Audition: Bastanis Atlas Mandala

L: official version.
R: welborne's take, click to enlarge (photo by 唐吉訶德).

Audition: Bastanis Atlas Mandala

Bastanis redux
I have always had interest in "full-range" (or wideband) drivers. Years ago I had hugely enjoyed the Loth-X (BS-1, Amaze), Lowther (I still have the TP-1), Altec and the popular Goodmans Axiom 201, less so the usually unsuccessful variants (like Lamhorn/AER) . Perhaps one day I shall write about them. The question now is, does the Bastanis measure up to this august company?

I first encountered Bastanis many years ago at diyhifisupply. As with most of the gears at the showroom at that time, the sound was singularly lackluster, and I promptly forgot about them until recently, when old friend welborne painstakingly constructed a pair of Mandala Atlas (left pic is official version; the actual units heard are at bottom of article).

As there are many iterations, surveying the Bastanis official website for info on the drivers can be a bit confusing. Each Atlas Mandala comprises: an open-baffle top that houses 2x Mandala wideband drivers (100-11k Hz) and 1x Gemini tweeter (compression driver; here used with back open, "dipolar"); and an open-box woofer enclosing an 18" Mandala dipole woofer.

For an idea of the speaker, read the Enjoythemusic review. Be mindful that the version we heard differ in several aspects: 1. larger and dipole woofer; 2. open bass enclosure; 3. non-active bass driver. The cabinets were made to the official plan, but beautifully decorated with carved wooden reliefs.

Ancillary equipment
Digital: Sony DVP-PR50P as transport to 5842/417a based tube DAC (? old Promitheus)
Passive Preamp: diyhifisupply Django TVC
Amp for open baffle: JAS Bravo 2.3 6C33 SET amp
Amp for bass: T-amp of some kind

A few comments on JAS. If you read the reviews, you will see the reviewers introduce the stuff as Chinese products imported into the USA. But here comes the interesting stuff: If you read the JAS official website in English, there is no mention of the company's origins in "About Us", just a vague lofty bit on audio goals; BUT if you read the equivalent page in Chinese, you will read an entirely different article that starts prominently with the words "美國JAS AUDIO品牌", which means "American brand JAS".

JAS 在自家英文網頁只說一些風涼話，完全不提自己的出身；可是在完全不同的中文網頁第一句話就是"美國JAS AUDIO品牌"，然後大篇文章說自己無論在技術或銷售上怎樣世界化；其居心可測。 This is a deliberate attempt to mislead the Chinese customers, who prefer "western" brands. This is a common practice that I have commented upon before, a deliberate strategy to market Chinese stuff as western in origin in order to sell more and charge more. A practice that I despise! If you then go to "Contact Us" you shall see there is an "USA office", but the other office is in Hong Kong. And yes, the only place you will see JAS in HK is a store in Mongkok that sells exclusively Chinese mainland stuff. The amp used here, JAS Bravo 2.3, was well reviewed by 6moons and Soundstage. But let me remind you there are other reviews of other products that did not do so well (in particular the Bravo 3.1 805 amp). If I were you, I'd exercise caution, especially since their amps are not that much cheaper (new) than superior Japanese products. JAS is also known as Dignity International; make sure you do not confuse them with Dignity Audio, the latter a respected and honest HK manufacturer who shoot straight.

Sound
I'd not mince words. Although the setup is rather new, and the drivers are likely not fully run-in, the sound was very very good already. I have known welborne for years and have heard quite a few iterations of his past systems (previous visit here). While all of them were reasonably musical, none of them began to approach this one.

The percussion CD highlighted the speaker's qualities. In terms of detail, treble air and imaging, I think the performance is equal to, if not superior to, most of the Maggies I have heard, but with the added benefit of good dynamics across the frequency spectrum (unlike Maggies, which have much less body with percussion instruments, not to mention bass drums). Most importantly, credit to the open baffle and dipolar tweeter, there is plenty of that elusive quality of live presence. In a word, they sound like horns!

I am sure run-in has not been completed, and more tuning needs to be done. On the big orchestral Prokofiev, played at very loud level, I felt the presence region pressed forward a little too much. The mid-bass and bass, though fast, were tight and not exactly tuneful. IMHO T-amp is probably the least suitable amp for bass. Also, although the performance of the Django TVC was reasonable, I am certain a real active preamp of quality would do bi-amping much better.

