Let’s face it. This isn’t a hobby that is known to attract the handsome and famous. You won’t see Megan Fox or Brad Pitt posing next to a pair of Martin Logan electrostatics, though it may be damned sexy if they did. Instead, the hobby tends to attract those whose physical form is more akin to that of either a pear or a toothpick. Not sexy. So like all disadvantaged creatures, we compensate for our lack of physical appearance in other ways. We buy nice gadgets, nice cars, nice homes, and bad ass stereo systems.

The only problem with the last bit is that there have only been a few times in recorded history where an audiophile was able to impress his/her potential mate with a hi-fi kit. By and large, the whole thing is an exercise in self indulgence. Only pre-ordained audiophiles seem to understand the testosterone flared sensation that often blows up the geek skirt whenever stacks of aluminum brushed components dominate a living space. While many o’ listeners get off to the visual spectacle, there are nonetheless a good number of enthusiasts who would rather enjoy their music on a system that is easy on the eyes and simple to operate. So in honor of those who err towards uncompromising minimalism, we are going to look at a top tier system that showcases what simplicity has to offer. 

From the USA, with Love

There’s something to be said for quality control and taking pride in your work. This holds especially true in a time when the outsourcing of production and labor has all but reached trend status. With so many companies unable to resist the allure of taking a bite of the proverbial offshore apple, it is nice to know that there is still a number of long standing manufacturers that continue to proudly craft their goods without resorting to cutting corners.

One of the finest examples of a company with unwavering consistency is McIntosh Laboratory. The name alone stands as an institution in the world of hi-fi. Practically every aspect of the development and manufacturing of its goods has been kept in-house throughout the company’s entire 60 year tenure in the business. This article will examine of two of McIntosh’s current flagship one-box components along with cabling from one of the most prominent cable manufacturers in North America, MIT Cable. 

The Components: A Closer Look

Before diving straight into the review, let’s first take a look at each of the components in this article.

McIntosh MCD-500 ($6500.00 USD)

$6,500 isn’t exactly chump change, especially for a CD/SACD player. Still, it is the price you will have to pay if you want to step into one of the best one-box digital sources to wear the McIntosh badge. So what makes this particular disc spinner so special (and expensive)? 

Part of that answer resides in the unit’s hand-built chassis, assembly by skilled technicians who are compensated fairly for their work, quality control checks by said technicians, and the inventorying of parts to ensure that these units will be serviceable for a solid decade or so after production. 

The other part of that answer resides within the units build quality, flexibility, and of course, performance. The whole driving force behind the MCD-500 is to be as transparent, quiet, and as linear as possible. To achieve this goal, McIntosh decided to use a differential balanced circuit to maximize efficiency and to reduce noise floor and distortion.  McIntosh then employs the impressive 24-Bit/192kHz Sabre DAC to extract every last ounce of resolution from a CD, which once placed in the tray, is read at twice the normal speed through a memory buffer before being clocked out to the DAC chip.

Throw in two sets of digital inputs, a hand-wound R-Core transformer,  a built-in headphone amplifier and jack, a built-in volume control, an impressively sturdy die-cast CD-tray, along with the option of using fixed or variable single ended and balanced output’s, and you’ve got a piece that truly has a lot to offer. So how does it sound? Balanced, Detailed, and smooth are a few adjectives that immediately spring to mind. I will delve further into the sound quality side of things later. For now, I will simply say that the MCD 500 is an excellent CD player that gives you the type of performance that you would expect to encounter at this price point.

McIntosh MA-7000 ($8000.00 USD)

Tipping the scales to nearly 100 pounds and outputting 250 clean watts per channel into 8, 4, and 2 ohm’s, the MA7000 current stands as the most substantial integrated that McIntosh has ever released. It is also one of the most expensive.  Yet as the common adage goes, ‘you get what you pay for’.

Tipping the scales to nearly 100 pounds and outputting 250 clean watts per channel into 8, 4, and 2 ohm’s, the MA7000 currently stands as the most substantial integrated that McIntosh has ever released. It is also one of the most expensive.  Yet as the common adage goes, ‘you get what you pay for’.

In a nutshell, the MA7000 is essentially a modified MC252 power amp with a high gain pre-amplifier circuit attached to it. The overall design is very ‘one size fits all’ by nature and hones in on the virtues of reliability, versatility, efficiency, operational silence, linearity, high current capacity, and the ability to sound great at both low and high volumes.  True to the McIntosh credo, no exotic parts or unorthodox circuits were used to achieve this goal. Instead, the New York based company differed to its tried and true class A/B circuit along with the numerous technologies it has developed and refined throughout the past decade.

A lot of time and resources were used to develop the unique circuits that keep the MA7000 safe and efficient. McIntosh calls these circuits the ‘Power Assurance System’.  The MA7000 also employs McIntosh’s famous hand-wound Autoformer power transformers. Not only are these heavy transformers built to provide you with decades of problem-free service, they also serve to ensure that gobs of high current juice will always be evenly distributed to your loudspeakers regardless of their load.

Other features include a built-in MM phono stage, a built-in headphone amp and jack, a healthy mix of single ended and balanced inputs/outputs, along with a very effective built-in 5 band equalizer. Oh yeah, you also get those sexy big blue power meters!  Just be sure to use caution when lifting this heavy integrated, or else it will also feature a trip to your local chiropractor. 

 MIT CVT Terminator 2 series (8ft Speaker Cables: $999.00 USD) (1m RCA interconnects: $499 USD) or (1m Balanced interconnects: $699 USD)

Music Interface Technologies, otherwise known as MIT, have been crafting high end cables since before I entered the first grade.  Much like McIntosh, this California based company takes on the engineering-first design model. You will find no precious metals and geometries inside an MIT Cable. What you will find however, is a solid design that is based around the use of high quality conductors, connectors, good shielding, and a black network box. Ok, so the box may not be so common. Since the black box is so important to the MIT recipe, and since it is one of the least understood aspects of MIT’s design, I will attempt to explain the function of that box as best as I can.

In short, MIT Cables main goal is to achieve absolute neutrality without compromising all the things we audiophiles love. The big challenge here is that practically every piece that makes up an audio cable has its own sound. While some variables seem impossible to control, the good folks at MIT Cable discovered that one of the main offenders that contributes to an uneven and unnatural presentation is perfectly controllable.  As it turns out, it is all in the bandwidth!

According to MIT, a cable should be just as efficient at 80Hz as it is at 15kHz. The problem is that no cable is fully capable of maintaining its linearity while transferring a full range signal from point A to point B. The reason is because every conductor inside of a cable has a point along its bandwidth in which it is weak (or inefficient). So, while a conductor may be great at transferring a signal within a certain frequency range(say for example, between 2 and 12kHz), it’s the rest of the frequency band that it’s not so great at covering that is the problem. The cables inability to transfer the entire signal without creating ‘holes’ along the way results in performance robbing energy loss. This energy loss translates into limited bandwidth, which as MIT discovered, has very audible consequences.  One of the greatest challenges the team at MIT faced was figuring out how to develop a cable that could maintain its integrity while sending a full range signal from point A to point B.

The answer came in the form of surrounding the main conductors inside of the cable with a series of micro-conductors. You see, while each individual conductor may have a hole in its frequency response, it also has a point where it is most efficient. The job of the micro-conductors is to counter the energy loss at the cables weak points in order to maximize its efficiency at strong points. The idea here is to control energy loss. If you can manage to set up these micro-conductors in sequential order to the point of controlling the entire frequency response of the cable, then you will ultimately end up with a truly efficient (and audibly neutral) cable.

The idea worked well, but there were still some problems. Not only would the added cost of running all these extra conductors make the cable insanely expensive, but it would also make the cable insanely thick as well. The final solution came in the form of an innovative network circuit designed to store and release energy much in the way the micro-conductors did, only without the additional bulk and expense. Now that’s what I call a win/win solution!

While the primarily focus of this article is to concentrate on how the McIntosh and MIT combination performs as a whole, it is worth mentioning that  the CVT cables worked well across every type of system that I was able to hook them up to. From tubes to all variations of solid state, from electrostatics to cones and domes, the sound always remained well balanced, well extended, detailed, and full. At the end of the day, I feel like the MIT CVT’s are solid cables that never deposit anything undesirable into the signal. They do a great job at allowing everything else in the chain to have its own voice.

Performance Summary

The Good:  Excellent craftsmanship, with build quality that should allow for many years of worry free operation; Exceptional sound quality that is surprisingly linear; great resolution at all listening levels; Possess the type of scale and density that is usually reserved for large separates; Powerful bass; detailed and non accentuated highs; clean and open sounding midrange; wonderful integration of all the frequencies; noise free and cool operation; excellent manufacturer support; Easy to listen to

The Bad: The systems linearity may not make it the best choice to match with speakers that possess a very ‘thin’ voice; Though not bloated, the bass could be a tad quicker and more refined; No HT bypass; There is no single ended output for a sub; The front panel lights and logos cannot be dimmed; The cables can be difficult to work with in tight spaces and may cause strain on speaker binding posts that are installed in the upward position

The Bottom Line: You get what you pay for with this particular McIntosh/MIT combination. When I tally up the systems satisfying reproduction of music, ability to match a great variety of loudspeakers, its impressive power reserve and ease of use, it makes for an easy luxury item to recommend to those who can afford it.

General Character: This system is all about delivering the musical goods in a very ‘just the facts, ma’am’ kind of manner. This is not just another group of solid state gear attempting to capture the lush sound of tubes.  Instead, the McIntosh / MIT pairing errs to hit on all of the strengths of solid state, such as great resolution, wide bandwidth, great linearity throughout that bandwidth, and the ability to drive a wide variety of loudspeakers. Subsequently, the system’s presentation may not appeal to those whose stripes are already sewn to the romantic overtones of glowing glass. In fact, if it wasn’t for the built-in 5 band EQ, I’d be tempted to say that this pairing almost sways towards the ‘clinical’ side of town, particularly on speakers that already sound that way to begin with.

Treble:            I found the highs to be transparent in the original sense of the audiophile term. If the recording is bright, then the treble will be bright. If the recording is rolled off the top end, then that’s what you will get.  Whatever the recording has to offer, this system will let you hear it in as much detail as possible –for better or for worse. The only notable ‘character’ that I observed during my time with this system is a lack of digital ‘edge’, courtesy of the MCD500. All in all, I would classify this setups top end as being transparent, linear, and resolute.

Midrange: The McIntosh/MIT combination does a wonderful job of projecting an open, clean and articulate midrange without ever robbing the music of its flesh and palpability. This made it incredibly easy to follow subtle and emotion inducing nuances woven within live recordings. This system is all about allowing the music the freedom to express itself without the intrusion of obvious tonal shadings and coloration. No, you won’t get the organic bloom of a tube setup, but that’s not always a bad thing.

Bass: I must admit that the McIntosh/MIT combo really gave the 8” drivers on my Wilson Audio Watt Puppy’s the kind of workout that few other integrated/CD-player systems have. It was almost as if someone turbo charged the bottom end. Electric guitar power-chords suddenly became a lot more visceral, charging the room with copious amounts low end energy. While the bass kept largely true to the rest of the systems resolute and detailed persona, I nonetheless felt like it could have been a touch better at handling quick paced bass riffs. This is not to say that the bass is overblown or pitchless. It’s just that I expected a bit more ‘snap’, particularly at this price range. It’s also worth noting that this observation remained consistent regardless of the speakers or other (non-MIT) cables that I used.

Imaging: Much like the treble, the imaging prowess of this system seems to hinge largely on the quality of the recording itself. That said, I found the imaging to be very encompassing in most circumstances. Not only does this system ace the ability to unearth the layers hidden deep within a good recording, but it presents those layers with great precision and spatial separation. Top things off excellent image depth and width, and you’ve got a soundstage that is easy to enjoy.

Dynamics: If a components physical size has any direct parallel to its ability to properly reproduce the physical scale of live music (and I believe that it does), then it’s no surprise that the McIntosh gear does a damn good job of rendering the sort of “life like” scale and dynamics that would normally be associated with large separates. While it is not uncommon for simple two-box systems to get a lot of things right when it comes to reproducing all the goodies that we audiophiles covet, the one area that these systems tend fall short on is in capturing the physical scale and power of a performance. Not so with the McIntosh/MIT combo. In fact, it laughs at such plebian notions.  Dynamics? Bring it on.

5-Band Equalizer: I may have to turn in my audiophile stripes after saying this, but screw it, I will say it anyway. I feel that the built-in EQ housed inside the MA7000 is a huge selling point for this system.  If it wasn’t for the ability to attenuate the signal, I would be close to filing the entire system under the ‘clinical’ category. Thankfully, the EQ enabled me to bump things up/down where I felt necessary. Too much treble? Just lower the knob a bit and valla – bleeding ears no more. Too much bass?  Ditto. Want to feel that kick drum just a bit more? Bump up the lower end. In mere seconds (or minutes, if you want to experiment around a bit), you can tailor your sound to how you want it. Although self proclaimed diehard audiophiles may scoff at the idea of an EQ, I can say that the system still sounds far more linear with this circuit in place than many other so called ‘purist’ systems that I’ve encountered. A big tip of the hat goes to the McIntosh engineers for figuring out how to pull that off without any major compromises.

Closing Summary:   Part of what I love so much about this system is how each component is capable of standing well on its own sonic merits.  What this means is that you won’t have to match an MCD-500 with a MA7000 to get the most ideal performance out of the two products, though if you do, you are guaranteed to get a fantastic presentation that may in fact serve as an end-game.  I can honestly say that I envy those who have the luxury of listening to this system in their homes on a daily basis. Good stuff!

The Wrap Up

When I first stepped into the world of high performance home stereos, a wise man once told me; “Son, this hobby ain’t cheap”.  Oh how right he was!  Through the years I’ve come to appreciate that while it doesn’t always take a lot of cash to get great sound, you really do have to ‘pay to play’ if you want to attain state of the art performance.  Such is the case with this particular McIntosh / MIT system.  There is no doubt that $16,000 USD is a lot of money to spend on just two components and two sets of cables.  However, when you factor in the craftsmanship, performance and convenience of this system, I can without hesitation say that it is worth its weight in dollar bills.

seanfowler@affordableaudio.org

McIntosh Laboratory                                                      MIT Cables

 http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/                              http://www.mitcables.com/

2 Chambers Street, Binghamton, NY 13903           4130 Citrus Ave Suite 8, Rocklin, CA 95677

1-800-538 6576                                                                  1-916-625-0129

Addendum:        Please note that I modified the contents of this review (on March 8^th, 2010) a few days after publishing the original copy.  A number of formatting and technical errors required fixing.

Country of origin: USA

Model number: Zirconia 4/5 shelf rack

Price: $2145 4 shelf/$2380 5 platform configurations with standard shelves, options additonal

My rack was rickety.  Its bolt-into-twisting-camlock construction was protesting the burden of over a hundred pounds of gear.  And now, with my long planned return to vinyl, a heavy turntable was slated to crown it.  Rickety won’t do. 

STORY

Enter the Audiav Ziconia rack which falls into the shelves-on-metal-frame genre.  Think of the i-beam skeleton of a five story building.  Now lay shelves on each floor as defined by the horizontal box of crossbeams.  Like most infinitely adjustable racks, a tongue and groove system is employed.  For the Zirconia, this means an octagonal post at each corner, cut to any height the customer requires.  Running the length of each side of the post is a groove into which the ‘tongue’ of the horizontally running struts fits.  Turning the screw next to the tongue causes it to expand in the groove, locking the strut in place.   Very neat and well executed.  Clever too in that the octagonal post design allows the addition of load reinforcement or shelving in eight directions – it’s an easy-to-customize system.

Using the supplied torx wrench, a 180 degree turn secures the mechanism.   Pressure increases toward the end of the turn then quickly releases, letting you know the strut is locked.  There’s no guesswork as to how tight to make the connection.  And torx is a good choice here – even with frequent reuse, it’s difficult to strip.

The finished frame reminds of a shark cage, it’s that tight and rigid despite no screws or connecting welds among the components.  Those are some strong-tongued struts.  Repeat that ten times.

In a brief check, I was unable to hear the difference between my ARC amps on their stands and on the floor.  I highly doubt that another rack would make a difference either, so this is absolutely not a knock on the Zirconia.  Further, if you do suspect vibration or electromagnetic interference may be degrading performance of a component, Audiav has shelving and shielding options from the Signature series that are designed to address this in a way that my Standard shelves are not.  

The year was 1989.

As the globe celebrated the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the audiophile world felt a shockwave of its own when a young Canadian company introduced the first compact loudspeaker that was able to challenge the long standing doctrine of it requiring a refrigerator sized transducer to produce true high end sound.  The appropriately named ‘Model 1’ quickly rendered old notions obsolete as it garnered admiration not only for its sonic attributes, but for its ability to reproduce dynamic range that was previously unheard of from a speaker of such diminutive proportions. It was the speaker that broke new ground for compact monitors. Moreover, it was the speaker that put Vince Bruzzese’s Totem Acoustic on the map.

Today, Totem Acoustic is a fully mature company with a hefty portfolio of products that are distributed all over the world. While the scale and economy of Totem Acoustic has seen significant change since its birth in 1987, the tradition of delivering great sound from a small footprint is alive and well. It is a tradition that started with the Model 1. So when it came time for Totem Acoustic to celebrate its 20^th year in the business, it only seemed fitting to pay special homage to the Model 1 by retrofitting the design and offering it in a Limited Edition run. And so ‘The One’ was born.

The Good:  Throws out an enveloping soundstage ;  Incredible off-axis performance ;  Possess very articulate treble ;  Great midrange clarity ;  Lightning fast bass ;  Sounds great at both low and high listening volumes ;  Stunning dynamics ; Exceptional recreation of tone/timbre  ; Great aesthetics  ; Feature carefully matched internal components.

The Bad: Extremely fussy with regards to room placement and equipment matching ; Can sound thin in the lower treble / upper midrange when matched with the wrong type of gear ; Tend to sound their best when not placed on metal stands ; Should be used in only small to medium sized rooms.

The Bottom Line: ‘The One’s are fantastic little speakers that could be the perfect solution for the music lover who is tight on square footage.  While the The One’s are not the easiest speakers to work with, listeners who take the time to dial them in properly will be rewarded with great performance.

