TAD-C700 Pre-amp and TAD-GE1 loudspeaker Launch Event at AV Designs

Posted by Tan

AV Designs recently held an event to introduce two latest products from TAD (Technical Audio Devices), the TAD-C700 preamp and the TAD-GE1 loudspeakers. 

The TAD-C700 is TAD's top-dog pre-amp from its no-holds barred Reference Series. Just like the TAD-C600 pre-amp that it replaces, the TAD-C700 is a two-box preamp, with a substantial outboard power supply and a main body for the control and amplification functions. The TAD-C700 list price is RM209,000.

Glossy, silky smooth finishes on the TAD-GE1

The front firing bass reflex port is located at the bottom of the loudspeaker

The TAD-GE1 loudspeakers, on the other hand, comes from TAD's Evolution Series, which has now grown to be a 5-louspeaker-model line-up. The TAD-GE1 floorstander is the top model, its enclosure design is stunning - refined and an instant classic with its impeccably finished glossy wood grain surface, photos don't do them justice. Compared to the more massive and squat stance of the Reference Series speakers, I believe the TAD-GE1 (and all the loudspeakers in the Evolution Series for that matter) would be much more friendly in the domestic setting, with its high-end-furniture like finish, slimmer profile and smaller footprint. The list price of the TAD-GE1 is RM194,500/pair. 

As I listened to a complete set-up without A/B comparison with other components, it was not possible for me to isolate the sound of each component. However, what I heard from the TAD-GE1 was cut from the same cloth, sharing the same traits with TAD's top reference the TAD-R1TX loudspeakers. The sound was transparent with a lot of well resolved details. Dynamics were excellent, music was fast and impactful when it is called for. The TAD-GE1 also conjured up a soundstage that easily filled up the very big space in the showroom. Bass was the best I heard from all the Evolution Series models, being deep and well defined.  

In fact, if I may say so, all of the loudspeakers from TAD that I ever heard (which includes the R1, CR1, GE1, E1, and the ME1) carry the same house sound and core characteristics, the differences are a matter of degree in terms of the performance envelope - you just get more as you move up the ladder and you'd never get disappointed even as you move downwards. These TAD loudspeakers would always satiate your musical appetite. 

Credit, of course, must be given to the TAD-C700 preamp and the TAD-M700s power amp, which exhibited a fine grip on the proceedings - being of the proverbial iron-fist-in-a-velvet-glove type. I can't vouch how much improvement there was moving from the prior generation to the current as I never heard them side-by-side, but someone who had heard a TAD-C600 before told me that the new preamp sounded much more open and more resolved. 

The team at AV Designs

The TAD stack will be on demo in AV Designs showroom, give them a call at 03-6241 1237 to arrange a listening session. 

From Janus To Signature, Aesthetix Janus Signature Preamp

The Aesthetix Janus comes in three performance levels, the basic(which is un-named), Signature, and then lastly the Eclipse, for ultimate performance 

I've had a long love affair with the Aesthetix Janus preamp. I first started with the review of Calypso a couple of years ago. You see, the Janus and the Calypso are basically the same thing, sans the phono stage, in which the Calypso does not have. As per my review of the Calypso here a couple of years ago, I just grab the Janus without even an audition when it became available here as used buy.

Every little thing I loved about the Calypso is also here on the Janus, the slightly bloomed seductive mid range, the slamming bass an the all round detailed sound. But what I didn't like so much on the Calypso, is also present on the Janus, such as that slightly whitish noise floor, and that slightly grainy top end texture. Many guys who came to listen to my system always point out that slightly grainy top end texture to my ATI Reference 6004 power as the culprit. I had some how suspected it to be too. That's the power of persuasion, if one guy said it, you wouldn't think much of it. When the second guy says it, you start to really notice. But when the third guy says the same, it must be confirmed then, that all of them are somehow right, even if you didn't want to believe at first! By the way, that's how advertising works too, repeat the message often enough, to the listener or viewer, it becomes just that bit more convincing with each passing repeat.........   

Here is a side by side comparison between the Calypso preamp at it's most basic(left), vs the Signature(right). Immediately obvious are the yellow cap vs the red caps on the Signature. There some other minor parts change, but mostly the Signature also uses better grade, lower noise floor, match pair tubes. Lastly, one upgrade on the Signature you do not see is the 4 pieces Walker Audio feet located at the bottom. These were specifically designed for the resonance properties of the Aesthetix chassis. The regular or basic version gets 5 pieces of rubber feet at the bottom.