No matter, there is no question that Bastanis is the real thing, and a bargain. So much so, that I am contemplating a down-sized version myself for my apartment in SZ. There is also no question to me the speakers deserve even better partnering equipment. In fact, I can think of a few things welborne has sold over the years that would match well. I am glad he is finally at the end of his T-amp phase and back to real high-fidelity. And what a return!

That's joking a little, since I am sure the experience welborne gained in his journey with full range speakers (including Saba) has been of great benefit in his current quest. He is already committed to upgrade to the new Chrystal drivers.

Vinyl Talk: K&K LL1678 + Audio Note Kit Phono amp, Part II

Vinyl Talk: K&K LL1678 + Audio Note Kit Phono amp, Part II

For Part I, click here

Round 6, comparing K&K gain options
Previously, for the LL1678 I chose the 24db gain option (others are 18 and 30db). The impedance ratio thus is spec'ed at 256 and so the loading of the MC would be roughly 183 ohm, theoretically therefore likely more optimal for Denon than my Ortofon's.

And listening revealed it to be so. While the Denon DL-103 sounded fine, the Ortofon Kontrapunkt C (weight 10 gm; compliance 12; output 0.47; internal resistance 5 ohm; loading recommendation 20-200) mounted on the Kuzma was comparatively lackluster with this phonoamp. In my experience, Ortofon cartridges sound better when loaded at low value.

Minor Surgery: I looked at the K&K spec's for the 30 db gain option. With turn ratio of 32, the impedance ratio is 1024, which makes the loading 45.9 ohm, this time theoretically likely more suitable for the Ortofon than the Denon. I studied the connection diagram. All I have to do is bridge two links and move another, not insurmountable. Half an hour later I was done with the conversion.

Immediately it became clear the sound of the Ortofon improved. But what about the Denon? Well, at the unusually low loading it surprisingly sounded quite well! Perhaps a little less airy and rich, but I think most of the magic is preserved.

While the load impedance is one thing, there are caveats. Calculating according to the info available at The Analog Dept, the Ortofon is likely overloading. Resonance figures are unlikely to be optimal for both cartridges (one high on low in compliance) with either turntable (one high mass arm, one medium). Well, I don't hear much wrong. Let me run this in for further comments.

Review: Leben RS28CX and RS-100 Preamplifiers

pic from Audio Asylum: RS-100 on top of RS-28CX

Review: Leben RS-28CX and RS-100 Preamplifiers
Vinyl Talk: Leben vs AN Kit vs Softone/ICL

As you know, because of my preference for SET, I have always been interested in boutique Japanese tube manufacturers. Even after the pinnacle of Kondo, now my reference, my interest in other manufacturers remain.

I have to admit that my interest in Leben previously had not been particularly great. Contrary to others, I am not exactly a fan of its golden looks. Leben makes only push-pull amps and I am not interested in those. Hence, the only area left for me to explore are their preamplifiers. As a vinyl man, the one I was interested have always been the RS-28CX, but my journey started with a borrowed sample of the line preamp RS-100, a product that evolved from the RS-28CX. I was grateful for that opportunity, which allowed me to gain the all-important initial insight. Ancillary equipment used in evaluation:

Digital: Audio Research CD2 as transport/Genesis Digital Lens/Musical Fidelity M1 DAC
Analogue 1: Kuzma Stabi S/Stogi S + Midas Denon DL-103
SUT: Denon AU-1000.
Phonoamps: Audio Note Kit MM Phonostage (older version); Softone/ICL Model 4
Connection to preamp: I used my best cable, the incomparable Kondo KSL-LPz.
Preamp: Leben RS-100 line preamp (info) on loan to me
Amp: Elekit 8230 amp (2 wpc 2A3 amp)
Loudspeakers: Tannoy Canterbury.

RS-100 Line Preamplifier (Official literature)
Like its bigger brother RS-28CX, from which it is derived, the RS-100 uses 2x 6CG7 in SRPP mode for amplification, but its tube rectification is by 6X5 in lieu of 5Y3. There is also a "U" version that employs 12AU7 instead of 6CG7. You can find out all the details from Jeff Day's review in Positive Feedback. It is a handsome unit and I prefer its size and hammertone finish of the top plate to that in its brethren.

