Connected issue 38

CONNECTED TO MUSIC & MOVIES Issue No. 38 Spring 2017

LIMITED EDITION Russ Andrews GQ interconnect see page 7

NEW

Audio desk systeme GLÄSS Pro Vinyl Cleaner see page 8

Spotlight on page 10

GET

30% OFF

KIMBER 8VS until 19th April 2017 SEE SUPPLEMENT INSIDE

s n io t o t n m e o Pr lem E! g ir n upp ID Sp S INS

GET 20% OFF

All Torlyte® until 19th APRIL 2017 See centre pull out supplement

NEW See page 18 REVIEW

All Torlyte® until 27th July 2016

“Sonically, I am treated to a sound that is fast and open with good clarity and sparkle, but importantly without any unpleasant edginess or harshness to the sound.”

Torlyte® Turntable Stand Hi-Fi Choice magazine December 2016

LIGHTWEIGHT

BY

|

RIGID

|

CUSTOMISABLE

www.torlyte.com Call UK Orderline 01539 797300 Buy atthewww.russandrews.com Russ online Andrews is sole UK retailer of Kimber Kable International Tel +44 (0)1539 797300 Buy online at

Mail Order Direct • 60 Day Cable Home Trial • Cable Upgrade Scheme • Free Delivery (orders over £100 within UK Mainland) Mail Order Direct • 60 Day Cable Home Trial • Cable Upgrade Scheme • Free Delivery (orders over £100 within UK Mainland)

WELCOME Welcome to the 38th edition of Connected to Music and Movies.

As we were working on this issue, I reflected with Sarah, our graphic designer, that there’s never enough room to fit everything in that we want to say. A case in point: we were almost ready to go to press when we heard about the new review of the Rupert Neve Headphone Amp in Hi-Fi News magazine. It was so good that we had to include it, which meant us spending some time rejigging the pages to fit it in.

There just wasn’t the space for a couple of articles though, so we’re holding them over for a future issue.

We did manage to fit in the Customer System feature though. We’ve had a few really special systems in recent issues (not least Russ’s friend Chris, whose Russ-built system we featured in our 30th Anniversary issue), and this time’s was an eye-opener too. Simon and I visited a customer who had painstakingly put together a HiFi capable of playing both LP and CD / SACD, using valve amplification. I had a hunch before we visited that it would sound good; the customer is a perfectionist and each one of his upgrades with us (he has Kimber and Russ Andrews cables and our Torlyte platforms throughout) was carefully considered. Before our visit, the customer expressed concern

that we wouldn’t enjoy the sound that his system was creating, and that he was so used to, but he needn’t have worried; it was everything I hoped and more: a really enjoyable listen. We spent the best part of half a day listening and finding out about the hardware and infrastructure that was making so much music, and you can find out about it on page 15.

Our customer had put together a high end system which filled much of the room it was in, but as soon as an LP or CD was playing, you were just left focussing on the music and the Hi-Fi all but disappeared. Simon recognises this in his Dalton’s Deliberations, on page 22. He reminds us that for a true audiophile, the system is just a means to an end, and it doesn’t matter how you are creating the music – whether the system is simple or complex, or shiny or functional looking– it’s the music that matters. It’s all too easy to get drawn into the mechanism of creating the music, and while I enjoy as much as the next person this tweak or that next component upgrade, we must never lose sight of the musical performances we’re striving to reproduce. And how do we do this? Lots of listening, of course… as if you needed an excuse! ■

John Armer, Editor

In this issue Regulars

Editorial First Words News Dalton’s Deliberations Reviews Letters Competition

3 4 5 22 23 25 27

Kimber Kable Customer System Past Pleasures

10 15 18

Features

Room for Improvement

20

Products

New Products

Product Spotlight: Clarity Pro

OFFERS

™

GQ Interconnect Clarity Pro™

8

12 7

14

Plus - see our Spring Promotions in the centre pull-out section

Get in touch

e-mail: connected@russandrews.com write to: Connected, Russ Andrews Accessories, 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6NS.

Russ Andrews Accessories Ltd, 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Shap Road, Kendal LA9 6NS, UK. 01539 797300 +44 (0)1539 797300 © Russ Andrews Accessories Ltd, 2017. E & OE. Any views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company.

Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 3

F IR S T WOR D S

Super Burn In™

I chose Super Burn-In as my favourite product in the last issue of Connected – but how did our unique cable process come about?

balanced sometimes competing results. It could be tedious but the hugely beneficial effects I heard made it exciting and rewarding. I also established that the processing improvements were permanent.

Back in 1978/9 when I accidentally discovered cable directionality, I was shocked at the improvement I then began to experiment with the treatment of brought to my musical enjoyment by aligning my fuses. The process itself was fairly incompatible with connecting cables the ‘right’ way round. I found the nature of a fuse so I had to work out a method that all cables were directional and the more that achieved the best performance as well as the directional they were, the better they sounded the survival of the fuse being processed! I was right way round. Many years later, Ben Duncan’s eventually able to process many work revealed the mechanism of values of fuses so we could offer a directionality and he went on to useful range to fit most needs. design and build a machine for “Any cable treated They have turned out to be an us that would, paradoxically, would sound much extremely successful product I’m massively enhance the benefits better than before and pleased to say after all the effort! heard in the ‘right’ direction and eliminate the difference between lose its annoying The fuses have also been pivotal in directions. A double whammy! demonstrating the importance of

directionality”

To reiterate, any cable treated would sound much better than before and lose its annoying directionality.

This research work took many years of carefully conducted measurement to reveal the core differences existing between directions. These differences are small and very difficult to observe, but Ben’s persistence and methodology eventually produced a measurements method that would consistently reveal not only directionality itself, but objective evidence to support the listening experience.

In parallel with this lengthy metrology, Ben designed and built a prototype cable processing machine with extensive capabilities that made a versatile test bed for experimentation. At this point we took over the final phase of developing a processing protocol that delivered the specific treatment regime for each use. I spent months perfecting the optimal recipes for each of our many cables. My aim was to get the biggest improvement in performance from a machine offering a huge range of variables. This involved many hours of listening tests to find the perfect recipe that 4 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

even the shortest, thinnest wire in a system. As you can imagine, I am still working through my system replacing every piece of internal wire with Super Burned In bits.

A long job but full of OMG moments! You really understand the importance of the earthing and grounding wires when you just replace with SBI ones: you realise that they are every bit as important as any ‘signal’ wires.

You don’t have to process every single piece of wire like I do though; having just one of your cables Super Burned In will give a clearly audible, worthwhile improvement. Your cables can be brand-new or many, many years old: they will all experience a similar uplift in performance. As a rule of thumb, you should work through them in the order we recommend upgrading your cables: that means starting with your mains cables and working through your interconnects and finish with your speaker cables. If doing one cable, make it the mains cable feeding your source component. I guarantee that once you’ve heard the effect of one treated cable, you’ll be back for more!

Find out more at: russandrews.com/sbi

NEWS

Latest Equipment Upgrades We’ve been busy updating our website with the latest equipment that we’ve upgraded. New components that have had the Russ Andrews treatment have been a Luxman D06 SACD player; Marantz CD 63 mkII KI Signature; Rotel RT-12 tuner; Arcam Alpha 9 CD Arcam Alpha 9 CD player player; Chord RED Reference CD player; and Roksan Caspian M-series 2 CD player and M-series 1 amplifier.

You can see all equipment that we have upgraded at www.russandrews.com/ equipment-upgrades but if you have a component that isn’t listed, do contact us for more information. The chances are that we will be able to make a worthwhile improvement to your cherished amplifier, speakers or source component – from just a simple (and relatively inexpensive) upgrade to the power supply, to a noholds barred upgrade with extensive PCB component replacements, rewiring in silver and fitting upgraded chassis sockets and binding posts!

