Introducing Billie, the stereo amplifier that combines the precision of digital with the warmth of analogue sound in a Nordic minimalist aesthetic. An objet d’art designed with attention to detail inside and out, Billie brings back the transcendent ritual of listening, say the company launching it on Kickstarter.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
“Our goal is to go beyond soundbars and bluetooth speakers, back to how music was meant to be experienced.” says Itai Azerad, Heaven 11 cofounder and designer. “We believe that the stereo system is still the best way to experience that ‘live in the room’ feeling. We’re not about ‘multi-room’, we’re about ‘in the room’.”
Named after Jazz Icon Billie Holliday, this amp plays ALL your music beautifully whether it’s from your phone, TV, Spotify or vinyl.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
“We designed something for the pragmatic audiophile because we couldn’t find it out there. We built an affordable high-caliber amp that plays all of your music collection – be it vinyl, Hi-Res digital, line or wireless.”
Combining the detailed soundstaging of digital to the round, analogue smoothness of tubes, Billie features ICEpower amplification by Bang & Olufsen (120W/4Ω), 32bit/384Kh DAC, AptX Bluetooth, RCA, vinyl and Toslink inputs. It comes with a custom-built tube preamp and a powerful headphone amp. The amp is to be manufactured in Montreal, Canada.
Moving away from the current trend of generic design and disposable materials, Billie’s shell is made of thick, machined aluminium. The cool minimalist casing details are balanced by warm, crafted hardwood knobs.
“Design is not just aesthetics, it’s how we use an object, what the object communicates to us and about us. I believe a stereo’s design ought to be closer to an electric guitar than a cable box -what most stereos look like these days. An electric guitar is quite a functional tool, -not too many useless knobs on there- but it’s also such an intimate object, there’s a mystery about it, you gotta feel a connection, you gotta want to touch it.”
Billie is to be launched on Kickstarter mid-July at the special price of $595 US. After the campaign, the price will be $895/$995 US.
Heaven 11 Audio is a Montreal-based audio company founded in 2015 by Itai Azerad and Andre Keilani, two award-winning product designers with a lifelong passion for music. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Mitchell and Johnson’s trio of CD Player, Amplifier and Streamer cost a total of £947 which puts them very much in the budget category but can they satisfy sonically? Dominic Marsh finds out for Hifi Pig.
Very little gets me more excited than budget components being sent to me for review. Let’s be honest, when cost is no object it isn’t an impossible undertaking to design and build something good if not exemplary yet when the budget is pared to the bone, if a manufacturer can not only get it right but elevate that product above the herd we can only admire and applaud their achievement. That’s not to say what arrives will be a potential “giant killer” product as I have long since given up on that notion because the products hailed as such rarely ever live up to the hype they are lavished in the cold light of day.
Not everyone has a bucketful of cash to spend on high end esoterica, so scouring the world seeking out those little gems that offer great sound at a great price has been one of my missions running in the background. It has not been an easy task I will admit and much to my surprise many manufacturers have been rather hesitant in responding to my requests for review samples. Wonder why that is?
One company that thankfully did respond was Mitchell and Johnson, who were to send something over the early part of last year in fact, but due to their pressures of work and my own pressures of work it was not actively followed up, that is until around a month ago when I did a re-scan of my diary entries during a catch up session. I sent another email off as a reminder and not one but three items from their product range were submitted for review in super quick time.
But, with three components submitted for review, it means a lot of work evaluating their performances, both as a complete system and of course paired with other components, so I beg your patience if this review expands considerably from the norm.
I will also forewarn you that I will quite often be using phrases like: “At this price point”, “Within this price band“, etc., I am sure you get the picture.
CONSTRUCTION
These units are best described as of functional build quality and given their price points it is not difficult to work out there was a fine line in the budget workings out how much would be spent on outward appearance, yet the end result is rather pleasing and not unattractive, in fact my wife remarked on their rather nice appearance – something she normally doesn’t do. The faceplates are 5mm thick brushed aluminium, more than ample for the task, inset function buttons below the displays also work as they should, although their small size and flush fitting is an annoyance and raised buttons would be much easier to operate. Rotary turn and push knobs for volume and menu selection, and the streamer in particular has a good quality full colour display panel, although the displays for the CD player and amplifier is rather plain and basic, so what more would you need besides?
The units all measure 430mm wide, 320mm deep (including speaker terminals and the streamer’s wireless aerial) while the amplifier and CD player are just under 80mm high, the streamer measures a little more at 85mm high.
As stated previously, the front panel is made from 5mm brushed aluminium on the review sample, also available in a black finish option. To the centre of the front panel is a large display panel measuring 142mm long x 42mm high, set into which is the CD drawer. The drive appears to be a super slim drawered CD-ROM drive rather than a dedicated audio CD drive, the giveaways being a lightning fast yet very smooth open and close operation and a very long seek time reading the Table Of Contents on the disc. Once the Table Of Contents (The innermost ‘tracks’ on a CD) track has been found, the player takes an inordinate 19 seconds to actually produce sound. Thereafter though track selection is as fast as any other CD player with no delays. The display itself consists of two rows of LED numerics, the top row showing the function selected as in “PLAY”, “STOP”, “REPEAT” etc., the bottom row showing the track number selected and time elapsed. I am baffled why Mitchell & Johnson have used 3 digits for track numbering when 2 are more than adequate as I know of no CD that has more than 99 tracks anyway and just as baffling is why playing time elapsed has been awarded 6 digits when again I don’t know of any CD that plays for longer than 99 minutes duration, the extra digits making for a cluttered display. I would much rather see a track number saying a plain “6” for example than “006” and time elapsed as say “18:09” rather than “00:18:09”. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
If I can just revert back to my comment about the small flush mounted front panel buttons which annoy, with the CDD201V player there is also a small delay between pressing (fumbling) with the button and the desired action being initiated and many is the time I have pressed the button more than once which cancels out what I wanted the player to do. So I soon got used to the notion of only pressing the button once, then leave it alone and let the player do what it wanted in its own time.
The CD player is supplied with a basic remote control, although the remote supplied with the streamer has the amplifier and CD functions incorporated into the one same remote, so that is a good reason to buy the whole ensemble together.
Connections are made via a pair of fixed output RCA line out connectors, an SPDIF digital RCA output socket and a TOSLINK connection. To the far left of the chassis rear is a standard 3 pin IEC mains inlet.
SPECIFICATIONS
Output Level
1.8V +/- 2dB @ 1KHz 0dB
Signal to Noise Ratio
>80dB (LINE, IHF-A)
Frequency Response
20Hz – 20KHz
Digital Outputs
OPTICAL (TOSLINK) 1, COAXIAL (RCA) 1
Channel Balance
>20dB
Separation
>60dB
Digital to Analog Converter
Mediatek MTK1389DE
Dimensions
(WxHxD) : 430 x 80 x 283 mm
Weight
6.3 kg
Price at time of review: £249.00
SAP201V Amplifier
Moving on to the amplifier now, this unit shares the same width and depth as its stable mates although the height is the same as the CD player while the streamer is slightly taller. There is the central front panel display for functions, plus a row of push button function controls. To the left of the front panel is a mini 3.5mm stereo jack socket for a line level input and a quarter inch headphone socket. To the right of the display is a large rotary control for volume, plus pushing the control repeatedly cycles through bass, treble and balance functions and a default reset option. To the far right is a push button on/off power switch, above which is a blue LED to show power is applied which turns red in standby mode.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
To the rear we find an IEC mains inlet socket, a single set of four speaker terminals which will accept 4mm banana plugs, spade connectors or bare wire. To the right of those is a TOSLINK and an SPDIF digital RCA input socket, then a set of line level RCA socket inputs for TV, AUX, NET-PLAYER, CD, and a PHONO stage connection (moving magnet), so there is a good selection of input options.
