The Adelphi #04-35 1 Coleman Street Singapore 179803 T: +65-9636-8838
Screen Innovations!
... another innovation from
Black Diamond Stealth Projection Screen
... and the perfect projector to match!
A smaller version of the G1 and G2 Same dynamic performance Scaled for smaller rooms
1 Jalan Anak Bukit #01-01S Bukit Timah Plaza Singapore 588996 Tel: +65-6466 2642 Fax: +65- 6466 2652 www.xaudio.com.sg
X Audio Pte Ltd
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GIYA G3
Affordable audio components recommended by the critics of TAS!
Vincent Audio SP-331 MK2 Hybrid Power Amplifier “...The SP-331 is one of the best-sounding affordable power amplifiers we’ve yet heard. A hybrid tube/solid-state amplifier, it combines the harmonic richness and subtlety of fine tube designs—especially through the midrange—with the low-frequency power, control, and agility of a good solid-state amplifier...” Vincent Audio SV-236 MK2 Hybrid Integrated Amplifier “...the well-built Vincent SV-236 integrated amplifier combines the best of two worlds by providing a vacuum-tube preamp driving a 150Wpc solid-state power amplifier.... a combination of deep, powerful solid-state bass and tube-fueled delicacy, shimmering detail, and almost surroundlike imaging...”
Vincent Audio SA-T8 Tube Preamplifier “...A rare musical blossom at this price point, and an absolute steal considering its twin virtues of crystalline clarity and ample boogie factor...”
Vincent Audio V-60 Tube Integrated Amplifier “...The remarkably neutral midrange, from the tiniest interior detail to the most extroverted dynamic, is authoritative, substantial, and almost Technicolor in saturation...”
Vincent Audio PHO-8 Phono Preamp “...Operation is quiet, the sound liquid, the soundstage vivid and dimensional with just a hint of warmth and transient softness compared to reference efforts...”
Authorised Dealer
Musiclink AV
100 Beach Road #02-46/49 Shaw Tower Singapore 189702 Tel: (65)-6291-1106
Distributor for Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore
Intercessor LLP
1090 Lower Delta Road #07-07 Singapore 169201 Tel: (65)-62730873 Fax: (65)-62210959
Precision
Tannoy’s Precision series, the new luxury loudspeaker offering audiophile delicacy and breath-taking dynamics. Featuring the latest Tannoy 150 mm (6”) Dual Concentric™ driver and a raft of performance enhancing features, the range delivers outstanding realism with music and movies. Contemporary style, luxury finish options and outstanding attention to detail ensure Precision loudspeakers look as good as they sound.
KEC Sound System Pte Ltd 1 Coleman Street The Adelphi #04-36 Singapore 179803 Hotline: 6564-3188 www.hifibargain.com
In
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Sales n Marketing Singapore
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Malaysia
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simon@mod-avi.com MOD AudioVideo is published by MODAVI Private Limited 10 Anson Road International Plaza Unit 21-02 S 079903
MICA (P) 169/07/2011 The title MOD AudioVideo, its associated logo or devices and contents of this magazine is the sole property of Modavi Private Limited. Reproduction of either in whole or a part of, is strictly prohibited. Modavi Private Limited is not responsible for any ommissions, errors, unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or other materials. We reserve the right to edit all relevant materials. Modavi retain ownership of all materials received published or otherwise.
this issue, the McIntosh McAire music system heralds a serious ‘crossover’ product, one that bridges mass market ‘MP3 is good enough’ and the ‘24/192 does not even come close to analogue’ camp. This is exactly what high end manufacturers need to do, offer a product that shows what really good hifi can do but packaged into something the average headphone totting Joe can associate with. I concede the asking price of the McAire system would definitely be more than what the average Joe would spend on a music system but it is very affordable when compared to any high-end audio components. As technology moves on, we will begin the countdown of ‘the end of days’ for analogue TV - it is scheduled to cease transmission by 2020 in Singapore. The sevenyear transition period will have both analogue and digital transmitted simultaneously. To view the digital channels you will need an add-on set top box which could be bought cheaply (hopefully with economies of scale and multiple suppliers) at electronic stores or upgrade to a newer flatscreen TVs with a build-in digital TV tuner. Mediacorp will be transmitting all the 7 free-to-air channels in digital by end 2013. That means for once we have full 16 x 9 widescreen 1080p Full HD resolution for TV programmes. Both picture and sound quality will be in digital and will look and sound better than analogue TV ever could. It will look even better if you already have a flat screen TV. When consumers can access high quality TV transmissions, they will or will soon be adopting to pay-per-view movies and even buying HD movies online. As our lives become more and more media centric – music, movies, photos, gaming, shopping, etc.. the role of the TV will become more and more important. With that, the median size of the flatscreen TV will get bigger as long as prices falls in tandem with demand. That can only be good for all of us!
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1 Coleman Street #04-25 The Adelphi Singapore 179803 T: +65 6333-0286 M: +65 8201-0233 W: www.modularaudio.com.sg E: info@modularaudio.com.sg
JBL Sound Gallery at Raffles Hotel IMS Marketing Pte Ltd has opened a new showroom downtown – at the historical Raffles Hotel Arcade. The new showroom boasts a large open demonstration area where visitors can experience various levels of fine JBL speakers driven by state-of-the-art Chord and Pathos electronics. In addition, there is a media room with JBL Synthesis surround sound system and JVC projectors for a sumptious home theatre and entertainment experience. Open from Monday to Saturday 11am - 7pm (except Sundays and public holidays). 328 North Bridge Road #02-17/18 Raffles Hotel Arcade Singapore 188719 T: 6337-7989 W: www.imssg.com
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65 th Anniversary Edition
60 th Anniversary Edition
WO KEE HONG DISTRIBUTION PTE LTD
1 Jalan Kilang Timor #08-03 Pacific Tech Centre Singapore 159303 Tel: (+65) 6637 9888 sales@wokeehong.com.sg www.wokeehong.com.sg
Tannoy were showcasing its new Precision series speakers
August 24-25, 2012 Raffles City Convention Centre
Von Schweikert and KR Electronics made an impressive showcase
In case you missed the audiophile event of the year MOD DAC 2012, catch the excitement of the show in the spread over the next six pages!
The projector shootout had the visitors wowed over the showing of the 4K projector
And so did EgglestonWorks and Constellation Visitors were greeted by Shure’s showcase of their new headphones
Our special guest Ms Winnie Ho did 4 performances in the two days of the show
Magico S5 provided the sonic element to an otherwise impressive showing of Screen Innovations (screens) and Projection Design (projector). Opposite of Shure is Epson’s showcase of the new Moverio 18 MOD AV
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The Epson 3D projectors scores high on affordability and value
The scene at Jaben’s Can Jam is unbelievable, throngs of headphone fans gather to pick up bargains
The impressive Sperling turntable
Marten Design and Vitus amplifiers on demo
Quadral Orcan in stunning Ferrari yellow!
The rare Sennheiser Orpheus electrostatic... ... and the matching tube amplifier!
Final Audio Design’s Muramasa headphones Another rare oddity from Jaben - the K1000 ear speakers - you need an amplifier’s speaker output level to drive it properly!
