Spotlight

I must admit, I’m almost never impressed with what I hear at audio shows, and it’s not for the manufacturers’ lack of trying. It’s always tough to hear anything decently at a show, even if the room is set up fairly well. But at last year’s CEDIA convention, there was something that really blew me away, the final prototypes of MartinLogan’s new Motion series, especially when I saw how tiny they were.

While MartinLogan is well known for their electrostat speakers, they have been making great strides with their ATF planar tweeters over the past few years, the Motion series uses the same air motion technology for their tweeter that was made famous by ESS in the 1970’s. The air motion driver has made a big comeback in the past ten years, showing up in flagship speakers from Dali and Burmester to name a few. Because of its folded ribbon nature, this tweeter has the speed of a panel speaker, offering the transparency that MartinLogan is famous for, but in a much smaller form factor.

Only about 5 x 5 inches and just over a foot tall, MartinLogan managed to stuff a 4 inch woofer with a folded bass port into this tiny, curvy enclosure along with the new tweeter. The Motion 4 has a rated sensitivity of 90db/1watt, but it is very easy to drive. I used these speakers exclusively in my living room system to see how well they would work in a small environment.

Setup

I used the speakers about 9 feet apart (2 feet from the side walls, 18 inches from the rear wall) on a pair of carbon fiber Whitworth stands, with a tiny bit of blu-tack between the speakers’ base and that of the stands. The Motion 4’s also have a mounting flange for wall mounting, which should prove handy in a compact surround sound system. I also made use of one of their new Dynamo 700 wireless subwoofers that we will feature a detailed review on soon. Suffice to say for now, it’s another home run from MartinLogan, providing outstanding performance, value and perfect integration for the Motion 4’s. I would highly suggest one of these to round out a full range system based around the Motion speakers, whether it is two-channel or multi channel.

The Motion 4’s have some recessed binding posts that are easy to get at if you are stringing something similar to zip cord or the basic upgraded wire that a lot of home installers use. Those wanting to use somewhat higher quality cables need to be sure they are terminated with banana plugs. Spades of any kind will not work, due to the recessed nature of the binding posts. The Motion 4’s only weigh 6 pounds each, so I can’t imagine using mega speaker cables with these speakers anyway.

The Audioquest Colorado speaker I used for my listening sessions was probably a bit overkill for this application, but it worked great and did provide better sound that later switching to $1/foot Radio Shack speaker wire could offer. The bottom line is that these little speakers are capable of a healthy dose of resolution. The rest of the reference system was rounded out with a Naim Uniti (50w/ch solid state) all in one receiver, which allowed CD’s, FM, Internet radio and my iPod to be used as sources and the Prima Luna Prologue 1 vacuum tube integrated (30w/ch) along with a Denon 3910. For those that will be using the Motion 4’s as the start of a two channel system, rest assured that they are easy to drive with tubes or transistors, making this speaker even more versatile.

The Sound

In a small room with corner placement, the Motion 4’s have a surprising amount of bass on tap, much more than their LF range spec of 75hz would suggest. Adding the slight warmth of the Prima Luna to the mix made me wonder at first if a subwoofer was even necessary, and if you aren’t listening to Pink Floyd at bone crushing levels, you might not either. MartinLogan concentrated on making a great speaker that only goes down to 75hz cleanly rather than a mediocre speaker that goes down to 50hz, sacrificing everything else to get that last bit of ultimate bass. Remember, adding a subwoofer to a speaker with lousy midrange isn’t HiFi.

The key to appreciating and enjoying this speaker is how much quality it offers, and for those of you that have MartinLogan speakers in your main listening room and perhaps need a second system, or would like to build a small home theater system in another room, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much of the core ML sound is on tap here.

I went through a fair share of my classic rock favorites, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, The Doobies, etc. to get a good feel for how these little speakers would perform on music that I know like the back of my hand. Friends and family members were all amazed at the natural sound the Motion 4’s possessed, and a couple of MartinLogan owners were equally impressed.

Again, the key to this speaker is the midrange performance and transparency, they offered. Cymbals sound incredibly right and these speakers do a great job with solo vocals as well. I never really felt like I was listening to a pair of “budget” speakers. Those listening to a steady diet of jazz and classical music will notice a slight bit of grain in the upper mids, but that’s being really fussy. Again, remember, these are entry-level speakers, not a pair of CLX’s.

At the end of the test, my $35 Pioneer receiver from the 70’s was substituted for the Naim, to see how these speakers would perform in an “extreme budget” system, and they passed the test quite handily. While they are capable of high resolution and will shine with better electronics, the Motion 4’s will offer a lot of sound with anything you hook them up to.

The speakers are very robust and even with a 35-watt amplifier at my disposal; I was amazed at how loud they would play in my small room. When I got wacky with Megadeth, Metallica and Korn, I could tell they needed more oomph, but that’s what that Dynamo subwoofer is all about. If you add one of those to the mix, even the most hardcore metal head should be very happy indeed.

A Breakthrough

When I heard the Motion 4’s in front of a pair of CLX’s (playing through some very nice gear from McIntosh) at CEDIA, I was really impressed. While many of the people in the room exclaimed, “are those the big speakers?” I knew they weren’t the CLX’s, because I own a pair, but they certainly didn’t sound like, are you ready…

A $500 pair of speakers. That’s right. A pair of Motion 4’s will only set you back $500. Though my head is usually up in the clouds listening to five figure speaker systems, this is truly a breakthrough in budget speaker performance. No one on the staff guessed the price on the Motion 4’s; the closest bid was $800 a pair. Having just recently reviewed a number of small monitor speakers in the $1,500 – $3,000 a pair range, these speakers have got to be one of the best buys in high end audio today. Add that Dynamo 700, which is wireless ready, and you’ve got an amazing speaker system for under $1,200, and a great foundation to a system in the $2,000 – $3,000 range.

If we are going to get more people excited about the world of HiFi, this is definitely what we need a lot more of. I am very happy to award MartinLogan one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2010. Don’t let the price fool you; the Motion 4’s are worthy of the MartinLogan name on the box.

-Jeff Dorgay

The MartinLogan Motion 4

MSRP: $499/pair

www.martinlogan.com

Peripherals

Amplification Naim Uniti, Prima Luna ProLogue 1

Digital Sources Denon 3910, Oppo BDP 83

Cable Audioquest Colorado

Power Shunyata Hydra 2, Shunyata Venom power cords

Rega goes for the gold with the ISIS CD player/DAC
By Jeff Dorgay

Rega has established a solid reputation over the last thirty years now for building reasonably priced components packed with value beyond their price point. Rega turntables have always been a triumph of function and simplicity, with a legion of fans that span the globe. Founder Roy Gandy is a champion of giving his customers high performance without a high price tag, and didn’t even start building CD players until about ten years ago. His sense of humor is evident in their website, where it’s mentioned that Rega was “the last major high end company to build a CD player.”

About that same time Rega also introduced the P9 turntable. Then $4,000 and now $5,000, ten years later (with the tonearm upgraded from the RB900 to RB1000 status), this was Rega’s only entry into more expensive components. One of my reference turntables for the last few years, the P9 is a very special table, offering performance well beyond its pricetag, just like every other Rega product.

In 2008 that trend was continued with the introduction of the IOS phono stage and later on in the year, the Elicit integrated amplifier. Something was definitely up at Rega. Though still very reasonably priced in market terms, at about $3,000 each, these components were still a considerable step up from the Fono and Brio.

A visit to the Rega factory this year revealed a company more committed to performance and value than ever. Rega is a fantastic mix of 21’st century modernization and early 20th century craftsmanship, with their own spin applied. Towards the end of our tour of the plant, the group I was with was taken to an assembly room where something very different was going on.

A $9,000 CD player, from Rega?

That’s not a typo. Yes, that’s right, $9,000 for a Rega CD player. But it’s a very special CD player. In the past, Rega has always been fanatical about offering the highest value they feel that they can build. Because they only outsource a tiny percentage of their production, they have become very efficient and eliminate multiple sources of markup that eventually get passed on to the consumer.

