TONEAudio MAGAZINE The Concierge of High End Audio

Wrapped in the same champagne front panel that every CJ component has come since their inception, the MF 2275 is a compact, solid state amplifier. As company founder Lew Johnson assured me at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, “Yes, we make excellent solid-state amplifiers too.”

Rated at 135 watts per channel into an 8-ohm load, the MF 2275 features a no frills approach to delivering great solid-state sound. Those familiar with their other solid-state designs will immediately notice a family resemblance. Newcomers to the world of CJ will immediately be impressed. Rob Johnson’s review coming soon!

Conrad-Johnson MF 2275

$3,850

www.conradjohnson.com

You might not look like a rock star, and you might not be a rock star, but now you can bathe like one. Do rock stars bathe? If they did, we suspect that they might use this herbal blend, dark red soap from Lush.

Rock Star Soap

$9.99

www.lush.com

I’ve been a fan of vintage Harman/Kardon gear for several years now, so when I heard a local record store had an HK670 receiver for sale I was on the case, immediately. The typical going price for this model in “good working order” (which as most vintage audio buyers know can mean many things) is right around $100-150. Though showing signs of neglect and crying out for some TLC, I was able to get it for $50 due to some distortion in the phono section.

The HK670 twin powered integrated receiver was Harman/Kardon’s top of the line model from about 1979 to 1981 and was its last with an analog tuner. The original retail price was $550, the equivalent to around $1700 today. It has a dual-mono design; however the single transformer makes the designation of twin powered misleading. The 670 is rated at 60 watts per channel and some sources say this rating is conservative. A fan of the aesthetics of older HK gear, this one isn’t as pretty and is a beast in terms of size, yet it still has a certain vintage charm.

After some serious elbow grease and new fuses, it works beautifully. I didn’t know what to expect as mixed reviews for this particular model complain about a flat and lifeless sound.  Pairing it with a set of vintage JBLs and both a Rega Planar 3 and Pro-ject Debut Carbon turntables I auditioned a few quintessential audiophile releases along with Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights from the new HIM Vinyl Retrospective box set left me surprised for the better!

– Jaime Lee Fritze

I remember the day like it was yesterday: I was pestering the guy at Pacific Stereo in the mall, begging to audition the Sansui AU-717 amplifier and a pair of JBL L-100 speakers that I was lusting after—and yes, the speakers had the orange grilles. As I watched those woofers pound in an out, listening to Supertramp’s “Rudy” and driving everyone else out of the store, it was the moment of truth. Time to put up or shut up. The amp was $549 and the speakers were $549 a pair. “How about $900 for the whole thing?” I bargained.

At this point, the audio consultant (as they used to call ’em back then) laughed at me and said, “Kid, I’ll let you have the whole thing for $800 if you’ve got the money.” He and the manager weren’t laughing when I peeled 800 smackers out of my jeans, insisting in my best Eddie Haskell voice that the two gentlemen carry my new system out to my car and throw in the 20 feet of free speaker wire promised by the sign on the front desk.

The most-read Old School column we’ve ever done was back in issue 30 when we featured the JBL L-100 speakers—seems many of the boomers in our audience either had a pair, wanted a pair, or still have a pair of L-100s. Either way, many good stories are always told about these speakers; they’re like a great vintage car in that respect, so I keep them around for posterity. Visitors to the TONE studio always take note of them off in the corner, and they always bring back fond memories. When a cursory 4:00 a.m. eBay search turned up a pristine AU-717, it was time to press the buy it now button.

Some components stick in your mind forever, but it’s tough enough to remember what you heard a week ago most times and some will argue that your auditory memory is fleeting at best. That’s an argument we’ll leave for the nearby audiophile forum, but for now I ask that you humor me when I tell you this damn amplifier even smells familiar.

In 1978, a 40-pound amplifier felt like a monster, but next to my reference Pass Xs 300 monoblocks (with a combined weight of almost a ton, literally), the AU-717 is comparatively gentle on my back. I hook up the JBLs with the necessary zip cord, and it’s time for the trip down memory lane to begin.

Keeping a foot in the 21st century, I stream digital files via Tidal and the dCS Paganini stack—which costs way more than my parents house did when I had this Sansui/JBL system on the first go. Crazy as this seems, the purity of the dCS as a source truly reveals just how good the Sansui really is. And even by today’s standards, this modest setup still easily reveals the differences between the $60K dCS stack, the $30K Gryphon DAC and the $9K Simaudio 650D.

Extended listening to this combo proves musically involving, and revisiting the music I was listening to in 1978 is particularly fun. Mick Fleetwood’s drumming on Rumours is splendid, as is Peter Frampton’s guitar work on Frampton Comes Alive. The combination just works, and while the vintage combo is a bit grungier and foggier than my reference system, the whole experience is welcome and highly palatable. Even after hours, you don’t realize what you’re missing until you go back to the big system.

The AU-717’s moving-magnet phonostage proves equally enticing, using our restored Thorens TD-125, courtesy of Vinyl Nirvana, with an SME 3009 tonearm and Ortofon VMS 20 mk. II cartridge. Later on, swapping the Ortofon MM for the Denon 103 and a step-up transformer takes the magic a step further, producing a degree of warmth and relaxation that makes spinning vinyl on these great components from the ’70s tough to let go of. Seriously, if I quit my job as a hi-fi reviewer tomorrow, I could easily live with this system.

Of course, the AU-717 has a pair of tone controls for bass and treble that can be switched out of the signal path for purists. Those who enjoy using them will appreciate the variable frequency settings of 3 kHz/6 kHz for treble and 200/400 Hz on the low end, making them more useful than standard controls that have no adjustments. These controls seem well suited to the JBLs in my room, allowing me to touch-up the slight brightness in the speakers’ upper registers.

The 85-watt-per-channel Sansui amplifier is rated conservatively, and reviews from Stereo Review and Audio from when the AU-717 was new indicate that it produced around 100 watts into an 8-ohm load; more than enough to drive all but Magnepans to a major level. Connected to a more modern speaker, like the Dali Rubicon 2s, the AU-717 turns in a superb performance. Bass control is excellent, and this amplifier plays loud, with plenty of headroom to spare.

Considering this amplifier now commands a price tag of $400 to $800, it has survived the test of time well. Expect to pay a premium for perfect cosmetics and the accessory-rack handles, which can fetch up to $150 a pair on their own. By now, these amplifiers will probably need most of the capacitors under the hood replaced, so if the seller claims that your AU-717 has been recapped, try and see as much physical proof and documentation as possible before paying top dollar.

A full overhaul done correctly will set you back about $400 to $500 and should include removing the icky glue used at assembly, which has become corrosive over time and will degrade the sound significantly and can also cause other problems. Once properly re-done, the AU-717 is definitely a premium integrated amp that you can enjoy for years to come.

– Jeff Dorgay

Precious little is known about the latest audio insect, I mean gadget. AudioQuest set the digital world on its ear two years ago with their DragonFly miniature DAC and headphone amplifier bundled into a package barely bigger than a USB stick. It offered incredible performance for the meager price asked and set a new measuring stick for budget DACs.

Two years later they’ve done it again, but this time in a slightly different manner. Their latest creation is the JitterBug, a digital filter for your USB bus. As AQ’s Steve Silberman puts it, “There’s so much noise and parasitic resonance coming from a computer and USB bus we felt there was a real opportunity to clean things up a bit.” The JitterBug takes care of noise flowing from both the power and data portions of the USB interface, and as you might suspect, this might vary from setup to setup, because every manufacturer treats this part of the digital equation differently.

AQ suggests that even better results can be achieved by using two JitterBugs –  on your computer and/or DAC – but in parallel, not series. In some cases they claim excellent results just using it as a noise snubber on unused inputs.

Your results may vary

First, don’t expect this to turn a $400 DAC into a dCS Vivaldi. It won’t, and that’s not a fair thing to expect out of a $50 tweak. However, using the JitterBug with everything from my dCS DAC down to the $500 Arcam R-DAC we reviewed a few issues ago, I did notice a perceptible difference on every system I connected it to using a laptop or phone as a source. Much like the results you get when compressing photos, it’s kind of a garbage in, garbage out kind of thing. The better the source and DAC, the less effect the JitterBug made. But for $50, I still say buy a couple of ’em, just to experiment with.

Per Silberman’s initial email, I tried the JitterBug as a noise snubber on my NAS, and it did have enough of a positive effect to happily leave one in place. Perhaps the biggest improvement was in the car, going from iPhone to the audio system in my BMW Z4, which has a particularly dreadful audio system. The JitterBug’s presence in the car cleans up the presentation dramatically, getting rid of a lot of the brittleness and digital artifacts that the system has. A short road trip with a couple of unsuspecting non-audiophiles got the same response: “What does that black thing do? The music sounds a lot more relaxed.” Exactly.

Taking the JitterBug for a spin in a new Jaguar with a Meridian system and Porsche 911 with a Burmester system yielded equally eye-opening results. The Burmester system, with its prodigious power, becomes another level of magnitude cleaner, revealing considerably more music than without the JitterBug in the system. If you are a Porsche owner, this is the best $50 tweak you will ever make to your car. (Maybe the only $50 tweak you can make to a current model Porsche?)

It’s all good

Even in the context of a very high-end system, the JitterBug works to great effect when using a laptop as a source, as many of us are starting to do. PC or Mac, good DAC or great DAC, the benefit is there. Minimizing noise and jitter on the USB bus results in a cleaner, clearer presentation. The stereo image opens up and the high frequencies are rendered in a much more analog-like way.

Acoustic music and vocals make the comparison a lot easier. The sound quality of cymbals, violin and piano is the most profound example of the JitterBug in action. Vocals become more palpable and realistic, with much more body and dimension. It’s not so much like cleaning a dirty window, but giving one more round of cleanup to a window that still has some streaks after the first round. Every time I thought the JitterBug wasn’t contributing to the sound of my system, it only took removing it for about 30 seconds for the harshness to return.

Whether in the house or on the go, I’ll bet you fifty bucks your system will benefit from a JitterBug, no matter where you decide to install one. As AudioQuest did not have measurements to share with us yet, I’ll be curious to see what John Aktinson at Stereophile has to say about the JitterBug once he’s put it on the test bench.This has to be the coolest accessory I’ve ever used. Hell, go buy a handful of ’em, and give them to your audiophile buddies when they stop by for trick-or-treat this year. Highly recommended.   – Jeff Dorgay

AudioQuest Jitterbug

MSRP: $50

www.audioquest.com

We’ve been living with an Aurender S10 for over a year now and it has been fantastic. With world-class sound and build quality, the S10 doesn’t give you much (if anything) to complain about. You can control Aurender servers with your iPad and the interface is similar to those of a lot of other products on the market, with your music easily arranged by artist, genre or album.

A big part of the Aurender’s magic is its solid-state drive buffering the music stored on its internal hard drive, minimizing jitter and other timing errors. The new W20 builds on this success with either a 6- or 12-terabyte onboard hard drive available to store all but the most massive music collections. W20 owners requiring more space need only have NAS available; the W20 enables you to view your entire NAS music collection seamlessly on your iPad.

With the W20, Aurender has taken the world’s best sounding music server a step further, by adding the ability to access an external word clock. This is not a subtle upgrade and those with mega systems will likely welcome it, especially considering that there are only a few other digital players with an extra word clock output available, so integrating the W20 with your system means you only need one additional cable.

Watch for our very enthusiastic review of the W20 coming soon.

Aurender W20 Server

Approx. $17,000

www.aurender.com

Do you want an Apple Watch? Of course you do! but what you MUST do before succumbing online, is take advantage of the Apple Store ‘Try On ‘Programme and get one on your wrist. And of course, down in Melbourne, I was able to participate sooner than most others in the world!

As a long time watch collector, I am in awe of how much ‘real watch’ DNA Apple have embedded in this thing. Every element of the design has been thought through, the straps and the watch are beautiful objects which just shriek desirability, more so than many I own in this relatively affordable price category.

Most important to me and will be to everyone, is the wearing experience. How large?, how heavy?, how comfortable?, can I read the screen? and what does it look like on my wrist? Much like any watch really. Here were my main thoughts after heading to my nearest dealer for a sneak peek.

Gold, Steel or Aluminium. I’d rather spend $11,000 on Hi-Fi, so let;s forget Gold. Sport Aluminium is light, the straps are sporty and the cost is less. Stainless Steel ‘Watch’ costs more, looks classier and is heavier. The real choice is the look you like, on YOUR wrist.

Colour. I’ll ignore Gold again for financial reasons, but the Sport comes in plain Silver Aluminum or Space Grey, the latter proving very popular. The Steel comes in Polished Steel with only one expensive model so far in Space Black. Of course, our publisher will have to have one in that bright lime green…

Size. If you wear a classic dress watch, a Patek, Jaeger or anything svelte, the 38mm is a must, smaller, sleeker and less obtrusive in use. If you have big wrists and wear chunky dive watches, then 42mm may be a better bet and of course has a larger screen.

The strap. The various watches are packaged with different straps in varied materials and look completely different across the range. Sport watches have soft silicone straps, which are very comfortable, no choice, but you can buy extra straps later. Stainless Watches have a whole range of deluxe straps, three in leather, one in Milanese mesh and one in steel link. All comes down to personal taste and feel, trying on your watch and strap combo is vital.

– Rob Follis

Apple Watch

www.apple.com

MSRP: Starting at $350

Knowing that a quartet of EL-84 tubes lurk under the hood of the iFi Retro 50, I knew it was time to break out the JBLs – and it was good. Just as with the Dynaco SQA-35 and even the Manley Stingrays, there’s just nothing like the sound of a pair of JBL L-100s driven by an EL-84 amplifier. Those little tubes have a soft-spoken magic about them that can’t be duplicated by the EL-34 or even an SET amplifier. And the slightly soft character of this output tube goes miles towards taming the upper register of the L-100s.

Listening to the bongos bounce around the listening room during the opening of Curtis Mayfield’s “Pusherman” is delightful, and when his voice folds into the mix, it comes across much larger than life. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear the Retro 50 was something that has been in a box for 50 years, the dust just shaken off. It really does groove, with an abundance of musical detail as well – it doesn’t just round all the transient attack off to sound groovy. The sound is just more saturated throughout.

