savoy014

Introduction Great audio accessories are like classic items, they never quite go out of style. Firmly resisting fashion and flavour-of-the-month things, they are able to withstand the test of time. Finite Elemente has for many years been one of my favourite and go-to brands for footers. They were are Teutonic as you could get - precision engineered with a no-nonsense approach to improving the sound of your audio system. They were not cheap by any stretch of imagination, but good things seldom are. Besides, the sonic rewards were more than commensurate with your financial outlay. It was with a bit of sadness then when I heard that Finite Elemente went out of business recently. Fret not - they are now back ! Description The Ceraball sits at the bottom of the footer range, but some important changes have been made. I happened to have both the first and second generation Ceraball on hand, as well as the current third generation model, so here is a family photo. The Ceraball has steadily ga...

Daedalus Audio DiD This is my first encounter with a Daedalus Audio product. Daedalus is the father of Icarus in Greek mythology and a skillful craftsman and artist. The story of the wings fashioned by him to enable the escape of both Icarus and himself is most well-known - in particular, the tragic end of Icarus who did not heed his father's advice not to fly too high lest the wax holding the feathers together melt. Coming back to the present time, Daedalus Audio is most well-known for it's hand-crafted speakers, featuring hand-crafted cabinets and high efficiency designs without the use of horns. The DiD (Daedalus isolation Devices) are footers that use dissimilar materials to dissipate resonance coupled with bearings to isolate the component from vibration. The DiD is made from highly polished Aluminium, solid Cherry and Brass with steel bearings. Additional felts pads are supplied to further tune the sound. A smaller pad fits in between the bearings and the wood top, while ...

Introduction Mains conditioning is often an essential tool in achieving good results from quality equipment, unless you happened to be blessed with good mains power. You have transformer based solutions, such as isolation or balanced power transformers. You also have capacitor based filtering, which tackle a certain frequency range based on the tuning of the circuit. There are also other approaches such as choke filtering and power regeneration.   Description The LessLoss Firewall Module uses the company's proprietary skin filtering technology first seen in their power cords. The wire surface is treated to allow the mains frequency to travel through efficiently (50 Hz or 60 Hz as the case maybe), while attenuating high frequency noise. Since no capacitors are used in the process, there is no limiting of current. The LessLoss Firewall Module (hereinafter referred to as "Firewall") is available in two versions, a module with C13 and C14 connectors, and a module with screw t...

Introduction USB isn't always what it is cracked up to be. Not too long ago, asynchronous mode USB audio seemed to be the perfect solution for all problems in audiophile life. The problem is that the quality of implementation varied tremendously. Some DACs pulled it off really well, while some were just underwhelming compared to their SPDIF inputs.  Anyway, you can never keep a good audiophile down, and many resorted to offboard USB to SPDIF convertors to save the day. In fact, you will find numerous threads debating on the sonic differences between the various devices on the market. Let's throw another device into the fray. Description The UpTone Audio USB REGEN is a small nifty device that fits between your computer / streamer and the USB input of your DAC. It combines a USB hub chip with an ultra-low noise regulator and low-jitter clock to regenerate your data signal.  Instead of drawing on the voltage of your PC / streamer, it takes the power from an external power supply ...

Introduction Entreq of Sweden has been busy over the last few years, with the release of a number of new ground boxes, and add-on devices for existing models too. Please have a look at my earlier post on the Entreq Tellus and Eartha silver cables for more information on how these ground boxes work.  Description The Olympus is the new top of the range of Entreq's mini ground boxes. It is physically larger than the previous mini box range, and the 9 kg weight is quite substantial. This box is definitely more midi than mini. The Olympus has a single silver binding post on the rear and is described by Entreq as being designed to ground preamplifiers and DACs, or as a ground for their cables and AC conditioners. The wooden feet appear to be a new design, and are nice oval wood discs compared to the very basic feet on my Tellus. Sound Quality I tried the Olympus is a variety of locations.  I first  tried it attached to the grounding post of my Gryphon Diablo integrated amplifi...

Introduction Sound Affairs recently launched their in-house Plixir Elementa Power Cable. This is almost certainly a sign of things to come - Mr. James Soh, principal of Sound Affairs, hinted that a number of other cables are expected under the Plixir label. Description The Elementa is a supple and flexible cable which should minimise routing headaches. James advised that the Elementa is designed for low current applications, e.g. source equipment. It is also available in a variety of lengths and termination options.  The review samples provided were terminated in Japanese Meikosha AC and Schurter IEC plugs. In use, they provided a firm and reassuring grip. Sound Quality The modest price tag is likely to appeal to audiophiles on starter systems, or with tight budget constraints. In comparison to a stock power cord, bass notes took on a tighter, deeper and more articulate quality. Midrange was a bit laidback with a smooth and warm tone. Some subtle detail was lost there, but as a tra...