Specifications: $3,595 USD

Cabinet: 3 layers of MDF with lock-mitred joint bracing and internal borosilicate damping
Tweeter: 1 inch chambered aluminum dome
Mid-bass driver: 5.5 inch cone
Frequency response: 50 - 20.000Hz +/- 3db
Sensitivity: 87dB
Impedance: 4 ohms nominal

Cabinet dimensions (WxHxD): 12.5 x 6.5 x 9" / 313 x 167 x 227 mm
Weight (per speaker): 4.1 kg (approx. 9 lb)

THE REVIEW

It is often said that twenty years is when you go full circle in this business. For Totem Acoustic, The One completes that circle. It is a piece meant to showcase what Totem has learned throughout its two decades of designing and building loudspeakers.  Subsequently, a lot of time and effort was invested into making sure that the performance of The One’s would stand as a statement in what a reasonably priced set of mini-monitors are capable of.

Still, the one thing most Totem owners will want to know is, “How does The One better the Model 1 Signature”? It’s a good question, and according to Vince, The One offers advantages in terms of superior off axis imaging along with the ability to play deeper, louder, and cleaner than the Model 1 Signature. The One is also designed to deliver a much smoother top end with better articulation as well as featuring better driver integration, a quieter back-round, better dynamics, better measured linearity, and improved tonal qualities. Perhaps the biggest improvement comes in the form of The One’s ability to replicate a recording more accurately. These speakers were built to be able to adjust their tonal perspective from a laid back presentation to a forward one, hinging largely on the recording itself. So just how did Vince go about attaining these results from what on the surface appears to be nothing more than an updated loudspeaker with a special finish?

The Art of Precision

One of the major challenges that Vince and his team faced during the development of The One was figuring out how to substantially improve upon a design that has already been tweaked and overhauled over the course of twenty years. In order to take the Model 1 concept to its limits, it was decided that the speaker would have to receive a radical crossover upgrade, improvements in cabinet construction, and have meticulous attention paid towards fine tuning each and every part of the design. Sound easy?

It’s not. In fact, it took Vince and his team the better part of one and a half years to complete the project.  A solid chunk of that time was spent on the tedious process of selecting the right combination of parts through trial by error methodology. Each capacitor, resistor, air coil, etc, all had to function flawlessly with one another in the redesigned crossover. Once that process was complete, more time then had to be spent finding the right wire metallurgy, solder, and speaker terminals that could complement the overall redesign.

The One also received cabinet upgrades via additional internal cross bracing and full monocoque construction. Three different densities of MDF make up The One’s cabinet, with every connection point being lock mitered and glued together to attain exceptional rigidity. Like every Totem, the inside walls of the cabinet are internally veneered and damped with borosilicate material.  Yet for all the improvements The One see’s in terms of cabinet construction, the speakers still use thin walls to allow for controlled energy dissipation. It is important to note that Totem products are designed and built to take advantage of resonance by tactically controlling energy output from the cabinet, instead of trying to contain or absorb the energy within the cabinet itself. Vince believes that this unconventional approach is paramount in getting a loudspeaker to produce a natural and enveloping sound.

Finally, even though The One enjoys many upgrades, what ultimately separates it from the rest of the pack is the level of precision that Totem shows at the assembly level.  Parts aren’t just dropped and plopped into The One on a production line. Instead, each individual part that goes inside The One is hand selected for its technical and tonal excellence.  For example, out of every 300 to 400 drivers Totem buys, only 20 qualify to be used inside The One. Each speaker is listened to by trained ears during the assembly process to ensure that everything is as close to perfection as possible.  This extreme attention to detail translates into laser like precision, the sort that is usually reserved for some of the most exotic and expensive loudspeakers in the world.  As Vince would humbly say, it is all an effort to give the business just a bit more honesty and quality.

DETAILED PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

Straight out of the box, I was already getting better sound than I could ever recall extracting from a pair of Model 1 Signatures. There is no need for me to riff on about the how’s and why’s. All that needs to be said is that they offer more of everything. Then again, when you consider The Ones $1000 advantage, this is exactly how it should be. Although the improvement over the Model 1 Signatures is to be expected, what I did not expect was The One’s talents with regards to off axis imaging and harmonic structure.

Bluntly put, this is one of the few conventional loudspeakers I’ve heard that can project a totally balanced and even keeled presentation across an entire listening space. You don’t have to sit directly in a designated sweet spot in order to enjoy a coherent presentation from these speakers. The sound they produce is enveloping regardless of where you are in the room. This is great news for folks who do not wish to be limited to a chair while listening to music.

The One’s are also among the only affordable speakers I’ve heard that are able to capture the interplay between a musician and his/her instrument with raw and realistic integrity. The way they capture subtle tonal inflections and then deliver them by means of a three dimensional soundstage creates a very vivid and harmonically engaging presentation that is hard not to enjoy. Throw in The One’s ability to effortlessly transition from gentle to bombastic passages through excellent dynamic contrast, along with a free floating boxless presentation, and you’ve got just about everything any music lover or audiophile tight on real estate could want.

General Character:    The One’s are scarily good at acting like a sonic chameleon by virtue of being able to adjust their tonal perspective per individual recording.  If the recording is laid back, so are they. If the recording is forward, the speakers will respond accordingly. That said, The One’s tend to leak vivid tonal shadings into the music, which elicits a presentation that rides the outer edges of the classic ‘mid hall’ denotation.

Treble: Articulate, Harmonically rich, and wonderfully extended, the treble is where The One really shines. The One is not designed to impress you with extreme detail and resolution. Instead, its focus is more on articulating tonal shadings with great distinction and accuracy. Typically, this is right where metal domes falter.  Sure, metal domes have zip, but they usually have no shimmer. This becomes particularly obvious with cymbals. Thankfully, this isn’t a problem with The One. In fact, not only are they among the first metal dome centered speakers I’ve heard that can capture the leading edges of a note without mucking up pitch definition and trailing notes, they are also the first metal dome centered speakers that I’ve found myself listening to for extended periods of time without the unpleasant side effect of feeling like my ears have been assaulted by ice picks.  To these ears, The One’s treble has grit where it needs to be, and is smooth whenever the recording calls for it.

Midrange: Extending seamlessly from the treble is a midrange that builds upon the foundation of speed, articulation, and dynamic energy. Unlike most Totem loudspeakers, The One’s do not possess organic bloom throughout the midrange. There is no bloat and warmth to help give the music an increased sense of ‘body’.  Instead, what you get from The One’s is an extremely linear and articulate presentation that hones in on capturing dynamic intensity and note articulation. While some Totem fans may miss the classic warmth of familiar designs, it doesn’t take much time to appreciate The One’s lack of obvious color throughout the midrange. In fact, it is this transparency which allows the recording to come through with its own voice.  It is important to note that this linearity does not come at the expense of giving vocals the appropriate amount of weight, or guitars a good sense of body. When you match up The One’s with the right electronics and stands, they will do an exceptional job at weaving together speed, linearity, and transparency, with exceptional body and tone.

Bass: Anchoring the entire presentation is bass performance that is just as agile, immediate, quick, and tuneful as the rest of the loudspeaker. Once again, The One parts familiar waters with its other Totem siblings by focusing less on bass heft and fullness, and more on linearity and speed.  All I can say is, phew, these things are fast!  No matter what music selection I threw their way, The One’s were always able to follow complex or quick bass riffs without showing signs of muddiness or congestion. That said, while The One’s possess great low end heft for their size, having no issues hitting a 50Hz tone with good authority when placed on appropriate stands, it is important to remember that they are still tiny 9lb monitors. Like most monitors, it seems as though they tend to lose their acoustic energy at around 60Hz, despite their ability to dig far lower than that.

Imaging: Holographic imaging has always been a trademark of the Totem sound, so it should come as no surprise to learn that The One’s do an exceptional job at maintaining their heritage. Indeed, The One’s forte lies within their ability to cast off a wide and enveloping soundstage that, when set up properly, can come scarily close to mimicking the interplay of live performers playing in a small venue. Yet The One’s do not possess the best image depth I’ve heard. Instead of shooting for the ‘lit from within’ approach that the more affordable Arro and Sttaf use to great effect, I noticed that The One’s opt to give you more of an immediate perspective into the music.  Since I already mentioned The One’s awesome off axis capabilities earlier in the review, there’s no need to expand further on that area. Simply put, it’s the best that I’ve ever heard from a conventional loudspeaker.

Dynamics: The One’s are tiny mini-monitors that are the size of a football and weigh only 9 lbs. Suffice to say, you aren’t exactly going to get chest thumping, Watt Puppy-like dynamics out of these things. With the obvious now aside, I can safely say that The One’s nonetheless currently stand as the only compact monitors to have ever flat out startled me while listening to music. The way these things can effortlessly deliver sharp dynamic peaks is stunning.  Although I try not to reference specific music titles in my reviews, I am going to make an exception this time around. I was listening to Patricia Barbers take on Nardis off her famous Café Blue album. When the drum work began towards the end of the track, I experienced a major ‘holy shit’ moment. It wasn’t because The One’s produced great visceral impact. They didn’t. Instead, it more had to do with their tone and speed, particularly with regard to how quickly they could transition from loud to subtle passages while at the same time capturing all the emotion caught in-between the notes.  Although The One’s may never win any awards for producing great dynamic heft and scale, their precision and focus mimics some of the best musicians in the world in that they always know when, and when not to strike.

What They Aren’t

Yet for all that The One’s can do, they aren’t without mentionable caveats. One of their biggest shortcomings stems from being unusually finicky about room placement and equipment matching. The bottom line is if you want to get optimum performance out of The One’s, you will have to invest attention to small details during the setup process. The good news is that once you get everything dialed in, the speakers will reveal only a few mentionable compromises.

One of the most obvious compromises is that they can sound a bit thin in the upper midrange and lower treble when matched with the wrong gear or set up incorrectly. Not only can this thin sound result in a very hollow presentation, but it will also draw your attention towards The One’s treble, which will suddenly take on the “look at me” sizzle that metal domes are known for. A good way to avoid this is to stay away from “tell it like it is” components from the likes of Bryston, Krell, upper end Sim Audio pieces, and gear of that sort. This is not to slight any of the aforementioned manufacturers, as they all make good stuff. It’s just that their stuff doesn’t form the best marriage with The One.

Another obvious compromise is that The One’s make no effort to hide or mask any shortcomings found in either the recording or in upstream components. While they may not be as brutally revealing or as transparent as studio oriented loudspeakers, I would not recommend The One’s to someone who is looking for a loudspeaker that smoothes over poor recordings in an effort to make them sound better.

Lastly, I must once again hammer home how important it is to keep in mind that The One’s are tiny 9lb monitors. While they have great bass extension and display exceptional dynamic prowess for their size, at the end of the day they are tiny speakers that lack the ability to showcase realistic acoustic density.

Tips and Suggestions

Since I already wrote a comprehensive comparison featuring The One’s in my review of the Lenehan Audio ML1 monitors, I feel no need to compare The One’s to yet another loudspeaker. Instead, I am going to use this space to list a few suggestions that will help you get the most from The One. Getting right to it:

·         Pay close attention to setup. Do not just throw these speakers on a stand, put them in a room, and then call it a day. Begin the setup process by paying attention to how Vince set’s up his speakers at audio shows. Do a Google search to get some visuals. See how close together he places his speakers? That’s exactly what you should do. Should you prefer The One’s in another position, that’s fine, but a good starting place is to set them up the way that Totem does.

·         Do not under any circumstance consider buying these speakers if you intend on mounting them, placing them on a wall, inside an entertainment center, or on a bookshelf. Just no.

·         As mentioned earlier, try to avoid mating The One’s with ‘tell it like it is’ components. A good rule of thumb here is to select gear with a warm sound and a low damping factor. You will find solid matches in Naim, Exposure, BAT, Blue Circle Audio, or anything that features a tube that doesn’t sound like garbage. Leben or Vista Audio would be good options to check into. Also, don’t worry too much about power. While The One’s respond well to high current juice, it is not necessary to get them to sound good.

·         Try to avoid using metal stands if at all possible. Even if you fill your metal stands with wood chips or sand, The One’s will still transmit the stands metallic character. Metal stands also tend to kill their bass response as well. Instead of going metal, I’d suggesting picking up something with a warmer, more natural flavor. Something like the Core Furniture Designs Model B should do nicely.

There you have it folks. If you can accommodate the above, than you should be in a position to take full advantage of what The One’s have to offer.

The Wrap Up

At the end of the day, $3595 is a lot of money to shell out for a small pair of monitors that can be chucked halfway across a football field. This holds especially true when you consider the fact that you can buy a set of nearly full-range ‘Forest’ towers for less money. The question then becomes, what kind of value does The One truly hold? Now I won’t dip into the cliché catechisms regarding those notions, but I feel that Vince Bruzzese addressed this point very well in a conversation I had with him regarding The One. The statement he made went something like this:  

 “If you get into a race-prepared Lotus and then compare it to something meant for domestic use, it’s a different experience. If someone knows how to drive the Lotus, you’ll get the ultimate performance, and that’s what you’re dealing with in The One’s. For everyday use, they may not be to everyone’s standards”

I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

If you have the patience to set The One’s up properly, then you will be treated to premium performance that is normally reserved for much more expensive loudspeakers. In my nearly four years of writing well over two dozen product reviews, this is only the second occasion where I did not return a review piece back to the manufacturer. I put my money where my mouth is on this one. These babies are mine!  As far as recommendations go, it doesn’t get any better than that.

seanfowler@affordableaudio.org

Associated Equipment

Source: Lector CDP 0.6 MK III, E-Mu 1212M, McIntosh MCD-500, Naim CD5 XS

Integrated Amplifiers:  Karan Acoustics KA I-180, McIntosh MA 7000, Naim Nait XS

Cabling:  Morrow Audio MA3, Morrow Audio SP3, MIT Cable CVT Terminator2,

Other Speakers Used:  Martin Logan Vantage; Lenehan Audio ML1; Totem Acoustic The One; Wilson Audio Watt Puppy ; Mark and Daniel Maximus Mini; Snell B7 Reference

McIntosh XLS 320 / XLS 112 System Review

McIntosh’s loudspeaker line must feel like the ugly duckling in the product catalogue. Every single year it’s the same thing. Dozens of print mag’s and E-zene’s publish reviews on Mac gear year after year, yet hardly a one of these publications give the loudspeakers any attention. Talk about being overlooked, the poor things! It’s time to finally give their underdogs, particularly the XLS 320 monitors and the XLS 112 powered subwoofer, a moment in the light. Make sure your seat belt is plugged in and that your tray table is in an upright and locked position, because this article is going to get turbulent!

The Good:  Solid build quality; Easy to work with; Great clarity and linearity; Exceptional driver integration; Can play every genre of music well; Can deliver copious amounts of low distortion output; Bass on the XLS 112 is extremely quick and integrates perfectly with the XLS 320’s; Absolute top notch ultra near-field performance.

The Bad: The 320’s only dig down to 80Hz on their own. The XLS 112’s -3db point is a surprisingly high 35Hz, The 320’s tend to “beam” the upper midrange at normal listening distances (5-9ft), The system as a whole lacks dynamic “punch” at normal listening distances, Limited soundstage depth, Poor overall value.

The Bottom Line: The McIntosh XLS 320 monitors and XLS 112 subwoofer is a pricey speaker system that will appeal to three different types of consumers; the McIntosh loyalist, wealthy audiophiles seeking a solid sat/sub system, and recording studio engineers. If you are looking to set up a more traditional two-channel stereo system, you’re likely to find a better value elsewhere.

General Information:                    McIntosh XLS 320

Product Type:                                       Two-way monitors

Unit Cost:                                              $5000 / Pair

Product Webpage:                              http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/mcintosh-xls320-2-way-loudspeaker.asp

                                                                McIntosh XLS 112

Product Type:                                       Powered subwoofer

Unit Cost:                                              $4000

THE REVIEW

After living with the XLS 320 / XLS 112 system for a couple of months, it’s become clear why there has never before been a formal review published on these components. While this system offers great sound from a slim and flexible package, the performance to cost ratio seems off, and not in a good way.

It’s not that the system sucks. Far from it!  It’s more a matter of economics. There is a good reason why you will rarely find a satellite / sub system priced beyond $5,000 - $6,000. That’s because this is usually the threshold where full-range towers and upper tier monitors begin to offer superior performance. The XLS 320 / XLS 112 combination daringly bucks that trend by wedging itself next to some real heavy hitters. To McIntosh’s credit, it takes some serious stones to walk into the ring against competitors that are larger, meaner, quicker, and flat out better than you are. Yet as noble of an effort as it is, we all know how the outcome will be when you step into that kind of situation. Your ass will get KO’d before the end of the first round. Does this make you a horrible fighter? Not necessarily.  It just means that you stepped into a situation that is a bit out of your league, and such is the case with the XLS 320 / 112. So without further delay, let’s take a closer look at the McIntosh XLS 320 / XLS 112 system.

The Guts

One of things I like about McIntosh’s approach to this system is that each component is designed to operate within strict parameters.  The monitors are built to handle only the treble and midrange, while the subwoofer is designed to handle everything from 80Hz on down. This allows each speaker to function within its natural range. The end result is a drastic reduction in distortion and a subsequent increase in clarity and linearity. Having a solid platform to work from, McIntosh then employs a number of exclusive features that really give the XLS system its own unique flare.

When you take the grills off of the XLS 320 monitors, one of the first things you are bound to notice is the unusual tweeter module, which uses five soft dome tweeters lined together in a horizontal array. McIntosh calls this the “Bessel Function Tweeter Array”.  This unique configuration has two major functions. The first is to give the speaker better power handling. Each tweeter by itself can only handle about 30 watts of clean sustained power. However, when you line five tweeters in a row, you suddenly attain greater efficiency and power handling capacity. This enables the speakers to operate comfortably when given copious amounts of high octane solid state or tube fuel.

The second function of using five tweeters has to deal with sound dispersion and off axis distortion. The problem with using multiple tweeters is that they can become directional and load the room in a way to where the sound is good in some spots, and bad in others. To counteract this, McIntosh sets the second and fourth tweeter on the module out of phase. Doing this pulls all of the sound into the third tweeter, which results in a presentation that is non- directional and linear. What you end up with is the power handling of five tweeters and the imaging of one.  Pretty cool eh?

