Innehållsförteckning för November - December 2018 från Australian HiFi

Graph 1 shows the frequency response of the B&W 606 as measured by Newport Test Labs. It’s the combination of two different frequency response measurements, using two different measurement techniques. The section of the trace below 1kHz is the averaged result of nine individual frequency sweeps measured at three metres, with the central grid point on-axis with the tweeter using pink noise test stimulus with capture smoothed to 1/12th octave, with the bass reflex port completely open (no bungs). The section of the trace above 1kHz is the gated high-frequency response, an expanded view of which is shown in Graph 2. You can see that apart from the small dip in the response between 4kHz and 7kHz the B&W 606’s frequency response is remarkably flat, for the most part hovering…

One of the trickiest ongoing problems for any speaker designer is not so much getting the speakers they design to sound good—though that can be pretty tricky!—as making sure that they don’t sound so good that they cannibalise the sales of higher-priced models in the company’s own speaker range. That’s certainly a problem that Revel Concerta2 M16’s designer Mark Glazer would have faced when he was updating the original Concerta Series to Concerta2 status, because he wouldn’t have wanted to take sales away from the similar—but higher-priced—Revel Performa3 M105s. Yet at the same time it was also his job to make the Concerta2 M16s better-sounding, better-performing speakers than similarly-priced models from Revel’s competitors of which, at this popular and affordable price point, it must be said that there are a…

I had been planning to review the FiiO Q1 portable DAC and headphone amplifier, but before quite getting to it, the Chinese firm launched a successor. The FiiO Q1 Mark II is a huge upgrade over the original model. The old unit was a PCM-only device, limited to USB Audio Class 1.0 compatibility. That means it topped out at 24 bit, 96kHz sampling. The new one? It’ll handle just about any digital audio standard you’re likely—or even unlikely—to have on your notebook computer, tablet or phone. THE EQUIPMENT To be clear, even though the FiiO Q1 Mark II handles true, grown-up audiophile signals, this is a portable DAC and headphone amplifier. Very portable. It weighs a smidgeon over 100 grams, and is only 100mm long on the longest dimension. The…

A Swedish headphone reviewer, an American headphone reviewer and an Australian headphone reviewer walk into a bar. As the drinks evolve into dinner, talk turns, unsurprisingly, to headphones. ‘If you could have only one pair of headphones,’ asks the charmingly elfin American reviewer, ‘what would it be?’ All three consider carefully, before the Australian (your writer) suggests the M4U 2 headphones, made by Canada’s PSB Speakers. ‘Yes!’, concur the Swede and American, who offer no further advance on this suggestion. So that’s quite the international recommendation then. But times have moved on. The M4U 2 was—and still is, since it’s still available—a cabled headphone that can play in a passive mode, or with active circuits engaged, and thirdly actively with noise cancelling. But with the market now firmly focused on…

We have recently launched our new website, having finally bid goodbye to the old site after 14 years, an eternity in website years – and for the first time we have a cart!! While that addition of E-Commerce is obviously important to us, we have still designed the site as an informational resource. We are great believers that the more you know about a product or technology the better decisions you will make. While the site is not designed to replace live conversations or touching and listening to the equipment, we hope that you find it to be of value. We certainly welcome your feedback on the site (lenwallisaudio.com), and please take the opportunity to interact with us through our contact page. Despite the time and money that is involved…

Yamaha continue to reinforce the notion that they can still be a powerhouse in high-fidelity two-channel stereo, and that they are not just a bulk-box or surround sound factory. Their new Elite Hi-Fi series introduces three new stereo components, with the promise of more to come in the future. After the great success of the A-S3000 range and the companion A-S2000 and 1000 series components, they have upped the ante with a 5000 series flagship pre-amplifier and power amplifier combination (pictured above). The build quality of these units is phenomenal, and while they’re stacked to the rafters if you look under the hood, there is a beauty in its symmetry and design. The symmetry results in two clearly separate signal paths supported with independent power supply pathways. Copper plating and…

It has now been a couple of years since Bowers & Wilkins upgraded their top-of-the-range ‘800’ series of speakers. The ‘700’ series was updated late last year, and now it is time for the ‘600’ series to be revamped. This new series is the latest rendition of a range initially released in 1991, and which has won many five-star reviews and awards along the way. This series represents their most affordable range of ‘hi-fi’ speakers (they do manufacture a lower priced range of small on-wall or desktop speakers, and an impressive range of architectural speakers). In keeping with B&W’s philosophy of trickle-down technology, the new 600 series features their Continuum cone –initially developed for the 800 series, and later incorporated into the 700 series. This cone material is particularly good…

