Best Of 2012!

Odiosleuth did his countdown of the best gears of 2012 last month. Here's my belated list, due to high work load, poor health and the need to finish all the reviews before I write this. Un-like the previous years, we didn't quite get an optimum mix of equipments in all categories to list a top 3 followed by other notable mentions in each particular class, be it digital or analog source, amplifiers, or speakers. We did, however got an overload or cables to write about. You know what they say about the hifi industry, when the going gets though, sell 'em more cables!

So this year, I'd just list down 10 of my most memorable hifi experiences, followed with a few notable mentions, which though some not officially reviewed or previewed in this pages, we have strong reasons to believe that they are of notable sound quality and product of substance, worthy of your time to further investigate, should you be shopping in those categories.

Here goes, THE BEST OF 2012!

Eggleston Works Ivy Signature.

The Eggleston Works Ivy Signature speakers are now on demo in Centre Circle Audio. To me these are almost the perfect big boy speakers that can be had in an imperfect world. Beauty, brain and brawn, the Ivy Signature has it all. Bass, bass, bass, the Ivy's got plenty of it, tight, accurate, and with no overhang. The highs have the best of silk dome smooth qualities in the air too. The mid range fully fleshed out vocals, with plenty of presence and bite. It's got some of the best bang slamming dynamics in the business, yet able to handle the small things, such as truth of timbre, harmonic texture, tonal colour with aplomb. The Ivy is also one of the most transparent speakers out there today, exposing recording flaws and imperfect musical performances as they are only meant to be, yet the Ivy take no hostages, and you never have to pay the price of exposed imperfections. It just gives the whole essence of listening to music that much more value. It's a do it all speaker with potential stunning performance, but they do demand the best front end components and all else connected before it to give their all. Priced On Application only. Consider this as the preview that qualifies it being here too.

dCS Puccini CD/SACD player

The dCS Puccini charmed it's way in to our hearts and mind, not quite the way we remembered it to be. I always thought dCS had a house sound that is full of details and resolution, but can be musically underwhelming. That is until the kind folks at A&L Audio Station had us putting the Puccini thru it's paces right in the comfort of our own homes. The dCS had details in spades for sure, but within those details, also lie the musical intent and emotional content of the playback performance. One can put the "entry" level dCS with the SOTA likes of TAD-D600 or the Wadia 9 Series stack of components we rated so highly last year, in the same ring on a three corner fight, and the Puccini won't disgrace it self, even if the odds of winning are stacked against it. It kinda reminds me of the Jaguar automobile motto not too long ago, it's got Pace, Grace and Space!

Skogrand SC Air Markarian 421 cables

Another memorable product experienced recently is the Skogrand SC Air Markarian 421 cables. It's a SOTA cable that not only lives up to it's name by price, but actually matched by performance too. Some say they heard god speak to them when listening to their hifi with this cable, others that have not experienced the connection, but still nothing short of audio nirvana if such a place existed?

Can't afford the Skogrand but want a taste of today's SOTA cable performance? For a smaller outlay, one can consider the Wywires Gold range, which gives a Skogrand like musical experience, but the only difference being, the Wywires does not quite have the fully developed mid range density of the more expensive cable, all other performance parameters being near equal.

Wywires till too expensive? Fret not, the latest Taralabs range of budget cable, namely TL-2/14 speaker cable. The sound is very much in mould of Skogrand and Wywires, except that it lacks the bandwidth and transparency of the two, but not the bass slam! Highly recommended!

All the above three cables share the same sonic DNA's and in some way or another, they might as well be cousins from the same family tree just a few generations ago. The only difference is rich relative, middle class uncle, or poor cousin just starting out in life.

SVS PC12-NSD vs PB12-NSD sub woofers

When it come to low, low bass, can't go wrong with SVS Sound. Be it the trouser flapping experience of the top woof PB13-Ultra, or the entry level PB12-NSD. For the budget conscious AV enthusiast who still cares about the slamming "low down" experience, there's not much in the market that can compete with the PB12-NSD.

