PTP Audio Idler Drive Turntables

27. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Hifi News, Uncategorized · Tags: ,

PTP is a Netherlands based manufacturer owned by Peter Reinders.

PTP Audio’s new Solid9 and Solid12 turntables bring the idler drive renaissance to a wider market.
“PTP Audio knows idlers can sound fantastic, but at the same time we also know about the disadvantages a 40 year old machine can have. Our solution is truly unique: We take the drive system from a vintage Lenco, restore it to its former glory, and combine it with the best modern technology has to offer. All Solid9 and Solid12 turntables are made to order, available in a wide range of colours and assembled by hand.”

We hope to review one of their turntables very soon.

 

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Akkus V1 Loudspeakers

25. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Loudspeakers. · Tags: ,

I haven’t had much (actually, any…) experience with Polish hifi equipment, so I had no expectations or preconceptions of what the Akkus V1s were likely to deliver – just an awareness that my usual Audio Physic Avanti III floorstanders were a tough act to follow for any loudspeaker, much less a stand-mount.  For this test they were teamed-up with a Unison Research S9 SET valve integrated amplifier, Naim CDX CD player, and for vinyl a Graaf GM70 phono stage, Palmer 2.5 TT with SME2-10 arm and Lyra Kleos cartridge.

First impressions before they were even out of their box was that for stand-mount speakers – and the company’s entry level ones at that – these are very heavy and substantial speakers.  They are supplied with perfectly-matching veneered MDF speaker stands and once set up you could see how well matched these stands are to the overall aesthetics of the speakers. These are very attractive speakers too, with casework which leans back to help time-align the drivers, while the stands project forwards. This works very well and manages a nicely deceptive trick of looking more compact than these not-insubstantial speakers actually are!  The front baffles are also heavily chamfered, helping to reduce diffraction as well as increasing their overall visual appeal. More »

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Bodnar Audio Loudspeakers in Yorkshire

22. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Hifi News, Uncategorized · Tags:

Fidelity Art, the Yorkshire based hi-fi retailer has recently announced that they will be carrying the Bodnar Audio range of loudspeakers.

Designed around a full-range driver, Sandglass speakers are said to combine “breath-taking dynamic range, enormous three-dimensional soundstage, natural timbre and deep bass extension to deliver an exceptional sense of authenticity.”

Sandglass speaker systems use a cabinet design that is designed to strengthen and improve wave dispersion while boosting bass response, whilst the single speaker with no crossover reproduces the full sound spectrum.

The speakers are available in two versions, with either a 7-inch (17 cm) or an 8 inch (20 cm) Sonido driver. Both versions are the same height but the 7-inch version features a narrower cabinet that is better suited for smaller listening rooms. A wide range of finish options are available, including piano finish and custom leather front panel in a range of colours to match any interior.

Prices range from £3,299 to £3,499 for the standard finish and from £4,890 to £4,990 for the piano finish.

 

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Solaja Audio Sedra 2 Amplifier and Sedra 2 Preamplifier

22. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Coming Soon

Solaja Audio is a Serbian company who make a handful of tube and class D amplifiers, preamplifiers and headphone amplifiers.

Hifi Pig will be reviewing the latest products from Solaja Audio; the Sedra 2 amplifier and the Sedra 3 Preamplifier. The Sedra 2 (Pictured) is a 1.5Watt per channel tube amplifier using EL84 output valves whilst the matching Sedra 3 is a 3 input, 2 output matching tube preamplifier.

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Eminent Technology LFT-16a and LFT-8b Loudspeakers

22. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Coming Soon

Hifi Pig will be reviewing both the larger LFT-8b and the smaller LFT-16a (pictured) loudspeakers from Eminent Technology. Both loudspeakers are a hybrid design utilising the company’s Linear Field Planar Magnetic Transducers and sealed box woofers.

Both loudspeakers look very interesting and we’re looking forward to seeing how they perform for our hifi review team.

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Davone Mojo Loudspeakers

22. June 2012 · 3 comments · Categories: Coming Soon

An interesting looking small loudspeaker from the Danish manufacturer Davone. The Davone Mojo is a small loudspeaker that can be used on a stand, on a shelf or even on the wall and utilises an interesting acoustic lens concept which is said to give a 36o degree dispersion of sound and a downward firing subwoofer.

