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welcome
P
EDITOR erusing a forum discussion about transmission line loudspeak-
Noel Keywood ers then admiring Falcon Acoustics revivalist IMF 200 trans-
e-mail: editorial@hi-fiworld.co.uk mission line shortly due for release takes me back to the
glory days, when loudspeakers were big. So big they arrived
DESIGN EDITOR in a Pantechnicon, or that’s what happened when Wharfedale
Faiza Chunara
sent me a pair of 2075s from Bradford. Tannoy deliveries,
tel: +44 (0)7399 361 785
e-mail: adproduction@hi-fiworld.co.uk especially of the Westminsters we reviewed in the
November 2015 issue, were similarly frightening.
PRODUCTION EDITOR And from speakers so large that’s the sound you got too: frightening.
David Noble I was reminded about all this when reviewing the DeVore Orangutans
tel: +44 (0) 207 286 1270 in this issue, that you can find on p10. This is a ‘speaker with a gener-
e-mail: classifieds@hi-fiworld.co.uk ously large sound smoothly delivered. Those that like a big cabinet with
looming presence will surely find the DeVore attractive – and its sound
SALES MANAGER satisfying.
Louise Palfrey
Then through our portals came another product whose design
mob: +44 (0) 7917 047 548
harks back to the old days. Those days, when products were fronted
e-mail: louise@hi-fiworld.co.uk
by circular meters, pre-date me and most readers I suspect, but Teac
ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE have invoked the idiom in the unlikely surroundings of a phono stage,
Rose Williams the PE-505 reviewed on p71. What I don’t say in the review is that it
mob: + 44 (0) 7956 885 189 perfectly complemented our Icon Audio Stereo30 SE valve amplifier, in
e-mail: rose@hi-fiworld.co.uk
style and in sound. Technologically, a peculiar pairing because the Teac is
PUBLISHER in truth very modern under the skin, but a lovely combo all the same.
Noel Keywood As a direct contrast to the Orangutan we decided to run the app
e-mail: publisher@hi-fiworld.co.uk controlled Devialet Phantom 1 Gold loudspeaker you can find on p62,
another hi-end product with substantial price tag, yet massive ability.
FREE READERS CLASSIFIEDS How different could two loudspeakers ever be?
tel: +44 (0) 207 286 1270 Not all French manufacturers aim at the luxury market though.
e-mail: classifieds@hi-fiworld.co.uk Bit like Renault, Triangle deliver a great product at a great price, one
that mightily impressed John Pickford when he auditioned their BR03
SUBSCRIPTIONS loudspeaker, as you will find on p44.
tel: + 44 (0) 1442 820 580
We have the old, the new and the new posing as the old in this issue. I hope you enjoy
fax: + 44 (0) 1442 827 912
e-mail: hifiworld@webscribe.co.uk
reading all about them in another great issue of Hi-Fi World.
PHOTOGRAPHY Noel Keywood

David Noble Editor
tel: +44 (0) 207 286 1270
WRITERS
Paul Rigby, Martin Pipe, David Tutt,
Chris Frankland, John Pickford.
testing (see www.hi-fiworld.co.uk for full explanations of all our tests)

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W2 1AH Loudspeakers are measured using a calibrated Bruel of equipment. That's why you can depend on Hi-Fi World
www.hi-fiworld.co.uk & Kjaer microphone feeding a Clio-based computer reviews.
verdicts
OUTSTANDING amongst the best
EXCELLENT extremely capable
GOOD worth auditioning
MEDIOCRE unremarkable
POOR flawed
£ VALUE keenly priced
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www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 3

contents LOUDSPEAKERS
DEVORE FIDELITY ORANGUTAN
09/96 LOUDSPEAKERS 10
High sensitivity loudspeakers designed with valve amplifiers in
mind. Noel Keywood is impressed.
22
DEVIALET PHANTOM 1 GOLD
LOUDSPEAKERS 62
Radically different loudspeakers from Devialet of France.
WORLD DESIGN PRE4 AMPLIFIER Noel Keywood deals with the app.
& PSU3
TRIANGLE BOREA BR03
BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS 44
Bookshelf/standmount loudspeakers from Triangle of France get
the attention of John Pickford.
DIGITAL
27
COWON PLENUE D3 DIGITAL
AUDIO PLAYER 58
Noel Keywood enjoys this tiny portable digital player
from Cowon.
HiFiMAN DEVA HEADPHONES
AMPLIFICATION
WORLD DESIGN PRE4 AMPLIFIER & PSU3 22
A remote controlled valve preamplifier you can build at home.
Noel Keywood heats the iron.
44 TRIANGLE BOREA BR03

BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS
58 COWON PLENUE D3 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER
4 HI-FI WORLD AUGUST 2021 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk

62 DEVIALET PHANTOM 1 GOLD LOUDSPEAKERS
AUGUST 2021
VOLUME 31 : NO. 6
CABLES
66 COHERENT 6D LOUDSPEAKER CABLES
Martin Pipe checks out some interesting loudspeaker cables from
Coherent.
17 BLACK RHODIUM OPERETTA DIGITAL

RCA CABLES
10
Cable expert Martin Pipe looks and listens closely to a new digital
cable from Black Rhodium.
DEVORE FIDELITY ORANGUTAN

OLDE WORLDE 0/96 LOUDSPEAKERS
38 OLDE WORLDE
TDL RTL2 loudspeakers and the history that led to them, by
Martin Pipe. HEADPHONES
27 HiFiMAN DEVA HEADPHONES
Magnetic planar headphones from China, reviewed by Martin
VINYL Pipe.
68 NEWS
All the latest and greatest vinyl releases for you, from the pen of
Paul Rigby. REGULARS
7 NEWS
71 TEAC PE-505 PHONO PRE-AMPLIFIER Words from the world...
A beautifully built, balanced phono stage with trad. meters
captivates Noel Keywood. 19 COMPETITION
Your chance to win a pair of Esprit BETA RCA interconnects worth
77 AUDIOPHILE BOOK £540.
Those Were The Days: The Beatles and Apple 2.0, reviewed
by Paul Rigby. 30 MAIL
Six pages of your views, wonderful as always...
36 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Ensure your copy every month and save money too!
49,51,53,55 OPINION
The team get to grips with matters music, hi-fi and life!
56 AUDIOPHILE VINYL
Paul Rigby rounds up the latest audiophile vinyl releases.
76 DIAL-A-DEALER
A comprehensive guide to UK hi-fi retailers.
79 CLASSIFIEDS
Second-hand bargains.
80 NEXT MONTH
What we hope to bring you in the next sizzling issue...
81 ADVERTISERS' INDEX
82 CLASSIC CUTS
Black Sabbath's Sabotage re-release package, by Paul Rigby.

NEWS
news
email:news@hi-fiworld.co.uk
EVOCATIVE FROM CAMBRIDGE

New from Cambridge Audio are the elegant Evo
75 (£1,799) and Evo 150 (£2,249) ‘all-in-one’ music
players, plus matching Evo S bookshelf speakers
(£649). The £799 Evo CD, a dedicated ‘plug-in’ CD
transport, will follow. Cambridge has built the 75
and 150, named after the output ratings of their
respective Hypex NCore Class-D amplifiers, around
its proven StreamMagic platform. This allows the
supported services – among them Chromecast,
Roon, Spotify and Internet radio – to be accessed
with the rotary front-panel dial and 6.8in LCD panel, the operational alternatives being a handset and app. Elsewhere you’ll find
optical/coaxial digital and analogue inputs, Bluetooth, MQA/hi-res support, ESS DACs, headphone socket and HDMI connectivity for
TV sound. For its £450 premium, the 150 adds a phono stage, USB and balanced analogue inputs. A nice touch is the replaceable side-
panels, fashioned from wood or the recycled-paper material ‘Richlite’. Both Evos are available online, or via Richer Sounds.
Further details: www.cambridgeaudio.com
ATOMIC-POWERED HEADPHONES
A new £2,399 ‘Headphone Edition’ version of Naim’s Uniti Atom streaming
audio player will be of interest to lovers of canned listening. Instead of the
standard model’s 40W per channel of onboard loudspeaker amplification,
you’ll find an audiophile-grade headphone amplifier. This will drive either
unbalanced (front-panel 6.3mm jack) or balanced (4-pin XLR connector, on
the back for some reason) types, Naim’s literature making specific reference
to Focal products. Featuring an output stage built from discrete components,
the headphone amp is based on circuitry found in Naim’s cost-no-object
‘Statement’ amplifier.
Other features include a new power supply design, a line input for
analogue sources, three digital inputs (two optical), balanced/unbalanced
outputs for amplifiers and of course Naim’s unique app-driven music-
streaming platform. The latter is compatible with hi-res audio, Qobuz, Tidal,
Spotify, Internet radio services (some HD), Chromecast, Roon and USB
devices.
Further details: Naim, www.naimaudio.com
McINTOSH GOES BOTH WAYS

Even if you don’t own McIntosh, the venerable New York firm’s
MB20 Bluetooth transceiver may still appeal. As the word
‘transceiver’ implies, the £649 unit works in both directions. It can
feed high-quality audio from Bluetooth devices, like 'phones, to a
hi-fi system. Connected sources (analogue or digital) can however
be streamed, at the press of a rear-panel button, to Bluetooth gear.
Unfortunately the MB20 can’t be used as a DAC (or, for that matter,
ADC) even though the required circuitry is present. MB20 features
include a low-latency mode (for AV applications), 32/192 DAC,
micro-USB PSU, Bluetooth 5, AAC and aptX HD. Input and output
alike benefit from balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (phono) analogue,
plus both optical and coaxial flavours of digital. McIntosh claims
that the MB20 has 10 times the wireless range of lesser Bluetooth
devices, and is ideal for “modernising systems...with fabulous
McIntosh quality”.
Further details, Fine Sounds (UK distributor): (01592) 744710,
www.finesounds.uk.

NEWS
NEW FIRMWARE 2GO

Owners of Chord’s clever little 2go device, which adds streaming capabilities
and a microSD music server to the £1,800 Hugo 2 portable/home-use
DAC, will be pleased to know that a free firmware update is now available.
Version 1.5.0 introduces an improved radio experience, new SD playback
features, improved stability and faster Wi-Fi access. The latest firmware also
adds a playlist generator feature that allows Gofigure – Chord’s recently-
revised Android/iOS set-up and configuration app – to scan SD cards for
music. Gofigure then creates playlists for every stored album, so that they
are available locally. Chord “strongly advises” switching to the newly-released
version of the app, which also supports the Kent firm’s new £449 hi-res
streaming network bridge (the 2yu) for the 2Go. Owners of the £995 2go
should receive the new firmware as an over-the-air update, an instructional
video (https://youtu.be/3HNuWzkzNlE) outlining how the update process can
be invoked.
Further details: Chord Electronics, (01622) 721444. www.chordelectronics.co.uk
CLEANING UP YOUR ACT

The mains power that leaves your local substation transformer is a reasonably-pure sine
wave of approximately 230V RMS. In other words, it’s AC; if it wasn’t, the distribution
network wouldn’t work. Transformers are purely-AC devices and any DC present will
cause them to heat up and lose efficiency (through a process known as ‘saturation’). DC-
like components can however be added to the mains supply locally by some types of
equipment. This is bad news for devices with transformer-based mains supplies, including
much decent hi-fi gear; ‘DC on the mains’ not only affects sound quality, but can often
be heard directly as transformer buzz. ‘Power conditioners’ can reduce the problem, but
Audiolab’s new ‘DC Block’ is – at £99 – one of the most sensibly-priced. The compact
600VA-rated device, which has IEC connectivity, also contains “audio-class” filters to tackle
RFI/EMI noise from switch-mode power supplies, phones, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and so on.
Further details: Audiolab, www.audiolab.co.uk
HI-X FACTOR
Austrian Audio, which rose from the ashes of the ‘real’ (Viennese)
AKG, hopes to build on the success of its closed-back Hi-X55
headphones with a new model. Selling for £319, the Hi-X65 is
essentially an open-back version of the 55 – which has proved
particularly popular with professionals on account of its robustness,
replaceable memory-foam earpads and the long-term comfort that
proper ventilation facilitates. Another key difference between the
two is that purchasers get a portable-friendly 1.2m unbalanced cable
as standard, in addition to the 3m one. In other respects they’re
very similar, with proprietary 44mm Hi-X (High Excursion) drivers
that yield “astonishing detail”. These 25 Ohm drivers employ a ring
magnet (described as having the “strongest magnetic field in its
class”) and a specially-designed lightweight copper-clad aluminium
voice coil to achieve a “linear” frequency-response and “open, precise
sound”. The Hi-X65 is supplied with a HXB Bag and 6.3mm adaptor.
Further details: Sound Technology (UK distributor), (01462) 480000.
www.soundtech.co.uk
A WORD IN YOUR EAR...

At the top of Sennheiser’s range of audiophile IEMs is the £1,099 IE900, able to exploit the “higher-quality streaming” potential of 5G. Each
hand-paired capsule, precision-milled from a single block of aluminium, features a refined version of the existing IE800’s resonance-reducing
‘triple-chamber absorber’ system.
The IE900 has only one transducer for each ear. This is Sennheiser’s proprietary 7mm ‘Extra Wide Band’ X3R, which features a foil
diaphragm and 16 Ohm impedance. Fine-tuned for “even greater fidelity”, the specs bear this out: 0.05% THD (94 dB, 1 kHz) is claimed, as
is a frequency response of 5–48kHz. The supplied cables – 2.5mm balanced and 3.5mm unbalanced – plug in via MMCX connectors. Silicone
and memory-foam eartips of three different sizes are included, as are a “premium” carrying case and cleaning tools.
Further details: Sennheiser, en-uk.sennheiser.com

NEWS
TWIN PEAKS
French manufacturer Triangle has built an entire audio system into a pair of
active bookshelf speakers. The result, AIO Twin, can be yours for €699 (€799
if you want wood veneer). One speaker contains the electronics, the other
being passive. Said electronics includes Bluetooth 5.0, 50W per channel of
Class-D amplification and app-driven hi-res music streaming via Wi-Fi. AIO
Twin also has digital connectivity, subwoofer output and integral phono
stage – indeed, Triangle can, for another €300, supply a matching belt-driven
turntable from Pro-Ject. Each speaker features a 25mm partially horn-loaded
tweeter with silk-dome and neodymium magnet, and a 13cm woofer that
boasts a concave treated-paper diaphragm. Since there’s no dust cap, the
latter’s “entire...surface can be used” to shift air. According to Triangle, AIO
Twin is compatible with services from Deezer, Tidal, Napster, Spotify, Qobuz
and TuneIn. It can also form part of a multi-room audio system.
Further details: www.trianglehifi.com
CASTING LIGHT ON MUSIC

Not for DS Audio the electromagnetic principles that underlie traditional moving-
coil or moving-magnet cartridges. Instead, the cantilever’s stylus-induced movements
modulate an internal LED light-source, the result being converted into electrical
signals via photosensors that also lurk within the aluminium cartridge body. The
moving mass is thus very low, leading to improved performance – better transients
and so on. Latest in the Japanese firm’s lineup is the 7.7g DS003, billed as a ‘completely
new design’. This third-generation optical cartridge features channel-independent
LEDs and photodetectors for high output (70mV @1kHz) and signal-to-nose ratio.
A beryllium ‘shading plate’ better-isolates the two optical paths, improving channel
separation (27dB @1kHz). Its line-contact stylus, fitted to an aluminium cantilever,
tracks at a recommended 2.1g. Distributor Sound Fowndations confirmed it would be
bringing the DS003 (and mandatory ‘equaliser’) here, but at the time of writing hadn’t
decided on a retail price. Warning: it won’t be cheap.
Further details: www.shopfowndations.co.uk
ROAD TRIP
Since the 1980s, there has been a good working relationship
between Abbey Road Studios and Bowers & Wilkins – the world-
famous recording facility has settled on B&W’s 800 Series speakers
for monitoring. More recently, B&W was named as Abbey Road’s
first ever “Official Speaker and Headphone” partner. The two organi-
sations have now agreed to pool resources, as part of a plan to
improve in-car audio – it presumably helped that B&W is already
working with carmakers like BMW, McLaren and Volvo. The fruits
of B&W’s ‘Steyning Research Establishment’ are well-known to hi-fi
enthusiasts; the 'speaker manufacturer has long-embraced cutting-
edge technology for modelling, design and testing. But did you know
that Abbey Road also has an in-house R&D facility? Established in
2015, Abbey Road Red has been exploring future music technologies,
including “machine-learning and spatial audio”. A spokesman couldn’t
provide specific details of forthcoming collaborations, but they
should be interesting.
Further details: B&W, www.bowerswilkins.com.

REVIEW

REVIEW
Primal Power
DeVore’s Orangutan 96 loudspeaker delivers big sound from
little power. Noel Keywood finds less is more.
H
ere’s a high-end loud- Wish there were some companies
speaker, price £13,998, like that in London, where I sit!
that exploits old Geography apart though, the
values: large cabinet, picture remains the same: highly
high sensitivity and a sensitive loudspeakers have a
relaxingly large sound, reputation for lifelike dynamics that
achieved through modern tech- engage.
nologies. Designed with low power And that’s what I found with
valve amplifiers in mind, DeVore’s the Orangutan 96, fed just a
Orangutan 96 is an unusual design few Watts from our Icon Audio
with an unusual name. Stereo30 SE single-ended valve
OK, I was baffled by the name: amplifier. The Icon delivers 30
‘Orangutan’ made little connection Watts from modern KT150s I’ll
with this loudspeaker as far as I quickly note; a single-ended using
could see – unless squat shape and the famed but old 300B manages
equatorial veneer are the link I just 9 Watts. So that’s the power
missed. Steering away from monkey range we’re looking at here – but
talk though, the 96 suffix doesn’t it’s more then enough to shake a
imply lots of them so much as room with the Orangutans.
very high 96dB claimed sensitivity. To do this a loudspeaker must
The suggestion is Orangutans have a large volume cabinet, allied
can blow your head off from to an efficient drive unit, meaning
just one Watt of amplifier power, one with a powerful magnet and
making specialised 9 Watt single- a motor with small clearances. In
ended designs suitable.Transistor the Orangutan 96 DeVore Fidelity
amplifiers suit but high power will use their own spec. bass/mid
go unused. driver with a 25cm (10in) wood
Can you see the picture that fibre cone, they say. The motor
is building? We are looking at an is from SEAS and the cone from
esoteric branch of high fidelity “another European supplier’, likely
here, one that appeals to me: high Kurtmueller. Measurement showed
sensitivity loudspeakers – think it works up to 2kHz before cutting
Tannoy – coupled with low power off sharply to a 25mm (1in) silk
amplifiers (Leak?) offer a sound like dome tweeter that sits inside a
no other, one that millions around shallow horn.
the world know and love. The two custom drivers sit in
In the UK think Tannoy (now a large cabinet measuring 46cm
gone it seems), Leak, Audionote. (18in) wide, 72cm (28.4in) high
DeVore Fidelity are based in New and 30cm (12in) deep. A pair
York so join McIntosh and New of matching wooden stands are
Sensor in their connection with supplied, raising the speakers
valves (tubes) in that big city. to 90cm (36in) height. Because

