Indholdsfortegnelse for March - April 2019 i Australian HiFi

Newport Test Labs found that the speed accuracy of the Yamaha Yamaha’s MusicCast Vinyl 500’s platter was excellent, running just 0.05% fast at 33.33 rpm and 0.04% fast at 45 rpm. This increase in speed is so slight that it would have no effect on the pitch of music replayed from LP… even a listener with perfect pitch would be unable to detect any difference in pitch. Playback time for a 30-minute LP side would be affected by less than four seconds. Wow and flutter was very low, with Newport Test Labs measuring it as being 0.04% RMS unweighted (the Australian standard) and 0.05% DIN weighted (the European standard) at 33.33rpm. Both results are an order of magnitude better than Yamaha’s own claim of 0.2% (which, in any case, is…

Elac’s original Debut series, designed five years ago, was a true debut… and in more than one sense, because not only was it the first series of its type from Elac, it was also the first series designed for Elac by famous speaker designer Andrew Jones after he’d been hired by the famous German manufacturer to be its Vice President of Engineering. (Jones having previously been chief speaker designer at KEF… after having also worked at both Infinity Systems and Technical Audio Devices). Despite the model numbers in this series changing only slightly, through the addition of a ‘.2’ to the various models (so the B6.2 we’re reviewing here is the successor to the original B6), the speakers are completely different, with new drivers, new cabinets and new crossovers. Speaking…

Newport Test Labs measured the output voltage of the Marantz SA-KI Ruby as 1.9753-volts, for both the left and right channels… which means that the balance between the channels was absolutely perfect. I’d like to emphasise this, because it’s the first time I’ve ever seen this result from any type of component… there’s usually always a small difference, even if it’s in the order of 0.0001dB. But the Marantz SA-KI Ruby? Perfect! Separation between the channels was outstandingly good at low and midrange frequencies, with Newport Test Labs measuring it as 118dB at 20Hz and 114dB at 1kHz. The Marantz SA-KI’s a result of 91dB at 20kHz is extremely good, and is far more than will ever be required at this frequency. Interchannel phase errors were also extremely low, just…

The current model Subaru Outback enrages me. If this column sounds like it could become tiresome because it’s about cars and not audio, stick with me; It’s actually about a really interesting exercise just performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. But it needs context. The current Outback is a perfectly decent car, it has good resale value and it does everything it promises. It is also very safe with a lot of neat technology assisting in this, and this is where my rage comes in. Whenever a situation arises in which the Outback thinks you may be endangering life or limb, even if only slightly, it sounds a warning chime. You’ll also hear chimes for non-potentially-fatal problems too, like a door not being fully latched. The problem with this is…

If Kennerton’s previous flagship headphones had a fault, it was that they were heavy. Very heavy. So the welcome news from this Russian company (it’s a division of Fischer Audio, based in St Petersburg) is that its new flagship model is 200 grams lighter, at just 480g. As for its model name, it’s not a misspelling. It’s a J. R. R. Tolkien reference—Thror was Tolkein’s Dwarven King under the Mountain. THE EQUIPMENT These are not conventional cone diaphragm headphones, but rather planar magnetic drivers—far lighter diaphragms, with conductors distributed through the surface rather than driving from a point behind. This more even driving of a lighter diaphragm is credited with lower distortion, better phase coherence, a flatter (approx 42 ) impedance across the frequency range, and improved high-frequency resolution. Kennerton…

It is always risky talking about product we have not received yet, but there is so much hype being generated overseas about Krell’s new products, and we hope to have them by the end of March anyway, so here goes. K-300i integrated amplifier One of the all-time classics from Krell was the KAV-300 integrated amplifier, released in the dying days of the last century. This amplifier almost singlehandedly created the market for high quality integrated amplifiers (until that time most consumers opted for separate pre-power combinations). Krell are paying homage to the KAV-300 with their new K-300i (above). This promises to be a stunning amplifier. It is rated at 150 watts/channel into 8 ohms, or 300 watts into 4 ohms. Despite its link to a 20-year-old design, the K-300i is…

The Sonos Connect:Amp and its predecessor the ZonePlayer 100 have been around for many years, so arguably the new model from Sonos, simply known as ‘AMP’, was a long overdue and welcome update. If you’re not familiar with this kind of device, the Sonos Amp is designed to offer all of Sonos’s streaming smarts in a unit to which you can simply add hi-fi speakers. The AMP’s headline act is more power over the popular previous Connect:Amp model, with a welcome increase from 55W to 125W. This makes it far more capable of powering bigger, more demanding speakers. Dimensionally, AMP has a slightly larger footprint yet marginally lower profile, making it well suited to concealment in a hi-fi rack. You can also stack multiple AMPS on top of one another…