You will also notice that none of the woofers used on the XLS setups can be found on any other branded loudspeaker in the world. That’s because the woofers inside the XLS 320 and the XLS 112 are an in-house recipe and were designed to deliver incredibly low distortion. How low? Well according to McIntosh, most woofers in the market, to include some of the most well regarded out there, create around 10% distortion even at normal output levels. The drivers employed in the McIntosh speakers produce only 3% distortion. Though I won’t claim to understand exactly how this is achieved, the undeniable proof is in the listening. This system can make even the most respectable loudspeakers sound slightly ‘dirty’ by direct comparison. IF you hear distortion through either the XLS 112 or XLS 320, odds are likely that the fault lies either in the recording or somewhere else in the system.

For all the goodies packed into this system, the main appeal resides in its versatility. The XLS 320’s low profile and good power handling will allow you to integrate them into just about any indoor environment you can think of. You can put them on a bookshelf. You can mount them on a wall, in a wall, tuck them away in an entertainment center, or place them on good ole fashioned set of hi-fi speaker stands. The XLS 112 is equally as versatile. Despite weighing a back breaking 95lbs, the subwoofer is actually very compact and easy to position inside a room. When you add everything together, you get a great sounding system that is super easy to work with and is able to integrate into virtually any listening environment.

DETAILED PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

On one hand, the XLS 320 / XLS 112 system offers performance that many audiophiles thirst for. They have a small footprint.  They can play loud enough to remove the wax from your ears. They sound exceptionally detailed and clear.  They sport nearly seamless driver integration, and most importantly, the system stands as one of the rare examples of loudspeakers that manage to remain enjoyable across a wide array of recordings while keeping linear enough to satisfy the “tell it like it is” crowd.

On the other hand, the system lacks the typical earmarks that many audiophiles have come to expect from today’s high end loudspeakers.  The XLS 320 will not deliver a cavernous soundstage that extends many feet beyond or behind the speakers. They also do not have a sound that drips of refinement and sophistication. Those of you who want to ‘feel’ heavy guitar riffs and drum thwacks will be disappointed in the systems inability to produce chest thumping goodness. 

General Character: The entire foundation of this system builds upon the virtues of clarity, linearity, and speed.  Every note played through the XLS system is very distinct and well separated. This great sense of clarity really helps to allow passages that are usually designated as back-round accompaniments to come into full bloom. A byproduct of this clarity is that you also get a great sense of space along the soundstage. This really helps to give the music a proper sense of scale.  Patching the entire presentation together is some of the best driver integration I’ve heard to date.  Cliché adjectives like ‘Seamless’ and ‘fluid’ spring to mind.

The XLS 320 and XLS 112’s voicing tends to vary depending on how they are set up. For example, I found that at listening distances that span 6 feet or greater, the XLS 320’s tend to take on a sound that slants towards the forward side of neutral, giving a more “in your face” listening experience. However, when the speakers are set up only two or three feet from your ears, the sound becomes less forward and hovers a lot closer to the classic ‘mid hall’ denotation. I found this to be particularly interesting because most speakers work in reverse.

Treble:  The tweeter array module on the XLS 320 sounds fantastic.  In my opinion, it’s everything that a good soft dome set-up should be: extended, smooth, detailed, non-fatiguing, and able to capture subtle nuances and tonal shadings of any music. You get nearly the same clarity and air that is normally reserved for metal domes, only with none of the ‘metallic’ inflections that metal domes are so well known to impart into the music. I also noticed a lack of ‘roughness’ and ‘grit’ impurities which can be common across many different types of soft dome tweeters. Overall, the treble of the XLS 320 is quite enjoyable and well balanced. The only time that I ever experienced excessive sounding treble is when I positioned the speakers at regular listening distances. Interestingly enough, the issue went away when set up only a few feet from my ears in my desktop rig.

Midrange:  Clean, quick, and clear, the XLS 320’s lack of midrange color is about as ideal as it gets for listeners who dig on speakers that allow a recording to express itself with minimal electronic influence. Now this is usually bad news for listeners like yours truly, as I admit to enjoying a touch of warmth in my midrange. I’ve found that a bit organic spice tends to breathe life and proper scale into the music, whereas stringent ‘tell it like it is’ presentations often strike my ears being ultimately void of musical color and expression. Surprisingly, the XLS 320 does not fall into the latter group. While it is without question an incredibly uncolored speaker, it still manages to convey the quality of a recording with honesty while at the same time keeping things musical and fun.  The only real issue I came across is that the upper midrange tends to suffer from a ‘beaming’ effect at normal listening volumes and distances. This tendency to ‘propel’ the sound out into space can create listening fatigue over long periods of time, though like the treble, the midrange fell back into balance when used in the ultra near-field.

Bass:  Since the XLS 320’s produce almost zero bass on their own, the low end duties are left to the mighty XLS 112. As expected, the signature of the XLS 112 remains true to the clean and linear presentation of the 320’s. One of the most salient attributes of the XLS 112 is its speed and detail. Getting a compact sub that uses a 12” woofer to sound as clean and quick at 80 to 90Hz as it does at 40Hz is not an easy task. Getting it to integrate with a quick speaker like the XLS 320 is even more difficult. McIntosh did a great job acing both hurdles. Not only does the XLS 112 blend seamlessly into the 320’s, but it also easily meshes well with every speaker that I have on hand, and it didn’t take a week’s worth of experimenting or EQ software to get the job done.

That said, do not expect the XLS 112 to produce the kind of gob smacking output that could cause a rift in the foundation of your home. Though it can get plenty loud and hit hard when it needs to, it’s not a powerhouse. If you want to annoy your neighbors with subsonic blasts, I would advise you to look elsewhere. Because the XLS 112 drops off at 35Hz, it can hardly be called a subwoofer in a literal sense, though to its credit, what it does give you within its range is top notch performance. If you can overlook its limited extension and high price, it is actually quite the enjoyable piece.  

Imaging:  As mentioned earlier in this review, the imaging of the XLS system is not what most would expect from loudspeakers in the $8,000 to $10,000 range. Sure, you get good image depth, but it’s not the sort of cavernous image depth that reaches to your back wall (and beyond). You could say that everything the system does in this department is merely good. You get good off axis performance, good soundstage width, and good instrument placement within that soundstage, but nothing is particularly excellent. About the only area where the XLS system would get high marks in is left/right channel separation, which helps the center stage to sound clear and uncluttered.

Dynamics:  The dynamic range of this system is a bit ‘flat’.  While it is good at transitioning from soft to loud musical passages well, you just don’t get the physical transference of energy that makes a crescendo so emotionally impactful.  Don’t expect this system to have enough gusto to “punch” you in the chest, be it with orchestras, electric guitars, drums, or what have you.  Although listening in near field helps to reduce the lack of a physical connection, the system will still lack dynamic density.

The Caveat

Fundamentally, the XLS 320 and the XLS 112 deliver good sound. The problem is that the performance of the system is not entirely proportional to its price tag. For the same amount of cash, you can step into a set of Martin Logan Spire’s, Reference 3A Grand Veena’s, Verity Audio Rienzi’s, and a whole host of other arguably superior loudspeakers. The McIntosh system would be far more competitive if it were actually a few thousand dollars less.

THE WRAP UP

When you approach the $10,000 loudspeaker category, you better bring your A game.  While the XLS 320 and the XLS 112 make for a good sounding system, the question is, is their price justifiable? Are they a good value? I believe it’s an answer that hinges on what you intend on using the speakers for. If you plan on using the speakers in a more a traditional two-channel stereo application, a better value can be had elsewhere. On the flip side, if you are looking to build an exceptional near field system for recreational PC use or for professional monitoring, than the XLS 320 and the XLS 112 are very viable and worthwhile options to consider.

At the end of the day, I appreciate the XLS 320’s clean midrange, balanced treble, superb driver integration, along with the XLS 112’s speed, clarity, and ability to easily integrate with a wide variety of speakers. Unfortunately though, it’s tough to recommend a $4000 powered woofer that can’t even dig beyond 35Hz, let alone a set of $5000 monitors that drop off at 80Hz. Although I enjoy this system when it’s routed through my PC, I simply cannot call it a great value. Ultimately, the XLS 320 and XLS 112 are good speakers that are priced out of competition.

seanfowler@affordableaudio.org

Associated Equipment

Source: Lector CDP 0.6 MK III, E-Mu 1212M, McIntosh MCD-500, Naim CD5 XS

Integrated Amplifiers:  Karan Acoustics KA I-180, McIntosh MA 7000, Naim Nait XS

Cabling:  Morrow Audio MA3, Morrow Audio SP3, MIT Cable CVT Terminator2,

Further, this cable madness: $3000 for a 1m pair and so on epitomizes all that is wrong with the high-end industry.  Going to an audio store has become intimidating to the point where the shrinking rank and file who seek great home-based replay go to Best Buy or simply don’t bother.  But music should be simple.  Here’s a tip – if you’re spending below $5000 on a system, you truly don’t need to spend more than five bucks a foot on cable regardless of what anyone tries to sell you.  Don’t worry about your cables, work on getting the other stuff right. 

Get Belden from a vendor like Blue Jeans, or something like the Ply speaker cable and Dual interconnect from Supra, excellent cables at about $3/ft. that are more neutral than a lot of stupid expensive stuff.  Figure two sets of 1m interconnects and an 8 foot pair of speakers wires – that’s under a $100 for cabling.  (The included power cables will be more than fine) Skip the wiring as ten percent of the system cost notion or any of that.  If you can’t bear to save the money, you’re much better off putting it into your speakers or amps or room treatment.

Back to those those big, fat Monsters – replacing them with some simple, much thinner stranded cable from Exposure made my Epos ES14s sound snappier.  Got rid of some slur.  Not different, rather clearly better.  Skeptical of my first impression and the notion of wire possibly being destructive, I subjected myself (well, mostly my girlfriend at that time who did the cable swaps) to a blind test.  Listen to a song or passage. Swap cables.  Or not.  I hit on 17 of 20 calls, so obvious was the difference.

Conclusion?  Cables can sound different.  Thanks, genius!  Deeper conclusion -- poorly designed cables can degrade performance.  Thanks again!

But this knocked down one of my cable tenets.  They don’t not matter.

Film mixing studios are packed with cable by Canare and Belden among others.  Pro stuff at pro studios where they’re mixing multimillion dollar films and major artist CDs.  Note the acoustic treatment and high quality monitors.  Expensive microphones.  They’re not going to compromise on wire, let that be the weak link (literally) in the chain.  C’mon. Nor are they looking for anything that colors the sound.  All efforts are made towards accuracy -- what comes out of their monitors is what you will hear in a theater or home in a perfect world. 

I’ve seen miles of stuff like Belden 1800F for balanced interconnects.  In bulk it’s less than a buck per foot.   Granted, with the cable footage studios may have, $100/ft. or even 10/ft. isn’t feasible. And again, most mixers and engineers will tell you that the pro stuff like Belden and Canare is as good as anything.  It does nothing to the signal.

As a value play, cables come up short as well.  Moving from a $200/pair of speakers to a $2000 set will be a huge quality jump.  The same $1800 more for a set of cables yields far, far smaller  gain.

So for years I’ve gotten quite comfortable not caring about cables.  I’ve used Canare and Belden, though over time have acquired some footage of Signal Cable, DH Labs, Nordost (Solar Winds) and Speltz anti-cable.  Reasonably priced stuff.  Evidence primarily of being worn down by marketing material and reviews, common sense experience giving way to audiophile curiousity and insecurity.  Exclusive Solid State Triple Cryo (SSTC_tm) process delivers…, OptimaHelical Double X winding yields unprecedented…, and so on.

Swapping these ‘audiophile’ cables in yielded no immediate epiphanies.  Nothing like replacing my Bryston with a Llano Trinity amp or my old Waveform Solo speakers with VMPS RM40s.  Or putting up room treatment.  The differences would have to be listened for, subtle if they existed at all. 

Though I believe cables can sound different, and not just those that are poorly designed, I’ve come to think of many of them as tone controls.  Voiced by their designers to add warmth, wetness, whatever.  I thought of my cable stable as one that does nothing.   Now anytime I need another set of wire, I call Blue Jeans, Markertek or Signal.  No reason nothing should be expensive.  Or, no reason to pay extra for nothing.  I’d reached security and contentment -- peace -- amidst the madness that is cables.

 

STORY

So then Lars starts bugging me.  I’d found the Guru QM10 speakers, which he distributes, to be one of the rare, game changing products out there.  Now he wants to know whether I’ve heard the Supra Sword cables he distributes as well.  But as I’ve made clear here and attempted to with Lars, I’m not interested in cables. 

Looking at ratings of countries as to how honestly they conduct business, Sweden is at or near the top.  I’ve worked there and found this to be true.  So when a Swede appears to passionately believe something, particularly when he’s got a good track record, it may be that he’s not trying to simply roll you.  They can be persistent PITAs too.  Cut to:  a box of cables at the front door. The aforementioned Ply speaker cables and Dual interconnects – great values at $3/ft. including shipping.  Also, the star of this review, a 3 meter set of Sword speaker cables, $1105 MSRP. 

Supra cables are made by Jenving in Sweden, which has been in the business for over thirty years.  This is no here this morning, gone tonight cable company.  They make a huge range of cabling, connectors, and power strips. The 52 pages thick catalog of their wares has the heartening slogan ‘NO NONSENSE’ on the cover.

I could describe how the Supras look, light blue jacket, blah, blah, blah, but I really don’t care.  Saw a forum post once where a guy rhapsodized about the look and feel of his $3K cables -- I wanted to york.  If all cables were black, I’d be fine. In fact I’d prefer it as they’d be more likely to disappear in a home theater setup.  The Swords are relatively thick and stiff cables, think half-cooked pasta, but not so much so that they are difficult to work with.  

The only salient ergonomic feature is a bit of typically Swedish cleverness.  The connector, be it a spade lug or banana plug, screws in and out of the end of the cable.  There is also provision for adding a banana to a spade.  In other words, you don’t have to choose terminations, you get both.  This can be very handy should you need to change the way you connect, and helps resale if you go that route.  The ends are crimped to be gas tight – superior to soldering according to Supra.  The cable can only be bought terminated.

As for the construction, I’ll outline a bit without pretending to know whether it makes any difference.  Only thing I’ll say in this regard is that the stated overarching goal of the Supras is to get the timing right, on the notion that everything follows from that.  We philosophically agree.

This from the Supra site:

Sword is a patented cable. The secret is the bifilar wound litz conductors, each comprising 24 individually insulated wires.  The bifilar winding is built with 12 of these wires helically wound in one direction and 12 in the opposite direction. This divides the magnetic field into opposing directions resulting in self-cancellation. Because Sword’s conductors comprise a number of insulated wires, dynamic skin effect is cancelled. Therefore Sword behaves as a non-inductive and phase stable cable. The difference in phase shift from 500Hz to 100kHz is only 0.002 deg. This allows for perfect timing.

The Good:  Exceptional build quality; Great appearance; Produces a big sound; Incredible midrange performance; First rate driver integration; Very easy to listen to over any genre of music; Can play loud

The Bad: Difficult to audition before buying, Expensive shipping, Will not do your taxes or clean your dishes

The Bottom Line: If you find yourself saying: “I want a small speaker that looks good, sounds nearly as big as a floorstander, can play loud, can be used in rooms both big and small, is non-fatiguing, and can sound great with all types of music”, than Lenehan Audio’s ML1’s are right up your alley.

Specifications: $2,484 USD (shipped)

Cabinet: 18mm HDF composite, Differential Cancellation bracing.
Tweeter: 1 inch chambered textile dome.
Mid-bass driver: 5.5 inch Nomex cone.
Frequency response: 50 - 25.000Hz +/- 1.5db
Sensitivity: 86dB @ 2.83V/m
Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, minimum 6.5 ohms @ 200Hz

Cabinet dimensions (HxWxD): 325 x 170 x 245mm (12.8 x 6.7 x 9.6")
Weight (per speaker): 11 kg (24lbs)

THE REVIEW

You’ve probably never heard of Lenehan Audio. In fact, there is a strong chance that a number of audiophiles within Australia are also unfamiliar with the name. Don’t let their obscurity give you a false impression of inexperience though. Mike Lenehan and his small team have been quietly crafting custom loudspeakers for 17 years. In 2005, Lenehan Audio initiated the ML1 project, which is essentially an effort to design a compact monitor that represents the culmination of all the lessons learned throughout nearly two decades worth of speaker building.

The ML1 was designed to be a premium transducer with no equal within its range.  If you were to note that such ambitions are certainly nothing new, I’d agree. Nor is the concept of creating a high performance two-way monitor particularly new either. After all, at least half a dozen or so monitors are released into the market every month of the year. Still, like all die-hard designers, Mike Lenehan feels that there is a void in the market that requires filling.  To paraphrase some text from the Lenehan Audio website:   The ML1 was developed to maximize the strengths of mini-monitors while eliminating the weaknesses associated with the design, compromises which typically entail limited bass output, bass extension, and power handling.

In other words, the ML1’s were designed to sound big, natural, play louder than most similar sized loudspeakers, and do so from a package that wont beak the bank.

Under the Hood

So what’s the mojo behind the ML1? The answer is simple. It’s all in the details. Start off with a smart design, throw in premium parts that are typically reserved for speakers in a whole different price range, give lots of attention to fine tuning and quality control, and you’ve got the basic ML1 formula.  Normally this is about the time when I would riff over the technical details curtailing the loudspeakers design, but since Mike Lenehan has done such a wonderful job citing nearly every aspect of the ML1’s design on his company website, I’ll let those with a thirst for juicy tech info to get their fill over there.

For the rest of you that are too lazy to click on the link but still want a basic run down of the ML1, here are the cliff notes. The ML1’s design starts off by using a cabinet constructed of HDF (high density fiber), a material that is more rigid and inert than the more common MDF (medium density fiber) board that is used to form the skeleton of most of today’s loudspeakers. HDF, though difficult to work with, offers superior damping and drastically reduces energy storage within the cabinet. To reduce resonance even further, The Lenehan team developed a bracing technique they refer to as “differential bracing cancellation”, which essentially uses a special configuration of braces composed of different materials to ‘cancel out’ opposing resonances within the cabinet.

Cool as that stuff may be, according to Mike Lenehan, it’s the new PRC crossover that is largely responsible for the ML1’s performance. From the use of hand wound inductors that weigh half as much as some compact loudspeakers themselves, extremely high grade capacitors, and high tolerance resistors, the ML1 is as pimped out as it gets for a speaker in this price range.

