Hi-Fi Choice - May

Talent scout
VPI’s Junior package
makes your vinyl sing
Shape shifter
KEF’s iconic EGG
satellites go wireless
PASSION FOR SOUND
Issue No. 410
May 2016
Hi-res hero
Audiolab’s superior M-DAC+
adds DSD support & more
24
PRODUCTS ON TEST:
Audio-Technica,
B&O, Goldring,
Oppo & Tannoy
WIN!
Geneva
speakers
worth over
£1,400
Headphone
Group Test
Six of the best
sub-£350 cans
PRINTED IN THE UK US$15.00
MAY 2016 £4.75
DALI
Zensor
5 AX streaming
speakers with
a hi-fi pedigree
Music and
movement
Portable perfection from
Astell&Kern and Audeze

Criterion Audio is a new, premium hi-fi dealer in Cambridge. From vinyl and valves to the latest in streaming and headphones,
we can help you find the perfect audio system to suit your budget and needs. We have a wide range of carefully
selected products: from familiar brands to amazing manufacturers you will not find anywhere else in the UK. Come visit
us and listen in one of our purpose-built demo rooms or relax in our dedicated headphone lounge.
www.criterionaudio.com info@criterionaudio.com 01223 233730
AND MANY,
MANY MORE

INTRODUCTION
PASSION FOR SOUND
Welcome
www.hifichoice.co.uk Issue No. 410 May 2016
Picture credit: Fabienne Pennewaert
46
Tannoy
Mercury 7.2
100
Kel Assouf
Tikounen
107
Clearaudio
Performer
If this month’s cover star is
anything to go by, hi-res audio is
gaining traction among serious
audio fans. Audiolab’s hotly
anticipated M-DAC+ sits alongside
its original M-DAC model – one of
our favourite digital-to-analogueconverters
since its launch in 2011
– and adds 32-bit/384kHz PCM
format support as well as compatibility with DSD64,
128 and 256 music files. It’s undeniably one of the best
specified digital-to-analogue-converters around at the
price, but how many of us actually own any DSD
content? There seems to be a dearth of DSD files of any
form around and I suspect that most of us will continue
to play just a few hi-res files via USB and a lot more
CD-quality material for a good while yet. The launch is
undoubtedly seen as an encouraging sign that greater
resolution music files are on the way, but it will remain
futureproof for a good time to come. Read our
four-page In-depth review starting on page 16.
Since we all miss an issue of Hi-Fi Choice from time
to time it’s good to know that you can plug any gaps
in your collection by making use of our Back Issues
service, which has recently found a new home. The
website at mags-uk.com is where they’re at and finding
them couldn’t be easier. Sign in on the home page,
then select Hi-Fi Choice via the Titles or Publishers
(MyTimeMedia) listing on the menu bar. Add what you
want to the ‘cart’, proceed to the checkout, pay and
await speedy delivery direct to your door. Simple!
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OUR AWARDS
Lee Dunkley Editor
Follow us:
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CHOICE:
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judged to deliver
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RECOMMENDED:
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GROUP TEST
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MAY 2016 3

Contents
hifichoice.co.uk Issue No. 410 May 2016
NEWS & OPINION
6 Audiofile
The latest news on the hottest products
from the world of hi-fi coming your way
12 Webwatch
Essential websites to direct your browser
towards for all your hi-fi requirements
69 Letters
Put your points of view and queries on
audio matters to our team of experts
79 Opinion
The Hi-Fi Choice team say it as they see
it as they discuss the issues of the day
99 Music Reviews
The month’s essential new CD, vinyl
and hi-res releases given a work out
READER SERVICES
122 Reader Classifieds
Sell your unwanted hi-fi for FREE here
124 Back Issues
Get your hands on old copies you missed
130 Next Issue
The sonic treats to look out for next month
FEATURES
60 Record Re-mastering
Champion vinyl re-masterer, Sean
Pennycook, reveals the tricks of the trade
GROUP TEST
24
Get those heads
nodding as we test six
of the best headphones
WIN!
Geneva
wireless
loudspeakers
page 120!
102
90 Beautiful System
Astell&Kern and Audeze team up to create
the perfect portable hi-fi setup
94 Labelled With Love
Immediate, record company of two of the
best-connected names in late sixties pop
102 Music Legends
Voice of his generation – and most others
– Bob Dylan comes under the spotlight
118 Colleen Murphy
The woman behind Classic Album
Sundays talk about her love for vinyl
6 99
Audiofile: Quad Z Series loudspeakers
Music Reviews: Santana’s Santana IV
4 MAY 2016

50
VPI
Scout Jr
TESTED THIS MONTH
“It’s not unusual to
spend over an hour
trying to eradicate a
single problem click”
CONTENTS
MAY 2016
Sean Pennycook Record Re-mastering feature p60
42
Ming Da Dynasty Duet 300 Plus
52
DALI Zensor 5 AX loudspeaker
58
Onkyo TX-8150 network stereo receiver
16
Audiolab M-DAC+ digital-to-analogue converter
REVIEWS
Kit testing
16 Audiolab
M-DAC+ digital-to-analogue converter
42 Ming Da
Dynasty Duet 300 Plus valve integrated
amplifier (Exotica)
46 Tannoy
Mercury 7.2 standmount speaker
50 VPI
Scout Jr belt-drive turntable
52 DALI
Zensor 5 AX floorstanding active speaker
56 KEF
EGG wireless digital music system
58 Onkyo
TX-8150 network stereo receiver
88 Sony
SS-5050 Carbocon speaker (Retro)
GROUP TEST
Headphones £220-£350
27 B&O BeoPlay H6
29 Hifiman HE400S
31 Meze 99 Classics
33 Oppo PM-3
35 Philips Fidelio X2
37 Sennheiser Momentum 2.0
MINI TEST
Cartridges £250-£395
106 Audio-Technica
AT150Sa
107 Clearaudio
Performer V2
107 Hana EH
108 Goldring 2400
CHOICE
EXTRAS
111 Arcam
MusicBOOST iPhone 6
headphone amp & DAC
113 Pro-Ject
VC-S record cleaning machine
115 Atlas Cables
Zeno 1:2 headphone cable
115 Spec Corporation
RSP-501EX Real-Sound Processor
117 PAB
Ceramic FS equipment feet
117 Titan Audio
Tyco and Helios mains cables
Never miss an issue – turn to p14 for our latest subs offer
MAY 2016 5

THE LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS…
Quad's
Z stars
Distinguished British hi-fi brand introduces
Z Series loudspeaker range as part of a host
of new products set to mark its 80th year
PRICE: £ 1,200-£3,200 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01480 447700 WEB: QUAD-HIFI.CO.UK
ITS REPUTATION AS one of the
world's greatest audio brands
is largely based on its iconic
electrostatic loudspeakers, which
first set the hi-fi scene alight in 1957.
Any Hi-Fi Choice reader will know all
about Quad's impressive legacy, and
successive loudspeaker models from
the Cambridgeshire-based company
have been able to justifiably boast
that its approach gets closer to the
original sound than its challengers.
Like the company's S Series released
last year, the new Z Series combines
advanced Kevlar-coned bass and
midrange drivers with a specially
designed ribbon tweeter. The new
lineup comprises two standmount
models and two floorstanders. The
Z-1 standmount (£1,200) – pictured
right – is 383mm tall and utilises a
150mm mid/bass driver, while its
larger Z-2 standmount sibling
(£1,500) uses a 175mm mid/bass
driver. Both floorstanders utilise a
three-way configuration, coupling a
150mm midrange driver with two
175mm bass drivers in the Z-3
(£2,500), and three 165mm drivers
in the Z-4 (£3,200), pictured above.
Each Z Series model sports a
bespoke 90 x 12mm ribbon tweeter
design by Quad's parent company
IAG. Like the ribbon unit developed
for its S Series, the composite
sandwich construction of the Z Series
ribbon ensures it is robust enough to
handle high-powered amplifiers,
delivering greater sensitivity and
bandwidth for even better dynamics
and smoother integration with
midrange frequencies, says Quad.
Bass and midrange drive units
throughout the series feature a unique
double-roll Kevlar cone surround said
to enhance accuracy and transparency.
Commenting on the Z Series, Peter
Comeau, director of acoustic design
6 MAY 2016

for IAG said: “The Z Series is the
pinnacle of Quad’s enclosure speakers
and features the largest ribbon treble
unit that I’ve ever used, giving the
Z Series a clarity and definition
throughout the upper midrange and
treble that is utterly beguiling. This
combines with the acoustic filter bass
reflex system and low-coloration
enclosure to deliver the perfect
embodiment of the natural sonic
realism that is the hallmark of Quad."
The Z Series is launched as part of
Quad's 80th anniversary celebrations
and is available in black, white or
rosewood piano lacquered finishes.
Z-1 standmounts in
sumptuous rosewood
COMMENT
DEVIL'S ADVOCATE:
RECORD STORE DAY
Over the years, HFC has proudly
championed the vinyl format – at times
being a lone voice crying out in the
wilderness among the naysayers that
favour digital over the pure pleasure that
comes from the black stuff. And now,
it would appear that our out-dated,
old-fashioned thoughts on the matter
have been adopted by the mainstream
as records have once again become the
format de jour. But while we're delighted
that the general public is realising
something that we've been banging on
about for years, we can't help but feel a
sense of dismay about what the popularity
of vinyl means for the independent record
labels that stayed true to the format. And
nowhere is this better illustrated than by
Record Store Day.
In the past we've been a big supporter
of the annual event, but we can't help but
feel that it has rather lost its way. As we
write these words, RSD 2016 is a couple of
weeks away and we can predict how it will
go. Like previous years, on the morning of
Saturday 16 April stores will open to find
queues of punters eager to get their hands
on the exclusives. And like previous years,
most of these people will be making their
one and only trip to the store until next year.
It's difficult not to draw similarities between
these 'bargain hunters' forming an orderly
line and those that camp out for days
outside an Apple store to be first to get a
the latest iPhone. These are not the sort of
people that support their local record store
during the other 51 weeks of the year.
They're not the supporter of the indie label
that can't get it's records pressed in the lead
up to April, as the plants are getting Justin
Bieber or Ghostbusters discs cut for the
ebay dealers and johnny-come-latelies
willing to splash the cash on novelty discs.
Back when RSD started, its goal was to
draw people back into record shops, and to
keep them coming back. In an era where
supermarkets are stocking the black stuff
again, the old strategy no longer works and
is actually having a detrimental effect on the
very labels, stores and fans that it should be
supporting. It's time for a serious rethink.
MAY 2016 7

AUDIOFILE
Mission
launch
Exceptional sound at affordable prices is the goal
for the all-new LX-2 and LX-3 entry-level speakers
PRICE: £200/£400 AVAILABLE: LATE SPRING
CONTACT: 01480 447700 WEB: MISSION.CO.UK
BUDGET TWO-WAY SPEAKERS
the LX-2 and LX-3 (shown) are the
debut models from Mission’s latest
entry-level loudspeaker range, the LX
Series. Despite their affordable price
tags, Mission informs us that the new
models have been designed to deliver
compelling musicality. For the LX
Series the company has produced a
tweeter with a neodymium magnet
(selected for maximum magnetic
force in such a small space) and a
25mm microfibre dome. This is
partnered with the 130mm mid/bass
IN BRIEF
LEEMA EXPANDS
ELEMENTS SERIES
driver unit (one in the case of the
LX-2 and two for the LX-3), sporting
cones fashioned from an advanced
fibre formulation apparently selected
for its superior self damping and
excellent stiffness. The standmount
LX-2 has a claimed sensitivity of
86.5dB, while the floorstanding LX-3
claims 89.5dB. Both models will
initially be available in black, with
further colour options to follow. A
smaller standmount (LX-1) and two
larger floorstanders (LX-4 and LX-5)
will join the series in the summer.
Clearaudio record cleaner
PRICE: £3,250 AVAILABLE: NOW
CONTACT: 0118 9814238 WEB: CLEARAUDIO.DE
● The Elements Pre-Amp is Leema
Acoustics’ latest addition to its
space-saving range of components.
Retaining the same half-width chassis
for which the range is famed, the
Elements Pre-Amp also boasts an
onboard digital-to-analogue
converter. The result is a S/PDIF
coaxial input, three S/PDIF optical
inputs and an asynchronous USB port
all capable of handling files up to
24-bit/192kHz resolution. Analogue
inputs include three unbalanced RCA
inputs, a pair of balanced XLRs and a
3.5mm input jack on the front panel.
Leema’s proprietary communication
system (LIPS) is also onhand for
system integration with other Leema
products. The Pre-Amp is available to
buy now and costs £1,395.
LEEMA-ACOUSTICS.COM
There can be few things more
frustrating than sitting down to
listen to a favourite record only to
find that it’s filthy. Giving your vinyl
a proper wet clean can be a time
consuming and at times messy job.
Enter Clearaudio with what it’s
describing as its best solution for
cleaning records yet – the Double
Matrix Professional Sonic.
Integrating both sonic and
vacuum cleaning elements, the
Double Matrix Professional Sonic
record cleaner is claimed to deliver
a deep, but importantly, gentle
cleaning of pressing residues and
persistent dirt that’s deep within
the grooves of your vinyl – enabling
you to listen your music as it really
should be heard.
The Double Matrix Professional
Sonic is able to clean LPs, EPs and
7in singles, thanks to its range
of adaptive cleaning brushes,
which have been designed to
automatically adjust to different
record diameters and thicknesses.
The bi-directional rotation means
that discs are cleaned in both
directions and because the cleaner
is double sided, both sides of your
album will be given a clean up
simultaneously. Much like a regular
washing machine for clothes,
there’s a wide selection of different
cleaning pre-set programmes
alongside a fully automated super
clean that can be accessed at
the press of a button or you can
manually adjust your own personal
parameters to suit your needs. A
Clearaudio ‘Seal’ clamp is bundled
to hold discs in place, while a LED
light indicates the level of cleaning
fluid in the reservoir. It weighs 16kg
and is described as being quiet in
operation. The Clearaudio Double
Matrix Professional Sonic is
available to buy now and is being
distributed by Sound Fowndations
(soundfowndations.co.uk).
8 MAY 2016

NU-VISTA 800 AMPLIFIER
State of the art design for
reference level reproduction
The Nu-Vista series is a passionate labour of love for all of us at Musical Fidelity.
We hope that at least you get a chance to hear this combo because we
consider it the ultimate expression of our art.
Experience it for yourself at your local Musical Fidelity dealer.

AUDIOFILE
ATC Signature edition
The SCM10SE celebrates a life in sound
PRICE: £3,491 AVAILABLE: NOW CONTACT: 01285
760561 WEB: ATCLOUDSPEAKERS.CO.UK
WHAT BETTER WAY to mark the 70th birthday of
your company’s founder than to launch a luxury edition
of a timeless favourite loudspeaker? That’s precisely
what ATC has done in honour of founder and managing
director Billy Woodman. Taking the classic design of
the SCM10 mini monitor from the nineties, the new
SCM10SE comes with a lustrous blue piano finish, with
silver detailing and a fine-grain blue leather baffle. The
original SCM10’s soft dome tweeter has been updated
with the recently developed SH25-76S ‘S-spec’ 25mm
dual-suspension design alongside the SB45-1255C
125mm mid/bass unit with integral soft dome. In turn
the crossover has been reworked for the new units
using ATC’s hand-wound air-cored inductors and
polypropylene capacitors throughout. The result is
a crossover frequency at 2.5kHz and sensitivity of
82dB/1W/1m. Around the back the SCM10SE have
4mm plugs/binding posts for bi-wiring and the mini
monitors also come with a six-year warranty.
IN BRIEF
BLUE AURA
BLACKLINE V40
M6 Encore 225
PRICE: £3,999 AVAILABLE: END OF MAY
CONTACT: 0208 9002866 WEB: MUSICALFIDELITY.COM
● With JJ Electronics Europeanproduced
valves, the Blackline V40
is claimed to provide the warm,
luxurious sound that’s so commonly
associated with tube amplifiers.
Output is quoted as 30W with an
impedance of 4 or 8ohm, and the
V40 is the first product in the
Blackline range to offer Bluetooth
4.0 connectivity – aptX no less.
Additional socketry includes RCA
phono inputs and a micro USB port.
With a piano black finish, the
Blackline V40 is available to buy now
for £449. Meanwhile Blue Aura
founder, Nick Holland, tells us that
the company will be launching
sonically matching loudspeakers to
accompany the V40 amplifier
“towards the end of April”.
BLUEAURA.CO.UK
Described by Musical Fidelity as a
complete solution allowing you to
keep all of your music in one place,
the M6 Encore 225 is essentially
a streaming audio player with
an impressive selection of
connectivity options.
At its heart is a dual-core 64-bit
Intel CPU with 2GB of RAM to
ensure that operation is fast and to
allow for upgrades as time goes by
in an effort to ensure that it remains
futureproof. The internal 1TB
storage is claimed to be able to
hold as many as 2,500 CDs (using
the built-in CD drive’s bit-perfect
ripping), but is also upgradeable
should you need to add more
as time goes by. Power output,
meanwhile is quoted at 225W per
channel into 8ohm and the M6
Encore 225 has the same power
amplifiers under the hood as the
Recommended badge-winning
M6si (HFC 400), while a
32-bit/384kHz chipset is onhand
for digital-to-analogue conversion.
Connections include three
line-level RCA analogue inputs, two
optical and two coaxial S/PDIF
inputs (both capable of handling
signals up to 24-bit/192kHz), a USB
3.0 A port, USB 3.0 B and three USB
2.0 A ports alongside an Ethernet
for network hook up. Outputs
include a line-level analogue out,
optical and coaxial S/PDIF (again
capable of handling 24/192 signals),
a line-level preamp out, headphone
out (for headsets with an
impedance of 8ohm) and speaker
terminals. The M6 Encore 225 is
also compatible with network
speakers – such as those
popularised by Sonos, while
operation can be handled by the
bundled remote control or an app
for either Android or Apple devices.
It is available in a choice of silver or
black finishes and comes with a
large, hi-res full-colour display.
10 MAY 2016

AUDIOFILE
Webwatch
Andrew Simpson checks out the best hi-fi
websites, social media and online content
Behind the Blade
As one of the most striking speakers
of our age, KEF’s Blade models reveal the
company at the top of its game. In this video,
KEF’s head of acoustics Jack Oclee-Brown
talks us through the speakers’ groundbreaking
design. youtu.be/f-hF8hhIh4c
Pocket archive
Music database and marketplace Discogs has
recently launched its dedicated app for iOS
devices, with an Android version in the
pipeline. You can now discover new music,
build your own archive and hunt out that
elusive pressing all from your pocket device.
discogs.com/app
One-minute maker
Ever wondered what magic goes on
inside the The Vinyl Factory? This 60-second
film rolls up its sleeves to go behind the
scenes and show the company’s workings
as it presses some of the world’s most iconic
records ever to grace our platters. youtu.be/
DuLCpvX718Y
New language
It is and always has been ‘vinyl’ right? But
the format’s new-found fame with young
Americans has led to this petition calling for
its plural form to be recognised as ‘vinyls’
in the interests of inclusiveness. Pledge
your support or not at: chn.ge/1SnIa4w
Sleeve notes
In its latest blog series, #SleeveNotes,
Bowers & Wilkins picks five music lovers
from the world of art and design to discuss
the album artwork and music that has
influenced their life and careers. First up is
art director Bruce Usher on @TheDangelo’s
Black Messiah b-w.social/bti
Oppo adventure
Good luck to the Oppo team who are
taking to the streets on two wheels for the
Giant Cause Bike Ride in aid of the Bath
Rugby Foundation. Follow their epic travels
on Twitter @oppoheadphones and via the
team’s personal diaries at @renwick4
@Newton0290 and ow.ly/ZLqBj
FOLLOW US: @HIFICHOICEMAG
CHOICE TWEETSTS
HI-FI RACKS LTD
(@HIFIRACKSLTD)
Hurrah our new catalogue is
here if you would like a copy then
please let us know. info@hifiracks.co.uk
RIAA (@RIAA)
Streaming now the biggest recorded
music revenue source in the United States:
bit.ly/1Zphvr5
PONOMUSIC (@PONO)
This week’s Album Of The Week is Jethro
Tull’s classic fourth album, Aqualung, in
celebration of its 45th fb.me/17hYPaFp8
AUDIO-TECHNICA USA
(@USAUDIOTECHNICA)
[#ICYMI] Set up your AT-LP60 #turntable
with this step by step guide: buff.ly/1RxhktC #vinyl
#vinyljunkie
CHESHIRE AUDIO (@CHESHIREAUDIO1)
Listening to Blodwyn Pig ‘A head rings out’
classic album from the golden age of Island
Records and Joe Boyd
MUSICAL FIDELITY (@MF_HIFI)
Check out the connectivity of our @MF_HiFi
Encore 225 ‘all in one’ #streaming #hifi
system bit.ly/1RDcyVm
ABSOLUTE HI END (@ABSOLUTE_HI_END)
Goldmund Telos 390.5 integrated amp
on demo at Absolute Hi End
Absolutehiend.com
KUDOS AUDIO (@KUDOSAUDIO)
Many thanks to Acoustica for inviting us to
their Hi-Fi Show in Chester. We had a great
time running the Titan fb.me/3UwMfr0Gw
TIDAL (@TIDALHIFI)
Jeff Buckley had over a four-octave vocal
range. As a point of comparison, Adele has
just over a two-octave range.
MERIDIAN AUDIO (@MERIDIANAUDIO)
A pair of British Racing Green DSP7200
Loudspeakers rolling off our production line
just in time for #StPatricksDay
OXFORD AUDIO (@OXFORDAUDIO)
Ready for our relaunched Music club with
this smashing @dCSonlythemusic
@WilsonAudio @RegaResearch combination!
STONEAUDIO.CO.UK (@STONEAUDIO)
Enjoyed very much listening to Luxman’s
new L-590AX Mark II pure Class A Integrated
Amplifier last night. #highend
RECORD STORE DAY UK (@RSDUK)
The official list of UK #RSD16 releases will be
revealed here: recordstoreday.co.uk tmrrw
(8th March) at 6.15pm.
SUGDEN AUDIO (@SUGDENAUDIO)
#SugdenSoundRoom Great mix of tunes
again this week. #AlGreen #ImperialDrag
#TheSoftMachine #TheSweet #JanJohannson
12 MAY 2016

Take a look at
legacy. Lovable
traditional, sounds
incredible.
The new Dynaudio Emit series is the latest model range from Dynaudio and was conceived as an entry level high
end loudspeaker series incorporating extraordinary levels of performance and technical innovation in an attractive
Visit www.dynaudio.com
Listen to the new Emit Series.

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AUDIOLAB
IN-DEPTH M-DAC+ £800
Second coming
David Price tries the new and updated version of Audiolab’s
excellent digital-to-analogue converter. Meet the M-DAC+
16 MAY 2016

IN-DEPTH
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Audiolab M-DAC+
ORIGIN
UK/China
TYPE
Digital-to-analogue
converter
WEIGHT
3.7kg
DIMENSIONS
(WxHxD)
247 x 114 x 292mm
FEATURES
● ESS Sabre32
9018 DAC chip
● PCM up to
32-bit/384kHz;
DSD64/128/256
● Digital inputs: 1x
AES/EBU, 1x USB-A,
1x USB-B, 2x coaxial,
2x optical
● RCA phono,
balanced XLR
outputs
DISTRIBUTOR
IAG
TELEPHONE
01480 447700
WEBSITE
audiolab.co.uk
A
nd so it comes to pass that
after nearly five years, the
Audiolab M-DAC finally
gets itself a bigger brother!
Rather like that famous difficult
second album that recording artists
battle with, it was never going to be
easy for Audiolab to improve on one
of the strongest products it has ever
released. When it came out, the
original M-DAC (HFC 359) had no
real rivals at its £600 price point.
Indeed, it got off to a good start
because it was essentially the digital
converter section of the 8200A CD
player – itself one of the best silver
disc spinners under £1,500, thanks to
designer John Westlake’s prodigious
talent. Also, interestingly, it was one
of the first DACs to use the (then)
new and highly regarded ESS Sabre
9018 DAC chips. Basically, the M-DAC
had a great start in life.
The new version is considerably
larger than the original, mainly on
account of the fact the power supply
has been brought inside the unit. It’s
a high-quality toroidal affair using
multiple windings to feed separate
analogue and digital rectification
stages. From there, multiple power
It brings worthwhile
improvements to
pretty much every
aspect of the M-DAC
supply sections feed the necessary
voltages to each area of the DAC,
keeping any crossover interference to
a minimum, Audiolab says. It makes
this new box quite a bit heavier than
its predecessor, and it stands taller
and deeper too. Beautifully made
from aluminium, its casework has
been updated visually to match the
look of the new 8300 series. Hence
a smoother and less crowded
front panel with two main controls
replacing the four buttons and one
knob of the M-DAC. One selects
volume, and the other is a multifunction
controller for source and
setup. It’s considerably nicer to use
than the original, although the central
OLED display is smaller than the
M-DAC and less informative.
As a package, the M-DAC+ feels far
more like a piece of budget esoterica,
than its predecessor. It’s much more
svelte and grown up, whereas the
M-DAC seems more of a buttonpushing
geek’s dream. Around the
back, there are more digital inputs
than ever, including an AES/EBU
socket and an additional USB Type A
input – ideal for connecting Apple
MAY 2016 17

IN-DEPTH
AUDIOLAB
M-DAC+ £800
devices – alongside the existing USB
Type B connection. These join the
M-DAC’s twin coaxial and twin
optical digital inputs, optical and
coaxial digital outputs, single-ended
RCA and balanced XLR analogue
outputs and the usual 12V trigger
loop. With the choice of fixed or
variable outputs, the J-FET Class A
output stage can feed an integrated
amplifier or a power amp direct.
The M-DAC+ now runs PCM right
up to its 32-bit/384kHz ragged edge
via USB, meaning it is unlikely to be
obsolete for a while. But the headline
news is DSD support (DSD64,
DSD128 and DSD256), which
Audiolab says: “has an important role
to play in the developing highresolution
downloading and
streaming scene”. True, but the
emphasis is very much on the future
because right now there’s still a
All of the power is
there as before but
it’s delivered in a
better finessed way
paucity of DSD files of any type. In
truth, most users will be using this
new Audiolab for a little bit of
high-resolution PCM file playback via
USB, and a lot of 16-bit/44kHz CD
playback via one of the coaxial inputs.
To this end, the company has
included a number of user-selectable
digital filters, letting people tune the
sound to their taste. The plus inherits
seven PCM filter settings from the
original, and adds four more for DSD
playback. It’s difficult to be definitive
about the sound of these because it
depends very much on your system
and ancillaries. I’d recommend new
purchasers spend a few weeks
switching these filters around to
find their favourites, although they
may find they vary from recording
to recording, or even track to track.
Sound quality
It wasn’t until the arrival of the
Audiolab M-DAC in 2011 that
cash-strapped audiophiles had a
genuinely flexible yet fine-sounding
DAC. It was so good at its £600
price point that it turned the market
upside down. The new M-DAC+
doesn’t do this – think of it as a
brilliant refinement, rather than the
reinvention of the hi-fi wheel. It
brings worthwhile improvements
to pretty much every aspect of the
M-DAC, from far superior operation
sophistication to a greater
musicality. If there was ever a
criticism of the original, then it
was the slight sense of musical
constraint. Although detailed,
powerful and commanding in the
way it made music, it was never
quite as lucid or as fluid as I would
have liked. The new DAC addresses
this to a great extent, bringing a
more natural and organic feel. It
sounds less mechanical and less
‘electronic’ and seems better than
its predecessor at disappearing and
simply letting the music flow.
For example, Badly Drawn Boy’s
Something To Talk About is a
fine example of a modern pop
recording; the original M-DAC
proved lots of fun with a bold and
explicit sound, but the new one
removes the slightly processed feel.
Tonally, the sound seems less
chromium plated, and the listener is
better able to immerse themself in
the music, enjoying its wonderful
singalong quality and honeysmooth
vocals. There’s less of a
HOW IT
COMPARES
For me, there are two
DACs to have under
£1,000 – the M-DAC+
and Chord Electronics’
Chordette 2Qute (HFC
402). The former is a
brilliant do-it-all digital
front end, with masses
of flexibility and a
superb sound. The
latter is a highly
eccentric ‘art piece’
that sounds even better.
The Chord certainly
wins no prizes for ease
of use; with its crazy
lens and coloured light
show, it is something
you’ve got to learn how
to operate. Sonically
though, it is superb; the
M-DAC+ is powerful,
detailed, clean and
crisp, while the Chord
is all of this and has a
wonderful rhythmic
gait too; music flows in
an enthrallingly natural
and liquid way. It also
has a slightly smoother
tonality to the Audiolab,
with a warmer, fuller
bass and sweeter
treble. Both are superb,
but you need to decide
exactly what you want
from your new DAC
before you buy.
sense that you’re listening to a budget
digital source, and everything sounds
more natural and less forced.
Percussion instruments play gently
but expressively without throwing
themselves at you, and the song lopes
along joyously.
Switch to some classic electronica in
the shape of Kraftwerk’s The Robots,
and you get the same effect. Even
though it’s not an acoustic track, it
still sounds less processed and more
natural through the new M-DAC+.
The vast size of the soundstage is just
as impressive as before, but it’s the
subtle details inside that make the
difference. The music appears to fall
back to a deeper, darker silence, and
the rhythm section seems less crisp
and better resolved – it’s more
nuanced and doesn’t simply just hit
you in a blunt fashion. All the power
is there as before but it’s delivered in
a more finessed and natural way.
Notes appear to decay gently and fall
off into space, rather than simply just
‘falling off a cliff’ as its predecessor
was prone to do before. It’s a cliché,
but this new box sounds so much
more ‘analogue’ than the original.
Pro Plus
You’d never say the Plus is
dramatically better, but it’s certainly
comprehensively so. This is most
noticeable when you move to
higher-resolution source material,
such as a 24/192 recording of REM’s
Texarkana. Once again it delivers a
great sound for its price, one that is
balanced and refined yet powerful
and immersive. There’s a lovely
rhythmic gate to the M-DAC+ and it
speeds the song along, focusing on
that great driving bassline from Mike
Mills. The rest of the mix isn’t bad
either, with the band’s distinctive,
crunchy Rickenbackers carried with
CONNECTIONS
1
2
1
2
3
4
5
USB Type A and
B inputs
AES/EBU digital
input
Two coaxial digital
inputs and one out
Two optical digital
inputs and one out
Balanced XLR
analogue outputs
5 4
3
18 MAY 2016

AUDIOLAB
M-DAC+ £800
IN-DEPTH
IN SIGHT
1
2
1
Toroidal
transformer and
standby supply
Linear power
supply
Asynchronous
USB receiver
Class A active post
DAC filter stage
Q&A
Tim Bowern
Audiolab Public Relations
2
3
4
LIFTING THE LID
The aluminium-cased M-DAC+ is remarkably well finished
for a product at its price, and is surprisingly sturdily
constructed too. Inside, its tall, half-width box is packed
tight with circuitry and other components – the most
obvious of which is the toroidal transformer, which is
shielded in its own enclosure. This is one of the key
differences from its predecessor, the M-DAC, which used
an offboard power supply kept out of the main casing.
The power supply section is well done, with numerous
smoothing capacitors, and this is kept separate to the
power and passion. The drum kit is
great too, with a super-tight, cutting
snare sound and some lovely cymbal
work. Indeed, the high frequencies
are very well resolved, sounding clean
and devoid of noise. This new DAC
still isn’t quite the most soulful
around, but it’s now certainly one of
the most transparent and has bundles
of life and energy too.
Indeed, it’s this detailed and neutral
character that makes it so good across
a wide range of music. It’s particularly
suited to acoustic programme
material, including classical. A
Phillips recording of Debussy’s
Submerged Cathedral is a joy. This
prelude is wonderfully ethereal and
atmospheric if properly reproduced,
and the M-DAC+ proves well able
to do this. Its handling of the subtle
dynamic accenting of the piano is first
rate and it skilfully delivers the
pianist’s rhythmic input too. Tonally,
it isn’t the sweetest and most
sumptuous-sounding digital converter
I’ve ever heard, but it is certainly an
improvement on its predecessor and
gives an unerringly balanced and
satisfying sound. The result is a
compelling rendition of this fine piece
of music, and the pattern continues
with a DSD file of Alex de Grassi’s
The Water Garden, which has a lovely,
lilting, unforced quality and the guitar
sparkles with harmonics in a way that
you simply don’t expect from digital.
Conclusion
This is a clear step forward from the
original M-DAC, and makes the
original look rather average value
for money. The Plus is way more
sophisticated operationally, and has a
usefully smoother and more subtle
sound that pushes it one rung up the
ladder. The only regret is the display,
which isn’t as informative as its
predecessor. Superb in pretty much
every other respect for its price, this
new DAC is an essential audition ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
OVERALL
3
4
DAC section, which has the USB board mounted above it
and located adjacent to the rear panel, obviating the need
for extra wiring. The Class A analogue output stage sits
right on the XLR and RCA socketry, for the same reason.
As you’d expect from a modern, state-of-the-art DAC
design, surface-mount devices are used to keep the
size down. Indeed, the M-DAC+ is a complex, seemingly
over-engineered product, and unlike some rivals is
certainly not a box full of air. As a result, it tends to run
a little warmer than some.
LIKE: Excellent sound;
functionality;
packaging
DISLIKE: Display not
as comprehensive as
on the M-DAC
WE SAY: Quite superb
mid-price DAC packed
with the latest tech
DP: What is the new M-DAC+’s
raison d’être?
TB: It’s a precisely engineered rework
of the classic M-DAC. The aim of
the project was to update key areas
and enhance performance while
maintaining everything that
continues to make the classic M-DAC
such a popular product. It’s more
than just a cosmetic makeover of the
original, with an array of carefully
targeted improvements under
the hood. An obvious update is
the extension of PCM support to
32-bit/384kHz, as well as the addition
of DSD64/128/256 with associated
digital filter settings, thus ensuring
the M-DAC+ is fully equipped to make
the most of all forms of hi-res audio
now and in the future. The updated
digital processing associated with
the increased resolution at the
M-DAC+’s USB input delivers
additional sonic benefits with all
levels of digital audio, and the
power supply has been substantially
upgraded and fully incorporated
within the main chassis, bringing
further improvements to the
sound quality.
Have there been any changes to the
core circuitry?
Many elements of the original design
continue to lead the sub-£1,000 DAC
pack and are unchanged here – the
ESS DAC chipset, discrete master
clock, extensive time domain
isolation, high-spec JFET output
stage and so on.
Is DSD functionality of any real
practical use at the moment?
DSD files are available of course, but
whether end users wish to use them
is a matter of personal preference.
There is no doubt that DSD has the
potential to offer exceptional sound
quality, with a specification that can
push far beyond where SACD left off.
Going forward, we believe that DSD
will have a significant part to play in
the developing hi-res audio scene;
any serious DAC launching in 2016
should support it.
MAY 2016 19

Future music
Totally equipped for the latest music tech
trends – and those still to come – the
Denon DRA-100 is the complete ‘just add
speakers’ solution
here’s a lot of confusion
about the ‘computer
T music’ revolution: do you
download or rip your
music? Which format should you use?
Do you store your favourite tunes on
a USB memory device, Network
Attached Storage or just your home
computer? Can you play music from
your phone or tablet through your
get
about buying music and simply
stream it from an online service?
All of that’s before you even address
the ‘what else do I need?’ question,
but fortunately there is an answer
for all these concerns, and it comes
in the form of Denon’s DRA-100
Network Stereo receiver. Clad in
the sleek style of the Denon Design
Series, and much smaller than most
complete computer audio solution,
of use, and yet using all of Denon’s
technology, developed over more
than 100 years.
Forget about add-on bits and bobs
to bring Apple AirPlay, Bluetooth or
network streaming to your world of
entertainment: it’s all built into the
Since it was founded
back in 1910,
in the early days of
records and gramophones,
Denon
has been all about
the development of
higher-performance
recording and playback
technology.
Under its ‘Nipponophone’
brand it
was not only the
first record company
in Japan, but
also the first audio
manufacturer in its
home country!
As well as developing
one of
the very first CD
players, it was also
instrumental in
the design of the
digital recording
technology used in
studios.
DRA-100, along with high-quality
complete ‘just add speakers’ solution
for all your music needs. Yet it does
all this in a package just 28cm wide
and a little over 10cm tall, with Hi-Fi
Choice reviewer Andrew Everard
saying in the December 2015 issue
that it “proves to be quite a remarka-
some fairly ambitious speakers to
very good effect, and delivering a
Like the other models in the Denon
Design series – the DCD-50 CD
smallest of living spaces, and with
styling that’s both understated and
eye-catching, it’s still capable of
being partnered with everything from
standing
models. What’s more, it’s as
at home playing gentle background
music as it is blasting out your
favourite tunes at party levels.
That’s due to the application of all of
Denon’s digital audio and ampli-
well as playing all the popular music

ADVERTORIAL

Hi-Fi Choice employs the most rigorous test and measurement
regime in the business. Here’s how we do it...
Unique group tests
Our Group Tests are supported by rigorous and
exhaustive listening tests carried out by experts
REFERENCE SYSTEM
SOURCES
Questyle QP1 R, FiiO X3 II,
Apple iPod Classic
HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER/DAC
Chord Hugo, Oppo HA-2
HEADPHONES GROUP TEST
THE PROCESS OF reliably auditioning six
headphones isn’t as straightforward as
conducting a single standalone review. Each
model is connected, with its supplied cable, to
a headphone amplifier and run-in for 24 hours
before any comparative listening takes place.
Levels are set by placing both earpads over
an SPL meter while a pink noise signal is
generated. The background noise level of the
room is also checked for consistency. This done,
the listening test programme is carried out using
two different headphone amplifiers and DAPs
to build a picture of performance. Headphones
supplied with a choice of cables are listened to
with each cable fitted in turn.
The testing period takes place over several
days. Numerous tracks are listened to, but the
sessions focus on four albums chosen to provide
a variation of musical styles, recording quality
and sample rate. Each track is played several
times until a definitive picture of the
headphone’s sound quality is obtained.
Two types of headphone are on test, open and
closed back, with each having their own relative
merits and weaknesses. Open-back models tend
to be more spacious sounding, while closed-back
ones have tighter bass and better isolation from
external noise. All models on test are over-ear
designs – widely considered to be the most
comfortable – and principally for indoor use.
TEST MUSIC
WHIPLASH
Original Soundtrack
Overture 16/44.1 FLAC
CARLOS SANTANA
Blues For Salvador
Blues For Salvador 16/44.1 FLAC
ROBERT LEN
Fragile
Brazilia 96/24 FLAC
BLIND LISTENING TESTS
This crucial process is very
carefully controlled so that we
get reliable and consistent
results in a relaxed and friendly
atmosphere. Our listeners must
not feel that they’re being tested,
despite being unaware of the
brand or price of the products
they are auditioning.
The session begins by setting
the volume level to an agreed
point, one that all three panellists
feel comfortable with, yet that is
high enough to make differences
easily discernible. Then the
choice of music is agreed – it
needs to be familiar, but also well
recorded and of sufficient variety
to give meaningful listening
comparisons. The chosen
selection of music is played, and
the panellists are encouraged to
discuss their impressions of the
sound of the product. This is then
repeated, and periodically the
panel listens to earlier products
for reference purposes. The
consensus, or otherwise then
forms the basis of our sound
quality section.
At the end of the session,
there’s a final debrief when
panellists discuss their findings.
It’s an exhaustive process, but
carried out in this way is free
from prejudices based on brand,
price or appearance, while the
different sensitivities of the
listeners help to round out the
analysis in order to make it more
widely applicable.
PAT METHENY GROUP
Imaginary Day
Imaginary Day 16/44.1 FLAC
22 MAY 2016

Designed for
listening
The new CM Series loudspeakers are undoubtedly beautiful,
capable of gracing any room with their clean lines and highquality
finishes. But as with all Bowers & Wilkins loudspeakers
form must follow function, and thanks to our Decoupled
Double Domes and tweeter-on-top technology you won’t
believe how beautiful your music can sound.
bowers-wilkins.com
Decoupled Double Dome tweeter

HEADPHONES £220-£350
Head rules heart
David Vivian tries out
six pairs of cans with
hi-fi cred and style…
LIKE THAT OTHER comeback kid,
the bicycle, headphones haven’t
changed their basic shape for over a
century. Nathaniel Baldwin started
the ball rolling by making what’s
generally accepted to be the first
recognisable pair on his kitchen table
106 years ago and selling it to the US
Navy as a communications tool. The
inventor neglected to take out a
patent, but the audio world hasn’t
looked back since.
Today’s headphones have imbued
that seminal design with seductive
tech, sexy materials and, of course,
the lure of celebrity-endorsed fashion
status. At no other time in history
have so many heads – especially
young ones – felt the gentle embrace
of pillowy ear pads and the gift of
pulsating bass while going about their
daily business. Some folk, a growing
number it seems, wouldn’t listen to
music any other way.
Sea change
Once considered a fall back if you
couldn’t afford a fine pair of
loudspeakers or – even if you could
– a way to enjoy music at decent
volume levels without annoying the
neighbours or room-sharing relatives,
headphones have become both an
essential lifestyle accessory and,
for a certain kind of audio fan, a
delicious shortcut to hi-fi nirvana:
true high-end sonics at more or less
earthbound prices. A selfish pursuit to
be sure, but one with great rewards.
The six models here veer strongly
towards the audiophile end of the
spectrum. No noise cancelling, no
wireless Bluetooth, no DSP – they
represent the pure breed with
circumaural (over-ear) ear cups and
cables of various lengths and hues to
connect to a source, be it smartphone,
hi-res portable player or dedicated
headphone amp. In deference to
sound quality and the engineering
required to achieve it, it’s bulk before
beauty. This isn’t to say style doesn’t
get a look in, though it’s true that
some try a little harder than others.
24 MAY 2016