Roksan Caspian M series 1 Integrated Amplifier

The mechanics of the service are simple: having Marantz CD 63 contacted us to book your equipment in, send the unit to us to arrive at the start of the nominated week*. We will assess the component and contact you with a suggestion of the upgrade work we can offer. How much of an upgrade we carry out will depend on you and your budget; we will be guided by you. In a small number of cases, we’ve found that the equipment isn’t CHORD Red Reference suitable for upgrading and we will let you know if CD player this is the case before returning the unit back to you.

Come and see us at the North West Audio Show An advance date for your diary: we’ll be attending the North West Audio Show at Cranage Hall, Cheshire on June 24th and June 25th. We’ll have a selection of our products with us to browse and buy, and we will be on hand to offer tips and advice.

Cranage Hall is easily accessible, being very close to junction 18 of the M6 motorway. The show promises to be a busy event with lots of interesting Hi-Fi to see and hear… and we’d love to see you there. What‘s more, tickets and parking are free if you go to the show website:

www.audioshow.co.uk

* We are able to offer a collection service for components: the cost is £14 for insured collection from most UK mainland addresses.

If you have any questions regarding the service, contact Peter on 01539 797300.

Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 5

NEWS

4VS and 8VS speaker cable: new colours

"Brilliant For The Price" I've been using three runs of this to tri-wire my Naim/PMC kit... and it is a fantastic cable in this price range. It gives bags of clarity and depth and is a real joy to listen to, I recently put it up against a run of Chord Signature Reference that a friend has and it blew it away, considering the price difference I was shocked but not too surprised as I've been using Russ Andrews products for a while so know they know their stuff. 4VS reviewed by Chris Love,

Kimber’s popular 4VS and 8VS speaker cable has been available from us in white and colourless insulation for some time, but we are moving over to the grey and black insulation as supplied by Kimber Kable. The grey and black cable differentiates the cable more clearly from the Kimber 4TC and 8TC speaker cables and they are available now.

4VS 2.5M 3.5M 4.5M

CUT & STRIPPED

£106.00 £137.00 £168.00

TERMINATED Code: 3141

2.5M 3.5M 4.5M

£183.00 £245.00 £307.00

£240.00 £302.00 £364.00

8VS

online at russandrews.com

£163.00 £194.00 £225.00

Code: 3151

NEW Meridian have lowered the prices on a number of their products, including the Explorer2 USB DAC and the Prime headphone amplifier. Both of these are MQA-ready and are one of the easiest ways of listening to MQA files – a new audio technology that makes high resolution streaming possible. MQA files can be bought and downloaded from the likes of 2L or streamed via Tidal's newly-launched Master Collection.

6 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

Pricing Prime Headphone Amp

Explorer2 USB DAC

Explorer

2

WAS

NOW

£199

£129

Prime Headphone Amplifier £1200

£800

Prime Power Supply

£800

£600

Media Source 200

£499

£349

(MS200 is a Meridian Sooloos endpoint, but can also be used as an endpoint for Roon music playing software).

NEWS

Get your hands on this limited edition

LIMITED EDITION!

GQ Interconnect Cast your minds back to the last issue of Connected and you’ll recall that we’d been having a tidy-up in the warehouse. That resulted in a very limited quantity of Crystal-H interconnects, which sold out very quickly.

This time, we have a small quantity of Kimber’s all copper 4-wire signal cable that we’ve made into a high performance copper interconnect cable. The cable employs what Kimber describe as their ‘GyroQuadratic’ weave, so we’re calling this model the Russ Andrews GQ interconnect.

If you're looking for a great-value analogue interconnect to use between your CD player and amplifier, or between a preamp and power amp – our limited-edition GQ interconnect could well be just the thing for you.

The Russ Andrews GQ interconnect is unique to us, and is made with Kimber's 4-wire pure copper braid, insulated with the same insulation as used in the Timbre and Silver Streak interconnects. We're terminating it with Kimber's neat little UltraTike connectors, which are a smaller version of their UltraPlate phono plugs, but with the same high performance plating.

Because it uses Kimber's more complex, 4-wire braid (rather than their 3-wire braid as used in the Timbre interconnect), the cable's ability to reject interference is enhanced. In terms of performance, it sits between Kimber's Timbre interconnect and the Hero: it’s a supercharged Timbre, if you will, but costing significantly less!

What’s not to like?

Only £88

HURRY! Get one while you can for 0.5m pair

We have a limited supply of the cable used to make the Russ Andrews GQ interconnect, and once it's gone, it's gone. We're making the cable available at the very attractive price of £88 for a 0.5m pair and £106 for a 1.0m pair – grab one, or more, while you can.

Please note that because we only have a limited quantity of cable, we are limiting this offer to three pairs of cables per customer.

Upgrading As this is such a great offer we are unable to take any Kimber interconnects back as an upgrade to this limited edition cable.

WARRANT Y

60 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

GQ Interconnect with UltraTike™ phonos

0.5m pair 1.0m pair

25 YEAR WARRANTY Code: 2124

£88.00 £106.00

Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 7

NEW PRODUCTS

KEY FEATURES

FUllY AUTOMATED

UlTRASONIC ClEANING

WASHES AND DRIES EACH RECORD IN ABOUT 6 MINUTES

COUNTER-ROTATING MICROFIBRE ClEANING BARRElS

FlUID IS CONSTANTlY FIlTERED

Audio Desk Systeme GLÄSS Pro Vinyl Cleaner Over the last few months, we’ve been investigating a number of different record cleaning machines. We’re big fans of the Loricraft PRC4 – it’s a beautifully-built machine which uses a turntable and suction arm to get your LPs really clean. The Loricraft is ideal if you want to roll your shirt sleeves up and really get “stuck in” to the cleaning process.

We have been asked, however, if there’s a machine which is more ‘automatic’ in its operation – a “switch on, walk away and leave it to get on with it” type machine. The answer, we found, was right under our noses. We have offered the Audio Desk Systeme CD Sound Improver for quite a while now (the CD Sound Improver is essentially a ‘lathe’ that cuts an accurate bevel on the edge of a CD), and we thought it would be worth investigating their vinyl cleaner. As we expected, the Audio Desk 8 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

Systeme Pro Vinyl Cleaner takes the approach of record cleaning quite differently from the norm but we found it to be very effective – and fully automatic in its approach.

The Vinyl Cleaner is a mains-powered, vertical record cleaning machine. It is supplied with two bottles of its own cleaning fluid in concentrate form; each bottle is used to dilute 4.5 litres of distilled or de-ionised water that is added to the machine.

Cleaning an LP is simplicity in itself; once the LP is inserted into the bath of fluid, you press the start button and it uses a combination of microfibre cleaning barrels and ultrasonics to gently dislodge dirt from the surface of the LP and deep in the grooves. Once the LP has been cleaned this way (the fluid is constantly filtered to keep the dirt away from the disc), the machine automatically >>

switches over to ‘drying mode’ and completely dries the disc. The machine cleans and dries both sides of the LP at once, and after about 6 minutes the vinyl is dry and ready to play.

That’s all there is to it – it really is fully automatic.

The LPs we cleaned came out spotless (if you have any very grubby charity-shop finds, you can increase the cleaning time), and both well-played and new discs benefitted from a clean.

“the most effective cleaning machine that I have ever encountered.”

Jacob Heilbrunn, The Absolute Sound, Issue 234

NEW PRODUCTS “The thing about the Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner is it takes longer to say its name out loud than it does to understand what it does in demonstration. It helps an LP become the vinyl it always wanted to be, it does that consistently, and I‘d struggle to think how unresolving-asystem you’d need to throw together to not be able to hear the improvements on most records.”

Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi Plus magazine, Issue 117

14 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

Audio Desk Systeme Pro Vinyl Cleaner Guarantee:

Code: 4444

£2295

2 years

Dimensions: 33cm x 27cm x 20cm (WHD) Weight: 5.5kg (empty) Water capacity: 4.5 litres

Record Cleaning Service If you don't want to invest in a record cleaner, we can clean your records for you using the Pro Vinyl Cleaner. We charge £4 per record and records are returned in a new Mobile Fidelity inner sleeve (your original sleeve is also returned). A maximum of 50 records can be cleaned at any one time.