And so the day came when I could do a part exchange plus top up to get an equally used Aesthetix Janus Signature, it got me thinking again, Hmm............

I asked for an A/B comparison between my regular Janus & the Signature, but the seller was not keen. He told me to just make that leap of faith, but after much back & forth negotiations, in the end he just said "save your $$$ as it probably won't make so big a difference that you can hear it straight away!" And since we parted on that terms I was glad the seller was honest and I could save my $$$ for something else.

Months went by and I never think about the event, until I was involved in  an audio forum on the web in which I participated, which had Jim White(boss & designer of Aesthetix products) on line as well. After the forum on the side lines, I checked with him if it was worth doing the upgrade from Janus to to Signature? His reply was not what I expected, he said "why stop at Signature? Go all the way to Eclipse!".  I asked what Eclipse? Jim said "it's the last preamp you'll ever wanna buy!, unless you want the absolute best, that is the Calisto" You see, in the world of Aesthetix, you start at the bottom with just the:

a) Basic or regular product

b) Signature

c) Eclipse

d) SOTA! 

With each move up, you need to double your budget!

I told Jim budgetary issues aside, the Signature is available to me in a trade swap, then Jim asked "What are ya waiting for?" And Jim went on about in detail how the Signature is so much better in the next 20 minutes! By the end of the Skype call, I was completely & utterly sold.

I called the seller again, the item in question still available, and proceed to make the leap of faith.

The innards of the Aesthetix Janus preamp & phono stage. The built in 4 tube phono stage is very well designed and not some after thought freebie thrown in. Also note the front face control board & power supply section is fully covered  to prevent EFI/RFI leakage in to the audio circuitry. Going one step, by copper coated chassis would be nice too, but I know.......... that is only a very Japanese thing!

By the following day, the Aesthetix Janus Signature was in my man cave and from the moment of first sound, the difference was obvious. First, the noise floor, or rather the total lack of it! The whole musical background was eerily silent, just pitch black, no tube hash a.k.a. white noise what so ever! Next notice able thing was the top end, where there was slightly grainy texture before, it's now no more....... just smooth airiness on the high hats and cymbals. It goes TIZZzzz.......and decays in to a dark nothingness. My last experience hearing and feeling top end like this was the review of the Audio Research Reference 3 preamp! However, that ARC Ref 3(as it's affectionately called) does it with a slight haze of tube hash! 

Next the strong seductive mid range presence and that slamming bass is still there with the Signature. However, only now that slamming bass has layers & layers of texture built in. I could hear so much more going on in those low notes. The start-stop of bass lines is super tight, without loose end to say the least. And lastly, without the noise floor in the back ground, the whole sound stage in flushed out in to the staging wall of my man cave and beyond, complete with spatial cues if the recording captured it. You can say the projected sound stage is almost close to 3D, there in my room and beyond it's borders.

This gives the overall feeling of music as an event, rather then trying to do a reproduction via 2 speakers. That is the total satisfaction of this well decided upgrade! by the end of the day, I was kicking my self for not doing it sooner! You know, for a balding middle age fatty, life's too short for boring hifi!   

And if $$$ is not an issue, why not go for the Aesthetix Janus Eclipse? Again, as you can see the differentiation here is the caps and even lower noise floor tube selection. In Eclipse level, even if you don't see it as it hidden undercover, Jim tells me the power supply transformers are also up graded.  

Many of you who have been following my hifi escapes on this blog will probably know my lusting for the a fore mentioned Audio Research Reference 3 preamp. This Aesthetix Signature up grade have me dispel of that dream. But if you asked me, that ARC Ref 3 preamp is still one heck of a reference, that while the later Ref 5 and Ref 5 SE could not match at all, despite being the more technically correct representation. You could say that post Ref 3, ARC made technical improvements on noise floor and super transparency, but along the way, just lost the soul of music. The Aesthetix Janus Signature did not commit that very same sin. All that technical improvements described above, was accompanied by real soul of the music. Soul of music, it's something you feel with the music, the emotions that carries the music. Not many high end  hifi components can bring out the soul and emotion that is in the music these days. For me, that is a major failure of many high end hifi manufacturers theses days. Technical supremacy means nothing if it fails to connect the listener's soul to the emotions that carries the music.