Aesthetix Calypso pre amp

I love tube pre amps for their beauty in tonal colour. The Aesthetix Calypso comes as fine as tube pre-amps do. They play in the same sonic levels of ARC LS-26(now 27!), yet beats the LS-26 with much more pronounced dynamic contrast and burst of musical transients. For those who love the convenience of having phono stage and pre amp all in one box, there's the Janus(twin of the Calypso) to consider. And finally, Aesthetix offers greater value for performance ratio too, brand power aside. Odiosleuth highlighted why he was impressed with the Aesthetix Atlas 200W hybrid power amp, and I share his enthusiasm, plus what a fine pre/power combo the Calypso/Atlas would make.

Rega Apollo R CD player and Brio R integrated amp

It's hard to ignore the shoe box sized Rega R series components, as musical reproduction, NOT hifi goes! They're god sent to those starting their journey on hifi, or some one coming down to earth from the orbit of upgrade stars. Also perfect as a second system that doesn't take up much space. However, it's the Rega Apollo R that deserves most of the accolades as it will not make a fool of it self, even when inserted in to a system costing many times it's own price! If you believe in the almighty, the Rega R series component's only sins are of the omission kind.

KE blade speakers

The KEF Blade is a technological tour de force show case for the company's 50th Anniversary in business. It's a speaker with designer elements and high WAF(Wife Acceptance Factor), yet sounds like an audiophile's pair of dream speakers. By today's crazy high end speaker prices, the KEF actually seems like a pretty realistic buy too. It's only weakness? Bass doesn't quite go as low, nor as hard as some American speakers.

IsoTek EVO3 Polaris PLC

I think this IsoTek EVO3 Polaris is the finest effort ever by the company, yet it's asking price is not astronomical either. It's honest to goodness British way of doing business which will endear them to the market for a long, long time to come! I am still thinking about it, now that it's gone, if that's any indicator of how good it was. Most times, you'll only miss a good thing after it's long gone.

YG Carmel speakers

The YG Carmel is perhaps the company's most captivating speaker in it's line up. I would consider it to be a serious rival to Magico's V3 speakers in every way. It's the exquisite small speaker for modern quarters(i.e. small rooms) given today's sky rocketing real estate prices, many well heeled folks have less space for hifi. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them and may some day aspire to have them as my permanent daily reference too!

TAD CR-1 speakers

The TAD CR-1 is certainly one the best, if not THE BEST, small high end mini monitor ever. Need I say more? I congratulate Odiosleuth for his fine speaker choice, but now, herein lies the problem, the CR-1s are so revealing, that it's exposing all the short comings fo the poor guy's front end components, be it, even if they are already mighty good to start with. Here's to another round of up grade orbit, buddy. Ha! Ha!

OTHER NOTABLE MENTIONS:

Pioneer BDP-450 Blu-Ray player

The Pioneer BDP-450 is an excellent Blu-ray player, especially in 3D mode, no doubt about it. What surprised me however, is that it makes a mighty impressive CD/SACD transport too, accessed via it's co-axial audio output, for connection to an external DAC. It's built like a high end audiophile CD player too, with rigid all aluminium and steel casing, equipped with weighty proper metal feet, not make believe plastic feet. The transport drawer action is smooth like a high end CD player too! Sound is detailed, smooth, coherent, noise/jitter free, and most of all, musical rhythmic flow, accompanied by big-big sound stage, deep and wide.

Wilson Audio XLF speakers

No, I didn't hear Wilson Audio XLF speakers yet, there's only one pair in Malaysia now. My sources are based upon people(whose ears I trust) who have heard them in action, and they rated the mighty Wilson  as the BEST speakers they've ever heard(and these are true blood high enders who have listened to nearly all the top hifi systems in the region), period! I wish to congratulate the proud owner fo the Wilson Audio XLF, you know who you are!

