Having recently bought Roksan Monitor Audio are certainly a brand to watch in the coming year. Here Lionel Payne takes a listen to their Platinum PL300ii loudspeakers costing £8000. 

When the Monitor Audio Platinum PL300ii floorstanding loudspeakers arrived I was immediately struck as to how big and heavy they are, particularly within their packaging. They arrived in two crates (part wood, mostly cardboard) and they immediately presented me with a problem of getting them into my house. With packaging, each weighs almost 75kg but once unwrapped they present a much more moveable 54.5kg. This is a good thing as I had to get them up two floors to my dedicated listening room (mancave). Obviously such an expensive item as these has to be packed very safely and I have to say that this was certainly the case here and I  couldn’t help but notice how carefully thought out the packaging process was to make them as safe as possible without adding too much undue weight to the overall packaging. This careful attention to detail was something that I would continue to notice throughout my review period with them.

I like attention to detail !

The PL300ii’s are a 4 driver 3-way loudspeaker with two 8 inch long throw bass drivers with Monitor Audio’s second generation Rigid Diaphragm Technology (RDT), one 4inch midrange RDT driver and a Micro Pleated Diaphragm (MPD) high frequency transducer which you and I would simply call a ribbon tweeter. There are separate grills for the 2 bass drivers and another grill for the combined midrange and tweeter. I tried listening with and without the grills in place and found no discernible difference. The grills are a strong fine metal which fit snugly and require a magnetic tool (provided) to aid removal. There are three available finishes; a piano gloss black and two real wood veneers in either Santos Rosewood or Ebony. All three finishes are completed with no fewer than eleven coats of clear gloss lacquer and then buffed up to give an exquisite finish. The front baffle is covered in the finest Inglestone black leather which allows the loudspeakers, when their grills are in place, to blend into the background quite effectively for such a large chunky loudspeaker.

The cabinets have chamfered sides and there are two rear ports per cabinet, although the midrange drivers are placed within sealed internal enclosures. The loudspeakers are attached to bases which extend the footprint and add to their stability and I loved the design of the spike system. The spikes are far different in design than your normal loudspeakers would have and they can be finely adjusted in situ through the fact that they carry a threaded allen bolt which is accessible from the top (tool provided). Even the attention to detail of the loudspeaker terminals must be applauded. These terminals are at ground level affixed to the base and face upwards which makes so much logical sense to me (am I alone in this ?) allowing the banana plugs to point straight down. The terminals themselves are not round as we see so often but a softly curved triangular shape which makes for a much easier shape to grip and turn.

The cabinets seem to be totally inert when faced with the “knuckle rap test” and a lot of work has gone on beneath the surface to produce this result. The drivers have no visible front fixings as they are ingeniously fixed with a bolt-through system and tightened from the rear. Monitor Audio have also developed a material they call ARC (Anti-Resonance Composite) which is ideal for acoustic design, and is used to aid structural rigidity and vibration damping as well as preventing the propagation of standing waves and modal resonances. 

I was lucky enough to have Monitor Audio’s Technical Director, Dean Hartley, call on me soon after the arrival of the PL300ii’s. Dean’s enthusiasm and pride in being a part of this speaker’s development really shone through in our meeting and the quantifiable reduction in distortion of all the drive units came across, in particular, within our conversation.

Sound 

When a product for review first arrives and is linked into my system I tend to try not to be too concerned how it sounds immediately. Electronics tend to need at least a couple of days to settle down and loudspeakers are often in need of some “breaking in” before sounding at their very best. As soon as I had the PL300ii’s hooked up to my upgraded Musical Fidelity Tri Vista 300 integrated amplifier I immediately recognised that here was a pair of loudspeakers with some very special attributes. I’m fairly sure that the output from the ribbon tweeters is the sweetest that I have ever heard. They seemed to be firing with all cylinders immediately and Dean did verify that the whole of the Platinum range undergo several hours of testing before being released for sale. I remember well the first CD I listened to with these speakers – it was Hard Believer by Fink.

However, without taking any notes I still remember that evening, and that first CD, and the effect they had extremely well.  The clean, smooth sound and wide open soundstage immediately grabbed my attention but the track that really nailed it was track 4, a song called “Pilgrim” which starts with simple beginnings but grows through the track with a rhythm that can take over your whole being. I’ve listened to this track and indeed, the whole album many times but this presentation through the PL300ii’s transcended anything I’d previously heard. At the end of the track I appeared to be in a world of my own as the music had simply taken over my being ! Great music and great hi-fi can do this to you and make no mistake, the Monitor Audio PL300ii’s  are great hi-fi ! The sound from these wonderfully attractive loudspeakers is so beguiling it is hard to fault. With those two 8 inch woofers they produce a wonderful low end which, to my ears, seems just right. The bass is quick, agile and tuneful and it can plumb the depths with the very best. I tested the bass response with several test tracks from the likes of Dead Can Dance, Prince, Erykah Badu and Leftfield which the PL300ii’s passed with flying colours.

Perhaps the standout element of the sound from these speakers is their treble. The ribbon tweeter, or Micro Pleated Diaphragm high frequency transducer if you prefer, is a wonderful addition whatever you wish to call it. When I met Dean Hartley he explained that the distortion from the MPD had been reduced dramatically from the previous incarnation’s ribbon tweeter. It is an improved version of Dr. Oskar Heil’s Air Motion Transformer design and is a folded design which works almost like an accordion and gives a flat and even response right up to 100kHz. It really does sound excellent and produces highs that are crystal clear with real panache and not one iota of over emphasis which can lead to a fatiguing overall sound. In fact, during his visit, I remember playing the Fink CD – Fink Meets The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and thinking how the triangle strikes in The Infernal Machine just seemed to float in space and then decayed so naturally. Further listening to this CD proved how effectual the soundstage is as every instrument appears to have its own space and is clearly defined within a deep and wide soundscape. Another thing to notice about this ability is how well balanced this soundstage is as you are not pinned to one seated position to enjoy the benefits of stereo. I have known certain loudspeakers to have a glorious soundstage as long as you remain rooted in one position but even a turn of the head can ruin this. The PL300ii’s do not suffer this curse and you can still enjoy the soundstaging of the speakers, even when you are seated directly opposite one of the pair. I found their positioning fairly easy on placement as long as you give them a metre minimum behind. I preferred them toed in so each speaker was virtually pointing directly at me but, as always, your view may vary.

It seems almost scurrilous of me to criticise these loudspeakers in any way as I found them to be a glorious addition to my system and a fabulous partner to my (JS upgraded) Tri Vista 300 amplifier, and even Dean commented on the synergy between the pair but there is one thing to mention. I found that they had the uncanny ability to smooth out the leading edge to notes which can be a double-edged sword. With some music this is actually a bonus as it can make edgy recordings more listenable and it certainly makes the loudspeakers completely fatigue-free. An example of this would be Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” from her debut album 19. In my reference system I simply cannot listen to this track as it is far too strident and quite frankly sounds nasty. It became listenable with the PL300ii’s in place but still far from enjoyable. I will keep listening to her live version of the song from her recording at the Hotel Café which is exquisite. However, listening to Fink’s “Sort Of Versions” which is a closely miked acoustic recording of a few of his tracks from his “Sort Of Revolutions” album took a little quality away from the overall mix but it still remained a glorious listen. Another recording which highlighted this trend was The Waterboys’ “In A Special Place: The Piano Demos For This Is The Sea” which I find to be a wonderful but somewhat edgy recording.  The opening track of this (Don’t Bang The Drum) perfectly highlights the differences with the PL300ii’s taking some of the edginess away but perhaps a little excitement with it.

I tried using other amplifiers with the PL300ii’s with good results. I have a Stemfoort SF-200 class AB 100 watt amplifier here for review and the pair worked extremely well together. I also hooked up a vintage Albarry PP4 integrated which has a mere 45 watts in Class AB but had no problem driving the Monitor Audio’s and surprised me as to the quality on offer.

Conclusion 

I can’t praise these loudspeakers highly enough and, quite frankly, given the funds for purchase I would happily pay the asking price (not sure my wife would agree though !). Even watching television with them hooked up improved my viewing enjoyment. I have a more than adequate 5.1 system in my lounge, but the mancave is strictly stereo and the PL300ii’s more than satisfy with their dynamics, fine detail and soundstage. A real tour de force !

Highly recommended !

AT A GLANCE 

Build Quality: Beautiful cabinetry and impeccable build quality 

Sound Quality: Awesome sound at all frequencies with seemingly perfect integration 

Value For Money : They aren’t cheap but worth every penny  

Pros :  

Smooth and sophisticated sound which never becomes fatiguing

The new ribbon tweeter is a gem

Good enough to, perhaps, be your very last loudspeaker  

Cons : 

A slight softening of the leading edge can take away from some recordings 

Price :

£8000

Lionel Payne

Specifications

System Format

3 Way – 4 Driver

Frequency Response (-6dB – IEC 268-13)

28Hz – 100kHz

Sensitivity (1W@1M)

90dB

Maximum S.P.L.

117.8dBA (pair)

Nominal Impedance

4Ω (4.2Ω min. @ 111Hz)

Power Handling (RMS)

300W

Recommended Amplifier Requirements (RMS)

100 – 300W

Cabinet Design

Two HiVe®II ports
Sealed mid-range TLE enclosure

Drive Unit Compliment

2 x 8″ RDT®II long-throw bass drivers
1 x 4″ RDT II mid-range driver
1 x MPD high frequency transducer

Crossover Frequency

MF/HF: 3.4kHz
LF/MF: 500Hz

External Dimensions (Inc. plinth) (H x W x D)

1113 x 410 x 470mm
(43^13/16 x 16^1/8 x 18^1/2”)

External Dimensions (Inc. feet & spikes) (H x W x D)

1158 x 410 x 470mm
(45^9/16 x 16^1/8 x 18^1/2”)

Weight (each)

54.52kg (120lb)

Danish brand Densen need little introduction to audiophiles in the know. Dominic Marsh has a play with their B-130XS amplifier costing £2490. 

I don’t think I need to do too big an introduction to the Densen marque, or the reputation of their products that precedes this review.  However, for those who are not familiar with the name Densen, I can tell you that the company has been trading for over 20 years, is located in Denmark and highly regarded for their quality products.  Simplicity of their designs (especially the casework) has been the keystone of all their designs and unmistakably and uniquely Densen in the implementation.

Construction

This amplifier, so Densen tell me, is a slimmed down version of their B-150PLUS which sounds like there  has been some stripping out and compromises along that road towards this product’s birth, but that is of no concern to me whatsoever as I evaluate all products purely on what is presented to me at face value.

The slim line case and simple front panel controls have always been the hallmark of a Densen product and so no surprises then that the B-130XS integrated amplifier follows in the same layout style.  The review sample was supplied in a brushed black anodised finish and when it came to giving it a dusting I made the mistake of using a yellow fabric duster which left tiny particles where I had dusted, leaving it looking powdery and smeared.  A lint free damp cloth did the trick.

Given that it is a rather compact unit it is surprisingly heavy, due no doubt to the large and heavy toroidal transformer contained within.  The front panel controls consist of four chrome plated round buttons which control the standby, muting and volume up/down, then we find a central LED display showing the volume level setting and the selected source, followed by another set of four round chrome buttons, two for source selection and another labelled “Proc” for an external AV loop and a status button.

To the rear from left to right we find twelve pairs of RCA sockets, labelled CD, TUNER, LINE 1, LINE 2, TAPE 1 & 2 INPUT, TAPE 1 & 2 OUTPUT, PROC IN, PROC OUT and two pairs of pre-amplifier outputs which enables the user to connect additional power amplifiers.  There is also a socket labelled “EPS” so you can fit an optional extra Densen external power supply which boosts the amplifier’s output capability.  Below that is a “D” type male connector marked “LINK” for Denlink connections to other Densen products in multi-room installations.   Finally, there is an IEC power inlet connector and integral mains on/off switch. 

Above the RCA connectors is a removable blanking plate which can accommodate a Densen SB-1 and SB-2 Surround Boards for 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound.  While we are discussing optional extras for the B-130XS, there is available a moving magnet RIAA phono board and to follow soon a moving coil RIAA module too.   For those that require a digital to analogue convertor, a plug in Densen FabelDAC module is available, so there is no need to change models for these facilities, simply plug them in as required.

Specifications

Power output in 8 ohms: 2x80W

Power output in 4 ohms: 2x160W

Power supply size: 500VA

Storage capacity: 90.000uF

THD + Noise @ rated output: Less than 0.05%

Frequency response (+0 -3db): 2-500.000Hz

Weight/shipping weight: 13/14 Kg

Product dimensions (WxDxH): 440x310x64mm

Note that a remote control handset is not supplied as standard.  The Gizmo remote has an RRP of  £199.00, so do bear that in mind when purchasing this Densen product.

Recommended retail price of the B-130XS is £2,490.00.

Sound Quality

I was informed that the B-130XS needed around 200 hours of running in from new so I had to oblige of course.  It did sound a bit heavy and laboured at first hearing fresh out of the box, but within 25 or so hours it began to sound a lot more free and open, so at around 100 hours I began to listen with the amplifier in my system until I had clocked up the required running in period and then began the evaluation.

At switch on the amplifier goes through a brief self test routine and you can hear for about 3 seconds the tick, tick, tick in quick succession of relays being energised, which sounds not unlike an old 1940’s Smiths tin plate alarm clock ticking away.  At first hearing it did surprise me to say the least.

I played a large variety of music through the amplifier and it coped well with every CD that I played, ranging from large orchestral pieces, to heavy rock and acoustic music.

The acid test for me though is how well this amplifier stands up to my intimate knowledge of Fink’s “Wheels Beneath My Feet” live album.  The intro strikes on the Ride cymbal the drummer plays on track one called “Biscuits For Breakfast” is so convincing and just so realistic, as is the pounding kick drum that features throughout the entire album.  Interestingly enough, the benchmark for true high fidelity for me personally is how almost tangible and very much lifelike how the rim shots sound on the Snare drum and the rim, stick strike and shell of the drum must all be audible, the Densen amplifier not only gave a true and life-like rendition of that sound it also managed to recreate the venue’s ambience of those very same rim shots.  Wow, that IS impressive in my book.

This CD has been recorded in different venues throughout Europe during one of Fink’s many tours so the venue ambience is different for each location and the B-130XS amplifier homes in on this like a laser guided missile and missing none of it.  Each audience reacts differently too and this is one of the very few amplifiers I have installed into my system that really does make you feel you are sat in amongst the audience.  No “shooshing” sounds like bacon frying in a pan during the applause, each audience member is an individual, clapping, whistling, cheering and cat calling enthusiastically all around you.  The bass guitar had a real deep biting growl to it and the floor tom whacks by the drummer really did make my listening room shake, which shows the amplifier has plenty of power in reserve despite the modest 80 watts per channel power rating.  This track “Sort of Revolution” has a highly propulsive underpinning to it and will readily show up timing errors in the bass and drums, and I am pleased to report that the B-130XS amplifier is exceptional at bass timing.