By the time you read this we should have received our first shipment of the new Musical Fidelity M2Si integrated amplifier and ‘M2S CD’ CD player. These units will both sell for $1,799, and are based on the older M3 (predecessors to the current M3Si and M3S CD) units. This makes both these models exceptional value, and it is great to see Musical Fidelity becoming available at lower price points without any sacrifice in quality. The M2 series is the first of a number of new products that we will see from Musical Fidelity prior to Christmas. They are in the process of re-engineering a number of items that were discontinued by the previous owner prior to selling the company, and these products include many of the higher-powered power amplifiers…

PS AUDIO P20 POWER PLANT The importance of the quality of the power being delivered to your system has been well documented during the last decade. However, we have still been somewhat surprised by the popularity of PS Audio’s new offering, the $14,995 DirectStream P20 Power Plant. This is substantial product, weighing in at 44kg. It is also the most powerful AC regenerator that PS Audio has ever built, supplying 2,000 watts of regenerated power, with peak demands of 3,600 watts – enough power for an entire system. This unit has 13 outlet sockets, and is a completely new design, not simply a larger version of their existing P10. In a bold claim PS Audio state that the effect of installing a P20 is the same as having less than…

Serious Home Theatre has really grown up in the last couple of years. The release of Atmos and DTS:X has really changed the way we design and implement theatres. It took decades for home theatre design to move from 5.1 to 7.1 (with a short stint at 6.1 in the middle). Suddenly it appears there is almost no limit to what you can do – Australian speaker manufacturer Krix teamed with Barco projectors and Trinnov to demonstrate a 24.10.10 system at this year’s International Hi-Fi show in Melbourne. That was a total of 7 front speakers, 27 surround and overhead speakers and 10 subwoofers. Overkill – possibly. Impressive, you bet! However you could be excused for asking who Trinnov is. Simply put, Trinnov make the most advanced Home Theatre processor…

Ruark have made a big name for themselves with their range of desktop radios and compact systems. They have now released the MRx, a product that is a slight departure from their traditional line-up. The MRx is a network connected wireless speaker. Designed for smaller areas, kitchen, bedrooms etc.or secondary listening areas it can also be linked (wirelessly) to their R2 Mk2 desktop system. It is Bluetooth enabled, plus with its internet connection can access online services such as internet radio, Spotify, Deezer and Tidal. The controller located on the front of MRx allows volume and source to be easily changed, but for full remote control they have an impressive dedicated app for iOS and Android devices called Ruark Link. This allows full control of all MRx functions and also…

Dylan might have called it a simple twist of fate. In 1952 Hideo Matsushita, at just 22-years of age, landed a plum job at Tokyo’s Bridgestone Museum of Art where one of his duties was to organise concerts to promote LP records which had just arrived in Japan. One of the chief difficulties in presenting these concerts was the reliability and performance of the phono cartridges available at the time, so in 1962, after deciding there was a future in building reliable high-quality phono cartridges, Hideo rented a small warehouse in Shinjuku, just across from the Imperial Palace, hired three employees, registered Audio-Technica as a brand-name and started building the AT-1 stereo phono cartridge, his first product. Well before the time of Matsushita’s death in 2013, Hideo had turned Audio-Technica…

Newport Test Labs measured the frequency response of the Revel Concerta2 M16 speaker as 45Hz to 22kHz ±4dB, which is an excellent result and shown in Graph 1. You can see from this graph that the response is particularly flat between 250Hz and 12kHz where, except for one small discrepancy centred at 5kHz, it’s essentially within ±1dB. Also note that this is a very high-resolution graph without any smoothing—the human ear would actually hear the in-room response that’s shown in Graph 5. In Graph 2, Newport Test Labs has again used a high-resolution measurement technique and also extended the high-frequency limit of the measurement up to 40kHz. The peak at 23kHz is a resonance caused by the use of aluminium as a dome material. Luckily, being at 23kHz it’s well…

