // 100pF

Input impedance (phono inputs): 47K // 100pF (MM), 100R // 1.5nF (MC)

Output voltage: 2.3V max. (< 0.02% THD)

Output impedance: 120 ohm

Frequency response (Line): +/- 0.1dB (10Hz – 20kHz)
+/- 3.0dB (1Hz – 100kHz)

Frequency response (Phono RIAA): +/- 1.0dB (20Hz – 20kHz)

Channel Imbalance : < 0.2dB (10Hz – 20kHz)

Total harmonic distortion (THD) Line: <0.001%

Total harmonic distortion (THD) Phono: <0.002%Signal-to-noise ratio (Line)      dB
>109dB(A-weighted)

Signal-to-noise ratio Phono (MM): > 73dB
> 78dB(A-weighted)

Signal-to-noise ratio Phono (MC): > 68dB
> 73dB(A-weighted)

Crosstalk: < 80dB (L-> R & R->L @10KHz)

Power amplifier Section

Gain: 29dB (20Hz-20KHz)

Input Sensitivity: 840mV (Power Out = 70W into 8ohm)

Input impedance: 15K // 100pF

Rated max power output THD:  < 1%   2 x 75W RMS (8 ohm) , 2 x 115W (4 ohm)
(Vmains = 230V , THD < 1%)

Peak output current: +/- 15A

Frequency response: +/- 0.1dB (10Hz – 20KHz)
+/- 3.0dB (1Hz – 100KHz)

Channel Imbalance:  < 0.2dB (10Hz – 20kHz)

Total harmonic distortion (THD): <0.002% (Power Out= 50W @ 1KHz, BW = 20Hz – 20kHz)

Signal-to-noise ratio: > 107dB (BW = 20 – 20KHz )
>109dB(A-weighted BW = 20 – 20KHz)

Damping factor: >100 (8ohm Load @ 1kHz)

Inputs: 1 x RCA

Outputs: Speaker Binding Post Terminals

Dimensions 80 x 444 x 330.3mm

8300CD Player

General Description: CD Player, Digital-to-Analogue Converter

Finish: Fine Textured Aluminium (Black / Silver)

Display: POLED 128×64 pixels 2.7″

Standby Feature: Yes

12V Trigger: Yes

CD Mechanism: Slot-Loading

DSD Compatible: Yes (DSD64 / DSD128 / DSD256)

Disc Compatibility: CD/CDR

DAC: ESS Sabre32 9018 chip

Resolution: 32 bits

Sampling Frequency: Optical,Coaxial, AES: 32kHz – 192kHz
USB:32kHz – 384kHz(PCM) / DSD64, DSD128, DSD256

Maximum Sampling Frequency: Optical,Coaxial, AES: 192kHz
USB: 384kHz (PCM) / 11.2M (DSD256)

Digital Input: 2 x Coaxial, 2 x Toslink Optical, 1xAES/EBU, 1 x USB for PC USB,

Digital Output: 1 x Coaxial, 1 x Toslink Optical,1 x AES

Output Voltage: 4.2Vrms ±0.1 (Balanced)
2.1Vrms ±0.1 (Unbalanced)

Output Impedance: 10Ω

THD (1kHz 0dB 20Hz – 20kHz A wtd): <0.002%

Frequency Response: +/-0.2dB        20Hz – 20KHz (± 0.2dB)

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N) A wtd: RCA:<-98dB ,XLR<-100dB

Dynamic Range (A wtd.): RCA:>98dB ,XLR>100dB

Crosstalk @1K: RCA:<-120dB , XLR <-130dB

Gain Error: <0.5W

Dimensions (H x W x D): 80 x 444 x 317mm

Creek Audio Systems have recently introduced their Evolution 100 range and here we have two of the line-up for review – namely the Evolution 100CD (£1350) and the 100P (£1350) which Lionel Payne will review for Hifi Pig.

The Evolution 100CD is a multi-faceted unit incorporating a CD transport, a digital to analogue converter (DAC), a digital pre-amplifier and also included is a headphone amplifier so you can use it as a preamplifier as well as a CD player…which is very convenient and keeps box numbers down. The 100P is a power amplifier which matches the Evolution 100CD in looks and proportions although it’s brushed aluminium fascia carries only one button – for on/off duties. The Evolution 100CD, on the other hand has the on/off button and a further 9 soft-touch buttons plus a volume dial, quarter inch headphone socket, OLED display and a slot for loading your compact discs. It also comes with the requisite remote control unit which will also control other units within the range.