Getting your records to us You can either drop you records off in person at our offices in Kendal, or we can arrange an insured courier collection of your LPs. If you don't have a suitable shipping box, we can supply one for you.

Please contact us for information on our collection and delivery service or find out more online at www.russandrews.com

Consumables The Pro Vinyl Cleaner is supplied with everything you need to get started.

There are two bottles of cleaning fluid (which is added to water).

That is enough to clean about 100 LPs before it needs to be replaced. Replacement bottles are £12 each.

In addition, we recommend that the following are replaced after 500 LPs – microfibre cleaning barrels (set of 4 £49), cleaning bath filters (£12) and wiper blades (set of 2 £14). The fan filters (set of 2 £54) should be replaced after cleaning approximately 1000 LPs. We carry everything you need to keep your Pro Vinyl Cleaner in top working order.

Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 9

We couldn’t let an edition of Connected in our 30th anniversary year go by without a mention of Kimber Kable. Given that we are often asked what makes it so different, Simon Dalton thought it

would be a good idea to give Ray Kimber a short introduction to Kimber Kable, describing the company’s origins and why we only use, and sell, Kimber Kable.

"Necessity is the mother of invention" Kimber Kable is the brainchild of American inventor, engineer and entrepreneur Ray Kimber. Ray's fondness for new discovery and experimentation actually began in the first grade when he constructed his own crystal receiver, which he then tweaked, without help or knowledge, by adding to it a set of army surplus headphones. It wasn't supposed to work, he says, but it did.

In the mid 1970s Ray worked at a sound and lighting company in Los Angeles, at a time when the first big discotheques were being installed.

Ray found that the lighting systems were generating noise that was being picked up by the speaker cable and having a negative effect on sound quality.

Up until this time, sound and lighting systems were never installed right next to each other – there was never the need. Nor did lighting systems ever have such an array of noise-generating fixtures, such as strobes and other flashing and dimmable lights. But in a discotheque the lights and speakers are installed right next to each other; the speaker cable was acting as an antenna array and bringing noise from the lights into the sound system.

10 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

Initially, the most obvious solution was to encase the speaker cable in a steel conduit. This did help with the noise, but it also had the unintended result of lowering the fidelity of the audio because the steel conduit was interacting with the magnetic field of the speaker cable.

Kimber Kable was born Ray thought about the problem long and hard and it occurred to him that if the cable conductors were woven in counter-rotating sets this should cancel the magnetic interaction with the metal conduit. But even more significant, he surmised that the counter-rotating sets of conductors would be so effective that there may be no need for the conduit at all.

He was correct, the noise was greatly reduced! Ray was also shocked at the level of difference in perceived audio quality that this new design brought. It was that discovery of noise elimination and improved fidelity that set him to developing his new cable designs.

To his great satisfaction the finalised version of his braided wire concept not only rejected the (RF) noise, but

allowed the system to sound different, better, musical. It was after this period of discovery that Ray decided to take a risk and began entertaining the idea of selling his new discoveries. He decided to hit the road. With a few spools of cable and some modest test equipment he would first show that there was a testable difference in cables and then would do a simple "before and after" test, replacing regular speaker cables with Kimber Kable. For these tests Ray would choose the most modest system in the dealer showroom. The result was very obvious - it made a significant difference.

The first cable launched was 4PR speaker cable and from those simple beginnings, Ray established Kimber Kable as one of the most respected Hi-Fi brands in the USA. The company has now developed an international name as one of the most significant innovators in Hi-Fi cables. Russ first met Ray Kimber and discovered how effectively his cable design solved the fundamental cabling problems back in 1985. We have been the exclusive UK distributor for KIMBER KABLE ever since, and remain convinced of the superiority of this product range.

VariStrand A significant refinement to Kimber's original woven design was their introduction of VariStrand technology.

VariStrand is the name Kimber give to the stranding of copper or silver in each insulated conductor.

The gauge or size of those strands has an important effect on sound quality: large strands favour lower frequencies and smaller strands favour higher frequencies. Cables that use strands of the same gauge could be said to favour a narrower bandwidth; Kimber counter this with their VariStrand technology which combines several strands, each of a different thickness, to give a more natural balance. Combined with Kimber's unique woven design this makes for a very high performance cable design, suited to any level of system from budget to high end.

And the weave goes on...

With encouragement from Russ, the woven technology was adapted to allow Kimber to start producing analogue interconnect cables. Just as the final signal path to the loudspeakers is subject to interference which can be tackled by the woven design, so the connection from source to preamp can be addressed. The principle is exactly the same but adding that technology further ‘upstream’ also has the effect of reducing interference being injected into the amp and thence to the speakers. That’s one of the key features of the Kimber woven design – not only does it deal with interference from outside but it also effectively filters out interference which can travel along the cable from one component to another. This is something that a conventional externally shielded cable cannot fix.

The final connection Having spent many years researching the effect of mains pollution on Hi-Fi, Russ

immediately recognised the potential of Kimber Kable for use as a mains cable. Its natural filtering characteristics were just as applicable here as anywhere else in the chain. The original PowerKords were developed and have proven to be so successful that – over 55,000 cables later the basic design remains the same even after all these years. Of course, in our opinion, this is the most important link in the whole chain of cables because everything else that follows benefits as a result.

Although there is no specific reason why Kimber and Russ Andrews cables cannot be used successfully in conjunction with other manufacturers cables, ultimately their cumulative effect will only be realised as part of a whole ‘loom’. Utilising the filtering effect of the woven cable from mains, through interconnects to speaker cable means that the whole loom is working together to create a cabling system that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 11

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

What is Clarity Pro™ ?

Although we tend to group it with our power products, we like to think of Clarity Pro™ less as a power conditioner and more of a whole system enhancer.

John Armer investigates...

Back in 2007, we were approached by a US designer who had an audio device that he claimed helped to reduce noise in signals (employing what they called ‘Coherence Technology’. Initially sceptical, we tested the first prototype here in Kendal and we were very impressed with what it did to our systems, allowing a sound that was clearer and had more focus.

We worked with the designer to perfect the unit and make it easier to use and launched it with the name Clarity Pro, which we felt summed up its performance. Clarity Pro is made in the USA to our specification and is only available from us.

We went on to apply the technology to the ClarityMains and the Clarity-4 and Clarity-8 units which are used more like power conditioners. Clarity Pro can be used in conjunction with those filters (and it is worth doing so), or on its own. The key thing to consider is that although these products are using similar tech, their application of it is quite different and in our experience you will get the very best results with Clarity Pro.

How do I use it?

Clarity Pro connects to the mains with a separate standard or upgraded power supply (see below); it's designed to sit on top of your Hi-Fi equipment, or – preferably – just behind. Clarity Pro radiates a small field, and in our opinion it's this field that interacts with your system. The strength of the field can be adjusted with the knob on the front of the unit.

One unit is sufficient for a Hi-Fi or Home Cinema system, though owners with larger systems may wish to use multiple Clarity Pros. Russ's friend Chris uses five, positioned behind his system and speakers!

Further adjustments Clarity Pro works well as soon as you plug it in, but further benefits can be had by taking a bit of time to accurately position it. We've found that the best performance can be achieved by positioning it vertically, with the 'top' of the Clarity Pro facing the listener. In addition to its placement, further adjustments can be made with four internal switches that adjust the shape of the field (the knob on the front controls the strength).

Although Clarity Pro works really well straight out of the box, part of the fun of owning it is that you can adjust it to suit your particular system and room. The adjustments are straight forward to make and we include full, illustrated instructions.

Power up Clarity Pro comes as standard with a basic, 'wall-wart' type power supply. An upgraded version, consisting of our PowerPak II power supply and YellO Power cable is also available. See page 14 for details.

12 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

SEE NEXT PAGE FOR A GREAT OFFER ON THE CLARITY PRO >>

What do others think?

The August 2015 edition of Hi-Fi World magazine carried a review of the Clarity Pro system enhancer. Reviewing, Paul Rigby spent quite some time experimenting with the different settings - both the external 'tuning' control and the internal dip switches - and with a "variety of vinyl rock and jazz pieces".

