The text, from Gary Bruestle, a speaker-positioning wizard at Definitive Audio in Seattle, left my mouth watering: “Have you heard the Apex version of a Rossini or Vivaldi yet? It’s stunningly good. Addictive, even. … I usually have a hard time relaxing and listening to music in the showroom, but the Rossini Apex DAC had me in its thrall for a few hours yesterday.”

Soon thereafter, I heard from Peter McGrath, Wilson Audio’s director of sales, that he was blown away by the sound of his dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC—the flagship DAC from Data Conversion Systems (dCS) of Cambridge, England. Nor was dCS exactly shy when it proclaimed, in its March 3, 2022, press release, that the Apex version of its Ring DAC was “taking the Ring DAC’s world-leading performance to a new level.”

When Gary told me, during the phone chat that followed his text, that he believed the Apex DAC raised the Rossini’s bass response to that of the Vivaldi, I sat up in my seat. For the year the top-of-the-line Vivaldi DAC sang in my system, I reveled in its expansive soundstage, bigger, weightier, more lifelike images, and superior presentation of texture, overtones, and bass. It got me as close to the live-performance experience as I could get with medium-size floorstanders in a medium-size listening room. Might the Rossini Apex be capable of transporting me as close or closer?

My chance to find out came just a few months later, when a Rossini Apex DAC arrived for review. But before I began my audition, I sought to clarify what was going on inside the DAC’s chassis.

The Ring DAC foundation
In a YouTube video titled dCS—The New Ring DAC Apex (footnote 1), Chris Hales, dCS’s director of product development, says, “With the Ring DAC, we’re sitting somewhere in the sweet spot between absolute [voltage]precision and timing accuracy.” The choice of filter—the Ring DAC includes six for PCM, four for DSD, and one for MQA—determines where you sit in that delicate balance. In a follow-up email, Hales noted, “Whilst the filter choice can affect the listening experience, it doesn’t affect the operation of the Ring DAC itself, which remains extremely linear whichever filter is selected.”

dCS’s technical director, Andy McHarg, whose vision drove the Apex project, said that developing the new Apex Ring DAC hardware necessitated examining each component of the technology to see what could be improved. “Marginal gains mount up over time,” he says in that video (footnote 2).

The Apex edition of dCS’s Rossini and Vivaldi systems is based on a reconfigured Ring DAC circuit board with an all-new analog output stage. The challenge dCS faced as it developed the Ring DAC Apex, Hales said, was the inability of conventional test equipment to measure the Apex’s performance values with sufficient accuracy. In an email, dCS VP of Sales and Marketing John Giolas wrote, “the linearity of our DACs is so [much higher than]the industry norm, we’ve had to create our own test equipment to measure it. Conventional test equipment is wholly inadequate to measure what our DACs are capable of.

“Audio measurement systems [can]introduce noise, or distortion, or limit the frequency response, just like the thing they’re trying to measure, and there can come a point where, even if they’re not dominating what you’re measuring, these artefacts are affecting it one way or another.”

Hales explained, “A good example is when measuring harmonics, where the second harmonic inherent in the test equipment can cancel the one in the item you’re trying to measure. This can result in a measurement that is much lower than [what]it should be, one which tends to behave unexpectedly as the performance of the item under test is adjusted” (footnote 3).

Giolas corrected a few misconceptions about the proprietary Ring DAC technology found inside all dCS products. dCS began to develop the Ring DAC more than three decades ago and was the first company to offer a digital-to-analog conversion system that could process audio signals at 24-bit resolution.

“It’s not entirely intuitive to many audiophiles that the Ring DAC is an analogue device,” Giolas wrote. “In all dCS DACs, the Ring DAC architecture is discrete and analogue. It consists of a resistor array, a voltage regulation bus, and a buffer/output gain stage that connects to the preamplifier or power amplifier (among several other things)” (footnote 4).

Hales elaborated in an email, “On the surface, the Ring DAC may look like a Ladder DAC. There is a latch and a resistor for each current source, and these current sources are fed to a summing bus. The key difference between the Ring DAC and Ladder DACs … is that the Ring DAC uses current sources of equal value. This is what is known as a ‘unitary-weighted’ or ‘thermometer coded’ DAC architecture.

“Additionally, the Ring DAC does not use the same current source(s) for the same bit every time.” (The emphasis is Hales’s.) There are 48 current sources within the Ring DAC, all of which produce an equal amount of current. The Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)–controlled nature of the Ring DAC allows the sources to be turned on and off in such a way that any component value errors are averaged out over time. Firing the same bit three times on the Ring DAC might give one output slightly high, the next slightly low, the next somewhere in the middle, as opposed to outputting the sample slightly high every time or slightly low every time (as seen in a Ladder DAC, for example).

“It takes a considerable amount of signal-processing power and know how to optimally operate a thermometer-coded DAC, but the benefit with this approach is that it almost entirely removes the linear distortion from the signal. (Bear in mind that the highly artificial distortion many DACs produce is very noticeable to humans and has a negative impact on perceived sound quality.)

“The Ring DAC process may be thought of as decorrelating errors. Background noise (an uncorrelated error, one which is not linked to the audio signal itself) is very prevalent in nature, whereas artificial distortion (a correlated error) is not. This results in the Ring DAC having class-leading distortion performance, particularly at lower signal levels. This means that more fine musical detail can be resolved and heard.”

Giolas took it from there: “The dCS Digital Platform (DDP) instructs the Ring DAC which resistor ‘latches’ to turn off and on via a dCS-designed software system we call the ‘mapper’. Its sophisticated quasi-randomization accomplishes this in such a way that any component value errors are averaged out, vastly improving linearity over ladder DACs and other conventional DACs.” dCS had previously addressed and improved its mapper technology in 2017, when the Rossini 2.0 upgrade provided a choice of new or legacy mapping algorithms. David Steven, managing director of dCS, noted by email, “The mapping process is vital to the performance of the DAC and is performed in programmable logic (FPGA). As we improve it, we can upgrade the performance of units in the field (eg, most recently with Bartók 2.0). The Apex hardware changes take full advantage of and build upon the high-speed mappers that were installed during the 2.0 software update to the Ring DAC.”

“The new Ring DAC Apex hardware features several modifications,” Giolas continued. “The reference supply that feeds the Ring DAC circuit board was one of the first areas that dCS engineers looked at during the research and development phase. Their investigation led them to make some significant adjustments and enhancements. The engineers also thoroughly modified and improved all subsequent stages of the Ring DAC, including the summing and filter stages. The Ring DAC output stage responsible for buffering the analogue signals generated by the Ring DAC was redesigned (footnote 5). Other changes to the Ring DAC’s hardware included replacing individual transistors on the Ring DAC circuit board with a compound pair, thereby improving symmetry and linearity, and adjusting the layout of components on the Ring DAC circuit board. The result of these various adaptations is a new, enhanced analogue board that is quieter than previous iterations and over 12dB more linear in the second harmonic.”

Setup
I placed the Rossini Apex DAC on a shelf under my reference Rossini DAC, both DACs resting on Wilson Audio Pedestals. A Stromtank S 1000 battery power source supplied power via Nordost Odin 2 cables. A Rossini Grade 1 master clock ($10,200), which I consider essential for optimal playback, paced both DACs. Settings on both units were identical: mappers (Map 1), filters (F5 for Red Book, F3 for 24/88.2 up to 24/192, F6 for higher PCM resolutions, F1DSD for DSD, and M1 for MQA), voltage output (2V, footnote 6), and upsampling format (DXD). I soon discovered that my preference for the Map 1 mapper remains unchanged with the Rossini Apex DAC; I find it richest in color saturation and contrast.

Footnote 1: See youtu.be/tZEKEYniLTo. John Giolas and Rachael Steven conducted the interviews and collaborated on the story and editing.

Footnote 2: A similar sentiment was expressed by Nuno Vitorino, director of research and development at Innuos, who wrote in an email to me and Editor Jim Austin, “It’s the sum of a very large number of small improvements on the source that end up providing a very audible benefit.”

Footnote 3: More detailed information about Apex technology can be found at dcsaudio.com/edit/apex-a-closer-look.

Footnote 4: For more on the dCS Ring DAC, see dcsaudio.com/assets/dCS-Ring-DAC-Explained.pdf.