The loan period coincided with my evaluation of the Audio Note MM Phonostage Kit, and you can read about that in my previous article. Here I'd add some brief descriptions. The sound of the Leben is utterly lucid in the entire frequency spectrum. Noise level is extremely low. The sound is neutral, without much tube coloration, which is how I like it. Dynamics have an unforced quality, with full, clear bass, good rhythm and pace and microdynamics. In my 200 ft LR and with my flea powered 2A3 amp I need to turn the volume knob to 11-12 o'clock to get the volume I need. This is in marked contrast with my other preamps from Japanese SET manufacturers; with the Kondo and Wavac line preamps, the volume is plenty loud already at 9 o'clock. Considering the SET amps all have very high input sensitivity, this is understandable as Leben does not make SET amps, rather higher-powered PP amps.

Since this is purely a line stage, there is a direct in feature, which was what I used. There is a set of variable output (with a knob at the back) but as you'd expect it did not sound quite as good as the fixed output. Unusually, there is also a Stereo/Reverse knob!

I did do a brief comparison with Kondo. No, there was no miracle. The Kondo just had more air and that je ne sais quoi quality, and was even more dynamic. But, keep it in perspective, the RS-100 remains a wonderful piece.

RS-28CX Full-function Preamplifier (official literature)
This flagship preamplifer has been in existence for much longer. For details, read the same Jeff day's review in 6moons.

By chance a second-hand unit became available here and I purchased it. You might remember that I have reported a little on this preamp's phonostage performance in my recent article on LFD (here).

Where the RS-28CX really diifer from the RS-100: Not surprisingly, while the sonic signature is close to the RS-100 (that is not much signature), there are important differences not explored Jeff Day's reviews. The integral part of the difference is due to the difference in gain structure of the line stage: the RS-100 has 23 db of gain, with maximum output at 53V; the RS-28CX line has only a little more gain at 25.2 db but the maximum output is much increased at 80V.

So while the line sections of the two superficially seem similar, they behave quite differently. With the same equipment, I need only to turn the RS-28CX's volume pot to about 9 o'clock to get the volume I want, bringing the preamp in line with my Kondo and Wavac. The reason for this is undoubtedly due to the presence of the phono section (keep in mind Kondo and Wavac all have separate phonostages).

This major difference in gain structure also makes the sound different from the RS-100. The higher gain undoubtedly is more suitable for my SET amps: the sound is more dynamic, more nuanced at low volume, more vital. Not a huge difference, but instantly audible. It is still not quite Kondo, but the difference narrows a little.

I think if you are a SET amp user, or your amp is low-powered, or have inefficient loudspeakers, even if you do not play vinyl, the RS28CX will likely be a better choice than RS-100. But for Leben amplifiers the RS-100 may be as suitable for digital-only users. Given Leben's integrated amplifiers are basically amps with passive volume, I'd also advise adding a Leben preamp and use the integrated as an amp (volume at maximum) if you want to upgrade the sound.

The phonostage: On Leben's website and in the reviews, there is a lot of hooplah on the superiority of the NFB-less CR type phonostage. IMHO this is over-hyped. CR types are actually not uncommon in modern tube phonostages; my Softone/ICL Model 4 is just such a device.

I had a hard time removing the tube shields of the 2x 12AT7 in my unit. Someone had applied some gluey substance to the tubes and after drying the shields were hard to remove. I had to chip away carefully. I wonder whether this was done at the factory or by a previous owner. I replaced the stock green-latter GE tubes with much older GE black-plate 6201's to great effect.

The gain of the phonostage is spec'ed at a VERY low 20.2 db. Together with the 21 db gain of Denon AU-1000 SUT, the gain of the phono section is only 41.2 db. But let numbers fool you, the truly amazing thing about it is that it sounds like twice that! With either my 0.3 Denon DL-103 or 0.47 Ortofon Kontrapunkt C, I only need to advance the volume knob to barely past 9 o'clock, about the same as using digital sources (here thanks to the high gain line section). It is also superbly quiet. Wonderful!

Which leads me to ruminate yet again. I have seen so many vinyl people calculating gain based on manufacturers' data and debate theoretically on whether a certain phonoamp is suitable, but let me tell you many of the (mostly transistor) devices just sound like less. Or shall we say there are quite a bit of inflated figures out there. Theory and data is one thing; listening is another.

Comparison with AN Kit MM Phonostage and Softone/ICL Model 4: Not to mince words, used with the Denon AU-1000 SUT, the sound of the Leben RS-28CX phonostage is decidedly superior to either high-value phonoamps. In almost all parameters, so no more elaboration.