New B&W 802D speakers

I was never in love with any of the previous incarnations of the B&W 800 D series speakers, despite their high tech diamond tweeter and kevlar mid bass driver calling card with 1st order x-over topology for the smoothest hand over frequency point. They were very good on the hifi performance parameter, but they always struck me as being rather business like in their musical presentation. If diamonds are a girls best friend, then some degree of musical beauty is to be expected, and in it's latest form, the B&W 802D actually delivers them in spades. Looks like they'll be around for a little while more!

ASI Super Tango speakers

These Frank Tchang designed Super Tango speakers are nothing like you've ever heard in high end dom! They will never be another pair of speakers that sound like the Super Tango. They are definitely not shy and rockers will love their explosive dynamics with gutsy and big hearted musical delivery. Viva la de France! They an enigma, if they ever was one.

Marten Design Django speakers

Marten Design Django XL is a scaled down version of the Getz, but with beefier bass, tuned for American taste. All the sonic goodies offered by the Getz are there with little down side, at only half the price! Marten Design just launched the Django L, which is a smaller brother, trickle down technology have never meant better than this!

Well folks, that's the end of our adventures in HiFi-Unlimited. Stay tune for some last words before we call it a day.

No Silly Wire! Wywires Gold AES/EBU Digital Cable.

Wywires Gold AES/EBU digital cable, close up of the Xhadow plugs.

Those of you who knew me back then, I mean way..... back then, when I was still enthusiastic about the automobile and the daily driving experience, would probably have called me by my nick, Silly Willy! How did that nick came about? you asked.

At a time when every one else was spending money making their cars go faster, I was the only silly fella spending money on bigger brakes, suspension strut bars and numerous other stuff that just didn't make the car go faster. Hence, the nick as I had spent the most money on my car, and it's never the fastest in the drag. Silly right? Not to me, I didn't see it that way, I never wanted the fastest car off the line anyway. My aim to modifying cars is to achieve the most well balanced behaviour all round, so most things are never really about being the fastest, it's more about the over riding confidence of knowing that the very powerful car will not turn around and bite me around the corner or when the going gets though. It's more about having refined control and predictability of measured performance over raw speed. So what has the automobile story has to do with this Wywires Gold  AES/EBU digital cable review?

Well, how about the silly audiophile who spends loadsa moolah on cables? Some already consider me being one, as my JPS Aluminata AES/EBU digital cable cost nearly as much as the Bryston BDP/BDA-1 combo individually! However, as per my car modifying motives, I see cables as an equipment offering improved transmission and refinement, as an accessory that allows the main equipment that's linked up, to perform at it's best potential.

Wywires calls it's digital cables LITESPD for Lite Speed?

I am sorry for the long winded introduction, but let's get back to the subject that matters here, is the Wywires Gold AES/EBU digital cable under review. I was pretty impressed by the value to performance ratio of the Wywires Silver AES/EBU digital cable when I reviewed it the last time. The Gold series cable seen here looks pretty much the same, light weight in build and neat if non-extravagant dressing, plus those lovely Xhadow plugs attached at both ends. This cable is very bend able too, compared to my super stiff JPS Aluminata.

I found this cable to offer pretty much the same kinda of sonic characteristics of the Silver tested earlier, but only with more of everything that matters, More bandwidth, more dynamics, super fast(Lite Speed!) transients, deepest bass extension, higher highs and the blackest of black back grounds, and most importantly noise free too.  All these hifi performance parameters bring the Wywires Gold AES/EBU digital cable right up to par with my JPS Aluminanta reference.