REVIEW
screws, a lack detail finish the black a tad chesty with deep male
grilles covered up. They attach vocals like Eric Bibb singing Going
by magnets and measurement Home (DSD128). However, for
showed the open weave cloth is the most part I was serenaded
acoustically transparent. by their smoothness and gentle
insight. I was even lulled by it.
SOUND QUALITY Where loudspeakers are nowadays
Connection to our Icon Audio expected to impose themselves
Stereo30 SE single-ended valve on the music to throw it at you,
amplifier (30W) was via Chord usually with sharp treble, these
Company Signature Reference ‘speakers just got it right. Awkward
screened cables. Sources were tracks that I use for review were
an Oppo UDP-205D CD player easy to enjoy: no edge-of-seat
with its ESS ES9038Pro DAC, listening to Willy DeVille (CD)
plus a MacBook Pro running from singing Spanish Harlem. The
battery for isolation, feeding hi- sibilant spitch of his vocals into the
res and DSD to the Oppo via an microphone was there but not life
Audirvana+ software player, over threatening.
A large 10in fibre cone bass/midrange USB. I enjoyed the creamy smooth
unit is responsible for high sensitivity. I had to run LP of course, sound of the tweeter, its lack
from our Timestep Evo modified of hardness or sharpness made
connection is from below, via Technics SL-1210 Direct Drive cymbals ring convincingly in
two copper Cardas loudspeaker turntable fitted with SME309 arm Cyndee Peters House of the Rising
terminals (no bi-wiring then) and Audio Technica OC9X SH Sun (DSD128). There’s was plenty
the cabinets must sit on their (Shibata) moving coil cartridge,
open open stands. I found myself connected balanced into a Pro-
lying on the floor with a torch Ject RS2 balanced phono stage,
to make certain connection was its unbalanced output feeding our
perfectly made, so not the most Stereo30 SE.
practical connection method, but As you might expect, the
then loudspeakers under review Orangutan 96s have large-speaker
are heavily manipulated during presence, just like the big boxes
measurement, running-in and of yore, if with a greater sense of
auditioning. Owners would likely control and precision. The bass
connect once and forget. This line behind Josefine Cronholm’s
leaves the rear panel free for two Gates of Istanbul was fluid and
ports that load a single chamber strong, with the dynamic liveliness
behind the 10in bass unit. that I had hoped to hear. It was
The ‘speakers come with a confidently relaxed in its power, yet
plywood front panel and MDF smoother in note amplitude than
cabinets, veneered with Ebony in most, especially boxes from the
our case but the ‘speakers are built past.
to order and other veneers are As the tracks flowed by I The 1in (25mm) silk dome tweeter
available. A clear lacquer is used was never worried about these sits in a shallow horn to improve
to provide a hard wearing, high speakers ability to handle what sensitivity.
gloss finish and ours had their own was on offer in the low registers.
visual charm, especially with the With just a few Watts producing of detail – naturally delivered. That’s
grilles on. I was happy enough with room-moving bass the power mainly down to lack of a crossover
the wide front baffle but the drive meter of our Icon Audio Stereo30 dip between bass/mid and the
units have no trims to cover fixing SE amplifier was flickering against treble unit, the 2-3kHz region being
its end stop, so little responsible for apparent detail in
power was being the sound. High quality DSD such
used. We’re talking as this made obvious their dynamic
milliwatts here. liveliness; lone triangle strikes rang
Measurement out with a solidity that’s unusual
revealed a rear and vocals jumped at me. The
cabinet wall Orangutans fulfil their promise of a
reflection and vivid and engaging sound.
there was classic With quality classical
big-box sound as recordings the Orangutans sorted
a result. Having out the spacial positioning of
graduated from orchestral sections impressively
this to open panel well by giving brass solid fruity
electrostatics long rasp in Korsakov’s Dance of the
The connection panel sits on the underside, ago it was plainly Tumblers (24/96), whilst strings
making access difficult. Spade terminals are obvious to me: the had their own sense of vivacity.
best used here. Orangutans were Images were not razor sharp at

REVIEW
similarly lively sound and plenty of met: few loudspeakers manage to

deep bass from drums in the Syd produce so much from so little.
Lawrence Orchestra’s live studio With massive sensitivity, vivid
album Big Band Spectacular. The dynamics and ever strong low bass,
brass section had a strong rasp, the Orangutan 96s were nothing
if with a little muddle that likely short of impressive. Tailored to suit
came from the large fibre cone low powered valve amplifiers, they
of the bass/mid unit. The overall are well worth hearing.
impression though was one of scale
and life, of a big band playing in the
room. The Orangutans suited live
performances like this. With classic
Rock like Dire Straits Walk of Life
and Your Latest Trick, from Mobile
Fidelity’s re-master of Brothers In
Arms (45rpm), kick drum had large
presence, bringing weight to the
sound, with a lively but soft quality.
A single pair of Cardas copper CONCLUSION

terminals accept 4mm banana The Orangutan 96 carries with
plugs, spades or bare wire. it a very particular view of high
fidelity. I know it well having been
edges, but within the context of an raised on the sound of a big, lazy
orchestra it isn’t to be expected, loudspeaker that can shake a
instead there was a sense of easily room with alacrity, mighty Tannoys
delivered scale that I found exciting. being a prime example. But where
And kettle drum strikes carried the Yorkminsters, GRF90 and
power. A tonally accurate natural Westminsters I have reviewed
balance – avoiding screech from in the past needed a matching
violins for example – plus sheer mansion, the Orangutans are more
dynamic scale made the Minnesota considerate. You still get worked
Orchestra loom large in my room. over by a Watt, but in a normal
Spinning LP brought a similar living room! A pair of large rear ports are tuned
presentation; the speakers tend to The promise of lively dynamics to 45Hz and contribute strongly to
dominate the sound. There was a and a slickly fast delivery was low bass.
MEASURED PERFORMANCE
With grille off our third-octave pink-noise Our impedance curve confirms this by which none do. The voltage sensitivity is
analysis shows an almost ruler flat the high peaks around the port’s dip, sufficiently high to suit amplifiers of 9W or
response from 400Hz up to 16kHz – an suggesting a strongly resonant system more, valve or transistor.
impressive result. The tweeter cuts in with a lot of reactive electrical/mechanical The Orangutan measured well all
suddenly at a low 2kHz and it delivers energy storage, more than most round, being accurate and very sensitive.
smooth output all the way to 16kHz, loudspeakers. The suggestion here is a NK
DEVORE FIDELITY
suggesting treble free of sharpness or less damped more lively sound than is
ORANGUTAN 0/96
colouration. The smoothness of response common. FREQUENCY RESPONSE £13,998
is similar to that of a ribbon tweeter so One obvious problem revealed by our
Green - driver output
this is a high quality drive unit, if not response analysis is a peak at 300Hz that
Red - port output
with the sound of a ribbon because it is the red port output trace shows is a phase OUTSTANDING - amongst
not made from aluminium. With grille on rotation, caused by reflection from the the best.
there was slight (-1dB) loss around 8kHz, rear cabinet wall 28cm behind the bass
so some slight softening of bite will be unit. This is to be expected from a large VERDICT
audible. bass unit in a shallow cabinet: colouration Atmospheric and smooth. Big
bodied sound from milliwatts.
Below 2kHz the single bass/midrange is likely.
driver provides output down to a low DeVore claim massively high 96dB FOR
30Hz, albeit with slowly falling output sensitivity, a figure no ordinary loudspeaker - smooth, accurate sound
below 200Hz. This will be counteracted achieves. We measured 92dB from one balance
by ‘room gain’ of a room up to 20ft long nominal Watt (2.8V) of input – very high IMPEDANCE - tuneful bass
- well finished
to give a net flat result, making the by current standards and sufficient for low
Orangutan potentially a well balanced and power (9W) valve amplifiers. Impedance AGAINST
accurate loudspeaker. measured 12 Ohms, so less than one - some chesty colouration
The ports provide output sharply Watt was being consumed and a true - underside connection
tuned to 45Hz (red trace), suggesting Watt would have produced more volume,
Absolute Sounds
there will be lively resonant deep lows, but this is academic except with valve +44 (0)20 89713909
giving the feeling of bounce in the bass. amplifiers having a 12 Ohm output winding, www.absolutesounds.com

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REVIEW
Mix...and match?
Martin Pipe checks out Black Rhodium’s Operetta digital interconnect.
O
nce upon a time, digi- influenced the development and equal stocks of both colours”. The
tal audio cables were design of Black Rhodium’s high-end gold-plated GN3 plugs, designed
all about giving a CD Largo and Toccata interconnects. by Nalty, make a ‘Straight Line’
player or transport They have now filtered down, in ground connection’ with the socket
a new lease of life by simplified form, to the Operetta barrel. They were, Nalty told me,
conveying its digital - a ‘midrange’ interconnect, by influenced by the ‘Bullet’ plug
bitstream to a better-sounding out- audiophile standards. designed by Keith Eichmann. He
board converter. They continued Nevertheless, Black Rhodium found that they give “a cleaner and
to prove their worth by facilitating goes to great lengths to bill the clearer sound than plugs with full
digital dubbing to DATs, DCCs or £330 (1m) Operetta featured circumferential connection”.
Minidiscs. Today we have more digi- here as a “75 Ohm Digital Audio After a recommended burn-in
tal audio sources than ever before Cable”. It’s available in two forms - period of 100 hours, the Operetta
- and now a genre of cable that phono (more common, but not 75 Digital was used to link the coaxial
was once intended to link a CD Ohm connectors) and BNC (less output of a CXN streamer to a
transport to a DAC has a host of common, but in 75 Ohm form). Chord Hugo TT headphone DAC
other roles. The Operetta Digital’s conductors driving Focal Utopia headphones. I
Of the two different types are silver-plated, for “maximum compared the Operetta Digital with
you’ll encounter, optical provides transmission of high frequencies”, a cable made from 75 Ohm coax,
the greatest electrical isolation necessary for fast digital. These and an optical type. In both cases,
between source and DAC; however conductors are enclosed in a low- the Operetta Digital demonstrated
optical cables and their TOSLINK loss dielectric material, which is an obvious improvement. Even with
connectors are 'slow' and covered by a microphony-resistant ‘standard-definition’ (CD-derived)
introduce jitter. An electrical cable shield and - to keep interference material I found that timing and
avoids this, explaining why many at bay - silver-plated copper spaciousness were improved; with
audiophiles prefer it. Such digital screening. A final nylon jacket keeps simpler recordings, I got more
cables should be optimised by things neat while at the same insight into the performance venue
75 Ohm terminated connections
at either end. This is the case
with analogue video and aerial
cables, where impedance
mismatches can affect
performance in
subjectively-
obvious ways
- distortion BLACK RHODIUM
on FM radio OPERETTA DIGITAL
and analogue £330 (1M)
TV ghost- £400 (1.5M) FOR
images, for PHONO OR BNC
example.
Non-optimal time, according to Black Rhodium, and even mike placement. With
digital audio “damping unwanted vibrations”. hi-res (24 bit) files, the difference OUTSTANDING - amongst
the best.
interconnects Heatshrunk onto the cable is was even more pronounced; finer
are responsible a label that indicates the direction details that once blended into the VERDICT
for jitter and other in which the cable should be run background became apparent, and The Operetta Digital shouldn’t
nasties. To avoid these, for best results. To eliminate some minor traces of roughness improve your listening...but
Black Rhodium carried any doubt, the phono plugs of disappeared. Nalty’s approach it does.
out some research at its the review sample feature evidently counts for something.
FOR
Derby base. In the opinion of white (at the source - more insight into music
firm’s founder Graham Nalty, end) and red (DAC CONCLUSION
an “accurate impedance-match end) sections. Nalty Despite the design contradictions, AGAINST
does not necessarily produce admits that Black Rhodium’s Operetta Digital - some might appreciate a
version with a phono at one
better sound”. The effects of using plugs makes a positive difference where
end, and a BNC at the other
mismatches, he explained, are more of different it counts - sound quality. A capable
apparent at “frequencies in the colour also midrange digital interconnect, it will Black Rhodium
hundreds of MHz...FM radio and helps his firm help you to get the best from your +44 (0) 1332 367261
TV...and upwards”. Such findings to “maintain source and DAC. www.black-rhodium.co.uk

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COMPETITION
WIN
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INTERCONNECTS WORTH £540 IN THIS MONTH’S
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H
ere’s your chance to the best result. In other words the the first third of the cable” we’re
win a pair of Esprit individually insulated signal and told “there is no shielding. One
Beta RCA plug termi- ground wires are laid side-by-side, layer of shielding covers the next
nated cables, reviewed giving the Beta an ‘oval’ cross- third...while on the final third, two
in the March 2021 section. For the insulation, Esprit layers of shielding are used”. The
issue. Read the review research determined that the use result, Cesari claims, is a “true
excerpt below and answer the of two different synthetic materials combination of the qualities of QUESTIONS
questions. – “one soft, one hard” – worked shielded and unshielded cables
best. in terms of silence, bandwidth, [1] Is the sound -
[a] warm and enveloping
"The 1.8m pair of Beta RCA Also unique to Esprit is what dynamics and details”.
[b] icy cool
interconnects are designed to Cesari calls “progressive shielding” That’s possibly why the Beta is [c] neutral but fluid
deliver a “neutral but fluid sound, – an innovation that has trickled a rather substantial interconnect – [d] perplexingly vague
combined with accurate details”. down from the firm’s higher-end with woven nylon outer jacket, it’s
To meet this objective for the ranges. The goal is to combine the 12mm wide and rather heavy. The [2] Is the cross
section -
Beta, Cesari specifies 5N copper best of shielded and unshielded ‘lockable’ silver-plated phono plugs [a] square
(“99.999% pure OCC”) for the cabling to optimise factors like fitted to both ends of the Beta are [b] triangular
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rically” (rather than coaxially) for And how is this achieved? “On [d] oval
For a chance to win this great
[3] The outer
RULES AND CONDITIONS OF ENTRY prize, just answer the four easy jacket is -
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REVIEW
Hot Shot
A hot soldering iron helps Noel Keywood review the World Design Pre4 valve preamplifier kit.
S
itting on a shelf to my then tweaked at home, a product most else. So not a cheap kit,
right lies a KLP1 – a valve that would not easily slide into not a way of saving money in the
preamplifier we designed disuse because it could always short term, but one that is deeply
back in the 1990s at be fixed if a problem arose, and satisfying and money saving in the
World Audio Design, part upgraded endlessly by component long term due to intrinsic reliability
of Hi-Fi World. World improvement. and ease of repair.
Design continues the tradition in KLP1 was solidly built, I doff my hat to World Design
WDPre4 I’m reviewing here, also with a thick billet of aluminium for taking what we were striving
a valve preamplifier that comes as machined to form the front panel, for in KLP1 and later designs,
a kit – or built if soldering irons and control knobs that were and either realising it – as in the
aren’t your thing. Price £625 as a also machined and plated locally use of logic control over small
kit, or £870 built, a PSU3 power (Wembley, London) to our specifi- signal relays to replace mechanical
supply unit at £325/£425 also being cation. They had to turn an Alps switching – or just improving on
required. or (later) Panasonic high quality what we did, with an engraved
The thinking behind our kits audiophile volume control. front panel, higher quality circuit
was to provide a very high quality All of this World Design boards, remote control and much
basic platform for the home preserve in WDPre4: it is else. To turn the light-action but
builder, one that could be built beautifully built, in fashion unlike solid input selector knob at right

REVIEW
on WDPre4 and hear the sealed, World Design offer a tuned XL

small-signal relays quietly but version with upgraded parts at
speedily clicking away brought joy £705 kit, £950 built.
to my ears! All of which explains what lies
Why? Because this is how it behind WDPre4 that I admit I have
should be done. No mechanical natural resonance with. But only
contacts exposed to the open air that; I have no connection with
to oxidise over time; no switching World Design today, having sold
FETs with their noise and non- the company long ago.
linearities. Today’s high speed, WDPre4 is a unity gain
inert-gas filled and sealed relays preamplifier, meaning it has no
are rated to 3 million operations, gain. The signal that goes in comes
with a low contact resistance that out no larger. It is purposed to sit
does not rise over time because between a World Design power
the contacts do not corrode. It is amplifier – or any other power
unseen parts like this that maintain amplifier – and a digital source
sound quality over time, but they like a CD player or streamer that
are (relatively) expensive, so A NOS (new old stock) AEG delivers 2V out – as most do.
uncommon in most product. With ECC 88 double triode valve Low gain phono stages are
Pre4 you get to understand and that acts as buffer between not an ideal match: volume
appreciate that what goes on under source and power amplifier. will need to be turned up.
the hood is important in ways Turning up volume with
rarely talked about. this. The idea of KLP1 was to start WDPre4 is a satisfying
I learnt long ago how slow out in a good place with quality experience. Do it manually
degradation destroyed many fine audiophile parts then let the with the volume control or
products as switch contacts and owner get on with it. There were by using the slim, light plastic
tin plated phono sockets wore no secrets, nothing that could not remote control. An Alps Blue
out. And let’s not talk electrolytic be ripped out and replaced if the motorised potentiometer
capacitors. A kit gets around all desire or need arose. In that spirit then turns the knob for

REVIEW
traditional cathode follower with

820 + 33k cathode load, or with
an 820 + active Constant Current
Sink (CCS) load that gives greater
output swing and less distortion
– the configuration of our review
sample. Soldered wire links must
be changed to swap over, making
this a slow process. Best if PCB
pins are inserted to ease soldering
of the links since once the main
board is in place it isn’t easy
to remove or work on. Purists
will likely not want to use the
CCS since it uses transistors,
but always best to listen to such
options to make up your own
mind, which is why quick change
At left the input relay board that sits vertically close behind over is handy.
the input sockets. At centre the fibreglass main board and A note about kits: if you
centre right the remote control receiver board. Below is the cannot solder then don’t attempt
motorised Alps volume control. it. We had many botch-ups sent
back to us as “not working” and
you in ghostly fashion. The small with three circuit boards, all of in most cases it was obvious the
remote also switches between which have to be built – none are person had no experience / ability
five sets of phono-socket Line pre-built. At front is the remote to solder. World Design also talk
inputs. There are two sets of line control and actuator board, bolted about measuring voltages with
outputs via phono-sockets, one to the front of the chassis. There a multimeter; they cost around
set recessed. There is
no headphone output,
nor balanced inputs or
outputs.
Power comes from
an external WDPSU3
linear power supply unit
capable of delivering
in 307V from a choke
smoothed supply, but this
is held to 200V HT by a
zener in Pre4. PSU3 can
feed a WDPhono3 stage
At left two sets of Line output sockets and to their right five sets of Line
simultaneously.
input sockets. There are fixed-level tape outputs too. Power comes from
As our internal
an external PSU3 supply with connector at top right.
shots show Pre4 comes
is a horizontal main board with £50. Dangerous voltages exist

The remote control and rotary actuator board at left, single ECC88 / 6922 double- so care is needed when testing
and an Alps Blue motorised potentiometer (volume triode valve. At rear lies the input under power; builders merchants
control) at right, driven manually or by the remote relay board mounted vertically on commonly stock protective
board. the rear panel. This arrangement gloves to wear during this phase.
avoids cable looms, keeping signal Purchasing a built unit bypasses all
connections short. There is space these issues of course.
in the chassis and base plate holes
to accept future boards. SOUND QUALITY
Measuring 220mm wide and I ran WDPre4 in a classic all-
82mm high the unit is not large. analogue valve system, with it
Case depth is 290mm, front knobs feeding an Icon Audio Stereo30 SE
and rear plugs adding to that valve amplifier, volume set to max
figure. PSU3 was same height and so it acted as a power amplifier.
depth but 133mm wide. Both units Loudspeakers were our Martin
are light – a few kgs I’d guess. Logan ESL-X hybrid electrostatics,
The small, light remote control connected by Chord Company
alters volume, has a mute function, Signature Reference screened
and selects input on the keypad cables.
– a nice touch. It does not switch For analogue input I used
power on/off. our Timestep Evo modified
Pre4 can be run as a Technics SL-1210 Mk2 Direct

REVIEW
backing singers stretched wider

and were more in tune with the
angels. The performance seemed
to float, as it were, and would be
my choice I suspect – but I am
prepared to swap the deep sense
of atmosphere a valve amplifier
can bring for visceral excitement.
Others may well prefer CCS;
subtle differences for most but
possibly not for the cognoscenti.
The nice thing about a kit is you
can tweak and tune as far as your
soldering abilities and dedication
allow. And for many – including
Rear outputs of the PSU3 supply Pre4 and the Phono3 valve me – this is a deeply satisfying
phono stage. Ours was a 240V unit but 110V is available. experience.
Drive turntable with SME309 arm it in place or bypassed, the RS2 CONCLUSION
and Audio Technica OC9X MC feeding the Stereo 30SE direct. I admit to being totally biassed in
cartridge connected balanced into But after changing the internal favour of the World Design Pre4
a Pro-Ject RS2 phono stage, whose links to remove the CCS I rather preamplifier on review here – not
unbalanced output went to the changed my mind. Now the sound because it fits in with my view of
WDPre4. For digital I connected seemed to have less bite and a real high fidelity, but because as a
in our Oppo UDP-205D with its smoother milieu, perhaps a laconic tweakable product you can make
ESS ES9038Pro DAC, to play CD one you could argue, but a sense it fit in with yours. OK, at the
and hi-res from a MacBook Pro of space and depth opened up. price you might want some gain
running the Audirvana+ software With Kate Bush singing Pi from to better cope with low output
player and connected via USB to Aerial, for example, the stabbing Phono stages, a headphone outlet
deliver both PCM and DSD digital. organ floated a little more freely or balanced inputs, but that would
It seemed to me this preamp in space, seemingly more ethereal. be to place facilities over sound
had minimal impact on sound La Bush trilled in her usual quality, ease of use and long life.
quality. I was not sure I could hear manner – but on a more spacious For me, this is a top product that
any difference between having and slightly darker sound stage; I found deeply satisfying.
The World Design WDPre4 with Constant Frequency response (-1dB)
Current Sink (CCS) operative had a gain 6Hz-100kHz
of x0.95 (-0.5dB) under test, making it a Distortion (10kHz, 1W, 4Ω) 0.005%
unity gain preamp. This dropped little to Separation (1kHz) 93dB
x0.92 (-0.76dB) with CCS out. Noise (IEC A) -84dB
Gain x0.95
With a 1V input at full volume
distortion measured 0.0025% and with FREQUENCY RESPONSE
2V in this rose to 0.005%, a low value.
WORLD DESIGN
However, with CCS out distortion rose
WDPRE4 £870
to 0.3% under these circumstances and
increased rapidly with higher levels.
PSU3 £425
With 20V input and CCS, the limit of our
low distortion generator, the Pre4 had no OUTSTANDING - amongst
trouble with swinging 20V out. the best.
Output impedance measured 980
VERDICT
Ohms and input impedance 50k Ohms,
A kit preamp of lovely quality
set by the volume control track. CCS all round, plus great sound
in/out had no effect here. DISTORTION that can be tuned to suit.
Frequency response measured flat
from 6Hz to 100kHz at all positions of the FOR
- build quality
volume control. CCS in/out had no affect
- ease of use
upon frequency response. - sound
The WDPre4 measured well in
all areas; it has no limitations, except AGAINST
rising distortion above 2V with CCS out. - no headphone output
PSU3 with its toroidal - no balanced connections
transformer, smoothing choke However, in normal use 2V would be
- power supply an extra cost
(bottom right) and reservoir a short-term peak input so CCS out is
capacitors. No noise-producing unlikely to adversely affect sound. NK World Designs
+44 (0)7972 055492
voltage regulator chips. www.world-designs.co.uk