ON TEST
B&O
BeoPlay H6
£279 p27
From the land that
pretty much all but
invented cool design
comes a headphone
so achingly stylish
that it’s a shame to
take it off. The fine
build is exceptional,
have a listen and you
might not want to take
it off either.
Hifiman
HE400S
£220 p29
The only open-back
model with planar
magnetic drivers
and the largest
headphone in the
group, the Hifiman
has a reputation for
top-drawer sound that
precedes it, and the
HE400S consequently
has much to prove.
Meze
99 Classics
£260 p31
With its polished solidwood
ear cups, elegant
design and sparingly
applied bling, this
closed-back design
from Romania looks
like a true high-ender.
Understandably,
expectations are high
for its debut showing in
the UK.
Oppo
PM-3
£349 p33
Beautifully built but
pricey, the PM-3 is the
other planar magnetic
contender in the
group, though, unlike
the Hifiman, a closedback
design. This
compact design has
done well before, but it
could have more of a
fight on its hands here.
Philips
Fidelio X2
£230 p35
Representing a school
of design that thumbs
its nose at frilly
nonsense compared
with rivals, the openback
Fidelio X2 is
built like a battleship,
equipped with big
drivers, comfy earpads
and it promises one
thing: high quality.
Sennheiser
Momentum 2.0
£270 p37
The original
Momentum was
arguably the perfect
blend of style that
doesn’t try too hard
and a signature sound
that doesn’t have to.
The mk2 version adds
foldability, comfort
and the promise of
even better sonics.
MAY 2016 25

Everything you need.
Nothing you don’t.
Music brings us so much joy. An audio system shouldn’t reduce music’s unique
nearest authorised Rotel retailer.
ROTEL.COM

HEADPHONES
£220-£350
GROUPTEST
B&O
BeoPlay H6 £279
It has good looks and fine build, but can the H6 deliver
a sonic performance worthy of the price tag?
DETAILS
PRODUCT
B&O BeoPlay H6
ORIGIN
Denmark
TYPE
Over-ear closedback
headphone
WEIGHT
230g
FEATURES
● 40mm dynamic
drivers
● Quoted sensitivity:
97dB/mW
● Detachable 1.2m
cable with 3.5mm
mini-jack
● Carrying pouch
DISTRIBUTOR
B&O Play UK
TELEPHONE
0118 9692288
WEBSITE
beoplay.com
T
here’s something rather
wonderful about first
contact with the BeoPlay
H6. It’s a leather and
aluminium vision of exquisite
simplicity and confident good taste
that only gets better when you
appreciate just how light yet solid and
beautifully put together it feels. It’s
a fusion of pared-back design and
sumptuous luxury that might elicit
a little gasp. B&O at its best.
Of all the headphones here, it’s the
one you’ll probably look coolest
wearing if you want to venture
outdoors, so it’s a little disappointing it
doesn’t come with a zipped travel case,
though the velvety drawstring pouch it
is supplied with is more than big
enough to accommodate the fully
retracted and flattened ’phones with
their ear cups swivelled through 45°.
Accessories are basic and consist of a
single-input 3.5mm plug cable (1.2m
long) with a three-button iPhone-
compatible remote – which doesn’t
function with non-Apple products –
and a two-pin adaptor should you
want to plug into an airline
entertainment system. A useful feature
unique in the group is a second cable
jack on the other ear cup so that two
or more pairs can be daisy-chained
together. If it’s just the one pair, either
socket can be used.
Although relatively light at 230g, it
exerts a fairly firm grip on your bonce
as defined by the tension of the single
hoop headband. This is a leanly
dressed affair with a leather top and
Low frequencies
possess proper
timbral texture,
power and extension
section-padded fabric belly that
initially feels fine, but never quite lets
you forget about its presence over a
long session. While there’s nothing too
unusual or exciting about the tech spec
– 30ohm impedance, slightly angled
40mm dynamic drivers, closed-back
ear cups, 20Hz-22kHz frequency range
– you can be sure B&O will have
endurance-tested the design to hell
(frozen-over kind, too) and back.
Sound quality
This is a friendly and assuredsounding
pair of headphones. Any
suspicions that B&O blew the whole
development budget on aesthetics
and premium build tactility are
swiftly allayed with a presentation
that’s agreeably open, detailed, well
balanced and not skewed towards
any particular musical genre. The
bass issue – of prime concern to
many younger headphone users not
necessarily schooled in the ways of
traditional hi-fi values – is particularly
well served, maybe even educational
for anyone unaware that low
frequencies can possess proper
timbral texture and pitch as well
as power and extension.
What’s more, an overriding sense of
poise and control and finely judged
GREEN LIGHT
B&O has quite a reputation for
putting its products through the
wringer before they’re released for
sale, and it’s all done with a strong
nod to environmental responsibility.
In addition to the exhaustive
endurance tests (extreme cold, heat,
vibration, sunlight, dust and so on),
environmental thinking is on the
table at the design stage. The
company even has a name for this
approach: Environmental Design
Standards. It means every B&O
product not only has to comply with
existing statutory regulations, but
cope with ones no one else has
thought of yet. Each product also has
a product manager who can’t allow it
to progress to the next development
stage until the relevant
environmental design standards
specs are met. Tough call for a pair of
headphones, but there’s no doubting
B&O’s thoroughness and attention to
detail shines through at the end.
voicing makes Santana’s Blues For
Salvador a little less crowded and
overpowering than some of the other
models on test. This attests to an
easy-going nature that maybe doesn’t
dig too deep, but is good at keeping
competing elements in harmony – in
this instance some gloriously warm,
expansive, laid back synth pads and
Mr Santana’s especially energetic,
up-front guitar runs.
Those seeking a deeper dive into the
recording mix may find it falls a little
short on the finest details, but it isn’t
by much and it seldom sounds
anything less than comfortably in
command of the bigger musical
picture. Crucially, it seems particularly
adept at carrying the musical message
with a grasp of flow and tempo that’s
as good as any in the group. In short,
it sounds almost as lovely as it looks,
which can’t be bad ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF DRIVE
OVERALL
LIKE: Cool design;
build; approachable
sound that does
everything well
DISLIKE: Detail could
be a little sharper; not
the most comfortable
WE SAY: If looks matter
as much as sound, the
B&O is worthy of
serious consideration
MAY 2016 27

Enjoyed Worldwide.
“The Sigma SSP can be regarded as a superb stereo analog
preamp, and all the rest of its bells and whistles as a gift.”
Kal Rubinson, Stereophile, USA
“It combines the flexibility of a Swiss Army knife with the
precision of a surgeon’s tool in an easy-to-use package. There’s
simply not enough room here to even pretend to detail what you
can do with this processor. It’s just awesome.”
Theo Nicolakis, Audioholics.com, USA
“But most impressive is the sound quality. This is real
high-end at a price that must be considered reasonable.
And the step up from the traditional home cinema
receivers is nothing but huge.”
Ludwig Swanberg, HemmaBio, Sweden
“Oh my, what a wonderful system Classé has provided
with the Sigma range. It shows that audiophile sound is
not the sole preserve of stereo and equally that it is not
incompatible with reliable and convenient operation.”
Stephen Dawson, Audio Esoterica, Australia
“This Sigma system is a huge achievement
which everyone must absolutely discover.”
Adrien Rouah, Québec Audio & Video, Canada
www.classeaudio.com
Classé — every detail matters.

HEADPHONES
£220-£350
GROUPTEST
Hifiman
HE400S £220
This rising star brand delivers high performance at
increasingly lower prices. We like the sound of that
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Hifiman HE400S
ORIGIN
China
TYPE
Over-ear open-back
headphone
WEIGHT
350g
FEATURES
● Planar magnetic
drivers
● Quoted sensitivity:
98dB/mW
● Detachable 1.5m
cable with 3.5mm
mini-jack
● 6.35mm adapter
DISTRIBUTOR
Audio Affair
TELEPHONE
0844 5040350
WEBSITE
hifiman.com
C
hinese brand Hifiman,
founded by current owner
Dr Fang Bian in 2007,
certainly seems to have
mastered the art of ‘trickle down’. The
HE400S takes its tech cues from two of
the company’s much more expensive
planar magnetic high fliers – the
HE560 and HE400i (HFC 397) – and,
rumour has it, sounds very nearly as
good, prompting Hifiman to claim that
its budget planar ’phone redefines
what’s possible in the mid-price class
represented by our group here.
Planar magnetic headphones have
traditionally had two drawbacks.
One, they’re big and heavy. Two,
they’re power hungry and need a lot
of driving. The claim for the HE400S,
however, is that it’s sensitive enough
to be driven by a smartphone alone
without the additional muscle of a
headphone amp. At 350g, it isn’t the
lightest planar magnetic design on
the market (that honour belongs to
the Oppo PM-3 which undercuts it by
30g), but it is a little less heavy than
Philips’ Fidelio X2.
Unlike the Oppo and in line with
Hifiman’s pricier models, the HE400S
is an open-back design which, on
paper, could give it an edge sonically,
but confers no favours aesthetically.
The soft-sheen silver finish, large,
perfectly round ear cups and sharply
angled headband frame are certainly
distinctive, but unlikely to woo
headphone fashionistas. No matter,
those jumbo ear cups permit a decent
surface area for the planar membranes
What we have here
is the headphone
equivalent of
Quad electrostatics
within and, lined with removable
velour-covered memory foam, sit very
snugly on the head, the generous
circumference distributing the
pressure generated by the metal frame
comfortably. No travel case is supplied,
but the split twin-plug 1.5m cable
looks both cheerfully snazzy and
durable and additionally comes with
a 6.35mm adaptor.
Sound quality
Despite the claimed smartphonefriendly
sensitivity, the FiiO X3 DAP
(HFC 382) requires quite a volume
push from the group norm – though,
admittedly, no more than with the
Oppo PM-3 – to reach a decent level.
That said, it copes, though the
Questyle QP1R (HFC 409) and Chord
Hugo (HFC 386) are needed to show
what the HE400S is really capable of.
Partly because it is open backed, the
HE400S is a little brighter and quite
a lot airier and, well, less closed-in.
Initially, at least, the sound seems
thinner and a tad undernourished,
with a significantly leaner bass. There
certainly isn’t the up-an-at-’em attack
and sense of joyful enthusiasm
displayed by the Meze offering,
but sticking with the programme
eventually reveals what the HE400S
FANG CLUB
Hifiman’s founder and boss, Dr Fang
Bian, is a firm believer that ‘high-end’
is an attitude and not a price tag –
an approach that is perhaps best
expressed with the HE400S, which
brings the benefits of planar
magnetic driver technology to a new
low price point and wider audience.
In fact, when it comes to headphones,
Hifiman’s entire lineup is planar
magnetic, for which Dr Fang makes
no apology. While conceding that
electrostatics offer the best possible
sound quality, he sees planar
magnetics as a very close runner up
for out-and-out sound quality but a
more practical proposition for the
evolving headphone market, not least
because they require less power and
can be driven by a smartphone. And
they play louder, too. Dr Fang,
perhaps unsurprisingly, predicts a
rosy future for the headphone
market, and especially hi-res portable
players, which he also makes.
is all about and yields deeply
satisfying results.
There is a weakness with the bass.
Agile, tuneful and articulate as it is,
it could really do with a little more
propulsive oomph. That apart, what
we have here is the headphone
equivalent of listening to Quad
electrostatics: ultra-low colouration,
beautifully rendered high frequencies,
superb transparency, whip-crack
timing and a powerful sense of
cohesion that lets the music roll in
a lucid, free-flowing manner. The
languid grace of Brazilia, the hi-res
track from Robert Len’s Fragile, is
exquisitely captured. And just listen
to Overture from the Whiplash
soundtrack. Of all the headphones in
the group, this is the only one that
truly pulls the piece together. Even
cinema’s angriest band leader,
Terence Fletcher, would smile ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF DRIVE
OVERALL
LIKE: Transparency;
detailed sound; timing
DISLIKE: No oil
painting; bass needs
more beef; fairly
inefficient
WE SAY: Revealing,
enjoyable and terrific
value, but a little more
bass would certainly
go a long way
MAY 2016 29

HEADPHONES
£220-£350
GROUPTEST
Meze
99 Classics £260
These cans are as much a product of art as science.
We’re not sure about the bling, but can they sing?
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Meze 99 Classics
ORIGIN
Romania
TYPE
Over-ear closedback
headphone
WEIGHT
260g
FEATURES
● 40mm dynamic
drivers
● Quoted sensitivity
103dB/mW
● Detachable Kevlarwrapped
OFC cable
with 3.5mm minijack
● Hard shell travel
case
DISTRIBUTOR
Meze Headphones
TELEPHONE
+40 749 048138
WEBSITE
mezeheadphones.
com
A
nd now for something
almost completely
different. Meze, a small
specialist company working
out of Baia Mare in Romania, is clearly
the David in a group of Goliaths. On
the one hand, this means it doesn’t
have the resources and deep pockets
of its bigger rivals. But it also means it
can do its own thing and, in the case of
its most ambitious headphone design
to date, the new 99 Classics, spend
quite a lot of time doing it – see
boxout. Its appearance gives a strong
hint as to why. Wood.
Why wood? It isn’t just because it’s
pretty. Nor is it a unique material
among headphone makers, of course.
Despite being harder to source and
work with, Meze chooses walnut and
maple in the belief they give a brighter
and more balanced sound than other
woods. The artisanal nature of the 99
Classics is clear from the moment you
open the extravagantly lovely box
containing the equally OTT hard-shell
travel case it comes in.
Here are components you can savour
individually or as a rather beautifully
screwed together entity: the handfinished
and polished CNC-milled
wood ear cups, the cast zinc alloy
fittings with electroplated coating, the
stamped manganese spring steel
headband, the memory foam and
soft PU leather ear pads. It’s quite
something just to handle the 99
Classics for the first time. Meze doesn’t
anticipate it being a short relationship,
either. The headphone can be taken
Every musical
nuance has a
presence that you
can almost touch
completely apart for easy parts
replacement. Theoretically, you could
keep it forever.
The model on test has the ‘walnut
gold’ colour scheme. If that seems a
little too ostentatious (it is), there’s a
walnut silver alternative (better) or,
failing that, maple silver (very
tasteful). Accessories, curled up in a
separate zipped pouch, comprise two
sets of Kevlar-wrapped OFC cables,
one with inline microphone/media
controller and an in-flight adaptor.
Sound quality
The 99 Classics’ self-adjusting
headband isn’t quite as successful as
some in the group, applying a little
more pressure at the top of the ear
pads than spreading it evenly. It’s more
of an initial impression than a lasting
one, though, and as the headphone
is reasonably light, at 260g, it is
comfortable enough. Slightly
concerning is the bell-like ringing
should you accidentally flick the metal
part of the headband; the cables are
mildly microphonic, too.
Small company slip ups? Maybe. But
it doesn’t matter. Indeed, who cares?
The 99 Classics sound simply glorious
– uncannily spacious, brimming with
energy and vivacity and a cranked up
ANOTHER FINE MEZE
Making headphone ear cups out of
wood isn’t a guarantee of sonic
success, of course, but there’s no
denying Meze puts great store by
its properties, aesthetic and aural.
There’s an awful lot of curing and
drying of the raw material before
construction of the 99 Classics can
even start, but Meze is sure it’s well
worth the wait. The process of
shaping just a single pair of ear cups
can take up to 8 hours. And by the
time all the sanding, lacquering
and finishing is done, that’s over six
weeks gone. Any flaws detected in
the wood before final assembly, and
it’s shown the door. Walnut is the
staple for Meze, chosen for its
sturdiness and ‘acoustic properties’.
And the company would like it to be
known that all the wood it uses for its
headphones is harvested from trees
that have reached the end of their life
cycles, giving old trees a chance to
‘shine one more time’.
sense of performance that’s genuinely
surprising and frequently riveting.
Efficient and easy to drive, it comes
across like a pair of speakers that
have been ‘un-damped’ for greater
immediacy, impact and musical
communication. A starker contrast
with the smoothly composed and
controlled Fidelio X2 it would be hard
to imagine, and it’s a difference that
will prove divisive. If you want a
headphone to provide a gentle,
sophisticated background soundtrack
to accompany an activity (writing a
headphone Group Test, for example),
give the 99 Classics a miss as the task
won’t get done. If, however, you want
to hear Metheny’s Imaginary Day in
full-blooded stereo with every element
given unfettered dynamic expression
and every musical nuance a presence
you can almost touch, the Meze will
make your day. It does mine ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF DRIVE
OVERALL
LIKE: Highly musical;
expressive and
engaging sound; highend
looks and build
DISLIKE: Some of the
gold bits (we’ll take
maple and silver)
WE SAY: Simply more
enjoyable than
headphones usually
sound. A gem of a pair
MAY 2016 31

T
Find out more at www.unisonresearch.co.uk
Analogue Seduction
Peterborough, Cambs: 01733 350878
Audio T
Brentwood, Essex: 01277 264730
Audio T
Oxford, Oxfordshire: 01865 765961
Dooleys Hi-Fi
Macclesfield, Cheshire: 01625 264666
Hi-Fi Sound
Stockton-on-Tees: 0845 6019390
Peak Hi-Fi
Sheffield, Yorks: 01226 761832
The Audio Room
Hull, East Yorks: 01482 891375
Audio Destination
Tiverton, Devon: 01884 243584
Audio T
Cardiff, Wales: 02920 228565
Audio T
Portsmouth, Hamps: 02392 663604
Doug Brady Hi-Fi
Warrington, Cheshire: 01925 828009
Inspire Hi-Fi
Chesterfield, Derbys: 01246 472222
Rayleigh Hi-Fi
Rayleigh, Essex: 01268 779762
The Listening Suite
Dublin, ROI: +35316750974
Vickers Hi-Fi
York, Yorks: 01904 691600
Audio Lounge
London, W1: 0207 4874080
Audio T
Cheltenham, Glos: 01242 583960
Ceritech Audio
Cinderford, Glos: 01600 716362
Hi-Fi Gear Ltd
Hereford, Herefs: 01432 354921
KJ West One
London, W1: 0207 4868262
The Audiobarn
Nr. Bishops Stortford: 01279 454860
The Music Room
Glasgow, Lanarks: 01413 339700
Zouch Audio
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leics: 01530 414128
Distributed by Henley Designs Ltd.
T: +44 (0)1235 511 166 | E: sales@henleydesigns.co.uk | W: www.henleydesigns.co.uk

HEADPHONES
£220-£350
GROUPTEST
Oppo
PM-3 £349
The current champ in this price bracket faces some
stiff competition, but can it hang onto its crown?
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Oppo PM-3
ORIGIN
China
TYPE
Over-ear closedback
headphone
WEIGHT
320g
FEATURES
● 55mm planar
magnetic drivers
● Quoted sensitivity:
102dB/mW
● Detachable 1.2m
cable with 3.5mm
mini-jack; 2x 3m
cables with 3.5mm
and 6.35mm jacks
● Carry case
DISTRIBUTOR
Oppo Digital UK Ltd
TELEPHONE
0345 060 9395
WEBSITE
oppodigital.co.uk
F
ew headphones you can
buy for around £350 make
as convincing a case for
your money as the PM-3.
By any reasonable reckoning, it’s the
real deal, the complete package – an
assessment we haven’t been reticent
in expressing in these pages. Planar
magnetic drivers derived from the
PM-1 flagship, lavish build quality, a
comprehensive set of accessories
including three cables and a stylish
and sturdy denim travel case and
decidedly up-market sound quality
seem to close the argument on what’s
possible at this price. Affordable
high-end seems a fitting description.
The whole getting acquainted
experience exudes the kind of quality
vibe you might expect at twice the
price. It shouts luxury, from the
pampering softness of the earpads to
the lightweight precision engineering
of the framework to the ‘just right’
feeling when you don the headphone
for the first time. True, the Oppo isn’t
stylish in the way that the B&O,
Sennheiser or Meze are, but its
understated functionality is arguably
just as valid an aesthetic proposition.
Next to highly specialised electrostatic
tech, a planar magnetic driver –
essentially a diaphragm printed with a
conductor held between two magnets
– is theoretically the ideal solution for
headphone sound quality, delivering
greater accuracy and less colouration
than commonly used dynamic drivers.
What was once thought of as an
unacceptable weight penalty has been
mitigated by Oppo’s implementation,
Subtlety, speed and a
well-proportioned
bass are definite
strong suits
which tips the scales at just 320g.
On-the-go ease of drive, previously
a problem for this typically powerhungry
type of headphone, has also
been overcome, making the PM-3 fit
for use with a smartphone, a phone
and pocketable headphone amp/DAC
or the emerging breed of hi-res DAPs.
Oppo admits getting this right took
around a year to crack. The company
is nothing if not thorough.
Sound quality
A five minute audition won’t work
for the PM-3. Despite the elevated
expectations set up by its planar
drivers, you might well feel tempted
to walk away – especially if you’ve
just listened to some of the more
exuberantly voiced models here. The
reason is what seems initially to be a
mildly muted top end and closed-in
soundstage. After a session with the
Meze 99 Classics, the Oppo appears
a tad lacklustre and boring. But give
it a longer go, and subtlety, speed,
transparency and a powerful but
well-proportioned and controlled bass
are definite strong suits. The longer I
listen the more seductive and virtuous
these qualities become, and the less
obvious the restrained top end seems.
A GOOD PLANAR
Oppo was first to market with an
‘affordable’ and ‘easy to drive’ planar
magnetic design, no doubt
persuading Hifiman to get a move on.
When the company launched its own
flagship show-opener in 2014, the
PM-1, no one was greatly surprised
that such a large and luxurious
open-back design, intended purely
for home use, eschewed dynamic
drivers for planar tech. It cost £1,100
after all. A few eyebrows headed
north when, a few months later, Oppo
pulled off the same trick with the
built-down but considerably more
affordable PM-2 (HFC 402),
sacrificing little of the spacious,
balanced, ultra-low distortion sonic
performance that set the benchmark
at the £1k mark. The £350 PM-3 really
sets Felix among the featherweights,
though. Compact with over-ear
closed-back swivel-able cups, it hits
the spot combing planar magnetic
tech and high street wearability.
Indeed, once acclimatised to the
tonal balance, I find myself delving
instinctively deeper and deeper into
recordings that had perhaps seemed
superficially more impressive and
colourful on a few of the other models.
Overture from the Whiplash
soundtrack is a good example. This is
a fast and frenetic big band workout
with so many loud instruments and
constantly shifting dynamics pushing
the pace, the result can all too easily
sound overwrought and difficult to
follow. But the PM-3 does better. Not
only does it track every contribution
clearly, but it also presents a coherent,
tight and well-ordered ensemble
performance. Instrument pitch and
timbre are very well conveyed too
without tipping over into stridency or
sharpness. This is perhaps the most
natural-sounding headphone here, but
it takes a while to appreciate it ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF DRIVE
OVERALL
LIKE: Solid, finely
nuanced and natural
sound; great bass;
build and comfort
DISLIKE: Muted high
frequencies; rather
confined soundstage
WE SAY: A lovely
product capable of
very fine results, but no
longer the very best
MAY 2016 33

Designed in England by music lovers.
Enjoyed by music lovers all over the
world.
The Chord Company Ltd, Millsway
Centre, Amesbury SP4 7RX, UK
To get more information and find your
nearest retailer, please call us on:
+44 (0)1980 625700 or visit:
www.chord.co.uk
“In short, this is a good value
and great-sounding cable”
Chord Clearway speaker cable
Hi-Fi Choice Dec 2015
“This interconnect handles complex music with ease, delivering a
performance that is lively and involving. It takes both classical and
modern music in its stride”
Chord C-line interconnect
Hi-Fi Choice Nov 2015

HEADPHONES
£220-£350
GROUPTEST
Philips
Fidelio X2 £230
This headphone won’t make much of a fashion
statement, but it is very serious about how it sounds
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Philips Fidelio X2
ORIGIN
Hong Kong
TYPE
Over-ear open-back
headphone
WEIGHT
380g
FEATURES
● 50mm dynamic
drivers
● Quoted sensitivity
100dB/mW
● Detachable 3m
cable with 3.5mm
mini-jack
● 6.35mm adapter
DISTRIBUTOR
Gibson Innovations
TELEPHONE
0207 9490241
WEBSITE
philips.co.uk
Y
ou’d have to be brave to
venture down the high
street wearing Fidelio’s X2.
This is an unapologetically
big, beefy open-back headphone that
wouldn’t look out of place in a
recording studio. The vibe, of course,
is hardly accidental. Serious cans for
serious music lovers – that’s all you
really need to know. Besides, no
open-back headphone is really suitable
for use outside the privacy of your own
home. But that’s not a bad thing. The
X2 is designed for optimum sound
quality. Everyone’s on the same page.
An evolution of Philips’ highly
regarded Fidelio X1 (HFC 365), the X2
has new multi-layered diaphragm
drivers which, at 50mm, are still
around 10mm larger than the class
norm. In stark contrast to the rather
flimsy plain black box the X2 comes in,
the headphone is a thing of real
substance, sturdily built from quality
materials. The slightly retro studio
look is retained from the X1, which
means mesh open-back ear cups, a
two-tier ‘hammock-style’ self-adjusting
headband and arguably the plushest
and most comfortable ear pads in the
group, made from plump rolls of
memory foam covered with fine-nap
velour. They’re replaceable, too, which
is a nice touch.
Other parts have been upgraded as
well. The stainless steel accents on
each ear cup are now a low-sheen
black rather than silver, blending more
harmoniously with the similarly dark
leather headband and ear cups.
It’s hard to believe the X1 came with
just a 6.35mm plug, but, as part of the
Velvet-gloved it may
be, the Philips can hit
hard when the music
really calls out for it
thorough modernisation, it’s the
obligatory 3.5mm stereo mini-jack this
time, with an adaptor for slotting into
the larger socket. Just the one cable
is supplied. It doesn’t have an in-line
remote, but it does have a classy fabric
sleeve and is a generous 3m long. But
that’s your lot as far as accessories go.
No flight adaptor and, as these are
pretty much stay-at-home types, no
travel case either, sexy or otherwise.
Sound quality
The Fidelio X2 weighs a comparatively
whopping 380g – that’s twice as much
as the Sennheiser – but, although
you’re never quite likely to forget
you’re wearing it, it’s comfortable in a
luxurious, ear-coddling kind of way.
Comfortable is an apt one-word
description of the listening experience.
The sound the X2 produces is
effortlessly muscular and unerringly
refined with a spacious, precisely
delineated soundstage, deep but
well-proportioned bass and a relaxed
way with detail that encourages
insightful and remarkably un-fatiguing
listening sessions.
Tempted to swerve the obvious car
engine analogy here, but I can’t resist.
There’s a bit of the V8-powered Lexus
SUPER-SIZE ME
Super-sized 50mm drivers, eh?
Powerful neodymium magnets, too.
And since no one in their right mind
would be seen dead wearing the X2
outdoors, it can derive maximum
advantage from a fully open-back
design. Not only do open-back types
eliminate air pressure build up
behind the driver, allowing the
diaphragm greater free movement,
but they usually also have superior
transparency and smoother extended
high frequencies. Philips claims that
multiple layers of polymer encasing a
layer of damping gel form a flexible
boundary that absorb and dampen
any exaggerated frequencies,
resulting in a smooth frequency
response. The drivers are pre-tilted to
minimise sound reflections and work
in conjunction with ear cups that tilt
at 15°, the idea being that this is a
more natural fit with the ear’s natural
geometry, resulting in a better
dynamic performance.
limo about the X2. Much of the motive
character is masked by engineered-in
smoothness and hush, but the
all-important scenery-blurring thrust is
there when you really need it. The X2
has a similar two-speed personality.
Velvet-gloved it may be, the Philips
can hit hard when the music really
calls out for it.
Pat Metheny’s Imaginary Day most
definitely does. In places explosively
dynamic, in others quieter than a pin
drop and tonally more varied than just
about any other piece of music I can
think of, it’s a real challenge for any
item of hi-fi kit. The Fidelio X2 isn’t
fazed by any of it, capturing the loud
and soft and the highs and lows with
calm confidence. There’s more bite,
colour and expressiveness to be had
elsewhere in this group, but the X2’s
balance, refinement and unflustered
power is very appealing ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF DRIVE
OVERALL
LIKE: No-nonsense
design build and
comfort; effortlessly
smooth and spacious
sound
DISLIKE: Some lack
of bite and sparkle
WE SAY: Not the most
exciting sound around,
but built for long-term
satisfaction
MAY 2016 35

HEADPHONES
£220-£350
GROUPTEST
Sennheiser
Momentum 2.0 £270
Sennheiser’s Momentum headphone range is very
popular, but can the tweaked mk 2 shade its rivals?
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Sennheiser
Momentum 2.0
ORIGIN
Germany
TYPE
Over-ear closedback
headphone
WEIGHT
190g
FEATURES
● 40mm dynamic
drivers
● Quoted sensitivity:
113dB/mW
● 1.4m cable with
3.5mm mini-jack
● Travel case
DISTRIBUTOR
Sennheiser UK
TELEPHONE
0333 2408185
WEBSITE
en-uk.sennheiser.
com
M
arrying classy design and
premium sound quality for
reasonable money was
what the original
Momentum had down to a degree that
must have made the opposition green
with envy. Hoards of headphone
enthusiasts obviously agreed.
Sennheiser reckoned it wasn’t beyond
improvement, though, and set about
designing second-generation models
with a few key tweaks.
Top of the list was easier portability.
Simple fix – add a couple of hinges to
the headband, allowing the ear cups to
fold in on themselves. Thus articulated,
the M2 doesn’t need the previous
model’s bulky carrying case and now
slips comfortably into a more modestly
sized zip-up faux suede pouch.
Ear cups have expanded in size and
changed shape to properly envelop the
lughole rather than pin down parts of
it. As well as enhancing comfort, the
larger, leather-covered memory-foam
ear pads also give better noise isolation
and reduce bass leakage. And while it
was at it, Sennheiser re-profiled the
leather-swathed headband to sit more
snugly on the wearer’s head.
The 1.4m twist-to-lock cable now
sprouts from the right ear cup instead
of the left, but features a smaller
in-line remote made from black rather
than silver plastic (Apple or Android/
Windows compatible, you choose
when you buy). Intriguingly, colour
schemes have been woven into this.
Android and Windows users get the
choice of black or ivory ear cups, while
Sounds as if it has
been voiced to
please a broad cross
section of listeners
for those of the Apple persuasion
there’s an additional brown finish.
Either way, the combination of
stitched leather and skeletal
aluminium framework looks great and
suggests a lightness and comfort that’s
entirely borne out in practice. At just
190g, this is the lightest in the group
and the easiest to forget you’re
wearing. To be fair, it also looks and
feels less robust than some of the
others – an impression reinforced by
the rather vulnerable exposed ear
cup-to-headband wiring.
Sound quality
Rather like the B&O, first impressions
are of the smile-inducing kind. The
Sennheiser sounds as if it has been
voiced to please a broad cross section
of listeners, from audiophiles who love
to scavenge detail deep within the
mix to people who simply appreciate
good quality sound and can tell the
difference between properly defined
and pitched bass performance and a
bloated thump.
Immediately appealing is a spacious
soundstage that has the happy knack
of placing vocalists and players outside
the head rather than using your
cranium as a rather claustrophobic
auditorium. The M2 manages this
EXTRA MOMENTUM
The Momentum family contains a
wireless version of the full-sized
over-ear models here and a smaller
and less conspicuous on-ear version,
which costs about £100 less and
has also undergone a number of
improvements in mk2 guise mirroring
those granted the over-ear model.
Go wireless and the cost of owning a
Momentum jumps considerably, but
then so does the convenience factor.
With battery, aptX Bluetooth and
active noise cancellation on board
you can expect over 20 hours of
music playback with the NC engaged
and even when the juice runs out, just
plug in the supplied cable and you
can continue listening, albeit only
passively. The right ear cup hosts
the music and power controls. A
multi-function button takes care
of volume adjustment as well as a
selection of other functions, which
can be fiddly and confusing until you
have had a chance to get used to it.
more successfully than the Oppo, for
example, and is unusual in this respect
for a closed-back design.
There’s an impression, not
unpleasant at all, that the sun shines
on everything the M2 plays. It isn’t
spotlighting so much as an early
evening glow that picks out the
necessary beauty of the music and its
timbral character without the need to
be stringently analytical. Take Brasilia
from Robert Len’s Fragile. This
hauntingly beautiful 24/96 FLAC
builds slowly from delicate solo
clarinet to the baleful swell of a full
horn section. Handled by the M2,
the piece has space to breathe and
proceeds with a melancholy grace
that’s perfectly judged. Open, clear,
musically supple and tuned to please,
this might not be the most accurate
headphone in this group, but it gets an
awful lot right ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF DRIVE
OVERALL
LIKE: Brings out the
best in music; light and
portable; great design
DISLIKE: Not as robust
feeling as some
WE SAY: The original
Momentum was a big
hit and this model is
even better still
MAY 2016 37

GROUPTEST
HEADPHONES
£220-£350
Group test verdict
Emerging from the listening room with a flattened hairstyle, David Vivian
ponders the relative merits of six good-looking headphones with a lot to offer
CHOOSING THE RIGHT
headphone is a deeply personal
business. Serious headphones simply
have to be the perfect fit: physically,
aesthetically and sonically. So that’s
how I’ve approached this round up.
The winner is the one I’d buy having
been in the fortunate position to give
them all a very fair crack of the whip.
If you’ve read this far, you’ll know
they all impressed in different ways.
Placing the B&O BeoPlay H6 last
was a tough call. It’s a lovely thing
with off-the-charts style and build and
a beautifully judged, even-handed
sound that never grates. But fine
detail falls a little short and, although
generally comfortable, ear cup
pressure and a hard headband, knock
off a few more points.
That’s not something I could level at
the Philips Fidelio X2 which, although
bulky and heavy, has limo levels of
plushness and comfort. I really like
the spaciousness of the sound, too,
and the truly great bass – probably
the best of the group. But its
smoothness is a bit of a double-edged
sword, easy to live with but lacking
the last few degrees of insight.
Separating the Sennheiser
Momentum 2.0 and the Oppo PM-3
isn’t easy, not because they are
so similar but so different. The
Momentum has lots going for it
– style, comfort, fold-up portability
and musical bones. But, in the end,
it’s the sheer class of the Oppo that
snatches third spot, not least for
its terrific build and comfort and a
beguilingly natural sound. But, on
that score, it suffers in comparison
with the other planar magnetic
headphone, the Hifiman HE400S.
It really presses home its open-back
advantage, creating a stunningly
transparent, detailed and coherent
sound and is a worthy runner up.
WINNER
And so the Meze 99
Classics, the dark horse
from Romania, romps
home to victory. It’s a
thing of beauty with
wood and gold bling,
but more importantly it
has a love of musical
performance that
makes even the best of
the rest sound a little
dry and po-faced.
Make/model
B&O Hifiman Meze Oppo Philips Sennheiser
BeoPlay H6 HE400S 99 Classics PM-3 Fidelio X2 Momentum 2.0
,
Sound
Value
Build
Ease of drive
Overall
Price £279 £220 £260 £349 £230 £270
A marriage of style
and sound in the true
B&O idiom and
lovely to behold
High value planar
magnetics with speed
and transparency
to die for
Style and sonics at a
great price. Musical
and wonderfully
entertaining
Closed-back planar
magnetic design
that gives a real taste
of the high-end
Built for comfort,
the X2 is no slouch
sonically, but a bit
of a smoothie
A great all-rounder
and sound quality
that competes with
the very best
Key features
Open back No Yes No No Yes No
Closed back Yes No Yes Yes No Yes
Carry case Pouch No Yes Yes No Yes
6.35mm jack No Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Detachable cable Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
TRY WITH THESE
MUSIC DOWNLOAD SERVICES:
Qobuz, HDTracks, HighResAudio
There are now numerous online music stores in
the UK providing legitimate high-resolution
lossless downloads of recordings both new
and old. Each has its focus and you may need
to hunt around for a particular album, but
some of our favourite sites to explore and
try out include qobuz.com, hdtracks.co.uk
and highresaudio.com.
PORTABLE SOURCE:
Acoustic Research AR-M2 £900
HFC 399
The AR-M2 is the standout digital
audio player of the moment. It looks
great, has a smooth touchscreen
operating system and manages to
extract every last nuance from all
your recordings. It’s an ideal source
for any headphone.
HEADPHONE AMP/DAC:
Chord Hugo £1,400 HFC 386
The Chord Hugo is an extremely
talented headphone amp and
DAC in a small, beautifully
finished box. It will make a fine
partner for any of these
headphone designs, with
enough power on tap to drive
them to the level you see fit.
38 MAY 2016