Regular readers of TONEAudio know that we’ve given iFi’s compact DAC and phonostage rave reviews. They pack major performance in a small form factor and keep the price down as well. So far, we’ve seen no downside to any of their products that we’ve sampled. The Retro 50 has both of these and a great headphone amplifier – all on this compact chassis, encased in a bamboo enclosure. Now that’s something you never saw on a vintage receiver from the ’70s!

The Retro 50 comes packaged with a pair of iFi’s Retro 3.5 speakers for $1,995. Unfortunately at this time, you must buy the combo; the Retro 50 is not available by itself.

Investigating those little speakers

iFi calls the speakers accompanying the Retro 50 “Retro 3.5” in homage to the legendary LS3/5A BBC monitors. The similarity to the LS3/5A ends with the form factor. They don’t really suck, but they don’t really rock either. Judicious use of the tone controls and signal processing at your disposal on the front panel of the Retro 50 mitigates this, but they perform much better in a desktop system than out in the listening room. Sold alone, they carry a retail price of $795 – forget about them at this price, but as part of the Retro 50 system, not bad.

Fortunately, the Retro 50 is so undervalued, even if you throw the speakers out, it is still more than worth the $1,995 that’s asked. $1,500 for the Retro 50 alone would be the audio bargain of the 21^st century, maybe forever!

Even after a lot of break-in time, the Retro 3.5 speakers still sound small. Discerning use of the tone controls and the 3D sound processor help tremendously, yet using them in a room much larger than 11 x 14 feet for anything more than background fill is not suggested. Nearfield in my small second listening room is pleasurable, but the speakers still sound overly polite, without having the body that a real pair of LS3/5As possesses.

The best place for the Retro 3.5s proves to be on the desktop, flanking a 27-inch computer monitor, with a slight tip-up. A bit of toe-in goes a long way, looking for a balance between soundstage width and bass reinforcement. iFi makes it painless for the audio enthusiast to get down to business with audio, USB and speaker cables included in the box. Obsessed audiophiles will want to upgrade these later, and the Retro 50 responds well to a premium wire upgrade.

No matter how you enjoy music, you’re covered

Whether digital, analog or wireless, the Retro 50 can handle your source components. In addition to a cracking MM/MC phonostage and DAC, there is an antenna to stream digital files via your smart device, too. For the foreseeable future, the Retro 50 is “obsolete-proof.”

The Retro 50 is capable of decoding both DSD and DXD files, and this was the only part of the Retro 50 that I did not explore. With all the rage surrounding this, I just can’t get conned into buying my favorite music again. But for those of you who are new to the game and investing in these files, you are good to go. If the 24/192 performance of the Retro 50 is any indication, you will not be disappointed with DSD reproduction.

The coaxial and optical digital inputs accommodate files up to 24/192, while the USB input goes all the way up to DSD 512. With 24/192 files, it is virtually a dead heat between the inputs in terms of sound quality, so whatever strikes your fancy will work well. The gadget geeks in the audience will appreciate the digital input logo changing color with file resolution, just like AudioQuest’s Dragonfly. iFi’s choice of the aptX codec is a great move, so those using other than Apple iDevices will be very happy. Streaming from a Galaxy phone over Bluetooth is stunningly good with Tidal, and for this writer, all I’d ever need on a desert island are the Retro 50, a pair of JBL L-100s and a Galaxy phone with a Tidal subscription (along with good reception, of course!).

Inputting via analog sources works equally well for those feeling more traditional. The phono section of the Retro 50 is identical to that of the iPhono that Richard Mak reviewed here. It’s worth noting that separate MM and MC inputs with 50 and 62 dB of gain are offered, proving perfect for the AVID Ingenium turntable with two tonearms – one utilizing an Ortofon SPU cartridge and the other a vintage Ortofon VMS20 Mk.II. As Mak found in his review of the iPhono, this phonostage is quiet, dynamic and tonally correct. I also had excellent luck with the Denon 103r, Ortofon 2M Black and Grado Statement cartridges. Unfortunately, the Retro 50’s phonostage does not offer the gain and loading adjustments of the iPhono, but only so much can fit on this small chassis. Regardless, it provides an excellent avenue for your vinyl journey.

Further listening

The Retro 50, regardless of input, is dead quiet. Even with ears placed right against the tweeters, there is no noise or tube rush coming from the speakers. Though the Retro 50 claims 25 watts per channel, considering that most other amplifiers designed around a pair of EL84 tubes produce about 15–17 watts per channel, I’m guessing the numbers here are slightly optimistic.

What is important is the quality of the sound that the Retro 50 does produce. Regardless of speakers used from the $88,000/pair Dynaudio Evidence Platinums all the way down to my JBL L-100s, the extended high end and LF control is surprisingly good. By contrast, a vintage Dynaco SCA-35 (also using a pair of EL84s per channel) sounds extremely soft and much noisier. Because the iFi uses a more modern implementation of the circuit and a beefier power supply than my SCA-35, it sounds louder, even though both hit the same sound pressure level. Remember, volume is the difference between loud and quiet, so while the Retro 50 may not actually produce 25 watts per channel, because it is incredibly quiet, it sure sounds like it puts out that kind of power.

This amplifier is all about quality and delicacy. Regardless of the speakers you choose, the Retro 50 conjures up a soundfield that is both wide and deep. Tracking through Neu! is an amazing exercise in trippiness, with cool sound effects all over the room as if you were nestled in between a six-foot-tall pair of headphones.

The Retro 50 doesn’t so much color the lush midrange as maximize texture and tonal saturation. This amplifier is perfect for listening at low to moderate levels.

Acoustic guitars have an extra dash of ambience and thickness about them. Listening to the snap of the acoustic guitar on the title track of Michael Hedges’s Aerial Boundaries is simply breathtaking. And, of course, solo female vocals are incredibly sexy as well.

Perfect for personal fidelity

Auditioning a small cache of headphones also proves the Retro 50 fabulous. Thanks to its 3D holographic image processor (with three settings) and XBass processor, you can fine tune your headphone experience. The Audeze and OPPO phones sounded the most natural with no processing applied, but with some lower end Grados and a few in-ear phones, the option for extra bass really came in handy. The 3D processor was fun, but it felt more like a slight sampling of an illegal substance rather than realistic. And for some that will be a good thing – sample to taste. Fortunately the Retro 50 gives you plenty of options, along with a very useful bass and treble control.

Whether you find joy in this ability to alter your system’s playback with loudspeakers is up to you, but it is wonderful that iFi has included them, especially at this price. The only thing lacking a bit is the aesthetics. The bamboo casework is a home run, but the front panel, printing and control knobs are slightly cheesy, reminiscent of early Chinese hifi – and not a reflection of the sound quality inside the box. I’d happily pay an extra 100 bucks for an upgraded front panel, but that’s my inner interior designer screaming for order.

Like every other iFi product we’ve used or reviewed, the Retro 50 screams high performance and high value – more than worthy of one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2015. Whether you use the speakers or give them to a friend, the Retro 50 is one of the greatest combinations in the audiophile world today. I can’t think of a better place to start your high end audio journey.

iFi Retro 50

MSRP:  $1,995 (with Retro 3.5 speakers)

ifi-audio.com

PERIPHERALS

While Naim’s Mu-so might fool the unfamiliar that it’s a sound bar, it’s anything but. Other than kind of looking like a sound bar, albeit a very cool one with a gigantic volume control and moody underlighting, the rectangular shape is where all comparison ends – this is a full blown, mega, desktop audio system.

With 6 bespoke speakers and 450 watts of power on tap, the Mu-so builds on what Naim learned when developing the audio system for the Bentley, in terms of complexity and creating high performance digital audio in a compact space.

Working wired or wirelessly, there is nothing you can’t connect to the Mu-so. And while you can control it all via your phone and the Naim app, you really want to walk up and interact with the Mu-so in person. It’s main control is the best in the industry. Check out Rob Johnson’s full review in Issue #72! – Jeff Dorgay

Naim Mu-so

$1,499

www.naimaudio.com

The new Galileo series from Audio Research combines over 40 years of amplification know-how with the proficiency in visual design resulting from ARC being part of the Fine Sounds Group and leveraging the Sonus faber design team. The resulting components push the sonic boundaries that ARC is famous for, wrapped in casework deserving of true aficionados.

These are components that you will want to put front and center; gone are the big, black rack handles of yore. And you have to see the new power output meters (which work double-duty to bias the KT150 output tubes) to believe how cool they look in action. The teams in the U.S. and Italy have come up with an amplifier and preamplifier so close to perfection that the only question now is what will they do for an encore?

Expect a full review of both components shortly, and a long-term evaluation next year, after we’ve lived with these two awhile. First impressions don’t come any better than this.

ARC GSPRE Preamplifier and GS150 Power Amplifier

$15,000 and $20,000, respectively

www.audioresearch.com

Back in Issue 46, I was enamored enough with VPI’s Classic One turntable to give it one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2012.  Even more, I purchased the review sample to make it a permanent reference, and after two years, the Classic One is my go to table, when I just want to hang out and listen to records without fuss. I enjoy it so much; it’s the only table in my home system.

Due to increases in raw materials cost, VPI has had to raise the price of the Classic One from $2,695 to $2,995, yet it remains a stunning value – offering build quality and sheer musicality that has few, if any peers at it’s price.  After two years of daily listening, the Classic One, and now the Classic Two feel more like a “greatest hits of analog” product, combining the virtues of a couple of my favorite turntables into one easy to use and easy to set up package. The sheer weight of its presentation reminds me of an idler wheel Garrard or a Thorens TD-124, without the rumble and noise issues. The Classic 2s overall warmth is highly reminiscent of a mid 80s LP-12, without a heavy dose of OCD to keep it running.

The Classic Two’s overall aesthetic is no nonsense. With a simple, basic black plinth surrounded by either a black oak or walnut frame, and perched upon miniature versions of their HRX turntable’s feet, it is devoid of accouterments. The Classic Two eliminates all pretense and gets down to business playing records, with every penny invested in design and build quality. This is a table you will be able to leave your kids without worry.

Inside the box is everything you need to get your Classic Two up and playing records right now. A classic Shure balance beam tracking force gauge and cartridge alignment protractor saves time and money, not to mention gets you about 95% of the way to perfect performance. For most, the enclosed tools will make you more than happy. Maniacal audiophiles willing to invest in a more precise tracking force scale and alignment protractor will be able to take the Classic Two to an even higher level of analog clarity.

An adjustable VTA collar on the tonearm is what makes the Classic Two a Two. The Classic One has a fixed adjustment for setting VTA, while the Two lets you adjust VTA on the fly, like the rest of the tables higher up the VPI range. Though some swear by this, I’m still not one to set VTA on the fly. But what is exceptionally handy is the ability to use the fine vernier adjustment to not only set, but also easily re-set VTA adjustments. Those with multiple tonearm wands can now switch between cartridges with total ease and consistency. That’s the magic of the Classic Two and the reason you want to pony up the extra thousand dollars.

I suggest music lovers that stick with one cartridge until it is spent and don’t fiddle with their turntables settings will be just as well served by the Classic One, and maybe spending that extra on a better cartridge, VPI’s SDS motor controller, or one of their outstanding record cleaning machines, if you don’t already have one. While some claim the Classic One sounds better because of its fixed VTA adjustment (possibly a touch more rigidity in the tonearm tower/bearing assembly) a side-by-side comparison of a Classic One and Classic Two with identical cartridges did not reveal an audible difference.

For a full description of the Classic One’s sound, click here. But to summarize, both the Classic One and Two produce a big, weighty, full-bodied sound. Utilizing VPIs JMW-10.5i tonearm wand with copper internal wiring. Those seeking even more performance should ask their VPI dealer about upgrading the table to the 10.5i armwand with Nordost Valhalla internal wiring.

Small details aside, the VPI Classic Two is one of the finest turntables available for $3,995. As with the Classic One, we are proud to award it one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2015.

– Jeff Dorgay

www.vpiindustries.com

Six years ago, I wrote the review below. I remain as enthused about the Wax Rax RC-2 as ever. The price has gone up slightly, due to increased materials cost (from $1,525 in 2015 to $1,825 in 2021) but this product is still worth every penny. The build quality is beyond reproach, and even after heavy, daily use, my RC-2 looks as good as the day it arrived. It remains a cherished possession.

Wax Rax owner, David Stanavich has been doing well, and has expanded his product lineup: the LP-V shelves we hinted at are now a reality in three and four shelf models, and they have a very cool album cover stand, and some interesting 45 r.p.m. adaptors. They even offer a way to put your records up on a pedestal. All things worth perusing for the vinyl lover.

The Wax Rax RC-1—a $4,200 anodized-aluminum, CNC-machined beauty on wheels—is an amazing piece of analog art. Hmm, Eames Lounge chair or record rack? Wax Rax proprietor David Stanavich lost out to Herman Miller on that one, but when the new RC-2 wheeled record cart became available, for a more reasonable price of $1,525, I was ready to roll. (No pun intended.)

If you’re going to snipe at $1,525 for a record rack that only holds 400 LPs, this product is not for you. It’s much more than a record rack; it’s a piece of high-end furniture. You either get that or you don’t. This product is hand built, finished and assembled in Brooklyn, New York. It is not something stamped out like thousands of Ikea Expedit shelves, which I still use to store the bulk of my 7,000-LP collection.

Another argument dissenters might make about the RC-2 is “it only holds 400 records and I’d need to buy 20 of these.” Again, this is somewhat of a non-issue, as you probably don’t want all of your albums floating around your listening room on wheeled carts. Those of you who really dig the aesthetic of the RC-1 and RC-2 and want to go all the way will soon be able to buy Wax Rax LP-V shelves. They’ll be modular and sans wheels; pricing info will soon be available.

Both the RC-1 and RC-2 make it easy to grab a few hundred of your favorite LPs for a few days worth of listening (or reviewing) and wheel them right next to your turntable or listening chair. As a reviewing tool, this portable accessibility is indispensable. Before getting the RC-2, I would keep about 150 of my favorite reference records on the bottom shelves of my equipment rack and then go back to the vault for whatever the listening session requires.