When we talk about this level of fine detail, it might be crossing your mind reading this review that this amplifier is a bit explicit or somehow spot lit in its treble and midrange resolution, but be assured it isn’t, as you can listen to this amplifier for hour after hour and it never fatigues, despite the high quantity of fine detail and nuances it is feeding you.  If it did, I would have no hesitation at all in saying so.

Of course, speaker matching is also critical to an amplifier’s performance and I had a few pairs to hand to put the amplifier through its paces.  First of these was the Opera Mezza standmount speakers and this was not a happy marriage; the speakers with their innate forwardness did not suit the B-130XS’s nature so they were taken out and a pair of Roksan TR5 S2’s put in their place.  The Roksan speakers have a healthy bass output and a smooth silky top end from their ribbon tweeter and this pairing was a real joy to listen to with many hours of smooth detailed fatigue free listening.  Then I tried a pair of Audiovector QR1  standmount speakers and the sound took on a faster pace with a more lively dynamic presentation which managed to walk that fine line between “exciting” and “fatiguing”.  The dynamics were spectacular, with transients coming rapidly and dying away equally as fast, which shows the amplifier has excellent control over a speaker’s behaviour.

Conclusion

Negatives?  The crisp edges of the chassis coupled with the heavy weight of the amplifier left red weals on my fingers when moving the amplifier around, although for the end user once installed it will be no further problem.  The remote having to be purchased separately pleases me not, as the majority of manufacturers include one in the purchase price as standard – even a cheap credit card sized one to use initially.

This is no cheap budget amplifier bought either lightly or in haste for sure and Densen acknowledge that by giving a lifetime warranty with all their products to the first owner, so that adds real value to the purchase price.  It can be upgraded with additional external power supplies, a DAC board, surround sound facilities and two phono stages too if that is your desire, so you are not stuck with the one basic model or have the need to buy a better (read more expensive) model as your needs change over time.  A good plus point.

It easily separates out complex musical strands and presents them as individual entities with no clashing or smearing.  Imaging too is precise and three dimensional, extending way out beyond the speaker boundaries, with depth and height well portrayed.

Sound quality is refined and powerful, with seemingly unflappable power delivery.  Timing is excellent, transients delivered with both speed and power, while at low level listening it is as clear and lucid as it is at high volumes.

AT A GLANCE

Build quality:  Heavy gauge chassis panels lend an air of solidity, beware though of the crisp edges when handling.  Contemporary yet ageless styling

Sound quality:  Surefooted and powerful, the specifications belie the raw energy this amplifier can produce

Value for money:  Not in a budget class purchase by any standards, but this is a lifetime purchase with upgrade options available.  The scarcity on the secondhand market speaks volumes

Pros:  Sound quality, ease of use and lifetime warranty, are all included in an attractive package

Cons:  No remote control handset as standard

Price: £2490

Dominic Marsh

The Auralic Mini is a streamer of diminutive proportions, but does this mean it has to compromise on sound? Dan Worth attaches this £450 unassuming black box into his system to find out. 

Flexibility usually comes at a premium in the world of Hifi and streaming devices often have limits to the configuration of outputs and services they offer. Aurelic’s Aries Mini however, is a wireless/wired streaming hub designed for connecting to your existing home audio system. Differing from the full sized Aries the Mini has both digital and analogue outputs, for connection to a standalone DAC or digital amplifier via USB, Coaxial or Optical and can also connect directly to any analogue amplifier or powered speakers via its RCA outputs.

Aries Mini will stream high-resolution music quickly and wirelessly in virtually any sampling rate, even the latest Quad-Rate DSD and DXD. It is powered by Aurelic’s proprietary Tesla hardware platform which has as its brain a Quad-Core ARM Coretex-A9 processor running at 1GHz supported by 512MB of DDR3 RAM and 4GB internal storage. The Tesla platform has a calculation ability of 25,000 MIPS, more than enough to decode a vast selection of audio formats, including AAC, AIFF, ALAC, APE, DIFF, DSF, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, WV and WMA.

In order to obtain music from the Aries Mini one will need to add a library or source to playback from. Options include a NAS via uPnP/DLNA, Minimserver, Twonky, Asset UPnP, JRiver or any other DLNA/uPNP compatible server software. TIDAL, Qobuz and WiMP online streaming, Internet Radio, AirPlay, Songcast and Bluetooth, USB hard drive files or Optional internal HDD/SSD all controlled via the Lightning DS App, which is only compatible with iOS Apple devices, a big disappointment for Android customers, however, an older full sized iPad, iPad Mini, iPhone or Touch would make for a great inexpensive remote control. I use a separate device myself to control my music playback, leaving my iPad for any browsing or music investigation during playback. So be sure to factor this in when purchasing as the Aries Mini has no remote or real onboard controls, just a volume up/down button and play/pause is present for a little additional convenience.

I had a few initial issues with the Lightning DS app. I could play one track from my NAS and the app would freeze or crash out, the current song would continue to play and I would need to reload the app, play one track and the same would happen. I quickly gave up and listened to another source and contacted Auralic.

After the Xmas period had passed and I was recovered from all the treats that the festive period brings I thought I’d try the Lightning DS app again, noticing that Auralic had indeed left me a message to arrange a convenient time to have a chat over the telephone to determine where the problem may lie and to my satisfaction, whatever little bug may have been preventing normal use, whether on my network, iPad or the app itself had been resolved and I was soon using all features of Lightning DS without any issues.

Firstly I went back through many of my own personal albums on my NAS drive, as this is where I first began and was a quick and easy way to get some appreciation of what the Mini had to offer. Performance and usage of the system reminds me very much of the Squeezebox setups of the past, the sonic signature is very informative and detailed, overall dynamics are strong and somewhat unexpected from this little Apple TV sized box, and it soon became clear that sonically the Aries Mini was a leap ahead of the famous Squeezebox devices. Clarity in the upper registers is very good indeed and really nicely detailed and open, the midrange showed strong vocal presence and clarity of tone, bass lines were punchy and detailed, whilst lacking the lowest of extensions had a shape and presence to the bass which is musical, fun and bouncy.

I much prefer what the Aries Mini does with more upbeat and toe tapping music, the more mellow stuff is still dealt with very tastefully, but for me the Mini is an enthusiastic fun loving little fella with a big smile and a big heart, rather than a slipper touting, pipe smoking old man retired to the compost heap!

This comment had me instantly thinking of a dear friend of mine, Barrie is 87 and far from a compost heap. He always has a smile on his face and has a great sense of humour. We often sit around his house listening to his system and a wonderful arrangement of Trad Jazz, which I enjoy very much. It’s usually not long before Barrie gets up and starts dancing around the room too and educating me on some of his most favourite artists. It goes to show that age is only a number and the heart and soul are a constant throughout life. The Aries Mini has a heart and soul for life just like Barrie and the fun loving care free way it presents music isn’t really your typical hifi sound, it’s just musically enjoyable and most satisfying.

Next up and keeping in line with local library playback I popped a Samsung Evo 850 250gb SSD drive into the underside of the Aries Mini, which is an incredibly easy task for anyone who can undo two screws. Simply slot the drive into position and attach the underside flap. Moving files from the NAS or a local computer shared on the network to the internal drive was a breeze through the rather comprehensive Lightning DS App and playback produced a darker background and more insightful performance playing from the SSD direct, allowing for even more information to come through. Soundstaging was notably more focused and had cleaner edges to the overall width, yet still retaining that great Aries Mini sound character.

Alongside the ability to play local files Auralic have given the Mini the ability to play and emulate your TIDAL and Qobuz accounts, no Spotify Connect though I’m afraid, which is a big disappointment as something such as the Aries Mini wouldn’t be my first choice for critical listening in a high-end system and nor is Spotify, but both would get more use (as they have done individually) for when friends come over. The combination of the fun musical presentation and the sheer amount of playlists Spotify offers would have been a match made in heaven for me personally. On further inspection the Mini does offer the ability to play Spotify through the Airplay feature from an iOS device, adequate but not as good as having it integrated.

TIDAL however, which I also subscribe too has come along way since its release and through the Mini sounds fab, far better than Spotify Premium would,  but the pre-made playlists are not as vast. Needless to say I got on with the combo extremely well and love how fast the Lightning DS app rendered, buffered and selected everything I wanted to hear.

Sat back going through many genres on TIDAL I had a chance to explore the soundstage a little further; it’s not the airiest of soundstage, but it’s very encapsulating giving harmonic references to notes all around my room, again its that Auralic draw you in sound that boasts musicality rather than what many refer to as a hifi sound that captivates listening.

Qobuz, another newbie to quality lossless streaming is also supported and also very easy to setup through the app. I’m not as big a fan of Qobuz as I am TIDAL, I think it still has a long way to come with its PC orientated GUI, although on the Lightning DS app it appears very nicely. Sound quality for me and also to a few other friends who had listen is not quite as good as TIDAL, but I think over time Qobuz is going to be extremely effective and build significantly on its already strong platform. Most importantly that Auralic character shone through and did smiley things to my face…again!

I must say I was impressed with the Aries Minis via way of rendering radio stations, first of all there are options for, genre, worldwide and local stations, navigation and buffering was extremely fast and the Mini produced great flow and musicality to radio stations over the range I tried, admittedly more for background listening but I did find myself using radio more on the main system over my time with the Mini as it was just so easy and sounded very pleasing.

During the review process I had the opportunity to also use the various connections from the Aries Mini and my findings were that the coaxial RCA output provided the most consistently lovable sound. Optical is never as good, but with a glass optical cable was far better and USB was very good indeed and the USB implementation of the DAC in question (I tried a few) plays a big factor in overall performance. There were no bad ways of connecting the Aries Mini, including wired or wireless, there just happened to be slightly better configurations if you like to compare and get the best from this flexible little sprite.

Lastly in order to be thorough and for my own interest I connected the Aries Mini to my Focal CMS Actives, now this would be for me an absolutely brilliant and compact system for any other room in the house from the main system. A simple wireless connection, internal or network hard drive and an iPad on a stand offers a fully integrated digital system that sounded fantastic. The Focal’s detailed and clean approach was backed up with the Mini’s flare for reproducing music. This system in an office or kitchen, even a bedroom would be a staple that the majority of people would simply fit and forget.

Conclusion

I didn’t really expect too much from Auralic’s entry level streamer the Aries Mini; I had the misconception that like many other lower priced streaming devices that the sound would be somewhat flat and lack lustre. How wrong I was, the Aries Mini is the most fun I’ve had from my music in a non hifi sense in a while. It’s a feature rich streamer that integrates the most popular lossless streaming services and radio with the families local files to produce a musical and enthusiastic sound that for the money could be called a gift from Santa at this time of year.

The perfect companion to any mid priced system and for those with more expensive tastes a truly great addition to less critical listening in other areas of the home.

AT A GLANCE

Sound Quality: The most fun you will have for £450 unless you live in Amsterdam!

Build Quality: Simple and solid

Value For Money: Brilliant, you can’t put a price on musicality, so if Auralic deems it at £450 then I’m convinced 

Pros:

Musical, enthusiastic, detailed and fun sound

Feature rich software

Digital and analogue outputs

Good app 

Cons:

No Spotify Connect (although Spotify can used via AirPlay) 

Price: £450

Dan Worth

The Auralic Mini is a streamer of diminutive proportions, but does this mean it has to compromise on sound? Dan Worth attaches this £450 unassuming black box into his system to find out. 

“Flexibility usually comes at a premium in the world of Hifi and streaming devices often have limits to the configuration of outputs and services they offer. Aurelic’s Aries Mini however, is a wireless/wired streaming hub designed for connecting to your existing home audio system. Differing from the full sized Aries the Mini has both digital and analogue outputs, for connection to a standalone DAC or digital amplifier via USB, Coaxial or Optical and can also connect directly to any analogue amplifier or powered speakers via its RCA outputs…”

Read the full review here 

Janine Elliot checks out the multi-driver Optoma HEM4 In Ear Monitors costing a penny short of £250.

Normally when I am confronted with multi-driver IEMs I am rather worried that the sound will be disjointed or confusing. In an ideal world a single driver is the best option, and generally the bigger the driver the better the bass, though there are some 5mm drivers that get pretty low as well as a speedy extended top end. So, to be confronted with a new series of four IEMs with 1, 2, 3 or 4 of the successful high-resolution Knowels™ balanced armature drivers for each ear was going to be interesting for me. The HEM4 as the second model in the range is equipped with two drivers, part of the range designed to please the budding on-the-go listener right through to the professional musician and audiophile.  American company Optoma really have pulled out all the stops to create a complete range of IEMs to please everybody. I have reviewed a number of Optoma IEMs in the past and this product was for me the pinnacle of my acoustic travels with the company.

The use of Knowels™ drivers is paramount to the success of this series of monitors. Their history goes back to 1946, set up by Hugh Knowles in the USA and originally making microphones, speakers for TVs, and hearing aids. Balanced armature drivers have actually been around since the 1920s primarily in headphones used with crystal radios, though they were then much bigger with the diaphragm round-shaped, like the soundbox on a wind-up phonograph. In the simplest of terms these modern rectangular shaped balanced armature receivers have a coil inside which due to inducing a magnetic field when playing audio through it moves one end of a “U” shaped metal unit which has a magnet attached. As the end of the u-bend moves about it vibrates a diaphragm above it via a minute “pin” that joins the two. The change of air pressure inside is forced out of a little hole which then forms the music you hear. Having several of these diaphragms inside, for specific frequencies is like having a 2 – 3 ½ way loud-speaker in your lugholes. A clever idea, but what is really clever is making sure the sounds mix well together. The larger the balanced armature receiver, the larger the diaphragm is and therefore it can displace more air making it potentially louder than a smaller one.