The Wywires Gold is tonally neutral, with just enough laid back-ness to take it away from being clinical. There are enough areas of performance that should see the Wywires Gold standing head over shoulders against what I think are some of the best digital cables(one being the JPS Aluminata, the other being the Wireworld Platinum Starlight) available in the market today. What the Wywires does really well over the other cables is it's ability to project a huge walk thru sound stage, with solidly anchored imaging properties, yet do it all with the correct scale as intended in the recordings. The Wywires are really great for re-producing big orchestras, with highly realistic mid hall vantage point of view from my listening position. All that with more than enough reflected and deflected ambiance as sonic cues in the atmosphere of the recording hall. Even re-playing smaller ensembles and other small system friendly music, such as girl/guitar and piano, especially with hi-rez music files, the music is always captivating and enchanting. I keep hearing little details usually buried deep in the mix, in an organic and naturally presented fashion, as opposed to that rather "obviously highlighted" fashion that the JPS does so. Despite the fact, the JPS was actually considered pretty natural sounding previously, which was why I made it my reference for the longest time.

If musical PRAT is your thing, then the Wywires also have 'em in spades. There's also an effortlessness in the way the Wywires present music, as opposed to the tensed and ready to spring manner of the JPS. Neither character is bad, just what your system needs? Horses for courses, really.  While the Wywires was in my system over a two month period, I've never found myself returning to my Linn LP12 turn table. My Linn just sat idle for 2 full months, which has never happened before. I think there's something in the performance of the Wywires gold that makes digital music sound complete and satisfying, that I no longer yearn to take refuge from digital in vinyl.

That's all ye' get for ye' money! The said cable, a certificate of authenticity and an invoice in a plastic zip bag.

Just as I was about to embark on this review, I called James(of AV Designs) to enquire about the retail price of this Wywires Gold AES/EBU digital cable, and was surprised to hear him saying RM$3,199.00/piece for the 1.5 meter length review sample. I thought I heard wrong, because I was expecting the Wireworld, or JPS like pricing(which is nearly double!) due to the impeccable sonic performance of the Wywires, which stands head over shoulders against the other two!

Now, sonic considerations aside, I'd like to keep this Wywires Gold AES/EBU digital cable, just to look less silly in front of other audiophools.

Wywires are sold by AV Designs, contact Tony or James at 03-21712828.

Why(these) Wires? Wywire Silver AES/EBU Digital Cable.

The Wywires Silver AES/EBU digital cable came in basic zip bag packaging.

There seems to be 3 sure fire ways cables are marketed now a days. First and most profitable route, is to offer state of the art performance, with just as "SOTA" retail price to match. The next is to offer the best audio performance to price value ratio in the budget sector. The last way may well require the most delicate balance of offering true high end audio performance accompanied by a fair retail price that reflects it's quality and intended market positioning. I think Wywires  are attempting this very delicate balancing act. They are not exactly a new brand in high end circles, but they now have an official retailer in Malaysia, in the form of AV Designs. Wywires gained fame by winning "Best Sound Of Shows" at various audio and hifi shows, in partnership mostly with TAD electronics and speakers. Now, in my book, if any cable is good enough for the TAD partnership, it certainly won't be short on audio quality performance, as we'd already know how super transparent the TAD electronics and speakers can be, and would certainly expose the weakling in their midst.

The Silver range is Wywire's intermediate range, as there's an entry level Blue range below and the more expensive Gold Signature range above. I'd also like to caution that the Blue range ain't necessary cheap, or the Gold Signature range super expensive either. All I can say is that Wywire's pricing are refreshingly sensibly priced to reflect their audio performance levels. How many cable companies can resist from pricing gluttony now days? Since we are on the subject of pricing, the Wywires Silver AES/EBU(also available as co-axial) Digital cable retails for RM$2,355.00/each.

Terminated on both ends with Xhadow XLR plugs. The Xhadow plugs does not have the usual clip lock like on the industry standard Neutrik, but they do grip the panel sockets very tightly. 

The Wywires are refreshingly built lightly too, with non-flashy dull grey braiding and terminated at both ends with the superb locking Xhadow XLR plugs. There's very little form that does no function. This philosophy extends to the packing too, as all one gets is a QC Authentication Card and the cable it self inside a clear plastic zip bag.

