The Wadia Dl122 Digital Audio Decoder will decode files at 24-bit/192kHz has a USB input that accepts up to 32-bit signals and support for DSD64, DSD128, DXD 352.8kHz and DXD 384kHz. It has an onboard headphone amp, a host of outputs and costs a pound under £1500. Dan Worth takes a listen for Hifi Pig. 

Wadia have been a big name in digital front end equipment for many years now and for me have always provided products with great styling, flexibility, feature rich options and solid sound performance. So when Absolute Sounds who distribute the world renowned brand here in the UK suggested a review of the new DI122 DAC – predecessor to the 121 which I know very well, I was happy to oblige.

The unit arrived extremely well packaged with medium density foam completely encasing the unit, with sufficient space for the included power supply and remote control. It’s always nice to open a package that immediately states ‘thoughtfulness’.

The DI122 has an external switch mode power supply of 5v to connect with the unit, so my immediate thought was great, I can try one of my Paul Hynes linear PSUs with the unit and having the PSU outboard of a sensitive digital circuit of course is always a big plus point for me.

Also included is a remote control for the DI122. This remote control is one of the nicest I’ve had the pleasure of using, it’s ergonomic and just so stylish, many manufacturers include these solid billet aluminium remotes with high end gear, but in my experience they are sometimes more style over substance. Often they are too heavy for comfortable use and can have sharp edges as well as being table top scratchers. The Wadia remote though is slim, comfortable, lightweight, well thought out and just so sleek looking.

The main unit of the DI122 package is equally as beautiful; a small form factor, aluminium surrounded, smoked glass lidded and very well made. It sports inputs for coax x2, optical X2 and USB, along with RCA unbalanced outputs and XLR balanced. Triggers in and out to connect to supported units are also featured along with a headphone amp and digital volume control to boot. The Wadia boasts a great platform for multiple system integrations and could be deemed at the heart of any digital setup with all of its features.

The Sound 

Due to the typical Wadia rich feature list I was able to really utilise the unit to its full potential. In an alcove in my listening room I have a large wall to wall worktop as a desk and underneath lies a 150cm rack. The racked equipment feeds my main passive speakers as well as active Focals for the desk and is all connected via a highly modified Mac. I also have on the desk a nice stand with my headphones and another workflow Mac, so implementing the Wadia as the heart of this system was simple and obvious.

Firstly I listened to the active Focals with tracks from Tidal. I felt the combination being connected via the balanced outputs of the DI122 was a very good match sonically, a robust and detail rich sound presentation – highs which were never splashy or with peaks to produce strong air and spatial awareness. I particularly enjoyed the tonality given to acoustic guitar with a top end that had strong fleshed out details. Although the Wadia isn’t tremendously dynamic it’s very musical and conveys a strong portrayal of natural tones and dynamics with good depth and insight into the mix, matched with the Focal’s more extended and revealing top end I felt I had struck a balance which I soon became very fond of.

Vocals were again nice and natural and far from any forwardness, when near-field listening any added forwardness doesn’t sit well with me at all and the combination of the Focal/Wadia setup allowed for me to enjoy even the most exuberant of performances with relaxed ease.

Bass performance was a little more rounded than my usual DiDiT 212DAC, but blended coherently with the rest of the presentation. I generally use this area of my home for any day time video viewing as I have a 32″ led monitor in situ on the desk and having the DI122 as the heart of 2 channel video/audio was also a great pleasure. The strong balanced sound accompanies good imaging very well.

Before I move d to the main system I played a few tracks with my Audio Technica ATH D2000X headphones, again a detailed and punchy sound like the Focals which favours the Wadia’s more natural and slightly laid back presentation. I loved what I was hearing vocally and bass performance was punchier through the headamp into my headphones than the main unit’s analogue outputs, but then this of course is designated by the headphones to a great degree. Top end was also nicely laid out with good dynamics and the ability to keep the treble reined in to a suitable and pleasing standard, making long listening sessions at good volumes an easy task.

Moving on to the main system and with no need for any wiring as the unit was already setup to accommodate all my equipment at once, I can report that the Wadia DI122 does a sterling job of portraying a convincing natural performance again. Of course the quality of the accompanying components being used was greater and allowed the Wadia to really shine.

Musicality was at the forefront of the performance with strong decay being a notable characteristic of acoustic performances. Details in the top end were rendered extremely well with absolutely no harshness at all. All transducers used throughout this review are noted for being clean, from the Focal house sound, to the Audio Technica then on to my all Accuton ceramic based Ayon loudspeakers. With the Wadia being of a slightly smoother character, the matches I found myself with were a fantastic balance and allowed for music to flow effortlessly, with liquidity, great soundstaging and also real insight into the performances. Vocals were extremely strong and had a favourable and flattering position with great focus and air.

Also at the time of review I had a nice little standmount pair of Dayens loudspeakers, which have a great ring radial tweeter. Utilising the DI122 again with the Dayens (which are not of a typically clean nature such as the other transducers previous) I could see a stunning little system in my mind. Wadia have produced matching components to compliment the DI122 – a streamer M330 and a couple of complimentary amplifiers A102, A315 and A340, along with the little Dayens would make for a gorgeous small footprint system, even the Martin Logan Motion 15’s previously provided for review by Absolute Sounds would make a terrific system for all of ones digital requirements.

The bouncy and fun sound produced with the smaller standmounts in situ added to the fun factor of the system and it spurred me on to play some more upbeat, poppy music and Electronica. The flexibility of the DI122 continued to put a smile on my face as I really hoped it would as style over function is not something that sits well with me, I’m the type of person who is absolutely cool in a crisis, but get infuriated at small little problems, so if a product from a reputable company comes to me for review and quietly boasts to me on first inspection that it will be able to accommodate all my listening parameters into one easy to use unit and then functional and sonically falls short of the mark I would be compelled to make a fuss about it, I would find that unacceptable.

My final task was to unite the DI122 with an improved power supply of the linear variety. I own many Paul Hynes power supplies and I have a 5v SR5 version which I could easily lend to the Wadia. A quick change over and yes! I’m so glad I had one to hand, the image now produced had more air and space to it, along with more accurate timing. Tonally I find the unit to retain its essence, but there was a development in character, the sound was more assured and a little more commanding in the bass, top-end details filled out a little and also had more perceivable space around them allowing primarily for more definition and attention to decays which were already strong, but now had better presence and a cleaner integration with a layered next note. Vocalists also spread their wings a little and pushed the rest of the band a little further away to allow for that portion of the stage to be more their own. Significantly different, ummm I’d probably say no, worthwhile, yes and the best thing was I knew I was still listening to the DI122. 

Conclusion 

With two coaxial and two optical inputs that accept up to 24-bit/192kHz signals; a USB input that  accepts up to 32-bit signals and support for DSD64, DSD128, DXD 352.8kHz and DXD 384kHz. This vast array of inputs and supported formats allows music from an abundance of digital sources to be reproduced with the precision and elegance Wadia are famous for, with the option of two sets of outputs via RCA and XLR, like myself during this review the Wadia DI122 can be utilised for active and passive systems simultaneously and controlled via the stunning remote control and systems digital volume.

With a complimentary headphone amplifier, great style and a detail rich, natural and fluid sound, I can’t see what there’s not to like about the Wadia DI122 Digital Audio Decoder.

Pros:

Excellent flexibility

Great array of inputs and outputs

Great styling

Terrific remote

Highly musical

Cons:

Could be a little more dynamic

Price at time of review: £1499

Dan Worth

Mitchell and Johnson’s trio of CD Player, Amplifier and Streamer cost a total of £947 which puts them very much in the budget category but can they satisfy sonically? Dominic Marsh finds out for Hifi Pig. 

Very little gets me more excited than budget components being sent to me for review.  Let’s be honest, when cost is no object it isn’t an impossible undertaking to design and build something good if not exemplary yet when the budget is pared to the bone, if a manufacturer can not only get it right but elevate that product above the herd we can only admire and applaud their achievement.  That’s not to say what arrives will be a potential “giant killer” product as I have long since given up on that notion because the products hailed as such rarely ever live up to the hype they are lavished in the cold light of day.

Not everyone has a bucketful of cash to spend on high end esoterica, so scouring the world seeking out those little gems that offer great sound at a great price has been one of my missions running in the background.  It has not been an easy task I will admit and much to my surprise many manufacturers have been rather hesitant in responding to my requests for review samples.  Wonder why that is?

One company that thankfully did respond was Mitchell and Johnson, who were to send something over the early part of last year in fact, but due to their pressures of work and my own pressures of work it was not actively followed up, that is until around a month ago when I did a re-scan of my diary entries during a catch up session.  I sent another email off as a reminder and not one but three items from their product range were submitted for review in super quick time.

But, with three components submitted for review, it means a lot of work evaluating their performances, both as a complete system and of course paired with other components, so I beg your patience if this review expands considerably from the norm.

I will also forewarn you that I will quite often be using phrases like:  “At this price point”, “Within this price band“, etc., I am sure you get the picture.

CONSTRUCTION

These units are best described as of functional build quality and given their price points it is not difficult to work out there was a fine line in the budget workings out how much would be spent on outward appearance, yet the end result is rather pleasing and not unattractive, in fact my wife remarked on their rather nice appearance – something she normally doesn’t do.  The faceplates are 5mm thick brushed aluminium, more than ample for the task, inset function buttons below the displays also work as they should, although their small size and flush fitting is an annoyance and raised buttons would be much easier to operate.  Rotary turn and push knobs for volume and menu selection, and the streamer in particular has a good quality full colour display panel, although the displays for the CD player and amplifier is rather plain and basic, so what more would you need besides?

The units all measure  430mm wide, 320mm deep (including speaker terminals and the streamer’s  wireless aerial) while the amplifier and CD player are just under 80mm high, the streamer measures a little more at 85mm high.

CDD201V CD player

As stated previously, the front panel is made from 5mm brushed aluminium on the review sample, also available in a black finish option.  To the centre of the front panel is a large display panel measuring 142mm long x 42mm high, set into which is the CD drawer.  The drive appears to be a super slim drawered  CD-ROM drive rather than a dedicated audio CD drive, the giveaways being a lightning fast yet very smooth open and close operation and a very long seek time reading the Table Of Contents on the disc.  Once the Table Of Contents (The innermost ‘tracks’ on a CD) track has been found, the player takes an inordinate 19 seconds to actually produce sound.  Thereafter though track selection is as fast as any other CD player with no delays.  The display itself consists of two rows of LED numerics, the top row showing the function selected as in “PLAY”, “STOP”, “REPEAT” etc., the bottom row showing the track number selected and time elapsed.  I am baffled why Mitchell & Johnson have used 3 digits for track numbering when 2 are more than adequate as I know of no CD that has more than 99 tracks anyway and just as baffling is why playing time elapsed has been awarded 6 digits when again I don’t know of any CD that plays for longer than 99 minutes duration, the extra digits making for a cluttered display.   I would much rather see a track number saying a plain “6” for example than “006” and time elapsed as say “18:09” rather than “00:18:09”. 

If I can just revert back to my comment about the small flush mounted front panel buttons which annoy, with the CDD201V player there is also a small delay between pressing (fumbling) with the button and the desired action being initiated and many is the time I have pressed the button more than once which cancels out what I wanted the player to do.  So I soon got used to the notion of only pressing the button once, then leave it alone and let the player do what it wanted in its own time.

The CD player is supplied with a basic remote control, although the remote supplied with the streamer has the amplifier and CD functions incorporated into the one same remote, so that is a good reason to buy the whole ensemble together.

Connections are made via a pair of fixed output RCA line out connectors, an SPDIF digital RCA output socket and a TOSLINK connection.  To the far left of the chassis rear is a standard 3 pin IEC mains inlet.

SPECIFICATIONS

Output Level
1.8V +/- 2dB @ 1KHz 0dB

Signal to Noise Ratio
>80dB (LINE, IHF-A)

Frequency Response
20Hz – 20KHz

Digital Outputs
OPTICAL (TOSLINK) 1, COAXIAL (RCA) 1

Channel Balance
>20dB

Separation
>60dB

Digital to Analog Converter
Mediatek MTK1389DE

Dimensions
(WxHxD) : 430 x 80 x 283 mm

Weight
6.3 kg

Price at time of review:  £249.00

SAP201V Amplifier

Moving on to the amplifier now, this unit shares the same width and depth as its stable mates although the height is the same as the CD player while the streamer is slightly taller.  There is the central front panel display for functions, plus a row of push button function controls.  To the left of the front panel is a mini 3.5mm stereo jack socket for a line level input and a quarter inch headphone socket.  To the right of the display is a large rotary control for volume, plus pushing the control repeatedly cycles through bass, treble and balance functions and a default reset option.  To the far right is a push button on/off power switch, above which is a blue LED to show power is applied which turns red in standby mode.

To the rear we find an IEC mains inlet socket, a single set of four speaker terminals which will accept 4mm banana plugs, spade connectors or bare wire.  To the right of those is a TOSLINK and an SPDIF digital RCA input socket, then a set of  line level RCA socket inputs for TV, AUX, NET-PLAYER, CD, and a  PHONO stage connection (moving magnet), so there is a good selection of input options.

Rare at this price level is a built-in digital to analogue convertor in the shape of a Wolfson Micro WM8761 DAC chip, so too is a phono stage that accepts moving magnet cartridge input. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Rated Output Power

40 W at 8 ohms, 2 ch driven, 1 kHz, 0.8 % THD (IEC)

50 W at 4 ohms, 2 ch driven, 1 kHz, 0.8 % THD (IEC)

Dynamic Power  150W

THD (Total Harmonic Distortion)
0.08 % (1 kHz 1 W)

Damping Factor
60 (Front’1 kHz’8 )

Input Sensitivity and Impedance
250 mV/47 k(LINE)
6.5 mV/47 k(PHONO)

Output Level and Impedance
250 mV/47k(REC OUT)

Phono Overload
60 mV (MM 1 kHz 0.5 %)

Frequency Response
20 Hz-50 kHz/+1 dB-3 dB (LINE)
+14 dB, -14 dB, 100 Hz (BASS)

Tone Control
+14 dB, -14dB, 10 kHz (TREBLE)
+0 dB, -14 dB (BALANCE)

Signal to Noise Ratio
>85dB (LINE, IHF-A) 61 dB (PHONO, IHF-A)

Dimensions
(WxHxD) : 430 x 80 x 283 mm

Weight
6.3 kg

Price at time of review:  £299.00

WLD+211T Streamer

This unit again mirrors the CD player and amplifier front panel layout, with the exception being a full colour central display and a USB input port.

It is equipped to receive wireless signals from a mobile device or a PC or via an RJ45 Ethernet LAN connection.  So you can listen to any of the music tracks stored on your computer or network attached storage (NAS) drive, giving you access to your entire library without the need for any other device.  If you own an Android or iOS device you can download the free UNDOK remote control application allowing you to browse all of your music from your mobile device. In addition to all this, the WLD+211T can stream your favourite tunes from Spotify via the Spotify Connect app (Spotify subscription required).

Linking to my PC wirelessly to the WLD+211T streamer was a simple straightforward matter and that thrilled me, as other wireless devices I have had for review seemed to concentrate solely on mobile phones and tablets running Android or Apple iOS and given all my stored music is on my desktop computer it has been rather frustrating at times.  That of course meant I could stream music for as many hours as I wished without worrying about battery power endurance issues from a mobile device.

Again, astonishing at this price level, we find a DAB and FM tuner included and with many thousands of internet stations to choose from, there is bound to be some stations you will enjoy listening to online.  They are thankfully listed in numerical and alphabetical order so if there is a particular station you wish to find, using the large front panel rotary control to scroll through makes it not too difficult a task.  It took me a good 10 minutes of high energy knob twiddling to find my local radio station Pirate FM.   It was a targeted setting up challenge more than an innate desire to listen to what was being transmitted on that station, as I never generally listen to it.

SPECIFICATIONS

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)
0.02 % (1 kHz 1 W)

Frequency Response
20Hz-20KHz, +/ -3dB

Signal to Noise Ratio
>83dB (A)

Digital Output
optical TOSLINK connection,  COAXIAL RCA

Analog Output
RCA/phono stereo left and right connections

Tuner
DAB (Band 3) DAB+ with additional AAC+ codec

FM
Internet radio (requires network connection)

Frequency Range
FM 87.5 – 108 MHZ
DAB 174.928 – 239.200 MHz

Network Connection
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g – WEP, TKIP, WPA, WPA2, WPS security
RJ-45 Ethernet jack

USB
Audio playback from USB (USB port is NOT Apple compatible)

Universal Plug n Play
Full uPnP support. Windows Media Player compatible.
Fully DLNA compatible. Apple compatibility with DLNA software application.
Windows Media Audio and iTunes playlist compatible.

Music Streaming
FLAC 1.5 mbit/s upto 24-bits/48k
WAV 1.5 mbit/s upto 24-bits/48k
AAC upto 576 kbit/s
MP3 upto 320 kbit/s
WMA upto 384 kbit/s
RealAudio upto 96 kbit/s
SPOTIFY CONNECT music service (subscription required) using Spotify Connect app.

App Control
UNDOK app for iPhone or iPod Touch and Android

Remote Control
Brushed aluminium remote handset which also operates SAP201V amplifier and CDD201V CD player.

Dimensions
(WxHxD) : 430 x 80 x 283 mm

Weight
6.3 kg

Price at time of review is £399.00

SOUND QUALITY – AS A COMPLETE SYSTEM

Well, if you have just parted company with the grand total of £947.00 for this system and taken it home, what has your money bought?  The first bonus is you have is no worries about matching and “synergy” which will be a great relief to many I am sure.  Of course, no speakers are included in this package, but I have to hand a few pairs of stand mount speakers and I have averaged out the sound qualities across all of them because there was noted some common themes amongst the speakers being used.  It should also be noted that they cost as much as this system, so it’s not likely they would be paired with it. I have also added a couple of likely candidates that are worth an audition to use with this set of components.

Nothing to do with the sound of course but good to mention at this point in the review, all three units have blue LED power on indicators that draw attention to themselves by their brightness.  The LEDs turn to red when in standby mode, a lot less bright thankfully.

I believe I can sum up the sound of this system in just one word – ENTERTAINING.  “High Fidelity” in the strictest sense of the words it isn’t, but the system does keep you entertained with its bouncy and snappy performance and it’s not until you put it side by side with a system from a higher calibre that you get to realise where the holes in its performance are to be found, none of which cause any real concerns, especially so in this price bracket.  The sound is larger than life and I cannot describe it better than that for you I’m afraid.  The treble and midrange in particular reaches out to you quite readily and with good detail, yet listen closely and subtle ambience cues for example that you know are in the recording are not there, even though the treble region is rendered in spades.  Deep bass with heft and weight too is somewhat diluted and seemed rather anaemic, set into the background almost and it is probably due to that 40 watts per channel power rating of the amplifier, so of course I pressed into service some other amplifiers with increased power on tap for comparison and more about this later on in the review.  However, you could happily crank up the volume and it all held together pretty well with an increase in volume level without the amplifier shouting at you or showing any signs of distress or distortion and it still maintained that bouncy vibrancy throughout the volume range.

The loading time from a CD being inserted into the player’s drawer to it playing music irritated the life out of me to begin with, but someone once told me that if you sit on a rusty nail for long enough the pain eventually diminishes and goes away.  I have no intentions of putting that philosophy to the test thank you very much.  Having said that, as time went on I was less annoyed by the CD player’s long seek time, so there must be some truth in the rusty nail story.  The front panel buttons never did stop annoying me though as I don’t think I have large fingers to begin with and coping with the delay after pressing as well, but I did eventually find a technique that worked for me and thank goodness the remote control handset replicates most of the functions that needed a physical button press for, with the exception of the CD eject button.

I couldn’t detect any sound differences between using the line level RCA connections and via the digital output of the CD player into the amplifier’s built in DAC using a coaxial connection.

The real star of this set for me was the WLD+211T streamer which was an easy job in setting up and simple in use too.  A few moments wait on start up as it establishes the connection to the PC via wireless link and once connected it identified the PC’s disk drive location and directory, you then select which album you want to play and away it goes, the large rotary/push button doing a grand uncomplicated job, aided by that good sized clear colour screen too.   Sound quality was very good through the complete Mitchell and Johnson system, but paired with other components it shone.