Jim White is THE phono stage & preamp designer to be celebrated today!   

Also with this posting, I wanna tell so many of the guys who listened to my system previously and faulted the ATI Reference 6004 power amp, that your assumption(and to some degree mine too) has being wrong! The ATI Reference power amp deserves way more credit than the general perception.  

Re-Introduction To My HiFi Circa January 2019

My simplified 2 rack HiFi system, circa January 2019, to start my journey again after a 3 year plus hiatus

Let me tell you about my reintroduction in to HiFi again, circa January 2019. With a remodeled home many things have changed, except my man cave, whic remains untouched at the same 12ft x 10ft x 9ft(L x W x H). Small room, and the urge to make it 14ft x 10ft x 9ft(L x W x H) was there, but I had resisted as I loved the way the speakers loaded my room, sound wise. So all it got was a fresh new coat of paint & some LED strip lighting. I started with the room because over the years, my HiFi philosophy have come to embrace the room as the starting point, followed by speakers, amplifiers & lastly sources in the order of hierarchy in the degree of sound influence. Allow me to further explain why it all starts with the room. The room as we choose to house our HiFi system in to, will determine how big a speaker pair allowed, which will in turn tell you how big a power amplifier should be, then comes preamp to be the source switch and volume control plus maybe, just maybe add sonic flavours to your source, which ever you choose. Make no mistake, the job of the source is to extract as much musical information from the media medium as possible. My hifi set up reflects just that philosophy as above and a little more as we go along. 

This set up consisted of items that were mothballed from the past, such as my PMC IB2i speakers, ATI Reference 6004 power amp, Kuzma Stabi S turn table and lastly Torus Power conditioner. Add in some new elements such as the Aesthetix Janus preamp/phono stage & Sony CDP X7-ESD CD player. 

PMC IB2i speakers

The PMC IB2i have been in my past system before. They came in to the picture as replacement to the pair of PMC Fact 8. I fell in love with this pair of speakers at the time of it's review in these pages. At the time, budgetary issues prevented them from being mine. However as PMC introduced a newer model in the form of IB2 SE, this pair made it's way from the showroom to my place with some discount. My HiFi philosophy also dictates that speakers should always be British, especially variations or students of the past BBC Technical Dept designs. Those guys really did much research in to all that make great speakers.

In theory, the pair of IB2i speakers are somewhat over sized for my room dimensions, but with careful placements of not only the speakers, but also my throne in avoiding room modes, made it a possibility in practice. These are speakers with a big sound and real beefy bass. Being a 3 way design with a dedicated silk dome mid range, the magical vocal is always there, ever present when playing music. The highs are not extended like newer speaker designs, but that's OK, as with the right source material, it can still relay the amount 'air' required for 'live' recording that is so dependent on the illusion of being there. The Achilles heel of having such a big speaker is the requirement for an equally big, beefy amp, which is the subject coming next!
     

ATI Reference 6004 power amp

ATI is not a new HiFi manufacturer as they have been doing that for other big American high end brands since 30 years or so ago. ATI amplifiers are designed by Morris Kessler, even if not as famous as Nelson Pass, Mark Levinson, Dan D' Agostino or John Curl, he is definitely in the same technical prowess when it comes to amplifier designs. All good designers but different design philosophies & technical implementation. Coming back to my HiFi philosophy for amps, my choice would always be American muscle.

The ATI Reference 600X series is designed as a multi channel high end AV amp. It can be configured for 1-7 channels in a single chassis at time of purchase. I wanted a four channel 350W amp, so I got an ATI Reference 6004, the last numerical denotes the number of channels in a single chassis. Why 4 channels you ask? Bi-amping, ever since I did that with a pair of stereo Magnet amps, I can never go back to normal stereo. So each one of the PMC IB2i speaker is powered by one channel for the bass driver & one channel for the mid range & tweeter.

I found the ATI Reference to be extremely transparent & powerful for an AV multi channel design. Which is all one needs for HiFi, gain on a wire. Some may accuse it of not being the last word in refinement and I agree, but it has a certain mid range texture that's invariably missing on those over refined amp designs too. So in HiFi, you always win some, lose some. It's just what parameter is more important to win or lose only, your choice determines the brand and design.

