Indholdsfortegnelse for 2015 - 2 i Audio Esoterica

As one of the world’s largest loudspeaker companies, the announcement of a new speaker range by Focal is big news. Munich High End 2015 show saw the offi cial launch of the Sopra series – we were there to cover the event – where the Sopra N°1 and N°2 were unveiled in conjunction with sister company Naim’s new DR (Discrete Regulator) amplifi er technology. The DR technology was fi rst used in Naim’s external power supplies and then further adapted and refi ned for use in the fl agship Statement amplifi er, the company’s all-out attack. In fact, Naim states it manufactures its own output devices and has gone to great lengths to escalate transistor technology by using proprietary techniques and adopting advanced non-ferrous materials fi rst seen on its…

SINCE Audio Research’s launch of the Galileo series (GS) around a year ago or so, this range has expanded progressively to encompass amplifi cation products from stand-alone preamplifi er and power amp to the latest off ering… a tricked-out integrated with a couple of neat surprises in the GSi75. The GS series harks back to early Audio Research Corporation (as it was known back then) gear from the 1970s when William Z. Johnson’s superb valve designs and distinctive styling set his products apart from the then popular, plainlystyled and mostly mediocre solid state fare. Some commentators attribute the renaissance of the valve amplifi er to Audio Research and Johnson’s vision of high power, high performance and reliable vacuum tube devices. NOT SO RETRO Nouveau retro it may be in terms…

While the vast majority of speakers are rectangular boxes with drivers affi xed on the front baffl e in confi gurations varying between the astutely engineered and the marketing-driven evenly spaced, Vivid Audio has diverged by off ering industrial sculptures worthy of the MOMA. And via designer Lawrence Dickie, Vivid Audio speakers also tread the path of technical excellence; it’s form following function, assisted by some of the best drivers available. As the leading engineer on the Bowers & Wilkins iconic Nautilus project ‘Snail’, Dickie was the brain behind what were, at the time, very advanced technologies on a landmark product. But he also determined the speakers’ form as it related to the acoustic functions he engineered into the design. Hence, the tubular arrangements, the superb metal drivers and the…

If horn speakers boast a single most remarkable quality that sets them apart from conventional designs, it is surely their ability to convey unsurpassed dynamic expression. It’s the coupling of superb transient attack – what some audiophiles call ‘speed’ – and that almost ‘live’ whack in the gut that creates an unrivalled dynamic envelope. Even in the world of high-end professional speaker systems, it is horn-loaded compression drivers that are used to present sonics with outstanding dynamic headroom. Triangle has been refining its horn loaded tweeter concept over a number of generations... and reserves the technology for the more upmarket offerings. Those qualities have not gone unnoticed to French speaker manufacturer Triangle, which has been refining its horn loaded tweeter concept over a number of generations. This is a company…

It can’t be helped. Every time I see the acronym ‘FMJ’, I think ‘Full Metal Jacket’. But famed UK hi-fi company Arcam means ‘Faithful Musical Joy’. Still, somehow, when my eye alighted on the C49 preamplifier and C49 power amplifier from Arcam’s FMJ range, Full Metal Jacket seemed apt. The FMJ series is Arcam’s main component range, including both stereo and surround devices, amplifiers and source devices. The company’s recent renewed focus on stereo has seen the appearance of four integrated stereo amplifiers – models A19 through A49 – and this year the release of this C49 preamplifier and P49 power amplifier. EQUIPMENT The C49 and P49 are both large devices: the usual component width, but each standing over 170mm tall. They are literally FMJ in my sense, finished in…

SHOWROOM SESSION I travelled to Melbourne’s trendy Carlton to meet National Audio Distributors’ Chris Murphy and Robert Follis who introduced me to the affable Victor Milazzi owner of the superb Stereophonic audio specialist store. There, in the very well-appointed and acoustically treated main high-end studio, I auditioned a full Naim electronics system mated to the new Focal Sopra N°2 floorstanders. The Stereophonic store is in a beautiful old building which was originally a bank, so we’re talking double brick ultra-solid construction and very high ceilings. There are several listening studios which are well-appointed both acoustically and in terms of products for audition. The main listening room is quite large and has been acoustically treated with panels and floor-to-ceiling bass traps by long-time employee Keijo Sandvik who also runs Audio By…

