Award-Winning

Bose QC20i
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See details on page 42
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May/June 2014

The Best
Sound
at Vegas!

Reviewed:
Evolution Acoustics
MMMicroOne

Speakers

Pro-Ject Elemental

Turntable

Creek Evolution 50A

#ORNKGT

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SC4000

Subwoofer

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www.marantz.com.au
Distributed by QualiFi Pty Ltd
24 Lionel Rd Mt Waverley Vic 3149, (03) 8542 1122
sales@qualifi.com.au, www.qualifi.com.au

EDITORS LEAD IN

Mono Rules, OK?

Ya gotta love the hi-fi industry. After inventing and popularising a format
that delivered the best sound the great majority of consumers had ever experienced in their own homes*, the self-same industry has been driving sound
quality backwards ever since.
I blame the Germans. And no, not Dieter Seitzer and Karlheinz
Brandenburg, but Eberhard Zwicker and Richard Feldtkeller. Although
Brandenburg worked for the Fraunhofer Institute and is often called
the father of MP3 because hed been researching methods to compress
music since 1977 and Seitzer was a professor at the University of Erlangen
who was involved in similar research, it was Zwicker and Feldtkeller who
started the whole thing, way back in 1967 with their book Das Ohr als
Nachrichtenempfnger (The Ear as a Communication Receiver) where they proposed that it was possible to remove information from a music signal without
affecting the ears ability to perceive the end result as music because, as they
wrote in their preface: For communication systems [specifically referencing
telephones and radio signals] to be cost-effective, they must aim at transmitting
only parts of the signal that are relevant to the purpose of the system and, most
importantly, only parts that are perceivable by the listener. In other words, lossy
compression.
However, Zwicker and Seitzer only proposed the idea of lossy compressionit was up to others to actually develop successful lossy codecs, and so
far as these are concerned, although Seitzer, Brandenburg and the Fraunhofer
Institute should get the credit for the MP3 format itself (and its a fact that
they were issued a German patent for it in 1989), MP3 is, after all, only one
type of lossy codec, one that owes a great debt to other types of lossy codecs,
all developed prior to 1989. The problem is that MP3 is now so ubiquitous
that it has become a proprietary eponym, so that people say MP3 when they
actually mean lossy codec (and here I must confess that I, too have been
guilty of that transgression).
However it now appears that MP3 was only the tip of the iceberg, because
the hi-fi industrys latest triumph is the discovery of monophonic sound. The
problem is that I dont know who I should blame for mono, Charles Cros
or Edison. (I do know who to blame for stereo: Clment Ader, who demonstrated the first two-channel audio system in Paris in 1881, though it wasnt
until 1931 that EMI engineer Alan Blumlein patented a method of storing
two-channel audio on both record and film).
Irrespective of whos to blame, many manufacturers are now selling totally
monophonic sound systems, in which an original stereo signal is summed to
create a single channel of sound that is then reproduced by a single-channel
amplifier and a single bass/midrange driver and tweeter. Others are selling
similar systems that, whilst ostensibly stereo (in that they are possessed of
two-channels) have their left and right speakers so close together that the
only way youd ever hear a stereo image is if you jammed your nose hard up
against the front (or top!) panel.
Not that Im totally against monophonic sound: I would, for example, far
rather listen to a good mono hi-fi system than a poor stereo one. But given
a good mono system and a stereo version of identical quality, Ill take stereo
any day, thanks which is very probably the reason stereo became so popular in the first place.
greg borrowman [hifi@nextmedia.com.au]
[*Say what you like about the sound quality, and the durability and longevity of the
discs, its nonetheless inescapably true that in developing the CD, the hi-fi industry
created a format that delivered, at very low cost, the best sound the great majority of
consumers had ever experienced in their own homes. It was also, at the time (broadcast radio aside) the most fuss-free music playback system ever invented. g. b.]

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THE HIFI HEADLINES

N E W S L E T T E R N o . 2 15

We have been tempting many of you for some time with the new
Aria series of Focal speakers. We have had a small sample to play,
but precious little stock to supply. We are pleased to say that we
have nally received larger shipments, and while supply is still
somewhat tight we are now able to meet current demand.
This is a very unusual range. We have always been very
big fans of Focal, enjoying the liveliness and realism that the
companys speakers provide. Most companies have a style or
character, and it is rare that they would deviate from that,
particularly if it is working for them as it obviously is for
Focal. However this new Aria range does sound different, in
many ways being more subdued and fuller compared to their
traditional offering. At the same time the Aria series has been an
instant success. It is rare that we have come across a product
speakers or otherwise which has immediately garnered such
universal acceptance (including the staff). Nor does their appeal
end with their sound quality. They are also exceptionally wellpriced. For example the bookshelf Aria 906 sells for $1,399 a pair,
offering tremendous value for a speaker of this build quality and
performance. Possibly the most surprising part of this package is
that Focal still manages to keep these speakers super-competitive
while still hand-building them in France.
Part of the success of this new range is a new cone material
made from Flax (also grown in France.) Five years in development,
this cone consists of a layer of Flax bres sandwiched between
two layers of breglass. Flax satises the main criteria of a highperformance diaphragm: high internal damping, high velocity and
high rigidity. Importantly, it has also proven to be very competitive
in price.

We have also just received a new range of speakers from Bowers

and Wilkins. Their ever-popular 600 series has been upgraded to
Series 5. This is a complete overhaul of the earlier range with a more
appealing shape, improved performance, plus they have now done
away with the traditional timber colours, preferring to concentrate
on Gloss Black (available now) and Gloss White (available in about a
months time.) Like their many predecessors this range is destined to be
very popular, and is priced from $699 for the smaller of the bookshelf
models to $2,499 for the largest oor-standing model.
One of our most popular and best-loved brands of electronics is
Naim Audio, and with good reason. The sound quality of this brand
if fabulous, belying both its component sizes and their prices. Add to
this the fact that Naim Audio really has nailed the concept of streaming
and you have a very powerful offering. Streaming Audio is now big
business (it is starting to look like audio sources of the future will either
be streaming or vinyl who would have seen that coming?) Naim is
not the only company offering streaming devices; it is just that they do
it better than most. One of the other companies with their toe in the
water is Marantz. Their NA7004 tuner/streamer (currently on special at
$899) must be one of the best bargains in the industry. We have just
taken possession of Marantzs ultimate streamer, the NA11S1. Firstly
I must comment that this piece is beautifully built. It is one of those
pieces of audio that you would be proud to own. Marantz do this
so well with their premium equipment. At the same time it is also a
very, very ne performer certainly one of the best streamers on the
market. At $5,900 this is squarely aimed at the top end of the market
but this is a component that will get the best out of your digitally
stored music, and will also stand the test of time.
Finally, we have also just taken
possession the Musical Fidelity
MF-100 headphones. MF has
a reputation for producing
high-end, but very good-value,
electronics. These phones t that
prole perfectly (even if at $229
they are considerably cheaper
than we expected.)

64 Burns Bay Road Lane Cove NSW 2066

Ph (02) 9427 6755 Fx (02) 9427 2490
ABN 40 001 592 383 sales@lenwallisaudio.com.au

www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

42

READER SURVEY
EQUIPMENT REVIEWS

24

Tell us what you think about Australian

Hi-Fi Magazine, and how we could make
it better for you, plus get the chance to
win a pair of Bose QuietComfort QC20i
Noise Cancelling Earphones!

Extremely affordable for a speaker that gave

one of the best sounds I heard in Vegas, said
John Atkinson of Stereophile.

63

34

Rod Easdown says there is an upside to

DVD piracy, even though the sound quality
is terrible and the images even worse. He
reveals the terrible truths he uncovered on
a recent trip to Bali.

EVOLUTION ACOUSTICS
MMMICRO ONE
LOUDSPEAKERS

FEATURE ARTICLE

PRO-JECT ELEMENTAL
TURNTABLE
An entry-level turntable, available with USB
as an option, proves to be a surprisingly
capable performer

EDITORS LEAD-IN

40

Following the debacle that is MP3, the hi-

industrys most recent triumph is the reintroduction of monophonic sound. And
while the Germans are to blame for MP3,
the jurys out on who to blame for mono

CREEK EVOLUTION 50A

INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

48

DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY
SC4000 SUBWOOFER
A magnicent subwoofer: powerful, wellequipped and easily outperforms larger,
more expensive models. But one thing

58

NEODIO ORIGINE
CD PLAYER/DAC
According to Edgar Kramer, youre not going
to nd a better-built unit thats both a CD
player and a DAC thats also so distinctively
styled as this Made in France unit!

FEATURES

AUDIO NEWS
Aerial7 headphones for children, YBA
Returns to Oz, Clearaudio Master Innovation,
First Thinksound On-Ear, Oppo BDP-105D
Darbee Edition, Sol Republic studiotuned, Parasound ZDAC, Rega Saturn-R
CD player,Yamaha LSX-700,Atlas Cable
at Westan, Wadia 321, SVS PB-2000,
Cyrus Stream X Signature, Sennheiser
DJ & Studio phones, Yamaha RXV377, VAF DC-X63, Cocktail distribution
changes, Flexson now with Audio Dynamics,
Legend upgrades Kanga, and more

MUSIC

This sleek new 50-watter from the UK doesnt

put a foot wrongindeed its already won
the award as best Stereo Amplier of the
Year Under $5,000 so you wont go wrong
buying this little beauty.

64

ROCK ON
For his latest album, Liam Finn composed all
the music, played all 67 instruments used to
make it, recorded it in his own home, and
also produced it and Jez Ford was more
impressed with it than he was with George
Michaels latest team effort

66

SUPER FIDELITY
Half-speed mastered LPs, Pure Audio Blu-ray
discs, hybrid multi-channel SACDs John
Sunier listens to them all, and comes to
some surprising conclusions!

68

JAZZ TRACK
The latest sounds from Gary Peacock,
Marilyn Crispell, Omar Sosa, Pat Methany,
Ketil Bjornstad, Howie Smith, Mark Nock,
Nat Bartsch are all evaluated by the hypercritical ear of John Shand.

70

BLU-RAY REVIEWS
Were not sure if Andy Warhol would have
approved of high-resolution audio, but
heres The Velvet Underground (and Nico)
in hi-res or at least as high as it could be
from back in 1967. The musical Chicago
fares better, says Stephen Dawson.

Continued Overleaf

avhub.com.au

May/Jun 2014
Vol. 45 No.3

Reviews Editor: Edgar Kramer

Photography: Oliver Delprado
Contributors: Stephen Dawson, Rod Easdown,
Jutta Dziwnik, Steve Holding, Chris Croft, John Shand,
Jez Ford, John Sunier, Madeleine Ella, Whendi Walkley
Advertising Sales: Lewis Preece 0434 439 032

ESOTERICA

Editor: Greg Borrowman hifi@nextmedia.com.au

Art Director: David Chew

54

58

Mark Bryants system has undergone

something of a tranformation since it was
last featured in Sound Travelsbut then
so has Marks own audio philosophy!

The otherwise superlative construction

of the Neodio Origine is somewhat
blemished by a imsy plasticky CD tray...

SOUND TRAVELS

NEODIO ORIGINE
CD PLAYER/DAC

Advertising Liaison:
Diane Preece dpreece@nextmedia.com.au
Divisional Manager &
National Sales Manager: Jim Preece 0400 808 900
Production Manager: Peter Ryman
Circulation Director: Carole Jones
Australian Hi-Fi Subscriptions
Phone: 1300 361 146 or +61 2 9901 6111
Locked Bag 3355, St Leonards NSW 1590
Subscribe online: www.avhub.com.au

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Telephone (02) 9901 6100

Fax (02) 9901 6166

www.nextmedia.com.au
Chief Executive Officer: David Gardiner
Commercial Director: Bruce Duncan
Australian Hi-Fi Magazine is published by nextmedia Pty Ltd
ABN: 84 128 805 970, Level 6, Building A, 207 Pacific Highway, St
Leonards NSW 2065. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may
be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior permission of the
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Information contained in this magazine, whether in editorial matter
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Equipment Reviews are based on laboratory measurements and
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or portion thereof, no matter how small, may be reproduced for any
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All equipment reviews should be construed as applying to the specific
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Neither the editor, the publisher, nor any of its employees or agents
accepts responsibility for the opinions expressed by contributors.
Readers are reminded that commercially available recordings (DVDs,
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in Australian Hi-Fi Magazine, readers should not construe this as
authorising or inciting them to make recordings of copyright material. In all cases we recommend that you contact the manufacturer and/or supplier of the recording to request permission to record
the material.

DEPARTMENTS
Audio News

8 Hi-Fi Marketplace

Award-Winning
Bose QC20i
Phones In Our
Reader Survey
See details on page 42
Aust al an e id nts n y

May/June 2014

72

Audiophile Recordings

66 High End

58

Blu-Ray Reviews

70 Reader Survey

42

The Best
Sound
at Vegas!

Reviewed:
Evolution Acoustics
MMMicroOne

Speakers

Pro-Ject Elemental

Turntable

Creek Evolution 50A

Privacy Policy. We value the integrity of your personal information.

If you provide personal information through your participation in any
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Hi-Fi, this will be used to provide the products or services that you have
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Australian

#ORNKGT

Dealer Directory

71 Rock On

64

DVD Reviews

70

SoundSites

23

3 Sound Travels

54

Esoterica

53 Subscriptions

69

Jazz Track

68 Super Fidelity

66

Editors Lead-In

A$8.95 N $10.99 www avh b. om. u

'HQLWLYH 7HFKQRORJ\
SC4000

Subwoofer

1HRGLR 2ULJ QH
CD Player/DAC

OUR FRONT COVER:

This months cover
shows Evolution
Acoustics MMMicro
One Loudspeakers on
their unique custom
stands.You can read
the full review by
turning to page 24.

Introducing...PROGENY
Whatmoughs newest edition to the range.

Hand made, and matched, ring

radiator tweeter for neutral and
accurate high frequencies.

Polyglass midrange driver with

ultra low mass for incredible
transient response.

Proprietary bass driver with

large, high temperature, voice
coil and double magnet system
in its own sealed sub-enclosure,
upper bass reproduction.

Active, Isolated, lower enclosure

with a 10 inch sub-bass driver
for superb impact and dynamics

Whatmough are very proud to announce the arrival of our newest Signature loudspeaker... Progeny.
0[ ZOHYLZ [OL ZHTL +5( HUK KLZPNU WOPSVZVWO` HZ V\Y HNZOPW 7HYHNVU I\[ PU H JVTWHJ[ MVYT

Whatmough is renowned for, yet is rarely seen in many of the loudspeakers manufactured today.
The stunning Whatmough Progeny pictured above features:

/HUKJYHM[LK PU (\Z[YHSPH TT [OPJR JHIPUL[Y`

0UKLWLUKLU[ ZVSPKS` IYHJLK \WWLY JOHTILYZ OV\ZPUN [OL TPKYHUNL HUK IHZZ KYP]LYZ

(SS 0U[Lrnal wiring and solid billet binding posts made by Cardas USA
0UKP]PK\HSS` TH[JOLK HUK WHPred drivers of the highest quality
(SS JHIPUL[Z PUKP]PK\HSS` [\ULK HUK JVTW\[LY HUHS`ZLK

2065 Princes Hwy Clayton, VIC 3168

Ph: +61 3 9545 5152
Website: www.whatmoughaudio.com.au

AERIAL7 I GENEVA I YBA

HEADPHONES
SAFE FOR
CHILDREN
Aerial7 has released a range of Bantam headphones with a smaller-than-usual headband,
tough construction and volume limiting.
Specically tailored for use by children, Aerial7s
Bantam headphones come in pink (Angel), red
(Asteroid), yellow (Pakman) and blue (Sonic).
All have super soft, child-sized ear cushions,
and a small-sized adjustable headband designed
to t children, so theres no more hassle with
adult-sized headphones. Whether theyre tuning
into an MP3, mobile phone or other music device,
the Aerial7 Bantam headphones are great for
young people who appreciate the highest
sound quality, absolutely anywhere,
said Geoff Matthews, of Convoy
International, which distributes
Aerial7 in Australia. Aerial7s
Bantam headphones are also
tted with Aerial7s Automatic Volume Reduction
(AVR) Technology to protect
the sensitive eardrums of
children. Matthews told
Australian Hi-Fi Magazine:
AVR ensures the maximum
volume and sound pressure are
kept stable at safe levels, protecting
your childrens hearing without compromising on sound quality. Available now,
the headphones have a recommended retail
price of $49.99.

GENEVA
WIRELESS S DAB

The Geneva Wireless S DAB+ tabletop/bedside system

is the newest addition to Genevas range. It has Bluetooth functionality built in, so youll be able to use your
iDevice or laptop and your favourite music streaming app
to stream music from that device to the Geneva Wireless S DAB+. Alternatively, you can use the full-featured
built-in DAB+ radio. The Geneva Wireless S DAB+ also
has an alarm clock, twin bass ports, and two full-range
75mm drivers, each driven by its own Class-D amplier.
Engineered in Switzerland by Geneva Labs award-winning
in-house design team, the elegant piano-lacquered Geneva
Wireless S DAB+ oozes class and superiority and is available
in white, black and red high-gloss lacquers, said Philippe
Luder, of Audio Dynamics, which distributes Geneva Lab
in Australia. The system also comes with a beautiful brushed
aluminium stand to give you that little extra touch of sophistication and style. But its the sound thats the most impressive:
youll be blown away by the precision audio quality that comes
from the new Geneva Wireless S DAB+. Available now, the
Geneva Wireless S DAB+ retails for $499 (RRP).

For further information, please contact Audio

Dynamics on (03) 9882 0372 or visit the website at
www.audiodynamics.com.au

For further information, please contact

Convoy International on 1800 817 787 or visit
the website at www.ehi.com.au

YBA IS BACK!

(founded by Yves-Bernard Andre) is now once again available

in Australia. Its being distributed by Audio Heaven, which has four
different YBA ranges already available, from the entry-level Design
Range through to the top-of-the-line Signature range. At the time of
going to press, Audio Heaven was expecting the arrival of YBAs new
Bluetooth-equipped Genesis Range.
The Design Range consists of a Model WA202 receiver incorporating an integrated amplier and an AM/FM radio tuner (pictured), a

CD Player and a DAC. All YBAs products are designed in France and
built in one of the best electronics factories in China where YBA has its own
fully-trained staff and dedicated production area, said Craig Johnstone
of Audio Heaven. The Model WA202 receiver ($1,560) with just four
pushbutton controls on its minimalist front panel, is rated by YBA
at 50-watts per channel into 8, can store up to 80 preset stations
(40 FM, 40 AM), and has a pre-out option. It has four line-level
inputs, plus an iPod input, and is supplied with a full-featured remote
control. Johnstone has high hopes for YBAs Design range, not least
because all components in the range are just 320mm wide, rather
than the standard 430mm. Im condent
that the Design Range will prove popular
with people on a limited budget who are
looking for great sound, stylishly packaged in
a compact size that will suit smaller areas or
apartments, he said.

For further information, please

contact Audio Heaven on
(04) 1265 0723 or visit the website at
www.audioheaven.com.au

Australian

CLEARAUDIO

CLEARAUDIO MASTER INNOVATION

Australian distributor Advance Audio has

released Clearaudios new Master Innovation turntable, which has both a magnetic
drive and a magnetic bearing. The Clearaudio
Master Innovation turntable has a oating
main platter assembly that revolves without
any physical contact with the drive source.
What appears to be a complex vertical stack
of platters is in fact a two-piece main platter,
an upper magnetic drive platter and a twopiece lower magnetic drive platter. A narrow
gap separates the upper and lower magnetic
drive platters so they do not physically touch.
Instead, a ring of powerful magnets embedded in each transfers drive from one to the
other so that the entire main platter assembly
precisely rotatesoating on, and driven by,
nothing but a magnetic eld. The model name
is no accident, said Nigel Ng of Advance Audio. It was chosen because this feature-packed
masterpiece really is a master of innovation,
using the same technologies used in Clearaudios
no-compromise agship Statement turntable,
which is considered by some to be the worlds nest, yet its price is less than a fth of that of the
Statement, bringing it well within the reach of

any audiophile. It produces performances from

vinyl records that the original recording artists
could only dream of. The platter itself is
kept centred by a ceramic magnetic bearing
(CMB). Clearaudio says it uses a ceramic
shaft because it can be polished to a much
higher level than metal, allowing evenmore precise rotation. Rotational speed is
controlled by Clearaudios patented Optical
Speed Control (OSC) technology. The
lower magnetic drive platter is a two-piece
design, the lowest part being a 15mm-thick
stainless steel platter on the underside of
which is a stroboscope ring microscopically
etched with 1,500 bars. The stroboscope
ring is read by an infrared sensor and the
information fed back to the motor, which is
then adjusted as necessary. The result is an
outstanding level of speed stability and precision,
Ng told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine. If you
dream of owning the worlds nest turntable
but have yet to make your fortune, the Master
Innovation may well be the next best thing. Its
mould-breaking combination of state-of-the-art
patented features and exquisite design place it
rmly at the very top its class.

For those who already own a Clearaudio

Master turntable, theres an upgrade path for
the Master Innovation, but prices for everyone else start at $31,995 (RRP) for the Wood
nish and $33,995 for the Black nish (no
tonearm or cartridge included).

For further information, please contact

Advance Audio on (02) 9561 0799
or visit the website at
www.advanceaudio.com.au

HEAR MORE OF YOUR MUSIC

Music has changed. Today we can
stream it, download it, play whatever
we like, whenever we like. But all too
often, this convenience comes at a
price: sound quality. Until now.

8S RH SYX QSVI ZMWMX www.rotel.com.au

/ RotelAUNZ

@RotelAUNZ

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No other audio product in recent

memory provides a bigger taste of
legitimate high-end sound quality
for as little money.
_The Absolute Sound, Product of the Year 2013

the Triton Seven Tower is going

to be on nearly everyones shortlist
for Speaker of the Year in 2013.
_Home Theater Magazine

Theyll put a smile on your face.

Not only that, theyll likely become
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_Sound & Vision

Award Winning
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CAYIN I THINKSOUND

CAYIN CS-100A
AMPLIFIER

Cayin Audio has just released its dual-mode CS-100A valve amplier, which is rated at 80 watts per channel in Class AB Ultralinear mode and 50-watts per channel in triode mode. The CS100A is an updated version of the popular A-100T we had a couple of
years ago, said Shane Lewis, of Final Link Audio, which distributes Cayin in Australia. This new model has been totally reworked
and now offers an on-board bias meter, can run KT-88 or EL family
tubes, has a high power output of 80-watts per channel using the
KT-88 valves that come as standard, and uses silver internal wiring
and thats just to name a few features, he added.
For those interested in the ner details of the circuitry, the
CS-100A uses a 6SN7 for voltage amplication, 12AU7EH for
phase inversion and voltage amplication, and 12BH7EH for voltage amplication and driver stages, with KT-88 or EL-34 output
valves and comes with a soft-start circuit to protect the amplier and extend the life of internal components, which include
an Alps volume control, audio-grade capacitors and carbon lm
resistors, a toroidal transformer for the power supply, and widebandwidth EI output transformers.
Available now, the Cayin CS100A sells for $3,999 (RRP).
Manufacturers Specications: Cayin CS-100A
Power Output: 50w+50w (Triode) / 80w+80w (Ultralinear)
Frequency Response: 8Hz75kHz (3dB)
THD: 1% (@ 1kHz)
S/N Ratio: 92dB
Input Sensitivity: 450mV
Input Impedance: 100k
Output Impedance: 4, 8
Inputs: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Pre-In
Output: Sub Out
Dimensions (WDH): 420394200mm
Weight: 30kg
Power Consumption: 480W

For further information, please contact Final Link Audio on

(03) 9746 0394 or visit the website at www.nallink.com.au

THINKSOUND
ON1 ON-EAR

Thinksound has released its rst on-ear (supra-aural) headphones,

the On1. They use 40mm drivers enclosed in wooden ear-cups tted
with memory foam ear pads that are linked by a exible headband.
The On1 is part of a whole new and exciting category of headphones for
Thinksound, says Aaron Fournier, the companys President and
CEO. Moving into larger headphone designs allows us to further engineer
our sound and create more accurate hi- products. Available in a natural
wood nish, each On1 includes two sets of detachable Kevlar-reinforced, tangle-resistant fabric-wrapped cables. One is a standard 1.5m
cable, while the other has a microphone with single button control
for use with smartphones.
Thinksound now has six headphone models; the On1 supra-aural,
the Ms01 in-ear, the Ts02 in-ear, the Ts02+mic in-ear, the Rain in-ear
and the Ts01 in-ear. Thinksound headphones are assembled primarily
from renewable, recyclable resources such as wood and aluminium, and
feature PVC-free cables, said Billy Mavrovouniotis of Noisy Motel,
which distributes Thinksound in Australia. All the packaging is made
from recycled cardboard and eliminates the common plastic pieces normally associated with headphone packaging, so not only are you getting excellent good sound quality, but you can feel good about being green as well.
Available now, the Thinksound On1 headphones retail for $449.