For this review I chose the HEM4, at mid-price of £249.99 as this is the sort of price an audiophile should start serious listening at. Designed for professionals and audio enthusiasts this model has two Knowels™ drivers; a larger and smaller diaphragm for low and high frequencies, respectively. In blue this was my favourite colour; the others are in red for the HEM2 and black for both the HEM6 and HEM8.  What always pleases me with Optoma products is the high level of accessories and standard of presentation, and this model was no exception. Not only is there a solid carrying case for you to put the headphones in (common to all in the range), but it also has a waterproof display case, just in case you take it into the shower with you. Whilst looking superb, like the waterproof cases for sports cameras, this case isn’t much use unless you remove the foam insert inside it which is to place the IEMS in when detached from the cables. Yes, you have a choice of two cables to insert, both of which are superb quality, but slightly tricky to do correctly, largely finding which is the left and which is the right lead, as only the earphones themselves have L/R, and the instruction manual isn’t that helpful with colour-coding of the cables. But, once you have mastered this (yellow line is right, white is left) makes future dismantling easy. Firstly there is a basic cable with microphone and inline remote, and a better looking braided high-end cable for the best possible performance. The high-end cable is made of OFC and silver, while the 2-pin cable connectors are a proprietary mix of silver and copper with separate ground return for each channel. Both cables have ‘L shaped’ 3.5mm jacks, a must for the serious audiophile. Not only does it look better and less likely to be whacked but it also reduces the chances of the socket being disconnected from the PCB on your portable player if knocked. The list of accessories is equally well thought out, with a 3.5mm – 6.3mm gold plated adapter, 5 pairs of soft silicone ear tips, 2 pairs of Comply™ memory foam ear tips, a cleaning tool with brush and a very important lapel clip.  I found that very useful; most manufacturers miss these out so I end up making something out of paper clips to save cables jangling about as I walk to the shops.

Putting on these IEMs can be harder than you think first time, as the cable needs to go around your ear-lobes and which then holds the earphones firmly in your ears,  but as a veteran of IEM testing I have now got it sorted. As a wearer of glasses I am not in favour of this method, but that is only my personal opinion. The Optoma instructions show you how to fit them around your ears in case you do need help, so you will also need a mirror. Once secured you hardly notice you are wearing them at all; doing swift walking and bending down didn’t budge them, largely explaining why this type of design is favoured by musicians and broadcasters. They are also very comfortable, especially using the Comply™ memory foam ear tips, which gave the better bass and sound isolation.

On first listening my thoughts were just how musical and exciting the sound was; they are very efficient players with 110dB sensitivity and a frequency response of 18-40,000Hz. The sound was very ‘forward’ showing a surprisingly excellent 3D soundstage for IEMs.   Listening to Sibelius Symphony No 2 (Simon Rattle, Berliner Philharmoniker 24bit/192kHz) showed an excellent warmth and clarity, with exceptionally fast transients, something also very noticeable with the acoustic guitar in David Gilmour Rattle that Lock ‘5 A.M’. It might be early in the morning but the instruments were wide awake and crystalline clear. I could even detect a squeaking gate at one and a half minutes in, perhaps David leaving for his mobile recording studio on the Astoria houseboat on the Thames, something I hadn’t heard before. The earpieces themselves are manufactured using an acoustically calculated, vibration-free Lexan™ polycarbonate resin which is an amorphous engineering thermoplastic, considered to have outstanding mechanical, optical, electrical and thermal properties. They are also very lightweight at 5 grams.

Whilst the mid’s and treble were exceptionally detailed and with a warmth that made you want to keep on listening, the bass was equally powerful. For those liking extreme bass clout you will not be disappointed; Pink Floyd Pulse track “Astronomy Domine” has an aggressive percussive bite particularly with kick and toms that the Optoma played with pout. If this track hadn’t woken me up listening on my choice IEMs, the HEM4 certainly did now. Not that it was OTT. It was just so clear and speedy.  Boy, was this so much better than the Primo 8 four-driver goliath that I reviewed last year, and that one was a thoroughly good player at £150 more.  Playing Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem (24/96kHz, Kansas Symphony Orchestra, Michael Stern) on that bicycle helmet looking IEM gave a transparency of sound that more than met its price point. Now on the HEM4 this music was even clearer. Where the Primo 8’s top-end left me wanting, the new HEM 4 was superb,  producing  better coherence between instruments with a much tighter and clearer portrayal of the music.  Dadawa ‘Sister Drum’ track “Crossing the Ridge” separated the drums, flute, voices and synthesiser instrument parts with ease and authority. This album is not the easiest to hear well in a crowded road, but this IEM could have been studio monitors as it kept me informed with detail even as I wandered the high street.

Conclusion 

At a penny under £250, these IEMs are a highly recommended choice for the serious music listener and professional alike. With musicality pouring out of everything I played with both warmth and clarity, it played classical music with affection and heavy rock with grunt. Once you get used to inserting in your ears you will wonder why you didn’t wear earphones this way before.

AT A GLANCE

BUILD QUALITY:  Very comfortable and lightweight. Excellent build with lots of accessories. Detachable leads.

SOUND QUALITY:  Accurate, full frequency sound with excellent bass and articulation of sound
VALUE FOR MONEY:  Excellent value for money package. More than £249.99 worth of quality sound.

Pros:

Excellent full frequency response.
excellent warmth and clarity, with exceptionally fast transients.
Effortless musicality.
Lots of accessories, and excellent cable.

Cons:

Nothing at this price. Perhaps bass could perhaps be over enthusiastic at times.

Price: £249.99

Janine Elliot

Dominic Marsh takes a listen to the £ 699 budget conscious Cyrus ONE integrated amplifier fr Hifi Pig

To be absolutely honest, I have never owned or even listened to a Cyrus product before.  I suppose that means that I can happily ignore any preconceptions or rely on recalling the performance of any previous models and take what is placed before me to review at face value. That’s exactly what I prefer when it comes to reviewing, by not having my judgement clouded or prejudiced.

Construction

A simple contemporary design sits well with me and the Cyrus ONE amplifier ticks those boxes. Front panel controls consists of an on/off power switch, a 6.3mm headphone socket with it’s own dedicated Class AB amplifier driving it, two large rotary controls for source selection and volume settings, matched by corresponding LEDs to show which source has been selected and a number of the same type of LEDs surrounding the volume control to give a rough idea of where the control has been set.  I say “rough idea” because the next up or down LED is lit up on every third clicked increment of the volume control.  The volume setting is however accurate and those two additional ‘clicks’ between LED light up are of no consequence as three times as many LEDs would be required for each one-to-one volume control increment – plainly not necessary in practice.

Available sources are an APTX Bluetooth connection, a moving magnet phono input, three unassigned line inputs (Labelled 3, 4 and 5) and an AV input.  There is also a pre out facility which can be used for an additional power amplifier or combined with the AV input for an AV system loop through connection.  These are provide by single ended RCA connectors on the rear panel, plus a socket labelled “upgrade” which I made good use of during the evaluation.  There are two full sets of binding posts for biwiring, fitted with little plastic inserts to prevent the insertion of round two pin mains plugs (Which we in the UK don’t use), which also by misfortune won’t allow 4mm banana plug insertion either, so the first job is to dig them out with a sharp knife if you wish to use banana plugs.  The absurdity of the ‘nanny state’ never fails to amuse me.  However, because there are four closely grouped binding posts per channel, I found it nigh on impossible to fit spade connectors that my own speaker cables are terminated with.  The binding posts themselves are made with the bare minimum of metal with plastic forming most of the construction, which did let the amplifier down a tad.  I would much rather have two good solid binding posts, as those folks that have a predilection for biwiring are able to buy suitable speaker cables terminated with two to four connections, the two connections fitted at the amplifier end and the four connections at the speaker end.

The front panel is made from a shiny black plastic and the outer case is made from sheet steel with a black finish.  The steel is only just of a thickness that I would call adequate, which is a sign that pricing played a major part in the design decisions made by Cyrus.  That doesn’t bother me personally because once installed I wouldn’t pay any more attention the thickness of the chassis provided it does what is intended of it, which it does.

Inside the amplifier we find the power amplifier section is rated as 100 watts per channel into a 6 Ohms impedance, using hybrid Class D topology which Cyrus are keeping quiet over what the “hybrid” part is.  Cyrus have incorporated a speaker impedance detection (SID) circuit which does what it says on the tin – detects the impedance of the speakers connected to the amplifier and I shall mention “SID” again later in the review.  At switch on, the amplifier performs a self test routine which activates the LEDs in sequence, first incrementing then decreasing, so the source LED set ends with the previous selection and the volume LEDs track all the way down to zero, although I would prefer the previous listener volume setting, although that is a minor niggle you learn to easily live with.

Cyrus provide a simple compact remote control which enables source selection, volume up/down and muting, balance control, AV direct and LED brightness adjustment, which is a useful feature if you are not enamoured by looking at bright LEDs. I didn’t find them at all intrusive at the factory default setting. The ONE can also be controlled by Cyrus’s app. 

Specifications

Cyrus 3rd generation hybrid Class D amplifier – 2 x 100W (into 6 Ω at 0.1% THD+N)

Dimensions: (H X W X D) – 85 x 220 x 390mm

Weight – 5.6kg

Price at time of testing:  £699.00 (999.00 Euros)

Sound Quality

During the early part of the evaluation I was a bit perturbed by a fairly loud ‘pop’ from the left hand speaker only at switch on, after the self test routine had completed. I got in touch with Cyrus who said the SID circuit was responsible and an upgrade to the latest firmware would cure this.  Unplugged the Cyrus ONE from the rack, hauled it over to the PC and some digging in the cables drawer found the right USB lead and connected the two.  Download a small file from the Cyrus website to your PC or MAC and within moments the firmware is updated. If a dummy like me can do it, anyone can, or your friendly Cyrus dealer should be able to help if you don’t have computer access.  From a loud ‘pop’ down to a quiet brief buzz from the now upgraded firmware meant the SID circuitry goes about its business a bit more inconspicuously.

Onto the sound quality now and I was a tad afeared the Class D amplification in the ONE amplifier would produce an over lively or cold/clinical/bland kind of sound, but not so.   I found it agile and fleet of foot, full bodied too and clean sounding in the mid frequencies.  No peaks, no troughs, no rough edges, no glare, no harshness, no brightness, no overblown or anaemic bass, no holes at all within the audible spectrum.  Should I be pleased or concerned by this?  I was actually very pleased that the ONE isn’t using a “Class” of amplification that can cause some issues; it is always the design and implementation of any amplifier class that is the key.

Into my resident system it went then and it gave a good account of itself, by having excellent control of my speakers in the bass registers and not provoking any fizz from the tweeters which are only a whisker away from with using inferior amplification.  Good result.

I then paired the ONE with various other speakers to get a handle on how SID (Speaker Impedance Detection) circuit works and delivers sonic benefits.  First up was a pair of Roksan K2 TR-5 Series 2 speakers which I have on loan courtesy of Roksan.  The TR-5’s have a healthy bass output and a sweet top end with its fine ribbon tweeter in my resident system and the ONE amplifier maintained those traits with the bass having better control and dynamics, overall sounding cleaner in the midband, losing none of the silky sweetness in the treble registers.

Next I tried a pair of Tannoy Revolution XT6 stand mount speakers fitted with the Tannoy dual concentric drivers.  In my own system the bass was a bit on the woolly side with these speakers, but the ONE amplifier gave the XT6’s a dose of adrenaline it seems because they came to life and no small measure of vitality was added, making them a very pleasant listen.

Finally a pair of Audiovector QR1 speakers was hooked up, again endowed with a superb ribbon tweeter that paired really well into my resident system and equally at home being powered by the Cyrus ONE amplifier too.   This was my favourite pairing with the ONE amplifier as it gave a stunning performance that you could listen to for many hours without fatigue or becoming jaded with the sound, as each CD had new windows into the music being added.  If ever I get the urge to downgrade or cease reviewing (maybe a second system perhaps?) I might be tempted to seek out this pair to be my own as neither amplifier nor speaker outclassed each other.

London Grammar’s “If You Wait” CD went into the player and I pressed the play button.  Track one is called “Hey Now” recorded with echo and ambience added which gives a faux ’empty cathedral’ echo type effect and that should sound vast, which it did, so sounded like it was many yards deep.  Bass was full and rich, kick drum had a solid powerful punch to it, female vocals clear and vibrant, treble fast and clean too.  I listened to the entire album from start to finish and try as I might I couldn’t find any real fault with what I was hearing.  Time for something a bit more challenging then.

Next into the CD drawer was Porcupine Tree’s “Deadwing” album which  to me either sounds sublime, or dreadful, with not much middle ground to stay safe on. Track one is the title track ‘Deadwing’ and gets pretty raucous and frenetic in places that easily wrong-foots many systems.  At five minutes 40 seconds the pace changes to a much slower one and it’s a merciful relief at times.  Then a minute or so later there is a long low bass guitar riff that must roll out of the speakers seamlessly and full of powerful energy, that I pay extra special attention to as a benchmark test.

Of course I had to let loose on the Cyrus ONE my reference recording to see where if any deficiencies in the ONE’s performances lay.  Fink’s “Wheels Beneath My Feet” live album has enough benchmarks for me to spot instantly where timing errors are, bass power and heft is lacking, any treble resolution maladies, midband accuracy and a whole list of other benchmark tests that I subject any component to that is presented for review.  Of course these are very much coupled to the price a component commands, where it sits in the market against any competitors and notwithstanding the claims made by the manufacturer, so there is a complex sliding scale involved here too and where I need to I will be critical  on high price tag items and a lot more forgiving at the budget end of the scale.  Nevertheless, there are specific criteria there for all to meet. One of these is the floor tom whacks the drummer metes out to the drum kit during the track “Sort of Revolution” which has to get the floor and walls thumping in my listening room.  The Cyrus ONE has plenty of power and low down grunt for this task and to generally convey the driving bass and drum lines during the entire track, carried along by the audience clapping along.  Imaging and soundstage were up to the mark if not to an exceptional level, with good instrument placement, good depth and height, the width only just outside of the speaker boundaries.  It all has to flow in seamless harmony, in time, in tune, with no drop outs, smearing or clashing.    I was though very impressed at how the Cyrus ONE managed to hold all of these in check in an insightful and unflappable way.  It doesn’t have that final n-th degree of fine detail and resolution though and it is only when you directly compare it to other amplifiers which come with a much higher price tag that you would notice that, so on it’s own with no side-by-side comparisons you couldn’t tell otherwise, which given it’s modest price of £699.00 I have no right to belittle it’s fine abilities.

Conclusion

To sum up then, here we have an amplifier that has a set of competencies that you wouldn’t expect at this price level.  Arguably, the remote control handset could be a more substantial affair (Although I believe other Cyrus amplifier remotes will work), a thicker gauge of steel in the casework and how much more would a set of good quality single run wired speaker terminals cost in reality?  Cyrus have obviously looked at those costs already and cast their die in the design specification brief, so you either live with it or not as your own conscience dictates.