Rare at this price level is a built-in digital to analogue convertor in the shape of a Wolfson Micro WM8761 DAC chip, so too is a phono stage that accepts moving magnet cartridge input. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
SPECIFICATIONS
Rated Output Power
40 W at 8 ohms, 2 ch driven, 1 kHz, 0.8 % THD (IEC)
50 W at 4 ohms, 2 ch driven, 1 kHz, 0.8 % THD (IEC)
Input Sensitivity and Impedance
250 mV/47 k(LINE)
6.5 mV/47 k(PHONO)
Output Level and Impedance
250 mV/47k(REC OUT)
Phono Overload
60 mV (MM 1 kHz 0.5 %)
Frequency Response
20 Hz-50 kHz/+1 dB-3 dB (LINE)
+14 dB, -14 dB, 100 Hz (BASS)
Tone Control
+14 dB, -14dB, 10 kHz (TREBLE)
+0 dB, -14 dB (BALANCE)
Signal to Noise Ratio
>85dB (LINE, IHF-A) 61 dB (PHONO, IHF-A)
Dimensions
(WxHxD) : 430 x 80 x 283 mm
Weight
6.3 kg
Price at time of review: £299.00
WLD+211T Streamer
This unit again mirrors the CD player and amplifier front panel layout, with the exception being a full colour central display and a USB input port.
It is equipped to receive wireless signals from a mobile device or a PC or via an RJ45 Ethernet LAN connection. So you can listen to any of the music tracks stored on your computer or network attached storage (NAS) drive, giving you access to your entire library without the need for any other device. If you own an Android or iOS device you can download the free UNDOK remote control application allowing you to browse all of your music from your mobile device. In addition to all this, the WLD+211T can stream your favourite tunes from Spotify via the Spotify Connect app (Spotify subscription required).
Linking to my PC wirelessly to the WLD+211T streamer was a simple straightforward matter and that thrilled me, as other wireless devices I have had for review seemed to concentrate solely on mobile phones and tablets running Android or Apple iOS and given all my stored music is on my desktop computer it has been rather frustrating at times. That of course meant I could stream music for as many hours as I wished without worrying about battery power endurance issues from a mobile device.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Again, astonishing at this price level, we find a DAB and FM tuner included and with many thousands of internet stations to choose from, there is bound to be some stations you will enjoy listening to online. They are thankfully listed in numerical and alphabetical order so if there is a particular station you wish to find, using the large front panel rotary control to scroll through makes it not too difficult a task. It took me a good 10 minutes of high energy knob twiddling to find my local radio station Pirate FM. It was a targeted setting up challenge more than an innate desire to listen to what was being transmitted on that station, as I never generally listen to it.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
SPECIFICATIONS
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)
0.02 % (1 kHz 1 W)
Frequency Response
20Hz-20KHz, +/ -3dB
Signal to Noise Ratio
>83dB (A)
Digital Output
optical TOSLINK connection, COAXIAL RCA
Analog Output
RCA/phono stereo left and right connections
Tuner
DAB (Band 3) DAB+ with additional AAC+ codec
FM
Internet radio (requires network connection)
Frequency Range
FM 87.5 – 108 MHZ
DAB 174.928 – 239.200 MHz
USB
Audio playback from USB (USB port is NOT Apple compatible)
Universal Plug n Play
Full uPnP support. Windows Media Player compatible.
Fully DLNA compatible. Apple compatibility with DLNA software application.
Windows Media Audio and iTunes playlist compatible.
Music Streaming
FLAC 1.5 mbit/s upto 24-bits/48k
WAV 1.5 mbit/s upto 24-bits/48k
AAC upto 576 kbit/s
MP3 upto 320 kbit/s
WMA upto 384 kbit/s
RealAudio upto 96 kbit/s
SPOTIFY CONNECT music service (subscription required) using Spotify Connect app.
App Control
UNDOK app for iPhone or iPod Touch and Android
Remote Control
Brushed aluminium remote handset which also operates SAP201V amplifier and CDD201V CD player.
Dimensions
(WxHxD) : 430 x 80 x 283 mm
Weight
6.3 kg
Price at time of review is £399.00
SOUND QUALITY – AS A COMPLETE SYSTEM
Well, if you have just parted company with the grand total of £947.00 for this system and taken it home, what has your money bought? The first bonus is you have is no worries about matching and “synergy” which will be a great relief to many I am sure. Of course, no speakers are included in this package, but I have to hand a few pairs of stand mount speakers and I have averaged out the sound qualities across all of them because there was noted some common themes amongst the speakers being used. It should also be noted that they cost as much as this system, so it’s not likely they would be paired with it. I have also added a couple of likely candidates that are worth an audition to use with this set of components.
Nothing to do with the sound of course but good to mention at this point in the review, all three units have blue LED power on indicators that draw attention to themselves by their brightness. The LEDs turn to red when in standby mode, a lot less bright thankfully.
I believe I can sum up the sound of this system in just one word – ENTERTAINING. “High Fidelity” in the strictest sense of the words it isn’t, but the system does keep you entertained with its bouncy and snappy performance and it’s not until you put it side by side with a system from a higher calibre that you get to realise where the holes in its performance are to be found, none of which cause any real concerns, especially so in this price bracket. The sound is larger than life and I cannot describe it better than that for you I’m afraid. The treble and midrange in particular reaches out to you quite readily and with good detail, yet listen closely and subtle ambience cues for example that you know are in the recording are not there, even though the treble region is rendered in spades. Deep bass with heft and weight too is somewhat diluted and seemed rather anaemic, set into the background almost and it is probably due to that 40 watts per channel power rating of the amplifier, so of course I pressed into service some other amplifiers with increased power on tap for comparison and more about this later on in the review. However, you could happily crank up the volume and it all held together pretty well with an increase in volume level without the amplifier shouting at you or showing any signs of distress or distortion and it still maintained that bouncy vibrancy throughout the volume range.
The loading time from a CD being inserted into the player’s drawer to it playing music irritated the life out of me to begin with, but someone once told me that if you sit on a rusty nail for long enough the pain eventually diminishes and goes away. I have no intentions of putting that philosophy to the test thank you very much. Having said that, as time went on I was less annoyed by the CD player’s long seek time, so there must be some truth in the rusty nail story. The front panel buttons never did stop annoying me though as I don’t think I have large fingers to begin with and coping with the delay after pressing as well, but I did eventually find a technique that worked for me and thank goodness the remote control handset replicates most of the functions that needed a physical button press for, with the exception of the CD eject button.
I couldn’t detect any sound differences between using the line level RCA connections and via the digital output of the CD player into the amplifier’s built in DAC using a coaxial connection.