Footnote 5: According to Hales, “The purpose of the output stage is primarily to interface us to what is unknown territory once we leave the dCS realm. We really don’t have much control over what cables people are going to connect, what external equipment people are going to connect, and these can have very different input characteristics, so it’s important to have an output stage which is capable of driving lots of current, that’s not sensitive to stability problems that these may cause. … The solution, then, is to isolate the summing stage from the outside world so that we can optimize the performance of the summing stage and drive the enormously uncertain loads that cable and amplifier combinations can present.”

Footnote 6: Listening tests conducted years ago revealed that, to my ears, Rossini’s 6V output delivers the most colorful and engaging sound. But since some preamps and integrated amplifiers that arrived for review couldn’t handle 6V, I reluctantly switched to 2V. Then, while preparing the specs for this review, I noticed that specified residual noise levels are lowest at the 6V output. With this confirmation for my 6V preference, it’s now back to 6V.

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So there I was, listening to the MSB Technology S202 stereo power amplifier ($29,500, all prices USD) paired with my own MSB Discrete DAC ($9950 base price, $21,380 as configured) through Magico A5 loudspeakers ($24,800/pair). I marveled at the system’s resolution and quietness—“blacker” backgrounds I’d never heard. The sound of this system was so good, so right—so everything—I kept thinking that if I were an audiophile who didn’t have to review gear for a living and I owned such a system, where could I go from here? Would I need to “go” anywhere at all? I was so impressed by the sound that I wrote about it in my last month’s “Opinion” for SoundStage! Ultra, “Building a Supersystem Around Magico Speakers and MSB Technology Electronics.” I could have just stopped chasing better sound and been thrilled with that setup for the long haul.

But even audiophiles who aren’t reviewers are usually more restless than that, at least in terms of their systems. If there’s no upgrade in sight, how do Jane and Joe Audiophile interact with the hobby outside their listening rooms? I’ve been as guilty as anyone: Over the years, I’ve almost always had my eyes and ears on something new that promises even higher fidelity to the sound of my recordings.

But there I was, listening to a system I could be completely happy with—and not just for the price. That MSB-Magico rig didn’t just make great sound, it made me feel great while I was listening to my music. This type of contentment with an audio system doesn’t come along very often.

But, of course . . .

. . . already lurking in a corner of my listening room was a box, and in that box was something that would upset my newly built, finely tuned apple cart: MSB Technology’s Premier DAC (base price $24,950). I should never have opened that box.

The Premier premieres

For those of you unfamiliar with their product line, the Premier sits directly above the Discrete in MSB Technology’s hierarchy of DACs. It might be hard to fathom that the Discrete, at over 20 grand with the options on my unit, is an entry-level model. MSB doesn’t make low-cost DACs.

At its base price of $24,950, the Premier includes the Premier Powerbase power supply, which has the same dimensions and weight as the Premier itself: 17″W x 2″H x 12″D and 18 pounds. The Premier has several inputs: AES/EBU (XLR), two optical (TosLink), and one coaxial (RCA). It also has a word-sync output (BNC). The Premier’s digital clock is MSB’s own Femto 93, and the buyer can order a Premier with single-ended (RCA) or balanced (XLR) outputs. There are also two input slots that that buyer can configure to add optional modules; for instance, the Pro ISL ($990), for use with the Pro USB-to-Pro ISL adapter ($990), to provide USB input; and the MSB Renderer V2 ($1950). The base model itself provides full functionality, however. The integral volume control ensures that, in an all-digital system, a separate preamplifier won’t be needed.

Unlike most DAC makers, MSB uses no off-the-shelf DAC chips, but instead makes their own converters. Each of the four Prime DACs at the heart of the Premier is a fully balanced, discrete, ladder DAC. I asked Vince Galbo, MSB’s sales manager, to briefly describe ladder DACs:

The purpose of a DAC is to convert a digital code into a precise voltage which is the actual analog signal. MSB’s over 20 years of experience in [the]design and manufacture of discrete ladder DACs has resulted in the proprietary and novel Prime and Hybrid discrete DAC modules, used in all MSB DACs. MSB’s ladder DACs use precision-reconfigurable networks of resistors and switches to precisely convert your digital files into music. These are not your average simple ladder DACs, but an extraordinary core digital engine—a general-purpose toolbox of ultraprecision components. They can be configured to natively convert any existing formats, and any foreseeable formats that do not exist yet. The ultraprecise resistor elements can be configured as a direct-conversion DAC that is ideal for PCM conversion at nearly any sample rate and bit depth, or as a native DSD converter revealing an extraordinary SACD-DSD presentation for the finest DSD sound. The accurate signal is fully balanced from the point of conversion. The modules do not require any buffering with transistors, etc., because of the high voltage and current produced by these ladder converters. MSB produces these DAC modules completely in-house, using our state-of-the-art SMT [surface-mount technology] production line, and each and every module is fully inspected and tested to ensure the consistent quality of every DAC we produce. Finally, each module is installed into its own individual CNC-machined case, which shields the sensitive electronics from external interference and ensures optimal thermal performance. The care and feeding of these DAC modules is provided by super-low-noise, high-current power supplies, ultra-low-jitter Femto clocks, and custom digital filter algorithms developed in-house by MSB over the last two decades.

I asked Galbo how the Premier differs from the Discrete:

Once a single high-precision DAC module is built, it is advantageous to stack another identical module “on top” to do the exact same parallel processing running the same data with the same clock. This drops the noise floor further and allows summing of the outputs, to make an even more robust low-impedance output. Parallel processing of these multiple DACs is one of the additional features of the next level of MSB DAC models. The Discrete DAC has two Prime DAC modules (a fully balanced DAC inside each module), and the Premier DAC has four Prime DAC modules. Compared to the Discrete DAC, the Premier DAC also has a higher-performance Femto 93 clock. The Discrete DAC includes a Discrete power supply designed and built in-house to high quality standards, whereas the Premier DAC features the Premier Power Base. The Premier Power Base includes the best parts and design culled from the Select and Reference DACs, including the best transformers, custom precision power supplies, and numerous other top-quality parts.

For years I’ve used DACs with built-in volume controls fed directly into my power amp(s), but I’ve never found one that performed at anywhere near the level of MSB’s. I asked Galbo to explain why the Premier’s volume control worked so well when connected to MSB’s S202 power amp:

It is necessary to talk about preamps here. Most preamps use amplification from transistors, op-amps, or tubes to increase the industry-standard line-level signal in order to simply . . . turn it down again! MSB DAC modules put out full volume right from the point of conversion, so no gain is needed between the DAC and the amplifier. At that point we only need to attenuate (turn down the volume), which, in the pursuit of absolute purity and clarity, is infinitely easier than creating absolutely defect-free gain. MSB has eliminated all active devices from the point of conversion in the DAC module to the input connector of the amplifier. We have developed a constant low-impedance volume control that has a constant impedance at all volume levels. Amplifiers expect this sort of robust low-impedance output, seeing it as a source equal to the best preamplifiers available. Eliminating any sort of gain devices after the high-purity signal from the DAC module allows a level of sheer clarity across the spectrum that is surprising when heard for the first time.

The Premier’s volume control operates over a range from 0 to 106 in 1dB increments. The XLR outputs provide a maximum of 3.5V RMS output. The Premier will support resolutions up to DSDx8 and 32-bit/768kHz PCM, and all inputs accept DSD over PCM (DoP). Specifically, the optical (TosLink) and coaxial (RCA) module, and the AES/EBU module (XLR), work at resolutions of up to 24/192 and DSDx1 via DoP. The MSB Renderer V2 works at resolutions of up to 32/768 and DSDx4, and the Pro USB input up to 24/768 and DSDx8.

The Premier Powerbase’s and Premier’s identical cases are designed to be stacked. Each comes with Viton-tipped stainless-steel feet that won’t mark the unit under it. The DAC and Powerbase are connected with two dual-link power cables (provided).

A remote-control handset of machined aluminum is included, and I found it terrific in use: The volume is adjusted via a central wheel that’s a cinch to operate with the thumb of the hand holding the remote. Power on/off and input selection are also included, among other functions.

The front panel of the milled-from-solid-aluminum Premier (available in silver or black) features a tasteful display that tells you the current volume level, bit depth and sample rate, and the input selected. The Premier’s display comprises 560 discrete LEDs compared to the Discrete’s 119. The intensity of brightness can be adjusted in the menu system.

My last question to Galbo was about the Premier’s ability to adapt to the future. Here’s what he said:

Because the DAC modules can convert any format, things like format recognition (current and future), digital filters, and virtually all other operations can be upgraded by a free firmware upgrade downloaded from the MSB website and played like a song in your media player. New input modules can be created to accommodate any incoming signal or connection. The combination of firmware upgradeability and the plug-in input modules ensure a degree of future-readiness so that your MSB DAC will not go obsolete for many years to come.