Aside from those minor gripes which have no impact on the way it sounds, I think Cyrus have done a good job of producing an amplifier that sailed through all of my review listening tests and emerged with it’s head held high.  Sure, that final level of fine detail could be addressed, but there is always the fear that harshness could creep in via putting that right and I would sooner take the amplifier exactly as it is than the risk of adding some rough edges in there by trying to cure that.   The SID circuit may or may not be contributing towards the amplifier’s ability to team up with a variety of speakers that sounded just a tad lacklustre when paired with other amplifiers, as in the Tannoy Revolution XT model I tried.  If that is true, then that negates an awful lot of synergy fears for prospective buyers.

AT A GLANCE

BUILD QUALITY:  Adequate is the right word here.  Nothing broke or fell off during the evaluation.  The speaker binding posts could certainly be improved

SOUND QUALITY:  Apart from a slight curtailing of detail at the extreme treble, it gave a full satisfying sound quality, free of harshness and fatigue.  Easy to pair with most speakers via the SID circuit

VALUE FOR MONEY:  Busting good value at this price level

Pros:  Sound quality, compact size, purchase price. SID circuitry

Cons:  Binding posts are the one blemish for me with this amplifier

Price: £699

Dominic Marsh

Janine Elliot checks out the multi-driver Optoma HEM4 In Ear Monitors costing a penny short of £250.

“The use of Knowels™ drivers is paramount to the success of this series of monitors. Their history goes back to 1946, set up by Hugh Knowles in the USA and originally making microphones, speakers for TVs, and hearing aids. Balanced armature drivers have actually been around since the 1920s primarily in headphones used with crystal radios, though they were then much bigger with the diaphragm round-shaped, like the soundbox on a wind-up phonograph. In the simplest of terms these modern rectangular shaped balanced armature receivers have a coil inside which due to inducing a magnetic field when playing audio through it moves one end of a “U” shaped metal unit which has a magnet attached….”

Read the full review here..

Stuart and Linette take a listen to the unique Volya Bouquet loudspeakers costing €120 000. 

I first came across the Volya Bouquet speakers at last year’s High-End show in Munich last year and was impressed enough to drag Linette away from a meeting to come and have a look/listen.

Let’s not beat around the proverbial bush here, the Bouquet’s are aesthetically unlike any piece of Hifi that I’ve ever come across and their look is not going to be to everyone’s taste. The enclosures are based on the form of a traditional Ukranian spoon (yep, you read it right) and are hand painted in traditional Petrikovskiy designs by Lyudmila Gorbulya. Because they are hand painted each speaker’s paint-job is slightly different and unique – whilst completely unusual I actually really love the design.
Each of the enclosures is constructed from MDF with the walls of the speakers varying in thickness from 35mm to 50mm and with internal bracing throughout and with no parallel lines anywhere in an attempt to reduce standing waves. Inside the enclosure sheep wool is used as a dampener.

All internal wiring is “super-pure” copper and the crossover components are made by Mundorf and Goertz with the actual crossover itself being on three separate boards. German brand Accuton make the drivers used in the Bouquet with the pair of woofers being 280mm (11 inch) Kevlar/ceramic sandwich construction and are rear-ported. There is a mid-bass driver at the top of the enclosure of 220mm (8 inch), a mid range of 50mm (2 inch) and a diamond membrane tweeter of 25mm (1 inch). Impedence is 4 Ohms and the Bouquets are 86dB sensitive.

The two bass drivers are in the “bowl” of the spoon with the lower driver pointing slightly upwards and the upper driver pointing slightly downwards. Likewise the mid-bass driver points downwards towards the listening position. These are visually an imposing speaker, not only because of the striking paint-job, but also because of their physical size – they stand nearly 2 metres in height and weigh a not inconsiderable 105 kg each!

System used for the duration of the review period was as follows: Chord DAVE DAC, Musical Fidelity CD player, Novafidelity X50, Music First Baby Reference V2 Preamplifier, Merrill Thor and Nord amplifiers with mains cables being by Atlas, interconnects by Tellurium Q and speaker cables by Chord and Tellurium Q.

Sound

The first CD in the tray, because it was already in there from a previous listening session was Gong’s Floating Anarchy and it being an early morning start volumes were kept at an uncharacteristically low level. What first struck was the utter lack of any kind of bass bloat…regular readers will know this is pretty much the first thing I listen for. Bass guitar really did sound like a real bass with absolutely bags of detail. On the track Allez Ali Baba Blacksheep -Have You Any Bullshit the intricate bass runs are presented really beautifully and even at these low levels there’s just bags of micro detail apparent and a really live feel to the music. The next thing to grab my attention on this album was the swirling synth that just comes out of thin air and move around the soundstage in a stunningly three dimensional and utterly believable way – the speakers do disappear in this respect! Reading my notes through I’m making it sound as though the Bouquets are separating everything up into its component parts but the reality is that whilst each individual part of the performance is clearly distinguishable, it still comes together as a whole and with a real sense that you are listening to a live band. I put this down to the way the mid-bass and mid-range drivers are angled downwards towards the listener making it feel that you are really among the crowd at the concert.

Todd Terry’s Resolutions album is a breakbeat and bass fest and I’m pretty certain that this kind of music is certainly not what Volya had in mind when designing these speakers, but my thoughts on this are that a speaker, particularly one costing as much as the Bouquets, should be able to play anything that you care to throw at it…and anyway it’s a great album and a terrific work out. This is electronic music and I know there will be people reading this that don’t think this is right or proper material for using in a review…but I disagree strongly on this; I know this music inside out and what can I say…it sounds magnificent on the Volyas! The insight into the stereo mix is brilliant. It is accurate and the spatial elements within the mix and presented in a fashion that is almost reach out and touchable. This is a complex record with deep electronic bass that some speakers can get totally lost with but the Volyas just don’t put a step wrong and feel sure footed and composed throughout, whilst at the same time keeping that edge of your seat excitement. And then there’s the detail again in the top end frequencies; hats on Blackout are fast and furious and here you are getting every hit of the drum machine. There’s also that same feeling of being enveloped by the music and the mix which is a really addictive trait of these speakers. These are incredibly communicative and detailed loudspeakers, and despite the sound levels having crept up quite dramatically they never sound stressed or on the point of losing it; composed, calm and unflustered are words used in my notes. Track two on the album is a funky workout based around one drum sample that Terry messes about with and all the way through is a nagging cowbell which here just shines out and grabs your attention. When Terry filters the beat you hear everything that he’s doing in the studio. I’ve noted here that I’m aware that the speakers are disappearing sonically with the soundstage extending well beyond the speakers laterally and well behind and forward too… I like that! At the end of this track there is a fade out of just one sample and today on the Volyas there is real detail and you can hear that it’s actually a vocal sample that has been heavily processed…it sounds like “Ftz” and I’ve never heard it in quite so much detail before. Keeping with this album and track three has a brass sample that with the Bouquets just cuts through the rest of the mix with a force that makes you sit up and pay attention.

I’m making the Bouquets sound as though they are like a studio monitor and in many ways that is how they come across to me; they just allow so much detail and micro-detail to reach the listener and it comes through with pinpoint accuracy and very little colouration. I really could see these speakers being used as high-end studio’s main monitors. You are really drawn into what is happening in the mix and get every effect, sample or drum hit. I really am hearing stuff on this record that, whilst I was previously aware they were there, I’m now getting a more defined and complete feel to the overall sound these little sonic clues bring to the tunes. I’m sat just listening and getting into the grooves of the tunes, but I’m also aware that I’m hearing them as you would when you really sit and try to analyse the sound in a critical manner…but without having to try…if that makes sense.

It’s not long before I’m kicked out of the sweet-spot by Linette and whilst the stereo image is no longer quite as holographic and focused as it was there is still a feeling that you are amongst the music. These are speakers you can enjoy with friends, but you are still going to want to keep the best seat in the house for yourself. I flick back to the Blackout tune and there’s a sound I really thought I’d got the hang of; it’s a bass sound with lots of kick drum but with the Volyas there is real insight into how the overall sound has been modulated and filtered…again monitor like definition.

Induologue’s Blue Sky is an album female voice and contrabass that has been recorded in a Dutch chapel with great attention being paid to the recording space and it’s a really glorious album. At the end of the first track the bass just fades out into the natural reverb of the space and here it sounds wonderful…it’s little things like this that sets these speakers apart. This is perhaps the kind of album that manufacturers would use to show off how good their speakers are but with the Volyas the fine detail in the timbre of the bass is mightily impressive; you just hear everything and it sounds natural and unforced and you just can’t help but be drawn into and get lost in the sound. As to the vocal, I’m hearing every little inflection in her tone and when she hits the high notes there’s not a hint of harshness or feeling that the speakers are getting stressed.

There’s only so much description of listening to specific tunes that you can do in a review before you start to repeat yourself, sound like a prat and bore people to tears…suffice to say that the time I spent with the Volyas had a huge impact on me. They are a home loudspeaker that have a monitor-like accuracy and depth of detail. They are beautifully balanced with no one frequency range coming to the fore. At low levels they play wonderfully and allow you a full listening experience. However, turn up the volume and they just get louder; no stress, no hassles and just more of what you were getting at the lower volumes. Feed them with well recorded tunes and the Volyas shine, but conversely if you feed them with crap recordings you will realise just how bad it is!

Conclusion 

Let’s face it, no one is going to spunk €120K on the back of a review and I see my time with the Bouquets as a bit of a perk of the job; not many people are ever going to have the opportunity to hear them with their own gear and in their own space rather than at a Hifi show.
Sonically the Volyas are simply stunning with detail, finesse and poise across the volume range. They allow you to see into a recording, the space the recording is made in and add a spatial element to the listening experience that is virtually reach out and touch tactile.

So long as the recording is good these speakers don’t quibble what kind of music you throw at them and are equally happy playing Miles Davis as they are Dutch Gabba.

The looks are going to divide opinion but that’s sort of to miss the point of these speakers. Not everyone is going to get the design and the artwork but the way I saw the Bouquets was as a work of terrific folk art that also play music brilliantly.
As I was finishing up my notes we had some friends pop round and they were totally gobsmacked with every aspect of the Bouquets. As we’re sat enjoying a glass of wine we’re listening to Anouar Brahem and for all intents and purposes the musicians may as well be in the room.

Yep the Bouquets are that good!

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Stunning with artwork to match

Sound Quality: A level of detail that is highly impressive at all volume levels. Bass is as tight as can be. A real insight into the recording, the recording space and the mixing process

Value For Money: Beyond the reach of most but view these as a work of art…a Fabergé egg of the audio world perhaps 

Pros:

Detailed, monitor type sound that is never fatiguing and nor does it feel over analytical

Exquisite build and finish

Tight and extended bass response

An eerily three dimensional listening experience 

Cons:

The artwork is not going to be to everyone’s taste

I can’t afford them 

Price: €120 000

Stuart Smith

I first encountered these loudspeakers at High End Munich 2016.  I had been at a get together with my ‘Women In Hifi’ facebook group, so Stuart was on his own when he went into the Volya cabin, he was so impressed that he took me back to have a listen, I think his exact words were “come and listen to these, you’ll love them!”. He was, of course, correct. I only had a short time to listen but came away feeling very impressed both by the looks and the sound of the Bouquet.

Fast forward six months and we are in the damp gloom of winter rather than the Bavarian sunshine and are waiting for the Volya Bouquets to arrive at Hifi Pig Towers.  Luckily we have a big listening room as these are very big speakers, though, despite their size, their shape makes them very elegant…I love the way they seem to lean both forwards and back at the same time.  The four strong Ukrainian team were incredibly efficient and had them inside for us in no time.

The loudspeakers have an incredibly tactile quality to them.  The Lyudmila Gorbulya artwork in the traditional Petrikovskiy style is stunning.  Each speaker is slightly different as they are completely hand done.  There is a depth to the floral designs that is enhanced by the incredibly glossy finish. They bring an explosion of colour into the room. I know that the finish will divide people, but personally I love it and in the right interior they look breathtaking.

There was always the possibility that these could be a little gimmicky, but Volya have focused as much attention on the insides of the speakers as they have on the outside. The  Accuton ceramic/kevlar and their diamond drivers are very high quality as are the Mundorf and Goertz crossover components.  The sonic results are outstanding.  The sounds is very pure and natural and the speakers are equally happy with female vocal and acoustic instruments as they are with electronic music. Stuart has gone into plenty of detail previously in this review so I won’t duplicate that, suffice to say these speakers do what I like best, give you a whole load of enjoyment, are totally non-fatiguing, have tight, fast bass and engaging top and mids. Of particular note for me was the presentation of the soundstage which was projected into the room in a 3D ‘bubble’, completely immersive! Unusually, they also had somewhat of an omnidirectional quality to them, even sat in the small lounge area we have that was behind the speakers you could appreciate the music.

In summary I would say that one word sums up the Volya Bouquet and that would be ‘Joyful’ They are a complete pleasure to listen to whatever your musical taste, plus you have the benefit of two incredible works of art in your home.  They are expensive but if you can afford them and are looking for something just that bit different then I can heartily recommend them.

Linette Smith

DAC3 is the latest converter to be unveiled by Benchmark and features the new ESS Technology ES9028PRO chip. Dan Worth takes the £2349 American made DAC3 for a test drive. 

For the past few months during initial measuring and listening tests, which Benchmark report were extremely impressive, they decided to create a new product family building on the success of the previous DAC2 HGC (with included headphone amplifier) and DAC2 L (without headphone amplifier), the two new products fall directly in line – DAC3 HGC and DAC3 L, which are some of the very first products to include the new ESS chip.

The architecture of both the ES9018 and ES9028PRO seem very similar to the trained eye but for those of us without the more technical mindset, here are four of the main advantages to the new converter:

• THD Compensation
• Improved oversampling filters
• Improved phase locked loop
• Improved power supply distribution

Of these, Benchmark considers the THD compensation the most clever and unique feature. The improved filters deliver a slightly flatter frequency response. The improved phase locked loop allows virtually instantaneous switching between digital inputs. The improved power supply distribution contributes to the effectiveness of the THD compensation by minimising THD-inducing interactions between the various subsystems.

Benchmark say: ‘This 32-bit digital processing block compensates for the THD produced by the analog outputs on the chip. It can also be adjusted to compensate for the off-chip analog components in the DAC. This system even allows independent nulling of the 2nd harmonic and 3rd harmonic distortion. The result is a conversion system that is virtually perfect in terms of 2nd and 3rd harmonic distortion!’