SEE PAGE 10
HI-RES AUDIO. THE FUTURE OF SOUND
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HI-RES AUDIO IN THE HOME
NEW
£495
OR LESS
NEW £449
OR LESS
£1995
OR LESS
ARCAM • irDAC-II • DAC / PREAMP
The irDAC-II is designed to be the heart of a digital system and
can be connected to a host of different types of digital sources
and connections including asynchronous USB and Bluetooth.
Up to 24bit/384kHz is supported via USB plus DSD128 support.
SONY • PS-HX500 • USB TURNTABLE
The PS-HX500 is equipped with a high-quality A/D convertor.
So just connect it to your PC with a USB cable and record
your vinyl as High-Resolution Audio tracks. This is a great
way to backup your precious vinyl collection.
NAIM • UNITI LITE WITH BLUETOOTH
ALL-IN-ONE STREAMING SYSTEM
Combines an integrated amplifier, CD player, DAB/FM tuner,
internet radio, iPod dock, digital-to-analogue converter and high
resolution 24bit/192kHz capable network stream player.
Features TIDAL, Spotify Connect and Bluetooth aptX connectivity.
HI-RES AUDIO AROUND THE HOME
NEW
5 YEAR
WARRANTY
NEW £595
OR LESS
NEW
5 YEAR
WARRANTY
£419
OR LESS
BLUESOUND • PULSE MINI
HI-RES WIRELESS SPEAKER SYSTEM
The PULSE MINI delivers true hi-fi to any nook and cranny of
your home. Includes digital and analogue inputs and supports
files up to 24bit/192kHz. Bluetooth aptX capability is built-in.
NAIM • MU-SO Qb
WIRELESS MUSIC SYSTEM
New compact wireless music
system. Its advanced yet simple
to use connectivity includes
Spotify Connect, TIDAL, UPnP,
Internet Radio, USB, analogue and
digital inputs. Supports WAV, FLAC
and AIFF files up to 24bit/192kHz.
OPTIONAL GRILLE
AVAILABLE IN RED, BLUE
OR ORANGE. £49.95
£699
OR LESS
BLUESOUND • POWERNODE 2
HI-RES WIRELESS MUSIC STREAMER/AMPLIFIER
With its advanced WiFi antenna design and blazing ARM Cortex9
Processors, the POWERNODE 2 ensures a solid connection
even when streaming high-res audio files around your home.
HI-RES AUDIO ON THE MOVE
NEW £269
OR LESS
NEW £399
OR LESS
NEW £499
OR LESS
BLUESOUND • PULSE FLEX
HI-RES WIRELESS SPEAKER
This ultra-compact wireless speaker
will change the way you think about
personal audio, delivering up to 8
hours of Hi-Res streaming with its
optional battery pack.
OPTIONAL BATTERY PACK REQUIRED
FOR PORTABLE USE.
5 YEAR
WARRANTY
ASTELL & KERN
AK Jr
PORTABLE HI-RES AUDIO PLAYER
The AK Jr gives everyone the
opportunity to comfortably listen to
high resolution audio, supporting
24bit/192kHz and DSD files while
fitting comfortably in your pocket.
PIONEER • XDP-100R
PORTABLE HI-RES AUDIO PLAYER
The Hi-Res XDP-100 digital audio player
from Pioneer is the right travel partner
for demanding music fans. It plays
Hi-Res WAV and FLAC files with Studio
Master resolutions of up to 24bit/384kHz
and DSD files of up to 11.2 MHz.
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£249
OR LESS
5 YEAR
WARRANTY
NEW £499
OR LESS
£209
OR LESS
PRO-JECT • ESSENTIAL II • TURNTABLE
Entry-level “plug’n’play” two speed turntable with single piece
aluminium tonearm and pre-fitted Ortofon OM5e cartridge.
NAD • C 556 • TURNTABLE
Time to enjoy vinyl collections with extraordinary quality!
With a minimalist design, the C 556 turntable offers accurate
reproduction by using performance-focused parts and
components that put music first.
B&W • ZEPPELIN WIRELESS SPEAKER SYSTEM
Introducing the Zeppelin Wireless. The instantly recognisable
silhouette may be the same, but every element of the speaker has
been redesigned to deliver superlative audio performance; once
again redefining what is possible from a single speaker system.
£249
OR LESS
HALF
PRICE
£249
OR LESS
FLEXSON • VINYLPLAY • DIGITAL TURNTABLE
Gives the best-of-both-worlds: an excellent record player that’s
easy to use and can be simply integrated into a streaming system.
£575
OR LESS
PRO-JECT • 1 XPRESSION CARBON UKX • TURNTABLE
With its Carbon armtube and supplied Ortofon 2m Silver cartridge,
the 1 Xpression Carbon UKX sets new standards in its price range.
NAD • VISO 1AP • WIRELESS SPEAKER SYSTEM
The Viso 1AP offers Wi-Fi network capability and supports
Apple AirPlay, as well as high fidelity aptX Bluetooth. Includes a
USB input and a 24/96 capable optical input.
£595
OR LESS
NEW £899
OR LESS
£399
OR LESS
£995
OR LESS
ARCAM • FMJ CDS27 / FMJ A29 • CD / AMPLIFIER
Introducing Arcam’s audiophile Class G integrated amplifier
and SACD/CD player with Network streaming up to 192/24
for class leading sound quality.
NEW £999
OR LESS
AUDIOLAB • 8300CD / 8300A • CD / AMPLIFIER
The 8300CD improves upon its illustrious predecessor and delivers
even better performance while the 8300A includes radically
redesigned circuitry and a high-performance phono stage.
RUARK AUDIO • R2 MK3
WIRELESS SPEAKER SYSTEM WITH DAB/FM TUNER
Play your music and discover new music in a variety of convenient
ways. Spotify Connect lets you select R2 as your player and
then control playback using the controls on R2 itself.
£SSAV
.COM
£199
OR LESS
SAVE
£50
5 YEAR
WARRANTY
NEW
£SSAV
.COM
MARANTZ • CD6005 / PM6005 • CD / AMPLIFIER
Replacing the 6004 models, the 6005 amp gains digital inputs
using the same 24-bit/192kHz DAC as the CD player which now
features enchanced USB playback and improved performance.
£199
OR LESS
SAVE
£50
NAD • C 516BEE / C 316BEE • CD / AMPLIFIER
Received an outstanding product award from Hi-Fi News
magazine who descrided the C 316BEE is an “absolute barnstormer
of an amplifier”. The C 516BEE is the perfect partner.
£429
OR LESS
SONOS • PLAY:5 • WIRELESS SPEAKER SYSTEM
Step up to the all-new PLAY:5; the powerfully smart speaker
that fine-tunes its sound to bring you all the energy and emotion
the artist packed into the original recording. Music that’s pure,
ferocious, tasty and true.
£2245
OR LESS
NEW £1299
OR LESS
B&W • P5 WIRELESS
HEADPHONES
GRADO • SR325e
HEADPHONES
£329
OR LESS
£SSAV
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£2965
OR LESS
£1249
OR LESS
NAIM • CD5 XS / SUPERNAIT 2 • CD / AMPLIFIER
CD5 XS uses developments from Naim’s more costly CD players
and when combined with the SUPERNAIT 2 it simply delivers
dynamic, detailed and engaging music that can’t fail to move you.
ROKSAN • K3 • CD / AMPLIFIER
New integrated amplifier with aptX Bluetooth, a phono input plus
five additional line inputs for other sources. The K3 CD Di player is
the perfect match for the K3 amplifer. Three finish options available.
£SSAV
.COM
£SSAV
.COM
NAD • VISO HP30
HEADPHONES
SENNHEISER
MOMENTUM 2.0
WIRELESS HEADPHONES
£169
OR LESS
£379 .95
OR LESS
DENON • D-M40DAB • CD/DAB SYSTEM (EX SPEAKERS)
With better connectivity, including an additional optical input,
along with performance upgrades to its main components,
the D-M40 improves on its award-winning predecessor.
MARANTZ • M-CR611 • CD/STREAMING SYSTEM
The M-CR611 is a superb performer, reproducing excellent CDaudio,
FM, DAB/DAB+ and Network files. Supports 192kHz / 24-bit
high-resolution files, 2.8MHz DSD files and Gapless playback.
click &
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BOWERS & WILKINS • 685 S2
At home on a stand, wall or bookshelf,
the versatile 685 S2 is ideal
for stereo and home theatre uses
in most rooms. And performance
is enhanced with the addition of a
Decoupled Double Dome tweeter.
£499
OR LESS
Price excludes stands
PMC • TWENTY . 23
The first and overwhelming impression
of the Twenty.23 is an open,
engaging and communicative speaker.
Its size defies both the depth of bass
and scale of presentation by taking
any music or film material in its stride.
The sound is vivid and dynamic and
delivered with authoritative bass.
£2425
OR LESS
Q ACOUSTICS • 3050
The flagship 3050 is the perfect
speaker for larger rooms,
boasting ultra-low levels of
distortion, typically found of
speakers costing three or four
times its price.
£499
OR LESS
3050 Standard finishes • Premium finishes £649
BOWERS & WILKINS
CM10 S2
The flagship floorstanding
speaker of the CM Series sets a
new standard for performance.
It combines technologies
taken from across B&W’s
ranges. The result simply
sounds and looks beautiful.
£2999
OR LESS
KEF • LS50
An innovative concept derived
from the legendary LS3/5a.
Rarely the case in such a
compact design, the LS50
monitor delivers a rich, multidimensional
’soundstage
experience’ that is out of all
proportion to its size.
MONITOR AUDIO
GOLD 200
Amazing scale and impressive
dynamic control are available from
this slender three-way design,
comprising ribbon tweeters, twin
5.5” bass drivers and a 4” midrange
driver, which is housed in a
dedicated enclosure.
£2299
OR LESS
MONITOR AUDIO
BRONZE 2
The Bronze 2 builds on the
strength of its predecessor’s
audiophile credibility with a
neutral tonal balance and high
detail resolution combined
with high overall efficiency and
power handling.
PSB
IMAGINE X1T
A deceptively slim and discreet
floorstanding design, the Imagine
X1T has wide bandwidth and high
SPL output capabilities that defy
its modest size. Features identical
5 1/4” woofers plus a one-inch
pure titanium dome tweeter.
£749
OR LESS
5 YEAR
WARRANTY
Q ACOUSTICS
3020
Replacing the award-winning
2020i speakers, the 3020
incorporates numerous
improvements including a
revised cabinet with wool fibre
damping plus new bespoke
drive units.
NEW Special edition finishes.
Titanium Grey, Racing Red & Frosted Black
£799
OR LESS
£279
OR LESS
£189
OR LESS
Standard finishes
Premium finishes
£249
£449
OR LESS
GLOSS
RED
GLOSS
BLACK
GLOSS
WHITE
SATIN
WHITE
MATT
BLACK
PODSPEAKERS • MIINIPOD MK3 • SPEAKERS
Ideal for large areas or where volume is required to make an
impact, the MiniPod can be placed on a desk or shelf using the
supplied spikes or wall mounted with the optional bracket.
NEW
THE WIRELESS Hi-Fi SYSTEM
The Sonos Wireless HiFi System delivers
all the music on earth, in every room, with
warm, full-bodied sound that’s crystal clear
at any volume. Sonos can fill your home
with music by combining HiFi sound and
rock-solid wireless in a smart system that
is easy to set-up, control and expand.
PRICES FROM £169
£79
OR LESS
SAVE
£120
GLOSS
RED
GLOSS
BLACK
GLOSS
WHITE
PODSPEAKERS • MICROPOD • BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS
Introducing the MicroPod Bluetooth. These stylish speakers
are ideal for tablets and smartphones are are simple to
connect without the need for unsightly wires.
HiFi for a wireless generation
Take hi-fi to new heights with
Bluesound’s next generation.
Features improved wi-fi
performance, more digital and
analog connectivity options and
Bluetooth aptX along with support
for premium music services like
Tidal and Spotify. PRICES FROM £269
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MING DA
EXOTICA DYNASTY DUET 300 PLUS £3,499
Heart
of glass
Chris Ward samples the latest integrated
valve amplifier offering from Ming Da and
discovers a sweet and dynamic sound
M
ing Da has been producing
valve amplifiers for over
22 years and is gaining
fans worldwide.
Furthermore as with this example
here, after the amp’s arrival in the UK,
Malvern Audio Research upgrades
key internal components, swaps in
higher quality valves and adds a three
year warranty. Taken altogether, this
China/UK partnership feels highly
compelling and without compromise.
This Dynasty Duet 300 Plus is an
incarnation of an existing Duet 300B
triode amp design, but now employs
zero feedback and claims many other
audio improvements. Lifting its
considerable 32kg into place confirms
that this is a whole lot of amplifier.
With this ‘Plus’ version weighing an
extra 8kg over the existing Duet 300,
it’s clear there must have been
considerable extra attention to meaty
transformers and beefy chassis work.
With eight large and lavish tubes on
show, this is an amp for conspicuous
visual consumption. I’m a fan of its
function-first, slightly ‘steam punk’
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Ming Da Dynasty
Duet 300 Plus
ORIGIN
China/UK
TYPE
Single-ended 300B
valve integrated
amplifier
WEIGHT
32kg
DIMENSIONS
(WxHxD)
430 x 220 x 340mm
FEATURES
● Quoted power
output: 2x 9W
(into 8ohm)
● Inputs: 4x RCA
line level
● Single-ended
triode
● Zero feedback
DISTRIBUTOR
Ming Da UK
TELEPHONE
07831 197019
WEBSITE
mingda.co.uk
styling, but some may find it a tad
utilitarian. To me, the black finish,
rounded corners, chunky controls and
slightly retro dials lend it a certain
Cold War charm. Add the beautifully
finished acrylic tube guard (not
shown), however, and the amp takes
on a far fresher, 21st century vibe, so
the aesthetic choice is yours. Mark
Manwaring-White at Malvern Audio
Research even hints at bespoke
coloured options in the future.
Operationally, it has four line-level
inputs selectable by the front right
dial. Ming Da offers an optional
built-in Wolfson DAC for an extra
£200, enabling coaxial and USB
inputs for those with digital sources.
Volume can be controlled by hand
or remote control that operates the
motorised volume potentiometer. As
with many rather fetching VU meters,
these are possibly more for retro
appeal than meaningful data, but
they lend it a personable face.
The amp has been hand built within
a well-finished cast aluminium chassis
using high-purity copper point-topoint
wiring throughout for quality
audio connections and near infinite
serviceability. Ming Da claims all
42 MAY 2016

MING DA
DYNASTY DUET 300 PLUS £3,499
EXOTICA
materials have been selected for
maximum audio quality and
reliability. The transformers are hand
wound using enamelled, low-oxygen
wire around especially sourced
Japanese steel laminations, made of
an alloy chosen explicitly for sound
quality. Even the amplifier’s feet
are made inhouse from turned
aluminium. Sometimes in the rarefied
CONNECTIONS
1
A mixture of
steam punk chic
and Cold War
charm make the
Ming Da a highly
desirable amp
3
world of high-end valve amplifiers,
sound quality can come at the
expense of build, but not here. The
attention to detail fills me with
confidence that a superlative
engineering-led ethos extends
through the entire signal path,
even to the robust remote control.
The quantity and types of tube is
noteworthy. A 6LP is an unusual and
very powerful driver valve for 300B
triodes and this could well create a
differentiated sound quality from
other similar 300B designs. Ming Da
has also opted for valve rectification
and cathode bias over fixed bias, so
I get all the power
of the orchestra
but can still pick out
individual musicians
the benefit for owners is that this
amp doesn’t require constant
tweaking. Bias should never need
adjustment and you’re free to swap
in alternative tubes of the correct
specification to tune or ‘tube roll’ the
sound to your liking.
Connecting up my 91dB quoted
sensitivity Cadence Arca speakers, a
Shanling CD T-100 HDCD player and
Timestep T-01MC phono stage (HFC
371) via Black Rhodium Sonata VS-1
(HFC 398) and Chord Company
Shawline RCA interconnects, I switch
on and let everything warm through
ahead of serious listening.
Sound quality
Starting things off gently with Roxy
Music’s Rain Rain Rain on HDCD, the
opening bass line and synthesiser
reveals this modest 9W amp is
punching beyond its specification.
Bass notes are far deeper and more
defined than a single-ended triode
2
1
2
3
RCA analogue
inputs
IEC mains
input socket
4 and 8ohm
speaker taps
amp has any right to achieve. The
drum kit kicks in and this track has
much greater drive and punch than I
expect from just 9W. Bryan Ferry’s
vocals are portrayed with a superb
blend of richness and ethereal
airiness. Soundstaging is strong with
the sonic image extending very wide,
but with possibly a little less front-toback
depth than class-leading preamp
sections. Pace, rhythm and timing
is a beguiling quality in amplifiers
and lower-powered triodes can
occasionally be criticised for being
too laid back, but here the Ming Da
is grooving beautifully and exhibiting
a speed and agility that perfectly
communicates the track’s lilting,
funky vibe.
Spinning the glorious Sheffield Lab
‘direct cut’ vinyl of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic playing Wagner’s Ride
Of The Valkyries, I’m really struck with
its masterful authority. 300B triode
output valves in a single-ended
arrangement are often celebrated
for a highly transparent portrayal of
more intimate music and voices, but
given the modest power on tap, they
are rarely known for their drive,
especially around more dense music.
Consequently, single-ended 300Bs
can sometimes struggle to portray
the full scale and dynamics of larger
orchestral works and can occasionally
err on the side of a little extra
creaminess, a slight smoothing of
punchy dynamics and potentially a
narrowing of the soundstage. Here,
however, the Ming Da 300B tubes
sound like triodes on steroids. This
is a track that could embarrass a
featherweight amp, but Wagner’s
huge dynamic swings are handled
with majestic ease. In particular, the
power and detail in the orchestra’s
bass instruments have a really
forceful drive and a speed of attack
that catches me off guard. This
perceived speed is most likely the
benefit of zero feedback being
employed on this ‘Plus’ version
of the amp. As a result, Wagner’s
most complex, dense and dynamic
passages sound more open and less
congested and I’m getting all the
power of the orchestra, but in a way
that enables me to still pick out the
timbre and virtuosity of individual
musicians. Stereo imaging is again
excellent, especially in width, with a
highly focused and sweet triangle
ringing high and bright above the
other musical instruments.
Coming bang up to date playing
Låpsley’s Station on CD and the
track’s evocative mix of stripped-back
instrumentation, sound effects and
haunting vocals is presented by the
MAY 2016 43

MING DA
EXOTICA DYNASTY DUET 300 PLUS £3,499
Q&A
Mark Manwaring-White
Owner, Malvern Audio Research
IN SIGHT
1 2
1
Audyn Reference
capacitors
Input and driver
valves
300B output
valves
Choke filtered
power supply
2
3
5
4
5 Twin rectifier
valves
CW: What are the main differences
between this amplifier and the
standard Duet 300?
MMW: The increased size and
superior design of these output
transformers allows far higher DC
current, enabling more power with
zero saturation on heavy bass peaks.
The coupling capacitors are of a
higher quality and we use a much
larger mains transformer with twin
rectifiers for increased longevity,
along with a hefty smoothing
capacitor bank. The 6L6 driver tubes
also offer a powerful and unusual
driver for the 300Bs that yields
great results.
Build quality seems very high. How
are standards maintained?
Ming Da has been manufacturing
valve amplifiers for over 22 years, and
the owner Mr Jigui Xiou is extremely
passionate about sound and build
quality. This is a family-run business
where Mr and Mrs Xiou take the
welfare of their staff very seriously,
with many of them having been there
since the beginning. This mutual
appreciation results in very high build
standards and real attention to detail.
I personally aim to visit the factory
once or twice a year, and all the staff
know me well. I work closely with
them in exploring new product ideas,
new design work and experimenting
with circuit changes to improve these
excellent products still further. Prior
to shipping, products get a 60-hour
burn in and re-test at the factory.
Upon arrival in the UK, we inspect
every amplifier, undertake any
upgrades, then each amplifier is soak
tested for a further 24 hours, along
with some power cycling to test
the whole power supply. I have
complete confidence in giving a
three-year warranty.
What speakers are best suited to
this amp?
This amp has far more drive than one
might expect, but we generally
recommend speakers of 90dB or
more. The Ming Da MD-009
standmount speakers at £1,300 are
well suited, but visitors to Malvern
Audio Research can sample many
excellent choices.
HOW IT
COMPARES
Icon Audio’s integrated
amplifiers deserve
consideration and the
Stereo 40 MkIII 2A3
(£1,999) represent’s
excellent value, but to
me the Ming Da has
greater sonic
refinement and
superior build. At a
similar budget,
Audion’s Silver Night
300B Anniversary and
‘Special Edition’ (HFC
402) have similar high
transparency, speed
and bass grip that
belies their power
output. Audion’s more
svelte aesthetics may
also have greater
appeal to some. Audio
Note’s Oto line SE
Signature amp (£3,450)
has a very different
compliment of valves,
but achieves a superb
blend of lightness of
touch and control and
offers similar inputs.
4
Dynasty Duet 300 Plus with
sumptuousness and a sprightly
snappiness. A heavily chorused,
mournful keyboard sits at the back
of the soundstage, rich, round and
lusciously organic. Låpsley’s voice has
the perfect balance of hear-through
transparency alongside a honeyed
richness, such that tiny nuances in
her delivery are exquisitely revealed
but aren’t served up desiccated. The
quality of the bass kick is noteworthy
again for its speed and impact and it’s
hard to equate this dynamic agility
and punch I’m listening to with just
nine single-ended integrated watts.
The track builds with unusual,
pitch-shifted vocals, extra percussion
and potent rhythmic hand claps
and the Duet 300 Plus strikes a
consummate balance of intimacy with
scale, rich tone with crackling detail
and razor sharp timing with an easy
going, highly musical fluidity.
Conclusion
If you are in the market for an
integrated valve amplifier, but are
undecided between the intimate
transparency and silky airiness that
can come with lower-powered,
single-ended triodes, or the weight,
control and scale from meatier,
push-pull valve amps, auditioning the
Dynasty Duet 300 Plus could be music
to your ears. It’s rare to get weight,
detail, transparency and lively
dynamics so well balanced, but Ming
Da (with Malvern Audio Research’s
sonic tweaking) has nailed it.
Increasingly, I’m hearing a new
breed of quality valve amps throw off
3
any remnants of a stereotypical,
cuddly, ‘pipe and slippers’ sound
and instead create real drive, speed,
agility and bass weight alongside
their dependable transparency and
sweet treble. This is a product that
has clearly had a lot of love and
attention to detail laboured on it and
£3,499 feels like exceptional value for
a hand-built integrated amp of such
novel design, exquisite build quality
with the convenience of auto bias and
remote control. If you have digital
sources and you haven’t got a DAC,
the ability to integrate a built-in one
could also be a smart option. This is
a lot of amplifier for the money and
the combination of a dedicated and
highly experienced, family-run
team in China alongside extra
knowledgeable service and technical
expertise in the UK feels highly
compelling. This is an extremely
well-built, superbly voiced amplifier
that could last a lifetime ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
OVERALL
LIKE: Transparency;
strong bass; sweet
treble; build quality
DISLIKE: Only
available in black,
for now
WE SAY: Well-built,
beautifully voiced
integrated valve amp
that punches way
beyond its output
44 MAY 2016

TANNOY
REVIEWS MERCURY 7.2 £230
46 MAY 2016

TANNOY
MERCURY 7.2 £230
REVIEWS
Mercury
rising
David Price auditions the latest in a long
line of extra terrestrial Tannoys, the Mercury
7.2 standmounting speaker
A
long time ago, in a galaxy
far, far away, Britain’s most
long-established speaker
company launched a range
of affordable, high-performance boxes
called the Planet Series. This proved a
big hit in the early eighties, especially
the entry-level Tannoy Mercury,
which offered an unexpectedly big
sound from a medium-sized box.
Despite its low cost and modest
construction, it had an uncanny
ability to get to the heart of the music
– I should know, I owned a pair.
The original Mercury of 1982 had a
distinctly unlovely vinyl wrap over its
The Mercury 7.2’s
obvious transient
speed makes it great
for pop, dance or rap
large, thin MDF cabinet, but the new
ones are obviously better turned out
and come in a choice of walnut, light
oak or black oak wood grain effect
finishes, with dark cloth grilles. The
7.2 here is the larger of the two
standmounters, but is still tiny in
comparison with the original.
Tannoy’s Dr Paul Mills was the main
driving force behind the 7.2, but he
credits “significant input from our
rising star engineer Ryan Sheen and
tuning input from Tannoy’s pro-audio
director of engineering, Phillipe
Robinaeau”. The boys have been busy,
because it’s touted as the most
significant overhaul of the Mercury
since the original, back when New
Romantics roamed the earth.
Interestingly, it has a larger mid/
bass driver than you’d expect for its
cabinet size and it’s wider than many
rivals, countering the ‘small footprint’
philosophy so beloved of 21st century
speaker designers. Either way, it’s a
win-win situation because the larger
the drive unit and greater the internal
volume of the cabinet, the more
chance it has to sound good. The 9.4
litre cabinet is connected to the
outside world by a single rearmounted
bass port with the option of
using the (supplied) foam bung. It
also sports a new 28mm soft dome
tweeter, with a high-tech dome
lamination process and powerful
neodymium motor.
The good doctor says the mid/bass
unit features a stiff, lightweight cone
and new roll surround – a proprietary
multi-fibre cone material with a
smoothly sculpted profile is used. The
tweeter employs soft woven polyester
with a micro layer of nitro-urethane
internal vibrations.
The result is a quoted efficiency of
89dB, which is good for a smallish
speaker but not outstanding. Just
about usable with low-powered tube
amps, it also works with muscular
solid-staters and has a 200W peak
power handling capacity. Quoted
frequency response is 42Hz-32kHz at
-6dB. I find it fairly easy to drive by a
solid-state amplifier, and it also works
very well close to a rear wall if you fit
the supplied bass port bungs. It’s at its
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Tannoy Mercury 7.2
ORIGIN
UK/China
TYPE
2-way standmount
loudspeaker
WEIGHT
5kg
DIMENSIONS
(WxHxD)
193 x 292 x 266mm
FEATURES
● 28mm polyester
dome tweeter
● 152mm multi-fibre
mid/bass unit
● Quoted sensitivity
89dB/1W/1m
DISTRIBUTOR
Tannoy Ltd
TELEPHONE
01236 420199
WEBSITE
tannoy.co.uk
It may look very
similar to its
predecessor, but
the difference
is clear to hear
best about 30cm from the back wall
on 24in stands, slightly toed-in,
without bungs.
Sound quality
In absolute terms this isn’t a strictly
neutral loudspeaker. There’s a subtle
upper bass warmth – due in part to
cabinet coloration – and the treble is
well lit where it meets the upper
midband. The speaker gives a bright,
upfront sort of sound – one that’s
bound to attract your attention.
Cleverly though, Tannoy has avoided
the temptation to overdo it, and the
Mercury isn’t a wildly unbalanced
design. Instead, you might call it a
characterful one, which brings a little
extra zest to the proceedings, – this
doesn’t obstruct the music, but rather
makes it seem a little more dramatic.
This speaker is more than just a
fulsome upper bass and lively lower
treble though; it’s fast, thanks to what
are obviously a very agile pair of drive
units. It has excellent transient
response, and it makes for a
wonderfully snappy sound that
renders any music you play dramatic
and involving. This, allied to its
best-in-class dynamics makes for a
great baby box. That larger mid-bass
driver, with the slightly bigger
enclosure, means it doesn’t compress
peaks quite as much as most rivals.
It’s still a small box with a modestly
sized mid/bass unit, but it certainly
feels less constrained than many. This
useful trait makes for a bigger, ballsier
and more expansive sound.
Cue up Fun Lovin’ Criminals’ King
Of New York, and you’re instantly
greeted with a sound that is far bigger
than you’d expect. Punchy, bouncy
and uplifting, you can almost forgive
the lack of low bass, because the
upper bass is wonderfully fluid and
gives the song a great sense of
MAY 2016 47

REVIEWS
TANNOY
MERCURY 7.2 £230
Q&A
Dr Paul Mills
Director of development, Tannoy
IN SIGHT
1
2
1
28mm polyester
dome tweeter
Bass reflex port
(bungs supplied)
4mm binding
posts
152mm multi-fibre
mid/bass unit
2
3
4
DP: What would you say is the
Mercury 7.2’s raison d’être?
PM: It has been our entry-level ‘real’
hi-fi loudspeaker for three decades.
We have always put a great deal of
effort and resource into ensuring
each generation of Mercury has
lead the field for technology and
performance. Mercury 7 is no
exception and we have undertaken
a major design overhaul, with
completely new, larger drivers and
improved electronics, to ensure
class-leading performance at the
price. Ironically, being at the cutting
edge of technology and performance
does not go hand in hand with very
low price points, so we have
developed the forthcoming Eclipse
series for audiophiles on an even
tighter budget.
In what way is the new generation
better than the last?
Mercury Vi, with its metal dome
tweeter, had a very upfront and
energetic sound that was not overly
tolerant of hard-sounding amplifiers.
The goal with Mercury 7 was to make
it the best all-round budget speaker
available today. It is smoother and
more refined, but loses none of the
energy and impact required for more
dynamic music. Its key strength is
in its ability to communicate the
power, passion and emotion of
music, without adding its own colour
to the mix.
What’s the ‘multi-fibre’ cone
material exactly?
The actual fibre mix is a closely
guarded secret, but the base mix is
purely organic, being a ‘paper’ pulp.
We have tried literally thousands of
cone material mixes over the years,
from plastics and polymers to carbon
and even Kevlar fibres, but the best
price/performance ratio keeps
coming back to organic fibres
embedded in a doped paper pulp.
The new Mercury 7 driver cones have
the stiffness for well controlled bass,
excellent midrange damping for
pure, uncoloured vocals.
HOW IT
COMPARES
ELAC’s Debut B6
standmounter (HFC
406) is a close rival to
the Tannoy Mercury 7.2,
albeit pricier at £299.
It’s similar, offering a
slightly wider front
baffle and a fractionally
larger diameter mid/
bass unit than the group
norm. Both speakers
are quite similar
sonically – both major
on musicality and have
more welly than you’d
expect from their size.
The Tannoy is a little
less punchy and
powerful, but sounds
fractionally tidier
across the midband, yet
has a subtly brighter
low treble and a slight
lack of high top end.
The ELAC is marginally
smoother tonally, but
like the Tannoy places
musicality above strict
neutrality. Both are very
strong designs, and
deserve auditioning.
4
motion. It’s also surprisingly weighty
for such a small box. Move up the
frequency spectrum and it throws out
plenty of detail, although by the
standards of more expensive speakers
it’s rather opaque. The point is that
there is just enough to work with, and
I’m drawn into the recording.
Unsurprising for a Tannoy is the
excellent soundstage. It images wide,
throwing elements of the mix far left
and right, giving an immersive feel
that belies its size. True, it doesn’t
hang instruments back as accurately
as some, but it still has a good stab at
recreating the recorded acoustic or
studio mix. Factor in its obvious
transient speed, and this makes it
great for pop, dance or rap music.
Moving to something that’s far
better recorded – I drop Steely Dan’s
Aja into my CD spinner. All of the
Mercury’s fine qualities continue to
impress on the superb title track, but
I begin to get the measure of the
speaker better. The tweeter begins to
announce its presence – Tannoy has
obviously voiced the speaker for bite
and speed with pop, but with the
deliciously subtle and sonorous hi-hat
work on this classic rock album, it
sounds slightly coarse. Admittedly,
its price rivals aren’t obviously any
better, but you’re definitely reminded
that you’re listening to an entry-level
model. Even though it’s highly
musical, you’ll need to spend more for
the last word in refinement. The lack
of air and space right at the top end
of the treble is another reminder of
the Mercury 7.2’s mortality.
Overall, this speaker’s excellent
breeding gives it an instinctively
musical gait. Even with far less well
recorded sixties rock music – such as
The Kinks’ Arthur – it proves a joy to
listen to. It gives a big-hearted
3
performance, full of life and
happiness. It captures rhythmic
nuances brilliantly, and again proves
dynamic and unconstrained
considering its size. It’s a little speaker
with a big sound, if it is anything. Ray
Davies’ voice is beautifully carried,
with a very emotional rendition of
Victoria, complete with soaring guitar
work and drums.
Conclusion
Most small speakers give a rather
downsized, diminished and partial
account of the music they’re asked to
play. So often when buying a budget
box, it’s a case of trying to find the
least bad compromise. Not so with
Tannoy’s Mercury 7.2, which is an
enjoyable and engaging little
loudspeaker in its own right. Indeed,
it’s the sort of thing you could happily
live with after spending time with
substantially more expensive
transducers. Of course it’s not perfect,
but Tannoy has cleverly ensured that
its sins are those of omission – it
doesn’t add anything unpleasant that
gets in the way of enjoying the music.
Heartily recommended ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF DRIVE
OVERALL
LIKE: Highly tuneful,
musical sound; fine
dynamics
DISLIKE: Nothing at
the price
WE SAY: Charming
small speaker with
huge appeal
48 MAY 2016

Revolution starts
from within.
Look at our new range of power amplifiers
and you’d be forgiven for thinking not
much has changed. Only the DR badge on
the rear panel hints at the revolutionary
technology within. Inside, our new Naim DR
(Discrete Regulation) power supply circuitry
and the radical new NA009 transistors
developed for our flagship power amplifier,
the Statement NAP S1, enhance the
fundamentals of pace, rhythm and timing
for which the originals are so renowned.
The result is an even more immersive and
involving music experience. Listen and
you’ll feel the difference immediately.
Discover more and book a demonstration
with your nearest specialist retailer at
naimaudio.com
Go Deeper

REVIEWS
VPI
SCOUT JR £1,650
Scouting
for boys
The smallest member of VPI’s Scout range
pitches into a competitive market. Ed Selley
thinks it deserves a merit badge
I
f you’re in the market for
a turntable in the price
range of £1,500-£2,000 at
the moment, you are truly
spoilt for choice. This price point has
become keenly contested and
manufacturers have been pulling out
the stops to produce options that
reflect their philosophy while offering
simplicity and convenience in terms
of setup and use.
For VPI industries, competing at
this price point has required some
evolution of its existing models. The
original, long-running Scout turntable
has evolved into the Scout 2, but has
seen commensurate price rises taking
it above £2,000. The answer has been
to take the Scout design and refine
aspects of it to become the Scout Jr
– available for £1,600 without
cartridge or £1,650 with an Ortofon
2M Red (HFC 345), as seen here.
In keeping with the VPI philosophy,
the Scout Jr is an unsuspended,
belt-driven design and VPI has been
able to keep a number of Scoutspecific
design attributes. The Jr has
a separate motor, which sits in a
recess on the left-hand side of the
plinth. This is a 500rpm AC design
chosen for the EU market and it sits
on chunky rubber feet for isolation.
The motor has a full-size IEC mains
input and speed adjustment is made
by changing the belt over two pulleys.
The plinth is non-resonant MDF
coated in the traditional VPI black
crackle finish. It is mounted on four
large metal spiked feet with rubber
tips that lend the Scout Jr a degree of
isolation. The plinth contains an oil
bath bearing and a steel shaft with
Jacobs taper onto which the platter
sits. This bearing comes supplied
pre-assembled and lubricated so it is
DETAILS
PRODUCT
VPI Scout Jr
ORIGIN
USA/Denmark
(cartridge)
TYPE
Belt-drive turntable
WEIGHT
11kg
DIMENSIONS
(WxHxD)
500 x 180 x 380mm
FEATURES
● 33 & 45rpm
● Machined
aluminium platter
● Ortofon 2M Red
cartridge
● 9in vertical yoketype
tonearm
DISTRIBUTOR
Renaissance Audio
TELEPHONE
0131 5553922
WEBSITE
vpiindustries.com;
renaissanceaudio.
co.uk
a simple matter of dropping the
platter onto the spindle when you
unpack the deck. The platter itself is
a 1in-thick piece of machined 6061
aluminium that comes with a rubber
anti-slip mat.
Where the Jr differs most
significantly from the more expensive
Scout model is the tonearm. By
preference, VPI tends towards
unipivot-style designs that are freely
suspended on a spike-type mount.
These are relatively costly to produce
and can be a little intimidating to less
experienced users. As such, the Jr
makes use of an arm that is captive
in the horizontal axis, but acts as a
unipivot in the vertical to try and give
some of the performance traits of a
true unipivot.
One area where the arm is clearly
a VPI design is the way the wire does
not exit through the pivot axis, but
instead arcs in a loop out the top of
the arm and into a terminal block. By
applying a twist to this cable, the
force it applies back onto the arm acts
as an anti-skate mechanism. This is
resourceful, but not without some
rather testing quirks.
Out of the box, the arm is rather stiff
and can ‘stick’ at points on a record
until loosened up. The loop anti-skate
is effective in operation, but the
exposed cable is very vulnerable
to outside interference from other
nearby electronics.
These quirks aside, the Scout Jr feels
solid and very well thought
out. The hefty platter and smooth
movement of the arm give the deck
50 MAY 2016

VPI
SCOUT JR £1,650
REVIEWS
Setting the
Scout Jr
up is a breeze
a feeling of solidity and quality and
the Scout Jr can be assembled quickly
and easily in a few minutes. Like a
number of rivals, there is no form of
dust protection which may or may not
infuriate, but the footprint is small
enough that a number of box covers
will fit.
Sound quality
Left to run for a few hours and with
the arm loosened up, the Scout Jr gets
an awful lot right. In presentation
terms, it is an interesting counter to
strong rivals in the category. Kicking
off with St Germain’s Tourist, it
sounds quick and lively but without
losing any sense of scale or impact.
A common accusation that’s often
levelled at unipivots is that they are
lacking in bass response, but the
‘quasi unipivot’ design on the Scout Jr
has a very pleasant shove to it with
plenty of low-end impact and
excellent fine detail.
Effortlessness and spaciousness are
traits often associated with unipivots
and are very much part of how the
Scout makes music. This is most
noticeable with recordings that can
sound a little congested and confused
like Ritual by The White Lies. Where
at times the music can sound a little
dull and muddy, the VPI is able to
introduce a subtle but appreciable
level of top-end sparkle. This adds
HOW IT
COMPARES
Analogue Works
Zero+ (HFC 407)
remains one of
the most fluid and
engaging turntables
under £2,000. It is
consistently able
to find the beat in
whatever it plays.
Against this, the
VPI can be less
immediately
engaging, but
hits back with that
spaciousness and
refinement that can
elude the Analogue
Works. In value
terms, the Zero+ is
slightly cheaper and
the Audio-Technica
cartridge it is
supplied with offers
higher performance
than the Ortofon on
the VPI. However, the
VPI offers a more
solid build quality
and greater upgrade
potential. Choosing
between the two is
hard, but any wouldbe
owner is unlikely
to be disappointed
with either option.
to the sense of effortlessness that it
brings to almost everything it plays
and while superficially less exciting
than some rivals, it is nonetheless
extremely enjoyable and easy to listen
to and never goes so far as sounding
slow or languid.
Further listening reveals that while
the upper registers are detailed
and reasonably refined, there is a
graininess to them which is present
even on very good pressings. It turns
out that the culprit is the Ortofon 2M
Red supplied with the turntable. As
part of the package, it acquits itself
better than you might reasonably
expect an £89 cartridge, but it is
unquestionably the weak link in the
performance chain. Poor recordings
The even handed
way it handles poor
recordings makes it
a decent all-rounder
in particular can sound thin and
scratchy in the upper registers and
the Scout Jr also seems to show some
susceptibility to surface noise with it
in place.
UK distributor Renaissance Audio
has clearly seen this eventuality
coming and as noted, the turntable
can be ordered without a cartridge
for a £50 saving. Unless you are
particularly strapped for cash, this
would strike me as the best way
forward as it is fairly clear that the
design can handle rather more
cartridge than the 2M Red. Of course,
charging £50 for a 2M Red is itself
good value and any Red can be
upgraded at a later date with the
stylus from a 2M Blue, but it is fairly
clear that the Scout Jr can offer more
performance if you want it.
Substituting a Hana EH from this
month’s Mini Test – starting on page
106 – (a process that is entirely
painless) yields a considerable
improvement in the treble
performance with a much smoother
and effortless presentation that loses
none of the positive qualities it
displayed with the Ortofon, while still
keeping the all-important price under
£2,000 and retaining compatibility
with moving-magnet phono stages.
With the Hana in place, the VPI is
a deeply impressive turntable.
That same wonderfully unforced
presentation moves up another notch
and the tonality becomes more natural
and convincing at the same time.
Conclusion
Quibbles over the cartridge should
not detract from the extremely
positive qualities that the Scout Jr
displays as a whole. This is a very
impressive piece of design that
manages to give a good taste of what
the VPI brand is about without doing
anything to scare new customers
or make life difficult for them.
The wonderfully even handed and
spacious way it handles even poor
recordings makes it an impressive
all-rounder and yet another seriously
capable turntable to add to the
shortlist at this price point ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
OVERALL
LIKE: Spacious
presentation; solid
build; easy setup
DISLIKE: Tonearm is
a little quirky
WE SAY: An assured
turntable that offers an
extremely impressive
performance in a well
thought-out package
CONNECTIONS
1
2
3
1
2
9in vertical yoketype
tonearm
Ortofon 2M
Red cartridge
Speed changing
pulley
Phono outputs
Earthing post
3
4
5
5
4
MAY 2016 51

REVIEWS
DALI
ZENSOR 5 AX £800
52 MAY 2016

DALI
ZENSOR 5 AX £800
REVIEWS
A sound
solution
Does the relentless march of the wireless
speaker spell the end for the floorstander?
David Vivian reckons DALI has the answer
T
he more things change,
the more they stay the
same. The old French
proverb seems particularly
apt in the world of consumer audio
electronics these days. For all the
advances in wireless, streaming and
hi-res technologies, all most people
buying a music system want is what
they’ve always wanted: maximum
satisfaction for a reasonable outlay
with minimum messing around. A
plug ‘n’ play solution that sounds
great, in other words.
Equally, there’s no getting away
from the impression that while it’s
Well-articulated,
not-quite-neutral
but always rhythmic,
fun and engaging
never been easier to buy just such a
solution off the shelf – subsequently
to be placed unobtrusively on a shelf
in the home – there’s been a bit of an
excursion down the garden path by
marketing folk when it comes to the
sonic goodies on offer. Solo wireless
speakers that use closely coupled
drivers and Digital Signal Processing
to unpack a stereo image can be good
at what they do, but even superstars
like the Naim Mu-So (HFC 391)and
Geneva AeroSphère Large (HFC 407)
struggle to compete with conventional
components for real hi-fi sound quality.
The beauty of progress, however, is
that manufacturers can create new
niches that meld tradition with
cutting-edge tech – in theory, nailing
what, to some, will be the best of both
worlds. Let’s say what you really
want is the uncluttered plug ‘n’ play
convenience and wireless/streaming/
decoding capabilities of a modern
single-box wireless speaker, but with
the sonic reach and flexibility of two
established classy floorstanders that
you can position precisely where you
want for the best performance.
Not such a big ask when you think
about it and one already addressed
by German brand Raumfeld with its
bulky three-way Stereo M standmount
speakers (HFC 399). Now Denmark’s
DALI is serving up a similar proposition
with the self-powered Zensor 5 AX
floorstander. As with the Raumfeld,
it isn’t a true active design, but one
where the crossovers are kept passive
and the stereo integrated amplifier
and wireless electronics are housed in
the left-hand cabinet. This is linked to
the other cabinet – essentially a regular
Zensor 5 – by a single run of speaker
cable, supplied or of your own choice.
Cool runnings
In common with the standmount
Zensor 1 AX that completes the range,
power is provided by a lightweight,
cool-running Class D amplifier rated
at 50W per channel. There are two
physical input connections located
on the back panel of the left-hand
cabinet, plus an output for a
subwoofer. The optical input reads
signals up to 24-bit/176.4kHz, which
gets passed on to the DSP section and
finally the amp. A pure digital
pathway. The other connection is
via a 3.5mm stereo mini-jack. The
analogue feeds supplied by this and
wirelessly by Bluetooth are changed
to a 24-bit/96kHz digital signal by an
A/D converter and routed through to
the DSP, which delivers a PWM signal
at 384kHz to the open loop amp. The
amplified signal is then received by
the passive crossover that splits it up
for the drivers.
DALI says that the wide dispersion,
25mm ‘ultra lightweight’ fabric dome
tweeter (no speaker toe-in required)
is derived from the design used in its
more expensive models. It features a
vented voice-coil former and damping
material under the dome to minimise
reflections from the pole piece. Also
DETAILS
PRODUCT
DALI Zensor 5 AX
ORIGIN
Denmark
TYPE
2-way floorstanding
active loudspeaker
WEIGHT
11kg
DIMENSIONS
(WxHxD)
212 x 840 x 282mm
FEATURES
● 25mm fabric
dome tweeter
● 2x 133mm wood
fibre mid/bass
drivers
● Quoted power
output: 2x 50W
DISTRIBUTOR
DALI UK
TELEPHONE
0845 6443537
WEBSITE
dali-uk.co.uk
They might not
be the biggest
floorstanders,
but they still
have the grunt
where it counts
familiar are the distinctive ruddy hues
of the 133mm woodfibre-coned
mid-bass drivers. DALI contends that
the blend of fine grain paper pulp,
reinforced with wood fibres, creates a
stiff yet lightweight and well-behaved
structure that, in combination with
a low-loss surround and spider
suspension, reproduces the smallest
details of the signal fed to it. What
you can’t see are the four-layer voice
coils and the rigid metal baskets – the
combined effect of which is claimed
to improve bass authority and the
reproduction of transients.
The slim, elegant, front-ported
cabinets are well constructed from
CNC-machined MDF and partially
dressed with a glossy laminate plate
for the baffle. They look impressive
despite their modest dimensions.
Confronting resonance is internal
bracing and acoustic damping
material on all the inside surfaces
except the back of the baffle, this
is to create a more direct connection
between the mid-bass drivers and the
reflex port and, claims DALI, achieve
better bass precision and increased
‘attack’ in the midrange. Each speaker
enclosure is hoisted an inch into the
air on a rather wonderful minimalist
integrated aluminium plinth, which
has slim foam pad ‘treads’ to protect
solid flooring and machined threads
to accommodate spikes or the
somewhat more surface-friendly
screw-in rubber bobbles supplied.
MAY 2016 53