The amount of time saved not having to dig through the vault multiple times throughout each session justifies the cost of the RC-2 in a short time. As a bonus, listening space clutter is way down, and my record collection is finally back in order. The larger your music collection, the more you need one.

For those with more modest collections and in smaller living spaces, the RC-2 is perfect for making your LPs portable. As attractive as the RC-2 is, it’s easily stored in a closet or pantry when not in use; then you can just wheel it out to your listening space when you’re ready to start spinning vinyl. This is also a good solution if you have little ones around your house whose prying fingers and noses you’d prefer to keep away from your LPs.

As far as analog accessories go, this is among our new favorites. The TONEAudio listening area and the guy doing the listening are much better off with the Wax Rax RC-2 around. -Jeff Dorgay

www.waxrax.com

It takes the growling bass line of “Bitch, I’m Madonna” just 10 seconds to convince me that the MH40 headphones are winners, but not just because of their sound. Aesthetically, they seem influenced by cars like the Jaguar E-type and the Ferrari 250 GTO—unquestionably two of the most beautiful automobiles ever produced.

The earpads feel just right, with light-brown leather as soft as a Ferrari’s wrapped around a brushed-aluminum frame, and all the high-stress bits made of stainless steel. No detail is ignored. Even the cable has a vintage vibe; it’s covered in braided silk and not coiled. These headphones almost feel like they’re from another era.

With so many mediocre headphones now on the market, it’s nice to see a new contender offering a pair for $399 that seem like they should cost a lot more. Rather than taking an off-the-shelf OEM driver and building a pretty enclosure around it, Master & Dynamic has produced its own 45 mm neodymium drivers with their own signature sound, one that I think most music lovers will enjoy.

Going back to another era myself, the 1980s, I stream the System’s Don’t Disturb this Groove over Tidal via my recently updated Sooloos music server. It’s abundantly apparent that the MH40s have more than enough resolution to expose the differences between Tidal’s crystal-clear 16-bit/44.1-kHz data stream and those of files from Rhapsody or Spotify. These headphones also easily reveal the delta between CD-quality files and higher-resolution 24/96 and 24/192 tracks—not bad for a pair of headphones costing less than $400. (Can I remind you again that they are drop-dead gorgeous?)

Not all headphones are all things to all people, but these are damn close. For this writer, a solid-bass foundation is essential. While Madonna hinted that the MH40s can muster serious bass, Public Enemy’s Yo! Bum Rush the Show leaves no doubt. These phones can deliver substantial low-frequency output without fatigue or overhang, never sounding sloppy on any of my favorite old-school hip-hop tracks. Equally enticing is Aphex Twin’s latest, Syro, on which I’m rewarded with even bigger bass. The ethereal quality of this contemporary electronica album, chock full of slick synthesizer sounds, creates a massive sound ball surrounding my head.

The MH40s have enough weight to stay on my head, but not so much that they cause mechanical fatigue, making them easy to enjoy for hours on end. Unlike the synthetic material used for the ear pads of many phones in this price range, the leather pads of the MH40 offer breathability and don’t make your ears sweat.

Cables either one or two meters long come standard, with an 1/8-inch mini headphone plug on each end; one to plug into the phones, the other into your portable device. (A 1/4-inch adaptor comes in the box.) Having a detachable cable makes it easy to upgrade the cable for improved performance. Both the Cardas Clear and Wireworld’s latest Pulse headphone cables allow even more music to come through—and even though that’s another article, it’s nice to know that these phones don’t have a dead end. Master & Dynamic even offers a headphone stand for $59 that is way more stylish than the banana holders I’ve been using and yet they’re not crazy expensive like some of the ones I’ve seen.

So what’s that other mini jack for on the other ear cup? For $129, you can get yourself a noise-isolating boom microphone that delivers voice with clarity and makes the MH40s the perfect choice for the home-office music lover. Just plug into your smart phone and rock! You’ll never miss a call again when listening to headphones at your desk. And for the overly enthusiastic listener who never wants to take off the MH40s, a mute button is provided on the bottom of the right ear cup, for when you have to blot out the music and interface with other humans. And the vented design lets in enough of the outside world to thank the pizza delivery guy and get back to work designing your next masterpiece.

The Perfect Cocktail

The more time we spend with the MH40s, the more we all enjoy them, on every kind of music. They prove up to task with male and female vocals, providing a natural presentation of both, with a slight hint of upper bass bump that none of us finds unobjectionable. In a very informal comparison, our $500 Sennheiser HD 650s (with ALO cable) sound dark and the Sennheiser HD 700s sound thin, when switching back and forth to the MH40. If anything, the overall tonal balance of the MH40s reminds me more of Vandersteen 1Ci speakers than of something like the KEF LS50s.

Playing an exceptionally wide range of tracks through multiple sources reveals that there is nothing that the MH40s do not play well with. Their 32-ohm impedance makes them easy to drive, and while they will expose more music through a high-quality outboard headphone amplifier, they deliver rewardingly musical performances with both Apple and Samsung Galaxy phones, as well as with a variety of tablets and laptops. This is important, especially for the new headphone enthusiast, because you can get a major taste of what the MH40 can do with your laptop or phone; yet, when the headphone bug bites you deeply, an outboard amplifier will strengthen your enthusiasm.

My reference Simaudio MOON 430HA headphone amp takes the MH40s to an entirely different level than my iPhone 6+—but you can’t take the Sim with you. For the mobile headphone user, OPPOs new HA-2 portable headphone amp, weighing in at about 8 ounces and having an incredibly good onboard DAC, has the sonic fundamentals of a mega headphone amplifier setup, but it fits in your pocket.

The only thing you don’t get with the MH40s is the last bit of top-to-bottom smoothness and transparency that you get from a top pair of planar phones—but all of those have a much higher price tag. The Master & Dynamic website says the MH40s were tuned to complement a diversity of musical tastes, and I have to agree. The company has delivered a first-rate pair of phones in every respect—a home run for a new manufacturer and a testament to how sophisticated personal audio has become.

We are happy to give the Master & Dynamic MH40 headphones one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2015.   -Jeff Dorgay

Master & Dynamic MH40 headphones

MSRP: $395

www.masterdynamic.com

High-performance portable listening is a phenomenon that continues to grow, with new enthusiasts constantly looking for a way to take their tunes on the go, without having to sacrifice audio quality. For our money, there is no better choice than the OPPO HA-2.

The HA-2 is particularly attractive and compact, and like all other OPPO products, the level of performance for the price is off the chart. Combining a hybrid class AB amplifier design and a 32-bit Sabre ESS DAC chipset into an ultra-slim package, the HA-2 looks more like something Q would build for James Bond to decimate his enemies than a mere headphone amplifier. Maybe there’s a button we haven’t discovered yet. -Jeff Dorgay

OPPO HA-2 Portable Headphone Amplifier/DAC

$299

www.oppodigital.com

Don’t freak out—the AK240 high-resolution pocket player costs $2,500. Now, before you crucify me for even floating the suggestion that a souped-up iPod costing as much as (if not more than) a monthly mortgage payment is somehow worth it, please let me state my case.

By now, you’ve likely heard of Astell&Kern, a subsidiary of the Korean electronics manufacturer iRiver that focuses on personal audio. Its high-res portable players have gotten a lot of attention since the first one launched in late 2012. The company’s product line has subsequently grown to include cables, ear buds, a pocket-sized DAC, a networked desktop music system, and three portable players. Each unit in the latter category is indeed like an iPod on audiophile steroids, able to play the highest-resolution files available today. The top-tier pocket player is the AK240—and yes, it isn’t cheap. But if I may…

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury

Let me preface this argument by saying that even Astell&Kern’s debut, entry-level mini player, the AK100, isn’t affordable by many people’s standards. However, like the top-of-the-line AK240, the AK100 offers a lot of bang for the buck, according to a number of reviewers—including John Atkinson over at Stereophile. “At $699, it’s reasonably priced for what it offers,” he said of the AK100 in his August 2013 review. (The second-generation AK100 will set you back $900.)

Shortly after coming to market, Astell&Kern pulled out all the stops with the AK240: dual Cirrus Logic 4398 DACs, 32-bit/384 kHz and DSD playback, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, 256 gigabytes onboard storage (plus 128 GB from microSD), USB charging for 10 hours of playback, a sleek carbon-fiber and duralumin chassis, a 3.3-inch OLED touchscreen, and a pretty damn intuitive interface. Basically, the thing kicks ass—you really do have to hear it (and play around with it) to believe it. But no matter which way you slice it, $2,500 is still a lot of scratch for something you can only listen to via a mini headphone jack.

But Wait, There’s More

The AK240 has a second, smaller jack right next to the headphone jack that enables balanced XLR playback through your home stereo. That’s right, you can plug the AK240 directly into your power amp via a pair of XLRs. This means that the little device can play the role of a digital music server, a preamplifier, and a stereo DAC—just add a power amp and speakers. The strange-looking but effective cable that makes this feat possible has a pair of full-size XLR male outputs at one end, and at the other end is a small but sturdy metal-shelled box from which protrudes a mini headphone plug and another smaller plug, which connect in tandem to the AK240.

Of course, in order to utilize this functionality, you have to purchase this compatible cable, which Astell&Kern had build just for its devices and which costs an extra (ahem) $700. But $3,200 for half of a hi-fi system is pretty freakin‘ good when you consider what most audiophiles are willing to pay for a separate player/server, preamp, and DAC.

So How’s It Sound?

In short, it sounds great—amazing even. You’ll be very hard-pressed to find a better high-res pocket player at any price. I’ve been hoarding the demo unit from Astell&Kern for several months now and have listened to it with ear buds from Apple, Grado, and AKG (among others), as well as with my six-driver JH Audio custom-molded in-ear monitors and a borrowed pair of Audeze LCD-3 open planar-magnetic ear cans. And let me tell you that the capabilities of the AK240 are only limited by the headphones you plug into it. Through the in-ear monitors, a 24-bit/192-kHz version of Dark Side of the Moon sounds so eerily detailed that you’re likely to experience acid flashbacks (even if you’ve never dropped acid).

Astell&Kern included a bunch of high-res and DSD files preloaded on the AK240. One such DSD recording of Andrew York’s “Bantu” (by whom I don’t know, as it isn’t specified in the track info) is a standout. The track, which features four acoustic guitars and loads of awesome guitar-body percussion, fills a surprisingly realistic acoustic space around your head, with harmonic guitar plucks and guitar-body hits portrayed with abundant detail, dynamics, and three-dimensionality.

Another preloaded track is a 24/96 version of Willie Nelson’s “Dark as a Dungeon,” which I already know well. Through the AK240 and the Audeze LCD-3 headphones, Willie’s vocals are big and raspy, the standup bass has a spacious but not overbearing boom, the banjo plucks are sharp and detailed, and the fiddle pulls are rich with presence. Most notable to this reviewer is the lifelike airiness of the harmonica, which sways back and forth like a ship upon slow waves in the center of the mix.

Mini Preamp

The AK240 holds its own while serving as a preamp to even premier power amps. I recently visited by pal Jason Lord down at the Source AV in Torrance, Calif., where he set me up with a pair of Sonus faber Olympica III speakers and D’Agostino’s new $45,000 Momentum integrated amp.

I bring out Astell&Kern’s special dual-XLR-to-mini cable, connect the AK240 to the D’Agostino, tap the Balanced Out button on the AK’s touchscreen, and have myself a pretty epic three-piece hi-fi system (four pieces if you count both speakers). Through this setup, 24/176.4 versions of some Bach cello suites from János Starker sound breathtaking—literally, you can hear Starker’s every breath as though he’s standing just a few feet in front of you. The soundstage is perfect and the cello comes through with remarkable depth and clarity across the frequency spectrum.

It isn’t long before I throw on some Zeppelin and quickly expose the low-end limitations of the Sonus faber speakers. Jason at the Source is quick to swap them out for a pair of Focal Aria speakers, which deliver Zeppelin, Metallica, and other hard-hitting music with loads of oomph and grit—and probably more Robert Plant and James Hetfield than you want screaming in your face. Whether or not that’s your thing, the experience is awesome to say the least.

Cutting Cords

Fitting right in with a world where everything seems to be going wireless these days, the AK240 is equipped with Bluetooth functionality for sending music from the player to Bluetooth-enabled speakers and the like. I’m easily able to sync the AK240 with my old Jambox, Sennheiser’s brand-new wireless Momentum headphones, and my Sony home theater receiver—and they all sound as good as any wireless playback I’ve heard.

Additionally, if the AK240’s potential 384 GB of storage isn’t enough for you, the device is able to play music wirelessly from a home network using its built-in Wi-Fi and Astell&Kern’s MQS streaming software, which you can download to both Mac and PC computers from the company’s website.

Of course, during wireless playback, you won’t be able to experience the full gusto of high-resolution files, but it still sounds pretty damn good for wireless. Even if you’re too snobby to listen to music wirelessly, it’s still a cool feature to have—and props to Astell&Kern for implementing it on what is otherwise an entirely audiophile-grade device.

The Verdict

The handheld size of the AK240 belies its enormous capabilities. Just to recap: It’s a high-res pocket player with wired and wireless functionality, and when using the optional cable, it can plug directly into a power amp via XLR—which means that in this application, the AK240 serves as a music server, a preamp, and a stereo DAC. And all of that is really the unit’s secondary purpose. In the AK240’s primary role as a super-powered iPod, I will go so far as to say that it’s second to none.

If $2,500 is still more scratch than you’re willing to pony up, the other two pocket players in Astell&Kern’s current lineup aren’t quite so expensive. And while they don’t offer the same level of resolution retrieval as the AK240, they both have the same balanced output ports for pairing with your home system—special $700 cable sold separately.   -Bailey S. Barnard

Astell&Kern AK240

$2,500

www.astellnkern.com

If you happen to peruse any number of reviews concerning speakers in the twenty to thirty thousand dollar price range, which is still a massive amount of money for most people, the review conclusion (some of my own reviews included) goes something like this: “The only thing speaker X gives up to the mega speakers is that last bit of extension, dynamics and low frequency extension.”