In the DAC3 Benchmark use many performance enhancing techniques to maximise the potential of the ES9028PRO, including:

• 4:1 channel summing – improves the SNR by 6 dB
• External I-V converters – lower noise and lower distortion
• Precision differential amplifier – removes common-mode distortion
• Very low noise voltage regulator – Benchmark discrete design reduces noise and distortion
• UtraLock3™ jitter attenuation – virtually perfect jitter rejection
• 211 kHz Upsampling – eliminates time-domain errors caused by the D/A conversion chip
• High-headroom DSP – eliminates clipping of intersample peaks
• 6-layer circuit board with external ground planes – reduces noise and provides RF shielding

As DAC2 and DAC3 are very similar products with DAC3 being of higher performance, much like an SE or Signature version often denoted to us Audiophiles, the real hardware and software differences must be compared with the DAC1:

The addition of Asynchronous 192kHz USB Audio 2.0 as well as 32-bit D/A conversion

The display includes Word Length and Sample Rate

Polarity Control, Direct DSD D/A Conversion, -20 dB DIM, Bi-Directional 12V Trigger

A new Power Switch with Auto-On Function

The inclusion of a Home Theater Bypass and Digital Pass-Through

High-Headroom DSP, Dual-Domain Hybrid Gain Control and additional inputs and outputs

All inputs support DSD and the DAC3 employs no conversion from PCM to DSD or DSD to PCM keeping signal integrity in its purest form.

All three families of Benchmark digital to analogue converters are designed to directly drive power amplifiers and speakers. Benchmark converters feature adjustable low-impedance passive attenuators at the XLR outputs that can be used to optimise the interface between power amplifier or active monitors.

Connectivity and Physical Properties

Connectivity is generous and the DAC3 sports both analogue and digital inputs, two coaxial RCA SPDIF as well as Optical TOSLINK and USB. I would have liked to see at least one AES/EBU input, a favoured choice by many. Two analogue RCA inputs prove to be of exceptional flexibility especially in the Hifi audio arena and all outputted to two RCA and one XLR pair. As well as a 12v trigger a switched IEC input completes the rear panel connectivity.

Adorning the front panel from left to right is a power button, mute, input selector button, along with various indicators for bit depth and DSD modes. Next up is two 6.3mm headphone sockets, one mutes the rear outputs and the other will play in conjunction with the analogue outputs. Lastly is the hybrid volume knob. The volume knob is motor controlled and assisted via the included ergonomic remote control handset. All digital input volume levels are attenuated by a sophisticated 32-bit digital volume controller and analogue inputs via a traditional analogue volume pot, both controlled via the single front knob or remote.

Construction wise the DAC3 is compact (249x237x44.5mm W/D/H) and it is very solidly built, the unit has a good bit of weight to it (3lb)  and was easily interfaced within my system, with a clearly marked I/O and good spacing between sockets I found connecting cables of various thickness’ easily. 

Sound

There’s no denying that Benchmark are well known in the Hifi world for producing DACs which produce clean, uncoloured and truthful music. Conflicting reports from individuals in the industry and the home user explain moments of true greatness and situations of an over-accurate presentation leaving the music lifeless and a little stark. The truth of the matter from my humble point of view is that if you do not have a system which has great synergy and is balanced tonally a DAC such as the Benchmark will never suit. The core characteristic of all Benchmark DACs is to extract all the detail as transparently as possible, remain flat and cohesive in its presentation and allow the listener to engage deep into the music.

My first experience with Benchmark was with their DAC1, which at the time sounded a little too heavy in an analytical sense in my system of the time, there wasn’t huge blame attributed to the Benchmark, simply a combination of it within my rig didn’t produce synergy, so I moved on from it.

I have worked tirelessly over the past year with the help of a couple of key individuals to really fine tune my system and recently I have been in a position where the balance has been great, fitting really, as the new Benchmark DAC3 HGC is as much a test of my own system as it is a test in itself.

One of the very first pieces of music played through the new DAC3 was ‘Manvantara’ by Bliss, a wondrous piece of music with a great deal of inner details, harmonics and intricate dynamics. To describe the overall presentation as linear doesn’t quite do the Benchmark justice, what I was presented with was a full bodied and uncluttered display of what the DAC3 was capable of. The slight African influence on the music transported me to a destination which left my listening room behind and took me on a journey into free space. Harmonically the DAC3 produced definitions of clarity that pushed away inner walls, giving height, depth and a feeling of surround sound.

The precision in which the DAC3 produces each note is combined with a real flow to the music. Connected to the Audio Music RT-1 and Gamut D200 Mk3, each passage had a liquidity that combined all areas of the music with the upmost insight into the recording. Bass notes were full and embodied the clarity and sparkle of upper frequencies with waves of playful midrange tones reaching forward and toward my listening space, giving a really strong amount of layering.

I currently also have a Mytek Brooklyn DAC which I have been using to run the active Focals for some time and comparing the two in the main system leaves one in a huge quandary as to the preferred DAC. Both present music very similarly indeed and the only small differences are really in the top end. The Brooklyn is more airy, where as the DAC3 has a cohesiveness that sits in place of the tiny bit of missing cues. It’s a very hard task to explain, explore and decide between the two, so I’m not really going to bother, but for me it proves that these two studio/mastering orientated DACs require the rest of the system to be quiet, grain free and well constructed to achieve the best results and hear them at their full potential.

Nils Lofgren’s live version of ‘Keith Don’t Go’ showed the potential speed and precision of the DAC3, strings started and stopped on a dime, decays were never sacrificed for precision and using the DAC3 really and truly lifts a veil from the system. Combinations of full bodied undertones and crisp leading edges brings music to life, extracting far more information in all areas of the frequency range than DACs costing quite a fair bit more… and the implementation of the ES9028PRO is just superb.

The sound as a whole is just so stable and relates so well with any genre of music I have played over the past week. I heard a comment the other day from another reviewer stating a DAC he was listening to was like having no DAC in the system, I can’t say I really agree with that comment, I’ve used the comment before to describe cables but not a DAC. I fully understand where he was going with the nature of his comment, for me it sounds as if the DAC3 is delivering music in an uncluttered, non-processed, transparent manner. Digital the sound is not, I could be so bold to say it sounds more analogue like – minus any noise, pops and clicks, un-rendered and typically free of artefacts and grain.

When a female artist such as Rachelle Farrell takes a breath, it’s a breath that is heard, not a sound that resembles a breath. When Joss Stone’s lips touch in-between words a moistness can be heard. When Chris Jones has a little hum while the intro is being played it’s very evident and puts a smile on my face as I can then imagine him eager to get going. All these small significant moments increase the reality of a performance.

There’s a lot of praise I could give to the Benchmark and some of it in all honesty is to my surprise, I am most taken aback by the sheer cohesiveness produced in conjunction with the amounts of detail available; it’s all done so effortlessly. There’s always those pieces of music we all love and know which really aren’t the best of recordings. Previously I would have said that during my experience the first of the Benchmark DACs that these recordings were dealt with a little ruthlessly, but now, although all the nasties in the poorer recordings can be heard, the overall flow and presentation of the DAC3 delivers music so naturally and engaging that any nasties are put to one side and the pleasure of the track is appreciated for what it would normally give on a smoother more rounded-off system that can hide them.

With the fantastic balance in mind, I find through the frequency range of the DAC3 I waited until daylight again and played some new and old dance music, thankfully the neighbour’s were at work as I got a little carried away to say the least, I think all I needed to top things off was a couple glow sticks and a whistle! The absolute commanding power and heft coming from my speakers raised endorphins in my blood taking me back to my late teens and early twenties when clubbing was a weekly occurrence. My room felt as if it was breathing. With the transducers and the combination of soaring controlled highs, a midrange that tingled the spine and bass weight and punch that just made for a rock solid foundation to the music gave my system a raw sense of power that I have only heard similarly with other pro related DACs and the way they interact with a strong amplifier base.

So after taking a couple Rennies for indigestion and doing my best to calm down a little bit, clearing up the artex that had fallen off the ceiling during my moments of madness. I went back to some more delicate acoustic type music. Norah Jones is one of my late night listening artists and although still very much day time and ears still ringing I found it really quite easy to adjust again. The sultry nature of Norah’s vocals are a real draw for me. Aided by the DAC3 HGC her vocal was placed so well, with a natural dynamic projection of power, almost delicious. Norah’s band ‘The Handsome Band’ has two fantastic guitarists Adam Levy and I forget the other guy’s name, during many pieces of music from her first two albums Come Away With Me and Sunrise each guitarist is playful, rubbing strings and tapping the body of the instrument, these smaller details can be heard quite well on any good system but I felt although they hadn’t increased in volume their presence was easily more discernible in a way like they created their own micro tempos off to the boundaries of the soundstage. Most obviously this is due to how low the noise floor is on the DAC3 and no doubt the inclusion of the Studio Connections Black Star cabling which is hooked too and from the DAC3 (which will feature in early 2017).

Benchmark’ DAC3 is an extremely flexible unit and although not being equipped with a built in MM/MC stage such as the Mytek Brooklyn, possesses all other comparable features. Hooking it up to my active Focals again produced similarities of presence in the music as the main passive system. Precision, depth, tonal accuracy and the freedom of the music within the soundstage and for whatever genre I played. The hybrid volume control is very nice and the tactile feel of the knob itself is very good, the facility itself was used with the active setup and its implementation is very well done. Equally so was the remote control which I used generally to adjust volume levels in this setup and also when listening to my headphones through the DAC.

The headphones in question were my Audio Technica ATH A2000X. Sonically they reach far and low, their signature teeters on the edge of just about to become bright when partnered thoughtlessly, I like this about them  as perseverance allows for good synergy and the top end will then stand out to be extremely open and informative, bettering some of the more popular and expensive headphones on today’s market. I expected the sound through the cans to be very clean and possibly a little explicit in the top end, but i was very pleased when I came to listen to a very smooth sound with a warmer than neutral top end. I was a little thrown off to be honest, there isn’t colour in the presentation, there is a ton of control though, which makes the sound seem smooth, leaving the word smooth to be wrongly stated yet a word which still relates to the poise offered by the HGC in DAC3 that readers can relate too, I actually like my headphones listening a lot cleaner than my Hifi and although I have found other amps more to my own personal tastes I could appreciate the sophisticated nature the DAC3 gave. Again the sound was insightful and revealing, soundstaging was good for headphone listening (which has never been standout for me) and although the smoothness in the top end reached far I think I had been spoilt by how well the DAC3 had sat in my main and active systems that I may have set my expectations a little too high or maybe it’s just the peculiar  way I tend to listen to headphones, who knows.

Conclusion

My system felt like a dominant force when I introduced the Benchmark DAC3 HGC to the middle shelf of my rack. With the implementation of the latest ESS9028PRO chip from Sabre, Benchmark’s own team of experts, tweaking the accompanied circuitry and the feature rich design offered in this petite package, a genetically modified version of the already popular DAC2 is born.

With the outstanding capabilities of control and intricate detailed workings to render all music effortlessly, we could call the DAC3 a globalist, but then maybe due to its appreciative and cohesive mannerism and way of still taking care admirably of poorer recording maybe it could be of the Donald Trump Camp.

However you look at it the specification and performance of the DAC3 for £2349 is simply outstanding! It’s a DAC I could easily live with on a day to day basis and I can see this latest family of DAC3 from Benchmark to be the next Benchmark in monitoring and music playback.

Get your system right and the Benchmark will slot in like a foot into the correct sized shoe, get the system wrong and the Benchmark becomes the voice of reason, telling the listener that there is something incorrect that needs addressing before they go further.

I would like to see the brand more frequently offered by dealers as from what I can ascertain at the moment Audiophiles are being denied the ability to easily demo and appreciate what is a true Audiophile bargain and great tool for music playback.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality – Neat and solid

Sound Quality – Clean, full bodied, transparent and absolutely controlled

Value For Money – Terrific!

Pros:

Connection rich design

Strong headphone amp

Fantastic sound quality

Price

Cons:

LEDs are a bit bright

Not as readily available as I’d personally like

Price: £2349

Dan Worth

Stuart and Linette take a listen to the unique Volya Bouquet loudspeakers costing €120 000

“There was always the possibility that these could be a little gimmicky, but Volya have focused as much attention on the insides of the speakers as they have on the outside. The  Accuton ceramic/kevlar and their diamond drivers are very high quality as are the Mundorf and Goertz crossover components.  The sonic results are outstanding.  The sounds is very pure and natural and the speakers are equally happy with female vocal and acoustic instruments as they are with electronic music. Stuart has gone into plenty of detail previously in this review so I won’t duplicate that, suffice to say these speakers do what I like best, give you a whole load of enjoyment, are totally non-fatiguing, have tight, fast bass and engaging top and mids…”

Read the full review here

Arcaydis are a Sheffield based manufacturer of loudspeakers that many will know the name of. The company has relaunched recently with new owners but with the same designs and here Ian Ringstead takes a listen to their £799 EB2S standmount loudspeaker. 

Some History 

Arcaydis was initially formed in 1997 by Richard Allen who had worked in the audio industry and spent time working for Celestion but by late 2013 the company ceased trading. Richard is not part of the new company, but the new builds are an exact replica of the first designs and the company is now totally owned by brothers Robin and James Szemeti with Robin being Technical Director of a pro-audio company and James working for a service and support operation for global customers in an industrial software company.

Arcaydis are based in Sheffield only a few miles from me, so Jim popped over with a pair of the EB2S and he also brought samples of all three available finishes (oak, black and matt white. Other finishes can be supplied at an additional cost). The EB2S’s are a medium sized, infinite baffle design standmount design with a larger cabinet than more usual ported designs and are built with Arcaydis’ Arcolam laminate, which the company say gives incredibly low levels of cabinet panel resonance. The speakers are 450mm tall, 225mm wide, 296mm deep.

Round the back of the speakers are a pair of bi-wireable connections and Arcaydis suggest using stands of 40cm stands; I used a pair of Atacama Nexus 500mm stands filled with kiln dried sand and Atacama isolation gel pads on the top plate. These for me provided the perfect height and platform for the EB2S. The speakers are bi-wireable but I chose to use my single wired 4mm Van Damme cables with Van Damme 4mm jumper links. The standard pressed metal link plates don’t do it for me and I feel let the speakers down a tad. Jim said he was going to probably supply links of their own based on my findings. He also suggested attaching my single wired cables diagonally on the terminals so one connection was on the top right terminal and the other was on the bottom left. Jim claimed some had preferred the EB2S wired this way. I will reserve judgement here.