This client was fortunate to experience our previous cinema project by invitation (which was featured in the previous edition of Headlines magazine). He was so impressed with it that he was inspired to create the same space for his own house. However, rather than simply replicating the design, it was imperative to visit the site to further tailor the design for the specific client. Our senior Sales Consultant Alberto Vangi from the Len Wallis Audio team was eager to enliven the client’s inspiration and make it happen by working closely with them to understand the accurate requirements from the site. We were also delighted to have Innovative Building Services working with us again. We knew from our last cooperation on a cinema that the build quality and attention to detail…

Q ACOUSTICS CONCEPT 300 Q Acoustics has announced a flagship stand-mount model, the Concept 300, which comes supplied with unique stands, and retails in Australia for $5,999 (RRP), demonstrating another example of distributor Indi Imports’ ability to deliver local Australian prices that equal those in other markets, including Concept’s home market in the UK. (The UK, Euro and US prices are £2,999, €3,749 and $US4,499.) Q Acoustics defines itself as offering ‘value at every price-point’, so the flagship is bulging with both ‘rigorous engineering’ and ‘aspirational aesthetics’. Reducing cabinet vibrations is one of the key elements used to improve the sound quality of Q Acoustics speakers, and the Concept 300 cabinet is comprised of three individual layers, each separated by a non-setting gel which converts any stray high-frequency vibrations into…

Itruly enjoy reviewing hi-fi equipment… and not for the reason that by doing it I get to listen to some of the best-performing equipment in the world. In fact, this aspect of being a hi-fi reviewer is in many ways a complete downer, because much of the equipment I review is so expensive that I really can’t afford to own it, so having to send it back is often a truly painful experience. Even when I can afford to buy a bit of gear I’ve reviewed that I really like, it often isn’t cost-effective for me to sell a piece of gear I already own to buy something that’s just a wee bit better… not least because I might find that the next piece of kit I review is just…

The various protective grilles fitted to the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 meant that Newport Test Labs had to conduct more than the usual number of frequency response tests in order to completely show the speaker’s frequency response under all configurations. The trace shown on Graph 1 below 1kHz is comprised of the averaged result of nine individual frequency sweeps measured at three metres with the central grid point on-axis with the tweeter when using a pink noise test stimulus. The trace above 1kHz is the gated high-frequency response measured without any of the speaker grilles in place. It shows that the frequency response of the Debut 2.0 B6.2 extends from 50Hz to 35kHz ±3.5dB and that the response is quite linear, without any spectral skewing, indicating that the sound does…

John’s substantial property in Central Victoria is lush with a canopy of exotic shade trees and tall plant life from every continent. The greenery stretches skyward above rich ground foliage marked by steel rods in a tower of terracotta pots filled with basalt rock dust. These towers are said to attract low frequency spikes from the Earth’s electromagnetic field known as Schumann Resonances (SRs). They are generated by lightning discharges in the cavity between the Earth’s surface and the ionosphere, and occur as a series of spectral peaks up to 33.8Hz, with the fundamental mode at 7.83Hz. They have been intensively studied by scientists since they were first identified in 1954 by the German physicists W.O. Schumann and H. Konig. Devices are now available commercially that generate the low level…

The Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital DAC and headphone amplifier overkills in the right way, without the usual monetary penalty When it comes to hi-fi equipment, I don’t really have a problem with ‘overkill’. If level ‘x’ of performance in audio gear exceeds the ability of human perception to distinguish any inadequacies, then why not level 2x? There’s nothing wrong with a bit of a margin for error… unless that is, that the ‘overkill’ ends up costing a lot of money. Which brings me to the Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital DAC and headphone amplifier. It overkills in the right way, and does it without the usual monetary penalty. THE EQUIPMENT Before getting to that overkill, let’s look at the design. Pro-Ject is best known for its turntables, and primarily…

PAL+ BT SAVE $120! Take Tivoli’s wildly popular PAL radio and futureproof it with a sensitive DAB+/FM RDS digital tuner, and add Bluetooth wireless technology, and you’re looking at one of the best compact portable audio devices available. Normally priced at $399, for a limited time Tivoli’s PAL+ BT is on special for $279. Music System 3+ SAVE $150! Tivoli have released some great products over the years, and the Music System 3+ is one of their best. This stereo unit features FM and DAB+ radio, Bluetooth, an auxiliary input for external source devices, dual alarms with sleep timer, snooze and auto time set, and best of all it is portable, thanks to the in-built lithium battery pack. We have a limited number of Music System 3+ units (black and…