They have not varied from their chosen path with the ISIS a single millimeter, however the focus has changed somewhat. The ISIS is the first product Rega has built that has not had a target cost attached to it; it’s simply the best player that Gandy and his staff feel they are capable of building, with cost no object. Coming full circle to Rega’s core values, the pricetag is only $9,000. The average Rega customer that’s been raised on P3 turntables and Apollo CD players ($800 and $1,000 respectively) is freaking out at the thought of a $9,000 CD player from their favorite British HiFi manufacturer. Has Roy Gandy gone mad?

If anyone should be freaking out, it should be the manufacturers of CD players in the $20 – $50k range. It’s definitely a contender and in typical Rega fashion, offers value way beyond its price point. Even if you haven’t had the chance to see them assembled at the factory, the minute you open the box, the attention to detail is apparent.

The ISIS comes packaged in a very sturdy yet tasteful mini-crate with the ISIS logo cut in the high-density, closed cell foam internals. It gives you the feel that something special is inside, without being extravagant. When you remove the 55-pound (25kg) CD player from the box, you know it. The massive aluminum chassis reveals a look not unlike past Rega players, with their famous “spaceship” top loading door and red LED’s on the front panel, but seriously fortified all the way around.

In addition to the player, a substantial billet remote control is included that is on par with what you would expect with the world’s finest audio gear as well as a pair of high quality RCA interconnects and a substantial power cord. I would value both of these items in the $500 – $1,000 range if you bought them as aftermarket items. A very nice touch I’d say, but I’d love to see you being able to have the option of them being terminated with XLR’s.

Which leads us to something else you’ve never seen from Rega, a pair of balanced XLR jacks on the back panel. This takes advantage of the ISIS having fully balanced, differential circuitry throughout. There are also standard RCA outputs for those requiring it. The DAC in the ISIS uses a pair of Burr Brown PCM 1794 D to A converters running in parallel dual mono mode. Analog and digital stages have their own separate power supply transformers and there are ten individual voltage regulator stages in the digital section along with another ten for the analog stage. This is indeed a very serious bit of digital hardware.

Those worried about the viability of the CD format and getting your player serviced in the future, fear not. Inside the owner’s manual, there is a signature from the technician that assembled your ISIS, another tech that QC’d the electrical and mechanical systems and the tech that tested and archived not one, but two spare laser units. I think it’s safe to say that the ISIS will last longer than most of its owners and I appreciate this attention to detail, with CD transport mechanisms getting scarcer all the time.

An outstanding DAC that happens to play CD’s, or the other way around?

As the market for high performance CD players is probably nearing its end, Rega gives you the option to use the ISIS as a USB DAC as well. Personally, I’d love to see an SPDIF input on this player, but considering the recent success of the Ayre USB DAC, I’m guessing this is not a deal breaker for the current crop of audiophiles that are more computer based.

While you might be clinging on to your shiny discs for now, the ISIS gives you the options to go both ways and that’s what makes the ISIS such a great value. The DAC performance of the ISIS was also outstanding when streaming files from my Mac Book Pro via the USB input, which is switchable from the front panel or the remote. The only serious drawback to the ISIS is it’s inability to read 24bit/96khz files and this may be the Achilles heel for someone wanting to make this player part of a more computer based system. With 24/96 files becoming the new standard, this will limit your music choices going forward. Personally, I see the ISIS in the same light that I do my Naim 555, a statement CD player for someone with a large collection of physical media.

Which $800 bottle of wine would you like with your dinner?

With the ISIS in short supply worldwide, the question everyone has been asking me is how does is stack up ultimately to the five figure players I have here as reference components? Damn good, I say. Comparing the ISIS to my reference Naim 555 was an interesting study in presentation. It was a big help that we had the ultra revealing YG Acoustics Anat II speakers around for the duration of the review. As part of a six-figure reference system, the 555 still had the ultimate edge in terms of overall analog-like smoothness, but not by a large amount.

Interestingly, the edge went slightly in favor of the ISIS in terms of tonal contrast and transient attack. When listening to the cymbals at the beginning of “Euthanasia Waltz” on Brand X’s Livestock CD, the Rega player offered slightly quicker attack on the leading edge, but didn’t decay as smoothly as the Naim. However, when comparing the playback of this track to the Wadia 781i, the ISIS had a definite edge in upper end refinement, though it did not have quite the subterranean bass slam of the Wadia. (Neither does the $32k Naim player)

But this level of tonal contrast is what I kept coming back to with the ISIS and I would say that is it’s shining virtue. It has more than enough extension at both ends of the frequency scale to keep the fussiest audiophile happy, with plenty of weight to the presentation, but much like the YG Acoustics Anats, the ISIS has a delicacy about it that few players at any price match. Acoustic instruments have a layer of texture that is unmistakable with the ISIS and makes the player a lot of fun to listen to. Spinning “Down On the Farm” from Guns N’Roses The Spaghetti Incident, you can really distinguish the difference between Izzy Stradlin’s guitar setup and Slash, better than I’ve ever heard on this disc. And of course your favorite female vocals will sound just fine…

Tonal accuracy is also a strong suit with the ISIS. Lovers of acoustic music will notice the extra layer of detail and tonal body that the ISIS provides. Going back through some of my favorite jazz standards from Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins underscored what a fantastic job this player does at nailing the tonality of acoustic instruments. Naysayers of high end digital will be taken back at how natural this player sounds with violin and piano.

Of course we’re splitting hairs here, but that’s the kind of things that people purchasing five figure CD players do. A bit of madness if you will, but all good fun. The ISIS is a player that allows you to make that last jump to where you become immersed in the music, instead of thinking “this is really good for digital.” Again, there are only a handful of players at any price that achieve this lofty goal.

Perhaps not for the typical Rega customer

The Rega ISIS is a digital audio player that is worthy of being on the top shelf with the world’s best components. I own a couple of those players myself, and after extensive listening and close comparison, this player delivers the goods. If you own one of these players, you probably won’t be trading in your Naim, Wadia or Meridian player for the ISIS, but that’s not who I feel this player is aimed at. If you are someone who has always lusted after one of those $20 – $50k players, but can’t or won’t write that check, the ISIS is the way to go. I’ve had the privilege of listening to most of the world’s best CD players, some with pricetags that you’d swear should be on the window of a Porsche instead of a CD player and I feel the ISIS will deliver 95% of the performance of the five figure players for nine grand. It’s well worth the asking price; If I had to start over, I’d buy an ISIS, pocket the other $20k and go shopping for a nice used Boxster.

With that in mind, the Rega ISIS has stayed true to their core values by offering a product that offers the best performance in its price class. This is why we chose this player as our Digital Product of the Year for 2009. It makes a stellar match to their new OSIRIS amplifier, that will be reviewed in the December issue of TONEAudio. And, yeah it’s that good too.

The Rega ISIS CD Player

MSRP: $8995.00 (USD)

Manufacturers Information:

www.rega.co.uk
www.soundorg.com (US Distribution)

Peripherals

Preamplifier: Burmester 011 Preamplifier

Power Amplifier: Burmester 911mk. 3 Amplifier, Rega OSIRIS Amplifier

Speakers: YG Acoustics Anat II Studio

Cable: Shunyata Aurora Interconnect, Shunyata Stratos SP spkr. cable

Power: Running Springs Dmitri Power conditioner, RSA HZ power cords

Over the last 35 years, the biggest roadblock non-audiophiles have faced when putting high performance HiFi in their home is always the wires and the clutter. With all those boxes and wires comes a certain fear factor and I can’t say I blame them. I live in a small house, and while I have the luxury of a great office/mancave/studio where racks of gigantic amplifiers and cables the size of Boa Constrictors run free, it’s different in my house. No room for a big system there, and honestly after a long day of writing about HiFi, I just want to listen to music. But, I’ve been spoiled by the goodies in my reference system.

One of the biggest mistakes Mercedes Benz made when they introduced the C-Class 25 years ago, was to scrimp on the overall feel, thinking the “entry level” Benz owner might not catch it. In an effort to make the baby Benz available to a less affluent customer, they took away the essence of what drove a customer to Mercedes in the first place.

Naim has not made this mistake in the NaimUniti, in fact they’ve excelled. As a very happy owner of their 30 thousand dollar CD555 CD player, when I push play on the NaimUniti, I feel right at home; it uses the exact same backlit lime green button that the 555 does. Everything else has the same feel of top line Naim kit – first class all the way, but at a price that is not out of reach. The NaimUniti retails for $3,750.