Siegfried Linkwitz, the co-inventor of the Linkwitz-Riley crossover, a favourite of loudspeaker manufacturers and DIY speaker builders the world over, has died, aged 82. When asked about his many inventions over the years, Linkwitz would often invoke one of his favourite Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes: ‘We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.’ Although Linkwitz designed and built loudspeakers his entire adult life, and was associated with several well-known loudspeaker manufacturers, including Audio Artistry, where he was vice-president of engineering, and his own company, Linkwitz Labs, he worked full time in the research and development department of test and measurement company Hewlett-Packard (now Keysight Technologies) for 37…

Eight years is a long time in the high-end audio business. But that’s how long Vitus Audio had its RI-100 integrated in its amplifier line-up, so you’d have to assume that the company’s founder and head designer Hans Ole Vitus was so happy with it that he didn’t see any need for an update… until now, that is, since he’s replaced it with the RI-101. Not that you’d know he’d replaced the RI-100 just by looking at the new RI-101, however, because it appears he’s using an identical chassis. Indeed, if you had X-ray vision and could look inside the chassis itself, it even appears as though he’s using the same printed circuit boards. And actually, he is doing that… at least for the power amplifier section of the RI-101.…

Lately we’ve noticed the release of several turntables—some of them otherwise high-end, expensive units—that dispense with the traditional anti-skating feature. Sadly, we’ve also read various reasons why it wasn’t necessary on those turntables, and these reasons typically betray a misunderstanding of why it’s needed in the first place. In fact, anti-skating is needed on virtually all turntables. The requirement for anti-skating is nothing to do with the quality of the tonearm’s construction or the make of the tone arm bearings or whether the arm is straight or curved. It’s all to do with the directions of forces. The only exceptions to the rule are those turntables which have radically different tone arm geometry. I will return to them. IT’S ALL TO DO WITH THE DIRECTIONS OF THE FORCES When the…

Australia’s Mark Döhmann is recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts on turntable design. Having already been the chief designer of the $200,000+ Continuum Caliburn turntable – regarded by many as one of the finest turntables ever built – Mark and other members of the design group Audio Union more recently turned his attention to a more affordable offering, resulting in the Dohmann Helix One and Helix Two turntables. We are proud to announce that we now have the Helix Two (above) on display. Having previously carried the Continuum, we can see the similarities in design, and lessons learned in the previous design have obviously filtered down to this new model. While the Helix Two is a lower priced design, it is still a substantial product. It weighs in…

With each element of the 5000 range, Yamaha has referenced a piece of their history. This newest turntable, due to arrive in February, harkens back to the “golden age of Hi-Fi” and their “Gigantic and Tremendous” series of decks. The massive, finely finished, piano-black wooden cabinet supports a 5kg aluminium platter, not only an imposing visual statement but also reducing vibration and resonance. It has a short, pure straight tone arm which aligns the needle, cantilever and support pin with a rigidness that negates the need for an anti-skating weight. And exceedingly rare for turntables, it has balanced XLR connections. When used with the 5000 pre and power you can achieve a fully balanced signal from needle to speaker!…

Marantz are in the process of upgrading their ‘12’ series of AV receivers to the ‘13’ series. We have already received the SR5013 ($1,650) and SR6013 ($2,290), with the SR7013 due before the end of the year. Upgrades over the earlier series include the addition of Apple AirPlay 2 and the achievement of a new ‘IMAX Enhanced’ status, showing they meet “stringent performance standards established for image and sound performance by IMAX, DTS and Hollywood’s leading colorists”. The other exciting news from Marantz is the limited release of their KI Ruby series. It has been some time since Ken Ishiwata released a ‘signature’ product crafted under his watchful eye. The Ruby series marks his 40th anniversary with the company. There are two models (pictured above), selling for $6,990 each. PM-KI…

Primary E Pro-Ject’s response to the increasing number of cheap plastic turntables with lightweight platters, low performance tonearms, poor quality cartridges etc. flooding the market. The Primary E is hand-built in Europe, comes with an Ortofon cartridge and offers surprising performance for the asking price of $349. Essential III Marketed by Project as their ‘audiophile entry turntable.’ Complete with Ortofon OM10 cartridge at $550. This turntable is also available with a built-in phono stage for $630. Debut Carbon Endurance Reputedly the world’s most popular turntable. Now available with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge, and for a short time a free extra stylus (valued at $99.00): $750 1Xpression Carbon Classic This is the sixth generation of the Pro-Ject 1 turntable initially released in 1991. It features a newly designed carbon fibre…

