Hello Srajan,
I thoroughly enjoy reading your reviews and most recently your review of the First Watt J2 really captured my attention because I am currently auditioning one in comparison with a Pass XA30.5. The differences between the two are quite large to my ears. Most notably, the J2 produces the most startling micro detail I have ever heard, particularly in the treble. On the other hand, the XA30.5 has a wonderful sweetness and richness to counteract the relative lack of detail. I truly love both amps and will have a difficult time parting with either.
So here is the question on which I am most interested in your thoughts: do you find that the J2 has a slight bit of hollowness to its sound—sort of a concave quality—or does it only seem that way because I am going back and forth comparing it to an amp that has more warmth and roundness than is actually natural?
Jay Barnett
In my system, the J2 did not strike me as hollow at all but it's certainly not warm. If you want more warmth, it'd have to come from the preamp. To know what is "actually neutral" requires a standard. It could be live music, what a performer sounds like in your own space or simply your personal sense of realism. It does little good then to apply another person's standard if it doesn't agree with your own. If the J2 strikes you as hollow by comparison—and I assume this wasn't meant as a compliment—then that in itself would already be your answer, wouldn't it?
Or, if you fancy aspects of either presentation—a little of this, a little of that—you'd have to see whether you can use one of the two as a platform and then apply system tuning/voicing to embed the missing aspects. My thought there would be that if you found the XA30.5 lacking in detail, its voicing would be a bottle neck and I'd go with the J2 and "warm up" things ahead of it; or achieve it with cables or different speaker placement.
Srajan
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Dear Srajan,
I very much appreciated this latest review on the Wyred4Sound STI 1000. It was very nicely judged, concisely written and hit all the right points. I freely admit to being biased since I am the happy possessor of a quite different and far more pared-down ICE -integrated, brought up to spec by J. Sorento of Cullens. I cannot recommend their services and their sonic taste too highly and I hope this latest demonstration will bring them to a much wider audience. Whatever reservations that have been expressed in the past about this technology as being un-musical and un-engaging are totally refuted when revisited so knowledgeably and thoughtfully.
As always
Yours
Shep Strudwick |
Hi Srajan,
Just a quick note to thank you for your honest appraisal of Shigeki-San's newest iteration. It's faith-instilling knowing your preference for most of his other gear - a preference shared by many. I I too would assume that the YS-500s would benefit from near rear wall placement and lots of space.
Best,
Fred Crane
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Dear Srajan,
On page 3 of your recent Raysonic CD228 review, you show a photo of the system components. Most of the components in the photo are labeled. However, I would suggest that you failed to label perhaps the most important component - the cat! They make great organic tuning devices. Notice the carefully placed cat in the photo of my system. Eli completely damps out the glass window resonance. In addition to system tuning, cats also provide a welcomed respite from the madness and insanity that our chosen hobby often brings. BTW, your cat is a real beauty. What's his/her name and is he/she a Maine Coon or Norwegian Forest Cat? Keep up the great work!
Sincerely,
Gerry E.
We used to own MainCoons but this one was a baby stray we picked up on the beach in Coral Bay all ravenous and clearly abandonded. We named her Blondie because for the first year, she didn't know her name. Blondie is what Clint Eastwood's man with no name was called in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. By now the cat with no name has cottoned on to the nick though. She's come up in the world from being a homeless in Cyprus to sleeping in a window sill that overlooks Lake Geneva and snow-capped peaks...
Srajan
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Srajan,
Just a note to let you know that I recently contacted John Kalinowski of KCS Custom Speakers for a recommendation of a best amp to use with one of his BLHs using the Fostex 206 ES-R 8" full-range driver which I own. Without hesitating he said that many of his clients who bought this particular speakers from him are using the Korneff 45.
I've also seen that you have mentioned the use of the Korneff in passing while reviewing other products. Thus I took the plunge and got me one of his integrateds, the 45 SEi with National Union 45s.
Being my first foray into flea-powered amps, I did not know quite to expect. Wow! I was blown out of the water as what two well-placed watts are able to do. Since you have heard it and have a very favorable opinion of it as well, I will not bore you telling you what you already know. I am hopeful that some time in the near future you'd review this amp, so more folks would be aware of this hidden gem. I'm enclosing a picture of my setup. The Korneff is on the top left tower. Below the left corner of the TV seating on the shelf is an E.A.R 834P phono pre, hidding from view is a Rega P5 w/a Benz Micro Glider. Digital source is provided by a Rega Planet 2000 CDP. A modest two-channel system that yields great musicality. The 18" Velodyne is not connected to the Korneff. No need to. It is however connected to the B&K AV surround receiver for movies. Keep up the good work Hope all is well with you.