I actually got my first listen of the NaimUniti when I was visiting TomTom Audio in the UK this summer. Shop owner James had just received one of the first units and had it paired with the Guru QM-10 speakers. This remains the most exciting compact system I’ve ever heard for (well) under $10k. Thanks to James, the Guru’s are on the way, so watch for a review before the year’s end.

Enter the NaimUniti

If you have ever dreamed about one box that does it all, the NaimUniti is it and then some. It does everything, and I mean everything. Naim has packed the heart and soul of their famous NAIT5i and CD5i onto one chassis, no cheesy class-D chip amps here. But they have also managed to make the DAC addressable, so that you can connect (and control) your iPod, plug in a music server, stream internet radio and listen to FM radio (or DAB if you are in Europe). USB memory sticks can be plugged into the front panel and there is a great headphone amplifier to boot.

There’s even a powered output for a Naim Stageline phono preamplifier ($475), if you want to spin some vinyl, which of course I did a little bit later. Those of you that are considering a pair of smaller speakers with a subwoofer (which again suits itself to a stylish system that doesn’t take up a lot of space, have nothing to fear, the Uniti has an output for that as well.

No assembly required

Normally, this is the part in one of our reviews where we take a few paragraphs to discuss product setup. However, the NaimUniti has it all in one box, so you only need to plug it in to the wall and plug the speakers in the back and turn it on! I started with a pair of Naim’s NACA5 speaker cable (which runs about $10/foot from your Naim dealer) and the standard AC cord. You could be wacky and buy their $725 Power-Line power cord for a slight improvement in sound, but that’s the extent of what you can do to tweak the setup of a Uniti.

The only other things required are to connect an FM antenna (I picked up a very nice Terk at Best Buy for $35) and attach the enclosed wireless internet antenna. Once you power up the NaimUniti, it’s a snap to go to the setup menu and log onto your wireless network. Should you have a hardwired network, there’s a spot for that as well. Total time from unbox to press play; five minutes if you are really poking along.

Should you choose to get completely in-depth with the NaimUniti, you can trim the volume on every input, so that when you switch from iPod to FM tuner to CD player, all the levels match and you won’t jump out of your chair when switching sources. Again, kudos to Naim for such a comprehensive manual.

Mega functionality

I highly suggest actually reading the NaimUniti manual, because this little box can do so many different things. For those of you not familiar with Naim’s CD players, the NaimUniti uses a curved drawer that pulls out manually. Their logic is that no motorized parts equals nothing to break ten years from now. Just don’t lose the little magnetic puck that holds the CD in place or you will not be able to play CD’s. Fortunately, should you lose it, they are available from your dealer for about $15.

In addition to the CD player, its DAC can be used with USB, RCA SPDIF and TOSLINK connections. I tried them all and while I prefer SPDIF or USB, the TOSLINK worked well when fed files from my MacBook Pro. The bottom line is that you can use any digital format with the Uniti and the USB Type A socket on the front panel is a huge plus. I’ve always thought USB sticks would be a great way to drag a handful of music over to a friend’s house and this is awesome. Just plug your USB drive in, click through the menu and go.

Though I spent a little bit of time geeking out with all the different inputs, just to see if there was anything the NaimUniti couldn’t do, I spent most of my time just kicking back and enjoying music. Once you program a few of your favorite FM and internet radio stations and connect to your iTunes network, the rest is gravy.

There are only two things the NaimUniti can’t do right now. It can’t warm up a burrito and it can’t play high-resolution digital files yet, though ASL Group’s David Dever informed me that there is a forthcoming software update that will be available soon from your Naim dealer. Then the NaimUniti will be fully capable of accessing and playing 24/96 files.

Connect to your Mac!

If you are using iTunes on your Mac computer, you will need the EyeConnect UPnP plug-in from Elgato Software. (www.elgato.com) The recent versions for G5 and Intel based computers have a 30 day download, but if you are only using it as a UPnP server connection, the audio functionality works forever, so don’t pay $50 for the full version.

Once installed, your iTunes library becomes another music source for the NaimUniti and you can play music from your networked computers just as you would with a Squeezebox, Sonos or other music server. Should you have a Naim HDX on your network, the NaimUniti will control that as well.

The sound

While the NaimUniti will most likely be paired up with a more reasonably priced pair of speakers like Naim’s own n-SATs (they also make a matching powered sub, the n-SUB) or perhaps a pair of your favorite British monitors, I went all out for this review.

Focal’s new Scala Utopias arrived the same day as the Uniti, so I paired it up with these $30k floorstanders and the result was brilliant; thanks to their 93db sensitivity, the Uniti drove them to deafening levels without breaking a sweat. It wasn’t as grain free as the $60k worth of Burmester gear sitting in the studio, but it carried itself extremely well, and by using such a revealing pair of speakers, showed just how much Naim DNA was inside the box.

Bass was very deep, tight and controlled and there was more than enough palpability in the mid and upper range as well. Anyone pairing these with speakers in the 2-5 thousand dollar range will be floored at the overall system quality they can achieve. A good part of this performance and synergy comes from the fact that you don’t have to agonize over power cords and interconnects and as a result, can’t muck up the sound. Pretty clever, I say.

It’s safe to say the NaimUniti possesses a substantial helping of the “Naim Sound”, fast and detailed without being harsh. No matter what kind of music you enjoy, you will enjoy it with the NaimUniti. I was very impressed when playing symphonic recordings on the Scalas, how much width and depth I was able to achieve with the Uniti, even in my small living room. Bax’s second symphony never sounded better.

Moving the NaimUniti out to the studio and matching it up with the Harbeth Monitor 40.1’s was another excellent pairing. Though less efficient than the Scalas, there was an overall musicality with the Naim/Harbeth combination that was hard to ignore. I used to run a pair of Compact 7’s with my CD5i / NAIT5i combination with excellent results. As we’ve been in the middle of a lot of speaker reviews this summer, I got the chance to use the NaimUniti with about 30 different pairs of speakers and nothing presented a problem. The NaimUniti should be compatible with almost anything, except maybe a pair of Magnepans that are very power hungry.

Easy Analog

The Naim Stageline is an external phono preamplifier that is self-powered by the NaimUniti and will only set you back another $475. It comes in four versions, MM or three different gain/loading combinations that are pre configured. Your Naim dealer will help you find the proper combination for your turntable. Of course you can add a FlatCap XS for even better performance, but now things are getting complicated again…

Using the “S” version with my Sound HiFi Technics SL-1200/SME 309 arm/Lyra Dorian cartridge combination was fantastic. The tweakazoid in me took over and I did add my i-Supply to wring just a little more out, but again keeping in the context of this system, just plug the Stageline and your favorite turntable in and enjoy. With some well mastered vinyl, playing through the Scalas, I was easily fooled into thinking I was listening to a much more expensive system. If you still have some LP’s, this is a very cost effective addition to a Uniti based system.

The Winner

Because the NaimUniti offers unbeatable performance, value and style, I am very proud to give it our Product of the Year – OVERALL award. While we’ve had the privilege of auditioning some great gear this year, nothing goes further to make great HiFi approachable to everyone than the NaimUniti. For most people, this is all you’ll ever need, while others will probably climb up Naim’s product ladder.

Either way, if the NaimUniti doesn’t make a music lover out of you, nothing will.

The NaimUniti

MSRP: $3,795 (US)

Manufacturers Information:

US Importer

ASL Group

www.audiophilesystems.com

Naim Audio Ltd.

No matter what your position in the audiophile game, you need a MiniWatt. This is one of the most fun pieces of gear I’ve seen in about fifteen years. (The last time was when the Antique Sound Labs Company sold their $99 tube monoblocks…) The MiniWatt is a 2.5-watt per channel tube amplifier that weighs a couple of pounds and only takes up about a 6 x 6 inch footprint on your desk, about 15 x 15 centimeters for our friends in the rest of the world.

It uses a pair of 6J1 and 6P1 tubes and a self contained AC power supply. The rear side of the transformers have banana jacks wired directly to them for your speakers and there is one set of RCA jacks to plug in an analog source. ALOAudio and their retail store 32 Ohm Audio is the exclusive American distributor for these little jewels, and when I stopped by their store last week, they weren’t even open and people were already buying them. “Wanna take one home?” Ball asked me as I was surveying the new store. Look, shiny thing!