The bass unit is a 170mm Visaton model and the tweeter a 25mm Monacor soft dome design. The crossovers are built in-house and rather than using off-the-shelf components, all the components in the crossovers are either hand-built or custom manufactured in Britain. Their inductors are wound in-house on their own coil-winder using “premium copper”, with a high temperature varnish. Each inductor is inspected and its value checked and adjusted to meet the design values. Crossover components are mounted by hand on custom-made circuit boards which are gold plated, designed to minimise any losses due to skin effect… it also has the advantage of easing the soldering process, where lead-free solder is used. After wire terminations are added the crossovers are computer tested to ensure that they fall within the company’s parameters, with the aim that what leaves the factory is a loudspeaker that is an exact replica of the Arcaydis reference unit. Each set of loudspeakers’ measurements are recorded and logged so that if a loudspeaker is returned for service the original data can be used to see if anything has altered. Impedance of the speakers is 8 ohms’ nominal, 5.9 ohms minimum and they are 87dB sensitive (@ 2.8 volts @ 1 metre with pink noise). 

Sound.

The EB2S had a fine reputation from a few years ago, but I had no pre-conceptions having never heard them before and the original designer Richard Allen was a name from the past I recognised but I had no experience of his products.

After a week or so of running in I started serious listening and I must say I was very impressed. For quite a large cabinet in my listening room they disappeared very easily sonically and provided a detailed 3D image on a large range of music. Top to bottom detail was excellent and I particularly noticed early on how clearly the tweeter could portray very realistically the sound of instruments like cymbals and tambourines. We take for granted that these instruments are easily reproduced by a system, but believe me I have heard many systems or components that don’t sound natural and not just the cheaper items. Let’s face it a good system should sound natural and enjoyable,          (musical if you insist, although I think that term is over used at times). Mids and bass were equally well portrayed and the bass was not over blown unless pushed too hard to a volume level the room couldn’t handle; an issue of the room rather than the speakers.

Artists such as Oleta Adams, Simply Red, Boz Scaggs and Sade all tested the EB2S ability to work their magic with vocals and instrumental details. A lot of this music is from the eighties and I make no apologies for that. It was a great era for music and well recorded albums. I pulled out albums I hadn’t listened to for ages and not one was a disappointment. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by some I hadn’t heard for many years and had thought weren’t that good musically back then.

One album that particularly stood out was from a favourite artist Sting and his live album “Bring on the night”. I love this style of jazz rock and as always Sting has top musicians playing alongside him. Omar Hakim on drums, Branford Marsalis on sax, Kenny Kirkland on keys, Darryl Jones on bass and Janice Pendarvis and Dolette McDonald on backing vocals this was one sublime performance. I really felt involved with the show and although not quite the same as being there it was a close second for enjoyment.

I can’t really say any more about the EB2S. Coupled with good sources and amp they really shine. I used my usual Tisbury Audio passive pre, Meridian 556 power amp , Project Extension 9 turntable with Ortofon Quintet Black and Tisbury Audio Domino phono stage , Atmo Sphera turntable (more to follow on this in a later review) and  Denon DCD2500NE SACD player. These aren’t budget items apart from the Tisbury which are extraordinarily good value for money, but showed what the EB2S are capable of. I am sure that on any other decent system from reputable manufacturers that the EB2S will not let you down. With an introductory offer of £799.00 a pair they are fabulous value and if you can’t accommodate their size Arcaydis also do the smaller EB1S for smaller rooms which I hope to try out at a later date.

AT A GLANCE  

Build quality: Excellent for the money and made locally in Sheffield

Sound Quality:  Overall a highly entertaining design that I felt really at home with and could listen to long term without any qualms

Value For Money:  Great value at this price level

Pros:  Sound quality, decent choice of quality finishes, with custom requests catered for if so desired at a premium of course

Cons:  bin the pressed metal links and use decent jumper cables or bi-wire

Price: £799 (direct from Arcaydis as an introductory offer)

Ian Ringstead

DAC3 is the latest converter to be unveiled by Benchmark and features the new ESS Technology ES9028PRO chip. Dan Worth takes the £2349 American made DAC3 for a test drive. 

“There’s no denying that Benchmark are well known in the Hifi world for producing DACs which produce clean, uncoloured and truthful music. Conflicting reports from individuals in the industry and the home user explain moments of true greatness and situations of an over-accurate presentation leaving the music lifeless and a little stark. The truth of the matter from my humble point of view is that if you do not have a system which has great synergy and is balanced tonally a DAC such as the Benchmark will never suit. The core characteristic of all Benchmark DACs is to extract all the detail as transparently as possible, remain flat and cohesive in its presentation and allow the listener to engage deep into the music…”

Read the full review here…

Father and son duo Rob and Dave Stevenson get tooled up and take a bash with this interesting single driver DIY loudspeaker project costing a total of £552 including VAT. 

In your room speaker boxes are the most visible and have arguably the most effect on your in-room sound, and also on your cash flow! We are always keen to hear quality kit for those on limited budgets and if you’re a hobbyist wanting to glue and clamp, with a few hours available then super sonic satisfaction perhaps lies in this flat pack construction.

To get this high quality does require application, but any IKEA flat pack DIY person could aspire to these.

Arcaydis are a Sheffield based manufacturer of loudspeakers that many will know the name of. The company has relaunched recently with new owners but with the same designs and here Ian Ringstead takes a listen to their £799 EB2S standmount loudspeaker. 

“Arcaydis was initially formed in 1997 by Richard Allen who had worked in the audio industry and spent time working for Celestion but by late 2013 the company ceased trading. Richard is not part of the new company, but the new builds are an exact replica of the first designs and the company is now totally owned by brothers Robin and James Szemeti with Robin being Technical Director of a pro-audio company and James working for a service and support operation for global customers in an industrial software company…”

Read the full review here

SYSTEM-1 from Code Acoustics is a high quality 3-way active speaker, with off-board electronics module including crossovers and amplifiers. It is UK made and costs £6350 direct from the manufacturer. Ian Ringstead turns up the volume and puts the SYSTEM-1 though its paces. 

The first I had heard of Code Acoustics was at the recent National Audio Show. Code are a company founded by an enthusiastic Ceri Thomas, whom I talked to at length at the show. Ceri has a background in automotive design engineering, having worked for some of the UK’s most prestigious automotive firms, such as McLaren, Williams and Jaguar-Land-Rover. However, his first love has always been audio and speaker design.

Ceri’s philosophy is that he wants to offer an alternative design approach and personal service to his customers, so he decided to sell direct and therefore retain excellent value for money rather than go through dealers.

SYSTEM-1 is a high quality 3-way active speaker, with off-board electronics module. It consists of ‘TOP-1’, which reproduces the mid and high frequencies plus ‘BASS-1’, which of course covers the bass region. Then there is ‘CONTROL-1’, which contains a 6-channel DSP crossover, pre-amp and 6-channel power amplifier. Just add a source, such as a CD transport, turntable with a phonostage, music server, laptop etc. and away you go!

Now the concept of an active system is not new and there are several ways that this can be achieved. In my retailing days, I sold active systems from companies such as Linn and Naim, Arcam, Meridian and Nytech Audio. The reasoning behind active systems is that the electronics are tailor made to match the loudspeakers and that the crossovers are electronic and designed to match each drive unit perfectly. That’s the theory, but it takes a lot of careful design and understanding to achieve good results. With matched amplifiers and dedicated electronic crossovers, compatibility is not an issue unlike a passive set of loudspeakers and an amplifier. The designer is therefore making life easier for the listener to do just that, listen and not worry about mismatches. Also, distortion figures can be lower so improving the sound quality.

Ceri has designed the SYSTEM-1 to be very easy and straight forward to set up. He personally delivered the review system and showed me how to set it up. The speaker system consists of four boxes, two per channel of course made up of a BASS-1 and a TOP-1.

The BASS-1 is a heavily braced speaker, deep route veneered enclosure made of mdf with four internal voids for sand and with extensive use of sound deadening panels and melamine damping foam. They weigh 28Kg each when loaded with sand. The drive units are made by Volt and are 8 inch connected in parallel.

The TOP-1 contains a 1 inch Scan Speak Classic tweeter and 4inch Scan Speak Illuminator mid-range unit. These are both excellent units from a renowned manufacturer with a fine pedigree. Again, there is extensive use of sound deadening panels and melamine damping foam in the smaller 3Kg cabinets.

Each cabinet can be isolated by using the dedicated isolation brackets which are X shaped metal plates with four sorbothane feet. The bracket is bolted to the bottom of each cabinet using the dedicated bolts into the relevant bushes. They allow the TOP-1 speakers to be safely mounted on the BASS-1 and for the BASS-1 to be isolated from the floor without damaging it. I like this idea as it worked well with my hardwood floor and the lack of spikes meant I didn’t have to worry about protecting the floor.

Speaker connection to the amplifier is via Neutrik Speakon connectors wired with Van Damme 4mm Black series cable of 2m lengths or up to 6m if required. The TOP-1 requires 4 pole connectors because of the tweeter and mid-range units in them, whilst the BASS-1 use 2 pole connectors. The Speakon connectors make for a very simple, safe and relatively fool proof way of connecting the speakers to the CONTROL-1 and although purists may wish that standard 4mm terminals had been used, in the context of this system I feel Ceri has made the right decision. Like the brackets the speaker cables are an additional extra supplied by Code Acoustics and I think they are well worth having for a fuss free life.

The CONTROL-1 is a remote controlled digital pre- amp, 6 channel DSP crossover and 6 channel power amp all in one unit. There are 4 balanced analogue inputs on XLR and 4 digital inputs giving a choice of AES/EBU, optical, SPDIF and USB. Outputs are AES/EBU and SPDIF. Power amps are 6 Hypex class D modules giving 180w into 4 ohms. The power supplies, one per channel, are Hypex switch mode 1200w peak modules. The DSP is a Hypex 6 channel module with a sample rate of 24bit/96 KHz. The unit is housed in a smart looking wooden case which contrasts well with the extensive metal work of the panels and heat sinks on each side of the unit. It is neat and compact weighing in at 5Kg, so it is easy to accommodate on a shelf or unit. The controls are minimal with the front panel sporting an illuminated power button on the left, a central display panel and to the right 4 control buttons shaped in the form of a diamond. The control buttons are used to control input selection and volume up and down. The display is quite small, so from a distance can’t be read easily, so a minor bugbear for me. Power connection is by a dedicated powercon cable that is supplied. The remote control is a simple, small plastic unit supplied by Hypex that controls volume, standby and input selection.

Sound

As you can see the SYSTEM-1 is quite complex under the skin, so how does it sound? After initial set up and a bit of tweaking with positioning Ceri and myself sat down to assess the overall sound as Ceri wanted to be sure I was happy before he left me to play for a few weeks. First impressions were very good with a good tight low end response that didn’t dominate the room given the size of the bass units and their quality – testament to the Volt driver’s excellent reputation and build quality. The mid and top end were open and smooth, again down to the superb quality of the Scan Speak units which don’t come cheap, but are certainly worth including in this design.

Ceri kindly let me borrow his iPad and an Auralic streamer to try out digital high resolution music files as I use CD and turntable, being a traditionalist and stuck in my ways. The streaming worked well with the system, but I must say I was more than happy with the results I got from my Sony CDPXE3000ES using the SPDIF input. The turntable was more of a challenge if only because the analogue inputs are XLR rather than the standard RCA phono sockets, which meant I had to obtain some Neutrik XLR to RCA adaptor plugs. Once acquired my Project Extension 9 and Ortofon Quintet Black via the Tisbury Audio Domino phonostage worked a treat with no hum or level issues.

Many CDs were tried and I put on Paul Simon’s “Concert in the Park “(Central Park New York) from August 1991 as I am going to see him soon here in the UK, and so wanted to remind myself of his classic songs. As live concerts go this is a good recording and all the detail of the band’s musicians and singers were clearly portrayed on stage with the very realistic sound and ambience of the crowd and their rapturous applause at the end of all the songs. The line-up of musicians is stellar with the likes of Steve Gadd on drums, Michael Brecker on sax, Chris Botti on trumpet, Richard Tee on keyboards and a host of African, South American and US musicians and singers. The influences of Paul Simon’s fascination with third-world country rhythms is abundant and blends beautifully with his original folk background of the sixties and his development in the seventies and eighties. With such a wide range of instruments and vocals on offer this CD was a joy to listen to on the SYSTEM-1 as it was very capable of bringing out all the different nuances in the performances of the artists and the songs. Detailing was first rate with all the subtle touches the musicians add easily picked out, something you would miss out on in poorer systems with inferior resolution.

Another album I had to try was Livingstone Taylor’s CD “Ink” recorded on the Chesky label which is a lovely recording that on a good system allows me to shut my eyes and imagine I am in the recording venue. Suffice to say, this CD sounded sublime, especially in the evening with the curtains closed and the lights turned down low. It has sounded great on other systems, but somehow had the edge through the SYSTEM-1.

When I tried the turntable, it was a pleasant surprise that a mainly digitally focused system worked so well with vinyl. Steely Dan are a favourite band of mine that I grew up with and their debut album from 1972 Can’t Buy a Thrill brought back many memories. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are sticklers for perfection and sound quality, and even on this early record it shows. The clarity is spot on with tight rhythm sections, superb musicianship and clever vocals. Do it again and Reelin’ In The Years are probably the best known songs from this album, but all the tracks displayed excellent playing ability and really made me want to dance or tap my feet. I particularly noticed how clear the cymbals and tambourines were on several tracks. Now I’ve listened to this record many times over the years on many systems in my home, but I don’t recall the top end detail being so good before.

I dug many CDs and records out during the time I had the SYSTEM-1 and they all performed well. They weren’t all audiophile recordings by any means and some I hadn’t listened to for a long time.

Finally, what impressed me was how good the dynamic capability was of the SYSTEM-1. Usually when I listen to many systems there seems to be a point in the volume level when the system suddenly comes to life and starts to sound more interesting. I talked to Ceri about this phenomenon and he agreed that a lot of ported speaker systems can have this loudness affect where the port is fighting against the air coming out of the cabinet (turbulence) and so affects the sound. The SYSTEM-1 seemed to manage the trick of sounding good and holding my attention at whatever level I tried, especially lower levels where many systems seem to sound flat or uninteresting. I suspect a combination of excellent drive units, careful cabinet design and electronics all play their part.

Class D amps have now become far more popular than they were a decade ago and it shows how they have come on when companies like Jeff Rowland and Audio Research use them in some of their models. I had a Flying Mole CAS-10 amp for some years which I enjoyed, as did a friend of mine who borrowed it, and we were both impressed by its clarity and detailing. Not everyone agreed, but that’s hifi for you. Hypex are a popular choice with manufacturers and designers and I can see why Ceri chose to use them in his system. They are compact, very efficient and powerful, so ideal when you need 6 of them.

Conclusion

At £5850 for the main system and another £500 approximately for the isolation brackets and speaker cables, which I feel are essential, you are looking at £6350. This is not a cheap system, but when you factor in the build quality and components used and the fact Ceri sells direct with a 30-day money back guarantee if not satisfied, then this is a system for those who want superb sound without bankrupting themselves, with only your sources to add.