Asthetix Janus pre-amp, comes with built in phono stage. It is basically a simplified Calypso & Rhea rolled in one box for those who needs to de-clutter their HiFi!

The Aesthetix Janus represents another American amp choice for me even if it's a tube based design. We reviewed the Aesthetix Calypso in these pages before and liked it quite a bit. I felt it's performance came closest my pre-amp reference of sorts, the Audio Research Reference 3. Many argue that this is a decades old design, but to me this tube based pre-amp struck a balance between  being transparent & the way it adds a tinge of golden rose hue to the tonal color of music is nothing short of magical. Newer ARC Reference designs have since improved on linearity, lowered noise floor & higher resolution capability, but lost it's musical soul in the process.

Sorry if I digressed, but the Aesthetix Janus represented just that, as in the very slight tinge of rose gold hue added in to the tonal color does wonders to lift music, give it soul, make it just a little bit more humanized. Partner those sonic qualities with a full function remote and high quality phono stage, then is it any wonder why it deserves to be here?

I know Jim White as an excellent phono stage designer. If one can excel at making 1000X amplification,  preamp design would seemed like childs play, wouldn't it?   

Sony CDP X7-ESD CD player, the best of Sony circa 1988!

The 1988 Sony CDP X7-ESD is a special breed indeed, if you didn't know that? I have not come across another CD player that comes with transformer coupled XLR output! The X7-ESD is the first ES series CD player to include XLR output, and Sony went all out to make it special. While the BB PCM 53 DAC chip is one generation before the best, PCM 63, the sound from this Sony unit is truly something else. I used to have the Marantz CD 7, which was a truly magnificent CD player, if not for it's sound quality, then at least for it's collector's value.

The Sony is from a decade before the Marantz, yet will not lose out anything in terms of sound quality, shows that Sony as the CD format's co-developer was truly ahead of the curve at the period of what could be called the Golden Age of CD players, which is from the late 80's till late 90's. I would almost always favor high end Japanese CD players(the other exception being Philips CD players) as they made the transports, and built them to last a life time. I know mine did, it's more than 30 years now and still plays music like as if it was new!

Kuzma Stabi S, or baby Kuzma as many would come to call it!

This Kuzma Stabi S replaced my Linn LP12 turn table sometime after this pages probably in 2014. In terms of design the Kuzma is totally a different breed altogether. I liked the bare bones design of a solid high mass turn table equipped with a 12 inch unit pivot Stoggi arm, fitted with my trusty, long service Benz Micro LP cartridge.

For a small turn table, the sound is big boned & bold. The design is also very quiet in terms of bearing noise and that double thick cast iron platter gives equally big, ballsy bass. Never mind if it's the cheapest turn table among Franc Kuzma designs. The Kuzma family sound is just as evident here as in his bigger, badder ass designs. it's also a very musical turn table, otherwise it will be difficult to persuade me to move away from the Linn Sondek LP12.

Torus Power RM 8A, yes 8 Amperes is all you need. It's showing 1.6A current draw at idle, when my system hits it's Rock & Roll stride at 104dbs, it would be drawing a little over 4.2A! 

The Torus Power Conditioner needs no introduction as you can catch or revisit my adventures with it here within these pages. That's what buying the best equipment do, it stays with you for a long..... time, and possibly maybe for a lifetime. No further thinking about what ifs or regrets later, years down the road.

So that's all about the equipment, as all cables and accessories are carried over from the past and can be viewed from these pages. All I can say is that after 3 years living without HiFi, I am just glad to be back and have sound, good or bad. My journey starts all over again from here on. 

Center Circle Proudly Presents Pathos Electronics & HiVi-Swan Speakers At KLIAV 2012.

Center Circle Audio will be presenting their latest speaker brand at the KLIAV 2012 show, called HiVi-Swan, powered with top of the line Pathos CD players and amplifiers.

HiVi-Swan speakers.

Pathos Synapse pre-amp.

Pathos IN power mono blocks.

There's much new toys on demo for KLIAV 2012 show, more will be revealed.

Audio Note Malaysia Showcases Avantgarde System At KLIAV 2012.