Hurry up and plug it in

I wasn’t even half way to my car when I thought of hooking the MiniWatt up to my Zu Essence speakers that have a sensitivity of almost 100db. Knowing the luck I’ve had with Zu’s and 2A3 amplifiers in the past, I knew that this would be a rocking combination. The minute I hit the door, the MiniWatt was plugged in to the living room system, with the tubes warming up.

For the nerdtrons in the audience, I hooked the MW up with a pair of Zu’s Libtec speaker cables and a pair of Furutech Reference III interconnects to my Marantz Pearl SACD player. You think I’m crazy hooking up about $4k worth of ancillaries? It didn’t stop there, I had a spare Shunyata Python CX power cord, and so I was now ready to roll with the whole setup plugged into a Running Springs Haley power conditioner.

FYI, for those considering the MiniWatt to be the hub of a “budget” system, it works great that way too. Later on, after the amplifier was fully evaluated, I broke out the $50 Pioneer 563 Universal Player and my favorite $100 Polk Audios and was still very impressed with the performance.

2.5 watts can accomplish a lot

Powering the Zu’s the MW was able to blast. I zipped through some of my favorite metal discs and was amazed at how loud I could play Van Halen with this tiny amplifier. TONEAudio writer Jerald O’Brien stopped by for an adult beverage and thought I was using the Lavardin integrated amplifier that is also in for review. He was pretty surprised when I told him it was just the MW. “I thought that was a new headphone amp!” he remarked.

We proceeded to spin more discs and after some jazz and vocals, it was evident that this tiny tot was no mere toy amplifier; it delivered the goods. Because this amplifier has the tubes driven in ultralinear mode and those are some pretty small output transformers, it’s slightly grainy, but that’s judging it against my Bottlehead 2A3 monoblocks, which are silky smooth and with some upgraded 2A3’s will set you back a couple thousand bucks. You’ll never touch tubey goodness like this for $229.

What impressed me the most about the MW was the amount of bass power and control it had, which wasn’t limited to the Zu’s. Going through another cache of tracks from Pink Floyd, Genesis and Spock’s Beard, we were convinced that the MW could really get down. I also had a ton of fun using it as a desktop amplifier with a pair of KEF XQ20’s that feature their Uni-Q driver and are very coherent. Soundstaging on my desk between my 30” Apple Cinema Monitor was wide, wide, wide and dynamics remained excellent, even with speakers only having an 88db sensitivity. Near field listening has its benefits.

Pondering the Zu’s again, which have a nominal impedance somewhere around 14 ohms, I thought the MW just might be a good headphone after all and gave my Sennheiser 650’s a try. Again, excellent luck, so this could also work as a headphone amplifier for some phones. I didn’t get a chance to give this configuration extensive testing, so it might not work with every situation, but if you buy a MW I suggest giving your phones a test drive while you are at it. It’s small enough to carry into the bedroom for some late night listening with your iPod and favorite phones.

More performance

I suppose you could get crazy and mod the heck out of the MW, (and this could be a future article because I have a hard time leaving well enough alone) but an easy upgrade is to spend another $45 and get the “upgraded tube set” from ALO which includes a pair of Russian tubes to replace the 6N1’s on the outer left and right, while the two middle tubes are replaced with a pair of vintage Western Electric 403, which is a 7 pin mini pentode tube.

This made a big difference in the overall sound, increasing the soundstage about 25% and eliminating some of the grain that was present in the upper midrange/lower treble range. This is definitely the best $45 upgrade you will ever hear, so I suggest just ordering your MW from Ken with the better tubes, you won’t regret it.

Award winning fun

I am happy to give the MiniWatt amplifier our Product of the Year award in the “Budget Audio” category. This is a great amplifier, period. If you are just starting out in HiFi, you can make a pair of single driver, high efficiency speakers, add a source and be digging music on a pretty tight budget that you will really enjoy and our world definitely needs more products like this. And I can’t think of a more fun way to enter the world of vacuum tube audio if you haven’t yet.

This little amp is the real deal folks. Highly recommended.

- Jeff Dorgay

The MiniWatt Amplifier

MSRP: $229, updated tubes, $30 additional

USA Importer:

Ken Ball/ALO Audio, www.aloaudio.com

MiniWatt home page: www.miniwatt.com.hk

When Peachtree Audio brought out their Decco amplifier/DAC combination two years ago it was an amazing product for $800. It featured a 50wpc integrated amplifier with a tube in the input stage to add a little bit of warmth to its basic 16/44 DAC smoothing out some of the digital grunge. It featured a slot on the back for a SONOS controller and a decent headphone amp on the front panel. Anyone wanting a basic system only needed to add a digital source, some inexpensive speakers and voila! Instant HiFi. The sound quality was excellent for the price point but if you moved up on the speaker food chain, you could hear the limitations of the Decco pretty quickly.

The guys from Peachtree didn’t let the initial success go to their heads with their sophomore effort the NOVA. At first glance it looks almost identical to the Decco, but it has been improved in every way. This is a serious piece of HiFi gear, folks.

The amplifier’s power has been upped to 80 watts per channel and they kept the tube in the preamplifier, offering you the option to switch it out of the circuit, running the amplifier all solid-state. It uses a single 6922 and for the life of me I wouldn’t know why you would want to do remove it from the signal path, because it still adds a welcome touch of warmth and body. If you swap that 6922 for a vintage NOS Mullard, the NOVA takes another big step in the musicality department and one exotic tube won’t break the bank. But the switch it is a very cool convenience feature, if you just happen to blow a tube late one evening and don’t have a spare you can just push the button on the remote and you are back in business. A very nice touch.

The outer case of the NOVA is available in a gloss black, rosewood or cherry finish. Our review sample came in cherry and was very attractive. When powered up, the NOVA’s power button glows red until warmup, then becoming blue, with whatever input you’ve selected pulsing with a blue glow until the signal is playing. The buttons have a damped feel to them, but the volume control feels somewhat benign. Of course none of this will matter if you use the handy remote control, and at this price level, I’d rather see a manufacturer scrimp in the feel department to maximize the sonic capabilities and that’s exactly what has happened in the NOVA.

Very versatile, plenty of inputs

The NOVA has three sets of analog inputs, with one of them switchable as a HT pass through, a pair of RCA S/PDIF digital inputs, a pair of Toslink digital inputs and a USB input. There is a fixed level output and a variable output, which allows you to use a powered subwoofer with the NOVA or just use it as a preamplifier, feeding a different power amplifier. There is one pair of speaker outputs, with the standard Chinese plastic coated binding posts. I’m not a fan of these but on a $1,200 integrated I can certainly live with them.

The slot for a Sonos still exists and I can’t think of a better match for a Sonos system than the NOVA. This has to be the most painless way to ingrate a music server into a 2-channel system. The front panel features a standard ¼-inch headphone jack and offers first class sound. I had the opportunity to use the new Sennheiser HD 800’s and was very impressed with the NOVA’s performance on a pair of headphones worth more than the NOVA itself! For the headphone listeners in the audience, I had no problems driving my Grado GS1000’s, Sennheiser 650’s and AKG K701’s; the NOVA’s headphone amplifier is very versatile.

However, the NOVA’s digital versatility was what impressed me the most. Using the budget Pioneer 563 and a Marantz Pearl K1 CD players as transports, I also had the Wadia 170i and a Mac Book Pro connected to the NOVA to give it a thorough workout.
The NOVA has taken the biggest step up from the Decco in the DAC department, now featuring the ESS 9006 chips from SabreDAC, the company that supplies McIntosh with the 9008 chips used in their MCD 500. Those expecting the performance of the Mac for $5,000 less will be disappointed, but if you are looking for a very musical DAC with an integrated amplifier thrown in, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks to the analog inputs, I spun some records as well, adding the Cambridge Audio 640P and my modded Technics SL-1200 to the mix, again proving what an excellent all around achiever the NOVA is. Thanks to this flexibility, the NOVA should be able to cover any future expansion plans you have for your system.

The Sound

I started my listening sessions with the NOVA with my recently acquired set of Spica TC-50’s because they offer incredible performance for the dollar (If you can find an unmolested pair) and possess a degree of resolution that you’d be hard to match with today’s’ budget mini monitors under $1,500 a pair.