We will be reviewing the Davone Mojo as a separate hifi component as well as with the Artora ArtAmp 150.

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CEntrance Audiophile Desktop System

22. June 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Coming Soon

Hifi on the move is becoming increasingly popular and Hifi Pig is pleased to have been chosen as one of the reviewers of the CEntrance Audiophile Desktop System designed for audiophiles away from their main hifi rig.

According the CEntrance’s website “The Audiophile Desktop system was designed from the ground up to bring Hi-Fi sound right to the desktop for today’s Internet-connected consumer. The DAC, amp and speakers are closely matched and properly voiced to work together in concert. The Audiophile Desktop bundle provides a complete digital audio listening solution in an easy to carry, protective case with custom-cut foam lining.”

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Black Rhodium Interconnects

22. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Coming Soon

Hifi Pig have been given the opportunity to review a range of Black Rhodium interconnects representing different price points in the company’s hi-fi interconnect range.

Cables being reviewed will be the Opus, Rhythm, Prelude and Symphony.

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HiSound Audio Digital Audio Players

22. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Coming Soon

Reviews of the Chinese based HiSound Audio’s Rocoo BA, Rocoo P and Studio-V digital audio players. These players have been designed with audiophiles on the move in mind and focus on sound quality over superfluous functions.

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Antelope Zodiac 192kHz DAC

22. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Coming Soon

The Antelope Zodiac DAC uses Antelope’s own 64-bit Acoustically Focused Clocking (AFC) and Oven Controlled Clocking which are said to bring pro audio standards to the home hifi user.

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Perreaux Audiant DP32 DAC/Pre and 100P Power Amplifier

22. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Coming Soon

A European first review of the New Zealand company Perreaux’ Audiant DP32 DAC/Pre and matching 100P power amplifier.

The Audiant DP32 is a hi fi audio preamplifier with on-board 32-bit digital to analogue converter, fully balanced analogue audio circuits and ample input options – featuring AES/EBU digital and balanced XLR analogue along with asynchronous 24-bit/192kHz USB.

The Audiant 100p is a 100 Watt hi fi audio stereo power amplifier with MOSFET output transistors and high-current power supply and fully balanced input circuitry, shunt voltage regulation and power supply filtering.

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Hifi and Live Music.

21. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Comment · Tags: , ,

Well today is Fete de la Musique in France and this is the one day of the year where towns and villages across the country put on a great deal of free music in their streets and bars. The whole country comes out in a big celebration of all things musical and a great time is had by all…needless to say it’s banging it down with rain here at the moment.

This got me thinking about live music and where hifi fits into all this. Hi-fi aficionados often claim that they are looking to recreate that “live experience” and I wondered where this came from and what it was about the “live” experience they wanted to recreate. The majority of my experience of live rock and electronic music is being surrounded by drunken mid-twenty somethings combined with pretty average sound reproduction and hi-fi it certainly is not. If that’s the experience folk are looking for then surely it can’t be that difficult to recreate; a couple of cases of cheap lager, turn the music-centre up full whack, get too many friends around and there you go…for the festival experience take the whole lot out into the garden and roll around in the mud. More »

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Bob Carver VTA20S

20. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Hifi News, Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

Bob Carver have launched the VTA20S and will ship in July at a cost of $2100. The new stereo amplifier is  rated at 20 WRMS in 2 channel stereo mode or 40 WRMS when used in single channel mono mode. The amplifier features auto biasing and low idle current greatly increasing EL84M output tube life.

Bob Carver hand-build their amplifiers in the US using point to point wiring and with no circuit board traces, no surface mount components and no depluggable connecters.

“The VTA20S represents Bob’s latest and greatest thinking on vacuum tube amplifier designs. ” says Bob Farinelli. A screen voltage regulator and DC restoration circuit minimizes crossover distortion and output tube power dissipation. “The 1.5 ohm output impedance coupled with current and voltage feedback loops also allows the amplifier to listen to the room via acoustic feedback from the speakers”. “The room to speaker to amplifier interaction delivers a huge acoustic space and allows us to believe the performance could have existed in another time and in another place. It sounds so beautiful!” Says Bob Carver.