Other than an all singing Audio Note system, demo-ed by none other than Mr Mario Binner himself, Audio Note Malaysia will also be featuring an all Avantgarde system in another demo room.

The all Avantgarde system is to consist of the following components.

Avantgarde Duo horn loudspeakers.

Avantgarde XA pre-amp.

Avantgarde XA power amp.

Only the source remains unknown for now. Go check them out at KLIAV 2012 show.

Musical Calypso! Aesthetix Calypso Pre-Amp.

The Aesthetix Calypso looks very classy with it's black over silver anodised aluminium finish.

I first encountered this pre-amp, along with it's matching phono stage sibling, the Aesthetix Rhea, when a friend bought the pair from overseas, back in 2009. I could still remember how the tubed pair captured my musical imagination, I've always yearned for a local dealer to carry this brand in to the Malaysian high end audio retail sector. The good news is that my prayers were answered, when The Audio Store secured the rights to distribute Aesthetix locally. The bad news is that I had just up graded my pre-amp a few months ago!

Still, the good folks at The Audio Store tried to tempt my faith, with this review offer. Like the Rhea phono stage, the Aesthetix Calypso belongs to the entry level Saturn range of the company's products. The more up market and highly impressive Jupiter range is also on demo at The Audio Store. The build quality is sumptuous for an entry level high end audio offering, save for the plasticky dull grey looking remote. The thick all round aluminium panels, resulting in a sturdy chassis, along with pure dual mono, fully balanced circuit design is highly impressive. The top panel can be easily lifted for a little eye-fi and tube(a pair of 12AX7 and 6DJ8, a.k.a. 6922 resides inside) maintenance, should it be required.  Tube rollers will be in high heavens, due to the many choices of these two type of tubes available in the NOS or after market supply. However, Aesthetix does not seem to encourage tube rolling as they practically match each tube supplied to the particular unit, and replacement tubes are encouraged to be matched, and supplied by the manufacturer.

The insides of the Calypso reveals a lot of attention to impeccable audio engineering applied in the design process. The front portion of the box, where the power supply transformers reside are sealed to shield the audio signals from EMI/RFI leakages. The top panel is held on by Velcro strips, which makes it easy to access the tubes. This review was written based upon the Calypso connected with balanced inputs and outputs.

I inserted the Aesthetix Calypso in to my system, taking place of my just acquired, pre-owned Pass Labs X0.2 pre-amp. From the power up then standby, the unit takes about 45 seconds for the tubes to become stabilised, and be ready for playback. The blue LED display counts down the remaining time, and than clicks the the audio circuit turn on relay. I immediately re-called why the Calypso previously made such a musical impression on me. Before I continue, let's just say that I am probably tube biased when it comes to sound preference, so it shall be no coincidence that this is gonna be a superb product review, which any way one looks at it.

The only area of glaring cost cutting, a DVD standard like remote is provided, but thankfully, ergonomics are logical and intuitive in daily use.

This is fusion Japanese music, titled 567, by Miroku, is recorded by JVC's best production facilities which results in spectacular playback fidelity. In the right system, it's capable of projecting the illusion of 30 feet sound stage depth. One must experience it in one's audio lifetime to believe the hype!

The sound is beautifully balanced, that Aesthetix walks the fine line between refinement, clarity and dynamics, imbued in a warm and inviting tonal palette. There's no excessive tubeyness in the sound, just well balanced and highly enjoyable. There's an airy delicate refinement on the highs here, not quite attainable at this price point before, or from even costlier solid state pre-amps. The mid range is well rounded and robust, giving male vocals it's full chest of vocal breath. Playing familiar violin and viola tracks reveals the wonderful harmonic texture and timbre of the said instruments exquisitely. The bass is at once solid, articulate and tune full, so that the very foundation of music is well preserved to start with.

This tube pre-amp is also very capable of defining dynamic shading in a linear fashion. It doesn't get shouty when playing loudly, nor does it sound musically lost when playing at soft volumes. The Calypso holds musical rhythm, images and sound staging together, regardless of playback volume.