If you’ve been around the HiFi world for a long time, you might remember when the NAD 3020 integrated amplifier hit the scene. For about 200 dollars, it was amazing in it’s ability to offer serious high quality sound for such a low priced amplifier and held its own with separates costing a lot more. Perhaps the (highly overused, these days) phrase “giant killer” came from reviewers listening to that famous little integrated. The NOVA does well to hold up this tradition.

To round out the review, I used a number of monitors from KEF, Snell, ProAc and Harbeth to investigate the amplifiers’ performance with more upscale speakers before the NOVA ended up in my living room system, paired with the ZU Essence speakers. The Zu’s are a little unfair because they have a sensitivity of almost 100db, so most anything can push them to way more than adequate levels, but they are an excellent reference because they are so detailed and offer great midrange tonality. If an amplifier is going to fall down, the Zu’s are merciless at revealing its shortcomings. Again, I was highly impressed with the combination and pairing the NOVA with the Zu’s provided incredible dynamic range. The NOVA is much cleaner sounding throughout the range than its predecessor and the extra power goes a long way to make it compatible with a much wider range of speakers.

The NOVA worked particularly well with ERA’s D5 mini monitors (also available from Signal Path International) and at $995 a pair, makes a pretty unbeatable combination. There’s no way you can get close to this level of sound quality at a mass market shop for $2,000. Watch for an upcoming review of the D5’s.

After extensive listening, all of the NOVA’s sins are those of omission. It could certainly use more refinement in the highs and control in the lows. But then it would cost $4,000. The difference between the NOVA and the higher priced gear is in the fine details. When listening to solo piano or violin recordings, the extreme highs became somewhat brittle and the level of tonal richness that you would expect with higher priced gear was absent.
Also, overall soundstage shrunk compared to the MCD 500 or the Marantz Pearl. This was expected though, as these players are $6,000 and $3,000 respectively.

When comparing the NOVA with an inexpensive transport to a number of CD players in the $800-$1,200 range, it was consistently as good or better. The minute you switch to Pearl Jam or Yello, your worries will disappear.

Well worth the pricetag

And remember, you are getting a preamplifier, headphone amplifier, power amplifier and DAC for $1,200! I dare you to come even remotely close for twice this amount of money with separate components.

While the NOVA was an exceptional performer no matter which way I used it, I think the killer application is as the hub of a computer based playback system, because the NOVA’s USB implementation is excellent. I enjoyed this amplifier the most when playing uncompressed WAV files from my Mac Book Pro. With the low price G4 Mac Minis are fetching on eBay, you could build a complete music system that you could control from your iPhone for peanuts. A Squeezebox would also be an excellent choice.

Playing within its abilities, the NOVA will never cease to amaze you.

The NOVA is an outstanding value

The Peachtree NOVA offers so much performance and versatility for $1,195 that it is more than worthy of one of our Exceptional Value awards for 2009.

Whether you are an audiophile on a budget, need a great second system or are sending your kids off to college; anywhere you need high performance audio without a stack of components, the NOVA is the best suggestion I can make. I’ve never used the word best in TONEAudio’s history, but this is the best budget HiFi component I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. - Jeff Dorgay

The Peachtree Audio NOVA

MSRP: $1,295

Manufacturers Information
Signal Path International
909-309-4884
www.signalpathint.com

Peripherals

Digital Sources Pioneer 563, Marantz Pearl K1 CD player, McIntosh MCD 500 CD player, MacBook Pro, Squeezebox, QSonix music server, Wadia 170i

Analog Source Sound HiFi Technics SL-1200, Cambridge Audio 640P, Sumiko Blackbird

Speakers Zu Audio Essence, Harbeth Monitor 40.1, ERA D5, Spica TC50

Cables Audience AU24 S/PDIF digital cable, Zu Libtec Speaker cables, ED 422 interconnects

Accessories Shunyata Hydra 2 power conditioner, Shunyata Venom power cord¬¬¬¬

AV123’s LS-6

By Jeff Dorgay

Back in the 70’s, we used to talk a lot more about the “sound” of a speaker.  Speakers had an “East Coast” sound or a “West Coast” sound.  Some were labeled as “Classical Speakers” and others “Rock & Roll Speakers”, no doubt due to their overall tonal balance.  Giant amplifiers hadn’t been invented yet, so dynamics wasn’t usually part of the criteria. However, the soon to be invented Phase Linear 700 would soon change all this, and leave a trail of blown tweeters in its wake.

In today’s world with plenty of power on tap, (and speakers that can handle it) dynamics are a valid part of the equation and this was exactly what I had in mind as staff member Jerald O’Brien and I unpacked the mighty LS-6’s from AV123. About 200 pounds each, standing 68 inches tall, no matter how ripped you are, these speakers will probably be too large to get in the house by yourself.

Yes, we are talking about a line array speaker here folks.  Believe it or not, AV123 even offers a bigger speaker, the LS-9 (which I was very impressed with at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest two years ago), but these are just too big for most households and have been in short supply.  AV123 has been concentrating more on LS-6 production recently.  The LS-6 features 8 custom 6.5-inch woofers and 6 planar magnetic tweeters, crossed over with a gentle slope at 1000hz, resulting in an easy to drive 8-ohm speaker with an efficiency rating of 90db.  Standard finishes include Rosewood, Moho in addition to the Cherry Satin our review pair arrived in.

Because AV123 ships factory direct, the cost of the LS-6 is only $4,495. (Plus about $500 for shipping, about 500 lbs. on a palette)  That’s right, for a small pair of ProAc or Spendor mini monitors; you can have the Monsters of Rock in your living room.

If you want em to run hard, you have to break em in hard

That’s what a buddy of mine used to say when we were building cafe racers in the 70’s.  He wasn’t a fan of taking it easy on anything, so as we were setting up the LS-6’s and staring at all the nice 50-70 watt tube amplifiers that were at our disposal, we decided to go for broke, hook up the 350 watt per channel Burmester 911mk. 3 and crank it up.

No Patricia Barber or polite string quartets here, the first track punched into my Sooloos Music server was AC/DC’s “Let’s Get It Up”, from For Those About to Rock, We Salute You.  A quick check of the sound level meter revealed 120db peaks.  Impressive, but in order to keep our canine hearing intact, we had to turn the volume down to more reasonable levels, but somehow just knowing these speakers will deliver 120db without strain is very comforting.  After a few more tracks of Deep Purple, Kiss and Audioslave, we got down to fine tuning the speakers to the room and listening to some calmer music. (But still no Patricia Barber)

I practically got crucified online two years ago, because I posted somewhere how much I liked the LS-9’s with a pair of 50 watt tube amplifiers.  Everyone chimed in to comment that I couldn’t possibly know what the speakers sounded like, because that clearly wasn’t enough power to work with the speakers.  Towards the end of this review, the enormous McIntosh MC1.2kw monoblocks arrived, with 1200 watts per channel and we had great fun.  But seriously, these speakers will work just fine with your favorite 50-watt tube amplifier. Just don’t expect to play AC/DC at 120 db.

Setup

Physical assembly of the LS-6 is somewhat frustrating.  The base requires inserting about a dozen long TORX screws to fasten the base to the speaker column, so make sure you have TORX bits for your power drill.  In future models, I would be very impressed if AV123 included at least a TORX tool and perhaps even a bit in with the spikes.  I would also suggest adding a few pilot holes with matching pins so that you can easily attach the base, as you will be up on a ladder to assembling them.  After a few unsuccessful attempts, we found it best to get the middle screws in first and then move to the periphery, but this was still a very cumbersome process.

That’s the difference between a $4,500 pair of speakers and a $40,000 pair of speakers though, and at this level, I’d rather put up with some assembly hassles and have as much of the cost of the speakers go into performance, which AV123 has done.

Once the assembly monkey business is out of the way, the LS-6’s are very easy to position in your room.  With their large bases, you should be able to slide them around on a carpeted floor to get initial positioning without trouble.  If you have hardwood or tile floors, I’d suggest a pair of four wheel piano dollies with heavy-duty wheels.  The only disadvantage with this approach is that it will raise the speakers about four inches off the ground, so this will affect the sound slightly.

If you like to listen in the extreme nearfield (say, six feet from the speakers or less), you will have to adjust your listening habits, and plan accordingly.  In order for all of those drivers in the line array to integrate properly, you really need to get back about eight feet from the LS-6 and if you can go about ten feet, that will offer more coherence to the presentation.