Finishes are cherry, oak or walnut in high quality veneers.

Shipping is by arrangement with Code Acoustics and starts from £65 for UK mainland. Elsewhere please ask for a quote.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality:  Very good with a nice blend of wood and metal for both the speakers and control unit.

Sound Quality:  Well controlled tight dry bass with a very clear detailed sound stage and smooth top end.

Value For Money:  £6350 for the whole package isn’t cheap, but then quality never is.

Pros:

Well built, and good looking design that is easy to use and set up

Relatively neat and compact which would blend well into many rooms I would say

For an active system, compared to the competition this is very good value

Excellent component quality for the drivers and electronics

Cons:

The display is basic and small with a simple remote, but not a deal breaker I feel as the unit functions perfectly well

Inveterate system upgraders won’t be interested, but this is a great fit and forget system to enjoy

Price: £6350

Ian Ringstead

From Greece, the Echo Diastasis PH-79 Phono Stage is a dual mono design using E-Core transformers and costs £2760. Janine Elliot gives it a whirl.

Georgios Loutridis is very proud of his PH-79. This new Echo Diastasis phono-stage from Greece is the fourth product in his portfolio, all sharing the number 79, and replacing the PH-7 phono-stage before. This new model has many developments over the previous model including being a dual mono design and featuring two E –core transformers, as used in their other products, as opposed to a single toroidal in the PH-7. It also comes with better parts and materials, and a different circuit design. It maintains the active RIAA EQ of the previous model though better design and components. It is also significantly better looking though much bigger. The number 79 was very special to me; the year I started university, and the number of strands on my first serious cable. For George the number derives from his favourite numbers 7 and 9;

“I used to be a basketball player and 7 and 9 were my t-shirt numbers.  Nowadays, I am still playing the guitar as a musician and composer and got 7 electric guitars and 2 acoustics…total 9!” 

He refers to his four models (phono-stage, integrated, pre and power) as his ‘children’ and suggesting that as a parent he should love all his children equally, but that actually this baby up for review is really special. With pride he told me “It is to my knowledge the only phono stage on the market combining zero negative feedback with an active RIAA curve”.  So much emphasis over the years has been on playing about with feedback, and whilst zero negative feedback is not a new idea, it has recently seen a lot of publicity. Zero negative feedback can, however, be taken to mean that there is no feedback at all, and whilst in this model there is indeed no global feedback loop there are however controlled local feedback points, but not loops. George informed me that this kind of feedback is very small, and the gain stages are ultra linear. Whatever the magic in this design it certainly does contribute to some very pleasing listening I had during the few weeks of reviewing this unit. The pros and cons of feedback in a design is a complex story. In its simplest term a circuit with negative feedback aims to remove distortion by feeding back a negative sample of the signal onto itself, something that I learned about when Quad introduced their iconic 405 current dumping power-amp, though had actually been present in earlier amplifiers. Conversely Sansui’s infamous Super Feed-forward system, as seen in some of their AU- series amplifiers of the 1980’s, was more complex and had the error signal amplified in a separate error amplifier whereby its output is combined with the main-amplifier output at the point where it drives the load, the intention to reduce all distortions to zero.  Different ideas, then, that aimed to have the same outcome; that of a pure, distortion free output. If not done correctly they can actually increase distortion and even oscillation. Using such systems does however mean more components and effectively two amplifiers per channel, which can have their own drawbacks and increased cost. There have been designs with no feedback at all; I do believe RCA issued such a design, though this was valve, based on a USA 7025 (a sort of ECC83 double triode). The Echo Diastasis’s low noise characteristic is largely due to a no-feedback filter circuit in the power supply. With an additional noise rejection stabiliser and a design ensuring that the low level phono cartridge signal is amplified without any unwanted noises, this is indeed a very quiet amplifier.What is also good to see is an active RIAA EQ at a time of emphasis of things passive, claiming to be within 0.05dB between 20 Hz and 100 kHz. The design states ‘separation of high and low frequency poles and matching materials’. The separation is done by two active circuits in the RIAA circuitry, with the idea of achieving a better and strictly controlled RIAA accuracy. It was an excellently flat response, working well on all types of music. The unit is also a dual-mono single ended full Class A product which for me was a welcome sight. The PH79 also has their proprietary noise-cancelling technology that practically obliterates current noise. I was surprised at how large this unit was when I opened the carton it was in; with big writing on the front 10mm thick aluminium front panel and two gorgeous large knobs for selecting cartridge type and load impedance, I had expected it to be much smaller from the initial photographs, though of course it didn’t worry me. It was taller than my own Manley Steelhead, though that has a separate power-supply.  The PH79 only contains one circuit board and two transformers, so could easily be 2u high, rather than the almost 3u size (excluding feet). At 147mm (5.8 inches) total height this is a substantial machine.  Those large knobs allow a choice of six different settings of loads (of 47, 100, 220, 470, 1000 and 47,000Ω) and 3 gain stages. The latter selects moving magnet (41 dB), high output moving coil (60dB), and low output MC (65dB), offering -90dB noise floor on MM cartridge with 5mV input, and -79dB for 0.5mV MC, both A-weighted, both very respectable levels. I initially chose to use the Audio Technica AT33sa cartridge on my Pre Audio tangential turntable at 220 Ω and low output. These rotary selectors control high quality relays, so it means the audio signal itself does not go through them. The unit also has a 5 second delay circuitry on switch-on, as seen on respectable high quality phono-stages particularly valve, and happily for me has the on/off rocker switch under the left front of the unit, rather than hidden at the back of the unit which many of you will know tends to annoy me! The high quality input and output gold-plated and Teflon-coated RCA sockets are clearly indicated at the back, including writing both normal and upside down, to save you cranking your head too much if wiring from the front; yet another detail from this Greek company that impressed me. I didn’t expect any balanced XLR sockets by virtue of its design. Even the instruction manual, whilst printed on A4 paper, is well laid out and easy to read. At £2760 this was a well thought out package.

Music

Crossing two continents by playing Supertramp’s live  ‘Paris’ album and their infamous “Breakfast In America track, it soon became apparent how transparent and open the sound was, being relaxed and undaunted, allowing me to easily hear a well-controlled soundstage with space enough to place each instrument clearly and the audience as well. Ride cymbals were very clean and not tizzy like some less flat designs might give. The ease of presentation allowed me to clearly experience the band’s notorious speed changes between verses and choruses. Whilst it would put any professional music teacher on edge if their student played around with the speed of their Beethoven as much as Supertramp did in theirs, I wasn’t actually that bothered by it all and could see just why it was important to do so here. The Echo was very open and just let it all happen and did so in a gentle and authoritative manner.  “Bloody Well Right” had much more oomph, showing a good noise level between the quiet piano and loud ‘crashes’ from the percussion and guitars. The song title said it all.

“I’ve Got you Under my Skin”, “Begin the Beguine” and “I get a Kick out of You”  from the Chasing the Dragon Grammy’s nominated Ella Fitzgerald 100^th anniversary record gave a rather relaxed account of Clare teal’s vocals that seemed more in the back of the soundstage compared with some of the instruments, and the smooth performance doesn’t get me as involved as some phono-stages arriving for review, but its musicality in terms of timing and warmth made the instruments come to life, and matches his own belief that just as all the best components make up the best hand-made musical instruments, so an equal care products are used in this hand-made electrical instrument. This is a really pleasing machine sounding almost valve-like, and whilst not as fast as some, certainly has the edge over many in terms of listenability and control. Again, it was a surprisingly quiet phono-stage, and even scratches seemed to disappear into the background.

Playing Schubert String Quartet in G major D956 (Chilingirian Quartet) has each of the upper four members of the string family playing a timely and well defined rendition, with each member placed well in front of me. This is an elderly record in my collection but it showed no signs of age though this Greek product. I was now beginning to enjoy this unit, managing to get more detail front to back when playing with 100Ω load; so good to make changes on a front panel, rather than using dip switches underneath which stop you doing a-b comparisons. Turning to Sviatoslav Richter, piano, in Schubert’s Trout Quintet D667 (The Borodin Quartet), this much louder recorded album might have the piano further back in the layout than the string members, but I still felt very much involved with the epic work; indeed the damper-pedal was clearly audible hinting that there is no subsonic filter; I could hear very low frequency damper pedals on a piano performance through my Wilson Benesch Torus subwoofer that I really enjoyed hearing, showing this was indeed a human recording. My turntable is very much in control at all frequencies so it was glad to hear it so well behaved through the phonostage. Indeed George himself also believes that “there is lot of musical information down there and there is no need to cut it”. Of course the danger of subsonic noise needs to be dealt with at the cartridge itself, and through the Townshend Rock 7/Ortofon Kontrapunkt b with its trough/paddle the same album was particularly carefully portrayed at the lower frequency end.  In the quiet C –major development section, the noise floor was exceptional, and gave a good hearing of the foot pedal central stage, though the piano itself in the recording isn’t as well mic’d as I would have done myself; bass frequencies are more muffled than the higher ones, a fault of the sound engineering. The PH79 was just plain honest, something missing in a number of new phono-stages appearing these days. The instruments were well positioned with them performing naturally including a good portrayal of bowing and notes. Muse “Drones” was powerful but still modest, just slightly missing out on the energy and ‘bite’ I am used to hearing on my resident phono-stages. It was just not quite as quick as some phono-stages I know well, but in its place the sound was extremely natural, making it very real. Stereo spread is good, as it should be on a dual mono design.

Conclusion

This was a surprisingly good product from a company I had not listened to before, and I was surprised how analogue and almost valve-like the portrayal of the music I played on it was. For those wanting a human-like experience with their music and don’t mind the size and traditional look of the package – I liked it – then this should be well worth an audition. With good facilities and relatively low cost for such a good performer, this phono-stage could become one of your own children, too.

AT A GLANCE

BUILD QUALITY:  Good Basic build with thick 10mm aluminium front panel and good quality components. Well laid out inside.

SOUND QUALITY:  Good signal to noise levels and flat frequency response. An open and honest reproduction of the music, particularly the lower bass end, due to there being no low filter in the design.

VALUE FOR MONEY:  At £2760 this falls into the lower end of the serious section of the market and gave a good account for itself. Well worth a listen for the price.

Pros:

Well controlled reproduction of music
Extremely flat frequency Response
Low noise design

Cons:

Could lack a little energy in some performances
The box is rather old fashioned in looks and perhaps doesn’t need to be so tall

Price: £2760

Janine Elliot

Specifications

• Zero negative Feedback
• Audiophile Dual-Mono Circuit Design
• E-core transformer
• Gold plated Connectors, Teflon insulated
• Output impedance 20Ω
• Input impedance 47,100,220,470 / 1 kOhms and 47 kOhms
• Gain MM 41dB, MC 60dB, MC 65dB
• Inputs: 1 pair RCA (L%R)
• Outputs: 1 pair RCA (L%R)
• THD+N 20Hz-20kHz,MM c 0.02%, MC c 0.05%
• Signal to Noise 20Hz-20kHz unweighted:MM -85dB, MC -79dB
• Accuracy Riaa 0.05dB
• Dimensions (WxDxH)440x340x147 mm
• Weight 9 kg

From Greece, the Echo Diastasis PH-79 Phono Stage is a dual mono design using E-Core transformers and costs £2760. Janine Elliot gives it a whirl.

“He refers to his four models (phono-stage, integrated, pre and power) as his ‘children’ and suggesting that as a parent he should love all his children equally, but that actually this baby up for review is really special. With pride he told me “It is to my knowledge the only phono stage on the market combining zero negative feedback with an active RIAA curve”.  So much emphasis over the years has been on playing about with feedback, and whilst zero negative feedback is not a new idea, it has recently seen a lot of publicity. Zero negative feedback can, however, be taken to mean that there is no feedback at all, and whilst in this model there is indeed no global feedback loop there are however controlled local feedback points, but not loops…”

Read the full review here

Designed with the active music lover in mind the NuForce Sport3 In Ear Monitors cost £80. Janine Elliot gets gets physical with them. 

Headphones and IEMs are quick moving and highly popular consumer items, especially sports headphones, and like I predicted would happen with the iPhone 7, WiFi IEMs are now the new must-haves. In times when wired earphones are beginning to be unplugged from the equation, wi-fi products are big news. They are imperative for the new ultra-thin phones such as iPhone 7 and Motorola Moto Z, that don’t need to make space for that large 3.5mm stereo socket.  Optoma, the projector and audio brand who own Nu Force have brought out a wide variety of IEMs over the years and their previous wi-fi earphone the BE6i, which I reviewed earlier this year, was so good that I bought one. With its excellent bass, long life battery and light weight though bulky design, Nu Force have now brought out a sporty little number with a thinner waist which, annoyingly for me, is considerably cheaper. Crafted from metal and polycarbonate, the BE Sport3 is tough and lightweight. Like my BE6i it come armed with advanced Bluetooth® technology, offering both aptX® and AAC compatibility. This delivers distortion-free sound and the ability to connect to multiple sources. At £80, the Sport3 has a good supply of accessories, including a little bag to put the IEMs in, though this time it isn’t a solid feel bag but rather an equally impressive soft neoprene carrying pouch, with large clip, to protect the earphones and accessories from sweat and water. As in the Optoma BE6i, this new model features handy magnets on the backs of the buds for clipping them together when not in use, acting as a designer necklace for no extra cost. There are also some significant differences between this and the older model; some visual and others technical. For example the shape is angled and smaller, again partly made from aluminium. This I actually preferred as it meant it was able to fit in and around the ear more easily. Also there are no Comply tips supplied this time, rather a collection of more traditional though very colourful rubber ear tips, and a clever custom double ear-tip which, once in your ear canal, is cleverly held in place. I did try these on my BE6i, but this different design means that the ear is not so well insulated from the outside world. Similarly on the Sport3, whilst the treble was excellent the lack of ‘ear-pressure’ means the bass is still somewhat light. The double tips supplied for each of the two versions of Sport3 are in a different colour; on the “gun metal grey” IEMs the double tip was black, with matching silicone ear-wings, and on the “Rose Gold” IEM (gold plus white cable/remote) it was white.  Similarly, both units came with a selection of small, medium and large rubber tips to match the IEMs.  The black unit comes with three pink and yellow rubber ear-tips and the white version has blue and purple ones. All provide a good isolation, improving that bass end to acceptable levels, though the matching supplied ear-wings that I loved so much on the BE6i, are less clever in this new model, being a pointed solid construction (rather than corrugated as in the BE6i) which isn’t so secure behind the ear anti helix unless the pointed end is tucked in. These Spock ear wings are actually quite long and it took me a while to get them affixed in my tiny ear without the whole IEMs falling out. Once I mastered this they were actually even more secure than my own BE6i. The choice between his type of fixture and those that fit behind your ear or relying on cables trailing behind your ears (such as Nu Force’s own Primo8 and HEM series) mean there are lots of choices for your ears.  Once the ear-wing was affixed to the nozzle this IEM looked much less clumsy than on the BE6i which some might find too big. However, I must stress that whilst I am used to the miniature Flare R2 IEMs, which are hidden within my ear, I didn’t actually find size a problem with the much larger BE6i, and certainly not the Sport3. However, the added length between the ear-wing and tips is greater on the Sport3 than on the BE6i, requiring some careful wearing; the distance from wings to end of the large ear tips is 14mm as opposed to 10mm on the BE6i using the large Comply tip. You get my point. I pride myself on having small ears, even as I get older, so at first I did find these hard to wear, but in HifiPig style I persevered until I got them to work really well. For most of the tests I chose to remove the ear-wings, and using the larger pink rubber tips which provided better isolation than the double tips and consequently gave a better bass end. With the double tip, this was even more secure though its lack of thickness of rubber gave for a brighter sound as a result of less isolation and therefore less bass.