This is one of the quietest and noise free tube pre-amp I've heard. The jet blackness in the back ground really allow for 3D prop up images within a deep, layered and dark sound stage. Playing the JVC recorded CD, titled 567 produced by Japanese cultural artist Miroku, on a 16 bit FLAC file via my Bryston BDP/BDA-1 combo really brought out the illusionary 30 feet sound stage depth effect on track 2 of the said CD. I must say that in my small room, it didn't quite made the illusionary 30 feet, but it was certainly the deepest I've managed to achieved by far!  Now, we are talking about the art of self deception at the highest possible level here.

There's only one area of sound performance that I could fault, is the matter of transparency. Compared to my Pass Labs X0.2, the Calypso did left me slightly wanting for more fine details buried deep within the sometimes complex musical structure, where the resident pre-amp just bares it all in the open. However, the Calypso is so musically engaging, regardless of what ever music genre is spinning, it's easy to overlook it's one and only small sin of omission. At the very least the Calypso never distort the truth or tell lies, it only with held certain minor information, which to most of us don't really matter, not unless, you're that nutty fella writing this review!

The back panel is busy with both balanced XLR and RCA single ended inputs and outputs.

Overall, for it's asking price of RM$17,800.00, I find this Aesthetix Calypso to be an over achiever of sorts. I can think of some of one looking to buy a used Audio Research Reference 3, only to find this Calypso pre-amp more musically appealing, unless one is fanatical about the transparency factor, that is.

Listening to music via the Aesthetix not only sounds tonally right and rhythmically tight, but rather it's the way it engages the listener, drawing one in to a staged event or recording venue and artistic emotional intents all rolled in to one, highly rewarding experience. I found it hard to return this unit to The Audio Store, but yet I am hoping to sample the Aesthetix Janus Signature in the near future, should that chance come around. I find the Janus one chassis solution to pre-amp and phono stage needs highly appealing in the up graded Signature form, of which the Calypso and Rhea is also available in. Here's looking towards a better tomorrow indeed!

Aesthetix is sold by The Audio Store, contact Mr Aw at 03-78872233.

Pathos Flagships at Centre Circle Audio

Pathos' new top-of-the line pre-amp / monoblock pair, the Synapse and the Adrenalin, have arrived at Centre Circle Audio and are available for audition now.

The Pathos Synapse pre-amp:

The Pathos Synapse. I can't decide whether to call its line classic or modern minimalist.
The Synapse is ostensibly a 2-chassis pre-amp, however the two chassis can't be separated.
The top chassis contains the pre-amp circuitry, the bottom one contains the power supply and the control circuitry.

Another look at the Synapse. At this angle it looks more like a stealth airplane.
Underneath it you get a glimpse of the Pathos Endorphin CD player.

The quartet of tubes are flanked by flower petal-like chimneys, a beautiful feature that can only come from an Italian designer.

The back of the Synapse, consisting of single-ended and balanced inputs, and 2 pairs of balanced outputs.

The Synapse's specifications:

Inputs : 3 balanced XLR / 3 single ended RCA
Outputs: 2 main balanced XLR
Frequency Response: 1Hz - 100KHz (200KHz @ -3dB)
THD: 0.04% @ 4 Vrms
Volume Control: 0.5dB - 168 steps
Tubes: 4x 6H30

Weight: 23 kg

List Price: RM80,000


The Pathos Adrenalin monoblocks:

The Pathos Adrenalin is one big amplifier, which these photos don't convey due to its upright design. Go see it in person.

The heat sinks are formed from the word 'PATHOS', another Pathos design hallmark

Another creative design, the tubes on the Adrenalin are protected by claw-like protrusions (think Wolverine :-) )

The Pathos Adrenalin's specifications:

Type: Entirely balanced, Double INPOL^® power amplifier in pure class A
Feedback: Absent
Input: 1 balanced XLR / 1 unbalanced RCA
Input Impedance: 100k ohm
Output Power: 200 W @ 8 ohm
Frequency Response: 5Hz - 60kHz ± 0.3 dB
Signal / Noise Ratio: 98 dB
THD: 0.01% @ 1W / 0.2% @ 50W
Power Consumption at Rest: 475 W
Tubes: 1 x 6H30 / 2 x 12AX7 ECC83
Damping Factor: 25
Rise Time: 6µs
Fall Time: 6µs
Slew Rate: 11V/µs

Weight: 70 kg

List Price: RM140,000 per pair


During my visit, the Pathos Adrenalin was driving a pair of EgglestonWorks Andra III. The monoblocks had no problem controlling these big loudspeakers. The Andra III were delivering arguably their best bass performance I ever heard in Centre Circle Audio's showroom. The sound was also impactful and dynamic without sounding coarse, from both LP and CD. If you are looking for an exciting listening experience, you must not miss this.