Working in my 16 x 24 foot (4.9 x 7.3 meters) listening room, I deviated from my normal setup of having the speakers about 4 feet (1.2 meters) from the wall with the couch about 9 feet (2.7 meters) away on the long wall.  Moving the speakers to the short wall, I found nirvana with the speakers seven feet (2.1 meters) apart and just over 3 feet (1meter) from the rear wall with the couch 11 feet (3.4 meters) back.  This gave the best balance of imaging, integration and bass performance.

One of the handiest features that I wasn’t able to take advantage of was the crossover adjustments that allow you to fine-tune the bass response of the speaker to your room.  It’s a small door, by the binding posts.  While I did investigate the settings, the LS-6’s worked perfectly in my room at the factory settings, though I do feel these will help those with smaller or larger rooms to dial in the bass output.

More than just a big mouth

Sure, it’s tons of fun playing Motorhead at ear splitting levels, but rest assured that the LS-6’s will do a fantastic job with whatever kind of music you like; this speaker can handle nuance as well.  Auditioning some recent 45 r.p.m. Blue Note’s fresh from Joe Harley’s Music Matters project was a joy on the LS-6’s.  Jackie McLean and Art Mobley never sounded better; the tonality of acoustic instruments was quite good but these speakers really excel at presenting a realistic size in the stereo image.

If you have a good-sized room and an amplifier with some drive, these speakers help to really recreate the size of a jazz group playing in your living room.  Moving along to Jethro Tull’s Live at Montreux, 2003 on a recent pressing from Audio Fidelity was fortuitous, as I had just returned from the Montreux Jazz Festival with the sonic signature of their famed Stravinsky hall still fresh in my memory.  Again the LS-6’s did a tremendous job of recreating the space of that legendary hall.  (Great bit of vinyl to pick up of you like JT…)

A healthy dose of finesse

Last but not least the LS-6’s offer up quality and quantity in the bass department, going down solidly to 25hz in my room.  I could coax more out of them, fiddling with those woofer controls, but I wasn’t willing to sacrifice the speed and texture of the bass produced for that last bit of weight.  Besides, what $4,500 speaker offers up this kind of bass response anyway?  I was most excited about the amount of detail and texture the LS-6 was able to deliver; these were not “one note bass” speakers by any means.

The LS-6’s were not embarrassed when hooking them up to primo gear, but for the average audiophile that’s going to be building a 10-30k system around them also has a lot of great choices as well.  While the speakers did just fine with a few medium powered tube amplifiers (the BAT VK-55SE, McIntosh MC275 and PrimaLuna Dialog Monoblocks), the amplifier I really loved with these speakers was the new Moscode 402au.  This 200-wpc hybrid amplifier really grabbed the LS-6’s and offered up a spacious, yet inviting perspective.

While I had done a fair amount of listening to the LS-6 in my reference system, the combination of the Moscode power amp, the new SP-17 preamplifier from Audio Research (includes a phono stage for $3,495) and my Technics SL-1200 with Sound HiFi mods made for an outstanding real world system that is more along the lines of what the typical audiophile might pair these up with.

What you don’t get

Buying speakers is always a compromise, especially at this price point, but the LS-6’s offer up so much musical enjoyment for the dollar, they are tough to beat.  No, they aren’t as resolving as my GamuT S-7’s or Verity Audio Sarastro II’s, nor are they as exquisitely finished but they don’t have the $40,000 pricetag that comes with either of those speakers either.

As I said earlier in the review, I feel that Mark Schifter has made all the compromises in the right places to make this a true budget high performance loudspeaker. The LS-6 has only a few minor drawbacks; as with every line array speaker, there is a bit of diffusion that happens in the imaging, due to so many drivers interacting.  And I must admit that I have never been a fan of line array speakers because of this issue.  However, having heard the much more expensive Pipe Dreams, Epiphany and Audience line array speaker, The LS-6 does a better job of expressing this design than any other line array speaker I’ve yet heard.

They won’t disappear in the room like a pair of ProAc Tablettes, but they will present the scale of a symphony orchestra much better.  The sheer visceral experience that the LS-6 offers, provided you have the proper amplifier is unmatched at this price point.  Or if you have an even bigger room, the LS-9’s, which have three more woofers and four more tweeters per channel!

In the end a fantastic value

So, if you have the physical space at your disposal and you like music with large dynamic swings, put the LS-6 at the top of your list of speakers to audition.  I can’t think of anything I’ve heard in years that does what the LS-6 does for this kind of money.  For many audiophiles living in that $10k – $30k system range, this could very well be your destination speaker.  I am happy to give the LS-6’s one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2009.

And don’t panic, though I had a blast rocking out with these speakers, they’ll do a great job with female vocals too.

Manufacturers Information

The AV123 LS-6

MSRP: $4,495

AV123
Longmont, Colorado 80501
(USA, toll free) 877-543-7500
(International) 303-543-7500

www.av123.com

Peripherals

Analog Sources Technics SL-1200 w/SME309 arm, Sound HiFi Mods and Sumiko Blackbird cartridge, Spiral Groove SG-2 turntable w/Triplanar arm and Lyra Skala cartridge

Phono Preamplifier Nagra VPS, Naim Superline w/HiCap 2, Montana Olympia PX phono

Digital Sources Naim CD555/PS555, Wadia 781i SE, Sooloos Music server

Preamplifiers        Conrad Johnson ACT2/series 2, Burmester 011, Audio Research SP-17

Power Amplifiers Conrad Johnson Premier 350, Burmester 911mk. 3, Moscode 402au, Nagra PSA, BAT VK-55SE, McIntosh MC275, PrimaLuna Dialog 7 monoblocks

Cables Shunyata Aurora Interconnects and Stratos SP Speaker cables, Furutech AG-12 tonearm cables

Power Running Springs Dmitri and Jaco power conditioners, RSA Mongoose power cords, Shunyata Anaconda power cords, Shunyata Hydra 2 power conditioner

Accessories Burmester racks, Finite Elemente Cerepucs and Cereballs, GIK acoustic treatments, Sonex Classic, Clearaudio Simple Matrix record cleaner and record clamp

Neil Young’s Archives Vol. I 10-disc multimedia box set is the stuff of dreams. Specifically made for the Blu-ray disc format (the compilation is also available on 10-disc DVD and 8-CD sets, respectively), it is the most groundbreaking music release in decades-an immersive intersection of sound, vision, and interactivity that will change how bands present their history and how fans experience art.

For years nothing more than a rumor that became legendary for the myriad delays caused by the absence of a suitable technology, the set reaffirms Young’s brilliance, ambition, and imagination. Not there was ever any doubt. That the Canadian native possessed the foresight to commence this project in earnest nearly four decades ago, and then execute it with such intelligent design and loving enthusiasm, staggers the senses. And that’s exactly what Archives Vol. I does from beginning to end.

The first of four planned chronological sets intended to document nearly every aspect of Young’s peerless career, Archives Vol. I spans 1963-1972 and includes 128 songs (48 of which are previously unreleased), more than four dozen bonus tracks, the debut non-theatrical release of the 1973 film Journey Through the Past, and, most strikingly, mind-blowing 24-bit/192kHz stereo PCM sound remastered from the original master tapes. A giant box with a “secret stash” compartment, 236-page hardbound book, foldout poster, and custom keeper for the sleeved discs complete the impressive physical package. The ingenious manner in which the material is presented onscreen (and, by extension, on your stereo) is even better.

Almost everything is organized in a virtual file cabinet in which every song has its own folder. Click on the song title and a folder opens up, revealing every detail pertaining to the tune (musician credits, recording date, record label and catalog number (if applicable), and cover art) as well as a set of subfolders. While the latter vary according to the song, they hold a wealth of memorabilia, documents, and photos. Certain tracks also come with audio and/or video logs-bonus media that comprise live footage, radio interviews, concert banter, promotional spots, and television appearances.

If all that wasn’t enough, each disc includes a timeline, a thoroughly engrossing pursuit that encourages user navigation and includes thumbtacks that, when clicked, open extra archival aural and video material. The timeline is also where all future BD Live downloads will appear. Only available on Blu-ray, Young intends on making additional content available for free as it is discovered and restored, meaning that Archives Vol. I could grow infinitely in scope. This potential is alone worth the investment in the advanced technology, and it seems Young is sincere in making good on the promise. Written Young biographies that speak to what happened in his life during the time period on each particular disc and assortment of other menu options, including an audio/video setup helper that ensures that televisions are properly displaying the 1920×1080 content, round out the menu choices.