The final cherry on top comes with Lenehan Audio’s dedication towards quality control. All of their stuff is put together in-house and not on an assembly line. Before a set of speakers are shipped out to their new owners, the Lenehan team tunes each set within exacting tolerances.  Just how close you ask? Well, even the torque on the screws that hold down the drivers are pressured evenly.  Now THAT’s precision!

First Impressions

“Holy crap” must have been the first words that slipped out of my mouth as I hefted two beautiful aluminum flight cases out of their shipping carton. It became immediately clear where a good part of the shipping costs stem from. These speakers are packaged to withstand a nuclear blast. Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement, but the care and attention given to the ML1’s packaging is well beyond anything I’ve seen from a hi-fi product at or even near this price point. Great effort has been invested to ensure that the ML1’s will arrive to your abode in perfect condition, regardless of where your global coordinates may be.

Another “holy crap” moment soon followed as I laid my eyes on the ML1’s for the first time.  These are really beautiful speakers. Audiophilia reviewer Anthony Kershaw likened the workmanship to artisan quality, and I’ve have to agree. The ML1’s are offered in two finishes, Titanium Metalic and Radiant Ebony.  The speakers pictured in this review were finished in Titanium Metalic, which is essentially a dark piano gloss finish with light grey flakes. The result is a very regal look that exudes class and confidence. The magnetic grills are also a very welcome touch. It’s worth noting that the speakers look substantially darker in person than what is pictured on Lenehan Audio’s website.

DETAILED PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

Flowing in direct parallel to ML1’s appearance is a muscular, no-nonsense aural presentation that communicates power and refinement.  One of the first things anyone should notice within the first few moments of listening to the ML1’s is how they can effortlessly  toggle between tactile and dynamic musical passages without  sounding flustered and compressed.  Their ability to take control over the ebb and flow of the music at loud volumes without diminishing tone, imaging, or dynamics is typically a talent reserved for much larger loudspeakers.  This ability has nothing to do with big bass, and everything to do with recreating solid musical density.

Still, if you are expecting hi-fi spectacular from the ML1’s, than you may be disappointed with their sound. Instead of blowing you away with dazzling treble or chest thumping bass, Mike Lenehan chose to balance all of the aural virtues paramount to musical reproduction. With the ML1’s, you get a smooth top end that’s detailed, but not so much so that it detracts from enjoying recordings that were not given the audiophile treatment. You get strong and commanding bass, but it’s not so overdone that you will need to run a beefy solid state amp just to keep the woofer under control. Instead, the ML1 masterfully balances both extremes. You get the rhythmic and organic qualities that are coveted by the tube crowd along with the grip and linearity that is revered by the “tell it like it is” crowd. The result is a very satisfying presentation that is incredibly difficult not to enjoy, regardless of your listening bias and musical taste.

General Character:  The ML1’s take on a character that is dark and refined. Sorry rockers, but the ML1’s are not the type of speakers that will pull off the whole “It’s like the band is in my living room!” illusion. Instead, what you will get is closer to the classic ‘mid hall’ denotation, which invites you to listen into the music, instead of having it thrown within inches of your nose.

Treble: I absolutely love the tweeter Mike Lenehan employs on his ML1’s. It’s the first affordable soft dome I’ve encountered that mixes what I feel is the right blend of extension, detail,  and air, without ever falling into the over/under done category. It has enough resolution chops to showcase excellent recordings while at the same time possessing just the right touch of smoothness that allows you to enjoy less than perfect recordings. While my Martin Logan Vantages outgunned the little ML1’s in terms of resolution and transparency, the ML1’s held their own in terms of delivering the high frequency goods without suffering unevenness.

Midrange: Next to superb driver integration, the ML1’s midrange performance may be its most salient attribute. It is the definition of balance and spatial solidity. Quick, detailed, open, and organic, the ML1’s have no problems capturing the weight, sustain, and control of piano strikes, guitar strumming, or preserving the relationship between the harmonies of multiple instruments as they develop before you. Male vocals have just the right amount of depth while the power of large choir’s is well maintained courtesy of the ML1’s ability to deliver exceptional acoustic energy. If anything, the ML1’s only departure from linearity comes in the form of subtle organic shadings that are imbued into the sound. This gives the presentation a sort of refined character.

Bass: For a pair of compact monitors, the ML1’s sure pack a lot of low end gravitas. Flowing right in line with the midrange’s character, the bass is quick, tactile, robust, slightly organic, and holds to the tradition of delivering solid acoustic energy without sounding overly loud or muscle bound.  While other similar sized and similar priced monitors are rated down to 50Hz, the ML1’s are among the only monitors I know of that can hit those low notes with convincing authority. The truth is that despite what specifications may lead one to believe, most compact monitors begin to lose authority around the 70 to 80Hz mark. This inability to reproduce low end notes with good energy ultimately makes them sound like exactly what they are – small monitors. The big accomplishment with the ML1’s is that they sound nearly full range up until their frequency limits. Within those limitations, you will be treated to exceptional bass that will keep up with any kind of music you enjoy.

Imaging: They are mini-monitors, so you know these things caste a wonderful stereo image! Although the ML1’s do not rewrite any playbooks in terms of imaging, they nonetheless deliver the kind of satisfyingly wide soundstage that you would expect from such a design. Just don’t expect them to produce a grandiose wall to wall soundstage. Instead, the ML1’s focus more on soundstage depth, locking vocals and instruments into place between the speakers, and providing great separation that leaves the soundstage well defined and undisturbed. However, one uncommon talent they do retain is the knack for recreating great soundstage height. Most monitors are exceptional at the reproducing the horizontal plane, but usually fall short when capturing the vertical image.  Not the ML1’s. This additional soundstage height helps to further the illusion of a larger speaker at work. They also do a good job casting a coherent off-axis soundstage, which allows you to enjoy your music even as you move around the room.

Dynamics: This area has always been the downside of mini-monitors. Their small size and inability to move the air required to successfully deliver palpable dynamic scale has always been something of an Achilles heel to the design. Mike Lenehan aimed to remove this limitation in his ML1’s, and I would say that for the most part, he succeeded. As mentioned earlier, one of the more impressive attributes of the ML1’s is how naturally they can handle sudden dynamic swings without confusing or flustering up the presentation.  Even as you increase the volume, so long as you feed the ML1’s the right amount of current, they will play far louder and cleaner than most other speakers their size.  No, you still won’t get the visceral sensation of drum beats pounding on your chest, but if that’s your fancy, you shouldn’t be looking at monitors in the first place. That’s floorstander territory.

What they aren’t

Since there is no such thing as the perfect transducer, there will always be people who will find a fault in just about any piece of hi-fi. While the ML1 is as well rounded as it gets for a speaker of its type and price point, there are still a few things that it won’t do.

For starters, the ML1’s will not caste a “Live, from your living room” type of sound.  Instead, the speakers are voiced to remain neutral throughout their entire frequency range. I would encourage anyone who prefers a more up-front sound that contains sharp and detailed treble to look into offerings from Mark and Daniel.

And though the ML1’s retain a strong talent for sounding a lot bigger than they are, it is important to keep your expectations of their output realistic. While I am truly impressed by what Mike Lenehan has been able to accomplish with just a set of 5.5” woofers housed in a small cabinet, one has to remember that they are still mini-monitors. Don’t expect them to shake walls or to pound your chest with relentless low end grunt.

Otherwise, the only other mentionable compromise I can think of regarding the ML1’s has nothing to do with their performance and everything to do with the fact that unless you reside in Australia, auditioning  a set before buying may be nearly impossible. The good news is that ML1 offers a generous 21 day trial period as a safety net. The bad news is that you will still have to buy before you try.

The ML1 versus The One

When the ML1’s arrived to my door, I knew that a comparison between them and my set of 20^th anniversary monitors from popular Canadian manufacturer, Totem Acoustic, was inevitable. Although the ML1’s are disadvantaged in price, both speakers nonetheless act as perfect ambassadors to their respective creator’s philosophy in sound and music. Though physically similar in size, the two transducers are quite opposite of one another in general design. Mike Lenehan built the ML1 with the goal of eliminating cabinet resonance, whereas Vince Bruzesse tuned ‘The One’ to take advantage of it. Still, there is a shared goal of crafting the best loudspeaker possible for the money, and both the ML1 and The Onereflect each designer’s perspective and passion. So how do they compare?

First, let’s start off by focusing on some of The One’s talents. The One’s most salient attribute is their ability to sound free from their own enclosure. This unique disappearing act helps enable The One to project an incredibly holographic soundstage. When set up correctly, this soundstage will wrap around you and deliver an all encompassing experience that is very impressive and convincing. They simply communicate the music in a very expressive and involving manner. Best of all, The One’s will sound great regardless of where you sit or stand in the room. Their off-axis response is among the best I’ve heard from any speaker at any price point. You can stand to the side of or even behind the speakers and still get a very coherent and enjoyable presentation. Freaky!

Surprisingly, The One’s also seem to display slightly better dynamic chops than the ML1’s. Although the dynamic prowess of the ML1’s is among the best I’ve heard from a monitor in their class, The One’s take it up another notch by actually being able to startle me during transitions into sudden dynamic riffs. The careful use of an aluminum dome also helps to give The One better snap and clarity in the treble region, which allows instruments to take on more realistic grit and bite. The ML1’s use of the fabric dome also has its advantages in that it sounds more natural with vocals and is also less critical over recording material.  Both speakers offer superb midrange, with The One’s sounding clean and quick footed, while the ML1’s take on a meatier and richer tone. The same differences extend to the bass regions as well.

However, when it comes to sounding big and playing loud, the ML1’s quickly make The One’s sound every bit their size. Even though The One’s are slightly more dynamic and recreate a bigger soundstage, the ML1’s retain a more muscular presentation which gives the music a lot more authority and weight in a way that few other compact monitors can match.  While the One’s are exceptionally quick, agile and raw, the ML1’s are rich, muscular and sophisticated. Not only does this result in a more refined sound, but the voicing also gives the ML1 a big advantage in terms of versatility.

Simply put, the ML1’s are easier to work with. To attain great sound from The One’s, you will need to pay careful attention to equipment matching and set-up within a room. The ML1’s are far less demanding. Just give them some good power, tube or solid state, it doesn’t matter, and pick the best spot you can find in the room and then let the music play. It’s really that simple. Best of all, their smooth demeanor allows you to enjoy a wider breadth of recordings, meaning that you won’t have to shop specifically for ‘audiophile approved’ material to enjoy your pricey stereo system. Honestly, that alone is music to my ears.

The Wrap Up

What can I say? Now that I got a taste of that Australian goodness, I’m hooked. The ML1’s balance of musical virtues without inciting obvious vices is an extremely impressive accomplishment, especially at their price class. Although there are plenty of manufacturers working diligently to compete in this class, they will have to worker harder than hell to beat these things. If you are in the market for a kick-ass pair of speakers in this price range, take a chance and bring home a set of ML1’s. You’ll be glad that you did.

seanfowler@affordableaudio.org

Associated Equipment

Source: Lector CDP 0.6 MK III CD-Player; Ayre CX-7e CD-Player
Integrated Amplifiers: Karan Acoustic KA I-180; McIntosh MA7000; Vista Audio i34

Cabling: Morrow Audio MA3 interconnects; Morrow Audio SP3 speaker cables

Other Speakers Used: Martin Logan Vantage; Totem Acoustic The One; Totem Acoustic Sttaf; Wilson Audio Watt Puppy ; Mark and Daniel Maximus Mini

Lenehan Audio

http://www.lenehanaudio.com.au/

36 Nind St

Southport QLD Australia 4215

BACKSTORY

Physical media is on the way out.  Bluray is likely the last of the plastic discs -- the future will be entirely downloads.  Ironic that the only thing left in the end to spin will be vinyl.  You can't download analog.

With hard drives taking over as sources, it's the digital connection out of a computer or NAS that increasingly feeds the DAC.  Five years ago, DACs with a USB input were a rarity; today they’re ubiquitous.   There are hundreds of choices out there from under $100 to over $10,000.  A USB input is de rigueur on any new DAC or receiver.

Another trend is the downsizing of components.  Multifunctional ‘lifestyle’ products that don’t dominate or detract from a room’s décor, and perhaps even add to it for those who appreciate industrial design.

STORY 

Enter the T2i.  Take a thick ream of paper, sit it on its long side, and you have an idea of the size of the Dussun.  It's quite compact for a legitimate 42 watts/channel solid state amp.  This ain't no flyweight digital toy.  Wrought from aluminum, solid at 16 pounds.  Attractive too.  The heatsinks are, in particular, nicely sculpted.   Mention that anytime you want to end a date.

So here we have the modern hybrid: USB DAC, integrated amp with two analog inputs, a line out, and a headphone amp.   One small, attractive box bridging your computer and speakers is all you need.  Plug in some cans if you're in that kind of mood or around others who want quiet.







Seems like it would be great too for smaller systems around the house, but therein lies the rub with USB-only DACs – they have to be near a computer or NAS.  The compact form factor and functionality of the T2i should make it an ideal mate for a streamer like a Squeezebox or Sonos –  just add speakers for a discreet, powerful system -- but you’re out of luck if you want to access the T2i’s DAC.  The streamers output digital via S/PDIF.  Unlike the similarly targeted Peachtree Decco integrated I reviewed (now replaced by the Nova) which has S/PDIF and USB, the T2i seems to unnecessarily limit its application as a USB-only device.  More on that later.  The lack of a remote is another issue.  No problem if you’re sitting at your desktop system, but a meaningful omission for a lifestyle product that so easily can have broader use.

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About Dussun:  designed and built in China, they are known for high value stuff.  Check out this review of the DS99.   Many Chinese components have lavish industrial designs, but are hit and miss for sound quality.  Dussun goes the other way -- simple, attractive boxes with excellent sonics.  Sound comes first.   They go the other way on amplification as well.   Whereas the majority of Chinese amps are tubed, Dussun is exclusively and proudly a solid state house.  This is a company that charts its own course.­  They make a range integrated amps from the T2i to the $1800, 250 watts/channel V8i that looks to be a monster value.  Filling out the line is a phono preamp and power regenerator.  A reference preamp, power amp, and integrated are coming at the end of 2009 – given what I’ve heard of Dussun, I’m interested. AAA Audio is the sole authorized U.S. distributor.  The 30 day no questions asked money back guarantee means no worries buying Dussun.

 

SOUND

The T2i is spec'd for Windows, but worked fine with my MacBook feeding it Apple Lossless files.  It had no problem driving my moderately efficient Guru QM10s.  As per distributor Ping Gong’s recommendation, I ran the T2i for a couple of days before evaluation.

My limited experience of Chinese designed equipment is that it sounds lush, romantic, and can border on mush.   Such was my preconception going into the review of the T2i.  Nothing like generalizing about a nation of 1.3 billion.

First up was Hans Theessink’s ‘Slow Train’ – an uncompressed recording that is as punchy and transparent as you’ll find.  Any softening of transients would be easy to discern and suck some of the life out of the track.  I hit ‘play’, or in this case the space bar and, uh …  nothing like generalizing about a nation of 1.3 billion.  The T2i is a different beast entirely from what I expected.  Ballsy, sweet on top, precise but with good musical flow –  it’s the sound I associate with good Class A amps. 

The T2i rocked with whatever I threw at it.  The sturm and drang of PJ Harvey’s ‘Down by the Water’, the menace of Marconi Union’s ‘Inter’.  It preserved the dynamic tension in these tracks, while also relaying the ambience and  intimacy of mellower stuff like the Cowboy Junkies ‘Working on a Building’ and Feist’s ‘Mushaboom’.   

Weaknesses?  The T2i didn’t have the grip and extension down low of some more expensive amps I had on hand, nor the transparency.  The same forty or so watts from my $1675 Primaluna Prologue 2 integrated sound more powerful, faster and cleaner.  The T2i couldn’t punch with it, and the comparison illuminated a slight haze to the otherwise smooth highs of the Dussun.  Note though that comparing the T2i to an amp over twice as expensive and with less functionality serves more to contextualize the Dussun than criticize it. 

A more level comparison is the aforementioned $799 Peachtree Decco.  It has a softer sound that some might prefer.  Me, I’ll take the T2i.  It’s 42 watts/channel sounded punchier and more powerful than the Decco’s 50 watts/channel, but it is by no means hard sounding. The Dussun has the snap of my old Nuforce IA-7 integrated, but with truer highs.

To test the T2i’s DAC section, I hooked a Squeezebox 3 to one of its analog inputs.  Cost-wise, the DAC section in an $800 integrated is likely similar to that in a $299 digital streamer.  Using the same tracks on my MacBook and Squeezebox, started at the same time, I flopped back and forth between the two by punching the appropriate input button on the T2i.  Result?  The two paths into the amp section sounded virtually identical.  I could not tell them apart with any certainty – the difference was insignificant.  This is my typical finding with competent, low cost DACs. 

The positive spin is that one of my gripes about the T2i – the lack of a digital input to accommodate a music streamer – is moot.  Using the analog outs of a decent DAC such as that in the Squeezebox still allows you to enjoy the T2i’s excellent amp section. It may also indicate that the T2i’s preamp section is on par with the amp.  I suspect that the DAC, while perfectly decent for the money, is the weak link in the T2i. I didn’t have anything suitable cost-wise on hand, but reckon that high value, under $500 digital products like the Cambridge DAC Magic or NAD C-545BEE CD player would elevate performance using their analog outs.

Lastly, I plugged in my Shure 530s and Grado SR80s into the headphone amp.  Wow – they sounded more clean and powerful than I’ve ever heard them.  As a very occasional can user, I haven’t heard enough headphone amps to make meaningful comparisons.  I can say, however, that the headphone amp on the T2i is not a feature added for features sake – it’s the real deal with major league drive and grip.

 

CONCLUSION

Hybrid, lifestyle products like the T2i are not where the industry is going, they’re where it’s at.  Unusually, my gripes about the T2i concern features rather than performance.   Its conception as the foundation for a great desktop computer-based system is too narrow given its value in other settings.

The lack of a S/PDIF input is largely obviated by the quality of the analog inputs. However, it seems a strategic oversight given the likely cost of adding the input versus the functionality gained.  Coaxial or toslink capability would give the many thousands of streamer users out there a choice of inputs.  Just looking at the spec sheet, these users might, mistakenly, pass on the T2i simply because it lacks the capability.   Further, no remote is a non-issue sitting at your computer, but an omission for a product whose small form factor and attractive looks make it a natural to drive smaller systems around the house.