Previous owner's setup
RS-28CX is seen here with re-issue McIntosh 275, driving Tannoy Stirling. Sound was not bad!

Audio Note Kit Phono amp, Softone/ICL Model 4, Denon AU-1000, K and K LL1678

Vinyl Talk: 2 phono amps + 2 step-up transformers
Softone/ICL Model 4 vs Audio Note Kit Phono amp, Part I
Denon AU-1000 vs K&K LL1678, Part I

Last revised Sept 7, 2011 (round 5 of K&K added)
For round 6 of K&K (change to 30 db gain option), see Part II

Behind this article is a lot of work I have done recently. I am on a roll with my current vinyl gigs, and it has been fun experimenting with everything. More Vinyl Talk are coming!

Introduction: Denon AU-1000
In 1982 Denon released the legendary DL-1000A cartridge (official literature in Japanese. Amazingly, online there is a review from the classical music Gramophone; note that the cartridge is very light, enabling its use on the light SME3009 Series 3 arm (whether that is a good idea is hard to say).

One year later, Denon released another statement product, the AU-1000 step-up transformer (official literature in Japanese), to partner the DL-1000A. Look at that curve, impressive to say the least, and probably hard to duplicate even today. The 25 lb behemoth weighs more than a small tube amp! My unit is on loan from my friend Danz, who is out of the vinyl circuit temporarily because of his child. Hey, he is not getting this back!

Spec: Twin perm-alloy transformers with direct input/output connections (no selector switch in circuit); double-shielded sealed xfrmr case; transformer and input/output connections incorporated inside an outer gun metal shield cover

Cartridge load matching: 10 to 40 ohms
Step-up ratio: 1:11.5 or 21dB
Output load matching: 50k ohms
Freq response: 10 to 80KHz flat
Freq response: 5 to 200KHz +/- 3dB
Dims: 7" x 9.5" x 4.5" (W x D x H) approx

Introduction: K&K Step-up Transformers
In 2007-8 I learned about the K&K (Swedish Lundahl step-up transformer) SUT kits (K&K official website) from two articles by my favorite writer Art Dudley in Stereophile (the shorter article available here). Who else would write about a large selection of SUT's, some budget priced, in a mass market magazine?

Almost all designs at this budget level are based on (or at least factor in) the venerable Denon DL-103, the budget cartridge to beat, and as AD knows the Denon well and praised the K&K, I decided to try it out.

True to my cheaptubeaudio roots, I only ordered the transformers as well the tiny circuit boards (which makes wiring easier). I'd probably prefer my own choice of cables for wiring anyway. But as every DIYer know, getting the right enclosure and hole-drilling is the hardest part of a project. I thought of several short-cuts to evade hole-drilling, but never got around to it. Here lies a warning: buy the complete kit to save yourself hassles (the current version shown on the website seems to be a revised larger board that combines the 2 channels. Must be easier to work with than mine!).

When I called up K&K in 2008, a one-man operation it seems, they were sold-out temporarily of the LL9206 (the one reviewed), which has a 20 db gain option that is theoretically perfect for the Denon DL-103. As I have many other cartridges with even lower outputs, I decided to order the higher-gain alternative LL1678 (Data Sheet). The LL1678 was $78 each, the circuit boards (pic) $6 each, so with shipping I spent a grand total of $175. Today, three years and much depreciation of the US dollar later, the LL1678 is $80 each and you only have to spend $4 more for the same order. That is holding the line on inflation and I sing praise to K&K.

Phonoamp 1: AUDIO NOTE MM PHONOSTAGE KIT (old version):
The current Audio Note Kits is a Canadian company that works closely with Audio Note UK and sources many parts (not sure about all) from them. The kits now have evolved to be quite different from older kits that AN UK directly sold before (like the original Kit One 300B and the Preamp Kit that I sold long ago; I still have the rarer Kit Four, a 6V6 PP amp). It is officially sanctioned, so I am sure the philosophy and methodology and parts have remained consistent, but I still wonder a little how much the designs and revisions (in particular sound) resemble AN UK. But the official ties are strong and the dealer of AN UK in HK, Elephant Holdings, is also commendably dealer of the kits (not the way to make quick money).