Not any more. Judging from external appearance, the Dali Epicon 8s are finished as exquisitely as anything you’ll find in the market with another zero on the price tag. The Danes are famous for beautiful cabinetry and the Epicon 8s do not disappoint, the hand rubbed Ruby Magassar high gloss lacquer finish is simply stunning. Every one of my audiophile buddies that weren’t familiar with these speakers thought they were considerably more expensive, shocked to see this level of fit and finish on a 20 thousand dollar pair of speakers. But there are plenty of gorgeous speakers that you wouldn’t pay this kind of money for. Regardless of finish you choose, the slim, 14-inch wide front baffle of the Epicon 8 should blend into any décor.

If you’ve heard any of Dali’s smaller loudspeakers, you know that this Danish manufacturer packs major performance into a compact package, and always at a much lower price than you might expect. And for good reason – they have a 250,000 square foot facility where they design and build everything from cabinet to crossover and drivers. This large scale of manufacturing and engineering prowess is what enables Dali to make a more engaging speaker than most at a specific price point.

After just reviewing the Rubicon 2, (www.tonepublications.com/review/dali-rubicon-2-speakers) and a recent visit to the Dali factory, it’s easy to see why we are so smitten with their speakers. Offering excellent value, excellent sound and understated elegance that the Danes are famous for, the 20 thousand dollar question is what can they accomplish at that price? When you’ve got 20 big ones to spend, the competition gets serious, but after spending a few months with the Epicon 8, I put them at the top of the heap and serious competition for speakers costing $40k – $50k; they’re that good. This is what economies of scale deliver.

Beauty that’s more than skin deep

The Epicon 8s do it all. They disappear in the room just as easily as the Epicon 2s we recently reviewed, yet move a lot of air when big dynamic swings demand it. Starting with Alex DeGrassi’s Southern Exposure on early Windham Hill vinyl, every bit of harmonic structure comes through effortlessly as he picks, with not only the texture of his guitar sounding true to form, but the speakers actually recreating the size of the instrument in the space between the speakers – a tough act to pull off.

If you’ve ever heard your favorite acoustic guitarist play through a pair of Magnepans or MartinLogan speakers, they sometimes can recreate a larger than life presentation. While this is always fun and exciting, (and I write this as a panel lover) those listening to a lot of acoustic faire will be upset by all instruments sounding overblown with their favorite panel speaker. Yet the Epicon 8s allow a guitar to sound like a guitar, a violin like a violin and an oboe like an oboe from not only a tonal perspective, but a spatial one as well.  If you crave realism, the Epicon 8 is for you.

With the power output meters on the Audio Research GS 150 power amplifier buried into the red zone, Focus’ legendary prog track, “Hocus Pocus” never sounded bigger and better. When called upon to really rock, the Epicon 8s do not disappoint and the dual 8” woofers that transition to a 6 1/2’” midrange in a three and a half way configuration. It takes a lot to flatten out the power delivery of the GS150, yet I was able to clip the amplifier before the speakers gave up. They had to be moved to the Pass Labs Xs300 monos to be driven to their limit. At this point, rather than clip harshly, all of the front to back depth flattens out, gently to where rotating the volume control any further clockwise has no further effect. Keep in mind that this occurs at an incredibly high volume level – our SPL meter confirmed 114 db peaks, exceeding the 112db on the Dali spec sheet.

The other area the Epicon 8s exceed their specs is in low frequency extension. While not overly scientific, they are claimed 3db down at 35hz, yet even 25hz test tones are barely diminished in comparison to the 30 and 40hz tones, at least in my test room. Playing music in the real world proves equally compelling; whether you prefer Infected Mushroom or Genesis, the Epicon 8s go deep.

Final Setup Tweeks

In fact, they had a bit too much LF energy to work in reviewer Rob Johnson’s room, so placement is somewhat critical to get the right bass character. Tipping the scales at slightly more than 100 pounds each (48kg) get a friend to help you place the Epicon 8s. Impeccable time domain performance (a major design priority at Dali) and wide dispersion means all you need to do is lock in the bottom end and your rolling; the supplied spikes prove essential to achieving the best room interface.

Replacing the flat metal jumpers with some custom jumpers from the Chord Company takes the Epicon 8s to 11. Because the midrange to extreme high frequency range is so clean, you don’t notice it until you remove them and swap the Chord jumpers in place – you’ll instantly notice the additional smoothness they now offer. Of course, if your speaker cables happen to be terminated for bi-wired operation, just as well.

A Super Pair of Tweeters

Dali makes amazing soft dome tweeters that achieve a magic balance of resolution and natural tonal balance and their implementation of the ribbon tweeter in the Epicon 8 is a perfect example of the Danes doing things a bit differently. Worre again comments, “We use the ribbon as a supertweeter, crossing over at about 15khz, so that it just adds extra ambience to the presentation. Using it this way also avoids any diaphragm breakup from crossing it over at a lower frequency.”

Truer words were never spoken. Much like the depth a system picks up when able to utilize a subwoofer going down below 20hz, the supertweeter adds an ambience that is easily experienced by covering it up. Even a few friends that I know have limited HF hearing could easily perceive the difference between supertweeter engaged and not in a darkened room, and they all described the added depth and sparkle the same way. Cymbals have more shimmer and immediacy and even audience participation has more depth, more palpability, and more realism. The character of the room in Jeff Beck’s classic live album from Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in the UK is unmistakable. All I need do is close my eyes and I’m back there. Incredible. It’s like the two tweeters blend effortlessly to become one super duper tweeter – no matter what I played; I could not determine a crossover between them.

Resolution without edge

The better the source material and associated components, the better the Epicon 8s perform. Lowering the stylus on the MoFi pressing of Joe Jackson’s Night And Day instantly reveals the delicacy portrayed by the Epicon 8s. Even starting with my PrimaLuna ProLogue integrated amplifier, producing 35 watts per channel of tube power, these speakers sound incredible.

Thanks to a sophisticated crossover network that doesn’t sap power, as some multi-way, multi-driver speakers do, the Epicon 8s offer up an 89db sensitivity rating. Even 35 or 40 watts per channel will allow them to play fairly loud. We were even able to achieve great results with a 12 watt per channel Pass Labs First Watt amplifier, so whether you are buying the Epicon 8s as an anchor to a system that will be upgraded in the future, or as a final speaker purchase after a line of component upgrades, the Epicon 8s will satisfy.

Steadily going up the ladder, swapping DACs from the excellent, sub-$1,000 Rega DAC all the way to the $100,000 plus dCS Vivaldi, the Dali speakers easily reveal the nuances each DAC brings to the mix. Analog experiences prove equally vivid, moving from my favorite budget cartridge, the Denon DL-103r to the $15,000 Clearaudio Goldfinger. These speakers are a joy to use for any level of involvement and can easily be used as a reviewers tool to judge other components, thanks to their natural tonal balance, lack of distortion and coherence.

As much as there is to like about the Dali Epicon 8 speakers, their balance of all speaker parameters, combined with a high level of resolution that never becomes harsh is their greatest strength. The Dali engineers have not compromised any single aspect of musical reproduction at the expense of overall balance, and that’s what makes these speakers so amazing. Days of long listening sessions deliver zero fatigue, no matter what the listening level, and whether blasting Thriller, or playing Frank Sinatra at conversation level, I am always fully engaged by these speakers, hearing nuances that I thought I needed a $100,000 pair of speakers to realize.

So, DO you need a $100,000 pair of speakers?

Only if you have the money to throw around and need the bragging rights, or you love to play pipe organ music at concert hall levels. For the rest of you, the Dali Epicon 8 can easily be your final loudspeaker purchase. They serve the music faithfully.

While it is often a nebulous yardstick, these speakers really groove, allowing you to enjoy whatever music you happen to love. Those having widely eclectic tastes will never be limited by what their speakers can do tonally or dynamically.

The Dali Epicon 8 Loudspeakers

$19,995/pair

www.dali-speakers.com (factory)

www.soundorg.com (US Distributor)

Peripherals

Analog Source            AVID Acutus Reference SP/SME V/Clearaudio Goldfinger Ref.

Digital Source                        dCS Vivaldi, Gryphon Kalliope

Phonostage                Simaudio MOON LP810

Preamplifier              ARC GSPre, Robert Koda K-10, Pass Labs Xs Pre

Power Amplifier        ARC GS150, Pass XA160.8, Pass Xs Monos

Cable                          Cardas Clear

Power                         IsoTek Super Titan

Features

Old School:

Perreaux SM2 Preamplifier and PMF1150B Amplifier

By Jeff Dorgay

Personal Fidelity:

Woo Audio 234 SET Monoblocks

By Jeff Dorgay

995: Sounds That Won’t Break The Bank

VPI Nomad Turntable

By Rob Johnson

TONE Style

AudioQuests NightHawk Headphones:
The Ultimate Gaming Experience
By Jeff Dorgay

The Endeavor Belt

Wax Stacks Cubes

Pet Chatz

HiFi Racks LTD

The Classic VU Meter

The Stereo Mug

SNAPSHOT: Bono of U2 in San Jose by Jerome Brunet

Music

Spin the Black Circle: Reviews of New Pop/Rock and Country Albums
By Bob Gendron, Todd Martens, Chrissie Dickinson, Andrea Domanick and Aaron Cohen

Jazz & Blues: George Freeman & Chico Foreman, The Bad Plus and More!
By Aaron Cohen and Jim Macnie

Audiophile Pressings: Next issue!

Gear Previews

Ortofon Cadenza Black Phono Cartridge

BAT VK-6 and VK-6SE Phonostages

AudioQuest SLiP 14/2 Speaker Cable

Reviews

Naim’s Mu-so Tabletop system
By Rob Johnson

The Nagra Jazz Preamplifier
By Jeff Zaret

Bryston Mini-T Loudspeakers
By Andre Marc

Benchmark DAC2 DX
By Rob Johnson

The Feickert Blackbird Turntable
By Jeff Dorgay

Ryan R610 Loudspeakers
By Rob Johnson

From the Web

Dali Epicon 8 Speakers

GamuT RS5 Speakers

It’s no secret our publisher is incredibly enthusiastic about Pass amplifiers.  While the company’s flagship Xs300 monoblocks have been serving dual duty as his reference amplifiers and the furnace for the TONEAudio studio for some time now, his relationship with Nelson Pass is more than a mere bromance. It goes all the way back to the early 1980s, when we lived on Milwaukee’s East Side and he talked me into helping him carry his new Threshold 4000A power amplifier up a few flights of stairs.

I’m a tube guy; I’ve always been a tube guy – the tubey-er, the better. Back in 1980-something, that Threshold was a mind-bender because this massive solid-state amplifier made the room warmer than any tube amplifier I had ever experienced, sounded as musical as anything with glowing bottles, yet had killer bass output and control. It even sported an awesome set of red LED power output meters! The 4000A stayed in my system for a long time after our publisher’s terrier-like nose for all things audiophile led him sniffing down other paths and, as with one of my prized BMW 2002s, I still regret selling it.

It’s all about control

Don’t let Nelson Pass’s easy demeanor fool you; he wants control. At least control of your speakers’ cones. The major benefit to the massive power supplies and output stages in the two-chassis Xs amplifiers is the amount of control they enforce on your loudspeakers. Not letting the drivers act in a willy-nilly manner keeps distortion and non-linearity at bay, resulting in a cleaner, clearer, less fatiguing sound. Pass is fond of saying that he likes the sound of tubes without the hassle, and the Xs300s deliver this in abundance. But at almost $90K per pair they are not within the reach of every audio enthusiast.

Enter the XA160.8 monoblocks at $29,000/pair. Building on the success of the .5 series (you can read our review of the XA160.5 monoblocks here[1] and the XA200.5 monoblocks here[2] ) the .8 series of Pass amplifiers takes these designs a major step further. Larger power supplies and a more refined circuit allow these new amplifiers to be biased further into class-A territory. The changes draw more power from your wall, and generate more heat – something we put to good use here in the Pacific Northwest. The results put the 160.8 closer in sound to the massive, two-chassis Xs amplifiers than before. The price tag is still not pocket change, but a far cry from what the four-chassis, big boys will set you back.

Pass makes it a point to let you know that these are not cookie-cutter amplifiers, with each version sharing an input stage followed by progressively larger output stages. Every model in the .8 series is individually designed from the ground up with all nine amplifiers in the range using different input and driver circuitry optimized for progressively larger output stages. A peek inside the case reveals a prodigious bank of power supply capacitors flanked by equally huge heat sinks, each with “more output transistors than necessary.”

With balanced XLR inputs (the XA160.8 is a fully balanced design) and RCA inputs, this amplifier works well with any preamplifier. My ARC REF 5 proves a perfect match for the XA160.8, but after spending a bit of time with the top-of-the-line Xs Pre, I’m guessing it’s upgrade time again.  Even my standby CJ PV-12 turns in an amazing performance with these amplifiers and reminds me of when I used the Threshold 4000A with a CJ PV-2a preamplifier. Time does fly when you’re having fun. Watch for our review of that piece very soon. Suffice it to say that the XA160.8 will never be the weak link in your hifi system!

Taking care of business

Vicariously sampling the last four or five Pass amplifiers that have been in for review, it’s time to put the latest models front and center in my reference system and flog them. Rage Against the Machine’s “Take the Power Back” does the trick, as the intro kick drum beats and bass riffs occupy separate spots in the soundstage, neither losing their focus as I turn the volume up, up, up – pushing my head back against the couch. Yet near the end of the track as the pace settles to light cymbal work, the delicacy and texture rendered stops me dead. It’s so quiet and precise, everything appears to settle into nothing.

Sporting the big, blue circular meters that adorn the face of all the Pass power amplifiers, the 125 pound (each) XA160.8s are a breeze to move after the Xs300s. However, they’re probably a stretch for one person lifting, so you should consider getting some help to keep your back in order. For those not familiar with Pass amplifiers, the meter needle stays centered, indicating that the amplifier is operating fully in class-A mode, which for the 160.8, is 328 peak watts. So when that needle starts to bounce, these amplifiers are indeed producing major power.

Driving my Vandersteen 5As with the XA160.8s is absolutely peachy and the synergy with the Audio Research REF5SE is near perfection as well. I have spent some time with the Pass Xs Pre that is here for review, and that’s even more revealing. It goes without saying that you won’t go wrong with an all-Pass system, and as Mr. Pass says, you’ll never have to look for tubes again.