Okay, so I have to get up to change the volume.  I do so with my Primaluna; the sound quality is worth the supreme effort of lifting my ass off the chair.  Such too, is the case of the T2i.  This is a killer integrated for $800, my favorite in its price class.  I suspect too that the preamp and amp sections are good enough to reveal a better quality DAC – this is a component that can grow with you.   Add something like the Cambridge, and at $1275 you’ve got untouchable value in a very compact, room-friendly package.  Highly recommended.

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Legendary... Yes, but did you hear the Bang & Olufsen system?!

Brappp… Brapppppppp… perfect downshift, blipped throttle, matched engine revs, 3, 2, 1.  First gear turn onto 7th from PCH, hit the apex, slam the throttle, slight kick of the tail (we don’t want to show off now, do we?!) and voila, hitting about 100mph on PCH in no time.  That my dear friends is the awesome experience one gets when sitting behind the wheel of the Aston Martin DBS with Beosound.  Beosound?!  Why, yes, Bang & Olufsen.  Ring a bell?  Yep, It’s the same folks that brought us all those oh-so beautiful all-in-one music players.  

When I visited last year’s LA Auto Show in November, I ran into the usual fanfare of B&O at Audi.  How quickly things change.  Having admired the various B&O systems available in most every Audi, Bang & Olufsen appeared to have taken car audiophilia to a whole new level by entering the exclusive super sports-car market in earnest.  As I was making my way down the hallways, I ran into the Aston Martin booth.  Low and behold, my eyes peeked a B&O logo inside the awe-inspiring classic James Bond car, the DBS.  Err… wait a minute, I thought that those other guys, you know, Linn, were part of the Aston Martin deal?!  

Apparently not; at least not anymore.  I vividly recall the audio press going gaga over Linn’s involvement with Aston Martin some years back.  Who could blame them?  Marrying two classic British bespoke manufacturers of high-end goods respective their markets was grand idea.  Linn being Linn, appeared to be the perfect fit for Aston Martin.  Alas, those clever Brits must have caught the B&O bug, evidenced perhaps by the absolutely stellar Audi presentation, that they felt it appropriate to jump ship.  While I never auditioned the Linn system inside the AM, I am more than familiar with the B&O sound of the various Audis.  

Clean, tight, smooth, well defined, engaging and authoritative are all adjectives I’d use to describe the sound of B&O’s car audio group in general.  It all began shortly after the year 2000, when B&O, in an effort to create a statement product, approached Audi’s list of who’s who to obtain the then all new A8 über-sedan.  Months and months of engineering and designing went into this reference system.  The results speak for themselves:  immediately following the presentation back at Audi headquarters, the B&O system became an instant $6800 option on the A8.  Not surprisingly, most A8‘s were ordered with it!  In my esteemed opinion, the B&O A8 ranks as the highest performing OEM audio system, period. 

Back at the Aston Martin booth, I was immediately struck by the similar vein and experience I had become accustomed from my time in various B&O Audi’s.  Alas, a trade show is hardly the place to form a conclusive opinion of anything, thus, I kindly requested the DBS for review.  Hey, who doesn’t wish to be James Bond for a day, eh?  In truth, of course, I doubt that anyone will purchase the DBS for the Beosound system alone.  But, for those few fortunate enough to have the necessary coin to drop on the DBS, the Beosound system will prove to be a delight.  Let’s examine this system further, shall we?

Much like with the A8, B&O engineers started with a clean sheet of paper, in this case, the interior of the DBS.  Unlike your favorite home audio setup, designing a car audio system which rocks your boat is infinitely more challenging.  Instead of dealing with a relatively open space - your room - engineers have to deal with automotive intricacies such as the far smaller space filled with lots of stuff to start with.  Next, add the fact that your typical automobile cabin is full of obstacles - you know, the dashboard, seats, transmission tunnel, center console - one quickly realizes the difficulties which engineers are faced with.

In years past, engineers didn’t have much choice when it came to speaker placement and such, because car manufacturers didn’t take acoustic solutions into account - hence, a speaker was plucked here, another one there.  ‘Twil all sound good, right?!  In the end, one could at best hope for AM radio quality type sound in such an environment.  With the advent of switch mode amplification, digital signal processing DSP and in general, a far higher level of manufacturing integration, superior levels of audio fildelity are being realized today.

Sure, there are still aftermarket manufacturers making all sorts of incredible car audio show stoppers, alas, those (good ones at least) tend to cost a small fortune and still are perhaps only as good as these B&O OEM systems.  Inside the DBS, B&O engineers cleverly placed a total of 13 (!) custom designed loudspeakers, each with their own matching channel of custom ICE powered amplification.  Clearly, B&O has a house advantage here: not only do they design their own drivers but also all ancillary ICE powered amplification and DSP modules as well.  Total control.

Each of the speakers is strategically placed inside the DBS’s interior: what’s more, this is in fact B&O’s top car audio system, B&O’s Acoustic Lens Technology ALT, all inclusive.  Speaking of ALT.  This system, while inherently not some kind of magic wand,  was most recently applied to B&O’s top of the line home audio speakers, the BeoLab 5, which retail for handsomely less than the DBS.  That speaker is actually a pretty solid bargain in audiophilia.  At just shy of 15k, you get a truly reference quality chassis and speaker system capable of delivering the goods and looks.  The idea behind ALT is that high frequencies are dispersed in a 180 degree pattern from the source, thus creating a more wide ranging sweet spot for the listener.  Not a bad idea, especially for something like an automobile environment!

A healthy dose of clever DSP programming ads the right amount of stereo and surround image creation, which makes for listening that is more akin to a good home audio setup than your typical car scenario.  The stereo and surround effects are actually done rather tastefully, ie. B&O didn’t go off some whacky tangent to create a pseudo “oh, wow, Neil Young comes to you from every angle” sort of presentation.  In fact, the BeoSound system allows you to fine tune the amount of surround you wish to use to enhance the overall sonic picture.  

DSP also allows the system to fine tune itself based on ambient road noise, etc.  A car such as the DBS is meant to be driven, not baby-sitted around town.  Naturally, having an audio system capable of keeping up with this V12 engined 500+ horsepower beast is a good thing.  

Back inside the DBS, I tune out the awesome sonorous gargling sound of the V12 simply by applying a slight turn of the volume knob.  As my iPhone, loaded with apple lossless files, is sitting inside the center console, track after track pours out of the BeoSound system with such cunning, nay, stunning clarity, dynamics and well, err flair, that I am hard pressed to find any faults.  Passers by and those pesty gawkers on the side walk keep stopping by the DBS, knocking on the window insisting to have a listen… Yep, folks, that’s what it’s come to: purely minding my own business, just playing around some nice tunes, I keep getting mistaken for and hit on as though I were some kind of James Bond.  What’s this world coming to?!

Silly me.  Heck, the car freak I am, I’d be doing the same!  Besides, show me a man who in his right mind doesn’t want to be mistaken for that oh so suave super secret 00- agent?!  Everyone needs a hero.  Apparently all you need is about $300k and you’re in business, ‘cept for that license to kill: that you better leave for the real Double-O.  Back inside the DBS’s cabin, I am still awe struck with the sonic envelope the system affords the listener.  Love’s Divine, off Seal’s Best of 1991-2004 two-CD set, is a spectacularly well recorded piece of music, among the finest sounding pop songs I know of.  

From the opening thunder to the smooth fade to Seal’s vocals, the perception you get of this track on a home system is one of huge space, grandeur and volume.  On my Zu Definition 2’s, with a capable amp behind the speaker terminals, this track simply begs to be played reasonably loud.  Surprisingly, much the same holds true when you play this track inside the BeoSound DBS: you get this sort of effortless sense of power and Seal’s unmistakable singing just shines through the sonic landscape.  

Similarly, Beyonce’s If I Were A Boy (with keys to a DBS [right!]), is another such track which exemplifies the key characteristics of the B&O system.  Equally well recorded, Beyonce simply shines on this performance.  As the drums kick in at about 23 seconds into the track, you truly feel each thwack through your guts and bones.  Rather chilling.  As the intensity builds higher and higher, the BeoSound system simply gives you more of it, without breaking a sweat.  Equally stunning is the fact that with the surround settings set to factory levels, you do get just the right amount of stereo imaging inside the DBS’s tight quarters.  The soundstage opens up far and wide, appearing to stretch way beyond the ALT tweeters and door mounted mid-range drivers.  

Moving on to something with a dash more pepp, Chevelle’s An Evening With El Diablo off their Wonder What’s Next 2002 album, is just that.  A rockin’ piece of modern hard-rock, this track has a tendency to sound nothing but loud when played back on lesser systems - home or otherwise.  Blaring guitars, processed vocals and a tightly compressed, yet punchy drum line can all sound rather bland.  Only when your system is capable of resolving the finer intricacies of the recording, do you actually get to enjoy this track in ways perhaps unintended by Chevelle.  Much like at home, the DBS’s BeoSound system is truly capable of delivering the goods without coming across as simply being a loud boombox.  Drums are tightly defined, guitars loud, but not piercingly harsh; Pete Loeffler’s vocals carry just the right amount of weight and timbre.  

Good.  The BeoSound DBS sounds great parked at the curb with Johnny English occupying the driver’s seat as James Bond.  Does the tide turn when the DBS is driven around town or the local freeways?  Naturally, one has to take into account a few key facts.  First, the DBS is a sports car.  A very high performance sports car.  An insanely great performing sports car.  As such, once the ball starts rolling, you enter the world of road noise, tire noise, wind noise and that oh so special engine noise.  There simply isn’t much room left for an audio system, no matter how well designed it is.  

Flashback. “Bammm, Bammm.  Oh man.  What was that?!  Did I just ding the beautiful 19” bespoke magnesium wheels on this pothole?  Can’t be.  Which one?  Crap.  Ok, slow down, downshift, no cops in sight; ah… there’s a spot I can pull over to.  Wait.  There it is again.  Bammm, Bammm.  Eh… ok, there’s no pothole in sight, what was that?!  Ok… calm, peace and blood pressure back to normal.  Anxiety turns to instant relief. This is pretty cool.  The “Bammm, Bammm” was the sound of those subterrenean growls coming through the massive B&O sub playing cut penultimate off The Dark Knight Soundtrack.  

Killer sound, killer looks, killer car.  What else can one ask for?  Not much - though to be frank, nay, Roger, you could ask for some track time or a closed off street circuit.  Le Mans comes to mind, or Spa; perhaps the Nürburg Ring?  I can only imagine what this beast feels like when pushed hard, as in floored through Eau Rouge in top gear.  I bet you bottoms up that your intestines will peek through your nostrils, or, you will suffer the consequences of having downed that last quart of Belgisches Bier just before strapping yourself into this vehicular street fighter-fighter jet.  

Be that as it may, you can rest assured that you will at least get to enjoy Mahler’s 5th (perhaps even Kavi Alexander’s recording of said symphony, which is the most dynamic I know of) whilst pitting for that tummy stop and refuel.  Mahler’s musical brush strokes will paint vivid colors full of emotional ups and downs, all while B&O’s amplifiers are not even close to breaking a sweat.  No screech, no belching of ugly midrange misdemeanors, only pure, clean dynamicism made by Mahler.  While you are at it, throw in a dose of Telarc’s Terminator II soundtrack [Film & Fantasy Adventures].  Perfect bliss: Machine vs. Machine.  Man vs. Machine.  Man vs. Car.  As the synthesized metallurgical crescendos pierce the soundstage in realistic 3D imagery before and around you, the feeling of being there doesn’t quite begin to describe the sensation.

Woza. The end has arrived.  It’s Wednesday afternoon, the chaps from Aston Martin are swinging by shortly to pick up questa macchina.  I am sad to see her go.  Let me check my bank account - hey now!  Weren’t there supposed to be $300,000 in there?!  Theft! Police!  911!  Wait.  Danny, quit dreaming.  Sigh.  If I had the dough, I’d right a check instantly: this car is the quintessential gentleman’s sportscar.  The Bang & Olufsen soundsystem?  Well, that’s like a no-brainer bonafide coup de grace.  Mein Gott.  Every audiophile or anyone remotely appreciate of hi-fi in your car should go to a local Aston Martin dealer and at least audition this masterpiece.  Very, very outrageously well done!  Over-and-out.

Country of origin: USA

Model number: Intimus 6T – DB Hybrid XD 5.1 system

Price: $3769 direct from Aperion

Website: http://www.aperionaudio.com

Even before you press play, it’s easy to be impressed with Aperion Audio.  The checklist:

n  Best website I’ve seen in the industry.  Simple for novices, deep with information for the experienced.  Not just a sales site, but a resource.

n  30 day money back guarantee, free return shipping

n  1 year full value trade up program

n  10 year warranty

n  Easy access to technical support

OK, tells you nothing about how the speakers sound, but let’s you know there are some brains at work in the company.  These guys/gals ‘get it’, at least from the marketing/retail side.  The site is thought through and informative.

Then the boxes come, in my case the Intimus 6T – DB Hybrid XD 5.1 system at $3769.00.  A pair of 2 way 6T towers for the mains, 6C 3 way center channel, pair of 5DB bipole/dipole surrounds and the Bravus 12D  powered sub.  The checklist:

n  Everything extremely well packed

n  All speakers wrapped in satin/velvet bags. Strikes me as frivolity, but for many it provides some pride of ownership with which I won’t quarrel. 

n  Construction is rock solid

n  The finish, ahhh, the finish.  Yes, the Chinese have gloss black nailed, but here it is as smooth and seamless as I’ve seen on any speaker regardless of price.  They are also available in cherry veneer.

n  White gloves provided to protect that finish while handling.  I have pile of such gloves now, but it’s a nice touch given the quality of the finish.

Upon setup, more:

n  Extremely clear and informative manuals.  Should be a given but is rarely the case in audio.

n  Brass cones that screw snugly into the mains.  Again, should be a given, but…

n  Very simple, solid and effective brackets for flush wall mounting the surrounds, and they’re included.  No nickel and diming on essential ‘accessories’.

n  A channel cut into the back of the surrounds to accommodate the speaker wire.  I’ve installed more the a few supposed-to-sit-flat-on-the-wall surrounds that instead rest unstably against the wire. 

n  In short and again, everything thought through.  Confidence high.

SPECS, ETC.

I hit play and ….well let’s backtrack a sec. with some specs.  Common to all the speakers is construction out of 1” thick High Density Fiberboard (HDF), versus the more common medium density fiberboard (MDF).  According to Aperion, use of HDF obviates the need for internal bracing to provide an inert cabinet.   Further, the added heft it provides over MDF gives the speakers a rock solid feel that customer feedback has been very positive about.

The slim, nicely proportioned  6T towers (41’ x 7.75 x 11) feature new drivers over the model they replace:  a 1” silk dome tweeter and two 6.5” woven fiberglass midwoofers.  The 6C center channel adds a 5.25” midrange cone to that complement.  Makes sense in that clarity of dialogue is job one for the center channel, but unusual that a package matches two-way mains with a 3 way center. The 6C also has a useful boundary compensation switch that tailors dispersion characteristics to your specifiic placement.  Both speakers are efficient and present an easy load to the amplifier – they should work well with the mid-priced, medium-powered electronics they are likely to be paired with.  This is real world engineering.

The trapezoidal XD surrounds use the same silk dome tweeters on each of their two faces and add 5.25” woven fiberglass woofers.  They are switchable between bipole and dipole operation.  My preference is for more direct rather than diffuse information from the surrounds, thus all listening was done in bipole mode.

The Bravus 12D sub employs two side firing 12” aluminum woofers powered by a 500W digital amp in a 15.5” square enclosure.  The dual driver configuration provides a lot of air moving capability in a relatively small enclosure, and can cut the excursion that might be necessary with a single driver. This can add some speed and agility to the bass and can load the room more evenly as well.  

The 12D includes a parametric equalizer to smooth out in-room response, and customizible settings that can be saved under the headings of Movies, Music, and Games.  Settings are accessed via switches next to a small display on the front panel,  As I used the Audyssey EQ function on my Onkyo 9.8 for all movie listening, I didn’t test the EQ functions built into the Bravus. A small remote allows for level adjustment and preset selection from afar.

Aperion’s marketing materials tout the ‘curved design aestethic’ of the line.  Outside of slightly eased edges, the fronts and surrounds look like well finished boxes.  The 12D, however, has a Scandanavian-style wood ‘wrap’ that goes up the front face of the box, curves dramatically over the top and then down the back side of the speaker.  Simple and attractive.

LISTENING

Iron Man features a ridiculous True HD soundtrack with deep bass rumbles seemingly anytime someone enters a scene.  It’s about power and dynamics, and the Aperions delivered without losing composure.  The system energized my medium-sized room without compression, and the 12D sub was capable of impressive gut punch when called upon.  Though not as lockdown tight and detailed as my far more expensive JL f113, it provides a great foundation, particularly given its relatively small size.

The Dark Knight is a state-of-the-art True HD soundtrack in terms of transparency, which the Aperion system ably captured.  Further, it features a number of left/right, and front/back panning effects – the system handled these seamlessly – it’s an extremely well matched package.

In short, strengths of the Aperion system mirror my priorities for movie soundtracks.  The package delivers transparency, dynamics, seamlessness of surroundfield and the ability to play loud without strain or compression.  Resolution is good for the money, though spending significantly more has payoff, particularly with the new 'HD’ codecs.  My far more expensive VMPS fronts/Sunfire CRM2 surrounds rig, for example, is noticeably more resolving.

Moving onto music, I began with a DVD-A surround recording of Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’.  Here again, the system spoke with one voice.   On ‘Money’, manual cash register sounds fire at the listener from all directions.  That these sound the same from any direction is further evidence of the excellent matching among speakers in the Aperion system.  DSOTM further underlined the quick, dynamic quality of the package.

Using the 6Ts for stereo music listening underlined aforementioned strengths while revealing a few weaknesses.

Dave’s True Story’s albums are benchmarks for me not only for love of the music, but having seen them live several times I know exactly how they sound.  Further their albums are extremely well recorded  – no compression, great depth and resolution –- and thus are very revealing of equipment.

The 6Ts captured the quick attack and dynamics of ‘Crazy Eyes’ on their self-titled album, and left/right imaging was precise. Further, Kelly Flynt’s voice came through quite cleanly, but with a slight lack of body.  Reinforcing this thinness was a subtle foreshortening of the decay of notes.  I heard this phenomenon on cuts by artists ranging from Leonard Cohen to Sonic Youth.  I’ll attribute it to two things:  a general lack of body through the middle heard primarily on voices and strings, and a relative lack of soundstage depth, which helps put meat on the bones of music.  I’ll stick my head on the chopping block here and guess fourth-order slopes between the drivers.