I had in for review a while ago (Reviewed in Hifi Pig, March 2016)) some speakers from TAGA Harmony, the B40 stand mounters which were priced at £320.00 for the pair which may have suited this system rather well.   Not evaluated by me personally, some say the Q Acoustics 3020 speakers give a great performance and the price is attractive too at circa £189.00 a pair.  Another great pairing would be the Monitor Audio BR2’s priced at £230.00 a pair, with the stronger bass output from the larger driver complimenting the amplifier’s performance well.

CDD201V CD PLAYER SOUND QUALITY  – STANDALONE

Swapping out the CDD201V player to my own resident CD player and connected to the SAP210V amplifier, the sound really did open out and fill in.  Ambience especially took on solidity and clarity that quite took me aback at first, depth of soundstage went from feet deep to yards deep in one leap and the bass output as well took a massive step up.  Given my CD player has a price tag that dwarfs the CDD201V’s, it comes as no surprise.  It also tells me that my initial judgement about the amplifier’s power output rating being solely responsible for a lack of bass power may have been a bit premature as it seems the CD player was evidently contributing to this trait.  All is not lost however, as I then used the CDD201V purely as a transport into 2 other external DACs, one in the shape of a Primare i32 amplifier with the optional DAC board fitted and the other in the shape of Roksan’s new K3 DAC.  The results were amazing, a true night and day experience, but let’s not get carried away by that, given the price differences involved.    It does say though that if you are searching for a transport, then this component  would be well worth a serious  audition and at this price point I am not aware of any serious competition to it.

SAP201V AMPLIFIER SOUND QUALITY – STANDALONE

Away from its stable mates, the amplifier let loose its true character.  The vitality and bounciness was still there, but the bass output from a signal fed in that had full bass included, really came to the fore.  There was more heft and power now, but it was wrapped in a firm tautness  so the leading edges had a crisp delineation with no following overhang either, although the very lowest bass registers still lacked drive and impact.  A good example of that difference was listening to “Anonymus II” track on the Focus III album.  This track has plenty of raucous energy for any system to contend with and the first element to suffer is the bass, both the bass guitar and the kick drum which all too readily get overshadowed and lost in the mix while at the same time blurring the cymbals.  Focus were famous for playing a Flute in their compositions and many a system manages to mangle that into a screeching wail that hurts your ears but the SAP201V managed to stay the right side of listenable, as I thought it’s lively personality would set off the screeching, but no, it fared very well in fact.  At 6 minutes 18 seconds into this track the pace slows right down to a great slow bass guitar solo, which slowly picks up the pace, joined soon after by the guitarist with single chord strums and then by the drummer on kick drum and high hat.  The kick drum has to have a thump to it you can feel and that thump has to have shape and contour to it as well, which is very hard to describe in words, but once heard it is never forgotten.  Sadly, the CDD302V CD player missed out on these subtleties, the bass just not meeting my criteria, yet ably handled by my resident player into the SAP201V amplifier, which, at its price point (there it is again) is truly remarkable.

The diminutive Pro-Ject MAIA amplifier has a lower power rating, has Bluetooth, costs more at £399.00 and sounds a lot smoother than the SAP201V but that has small size in its favour.  Faced with a choice, I would pick the SAP201V for its lively presentation and zippy delivery.

As more of an aside, I connected up a pair of Roksan K2 TR-5 speakers that Roksan have kindly loaned to me to the SAP201V amplifier and boy, did this amplifier make the Roksan TR-5’s dance.  Again, not in a true high fidelity sense of course, but a VERY entertaining listen indeed.  I also have here a pair of Axis voicebox stand mount loudspeakers which originate from Australia (Loaned by Dan Worth), that also came alive and danced when coupled to the SAP201V amplifier, despite trying several high end amplifiers with them for a good match.  Again, synergy it wasn’t, but it shows how the sprightly verve of this amplifier isn’t going to be suppressed or tamed and I was grateful  for that nonetheless.

WLD+311T STREAMER – STANDALONE

I can happily report that I was very pleased with every aspect of the streamer.  At long, long, long last I could play high quality music direct from my PC to it with no fuss, angst or pain involved and no need whatsoever to use a mobile device.    And I like the price band it occupies, which I cannot find a competitor to rival it.  Brilliant, I want one!

CONCLUSION

Right, I don’t really need a recap on my findings regarding the pricing of these components do I?  Thought not, so I will therefore sum up my take on this Mitchell and Johnson ensemble.

I wasn’t that enamoured by the front panel push buttons, but I also am aware that even a small change to raised buttons will affect pricing, so put your fingers on a diet Dominic or use a rubber tipped stylus if you really cannot control your fingers.  The CD player’s long seek time is part of the package, so get used to it or spend a lot more on a deck that is faster read loading.  That’s not a big list of gripes is it?

On the plus side, the streamer is a total peach in every aspect, the amplifier has enough bounce and vitality to entertain you for many hours and the humble 40 watt power rating is very deceptive as well, so that could also be money well spent and the CD player is a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing when there is a good sounding transport lurking in there waiting to be discovered.  There are a lot worse ways to invest £947.00 in the world of hifi these days and with the right speakers attached, you probably won’t be in too much of a rush upgrading from this system in the future either.

Build Quality:  Above average for the price and not unattractive either.  Liked the brushed aluminium front panel and the superb colour display on the streamer.  Did I mention the small flush mounted front panel  buttons perchance?

Sound Quality:  It has small sonic flaws in strict hifi terms of course, which are easily liveable with. Treat the system as pure entertainment and you won’t go wrong.

Value For Money:  Incredible bang for the buck with few (if any) rivals at the price.

Dominic Marsh

The £3785 Naim Superuniti is an all in one box streamer, DAC and amplifier, but is it a Jack of all trades and master of none? John Scott finds out for Hifi Pig. 

After thoroughly enjoying Naim’s all-in-one Mu-So player at the end of last year, I thought it would be a good idea to try out their Superuniti streamer/DAC/amplifier combo.  The Mu-So is a great piece of kit but it’s not quite a replacement for a “proper” hifi setup.  The Superuniti, however, does set out to provide a high quality system in one box – just add your own speakers. I had heard the Superuniti doing its stuff in a couple of shop demos in the past and had been pretty impressed and so I was keen to put it through its paces at home.

UNBOXING AND APPEARANCE

The Superuniti arrived well protected in a large Naim branded box.  As a previous owner of a Naim 250 power amp, I was unsurprised at the weight of the box but I was grateful that I did not have to carry it far before laying it gently on my living room floor.  Accompanying the Superuniti inside the box were a power cable, wifi and Bluetooth aerials, a comprehensive instruction booklet and a remote control.

If I was asked to sum up the appearance of the Superuniti in three words, those words would be: solid, understated and classy.  It is available in a Henry Ford choice of colours – any colour you like as long as it is black – and that is just as it should be.

The Superuniti weighs in at 12.8kg.  Its front panel is reasonably minimalistic; the left hand side features a large, smooth volume control, mini toslink and USB inputs and a headphone output.  The centre of the panel contains a Naim logo which glows green when the unit is powered up and functions as a mute button when pressed.  Immediately to the right of this is a small multi-function display, featuring green text and this is flanked by an arrangement of 9 backlit – guess which colour –  buttons that control input and a host of other functions. While the display panel and the buttons provide flexibility in allowing the user to control the Superuniti from the front panel, as well as from the remote control and an iOS app, I personally never found the need to use them and arguably the Superuniti could be made to look even more classy if they were omitted.

The back panel is where all the action is with more inputs and outputs than you can shake a stick at.  These are listed in the specifications below so I won’t go into great detail here but they include S/PDIF, RCA, and toslink.  HDMI is not catered for, however.  Other outputs include a preamp out so that the Superuniti can be used with a separate power amplifier and a subwoofer out.  Aerial connections for FM and DAB radio are also provided. Surprisingly, there is no phono input.

The supplied remote control is Naim branded and clearly designed to be specifically used with the Superuniti.  It is intuitive to use but, for me, was rendered redundant by the iOS app.  As this is the same app that controls the Mu-So, I was already familiar with it but first-timers will get to grips with it quickly, and it will soon become your default means of controlling the Superuniti.

If you have read my Mu-So review you will know that it was a piece of cake to set up.  Unbelievably, the Superuniti was even easier.  All I had to do was connect my speakers, plug in the Ethernet cable and the power cable, switch it on and use the app to select the UPnP input and we were off and running.

THE SOUND

Before I really get into how the Superuniti sounds, indulge me, if you will, while I get all philosophical for a second or two.  It is a well established truism that hifi equipment needs some time to run in before it sounds at its best – indeed the instruction manual that accompanies the Superuniti states that this is the case. When the Superuniti arrived I was informed by Naim that this particular unit had been run in and aside from a short period of settling in should be good to go.   So, I left it switched on for a day and when I did listen to it, it sounded horrible. There was an unpleasant stridency in vocals and the soundstage seemed non-existent.  I retired to bed with a headache and exactly the same thing happened the next night.  This was worrying and was completely at odds with the sound I had experienced on the other occasions that I had heard the Superuniti do its stuff.   What I need to point out now though is that at this particular point in time I had just recently recovered from a bad bout of man-flu and although I was feeling to all intents and purposes okay, I did have to wonder whether the fault lay with the Superuniti or with me.  I had certainly been feeling run down but did I now need to be run in as well? After all, if hifi products are extremely complex then hifi reviewers – and  other normal humans – are infinitely more so. I’m glad to say that within the week the Naim or I – perhaps a bit of both – had got back “on song” and the Superuniti was sounding much more like I had expected it to.  So the next time your hifi isn’t thrilling you the way it usually does, stop and think for a while: is it maybe you that needs a bit of a tweak?

PRAT is a term that is often used in relation to Naim equipment – it has occasionally also been used in relation to our esteemed Editor [Oi, I do read this stuff you know – Ed.] Where Naim is concerned, it refers to Pace, Rhythm and Timing.  Throughout the time I spent with the Superuniti, I found that my feet and fingers were constantly tapping along to the music and that I was moving in my seat.  If I were the kind of person who gets up and dances, I’d have got up and danced.  This sense of rhythmic engagement is where the Superuniti really shines.

Some systems are edgy and exciting but result in fatigue after an hour or so of listening. The Superuniti is not one of those.  Hour after hour of enjoyment is guaranteed.  And it’s not just about excitement: While Diana Ross’ Love Hangover is like an  edge of your seat white water raft ride as the tension builds relentlessly, Shelby Lynne’s Just A Little Lovin’ is like luxuriating in a warm bath as her vocal envelopes and caresses you.  There is bags of excitement when the music calls for it but plenty of elegance and refinement as well.

I paired the Superuniti with my own Linn Keilidhs as well as a pair of  Audio GE Sincerus 80 floorstanders  that I had for review.  Both speakers retained their individual characteristics while sharing an open, detailed soundstage.  Playing Stravinsky’s Rite Of Spring (Antal Dorati, Mercury Living Presence), with my eyes closed, it was easy to imagine the orchestra spread out in front of me and all of that pace, rhythm and timing was out there in full force.  Whatever kind of music you throw at it, the Superuniti opens it up for rediscovery.

CONCLUSION

Paired with a good pair of speakers, the Superuniti really does offer high-end hifi as a single box solution. The absence of a phono stage is a missed opportunity though and maybe something that Naim should reconsider given the vinyl resurgence since the unit was originally released.  You won’t get a lot of change out of £4000 so it’s by no means a cheap option but if space, aesthetics or just personal preference dictate that a collection of boxes and wires are not for you then the Superuniti needs to be on your short list.

AT A GLANCE

Sound Quality: The trademark Naim sound is present and correct with pace and excitement to the fore.

Build Quality:  Reassuringly solid and built to last – it’s a Naim, and that says it all.  

Value For Money: Not cheap by any means but could you put together a separate streamer, DAC and amplifier system of this quality for less? I don’t think so. 

Pros:

The precise, lively and dynamic sound you expect from Naim, without the hassle of individual components

Anything easier to set up would be hard to imagine

Understated good looks ooze quality

Cons:

Would be even better with a phono stage

Not a con as such but this is not one for the box swappers – if this is right for you, you might never need anything else

Price – £3,785

John Scott

Specifications:

Audio Inputs

– 1 x coaxial BNC – up to 24bits/192kHz

– 1 x coaxial RCA – up to 24bits/192kHz

– 3 x optical TOSlink – up to 24bits/96kHz

– 1 x front panel mini-TOSLINK – up to 24/96kHz

Analogue –  2 x RCA, 1 x front panel 3.5mm jack (combined optical), 1 x DIN

USB – 1 x front panel Type A socket

Input Sensitivity – 270mV at 47kΩ

Wi-Fi  – (802.11 g or n at 2.4GHz), F type (plus PAL adapter)

Antenna – 802.11 b/g at 2.4GHz

Spotify Connect, Tidal ,Bluetooth (SBC, AAC and aptX Classic, aptX Low Latency)

Audio Outputs:

Digital (S/PDIF) – 1 x BNC (75Ω)

Analogue – Speaker output, preamp output (RCA)

Power Output – 80W per channel into 8Ω, 120W per channel into 4Ω (0.1% THD both channel driven)

Frequency Response – 10Hz-20kHz, +0.1/-0.5dB

Signal-to-Noise Ratio – W85dB A-WTD ref 1W 8 Ω

Output Impedance – 22Ω

Load Impedance – 10kΩ min

Sub Output – 1 x RCA pair

Headphone Output – 1 x 3.5mm jack

Remote Control – Infra Red (RC5)

Audio Formats         

WAV (up to 24bit/192kHz)

AIFF (up to 24bit/192kHz)

FLAC (up to 24bit/192kHz)

DSD (single rate DSF64 & DFF64 only)

ALAC (up to 24bit/96kHz)

WMA (up to 16bit/48kHz) must be WMA 9.2

Ogg Vorbis (up to 16bit/48kHz)

M4a (CBR and VBR up to 320kbit/s)

MP3 (CBR and VBR up to 320kbit/s)

Playlists – (M3U, PLS)

Internet Radio Provider – vTuner 5* full service

Internet Radio Formats: Windows Media-formatted content, MP3, ACC, Ogg Vorbis streams and MMS

Multiroom    

Master: Will stream WAV, FLAC and AIFF (up to 24bit/48kHz), ALAC (up to 16bit/44.1kHz), AAC and MP3 (up to 16bit/48kHz) files only as MP3 320kbps quality.

DAB Tuning Range – Band III and L Band, F Type

FM Tuning Range – 87.5 – 108MHz, F Type

User Control

Handheld remote handset included and optional Naim app for iOS and Android.

Power Supply Voltage – 100V, 115V, 230V; 50 or 60Hz

Power Consumption – 400VA (max)

Dimensions (HxWxD) – 87 x 432 x 314 mm

Weight –12.8kg

Costing £1998, the DAC215 from Danish manufacturer Copland is a combined DAC, preamplifier and headphone amp in one good looking unit. Janine Elliot takes a listen for Hifi Pig. 

I initially got excited about Copland when I first heard their CDA288 CD player in 1996. Producing a series of amplifiers, CD players, and even the unique DRC205 room equaliser, all their products have a distinctive musical performance and looks (particularly the use of rotary hat knobs) that set them apart from others, and I get interested every time a new product is released, not something I can say for many companies out there. The DAC215 at £1998 distribute in the UK by Absolute Sounds is no exception.

DESIGN AND FEATURES

Available with silver or black facia, and looking like a retro 1970s kitchen radio that would grace any NEFF equipped designer room, the only thing this cooks up is an hors d’oeuvre of sweet music.

Copland is a Danish company founded in 1984 by Olé Möller, based in central Copenhagen. His professional career began at Ortofon, another major Danish company, where he specialized in low noise amplification of the minute signals from moving coil pickups. Always considered a class act they now work particularly with valve separates that regularly win praise in the press.  With a series of 6 products in current production, they only bring out a new model after years of engineering and listening tests.

This product uses the highly regarded ESS Technology ES9018 Reference Sabre 32Bit DAC, a product finding itself in a number of DACs and hi-res players. In the DAC215 it is configured in quad-mono, meaning that 8 mono channels are converted into two stereo. By combining four ‘in-phase’ and four ‘opposite-phase’ converters per channel, it works like a balanced power supply and adding the two together helps to reduce noise, therefore giving exceptional signal to noise ratio.

With PCM sources up to 384 kHz at 24 and 32 bit, and DSD 2.8-5.6MHz (64,128 and 256) this unit can cater for pretty much anything thrown at it. With a collection of USB, S/PDIF and Toslink digital inputs, plus an RCA analogue input, it can be used as a complete preamp to connect to your power amplifier with its high quality volume control. It can also be used solely as a DAC to be fed into your own preamplifier, missing out the Class A amplifier stage completely. For this review I tried both outputs, arriving at different pairs of RCA sockets at the rear, using MFA Baby Reference pre-amplifier and Krell KAV250a power amplifier. Sources came from a laptop using the Amanero USB driver and Foobar, or else digital output from a Fiio X5.

The asynchronous USB input converter module has its own regulated power supply and power transformer, meaning that a computer’s power isn’t used and the noisy output is isolated. Once connected, the computer recognizes the DAC and routes the digital audio data to it, bypassing the source device’s internal audio circuitry. There are two Toslink and one S/PDIF input, all three allowing 44.1 – 192kHz and 24/32bit. On top of this there is a pair of RCAs for the analogue input as well as the two sets of RCA outputs.

The front panel is distinctive with its radiator, which not only allows ventilation but also shows off the two ECC88/6922 valves, which are additionally lit up by a red LED behind (though should you wish to turn this off you can open up the unit and press a button).  The design of the DAC means these valves are running at around 20% of nominal power, which will extend their life considerably, valves having a limited life span; one of the reasons we went for transistors in hifi back in the 60’s, though, as any audiophile will testament to, the valve is as important to today’s hi-end hifi as the klystron is for high power radio frequency transmitters, the magnetron is in your microwave oven, and dare I say any owners of CRT tube still out there. Olé uses tubes as he considers that so far “they have not been surpassed as active devices in high-end audio”.

The minimalist approach extends to there being no infra-red remote. It is not needed. To be honest it is great to have knobs and switches to play with. To power-on there is a switch on the far right. No need to finger around the back to hunt for a rocker mains switch. On the left of the front panel is a switch, which in the up position lights itself up in red, the amplifier section is bypassed and DAC analogue output via is directed straight to the DAC Left and Right output RCA sockets. In the down position the light is green and the amplifier circuitry in the DAC215 is engaged allowing you to use the volume control and also using headphones, plugging into the ¼ inch socket at the front. The DAC analogue output has a quoted frequency response of 20-20,000Hz +/-0.2dB, though is flat to 70,000Hz, with S/N ratio of 120dB. The Head amp has a better quoted frequency response (20-100,000Hz +/-0.5dB), though gives a much more rounded response up to 250,000Hz at -3dB, and with a powerful bass end, and highly respectable S/N ratio at 90dB. The class-A buffering technology of the analogue filtering sections, composed of discrete transistors, is borrowed from their CD-players, which provide an unfettered and agile sound that belies the small torso of this little monster.

SOUND

On switching on the green/red lights flicker until the complete unit is ready to play music. Initially I used the unit as a preamp using the amplifier circuitry. Playing Pat Matheny, Steve Reich Electric Counterpoint 32Bit 176kHz FLAC I was instantly aware of a warmth, clarity and detail that was immediately interesting in a monotonous minimalist musical recital. The Clockwork Orange main tune from Wendy Carlos (32Bit 176kHz FLAC ) was profound and full of 1960’s analogue Moog synthesiser fanfares that worked better through the Head amp than as a straight DAC output into my MFA preamp. Through the DAC output the sound was a lot more precise but lost some of the melodic euphoria that the valve stage added.  Indeed I found this with a number of hi-res files I played; where the DAC output was much more precise and accurate, it didn’t give me as much of an emotional outcome as through the pre amp stage.

