Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 2 - 2017 i Audio Esoterica

DOUBLE HELIX AUDIO UNION HELIX 2 TURNTABLE BY MARK DÖHMANN The Helix 1 turntable was our cover star in 2016; now Audio Union has previewed the new Helix 2 at Munich High End and the recent Australian Hi-Fi & AV Show in Sydney. It’s slightly smaller, with a single arm board compared with the original’s two, and a built-in rather than off board motor. Yet Audio Union promises it is still engineered using the processes of Micro Signal Architecture to deliver “unparalleled performance in analogue playback”. And the man himself tells us that Melburnians will be able to hear the Helix 2 at Tivoli Hi-Fi, with the Helix 2’s Schröder CB arm matched with a Garrott Optim Ruby FGS cartridge. More information from: www.telosaudiodistributors.com WAMM BAM THANK YOU MAM WILSON…

We can hear you all now. ‘Another review of a speaker from Dynaudio’s Contour range?,’ is what you’re all mumbling under your collected breath. Yes, this is a review of a model from Dynaudio’s Contour range, but this is a brand spanking new model, never before seen in Australia, much less reviewed. And when we say brand spanking new, all the drivers in this Contour 60 are newly designed — except for the tweeter — and have never appeared on any previous Dynaudio loudspeaker. Dynaudio has had a ‘Contour’ range since it first started building loudspeakers 40 years ago (yes, 2017 is the company’s 40th anniversary), so it’s the company’s longest-running range. And yes, it has been updated several times over the years. But this is the first time a…

What’s this, you ask... multichannel ‘home theatre’ in Audio Esoterica? Indeed! Audio is audio, hi-fiis hi-fi— the end purpose may be broadened, but the criteria for success remain the same. Besides, here we’ll be looking at this duo of high-end pre-processor and power amplifier not with primary regard to their home theatre functionality, but for music. In part because, while the overwhelming bulk of our music listening is (and will most likely always be) stereo, multichannel music brings something different and really quite exciting to the music lover. Furthermore, multichannel music deserves to be handled as ably as stereo music. And that’s something on offer from the Yamaha Aventage CX-A5100 AV preamplifier, and the Yamaha Aventage MX-5000 11-channel power amplifier. SEPARATE WAYS The first question — why separates? Years ago…

Development & design Krix is a company which any Australian with an interest in hi-fiand AV will likely know and respect. Since 1974 Scott Krix has been designing and selling loudspeakers first for stereo, then for real cinemas and, by obvious extension, later for home cinemas. But the company contains more Krixes than Scott, with brothers Ashley, Brett, Kingsley and Gary all joining the company over its first decades as the company went on to deliver its hi-fispeakers not only in Australia but internationally, while today its professional cinema division undertakes installations in 30 countries worldwide. Krix estimates that 60% of Australian cinemas use its products. THE RETURN OF TWO-CHANNEL The resurgence of two-channel stereo systems in recent years has not gone un-noted by Krix, with the return of vinyl…

Marantz was building classics. The equipment was so thoroughly engineered that once a product was finished, few changes were ever necessary. Marantz audio components have been manufactured continuously since 1952, when the first Marantz product, the Consolette pre-amplifier, went on sale at Harvey Radio’s (now Harvey Electronics) on 6th Avenue in Manhattan. Needless to say, this makes the Marantz brand one of the longest-enduring in the hi-fiindustry. It is also one of the few brands that has achieved both ‘cult’ status amongst audiophiles and electronics engineers, while at the same time being a mass-market multinational marque. There is no better example of this than the fact that if you want to buy a 65-year-old Marantz Consolette in perfect working condition, they’re still available for sale on various second-hand sites, and…

THE SYSTEM Naim Audio NDS Network Player Naim Audio Uniti Core hard disk player Naim Audio SuperCap DR preamp power supply Naim Audio Statement NAPS1 power amplifiers x 2 Naim Audio Statement NACS1 preamplifier Naim Audio 555 PSU source power supply x 2 Naim Audio Ovator S800 3-way passive loudspeakers Naim Audio Super Lumina Interconnect cable Naim Audio Super Lumina speaker cable Naim Audio Hi-Line interconnect cable Naim Audio PowerLine mains power cables x 4 Naim Audio Fraim Base & 8 single shelves As much as we love discovering new products and revisiting our favourites at shows and at dealers’ showrooms, nothing beats the sound quality that can be achieved when a committed music lover puts a world of effort into assembling a system in a dedicated home listening environment.…

Designer Ken Ishiwata first demonstrated the SA-10 SACD player/DAC and PM-10 integrated amp at Munich High End 2016, but the new Reference Series received its formal launch only at the end of that year. I got to hear these products in Ken’s enviable listening room designed by the late W. Vier — a stretched hexagon-shaped room that combines surfaces that provide absorption, diffusion and reflection in order to provide an analytical yet enjoyable listening experience. On this visit the speakers being used with the Marantz Reference components were the Q Acoustics Concept 500 floorstanders, then only recently launched. Ken is a good friend of those speakers’ designer, Karl-Heinz Fink, and is clearly impressed with the new model. And they did sound pretty fabulous with the new 10 series electronics in…

Canadian audio specialist Bryston is one of the few companies successfully treading both the professional and consumer audio spaces. Surfing both waves is not always easy — the two camps are not always aligned. Yet they ultimately share a common goal — the reproduction of music with accuracy in all aspects of sonic performance. And other aspects can satisfy both tribes of users — such as Bryston’s reputation for building amplifiers which are reliable, indeed indestructible (an industry-leading 20 year warranty is an unambiguous statement). Who’s going to object to that? THE EQUIPMENT Aesthetically, the 4B³ is a alarmingly austere power amplifier design, almost a by-product of that build quality. The solid machined aluminium grooved fascia (black or silver available) presents an expertly anodised finish. Machined etchings display the company…

Audio Esoterica: So what were the biggest challenges for installation, set-up and programming of this extensive all-Naim system? Chris Murphy: Well one challenge is the sheer size and weight! Each Statement amplifier travel case weighs more than 100kg, and is a four-man lift. But in terms of the sound, the biggest challenge is perhaps the Statement’s sheer quality. It’s a precise instrument which ruthlessly exposes its surrounds. So all factors impact on final performance — for example, the quality of the mains power supply and the source component, to name but two. All aspects of the set-up must be to the highest possible standard. AE: This system presented an opportunity in terms of experiencing a system within the context of a music lover’s home with good acoustics, as opposed to say, the few…

It was forty-five years ago that four hi-fienthusiasts set themselves up in a former village school in the Weil valley of Hesse in Germany, with the bold goal of producing “the best loudspeaker for every taste and every budget”. Back in the 1970s, that plan might have envisioned ranges of stereo speakers that climbed from entry-level up to a reference range. But then, as time passed, along came surround sound, and TV audio soundbars, the development of architectural speakers, then wireless transmission and the growth of multiroom products. The remarkable achievement of Canton has been that through all this the company has continued in its aim to produce speakers for every taste, adapting to and sometimes leading each new development, delivering solidly-engineered solutions for every possibility. Today Canton’s ranges start…