Regards,
Noverto Vignoli |
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Hi Srajan,
Just a note to let you know how much I enjoy your site. For me it takes up where Listener left off. I guess it is more relevant for niche products that cannot be auditioned beforehand. My ownership of a Fi X integrated and your review of Don Garber's 421a power amp led me to contact Don and purchase one. Boy, talk about a musical product. Anyway, in the process of that transaction, Don informed me that he was making a new single 'box' full function preamp. (I believe he is also making an updated version of his 1990s 2 piece statement preamp). Well I guess that's what credit cards are made for. So I had him make me one of the single pres. (Evolution MM.) Yikes! Talk about musical synerg !
Your musical equipment labor of love is definitely appreciated.
Regards,
Michael Prendergast
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| Dear Srajan,
I read Ian Butt's letter about his problems with his Yammie/Zu setup. I do have the same amp/speaker combo but with a Shindo Claret active pre. I also used Zu Gede ICs for some time but substituted them—after various other experiments—with DIY cables using Boenicke Audios silver wire in cotton tubing with cheap Switchcraft plugs (what's good for Shindo is good for me). This silver wire is also used by Audio Consulting in their super high-priced products and it very much transformed the sound of my system. Compared to the Zu Gede I now have much deeper and more defined bass, a midrange with much more tone and space and nothing of the glare of highs that I heard with the Gedes. i asked Sean of Zu Audio about this difference, all he replied was "isn't it strange what cables can do to a system?". Well, yes. I subsequently replaced all my cables with this Boenicke wire and can honestly say that it also works great as a speaker cable between the Yamamoto and the Druids. And, it is darn cheap at €13,50 per meter. For me this cable set everything right. Maybe you could forward this to Ian?
Thank you very much, and as always, I want to say that I like your work.
Oliver Kartak |
Hi!
Just got finished reading your excellent article on the First Watt J2. Loved it. Nelson Pass is such an interesting man and his designs are interesting as well. Your writing style only gets better over time and I wanted to thank you for the article and encourage you to keep up the great work!
Thank you!
Donald |
Srajan,
So I just received my Yammy A-08S 45. Wow. I’m coming from a Red Wine 30.2 integrated and so far I’m completely blown away. Let’s start with the setup I’m currently listening to for some perspective (it’s a temporary living situation).
1. 1920’s outlet with no ground
2. el cheapo power strip from the 80s
3. Brand new Zu birth power cable for the Yammy (cheap and not broken in)
4. Denon DVD-2900 circa 2003 as CD transport
5. Zu Ash Digital
6. Zu Gede IC
7 DH Labs Silver Sonic IC
8 Zu Wax speaker cables
9 Red Wine Isabellina DAC
10 Red Wine 30.2 Integrated (used as a preamp)
11 Zu Druid Mk IV
Signal path: Denon -> Zu ash -> Isabellina -> Gede -> 30.2 -> Silver Sonics -> Yammy A-08 -> Zu Wax -> Zu Druids.
First the noise level. I cranked the volume up, stuck my ear to the Druid’s 10-in driver, and I don’t hear anything, nothing. I’m not sure how it can be so quiet with crappy power and no ground. Really good transformers? I’ve listened to Jack Johnson, Lennon, Krauss, Michael Buble, Los Fakires, The Killers and now The National. So far so, so good. The sound has much more body and warmth than the 30.2, which sounds flat/empty in comparison. I was afraid bass wouldn’t be very good but it’s actually better.
You may remember that I recently asked for a preamp reco. You suggested the Wyred preamp if the Isabella was too expensive but I went for the Isabella anyway because I’d really like to have the USB and two units in one. I’m going to wait for my Isabella to come and have another more comprehensive and properly set up shootout but if I still like the Yammy this much better than the 30.2, I don’t know why I would keep the latter. I could use the $ towards the Isabella, cables and tubes. Also, if I favor something, the alternative is unlikely to get much attention.
The only gripe I have is a lack of midrange. Vocals seems a little weak. On Lennon’s “Imagine” my mother happened to be handy and made an observation that the piano seemed to dominate him and was too forward. (Not bad for a newb!) Let’s see how the Isabella affects things. I’ve noticed that no matter what you are reviewing, I always see the A-08S either in the room, on the rack, or part of the review. So, regardless of even your own writing, it was pretty clear to me that this was a product dear to your heart. Following the same premise, I need to find myself some ASI Livelines!