The real star of this set for me was the WLD+211T streamer which was an easy job in setting up and simple in use too. A few moments wait on start up as it establishes the connection to the PC via wireless link and once connected it identified the PC’s disk drive location and directory, you then select which album you want to play and away it goes, the large rotary/push button doing a grand uncomplicated job, aided by that good sized clear colour screen too. Sound quality was very good through the complete Mitchell and Johnson system, but paired with other components it shone.
I had in for review a while ago (Reviewed in Hifi Pig, March 2016)) some speakers from TAGA Harmony, the B40 stand mounters which were priced at £320.00 for the pair which may have suited this system rather well. Not evaluated by me personally, some say the Q Acoustics 3020 speakers give a great performance and the price is attractive too at circa £189.00 a pair. Another great pairing would be the Monitor Audio BR2’s priced at £230.00 a pair, with the stronger bass output from the larger driver complimenting the amplifier’s performance well.
CDD201V CD PLAYER SOUND QUALITY – STANDALONE
Swapping out the CDD201V player to my own resident CD player and connected to the SAP210V amplifier, the sound really did open out and fill in. Ambience especially took on solidity and clarity that quite took me aback at first, depth of soundstage went from feet deep to yards deep in one leap and the bass output as well took a massive step up. Given my CD player has a price tag that dwarfs the CDD201V’s, it comes as no surprise. It also tells me that my initial judgement about the amplifier’s power output rating being solely responsible for a lack of bass power may have been a bit premature as it seems the CD player was evidently contributing to this trait. All is not lost however, as I then used the CDD201V purely as a transport into 2 other external DACs, one in the shape of a Primare i32 amplifier with the optional DAC board fitted and the other in the shape of Roksan’s new K3 DAC. The results were amazing, a true night and day experience, but let’s not get carried away by that, given the price differences involved. It does say though that if you are searching for a transport, then this component would be well worth a serious audition and at this price point I am not aware of any serious competition to it.
SAP201V AMPLIFIER SOUND QUALITY – STANDALONE
Away from its stable mates, the amplifier let loose its true character. The vitality and bounciness was still there, but the bass output from a signal fed in that had full bass included, really came to the fore. There was more heft and power now, but it was wrapped in a firm tautness so the leading edges had a crisp delineation with no following overhang either, although the very lowest bass registers still lacked drive and impact. A good example of that difference was listening to “Anonymus II” track on the Focus III album. This track has plenty of raucous energy for any system to contend with and the first element to suffer is the bass, both the bass guitar and the kick drum which all too readily get overshadowed and lost in the mix while at the same time blurring the cymbals. Focus were famous for playing a Flute in their compositions and many a system manages to mangle that into a screeching wail that hurts your ears but the SAP201V managed to stay the right side of listenable, as I thought it’s lively personality would set off the screeching, but no, it fared very well in fact. At 6 minutes 18 seconds into this track the pace slows right down to a great slow bass guitar solo, which slowly picks up the pace, joined soon after by the guitarist with single chord strums and then by the drummer on kick drum and high hat. The kick drum has to have a thump to it you can feel and that thump has to have shape and contour to it as well, which is very hard to describe in words, but once heard it is never forgotten. Sadly, the CDD302V CD player missed out on these subtleties, the bass just not meeting my criteria, yet ably handled by my resident player into the SAP201V amplifier, which, at its price point (there it is again) is truly remarkable.
The diminutive Pro-Ject MAIA amplifier has a lower power rating, has Bluetooth, costs more at £399.00 and sounds a lot smoother than the SAP201V but that has small size in its favour. Faced with a choice, I would pick the SAP201V for its lively presentation and zippy delivery.
As more of an aside, I connected up a pair of Roksan K2 TR-5 speakers that Roksan have kindly loaned to me to the SAP201V amplifier and boy, did this amplifier make the Roksan TR-5’s dance. Again, not in a true high fidelity sense of course, but a VERY entertaining listen indeed. I also have here a pair of Axis voicebox stand mount loudspeakers which originate from Australia (Loaned by Dan Worth), that also came alive and danced when coupled to the SAP201V amplifier, despite trying several high end amplifiers with them for a good match. Again, synergy it wasn’t, but it shows how the sprightly verve of this amplifier isn’t going to be suppressed or tamed and I was grateful for that nonetheless.
WLD+311T STREAMER – STANDALONE
I can happily report that I was very pleased with every aspect of the streamer. At long, long, long last I could play high quality music direct from my PC to it with no fuss, angst or pain involved and no need whatsoever to use a mobile device. And I like the price band it occupies, which I cannot find a competitor to rival it. Brilliant, I want one!
CONCLUSION
Right, I don’t really need a recap on my findings regarding the pricing of these components do I? Thought not, so I will therefore sum up my take on this Mitchell and Johnson ensemble.
I wasn’t that enamoured by the front panel push buttons, but I also am aware that even a small change to raised buttons will affect pricing, so put your fingers on a diet Dominic or use a rubber tipped stylus if you really cannot control your fingers. The CD player’s long seek time is part of the package, so get used to it or spend a lot more on a deck that is faster read loading. That’s not a big list of gripes is it?
On the plus side, the streamer is a total peach in every aspect, the amplifier has enough bounce and vitality to entertain you for many hours and the humble 40 watt power rating is very deceptive as well, so that could also be money well spent and the CD player is a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing when there is a good sounding transport lurking in there waiting to be discovered. There are a lot worse ways to invest £947.00 in the world of hifi these days and with the right speakers attached, you probably won’t be in too much of a rush upgrading from this system in the future either.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Build Quality: Above average for the price and not unattractive either. Liked the brushed aluminium front panel and the superb colour display on the streamer. Did I mention the small flush mounted front panel buttons perchance?
Sound Quality: It has small sonic flaws in strict hifi terms of course, which are easily liveable with. Treat the system as pure entertainment and you won’t go wrong.
Value For Money: Incredible bang for the buck with few (if any) rivals at the price.
The MQ-300 is a new generation of vacuum tube stereo amplifiers from LUXMAN that “uses the most thoroughly selected parts and circuits to maximise the performance and tonal quality of the latest direct heated triode – the TA-300B”. Following in the design footsteps of the MB-300 released 31 years ago, the MQ-300 combines traditional design with cutting edge technology. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Since the foundation of the company 90 years ago, and the subsequent release of the MB-300, LUXMAN has pursued certain core principles for sound generation. These principles are embodied in the MQ-300 as ‘honest and natural sound quality, feeling the sound field without exaggeration’, ‘feeling the unity of sound with sufficient data for the whole audio band’ and to achieve ‘fatigue free listening enjoyment’. Expressing the original sound whilst bringing the spirit of each disk to life are qualities intrinsic to the MQ-300 and those principles.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Design History
The MQ-300 is based on the cosmetic design and circuit configuration of the MB-300, the renowned vacuum tube monaural power amplifier released by LUXMAN in 1984. The elements of traditional design and elegant tonal quality that is unique to the performance of the TA-300B, a direct heated triode, have been maximised in the MQ-300.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Rated Power Output: 8W + 8W (4Ω, 8Ω, 16Ω)
Input Sensitivity: 490mV (8W) 240kΩ
THD: 1% (1kHz / 8Ω / 1W)
S/N Ratio (IHF-A): 105dB
Input: 1 x Direct, 1 x Variable
Output: Large speaker terminal x 1 set (4,8,16Ω independent)
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”.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Karma-AV say they are delighted to announce the availability of the Mark-Levinson № 536 monaural power amplifier to UK dealers, installers and customers. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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!Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.