In terms of exploring new avenues for presenting content, it seems nothing has been forgotten. Not even footage of Young perusing his own archives alongside photographer Joel Bernstein and producer L.A. Johnson. As he sifts through a seemingly endless stacks and spreads of photos, papers, and paraphernalia, Young’s blunt comments and astute reflections serve as some of the most revealing matter in the box. Cleverly, the moments are all “hidden” as Easter Eggs amidst the menus. Other Easter Egg content is scattered amidst the song files, be it an unreleased take of “I Believe In You” with Young jingling sleigh bells or a jaunty alternative version of “When You Dance, I Can Really Love” that comes across as more raw (and country) than the original.

And it’s the pairing of Young’s incomparable music with corresponding historical records-original lyric manuscripts, never-before-seen photos, radio ad sheets, rare 45rpm single artwork, setlists, tape boxes, hand-drawn sketches, newspaper articles, concert and album reviews, advertisements, show programs-that makes Archives Vol. I. a journey that’s like nothing else. The opportunity to explore, browse, and watch Young’s amazing evolution-on this volume, we see him from his time with the clean-cut high-school band the Squires to his tenure in Buffalo Springfield before his subsequent stretch as an idiosyncratic solo artist, Crazy Horse associate, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young member-offers unparalleled insight and unlimited depth.

There are too many highlights to mention, too many surprises to list. Just as it should be: One of Archives’ biggest achievements is the way it invites the user to peruse, loiter, and sample at their own leisure. Yes, this major creative excavation is meant to be savored, but it’s difficult not to want to devour everything. Young and Johnson even provided a listening-only option where tracks play straight through as they would on a CD while a period home-playback mechanism (i.e., reel-to-reel tape deck or old phonograph) “plays” the tune and doubles as a screen saver. Witty.

Yet Archives Vol. I is as much a visual as a sonic undertaking. Despite the early periods covered, illuminating video footage abounds. One of the set’s priceless entries shows Young strolling into a Hollywood record store, finding a CSNY bootleg LP, confronting the clerk, and literally taking the album out of the shop. Viewers are also treated to watching CSNY perform “Down By the River” on ABC’s The Music Scene in 1969; Young strolling unannounced into a Greenwich Village coffeehouse to play a few songs; CSNY singing “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” onstage in June 1970, with Stephen Stills plucking a double bass; Young working with the London Symphony Orchestra on “A Man Needs a Maid”; Harvest recording sessions inside the vocalist’s Broken Arrow Ranch barn, complete with musicians perched on hay bales; Young observing the printing of his album covers at a record-pressing plant; and more.

Using the various “support” elements (radio interviews, timeline, etc.) as reference points, Young’s music assumes greater relevance and gains in stature. Ideas behind songs and arrangements, as well as reasons and regrets, unfold with narrative clarity and frank humor. Archives Vol. I removes much of the opaque divide between Young and his audience, allowing for unmatched transparency and enhanced perspective. The inspiration behind “Old Man,” decisions behind the flawed remixing of Young’s solo debut, motives for the singer’s move to Topanga Canyon (and later, Broken Arrow Ranch), initial ideas for what became Harvest, and feelings on subjects ranging from everything to Buffalo Springfield’s breakup to songwriting to his own image are all divulged.

“It’s interesting how I contradict myself over time,” Young observes at one point, the statement indicative of the set’s enormous span and informative nature. From the start, it’s clear that Archives was as revealing to Young as it is for the fan. And it’s the singer’s hands-on involvement, whip-smart commentary, and willingness to share so many riches and memories that remove ego from the equation. What could’ve been a monumental celebration of self is instead a fascinating portrait of a pioneering artist that’s forever evaded labels, rules, and convention. Even at 10 discs, Archives Vol. I leaves you wanting more-a testament to both Young’s superior body of work (in addition to the entirety of Live at the Fillmore East and Live at Massey Hall releases, nearly every song from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After the Goldrush, and Harvest are here) and the project’s spare-no-time-or-money-expenses quality.

And nowhere is that attribute more manifest than in the sonics. The warmth, richness, fullness, airiness, separation, body, extension, detail, intimacy, tonality, depth, dimensionality, clarity, and sheer life-like presence that these recordings convey defy expectation and transcend limitation. At every step, whether on 1965’s “The Sultan” or a wowing, previously unheard 1971 version of “Dance Dance Dance” with Graham Nash, the sound is room-filling, balanced, natural, lively, and utterly engaging. Digital has never been better.

Neither has any box set in recent memory. In Archives, Young and company have gone beyond their realm. They’ve created a platform that other artists can use to assemble their own music-based multimedia scrapbook. Think of what Pearl Jam, Radiohead, and Bob Dylan could do with this format! Until that happens, Young has established a precedent that may be impossible to top, and he’s not yet even halfway through.

-Bob Gendron

You can preorder this box set at Music Direct here:

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/85325

Digital Excellence:
The Neko Audio D100 DAC

With the DAC making such a big comeback in the last year especially, the market is heating up again, much like the early 90’s when it seemed everyone had a DAC for sale.  But then, DAC chips took a leap up in quality and a big leap down in price; single box players started to rule the day.

Fast forward to 2009 and the DAC is back, but for a different reason.  Computers and portable music players have people wanting to integrate those sources into their systems, while many are replacing their CD players entirely in favor of using a laptop or computer based music server as a primary source component.

There are some old and new players back in the game, almost all with excellent results.  Of course, the extreme high end has latched onto this again with a handful of mega DAC’s in the five-figure range, but I believe the excitement is at the $1,000 price point.  We have had the good fortune to review quite a few different models in this range, but for now, one stands head and shoulders above the rest, the D100 from Neko Audio at $1,295.

Digital Direct to You

Like Benchmark and a few others, Neko gets the job done at a reasonable price point by going direct to the customer, avoiding the traditional dealer network.  Considering the added cost and time of establishing such a dealer network, this makes the D100 much more competitive.

Because the D100 is so small and relatively lightweight, it is easy and inexpensive to ship.  Adopting the current business model of a number of other high-end audio companies that sell direct, there is a 30-day money back guarantee for the D100.  I doubt there will be many asking for a refund.

The only caveat is that Neko Audio is a newcomer to the industry, so they do not enjoy the reputation and legacy product support that a company like Naim, Wadia or Meridian does.  But for this kind of money, I feel it’s worth gambling on the new guy in town.

A New approach

Where most DAC’s use a series of op amps or some form of active circuitry in their analog sections, the D100 is unique in the sense that it uses high quality passive components and a pair of Jensen transformers in the output stage.  Digital conversion is done with a pair of the ubiquitous Burr Brown PCM1794’s operating in mono.

The D100 keeps it simple, with a small case (10.5″ x 2.5″ x 6.5″) and minimal controls.  There is an on/off switch on the back, inputs for RCA SPDIF and Toslink with a selector switch on the front panel.  For now, designer Wesley Miaw has chosen to forgo a USB input, but says that this will be implemented in the next version at a higher cost.
Because of the output transformers, the output is balanced XLR on the D100.  You can use adaptors or purchase RCA to XLR interconnects directly from Neko Audio at a very reasonable cost.  My reference system is balanced today, so I plugged in a pair of Shunyata’s newest Aurora interconnects and got to work listening.  Having spent a lot of time recently with the PS Audio Digital Link III, the Benchmark DAC-1 and the Cambridge DAC Magic, I was very anxious to see how the D100 would stack up.  As always, my main references were the Naim CD555 and Wadia 781i SE, which can also be used as a DAC.

Natural Digital

It’s rare that these two words go together and even more rare at this price point, but the D100 is a stellar performer.  Long-term readers of TONEAudio know that I’m not a flavor of the month reviewer, and seldom gush about anything, but the Neko Audio D100 is damn good.

To sum it up in one word; natural.  When you are playing the digital game at the $1,000 price point, the words “it sounds really good for digital” usually end up falling out of your mouth, but the D100 is the first DAC at this level that I’ve found truly musical in the sense that I would a decent turntable.  Though I have a ton of megabuck digital hardware here, I started my audition of the D100 with my Wadia 170i, my iPod full of uncompressed music.