Introduction Sound Affairs is a relatively new name in the local hi-fi scene, although it's principal, Mr. James Soh is a name familiar to many local audiophiles, especially for his previous work under the banner of Effective Audio Mod.  Sound Affairs marks his move into a full-time retail business, with both sales and distribution of a complete range of hi-fi equipment, while continuing with modification work. Sound Affairs offers a number of unique made-to-order products, including a DC power supply, and balanced AC power conditioner, which are the subject of this review. I took the opportunity to ask James some questions about his approach to design in coming up with these products. Design and Philosophy James explained that that the Plixir Balanced DC Power Supply takes a unique approach.  The custom wound transformer provides a balanced AC voltage supply (read on further for benefits of balanced AC power). Only two diodes are used for rectification instead of four. James ...

Introduction Jack Bybee is no stranger to the world of hi-fi tweaking, and for that matter - controversy. The Quantum Signal Enhancer ("QSE") is different from his Slipstream Quantum Purifiers. The latter is used as in the signal / power chain, while the former can be used simply by proximity. Description The QSE is a small device, looking like an acrylic board with it's underside lined with felt. It measures at 4 x 6 inches, and is just a 1/4 inch thick. The board has crystals embedded in it, and the device is claimed to reduce noise and hash. The QSE can be placed under, or any cable that is carrying power or signal. It can also be placed on top of, or under your components. Cumulative use is possible, but I was only passed one piece to evaluate. Application I tried placing the QSE in the various places suggested, including on top of components, over interconnects, and over AC plugs and AC cables. I noticed that the changes in sound take a while to settle, and the best ...

How do you look after your CDs ? I usually wash them once in a while in a basin of tap water with a drop of dish washing liquid added. It is effective to get rid of any fingerprints, dust, and fungus. I've not used an professional cleaning kit before, although I do admit to resorting to brasso and toothpaste in an attempt to remove deep scratches from damaged discs (neither worked by the way). The Essence of Music Kit comes in a simple cardboard box. Open the box, and you will find two spray bottles of 20ml each, which look dangerously similar to some of my wife's cosmetic products. Two microfiber cleaning cloths are provided too, as well as finger cots to protect your precious digits from the overall nastiness of the liquid solutions. The manufacturer claims that the kit can treat up to 400 discs. Application is straightforward. Spray on the first liquid and rub the disc surface for one minute with your cot protected finger. Then apply the second liquid and rub again for one m...

Introduction Audiophiles are an impatient lot. The problem with our hobby is that burn-in is a necessary evil to hear almost any audio component at it's best. One of my dealer friends once reminded me not to make any hasty judgement of any Focal Utopia speaker before it had at least 500 to 1000 hours on it. "These impatient guys never hear the Beryllium tweeter open up, and think that the problem lies with the speaker and sell it off.", he advised in his usual sagely way. I am now on to my second Utopia speaker, and his words could not have been truer. The Teflon capacitors in my Conrad Johnson also require punishing burn-in, with most users reporting significant changes at the 300 hour mark, with further changes happening all the way up to the 1000 hour mark. You could use one of the many burn-in CDs on the market and put your CD player on repeat, but I hate reducing the life of my laser pick-up just for this purpose. I've been using the Frybaby for a few years alrea...

I happened to drop by Audio Basic Singapore (local dealer for Telos) recently. Another customer walked in and Steven Cheah, manager and principal of Audio Basic asked him to listen to a demonstration of the Telos Quantum Noise Resonator ("QNR"). The QNR is a compact device about the size of a paperback novel. It is quite heavy, being made out of machined aircraft grade aluminum. The chassis has no visible screws, and a top cover acrylic window allows the user to see the circuit board, and a LED display that blinks meaningfully when the QNR is in operation. The QNR is an AC mains conditioner and works by means of production of eight different frequencies, which are namely, 120 Hz, 60 Hz, 30 Hz, 15 Hz, 7.5 Hz, 3.75 Hz, 1.875 Hz and 0.9375 Hz. Telos claims that the QNR is able to correct distortions in the AC waveform, and converts noise above 1 kHz into light. As the QNR is connected in parallel with your equipment, there is no current limitation unlike series type of line cond...