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.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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 1stImage may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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
“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. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.
Westminster Lab makes no claims as to how good it is, rather just invite you to enter into their ‘new dimension’ of music experience. According to them words are totally futile. But that would make for a short review, so, not known for keeping quiet, Janine Elliot wanted to tell readers about this unique amp costing £32 000.
Background and Build
The name WestminsterLab is a result of 29 year old boss Angus Leong and his two friends meeting in London to discuss starting a company making exotic hifi and the name they chose seemed to fit very well; Westminster has old school architecture but inside is a high-tech centre of the UK. This is an apt description, too, of his Unum power amplifier up for review here; with a minimalist mono-block design that could easily sit in the Tate Gallery and which hides considerable high-tech engineering ideas inside it. Angus took GCSEs, A-levels and appropriately both a Bachelor and Master degree in architecture whilst in Britain, though he is Hong Kong born from where the Unum is handcrafted and designed; only the cables department of the company is in the UK. He started listening to music at the age of 12 and soon realised he couldn’t afford the high-end products he loved so started making his own gear. Much later he met some friends and started making cables, and now he is manufacturing both the Unum and a variety of cables, some of which I used in this review.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
At £32,000 for the basic Unum, £42,000 for the Unum Edition and £66,000 for the Unum Connoisseur these are by no means cheap, but the amount of hand crafting in these product puts most companies to shame, whatever their price. This is a 30kg block of 6082 aluminium, which is then machined down to 8kg for everything else to be tightly packed inside, taking the weight of the entry model to 21kg, rising to 23kg for the top Connoisseur model. Clues to the rise in weight relate to the addition of stainless steel, and improvements in design and components, which also put up the price. In the £44,000 model, for example, there is a better power supply, better matching of transistors and resistors and a gold plated heatsink. Facilities in the more expensive models include things like 12v remote trigger.
The finishes included ‘Premium Rose Gold’ for an additional £4,500.00 and ‘Platinum’ for £5,500.00. There are even options for further ancillary improvements to be made, such as replacing the gold plated copper heatsink with a dark glossy black DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coated copper heatsink. This material is deposited onto the copper with a technology called Physical Vapour Deposition which offers, according to WestminsterLab, a durable surface which “enhances thermal and audio performance”. On each corner of the unit there are huge machined brass grounding spikes which you can screw from above to alter their height and then place stainless steel finishing corner pieces over the top once the two mono-blocks are made level.
The looks and construction are a major part of the design of each of the 23.2cm x 7.2cm x 50.1 cm mono units, though care in design of the electronics is equally painstakingly thought out. Components in this Class-A/b design are sourced from a wide variety of manufacturers and types, carefully chosen by both performance analysis and listening experiences. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Rather than simply being soldered onto a cheap printed circuit board (PCB), components are instead installed onto a plastic PEEK chassis. Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is a colourless organic polymer which comes from the polyaryl ether ketone (PAEK) family, which is used in engineering applications. Printed circuit board are of course the standard in the industry for their ease of use and low cost, as well as space saving qualities. In the good old days before PCB’s, components, as in my Leak Stereo 20, were connected directly to each other in what was known as a “point-to-point” construction, sometimes with terminal strips or “tag boards” or turret boards. This meant that routes for the components could be shorter than that on a PCB, but because the components were themselves further apart the size of the unit would be bigger, something of an anathema to most manufacturers from the 70’s. Whilst PCBs would reduce the overall surface area of components, one of their drawbacks can be unwanted effects from this impure transmission route; a mixture of metals and bad contacts. Signals from a component have to pass through a soldering point with its soldering pad connecting to a thin flat copper layer taking it all the way to the next soldering pad and soldering point before finally reaching the next component. Since RoHS even the use of solder has meant changing from a low-heat lead solder to a higher heating silver based solder which costs more to buy and heat up, doing anything but help the universe, and can have the side effect of poor or dry joints. I remember writing a piece in HiFi News when these changes first started, with some manufacturers noticing changes in sound quality, not just about effects of different solder, but also different materials in the components themselves, and even worries that the solder could come away from the PCB at low temperatures. WestminsterLab’s solution is, as I mentioned earlier, to use a machined plastic PEEK chassis which provides excellent dielectric qualities, being a thick plastic with equidistant holes for inserting components which are then soldered to the next component in the circuit, a bit like the practice wannabe designers, like myself, using ‘perfboards’ created their prototype designs.
In the Unum there is no chance of knocking components loose as this amplifier weighs a ton, and all joints are mechanically joined with hooks to give even greater join. They had considered a PTFE board as the dielectric, but it is very soft, so may not have held the components securely enough.
Next, fasteners and bracing materials needed to be well thought about; metal creates magnetism and eddy currents, so they decide to go for Titanium screws, which have a higher tensile strength than common stainless steel screws. Similarly, to affix transistors to the brass heatsinks, rather than using metal screws, Westminster Lab decided to use PEEK screws, which they believe give a clearer, purer and more direct sound over metal screws. They found PEEK was hard, stiff and stable enough, as well as being an excellent dielectric, so no eddy current.
In designing the circuitry use of ears was considered as important as looking at computer simulations or technical readings. WestminsterLab wanted to produce a pure and clean sound, reproducing as close as possible the original sources. That then made them consider what internal shielding should be used inside the solid aluminium frame, and ultimately how internal wiring should be constructed. A detailed investigation by WestminsterLab looked at materials for the wire, the dielectric and even looking at what degree of twisting should be deployed. In summary, Carbon fibre is extensively used as shielding materials for both amplifier and cables, with cabling twisted at various angles depending on where it is deployed in the circuit. What they found out was that capacitance and inductance change depending on the angle it is wound at; a big angle will generate a bigger capacitance and lower inductance they say. In their tests a single angle gave a particular resonance to a particular frequency range which iwas not good for multi-frequency musical signal. To solve this, they decided there should be different angles, coming up with their own self-formulated ‘Vari-Twist’ design, whereby the signal cable is twisted at varying angles throughout the circuit. The inductance of the cable keeps changing in order to minimize the resonance with particular frequencies yet at the same time interference and the magnetic field are still minimized. The art of cable design and manufacture is a big business, and in this review I also used WestminsterLab’s own mains and connector cables.
The unit itself has an off/on toggle on the underside below an etched out symbol next to the words ‘WestminsterLab’ which light up firstly red and then bright white when it is ready for listening to. It’s so nice not to see a simple circular hole for an LED to be inserted. To make the stencil they use an industrial process called EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining) to mill out the complicated graphic shape. A lot of thought has gone into even the indicator of these amplifiers.