HIGH QUALITY BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS
Leveraging a 1” aluminium tweeter mated to Klipsch’s proprietary Tractrix horn-loaded technology - the
R-51M bookshelf speaker delivers incredible acoustics to fill your home with loud, crystal-clear sound and
* Shown with R-100SW Subwoofer
robust bass like no other ordinary bookshelf speaker can.
Distributed
Distributedby byHenley
HenleyAudio
Audio
T:T:+44
+44(0)
(0)1235
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511166
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sales@henleyaudio.co.uk | | W:
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www.henleyaudio.co.uk | : HenleyAudioUK | : HenleyAudio
R-51M Speaker Ad.indd 1 01/06/2021 11:51

REVIEW
Cans do!
Martin Pipe listens to a Deva
without tantrums – specifically
a modestly priced pair of
headphones from Hifiman.
I
’m surprised I haven’t
spent quality time with a
Hifiman product before,
given that the website of
this Chinese manufacturer
lists no fewer than thirty
different headphones. Prominent
among them is the Shangri-La
electrostatic model ($50,000),
complete with dedicated valve
amp, priced in the same league
as Sennheiser's flagship. Hifiman,
which has been in existence for
15 years or so, also produces
ranges of IEMs (earbuds), person-
al music players and the accesso-
ries to help you make the most
of them. Here, I'm looking at
their Deva, a large pair of open-
backed circumaurals that employ
planar magnetic transducers - as
used to good effect by rivals
like Dan Clark and Audeze, and
originally by Wharfedale in their
Isodynamic headphones (1972).
The predominantly silver
Deva is apparently named from
the Sanskrit word for ‘heavenly’.
It has a bright and breezy
appearance, with its coffee-
coloured earpads and headband.
A notable amount of plastic
features in its construction, but
there’s solidity where it counts
– the core of the headband, with
the brackets that couple it to the
earcups, is made from a tough
aluminium alloy. Look inside the
earcup, and under a thin cloth
gauze you’ll see the 80mm planar
driver. Most evident is the ultra-
thin ‘Neo Supernano’ diaphragm
– 80% thinner than that of

REVIEW
previous models, claims

Hifiman – and the printed
tracks of the voice coil
that carry the audio signal.
Also evident is the ‘stator’,
the grid of magnets that
interact with the voicecoil
to move said diaphragm in
time with the audio. What’s
visible represents only half
of the total magnetic force;
the remainder is unseen,
on another stator mounted
on the opposite side of the
diaphragm.
Planar magnetic drivers
offer great performance
potential, but compared to
the traditional moving-coil
type (basically, a shrunken
The Deva’s design is neat, complicated and effective – Bluetooth,
speaker drive-unit) they’re
USB and wired connections give you flexibility. What a shame the
not particularly efficient. The
black plastic Bluemini dongle seen here isn’t in a matching colour!
18-ohm drivers of the Deva
are specced at 93.5dB (1mW
@ 1kHz). Compare that with the not a matching silver?) Bluetooth have a USB-C port, but I found
recently-reviewed iBasso SR2, the receiver that plugs into the socket. that the Bluemini is compatible
sensitivity of which is claimed to Curved to fit around the base with ‘regular’ USB-A ports if the
be 108dB. This raises implications of the left earcup, it’s sufficiently appropriate cable is used. If you
for the equipment you’ll be using lightweight not to alter the balance don’t need the Bluemini, the Deva
to drive the Deva. It will push, say, of the headphones and thus impact can be bought in a ‘wired edition’
the output stages of mobile phones wearer comfort. The spec. is far for £219 – an £80 saving. Neither
and bus-powered USB DACs close from lightweight, the Bluemini version comes with a carrying case,
to their limits. On which subject, featuring Bluetooth 5.0, LDAC and sadly.
the Deva connects to equipment aptX-HD support, a battery life of
via a rather nondescript two-metre up to 10 hours, user-upgradable USE AND PERFORMANCE
cable with a right-angled 3.5mm firmware, an integrated mike for The memory-foam earpads appear
plug at its source end (a 6.35mm hands-free calls and an amplifier to be covered with faux leather,
adaptor is provided). Thankfully, capable of delivering a ‘real world’ but the upper surfaces that come
it can be detached from the left quarter-Watt to each transducer into contact with your head
earcup for upgradability as well as - at distortion levels of less than are cloth. They are replaceable,
storage; the use of a 3.5mm TRRS 0.1%. It charges via a USB-C port, snapping into the front of the cup.
(i.e. 4-pole) connector suggests which also allows the Bluemini I could not fault the comfort – the
that balanced connectivity is to be used as a USB DAC with pads fit comfortably around the ear
possible. a personal computer. In other and pressure applied by the sprung
There is however more to words, you don’t have to rely on headband was not excessive. The
the Deva’s connectivity. Included a PC’s soundcard – great news Deva’s shape and size may give
in the £299 package as reviewed if you like a musical backdrop as an impression of heaviness, but in
is the ‘Bluemini’, a black (why you work. Most modern laptops reality it weighs only 360g. Being
an ‘open’ design, though, sound
leakage is considerable – this isn’t
the best pair of headphones to
use on public transport. I found
that the cable, not having a locking
mechanism on the plug that mates
with the Deva, would detach easily
if snagged in clothing – a minor
annoyance, but preferable to
damage.
I started my listening with
the Bluemini, alternating between
a Google Pixel 3a smartphone
(Bluetooth, with the LDAP
The Bluemini Bluetooth dongle that attaches to Deva’s right codec) and a fairly modern Dell
earcup. The four-pole connector makes a balanced connection i5 Windows laptop (USB). Pairing
to the earpieces. When Bluetooth and USB aren’t required, the dongle, which appears in a
the device is simply unplugged and the 3.5mm cable attached Bluetooth search as ‘HIFIMAN
instead. BLUEMINI’, was a cinch. The

REVIEW
prominent, yielding a warmth that

emphasised bass guitars, although
this diminished over time – a long
burn-in is needed.
Lower bass went sufficiently
deep to satisfy lovers of electronic
music and rap without sounding
artificial and overblown.
A play of Britten’s War
Requiem (Noseda/LSO) revealed
that stereo imaging – a traditional
shortcoming of planar magnetic
Using the 25 gm Bluemini dongle is simplicity itself – in ‘phones – is excellent too, with
Bluetooth mode it’s paired with your source. The LED indi- fine delineation of the instrumental
cates low battery, charging and operational state. Next to the groups; in this regard the Deva
LED, the hands-free mike can also be seen. is comparable with its dynamic
contemporaries.
Bluemini works out of the box bass-heavy dance music. I was off
with Windows 10 but if you want to a good start. CONCLUSION
the full 24-bit hi-res experience And so to a wired connection There’s much to be said in favour
a free driver can be downloaded of a more conventional kind – I of the Deva, which covers all
from the Hifiman website. tried an Astell&Kern SR25 player listening bases – wired, Bluetooth
In both cases, the Bluemini/ and a Prism Callia ‘headphone and USB – for less than £300. If
Deva combo rewarded me with DAC’ fed digitally from a you’re sure a wired connection
plenty of clarity and precision Cambridge CXN streamer. Both is all you’ll never need, then pay
– this was particularly noticeable took the Deva in their stride. Again, just £219. With the openness and
with guitars (both acoustic it was the detail that leapt out at clarity on offer here, the Deva is
and electric) and upper-band me – there was far more than you undoubtedly one of the year’s best
percussion. However, with the have any right to expect at the headphone bargains. There is some
direct USB connection I found modest asking price. With cuts like colouration towards the lower end
presentation of the same music Talking Heads’ Slippery People and of the audible spectrum, but over
to be a degree more ‘open’ than Black Country New Road’s Track time this became less apparent.
Bluetooth – possibly because data X, subtleties buried in the mix Despite the lowish sensitivity, I
compression is avoided. Listening were compellingly laid bare. The heard no audible strain with the
via Bluetooth or USB involves your low-mass diaphragm of Hifiman’s various devices I tried – among
source device’s volume control, as planar driver almost certainly helps them the Bluemini dongle – even
the dongle lacks one of its own. here. There is a definite treble at highish listening levels. Hopefully,
Despite the lowish efficiency of the bias as opposed to absolute tonal Hifiman will in time be able to
Deva, I had no drive issues – there neutrality and this undoubtedly offer a matching carrying case, and
was plenty of distortion-free aided apparent clarity. possibly even a balanced audio HIFIMAN DEVA
volume when needed, even with Upper lows were also fairly cable. £299
(WITH BLUEMINI
DONGLE)
£219 (WITHOUT)
£
OUTSTANDING - amongst
the best.
VALUE - keenly priced.
VERDICT
Quality magnetic planar
'phones at a great price,
Bluetooth included.
FOR
- detail and clarity
- Bluemini adds considerable
versatility
- big bass sound
AGAINST
- no Bluemini volume control
- treble emphasis over
neutrality
- no carrying case supplied
Everything you need for listening with the source of your choice, although a handy carrying Advanced MP3 Players
case is conspicuous by its absence. The USB cable not only charges the Bluemini’s internal +44 (0)343 289 6880.
battery, but also allows it be used as a USB DAC with a personal computer. www.advancedmp3players.co.uk

LETTERS & EMAILS
LETTER OF THE MONTH PRIZE
Mail
Visit our website at www.hi-fiworld.co.uk
or send your emails to letters@hi-fiworld.
co.uk. Letter of the month wins a pair of
KEF Q150 bookshelf speaker
Answers by: NK - Noel Keywood; PR - Paul Rigby; MP - Martin Pipe;

DT - Dave Tutt; JP - John Pickford.
KEF Q150 BOOKSHELF SPEAKER

https://uk.kef.com/products/q150-bookshelf-speaker
[subject to availability - Satin Black / Satin White]
A PAIR KEF Q150 LOUDSPEAKERS are on their way to CHRIS SANDERS,

Letter of the Month winner in our JULY 2021 issue.
Letter of the Month
TRAD CHIP
The past year has certainly been
an eventful one in many not so
positive ways. In my case enforced
early retirement was a consequence
of the pandemic. The upside of this
was plenty of time to devote to other
interests.
I have been brushing up my skills
as a luthier and now have a fully
equipped workshop. Violin playing
has also been revitalised as well as
listening to music. No live concerts to
attend yet I’m afraid.
For some time I had been
intending to build a custom made
cabinet with sub shelves for my
hi-fi system and finally got around "After minimal research I purchased a new transport. It is
to making this (photo attached). a Jays Audio CDT2-MK2" says Anthony Parkin.
This in itself brought about a major
improvement in the sound of my CDXT with extra PSU and using Over night fate intervened. Firstly
almost entirely valve based system. either a Chord Hugo or the ESS the laser died on the Cyrus (one of
I also gave consideration to what Sabre DAC in my Novafidelity X40. many faults) and then the Hugo
I really wanted from a hi-fi system. The Hugo was very accurate and stopped working due to battery
I have a considerable vinyl and CD detailed whilst the ESS Sabre DAC failure.
collection which form the bulk of my gave a more laid back, easier on the I decided to have the Hugo
listening media. I listen to the radio ear and lifelike presentation I felt. repaired and then sell it, the Cyrus
largely as background and have This set up was totally eclipsed and Novafidelity and start again.
dabbled with music servers and hi-res by my fully fettled LP12 with titanium The problem was what to
audio with no great enthusiasm. To tubed Audio Origami PU7 and Koetsu buy and how to audition during a
my ears the LPs and CDs were good Rosewood Signature cartridge playing lockdown? In typical maverick fashion
enough. through silver SUTs and my own I decided to throw caution to the
My CDs were played on a Cyrus highly tuned Phono stage. winds and effectively “stick a pin in

LETTERS & EMAILS
the map”. Basically I was doing what

I would never recommend anyone to
do when buying a hi-fi system!
After minimal research I
purchased a new transport. It is a
Jays Audio CDT2-MK2. The main
attraction was that it uses a top
loading Philips CDM4/19 disc drive
which I’ve always had respect for, "I reasoned that having bought a retro disc drive a retro DAC
with vastly over specced power supply, would be ideal. I came across a Greek company called Lab12
and Femto clock built into a chassis and their DAC1 Reference" Anthony Parkin explains.
with the construction and weight of
a Challenger battle tank! It also only
plays red book CDs. I hadn’t a clue awaits a new valve) and let the Hi Anthony. That is truly an
what it sounded like but it looked 300B PSE Interstage monoblocks unusual and extreme way to play
amazing! warm up. CD. I presume LAB12 use eight
The next problem was which I selected a CD at random and TDA 1543 DAC chips to reduce
DAC to partner it with. I reasoned attached it with the magnetic puck distortion from what is now a
that having bought a retro disc drive to the top loading disc drive. Pressed very old chip that must be out of
then a retro DAC would be ideal. I Play and what emerged from the production. Interesting that you
came across a small Greek company Living Voice speakers was one of the prefer its sound to that of modern
called Lab12 who produce a DAC best sounds I have ever heard from chips, at least in the quality setting
based around 8 Philips TDA1543 CD! of the LAB12 which certainly has
DAC chips in non oversampling mode Detail, ambience, emotion, a great spec. Thanks for letting us
(distortion!!!). Their ‘DAC1 Reference’ imaging were there in spades and know about your superb system.
also has a large, linear multi-regulated the thing wasn’t even run in! It even NK
power supply and uses a couple gives my LP12 a run for its money
of EH 6922s in the output stage at less than half the price! COPY AMAZON
(which I promptly replaced with some I know that I’ve been very lucky I have purchased an Innuous
Mullard gold pin E88CCs which I had to pick such a symbiotic transport/ Zen Mini Mk3 for use with Stax
from a previous project). DAC combination by chance but SR600/700 electrostatic headphones.
The moment of truth had can’t recommend this highly enough. I am currently ripping CDs as I work,
arrived. I connected the transport Just don’t buy any high-res discs or quite relaxing as it whirs away.
and DAC using a Chord Company expect more than 192 kHz from the However, question. I have
Signature interconnect and switched DAC. Personally I don’t miss them purchased a lot of records from
on the preamp (currently your old and am living happily with 1980s Amazon and this allows me to
WAD PRE 3 built with audiophile technology and rather less metal download via their iOS app. Is there
components and with a valve rectified boxes in my cabinet! any way that these can be accessed
and regulated power supply – whilst Best wishes via the Zen? I see under configuration
my other transformer output preamp Anthony Parkin the options for Tidal, Spotify but no
Anthony Parkin's impressive "retro" system with Jays CD transport at top centre and the LAB12
DAC below.

LETTERS & EMAILS
mean with a CD transport and

AES connection – no evil streamers
here. The result is awesome, even
compared with more hyped expensive
ones.
We all know that in this world
the good ones are not celebrated and
that false prophets rule, but I advise
readers to consider this product:
they will be astonished by the quality
of construction even the screws
are antimagnetic and the weight is
surprising for such a small item. And
all this for less than £600!
Remi Balestie
France
NEW TUBE
Your article about the strange history
of Electro Harmonix & Sovtek valves Electro Harmonix new
was interesting. If you want to know '7025EH' tube, with lower
a little more, a good person to noise and microphony than
"I have purchased a lot of contact is my friend Stewart Gebbie
an ECC83/12AX7.
records from Amazon down- at valvetubeguitaramps.com. He sells
loaded via their iOS app. Can Electro Harmonix valves and knows all specifications required for the
I store them on an Innuous Mike Matthews (and quite a few tube to be designated 7025. The
Zen Mini Mk3?" asks John musicians). He is particularly keen on original 7025 tube was a 12AX7
Speight. the EH 7025 valve, which he says that was tested and selected for
is a new design with medium gain, the lowest noise and microphonics
idea how to enable Amazon. very low noise and microphony for for use in the critical first preamp
I don’t use Roon. Also tried to use in place of the ubiquitous ECC83. stages of amplifiers where noise
connect Spotify but could not get it to I am currently running these in my and microphonics could be an
work – but not really bothered about World Designs Phono 3 preamplifier issue. In order to ensure that
these services. with very good results, along with EH the 7025 specification is consis-
Thanks KT88s in my WD88 power amplifier. I tently met, Electro-Harmonix
John Speight shall be trying an EH 7025 shortly in has redesigned the structure of
the input stage of the WD88. the 12AX7 and has implemented
Hi John. Amazon say specifically Yours sincerely, construction techniques to ensure
that you can only play music out Alasdair Beal the absolute lowest noise and
of the app; music cannot be stored microphonics possible”.
on external devices. The only way Hi Alasdair. Thanks for the info In their day valves were not
to test this is to stream out of the on Electro Harmonix EH 7025. designed to sound good. They
‘phone and into an editor such The ECC 83 (12AX7) was known were functional amplifying devices
as Audacity. I rather suspect the
stream will be encrypted though,
so don’t hold out much hope. Not
having an Amazon account I cannot
offer any greater insight here.
The whole point of streaming
was to not give consumers
permanent access to music, as with
the LP and CD. You pay per listen
as it were – and when you stop
paying they stop playing. It’s unlikely
any streaming service would allow
permanent download, since people
could then download a massive The Topping D70 DAC owned by Remi Balestie. "The result is
music library for one month’s awesome" he says.
subscription. Purchasing downloads
is a better option in this respect; for having a lovely sound, if more that had to be small, light and
buy once and listen forever. NK noise than the ECC 82 (but the ’82 cheap. Nowadays they are slowly
could be microphonic). Sounds like morphing into boutique items. Well,
TOPPING TALE the EH 7025 is a good potential it does look good doesn't it? NK
I read with interest your review of upgrade. They say –
the Topping DAC as I own a D70 “Electro-Harmonix has released CAN QUERY
and I agree with your comments. I a low noise, low microphonic We totally agree with Chris
use this DAC in the old school way, I version of the 12AX7 that meets Frankland’s thoughts and excellent

LETTERS & EMAILS
Hi Ashley. My suspicion here is that distortion as it is commonly

Can’s input is collapsing to a low defined, the spectrum analyser
impedance value when powered shows, but quantisation noise and
off and this is affecting the Chord it introduces a limit to the dynamic
2Qute when it is switched through range of CD. That’s why 24bit is
directly by the Musical Fidelity preferable and indeed recordings
M6i amplifier. Analogue sources are now made with this level of
(phono and FM) are likely being resolution to eliminate quantisation
output by an internal amp stage noise.
of low output impedance able to However, I believe the awful
cope with having Zen connected, sound of CD – as we think of it
unpowered. This would seemingly – is more due to higher levels of
explain your problem. noise and distortion introduced
In-line attenuators like the Likely a series resistor of 1k- by low quality analogue-to-
IMG shown here are cheap 10k in Zen’s input cable would digital convertors (ADCs) in the
and may fix Ashley Trafford's effect a cure; an in-line attenuator recording process. These things
problem. from Canford or Rothwell is worth have much worse performance
trying (one in each lead) but you than DACs and little is ever said
review of the iFi Zen Can head will lose gain (volume) into the about them. My measurements
amplifier. It is an amazing Zen. Attenuator specs don’t make show that 1%-10% was being
achievement at this sort of price input/output load values clear so generated in the early days of CD
(£149). I purchased mine after I cannot select one with certainty. and this is what we are still hearing
picking up some Sennheiser HD660S You’ll have to experiment. NK today since so much old and poor
headphones, they sound fantastic. The digital is in circulation. Bad digital is
pairing really works. DIGITAL NOISE a blight on music and was a curse
The strange issue is, if I do not I was interested to see Noel’s reply on CD. I suspect this is what you
power up the head amp, an odd to the letter of the month in the July hearing – just “poor recordings”.
thing occurs. With the head amp issue. “Because 16bit generates so I use a range of CDs when
reviewing that don’t suffer graunch
and have impressive dynamics
(because they have not been
compressed). But they are the
exception rather than the rule.
Too much digital sounds “hard and
tiring” as you say, imparted during
the recording process. NK
BETTER BASS
I’m tearing my hair out with
frustration. I run vintage speakers,
I have just acquired a pair of rare
‘white’ Cambridge R50s. As a
"If I do not power up the Zen head amp sound quality falls precaution I also sourced a spare
pair of early KEF ‘racetrack’ B139
away with my digital source, a Chord DAC 2Qute" complains
bass drivers. Unfortunately they are
Ashley Trafford.
rough and someone has ‘had a go’ at
running through the tape out on my much quantisation noise it dominates
Musical Fidelity main amplifier (M6i), the sound of CD”.
the sound quality falls away with my I did an internet search as I
digital source, a Chord DAC (2Qute). find an amplifier driven into clipping
Through coax and optical, Very painful and wondered if this is could
strange. be why I find CD sound hard and
If I power up the Head amp, the tiring. I think this may be why I prefer
sound quality returns. It’s like a jitter my vinyl to CD.
attack...distortion. I have checked and Have I missed explanations in
changed cabling and re-positioned the back issues or is this a topic for
iFi Zen Can, still no joy. My analogue a future opinion article, as what
sources are not affected, phono and I’ve found in searching seems too
FM. I have posted the issue on the iFi technical for me.
website. If I remove the Zen from the regards
tape out, all is well. David Bond
This is very frustrating as I only
occasionally use the phones...damn Hi David. CD digital (16bit) has
shame. Any clues? a noise floor at -96dB and this
Cheers is very obvious when measuring
Ashley & Elaine Trafford ‘distortion’; the value never drops "CD distortion 40%" The Flat
Winchester below 0.2% at -60dB. This isn’t Response revealed in 1985.