Setup

I connected the MSB Technology Premier DAC directly to my review sample of MSB’s S202 stereo power amplifier, making sure to follow MSB’s recommendation to set the S202’s input impedance and the Premier’s output impedance both to 75 ohms. I also used the Premier with my Boulder Amplifiers 2060 stereo power amp. Three pairs of loudspeakers ended up being hooked up to the Premier during its stay with me: Estelon X Diamond Mk IIs, Magico A5s, and Vimberg Tondas. All interconnects, speaker cables, and power conditioning were by Shunyata Research. My sole source component was an Apple MacBook Air laptop computer running Roon, Audirvana, and the Qobuz streaming service. The Premier sat atop its Premier Powerbase power supply, which rested on an SGR Audio Model III Symphony rack.

A new sound

As editor-in-chief of the SoundStage! publications, I’ve cast a critical eye at my fair share of audio reviews. When I don’t understand what a writer has written, I try to figure it out. Sometimes I have to ask the writer to explain, but often—knowing the writer and the context in which something was written—I can eventually puzzle out the intended meaning. I then try to make it clearer for the next person: you, the reader.

One thing that crops up again and again are harsh remarks about “the sound of digital audio.” Many high-end reviewers, both for SoundStage! and other magazines, have mentioned what they consider to be the generally poor sound of digital, though it’s not always easy to grasp what they mean. Whether they write of “digital glare,” “listening fatigue,” or “digital nasties,” many audio writers are critical of what they hear from digital sources, and make those criticisms in a variety of sometimes vague ways.

I’m not that guy. Sure, I’ve described sound in vague language that needed to be clarified by an editor(s). But I’ve always been generally good with digital sound. I’ve heard DACs whose sound hasn’t appealed to me, but rarely has anything been outright uncomfortable to listen to. I’m fortunate in having had, over many years, a long string of capable DACs in my systems. Companies such as Auralic, dCS, Esoteric, Hegel Music Systems, and Soulution, have offered great-sounding DACs over a wide range of prices, and I’m lucky to have lived with and written about them. That’s not to say that all those DACs have sounded the same, or even similar, but on the scale of sound quality, all have ended up somewhere between Very Good and Great.

As the sound quality of DACs improves, what I usually hear is more resolution—I hear deeper into the music with better DACs, and this makes me want to listen more, and with more intentionality.

That’s not exactly what happened when I inserted the MSB Technology Premier DAC in my system. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

I preceded my listening to the MSB Premier with MSB’s entry-level DAC, the Discrete, in my system. The Discrete, when paired with either my Boulder Amplifiers 2060 or, especially, MSB’s own S202 stereo power amp, produced the best sound I’d heard in my current room. The Discrete produced the “blackest” backgrounds, cast the most holographic soundstages, and revealed more inner detail than any other DAC I’ve heard. I love this DAC. That the Discrete breathes such rarified air made me wonder just how much of an improvement—if any—the Premier could make.

In many areas, it didn’t make a difference. After all, silence is silence, and silence wasn’t more silent to my ears through the Premier than through the Discrete. In short, the Premier, too, was dead silent in my system, but I was used to that. It produced a “black” background from which the music emerged—images popped, creating in my room a spookily clear atmosphere I felt I could walk through and around. But so did the Discrete. With the Premier, I heard no tonal aberrations anywhere in the audioband—given a great recording, music sounded as natural as could be. And the Discrete did exactly the same thing.

But as I put more and more listening miles on the Premier, I came to prefer it to the Discrete, and by a not-small margin. Why?

As I hinted in the third paragraph of this section, I’ll need an editor to help me make this point clear.

The short answer is that the Premier was more enjoyable to listen to than any other DAC I’ve heard—including the Discrete. As I type this, I’m listening to Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax’s Hope Amid Tears: new recordings of Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano (24-bit/96kHz FLAC, Sony Classical/Qobuz). I was gobsmacked by the dynamic range of Ma’s cello, as reproduced by the Premier. The music soared, emerging from the Magico A5s with magnificent dynamic gradations that made the experience of hearing them so exciting I could hardly believe my ears. I know the words ease and effortlessness are vague descriptors of sound, but what I heard from the MSB Premier was both of those and more. There was no harshness or glare or artificiality—as we all agree, the absence of these qualities is the baseline of great digital sound—but what I heard throughout all 153 minutes of this three-CD set transcended those qualities to give me a listening experience even more pleasurable. My brain seemed to have to work less to enjoy the music. This meant that, with the MSB Premier, I wanted to listen to more music, and for longer periods of time, than I have with any other digital front end I’ve had in my home.

As I listened to the playful Rondo: Allegro of the Cello Sonata No.2 in G Minor, Op.52 No.2, I couldn’t help but imagine the delight that must have been on the faces of Ma and Ax as they played. The sound was spirited, unconstrained by any notion of ones and zeros—although the term analog didn’t come to mind either. As the music builds in intensity from 2:33 to 2:50, I heard beautifully portrayed, effortless scaling of intensity and volume; multifaceted, tangible texture; and tone that was colorful and vibrant. In my estimation, the sound was perfect.

Next up was Soundgarden’s classic “Black Hole Sun,” a Chris Cornell song I’ve loved for over 25 years, this time sung by Norah Jones on her most recent album, . . . ’Til We Meet Again (24/96 FLAC, Blue Note/Qobuz). (Aside: I saw Soundgarden at Lollapalooza in 1992 a couple of years before this song appeared on an album, but unfortunately missed Lollapalooza in 1996 and 2010, the only other years Soundgarden appeared on that tour.) Although I’ve listened to this track numerous times since the release of the Jones album, this time was different: It was a lot better. Immediately I had a greater sense of the acoustic space around the image of Jones’s voice, including more palpability—a realism—to the crowd noise, and more presence from her piano. When her voice enters at 0:51, my listening room sounded as live as I’ve ever heard it. Talk about addictive sound—this was the closest I’ve heard a stereo come to fully reproducing the sound of a concert venue in my home. The Premier did that consistently: It got me closer to the performance, more in the presence of the performer(s).

As reproduced by the Premier, the Norah Jones track was full of other surprises. Not only could I hear deep into her singing, her inhalations and exhalations more audible than I’d ever heard them, but her piano’s tone was more detectable—vivid, even—than ever. Her notes starting at 3:27 sounded and felt so weighty, so dramatic, that I had to listen many times before I felt I’d heard everything this sound had to offer. It was amazing. The experience of hearing this track prompted me to listen to more and more live recordings—and to varying degrees, depending on the track, I experienced more and more of the same: an intimate sense of being there, wherever there was.

Vs. others, vs. MSB

MSB Technology’s Premier DAC beats other DACs I’ve heard in the classic audiophile attributes we all know and that reviewers write about all the time. I’m confident when I say that, with an MSB DAC, you’ll hear more of the music your recordings already contain. The extreme quietness of the electronics meant that more recorded detail was revealed. These newly revealed details were not only of the sounds of performers’ instruments and voices—I also often heard additional details of reverberation, and of random crowd and venue noises. The higher noise floors of other DACs typically obscure these details; the Premier easily revealed them.

But in my experience, all of the above can be attributed to all MSB DACs. So where, exactly, did the Premier separate itself from the Discrete? The easiest way to put it is: It was just that much more engaging to listen to than the Discrete. I wanted to listen more, for longer, because I relished my listening sessions even more with the Premier. Another example: When I listened to Jerry Junkin and the Dallas Wind Symphony’s Crown Imperial, with pipe organist Mary Johnson (24/176.4 WAV, Reference HR-112), a recording engineered by Keith O. Johnson, it had never sounded more captivating, more full of the sparkle of life, than through the Premier. I listened to the entire album. It was immensely rewarding, from start to finish.

The best

MSB Technology’s Discrete DAC was the best DAC I’d heard in my system—until the MSB Premier showed up. The Premier is a super-high-resolution, completely silent, utterly dynamic component that lets music flow through it less hindered than through anything else I’ve heard. In terms of sound quality, it’s the best digital front end I’ve had in my system. Combine that sound quality with flawless build quality, glitch-free operation, and user-selectable modular architecture, and you have not only a winning formula for a great product, you have what in my experience is the best, most complete DAC you can buy.

