Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 542 - 2025 i Australian HiFi

Ignoring the paradox of choice for a moment, it has never been easier to ‘get into’ hi-fi. You can have everything you need for true stereo hi-fi playback in just a pair of neat speaker boxes thanks to the rise of system-holistic streaming speakers. At the other end of that spectrum, of course, is the purist, ‘sound-first’ separates route. However, somewhere in the middle of that wide gulf, increasingly overshadowed by those two most popular system paths, is another solution that I believe nails the balance between performance and convenience even better, and which I’m surprised isn’t more popular: active speakers, connected to a source. This best-of-both-worlds solution requires an extra box (and cable) compared to streaming speakers, but still fewer boxes (and cables) than a separates system. And it…

It's no secret that WiiM's streaming products have taken the hi-fi world by storm in recent years. The features and performance they pack into compact, affordable boxes are impressive, but the true secret of their success lies in the company’s operating system and streaming platform. The WiiM Home control app — crucial to the streaming experience — is well designed and easy to use for both hi-fi novices and seasoned audiophiles, and the platform itself is terrifically robust. It’s little wonder, then, why Pro-Ject has decided to tap into WiiM's software expertise for its new streaming amplifier, the Uni Box S3, while bringing its own analogue expertise to the amplifier side. Pro-Ject and WiiM share the same distributor in the UK (although not in Australia; Pro-Ject is distributed by Interdyn…

Prototypes of Chord Electronics' Suzi Pre preamplifier and Suzi Amp power amplifier first appeared at last year's High End Munich show, their LEGO-like modular forms designed to work on their own, or together in a compact stereo pre/power combo, or in conjunction with some of Chord's existing digital products. A whole year later, the two premium analogue amps are now officially available to buy, the Suzi Pre costing $4,000 and the Suze Amp priced at $7,000. The Suzi Pre is, as the name suggests, a preamp. It integrates a moving-magnet phono stage as well as a headphone amplifier feeding 3.5mm and 6.3mm sockets. There are also three RCA line-level inputs, a single RCA output, an AV bypass function, and that trademark colour-changing button (or "polychromatic sphere," as Chord calls it)…

Controlled, deep, agile bass Versatile system integration Handy wireless connectivity with app control • Only one colour/finish option $2,999 My home cinema setups have always featured a subwoofer, either connected to an AV receiver as part of a speaker package, or in combination with a soundbar. I’ve even gone to great lengths to install a sub in my car. However, I have never before integrated one into my stereo hi-fi setup. I’ve simply never understood, nor felt, the need to add one. I’ve long believed that a standalone subwoofer would hamper my listening experience by dominating — or simply not working with — the pair of speakers they are partnered with, and being another source of vibration in my wood-floored apartment, especially as I often like to crank the volume…

Outstanding bass Superb mids & highs Bespoke design Audition opportunities Pricey stands $35,000 pair Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, as goes the famous wedding rhyme, which lists the items a bride is supposed to carry on her wedding day to guarantee a good marriage. It is also applicable to the various technologies and components in SpectraFlora’s Celata 88 speaker design… though in this case they are to guarantee sonic, as opposed to marital, bliss. SOMETHING OLD To see the ‘something old’, you need look no further than the speaker cabinet itself, whose angular, bevel-edged shape, topped with an oversized horn, reminds me of the cinema speakers Altec-Lansing used to manufacture back in the 1940s and 50s. SpectraFlora’s founder and head designer, Steve Van Sluyter, says the cabinet…

Many of you reading this will inevitably still have a lot of love for CDs. I certainly do. If you don’t find network streaming to be sonically satisfying and haven’t been swept up by the vinyl revival, the CD is probably still your format of choice. If you want to prioritise hearing your current CD collection (or to-be-revived old discs) at their best, you will need a highquality dedicated CD player. So if your ol’ player is long past its best (or even working stage) or you, regrettably or not, took it to a charity store years ago, it’s time to shop. Naturally, there aren’t as many CD players being made as there used to be 20 or even 10 years ago, and what is available will have to suit…