Break-in has been the same experience we’ve had with all other Pass amplifiers; they sound great straight out of the box and improve linearly over about 300 hours, with a minimal increase in clarity after that. Though solid state, they take as long as, if not longer than, a vacuum tube amplifier to fully “warm up.” Due to the power draw (550 watts per monoblock) and heat generated, most owners will not want to leave them on all the time. The XA160.8s take about 90 minutes to come out of the gentle mist exhibited at initial power up that dissipates after they reach full operating temperature. You’ll notice it in the smoothness of the upper register and the depth of the soundfield portrayed – getting deeper and deeper, drawing you further in to the presentation as they stabilize.

The 160.8s are consistent at low, medium and high volume. They never run out of steam when cranking AC/DC to near-concert levels, yet when listening to solo vocals or piano at levels barely above a whisper, maintain depth and a tonal richness that you’d expect from a flea watt SET amplifier. To say these amplifiers are incredibly linear and dynamic is an understatement.

In the end

We’re all worm food. But for now, if you find yourself asking the venerable question, “tubes or transistors,” this tube guy says buy the XA160.8 from Pass Labs. Unless you can afford the Xs monos, then of course you know what you must do.

Additional Listening: Jeff Dorgay

Selfishly, it’s always wonderful when someone else shares my enthusiasm for a piece of audio gear, and in this case, it’s been an ongoing argument between myself and Mr. O’Brien for a couple of decades now. While I agree with his analysis, because of the nature of the Vandersteen 5As only needing to be powered from about 80hz up, (because of their internally powered woofers) these speakers don’t give the full scale of the XA160.8s’ performance. And, of course, we like to perform amplifier reviews with as wide of a range of speaker systems as possible to see if there are any rocks in the road. I assure you there are none.

As with all the other Pass amplifiers we’ve auditioned, the XA160.8 continues the tradition of being able to drive any load effortlessly. I began my listening with the toughest speakers in my collection, the Magnepan 1.7s and the Acoustat 2+2s. Both passed with flying colors, and it was an interesting comparison to play the 2+2s with both the XA160.8s and a recently restored Threshold 400A that I used to use with my 2+2s in the ’80s. The more powerful, heavier, 4000A only stayed in my system briefly, but the 400A stayed for quite some time and was always a favorite.

Thanks to so much current on tap, the 2+2s now sound like there is a subwoofer in the room, but more importantly, these speakers, known for their somewhat loose and flabby lower registers are exhibiting taut, tuneful bass in a way they never have. Thomas Dolby’s “Pulp Culture” shakes the listening room with authority. An even tougher test is acoustic bass, and again the vintage ESL’s dance through all of my favorite Stanley Clarke tunes.

Moving through the gaggle of great speakers we currently have here from Dali, Dynaudio, GamuT, Eggleston and a few others, the XA160.8s have no limitations. To get them to (softly) clip requires ear shattering volume, or perhaps a pair of horribly inefficient speakers. In that case, there are always the XA200.8s and the Xs amplifiers.

No matter what music is served, the XA160.8s perform effortlessly and get out of the way for your enjoyment of it. The biggest delight, aside from knowing you’ll never have to hunt down matched quartets of power tubes again, is just how much of the flagship Xs300s capability is locked up inside these two boxes at one third of the price. Mind you in a “cost no object” system, the difference between the XS160.8 and the Xs300 will still be easily apparent, but it’s like the difference between an $85,000 Carrera and a $175,000 GT3RS – it’s easy to see, feel and hear the lineage,  and for those who don’t want to go all the way, will still find the lower-priced sibling still highly enjoyable.

I’ve hinted that the Pass XA160.8s have the slightest bit of warmth in their overall character, which they do. However, this additional richness and palpability is not at the expense of softness, or compromise in transient attack. If you want a strictly “nothing but the facts” the Pass sound may not be for you, but if you’ve always loved a touch of the glow that the world’s best vacuum tube amplifiers possess without having to chase the glass bottles, you must audition the XA160.8 I guarantee you will be highly impressed.

The Pass XA160.8

$29,000/pair

www.passlabs.com

PERIPHERALS

The only promise that BAT’s VK-655SE does not fulfill is the company’s claim that it has enough energy storage to “to lift most speakers over one meter off the ground.” Even at earsplitting levels, neither the 610-pound GamuT S9 nor the 253-pound Dynaudio Evidence Platinum speakers move ever so slightly off the ground.

What the VK-655SE does deliver is musical accuracy, exquisite tonality and bass control. With 1,800 joules of power available, the $16,500 VK-655SE controls the lower half of the frequency spectrum in a way that precious few amplifiers can muster at any price. For the non-electrical engineers in the audience, a heart defibrillator uses between 200 and 400 joules at its maximum setting, so while the VK-655SE won’t lift your speakers off the ground, if you connect your speaker cables to your chest and crank it up, it will probably lift you a meter off the ground. Maybe that’s what they meant.

Speaking of weight, the VK-655SE weighs 120 pounds, so make sure your back and whatever stand you plan to place it on can withstand that much heft. Popping the lid reveals a pair of monstrous heat sinks, power transformers and capacitor banks. The VK-655 is available in all black (as shown here) or with a black-and-silver aluminum faceplate. In the future, BAT will also offer all silver, so if that is the aesthetic you desire, its on the way. Fully intended for use in an all-BAT system, the VK-655SE offers only balanced XLR inputs—though we found that the VK-655SE works equally well with Pass, ARC, Nagra, Simaudio and Robert Koda preamplifiers; all were used in a fully balanced configuration.

Let’s Roll

The VK-655SE is special straight out of the packing carton. Taking the hot-rodders credo, “If you want it to run hard, you have to break it in hard,” I immediately reach for Metallica’s album Kill ’Em All and play “No Remorse” at near-Armageddon levels. Even during a brief stint of driving the Dynaudios to almost 120 dB peaks, the BAT doesn’t strain whatsoever, with the raw power of Metallica thoroughly communicated. While I can’t imagine needing more power, you can turn the VK-655SE into a monoblock amplifier and get a bit more, going from 600 watts per channel into a 4-ohm load to 700 watts per channel. (The VK-655SE produces 300 watts per channel into an 8-ohm load as a stereo amp, and 400 watts as a monoblock.)

For those scoffing at the idea of paying twice as much for only 100 more watts per channel should remember that higher fidelity means gaining control, not just getting louder. This is because doing so doubles the current output, giving the monoblocks the ability to control difficult loads more effortlessly. Having twice as much power on tap will make those monos run even more effortlessly than running them in a stereo configuration, translating into greater dynamic range and an even quieter background – 6db according to BAT. I notice a similar effect going from a single Burmester 911 MK3 power amplifier to a pair of 911 monos. It is not subtle. I’ll stick my neck out and suggest a pair of mono VK-655SEs will achieve the same results.

Experience with BAT’s past products featuring the Super Pak upgrade (the company’s own variety of oil-filled capacitors to help facilitate all this power storage) showed that these components take a while to sound their absolute best—anywhere from two to 500 hours. The higher current flow of large power amplifiers makes the process a somewhat speedier one; the preamplifiers seem to take longer.

Slightly edgy at initial turn-on, the VK-655SE sounds more open, natural and relaxed in the upper register after about 48 hours of constant play, with a subtle smoothing as the hours rack up, but not as dramatic as the change during the first couple days. For the crabby audiophiles in the crowd who do not believe in component break-in, I highly suggest borrowing a pair of identical amplifiers, running one for a few hundred hours while you leave one in the box for that period of time and then compare the two. There is an unmistakable difference between the amplifier with hours on the clock and the one left in the box.

BAT’s Geoff Poore makes it a point to stress that they strive for “dynamic linearity” in their designs. A big part of this comes from their eliminating negative feedback in combination with an unlimited, unregulated power supply – adding to the jump factor that BAT amplifiers are famous for. It’s also one of the main reasons this huge amplifier exhibits the dexterity of a much smaller amplifier. Poore reminds me that “using only two gain stages in the VK-655SE eliminates coupling effects between multiple gain stages, further reducing the amount of image smear and degradation that comes with a more complex design.”

Where some power amplifier manufacturers claim a dual-mono design, BAT takes it to the extreme. In addition to separate power transformers and power supplies for each channel, the VK-655SE even uses separate power cords and receptacles for each channel! Should you have access to dedicated power lines, I suggest trying separate power lines on separate circuits for each channel. My curiosity with the VK-655SE is satisfied plugging each channel into separate 20-amp circuits. Of course, you don’t need two power lines for the VK-655SE, but with two separate mains fueling the fire at ear-splitting levels, the amp exhibits even more ease. About 95% of the time, you’ll never notice it, but if you really like it loud, go for separate AC circuits to power each half of your VK-655SE.

A Quick Comparison

If you believe all amplifiers have the same sound, stop reading now. Though the world’s top solid-state amplifiers are starting to sound more similar than disparate, differences in sonic character still exist. Side-by-side comparisons to a few of our regular amps reveal the BAT to excel in speed, dynamics and bass weight. The Burmester and Pass amplifiers in our stable are slightly warmer tonally, while the big Simaudio MOON 880M monos sound as natural as the BAT, but more bottomless in power capability—albeit at a higher price than a pair of VK-655SEs. It’s almost like comparing an Audi to a BMW or a Mercedes; all are excellent, though they go about delivering the goods in a slightly different way.

None of the speakers we have on hand present a challenging load to the mighty BAT. The current-hungry Magnepans and even our vintage Acoustat 2+2s, which have only an 82 dB sensitivity rating and are not much more than giant capacitors placed across the speaker terminals, do not diminish the amp’s performance in the least. Where some amplifiers can be speaker-dependent and struggle at times, the VK-655SE effortlessly powers every speaker we have on hand with ease.

Part of the neutral sound quality of the VK-655SE can be attributed to its use of all N-channel MOSFET output transistors. The N-channel MOSFET has a higher electron mobility, which makes amplifiers with them appear to have more transient speed than amps with mixed devices. Cursory research on the N-channel MOSFET implies that the N-channel device also has a wider range of operation where it acts like a triode tube—another great thing to have in a power amplifier. Techie bits aside, this amp succeeds brilliantly, especially for $16,500.

Bigger Is, Well, Bigger!

Some arguments in audiophile circles—about the quality of the first watt and that, because of their inherent complexity, higher-powered amplifiers are not as pure as low-power amplifiers in design and thus sound—don’t always hold true. Those arguments certainly don’t hold true in the case of this amplifier. While I’ve heard excellent examples of both low- and high-powered amps, I still tend to prefer the effortlessness of a high-powered one, even at low volumes. The VK-655SE takes a novel approach, featuring no negative feedback and only two gain stages in the entire circuit. In the same way that some large speakers manage to disappear in your listening room like a mini monitor, the VK-655SE has the sheer might of a large amplifier and the nuance of a small power amplifier.

Listening to acoustic instruments highlights the character of the VK-655SE. Its enormous power reserves might not be noticed with less-demanding fare, but the instant a drumstick hits a cymbal or the string of a standup bass is plucked with force, the boundless reserves of this amplifier deliver the dynamic swing required to convince your auditory system that perhaps you’re not listening to recorded music at all.

This is equally true when reproducing a vocalist with a wide range. Whether it’s your favorite opera or Prince, the VK-655SE’s instant delivery comes through free from the stress associated with lesser amplifiers unable to keep up—and this ability is too often overlooked when jumping on the low-power bandwagon. Simple as it might seem, a big, well-executed amplifier just sounds bigger and has a lack of restraint that further contributes to its overall neutral character.

There was nothing that the VK-655SE couldn’t handle effortlessly during this review. In the realm of the reference speakers at my disposal—all with sensitivity ratings of 87 to 90 dB—I can’t imagine ever needing more power than this amplifier delivers. BAT gear is known for its fantastic build quality and excellent secondary-market value, so for an amp at this size and price, I also can’t imagine ever needing another one once you’ve stepped up to the VK-655SE. Unless of course you need a second one.

BAT VK-655SE power amplifier

MSRP: $16,500

www.balanced.com

PERIPHERALS

Toward the end of “Master Song,” the second track on Leonard Cohen’s breakout 1967 album, Cohen’s pursing lips sound eerily present through the 1.1-inch soft dome tweeter of DALI’s two-way Rubicon 2 speakers. This remarkable tweeter reveals all the imperfections and detailed character of this vinyl pressing. Similarly, on “The Stranger Song,” the speakers’ 6.5-inch drivers pick up several mic pops—as Cohen hits phrases like “plays for shelter” and “holy game of poker”—doing so with jarring airiness, a result of the DALI speakers portraying this rough but rich recording with loads of nuance and clarity.

It’s details like these that help immediately illustrate speaker quality. And DALI—an acronym for Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries—has gained a reputation for producing high-quality, high-fidelity speakers at relatively reasonable (even mid-fi) prices. Of course, at $2,995 per pair, the Rubicon 2s are far from budget speakers, but they do display characteristics you’d sooner expect from much larger and costlier models. For their size and price, the level of fidelity these speakers deliver is astounding.

Setup and Specs

Measuring about 14 inches tall, 7.5 inches wide, and 13 inches deep, the Rubicon 2s are appropriate for placement on a shelf or bookshelf, tabletop/desktop or on stands. For this review, I try placing the speakers at the forward corners of my 21-inch-tall Salamander Synergy hi-fi rack and on my 35-inch-tall speaker stands. I find that the stand placement gives the speakers the necessary height to cast a deep enough soundstage to reach the listening position about 9 feet from the speakers (though stands 28 to 30 inches tall would have placed the tweeters right at ear level, so I raise my listening seat to help make up the difference). The speakers are ported out the back, so they should be placed at least a foot or so from the back wall. Placing the speakers about 2 feet from the wall and about 6.5 feet apart (with only very slight toe-in) presents the most satisfying soundstage for this reviewer.

Beyond the time required to find the optimum placement, setting up the speakers is an absolute breeze. The gold-plated, plastic-encased terminals are big and sturdy and make it abundantly easy to connect the speaker wire. Bi-amping is not an option, but DALI says that amps with an output of as little as 40 watts will do the job. The Simaudio Moon 600i integrated amp I’m currently using as a reference really makes these speakers sing, but it is pumping 250 watts into the speakers’ 4-ohm impedance load. DALI’s specs say the speakers deliver a frequency range from 50 Hz to 26 kHz, with a sensitivity of 87 dB and the crossover set at 3,100 Hz.