Pink Floyd’s Endless River is the epitaph of an endless foray of musical landscapes since 1967. The final track on this album, “Louder than Words”, is for me one of the greatest tracks they have ever produced. Musically, that is. It sets me crying every time I hear it, though I wish the main chorus section was repeated and developed for longer before petering out into the blue yonder, which in my opinion therefore seems to end way too soon. This album is, however, not that good acoustically. The vocal backing is highly digitised, and listening through the DAC215 shows just how off the mark this recording is. However, the valve stage seems to get it under control and make it human again, whilst still retaining all the detail. I recently remarked in the Clare Teal/ Syd Lawrence Orchestra album about the 24/192 backup recording being ditched and instead the reel-to-reel backup then being converted to 24/192 as that sounded so much more musical. There needs to be a link between musicality and technological ‘tops’; something the early Philips CD101 14Bit CD player, like several others, proved could be contradicted so well. Even Russ Andrews recently commented that ditching 16/44.1 CDs is perhaps too premature; a correctly mastered CD can still sound excellent. And whilst the highly regarded and complex ESS Sabre DAC is ‘tops’, I still needed to put it through the valve stage to humanise the recording, largely because the MFA preamp is so acoustically transparent. Interestingly when fed to a less transparent class A/B pre/power combo, the DAC output was preferable. So, it’s good to have a DAC giving you the choice of selection.

To add confusion, in some of the music I played the Copland DAC output was actually favourable to the valve stage. If only there was just one set of RCA outputs and you could switch between direct/preamp on the front without having to fondle around the back to re-plug the leads every time. There is much difference between the two outputs. Through the preamp stage the bass is particularly warm and inviting, adding power and emotion when needed, whereas through the DAC direct output it is precise and quick. And whilst this was the more perfectionist route, and ideal if you already have a preamplifier, it often left me wanting and, more importantly with my favourite Pink Floyd track, not crying. If this really is the last track Pink Floyd put to digits or vinyl, then it really does need to sound special. My own album ‘Get Over It’ was similarly more human through the valve amp, with a greater bass end and mid warmth.

Now, some will prefer the detail and accuracy invited from the DAC output, and playing Linn’s Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique it had an immense detail front and rear as well as positions across the sound stage.  This recording is the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s debut recording with their new principal conductor Robin Ticciati, and a monster of a performance.  The 4^th movement particularly had immense dynamism, and bass prowess and crisp tops that weren’t exaggerated in any way. This was precision and power that Hector would have appreciated hearing, had he still been around. The DAC output won it for me on this occasion. Even a lower quality 16bit/44.1kHz wav file of Ralph Vaughan Williams London Symphony played with a passion I didn’t expect to be so compelling. The 2^nd movement left me in tears. Definition between the strings extended the boundaries in my living room, giving a large soundstage with meaty bass from Timpani rolls when needed.

I was torn between favouring exactitude or emotion, spending many hours considering both options, and I have to say the latter won it for me. Having another preamplifier stage might seem pointless since my reviewing fed through the brilliant MFA Baby Reference autotransformer, but the overall sound was much more pleasing to me, and hence this unit stands as a great preamplifier in its own right.  The sound was on the warm side of neutral, and this gave me a much more natural sound than was from the DAC output, which at times could sound a little clinical. Indeed, the valve-stage sound reminded me of the warmth and musical understanding in the Copland CD player that I almost bought many years back.  This great product gives you a choice of how you want to use it, and if you don’t have a preamp, then this is a good analogue and digital input control system in its own right.  Used as a headphone amplifier I was of course using the great valve stage, and this gave enough grunt and clarity for my HD650’s let alone the bass-generous Meze 99 Classics I also tried. The sound was highly infectious, and will work well with inefficient planar as well as conventional headphones.

CONCLUSION

The DAC 215 is a very special addition to the Copland family, filling a gap in today’s hifi bucket list. This product allows all the important digital formats, an essential condition of purchasing a converter, adding a touch of analogue musical finesse through the valve stage, just like the new Rolls Royce SUV maintains that Phantom style and luxury. This machine could do so with 24/32bit FLAC and DSD sources without any sign of difficulty, that I seriously considered investing in one myself. It’s minimalistic, simplistic design hides some clever circuitry inside that sets it above many DACs I have had the pleasure/displeasure of playing with over the last few years. Having a choice of two output philosophies makes it all the more appealing.

Highly recommended! 

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality:  Minimalist, well-built design.

Sound Quality:  Much detail and unfettered control, and a musicality, especially through the preamp stage, that made listening to all types of music fun. Works well will all PCM/DSD sources. Excellent headphone amplifier.

Value For Money:  With a price of £1998 this is excellent value, bearing in mind the amount of work this gentle giant can do, serving as DAC, headphone amplifier and preamp

Pros:

Immense musicality and detail
Minimalist good looks and ease of use
Choice of DAC or preamp outputs
Works on all music genres and recording forms up to 384kHz 24/32 bit FLAC and DSD 2.8-5.6MHz (64,128 and 256).
Good to have an on-off button on the front again!

Cons:
Just wish there was one set of RCA output sockets
Some might not like the facia styling

Price: £1998

Janine Elliot

SPECIFICATIONS

DAC:

USB Audio: PCM 44.1~384K (24/32bit)

DSD 2.8~5.6MHz (64~128X)

S/PDIF Input: 1 x COAX / 2 x Optical

PCM 44.1~192K (32bit)

RCA. 2.0 V rms. @ 0dBFS

SNR DAC > 120dB

THD < 0.004%

Head Amp:

Valves: 2 x ECC88 / 6DJ8 / 6922

Output: max. 8.5 V rms

Output impedance: 5.0 Ω

Frequency response: 20Hz~100 kHz (+/-0.5dB)

SNR: 90 dB

THD < 0.02%

Gain Head Amp: 10 dB
Power AC 110~120V or 220~240V

Power Consumption: 25W

Weight: 3.8Kg

Dimensions: 200 x 280 x 115 mm. W x D x H

John Scott takes a listen to the Hana Lab Sakura music server and DAC hailing from Croatia and costing £500

Hana Lab is a Croatian company specialising in digital music servers and class D amplifiers.   All products are hand built and can be customised to the buyer’s specification, whether buying a single component such as a streamer or a streamer/DAC/amplifier combo. Hana Lab sent me a Sakura Server/DAC for review.

UNBOXING AND APPEARANCE 

The Sakura arrived in a plain cardboard shipping box, well protected internally by polystyrene inserts.  The unit was accompanied by a robust power cable and pleasingly comprehensive and easy to read instructions which aided a straightforward set up. 

The Sakura is a circular aluminium case measuring 150mm across and 50mm deep.  The case is topped by a solid slice of the Sakura wood that gives it its name.  A single on/off button at the front provides a minimalist design with all the inputs  and outputs being hidden round the back.

The inputs comprise of a power socket, Ethernet port and two USB ports; one for connection to a USB drive, if desired, and one for the supplied USB wireless dongle.  Outputs are two RCA sockets.

SET UP AND USE 

Connections were straightforward – the USB dongle provided a satisfactory connection to my router but after ascertaining that this was the case I disconnected it and opted for the wired Ethernet connection for the remainder of the review period.  Powering the unit up by pressing the on/off switch results in this flashing with a green LED for a few seconds.  The light stops flashing when the unit is fully initialised.  The server and DAC run from Raspberry Pi hardware featuring a Sabre chip.  Software is the popular Rune Audio programme.

Accessing the Rune Audio software to connect the Sakura to your music source, eg NAS or USB drive, requires you to identify the unit’s IP address but if you haven’t done this before, the instructions clearly explain how to do this.  The next step is to point the server programme to your music library and allow the programme to compile your library into the programme’s player interface.  Depending on the size of your library this might take some time – I found that it took a few hours – I have a large digital library – but fortunately, subsequent updates whenever you add or remove tracks in your library are much quicker. 

In my opinion, servers  stand or fall on the quality of their control app.  The job of a server  is to allow you to choose the tracks you want to play from your digital music library and then present them to the DAC.  Using a control app should be a pleasure and, ideally, add value to the listening experience.  The Rune Audio app does all the things you need it to: search by artist, album or track, construct playlists on the fly, display cover art, access internet radio.  It’s not the best app I have encountered but it is far from the worst and is perfectly adequate for use in a desktop or second-room system.  For everyday use in a main system I’d be looking for a little bit more sophistication.  That said, Rune Audio is an open source software programme and improvements will no doubt be forthcoming from its enthusiastic user group.

SOUND 

When compared directly to a combination of a Logitech Squeezebox Touch streamer and Cambridge Audio DacMagic, the Sakura acquitted itself admirably.  The Squeezebox edges the Sakura in functionality – Tidal integration, for example – but, sound wise there is very little between the Sakura and the DacMagic.  Soundstage was solidly presented, instruments holding their position and not wandering around.  Harlem/Cold Baloney, the closing track of Bill Withers’ excellent Live At Carnegie Hall features an extended call and response section between Bill and various sections of the audience.  The acoustic of the hall was well rendered with clear differences between the sound of the responses at the sides, centre, front and back of the room. Mary Coughlan’s voice on Leaf From A Tree from her Uncertain Pleasures album is very closely mic’d and it was easy to close my eyes and imagine her standing at the bottom of my room in front of her band. 

CONCLUSION 

The Sakura offers a simple single box streamer/DAC solution, ideal for a desktop or second-room system.  That’s not to say that it wouldn’t work well in a mid priced main system but, for me, the app needs a little more refinement for extended use.  Its hand-crafted solid wood and aluminium finish is highly attractive but will not be to all tastes; if you prefer nondescript black or silver boxes then this may not be for you.  If, however, you are looking for something a little bit out of the ordinary that offers good value for money then the Sakura is worth considering.

AT A GLANCE 

Sound Quality: Good sound for a product at this price point.

Build Quality:  Hand crafted – bespoke options are available on request.

Value For Money: There are lots of generic bits of kit available in this sector of the market.  The Sakura offers something that stands out from the crowd.

Pros:

Distinctive, hand-crafted looks.

Good sound for the price.

Cons:

App could be better – but this is a criticism I have about almost every streamer/server.

Price – Basic Sakura (as reviewed) €500.  Deluxe version with display and remote €650 (both prices inclusive of VAT). 

SPECIFICATIONS

The specification can be tailored to your requirements. The Sakura audio server is based on Raspberry Pi hardware, and features an integrated DAC which supports high resolution playback (configurable with a 24/192 or 32/384 DAC – the review model is based on an ES9023 DAC chip, capable of 24/192 resolution- and a variety of services (Spotify, Internet radio, UPNP/DLNA playback, Airplay, etc.). It plays most of the usual audio formats (MP3, Flac, Aiff, WAV, etc.) via external USB disk, or a wide selection of Internet radio stations. It also supports network sources for audio files (NAS or a network share), and can play music files from a smartphone or tablet.

The server connects to network via Ethernet cable or wirelessly (Wi-Fi) and is powered by a 5V (DC) switching power supply.

John Scott

The Stream Xa is a combined streamer/DAC, retailing at £1,295.  The PSX R2 power supply is an optional upgrade and retails at £695.  John Scott takes them both out for a test.

UNBOXING AND APPEARANCE 

Both units arrived in cardboard shipping boxes.  Within each of these boxes, the individual units are further protected by another internal box, secured by substantial polystyrene mouldings that keep the units firmly in place during transport.  The supplied power cables and accessories are also well packed and secured.

Cyrus are a well-established audio manufacturer, their first products having appeared on the market in 1984 with the Cyrus 1 and Cyrus 2 amplifiers.  Over the years, the Cyrus brand has developed into a distinctive style, into which both the Xa and the PSX R2 seamlessly fit.  If you are putting the Stream Xa into a non-Cyrus system then you might find its looks to be a little dated compared to something like the Lumin A1 streamer but I didn’t find this to be a major concern.  The Stream Xa comes in either Brushed  Black or Silver Quartz.  The supplied model was Brushed  Black which would be my preferred option.  Both the Stream Xa and its external power supply are sturdily built – the casing is die-cast metal – and they exude a feeling of quality and craftsmanship in line with their price tag.

SETUP

The Stream Xa is supplied with a generic information leaflet that seems to be designed to apply across the whole Cyrus range so I gave it a quick look over and then ignored it.  A CD containing an instruction manual is also supplied and I ignored that as well.  I did, however, download the PDF of the manual which proved to be a lot quicker than messing about with a CD.  I guess it is good to have options though.  The Stream Xa comes with 5 digital inputs (2 optical SPDIFs and 3 coaxial SPDIFs) and 3 outputs (1 coaxial SPDIF and 2 RCA analogue outputs).  Using The Cyrus MC-BUS system, it can be completely integrated with other Cyrus products.  A remote control is not supplied but if existing Cyrus users have an iR14 remote then this will also work with the Stream Xa.

The Stream Xa can be connected wirelessly to your home network or via a wired Ethernet connection.  Setup is relatively straightforward once you get used to the navigation of the menu on the front panel display which is controlled by a rotary/push knob and a back button.

I have said this in other streamer reviews in the past and I will no doubt continue to do so in the future: a streamer is only as good as the app that controls it.  Streaming music files should be all about simplicity and versatility.  If using your streamer’s app makes you want to throw your tablet or smartphone through the window, then something is seriously wrong.   I’m happy to report that no tablets, smartphones or windows were damaged during the period of my review.  Cyrus’ Cadence app does everything you need it to, including access to Internet radio, although not quite with the elegance and sophistication of the best apps that I have used.  Currently, the Android version of the app has slightly better functionality than the iOS version but Cyrus have assured me that further development of the app is ongoing and new releases will be forthcoming very soon.

SOUND 

Over a period of several weeks I auditioned the Stream Xa with and without the PSX R2 power supply, switching this in and out regularly. I was immediately impressed by the sound of the Stream Xa on its own.  Well-known recordings revealed subtle textures and nuances.  I’ve often found solo piano recordings to be tricky to reproduce realistically but the Xa took Gina Bachauer’s version of Brahms’ Variations On A Theme By Paganini (Mercury Living Presence) in its stride.  The instrument retained a stable position in the soundstage with the ambience of the recording space being faithfully reproduced.

Adding the PSX R2 to the equation simply made an already good performance better, allowing the Stream Xa to give its all, like adding a drop of water to a cask strength whisky to allow its complex flavours to open up.  This was demonstrated time and again over the review period.

The Stream Xa is genre agnostic; equally at home with the taught rhythms of Fragments In Time from Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories album as with the delicate syncopation  of Nick Drake’s acoustic  guitar on River Man from Five Leaves Left.  The complex interactions between tabla and vocals on The Conference from Nitin Sawhney’s Beyond Skin were easily untangled and practically demanded repeated replaying. This is a piece of equipment that will have you revisiting your whole digital music collection.

CONCLUSION 

The Stream Xa can be readily recommended, whether as part of an existing Cyrus system or as a stand-alone component.  It can also be recommended with or without its accompanying power supply upgrade but if your budget can stretch to cover the additional £695 then it would be silly not to include it.  You can of course start with the Stream Xa and add the PSX R2 when funds permit. 

AT A GLANCE 

Sound Quality: Revealing, detailed and involving.  And with the PSX R2 even more so

Build Quality: Solidly built and exudes an air of reliability

Value For Money: A very good streamer/DAC combo for the money.  Deserves to be auditioned

Pros:

Terrific sound quality

Space-saving compact design may be an advantage for some

Cons:

The Cadence app could be more refined

Space-saving compact design will not be to everyone’s liking

No DSD compatibility

John Scott 

SPECIFICATIONS

Stream Xa 

Outputs:

SPDIF coaxial

Stereo RCA analogue         

PSX-R upgrade port

MC-BUS    

Inputs:

Optical SPDIF         

Coaxial SPDIF         

USB A           

Ethernet  

File/Signal Compatibility:

WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AAC ,MP3, WMA, AIFF 

Maximum signal resolution:

24 bit 192 kHz 

Dimensions (mm):

Height 73

Width 215

Depth 360

Weight 4.7kg 

PSX R2 

Dimensions (mm):

Height 73

Width 215

Depth 360

Weight 7kg

The Convert Technologies Plato Class A costing £3999 will digitise your vinyl, store your films and tunes, has a digital phono stage and now runs in Class A. Janine Elliot takes this modern day music centre for a whirl. 

As a child I was always intrigued by the Waltham all-in-one music centres available in Tesco. A turntable complete with amplifier, tuner, cassette deck and 8-track player in one box looked great with its complexity of buttons and knobs. Only the sound quality stopped me from finally dishing out months of pocket money.

When I first caught sight of the Plato a few years ago I was amazed at just how simple it looked; no buttons and switches apart from the single modest on off button next to the USB socket. But this device was really clever. Now I could assemble all my music and video onto a single hard drive and play it controlled from a separate Android or IOS tablet, and more important, that all my vinyl could be recorded and stored on the device.

Using Android engine and Gracenote it will automatically ‘top and tail’ each track and have it all named and numbered without me having to raise anything other than a smile. Only at the Bristol hifi show when I asked if the amplifier stage of this all-in one unit was Class A was I slightly disappointed. Until now.  As well as ground-breaking ripping technology and facilities, using Gracenote to get album cover and titles as well as track durations so it can edit them accurately (and cleverly allowing a bit extra if necessary if your aged Garrard SP25iv is not quite playing at the right speed), this unit now plays your 24/192 FLACs or 16/44.1 WAVs as they should be, with precision and musicality to make them deserve that centre place on your hifi cabinet.

Using the Android operating system this all in one unit is a marvel of engineering and features. Since moving magnet and particularly moving coil cartridges require significant amplification, it was imperative that the design of the Plato didn’t mean amplification of noise and interference. Consequently the unit is well shielded between the power supply to remove the worry of EMIs and RFIs. The digital design allows for a very quiet phono-stage with plenty of presets to alter the sensitivity, plus adjustments in 0.5dB steps either side; small enough to not be noticeable if adjusting whilst you are recording. You can also choose loads of 100Ω, 200Ω or 47kΩ, and 100pF or 200pF, plus select a rumble filter (>18dB at 5Hz) if your turntable needs it.

Ian Ringstead’s fine review in 2015 covers the how and what of the technology so I won’t repeat his findings in this review. The product now has a Class A amplifier stage to play music you have stored on it, or streaming from the internet. Unlike the standard model using Neutrik Speakon output sockets the Class A model uses conventional 4mm speaker sockets. There are 4 analogue and 4 digital inputs with analogue and digital pre-outputs. Adding another £1000 on top of the standard Plato, I wanted to establish whether this newly upgraded all-in-one machine really should be the centre of your hifi system. In my review here I connected the Plato using an RJ45 cable to my Virgin network, and playing the great team of Avid Volvere/SME/Benz with playback through the excellent Graham Audio LS5/9 speaker. 

The choice of the name Plato is easy to understand as it equates the writings of the 420BC philosopher Plato and his ‘The Allegory of the Cave’. In the allegory, people are chained in a cave so that all they can see are fuzzy shadows representing their existence cast on the walls of the cave reflected from a fire that is behind them. This parable also shines the light of truth of our relationship with music, with memories of our past becoming reality in our minds through the use of music. It might have been fuzzy in the cave but with audio up to 24bit/192kHz the Plato is pin sharp, and playing back some of my 1970’s LPs took me back to my own youth. The choice of ‘Entotem’ as the company name is less easy to understand, though Development Director Dave Belcher who delivered the Plato to me explained to me that the word “Ent” is short for entertainment and “Totem” meaning a form of worship (as in the word Totem Pole). I am pleased to say the company producing the Plato is now  known as Convert Technologies, an appropriate name for a company using technology to convert from one medium to another and allowing them to ask me and purchasers “Are you a Convert?”…I certainly am.

Dave Belcher has himself spent a life dealing with digits, not only designing the Plato but originally working for Philips designing software for CD transports. In 2001 he then joined a fledgling company as one of development team, producing high capacity digital storage which grew to around 70 workers before it was sold to mega storage device manufacture Imation. Using capital from the sale he started Entotem in 2013 as one of 4 directors. The company has now grown to 26 with all building work done at its factory in Derby, and R&D work in Newbury, Berkshire.