For further information, please contact Noisy Motel on

(03) 9510 7503 or visit the website at www.noisymotel.com

OPPO BDP-105D
IN OZ

Oppos new Blu-ray Disc player BDP-105D (Darbee/DSD Edition) is

now available in Australia through International Dynamics. Over
the past year, high resolution audio downloads have become increasingly
popular, with sites such as HDTracks, AIX Records, and Acoustic Sounds
Super HiRez offering downloads in high-resolution DSD and PCM formats, International Dynamics Commercial Manager, Sam Encel,
told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine, and the good news is that the Oppo
BDP-105D player supports both formats. DSD stands for Direct Stream
Digital and comes in three versions: DSD64, DSD 128 and DSD256.
All three are supported by the new Oppo BDP-105D, in part due to
the use of a SABRE32 Reference ES9018 from ESS Technology, which
many claim is the worlds best-performing 32-bit audio DAC.
The BDP-105D features a dedicated 2-channel analog output
with a specially optimised ES9018 DAC that offers a true differential
signal path all the way from the DAC to the 3-pin XLR output connector. The BDP-105D fully supports high-resolution lossless WAV
and FLAC audio formats as well as Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD-Video,
DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD (SACD), HDCD, and CD formats. The

12

Australian

SOL REPUBLIC I OPPO

STUDIO TUNED
HEADPHONES

Sol Republics Master Tracks XC headphones, which it says are its rst
professional-calibre headphone were studio-tuned by multi-platinum
producer, recording engineer, singer, songwriter and collaborator Calvin Harris. With sound thats acoustically accurate for music artists to use
in the studio, and style, lightweight design and durability for use everywhere
else, Master Tracks XC over-ear headphones deliver professional-grade sound
with a modern headphone design, said Geoff Matthews, of Convoy
International, which distributes Sol Republic in Australia. Master Tracks
XC produce an extremely dynamic, sonically accurate and shockingly powerful sound signature with incredible vocal presence that retains critical details
in the high, mid and low ranges. It offers an unprecedented combination of
audiophile acoustics, high-end, club-level dynamic power, and rich, sophisticated styling.
Harris told Australian Hi-Fi about his aims in tuning the Master
Tracks XC headphones the way he did: DJs travel a lot and they produce
music on their laptop, on the plane, or in the car, he said. These headphones were created to have professional sound quality so you can make
music anywhere and it will sound just like it was made in the studio. And if
it sounds good on these headphones, you know its going
to sound good at the club. Constructed with a
polymer compound Sol Republic calls FlexTech, the headband on Master Tracks XC
headphones is immensely strong, and
can be tossed, twisted and bent without
breaking. The cable has a three-button
mic/music control to complement
any compatible accessory device as
well as left and right jacks that
glow in the dark so theyre easy to
read in a low-light environment.
Available now, the Master Tracks XC
Headphones retail for $349.

For further information, please

contact Convoy International on
1800 817 787 or visit the website at
www.ehi.com.au

BDP-105D Darbee/DSD is also one of the few players in the world

that uses Darbee Visual Presence (DVP) technology. Available for
the Oppo BDP-105D is a free MediaControl app that turns any
mobile device into a remote that provides complete control over
the player and can be used to browse media libraries, control playback of media les, and even turn the player on and off. Available
now, the Oppo BDP-105D Darbee/DSD Edition retails for $1,699
(RRP).

For more information, please contact International

Dynamics Australasia (IDA) on (03) 9426 3600 or visit
www.internationaldynamics.com.au

bringing music and movies to life

sick of working
with knobs ?

The NEW ARCAM AVR Series of surround receivers

has no knobs... but plenty of balls !
As one of the few audio specialists in the world to design AV
Receivers, ARCAM has developed a reputation for balancing a finely
honed technical specification with world class audio performance.
The new AVR750, the flagship model of the new series, is, quite
simply, the highest performing AV Receiver ARCAM has ever made.
ARCAM is committed to engineering products that deliver a level
of audio performance that is so convincing and lifelike that it
connects you straight to the emotional power of the music.

AVR-380

AVR450

AVR-750

For more info on the award winning Arcam range

call 1800 648 628, email sales@sennheiser.com.au

or visit sennheiser.com.au/arcam
avhub.com.au

13

PARASOUND I REGA I YAMAHA

PARASOUND ZDAC
Parasound has added a DAC to its small
form-factor Z series of hi- components, and
rather than re-inventing the wheel, has used
Danish rm Holm Acoustics to help with the
design, and also used the same Analog Devices AD1853 Multibit Sigma-Delta 192kHz DAC
that it deployed in the Halo 1 CD Player (and
thats also used by Jeff Rowland in its Aeris
DAC). In a market lled with DACs, the Parasound Zdac sets a new standard for performance
and value, said Claver Harper, of Network
Audio Visual, which distributes Parasound
in Australia. And because of its unique internal
architecture, which includes upsampling and reclocking, the Zdac sounds more natural and less
digital than far more expensive DACs on the
market, so that its being favourably compared
to DACs that sell for $5,000. The AD1853
is fully compatible with sample rates from
32kHz up to and including 192 kHz and is
specced with a signal-to-noise ratio of 120dB
(without muting) and a THD+N of 107dB. It

has a unique reclocking system

that preserves
the original source
audio data by eliminating jitter contamination that is picked up
along the digital signal chain. The incoming
bitstream, from any input, goes to an Analog
Devices AD1895 Asynchronous Sample Rate
Converter (ASRC). The ASRC provides a
new, pristine clock at a xed frequency of
105.5kHz (rounded off). This attenuates jitter
that results from the deciencies of the clock
in the data source, and reections in the digital interconnects that result from impedance
mismatches of the connectors or reections
within the cable itself. The jitter-free bit
stream at 105.5kHz is then sent to the Analog
Devices AD1853 DAC. The DAC itself performs optimally when it receives a bit stream
with negligible jitter. The DAC upsamples the
incoming 105.5kHz bit stream 4 resulting in

422kHz (again rounded off). The jitter-reduction system works on all inputs, not just the
USB input, as in many other DACs. Conceptually the upsampling system we use is similar
to the Benchmark DACs, which were among
the rst DACs with ASRCs, said Richard Schram, of Parasound. Benchmark licensed this
method from CEntrance, but Holm Acoustics has
its own proprietary method of implementation
which we believe is sonically superior. Available
now in black or silver nishes , the Parasound
Zdac retails for $799.

For further information, please

contact Network Audio Visual (NAV) on
(02) 9949 9349 or visit the website at
www.networkav.com.au

REGA SATURN-R CD-DAC PLAYER

Rega has released a component it says is essentially two products
inside the same chassis: a high specication CD transport and an
independent DAC. The Saturn-R uses a pair of Wolfson WM8742
digital-to-analogue converters combined with Regas proven analogue
output amplier technology. It has two optical digital inputs, two
co-axial digital inputs, a fully asynchronous USB input and an added
direct digital output from the CD playback section. Resolution is up
to 24-bit/192kHz, including the USB input, which also uses dedicated
drivers in the computer to enable full ASIO operation, thus eliminat-

ing signal degradation caused by generic windows-based drivers.

Both the CD transport and DAC sections are fully remote controllable via the supplied Solaris remote handset. Regas Saturn-R benets
from improvements to the CD transport section power supply which was
a result of the research and development of Regas reference Isis CD player
along with the improved microcontroller and display drivers, said Phillip
Sawyer, of Synergy AV, which distributes Rega in Australia. It also
benets from a high stability master clock, high-performance PLL digital
interface receiver, isolated digital inputs and high performance power supply architecture in the DAC circuitry. Signal switching between the CD and
DAC functions are performed in the digital to analogue converter stage.
The signal path of the CD section in CD mode is kept to a minimum.
Available nowthough only in blackwith a full three-year warranty, the Rega Saturn-R retails for $3,499 (RRP).

For further information, please contact Synergy Audio Visual on

(03) 9459 7474 or visit the website at www.synergyaudio.com

YAMAHA LSX-700

it an audio system with lighting effects or a standard lamp with a

built-in sound system? Yamaha says its new LSX-700, from its Relit
Series, explores new territory by combining lighting and sound. Yamahas LSX-700 introduces a new concept in home audio and interior design, melding lighting control and audio with sophisticated features such as
wireless connectivity and app control, said Wesley Fischer, of Yamaha
Music Australia. This inaugural release in the Relit Series marries the
aesthetic and aural senses to set the tone of any interior. The elegantly
designed edice conforms subtly to its surrounding dcor, offering controlled
lighting conditions via an array of step-adjustable LEDs and unobtrusive
music streaming from Bluetooth devices. It breaks the mould of what to
expect from your sound system and the integration of lighting sees the LSX700 take a strikingly bold step away from the crowd, creating a statement
piece in the home. Designed by Masaharu Ohno, who told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine that in his opinion, the LSX-700 symbolises

14

Australian

light as the visualisation of

sound, the new lamp/audio
system can be controlled
via Yamahas free DTA
Controller app for iOS and
Android devices to deliver
services that broaden its
functionality beyond that
of wireless music streaming and lighting control. Available now in a choice of Night Black
or Chocolate Brown leather-textured nishes, the Yamaha LSX-700
sells for $699 (RRP).

For further information, please contact Yamaha Music Australia

on 1300 739 411 or at the website au.yamaha.com

Introducing the Project Everest DD67000. Using the most advanced

technologies and world-class components, our engineers have
created one of the worlds most sophisticated and sought-after
speaker systems.
For more information call Convoy International 02 9666 0700.
/JBLAustralia

@JBLAus

Current Stockists:
Trimira Audio, Brisbane
07 3854 0406
Klapp Audio VIsual
1300 668 398
Harvey Norman Commercial
02 9710 4322

I WADIA

ATLAS
CABLES
AT
WESTAN

WADIA 321 DAC

(NOT!)

Westan has been appointed

the sole Australian distributor
of Atlas Cables for Australia
and New Zealand. Atlas
entry-level Element range
Analogue cable recently won
a Best Interconnect award
from the UKs What Hi Fi magazine for the second year running.
The company manufactures a wide range of cables, from digital
and audio interconnects and USB cables, up to speaker cables, all
of which are hand made in Scotland. These award-winning cables
are an exciting addition to our range of hi- products that currently
include Q Acoustics and Usher Audio, said Michael Carvosso, of
Westan Australia. The ranges cover all price points from entry-level
to very high end and perfectly complement our other great UK brand,
Q Acoustics.

Wadia prefers to call its

new 321 a decoding computer rather than a DAC,
because decoding is done
via software, rather than
hardware, but whatever
you call it, the 321 has
two optical digital inputs (Toslink), two coaxial digital inputs (RCA)
and one high-speed USB digital input. It also has both balanced (XLR)
and unbalanced (RCA) audio outputs, the volume of which can be
varied either from the front panel or via remote control. The nish of
the 321 is exceptional, with a glass top panel, aluminium construction
and bre-optic light diffuser panel illumination for the chassis. The
aesthetic beauty of the exterior, along with the extremely comprehensive user
interface, combined with the superior sound quality of the Wadia 321, result
in a complete solution component for the most discerning customer, said
Philip Sawyer, of Synergy AV, which distributes Wadia in Australia.
Capable of up to 192kHz/24-bit operation, the 321 allows music from all
sources to be reproduced with the extreme precision and elegance audiophiles
expect from Wadia Digital.

For further information, please contact Westan Australia on

(03) 9541 8888 or visit the website at www.westan.com.au

For further information, please contact Synergy Audio Visual on

(03) 9459 7474 or visit the website at www.synergyaudio.com

Third row, centre

Take your seat

The RTiA Series will take you by surprise. Theyll ll your home with the
majesty of an orchestra, the intimacy of a jazz quartet and the passion of
your favourite band. On the home theatre front, watch movies with big
cinema thrills and gut-checking realism. All in beautifully-nished wooden
cabinets, and at prices lower than you'd think.
Available in oorstanding and bookshelf models.

polkhome.com.au
/PolkAUNZ
@PolkAUNZ

Proudly distributed in Australia and New Zealand by International Dynamics

BE THE ULTIMATE
PORTABLE HIGH-FIDELITY SOUND SYSTEM
Native Double-rate DSD (up to 5.6MHz)
Dual CS4398 DAC for True Dual-Mono
Native DSD USB DAC function (DoP method)
Balanced Output
Wi-Fi Music Downloading
256GB, plus 1 micro SD slot (up to 128GB)

AK240
Option Balanced Cable with Dual XLR

www.astellnkern.com
www.busisoft.com.au

I CYRUS

Premium Valve Hi-Fi

nce 3.1 (300B)
ono

Input Impedance : >56k ohm (RCA/Direct In)

47 ohm (MM Phono In)
Output Impedance : 0, 4, 8, 16 ohm
Output Power : 21W x 2 (Triode-Class A Push-Pull)
Damping Factor : >5
Frequency Response : 20Hz~30kHz1dB
T.H.D. : <1% 20Hz~20kHz (Ref. Output)
Input Sensitivity : >200mV, 3~5mV (MM Phono In)
S/N Ratio : >80dB (Hum Noise<3mV)
Vacuum Tubes : 300B x 4, 6N8P x 2, 12AX7 x 4
Combe deal special!
Dimension : 475 x 405 x 215 mm (DxWxH)
Weight : 28.7 kg (N.W.), 34.6 kg (G.W.)
Speakers upto 50% off.

Bonus

Audiospace Line 2
Valve Pre Amp

Sherbourn (USA)
Solid State
Power AMP
2 x 225W

SVS PB-2000

Subwoofer specialist SVS has

released its PB-2000. From heroic
slam to symphonic subtlety, it pumps
out astounding precision, performance
and value, says Ed Mullen of SVS.
The SVS PB-2000 has a driver thats
new for SVS, and its driven by a
new version of SVSs long-running
Sledge amplier design. The new
driver is rated at 305mm diameter,
has a heavy-duty 50mm diameter
voice coil, a lightweight aluminium
cone with a rubber suspension and
an FEA-optimised motor system. We designed this driver from scratch
and optimised it through exhaustive testing until it delivered unprecedented
performance we were after, said Mullen. In combination with the new
Sledge amplier, the result is higher output, improved linearity and lower
distortion. Which means loads of clean, precise, deep powerful bass for your
movies and music. The new Sledge amplier (STA-500D) is rated by SVS
with an output of 500-watts, while in its standby mode it draws less
than 0.5-watts. The amplier uses Class-D topology, along with DSP
to linearise the frequency response to 17260Hz 3dB and provide
input and driver protection. Phase is continuously variable (0180
degrees) and the 12 dB/octave low-pass lter can be set anywhere
between 50Hz and 160Hz. Turn on your favourite music and the PB-2000
continues to delight, said Mullins. It lls in the low end with nuance
and balance; bringing the sound stage drama and depth. Tubas, cellos and
timpani are dynamic and detailed. Electric bass guitar, tom-toms and kick
drums bring the concert off the DVD and into the room. Available now,
the PB-2000 retails for $999 (RRP).

For further information, please contact, Final Link Audio on

(03) 9746 0394 or visit the website at www.nallink.com.au

CYRUS STREAM X
SIGNATURE

Combe deal special!

Pre Amp 50% off.

Power One (300B)

Output Power: 60W/Ch.
Output Impedance: 4, 8 and 16 Ohm.
Input Impedance: RCA>100K Ohm,
Bal-600-22K Ohm.
Input Mode: RCA or Balanced
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz -1dB
T.H.D.: <5% 20Hz-20KHz (Ref. Output)
S/N: >87dB (Hum Noise<2mV)
Weight/CH.: 31.5kg (N.W.)/ 37.5kg (G.W)
Vacuum Tubes/CH.: 300Bx4, 6N9P(6SL7)x2,
12AX7(ECC83)x1, 12AU7(ECC82)x3.

Reference 2S Pre Amp

Rugged stainless steel chassis
High quality EI transformer and components
Innovative tube circuitry with choke coil
300B tube can be used
Can be fine tuned with different regulator tubes
Dual outputs (cathode follower and anode direct)
Full remote control
Switching between high and low negative feedback

Audiospace Australia P/L

22A Rooks Road, Nunawading, VIC 3131. Tel : (03) 9873 0068
www.audiospace.com.au sales@audiospace.com.au
McLeans
1/41 Victoric St, East Gosford
NSW 2250, Tel: (02) 4324 2511

U&S Audio Visual

Focus Sound & Vision

449 High Street, Preston

VIC 3072, Tel (03) 9478 8120

381 Victors St, Abbotsford

VIC 3067, Tel (03) 9427 8638

88 AV Centre
12 Field St, Adelaide 5000
Tel: (08) 8321 8668

Simply HiFi
Western Australia (08) 9337 2041
sales@simplyhifi.com.au

Cyrus introduced its Stream X Signature at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show in

the UK earlier this year as the latest model in its line of Signature
series products. The Stream X Signature, like all the other products in the
Signature range, benets from the engineering advances made to produce our
recent anniversary system, said Cyrus Technical Director, Peter Bartlett. Streaming music from your library has the potential to deliver the
highest quality hi- possible today. Stream X Signature has been developed
to be the most advanced digital source and includes Cyruss state-of-the-art
streaming engine, twin custom power supply systems plus a multitude of
audiophile enhancements, with the aim of providing more spine-tingling
detail and three-dimensional sound than ever before. The Stream X Signature incorporates TuneIn radio, which allows you to access more than
100,000 radio stations and podcasts from around the world, via the
internet. Operation can be via the Cyrus colour screen n-remote, or
via an idevice, running the Cyrus Cadence
iOS app.

For further information,

please contact
Australias Cyrus
distributor, Crestmore,
on (02) 9482 3922
or visit the website at
www.crestmore.com.au

buy it for the performance

love it for the looks

Cohesively balanced like a compact monitor, the Focus 260 exhibits the substance and power
of a floor-standing loudspeaker. Featuring the legendary Dynaudio soft dome tweeter and
their famous die-cast aluminium driver baskets, the Focus 260 gives you homogenous balance,
excellent speed and incredibly natural musicality.

For more information on the award winning Dynaudio range, Freecall 1800 648 628,
email sales@ sennheiser.com.au or visit www.sennheiser.com.au/dynaudio

Now with an amazing

SENNHEISER I YAMAHA I VAF

SENNHEISER DJ & STUDIO HEADPHONES

Sennheiser has released an all-new range of professional DJ
and Studio headphones that, while designed for the most demanding users and punishing pro environments, are also ideal
for audiophile applications. The HD8 DJ, HD7 DJ and the HD6
MIX have been developed in conjunction with some of the
worlds top DJs, including Bob Sinclar, Luciano, Andy Baxter,
Missill and Davina. Drawing on our success based around the HD
25 and extensive experience in high-end audio, the DJ range applies
Sennheisers proprietary acoustic system to answer the needs of different performing and production applications, said Ivan Kuan,
Head of Product Management at Sennheiser. The HD8 DJ is
dedicated to the needs of professional DJs with truly excellent sound
reproduction, while the HD7 DJ offers an engaging, dynamic sound
thats perfect for playing live. Both deliver a mid-low end emphasis,
but the sound remains tight and never overwhelms, with clarity
retained in the high frequencies. The HD6 MIX, a model aimed primarily at studio-based music creation, delivers a balanced, accurate
sound for mixing and monitoring work. The elliptical shape of
the ear cups avoids pinching the ears, and two different types

of interchangeable ear pad are provided (one

soft velour, the other a leatherette material)
to enable comfortable listening during long
periods of use using the material you most
prefer. For hassle-free one-ear monitoring, both DJ models feature swivelling
ear cups with up to 210 of movement
and three different wearing positions. All
headphones come with two three-metrelong oxygen-free copper headphone
cablesone coiled and one straight
tted with gold-plated connectors
that can connect to either ear cup to
suit any individual preference.

For further information, please

contact Sennheiser Australia on
1800 648 628 or visit the website at
www.sennheiser.com.au

YAMAHA RX-V377
AV RECEIVER

Yamahas rst new 77 Series model for 2014, the 5.1-channel RXV377, offers a new mode called Virtual Cinema Front where all ve
speakers can be placed at the front of the room, yet youll still hear
surround sound. Rated at 70-watts per channel (into 6), its the least
expensive model in Yamahas 77-Series range ($549 RRP) yet still uses
discrete ampliers and 192kHz/24-bit Burr-Brown DACs. Its also the
rst model to offer a new mode Yamaha calls Virtual Cinema Front
whereby all ve speakers can be placed at the front of the room,
rather than having two speakers along the walls or at the back of the
room. This unique feature is set to open the door to surround sound for an
untapped market by accommodating environments in which speaker placement behind the listener is not a practical option, said Justin dOffay,
of Yamaha Music Australia. The new virtual cinema front feature adds a
new dimension of exibility by delivering exhilarating surround sound in
any room regardless of the placement of surround speakers. The RX-V377
has an Extra Bass circuit that can increase the level of bass you hear
from your loudspeakersincluding that from small speakersand
YPAO auto-calibration that tailors the receiver to the rooms acoustic
signature by measuring the performance of connected speakers.

For further information, please contact Yamaha Music

Australia on 1300 739 411 or visit the local Australian Yamaha
website at au.yamaha.com

VAF DC-X63

has released its DC-X63, which it claims is the most technically

sophisticated new loudspeaker selling for less than $3,000. Previewed
at last years Melbourne Audio Show, the DC-X63 has six drivers
spread across ve individually stepped bafes to ensure correct time
alignment of sound at the listening position. VAFs founder, Philip
Vaadis, is convinced the new DC-X63 will be hugely successful
for his company. With more than 10,000 owners since it was originally released in 1995, our DC-X loudspeaker has developed a cult-like
following, and this new DC-X63 builds on that incredible legacy, he told
Australian Hi-Fi Magazine. Its beyond an evolutionary step: the new
DC-X63 is a quantum leap in design and actually mimics the way sounds
are produced in real life.
A signicant design feature of the new DC-X63 is its Acoustic
Skin which not only hides all the drivers from view, as well as the
stepped nature of the cabinet, but can also be customised by each
owner to suit the dcor of the room in which the speakers are being
used. This design allows each owner to personalise the look of their speakers to complement their room, whatever their version of beautiful might
be, said Vaadis. This way every owner gets this amazing VAF sound
with a look that they can choose for themselves. Pricing starts at $2,999
for models with
a black or white
Acoustic Skin,
and increases to
$3,499 for a model
with a personalised
Acoustic Skin. All
VAF models come
with a 10-year
guarantee and a 30day safensound
Web guarantee.