Sparks MAD! TRANSGRESSIVE Still surfing a gloriously extended late-career comeback wave, Ron and Russell Mael deliver their twenty-sixth studio album, bolstered by a decade-long run of Top 10 albums, laudatory documentaries and acclaimed left-field collaborations. Although both are now closer to 80 than to 70, the strangely ageless Los Angeles duo’s high-gloss fusion of art-rock, chamber-pop and avant-cabaret elements remains reliably pin-sharp and lyrically droll. Meanwhile, the brothers are playing some of their biggest live shows ever. Ron Mael’s songwriting has always had a romantic undertow, albeit typically veiled beneath multiple layers of tongue-twisting wordplay and deadpan mirth. Unusually, much of MAD! ruminates on love and heartache in a more-or-less straightforward fashion. The sparkling, softly throbbing ballad Everybody Looks Great At Night belies its sardonic title with achingly emotional yearning,…

The Bluesound Powernode was something of a pioneer in the world of streaming amplifiers, arriving before the industry had even settled on the product category term, so a new model is always big news. The 2025 incarnation (called, like its predecessor, simply 'Bluesound Powernode') offers more power while promising less distortion and smarter home integration. The $1,850 just-add-speakers system is designed for "people who want powerful sound in a simple, streamlined package — a way to stream music and enjoy TV without the clutter and confusion of multiple boxes, remotes, or wires," Bluesound says. It can act as an AV receiver, too, thanks to its support for HDMI eARC and accommodation of a centre-channel speaker alongside left and right ones. Just add a subwoofer and some wireless rear modules too,…

Ruark Audio's MR1 MK3 have been a long time coming. The MR1 model has been a standout in the powered desktop speaker market for years, from the first-generation MR1 released in 2013 to the MR1 MK2 that launched in 2017. These petite, richly textured and musical compact speakers are highly attractive for their winning combination of size, features and price. A third iteration is finally here, and while it keeps much of what has made the model so likeable over the years, it is furnished with plenty of upgrades while keeping the price sensible. The handcrafted wood cabinets are now a little bit bigger to accommodate a new 8.5cm NS+ mid/bass driver, which promises "deeper, more controlled bass". The crossover and bass-reflex system have also been extensively optimised and tuned…

According to measurements made by Newport Test Labs of the Silent Angel SL1P’s balanced analogue outputs, they deliver around 4Vrms when the onboard digital volume control is set to 0dB. Or, more precisely, as you can tell from the tabulated results shown in the chart below, 4.0365Vrms from the left channel and 4.0574Vrms from the right channel. The lab didn’t measure the voltages at the unbalanced terminals, but according to theory they would be exactly half that of the balanced outputs. You can see that the voltages aren’t exactly equal, so there’s a very slight imbalance between the two channels which, if you do the maths, works out at 0.045dB, which would be imperceptible to the ear. I suspect that if you switched the digital volume control off, the balance…

As deep bass is less directional than treble and midrange, you can place your sub almost anywhere. However, you can get better results if you do some fine-tuning… For the best integration with your room, try to find a room ‘node’. Place your subwoofer where you usually sit, connect it, and then disconnect your speakers (at the amplifier end). Play a piece of music with plenty of good bass, and then walk around your room, listening to the low frequencies. As you walk around, you’ll hear the bass alternately get stronger and weaker, caused by the interaction of the bass notes and your room’s acoustics. At some points in the room, the bass might be so weak that you will barely be able to hear it at all. Conversely, you’ll…

Australian Hi-Fi and Sound + Image magazines are EISA’s exclusive representatives for Hi-Fi and Home Theatre respectively here in Australia. EISA is a community of 54 technology magazines, websites and social media commentators, from 27 countries at present, specialising in hi-fi, home theatre, photo and video, in-car and mobile electronics. Every year the EISA jury of experts combines their editorial experience to collectively judge and reward the best products in each category of each sector with a coveted EISA Award. 29 Awards were handed out this year, decided from a judging process that includes online presentations and global seminars between EISA editors, manufacturers and product designers, followed by judging sessions between EISA’s various Expert Groups who decide the winners that will represent the world’s best in the final Awards. Then…

The in-room frequency response measured by Newport Test Labs for the SpectraFlora Celata 88 loudspeakers is shown in Graph 1 overpage. The response was measured using pink noise as the signal source, and the trace shown is the average of nine individual measurements, made in a grid fashion with the centre of the grid on axis with the speakers’ compression driver at the throat of the Dynamic Waveguide. The response shown extends from 28Hz to 20kHz ±5dB, which is an excellent result, however the loudspeakers were tested when placed in the centre of the room, so there were no nearby boundaries, plus they were elevated well above floor level. If they had been positioned on stands, close to a wall, the response would easily deliver a result of 28Hz to…