As a musician I am always amazed at how many different programs are running along in my brain at the same time. Firstly, my eyes decode the dots on the music staves and translates them into note names which then runs a program to convert them to finger movements to press the corresponding notes on the piano, with a separate program checking that I am actually playing the correct notes and another listening to make sure that the frequencies relate to the notes I see in front of me, and doing error checking and correcting my fingers as appropriate.  There are lots of things going on at the same time in split second accuracy. Similarly with the Plato, not only can I play and record an album, monitoring the input or listening to what is now on the hard-drive (a bit like a 3 head tape machine of old with the inevitable slight delay), but the program will be busy editing tops and tails of this whilst you are recording the album, and whilst recording the next album, and so on. All recordings go onto the 1 or 2 terabyte SSD or standard HDD hard drive. If at a later date you discover you need to edit the start or end of a track you can do so for a period of time, as the recording process is similar to the SD card in your car camera, continually recording until it gets to the end of the hard drive and starting all over again. The editing system is very easy to navigate and accurate in use. The only problem I found was that if the screen goes blank (as it will after a set time) then if it needs a command from you, such as deleting two versions etc, then until you see the request it won’t do anything. Convert Technologies are presently working on simplifying the technique of exporting your recordings onto a USB stick, if you want to put them on a portable hi-def player, for example. Only the album thumbnails can’t be exported, due to copying politics, though I have in the past copied jpegs of albums and inserted them into the album folders, which gets over that issue. Only once when asking it to export recordings onto a USB stick connection on the minimalist front panel did it show any signs of confusion whilst playing different music at the same time, though the company assure this minor glitch is now sorted. Also, as someone used to knobs and buttons, using technology such as this can be a little frustrating. If you suddenly get that phone-call and need to hit the pause or turn the volume down you will need to first refresh the Android and get to the correct page to turn the volume down, and by that point the phone might have gone to ‘missed call’. A separate miniature remote for refresh screen, volume and mute would be my pennyworth of ideas, though I guess I am just showing signs of old age.

SOUND

Whilst my suggestion of creating a Class A amplifier at that hifi show might not have been heard, I am so glad that this is what they have now done.  Plato Class A is essentially a Class A/B design with class A operating until 8W (8Ω), which is more than you need, and the class B stage will allow those peaks up to 50W. Some Class A/B amplifiers only go a few watts before switching over, so this was a good plus. If the internal temperature surpasses the normal operating range then the amplifier will automatically operate in class B mode until returning to normal operating temperature. Signal to noise is a respectable >110dBa (45W/8Ω) with total harmonic distortion less than 0.0008% at 1kHz/1W.  The design is meaty enough to play my LS5/9s with gusto, especially in the speed of the bass and extreme clarity on top.

David Gilmour ‘Rattle that Lock’ is one of my favourite albums, not least because of the great production and clarity of the music. Bass lines are extended, tom toms are meaty and guitar solos are effortlessly transparent and treacle to the ears.  “In Any Tongue” might be one of the weakest tracks on the album, but David squeezes emotions with his guitar that I found I could well understand what all the fuss was all about. “Beauty” had effortless piano and string beauty about it that seemed consistent with much of the music I played. The Class A amplifier was very musical and still quick in delivery and open in sound. It wasn’t lethargic like many amplifiers at this price point. Then when the Gilmour track starts to liven up, the added cymbal rhythms showed just how quick and clear a digital phono-stage could actually be. The Gilmour album has an extremely wide range of gain, but the phono-stage allowed even the quietest point of the music to be crystal clear.

With a range of adjustment for input that would embarrass even the most equipped conventional phono-stage, and which could be altered on the fly, there was plenty of room to ensure your recordings didn’t hit that overload point, as digital distortion is much less forgiving than analogue. Ray Davies ‘Working Man’s Café’ was particularly clear, and showed some of the kinks in the elder’s singing voice that might have worked in the 60’s, when he was lead singer in the band called the Kinks. “The Real World” is a weak track, but the Plato gave the music so much depth and space that I could start to understand Ray’s vocal and his concern about a girl with a Harvard Degree who decided to waste it all by working in a bar in New Orleans. He sang about her getting reality in her life, reliving Plato’s Analogy in the cave. The music was in charge now.

London Grammar ‘If You Wait’ is an exceptionally well recorded and mastered album on 45rpm. “Stay Awake” showed the extended and powerful bass with Hannah Reid’s voice calm and controlled; a mixture of Florence and the Machine, Judie Tzuke and Goldfrapp. The trio produce sparse music with plenty of reverbs and effects over her voice and the Benz cartridge on SME iv arm gave a very detailed and painless performance that showed just why vinyl cannot be beaten, admirably transferred to 24/96 in my Plato recording. David Gilmour “The Blue”  (from ‘On an Island’) was an effortlessly sublime multicolour pastiche, with deep bass and crisp ride cymbals with clear singling out in the soundstage of harmonica and Hammond organ sounds and distorted guitar. I was in a sea of ecstasy playing this through what is effectively a £1600 power amp.

CONCLUSION

Whilst you can pick up the 2T HDD Plato Pre for £2400, the addition of the Class A amplifier within the single box is a very attractive proposal. Whilst class A amplifiers cover a vast multitude of prices and specification, this modest set up is highly rewarding and the fact it means you can have everything you need (apart from the turntable) now in one attractive box means the days of the music centre are well and truly back.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality:  Minimalist, well-built design, with solid aluminum curved fascia and modular design, available in any colour if you add £300.

Sound Quality:  Detailed and well controlled audio with good headroom for peaks

Value For Money:  This is a unique product, and now with a good class A amplifier meaning you can have all your musical eggs in one basket at a very reasonable price. 

Pros:

A unique product
Accurate, musical and quick Class A performance in terms of clarity and musicality significantly improving over standard amplifier
4mm speaker binding posts
Runs Android and can be controlled via Android or IOS tablets
Effortless copying of vinyl or cassette to WAV or FLAC as well as digital audio/video storage

Cons:
Just wish there was a volume control and headphone socket!

Price:

Plato Class A 2TB HDD £3999.00

SPECIFICATIONS

Output: Speaker L & R (x1)

Output Power (230V AC in): >50 Watts, into 8Ω

THD (20-20kHz, Line In to Speaker out): <0.0008% 1kHz – 8Ω, 1W

<0.0008% 1kHz – 8Ω, 50W

<0.001% 10kHz – 4Ω, 1W

<0.001% 10kHz – 4Ω, 10W

Signal to Noise Ratio (PGA 0dB): >110dBa (45W/8R out)

Signal to Noise Ratio (PGA 0dB): >90dBa (1W/8R out)

Frequency response (20Hz-20kHz): +/- 0.1dB

A quick search on any established hifi forum will confirm that enthusiasts have been long been arguing about the role, importance and perceived effect of different digital transports on sound quality. This subject has provoked involved debate pretty much since Arcam first unleashed the ‘Black Box’ standalone digital to analogue converter on consumers in 1989 and now has new legs as more audiophiles make the switch from silver to hard disk to store the bits to fire at their DAC chip of choice.

It’s arguably a discussion with more relevance today than before. Even the most basic compact disc spinners are designed with that specific job in mind. These ears hear far smaller differences between two CD transports built for the task in hand than between differing implementations of PC audio where a quiet, vibration free dedicated digital transfer just wasn’t part of the original design brief. I know this at my cost – I’m sure we’ve all found that it’s pretty easy to get crap sound from a laptop. Advances in technology and the demand for a purpose built solution has given rise to the file streamer, but while Sonos play Pepsi to Squeezeboxes Coca Cola in a lifestyle tussle for your front room, cynics grumble about switching power supplies and low rent components. I can relate to this. I’m a huge fan of the convenience of my Sonos box, but it’s not uncommon for me to lower the ‘CD is dead’ flag and reach for a jewel case when I really want to hear what my system is doing.

Enter Poland’s Lukasz Fikus of Lampizator fame. Modder extraordinaire and ruthless blogger turned boutique manufacturer, Lukasz has spotted a high quality file streamer shaped gap in the market and added this Transport to his well received line up of DACs. The workmanlike black box incorporates the Logitech Squeezebox Duet technology and builds a unique machine around it, with the valve output stage, with valve power supply, that takes care of the conversion to SP/dif grabbing most of the headlines. Mods to the Duet internals include a new super clock and high end power supply, but the unit retains the Squeezebox hi-res playback (96/24), U.I. and access to internet radio, Spotify and other music subscription services, even shipping with cute Logitech remote control. Familiar territory, and to this end set up was a snap. I was happily scrolling through familiar artwork within just a couple of minutes of unboxing.

To business and a head to head with my Sonos/Audio GD Digital interface set up. The two box Chinese re-clocker adds body and weight to the bit perfect ZP90 output and serves me adequately day to day. The sources are plumbed in to a MHDT Havana DAC with Kimber digital cable and Audio Note’s Oto amplifier and AN-E loudspeaker combination are trusted to relay the findings.

I’m enjoying a bit of a dub revival at the moment and Alborosie’s ‘Kingston town’ has a real swagger about it. The first listen through on the Sonos is enjoyable enough, but almost totally eclipsed by the Lampizated re run. The second play has more authority and presence – it seems larger and more potent. I repeat the exercise and notice that there’s more detail and tune in the lower register with the new arrival. The bass line has a new emphasis and seems less one dimensional and more open than before, bringing in a swing and a melody of it’s own that’s now easy to notice. A journey through David Rodigan’s ‘Fabric’ compilation reinforces these findings. It’s an easy call. The Lampizator Transport is a more engaging, musical listen.

The Audio GD SP/dif converter has both coaxial and USB input and so a direct comparison to laptop playback is possible. A round of A/B listening with Tunng’s well recorded ‘Good Arrows’ confirms what we’ve already established. The Polish streamer is a detail-demon and seems to pull more out of the file than my netbook/converter can. It produces a clear, easy sound that seems to distinguish better between separate sounds on the recording than either of the other sources. Two wins in a row.

Impressive stuff, but hardly surprising given the entry fee of the units under scrutiny. A better test would be against a top drawer CD transport and the digital coaxial input on Resolution Audio’s Opus 21 player allows us to do just that. The Transport is plugged into the Opus 21 and comparisons can be made to the original compact disc and ripped lossless media file at the press of a button on the remote.

After a few tracks it was clear that this was going to be a much closer test. Many renditions were virtually indistinguishable from each other and any differences were noted down as an edge more warmth here, or a touch more detail there. A percent or two difference! I asked a good music-lover friend of mine who is less OCD about such things to help me work out what I was hearing. We covered the display of the unit and he switched between the two, playing tracks from one source then the other. Any positive differences noted in this blind test were both always in favour of the Lampizator Transport and almost too minor to be of concern. Another win, but a narrow one. I’m happy to concede that a more resolving, higher end system than mine may have highlighted bigger differences and the arrival of the Lampizator DAC 4 (more on that soon) bought further improvements when pitched against the American spinner come DAC.

And so we’re almost back to where we started. How important is the role of the transport in the audio chain? This might be where the Transport stumbles a bit.  At £2,500 it’s very expensive and it cuts a pretty drab figure in a boxy, bolt together homebrewesque outfit, that hardly screams top of the food chain hifi royalty.  Some enthusiasts wouldn’t dream of spending this much money on just a transport and others won’t need anything better than my everyday solution that the Lampizator bested so easily. Many might look to buy cheaper and apportion the balance to better the components downstream. In doing so they might well get a better sound for pound improvement.

But in making those comments I might be missing the point. I’d imagine that this has been designed for the listener that has moved away from CD replay and wants to be sure that they are feeding a high end system with the very best signal they can afford – the same listener that would drop multi thousands on a dedicated CD transport five years ago.  Lukasz Fikus thinks this is the best sounding dedicated transport in the world. It has prettier, better finished competition in the form of, for instance, the Linn streamers, but after spending some time with this clever coupling of innovative technology and excellent interface it’s not that easy to disagree with him.

Price £2,100

Author – Jake

Two reviews of the Lampizator DAC will follow shortly from Jerry and Jake.

Want to read more hifi reviews?

When the uPlay Stream arrived for review a week or so ago I have to say I was a bit apprehensive to say the least as me and computers/streaming and all that kind of stuff just don’t seem to get on with each other. Indeed, I had warned family members that there would no doubt be shouting.

The little uPlay Stream from QED comes with a wall wart, a short ethernet cable and a minijack to stereo RCA cable. It’s really small and unobtrusive and has no buttons on it other than a tiny little sync button on the back. Around the back you get an ethernet socket, the input for the wall wart and that’s about it. On top you get 3 little glowing icons to let you know it’s turned on, connected to the wifi and functioning properly.

It’s compatible with all the main file formats including MP3, FLAC, WAV and what not and has an onboard Wolfson DAC which is 24-bit/96kHz compatible. The uPlay is DLNA/UPnP compatible and can be controlled from your iPad or Android doodad. You can have up to eight of these beasties dotted around your house and it will play tunes from your tablet or smartphone, your PC or NAS drive or even from Drop Box and Sky Drive.

Now here’s where there’s going to be the shouting bit as it’s time to get the uPlayer hooked up to the WiFi and get it playing some tunes. Well there wasn’t ANY shouting at all and set up is very simple indeed. Download the free app’ to youngest son’s iPod Touch (I did need help with this bit), plug the device briefly into the router, press a few virtual buttons on the iPod, unplug from the server and plug into a free input on the pre amp and we’re off – it finds the server automatically and tells you when it’s connected poperly. All that I had to do now was drag a few tunes into Media Player and that’s it. Really very simple indeed and nothing for even a luddite like me to have any fears over.

Playing tunes is as easy as scrolling through your titles on the iPod and pressing play. The app worked flawlessly for me – it’s intuitive and simple to navigate and find your tunes.

The onboard DAC is absolutely fine for most listening – it’s actually very good indeed – but I would have loved to have been able to bypass this and plug the unit into the VAD DAC in the main system. However, for the modest asking price of £149.90 including VAT moaning about this would be churlish in the extreme! 

There’s actually not a great deal to say about the unit as there’s not a great deal I didn’t really love about it. It’s great for when you’ve got visitors round as you can make up a playlist and play that, it’s fab for playing tunes whilst doing other stuff and it’s perfectly acceptable and high resolution enough to satisfy most folks.

Conclusion

This is a wonderful bit of kit that allows you to play all your digital files easily and without fuss and I’m certain it will be a huge seller for QED. If you are a serious audiophile looking to add the ease of use that digital files allow to your system, but don’t intend them to be your main source, this is for you! If you are a music lover who wants to have easily controllable and inexpensive access to your digital media around the house then again this is for you. No, it doesn’t have the benefit of a digital out which would have made it just perfect, but for the price the uPlay Stream from QED really is a no brainer!

Author – Stuart

Mark Mallinson is President of Resonessence Labs and along with his brother Martin, launched the company in 2009. Prior to this Mark was the Operations Director for ESS Technology where his team was responsible for the design of the company’s Sabre Audio DAC chips. Mark left ESS in 2009 to start Resonessence Labs…a coincidence?… Mark laughed and said ‘not really!’ The brothers saw a business opportunity.

Sabre Audio products from ESS are now employed in many high end systems, but back in 2009 Mark and Martin noticed that some audio companies were not doing a particularly good job of designing the chip into their products and felt that they could do better. Resonessence launched their first Audio DAC product, Invicta in 2011 and now have 6 DAC products ranging in price from $350 CAD to $4,995 CAD.

Mark states, ‘Our goal is to produce audio products that we can all be proud of. To this end we design, manufacture, assemble and test our all of our products locally.’

Resonessence Labs’ products are ‘Field Upgradeable’ giving the end user the ability for hardware and software tweaks and changes, which presents interesting options for those in the know and with the required skills.

Review Overview

I have a few options in the way I could use the £299 Herus in my system:

   –  As intended from a USB source such as the Mac or Squeezebox Touch (SBT) then with an iOS and Android tablet (Resonessence claim compatibility with IOS and Android devices) with a range of different headphones to throw into the mix.
   –  Secondly I planned to use the Herus as a standalone DAC feeding the Icon Audio HP8 valve headphone amp.
   –  Lastly as standalone DAC into my main rig.
   –  I also have a few different USB cables ranging from the modest in price Chord Silver Plus and Wireworld Starlight 7 to the more expensive Tellurium Q Black Diamond and another option the Astintrew Concord which has a split data and power cable.

Using the Herus as intended (as a combined DAC and headphone amplifier)

Firstly was to use the Herus fed by the USB of my SBT using the free ‘Enhanced Digital Output’ software. Plug in the Herus (red backlit logo) and enter the Audio settings on the SBT, navigate to the Digital Output menu (where the Herus now shows up as a selectable device), a quick click and the SBT reboots with the Herus showing as the device ready for use (now a blue backlit logo on the Herus to inform the user of lock on). I plugged in a pair of AKG K702’s into the device and the Chord Silver Plus USB and unchecked the fixed volume control on the SBT in order not to damage the headphones – the Herus as it has no volume control itself and is fixed at full output. Without going into all the techy details basically the source’s volume control becomes obsolete and the on screen volume slider actually is the Herus’ internal volume which is transposed onto the screen so to speak.

I began to play some Stevie Nicks. The presentation of the sound was crisp and clean, with a great openness to the vocal, a typical sound for these headphones I felt. I continued to play on through some more vocal and acoustic based albums from the likes of Chris Jones, Norah Jones and Jack Savoretti concluding that the Herus was extremely transparent to the character of the source and headphones, but I was concerned that the top end was a little too sharp and the headphones, although extremely revealing even with the Icon valve amp, has a tamer top end which can be exploited and refined to expose some beauty in the detail and so I tried swapping out the Chord USB for the Wireworld Starlight 7.

Playing Annie Lennox’s ‘Little Bird’ proved that a simple change of the cable calmed down a slightly spittier response, yet still retained the source’s character along with the revealing presentation of these headphones. I have a tendency to listen to headphones very loud, not great for the lug-holes but it’s a fetish of mine. Even if it’s late at night and I’m just intending to play some gentle background type music within 6 or 7 tracks the volume is cranked right up, so for me at louder volumes I need to be able to hear the clarity of a track especially with these cans, otherwise it’s headache time after a while.

The Herus in this respect came across to me fantastically, the amplifier inside is very powerful and belies the units size, driving these headphones to volume levels I really never expected, distorting minimally as the full volume was nearly reached and remaining clean and neutral.

Using the Herus with the Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB cable was a step up in performance again, cleaning and expressing a midrange that breathed with presence in the soundstage and giving a noticeably greater width to the sound. Smaller details were more defined and cymbal work especially shimmered very realistically. Bass which had been taut and tuneful gained more detail and rhythm which was gratefully received especially with Electronica.

The last USB option I had with this rig was to try Astintrews ‘Concord’ USB with has split power and data cables and their patented power supply design. This gave a punchier and little leaner upper-bass/lower-mid response, most noticeably a lower noise floor which added a really nice spaciousness to the sound – to be expected I guess from what I have heard with this device partnered with my Mac already.

The modded SBT is already very quiet, but the Concord did take the background hash down a little further and due to the AKG’s having that extremely revealing presentation they were ideal for this part of the review and the Herus was left as the true heart of the system, decoding and amplifying a sound that was complete in resolution and powerful enough to really drive the AGK’s very well indeed.

When listening to the Civil Wars ‘I’ve Got This Friend’ the Herus presented remarkable detail in the string work and each vocal was beautifully rendered in harmony stating there own position on the track, clearly defined and wonderfully recorded.

The transparency, accuracy and robust presentation of the Herus is absolutely astonishing, each piece of music sounds the way it should. Listening to specific music for certain attributes when testing equipment is something we all do and I can quite confidently say that the Herus ticks virtually every box for me. Critically against much more expensive headphone and DAC combos there will be flaws of course, but I have ticked way more boxes than I ever expected and more than with my previous PS Audio DAC combined with other standalone headphone amplifiers around the £300-£500 mark. The resolution, detail, excellent dynamics and balance that the Herus has is pretty awesome.

Further testing with other headphones

An obvious next test to confirm some of my initial thoughts would be for me to try other headphones, fortunately enough I have a pair of Sennheiser HD598s and some Beyerdynamic DT-990s, both very different from each other and from the AKG’s.

Leaving the Concorde USB in to exploit the best of the Herus and reveal as much of the other headphones character partnered with the amp/dac as possible I plugged the Beyers full size jack into the tiny Herus.