Thanks for making it a (little) bit easier to sift through this insanely crowded market.
Ian Butt
Now you know that a lot of SET comments are complete bullshit. Mind, it takes a superior SET—and this Yamamoto is one of the finest of its kind—and properly matched speakers or all bets are off. But you've got a happy mix and presto - very different sound than preconceived notions would predict. About that midrange performance. First, give it time to make sure everything is settled in. Two, you've got a passive pot for volume control at the moment. Just wait for a proper active linestage. Three, the 45 tube doesn't do the warmth/texture think like a 300B. Four, triodes have 'artificial intelligence' which is arbitrary, i.e. not 'really' intelligent but interesting nonetheless. They can peel out certain instruments from a mix very differently than most transistors. It's an altered perspective that requires becoming familiar with as you'll hear different things than before. What you'll favor is unpredictable but different needn't imply better or worse.
Srajan |
Hey Srajan. I just read your Weiss Minerva review.
I have been finding recently that iTunes sucks! I run Macs. I was listening to recordings of myself and a couple of singing colleagues (through iTunes just awful) and I immediately noticed that sound payed back through the wonderfully flexible freeware called Audacity sounds hundreds of percent better. This just on my computer's (new Macbook Pro) lousy built-in speakers. This worked for my own recordings as well as albums downloaded off the net. The interface is totally not designed for the user simply wishing to play back music (it's a sound editing tool), but it sounds so much better! Check it out if you are not familiar with it. I bet there are plugins for any sort of DAC export.
Seth |
Hi Srajan,
I liked your review of the J2 First Watt stereo power amp. I have had the J2 in my system for a couple weeks now - I received the 3rd unit off the production line. "Perfection exists in many forms. Common to all is absence of lack." I loved this quote because it is so apt. I have tried to describe a great component before but your description of perfect is.....uhm, perfect.
I have the J2, the Wyred4Sound, Wireworld cables, Zu Essence loudspeakers .... and also 4 x 18" Epik Phoenix subwoofers and a 60" Pioneer Elite KURO Signature Series plasma monitor (pro-141fd). But now I need a DAC commensurate with the rest of my system. I figure about $2,500 is about right. I'd love to get the Yamamota YDA-01 but it only has coax S/PDIF inputs, so I would have to get a Mac Pro with a Lynx 16e soundcard to output my audio signal and that would cost close o $3,000 (minimum) and I've already spent close to $30,000 on my hifi o system and plasma monitor and I'm pressed for cash at this point.
The DACs I'm considering are as follows:
Ayre QB-9, 2500
Bryston BDA-1, 2000
Yamamoto YDA-1, 2500
PS Audio DLIII (cullen mod), 1000
Metric Halo ULN-2d Extended, 1700
These are my current choices and USB or Firewire inputs would drastically reduce the price I'd have to pay for my media server. Do you have any thoughts on this topic? Is the YDA-1 significantly better than the other options? If so, I'll spring for it and also get the Mac Pro but if not I'd prefer to get the QB-9 or ULN-2 and just get a cheap Mac Mini. I've been researching this for weeks now and can't make a choice. Your opinion would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Andy Phillips
USB/Firewire converters as a category are still an area I'm unfamiliar with as far as the general overview goes. While I know of most the ones you mentioned, I've not personally heard them except for the Yamamoto which of course doesn't do USB I'd not worry about a special soundcard but consider the April Music Stello U2 inline USB/S-PDIF converter if you ran a small MacBook into the Yamamoto. The Ayre of course would have you set, period - but I can't comment on performance from experience, sorry.
Srajan |
Thanks for sharing your great website. I was looking forward to the review of the FirstWatt J2 and was not disappointed. A seminal piece of technology designed and built by circuit guru master Nelson Pass. Of course the J2 would be the box that converts Srajan to sand amps. Really serendipitous. I can’t wait for further applications of the power JFET in audio. I need an integrated amplifier [all JFET] that is 50 wpc @ $500 USD. Man on the moon, flat screen TV, sincere and true audio fidelity in my lifetime. Oh yeah.
Thanks again, Srajan.
Leo Rodriguez |
Marja & Henk,
Are you guys serious about this box? I mean, really? You do know that what comes off a CD are bits, i.e. 0s and 1s - how in the name of baby Jebus on a pogostick could this device possibly work?