Vinyl resurgence notwithstanding, I could be just as happy with a Wadia 170i and this DAC as I would any turntable/arm/cartridge and phono preamplifier at this price point, so the D100 passes the ultimate test for me.

An unfair comparison

When I spoke with designer Wesley Miaw on the phone, he wanted to know what differences I found between the D100 and the more expensive digital components.  The real gap between the D100 and the money no object digital, is a lack of ultimate resolution and dynamics, but more often than not (and especially at this price point) this can be a good thing with digital.  Personally, I would always rather err on the side of musicality than go the other way with too much detail in all but the most transparent systems.

Listening to vocals and acoustic instruments was a treat on the D100 and even after day long listening and Photoshop sessions, I never walked away from this DAC feeling the slightest bit fatigued.  If I had to compare the sound of the D100 to something, it would be my Harbeth Monitor 40.1’s. They too lack a slight bit of ultimate detail, but do such a great job with the midrange and have such a natural sound, I find myself forgetting about the rest of the fine points and concentrating on the music instead.  It’s rare when any digital component can do this at any price.  Sure, when I drop a disc in the Naim CD555, I see what’s missing, but the D100 is great digital that you can live with that doesn’t cost a princely sum.

Sonic signature

I spent the majority of the review period using the D100 with my Sooloos music server.  With 5000 CD’s on tap, I was able to cover a lot of musical ground in a relatively short period of time.  I suspect eliminating the opamps from the circuit and going with the output transformers has a lot to do with the grain free, almost slightly warm presentation that the D100 achieves.  If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear there was a pair of 12AX7’s under the hood!  But the great news is that there isn’t and you won’t be at the mercy of the tube pirates to have this sound.

The overall tonality of the D100 is rich and engaging.  When listening to my favorite classic jazz cuts (Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, etc) I instantly keyed in on the portrayal of acoustic instruments in a real space.  Cymbals sound smooth, with a lot of air and the proper amount of decay, never crunchy.

Yet the D100 had enough punch and dynamic drive to keep me happy listening to Metallica, Tool and Mastodon.  This isn’t a wimpy sounding DAC at all.  Much like a Koetsu phono cartridge, the D100 embellishes slightly, but in a good way.  It allows great recordings to shine, but helps a bit with the less than stellar recordings.  For most of us with less than perfect music collections, I can’t see this ever being a problem.

Variables and other system synergies

I made it a point to use the D100 with a number of other transports, from my budget Pioneer 563 up to the Wadia 781SE.  Because this DAC does not have a USB input, computer audio fans are limited to using the Toslink input only, unless your computer has an SPDIF output like my HP TouchSmart does.  Music played from my MacBook Pro via Toslink was very good, but a step down from the SPDIF input; the presentation shrunk somewhat in all dimensions, but this is no fault of the D100, this is the sacrifice you pay with Toslink on any DAC.

Should you have an older CD player in your system, the D100 is definitely your ticket to ride.  Everything from the Pioneer 563 to a friend’s Rega Planet 2000 player was improved substantially by adding the D100 to the mix.

Top Gun, at least for now

As we all know, computer years are even shorter than dog years, so there could be a new contender in six months.  However, if your taste in sound at all mirrors mine, and you value tonal correctness and musicality above all other parameters, the Neko Audio D100 is the DAC to beat for reasonably priced digital excellence.  This DAC put on an admirable performance stacked up to the mega buck stuff and for those of you with a system in the $2,000 – $30,000 range; this may be all you ever need.
I am happy to award the Neko Audio D100 one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2009 and hope that Mr. Miaw has continued success.  Keep an eye on this guy; he’s got some great ideas.

The Neko Audio D100 DAC

MSRP:  $1,295    Factory direct, 30-day return policy

408-476-3276

www.nekoaudio.com

Peripherals:

Digital Sources Naim CD555, Wadia 781i SE, Sooloos Music Server, Pioneer 563, Rega Planet 2000, McIntosh MS300 music server

Electronics Burmester 011 Preamplifier, Burmester 911mk. 3 Power Amplifier

Speakers MartinLogan CLXw/pair of Descent i subwoofers

Cable Shunyata Aurora interconnects, Shunyata Orion Speaker cables, ALO Audio Digital cable

Power Running Springs Dmitri and Jaco Line conditioners, Shunyata Hydra 2 line conditioner, Running Springs Mongoose power cords, Shunyata Anaconda VX power cords

Accessories Burmester V1 and V3 racks, Finite Elemente Pagode signature racks, Manley Massive Passive Studio Mastering Equalizer, Manley Skipjack,  Shunyata Dark Field cable elevators

Being an early adopter is in my blood, and I’ve been doing it ever since that fateful day in 1984 when the Macintosh computer hit the scene. I’ve earned every gray hair on my head for the glitches that occurred along the way because I couldn’t just wait for the propellerheads to “get the bugs out in rev. two”.  Just like my Kerry Blue Terrier, I’m usually too nosy to wait.

Not this time.  Being the publisher of a paperless magazine, I was very excited to see the first Kindle, but it was too clunky.  My design sensibilities got the best of me and I held off, but about 400 thousand people took the plunge and bully for them, I say. However, the current Kindle, which has been out for a couple of weeks now was just too much to resist.  It has 2gb of solid-state RAM and will hold about 1500 books or magazines.

MSRP on the Kindle 2 is $359, and they are in stock for immediate delivery.

What’s new?

While capacity has been improved, two new features of the Kindle 2 really stand out:  It has longer battery life, now up to almost 20 hours and it has been very stylishly redesigned.  What used to look like something from the bridge of the first Enterprise now looks like a big iPhone – incredibly sleek and cool.

Thanks to electronic paper technology, the Kindle 2 offers 16 shades of grey scale information at a screen resolution of 167 dpi.  By comparison, looking at grey scale images on your flat screen computer monitor has 256 shades of grey, but only 72 dpi.  Because the Kindle 2 does not depend on a backlit screen, (part of the reason for the great battery life) it can be read easily in bright light, which is a definite bonus.

Advantages and disadvantages of the format

One of the biggest advantages of the Kindle platform is that you can carry all your books and magazines with you.  Anywhere that 3G broadband service is available, you can download titles from the Kindle store, with no charge for the service.  If you are a business traveler like me that purchases five magazines and a novel for both directions of your trip, the Kindle will not only lighten your briefcase, but thanks to the much lower pricing of Kindle publications will recoup your investment in a month or two.

But, there aren’t many pictures to look at.  While the grey scale display does an admirable job at displaying properly optimized photos, at this point, there are barely any takers on the software side taking full advantage of the Kindle’s capabilities.  My Kindle copies of The New Yorker and Newsweek had no pictures in them Thank goodness; The New Yorker at least had the cartoons intact. Depending on how you look at it, the Kindle magazines might be more enjoyable because there are no advertisements inside.  The Kindle agreement that publishers have to sign forbids you having any ad content in your publication.

So for now, the Kindle experience is a sparse one, which for those of you reading hardcover books isn’t a big deal, but magazine readers might be left somewhat cold for now, due to the lack of photo support.  

Seamless operation

You can also send your own word and Acrobat documents to the Kindle email address that comes with the device.  Documents that have to be “converted” into Kindle format can be handled by the Kindle website.  It takes about 5-10 minutes, depending on document size and complexity, at a cost of 10 cents per document.  For those of you wanting to keep technical papers, etc. at your disposal for your job, this could be incredibly convenient.  I’d love to see textbooks available this way.  Over the course of four years, it could save a college student a ton of money on books.

I’m still with Amazon on this baby

Everything else about the Kindle rocks.  It’s easy to use, easy to read and you can download your favorite books from thin air.  It keeps track of your Amazon account and your credit card on file and books appear in about 40 seconds.

Assuming that you enjoy the way books and magazines are presented on the Kindle, this is a very easy way to keep a lot of reading material at your disposal.  I’ve been part of the digital publishing revolution for 25 years now and I think the Kindle 2 is a winner.

Columbia Records, $109
Record stores everywhere

Music lover and audiophile alike, I’ll bet you have more than one copy of this record, but here’s a few reasons for buying THIS version.

First, it’s pressed on blue vinyl, which is coolio in its own right.  Also included is a two CD set that includes the album in its entirety along with some previously unauthorized tunes and a DVD featuring a documentary about the making of this jazz classic.  Keep reading »