I’m not a great fan of these partnered with the Icon amp, I feel they thrive with good solid state amps, They can be a tad laid back, have a gorgeous midrange but can lack that bit of air in the top end. The Herus really exploited the midrange as suspected, darker than the AKG’s but wonderfully rich and fleshed out, I like the Beyers on the Epiphany Acoustics head amp very much but found the Herus to transmit better low end grip into them, the top end never got that air like with the AKG’s, yet still had a nice sharpness and sparkle with great clarity and control, it was all just a little darker and not as transparent sounding, still very true to the source I feel and the character of the headphones, fantastic for some genres and poorer recordings, but after listening to the 702’s just lacked that bite and punch, I’m sure if I listened to them first I would have raved about how well the Herus drove the 300 Ohm load and how fantastic I thought they sounded, but then that has to simply be down to me and my personal preference of cans and in no way makes light of the Herus’ charms.

Onto the Sennheiser HD598’s which are a great and not too expensive, fun headphone and on the little Resonessence amp these for me are a great match both sound-wise and price point-wise. Clarity and vocals are at the forefront of their presentation with a fantastic volume level that would be more than adequate for anyone – even me!

Back in went the Wireworld cable and the smoother and less clean sound that it gave against the Astintrew was actually preferable – overall a more fun, musical and bouncy sound rather than a more revealing type of sound that has you listening out for details and attributes. I spent a fair bit of time with this combination in place, writing part of this review and surfing around the net on my iPad, feet up and rocking backwards and forwards in my computer chair, probably with a daft grin on my face!

I even put a stock USB into the Herus from the SBT as I realised I hadn’t done that (I always use a better than stock USB cable for piece of mind for build quality on everything) and even with that in place I was happy with the presentation of the Herus, although I would recommend something mid priced as it does help performance.

Android and IOS device tests

Resonessence Labs claim on their website that the device is compatible with iOS and Android devices – fantastic, so I can take the Herus anywhere I go and enjoy my Spotify playlists in their full glory!

I’d ordered the camera connection kit for the iPad Air assuming that this must be the way to connect the USB type B connector on the Herus to the iPad. Plugging the adapter into the iPad with a normal A to B USB cable illuminated the Herus’ logo in red and then quickly into blue to confirm that a lock and compatibility was made. Next I simply chose the device from the Airplay menu and I was away.

Sound wise the Air sounded fantastic through the little DAC/amp, the Herus’ balanced and powerful sound drove the three sets of headphones great, though I found the iPads physical buttons when streaming Spotify gave larger than preferred volume increases/decreases but moving the volume slider in the software gave a more precise control to the listening levels.

I had a little bit of a setup issue initially using the Android based LG G Pad 8.3″ V500. I had bought a few variations of adapters and connecting cables to achieve what was a micro USB to required male B into the Herus. Using a micro USB ‘Host’ adapter cable which had a female A socket to micro USB male cable proved the answer, although its simple adapter duplicate did not work so make sure it is the ‘Host’ cable type adapter you use.

Again no complaints with the sound, the Herus sounds great in all tests and only has moderate levels of increased performance with the more expensive USB cables and I would be satisfied with a well made and inexpensive cable. Characterisation of the sound does vary dependant on source, but the control and balance of the Herus’ DAC and amp’s sound prevails to keep everything neutral and very musical.

Using the Herus as a Standalone DAC (Icon Audio HP8 Headamp)

To achieve the connection to the Icon I used a 6.3mm headphone jack to stereo RCA adapter from the Herus and my Oriton Symphony Orange RCA interconnects and as the Astintrew cable was still on the desk I re-plugged it in to the Herus from the SBT feeding the AKG headphones.

A very similar character as previously mentioned was heard through the Icon as I revisited tracks and albums from this review, the Icon added some great liquidity to the vocals with the Civil Wars playing and gave more control to louder listening levels in the upper regions. Lower mids and upper bass were fuller with transients a little more energetic. Not big differences in the performance really just the flavours.

Comparing the presentation to the Totaldac through the Icon was interesting, there were differences in performance and a slightly different character, an obviously perceivable tonal difference between valves and transistors but to the credit of the Herus I thought ‘well I could definitely live with this’.

Popping in Chords Crimson Vee3 with the Wireworld cable again for sensibility against price point retained my previous thoughts. I also tried the recently reviewed QNKTC DAC in placement of the Herus and found its upper end to be quite sharp considering my favourable comments about it in the main rig. I found the overall enjoyability and musicality of the Herus to be closer to the Totaldac than the QDAC which isn’t as transparent and doesn’t allow the SBT to show its character.

Using the Herus as a Standalone DAC (main system)

Using the SBT to Herus via the Asintrew cables and into the Emille KI40-L integrated via the Oriton interconnects connected to the Herus via the adapter I immediately took note of the superbly balanced and detailed sound. Consequently whilst using the same setup through the Mac using Amarra there was a noticeable bass hump around the lower mids/upper bass, a trait of the Mac which in the QDAC review was most favourable to its character but here, hearing the difference between the SBT and Mac, the hump does get a little irritating in comparison to the modded SBT’s extremely detail driven bass which is neither too tight or loose.

The Herus with its ability to pass through what’s in front of it accurately really gelled well in this context and supplied the amp and speakers with a tremendous amount of information and imaging with a great tonal balance across the frequency range. I would conclude that the DAC, although not as critical in exploring the finest of details, the extended handling of notes, or the dynamic shifts of the much more expensive Totaldac, was a very respectable achiever in conveying a solid and most enjoyable music performance from 16bit and 24bit music streamed from the NAS.

Conclusion

Using the Herus as a portable device outside of the house is of course possible but it would require some careful laying out of the cables in a pocket as there would be a couple of connections from an iOS or Android based smartphone and of course the headphone connection itself. My concern would be with the connection to the phone itself as most smartphones these days have the smallest of connectors which could easily break or damage the sockets, so not ideal. I myself would still prefer a small Fiio for outdoor purposes, however if there was an option for Resonessence to add a small Bluetooth module with the correct USB socket and an integrated rechargeable battery then for outdoor use it would be a winner.

Indoors and listening from a PC or Mac or as an upgrade to a gaming rig the Herus is simple to use and sounds very ‘audiophile’ and extremely musical.

The Herus can perform how you would like it to with a good chunk of its character being source and headphone dependant, it has enough power to please even the daftest of loud listeners. If there was any sort of characterisation I could pin on the Herus apart from its obvious transparency it is that with all the headphones and USB cables I used I never got a bass heavy approach to any of the combinations or genres – bass is very evenly balanced and never overblown in any way but it’s all there. I have heard more bass from these headphones through other amps but not as detailed and taut a bass in some cases. With headphones I have to have a shining midrange and an open and airy top end and the Herus caters to this perfectly. Coupled with fantastic detail and tone the tests on this products primary intended use are extremely positive and the fact it requires no external power supply means it can be taken anywhere with the above caveats about cabling?

As a standalone DAC with the Astintrew Concord supplying a clean power source the Herus was elevated in performance, although in standard form without upgraded cables made for a fantastic companion and upgrade to any computer streaming rig with a solid, detailed, robust sound which completely took me aback for its size and price point and with the ability to simply whip out the connecting analogue cables and pop in the headphones it covers both areas of listening with a computer based audio system wonderfully.

Highly recommended for its ease of use, flexibility and high fidelity sound quality.

Author – Danny Worth

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The Astintrew Concord USB falls into the category of ‘powered USB cables’ utilising a separate power supply for the 5v portions of the cables inner conductors. Somewhat different to other USB leads of this nature the Astintrew has a patent which covers the power supply, which is quite intriguing and leaves one wondering about the exact technology utilised within the boundaries of the patents broader description.
The cosmetics of the power supply itself are very appealing indeed, a fantastically well constructed design with quite beautiful lines. In the blurb from Astintrew it’s stated that the power supply will sit neatly at the rear of the rack or on the floor, I quite proudly had it sat next to the Mac so it was clearly visible on a shelf as it looked great.
The cable which comes with the Concord is user selectable on purchase. There is an option to have what I would deem ‘the standard’ cable – which is a USB split into the two potions (data and power) with data connecting the music source direct to the DAC and the power having a DIN plug which firmly connects to the power supply.

The other option available means you can use a USB cable of your choice. This consists of a short tail with a USB B type female socket to accommodate the existing cable, which serves data duties accompanied by the same power sectioned portion as previously for the power from the supply.

Each of the cables are thin and lightweight and are constructed from solid core copper, have a 1.5m length and are very well made and terminated ensuring ease of routing and placement of the power supply which has an IEC inlet for choice of power cable and length required.

The Sound – using the Standard cable

First up I plugged the Astintrew Concord into my Mac using the ‘standard’ cable, fed into the Totaldac D1 Tube –  I used a standard power cable.

Creating a usual run of the mill playlist in Amarra 2.5 I sat back and began to have a quick listen not expecting much due to the unit being new and not burned-in yet.

Tones were nice and relaxed and unforced, there was an ease to the sound, a silky flow to the music and, most importantly, the nasty upper bass hump that the Mac has was smoothed out beautifully giving a far better balance to the sound overall. There was possibly a little more openness to come from the sound and I felt and a bit more width and depth could be a plus point, so I left the Mac switched on with Amarra on repeat for four days in order to put about 100 hours on the unit before listening again.

So, four days later and time to listen again, I turned on the amp and walked away concerning myself with other “to do’s” and allowed the amp to warm up for a little over an hour at a moderate to low volume.

Walking back into the room during Chris Jones’ ‘Angel From Montgomery’ which is one of my favourites from the Moonstruck album, I was extremely pleased with the sound that presented itself.
Instruments sounded more developed than previously and were more finely textured than in the days before burn-in. A definite opening of the soundstage was apparent allowing for a better perception of depth and width. The overall tonal character remained the same – balanced, gentle and silky and best of all the bass hump was still nowhere to be heard.

Listening through more acoustic and vocal work from other artists was also a treat, with that midrange silkiness, good interaction between instruments and their recording surroundings and with an overall neutral and very open character. I was very much enjoying the Concord.

Gutsier vocals had a cleaner lower-mid to them with the Concord sounding more natural and truer. There was also a better range of perceivable detail. Bass notes also had more detail and conveyed a more substantial layering effect after cleaning up of this dirtier area of the Macs presentation.

With the nature of its presentation becoming very apparent and even though not my first choice of music, I could imagine that the Astintrew would be excellent with classical music. I have the odd album and compilation along with the option of Spotify, so I played some classical tracks and was correct in my assumption. Instruments once again had a natural timbre and reverb, soundstage placement was correct and dynamic transients were wonderful. The ease of approach the Concord has and it’s openness really (and to my surprise) allowed dynamic shifts to slam, leaving smaller details to flow in open space with the timing being very much on point – no muddiness or confusion of layering in busier passages was audible and I felt if anything that the dirty power supply of the Mac itself would be only contributing a smallish percentage to what could be an even more engaging performance.

Using the Enhanced Digital Output software on the Squeezebox Touch (SBT) connected to the Totaldac I connected the Astintrew Concord. I thought that this would be an interesting test as the SBT already uses a very high quality Paul Hynes power supply.

The midrange especially had an added openness and vocal depth was greater, the top end had a little more air and was actually a little bit smoother and refined but did seem a little sparklier with a cleaning up of grain. I didn’t feel that the Concord had the same effect to the lower-mids and upper-bass as with the Mac, which was a blessing because it’s already balanced and so thinning out of this area would have destroyed the whole balance of the sound for me.

The Option Cable

There is a full review of the Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB published on Hifi Pig and being of a similar price this is a good comparison to the Astintrew Concord. They do have a different presentation, the Tellurium is more energetic, faster, punchier and upfront, but retains a great balance across its presentation, whereas the Concord although fantastically balanced also has an ease of character that washes over you and gives a more intimate appeal.
So what would these two flavours be like once combined?
Into play come the ‘option’ cable from Astintrew, the one which I mentioned before which can utilise a listeners own USB cable for the data side of things.
Very interesting indeed, the combination of the two to my ears extracts more prominence in the smaller details of upper frequencies and a more robust and upfront midrange, with a stronger vocal. The bass hump of the Mac is still smoothed out nicely but there is a tiny bit more grunt to the lower end of male vocals. Bass detail and layering was still very similar to the Concord on its own and the intimacy was still there but had a little added spice.

During the course of the review I also tried a few aftermarket power cables I had on hand with the Concord and whilst these aren’t the focus of this review all had an effect on the sound and I’d suggest that positive results can be had.

Conclusion

Personally I could live with any of the presentations mentioned in this review as they are all superior to many mid to high priced cables I have heard and all have a highly accomplished detailed presentation with slight characterisation differences… and in the world of hifi, like motor racing, small differences matter!

The Concord as standard is simply beautiful in its presentation and is a perfect match for most music types except the most fierce of dance or rock. If you want a clean vocal and a strong rendition of instruments it’s a fantastic cable. If you have a great USB cable already and want to enhance its detail and flow by taking away the dirt and hash of your computers power supply and motherboard noise then their is the option to suit. Even with my modded SBT and its power supply I found an improvement and so would expect this to be true with the likes of a MacBook or laptop running on battery.

The Astintrew Concord has an almost intelligent way of adding a subtlety of tone and ease of breath to other cables as well as to the sound as a whole in its own right. It can render instruments very well, smooth off a digital edge marvellously and convey a wonderfully intimate listen from a digital source. With a good looking power supply to show off in the rack, plenty of cable length and the ability to customise its presentation with a USB cable of choice I can see the Concord really becoming something of a standard in high end systems.

Recommended for its intimate and natural attenuation of a digital source.

Author – Danny Worth

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Originating from Canada the Brunoco Diva is a small form factor digital amplifier with integrated DAC and is only a little bigger than a Mac Mini. It’s housed in a stylish aluminium case and sports connections for coaxial RCA, optical and Async USB digital inputs supporting up to 24/192, along with one set of analogue inputs which run through an ADC (Analogue to Digital Converter) in order to utilise the inbuilt amp. Output is 40wpc. The amplifier is not a standard class D and DAC combination it is in fact a full digital amplifier which the manufacturer has the following to say about it “Diva is full digital amplifier, that means input PCM(pulse code modulation, master digital signal) signal is processed and amplified in digital format. So there is no DAC(digital to analog converter) needed. DAC is necessary for conventional analog amplifiers(both solid-state and tube) because analog amplifiers need input analog signal to amplify.

DDC converts input PCM signal into PWM signal which can be amplified by PWM amplifier in digital domain. The Critical part of digital amplifier is this PCM to PWM converter. Performance of DDC is based on how the algorithm used can minimize the distortion and noise and do the exact conversion which results in final sound quality. One of the most important factor to sound quality is SNR(signal to noise ratio) and especially residual quantization noise and RF(radio frequency) switching noise of PWM should be removed from the audible frequency range(20-20kHz).”

The external power supply is a very high quality analogue design and is very heavy in comparison to the main unit and there’s no doubt that the quality of the PSU is a key factor to the Divas performance.

Substantial packaging encases the cute little Diva keeping it safe for its long journey overseas and during unpacking its easy to appreciate the units all aluminium build quality and substantial weight to the high quality power supply, along with a true credit card sized remote control with only 6 buttons – in fact this is all that is needed for full control of the unit. First impressions left me feeling satisfied with what I was presented from this new kid on the block.

I ran the unit in for a week of continuous play time ensuring it was ready for a good listen.

First impressions were, “digital amplifier” but during the week I noticed a certain amount of weight and a little more richness coming through filling out the bottom end nicely, my only gripe was this added weight to the bass was emphasising a steep roll off point giving the bass a more one note approach.

There is an equaliser built into the device – not the usual rock, dance, acoustic type, it’s way more subtle than that, the settings have a couple of letters and a number (ie BaMd2) to refer to them, each setting is like a slightly different version of the previous. The goal is to use these settings as more of a digital room equalisation than the typical graphic equaliser found in cheaper products. Playing through these differing settings I found one or two which I preferred, notably for their smoother roll off of the bottom end allowing notes to fade more naturally in my listening space, which even though subtle was a very welcome addition. The EQ really does seem to be very transparent indeed, has been implemented very well and doesn’t seem to get in the way.

Chris Jones’ ‘Soul Storm Comin’ has many overlaid smaller guitar details which is a highlight of the Brunoco – it has a great way of picking out these smaller details even in a strongly central focused track and each can be heard in its entirety along with each textural strum of string and richness to Chris’s vocal. I’ve found many times with Class D amps (not all of them) that the attention to detail is fantastic yet the performance as a whole can suffer with a colder tonal balance, the Diva is voiced extremely well and doesn’t suffer from this ‘coldness’ – it’s not a Class D amp after all. It’s far from coloured and far from warm, it’s has all the characteristics of Class D yet with a richness to the sound!

Phantom Limbs ‘Don’t Say A Word’ displayed glossy vocals with great undertones of rich harmonies, sound staging with the dinky Diva is fantastic along with great layering allowing drum rolls, guitar strings and double bass to really recreate stage placement fantastically well, encapsulating the performance in a high end way that belies its meager price point.

As you’re all probably are aware by now I am partial to some heavy dance beats – I’ve always liked what digital amplifiers can achieve with this sort of music – a clean and crisp representation of the genre – and the Brunoco is no different. Hitting the volume seriously hard the little Diva achieved some insane volumes and spl’s through my loudspeakers, I reached a volume which was so loud I had to turn it down a little before I reached any perceivable levels of distortion and the neighbours came knocking! A slight change in the equaliser settings to add some more punch to the sound and I was really amazed with what could be achieved from the unit.

In comparative terms at twice the cost of the Brunoco Diva is the £1000 Peachtree iDecco, also using similar technology. The Brunoco makes for a much more engaging and exciting listen in comparison, leaving the iDecco’s blander and colder sonic signature behind in the stakes of sound reproduction.

I’ve written this review using my Squeezebox Touch as in my mains system it is my most known source and is easier to gain an impression of what the Bronoco Diva adds to the sound. However, I did get a little carried away in what we can call my own free time testing the unit with some big and small single driver speakers, some two way bookshelves in a desktop system, with some wall speakers in a bedroom system and also with other sources such as the Mac Mini, a Windows laptop and an Apple TV and I’d be very happy to use the little Diva with any or all of these sources. Notably in the bedroom with a TV on the wall a set of wall speakers and an Apple TV, it’s was a wonderfully minimalist approach to reproducing great unobtrusive sound quality.

Conclusion

Connected to a Mac/PC, Streamer, CD/DVD, Television or Smart Device, the Bronoco Diva can cater for all of today’s digital devices and can be setup in the smallest of spaces.

Whether the chosen music be a stripped down acoustic or a big medley for an evening listen or a more beat driven piece – or let’s say ‘party mode’ – the Diva has a substantial amount of intelligence at reproducing each sound and note with plenty of air and space around them and can hold a coherent overall image with rich tones and decay that just makes it such an enjoyable listen.

It can pride itself on having a ‘grown up’ sound and a sound that belies its small size and low cost, with plenty of inputs, great looks, a decent outboard power supply and the ability to use what we could call a simple but effect room equalising option which has gentle changes in the sound that allows for some fine transparent tuning – all in all with its enjoyable and toe tapping sound is an excellent in a modern home or hard core audiophiles second system.

Build Quality – 8.5/10
Sound Quality – 8.5/10
Value for money – 10/10
Overall – 9/10

Price when reviewed – £499

Highly Recommended for its detail driven, exciting performance that is true value for money.

Author – Danny Worth

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When we heard the X300A loudspeakers from KEF ever so briefly at Munich High-End 2013 we were pretty impressed by these powered desktop speakers and so when KEF approached Hifi Pig and asked us if we’d be interested in taking a listen to them at home we jumped at the chance.

The first thing you notice when unpacking the speakers is their physical size (they’re pretty big for desktops) and then it’s their weight, they’re 7.5 Kg per speaker. The next thing is the finish which is a sort of metallic textured grey that looks pretty smart and contemporary and finishes off the black front baffle very nicely indeed. They look solid and well put together.

Pop them on the desk and you realise that these really are quite large speakers for the role they’re supposed to fulfil – they’re about the same size as the Q Acoustics Concept 20s we had for a while. I use an ancient child’s double-width school desk that I’ve modified for a large person (I’ve stuck new legs on the bottom) and the KEFs take up a good deal of the available space leaving very little extra space for paperwork – I’m left with room for my laptop and mouse mat and that’s about it, which isn’t exactly ideal but then I’m aware my desk is a little unusual and most other people will have more conventional grown up spaces on which to work.