Contact Nelson or Sky at Centre Circle Audio 03-77282686 for an audition.

Best Amplifiers 2011.

In 2010 we dabbled in more than a few power amps, but the situation is outta control in 2011 as our pre amp lust took over and ran amok!

We found the latest batch of luxury audio equipment level of pre amps to be the most neutral, transparent and offer the lowest noise floor of their kind yet. Even the best pre amps made just a few years ago, will sound some what tonally rose tinted and lacked the full transparency factor that allows the lowest of harmonic and timbrel details to be fleshed out, compared to those listed here.

All that I've mentioned of course, excludes the tube based VTL 5.5 Series II Signature. This pre amp remains special to me because of it's non-conformist, i.e. more colourful sonic character. Some like it, others do not, as we have found, and will likely to split opinions.

Sorry guys, we got some what carried away and neglected to find any bargains here this time.

TAD C-2000 pre amp is our current reference!

TAD C-2000 pre amp.

We were completely stunned by how far, this pre amp moved the hifi and musical performance goal post ahead compared to the rest of the pack! It virtually disappeared from the equipment chain, with no sonic character what so ever for us to latch on. A total musical chameleon, it just reflects each and every recording as a whole, without any of the filtering effects in transmission properties when adding another equipment to the chain. Everything in a given recording, even the most subtle of details missed by others, is effortlessly portrayed by this TAD, giving every note it's due time and space to fully develop, lingers on just that bit longer, slowly evaporating in to a fine mist of "air", before the next note starts! The C-2000 is also the most natural sounding pre amp, most free from electronic artifacts that I've yet heard, period! I can't wait to hear how much more it's bigger brother the TAD C-600 has to offer?

Jeff Rowland Corus is one interesting pre amp, but one of my favorite.

Jeff Rowland Corus.

The JRDG Corus is the budget version of the Criterion flagship. The only areas where corners seemed to have been cut is the simplified switching power supply, compared to the more elaborate battery/charger based unit that comes with the Criterion. The sound quality however, does not reflect the cost cutting! It's easily the best performing pre amp that came calling to my system over the years. The sound is exciting, yet at the same time exacting. It's totally neutral when it comes to tonality and one of the most transparent pre amp available now. Perhaps there's a positive sonic synergy matching my Pass Aleph 0 power amps, while in some systems the Corus can sound a bit on the analytical side, which may lead some, if most to prefer the next candidate on the list!

Many will like the Ayre KX-R for it's highly musical and natural presentation.

Ayre KX-R.

Holding joint honours with the JRDG Corus is the Ayre KX-R flagship pre amp. In the context of my already slightly warm sounding system, the Ayre came across as just slightly less muscular. However, I know many who may prefer the more forgiving qualities of this pre amp over the earlier two candidates. Supremely musical and dead silent, jet black back ground lets images stand out in a rather laid back sound stage. The KX-R is just as transparent as the JRDG and never have these two pre amps split more opinions than before, despite their near equal sound quality assessment!

VTL 5.5 Series II Signature can be ordered with a phono stage card, which occupies nearly half the internal space!

VTL 5.5 Series II Signature.

This is the only tube based pre amp design we've tried and it stood out for daring to be different, even if it sounds a little o'skool. Unlike the latest ARC tube pre amp designs which aim to close the gap with solid state likeness in it's sonic character, the VTL should be congratulated for standing it's ground sound wise, just being on the tube side of things. It's warm, inviting tonal colours are as easy on the ears as wearing a pair of well worn jeans. Still highly transparent enough to allow music listening sessions to be enjoyable, while only a slight softening of dynamics and transient was detected, compared against the rest in this group. Full bodied imaging realism and ambiance cues are a plenty, as any proud tube design should be. Viva la difference!

Not that we've played with much power amps this year(as a matter of fact, I didn't), however I feel the following amplifiers are worthy of ones consideration should one decide to do some power shopping. Listed in no particular rank or order.