LETTERS & EMAILS
expert. Wilmslow Audio offer a

repair and upgrade service that
appears to meet your needs. Or
try Wembley Loudspeakers (http://
www.wembleyloudspeaker.com)
who may be able to help. Have a
look at SimplySpeakers (USA) for
glues, materials etc.
Seems like you could do the
job rather than someone else.
There are plenty of old B139s
around from which you can
scavenge parts, eBay being the
source for such things.
Otherwise, give up and buy
new from Falcon; they do claim to
have designed the thing. At £200
each, your time on bread and
water won't be too long! NK
BETTER LINEAR
I read with great interest in the
March 2021 issue of Noel Keywood’s
review of the Pro-ject phono box
The Cambridge R50 owned RS2 phono pre amp, It truly is an
by Keith Patrick. It has a impressive unit.
Wilmslow Audio offer a loud-
KEF B139 bass driver. I too have been running my
speaker drive unit repair
turntable in balanced mode for
them and set the spiders in the wrong many years now but I’ve been using service.
position so they ‘bottom’ viciously. All in a Musical Fidelity MX-VYNL. My and to me 20 Ohms is just about
all I decided to do a full rebuild. turntable is a Michell Gyrodec SE perfect. There is no hum, no hiss and a
You will, no doubt, appreciate that fitted with a True Point Audio electronic deadly silent background and all this
these drivers cannot be repaired by speed control, Ortofon Cadenza Black without a separate ground wire fitted
conventional methods as they have a fitted to an SME IV tonearm with (I do understand the mini XLR will
solid ‘styrene cone’ so on the web and an Analogue Audio Cable Designs have a ground fitted).
see what the experts say... Nothing!! tonearm cable. This cable is fitted with The MX-VYNL replaces my
I’ve hit 3 forums, spent hours trawling an SME connector at one end and a Primare R32 phono stage and a
through speaker threads, contacted Neutrik Rean mini XLR at the other. Chord Signature tuned ARAY tonearm
Falcon Acoustics for info and I have the impedance set at 20 ohms cable (£800) which I might add fell
replacement spiders/surrounds, which and it all sounds truly wonderful. apart after 14 months.
we know they have ‘cause they are re- Ah, I hear you say, the mini XLR I have also replaced the MF’s
manufacturing B139s. No help what is not standard and not the best in pathetic wall wart PSU with an RS
so ever! They don’t want to know! the world. Well maybe not but it works components 12v 1.2amp linear PSU
I even paid good money to speak brilliantly, and I hear you say you (RS400-7005) and this has made a
to one of those so called experts on should have it set to 100 Ohms. Well huge and significant improvement in
line, who can ‘solve any problem’, the beauty of the MX-VYNL is you the overall sound quality of the MX-
diddly squat, didn’t have a clue! So can experiment on the fly so to speak VYNL.
basically I’ve trawled the world, asked while listening to your favourite vinyl A few months back a competitor
the manufacturers, asked an expert
– nothing!
And yet it can be done. I had one
rebuilt professionally about 12 years
back (the company is now defunct)
so somebody knows how it’s done.
So here I am 75 years young next
Tuesday – so go ahead and ‘make my
(birth) day’. Find me someone who
can help.
Just to make it clear I’m not
interested in replacing, I want to
repair. It’s a challenge more than a
necessity. And yes I am obsessive.
Thanks.
Keith Patrick. Musical Fidelity MX-VYNL phono stage. "I have replaced the
MF’s pathetic wall -wart PSU with an RS components 12v
Hi Keith. Since this is a UK drive 1.2amp linear PSU and this has made a huge improvement in
unit you will need to find a UK overall sound quality" says Neville Octon.

LETTERS & EMAILS
of yours reviewed the MX-VYNL in the 20th Century: I prefer physical comprehensive article about this?
along with 5 other phono stages and media and random selection. What I With thanks and best wishes
it came last of the bunch which is a find interesting is that my children’s Charles Haswell.
shame as it was the only one able generation seem to be warming to
to be wired in balanced mode which the joys of physical media, too. So by Hi Charles. From personal
they did not do and only briefly made building up a collection of physical experience I would suggest you
note of its balanced operation. Why media, I’ll have something to leave consider TMPG’s Authoring Works
review it if you don’t or can’t exploit them. 6. After lots of difficult experiences
its virtues, not a fair review methinks. As well as Vinyl, I buy CDs, or trying to edit video and audio to
It’s a shame really as the MX- SACDs if they are available, usually Blu-ray I finally alighted on this
VYNL really is very good when used from Presto Music, a family-run firm software from Japan that actually
in balanced mode and with a decent in Leamington Spa which everyone works properly. I used extensively
PSU behind it. Any chance you guys should know about. But I have a TMPG 4 in the past, now upgraded
can do a comparison between the challenge. to TMPGEnc Authoring Works
MX-VYNL and the phono box RS2 CD’s don’t offer the quality that 6, price $99.95, that does all you
because if its as good as you say and is obtainable today from Hi-Res want. It might be overkill for audio
better than the MX-VYNL I might downloads. What I want to do is burn alone, but both DVD and Blu-ray
have to go out and buy one. those Hi-Res downloads and finalise are primarily video formats so you
Kind Regards them onto a disc – DVD or Blu-Ray have to accept this.
Neville Octon Audio – and keep them on the shelf If you can handle a programme
Newcastle upon Tyne with the rest of my physical media. I like TMPG Authoring Works then
have a Universal Player which should just download audio in the many
Hi Neville, As you say, once a play every file type, but am thinking formats it can accept and import
Phono stage has a balanced input about investing in one of the beauties to the soundtrack. I could not see
then it takes priority in sound from Marantz. I’d also like to print off DSD in there and believe the Blu-
quality terms. At present the the cover art to go with the disc, and ray spec does not offer DSD audio
whole subject is a mystery to most the notes that usually go with a CD as an option.
reviewers and since it demands a or SACD. I have a Canon printer that To “graduate to higher
turntable re-wire is a frustration will print on printable discs, so I’d like resolutions” the easiest and
to any reviewer who must chop to download and print the disc labels, cheapest solution is to load music
and change between unbalanced/ too. My PC has a DVD and Blu-Ray onto a Flash drive (memory stick
balanced. burner. in Sony parlance). It is difficult to
I simply unplug the SME So please would you consider know what’s on a drive though,
unbalanced phono-plug lead then
plug in one with balanced XLRs (full
size) to match the Pro-Ject RS2.
It has now become a benchmark
reference – especially crucial with
low output MC cartridges under
review. Unbalanced unacceptable.
Fascinating to hear about the
RS power supply. I was unaware
linear supplies like this are still
available. Not surprised the MX-
VYNL sounds better with it – that’s To burn audio to DVD or Blu-ray TMPGEnc Authoring Works 6
a great tweak. NK will do the job well.
BURN TO BLU-RAY including in Hi-Fi World an idiots unless you come up with some
I’m old fashioned. If I’m choosing guide to downloading hi-res music way to catalogue them, perhaps
a book to read, I'd rather browse files, transferring them to a playable with numbers on the drives and a
the shelves of a bookshop, with no disc (DVD or Blu-Ray Audio), and library list of content printed from
algorithm pushing ideas at me, and so adding the cover art, notes and disc a computer record. A faff around
enjoy the chance to spot something labels? Which burning software would and not as easy to access as a CD
I’d never have thought of. For my you recommend? And could it be spine/sleeve that’s for sure, but you
music, I’ve tried building up a library interesting to compare playing the can store any audio file this way
on a NAS server, but I find it more download from a Server with a disc and get to replay it without getting
pleasurable to run a finger along a on a Universal Player? involved in video hardware.
line of Vinyl or CD/SACD spines and I’m used to making discs I can I understand your desire to use
pick something out of the shelf. still record live on a Sony MZ-RH1 DVD or Blu-ray in preference to
It’s also why I prefer listening to and have kept SonicStage running a NAS drive but authoring silver
FM on my NAT01 than to Spotify under Windows 10 to master CDs discs has its own set of problems.
or any of the streaming services. (the quality is excellent) but it’s time I And both are now fading into
Quite apart from the sheer quality, graduated to higher resolutions. technological obscurity. To pass
Radio 3 is algorithm-free, and full I asked Presto for advice, and on your DVD/Blu-ray discs to the
of excellent live broadcasts, and so the software they recommended will children for their future enjoyment
I can be constantly delighted by the only do CDs which rather defeats the don’t forget to give them a player
unexpected. In short, I probably belong object. Can Hi-Fi World help, with a as well. NK

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OLDE WORLDE
TDL’s smaller
Martin Pipe revisits the RTL2 ‘reflex transmission line’ speaker.
I
t all started with a pair of frequency. Filling the waveguide is Audio, because the professionally-
articles, published in the a fibrous material, the purpose of built items were far from cheap.
October 1965 and May 1972 which is to slow down the indirect They were also used professionally,
editions of the influential sound waves thereby enhancing to monitor radio broadcasts and
magazine Wireless World. further still the low-frequency per- record pressings; you could also
Written by Dr. Arthur Bailey formance. The most obvious ben- find these imposing beasts in the
from the University of Bradford, efit of transmission-line speakers systems of those who reviewed hi-
they examined the ‘transmission- is their superb bass reproduction fi and recordings for a living.
line’ speaker design. Here, sound – some models can yield a usable One of the people to be
waves generated within the heav- output as low as 18Hz. No need inspired by Bailey’s articles was
ily-damped cabinet by the inward for a subwoofer here! engineer and reviewer John Wright.
facing surface of the woofer cone Dr. Bailey’s articles were He designed a transmission-line
are directed into a long folded enormously influential and their speaker for Irving M. (‘Bud’) Fried,
waveguide. This waveguide is tuned appearance coincided with rising an American importer of British
so that the waves emanating from public interest in hi-fi. Suitably products. So impressed was Fried
ports in front of the cabinet are inspired, speaker manufacturers with the speaker that he, along
in phase with the directly-radi- started making them – one was with Wright, set up a British
ated sound waves from the cone’s Radford Electronics, assisted by Dr. offshoot of his firm in the early
externally-facing surface; in other Bailey. 1970s. IMF Electronics – named
words, it ‘reinforces’ the direct There was plenty of DIY from his initials – became famous
sound. The air behind the driver construction too, often from kits for its series of transmission-line
acts as a load, reducing its resonant of parts from firms like Wilmslow Monitors, built with KEF drive
This exploded view of IMF’s Reference Standard Professional Monitor Mk. VII, circa 1982,
illustrates how large and internally-complex transmission-line speakers are. A different
approach - the ‘reflex transmission line’ - had to be adopted by TDL, for its more compact
and affordable speakers.

OLDE WORLDE
r line
units into cabinets produced by
a subcontractor. Many of these
Monitors are still being used today,
on account of their outstanding
performance.
However, by the mid-1970s
there had been a falling-out.
According to John Hayes, a British
IMF director, Fried tried to sell
cheap speakers under the brand
– something that, it was felt, would
impact the firm’s reputation.
The British and American
IMFs became separate entities. In
the UK IMF brought out revised
versions of the Monitor; for a
while, it was the only company
producing transmission-line
speakers. With German audio
manufacturer Electroacustic
GmbH (‘ELAC’), IMF then formed
a company – TDL Electronics – to
make transmission-line speakers
in a factory near Oxford. ELAC’s
contributions included a bass
driver with a stiff plastic-coated
cone, and an early ferrofluid-cooled
tweeter.
Later, TDL (Transducer
Developments Limited) commer-
cialised an original idea – the
reflex transmission line, designed
for “optimum sound within a
smaller cabinet”. Conventional
transmission-line speakers are description of the idea seems to

necessarily large, on account of have been published. Launched in
their complex woodwork; TDL’s the early 1990s, the RTL series
imposing top-of-the-line Reference were noticeably cheaper than TDL’s
Standard would suit few living ‘true’ transmission-line speakers
rooms! Squeeze a transmission- but aspired to their performance.
line speaker into a compact and They were well received, and sold
As we can see here, the build more domestically-acceptable box, in significant numbers.
quality – certainly of this speci- though, and port output would be The £250 (1993) RTL2
men – could be improved! The out of phase with direct output floorstander, examined here,
RTL2s are finished in cheap vinyl – unwanted. TDL’s getaround was features a 172mm polypropylene
wrap, instead of the ‘real wood’ essentially a bass-reflex speaker mid/bass drive unit with phase-
veneers associated with more with extended ports in the base, plug (the ‘bullet’ in the centre of
expensive speakers. although no public technical the cone) and a ferrofluid-cooled

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OLDE WORLDE
19mm soft-domed tweeter, both need to seek out a

made by ELAC. Crossover was new-old-stock or
at 3kHz. The RTL2 has two pairs used example). The
of binding-post bi-wire terminals RTL2’s ports are
normally linked by stiff wire of covered by a coarse
rather dubious quality. open-cell foam
Standing a mere 730mm high that usually disinte-
– slightly higher when on spikes – grates. Thankfully,
the RTL2 is dwarfed by a full sized foam sheets of the
transmission-line speaker. It was appropriate density
the middle contender of a three- and 10mm thickness
strong range that also featured a are available cheaply
compact bookshelf-type speaker on eBay – cut them The ports are covered by a coarse open-cell foam
(the RTL1) and a larger model with to size. material that – as here – usually disintegrates.
two mid/bass drivers (the RTL3). Listening to Suitable material is however available, in sheet
To achieve the desired the RTL2s, I can
form, from some eBay sellers.
performance at its price point, understand how
sacrifices appear to have been they generated so
made. Build quality and finish much interest at the time. I tried their big brother RTL3s) sold well
though, there are plenty of second-
hand pairs around – and they’re
cheap; my pair came from a car-
boot sale for £25 some years ago.
If your budget is tiny, they’re worth
considering.
TDL met a sad fate. After John
Wright succumbed to cancer in
1999, the firm ceased trading. The
TDL brand ended up in the hands
of Audio Partnership (Cambridge
Audio and Richer Sounds hi-fi
stores). A decade or so afterwards,
visitors to the latter could buy
imported budget speakers with a
TDL badge – but not much has
happened since then.
As for the reflex
A sideways view of the RTL2’s ELAC-made woofer – you can transmission line concept? If
also see into the cabinet, which is lined with acoustic wadding. you can accommodate genuine
Unfortunately, no ‘officially-compatible’ replacement for this transmission-line speakers, PMC
driver is available today. still make them and if you want to
build your own, kits are available
leave something to be desired, the mine with two amps – a Marantz from Wilmslow, IPL Acoustics and
cabinets being covered in a cheap- PM66SE-Ki and an Audiolab Falcon Acoustics.
looking vinyl wrap (black ash or 8000A, fed by a Cambridge CXN
rosewood) that can become tatty. streamer – and in each case my
My own RTL2s seem to have been experience was a rewarding one.
put together with poor quality Low-frequency performance is
control, if the hacked tweeter cut- remarkable for a speaker of their
outs are anything to go by. Over size, a calibrated sweep showing
time, the grille cloth parts company that the RTL2s deliver a healthy
with the supporting board, necessi- output at frequencies as low as
tating the application of glue. 35Hz (that figure would be 50Hz
Another problem relates to or so for its contemporaries).
the crossovers. If driven hard, It’s not ‘one-note’ bass either, the
components can fail (to the extent RTL2s being remarkably agile at
of melting the plastic terminal that end of the spectrum.
plate). Drive units can be damaged Midrange isn’t impaired
too, which is a problem as they unduly by colouration, as speech
are no longer available. However, demonstrates, and although
The RTL2 can be bi-wired – or indeed bi-
Wilmslow Audio stocks a suitable smooth in texture the treble is a
amped. Some users have claimed excel-
VIFA-made replacement tweeter. little reticent and not as revealing
If your RTL2s are properly as more modern designs. lent results from the latter. Note the dodgy
cared-for, the woofer should have Stereo imaging is more than stiff-wire links. ‘Stressed’ RTL2s can show
a long life – its surround is made acceptable, but in this respect evidence of melting, due to the overheat-
of rubber, rather than perishable too the RTL2s have since been ing of crossover components on the other
foam (if it does fail, though, you’ll overtaken. As these speakers (and side of the terminal panel.

REVIEW
New kid on
the block
Martin Pipe tries a distinctive audiophile mains block from Northern Ireland.
H
ere I am looking at a protected simultaneously without the mains via a Russ Andrews
Helios £300 six-way the need to filter or reduce the Evolution-300 ‘PowerKord’. Into
mains block (PDU or current delivery”. I was told the Helios sockets were plugged
Power Distribution that LSP “is essentially the circuit various pieces of hi-fi equipment.
Unit) from Titan, breaker”. Titan chose to avoid The spacing between sockets
Northern Ireland. Their ‘traditional’ surge protection, due was less than that of a cheap 13A
blocks do not use bus-bar connec- to “the real-world situation of the board that was to hand (22mm
tors between the sockets. Instead, a current speed being limited due to from one socket’s positive pin, to
Titan spokesman told me, all of its the inherent complexity of passing the adjacent one’s negative pin,
mains blocks consist of individual the signals through the system”. instead of 24mm) which may be
mains sockets that are hard-wired. Components are kept in troublesome if you have larger-
In the unlikely event of one socket position by screwed-in end-cheeks than-usual wall-warts.
failing it can be replaced - Titan that also act as feet. According In terms of subjective audio
offers a lifetime guarantee. to Titan, they “decouple the performance, the Helios is best
Titan also point out that its mains block from high-frequency
design “not only improves the vibrations that can travel from
current delivery, but also reduces loudspeakers into the floor”.
the effects of EMI/RFI”. Instead of The cheeks are, I was told,
a captive lead of a cheap domestic CNC-milled from a
block, the Helios is fed mains from specifically-chosen
an IEC inlet - you can thus use the 10mm-thick
cable of your choice. resin-based
Inside there is a resettable thermo- HELIOS MAINS
13 Amp circuit breaker...and plastic BLOCK £300
therein lies a tale. A label on the
(VERSIONS WITH
case refers to “LSP technology”.
UK, EURO AND US
I couldn’t find any information described as neutral.
SOCKETS AVAILABLE)
on this, and so I asked Titan: Unplugging equipment
“LSP stands for lossless from the Helios, using instead
surge protection, a direct connection courtesy EXCELLENT - extremely
which allows all of my double wall-outlet’s spare capable.
6 outputs adjacent socket, demonstrated no
to be obvious improvement. This would VERDICT
Not so much what the Helios
suggest the extra circuitry of the adds, but what its cheap
Helios isn’t a source of deterio- alternatives take away...
ration. I replaced the Helios with
sheet with reinforced a cheap board; bass lines sounded FOR
fibres. looser, and I also sensed that the - decent construction and
lifetime warranty inspire
A peek inside the noise floor had been raised when confidence
Helios reveals a high grade of listening to quieter passages and - neither adds, nor
construction. 14AWG wiring-looms the ‘gaps’ between pieces. subtracts
link the IEC connector, mains
sockets and circuit-breaker using CONCLUSION AGAINST
- sockets rather close
tagged screw connections; another If you spend a small fortune together
tag earths the enclosure. Make no on decent hi-fi equipment and
mistake, the Helios seems built to interconnects, the Helios will Titan Audio
last - hence that guarantee. help you make the most of that +44 (0)2890 726003
www.titanaudio.co.uk
I connected the Helios to investment.

REVIEW
Lightly Grilled
Dynamite dynamics that speak the truth from Triangle. John Pickford is impressed.