For further
information,
please contact
VAF on 1800 818
882 or visit the
website at
www.vaf.com.au

20

Australian

COCKTAIL AUDIO I FLEXSON I LEGEND ACOUSTICS

COCKTAIL AUDIO
DISTRIBUTION

Melbourne distributor International Dynamics is now the exclusive

Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) distributor for Cocktail Audio.
Based in Korea, Cocktail Audio currently builds two all-in-one
components, the X10 (pictured right) and X30, that combine a smart
HD Music Server/Network Streamer/CD Storage (Ripper)/and amplier
complete with a music database function. Cocktail Audios two key
products are a great solution for customers with existing CD and digital
music collections who seek to simplify their listening experience, said Sam
Encel, of International Dynamics. Both the X10 and X30, are designed
to meet the requirements of the mass-market at both an entry level (X10),
and the enthusiast at the high-end (X30) and are the rst high-resolution
hi- audio systems in the world that have a music database function, CD
ripping, music server, network streaming, and a 192kHz sample rate at
affordable prices. Were very pleased to have Cocktail Audio as part of Interdyns growing range of industry-leading audiovisual products as we know
the market is demanding more of this kind of product, both in terms of

quality sound reproduction and price point. The X30 has a Burr-Brown
PCM1792a DAC, a Texas Instruments Class-D stereo amplier, highspeed optical disk drive for quick ripping, 127mm full-colour screen,
intuitive graphical user interface, FM radio tuner, Internet Radio and
online music service, storage installation for 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch
SATA hard disk and SSD drives. You can read a full review of the
Cocktail Audio X10 here: www.tinyurl.com/CA-X10-SI

For more information, please contact International

Dynamics Australasia (IDA) on (03) 9426 3600 or visit
www.internationaldynamics.com.au

FLEXSON WITH AUDIO DYNAMICS

UK company Flexson, which specialises in making accessories for Sonos products, has appointed
Audio Dynamics as its exclusive distributor for Australia. All Flexson brackets and stands are precision
engineered to perfectly match the size, style and
colour of speakers and systems made by Sonos, and
the deal with Audio Dynamics came just as Flexson
had expanded its range of wall-mounts and oor
stands to include Sonos Play:1 models.
All Flexson products are designed and built in
Britain from superior-quality steel, with attention
being paid to such features as cable management,
easy tting and exible placement. From spacesaving supports for any Sonos product, to stands that

offer the perfect position for two Play:1 or Play:3 speakers in

a Playbar 5.1 set-up, theres an optimal Flexson solution,
said Glenn McClelland, of Flexson. Here in Australia, we found the customer demand for dedicated Sonos
mounting solutions has been almost overwhelming, said
Philippe Luder, of Audio Dynamics. Now with access
to all Flexsons products, we are condent that dealers and
integrators right around the country can now offer their
customers the very best product on the market to do the job.
Wall mount prices start at $59 and oor stands at $109.

For further information, please contact Audio

Dynamics on (03) 9882 0372 or visit the website
at www.audiodynamics.com.au

LEGEND ACOUSTICS UPGRADES KANGA

Award-winning Australian loudspeaker manufacturer
Legend Acoustics has launched a special edition of its
popular Kanga 6 loudspeakers. Dr Rod Crawford,
Legends founder and chief designer, told Australian
Hi-Fi Magazine that the Kanga SEs retain the cabinet
of the present Kanga 6s (which will continue to be
available for centre-channel duties in surround sound
systems) but have upgraded drivers to make them
dedicated stereo loudspeakers with even more open
natural sound.
The two bass-midrange drivers in the Kanga SE are
130mm in diameter and have Norecx non-resonant
polymer-coated Papyrus-bre cones and high-damping
SBR rubber surrounds. An aluminium-alloy cast frame
provides for rigidity at the same time permitting an
open-structure design that reduces reections and
compression. The tweeter is a ring-radiator type,
which has the dome held at its centre to control
break-up in the upper treble, particularly at high SPLs.
However, unlike some ring radiator tweeters it has
no protrusion at the centre. Such protrusions are too
small to have an effect on dispersion of sound until their

22

Australian

wavelength is approximately the diameter of the protrusion. Since the usual diameter of the protrusion is around
3mm, that wavelength corresponds to a frequency of
100kHz which is well above normal human hearing, said
Crawford. As in all other Legend Acoustics loudspeakers, the crossovers are completely hard-wired and
connected to the drivers and to the bi-wire terminals
by hand-soldering using high-quality cable. Only
air-cored inductors, polypropylene capacitors and
non-inductive wire-wound resistors are used. There
are no ferrite cored inductors or electrolytic capacitors used
at all, said Crawford, because they would degrade the
sound quality. The Kanga 6SEs cabinets are manufactured and assembled in Australia, like other Legend
loudspeakers, with real wood veneers: Australian
Jarrah (pictured), Light Oak and black-stained Oak. Dimensions are 420230170mm (HDW). The suggested
retail price for the Kanga 6 SE is $1,990 per pair.

For further information, please contact Legend

Acoustics on (03) 6295 0062 or visit the website
at www.legendspeakers.com.au

SOUNDSITES

Not too shy to note a

big birthday coming up,

Len Wallis Audio

64 Burns Bay Road
Lane Cove, NSW 2066
02 9427 6755

www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

what could REDGUMs

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Australias Number One Store for

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quality@lavalink.com.au

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avhub.com.au

23

am not certain, but I think the Evolution

Acoustics MMMicroOne speakers might
be the rst stand-mount speakers I have
ever reviewed where its not possible to
buy the speakers without the stands. That is,
the stands and the speakers come together as
a package, and you cant split them. Ill have
more to say about this later in this review.

THE EQUIPMENT
As you can see from our photograph (well,
not exactly ours, because it was kindly
supplied to us by Evolution Acoustics), the
MMMicroOne is a three-driver, two-way, bass

24

Australian

reex design which has its bass/midrange

drivers mounted above and below a centrallylocated tweeter, in whats most correctly
called an MTM (midrange-tweeter-midrange)
array. (Not a DAppolito array, because to
qualify as a true DAppolito array that is,
the one popularised by famous US loudspeaker designer Joseph DAppolito, the drivers
used must be specic sizes and types, and the
distances between the drivers calculated using the crossover frequency as a factor in the
equation. That said, the MMMicroOne might
be a DAppolito arraybut if so, Evolution
Acoustics certainly doesnt mention it.)

Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne Loudspeakers

BEHIND EVOLUTION
ACOUSTICS

The two men behind Evolution

Acoustics are Jonathan Tinn and
Kevin Malmgren.The company was
founded by the two in 2006, shortly
after Malmgren left Von Schweikert
Research, where hed worked for
six years, after having graduated
from the University of California
in 1998.Tinn had been in the hi-
industry for many years, in various
roles. Formerly a vice president
of global sales and marketing
for Ed Meitners EMM, he left
Meitner to start import/distribution
operation Blue Light Audio (which,
amongst other brands, distributes
DarTZeel in North America) and,
while working there, also started
Playback Designs in partnership
with famous designer Andreas Koch
(Studer, Sony, Sonoma). In addition
to owning Blue Light Audio and
being a partner in both Evolution
Acoustics and Playback Designs,
Tinn also owns the companies
Chambers Audio (a retail/internet
hi- operation) and Wave Kinetics,
which manufactures a variety of
vibration control systems. J. D.

As you might also be able to see from

the photograph, the tweeter is not the usual
dome type, but a type Evolution Acoustics
calls a Pleated Diaphragm Air Velocity
(PDAV) tweeter. Evolution Acoustics doesnt
give any information about its design,
construction or operating principleother
than to say that its our own very ultra
high-quality tweeterbut it appears to be
an air motion transformer (AMT). Invented
by the legendary loudspeaker pioneer Oskar
Heil, the functional part of an air-motion
transformer tweeter is rather like the moving
part of a piano accordion, being in essence a
pleated membrane. As the pleats or folds
move towards each other then away, they
compress and rarefy the air between them
in such a manner as to create sound waves.
The beauty of this system is that the pleats
in the membrane are super-efcient at
moving air (think of the difference between

squirting an orange pip away from you by

squeezing it between your ngers, compared
to throwing the pip with your hand!). Also,
because the pleated membrane is inherently
loose it has a resonant frequency thats well
outside its operating range, which isnt true
of, for example, dome tweeters.
Because the patent has long since expired
on the air motion transformer, the many
speaker manufacturers using it have created
acronyms to describe its operation, then
trademarked () those acronyms so no other
company can use them (though theyre free
to use the technology it describes, of course).
Thus it is we nd similar designs known by
the initials AVT (Precide Audio), JET (Elac),
ART (Adam Audio), FAL (Sorasound), ESS
(ESS Speakers, the original licensee for Oskar
Heils original AMT), HVFR (GoldenEar)
and, no doubt, many others, not least of
which is Martin Logan, though MartinLogan
calls its versions FoldedMotion tweeters
and is therefore unique for being the only
manufacturer not to use an acronym! A
company called Dayton Audio makes AMT
drivers available as OEM parts, and Evolution
Acoustics PDAV looks a lot like Daytons
AMT1-4, but with a higher-quality faceplate.
Adam Audios website offers a particularly
clear description of the advantages AMT
tweeters offer over other types: All other
loudspeaker drive unitswhether they are
voice-coil driven, electrostatics, piezos or
magnetostaticsact like a piston, moving air in
a 1:1 ratio. This is undesirable, as the specic
weight of air is much lower than that of the
driving mechanics. Speaking in terms of electrical
engineering one could say there is a bad match
between source and load. The [air transformer]
principle achieves a 4:1 velocity transformation
between (the) driving diaphragm and the driven
air. In other words, the air moves in and out
four times faster than the folds are moving.
This superior motor system is responsible for the
enormous clarity and transient reproduction that
is to be heard from the ART drive units.
The bass/midrange drivers used in the
MMMicroOne have many unusual design
features. Evolution Acoustics calls them
CMAT drivers, which is a contraction of
Ceramic MATrix. The material appears to be
the same one developed by German
manufacturer Thiel & Partner, where
a thin aluminium tape is shaped
by deep drawing, then completely

ON TEST

oxidised in a proprietary process and changed

to alpha corundum in a special ring process
that results in an extremely hard (Mohs
Hardness 9), extremely thin (50m) and
snowy-white coloured dish-shaped cone. This
ceramic cone has comparatively high inner
damping because as the oxidation proceeds
from both sides to the middle, the result is a
foam-like microstructure in the middle that
damps the surface layers, leading to better
impulse response and signicantly reduced

EVOLUTION ACOUSTICS
MMMICROONE
LOUDSPEAKERS

Brand: Evolution Acoustics

Model: MMMicroOne
Category: Standmount Loudspeakers
RRP: $5,500
Warranty: Two Years
Distributor: Absolute HiEnd
Address: PO Box 370
Ormond VIC 3204
(04) 8877 7999
info@absolutehiend.com
www.absolutehiend.com
t Sensational sound
t Glorious imaging
t Price includes stands

t Stand design
t Short warranty
t No bi-wire facility

LAB REPORT
Readers interested in a full technical
appraisal of the performance of the
Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne
Loudspeakers should continue on
and read the LABORATORY REPORT
published on page 30. Readers should
note that the results mentioned in
the report, tabulated in performance
charts and/or displayed using graphs
and/or photographs should
be construed as applying only
to the specic sample tested.

Lab Report on page 30

avhub.com.au

25

Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne Loudspeakers

distortion as well as a wider operating
bandwidth than if the material were the
same consistency throughout. Although
Evolution Acoustics doesnt state where the
bass/midrange drivers in the MMMicroOne

are made, and the identifying labels on the

drivers merely say 6.6 CMAT, Thiel &
Partners OEM speaker division, Accuton, lists
Evolution Acoustics as one of the companies
that it supplies with drivers.
As for that bass/midrange driver itself, it
is beautifully made, with a cast alloy
basket, a lovely centre-vented
magnet, a ventilated voicecoil and under-spider cooling
with the air-ow ltered by
a foam grille. Overall the
driver is 120mm across, with
mounting-hole centres at
110mm and a cone diameter
of 75mm, but the important
Thiele-Small diameter is
84mm, which gives an
effective cone area (Sd) of
55cm. However because two
drivers are being used, the
total area available is twice
this (110cm), so if Evolution
Audios designer (Kevin
Malmgren, see breakout box
Behind Evolution Audio)
had instead used a single
bass/midrange driver to get
the same area delivering low
frequencies, that driver would
have had to have had an
overall diameter of 156mm.
The curved side-walls of
the cabinet are 25mm thick
and appear to be made from
veneered MDF to which
is added a French curve.
The front bafe, on the
other hand, is something
else entirely. It is, for the
most part, 50mm thick,
but actually increases in
thickness in some places to
75mm, which appeared to
be due to some additional
cross-bracing. The crossover
network spans across two
completely separate printed
circuit boards, which are
bolted one atop the other and
then xed to the base of the
inside of the cabinet. I could
not see the totality of the
network due to the conned space
inside the cabinet, but the components
I could see (or feel) were all state-of-the-art
and included MKT capacitors, cross-mounted

The bass/midrange driver is

beautifully made, with a cast alloy
basket, a lovely centre-vented magnet,
ventilated voice-coil and cooling...
26

air-cored inductors and 1 per cent metal-lm

resistors. The loudspeaker grille attaches to
the front bafe by means of hidden magnets,
so if you prefer to listen to your speakers
without grilles, you wont have to look at any
ugly bafe xings.
The bass reex port is located on the
rear of the speaker, above the speaker
terminals, and is 48mm in diameter and
105mm long. Rather unusually, the inside
wall of the port is lined with a layer of
6mm soft foam, effectively reducing the
diameter to around 36mm. I say unusually
because most manufacturers try to keep the
sides of the port as slippery as possible,
which is the opposite of what Evolution
Acoustics has done with its port, where the
foam would tend to decrease the air-ow
through the port. No doubt Malmgren has
a good reason for lining the port with foam,
because it makes the port more expensive to
manufacture than it would be if hed opted
for a smooth-surfaced port.
As stated in the introduction to this
review, the Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne
speakers come with their own stands. While
this means that the speakers will be placed
at exactly the height the designer intended
the speakers perform their best, it also means
that if you dont like the appearance of the
stands, or they put the speaker at the wrong
height for your listening position, youll
either have to modify the stands to suit your
ear height or, if they dont suit your tastes
and/or your dcor, have a new pair of stands
made for you. I was not entirely happy with
the stands for several reasons. One of these
was that I found that if I pushed either side
of the speaker it swayed for quite some
time and did this also if I pushed from the
front or rear, though to a far lesser extent.
Another was that the stands dont have cable
management, so your loudspeaker cables
will be visible. I also didnt like the method
Evolution Acoustics has chosen to x the topplate of the stand to the vertical part (it uses
two large bolts whose heads remain visible),
and the speaker itself to the top plate (two
bolts, and between them a sandwich of four
metal plates and four wooden pucks). These
xing devices are not visible if youre looking
from above the speakers, but once youre
sitting down, they become clearly visible.
Evolution Acoustics rates the in-room
frequency response of the MMMicroOnes as
being 35Hz30kHz 3dB, their impedance
as nominally 6 (but notes a deviation of
2), and a sensitivity of 87dBSPL. Note
that although the manufacturer says on
its website that: The Evolution Acoustics
MMMicroOne loudspeakers are designed and
engineered in the USA, comprised entirely of
custom tooled components with absolutely
no off the shelf parts, the speakers are
manufactured in China.

Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne Loudspeakers

You should also note that although Evolution
Acoustics rst released the MMMicroOnes at
the 2012 CES show as selling for $US2,500,
where they garnered a urry of positive
publicity, including from John Atkinson,
the editor of Stereophile, who commented
that the speakers were: extremely affordable
for a speaker that gave one of the best sounds
I heard in Las Vegas, Jonathon Tinn of
Evolution Acoustics later said that it was
not economically viable for him to sell the
speakers at this price, with the result that the
US retail price is now listed at $US4,000 per
pair. This may have been a genuine error in
costings on Evolution Acoustics part, but
then again it would not be the rst time a
manufacturer has underpriced a product at
CES in order to gain favourable media and
reviewer attention.

IN USE AND LISTENING

SESSIONS
At the time I commenced my listening
sessions I was somewhat concerned that
the tweeters were not at ear height in my
listening room so, since my ears were lower
than the tweeter, I gradually raised my chair
through several different heights until my
ears were level with the it, listening over
and over to the same track while I did so.
My conclusion was that with these speakers,
you shouldnt worry if your ears are lower
than the tweeter because in my room I could
not hear any signicant differences at all.
However, when I later experimented with
off-axis listening positions, I discovered this
wasnt true for those positions. Indeed as I
moved further off-axis, the level of the highfrequencies dropped signicantly, meaning
that if you want the most brilliant highs of
which these speakers are capable, you should
always angle the speaker cabinets inwards so
that both left and right tweeters are aimed
at the listening position. Conversely, if you
prefer a less bright treble, you could face the
speakers straight down your roomor even
angled away from youso that youre listening off-axis!
Despite not being able to hear any
signicant differences related to listener
height, I opted to listen exactly on-axis so
that I was allowing the speakers to give it
their best shotas it wereand also had
the speakers angled to face me, for the reason
outlined in the previous paragraph. I have
to say that I was most impressed by the
sound quality of the treble: its crisp, clean,
articulated and quite effortless, and playing
back some high-res les that contained
recorded material above 20kHz, it was
perfectly clear that the tweeters response
stretched way above 20kHz. You could
hear it from the sizzle of cymbals and the
incredible air thats in the highs. Listen
to Jonas Burgwinkels kit on Katzenburger

28

Australian

Music Productions fabulous Blu-ray, titled

Heinrich Von Kalnein, to hear the sizzle at
its best. Not only is the sound on this disc
incredibly good, but when listening via the
MMMicroOnes you can hear what theyve
done when recording the drumsit seems
weird, but the sound proves that it works.
You can also listen to the same disc to
hear the air as the Sonodore RCM402
captures the ambience of the room perfectly.
As it happens, this disc is also ideal for
demonstrating the incredible dynamics the
MMMicroOnes are capable of delivering,
because this disc has a DR Score of DR19,
which is right up there with the most
dynamic recordings available.
If youre planning on checking out the
MMMicroOnes dynamic capability, make
sure you use a powerful amplier, because
I found they took quite a bit of power to
really get going. Id been putting hours on
the speakers with a well-credentialled but

such as Kate Miller-Heidke singing Il Ny a

Pass DAmour Heureux, or Big Scarys take on
Je TAime Moi Non Plus. The ability of the
Evolution Acoustics MMMOnes to accurately
and pitch-perfectly deliver the exact sound of
human voicesmale or female is so good
that it is scary. As for their bass response
well, as they say, your milage will varyin
this case on your room and where you locate
the MMMicroOnes in it, but in mine they
certainly dug deeper into the low frequencies
than I thought such a small pair of two-ways
would be able to dig, andagain considering
their diminutive sizedelivered amazingly
high sound pressure levels at the low
frequencies they can deliver before the sound
became congestive. And the bass they do
deliver is very, very tight, enormously tuneful
and beautifully paced with a sensational
ability to deliver clean transients and,
best of all, not overemphasised in the upper
bass to give the auditory impression of there

Their ability to create a stereo image is so

unbelievably good that its really not accurate to call
it a stereo image at all. Its more like surround...
moderately low-powered British amplier
because Id read that Evolution Acoustics
likes its speakers to have at least 500 hours
on them before being reviewed, yet every
time I stopped by the room to check how
the burn-in process was going, I was a
bit underwhelmed by the sound, and
decided they needed even more burning-in.
Eventually, however, with no changes after
many hours, I thought enough was enough,
and put them in my system with my current
workhorse amplier (an Aragon 8008), only
to nd myself totally blown away not only by
the extraordinary dynamics, but also by the
sound quality. The speakers characteristics
had been instantly transformed, simply by
switching amps and presumably mostly
by the tenfold increase in power. Whereas
previously the speakers had been mumbling
the words along to the music, they were now
truly singing.
And speaking of singing, I auditioned a
standard Red Book CD that is high on my
rotation list at the moment, despite the fact
that its a totally commercial (sponsored!)
project, which I usually abhor. Titled Melodie
Francaise, it comprises 14 classic French
songs interpreted by a variety of artists,
including Big Scary, Dappled Cities, Deep
Sea Arcade (with Megan Washington), Katie
Noonan, Edward Deer, Vance Joy and others.
Some of it is highly electronic and grossly
overproduced, but it all works nonetheless,
and sounded absolutely fabulous through the
MMMicroOnes. Some of the tracks are not
only more natural, but also more magical,

being bass lower down than there really is,

with the result that the bass you do hear is
very truthful.
But I have left the most sensational aspect
of the Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOnes
performance until last, and thats their ability
to create a stereo image: its so unbelievably
good that its really not accurate to call it a
stereo image at all. Its more like a surround
eld. Sit in the sweet spot when listening
to the MMMicroOnes and you will really
believe that youre there at the original live
performance, because the image they create
has everything in spades: full height, full
width, full depth in fact, the full Monty!

CONCLUSION
If only, if only By a curious twist of fate, I
was actually at CES back in 2012 when the
MMMicroOnes were rst introduced but,
as fate would have it, I never made it into
Evolution Acoustics room, and therefore
missed the opportunity to buy a pair for a
sum that, given the strength of the Australian
dollar at the time, would have worked out as
being less than A$2,500! And, trust me; if I
had heard them back then, I certainly would
have purchased them on the spot for that
price theyre that good. Two years down
the track, even with the local sticker price
swelled to more than twice that amount, Id
be tempted, but it would be a more considered purchase. If only, if only
Jutta Dziwnik
CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

HIPPOCRATES

ARISTOTLE

EUCLID

YPSILON

The Ypsilon PST-100 is the most transparent and, therefore, the

most perfect audio component I have ever heardor not heard.
Michael Fremer, Stereophile Vol.34 No.7.

YPSILON. By TELOS.
Telos Audio Distributors 0419 830 587
enquiries@telosaudio.com.au www.telosaudio.com.au
Available in NSW through Knox Audio, 02 9542 2998 www.knoxaudiocom.au

Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne Loudspeakers

LAB REPORT
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

LABORATORY TEST REPORT

The frequency response of the MMMicroOne measured by Newport
Test Labs was excellent. Graph 1 shows an overall response, where
a far-eld in-room pink noise response has been spliced (via postprocessing) to a gated high-frequency response. This shows that the
MMMicroOnes measured response extends from 40Hz to 31kHz3dB.
Graph 2 shows the high-frequency response of the MMMicroOne
in greater detail, as well as the differences in response when using the
speaker with the grille in place (red trace) and without it (blue trace).
Although the response is marginally smoother without the grille,
the differences are so slight that I think even the most golden-eared
audiophile would be hard-pressed to hear the difference.

110

dBSPL

Newport Test Labs

105

100

95

90

85

80

75

70

65

60

55

50
20 Hz

50

100

200

500

1K

2K

5K

10K

20K

40K

Graph 1. Frequency response. Trace below 700Hz is the averaged result of nine individual
frequency sweeps measured at three metres, with the central grid point on-axis with the
tweeter using pink noise test stimulus with capture unsmoothed.This has been manually
spliced (at 700Hz) to the gated high-frequency response, an expanded view of which is
shown in Graph 2. [Evolution Acoustics MMMicro One Loudspeaker]
110

While I would normally recommend using a grille, because of the

additional mechanical protection afforded to the drivers, in this case
the drivers on the Evolution Acoustics are so tough that this is not an
issue, so you can go with or without according to your visual (and
auditory) tastes.
Although the frequency response falls within 3dB limits, you
can see peaks and dips in the AMTs
response. These appear to be a function
of the design, as all AMT tweeters
exhibit similar traits. I liked that the
tweeter rolled off smoothly above
25kHz, so although it was 3dB down at
31kHz, it was 13dB down at 40kHz.
Low-frequency response (Graph
3) was impressive for several reasons.
The rst is that although it appears as
though there are only two traces on
this graph, there are actually three.
Newport Test Labs graphed the response
of both bass/midrange drivers and has
shown them separately using purple
and black traces. As you can see, the
two responses are so similar that its
nigh-on impossible to tell them apart.
(The small variations down below
15Hz should be ignored, as these were
caused by external low-frequency
noise, not the drivers themselves.) The
driver response above 100Hz is very

This is speaker-matching at its

nest Ive never seen a pair
of speakers whose impedances
have tracked so closely...

dBSPL

Newport Test Labs

105

100

95

90

85

80

75

70

65

60

55

50
400 Hz 500

1K

2K

5K

10K

20K

40K

Graph 2. High-frequency response, expanded view, with grille on (red trace) and grille off
(blue trace).Test stimulus gated sine. Microphone placed at three metres on-axis with AMT
tweeter. Lower measurement limit 400Hz. [Evolution Acoustics MMMicro One Speaker]
110

dBSPL

Newport Test Labs

105

100

95

90

85

80

75

70

65

60

55

50
10 Hz

20

50

100

200

500

1K

2K

Graph 3. Low frequency response of front-firing bass reflex port (red trace) and upper
(purple trace) and lower (black trace) mid/woofers. Nearfield acquisition. Port/woofer levels
not compensated for differences in radiating areas. [Evolution Acoustics MMMicro One]

30

Australian

3K

at, and exceedingly smooth right out to the steep

(crossover-induced) roll-off above 2.5kHz.
The bass reex ports response (red trace) is
also excellent, peaking at 55Hz and producing
appreciable output from 30Hz up to 120Hz.
Particularly notable is the fact that theres no
unwanted high-frequency output from the
port, as there is with a great many ports. This
may be because of the absorbent lining inside
the port.
Look at Graph 4, which shows the
impedance of the Evolution Acoustics
MMMicroOne, you can see that its almost
impossible to differentiate the trace of the
impedance of the left-channel speaker
from that of the right-channel speaker.
This is speaker-matching at its nest
I dont think I have ever seen a pair
of speakers whose impedances have
tracked each other so closely. This
says as much for the quality
of the drivers being used as it
does for the quality-control
procedures in place during t
manufacturing processes.

Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne Loudspeakers

LAB REPORT

Ohm

20

Deg

180

110

150

105

120

100

90

95

60

90

30

85

80

-30

75

-60

70

-90

65

-120

60

-150

55

-180
40K

50

dBSPL

Newport Test Labs

Newport Test Labs

10
9
8
7
6

2
10 Hz

20

50

100

200

500

1K

2K

5K

10K

20K

20 Hz

110

50

100

200

500

1K

2K

5K

10K

Graph 5. Averaged in-room frequency response using pink noise test stimulus with
capture unsmoothed. Trace is the averaged results of nine individual frequency sweeps
measured at 3 metres, with the central grid point on-axis with the tweeter. [MMMicro One]

Graph 4. Impedance modulus of left (red trace) and right (yellow trace) speakers plus
phase (blue trace). Black trace is ref 4 ohm calibration resistor. [Evo. Ac. MMMicro One]

dBSPL

110

dBSPL

Newport Test Labs

Newport Test Labs

105

105

100

100

95

95

90

90

85

85

80

80

75

75

70

70

65

65

60

60

55

55

50

50
20 Hz

50

100

200

500

1K

2K

5K

10K

20K

Graph 5. Composite response plot. Red trace is output of bass reflex port. Dark blue trace
is anechoic response of bass driver. Pink trace is gated (simulated anechoic) response
above 400Hz. Black trace is averaged in-room pink noise response (from Graph 1).

The impedance modulus itself is also excellent, never

falling below 4 (though it comes close at 200Hz),
never rising above 15 and having a beautifully
rising impedance with increasing frequency.
I also cant see anything on the traces
that would indicate a cabinet resonance.
Outstanding! The position of the saddle
between the two impedance peaks at 32Hz
and 80Hz indicates that you should not
expect much bass response below 52Hz, and
also that the minima is slightly out-of-sync
with the peak of the ports output.
Yet another outstanding result can be seen
in the phase response (blue trace). Again, this
is the attest, most linear phase response I
can ever recall seeing. Although the phase
swings a little at low frequencies, its still
constrained to less than 30, and from 300Hz
up its so close to 0 that it may as well be.
Again, Im impressed.
Graph 5 shows the averaged in-room
response, and you can see the most signicant

Did I say I was

impressed? The design of
these speakers is excellent,
the execution impeccable...

32

Australian

40K

20 Hz

50

100

200

500

1K

2K

5K

10K

20K

Graph 6. Composite response plot. Red trace is output of bass reflex port.
Dark blue trace is anechoic response of lower bass driver. Pink trace is gated
(simulated anechoic) response above 400Hz. Black trace is averaged in-room pink noise
response (from Graph 5). [Evolution Acoustics MMMicro One Loudspeaker]

attribute is the uniformity of the spectral

balance, with no skewing of the response
to emphasise either the high or low
frequency regions. From about 100Hz up
to 8kHz, the measured response is within
1.2dB. Theres a very slight lift around
120250Hz, and another even-slighter lift
around 13kHz, but these would give a
character to the sound, nothing more.
Newport Test Labs measured the
sensitivity of the Evolution Acoustics
MMMicroOne as being 86dBSPL under its
usual stringent test conditions. This is 1dB
less than the average for all loudspeakers,
and 1dB lower than Evolution Acoustics
specication, but is around 2dB higher
than I would have expected for this design,
which has small drivers in a small-volume
cabinet. It suggests, however, that you will
get best performance from these speakers by
pairing them with a relatively high-powered
amplier: my guess is one with an output of
upwards of 80-watts per channel would be
more than ample.
Did I say I was impressed? The design
of these speakers is excellent, the execution
impeccable and the results can be seen in
the measurements, which were outstanding
across every aspect of performance.
Steve Holding

40K

NTA L

einz Lichtenegger is the founder

and managing director of ProJect, and it seems that he and I
have something in common. Its
that we both cringe when we see the plastic
monstrosities masquerading as turntables
that are sold to unsuspecting consumers
usually via the pages of mail-box catalogues
and through low-end chain stores. Although
I can rail against such turntables in print,
and exhort people not to buy them, the fact
is that many people still choose to do so,
simply because theyre cheap.
Although Lichtenegger has also railed
against the sale of plastic turntables in
print, he has instead decided to address the
root cause of the problem by producing a
turntable thats as low-priced as the chain
store-type turntables (well, almost), but is
so obviously of much higher quality that

34

Australian

anyone looking for a cheap turntable would

be silly not to buy one. That turntable is the
Pro-Ject Elemental.
I would be tempted to say the Elemental
is a cheap and cheerful take on Pro-Jects
higher-priced vinyl-spinners, except that
Lichtenegger has been able to incorporate
a good deal of technology from those
turntables into the Elemental, with decided
benets for its performance.

THE EQUIPMENT
The chassis of the Elemental might upset the
traditionalists, but the increasing number
of so-called skeletal turntables shows that
its not necessary for a turntable to have a
full-sized rectangular base/plinth in order to
deliver top-notch performance. Indeed theres
a good argument that the larger the surface
area of a base, the more likely it is to pick up

air-borne vibrations, which is something you

dont want any turntable base to do. So the
smaller the area of a base, the less likely it is
to be inuenced by air-borne vibrations.
The Elementals platter might also upset
the traditionalists, because rather than being
made from two different metal castings, its
just a single piece of CNC-machined MDF,
into which is pressed the spindle, so theres
no sub-platter either. I think this is called
keeping it simple. It also means theres no
platter suspension of any type, so isolation
is solely down to the feet underneath the
turntable and, although these are rubber,
they dont provide much isolation at all,
so you may have to provide this yourself,
depending on where you place the turntable
in your room.
Platter drive is via a rubber belt that
wraps around the motors drive pulley and

Pro-Ject Elemental Turntable

the periphery of the platter. Although the

motor is a d.c. type, so it could be controlled
electronically to offer multiple speeds, the
circuitry required would push the price of the
Elemental too high, so its just a single-speed
motor, and speed adjustment is effected
between 33.33 and 45rpm by manually
moving the belt over the two-step drive
pulley. The motor is tted to the chassis
such as it iswithout any apparent isolation,
which is likely to be at least one reason
Lichtenegger selected a d.c. motor rather than
an a.c. synchronous type. All other things
being equal, a d.c. motor has less intrinsic
unwanted vibration than an a.c. synchronous
motor and, just as you dont want airborne
vibrations transmitting through to the stylus,
you dont want motor vibrations being
transmitted through the base to the stylus
either.
On the Pro-Ject Elemental, that stylus is
an elliptical diamond thats at the business
end of an Ortofon OM5E moving-magnet

y
c
s e y
g t n
ut
t
o kt o o r$ 7 .

phono cartridge, which is factory premounted (using a universal system, so you

could change to a different cartridge if you
wanted, but see following paragraph) into
an offset tting at the end of a straight
tonearm. The tonearm counterweight also
comes factory pre-set and xed into place
straight out-of-the-box, but unlike some
xed counterweights, the one on the ProJect Elemental can be adjusted though I
dont know why you would need to (unless,
of course, you decide to change cartridges at
some point in the future.) However, changing
cartridges could be a little tricky, because the
tonearm anti-skating (also known as bias)
is not adjustable. In fact I could see no antiskating mechanism at all, but according to
Pro-Ject, the tonearm supposedly has the
correct amount of bias force for the Ortofon
cartridge designed in.
The Ortofon OM5Es stylus is replaceable,
so when the diamond wears down (as it
eventually will), replacement will take only
a few seconds. The correct replacement is
a Stylus 5E. Although replacement styli
for other Ortofon cartridges will t into

the OM5E, and are often recommended as

upgrades when this cartridge is tted to
other turntables, I would not recommend
taking this approach with the Elemental, due
to the fact that the anti-skating is xed and
the OM5E has a lateral compliance of 20m/
mN, whereas most other replacement styli
from Ortofon that will t into the OM5E
cartridge body have a lateral compliance of
25 m/mN, which would require a different
anti-skating force to be applied.
The xed anti-skating also restricts your
choice of a replacement cartridge, should you
wish to upgrade the OM5E, because whatever
stylus you chose would have to weigh exactly
5 grams and also have a lateral compliance
of 20m/mN. (Though this does mean you
could downgrade to an Ortofon OM3E if
you wished, or use a stylus replacement for
an OM3E on your worn records, and save the
OM5Es own, more expensive, stylus for your
best albums.)
Being that the Elemental is umm
elemental and almost entirely made of
MDF, a wood composite not renowned for
its weight, you may be surprised to hear
the Elemental weighs 2.7kg. That weight
comes from what is exactly thata weight
mounted underneath the spindle in the form
of a section of what Pro-Ject says is articial
stonethough it didnt feel or look at all like
stone or articial stone to me. Lichtenegger
calls this weight a mass anchor which
he says improves the performance of the
turntable by acting as an energy sink to prevent
noise or vibration from getting into the platter via
the spindle.
As you can see, youre getting quite a lot
of kit for your $379. What you dont get is a
turntable cover and not surprising really,
considering that the cheapest optional cover
Pro-Ject sells is the Cover It at $99. (It also
suits the Pro-Ject RPM 1.3/5/5.1.) Its unlikely
youll get a less expensive cover from any
of the accessory suppliers, but remember
that theres always the option of building
one yourself, or adapting a cover designed
for another product or application to suit.
Whatever you do, I would recommend you
use a cover when playing LPs, because it
prevents dust and contaminants from settling
into the groove. Such foreign particles end
up reducing overall playback delity and
introducing the intruding click, pop and
crackle sounds that, unfortunately, all too
often characterise LP replay. (Of course if you
only intend to play each of your LPs just the
once, so you can immortalise their sound
by storing them in a digital format, I guess a

ON TEST

dust cover would not really be necessary.) If

this is what you want to do, youre probably
better off buying the USB version of the ProJect Elemental, which retails for $449. Buy
this version and you can plug the turntable
directly into your computer, with no need for
any other components.
The overall t n nish of the Elemental
is very basic, right down to the nishes
used on the MDF, but I guess its better to
make economies here rather than in more
important areas such as the motor and
bearing.
Power consumption is low. With the
turntable switched off (the rocker switch is
under the platter, at the front, to the right
of the drive pulley), the power supply on its
own draws 0.28-watts. When the turntable
is operating, the power draw increases to
4.17-watts.

IN USE AND LISTENING

SESSIONS
Whereas I might normally spend some considerable time setting up a turntable, tonearm
and cartridge (and a considerable number
of paragraphs explaining the process in a
review!), I spent almost no time at all setting
up the Elemental.

PRO-JECT ELEMENTAL
TURNTABLE

Brand: Pro-Ject
Model: Elemental
Category: Turntable
RRP: $379 (inc. OM5E cartridge)
Warranty: Two Years
Distributor: International Dynamics
Address: 129 Palmer Street
Richmond VIC 3121
(03) 9426 3600
sales@interdyn.com.au
www.interdyn.com.au

t Easy set-up
t Low cost
t Price/performance
ratio

t Isolation
t Dust cover
t Finish

avhub.com.au

35

Pro-Ject Elemental Turntable

Its really just a matter of extracting it from
its box, wrapping the rubber belt around the
platter and drive pulley and plugging in the
external (plug-pack) power supply and phono
leads. Easy. The only thing you need to watch
is that you dont get any sweat etc. on the
belt, pulley or platter when youre tting
the belt. I always have a pair of white cotton
gloves on hand for belt-tting, but you could
just as easily use disposable latex gloves, so
long as they arent the powdered type.
For the sake of completeness, I checked
that cartridge alignment and tracking force
were correct, but was not surprised to nd
they were spot-on, not least because one
of the tools I personally recommend for
cartridge alignment is made by Pro-Ject itself!
(The Pro-Ject Align-It.) I then checked speed
accuracy and found that using my own
precision strobe, it was visually exact at both
33.33 rpm and 45 rpm. (If youd like to check
the speed of your own turntable with a free
paper strobe, youll nd one at www.tinyurl.
com/AHF-strobe). Although I was happy the
speed was correct, later testing by Newport
Test Labs showed that although the platter
speed on my review sample was exact at 45
rpm, it was 0.04% slow at 33.33rpm. This
difference is so tiny that you wouldnt be
able to detect it even if you were unfortunate
enough to be possessed of perfect pitch.
As for wow and utter, Id no sooner put
away the four discs Id used for testing it in
my review of Pro-Jects Genie 1.2 (published
in Australian Hi-Fi Volume 45 No 1) than the
Elemental lobbed in for review, so I pulled
them out yet again: Satie (Gymnopdies),
Chopin (Nocturne Op.27 No.1), Field (Nocturne
No.10 in E minor)
r and Liszt (Lgende
(
No 1 St
Franois dAssise). As with the Genie, I could
hear neither wow nor utter in any of these
pieces, no matter how intently I listened.
And, if you cant hear wow and utter when
listening to slow piano music, youre never
going to hear it with any other type of music.
[Newport Test Labs measured overall wow
and utter at 33.33 rpm as being 0.11% RMS
unweighted. At 45 rpm, the overall W&F
result was 0.06% RMS unweighted. Measured
individually, wow at 33.33 rpm was 0.12%
(CCIR) and utter was 0.09% (CCIR). At
45 rpm, wow was measured as 0.1% (CCIR)
and utter at 0.06% CCIR. Editor.]
When listening for rumble, I got a bit of a
fright, because I thought I heard some rumble
the minute I started listening. However, it
turned out to be a false alarm the rumble I
was hearing was low-frequency sound caused
by my next-door neighbours swimming
pool pump getting through into the platter
and thence via the stylus through to the
speakers. This mishap did, however, put me
on notice thatthe Elementals mass anchor
not withstandingyou may have to pay
attention to ensuring that external vibrations

36

Australian

do not enter via the Elementals three feet.

This could be as simple as asking your
neighbour to turn his pool pump off when
youre using the turntable or putting the
Elemental on a vibration-isolating mount.
I chose the latter approach and used a
custom mount I made using a slab of granite
that was left over from when we installed a
new kitchen bench (the kitchen guys even
cut and shaped it specially for me!), but
any heavy at object will do, after which
you then tune out any vibrations by trial
and error, using the
dBm
different amounts and
-20
Newport Test Labs
thicknesses of foam
-25
underneath the mass.
-30
I use the thick foam
-35
slabs sold by car places
-40
for use when washing
your car theyre
-45
cheap and they work
-50
great. (If your other
-55
half is worried about
-60
appearance, drape a
-65
piece of silk cloth over
-70
the slab and foam
20 Hz
50
100
200
500
1K
2K
5K
10K
20K
blocks before placing
Figure 1. Frequency response (black trace) and channel separation (red trace) of Ortofon
OM 5E phono cartridge fitted to Pro-Ject Elemental turntable.
the turntable on top.)
So far as sound was
concerned, I was very aware that although
I cant nish up this review without
Ortofons OM5E is a very capable unit, its
commenting on the damped stylus cuing
second-from-the bottom of Ortofons own
mechanism. Its great that its there, but its so
range, and far from being the last word in
slow! You could almost make a cup of tea in
phono cartridge technology, being fairly
the time it takes to descend into the groove.
long in the tooth. Nevertheless, stereo
On the plus side, it descends (and ascends)
imaging was good and the bass was solid
with a truly vertical motion, without any
and tight, if not as totally convincing as,
sideways slippage, so youll always be able to
say, an Ortofon Red. Midrange sound was
cue up accurately at exact spots on your LPs.
well-detailed and particularly impressive
CONCLUSION
when listening to smaller ensembles, rather
During the reviewing process, the Pro-Ject
than full orchestral works. The highs were
Elementals performance was good enough
extended, if slightly subdued, but missing the
that I was constantly having to remind
shimmer and delicacy in the extreme highs
myself that it was, literally, an entry-level
that are characteristic of higher-performance
turntable so entry-level that I think its
cartridges.
the lowest-priced turntable I have ever
I did think the sound was very slightly
reviewed. Personally, I am thrilled that its
more dened through the rst half-tonow available, because whenever any of my
two-thirds of each LP I played, but I was
non-audiophile friends say they want to buy
not sure if the slight diminution in sound
a budget turntable to play their old LPs, I
quality I was hearing as the stylus neared
can condently recommend the Elemental
the end of the record was caused by the bias
to them, rm in the belief that its priced so
method used by Pro-Ject, or by limitations
keenly that theyll actually end up buying
in the tracing ability of the Ortofon OM5E
one. (Even if its the USB version.)
itself. Overall though, I was happy with
The only real pity is that people who do
the performance of the Ortofon OM5E and
not read this review will continue to buy
consider it an excellent match with the
those horrible plastic units, never realising
Elemental. [Newport Test Labs measured the
that for almost exactly the same outlay they
OM5Es frequency response and channel
could have been proud (and I mean that
separation, which are graphed in Figure 1.
literally, too) owners of a real turntable: one
The response shown extends from 20Hz to
that will give them years of happy listening,
20kHz 3dB and is within 2dB from 25Hz
as well as one for which spare parts will
to 16kHz. Channel separation was 22dB at
always be available, and also one on which
1kHz, improving to 24dB at 3.5kHz, but
theyll be able to replace the cartridge and/or
diminished to less than 15dB below 200Hz
Chris Croft
stylus if they so desire.
and above 15kHz. Editor.]

THE PERFECT
EUROPEAN UNION

Telos Audio Distributors | 0419 830 587

enquiries@telosaudio.com.au | www.telosaudio.com.au
Available in NSW through Knox Audio | 02 9542 2998 | www.knoxaudio.com.au
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Bel Canto e.One Series

Bel Canto gets you closer to your music with all of the equipment that we
design and represent. Each piece in the e.One series is of reference quality and
will help you reach your entertainment goals for years to come. e.One units
have a silver faceplate standard and have the option of black upon request.

ABSOLUTE HI END

Django L

Django XL

Distribution in Australia by:

ABSOLUTE HI END
PO Box 370
Ormond VIC 3204

E: info@absolutehiend.com
P: 0488 777 999

www.absolutehiend.com

henever I see a Creek amplier, I always wonder why

Mike Creek makes it so hard
for himself or in this case
so hard for his senior design engineer, Mike
Gamble. In what way is he making hard? Its
that Creek components are so smallor, as
Im sure Creek would prefer me to describe
them, so slimline.
The new Evolution 50A integrated
amplier is a perfect case in point, because
its just 60mm high. And if restricting the
height isnt enough of a challenge, Creek
has also put reins on the depth, because its
only 280mm deep. The only thing thats at

40

Australian

I I

.EWPORT 4EST ,ABS

0OWER /UTPUT 3INGLE CHANNEL DRIVEN INTO

 OHM  OHM AND  OHM NON INDUCTIVE
LOADS AT (Z K(Z AND K(Z ;%VO !=

all standard is the Evolution 50As width,

at 430mm. What the height specication
means is that Creek has had to use specialised
toroidal transformers, unusual low-rise
smoothing capacitors and custom heatsinking simply in order that these essential
(but bulky) components will t into the
limited space available.
But there were several surprises for me in
store with the Evolution 50A, one of which
was that it is such a high-tech amplier.
Maybe Creek has been high-tech for a while,
but if so, its certainly passed me by, so many
of the features on the 50A were denitely
new Creek developments to me!

Creek Evolution 50A Integrated Amplier

.EWPORT 4EST ,ABS

When I say that Creek has gone all electronic,

the most obvious evidence of this is the front
panel display, which gives feedback on all the
ampliers operating parameters including,
for example, the temperature of its heatsinking. Also, the Evolution 50As bass, treble
and balance controls are all implemented
electronically. The volume and source switching controls are also electronic, but lets start
at the beginning
The rotary control at the left of the front
panel is used to switch inputs, of which there
are claimed to be four: Line 1, Line 2, Line
3, and Line 4. My view is that there are only
three, but I need to explain the topology of
these line-level inputs in order that you can
see how I established this viewpoint. First,
Line 1 is rather confusingly identied on
the rear panel as a Phono input. As youve
guessed, this is because although the basic

0OWER /UTPUT "OTH CHANNELS DRIVEN INTO

 OHM  OHM AND  OHM NON INDUCTIVE
LOADS AT (Z K(Z AND K(Z ;%VO !=

Evolution 50A doesnt come with a phono

stage, you can option one in. Its called the
Sequel Phono board and comes in three
versions (MM40, MM48 or MC54) depending
on which type of phono cartridge you own.
Theres one that is best-suited for mediumoutput MM cartridges, one that best-suits
low-output MM/high-output MC cartridges,
and one that is recommended for mediumoutput MC cartridges. Each board costs
$250. Rather cleverly, if you choose to t
the phono stage, the front panel display will
change from displaying Line 1 to instead
display Phono. The sample Evolution 50A
I was loaned for this review by Australian
distributor Epoz did not have the phono
stage tted.

.EWPORT 4EST ,ABS

THE EQUIPMENT

0OWER /UTPUT 3INGLE AND BOTH

CHANNELS DRIVEN INTO  OHM  OHM
AND  OHM NON INDUCTIVE LOADS AT
(Z K(Z AND K(Z ;%VO !=

ON TEST

described by the number three, rather than

the number four!
However, this isnt the end of the story
concerning available inputs, because
although the Evolution 50A is an integrated
amplier, you can transmogrify it into an
AM/FM receiver by adding an optional
tuner module, known as the AMBIT. This
module, which retails for $250, can be tted
by your dealer, or you can t it yourself (its
easy, and full instructions come with the
module). Unlike the Sequel phono stage,
tting the AMBIT does not use up one of
your line inputs. It plugs directly into the

CREEK EVOLUTION 50A

INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER

The Line 2 input is a conventional

unbalanced line-level input using RCA
sockets. The Line 3 input is also unbalanced
(with RCA sockets) but is labelled AV Direct
because it can be used either as an additional
line input or as an AV direct input that
bypasses the volume control and pre-amp
stage. (This latter mode is useful if youre
bi-amping, or using the Evolution 50A in a
multi-channel audio-video system.) The Line
4 input is unlike the other inputs, because its
a fully balanced input, using standard threepin XLR (female) connectors. In common
with the Line 3 input, it can be congured as
a normal line-level input (albeit balanced) or
as a Direct input.
By default, the Line 3 and Line 4 inputs
are routed through the pre-amplier section,
enabling the volume and tone controls to
act on them. To congure these inputs for
AV Direct/Direct modes, you must switch
the ampliers power off and then, whilst
holding down the Menu button, on again,
releasing the Menu button immediately
after the words Set-Up Menu appear in the
front panel display. You can then change
the settings, which are saved by pressing the
Menu button.
So why did I say there are claimed to be
four inputs? Its because although there are
technically four inputs, you are not able to
use both the Line 3 and the Line 4 inputs at
the same time: you can connect cables to one
input or the other, but not to both.
So if you can only use one of these
two inputs, in my book it means the
number of inputs is more accurately

Brand: Creek
Model: Evolution 50A
Category: Integrated Amplier
RRP: $1,650
Warranty: Two Years
Distributor: Epoz Pty Ltd
Address: Unit 24a, 176 South Creek Rd
Dee Why, NSW 2099
(02) 9450 0789
info@epoz.com.au
www.epoz.com.au
t Musical
t Upgradeable
t Flexible

t Remote battery
compartment
t Owners Manual

LAB REPORT
Readers interested in a full technical
appraisal of the performance of the
Creek Evolution 50A Integrated Amplier
should continue on and read the
LABORATORY REPORT published on
page 44. Readers should note that
the results mentioned in the report,
tabulated in performance charts and/
or displayed using graphs
and/or photographs should
be construed as applying only
to the specic sample tested.