World’s smallest amplifier, the Carot One in its distinctive orange casing driving the compact Quadral Megan Brodmann speakers were rushed in time for the show
Neat’s colourful speakers are made for desktop system - hence the Teac desktop amp and Cocktail Audio music server Mini Maggies desktop speaker system
Vivid Audio new Giya G3 speakers
The return of the Gradient Revolution open baffle loudspeakers
The omni-directional Davone Mojo
Meridian DSP 7000 speakers with amplifiers and DSP built-in
Meridian’s Sooloos and Naim Uniti music servers MOD 20 AV
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The Guru QM60 was a hit with show visitors
Dr Eunice Kron from KR Audio, Albert Von Schweikert and Bobby Ng (Audioline)
MOD DAC
will be back in 2013! Keep track of all our forthcoming events in facebook.com/MODDAC
Jim Thompson of Egglestonworks
Winnie Ho belting out songs from Teresa Teng
David Fung from OS Screen 22 MOD AV
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Retro Movement
Reader Tarik whose system was featured in issue 14 has moved to a larger home; I suppose being an expat, it was to be expected every once in a while. Now that he has had numerous problems with his previous room where his system resided, the first thing he looked at when shopping for another rental is the room where he will place his system! In this case the new unit offers two possibilities – the living room and the basement. His bad experience with room acoustics led him to seek professional advice. The basement was deemed unsuitable as it has a very resonant stairwell, which would be a real challenge to treat. The living room has better potential and he liked the idea of being close to his lovely Japanese wife, Akiko when she prepares his meals rather than retreat to his ‘private’ den in the basement to listen to music.
Rega Planar 7 on loan while waiting for his Planar 9
When I reach his new home, he proudly showed me around the house and the near empty basement, which sadly would be his TV room, possibly the least utilized room. The living room is unmistakably a music lover’s den – the pair of Harbeth M40s replaces his previous HL5. Definitely a fan of the old British sound. What was intriguing, however, are the large cabinets sitting at the corners of the room. “They are resonators,” Tarik explained the room has a severe bass frequency peak in excess of 12 dB. The resonators were Helmholtz resonators – the cavity within the cabinet is
Close up for the Dynavector XX-2 moving coil cartridge
Accuphase PS1220 power supply conditioner
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excited by air pressure to resonant at a specific frequency. This frequency is tuned to match in anti-phase with the dominant resonant frequency of the room and in doing so, cancel the room’s resonant frequency; in theory at least. No, he didn't figure all this himself, he paid for the services of an acoustician. One of the new additions to the system is the Accuphase PS1220 Clean Power Supply. Tarik is a big fan of Accuphase and he personally vouches the effectiveness of the Accuphase power supply for his setup. Nice piece of gear. The all digital system is now complemented by an analogue setup – the Rega Planar 7 (on temporary loan till his Planar 9 arrives) with a Dynavector XX2 mk II. The Octave electronics are line level only, the all new Rega’s flagship Reference series Ios phono stage is pressed into service. This phono stage is quite unusual, it has a first stage x10 gain step-up transformer before the electronics comes into play. Ever since Tarik got hold of a turntable, a new chapter in his life opens – scrouging for used LPs! He has already done due diligence by acclimatizing with the used LP market. Slowly but surely, he is spending more and more time with the turntable than with his Mac Mini / Weiss DAC 202. Its not difficult to see/hear why. The Unassuming Rega simply walks all over the digital front end!
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Soundzipper opens a new showroom to showcase their room acoustics treatment and interior design services 8 Ubi Road 2 #08-03 Zervex Industrial Building Singapore 408538 www.soundzipper.com
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ACOUSTICS | RESEARCH
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When entering a space, the architecture generates the first impression – the dimension, materials and surfaces... ... then we become aware of the acoustics Premium Swiss made architectural and interior acoustic solutions
8 Ubi Road 2 #08-03 Zervex Industrial Building Singapore 408538 T: 65093529 www.soundzipper.com
Design + Implementation - HiFi Systems, Home Theatre, Recording Studios, Music Rooms, Soundproofing, Acoustic Treatment
Take a Good Look at Your Hi-Fi Room That’s the one piece of equipment many people seem to forget about: the room. Why is that? Well, because we’re so jacked up on buying the state-of-the-art amplifiers, cables and speakers out there. We end up sold on the fact that these pieces of equipment are essential for a quality Hi-Fi system. But here’s the important thing to remember…. Your Hi-Fi System Does Go Somewhere – Your Room So you need to make sure your room is optimized for sound quality and atmosphere. It is, in fact, probably the most important piece of equipment in a high quality system. Basic science has suggested that every room in a house or building does have what’s called its own unique sonic signature. That means sound will travel differently in just about every room. So imagine what would happen if you moved your main speakers and subwoofers elsewhere in your house: the sound would change. It’s no trick of the mind. Where you place your equipment matters. All it takes is knowing the basics. Don’t Be a Slave to Your Room Bad acoustics is like a prison for sound. The sound can’t get out, and sometimes even the sound goes too “silent” for your tastes. This is what you can expect from poor acoustics in a room: · · · · ·
Excessive Reverberation Loss of Imaging Boomy Bass Inadequate Sound Isolation Improper Noise Mitigation
I don’t care how upscale the speakers are; bad acoustics make the best equipment sound horrible. You’ll get loss of clarity if there’s too much reverberation and reflection, not to mention small room dimensions will boom up your bass just a bit too much. In addition, if your room isn’t isolating the sound from your equipment well and minimizing outside noise, you won’t be getting much out of what you hear in your favorite music. Go Ahead and Test Your Room Out See for yourself. Upgrade your equipment and see if larger, more crystal clear speakers really do make a difference. Do you really hear any difference? Probably not. In fact, the “better” equipment might even reveal more flaws in the audio. The common tactic is to try and enhance quality. That doesn’t fix the flaws, though. For the most part, it does nothing more than cover it up. If you want to fix those flaws, you have to target the source: the room. But I know what you’re thinking….
A Great Sounding Room That Looks Fantastic? Style and acoustics: we typically don’t put those two together. If the acoustics are right on, most of the time the room looks like one of those closed-in studio setups. Bland, industrial, basic. And that’s not what you’re looking for in quality entertainment. Style is just as important. Here’s the key…. If you want to put those two together, design them together. That’s the main motto of Soundzipper. Let us upgrade your room to its highest acoustic potential and tonal spectrum, channeling your sound at its peak performance and letting your state-of-the-art equipment shine at its brightest. And let us design it. With style. It takes detailed analyses and professional, optimal acoustic design. We start from the ground up, so your sound flies sky high. Call Us Today and Schedule a Consultation
8 Ubi Road 2 #08-03 Zervex Industrial Building Singapore 408538 T: 65093529 www.soundzipper.com
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Starting a new system from a clean
sheet is a rare opportunity to indulge on some of the gear one has been eyeing for some time. The only change in the equation for this setup is the move to a new apartment as well. J, the owner of this setup is not new to setting up a high performance system, and he understands fully one of the key factors to a successful system is not just buying the best components but the room. From the onset, the planned layout of the system in the living room is the room itself. Like most of the newer condominiums, the living room is small. Then the next potential problem is the non-symmetrical arrangement of the room – there is large expense of glass doors on one side and solid concrete on the other. The walkway to the bedroom on the side forces the left speaker to be placed further from the left wall and the right speaker closer to the glass doors. Even before moving in, J knew this room will be a challenge even before the interior decorator gets into the picture. J researched the intrenet and even consulted a few audio dealers for advice. Interestingly, with the audio dealers, what he got was ‘advice’ to buy the latest gear they have in the store! It is obvious the audio dealers are just that – pushing gear and not in any way versed as acousticians. It was on one of the forums, J got acquainted with Nicholas (who later formed a new company Sound Zipper) who took the time to take some measurements of the living room. Not surprisingly, there was clearly some pronounce standing wave at a few key frequencies (all rooms have that) coupled with the relative short distance bet -ween the front and back wall where the speaker faces means the first reflection off the back wall is very pronoun-ced. The reflection off the ceiling also contributes significantly to the standing wave around the 40 Hz and 60 Hz range. In Nicholas opinion, the room needs a combination of diffusion and broadband absorp-ption to tame the inherent standing wave. Working with the ID, Nicholas proposed the wall behind the speakers be absorbent while the wall behind the listener be diffu-sive. The original plan for the ceiling was to be recess -ed with cornices, that was changed into a lowered
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ceiling with sound absorbing rockwool to cut down the intensity of the ceiling reflection. The lowered ceiling was specified differently – most lowered ceilings use a lightweight metal frame lattice to hold up the ceiling boards. Nicholas and his team specified a wood frame structure instead. It ends up heavier but with the benefit of less rattles when excited by its natural resonant frequencies. Nicholas emphasize all the acoustic treatment is done together with the ID to avoid the after market ‘tack-on’ look. It also works out far cheaper and far more effective. He uses a unique software to measure the room, he explains most room measurements used by acousticians are for larger rooms – eg concert halls. Large venues have different issues compared to smaller living rooms. The system J has both an analogue and digital music streaming sources – a Kuzma Reference turntable with a Kuzma Reference 4-point tonearm and a Denon DL103R moving coil cartridge for the analogue front end. The digital front end consists of a modified Mac Mini that runs off a small 12V car battery. The Mac Mini runs off the best OS for music streaming – Snow Leopard (apparently there were issues acknowledged among computer audiophiles with regards to Lion and Mountain Lion). The Mac runs off an SSD drive with maxed out 8 GB worth of Ram. The ripped and downloaded music files were stored in a separate 3.5-inch external drive with a modified power supply. The Kuzma combo feeds a Korean made Allnic H-3000 tube phono stage while the Mac has an Australian designed
Lenehan PDX tube DAC. J told me he bought the PDX direct from the manufacturer without even hearing it! “It was a leap of faith!” J commented. He had read good things about the PDX when researching on the internet (don’t all of us do that?) and he didn't quite like the options he heard, either too expensive or unimpressive. No brands should be mentioned here! The amplification is from Slovenia – the Karan Acoustics Reference preamp and S600 power amplifier driving a pair of Focal Scala Utopia loudspeakers. For his home cinema setup, he runs off an Oppo BDP93 into a Pioneer SC-LX53 AV receiver and Gallo speakers for left center right and inwall/inceiling for surround and rears. The bass end is augmented with a 12-inch Rhythemic subwoofer.