At the back are Neutrik XLR’s; the male socket for input and a female for output ‘pre’ the amplification, so you can send the input to further amplifiers if you want to bi- or tri-amp. There is no need for labelling as the male/female XLRs tell you all you need to work out how to connect up. The loudspeaker binding posts are WBT. There is a slight dimple in the stainless-steel top corners of the Unum so they won’t slide about if put more than one unit on top of each other.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
As the unit is quite shallow in size, fitting in a normal toroidal transformer is not easy, so they use an ‘O’ type transformer which is more efficient than usual toroidals, and, according to them, offers cleaner, purer and faster power due to its different iron-core design. Standard toroidal transformers are themselves very efficient, and Angus claims his USA made ‘O’ toroidal to be 95% efficient; with no leak from the core and low eddy current. A second toroidal is used for non-audio functions, such as controls, protection and the LEDs.
Power transistors are first mounted onto a single piece of copper and then mounting this piece of copper onto the aluminium chassis. Controlling their temperature through the clever heatsink helped keep the output sound more stable and dynamic, according to Angus. The power transistors are mounted close together inside a gold plated copper heatsink and then closed up like a sandwich; helping to keep them cooler and all operating at the same temperature. The body of the Unum is solid aluminium and this also acts as a heatsink. The whole amplifier was surprisingly cool in operation for a Class A/B product.
The amplification circuit itself was initially a total surprise to me in several ways. Firstly, the unit is quite shallow, kept very cool, and the amplification section only takes up a corner of the frame, so I assumed it was actually Class-D. Having a fairly small main toroidal power supply wasn’t what I expected either. This unit is actually Class A/B, though the Class-A first section only operates for around ½ Watt which is much less than I would normally like or expect; around 5 Watt would be a ball-park number for me. The Class-B section takes it to around 95 watts @ 8Ω RMS (around 190W peak). This is not a particularly big amp in terms of power, but what it really does well is control everything it plays.
I really did enjoy this amplifier more than I thought I could, and all was made even more enjoyable when using their cables. The Ultra XLR 1m interconnect is £3200, 2.5m Ultra speaker cable is £5,040 and their 1.5m Ultra mains cable is £3600.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Sound
The Oak and the Ash (The King’s Singers) is a very sparse recording and this amplifier gave the music all the space it needed to breathe, without any hint of pressure. Using my Graham Audio LS5/9’s as loudspeakers, the Minnesota Orchestra Pictures at an Exhibition, “The Hut of Baba-Yaga” Mussorgsky, had all the oomph needed to get the movement in full flow, but the mystery of the middle section had so much patience that it felt the music was slowing down. The kettle drum outbursts were clear and fast as they needed to be. Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony is my favourite of the nine, particularly – as a viola player – the second movement, which has a great solo for the instrument. This movement always gets me in floods of tears with its emotion and this performance from The Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra (Herbert Kegel) didn’t leave me dry. The saxophone in the Yuri Honing Trio “Walking on the Moon” was walking in air, contrasting with the urgency in the toms. Each instrument of the trio was positioned in their own well-defined space; the double bass and saxophone very forward in the soundspace; my Leak sends it all to the back in contrast, so I felt very much involved with the musicians.
My old favourite ‘New Orleans Bump’, Wynton Marsalis, includes trumpet, clarinet, banjo and drums, all carefully placed in the recording and this can sound a little rough using some amplifiers, especially the trumpet, but this amplifier kept it all under control and with no hint of bitterness. Wynton was born a year after me, but in his life as a trumpeter, composer, teacher, music educator, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City he has done so much to promote classical and jazz music, particularly to young audiences. The drum solo in Cotton Tail (Dee Dee Bridgewater) was precise and fluid. The audience applause in this live recording actually sounded like an applause, something some amplifiers are not that good at. But at £32K-£66K this monoblock amplifier pair should be good.
Only in Rickie Lee Jones Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, did I find that the vocal was a little less clear than some amplifiers; her voice is not always clear, but I had hoped this amplifier could de-mist the vocals like it did so well to the accompanying acoustic guitar. The problem is that if the voice sounds too clear then you know there is some top-heavy EQ going on, so getting it just right is not easy. She should still sound a bit like she is yawning throughout the piece. The house Krell Class-A KAV250a gave a sound that was further back in the soundstage, and once I had swapped from the WestminsterLab to the Krell I immediately wanted to go through the backache of re-plugging it back in. What the Unum did do, though, was make her voice more real than many amplifiers do. Whilst the Krell has a rather intimate relationship with the AC supply; a gigantic toroidal transformer, over 50,000 microfarads of filter capacitance, and a 2000VA rating, the WestminsterLab appears modest on paper with just 680VA.
This amp might be more Class-B than anything else but it was more in control and with less distortion than one would normally expect a Class-B amplifier to have. This amp had far more up its sleeve than its modest spec might suggest. The Unum has control, fun, space, excitement, speed and good looks, to the point I really didn’t want to give it back.
At the moment there is no distributor in Europe, but if you have the cash spare to buy a Unum you can do so directly from the manufacturer with a “build time” of a week for each basic mono model, rising to a month for the Connoisseur.
There are a number of amplifiers out there in this price range, so do consider them as well, but what WestminsterLab have done is aim for perfection, which cannot be done cheaply. Angus tells me “Over engineering is our game”. Cost is not a consideration in the building of this amp, and they begin with the middle, £44,000 model, and then created the other two models from this starting point. What WestminsterLab has done is forget business and just work to create good audio. If you want a pair, then you will be entering into an exceptional members-only club of fine audio.
Conclusion
‘E Pluribus Unum’ is the motto of the USA; “out of many, one”. In a world of many amplifiers WestminsterLab want there to be no other amplifier like the Unum, and in many respects this is the case.
This is a very special amplifier, one that amazed me, not only in its Rolls-Royce build, but also its unfettered, accurate and musical performance, and not putting aside its technological claims. It might be tame in terms of facilities and power, but the age of powerful monoliths is a tad old hat some would say.
All the care taken in design and assembly of this mono-block make for a very clean and very accurate sound. If you want lots of grunt and an extravert sound then you’ll need to look elsewhere. This one is just plain honest.
Build Quality: Superb attention to quality of build
Sound Quality: Detailed and well controlled audio, covering all frequencies with ease. Exceptionally low distortion for the Class-B stage
Value For Money: At £32,000 for the base model this is a considerable outlay, but for this you will get an excellent sound quality and a clarity and speed of sound that is addictive
Pros:
A unique product Bass slam and speed Accurate and musical performance Low distortion Impressive looks
Cons:
Modest Class-A side of 1/2W, but that Class-B stage is epic Rather a lot of money
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.ETAL Group today announced that it has appointed California-based distributor Nexsun to distribute and design-in its Anaview Class D amplifier modules in North America. Nexsun will complement ETAL’s existing North American sales team on the East Coast, providing both demand creation and a logistical hub on the West Coast of the USA.
Jeff Postupack, North American Regional Sales Manager at ETAL, commented, “I am excited about our new partnership with Nexsun Electronics. We have built up a strong US customer base for Anaview amplifiers, but there is still plenty of further opportunity. We were very impressed with Nexsun’s strong and pro-active sales force, and their technical insight derived from supplying components to the audio industry. Nexsun’s strong design capability will help us engage more closely with US customers especially in California.”