REVIEWS
DALI
ZENSOR 5 AX £800
Q&A
Lars F Jørgensen
Product Manager, DALI A/S
DV: What inherent advantages do
the self-powered Zensor 5s have
over a standard pair driven by a
separate amplifier?
LJ: In a word, simplicity. There is a
growing demand from the market
for speakers that don’t need an
accompanying stack of electronics.
The goal of the Zensor AX models
was to create loudspeakers that were
easy to set up and convenient to use,
but at the same time could provide
the same level of audio performance
as our traditional passive speakers.
The Zensor AX models give you that
freedom without losing the ability to
deliver great audio experiences.
Class D amplification is improving
all the time. Did you have to wait for
it to get ‘good enough’ before
designing the AX range?
Absolutely. The decision to launch
the Zensor AX series was closely tied
in to the significant improvements in
Class D technology over the last
couple of years. We needed an
amplifier that had the audio quality
to drive the Zensor models, but which
was also affordable enough to keep
the pricing in line with the Zensor
ethos. Finding the right amplifier was
a long process. In the end it came
down to a LOT of listening. We
already knew how good this speaker
can sound with a standalone
amplifier so we had to make sure
that the AX sounded just as good,
or even better.
Are you planning any more
self-powered or, indeed, fully
active designs?
DALI is fully committed to the active
speaker segment. The success of the
Kubik and Zensor AX series shows us
that there is a great demand for highquality
amplified speakers in the
market and there is no doubt that
DALI will launch more speakers into
this segment. Expect to see both
brand new and more traditional
products from us in the near future.
HOW IT
COMPARES
IN SIGHT
4
For almost exactly the
same money, you can
have a Naim Mu-so
(HFC 391), arguably the
best one-box wireless
speaker around and an
easy win for anyone
who wants great sound,
design and connectivity.
Plenty of power, too, so
it will drive a large room
with ease. Sonically,
the bijou DALI towers
batter the nuggety
Naim but need quite a
lot more space and an
acceptance of that ‘old
school’ hi-fi look to do
so – albeit without the
accompanying clutter.
However, a pair of
Monitor Audio Bronze
5s (HFC 402) driven by
the company’s slim yet
talented A100 (HFC
388) streaming amp
will save you around
£50 and deliver a yet
more full-blooded and
transparent sound.
1
2
3
An LED just below the drivers on the
left-hand speaker of thankfully muted
brightness with the grilles off (and
just visible with them on), signifies
the input in use. Green is for the
analogue line-in, pale orange for
digital optical and blue for Bluetooth.
The remote is tiny and plastic, but
covers all the bases: power, volume
and input selection.
Sound quality
If it looks like a DALI Zensor 5, walks
a bass line like a Zensor 5… well,
you get the idea. Assuming a fondness
for the Zensor sound – clean,
well-articulated, sprightly, not-quiteneutral
but always toe-tappingly
rhythmic, fun and engaging – the
self-powered version isn’t going to
spring any major surprises.
What’s clear, however, is that the
matched amplifier and decoding
electronics have honed and polished
the presentation to the point where
the 5 AX sounds classy and cohesive
across all inputs. This is no accident,
of course, when you consider the
‘digital unification’ processing
protocols used.
Pleasing straight away is the sense
of structure and clarity that’s often
1
2
3
4
25mm fabric
dome tweeter
Front-firing
reflex port
Terminals to link
passive speaker
2x 133mm
wood fibre mid/
bass drivers
a hallmark of decent Class D
amplification. The sound is very well
balanced, with no obvious tonal hot
spots or depressions but a ready
penchant for resolving detail and
ambience. This provides a good
impression of space and venue within
which performers and instruments
are well focused and positioned,
affording a dimensionality to the
soundstage that works particularly
well with live recordings.
The 5 AX sounds deftly dynamic,
too, doing the punch and delicacy
thing with a sense of proportionality
that’s usually the preserve of more
expensive designs. This is all
showcased to good effect with a spot
of Larry Carlton live in Tokyo with
David T Walker. On the funky jog
The Well’s Gone Dry, the relaxed
groove is beautifully carried, the
interplay between drums, bass guitar,
The sound is very
well balanced, with
no obvious tonal hot
spots or depressions
saxophone, keyboards and Carlton’s
lead sounding effortlessly lucid and
empathetic. Musicianship and the
atmosphere of the venue are pushed
right to the fore, hi-fi histrionics a
largely forgotten concern.
Conclusion
Let’s be clear. If you can accommodate
a compact and smartly designed pair
of floorstanders and you keep your
music on your phone, tablet or hi-res
personal player, the DALI Zensor 5 AX
will be more musically rewarding
than any single-box wireless speaker
you can buy. And, unless you
overspend on the amplifier, the
speakers will sound better than a
more conventionally driven pair of
regular Zensor 5s, too. Best of both
worlds? Close enough ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
OVERALL
LIKE: Fine sound;
elegant floorstander
DISLIKE: Remote
control is naff
WE SAY: A smart
solution for people
who want to cut
the clutter without
sacrificing the sound
54 MAY 2016

Apprentice MM
Phono stage
HFC
Recommended
SP2 floor standing
Speakers - gloss
HFC Recommended
jan 2015
IA 1 & 2 Integrated
amplifiers
TT2SE turntable
HFC Recommended
April 2016
TALK Electronics Ltd
Unit 2 Stroude Farm
Stroude Road
Virginia Water
Surrey
GU25 4BY
01344 844204
www.talkelectronics.
Turntables:- from £250 - £900
Phono Stages:- from £90 - £1500
Headphone amplifiers:- from £120 - £650
Integrated amplifiers:- from £400 - £900
Loudspeakers:- from £400 - £1700
Interconnect cables:- from £65 per pair
Speaker cables:- from £4 per metre
NEW - MC1 Mk2
Phono stage

REVIEWS
KEF
EGG £350
Satellites
of love
The latest member of KEF’s EGG family
updates the iconic speaker design.
Ed Selley enjoys some over-easy beats
A
s the revival in the fortunes
of two-channel audio looks
set to continue, we’re
seeing companies adapt
products that were originally intended
for multi-channel use to more
traditional stereo-orientated designs.
In the case of KEF, the company has
taken its long standing ‘egg’ satellite
speaker – a benchmark in the compact
home cinema multi-channel
loudspeaker market – and given it a
thorough overhaul to turn the design
into the active stereo setup you see
before you here.
The EGG digital music system is
derived from KEF’s latest 5.1-satellite
and subwoofer system and makes use
of the same Uni-Q driver that
originally gave the speaker its shape.
In this case the Uni-Q is a 115mm
aluminium mid/bass driver with a
19mm tweeter placed at its centre.
This version incorporates the latest
DETAILS
PRODUCT
KEF EGG
ORIGIN
UK/China
TYPE
Wireless digital
music system
WEIGHT
2.2kg each
DIMENSIONS
(WxHxD)
136 x 274 x 172mm
FEATURES
● 19mm vented
aluminium dome
tweeter
● 115mm Uni-Q
driver
● Quoted power
output: 50W
● 24-bit/96kHz
capable USB and
optical inputs
DISTRIBUTOR
GP Acoustics Ltd
TELEPHONE
01622 672261
WEBSITE
kef.com
refinements of the design such as the
‘tangerine’ waveguide in front of the
tweeter and the ‘Z Surround’ system
that allows for more controlled driver
excursion. Each enclosure has a small,
front-mounted bass port, which along
with the drivers is concealed behind
the grille.
The conversion to a stereo product
has also led to some alterations. In
order to accommodate the ‘active’
amplification, the base of each speaker
has been enlarged – with a selection of
controls being added to one – and the
leg that connects the speaker enclosure
to the base has been beefed up as
well. A 50W-rated Class D amplifier is
inside each speaker, which is unusual
because while the practise of powering
a driver with a dedicated amp is
relatively common, this makes the KEF
a true dual mono design, meaning that
each speaker runs independently.
Despite the twin amplifiers, it
requires just a single mains socket for
power. Along with audio signal inputs,
the power connection is made on one
speaker, which is then connected to
the second via an umbilical cable to
56 MAY 2016

KEF
EGG £350
REVIEWS
carry power and audio signals. This is
an elegant solution, but the umbilical
cable is a little on the short side at just
1.5m. While you are unlikely to want
the speakers to be positioned much
further apart than this, getting
anywhere near to this distance does
mean that the wire will be stretched
tight between them.
A good selection of inputs are on
hand and include a USB connection
with 24-bit/96kHz support as well
as a 3.5mm jack socket that works
as both an analogue or digital optical
connection that also supports 24/96
formats. Wireless streaming is via
aptX Bluetooth connectivity when
paired to a compatible device. In
keeping with the speaker’s home
cinema roots, there is also a
subwoofer pre output.
The KEF impresses with its looks
from the moment it’s extracted from
its excellent packaging and it certainly
looks like a serious piece of audio
equipment perched on a desktop.
Some of the elegance of the original
EGG has been lost in the conversion
to active stereo speaker, but judged on
its own aesthetic merit, this is a great
piece of design. Build quality and
finish are of a very high standard
and the speaker enclosures feel
impressively solid and well
implemented. A small remote
control is also supplied.
Connecting the KEF to my laptop
running Windows 7 and jRiver, has
me up and running in a little over a
minute with no issues. Given that the
EGG is closely derived from
a multi-channel system that
is designed to work with
a subwoofer, it isn’t
unreasonable to wonder
how effectively it will work
without one.
Sound quality
As you might expect, with
only a pair of 115mm mid/
bass drivers housed in
rather small enclosures,
this is no bass monster.
The amount of energy
that it produces below
100Hz is fairly negligible.
But this doesn’t seem to
have as dramatic an effect
on performance as you
might anticipate, and while
it is unlikely to vibrate your
internal organs, the EGG is
able to generate a stereo
image that is outstanding.
The level of immersion
that this soundstaging
attribute generates is not
to be underestimated, and
HOW IT
COMPARES
The closest match to
the KEF EGG in terms
of design is the £999
Eclipse TD-M1 (HFC
390) system that also
makes use of two
active speakers. In
terms of inputs, the
KEF is impressively
close to the Eclipse
with USB, a digital
input and analogue
connection, but the
TD-M1 offers AirPlay
instead of the EGG’s
Bluetooth. For the
extra outlay the
Eclipse offers 192kHz
support and a nonupsampling
mode.
Both units are well
built and stylish, but
the Eclipse possibly
looks a little sharper.
Audio performance
of the two is close
too. The Eclipse has
better bass response
and a greater sense
of urgency, but lacks
the KEF’s refinement
at the frequency
extremes. If you can’t
stretch to the TD-M1,
the KEF makes a
more than convincing
case for itself at less
than half the price.
it does a fine job of appeasing the
brain more than any loss of bass does.
This is further aided by it being
punchy, well integrated and
entertaining to listen to. Choosing
White Bear, the latest release from
The Temperance Movement, it
manages to capture the intent of the
piece extremely well with plenty of
energy and drive. The heady rock of
Oh Lorraine has enough of the punch
of the original recording to negate any
sense that the KEF is cutting off any of
the bottom end. This is further aided
when positioned in a near-field
configuration when used as speakers
with a computer.
It has an extremely
wide sweet spot and
decent, believable
stereo image
Further up the frequency response,
the EGG is more assured. The Uni-Q
system has superb integration between
its two drivers, resulting in a seamless
performance from 100Hz upwards.
There is plenty of space and presence
to vocals and Regina Spektor’s
Consequence Of Sounds is deeply
impressive. The speaker manages the
neat trick of having an extremely wide
sweet spot that means a decent and
believable stereo image can be had,
even when used at a greater distance
from your listening position.
Poached, fried or
scrambled, you
can’t help but be
impressed by
KEF’s EGGs
One of the more impressive aspects
of the EGG is that despite the fairly
reasonable price tag, it responds
positively to high-resolution material.
As you might expect, the bass response
doesn’t change significantly but with
the 24/96 download of Joe Satriani’s
Shockwave Supernova, the almost
liquid quality of the guitar work is
handled impressively well.
Where the system further impresses
is that this ability to respond to
higher-quality material doesn’t impair
the KEF from sounding perfectly
listenable with Spotify and more
compressed material. It is only when
you wind the bitrates down to very
compressed material that it starts to
sound in any way strained or brittle.
Switching to Bluetooth does not
really change any aspects of the
performance that the speakers
demonstrate via the USB port. Making
the connection itself is simple and
painless and in the case of the Android
devices that I use for testing,
reconnection is automatic.
Listening to My Wild West by Lissie
on Tidal over USB from the laptop and
over Bluetooth via a phone, reveals
little noticeable fundamental change
in the way that the KEF is able to grab
the vocals and generates a meaningful
and engrossing soundstage with them
carefully placed over the top.
Conclusion
The KEF EGG active speaker system
is an effective refinement of the
multi-channel home cinema original.
While perhaps not quite a perfect
replacement for a more conventional
separates system, it is more than up
to the task of replacing an all-in-one
dock-type speaker system, providing
significantly improved functionality
and a far superior sense of stereo
soundstage. The useful selection of
inputs combined with the excellent
build quality and unfussy placement
makes this an impressively flexible
audio system ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
OVERALL
LIKE: Involving and
lively sound; useful
inputs; solid build
DISLIKE: Limited bass
performance; nothing
else at the price
WE SAY: A clever use
of KEF’s longstanding
home cinema champ
makes an excellent
desktop stereo system
MAY 2016 57

REVIEWS
ONKYO
TX-8150 £549
Stereo type
David Price looks back to a simpler time as
he auditions Onkyo’s ultra-modern take on
the classic stereo receiver, the TX-8150
A
h yes, the stereo receiver,
how quaint! The last time
the breed was really
fashionable, many of us
were wearing flared trousers and
dreaming of buying our first Ford
Capri. Once upon a time, receivers
sold like hot cakes from dealers’
showrooms. Audiophiles generally
regarded them with derision because
some were pretty poor, but others
were simply the same circuitry used
in a company’s high-quality separates,
put into a single, neater-looking
package. Beyond the rarefied world
of seventies hi-fi magazine reviewers,
they had really wide appeal.
Receivers enjoyed a renaissance in
the early noughties. This time they
had the prefix ‘AV’ and at least five
channels of power amplification built
into them. And, now, it’s time for the
rebirth of the stereo receiver – in the
crisp shape of Onkyo’s TX-8150.
You can be reassured that this
machine is designed to do what your
average 21st century stereo-type will
want. Which is to say, it plays vinyl
(there’s an op-amp based MM phono
stage, with a pretty standard
sensitivity of 3.5mV/47kohm), it
handles line sources (of which we
all now have many; it has six), it has
a radio (DAB/DAB+, FM and internet
variety via TuneIn) and it is networkcapable
so you can play music from
your NAS. It has (four) digital inputs
too, so you can plug your swanky new
telly or Blu-ray into it, and enjoy far
superior sound. It’s AirPlay and
Bluetooth equipped (although sadly
not aptX), and there’s a USB socket so
computer audio files can be piped in
direct. Then, via wi-fi, there’s Deezer
and Spotify. And there was me
thinking that my old seventies Sony
receiver, with its twin tape monitors
and aux input was versatile!
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Onkyo TX-8150
ORIGIN
Japan/China
TYPE
Network stereo
receiver
WEIGHT
8.6kg
DIMENSIONS
(WxHxD)
435 x 149 x 328mm
FEATURES
● Quoted power
output: 2x 135W
(6ohm)
● FM/DAB/DAB+
tuner with 40
presets
● Inputs: 6x RCA
line-level; 2x
coaxial; 2x optical
digital
● Bluetooth, AirPlay
and wi-fi network
playback
● MM phono stage
DISTRIBUTOR
Onkyo UK
TELEPHONE
08712 001996
WEBSITE
uk.onkyo.com
The power output is quoted as
135W (into 6ohm), which translates
to 94W RMS per channel into 8ohm.
That’s a lot for a product of this price,
and of course in another league
to stereo receivers of yesteryear.
Interestingly, it’s Class AB too – so
doesn’t take the Class D road to cheap
power. Project leader Takao Ogawa
says the circuitry isn’t based directly
on any of its amplifiers, but “uses the
same design concept” with Onkyo’s
proprietary Wide Range Amplifier
Technology circuitry. Inside, you
see the familiar Onkyo EI toroidal
transformer and two custom-made
8,200μF high-current capacitors in
the power supply. The digital heart
of the TX-8150 is the Asahi Kasei
AK4452 DAC chip. This is placed on
Onkyo’s anti-vibration Oval Chassis;
for the price the unit feels sturdy. The
brushed aluminium fascia is a thing
of beauty, even if the pressed steel
casework is a little resonant and
there’s a plastic volume knob.
The DAC is 32-bit/384kHz capable,
but this doesn’t extend to all inputs;
the front panel USB handles 24/96
PCM and DSD 2.8MHz. The fascia
also sports a large fluorescent display;
although it has a three-stage dimmer
it isn’t particularly inspiring in these
days of crisp OLEDs. You get a
headphone socket, input selection,
speaker A/B switching, tone and
volume controls on the front, plus a
58 MAY 2016

ONKYO
TX-8150 £549
REVIEWS
CONNECTIONS
Pure Audio switch that defeats the
tone controls. One nice touch is that
the unit wakes up if it detects an
optical digital signal – perfect for
the aforementioned TV viewing.
The tuner has 40 nameable station
presets, and four quick-access front
panel presets which work across FM,
DAB and internet radio – another
pleasing feature.
Sound quality
Anyone familiar with Onkyo’s A-9010
(UK) entry-level integrated amplifier
(our Group Test winner last issue)
will notice the ‘house sound’ of the
TX-8150; although not the same, it’s
not a million miles away. This makes
for a smoother, richer sound than
some budget rivals, with a nice
rhythmic flow. It’s absolutely ideal for
the type of environment this receiver
is likely to find itself in, where a little
warmth doesn’t go amiss. There’s
definitely a subtle richness to the
upper bass, which leads up to a
smooth midband and sweet but
quite lively treble. The Onkyo has
a big-hearted personality with a
solid bottom end and confident
demeanour, but it’s only mortal and
so at high volumes it does begin to
lose some of its dynamic prowess.
No matter which source you choose,
this receiver is an enjoyable music
maker that likes to get into the
groove. Via its phono input, the
TX-8150 sounds very pleasing indeed.
Kate Bush’s Hounds Of Love via a
Technics SL-1210 deck fitted with a
Shure V-15VxMR cartridge is fun,
despite this not being the best
recording ever committed to disc.
There’s a lot of processing to the
sound, and the album from which it’s
taken does seem a little tonally dull,
yet the Onkyo delivers a large scale,
widescreen performance with lots of
space within. Some budget amplifiers
can sound tonally rather thin and
bereft of life, but this receiver gets
into the song and keeps me
mesmerised throughout. The
electronic percussion comes across
in a powerful and rhythmic way,
sounding far more animated than
one might expect at this price. Kate’s
voice is as icy and fragile as ever,
but is carried in an accurate and
immediate way. Impressively, things
never get harsh or brittle, yet it
doesn’t sound bland either. It has a
better phono stage than I’d expected
at this price too and is admirably
devoid of hiss and hum.
Via a line-level analogue input, the
sound opens up a touch more. I play
Prefab Sprout’s seminal Appetite from
an Audiolab 8200CD silver disc
spinner (HFC 370), and am greeted
by an animated performance with an
enjoyably fluid bass that underpins
A smoother, richer
sound than some
budget rivals, with
a nice rhythmic flow
the song, even on the crescendos
where on lesser amplifiers, it can be
overshadowed by other elements in
the mix. Midband is clean and carries
lots of fine detailing from the
recording right out to the listener.
Instruments are well placed spatially,
but again there is a slight two
dimensionality to proceedings, which
isn’t entirely unexpected at this price.
Switch to one of its digital inputs,
and it’s soon apparent the TX-8150
contains a decent DAC. True, it isn’t
going to render mid-to-high-end
digital sources obsolete, but it stages
an impressive attempt to carry the
power and the glory of any music
you care to play from silver disc. For
example, a CD of Gregory Isaacs’
Night Nurse proves lots of fun, with
an innate charm. There’s obviously a
slight softening of the lowest bass
notes (there’s plenty of them on this
track), but a little further up the
range the receiver really gets into its
stride, and bounces along beautifully.
True, the bass is a little loose, but
it’s excused because of its obvious
tunefulness. This syncopates nicely
with a clean, matter-of-fact midband
that carries a decent amount of detail.
In absolute terms, it does sound a
little ‘over-etched’ in the upper-mid,
with a subtle sense of chromium
plating – but it’s nothing to worry
about at the price. Treble proves
crisp, but it lacks any real sweetness
or delicacy in absolute terms.
Indeed, across all sources, the
TX-8150 proves itself to be an
accomplished if not earth-shattering
performer with real charm. Its
pleasing tonality includes a subtly
generous upper bass, which is ideal
for small standmounting speakers for
example, and there’s plenty of detail
in the midband and real life and
sparkle up top. Dynamically it’s
strong, and doesn’t run out of grunt
until your flares are really flapping;
rhythmically it will have you tapping
your feet. I am impressed by the FM
sound, which isn’t as poor as I’d
feared, and it does a sterling job with
DAB broadcasts. Indeed whatever
input you choose, it’s consistently
clean and glitch-free.
Conclusion
There’s a lot to like about Onkyo’s
TX-8150 – it offers an unusually
diverse range of sources and/or
inputs and sounds strong across them
all. It has plenty of useful features, is
built well and isn’t unattractive to
look at. In use, this budget box
doesn’t draw attention to its
affordable price tag. Overall
then, thumbs firmly aloft for this
thoroughly modern stereo receiver –
just like the good old days, but
without having to suffer polyester
shirts and kipper ties ●
1
2
1
2
3
4
5
Coaxial
digital inputs
Ethernet network
port
Speaker terminals
with A/B switching
Six analogue
line-level inputs
Optical digital
inputs
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
LIKE: Unerringly
musical performer;
facilities; flexibility
DISLIKE: No aptX
support
WE SAY: Keenly priced
do-it-all stereo receiver
with real appeal
5
4
3
OVERALL
MAY 2016 59

FEATURE HOME RE-MASTERING
His master’s voice
HFC meets legendary master of the re-master, Sean Pennycook,
to discover what goes into breathing new life into a classic
M
ention the name Sean Pennycook
– AKA Sean P AKA P-ski – in
dance music circles and respect
is very much due, thanks to his
formidable reputation as a record collector
and DJ extraordinaire.
Sean has been described as the “black
music oracle” and is also known as The
Knowledge due to his mind-blowing music
library of thousands of records and CDs that
make up his enviably vast jazz, disco and
hip-hop collection.
Constantly in record shops as a customer
from an early age, he eventually made the
switch to the other side of the counter in
the eighties, and his musical knowledge
soon saw him supplying record labels with
information, records and sleeves for reissues,
writing sleeve notes and compiling soul,
disco and jazz LPs. His DJ sets are legendary,
his compilations an education and it will
come as little surprise to discover that his
hi-fi set up is also one of a kind.
A bit tired but certainly enthusiastic when
Hi-Fi Choice pays a visit to his London HQ,
Sean has just returned from a DJ set in
Manchester and his next re-mastering jobs
have just arrived: a parcel containing a
cassette from Michael Kasparis’ Glasgowbased
independent label Night School, with
whom Sean has worked his audio magic for
a couple of releases (see page 62) and some
LPs by an Italian composer for restoring.
“They look and sound like library records,
though I haven’t investigated them online
yet,” assesses Sean. Despite a busy workload
ahead, he graciously takes time out to pop
the kettle on and give us an exclusive tour
of his supremely complex-looking setup.
With a Holy Grail jazz platter on his
Clearaudio reference turntable, an instant
signifier that we’re in an audiophile’s lair,
one tonearm is carefully lowered… followed
by another. With two styli simultaneously,
elegantly navigating the grooves, it’s an
extraordinary sight – this is clearly no
ordinary kit. Each arm goes into a separate
phono amp – another indication of the
one-of-a-kind nature of this setup. “I may
be the only person who has this combination
of elements on that deck,” beams
accomplished, autodidactic, audio
restoration engineer Sean whose
commissioned work – both credited and
60 MAY 2016

HOME RE-MASTERING FEATURE
uncredited – has seen him become
in-demand eyes and ears for artists and
record labels across Europe and as far
afield as America and Japan.
“That’s part of the fun, if not the focus, of
customising your setup,” Sean says. “It’s a
slow-moving work in progress, so every now
and then a carefully selected component
will be added and stand or fall by its
abilities. I imagine every hi-fi enthusiast has
a link in the chain they’re most particular
about. Mine is the cartridge: I still have
every model I’ve acquired since the eighties,
with the exception of the Karma, which I
sold along with my LP12. I’m constantly
buying and getting disappointed by them,
but I just love them”. Old favourites include
Clearaudio’s Sigma (“Tracks heavily at 2.8g
and doesn’t do inner grooves very well”),
Denon’s now discontinued DL-304,
Audio-Technica’s AT0C9 III (“Nice but
smooth and a bit laid back”) and its modern
classic, the AT440mla (“My first one cost
£75. They almost doubled the price when
they woke up to how brilliant a bargain it
was and, to be honest, still is”).
The dream setup
Typically, Sean uses a VPI fan-cooled record
cleaning machine, with home-made cleaning
solution; Milty gun; Clearaudio reference
turntable powered by the company’s
Accurate Power Generator, fitted with
Clearaudio Universal and Moerch DP-6 12in
tonearms; various cartridges, both moving
magnet and moving coil; various phono
stages, though usually Musical Fidelity X-LP2
monoblocs, older X-LP and the Micro
iPhono; E-MU soundcards; Tascam and
Pioneer DAT machines, if required; Cedar
Audio hardware for the declicking and
decrackling process; and Adobe Audition
and various software programs, along
with various custom cables. “The deck
– I’m constantly adjusting it and swapping
cartridges, experimenting with overhang
and azimuth,” Sean admits. “I still haven’t
found the magic formula yet. But I would
get bored with it if I did.”
The latter components are all bespoke
affairs, the most recent additions are tailor
made by online retailer Design-A-Cable,
which allows its customers to select specific
terminators and so on.
The iPhono is also a neat addition – this
£300 cartridge amp is as versatile as it is
diminutive: “Whether moving magnet or
moving coil, you can change several aspects
of a cartridge’s performance,” he says. “All
cartridges have different characteristics, so
depending on your setup, the ability to
change the gain, EQ and loading to your
liking is very handy. The tiny dip switches
are very fiddly, admittedly, but with a
steady hand, you can adjust them on the
fly and see if all the tinkering makes the
difference most pleasing to you”.
The source material from which Sean
works is mostly vinyl, although DAT and
various types of digital file and cassette
are not uncommon. “Sometimes audio
transferred from reels needs some kind
of denoising, due to degradation,” Sean
explains. “My only preference is for good
quality vinyl pressings, but that’s something
of a pipedream. There are very few pressings
I actually rate as being above average.”
When pressed on this subject, he elaborates
with the precision and detailing you’d expect
from some of the most in-demand ears in the
business: “When I bought the Classic
“It’s not unusual to
spend over an hour
trying to eradicate a
single problem click ”
Records’ edition of [jazz drummer] Dave
Bailey’s [1960 LP] One Foot In The Gutter, I
was surprised how quiet the playing surface
was. I later got the four 12in, 45rpm set of
[Miles Davis’] Kind Of Blue and brought it
round to a mate’s flat. This guy was using
an £8,000 cartridge at the time, whose
brand eludes me, but after a whole
afternoon playing both records and CDs,
So What came on… and laid waste to all
that came before it. The leap in scale,
presence and realism was an eye opener...
It was as if all we’d played up to that point
had been flat, two-dimensional.”
Bitten by the bug early, Sean started
collecting records when he was about 12 and
has been working in record shops since the
eighties. An early adopter, he bought his
first CD player in 1990 and still buys discs
There are few
pressings
that Sean
rates, but
this is one
regularly. “I have lost count of how many
records and compact discs I have. If
‘thousands’ is an estimate, I’m afraid that
will have to be it,” he admits, when asked
the inevitable question.
Hi-fi was also an early passion. “I used to
tinker with my father’s record player when I
was young,” curious-minded Sean explains.
“I found that doing things like altering the
height of the cartridge on this BSR deck
changed playback characteristics in some
surprising ways, things like that. I borrowed
a book from the school library called Sound
Recording and Hi-Fi, which was very
informative and easy to understand. The
club music I was into in the early eighties
involved a lot studio manipulation to get
that cutting-edge sound and, in awe of its
protagonists – largely New York DJs
recruited to mix disco records – I wanted to
be an engineer, either mix or mastering. In
fact, my first job interview after I left school
was for the tape library at Tape One Studios,
but I never got the job and didn’t have the
luxury of waiting for an opening in a studio,
so I went to college and studied computing.
It’s little more than a hobby, but still, I’m
doing a variant of something I wanted to do
from an early age – that’s enough for me.
“Occasionally, I will completely re-master
something just for my own personal
listening. I don’t do this much as it’s
extremely time consuming and gets in the
way of paid work if I have any on.”
And without further ado, Sean guides HFC
through the basics, beginning with a concise
definition of the process that defines his
trade. “Re-mastering is preparing a master
recording, usually for reissue,” he explains,
“Technology constantly improves, so
re-mastering an old track may improve
Sean’s Clearaudio deck fitted with Clearaudio
Universal and Moerch DP-6 12in tonearms
Cedar Audio hardware is used in the lengthy
declicking and decrackling process
Several phono stages are used including
Musical Fidelity’s X-LP2 monoblocs with X-PSU
MAY 2016 61

FEATURE HOME RE-MASTERING
Sean is constantly adjusting
and swapping cartridges to
find the perfect formula
its sound quality. Sometimes it’s decreed that
a record or CD that’s currently available is
somehow flawed and needs adjustments.
If you’re into the minutiae of vinyl, you’ll
perhaps notice slightly different pressings of
the same release. This could have a number
of reasons behind it, including a re-cut
correcting fidelity issues [such as sibilance
and volume and maybe skipping].
“Plenty of reissues don’t need interfering
with, but get re-mastered anyway – and
occasionally to their detriment, as overcompensating
for perceived EQ or amplitude
deficiencies can ruin, not enhance audio.
“Brick-wall limiting [in which volume
levels are maxed out to the point of near
unlistenability] is still prevalent in CD
mastering and remastering can make the
music quite stressful to listen to, as it
hampers nuance,” Sean adds. “In these
situations, it’s a case of ‘I want my CD to
sound louder than yours’.”
Getting the mix right
Compression and limiting are beneficial
to a finalised mix, as they add sparkle and
presence, as well as levelling peaks. Music
on the radio sounds more animated and
bright as it’s put through these processes to
make everything sound consistent to the
listener. It’s only a problem when used
incorrectly, so when too much limiting is
applied (ie, ‘brickwalling’), the gaps between
the highest and lowest points of the audio
(dynamics) are reduced, or even closed
completely. “The end result can be really
stressful to listen to, as there’s no subtlety,”
says Sean, “because even at low listening
levels, the elements within the music are
battling with each other because they’re
all turned up to 11.”
Despite a record collection that the word
enviable scarcely does justice to, Sean is no
vinyl fetishist. “I’m not sentimental about the
format’s flaws – clicks, crackles, pops, hum
and various noises analogue playback
introduces,” he states. “I always wanted to
eradicate – or at least mitigate – these
distortions. For me, they get in the way of
enjoying the music.” Setting him apart
from many of his contemporaries, for his
legendary, eclectic DJ sets, Sean shuns vinyl,
preferring his own re-mastered CDs. “When I
record vinyl to put on CDs, I always do some
basic restoration first,” he explains, “which is
essentially a ‘lite’ version of the full process I
undertake for commercial jobs. I’ll usually
beef up some less punchy tracks, but more
often, I try to keep transfers flat.”
Sean began his solo flight into remastering
about 15 years ago. “I took the plunge and
Sean started collecting
records when he was 12
and has worked in record
shops since the eighties
invested in the Cedar system in the early
2000s,” he explains. The initial outlay was
considerable: his first two Cedar units cost
nearly £8,000, with the subsequent
investment in a third unit costing another
cool £4,000. For the uninitiated, the
Cambridge-based company pioneered digital
audio restoration, but for those in the know,
their first exposure to Cedar will most likely
have been the same as Sean’s – a feature on
the BBC’s Tomorrow’s World in the eighties
in which the future was unveiled with the
demonstration of an analogue LP being
played through a computer.
Having finally learned the ropes with his
specialist kit, Sean began by offering his
services out to friends with labels and slowly
building his business from there.
Much rides on a successful project and
Sean always asks for records to be sent to
him so that he can clean and digitise them
himself. “I will accept files as a last resort,”
he explains, “but in such cases I sometimes
NIGHT SCHOOL
Sean’s two projects for
Michael Kasparis’
eclectic, Glasgowbased
independent
label, Night School –
launchpad for
memorable releases
from The Space Lady
and Molly Nilsson –
have both involved cult
eighties act Strawberry Switchblade and founder
members Rose McDowall and Jill Bryson.
The first was Rose McDowall’s cover of Blue
Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear The Reaper (shown below),
put out by Night School for Record Store Day in
2015, originally released as a single in 1988 and very
hard to track down on first issue. “Michael ordered a
copy of the 12in from the US which was poorly
graded, unfortunately,” Sean explains, “but
despite the vinyl’s challenging condition, it
came out pretty well after restoration, as did
the 7in version. The 3:30 vocal of Don’t Fear The
Reaper was stretched out to 5:30, incorporating
sections from the 12in instrumental and featured
as a bonus track on the reissue.”
The other was a 90-minute cassette of unissued
Jill Bryson tracks. “This was transferred using a
Nakamichi CR-7 [three-head cassette deck],” says
Sean. “Although the tracks appeared to have been
recorded to the cassette on different occasions and
possibly not on the same machine, there were
minimal phase issues. The TDK SA90 was in good
condition and, thankfully, the tape itself exhibited
no audible signs of stress or creasing.”
Once transferred, Sean de-clicked the audio,
as there were spikes at various points. The next
step was removing the hiss and noise. “This varied
from track to track, with some of the more demolike
tracks hampered slightly by higher noise levels
and generally lower fidelity overall than the others.”
The Jill Bryson recordings are scheduled for release
soon, at time of writing.
feel I could have done a better job, had I
started from scratch. I’ve had to work with
recordings sent to me, made on surprisingly
high-end gear that sound closer to AM radio
than anything approaching hi-fi, as well as
noisy records played back and EQed through
basic DJ setups. A good recording of a
bad-sounding record will always clean up
better than a bad recording of a greatsounding
record, so I’m set up for dealing
with problem vinyl when I am sent it. I have
a Technics 1200 with a Shure Pro-Track
1000E I got back in the nineties, which in
some cases, will provide a better transfer
62 MAY 2016

FEATURE HOME RE-MASTERING
than the main deck as it plays back some
records with less background noise, although
it’s prone to sibilance.”
For a typical job, all vinyl is first cleaned
on the VPI – and Sean’s happy to divulge
the ingredients of his home-created cleaning
solution: “I use one part surfactant, scentless
medical soap, basically, and a bit of wetting
agent, which helps to break the surface
tension of the water, some pure alcohol, and
lots and lots of distilled water.” Alcohol is
used to help the solution evaporate from the
grooves and the surfactant – washing up
liquid can also be used – if used incredibly
sparingly, typically just a pindrop of soap to a
gallon of water.
Next, the record is ‘shot’ with the anti-static
Milty gun before the process of transferring
to PC begins. As the turntable has two
tonearms, two simultaneous recordings
are made of each record or track, using
cartridges with very different characteristics.
“The reason for this,” Sean explains, “is that
different stylus shapes affect playback in
several ways, so even the same cartridge will
track – and therefore sound – differently
when fitted with, say, a conical stylus, as
opposed to an elliptical one. Pretty much all
styli – the actual needle tips – will be either
conical, which is more common on cheaper,
usually moving-magnet cartridges, or an
elliptical variant, such as micro-line,
fine-line, Shibata, or others.”
I’ve had to work with
recordings that sound
closer to AM radio than
anything close to hi-fi
The differences in these variants can be
profound and all have benefits and
shortcomings, depending on the records they
play, he adds. “The reason I make two
recordings is simple: the better cartridge
reveals more of the imperfections in vinyl,
despite offering improved tracking,
groove-tracing, frequency response and
overall clarity. The lesser cartridge offers less
of the sonic benefits, but plays back with less
clicks, crackles and groove noise – in some
cases by a considerable amount.”
Once recorded levels are adjusted, loud
clicks are removed manually and Sean uses a
subsonic filter to regain some headroom –
essentially the audio palette. The audio is
then played through the Cedar process and
any remaining clicks, thumps and broadband
noise – such as rumbles and constant
background hiss – are removed manually.
This can take a considerable amount of time
and patience on Sean’s part: “It’s not unusual
to spend over an hour trying to eradicate a
single problem click,” he admits. “I once
spent over eight hours on something like
the first 90 seconds of a Brazilian LP. I sit in
front of a screen scrolling the waveform in
spectral view (the intensity of the sound
Sennheiser’s HD 600 – the only component
Sean has that he’s 100 percent happy with
elements are shown as colours, so ‘hot’
sounds like clicks will ‘light up’ against the
darker shades, making them easier to
identify and remove) playing back the audio
in bursts of as little as less than a second,
listening for impulse disturbances left
behind, as the real-time hardware Cedar
Declickle unit I use isn’t quite as thorough
as the more expensive offline processing
system, but still indispensable.
Headphone heaven
“I monitor on Sennheiser’s HD 600, which I’ve
had for a long time. They’re the standard I
judge everything by and the only component
I’ve ever had I’m 100 percent satisfied with. I
wanted a high-quality in-ear monitor I could
use for both my iPod and mastering, so I got
a pair of JH 13 Pros. They’re way better than
the boxy Shure SE535s I previously used for
portable listening, but nowhere near as
revealing as the HD 600.
All tracks are then topped and tailed. “If
the client requires, I’ll EQ the tracks and
apply some gentle limiting,” he says. “I’ll
even brick-wall when requested. If the end
product is for vinyl, I don’t use a limiter.”
“I feel I’ve gotten better at restoration
throughout the years, learning more from
trial and error than anything else,”
perfectionist Sean admits. “I would love to
re-do much of the earlier stuff, but that’s not
going to happen – I’m always looking at
ways to improve what I do. All I try to do is
take everything that is an adverse analogue
artefact out and leave the music unimpeded,
but I’m at the mercy of the source material.”
Thankfully, the results of all the hard work
carried out by Sean’s expert eyes and ears
speak volumes, and we can only expect even
greater accomplishments on a return visit to
this skilled audio-restorer’s unique setup ●
SHOPPING LIST
For a taste of Sean’s incredibly eclectic
collection, seek out these killer compilations,
which have been curated, compiled or
re-mastered by the man himself...
Eyes On The Prize
(Sureshot)
A nine-track set of US
12in club tracks centred
around the early eighties,
Some tracks were from
Sean’s personal vinyl
collection. No restoration
was available.
Prelude: The Sound Of
New York
(Deepbeats)
“Unfortunately, an
oversight meant the
compilation couldn’t be
sold legally after a few
months and the remaining
copies were destroyed.”
Disco Not Disco – Vol. 1 & 2
Strut
Curated in conjunction
with producer, Joey Negro,
as Sean puts it these are:
“Collections of danceable
tracks compiled by two
dance music aficionados
who can’t dance.”
Destination Boogie
Z Records
“28 early eighties tracks
which were originally 12in
singles, indicative of the
disco/funk-infused soul
music of this period. This
type of sound has made a
comeback recently.”
“SupaFunkAnova – Vol. 1 & 2
Z Records
A selection culled largely
from independent, US
12in singles, focusing on
the funk end of disco and
R&B. The first volume was
recently issued on vinyl for
the first time.”
Originals Vol. 3
Claremont 56
“A 10-CD series of
compilations, each with a
track list selected by a DJ.
Sean’s killer funk and disco
selections appear on the
third volume. There was a
run of just 1,000 copies.”
Rock It... Don’t Stop It
BBE
“A set which brings
together early hip-hop
influenced records
from the 1979-1984
period. Sean compiled,
re-mastered and provided
the sleeve notes.”
Under The Influence Vol. 5
Z Records
“The latest in the edition of
a series, where collectors
and DJs show off some of
the lesser-known elements
of their record collections
worth showcasing.” Out
very soon on Z Records.
64 MAY 2016

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YOUR LETTERS & QUESTIONS ANSWERED
THIS MONTH
NEVILLE ROBERTS
EXPERTISE: ENGINEER
Neville has an eclectic taste
for classical baroque. His
wife was forced to marry his
transmission line speakers in
the eighties and he collects
BBC test card music.
JASON KENNEDY
EXPERTISE: REVIEWER
Editor of HFC from 1998 to
2001, Jason’s first turntable
was Rega’s Planar 3 and Elvis’
40 Greatest Hits was his first
vinyl, so don’t go stepping on
his blue suede shoes.
DAVID VIVIAN
EXPERTISE: REVIEWER
David’s love of hi-fi started at
an early age after a near-deaf
experience with a rubbish
Pye music centre and his
favourite prog-rock LPs. He
hasn’t been the same since.
CHRIS WARD
EXPERTISE: REVIEWER
Like his first kiss, Chris will
never forget the sound of his
first amp – an Aura Evolution
VA-100. War Of The Worlds
and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours
were his first records.
More ways to get in touch:
You can also send your
questions to us via social media:
twitter.com@HiFiChoiceMag
facebook.com/hifichoice.co.uk
Email us at letters@hifichoice.co.uk or write to: Hi-Fi Choice Letters, AVTech Media Ltd, Enterprise House, Enterprise Way,
Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 6HF. Your letters may be edited before publication and we cannot enter into personal correspondence
Quad query
In your December issue David
Vivian wrote an interesting
article on the Quad S-1, which I
recently bought and am looking
for a suitable budget amplifier to
partner. David mentioned that he
tested the speakers with three
amplifiers, including the Monitor
Audio A100, but he only made
reference to how the Quads
sounded with two of them, both
of which are outside my price
range. It would be helpful if he
could comment on how the
speaker sounded with the A100,
especially its ability to drive
what is only an 84dB sensitivity.
Can you suggest any other
budget amp to fit the bill?
John Lawrence, Anguilla
DV: Fear not, John, the Monitor Audio
A100 (HFC 388) acquitted itself
admirably with the S-1. You don’t say
what your budget is, but if it doesn’t
stretch to Quad’s own Vena (HFC 390)
desktop amp at £600 (certainly worth
I’m after a cartridge
upgrade – any
chance you could do
a round-up soon?
considering as it sounds a little more
muscular than the A100), then the
slim-line Monitor Audio is a no-brainer
for the money – ie, comfortably under
£200 if you really shop around.
Ergonomically, it isn’t the best. Expect a
lot of fiddly tiny button pressing if you
want to set it up for streaming. But
sonically, it punches way above its
weight with a wonderfully spacious,
smooth and highly detailed
presentation. And it has easily enough
drive and control for the Quads and a
lovely supple, tuneful bass. One of the
great hi-fi bargains of the moment.
Not enough needle
Many thanks for continuing to
provide such an excellent
magazine and reviews of kit. Like
many of your readers I have
never given up on vinyl and have
a modest collection of dearly
loved records, which I play
regularly on my Pro-Ject
turntable. It has an Ortofon
Rondo Red cartridge, which
provides excellent results
Monitor Audio’s
slimline A100 is
a no-brainer for
the money
through my Arcam amp and B&W
805 standmounts. I have often
considered a cartridge upgrade,
but while your reviews of the
turntables available are excellent
there seems to be a paucity of
reviews of the types of cartridges
that would reward an upgrade
seeker like me. Please help.
Richard Vass, Gloucester
LD: Hello Richard, never let it be said
that we don’t listen to our readers!
Turn over to page 106 and you’ll find a
Mini Test featuring cartridges, I hope
you find it useful.
NR: I must confess to really loving the
sound of Ortofon cartridges and the
MAY 2016 69

‘I’ve made my decision,
I’ve chosen my religion,
it’s music...’