Lab Report on page 44

avhub.com.au

41

Creek Evolution 50A Integrated Amplier

pre-ampliers printed circuit board inside the

amp, giving you an additional input.
The fact that optional phono and tuner
modules are available for the Evolution 50A
explain some of the extra buttons you can
see on the front panel of the amplier. That
SRC button, for example, functions only
when the AMBIT module is tted and enables
the left-hand rotary control to select amp
inputs or tuner functions (in Creek-speak, the
letters SRC are short for Source). The Band
button switches the AMBIT module between
AM and FM bands. TUNE self-evidently
allows you to tune in radio stations, while
the PRE (Preset) button allows you to select
between any radio stations you have preset
into the AMBIT.
Interestingly, you wont nd any
information about the SRC, BAND, PRE or
TUNE buttons in the instruction manual for
the Evolution 50A. It doesnt even mention
that an optional tuner module is available.
Given that the manual is well-produced,
well-written and, at 12 pages long, has plenty
of room for this information, I was rather
surprised it didnt. However, as I read further
into the manual, I also discovered that Creek
doesnt really tell you anything about the

BOS
Acou

operation of its remote control at all, other

than to alert you to the fact that it: is not
able to switch the mains power. Instead, the
company blithely advises: The operation of
the remote is designed to be intuitive, so we do
not intend to describe its functions in great detail
here I found this attitude rather cavalier,
particularly since the remote has 46 buttons,
some of which are cryptically labelled.
In my opinion, it never hurts to state the
obvious particularly when, to some users,
the so-called obvious may not, in fact, be
obvious at all! For example, in the absence
of instructions on how to go about replacing
the batteries in the remote, I found it nighon impossible to remove one of the two AA
batteries because its so far inside the remote,
where its held very rmly, that I had to spike
a hole in the battery in order to remove it.
Perhaps there is an easy way to remove this
battery, but its not in the manual
The Evolution 50A is built on a solid
technical platform that revolves around the
use of bullet-proof 15-amp Sanken STD-03
thermal tracking Darlington power transistors
supported by a good old-fashioned linear
power supply, and deployed according to
classic Class-AB circuit topology.

IN USE AND PERFORMANCE

When it came to installing the Evolution
into my system, I wanted to make use of the
balanced inputs, and discovered that there
were no indications as to which was the left
channel input and which the right channel
input. It wasnt hard to gure out, but I gure
I shouldnt have to. The same was true of the
unbalanced inputs. If you know the old red
is right rule, you would not have to use trial
and error to work out which was which, but
many people dont know this rule (which is
not, strictly, a rule anyway, therefore would
not guarantee success) and anyone who was
colour-blind would have to ask for assistance
either way. Some advisory lettering on the
rear panel (or a few words addressing this
subject in the owners manual) would have
been of great assistance here. These, however,
were only minor stumbling blocks in the
installation of the Evolution 50A, and added
only a few extra minutes to the process.
Once installed, the Evolution 50A
impressed from the outset with the smooth,
fuss-free way the controls operated and the
fact it was easy to read the front panel display
even from a considerable distance. The fact
that the remote uses r.f. rather than infra-red

t QC20i
ones

Enter at www.avhub.com.au and use code: HIFI14

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Creek Evolution 50A Integrated Amplier

to communicate with the amplier meant

that it wasnt necessary to be a marksman
to aim the remote at the front-panel sensor,
which is also a nice touch. Creeks Owners
Manual warns that the remote could play
up if your home is sited near a radio (or
presumably television) transmitter, or even if
theres a mobile phone close to the remote,
but I didnt experience any problems at all
even quite close to Channel 2s TV tower.
It wasnt only the operation of the
Evolution 50A that impressed either the
sound quality was equally impressive. Piano
(being, at essence, a percussive instrument)
is one of the mostif not the mostdifcult
instruments to reproduce accurately, so

degree from the University of Melbourne.

She has recorded for Russian radio and
television as well as for the ABC and is
currently coordinator of keyboard at the
School of Music-Conservatorium, Monash
University.
Then for a complete change I moved
on to audition the vocals of Niki Hadida,
who is half of the strangely-named duo
Lilly Wood and the Prick (the other half of
which is Benjamin Cotto). If you can get
past Hadidas strange pronunciations (shes
a French-Israeli singer who sings in English)
and her even-stranger phrasings, her voice
is unique and her songs very beautiful. The
tonal qualities of her voice were displayed

If youre in the market for UK-designed, UK-built

50-watt amplier that could well become a hi-
classic, you should most denitely put the Creek
Evolution 50A on your Best Buy radar.
my jaw dropped when I heard how the
Evolution 50A reproduced the sound of
the Schimmel K280 concert grand that is
employed by Tamara Smolyar when playing
Cesar Francks Prelude, Chorale and Fugue on
her CD Timeless (Move MD3372). Listen
to the gorgeous lushness of the harmonics
and the pervasive softness of tone compared
to the Steinway she uses for the other pieces
on the disc. My jaw also dropped when I
heard the way Smolyar introduced her take
on Beethovens 32 Variations in C Minor.
She attacks the introduction at a pace that I
initially thought would affect her ability to
accurately dene the arpeggios and repeated
notes in 16ths later on, but no it just got
better and better.
The power in Smolyars ngers is
also impressive as she strikes the full
chords that extracted the most of the
Evolution 50As dynamics. This is masterful
musicianship. Oh, to have been present
when she recorded this at Melbournes Iwaki
Auditorium. Although were now proud
to call her our own, Smolyar was born in
Ukraine and graduated from the Kiev State
Conservatorium of Music with High Honours
and gained a Master in Music (Performance)

to perfection by the Creek Evolution 50A,

and I loved the ethereal overdubbed intro to
her track titled Joni Mitchell (in which she,
as a female songwriter, references Mitchell,
who as Allmusic said, may stand as the most
important and inuential female recording artist
of the late 20th Century.). If youre not a fan
of electronica you may not enjoy the overly
electronic sound of this, her latest album
(The Fight)particularly the very forward
bass and the all-pervasive kick drumbut
these low frequency sounds proved ideal for
determining how tightly the Creek could
deliver bass at high volume levels and it
more than rose to the challenge. However,
if youre wanting the Creek to deliver high
volume levels fairly continuously, rather
than on just the odd festive occasion, I
would recommend you partner it with
high-efciency loudspeakers (rated with a
sensitivity of 87dBSPL or more), unless your
system is in a small room.
Anyway, next up on the play list was the
fantastic new album from The Audreys: Til
My Tears Roll Away. Its fantastic for all the
right reasons: fantastic sound, fantastic lyrics,
fantastic music and most importantly,
originality in spades, particularly since all

ON TEST

these are embellished by the seductive voice

of lead singer Taasha Coates. The recording
quality is excellent too, with some acoustic
guitar work that will make your system sing.
It certainly let Creeks Evolution 50A sing
pure, and revealed the silent chinks in the
music that showed me that the Creeks noise
oor is wonderfully low, so it will never
interfere with whatever music youre playing,
and no matter how softly you play it.
Speaking of chinks, I do always like to nd
a chink in the armour of any component I
review, but the Evolution 50A performed so
effortlessly and so beautifully for the many
weeks I had it on loan, that I just couldnt
nd one. It was another family member who
accidentally found a chink. That person (no
names, no pack-drill!) placed a university
assignment on top of the amplier, covering
up the ventilation holes while it was playing.
After a while the amplier switched itself off
and showed the word Overheated in the
front panel display which was no wonder,
really. After I removed the offending item and
waited a while, the amplier started up and
continued as if nothing had happened. Made
aware of this, I then deliberately tried to
induce over-heating but found I couldnt do
so in normal (or even abnormal) operation
when playing music unless I actually
impeded the air-ow around the heatsinks in
some way. So its not much of a chink, but its
the best I could do

CONCLUSION
Creeks Evolution 50A amplier is small, very
stylish, and able to be hardware-upgraded
through the use of several differently-purposed modules, and/or software-upgraded.
Its a great amplier. But if youd like a
second opinion, you should know that
Australian Hi-Fis sister publication, Sound &
Image magazine, gave the Evolution 50A its
Stereo Amplier of the Year under $5,000
award for 2014. So if youre in the market for
UK-designed, UK-built 50-watter that could
well become a hi- classic, you should most
denitely put the Creek Evolution 50A on
your Best Buy radar.
greg borrowman
LAB REPORT ON PAGE 44

avhub.com.au

43

Creek Evolution 50A Integrated Amplier

LAB REPORT
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43

LABORATORY TEST REPORT

Rated at 55 watts per channel, laboratory
tests conducted by Newport Test Labs showed
that it only just scraped in over this gure
when both its channels were being driven,
with the test sample registering results of
57-watts at 20Hz, 58-watts at 1kHz and
57-watts at 20kHz. However, when only a single channel was driven, the Creek Evolution
50A easily delivered 70-watts per channel at
all three test frequencies. Reducing the load
impedance to 4 did not result in the usual
doubling of power output, with the Evolution
50A instead delivering only 76-watts (both
channels driven) at 20Hz, exactly 85-watts
per channel at 1kHz and around 84-watts at
frequencies above 1kHz.

Creek rates the 4 output of the Evolution

50A at 85-watts, but since it only delivers this
power at 1kHz, under Australian standards it
should be rated at 76-watts per channel, which
is the maximum it can deliver at 20Hz with
4 loads. The Evolution 50A was, however,
able to deliver good levels of power into 2
loads without triggering any of its protection
circuits (unusual to nd in lower-priced
ampliers these days) and at frequencies above
1kHz, it could deliver more than 100-watts
per channel, both channels driven into 2
loads. However, the power supply exhibited
limitations at low frequencies with this lowimpedance load, with the Evolution 50A
delivering just 84-watts per channel at 20Hz
when both channels were driven.

Creek Evolution 50A Amplier Power Output Test Results

Channel

Load ()

20Hz
(watts)

20Hz
(dBW)

1kHz
(watts)

1kHz
(dBW)

20kHz
(watts)

20kHz
(dBW)

70

18.4

70

18.4

70

18.4

57

17.5

58

17.6

56

17.4

105

20.2

107

20.3

107

20.3

76

18.8

85

19.3

84

19.2

136

21.3

156

21.9

154

21.8

84

19.2

123

20.8

109

20.3

Note: Figures in the dBW column represent output level in decibels referred to one watt output.

Creek Evolution 50A Integrated Amplier Test Results

Test

Measured Result

Frequency Response @ 1 watt o/p

Frequency Response @ 1 watt o/p
Channel Separation (dB)
Channel Balance

1dB

1.5Hz 133kHz

3dB

82dB / 84dB / 61dB

0.036

Interchannel Phase

0.01 / 0.06 / 1.72

THD+N

0.007% / 0.008%

Signal-to-Noise (unwghted/wghted)
Signal-to-Noise (unwghted/wghted)
Input Sensitivity (CD Input)
Output Impedance
Damping Factor

degrees ( 20Hz / 1kHz / 20kHz)

@ 1-watt / @ rated output
dB referred to 1-watt output

94dB / 98dB

dB referred to rated output

62mV / 460mV

(1-watt / rated output)

0.02

OC =

400

@1kHz

N/A / 10.4

Power Consumption

31.7 / 193.5

Mains Voltage Variation during Test

240 244

Heatsink Temperature (Degrees C)

61

Australian

(20Hz / 1kHz / 20kHz)

dB @ 1kHz

83dB / 88dB

Power Consumption

44

Units/Comment

3Hz 70kHz

watts (Standby / On)

watts at 1-watt / at rated output
Minimum Maximum
@ 1-watt and 5-watts output

The Creek Evolution

50A performed very well
on the test bench, but
to allow it to deliver
its best performance, I
would recommend using
efcient speakers...
Fairly unusually for a UK-designed
amplier, the Creek Evolution 50A proved
to be a wideband design, with a frequency
response extending from 1.5Hz to 133kHz
1.5dB. Although this is self-evidently very
at, response across the audio band was even
atter, as shown in Graph 7, which shows
performance into both a standard resistive
laboratory test load (black trace) and into a
load that simulates that of a small, two-way
bass reex loudspeaker (red trace). You can
see that the two traces track each other very
closely, which is excellent, and means the
Evolution 50A will sound balanced across the
audio spectrum no matter what speakers you
connect to it. It will also control unwanted
movement of the bass drivers in your
speakers better than most other ampliers.
Both traces are 0.5dB down at 5Hz, and just
0.05dB down at 20Hz. Theres absolutely no
high-frequency roll-off at high frequencies
to the contrary, the response rises around
0.05dB above 20kHz before eventually rolling
off to be 3dB down at 133kHz.
Channel separation was excellent at low
and midrange frequencies, as you can see
from the tabulated gures (82dB at 20Hz and
84dB at 1kHz) but fell to 56dB at 20kHz. This
is more than required to ensure perfect stereo
imaging but only an average result for an
integrated amplier. Channel balance was
almost perfect: 0.036dB. Whereas once it was
very rare to see such good balance between
channels, its now becoming more common,
and is most likely due to the increased use
of software volume controls, rather than
conventional potentiometers.

Creek Evolution 50A Integrated Amplier

The action of the bass and treble

90dB down, so each contributes less
controls is greater than usual, with the
than 0.003% THD to the total. You can
bass control offering around 13dB of boost
see from the extreme left of the graph
and cut at 20Hz and the treble control
that the extra current required to drive
around 12dB of boost and cut at 20kHz. It
the lower-impedance load makes the
would have been nice if the high-frequency
power supply work hard.
boost had been better-shelved. Because of
Graph 3, showing performance
this lack of shelving I would recommend
at 55-watts into an 8 load shows
against using the maximum position of
that again, all harmonic distortion
the treble control, to avoid potentially
components except the second (at
overloading your tweeters with ultrasonics.
81dB or 0.008%), third (at 95dB or
The controls also affect volume level at
0.0017%), fourth (at 93dB or 0.0022%),
midrange frequencies by around 2dB.
and sixth (at 98dB or 0.0012%) are all
Somewhat less effect would have been
more than 100dB down. However, this
preferable.
time both odd-order and even-order
Total harmonic
distortion was low, as
dBFS
0.00
.EWPORT 4EST ,ABS
you can see from Graphs
1 through 4, but most
-20.00
particularly reected in the
overall gures tabulated:
-40.00
0.007% THD+N at an
-60.00
output level of one watt
(into 8), and 0.008%
-80.00
THD+N at an output level
of 55-watts (8). These
-100.00
are excellent gures,
-120.00
albeit a little higher than
specication (which says
-140.00
it should be less than
0.00 Hz
4000.00
8000.00
12000.00
16000.00
20000.00
'RAPH  4OTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION 4($ AT K(Z AT AN OUTPUT OF  WATT INTO A  OHM
0.005%). Looking at
NON INDUCTIVE LOAD REFERENCED TO D" ;#REEK %VOLUTION ! )NTEGRATED !MPLIFIER=
Graph 1 you can see that
dBFS
the individual harmonic
0.00
.EWPORT 4EST ,ABS
distortion components
are, with the exception of
-20.00
the second, third and fth
-40.00
harmonics, all more than
100dB down, so less than
-60.00
0.001% THD. The second
is at 97dB (0.0014%), the
-80.00
third at 93dB (0.0022%)
-100.00
and the fth at 99dB
(0.0011%). Interestingly, it
-120.00
is the odd-order harmonics
that predominate albeit
-140.00
0.00 Hz
4000.00
8000.00
12000.00
16000.00
20000.00
at levels that are so low
'RAPH  4OTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION 4($ AT K(Z AT RATED OUTPUT  WATTS INTO A  OHM
they would have no affect
NON INDUCTIVE LOAD REFERENCED TO D" ;#REEK %VOLUTION ! )NTEGRATED !MPLIFIER=
on sound quality, which
dBr
made me suspect some
15.00
.EWPORT 4EST ,ABS
crossover notch distortion.
12.50
Note that the noise oor
10.00
is down at around 130dB
7.50
above 4kHz, but even at
5.00
the extreme left of the
2.50
0.00
graph you can see its
-2.50
still an excellent 110dB.
-5.00
Graph 2, which shows
-7.50
performance into 4 loads,
-10.00
sees increases in the levels
-12.50
of all harmonics, but all
-15.00
except the third, at 86dB
10.00 Hz
100.00
1000.00
10000.00
(0.005%), are more than
'RAPH  4ONE CONTROL ACTION REFERENCED TO D" AT K(Z ;#REEK %VOLUTION ! !MPLIFIER=

LAB REPORT

dBFS
0.00

.EWPORT 4EST ,ABS

-20.00

-40.00

-60.00

-80.00

-100.00

-120.00

-140.00
0.00 Hz

4000.00

8000.00

12000.00

16000.00

20000.00

'RAPH  4OTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION 4($ AT K(Z AT AN OUTPUT OF  WATT INTO AN  OHM
NON INDUCTIVE LOAD REFERENCED TO D" ;#REEK %VOLUTION ! )NTEGRATED !MPLIFIER=

dBFS
0.00

.EWPORT 4EST ,ABS

-20.00

-40.00

-60.00

-80.00

-100.00

-120.00

-140.00
0.00 Hz

4000.00

8000.00

12000.00

16000.00

20000.00

'RAPH  4OTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION 4($ AT K(Z AT RATED OUTPUT  WATTS INTO AN  OHM
NON INDUCTIVE LOAD REFERENCED TO D" ;#REEK %VOLUTION ! )NTEGRATED !MPLIFIER=

dBFS
0.00

.EWPORT 4EST ,ABS

-20.00

-40.00

-60.00

-80.00

-100.00

-120.00

-140.00
0.00 Hz

6000.00

12000.00

18000.00

24000.00

30000.00

'RAPH  )NTERMODULATION DISTORTION ##)& )-$ USING TEST SIGNALS AT K(Z AND K(Z AT
AN OUTPUT OF  WATT INTO AN  OHM LOAD REFERENCED TO D" ;#REEK %VOLUTION ! !MP=

dBr
3.00

.EWPORT 4EST ,ABS

2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
-0.50
-1.00
-1.50
-2.00
-2.50
-3.00
10.00 Hz

100.00

1000.00

10000.00

'RAPH  &REQUENCY RESPONSE OF LINE INPUT AT AN OUTPUT OF  WATT INTO AN  OHM NON
INDUCTIVE LOAD BLACK TRACE AND INTO A COMBINATION RESISTIVEINDUCTIVECAPACITIVE LOAD
REPRESENTATIVE OF A TYPICAL TWO WAY LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM RED TRACE  ;#REEK %VOLUTION !=

avhub.com.au

45

Creek Evolution 50A Integrated Amplier

The 1kHz waveform is essentially perfect,

as if it had issued directly from the square
wave generator, rather than having rst
been routed through the Evolution 50A.
harmonics contribute almost equally to
the overall distortion level (of 0.008%)
rather than the odd-order harmonics
predominating, as they do at the one watt
output level. Looking at the grass down
at the bottom of the graph, particularly at
low frequencies, you can see that the power
supply is fairly seriously stressed when
delivering such a high power outputs, with
a consequent increase in low-frequency
noise.
The overall signal-to-noise ratios
measured were, however, very good, with
Newport Test Labs measuring the S/N ratio
referred to an output of one watt as being
83dB unweighted, and 88dB A-weighted.
Referencing the signal-to-noise ratios to
rated output, the gures improved to 94dB
unweighted and 98dB A-weighted, this last
being an excellent gure, but still a lot shy
of Creeks specication of 104dB.
Intermodulation distortion (CCIFIMD) was extremely low, as you can see
from Graph 5. The prime area of interest
(the unwanted regenerated difference
frequency at 1kHz which is the product
of IMD between the two test tones at
19kHz and 20kHz) is down at 105dB
(0.0005%). There are some high-order IMD
components either side of the 19/20kHz
test tones, but theyre 80dB down (18kHz
and 21kHz), 89dB down (17kHz and
22kHz) and nearly 100dB down (16kHz and
23kHz) respectively, and therefore will not
be audible.
As youd expect given its wide
bandwidth, the Creek Evolution 50A
performed very well during square
wave testing, as you can see from the
oscillograms (images taken directly from
the oscilloscope).

The 100Hz wave shows a little tilt

indicating that the Evolution 50As
response does not extend to d.c. but theres
no bending, therefore no phase shift at
low frequencies. The 1kHz waveform
is essentially perfect, as if it had issued
directly from the square wave generator,
rather than having rst been routed
through the Evolution 50A.
The 10kHz wave shows some small
rounding, indicating tiny rise-time
limitations, but no more than Id expect
to see from almost any amplier, and no
other anomalies.
When loaded with 2F of capacitance
in parallel with 8, the Creek exhibits
only a small amount of ringing, and its
damped very quickly, so the amplier will
be unconditionally stable.
I was surprised from the tabulated
results that the Creek does not have a
standby mode, but perhaps that was a
mistake by the lab: check this at the time
of purchase. However, when its switched
on (but not operating) the Evolution 50A
pulls only 10.4 watts from your 240V
mains supply, so its not exactly gobbling
power. In normal use Id expect average
consumption to be around 50-watts, while
maximum consumption will never be more
than 193.5-watts.
Overall, the Creek Evolution 50A
performed very well on the test bench
however, to allow it to deliver its best
performance, I would recommend using
efcient speakers with a nominal impedance
of 6 or more andgiven the measured
temperature (61C) of the heatsink during
testingthat you always make sure the top
and bottom cooling vents of the amplier
Steve Holding
are unobstructed.

1kHz Square Wave (8 ohm//2NF cap load)

46

Australian

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*RRP $1899

ines bigger than yours!

Thats one thing youll never
be able to say about Denitive Technologys new SC4000
subwoofer, because its one of the smallest
subwoofers I have ever reviewed. However
you will be able to boast about something,
because its digital display is by far and away
the largest I have ever seen on a subwoofer
indeed its almost ridiculously big. What were
they thinking? But you will also be able to
boast about the level of performance youre
getting, because for a small sub the SC4000
packs a powerful punch and for not a
whole lot of money.

48

Australian

THE EQUIPMENT
The reason the display is so large is that its
always hidden underneath the black cloth
covering that Denitive Technology uses as
a nish for most of its speakers, so if it were
the usual size, you probably wouldnt be able
to see itor youd be able to see it, but not
be able to distinguish the numerals. A highgloss piano lacquer top plate, adds a touch
of class, and there is an edge of black gloss
panelling around the base of the subwoofer,
but otherwise both sides and the front of the
subwoofer are covered by black cloth. I am
not normally a fan of clothed nishes, but on
the SC4000 I think it works quite well.

The driver complement of the SC4300

SuperCube (about which Ill have more to
say later on in this review) comprises a single
driven element (a 203mm-diameter bass
driver) and two passive elements (two 203mm
passive plate-style auxiliary bass radiators,
which are usually called drones or ABRs).
Denitive Technology calls these latter two
units pressure

coupled planar low bass drivers

which is a pretty goodand a pretty accuratedescription. Basically, these two drivers
are not connected to the amplier at all.
Instead, theyre forced to move by changes in
air pressure within the cabinet caused by the
single front-ring drivers movement.