Sampa Laine
Yes, we are definitely serious, really. We do know that what comes off a CD
are not bits. i.e. 0s and 1s. What's on an audio CD contrary to what
is on a data CD is an interpretation of the musical sinewave encoded in 9 types of pits T3 through T11. Only after extensive manipulation a
bit stream of zeros and ones is presented to the DAC's input. Before the bitstream is created, all things are happening in the analog domain. We all know that the analog domain is very susceptible to external influences. Hence the existance of a myriad of tools, gadgets and methods that all have an effect on the resultant musical perception. Whether the effects are positive or negative in a musical context is a different matter just as are associated costs.
Our upcoming PS Audio PWT/PWD review will refocus on the analog
persuasion of 'digital media'. For now you might take a look at this article.
M&H
Could I ask you to do a simple experiment in this case. Take some digital audio data in CD format, take a reliable (e.g. MD5/SHA1 hash) digest of it. Now burn it onto a CD, modify it with your magical box, re-read the audio data onto a computer, calculate a new digest of it. If the digests are different (and there weren't any burn/read errors) I might even start to believe you. If not, you can see how your theory is complete nonsense.
Sampsa
You still don't get it. There is a fundamental difference between
an audio CD player and a computer reader. What you suggest fully bypasses the analog domain where the weakness of audio CD resides. Ever had problems with jitter on an OpenVMS system? Jitter is the part
attacked mostly by digital tweaks including the intelligent box. A computer
doesn't give a hoot if a word is read some picoseconds late, in audio it
matters. A computer has CRC, can reread a word etc. Audio is confined to
the Reed-Solomon algorithm and cannot perform rereads. Direct access? No
way, it can only use an offset. We agree that bits are bits in the digital
domain but until audio information is in the digital domain, it is analog
in nature.
M&H
As I put it in the review of Hegel's top CD player, "...to read this 0.4 micrometer track, an infrared laser diode illuminates it, light-sensitive photo diodes receive back the reflections from the pits and lands. These response currents are far smaller than the large servo motor currents. Contrary to popular belief that CD is an all-digital system, the current outputs from the photo diode readers are high-frequency analog signals. It is these tiny photo diode currents which are disturbed by the large servo-motor currents. This disturbance must be avoided for error-free high-frequency analog optical response. The design of the photo diode amplifier circuits and their circuit board layout is thus extremely important to preserve the highest possible S/N ratio for the CD signal. And, error-free read-in is vital because CDs are processed in real time. Lost data cannot be retrieved."...
Srajan Ebaen |
Hi Srajan,
I strongly believe good sound can be a great source of enjoyment for all people and not just the hobbyist. I have for a long time wanted to come up with a speaker that one can connect to anything and still convey the musical message. I strongly believe that timing is very closely related to how the sound affects the human sensory system. Therefore we at Amphion follow the same basic principles regarding timing properties with our most economical product as we do with our most expensive.
I have in the past been a bit worried about the industry in general. How often does one walk around shows and shops to see expensive systems which do not deliver? Now the economy has shifted focus to a little more common-sense priced articles but still we are far from offering solutions to regular people.
I think the times are over when hifi products had true meaningfull value in and of themselves. Less and less people are interested in buying a hifi system. Less and less friends can be impressed by expensive boy toys related to hifi. I think the focus must shifted from inherent value to lifestyle impact..
The funniest part about this cottage industry called hifi is that we have products that when correctly designed and paired up can convey emotion, relaxation and wellbeing. In today's stressfull and busy environment, people are desperately looking for such things and will gladly pay if they feel they get something real in return. Yet we try to sell them specs and boatloads of bizarre-looking boxes.
In order to show how well managed sound can enrich a regular person's life, I have for a long time wanted tooffer a speaker which can be used ina broader context than just hifi and home theater. I think the fact that flatscreen TV sound is pretty annoying even to non-hobbyists, the time has come to persuade regualrl people to invest in a small DVD player/2-channel amp like this and a pair of good quality speakers for a package price of no more than $1500 - 2000. Because there are surprising number of listenable cheap electronics available, the speakers must fulfill the following criteria:
• Requirement - Helium 510
• Pricing must be realistic - €900/pr
• It must work relatively close to the wall - controlled dispersion + adaptable bass output
• It must create a true 3D soundfield from just two speakers - low crossover of 1600Hz and new waveguide offering even dispersion to create a surprisingly accurate 3D image with especially unheard of depth at this price point.