Paul Chen, Director of Engineering at Nexsun Electronics Inc. said, “ETAL Anaview modules have an outstanding reputation in the market for audio design and service quality. We see a great opportunity to take their market leading Class D amplifiers to mid-market US audio companies. Nexsun’s strategy is to expand our range of module suppliers and Anaview fits this strategy perfectly. Anaview modules such as the new compact ALA offer a great deal of integration flexibility, and our engineering expertise allows us to partner with customers to create the audio solution that ideally complements their design.”
Under the agreement, Nexsun will support, stock and supply the full range of ETAL Anaview Class D amplifiers. This includes the new ALA, which sets new standards of audio performance for products where form factor and power consumption are key constraints. With overall dimensions of just 68mm x 33mm x 18mm, the ETAL Anaview ALA series delivers 2 x 45Wrms into 6Ω. It will also offer the Anaview AMS and ALC Class D amplifier modules. The ALC line is one of the industry’s most popular units, with more than 2 million channels shipped over four years. This Class D amplifier family is offered in five different levels of power from 50W to 1000W per channel. Nexsun is developing a growing range of module solutions. It already supplies loudspeakers from BeStar Acoustic Components, specialist connectors from Amphenol Audio and other audio solutions.
The amplifier will make its UK debit at this weeks Windsor Hifi Show, along with the Lavardin K-rak modular table system. The new model is now remote controlled and incorporates new technology to the audio circuit and will be available from mid November.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The Progression mono amplifier is the largest and most powerful amplifier that the company has made, delivering 500 watts into 8 ohms, doubling to 1,000 watts into 4 ohms and doubling again to 2,000 watts into 2 ohms.
The Progression circuitry borrows greatly from our D’Agostino’s Momentum amplifiers. Its design couples their core circuit topologies and introduces a new Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems topology, the Super Rail. The Super Rail, counter-intuitively, uses additional higher voltage power supplies in the input stage than the main output stage. This higher voltage front end provides headroom for the output circuitry. It employs a fully complementary driver stage, outfitted with 84 output transistors—42 for the positive signal and 42 for the negative signal, a nearly 3,000 VA power supply transformer, and 400,000 microfarads of power supply storage capacitance.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
The look of the Momentum amplifiers’ power meters, inspired by the elegant faces of classic Swiss watches, continues with the Progression series. The Progression mono amplifier features a new meter design with a 90-degree needle swing, driven by a high-speed ballistic circuit that enhances the meter’s responsiveness. The longer swing allows the needle to cover the amplifier’s entire output range. The Venturi-style heatsink design premiered in the Momentum amplifiers has been adapted to the cooling needs of the Progression mono amplifier by enlarging the row of openings to each heatsink. Each heatsink is milled from a single, 48.5-pound (22-kilogram) aluminium billet. Pictured in silver, the Progression mono amplifier is also available in black.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Absolute Sounds, UK distributor of high-performance audio equipment will be hosting three rooms at The Hifi Show Live which takes place this weekend (29th-30th October) at the Beaumont Estate, Old Windsor.
They will be showing, among others, Audio Research Foundation Series (pictured), Constellation Audio Virgo III, Dan D’Agostino Momentum M400, dCS Vivaldi 2.0, EAT C-Major, Magico S5 MkII, MartinLogan Expression ESL 13A, Metronome Technologie Kalista DAC, Sonus faber Il Cremonese, TechDAS Air Force III, and Wilson Audio Yvette.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Bryston will be exhibiting at this weekend’s TAVES Show in Canada. For the show, Bryston will be demonstrating the Model T active system featuring the new BAX-1 active crossover engineered specifically for the Model T loudspeakers.
The system will consist of Cubed Series amplifiers and the latest digital components from Bryston.They will also be showing the new BCD-3 CD Player and the BLP-1 turntable.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.This year at the Hifi Show Live, Windsor G-Point Audio are in the Sandringham 6 Suite. The core of the system is built around a digital source: LampizatOr TranspOrt and optional Mac Mini (Audirvana). Playback will be via the LampizatOr Golden Gate DAC, accompanied by LampizatOr GM 70 monoblock amplifiers and with audio cabling from both Skogrand Cables and Albedo Silver. Loudspeakers will be the hORNS Universum MKIII.
They are also taking the opportunity to showcase the latest edition of the My Sound Cubes The latest addition to the portfolio is their Golden Amorphous Premium version of the EL84 monoblocks and they will have a world premier of the new Albedo Mono-crystal digital IC, made of pure monocrystal silver.
The foundations of the system will be the GigaWatt PC-4 Evo power front, accompanied by Verictum Demiurg power cables and X-Block/X-Bulk filtering products.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Mola Mola’s Makua pre and Kaluga power amplifiers are personally introduced by their designer Bruno Putzeys at the show’s Lancaster 4 suite Hifi Show Live, Windsor, UK, 3pm Saturday 29th and 3pm Sunday 30th October 2016.
Bruno is widely acknowledged the inventor of the first audiophile class D: Universal class-D (UcD) in 2001 while at Phillips and, as chief tech guru at Hypex, was responsible for the development of its NCore Class-D amplifier technology.
Mola Mola’s separates will be joined in Lancaster 4 by Vivid Audio’s Giya G4 and B1D loudspeaker designs. The Limited Edition B1 Decade is a 3.5-way/4 driver vented system with tapered tube loading on the mid and high frequency drivers while the reference Giya G4 is a 4-way/5-driver system with all five alloy drivers, taper tube loaded. Both designs feature balsa-cored quadraxial glass composite sandwich enclosures. Designed by Laurence Dickie, formerly of B&W and responsible for their Nautilus loudspeaker.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.If you’re attending The Hifi Show Live at the Beaumont Estate in Old Windsor this weekend, make sure you drop by the room co-hosted by Luxman, the Japanese high-end audio manufacturer now in its 10th decade, and Danish loudspeaker maker DALI.
Luxman’s flagship pre/power amp combo (pictured) will be on demonstration, comprising the C-900u preamp and M-900u stereo/mono power amp, driving DALI’s top of their range Epicon 8 speakers.
A mix of music will be supplied on CD and vinyl, via Luxman’s D-06u CD player and PD-171A turntable, the latter played through the new EQ-500 valve-based phone stage.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.October was a real whirlwind of a month, there were Hifi Shows including Hifi Show Live Windsor and The Indulgence Show plus a huge amount of news and we reviewed gear ranging from £89 IEMs to a £32,000 Power Amplifier. Just in case you missed anything, here is a round up of what happened last month…
Trafomatic is a realatively recent addition to the high-end hifi fraternity and perhaps best known for the £100,000 Elysium monoblocs. This is a Serbian company that exudes quality, detail and perfection. The Belus power amplifier up for review here might not be as expensive as the Elysium, but at a more attainable £3250 this is no less a product says Janine Elliot.
When I hear the words “Hybrid” I think of conventional looking cars with electric engines and petrol backup; cars that say they have impressive consumption levels, but in reality are never quite as good as you would hope for. So to be sent a Serbian Hybrid amplifier I expected perhaps a Class D plus valves to make it more musical. This amplifier is instead more straightforward Push-Pull (class AB) but with the surprise of a single C3m valve working as a single ended class A voltage gain in triode mode for the first stage.