Finally, although the 6Ts image well, these aren’t speakers that fool you into thinking you’re listening to something bigger by throwing an image well above their cabinets (see the Guru QM10).  The soundstage stays at speaker height with the 6Ts.

Back on the plus side, the 6Ts on their own are punchy and go surprisingly deep for their size – for $1390/pr you are getting a legitimately full range speaker --   sub appreciated but not required.  You could start with a pair of 6Ts and eventually build out an HT system without feeling like you were just killing time until the bass showed up.

ALTERNATIVES

My $1300/pr. Amphion Ion monitors just float images out in space, and are even cleaner sounding than the 6Ts.  They have some magic with music that eludes the 6Ts. However, they don’t go nearly as low or as loud, and even in a surround system with five Ions and a sub, are unlikely to play with as much power as the Aperion package. 

For similar cost I believe you could build a superior system for music and movies around the $975/pr. VMPS 626jr.  You would get the dynamics and loudness capability of of the Aperion system, as well as some of the musical texture and depth that they subtly lack.  HOWEVER, the VMPS’s aren’t nearly well-finished nor as user friendly.  You will need more powerful amplification. There is no on-wall mounting option for surrounds without going much higher in price, and they are tweaky to setup, which may not appeal.  And while customer support is very good, it lacks the polish and depth presented by Aperion.

CONCLUSION

This is a great value play for music and movies. I have not seen a better-built, better-looking package than this for under $4000.  The Aperion system plays with power, composure and coherence  -- they excel at all important parameters for soundtracks.   For music, I find the package good but not great at the price. However, Aperion’s thirty day return policy which includes free return shipping makes auditioning a true no-risk process -- if you’re in the market, order and draw your own conclusions.

Vista Audio is one of those boutique brands whose small scale operation and reliance on word of mouth sales generate something of a mysterious anonymity. Few people have heard of the name, and even fewer have actually heard or owned something by them. My first taste of the New York-based company came back in 2007 when the owner, Boris Sasic, submitted his 15wpc tube integrate dubbed the i84 in for my review . I admit that the time, I was not expecting anything exciting from this obscure piece. After all, it looked just like every other ho-hum sub $1000 tube integrate, and its plebian tube complement inspired no reason to expect anything extraordinary. It’s funny how deceiving looks can be. Upon first listen, I was instantly reminded of why it’s never a good idea to judge a book by its cover. I ended up enjoying the little i84 so much that I gave it the nod for the 07’ Product of the Year award. Positive Feedback also bestowed the same honors to the i84 that year.

Months later, Boris informed me that he was about ready to introduce a new amplifier, one designed to output twice the power of the i84 while still keeping the price below a grand. When asked if I would be interested to take it for a spin, I answered back when an enthusiastic “Hell yeah!”  Shortly thereafter, the brand new i34 landed at my doorstep.

First Impressions

Now I wish I could say that history repeated itself and that Boris had crafted yet another gem, but unfortunately, things didn’t go so well this time around. The new i34 ended up sounding no better than any other affordable tube integrate I’ve come across. Ironically, it was the sort of mediocre performance I initially expected out of the i84. After two weeks of play, I informed Boris that the review was a no-go. The new amp simply wasn’t up to par, and although I could have easily published a not-so-positive review, I knew the i34 had enormous potential and did not accurately reflect Boris’s skill as an engineer. Into the box and back to New York it went. Damn!

So what went wrong? Well, the i34 Boris sent me was something of a Frankenstein, the result of over applied tweaks and adjustments that were influenced by feedback submitted from a number of audiophiles in his locale. Though this garnering of suggestions was an honest attempt to help create a well rounded product, the results failed to cut the mustard and arguably disabled what was otherwise a solid design from the get go. Not so surprisingly, Boris reverted back to the original recipe with sparingly few modifications added to it. A year later, I was asked if I would be interested in giving the i34 another shot. “Absolutely” was my more tame reply.

Getting to know the i34

Priced at $980, weighing 24lbs, and rated at 35wpc, the i34 takes the helm as the heaviest, most powerful, and most expensive integrate to adorn the Vista Audio badge. Boris designed the i34 to maintain all the virtues of a good tube amp without compromise to linearity and the ability to comfortably drive a wide array of loudspeakers. One of the biggest challenges Boris faced while designing the i34 was finding an affordable output tube that had the power and bandwidth necessary to achieve his goals. Unfortunately, the standard go-to EL-34 tube proved too limited at the frequency extremes to get the job done.

The solution came by the way of the E34L tube, which is a newer, more improved version of the EL-34. Despite the outrageously subtle difference in name designation, what sets the E34L apart from its identical cousin is bandwidth capacity. Since Boris firmly believes that each component should adequately cover an extended frequency range between 10Hz-50kHz, the E34Lwas the obvious choice over the more limited EL-34. According to Boris, other advantages the E34L tube offers is: “Better bass control, clearer highs, midrange smoothness, and longer tube life”.  Crafted around a simple push/pull configuration and armed with a quad set of E34L power tubes and two ECC832 signal tubes, the basic foundation for the i34 was born.

The i34 is built around a very simple circuit. Its short signal path is designed to allow the tubes the freedom to express themselves clearly without the touch of an additional aural fingerprint. When it came time to select a transformer, Boris turned to Trafomatic iron to deliver the sonic goods. “Significant effort was invested in the output transformers. Relative to the transformers used in the i84 (which use more forgiving EL84 tubes), the i34 output transformers are two generations more advanced. Major differences are in winding techniques and annealing of the toroidal cores”. 

Beyond showcasing first rate aural chops, the i34 was also engineered to be incredibly reliable and easy to operate. Boris knows that one of the largest compromises inherent to tube ownership is the maintenance required to keep things running smoothly. For all the virtuous ear candy that tubes provide, the cost of tube replacement and the effort it takes to replace those tubes properly is a turn off for many listeners. The good news is that the tube complement that the i34 uses boast of long operational life and are inexpensive to replace. The better news is that the i34 features an auto-biasing circuit, meaning that when it comes time to replace your old tubes, all you have to do is take the new tubes, plug them in, then sit down and enjoy the music. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Top it all off with a robust stainless steel chassis, a well written user-manual, a two-year warranty, and a relatively compact profile, and you’ve got the makings of a very well rounded piece of hi-fi. The question then becomes, how does it sound?

Performance Summary

Absolutely fantastic! Take this for what it’s worth, but the i34 is one of the few electronic components I’ve come across as both a hobbyist and a reviewer that I could recommend to just about anyone running conventional loudspeakers in a medium sized room. It’s all-around performance competes well above its price point, and may in fact be one of the best sounding integrates that I’ve encountered at this level, be it tube or solid state. So what is it about the i34 that incites me to make such bold claims?

Let’s begin with one of the i34’s most salient attributes, linearity. Most affordable tube components in this class tend to tip towards one particular side of the sliding scale or the other. Either the sound is big and meaty (think Prima Luna), or it is powerful with tilted treble (think Jolida). Each example comes with its own set of virtues and vices. The beautiful thing about the i34 is that its sound falls into neither category. There is no annoyingly fat mid-bass hump woven into its presentation, nor is there an over emphasis of detail. Instead, the i34 maintains exceptional balance across the entire frequency range, allowing the music to express itself clearly. It is a talent that is usually exclusive to gear that occupies a much higher echelon of stereo exotica.

Still, there is no component that is completely free of an identifiable sonic fingerprint. Though the i34 never strives to over achieve in any one particular aspect of reproduction, its tube complement imbues a subtle yet noticeable organic richness into the sound. This texture, combined with the habit of delivering the music in the classic ‘mid-hall’ denotation, creates a character that I would classify as being on the dark side of neutral. This results in something of an introspective sound, which is a presentation that invites you to listen into the musical performance as opposed to pushing the event so forward that it’s within inches of your nose.

A common approach used by many manufacturers offering electronics in the $1000 territory is to either depress high frequency response to create a sense of smoothness, or to artificially boost the treble in effort to achieve the illusion of greater detail and air. You’ll find no parlor tricks with the i34. Holding true to the 10hz-50Khz mantra, Boris keeps the bandwidth wide open to allow the i34 to extract as much detail from the recording as possible so it can reproduce that detail with a natural sense of ease. Indeed, the sheer amount of detail the i34 is able to muster up is extraordinary. I heard information on familiar recordings that I’ve never heard before through components at anywhere near the price. Never once did the treble sound rough or forced. Instead, all the elements of air, detail, and liveliness were presented in very natural form. The low level resolution also proved to be exceptional. While I would expect this type of performance from an integrate hovering in the $3000 territory, coming across these kind of aural chops at under a grand is flat out exciting! Hmm, maybe Boris is onto something with that 10Hz-50kHz stuff. 

Like the majority of tube amps, the midrange is where the i34 makes its strongest showing. The i34’s midrange is incredibly open, linear, and clear. It does not suffer from the routine over/under emphasis of mid-bass that plague most competing products in this range. While lovers of syrupy blossom and bloom may be slightly disappointed with the i34’s lack of faux body, I’d imagine that it wouldn’t take long for anyone to appreciate the i34’s “rightness”. “Right”, being the key word. Although painfully subjective, it is the word I keep coming back to time and time again to describe the i34’s midrange. Vocals do not suffer from chestiness. Guitars do not sound overly full and resonant. Brass and strings never come across as unnaturally thick or breathy.  Instead, everything is rendered with proper scale and tone. The i34 really is an overachiever in this regard, especially when you consider its price.

The low end is where things get interesting. On one hand, if you have speakers that use energy-efficient drivers that do not require gobs of high octane fuel to respond quickly and tactfully, the i34’s bass, much like the midrange, remains very linear, open, and detailed. During my listening sessions, I was impressed by how deep and how hard the bass could hit when attached to my relatively efficient set of towers from Totem Acoustic. The low end’s definition and ability to follow quick fingered bass lines proved to be exceptional, and things only got better once I paired the i34 with a set of more efficient loudspeakers from Audio Note.

However, when paired with loudspeakers that feature more demanding woofers, the rhythm and speed of the bass became somewhat compromised. For example, the other set of Totem Acoustic loudspeakers that I own employ a current-thirsty woofer from Dynaudio. When attached to the i34, it’s clear that the speakers could benefit from an amp that has a bit more low-end control. The same also holds true for my set of monitors from Mark and Daniel. Though the detail and weight of the bass remained impressively strong on both speakers, the agility of the bass simply wasn’t as agile as it was when driving the less demanding Totem towers and Audio Note’s.

When it comes to soundstaging, the i34 creates a very pinpoint image that is very focused in between the loudspeakers. Though it does not throw out a holographic wall-to-wall field of sound, what it does present is very clear, detailed, and rich in depth. Those who enjoy their music at low levels will find the i34 to maintain its signature without ever falling into the dull and lifeless side of town. Image height is also very solid and consistent with the rest of the presentation. I firmly believe that any well engineered piece of electronics can image well, and the i34 does not disappoint in this regard.

Performance Summary – What it isn’t

Like all components, not everything about the i34 is perfect. Dynamically, the i34 is no revelation. This is not to say it’s under powered or unable to drive average loudspeakers well. In fact, I was surprised by how comfortable it was driving difficult loads. It effortlessly powered my Martin Logan Vantage towers, which are a set of hybrid electrostatics that boast of a reactive load with a particularly nasty 1ohm dip at 20kHz. Many lesser tube and solid state amps would fry under such conditions. It’s only when tasked to reproduce powerful crescendos does the i34’s gentle rendering of dynamics point to the inherent limitations that you would come to expect from a 35wpc amp that relies on small output power tubes. Do you get good dynamics? Yes. All things considered, you get great dynamics, but they still fall notably short when compared directly to high current solid state devices.

Well constructed and tested thoroughly before shipment, the i34’ build communicates excellent solidarity and pride. That said, it still does not match the kind of industrial strength quality found on electronics from the likes of Prima Luna, Cayin, or a whole host of Chinese-based manufacturers. It’s simple layout also translates into sparse features. All you get is three sets of inputs, an input selector, and a volume control. If you desire a variable output to use with a subwoofer, Boris can convert one of the inputs for a small fee. Vista Audio also offers a remote controlled i34 to the tune of an additional $200.

Really and truly though, when you consider the topology and price of the i34, all of the above can easily be written off as sins of omission. The only damning thing I could find about the i34 has to do with mechanical noise. The problem is that the as the AC current goes through the E34L tubes, the spirals stretch and expand, causing the filaments inside the tube to buzz. This buzz is quite audible, and although Boris notes that I am the only person to complain about the noise, it is nonetheless a legit issue that others may have a problem with. Now, according to Boris, the latest batch of JJ E34L tubes are much more quiet than the set I have. Since I did not try out these new tubes prior to writing this article, all I can do is take the man for his word.

The Conclusion

In summary, the Vista Audio i34 is a surprisingly capable integrated whose operational simplicity and class leading performances makes for an incredibly easy and safe recommendation. The real cherry on top comes from the generous 14 day money back guarantee that becomes retroactive afterwards for up to 60 days! Out of all the components I have owned and reviewed up to this point, the i34 stands as one of the only truly affordable tube integrates that I’ve encountered that has the goods necessary to satisfy both the experienced audiophiles and the audiophile in training. If you are in the market for a one chassis solution that won’t break the bank, the i34 is an absolute must-audition! I cannot recommend it highly enough!

                                                                                                                                    Sean Fowler

Vista Audio

Company website:       www.vista-audio.com

It doesn’t require a potions degree from Hogwarts to apperceive your familiarity with the McIntosh name. For 60 years, the venerable company has held to the tradition of serving generations of audiophiles, musicians, and wealthy professionals with first rate audio electronics. It’s one of the few brands in the business that is so synonymous with hi-fi that even a non-enthusiast muggle stands a chance of recognizing the trademark vintage green moniker and big blue power meters. Today Sonicflare takes a look at one of the latest additions to enter the McIntosh catalogue, the MA7000 integrate amplifier.

Under the hood

Weighing in at nearly 100lbs, measuring roughly 17.5”W x 9.5”H x 22”D, dishing out a solid 250wpc into 8, 4, and 2 ohms, and flashing a shelf tag of $8000.00 USD, the MA7000 asserts itself as the most substantial, most powerful, and most expensive integrate to ever adorn the McIntosh stripes. Sporting a massive retro look that un-bashfully exudes confidence, power and refinement, it’s the proverbial antithesis of slim lifestyle sized hardware. When around the MA7000, it’s easy to lose ones sense of propriety. After wrestling the unit out of its shipping carton and setting it on the equipment, you cannot help but feel that it is one of the most bad-ass integrated amplifiers ever released by a mainstream manufacturer south of the $15,000 mark.  So what exactly is under the hood of this thing?

In a nutshell, the MA7000 is a modified MC252 amplifier with an analog passive-pre-amp attached to it. The pre-amp section on board the MA7000 is virtually identical to the MA6900 integrated. What sets the MA7000 apart from its little brother is the amplification section, which takes the MC252 and gives it a better circuit layout for improved sound quality along with ThermalTrak technology for lower distortion and more efficient operation. According to McIntosh, the amplifier housed inside of the MA7000 outperforms a stand-alone MC252. 

From the polished stainless steel chassis to the glass front panel and the big blue illuminating power meters, everything on the MA7000 communicates bona fide Mac-ism. Exclusive to the MA7000 are a set of machined aluminum rack handles that flank each side of the front panel. I found these handles to be as practical as they are aesthetically pleasing, as the extra grip they provide makes it easier to manage dealing with the 97.5 pound piece while moving it around and positioning it on an equipment rack. Another first for the MA7000 is a full set of balanced inputs and outputs which enables connectivity to a wider array of products. It is important to note however that the MA7000 is not a natively balanced design and instead operates off the standard single-ended circuit. 

Many integrate amplifiers in this price class are often purist in nature and thus lack many features that are found even on inexpensive entry level components. McIntosh feels this shouldn’t be so, and incorporates a number of useful additions to the MA7000 uncommon with competitive products in this range such as a built-in high quality Moving Magnet (MM) Phono-stage for the vinyl lover, a first class headphone section for the ‘can’ enthusiast, and a very effective 5-band equalizer for those who want to toggle between linearity and color, the latter being particularly useful when listening to recordings that never received the audiophile treatment. Just a little more bass here or a little less treble there and suddenly you’ll find yourself listening to music you long discarded due to inept sound quality. 

For McIntosh, bullet proof construction is equally as important as sound quality and features. Built to provide decades of reliable and consistent performance, the MA7000 is chalk full of technologies that help prevent life shortening wear and tear on both the unit itself and your loudspeakers. From the use of long lasting fiber optic lighting to a number of innovative circuits such as McIntosh’s own Sentry Monitor, which protects against voltage spikes, and Power Guard, a circuit that monitors the input and output signals and adjusts voltage on the fly to prevent harmful clipping, it’s difficult to imagine an electrical circumstance that could pierce through the MA7000’s built-in protection. 

The MA7000 also includes Autoformers, which are low distortion transformers that output consistent power into loudspeaker impedances of 2, 4, or 8 ohm’s. With 250 watts per channel, there aren’t too many loudspeakers on planet earth that the MA7000 cannot power well. To top it all off, McIntosh employs its own ThermalTrak technology to ensure that the amp stays nice and cool. While most amplifiers rely on a separate transistor to control the bias along the main voltage rails, ThermalTrak devices are physically attached to each output power transistor inside the amp. This allows for instantaneous bias control which results in lower distortion and more efficient operation. It also means that the amp will run cooler and ultimately last longer.

Throw in data ports for home automation, a full functional remote control, an exceptionally well written user manual and a 3 year warranty and the only thing missing from this piece is an attachment that serves you breakfast in bed.

Performance Summary: The Yin

There’s a longstanding joke among some audiophiles that McIntosh solid state components sound more lush and romantic than their tube counterparts. Because I am such a greenhorn with Mac gear, I’m unable to form a worthwhile take on the matter. That said, my stint with the MA6300 integrate last summer confirmed that at least one current-production transistor piece of theirs has a presentation that can be categorized as lush. Since most ubiquitous manufacturers keep to the sacrosanct tradition of maintaining a ‘house sound’ throughout a product line, I felt it was safe to assume that the MA7000 would inherit the MA6300’s character, albeit en’ improved form. As it turns out, my assumption was far off the mark. 