Elac has unveiled its latest powered bookshelf speaker system, the Debut ConneX DCB61. Taking the blueprint laid down by the excellent Debut Connex DCB41, the more sophisticated DCB61 aims to improve on the performance of its smaller sibling courtesy of increased power and new drive units. The new speaker system has been designed with performance and versatility at the fore, combining "refined audio engineering with plugand-play simplicity". The main speaker houses dedicated Class D amplifiers for each drive unit, delivering supposedly room-filling sound in a more convenient package. Each two-way bookshelf speaker features a 16.5cm polypropylene mid/bass woofer powered by a 60-watt amplifier in pursuit of deep, punchy and controlled bass. This is complemented by a 19mm soft-dome tweeter, driven by a dedicated 20-watt amplifier and fitted with a precision-engineered…

Bowers & Wilkins has pulled the cloth off the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition loudspeakers in celebration of its 45-year partnership with the iconic London studio. The special new model is, from what I can tell, largely a snazzy Studio-inspired spruce on the 2023-released flagship 801 D4 Signature floorstanders, the best speaker Bowers & Wilkins has made to date. The British speaker brand says the cabinet’s vintage walnut finish has been inspired by the traditional interior of the studios, as well as the musical instruments that have naturally played a huge part in Abbey Road’s storied 94-year history. Meanwhile, the complementary bespoke red 'Leather by Connolly' trim is a nod to both the aesthetic of the world-famous control room in Studio Two and the red leather chairs used throughout the…

Following Quad’s launch of its two-box 33/303 amplifier pairing, which revived classic models from the 1960s with a fresh outlook, the manufacturer now introduces the Quad 3 integrated amplifier, which follows the same styling cues as its reimagined siblings but delivers "cutting-edge" internals under that attractive retro hood. The Quad 3 is powered by Class A/B amplification and delivers 65 watts per channel into 8 ohms. The amp's output stage uses Quad's Complementary Feedback topology in pursuit of “superior linearity and excellent thermal stability,” while independent low-noise power supplies are provided for each critical element for a more "detailed, expansive and expressive" sound. At the heart of the new amplifier is a DAC stage based around the ES9038Q2M Sabre chip. Employing ESS Technology’s HyperStream II architecture and a bespoke jitter…

Astonishing clarity, control and resolution Taut and articulate bass Rock-solid build Ruthless in exposing flaws in recordings and partnering kit Some may crave greater low-end weight and muscularity $12,950 What is the point of a hi-fi system? Is it to entertain the listener with their favourite tunes, almost regardless of recording quality, or is it to deliver every bit of information on the recording as honestly as possible? If you lean towards the latter camp, then you are in for a treat with ATC’s new SCM20ASL active monitors. ATC’s loudspeakers tend to have long lives by general industry standards. The standard (read: passive) SCM20 was first introduced back in 1990 and continues in production to this day, for example. While there have been a few changes along the way, with…

Graph 1 shows the frequency response of the Paradigm Defiance S12 subwoofer using the LFE input (blue trace) and the Line Input with the LPF set to its maximum 120Hz position (brown traces), as measured by Newport Test Labs using a nearfield measurement technique. As you would expect, the response via the LFE input is the most extended, though not the most linear, extending from 17Hz to 130Hz ±3dB. The responses through the line input, at the LPF filter’s maximum setting, are 17Hz to 110Hz ±3dB. For this setting, the difference in responses between the 3rd-order and 4th-order slopes is negligible: the 4th-order filter arguably returns a slightly flatter response between 17Hz and 100Hz, but the increase in flatness is so slight that it would not be at all audible.…

Few electronics engineers can boast a CV and reputation as esteemed as Rainer Finck’s. In the mid-1980s, his career got off to a flyer as an application engineer at Philips Semiconductors, where he helped develop the original Bitstream Conversion method, which primarily paved the path for SACD and DSD. The 90s then saw Finck take his digital audio expertise to Marantz, where for 30 years he designed and engineered several of the brand’s most famous products, alongside fellow Marantz legend, the late Ken Ishiwata. It’s an illustrious 40-year (and counting) career that you won’t be surprised to hear isn’t short of proud moments and milestones. On his return from the High End Munich show in May, I asked Finck to name some of the products he is most proud to…