This experimentation is important to note because the optimum settings will vary from system to system. In the reviewer's case he found that "position 3, with the fine tune knob at the 12 o'clock position did offer reverb enhancements in the upper mids". However, "turning the knob up to 'full', enhanced that effect, smoothing reverb but also 'darkening' it". That wasn't all though, as he found that "the overall soundstage was also more airy and spacious which lightened the performance, giving it a sprightly feel while bass was smooth and punchy".

Clarity Pro™

AT A G L A N C E

‹ System enhancer incorporating Coherence Technology™

‹ Control allows adjustment of the strength of the effect

‹ Advanced design provides

high-energy efficiency (approx.

4W consumption)

‹ Full instructions including

positioning and tuning for the best effect are included

‹ Dimensions: 105mm x 40mm x 140mm WHD

‹ Weight (excluding power supply): 0.4Kg

So the time spent listening to the effect of these different settings was well worth the effort, and the results were very impressive: "Considering that my system was already finely fettled" he writes, the Clarity Pro offered a "remarkable performance".

Concluding the short review, Paul was pretty emphatic about the results: "for the price, the Clarity does a good job and will... prove to be invaluable in removing noise to enable your hi-fi to perform more efficiently".

Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 13

CL ARIT Y PRO™ OFFER We've got together with the makers of Clarity Pro and come up with some great savings on both the standard and upgraded versions.

Order before 19th June 2017 and benefit from 15% off the price of the standard Clarity Pro and 20% off the price of the Clarity Pro with upgraded power supply and YellO Power mains cable. Due to the falling exchange rate of the pound against the US Dollar we will be reviewing the retail price of the Clarity Pro in June, so grab a bargain

while you can!

Buy with confidence Clarity Pros are covered by our 60 day Money Back Guarantee, which gives you two months to assess their effectiveness in your own system at home. If you are not delighted with the performance of your Clarity Pro, simply return it in perfect condition within the 60 days for a full refund. All Clarity Pros benefit from our 25 year warranty (power supplies are covered by our two-year warranty), for your peace of mind.

15 % O F F

WARRANT Y

60 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

25 YEAR WARRANTY

20% OFF

S T A N D A R D PA C K

U P G R A D E D PA C K

Order by 19th June 2017

Order by 19th June 2017

PACK INClUDES

PACK INClUDES

3 Clarity Pro™ 3 Standard 12V DC power supply 3 Instruction booklet Code: 4595

Clarity Pro™ Standard Pack WAS

£559.00

SAVE

NOW

£83.85 £475.17

14 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

3 Clarity Pro™ 3 Russ Andrews PowerPak II power supply with Kimber link cable 3 1m YellO Power mains cable 3 Instruction booklet Code: 4595

Clarity Pro™ Upgraded Pack WAS

SAVE

NOW

£699.00 £139.80 £559.20

CUSTOMER SYSTEM

John (left) and customer David

This time’s customer system feature is a valvebased Hi-Fi that plays a variety of sources including vinyl, CD, SACD, Mini Disc and even reelto-reel tape. John and Simon went to the West Midlands to have a listen.

Words: John Armer Pictures: Simon Dalton

Psvane valves in the Icon Audio MB845 mk II power amp

I first spoke to Russ Andrews’ customer David in the Autumn of 2011. I remember the conversation as it was a more unusual first order – not a mains product, but an order for a subwoofer cable that needed to be terminated in a particular configuration. Over the years since, David has upgraded almost all of his system’s mains cables, interconnects and speaker cables to the Russ Andrews and Kimber variety, and having seen a number of pictures of the system in action (David has visited our shop in the Lake District a number of times) we thought it well worth a trip south to have a listen.

Like most of us, David has built his system up gradually over the years.

Formerly incorporating a surroundsound processor, the current set-up is resolutely 2-channel. Electrostatic loudspeakers have recently given way to conventional dynamic loudspeakers, though I use the term ‘conventional’ in the broadest possible sense; as we were to

discover, almost every element of the system has been tweaked, tuned and carefully set up to give the best possible sound quality for the listener.

David listens primarily to LP, CD, SACD, and FM radio. Vinyl duties are carried out by an LP12 with Funk Firm modifications; “the only original parts left are the inner and outer platter, the bearing, and the plinth” says David. The mods include a new motor, top plate, subchassis and armboard, which supports the Origin Live Conqueror tonearm. The Funk Firm mods move the drive to the platter to the 9 o’clock position and use two additional slave pulleys to keep the platter closer to vertical when it is spinning; the modded turntable has little bounce but a VooDoo platform, seen underneath the plinth, is pressed into service to provide suspension.

The LP12 connects first to a Music First moving coil step up

Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 15

Customer System

Funk Firm-modified LP12 with platter removed showing drive pulley and one of the two slave

Top left shelf supports the Icon Audio PS3 mkII phono stage, with the matching power supply just out of shot; below is the Music First moving coil step up transformer and below that is the Icon Audio LA4 mkIII active preamp (left) and Icon Audio HP2 mk II headphone amp. The Revox B77 is on the lower right shelf, with the Magnalab FM tuner above it.

16 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

transformer to amplify the signal from the Ortofon Windfeld cartridge by a factor of 10, and then on to an Icon Audio valve PS3 mkII phono stage with separate valve rectified and regulated power supply, supported on our Cone Feet and Torlyte Platforms.

The signal is then fed from the phono stage into an Icon Audio LA4 mk III active preamplifier, used to boost the signal further before being fed to the main control – the Music First Baby Reference passive preamp. “I prefer to increase the gain from vinyl this way”, explains David “because the impedances match and it sounds better”.

Kimber’s hybrid KS-1026 analogue interconnects (with SD modifications) are used for the majority of the connections.

Digital sources comprise an Oppo BDP-103 which is used as a transport for CD and 24/96 DAD discs, and a Bladelius Freja mkIII multidisc player for SACD. The Oppo connects via Kimber’s topof-the-range silver KS-2020 digital interconnect to an Audiolab MDAC, which in turn connects to the Music First passive preamp. The Bladelius connects directly to the preamp via Kimber’s silver balanced analogue interconnect, the KS-1136. The FM radio tuner is a Magnum Dynalab MD100T – “it uses a valve in the output stage” David tells me – with a Revox B77 mk II reel-to-reel tape deck used to record radio shows. A MiniDisc player is also pressed into service for archiving radio programmes from the Revox, connected to the control via the M-DAC.

The Music First Baby Reference passive pre controls the loudness via a stepped attenuation transformer which differs from a conventional preamp that uses traditional potentiometers: it’s better at matching impedances and can be used to drive longer interconnects. A 5.5m pair of Kimber Select KS-1021 hybrid (silver and copper) single ended interconnects connect the preamp to the impressive Icon Audio MB 845 mkII monoblock power amplifiers. The cables run discreetly from the back of the room, where the equipment rack is situated, to the amps which sit alongside the speakers at the front of the room. The power amps are capable of outputting about 100W; 20W in class A and the rest A/B. “At lower volumes, it’s a pure class A sound” David told me. The amps don’t sport their standard valves but have been upgraded with Psvane models. Our SuperKord-500 SD mains cables provide power, via a Balanced Mains Unit 1000 (a second BMU1000 is used for the valve phono stages).

The amps connect to the speakers (via Kimber’s hybrid KS-6065 SDII speaker cables) which are again from Icon Audio – the MFV3 mkII Super. The Super in the model denotes uprated drivers and David specified Jensen capacitors in the crossover, which necessitated the manufacturers mounting the crossover externally – the Jensens were too big to fit in the speaker cabinet. Kimber’s 12TC speaker cable links the crossover to the drivers.