The latest streaming components from Naim have hit the shelves and have already made an impact. While they are building on the success of their previous streaming platform, these units are essentially completely new products, but feature the classic Naim styling of old. Each unit shares the main streaming model and accepts higher sampling rates than their predecessors: up to 32-bit 384kHz PCM, and DSD 128. Control is through the Naim application (available for iOS and Android phones and smart devices) but they are also Roon compatible. Tidal, Spotify Connect and Chromecast (up to 24-bit/192kHz) are built in, as is UPnP for your network storage devices, and aptX HD Bluetooth and AirPlay are both on the menu. In-store, on top of the audio performance, we have also noticed a distinct…

It has been eight years since British manufacturer B&W first developed its ‘Continuum’ cone material for use in its flagship loudspeakers, the 800 Series Diamond models, and it’s been six years since B&W released its first ‘Six’ series. Why mention both events? Because this year, for the first time, Continuum cones have been integrated into the sixth generation of the company’s critically acclaimed ‘Six Series’. The first Six Series speaker to arrive in Australia was the B&W 606 and, thanks to the help of Bowers & Wilkins Australia, a sample from the very first shipment was sent direct to Australian Hi-Fi Magazine for review. THE EQUIPMENT The new B&W 606 is a two driver, two-way, bass reflex stand-mount/bookshelf loudspeaker. As noted in the introduction, the 165mm diameter bass/midrange cone is…

Newport Test Labs first measured the frequency response and channel separation of the Audio-Technica VNM20EB cartridge with pink noise test signals. Along with square waves, pink noise is one of the most difficult test signals for any phono cartridge, since it requires the stylus to simultaneously reproduce all frequencies across the audio spectrum at the same time, rather than just a single frequency at a time, which is the test used by cartridge manufacturers to specify the response of their products. The result of this test is shown in Graph 1 and you can see that the Audio-Technica VNM20EB delivered an outstandingly linear and extended frequency response, even with this difficult test signal. Overall Newport Test Labs measured the VNM20EB’s response at 26Hz to 20kHz ±2dB. Channel separation at 1kHz…

A question I am often asked is: ‘Why would anyone buy a CD player these days?’ I usually just answer with a single word: ‘Simplicity’. I am now consciously trying to reduce the stresses of modern living by making my own life as simple as possible. When I want to play music, I rather like that I can just pop a CD in a drawer, press play and be listening to music immediately. Yes, I have ripped all my CDs. Yes, I have a music server connected to my system. Despite this, when I want to listen to music, it’s more likely that I’ll browse the CDs stored on my shelf, select one and play it than that I’ll pull out my phone, fire up an app, browse through the…

Newport Test Labs measured the power output of the Vitus Audio RI-101 with just a single channel driven as being just shy of Vitus Audio’s specification of 300-watts per channel, with the amplifier on the lab’s test bench returning a figure of 292-watts right across the frequency band. This is close enough to the rated figure (just 0.01dB shy) that it’s easily explained by slight differences in measurement technique and/or fluctuations in the mains voltage, which Newport Test Labs doesn’t keep at a constant 240V during this test. The Vitus Audio R-101’s output power dropped when both channels were driven into 8 loads, with the amplifier returning 277-watts per channel at 1kHz and 20kHz, and 270-watts at 20kHz. When both channels were driven into 4 loads, the RI-101 on the…

This year’s Australian Hi-Fi & AV Show was full of surprises—including several world-firsts. We rush-wrote this brief report to meet deadline. You can read the full-length show report—and see many more photos of the show—at www.avhub.com.au/show2018 TAKATSUKI TA-SO1 The biggest surprise at the show for Melbournites was that they were the first in the world to hear the first amplifier ever built by Japanese valve manufacturer Takatsuki, the TA-SO1. Of course it was a valve amplifier or, to be precise, a single-ended integrated amplifier using TA-300B valves… made by Takatsuki itself. ‘We first heard this amplifier in March this year in the listening room of Takatsuki with the design team,’ said Bryan Fletcher, of Finn Bespoke Technology. ‘It was actually quite a surprise as we were visiting the company to…

aybe you don’t know M much about violins, but I’m willing to bet a dollar you think you know enough to answer the following two questions. Question 1: Who made the most valuable violin in the world? Question 2: Who made the best-sounding violin in the world? And I’m willing to bet your answer to both questions is the same; Antonio Stradivari. If so, you’re wrong on both counts. The most valuable violin in the world ain’t a Strad, it’s a Vieuxtemps Guarneri. It was made in the 18th century in Cremona, Italy, and it was sold to an anonymous buyer in 2012 for $US16 million, enough in Australian dollars to buy a couple of three-by-one houses in outer Melbourne or an inner-city terrace in Sydney (needs work). Violins built…