The units both come in black pressed steel cases with brushed aluminium fascias in a choice of black or silver. My units arrived, double boxed, in the black variety and I would describe their appearance as having an understated elegance. They both have identical dimensions and are a standard width of 430mm and a depth of 280mm and a rather diminutive height of only 60mm. Placed onto the top two tiers of my 5 tier Mana Acoustics amp stand they looked particularly attractive. The OLED display on the 100CD is very impressive. It can be dimmed or completely turned off and even someone like myself with less than ideal sight can clearly see the information provided in both dimmed light and daylight.

The 100P has two pairs of speaker terminals and inputs for unbalanced RCA connections and balanced XLR connections. There is a small button on the rear which you can use to change the inputs on the fly.

Creek Evolution 100CD

When I first hooked up the Creek Evolution 100CD with my system I was mildly impressed but far from blown away. Some players that arrive for review will do this and some are “growers” – i.e. they grow on you throughout the audition process. Others may impress you immediately but often this is a short-term thing where what initially impressed can become tiring over the longer term. The Evolution 100CD definitely grew on me throughout its time with me and I will be sorry to see it depart. 

I have listened for many hours to both the CD and my Windows 10 PC streaming Tidal in hifi quality through the USB port to the unit’s DAC and the differences in sound quality between the two are fairly insubstantial. If I had to pick out one area that the 100CD really excels in, it would most certainly be the way it deals with voices. It has an uncanny ability to get the very best from all singers of either sex. Listening to Eva Cassidy’s cover version of Sting’s Fields Of Gold produces a silky rendition of organic quality which equally captivates and thrills. However if you move over to some classic rock – namely Deep Purple and Child Of Time from their studio album Deep Purple In Rock, Ian Gillan’s delivery is captured with every nuance and the performance is equally captivating. Changing over to Bob Marley’s simple but superb Redemption Song left this reviewer in awe of the great man and so impressed with the voicing of this player.

Time after time not only the voicing but also the tonality of the recordings that I was listening to would really strike me to how the 100CD was portraying the perfect harmony of sound where all the instruments can be followed individually and each sounds perfectly correct. Indeed the reproduction of pianos, drums, violins, cellos, clarinets, flutes, etc. are all recreated with great authenticity. This is no easy feat but one the 100CD achieves with aplomb.

Of course the Evolution 100CD  is not just a simple CD player, it’s a whole lot more too. It is also a DAC of excellent quality and my attempted description of the sound quality of the CD player stands true for the DAC too, with the variation of the quality of digital input of course.

There are two coaxial inputs via RCA connections plus two optical inputs via Toslink as well as a USB type 2 input all supporting up to 24Bit 192kHz conversion. I briefly tried the Bluetooth connection which was a doddle to install and link to my Samsung S7. I was suitably impressed that the sound quality was pretty much identical to the streaming quality I could get from my PC and the USB connection, both of which were utilising Tidal Hifi quality. I should also mention that as I use a PC I had to download the additional driver software, but this was an easy process and I was up and running in minutes.

Listening to my Denon TU-1800DAB tuner through a digital connection to the DAC was also a joy. On Radio 6 Music I found Iggy Pop introducing some of his favourite David Bowie tracks and the DAC definitely improved the overall sound and again highlighted how good its mid-band was, especially reproducing Iggy’s tremendously gravelly voice with true veracity.

I also had a late evening session listening to one of my all-time favourite live albums with my Audio Technica AD1000 headphones. I know this double CD probably as well as any in my collection – it’s Gil Scott-Heron And His Amnesia Express and my previous comments about the 100CD stood perfectly true while listening through this medium. All areas of the sound were extremely true to life – so much so that I ended up going to bed a lot later than I anticipated. I’m not going to tell you that I heard new things in the mix, but that night I was astonished at the clarity and extreme low noise floor that I heard. Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Bottle” includes a couple of solos, allowing his band to show off their respective talents and the track kept my head bobbing and toes tapping right the way through. The solos of the bass player and the percusionist were a joy to behold. I think it’s probably the best presentation I’ve ever heard of this track and I’ve heard it many, many times. The following day I couldn’t wait to play the same track through my speakers and the result was equally sublime.