Customer System

getting the subs integrated – he The Icon Audio loudspeakers were has them on just enough to installed about five months ago, underpin and support the sound, replacing Kingsound Queen II but never to dominate. To speakers – an electrostatic hybrid demonstrate, he turns them off and design. David felt that he was the sound lost its weight and, unable to get the speakers far paradoxically, its top end sparkle – enough away from the rear walls turning them back on restored the and he couldn’t get his subwoofers to integrate satisfactorily with them sound we were enjoying. Some valve systems sound ‘woolly’ and (David uses two REL Stentor subs, slow, but there was one per channel). none of that here; it The new speakers This was a system was agile and fast. are higher sensitivity units and he can that drew us into David commented on how pleased he match the two subs the performance was with the sound perfectly.

12TC speaker cable connects the from LP: “…vinyl’s Kingsound’s crossover to the drivers not known for its distinctive bass but I’m really pleased with the Supertweeters complete the setperformance here.” up, connected to the speaker terminals with modified Kimber It was clear that David knew a good Hero-Ag interconnects, fitted with sound and he has worked hard to bananas to make the connections. achieve it. With a system as revealing as his, every element, With the exception of Russ’s and his every component, every cable friend Chris’s systems, this has to be contributed, and he fully one of the most complex and understood the part every item was precisely set-up systems we’ve playing to achieve the overall reviewed in Connected. A complex sound. The Hi-Fi is located in a system doesn’t always translate modest-sized room and, like the into a musical sound, but we system, its placement is far from needn’t have worried – from the Back of speakers showing external conventional. “I break all the rules first listen this was a system that crossover, connected with KS-6065 SD II with this system” he says. “The drew us into the performance. It speaker cable speakers fire was clear, open and balanced; it across the room was musical with a great sense of diagonally, I sit the rhythmic drive in all of the to one side of music we listened to. David’s tastes them, and the are varied: “I have mixed musical components are tastes”, he says “from rock to on racks in the classical – whatever takes my far corner of the fancy”, and we listened to a range room. But it of music from Joe Jackson on CD to doesn’t matter, an Otto Olsson organ piece on LP, because it the pedal notes of which had real sounds so power and a sense of scale. good”.

He acknowledges the difficulty in Icon Audio MFV3 mk II Super loudspeakers with Kingsound Supertweeters atop all sitting on our Torlyte Speaker Plats.

Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 17

PA S T P L E A S U R E S

Through the past, smartly...

Although there are great bargains to be had, classic hi-fi can be a minefield, says David Price. So here’s the first of our two-part guide to tip-toeing through…

At the beginning of the 1990s, people who ran classic hi-fi systems tended to be regarded as harmless old eccentrics, the like of which you’d see in an Inspector Morse or Miss Marple murder mystery. Then suddenly stories started of Japanese collectors coming to Britain to buy up old bits of hi-fi ‘junk’, and eyebrows began to raise.

Whether it was decrepit Garrard turntables, blown-up Leak valve amplifiers or tatty Quad electrostatic speakers, something seemed to be afoot…

Suddenly people began to hanker for the old, as well as the new. In Japan, Honda launched new motorcycles based on the look of their late 1970s’ machines. In Britain, Rover brought out the 75 car, which was an affectionate nod to the late 1950s’ P5. Oasis arrived on the scene, doing well-crafted Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles parodies, and Blur wanted to be the new Kinks. For some strange reason, the idea that ‘things could only get better’ began to wane, and nostalgia became the order of the day. In a pre-eBay world, the classified ads of Exchange and Mart and Loot were compulsory reading, as collectors hoovered up bargains.

18 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

Turntables

There’s so much choice for the bargainconscious vinyl junkie – meaning that the prices of even very good equipment can be surprisingly affordable. A generation ago, people laughed at Garrard 401 turntables, but now they’re coveted and prices are climbing.

However, they’re still readily available, with prices starting around £500 for a tatty example. It may need a full service and/or a new plinth, but there’s a huge aftermarket scene and parts and refurbishers are plentiful. The 301 that preceded it sounds fractionally better and has lovely retro looks, but prices are higher and value for money lower. Add a decent tonearm – such as an SME 3009S2 (from £300) for a retro look, or a Michell TecnoArm (from £200) for more detailed, modern character, and you’ve got one of the finest vinyl spinners ever with an amazingly powerful, solid sound.

If this is too tweaky, then consider a linn Sondek lP12. This is the

Linn Sondek LP12

quintessential classic belt-drive, based loosely around a Thorens TD150 but intelligently refined. It has a famously smooth, sweet and sumptuous sound – and the earlier model you go for, the more of this you get; later versions are more detailed and focused but less romantic. Again, there’s a small industry around tuning and modifying the Sondek (not least from Russ Andrews); it’s the hi-fi equivalent of the classic Porsche 911. Prices start from around £500 for a good, complete, early model and it should ideally be partnered to a classic Linn arm such as the linn Ittok, or to a Naim ARO (both starting around £400).

The Technics Sl-1200 is an iconic turntable for DJs, and as a result has been rather derided by hi-fi

Garrard 401

fans, but more fool them! For around £300, you can pick up a good ten year-old example and gently tweak it with a better platter mat and/or headshell – or rip out the tonearm and fit a Rega RB301 or SME 309 (£230 new and from £500 used respectively) in its place, by the simple expedient of changing the armplate. The improvement in sound is vast, and

SME 309

the SL-1200 goes from being a punchy sounding but crude ‘disco deck’ to a giant killer. With a good arm, you enjoy rock-solid bass (second only to the Garrard, arguably), crisp midband and beautifully etched treble. Its sound per pound is staggering, and will surprise any doubter. It is far less romantic than the Linn (or any other belt drive deck, for that matter); this is for people who love precision and visceral power.

Amplifiers

Amplifiers come in all shapes and sizes, and are ultimately defined not by their brand, but by what’s actually inside them. Tube amps range from superb sounding to dire, and because their circuits are so simple, the performance comes from the quality of the valves, passive components and transformers. That’s why classics like the leak Stereo 20 power

Naim NAP 250

amplifier (from £500) are so popular; this evergreen is just about powerful enough to drive modern loudspeakers. Designed in 1958, it sports chunky EL84 power tubes and excellent build to deliver a surprisingly modern sound that’s clean and detailed, as well as satisfyingly silky. If you want more romance, then bask in the beauty of the Quad II (from £500). This 1953 design ran all the way to 1971, so there’s still lots to choose from; the KT66 output valves don't make much power so you’ll need speakers of over 90dB sensitivity, but find the right pair and you’ll love the rich, lavish, opulent sound – the audio equivalent of a plush, comfy sofa, there’s nothing like them.

If you want transistor power, then the world is your oyster. The Naim NAP250 (from £600), introduced in 1975, is an iconic product.

Serving up around 70W RMS per side, it gives a classic solid-state sound – punchy, engaging, gripping and muscular. In all honesty, it’s not the best way to enjoy late night jazz with your scotch-on-the-rocks; it’s too edge-of-the-seat for this.

Nevertheless, an entire generation of 70s and 80s rockers got their kicks from this great bit of kit. Naim Audio has an excellent service facility, so you could get yours sent back to the factory for a full rebuild should you wish.

Lovers of 1980s ‘flat earth’ hi-fi should consider the superb Myst TMA3 integrated (from £200) – it’s a British ‘cottage industry’ amplifier but uses ultra-reliable and great-sounding Hitachi

QUAD II

MOSFET output devices. This gives it far more power than many of its contemporaries, and better durability too. Alternatively, if it’s a cheap, easy-to-find and dependable powerhouse that you want, then try an early 1990s Audiolab 8000A (from £150).

Although launched in 1983, by this time it had been heavily revised and now sounded really good, and came with a superb MM/MC phono stage as standard and preamp outputs, making it a great cheap preamplifier should the need arise.

Don’t forget to catch the second part of this guide in the next issue of Connected, for recommendations on great classic CD players, DACs and loudspeakers…

Audiolab 8000A

David Price is a Hi-Fi journalist, reviewer and former editor of Hi-Fi World and Hi-Fi Choice Magazine.

Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 19

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT Simon Dalton revisits some of Russ’s thoughts on room acoustics. What we intend to do here is offer some broad advice - practical steps you can take to improve your room. Much of this will be trial and error as room acoustics are very specific so it’s impossible to say what the issues are affecting your own situation. Nevertheless,

Sound Absorption

This is the amount of sound 'echo' damping within a room. In order to achieve an acceptable reverberation time (i.e. good sounding), a room needs to contain a certain amount of absorptive materials. Fortunately, a normal sitting room with a carpet, curtains, upholstered suite and other furnishings usually achieves an acceptable reverberation time.

Aim to use materials and techniques that achieve smooth broad band absorption rather than narrow band 'problem' curing solutions. Manmade materials tend to have narrowband effects but natural materials – such as cotton, wool, feather and leather - have broadband responses.

Carpet and carpet underlay

Carpets can have a profound effect on the sound of a room. A fully fitted carpet covers a large proportion of the surface area of a room and so exerts a marked effect. In general terms a thick pile carpet (especially of high wool content) is much better sounding as it absorbs over a broader band.

these simple suggestions should be helpful so long as you are willing to take the time to experiment. Bear in mind that this is by no means an exhaustive list of actions you can take – for Russ’s full article on this subject, see www.russandrews.com/roomacoustics or phone us for a printed version.

Carpet underlays are clearly audible in their effects too, so avoid the ubiquitous rubber underlays that shops now expect you to want, and choose good old-fashioned underfelt… and buy the best quality.

You can vary or tune the effect of carpeting by using rugs on top of a fitted carpet, especially in the area between the listener and the speakers.

Curtains and Windows

Curtains are very useful indeed in controlling delay time and absorbing mid and high frequencies. They are more effective if they go right down to the floor and are lined.

A thick material like velvet or velour is most effective, and you can make them more effective still if you allow extra widths of material so that the folds are deep.

Windows absorb quite large amounts of bass because both the glass itself and the flexing of the glass absorb bass. When you draw a curtain across a window you create a complicated kind of diaphragm absorber using the window recess as a ‘cavity absorber’ and the window glass as a ‘resonant absorber’. It's no wonder that the room sound can

change dramatically when you draw the curtains so consider this when listening during daylight!

Reflections

In your listening seat you hear sound from two sources. You hear the direct sound from the speakers first, followed by the reflected sound from the floor, ceiling and walls. The strength of the reflections and the time delay after the direct sound govern the 'spaciousness' of the room sound.

This room sound overlays the recorded acoustic and so must be very carefully controlled. Be careful though - it is all too easy to overdamp a room and produce a closed-in claustrophobic sound.

You can avoid this pitfall by being very selective about the placement of absorbers and by creating a relatively 'dead' end where the speakers stand and a relatively 'live' end where you sit; though strong reflections from the walls near your seat are very distracting and uncomfortable.

This will create a much more natural and satisfying sound.

Speaker

Hi-Fi

Speaker

P

20 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

Preferred listening area

Before using any absorbent wall treatment however, it is essential that you place the loudspeakers and your listening chair in the best positions. Many reflection problems are simply eliminated this way.

You only need to treat one wall to cure a 'flutter' so you can choose which one to suit the decor or furnishing arrangement. Flutter echoes can occur in just one place, or can extend right down the whole length of the room.

Conventional advice on the subject of speaker placement states that, "loudspeakers should be located as far away from reflecting surfaces as practicable".

However, this technique increases the distance the sound must travel and so increases the time delay. It may, superficially, enhance spaciousness in a system where the speakers are too close together; but two wrongs don’t make a right.

If your room has been completely re-plastered with hard, modern plaster, the best solution is with the careful selection of wallpaper.

The idea is to put as thick an absorbent layer onto the plaster as possible. A heavy flock type is most effective but if this is too oldfashioned use an Anaglypta paper painted with matt emulsion - matt emulsion is far more effective than silk!

A better solution to the reflection problem is achieved by placing the speakers as wide apart as is practically possible - closer to the rear wall and corners. This technique places the sound source close to the first reflective surface, shortening the reflection path to the point where it is indistinguishable from the source itself.

Flutter Echoes

‘Flutter echoes’ occur between hard parallel walls where the sound repeatedly bounces back and forth. They sound very nasty indeed and must be cured. It is very easy to identify where they occur by simply clapping your hands. Walk up and down the room to locate flutter echo points and mark them for treatment.

If redecoration is not an option, Oriental rugs, carpets and tapestries make excellent 'unobtrusive' acoustic absorbers in listening rooms. Where an attached backing is not possible, a sheet of insulation board cut to the right size can easily be screwed to the wall behind the hanging.

The insulation board will be invisible but very effective indeed.

Remember that the balance you need to achieve is of a slightly 'live' overall character whilst the listening end is a little livelier compared to the speaker end.

A very useful benefit of buying some sheets of insulation board is to use them

initially as temporary moveable absorbers. That way you can quickly get a 'feel' for the effect of treatment in different positions.

The role of room furnishings to absorb and diffuse reflections

A diffusor breaks up reflected sound waves by being an uneven surface. An absorber breaks up reflected sounds by absorbing them in the material it is made of.

A bookcase (without doors!) combines both types because the books themselves absorb sound and their arrangement and uneven size diffuses the sound.

Record storage works similarly but not quite as effectively.

Your record storage unit could, for example, be placed to the side of the listening chair and a bookcase (or extra record storage) placed on the wall behind. Reflections from behind are clearly as distracting as those from the side. You will find it quite easy to listen for the reflections and then deal with each in turn.

Coffee tables in front of the listening chair are often very audible and degrading. The top forms a reflective surface in just the wrong place!

Better to put it to the side of your chair in the room.

Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE

21

DA LTO N S D E L I B E R AT I O N S

Audiophile headphones

Email Simon at: simondalton@russandrews.com

- a contradiction in terms?

The proliferation of the high end headphone market raises some interesting questions about what we consider to be an ‘audiophile’ product. Some, for example, will only ever see headphones in a secondary light, a necessary evil where there is no other option.

Even then, there’s a hard core who would rather not listen at all than listen through headphones – no matter how ‘high end’ they purport to be.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “audiophile” means “a hi-fi enthusiast”. That’s an obvious definition but doesn’t really capture the essence of true audiophilia. It’s certainly true that for some audiophiles, their core enthusiasm is with the equipment – the Hi-Fi. I would contend though that the true audiophile is interested in music and the extent to which they are a Hi-Fi enthusiast is merely as a means to an end.

This was brought to my full attention as I was actually writing this piece. A long-standing local customer dropped off his amps for some modifications. They were a pre/power combination with an active crossover, based on Nytech components, which were modified by the customer over 25 years ago. He’d never got round to completing the full modifications so John and Zac had paid him a visit recently to 22

CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

have a listen and assess the system in situ.

The system looked functional – it had been very much been put together for pure performance rather than aesthetics –but they reported that it sounded wonderful and really connected you with the performance in a way that made the system disappear from your consciousness.

‘the cost of the equipment is by no means the sole indicator of its level of performance’ Hi-Fi and headphones are both trying to help us enjoy listening.

The principle of evaluation should be the same for both; does this set-up rather than that one bring me closer to the music? In other words, whether traditional Hi-Fi or headphones, the way to judge the experience is a matter of how much the method of listening intrudes on the music. A good system will become ‘invisible’, whatever its format.

In this sense, I don’t think headphone systems are different from any other – some are good and some are bad. Likewise, the cost of the equipment is by no means the sole indicator of its

level of performance. Personally, I found the Rupert Neve Headphone Amplifier (RNHP) – see review opposite - more engaging to listen to than the Sennheiser Orpheus system costing many many times more (that’s why we decided to sell the RNHP!). That’s not because the Orpheus was bad – far from it – but purely in terms of long-term listening enjoyment the Neve made me feel a connection with the music that the Orpheus sounded too ‘showy’ to achieve – to my ears at least.

Although I firmly believe that one can achieve a true audiophile performance without having to spend a fortune, cost is relevant when looking at the high end of the market. And here, to me, headphones win hands down. I doubt I will ever be in the market for a truly high end Hi-Fi system – where I would be looking at £100,000+. The very best sounding set-up I heard at CANJAM London cost around £8000, excluding the laptop that was being used as the source.