Bluesound offers the most versatile, high-resolution multi-room audio system we stock. From powered speakers and soundbars to CD storage and streaming for your HiFi, there is a solution for every room to get high-res MQA at audiophile quality. Now it gets better! Generation 2i improves components throughout the range with dual-band Wi-Fi, Apple AirPlay 2 support and upgraded Bluetooth codecs, all with improved amplification and acoustics. As many audiophiles know, the positioning and isolation of internal circuits can greatly influence sound quality, so having a smaller and superior Wi-Fi chipset trickle down from sister company NAD’s high-end Masters series gave technicians more flexibility to isolate signal pathways. Consequently, the improvements extend beyond the spec sheet. That being said, this is not a minor upgrade, as there are a number of…

Yamaha also continue to release more commercially available two-channel products, one of the most notable being their new R-N803 receiver. This 145-watt/ channel powerhouse features almost every piece of technology you could ask for. Firstly it comes equipped with Yamaha’s wireless multi-room system – MusicCast. MusicCast is emerging as one of the standout multi-room systems in what is becoming a very crowded field. This enables the R-N803 to offer Bluetooth, AirPlay, a digital input for your TV and a phono stage for your vinyl. You have DAB+ radio as well as FM, and it is network-enabled, allowing access to Net Radio, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer and others. The free app is easy to use, and importantly we have found Yamaha to be very ‘network friendly’. A couple of years ago Yamaha…

In our last edition, we were praising the Sony VW760ES laser projector as their best residential unit yet. It seems that we spoke too soon – as the new VPL-VW870ES has since hit our shores. The new model uses the same advanced SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) panel technology as previous models and continues to deliver native 4K (4096 x 2160) resolution images. But the big changes come with the physical elements of the projection system. The VW870ES boosts brightness by 10 percent to 2200 lumens, and uses a new dual dynamic contrast system to balance this extra brightness against black levels. In conjunction with internal processing and HDR information, it is able to maintain deep blacks while still providing extra light when called upon. Technology has also trickled down…

When Len Wallis Audio was asked to work on a new-build cinema with two of Sydney’s most respected architects and builders (Bruce Stafford Architects and Joe Fuda of Innovative Building), we knew the team effort would deliver the finest of cinema results. And it did. Alberto Vangi (senior custom sales) initially sat down with the clients to determine and put together the cinema, and once this was done project manager Onur Guresen and documentation Auto CAD draftsman Shaun Peffer worked closely through the preparation stages all the way from start to finish – guiding senior installer Mark Young, programmer Tim McGurk and even Mick Peaker from Avical for the video image ISF Calibration. Signature design We applied a signature design cinema for the space being 6019mm L x 3920mm W…

The Naim Mu-so is celebrating “four years of awards and 5-star reviews” with the release of a special champagne-finished edition. With a redesigned anodised aluminium finish on the external metalwork and a uniquely coloured grille, this makes a memorable first impression or new addition to your Naim network. Despite being limited to 2000 units world-wide (with only very limited numbers available in Australia), the Mu-so Special Edition costs the same as the black version at $1,899, so act quickly if you want a piece of history.…

The Tivoli Model One has been on the market for almost 20 years, and it is still going strong. However technology moves on, and Tivoli have released an additional range of products (the Art Collection) to reflect these changes. What has not changed is their commitment to producing some of the best-sounding radio-based products on the market. Model One Digital Loosely based on the Model One, this unit has DAB+, FM, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It merges the simplicity and user-friendly features that Tivoli Audio’s classic line is known for, but with a tech refresh. Orb This wireless speaker can be configured to offer mono, stereo (two Orbs) or multi-room audio playback. It can be free standing, or you can hang it on the wall. There are multiple finishes available. MusicSystem+…