JITTERBUG
USB Filter
Quintet Black certainly comes to mind
as an excellent upgrade consideration
for you. However, if you fancy a change
of manufacturer, then the new Hana
SL (HFC 408) is a superb-sounding
cartridge with an extremely
competitive price tag. It offers a very
refined sound and will perform really
well in your setup.
Cassette boy
I would appreciate it if you could
give me some advice regarding
some gear. I am looking for a
component that would create a
typical tape signature sound. I
pretty much fell in love with the
sound of cassette in my old car
and I’ve been looking to enjoy
the same signature in my home
system. Can you recommend
something suitable?
Guillaume, by email
NR: Hi Guillaume, well, the obvious
choice is to look for a secondhand
cassette deck. As we said in our Guide
To Buying Secondhand Audio Equipment
in HFC 396, there are some real
bargains to be had and you are likely
to be able to pick up a Nakamichi or
similar for a fraction of the new price
as people are clearing space in their
hi-fi racks to accommodate new
equipment. Many items have been
sitting unused for many years and
some are in superb condition. High
quality cassette tapes are also still
readily available from all the usual
outlets, including Amazon.
Drunk and disorderly
I have purchased a pair of DALI
Ikon 1 Mark 2 speakers and I’m
more than happy with them.
For the price they offer a good
degree of accuracy and respond
well to my amplifier – the Rotel
RA-10. During a manic drunk
session last week the speakers
got accidentally turned up to
12 and this was too loud for my
stereo – in the space of a couple
of minutes the speakers had
started sounding fuzzy and old.
On the advice of a contact over
the internet – who informed me
that there was a residual charge
in the drivers, which was
affecting the performance – I left
the stereo off for three days. This
allowed the charge to naturally
dissipate and they magically
repaired themselves!
I’m so happy I still have a
stereo and I want to share this
information with everybody
I fell in love with the
sound of tapes in
my old car and want
it in my hi-fi system
because it could well save
someone from throwing out a
pair of speakers which could
have been reused had they been
given a little bit of a rest.
Alex Hampson, by email
CW: This is great news Alex, but you
may have been lucky. Very few
manufacturers give clear guidelines for
safe volume levels alongside associated
units of alcohol. Please drink and play
music responsibly. Other readers
should note that 12 is of course only a
‘theoretical’ volume level, with 11
being more widely accepted as the
maximum possible, as pioneered by
Spinal Tap in 1984.
Ethos excitement
I am writing to you from Sydney,
Australia. Although far away,
I have been getting my Hi-Fi
Choice every month for years.
I recently had a hybrid power
amp, which I used with a
PrimaLuna Prologue Premium
Can a £39 insect make all
your CD files sound better than
Hi-Res?
Yes and no: Using the same
equipment and a quality DAC, a 24/96
file (for example) will always sound
better than a CD 16/44.1 file … but,
even a single JitterBug will often
allow a CD file to be more musical and
more emotionally stimulating than
a Hi-Res file without the benefit of a
JitterBug.
Noise is the problem. Real noise—
the kind you can’t hear directly. Most
often, the word “noise” is used to
describe tape hiss or a scratch on a
record, but these sounds aren’t noise;
they are properly reproduced sounds
that we wish weren’t there.
Problem noise is essentially random,
resonant or parasitic energy, which
has no meaning. It can’t be turned
into discrete sounds, but it does
compromise signal integrity and the
performance of everything it touches.
JitterBug’s dual-function lineconditioning
circuitry greatly reduces
the noise and ringing that plague both
the data and power lines of USB ports,
whether on a computer, streamer,
home stereo or car audio front-panel
USB input.
A single JitterBug is used in between
devices (i.e., in series) as shown
below. For an additional “wow”
experience, try a second JitterBug
into another USB port on the same
device (such as a computer). Whether
the second port is vacant, or is
feeding a printer or charging a phone,
JitterBug’s noise-reduction ability is
likely to surprise you. No, the printer
won’t be affected—only the audio!
While a JitterBug helps MP3s sound a
lot more like music, high-sample-rate
files have the most noise vulnerability.
Try a JitterBug or two on all your
equipment, but never more than two
per USB bus. There is such a thing as
too much of a good thing.
Buying a
secondhand
tape deck on
ebay needn’t
break the bank

LETTERS
M A D E W I T H
KIMBER KABLE
Pre; something went array with
the power amp and blew the
bass midrange cones in one of
my Opera Grand Mezza speakers
(now repaired). I will get the
power amp repaired, but do not
now trust it and have already
purchased a less expensive
power amp, the Roksan Kandy
K2. I can’t believe how much
more livelier my music sounds,
the old hybrid sounds heavy and
lethargic compared with the
Will electrostatic
loudspeakers like
MartinLogans sound
okay in my setup?
Roksan. Was it a case of too
many tubes? The PrimaLuna Pre
with the Roksan power amp
sounds lively yet still has plenty
of substance. I don’t know if I
was lucky to strike a great
balance in the combination?
Unfortunately in Australia it is
not practice for retailers to loan
out components for trial, as
appears to be the case in the UK,
so judging the sound from your
system with a new component is
down to chance. Which brings
me to my next decision…
I have heard and read much
about the MartinLogan Ethos,
Chris suggests
MartinLogan
ElectroMotion
ESLs for Joe
yes it sounds great in store, but
once again there’s no telling if it
will suit my system. I listen
mostly to symphonic music.
I have an Audiolab CDQ,
Clearaudio Emotion turntable/
Graham Slee Reflex M,
PrimaLuna Prologue Pre,
Cocktail Audio server and
Roksan K2 power amp. Will my
present system do justice to the
Martin Logan Ethos, and what
differences could I expect?
Thanks for all the guidance and
interest your magazine provides.
Joe Defina, Sydney Australia
CW: Sounds to me Joe like you are
broadly happy with where you are. If
however, you are really hankering for
the virtues of a hybrid electrostatic, the
Ethos is an impressive product. Of
course, with an in-built Class D 200W
amplifier, this may rather negate some
of the amplification magic you’ve
stumbled upon. It may be worth you
also trying to audition the less
expensive (and passive) MartinLogan
ElectroMotion ESL speakers. These are
remarkably good value and may hit
your brief for far less outlay. Hybrid
electrostatics are usually great for
symphonic works, having the qualities
to portray large soundstages with
superb air around performers
alongside some much-needed bass
slam for large dynamic swings. Of
course many panels are more ‘beamy’
than the Operas you are used to, so
factor this in, especially if you listen
with others. Maybe also taking your
amplifiers to the dealers will enable
more contenders to be auditioned?
Ear for detail
These days to most
people – especially the
younger generation – hi-fi
as we know it or used to
know it is dead. By and large
floorstanding speakers the size
of small cupboards are not being
bought in the same quantities as
they were in years gone by.
My argument, or shall we say
observation, is this: yes,
44/96/192kHz resolution is
lovely, and no doubt with today’s
ever increasing numbers of
headphones in all guises it will
be possible to glean a clearer
more detailed sound with better
source product. But musical
reality, producing the illusion of
music being played virtually live
in your home is enhanced 100
fold by musical dynamics, deep
powerful bass and souring highs,
AND at substantial volume and
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LETTERS
in this regard big and powerful is
beautiful and simply more real.
High resolution or no high
resolution, the detail is no good
without the bandwidth to create
the reality and this simply
cannot be reproduced through
the plethora of tiny speakers
currently marketed.
Yes, high-resolution sound is
desirable, bring it on, but don’t
let’s kid ourselves that the
smidgen of extra detail will
compensate for little or no
dynamic realism. It is this that
makes the hairs on our necks
stand up and creates a genuine
event every time the volume is
cranked up and the realism
makes a very welcome
appearance. Long live proper
hi-fi and proper dynamics. The
extra icing is no good when the
cake itself is only half baked!
Alan Whittle, by email
JK: You’re not wrong Alan but be
thankful that your neighbour is not
of the same opinion!
CW: You are touching on an
important nerve Alan. Resolution
mustn’t be an end in it’s own right.
This can be underlined by the
potential arms race over ever more
sophisticated DACs making the
previous year’s model appear
antiquated. There are links between
resolution, bandwidth and dynamic
range, enabling higher signal-to-noise
ratios on paper. In practice, advanced
components can have a superior
ability to resolve the quietest sounds
from the loudest dynamics and
extract more bass and treble detail.
Yet generally, analogue vinyl has a far
lower measurable signal-to-noise
ratio than most digital technologies,
but many prefer the dynamic delivery
of the black stuff. So we start to open
the digital can of worms around
dither, oversampling, quantisation,
compression and a world of
psychoacoustics that cannot yet be
fully explained. As you say, playing
music louder does enable greater
subjective realism to the dynamics we
hear in real life, but increasingly, the
When will people
realise hi-res is
nothing without
dynamic realism?
majority of people live in smaller
homes, with smaller rooms, separated
by thinner walls, often with more
people sharing that space and
neighbours in closer proximity. Add
up these demographic factors and
it’s easy to understand why so many
listeners are space constrained and
feel pressure to listen at lower volume
levels. Preserving bandwidth and
dynamics at lower volumes though
smaller, often less sensitive speakers
is a near impossible challenge. Add
in people having longer and longer
commutes and it’s unfortunately easy
to understand that music for many
is now experienced more quietly at
home, via a car system or increasingly
but more optimistically, through
sophisticated mobile players and
portable DAC/amps via quality
headphones. So, maybe the cake is
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LETTERS
When we tested
the phono stage
capabilities of
the ADL and
Graham Slee in
HFC 407, the
latter came
out on top
often fully cooked, but potentially
mostly through quality
headphones or by audiophiles in
larger detached properties?
DV: A good system should be able
to retain the relationship between
the loudest and quietest sounds
whatever volume it’s played at.
‘Dynamics’ are scalable. There’s
usually something wrong with a
system if it has to be played loud to
sound any good. That said, when
power, bandwidth, resolution and the
right track come together at the same
time and place, something has to give
and it’s usually restraint.
Take centre stage
I’m looking for some advice on a
suitable phono stage for my
setup, which consists of an
Arcam FMJ A19 amplifier, KEF
LS50 speakers on Atacama
MOSECO 6 stands with a Graham
Slee Gram Amp 2 Communicator
phono stage. I’ve just ordered a
Clearaudio Concept MM to
replace my Pro-Ject RPM 1.3
Genie turntable and am excitedly
awaiting its delivery. I would be
most grateful for your opinion
on my current Graham Slee
phono stage versus the Furutech
ADL GT40a.
I really like the idea of being
able to use it for recording my
vinyl to digital and it would be
used as a phono stage rather
than as a DAC as I have a
Cambridge Audio CXN with
built-in DAC which I use in
conjunction with a Cambridge
Audio CXC for CD playing or
streaming duties when not
listening to vinyl.
Would the Furutech be a
significant upgrade and suitable
for my set up or would you
recommend that I explore
another alternative? I’m pretty
relaxed on the budget, but it
needs to be appropriate to the
limitations of the rest of the kit.
Ian Riley-Brown, by email
NR: Hello Ian, that’s a very nice setup
you have there and the Graham Slee
Gram Amp 2 Communicator phono
stage (HFC 407) is certainly a great
little performer, as is the ADL GT40a
(HFC 399 and HFC 407). So it really
boils down to whether the extra
facilities that the ADL has to offer are
important to you. Obviously, the
Graham Slee is purely an analogue
Can you give me your
thoughts on ADL’s
phono stage vs
Graham Slee’s?
phono stage and only suitable for MM
cartridges, while the ADL has an ADC
and will give you the ability to digitise
your vinyl in high resolution 24/192
format. It also has a very respectable
headphone amplifier, which may also
be of value to you as neither the
Graham Slee nor the Cambridge
Audio CXN (HFC 399) has one. I
know someone who uses the ADL as a
dedicated phono stage in his high-end
system and is very happy with its
performance. However, the Graham
Slee also offers superb sound quality
and comes at a bargain price.
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OPINION
Cassette comeback?
Just as vinyl sales have risen to mass-market awareness, stories of a cassette revival
suggest a similar trend. Lee Dunkley gets nostalgic for tape, but doesn’t miss the hiss
The opinions expressed in the following pages are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the attitudes or opinions of Hi-Fi Choice or AVTech Media Ltd. Picture credit: Shutterstock/Alextype
F
orget about the latest high-resolution digital
file formats hitting the headlines, the world is
going crazy for old-school analogue sound
complete with warts-and-all quality in a quest
for tangible music formats. Vinyl has long been
championed by HFC and even though we all knew the
format never really went away, its return to mainstream
popularity is well documented in these pages. But it’s not
the LP that’s currently catching the ear of the audio
hipster, but the forgotten compact cassette tape.
As the resurgence of vinyl reaches greater consumer
awareness – finding its way on to supermarket shelves –
with the biggest Record Store Day event so far held just a
few weeks ago, we’ve become accustomed to the idea of
an analogue format making a comeback into the heart of
our audio systems. But I confess to being more than a little
surprised by the reports of a Lazarus-like return of the
temperamental cassette tape as a serious music option.
Back in the format’s heyday I was very much a fan. Like
any music-obsessed teenager of the time – and despite
being aware of the BPI's Home Taping Is Killing Music
campaign – I was addicted to recording albums I owned
(and some I possibly didn’t) onto Super Ferric or CrO2
formulated cassette tapes from brands like BASF and TDK
so that I could play my favourite albums on my prized
Sony Walkman.
The RIAA has denied
any significant
upturn in tape sales
amid the reports
But it was my
introduction to the
compact format that
began my love affair
with music as soon
as I managed to
save up enough pocket and birthday gift money to
purchase my first radio cassette recorder. Routinely
listening to the Top 40 music chart was a rite of passage for
any teenager back in the seventies and eighties and like
many my age I sat beside my new machine poised to hit
the record button the instant the presenter stopped talking
over the intro of the song I liked so that I could capture it
for myself and endlessly play it back in the hours and days
that followed. It was a crude and mechanically
unsophisticated process on my Sanyo recorder, and one
that could seriously shorten the life span of the cassette
tape with all that cueing, rewinding and pausing and
easily result in a tangle of tape if it unspooled and
wrapped itself around the pinch wheel or the playback
head. But I loved it, and even more so when it eventually
brought portability that was unheard of with the first Sony
Walkman in 1979, and changed the way we listen to our
favourite music forever.
I'm not alone in my
fondness for tape, but
despite once owning a
three-head Sony cassette
deck in the early nineties
equipped with Dolby B, C
and S noise reduction
systems, I haven't played
a single cassette in more
than 20 years, and I
actually think the deck
found its way to the
municipal dump during a
recent house move after
years of being relegated to a dusty attic, although I held
onto my collection of mix-tapes.
In an era where retro is cool, it seems that cassettes are
collectable again as music fans discover the format that
was originally developed for dictation machines desirable
as a means for listening to the latest music, or so we're
lead to believe. In a recent story run by the Daily Mail
newspaper – and picked up by other publications as
evidence of the format's rising popularity – it's claimed
that much like the recent revival of vinyl, the cassette tape
is returning to prominence some 20 years after it
succumbed to the wholly more practical and hiss-free
silver disc. The report suggests that sales of cassettes are
growing so rapidly in the US that the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) – the body that certifies
record sales – is looking for ways of tracking tape sales
for the first time since the nineties. But despite the rise in
music on the format from underground acts as well as a
handful of commercial releases from the likes of Justin
Bieber and Kanye West sold through Urban Outfitter
stores, the RIAA has denied any significant upturn in tape
sales amid the reports.
Obscure trend
Despite what only looks like some minor traction in sales
of cassette tape, the format clearly has plenty of loyal
supporters and even has an annual Cassette Store Day
much like the RSD event held in mid-April. As I've yet to
see any serious audio brands jump on the bandwagon in
the same way they have for vinyl with a range of new tape
decks and portable players, it does make me wonder what
tape fans are listening to the format on? Whether tapes
are just an obscure trend, or a chance to offer a reliably
tangible object in an age where music is more ephemeral
than ever is up for debate, but I can't quite see the hissy
format finding its way back into my setup just yet ●
Like so many of
us, Lee used to
sit and record
the Top 40 off
of the radio
LEE DUNKLEY
Tape head
MAY 2016 79

Super Size Sound
End user’s experience with Maximum Supertweeters in his system.
For me the best placement was dead
center top, in line with my tweeters, and at
the main speakers.
With cables, connections and positioning
sat down for a listen..
..Wow.. The sound had changed, and not a
tiny change either, quite a discernible
change. The sound stage has grown, the
whole sound has matured not just at the
high frequency range but across the whole
range! Vocals sound fuller and more
correct, breaths on wind instruments were
real, violin and strings in general sounds as
real as I’ve heard on my system to date and
atmosphere on live recordings were more
perceptible. Without exception one of the
best purchases I have made within Hi-Fi. If
I could compare Hi-Fi to food it would be
like adding a little bit of salt to the food,
and adds a further dimension to the
That's what the Maximum Supertweeters
have done for my set up. Just as a well set
up subwoofer adds to the fullness and
roundness of the sound, the Supertweeter
does the same also, just tailor the level to
your preference and system matching and
away you go.
Removing them after a few days has made
dimensional. Was that really what I was
calling decent quality Hi-Fi a couple of
weeks ago?! What I had thought was a
pretty good sound was now without the
Supertweeters only mediocre in terms of
and day one. So obviously they were
welcomed with open arms and re-instated
into the system once I had established
play the smile returned to my face and I
earnestly started to rummage through my
music collection to get another playlist
together.
At which point I should also tell you that I
night time listening levels, but it does need
a few decibels to be "magical".
My 15W per channel Leak valve amps had
no problems with the load on top of my
speakers and when using full range "horn"
speakers, these Supertweeters are simply a
must have item and being quite minimal
in operation they don't seem to destroy the
single driver sound of a good Lowther or
Fostex, rather adding to it to give a fuller
sound so long as you are careful with the
volume level. Discretion is the key, and
blending without over exuberance or
understatement is a must and worth
taking the time to tune in and get right
because when you do, the sound is simply
stunning...
...In conclusion, my humble opinion can
only be used as a guide because we all
sound. The Townsend Maximum
Supertweeters are well executed, well
made, capable, very discrete super
tweeters. In my opinion in terms of user
friendliness and sound they are the best
passive super tweeters I have heard on the
market today and the fact I have
purchased a pair with my own hard
earned money is testament to how good
they are and the impact they have had on
the sound of my system. I am not going to
get into the "snake oil" debate because
they work within my hearing range and
with all of the formats I use. Lossless on the
MacBook, DAB, Cd and analogue, vinyl
more emotional sound.
I'm sure my hearing
doesn't extend much above 16kHz or so
and yet the super tweeters work and work
well for me.
I think transients, atmosphere, detail,
timbre between instruments, sounds and
especially vocals within the hearing range
due to less distortion, less smearing and
..A worthwhile investment and I will not
be returning them or selling them on.
Many Thanks and keep the music musical..
Patrick Thomas.
For more information and best advice on all Townshend products, please visit:
WWW.TOWNSHENDAUDIO.COM
Email mail@townshendaudio.com or phone on +44 (0) 20 8979 2155.

OPINION
Pipe dreams
A reader’s letter gets Chris Ward thinking about missed hi-fi opportunities, dream
products, mid-life crisis and going for a spin in a Lancia Stratos with Cindy Crawford
Picture credit: Shutterstock/Monkey Business Images
A
reader recently wrote to the Letters page,
describing a deeply cherished hi-fi system
that couldn’t be surpassed. But they weren’t
describing their most recent or most expensive
purchases. Instead they talked about older pieces of kit
that had brought them the most pleasure. We hi-fi lovers
are often painted as a somewhat logical and unemotional
bunch, so let’s challenge that notion (in a logical way).
This reader was almost becoming dewy eyed describing
the impact of first hearing the components that meant so
much to them. Sharing this experience with others, it soon
became apparent that this is a common story, albeit with
some interesting sub-plots.
With many younger audiophiles there’s commonly a
‘money’ story, where a deeply hankered-for component is
financially out of reach. That is, until one day when the
yearning is matched with income from a new job and they
come out of a dealer’s, grinning from ear to ear. In other
instances, the story becomes a search for a holy grail, where
a ‘love at first hearing’ is followed by indecision not to buy,
that can go on to fuel year’s of regret, longing and a tireless
search for an unrequited love. I once heard an early
Tresham pre/power amp. It had a quality that was simply
sublime, but I didn’t snap it up at the time. Thereafter, I
regularly kicked myself, and only recently tracked down
another example
Hi-fi lovers are
afflicted with a
more expensive
quality threshold
on ebay. Happily, it
didn’t disappoint.
Many hi-fi lovers
describe hearing
a component at a
dealer’s or show that
blows them away, but they know they can’t afford it. These
pipe dreams lodge in part of the brain that neuroscientists
now recognise is reserved for lottery-win shopping sprees,
supercar ownership and fantasy romantic liaisons. Time
passes and savings build in ISAs, but the advent of mid-life
crisis can dislodge pipe dreams and savings. Before you
know it, a casual glance online reveals that pre-loved iconic
hi-fi items are now within your grasp. Previous performance
may well have declined and modern standards now exceed
your dream, but the ideals you locked away are untarnished
and remain alluring. So whether you idealised a Krell CD
player, Wilson speakers or indeed a Lancia Stratos driven
by Cindy Crawford, you are convinced that owning it will
scratch that mid-life itch. In some instances it works, but
sometimes those icons from your memory turn out to be
less satisfying than you might have hoped.
Many readers get most passionate when they describe
their greatest ‘leap’ in hi-fi performance. This can be from a
tired midi system
to your own
‘separates’. For
some, the greatest
leap is more of a
paradigm shift,
say from
solid-state amps
to valves, box
speakers to
electrostatic
panels, or movingmagnet
to
moving-coil
cartridges. One
insight that does shine through is that a ‘leap’ in
performance is often more important than any ultimate
measure of ‘quality’. So, the upgrade from an aged midi
system to hi-fi separates could represent a leap from a
notional 20 percent quality to say 60 percent, or upgrading
some tired standmounts to some modern, full-range
floorstanders might take you from 60 percent to 80 percent,
whereas a deep investment in cryogenically frozen lengths
of pure silver cabling can take one from a notional 80
percent to 90 percent quality.
Making the connection
Hi-fi (along with almost all purchases) is often proof
positive of a diminishing return on one’s investment, but
maybe the deeper and more interesting insight in hi-fi
ownership is for us all to recognise when and where along
our upgrade story we first connected with music in a more
impactful and emotionally rewarding way. For some, the
car radio sounds just dandy and feet start tapping simply
by spinning vinyl. Some ears only prick up when they first
buy a preamplifier, while others discover they need Class A
amplification. Some just needed to hear an idler drive
turntable, where others work out that zero-feedback
transforms their enjoyment of triodes. Some expensively
work out that they need two systems – monster transistor
power for nineties dance music, while chamber quartets
only come alive with vinyl and valves.
So, the final, more heartfelt insight might be that we hi-fi
lovers are in fact afflicted with a higher more expensive
quality threshold, before we can really become more
emotionally involved in the music. At least, this is what
I’ve explained to my partner…
Please write in to letters@hifichoice.co.uk and tell me
about your most cherished hi-fi components and the effect
they had on your experience of music ●
Sometimes,
window
shopping is the
closest we can
get to owning
that dream
component
CHRIS WARD
Misty eyed
MAY 2016 81

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OPINION
Art of noise
As anyone who’s ever collected vinyl knows, the artwork that appears on the album
cover is a major contribution to the enjoyment of music. Rob Lane explains all
O
ne of the pleasures of recently rediscovering
my love of vinyl has been a re-acquaintance
with the record sleeves themselves. The cover
designs for myriad classic albums could
justifiably be called art, and even if this isn’t always the
case – or if ‘anti art’ is a more appropriate label (think The
Fall’s Totale’s Turns) – there’s invariably something about
an album cover that resonates with the true music fan.
Much like the reader of a good novel pauses mid-read to
return to the book’s cover, a record sleeve is something to
return to time and time again.
For me, album covers have always been intrinsically linked
with the accompanying music, meaning that vinyl’s original
demise and the rise of downloads/ripping has had an
adverse affect on my appreciation of music. There’s often
more than one contributing factor to one’s addictions, and
for me listening to music has parallels with a previous, long
since kicked smoking habit – very rock ‘n’ roll.
Where I only really enjoyed smoking when drinking
coffee, with wine/beer, after a meal and while listening to
music, my consumption and enjoyment of LP covers was
also rarely in isolation. The complete vinyl experience –
the sleeve; the touch and feel of the record; the ritual of
unsheathing disc, placing on platter and engaging stylus;
the eventual listening – was what had me hooked. It was
never quite the same
Does anyone care
what the artwork
looks like when
viewed on iTunes?
with tape or CD.
So my recent
reintroduction to
the beauty of vinyl
sleeves has not been
in isolation; it’s the
whole experience that I’ve reengaged with. Of course, it is
possible to appreciate the album covers in isolation, as art,
without putting the needle on the record – and there are a
number of iconic sleeves that are instantly recognisable,
whether or not we’ve owned or have even listened to them.
Many – Dark Side Of The Moon, Unknown Pleasures and The
Velvet Underground to name just three – are widely regarded
as iconic works of art in their own right.
Generally, appreciation of a particular album’s artwork is
accompanied by a love of the music, and is most effective
when it’s in 12in wall-hang-friendly packaging. Sure, there
are loads of CD album covers I appreciate, but each and
every one of them would have had a much greater impact
upon the way I feel about both the artwork and the music it
sheaths had I purchased them on vinyl. Think Definitely
Maybe and Dog Man Star, by way of example. And when it
comes to downloads, does anyone really care what the
artwork looks like when viewed on iTunes?
Some of my favourite
sleeves – some mounted on
my walls – are instantly
recognisable and need no
introduction: Rubber Soul,
Parallel Lines, Rio, The
Stone Roses, Blue Lines,
Violator, Screamadelica.
Others might need more
explanation: The House of
Love (iconic band photo),
Doolittle (monkey going to
heaven collage), Gentlemen
Take Polaroids (David
Sylvian, rain, lightning,
umbrella), Bummed (by
influential Manchester
design studio Central Station), Technique (Peter Saville’s
guitar cherub, above), Penthouse And Pavement (eighties
avarice writ large), Strange Times (Dali-esque nightmare by
Chameleons’ guitarist).
And more recent faves include Yoshimi Battles The Pink
Robots (crazy robot nightmare by Flaming Lips singer
Wayne Coyne), Music Complete (Peter Saville’s cubist
statement) and AM (which references Saville’s Unknown
Pleasures design in terms of its radio wave simplicity).
Is there a pattern to the album sleeves I covert the most?
It would appear not: they’re a mixture of painted art, band
photography, iconic arty ‘statements’ and collage. But all
would look great on most living room walls, and each and
every one of them protects and augments a great record.
Indeed, bands and the artists they commission continue to
innovate, providing works of art to accompany the music.
Alongside that iconic new work from Peter Saville for New
Order, the sleeve for 2013’s Paradise Filter from seventies
jazz/prog combo Caravan was extracted from the incredible
painting Trapped And Untrapped by renowned artist Sean
Hewitt. And Dave McKean – an artist perhaps best known
for his book illustrations, films, photography and comic
books – has produced over 150 stunning ‘collages’ for bands
as diverse as Front Line Assembly and Counting Crows.
The last word on album artwork should probably go
to David Bowie. After over 40 years of innovative, ground
breaking and sometimes shocking sleeves, all featuring
images of the artist, his swansong replaced the man with a
black star. Blackstar – the perfect musical epitaph for an
incredible career – also produced arguably his most
memorable and iconic cover. If another excuse was needed
to buy this excellent piece of musical innovation on vinyl
rather than other formats, this is it ●
New Order’s
Technique is just
one of many
iconic album
covers. Tell us
about your
favourites on
our Letters page
ROB LANE
Art lover
MAY 2016 83

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to demo hi-fi equipment, and I was impressed
with the comfortable, intimate feel of the
venue in amongst a very relaxed rural setting.’
Matthew T
‘I really can’t remember a more pleasurable audition
– it was great to be given as long as we wanted,
to just listen to music without any pressure.’
Kristian W
01279 454 860
www.theaudiobarn.co.uk

OPINION
Vinyl, how cool is that?
With all the talk about the vinyl revival, is the black stuff really cool or is it just a current fad
that will fade into the background once again? Neville Roberts gets into the groove
I
think the subject of the revival of interest in
the humble LP is getting rather passé now.
Granted, modern teenagers, who a few years
ago derided their parents’ record collections,
are now queueing up to get the latest releases carved into
a couple of grooves in the magic black stuff. However,
have we really created a modern generation of audiophiles
or are they coveting records for other reasons?
A while ago, having nothing better to do one evening, I
was channel hopping and alighted on a chat show. Elton
John was being interviewed by Graham Norton and had
clearly been invited onto the show to promote his new
album Wonderful Crazy Night. During the interview,
mention was made that the album was being released on
vinyl, as well as in the usual digital download formats and
on CD. The discussion then moved onto why vinyl is
becoming popular again. Photos were shown of Elton in the
seventies signing album covers for the hordes of enthusiastic
teenage rockers, who were keen to get a personalised
signature on their latest purchase. Elton then commented
that his new release had prompted him to dig out his own
set of LPs and he acknowledged that, to his surprise, they
actually sounded better than his CD collection. “That’s what
I’ve been telling everyone for ages!” I yelled at the TV
screen. Neither Graham nor Elton took any notice and I sat
back in my chair
I believe that people
are choosing vinyl
for the better audio
quality it offers
deflated with
my enthusiasm
flickering, much like
a candle in the wind.
This got me
thinking – are
people jumping on the vinyl bandwagon simply because
it’s trendy and is the so-called revival being driven by
marketing hype? Certainly, there are now many collectors
who seek rare copies of albums from the fifties through to
the eighties, but that doesn’t explain why there is a market
for brand new material.
In fact, how many modern record collectors actually own
a turntable? Well, actually I suspect most, if not all, given
the dramatic increase in the number of new turntables
being launched in recent years. Such investment in design
and manufacturing costs wouldn’t happen if there wasn’t a
real market for it. Furthermore, there is now an established
range of turntables, which not only incorporate a phono
stage to enable the deck to be plugged into a spare line
input on an amplifier, but also a digital interface. This can
feed an external DAC or PC, often in resolutions that are
higher than CD. To me, this indicates that the renewed
interest in the medium is not simply its death throes with
the establishment of digital
media, but a genuine move
to embrace digital
technology and work
alongside it.
As a lover of classical
music, I was very sad when
classical LPs were the first to
go at the start of the digital
revolution in the early
eighties. What a delight for
me to now see new releases
starting to reappear.
A friend of mine has
commented that many
of the music shops he
frequents have started
having a proper vinyl section alongside the racks of CDs on
sale and these often include a section for classical music.
Another clue as to why there is renewed interest in record
collecting is the number of audiophile recordings that are
being released, often on 180g virgin vinyl. Also, we’re
once more seeing several direct-to-disc recordings being
produced, such as the range of classical and big band
records from Mike Valentine’s Chasing The Dragon label.
One of these is a set of two LPs of the Syd Lawrence
Orchestra where one is a direct-to-disc version and the
other identical recording was made more conventionally via
a multi-track tape recorder. Interestingly, even though the
conventionally recorded LP sounds fantastic and would be
superior to a CD version, if one had been made, the
direct-to-disc version has that extra dimension of realism.
Investigating the evidence
For me, the final clue that this revived interest in vinyl is
not just a flash in the pan is the fact that LPs are not cheap
– the latest Elton John album costs over £20, compared
with £12 for the CD. That is quite a premium to pay for
some nice 12in square artwork and I believe that people
are choosing vinyl for the improvement in audio quality it
offers. Nor should we ignore that weird pleasure that is to
be had in the process of removing a record from its sleeve,
placing it on a turntable, lowering the stylus and then
sitting back to enjoy at least an entire side, rather than the
odd one or two tracks downloaded from a website.
The mention on prime time TV is certainly good for the
cause. Suddenly a whole new generation of music lovers are
discovering there is so much more to enjoy when listening
to their music on vinyl – not least the high quality and
atmosphere that you only get from an analogue medium ●
Mike Valentine’s
Chasing The
Dragon label
has released a
number of
direct-to-disc
classics to feed
Neville’s passion
for vinyl
NEVILLE ROBERTS
Spin doctor
MAY 2016 85

OPINION
All white on the night
Music shouldn’t be about colour, right? Nigel Williamson can’t help but wonder where
all the black, asian and ethnic minorities are when it comes to awards ceremonies
Picture credit: Shutterstock/Tinseltown
S
uddenly race is back on the cultural agenda.
The reality, of course, is that despite the
lip-service we pay to multi-culturalism, racism
never really went away and has remained the
elephant in the room. First the Oscars set everyone talking
about the inherent racism of Hollywood and now the same
argument has broken out in the music industry.
At the Grammy awards in February, the most prestigious
award, the album of the year, went to Taylor Swift who
beat off Kendrick Lamar and Alabama Shakes to make it
eight years in succession that the winner has been a white
artist. The other main ‘prestige’ award, best new artist,
went to Meghan Trainor, the ninth time in the last 10 years
that a white performer has won.
A similar thing happened at the Brit awards, where only
two non-white acts even received nominations. The event
was lambasted for ignoring black British music and a
number of artists – including Lily Allen and Laura Mvula
– spoke out about the failure to recognise such black
British success stories as grime king Stormzy. The
controversy generated its own Oscar-style hashtag,
#BritsSoWhite, and Stormzy went on to express his
frustration in his tune One Take Freestyle.
Then you can add in the fact that the biggest music
companies in the world including Live Nation, Apple,
Spotify, AEG, Warner Music Group, Clear Channel and
Black musicians
gave us disco, which
made millionaires
of the Bee Gees
Universal Music
Group are all lead
by teams of
predominantly
white executives.
As a pale male, I
find this disturbing.
Some will say that I am showboating my liberal conscience
and claim that good music is good music regardless of the
social, cultural or racial background of those making it.
I’d like to believe that is true, but that doesn’t mean there
isn’t a problem – and in an art form that’s supposed to be
breaking down barriers, the stats aren’t good enough.
Nobody in a position of authority in the British music
industry is prepared to use the ‘r’ word. But they do
acknowledge a “lack of diversity” and something positive
may yet come out of the rumpus surrounding this season’s
award ceremonies and Ged Doherty, chairman of the
British Phonographic Industry, the body which organises
the Brit awards, has moved swiftly to promise changes.
For many years I was a member of the Brits voting
academy and the Mercury Music Prize judging panel and
both were overwhelmingly white in composition. Doherty
is now committed to establishing an advisory committee
comprising “members of the black and minority
ethnic music [BAME] community” and has
pledged that in future the Brits voting college
will have at least 15 percent BAME participation,
in line with national population trends.
History shows us that almost every
successful rhythm in popular music was
first invented by black musicians and then
appropriated by white musicians. When Sam
Phillips was recording black r&b singers at
his Sun studio in Memphis in the early
fifties, he famously opined: “If I could find a
white man who had the Negro sound and
the Negro feel, I could make a billion
dollars.” The result was Elvis Presley and
rock ’n’ roll.
Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf invented
the electric blues, but it was the likes
of Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin who
reaped the greatest rewards. Black
musicians at labels such as Motown,
Atlantic and Stax went on to create
soul music, which has since been
copied by generations of
blue-eyed singers starting
with Steve Winwood, Van
Morrison and Joe
Cocker, followed by
Simply Red through
to Amy Winehouse
and Adele.
Redressing
the balance
It was black musicians who gave us disco which made
multi-millionaires of the Bee Gees and a black Jamaican
rhythm called reggae that created hits for the likes of The
Police, Eric Clapton and 10cc. It was black artists who
created hip-hop for the likes of the Beastie Boys and
Eminem to exploit. And more recently it has happened all
over again with dubstep and grime.
None of this appropriation has been wrong or directly
racist in intent, and white musicians borrowing from black
forms and styles has given us some great music. But the
originators can be forgiven for wondering if they have
received their full dues. Ged Doherty is to be commended
for admitting that the Brits “have somehow become
disconnected from this heritage of diversity”. But that’s the
easy bit. Now comes the part of translating those
well-meant words into a meaningful outcome ●
Taylor Swift
at this year’s
Grammys
continued the
long run of
white ’prestige’
award winners
NIGEL
WILLIAMSON
Colour blind
MAY 2016 87

RETRO
Turning Japanese
David Price spends time with one of the most innovative
loudspeakers of the seventies, Sony’s SS-5050 Carbocon
T
he seventies was a
fascinating time for
speakers. Most designs
were pretty crude, but
there were still some breathtaking
boxes on sale, using state-of-the-art
technology. There was a far larger gap
between run-of-the-mill products and
leading edge ones then – standard
speakers weren’t that different from
the sort of fare you’d see in the fifties,
whereas the best aren’t far off today’s
top designs in technological terms.
The average audio buyer of that era
would likely end up with a pair of
two-way Wharfedale Dentons or
suchlike, and consider it £50 well
spent. Meanwhile, serious listeners
thought a three-way to be the badge
of hi-fi respectability, because they
were what professional sound
engineers used, weren’t they? In the
great scheme of things then, Sony's
SS-5050 was right at the top of what
mere mortals could afford, costing a
cool £800 (RRP) per pair in 1976.
Price aside, one of the biggest
obstacles to commercial success was
the received wisdom of the time – that
Britain built the best loudspeakers. We
had illustrious brands such as KEF,
Tannoy, Celestion and IMF, plus a new
wave of BBC speaker builders, from
Chartwell to Rogers and Spendor,
producing boxes that often had the
same (often KEF) drive units inside.
What chance did this relatively new
company, best known for transistor
radios and televisions, possibly have?
Although Japanese hi-fi was selling in
vast quantities, there was still a lot of
snobbery surrounding it.
The upshot of this was a kind of
parallel audio universe – British
companies tended to sell their wares
Sony's seventies loudspeakers
1970
1971
Sony unveils the SS-8150 as
Simon and Garfunkel release
their final album together
Sony's SS-7600 is released and
George Harrison's My Sweet
Lord is the best-selling single
1975
The SS-5050 is launched in Tokyo
in October, while in the UK Peter
Gabriel leaves Genesis
1976
The SS-5050 is the flagship speaker in
Sony's range as Brotherhood Of Man win
Eurovision and have the best-selling single
88 MAY 2016