That’s a lot of money. But compare that to what you would spend for an equivalent Hi-Fi system and it suddenly sounds like a bargain. And that system did sound sublime.

See my blog post ‘CANJAM London 2016 - PART 1’ at russandrews.com/blog.

REVIEWS

Neve RNHP Headphone Amp

HOT OFF THE PRESS! HOT OFF THE PRESS! HOT OFF THE PRESS! The latest issue of Hi-Fi News to drop on our desk - just before we went to press features a very pleasing review of the RNHP headphone amplifier.

Keith Howard writes an interesting piece that can essentially be divided into two parts. Following an initial introduction to the designer, Rupert Neve - of whom he says “enjoys something akin to guru status in the pro audio world” – Keith spends some time reflecting on the aesthetics of the amp.

He clearly thinks that it is never going to win any prizes in this department. Indeed, he makes this very clear when he states “the RNHP looks and feels all too like a DIY electronics project”. Ouch! I’m not sure I agree with this - notwithstanding the fact that the casework does ring a little, I actually quite warm to its rather refreshing utilitarian, industrial design.

Having lamented the look of the RNHP, the review moves onto the issue of performance. Here, the result is the polar opposite. “Experiencing music via the RNHP”, he writes, “helps you forgive its less than elegant demeanour” and he suggests that it does “a fine job… of presenting many types of music in an engaging, edifying and enjoyable way”. Not only that, but “it also shows every sign of being compatible with a broad range of headphones”, which is good news for those using more than one pair or if you are considering upgrading at a later date.

Digging deeper into the sound quality of this little amp gets to the heart of its appeal. Whereas some more expensive headphone amps may offer more detail and the ability to extract more information from the recording, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more engaging listen. Keith notes that he is “intrigued that the RNHP literature refers to

‘nuanced emotions’ and that Russ Andrews uses the word ‘musicality’ in its context because they seem to me apposite descriptions of what characterises the RNHP’s sound”. More specifically, “the RNHP does an unusually good job of conveying music’s emotional core”.

We have spoken many times about the importance of musicality and the ability, or not, of a Hi-Fi to engage us emotionally with the performance – in essence this is why we listen. To illustrate the point, the review goes into some detail of Keith’s reaction when listening to a track called For Lack of Honest Work by Todd Rundgren. This is an emotional track which relates the experience of a working man who finds himself out of work and feeling worthless.

“The subject matter is important” he argues, “because it’s the pathos of the song that the RNHP proved particularly good at conveying. Yes, it did the hi-fi bit too of clarifying the ‘acoustic’ that Rundgren constructs in the studio, but it’s the song’s emotional impact to which the RNHP did particularly good service. The sort of Neve RNHP Headphone Amp service that can Rating: Highly Commended make a familiar track Magazine: Hi Fi News Issue: March 2017 seem in some Price: £469 important way freshly minted”.

Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE

23

REVIEWS

RF Zapperators

RF Zapperators augment our other filters and are designed to be fitted further down the chain once your mains, interconnects and speaker cables have been upgraded. As such, they help to soak up any surplus RFI entering the loudspeakers at the critical binding post/cable connector interface.

As Neville Roberts points out, they achieve this effectively by utilising an adapted form of Zobel network which works by literally burning off RF interference, converting it to heat and ensuring that once treated, it cannot return.

A second point he makes is that anything working in such close proximity to speaker drivers will potentially be subject to “high levels of bass vibration from the cabinet”. Many RF parts are microphonic, so using

Online reviews

these would be akin to directly injecting distortion into the audio path, defeating the object. So one of the key points in the design of the Zapperators was the very selective use of high quality components.

This combination of detailed design specifications and high quality components comes together perfectly in the Speaker Zapperators, with noticeable improvements in the Speaker Zapperators “depth and width of Rating: 4 Stars the soundstage” and Price: £148 also in the “bass Magazine: HiFi Choice performance”.

Reviewed: February 2017

Since we launched the PowerPurifier last Summer we’ve had some great feedback on its performance in your systems at home:

"Wow!!! You need to try one of these. Outstanding."

I ordered the PowerPurifier just before Christmas, and in the weeks following, added all but the MegaClamp, with the addition of the PowerKord-100. Prior to this, I was considering replacing my CD7q player as its getting on in years, but I'm glad I didn't, and went for the wise option of trying this product first. At the time in 2001 my CD player was one of the best analog, 3 dimensional sounding CD players in its price range, and it still is good, I'd say even better now by far. Sound per pound well worth a few hundred instead of a few thousand on a CD player. Let your ears and heart decide for themselves.

"An Outstanding addition for any system" An outstanding replacement for a 16-year old SuperPurifier in my system. I can hardly believe the rock solid sound picture putting everything firmly in place and with clarity that I have not achieved before. My Quad ESL63 speakers are enjoying making beautiful music much better than was ever possible in the 34 years I have had them.

Mr Platts ordered a PowerPurifier Classic, fitted with one ClarityMains module.

"Excellent" I purchased the PowerPurifier at the recent Hi-Fi show I got home too late in the evening to plug it in so had to wait until the next day to plug it into my system. I sat down to listen and it is no exaggeration to say my jaw almost hit the floor. The change I heard was far from subtle. The sound stage had opened up considerably and there was better separation between individual instruments. The noise floor also dropped as well. I listen mainly to vinyl and have started to purchase old 78s. This has made some of the more challenging ones easier to listen to as you seem to hear through the surface noise. Oh and pictures on my Home Cinema have better definition with deeper blacks. I would highly recommend this product.

Mr Ford bought a PowerPurifier Classic with no additional modules fitted.

24 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

LETTERS Which speaker cable?

I have B&W 703 speakers powered by a Rotel RMB 1095 multichannel power amp, a Rotel RSP 1572 processor, an Avid Diva II turntable with the Avid Pellar phono stage. I use bluejeans LC-1 between pre power, and phono to pre. I use Audioquest 14/4 speaker cable. I was looking at Kimber 8TC cable (or would 12TC be better for my speakers?)… it seems 8TC is for smaller speakers I need a 2m run. And I want to swap out my LC-1 cables so what would you recommend there? I have very fluffy bass and a slight lisp on some female vocals are my issues.

L Molseed, by e-mail If the budget allows, then yes 12TC is the cable to go for. The increase in the number of conductors (over 8TC) will help your speakers to more accurately reproduce the whole frequency range. One of the things that I think 12TC really excels at is the way it handles low frequency signals. Bass is immediately tighter and more controlled, this in turn gives better separation in the midrange and helps to extend the treble.

For the analogue interconnect and to match 12TC, I'd recommend Silver Streak or higher. The LC-1 cable is a coaxial cable design and in our opinion isn't the best way to transmit an analogue signal. Using a combination

of exceptionally high purity copper and silver in a proven woven format that rejects interference, Silver Streak just sounds right balanced and again, very musical.

Kimber have designed their cables to be open, detailed and above all musical. The character of a system is inevitably going to be influenced by its infrastructure of cables, we think that Kimber has the least effect on that. But of course the proof is in the listening, which is why if you buy a standard length cable (in your case, you'd need to order a 2.5m pair), you have 60 Days in which to try it in your own system and if it doesn't work out for you, you can return it for a refund. If you like the cable, you can return this standard length pair and order the 2m pair. PB

Three or four point support?

I use Cone Feet under all of my Hi-Fi components and have followed your advice to use three points of support, understanding the logic of stability behind this.

However I noticed recently that the weight distribution under the three cones is not the same. To explain, with all three cones in place the power amplifier is easily lifted (literally) on the front left hand side with a small finger off its base. However on the front right hand side, considerably more lift is required to move it. I assume that this is probably due to the location of the transformer inside. This had me thinking that this arrangement is not as stable

Kimber 12TC speaker cable, £693 for 2.5m pair

STAR Win a Silencer mains filter,

LETTER

Want to share your experiences with our readers? Or simply want advice? Write to us! We’ll publish the best, funniest and most interesting in each issue of Connected. The writer of this issue’s Star Letter receives a Silencer, worth £52.00 Get in touch at: connected@russandrews.com or write to us at: Connected, Russ Andrews Accessories, 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6NS, UK.

as first may have been suspected.