Denitive Technology SC4000 Subwoofer

As it moves outwards, rarefying the air

inside the cabinet, the two passive drivers
are pushed inwards by the air pressure in
the listening room. As the front-ring driver
moves inwards it compresses the air inside
the cabinet, forcing the two passive drivers
to move outwards. This to-and-fro motion of
the passive radiators generates low-frequency
sound waves.
This pressurised air drive system works
best at low frequencies and even better when
the cabinet containing the drivers is small,
because it results in larger differences in air
pressure than would be possible in a larger
cabinet. However there is still a slight time
delay involved between the action and the
reaction, and the coupling effect also works
better at mid-to high volume levels than it
does at low levels. However, with regard to
this last, Denitive Technology has provided
a x in the form of a Night Mode circuit,
which compresses the dynamic range of the
subwoofer so that, in the companys words,
the loudest bass in a movie doesnt get loud
enough to wake the kids, which is why its
called a Night Mode circuit. However, you can
also use this circuit to increase the apparent
level of bass when playing at low volume, effectively increasing the output of the passive
radiators.
As for that single front-ring driver (which
has a polypropylene cone and a Thiele/Small
diameter of 165mm, for an Sd of 214cm), its
driven by a BASH amplier that Denitive
Technology rates at 1,200-watts. BASH (the
letters stand for Bridged Amplier Switching Hybrid), is a trademark owned by US
company Indigo, which holds US patents
(#5,075,634 and #5,510,753) for this amplier type, which is essentially an analogue
Class-AB amplier that uses a fast-response,
pulse-width modulated power supply to
deliver what is arguably a Class-H amplier.
In a Class-H topology, rather than the rail
voltage being xed it is instead continuously
varied in time with the incoming audio
signal, a technique that allows very highefciency operation, and is usually called a
rail-tracking or tracking topology. (Though
the general BASH topology also bears similarities with Class-G and Class-D ampliers.)
The output devices used in BASH modules
are MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor
Field Effect Transistors) that are deployed in
bridged Class-B mode. The power for these
is provided by a switch-mode power supply
whose output voltage is controlled by an
audio processor that generates a PWM gate
pulse for the BASH converter. Although the
BASH audio processor uses much the same
schema as Class-D pulse width modulation (PWM) digital ampliers, it controls

the rail voltage rather than the audio signal

itself, which is handled (in analogue) by
the MOSFETs. For those who are interested
in the history behind the BASH circuit, the
applicable patent is US patent #5,075,634 (for
a Composite Bridge Amplier) where the
inventor is named as one John B. French.
You get more than the usual control over
what the BASH amp does, in that in addition
to adjusting volume, phase (you can choose
between four xed settings: 0, 90, 180,
and 270 ) and crossover frequency (18 xed
settings to choose from, starting at 40Hz
then proceeding in 5dB steps to 100Hz, after
which in 10dB steps to 150Hz) you can also
invoke the Night Mode mentioned previously, as well as toggle between four differently
pre-programmed EQ settings that alter the
frequency response of the SC4000.
According to Denitive Technologys
User Manual, the EQ1 setting maximises the
lowest bass, but in so doing, sacrices maximum
volume level, so that you wont be able to
play the SC4000 as loud using this setting as
you will when youre not using it. EQ2 raises
the level of the midbass frequencies, which
Denitive Technology says is a good choice for
hip-hop and rock music. EQ3 raises the level
of mid and ultra-low bass, which Denitive
Technology says is: a great setting for movies
when not played at ultra-high volume levels.
EQ4 is (and again this is according to Denitive Technology), the best setting to use when
achieving maximum volume levels with minimal
distortion is more important than reproducing
the lowest frequencies. Of course you can also
switch the EQ off entirely and, indeed, Denitive Technology says (and I concur): this
is the best starting point.
The User Manual warns against using
EQ1 at high volume levels, but if you do,
the SC4000 has an overdrive circuit built in
that will shut the whole subwoofer down if
its either overdriven, or simply gets too hot.
If it has overheated, the protection circuit
automatically resets itself once the subwoofer
has cooled down, whereas if the problem is
overpowering, the protection circuit will reset
only after you turn the volume down.
Amplier control can be managed via
pushbutton controls on the rear of the
subwoofer but, as I quickly discovered, this is
a hopeless way to try to change the settings
because the display that tells you what youre
doing is at the front of the subwoofer. So
unless you have extraordinarily long arms
and/or your eyes can focus up close rather
better than mine are able to do (the display
being so big!), you will nd it
quite difcult to use the rear panel
controls while youre looking at
the display. The good news is that

ON TEST

Denitive Technology includes with every

SC4000 a small (actually, its tiny, measuring just 471007mm) infra-red remote
control that will allow you to make all your
adjustments from the comfort of your own
listening chair which is actually the best
place to make such adjustments. The remote
also offers Mute and power On/Off buttons, neither of which are available on the
subwoofer itself.
Power button notwithstanding, you dont
actually have to use it to turn the subwoofer
on or off: the SC4000 will do that itself
automatically via a signal-sensing circuit. If
the sub is off and it detects that you have
started playing music or a movie, it will turn
on instantly.

DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY
SC4000 DSP
SUBWOOFER

Brand: Denitive Technology

Model: SC4000
Category: Powered Subwoofer
RRP: $1,545
Warranty: 3/5 Years
Distributor: Advance Audio Australia
Address: Unit 8, 509529 Parramatta Rd
Leichhardt, NSW 2040
(02) 9561 0799
info@advanceaudio.com.au
www.advanceaudio.com.au

t Large display
t Wireless option
t Small footprint

t Large display
t Size of remote
t Display typeface

LAB REPORT
Readers interested in a full technical
appraisal of the performance of the
Denitive Technology SC4000 Subwoofer should continue on and read
the LABORATORY REPORT published on
page 82. Readers should note that the
results mentioned in the report, tabulated in performance charts and/or
displayed using graphs and/
or photographs should be
construed as applying only to
the specic sample tested.

Lab Report on page 82

avhub.com.au

49

Denitive Technology SC4000 Subwoofer

When you stop playing, the subwoofer

will remain in a
powered-up ready
state for around an
hour before it decides
you have denitely
nished for the day,
upon which it will
turn itself off. (When
I say Off, its not
completely Off of
course; its just in
standby mode, so
youll be pleased to
hear it draws less than
0.5-watts in this mode,
which is low enough
to earn the SC4000 an
Energy Star rating for
being green.)
As you can see from
the photograph, theres
a gaping recess on the rear
of the subwoofer control
plate thats marked Wireless
Adaptor Port. So, if you nd the
best position for the SC4000 is at
the back or side of your room (for
either acoustic and/or aesthetic reasons)
and you do not want to run a wire from
it all the way back to your main system, you
can pay $85 extra for the SCW-100 wireless
link which buys you both the transmitter
and receiver. Remember, however, that there
is one wire you cannot eliminate with the
wireless link and thats the 240V cable that
youll need to run from the SC4000 to the
nearest power point.
One advantage of having the passive
radiators on opposite sides of the cabinet is
that some of the inevitable unwanted cabinet
vibrations will be cancelled, but there is still
some cabinet vibration caused by the frontmounted driver, particularly at high volume
levels. The SC4000 is supplied with vibrationabsorbing rubber feet so none of these
vibrations can be transmitted to the surface
its standing on (particularly if that surface
is reverberant, such as a suspended wooden
oor) but more importantly, the rubber feet
will also stop the subwoofer creeping along
the oor as a result of it vibrating. (Denitive
Technology also supplies spikes, just in case
you dont want to use the rubber feet.)
One cosmetic touch that constantly
caught my eye whilst I was auditioning
(mainly because I had positioned the sub at
the front of the room, facing the listening
position) was that Denitive Technology
does not put its full name on the front of
the subwoofer, just the rst half of it: the
single word Denitive. Whats that about? I
cant see Aston Martin just putting the word

50

Australian

Aston on its motor vehicles. Another jarring

cosmetic touch was the typeface used for
the display. It may be just me, but I found it
difcult to read despite the size!
Before moving on to tell you what I
thought about the SC4000s performance,
I should break the suspense I introduced
when I mentioned in the third paragraph of
this review that I would be talking about the
word SuperCube later in this review. So here
goes The Denitive Technology SC4000 is
not a cube at all in any sense of the word,
since all three dimensions are different,
so it can hardly be a SuperCube. I guess
you could argue that because it measures
300270329mm it is close to being a cube
and it certainly looks cubic to the untrained
eye, but ultimately, if its not a cube, its
not a cube. I have no argument about the
weight though the SC4000 tips the scales at
exactly 14.5678kg.

PERFORMANCE
Small subwoofers are very spouse-friendly
mostly because theyre small, but also
because theyre easier to position out of the
way than larger units, which often dont
t under or behind other items of furniture
youre likely to have in your listening room.
This isnt quite so easy with the SC4000
because it has driver elements on three of its

four sides, meaning that only the back

of the subwoofer can be placed close
to a wall. Denitive Technology
recommends you try to position the SC4000 on the
same side of the room as
your front speakers, but
rather disses the idea
of corner placement,
which I think is bad
advice: If you nd the
SC4000 works best in
your room in one of the
corners, thats where
you should put it. As
to how to work out the
best place to put the
SC4000, its a bit too
complex to cover in
this review, so you can
read it on-line at www.
tinyurl.com/subwooferplacement
I warmed-up and
familiarised myself
with the SC4000 using
movie soundtracks,
not least because these
days, movie soundtracks
contain moreand deeperbass than
most musical works. The reason for this is
simply that movie directors use these very
low-frequency sounds to create a sense
of foreboding in viewers it gives them
a portent that something bad is about to
happen, whether its the stomp of an
invisible Tyrannosaurus Rex, or a vibration
that will soon reveal itself on-screen as
being caused by an incoming tsunami.
I found that whatever movie I watched
which had impressive low-frequency sound
effects (SFX): Jurassic Park, Flood, 10.5:
Apocalypse, Vertical Limit, and of course
my favourite cringe movie, Avalanche (the
one from 1978 with Rock Hudson and Mia
Farrow, the plot and dialogue of which are
so exquisitely bad theyre hilarious) but
I digress. The SFX in all these movies were
delivered appropriately by the SC4000, with
excellent low-frequency heft that I could
feel in the pit of my stomach, as well as with
my ears. It could deliver this at impressively
high volume levels as well. I didnt hear any
distortion or compression while listening and
the subwoofer didnt turn off (even during
my torture testing) so all-in-all, a pass with
ying colours on the movie front.
Playing music, I was impressed by the
overall tightness of the SC4000s sound
quality and the ease with which I was able
to integrate the subwoofers output with that
from both my main oor-standing speakers
(using the 40Hz crossover point) in my
living/listening room and the smaller,

Let the

with
USB/DAC
input

put a spell on you

I

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Your digital music files will sound better than you ever
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Matched KT 120 Power vacuum tubes
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Highest quality components including
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SK2431

Denitive Technology SC4000 Subwoofer

This is a magnicent little sub. Its powerful, wellequipped and can deliver bass so deep that I guarantee
youll be absolutely amazed by what its capable of...
stand-mount speakers in my den, using
the 140Hz setting of the crossover. I did
experiment with the EQ setting in both
rooms but found that overall I preferred to
leave it off, with both movies and music. As
for the Night Mode, I found I mostly left it
on all the time with movies, and didnt use it
at all with music, even at low volume levels.
I did, however, come to appreciate that
having a remote control made it really easy
to change between modes and EQ settings,
so I was never in any doubt that I was always
using the best mode for each particular setup and volume level. The mute button also
gives you a good chance to audition with
and without the subwoofers contribution,
so you can hear what a difference its making
to your enjoyment of what youre hearing
and the answer is, a lot! If you have small
bookshelf/standmount loudspeakers, a
subwoofer will make an incredible difference
to the sound you hear, so I reckon owning
one is mandatory in such a situation. Even
if you have large oor-standing speakers
I would always recommend adding a
subwoofer, because it will add signicantly

to your musical enjoyment. But, once

again, I digress In addition to being tight,
the sound from the Denitive Technology
was also tuneful the low frequencies
were clearly reproduced and it was easy to
differentiate between different instruments
playing at around the same pitch, and also
easy to follow quick, complex bass guitar and
double-bass runs and riffs.
The sound of the SC4000 does get thicker
if you play music at extremely loud levels,
particularly if youre playing pipe organ
works, but unless you have a large room (in
which case you should probably be looking
at the larger SC6000 or SC8000 models), the
volume level at which this happens is so
high that its really not likely to occur under
normal circumstances. And if youre planning
to use it mostly for movies, itd be ne even
in a large room. You should certainly watch
the volume levels when using EQ1, because
the amount of deep bass boost is incredible
but its also incredible that the SC4000 can
cope with the deep bass boost. I also found
the EQ3 setting needed to be treated with
care quite a bit of boost there as well.

Operationally, the SC4000 worked

perfectly. I did nd the way the Night Mode
is switched and displayed is rather odd N
N means Off and N Y means Onand
also that you cant toggle directly between
the two modes using the Night Mode switch.
(You have to select, then go to another mode,
then come back in to Night Mode in order
to change it.) Also, whenever I muted the
subwoofer, it made a single high-frequency
tick sound, which I found annoying but
I guess it was vaguely reassuring at the same
time. The ticking also occurs every time you
adjust phase, but youll only do this once
(during set-up) whereas youll likely be muting
the sub fairly regularly.
Did I mention the remote control was
small? In point of fact I decided it was perhaps
a little too small I even lost it down between
the cushions on my couch (that is, between
them, not down the back where theres
enough room to swallow an ordinary remote).
In retrospect, this wasnt surprising, because
the remote is only 7mm thick. It does have a
small hole in one corner, so attaching a length
of cord should make it easier to nd when you
lose it. (Note that I said when and not if!)

CONCLUSION
This is a magnicent little sub. Its powerful,
well-equipped and can deliver bass so deep
that I guarantee youll be absolutely amazed
by what its capable of: it easily outperforms
much larger and more expensive subwoofers. But I guess the real proof will come when
you listen to it yourself, which I recommend
you do before the Aussie dollar takes another
greg borrowman
downwards dive!
LAB REPORT ON PAGE 82

52

Australian

SOUND TRAVELS

When your philosophical approach to sound

changes, do you change your hi- gear too?
Screen image: Enders Game, courtesy of Icon Film Distribution.

NEODIO ORIGINE CD PLAYER/DAC

The tightest bass Ive heard in my system.

SOUND TRAVELS

SOUND TRAVELS
Mark Bryants system has undergone somewhat of a
transformation since it was featured in Sound Travels
back in Nov/Dec 2012. Edgar Kramer re-visited to nd
that not only has there been an equipment change but
the man himself has realigned his audio philosophies.

54

Edgar Kramer: Youve been a long-term

digital man for most of your involvement
in audio. Recently, youve entered the vinyl
fray. What made you decide to do that?
Mark Bryant: In my younger days I
started off listening to cassette tapes and
then progressed to compact discs when
they became available in Australia in the
early 1980s. At that time I had a small allin-one system which came with a turntable
built in, but the only reason I bought some
LPs back then was because they were not
yet available yet on CD at the time.

As I delved deeper and deeper into the

hi- and music scene, I soon found out how
spectacular LPs could sound...
Sound quality was not a priority at that
time in fact I didnt know there could
be much of a difference between stereo
systems, let alone formats! Convenience
was the name of the game and I could pop
my tapes in my Walkman and later I could
pop my CDs into my CD Walkman. This is
similar to the convenience factor people
experience today.

As I delved deeper into the hi- and

music scene, I soon found out how
spectacular LPs could sound. It took me
many years to join the vinyl fray, for a few
reasons. Firstly, I was never a mechanicallyminded person and the cartridge, the
arm, the set-up, etc. seemed to be all too
ddly for me. The odd pops and clicks on
some LPs would put me off the listening

experience (or so I thought at the time).

It was CDs for many years and then I
stumbled across SACD and DVD-Audio
discs. Finally digital in a high resolution
format! Most of the titles sounded far
better than the CD release and I thought
that this was going to be the future for
sure. Unfortunately both turned out to be
niche formats and never caught on with the
masses.
High resolution digital downloads were
then available and even though I feel this
is the obvious future of music, there are

55

Screen image: Enders Game, courtesy of Icon Film Distribution.

SOUND TRAVELS

SOUND TRAVELS

56

EK: Thinking of your superb dCS Puccini

CD/SACD digital playback system and the
dps 3/Ayre turntable, what do you consider
to be each formats strengths and shortcomings?
MB: The rst LP I played on my system
was one of my absolute favesfor sound
quality and performanceShelby Lynns
Just a Little Lovin. The music just washed
over me and the vocals sounded more
lifelike than I had ever heard before. I had
the superb Analog Productions remaster
by Doug Sax on SACD as well as the LP
and did a comparison. It was not a home
run but I preferred the LP over its digital
counterparts.
The next LP I played was the Classic
Records release of LED Zeppelin 2. A classic
favourite album from my youth. Oh, my!
The LP totally destroyed the CD. And so it
went on. There are some average-sounding
LPs but overall I felt the LPs sounded closer
to real music than the CDs. Some of the
best high-resolution digital sounded pretty

close to the LP though. Those odd pops

and clicks on some LPs dont bother me at
all now. I suppose it is because I am just so
enamoured with the sound I am hearing.
Even with the dCS rig; vinyl is a naturalsounding emotional experience that digital
just doesnt match.
EK: Have you embraced computer audio
and high-resolution playback?
MB: I use my dCS Puccini U-Clock as a
DAC and love computer audio high-resolution playback. There are more and more
popular titles available every day. If someone
is using CD as their only source, I recommend they buy a DAC and explore the exciting world of high-resolution digital. A cheap
DAC will do. Audioquest sells the Dragony DAC for about $200. JRiver is a great
program that plays high res through your
computer (PC or MAC) and its about $50.
Compare the sound against CD and you will
be pleasantly surprised. If one is a little more
adventurous then one can go down the LP
track. A cheap turntable will do. Pro-Ject

All photographs by Peter Maystrenko Photography

still many thousands of titles that are not

available. I was a little despondent that
the futureone with thousands of high
resolution music downloadswas taking
its time and is yet to really take hold. I then
took a hard look at my CD collection and
out of more than 2,000 titles I pulled out
about 200 of my absolute favourite discs in
regards to musical enjoyment. Only a few
were available in a high-resolution digital
format, yet they were all out on LP.
EK: What vinyl playback system have you
chosen and why?
MB: I was still umming and ahhing
about getting into vinyl when I popped into
a hi- dealers showroom. He had a dps 3/
Ayre turntable on display and the rst thing
I noticed was how simple it would be to
set up. I played an LP that I was familiar
with on CD and ended up listening to the
whole side. I then consulted with some
vinyl-savvy friends about their thoughts on
the turntable and it was all very positive. I
did not have time to listen to various arms
and cartridges and the dealer offered me a
great deal on the package Id auditioned,
so I thought: Why not? My hi- friends
were shocked Id gone down the analogue
road I think I was as well!

Even with the dCS rig; vinyl is a

natural-sounding emotional experience
that digital just doesnt match

SOUND TRAVELS

sells a turntable with inbuilt phono stage

for about $400. Compare the sound against
the CD (of any player at any price!) and you
will be pleasantly surprised. In my opinion,
higher-priced equipment does not mean it is
better than equipment at a lower (sometimes much lower) price.
I have been fortunate enough to hear
this rst-hand more times than I care to
remember. Most gear sounds great at all
price-pointsusually it is just a slightly different avour when comparing brands at
similar price points.

Listen, listen, listen and listen some

more! Live music and hi- in that order! A
mate of mine is a professional photographer who works in a camera shop (in fact
he took the beaut pics of my system used
here). He told me that the pros will visit a
camera shop once a year to see whats new.
The gadget photographer will come in all
the time asking about every new thinga-me-jig or product they read about. His
advice to them was to stop reading about
new gadgets and instead just go out and
take photos, because that was how they
were going to improve their craft. Shocked
them every time. On that day hell not make
a sale but hell gain their respect and they
always came back happy with the advice he
gave them.
EK: What are your thoughts on the
future of audio playback?
MB: I think CDs will stop being manufactured and the only physical format will
be LPs. High-resolution downloads will continue to become more popular. Who knows,
maybe there will be HD iTunes in the future!
EK: Roughly at the same time as your vinyl acquisition, you upgraded your speakers
to Vandersteen Model 7s. How have those
changes affected your music appreciation?
MB: I heard the Vandersteen Sevens at a
dealer and absolutely fell in love with them.
Instantly. Their dynamics, effortlessness and
transparency sounded closer to real music
on various genres of musicthan any other
speaker I have heard at any price. There
were many recordings that I was intimately
familiar with that had me shaking my head
and saying to myself: What was that?
Hearing so many things that I have never
heard before is a lot of fun! Some of the
technology used has trickled down to their
cheaper models and this is great news for
prospective customers.

EK: Overall, what attracts you to digital

and analogue playback?
MB: Digital audio has that convenience
factor and high-resolution digital can sound
fantastic. Its hard for people to comprehend but the crude LP playback system can
be the highest resolution source there is.
Keep in mind that there are many titles on
LP that are not available in any high-resolution digital format.
Every now and again you want to listen
to something special. Its akin to someone
owning a sports car. You can drive it around
town at 60km/hour but every now and
again you will want to take it for a country
drive to see what it can do.
I think it is the same with vinyl. Just
select some of your favourite CD titles and
purchase them on vinyl and hear what your
system is really capable of.
Interview by Edgar Kramer

EQUIPMENT LIST
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57

ON TEST

NEODIO ORIGINE
CD PLAYER/DAC

iven the current state of digital

playback in the 21st century, some
would question the wisdom of
launching a no-holds-barred CD player in
2014. Computer audio and hi-res downloads are increasingly on the uptake with
consumers. Current popular thinking is that
the physical disc format willin the nottoo-distant futuredisappear.
On the surface that may sound like the
way the tea leaves read. Thinking about it
a little more deeply may reveal the level of
intelligent thinking behind such an endeavour. To start with, long-term enthusiasts

58

will own large libraries of CDs which will

need a system of replay well into the future.
Further, the jury is still out on the merits of
computer audio when compared to competent (not even SOTA) CD playback. Further
still, what if a player were able to bridge
both sides of the chasm? What if there
existed a player that could extract the very
best from your long-established CD collection whilst also conveniently pointing the
way towards a future that may be rearing
its head over the horizon?
Though it is not the rst to do so, French
high-end company Neodio has done just

that with its Origine, an all-in-one agship

digital player thats also a DAC. In fact, the
wiser manufacturers are now all offering
CD players that accept a digital input in one
format or another.
In the case of the Origine, it will play
your much-loved discs while also accepting
USB and SPDIF digital streams to accommodate computer audio playback. The Origine
caters for disc playback via a modied
DVD ROM mechanism and, in common
with other players using similar mechs, it
provides quick access to disc tracks across
various disc types including SACD.

ON TEST

NEODIO ORIGINE CD PLAYER/DAC

The DAC is based on a Delta-Sigma

chip that provides 24/192 asynchronous
upsampling. The Origineas conrmed
by Neodios Jean-Francois Fronton and
company founder Stephane Evenwas
designed to provide what the two say is:
an analogue-like sound via phase and band
linear analogue lters.
I wanted some more insights into the
overall design approach so I asked Fronton
to expand on some of the technologies and
ideas behind the Origine for me. We chose
the particular Delta-Sigma DAC essentially
for its sonic qualities and high resolution for

ing a great reproduction of the soundstage,

musical event, studio or hall characteristics
and their specic nature. When you change
your CD, not only do you change the musicians but you also change the musical event
environment.
In light of the outstanding chassis casework I asked whether this was manufactured in-house or via external companies
either in France or elsewhere. His answer?
All design, parts sourcing and nal assembly are performed in France by the very
best subcontractors. Since most of these
subcontractors do most of their business

The superlative construction of the

NeoDio Origine is somewhat blemished
by a imsy, plasticky CD tray
Redbook CD while not using any specic
digital signal processing except a very careful digital implementationvery low jitter
due to impedance matching, power supply
etcand a pure analogue clock without
quartz. Special attention was given to the
power supply and ground reference performance in the digital domain. The analogue
stage is totally separated from the digital
not only through the power supply but also
physically with different boards, ground referencesall simple and efcient solutions,
he told me. The USB input uses a special
interface with high-resolution/high-rate capability and a separate power supply. With
a good server source, this USB can provide
as good a sound quality as the Origine is capable of with spinning discs. We aimed for
the best possible musical sound. From our
point of view, a CD player is necessary as
many customers have huge CD libraries that
merit great players. A great player (and this
is true for audio ripping too) needs a super
CD mechanism. We have worked hard to
design a very good mechanism with multi
reading, very low sensitivity to mechanical
and clock vibrations and great mechanical
treatment (damping, isolation, tuning). The
extracted information is very precise with a
low use of interpolation and/or error correction. The signal is not altered and delivers
the full musical dynamic range and very
precise dynamic contrasts whilst also provid-

in the aerospace industry, they apply to

our products the same very high quality
standards, rules and savoir faire. We apply a
zero fault process at every step from design
to nal product.
And indeed the Origine screams quality
throughout. The dark anodised brushed
aluminium chassis feels as solid as youll
nd anywhereand weighs a substantial
28kgwhile being totally dead in terms of
resonance. This is reportedly achieved by
using a composite of ve different materials
that marries aluminium, copper, stainless
steel, PMMA and HI-MACS (an acrylic/stone
composite). This superlative construction is
somewhat blemished by a imsy, plasticky
CD tray but that really is the only small
pimple on an otherwise beautiful face.
The power supply has three secondaries
for the various circuits, a built-in custom
mains lter and custom lters for the DAC
section supplies. A black gloss rear panel
sports balanced (XLR) and unbalanced
(RCA) analogue outputs, 24-bit/192kHz
asynchronous USB and SPDIF inputs, an option for wireless remote control (home automation) and an IEC 240V power socket with
an on/off switch directly above it. However,
there is no option for a digital output, so
its not possible to use the Origine as a
transport.
The copper strip bisecting the players
fascia incorporates the display which shines

white through a punched grid to spell out

operational status. The same copper strip
motif adorns the substantial aluminium
remote control, a comprehensive wand
which can command all the players functions in addition to some minor functions of
a Neodio amplier (at the time of writing, a
trio of integrated units was on offer) should
you own one.
Kudos to Neodio for striving to engineer a resonant-free environment for its
on-board electronics and drive mechanism
in such a massive chassis. In addition the
Origine also has three ball-bearing metal
isolation feet to provide further protection
against undesirable vibration. The wobbliness of these meant that the player seemed
to me to be a bit wonky on its feet, but the
system is well thought-out and the benets
should be realespecially if your equipment
rack provides further isolation.