Creek Evolution 100P

Unlike the Evolution 100CD that slowly grew in my affections, I fell under the spell of the Evolution 100P almost immediately. Hooked into my system and driving my Impulse H2 loudspeakers I was beguiled by the speed, clarity and precision that was portrayed before me.

I auditioned the 100P mostly on its own within my system, but also with the 100CD as the source and preamplifier. The 100P performed consistently well throughout the auditions giving an even-handed approach to whatever I threw at it. Listening to Sting’s excellent Live In Berlin CD with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra really showed how good the amplifier is at painting a realistic soundstage, as well as reproducing so many different instruments within the orchestra with such veracity. The tracks with Branford Marsalis playing saxophone were a real stand-out, although the CD as a whole really impressed, highlighting the excellent work Deutsche Grammophon carried out in the recording process.

Playing Dead Can Dance In Concert is a good work-out for the lower registers and the 100P showed it can do bass with the best in class. Children Of The Sun is a track that needs firm control from an amplifier to not allow the bass to become overblown within the mix and the 100P passed with flying colours. The bass is quick and controlled, if a touch dry, and  overall,  the densely layered track is driven on wonderfully with the clarity of vocals from Brendan Perry never getting congested even when I dialled in extra volume to concert levels.

The 100P has a smooth and detailed top end which has not a hint of grain. There is no suggestion whatsoever that this amplifier would become tiring in the longer term. It had me reaching for one CD after another to feed into the slot-loader, and it never failed to impress and entertain. Much like the 100CD I would say its outstanding characteristic is the way it is voiced. Bands and performers that I have played regularly for years have had their lead singers thrown into a brighter spotlight, to the point where I have felt I could almost reach out and touch them.

Everything sounds so natural that it seems petty to look for any drawbacks at all in this price range, but the one area that I feel could be improved is the amps detail retrieval. That is not to say there is anything greatly amiss with the detail offered, but I have heard better, albeit from amplifiers costing far more than a measly £1350.

Conclusion

Ever since the early eighties when Mike Creek brought the legendary Creek 4040 integrated amplifier to market, Creek Audio Systems have been known for producing items with innovative design and good value for money.  The Evolution 100P power amplifier is certainly an innovative design with its class G topology and also represents excellent value for money. It has the ability to conjure a wonderfully deep and wide soundstage and has that great ability to simply sound natural.  I can heartily recommend it to any prospective purchasers. It also makes an excellent partner to the Evolution 100CD which, to me, is the star of the show. I have completely enjoyed my time with it and have been thoroughly impressed with, not only its CD playback qualities, but also its abilities with everything directed through the DAC .

It even has an excellent built-in headphone amplifier to boot.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Solidly built and surprisingly small for such a big sound. They have a sleek under-stated elegance.

Sound Quality: Both have very special voicing abilities and sound natural and unconstrained.

Value For Money: Very good indeed. Both units have to be pushing towards the top of any potential purchaser’s list at this price point.

Pros:

Excellent voicing and natural un-forced sound

Powerful sounding power amplifier

Excellent OLED display readable in all conditions

Cons :

Perhaps a lack of analogue inputs to the 100CD

Not much else

Price :

Evolution 100CD £1350

Evolution 100P costs £1350

Lionel Payne

SPECIFICATIONS (100CD)

Digital Inputs: 2 x SPDIF, 24 Bit 192 kHz, transformer isolated. 2 x Toslink, 24 Bit 192 kHz, optically isolated. 1 x USB, 24 Bit 192 kHz

No additional software drivers are needed for OS X

Windows PCs require additional drivers

1 x Bluetooth input

CD Transport: Custom designed, ICE quality, CD slot-loader, externally clocked

SNR:  > 110dBA unbalanced

Digital Output: 1 x SPDIF and 1 x Toslink optical output, pass-on all input signals

Digital Filters: Optional digital filters are selectable via the remote

Analogue Output: 2 x RCA un-balanced, 2.0V RMS. 2 x XLR balanced 4.0V RMS

Headphone Output: 1 x 6.35mm or ¼” Jack socket Output Impedance

Output Impedance:  47 Ohms

Power Supply: 30 Watt toroidal mains transformer with 3 separate secondary voltage windings, with multi-cap power supply decoupling and multiple ultra-low noise discrete power supply voltage regulators.