I plugged the Wywires Silver in between my Bryston BDP/BDA-1 digital media player & DAC combo, in place of my usual reference, the 3 times more expensive JPS Aluminata AES/EBU digital cable. Now as all things high end in audio, the JPS does not represent a 3X gain in sound quality, compared to the Wywires. Instead, I find that the Wywires silver is a cable that's nearly as capable, if not ultimately, the JPS is still the superior cable, in the context of my system. Why so if you asked?

Well let's get a few issues out of the way, the Wywires present a tad more forward(not to be mistaken for immediacy) sound staging properties compared to the JPS. I found it's highs slightly less liquid, like as if the last ounce of moisture around the high hats and cymbals have evaporated. Having said that, the Wywires are still harmonically rich, with woody decays and reverbs from string instruments like piano, violin and cello being well reproduced. Playing one of my recent favourite CD rip tittled Hit Man, featuring David Foster & Friends is a good example. I could hear deep in to the sound stage of the concert, and the bass response of the Wywires Silver is punchy and propulsive, with deeply satisfying solidness, very few cables can match. The tonal quality of the Wywires certainly fall in to the neutral band and the level of transparency is high, if only the JPS Aluminata is more transparent, only because it could reproduce the most minor of musical details, and make them easily discernible. Not that those details are not there on the Wywires, you just need to listen more intently for them.

The other areas such as noise floor, transient and dynamic response are a strong suit of the Wywires and seemed to rival the JPS, which seems unfair, only because the later is 3X more expensive. Like I said, high end audio at this point had crossed the threshold point of diminishing returns. It's not rather if the Wywires Silver can rival the JPS Aluminata, but rather how close in audio performance the former can get at one third the investment, and the answer is probably as smart an answer as a no brainer as one can get!

This is the first Hit Man concert, featuring David Foster & Friends, available on Blu-ray and DVD plus CD combo. It's a great concert recording, with great visual colours and details on HD and the CD of the concert is just as well recorded too. the package offers great entertainment value.

While listening to the David Foster & Friends CD, which features so many excellent artist, but I most remembered Catherine MacPhee doing The Prayer, a duet with Andrea Boceilli, I got goose bumps when they're both doing their fortissimo towards the end of the performance. On this performance, Catherine not only served as eye candy, but the sexy lady can certainly open her lungs and sing her heart out, at times eclipsing the highly rated Andrea Boceilli(as pictured below). Like I always said, if any hifi equipment can give it's listeners goose bumps and be emotionally engaged by the music playing, then it's a worthy component or consideration, at any price.

Catherine MacPhee performing The Prayer, a duet with Andrea Boceilli. I never took her seriously as a singer until after this performance!

I know for certain, that Odiosleuth is considering the Wywires range of cables for himself, as he now has the full range of Wywires Gold Signature cables in his evaluation. They cover power cords, interconnects and speaker cables. Now what makes the Gold Signature range so special? They all have Jack Bybee's rather controversial Quantum Purifiers attached.

As if I've not been tempted enough, the good guys at AV Designs has decided to up the ante, and thrown me the unltimate challenge, in the form of the Wywire Gold Signature AES/EBU digital cable, which in pricing terms are more than equal to my reference digital cable. 

Stay on for another digital cable battle!

Wywires is sold by AV Designs, contact James or Tony at 03-21712828.

WyWires Comes Courtesy Of AV Designs.

Guys and gals, still need more high end cables to play with? How about a cable that's design and developed and demo-ed in conjunction with TAD's high end audio equipments?

Yes folks, the brand is not new as it's being demo-ed in hifi shows the world over with mostly TAD partnering equipments, resulting in many "Best Of Show" awards since 2008.

However, thanks to the boys at AV Designs, we now have access to this new high end cable products. Odiosleuth is already liming up for his review samples! 

Should you feel the same, please contact James or Tony at 03-21712828 for more info.