Hong Kong Audio Note Kit users beware: there is another place in Mong Kok that sells AN "kits". While some appear to be the Canadian stuff, there are too many "options" that are not found on the official Kits site. I'd exercise caution and only buy direct or from Elephant Holdings.

My unit is second-hand, one assembled by Elephant Holdings. It is an earlier version called MM Phonostage Kit (details still in the official archive). Comparing the pics, although there are some differences in components, I confirmed with Brian at AudioNoteKits that it is a standard version with some upgraded Jensen caps. Many thanks to Brian here; he must be a busy man!

Compared to the current L3 phonostage kit, there are similarities as well as major differences:

-Power supply: similar, based on AN UK's M2 preamp (6X5 rectifier; ECL82 regulation).
-Main circuit: L3 uses circuit from AN UK's M3 phono preamp (3x 6072) whereas mine uses Andy Grove designed, modified phono circuit of AN UK's original Preamp Kit (pic here) (2x12AX7 and 1x 12AU7).
-Wiring: L3 uses silver and mine copper AN-A.
-Gain: L3 is considerably higher than mine (40 db vs 32 db)

Click pic to enlarge. Before full surgery (1 large cap already removed).

My particular over-burdened unit: My unit came with an anomaly, make that a deformation. Look at the photos. The previous owner thought the phonoamp had not enough bass and kept adding to the output caps. For each channel, he used 2 ridiculously large and expensive 1μ Jensen output caps (2 μ per channel). Needless to say, the bass was sluuuugish; shall we say the bass stood still? I am sure he knew, as he added a 0.01μ Jensen cap in parallel, surely in an attempt to liven up the dull top end. Considering all these are Copper PIO with Silver Lead-Outs, I could probably recoup some cost by selling them. Any offers? The units came with Mullard CV4035 (=CV4004=12AX7) tubes adapted to regular socket.

How does it Sound? Round 1, take-out: Before the unit got home I actually lent it to my friend AL. At his place he used it (warts and all) surprisingly to good effect as an MM stage with his Lenco turntable and Decca cartridge, fed into Mark Levinson electronics driving big MBL. It held up well against the EAR834P and the Softone/ICL that I am going to cover below. They did think the gain on the low side and preferred crisper current production tubes to the installed Mullards in their tube rolling.
Round 2, back home with Denon AU-1000: After I got it home, I tested it in my system. As I didn't have an MM cartridge already installed, I had to use it in conjunction with a SUT:

Analogue 1: Kuzma Stabi S/Stogi S + Midas Denon DL-103 (up to round 4)
Analogue 2: Garrard 301 grease/Ortofon RS-212S/Midas DL103/Ortofon Kontrapunkt C (round 5)
SUT: Denon AU-1000.
Connection to preamp: I used my best cable, the incomparable Kondo KSL-LPz.
Preamp: Leben RS-100 line preamp (info) on loan to me
Amp: Elekit 8230 amp (2 wpc 2A3 amp)
Loudspeakers: Tannoy Canterbury.

The gain of the SUT + phonoamp is 20 + 32 = 52 db, enough for my sensitive speakers, especially since the Leben linestage has 26 db of gain!!!!! However, as mentioned, the sound was lugubrious and sluggish in the bass. No, the big output caps don't work for me!

First Surgery, weight losing:
Without a manual or circuit, I was not sure of the correct value of the output cap. Some searching showed that the later L2 kit used 0.22 μ, which seemed right to me. I removed all of the outputs caps and put in place cheap cheap (yes, I have temporarily re-discovered my cheaptube roots) 0.22 μ NOS Russian (military) caps, which instantly restored normalcy to the sound. I later confirmed with Brian that 0.22 is the right value. Thanks again, Brian!

Round 3, after first surgery, with Denon AU-1000: After I restored the output caps to original value, the sound improved hugely. Now, rhythm and pace came back, and the bass finally moved! :-) Now, I was able to assess the true sound of this unit as well as the Denon.

The sound of the Denon AU-1000 is truly exceptional (I have used it with other preamps; more reports later) , dark in background, wide in bandwidth and dynamic. Probably partly due to its low gain, the sound of the AN kit was just a tad slow with my gig, slightly soft on top, but smooth and quiet. I didn't think Mullard tubes are the best choice for it. Swapping in 2x 12AX7 Holland Amperex + 1x RT 12AU7 resulted in some gain in air. Even if the caps were not run-in, I was satisfied with the very good performance of this kit.