SPECIFICATIONS (100P)

Power Output: >110 Watts into 8 Ohms

Power Output: >170 Watts into 4 Ohms

Continuous Current: >8.5 Amps (sine wave)

Max Current : >26 Amps, current burst into 0.5 Ohms

Output Impedance   <0.05 Ohms @ 1KHz

THD: < 0.02% 20Hz – 20KHz

SNR: > 102dB

Frequency Response: 10Hz – 100KHz  +/- 2dB Line

Gain: 33.3dB (x46)

Input Sensitivity: 650mV

Crosstalk: – 80dB at 1KHz

DC Offset: < +/- 10mV

Slew Rate: > 30 V per uS

Inputs : RCA unbalanced – XLR balanced

Outputs: 2 pairs of binding posts

Operating Voltages: 110V / 230V Switchable

Consumption (at idle): < 20 Watts (no standby)

Consumption: 500 Watts (at full power)

Weight: 9kgs

Dimensions    W/H/D: 430 x 60 x 280mm

Taga Harmony of Poland have launched two new amplifiers. The TA-400MIC is a CI A/B speaker stereo amplifier with MIC mixing with 2 x 60W RMS @ 8ohm and 2 x 90W RMS @ 4ohm. Power is delivered by an oversized, audiophile grade toroidal transformer. It has a built-in headphone output plus a built-in microphone input with a mixing and echo control. There is a USB input to quickly and easily play music from USB flash drives (supports MP3 / WMA / WAV / APE files) for almost endless playback and connection of smartphones, tablets and laptops is possible via MP3 (3.5mm stereo jack) input on the front panel. Two RCA stereo inputs at the rear to hook additional equipment like a CD player, radio tuner or other analogue devices and it features an REC output for an external recording device (e.g. Tape or CD recorder). It also comes with two speaker outputs (A and B).

The TA-25Mini is a 2 x 25W 8ohm, Class D, CI mini stereo amplifier with a frequency response of 30Hz – 18kHz.

ETAL Group today unveiled a Class D amplifier in a format smaller than a business card – opening the way to highly compact lifestyle electronics, networked audio and battery powered applications. 

Stefan Ruuth, Sales Manager at ETAL, said, “In terms of size-performance, the Anaview ALA is unmatched, delivering amazingly clean and room-filling sound from a very small module.  We’ve already seen a lot of interest from designers of networked audio devices, portable audio devices, docking stations, audio receivers, powered speakers and residential audio systems. It’s perfect for applications that need great sound but where space and/or power are limited.”

With overall dimensions of just 68mm x 33mm x 18mm, the ETAL Anaview ALA Series delivers 2 x 45Wrms into 6 Ω. It is designed for board to board mounting and can be powered by a single voltage of 12-25V DC making it easy to integrate. The Anaview ALA has an 80kHz load independent frequency range (-3dB) and a 115dB dynamic range with low Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) throughout. Features include an entirely differential patented Adaptive Pole Control (APC) amplifier technology.

The Anaview ALA can be supplied from a simple single voltage AC/DC power supply, commonly available at low-cost, alleviates end-product UL-certification. Alternatively, the low power draw and single-sided supply means that the module is also compatible with Power–over-Ethernet (PoE) for commercial network audio applications where audio and power are provided on a single Cat-5 cable. Equally, it can be easily integrated into battery–powered and rechargeable products.

With the recent Olympic and Paralympic games still fresh in my mind I got to thinking how incredible as a nation the United Kingdom is. The fact we came second in the medal tables for both games, coming just behind the USA in the Olympics and China in the Paralympics was amazing. The Chinese in particular couldn’t believe how a nation of our size could do so well given their population is about 1.4 billion and ours is roughly 60 million. 