Exicon ECX10P20 transistors and EXC10N20 MOSFETs are at the output, two pairs per channel, working as four transistors per channel in a mini-paralleled push/pull array. The 100 watt into 8Ω power amplifier (140W/4 Ω) works as pure Class A for the first 5-6W and then A/B for the rest. Power is provided by a 400VA toroidal with 8 smoothing capacitors per channel. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Before starting to make amplifiers the company Trafomatic Ltd, set up in 1997, began by making toroidal transformers and electronics for industrial use. From around 2000 they began to make output transformers, only beginning amplifiers in 2007 as Trafomatic Audio, a venture of friends and hifi lovers Saša Čokić and Milorad Despotovic. So, the toroidal transformer and the two high-current chokes in this design are all made in-house, with great knowledge of design, which greatly impact on the sound that this £3250 amplifier produces. Indeed, this amplifier was packed to the hilt with the transformer, coils and capacitors, with the MOSFETs tightly screwed to the heatsinks at the side.
It is so good to see manufacturers today moving away from the usual ECC83’s, 6550s and 300Bs. Saša Čokić really likes the C3m valve (along with the similar C3G) and he is presently working on another product using these tubes. This tube has a good life span, guaranteed for 10,000 hours, which would mean 5-10 years if using them for a reasonable time. The C3m is a vacuum pentode looking unlike normal valves with its black metal cover, rather than the usual glass. Whilst I love looking at valves lighting up through the glass covered vacuum, they will always suffer microphony, so a metal cover reduces this making this one of the lowest sufferers and one of the quietest tube you can buy. And, if you don’t like the metal cover you can remove it to show the glass tube, though because the tube is hidden inside this solidly built and heavy metal topped amplifier with side-fins for the MOSFET heatsink, there won’t be much point.
Made by Valvo and Siemens, the C3m tube was intended for the German telephony system which required audio travelling long distances, so they needed valves with high output and low noise. These were never made for general sale, so the Belus uses NOS tubes. The power amp has a gain switch on the back to adapt to any speaker system; ‘normal’, ‘low’ and ‘high’, all derived from different negative feedback values. So, at the ‘low’ setting 22dB of gain is available (with -9dB of negative feedback and 1.2Vpp input sensitivity), and gives the best signal to noise ratio of the three settings, at 90dB. At the medium setting there is 25dB of gain (with -6dB of NFB, 0.9Vpp input sensitivity) and 89dB S/N ratio, and at the ‘high’ gain setting produces 28dB of voltage gain (with -3dB of NFB, 0.6Vpp input sensitivity) and 85dB S/N. Output impedance at 100Hz is 0.01Ω for low gain, 0.0116Ω for normal gain and 0.085Ω for high gain. I chose to use the unit at the medium setting for the review. The Belus is available in two colours; either black, or silver which has a contrasting brass coloured face plate.
This amplifier looks anything but a valve amplifier; just like those electric hybrid cars looking nothing like I’d expect an electric car to look like. Not that it bothered me in the Belus. This was industrial grade build, something I really liked.
Belus was, so I am told, the son of Poseidon and Libya, one of the demigods and rulers of Egypt. Being half human and half celestial therefore this is an appropriate name for a hybrid amplifier. As Saša told me; “It’s half tube (as God) and half Mosfets (as human!)”. From that I can guess which end he likes best! Mosfets can have a bad temper and be unpredictable, just like humans, though in the Belus they were very much in a controlled, solid state.
The Listening
I always make sure that I am not influenced by looks and weight; both of which with this product are first-rate. After all, how many times does a good looking meal appear to taste better than a bad looking one! But the quality of work in the Belus was certainly food for thought; I really was impressed by the detail of build in this model. It even arrived in a wooden crate with handles, all screwed up on each side.
First impressions on listening were of class. This was a smooth operator with guts and reserve. Music sounded very real and that valve really fed an honest sound, but perhaps it was just too honest. There was nothing that, through my Graham LS5/9s, sounded radical or risky. Connecting to hybrid speakers, in the form of the Eminent Technology LFT8b ribbon, planar and 8 inch woofer speakers at £2500, which I was reviewing at the time, gave a quicker sound whilst still maintaining full frequency and excellent noise floor. Similarly using the appropriate cables was important, too. Ecosse SMS 2.3 give excellent bass and a huge soundstage, so these well-used cables worked well in conjunction with the LFT8b’s.
Rush’s live recording at Kiel Auditorium, Missouri, 14th February 1980 has been remastered on a 180g RoxVox vinyl. A Canadian band set up in 1968 has produced a number of famous tracks that include a myriad of styles and instruments culminating in a progressive rock of occasionally grandiose height – a mix of Led Zeppelin, Cream and King Crimson. This amplifier played it all with musicality and care, though lacked a certain amount of pizazz that I wanted to hear. This amplifier is more on the cautious side of great; a bit like that boy or girlfriend that you sometimes wish would actually start an argument with you, rather than agreeing with everything you say or do. Whilst still full-bodied, sometimes the music was just too tame for me, though listening to London Grammar gave it a chance to show just how good that C3m valve is in focusing everything. “Stay Awake” from their superb album ‘If You Wait’ (vinyl, again) kept my attention with solid bass and a gorgeous voice. Each individual line of script was perfectly formed and jelled to form a uniform whole. There was a density to the sound that made this amplifier feel it wanted to give its soul to the music.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Listening to the remaster of Dvorak’s Symphony No 9 “From the New World” (Herbert Von Karajan, Berlin Philhamonic, HiQ Supercuts) recorded in the Winter of 1957-8 gave me a chance to test out a very mid frequency emphasised recording, which many amplifiers would give off a very “tranny” sound and rather limiting soundstage. The brass can sound very brash, but this amplifier toned it down to be surprisingly musical and easy to listen to. Similarly “La Maja de Goya” by Granados for three guitars (Opus 3 records, on my aged Ortofon 1980’s Pick Up Test Record) gave a very mellow and pleasing listen, particularly with the guitar’s nylon strings. Similarly the next track on the album of Telemann’s Sonata in C Major first movement for recorder and harpsichord gave a fluid performance, but perhaps just missed out slightly on the gusto that some amplifiers have shown to this piece.
Listening to Dire Straits Brothers in Arms “So Far Away from Me” wasn’t actually so far away from where I really wanted this amplifier to be; detailed and showing no sign of stress, one of the reasons I like MOSFETs in the right setting. But in this Hybrid I did feel that actually the tube was the selling point, those bass thumps and vocal lines and guitars were detailed and performed with an ease and musicality. That C3m tube really does improve things! “Your latest Trick” and “Why Worry” (track four and five) were so laid back I just drank coffee and enjoyed.
Conclusion
I really did enjoy playing this amplifier in the few weeks I had it connected up, and in some respects it reminded me of an iconic amplifier I modded a few years back; full weighted and meaty sound with lots of class. This amplifier is extremely easy to listen to, at both low and high sound levels, and works well with all types of music, only perhaps just a tad too slow for some. However, this does mean this amplifier is epic for long periods of listening, something that cannot be said for many amplifiers.
For £3250 this is actually extremely good value and well worth trying out.
BUILD QUALITY: Excellent, industrial quality build including even a wooden box to deliver it to you in.