To this end I am wondering whether a four cone set-up support weight at each corner would be more suitable for the amplifiers alone. I understand that this flies in the logic proposed by a three cone setup but for certain components, is this more suitable? Other components without this uneven weight distribution continue to benefit from a three cone arrangement in my system. Not sure whether anyone has asked this question before so I just wanted to raise this issue and ask for your advice.

Anthony Brown, West Midlands It's not uncommon for equipment to be lopsided when it comes to weight in which case the 3 cones might need to be placed non-symmetrically.

Or simply use four cones… if the Big Cone Feet set of four £33 Issue 38 Spring 2017 CONNECTED MAGAZINE 25

LETTERS equipment is heavy enough, then four cones should easily be in contact with whatever it’s sitting on. PB

mains cable upgraded to SuperKord standard (which would near enough make it a SuperKord 300)?

If I can't afford the cost of this, my thinking is towards a PowerKord-500 with Super LETTER I visited my local Hi Fi burn in plus treatment to get dealer today to listen to more out of my power amp that a new piece of Naim kit… controls the mid band. I already the Naim Core together with the have a PowerKord 500 which I have Naim Atom, to understand where tried on this power amp and I was the future of Hi Fi in the digital age surprised at how much it improved is going. The younger generation the mid band presentation. It was are going to drive both the like buying a new amplifier. technology and the demand, so I However, in doing this it meant reasoned that it cannot be resisted. taking the PowerKord 500 off of my It was a wake up call because I feel pre-amp and swapping it with a like a Hi Fi Dinosaur. So I have Reference PowerKord, so there was backed away from my initial an inevitable trade off. thoughts of upgrading my tuner.

S Luck, Hants I was impressed with what just two I agree that streaming from the relatively small boxes were capable 'cloud' and music stored digitally on of and because change is already a local drive will inevitably be the here and will be quickly refined, I norm. Especially as all the big names seem to have come full circle again are now focusing their efforts on to keeping what I have in an ageing producing playback devices. I heard system, but further investing in the the latest Naim Uniti last month and infrastructure that frees it and gets I was really impressed with its sound. more out of it. This has brought me But everything needs an around to thinking about further infrastructure i.e. power, irrespective PowerKord investment. I have an of its wireless streaming capability. upgraded Russ Andrews Reference So I think you're absolutely right to PowerKord - predecessor of the focus on that and if you have a PowerKord 300 - which has had the Super Burn-In Plus treatment with a system you’re ultimately happy with, don't change it for changes sake - I've Wattgate W350 EVO Rodium IEC spoken to far too many customers plug fitted. I am wondering how who've made that mistake! much it would cost to have this

The future of music

STAR

We can convert PowerKord-300s or Reference PowerKords to SuperKord-300 specification for £1050.

26 CONNECTED MAGAZINE Issue 38 Spring 2017

We can modify/upgrade your Reference to become a SuperKord300 if you wish, so it'll have the new sleeving and enhanced earth. The cost for this is £1050.00. After this mod, we recommend Super Burn-In Plus again because of all the new parts added, so I'd factor in £150 for that. PB

Do your SuperFuses Burn In? I have just received my order [for SuperFuses] and have spent a few hours, installing in my system.

As I have used the SuperFuses in the streamer and DAC, plus now powering the actives from my PowerBlock, I cannot review them individually.

I used the DeoxIT wipes on all contacts as well as the SuperFuses.

Upon listening for the first time, there does seem to be an improvement in the treble, less sharp, and music seems smoother.

What the actual single improvement from any one item is therefore not possible to quantify.

I have been listening to all types of music, as well as some Tidal lossless streams, all are most enjoyable.

Will there be any further improvements from "running" in?

Not sure but will keep listening!

S. Morgan, Gwent Yes, Burn-in will change the performance of them.

I wouldn’t say it’s dramatic, but enough for there to be a bigger difference than you’re hearing now.

I recommend leaving them installed for a least a week or two and simply listening as normal. Then, remove the fuses and listen to the difference.

I often find it’s the drop in performance you hear the most! PB

SuperFuses £25 each

Competition

COMPETITION

What’s your next upgrade?

One of the good things about Hi-Fi is that, when funds allow, there’s always something you can improve. Of course, we think that cables and accessories are a great choice because you can get a significant upgrade without having to lay out a huge amount of money!

For this issue’s competition, we’d be intrigued to know what the next upgrade is that you’ve got planned. It doesn’t have to be a cable or accessory - it might be that new PowerKord on your CD player, or it could be those speakers you’ve always dreamed of.

Whether it's racks, cables or hardware, all you need to do is tell us what you want to upgrade and why you want to upgrade it, in no more than 100 words. Email your entry to us to competition@russandrews.com or mail it to

WIN

A PowerPurifier Classic and 1m YellO Power cable worth

£389!

Connected 38 Competition, Russ Andrews Accessories, 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Shap Rd, Kendal, LA9 6NS. The closing date for entries is 14th May 2017 and we will judge one winner from all entries submitted. So go on – get your thinking caps on and be as creative and entertaining as you can to make sure your entry stands out. The lucky winner will receive our PowerPurifier Classic power conditioner and 1m YellO Power cable, worth a

whopping £389!

Terms and Conditions 1. The closing date for entries is 14th May 2017 and the winner will be notified by 30th May 2017; 2. The rules of entry are given in the text of the competition; 3. No purchase necessary to enter; 4. There is one prize of a PowerPurifier Classic and a 1m YellO Power mains cable. 5. The prize is not transferable, cannot be exchanged for cash nor will a cash alternative be offered; 6. Our decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into; 7.

We reserve the right to feature photographs and the names and counties of all winners in future publications and publicity; 8. This promotion is not open to employees of Russ Andrews Accessories or their families, or anyone connected with the promotion; 9. The promoter is Russ Andrews Accessories Ltd, 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Shap Road, Kendal, LA9 6NS, UK.

Congratulations go to Mr Hammerton of Sheffield who was randomly selected from all the correct answers in our Connected 37 edition, and wins the prize of a Clarity Mains filter. He correctly answered that the speaker cable featured in our customer system for that issue was Monocle-XL.

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See us on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/russandrewshifi Issue 36 Issue Autumn 38 Spring 20162017 CONNECTED CONNECTED MAGAZINE MAGAZINE 47 27

Reference Code

If you’ve upgraded your plug fuses to our SuperFuses you’ll already know what a difference they make. Now take the next step by upgrading your internal fuses!

Many components have a fuse holder located on the back, near the IEC input, so are easy to replace. Other fuses are to be found inside the unit itself so take a bit more effort to change. You’ll need to check whether you require a slow blow or fast blow version too, so we’ve put a guide together on our website to take you through the whole process - you can find it by going to www.russandrews.com/fitfuses

Customer Number

Return address: Russ Andrews Accessories Ltd, 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Shap Road, Kendal LA9 6NS, UK.

Take the next step...

I have a number of Russ' standard SuperFuses in use and can confirm these smaller, internal fuses work just as well. Is £25 a lot for a fuse? Well yes it is. Is it a lot for the extra clarity and reduced distortion that results? I think not! In fact I think it's a something of a bargain so, treat yourself today.

Internal Fast Blow Superfuse reviewed by John Bainbridge, online at russandrews.com

Order Internal SuperFuse now

A wide range of values are available from 100mA to 6.3A. See them all online.

Internal Slow Blow Fuse Internal Fast Blow Fuse

each £25.00 each £25.00

www.russandrews.com Call UK Orderline 01539 797300 Int Tel +44 (0)1539 797300 Buy online at

Exclusive UK distributor

Russ Andrews Accessories Ltd, 2b Moreland Court, Westmorland Business Park, Shap Road, Kendal LA9 6NS, UK.

Mail Order Direct • 60 Day Money Back Guarantee • Cable Upgrade Scheme • Free Delivery (orders over £100 within UK Mainland)