. . . Jeff Fritz
jeff@soundstagenetwork.com

Associated Equipment

• Speakers: Estelon X Diamond Mk II, Magico A5, Vimberg Tonda
• Amplifier: Boulder Amplifiers 2060, MSB Technology S202
• DAC-preamplifiers: MSB Technology Discrete
• Source: Apple MacBook Air laptop computer running Audirvana, Roon, Qobuz
• Interconnects, speaker cables, power cords: Shunyata Research: Alpha USB link, Delta IC balanced interconnects, Alpha SP speaker cables, Venom NR-V10 power cords
• Power conditioner: Shunyata Research Hydra Alpha A12
• Rack: SGR Audio Model III Symphony

MSB Technology Premier Digital-to-Analog Converter
Price: $24,950 USD (base price).
Warranty: Five years parts and labor.

MSB Technology Corp.
15 Brennan Street
Watsonville, CA 95076
Phone: (831) 662-2800

Website: www.msbtechnology.com

The post MSB Technology Premier Digital-to-Analog Converter appeared first on Melody's Vision.

In late 1996, as Listener magazine entered its third year of existence, the Spendor SP100 became my reference loudspeaker, and would remain so for a considerable time. My decision to try the SP100 was influenced by John Atkinson’s review of its antecedent, the nearly identical Spendor S100, in the December 1991 issue of Stereophile. But my purchase decision came down to two things: The SP100 did virtually everything one could ask a modern loudspeaker to do, requiring in the process far less amplifier power than usual. Just as important at the time, it sold for only $3300/pair—which explains how I could afford them on the spotty salary of a teacher turned fledgling publisher.

I might add a third factor: The unapologetically big, boxy Spendor SP100 fit my idea of what a loudspeaker ought to look like far better than any of the towers, triangles, pyramids, panels, or pee-wees on the market. Then as now.

This flagship of Spendor Audio’s Classic line has undergone its second revision, and is now in R² (Revision 2) form; thus, when offered the chance to give it a spin, my hearty Hell, yes.

Description
Spendor remains among the few high-end speaker manufacturers that design and make their own drive-units; indeed, as company owner and design director Philip Swift mentioned in a recent conversation, some of the tooling used to make the drivers in my Classic SP100R² review samples was used in the early 1970s, to make their classic BC3 monitor. That distinction, according to Swift, is more than just marketing fluff: “One of the things that sets Spendor apart is that we understand how our drivers work.”

Two of the SP100R²‘s three drivers are made in Spendor’s factory, in Hailsham, East Sussex. First is an 11.8″ Bextrene-cone woofer that incorporates a cast-alloy frame, a ferrite magnet, a fabric dustcap, and a half-roll surround made from what Swift describes as “a synthetic simulation of a natural latex rubber” and says has the best qualities of a modern polymer. According to Swift, the damping of this driver is accomplished differently from that of its immediate predecessor, with a newly chosen compound on the rear side of the cone and a very thin coat of a cellulose-based material on the front.

The SP100R²‘s 7″ midrange driver, also designed and made by Spendor, has undergone even more development, with a new polymer cone, 5″ in diameter, that’s said to be much stiffer than before. The driver’s surround has also been made stiffer, while its ferrite magnet remains unchanged. As with my old SP100, the rear of the midrange driver is contained within a sealed subenclosure made of MDF. With crossover frequencies of 500Hz and 5kHz—the latter is exceptionally high—Spendor’s 7″ driver is responsible for the vast majority of the SP100R²‘s output. (One can’t help noting that a major portion of the speaker’s output is acoustically supported by a generously sized baffle.)

The 0.8″ tweeter, recently introduced to the line, is made to Spendor’s specifications by the Norwegian firm SEAS. Its small textile dome is augmented with a larger-than-usual half-roll surround, which endows the tweeter with the power-handling capability and radiation characteristics of a larger unit, according to Swift.

In addition to the drive-units noted above, Spendor also makes some of the components used in their crossover networks—most notably their hand-wound chokes and autoformers. As Philip Swift observes, “We use an interesting technique: Our inductor has tapping points, so we get an extra two or three dimensions of control over the phase coherence of the crossover. It also means we don’t put attenuating resistors in series with any of our drivers, since we can use a better-sounding autoformer instead.”

As with all Spendor Classics, drivers and crossover networks are mated to an enclosure whose design has little in common with the products of most other contemporary speaker makers. It’s an intentionally thin-walled and thus mildly resonant cabinet: not because the people at Spendor don’t know “better,” and not because they’re too cheap to make and sell a more massive product, but because 40-plus years of experience has told them that this is the way to make the sorts of musically agreeable speakers demanded by an enduring portion of their consumer base. Swift elaborates: “If you have too much mass, you store energy—which, if released slowly, can spoil musical timing.” The MDF cabinets do, however, make judicious use of internal bracing and thin, bituminous damping pads, the latter sharing space with what appears to be very-good-quality acoustical foam. But, in a first for this model, foam is no longer used to damp the two front-mounted reflex ports. “That was done for the good reason of preventing high-frequency noise from coming out of the port,” Swift says. “But now we have a flared port which accomplishes the same thing—and looks much better.”

There’s just one more change evident in the SP100R²: Whereas earlier versions had three pairs of input terminals—and were thus triwirable—the SP100R² has only two pairs, allowing the user to drive the woofer separately from the tweeter and midrange driver. “There was a time when everyone loved to play with biwiring and biamping,” Philip Swift says, “but because we’ve continued to work so hard to balance the speaker overall, we prefer to see the product performing at its best in the field.”

A final note: The Spendor SP100R² is supplied with a nice-looking black-fabric grille, attached to the baffle by molded fasteners of the usual sort (although the hardwood “frame” around the baffle’s periphery makes the tight-fitting grille unusually difficult to detach). Notwithstanding the textural lightness of the fabric, the grille very slightly dulled the sound, so I did all of my listening without.

Installation and setup
The Spendors arrived at a time when my listening room and every storage nook in my house were already blessed with many more full-size loudspeakers than usual. Consequently, I was able to compare the SP100R²‘s performance directly with that of such things as the Klipsch Heresy III, the Line Magnetic 755i, the DeVore Orangutan O/96, and the Surreal Sound Fifth Row, along with my own Audio Note AN-E SPe HE and Quad ESL references and a borrowed pair of Wilson Audio’s enduringly fine Sophia Series 2s. As I had with most of the above, I used the Spendors in my 12′ by 19′ listening room. Of the three amplifiers I’m fortunate to own, the Shindo 25W Corton-Charlemagne monoblocks sounded best with the Spendors, while Shindo’s somewhat less powerful (footnote 1) Haut-Brion sounded fine but a little less strapping than usual; the SP100R² wasn’t quite sensitive enough for the 4Wpc Fi 421A.

Footnote 1: The Haut-Brion is rated at 20Wpc, but its output transformer has only a single, 16-ohm secondary, and passes notably less power across a lower-impedance load.

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Allnic Audio H-5500 Phono Stage

Allnic Audio with their ‘Tube Amp Done Right’ slogan has been on a roll in the last several years with a slew of well received amps, preamps, phono stages, and even phono cartridges. I had the pleasure of reviewing their splendid and well priced Rose MC cartridge about a year ago, and I am happy to report that yet again it is in my possession (on loan once more) but for a different reason: This time to help review the new Allnic Audio H-5500 Phono Stage, all tube. Yet another pleasure it has been as I report here. Different from solid state (which covers all of my reference equipment except for the front stage in my preamplifier), tube equipment requires a different mind set, different expectations and sometimes some surprise inconveniences (tubes deteriorate, for example) and they are more finicky. But many audiophiles swear by them, and they certainly are fascinating and comforting to look at when on; I looked forward to the challenge and enjoyed it.

Designed by Kang Su Park, the H-5500 at $5200 is a pure Class A vacuum tube design with no negative feedback, with a solid aluminum chassis (silver or black, my review unit was silver) and an open top, sides and back. It contains 6 vacuum tubes total: Four NOS E180CC twin triode tubes, a 7233 voltage regulator tube and a 5654 tube for voltage correction in a tube power supply. It also has internal MC step-up transformers with Permalloy cores.

The H-5500 lucks out mightily with trickle-down technology from Allnic’s higher end units such as their flagship $40,000 H-8000 DHT. It replaces the H-1202 with, among other things, an upgrade to the power transformer (twice the capacity), twice as many inputs (4 now) as well as being endowed with the same step up transformers from the H-7000 and H-8000. It is also about twice as heavy (about 18 lbs versus 10 lbs) due to  a more solid chassis.