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Canterbury SE Tannoy Prestige series Distinctive, distinguished and Proud Transcending mere Fashion and have captured the imagination of music connoisseurs all over the World!
Blk 925 Yishun Central 1 #02-229 Singapore 760925 Tel: +65 6756 5585 www.audioline-hifi.com Authorised Singapore Distributor
Unicorn Sound and Vision
Von Schweikert Audio
Authorised distributor for Singapore and Malaysia
Blk 925 Yishun Central 1 #02-229 Singapore 760925 Tel: +65 6756 5585 www.audioline-hifi.com
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Tannoy pioneered the Dual Concentric driver way
back in the fifties though I am sure they did not invent it. The Dual concentric driver can be bought as a kit and for many music lovers in the fifties where DIY is the name of the hifi game, without which, the iconic Tannoy driver would not have lived on till today. The Canterbury SE is one of the second largest speaker in the Tannoy ‘Prestige’ series – right after the flagship Westminster Royal. It uses a single 15-inch woofer with a paper cone, fabric surround and Alnico magnets. The titanium dome tweeter is a compression driver mounted within the voice coil of the woofer – hence dual concentric – and comes with what Tannoy calls a ‘PepperPot’ waveguide to aid dispersion. The speaker is one big massive cabinet but somehow blends pretty well as it isn’t visually imposing as compared to an eight footer high tower. Unlike most speakers which use MDF, the Canterbury SE uses a stronger birch ply with extensive internal bracing for the 235 litre cabinet. The crossover design features WBT speaker terminals as well as an extra ‘grounding’ terminal. The tweeter design does show a gentle roll off up to –6 dB at 22 kHz, with our hearing acuity starting to diminish well before that, Tannoy offers a super tweeter – the ST-200 – which augments the HF extension to 54 kHz. The ST-200 is wired in parallel to the speaker; it just needs an extra pair of speaker cable and taps off the speaker terminals of the
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Canterbury SE. Just the thing for today’s high definition sources – 24 bit /192 kHz as well as SACD. Driving the Canterbury SE is a KR Audio Kronzilla integrated amplifier. The high efficiency of the Canterbury SE (> 96 dB) means most of the 50 watts offered by the Kronzilla is more than adequate to generate enough SPL. There is a second amplifier which serves as a back up amplifier – an 845 from Italian amplifier manufacturer – New Audio Frontier. The front end is from Reimyo of Japan – the CDT-777 transport and DAP-777 digital to analogue converter. Of course any audiophile worth his salt would have Harmonix tuning feet to bring out the best from the equipment!
Tannoy ST200 super tweeter, takes over where the compression tweeter of the dual concentric driver starts rolling off.
Tannoy’s 15-inch dual concentric driver with cloth surround and Alnico magnets, a DIYers favourite for more than half a century!
KR Audio’s massive T1610 vacuum tube delives a whopping 50 watts RMS per tube 46 MOD AV
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What’s the difference
between the above picture and the one on the right? The one on the right looks like a typical enthusiast setup – most of us would start somewhere here - buying and upgrading equipment piecemeal. But think of all the space taken up by the equipment! As our homes gets smaller, space is fast becoming a premium. One alternative is to go for miniature speakers – the smaller they are, the less obvious they become. Unfortunately, most miniature speakers sound very much, erm.. like miniatures. Unable to deliver the same sense of scale and dynamics of a larger speaker system. Another option is to use architectural speakers, they started off as public address speakers pressed into use for ambient or pipe-in music. They are of low fidelity and poor quality as they need to be cheap enough to be used in hundreds for public address applications. Today, many speaker manufacturers recognised the desire of home cinema enthusiasts to maximise space without sacrificing sound quality. As such, these speakers often use state-of-the-art drive units, damped enclosures and strong fittings to enable the speakers to play loud, clean and accurate without rattling the fixtures. Definitive Technology makes some of the best architectural speakers at very reasonable prices. The Reference Ceiling Speaker III (RCS III) is an in-ceiling speaker suitable for use as front main left, center or right channel speaker, as well as a rear or side surround speaker (RSS III) in custom installed home theater systems. With Definitive Technology’s proprietary Wave Launch (patent pending) baffle geometry and acoustic treatment materials, it delivers the illusion that the speakers are directly in front of the listener rather than up in the ceiling. The RCS III comes with an active driver/bass radiator combination achieves an extended low-frequency response, which is deep and dynamic with a smooth and controlled roll-off. The matching RSS III surround speakers deliver similar performance in the surround speaker role for a seamless and dynamic sound never before available from architectural speaker systems.
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Definitive Technology Reference Ceiling Speaker RCS III (above) and RSS III (right) Definitive Technology speakers are available from KEC Sound Systems.