The cabinet of the Rubicon 2s is MDF and available in one of four finishes: black or white in high-gloss lacquer, or veneers of rosso or walnut (walnut shown). At about 18 pounds each, the speakers are pretty hefty for stand/shelf models, which contributes to the sense that these are high-quality speakers with refined fit and finish.

Back to the Music

London Calling is one of my favorite all-time albums and is way more nuanced and better produced than most people realize (especially since it’s largely considered a punk album—but it’s so much more than that). As a result, it’s a great test record for speakers, many of which struggle to deliver the 180-gram vinyl version’s full depth and richness. During the title track, Topper Headon’s hi-hat hits are crisp and bright through the Rubicon 2s, which highlight Headon’s complex rhythms and fast stick work. In general, these speakers lean toward the bright side of the spectrum, though they are not lacking in warmth. Through lesser speakers with less-capable tweeters, the electric guitar on this track can sound gritty, even muddy, but the Rubicon 2s parse through the grit, revealing an almost jazzy tone to this punk riff.

The Rubison 2s deliver “Sacrafice,” the fourth track on the Roots’ 2002 album Phrenology, with more low-end bump than I’d expect from speakers this size. When the kick drum and bass guitar hit, I’m surprised to feel my chest rumble, which leads me to believe that the speakers’ 50 Hz low-end spec is not an exaggeration. It doesn’t rattle the walls of my apartment or anything, but it’s plenty of bass response and quite the feat for 6.5-inch driver cones.

Further illustrating the low-frequency capabilities of these speakers, the opening track of Wilco’s Whole Love on vinyl is an almost techno-sounding amalgamation of a strong beat with orchestral strings, electric guitar, amplified piano, and all sorts of trippy effects and tiny electronica noises bouncing around the soundstage. The little DALI speakers capture this big and complex recording with laudable deftness, casting a broad soundstage that extends well into the listening area and is ripe with detail and a well-sorted-out multitude of instruments. The snare hits as the song crescendos toward the end of the track are fast and realistic (coming from someone who is a drummer and has seen Wilco live), and as the bass builds, the drivers deliver a really solid LF response—there’s a lot of air coming from these speakers.

Acoustically Speaking

I like using John Gorka’s Gypsy Life on Blu-ray as a reference, because it lets you see the physical location of the musicians and gives you the option to listen to the 24-bit/96-kHz stereo mix. Delivering this audio-video experience is my extremely capable Oppo BDP-105 universal disc player. During the title track (my favorite on the disc), the DALI drivers convey Gorka’s baritone vocals with loads of depth and clarity. The speakers give a notably accurate portrayal of the soundstage, with the fretless electric bass, mandolin, Gorka’s vocals and acoustic guitar, and female backup vocals placed from left to right, just as they are in the recording studio. The bassist uses an EBow (a little battery-powered device that mimics a bowed instrument), which gives the bass a really cool ambient vibe that the Rubicon 2s portray with plenty of air and vibrato; the mandolin is delicate but still abundantly present; and the female vocals are wonderfully subdued as they complement Gorka’s deeper voice. The DALIs perfectly place all these elements in the mix, giving the track an extremely lifelike feel.

I will say that these speakers don’t quite push the mix as far out as I’m used to with the larger Stirling SB-88s and the floorstanding ELAC FS249s that I’ve been using as reference speakers. By comparison, the Rubicon 2s lack the more substantial physical depth and three-dimensionality of the larger speakers. But compared to the other shelf/stand speakers and monitors I’ve demoed, the DALIs do present considerable spatial presence.

A CD of a live recording of Shostakovich’s String Quarter in C minor (with Leonard Bernstein at the helm of the New York Philharmonic) sounds quite engaging through the Rubicon 2s. The frantic violin pulls dominate the left side of the soundstage, with the cello and contrabass responding at the right. The simultaneous melodies are captivating and displayed well out in front of the speakers, though perhaps not pushed all the way out to the listener or as far beyond the peripheral boundaries as larger speakers might. That being said, the Rubicon 2s do deliver extraordinary accuracy, depth, and richness for speakers of this size.

A Worthy Contender

There are plenty of options for high-quality stand/shelf speakers or monitors in the $3,000 range—from Bower Wilkins, Sonus faber, Harbeth, and numerous others—and the $2,995 DALI Rubicon 2s certainly hold their own. Their most praise-worthy characteristics are their accuracy, clarity, and broad frequency response, with an especially notable bass response for their size.

The tone of the Rubicon 2s tends to be a little bright with higher frequencies, though the mid and bass regions do come through with a subtle amount of warmth that lends the speakers really nice balance. Placed in a moderately sized room and paired with the right stands and a decent amount of power, these speakers can really sing and fill a reasonable amount of space with extremely satisfying music.

DALI Rubicon 2 Speakers

$2,995

www.dali-speakers.com (manufacturer)

www.soundorg.com (U.S. distributor)

We love the KEF LS-50 and after almost two years, three of the TONE staff use them as their small speaker reference, so we are still enamored. With so much essence of the KEF Blade in such a small package, these speakers offer scary good imaging and coherence. In a small to medium sized room with great ancilliaries, you might even be fooled into thinking you are listening to a much larger pair of KEF speakers.

Much as we’d like to tell you the super cool white and blue LS-50s you see here sound even better than the black and copper ones, they don’t. But they do offer a different, perhaps even more modern aesthetic than the original model. Perhaps KEF will take note of this and offer further customization on the LS-50 and other models. This kind of thing goes a long way towards getting speakers in the home environment. Well played.

Blue and White KEF LS-50s

$1,499/pair

www.kef.com

Water and speakers don’t usually mix well. But when your speakers double as planters, you have to water them, if you don’t want the foliage contained therein to whither and die. Like most planters, the Flagstone PlanterSpeakers—which come in three sizes, each containing a three-way weatherproof loudspeaker—feature a drain at the bottom for water runoff. The speakers are passive, so power is required—and their performance with the Audio Research GS series amp and preamp and Gryphon DAC proves seductive.

After some initial listening to “Big Log” from Robert Plant’s Principle of Moments, I subject the Flagstones to about 100 hours of Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music on the back porch, via the vintage Harman/Kardon 730 receiver from the “Old School” column in the previous issue of TONE. This experience reinforces that these are high-quality outdoor speakers—not those rock-shaped speakers you might have seen in recent years. A great vintage receiver might be a good place to start, but I’d suggest a better-quality source to get the most out of the Flagstones.

With a 10-inch downward-firing woofer and a front panel, of sorts, with a 4-inch Audax midrange and 1-inch dome tweeter, these speakers are certainly well equipped. Outdoor placement helps fight room effects, so in some respects the Flagstones are easier to set up than speakers in your living room. Of course, ultimate placement of the speakers will be dependent upon whether or not you want a more traditional stereo soundstage and listening spot in your outdoor area. Not limited to the speakers you see here, there are a wide range of sizes and shapes available, so check their website for something that will blend with your décor – and there are some new configurations on the way.

Positioning the speakers for rear firing, about 5 feet from any outdoor walls, creates a more diffuse area-filling presentation. This minimizes the precision of the soundstage that you might be used to from listening in your living room, but it bathes your outdoor listening space in music; it also requires more amplifier power to deliver a sufficient sound-pressure level. A forward-firing orientation requires less power, offering a more focused stereo image, though this arrangement doesn’t produce the best sound at a party—unless maybe it’s an audiophile party where everyone is competing for the sweet spot!

The Flagstones feature an 89 dB sensitivity rating; yet, compared to a few other speakers currently in the TONEAudio studio with a similar rating, they produce a couple decibels less sound output, according to the sound-level meter on my iPhone 6. If you only require modest yet high-quality patio sound, 25 wpc of tube power works wonderfully. However, if you’re planning on using the speakers regularly in party mode, Madison Fielding suggests at least 100 wpc, with a maximum of 500 wpc. Art Powers Jr., one of the company principles mentions that “under driving the speakers is the biggest problem they have with the speakers out in the field.”

The Flagstones possess a wide dynamic range and excellent coherence throughout, making them a true audiophile speaker in every respect (aside from the fact that they’re disguised as outdoor décor). Recent dinner guests particularly enjoyed the combination of the Flagstones with Tidal music streaming, allowing everyone to take turns streaming their favorite tunes from the comfort of the patio furniture. The Flagstones effortlessly handle every kind of music, from female vocals to rock, and those 10-inch woofers prove convincing when the party groove shifts to serious hip-hop tracks. The woofers even convince the neighbors on both sides of our fence to join the party—a good sign.

At $3,495 per pair, the Flagstones aren’t a casual purchase for your backyard, and the only negative aspect to having such great speakers out back is the fear that someone will hop the fence and make off with them when you aren’t home. A cursory call to my insurance agent suggests that, if you purchase a pair (or two), to make sure your homeowner’s insurance covers them. You may need to get an additional rider—or at least send your insurance provider a photo of the speakers and copy of your sales receipt. But as long as they’re in your yard, it’s happy listening.   – Jeff Dorgay

Madison Fielding Flagstone PlanterSpeakers

$3,495 per pair

www.planterspeakers.com

In the early ‘80s a new audio company named Audible Illusions burst on the scene with a single product, a dual mono preamplifier for about $300. It got a little bit of press and no one paid a huge amount of attention to AI until 1985 when their Modulus preamplifier debuted. It had dual volume controls on the front and took care to minimize the use of switching in the signal path along with careful circuit design to present a $595 preamplifier that posed some competition for the big bucks gear of the day.

The Modulus 2D, pictured here was the ultimate realization of this circuit and was made between 1988 and 1991 before AI moved on to their model 3 preamplifier which achieved international acclaim. Using just four 6DJ8/6922 tubes, two for the linestage and two for the built in phono section, the Modulus 2D was one of the best values in high end audio for quite some time. I owned one from 1989 until 2003 where it was still chugging along in my second system quite nicely.



Though it had no fancy stepped attenuator, remote control or outboard power supply, (it had a fixed AC cord as well) the 2D sounded fantastic and in the day was the closest thing to a giant killer I had ever heard at that point. The dual volume controls were a bit of a pain and the high level inputs were limited, but it really sounded great!

This preamp had fantastic imaging and if you sprung for a fairly expensive set of 6922s it would really sing. They still do – if you happen to be an Audible Illusions user, call Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio and he’ll take good care of you.

With the top cover removed, you can see that the 2D features a simple circuit using some of the best parts of the day. Though AI had a few service issues, these preamplifiers were workhorses; many of them are still in service today. To make sure I was not just waxing poetic, I managed to pick one up on EBay for $450, which seems to be the going rate and give it a good listen to refresh my memory.

Even in context of todays components, the 2D still delivers an impressive performance. I would still suggest a Modulus 2D today; dig out your soldering iron, upgrade a few caps, install some premium NOS tubes and you’re on the way. This is a premier preamplifier on a tight budget and remains a budget legend.  -Jeff Dorgay

The audio world is sometimes wacky indeed. In the first issue of TONE-Audio, this column featured my first real high-end preamplifier, the Hafler DH-101. Always the packrat, I recently found a box with a bunch of old receipts, for you guessed it, hi-fi gear. As it turns out, before I got my hands on a Conrad-Johnson PV-2, I actually owned a PV-1, Conrad-Johnson’s first preamplifier. To be historically correct, this preamplifier was first introduced as the Conrad Johnson Preamplifier in 1977 and then a bit later renamed the PV-1.

I bought mine in the fall of 1978, along with my neighbor Tony, and our mutual friend Jon, who was working for the local CJ dealer. What are the chances of three guys living within two blocks of each other all having a PV-1? Actually Jon bought his a bit earlier, convincing Tony and I that we needed one too. Already, the upgrade bug had bit! I ended up having the PV-1 for about a year before trading up to the new PV-2, but Tony hung on to his for a long time…

Working on my review for the flagship CJ preamp, the ACT2 (soon to be the ACT2/ series2), why not revisit the beginning of the gene pool? A quick check on EBay revealed that PV-1s were selling for about $400.

A quick call to Jon, now at Ultra Fidelis in Milwaukee, Wisconsin proved interesting and odd. “Wow, you are in luck; Tony still has his and he finally wants to trade up. I’ll box it up and send it your way!”  Back then, I had lent Tony my box to ship his PV-1 back to CJ for repairs and by the time I thought of getting it back, I already had a PV-2. In the old days we weren’t so mental about OBM.

His PV-1 arrived on my doorstep a few days later, with everything in good visual order. As strange as it is to get a one owner PV-1 over 30 years later, from the guy that used to live down the street, the plot thickens. When it arrived, it was not only in the original packaging, it was in MY original packaging! The world of high end audio is indeed wacky.

I immediately put it in a system and fired it up! A few minutes later, I was listening to vintage Conrad – Johnson sound; definitely a much warmer tonality than my ACT 2, but engaging, as all CJ components are. That this preamplifier survived all these years with no more than a tube change or two is a solid testament to Lew Johnson and Bill Conrad’s build quality. And a wonderful memory.

-Jeff Dorgay

When you’re in the middle of a painstaking turntable setup session and you need the ultimate sugar rush, try some Hello Kitty Fruit Roll-Ups.  These babies are loaded with sugar.  Much like other stimulants, the effect only lasts for about 20 minutes, but what a ride.

Hello Kitty Fruit Roll-Ups

$2.99

www.safeway.com

While gadgets aren’t always fashionable, a properly set up turntable is always in style.  And what better way to adjust tracking force than with a digital scale?  We’ve tried some of the cheapie, Chinese-made digital scales in the $40–$60 range, but they have all had relatively short lifespans.

Clearaudio’s Weight Watcher is excellent, but starting to tip the price scale at $300 these days –– so think of that model as the S-Class Mercedes of digital scales.  Ortofon’s DS-1 is made in Japan, easy to use, and thanks to its smaller paddle, makes it more versatile with a wider range of cartridges than the Weight Watcher. At nearly half the price, it makes this accessory accessible to a wider range of audiophiles.