REVIEW
B
ig sound from little suggest a minimum of 40cm - so Borea BR03 is hardly entry level,
boxes is a neat trick to the idea of bookshelf placement however it’s almost the first rung
pull off in loudspeaker becomes even more problematic. on the ladder of Triangle’s product
design and that’s exactly It’s better then, to treat the range. I say almost because
Triangle’s aim with the standmount BR03s as medium- the BR03 is the larger of two
Borea BR03 - a book- sized floorstanders in terms of standmount models in the Borea
shelf speaker with the scale of a placement and amount of floor range, which also includes three
floorstander. Referring to them as space required. floorstanders as well as a centre
little boxes might be slightly off Why not simply buy a channel for those who go in for
though, as measuring 31.4cm x floorstanding design then? Well, surround sound.
20.6cm x 38cm (hwd), the BR03 is apart from the visual aesthetics, if Handsomely proportioned,
quite large for a standmount speak- you’re not a fan of the additional the conventional foursquare box
er these days, so while Triangle cabinetry, standmounters offer looks sleek and elegant with grilles
market this model as a bookshelf the sonic benefits of allowing low attached yet has a 1980s-style
speaker, you’ll need a large shelf to frequencies to circulate freely retro-futuristic vibe with drivers
prevent them toppling off. beneath the base of the enclosure. exposed. The white 16cm mid/bass
And though the front-firing As outstanding bass quality is driver is visually striking, especially
ports might make them appear a major factor of the speakers’ set in the black baffle of the
easier to place flush to a wall than overall performance, the absence of ash-finish review pair, reminding
rear-ported designs, they need a extra boxy contribution is unlikely me of Yamaha’s legendary NS10
fair bit of free space behind them to be missed. monitors I’ve encountered in
to give of their best - Triangle At one pound shy of £400, the countless recording studios.
It incorporates ‘trickle-down’
technologies developed for the
company’s more upmarket Esprit
EZ range, namely a cellulose paper
membrane with no additional
surface treatment.
Even more visually striking
is the 25cm silk dome tweeter,
which benefits from Triangle’s
proprietary Efficient Flow System
(EFS), making use of a phase plug
to aid high frequency dispersion
and reduce directivity. This type
of design is more common in
modern professional studio
monitors, which often employ a
diffusion controlling waveguide
surrounding the HF driver to
create a wider sweet spot.
A magnetically attached
grille is provided, which snaps
satisfyingly in place and is thin
enough for the drivers to be
partially visible while usefully
obscuring the twin front ports,
which add nothing to the front
baffle’s appearance. Grilles-off is
the norm for serious listening
with most designs, yet that’s not
necessarily the case here. Though
Triangle don’t insist the BR03s are
best heard with grilles attached,

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REVIEW
as per BBC type monitors, I found My afternoon listening to the Nait XS3 and 14W from each
grilles-on presented a better tonal Fabs also highlighted the accuracy of my ancient Leak TL12 Plus
balance. of the speakers’ bass response. monoblocks. I could live with these
Penny Lane, like most 60s pop, speakers, which is more than I can
SOUND QUALITY doesn’t have much in the way of say for most.
Without grilles attached, treble deep bass yet there is one note Fans
was slightly over exposed, elevating of bowed double bass (as the of the
hi-hat cymbals for example and banker sits waiting for a trim) that’s ‘loudness
making Kate Bush’s vocals even often masked by speakers with button’
frostier than usual. Some listeners artificial lift in the 100Hz region. approach to
– those who favour ‘detail’ above The BR03s even-handed approach loudspeaker
all else – may prefer this presen- to low frequencies means that balance
tation, however the smoother tonal when no deep bass is present in – sizzling
balance the grilles provided gave a the recording, you hear none. Yet treble
more natural and even sound with when true bass appears, you hear and one-
gorgeous depth across all types of it without artifice - no boom, no note bass
music. thump, no waffle. – are better
On or off, the grilles made no served
difference to the speaker’s superb CONCLUSION elsewhere.
dynamic expression, which allowed Deserving of good quality Lovers of
each musical part to remain electronics upstream, I happily naturally
recorded The EFS silk-dome tweeter is par-
"superb dynamic expression music will
appreciate
tially horn loaded and powered
by a neodymium motor coupled
allowed each musical part to the BR03’s
honesty,
to a cooling system for improved
power handling.
remain distinct" while pop
music is
reproduced as recorded, warts
distinct beyond tonal or spatial drove these (reasonably) efficient ‘n’ all. These are superb speakers
separation. I noticed this listening speakers with both my 70W Naim deserving of your attention.
to The Beatles’ Drive My Car, from
the 2009 pure analogue mono vinyl
remaster of Rubber Soul. At the
beginning of the guitar solo, the
With grille off third-octave pink-noise one nominal Watt (2.8V) of input.
engineer subtly increases the level
analysis shows there is some lift in Consequently, the BR03 needs no more
of the backing track, which, I guess,
treble but it is small enough at +2dB than 60 Watts to go very loud and
you’re not supposed to notice.
up to 9kHz to not be intrusive subjec- amplifiers down to 30 Watts will suit.
It does go unnoticed in many
tively. The tweeter peaks up by +3dB The BR03 is relatively accurate
situations, however the dynamic
maximum which is not ideal and will by current standards, where so many
drama the BR03s express meant I
ensure some brightness, but the ear designs have overly strong treble. High
could visualise the engineer making
loses sensitivity fast above 7kHz. The sensitivity makes it suitable for low
his fader adjustment.
grille reduces this usefully by 2dB or power amplifiers too. It measured very TRIANGLE BOREA
so to result in a near-flat response – as well. NK BR03 £399
our published analysis shows. So for
accuracy grille on, but for extra treble
£
grille off. FREQUENCY RESPONSE OUTSTANDING - amongst
Lower down the frequency scale Green - driver output the best.
there is no lift in output to add warmth, Red - port output
VALUE - keenly priced.
a high resolution chirp analysis showing
smooth response. With no upper-bass VERDICT
lift the BR03 is best used in a small-to- Well-balanced, honest and
medium sized room for ‘room gain’ to easy to drive, sounding bigger
add some weight. than they look.
Bass extends smoothly down to
FOR
60Hz, as expected from a small volume - dynamically expressive
cabinet, the port (red trace) adding - smooth tonal response
output around 53Hz to allow the speaker (grilles on)
IMPEDANCE - engaging and involving
to reach down to the common lower
- superb depth of image
limit of 40Hz. In all then, a wideband and
smooth loudspeaker, more accurate than AGAINST
most. - explicit treble (grilles off)
Measured using pink noise overall - single wire only
A single set of nicely engineered impedance was 6 Ohms, the bass

Triangle
speaker terminals keeps things unit being 4 Ohms as is now common. +44 (0)1282 776776
Sensitivity was high at 88dB from www.trianglehifi.com/en
simple. No bi-wire malarkey here.

OPINION
"Pull it out and stick in

another – before the
audience notices! "
Noel Keywood
D
o you everwonder if you monumentally clear I am told by my may be perplexed by their gentle
are nuts? I’ve been firmly son, who wields an electric guitar and spaciousness, a worthless ability to
convinced all my life that would not consider anything other those who lost their hearing at an
valve amplifiers offer ulti- than a valve guitar amp. Not an age AC/DC concert long ago.
mate sound quality, not issue then. For them valves like the 211
bettered if you just want To back that up, if you spend time and 845 are more suitable, but the
to sit back and quietly yet deeply immersed in live music videos, as I voltages these transmitter tubes run
enjoy music. Hear right into what’s like to do late at night, you will see at makes them unreliable and even
going on, get that lovely sense of air that most of the amps have Marshall dangerous for the home. Anyone
and space around instruments that emblazoned across them. Inside are craving these could justifiably be
sound like the real thing – timbrally tubes – mostly EL34s. labelled “nuts”.
rich – rather than bleached simula- EL34s? To hi-fi buffs these are I like the 6B33C tube, not just for
crums. But transistors do a convinc- a cheap but cheerful power valve its daft name (who came up with that
ing job, everybody else is happy with that do a nice job. Not my choice one?) but for its crazy design ethos.
them, so perhaps I am nuts. for No1 but I understand why Two high current triodes are strapped
Good to go to YouTube and people like them. In a hi-fi amplifier together in one glass envelope to
see what others have to say about the EL34 comes over as gentle and give low impedance and high current
this deep psychological problem. refined, but run hard in a guitar amp ability, without the need for high
Perhaps they’ve found pills for the view is different. Also, when voltages. It is called the ‘Russian
it. But it seems not – if anything you run a valve hard by using high Trawler’ (spy ship) tube and there are
others suffer the affliction more voltage and high running current for tales of Russian sailors in UK ports
than me. Even those far younger and maximum power output – to reach selling this thermionic concoction.
potentially more sane. Sat through a a sea of headbangers – it won’t A transmitter tube, it isn’t designed
long talk (https://www.youtube.com/ last. The cathodes lose emissivity for audio, produces strong second
watch?v=uRdVgwUEVBM) by a young and the anodes distort from high harmonic distortion, glows very
Italian guy who explains in clear US temperature; the whole electrode brightly because the heaters draw
English the sound. It was refreshing to structure is tortured and fails. High so much current and gets fiercely
hear. power – for a short life. hot. But it looks spectacular and has
The ’net has so much long- This is why to the music business attractive sound.
winded chit chat on the technology the cost of a valve is important: they Recently, as I suspect you
and the religion of valves, but not so have to be cheap and cheerful. One may well know having read this
much on the sound – and this guy goes pop then pull it out and stick far, a decent replacement for the
nails it. He clearly explains their sonic in another – before the audience EL34/6550/KT88 cabal appeared
character and why he likes it, in a way notices! The way musicians treat – the KT150 from Svetlana (Russia).
that I found easy to understand and valves and the way they see them This I took to immediately and now
right in line with my own experience makes me shudder; it’s entirely use today in our Icon Audio Stereo30
of the things – over a lifetime of different to the hi-fi fraternity who SE amplifier. Sounds great and is
enjoying them. Otherwise, the ’net have a more nuanced view shall I say. reliable too – a big issue in real life.
being what it is, talk about valve amps Hi-fi designers like to experiment That’s why manufacturers like Audio
is mostly about guitar amps and what with the unusual and exotic, hoping Research now use it in preference
sort of distortion you get from them to find the holy grail of thermionic to the durable but dull 6550. No
in overload. Groan. life. One such key to the universe is crazy voltages, no crazy price but can
Yet while musicians with guitar the 300B, a U.S. power triode from handle big power.
amps like to talk about sound in 1938. I own a 300B amplifier I helped I thought the KT150 was, at a
overload, at least they appreciate design, a standard push-pull of 28W practical level, the ultimate. Who
what valves can do – even more with driver transformers for purity could want more from such an old
so than hi-fi buffs it seems. Use (they were the difficult bits to design). technology: like asking Dinosaurs to
something heavily and you get to And I can testify the 300B deserves cope with Quantum Field Theory.
know its strengths – as well as its its reputation – although not But no, Svetlana recently released the
weaknesses. everybody may agree. Heathens that KT170 and the ’net is abuzz with it.
To musicians differences are like the crash-bang approach to music Nice to know others are nuts!

OPINION
"It was recorded in

a day and sounded
jaw-droppingly good"
Paul Rigby
T
here is a difference. And I No.1 but the recording process knew how to arrange microphones
don’t think it’s either fully was mind-snappingly boring. There to make a room sound good. They
appreciated nor is respect was no joy, from the tales I’ve needed the raw bricks and mortar
given for those who do heard, in the process. The fact that material to begin with sure but
it well. What am I talking it eventually hit the top of the they could capture the sound of
about? Recording a room. charts is, to me, wholly depressing. that room. That’s a hard job. It ain’t
There is a difference between Because of this process, if easy. You need to learn how to do
only recording a band, like The you think about it, the band that. You’re not doing that after
Beatles say, and also recording the never becomes a true band. Just a watching a ten minute video on
room they’re standing in. collective. It never knits together. YouTube.
So Abbey Road’s Studio Two, The band never becomes tight. I remember reviewing the
the room that held most of the It never acts as one unit. Kinks ‘Beatles in Mono’ vinyl box set
Beatles’ recorded output, is a member Dave Davies once told me – it was in the Hi-Fi World offices,
good room. It’s a very good room. how, when a tight, well-rehearsed, I recall and being stunned. I say
The room itself sounds very nice talented group of artists where again, stunned how naturalistic,
indeed. If you set up properly. really together, something magical organic and well, real that mono
There’s also a difference happened, something transcen- the recording of The Beatles’ debut
between recording a band dental, something approaching a ‘Please Please Me LP' sounded.
‘silent’. Silent in that the room religious experience because the It was recorded in a day. One
is completely removed from the band played as one and something day. Played with a mono cartridge,
list of variables. And then adding else was created from that. on a decent hi-fi, the vinyl sounded
reverb after to give it a ‘natural’ Something extra. Something new jaw-droppingly good. A lot of the
feel. and different. reason for that was that the band
There’s also a difference You’re not going to get that and the room were recorded.
between recording a band as a from gluing ProTools-esque pieces And I’ll tell you this. On a
band and not as a collection of together. subconscious level, people know
parts. More to the point, a band like when music has been produced
The problem with much The Beatles may have had a few and recorded and when it’s live.
modern music – not all but tracks to play with on the reel- You watch people’s faces if they
‘much’ – is that you find ProTools- to-reel but they still had to get a walk into a pub and there’s piped
esque software programs tend track right in one take otherwise, music over speakers and then,
to dominate. So what you’ll often if someone fluffed a bass line or alternatively, if there’s a live band
find is that a creative musician sang the wrong word, they’d have playing (let’s also assume that the
or a group or musicians and to start all over again. Grab any of volume is the same level in both
then background engineers and the Beatles’ out-takes and you can cases). People are energised by
producers will record pieces. A riff hear that for yourself. a live performance. So when you
here. A loop there. Odds and ends. So again, all of these takes hear that on a record, because
Then the struggle occurs to try to and retakes and more retakes the room has been recorded and
join and lock these pieces together honed the band to a level of brought into the equation, it makes
into something coherent. professionalism. The end product the music itself appear more alive.
Often – not always but ‘often’ featured an extra layer of beauty, Vital.
– artists will begin to record an extra frisson of magic because As such, I have a new level of
with no actual song in the bag. the band connected, were concen- respect for those white-coated
Doing work in this manner trating, were in the moment and Abbey Road engineers. They have
must be wholly frustrating, very were on top form and they were received lots of criticism in the
time consuming and needlessly essentially doing it live. Especially in past from knowing music fans and
expensive. I remember such a the early days. even original (and ignorant) band
process was done by a band called But to return to my notion members from back in the day but
Maroon 5 who repeated the same of ‘the room’ above. Those much these guys were essential in making
tedious riffs and loops for months maligned men in white coats that classic music from the sixties. I
until the completed jigsaw shot to used to swarm over Abbey Road salute them all.

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OPINION
"Denon's 1971 world first

– a digitally-recorded LP"
Martin Pipe
I
recently came across a capacious storage medium machine recorded many Denon
Japanese CD, which is identi- available at the time, videotape. LPs during the 1970s and 1980s.
fied on the front cover as Naturally, two-channel stereo was Revered by audiophiles at the time,
‘Master Sonic...PCM record- desirable and so NHK’s efforts they were proudly-labelled ‘Master
ing’. The music on the CD is continued. By 1969, the research Sonic’ or ‘Denon PCM Recording’.
Steve Marcus & Jiro Inagaki’s team had a stereo machine with Denon didn’t have the digital
‘Something’, an album named after a 32kHz sampling rate (which field to itself for long, though.
two of its four tracks – light-jazz became a future standard) and Between 1975 and 1985, Utah
versions of the famous Beatles com- 13-bit resolution. This was the one resident Dr. Thomas Stockham
position you’ll find on Abbey Road. borrowed by Denon to record offered use of his four-channel
This album went on sale as an ‘Something’. ‘Soundstream’ system, which stored
LP in early 1971, from recordings Necessarily, the album was 16-bit PCM audio on a Honeywell
made in 1970. But hang on... CD initially issued on vinyl. A digital- instrumentation recorder, to
was launched 1983. So how come? to-analogue converter would recording companies around
‘Something’ was recorded have turned the PCM recording the world. Telarc’s Soundstream
to tape by Denon. In the early into a form capable of driving the recording of Fennell’s ‘Cleveland
1970s, you couldn’t pop down disc-cutting lathe. Analogue tape, Symphonic Winds’, a 1978 LP
to the local audio emporium and warts-and-all, was however banished release, became famous as the “bass
buy a digital tape recorder ‘over from the recording process. drum heard round the world”.
the counter’. It was very much an Having scored a world ‘first’ The UK was also active
experimental medium and, to realise with this “digitally-recorded LP”, in digital. 18-bit PCM classical
its digital vision for ‘Something’, Denon continued to play a crucial recordings, captured on a modified
Denon borrowed the prototype role in this new scene. An in-house industrial VTR by equipment
of a PCM recorder that had been team built on NHK’s work to designed and built by Decca
developed by NHK – the Japanese develop the more advanced DN- Records, first appeared on 1978 LPs.
equivalent of the BBC. Keen to 023R. Entering service in 1972, this Meanwhile Sony and others
eliminate analogue tape problems had eight channels and used a 2in. built 16-bit equipment, like the
like modulation noise, distortion broadcast videotape recorder (VTR) PCM-1600 and its companion
and pitch instability, NHK’s research for storage. According to retired UMatic VCR, that would become
department had been quietly Denon recording engineer Takeaki ubiquitous come the launch of CD
beavering away on a digital recorder Anazawa, the latter was built for – digital from the mixing desk to the
since the mid-1960s. the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. listening room, courtesy of ‘DDD’
In 1967, the Beatles revolu- The DN-023R combined the NHK discs. I have found CDs made with
tionised rock music with the release hardware’s 13-bit resolution with these to be hard and glassy.
of Sgt. Pepper. The same year, a sampling rate of 47.25kHz, more Yet my CD of ‘Something’
NHK had – with much less fanfare than enough for the full 20Hz- sounded warm and detailed, with
– revolutionised recording with a 20kHz audio bandwidth. no unpleasant harshness. There
functional PCM recorder. By today’s Roger Batchelor, who spent were also traces of hiss. Was this
standards, it was primitive. To ensure nearly two decades with the UK down to the mixing desk, mikes or
sufficient dynamic range with only arm of Denon and remains involved digital quantisation noise? Roger
12 bits of digital resolution, NHK’s with current owner Sound United, offered an explanation. As the
single-channel (i.e. mono) machine referred me to Anazawa. He also machine borrowed from NHK’s
relied on analogue companding sent me a photo of the DN- Technical Research Laboratories “no
techniques. With its sampling rate 023R. Broadcasters and recording longer exists”, the record company
of 30kHz, even the theoretical engineers now have at their disposal (Columbia) “used the master of
upper frequency was a mere 15kHz. affordable eight-channel solid-state the analogue tape...recorded at the
And by 1967 standards, the sheer 192/24 recorders, which can fit same time” for the CD. If want to
amount of data generated by 12- easily into a briefcase. The DN- hear ‘Something’ in its original 13-bit
bit/30kHz PCM – 360,000bps 023R, however, occupied three large ‘digital’ glory, then, you’ll need to
– would have been formidable. racks – one of which contained the track down the original LP. Irony all
NHK used the only suitably- VTR. Along with its successors the round...