OS Screen - 4K and beyond David Fung, Export Manager for OS screen offers some insights in evolution of the projection screen
Henry Loo (left) Product Manager for Wo Kee Hong Distribution Pte Ltd The new OS Tab Tensioned Projection Screen
David Fung (right) OS International Marketing (HK)
It might seem a simple thing to ask
but sometimes the obvious is just too impertinent to ask. I started my interview with Mr David Fung from OS Screen by thanking him for making the trip to Singapore to attend to our recent event, MOD DAC 2012. Wo Kee Hong Distribution Pte Ltd is the OS Screen representative for Singapore and the sponsor for the projector shootout in the show. As such David from the OS International Marketing Office in Hong Kong flew into town to attend the show and share insights into the workings at OS Screen. My first question is – what does ‘OS’ stand for? David: ‘O’ stands for Okumura (the family name of the company’s founder, the father of the current CEO) and ‘S’ stands for Shokai, which means small company. OS started with manufacture of cinema screens in post war Japan. Next year 2013, OS Screen would be celebrating its 60th Anniversary. OS also developed its own screen technology for instance, the tilt screen for OHP projectors. OS developed a special screen mechanism – ‘ball stop and soft wind mechanism’ – for slow roll up to keep an even tension on the screen when rolling up. This mechanism is very successful for OS - we had
more than 90% market share for projection screens in the education sector. MOD AV: How was the transition from making projector screens for movie cinemas to home cinemas? David: About 12 years ago, OS entered the Home Theatre market with a strong connection with Japanese projector manufacturers. Before that, OS started by approaching Japanese projector R & D department to know what’s trending for the future market. Based on the development, OS developed its own fabric – the Pure Mat design that is the hallmark of OS screens for the Home Cinema market. In addition, there is regulation regarding fire retardant materials used for making screens for general consumer use. OS screens for Home Theatre meet CE safety requirements and the materials used are ROHS compliant. The first Pure Mat introduced in 2001 uses a computer programme to arrange an irregular weave pattern. The original Pure Mat has a diffusive screen material with a 0.8 gain. However with the weave design, the tiny gaps between the weave allows the light to go through and the picture looses some contrast. To counter the light leak, in 2002, we introduced the Pure Mat II. It comes with a grey
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back coating to absorb the light penetrating through the weave. The original Pure Mat does not come with a back coating. The Pure Mat design is further improved in 2004 with a black rear coat, which became the Pure Mat II Plus. Our continued involvement with projector manufacturers from 2005 pointed clearly the future is high definition in 1080p. By then OS started research into screen material that best suits HD projector systems. With HD, it would require a new generation of screen design to take advantage of the increase in resolution of projectors. The result is the Pure Mat II EX, which uses a tighter and denser weave (which avoids Moiré) with a black back coating. The screen surface is further treated with a titanium coating, which increases the gain slightly from 0.8 to 0.93. The OS Pure Mat II EX meets the demand from the best 1080p projectors available today. In whichever generation of the Pure Mat design, the objective is to develop a screen with neutral characteristics so there is no need for the projector to compensate with colour adjustments. OS develops specific solutions for different applications; there is no one product that meets the
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different exacting demands for optimal results. Either way, the darker the environment, the better the picture quality. Another question commonly encountered is whether OS projection screens are suitable for 3D. There is no difference between 2D and 3D performance for OS screens. The largest installed screen in the home is a 180 inch 2.35 screen. With LCD TVs getting larger, home cinema enthusiasts naturally demand even larger screen sizes – 130 – 150 inch. With fixed screens, there is no issue of screen size but for retractable screens – motorized or manual pull down, the larger screens can wrinkle over time. Our new tab tensioned screens are specifically designed for larger screens – up to 200 inches. Smaller screens up to 100 inch are less affected so it is less of an issue. MOD AV: Will there be a new screen for 4K projectors? David: For the next two years, the challenge is once again the increase in resolution of the new 4K and 8K projectors. By 2013 or 2014, there will be 4K broadcast – for Japan at least. OS screen will have a new screen ready for 4K and beyond.
An evening with
John Franks (Chord Electronics) at the new JBL Sound Gallery @ Raffles Hotel Mr John Franks, the CEO and also Chief
Designer for Chord Electronics were recently in town to launch his new flagship amplifiers. It also coincide with the recent opening of the new JBL Sound Gallery at the Raffles Hotel Arcade. Customers and guests were invited to an evening of music and wine at the new showroom. Mr Franks took the opportunity to share some of his views on hifi in general and how Chord goes about designing and making some of the most esteemed electronics money can buy, and not to mention some pretty affordable surprises as well!
compromise the safety of an aircraft. So believe me when I tell you some of the most beautifully designed electronics is keeping us all safe when we fly. Mind you. There's also some pretty good electronics designed to shoot us all down too. I'd like to illustrate what I mean with the work we at Chord did to develop our advanced Digital to analogue (DAC) technology. This is used within our Red Reference CD Player and our QBD 76 DAC and other Chord units. I'd like to compare this firstly by
JF: I'd like to give a brief, potted history of Chord Electronics, followed by some thoughts of our company's philosophy. I hope that I can perhaps even change some long held misnomers or about us and our products. I heard one the other day from an older guy in the UK. He said to me, “l thought it was audio bling until I heard one ... It was beautiful! The sound I mean! I don't care about the box it's in!" There have been others such as “with metalwork that fancy ... the electronics can't be good!"
describing how an engineer usually starts the design process. By choosing an industry standard DAC chip usually from Analogue devices or Burr Brown or possibly from AKM in Japan or Wolfson in the UK. He would then develop and surround that chip with support circuitry and power supplies. He often follows closely the applications notes from the chip makers. But by making those simple design choices the unfortunate Engineer is well on the way of producing a very average DAC. This is because he is limiting what his design can perform too, because of the severe absolute limitations of the resolutions of those chips. Chips which have small dimensions some are just 2mm square. These tiny pieces of silicon have many nano scopic features etched and infused into their surfaces. One very important circuit is the array switching elements which does the switching of the digital data stream to form the analogue music waveform. This is called the pulse array. It's about 80 to 100 micrometers across. Within the chip there are many diffused components making up this region on the Surface. With all of these components in such a small area of the chip it becomes very difficult for the circuits not to interact. So the performance is badly compromised. Whatever the engineer designs outside the chip he cannot overcome these limitations. Our approach has for many years been totally different. We construct our pulse array completely outside the chip. It's built of tiny discrete high tolerance surface mounted components which have been assembled across a whole circuit board and this section is eighty millimeters across. That's around a hundred thousand times larger than the pulse arrays within the audio industry's chips constructed with four sections each with its own ground and several different DC power planes.
Well, over the years out here perhaps we've misunderstood, “it can be that good" “it is" ... and “it always has been!" The BBC and Abbey Road studios will vouch for that. The question on some of your minds could be. What makes Chord Electronics special or different from other Audio manufacturing companies? And it's definitely not just the metal casework. I think I can possibly answer that more fully. By saying that we are perhaps a little more careful in analyzing just what we are trying to achieve with our designs at an early stage. That is, before we start designing the actual circuitry to do the job. Also, I feel we are prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to achieve our design aims.
This means we can hold output music voltage tolerances considerably better. Giving us accurate linearity down to 140dB's that some forty Decibels better than other DAC's. However this work has been nothing in comparison to the advanced circuitry we have designed to drive our special pulse array. Built within a one point two million gate logic array we've constructed over eighteen thousand digital tap filters given timing resolution 70 times better than industry chip which has only 256 taps. This consequently enables performance way
What I mean by this that we get right to the nub or heart of the engineering issue then we design our technical solution properly and thoroughly so that it works really well. This philosophy comes from my days in Aircraft Electronics. Where you can't fix a design problem by fudging issues you must go right back to the fundamentals and design a circuit which is really fit for its purpose. If you don't do that you may 52 MOD AV
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beyond the norm for our CD Players and DAC's at any price. The Red Reference MK 3 now features a new high data rate USB input thereby allowing up to 192 kHz 24 synchronous high quality bit stream--ed music input and ever the very latest high performance DSD over USB to go alongside and enhancing the Red Reference CD Players usage, following current trends. Our amplifier designs at equally well considered and our innovative use of high frequency power supply technology was ground breaking and fifteen years ahead of those companies that are now turned around on the subject. If all of you are not too bored, I'll happily go into more details on the why and wherefores of our power supply designs. Finally, why do we go to these lengths ...? It's because it's our passion and you get out of a design what you put into it! John Franks also launched the new SPM14000 mono power amplifier - Chord’s most power amplifier with a 700 watt RMS power rating into 8 ohms as well as the new CPA8000 Reference Preamplifier at the event. Chord Electronics products are distributed in Singapore by IMS Marketing.
field, it is not an EMI filter and hence will not limit current flow. What it does is to enhance the current flow, reduce random noise and generate a purer cleaner electrical supply to your audio components. The Sound Power turns the tables on typical power conditioner, which gives a very ‘dead’ sound. He then proceed to demonstrate with just a power amplifier plugged in and out. Yes, I do hear a difference – much akin to a more relaxed and fluid sonic character. At the same time, the rest of the system – the preamp and CD player is already hooked to the Sound Power, I guess the effect could be even greater if ALL the components are unplugged and then plugged into the Sound Power. Then Vian proceed to demonstrate the next product – Acoustic EQ. This is an entirely passive device – there is no power source. What it has is a honeycomb diaphragm suspended within the Acoustic EQ. There are recommended placement for the Acoustic EQ around the room. It receives sound waves from your speakers or for that matter; any sound source such as a voice and the vibration on the diaphragm generates a small electrical charge to power a circuit board. It is just a matter of millivolts, which in turn generates the PVA field through the circuit board. The amount of ‘damping’ can be ‘dialed’ to match the room.