SOUND QUALITY: Low distortion and very quiet amplifier offering 100Watts of full-bodied sound, working well at all volumes.
VALUE FOR MONEY: At just £3250 this is an extremely good valued offering
Pros:
Accurate but slightly laidback musical performance
Low microphony and long-life of C3m tubes
A well thought out design Works well on all types of music
Solidly built and with good looks
Cons:
Might be rather slow performance for some; some might prefer a brighter and faster sound.
Price: £3250
Janine Elliot
SPECIFICATIONS
Output power: 2x100W (8Ω)
Class of operation: Push-Pull
(class AB)
Tubes complement: 2x C3m
Inputs: 1xRCA, 1xXLR
Speakers DC protetcion
Input sensitivity: 0.6Vrms , 0.9Vrms , 1.2Vrms (selectable by toggle switch at the back side)
THD %: 0.03% – 1W/1KHz, 2% – 100W/1KHz
Frequency bandwidth: 10Hz(-1dB)-40KHz( -1dB)
S/N Ratio: 88dB
Input inpedance: 100K
Power consuption: 300VA
Input voltage: 230VAC-50Hz /115VAC-60Hz selectable at back side
Class D is gaining a good deal of momentum in the audio world. Lionel Payne listens to the the Nord One UP NC500 DMST stereo power amplifier costing £1409.
The Nord One UP power amplifier is the brainchild of Cheltenham based designer Colin North and designed around the Hypex nCore NC500 modules. Built within a three-quarter width all aluminium case, this Class D power amplifier is a true dual mono design. The 10mm front panel is available in standard black or silver, or for a relatively small cost premium, numerous exotic veneered finishes are available. Mine arrived with a very attractive American Black veneer which I felt easily warranted the small surcharge. There is a solitary on/off button to the front fascia which is surrounded by a blue LED light and to each side of this are three parallel grooves. Above the power button lies the Nord logo badge. Around the back are solid brass gold-plated quality binding posts for 4mm banana plugs, spades or bare wire (up to 8mm) as well as an IEC socket, an on/off switch and XLR sockets (note : no RCA inputs here). The Nord One UP can deliver up to 400watts per channel at 8ohms resistance, 700watts at 4ohms and 550watts at 2ohms and despite the Class D generation of amplifiers being renowned for their efficiency and low running costs this power amplifier does run a little warmer than one would expect. However, the casework is well designed and allows airflow through vents on the bottom as well as the top panel. New casework has been announced.
When I first received the Nord One UP it was in Revision B form and came to me with Burson V5 and Sparkos Labs SS3602 as alternative op-amps. These op-amps are interchangeable internally through an eight pin DIP socket and it takes literally a few minutes maximum to change over. I found the Burson op-amp very similar to my old feelings of Class D amplifiers; all being rather cold and clinical affairs , albeit with a fabulous tonality. I’m pleased to say that none of the old feelings arose when listening through the Sparkos op-amps as I now found the music took on an all new feeling of tremendous organic quality. A sound I have to say that really impressed me, particularly given the asking price.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
A short time after receiving the amp I happened to bump into Colin North at a hifi show in the Midlands, and we had a good discussion about his product. He explained to me that the product’s design was still evolving and he had discovered an even better op-amp but unfortunately it was adding unwanted noise to the circuit. He explained that he felt the voltage regulation board was at fault and was working on improvements to make the circuit silent with this new op-amp. I suggested, if possible, that I would love to hear this new version of the product when he had cured its teething problems. A short time later the Nord was sent back to Cheltenham and returned to me in Revision C form with an upgraded (and, I’m told, more costly) voltage regulator with the new Sonic Imagery 994 op-amps installed. Colin had promised a similar sound but with more air around instruments and a much better soundstage with the trade-off being a slightly less fulsome bass response that the Sparkos op-amps could provide. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
On being re-acquainted with the Nord One UP I immediately found that the soundstage had, indeed, improved with Revision C and the Sonic Imagery 994 op-amps (pictured above). Playing Sting’s “Live In Berlin” disc through the Acoustic Precision Eikos CD player resulted in startling imagery as well as superb tonality and timing. I went on to play quite a few of my favourite and most well-known CD’s back to back. I loved the air around instruments and the 3D soundstage which was so much better than I remembered but something kept tugging at my consciousness to tell me something was missing, and try as I might, I didn’t immediately recognise the missing element. The amplifier appeared to be playing music with the same qualities it had shown before – namely, a superb tonality with great dynamics and a wonderful ability to shift scale and weight with tremendous athleticism. Crescendos are replayed with fabulous enthusiasm with the Nord. Listening to Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand” caught me out one time as it followed a quietish acoustic track on my playlist and the opening bell on the track had me jumping out of my skin !
Unfortunately, when the amplifier was returned to me, the inclusion of the Sparkos Labs op-amps had been over-looked and I was left to ponder whether the missing element was linked to the Sonic Imagery op-amps. I contacted Colin for the Sparkos to be sent over and within a few tracks after swapping the op-amps I finally recognised the difference. To my ears, and your opinion may vary from mine, the difference was almost completely visceral. The Sonic Imagery op-amps are very good and I’m sure some will find that they prefer them in their system. However, I found the Sparkos op-amps to be more organic in quality and they would draw me far deeper into the emotion of the music. There is a little more fullness to the lower regions with the Sparkos but it’s far from a chalk and cheese situation. In fact I found the Sonic Imagery to be perfectly acceptable in all areas of the sound spectrum, but emotionally I was drawn in by the Sparkos. This may be a result in my favoured genres of music that I prefer to listen to, as I prefer a good amount of acoustic material mixed mainly with Indie and rock music, although my overall collection is extremely eclectic.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
I have to admit that this review has been quite a prolonged one, and that is partly due to how much I have enjoyed the Nord One UP within my system. It also proved to be a godsend as my own trusty Musical Fidelity Tri Vista 300 integrated amplifier blew a channel during the review period. This required an extensive repair (my grateful thanks to John Sampson of jsaudiorepairs.co.uk for a fantastic job) but while I had the Nord One UP I was never left wanting for more. In fact, as it is a very even-handed, neutral sounding amplifier it proved an invaluable asset during it’s time as my substitute reference.
Conclusion
Having this power amplifier within my system for so long has certainly allowed me plenty of time to analyse its strengths and weaknesses. I have also used it to drive a fair few pairs of loudspeakers, not all of them an easy drive, and I have to say it has proven to have the grip of an Olympic shot-putter on steroids ! It drove Shahanian Obelisks with ease and also, when partnered with PMC FB1+’s delivered a soundscape better than any other amplifier I had ever tried with them.
However, having superb grip and drive is not the only strength of this power amplifier. When subtle is required, the Nord delivers with equal control and finesse. As previously stated it also has a wonderful control of differing dynamics within a mix and delivers crescendos with superb precision. I used even-handed as a description earlier in this review and that is exactly what you get with the Nord. To reveal any weaknesses is a difficult proposition as I feel it has none at all, and at this price point must resemble extremely good value for money. Another selling point is the opportunity to try different op-amps which can tailor the sound to your tastes. It is even an economical amplifier in use, using far less electricity than most other amplifiers with this quality.
What’s not to like? If you are looking for a new power amplifier in this area of expense, get this one on your audition list!