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OPINION
"Complaints include lack of

deep bass, scratchy mids
and highs, excessive heat"
Dave Tutt
I
have been looking for a certainly not one of Sony's best of a pain in that the original is a
cheap amplifier made in the but like all things it was probably SIL package chip and I don’t have
past twenty years or so for economy of scale and selling units anything other than DIL package
experiment. Not you under- that were the real reasons it OP275s so I will have to make
stand a non hi-fi amplifier exists. some sort of adaptor for it.
as fitted to one box stereo The heat issue is due to So the mods. New, better main
systems – there are plenty of burn up of the PCB around the smoothing capacitors took away
those around – but an amplifier protection circuits, not the output the plummy bass and allowed the
that was intended to be good. stage which, even pushing it to bottom end some breathing space.
Cambridge Audio amps are the limit didn’t really get very hot Bass now went low and was no
a good potential candidate but I (so low bias and more class B longer rather one note. Modern
have done loads of those and it perhaps). My sample has nice burn pop and classical proved this, along
would be a shame to go back to marks on its cheap board purely with an hour or two of Saturday
them when they have become because of that compromise radio.
a stock repair item. I have also around the relay driver and its The zener regulator low
looked at amps including Technics, associated parts. voltage supply was also better
Denon and Teac, most of which Likewise, the bass isn’t actually with some suppression capacitors
are good but not great in all a lack of deep bass but it does across the zeners themselves and
respects and they tend to be have a plummy sound slightly their feed resistors. I also added
rather more expensive. higher up that is a mask to the thick wire to increase the cross
Then there are the NADs real stuff. sectional area of the printed
but they do have a characteristic Scratchy? Well yes, I would say tracks to the output module to
sound that is somewhat different harsh to an extent but will that reduce the effect of the resistance
to the rest – although again there get better with mods? here, as well as a few polyester
are plenty of broken ones out The modifications to help this caps on the lines for good
there. 2006 machine are hopefully going measure.
So what did I pick? I found a to bring it into 2020. There is Now how to lessen the
Sony TA-FE370 with a STK 4211- no buffering of any of the inputs grittiness? Put in the missing
II stereo output amp module or the tape outputs so several components around the power
– meaning everything to drive simple high quality op-amp buffer amp modules as specified for
a pair of speakers is potted in a stages were made so as to raise later STK modules. A simple job
plastic box with a metal heatsink the input level slightly to drive the needing six components, three a
back plate. The STK 4211-II is tone controls properly. Likewise side. Even though the internals
made with all the things you another buffer circuit drives are slightly different between
would expect from a power amp, the power amp. So this is my modules it worked to clean up
a Darlington output pair this experiment and my challenge, to the mids and highs – so no more
time without emitter resistors, make this amp sound far better grit. Result! One component is a
a Darlington driver stage, a long and more hi-fi. capacitor within the biasing of the
tailed pair input circuit and some Many amps use the NE5532 driver stage, the other is going
additional bits for the mute circuit. op-amp as a buffer but I am going to give a pole in the feedback
Ticks the boxes. The later version to use the OP275 for a change, network just enough to clean
V unit contains current sinks and even though the circuit will be the things up.
mirrors too. same. This is fitted post the input The phono stage is also
I don’t think the '370 has ever selector IC which being serially definitely better with the
been in the Hi-Fi Press, probably controlled from a dedicated alternative op-amp and I can see
because it's not exactly highly controller IC I would rather not it could be further improved by
thought of and is of course 16 disturb if at all possible. other component changes.
HI-FI SERVICE & REPAIR
years old – so just what I was The performance of the So now it's just some Dave Tutt
looking for! Complaints include OP275 is leaps ahead of the cosmetics and tidying to make it +44 (0)7759 105932
lack of deep bass, scratchy mids M5218 phono input pre-amp so a stock item either on the spare dave_london@hotmail.com
and highs, excessive heat. It is I swapped that out too. Its a bit shelf or for sale. www.tutt-technology.co.uk

AUDIOPHILE VINYL
A
part from paying tribute to the chaps from
Rhubarb Crumble, over the Rhine.
my other weak- So while ‘Head Music’, for
ness is Krautrock. example, does indeed feature
I’m a bit of a fan of the boys from songs from Can, Eloy, Embryo and
Can, to me Brainticket is just the Kraftwerk, they are presented to
ticket and I’d be a fool to not lis- us by the likes of The Legendary
ten to Amon Duul. Flower Punk (with a smattering of
It seems that I’m not the only ‘Sonnenrad’ via Michael Rother),
one either because the glory that is Das Blaue Palais offers ‘Dedicated
the independent record label, Fruits to Werner von Braun’ from
der Mer or – more accurately – its Mythos, and the wonderfully
imprint, Strange Fish, has stepped monikered Spurious Transients
from the beach and into the breach provide excerpts from Kraftwerk’s
to deliver a booster shot of the ‘Autobahn’.
genre for those who might be in ‘Head Rush’ offers more of the
need. same...but different with original
What we have here are multi- cuts “inspired” by Krautrock. That
disc compilations: ‘Head Music 2’ is, to me, just as interesting in a
HEAD RUSH/HEAD MUSIC 2 spans three discs while ‘Head Rush’ krautrock, space rock, prog kinda
not only offers three slabs of wax way. This one includes bands like
but adds a free CD within its own The Love Explosion, Moon Goose,
digipak. Think of the CD as a bonus, Son of Ohm and Sonic Trip Project.
catching the overspill. Mastering isn’t sparkling or jaw
The crucial aspect of these dropping but there’s also nothing
Various compilations is that they do not untoward here. It offers a balanced,
feature the original bands. Instead, even presentation which is all I ask
Fruits De Mer
AUDIOPHILE VINYL
they feature contemporary artists of any vinyl production.
N
ote the ‘Rick’ and not face of the genre. He was critical
‘Ricky’. Come the age to allowing rock’n’roll to become
of 21, the ‘y’ was con- absorbed into society.
veniently dropped. This superb, reissued 10”
Nelson - who died in a LP from the German audiophile
plane crash in 1985 - was the outfit is a testament to that. Only
face of American, commercial, available direct from the company
shiny, chrome-plated pop back in website (www.bear-family.com),
Eisenhower’s, tied-down, crew-cut this twelve tracker on yellow vinyl
fifties. One of the most sparkling was originally released in 1961
of 50s teen idols, he never rocked on the Dutch Imperial label (still
as hard as Elvis or Gene Vincent a €200 buy, if you can find one)
and his voice was never the very plus bonus cuts: ‘It’s Late’ (via
best, but he produced some of the Dorsey Burnette) and ‘My Babe’
most effective pop songs of the (via Little Walter) – all recorded
era. He also offered an alternative. between 1957 and 1961 for the
He represented the sensitive side US Imperial label.
of rock that young girls adored. Guitar fans should note that
He wasn’t a bad boy. He was a the legendary James Burton
RICK NELSON smoothly presented young man is present on this one. Those
that a girl could really talk to, guitar solos on ‘My Babe’ are of
under the moonlight, about, you particular note.
know, feelings. Feelings of the Mastering? Despite a
heart. sprinkling of compression and
Nelson was part of a band of expected tightening in the upper
The Best Years Of singers that allowed rock to enter mids, I was surprised at the open
Bear Family the home. He was the acceptable and broad soundstage here.

AUDIOPHILE VINYL
D
ub, UK style. between punk and reggae with
More to a welcome sense of unpredict-
the point, ability. ‘Action Battlefield’ (1981)
dub Adrian with a slimmed-down line up is
Sherwood style.The New Age less boundary breaking yet is still
Steppers were a sort of collective. enjoyable.
A sparkling collective of UK talent Third and last LP, ‘Foundation
that emerged from punk and post Steppers’ features the voice of Bim
punk and reached out towards Sherman who dominates here over
more avant vibes to explore trad reggae and dub.
rhythms of a radical nature. The final LP is a rarities/archive
So who was involved? You’re release from the 1981-1983
looking at Ari Up from the Slits,The period including rare sessions cuts,
Pop Group’s Mark Stewart, Bruce Japanese-only releases and more.
Smith and John Waddington from Wonderful, essential stuff.
Rip, Rig & Panic and more from the This quartet of vinyl releases
likes of the Flying Lizards, Aswad feature prime On U Sound material
and the Raincoats. and should be sought out by punk,
The foundation was reggae post punk, reggae and dub fans.
rhythm, dub beats, found-sound Mastering is good.The master is NEW AGE STEPPERS
inserts, psyche inserts and free-form efficient, workman like and effective.
vocals that gave the entire project There are no nasties.What I
a freedom, a sense of experimen- appreciate is that the master doesn’t
tation but also energy backed by a force things or offer false detail New Age Steppers/Action
solid rhythm that pushed the music through excessive compression.
along nicely. What you get is a solid master of
Battlefield/Foundation
The self-titled album (1980) basic neutrality which allows the Steppers/Avant Gardening
shows a vibrant cross-breeding music to do the work. On U Sound
AUDIOPHILE VINYL
T
his double album looks This track blends classic sampling
again at last year’s tomfoolery with a lighter house beat
‘Abolition of the Royal vibe and playful Waikiki interjections.
Familia’ LP and asks a To be honest, I prefer the
host of artists to think again with remixes, which provide more Orb-
a remix of their own. Many were like dedication and layered textures,
fixtures on the original album. They the new Orb track sounds like it’s
all include Youth, Moody Boys, been phoned in. But hey, it’s a bonus
David Harrow, Andy Falconer, Paul cut so not to worry.
Metamono and Gaudi. I’ve always appreciated The Orb’s
On-U Sound collaborator and ability to blend humour with protest.
producer Dave Harrow adds firm Here, a political edge – humour is
bass cuts with Daze and Narcotics, always the best way to spread your
former KLF in-house remixers message. It tends to stick.
Moody Boys offer Queen of Hearts The chaps don’t let you forget
while Gaudi looks again at ‘Ital Orb’. that the British royal family endorsed
Other contributors includes Paul the East India Company’s role in the
‘Metamono’ Conboy, Kris Needs opium trade, for example plus ‘Slave
(who has just released a book on Till U Die No Matter What U Buy
The Orb), Dom Beken and violinist (L’anse Aux Meadows Mix)’ remakes THE ORB
Violeta Vicci all help out with Dead Kennedys’ frontman Jello
remixes. Biafra’s spoken-word piece ‘Message
The LP ends with track eleven, From Our Sponsor’.
‘Shape Shiting Pt.1’ via Youth but Mastering? It offers the most
actually ends with a download digital open and spacious master of the
Abolition of the Royal Familia:
track, a brand new Orb track, ‘Off vinyl reviewed here this month. With Guillotine Mixes
The Beaten Trax (Knee Splitter)’. the broadest dynamic range. Cooking Vinyl
REVIEW
Diddly D
It’s diddly small but sounds good. Noel Keywood enjoys Cowon’s D3 portable music player.
A
stell&Kern’s AK100 I 2013. The tiny Plenue has enough Popping in a 128GB card gives
reviewed in the March memory and processing power to access to 100 (or so) DSD tracks,
2013 issue could “fit in play any file, even double rate DSD 2000 CD tracks and more MP3s
a shirt pocket”, sounded (DSD128). The D3 has a useful than are good for you.
great and was affordable. 64GB of memory on-board that will Being a small player the screen
Since then portable digital handle 10 CDs or so but a single display of track menus is inevitably
players have grown in complex- microSD card slot accepts up to cramped but the Plenue D3 has a
ity and size; these days you need a 128GB if you like DSD. touch screen that can be swiped
trouser pocket – a big one. For the I find an external card slot up and down to scroll through long
cash to buy it. Cowon’s new Plenue useful for quickly changing the music track lists quickly. High resolution
D3 is shirt pocket size and price: library and the Plenue D3 automat- text and plenty of contrast made
just £280. ically reads a card when inserted reading the screen easy I found
Technology has moved on from to show its content immediately. – and the touch screen is area
sensitive.
Small players in particular can
be difficult to navigate and here the
D3 was satisfactory if not wonderful.
The home screen is a long list of
nine categories – folders, songs,
genres, years, playlists and all that
– displayed by small icons. Not very
appealing. But folders and songs are
there, an SD card being seen as a
folder.
A feature of this player is the
presence of no fewer than 44
Cowon JetEffect 5 equalisation
settings, like Rock, Pop, Reverb Hall,
Reverb Canyon all the way to Feel
The Wind. They can be dialled out
by selecting Normal and there are
4 User settings too, where a 5 band
equaliser can be adjusted to suit.
‘BBE’ they say, uses phase correction
to “refine sound quality” and there
are no fewer than 8 settings in this
category.
The top panel has a conven-
tional 3.5mm stereo headphone
socket (3-pole) and a smaller
2.5mm (4-pole) for a balanced
connection to headphones. Sounds
good but this only splits the earth
lead to each earpiece and doesn’t
greatly improve the sound I’ve
found, the down side being a tiny
2.5mm plug that breaks easily. Also,
it’s near-impossible to make up a

REVIEW
Just copy in two

BIN files from
Cowon’s website,
switch off then on,
and player updates
automatically with
clear indication that
it has done so. Ours
was running V1.0.
The player
charges through
a supplied USB
A-USB C lead
from the usual 5V
‘phone charger
(not supplied) The high resolution colour touch screen
and Cowon claim displayed album artwork clearly.
a massive 30hrs
playing time with 24/96 files, but did it twice on both, because the
Transport buttons and an this will be with the screen off. Hearing Protection option listed in
on/off button at top. Start On the test bench with screen on the User Manual was missing and
up was very fast. continually it was running down I hoped an update would restore
before my eyes on the battery it. An output of 2V is claimed – a
lead at home, the plug contacts indicator and I would guess 6-8hrs common value – but our player
and protective sleeve are so small. would be the limit. Screen brightness measured 0.3V on both outputs
Anyone wanting to use balanced on and auto-off time affects all this. It (Headphone Output selected) which
the move should look to a player should be good for 15hrs or so is about right for hearing protection.
with a 4.4mm Pentacon socket or
mini-XLR; a 2.5mm will just survive
at home when treated carefully.
"The Crystal Semiconductor
Alongside the sockets is a rotary
volume control with coloured LED
CS43131 DACs did a nice job,
to show status.
The Plenue checks into a Mac giving true hi-res clarity"
or PC with equal fluency; no little
green Android loading man appears
when plugging into a Mac, it is seen
as a normal Flash Drive, not as an
Android based player OS (which
most are). This makes loading music
files to internal memory an easy
business, as well as deleting them
if unwanted. It was also easy to
upgrade the firmware, even on my
Mac where hidden desktop files
were once a problem with Android.
At left a single microSD card slot able to read cards up to

128GB. On the base is a USB C socket (that accepts a plug
either way around) for charging and connection to a computer,
in order to load the internal memory.
in normal use. Bluetooth short- I wound volume up to 110 when

range wireless linking is fitted, to listening and after that nothing
feed music to a hi-fi or wireless happened all the way up to 140
headphones. (max).
With dimensions of 53mm wide, I suspect Hearing Protection
80mm high and 17mm deep this was switched on, something done
player is credit card size and will to fall in line with legal requirements
stow anywhere. A weight of 103gm in some markets. Unfortunately, I
makes it flyweight. use Oppo PM1 planar magnetic
The Audio Settings menu headphones – and planar magnetics
screen with headphone/ SOUND QUALITY are insensitive. The Oppos ran loud,
earphone and Bluetooth Why did I update the firmware on loud enough for me, but PMs of
options. PC then on Mac? Well, in truth I lower sensitivity need more output.

TRANSFORM YOUR SYSTEM WITH A
MUSIC FIRST AUDIO PREAMPLIFIER
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TRANSCRIPTORS
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Front Cover Aug21.indd 1 18/6/21 17:37:02
SALES • SERVICING • REPAIRS

TO ADVERTISE HERE
Telephone: +44 (0)333 772 7487 PLEASE CALL ROSE WILLIAMS ON
Email: officialtranscriptors@gmail.com +44 (0) 7956885189
OR EMAIL:
rose@hi-fiworld.co.uk
officialtranscriptors.com
REVIEW
it stands however, the small Plenue

still runs plenty loud enough for
most people, especially those using
ear buds.
The sound was easy and
clear, if dynamically restrained
– as is common with small players
equipped with small batteries. Bass
was there but not especially well
defined. That sent me to Cowon’s
JetEffect and indeed some of the
EQs usefully livened things up, BBE
Headphone 2, Rock and Feel The
Wind giving a nice feel. The reverb
settings were pointless. User settings
will suit most listeners I suspect Even Play Speed can be
– little need for pre-sets. The digital adjusted – something we left
Bass adjustment sliders in a filters had little appreciable affect. at 100%.
User EQ menu; there are five The internal Crystal Semiconductor
frequency bands in all. CS43131 DACs did a nice job, giving – plus the ability to deliver a clear,
true hi-res clarity from decent hi-res clean sound then the Plenue D3 is a
recordings, and certainly from DSD. good choice. For use with ear buds
and reasonably sensitive dynamic
CONCLUSION headphones, it’ll give you hi-res in
If you want a small, unpretentious good form, something your 'phone
little player that has useful internal won’t manage. Those hoping to use
memory capacity for music, a magnetic planar headphones might
microSD card port so music libraries want to look elsewhere though,
can be enjoyed – let’s say Reggae on until Cowon provide an option to
one card and Classical on another remove Hearing Protection.
The headphone output of this player is balanced outputs measured the same,
rated as 2V from the unbalanced 3.5mm with the high output Headphone option
output jack and 4V from the balanced enabled.
2.5mm but our sample measured 0.3V EIAJ Dynamic Range measured a
A typical play screen with (Headphone) and almost certainly had respectable 112dB with 24bit and likely
transport buttons and, here, Hearing Protection operating, the ability would have been higher had full output
an internal library artwork. to switch this off as described in the been available from the headphone
User Manual being missing from the amplifier. This is still comparable with
Settings menu. Both unbalanced and medium quality hi-fi DACs though
and sufficient for hi-res qualities to be
FREQUENCY RESPONSE apparent.
Similarly, distortion at -60dB was
low with 24bit, measuring 0.07%, 16bit COWON PLENUE
(CD) measuring 0.26%. D3 £280
Frequency response extended to
a high 85kHz with 192kHz sample rate
EXCELLENT - extremely
PCM, as our analysis shows.
capable
The Plenue D3 measured well within
the limitations imposed by low output VERDICT
imposed by Hearing Protection that could A good sounding mini-player
not be switched off. Possibly this is to that’s easy to use but suffers
DISTORTION
meet European safety regulations, since limited output.
Sony used to impose such a limit for this
FOR
reason. NK - small size
- light weight
The main Settings menu Frequency response - clear sound with hi-res
with its sub-headings, giving (-1dB) 4Hz-85kHz
Distortion (24bit) % AGAINST
categories of adjustment. - output too low for some
0dB 0.0005
-60dB 0.07 phones
Also, inability to switch protection - poor Home menu
off means the published spec isn’t Separation (1kHz) 108dB
being met, a potentially contentious Noise (IEC A) -110dB Advanced MP3 Players
issue. This setting needs to be Dynamic range (24bit) 112dB +44 (0)343 289 6880.
Output 0.3V www.advancedmp3players.co.uk
restored in Firmware by Cowon. As

REVIEW
Phantom Step
Devialet step ahead to their latest Phantom 1 loudspeaker. Noel Keywood ponders the new.
W
e were impressed hi-fi. Just a space-age ovoid module cables and should you attempt
by the original producing sound – and an unusual to introduce them, as I did for
Phantom Gold loud- one at that. Our version comes in measurement, the going becomes
speaker, reviewed in £2790 apiece or £5580 for a ste- difficult.
the June 2017 issue. reo pair – not cheap. There is a less In spite of small size, with
Devialet (France) powerful 103dB version, sans gold, dimensions of 252 mm wide, 342
recently announced an update, priced at £1890 apiece. mm deep and 255 mm high, the
the Phantom I Gold loudspeaker The Phantoms are best run Phantom I 108 dB Golds came
I’m reviewing here, in 108dB form. without wires. Each cabinet needs in at 11kg apiece on our scales
What you get is quite unlike most a mains power connection for its – heavy. Point being they are not
else but definitely worth hearing. on-board electronics but that apart easy to manipulate, especially since
No big cabinets, few wires – no the design ethos is to eliminate the side bass units are exposed, so

REVIEW
best not to lay them on their sides hybrid where “the analog amplifier the Phantom. At each side lies an
while trying to get cables in. I used reproduces an unspoilt signal and aluminium bass unit with what
them on stands; custom stands are sends it to the digital amplifiers, appears to be a plastic protective
available from Devialet. which are then able to translate it dome cover. They radiate outward
Spotting three cable digitally”. Today’s Class Ds produce as a pulsating sphere and move
connectors on each loudspeaker massive power at great efficiency, violently in practice, needing and
and recognising their usual purpose with little heat – no need for having enormous travel just to
I used all of them during testing, heatsinks. The ‘speakers ran cool move enough air. The Phantoms
but in use ran via wi-fi and Apple in use, but then I don’t use much need a heavy cabinet just to resist
Airplay. The mains input is a power: 40 Watts is plenty enough the severe vibrations. You get to
conventional IEC socket in limited to run very loud in my 17ft lounge see all this in use: the ‘speakers
space. Devialet supply a matching – at least with a conventional work hard for a living.
white plug-and-cable assembly system. At front there is an annular
or a normal mains cable can be Shrinking size right down plastic ring fronting an aluminium
used, but there’s insufficient room means much more power is midrange unit they say. At centre
for the large plugs common in needed to develop strong bass, lies a titanium dome tweeter that
specialist cables. There’s no need explaining Devialet’s need for fires out through the ornately
to adjust mains voltage; the internal power. And I’ll tell you before pierced stationary grille.
power supply is a switch-mode, as getting to Sound Quality that So this is a three-way
expected in such a small case. If the these little things produce massive loudspeaker of point-source
‘net is being distributed through bass; they are active and equalised (monopole) nature and
the mains then the Devialets can internally to go lower than any measurement showed it behaved
pick it up, via PLC (Power Line conventional loudspeaker. like one, with impressively
Cable), another reason not use a How does all this happen with symmetric acoustic output,
specialist cable since many come no wooden cabinet? Devialet refer unlike box or panel loudspeakers.
with ferrite RF filters. to Olson’s notion of a pulsating How this translates into real life
Devialet say the internal sphere (an idealised point source) experience is another matter, since
amplifier produces 1100 Watts to produce sound and this is benefits have to be weighed against
and is an ADH analogue/digital what they have engineered in drawbacks; the small bass cones

REVIEW
work hard to produce low bass. Devialet say that UPnP is

In yesterday’s terminology the supported but not DLNA
Phantom is an active loudspeaker. (they usually go together).
Fasten seat belts for today; there Most streamers work best
are no analogue inputs, the with Windows; this one seems
‘speakers are digital only. Hidden optimised for Mac. You can
in the power cable well at rear install Airplay on a PC by many
of each loudspeaker are an RJ45 different methods, including
ethernet socket and a digital iTunes for Windows and this
optical connector, both difficult may be a workaround, although
to get at and best not used if I don’t much like iTunes and
you want to avoid cables. If you Apple are phasing it out I
want to connect up with secure, believe.
fast ethernet then two cables are I suspect most people will
required from the router, one for play from on-line sources like
each loudspeaker no less. Best Tidal or Spotify, or from music
to use wi-fi and Apple Airplay to files on the ‘phone, since the
avoid such cabling. A Dialog link is ‘speakers are app controlled,
only needed for a stereo optical Devialet recommending their
digital cable; Devialet’s latest app new replacement app for
(successor to Spark) copes with Spark. However, mconnect,
stereo operation. 8player and my excellent
My MacMini running Mojave Onkyo player (with EQ) all
(10.14.6) saw the Phantoms and saw the Phantoms and played Behind the ornate grille lies a tita-
pushed music to them from to them from an iPhone nium dome tweeter. Surrounding it
iTunes, Audirvana+ and Audacity 10X. Only Spotify Connect is the annular ring of what is said
so a laptop could be used for is embedded in the latest to be an aluminium midrange unit.
this purpose, but the Mac’s Audio Devialet Operating System
Devices control panel (Audio/Midi) (DOS) 2, not Tidal, Qobuz and the listening experience with data,
showed CD quality (16/44.1) only, Deezer as in DOS1. Devialet say artwork and assured link quality.
something Audirvana+ confirmed, bass filters will become available in And each speaker has a small
the latter converting DSD to PCM. DOS2. remote control unit.
Looks like the internal (24/96) There is Bluetooth for direct I was a little baffled by the
DAC cannot handle native DSD. play from a portable player that thought of trying to hook up LP,
Whilst my Windows 10 PC saw may not be network linked. which I suspect would demand
both speakers on the Network, Otherwise I’m not sure I can see a Dialogue stereo optical input
Windows Media player said they the logic of using Bluetooth in a fed by the digital optical output
were not working – something I wi-fi system. The speakers are now of an ADL GT40a phono stage.
have never experienced before. compatible with Roon to enrich This would be a way to introduce
analogue Line inputs too.
SOUND QUALITY
First I must talk about what was
so obviously different – bass. In
a nutshell, it was massive and
at times frightening. Subsonic
rumblings I have never heard
before permeated my listening
room and drifted through the
house. With Dadawa’s Canton
Story I’m prone to wick volume
up a bit to hear her delicate
background chant that, when
brought to a halt by a massive
drum strike, the Phantoms
delivered not only vast bass but
seismically low bass. Running this
a few times I’d say each bass unit
moved a full 5mms (I feared for
the cones) to generate ground-
shaking low bass power. My Onkyo
player app confirmed energy down
to 20Hz in the recording (it has
Each 'speaker comes with a mains lead and integral cover to a spectrum analyser in EQ) and
give a smooth outline at rear. An aperture in the cover pro- measurement had shown the
vides access for ethernet or optical S/PDIF cables, if used. At Phantoms will produce this. They
centre a battery powered remote control with charging cable. did!