Martin Ng (Left) and Chee Kee Hoe (extreme right) from Modular Audio with Vian Li (centre) from IPC
Speaking to Mr Vian Li is like speaking
to a professor. You can have it two ways – extremely patient conversation or one with a condescending tone. Thankfully, for me, it's the former – it is not easy to try and understand his technology. While his concept of PVA field – Proton Vibration Alignment field – seems rooted to science, this form of quantum physics may be a little too ‘advanced’ for the typical audiophile. For me, it takes a fair bit more than usual to accept things I cannot see, measure or even feel. Remarkably, I can hear. Vian’s contention about the random nature of molecules is its disruptive effect to our perception of sound. Now we all understand our ears pick up vibration and changes in air pressure is necessary to ‘excite’ our eardrums. Think about it, it is the transfer of vibration energy across the medium of air that allows us to hear. In a vacuum, there is no air and hence we cannot hear anything. All that ‘whrooom’ when a space ship accelerates through space is a Hollywood myth! Vian’s concept of his Euphoria Technology is simply this – by
energizing the proton particles (incidentally, the protons are also the heaviest element in an atom which also consist of neutrons and electrons) and aligning them using the aforementioned PVA field, the sound energy is transferred more efficiently to our ears and we hear less distortion, less noise with more dynamic range and more music. Vian claims Euphoria Technology is into the scale of ‘pico’ technology, which is even smaller than ‘nano’ technology! AER or Audio Engineering Research is an offshoot of IPC, which design and manufacture a series of products that make use of Euphoria Technology to improve our lives. In the last issue I touched on the LP Energizer and Disc Energizer. I don’t think I did the feature justice though I believe I could hear a difference. So what better than to let Mr Vian Li, who made a trip down to Singapore, to present his theories and its contribution to audio. Vian Li: The first product I would like to introduce is the Sound Power – a power conditioner that aligns the PVA 54 MOD AV
Vian Li: The original intent of the Acoustic EQ is for concert halls – a maintenance free device when used around the entire concert hall, to generate the PVA field for optimal sound of the performance and sound distribution to every corner of the hall. A few years back, we have a pretty bad Swine Flu virus going around in Hong Kong. There was this concert where some of the Singers were down with illness just prior to the concert, which is conducted by a Danish conductor. It could turn out to be a disaster. With less voices, how can the remaining choir fill the auditorium? I was roped in to assist, I told them to turn off all amplification. I proceed to hang the Acoustic EQ all around the walls of the auditorium. Then we got them to rehearse – it worked – there was no difference no matter where you sit – the first row or right to the back. The voices were able to project more efficiently across the auditorium effortlessly. Why? The PVA field synchronises the transfer of sound energy making amplification unnecessary. It doesn’t change the signal in any way, it just minimize energy loss. In doing so, we hear better, lower noise, more details and phase misalignment minimized. The next device is the Acoustic Energizer. This device emits an aligned PVA field of up to 5 meters; suitable for smaller MOD AV 55
rooms or alternatively uses multiple units for larger rooms. The Acoustic Energizer also has an effect on the human body – it enhances microcirculation of the bloodstream. This has been proven in the medical industry and IPC offers some products such as the iWand specifically for health applications. Vian Li proceed to do a simple test – I was told to stand up straight and place my arms to my side with my palms opened and face up. He then pressed his thumb on my open palm on one side and told me to use whatever means to maintain balance. In no time, of course it causes my body to tilt towards one side. Next he then placed the Acoustic Energizer on the floor, in front of my feet. He did that again. This time, I was able to resist without exerting any effort till my palms was actually starting to hurt from the pressure he applies! Vian Li: What happens is the Acoustic Energizer when placed closed to you aligns the PVA field along your body. The effect is immediate – your blood circulation is enhanced and you gain the strength to resist my push. I thought about asking if the Acoustic Energizer has the ability to enhance blood flow to a particular part of my modest anatomy… maybe not. Oh well... Next up should be a preview of a forthcoming product – Voice Coil Exciter. Vian Li explained – it uses pico technology, which interacts with the electrical current, using a semi conductor inside; it generates the said PVA field to enhance the electrical flow to the speaker voice coil. At the moment, it looks like a disc, about the size of a mini CD. Vian Li explains the device has to be matched with the size of the voice coil. There may be changes to the Voice Coil Exciter as Vian Li would sought to refine the product before he releases the final version. To use, you just need to place the disc on the speaker terminals. Vian Li: It is my intention to complete the circle by introducing Euphoria Technology into the recording studio; by making good recordings and especially audiophile standard CDs! Vian Li admits the concept of PVA field may be a little too difficult for the average guy to understand fully, that’s why he suggest the easiest way to enjoy the benefits of his Euphoria Technology is simply to try his speakers. For a few years, he has been producing drive units and complete speaker systems incorporating Euphoria Technology. You may not know it but the very speaker in your living room may be using one of his drive units! IPC products are distributed by Modular Audio
Speakers that fall into the lifestyle
category are never taken seriously by serious music lovers – they are more geared towards how it looks and blend into the decor than how it sounds. When I first laid eyes on the new Davone Mojo, I thought it was some new active ‘Airplay’ genre of speakers that is currently the rage. Its name didn't help either, given its ‘Austin Power’ insinuations. How wrong was I! This speaker definitely has the ‘Mojo’ in the aesthetic department. A small compact monitor with an attractive tapered truncated cone enclosure which houses an upward firing full range 100mm driver firing into an Acoustic Lens which is an inverted cone made from walnut, maple or cherry wood to break from the monotonous black felt wrap around the enclosure. Another driver – a ported 5¼-inch downward firing woofer, complements the full range unit. No, the speaker isn’t active, though I can imagine Davone could possibly offer an active version in the future if there is demand. The speaker binding posts are below the speaker, next to the porthole. That makes the speaker neat looking from which ever angle you look at it, it does however, rules out fat cables and large banana plugs or spades. For now, we have a very compact and classy looking conventional passive loudspeaker package for your consideration.
The upward firing driver fires the sound towards an acoustic lens, which then diffuse the sound output in an omnidirectional dispersion pattern. So how does that translate into everyday use? I would say, it would give a lot of flexibility in placement – you can place them on a sideboard, on a flowerpot stand or even on end tables between a sofa. It does not even matter if there is something in front of the speaker blocking its direct sound radiation towards your seated position. Being omni directional means the usual speaker setup is decidedly irrelevant – just give them a bit of room to breathe and avoid being too close to room boundaries and you will be rewarded with an exceptionally spacious sound that belies most expectations.
omni-directional design such as this, I can certainly attest to the fine balance of sonics from the Davone Mojo. The downside? The extreme highs are slightly attenuated which is really no big deal given the strengths – a smooth sound with a sweet and beguiling experience! The bass end from the 100mm full range would be decidedly challenged, so a separate bass unit, giving a surprisingly full sound from a smallish-ported bass driver, augments it.
The use of a full range 100mm drive unit for the Mojo has its own set of advantages as well as drawbacks. It all boils down to where the designer intended for – in the case of the Mojo, it is very apparent the primary intended benefit is a full range sound that is free from phase anomalies. A single full range driver means there is no necessity for a crossover between the tweeter and the midrange driver (in conventional loudspeakers) at a crossover point where our ears are extremely sensitive to any form of transition. If there is any doubt as to the benefit of such a design, especially for an
Based on my past experience with Omnidirectional loudspeakers, I was expecting a somewhat diffused character for an Omni and yes, I got what I expected. The Mojo delivers a smooth if slightly diffused sound character, which on some music material can be a very attractive proposition. I was however taken aback by one small but significant surprise; despite the smallish enclosure, the sound wasn’t. Placed like usual front firing speakers and the Mojo throws up a very believable sound stage, which deliver some audio cues that there is some degree of layering.