Click pic to enlarge. Note the green K&K boards and grey Russian output caps.
Second Surgery-K&K weds Audio Note: As I rarely use MM, I decided to turn the AN into an MC phonoamp by installing the K&K trannies (plenty of space). This way, it saved me one chassis and the hassle of hole-drilling; cheaptubeaudio forever!

I cut off the stock AN-A input cable near the circuit board ( originally star grounded under the circuit board) and re-used the cable for input to the K&K, but I did not yet connect the shield at either end.

For the K&K/circuit board interface, I reused the AN-A red + strands. The original white -ve and shield could not be extricated as they were twisted and soldered together; worse, they broke off while I manipulated it (I am not so sure I like AN's way of wiring). As they could not be re-used, I soldered a tiny length of Radio Shack solid core to the star-ground underneath, and connected this to the K&K boards' -ve's with small lengths of silver-plated wires. I used blue-tac to fix the trannies to the cage. I did not solder in posts for loading resistors. Perhaps when I tweak again I may, but then I may not.

Aside from the -ve, each K&K circuit board has a separate ground as well as another ground out (labeled CT, presumably center tap). I did not connect these but did solder wires to them in case I need to ground them.

For the LL1678 I chose the 24db gain option (others are 18 and 30db). The impedance ratio is spec'ed at 256 and so the loading of the MC would be roughly 183 ohm, theoretically therefore likely more optimal for Denon than my Ortofon's. But again, I belong to the camp (which includes K&K) that think loading is much less important when SUT is used. But there are many who think otherwise and would go to great lengths for impedance matching; for that you can read this wonderful Vinyl Engine article on SUT and MC cartridge matching.

Round 4, with K&K, now an MC phonoamp: Brand new, without run-in and a trace of hum, the sound was not bad at all, even at first play. Compared to the Denon AU-1000, the raw K&K seemed just a little less precise, rendering the proceedings with a broader stroke, but in terms of dynamics and detail, they seemed just fine and not much behind. I shall run these in and then tell you more about it.

Later in the evening, when I returned after rendezvous with my friend, I decided to switch in the Kondo M7 preamp in place of the Leben. My my, the cheap K&K much preferred high society!

Click pic to enlarge. Note more grounding and the yellow output caps.
Round 5, with Garrard, hum management and output cap tweak: While I did have a trace of noise with the Kuzma gig, it was at low level. But when I switched to my Garrard 301, the noise, hum and Rf and all, became quite prominent. At this point I connected the ground outs of the circuit board to the ground, but to NO avail.

I replaced the output caps with a generic yellow 0.22 output cap (available at 麥氏). It has no brand name, and I don't know what it is. Rated at 1000V I suspect it is intended for use in power supplies, but I have used these for years to great effect. Sonically they are crisp and balanced, scoring over the Russian caps for sure. But the noise remained.

I discovered accidentally that touching the phono cable connectors produced noise, and knew then that the input -ve was not well grounded. Indeed, checking the circuit diagram revealed that the -ve on the input side should be grounded (shows you how much of a DIY person I am, or am NOT). I did so and bingo, cured. The connector is no longer hot and things became much less noisy, with just a low-level hum remaining.

Click pic to enlarge. Note removed AC filter top right.

Phonoamp 2: SOFTONE/ICL MODEL 4:
Softone is a small Japanese company that used to be ICL (official site in English). Its chief designer is quite respected. I have long been a fan of this company, and shall write an overview when I have time. I have all their current products except the passive preamp. If you wonder why there is no Model 1, it is an discontinued integrated ICL amplifier available with either 300B or 2A3 (I have both).

The Model 4 is a MM/MC phonoamp of hybrid CR-type RIAA that eschews NFB. Its price has not increased in years, and at USD 650 is a screaming bargain. It is a hybrid CR-type RIAA with no NFB. ICL's mail order is efficient and packaging first-rate. Buy with confidence.

At this price point, it is a great luxury to have the choice of 2 MC loading impedance. Under the cover, the built, as with everything from this company, is exceptional.

Round 1, comparison with Denon AU-1000: The Model 4 worked a treat with the Denon DL-103 to produce a beautiful and mellifluous sound (it was after all designed around that cartridge), just a little on the soft side at the top end and in terms of dynamics. Using it as an MM stage, it was obvious the Softone has more gain than the AN Kit. The Denon AU-1000 had just a little more precision than the stock trannies, but the results were very close. This attests to the fine quality of the SUT's inside the Model 4. Incidentally, like K&K's Lundahl, they use Permalloy.