1) Pass Labs XP-20 pre amp
2) Parasound JC-1 mono block
3) FM Acoustics FM108 mono block
4) TAD M2500 power amp
5) XTZ A100 integrated amp

Next, Best Speakers 2011.

Gear That Impressed in 2011

Before we embark on sharing more hifi equipment with you in 2012, it is appropriate for me to first highlight a few pieces of hifi equipment that had stood out in the year that just passed. Each one of them had lived in my system for a number of weeks, each one of them was extensively listened to. I found them to be able to stand the test of time and will provide long term listening enjoyment to the potential owner.

Digital Frontend:

1. Wadia 571 CD Transport, 931 Digital Controller, 922 Mono Decoding Computers.
List: RM174,880. CMY

The Wadia rig in the foreground of the picture

A take-no-prisoner, leave-no-stone-unturned approach to digital playback. The sound is highly detailed, very clean and refined, yet impactful and dynamic when called for.

If you love the Wadia sound, but found this quartet too stressful financially, I'd recommend the Wadia 381 CD Player, which Big E and myself listened to last year. It is the entry level in Wadia's current line-up but gives you a slice of the Wadia top dog's sound quality and sound characteristics.


2. Technical Audio Devices TAD-D600 SACD/CD Player
List: RM129,000. AV Designs

The TAD-D600 has music in its heart. It went about doing its job in an even-handed and low key manner that I did not realize just how very excellent it was, until I took it out of my system. Then, I missed it tremendously.

Flawless rendition of all musical genres, rich sound with dense sonic images.


3. Krell S350a CD Player
List: RM10,500. Hi-Way Laser.

This Krell is a surprise find for me. I wouldn't say that it comes close to the two preceding heavyweights, but the Krell S350a punches way above its price class in terms of build and of sound quality. Many will find there isn't much more they want from a CD player.

The sound is organic, robust and musical. A very good music making machine.


Pre-amplifier:

1. Ayre KX-R
List: RM77,700. Hi-Way Laser

Hifi jewel at its best. Impeccable build quality. The sound has an excellent vitality and an attractive, slightly golden hue.

The Ayre KX-R is both musically and technically beyond reproach. One of the best pre-amps currently available.


2. Pass Labs XP-20
List: RM31,200. Perfect Hi-Fi

This Pass Labs sounds neutral, smooth, robust, dynamic. An excellent all-rounder. My current resident pre-amp, enough said.


Power Amplifier:

1. Parasound Halo JC1 monoblocks
List: RM39,000. Centre Circle Audio

A gentle giant. When playing softer music or small scale ensemble, the Halo JC1 has the finesse of a small amplifier, like an excellent 30-50 watter. However, the 300 watts in reserve means the JC1 will stand up to any challenge. I prefer its high bias setting which gives 25 watts in class A.


Loudspeakers:

1. Marten Getz
List: RM80,781. Swedish Statement

A 'High Definition' loudspeaker.

The Marten Getz was the first pair of loudspeakers in my system that challenged me to discard my old notion of high fidelity sound.

Very detailed and clean, but not clinical when matched well (my Pass Labs XA-60 was an excellent match). The high was pristine and extended, the mid was clear and open, the bass was tuneful. I called my long-term living experience with the Marten Getz a 'cultural shock'.


Power Line Conditioner

1. Running Springs Audio - Duke
List: RM9,187.50 with the Mongoose powercord. Ultimate Reference

Power line conditioner with 2 outlets, aimed at power amp or monoblocks. Takes away haziness, adds dynamics, hugely improves bass quality.


Cables - strange, I did not get myself any cables to write about the entire 2011. So there is nothing to say.


Special Mention:

Technical Audio Devices TAD-C2000 Preamp / TAD-M2500 power amp / TAD-CR1 loudspeakers
List: RM128,000 / RM115,000 / RM148,000. AV Designs

I had the TAD-C2000 and TAD-M2500 for short listening in my system (one evening) at the turn of the year. While the TAD-CR1 loudspeakers have been running in my system for a few weeks, I have not reported on them yet. So, I'd not include them in the main body of this post.

However, each and every one of the TAD gear had sounded more than impressive in the listening session and other times in the dealer's showroom. Music listening through them was deeply satisfying, and that's what our hobby is all about.

Listen to them if they cross your path, I bet you'd learn a thing or two.

That's all I have. Onwards to 2012.