RETRO
through specialist hi-fi dealers, and
these would not in turn sell much (if
any) Japanese kit. If you wanted this,
‘sir’ was asked to leave the dealer in an
orderly fashion and pay a visit to the
local Lasky’s, Dixons or Comet, where
he could find the sort of thing that
better suited him.
The Japanese Yen’s value relative to
the UK Pound was three times lower
back then, yet still the SS-5050 sold
for more than most high-end British
boxes. This was reflected by its
battleship build – and also the
technology inside. By this time, Sony
had a vast research and development
budget compared with the average
British specialist hi-fi manufacturer.
Like every range-topping product
from this company, the SS-5050 was
built without compromise and was
surprisingly complex for a seventies
speaker. The three-way design
weighed in at 20kg per box, quite a lot
for its 365 x 630 x 318mm (WxHxD)
dimensions. Although large, it is
effectively a standmounter – requiring
a serious frame stand (think Linn
Isobarik) rather than the spun chrome
There’s none of the
time smearing that
you get from a reflexported
speaker
affair on castors that it often ended
up on. Inside its largish, well-braced,
beech-ply cabinet were three drive
units all built and designed by Sony
– a 25mm cone tweeter, a 35mm
midrange driver and a 300mm woofer.
The two upper drive units featured
special protectors, which also aided
dispersion; that big 12in bass unit
needed no extra assistance in its task.
All three were screwed into the wide,
thick wood front baffle and had their
own air-tight sealing gaskets.
By the mid-seventies, the Sony
Corporation had become very
interested in materials technology.
For the SS-5050, the bass driver cone
was a carbon-fibre/paper hybrid
(something that Sony called
‘Carbocon’); this was a technology that
the big Japanese company was very
proud of and it appeared in all its
subsequent high-end speakers. (The
SS-5050’s replacement, the SS-G7,
sold 20,000 pairs around the world,
a remarkable number for such an
expensive speaker.) The midband and
treble drivers were also carbon coated,
and all drive units had diecast frames
and high-quality wiring terminals.
The drivers crossed over from one
another at 800Hz and 8kHz, which
makes the midband driver the star of
the show, keeping its breakup regions
well away from the human ear’s most
sensitive area of 2-5kHz. The result
was a claimed 40Hz to 20kHz (-3dB)
frequency response, which was an
excellent result for that time. The
SS-5050 also had an amazingly high
power handling by the standards of
the day. When an average budget box
would be torn apart by anything more
than 25W RMS, the Sony took 80W
before doom came its way. It had a
quoted impedance of 8ohm, and
very high sensitivity for a seventies
three-way speaker: 91dB/1W/1m.
Considering its 73 litre cabinet was a
sealed infinite baffle design, this was
a great result – all the more so when
you remember that most seventies
speakers were stupidly power hungry.
Modern romance
It's fascinating to hear a wellpreserved
SS-5050, four decades after
it first reached British shops – you'll
be surprised how modern it sounds.
That infinite baffle cabinet and its
lightweight, high-power drivers make
for a fast, tight, punchy sound which
is far less coloured than most speakers
of its time. We’re told narrow baffles
are better for imaging, but it works
just as well as a far smaller bookshelf
in this respect. And what really strikes
you is the bass – which switches on
and off like a flashing LED. There’s
none of the time smearing or slurring
of bass notes that you get from a
reflex-ported speaker, and this is
aided and abetted by the obvious
strength and rigidity of the box.
Even though it looks old school, it
interferes with the sound relatively
little, even at high volume levels.
Interestingly, if there’s any modern
loudspeaker you can liken it to, it’s
models from ATC. This company is
fond of sealed cabinets and big
three-ways, and the Sony is a textbook
example of the concept done well. Its
Decent stats
for the time
added up to an
impressive sound
BUYING TIPS
Prices for the SS-5050 range from around
£90 per pair to £300 and because of their
relative scarcity you have to wait your turn
for a pair to come up in the classifieds.
Unlike many things on ebay, though, they
haven’t been seized upon by sellers with
vivid imaginations just yet. Some Japanese
high-end products that used to cost £100 a
few years ago are now being advertised for
£1,000 or more, in a wild exercise in greed
and wishful thinking, but the SS-5050
remains sensibly priced.
Buying any old speaker secondhand is a
punt, so it’s wise to try before you buy; if
necessary bring your own amp and source,
and push the volume up while they’re cold,
in search of random buzzes or booms
which shouldn’t be there. The contacts
inside the treble and midrange level pads
respond well to a squirt of Servisol, so this
is always worth doing before any more
serious surgery. Once you’ve got a good
pair, it doesn’t hurt to tighten the drive
units up in the front baffle and clean the
rear terminals either. This done, some
20cm-off-the-ground tubular steel frame
stands will get the best out of them.
ability to move air quickly and without
fuss, allied to a powerful punch when
called upon is pure monitor speaker
territory. Despite this, the Sony still
sounds completely unlike the BBC
designs of its day with Bextrene cones,
or even the (then) ultra-modern
polypropylene-coned Mission 770 that
arrived a year or two later. Feed the
SS-5050 some well-recorded period
rock music and you’re immediately
struck by just how dry, crisp and clean
it sounds.
Missing in action
This big speaker is superb, but play
some beautifully rich and sumptuous
sounding music from Isaac Hayes
– Bumpy’s Lament – and you’re soon
aware there’s something missing. It’s
a riot of strings, brass and flutes, yet
the SS-5050 sounds dry and analytical.
Sure, it’s very tidy and composed with
no harshness or grain, but things
sound just a little too forensic and
antiseptic to really pull the listener in.
It does brilliantly on the hi-fi aspects
of the track – powering the beat
along, serving up dramatic dynamic
peaks and giving a pleasing low-end
wallop – but it sounds a tad
dispassionate to these English ears.
More pairs of Sony SS-5050s were
sold in the UK than you might think,
so they’re still around and relatively
cheap on the occasions that they
surface secondhand. It’s a fascinating
‘time warp’ transducer and an
intriguing reminder of a largely
forgotten hi-fi past. Japanese high end
isn’t common in this country, but it still
soldiers on uncomplainingly, doing a
surprisingly competent job ●
MAY 2016 89

BEAUTIFUL SYSTEM
ASTELL&KERN/AUDEZE
COMPONENTS
ASTELL&KERN AK380/
AK380 AMP £3,000/£500
Flagship of the Astell&Kern portable
range, the AK380 packs state-of-the-art
decoding and processing into a striking
all-metal chassis that can be augmented
with the external amplifier.
AUDEZE LCD-3 £1,500
Audeze’s hefty LCD-3 headphone
features a pair of large planar magnetic
drivers in circular mountings with
double-sided magnetic driver elements.
The enclosures are heavily padded for
comfortable long-term listening.
90 MAY 2016

BEAUTIFUL SYSTEM
ASTELL&KERN/AUDEZE
Pocket
Symphony
Can a portable system be truly beautiful? Ed Selley
ventures into the great outdoors to find out
G
iven the notionally simple
premise of Beautiful
System, it might come as a
surprise to learn that it is
periodically a source of angst to its
creators. Rather than simply serve up a
stack of kit made from exciting corners
of the periodic table over and over
again, we seek to find beauty in more
unexpected combinations and routinely
ask ourselves what a beautiful system
really can be. In the course of a recent
discussion we realised that we had
never featured a completely portable
setup, so our thoughts swiftly turned
to the mechanics of such a thing.
Are portable systems beautiful?
They’re frequently extremely clever
and they’re unquestionably a godsend
at drowning out the inanities of fellow
commuters and workmates, but
in themselves they are generally
utilitarian rather than beautiful.
Like most rules though, there is an
exception and that – as so often is the
case with portables – comes courtesy
of Astell&Kern. The company has
produced an impressive range of
portable audio players that are
unconstrained by the normal
restrictions of the breed.
Sitting at the top of the pile is the
AK380, a portable player that features
the sort of specification you’d be
impressed with in a full-size digital
source, let alone one that fits in a
MAY 2016 91

BEAUTIFUL SYSTEM
ASTELL&KERN/AUDEZE
pocket. Built around a pair of AKM
AK4490 DACs and a precision clock
accurate to the femtosecond, the
AK380 can handle files up to
32-bit/384kHz without compression
or conversion. It can also handle DSD
with no conversion taking place during
the decoding process, which requires
serious processing horsepower.
Come fly with me
All this is coupled to a DSP-controlled
20-band parametric EQ system that
can be adjusted on the fly. If you find
yourself disdainful of such a thing,
you can of course switch it off, but
you’ll be missing out on the ability to
perfectly match the AK380 to the
characteristics of the headphones or
earphones you’ve partnered it with.
Furthermore, although the technology
behind the EQ is undoubtedly
frighteningly complex, using it is
simple and entirely straightforward.
To make sure, you are left in no
doubt as to the AK380’s flagship
status, Astell&Kern has wrapped it in
a chassis that looks and feels utterly
unlike anything else that’s currently
available on the market. Constructed
from duralumin (an aircraft-spec
aluminium), it is extremely solid and
substantial as you might expect. What
you might not expect, however, is that
the design itself is far bolder than it
may seem on a cursory inspection.
The whole chassis is partially
staggered so that while the display
is vertical, the outer edges run
diagonally to it. Combined with the
deep, angled indentations around the
rotary volume control, the AK380
feels like the sort of thing that
architect Frank Gehry might come up
with if he ever fancied trying his hand
at designing an audio player.
Delivers a sound that
stretches the limits
of what near-field
listening can achieve
This particular AK380 comes
bolstered with a matching external
amplifier (AK380 AMP) for greater
battery capacity and a more powerful
headphone amplifier. This shouldn’t
be taken as a critique that the basic
unit is underpowered, but more that
this sample has been supplied with a
pair of headphones that would cause
most portable players to give up and
go home. The Audeze LCD-3 is part of
the upper echelons of its range and
makes no concessions whatsoever to
being used with portable devices.
The LCD-3 is built around a pair of
planar magnetic drivers mounted in
Above left:
Detachable
AK380 AMP
lends extra
power and
battery life
where needed
Above centre:
The LCD-3 is
capable of
making you
forget you’re
wearing
headphones
Above right:
Exquisite details
separate the A&K
from more
mainstream
portable players
large open-backed enclosures. As each
driver is no less than 106mm across
and given that planar magnetic
designs aren’t terribly sensitive at the
best of times, it represents a fair show
of confidence on the part of
Astell&Kern to select it.
Aesthetically, the pairing makes
much more sense. The LCD-3 is less
overtly modern than the AK380, but it
is still a striking and rather handsome
piece of industrial design. Everything
is there for a reason (with the possible
and wholly noble exception of the
wood trim) and the attention to detail
that has gone into the design is
seriously impressive.
Great expectations
The pairing of AK380 and LCD-3
packs state-of-the-art technology and
enough design flair to certainly
warrant consideration as beautiful,
but can they honestly deliver a
performance to move them beyond a
convenience feature to something
more? Beautiful System is above such
considerations as value, but this is a
significant amount of money for a
portable system and this combo has
a lot to live up to.
Perhaps the best way to answer
these questions is with my own state
of mind after 10 minutes of listening
to a 24-bit/48kHz download of Peter
92 MAY 2016

BEAUTIFUL SYSTEM
ASTELL&KERN/AUDEZE
Gabriel’s So. I’ve heard this album
hundreds of times. It acts as a fixed
point of reference to allow me to
determine what the electronics are
really doing. Tellingly, my notes for
this period could be transcribed on
the back of a postage stamp. Not only
does this duo entirely bypass the
analytical side of my brain, it does a
convincing number on the sensory
side too as I also rapidly forget that
I am listening to a portable system.
Disappearing act
What this pairing does is effortlessly
convert its impressive engineering
and technology into a visceral musical
experience. The Audeze simply
ignores the supposed limitations of
headphone listening in a way that
makes going back to any other pair
of cans as claustrophobic as being
shoved into the boot of a car. The
LCD-3 is so completely free of any
constraint in the scale and space of
its presentation that it completely
vanishes. Sound arrives at the ear
without anything so crude as a
physical speaker in the way.
It is aided in this neat conjuring trick
by the AK380, which manages to take
its highly sophisticated decoding and
sound – more than anything else – like
analogue mastering tape. The sound
is unfailingly accurate, detailed and
CONTACT
DETAILS
DISTRIBUTOR
Computers Unlimited
TELEPHONE
0208 2008282
WEBSITES
astellnkern.com;
unlimited.com
tonally even, but it is completely free
from any sense of digital processing. It
is at times startlingly vivid too. Listen
to Pretty Good Year by Tori Amos and
the vocals are as tangible as if they
were being sung live into your ear.
There’s plenty of grip on offer for
more high-energy material as well. If
you decide to stop playing nice and
stick on Art Angels by Grimes, the
The AK380 feels like
the sort of thing that
architect Frank Gehry
might come up with
AK380 hammers its way through
California with the bass, the swagger
and above all, the sense of fun that is
really needed to make this track work.
This is a system unfazed by any genre
you can think of and which can
then play it back at pretty much any
volume level you fancy. In keeping
with any good system, this duo
sounds good with excellent
recordings. It is the mark of a truly
great system that it also sounds
fantastic with less than perfect
material as well.
And like all really great systems,
it makes no great demands of the
listener. The interface of the AK380 is
slick and totally self explanatory and
the album cover collage option for
browsing is gorgeous. Meanwhile,
the LCD-3 is a big headphone but
the well-judged weight distribution
and very high comfort levels help
it disappear when wearing. The
additional amplifier adds a little more
bulk to the portable player, but not so
much that it won’t fit comfortably into
a trouser pocket.
Control freak
Above all, the AK380 has the control
and headroom needed to run this
demanding headphone. I’ll head
off any thoughts about just how
‘portable’ this pairing really is by
adding that you could just as easily
use the AK380 on its own with any
earphones during the day and come
home, attach the AK380 AMP and the
LCD-3 headphones and achieve your
very own personal hi-fi nirvana.
This is a pairing that delivers a
sound that stretches the limits of what
near-field listening can achieve and
does so from equipment that is built
to an incredible standard and
exactingly thought out. Above all, it
feels special enough to comfortably
warrant inclusion as a Beautiful
System ensuring that life on the move
doesn’t mean that you need to forgo
some serious audio brilliance
MAY 2016 93

LABELLED WITH LOVE
IMMEDIATE
All you need is connections in this business, right? Simon Berkovitch introduces
the industry of human happiness, where heavy hitters are two a penny
H
appy To Be A Part Of
The Industry Of
Human Happiness
runs the tagline of
Immediate Records. But in the
shadows of this memorable,
optimistic phrase lie intrigue,
crippling debt, bribes, mistruths,
flag burnings, outrage, shady
deals… and an impeccable
soundtrack from some of the key
players of the sixties.
Its roster speaks for itself:
heavy-hitters Fleetwood Mac
(one epic 45, Man Of The World,
while Peter Green’s group was
between contracts), Amen
Corner and The Nice (pre-ELP
Keith Emerson) are joined by
lesser names as the exotically
named The Apostolic
Intervention, songwriter Billy
Nicholls and freakbeat legends
The Poets. Flop acts the latter
trio may have been during the
label’s brief existence – it was
game-over and bankruptcy by
1970 – but hindsight has
afforded them cult status.
The label was formed in 1965
by Tony Calder and Andrew
Loog Oldham, armed with
impeccable pop CVs despite
their tender years. The tuned-in
pair met doing press for an
obscure Liverpool group by the
name of The Beatles. The
super-connected Oldham
became manager of another
little-known R&B combo, The
Rolling Stones, aged just 19.
Following the advice of producer
Phil Spector to lease your own
recordings to get a larger
financial cut instead of signing
to a label, the logical step was to
set up an independent record
company, branching out to
include hip subsidiaries
Revolution Records and Instant.
The Jagger-Richards-penned
classic Out Of Time provided the
label with its first major hit, a
showcase for the fine lungs of
Chris Farlowe. Immediate was a
haven for powerful voices, with
PP Arnold and white-soul singers
Rod Stewart and Steve Marriott
of Small Faces on the books.
Immediate’s house band after
their defection from Decca
Records, once freed from a
punishing gigging schedule,
Small Faces evolved from
rugged, organ-drenched, mod
R&B to the studio-based
psychedelia of 1968’s classic LP
Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake.
Of course it was money – or a
lack of it – that eventually sank
Immediate. Royalties went
unpaid, as were songwriters…
bills begat bills… accusations of
embezzlement abounded… the
spending continued… And then,
despite one last hurrah from
Marriott’s new, post-Small Faces
project with The Herd’s Peter
Frampton – Humble Pie – the
plug was finally pulled.
The rights to Immediate were
acquired by NEMS in the late
seventies, Castle in the nineties,
and today the catalogue is in the
hands of Chrysalis Music and its
diverse, life-affirming sounds of
human happiness are readily
available to explore.
94 MAY 2016

LABELLED WITH LOVE
Small Faces
The label’s house band and one of the cornerstones of UK psych-pop
Released from record
company Decca and
formidable manager Don Arden,
Oldham wasted no time in
signing Small Faces to Immediate.
Although the thorny issue of
cash would eventually be part of
the group’s undoing, at the time,
the creative freedom the label
gave songwriters Steve Marriott
and Ronnie Lane was priceless.
Small Faces’ first flowering of
their new direction was infectious
45 Here Comes The Nice. The
Small Faces LP followed: the
group’s second album, it barely
puts a foot wrong, home to
perfectly formed cuts such as
Get Yourself Together, My Way of
Giving and Green Circles. Retitled
There Are But Four Small Faces for
the US, follow up single Itchycoo
Park was added, along with
arguably the greatest Marriott-
Lane composition: Tin Soldier.
The follow-up album flew even
higher: Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake
fused psychedelia, folk, music
hall and English whimsy –
courtesy of narrator of
gobbledegook Stanley Unwin –
and wrapped it up in an
innovative, fold-out circular
sleeve, which must have cost a
fortune to realise. This was a
major artistic leap forward and a
chart-topping LP but, unable to
shake their pop image, Small
Faces were no more by 1968:
Small Faces
enjoyed the label’s
creative freedom
Marriott unveiled his Humble Pie
project while the remaining
members joined ex-Jeff Beck
Group stalwarts Ronnie Wood
and Rod Stewart as Faces.
An excellent posthumous album
The Autumn Stone was released in
1969, rounding up key cuts, live
recordings and unreleased gems,
with final epic 45 Afterglow (Of
Your Love) a fitting full stop for
one of the swinging sixties’ most
fondly remembered groups.
The other fab four’s debut for Oldham’s imprint
overflows with infectious pop goodness
PP Arnold
The spectacularly groovy voice of The First Lady of Immediate
Patricia Ann Cole, otherwise
known as soul vocalist
extraordinare PP Arnold, began
her singing career in America,
joining the Ike & Tina Review
in 1964, but dropped anchor
in London in 1966 to go solo,
thanks to the encouragement
of one Michael Jagger.
She cut two excellent albums
for Oldham’s imprint: The First
Lady of Immediate, closely
followed by Kafunta, both 1968.
The former hoovers up her
most well-known recording –
soulful 45 The First Cut Is The
Deepest, also made famous by
Cat Stevens, among others – and
inexplicable near miss (If You
Think You’re) Groovy. An
explosive mod classic written
by and featuring Small Faces’
Marriott and Lane.
Kafunta sees Arnold placing
her distinctive stamp on some
of the biggest acts of the sixties,
including interpretations of The
Beatles (Eleanor Rigby), The
Stones (As Tears Go By) and the
Beach Boys (God Only Knows),
but the standout cut is her
irresistible cover of Evie Sands’
Angel Of The Morning.
Following the crumbling of
Immediate, Arnold released
a couple of strong singles on
Polydor, produced by Bee Gee
PP Arnold began
her career on the
Ike & Tina Review
Barry Gibb, and then threw
herself into stage and session
work – memorably contributing
backing vocals to Nick Drake’s
Poor Boy on his cult early
seventies LP Bryter Layter. More
recently, she collaborated with
Primal Scream as PP & The
Primes for a cover of the Small
Faces’ Understanding and
recorded an album with the
Blow Monkeys’ Dr Robert,
2007’s Five In The Afternoon.
Kafunta sees PP Arnold placing her
own soulful stamp on sixties classics
MAY 2016 95

LABELLED WITH LOVE
The Nice
Their inventive musical mix lay the groundwork for progressive rock
Emerging from the shadows
of PP Arnold’s backing
group, The Nice had a
reputation for controversial
stage antics. Their virtuoso
organist, the late Keith
Emerson, was the main
offender, fond of attacking his
feedbacking Hammond with
WWII daggers, but burning
the American flag on stage
while deconstructing Leonard
Bernstein was a step too far.
Christened The Nice by
manager Oldham, this
inventive yet often overlooked
group hit the ground running
with its ambitious blend of
psych, pop, jazz and classical,
paving the way for seventies
prog rock, a genre in which
Emerson would find major
league success as part of ELP.
The Nice recorded three
albums for Immediate
between 1967 and 1969: The
Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack;
keyboard-heavy Ars Longa Vita
Brevis and Nice.
Released in 1968 on
Immediate’s subsidiary
Instant, the soundtrack to Peter
Whitehead’s cult movie is one
of the most important vinyl
documents of the capital’s
acid-rock scene for the
inclusion of Pink Floyd.
The three-minute version of
Interstellar Overdrive that
opens proceedings is a wilder,
more exploratory journey into
the avant garde than was
permitted by Columbia’s top
brass on debut The Piper At The
Gates Of Dawn.
The original issue of this
LP is a fantastic mix of
Immediate’s best-known acts
and more obscure gems. Chris
Farlowe (Out of Time) and
Small Faces (Here Come The
Nice) are ably supported by
atmospheric pop classics from
Vashti, aka acid-folk singer
Vashti Bunyan, and Twice As
Much. Throughout, the voices
of sixties faces such as Allen
America (1968) is the group’s
15 minutes of fame. A radical
reworking of the West Side
Story song, The Nice
performed it at the Royal
Ginsberg, Mick Jagger and
David Hockney are heard,
interspersed with the music,
giving the soundtrack an
intimate, mix-tape feel.
Albert Hall while setting the
Stars and Stripes alight, an act
that outraged composer
Leonard Bernstein, who tried
to block the single’s US release.
Tonite Let’s All Make Love In London
The soundtrack to the defining documentary of the swinging sixties
Unavailable for decades,
the LP was finally reissued
in the early nineties by the
See For Miles label in
gloriously expanded form.
SHOPPING LIST
Stacking the HFC Dansette high,
here’s our selection of highlights
worth hunting down from one of
the UK’s grooviest indie labels.
The Apostolic
Intervention
(Tell Me) Have You
Ever Seen Me
This Small Faces
cover is one of
the rarest – and
most expensive –
Immediate cuts.
Nico
I’m Not Sayin’
This Gordon
Lightfoot cover’s
flip, The Last Mile,
is overseen by
future-Zep Jimmy
Page, session
gun for hire.
John Mayall & The
Bluesbreakers
I’m Your
Witchdoctor
Stinging,
overdriven guitar
voodoo courtesy
of Eric Clapton on
this 1965 7in.
Mick Softley
I’m So Confused
Strident debut
from the cult
peacenik folk
singer. Donovan
went on to cover
Softley’s seminal
The War Drags On.
The Poets
Baby Don’t You Do It
This propulsive
cover of a floorfilling
Marvin Gaye
number by the
raucous Scottish
R&B group is a
freakbeat classic.
Chris Farlowe
Out Of Time
Stones gem given
the orchestral
treatment by
producer Mick
Jagger. Hit the top
of the charts in
summer 1966.
Les Fleur De Lys
Circles
Another helping
of hard-edged
freakbeat with this
rough diamond
from 1966, written
by kindred spirit
Pete Townshend.
Fleetwood Mac
Man Of The World
Somebody’s
Gonna Get Their
Head Kicked In
Tonight, credited
to Earl Vince and
the Valiants, is on
the flip of this 45.
Shopping List sleeves courtesy of 45cat
96 MAY 2016

HFC_A4_Ad_blank.indd 1 10/03/2016 11:36
O’Brien Hi-Fi
Est.1966
ENJOYING MUSIC TOGETHER FOR 50 YEARS
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Analogue Seduction are dedicated towards
two channel Hi-Fi, specialising in vinyl replay.
As well as our on-line shop we have dedicated demonstration
retail facilities based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
and we can offer our customers home demonstrations.
We stock the finest in amplification, analogue, digital replay and speakers.
We also specialise in a cable termination and cable burn in service.
tel. 020 8946 1528
60 DURHAM ROAD - WIMBLEDON - SW20 0TW
www.obrienhifi.com
Please visit our website www.analogueseduction.net to browse
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New vinyl records now stocked
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100 White Lung
Paradise
101 Accademia Bizantina
Haydn Symphonies
101 Xiayin Wang
Tchaikovsky/
Khachaturian
piano concertos
BACK IN THE nineties, Carlos Santana appeared
to be a spent force. His records had stopped
selling, the inspiration had dried up and he was
dropped by Columbia. Then in 1999, and already
into his fifties, he teamed up with a star-studded
cast of young singers including Lauryn Hill, Cee Lo
Green and Wyclef Jean to record Supernatural.
It seemed like the last throw, but it worked
spectacularly. Supernatural gave him his first
number one since 1971 and won nine Grammy
awards. Further hit albums repeated the all-star
guests formula. Yet although his guitar playing was
as burnished as ever and the youthful collaborators
felicitously contemporised his sound, for long-time
fans it was no substitute for the Afro-Latin rock
fusion which set alight the 1969 Woodstock festival.
Now for the first time in 45 years Santana has
reunited with Woodstock survivors Gregg Rolie on
Santana
Santana IV
keyboards and vocals, guitarist Neil Schon and
percussionists Michael Shrieve and Michael
Carabello. Only bassist Michael Brown, who died in
2000, and conga player Jose ‘Chepito’ Areas are
missing, replaced by Benny Rietveld and Karl
Perazzo respectively.
The classic lineup which Santana put together in
the late sixties stayed together for just three
albums, hence the title of their ‘reunion’ album,
which sounds gloriously like you might have
expected Santana IV to sound if they had made it in
1972. If that seems conservative, then bear in mind
how radical and quite unlike anything else in the
rock firmament Santana sounded at the time. The
group’s combustible fusion of Latin rhythms,
Afro-percussion and electrifying psychedelic-blues
guitar solos was revelatory, a thrilling hybrid of
global styles two decades before the term ‘world
CD Thirty Tigers
music’ had been invented. The band are now all in
their late sixties, of course, although they play with
an energy that effortlessly rolls back the years. The
opener Yambu swirls around Hammond organ,
crunching guitars and an African chant to sound
like a first cousin to Jingo from the group’s 1969
debut. Anywhere You Want To Go has a Latin-soul
rhythm reminiscent of Oye Como Va from 1970’s
career-defining Abraxas. Fillmore East is a spacey,
acid-rock instrumental jam, All Aboard is a
contemporary update on their Woodstock
showstopper Soul Sacrifice, the moody Latino
tones of Sueños evoke the slow burn of their classic
Samba Pa Ti and Blues Magic delivers exactly what
its title promises. You cannot recreate the past. But
Santana IV is living proof that when nostalgia is
celebrated with such freshness and energy it can
be jubilantly irresistible. NW
MAY 2016 99

MUSICREVIEWS
Chris Rea
La Passione
Corinne
Bailey Rae
The Heart Speaks
In Whispers
CD Jazzee Blue CD Good Groove/Virgin EMI
20 YEARS AGO, Rea composed a soundtrack for
a semi-autobiographical film he’d made about a
boy who develops a lifelong obsession with motor
racing. But his record company were unconvinced
and the project never saw the light of day in the
form he had envisaged. He’s now re-recorded the
soundtrack, a wonderfully evocative soundscape
combining sweeping orchestral arrangements,
shimmering lead guitar and wistful, lyrical songs
sung affectingly and with heart-felt conviction. Rea
regards La Passione as his magnum opus, which is
opulently presented here as a two CD/two DVD set
housed in a lavish 70-page coffee-table book. NW
AWARD-WINNING BRITISH SINGER/
SONGWRITER Corinne Bailey Rae releases her
third album, and it starts off in soaraway soul pop
fashion with The Skies Will Break, which pushes
dancey piano stabs to the forefront. But then, as
the album progresses, you get a feel for Bailey
Rae's diversity. Hey, I Won't Break Your Heart is a
soulful lament, while Been To The Moon is a sassy
funk roller and Tell Me is a dancefloor-friendly tush
waggler with some pleasing bass notes. So there's
a lot going on for your hi-fi to digest, but it's all
beautifully contained without ever feeling that it
will burst out of the box at you. PH
Kel Assouf
Tikounen
White Lung
Paradise
CD
Igloomondo
THE IMPROBABLE SUCCESS of the
nomadic Tuareg guitar band Tinariwen,
who came roaring out of the Sahara
desert a few years back to conquer rock
festivals around the world, has resulted
in a spate of copycat bands. Led by
guitarist/singer Anana Harouna, who
left Mali 10 years ago for Brussels,
exile has lent a distinctively urban
edge to Kel Assouf’s take on the
timeless rhythms of the endless sands
to make them the hardest-hitting
desert-rockers of them all.
Do you agree with our reviewers?
Decide for yourself and listen to
some of this month’s tunes at
www.hifichoice.co.uk
CD
Domino
LIKE THEIR PREVIOUS efforts, White Lung's
fourth album is a short, sharp blast of catchy rock
that sweeps you off your feet. And the good news
is that it's perfect for a decent system as the band
like to add effects to their melodic, metal-tinged,
anthemic pop rock. And we're talking a lot of
effects. Guitars are spangly and outlandishly
processed, the vocals are multi-layered and often
have a touch of the Courtney Loves about them.
Listening to this, you could imagine White Lung
being an excellent festival band because they
attack every track as if their lives depended on it.
Paradise it isn't quite, but it's fun, in your face and a
short, sharp jolt of an album. PH
Kel Assouf's timeless
rhythms make them the
hardest-hitting desert
rockers of them all
AUDIOFILE VINYL
The Groundhogs
Scratching The Surface
180g vinyl
Pure Pleasure/Liberty
Think Tinariwen with added rock heft
as a European rhythm section shakes
and pounds like a cross between Black
Sabbath and Queens Of The Stone Age.
Keyboards add further textures seldom
heard in desert blues and Harouna’s
guitar playing combines quicksilver
lead lines with a tougher, riff-based
approach. From the jagged rock thump
of Europa to the militant stampede of
Medden, Kel Assouf takes the desert
blues to places it has never previously
been before. NW
THE GROUNDHOGS
CAME out of the
British blues explosion
that spawned
Fleetwood Mac and
Chicken Shack. They
were fronted by the
guitar and vocals of
Tony McPhee and for this debut the lineup
included harmonica player Steve Rye. It’s the
latter’s playing that marks this 1968 album out
from those that succeeded it, it has a raw, vivid
and extremely authentic sound that gets as close
to that of its inspiration as any British act. The
sound is particularly appealing because of its
apparent simplicity, a result of live recording at
the Marquee Studios over just two days. Despite
this it is also clearcut, the drum recording is
particularly strong and despite the lack of deep
bass manages to deliver energy in abundance.
The material is a mix of classics, including a
fabulous version of Rosco Gordon’s No More
Doggin’ and an inspiring choice of opener in Fats
Domino’s Rocking Chair, alongside originals by
McPhee and Rye with the harp player’s work
being particularly strong. McPhee’s guitar is the
most powerful instrument in the mix, his chops
on Married Man being properly scorching, it’s no
surprise that he remained the sole original
member until the band’s very recent demise. JK
Kel Assouf image courtesy of: Fabienne Pennewaert
100 MAY 2016

MUSICREVIEWS
HIGH RESOLUTION DOWNLOADS
Harry Belafonte
An Evening With
Belafonte/Makeba
Ray LaMontagne
Ouroboros
DEMO DISCS
Doug Graham, sales
director at Naim Audio,
reveals the music he
uses to demo the
company’s products
FLAC 24-bit/96kHz hdtracks.co.uk FLAC 24-bit/96kHz hdtracks.co.uk
THIS GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING album,
originally released in 1965, is a proper studio
album, made in collaboration with South
African singer Miriam Makeba. It's an
extraordinary collection of songs, fusing
Belafonte's infectious Calypso numbers with
Makeba's traditional South African songs. The
fact that this is a hi-res version gives each track
real clarity and depth, which delivers a joyous
listening experience. PH
LAMONTAGNE HAS BROKEN down this
album into eight songs. The first part, or four
songs, are heavier than we've come to expect
from LaMontagne – full of sweeping, dusky
fuzzed-out soundscapes, all infused with his
trademark, breathy vocals. The second half –
starting with the too-twee Another Day, goes on
a much more mellow journey. And, of course,
this ambitious album benefits hugely from
being a hi-res recording. PH
Accademia Bizantina
Haydn Symphonies 78, 79, 80 and 81
Ottavio Dantone (conductor)
Grateful Dead
Terrapin Station
This is something that
I go back to time and
time again. Fantastic
arrangement, guitar
noodling and riffs.
Sweet vocals too. If you
like West Coast rock
this is just perfect.
Tom Waits
Mule Variations
Not ‘music for
hi-fi‘ for most
commentators.
Wrong. It’s just a
different approach
to how things can
sound. Tom Waits is
scary. Scarily good.
2 CDs Decca
A lively sound, with clean
articulate strings and crisp
low horns – what's not to like?
FOUR RARELY RECORDED Haydn symphonies
make for an interesting and highly entertaining
disc. Accademia Bizantina play on original
instruments and make a lively sound, with clean
articulate strings and some crisp low horns. Decca
claims these are the first recordings of these works
to employ period forces, and the symphonies
are among those omitted from Christopher
Hogwood’s incomplete L’Oiseau Lyre cycle, which
stopped at 77. Clean immediate sound, with
excellent clarity and detail, makes this is a good
release. It’s just a pity it isn’t the start of a new
complete cycle from these forces! JH
David Bowie
Black Tie
White Noise
A mixed bag, but in
my experience there
is always something
great in a Bowie
album. Don’t Let Me
Down & Down is a
real stand out.
Lambchop
Is A Woman
Kurt Wagner can’t
sing, but that’s not the
point. It’s storytelling
that makes no sense
but somehow impacts
heavily and you don’t
think about lyrics. It's
just part of the music.
Xiayin Wang
Tchaikovsky/
Khachaturian piano
concertos
BLU-RAY DVD
The Who
Live at Shea Stadium 1982
Bernard Herrmann
Twisted Nerve Original
Motion Picture
Soundtrack
Blu-ray
Eagle Vision
SACD
Chandos
WANG PLAYS ENTHUSIASTICALLY and gives
a brilliant festive account of this ebullient
warm-hearted work. Her playing is powerful and
full-blooded, but not bombastic, and the recording
produces a beautifully clear natural sound that
avoids tonal hardness and congestion. The
Khachaturian concerto is a fairly loud bombastic
piece, but once again Wang and Oundjian seem to
avoid the worst excesses. The slow movement –
featuring an instrument called a flexatone – creates
a wonderful effect that simply has to be heard. The
SACD recording is excellent – refined and detailed
– while sounding smooth, natural, and dynamic. JH
It’s a shock to see Pete
Townshend with a quiff
wearing new romantic attire in
the sort of video quality that
cut it in 520P but looks crude
today. He still looks miserable
though, barely scrapes a smile
over a long set. But the band in its longest-lived
lineup are in top form, belting out the classics
alongside contemporary numbers and proving
to a rain-soaked crowd that they still had the
power. The sound is appealingly unpolished
with restrained use of compression and a
natural balance that sounds real even if crowd
noise is well down in the mix. JK
180g vinyl
Stylotone
THE PROBLEM WITH Twisted Nerve is that once
you've heard it you won't be able to get it out of
your head for the rest of the day. The rising/falling
whistling motive that Quentin Tarantino 'borrowed'
for Kill Bill is so damn catchy that you'll be whistling
it to yourself long after you've put the record away.
The soundtrack includes a mix of more traditional
orchestral scene-setting fair along with a jazz
version of the catchy ditty that sounds just
fantastic – making a decent low-end vital to enjoy
those menacing cellos and kettle drums.
A beautifully put together package from this new
UK label specialising in classic soundtracks. JDW
MAY 2016 101

MUSIC LEGENDS
BOB DYLAN
Bob Dylan
Voice of his generation
Nigel Williamson looks
over the career of the
songwriter’s songwriter
that dared to go electric
W
hen The Who’s Pete Townshend
was asked how he had been
influenced by Bob Dylan, he
replied that the question was “like
being asked how I was affected by being
born”. Dylan’s impact on popular culture has
been all-pervasive and there can surely not be
a songwriter on the planet who hasn’t been
influenced by him. Dylan changed our world
and remains the yardstick by which every
other songwriter is judged and measured.
But the genius of his songwriting is only half
the story. Dylan was the first of the modern
singer-songwriters and his artistry as a
performer, both on record and in concert, has
been immense and charismatic, singing not
only his own compositions, but a vast
repertoire of traditional blues and folk ballads
and, on his most recent release, reinterpreting
the Great American Songbook of Irving Berlin
and Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Throughout his long career Dylan has
regularly excited, often causing furious
controversy. His early folk fans denounced
him as Judas for going electric. Others were
offended when he began using his songs to
STUDIO ALBUMS
Bob Dylan (1962)
A debut of mostly blues
and folk covers, but sung
with a poise and maturity
way beyond his 20 years.
The Times They Are
A-Changin’ (1964)
The high tide of the protest
movement, featuring potent
anthems such as the title track,
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie
Carroll and Only A Pawn In
Their Game.
Bringing It All
Back Home (1965)
Along with the Byrds’
Mr Tambourine Man,
the album that invented
folk-rock as Dylan plugs in
on Subterranean Homesick
Blues and Maggie’s Farm.
1962 1963 1964 1964 1965 1965
The Freewheelin’
Bob Dylan (1963)
The ‘voice of his generation’
emerges, with his first truly great
compositions including Blowin’ In
The Wind, Masters Of War and A
Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.
Another Side Of
Bob Dylan (1964)
Still acoustic, but the lyrics are
growing more poetic and the
imagery more complex on
songs such as Chimes Of
Freedom and Gates Of Eden.
Highway 61
Revisited (1965)
The rock ’n’ roll messiah
fuses raucous blues-rock
with inspired lyrics, kicking
off with the tumultuous
Like A Rolling Stone.
102 MAY 2016