The moment the MA7000 began playing music was the very moment I realized that the only thing this piece had in common with the MA6300 is a similar look and the same brand logo. There was no doubting it, not even for a second. While the MA6300 has an enjoyable sound that is reminiscent of classic 60’s and 70’s era hi-fi, the MA7000 takes on a modern and polished presentation that is all about resolution, transparency, and linearity. There is no detectable grit to the highs. No blossom and bloom in the midrange and bass. Instead, the sound is balanced, powerful, controlled, and clean. Wise tales be damned, the MA7000 is a piece that proudly champions solid state chops without ever attempting to sound like something that it’s not.

With all EQ parameters set to flat, the MA7000’s lack of an obvious aural fingerprint makes it an easy candidate to submit under the “tell it like it is” camp. It’s the type of piece that will show you everything going on in your system, for better and for worse. For some listeners, this open, dynamic, transparent, and detail oriented sound will be music to the ears. For others, it may be a bit too much of a good thing. If you happen to fall into the latter camp, don’t worry. McIntosh has already got you covered with the built in EQ, which not only allows you to flavor the sound according to your taste, but also allows you to adjust the sound per individual recording! Also, bear in mind that linear sounding amplifiers enable you to color the sound in different ways, be it your cables, your source, or what have you. Personally, I prefer the sound with the EQ set to flat.  Leaving things in this configuration, I feel that the presentation of the MA7000 rests comfortably between the classic ‘up close and personal’ and the ‘mid-hall’ denotations. This means that the sound is forward enough to capture the raw energy of a live performance without ever rubbing your nose in it. Ultimately though, every component has its own character. If I had to pick a word to describe the MA7000’s sound, it would be ‘dark’. Well, ok, how about “slightly dark”. 

Straight out of the box, one of the most standout virtues of the MA7000, aside from its power and fine integration of the main frequency bands, is the amount of detail it effortlessly extracts from a recording. Though its rendering of detail is unquestionably revealing in nature, the MA7000 sounds incredibly smooth on the top end and never dips into the grit and grain territory that plagues many other high end “tell it like it is” components. Of course, along with this clarity comes all the wonderful sense of air and separation around the instruments and vocalists that one should expect from a component at this price point, thus enabling you to hear further into a recording and to gather a fresh perspective on familiar music. 

Much like the top end, the midrange on the MA7000 is quick, full of detail, air, and sports a very open and linear sound. Those of you who believe that the midrange is the most important aspect of sound reproduction and feel that it should never suffer from artificial flavoring will absolutely love how the MA7000 plays music. It simply recreates whatever is fed through it. If the recording is open and rich sounding, that’s what you’ll get. If it’s lean and thin, that’s what you’ll get. This is certainly not an integrate that suffers from the “sameness” effect, which is a byproduct of tonal color that ultimately causes all of your music to sound the same. Instead, the MA7000 allows you to explore your music collection and enjoy a varied experience from disc to disc. 

Glancing at the MA7000’s monstrous façade, it’s easy to assume that the bass will be as bombastic as the look itself. After all, there is usually a parallel between the way a component looks and the way that it performs. Although the appearance of the MA7000 suggests that it may overwhelm your system with gargantuan bass, what it actually delivers flows right in line with the rest of its presentation, preferring instead to give a quick, detailed, finely balanced, and tactile response. With the MA7000, the measure of good bass is all about how it integrates into the music, which as many would argue, is exactly how it should be. 

Make no mistake about it though, the MA7000 can rumble when called upon to do so. In fact, the MA7000 may be one of the few integrates that can genuinely surpass numerous high power separate components in terms of delivering raw visceral dynamic power. If someone were to tell me that the MA7000’s ability to provide the current necessary to accurately reproduce the sensation of a live performance were its most salient attribute, I wouldn’t disagree. Indeed, even at low volumes, the mighty integrate has the ability to project sound in a way that mimics the interplay between live instruments inside of a room.

Performance Summary: The Yang

Picking apart components of this pedigree can be challenging because most of the pieces that occupy this echelon are fairly well engineered and well rounded products. Usually it takes a direct compare and contrast sessions against two similar components to fully assess what one item brings to the table that the other does not. In this review, I’m going to use the Karan Acoustic KA I-180 integrated as an example. 

At $10,500, the Karan is notably more expensive than the MA7000. It’s also marketed towards a completely different type of buyer – the purist. The MA7000 by contrast is built to appease a wider audience ranging from the audiophile to the wealthy professional and anyone in between. Still, they are nonetheless pricey super-integrate amplifiers and as such, are worth a direct comparison.

Keeping it simple, for $2500 more than the MA7000, the Karan KA I-180 will give you stronger bass, a more open and organic sounding midrange, superior linearity, and a wider sound-stage. Subjectively speaking, the Karan’s ability to dance between the lines that typically separate the transistor sound from the tube sound is a virtue that few transistor amplifiers I’ve happened across possess. If you’re a purist that demands the very best stereo performance and have no interest in features and do not mind the wait period for a new amp (provided you can find one), than the Karan is for you.

Looking to the MA7000, though disadvantaged in terms of price, the MA7000 is more dynamic, sports better treble clarity, and can handle far more difficult impedance loads. The McIntosh MA7000 is also found in more dealer showrooms worldwide, thus making it far easier to audition than the Karan Acoustic integrate. The MA7000 also benefits from McIntosh inventorying a plethora of parts to ensure that they will have some available in case there is a need for repair decades after your purchase. At the end of the day, both products are exceptional considering their general design and who they were built for.

Comparisons aside, the only complaints I have to lobby against the MA7000 have nothing to do with its performance and everything to do with simple but noteworthy oversights. For starters, this unit does not have even one single ended (RCA) output. So if you want to attach a sub to the MA7000, you will have to either go from the balanced output (or buy an XLR-to-RCA adapter should your sub lack a balanced input), or ghetto rig your sub into the system by removing the jumper connecting the main in/power out and then use a Y splitter to connect to your sub. Second, there is no HT bypass. Sorry home-theater buffs! Third, there is no way to disable the lights on the big blue power meters. If you enjoy listening to music in a pitch-black room, you may have difficulty doing so with two bright blue lights beaming towards your eyes. These hiccups aside, I feel that the MA7000 leaves little room for improvement. 

The Finale

Big, powerful, reliable, and endowed with the sonic chops necessary to ace the performance parameters audiophiles have come to know and expect, the MA7000 is a fantastic integrated that is hard not to love. Couple its sonic accomplishments with its intuitive layout, noiseless operation, and rock-solid build, and you’ve got the kind of piece worth rushing home to after a day of hard work. For those of you shopping the upper leagues of hi-fi in search of a final destination from of a one-box design, the MA7000 may be one of the most compelling solutions to have come around in a long time. Very highly recommended!

McIntosh Laboratory

2 Chambers Street, Binghamton, NY 13903-2699

Websites: http://www.mcintoshlabs.com

Phone: 1-800-538-6576

Manufacturer: Analysis Audio
Model: Omega
Country of origin: Greece
Price: $22,000
Website: http://www.analysisaudio.com/
Website: http://www.analysisaudiousa.com/ (US distributor/site)

BACK STORY

Ribbons and I go way back. My circa 1980 Phase Research Little Ds had a ribbon tweeter/mid that was extremely fast and smooth sounding – qualities never quite matched to the same extent with the many domes and cones that followed. Twenty years later I finally returned to ribbons via my VMPS RM 40s which employ the technology in the mid and high frequency drivers. In fact, my entire surround system is ribboned, with a VMPS LRC in the center and four Sunfire CRM 2s for surrounds. VMPS did not offer a surround solution that worked from me; the Sunfire’s are the result of my experience that ribbons have innate qualities that would make them a better match for my fronts than any traditional dome speaker.

Notable speed, transparency, texture and liquidity – that’s what you get with good ribbon drivers. It’s addictive, and I’d be surprised if any future reference speakers of mine employ solely conventional dynamic drivers.

The appeal of ribbon technology is their extremely light weight which should translate into excellent transient performance as well as little or no resonance of consequence to muddle sound. A ribbon tweeter can be up to fifty times lighter than a dome. In relative weight, that’s a tiger versus an elephant. Which one will have an easier time cleanly starting and stopping; tracing fast-changing musical signals?

So why doesn’t everyone use them?

Ribbons have the reputation of being non-linear, fragile, and power hungry among other maladies. However, advances in materials and fabrication processes, such as neodynium magnets, kapton, and lamination techniques, along with lower prices for some of these have moved ribbon drivers from a niche product to the relatively commonplace. Manufacturers such as Meridian, Verity, Monitor Audio, Aerial, BG/Wisdom, Adam, Aurum Cantus, and others use ribbon drivers, and often in their top line speakers.

The aforementioned manufacturers use the technology for highs and/or mids only. Low frequencies require moving a lot of air, and this typically requires driver excursion. Broadly, a driver with a square foot of surface area has to move three times as far a driver with three feet of surface area to excite the same amount of air. Ribbons typically have minimal excursion.

The Analysis Audio Omegas take the ribbon concept full range and boxless. Dispensing with cones eliminates the need to sonically integrate the two different technologies and, hopefully, carries the qualities associated with ribbons into the bass regions. To get around the excursion issue, the Omegas have over four square feet of driver surface area per speaker. Now that’s wavelaunch! It also means that the Omega sounds louder per watt than its efficiency rating might suggest.

SPECS/INFO/SETUP

Analysis Audio speakers are built in Greece, with parts and materials sourced from the three continents. The Omega sits in the middle of the five speaker Analysis Audio lineup. Like the rest of the Analysis line, the Omega is a two-way. The tweeter/midrange, made of kapton is about an inch wide and runs nearly the length of the speaker along its inside wall. It is crossed over at 650hz to a much larger bass panel made of mylar that fills the majority of the speaker frame. You might wonder how such a large sheet of a superthin material would have much structural stability. Analysis embeds the electrical conductors into the membrane, which help provide torsional integrity.

The Omega measures is 66”H x 24”W x 2.4”D and weigh 99 pounds. Frequency response is specified at 22 - 20000hz with an impedence of 5 ohms. Forget the current sucking 1 ohm impedence of full range ribbons past. Recommended amplifier power is 50 – 400 watts.

The speaker frame is made of MDF with machined contours that act as a waveguide for the tweeter. The crossover sits in a separate box next to the speaker. Fit ‘n finish is exemplary – it an obviously a well made product.

Analysis describes its speakers as ‘magnetostatic’, meaning that powerful neodynium magnets drive the panels, in contrast to electrostatics speakers such as Martin Logans where the membranes are activated by electricity from the wall. The approach requires tight manufacturing tolerances – the magnets must be placed with great precision behind or around the membranes to create a uniform field. Analysis argues that the magnetostatic approach has inherent advantages, and in fact, the Omegas sounded more dynamic than MLs I’ve heard, though it’s been a few years since I’ve spent some time with those speakers.

Driving the Omegas was my 200wpc Llano Trinity tube/solid state hybrid amp fed by an Audio Aero Prima MKII DAC/preamp. After a bit of listening, I followed a hunch and swapped out the JJ12AT7 tubes in the amp with Ei12AX7s. The Eis have a bit more extension at frequency extremes than the JJs as well as more gain. I’m generally skeptical of sonic revelations reported from tube rolling (or cable swapping, cone dipping, quantum level purifying and so forth), but the change yielded some obvious and welcome punchiness.

The panels are dipolar radiators, meaning sound comes out of the front and back of the speaker. Further, the radiation pattern is cartiod or teardop-shaped in the horizontal plane, which is helpful in diminishing the sidewall first reflection.

As I’ve found in the past with dipoles, placement takes some time. While the rear radiation adds depth to the presentation, getting precise left/right imaging is tricky. I experimented with distances to the front wall and sidewalls, as well as zero to extreme toe-in. I wound up, surprisingly, with no toe-in and the speakers about three feet off my front wall, and twenty inches from the side wall. Listening distance was ten feet.

SOUND

Note: I use the VMPS RM40 as a point of comparison not only because I own/know them, but to give the reader an idea of how a full range ribbon panel compares to a high quality, more conventional ‘box’ speaker, one with notable transparency, dynamics and coherence among multiple drivers. In fairness, the RM40 is about a third the price of the Omega.

With the Omegas, I never got the lockdown imaging precision like that of a studio monitor or, say, my RM40s. Voices came from between the speakers but never from a focused point, rather they emanated from a circle a couple of feet in diameter. Further, instruments were often a bit bunched between the speakers. I tweaked, toed, and teased; in my room anyway, these minor issues remained on many recordings.

Mike Kallelis, the distributor for Analysis, thought that the movie screen that sits between the speakers in my room may be to blame. Behind it, I have some absorbative panels, but the screen itself might reflect sound in a detrimental way exacerbated by dipoles. In a setup at Mike’s house with the top of the line Analysis Orions, imaging was more focused. The Omegas may be more capable in this area than I found in my room.

I did, however, get great image depth – a rarer thing than left/right precision and one that adds hugely to realism.

Combine extreme transparency, the seeming ability to start and stop instantaneously and innate resolving powers, and the result is stunning detail and texture. Proper decay as per the instrument but absolutely no overhang. The opening guitar chords of Lou Reed’s ‘Turn to Me’ (New Sensations – his most underrated) just shred the air through the Omegas.

David Johansen’s ‘Somebody Buy Me a Drink’ from the fantastic Chesky recording showed great definition and texture from cymbals down to bass guitar. Now stretch these qualities into three dimensions as the Omega’s do and the result is palpability, music that feels alive. Microdynamics, the tiny wavers in a voice or note that keeps us on edge are as good as I’ve heard.

My notes are consistent from cut to cut. More depth and layering than I’ve ever heard in my room from most recordings. Extreme bass clarity with seemingly zero bloat. Precision, speed and air. Effortless high frequency extension without glare. Images reside a bit more behind the speakers than many other speakers I’ve reviewed. No sense of individual drivers. Seductive liquidity. Tonally pure. Extremely resolving.

A note here on the issue of resolution versus musicality which I’ve heard some audiophiles float. Like the economy versus the environment, it’s a false choice. Hard etching is one thing, detail is another. Most of my listening is in the rock/jazz/blues/pop genres. This means a lot of studio recordings, many of which are recorded to retain as much detail as possible. For such recordings, maximum detail extraction simply makes the listening experience more real for me. Man I want Lou’s guitar to be sharp and vicious! Move on to live recordings and the detail will likely be softened by the recording space anyway, I’m not looking for a speaker to further the process.

Cranking up the Omegas revealed a bit of macrodynamic compression versus the RM40s, but with obvious gains in transparency and the ability to hear and see each instrument in space. Complex passages were effortlessly sorted and separated. The 40s are no slouches in these departments, but the Omegas are simply another level.

They do not, however, go as deep as the RM40s, nor do they have as much bass impact. If you’re a closet head banger like me, or less glibly, deep bass and a sense of force down there is important to you, look further up the Analysis line to their larger panels, or try adding a sub. But it better be a good one and fast as hell or you’ll get the disconnect often heard in hybrid panel/dynamic speakers. My JL Audio f113 fit the bill. It’s extraordinarily quick and clean. Figuring that I’d want to stay out of the way of the speed and quality of the bass panel as much as possible, I got good results crossing over at 40hz. Not perfect integration, but close enough so that I felt further tweaking would make the combo viable in the long term.

Listening to Duffy’s ‘Rockferry’ was a turning point. Kids finally down, I fell onto the sofa next to my wife and hit play. Despite being a not-so-great recording, let’s just say it: it’s as close to the sound and feeling of a live event as I’ve had in my room. The music was soaring, monumental. HUGE soundfield, layers and layers of instruments without slurring. Tactility. Once tired parents now invigorated. Where do I sign?

There are a lot of reasons music is an important part of my life, but it started and always ends with the capacity to thrill from the inside out. Get my blood pumping, my body moving, my spirit sky high… I seek components that leave my overdeveloped critical facilities disarmed. Bottom line engagement is my first point of judgment – it’s a usually immediate, gut thing that I’ve come to trust over the years. It’s what my final judgment rests on as well. In between is analysis; defining this engagement, breaking it down into its parts so the reader can make a judgment based on their particular tastes.

CONCLUSION

The Omegas do several important things as good as I’ve heard and, bottom line, got me closer to live music on some tracks than I’ve ever been in my room. I did, however, note slight macrodynamic compression at higher volumes and a lack of deeper bass force and dynamic punch. The bass issue is addressable with a high quality sub. Further, and less important to me, there is a bit of a trade off here on ultimate image focus versus the great image depth presented.

The Omegas are benchmarks of speed, precision, transparency, and spatial layering. A different beast from the plethora of cabinet speakers out there, they may redefine a bit what you think is most important to making it real in music reproduction. If you are looking to spend in the neighborhood of the Omegas, they are a must listen. You may find that boxes filled with cones and domes just aren’t as transporting.

Manufacturer: Goldenote Italy (formerly Bluenote Italy), http://www.goldenote.it/

Country of Origin: Italy

Model Name: Bluenote Ducale

Interfaced with: Tom Hills, the U.S. distributor of Bluenote/Goldenote, of Hudson Audio (http://www.hudsonaudio.com/)

Contact: HUDS143@aol.com, 201-768-0672

Additional comments: Tom is a seasoned audio professional who also provides repair services. His Hudson Audio, aside from Bluenote Italy products, also represents FJ and Omega loudspeakers, among others.

Conclusion First: Bluenote Ducale monitors are category-defying small speakers which offer dynamic and clear musicality that belies their size, with robust bass performance that is truly surprising.

SonicCircle Sound: At first, one might be tempted to group the Ducales with the “Intense” group because of their clarity of sound, but with small-scale vocal, chamber or instrumental music, they have an incandescent warmth.

TechTalk: Unlike some expensive loudspeakers that utilize cheaper parts, Ducales do not compromise on their parts, and utilize premium parts. Most notable is the use of the inverted ceramic tweeters from the vaunted Accuton of Germany. But what of the commonly perceived notion that “hard” tweeters sound too bright or harsh? Read on!

Buying advice: If you have a small to mid-sized listening room and can’t accommodate floorstanders, the Bluenote Ducales are one of the best options you got. They have the immediacy of the monitors and a surprisingly big sound that will impress you (and annoy your neighbors). 

Prelude: Oh, Allison!