Ortofon DS-1 Digital Scale

$167

www.musicdirect.com

For those of you who like to display your albums on the wall, or keep better track of what’s currently spinning on your turntable, the RecordWall-it is an elegant solution that doesn’t require you to take the frame apart when you want to change the album art, and if you’re good at keeping things level, you can use two side by side for double albums.

The RecordWall-it comes in basic black and is easy to mount, thanks to the countersunk holes molded in the plastic.  If you are just mounting album covers for permanent display, you can probably get away with just screwing into your drywall; record jackets don’t weigh that much.  However, if you will be changing the album covers often, we suggest mounting to the wall stud, or if that isn’t handy, using a pair of 25-pound wall anchors.  Either way, this is one of those handy little gadgets that will leave you wondering how you ever did without it.

RecordWall-it

www.recordwall-it.com

$7.95

Because the Grateful Dead was always a band that paid close attention to the sound quality of its live performances and recordings, even a random copy of any Dead album usually sounds pretty good—provided it hasn’t been played to extinction.  Mobile Fidelity did a stellar job on the original single-album reissue of American Beauty in the 80s, but they are rare, with sealed versions fetching about $150 and opened albeit gently played copies ranging from $45-$75. By comparison, original, opened, green-label WB versions in excellent condition can usually be found for about $30-$40.

With many records, choosing between versions can often be a dilemma. But most Dead fans usually want everything, so consider this more a pairing than a choice. The early Mobile Fidelity version presents a wider soundstage than the new 45RPM reissue, with all vocals more out in front of the speakers. The current release lines everything up on nearly the same plane.

Tonally, the early Mobile Fidelity is slightly crisper, and more etched on the very top end.  Your personal taste and overall system tonal balance will determine what you prefer.  On our reference system, the Lyra Atlas cartridge tends to favor the new version, while the Clearaudio Goldfinger delivers a more homogenous playback with the older disc. The green label is smack dab in the middle of the two.

While all three versions sound close tonally and spatially, the current 45RPM edition is the champ in terms of noise floor. It’s an amazing testament to the staying power of analog in that a high-quality tape, when well-preserved and expertly handled, can deliver such a quiet background.

Keep in mind the difference between these three pressings is decidedly small, and all three are excellent.  Mobile Fidelity has done a phenomenal job.

Mobile Fidelity, 180g 45RPM 2LP set

I’ve Seen the Future of Music, Again!

Forget everything you know about serving digital music files. No matter what you are using, it’s irrelevant.

A bold claim indeed, but spend a few minutes with Roon and you’ll find yourself getting up from the listening chair hours later. It’s that compelling. Now you can access music three dimensionally, much like you do when flipping through the bins at your favorite record store, but arguably better. And I say this as an analog lover that still has 8 turntables and over 7500 LP’s.

So, where did Roon labs come from? The core team that developed the Sooloos music server stayed together and to take their baby to the next level, so rest assured this is not a group of random newcomers to the industry. And every member of this team is Stephen Hawking smart.

A bit of history

We featured the original Sooloos music server on the cover of issue 11, proudly proclaiming it was the future of music – at least the future of digital music delivery. In the six years since the introduction of the iPod in 2001, Sooloos hit the scene with an ease of use that was, and to a major extent still remains untouchable today. Computer audio was in its infancy then, but like our laptops, cellphones and other things technologically related, it has taken off. For many listeners, the Sooloos interface is now the gold standard of functionality.

The guys at Sooloos weren’t sleeping. Though they sold the company to Meridian a couple of years after it’s inception to find a better hardware partner, so they could continue to develop the application, porting the Sooloos look and feel to the newly developed iPad in 2010, and a few somewhat lower priced endpoints have been released on the hardware side. Meridian managed to smooth out the rough edges on the initial hardware platform, but unfortunately, the cost of admission stayed high with the Sooloos system remaining available to mostly well-heeled customers.

Meridian continued to improve the sound quality of the Sooloos Control units, and paired with their flagship 800 series disc player/DAC, serves up good sound. However, the Control 15 has never played terribly well with other DACs, another limitation.

Fortunately, this system no longer needs tens of thousands of dollars worth of specific hardware to run; it’s equally at home, running on mac and windows platforms, with tablet support due shortly after release. You can buy a lifetime subscription to the Roon software for $499, or subscribe on an annual basis, as you would Photoshop or Office for $119 a year. New users can try Roon free for 14 days.

As someone who leases all of their production software, I love this model, because with a subscription, there are no surprises down the line. You’ll always have the latest, greatest version, and Roon is wherever you are, regardless of which model you choose.

Shortly after release at this week’s Munich High End show, Roon promises a tablet client, so the system will be more portable and touch screen accessible for Mac users with no touch-screen options. Running both for the purposes of this review, I confess two things; I still don’t much care for Windows, but considering the low cost of an all in one, touch screen Windows box, it’s tough to argue with this solution. Roon begs to be touched. By comparison, my Sooloos Control 15 had an $8,500 price tag without the storage. A 21” HP machine will only set you back about $500, but a couple hundred more will buy the 27” model. Now if only I could get an 80” touch screen wall mounted running Roon…

Roon will happily coexist with anything on your current machine, but if you choose to pick up a dedicated machine, a modest configuration will get the job done. Excellent results were achieved on both Mac and PC sides with 4gb of RAM.

Liberated from dedicated hardware, Roon sounds as good as the DAC you connect it to, and in the context of my reference systems, sounds fantastic with the dCS Paganini and Gryphon Kalliope DACs. Yet even mated to the $599 Arcam iRDAC that we reviewed last issue, the sound quality has taken a dramatic increase for the better, especially with AudioQuest’s JitterBug (reviewed in issue 71 of TONEAudio) and their USB Diamond cable in the signal chain. The most noticeable difference is in the upper registers, with the digital glare from my Control 15 now a thing of the past.

Of course all computer audio geekiness applies here, so the better you can optimize your computer used for playback, the greater the improvement. If you are new to the computer audio playback world and aren’t already following computeraudiophile.com, I suggest stopping by to peruse their backlog of articles, they will help you wring even more audio performance out of your Roon based system.

Speaking of storage

Roon finds everything on your network, regardless of configuration, but a NAS offers the tidiest solution. With almost 11,000 CD’s in my collection, an 8TB QNAP NAS makes for reasonably priced, bulletproof storage. Invest the minimal cost difference between enterprise grade hard drives and standard grade drives to ensure long-term durability. Those needing further protection can easily add an equivalent external USB drive somewhere on the network as a mirror.

Once installed, Roon looks for primary and secondary storage, as well as creating a folder keeping an eye on for new music added to the collection. Where Sooloos took advantage of Exact Audio Copy to rip files in a proprietary FLAC format, Roon is much more diplomatic. While not offering their own ripping software, leaving you to use your favorite method of digitizing your music, Roon does access all the major audio files, and works with all resolutions, up to and including 24bit/384khz. Those with iTunes and other low-resolution libraries will enjoy a seamless integration with the rest of their digital audio files. Roon principal Enno Vandermeer is quick to point out that with so many CDs still in circulation, many music lovers have a favorite way to rip, so they’ve left it to the end user; rip with the software of your choice, move the resulting files to storage and let Roon do the rest. It works equally well with high-resolution files too, and while DSD is not yet supported, Roon’s Rob Darling makes it clear that DSD support will be available “very, very soon.”

All of Roon’s principals make it a point to joke about how as software guys, they would like to just keep geeking out on the program, but a line has been drawn in the sand, and version 1.0 is incredibly robust. Eight years of refining Sooloos didn’t hurt their game one bit. Knowing how committed this team is to providing the best musical experience again suggests that a subscription model is the way to go, so Roon can continue to innovate and you are always experiencing the best they have to offer

Initial power up and install of the system is brief, but some windows users may need to update their USB DAC drivers to keep everything hunky dory. This only added five minutes to my install process, and once complete, the HP communicated flawlessly with the Gryphon Kalliope DAC that is my current reference in system two.

Surveying the landscape

For those who don’t run Roon continuously, upon starting the application, you are greeted by a screen telling you the status of your collection (how many albums, tracks, artists and other data) along with a quick visual link to music that has been recently added. A quick scroll down the page reveals the day’s featured artist and featured composer, both only a click away.

Clicking the icon in the upper left corner offers three different browse modes; overview, genres, discover and a fourth linked to Tidal if you have a Tidal subscription. Again, Roon saves the day with Tidal, making navigation through the clunky Tidal interface a breeze, but better yet, albums you love can be imported to your Roon library with the click of the button.

The Genre callout divides your library by musical genre, offering you the options of going to an overview of jazz, rock, country or any of the other genre classifications, with callouts for major contributors to said genres. The mega music geeks in the audience might argue over fine divisions here, but there is no argument to the density of thought that has gone into this.

If you decide to follow a particular artist, the resulting main screen presents the artist along with a bio, birthday and other relevant info along with where to find them on the web, Facebook and Wikepedia. All from the comfort of your listening chair.

Discover mode “curates your library to find hidden gems, unseen connections between artists and interesting things to hear.” This is the understatement of the year, again revealing a virtual encyclopedia on the artists in your collection. And it refreshes every time you click into this mode. I found this one of the most enjoyable aspects of Roon, continually offering “Wow, I forgot about that record” moments.

If this isn’t enough, five more hierarchies remain; artists, albums, tracks, composers and works. Sorting by artist puts your collection in alphabetical order by artist, with a callout as to how many albums by this particular artist reside in your collection. Again, pairing this with Tidal makes fleshing out various discographies a snap. Sooloos users will recognize Album mode and feel right at home, yet with Roon, this is only the starting point of the journey. Tracks are a little tougher, especially if you have a lot of music. It might take forever to get through hundreds of thousands of tracks, albeit listed in alphabetical order. Kudos to the Roon team for offering this, but it’s not for everyone.

Composers and works will not be as useful to those listening to primarily rock, pop, and hip hop, but a major boon to classical and jazz lovers. With classical having so many different variations on the theme, Roon may just be the tool to introduce classical music to a new generation of aficionados, and yes, it features gapless playback.

It’s like spending all day in the record store

Listening to the classic trio of Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia’s Friday Night in San Francisco, it’s merely a finger tap away from seeing all the other bands these guys played with, which of their albums are available in your current music collection and what else is available to either listen to, or add to your collection on Tidal. Roon’s creators wanted to create a “never ending musical experience.” That they have succeeded brilliantly is an understatement.

Starting with Al DiMeola, I was able to take a lap through most of his discography, added a few albums I didn’t have to my collection via Tidal and notice his birthday is coming up, recalling he was on Stomu Yamashita’s Complete Go Sessions, which led to another hour with Klaus Schulze, ending up with some early Santana. This interactional aspect of Roon has really rekindled my interest in music and again, always reminds me of spending a day in my favorite record stores with good friends, sharing knowledge and coming home with a big pile of new records to explore.

The microphone button in the lower right corner of the screen illuminates when lyrics are available to the tracks you are listening to, unfortunately the mic was not illuminated when listening to a few of my favorite hip hop records. In this case, I suggest just turning the volume to the maximum.

The music never ends

No matter how ambitious, obscure or quirky you choose to get with your day’s listening or playlists, there will always be that time your talented hands are busy and you can’t get back to the server to punch in more tunes. Roon has you covered there too, with Radio mode.

Much more than a mere shuffle or random playback mode, it uses all of Roon’s relational database to find music in the same vein that you were listening to, slowly easing further and further away from your original choice until you are again in uncharted waters. Interestingly, after a three day binge of listening to Prince, the Pretenders and Robert Plant, Roon chose some obscure Prince and Led Zeppelin tracks for about 90 minutes and then went off on another tangent entirely when placed in radio mode and allowed to roam free.

Radio plays whenever your chosen music runs its course, or you can generate a queue of music to your taste. Touching the radio button instantly gives you a track suggestion with thumbs up or thumbs down icons awaiting your choice. When you select thumbs up, the track is added to the queue, and another, similar track is suggested with a similar choice. Starting with Ratt, I was quickly lead to Dokken, Poison, Whitesnake and Van Halen. Rage Against The Machine led to Jane’s Addiction, White Zombie and Living Color. The more diverse your music collection, the more interesting radio mode will be, whether you chose random mode or program it yourself. I find this more and more to be my go to mode.

The ultimate tool for the ultimate music lover

If you’re a major music geek, you’ll be in heaven with Roon, especially if you link it to Tidal. And if you aren’t, I suspect you will be soon. Back when I was a kid, dinosaurs roamed the Earth and birds played records, there was always that guy that had the awesome record collection. Now you can be that person, and can have more access, more knowledge and have more fun than he ever did. Roon brings a tactile, interactive, dare I say analog way to access your music collection.

Not only is Roon the future of digital music delivery, it’s the most fun way to do it, and like Sooloos, the team at Roon has set the bar so high, I doubt anyone will ever catch up. We still haven’t been able to search all the nooks and crannies that Roon offers, so we promise a follow up once it’s been out in the marketplace for a while. But for now, this is an amazing debut. Please stay tuned for more. -Jeff Dorgay

www.roonlabs.com

Features

Old School:

Sansui AU-717

By Jeff Dorgay

Personal Fidelity:

Astell&Kern – AK240

By Bailey S. Barnard

Master & Dynamic – MH40 Headphones

By Jeff Dorgay

995: Sounds That Won’t Break The Bank

AudioQuest JitterBug

By Jeff Dorgay

TONE Style

Beer Snob:
VooDoo and a Drama Princess
By Bob Gendron

Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

Madison Fielding Flagstone Planter Speakers

Henge Dock

Blue and White KEF LS-50s

Muku Shutter Release

Choosing Your Apple Watch

Rock Star Soap

WAX RAX RC-2 Record Cart

Music

Spin the Black Circle: Reviews of New Pop/Rock and Country Albums
By Bob Gendron, Todd Martens, Chrissie Dickinson, Andrea Domanick and Aaron Cohen

Jazz & Blues: Chris Lightcap, Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas, Charles Lloyd, Milford Graves & Bill Laswell, and the Word
By Aaron Cohen and Jim Macnie

Audiophile Pressings: Mastadon’s Blood Mountain
By Bob Gendron

Gear Previews

Boulder 2160 Stereo Power Amplifier

OPPO HA-2 Portable Headphone Amplifier

Aurender W20 Server

ARC GSPRE Preamplifier and GS150 Power Amplifier

Cardas Clear Reflection Cable

Reviews

Decware Zen Mystery Amp
By Jeff Dorgay

Balanced Audio Technology VK-655SE
By Jeff Dorgay

iFi Retro 50
By Jeff Dorgay

PASS XA160.8 Monoblocks
By Jerold O’Brien

Graditech Lumi 3 Speaker Cables
By Jeff Dorgay

From the Web

Naim Mu-so

Simaudio MOON Evolution 760A Power Amp

Conrad-Johnson MF 2275

Tired of always finding your MacBook charger in a giant ball?  Quirky’s Power Curl comes in different sizes, depending on your model, and they come in some fun, or should we say, quirky colors.  The power supply fits in the central, square hole and the power cords both wind around separate spools, much like monofilament thread on a weed whacker.  There is just enough space on the spools to wind both cords all the way on the spool for travel.