MUSIC LEGENDS
BOB DYLAN
Picture credits: Dylan with dartboard: Daniel Kramer. Graffiti: Shutterstock/Steve Lagreca
preach a born-again Christian agenda. Some
could not get beyond his voice, which David
Bowie described as sounding “like sand and
glue” and which grew croakier and more
uncertain in its ability to hold a tune as the
years went on.
But if you want to know the extent of his
influence as both a performer and a writer,
ask the other great singer-songwriters of the
age. Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and Bruce
Springsteen will all tell you that Dylan is the
master and they are merely disciples.
His music has drawn liberally on the rich
vernacular traditions of folk, country and
blues. But he dramatically extended the
cultural, political and social remit of popular
music and broke new ground in the subject
matter it might cover. As Paul McCartney
noted, after Dylan it became possible to
write about almost anything in a pop song.
His greatest compositions have operated as
anthems for our times, from The Times They
Are A-Changin’, Blowin’ In The Wind and A
Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall to Mr Tambourine
Man, Subterranean Homesick Blues and Like A
Rolling Stone.
Sixties shaper
It is often said that along with The Beatles,
Dylan invented the sixties and certainly
the decade might have been very
different without him. But his artistry
cannot be confined to the era that
spawned him and over half
a century and more he has
remained restlessly creative,
consistently surprising his
audience and often swimming
against the tide.
His songs and utterances
have been forensically dissected
for hidden meaning by a school
of ‘Dylanologists’, obsessive fans
who have generated a scholarly
industry of books, lectures, papers,
symposiums, dissertations and
doctoral theses, analysing every
aspect of his work.
Yet despite his ubiquitous influence,
Dylan has remained an enigmatic
figure who shuns celebrity, the JD
Salinger of popular music who seems to be
saying to his public: “You know my songs, but
you don’t know me”.
He gives little away in his rare interviews,
which he conducts as metaphysical jousting
sessions. Those who have worked with him
attest to a highly developed sense of humour
and an enjoyment of practical jokes. But the
jealousy with which he has guarded his
privacy means we still know surprisingly little
about his true character beyond his music.
His 2004 autobiography, Chronicles Volume
One, was a vivid and fascinating read, but
Between 1989 and 2015
he played more than
2,700 shows averaging
100+ concerts per year
ultimately a perplexing one, which posed
more questions than it answered.
This, of course, has all contributed to his
mystique, perhaps deliberately so, for evasion
and self-mythologising have always been an
integral part of the face Dylan has presented
to the world. Born Robert Allen Zimmerman
in 1941 into a middle-class Jewish family, he
grew up in the dull conformity of middle
America and like millions of other teens
in the fifties found escape from his
monochrome surroundings in rock ’n’ roll.
After he enrolled at university in
Minneapolis in 1959, he added an
interest in American folk music
to his love of Elvis and Little
Richard and became obsessed
with Woody Guthrie.
By early 1961 he had made
his way to New York, where he
began singing in the folk clubs of
Greenwich Village, and made regular
visits to the bedside of the dying
Guthrie, who gave him his blessing.
He changed his name and fabricated
an improbable backstory, claiming to
have been an orphan from New Mexico
who had hoboed around America and
spent years travelling with a carnival.
Playing an acoustic guitar and blowing a
harmonica, his early recordings were
derivative of Guthrie. But he was learning
fast and by his second album in 1963 he was
already the smartest, sharpest songwriter on
the block, leaving the likes of Phil Ochs, Tom
Paxton et al trailing in his wake.
An affair with Joan Baez, who was already a
star, boosted his career and for a brief while
they became folk music’s king and queen.
It was the civil rights era and Dylan swiftly
became a youthful spokesman for the cause,
the ‘voice of his generation’, penning some of
those most potent and effective protest songs
written and sitting at Martin Luther King’s
feet as he made his “I have a dream” speech.
But he soon left Baez, the protest movement
and folk music behind. Tired of all the
responsibilities that came with being a
spokesman, he set about crafting a more
abstruse and personal form of poetry. And
when he added a rock ’n’ roll backbeat, he
John Wesley Harding (1967)
The Old West meets the Old
Testament on a collection of
austere and allegorical songs
that are about as far removed
from Blonde On Blonde as it
was possible to get.
Blonde On Blonde (1966)
Rock music’s first double
album and the climax
of Dylan’s hipster phase
and the swirling electricity
which he dubbed “the wild
mercury sound”.
Self Portrait (1970)
A deliberate act to subvert
his own celebrity or an
honest homage to the music
that influenced him? Either
way, this collection of
slushily arranged covers left
many fans perplexed.
Nashville Skyline (1969)
Dylan invents country-rock on
an album of heartfelt songs
such as Lay Lady Lay and I
Threw It All Away full of
simple but timeless verities.
Pat Garrett & Billy
The Kid (1973)
An evocative soundtrack for
Peckinpah’s movie in which
Dylan also starred, featuring
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
as the main highlight.
New Morning (1970)
Shocked by the anger that had
greeted Self Portrait, Dylan
hastily put out this collection
of a dozen new compositions
to prove that he was still a
creative force.
1966 1967 1969 1970 1970 1973
MAY 2016 103

MUSIC LEGENDS
BOB DYLAN
Dylan (1973)
After Dylan briefly left
Columbia, his old label
released this ragbag of
out-takes and rejects that
hadn’t been good enough
for Self Portrait.
Blood On The Tracks (1975)
Dylan dips his pen into his
own veins on a set widely
and justifiably dubbed “the
greatest break-up album of
all time”.
Desire (1976)
Theatrical storytelling,
a couple more great
divorce songs in Isis
and Sara and a return to
protest on Hurricane.
1973 1974 1975 1975 1976 1978
Planet Waves (1974)
Prior to going back on the
road for the first time in eight
years, Dylan went into the
studio with The Band to cut
this absorbing collection of
10 new songs, including the
perennial Forever Young.
The Basement Tapes (1975)
Culled from sessions with
The Band in Woodstock in
1967, a potpourri of down
home roots songs that
virtually invented the genre
that would later become
known as Americana.
Street-Legal (1978)
Melodically strong and
lyrically interesting songs
poorly recorded and badly
mixed, which sounded much
better after remastering in
5:1 surround sound.
recorded perhaps the most acclaimed and
influential trilogy of albums in rock history,
with Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61
Revisited and Blonde On Blonde.
Astonishingly, all three were released over
an extraordinary period of just 14 months,
indicative of the extraordinary creative
velocity at which he was travelling. Fuelled
by a cocktail of drugs, it couldn’t last and
running on empty, in the summer of 1966
after completing a tumultuous world tour, it
was reported that he had suffered a near-fatal
motorcycle accident in Woodstock.
Fact or fiction
Like so much in Dylan’s life, the truth is
difficult to disentangle from the fiction and it
appears that the seriousness of the crash was
much exaggerated. He needed to step off the
merry-go round and the incident may have
been an arrangement of convenience that
provided the excuse to take 18 months out
of the public eye. Arguably, this saved him
from joining the ranks of the live-fast-dieyoung
‘dead rock stars club’; Dylan himself
later noted: “I’d been hurt and I recovered.
Truth was I wanted to get out of the rat race”.
When he returned, he looked and sounded
radically different. John Wesley Harding was a
stripped-down, semi-acoustic back-to-theroots
album and was followed by 1969’s
Nashville Skyline, a journey into country
music which helped to invent country-rock
and made hip a genre that at the time was
Dylan remains the
yardstick by which
every other songwriter
is judged and measured
regarded as nothing more than deeply
unfashionable music for rednecks.
As a new decade dawned, Self Portrait
seemed a further retreat from the front line,
a bizarre, ragbag of covers that provoked a
front-page review in Rolling Stone that began
with the words, “What is this sh**?”. Dylan
later claimed that the record was a deliberate
act of abdication to free himself from his past,
“to get people off my back, so people would
just stop buying my records”. Certainly many
of his fans felt betrayed, although he won
most of them back when he returned to the
road for the first time in eight years with The
Band on the ‘Before The Flood’ tour in 1974.
That was just the warm up for one of the
finest albums of his career, 1975’s Blood On
The Tracks, inspired by the break up of his
marriage to Sara Lownds, and described by
one critic as: “The most savagely remorseless
examination of the downside of love ever
committed to record”.
Losing his way
Then he seemed to lose his compass as he
sought salvation in some unlikely places.
After joining an evangelical Christian sect
called the Vineyard Fellowship, Dylan
transmogrified into an eschatological zealot
on a mission to save his fans from the devil,
hectoring them that they were going to burn
in hellfire unless they changed their ways.
That he was Jewish made this conversion
surprising enough; but his role in the sixties
as an eloquent critic of dogma meant that his
transformation into a hardcore evangelist
was too much for many of his fans to take,
particularly given its timing at the end of
the seventies, just as the Reaganite ‘moral
majority’ of Christian conservatives was
mobilising its takeover of American politics.
Yet if the onset of the eighties found him
with a new sense of purpose as a born-again
religious preacher, it did not last. As his
fervour waned, by the middle of the decade
he appeared to be drifting into an early
mid-life crisis, drinking heavily, stumbling
Picture credits: Dylan left: Shutterstock/Christian Bertrand. Dylan right: Shutterstock/Rena Schild
Down In The Groove (1988)
More like down in the dumps.
Desultory covers and
lightweight compositions
on an album that lacks
cohesion and purpose.
Under The Red Sky (1990)
Dylan usually eschewed the
‘celebrity guests’ route – but
this is the exception with
George Harrison, Slash, Elton
John and David Crosby making
contributions to songs like God
Knows and Cat’s In The Well.
World Gone Wrong (1993)
A second album of
traditional and acoustic
folk and blues tunes,
delivered as deathlessly
as its predecessor.
1988 1989 1990 1992 1993 1997
Oh Mercy (1989)
Just when Dylan seemed
spent, he comes up with his
best album of the decade,
given an ethereal,
swamp-like sonority by
Daniel Lanois’ production.
Good As I Been To You (1992)
Digging deep into the well
of American vernacular music,
13 traditional folk and blues
songs interpreted solo and
acoustic with Dylan’s own
unique tone and phrasing.
Time Out Of Mind (1997)
Another renaissance as
Dylan confronts his own
mortality on songs such
as Not Dark Yet and Tryin’
To Get To Heaven.
104 MAY 2016

MUSIC LEGENDS
BOB DYLAN
Slow Train Coming (1979)
Born-again Bob, but
whatever you thought of
the religious nature of the
songs, sonically this is one
of Dylan’s most glorioussounding
albums.
Shot Of Love (1981)
The final born-again album
finds Dylan retreating from
his self-righteous certainty
and embracing a more
universal spirituality,
heard at its best on the
lovely Every Grain Of Sand.
Empire Burlesque (1985)
Seduced by the voguish
technology of synths and
programmed drums, Bob
handed over some rather good
songs to dance producer
Arthur Baker. Big mistake.
1979 1980 1981 1983 1985 1986
Saved (1980)
The sermonising continues,
but Dylan sounds urgent and
animated and there’s no
disguising the quality of
songs such as Covenant
Woman and In The Garden.
Infidels (1983)
A curate’s egg, but lifted
by the Jamaican rhythm
section of Sly and Robbie
and the sparkling guitar
work of Mick Taylor and
Mark Knopfler.
Knocked Out Loaded (1986)
Dylan gets writer’s block
with Brownsville Girl the only
major new composition.
What made him record a
reggae version of Precious
Memories remains a mystery.
around on stage and his songwriting
inspiration on the wane. The nadir perhaps
came when he closed the Live Aid concert in
1985 and in front of millions of television
viewers around the world busked his way
drunkenly through a couple of dire songs for
which his accompanists, Keith Richards and
Ron Wood, were unrehearsed.
Turning the corner
Fortunately, help was at hand. After a good
natured chart-topping diversion in 1988 as
part of the Traveling Wilburys with Jeff
Lynne, George Harrison, Tom Petty and Roy
Orbison, there was a marked return to form
with his finest set of songs in a decade with
1989’s Oh Mercy. More significantly, Dylan
found redemption in a new-found belief that
music is fundamentally a live experience and
its unique power can only be fully realised
in communion with an audience – the
philosophy that inspired what came to be
known as ‘the Never Ending Tour’.
Over the years he had tried mind-bending
drugs, domesticity, born-again Christianity
and reembracing his Jewish roots. When
none of them provided the answers he was
looking for, he might have retreated to his
own Elvis-style Graceland and rotted in
isolation. Instead, he took to the road. “It’s the
only place I’m happy,” he said. “The only
place you can be who you want to be.”
Between 1989 and 2015 he played more
than 2,700 shows averaging more than 100
Bob Dylan receives
the Presidential
Medal of Freedom
By his second album
in 1963 he was already
the smartest, sharpest
songwriter on the block
concerts per year, playing songs both old and
new. Even a near-death experience in 1997
with a life-threatening infection could not
derail him. “I really thought I’d be seeing Elvis
soon,” he said.
But he was back on his never ending tour
within weeks, taking as his theme the song
It’s Not Dark Yet, from 1997’s Time Out Of
Mind, a rich and mature album that ranks
among his very best. That same year he sang
for the Pope in the Vatican; photographers
caught the pontiff apparently sound asleep
during Dylan’s performance of Knocking On
Heaven’s Door, although he awoke later to
deliver a short sermon based not on a
traditional biblical text but on Dylan’s
Blowin’ In The Wind.
Still going strong
The arrival of the new millennium and his
60th birthday only seemed to reinvigorate
Dylan. The last 15 years has seen a flurry
of activity that has included half a dozen
studio albums; numerous archive releases
in his ongoing ‘official bootleg’ series; a
documentary film about his early career
directed by Martin Scorsese; and a
remarkable satellite radio show, which he
hosted for 100 compelling episodes between
2006 and 2009.
“I’m a firm believer in the longer you live,
the better you get,” he said at the peak of his
powers back in the sixties. Inevitably the truth
is a fair bit more complicated and the
trajectory of his career has been one of ups
and downs as he has thrilled, confounded,
bewildered and delighted in perhaps equal
measure. But it would be impossible to
imagine what popular music would sound
like without Dylan and the songs with which
he helped to make our world ●
Modern Times (2006)
The muse is still strong,
evidenced by the fact that all
nine songs here became
concert staples, often
displacing his sixties classics.
Love And Theft (2001)
Dylan sounds like he’s
having fun again on an
album of rockabilly,
vaudeville and barroom
boogie flavours.
Christmas In
The Heart (2009)
Was Dylan joking as he
croaked his way through
Little Drummer Boy and
Winter Wonderland? If so,
it wasn’t especially funny.
Together Through Life
(2009)
Rollicking blues grooves and
lines borrowed from such
highbrow sources as Ovid and
Chaucer, gloriously delivered
in a cracked, leathery growl.
Shadows In The Night (2015)
Dylan does Sinatra. He
claimed he wasn’t covering
the songs but rather
‘uncovering’ them as he
reinvented the Great
American Songbook as a
set of rootsy folk tunes.
Tempest (2012)
Dylan turns into everyone’s
favourite grizzled rock uncle
on an album hailed by critics
as a mature masterpiece.
“I’m not dead yet, my bell
still rings,” he sings.
2001 2006 2009 2009 2012 2015
MAY 2016 105

CARTRIDGES £250-£395
Needle craft
Looking to take your vinyl performance up a notch? Ed Selley
lines up four cartridge maestros for your consideration
U
pgrading a phono
cartridge can prove to
be one of the more
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and careful alignment to contend
with. There is no shortage of models
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fragile nature, demos can be hard to
secure and performance can be
radically affected depending on the
tonearm, turntable or phono stage
they are partnered with.
At the £250 to £400 price range,
moving-magnet designs are the most
commonly encountered cartridge type
but there are also a small number of
moving-iron and moving-coil models
available. Of the latter, some are highoutput
designs that will work with a
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The models here are a mix of
magnet, iron and high-output moving
coil. They all work with any movingmagnet
phono stage and can be
partnered with a variety of tonearms.
Testing is carried out using an Audio
Note Arm III hooked up to an Avid
Ingenium turntable (HFC 379) with a
Cyrus Phono Signature phono stage
(HFC 408). Levels are set with a setup
record playing a 1kHz test tone and
SPL meter. Once correctly aligned
and set, each cartridge plays a test
program including Låpsley’s Long Way
Home, Little Feat’s Time Loves A Hero,
Wild Beast’s Present Tense and
Fontän’s Winterhwila. Enough talk,
it’s time to get to the point.
Audio-Technica
AT150Sa
PRICE: £300 TELEPHONE: 0113 2771441 WEBSITE: eu.audio-technica.com
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Audio-Technica
AT150Sa
ORIGIN
Japan
TYPE
Moving-magnet
cartridge
FEATURES
Shibata type stylus;
fixed stylus guard;
4.0mV output
DISTRIBUTOR
Audio-Technica UK
A NEW DESIGN and the flagship
moving-magnet offering from A-T, the
AT150Sa stands out from rivals thanks
to its super-fine Shibata stylus which
first saw use in the moving-coil
AT33Sa. This is designed to offer
superior high-frequency response and
improved fine-detail retrieval and is
attached to an attractive alloy body
wired with Pure Copper by Ohno
Continuous Casting (PCOCC) wire.
Horsing around
This is easily the most challenging
cartridge of the group to fit. Audio-
Technica does not use threaded
bodies on its cartridges and the
horseshoe-shaped mounts combined
with the irregular shape of the body
and the presence of a ‘roll bar’-style
stylus guard make it rather awkward
to mount the AT150Sa onto a fixed
headshell tonearm.
Once done, the healthy 4mV output
will work well into most phono
stages. Sonically, it’s worthwhile
persevering with the fiddly
installation as it rewards with a
punchy and confident performance.
The bass response with all of the test
material is deep and well defined and
the top end is largely realised with a
refined sound that works well with
the vocals of the Låpsley and Wild
Beasts tracks in particular. There is
plenty of space and separation to
the presentation and even the
complex and congested Fontän track
is intelligible and composed with an
excellent soundstage.
However, it never quite manages the
sense of immediacy that some of the
other cartridges here offer, and it
seems more affected by less than
perfectly clean vinyl. Ultimately
though, this is a seriously capable
cartridge for the asking price and
worth seeking out for an audition ●
VERDICT
It’s rather tricky to fit, but is worth the effort as
it’s capable of excellent results once installed
106 MAY 2016

CARTRIDGES
£250-£395
MINITEST
Clearaudio
Performer V2
PRICE: £250 TELEPHONE: 0118 9814238 WEBSITE: clearaudio.de
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Clearaudio
Performer V2
ORIGIN
Germany
TYPE
Moving-magnet
cartridge
FEATURES
Aluminium
cantilever; ebony
wood body; 3.3mV
output
DISTRIBUTOR
Sound Fowndations
THIS IS THE second most
affordable model in Clearaudio’s
range of cartridges and also the most
affordable design here. In keeping
with its more expensive brethren, the
Performer V2 shuns metal or plastic
for the body in favour of ebony wood.
The cantilever is aluminium and like
a number of Clearaudio cartridges is
fairly long, meaning that it will work
best in an arm with VTA adjustment.
Right said thread
Assuming this is the case, installation
is a breeze. The body is threaded and
the V2 cartridges have moved to
using allen bolts instead of screws,
making things easier. The pins are
well spaced and logically laid out and
everything feels like it’s finished to
a high standard. The recommended
tracking weight of 2.2g is the heaviest
here, but not particularly hard to set.
The output of 3.3mV is lower than the
other moving-magnet models on test,
but nonetheless perfectly functional
into any MM phono stage.
The V2 goes about making music in
a consistently impressive way. With
the Låpsley track in particular, it is
extremely even across the frequency
range, marrying excellent bass, an
impressively detailed midrange and a
punchy yet detailed top end. Vocals
are consistently well handled and it
reproduces the relatively noisy Fontän
pressing with reasonable refinement.
A little like the Audio-Technica
offering, the only slight limitation is
that it presents information in a
slightly matter of fact manner that
might not be to everyone’s taste. The
Little Feat track doesn’t have the same
emotion as with some others here. If
you have a slightly warm-sounding
deck this could be a superb and very
cost-effective choice for you ●
VERDICT
A very good-value cartridge with a generally
excellent performance
Hana
EH
PRICE: £276 TELEPHONE: 01491 629629 WEBSITE: airaudio.co.uk
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Hana EH
ORIGIN
Japan
TYPE
High-output
moving-coil
cartridge
FEATURES
Aluminium
cantilever; plastic
body; 2mV output
DISTRIBUTOR
Air Audio
HANA MAY BE A relatively new
name, but parent company Excel has
been making cartridges for a variety
of manufacturers for decades. The EH
is the high-output version of the more
affordable of its two current models
and is the only high-output movingcoil
here. The coils are mated to an
aluminium cantilever and elliptical
stylus to generate an output of 2mV,
which is the lowest in the test but not
too far behind the Clearaudio.
Space oddity
The Hana does without a threaded
body which can make it fiddly to fit,
although the deep mounts for the
bolts and flat-sided body help
alleviate this problem – the only slight
oddity being that the stylus guard
has to be removed to get the bolts
in. The pins are well spaced and the
2g tracking force is easy enough to
achieve in most arms, making the
cartridge and its smart packaging
look and feel well worth the price.
Sonically it delivers a performance
that combines most of the virtues
of the other models here with few
obvious vices. The output, while
lower than the group is perfectly
sufficient into most moving-magnet
stages. The EH balances a rich,
detailed and refined presentation
with impressive tonal accuracy. The
rendition of Låpsley is emotionally
engaging and has a sense of air and
space that’s unusual at the price.
Perhaps just as importantly, the
Hana manages to sound fun as well.
Both the Little Feat and Fontän
tracks have a simple, unapologetic
sense of energy and joy to them that
is a great pleasure to listen to. It
might be slightly harder to fit and
require a little more gain, but it’s
worth the effort as it rewards with
an exceptional sonic performance ●
VERDICT
Hard to fit, but an exceptionally capable and
extremely keenly priced cartridge
MAY 2016 107

MINITEST
CARTRIDGES
£250-£395
Goldring
2400
PRICE: £395 TELEPHONE: 01279 501111 WEBSITE: goldring.co.uk
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Goldring 2400
ORIGIN
UK
TYPE
Moving-iron
cartridge
FEATURES
Low mass
cantilever; metal
and plastic body;
6.5mV output
DISTRIBUTOR
Armour Home
Electronics
THIS IS COMFORTABLY the most
expensive cartridge of the group, but
if you shop around it can be found for
closer to £300, which narrows the
gap somewhat. The 2000 range is
built around moving-iron principles
where the end of the cantilever has
a small piece of iron rather than a
magnet on the end of it.
Heavy hitter
The extra money manifests itself in
a nicely constructed and designed
cartridge that thanks to a threaded
body and relatively flat sides is easy
to mount. The only slight caveat to
using the Goldring is that it is a
relatively big and heavy cartridge and
this combined with the optimal
tracking weight of 1.75g means it
could be a little too much for some
tonearms but otherwise it is easy to
accommodate. The healthy 6.5mV
output should provide more than
enough gain in most systems too.
The high output is not as noticeable
as you might expect in a consistently
musically satisfying performance.
The Goldring is adept at retrieving
considerable detail from recordings,
but perhaps more importantly it also
manages to consistently find the
human quality too. Låpsley’s vocals
have a texture and energy to them,
which makes them more believable
and enjoyable.
There is also a sense of pace and
drive to the performance that is
extremely welcome. The low
electronic notes of the Wild Beasts’
track are rendered with impact and
impressive texture, but there is also
a speed and sense of energy that
enables the Goldring to draw you
in to the performance. There is no
getting away from the higher price,
but the 2400 goes a long way in
letting you know where the extra
money has gone ●
VERDICT
It might be a little pricey, but the Goldring is
certainly a talented performer
Mini test verdict
THE STRENGTH OF this quartet of
cartridges is such that all of them
have a great deal to offer and any of
them could be the perfect fit to a vinyl
playback system. The Audio-Technica
and Clearaudio cartridges have to be
content with third and fourth place,
but are nevertheless still seriously
good options. The Audio-Technica
AT150Sa is an assured performer with
a smooth top end and tremendous
bass. It is very tricky to fit, though,
and can sound a little sterile in
comparison with its rivals.
The Clearaudio Performer V2, is
well built, simple to fit and extremely
well thought out in terms of
packaging and design. Provided you
can set the correct VTA, it is also
capable of an exceptionally detailed
and revealing performance that never
trips over into harshness or
aggression. Throw in the lowest price
in the test and you have a very
convincing cartridge indeed. Only the
slight lack of emotional involvement
and the strength of the competition
here count against it.
The Goldring 2400 is the most
expensive model here (although, as
noted, it can be found for a good bit
less if you shop around), but it does a
fine job of showing what you can get
when you spend that bit extra. It is
a very capable cartridge indeed,
balancing excellent accuracy and
tonal neutrality with a sense of fun
and emotional engagement that sets
it apart from some of the others here.
Only the higher price and the
strength of the competition robs
it of the top spot.
WINNER
The Hana EH doesn’t manage to offer much more
than the Goldring does in sonic terms and it is
slightly harder to set up and will need more gain
in your system to deliver the same levels. But it
rewards with a fantastically involving performance,
excellent build and the second lowest price in the
test. This is a superb all-rounder and one that
should work brilliantly with most turntables.
HELP &
ADVICE
Fitting any cartridge can be a challenge for even the most seasoned
vinylista, but often the task can be made much simpler by having the
correct tools to hand. Opinions differ on whether attaching the cartridge
tags before or after mounting is best practice, but either way a good pair of
tweezers or needle nose pliers will make the process easier and less likely
for any damage to occur. Once a cartridge is attached to the arm, make sure
that the alignment is correct by using a protractor relevant to your arm and
cartridge pairing.
Having done this, you’ll need to set the tracking weight and this should be
done using a stylus force gauge. Once the cartridge is correctly installed on
the arm, it will benefit from a few hours of general play before being fully run
in. Remember to refit the stylus guard when you aren’t using the cartridge.
108 MAY 2016

2 Xperience SB DC
The Ultimate Xperience
The 2 Xperience SB DC takes the core design principles
from one of our most popular turntables of recent years,
and adds a variety of enhancements to achieve a new
performance standard.
The striking plinth, available in four stylish finishes, is
accented by the thick vinyl-topped platter, which spins
on a high-quality bearing and accommodates a light
screw-on record clamp.
The new motor is powered by the built-in automatic
speed control and finished with a precision-engineered
exposed pulley.
The established 9CC Evolution carbon fibre tonearm,
with advanced anti-resonance technology and preinstalled
Ortofon 2M Silver cartridge, completes the
package to a true audiophile standard.
Available Now for £1,050.00 (UK SRP)
Distributed by Henley Designs Ltd.
T: +44 (0)1235 511 166 | E: sales@henleydesigns.co.uk | W: www.henleydesigns.co.uk

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IN EVERY ISSUE: Kit reviews, movies and TV,
accessories, systems, insight, opinion,
competitions & more
Helping you
make the
most of your
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OUT NOW!
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EXTRAS
Arcam
MusicBOOST iPhone 6 headphone
amp & DAC
POCKET ADD-ONS AIMED at
improving the inferior sounds of
smartphones are great, but, using
them often means carting around a
second box in your man bag, with
the added hassle of extra wires and
connections. Arcam’s MusicBOOST
does away with this faffery as it slips
around the iPhone 6 like a glove.
It’s very discreet and about the size
of a phone case, adding little in the
way of extra bulk. And because it
brings only 7mm of extra thickness
and 25mm in length to the phone’s
standard dimensions, it can remain
a permanent fixture. Its polycarbonate
chassis feels well made, with a rubber
coating on the outside providing a
degree of bash protection from
everyday knocks and scuffs.
At the MusicBOOST’s core sits a
TI/Burr-Brown PCM5102 precision
DAC alongside an internal battery
with enough muscle to fully charge
your phone more than twice over.
Easy does it
Using the MusicBOOST could not
be easier, simply slide your phone
in until the Arcam’s lightning
connector locates and you’re good
to go. Control switches are limited
to two small silver front panel
buttons, with the left one activating
its iPhone battery charging function
and the right indicating the
MusicBOOST’s battery status.
Socketry consists of a 3.5mm
headphone jack plus a micro USB
slot for charging. Handily this will
also charge your phone at the same
time. There’s also an external
speaker on its lower edge (mirroring
the phone’s) for playing music sans
cans, plus a rear panel cut out for
your phone’s camera lens.
Using my reference Audio-
Technica ATH-SR5BT headphones
for back-to-back comparisons with
the MusicBOOST attached and then
disconnected, immediately highlights
what the Arcam brings. In short, it
breathes life into what is otherwise
a flat-sounding performance.
Playing an ALAC rip of Goldfrapp’s
Jo via the iPhone flying solo, the
music sounds thin and uninspiring,
with the song’s rich production left
by the wayside. Bringing the
MusicBOOST into the equation
ensures the musical picture becomes
a more colourful landscape, and
leaves the iPhone’s one-dimensional
portrayal for dust. Where vocals and
instruments sound thin and clustered
before, there’s now depth and
tonality, and instead of feeling
frustrated at what I’m missing out
on I enjoy repeat listens, thanks to
the Arcam’s intervention.
Soundstaging is also much more
open and evenly distributed with the
MusicBOOST in play. Dennis Wilson’s
epic River Song from his Pacific Ocean
Blue album is a track I usually shy
away from playing on my iPhone, as
An almost essential
buy for iPhone 6
users craving better
quality sounds
its audio quality simply can’t do the
song’s sweeping vocals and grand
soundscapes justice. Via the Arcam,
however, the music gets much closer
to how it sounds on my reference
system at home as backing vocals
extend from deep within the mix and
the percussion becomes more clearly
defined and imaged.
Another trait that’s common to
the Arcam’s treatment is in how it
smooths out the iPhone’s harsh edges,
making the music more relaxing to
aide longer, fatigue-free listening
sessions. Streaming a 256kbps
download of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis
Armstrong’s Cheek To Cheek from
their 1956 duets album Ella And
Louis, the Arcam ensures Armstrong’s
rich vocals are presented with a
velvety tonality that’s nice and rich.
Perhaps the areas of criticism that I
level the most at my iPhone’s audio
performance is in its bass quality and
quantity. But with the MusicBOOST
driving the Audio-Technica cans, I’m
DETAILS
PRICE
£120
WEBSITE
arcam.co.uk
OUR VERDICT
presented with more low frequencies
than I’m used to, brought home by
the double bass, which doesn’t shy
away from properly resonating with
a good sense of texture.
Marked improvement
For those who use an iPhone more
out of necessity than for its audio
quality, the MusicBOOST brings
welcome relief. In a nutshell, it
converts the iPhone’s mediocre (at
best) musical performance into a
true audio experience, and for that it
should be applauded. Add to this its
fit-and-forget nature – which ensures
you never need be without it when
on the move – and the MusicBOOST
stands out as an almost essential buy
for iPhone 6 users craving better
quality sounds. AS
MAY 2016 111

Quality-Performance-Value-Service
real
UK only prices including 20% VAT and mainland delivery. Some models show upgraded valves.
www.iconaudio.com sales@iconaudio.com (+44) 0116 2440593 Leicester UK

EXTRAS
Pro-Ject
VC-S record cleaning machine
DRY CLEANING AN LP with a
brush or cloth is the go-to method
for most and can easily be done
each time you play a disc. But this
will never completely release all the
dirt that has sunk deep into the
groove – this can only be done with
a wet clean, and the best way to do
this is to use a record cleaning
machine (RCM) that vacuums off
any dirty fluid after cleaning,
ensuring that any dirt particles
suspended in the fluid is disposed of
and the record dried at the same
time. The catch is that RCMs can be
rather expensive, making the dry
cloth option far more appealing.
Enter Pro-Ject’s VC-S, which at just
under £300 is far more affordable
than many of its rivals.
In a spin
The VC-S spins the record in both
directions to ensure that all the
cleaning fluid is removed properly
and has a motor that is claimed
to spin faster than many of its
competitors. There’s a high-power
vacuum unit that can dry a record in
just two rotations. The vacuum arm
that sucks up the dirty fluid from the
record and then dries it is very
robust and is supported by a stable
pivot. The record is fixed with an
aluminium clamp that is lined with
a rubber seal that holds the LP
against the small motorised
platform. This is the size of a record
label and keeps cleaning fluid away
from the label during use. The small
platform means that a full-size
supporting record platter is not
required, which could potentially
bring dirt into contact with a clean
record surface.
To clean a record, first clamp it to
the support platform and apply a
small amount of cleaning fluid and
then turn the motor on. Next, using
the supplied goat-hair brush spread
the fluid across the playing surface
to ensure that it gets into all of the
groove. Finally, swing the vacuum
arm over the record and turn on the
vacuum motor. Within a couple of
DETAILS
PRICE
£299
TELEPHONE
01235 511166
WEBSITE
henleydesigns.co.uk
OUR VERDICT
rotations (one in each direction),
the side should be clean and dry.
Flip it over and repeat the process
on the other side. The LP is then
immediately ready for playing or
inserting into a new record sleeve.
The dirty solution that is removed
from the record’s surface is stored in
an internal 2.5-litre waste container.
There’s a gauge to indicate the level
of dirty water on the side of the VC-S
and emptying is easily accomplished
using the supplied funnel.
Wash and go
The VC-S is supplied with 100ml of
vinyl cleaning solution – Wash-IT –
together with all the accessories
required to start cleaning up your
vinyl collection. Other items,
including a special alcohol-free
cleaning solution – Wash-IT 78 for
use with 78rpm shellac records – a
dust cover and various sizes of the
standard Wash-IT cleaning solution,
are also available separately.
I mix the Wash-IT concentrate
with deionised water as per the
instructions and fill the supplied
application bottle before testing the
VC-S with a newly purchased record
on which I had previously noticed
some slight surface noise when
playing. I switch on the motor to
rotate the record and apply the fluid
and then use the brush to spread it
evenly over the playing area. I wait
for 10 seconds, then swing the
cleaning arm over and turn on the
vacuum to suck up the fluid from the
surface. The motor is so powerful,
that only one revolution is required
to dry the surface completely, but I
repeat it in the other direction just
to be sure. After cleaning the flip
side using the same process, I play
the record again. I am pleased to
discover that the background noise
has now completely disappeared. It
is extremely quick and easy to clean
an LP using the VC-S and I am able
to rattle through a dozen or so of my
records in next to no time with
excellent results.
Of all the RCMs I have tried,
Pro-Ject’s VC-S is certainly one of
the best and what’s more it is also
excellent value. NR
MAY 2016 113

GROUND-BREAKING
TOWNSHEND
SEISMIC PODIUM
The Seismic Podium is designed to brake the acoustic connection
between the floor and the speaker.
The Podium, together with the speaker, forms a low pass
mechanical filter that prevents the passage of deleterious vibrations
both to and from the speaker cabinet.
Break this link and the result is simply magical, the sound is transformed for every speaker, everywhere, every time.
The effect on the sound quality is outstanding. Everything sounds much cleaner and clearer, but for me the best
improvement is the purity of tone of the strings when listening to classical music. Previously I couldn’t enjoy listening
to orchestral music because the violins sounded so ‘dirty’, and I have spent years trying to eliminate the problem by
experimenting with different DACs, interconnects and speaker cables without any meaningful results. I only wish that
I had bought them earlier! “ RM
Winner
· Blocks ground borne vibration from entering the speakers.
INNOVATION
2015
· Blocks speaker generated vibration from entering the floor.
· Neighbour friendly due to elimination of structure borne sound.
· Huge reduction in bass boom.
· Clearer and much more tuneful sound.
· Far deeper and wider sound stage.
· Suitable for wood, tile or carpeted floors. ors. No more spikes!
· Works on solid or suspended concrete e and wood floors.
· Eliminates resonance between speaker-cabinet er-cabinet mass and floor.
Watch the demonstration video showing
with and without Seismic Podium.
http://goo.gl/Hy4boC

EXTRAS
Atlas Cables
Zeno 1:2 headphone cable
WHEN IT COMES to cable
upgrades, replacing the cable
supplied with a set of headphones is
often well down the list of priorities.
But, as we shall discover, it’s well
worth considering. The Zeno cable
incorporates Ohno Continuous Cast
(OCC) copper conductors that are
covered in FEP (fluorinated ethylene
propylene) low-temperature
deposition dielectric to protect
the integrity of the OCC material.
The wires are then wrapped in a
protective soft PVC inner liner and
finished with a tangle-free red fabric
outer jacket. A wide range of
termination options are available
employing Atlas’ Metik non-solder
crimp plugs to give an airtight
metal-to-metal contact.
The Zeno is available fitted as
standard with a single 3.5mm stereo
plug or two 2.5mm, 6.35mm or
4-pin XLR mini plugs for the
headphone end, together
with a choice of 3.5mm,
6.35mm or 4-pin XLR
plugs for the amplifier
end. In addition, a wide
range of brand-specific
headphone connectors are
also catered for, including
Sennheiser. For this review,
the cable is tested with a
pair of Oppo PM-2 planar
magnetic headphones
(HFC 402).
Moment of truth
Listening to a direct-to-disc vinyl
recording of the Syd Lawrence
Orchestra playing Sing Sing Sing, the
track really comes alive. The treble
opens up and there is even more
excitement in its performance with
the already superb Oppo. Bass is
tighter and more extended. Swapping
back to the supplied cable, the sound
is a little more closed-in and the
extreme top end disappears as the
performance misses some of the
energy of the recording that’s gained
with the Zeno 1:2 cable in place. This
is a serious upgrade for the discerning
headphone listener. NR
DETAILS
PRICE
£245 for a 3m cable
TELEPHONE
01563 572666
WEBSITE
atlascables.com
OUR VERDICT
Spec Corporation
RSP-501EX
Real-Sound Processor
DETAILS
PRICE
£495
TELEPHONE
0203 5442338
WEBSITE
nunudistribution.
co.uk
OUR VERDICT
THIS LITTLE BOX of tricks is
designed to be fitted across the
terminals of your loudspeaker, close
to the speaker, and is claimed to
improve resolution and the natural
timbres and texture of the sound.
On first sight, you could be forgiven
for thinking that each unit is just a
box containing a handful of passive
components and, to be honest, you
would be right. There is no power
supply, so it can only be a passive – or
Zobel – network. Such networks are
often employed on the output of
amplifiers to cancel out the reactive
portion of loudspeaker impedance. In
its simplest form, a Zobel network is a
resistor and capacitor in series across
the amplifier output, but siting it here
doesn’t benefit the speaker in terms of
addressing the effects of the speaker
cable and also the reverse EMF
generated by the movement of the
voice coils. This reverse current
returns to the amp and makes it more
difficult to drive the speaker in
accordance with the input signal. This
is a particular problem for traditional
semiconductor linear amplifiers.
Spec check
Each unit measures 100 x 47 x
117mm (WxHxD) and weighs 0.25kg.
The box is beautifully made and very
high-quality audiophile components
are used internally, which is essential
for coping with the high current
demands of a loudspeaker.
My review samples have already
been run in for 80 hours and with
the RSP-501EX installed across
each of my transmission line
loudspeakers, I enjoy a more natural
sound that flows more effortlessly.
The soundstage is widened and
deepened and there is more space
around the instruments. The bass is
also tighter, faster and punchier.
Yes, the RSP-501EXs are expensive,
but they do work. NR
MAY 2016 115