The internal volume of the speakers is 4.7litres and what you have essentially is a two-way bass reflex speaker using KEF’s Uni-Q driver array which is a 25mm vented aluminium dome in the centre of a 130mm magnesium/aluminium alloy mid/bass unit. What this gives you is a point source arrangement and so I was expecting imaging to be pretty impressive…we’ll see.

The X300 are active and each has twin AB amps that deliver 50 watts to the woofers and 20 watts to the tweeters. Of course, being active both speakers need to be plugged into a mains supply. Using the computer as source it’s a simple matter of plugging the included USB from computer to the back of the left hand speaker and then connecting the two speakers together with another included USB cable. Set up takes a couple of minutes and on powering up JRiver Media player you’ve got tunes – you can also connect via a mini jack so you can connect to an ipod or whatever.

Controls are minimal and on the back of the left speaker you’ve got a tiny little knob for system gain and on the right speaker a similar knob for balance. I’d have preferred to have the controls for gain and balance more accessible on the front panel. Apart from the IEC, the port and an on/off switch (left hand speaker only) that’s about it…apart from the heatsink and a switch for desktop or standmount positioning – I don’t think the connectivity needs make these really ideal for standmounting and so it remained in the desktop position, as did the speakers. The only indication the speakers are turned on is a tiny and unobtrusive LED above the driver on the left hand speaker.

They’re modern looking, nicely put together and I quite like them sat on my desk, despite their size and I’m quite happy to sacrifice the space given the music I’m hearing.

They’ll play 96kHz 24bit files straight from the USB jack of your computer and so what they do take up in desk space you sort of make up in that you don’t need an extra amplifier…they’re still pretty big though.

First file on the player was Armand van Helden’s “2 Future 4 U” and the imaging is an immediate (and expected) strongpoint of the X300As. OK, these speakers are around 70cm apart as I have them set up, but you get thrown up a nice and enveloping stage that is actually very 3 dimensional and you can pick a mix apart pretty easily. Cranking the volume up a bit gives you decent enough but not mega low bass which is never-the-less tight and controlled and all the frequencies seem pretty well how they should be here. If you listen to electronic music on your desk top then the X300As are really very good indeed…I found it hard not to just play this style of music if truth be known! My youngest son (you can read his review below) has had the KEFs for a week or so before I got to hear them and, given his taste in music, I know he will have loved them.

Essentially what you have here is a nearfield monitor that has been designed specifically for the home market. I had a play with Ableton Live mixing some of my own tunes and they’re really rather good in that role and I suppose a good few people will use them as both desk top monitors for music making and for listening to tunes in a more conventional sense. It’s a long time since I’ve listened to professional monitors if truth be known and so I can’t really compare on this front to what’s available today…and besides I don’t think this is where KEF sees its market for these loudspeakers being.

The new David Cosby album “Coz” is a bit of a cracker and I have it as high-rez file and it has to be said that the little X300s sound pretty good with this album despite them only handling 96kHz/24bit. I have to say here that I’d have liked to be able to have the hi-rez files I have to play at their proper resolution and the DSD crowd obviously don’t get a look in which will possibly put off a few desktop audiophiles I’m afraid to say.

There’s that enveloping sound I mentioned before, which is a little headphone-like, but the speakers are so close to my ears that there’s little I can do about this – in fact I quite like it. However, push the chair back a foot or two and you get what is basically a normal stereo image but on a smaller scale than with the main rig. The imaging and staging of instruments in front of you is obviously quite narrow (but well beyond the speakers) in width, but it’s really nicely layered forward and back as well as in the vertical plane. 

Mid ranges, as demonstrated by vocals are very well portrayed, as is piano as heard on Fleetwood Mac’s Songbird. Crank the volume up and there’s a little braking up of the sound at the very top end and things can get a little not quite right overall because of this but at normal listening levels all is well.

Phantom Limbs “Tumbling Down” sounds deep, resonant and there’s an overall warmth to the sound that is really quite appealing and makes the X300As an easy listen in that it’s not over analytical (perhaps precise would be a more audiophile word to use) … in fact I found myself listening for hours whilst I was working and I know I’m going to miss these when they go as they surely must.

The X300s are a dynamic, great fun and really engaging listen. I wouldn’t want them as my only speakers, but for a desktop speaker that sounds really great whilst I’m working they offer a great solution that is plug and play.

Here’s the thing, with all hifi systems there are compromises and I think what KEF have achieved here is a system that will appeal to those folk who want the convenience of being able to plug in a pair of speakers to their computer and just listen to music without having to mess about or think about cables, amps and DACs.

The X300s do play music and they play it in a really engaging and enjoyable fashion and if the ultimate in resolution isn’t a main consideration, but having a very good overall sound in a relatively compact package is a priority then I think you will love these speakers.

£600 is quite a lot of money for a desktop system in many ways, but then you’ve got no amp or DAC…or cables come to think of it… to spend extra money on and whilst I wouldn’t suggest these offer exceptional value for money they’re certainly not outrageously priced. They’re well built, solid and look the business in a cool and modern kind of way.

I’ve really enjoyed these loudspeakers a great deal and if I could justify spending another £600 on yet more speakers I’d buy them in a flash as I know they’d allow me to listen to loads more music and in a more enjoyable and more inclusive way than I currently do on the desktop headphone set up. Perhaps I’ve actually justified the spend to myself in that last sentence…

Build Quality  – 9/10

Sound Quality – 7.5/10

Value for Money 7.5/10

Overall 8/10

Price when reviewed £600

Highly recommended for people who love music and want to hear it presented in a foot tapping and enjoyable fashion whilst at their desks.

Author – Stuart Smith

Given that these loudspeakers are very much aimed at the computer generations we thought it would be interesting to get the opinion of a 16 year old.

Ever since I started listening to music, I’ve been part of the “ipod Generation” and my primary source of music and entertainment has either been my PC or my portable audio device with mid to high end headphones.

The KEF X300A speakers make the transition from headphone to speaker very easy. I only used them in the desk configuration and coupled them up with my gaming/media PC setup (I should point out that there is a stand mode as well). The installation is pretty simple, but can get a bit messy with the amount of cables that are needed for them to function.(2 power cables and 2 mini USB to USB cables). The cables are nothing special, just bog-standard ones.

The speakers on the other hand are sublime. First of all they look drop dead gorgeous with their brushed metal sides and highly detailed drivers, the KEF logo sits proudly on the front of both speakers.

Moving on to sound, the X300A’s sound very good, they give an all round punchy and dynamic sound without being over the top. They’re also very versatile and can excel with all music from electronic to acoustic. I also tested the speakers with other types of media like films and games, where they performed just as well.

Some may say that £600 is a bit steep for a pair of desk speakers but being powered speakers they are the only thing you need to buy to have a fully functioning hifi setup (obviously you need a PC or MAC but I’m guessing that everybody already has one). The sound quality and finish more than justifies the price.

In conclusion, KEF have made a great first impression with me, showing me that entering the world of hifi isn’t so complicated (or expensive) and that a pair of speakers can change the way you listen to music.

Build Quality- 9/10

Sound Quality- 8/10

Value for money- 7/10

Overall- 8/10

I would recommend these speakers to anyone looking for a well rounded speaker for their PC or for a secondary/ bedroom setup. For me as a teenager, they fit the bill perfectly.

Price when reviewed- £600

Author – Harry Smith

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There’s been a very rapid increase in availability of exotic USB cables over the past year. Many companies are offering a range of this cable type which can consist of as many progressive versions through the range as digital coaxial cables which were for many the main digital link between transports and DACs.

The Digital Music Box has concentrated their efforts on two USB cables:
• The Linus which is an ordinary single cable containing data and power conductors.
“Solid silver conductors are used for the data wires and termination to the plugs is with silver solder to give a very highly conductive path. The conductors are helically wound with silk and contained in PTFE tubing to give exceptional dielectric properties The data conductors are screened from the voltage and ground wires to ensure total protection from data corruption.
High quality USB gold plated plugs are used, supplied with a clear hard plastic hood to protect the plugs.”
• The Kalliope a separately powered USB cable leaving the data lines only to be connected to the source computer. “The power supply is a very high quality precision regulated linear design housed in an aluminium extrusion, available in anodised black or silver with black end plates. A high quality locking power connector is used to maintain a permanent connection between cable and power supply.
The low voltage cable from the Kalliope Power Supply is a totally separate screened cable to be certain there is no chance of data corruption, it terminates at the USB B plug to supply the 5V required to complete the link between computer and Digital-to-Analogue Converter.
99.99% silver wire is used for the data cables which are soldered to the USB connectors with high quality silver solder to give superior conductivity for the transfer of data. The conductors are helically wound with silk and inserted into PTFE tubing giving exceptional dielectric properties. The USB plugs are gold plated and supplied with a clear hood for greater protection.”
The two implementations of USB are a somewhat considerable outlay with the Linus coming in at £500 and the Kalliope at £1000.

Bearing in mind how important the link between the two source components (computer and DAC) are and what many of us are willing to and have spent on digital link cables in the past, the two cables are sitting in a position in the market that already has many other digital cables fighting for dominance.
Before we get into how I found my time with the two DMB cables, let’s talk about that ‘pride of ownership factor’ a little.

Both cables arrive presented in beautifully created embossed logo’d, thick walled boxes with magnetic flaps for secure closing. The silver text and satin black is very appealing and immediately presents the company (who I was not aware of before) as one who’s attention to detail is clear even before I’ve even got my hands on the actual product.

Opening the two boxes reveals medium density foam which is cut out very neatly keeping the cables and in the Kalliope’s power supply nice and safe.

Each of the cables and the power supply is extremely well made, the clear USB plugs look nice and I appreciate the amount of strain relief protecting these delicate plugs.

The Sound – Linus

We’ll take a look at the Linus first and then move onto the more expensive separately powered Kalliope, make a few comparisons and then conclude things.

Once I had finished creating a playlist in Amarra 3.0 on my Mac and letting Chris Jones’ ‘Long After Your Gone’ begin to play I initially thought “wow, this sounds clean and dark”, but I was a little apprehensive at how the overall balance was going to be as the lower notes started. So, whilst holding my thought process for a few more seconds this big, full and rich bass just sank down straight in front of me before it opened up and then rolled throughout my listening space.

Yes, this is a cohesive and generously proportioned cable in frequency terms. Full bodied articulate and has a background silence that you don’t listen for, it’s just there – or not so if you catch my drift.

Leading edges with a range of female vocals was clean and ultimately grain free. There’s no masking of any part of the range and the grainless, stable nature to each part is effortless.

Listening to some faster bassier tracks through Amarra and Spotify was also great and dancer beats can be said to have good impact with a pace and speed of execution that is undeniably attractive, engrossing and rhythmic.

Small note flecks in and around soundstage borders are clear and concise, allowing the systems micro dynamics and inner depth to come through without restriction and there is an enviable openness to the sound.

After some more time with some other male vocalists, the undertones for me can always be understood more definitively when demoing or reviewing a new product. The openness that shines through on the cables mid to upper registers would not work as well if it didn’t portray this thick, rich and detailed lower frequency or undertone and the picture as a whole is just great!

I found the Linus to be well grounded from top to bottom without any nasties or commonalities which really favoured a particular genre and not another.

The Sound – Kalliope (Powered USB)

My first take using the Kalliope was how more three dimensional, refined and silkier the sound was.

When the bass came in on the same Chris Jones track as previously mentioned, there wasn’t as much overall weight. Extension was still long and deep, but what could be described as an outer spectrum wobble, or less natural or clean rendition of the frequency in this area which didn’t seem apparent on the Linus before was now more natural and expressive.

Upper frequency extremities and the pitch on a plucked string had more refinement, more stability and rang truer in a more holographic soundstage.

This soundstage still seemed dark, deep and very black just as the Linus did but its depth of field and front to back positioning was more developed. If the Linus was wonderfully three dimensional, then the Kalliope was more structured and had more points of referenced depth exploring points of detail more definitively.

Midrange as a whole was silkier and a little sweeter – I really like the Linus here as it has a more raspy grunt instead of this silkier appeal and fleshes out the bottom end of a male vocalist incredibly well, but the Kalliope is just so organically natural and developed in any vocal it has its hand in allowing the system to convey just flows through with absolute presence and grace.

With a beautiful female vocal the Kalliope allows for that upper-mid to flow so well it can only be described as beautiful, gorgeous or luxurious. Female vocalists with huge ranges such as Rachelle Farrell hit octaves that sounded utterly magical with such control and the Kalliope retains all this flare, remains clean and never forward.

The Kalliope is also very rhythmic, holding the tone of a bouncy tune with ease whilst rendering lower-mid, upper-bass detail with ease and precision.

In short the Kalliope can be seen as a more refined Linus with better soundstaging and a more natural bass, with an overall silkier feel to the sound, but with clarity and definition to the higher registers which takes the Linus’ definition a step further.

Some Comparisons

There’s a lot to be said for what power supplies can offer a USB cable but this is very dependant on the DAC used – whether or not the DAC is already powering the USB chip separately to make the need of the added supply even necessary.

Fortunately – I guess, the Astintrew Concord doesn’t self power the USB, this allows me to be able to try both of the cables from The Digital Music Box.

I do have an Astintrew Concord USB cable which uses a separate ‘Never Connected’ power supply. Similarities between this and the Kalliope are there for sure, most notably the ‘silkyness’ and the darkness of the background. I would say the Kalliope is cleaner in sound though and has a better more holographic soundstage, especially in depth perception. I preferred the cleaner nature in the upper-mid and treble articulation which lead to solidly defined edges, it’s never to the point where I would ever say it gets anywhere near analytical whatsoever and arguably it exposes minimal amounts of added detail, it’s just has more air, sparkle and shine right up there at the top.

Another cable I use is the Tellurium Q Black Diamond. Now, being a single cable without the added power supply, it doesn’t have this silkier more refined nature which I have come to the conclusion is an added trait of a powered USB cable implementation.

Bass control on the TQ falls somewhere between the two Digital Music Box cables – very exciting, full and fast. It’s midrange is a little more relaxed and extremely detailed throughout, but not as sparkly as both of the DMB cables with their clarity being a standout attribute and one that I haven’t yet come across in all the USB cables which I have heard to date.

Conclusion

This was never a “shootout” or a comparative review between what I’ve heard and the two Digital Music Box cables, but some small comparisons between other cables I currently have in my procession are necessary when detailing the sound of a company’s product which will be unknown to many.

Both the Linus and the Kalliope have outstanding detail right across the board, a background of silence that it is one of the first characteristics one notices when listening to each cable and a clarity and air that until now I haven’t experienced from a USB cable… and I’ve heard a fair few.

Unpowered the Linus has grunt, pace and rhythm, tackles dance and rock music with a distinctive nature that I personally feel an over refined system simply cannot achieve.

The powered Kalliope has a refinement, a depth of scale and a sculptured soundstage that brings vocals and instruments more to life and throws details around the soundstage so effortlessly that the music as a whole can only be described as a holographic avalanche.

Yes, they are on the richer side of a lot of USB cables, but boy don’t they both make an impression. If you’re in the market for a new USB then try the two cables from The Digital Music Box and see where your benchmark lies thereafter.

Dan Worth
Linus – £500 – 1m

Build Quality – 8/10
Sound Quality – 8/10
Value For Money – 8/10
Overall – 8/10

Recommended – for background silence, tonal balance, detail retrieval and excitement.

Kalliope – £1000 – 1m

Build Quality – 8.5 (The power supplies fit and finish gives it some extra wow)
Sound Quality – 9/10
Value For Money – 8/10
Overall – 8.5/10

Highly Recommended – for absolute precision of clarity and tonal balance, a formidably structured soundstage and ability to allow through all micro details.

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It has been somewhat of a bone of contention whether it is necessary to run external power supplies with USB cables. A couple of manufacturers/designers I have talked with state ‘it’s unnecessary if done correctly’ and others say ‘the computers dirty power needs to be removed and the USB chip should get the cleanest supply available’.

Now I’m no designer or technical whizz kid but I have listened to many USB cables and to these ears regardless of implementation I have found that USB cables display as much difference in sound reproduction as any other digital cables. Some I have experienced with separates PSU’s have not sounded as good as the all in one design and vice versa, proving that implementation of each design from one end to the other is absolutely crucial.

Even though my Mac runs a couple of Paul Hynes’ linear power supplies and its USB output power will be a lot cleaner than most systems, each of the aforementioned designs still have an effect as a whole on sound and I would not under any circumstances rule out the fact that an outboard PSU would now have no effect on overall performance.

Scott Barry’s design of his USB cable without an external power supply is believed by him to be, after rigorous R&D, the most pleasing and best implementation of the cable that he could obtain. The cable has two wires – a data cable of thicker overall proportions and a separate power cable running externally of the main data cable.

There’s no information about the internal structure of the cable and its conductors. Sometimes this is a good thing, not allowing people to have preconceived ideas about what a cable may sound like. I for one never do any research prior to getting a cable, or any other product for that matter, in for review, so I can judge its performance blind – so to speak.

The CAD Cable is well made, solid and flexible, there is plenty of strain relief to protect the annoyingly small solder tags of a USB plug (manufacturers note this point) making routing and connecting very simple compared to some other behemoths I own and have had in the past.

The Sound

Ed Sheeran’s ‘Runaway’ from the ‘X’ album sounded totally authorative, with distinctively projected and pure vocals that convey a touch of echo applied to the mic and a slap to the drum that produced a crystalline bass line, with punch and rhythm.

Ben Harpers ‘Whipping Boy’ proved that the CAD USB can definitely do texture. Its nature is clean and clear in the top end and full and extended in the lower end. Ben’s playful, raspy guitar had all the presence of its acoustic chamber, the reverbs of its close environment coupled with that textured and detailed upper mid/treble, conveying a most organic and full frequency rendition of the reproduced instrument.

Chris Jones’ ‘Angel From Montgomery’ is one of my truly favourite tracks and the CAD’s ability to render the harmonics and lend its hand to maintaining the system’s wide and tall soundstage was impeccable. A small negative was that I would have liked a bit more warmth in the upper bass, particularly with this track and my all ceramic drivers, which by their very nature require it. Vocals however started from a natural and true distance within the stage and projected with great clarity and control.

The CAD USB conveys such a ‘satisfying’ sound. The data retrieval abilities during complex passages is totally engrossing and never etched, exploring every part of the music without any brightness or analytical portrayal.

Moving onto some Dub Step, Tiesto, Mikado and Seb Fontain, showed that the well balanced nature of the CAD USB was very much at home with fast paced, heavy beats and searing treble, allowing a huge and airy soundstage to fill my entire room with pulsating and explosive dynamics.

To flip the coin again I made a playlist of sultry, sexy and delicate female vocalists. The upper mids in particular were hugely impressive. They exploited all the upper tones of a broadly natured vocal, remained clean and clear and in particular fantastically controlled without rounding any edges or sounding rolled off in any way.

From time to time I loan cables to a friend John, be it my own or ones that have come in for review. John has a high end headphone rig with some pretty serious modifications to the amp, DAC and power supplies, running into a pair of Audeze LCD-2 headphones with the latest driver upgrades. His system is very transparent and shows any changes in system configuration very well. After he had the some time to play with the CAD USB he gave me an update on its performance exclaiming that “vocals have that eerie sensation, the balance is tremendous and top and bottom end sounds very right”.

John listens to a good varied range of genres and spends many hours lost in music and tweaking his system with power cables, interconnects and sockets which he has found makes quite substantial differences in his highly detailed rig. When John reluctantly returned the cable for me to complete my review he stated “this is the best USB cable I’ve heard and I think I’ll buy”.

Conclusion

It can be a little difficult to pin point certain aspects of a cable or piece of electronics when the sound doesn’t do any particular aspect very well but does the whole so impressively good. There’s nothing in particular to latch onto and admire or attribute areas of the system to benefit from its characteristic. Being able to simply sit and listen, not be drawn to any particular area or feature is a testament to the product and the CAD is a fantastic all rounder that excels in not one or two particular aspects, yet impresses emphatically in all.

At its most reasonable price the CAD has to be auditioned, don’t listen with intent, just put your feet up and let the music flow.