 

How does it look? From the front, back and top

Overall the H-5500 has an unusual rectangular shaped robotic-looking elegance.

It has an open top, sides and back but each tube is protected by a clear cylindrical casing.

Looking down from above, the tubes are tastefully located upfront while the two rotational pots (one for each channel) for selecting loading (278Ω, 117Ω, 69Ω, and 29Ω) for MC (MC only) are further back and each load setting corresponds to a specific gain (+22dB, +26dB, +28dB and +32dB). The front panel extends up high to the level of the top of the tubes, but has two rectangular openings in the upper left and right—like eyes so you can see within; the beautiful orange glow at night from the tubes is a delight to behold and very comforting.

Because of those comforting qualities, I kept the H-5500 in a front and center shelf of my cabinet—to be seen. It attracted attention and rightly so. The top rim of the front panel can serve as handles for moving the unit around. On the lower left is a power meter (for monitoring vacuum tube status) which glows with the same calming orange color as the tubes, and a small power button which turns on a small orange colored light in the center top portion. On the lower right is a mute button and a knob for choosing which of the 4 available inputs (2 each of MM, MC) you wish to engage.

On the back of the unit there is the power cord receptacle on the right, a ground screw in the middle and then a symmetrically arranged set of 4 pairs of single-ended inputs (2 MM, 2MC) for using up to four different cartridges (yes 4), and one pair of single-ended outputs. (No balanced/XLR)

 

Setting things up

Because the H-5500 ($5200) uses RCA exclusively, I had to borrow an extra high-end RCA cable (my reference allows for XLR). Other than that it was ready to go, but burn in was necessary. Although the bass was deep and powerful from the start—the power supply with twice the old capacity is on display— it took about a week or so for the higher frequencies (initially quite thin sounding) to come around. And the bass became tighter and clearer sounding.

The power meter is quite handy: if the needle is hanging around within the narrow marked range, then all is well; if not then you better start checking the tubes. During my relatively short sojourn with the unit, all was well. As I discovered, the grounding (between turntable and H-5500) is needed (more so than for a solid state preamp in my experience); but once I attached it things were very quiet indeed. This phono stage is really quiet and clean sounding.

I exclusively used as cartridge the Allnic Audio Rose MC ($2900); I was not able to use my reference Grado Labs Aeon 3 since it is a moving iron, and requires both high gain and high loading; the H-5500 can’t accommodate it using its MM input (not enough gain) nor its MC input (not enough loading), and you must choose one or the other. That is typical of most tube phono stages and why I have as reference a solid state phono stage (Pass Labs XP-17).

Other peripheral reference equipment used in this review: PS Audio BHK preamp, VPI Industries HW-40 Direct Drive turntable, Audio by Van Alstine DVA 600 mono block amps, and Alta Audio FRM2-2M loudspeakers. All components have been reviewed in Audiophilia.

I’d like to thank David Beetles of Allnic distributor Hammertone Audio for supplying both the H-5500 and the Rose MC cartridge.

Specifications

Inputs: Four (4) total, 2 each of MM and MC all unbalanced (RCA)

Outputs: One (1) pair unbalanced (RCA)

Frequency Response: 20Hz -20kHz (±0.3dB)

Voltage Gains: MM +38dB (1kHz); MC +22, +26, +28, +32dB (1kHz)

Input Impedance: MC variable up to 280Ω; MM 47 kΩ

S/N Ration: -68dB (CCIR, 1kHz)

Tubes: E180CC x 4,  7233 x 1, 5654 x 1

Fuse: AC 2A, 250V

Dimensions: 430mm (17 inches) x 260mm (10.25 inches) x 170mm (6.7 inches) (W x D x H)

Weight: 8.2 kg (18 lbs) unpacked, 11 kg (24 lbs) packaged

Music and sound

Here, I touch upon a sample of what LPs I used to evaluate the H-5500, highlighting the ones that were the most useful.

Antal Dorati, LSO, Mercury Records, SR90226, Stravinsky Complete Ballet, The Firebird. (1960).

This is certainly a superb recording and performance, a classic of course; but I used it here to see how the H-5500 could handle bass involved in the powerful, thunderous and explosive timpani that catch you by surprise in various passages, along with the deep, creepy sound of double basses sneaking up on you as well. The music often moves into almost silent intervals, and then soon after startles you with huge dynamics. The H-5500 did a fine job of scaring me in a large 3D sound stage, offering a rich sounding and lifelike presentation of the instruments. This prepared me for upcoming Halloween!

Breaking Silence, Janice Ian, AAP027, Analogue Productions, 1992, 2012.

This album (another great one) offers a fine way to evaluate punchiness, impact and bass, too; the cover track alone covers that ground with percussion (drums), singing, and guitars. The H-5500 sailed through the test; and the resonance of her voice (she has a rather low voice, contralto?) was very apparent.

When I was 10 years old in 1967, my grandmother bought me The Beatles LP, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. In those days my brothers and I had a small one unit record player system (with long needle as cartridge) that could sit on a small shelf. My grandmother came to listen to the album with me and loved it, too. Years passed but it remained and still remains to this day my very favourite Beatles album—remarkably creative.

It is also such a positive, feel good album. When my mom turned 64, I played her the song ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’; that and most of the other tracks are stuck in my head for life.

But until this review, I never had an LP version to replace the original long lost one. So, I splurged and bought the newest 180 gm release (2017) on Parlophone/EMI/Capital Records.

The H-5500 did great justice to this album. Everything from voices to a rooster crowing to tubular bells came out in an engaging large deep soundstage, and that positive feel good aura came through in flying colors and warmth (and boy, do we need such things now in 2021). At high or low volumes, the H-5500 gave a tasteful presentation without any noise that I could detect. Well done. My mom is now 91; when she next visits I will play this LP for her again.

Due to my enjoyment of the album by the Al Di Meola Project, Soaring Through A Dream, Manhattan Records 1985 that I included in my review of the Rose MC cartridge, I splurged again and acquired two more LPs of Di Meola: Elegant Gypsy, 1977, Music On Vinyl (reissue (2013), 180gm), and Casino, 1978, Columbia Records. I have gained much respect for his remarkable guitar playing, both acoustic and electric using the H-5500. Between these three albums you get a taste of all he has to offer (of course in addition to his well known 1981 acoustic collaborative album Friday Night in San Francisco with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía). Anything from tranquil and mysterious to Flamenco to full blown jazz rock fusion with astonishing guitar riffs so fast (and impeccably smooth) that it takes serious concentration to follow—at times it sounds like the guitar is singing. Percussion, with Steve Gadd on drums usually, but often with other percussionists using bongos, castanets and the like, is used tastefully and effectively. The H-5550 made the acquisition well worth it.

Overall sound comparison with my reference, the solid state Pass Labs XP-17: I think the XP-17 offers some more richness, and reveals more nuances and space around instruments, particularly at the higher end frequencies; but one could treat this as just a matter of taste—the H-5500 offers a more reserved (but warm) presentation. The XP-17 offers both balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) for inputs and outputs, while the H-5500 offers only single-ended. The XP-17 has only 1 input but there is no need for separate choices of MM/MC input; just choose whatever specs the cart needs and off you go (and for moving iron it offers both 10K Ohms and 47K Ohms). The H-5500 has a remarkable 4 separate inputs each MM or MC—you must choose, but hey you get 4.

Summary

A wonderful all tube class A phono stage with four inputs at $5200 with outstanding bass. Incredibly quiet and so comforting to jointly listen to and look at.

Definitely worth checking out for someone looking for an all tube phono stage in this price range (or even higher). Highly recommended.

Further information: Allnic Audio

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Review samples supplied by Hexagon Audio
Retail prices in the NL including 21% VAT, per pair:
Black or White Lacquer, Matte: € 5.500
Black or White Lacquer, High Gloss: € 6.000
Any RAL color, Matte or High Gloss: +10%

One of the benefits of being a reviewer is that relatively unknown brands still have a way of finding me. Of course, it also helps if a given distributor (Hexagon Audio in this case) has an eclectic portfolio.

Established in 2011, Pylon Audio currently has a wide range of loudspeakers, of which I will be reviewing their top-of-the-line product Jasper 25.

The bass- and midrange frequencies are reproduced by a pair of 18cm Scan-Speak Revelator mid-woofers (18W/8531G00), while the upper mid frequencies are taken care of by a tweeter with one of the lightest domes in its category, the Scan-Speak D2608/913000. The drivers used in the Jasper 25’s design have been carefully selected, not only in terms of technical parameters but also in a series of subjective tests.