Specifications:

  • Input Impedance: 20K ohms in stereo, 125K ohms in mono
  • Nominal Voltage Gain: 26dB (into 8 ohms)
  • Input Tubes: 12AX7B
  • Output Tubes: 1 complementary pair of EL84Ms per channel
  • Rated Power (Stereo): 20 Watts
  • Rated Power (Mono): 40 Watts
  • Speaker Impedance: 4 to 16 ohms
  • Noise: Better than 96dB A weighted ref. into 20 watts
  • Frequency Response: 8 Hz to 40 kHz (-3dB)
  • Full Power Bandwidth: 26Hz to 43 kHz without filters
  • Distortion: Less than 0.5%
  • Hum: -100dB
  • Generator Source Impedance: 1.5 Ohms
  • Weight: 17 pounds
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Unity Audio – The Rock MK2

20. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Hifi News, Uncategorized · Tags:

Unity Audio have started to ship the new Rock MKII active 2 way near field monitor -not strictly Hifi but I know a lot of people have desk top systems where this kind of loudspeaker can be useful.

The Mark 1 Unity Audio Rock was introduced just over two years ago and this version aims to improve on the Mk1. Significant development has come from the “shared low frequency amplifier” design that Unity Audio use in their 3 way mid-field Boulder monitor.

The Rock II has better bass extension which Unity Audio claim gives the loudspeaker a more dynamic sound – bass response is now 40Hz (-3dB) instead of the previous 50Hz

 

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Wharfedale Denton Returns

19. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Hifi News, Uncategorized · Tags: ,

The Denton 80th Anniversary Edition is a two-way speaker in the classic bookshelf tradition, hand veneered in mahogany by Wharfedaleʼs cabinet makers with an inset front baffle and traditional tungsten grey cloth grille.

The bass unit features Wharfedaleʼs woven Kevlar cone mounted on a rigid die-cast chassis. High frequencies are handled by a woven textile soft dome tweeter with a high-flux ferrite magnet, “engineered for smooth, detailed HF extension.”

“Iʼve always had tremendous admiration for the original Denton – itʼs one of the reasons I became a loudspeaker designer,” said Peter Comeau, Director of Acoustic Design at Wharfedaleʼs parent company IAG. “Reviving this famous speaker and remodelling it for modern-day music lovers has given me enormous pleasure. In voicing the new Denton I had in mind the original, which sounded musical but with a pleasing touch of warmth. The ferrite magnet tweeter gives a cleaner, smoother treble than Neodymium designs.”

Finished in a deep, rich mahogany wood veneer with a recommended retail price of £499.95 per pair, this very special loudspeaker is available from July in strictly limited quantity.

 

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Confessions of a Hifi Addict

19. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Comment · Tags: ,

There are those in hifi that like to collect boxes and I’m not ashamed to say that I count myself in this category. I like the fact that my hifi takes up a whole wall in one room of the house and I don’t think I would get the same satisfaction from a one box hi-fi system.  I can see the benefits of having all the component parts of a hifi in one convenient unit, but I’m afraid it just doesn’t appeal to me. That said I do quite like my hifi to be functional…ok I quite like ugly hifi…or hi-fi that most would consider to be ugly…I prefer the word “different”.

Currently there are 7 different boxes on my hifi shelf – a CD player, an amplifier (it’s integrated so there’s one less box I suppose), a turntable and all it’s little tools, a phono-stage, a headphone amp, a squeezebox and of course a pair of speakers. Of course there is more than one pair of speakers in the house as I seem to be a little magpie-like when it comes to loudspeakers. As I type this I just looked around the open plan living space and counted 3 pairs…all in use mind…and these all have associated amplifiers too. I think there is no hope for me! There’s more dotted round the house too…and another pair on the way. More »

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Perreaux Audiant DP32 32-bit Dac Preamplifier

15. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Hifi News, Uncategorized · Tags: ,

Perreaux, the designer and manufacturer of home audio equipment, announce the U.K. release of their new high resolution audio preamplifier, the Audiant DP32. A fully balanced analogue preamplifier with on-board 32-bit/192kHz DAC and asynchronous USB audio streaming, the Audiant DP32 is said to be well-equipped to playback today’s high resolution digital music.

“The DP32 raises the bar both for sound performance and musical enjoyment,” said Martin van Rooyen, Perreaux managing director. “With ultra-low distortion and high dynamic range, the Audiant DP32 is ready to make your high resolution music sound the best it ever has.”