Now what has this got to do with hifi? Well the British bulldog tenacity has always been strong ever since the Romans left the British Isles, and although the Vikings and William the Conqueror dented our pride for a while, as a nation the British have shown a remarkable ability for innovation.

Let’s look at a few of the companies and pioneers.

Leak Audio

Leak audio had been making audio-related products since 1934. In 1946 Leak introduced their first “Type 15” audio power amplifier, which drew upon “wartime research” for its four stage, negative feedback design. It was soon replaced by the very popular and long-lived TL/12, which Leak continued to build for many years.

Quad

Another British company, Quad was founded by Peter Walker in 1936. Although better known today for their speakers, Quad’s first commercial product was a power amplifier, the Quad 1. It wasn’t until 1956 that Quad unveiled their first speaker, the legendary ESL57 which remained in production for twenty-eight years.

In England, the Lowther company was making raw drivers such as the Type P.M.2, which had a published frequency response capability from 18 to 20KHz. Lowther also made “the Horn Cabinet” which was a corner-loaded cabinet based on a “tractrix” curve in its horn design. A lot of Lowther owners did then what they do today – build their own cabinets and they are still revered today.

Tannoy

Tannoy was the trade name of a company formed by Mr. Guy R. Fountain in 1926. The name originates from a solid-state rectifier invented by Guy Fountain made from an alloy or mixture of Tantalum and Lead.This Tantalum-Lead Alloy produced the name Tannoy. The name stuck fast to the company’s products over the years and eventually became the company name, Tannoy Ltd.

From 1926 through the recession of the thirties and during the Second World War Tannoy produced many different products all to do with speech and music communications. One innovative design was a universal speaker system designed for a travelling circus. The speaker requirement was for high quality speech and music for announcement and entertainment purposes in the largest travelling circus of Bertram Mills. The speaker had to be efficient because all the amplification was by tube amplifiers (design and built by Tannoy of course) and the power supplies were derived from not very efficient motor generators and rotary converters. Of course Tannoy became a commonly used term in our language to describe a public address system such as used in train stations.

Tannoy, was already making their 12″ and 15″ “Dual concentric in the 1950’s. With their nominal 15-ohm impedance the Tannoys were easy to drive with the small triode valve amps that were so common at that time. Tannoy made a wide range of designs from domestically acceptable models to the large corner horns the GRF (Guy R Fountain). Tannoy is famous worldwide for its innovative, unique and very accurate sounding Dual Concentric. A Dual Concentric speaker unit is very different from the standard speaker industry drive unit. It has the tweeter or treble unit mounted at the centre of the bass unit so that the two units operate in total harmony with each other. Many manufacturers such as JBL, Altec, KEF, Pioneer, TEAC, have recognized the benefits of the co-axial or concentric arrangement of woofer and tweeter to cover the whole audio band from a single apparent point source. Tannoy Dual Concentrics are by their very nature complex to manufacture and therefore you will not find them in a low price system.
Sadly recent announcements from the company suggest that production of the vast proportion of their loudspeakers will now be in China.

Meridian

There are many other companies from the UK that have made their mark more recently such as Meridian Audio which was founded by Bob Stuart and Allen Boothroyd in 1977. They continue to lead the company with Bob Stuart heading all technological developments and Alan Boothroyd leading the design team. Since the company’s inception, all Meridian products have been conceived, engineered and built in the UK. The company was the first to introduce active loudspeakers (loudspeakers with power amplifiers inside the cabinet) designed for the domestic market, and was the first British company to manufacture a CD player in 1983. The Meridian MCD, launched in 1985, was the first audiophile CD player. Meridian also created the first digital surround-sound processor and the first DSP-based digital active loudspeakers.

So we Brits have certainly made our mark in the audio industry and apologies to the many other companies I haven’t mentioned, but there are so many I could only take a snapshot of a few favourites.

Alan Dower Blumlein

It’s not just the equipment manufacturers that have made their mark though. Stereo as we know it today would never have been around if it wasn’t for the genius of its inventor Alan Dower Blumlein (29 June 1903 – 7 June 1942). He was an English electronics engineer, notable for his many inventions in telecommunications, sound recording, stereophonic sound, television and radar. He received 128 patents and was considered as one of the most significant engineers and inventors of his time.