With the Jasper 25, Pylon has moved away from rectangular forms because bent surfaces reduce the formation of standing waves inside the enclosure. The profiled front wall of the enclosure is designed not only to increase the aesthetic experience and visual lightness of the structure but also to align the acoustic centers in the sensitive mid-high section. According to the manufacturer, this helps to achieve the consistency so important for the realism known from listening to live music and it also facilitates the location of instruments within the sound stage.

The Jasper 25’s are quite deep, especially when compared with the very shallow Magicos, but they are narrower and less tall than the S1 mkII’s.

At just over 100 cm tall, 20 cm wide, and 41cm deep, the Jaspers have a well-balanced appearance, relatively narrow from the front and relatively deep to achieve a good internal volume, and as a package neither too small nor too large and at 31kg’s, they are still easy to move around.

Specified at a nominal 4 Ohms and with a 90dB efficiency, the Jaspers should be compatible with a wide range of amplifiers. With a specified bandwidth of 32Hz – 20kHz, listening tests readily confirm that the Jasper 25’s go very deep indeed, and the bass is of good quality, too. However, as I found, their rich and full-bodied tonal balance does favor well-controlled amplifiers.

System Context

The Jasper 25’s will be listened to in a system consisting of the CH Precision C1 DAC connected directly to the CH Precision A1.5 power amplifier via a CH Balanced Link XLR cable. The speaker cables used are mainly the Jorma Trinity, although great results were also achieved with the FoilFlex cables. As digital sources, I will use the Antipodes K50 Music Server, the Aqua LinQ and the Grimm Audio MU1. The analog section normally consists of the Origin Live Calypso mk4 turntable with ViRA Aidas Rainbow cartridge, the CH Precision P1 phono stage, and Ayon Stealth preamp. As a very nice extra, I currently also have the AVID Sequel turntable with Dynavector 10×5 mkII cartridge available.

Speaker Setup

Starting with the Jaspers in-between the Magico S1 mkII’s, it soon became apparent that they needed more space, so I moved the Magicos off to the sides and that made a marked improvement. After having tried countless positions to the sides, for-, and aft positions of the usual location, it turned out that the Jaspers sounded best when in the exact same position as the Magicos. When moved closer, they would sound attractively direct and upbeat but the bass “gelled” best with the acoustics of my room, and the overall balance proved to be most even, when in the aforementioned optimized positions.

Listening

Starting with the digital section, it was readily clear that the Jaspers have a prodigious bottom end. So much so that I feel the upper midrange and treble are comparatively reigned in slightly, or at least that’s the case in my room. Interestingly, with many full-sounding speakers, this usually leads to congestion and an overly warm midrange, but not with the Jaspers. These speakers sound rich and colorful but also clean, open, and foot-tappingly direct, with great communicative powers.

Given that the manufacturer makes use of an anechoic room for their designs, I’m sure that the speakers don’t have a bass hump and actually measure quite linearly but that presumes an ideal room. Mine sure isn’t perfect but after my latest restructuring and treatments, at least all the reflections are dealt with and the room has great phase behavior and no longer gobbles up any bass. However, my room does still have some bass gain that I have been able to balance out but just cannot get rid of entirely. This leads to a great balance with closed-enclosure speakers such as the Magico S series (resulting in a linear balance with the S1 mkII as well as the S3 mkII ), but naturally, the balance is going to be different with multi-driver ported speakers such as the Jaspers, leading to a relatively bass-heavy reproduction. This is not to say that they don’t sound enjoyable, for that, they certainly do! In fact, I think that many music lovers will greatly prefer this over a lean and undernourished presentation.

Incidentally, in terms of the in-room bass heft, the Jaspers behave similarly to the Kroma Audio Carmens (that actually use the same woofers) and the Wilson Watt/Puppy 8. These are both speakers that I loved for many reasons but that ultimately did not match ideally in my room due to their bass response.

Like these aforementioned speakers, I would say that the Jaspers probably prefer playing relatively large spaces and at the very least need to be set up free from the side- or rear walls. Most average living rooms have adjacent open areas such as kitchens that may or may not balance out the bass behavior but I wouldn’t use them in small rectangular concrete or solid gypsum-walled rooms. In these cases, or if the intended position is flanking a cabinet and relatively close to the rear wall, then I’d suggest looking at the smaller Pylon models.

Having said all that, the Jasper 25’s have a way with music that is communicative and inviting. Regardless of their full bottom end, they never sound in any way woolly or cluttered. Rather, there is a distinct absence of complexity to the way that they make music that, combined with their great rhythmic- and dynamic behavior makes them rather engaging performers.

Compared with Magnepans, Magicos, and Martin Logans, there is a moderate amount of coloration in the lower midband that I think is partially cabinet-induced and partially stemming from the midbass drivers but the timbre comes across as very natural (more so than the Logans) and it is certainly very far from synthetical.

Meanwhile, the tweeter seems to do its job anonymously, sounding articulate and direct but never edgy or hard. Compared to the aforementioned speakers, the Jaspers do not sound as airy or as delicate and refined, but I also wouldn’t say they are dark, even if their full sonic balance may suggest this. Their imaging, focus, and resolution are not exemplary but the speakers do project a nice soundstage that does not stick to the enclosures and actually extends deeper behind the speakers than with the Magicos.

Of the available music server options, the Antipodes K50 has a richly smooth and organic presentation but in this context, I felt that the tighter and more articulate presentations of the Aqua LinQ and the Grimm MU1 led to the best results.

Also beautiful in black, the Jasper 25 is available in any RAL color.

To spike or not to spike

The speakers’ bottom plates have threaded holes but rather than spikes, Pylon has included flat-ended screws that have felt attached. Of course, I tried these and while they aid immensely in freeing the sound from the enclosures and result in an overall much better balance than when using the speakers straight on the floor, the felt-covered screws don’t yield the best bass.

What turned out to make the speakers sound the best was using standard spikes with Artesania floor-couplers. This made the speakers sound tighter and more articulate and this is how I used them throughout this review. However, the supplied felt-covered screws are a nice alternative that can come in handy when one wants to make the speaker sound calmer or friendlier.

Speaker Grilles

The Jasper 25’s come with beautifully minimalist magnetic individual speaker covers. However, as with any speaker grille, I would only advise using these when the speakers are in danger of finger poking.

Analog

When I switched from digital to analog, it seemed that the Jaspers were truly even more into their element. Whether using the Origin Live (for the widest and most deeply-layered presentation) or the AVID turntable (for the most robust bass and hardest-hitting dynamics), the performance was immensely engaging. Somehow, when playing records, audiophile aspects such as resolution, linearity, and air don’t seem to matter anymore. All that matters is whether or not the musical message comes across and let me tell you, that the dynamic and communicative Jaspers do exceedingly well. And I’ll gladly admit that the extra extension and fullness down low only served to further increase the musical pleasure. My friends know that it’s rare for me to play entire LP sides but with the Jasper 25’s, this is exactly what happened.

Jasper Monitor

In conclusion, it’s worth noting that the Jasper line will soon be extended with a Monitor speaker. If it inherits all of the 25’s qualities as I heard them during this review, it may well prove to be an ideal variant for smaller and/or difficult rooms.

Conclusion

Best used in large rooms and free from the rear- and sidewalls, the Jasper 25’s excel in extracting the musical message from everything you feed them. With their voluptuous, full-bodied, and colorful delivery, they steer away from the typical audiophile (c)lean & precise presentation. But there’s more to the Jaspers than merely a full tonality. They are also strikingly dynamic and exceedingly communicative, with a remarkable lack of blur or smear, culminating in the rare combination of directness and fullness without excess warmth.

Associated Equipment

External Links

Distributor for the Netherlands: Hexagon Audio
Manufacturer’s website: Pylon Audio

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At the same time, let’s not become too blasé about our more familiar tubular friends: the 12AX7, the KT88, and the EL34—especially the EL34. That classic pentode tube, introduced in 1954 by Mullard Ltd., has been at the heart of some of my favorite amplifiers, most of which commit the equally counterrevolutionary sin of being push-pull instead of single-ended. How I would hate to wind up in a world in which fondness for push-pull EL34 amplifiers is met with the same scorn as love for Elton John records, some of which are actually pretty good.