COMPUTER GAMES
The beauty of a CD player, at least from
my perspective, is ease of set-up. Connect
cables to a preamp or integrated, pop a CD

NEODIO ORIGINE
CD PLAYER/DAC
A
Brand: Neodio
Model: Origine
Category: CD Player/DAC
RRP: $47,000
Warranty: Two Years
Distributor: ZenSati Australia
Address: Arnold Street
Killara NSW 2101
T: (04) 1300 7440
E: contact-us@zensatiaustralia.com
W: www.zensatiaustralia.com

Detailed & dynamic sound

Superlative build quality

Plasticky drawer
No digital output
No headphone output

LAB REPORT: Turn to page 61

Test results apply to review sample only.

59

ON TEST

NEODIO ORIGINE CD PLAYER/DAC

in and away you go. The

computer side of it is never
as straightforward and
that was the case here.
Windows was painless.
The players USB input
locked to my Toshiba
laptop (Windows 7)
without antics and I had
tunes straight away.
The Mac story was
not as straightforward
because the Origine
failed to recognise my
MacBook running
Snow Leopard. Zero
sound. Silence. Nada.
Neodio promptly provided a set of drivers,
none of which changed
the situation.
Then two or three weeks down the
trackin the meantime I was constrained
to auditioning via CD and via Windowsa
new driver arrived which I eventually managed to get happening. So note that you
may require a number of driver downloads
to get one that works with your computer/
operating system combination. To be fair,
driver downloading is dead-easy via the
provided URL (available from the companys
website) and the drivers are small les that
pop up within seconds. Your usual Audio
Midi setup will then get you boogying.
With computer shenanigans nally sorted
I continued with the auditioning process. I
mainly used AIFF les ripped via BitPerfect
playback software and the results into the
USB input of the Origine were excellent.
The player was extremely detailed and nuanced with substantial textural information.
Bass power was very solid and quite deep
if not as subterranean as a Bricasti M1 DAC.
Towards the end of Jackson Brownes
Sergio Leone (from The Naked Ride Home)
is a bowel-shaking bass note that gets
repeated a number of times. The Origine
used this to shake the room with its power
(though my reference AMR does too and
with just a tad more depth), but the Origine
might have delivered a slightly leaner rendition. On the other hand the players midbass range in general was truly outstanding
with a tight, fast wallop that propelled the
music along. Vocals were another of the
Origines strengths. I believe the player has
a slightly forwardquite subtly sopresentation which projects vocals into the

forwardness in the upper

mids revealed itself.
Big orchestral pieces were
another Origine strength.
Beethovens Symphony No
3 Eroicaas conducted
by Sir George Solti with
the Wiener Philarmonikerwas spectacular,
with the Origine conveying the pieces magnicence without foreshortening its dynamic impact
or truncating its enormous sense of space
across the breadth,
depth and height of
the presentation. All
of the foregoing applied to both computer
and CD playback, with
the latter being slightly more detailed and
a tad more dynamic. This, however, could
have been a result of my PC/Mac systems
having a bit of room to improve and/or
maybe even the USB cable and my playback
softwares relationship to other non-audio
related computer activities.

60

room with terric presence. Bad recordings

or even mediocre ones could add a touch
of heat in the upper midrange area but
this will be ameliorated in the context of a
system with a tad of warmth.
Various tracks from the Hadouk Trios
Live Fip were given a paced and rhythmically propulsive lift while presenting
accurate timbral nuances from their diverse
Middle Eastern instruments. Similar textural
information was found in Ben Harpers
Please Me Like You Want To from his
second release Fight for Your Mind where
Harpers vocal cuts through the mix and the
detail and separation on the steel-stringed
guitar are superlative. Harpers drummer is
a master of the instrument and, throughout
the album the sounds of his cymbal strikes
and cow bells were extended with beautiful
decays via the Origine. The player handled
the high frequencies extremely well, and
the Origines subtly forward upper mids
delivered a stunningly snappy attack on the
snare drum.
Peter McGraths extraordinary piano capture on Earl Wilds Live from Carnegie Hall
also showed the Origines strengths and
one small chink in its otherwise formidable
armour. The dynamic range in this recording is stunning and in the various tracks
Wild utilises the instruments full spectrum
to best effect. The Origine played back this
glorious recording in all its majesty in terms
of the pianos attack, note decay, textural
complexity and all-round grandeur. It was
only within the scope of some notes within
a narrow band that, again, that marginal

CONCLUSION
The Origine is certainly something out of
the ordinary. Its at the uppermost tranches
of pricing, but I dont think youll nd a
better-built unit that is both a CD player
and a DAC. In additionand with typical
French airthe unit is distinctively styled
with, um original design cues that set it
apart from the usual crop of black and silver
boxes. Its sound is powerful, extremely
detailed, beautifully textured and walloped
with among the tightest bass Ive heard in
my system. Its marginally forward upper
midrange will be a true blessing to systems
that are a tad syrupy and/or laid back. They
will be injected with a new lease of life and
nd the Origine revelatory. Many with a
more neutral setup may still appreciate a
slightly forward presentation while others
may be able to tweak the Origines sound
with a cable or an alternative tweak of
their choice. But you can be sure that those
who undertake such tuning activities will
be rewarded with a phenomenal CD and
computer playback system.
Edgar Kramer

TEST RESULTS ON PAGE 61

ON TEST

NEODIO ORIGINE CD PLAYER/DAC

LABORATORY TEST RESULTS

L

obtained when using the balanced outputs,

which produced nearly 4.7-volts when
driven by a 0dB signal from a test CD. This
would put the voltage of the unbalanced
outputs at around 2.35-volts. Channel balance was impeccable, at 0.004dB (at 1kHz).
Distortion for a 0dB recorded signal
was very low, as you can see from Graph
1. There are ve harmonic distortion
components visible: a second at 110dB
(0.0003%), a third at 102dB (0.0007%),
a fourth at 122dB (0.00007%), a fth
at 106dB (0.0005%) and a seventh at
118dB (0.0001%). Although present in the
output, all these distortion components are
so low they would not be audible indeed

As youd expect of any CD player, the

requency response of the Neodio Origine
was e ceptionall at, as you can see from
Graph 8. The graphs low-frequency limitation means you cant see the bass extension
of the Origine, which was just 0.001dB
lower than reference at 16Hz, dropping to
just 0.009dB at 8Hz.
The rise in the high-frequency response
looks extreme, but you need to consider it
in relation to the vertical scale of the graph,
which exaggerates it. In fact, the Origines
frequency response is just +0.53dB at
16kHz, +0.64dB at 18kHz and +0.72dB at
20kHz, so less than 1dB.

As youd expect of any CD player, the

frequency response of the Neodio Origine
was exceptionally at...
Channel separation was also excellent,
with the Neodio Origine returning test results of 115dB at 16Hz, 113dB at 1kHz and
84dB at 20kHz. This latter gure is evidently
way down on the performance at lower
frequencies, but its far more than most
ampliers will be able to manage at this
frequency, and far more than is necessary to
enable outstanding channel separation and
stereo imaging. Channel phase accuracy at
these three test frequencies was outstanding: even the worst-case result at 20kHz is
still less than a single degree.
Signal-to-noise ratios were also outstandingly good, with Newport Test Labs
measuring 111dB unweighted and 117dB
IHF-A weighted. These were, however,

theyd be below the noise oor of most

ampliers.
However although those levels are low,
you can see from Graph 2 that at the more
realistic recorded levels youll encounter
on typical music CDs, distortion is even
lower, with just a second harmonic at
125dB (0.00005%) and a third harmonic
at 122dB (0.00007%). Down at 60dB
recorded level (Graph 3) you can see the
grass on the noise oor thats typical of
an oversampling delta-sigma DAC, but its
lower down than usual, mostly being constrained below 120dB, which is excellent
performance.
Performance down at the limits of the
compact disc formats capabilities was

excellent. The result when reproducing an

undithered signal at 91.24dB is shown in
Graph 4. You can see the spray of odd harmonic distortion components to the right
of the test signal at 90dB, but all these
components are more than 100dB down
(0.001%). However, all music CDs will be
dBFS
0.00

Newport Test Labs

-20.00

-40.00

-60.00

-80.00

-100.00

-120.00

-140.00
0.00 Hz

4000.00

8000.00

12000.00

16000.00

20000.00

Graph 1. THD @ 1kHz @ 0dB recorded level. [Neodio Origine CD Player/DAC]

dBFS
0.00

Newport Test Labs

-20.00

-40.00

-60.00

-80.00

-100.00

-120.00

-140.00
0.00 Hz

4000.00

8000.00

12000.00

16000.00

20000.00

Graph 2. THD @ 1kHz @ 20dB recorded level. [Neodio Origine CD Player/DAC]

dBFS
0.00

Newport Test Labs

-20.00

-40.00

-60.00

-80.00

Neodio Origine CD Player/DAC Lab Test Results

Analogue Section
Output Voltage (Balanced Output)

Result
4.6956 / 4.6932

Frequency Response

See graph

Channel Separation

115 / 113 / 84

Units/Comment

dB (20Hz 20kHz)
@ 1kHz @ 0dBFS

Channel Balance

0.004

@ 1kHz @ 0dBFS

Group Delay
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (No Pre-emph)
De-Emphasis Error
Linearity Error @ 60.00dB / 70.00dB

degrees at 16Hz / 1kHz / 20kHz

180 / 5.52

degrees (120kHz / 201kHz)

111 / 117

dB (unweighted/weighted)

0.005/ 0.02/ 0.59

-140.00
0.00 Hz

4000.00

8000.00

12000.00

16000.00

20000.00

Graph 3. THD @ 1kHz @ 60dB recorded level. [Neodio Origine CD Player/DAC]

dB at 16Hz / 1kHz / 20kHz

0.0016

0.02 / 0.05 / 0.83

-120.00

volts (Left Ch/ Right Ch)

THD+N

Channel Phase

-100.00

dBFS
0.00

Newport Test Labs

-20.00

-40.00

-60.00

at 1kHz / 4kHz / 16kHz

0.01 / 0.01

dB (Test Signal Not Dithered)

Linearity Error @ 80.59dB / 85.24dB

0.01 / 0.01

dB (Test Signal Not Dithered)

Linearity Error @ 89.46dB / 91.24dB

0.01 / 0.29

dB (Test Signal Not Dithered)

Linearity Error @ 80.70dB / 90.31dB

0.09 / 0.21

dB (Test Signal Dithered)

Power Consumption

N/A / 18.6

watts (Standby / On)

Mains Voltage During Testing

243 249

(Minimum Maximum)

-80.00

-100.00

-120.00

-140.00
0.00 Hz

4000.00

8000.00

12000.00

16000.00

20000.00

Graph 4. THD @ 1kHz @ 91.24dB recorded level. (No dither) [Neodio Origine CD Player/DAC]

61

LAB REPORT

NEODIO OR GINE CD PLAYE

L
R/DAC

dithered, and with dithering, the distortion

disappears completely, as you can see in
Graph 5, where its only the 90dB test
signal that appears at the left of the graph,
above a noise oor thats very close to being
130dB down. Excellent!
dBFS
0.00

Newport Test Labs

-20.00

-40.00

-60.00

-80.00

-100.00

-120.00

-140.00
0.00 Hz

4000.00

8000.00

12000.00

16000.00

20000.00

Graph 5. THD @ 1kHz @ 90.31dB recorded level. (With dither) [Neodio Origine CD Player/DAC]

dBFS
0.00

Newport Test Labs

-20.00

-40.00

-60.00

-80.00

-100.00

-120.00

-140.00
0.00 Hz

10000.00

20000.00

30000.00

40000.00

Graph 6. THD @ 20kHz @ 0dB recorded level. [Neodio Origine CD Player/DAC]

-20.00

-40.00

-60.00

-80.00

-100.00

-120.00

-140.00
0.00 Hz

10000.00

20000.00

30000.00

40000.00

Graph 7. CCIF IMD @ 0dB using 19kHz and 20kHz test signals in 1:1 ratio. [Neodio Origine CD Player/DAC]

0.50

0.00

-0.50

-1.00
20.56 Hz

100.00

1000 00

Graph 8. Frequency Response at @ 0dB recorded level. [Neodio Origine CD Player/DAC]

62

10000.00

Graph 6 shows performance with a

20kHz test signal at 0dB recorded level.
There is only one unwanted sideband
in the audio spectrum (at 15.9kHz) and
its 112dB down. Above the audio band
and out of the range of normal human
hearing, there are only ve unwanted
signals present in the output, and all are
far too low in level to be audible, even
to those super-normal humans who can
hear frequencies above 20kHz.
Intermodulation distortion (CCIFIMD), as measured by Newport Test
Labs, is shown in Graph 7. Theres an
unwanted regenerated signal at 1kHz
thats around 118dB down (0.0001%),
some sidebands around the test signals,
and some sampling artefacts between
35kHz and 40kHz. All these signals,
including the sidebands and artefacts
are so low in level as to be completely
inaudible.
Linearity error was very low, as you
can see from the tabulated results,
even with very low-level undithered
test signals, which is quite unusual,
and a denite plus for Origine. Group
delay is asymmetric, as with most CD
players, and the 180 shift between a
1kHz signal in the left channel and a
20kHz signal in the right channel is higher
than most, but is characteristic of the ESS
Sabre32 DAC family. It may be characteristic
of that family of DACs, but I dont know
if its an ESS chipset that is actually used in
the Origine, because Neodio will not reveal
which chipset it uses and has also gone
to the considerable trouble of scraping all
identifying markings from a great many of
the ICs on the Origines circuit boards including from the DAC. I am not a fan of this
practise, because it means that if a repair
is required, and it is not possible to contact
Neodio, it is unlikely that the player would

ever be able to be economically restored to

working condition. The same would apply if
the Origines transport or laser was in need
of servicing.
Overall, I regard the measured performance of the Neodio Origine as being excellent and, although its somewhat below
the level of performance Ive seen measured
on CD players that use one or other of
the better ESS Sabre DACs (such as the
9012, 9016, or 9018), it is still more than is
required to guarantee state-of-the-art sonic
Steve Holding
results.

FEATUR

Rod Easdown watched a pirated version of

Red 2 in Bali and discovered a way to vent
his spleen about the quality, as well as a
legal way to make money from DVD piracy
our editor and I have something in
common; we both stridently object
to pirated discs. The highly esteemed
editor, hereinafter referred to as Sir,
takes exception to them on copyright grounds.
You know, robbing the artists, all that. With
him its personal. If he hadnt gone down the
editorship path he could have been a rock star
making more money on a Wednesday night
than editors make in a year, with groupies
throwing their underwear at him while he
spent his days busting up hotel suites. My
objection is simpler: Pirated discs are crap.
Ive just returned from ten days in Bali
seemed like a month (the cheap thing wears
off really, really quickly, after which youre left
with a third-world country where everyone
wants to sell you trinkets or a massage) and
its very possibly the epicentre of the vast DVD
pirating industry.
They are sold on street corners, in stores
and delis, there are entire shops devoted to
them. Four million people live in Bali and I
suspect that three-quarters of them have never
watched a genuine DVD. They thus likely think
all DVDs are crap.
(Aside: I visited a very large Carrefour while
in Baliits a big supermarket chain out of Europeand I saw genuine DVDs on sale, the rst
real ones Ive ever seen in Bali. I wonder how
they sell any.)
Now the attraction of the pirated DVD,
apart from being dirt cheap, is that it is released
the day after the movie hits the cinemas. This
is because someone who is probably being paid
about fty cents is given a video camera and
sent to the movie on opening day, to sit there
and video it.
Then the video is transferred to disc, and
the disc is copied four bazillion times while
someone else drags stuff for cover art off the
internet to make up jackets and labels for the
discs. The disc is then folded into the sleeve
and the sleeve slid into a plastic bag. So three
quarters of the population in Bali has probably
never seen a DVD case either.

There are obvious shortcomings in videoing a movie. For a start whenever anyone
in the cinema moves around you see their
silhouettes at the bottom of the screen. Its
only amusing the rst time. It also means the
picture quality is only as good as the camera
thats lming it, and these guys dont spend
much on cameras.
But it goes further. The sound is terrible
because its being recorded by the tiny stereo
microphones in the camera. And every time
something annoys the cameras auto-focus the
whole movie goes out of whack for a few seconds and then comes back.
Theres another thing that annoyed me so
much I wanted to break the damn disc in two:
Its that you cannot get the right aspect ratio on
your television no matter how much you play
with either the television or the DVD player
settings or both. Its because the 12-yearold with the video camera is trying to record
a 2.34:1 widescreen movie with a 16:9 video
camera and it just doesnt work. Your equipment doesnt know what the hell is happening.
And some way into the movie you realise the
reason you cant get the edges of the frame is
because they simply never made onto the recording.
I know all this; Ive known it for years. So
why, why, why did I let my more attractive,
more highly educated and immensely wiser
better half buy Red2 in Bali? This is a smart
woman, a discerning woman, a woman who
appreciates quality. Her only weakness is that
she dearly loves a bargain and when she sees
a movie thats still in the cinemas sitting there
on the DVD rack for $1.50 she loses all sense
of perspective. I admonish her. She pays me no
attention whatsoever.
We take it back to the hotel and put it in the
player and it is utter crap. The sound is unintelligible, I cant understand Bruce Willis grunting or the Chinese guy or Catherine Zeta Jones,
but I get Anthony Hopkins beautifully because
Anthony Hopkins would sound good from the
bottom of an open drain in Bali.

Thats not the only audio problem. This has

been recorded in a movie theatre with a video
camera, remember, so you get the audience
sounds as well as the movie.
You hear shufing and muted conversations that have nothing to do with the plot. I
dont know if this recording was made in Indonesia or China or in a temple in Chiang Mai,
but wherever it happened they have a different
sense of humour to us. They laugh in places we
dont, and where we would all have a merry old
chuckle they remain as silent as the Buddha.
And its most disconcerting when someones
mobile phone rings.
Whenever theres an explosion on-screen
(and there are lots of explosions in Red2) the
video cameras auto-focus goes all over the
place and takes two or three seconds to selfcorrect. And the picture quality well, VHS
looks good after this.
Its only when the movies nished that I
read the blurb on the cover. Its hilarious.
One of the pull-quotes (from a review attributed to Land Java Online) reads: Dunst is exceptional A career breakthrough. OK, but theres no
Dunst in the movie. And no one named Kirsten
either. Another reads: Tingling. One of the best
lms of its kind. Nightmare delivers!
The jacket also assures the movie is in HDDVD with DTS-ES sound. Nope. Nope. It also
says it: Delivers the best in picture, sound and interactivity. Hello?
I point out all of this to she who loves a
bargain, much of it as the movie is unwinding,
and she says Im grumpy. Its OK, she says.
Not everyone is into picture quality. Some of
us dont mind.
How can she not be offended by this?
But I have to admit that there is one great
advantage to pirated DVDs. You can write about
how utterly crap they are until you go down
with terminal RSI and no one ever threatens
Rod Easdown
to sue you.

avhub.com.au

63

ROCK ON
By Jez Ford

Liam Finn | The Nihilist

Finn the younger delivers his own solo work, and very
solo too, being self-produced, entirely self-played (all
67 instruments, apparently) and recorded at home in
his New York apartment. This yields an album heavy
on falsetto vocals hoisted above complex and slightly
muddy mixes; drum tracks vary from Dads style of
straight beat-keeping (Snug as Fuck, Wild Animal)
to wildly intrusive and noisy (4 Track Stomper, the
well-named title track and many others) under the

influence, perhaps, of Dave Fridmanns work

on his fathers out-there Dizzy Heights, which
this release follows closely not only in time but
in its extra-dimensionality. Song structures are
evolutionary rather than conventional, though
theres none of the raucous formlessness of
Betchadupa days, with rather more Neil, and
even some Uncle Tim, to be discerned in the
maturing Liams latest line of listening.

Johnny Cash | Out Among the Stars

A complete album from a departed legendhow
can it fail? In the early 1980s Columbia refused
release of these recordings when Cashflow was low
and the MiB lost between periods of legend. You can
perhaps hear whymuch of it is fairly pedestrian,
mainly cover songs straight from bar-room to
studio, low on the edge of early recordings and
lacking the gravitas lent to Rick Rubins later loungeroom legacy. But gems leap out when he livens up,

and fans will relish the righting of the wrong of

writing off recordings such as the pensive She
Used To Love Me A Lot and the rollicking take on
Im Movin On with Waylon Jennings. The album
also benefits from fresh overdubs on unfinished
songs and a sharpening of Billy Sherrills original
production under son John Carter Cash and
co-producer Steve Berkowitz. Nicely curated,
then, and a worthy release.

Wolfmother | New Crown

Andrew Stockdale is back in Wolfs clothing after
his abortive supposedly-solo album last year, which
retained the bands sound but lacked much in the
way of direction. This new set under the safety of
the Wolfmother brand is more solid on songcraft
while retaining Stockdales killer riffs and Gillangrade vocals, but the production is an absolute
shocker. The use of several studios (including
Stockdales own) has delivered mixes that vary

from acceptable (How Many Times, I Aint Got

No) to downright filthy (most of the rest). Drum
sound is the key culpritmuffled and smeared,
it wrecks the soundstage and flattens the
dynamics; for a masterclass in how not to use
compressors, look no further than My Tangerine
Dream or Radio. Given the rotating door of band
members and last years solo charade, where
now for Stockdales undeniable talent?

Wilko Johnson & Roger Daltrey | Going Back Home

Dr Feelgood fans must feel in clover, with The
Strypes carrying the torch to a new generation
(below), and now a blistering 38 minutes of London
R&B from founding Feelgood Doctor Wilko and new
pal Roger, a collaboration born from communal
love of Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and energised,
impressively, by the terminal cancer of Johnson,
who professes to be now alive and living in the
moment. Daltrey is barely recognisable, growling

and roaring rather than relying on the sheer

shout of old, while Johnsons tight trio delivers
machine-gun menace and thoroughly danceable
drive to this set of ten Johnson tunes including his
final Feelgood single Sneakin Suspicion (though
Daltrey launches into this a few gears high) plus
Dylans Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window.
For Mr Wilko its a stunning eleventh-hour
comeback, with kudos overflowing to Daltrey.

The Strypes | Snapshot

A late review for this September 2013 release, but
worth the rewind to highlight this Irish teenage
fourpieces dynamite debut of club-pumping
harmonica-heavy R&B recorded under top
producer Chris Thomas. Any fan of Dr Feelgood
or the Yardbirds should delight in this bravadobristling performance; sample the YouTube videos
to be left open-mouthed that such sounds emerge
from mere children. If the riff of opener Mystery

Man is a tad close to Dr Fs Looking Back,

hey, everyone shares the blues, and the title
hook is all their own; indeed youd reckon
Wilko Johnson (above) will be glaring over
his shoulder at sensational songs such as Blue
Collar Jane and What A Shame. Their live fans
say the record doesnt do them justicewe
find this hard to conceive, but will rush to
confirm it should they head Down Under.