Dan Worth
Build Quality – 8.5/10
Sound Quality – 9/10
Value For Money – 8.5/10
Overall – 8.66/10

Price at time of review – £480 – 1.1m length

Recommended for abundant amounts of detail, top end control and excellent balance, making it one of the very best USB cables on the market.

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Not so much a review as an overview and thoughts of a new piece of ripping software. 

What is AUI?

Audiophile Inventory’s AUI ConverteR is a Windows or Mac based tool for professionals as well as the home user. For use in Hifi its main features are – ripping discs for streaming and the conversion of file types for device specific requirements such as any high resolution home audio device, potable players and car head units etc.

The software offers:

– High quality sound conversion
– High precision (64-bit floating point) algorithms sample rates and bit-depth conversion (alphaC)
– Gentle dithering algorithms (alphaD) for  decreasing audio bit resolutions to 16 bit.
– Uses a solid and simple user friendly interface

The user is also able to add their own input and output audio formats (by using command line software – encoders, players, etc). The more professional features are not really something the average audiophile will be interested in and their specifics are beyond the scope of this review.

In short AUI is in my eyes a tool for ripping and converting files for the day to day home user, which offers a very high quality rip for a file based system, with features such as “Dithering” to retain the integrity and quality of a digital file allowing for (in experience) a smooth and transparent sound.

Applying Dither to conversions

When truncating an audio file (reducing its bit depth) from say 24bit to 16bit for example, maybe if the user wishes to burn a disc for a car CD player or another disc player elsewhere in the home we can run into “Truncating Errors”.

Truncating Errors are the result of this compression which manifest itself as missing bits, missing 1’s and 0’s in the digital signal leading to a loss in details, nuances and information within the audio track.

The effect of these truncating errors is what many refer to as a nasty digital sound or recording. Artifacts, hard edges and high frequency grainy noise becomes very apparent on down samples and compressed music. So, how can the signal integrity be retained and smoothed out? This is where “Dithering” comes into play.

Applying dither during the process of sampling from the 24bit original to the 16bit copy eradicates these loses and retains the information by adding a low level noise to the sine wave. Dither however is not a magic wand, it does add a background hiss to the music just like a tape recording of old, yet at levels far below. This level of hiss is only apparent on 16bit and above files when at very high volumes during extreme silence cues between passages.

The audio signal with dithering remains intact, retains details and does not have a hard digital edginess or apparent noise across the frequency range which has been left by the missing 1’s and 0’s. The sound is more transparent and smoother sounding.

AUI has a built in dither slider in the settings tab and fine tuning the levels of dither will produce better results dependant on the recording (whether it has already been dithered or not) any down sampling which needs to be undertaken or whether the user is ripping from a disc. The standard amount of dither which AUI provides is deemed by them as the ideal rate for ripping on the fly and in my experience using the software I have found that applying dither to a rip makes for a more musical and smoother rip, retaining or adding transparency and being a safe method to reach the optimum quality or the rip.

If a rip seems to have a level of background hiss which is not on the original disc then it’s advisable to re-rip that particular album again with dither turned off. I myself have not encountered this as of yet. The recording may already have some high dithering in place when originally mastered to physical copy. Remember, nearly all recording are originally mastered in the studio at either 24 or 32bit and are down sampled to 16bit for a standard CD .

A 24bit SACD would have less or no truncating of the original file (due to its original deriving from a 24bit master or 32bit) and therefore dithering is not essential. AUI has the ability to rip SACD’s to DSD 64 or 128 formats allowing for the playback of High Rez files on compatable DACs and PC/Mac direct systems also.

DSD is trademarked by Sony/Phillips, the actual file extension is .dsf (data stream file). AUI refers to DSD files within the software as DSF “1bit/2.8mhz” and “1bit/5.6mhz”. These numbers equate to:

1bit/44,1 kHz x 64 = 2,8 MHz (known as DSD64).
1bit/44,1 kHz x 128 = 5,6 MHz (known as DSD128).

The Software in Use

Using the AUI Interface is a breeze, the user is presented with a very simple GUI with options for sample rates, bit depths and file output type. The software covers all major file types, so if you wish to rip a disc to ALAC, FLAC,WAV,AIFF the option is there. Likewise if you wish convert pre-ripped files – say you originally ripped all of your files to Apple Lossless and have the need for them to now be in FLAC this is also an available option, or if you simply wish to make copies in other formats such as WAV for burning a CD for the car or MP3 for a portable music player.

Like other ripping software on the market AUI can obtain metadata by first opening iTunes. When the inserted disc ready for rip is recognised by iTunes and message appears asking if you wish to import the album simply click no. Leaving iTunes open however will allow for the album and track names to appear within AUI and be located into the albums folder once ripped.

Ripping is very straight forward. The trick is to create a Master directory on the chosen drive you wish to save all of your rips to. Within this folder simply add sub folders with a preference to how you wish the library to be displayed. Personally I create a folder with the artists name and sub folders for individual albums.

Then on the AUI GUI click “Open Files” navigate to the disc and select all files and open. Then clicking the three dots at the bottom of the AUI screen allows you to navigate to the destination folder, once selected click “Start” bearing in mind the chosen output file format, bit depth and sample rate required, as well as clicking on the “dither” button which will be required 99 times out of 100. A more specialised dithering can be obtained through a trial and error process using the slider in the advanced settings, but for standard usage of the optimised settings it’s just click click click and Start.

– Note: Some players/streamers will state that they will playback files of many variants, but in fact they can often convert these files to FLAC “on the fly”. You may wish to investigate this and copy and rip all your albums to FLAC for piece of mind so that there is no converting necessary and to maximise hard drive capacity. Personally I rip everything to the exact file it appears in on the disc, mostly WAV and on the odd occasion AIFF, for me I feel why change anything about the original recording, especially if the playback software will play these files directly as my Amarra 3.0 does.

My impressions of the ripped media files.

Bearing in mind as earlier stated I haven’t (yet) found the need to not use dither and have found that in practice multiple rips using AUI have sounded incredibly good and sometimes better than the original CD itself, offering a more analogue take on the sound with great midrange transparency and perceivable air in the top end. Now I’m not saying that these differences are game changing, but the subtleties which they convey are very pleasing to a high end system.

Details seem to portray a more solid leading edge and allow for a more natural decay of instruments, also revealing reverbs which are more understandable.

The difference is in these smaller notifications and cues which add more atmosphere to the performance.

Before AUI and being Mac based I would use X-ACT which is free software. X-ACT is extremely good software and gives an audio reproduction which is leaps and bounds ahead of iTunes, causing me to re-rip my entire library again after discovering it.

Now with AUI I find myself working back through my albums as and when I have the time. The distinctive difference is in all the smaller nuances, details and cues which add to and are crucial to the entire performance.

With many audio playback softwares available to the end user such as JRiver, Audirvana, Puremusic and Amarra, it makes absolute sense that a good aolid ripper is essential too. Once you have experienced the differences with specifically and professionally designed playback softwares, it makes sense to put your trust into a ripper of the same calibre and Audiphile Inventory’s AUI ConverteR 48×44 is one to consider. A Free Trial as with any good vendor is available feom the Audiophile Inventory website.

Price – Varies from $33 – $249 dependent on edition.

Dan Worth

The £2800 Simaudio Moon Neo ACE is a versatile, all-in-one solution that you need only add speakers to…there’s even an on-board moving magnet phonostage. John Scott finds out just how ACE it really is. 

Having reviewed Naim’s Superuniti all-in-one streamer/DAC/amp/tuner last summer, when I was offered the opportunity to spend some time with Simaudio’s own single box offering I naturally grasped it with both hands.  Like the Naim Superuniti, the Moon Neo ACE combines a streamer, DAC and amplifier in one box so that all the user has to do is connect it to a network, either via Ethernet or wirelessly and add speakers.  The ACE will then stream music stored on the user’s home network, eg on a PC or NAS.  Internet streaming from services such as Tidal and Internet radio is also available. In addition, the ACE also has a moving magnet phono stage, something missing from the Superuniti.

Canadian manufacturer Simaudio have been producing audio equipment since 1980, originally as Sima Acoustics .  The company became known as Simaudio in 1990, first launching the Celeste range and then, in 1997, the Moon series of products.  Over the years the company have developed and released a range of products under the Moon banner for both 2-channel audio and multi-channel home theatre use.  The ACE (which stands for A Complete Experience) falls into the Moon Neo “affordable luxury” range and provides a one box option from that range’s amplification and streaming DAC products; a true “just add speakers” solution to anyone short of space or not looking to build a system out of individual components.

Unboxing, Setup and Appearance 

The ACE arrived in a standard cardboard shipping box, albeit Moon branded, and was internally well protected.  A user manual and set of quick start guides provide all the help you need to get the ACE up and running.  If you have previously used a streamer connected by Ethernet then this really involves nothing more than connecting the Ethernet cable, attaching your speakers and plugging it in.  If you also want to connect a turntable, then a moving magnet phono stage is also provided.  Wireless setup is achieved via the display screen, a couple of buttons and a rotary dial on the front of the unit, which also doubles as a volume control.  The process of entering your network password with the dial and buttons is very intuitive compared to some other streamers I have tried and I had the unit up and running in a matter of minutes.

The ACE’s compact dimensions meant that it was equally at home on my television unit as it was on my hifi rack.  The ACE comes in either all black or black and silver options.  The ACE II was supplied with was all black and I think this would be my choice.  The aluminium case has an attractively curved front plate.  The black front plate is accented by seven silver buttons, a silver logo and a monochrome OLED display panel.  The whole thing whispers understated elegance (it would scream understated elegance but it is far too refined to do anything so vulgar).  The five buttons on the left hand of the display control power stand by, volume mute, display brightness – with an option to turn the display off completely and the final two buttons toggle backwards or forwards through the inputs.  The two buttons on the right side of the display provide navigation through the set up options.  The front panel also has a headphone output and an input for a mobile media player.

The rear panel contains a wealth of inputs and outputs of a variety and sufficiency to put the ACE at the heart of your audio setup.  Round the back we have the moving magnet phono input plus an USB input, 2 SPDIF inputs, an Ethernet port and 2 optical inputs.  The ACE also accepts  Bluetooth connection along with wifi. So, whether you want to play vinyl, stream from a NAS or a USB drive, connect to your phone or tablet by Bluetooth or hook up the audio from your TV, sat alive box or blue ray player you are covered.

Control of the ACE is either by the front panel buttons – apart from using these for the initial setup I had no need to use them again but I guess they are a handy option to have; by the attractive supplied remote or by MIND, Simaudio’s control app for android and iOS devices.

The remote provides comprehensive control of the ACE and its slimline styling complements the unit well.  My only criticism would be that I found the flat-profiled buttons a little difficult to read but it wasn’t a major issue.  I have said in previous reviews that a streamer is only as good as its app and I still firmly believe that to be the case. MIND is one of the best apps I have so far encountered.  It is intuitive to use and offers full control of the ACE including volume control and selection of inputs.  Access to Internet radio stations and Tidal (if you h ave a subscription) is also included.  Every app has its own way of doing things and some can take a while to get used to to but with MIND I was quickly using my tablet to browse the files on my NAS, create  playlists on the fly and explore new releases on Tidal.  Compared to Naim’s app for the Superuniti, the display is perhaps a little cramped but in terms of functionality, the MIND app did everything I wanted it to do in an intuitive fashion and, being generally highly critical of these types of app, I was very pleased with how it operated.   Like the Superuniti, the ACE uses the UPnP streaming protocol and how the app displays your music library depends on the UPNP server that you have installed on your PC or NAS.  I have Minim Server, Logitech’s LMS server (in UPNP mode) and Synology’s Audio Station server installed on my NAS and each presented the contents of my library slightly differently.  My preference was LMS but all were acceptable, with the caveat that Synology’s server does not support gapless playback.

Sound 

So far then, the ACE is a winner on looks and functionality but how does it fare on sound? It handles PCM up to 384khz and DSD up to DSD256 (should you be able to find files at either of these highest resolutions).  Not all resolutions are supported on all inputs.  As I didn’t have access to a turntable with a MM cartridge during the period of the review, the phono input was not tested.

Perhaps influenced by the ACE’s elegant looks, I started off my listening with nothing too raucous.  Shelby Lynne’s Just A Little Lovin’ is a first rate recording – a tribute to Dusty Springfield in a soulful and sophisticated style.  The ACE allowed all the dynamics and subtleties of the recording to shine.  The drums on the title track are understated in quantity but not in quality, each cymbal stroke gangs in the air with a realistic decay and every snare thwack resonates with the shell of the drum, not just the skin.  During the song, Lynne pauses between lines and the print through on the recording tape results in a pre-echo of the line she is about to sing.  The ACE picks this detail  up effortlessly.

This gets me in the mood for a bit of Dusty herself so it’s time for a spot of the classic Dusty In Memphis album.  On Son Of A Preacher Man, the ACE has no problem conveying the live feel of the performance.  In particular, the intricacies of Tommy Cogbill’s bass line which maintains a kind of inverted dialogue with Dusty’s vocal are handled deftly.

Picture 2333

Moving on to something completely different, solo piano can be tricky to realistically reproduce.  Streaming Khatia Buniatishivili’s version of Mussorgsky’s Pictures At An Exhibition via Tidal, the ACE conveys a realistic sense of the performance space and keeps the piano locked down solidly within it. And proving that this is not a one off, the ACE also comes up trumps with Alice Sara Ott’s live recording of Pictures At An Exhibition from St Petersburg’s White Nights Festival.

One of the qualities I really liked about the ACE was its volume control.  I occasionally find that some amplifiers lack subtlety in volume control – 12 may be just too loud for some situations but 11 not loud enough, for example.  Whether operated manually by the volume knob on the unit, by infra red through the remote control or via wifi by the MIND app, increase or decrease in volume is handled in smooth half steps and I never had a problem finding a volume level that suited my requirements.

Conclusion 

The ACE is a stylish, compact, well built single-box design that provides everything you need to  deliver a high quality streaming solution.  The inclusion of a moving magnet phono stage and a variety of inputs provides added flexibility, giving it the opportunity to become an all-singing, all-dancing entertainment centre, handling, vinyl, an external CD player and audio from TV, satellite or Blue ray.  Just add the speakers of your choice.

If I’m forced to make comparisons with the Naim Superuniti, and I suppose I am, then in terms of absolute sound quality the Naim wins out.  But, and it’s an important but, there is around £1000 price difference between the Superuniti and the ACE, and that could buy you a nice turntable or pair of speakers.  You need to hear both and decide where you need your money to go.  If you do go for the ACE though, I doubt you’ll end up feeling short changed sound wise. The ACE matches sophisticated looks with an equally sophisticated sound and comes highly recommended.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality: Attractive and well put together unit that is complimented by a well thought out app.

Sound Quality: Dynamic and detailed, yet subtle when needed. A sophisticated sound.

Value For Money: If there is a single box solution out there that offers better value for money than the ACE then I really need to hear it. I get the feeling I may be wailing a while though.

Pros:

Good looks

Compact size

Competent control app

Detailed, involving sound

Cons:

I honestly can’t think of any

Price: £2800

John Scott

Specifications

Output Power at 8Ω: 50 Watts per channel

Input Sensitivity: 370mV – 3.0V RMS

Input Impedance: 22,100Ω

Gain: 37dB

Frequency response (full range): 10Hz – 80kHz +0/-3dB

Crosstalk: -100dB THD (20Hz – 20kHz @ 1 watt / 50 watts) 0.02% / 0.02%

Intermodulation distortion: 0.005%

PCM Bit-depth range / sampling rates: 16 – 32 bits / 44.1 – 384kHz

DSD sample rates: DSD64, DSD128 & DSD256

Shipping weight: 24 lbs / 11 Kgs

Dimensions (width x height x depth): 16.9 x 3.5 x 14.4 in. 42.9 x 8.9 x 36.6 cm

Lehmann are a German manufacturer headed up by Norbert Lehmann and make a range of widely respected electronics. Here Janine Elliot pops on her cans and takes a listen to the Linear D Headphone amplifier and DAC costing £1050. 

There are certain duo’s that should always go together, like fish and chips and Marmite and cheese, and a few that probably shouldn’t like Audio Innovation’s CD player with built-in FM tuner. A few years ago the idea of a headphone amplifier with a DAC were equally frowned upon, but as we become more involved in hi-res players and turn ‘antisocial’ using headphones as opposed to antisocially playing our loudspeakers too loud, this duo seems all the more relevant. And, with the Lehmann Linear D being reviewed here, should you have friends to share with then there is an additional headphone socket so the two of you can listen together. Sweet.

This model is basically a single analogue input Linear with additional Toslink and S/PDIF RCA digital inputs. A blue light next to the sockets will indicate when a digital source is connected, with priority for the Toslink.  I just wish the on/off light at the front of the Linear D changed from blue to red to indicate a digital source, as you won’t see the blue light on the rear unless you turn off the room lights! The unit doesn’t need any manual switches to toggle between the analogue or digital sources, rather it recognises if a digital source is playing and switches across automatically, picking the optimal setting. The Sabre K2M DAC from ESS Technology on the quad-layer circuit board, which has been optimised against HF interference, can handle  24 bit digital inputs at sampling rates of 32 kHz; 44,1 kHz; 48 kHz; 88,2 kHz; 96 kHz; and 192 kHz. There is no provision for higher 384kHz or DSD conversion. The front of the unit is quite sparse with just the blue light to tell you when the unit is switched on, the all-important volume control, and two ¼ inch stereo Neutrik gold plated headphone sockets.

All sockets at the back are tightly packed at one end due to there being the on/off switch, IEC socket and fuse block at the other, and whilst there is labelling underneath the unit there is none at the rear itself which can be rather confusing if you are in a hurry to set up, particularly because the analogue left and right and digital RCA socket are not separated, which could be puzzling if you don’t read the manual or peek underneath the unit, and because where left and right analogue RCA inputs are set horizontally, the output left and right RCAs are vertically set on the right.  I prefer in/out and left/right to be placed in rows, in the same way as they were in cassette and tape recorders, but old habits die hard. Two parallel outputs on the discrete class-A solid-state output stages powerfully feed two headphones connected in sockets at the front of the unit, preferably of equal impedance. For this test I used Sennheiser HD650’s (always difficult to drive well), Audio Technical W1000, Meze 99’s, and borrowed a pair of HD800’s. 

Norbert Lehmann set up Lehmann Audio in Cologne, Germany, in 1988 when a young student of audio engineering, Since the Summer of 2007 he has been operating from Bergisch Gladbach. With a passion for detail of sound this German manufacturer has been producing a big selection of headphone amplifiers, phonostages and power amplifiers as skilfully as Britain’s very own Graham Slee. This product like many in his range is offered in a choice of matt aluminium, black or my favourite the shiny anodised aluminium.  The Linear D also has vibration-absorbing SSC feet to “decouple the Linear D from its base and provide calmness”. Calmness was certainly manna from the power reserve in the zero global feedback Class A output stage that works well with any headphone, no matter what impedance. At £965.00 this is a medium price for a headphone amplifier, but bearing in mind the cost of decent headphones today it is proportionally only a small amount to pay for what for me was quite exceptional sound-per-pound. You get a headphone amplifier based on their very successful £649.95 Linear with added digital input, and one that is easy to operate once you get past connecting it up.

Sound

Kate Bush’s A Sky of Honey “Prologue” from her iconic ‘Aerial’ album gave an open and full-frequency performance delving into each individual instrument methodically and with great ease. Even the combined assortment of closing drums, piano and vocals were clearly defined in their own space, and the open C-chord from violins and piano ‘G’ in the centre stage isolated itself from an Ab “hum” that was well defined on the right ear, and continuing until the final fade. I hadn’t really noticed this before and I wonder if Kate also knew that it was there when she recorded the album in her home studio. The Lehmann gave excessive amount of detail without making it all sound confused or clinical. The sound was passionate, involving and musical. This was electrostatic detail with oomph.