As cool as the quirky colors are, a few trips in your purse, briefcase or backpack will leave the Power Curl somewhat scuffed, so perhaps black might be a better option, but it’s still handy as hell. And if you need to keep your iPhone/Pod/Pad chargers organized as well, the Power Curl Mini (only $4.99) is just the ticket.  This one is ADD approved.

Power Curl

$15

www.quirky.com

Aurender first teased their portable DAC / headphone amplifier at the 2014 Munich High End Show. Back then it was called the “V1000” – not exactly catchy.

Six months later at the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival in Denver, Aurender’s Sally Jeung and Harry Lee offered first listens to members of the press while also canvassing for a more promotional-friendly name. Eyeing its wavelike profile I suggested Flow – a name that Aurender would ultimately run with when bringing the device to market the following month.

Casual observers could be forgiven for thinking that the Flow is Aurender’s response to the Chord Hugo, but it’s not. Even a little hands-on time shows it to be a different beast entirely, not least because of its MSRP: at US$1295 the Flow sells for almost half the price of its UK rival.

The differences don’t end there. The Flow isn’t an in-pocket portable like the Hugo. There are no elastic straps for smartphone attachment and the rubber feet found on its base aren’t there to cushion a smartphone; they are to prevent the Flow from sliding across the desktop. Besides, the Flow’s weight (450g/15.9oz) and highly informative display screen, handsomely encircled by a velocity-sensitive volume ring, also point to desktop deployment.

The leather carrying case that ships in the box is free of cutout holes for the Flow’s digital input and quarter-inch headphone sockets, cementing its desktop assignation further. That said, it’s still a go-anywhere device – one that will readily make the to-and-fro between home and workplace.

Then there’s Flow’s most unusual feature: its internals house a slot for an optional, user-installable mSATA drive (up to 1TB). Now the music library storage burden moves from host computer to the unit itself. Don’t mistake it for a DAP though – a PC or Mac is still required to extract data from the Flow’s internal drive before the host device’s playback app feeds a datastream back to the device via the supplied USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 cable.

Usability considerations don’t end there. Along the Flow’s right side are control buttons that talk to iTunes: play/pause and playlist navigation are possible without ever needing to interface with the connected computer, iPhone or iPad. The latter find connectivity via the ubiquitous Camera Connection Kit. Android phones connect via the included OTG cable, but do check that your model supports USB audio output before putting credit card to counter. There’s no coaxial S/PDIF socket here but a Toslink input brings Astell&Kern portables, Apple TVs and some CD spinners into the picture, for which resolution is capped at 24bit/192kHz for PCM.

The Flow is backwards compatible with any USB 2.0 cable. I used a microUSB-terminated Light Harmonic Lightspeed 1G USB cable (US$99) to ensure consistency when conducting comparisons with other devices. If you don’t believe “audiophile” USB cables make a difference, that’s fine; the supplied wire won’t impede the XMOS USB and Sabre ESS9018K2M chips from handling data streams up to 32bit/384kHz PCM and DSD64/128.

Unlike the Hugo, the internal 4450mAh battery will recharge from any USB port. Off-grid listening time is pegged at around seven hours. Navigating the on-screen display via those same side-facing transport buttons allows for user selection of three charging modes (“never,” “always,” or “only when Flow is silent”) and digital filters (three for PCM and four for DSD). The way in which Aurender elegantly implements user options like this really sets it apart from much of the competition.

Now – time to listen.

I’d describe the Flow’s sound as calmly authoritative. It’s the opposite of showy. Fans of flashier micro-dynamics might find the overall presentation a little too conservative but I find its unobtrusive presentation far more conducive to all-day listening. And with so many headphones out there nowadays, especially those that already pack an abundance of transient incision, it’s easy to find an appropriate match. I didn’t have to look very far.

The Flow delivers ample go-juice to take the 600 ohm Beyerdynamic T1 to stout SPLs without surrendering acoustic mass. You can’t say that about the Resonessence Labs Concero HP. With its in-built filters, case-mounted volume control and the same ESS silicon handling decoding, the smaller, less expensive Canadian is probably the Flow’s nearest rival. However, the Concero HP sounds thinner of body and slightly ragged with the top-flight Beyerdynamic. One only has to look at each unit’s specifications sheet to see why: the Flow pushes 43mW into 600 ohms while the Concero can only muster 23mW.

Back to back with the Chord Hugo, the Flow plays it slightly cooler and a little “wetter.” A comparative lack of top-end air lends the Flow a more intimate sonic presentation than its British rival. That might be an issue for owners of the dark chocolate flavored Alpha Dogs from MrSpeakers – with which I prefer the Hugo – but it’s a win for headphones with an already well-extended top end like the Sennheiser HD800. They sound terrific here. Experience tells me this isn’t a result found with just any headphone amplifier.

It would be foolhardy to dismiss the Flow on the basis that it can’t match the Chord Hugo’s treble finesse. Its more humid air plays especially well with cans that present with more “papery” dryness. Think: AKG K-701/2 or Sennheiser Momentum.

The brushed aluminium finish that Aurender deploys across their product range makes for a terrific aesthetic match with the KEF M500 on-ears, which scale really nicely when fed with better amplification. The more considered manner in which the Flow serves up detail and layer separation plays neat counterbalance to the KEF’s sometimes more excitable manner, once again dialing down the potential for listener fatigue when tackling Genesis’s The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway or Swans’ The Seer. Office bound folk should sit up and take notice here.

Talking of which, the Flow’s infinite volume rotary makes for a wonderfully tactile experience for which one might observe favorable similarities to Devialet’s remote control. Ergonomics are often the first thing given the chop when building to a price point, but thankfully Aurender knows that inside every good audiophile is a desire to physically turn the volume up or down. Moreover, anyone who spends the day fumbling for media keys or mouse-clicking in software apps as colleagues come and go will know what I mean.

The Aurender Flow is a great way to get the very best from your favorite headphones in a tidy form factor. Its numerous considerations to the end user coupled to an elegantly powerful sonic presentation make it a delight to use on a daily basis. That it sports the most physically satisfying volume pot in its market segment only strengthens the Flow’s performance-value quotient.

-John Darko

With more and more audiophiles getting into digital music these days, it is no wonder that many manufacturers are releasing CD players that are also high-quality DACs. Canada’s MOON by Simaudio has joined the crowd with three models, the Evolution 650D (currently a reference component in our publisher’s system) and, for this review, the more-affordable Nēo 260D.

The unit is available as simply a CD transport ($1,999) or with a 32-bit DAC able to play files with resolutions as large as 24 bits/192 kHz ($2,999). Like the pricier Evolution series 650D, the Nēo 260D is a full-function CD player with four digital inputs: S/PDIF, RCA, TOSLINK and USB. In typical MOON fashion, technical and design elements of the Evolution line make their way down to the Nēo line—specifically, in this case, the four-point gel-based mounting system. Paired with power-supply and circuitry improvements and their rigid casework (all done in-house), this adds up to a digital player that all but eliminates mechanical and electrical noise.

Fit and finish are exceptional—no sharp edges, and screws are recessed to avoid catching—though, for some of the casework, the aluminum of the Evolution line is replaced by plastic in the Nēo line to save cost. But, most importantly, the company does not scrimp on the connections, which are level and tight.

The ergonomics of the Nēo 260D are first-rate, with all system and playback controls flanking the LED display, which has two brightness levels, and the lettering and symbols large but not distracting. Included is a plastic remote with well-defined controls, though I wish the color contrast were greater.

The transport spins and pulls up the track information very quickly. Even when spinning a badly scratched disc that no other CD player in my home can even read, the Nēo 260D pulls up the information and manages to play every track with only one skip.

What’s the Difference?

The one word that describes the sonic signature of all MOON products is natural. They offer a ton of resolution but don’t embellish. The Nēo 260D renders Jethro Tull’s classic track “Mother Goose with a richness in the upper-mids and treble that my less-expensive MOON series 300D DAC does not—and that’s the difference between an average transport and a really good one: how much it improves a poor-sounding disc and how much information it can extract from a phenomenal one.

Billy Joel’s album 52nd Street is my torture-test favorite. While the vinyl copy produces a three-dimensional soundstage, the original CD is flat and lifeless. While the Nēo 260D’s rendering of this disc doesn’t fool me into thinking it’s vinyl, it does manage to expand the soundstage enough that Joel’s voice during the fast-tempo ballad “Stiletto” offers up an improved sense of drama. The xylophone in the opening of “Rosalinda’s Eyes,” which normally sticks right at the grille of the speaker, is now a foot or so deeper into the soundstage, bringing some life to a previously sterile disc.

Recreating the recording environment is always a plus—and a more difficult task when the listener knows the venue. A live acoustic version of Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “All I Want,” recorded at a local radio station’s annual compilation, benefits greatly from the Nēo 260D’s ability to recreate the small concert room, with vocals demonstrating the natural reflections of the intimate setting. From the same CD, Blitzen Trapper’s “Thirsty Man” provides plenty of air and space for the lead guitar. Again, the Nēo 260D creates greater separation than my current reference, drawing me further into this amateur but engaging recording. Simaudio’s Lionel Goodfield confirms that the Nēo 260D’s DNA comes from the top-of-the-line Evolution series 650D and 750D rather than the MOON 300D.

Going Deeper

The Bill Evans Trio’s “Our Love Is Here To Stay” exhibits tremendous clarity with an equal balance of musicality—particularly the resolution of the drum kit, the definition of the acoustic bass, and the richness of the rich piano. Even on recordings where the piano leans toward edgy, the MOON does an excellent job navigating through difficult sonic zones without losing musicality. The somewhat forward-tilted Alison Krauss album Forget About It further illustrates the Nēo 260D’s ability to retrieve maximum detail without sonic sacrifice.

But tremendous recordings illuminate the full beauty of the Nēo 260D, making it easy to forget you are listening to digital at all. Hans Zimmer’s melodic soundtrack to the film The Holiday is a real treat, with the MOON keeping traditional acoustic and electronic instruments defined during the pleasant overarching melody in the main theme, “Maestro.” The Nēo 260D’s natural sound stays true to the relaxed playing of each artist.

Not Just a CD Player

With four digital inputs on the optional DAC, the Nēo 260D can be the digital hub of any home system. During my review, I used a JVC SACD player, Wadia iTransport with iPod, Apple TV, and MacBook connected simultaneously. Counting the CD transport, I have five sources to choose from—a true digital dream. (With the MacBook, I find equal satisfaction running iTunes with Amarra and Pure Music.)

Playing digital files through the Nēo 260D is a treat, especially with high-resolution files. A 24/44.1 version of Barb Jungr’s raw track “Many Rivers To Cross” oozes with emotion, the Nēo 260D digging out the harmonies in the chorus and granting each voice a distinct place. Switching to a 24/192 file is a cinch, thanks to an easy-to-read display. Dougie MacLean’s “Caledonia,” with its simple acoustic guitar and strings, floats through the room, capturing the air, delicacy and pace of the tune, with MacLean’s gentle guitar and voice expanding and contracting effortlessly.

Final Score

The Nēo 260D once again reaffirms why MOON gear is so popular among the TONEAudio staff. Most audio companies do one type of equipment well—not so with Simaudio; each of its products is first-rate for its price point.

The Nēo 260D delivers tremendous resolution, an incredibly low noise floor and top-notch parts and construction, but most importantly, it offers a natural musical presentation. I thought my days of using a CD player were over—but the Nēo 260D CD Transport/DAC has me seriously rethinking my digital-equipment strategy.

Additional Listening

By Jeff Dorgay

Having used their flagship Evolution series 750D extensively and now using the Evolution series 650D as my reference digital player, I can easily see the lineage. Their engineering continues to refine the company’s products, giving the consumer a healthy dollop of cost-no-object products at workingman’s prices.

No, the Nēo 260D does not give you 88 percent of the Evolution series 650D for a third of the price, but it probably does give you 50 percent—or maybe even a bit more. And realistically, the Nēo 260D makes a ton of sense in a sub-$20,000 system, whereas the 650D, especially with the outboard Evolution series 820S power supply, will be right at home in even a stratospheric system.

You always get a bit more than you pay for with MOON by Simaudio products, and if you like the way the company does things, each product reveals more musical impact and nuance as you go up the product line. Much like with Porsche or BMW, you just get more of the brand’s essence as you spend more money.

As Simaudio’s Lionel Goodfield is quick to point out, the Nēo 260D “is first and foremost a transport; the drive mechanism and suspension are virtually identical to those in the 650D and 750D.” Like its more expensive stable mates, the Nēo 260D is built in-house and not supplied by an external manufacturer. And while I enjoy the DAC part of the equation, I concentrate during my review on using it solely as a transport, pairing it with a wide range of DACs—from the inexpensive Meridian Explorer all the way up to the $109,000 dCS Vivaldi stack.

If you need a great DAC and want the ability to play an actual disc now and then, the extra $1,000 for the Nēo 260D with onboard DAC is well worth the added cost. Those with a great DAC already installed in their system and wanting to either replace an aging (or dead) transport will be amazed by the Nēo 260D’s sound quality. Fifteen years ago a transport this good would have a $10,000 price tag attached; This MOON does it for just $3,000. Now that’s progress.

Simaudio MOON Nēo 260D CD Transport/DAC

MSRP: $1,999 ($2,999 with DAC)

www.simaudio.com

PERIPHERALS