• Speakers must be aesthetically pleasing enough to integrate with living environments - the Helium 510 has classic timeless proportions and invites the customer to place it in the prime real estate of the living room, not modify their decor to insure it matches the speaker
• It must be pleasing and effortless to listen to even at moderate or very low levels to persuade a normal person to spend close to a thousand euros on a pair of speakers. They must feel they will gets lot of useful hours out of their investment.Listening to music or watching movies intensely is not sufficient. Watching TV or listening to the radio in the background must be included. - Due to very advanced acoustic design, the Helium 510 drivers integrate perfectly even at very low listening levels. The controlled dispersion creates an audible sound flow all over the apartment.
• The speaker must work with all kinds of electronics. - This has been one of the hardest parts to get a handle on when constructing speakers like we do. I would compare our way of building a speaker to Japanese cooking where one chooses the ingredients perfectly and then balances them out harmoniously. Any small staleness in the signal chain easily spoils the harmony. I think we have managed to find a nice balance between openness and warmth in the Helium 510 and it seems to work well even within the most modest of signal chains without getting fatiguing.
Best regards,
Anssi Hyvönen
Amphion loudspeakers |
Dear Srajan,
Thank you for syndicating fairaudio's Octave factory tour and revising the graphics to suit your layout. Looks good. The unavoidable questions about the SE concept and my replies related to makers who abuse single-ended circuits to compete with the output power of push/pull machines. In my view, such approaches lack aesthetics. They're mostly marketing gags. Properly designed SETs do have real appeal however.
During Jörg's visit, we discussed an SE machine which technically is quite flawed but still received glowing reviews and plenty of drum banging in the German press. Just so you have a notion about what informs my position (and which lacks in fairaudio's text) - the corner specs of this Italian machine 'X' are 3 x EL34 per channel, single-ended operation, two driver tubes, idle power consumption of 270 watts,a retail of €3,300 and output power of somewhere between 30 and 60 watts depending on acceptable distortion.
Armed with these few hard specs, one can calculate the following: heater current per EL34 6.3Vx1.5Ax 6stck = 56.7W. Heater current for the drivers 6.3Vx0.3Ax2Stck = ca 4 watt. Estimated current draw of driver stage, remote and input selection = 10 watts. The outcome we arrive at is 278-56.7-4-10 = 207.3 watts. Let's subtract 10% for losses in the power supply to get us to 186.5 watts. The six EL34s thus throw away 180 watts at idle. That's 30 watts per tube plus the heaters. A few watts are lost in the cathode resistance but it's obvious that one can call this amplifier a real valve killer. The EL34 is known to run max 25w anodes with G2 losses. The fact that dissipation per valve will only increase when the machine is actually driven by signal is plain without calculations. Such a design is beyond discussion. In my opinion, it's a commercial rape of the single-ended ethos and thus 'mainstream'.
Cheers,
Andreas Hoffmann
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Hello Srajan,
Just a short email to say how grateful we are for you publishing Chris Redmond's review of Artisan Silver Cables Silver Dream interconnects.
On the day the review was published, we received a ten-fold increase in the usual web traffic! Of course that went down fairly quickly but even now we are still experiencing 2-3 times the usual traffic. The result of all this has been a move to near the top of the Google search rankings for a search on "silver cables"; and of course a really significant increase in sales.
Obviously 6moons has a lot of readers - and deservedly so, because the quality of the content is so high. Once again many thanks indeed for your support.
Best wishes,
Alister
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Greetings Srajan:
I appreciate having this positive review on 6moons! You have a very professional, disciplined and intelligent staffer in Glen Wagenknecht. He took the time to read and understand the footers’ owner’s manual and then properly set them up. And, he was astute enough to explain what he heard in terms that many readers can understand and appreciate.
In my “thank you” message to Glen, I said, “I am delighted with your very thorough and incisive analysis of my Footers! You get it!”
Very best regards,
Joe Ciulla
Glen indeed has done a fantastic job on covering various resonance-address products for us which usually don't feature high on reviewer priority. Before he feels cornered as the 'gizmo' man, it's necessary to get him into electronics and speakers as well and I'm pleased to say, the first of those products has already arrived for him. I am very pleased with his work.