REVIEW
but not excessive. Playing 1980s clean sound.

“perfect digital recordings” as they Whilst the close miked guitar
were trumpeted in their day (hah!), strings of Nils Lofgren’s Keith Don’t
Gerry Rafferty’s Time’s Caught Up Go were vivid, there wasn’t the
On You (1992) sounded bright, spikiness that uneven tweeters can
coarse and edgy. It’s a sonically add. It’s obvious that Devialet have
poor early digital recording (or sought accuracy in the sound and
"the sound was clear and

focussed across a sound stage
held tightly between the
loudspeakers"
transcription from master tape) have achieved it.
and the Phantoms made this bleakly With such a large low end
Cable outlets in the rear obvious. the Phantoms managed well with
well are RJ45 for ethernet, Under measurement both white classical, giving orchestras a sense of
TOSLINK optical for S/PDIF and pink noise test signals had a scale. Sometimes deep atmospheric
digital and a normal IEC slightly hollow reverberant quality rumblings picked up by the mics
mains socket. There's also a from the case and this occasionally would seep through, from the Royal
power/status indicator. seeped through when listening Albert Hall in which the London
– with Steve Winwood’s One More Symphony Orchestra were playing
Long ago, designing a crossover for Morning for example, where his Handel’s Messiah, for example.
the Celestion SL6000 dipole bass dominant vocal shines a spotlight on
unit able to reach down to 5Hz, I loudspeaker ability. CONCLUSION
used a high-pass filter at 20Hz to Similarly, Renee Fleming invoked The new Phantom 1 Golds from
prevent the cones going bonkers on this small colouration when singing Devialet offer a vivid yet accurate
record warps; I watched in awe and Un bel di Vedremo from Madame sound quite unlike any other. Fast,
fright as the Devialets mimicked the Butterfly. But the sound was clear insightful and very powerful they
‘6000s without this filter, massive and focussed across a sound impress. Add in absence of cables
cone excursions looking dramatic. stage held tightly between the or hi-fi hardware and they amaze by
I have reservations about this loudspeakers – a characteristic of achieving so much from apparently
amount of bass, so selected EQ on point sources. Very intense. Vocals so little. Quite a system then, aimed
my Onkyo player and dialled in bass were starkly clear: the Phantoms at those who want to banish cable
cut. It dried bass out and the cones project what comes across as a dry, clutter. But not cheap.
stopped their severe excursions
yet there was still a lively low end.
Devialet note that the Phantom app MEASURED PERFORMANCE
lacks EQ or filters and suggest use Frequency response of the Phantom 1 drums; volume has to be kept down DEVIALET
of a player with them if the sound Gold 108dB measured substantially flat or a bass-cut filter used under these PHANTOM 1 108
doesn’t suit. Night Mode can be from 30Hz to 16kHz, our third octave circumstances. Devialet say a bass filter DB GOLD £5,580
selected but this was too drastic; analysis of pink noise shows. This is is coming in a future update of their STEREO PAIR
the Onkyo filter can be adjusted to from a measuring-microphone position DOS2 operating system that runs on a
suit. slightly off-axis and represents the ARM Cortex processor. Software players
Most recordings lack strong speakers pointing straight down a room; with adjustable bass EQ are otherwise a OUTSTANDING - amongst
bass, so generally this wasn’t an the best.
it gives the flattest response. good choice they say.
issue, but the Phantoms have the Measured on-axis, representing the The Phantom 1 Gold 108dBs are VERDICT
ability to shock in this area, going speakers firing directly at listeners, treble engineered to produce an accurate sound A complete streaming hi-fi
lower than box loudspeakers by lifts slightly by +2dB and the loss above balance, measurement shows. They also within two small futuristic
obvious degree. Bass quality from 16kHz disappears, so a brighter sound have unusually deep bass. NK cabinets, controlled by an
their small, hard working cones app. Impressive.
balance will be apparent when used with
wasn’t as clean as large-area 12in this alignment.
FREQUENCY RESPONSE FOR
cones – we’re talking chalk and Where passive loudspeakers cut - deep, powerful bass
cheese here – but whilst the off below 40Hz unless they have very - ease of use
Phantoms didn’t hit me in the large cabinets, the Phantoms have - accurate sound balance
stomach like large Tannoys they still been electronically equalised to run an
AGAINST
impressed. octave lower, down to 20Hz. This results - no analogue inputs
Bass apart, the Devialets had in very large cone excursions when - need lengthy set-up
a crisp and concise sound, rather playing music that has a lot of energy - app control only
than a warm cuddly one; they are around 30Hz, typically generated by
more technically correct than Devialet
synths and close-miked or electronic
www.devialet.com
romantic. Treble was obvious

REVIEW
Coherent Source
Nearly £3k...and they don’t even top the range. Martin Pipe samples the Coherent Acoustics
6D ‘Generation 2’ speaker cables.
B
uckinghamshire-based investigations have concentrated crafted, each one is assembled to
retailer Coherent on frequencies under 30MHz “an extremely high standard” from
Systems has been (those used by technologies like specially-drawn metals and multiple
“designing, testing and Bluetooth; Wi-Fi and 4G/5G are purpose-designed dielectrics.
manufacturing” cables much higher). They’re supposed to Everything’s bespoke, right down
for more than 18 “very be minimised through EMC regula- to the RF-proofing screening
successful” years. They have gained tion, to a degree that’s evidently arrangements – no ‘off-the-reel’
a lot of experience in this field not good enough for hyper-critical stuff here. “Great care” I was told,
and have also conducted original listening. Hence the RTZ (‘Return “is taken through every
research into the effects of radio- to Zero’) grounding system, anoth- stage of the
frequency (RF) signals on audio er offshoot of the company’s work.
interconnects, using RF spectrum Their cables are pitched at the
analysers. Such work is perhaps pricier end of the market. Hand-
more relevant than ever, given the
extent of the RF pollution the
‘online age’ is respon-
sible for. Coherent’s
These neatly-made spade-terminated links,

intended to replace the ‘jumpers’ that link the
LF and HF sections of upmarket speakers,
are made of the same stuff as the 6D speaker
cables. 20cm long, they can be a tight fit. Oh,
and they’ll set you back £1,200!

REVIEW
e
process, from raw material selection or Oyiade IEC plugs. £1,200. Considerably bulkier than
to ‘burn-in’ and packaging”. Tony Given their near-£3k price the usual links, some speaker
Sallis, the firm’s technical director and high-end status, it shouldn’t terminal panels – especially recessed
and an experienced engineer with shock you to learn that the 6D ones – won’t accommodate them
considerable resources at his 'speaker cables supplied to us as 3m easily. However, they fitted my
disposal, explained “We draw our review samples were finished to an Wotan VIIIs. Sallis told me that the
own material in various sizes – it’s exceptionally high standard. Their jumpers are designed to fit “the
then gold-plated to 6 micron and most obvious physical feature is a types of speakers that 6D users
cryogenically-treated – as are all of braided RFI screen, which is covered would have”...and these are likely
the connectors. We strip the latter by a see-through outer jacket. At to be in a different league to the
with acid, before ultrasonically- each end of the 6D, conductors with one occupied by the Wotans, great
cleaning and then plating them with colour-coded insulation emerge though they are.
the same material – this ensures neatly from heat-shrink sleeving. And that’s the problem when it
impedance-matching”. The latter is embossed with an comes to evaluating ultra top-tier
No wonder, then, that a 2m pair arrow, the purpose of which is to products. Relative to a comparatively
of Coherent 6D (‘6th Dimension’) indicate the ‘direction’ in which the inexpensive speaker cable like the
Generation 2 speaker cables – as cable should be installed for optimal QED X-Tubes I’ve been using with
featured here – is priced at a jaw- signal flow. Tony Sallis told me that various systems over the years and
dropping £2,800. Aimed at “quality “all of the materials and dielectrics am thus familiar with, there are
well-balanced systems up to six are Coherent’s proprietary IP audible improvements in just about
(intellectual property)”. He did every area. The soundstaging was
however hint to the 6D’s use of more believable, the placement
high-purity copper-alloy of instruments across the stereo
conductors and image more identifiable and
four different consistent. Definition also improved,
dielectric meaning that the character of said
instruments was more faithfully
imparted; there was also less
blur when it came to groups of
performers and singers, I could
identify individual contributions with
greater accuracy. At the frequency
extremes – notably at the lower
end – greater control (overall bass
tautness, for example) was evident,
but not at the expense of musicality.
And when it comes to percussion
and rhythm, I could sense a more
natural flow.
However, many of these
COHERENT 6D
advantages were also apparent GENERATION 2
with other recent speaker cables I £2,800
have tried, from Chord and Black (2M PAIR, WITH
Rhodium amongst others. These FURUTECH 4MM
are recent designs considerably less PLUGS); £1,200
expensive than the 6Ds. But I’m (BI-WIRE LINKS)
sure that if you’re lucky enough to
own equipment of the appropriate OUTSTANDING - amongst
calibre, you might be in a better the best.
position to take advantage of the
6D’s full potential.You will also need VERDICT
superior equipment if you want to Super cables for those with
super systems...and super
hear a definite difference with the
budgets!
bi-wire links; I guess that benefits
materials. The conductors of you can hear with three-metre FOR
figures”, they were described our pair, whatever their specific speaker cables are going to be less - improvements in
by Sallis as Coherent’s “mid-point” composition happens to be, were obvious over connections that are a soundstaging, definition and
clarity
offerings. Also in the 6D range are terminated at either end with mere fifteenth of the length!
- built to last from superior
analogue and digital interconnects, Furutech FT-212(G) 4mm banana materials
power cables and – for the man plugs that Coherent has treated. CONCLUSION
who must have everything – spade- These are a locking design that Well-designed and made from AGAINST
terminated 20cm jumpers that are makes a tight fit with the sockets proprietary materials using - deeply expensive
- the £1,200 bi-wire links
designed to replace the bi-wiring of amp and speakers – in my case, proprietary techniques, these
may be difficult to fit
links of 'speakers. In some cases, a a Cambridge Edge W and Quadral pricey cables – which aren’t even
choice of connectors is available; the Aurum Wotan VIII speakers. I was Coherent’s top-of-the-line models Coherent Systems
mains cables, for example, can be also sent the bi-wire jumpers, which – are definitely worth hearing, if cost +44 (0)7815 890303
terminated with Furutech, MS Power themselves sell for a not-insignificant is no object. www.coherent-systems.co.uk

VINYL NEWS
vinyl section
contents
AUGUST 2021 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk
VINYL NEWS 68
Paul Rigby rounds up all the latest LPs to hit his desk.
TEAC PE-505 PHONO PRE-AMPLIFIER 71

A beautifully built, balanced phono stage with trad. meters
captivates Noel Keywood.
AUDIOPHILE BOOK: INSIDE OUT

THE BEATLES & APPLE 2 77 On Sony’s Inside Out imprint is the new one from Kayak. Ever
Paul Rigby reads about the glory days of The Fabs. present band founder, Ton Scherpenzeel is still there, steering
the legendary 70s Dutch prog band to a brand new album. ‘Out
of the World’ arrives complete with the rather quaint promise
of “energetic and diverse material” on the cover sticker. Bless.
news
This one blends prog with arena rock, power pop and the
sound of big hair.
Also, look out for US/Swedish progger, Nad Sylvan. ‘Spiritus
Mundi’ features Steve Hackett (Genesis), Tony Levin (King
Crimson) Jonas Reingold and Mirkko de Maio (both Flower
Kings) and his W.B. Yeats-inspired, rather wordy and pastoral LP.
DANS DANS
THE BAMBOOS Presented in clear vinyl over
On gold vinyl, Aussie funksters, two discs, ‘Zink’ (Unday; link.
The Bamboos present their new undayrecords.be/ZINK), I thought
LP, 'Hard Up' (Pacific Theatre; that this was a jazz album, then a
www.pacifictheatrerecords. guitar-based rock LP, then a blues
com). Combining sassy vocals, outing. But it’s all of those.
funky drumming and instrumental These boys from Belgium are a
noodling, in front of a curtain of real breath of fresh air. Full of mood,
brass, this one’s a hip swinger. introspection and, yes, freak out wild
energy, this instrumental outing has
been described as ‘noir’. And yep, I’d
run with that.
BEAR FAMILY
From the German audiophile outfit (www.bear-
family.com), ‘Little Heart Attacks From North
Carolina’ plunders the Oak Records label on a 10”
disc.
Limited to 500 copies and featuring a bonus 25-
track CD and a 7” single (blimey, what a package!),
this is the first time that the entire label output
has been presented in one place. Crammed with
rock’n’roll and rockabilly including Don Hager, Glenn
Johnson, Bobby Green and Big Jay Mercer.

VINYL NEWS
CARAVAN
Well, this is a whopper and no mistake from Madfish (www.madfishmusic.
com). You’re looking at a grand total of thirty-five CDs from the
Canterbury prog rockers, Caravan, plus a DVD and Blu-ray.
On that lot are all of the official Caravan albums, newly remastered,
plus eleven CDs of previously unreleased live performances.
That Blu-ray includes a Steven Wilson 5.1 surround sound mix of the
album, ‘In the Land of Grey and Pink’. The DVD includes European TV
performances from 1971–1981.
I don’t normally talk prices here because they vary so much but I have
to warn you, this one is £275 or £350 for the box including a signed print.
NATALIE BERGMAN
Bergman’s solo debut of STUFF
introspective reflection, after her Yes, Stuff and their third LP
time with the group, Wild Belle 'T[H]reats’ (Sdban; stuffmusic.
(Third Man; thirdmanrecords.com), bandcamp.com/album/t-h-reats-2)
combines Motown vibes, reggae is another Belgium-based band
rhythms and old-time country (it’s all happening in Antwerp, so
spirituals. ‘Mercy’ is packed with I hear). A quintet, they offer an
texture and variety. This is another instrumental notepad of jottings
winner from Third Man. and ideas in a groove.
Sometimes I can hear early
Peter Gabriel and Japan in there, slashed hip hop beats, 90s-era
intelligent techno...this is shotgun songwriting. Cramming ideas
KAKTUS EINARSSON into a backpack and taking them for a walk around a vinyl disc.
Frontman of post-punk outfit Fufanu, It may lack coherency but there’s plenty of lovely ‘stuff’ here.
Einarsson’s ’Kick The Ladder’ (One Little
Independent; www.olirecords.com) is a
mid-paced, composed, inoffensive, even,
balanced, slightly soul tinged pop outing GGP/RMX
that offers a series of pleasant songs ...is the new album from
sung in a pleasant manner with pleasant Manchester-based trio GoGo
beats. It’s thoroughly pleasant. Penguin (Blue Note). Rather,
it’s a remix (hence the RMX
bit) of the album ‘GoGo
Penguin’ (hence the GGP bit).
ALEX HENRY FOSTER A host of guest artists have
Frontman for the rock band, Your been shoe-horned into this
Favourite Enemies, Canadian Foster’s double album to do the right
new solo outing, 'Standing Under and proper thing and they
Bright Lights: Live from Festival include: 808 State, Portico Quartet, Squarepusher, Cornelius,
International de Jazz Montreal’ Clark and, as the saying goes, many more. The results are
(Hopeful Tragedy) features long-form intriguing, lively and engrossing.
rock tracks (one or two per side) over
its included three discs.
Imagine channeling Jim Morrison
but in a modern, moody, cinematic
kinda way? With added melancholy?
That’s Foster.
CAUGHT BENEATH THE LANDSLIDE

Also subtitled ‘The Other Side of Britpop and the ‘90s’ (Demon; www.demonmusicgroup.co.uk) is
a double album compilation curated by legendary music photographer Kevin Cummins (original
photos by the man are included too). What we have here is a curious mix of well-known tracks
but also rarities, live work and alternative versions. There’s also B-sides and single edits.
Who’s involved? A veritable who’s who from the Britpop era such as Oasis, Blur, Pulp, Suede,
Elastica, Radiohead, Lush, Supergrass, Menswear, Gene, The Auteurs, The Charlatans, Echobelly, Ash
and Sleeper.
If you plump for the CD box set you’ll find seventy-one tracks, this LP version provides
twenty-six.