We currently have a very attractive special on the Pro-Ject 2Xperience SB turntable. This is an excellent turntable, featuring electronic speed control, which gives you better speed stability and eliminates the need to change the belt position on the pulley when changing from 33 to 45rpm. It also includes their $1,400 9CC Evolution tonearm, as used by Linn on the LP12 Majik turntable. The chassis uses a non-resonant MDF construction and the platter is built with heavy, non-resonant materials in a precisely balanced sandwich configuration. Plus it comes standard with a quality record clamp. All told this is an impressive turntable offering great value at $1,995. For a limited time we are fitting, free of charge, an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge, valued at $1,000, with every 2Xperience sold. This Pro-ject/…

Yamaha’s new MusicCast Vinyl 500 wireless turntable is not just a turntable that plays black vinyl. It’s a turntable that plays Tidal... and Spotify... and internet radio and high-res network streaming. It’s a turntable that has AirPlay and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and Ethernet. It’s a turntable whose output(s) you can plug into any amplifier, or send wirelessly to speakers all around the home… whilst all the while controlling almost everything via an app. It’s a turntable that does so much that calling it a ‘turntable’ seems to sell it short. THE EQUIPMENT The secret weapon behind all this interconnectiveness is, of course, Yamaha‘s MusicCast streaming and multiroom platform. The company has been exceedingly busy with MusicCast in recent years. First there were wireless speakers, then a soundbar, and then MusicCast…

The Marantz SA-KI Ruby SACD player builds on a long lineage of CD playback technology developed by Marantz, because this famous manufacturer (65 years in the audio business and counting!) built one of the very first CD players, the Marantz CD-63, ‘way back in 1982. The person who was responsible for the CD-63 was none other than one of Marantz’s top design engineers, Ken Ishiwata (40 years at Marantz and still counting!), who went on to oversee the production of Limited Edition and Special Edition models, and of course the Ken Ishiwata Signature models, of which this new SA-KI Ruby is the latest incarnation. THE EQUIPMENT The front panel of the SA-KI Ruby has all the controls you need to operate the unit without having to resort to using the…

Legendary. It’s a powerful and emotive word, and it is one that every audiophile I have ever spoken to uses when they are talking about Stax headphones… or, as Stax prefers to call them… ‘earspeakers’. In fact, the unique design of nearly all Stax headphones is such that calling them earspeakers is actually highly appropriate, because in reality, they are essentially miniaturised full-sized loudspeakers… even the shape of the headpiece is rectangularly reminiscent of a loudspeaker cabinet, rather than the circular form usually employed for headphones. (I wrote ‘nearly all’ in that sentence because the three most expensive—and most recently designed—models in the Stax range have circular, rather than rectangular, earpads. Traditionally, however, Stax headphones had rectangular ear pads.) But what makes Stax earphones truly unique is that whereas almost…

Björn Erik Edvardsen, head of the design team that created the NAD 3020 integrated amplifier, which many claim was the best-selling amplifier in the history of high fidelity, has died of cancer, aged 83. Edvardsen was already an up-and-coming electronics design engineer (Dolby Laboratories, Acoustic Research) when in 1976 he was hired by Dr Martin (Marty) L. Borish to work at NAD in the UK, which Borish had established in 1972 on behalf of a consortium of hi-fi distributors who financed the company. In 1977 Edvardsen delivered the NAD 3020 of which more than a million were eventually built. It was low-powered and low-priced ($259 in Australia at the time, but only £79 in the UK), and probably one of the ugliest amplifiers built during the 70s, but despite all…

Stax also offer complete systems, which include both the driver and the Earspeakers in a single package. This can not only provide value, you know you’re getting a match that will deliver the remarkable electrostatic sound for which Stax earspeakers are renowned. Stax SRS-5100 Classic Electrostatic System The first SR-Lambda series was introduced 36 years ago and it has further developed into a new-generation SR-Lambda with its newly designed enclosure – the new SR-L500 advanced Lambda series Earspeaker. The system includes SRM-353X driver and SR-L500 Earspeakers. Price $2,699. Stax SRS-3100 Classic Electrostatic System Includes SR-L300 earspeakers and class-A amplification via the SRM-252S driver for rich deep bass response, delicate high frequency and soothing mid-range. Price $1,199.…

inakustik Gel Absorbers The Reference Hightech Gel Absorbers from inakustik form a solid sound base that is available as a combination set for all weight classes. They have a special gel at their core that absorbs vibrations. This set contains 12 gel pads for various weight classes for the optimum tuning and decoupling of the devices and loudspeakers. Price $399 for a set of 12. Pre Cut Triangle Speaker Cable French speaker manufacturer Triangle have released two pre-terminated (banana to banana) speaker cables to complement their range. Both utilise high purity oxygen-free (minimum 99.99%) copper. Symphony 25A: $299 for a 2.5-metre pair Opera 25A: $179 for a 2.5-metre pair. inakustik Carbon Fibre Brush This antistatic carbon-fibre brush, with more than a million extremely fine fibres, is especially effective at removing…