Srajan |
Dear Srajan,
I follow up 6moons regularly and enjoy reading the component reviews a lot! Two particular developments in the hifi world I like and which are covered very well on 6moons are on the one hand the introduction of great sounding gear at a considerably low price (the Miniwatt being one example) and the streaming clients that enable music transfer over a LAN (through Ethernet) or via USB. And on this last development I have a question for you. I introduced a NAS (Qnap) into my LAN on which I will gradually rip all my CDs in FLAC. My house is fully wired with Cat6 cable and in my main setup, my ultimate streaming client will be an Ethernet streaming client (currently available ones are Linn DS players, T+A MP players, Blacknote, etc and one which I want to listen to is the PS Audio Perfect Wave Dac (whenever it gets its bridge ready)). Up till I made up my mind (see later) I'm using a Linux based netbook (Asus EEE 900) running Amarok as a player through the HRT Music Streamer+. I have to say that this setup sounds pretty OK. The question I have relates to bit perfect audio reproduction on the PC. When reading FLAC files by the PC those FLAC files are treated by the Amarok software and played through some device driver software before the digital stream is send over USB to the DAC. I noticed that I can fiddle around with the volume in Amarok such that it is audible through the speakers. Therefore I conclude that audio-processing is happening on the netbook PC. When searching on the Internet, I learned that in some cases the PC-processing can include up sampling/down sampling cycles which of course alter the lossless bit-perfect copy of the music stored on the disk/NAS and thus the music. In other words, ripping the CDs in a lossless format such as FLAC or WAV does not necessary mean that the bit stream on the USB interface corresponds with the data in the bit-perfect copy stored. Have you or your reviewers taken these aspects into account when evaluating USB DACs? I couldn't find any Search facility on the 6moons site, so I couldn't search for bit-perfect reproduction on the 6moons site. It might be worth for one of your reviewers to dig into this matter and do some kind of measurements.
Of course in the end it is the listening experience that counts. However I believe some wrong conclusions could be the result of introduced noise or jitter due to unexpected and unnoticed signal processing on the PC. I believe the same will apply for Mac, but as I have no experience with any Apple products (which I avoid deliberately) I cannot know for sure.
When making up my mind on which Ethernet based streaming client to choose, I will take into account sound quality as the no 1 criterion but also the "ergonomics"! One of the shortcomings in my opinion is the user interface and the way one can select an album to be played back or browsing through the archived collection. It is mainly software and while for example the Linn DS Klimax might sound fabulous, I think the software for controlling the playback is still not up to par (especially at that price). I would also like to see a bunch of Ethernet/LAN based streamers compared to each other, which might be tricky for reviewers.
All in all I think we have only seen the start of a new era where lots of new products can be expected and lots of interesting reviews as a consequence. Keep up the good work!
Kind regards,
Jan Mannekens
I am in complete accord. Servers are about convenience, hence software/code-writing centric. They should offer the utmost in GUI slickness, file access, file naming and upload options, minimize PC activity to be solely concerned with the streaming protocol and pass on unprocessed data (or give the user clear options how the data will be processed, including completely transparent bypass). Responsibility for sonics then is up to the downstream D/A converter. Thus far I haven't come across anything that seemed priced fairly and offered significantly more by way of the convenience aspects than the various basic Mac/Windows platforms. Hence I've been holding out and not considered things "there yet". When I look at some of the prices audiophile companies want for their 'servers', I'm aghast. What really do they do above and beyond what a MacBook with iTunes and Almarra or a Windows platform with J.River does not?
Srajan
Hello Srajan,
Talking about Linn in my humble opinion, they used to be a company that delivered outstanding products for a not so cheap price but have evolved into an arogant company that sees their customers as walking wallets. But as I said that is my opinion.
I've been also thinking about a modified squeezebox in combination with a first-class DAC but it's very hard to get comparisons set up which such modified gear.
I really know a lot of people who are on the lookout and are of the same opinion "it's not there yet". In the meantime there's enough work to be done ripping CDs and properly tagging the ripped songs. Another issue I haven't looked at —I don't dare to—is how those Linn like players support .cue-based single flac file rips (of classical or live CDs for example). On the ordinary software front this is already a problem. It seems as though Foobar is currently the best option. But then again, running foobar under wine on my Linux is a not so nice hack.
Thanks for your response.
Kind regards,
Jan Mannekens
This particular field really mandates rather greater computer savvy than I possess to properly understand the various issues before one can adjudge properly engineered solutions. I'm afraid I'll have to let smarter folks in this sector do the leading and then get into the act as I learn more about what matters and what the possible approaches are. Indeed. At present, I think it best to focus on getting one's library 'to bed' on hard drive or solid-state memory and install proper back-up protocols. Getting the files off and into the system can be accomplished very cost-effectively with something like April Music's Stello U2 or the HRT Streamer Plus. The Stello or equivalent are real handy when one already has a superior DAC with standard S/PDIF input and merely needs a USB interface to bridge the gap. That's my admittedly non-sophisticated reponse to the scenario until more sophisticated all-in-one solutions arrive that really do the business on all fronts without overcharging us for the bits that are nothing more than specialized computer parts, programs and applications.