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Certain placement position, eg have them between a couch and you could have a very airy and spacious sound, which is difficult to localize the source of the sound output. In other words, the speakers simply disappear – both visually and sonically. That said, the Davone Mojo is certainly one class act, one that transcends both audio and aesthetic considerations. RCP$2900
When McIntosh launched the ‘compact’ MXA60 CD system, it heralds the recognition of a new generation of music listeners who appreciate quality of a good sound system and with the means to acquire but not the space to house a full sized system. The MXA60 certainly qualifies as a ‘serious’ desktop audio setup. It looks like a McIntosh – the signature blue meters on a black glass faceplate breeds a reassuring familiarity, it is expensive though McIntosh fans would probably considered this a ‘budget’ system by McIntosh standards and its sound quality certainly shows the pedigree it hails from, even if it is scaled down. To further the lifestyle biased ‘compact’ system approach, McIntosh launched the new McAire in the recent 2012 Cedia show. The McAire develops from the design concept of the MXA60 – in a even smaller compact audio system bundled with the latest wireless technology – AirPlay. Given the prevalence of smart phones as a media player, it spawned a new segment in the audio industry – Airplay speakers – one with built-in wireless capability and the McAire is McIntosh response and a timely one. The McAire is a compact high end integrated audio system with built-in AirPlay. Designed primarily to stream music wirelessly with iTunes through an existing WiFi network. It also can access an iPod, iPhone or iPad using the 30-pin dock available separately. Or any device that can stream through a USB, for example a computer and treat this as a USB
DAC/amplifier/speaker all-in-one playback system. To control the system, McIntosh made available a free app – the McIntosh AP1 Music player for the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. The McAire looks very much at home with other McIntosh products – the signature blue meters on a glass faced panel. The matching speakers are equally compact, it is integrated into the amplifier chassis so is actually a one unit device. The visible speaker is a ¾ inch dome tweeter and a two-inch midrange unit per side. In addition, there is a pair of 4-inch woofers hidden within the chassis – you can’t see it because it is housed in an enclosure between the face panel and the rear panel. Turn the unit upside down and you will see a slotted port for the bass drivers. The midrange units have their round ports behind the speaker. To appreciably extend the bandwidth of the speakers, McIntosh deploys DSP to give a frequency response down to an impressive 60 Hz. Though the primary reason to buy the McAire is for its AirPlay function, it also offers a LAN, USB and an Auxiliary line input with normal RCAs on the rear of the unit. There is also a WiFi antenna at the back of the unit. A simple remote is supplied though I am sure it is cooler to use the iOS app.
The Primus series 3D Full HD LED TVs from Metz brings a suite of audio and video features to meet the demands of a modern home. Available in 42 and 55-inch, the Primus employs passive 3D using lightweight glasses for long wearing comfort. With dynamic motion compensation at 200 Hz refresh rate and dynamic backlighting, the Primus offers stable, judder free image quality that rivals would find it hard to match. To match the image quality of the Primus, Metz developed a high quality sound system called mecaSoundpro with DSP using 2-way bass reflex for brilliant treble and bass reproduction. Housed in a separate module, the sound system is a visual match to the Primus TV whether table stand mount, floor stand mount or wall mount. Advance features for the Primus includes an integrated PVR (personal video recorder) function with a 750 GB hard drive to store many hours of TV broadcast. In addition, the USB function allows the Primus to display photos, play videos or music files. It also allows recording of TV programmes into a USB device. With dual tuner and digital HDTV tuner, the Primus is fully geared for now and future TV broadcast standards. The Metz Primus 3D Full HD LED TVs are available at Ong Radio.
The McIntosh McAire will be available at Ong Radio from December 2012. Price to be announced.
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Pioneer XW-SMA3-K Portable & wireless speaker Pioneer has been busy
with adding many new genres of products – the Steeze portable music system, the iPhone/iPod docking speakers, some PC speakers as they update their line of receivers every year. However of late, iPhone/iPod compatibility is called into question as Apple has abandoned the 30-pin socket for a new ‘Lightning’ connector in her latest iPhone 5 and iPad/iPad Mini. It goes without saying the rest of the models will eventually be upgraded with the new connector when it is time for a product refresh. This upsets the entire eco-system where you could buy any Apple or Apple compatible speaker and dock the device to charge and playback music files. With the new connector, you have to either buy an adapter or start all over again and buy a new docking speaker using the new Lightning connector. There is a third alternative – going wireless. I suspect Apple has planned this some time back when they introduced AirPlay – a wireless protocol that allows streaming of video and music files from iTunes player to the speaker. Freed from wires, there should be no problems for any device to connect to the docking speakers – as long as it has AirPlay. Perhaps we should not call them docking speakers anymore! AirPlay is, by any other name, a system that uses wifi frequency of 2.4 GHz to transmit the data. Using wifi means Apple does not need to have the device certified by telecommunication authorities and will be compatible with existing wifi network. It has the benefit of wider bandwidth which also means it can offer better sound quality (see other feature within this page). The new Pioneer XW-SMA3 wireless speaker is an AirPlay compatible device and also allow other devices – Android for
example have a compatible wifi protocol – to stream music using wifi to the speaker. The new Pioneer wireless speakers are offered as a simple add on device – you pair your iPhone or iPad or Android devices directly to the unit and the speaker plays immediately. Pioneer calls this wireless direct – no need for a wifi router. If you are familiar with pairing a Bluetooth earpiece to your phone, you will be able to pair your device with the Pioneer wireless speaker. If not you have to fall back to the good old 3.5mm stereo jack for use with a stereo cable. The speaker comes in a sturdy plastic molding casework weighing a mere 3.5 Kg. The power supply/charger comes in the form of a power brick and is a multi-voltage device. It has sensor touch buttons on the lower lip, a non removable metal grille protecting dual 3-inch midwoofer and a single 1-inch tweeter. A bass port is in the front of the speaker behind the grille. I don't think we should expect much in the way of stereo separation here! The speaker is said to be tuned by a chap that goes by the name of Andrew Jones who is the sound engineer for Pioneer (TAD?) products. A wifi antenna sticks out from behind the unit to sniff any wifi network. The (non-wireless) connectivity is around the back of the unit - a wired LAN port, a 3.5mm audio socket and even a USB around the back of the unit and protected from the elements with a rubber cover. The USB is able to charge any Apple device including the iPad, which needs more current than a typical USB port is able to supply. The A3 (in short) is meant as a portable wireless speaker – it has an internal rechargeable lithium battery lasting a good 5 hours of playback and some degree of water resistant in case it get caught in a light shower. It is light enough to bring around the house and even outdoors. A simple remote is supplied in case you don’t have the means to get up and fiddle the unit. I suppose most users will just do a direct pair to the unit and play their music. If you have multiple units of the A3, then you will need to pair them individually and only one speaker can be connected and controlled by your device at any one time. To pair the unit, there is a setup button at the back of the unit – you depress it for a couple of seconds and the unit ‘power’ indicator will blink, you release the button and use your iPhone or iPad to find the device. You only need to do it once.