Round 2, comparison with K&K/AN: In terms of tonal balance and macrodynamics the two are hard to tell apart, even if the Softone has higher gain. But after a lengthy session one thing started to emerge: even if it is a little slow, likely due to the low gain, the AN/K&K had the better rhythm and pace. It is like speech with better cadence that employs good punctuation and appropriate pause when needed. The Softone was by no means not fluent, but it sang in a somewhat broader stroke and its fluency seemed just a little less related to the music, a sort of mild euphony if you will. It was obvious the Softone lacked a little in microdynamics.

Round 3, minor surgery before rematch: At this point I did a minor surgery that saved the day. The idea, which oozed out of my friend oozz, was conveyed through my 惡客 friend icefox.

You see, the ICL phono and digital gears all employ an AC filter at the AC socket. Personally, like my friends who noticed, I have never liked these and would prefer not to have them (even if my home is RF prone). Fortunately, as the Model 4 AC wires are only clipped on, substituting a normal filter-less socket was a breeze. I also corrected the AC polarity (Japanese AC polarity is different from HK) while at it, though I don't think that accounted for much. I did the same on my ICL DAC, but haven't had time to test it.

The result was instantly audible as better microdynamics. Now the 2 phonoamps are very close in performance and I will cover more in Part II.

Marilyn Monroe on HiFi

Marilyn Monroe on HiFi

I was looking up Marilyn Monroe and chanced upon her quotes. With no editing, they apply to audiophiles!

On hifi advertisements, tall claims and swindlers:

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." (no edit)

On 90% of hifi:

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring."

On why we should spend more money (aka 癡呆):

"We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets."

Her advice to audiophiles who believe in theories, rules and measurements:

"If I'd observed all the rules I'd never have got anywhere."

Review: 3 Superb CD players Revox C221, Pioneer PD-T07A, Primare D20 and the AKM4324

Review: 3 Superb CD players
Talk Digital: Older, but better

I am in the process of setting up multiple stations in my room, and take the opportunity to run my large collection of idling CD players a little, or else they will go bust in the humidity here (I learned from mistakes!). For my last LFD exercise I tried out these three and found none wanting.

Revox/Studer C221 (1991)
This has been a long-term reference, not necessarily because it has the "best" sound (what does!) but because of its neutral balance, as befits a studio quality product that carries the Revox name! The Swiss counterpart of Revox has the exact same player as Studer C221. Unlike earlier Revox, and like Studer, the C221 has fully balanced circuitry and output. Digital out is RCA only.

Unlike the legendary Revox 225 and various iterations of the 226 (Studer 725, 727), the later Revox/Studer C221, circa 1991, is much less known. There is surprisingly little info on the net (this Polish site with internal views). Laser is CDM4, DAC is supposedly Philips Bitstream, probably the SAA7321 or 7323 (but various sites also mention SAA7310, 7320 or 7350). On my unit, I cannot see the chip on the circuit board; perhaps it is underneath, so I cannot confirm.

According to the info I gleamed from this Taiwanese Blog in Chinese 音響白痴小痞, supposedly some Revox C221 were made in Germany and some in Switzerland. Aside from minor differences in the circuit boards, one can tell it is from Germany (most of them I think) by the following: 1) the Revox logo has a slightly protruding 3-dimensional tactility; 2) there is a transport lock underneath; 3) the transport motor is brushless and mechanism is CDM4-Pro. As my unit is made in Germany, I can attest that points 1) and 2) are true in my case, but when it comes to 3) my unit is fitted with a generic CDM4. Mine came from a TV studio, and was defunct when I received it. It was determined the laser had died, and I sourced a used CDM-4/(19 I think) as replacement. It was resurrected and had operated flawlessly ever since.

The C221 is a wonder to look at. If you ask me, it is even better looking than the C225 and C226, and approaches the coolness of the superb EMT 981. Using this studio player is a little inconvenient. One has to turn on a switch in the back and turn off the bottom-row buttons (otherwise it will only play 1 track). I was told that the laser in this kind of professional player is always on, and I suspect that is the truth as it plays a disc instantly. And so, as a caution, I always turn it off after use, which means it will take some time to warm up next round (note: see reader's comment below on how to circumvent this). Of course, there is no remote.

