savoy014

Introduction According to Sony, the SRS-HG1 is the world's smallest High-Resolution Audio portable wireless speaker. Available in 5 trendy colours, my review sample was finished in a very striking Lime Yellow colour. Description The SRS-HG1 measures 204x62x60 mm and weighs 790g. The driver complement consists of dual 35 mm full range drivers and a single passive radiator. Sony's S-Master HX Digital amp pumps out 12 watts of power. The DSEEHX Digital Sound Enhancement Engine processes lossy music files to address the quality lost during compression. The SRS-HG1 can be connected via Bluetooth (Version 4.2 is supported with compatibility with the following protocols, A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and SPP) or via USB. The onboard DAC supports bit depth of up to 24 bits and sampling rates up to 192 kHz. You can also stream music via wifi (this speaker is DLNA compliant), or hook up a legacy device via the stereo mini-jack on the rear panel. Delving deep into the manual shows that the SRS-HG1 has...

Introduction I saw the Thiel TT1 some time back at Sound Decisions, the local dealer for Thiel. The company has with a change in management and ownership, taken a very different direction with it's products. I made an appointment with Sammy Low, principal of Sound Decisions to have a quick listen to the TT1 sometime later. Description The TT1 bears little physical resemblance to past models. The TT1 is a four drive speaker in a slim rear ported enclosure. High frequencies are handled by a 1 inch titanium dome tweeter, while a 4 1/4 inch fibreglass cone handles the midrange. Low frequencies are taken care of by two 6 1/2 inch aluminum cone woofers. Frequency response is stated as 39 Hz to 30 kHz (no limits stated), while in-room sensitivity is rated at 90 db. Impedance is specified at 4 ohms nominal and 3.67 ohms minimum. The drive units are not Thiel's in-house designs - according to Thiel's official website, the woofers are produced by Scanspeak to Thiel's specificatio...

This crowd-funded speaker on Kickstarter piqued my curiosity - The Freedom Speaker. The creator, Mr. Jaime Solorzano Garcia has a website with a detailed explanation and a very nicely produced video on the speaker.  http://thefreedomspeaker.com/ This is an active open baffle dipole design. Room correction via DSP and a lot of other interesting features - please have a look. 

Introduction Many years ago when I was a wee little lad, I came across the most interesting looking speaker at a dealer's shop. The speaker was conventional rectangular box, but had an externally mounted midrange and tweeter, housed in what looked like a flat cut-out of a person. "What are those ?", I asked innocently. The dealer in his usual gruff manner replied, "Alon speakers." I did hear them off and on for the few years that they sat in the shop. Nice speakers.  Fast forward to the present, and Alon is no longer in business. However, Carl Marchisotto, principal and designer of Alon, now designs under a new company - Nola (Alon read backwards).  Description The Boxer S1 is a 2 way bookshelf speaker that is part of Nola's Boxer Collection. The cabinet measures 15 1/2 inches (H) x 8 inches (W) x 11 1/2 inches (D). Rated impedance is 8 ohms, and frequency response is specified as 44 Hz - 28 kHz. Sensitivity is high at 90 dB. The 6.5 inch bass driver utilise...

Sony SS-NA5ES Speakers Introduction My first encounter with the SS-NA5ES was during Sony's "Feel the Air" event last year in October. I was quite impressed by the performance of the NA5ES, despite it being paired with a home theater receiver, and setup in a large acoustic space.   This is certainly not your run-of-the-mill speaker. The cabinet is constructed out of Scandinavian birch wood (chosen for it's density due to the slow growth of trees there) and finished in deep brown gloss veneer by craftsmen in Japan. Under dim lighting, it appears to be almost black, and has one of the most impressive lacquer finishes I've seen on a speaker cabinet. Needless to say, the quality of the cabinetry work is top notch. The rather petite cabinet (355 mm(H) x 205mm (W) x 325mm (D)) is deceptively heavy (10 kg). The woofer is a 130 mm cone driver, while the tweeter is highly unusual. The tweeter is termed by Sony as "I-Array" and has a single 25 mm fabric dome tweete...

Introduction There is a high chance you would have heard of the SP-BS22-LR speaker - this speaker has been creating a lot of buzz since it's release. D esigned by Andrew Jones (who spends most of his time designing the delectable TAD speakers), the SP-BS22-LR is a compact 2-way bookshelf speaker. The woofer is a 4 inch structured surface woofer, while the 1 inch fabric tweeter handles high frequencies. This is a bass-reflex design, with the port located on the rear of the speaker. Nominal impedance is stated as 6 ohms, and sensitivity at 85 db. Frequency response is listed as 55 Hz - 20 kHz (no limits stated). 5 way binding posts are provided, and the crossover is specified as a 6 element crossover. Looking at the photos of the crossover on the internet, this appears to consist of 2 sandcast resistors, one air core inductor, one iron core inductor, one plastic capacitor and one electrolytic capacitor. Physically, the Pioneer is well built with the boat shaped MDF enclosure feeling ...

Introduction The Sony MAP-S1 is a compact all-singing and dancing micro component system.  As tiny as they come - the MAP-S1 is nevertheless functionally fully loaded. The MAP-S1 consists of a 50 watt per channel (into 4 ohms loads) receiver integrated with a front loading CD slot. The built in DAC is capable of decoding high resolution audio files of up to 24 bit resolution and a sampling rate of 192 kHz.  Input flexibility is excellent with a front panel high current (2.1 A) type A USB port for thumb drives / hard drives and a rear type B USB port for connection to a computer. DLNA support is provided via Wi-Fi or ethernet. All major file formats are supported, including DSD. Airplay and Bluetooth are also supported. On the analogue front, a pair of line level input and output jacks are also provided.  The lacquer finish on the SS-HW1 is good enough to pass off as fine furniture. A close-up shot of the top-mounted super tweeter. Rear facing port and 5 way binding posts...

Introduction I remember seeing my schoolmate's Sony Walkman many years ago. There was a hushed silence - a mix of awe and respect when he took it out. The small circle that formed around him handled it carefully. It was heavy, generous with its use of metals and obviously meant business. Fast forward through the years - I never did manage to own one. But in those days, Sony was associated with top quality, albeit expensive products. Sony used to make serious high quality audio products, notably, it's CD and SACD players launched under its ES range. I felt a mix of nostalgia and curiosity when I received the invitation to attend Sony's "Feel the Air" event on the 2nd of October, 2014. Was Sony making a comeback to high-end audio ? Feel the Air A variety of products were exhibited, many of which were setup for demonstration purposes. Some of the products were unusual to say the least (do we really need vibrating headphones ?). Based on the lineup of products on disp...

Raidho has been getting a lot of good press lately, and deservedly so. Mr. Michael Borresen, President and Chief Designer of Raidho Acoustics was in town to showcase Raidho's flagship stand-mounted speaker, the D1, at the local dealer, AV Intelligence. As I came towards the tail end of the event, I did not get to hear the earlier comparisons with the C1.1. During the demonstration, the D1 was paired with Devialet amplification and an Oppo Blu-ray player, which was a welcome change from extravagant pairings that only oil sheikhs could afford. The D1 cast a wide and deep soundstage, with pinpoint imaging. Driver integration between its ribbon tweeter and diamond coated woofer was outstanding. Despite the small driver size, the woofer extends quite low - much lower than expected. Midrange is on the slightly warm and full side of things, while the top end is detailed and glare free. Despite the high level of detail, the D1 avoids an overly analytical presentation and scores high on the...