In 1929 Blumlein joined the Columbia Graphohone company. His first project was to find a method of disc cutting that circumvented a Bell patent in the Western Electric moving-iron cutting head then used, and on which substantial royalties had to be paid. He invented the moving-coil disc cutting head, which not only got around the patent but offered greatly improved sound quality. He led a small team which developed the concept into a practical cutter. The other principal team members were Herbert Holman and Henry “Ham” Clark. Their work resulted in several patents.

Early in 1931, the Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramophone Company merged and became EMI. New joint research laboratories were set up at Hayes and Blumlein was officially transferred there on 1 November the same year.

During the early 1930s Blumlein and Herbert Holman developed a series of moving-coil microphones, which were used in EMI recording studios and by the BBC at Alexandra Palace. Blumlein may or may not have invented the long-tailed pair, but his name is on the first patent (1936). The long-tailed pair is a form of differential amplifier that has been popular since the days of the vacuum tube (valve). It is now more pervasive than ever, as it is particularly suitable for implementation in integrated circuit form, and almost every operational amplifier integrated circuit contains at least one.

In 1931, Blumlein invented what he called “binaural sound”, now known as stereophonic sound or simply “stereo”. In early 1931, Blumlein and his wife were at a local cinema. The sound reproduction systems of the early “talkies” invariably only had a single set of speakers – which could lead to the somewhat disconcerting effect of the actor being on one side of the screen whilst his voice appeared to come from the other. Blumlein declared to his wife that he had found a way to make the sound follow the actor across the screen.

The genesis of these ideas is uncertain, but he explained them to Isaac Shoenberg in the late summer of 1931. His earliest notes on the subject are dated 25 September 1931, and his patent had the title “Improvements in and relating to Sound-transmission, Sound-recording and Sound-reproducing Systems”. The application was dated 14 December 1931, and was accepted on 14 June 1933 as UK patent number 394,325. The patent covered many ideas in stereo, some of which are used today and some not. Some 70 claims include:

• A “shuffling” circuit, which aimed to preserve the directional effect when sound from a spaced pair of microphones was reproduced via stereo headphones instead of a pair of loudspeakers
• The use of a coincident pair of velocity microphones with their axes at right angles to each other, which is still known as a “Blumlein Pair”
• Recording two channels in the single groove of a record using the two groove walls at right angles to each other and 45 degrees to the vertical
• A stereo disc-cutting head
• Using hybrid transformers to matrix between left and right signals and sum and difference signals

Blumlein’s binaural experiments began in early 1933, and the first stereo discs were cut later the same year. Much of the development work on this system for cinematic use was completed by 1935. In 1934, Blumlein recorded Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham at Abbey Road Studios in London using his vertical-lateral technique. This is just the tip of the iceberg for this prolific inventor relevant to audio, and we as music lovers have so much to thank Alan Dower Blumlein for.

He died during WW11 on 7 June 1942, aged 38, during the secret trial of an H2S airborne radar system then under development, when all on board the Halifax bomber he was flying in were killed when it crashed in Herefordshire.

So three cheers for the Brits and long may we continue to inspire.

Ian Ringsted

Read More Fidelity Matters with Ian Ringstead

Wyred 4 Sound will present their new SX-1000R Monoblock Amplifier and PS-1 Modular Linear Power Supply at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest.The SX-1000R has an all-new input board, which, say Wyred 4 Sound makes ‘the sound of the SX-1000R more natural, refined and engaging than its predecessor, the multi-award-winning SX-1000. Yet the SX-1000R retains the same incredible power to effortlessly produce thunderous bass, exquisite highs and boundless headroom and dynamics, even with demanding loads. All at a price thousands less than you’d expect for this level of performance’.

Of their all-new modular linear DC power supply, the PS-1 they say: ‘The beauty of the new PS-1 starts with an emphasis on real value: it’s modular design allows up to four devices to be powered at once, each capable of a different voltage! What’s more, each power module of the PS-1 is independent and user-selectable. The front panel’s LED display instantly updates and displays each zone and voltage in use. Additional power modules can be purchased separately, as needed’.

Wyred 4 Sound will be at RMAF in room 1118, Friday 7th to Sunday 9th October in Denver, Colorado.