Today I’m enjoying a new EL34-based integrated amplifier: the T-1800 ($5900) from Allnic Audio Labs, the Korean manufacturer whose products and name are distinguished by the inclusion of nickel (footnote 3). As with all Allnic amplifiers, the T-1800’s proprietary output transformers are wound on cores rich in that element, but these newest versions have another trick up their sleeves: Each of the multiple secondary windings of these “full engagement” output transformers is always in circuit, regardless of which output terminals are connected to the speakers. Allnic says that’s important because an idle secondary winding is a devil’s playground for the buildup of parasitic oscillations, which can then reflect back into and thus distort the signal in adjacent windings.

The T-1800 uses two EL34 tubes per channel in Ultralinear mode, to produce 40Wpc. Somewhat surprisingly, given the presence of dual-mono current meters on the front panel and dual-mono toggle switches on the top plate—the positions of the latter determine which of the two tubes per channel is connected to the meter—the T-1800’s output section operates in auto-bias mode. According to designer Kang Su Park, the meters and switches are provided to help the user monitor tube wear. The output tubes are driven by one E180CC dual-triode tube per channel, and initial voltage gain for each channel is provided by half of a 12AY7 dual-triode tube. (Inasmuch as it doesn’t provide line-level gain, the T-1800’s preamp section is passive.) The 12AY7 is installed in one of Allnic’s proprietary Absorb-gel isolation mounts; ordinary sockets are used for the other tubes.

Allnic’s new integrated amp offers few user controls. On the rear panel is a hefty toggle switch for selecting between loudspeaker loads of 8 and 4 ohms. (The T-1800 can be ordered with 8 and 4 ohm or 16 and 8 ohm settings.) The front panel has only two controls: a pleasantly unyielding volume knob that addresses a 41-step silver-contact rotary attenuator switch, and a source-selection knob that provides electronic switching among five line-level inputs (four pairs of RCA jacks, one pair of XLRs). A compact remote handset duplicates all controls except for the T-1800’s rocker-style on/off switch, and adds one control the front panel lacks: a soft-touch mute switch. The line-only Allnic T-1800 has no phono stage, balance control, or mono switch.

Miscellaneous details: AC rectification in the T-1800 is done with solid-state devices, and the amp’s soft-start circuit gradually applies rail voltages only after the tube filaments have had ample warm-up time. The output section uses 6dB of global negative feedback, presumably to minimize distortion and maximize damping factor. Key specifications include a signal/noise ratio of 80dB, a frequency range of 20Hz–20kHz, and an input impedance of 10k ohms. And although it’s not specified, the T-1800’s overall gain seemed abundant.

But . . . a big bass drum!
Auditioned with a borrowed sample of the Shindo Laboratory Aurieges phono preamplifier (see Follow-Up in this issue), the T-1800 was every inch a classic low-power EL34 amp, with just enough of a modern touch to extend its appeal beyond an exclusively vintage-centric fan base. As for the latter quality: Even before I knew that the Allnic’s output stage employed negative feedback, its truly excellent low-frequency clarity and control were very much apparent. While listening to a recently acquired original mono copy of the Beatles’ Please Please Me (LP, Parlophone PMC 1202), I noted that the T-1800 was more explicit than my Shindo Corton-Charlemagne monoblocks—also using two EL34 output tubes per channel, also operated in Ultralinear, but with no global feedback—in its portrayal of Paul McCartney’s electric bass lines. And the T-1800 sounded tighter and more in control when reproducing the orchestral bass drum in the introduction of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, with tenor Nicolai Gedda, and Sir Adrian Boult conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra and the London Philharmonic and John Aldis Choirs (LP, EMI SLS 987)—although the Shindo amps communicated a superior sense of power and gravitas, notwithstanding their lower output of 25Wpc.

Also in comparison with my Shindo separates, the Allnic integrated had the same abundance of natural textures and well-saturated timbral colors, but presented those qualities with a tonal balance tilted very slightly in the direction of the treble: The T-1800 didn’t sound bright or even bright-ish, but at the top of the audioband the T-1800 had a bit more “air” than the Shindo combo, and more explicitly portrayed such things as room sounds, microphone sounds, and tape splices. Both companies’ amplifiers were above average at forgiving LP surface noises—an indication of their speed and imperturbability, not of any degree of dullness—and neither allowed hum or noise to intrude on my listening.

Apart from their just-plain-different tonal balances, there was one thing the Allnic integrated did consistently better than the Shindos, and one performance area in which it fell behind. The former was the T-1800’s impressive openness and transparency—qualities that, for once, were not accompanied by losses of thick timbral colors and textures, or of body and substance in instruments and voices. At least once in past reviews I’ve drawn a parallel between the strengths I’ve just described and the effect one sees when using Adobe Photoshop’s Levels control to “open up” the middle range of an image’s input levels. (In publishing, that’s often a useful way to prepare a photo for clear print reproduction, especially when dealing with a grade of paper that’s easily over-inked.) Sonically, the effect is of hearing new information not by dint of brightness, but by removing acoustic shadows that were not heard as such on first listen. And so: Strings became steel strings (or nylon, or silk-and-steel, or brass-wound, or whatever), and voices became distinct vocal personalities, and murk became near or distant walls, and suchlike.

I wish I could add, “and sonic images became large or small”—but I can’t, and that was perhaps the T-1800’s only sonic shortcoming of note: The amp’s sense of scale was very much lacking at the large end of things. Experience leads me to lay that at the doorstep of global feedback, even while acknowledging the very real and perfectly worthy effects of same. It’s a tradeoff. Some might think: Feedback eliminates distortion, so if it makes things sound less big, then bigness must be a distortion. In light of the fact that the audio arts have seen damn few technologies that, in reducing one form of distortion, didn’t also increase another, howsoever slightly, I can’t help seeing the foregoing as faulty reasoning; but even if it isn’t, in this house, the badge of DISTORTION LOVER has tended to elicit more smiles than shame.

Anyway, the T-1800’s flaws are more than merely outweighed by its strengths: They are overwhelmed. And whereas I feel comfortable attributing the Allnic’s shortcomings of scale to its dependence on global feedback, how can I explain such excellent touch and force from an integrated amp with a passive front end? Not only did the Allnic shine with up-tempo rock, it succeeded at the trickier job of allowing subtler music to sound dramatic and human and alive—as in the Eroica Quartet’s fine recording of Mendelssohn’s String Quartet 1 (CD, Harmonia Mundi HMU 907245). The entire performance sounded so good, so consistently involving through the Allnic, that I feel guilty singling out this or that passage—although I’ll point nonetheless to the stunning sense of touch in the pizzicato notes in the second movement, the startlingly good force in the tutti opening of the fourth movement, and the excellent sense of sheer musical drive throughout. And the entire work benefited from the Allnic’s fine tonality: colorful and textured without being cloyingly, exaggeratedly sweet; open and explicit without being light or bright. Really: This disc through this amp made as good a case for CD playback as I’ve heard in a long time.

I suppose an EL34 amplifier is like a steak dinner, or a day spent fishing, or a drive in the country with the top down: To people who like those sorts of things, every single one is pretty good—but in each category, a few are better than most. And better than most is how I feel about the Allnic Audio Labs T-1800 integrated amplifier: It pressed every one of my EL34-loving buttons and never let up.

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  // parttimeaudiophile.com

My review of the Merason Frerot DAC is the first time I’ve ever done a formal review of a stand-alone digital-to-analog converter.

I do have plenty of experience with DACs over the last few years, but in most cases we’re talking about an inboard DAC or a digital product that includes a DAC because, well, why not? I use DACs to stream Qobuz, and most of the time I’m merely using an AudioQuest DragonFly—the Black, Red and Cobalt models are the only DACs I’ve actually owned or used for longer than a few weeks.

Lately I’ve had a hankering to spend more time streaming through my main system, as opposed to my laptop, and that requires another type of DAC. Over the last few years, I’ve had a few of those inboard DACs in review products such as the Rotel Michi X5 integrated amplifier, the Bryston B135³, the Rotel A14 and a Simaudio Moon 390. Most recently, I enjoyed the flexibility of having a DAC inside the Innuos Zen Mini music server I just reviewed. But when I ship those products back, it’s time to remove that 20’ AudioQuest Cinnamon USB cable, hang it in the Big Cable Closet, and go back to streaming Qobuz on my laptop.

I’m feeling that I need a more permanent solution.

Why is the Merason Frerot the first DAC I want to review? Well, I spent a lot of time discussing DACs with two of our reviewers, Dave McNair and Grover Neville. Whenever there’s a DAC that needs reviewing in general, I usually call on either of them because they’ve had a lot of seat time with various DACs for their day jobs, and those two are always hiding out in the virtual Part-Time Audiophile War Room and talking about DAC things in their little DAC language of theirs. I always felt left out. So I asked them to help me find a DAC to review that was a) easy to use, b) relatively inexpensive and c) sounds great enough for me to seriously consider as a viable source within my reference system.