The BE Sport3 is even better than the BE6i in terms of excellent battery life, giving as it does up to 10 hours between charging, as opposed to 8 hours on the older machine. This is a really good set of results, when so many still don’t offer more than 5 or 6 hours. As in the BE6i this model is apX and AAC compatibility, and it being IP55 rated makes them rain, dust and sweat resistant, though you still won’t be able to go swimming with them. The remote/microphone unit is slightly shorter than on the BE6i, and again the microphone is good with a sensitivity of -42dB. Rather than the usual musical tones to inform you of switch on and when it links with your phone, this machine more helpfully talks to you in a rather sombre female American voice; “Power off”, “Power on” and “Primary device connected”. The 6mm dynamic driver is much smaller than the 10mm driver on the BE6i. This affects the bass output, though the Sport3 is not lacking by any means. This IEM is not a cut-back version of the BE6i; this is a well thought-out design for the pseudo-athlete that is well priced. It doesn’t look quite as robust or high-end as the BE6i or the wired IEMs in the Nu Force range, but in terms of battery life and sound quality beats most of the competition. The thin neck on the bud allows it to go further into the ear canal to help improve that bass end, though I did find it was slightly prominent in the upper bass and detail of sound is less well defined than some wired drivers at this price point. Upper mid and high was very acceptable allowing Dire Straits ‘Love over Gold’ to be very open and spacious between the ears showing good control. Muse ‘The second Order’ and the track “Survival” gave a very timely and precise piano and vocal accompaniment beat for the smooth main vocal line. Classical music was equally detailed, though not quite as accurate and as musical as the BE6i, but still very able. Sir Charles Groves and the Bournemouth Symphony orchestra playing Arnold English Dances is a great performance, only hindered by the studio manager’s nightmare of vibrations from microphone stands when the musicians and conductor get over-excited. This IEM picked it up well. At the other end of the spectrum the regular loud cymbal crashes in this set of movements gave me a real opportunity to test that upper frequency detail and neutrality. My fears of a slightly less controlled and slightly raised mid-top end were heard, though not unexpected for such a well-priced unit. To test this theory further playing Patricia Barber ‘Café Blue’ I was aware that some of that top frequency cymbals were slightly less controlled and a little bit more ‘brittle’ than the silky smooth rendition on the BE6i.

Conclusion

The BE Sport3 is a very well thought out design, aimed at the active sports’ person with its vibrant colours and sporty looks. This model might have cut back on the shape of the buds and even the cable has a thinner waist than on the BE6i, but this is not an anorexic BE6i. Whether or not you intend to take part in the Olympics this is a bargain if you like music on the move without getting tangled up in the wires. At £80 this is a very well spec’d model that should make you and your wallet very happy.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Good looking and with lots of extras in the box

Sound Quality: Great sound at this price

Value For Money: Well spec’d and good value 

Pros

Value for money
apX and AAC compatibility
Solid build
Excellent battery Life
Lots of accessories

Cons
Not quite as silky top end as on the BE6i
Some might find them hard to use with the ear-wings 

Price: £80

Specification

Driver type; Dynamic Driver size 6mm

Impedance; 16 Ohms

Battery life; Up to around 10 hours

Battery type; Lithium-ion battery, cylindrical type, typical 3.7V/75mAhx2 pcs

Microphone sensitivity; -42dB

Frequency response; 20Hz – 20kHz

Sensitivity; 102dB +/-3dB at 1KHz

Power consumption; 18mA at A2DP mode,

speaker output; 75dB SPL

Range; Up to 10m (33ft)

In case you are not familiar with the name Unison Research, it is an Italian company in business for some 20 years or so at Treviso, a municipality just to the north of Venice, with a well earned reputation for producing some excellent hifi components. Dominic Marsh hs a play with their Triode 25 valve amplifier.

Construction

At first glance this amplifier looks positively handsome.  The sample supplied for review sported a real Cherry wood fascia which I found rather attractive and a welcome change from the ubiquitous black or silver finish.  The remainder of the chassis is painted black however and as a foil to that the valve bases are inset into two polished alloy heat shields which extend from the front panel in a sweeping arc upwards, meeting the top plates of the transformer covers.   A rather substantially built chrome plated valve cover cage is supplied, removed by slackening off four Allen bolts and sliding the cover along keyhole slots in the cover’s base plates to quickly release the cage.

For those that don’t own or know how to operate a multimeter, or have the confidence to go poking around within the internals of a valve amplifier to adjust the valve bias settings, Unison Research have thoughtfully provided a simple yet effective way of adjusting the bias current settings.  Betwixt the valves on the valve base level there is a simple voltmeter and a potentiometer that makes setting the bias child’s play and completely safe, even for the most novice of owners.  The review sample needed no such adjustment but I took the time to read the owner’s handbook and it seems simple and painless.

The end user has a choice of power output modes between Pentode and Triode.  I won’t go into details of how the two modes work, save that Pentode mode gives a higher wattage output with a slightly less refined sound whereas Triode mode has a lower output wattage, but has greater detail and clarity.

Front panel controls consist of a machined alloy rotary knob to the left which is the source selector and an identical rotary knob for volume control to the right of the panel.  Between the two in the centre of the front panel is a toggle on/off power switch aligned horizontally, beneath which is the remote control sensor window.

To the rear we find from left to right, an IEC power inlet socket with integral fuse holder, the fuse rating depending upon mains input voltage, the value thoughtfully printed on the transformer cover above.  Then we find a set of four speaker binding posts, able to accept 4mm banana plugs, spade connections and bare wire.  There is no biwire facility or catering for more than one pair of speakers.  Next we see a row of single ended RCA connections, namely  SUB out, TAPE out, TAPE (Input), AV input, TUNER and CD.  To the right of this is a blanking plate marked “USB” which would have a USB connection if the module is fitted.

It is supplied with a remote control handset.

Retail price is £2,600.00 at the time of review.

Sound

They say that EL34 valves have a sweet sound to them, but that has more to do with the design implementation of the circuitry, especially in the output transformer quality rather than a mythical inherent sound to the valves per se, as I have been less than enamoured with some EL34 amplifiers I have listened to in the past.  Unison Research really have got the recipe right with this amplifier as it sounds sublime to me and I could sit here and probably type a hundred superlatives and you would probably read it in disbelief, so I am going to have to justify in words the sounds that I heard from this amplifier.

The interesting part of this review was pairing the Unison Research amplifier with different speakers, one of which was supplied with this amplifier and a Reloop turntable as the source, all from the same distributor as one of their recommended packages.  I won’t mention the Reloop turntable in this review as that will feature in a separate review with the Unison Research Triode 25 and Opera Mezzza speakers as a complete set.

I first coupled the Unison Research Triode 25 into my resident system and immediately it was apparent just how lucid and insightful this amplifier really is and surprisingly quiet and noise free too.  Trust me when I say it took no effort at all to listen to this amplifier producing real music, bursting with tonality and dynamism in a truly effortless way.  I have heard other EL34 amps produce this level of sound quality, but the Unison Research had that top level of polish and refinement that to date I have not heard elsewhere from EL34 valves.  Hard to describe, but the sound had a rich liquid silkiness which you might infer as being masked or veiled, but not so.  Leading edges were crisp and sharp enough to have a shave with, but not sharp or edgy either.  I’m struggling with the right words here (unusual for me) but would it suffice to say that I had no cause for complaint with anything I heard, with one small exception.

Bass was extremely clean and tight, perhaps a little too tight as that swift kick in the guts power a solid state amplifier can deliver with plenty of beefy watts behind it, the Triode 25 couldn’t quite muster.  I bet you valve fans are muttering under your breath at reading this, but you play something like Supertramp’s “Dreamer” or Dire Straits “Private Investigations” at full chat on a valve and then a solid state rig, then come back and argue!  This was no real surprise as I have yet to hear any valve amplifier compete with that, so living with a valve based power amplifier is all part of the whole package for me.  Conversely, there isn’t a solid state amplifier that could quite produce that sweet silkiness in the treble and midband the Unison Research Triode 25 possesses so I will settle for an even score here.  You pays your money and takes your choice, as they say.

Listening to Fink’s “Wheels Beneath My Feet” album recorded live at various venues revealed a depth of image and soundstaging that was all enveloping, extending beyond the speaker boundaries and depth-wise not lacking by any means.  My biggest bugbear with this album is Fink’s diction which makes following the lyrics rather difficult, nay impossible at times despite the songs inviting you to sing along (I use the word “sing” here with some caution).  The album’s true forte though is the instruments, with some stunning well recorded drum playing and bass guitar.    When the drummer hits the Floor Tom in the track “Sort Of Revolution” it should penetrate to the centre of your being with it’s power and slam, but as mentioned above the Unison Research amplifier just fell short of that idea.  In it’s defence though, the ambience of each venue shines clearly through and you can easily discern the size of the venue and it’s acoustics.  The cymbals sounded exactly like struck cymbals should sound like, full of vibrancy and energy so you were in no doubt at all that metal was being hit.  Track one on the album is called “Biscuits For Breakfast”, opening with some delicious  acoustic guitar and Ride Cymbal playing, recorded with great precision, joined soon afterwards by deep bass guitar plucks, all a joy to listen to.  Track two called “Perfect Darkness” again has some great intro drumming with snare drum rim knock and kick drum.  Of particular note was how real the audience sound was, seemingly surrounded by some very enthusiastic clapping and cheering.

Time to give the Unison Research amplifier a good workout now, with Porcupine Tree’s “Deadwing” album slotted into the CD player’s drawer.  This album is full of rawness in the recording and it easily wrong-foots many a system, but all credit to it, the Unison Research Triode 25 managed to tread that fine line between  accuracy, delicacy and smoothness, avoiding for the better part the raw edgy harshness that this album can output, yet not totally mask the album’s recording shortcomings.  To be truthful, this is the kind of presentation I enjoy for my personal listening; excitement and dynamics without being sonically assaulted by the drawbacks of absolute accuracy and fidelity. 

Next into the fray came a pair of Opera Mezza speakers.  On my resident system they had a weird ‘beaming’ effect whereby there was a glorious sweet spot dead centre and a metre either side of that, but beyond that boundary the sound collapsed severely, losing bass and treble definition in my listening room.  Paired with the Unison Research amplifier I didn’t notice that effect quite as much.  That pairing was fine tonally and dynamically, but not a big bold sound by any means which I would best describe as “intimate”, best enjoyed at lower levels, which sounds rather perfect for those who live in thin walled houses with complaining neighbours.

Out with the Opera speakers and in with a pair of Roksan K2 TR-5 S2 speakers, which have a superb ribbon tweeter and larger cabinet dimensions than the Opera speakers, so I was expecting a lot more bass.  Bass indeed now took a good leap forward and the ribbon tweeter coupled with the silkiness of the Unison Research amplifier was a great marriage.  However, the Roksan speakers have a quite prodigious bass output and the Unison Research couldn’t keep as tight a grip on the bass registers as I would have liked, resulting in a slight overhang  I am being picky here and if I didn’t have my resident system as the benchmark then I might not have been quite so critical in this respect.

Last but not least, a pair of Audiovector QR1s (Full review soon) were connected up to the Unison Research amplifier.  Again, this speaker has ribbon tweeters like the Roksan’s and sure enough treble output was as sweet and mellifluous in that respect as the Roksan speakers.   Bass had a less prodigious quantity and was all the better for that when paired with the Unison Research amplifier, providing a better balanced sound.  In fact, I purposely left the Audiovector speakers connected for quite some time.

Conclusion

If I were in the market for a valve amplifier then this would probably be the one I would buy.  I listened very hard for any fuzziness, harshness, noise, distortion, ringing, muffling, or veiling and I found none.  Sure, the bass lacked concussion inducing power but I could live with that, as what was there was clean with no trace of bloom or boom, which does annoy the heck out of me.  On the positive side it has a sweet beguiling sound that you can listen to for many hours and not once will it displease you in sound terms.

It is well specified, well built and easy to maintain too, especially the built-in bias adjustment settings.  Comes with a great remote control and that pleases me too.  I like the sturdy and thoughtfully designed chrome plated valve protection cage which keeps hot valves out of human harm’s way.

In summary then, if you hanker for a valve amplifier then this one HAS to be on your audition list for sure and I give it a high recommendation.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality:  Beautifully crafted in every respect and the design is a tribute in how to make a valve amplifier not look like an ordinary run of the mill valve amplifier

Sound Quality:  Sure footed and highly mellifluous, you owe it to yourself to audition or miss a sonic bargain

Value For Money:  As it stands head and shoulders above the herd in sound and build quality, it has to be good value for money

Pros:  Build, sound, ease of maintenance and a remote control.  You really are being spoiled with this one.

Cons:  None, except for a slight shortage of gut thumping bass power, to be expected though.

Price: £2600

Dominic Marsh

SPECIFICATIONS

• Output Stage: Push-pull, ultralinear, Class-AB
• Output Power: Approx. 45 watt per channel (Pentode configuration)  Approx. 25 watt per channel (Triode configuration)
• Output Impedance: 6 Ohm
• Input Impedance: 47 kOhm / 50 pF
• Negative feedback: 5 dB or 1.8 dB
• Valve complement: 2 x ECC83 (12AX7) 1 x ECC82 (12AU7) 4 x EL34 (6CA7)
• Power Consumption: 300 watt max
• Fuses: T6.3A from 100V to 130V T3.15A from 220V to 250V
• Dimensions: 30 cm x 45 cm x H. 20cm
• Net weight : 20 Kg

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