At the heart of the Audiant DP32 DAC is ESS Technology’s 32-bit Sabre32 ES9018 reference digital to analogue converter and with six digital inputs (one AES/EBU, one asynchronous USB, two coaxial & two optical) the DP32 accepts all digital audio interfaces.

Features include – digital re-clocking for jitter reduction, discrete shunt regulators to provide clean power, a buffered passive volume control for extremely low noise and direct coupled inputs.

The fully balanced analogue preamplifier offers two buffered analogue inputs and accommodates both balanced XLR and single-ended RCA cables and a selectable home theatre bypass allows seamless integration into home theatre system.

Covered by an extended five year warranty, the DP32 is priced at £2,190 and is available now.

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Resonessence Labs Invicta Dac/preamp

15. June 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: D to A Converters · Tags:

There’s been a good deal of fuss over the ESS Sabre Dac chip in recent years. Hype that’s certainly justified in my very limited experience, as I’ve been fortunate to own and listen to Eastern Electric’s Minimax Dac and Wyred4sound’s Dac2. Both were excellent products, punching well above their weight in terms of absolute sound quality. Obviously the successful implementation of any chip is dependant on circuit design, the output stage and the power supply but bad reviews of products utilizing ESS chipsets are pretty hard to come by, with glowing reports of Sabre equipped products from Calyx, Audio GD and Oppo easy to find online. So how about a high end digital to analogue converter based on and designed by a team that were involved in the design of this revolutionary chip? Say hello to Resonessence Labs, a Canadian company founded by Mark Mallinson, former Operations Director at ESS Technology. The Invicta is their first product and has reportedly been two years in the making. The products are both designed and hand assembled in Canada, giving the company complete control over the entire process. The unit actually uses two different ESS chips with the ES9108 used for the line output and an ES9016 Ultra chip dedicated to the headphone stage. More »

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T.H.E Show Newport Beach 2012

14. June 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Hifi Shows

T.H.E. Show Newport Beach California. 1st, 2nd and 3rd June 2012

Pardon my brevity- but you’re here for the gear pron right?  And there’s plenty of that! T.H.E Show Las Vegas 2013 here More »

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What is Hifi?

14. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Comment · Tags: , , ,

Hi-fi can mean so many things to different folk, so a quick search on the internet seemed in order and Wikipedia had the following to say: “High fidelity –  or hi-fi or hifi  – reproduction is a term used by home stereo listeners and home audio enthusiasts (audiophiles) to refer to high-quality reproduction of sound to distinguish it from the poorer quality sound produced by inexpensive audio equipment.”

I’m never even sure whether you should write hifi or hi-fi and so interchange the two at random!

This got me thinking! I participate in a number of hi-fi forums and no one person seems to agree on what hifi actually means. I suppose if being an audiophile meant the same to everyone then we would all be playing identical hi-fi systems, but the truth of the matter is that there are those with valve amplifiers, solid state amplifiers, horn loudspeakers, “normal” loudspeakers. Some audiophile folk prefer analogue front ends and use a record player, others prefer their hifi pleasure delivered by cd players and some prefer their music to be delivered by streaming hifi systems. There are those audiophile types who use digital sources, but then talk about how best to achieve an analogue sound. If I was starting out down the audiophile path all over again I have to say the world would look a lot more confusing than it did thirty years ago. More »

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Human Audio Tabla USB to SP/dif Interface

13. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: D to A Converters · Tags: , ,

I’d really enjoyed my time with Human Audio’s Muto Dac and, as luck would have it, it wasn’t the only battery powered treat that I’d been sent for review. Time to spend some time with the Tabla, the Hungarian company’s take on USB to SP/dif conversion. Will it make as positive an impact as the compact hi res Dac I was so reluctant to re box for the collecting courier?

The two products are obviously designed to complement each other. The tabla shares the unconventional 100 x 55 x 30mm dimensions, black casework and stylish logo detail with the digital to analogue converter and the two look well sat together. The unit is solidly made – I doubt aesthetic design is the number one priority when designing a component  that might well sit towards the back of the average audiophile’s trophy cabinet of kit but a quick google of some competing products confirms that the Tabla is one of the more dapper converters on the market. It’s certainly better finished than the Audio GD digital interface I use on a daily basis which luckily is very much a triumph of substance over style.