The sound is wonderful. It is quite detailed, smoother and just slightly on the light side if compared to better true multi-bit players, a refreshing change and improvement from the usual bloat (mostly due to unresolved bass) of Bitstream player. Its even-handedness is such that it gives pleasure when inserted into any system. If you ask me, sound through the XLR is a little better than through the RCA.

Personally, I think this player is even better than the LHH statement products of Philips that used the supposedly more advanced one-bit chip TDA1547, a little more musical than DPA (also using TDA1547), and on par with the best from Micromega. In sum, one of the best Bitstream players.

Pioneer PD-T07A/PD-77 (1992)
The original T07 was second-from-top in a series (others are T05 and T06; top model is the magnificent T09, the US version being PD-95). It looks almost identical to its descendants, but used Philips bitstream conversion.

The PD-T07A (and its even rarer variants S, U, and HS) sports the same legendary Stable Platter mechanism as the previous series, but the DAC section was designed in-house from scratch and a full assault on state-of-the-art. Pioneers developed their own DAC (I think it was 20-bit). The unit features balanced analogue outputs. There is precious little info on the internet on the PD-T07A per se (an English "translation" of a Japanese site here). Web info has it that the alleged US equivalent PD-77 is the same machine, but if you browse the pics available (few) the PD-77 seems to have a flat back and no balanced output, whereas the PD-T07A has the balanced output coming out of a sizable protrusion in the center of the back (as do the other variants and the earlier T07 and T09; see link above).

The sound through either RCA or XLR out is excellent. The player is highly resolving, but everything is delivered in a warm, bold and rich manner. Sound is a little more upfront than most players, and soundstage is perhaps not as deep as the best, but there is nothing unbalanced, as evidenced by the fact that its replay of classicals is every bit as sophisticated as jazz.

As a transport, to be frank, it is superior to most of today's megabucks stuff. The same warm, big and bold sound lends gravitas to even the thinnest sounding DACS.

This is a masterpiece. In my house, it has received praise as much as the Revox.

click pics to enlarge

Primare D20 (MkI; 1999)
And now for the dark horse. Not to mince words, I feel exactly like what the reviewer said in Soundstage: "I feel like I have discovered a rare jewel of a player."

The funny thing is, I didn't even buy this CDP. Captain Lo, my old friend took it to me unannounced when he last visited. The unit belonged to a friend of his who was not in a hurry to sell. Well, as if my place needs more stuff...

While the player was superbly built and above average in physical stability, there was not much inside. It bothered me that the transport mechanism used is the notorious Philips CDM 12.4, which received no special reinforcement here. On the other hand, I was much captivated and intriqued by the very small DAC and output board (the small board with the close-up). Amid the SM components I was excited to see the AKM4324 DAC chip.

While AKM is a reputable chip maker, in audiophile equipment their DAC chips are only rarely sighted (Rotel, Gryphon). This is because they are much more often seen in things like soundcards and Pro Audio (think Behringer).

Although the D20 is just a red-book CD player, the AKM4324 chip is 24/96 capable. Later, AKM would become more known for their so-called Miracle DAC, the AK4396, a true 192kHz 24-bit 2-channel DSD-capable DAC used in the SlimDevices/Logitech Transporter. Current Primare CDPs though do not use AKM chips, instead the more ubiquitous Burr Brown's.

All it took was just one cut and I was hooked. The incredible air and purity of the treble have to be heard to be believed. I believe in terms of treble this is the best player I have heard, true transparency without any stridency, the Kondo of CDP if you will. The midrange is see-through and the bass well delineated. Dynamically, it is no slouch, able to scale above average, though not perhaps equal to the best here. This entry-level Primare IMHO beats out many much costlier rivals.
There is some confusion on the internet regarding this player. I think the unit I have, with Philips CDM 12.4 transport (and obviously Philips servo, including display, as in this pic)), is the so-called MkI. Very soon, Primare changed to a Sony mechanism (note the official manual pdf file shows the Sony, as well as Sony style display), and that became the so-called MkII. The DAC remained the AKM4324. It is likely Primare ran into the same problems with CDM12.4 as Micromega did with their Stage series, which in effect bankrupted one of the best digital companies in my book.

Conclusions
Excellence does not get out-dated. Things become different, but not always (if ever) better. Witness these 3 players. Each still sound thoroughly enticing, and should beat the hell out of many modern players, not to mention over-rated CAS.