George Michael | Symphonica

These recordings from Michaels 201112 tour are
captured to a quality more studio than live, with
production firmly focused on gorgeous Georges vocals,
pumped to supersweetness with mere momentary
glimpses of more gravelly maturity, and top-end shimmer
pushed to the very edges of sibilance. Orchestration
stays simple and saccharine, its indolence broken only by
the two non-ballads and one highlight of Spillane-style
jazz preluding Cowboys and Angels, otherwise dozing

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through a sleepy Let Her Down Easy, a seriously

somnambulant Roxanne, and an evisceration of
Praying for Time, where Georges new lyric wrecks
the rhymes and dulls the passion. Its a dampness
fest for true believers, perhaps, and a nice souvenir
album for those who saw the tour, though the live
experience is broken by each song fading freshly
in and out, the mixes and miking revealing several
source performances.
Jez Ford

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SUPER FIDELITY
By John Sunier

Toccatas | Modern American Music for Harpsichord | Jory Vinikour | Sono Luminus DSL-92174
Many of the works heard here were created especially
for Vinikour, of whom one reviewer said that he takes
toccatas where they have never gone before. Vinikour
is well known as a continuo artist and repetiteur and
his recording of the complete harpsichord works of
Rameau was nominated for a Grammy. On this disc he
plays works by Mel Powell, Henry Cowell, Ned Rorem,
Samuel Adler, Robert Muczynski, Thomas Benjamin,
Robert Moeves, Stephen Blumberg, Patricia Morehead

and Harold Meltzer. I listened to the 5.1 DTS

surround track via my analogue multichannel
height preamp setting and found it superb,
although the two-channel option gives an
even stronger attention to detail. The idea of
including a standard CD of the same thing in
the package is a good one, for playing in the car
and elsewhere though, of course, it lacks the
great clarity of the Pure Audio Blu-ray.

Elgar/Williams | Various Works | Kansas City Sym./ Michael Stern | Ref Rec 45rpm 200gm 2LPs
RRs LPs are half-speed mastered, whereby the
recording master is played at exactly half the
normal speed and a sequenced cutting lathe timed
to cut the master at exactly half the playback
speed. This allows for cleaner reproduction and
a more extended high-end. Vinyl weight is a
contentious topic. The idea is that more vinyl mass
reduces resonance effects during playback and
enables clearer sonics. But one label eschews 200

gram pressings in favour of 180 gram, while

another says LPs stay flatter if theyre only 140
grams. Whatever, the sonics of this 200-gram
Mastercut album are sure to impress: and with
only around 14 minutes per side, the fidelity
is astounding. The Overture from Williamss
Aristophanic Suite is most impressive, but the
version of Elgars Greensleeves variations may
be the best availableabsolutely spell-binding.

Sergei Prokofiev | Symph No. 4; The Prodigal Son | Sao Paulo SO/Marin Alsop | Naxos 24/96
This version of Prokofievs Fourth Symphony is
the 1947 revision of Prokofievs original of 1929,
with the addition of a piccolo clarinet, piano and
harp. While composing The Prodigal Son, Prokofiev
discovered that many of the themes he was using
would work better in a more symphonic context,
rather than the episodic structure of a ballet. The
Symphony No. 4 began with material originally
written for the fourth number of the ballet.

The symphony lacks the heft of the Fifth, but

includes distinctive symphonic portrayals of
some of the depictions in the moral tale of the
ballet. Marin Alsop is an inspiring and powerful
voice on the international music scene and the
SPSO is acclaimed by foreign critics. The hi-res
surround reproduction of the audio-only Bluray is superb, and the two-channel version is
also excellent.

Quincy Jones Band | Big Band Bossa Nova | Mercury/Universal Pure Audio Blu-ray
This was originally a 1962 session arranged and
conducted by the great Quincy Jones that was
first released on a Mercury LP and then much later
on a Verve CD with an added track (11) which is
included here. The arrangements are excellent, and
the very first track knocked me out because I hadnt
known that Mike Myers chose this Quincy Jones
track for the opening music of his first Austin Powers
movie with the big dancing in the streets scene.

In addition to the hits such as Desafinado and

Morning of the Carnival, it also has bossa nova
versions of A Taste of Honey and On the Street
Where You Live. You can choose from three
different audio files: 96/24 PCM stereo, DTSHD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby True HD 5.1.
The BD was made from the original two-track
analog tape masters. I dont know how the 5.1
surround mixes came about.

Bill Evans Trio | Trio 65 | Verve (1965) / Original Recordings Group ORG142 45 rpm 2LPs
Although the eight selections on this disc were all
recorded by Bill Evans on other albums during his
career, this particular session with Chuck Israels on
bass and Larry Bunker on drums is a classic album,
and a favourite of collectors. Some of the tracks are
considered by critics to be superior to other versions
on disc, such as the opening Israel, which had been
recorded four years earlier and because of Evanss
unusual linear solo on his own composition, Elsa.

If only all jazz piano trios sounded anything

like this; unfortunately, they dont. Nobody
except those in the studio originally has heard
this album in such wonderful fidelity as this
limited edition, individually-numbered 45 rpm
remastering has achieved. The three musicians
are right there in your listening room. Theres no
hint of any surface noise either. Definitely worth
it to get up more frequently to flip sides.

Giovanni Gabrieli | Berliner Dom | Andreas Sieling/Berlin Brass | PentaTone MC SACD PTC 5186 509
Giovanni Gabrieli is known as the father of spatial
music. He wrote most of his works especially for the
generous acoustics of Venices San Marco cathedral
having the tutti sections make use of the entire space,
and contrasting impressively with the often virtuosic
solos coming from the respective brass and vocal
choirs around the cathedral, so this SACD provides
a tremendous demonstration of the value of hi-res
surround sound. Almost 30 brass players take part in the

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18 canzons, ricercars, and sonatas for brass and

organ, but there are a few organ solos. Gabrieli
was one of the most influential musicians of
his time and sacred vocal and instrumentals
were his forteto show off the might of
Venice and its Doge, but this music has been
expertly recorded in the finest surround sound
in the voluminous acoustics of the Berlin
Cathedral.
John Sunier [www.audaud.com]

14

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WHITTLEBURY HALL UK, 20-21 SEPT

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Nigel from Brisbane QLD

Live music, competitions, special

events its all in Melbourne from
Friday 17th to Sunday 19th October.

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For Trade and Show Exhibitor information and
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Bernard from Geelong Victoria

Was able to hear about 30

headphones at the show.
Bought my favourite!
Great music and great
people able to answer all
the technical questions I had.
Coming back next year!
Morrisey NSW

14

Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, 26-28 SEPT

JAZZ TRACK
By John Shand

Gary Peacock/Marilyn Crispell | Azure | ECM 2292

Pianist Marilyn Crispell and bassist Gary Peacock have
been vital forces in both heady explorations and
enchanting lyricism. The intensity of their rapport
was plain when Peacock was in Crispells trio, and
now comes this duo album of composed pieces and
improvisations. More of the pensive than the edgy is
on display, but thats not to say all is sweetness and
pastel shades. Crispells Patterns has dense knots of

melody split by abrupt halts, and Blue has a

chunky rhythmic impetus and bluesy inferences.
Much of the rest is more restrained, but no less
enthralling. Crispell has a unique feel for the
drama of a single note dropping into a pool of
space, and Peacocks slippery rhythmic sense is
built on phrases with improbable start and stop
points. A major statement.

Omar Sosa | Eggun | World Village/Select WVF479079

The ghost of Kind of Blue, perhaps the most
beloved jazz record of all time, rises up out of
this music and takes a stately stroll through its
unfolding sounds. Quotes appear and disappear,
familiar and yet now reinvented, like Hamlet
resurfacing in Tom Stoppards play Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern are Dead.
Such is the way that the spirit of these classic
compositions by Davis and Bill Evans is processed

through Cuban pianist Omar Sosas unique feel

for mystery. The end result is not unlike what
may have happened had the 1980s incarnation
of Miles devised Kind of Blue.
The textures are burly and electric and the
rhythms based on back-beats or Afro-Cuban
grooves, while the soloing has a melting,
plaintive quality that speaks of marvels and
mysteries rather than black and white.

Pat Metheny | Tap: John Zorns Book of Angels Vol. 20 | Nonesuch/Tzadik 535352
This provides a fresh context for relishing the brilliance
and timeless beauty of John Zorns compositions,
especially the 500-odd pieces he has penned in the
last 20 years drawing on his Jewish heritage. Pat
Metheny has taken six of these and arranged them for
a mass of instruments, all of which he plays himself,
other than having his long-term comrade Antonio
Sanchez contribute his extraordinary drumming.
In addition to an extended array of exotic guitars

Metheny employs keyboards, samplers, bass,

bandoneon, percussion and even flugelhorn, all
carefully layered and superbly produced. The
revelation is Methenys readiness to throw himself
into the murkier depths of Zorns work, even if that
means leaving behind his usual commitment to a
lighter, prettier aestheticrather as he did when
he embraced Ornette Colemans music all those
years ago.

Ketil Bjornstad | La Notte | ECM 2300

It beggars belief that this dark, brooding album
was recorded live. Ketil Bjornstads ambitious music
is realised with such panache and precisionand
the project was recorded with such stunning threedimensional stereo imaging and clarityas to make
it seem studio-honed and rigorously edited. It helps
that the Norwegian pianist/composer assembled a
Whos Who of European creative music. His projects
often used to include cellist David Darling, and here

he has the even more remarkable Anja Lechner,

the Rosamunde Quartet cellist having successfully
reinvented herself as an occasional improviser.
Saxophonist Andy Sheppard adds potency and
weight, and guitarist Eivind Aarset layers the
music with electronically-induced foreboding. The
rhythm section is a dream-team marrying Arild
Andersons double bass with the meticulousness
and elfin lightness of Marilyn Mazurs percussion.

Howie Smith/Mike Nock | Opal Dream | Open Blue OBCD-1201

Mike Nock was an early convert to electronic
keyboards, and although he plays them rarely
these days his feel for organic textures still sets him
apart. He also has a keen instinct for the drama of
adding electronic sounds to the acoustic world of
his piano and Howie Smiths saxophones.
Smithwho once ran the Sydney Conservatorium
of Musics jazz course, and co-led the fabled Jazz
Co-Opconcentrates on soprano sax in a series

of lyrical conversations with Nock. His soprano

sound has none of the nasal quality that afflicts
many players, but more of a clear, glinting,
bird-like chirp.
The two share an easy rapport in which jaunty
playfulness and beauty do not cancel each
other out. The pithy, focused pieces include
eight delightful improvisations as well as more
formal compositions.

Nat Bartsch Trio | To Sail, To Sing | natbartsch.com NBT001

Beauty can be wild or ordered: the difference between
virgin bushland and a formal garden. I cant speak for
Nat Bartschs botanic tastes, but musically she is a
formal garden fan. The pianist/composer continues
her exploration of pastel-shaded delicacy, while here
ensuring a keen sense of order prevails within that
willowy aesthetic. One exception is the playful Lets
Go Little Dude, with its hint of a swampy groove from
bassist Tom Lee and drummer Daniel Farrugia.

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Usually the rhythm section plays with a restraint

and sparseness that underpins Bartschs whole
concept, as she overlays her pretty piano
lines. She avoids uniformity by expanding the
palette in such ways as reinventing songs by
Radiohead and Gotye, and by adding Gian
Slaters angelic singing on one track and
Kieran Henseys tenor sax on another.
John Shand [www.johnshand.com.au]

MK2
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Turntable

March/April 2014

ARMED &
DANGEROUS

GEN UM
AVIDS INGEN OUS IN

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BLU-RAY REVIEWS HIGH-RES WARHOL

The Velvet
Underground & Nico
1967

Chicago
2002

Director: Rob Marshall

Starring: The Velvet Underground & Nico

Starring: Taye Diggs, Catherine Zeta-Jones,

Rene Zellweger, Dominic West, John C.
Reilly, Queen Latifah, Richard Gere and
Christine Baranski

his was the debut album of The Velvet Underground, Andy

Warhols musical art project, yet to wrest itself from his control. In
part because of the Warhol banana on the cover, in part because of
the talent it spawned, it ended up exercising far more influence than
its early sales figures implied.
On this Blu-ray version the audio is almost entirely 24-bit with
192kHz sampling. That means, in theory, support for signal frequencies
in excess of 90kHz. Those who think one format is better than another
get a choice: its supplied in three lossless formats PCM, Dolby TrueHD
and DTS-HD Master Audio. The Dolby Digital embedded into the
TrueHD is encoded at 640kbps, while the DTS core of the DTS-HD MA
is nominally in 24/96 format and runs at 1,509kbps.
Of course, 192kHz is thoroughly wasted. Well, kind of. Theres
no way that theres any usable signal in the top octave (say, from
4896kHz) made available by this sampling frequency. Nor, for that
matter, in the second top octave (2448kHz). This is a recording from
1967, after all.
But the space was there on the disc, so equally theres no reason
why it shouldnt be used. I note in this regard that there are arguments
around that such wide bandwidth sound can result in audible
intermodulation distortion caused by the ultrasonic components.
However the test signals used to demonstrate this generally feature
ultrasonic content at extremely high levels of modulation. With this
disc the frequency spectrum is about what youd expect for a realistic
balance from 100Hz up to 10kHz, perhaps with a slight boost at that
point. On a test sample chosen from the first track, the output drops
away sharply above 10kHz, falling by 36dB to be around 90dB at
20kHz, and below that point thereafter.
192kHz gives PCM some bragging rights against Direct Stream
Digital: take that DSD, with your theoretical 100kHz bandwidth and
20-bits of resolution; we have a real 96kHz of bandwidth, 24-bits of
resolution and none of that nasty DSD ultrasonic noise that so readily
overwhelms the signal!
All that said, there are severe limitations in the source material, with
a crunchy bite in the treble and a recording quality that was at best
middle-of-the-range even for 1967.
The disc offers nothing besides the music. If you want to see the
lyricsor even the track titlesyou will need to refer to the included
printed booklet.

ovie musicals have been fairly uncommon since the 1960s.

This is perhaps a sad turn of events, at least when you judge
from the few that do make it, such as Chicago. This takes the stage
musical and artfully optimises it for cinema. The story, set in 1920s
Chicago, concerns female murderers and their sharp lawyer whos a
master of gaining acquittals for the guilty.
The songs are brilliantly inserted into the narrative and come with
enormous energy and dynamic impact. The surround sound immerses
the listener thoroughly into the music with a generous spread of
instruments around the room.
As it happens, I already have Chicago on Blu-ray, purchased in the
early days of the format from the US. I lucked it in: this one was region
free, unlike a couple of other discs I purchased. Back in those early days
the ability to code to one of the losslessly compressed formatsDTSHD MA or Dolby TrueHDhadnt been fully developed so a lot of
titles were appearing with multichannel PCM audio. As did that one.
5.1-channels of 24-bit audio used a lot of space: a steady 6,912kbps.
A couple of years ago Australian firm Roadshow took up distribution
for a bunch of Miramax titles, including Chicago. They chose
Dolby TrueHD as the codec. Theyve also gone higher than standard
resolution for the sound, retaining 16-bits and instead extending
bandwidth and channels, providing 7.1-channels at 96kHz. TrueHD
is of course the Meridian Lossless Packing employed in DVD Audio,
enhanced and extended.
Many movie audio tracks, perhaps most, go for 24-bits and 48kHz. I
suspect that at 96kHz, 16-bits is only if youve got megabits of space to
burn. If for some reason your receiver doesnt support Dolby TrueHD,
choose it anyway from the audio menu. Your Blu-ray player will feed
the Dolby Digital audio embedded within that to its S/PDIF output.
The standalone Dolby Digital track has a bitrate of 448kbps, but the
embedded one scores the maximum 640kbps.
One interesting aspect to the sound is the Spanish 5.1-channel
DD track. It scores a bitrate of just 320kbps, which I think is the first
time Ive seen that in the thousands of DVDs and Blu-ray discs Ive
examined. But its not just the apparent uniqueness thats interesting,
but its ubiquity. You see 320kbps is in fact the bitrate for Dolby Digital
5.1-channel sound tracks actually seen at the cinema. Typically what
you get at home, when it comes to sound, is better than what you get
at the pictures.
Stephen Dawson [www.hifi-writer.com]

FEATURES

FEATURES

Running time: 49 minutes

Running time: 113 minutes

Picture: 1.78:1, 1080p24, MPEG4 AVC @ 0.93Mbps (largely static content)

Picture: 1.85:1, 1080p24, MPEG4 AVC @ 23.03Mbps

Sound: Multiple Languages: LPCM 24/192 2/0.0 @ 9216bps; Multiple

Sound: English: Dolby TrueHD 16/96 3/4.1 @ 4350bps (embedded: Dolby

Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 24/192 2/0.0 @ 6336kbps (core: DTS

Digital 3/3.1 @ 640kbps); English: Dolby Digital 3/2.1 @ 448kbps; Spanish:

24/96 2/0.0 @ 1509kbps); Multiple Languages: Dolby TrueHD 24/192 2/0.0

Dolby Digital 3/2.1 @ 320kbps; Spanish: Dolby Digital 2/0.0 @ 224kbps

@ 5795bps (embedded: Dolby Digital 2/0.0 @ 640kbps)

Subtitles: English

Subtitles: Nil

Extras: 14 Featurettes (1080p24 - 142 mins); 13 Extended Musical

Extras: Eight page booklet with lyrics

Performances (480i60 - 56 mins)

Restrictions: Rated N/A, Region Free

Restrictions: Rated M, Locked to Region B

Movie: A | Picture: N/A | Sound: B | Extras: D

Movie: Music: A | Picture: A | Sound: A | Extras: A

70

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Denitive Technology SC4000 Subwoofer

L
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 52

LABORATORY TEST RESULTS

This means that its highly likely that any

EQ setting you switch to will sound better
to you simply because it is louder, rather than
from any other difference, so be aware of this
when choosing a mode.
Just from eyeballing the graphs I can see
that, compared to having the EQ switched
off, EQ1 (the green trace) gives a huge boost
to the very lowest frequencies (nearly 10dB at
35Hz!), EQ2 and EQ3 are similar and tend to
emphasise the frequency range around 50Hz,
where bass drums and bass guitars produce
the most energy, while EQ4 attenuates
the deep bass. Interesting, although its
not obvious on this graph, almost all the
frequency tailoring is happening below 70Hz.
You can see this more clearly on Graph 8,
which has is exactly the same traces as Graph
1, but all have been adjusted in level via postprocessing to be equal in level at 200Hz.
What all settings also have in common is
that they roll off fairly rapidly above 100Hz
so that the Denitive Technology SC4000s
output is, on average, around 1520dB
down at 200Hz. This indicates to me that
the SC4000 is going to integrate best with
loudspeakers whose native response extends
at least down to 100Hz. This means that in
practise, any decent-sized bookshelf or standmount speakers would be a good match, but
I wouldnt recommend using tiny satellitestyle speakers that are barely bigger than
your hand.

The number of EQ settings available on

the SC4000 meant a lot more testing was
required by Newport Test Labs than usual and,
unfortunately, more complex graphs than
usual. The number of EQ settings also means
the frequency response of the SC4000 is not
easily quantied, since it will vary depending
on what setting you use, as well as the setting
of the crossover control.
Graph 1 shows the pink noise frequency
responses obtained from the Denitive
Technology SC4000 using all settings of the
EQ control (including no EQ at all) with the
crossover control set at maximum (150Hz),
plus one trace without EQ with the crossover
control set at minimum (40Hz).
Its difcult to see, but overall the attest
and most linear response was obtained
without any equalisation applied at all (black
trace). It extends from 26Hz to 140Hz 3dB
and, as you can see, rises slowly from 26Hz
to top out at 65Hz before rolling off down to
140Hz so is very balanced, which will give a
neutral bass sound. All the other EQ settings
tend to favour one area of bass over others, so
all will give a particular sonic avour to the
subwoofers sound when theyre used.
What all the four EQ settings have in
common is that they will all sound louder
when you switch to them, as well as
sounding different due to the way they alter
the native frequency response.
5

dBPa

30

Graph 2 seems complicated because it

shows the near-eld sine responses of both
the front-ring bass driver and one ABR for
all four settings of the EQ control, including
having no EQ at all. The solid traces show
the driver responses, while the dashed same
colour traces show the response of just one
ABR for each setting. The woofer/ABR levels
have not been adjusted to compensate for
the fact that only one ABR was measured, so
the actual ABR levels would be higher than
shown on this graph.
Graph 3 overlays the near-eld EQ1
responses (from Graph 2) with the far-eld
pink noise EQ1 response, so you can see how
the outputs of the driver and the two ABRs
combine to give the response shown for this
setting in Graph 1 and in Graph 4. On this
graph, the ABR response has been adjusted.
Graph 4, as stated previously, shows
exactly the same traces that are shown in
Graph 1, but all the traces have been adjusted
in level (via post-processing) to be equal in
level at 200Hz in order that the frequency
tailoring of the EQ modes is made more
obvious (in other words, by eliminating the
level tailoring).
The Denitive Technology SC4000
Subwoofer is well-designed, offers a wide
range of useful equalisation settings, and
has an excellent frequency response at low
frequencies (below 100Hz).
Steve Holding

dBPa

Newport Test Labs

Newport Test Labs

0

25

-5

20

-10

15

-15

10

-20

-25

-30

-5

-35

-10
4: PN 150Hz EQ3 Smoothed
5: PN 150Hz EQ4 Smoothed
6: PN 40Hz No Eq Smoothed

1: PN 150Hz No EQ Smoothed
2: PN 150Hz EQ1 Smoothed
3: PN 150Hz EQ2 Smoothed

-40

-45

-20

-50

-25

-55

-30
20 Hz

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

200

20 Hz

Graph 1: Pink noise frequency responses (smoothed to third octave) at 2.0 metres with no
EQ (Black Trace) with crossover control at maximum (150Hz), at 150Hz showing effect of
EQ settings (See Colour Key), and at minimum (40Hz) without EQ. (Red Trace) [SC4000]

30

22: NF 150Hz ABR EQ4

19: NF 150Hz ABR EQ1

20: NF 150Hz ABR EQ2
21: NF 150Hz ABR EQ3

16: NF 150Hz EQ3

17: NF 150Hz EQ4
18: NF 150Hz ABR No EQ

13: NF 150Hz No EQ
14: NF 150Hz EQ1
15: NF 150Hz EQ2

-15

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

200

Graph 2: Nearfield frequency responses measured with crossover control at maximum

(150Hz) showing all possible EQ settings (See Key). Solid traces show driver responses,
dotted traces show ABR responses. [Definitive Technology SC4000 Subwoofer]

dBPa
5

Newport Test Labs

dBPa

Newport Test Labs

25

20

-5

15

-10

10

-15

-20

-25

-5

-30

-10

-35

-15

-40

-20

-45

-25

4: PN 150Hz EQ3 Smoothed

5: PN 150Hz EQ4 Smoothed

1: PN 150Hz No EQ Smoothed
2: PN 150Hz EQ1 Smoothed
3: PN 150Hz EQ2 Smoothed

-50

-30

-55
20 Hz

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Graph 3. Frequency responses with EQ1 setting. Black trace shows pink noise response at
2 metres, smoothed to one-third octave. Red trace shows nearfield response of bass driver,
green trace shows nearfield response of ABRs. [Definitive Technology SC4000]

82

Australian

200

20 Hz

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Graph 4: Pink noise frequency responses (smoothed to third octave) at 2.0 metres with no
EQ (Black Trace) with crossover control at maximum (150Hz), at 150Hz showing effect of
EQ settings (See Colour Key), all adjusted for level. [Definitive Technology SC4000]

200

c
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M an

s
iartform
ENJOY EXCELLENCE
IN HARMONY
VIVID AUDIO
Unique forms, unsurpassed music
DEVIALET
Critically-acclaimed
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