The Merason Frerot was the first one mentioned.

The Digital to Analog Converter Blues

You see, I’ve had problems with using DACs in my main system, at least so far. I love the convenience and the flexibility and the sheer pleasure of having immediate access to millions of recordings. I don’t like it when DACs are glitchy, or when the owners’ manuals are not walking me through everything like I’m an idiot because I might just be an idiot when it comes to this stuff. Drivers that won’t download, functions that require additional downloads, things just not working like they should—I’ve experienced it all. And it turned me off. That explains Choice “a.” Choice “b” is important because I don’t want to start off at the top reviewing some dCS stack that I’ll never fully understand.

It’s simple. If I went shopping for a DAC right now, I’d be looking at something priced like the Merason Frerot.

Then there’s Choice “c,” the part about sounding good. That’s one of the biggest things that’s kept me from actually buying a DAC as a permanent part of my reference system. On those occasions that I have a DAC in the big system, I’m usually lukewarm about the overall sound. It’s fine, but I’m generally back to spinning LPs within a couple of weeks. I’ve heard plenty of amazing sounding DACs at high-end audio shows, producing state-of-the-art digital sound. I know what’s possible. I know what an amazing DAC can do. I’m just not getting that at home.

Among the DACs I’ve tested in my main and ever-evolving system, some felt glassy, some felt a little restricted in dynamics or low frequencies, some were just kinda okay, good enough for evenings on the veranda with hundreds of my friends but not for some serious driving time. I wanted my digital streaming services to sound at least as good as my $4500 CD player that’s now almost a decade old, and hopefully better when it came to the hi-rez FLAC and WAV files I have stored in a spare hard drive. For years. Because I get turned off. I forget I even have this stuff.

Merason Frerot at Your Service

When Dave McNair reviewed the $5500 Merason DAC-1 a few months ago, I paid attention when he talked about HOW GOOD IT SOUNDED. That’s what I wanted to experience. When I found out that Merason had a tiny, somewhat minimalist and reasonably priced DAC, I said “This must be the place.”

Since Mark Sossa of Well-Pleased Audio Vida is the US importer and distributor for Merason, and most of us at PTA already know and like the guy, it was fairly easy to ask him for the Frerot. Or maybe he asked me, I can’t remember. It was just so natural to say yes because I was so intrigued with Dave’s take on the DAC-1.

The Merason Frerot is described as an entry level version of the DAC-1, although with the same technology as its big brother. Merason’s Daniel Frauchiger uses a very similar circuit layout for both units, but the Merason Frerot features a single Burr Brown PCM 1794A chips, compared to the pair in mono configuration on the DAC-1. There have been minor concessions on parts quality for the Frerot, which is to be expected. But Frauchiger is satisfied that the tiny Merason Frerot has that same essence as the larger DAC.

Sound

As I mentioned, I set up the Merason Frerot DAC to perform two basic functions, the ones that are important to me—streaming Qobuz through my main system, and combining the Merason with the Innuos Zen Mini Mk. 2 music server that I’ve already reviewed. The Zen Mini is the only Innuos music server to include its own DAC, and while it’s a minimalist unit—one designed to compete at the level of most inboard DACs—it sounds good enough to make the Zen Mini a fairly complete and satisfying product.

Once the Merason was in the system, performance rose from “this is pretty darned good” to something roughly the sonic equivalent of that older CD player I use. (By the way, it’s the Unison Research CDE, which has dual-mono DACs and tubes in the output stage and it’s still one of my favorite one-box players, which is why I still use it.) I’ll admit that a lot of those files I streamed were probably 16-bit, 44.1 kHz, so yes, it sounded like my CD player—maybe a little on the cool side of neutral.

I searched out some hi-rez tracks on Qobuz and wound up listening to Roger Waters’ Amused to Death all the way through for perhaps the first time. (I’m not a fan of Roger’s solo stuff—David Gilmour is my “favorite Beatle.”) I was impressed with the width of that immense soundstage, as most people are, but I felt that so much of the music was flanking me, settling out further on the horizontal plane than I’ve heard in a long time. Hmmm, the Merason Frerot was starting to capture my attention.

When I switched to my “high-end audio exhibit room” playlist from the Innuos server, composed of some of my favorite hi-rez CDs from FIM, Analogue Productions, Mo-Fi and more, I felt satisfied that the Merason Frerot was serving as a viable source in my system—not for the convenience but for the sound quality.

At this point I was ready to say that the Merason Frerot, at $1350 USD, was easily the best DAC experience I’ve had at home. Solid digital sound, plenty of color and texture to the music, some extraordinary imaging and soundstaging fireworks as I mentioned, and an ease of use that simply hasn’t been matched. I plugged this in without even consulting the owners’ manual, I knew where the wires needed to be plugged, and boom! Been happy ever since—until Mark Sossa dropped a bomb.

Merason Pow1 LPSU

The Merason Frerot DAC now had an optional matching LPSU (linear power supply unit) for an extra $900 that, in Mark’s opinion, took the DAC to a whole new level of performance. I’ve reviewed enough products in the last year with optional power supplies that wind up being essential, so I took him at his word. Plus, that $900 price is very appealing. I’d pay, like I said, $1350 for a DAC as good as the Merason Frerot. But if you told me that I could add another $900 and achieve a huge performance improvement, I’d probably call my credit card company and tell ask them, with sugar on top, if they’d raise my credit limit.

This LPSU, called the Merason Pow1, is a perfect visual match for the Merason Frerot. Stacking them makes these singularly diminutive boxes a little more noticeable on the rack. While I took a few photos like that, I’m not a fan of ever stacking components. That’s becoming more and more difficult since so many of the individual components in the review system are two-box affairs right now—the Pass Labs XP-22 preamplifier and XP-27 phono stage, the Innuos and its LPSU, the Brinkmann Edison Mk. II phono stage that even comes with an HRS base—and it’s filling up the shelves of my normally spacious and accommodating equipment rack from Fern and Roby.

That’s a long way to go to say I kept them apart for serious listening. No, I don’t pay myself by the word.

Listening

Mark Sossa was right. The Pow1 LPSU made a huge improvement to the sound of the already thrilling Merason Frerot. The music simply expanded in every direction, bigger, more transparent, more finger-poking realistic. That incredible digital sound at those high-end shows, the one that eluded me at home? This was it, finally.

Let me tell you how I know. When I stream Qobuz through my laptop, with an AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt and whatever headphones I’m checking out, I can drift for hours. I could play DJ for myself on Qobuz. It’s like Wikipedia articles—oh, just one more and I’ll go to bed. I don’t want to stop listening unless I have to. Ordinarily, that feeling doesn’t transfer to streaming through my main system.

Here’s an odd but accurate way to put it: it took an external LPSU to get me to a level of streaming where I feel I can say “okay, I can start here.” Buying the Merason Frerot DAC with the Pow1 LPSU would ultimately shift the way I listen to music, with more time spent playing Infinite DJ and less time managing the piles and piles of CDs in my house right now.

Of course, that brings up why the Innuos was so impressive to me—it made me realize I no longer needed a CD collection. With the Merason gear, I feel like I can ask myself a certain question for the first time: Do I want to play CDs and LPs, or do I want to stream? Suddenly, I want to stream.

Conclusion

In other words, the Merason Frerot DAC with the Innuos Zen Mini Mk. II, both units with their respective LPSUs, is easily the tool I could use to pry myself away from the burden of physical formats. We’re talking about a four-box rig that only costs around $4000, which is slightly less than my trusty CDE was when it was new, in 2011. My CD player sounds great, as do a host of others, but c’mon. Do you have the space for millions of CDs in your house right now, or would rather they be in the cloud? That’s the question I’m asking myself right now.

I’m starting to relax a little more about the future. I’ve dipped my toes into the digital waters, and I can see where it goes. I finally went out and bought a new car, my first since 2005, and there’s so much tech in these vehicles now. Now I can jump in my car, start the engine, and the entertainment center will automatically start streaming Qobuz straight from my phone, which is still in my pocket.

I love this stuff!

The Merason Frerot DAC and its LPSU mark an even more important step toward my unfettered comfort in the face of awesome technology. I am not afraid. Reviewer’s Choice Award, please. Put it right here.

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