Playing the Queen Symphony through the DAC, the piano-key pressing gave quick attacks that sounded good on the HD650. All instruments were clearly defined in their allotted space, and all sounds, whilst powerful and sumptuous, were still very sensitive to the detail. From the lowest sounds to the high glockenspiel I never got tired of listening. Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique (Robin Ticciati, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Linn 24/192) was crystal clear, from the “brushing sounds” merged under the string introduction (which seems to be synonymous with a number of Linn recordings) to the brash brass bursts in the fourth movement. The dynamism of the music is allowed space in this headphone amp, and I felt more front-to-back awareness in the 2-dimentional HD650’s than I thought was possible. These are unflustered and clinical headphones at the worst of times, and this headphone amp played each individual note with a high degree of musicality and pizazz. The manual supplied shows how you can select the best output for your cans, with 2 micro-switches per channel situated under the unit allowing you to adjust amplification in a range of 0, +10, +18 and +20 dB, with the manual even listing suggestions for German headphones from companies including AKG, Beyer, Grado, Sennheiser and Ultrasone. Output gain was considered more important than matching impedances, and the unit worked well with both low and high impedances. Giving the HD650’s and HD800’s an extra 10dB of “welly” meant I was never short of power and the Linear lived up to its name with a very undeviating frequency response from lowest to highest.  And, like the Black Cube Linear that I heard some years ago, the sound was full-bodied, rich and meaty, giving me masses of enjoyment.

Turning to mono with Ella and Louis “Can’t We Be Friends” (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong) was defined and accurate, and with both of them singing the fact that this was a mono recording made it none the less enjoyable. Switching to the HD800’s and Audio Technica W1000 fifth generation headphones opened up the sound even more, becoming more human and enjoyable, especially the ‘muted’ trumpet solos. I didn’t really notice it was mono with the distant trumpet solos and piano contrasting with the closer vocal interjection.  Prog rock album ‘Life within a Day’ track “Tall Ships” from Squacket (Chris Squire and Steve Hackett; YES  and Genesis respectively) played with authority and detail, with clear decays from the bass drum that I could still hear clearly amongst all the other instruments still playing. Nothing was hidden. Indeed, in a later performance Pavlo Beznosiuk playing the Toccata and Fugue in A minor (JS Bach) on the solo violin rather than the organ illustrated further the space and decay of sounds. Back on Squackett, whilst I still prefer the original YES and Genesis, there are some great tracks on this second album from this duo. The Lehmann didn’t disguise some unadventurous mixing in this album, but kept it as I remember; particularly the very centralised mix-down in ‘Divided Self’.  ‘Aliens’ was a very tame track and the Linear D made it all the more clear and not frightening with all the different short riffs fitting together that left me with a sea of smiles.  Queen “One Vision” from A Kind of Magic (Queen Studio Collection, 2015) played with power and awe, with the bass particularly good on the Meze 99 Classic headphones, recently reviewed, and this MP3 download sounding surprisingly musical. The title track wasn’t flustered with its highly compressed drum beats. If anything the Lehmann opened up the sound so I didn’t get a headache. David Gilmour’s “5am” from ‘Rattle that Lock’ took me back to a restful state of mind.  Pat Metheny Group ‘The Way Up’ opening track sounded clear and powerful with the ride cymbals in the percussion, guitars, synthesisers and Steve Reich’ inspired repeated phrases sounding crystal clear and refined. The HD650 relished this music, giving of itself as good as I have ever heard. Nothing rushed, all there and very detailed. Where I normally prefer my Audio Technicas, they now sounded too bright and the HD650 sounded more natural, and the HD800 just improved it one more degree.

Conclusion

The Linear D was surprisingly good choice for me to play with. Where I usually prefer tube headphone amps in order to get the musicality and personality in the sound, I felt very happy getting to know this product, both with analogue and digital sources. The sound was powerful, human, never flamboyant, but still sensitive to detail. It worked well with all I played, from classical, jazz, pop and folk. Having that extra 20dB of power up my sleeve was also good for those less efficient planar headphones that are flooding the market. I would therefore most certainly give this product a listen to if you are in the market for a headphone/DAC duo.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality:  Minimalist, well-built design, both component design and construction

Sound Quality:  Accurate, full frequency sound with lots of warmth and vivacity

Value For Money:  With a price of £965 this is not a basement price offering, but bearing in mind the price of the headphones you should be using with the Linear D, this is excellent value

Pros:

Immense musicality
Full sound
Works on all music
Detail that doesn’t tire you out
Detailed soundstage

Cons:

Limited to 1 analogue input
Limited to 24 bit PCM digital inputs
Confusingly laid out sockets
Having the digital source light at the rear

Price: £1050

Janine Elliot 

Technical Specification

The SOtM sMS 200 streamer is an unassuming little unit costing $450 plus taxes. John Scott puts it to the test. 

It has been around seven years since I decided to dip my toe into the murky waters of audio streaming.  Armed with a Logitech Squeezebox Duet streamer and a Cambridge Audio DacMagic, I ripped all my CDs to FLAC files, stored them on an external hard drive attached to my laptop and discovered the joys of having all by music almost instantly available on demand.  I’ve never looked back since; the Duet was eventually upgraded to a Squeezebox Touch and the laptop gave way to a network attached server (NAS) but streaming remains my primary choice for music reproduction.

Seven years is a long time in terms of technological innovation but in many ways, audio streaming remains in its infancy. Some people prefer to use a computer-based system with a media player such as JRiver, outputting the digital signal directly into a DAC via an USB cable.  Others prefer to use a streamer to send the signal into the DAC, either wirelessly or by Ethernet cable, from a remote source on their home network.  Increasingly, we are seeing streamers and DACs being combined into single boxes rather than being discrete components.  There is, as yet, no single agreed “best” way of doing it and perhaps there never will be.

SOtM (it stands for Soul Of the Music) is a South Korean audio manufacturer, specialising in digital audio products. Their sMS200 is a stand alone streamer so needs to be used in conjunction with a DAC. Unlike some other streamers that have a variety of digital outputs such as S/PDIF and USB, the sMS is restricted purely to an USB output.  Inputs are either RJ45 for network connection or 2 USB ports, allowing connection to 2 individual USB sources.

Unboxing and Appearance 

The sMS200 comes in a neat, stylish SOtM-branded black box with the streamer itself snugly swaddled in matching black foam protection and accompanied by its wall-wart power supply.   It was hard to tell from photos of the sMS 200 what its build quality was going to be like and to be honest, I didn’t have high hopes.  It would be an understatement then to say that I was pleasantly surprised.  The streamer is solidly constructed from black aluminium with a brushed silver aluminium front plate.  The front plate is minimalist in its design, featuring a low-key SOtM logo, 2 small green LEDs and a pierced lattice to provide ventilation. The rear of the unit is similarly understated containing a power socket, 3 USB ports, an Ethernet port  a reset button and some more ventilation.  The unit’s small form factor and trapezoid shape make it an attractive and unobtrusive addition to your hifi rack.

Set up and operation 

As mentioned above, the streamer is powered by a switched wall-wart power supply which connects to a socket on the rear of the unit.  Network connection is by Ethernet – there is no wifi option available.  Alternatively, 2 USB ports can be used to connect external USB storage devices.  What SOtM describe as a high end audio USB port provides the digital audio output to your DAC.

Having connected up the sMS200, further set up is achieved through SOtM’s own Eunhasu (it means “river of stars”) music player.  This is a web-based interface, accessed from PC, Mac or android or iOS tablet.  The Eunhasu allows you to decide how you wish to control the streamer and a wide variety of options are available.  In order of appearance, these are as follows:

Roon.  The sMS200 is a Roon ready end point.  I have used Roon in the past and in my opinion, it is the music control system  that all others should aspire to.  Unfortunately, it is also beyond my budget so I was unable to test it with the sMS 200.  Given that all Roon’s processing hard work is done on its host PC, Mac or NAS though, I can see no reason why the sMS200 would not interface with it perfectly well.

Squeezelite –  The sMS200 will run either from Logitech’s LMS server installed remotely on a computer or NAS for networked audio files  – I used the LMS server on my Synology NAS – or, for files stored on any USB device connected directly to the unit’s USB ports there is an embedded version of LMS on the streamer itself.  Whether you want to play networked files or USB storage files, the setup of the LMS server is done through the Eunhasu player.  Once the server software is configured, you can easily switch between your network LMS and the streamer’s own LMS as desired.

DNLA/UPnP server – If you prefer to use a DNLA/UPnP server on your network, rather than LMS then the sMS streamer can accommodate this too.

HQPlayer –  HQPlayer is a Windows, Linux or Mac based audio player, often used for DSD file libraries.  This functionality was not tested during the review.

Shairport – Shairport is an AirPlay emulator, enabling audio streaming from Apple devices.

If you have previous experience with digital audio streaming then you will find the Eunhasu interface easy and intuitive to use.   If  the sMS200 is your first foray into streaming, setting up the sMS200 through the Eunhasu player should pose no major problems, but you will have a bit of a learning curve.  To be fair though, that is likely to be the case whatever streaming equipment you end up using.  The downloadable instruction manual is comprehensive but could be improved for English speaking users.

Having got to grips with setting up the sMS200, it was time to put it to work playing some music.  Despite its name, the Enhasu Music Player does not actually play music.  To browse your music library, select track or albums, create playlists etc you will need an app for your tablet.  I’ve yet to find a non-proprietary UPnP app that provides a really good user experience.  I did find, however that the sMS200 worked well with Linn’s  Kazoo and Kinsky apps.

For me, the best user experience was provided by using the Squeezelite functionality.  This allowed me to access the files on my NAS, to access internet radio and to stream from Tidal, opening up the widest range of options.  Once again, the choice of app is key to the best user experience and my favourite LMS-compatible app, Squeezepad delivered the goods.  For non-Apple users, I’d recommend Squeeze Commander as an Android alternative.

During the review period I paired the sMS200 with my Cambridge Audio DacMagic and also fed it into the USB input of SimAudio’s Moon Neo ACE , bypassing the ACE’s own streamer.  The sMS200 consistently delivered a high quality experience, with both high resolution PCM and DSD files being streamed without buffering, allowing the DACs to perform at their best.

Usually at this point in the review it would be time to talk about the sound of the piece of the kit being reviewed.  The question is: does a piece of equipment whose job is to move a digital signal from its location on your network, or an USB device, into your DAC actually have a sound?  Or should it have a sound?  We should maybe be talking not so much about the sound of a streamer as its impact on the sound of the rest of the system.  A poor streamer may introduce noise in the form of interference from its power supply, it may handle jitter poorly.  These things will have an effect on the sound of the overall system but cannot really be described as the sound of the streamer.  Perhaps then, the best thing we can say about a streamer is that it has no sound at all.  The sMS200 introduced no audible additional noise into my system and simply got on with doing its job – quickly and reliably pushing a signal into the DACs it was working with.  If that sounds like faint praise, it really isn’t.  There is nothing more annoying than having a piece of music stop part way through because the streamer isn’t doing its job properly. There were no such problems with the sMS200.

Conclusion 

SOTM’s sMS200 streamer packs a lot of functionality into a small box.  SOtM state that they have designed their ARM-based processor board for optimum audio performance and its versatility and reliability bears this out.  The streamer’s ability to deliver as a stand alone non-networked streamer using its USB inputs makes it an attractive proposition for those who cannot, or do not want to, commit to a fully networked set up.

AT A GLANCE 

Build Quality: Minimal design but well put together and well packaged

Sound Quality: Works as it should in getting a clean digital signal to the DAC

Value For Money: Great value for money

Pros:  

Offers a flexible range of streaming options

Excellent build quality and attractive design

Cons: 

Initial set up may present a challenge for streaming newbies

No wifi functionality

Price:   US$450 exclude tax and vat 

Specifications 

OS:  Linux

Audio player:  Roon Ready, DLNA renderer, Music Player Daemon(MPD), Logitech Media Server(LMS), Squeezelite, HQplayer, Shairport

Audio features: PCM 32bit/384KHz max, DSDx64, DSDx128, DSDx256, Ultra Low Jitter Clock, Ultra Low Noise Regulator, Active Noise canceller

USB port: High-End audio grade USB port x 1, USB 2.0 port x 2

Ethernet port: RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet

Power requirement: Input Voltage : +6.5 ~ 14Vdc, Power : Max 15W

Dimensions: 106×48×152(mm)

Weight: 1.5Kg

The Auralic Mini is a streamer of diminutive proportions, but does this mean it has to compromise on sound? Dan Worth attaches this £450 unassuming black box into his system to find out. 

Flexibility usually comes at a premium in the world of Hifi and streaming devices often have limits to the configuration of outputs and services they offer. Aurelic’s Aries Mini however, is a wireless/wired streaming hub designed for connecting to your existing home audio system. Differing from the full sized Aries the Mini has both digital and analogue outputs, for connection to a standalone DAC or digital amplifier via USB, Coaxial or Optical and can also connect directly to any analogue amplifier or powered speakers via its RCA outputs.

Aries Mini will stream high-resolution music quickly and wirelessly in virtually any sampling rate, even the latest Quad-Rate DSD and DXD. It is powered by Aurelic’s proprietary Tesla hardware platform which has as its brain a Quad-Core ARM Coretex-A9 processor running at 1GHz supported by 512MB of DDR3 RAM and 4GB internal storage. The Tesla platform has a calculation ability of 25,000 MIPS, more than enough to decode a vast selection of audio formats, including AAC, AIFF, ALAC, APE, DIFF, DSF, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, WV and WMA.

In order to obtain music from the Aries Mini one will need to add a library or source to playback from. Options include a NAS via uPnP/DLNA, Minimserver, Twonky, Asset UPnP, JRiver or any other DLNA/uPNP compatible server software. TIDAL, Qobuz and WiMP online streaming, Internet Radio, AirPlay, Songcast and Bluetooth, USB hard drive files or Optional internal HDD/SSD all controlled via the Lightning DS App, which is only compatible with iOS Apple devices, a big disappointment for Android customers, however, an older full sized iPad, iPad Mini, iPhone or Touch would make for a great inexpensive remote control. I use a separate device myself to control my music playback, leaving my iPad for any browsing or music investigation during playback. So be sure to factor this in when purchasing as the Aries Mini has no remote or real onboard controls, just a volume up/down button and play/pause is present for a little additional convenience.

I had a few initial issues with the Lightning DS app. I could play one track from my NAS and the app would freeze or crash out, the current song would continue to play and I would need to reload the app, play one track and the same would happen. I quickly gave up and listened to another source and contacted Auralic.

After the Xmas period had passed and I was recovered from all the treats that the festive period brings I thought I’d try the Lightning DS app again, noticing that Auralic had indeed left me a message to arrange a convenient time to have a chat over the telephone to determine where the problem may lie and to my satisfaction, whatever little bug may have been preventing normal use, whether on my network, iPad or the app itself had been resolved and I was soon using all features of Lightning DS without any issues.

Firstly I went back through many of my own personal albums on my NAS drive, as this is where I first began and was a quick and easy way to get some appreciation of what the Mini had to offer. Performance and usage of the system reminds me very much of the Squeezebox setups of the past, the sonic signature is very informative and detailed, overall dynamics are strong and somewhat unexpected from this little Apple TV sized box, and it soon became clear that sonically the Aries Mini was a leap ahead of the famous Squeezebox devices. Clarity in the upper registers is very good indeed and really nicely detailed and open, the midrange showed strong vocal presence and clarity of tone, bass lines were punchy and detailed, whilst lacking the lowest of extensions had a shape and presence to the bass which is musical, fun and bouncy.

I much prefer what the Aries Mini does with more upbeat and toe tapping music, the more mellow stuff is still dealt with very tastefully, but for me the Mini is an enthusiastic fun loving little fella with a big smile and a big heart, rather than a slipper touting, pipe smoking old man retired to the compost heap!

This comment had me instantly thinking of a dear friend of mine, Barrie is 87 and far from a compost heap. He always has a smile on his face and has a great sense of humour. We often sit around his house listening to his system and a wonderful arrangement of Trad Jazz, which I enjoy very much. It’s usually not long before Barrie gets up and starts dancing around the room too and educating me on some of his most favourite artists. It goes to show that age is only a number and the heart and soul are a constant throughout life. The Aries Mini has a heart and soul for life just like Barrie and the fun loving care free way it presents music isn’t really your typical hifi sound, it’s just musically enjoyable and most satisfying.

Next up and keeping in line with local library playback I popped a Samsung Evo 850 250gb SSD drive into the underside of the Aries Mini, which is an incredibly easy task for anyone who can undo two screws. Simply slot the drive into position and attach the underside flap. Moving files from the NAS or a local computer shared on the network to the internal drive was a breeze through the rather comprehensive Lightning DS App and playback produced a darker background and more insightful performance playing from the SSD direct, allowing for even more information to come through. Soundstaging was notably more focused and had cleaner edges to the overall width, yet still retaining that great Aries Mini sound character.

Alongside the ability to play local files Auralic have given the Mini the ability to play and emulate your TIDAL and Qobuz accounts, no Spotify Connect though I’m afraid, which is a big disappointment as something such as the Aries Mini wouldn’t be my first choice for critical listening in a high-end system and nor is Spotify, but both would get more use (as they have done individually) for when friends come over. The combination of the fun musical presentation and the sheer amount of playlists Spotify offers would have been a match made in heaven for me personally. On further inspection the Mini does offer the ability to play Spotify through the Airplay feature from an iOS device, adequate but not as good as having it integrated.

TIDAL however, which I also subscribe too has come along way since its release and through the Mini sounds fab, far better than Spotify Premium would,  but the pre-made playlists are not as vast. Needless to say I got on with the combo extremely well and love how fast the Lightning DS app rendered, buffered and selected everything I wanted to hear.

Sat back going through many genres on TIDAL I had a chance to explore the soundstage a little further; it’s not the airiest of soundstage, but it’s very encapsulating giving harmonic references to notes all around my room, again its that Auralic draw you in sound that boasts musicality rather than what many refer to as a hifi sound that captivates listening.

Qobuz, another newbie to quality lossless streaming is also supported and also very easy to setup through the app. I’m not as big a fan of Qobuz as I am TIDAL, I think it still has a long way to come with its PC orientated GUI, although on the Lightning DS app it appears very nicely. Sound quality for me and also to a few other friends who had listen is not quite as good as TIDAL, but I think over time Qobuz is going to be extremely effective and build significantly on its already strong platform. Most importantly that Auralic character shone through and did smiley things to my face…again!

I must say I was impressed with the Aries Minis via way of rendering radio stations, first of all there are options for, genre, worldwide and local stations, navigation and buffering was extremely fast and the Mini produced great flow and musicality to radio stations over the range I tried, admittedly more for background listening but I did find myself using radio more on the main system over my time with the Mini as it was just so easy and sounded very pleasing.

During the review process I had the opportunity to also use the various connections from the Aries Mini and my findings were that the coaxial RCA output provided the most consistently lovable sound. Optical is never as good, but with a glass optical cable was far better and USB was very good indeed and the USB implementation of the DAC in question (I tried a few) plays a big factor in overall performance. There were no bad ways of connecting the Aries Mini, including wired or wireless, there just happened to be slightly better configurations if you like to compare and get the best from this flexible little sprite.

Lastly in order to be thorough and for my own interest I connected the Aries Mini to my Focal CMS Actives, now this would be for me an absolutely brilliant and compact system for any other room in the house from the main system. A simple wireless connection, internal or network hard drive and an iPad on a stand offers a fully integrated digital system that sounded fantastic. The Focal’s detailed and clean approach was backed up with the Mini’s flare for reproducing music. This system in an office or kitchen, even a bedroom would be a staple that the majority of people would simply fit and forget.

Conclusion

I didn’t really expect too much from Auralic’s entry level streamer the Aries Mini; I had the misconception that like many other lower priced streaming devices that the sound would be somewhat flat and lack lustre. How wrong I was, the Aries Mini is the most fun I’ve had from my music in a non hifi sense in a while. It’s a feature rich streamer that integrates the most popular lossless streaming services and radio with the families local files to produce a musical and enthusiastic sound that for the money could be called a gift from Santa at this time of year.

The perfect companion to any mid priced system and for those with more expensive tastes a truly great addition to less critical listening in other areas of the home.

AT A GLANCE

Sound Quality: The most fun you will have for £450 unless you live in Amsterdam!

Build Quality: Simple and solid

Value For Money: Brilliant, you can’t put a price on musicality, so if Auralic deems it at £450 then I’m convinced 

Pros:

Musical, enthusiastic, detailed and fun sound

Feature rich software

Digital and analogue outputs

Good app 

Cons:

No Spotify Connect (although Spotify can used via AirPlay) 

Price: £450

Dan Worth