Srajan
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Dear Srajan,
A big thank you from all of us at KingRex for your time and passion in doing the review. This is the kind of satisfaction that best reward our design team. Your extremely thorough audition and accurate findings prove to be their best recognition. Although we are small in the audio business, we never launch a product casually. The HQ-1 has gone through countless stringent tests, rounds and rounds of blind auditions among local audiophiles before we committed ourselves to what is in the market now. Although another online publication has given the HQ-1 a negative review, our confidence in our product is never shaken. We respect the other reviewer's opinion and we appreciate his time and passion just as much as we appreciate yours. After all, difference of opinion keeps the audio business alive! Again, your professionalism is very much appreciated.
Christine Wu
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Hi Srajan
If you thought the Milan Show was the 'same old, same old' then you
would have been less than impressed by the U.K. Show.
It was as if the Heathrow Show had been airlifted and dropped in a
field at the side of the Silverstone race track. The venue was much better in many way than the old one but really, it is such an
unprofessional way to do business. I kept thinking as I walked around
the show ".... this is no way to promote HiFi!".
A report really isn't needed... the guys on PFM and WigWam have done a
far better job than I could.
I liked your quote from the Avantgarde boys in your Milan show report. They are
really nice guys and have some great stories.
What are the dates for the Zürich show?
Cheers
Martin |
Dear Srajan,
just read the Heartsong review. As an owner of Frank's former selfmade "unobtanium wood" rack and reading about your findings, my guess is that the new ones do not (yet?) perform in the same league as the old.
Let me explain.
Maybe the wood plays a bigger role, maybe the fact that they were built by his own hands does, or maybe I just lack the experience with GPA. Still, I know exactly what you are talking about regarding lower noise floor, less but cleaner low notes etc. from my comparisons of stands for compact speakers (and the coupling/decoupling between speaker/stand and stand/floor). My current room is not treated with resonators but it is, by a very long way, the best "sounding" room of the many I've inhabited so far. All acoustic treatment has been done by way of furniture/carpets and the like.
With my system and in two very different rooms, the effect of the old ASI rack is that on top of reducing noise and crispifying everything better than the best I've tried before, it brings all the benefits of more tone and most importantly, a much more natural, organic, musically engaging listening experience. It combines these seemingly exclusive aspects much like the Liveline cables do as far as I can hear.
Before using the rack, I had very expensive footers with ceramic ball bearings installed under all components and no matter what they were sitting on - expensive racks or wall-mounted wood blocks - the improvements were always really big.
Installing them in the old ASI rack made just a very slight difference, and not for the better!
Again, I have no clue why this is the case but I sure can hear it.
Best regards,
Steffen |
Dear Mr. Srajan Ebaen,
I discovered a factory named Atelier Rullit Project (http://www.field-coil.com/) by coincidence going through much research on the Internet on different factories of speakers. I feel that they construct a really nice speaker that is very well built and in a way totally different from what the "huge worldwide production" follows. They've got a philosophy really particular, no sacrifice to the quality without really taking care about what the final product will look or weight.
It seems that they are starting this job or at least beginning to sell these units since it isn't possible to find any dealer or price on the web or even any review. I saw that they are planning to make a new website with the adress http://www.rullit.com.
So, because I know and believe that you are a person with an important knowledge in this domain, I was wondering if you already knew this factory? I searched on the 6moons website any post about them but I didn't find one. Are you planning to visit them in Nuremberg?
About an other subject but related to what this mail deals with, I saw that you published some time ago a small article about the brand Fertin Acoustic from France. You were speaking about the production of a new unit based on a surroundless suspension. It used three carbon wire instead.. I think that Rullit and Fertin are the only two factories of the world to propose this kind of speaker. Am I wrong?
So could you tell me what you think about this speaker (his name is Fertin Model 7) and did you have the opportunity to listen? And more widely about this factory, what could you say about these speakers?
I saw that you made a larger review about PHY HP. I was wondering which difference could exist between these two factories from the south of France because they produce the same type of product and moreover, not really far each other.
It seems also that there emerged a new brand named
Electro Magnet Speaker (EMS) just near Fertin but I don't have any feedback about the quality of the product they sell or even the kind of sound. I don't know if you heard aboud them?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
Best Regards,
Devenson B.