The big sell here is bit perfect listening up to 24/192kHz and, as with the dac, battery power. Human Audio are convinced that getting off the grid is the key to great sound and the entire range is built around this philosophy. To this end the Tabla is specced with two, power supply independent batteries. More »

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Harmon Kardon’s New Headphone Range

13. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Hifi News, Uncategorized · Tags: ,

Harmon Kardon release today a series of 4 headphones with a 5th due shortly.

The BT (pictured) is an over the ear wireless headphone that features Bluetooth equipped with a built-in microphone, AAC and apt-X wireless coding and user-exchangeable headbands to allow for a better fit. Price for the BT is 220£.

The 170£ CL is said to blend sophistication and simplicity in an over the ear design and comes with an Apple 3-button remote.

The AEs are an in-ear design made from an aluminium alloy that is said to give superior acoustic dampening and will cost 130£.

The NI is the cheapest of the new releases at 90£ and is again an in-ear design featuring a 9mm driver system which is said to offer sonic clarity even at low levels.

The final headphone, yet to be released is a noise cancelling design and will sell for 300£.

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Burson Soloist

13. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Hifi News, Uncategorized · Tags:

Burson was formed in 1969 by a team of audiophiles with the idea of pooling their knowledge and developing a few projects for themselves to enjoy.  Their first commercial project was launched in 2005 and on 1st July 2012 they release their latest – the Soloist headphone amplifier and pre amplifier.

The Burson soloist will have fully discreet circuitry, a fully symmetrical FET input stage and will operate in pure Class A.

There will be no op amps in the Soloist as Burson believe then to be inferior with many low quality parts and unnecessary components which could degrade the audio signal.

The FET input stage has only 21 components in the signal path which compares to around 50 in typical IC OPamp.

Other features include a Variable Output Stage (which allows better matching with any type of headphone and is said to be capable of driving even the most difficult load including planar magnetic headphones) a High resolution volume control, a low noise power supply and a resonance free enclosure.

Price will be 960$

 

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Solaja Audio Sedra One, Two and Three

12. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Hifi News, Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

Solaja Audio is a Serbian Hifi manufacturer of valve based amplifiers and preamplifiers and owned by designer Dragan Solaja.

The company have recently introduced a range of three products under the Sedra name and called the Sedra One, The Sedra Two and you guessed it The Sedra Three.

The Sedra One is a single ended headphone amplifier with one input and a passive volume control. A 6N2P feeds a single EL84 per channel and delivers 0.5W per channel in triode mode without negative feedback. It’s available in 115 and 230v versions on request and will cost.

The Sedra Two is an integrated amplifier with three RCA inputs and a 62NP double triode valve feeding a single EL84 per channel and delivering 1.5W per channel. With its tiny output the Sedra Two will be of interest to flea power aficionados.

Finally the Sedra Three (Pictured) is the line preamplifier in the series and offers 3 inputs and 2 outputs. Input is a 6N6P and the rectifier is an EZ81.

Each unit is 300€ plus shipping and we have contacted Soloja with regards review items.

 

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Reference Fidelity to Offer New Range

06. June 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Hifi News, Uncategorized · Tags:

Reference Fidelity Components (RFC) the UK manufacturer of audiophile interconnects and ancillaries have announced today that they have partnered with a manufacturer of bespoke, wooden home furniture.

The partnership will broaden the RFC product range to include loudspeaker stands, equipment racks and turntable plinths; including plinths for the legendary Garrard 301 and 401 turntables. All of the new items presented will undergo the same rigorous design criteria the company’s cables have been subjected to and will include isolation or damping systems “to ensure great performance”.

Paul Coupe, owner of RFC commented “We are offering a truly bespoke service for audiophiles and prices will be dependent on the timber quality, complexity of construction and the finishes required. Whatever our clients choose they will be guaranteed a hand-made, furniture-quality item that, like quality furnishings, will be a pleasure to own”

The company has also introduced servicing for Garrard 301/401 turntables including motor strip, inspection, and bearing re-oiling, plus spindle bearing checks, replacements, upgrading and re-oiling. The thorough service will also include linkages cleaning and re-greasing, motor pulley inspection and adjustment and springs inspection and replacement.

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