Coming UnWired
The audiophile world is going wireless From a world where prestige and branding of high-end cables is the norm, going wireless is deemed a retrograde – citing signal loss through dropouts in connectivity, jitter and compression as the key factors in the performance hit. Hence going wireless using Bluetooth’s A2DP standard allows up to a maximum 768 kbps, is not even enough to stream 16 Bit CD quality (1.411 Mbps) was never going to be acceptable for high-end audio. When Apple introduces Airplay in 2010 – with enough bandwidth to stream video, it heralds a new hope high quality music can be served wirelessly. Airplay is a proprietary Apple protocol using iTunes to stream media files. It can stream 720p video (a minimum of 2.2 Mbps required) comfortably and hence more than enough bandwidth to stream lossless music files. The playback equipment needs to be Airplay compliant for it to ‘talk’ to the device streaming music from. By now, almost all makers of AV receivers are Airplay compliant. Airplay as it stands now, is the new hope for the HiFi industry trying to bridge the gap between mass-market mediocrity and high performance audio. With the recent introduction of a new ‘Lightning’ connector for the iPhone 5, the relevance of Airplay and other non-Apple wireless connection becomes even more so when docking speakers and accessories using the old 30-pin Apple connector is rendered obsolete overnight. That said, Airplay or wifi connectivity neatly solve that problem and satisfy the audiophile’s requirement for high quality uncompressed (for transmission purposes) music files at one stroke. Bluetooth may be a more universal wireless standard but is only suitable for streaming compressed music files such as MP3. With 16 Bit WAV files, using Bluetooth, compression is necessary.
We managed to connect up my original
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iPad up in minutes (wireless direct) and playback some MP3 tracks through AirPlay. The A3 plays pretty loud and would have no problem filling a small bedroom for instance. What irks me is of no fault of Pioneer – I cannot continue to use the iPad to surf the internet since the wifi connection for the iPad is ‘locked’ up with the streamed signal. The bass extension is understandable lacking, I think it would seem unreasonable to ask the A3 with the small 3-inch woofers to give any degree of bass extension (or fidelity) that would rival, say a pair of decent small bookshelf speaker. To reinforce the bass, I place the unit at the corner of a room without the attendant ill effects of corner placement for speakers. Sonically, it sounds relatively similar (in terms of SQ) to its genre of speakers – the B&W Zeppelin or any iteration of the Bose Sounddock being the usual suspects. Don't you dare compare the A3 on performance aspects that audiophiles hold dear. If it is that good, who is going to buy a proper system? No, the A3 serves a different purpose – portability, convenience and affordability. At S$399, it is inexpensive enough to buy a few units for the home. For that, the A3 joins the ranks of wireless speakers. I would like a wish list – an add-on wireless subwoofer (who doesn’t like bass), some DSP enhancement as well as the option of adding a second unit and transform the A3s into a stereo pair. Oh, and would adding Bluetooth A2DP be much trouble?
The matching SA11S3 now offers a USB-B input for your digital sources eg a PC. A front panel USB-A input allows connection to an iPhone, iPod or iPad for playback and charging. For optical discs, the SA11S3 employs a new SACDM2 mechanism and plays SACDs as well as conventional Red Book CDs, using a high performance Burr Brown DSD1792A D to A conversion chip. Marantz
Marantz premium series SACD player offers USB input
claims this chip offers higher current output than any chip used in previous models of the SA11 with better dynamic range and lower noise floor. The SA11 S3 offers two different 24 Bit digital filter – providing optimal filtering for both SACD and CDs. The SA11 S3 offers both unbalanced as well as balanced analogue output. Like the PM11S3, the SA11S3 uses a copper plated chassis with resonance control to minimize distortion and interference to your digital playback. The new SA11S3 and PM11S3 are available through Jay Audio.
Marantz continues its premium line up with another update – now in S3 guise.
The two model range includes an SACD player, the SA11S3 and integrated amplifier, the PM11S3. The integrated amplifier is rated at 100 watt rms and in conjunction with a massive 950VA power supply, it comfortably delivers double the rated output at 4 ohms. It offers balanced and unbalanced inputs, a pass through stage should you wish to use this amplifier to drive the main speakers in the context of a home cinema system. For ultimate sound quality, the PM11 S3 uses proprietary Marantz discrete Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Module or HDAM instead of Op Amp ICs. The chassis is copper plated for optimal shielding while the dual base construction isolates the transformer from the rest of the amplifier to prevent vibration from affecting low level circuits.
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Vincent SV-236MK Hybrid Integrated Amplifier
of the last century and brought this design back? What’s lacking to complete the picture is Speaker A and B selector.
Vincent Audio SV-236MK
The SV-236MK has been well documented for its sonic performance vis a vis its price tag. It has been press to drive difficult loads like Wilson MAXX, compared to amplifiers 20 times its price and given hope to impoverish audiophiles who have just eBayed off the family pet dog’s water dish to finance their next purchase. For an amplifier this good selling for around $3000 is simply political correctness as well as good economic sense.
Hybrid Integrated Amplifier Tube preamp stage Solid state power amp stage 150 watts RMS per channel 8 ohms 250 watts RMS per channel 4 ohms Class A 10 watts
Vincent Audio PHO-8
The small window
on the faceplate of the Vincent SV-236MK caught my attention.The view of the thermionic devices used in the SV-236MK immediately establish its credentials. I remember seeing this in one range of Luxman amplifiers some years back. That’s the statement Vincent thrust upon the unsuspecting buyer – this unit screams ‘Tube!’ The SV-236MK is a hybrid integrated amplifier part of Vincent’s ‘Tubeline’ – it has a tube preamp stage using 12AX7 coupled to a solid state power amplifier section with six output devices per channel delivering 150 watts into 8 ohms and a respectable 250 watts into 4 ohms. For an amplifier in this price and class, it will drive any mid priced floor stander including ‘difficult’ loads like Dynaudio without much problem.
The SV-236MK comes with line only unbalanced inputs/output which is more than adequate for most applications. There are two sets of WBT style speaker binding posts, you can run two sets of speakers or run bi-wire to one pair of speaker. The power socket is standard IEC, which obviously encourage experimentation to squeeze a couple of more points. The faceplate is clean and definitely retro – have you seen any bass and treble controls on an amplifier lately? Or the ‘Loudness’ button? Right, someone took a time machine and teleport back to the eighties
If you got bitten by the black vinyl bug, it is possible you will have to invest in a phono stage along with your 33 rpm spinner. The PHO-8 phono stage from Vincent is one of the more affordable options – this two-piece outfit is looking more impressive when people get to know it sells for no more than $600. You get two identical compact chassis – one for the phono stage itself and another for the power supply. The power supply employs a good sized transformer and includes power stabilization to ensure the precious milli-volts get processed without loss. The PHO-8 takes both MM and MC (fixed at 100 ohms) and the only user adjustable option is the sole button located on the front panel to choose between the two. Vincent products are available at Musiclink AV
The case is normal steelwork with either silver or black faceplate. Rows of heat sinks line both sides of the amplifier. Vincent claims the amplifier runs on Class A up to 10 watts. That’s what every Class AB amplifier does that as well, it helps to lower distortion and improve the slew rate. You can possibly measure but whether you can hear that depends on the Class A biasing. Inside the amplifier, it looks real neat, the preamp and power section comes in separate PCBs surrounding a massive torroidal transformer. I would say it looks like a preamp and power amplifier in one chassis. The separate PCBs allow the preamp stage to offer a preout. I was hoping for a ‘power in’ as well or at least a preamp bypass for those who might want to add this amplifier to a Home Cinema system to allow the use of a better amplifier to drive the front left and right speakers. Vincent isn’t scrimping on parts where it counts – WIMA caps are used in critical circuit paths where the difference is audible. The SV-236MK also uses a voltage stabilization circuit, clearly that would be beneficial to the preamp stage. 64 MOD AV
In summary:
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Chord Chordette QuteHD USB DAC
Chord Chordette Index Music Streamer
Designed to maximise sound quality from a range of digital sources, the new QuteHD DAC cleverly transforms ordinary music streams into hi-fi quality audio. The QuteHD is a high-quality, super-highperformance D/A convertor that, for the first time, offers Chord Electronics’ world-renowned proprietary Pulse Array DAC technology for under £1,000. Hand-built in Chord Electronics’ riverside HQ in Kent, the QuteHD offers a groundbreaking mix of features and has been created by the same engineering team behind Chord’s £100,000 hi-fi systems. It brings incredible transparency and detail to connected digital devices such as PCs and Macs, digital iPod docks, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes and all in a beautifully engineered, palm-sized device.