There was a girl named Allison who’d transferred into my high school when I was younger. She was blond, had long, slender legs, and a beautiful face inflected with a petite, upturned nose and a light spread of freckles. In short, she was a bombshell. Girls were envious of her and boys wanted to woo her (actually, substitute your own filthy verb in place of the word “woo.”) We all expected her to fulfill her duties as a “typical” blonde: popular, good at cheerleading, bad at math. So imagine my surprise when she sat next to me in AP Calculus. She was my lab partner in AP Chem, too. In fact, it was established ruthlessly and quickly that she was much smarter than me or most of my other classmates; it wasn’t once or twice that I copied my homework from her, and she saved my incompetent ass plenty of times as my lab partner.

Why this preamble? Because although seemingly unrelated to audio, this story about Allison is actually a perfect analogy to describe the prejudices which derail the judgments of even the savviest audiophiles – stereotypes we often subscribe to, purely based on specs. There are many such stereotypes, too many to name. Pertinent to this particular review, I will choose one such stereotyping – that certain types of “hard” tweeters in speakers will lead to fatigue, that they will make the music sound “hot” up top, too brilliant in an “audiophile-style.” Now, it’s natural for all of us to make certain inferences based on our past experiences or knowledge. But if we ascribe certain aural properties purely based on such inferences, we would no longer be critically conditioned listeners who depend on objective and experiential criteria for our opinions. We’d all be just dogmatic fools married to our own fascistic speculations in our heads, which amounts to nothing more than a lot of hot air. Yet even the best of us are prone to making such errors of judgment. All too often, I have heard some seasoned audiophiles or industrial professionals condemn a product – a product they haven’t actually heard! – because of their prejudice for/against a certain technology. Every time, it makes me scratch my head. Because it makes no more sense to me than assuming – beyond ANY inkling of a doubt – that no blonde can kick ass doing differential equations.

Appearance and Specs

The blond bombshell that’s the subject of this review is a pair of Bluenote Ducale monitors ($3950; Tom Hills of Hudson Audio, distributor). There is one stereotype and preconception that this review has failed to buck: them Italians sure know how to design the objects of desire! These are some of the prettiest monitors I’ve ever seen. My particular unit was in light ash color with dark wood inlays – which looked fantastic – but the Ducales are also available in the darker Wenge color with light wood inlays. Choose your weapon, but either way, the Ducales look fashionably and tastefully Art Deco, without a hint of seeming gimmicky in design. The dimensions are boxy in the best of ways, with sharp hard edges and corners which correspond aesthetically to the linear inlays of wood streaking at the top and the sides. The Ducales look cute, but they are surprisingly hefty in dimension. That’s because there is a solid, bulbous MDF back box which adds to the physical depth of the speakers, which I suspect contributes to further damping of the speakers’ cabinets.

$3950 is not cheap for a pair of monitors by any means, but it’s not for the aesthetic build alone that the Ducales command such a price. Some speaker companies utilize cheaper parts and rely on their proprietary design principles to command high costs; nothing wrong with that approach, but being a pragmatist, I admit to feeling more assured knowing if the internal parts are of higher quality than most. Bluenote definitely didn’t pinch their pennies and hasn’t left anything to doubt when it comes to the quality of the parts used in creating the Ducales – The drivers are made by SEAS, and the inverted, pure 1-inch ceramic tweeters are made by Accuton. The SEAS drivers are specially treated polymeric units, built according to Bluenote’s specifications. The internal damping is achieved by Bluenote’s proprietary Speaker-Resonator™, made of pure wool and multiple layers of Pivilene, which purportedly allows the Ducale’s cabinet to “breathe,” like a “violin resonator.” The speakers’ phase integration is achieved by Bluenote’s hand-built crossover, with custom-made MFCap, proprietary polypropylene capacitors and air wound coils.

All very impressive and fancy stuff. But here, we must go back to the “blond bombshell” metaphor for perspective. In the quirky and idiosyncratic world of hi-fi audio, expensive, high-quality parts can ironically become a component’s liability rather than its strength. For the sake of this review, I’d like to focus on the Ducales’ Accuton ceramic tweeters. Now, there are many listeners who love the detail and quickness of the ceramic tweeters, and such listeners prize Accuton tweeters especially for their capabilities. Yet prior to this review, I’ve talked with some listeners who degraded what ceramic tweeters do, complaining that they make the music sound hard-edged, hot, and artificial. I was curious to see for myself if these claims and stereotypes had any merit.

Listening

I used Harbeth Super HL5 speakers as my reference. As “monitors” go, the Super HL5s are pretty gargantuan, with bigger cabinets and drivers than the Bluenote Ducales. The only reason why I considered such a comparison in the first place is that, from the get-go, the Ducales sounded bigger than their diminutive size. Way bigger. The bass extended down to mid-40Hz, and I’m not talking about murky, one-note bloat that some speakers refer to as bass. The bass performance was tuneful, nimbly taut and musical. In fact, I preferred the bass presentation of the Ducales over the bass presentation of the Harbeths. The Harbeths, with their well-known mid-bass bump, can sound a bit bloomy in the bass department despite their coherent musicality. In comparison, the Ducales’ bass sounded better defined and had a startling, dynamic impact. An obvious piece of music to test the dynamic impact and realism of a component’s low-end performance is Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. My preferred recording is the Gergiev/Kirov account on Phillips. There may be more polished, detailed interpretations, but nothing beats Gergiev’s blood-thirsty live account, which is unrivalled when it comes to eliciting the violent dynamism of Stravinsky’s score. The timpani strike which launches the onslaught of the “Adoration of the Earth” in earnest, rang out its violent explosion through the Ducales. It was truly surprising how effortlessly real the sound exploded in my room, given the Ducales’ modest dimensions.

Similarly, all music played through the Ducales seemed to gain in quickness and pace. This may be a deft aural illusion, but it’s a good one achieved by the faultless crossover technology and phase integration. The Accuton ceramic tweeters in the Ducales are simply superb in capturing all the quicksilver flashes of notes, capricious shifts of tonal shades in music, and the drivers match seamlessly with the tweeters, and the result is a pair of speakers that are as coherently responsive and sensitive as any pair of monitors I’ve heard. This quality was made apparent, especially in rock music; I can say with all certitude that at least with rock music, I preferred the Ducales over my Harbeths. Despite the Ducales being smaller, they excelled in lending rock tracks a gritty pace, a propulsive forward momentum. For anyone who would doubt my claim, I suggest you play Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks’ “Who Do You Love,” which is compiled in The Band’s Musical History (Capitol). Go on. I can wait.

The transparency that the Ducales’ tweeters brought to musical reproduction was beguiling, as well. Many people assume “transparency” to mean a certain uncolored linearity a component brings to the sound; that is true, but for the sake of clarification, and for the purposes of this review, I’d like to add that I take “transparency” to mean a level of responsiveness to the tonal palette and touch that a component brings. I guess my definition implies that “transparency” is an active quality rather than a passive one. Listening to the Ducales will make my point apparent, in that rather than the speakers being passively “uncolored” – blankly and neutrally reproducing the sound – the aural effect is such that they actively seem to bring a deftness of touch and tonal sophistication to the music, much like how a pianist would bring his tonal palette and touch to bear on the music. A good demonstration of this, for me, was listening to Bobby Timmons’ quicksilver glissandos cascading downward in the background, in the title track from A Night in Tunisia (Music Matters’ immaculate reissue LP of the 1960 Blue Note classic). The effect of Timmons’ glissando is such that they are more a fleeting trickle – of light, of water – than they are notes. The amazing lightness of touch and wit that Timmons elicits out of those glissandos were the very same amazing lightness of touch and wit that the Ducales could capture: a perfect one-to-one correspondence between a recording and an instrument of reproduction. This is what neutrality and transparency mean, I thought to myself. Not a boring linearity but a faithfulness and honesty, an alert responsiveness.

The Ducales also excelled at solo voice and solo piano recordings. Listen to Gerald Finley phrase and shape the simply plaintive melody of Samuel Barber’s “There’s Nae Lark” into a beautiful falsetto at the end of the song (Barber Songs, an excellent new release CD from Hyperion). The tonal purity of Finley’s voice, again, was captured in perfect correspondence with the Ducales. I went through my old piano records, Schnabel’s Schubert sonatas on EMI LPs, Radu Lupu’s Brahms LPs on Decca, too many to count. With each and every one of these recordings, I heard tones, shades, phrases – music itself – captured in utmost honesty and purity.

As with any speakers, though, there are some caveats. Although they are small, the Ducales do not “disappear” in the room like some other monitors can do, such as the excellent FJ Minis (which Tom Hills of Hudson Audio also carries). You can definitely hear the box, but I must add that you don’t hear it as an intrusive imposition. Still, although the Ducales image very well, if you want your monitors to be the uber-imaging machine, you won’t find the Ducales are for you (but I think primarily wanting your speakers to be uber-imaging machines is problematic in the first place). Also, compared to the Harbeths, the field of sound captured by the Ducales is noticeably diminished. The Harbeth Super HL5s, with their bigger size and thin cabinets, can conjure up a soundstage which is bigger, rounder, more fleshed out. The Ducales, due to the limitations of the small boxes, do not do this as well as the Harbeths. Also, the body and scale of sound on the Ducales are obviously smaller than on the Harbeths, given the size differential. With big-scale orchestral music, such as the Mahler’s Second Symphony (Ivan Fischer/Budapest on Channel Classics), I found myself wanting to feel the brunt and sweep of the orchestral force, with a bit more flesh and palpability than I was hearing with the Ducales. But this is the inherent limitation of the monitor design, and I suspect that with the addition of a subwoofer of a listener’s choice, this reservation might effectively cease to exist. I must say, though, never at any moment did I long for an addition of a subwoofer when listening to the Ducales.

Conclusion: Allison Redux

Now, let’s get back to my story about Allison for a moment. Are some people correct to suspect that ceramic tweeters are too edgy and bright, no matter how they’re incorporated into the design? Just as people were wrong to assume Allison to be a blond dingbat who couldn’t excel at math, they are wrong to believe that the ceramic tweeters are artificial-sounding in an “audiophile-style” way. All doubts were laid to rest with my audition of the Bluenote Ducales. As the clichés go, no speakers are perfect. With gritty rock, solo piano and voice recordings, as well as jazz ensembles, I’ve hardly heard other speakers draw out so much purity out of the recordings, with such transparency. In certain orchestral works with a bigger scale and sweep, I did wish for a touch more refulgence, a bigger presentation. I did not get to compare the Ducales to the other top-flight monitors on the market now, such as Kef Reference 201/2, Totem “The One,” or Dynaudio Confidence C1, let alone the stratospherically priced Magico Mini II. I suspect that each will have different strengths and weaknesses, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bluenote Ducales kept pace with those more expensive siblings, especially in the transparency and tonal purity departments.

In that sense, $3950 is not a lot to pay, especially if you are a discerning listener situated in a small living space (hello, New Yorkers!) or someone who wants an uncompromising second system in a study. I’d like to add that although the sensitivity rating of the Ducales is listed at modest 87 db, they present an easy load and they do sound better with tube amplification, which lends harmonic complexities and textural richness to Ducales’ sound; they sounded great with my Plinius 8150 integrated amp, but they were positively addictive with my Leben CS600 driving them with 28 wpc of KT77 power. At any rate, put the Ducales at the top of your wishlist if you’re in the market for reference-quality monitors. They look beautiful, but they sound even better. They are that perfect bombshell who defies conventions and stereotypes.

Features:

 
2 way double front reflex Book Shelf speaker
TWEETER : 25mm Ceramic inverted dome
WOOFER : 170mm treated polymer
FREQUENCY RESPONSE : 50Hz/20000Hz ±3dB
EFFICIENCY : 87dB
IMPEDANCE : 8 ohm
POWER HANDLING : 120watt.
CROSSOVER : 12/12 dB/Octave with a cut at 3100Hz
DIMENSIONS (LxDxH): 220mmx390mmx370mm
PACKING WEIGHT : Kg 28.00.
COLORS : Dark Wengé or Lighted Ash laquer.
INTERNAL DAMPING : Multiple Layers of 3mm Pivilene
LIST PRICE: $3950/pr

Distributor:

Hudson Audio

Tom Hills

10 Manor Road

Harrington Park, NJ 07640

201-768-0672

HUDS143@aol.com

Jonny Park’s Evaluation System

Loudspeakers

Harbeth Super HL5, 30^th Anniversary Edition with OFC wiring

Sources

Analog: La Verdier Platine with terrazzo plinth, Moerch DP-6 12” arm, Zu Denon 103 Grade 2 (0.1%), Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood

Digital: Sony Playstation 1 SCPH-1001, Squeezebox 3/MHDT Pardisea+ DAC

Electronics

Leben CS600 integrated amplifier, Plinius 8150 integrated amplifier, Hagerman Trumpet phono stage (on loan for review), ModWright SWP 9.0SE (on loan for review)

Cables and Interconnects

Audio Tekne ARSP-500 speaker cables, Audio Tekne ARC-500 interconnects, Cardas Quadlink speaker cables and interconnects

Racks & Accessories

Yamamoto Sound Craft audio rack, Core Audio Designs MOD3 audio rack, Core Audio Designs CLD turntable/amp stand (both on loan for review), CPCC Top Gun power cord, AKG K701 and Sennheiser PXC450 headphones 

Continuing my coverage of the LA auto show, I was introduced to Chris Kirn, US director of research for customer research and human-machine interaction.  It turns out that Chris is of course an automobile aficionado; naturally, I had to get him hip on SonicFlare and our coverage style of all things high-end audio.  Dodging various subjects, we ended up chatting about Formula 1, apple computers, user interface scenarios and the other oddball topics such as diffusers, slicks vs. profiled tires in F1, well, er, you get the drift, no really!

I then spent some time with his team’s latest and greatest creation, the all-new myCOMAND system, to be featured in every Mercedes by 2012 and rolled out today in form of the new ConceptFASCINATION demo vehicle.  A complete redesign and reinvention of the existing COMAND platform, the all-new system is supposed to be something of a revolution.  Naturally, I was cautiously optimistic that Chris and his team would indeed have redesigned the existing platform as my personal experience with many of these all-in-one systems is that some work better than others, whilst most all of them seem to offer good ideas and general starting points. 

COMAND, or COckpit MANagement and Data systems, was a creation of the late 80’s, which founds its way into the first commercial vehicle, the mighty S-Class in the early 90’s.  It’s crazy to think how far information technology has come in the years since then: there isn’t one system in a modern day vehicle which isn’t affected by a computer somewhere.  COMAND tied all this into one central nervous system, to be accessed through the vehicle’s dashboard mounted LCD display.  Think Knight Rider and Star Trek all rolled into one.

Alas, there’s more: progress marches on, even in the cockpit of your favorite Sunday super ride: the days of simpleton dashboards with but two analog gauges are long, long gone. Quite the contrary, we find ourselves in ever more computer-like user interface environments.  GPS navigation, music playback (yeah!), video playback, internet access, all these sub-systems are in need of one single, concise user interface element.  The hat trick is to make things easy, not more difficult for the average driver to use.  While bells and whistles appear cool and neat for a moment, the effects wear out pretty quickly, leaving you (the driver) lost in a zoo of on screen menus and sub-folders.  Good luck finding the right button to switch your favorite radio preset or – gasp – skipping a song on your iPhone/iPod, a topic particularly relevant to SonicFlare readers.

There is hope however, as the all-new myCOMAND system, which was demonstrated to me in pre-release form, seems to be the first quantum shift departure from all previous designs and efforts (Mercedes and otherwise) in as much as the entire UI has been remastered and re-engineered based on user input and other technological advances from previous years.  Indeed, upon first glance, the new system looks radically different from previous efforts.  The main feature of the new screen is a carousel-like interface depicting an arrangement of favorite apps loaded in the system.  Web-browser?  Check.  GPS maps?  Check.  Radio interface?  Check.  Internet streaming radio?  Check.  Naturally, this system can and will include every conceivable setting and adjustment all things Benz, from the C-class all the way to the 2012 SLR (c’mon now, you know they will have a replacement for that beast!). 

During my time with this pre-production unit (incidentally, mounted on a giant console outputting to a large screen LCD monitor) , I can report that unlike many such devices it appears that an entirely new level of intuitive user integration has been achieved.  The clickable and rotating input selector allows you to quickly move around town.  Cleverly, direct access buttons for the most used apps are within arm’s reach, hence, say if you were to quickly wish to change a radio station while navigating to the nearest hip Hi-Fi shop, you can do so easily by simply selecting the radio button, which would then immediately take you to the radio screen.

But there’s more: recall my intuitive comment earlier.  Google, or big boy brother, is also fully integrated into the navigation system.  As you zoom around town, the display will not only show you the route (that would be so 90’s), but also gas stations (with real time pricing info); hotels indicating their vacancy status; real-time weather forecasts; etc.  Now that is way kühl.  Obviously this amount of real time information can’t possibly be stored on a DVD, Blu-ray or otherwise, hence the system is connected online 24/7. 

Therein lies the crux of the problem:  current 3G networks are only now beginning to role out to most metropolitan areas; forget about rural America or Europe for now.  Then there’s the speed and data throughput issue to consider.  This type of 2-way communication requires massive amounts of bandwidth and considering that myCOMAND also streams music off Shoutcast and other content providers in real time, you can quickly see the demand this type of system would bring to cell networks, which already appear to be heavily taxed by such devices as the iPhone.

The last thing you would want to happen as you race from Paul Smith’s on Melrose to Arnold Palmer’s new grubs is to somehow get lost in Rancho Cugamonga.  Shock, Gasp, Awe!  3G, as fast as it is today, still holds much to be desired for this sort of insane data bandwidth. 1.8 Mbps, the typical 3G average, is still nowhere quick enough for any of this to be occurring in real-time.  There is of course WiMAX, an Intel powered technology for FIOS style bandwidth, though I personally wonder if that will every truly catch on.  Thus we arrive at 4G, which coincidentally, will be coming to us around the same time this new myCOMAND system will be launched.

Recall the previously mentioned roll out date: 2012.  Obviously, MB believes that by then we will have sufficient 4G network capabilities in place to afford such a high bandwidth systems.  We live in a new age indeed.  I bet that cars driving themselves ala Minority Report won’t be far off either.  As far as I can tell, Chris and his team have done an outstanding job confronting the challenges of modern day all-in-one dashboard computer systems by rethinking the approach from scratch and linking it to the latest human-machine interface research.  Think apple for your car.  It’s that good.