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Audio Research Ref 610 Monos, vgc boxed REDUCED used 12999 Ayre Evolution DVD, mint boxed REDUCED dem 1749
B&W 804D2, near mint boxed used 3749
Audio Research DSi 200, just ARC serviced with remote used 2499 Cayin CD50T, excellent boxed used 499
Clearaudio Unify Tonearm excellent boxed REDUCED used 599
B&W 686, excellent boxed used 119
Audio Research D240 Power, excellent boxed used 749 Cambridge Audio 840c, excellent used 299
Clearaudio Basic Symmetry Phono Stage REDUCED used 399
B&W 685S2, black ash, near mint boxed used 399
Audio Research SP9 Preamplifier, VGC+, MM phono used 749 Chapter Audio Sonnet CD & Nevo REDUCED dem 1699
Consonance Cyber 40 Phono stage, excellent boxed used 599
Edwards Audio Apprentice, excellent boxed, REDUCED used 279
Audio Research Ref 3 Preamplifier, AS serviced, boxed used 3749 Chord Hugo TT DAC/Headphone amp, as new used 2199
Fidelity Research FR64S boxed, excellent used 1499
Ferguson Hill FH007&8 ‘desktop’ audio set boxed used 349
BAT VK550se Premplifier, remote, factory serviced 2016 used 2499 Chord ‘One’ CD player excellent! used 1799
Garrard 401 in stunning oak plinth, SME cut used 799
Focal Chorus 714, excellent boxed used 349
BAT VK55 Power Amplifier, excellent boxed used 1599 Chord DAC 64, excellent boxed dem 699
Garrard 401, Jelco 750 12” arm, new plinth and lid used 1199
Focal Electra 1008, mint boxed dem 2249
Beard P101, excellent boxed, just serviced, REDUCED used 699 Chord DAC 64 mk2, excellent boxed used 899
Graham Phantom Supreme, SME cut dem 2749 Bryston B100sst excellent boxed, REDUCED used 1999 Consonance CD2.2, new sealed new Call
Focal Electra 1028, mint boxed dem 2749
Graham Phantom Supreme 12”, SME cut dem 3249 Boulder 1010/1060 Pre/Power, near mint boxed used 10999 Creek Destiny CD player, boxed used 699
Gallo Nucleus Reference 2, rare, superb & boxed used 1999
Graham Slee Fanfare Gramamp 3 used 179 Cambridge Audio 840a Integrated used 399 Cyrus dAD3, exellent boxed used 199
Heco Statement in gloss black, £3k new dem 1499
Linn Sondek, Heed PSU, vgc boxed used 749 Cambridge Audio Minx XI, excellent used 249 Cyrus CD8se, excellent boxed used 399
Kef Reference Three-Two, vgc+, REDUCED used 949
Linn Basik Plus, vgc+ used 149 Chord Electronics, Cyan Click Integrated amplifier used 1699 Cyrus DAC XP, excellent boxed used 599
Kef Q100 sealed box new 299
Linn LP12, Ittok LVII used 899 Chord Electronics, Mezzo 140 Power amplifier used 1999 Denon DNP720AE, near mint boxed used 199
Kef X300a, due in used Call
Linn LP12, Kahn, Hercules, Trampolin used Call Chord Electronics, Prima Preamplifier used 1299 EAR Acute 3, mint boxed dem 3749
Kudos X2, excellent boxed used 699
Linn LP12, Armagedon 2, Aro, Prefix used 2999
Classe CAP2100 Integrated with phono, ex boxed used 1999 Esoteric D07x, near mint boxed dem 2499 Kudos C10, boxed vgc, REDUCED used 949
Consonance Cyber 211 (Pavane), Monos, REDUCED dem 2749
Linn Akiva, excellent boxed used 999
Esoteric X03Se, near mint boxed, REDUCED used 1999 Kudos C20, excellent in Walnut used 1199
Consonance Ref 8.8 Integrated, boxed, REDUCED dem 799 Leema Elements CD player sealed box, REDUCED new 699 Leema Xandia Mk1 in black new 2499
Linn LP12, Keel, Ekos SE used 3999
Creek OBH21, excellent used 119 Linn Karik 3, excellent boxed remote, REDUCED used 449 Le ConToure Mobile 160, excellent boxed, REDUCED used 1399
Logic DM101 /Alphason HR100s/MC15 super REDUCED used 699
Cyrus 8XP excellent boxed, used 449 Luxman D373 CD player, remote excellent used 249 Linn Kan 5, excellent boxed in cherry used 299
Lyra Skala, excellent boxed used 2249
Cyrus 6DAC Integrated, boxed, REDUCED used 649 Marantz NA7004, remote, excellent boxed used 299 Magneplanar MG1.7 mint boxed REDUCED dem 1499
Michell Gyro Export/QC, vgc boxed used 999
DartZeel NHB108B, excellent £20+k new used 7999 Marantz CD17, remote, excellent boxed used 299 Martin Logan SL3, excellent condition used 999
Michell Hydraulic Ref c/w Fluid arm, superb used 999
Esoteric C03/A03, pre/power ex demo boxed used 8999 Marantz CD5400, excellent remote used 99 Martin Logan Quest, superb sound, REDUCED used 1199
Michell Syncro c/w Tecnoarm A, G1022GX used 599
Graaf GM50B Mk2 Integrated, ex dealer demo dem 2999 Marantz CD6005, remote, boxed excellent used 249 Martin Logan Prodigy, excellent used 3499
Musical Fidelity XLP-S phono stage, due in used 149 Jolida Envoy 211 Monoblocks, £7k new, superb, vgc used 1999 Marantz CD60, TDA1541A chip, boxed excellent used 99 Martin Logan Ethos, near mint boxed used 3499
NAD C553/OEM Rega arm, Goldring 1012 cart used 199 Lavardin C62/AP150 pre/power and interconnects used 5499 Micromega CD30, excellent boxed, REDUCED used 449 Martin Logan Vantage, superb active bass, REDUCED used 1999
Oracle Delphi, mk1 c/w Zeta tonearm REDUCED used 899 LFD LS1 linestage, reasonable shape used 299 Micromega Leader, remote used 99 Monitor Audio BX2, brand new new 179
Ortofon Cadenza Blue, plenty of life used 499 Linn Klimax Chakra 500 Twin, Dynamik PSU, boxed used 3499 Moon Eclipse CD/DAC/PSU, near mint, REDUCED used 2249 Monitor Audio GSXW Subwoofer mint boxed new 749
Project Phonobox SE phonostage, excellent value dem 99 Linn Klimax Kontrol, Dynamik PSU, boxed used 2999 Musical Fidelity A1008CD CD Pro, excellent boxed used 999 Monitor Audio BX5, nr mint boxed dem 349
Project RPM 10 turntable with arm and platform dem 849 Luxman C383/M363 Pre/Power combo, fab! used 899 Musical Fidelity M1 DAC, excellent boxed REDUCED used 199 Monitor Audio GX150C, piano black sealed box new Call
Project Debut/Debut 2, selection of used 99 Luxman CL-32 & MQ3600 Pre/Power combo, due in used Call Musical Fidelity A308CR CD, excellent boxed used 649 Monitor Audio Platinum PL100 mint crated, REDUCED new 1199
Project Debut Carbon, near mint REDUCED dem 249 Luxman L550 monster retro integrated, rose cheeks etc used 999 Musical Fidelity V link Dac, excellent used 99
Monitor Audio Silver 2, rose finish, near mint dem Call
Project Xpression mk2, arm and cart used 199 Marantz SM7, great retro power, REDUCED used 849 Myryad MC100, excellent used 99
Monitor Audio Platinum PLW15 mint crated new Call
Project RPM 4 Turntable/Arm with cover, great! used 249
McIntosh C22/MC275 Commemorative, REDUCED used 6499 NAD C524, excellent used 99
Monopulse Model S, mint boxed REDUCED new 679
Project Perspective, Speedbox SE, Shure V15Mx used 599
Meridian 501 preamplifier, excellent used 299 NAIM DAC, excellent boxed dem 1599
NAIM SBL, vgc+, REDUCED used 649
Project Phonobox S, excellent used 99
Meridian 551 Integrated, excellent used 399 NAIM DACV1, excellent boxed used 899
Nola Micro Grand Reference inc stands, £15k new dem 5495
Rega Planar 2, vgc+ boxed used 179
Micromega IA100, great integrated, boxed REDUCED dem 449 NAIM CD5, recent new laser, upgradeable used 499
NAIM SBL, vgc+, REDUCED used 649
Moon W7RS, excellent used 4499 NAIM CD5X, recent new laser, upgradeable used 649
Roksan TMS 2 with Reference PSU, boxed as new used 2899
NAIM SL2 with SNAXO, excellent boxed used 1999
Musical Fidelity M6i, near mint boxed, REDUCED used 1099 NAIM NDX, upgradeable, due in used Call
SME 3009 improved, vgc+ used 199
PMC Twenty 23, excellent boxed in Oak used 1699
Musical Fidelity X80, excellent little integrated used 199 NAIM HDX, upgradeable, as new dem Call
SME V, in rare silver, excellent, boxed used 1499
Musical Fidelity A308CR Preamplifier, excellent boxed used 799 NAIM CDS3, excellent boxed used 1899
Proac D28, excellent boxed dem 1999
SME V12, nr mint boxed used 2249
Musical Fidelity Pre 8 and 2 x MA65 chrome fronted used 799 NAIM XPS2, excellent boxed used 1499
Proac Studio 115, excellent boxed dem 749
Thorens TD170 Auto excellent boxed REDUCED dem 229
NAD C320, excellent used 149 Olive 4HD, excellent boxed used 799
Quad 25L Classic ex dealer demo boxed used 999
Thorens TD150, fair condition, no arm, REDUCED used 79 NAIM NAC122X/NAP150X combo used 899 Orelle CD100Evo, near mint REDUCED used 349
Rega RS5, due in used Call
Thorens TD160 original, boxed used 199 NAIM NAP250 Olive, Avondale Service 2015 used 1199 Peachtree DACit, excellent dem 199
Revolver RW45, excellent boxed used 699
Thorens TD209 turntable package REDUCED dem 649 NAIM NAC202, excellent boxed REDUCED used 1099 Prima Luna Prologue 8, ex demo boxed, REDUCED dem 1199
Revolver Music 1, excellent boxed used 299
Thorens TD2030 Blue turntable new 999 NAIM NAP150x, excellent boxed used 449 Rega Planet, excellent used 199
Revolver Cygnis Gold in Black, £14k new dem 4995
Townshend Elite Rock c/w Excalibur/Merlin/Cover used 949 NAIM NAP180, excellent boxed, serviced 2010 used 599 Rega Apollo R, excellent REDUCED used 399
Ruark Etude, excellent in black used 179
Transfiguration Temper W, great condition. used 699 NAIM NAC22/NAP120 classic and rare pre/power used 499 Resolution Audio Opus 21, excellent crated used 1199 Sonus Faber Elipsa, superb boxed, REDUCED used 5699
Transfiguration Proteus, near mint dem Call NAIM NAIT 5Si, excellent boxed used 749 Roksan Kandy K2 CD, ex demo boxed dem 499 Sonus Faber Electa Amator 2, superb used 1749
VDH Colibri M/C cartridge, as new boxed, REDUCED dem 2899 NAIM NAC252, excellent boxed, 2004 used 2699 Roksan K3 CD player, sealed box new Call Sonus Faber Venere, piano black dem Call
VDH Condor M/C cartridge as new boxed, REDUCED new 1899
NAIM NAC152XS/NAP155XS, excellent boxed dem 1399 Rotel RCD-02 CD player, remote excellent used 149 Spendor BC1, fair, due in used Call
VPI Scout, JMW arm excellent used 999
NAIM NAP135 pair, excellent boxed, 1997 used 1499 Sansui WLD201 Streamer, mint boxed REDUCED used 119 Tannoy Turnberry SE, near mint boxed used 2249
Wilson Benesch Act 1 Tonearm, nr mint superb used 799
NAIM NAP135 pair, excellent boxed, 1999 used 1999 Sony MDS-JB920 Minidisc, vgc used 119 Tannoy Prestige Autograph Mini, ex boxed used 999
Zeta Tonearm, excellent used 599
NAIM Supercap (Olive), boxed, choice from used 799 Sugden Masterclass CD original version REDUCED used 899 Thiel CS7.2 in Birds eye finish boxed superb used 2499
Onix OA32 Integrated, excellent, REDUCED used 249 Unison Research Unico CD, excellent valve output used 599 Totem Mani 2, boxed near mint REDUCED used 1599
Radio/Recorders
Onix OA25 Integrated, excellent, REDUCED used 349 Yamaha CDR-HD1300, excellent boxed used 199 Totem Mite in black, ex dealer demo REDUCED dem 399
Pathos Logos Integrated, excellent, REDUCED used 1499
Totem Sttaf, near mint boxed new 999
Arcam Alpha 10DAB tuner, excellent used 148 Pioneer A50s, boxed near mint used 249
Usher Mini Dancer 1, excellent boxed REDUCED dem 1599
Avi Lab Series DAB tuner, scarce find used 349
Accessories/Cables
Quad 66 Preamplifier, excellent used 499
Usher N6361, excellent boxed dem Call
Mitsubishi DA-F10, excellent used 249
Quad 33/303, vgc, serviced used 299 Isotek Titan boxed with cable used 799
Musical Fidelity A5DAB, sealed box used 499
Usher S520, excellent boxed dem 249
Rega Brio R, near mint boxed used 399 Elemental Audio speaker stands dem 499
NAIM NAT101 & SNAPS, excellent £500 NAIM service used 899
Vandersteen Quattro, accessories, transformers etc used 2999
NAIM NAT05 excellent (no remote) used 349 Rotel Michi Pre/Power, good condition used 1199 Musical Fidelity M1 HPAB dem 399
Veritas H3 (Lowthers) in gloss black, 100db, REDUCED dem 2499
Nakamichi LX5, excellent 3 head unit used 349 Sugden A21L, earlier black fascia model used 599 NAIM Naxo 2-4 used 199
Wilson Benesch Actor floorstanders, REDUCED used 1599
Nakamichi BX125e, good condition used 99 Sugden A21a line Integrated dem 999 NAIM HiLine, boxed used 449
Nakamichi ST7e, rare tuner used 199
XTC 99.26 mk2, vgc+ in gloss black used 299
Sugden Masterclass Pre/Monos in Graphite REDUCED used 5749 NAIM XPS2, excellent boxed used 1499
Quad FM4, vgc, serviced used 149
Sugden Masterclass Integrated in Titanium dem 2749 NAIM XPS, excellent boxed used 1199
Revox PR99, crated, REDUCED used 749
Revox H1, just serviced, great condition, REDUCED used 449 Talk Electronics Hurricane/Tornado Pre/Power used Call NAIM HiCap, various Olive/Chrome, starting at used 249 Special system deals
Revox A77, just serviced, great condition used Call Tandberg TPA3003 Power amplifier, excellent! used 499 Nordost Flatline Gold speaker cable used 199 Consonance Ping CD/AMP dem 599
Revox B77mk2, just serviced, great condition used Call Tannoy TA1400, excellent boxed REDUCED used 499 Nordost QX4, Mains purifier, boxed used 999 Luxman 300 series CD/Tuner/Pre/Power, ACE! used 999
Rotel RD865, vgc, decent little cassette deck used 49
TEAC Distinction A1000 Integrated, mint, REDUCED dem 549 Nordost Thor, distribution centre, boxed used 799 NAIM Uniti 2, excellent ex demo used 2299
Tandberg TCD440a, superb! REDUCED used 449
Trio LO7C preamplifier good condition used 249 ProAudio Bono Reference Platform dem 399 Orelle EVO CD and Amp was £2700, REDUCED used 749
TEAC CDRW 890, brand new sealed, due in used Call
TEAC X1000M, serviced, superb used 599 Vincent SAV200 6 Channel monster, REDUCED used 699 Stax Omega 007 System, excellent boxed used 2499 TEAC AH380/PD380 & Monitor Audio BX2 used 499
Technics RS1500 in flightcase near mint used 2499 XTC Pre 1 & Pow 2, Pre/Power combo, excellent used 799 Teddy Pardo XPS mk3 type PSU with Burndy used Call Yamaha CXA5000/MXA5000 as new boxed dem Call
Tel: 01642 267012 or 0845 6019390 Email: choice@2ndhandhifi.co.uk

EXTRAS
PAB
Ceramic FS equipment feet
SUPPORTING EQUIPMENT IS
a speciality of Polish company Pro
Audio Bono (PAB), and these
affordable feet make use of a
cunning ceramic bearing in their
design. A development of PAB’s
Ceramic 5 feet (which cost five
times that of the Ceramic FS), the
Ceramic FS feet are constructed in
two parts from plywood, brass and
acrylic plastic. The upper part sits
directly underneath the kit while
the lower is on the support rack
or table. The two parts are then
separated by small ceramic bearings
(604 type) that are harder than steel
and claimed to have very good sonic
insulating properties.
The bearings do not need any
lubrication and rarely need to be
cleaned. The brass and acrylic
plastic is hardened in the area of
contact with the ceramic
bearing. Birch plywood
is also used to efficiently
absorb the energy of
vibrations by turning it
into heat.
Feet first
I test the Ceramic SF feet
with both a turntable and a
CD player. My turntable has its
own sub-plinth already but,
even so, I am still able to notice real
improvements in the sound with the
Ceramic SF feet fitted underneath.
Bass sounds better controlled and
more dynamic. Performances are
more natural and the imaging is
slightly better defined. Replacing
the feet on my CD player, I find that
orchestral music is also improved,
sounding cleaner and smoother.
There is also a very real sense that
the silences between the music are
somehow blacker.
The PAB Ceramic SF feet are
beautifully engineered and the top
half seems to spin forever when given
a twist. They are really effective
at isolating equipment from its
surroundings and supporting it
securely, making them a worthwhile
addition to any system. NR
DETAILS
PRICE
£148 for a set
of three
TELEPHONE
0788 7852513
WEBSITE
lotus340r.net
OUR VERDICT
Titan Audio
Tyco and Helios mains cables
DETAILS
PRICE
£75/£150
WEBSITE
zepheraudio.co.uk
OUR VERDICT
WHILE THE TYCO and Helios
cables are entry-level models from
newcomer Titan Audio, thanks to the
unusual way that the company has
developed them, they should be
considered as a pair as they have very
specific functions.
As the smaller of the two, the Tyco
has been designed to power source
equipment. It makes use of Titan’s
twisted and shielded OFC copper
sections intended to boost resistance
to electromagnetic and radio
frequency interference. This is
surrounded by a woven sheath and
finished with Copperwatt plugs which
are unusual at this price point.
The Helios has been designed
specifically with a view to connecting
your amplification. The increased
diameter of the cable has been fitted
to aid the current supply to the amp
and while the effect of this increased
surface area is likely to be subtle, it
should have a beneficial effect on
resistance. Both cables manage to be
flexible and easy to route despite
their relative thickness.
Making a difference
In performance terms, there is
definitely something to be said for
this dedicated approach. Adding the
Tyco first to a system of the Moon
230HAD and Naim Supernait 2 sees
a subtle but worthwhile step forward
in the space and three dimensionality
of the overall performance. Most
usefully, this is not achieved at the
expense of any forced emphasis on
vocals or principle instruments.
The effect of the Helios is more
pronounced, but this may be as much
to do with the amp responding more
positively to such changes. The
performance gains a further sense of
front-to-back depth and the already
excellent bass response enjoys gains
in detail and impact.
Viewed as a pair for updating
source and amplifier, this duo makes
a great deal of sense. It’s well priced,
exactingly finished and capable of
very impressive results. ES
MAY 2016 117

INTERVIEW
COLLEEN MURPHY
For the love
of music
DJ, record producer, broadcaster, remixer
and Classic Album Sundays innovator,
Colleen Murphy chats vinyl with Rob Lane
Classic Album
Sundays is about
people hearing
an amazing
album on an
amazing system
f you’re a long-time vinyl nut or have recently
welcomed the format back into your life, you’ll
I understand what Classic Album Sundays’
Colleen Murphy means when she talks of the
“warmth”, “tangibility”, “musicality” and “sense of ritual
and interaction” that analogue brings to the listening
experience. And you’ll doubtless also agree when she
opines: “Analogue and digital can coexist quite happily”;
after all we’re in it for the music, not the format, right?
“There is a wider selection of hi-res digital files and great
digital streamers, and much to be said for the convenience
and storage capabilities,” explains Colleen. “Then again, I
do not feel as great an emotional connection looking at
screens, scrolling through a hard drive, pressing buttons as
I do flicking through my record collection, putting a record
on the turntable and reading the album cover... After all,
music is an emotional experience.”
Originally from Massachusetts, Colleen attended New
York University where she became programme director
and DJ for the university radio station, WNYU. Also known
as Cosmo, she went on to co-produce the two-volume
compilation albums David Mancuso Presents The Loft, a
celebration of Mancuso’s invitation-only parties in New
York during the seventies.
She later co-founded the Bitches Brew record label,
records as Wild Rumpus with former Captain Beefheart
guitarist Gary Lucas and has remixed Candi Staton and
many others. In 2010 Colleen founded Classic Album
Sundays, a listening event, and is often heard on radio and
TV championing vinyl.
But it’s perhaps her childhood where the emotions of
music first took root, as her vivid memories of her early
musical experiences attest.
“The first song that stands out in my memory is one I am
both embarrassed and proud of: David Essex’s Rock On. I
was sitting alone in my teenage uncle John’s bedroom, the
ultraviolet light illuminating the glo-paint posters and the
transistor radio playing,” she remembers. “This was at a
time when I still believed there were little people playing
music inside the radio. Suddenly an eerie space-funk
bass-line percolated out
of the speaker, bubbled
into my brain, and
voilà, I had my first
psychedelic experience.”
Family played a big
part in Colleen’s early
experiences of music,
with aunts and uncles
having a huge influence.
“I am from a big
Boston Irish-American
family. My uncle Dennis, the bachelor uncle (everyone
has one), lived down the street from us. This was very
fortunate for both my parents and I as when we got into
an argument, I could leave and go to Dennis’ so we could
all cool off. I could also raid his record collection and once
I had my own turntable, I raided with gusto. Aside from
The Beatles, Crosby Stills & Nash and Fleetwood Mac,
I also ‘borrowed’ an album that quickly became my
favourite: The Moody Blues’ Days Of Future Passed. I still
haven’t given it back.
“From my Aunt Pauline I borrowed The Rolling Stones
and Kate Bush’s Lionheart (she was not very well known
in the States at the time). And finally, when I was looking
after my younger cousin Kevin after school I would flick
through my Uncle Brian’s record collection, and would pop
Led Zeppelin, The Cars and The Tubes onto his turntable.”
But the family connection doesn’t end there, and as a
result Colleen can put together a sizable playlist of LPs
that all have a familial, and emotional connection.
“The first album that was given to me was actually by my
teenage aunt Theresa who gave me Elton John’s Greatest
Hits on my eighth birthday. She was a big fan of Elton and
David Bowie and I thought she was the coolest. I just
wanted to be a teenager.”
On the wheels of steel
By the time she was a freshman in high school, Colleen
had her own radio show on the “10-watt radio station”
attached to the school library. “Luckily I was quick to meet
the only other two people in the school who liked music
other than the top 40 or classic rock, and my musical
subculture tastes were nurtured.”
Colleen’s first step onto the hi-fi ladder was a GE
Trimline record player. “At the age of 12, I now had my
very own turntable in my own room. Too bad there wasn’t
a little hatch in the door for food to be sent through!”
When Colleen moved to London in the early nineties, she
and two friends took out a business loan to purchase audio
118 MAY 2016

INTERVIEW
COLLEEN MURPHY
MUSICAL HEROES
Colleen says it’s impossible for her to
choose favourite acts, tracks and LPs –
“any list would leave me feeling I didn’t do
it justice” – but she was keen to take the
opportunity to “redress the gender
balance” with these “game-changers”:
Joni Mitchell, Björk, Kate Bush, Patti
Smith, Billie Holiday, Alice Coltrane, Amy
Winehouse, Nina Simone, Missy Elliot,
PJ Harvey and Laurie Anderson.
Recent purchases come from Nils Frahm,
Julia Holter, Lianne La Havas and Steve
Wilson, and Colleen has been
“rediscovering” Sun Ra.
She has been lucky to meet many of her
musical heroes through her work, going on
to work with several too. “My first job out of
university was hosting, programming,
editing and mixing syndicated radio shows
for which I interviewed about 100 of my
then favourite bands and artists including
Nirvana, Brian Eno, Ryuichi Sakamoto,
Björk, Joey Ramone, Bernard Sumner,
Johnny Marr and The Butthole Surfers.
“Flash forward to my DJ career and I
have worked alongside two of my
mentors, David Mancuso and
Francois Kevorkian, and have
been lucky enough to meet
nearly everyone that I admire.”
Classic Album Sundays has
also provided Colleen with the
opportunity to meet many
artists and producers who
were behind “great classic
albums of which I have
been a fan”, including
Boris Blank, Eddie
Kramer, Matt
Johnson, Ken Scott,
Tony Visconti, Nile
Rodgers, Trevor Horn,
Anne Dudley, Jarvis
Cocker and Laura
Mvula (left).
...and the
one and only
Nile Rodgers
Colleen’s musical
influences include
Patti Smith...
...Nils Frahm
CLASSIC ALBUM SUNDAYS
“I wanted people to hear music in the way
in which I had and have been so lucky
to enjoy it: contextually, communally,
uninterrupted, and in the best sonic detail
possible. I wanted music lovers to immerse
themselves into an album that has helped
shape our culture and socio-political
values. I wanted to relay the artist and
album’s unique story to imbue the album
listening with deeper meaning. I wanted to
provide a musical leadup so that fans could
appreciate the milieu from which the
album sprang. I wanted listeners to treat
the album (and music in general) with
greater respect rather than as a free
commodity or aural wallpaper. I wanted to
share the experience of hearing the album
in its entirety, on vinyl, and on a world-class
audiophile hi-fi so that fans could
experience the music as close as possible
to the artist’s original intention. And I
wanted the experience to be shared by
people who may not normally sit together
in a room, united only by their love of
music. I still do.”
The full story is here:
classicalbumsundays.
com/classic-albumsundays-five-years/
Picture credits: Nile Rodgers, Nikola Spasenoski/Shutterstock.com. Nils Frahm, Christian Bertrand/
Shutterstock.com. Patti Smith, miqu77/Shutterstock.com
equipment for their Loft party venture (after DJ-ing
at David Mancuso’s US Loft parties), including six
Klipschorns –“two of which made their way to my house.”
Once she had the K-horns “firmly wedged into the
corners of our small cottage living room”, Colleen decided
to “up the ante” with a pair of Quad Monoblocks and a JC
Verdier Control B preamp. “Then we sold the JC Verdier
and bought a Mark Levinson ML-1.”
Kit checklist
Today, Colleen’s DJ setup has been upgraded with external
power supplies on both the Bozak and the two Technics,
which now sport Jelco tonearms. Her main hi-fi system
comprises two Klipschorns, a Nottingham Analogue Ace
Space turntable with a Koetsu Rosewood moving-coil
cartridge, a Simaudio Moon LP5.3 phono stage, Mark
Levinson ML-1 and an Audio Note UK M5 preamp,
Audio Note UK Conqueror amplifier, Audio Note UK
2.1x/II CD player, The Chord Company Signature cabling
and an ISOL-8 power conditioner.
“It is a mixture of components and we have played
around with different configurations but this seems to
give us the best balance of clarity, depth and warmth.”
Her setup doesn’t prioritise analogue over digital, giving
further weight to her assertion that the two can coexist
quite happily. Though having started Classic Album
Sundays it’s clear that the black stuff is still dear to her.
“With Classic Album Sundays I wanted to share the
experience of hearing the album in its entirety, on vinyl,
and on a world-class audiophile hi-fi so that fans could
experience the music as close as possible to the artist’s
original intention,” she explains.
As well as being sent “quite a bit of new music”,
understandably on vinyl, Colleen uses Spotify to check out
recommendations before buying, usually from Discogs and
record shops: “I like record shops where you can listen on
your own turntable.”
Favoured vinyl purchases include those from Quality
Pressings and Analogue Productions –“The Dusty
Springfield and Beach Boys re-issues have reduced me to
tears of joy” – the Gearbox all-analogue mastering suite
and label, Domino Records, remasters by Matt Coulton,
and the Sony Legacy Hendrix re-issues.
Specific favourite cuts include the Mobile Fidelity half
speed master of The Dark Side Of The Moon by the late
Stan Ricker – “still my favourite pressing of that
behemoth” – and the “sublime” Chris Bellman remaster
of Love’s Forever Changes on Rhino.
However, for Colleen it’s the music rather than the
format or the kit it’s played on that gives her the most
pleasure and informs all of her creative endeavours, as
club DJ, broadcaster, music producer, remixer, record label
owner and founder of her renowned listening event.
“At the end of the day, it is all about the music,” she says.
“One of the goals of Classic Album Sundays was to
encourage listeners to treat music with greater respect
rather than as a free commodity or aural wallpaper. That
might well equate to vinyl for some, but it’s just as
applicable to CD and other digital formats – so long as the
listening experience is given the gravitas it deserves.”
MAY 2016 119

COMPETITION
WIN:
Geneva AeroSphère Large
and Small loudspeakers
Get yourself back to the future with this stunning wireless speaker system
I
n the 1986 hit, Huey Lewis and
the News famously sang: “It’s hip
to be square”, but is it really?
Could it be that the man behind
the eighties powerhouse The Power Of Love
hadn’t quite managed to get his facts
straight? There’s no doubt that when it
comes to the most popular shape for
loudspeakers, square – or perhaps more
precisely rectangular – is the way to go. But
what if someone were to break from the
norm and come up with something a little
bit more exciting looking? Could it really be
possible to get a high-end performance from
a shape other than those boring four straight
lines that make up an oblong? And while
they’re carrying out the process of
reinventing the audio equivalent of the
wheel, how about making just one of the
things, rather than the pair that we’ve had
to make room for up to now?
Enter the clever folk at Geneva, who with
the AeroSphère Large (HFC 407) have
created something that looks more like a
piece of high-concept furniture than a way
to impress your friends and terrify audio
traditionalists. Beneath that slightly flattened
40cm orb, is a rather more angular forwardfacing
structure that houses two 25mm
tweeters, a brace of 102mm mid/bass
drivers and an upward-firing 152mm
subwoofer. These are configured within
three separate acoustic chambers and
powered by individual, DSP-optimised Class
D amplifiers capable of some cunning fine
tuning to suit your room via a free app that
can be downloaded from the Geneva website.
With settings including free standing, single
boundary and corner, there’s no part of the
room it won’t be able to work its magic from.
Boasting multi-source wi-fi capability and
support for AirPlay, DLNA and Bluetooth
aptX connectivity, the AeroSphère Large has
most bases covered, and using DLNA or
AirPlay it’s also possible to add additional
AeroSphères (Large or Small) to create
your own multi-room network.
Initially, listening to a single-sound source
after having been more used to two speakers
takes some getting used to, but before you
know it you’ll be amazed by the results.
Moreover, it doesn’t really matter where
you place the speaker or where you sit;
the appealing sense of air and depth stays
constantly impressive and you’ll be blown
away by just how loud it can go. The
subwoofer is capable of generating
prodigious bass power and the AeroSphère
captures the bigger musical picture spatially
quite beautifully. But don’t take our word
for it, answer the ridiculously easy question
opposite and if you’re very lucky indeed you
might just win one.
120 MAY 2016

COMPETITION
TO BE IN WITH A
CHANCE OF WINNING,
ANSWER THIS SIMPLE
QUESTION:
What type of amplification do the
AeroSphère Small and Large use?
A) Class A
B) Class AB
C) Class D
TERMS & CONDITIONS
1. No purchase is necessary to enter a Competition.
2. Entrants must be over 18 years old and resident in
the United Kingdom. 3. Employees of AVTech Media
or My Time Media and companies supplying
competition prizes are not eligible to enter. 4. All
prizes are non-transferrable and no cash or credit
alternatives will be offered. 5. The editor’s decision is
final. The closing date is 18 May 2016.
Geneva AeroSphère Large
The first lucky winner pulled from the hat will be
receiving this unique slice of hi-fi wizardry, worth
£649 plus support stand worth £149. With its
expansive, three-dimensional soundstage it
conveys its musical message with such muscular
conviction that you’ll find yourself wondering why
you ever needed two speakers in the first place.
HOW TO ENTER:
Geneva AeroSphère Small
Approximately half the size of its sibling, the £349
AeroSphère Small offers the same connectivity
options, but in a more compact form. With its
25mm tweeter and 101mm subwoofer individually
chambered and driven by two Class D amplifiers,
this mini marvel will blow your socks off. We’ve got
two to giveaway to a pair of lucky runners up!
Visit our website at www.hifichoice.co.uk/competitions and follow
the instructions to enter
To submit your entry to the AeroSphère speaker competition, simply register using
the online form and provide your answer to the question shown left. Please ensure
you complete all required fields, including your email address, telephone number
(including area code) and postal address. We regret we cannot take postal entrants.
Arrangements for the fulfilment of prizes may be made by a third-party sponsor. AVTech Media &
My Time Media reserve the right in its sole discretion to substitute any and all prizes with prizes of
comparable value. By you entering a Competition, if you are a winner, you grant permission to use
your name and likeness for advertising and future promotional purposes. For full privacy policy and
terms and conditions, visit www.hifichoice.co.uk/terms
MAY 2016 121

Reader Classified ads
www.hifichoice.co.uk
For sale / Wanted
Reader
Classified
Welcome to Hi-Fi Choice Reader Classified,
a free private ads service for buying and
selling second-hand hi-fi components.
These pages are a must-read if you’re
thinking about buying used kit, or if you
have hi-fi you want to sell. It’s free – simply
submit your ad of up to 50 words (we will
edit them if not), remembering to include
your email, phone number and county.
This service is open to private advertisers only. Just one ad per household.
Images are for illustration only and do not represent what is for sale
FOR SALE
ATC SCM12 highperformance
passive
monitors. Classic two-way
sealed units. Capable
of outstanding levels of
reproduction. Recommended
power 50W to 300W. RRP
£1,100 will sell for £800:
01243 528010
(West Sussex).
REGA Planar 2 with Linn
K9 cartridge. New drive belt
and boxed with all papers.
£75. Buyer collects. Email:
andrew.donald.smith@
gmail.com
(South Hertfordshire).
KUBALA-SOSNA
Expression speaker cable.
1.5m stereo pair. Locking
banana plugs at amp, spade
connectors at speaker. Cost
new £1,840, asking £1,000.
Metrum Acoustics Hex DAC
with USB module. Cost new
£2,500, asking £1,500:
01296 437314
(Aylesbury, Bucks).
NAIM Flat Cap power
supply. Little used. £150:
07785 724849. (South
Oxfordshire).
NORDOST Blue Heaven
Rev 2, 4m pair of speaker
NAIM NAP 135 power amp pair. Olive. Consecutive serial
number pair. (132xxx). Superb condition. Original boxes,
interconnects and mains leads. Serviced 2011 (cost £550).
Naim authorised. Invoices. £1,825 ono: 01315 380013
(Midlothian).
The simplest way to send your ad is via
email to: letters@hifichoice.co.uk or mail:
Reader Classified, Hi-Fi Choice,
AVTech Media Ltd, Enterprise House,
Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent,
TN8 6HF.
cables £375. Leema Pulse
amp £750. Leema Pulse
CD player £700. Sonneteer
Campion amp £750: 07443
859527 (Huddersfield).
MUSICAL FIDELITY A5 cr
preamp and 2x A5 cr power
amps. All boxed, remote and
manuals, mint condition, little
use £650 each or £1,800
for all three: 07917 591327
(Abbey Wood, London).
DENSON Beat 400+ CD
player, Sony Professional
Walkman cassette player
recorder £120 ono: 01623
230472 (Ashfield, Notts).
PROAC Response 2.5
speakers in mahogany, as
new with original boxes £790:
07851 190312 (Stafford).
NORDOST Blue Heaven 2m
pair of speaker cables, bargain
at £100 ono: 01484 427426
(Huddersfield).
CREEK Evolution 5350 amp
£425 boxed, Creek Evolution
2 CDP £175. Both silver, both
remotes, power leads. Superb
combination, selling due to
upgradeitis: 07903578225
or email: dibster1@yahoo.
co.uk (Salford, Manchester).
NEAT Motive 1
floorstander loudspeakers
for sale. Excellent
cherrywood speakers in
excellent condition £550
ono: 078167 58688
(London).
KEF Q100 speakers. Walnut
finish. Brand new. £300.
Would prefer buyer to collect:
01702 520063 or email:
hfcad@gts58.plus.com
(Essex).
YAMAHA NS10-M Studio
loudpspeakers, VGC £350,
JBL L88 large monitors VGC
£200, Thorens TD125-MK2,
SME 3009 MK Improved,
Grado Prestige Black,
great example £495,
Pro-Ject Phono Box SE MM/
MC, mint £50. Buyer to
collect: 01371 850665 or
email: garyrobinson20@
btinternet.com.
SPENDOR SP2 (oiled
walnut) and stands.
Downsizing of home very
reluctantly forces the sale
of my much loved SP2s.
£350. Buyer collects:
07814704344, or email
glyn.s.foster@gmail.com
(South Yorkshire).
WILSON BENESCH
Square Two floorstanders.
New series 2 with flush mount
drivers – brand new, never
used and still in unopened
boxes. Beautiful burr walnut,
and lovely detailed sound. List
£3,000, asking £2,300. Won’t
post – pick up or possible
delivery: 07740 961647.
MUSICAL FIDELITY
M6i amplifier, silver, mint
condition, smoke/petfree
environment with all
packaging. Less than 100
hours use. RRP £2,500, would
like £1,150: 01902 884694
or email: jukey39@yahoo.
co.uk (West Midlands).
GARRARD 401 with Rega
RB300 and Goldring 1042.
Ready to use. £1,200. DIY
power supply for Class A
amps ie JLH 1969/1996,
£300: 0207 4998729.
MUSICAL FIDELITY A3.2
RDS tuner £290. British built,
boxed and without blemish.
Covered and kept clean since
unboxing. Very carefully and
lightly used: 07500 804700
or email: imeldayates@
hotmail.com (Cheshire).
AUDIO PHYSIC Tempo III
loudspeakers in light oak, no
visible marks, boxes available
and factory cards. £800.
Buyer to collect: 07930
397120 or email: david.
blumenstein@gmail.com.
FOCAL Electra 1027
speakers (burgundy).
Excellent condition with
original boxes (£4,000)
£1,500 ono. Buyer to collect:
07913 236601 or email:
farrow_jim@hotmail.co.uk
(Essex).
RESOLUTION AUDIO
Cantata. Superb top-end
digital hub with outstanding
CD player, DAC, preamp,
streamer. Mark 2 version with
latest firmware. Hardly used,
with remote, manual, leads,
boxed, mint. £6,000 new,
accept £3,000. Can post
ParcelForce: 07833 894242
or email: redeye@talktalk.
net (Isle of Wight).
RUARK Accolade
floorstanding 3-way speakers,
in lovely condition and walnut
finish, complete with original
boxes. They are very heavy.
£1,250 ono: 02380 738935
or email: golf3385@
hotmail.co.uk .
A.N.T. AUDIO Kora 3T
Special Edition moving-coil
phono preamplifier with
upgraded Timestep power
supply. Excellent condition
and original packaging.
Selling due to recent upgrade.
Buyer to collect £295: 01257
450706 (Chorley, Lancs).
LAVARDIN IS integrated
amplifier, purchased ex-demo
from Audio Works Oct 2015.
Mint condition. £900. Chord
2Qute DAC with Chord VEE3
BNC/RCA cable £700. All
BUYING TIPS BUYING SECOND-HAND can be a great way to pick up a bargain. A formerly expensive second-hand component might well prove a better long-term bet than a
brand-new product if the price is right. DO SOME RESEARCH on which brands have a good service back up, so if something does go wrong, you can get it fixed. Unless you
purchase from a dealer, you’re unlikely to get any warranty, so it’s up to you to ensure the fitness of any gear that you buy. USUALLY speakers should be less prone to breakdown than
amps, and amps should be more reliable than CD players. But any abused component could be trouble – have a proper demo and judge the seller as well as the goods!
122 MAY 2016

Reader Classified ads
boxed: 01978769177 or
email: cawarra@tiscali.
co.uk (Wrexham).
QUAD 22L floorstanding
speakers, piano rosewood
gloss finish. Immaculate
condition as new. £250 ono:
07782 242190 or email:
SUEBILLS53@yahoo.co.uk
(Dudley, West Midlands).
CAMBRIDGE AUDIO
T55 tuner, silver, upgraded
by Cambridge. Very good
condition with box, manual,
and circuit diagram. £35 plus
carriage: 01275 872777
(North Somerset).
PRO-JECT 6 Perspex,
Ortofon Blue cartridge.
Arcam Solo: 2x 75W, CD, DAB.
£550 each: 07866 334534
(Hants).
MICHELL Orbe SE (DC
version)/Rega RB1000/Lyra
Skala: £1,650. Krell S-350a CD
player with Esoteric transport:
£1,500: 07748 485668 or
email: pbjernkl@yahoo.
co.uk (London).
SYSTEMDEK 920 Audio-
Technica AT1130 tonearm.
Excellent sounding: £250:
07729620621 (Evesham).
ROTEL RB-1080 power
amp x2 £800 ono. RC-1090
preamp £500 ono. RCD CD
player £300 ono. All boxed,
as new and with manuals:
07766 415325 (Coventry).
TOM EVANS MicroGroove
Plus phono stage. Mint
condition as new £415.
Can demo, call for details:
07870 912 963 or email:
stuartdarshan67@
googlemail.com (Beds).
DYNAVECTOR
P75 MK3 dedicated phono
stage. Costs £650 new,
fully boxed offered at £400.
Pictures on request:
01934 521621 or email:
Stemar2@me.com.
CYRUS 8vs amplifier and
CD6 CD player. Both in quartz
silver. Brand new, never
been used, in original boxes.
Selling due to change in
circumstances. £600 ono:
07939084643 (Essex).
TANNOY Precision 6.2
floorstanding speakers.
Only six months old, satin
walnut finish. £800. Perfect
condition. Can demo. Sorry
no offers. All packaging and
boxes. Collection only: email:
poppyfleur@btinternet.
com.
CYRUS CD 8X black £300,
Arcam T61 AM FM tuner black
£50, Arcam P90 power amp
black £200. All remotes,
manuals & boxed. Very good
condition. Buyer collects:
07815 628724 or email:
lynn.allsop01@talktalk.net
(Staffs)
ASTELL&KERN AK100
boxed, mint condition with
leather case and 32GB SD
card making a total of 64GB
storage. I can load it with hi-res
files (Joni Mitchell, Rolling
stones etc. Email me for full
list). Free P&P. £250. Audiolab
M-DAC, black, mint and hardly
used £340 free P&P: email:
moss.collie@gmail.com
(Norfolk)
BLACK RAVIOLI Pads £10
each (normally £22). Effective
isolation pads for equipment:
07979242820 or email:
mikekay20@googlemail.
com.
LEHMANN Silver Cube
phono amplifier with power
supply, 10 years old excellent
condition. With manual but
no original packaging £750:
07800606892 or email:
schandler@dopag.co.uk
(Worcestershire).
HEED Obelisk Si Mk3 amplifier plus Dedicated Sx Power
Supply. Latest version with increased power output.
In immaculate condition comes fully boxed .Cost
£2,000 new will accept £1,000: 01934 521621 or email:
Stemar2@me.com.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR FREE AD
YOUR DETAILS
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Address
Email address
Daytime telephone number
Date
YOUR ADVERTISEMENT
To submit your advert to us,
please email letters@
hifichoice.co.uk or
alternatively, use the postal
form below. Please limit ads to
a maximum of 50 words,
ensuring all details, model
names, etc, are correctly
stated. Kindly also include
your email, telephone number
and home county. We regret
that we cannot take adverts
over the telephone. One ad
per household please.
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www.atlascables.com
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Atlas understands the
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performance. Is the Atlas
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IT TOOK 400 YEARS
TO CREATE THIS
CARTRIDGE
Ever since the fi rst Koetsu cartridges appeared in the West, nearly 40
years ago, they have served as emissaries for Japanese creativity.
Each model, from the earliest Rosewood, has embodied uniquely
Japanese skills and attitudes.
Urushi lacquer techniques were introduced to music lovers outside
of Japan through Koetsu, when Urushi adorned the body of the
eponymous moving-coil cartridge. Jade, rare woods, stone – Koetsu
designers turn to nature, as do those who inspire them.
While analogue playback has been with us for only 100 years, the
metiers des arts employed by Koetsu date back centuries. The
brand’s namesake, Hon’ami Koetsu (1558-1637), was an artisan
whose work inspired the founding of the Rinpa school of painting.
In the 1970s, Sugano-san demonstrated how these disciplines
enhanced the pleasure of LP playback.
Another artist would say: if it looks right, it is right. Or perhaps that
should be…if it looks right, it sounds right.
“ ...like having an open
window onto the music”
- Jimmy Hughes - HiFi Choice
“...singing with a passion
and vitality that both
seduces and convinces all
at once”
- Roy Gregory - HiFi Plus
absolute sounds ltd.
International Distributors & Consultants of Specialised Hi-End Audio & Video Systems
58 Durham Road, London, SW20 0TW T: +44 (0)20 89 71 39 09
W: www.absolutesounds.com E: info@absolutesounds.com
For Your Nearest Dealer Please Visit The Absolute Sounds Website