ASTELL&KERN COMES HOME After making its name with the highest of hi-fi portable players, Astell&Kern has delivered a home network music player, the AK500N. Astell&Kern has made its name as the leading brand for high-level audiophile portable music players. Long before Neil Young began Kickstarting his turbulent Pono project, A&K already had portable devices on the market that could play true high-resolution audio fi les, and which used high-quality DACs to deliver a hitherto unheard level of performance from a handheld player. When its fi rst product, the AK100, was launched in 2012, it seemed to casual observers that this was an entirely new luxury brand, its high level players coming with leather cases and marketed to discerning audiophiles who were in search of the highest performance levels. Eyebrows were…

In the audiophile world, we perhaps too frequently attribute nearly mystical qualities to particular components. It just about goes without saying that a piece of high-end gear should have specially selected audiophile capacitors and resistors, not mere industrial ones. In the realm of digital audio, one surely wants the most highly developed, audio-orientated Digital Signal Processors, not some nondescript general-purpose processor But do we? While it’s a controversial issue, there’s a strong argument that digital signals are merely digital. The problems arise in converting digital to analogue, and then delivering the analogue signal without degradation. Trinnov Audio, it seems, agrees with this. It’s hard to say that its Altitude32 AV Preamplifi er is anything other than extremely high-end, but it has eschewed all those famous brand-name DSPs in favour of...…

It wasn’t that long ago the upper echelon of high-end amplifi cation was the exclusive domain of separate preamplifi er and power amplifi er partnerships. More recently, however, evolved electronics component quality, advanced surface mount topologies and the benefi ts of CAD-assisted engineering have all contributed to a stream of high-end products which integrate the preamplifi er and power amp stages, making a convincing – even seductive – impact in the high performance audio space. Strong affi rmation of this trend is evident within the pages of our previous issue (Audio Esoterica issue #4, Winter 2015) which featured several variations of the high-end integrated amplifi er from various manufacturers across the globe. The traditional approach to the integrated amplifi er has been to combine a line signal switching stage with…

Think of large solid state amplifi cation and the images you conjure up might be of monster Krell, Gryphon or Mark Levinson designs. But how about a company from Serbia with gargantuan Krell-like creations? No… seriously? Yes! Think massive all-aircraft-grade anodised aluminium panels... think a level of heatsinking suffi cient to keep the Space Shuttle cool during re-entry. That might paint you a picture of the KA S600 monster, the company’s stereo fl agship. Battleship construction is also applied to the top-of-the-line preamplifi er, the KA L Reference MKIII twin-box number. Peruse these products and you’ll not be able to deny that here is a company with serious intent in terms of construction, at the least. And in the hands of a talented designer like company principal Milan Karan, a…

The high-end audio space is rich with exotic products spanning a variety of technologies, ideologies and industrial designs. Traditionally, the commanding players have been countries with a strong tradition in manufacturing such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and, to a lesser degree but nevertheless making strong appearances, Switzerland, France and Italy. Even Australia, despite our depleted manufacturing base and relentless outsourcing, has had successes and continues to build a strong story. But as far as the high-end is concerned, a powerful new manufacturer of quality audio has emerged from a perhaps unlikely source – Bulgaria. The company is Thrax Audio. In its relatively short life-span Thrax Audio has produced a steadily growing portfolio of beautifully-made and thoroughly engineered products that are earning worldwide critical acclaim. Authentically ‘high-end’,…

The original Hugo mobile DAC and headphone amplifi er from UK fi rm Chord Electronics is well known to audiophiles. But its ‘Mobile’ tag implies certain limitations. Why accept compromises with regard to size and weight inherent in devices designed for mobile use? Certainly that’s what the company was thinking. So it designed this Hugo ‘TT’ DAC and headphone amplifi er. TT equals Table Top. EQUIPMENT Looking roughly square from the top – less than 250mm in both directions – this sculpted aluminium box is a handsome thing. A round display on the intersection of the face and top shows the selected input. A transparent lens at centre top allows you to peer inside, while it glows different colours to indicate the signal being handled. An inset ball – also…

The Japanese audio industry’s corporate culture has generally been rather conservative in terms of top company executives appearing at product and promotional events. While from time to time engineers and marketing personnel are available for the casual meet and greet, most commonly, the local market representatives are seen to be the face of these usually large multinational companies. Yamaha may have buckled that trend in the last few years and, of course, Marantz has had the privilege of having Ken Ishiwata as an active representative and ambassador for quite some time. But these have been exceptions rather than the rule. THE PLAYERS Having said that, the decades-running and somewhat conservative high-end audio specialist Luxman – now under Chinese company ownership in the IAG Group – is the latest Japanese company…