I have neither listened to the Fertins nor heard of Rullit until you mentioned the latter. The brief industry feature on Fertin was just a "they exist" piece. I believe DaVinci Audio Labs in Switzerland is using their drivers in an open baffle speaker but again, I have never listened to them. I did write a factory tour on Ocellia during which I also visited Bernard Salabert at PHY. A review of Ocellia speakers has been planned for a long time but to date, I have not received any review loaners.
Srajan |
Hi Srajan
Could also include in your J2 review comments on running this amp with RCA (single-ended) vs XLR (balanced). This sort of information was left out of the Aleph J review so it would be appreciated if it was discussed in this review.
Thanks,
Jeff Heath |
Hi Srajan.
I thought that you might find it amusing that a reader has reread some of your articles in anticipation of a short, well deserved vacation to France. We'll be landing in Lyon, renting a car and driving southwards. It was the Ocellia factory tour and memories of some great photographs that you posted (I'm thinking of your restaurant and village shots) that had me revisit that article. I've heard PHY drivers used in Coherent loudspeakers and was quite impressed. It would be tempting to audition Ocellia's! I'm also fond of JM Reynaud's speakers and would enjoy hearing them again should an opportunity arise.
Otherwise, kudos to Frederic for his recent article on the Weiss dac. I'll admit to being a luddite when it comes to PCs. His article went a long way to encouraging me that I could wade through the learning curve
to set up a PC based music server. I also read with interest his experience using the Genesis amps with
his Zu Essence speakers. Quite counterintuitive but it made me wonder how my Bel Canto REF1000s would fare? The Zus strike me as a great real world bargain now that they're available factory direct again. I recall past years when Zu ran 12 days of Christmas specials. It was a lot of fun to see what would be on offer each day and I still
have power cords and Zu Varials from that time.
Cheers,
Alan Luke
Your REF1000s would work fine. The Italian importer for Zu, Bel Canto and Leben had the M500 MkIIs on the Essence and the combination at the just concluded Milan Top Audio Show was superb.
Srajan |
Re: Advertorial.
Bravo. Damn the cynics, and let the proverbial door hit them in the
ass. Other than that, may they have a lovely day.
Alan M. Kafton
audio excellence az |
Hello Srajan,
Wanted to thank you for getting the review finished. I must say, yours is one of the absolute best I have read to date (and we now have 21). The public reaction is similar. I have received a number of emails from people that felt you really understood and described the character of the product.
Thanks again and hope all is well for you,
Kevin Halverson
High Resolution Technologies
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It's a pity you had to get involved in that silly stuff on Wigwam. here are always those whose kneejerk reactions are based on envy or just lack of brain. E-mail makes instant responses easy. E-flippancy—to put it mildly—is the new version of the yah-boo shout. As you say in your response piece on your own site, it's hard to read the pieces on 6moons and not understand the care that shows there. You might want to criticize Srajan's prose perhaps.......but not the results and diligence.
As someone who sits here surrounded with equipment I'd probably never have had but for the input from your pages, I can say thank you for the enthusiasm. Ignore the 'slings and arrows'. Don't dignify the nonsense with rebuttal.
Chris Skelton
I usually don't get involved. I prefer to let our work speak for itself. If it doesn't speak to certain folks, no further explanations are necessary. It's when assumptions are presented as facts which completely alter the reality of what we do and how we do it that I need to correct the errors.
That's why I posted to Wigwam. Little good it seems to have done, too. Last thing I saw, the thread completely derailed.
Srajan
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Be still my beating heart. A review of a Yamamoto speaker. It is beyond my wildest dreams. The anticipation is palpable Srajan, bring it on!
Cheers
Eric Cross
It's a privilege, particularly considering the two-way ship costs of such goods from Japan to Switzerland and back.
Srajan |
Dear Srajan,
I was really looking forward to the review of the Luxman SQ-N100
because I recently bought one. It it is exactly what I could afford,
it looks great and I am genetically bound to buying Luxman (that's all my fayther has played from the 70s up to now).
Now first I see the review is postponed due to replacement (it broke down?) and then it appears to be off the list of upcoming reviews altogether.
Will the review still happen? And if not, would you please be so kind
as to let me know why?
Even if the review would turn out not so good, I'm still very happy with the little amp. Maybe that says more about me than about the
qualities of the amp in the end :-).
For the rest I really enjoy reading 6moons. It has helped me so far
in regaining my interest in hifi and investing in a decent set.
Thanks.
Albert Meijer
The Luxman review is still on. The review sample was from the very first shipment the French importer received. It had intermittent output on one channel. A replacement unit will be culled from the next mass shipment which is expected in October. I simply took down the preview until then as it would remain pending for too long.
Srajan |
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