The all-new Index is the latest edition to Chord Electronics’ affordable boutique high-performance range, Chordette. Index is a high-quality compact music streamer and internet radio source component that offers exceptional sound quality below £1000!
The QuteHD is the latest edition to Chord Electronics’ affordable Chordette range, which comprises a number of advanced boutique hi-fi products including Bluetooth/USB DACs and amplifiers, network music players, vinyl replay systems and more. Each individual high-performance module is hand-built in England and enables users to create a flexible and versatile hi-fi system that is far removed from typical big-box systems. This surprisingly affordable newcomer, which offers a range of bespoke DAC technologies taken from Chord Electronics’ internationally acclaimed QBD76HD DAC (£4,100), offers truly groundbreaking functionality thanks to its custom DA conversion technology and cutting-edge DSD -over-USB functionality. The technology allows advanced, high-resolution DSD data files (the native format of Sony’s SACD) to be converted, making the QuteHD the world’s first affordable DSD -compatible USB DAC. Whether using Mac OS or Windows OS, Chord Electronics’ own proprietary driver software is provided, removing the restrictions of current operating system audio playback.
Index will find and play stored music, whether on NAS, a network computer or a USB drive and is compatible with almost any format including: FLAC; WMA; AAC; WAV and MP3. Index also offers internet radio using the vTuner service, which currently gives more than 10,000 commercial-free stations and over 15,000 related podcasts. The unit’s internal DAC chipset has been optimised for sublime sound quality and benefits from its own highly accurate discrete crystal clock generator. Full control of the Index using a tablet computer or smartphone is available (with full colour artwork, track information etc) as the unit supports many of the major control apps in the market. In addition, there’s a high-quality 128×64 dot matrix LCD display coupled with simple, four-way navigation keys that enable users to easily orientate the unit’s menu system and infrared remote control is also provided. The Index offers both Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet functionality and benefits from a comprehensive range of connectivity options, including a fascia-mounted USB input, digital coaxial and optical outputs, plus RCA analogue outputs. Its compact dimensions and DLNA technology make it easy to install anywhere in the home enabling users to quickly start enjoying high-quality streamed music and internet radio.
The QuteHD also brings the brand’s legendary build quality, exemplary audio engineering and renowned service and backup department to consumers who may have only previously aspired to Chord ownership. The QuteHD brings exceptional detail-retrieval, insight and transparency to audio systems, thanks to its bespoke circuit design implemented by Chord Electronics’ internationally renowned engineering team. Fully future-proof – even for the most adventurous computer audiophile – the QuteHD is ready to take advantage of today’s advanced studiomaster-quality music files. It can handle sample rates from 44.1kHz to 192kHz (and up to 384kHz on SPDIF), allowing users to experience music in true high definition, along with the best possible reproduction of CD-quality music.
Chord DSX 1000 Network Music Server The DSX 1000 is Chord Electronics flagship network music player. With a full-colour screen, front panel and remote control, and operation via a number of today's uPnP apps for the iPhone/iPad or Android smart phones, the DSX 1000 has been designed to make the best of digitally stored music files. It can play: MP3; WMA; WAV; AAC; ALAC and FLAC with 24/192 support where possible. If desired a custom version of the SongBook app is available to give full control and set-up. An in-built analogue volume control circuit to give highly accurate volume adjustment without the problems and low-level distortions associated with digital volume controls normally found in streaming products. It also offers both volume- controlled and line-level analogue outputs that feature both balanced XLR and RCA phono connections. The streaming engine is coupled into Chord's own DAC technology based on the QBD76 design. This reclocks all the data, removing any of the jitter issues that can affect other products where the DAC is coupled into the main streaming chip. www.chordelectronics.co.uk
www.chordelectronics.co.uk
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Beyer Dynamic Tesla series
balance drive then this should be one of the headphones for
starts with a T in its naming. The T1 and T5 stand as the
consideration. Supplied adaptors then convert the cable to the
premium models – the T1 and T5 look fairly similar, save for
standard 6mm plug. The connectors are very high quality and
a few seemingly minor but, in my opinion, very important
has locking feature so it should be good in terms of long term
differences. They differ in being a semi-closed vs closed
reliability.
headphones. Beyer adds a ‘P’ for the T5, suggesting its suitability to be powered with portable devices like an
Let’s start with the T1 – this 600 ohm design definitely needs a
iPhone.
good headphone amplifier to show its best though Beyer suggest this is an ‘efficient’ headphone. I disagree, I don't have
The ‘Balanced’ addition to the name of these two head-
enough volume to even audition the headphone properly
phones is custom, you will not find them in Beyer’s website.
through my PC headphone output. Properly driven, the T1
You can only buy them off Jaben Network. Jaben takes the
shows what it can do. It has very extended bandwidth and a
standard T1 and T5P (both RCP S$1588), takes off the
darn good bass kick. It doesn’t have the subtle layering so
standard cable and custom a balanced female connector to
apparent in electrostatic headphones but it is very natural
the headphone. It looks like a 4-pin Lemo style connector
sounding and very balanced for long term listening. I doubt you
but I could be wrong. The supplied balanced cable allows
will find the T1 deficient in any major way.
the headphones to be used directly from, say, a preamp with balanced out. If you have a headphone amplifier with
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However, when it comes to comfort, the T1 with its velour cover
MOD 69 AV
pad is somewhat of a letdown. It gets hot and I can certainly
Then I had the next surprise, the sound of the T1 Balanced
feel the firm pressure from the pads on my head. I can only
and stock T1 is less significant, in fact I dare say, they sounded
wear the T1 for no more than an hour before I have to give
almost identical. I suspect the main difference between the
myself a rest. Perhaps the pads are new. If you value comfort,
T5P in the stock and bespoke versions is simply the better lead
you may like to take a look at the T5P Balanced instead.
out cable.
The T5P Balanced is a lower impedance version of the T1,
My conclusion is the Jaben version of the T5P Balanced is an
rated at 32 ohms, your iPhone should have no problem driving
excellent headphone for $1988. The extra $400 is definitely
the T5P to pretty high levels. Sonically, the T5P is a blast! It
money well spent. If you have bought the stock T5P, I would
sounds very nice with very impressive bass response, the
suggest you replace the lead out cable as soon as possible,
closed back design does have the ability to maintain air
even if that means it would invalidate the warranty. At this point
pressure within the ear cup. The frequency response is
I have no information if Jaben does an after-market upgrade
reasonably even so there isn’t any ‘hot’ patches. I find myself
but it should not be a very difficult thing to DIY.
listening to the T5P at high levels without feeling any aural strain. Just the thing for premature hearing loss!
The T1 is a nice headphone and the stock T1 is as good as the T1 Balanced. Unless you would need to have the balanced
In terms of comfort, the leather wrapped ear pad is just perfect,
connection, I see no reason the stock T1 would not satisfy. As
it holds on gently and the cushioning is significantly better than
long as you are comfortable with the ear pads.
the T1. Why should the T5P be more comfortable than the T1 is a mystery to me. I just report how I feel, I don't feel compelled to give a reason for it being so. Yeah in terms of comfort – the T5P pips the T1 comfortably. Since both the T1 and T5P Balanced are the bespoke ‘Jaben’ version, how do the stock T1 and T5P sound in comparison? When I got hold of the stock T5P and T1, immediately I noticed a major difference – the lead out cable of the stock T1 and stock T5P is different! I checked with Jaben and found both the bespoke Balanced versions use the standard T1 cable. The stock T5P cable is thinner with a stiffer insulation. A brief listen to the T5P Balanced vs the stock T5P reveals a major surprise – the T5P Balanced sounds far superior to the stock T5P! The stock T5P sounds thin and tend towards harshness. The T5P Balanced is superior in every way – frequency balance, tonality, bass and treble extension, depth presentation, dynamic contrasts, etc. If I would do a blind listening test, I would have thought they are from different manufacturers!
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