May 2021
HONOUR THE
April 2021
GREAT
Released to honour the 250th anniversary of the birth of
��
is possible from a moving magnet cartridge. By mounting
a nude Shibata diamond on a boron cantilever, the same
combination found on our high-end MC Cadenza Black

UPGRADE YOUR 2M BLACK TO
cartridge, it truly is an exercise in technical excellence that
THE NEW FLAGSHIP STANDARD
has to be heard to be believed.
WITH THE LVB 250 STYLUS
Distributed
Distributedby byHenley
HenleyAudio
Audio
T:T:+44
+44(0)
(0)1235
1235511
511166
166 | | E:E:sales@henleyaudio.co.uk
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W:www.henleyaudio.co.uk
www.henleyaudio.co.uk | : HenleyAudioUK | : HenleyAudio
LVB 250.indd 2 02/06/2021 09:51

VINYL SECTION
Old Issues
Historic EQs and the illuminated meter of Teac’s new PE-505 balanced phono preamplifier
capture Noel Keywood’s attention.
I
f you run a high-end turnta- uses the same style idiom I’m not wired for balanced use.
ble with quality cartridge, the new to it – and there’s charm in So the Teac can be run all-
case for connecting it up bal- there. But Teac subtly take things a balanced (in and out), balanced
anced is overwhelming. But little further by adding in modern in and unbalanced out (and vice-
balanced input phono pre- logic to exert a bit more control versa) or unbalanced (in and
amps are rare. Big surprise: over user settings. But before I out). There is a need for each of
Teac have come up with just such explain the human logic behind the these arrangements but the first
preamp, the PE-505 (£1450) I am hardware logic, best to give a quick all-balanced one gives best results.
reviewing here. And as you’ll likely outline of functionality. It also gives maximum gain which
have noticed, it even has a now- As you might expect at the comes with using the balanced
fashionable olde-worlde illuminated price, this phono stage accepts output; gain drops by 6dB from the
meter with dancing needle. There’s moving magnet (MM) or moving unbalanced (phono socket) output,
more than just sonic entertainment coil (MC) cartridges. It has two another reason for providing a
here. different gain settings for each, to high gain option (more details in
As my eyes alighted on the cope with normal and low output Measured Performance).
Teac I could not help but be types. There are balanced outputs Now to logic. When switched
impressed by its retro appearance (XLR sockets) in addition to more to its balanced XLR inputs the PE-
and fine standard of finish. A slickly common unbalanced outputs 505 only accepts MC cartridges.
machined alloy front panel with through RCA phono sockets. Most The MM settings are locked out.
Teac’s name deeply engraved into importantly though, there are There are two possible reasons for
it, plus a conspicuously brushed balanced inputs that, I’ll point out doing this: MMs are too lowly to
finish made their mark, clean edges straight away, demand a turntable warrant balanced connection and
helped and, with power on, dull re-wire. Yep, that’s why balanced most have earth straps that don’t
orange LEDs complement the dull inputs are still rare. Teac inevitably suit fully balanced use in any case.
orange illuminated meter. Since our fit standard RCA phono socket Neither is fully correct: top quality
Icon Audio Stereo30 SE amplifier inputs too, since few turntables are MMs now do justify balanced

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VINYL SECTION
connection and the earth strap

problem can be sorted with simple
surgery. But Teac have decided
otherwise – an unnecessary
limitation I feel.
This peculiar decision apart,
the PE-505 has plenty of unique
features. The input load for MC
switches through seven values
from a very low 10 Ohms up to
1k Ohms, with 100 Ohms as a
default, as it should be. The lower
47/22/10 values are for experi-
mentation, offering a slightly more
damped sound at the expense
of output. The higher values of
220/470/1k Ohms are for high
output MCs with more coil turns
that need a higher load value, 470
Ohms being common.
With RCA (unbalanced) inputs
selected the MM settings become
available and here a 47k Ohm load
is set, and four capacitance values
are available: 0pF up to 330pF.
Not only does the PE-505
accept a balanced turntable input,
but its internal circuits are balanced Inside, the distinctive round shape of a toroidal mains transformer, part of a
too, Teac say. linear power supply. At lower right is the square outline of a microprocessor.
But there’s more: that lovely
little meter performs two functions. filter is OK at Low gain but drastic balanced outputs fed our Creek
It can measure the MC load (not at High gain; it should not change Voyage iA20 amplifier, connected to
MM), apparently by passing a 1kHz behaviour like this. Martin Logan ESL-X hybrid electro-
signal through the cartridge, giving In addition to RIAA, Decca static loudspeakers through Chord
a readout on a scale calibrated and Columbia equalisations are Company Signature Reference
2Ω - 200Ω. With most MCs this provided for those with old screened cables.
should come in at 10Ω or less, records. After playing a slew of top
Teac suggesting the load be set at Other functions are a Mono quality LPs I got a handle on where
double this value or greater. The button and a Demag (demagne- this phono stage was coming
usual rule-of-thumb is x10, not x2, tisation) function. Power turns from, but I’ll use our superbly
which is why MC load is usually off automatically after 30mins of silent recent re-master of Abbey
100Ω, ten times greater than most inactivity, but this can be defeated. Road to illustrate main features.
MCs that are 10Ω. But all this can The unit draws just 14W whilst First up was sound stage: the Teac
be experimented with and those on, through a linear power supply. has finely wrought but clear and
who have done so – with Pro- Firmware for the internal micro- explicit treble that gave a wide
Ject’s Phono Box RS2 for example controller can be updated by and open sound stage, helping the
– commonly say they prefer a low connecting to a Windows PC via a dreamily drifting guitar intro of Sun
value. Cartridge manufacturers microUSB cable and downloading King move from far left to right in
quote the generator impedance so from Teac’s website. obvious fashion. The same quality
no great need to measure it but The case is compact, especially also gave vivid bite to crashing
the Teac can do so all the same. since there is a linear power supply chords at the opening of Polythene
When I pressed the button it came on-board (so 230V/110V versions). Pam. Overall, whatever I played,
up with 10 Ohms for our set-up It measures 290mm wide, 84.5mm the Teac pinned images clearly on
(correct!). high and 252.5mm deep, with a a wide stage between the electro-
The other little trick this meter modest weight of 4.5kg. static panels – impressive.
performs is to show signal level Bass lines were strong
below 6Hz, to warn of subsonic SOUND QUALITY whatever I span, having a wide
warp signals. If it starts to flicker I slid out our Pro-Ject Phono Box open quality with a feeling of
wildly then a Subsonic filter can be RS2 and slid in the PE-505 – easy depth. This gave Because plenty
engaged. This rolls down response to do because both have balanced of low end power and so it was
below 50Hz our measurements inputs and outputs. Feeding the with all LPs: bass lines were strong
show, at a final rate of 24dB/octave Teac was our Timestep Evo yet expressive, I could hear note
Teac say. Unfortunately, with gain modified Technics SL-1210 Mk2 changes clearly.
set to High, MC or MM, the filter Direct Drive turntable fitted with A wresting match started
became more drastic, rolling off SME309 arm and Audio Technica with Abbey Road though. an LP
output below 100Hz – enough to OC9X SH (Shibata) cartridge, Imprinted on my mind: I was
audibly lighten bass. The Subsonic connected up balanced. The querulous about those wonderful

VINYL SECTION
Big gold earth terminal sits between XLR and phono inputs. At right are the outputs, the XLR
sockets giving double (+6dB) more than the phono sockets.
harmonies: had I heard them more from wonderful to gorgeous! After single big ripple may well make it
clearly before? This prompted digital it was like picking between lively.
a change to Pro-Ject’s Phono angels. The Teac was more Running Demag for 30 seconds
Box RS2 and differences were immediately dramatic than the whilst playing, sound did ‘seep
fascinating. The RS2 teased out Pro-Ject but not as profound in through’ (as Teac put it) contrary
more depth to vocals, having a terms of stage depth and midband to what the User Manual says, but
fuller sound – even valve-like. Yet dynamics. Both are super-silent of there’s a firmware update to fix
it did not have the explicitly sharp course – no hiss or hum. this. Not a big issue.
imaging of the Teac. Bit of a trade- I spent time with the Subsonic
off here then, one I can’t easily filter and could not easily detect CONCLUSION
decide upon. its presence on bass heavy LPs The PE-505 is an intriguing
Slightly frustrated I used like our Mobile Fidelity 45rpm re- balanced phono stage. It’s obvious
Demag on the Teac and this master of Brothers In Arms. Mark Teac have put a lot of effort into it
eliminated what I felt was some Knopfler likes a big warm sound and sound quality was beyond easy
slight cloudiness. To be frank, with strong bass and switching in criticism. It has a gloriously wide
after hours of listening I could Subsonic at Low gain seemingly sound stage, precision fine treble,
not clearly state one preamp was had little effect; but at High gain I plus endlessly deep bass that is
better than the other. The PE-505 could certainly hear bass lighten. tuneful too. I was totally happy
was, however, a gripping listen Teac could usefully fix this issue, to listen to LPs through it – a
whatever I played. It was harder especially as High gain will be used wonderful experience. And with
edged than the RS2 and fast by any by many. With Subsonic switched top quality reproduction of LP via
standard, yet this being top quality in the meter needle falls to zero, balanced input that’s what counts
vinyl replayed by a good condition but I left it out whilst listening in the end. Niggles fade. A lovely
Shibata stylus differences ranged and still it moved little. LPs with a product then, well worth hearing.
Frequency response of TEAC’s PE-505 are best used to achieve normal gain
Gain (MC max XLR out) x4200/72dB
measured flat from 3Hz to 20kHz with values. Overload (phono/XLR) 8V/16V out
MM and MC at Low and High gain. The Overload values were set by output Noise (MM/MC) -85dB/-76dB
TEAC PE-505
Subsonic filter introduced a slow initial swing as always, with 8V via phono £1450
roll-off at 100Hz, measuring -1dB at socket out and 16V via XLR out. Divide FREQUENCY RESPONSE £
50Hz, but steep final roll-off rate to give these values by gain to get input overload
OUTSTANDING - amongst
massive attenuation below 20Hz. But values. The Teac was satisfactory here,
the best.
with High gain (MM and MC) the filter but 10V / 20V are possible. Overload is
rolled off earlier, measuring -1dB down at unlikely in practice. VALUE - keenly priced.
100Hz which is excessive in that it will Equivalent input noise (MC at 60dB
obviously lighten audible bass. gain) measured 0.15µV, where 0.1µV is VERDICT
At Low (gain) MM had a gain of just as good as it usually gets. So very good Big, open sound with
powerful bass. Hiss and hum
x50 (34dB) via the unbalanced phono – low enough for hiss to be inaudible. free.
socket output. At High this rose to a more The meter became increasingly
useful x200 (46dB). The gains doubled sensitive below 10Hz until it moved SUBSONIC FILTER FOR
(add 6dB) to more normal values via the over to maximum at 1Hz, so very low - clear powerful sound
balanced XLR outputs. frequency warps are fully indicated. The - balanced input for MC
- facilities
With MC gain was similarly low Subsonic filter reduced indication to zero.
at x500 (54dB) via the phono socket The PE-505 measured well, but AGAINST
output but doubled to a conventional ideally Subsonic filtering should be more - subsonic lightens bass at
x1000 (60dB) via XLR out. Selecting consistent. NK High gain
- MM unbalanced only
High (gain) gave x2000 (66dB) via phono
- firmware update PC only
out and x4200 (72dB) via XLR. To avoid Frequency response 2Hz-20kHz
using High, for best Subsonic filter Distortion 0.02% TEAC
performance, the balanced XLR outputs Gain (MM max XLR out) x400/52dB eu.teac-audio.com

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AUDIOPHILE BOOK
Another bite
Newly updated and expanded from its original 2002 edition,
Paul Rigby dons his heavy frames to look under Apple’s skin.
Those Were The Days: The Beatles and Apple 2.0

Author: Stefan Grandos
Publisher: Cherry Red
Price: £16.99 (soft back)
Pages: 357
I
t was glorious. It was a revo- Epstein (unfairly criticised I
lution. It was a triumph of think for his early business deals
art and truth over corporate – hindsight is wonderful thing).
greed and ladder-climbing After Brian’s death, the Beatles
backstabbing. tried to create Apple in partnership
It was the answer. For with Brian’s brother, Clive but “...he the first signs that cracks were
about five minutes. Then it died. didn’t believe in us I suppose” said beginning to form in the entire
But it should never be Ringo. venture.
forgotten because its intentions Initially, Clive had a point. He even wrote an impassioned
were true. Its aims were valid. Its Business expertise in The Beatles letter, trying to save the shop
aspirations were worthy and its entourage was a rare commodity. and, by association, Apple itself.
purpose served to shine a light on Faced with the notion of music Nevertheless, Apple’s music
the talented, the visionaries and the publishing, Paul McCartney’s first publishing wing experienced
dreamers. response was “what’s publishing?”. success.
It also showed how the Staff were brought in to fill It was also Taylor who first
individual could take control. It knowledge holes though and The introduced the idea of Alan Klein.
showed empowerment and it Beatles took a crash course. By The book looks at the arrival of
showed entrepreneurial endeavour. 1968, the music publishing and Alan Klein (the other three Beatles,
This book looks at the entity retail wings were up and running. prompted by Yoko Ono, were
that was Apple. The music, the From here we see the dawning increasingly concerned about the
artists, the clothes, the films and of careers of the likes of Jackie supposed control imposed upon
even those wacky inventions. Lomax, Mike Berry, Marie Hopkin, Apple by McCartney), the heavy-
With Apple, anything was Billy Preston and James Taylor while handed Klein tactics and then,
possible. Even when it wasn’t. soon-to-be-famous behind the suddenly, post Klein, McCartney’s
This book looks at the scenes names are also established. exit and the group’s demise. There
company before it was set up, People like Tony Bramwell, Ken are tales of the band Badfinger,
during its existence and after it fell. Mansfield, Ron Kass and Derek the early seventies struggles and
Basically, 1968 to 1975 with a spill Taylor. transformation from record label
over before and after to tidy up I was intrigued to hear that the to management and production
loose ends, taking the story from catalyst for closing the famed Apple office. Also, the quiet time, the
The Beatles time with NEMs and boutique were scathing words fight with Apple Computer and
up to the present day. from, of all people, legendary DJ the resurgence of the company in
There’s also a useful John Peel, who wondered why the the nineties with the ‘Anthology’
discography which will be of use Beatles would be mixed up in such project.
for collectors out there (I’ve a venture. Packed with fascinating detail,
known several Apple completists). Apparently his words got under unique interviews and tremendous
So we look at the Beatles’ John Lennon’s skin. It was Yoko insight, Grandos manages to
business set up before Apple and Ono who suggested giving away successfully steer this momentous
how the maturing Beatles were the stock and walking away from story to the present day.
due to renegotiate their business the shop and it was Derek Taylor Essential for Beatles fans here,
relationship with manager Brian who saw this significant moment as there and everywhere. PR

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KEF REFERENCE Series CHORD ELECTRONICS HEATHKIT BERKELEY RED LED Naim Nait 1
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CAMBRIDGE AUDIO EVO 150 SYSTEM WITH STREAMING
A brand new all-in-one system from Cambridge Audio arrives at our door. Inside are Hypex N Core, Class D,
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and all digital signals are sent out through famed ESS Sabre digital-to-analogue convertors. Our picture
shows just how large and clear its screen is – easy to read at a distance. But how will it measure and how
will it sound? Find out in our next great issue.
Also, we hope to bring you –

JBL TOURONE WiFi BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES
AUDIOLAB DC BLOCKER
ICON AUDIO HP205D HEADPHONE AMP
SONUS FABER LUMINA V SPEAKERS
COHERENT 6D RCA ANALOGUE INTERCONNECTS 1 METRE
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True Path 72
CLASSIC CUTS
BLACK SABBATH
SABOTAGE
BMG
M
any people have credited Black quick and dirty LP. In the studio, give it a couple
Sabbath with the invention of of hours and then it’s off to the pub for a pie
the term ‘heavy metal’ and fans and a pint. But no. ‘Sabotage’ was the band’s
of the same have worn such an most expensive project to date. It also took
appellation with pride. the longest to create of the group’s previous
It wasn’t meant to be that, albums.
initially. It was a calculated insult offered by It was created over the backdrop of legal
a bunch of disdainful journalists and opinion action against the band’s former management
makers of the time. team, the inspiration for the album’s name.
“We called it heavy rock” said guitarist There were growing internal fissures to that.
Tony Iommi in an old interview with the BBC. The band were still a force to be reckoned
“The term heavy metal came about from a with but pressures were mounting that added a
journalist when I came back from America (in sense of frisson to the project.
the 70s). He said ‘you’re playing heavy metal’ If you follow Osborne’s “rock album”
and I said ‘no, it’s heavy rock’ ". thread you would assume that Sabotage was a
Bassist, Geezer Butler concurred. “At first stripped, all-energy, back-to-basics release but
we didn’t like being called heavy metal. But again, no. There was more experimentation in
"I feel like I am everyone likes to put you into certain pigeon
holes, so we sort of got used to it”.
there, there’s blues rock, arena rock, pop and
honest-to-goodness metal. The first track ‘Hole
on the dark side "Many people of the time, many music

people, had a poor opinion of the band. Then
in the Sky’ sports a classic Iommi riff to get the
album underway. ‘Symptom of the Universe’
add the fact that Iommi had lost parts of verges on thrash which must have had the
of the tracks. I two fingers in an industrial accident when young, to-be members of Metallica listening
he was 17, lead singer Ozzy Osborne had attentively. ‘Megalomania’ goes all Alice Cooper
feel I’m no good. been incarcerated at Her Majesty’s pleasure
for burglary, Butler worked in a factory and
and so on. But throughout this album, there are
twists and turns, sometimes within the songs
I can’t read" original drummer Bill Ward, who had a rough
upbringing, delivered coal. Then there were
themselves that gives the LP and almost schizo-
phrenic feel to it.
the fights. Lots of fights. All of this against the It’s that sense of the unexpected. That
backdrop of Aston, Birmingham life. Factories slightly unhinged feeling to the song writing and
everywhere. Smoke. Soot". production and (with hindsight) the knowledge
And the music they were listening to was that this album represented the end of an era
San Francisco-cooked vibes on peace and love that elevates it towards classic status.
and talk of hippies. The contrast was stark. Osborne once told GQ magazine “I
Birmingham was where Sabbath’s music always feel like I am on the dark side of the
came from. It was the root of ‘Sabotage’, the tracks. I feel I’m no good. I can’t read. I can’t
band’s sixth album. Released in 1975, it was concentrate and I can remember f**k all. I have
supposed to be a back-to-basics approach. no faith in my ability to judge things. Everything
Back from a successful series of albums that I think is good is bad, and everything that I
that were becoming more technical with each think is bad is good”.
release. Osborne has talked about Iommi’s Which is a great reason to listen to this
increasing obsession with studio-based album. An album that has just been re-released
production. It rankled. as a luxury box set. Four vinyl discs, one 7”
“We could’ve continued and gone on and including a complete live show recorded
on, getting more technical, using orchestras and during the 1975 tour. Most of those tracks are
everything else which we didn’t particularly previously unreleased, a 40-page book, concert
want to” said Osborne. “We took a look at book and poster.
ourselves and we wanted to do a rock album. Mastering is excellent, frequency discipline
‘Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath’ wasn’t a rock album, keeps everything in check while an impressive
really”. dynamic range and low noise allow heaps of
Hence, you might think that Sabotage was a detail to come forth. PR

��
Introducing the XP-12 & XP-17
Enjoy the Experience

Pass Laboratories, Auburn, CA 95602 | 530.878.5350 | passlabs.com
Distributed by Select Audio | Tel 01900 601954 | www.selectaudio.co.uk

��
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Audio Research’s Reference Series demonstrates once ��

again that it is worthy of the name. A reference is a ��
benchmark by which others should be judged. The ��
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absolute sounds ltd.

International Distributors & Consultants of Specialised Hi-End Audio & Video Systems
58 Durham Road, London, SW20 0T W T: +44 (0)20 89 71 39 09
W: www.absolut esounds.com E : info@absolut esounds.com
For Your Nearest Dealer Please Visit The Absolute Sounds Website ®

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VINYL NEWS AND REVIEWS SECTION SEE PAGE 68

AUGUST 2021 UK £4.50 www.hi-ﬁworld.co.uk

WORLD DESIGN PRE4

SIX PAGES OF LETTERS - THE BEST WINS A PAIR

Audiophile quality at a realistic price

The multi-award-winning Chord Company cables

A wide variety of analogue and digital interconnects are

Proudly designed in England since 1985 by a dedicated

Ask your nearest Chord Company retailer for a home

chordco-ad-HFW NOV20-AWARDS GUITARIST2.indd 1 26/11/2020 15:22:24

PHOTOGRAPHY Noel Keywood

testing (see www.hi-fiworld.co.uk for full explanations of all our tests)

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 3

44 TRIANGLE BOREA BR03

58 COWON PLENUE D3 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER

4 HI-FI WORLD AUGUST 2021 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk

17 BLACK RHODIUM OPERETTA DIGITAL

DEVORE FIDELITY ORANGUTAN

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 5

EVOCATIVE FROM CAMBRIDGE

McINTOSH GOES BOTH WAYS

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 7

NEW FIRMWARE 2GO

CLEANING UP YOUR ACT

A WORD IN YOUR EAR...

8 HI-FI WORLD AUGUST 2021 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk

CASTING LIGHT ON MUSIC

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 9

10 HI-FI WORLD AUGUST 2021 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 11

12 HI-FI WORLD AUGUST 2021 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk

similarly lively sound and plenty of met: few loudspeakers manage to

A single pair of Cardas copper CONCLUSION

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 13

Listen and believe

KEF_Blade_HIfi world_w_dealer_20210601_AW.indd 1 1/6/2021 1:01 AM

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P4-P5§.indd 4 18/6/21 15:44:34 P4-P5§.indd 5 18/6/21 15:44:42

DOWNLOAD OUR APP ON APPLE AND ANDROID

Listen and believe

KEF LS50 Meta blue_HIfi world_ad_20210203_AW.indd 1 1/3/2021 8:51 PM

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 17

Introducing KC62, aka David - the biggest small subwoofer.

Listen and believe

KEF_KC62_KV_HIfi world_ad_20210301_AW.indd 1 1/3/2021 8:57 PM

ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED ON A POSTCARD ONLY

MAY 2021 WINNER: ESPRIT BETA LOUDSPEAKER CABLES

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 19

22 HI-FI WORLD AUGUST 2021 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk

on WDPre4 and hear the sealed, World Design offer a tuned XL

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 23

traditional cathode follower with

is a horizontal main board with £50. Dangerous voltages exist

24 HI-FI WORLD AUGUST 2021 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk

backing singers stretched wider

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 25

R-51M Speaker Ad.indd 1 01/06/2021 11:51

www.hi-fiworld.co.uk AUGUST 2021 HI-FI WORLD 27

previous models, claims

28 HI-FI WORLD AUGUST 2021 www.hi-fiworld.co.uk

prominent, yielding a warmth that

VALUE - keenly priced.

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Title Forename ________________

Onboard USB �� Suited to high

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