savoy014

Introduction The Invicta was the first product launched by Resonessence Labs, a company founded by Mark Mallinson, former operations director of ESS Technology. Many members of his team are people that worked on the Sabre DAC project at ESS. Let's see what tricks they have up their sleeve to maximise the performance of the Sabre DAC chip. Fast forward a few years later, and the Invicta remains as Resonessence's flagship product, although it is available in two flavours now. The Invicta has a headphone stage, while it's sister product, the Mirus omits this, but instead deploys the DAC chip formerly dedicated to the headphone stage to be used together with the main DAC chip. This improves THD and noise measurements compared to the Invicta. Description and Features The Invicta is a compact, half-sized component. Pictures do not convey how solidly built this machine is. Measuring just 22 cm wide, 28.2 cm deep, and 5 cm high, the Invicta weighs 2.9 kg. The front plate, base and ...

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...

Introduction Thanks to the popularity of head-fi, there has been a proliferation of portable products on the market, such as USB powered DACs, combined DAC / headamps and the like. Head-fi does have a lot of advantages over conventional setups. The overall cost of ownership is more affordable - spending two or three thousand dollars could get you close to cutting edge performance. Further, head-fi is perfect for rigs in land scarce Singapore. Resonessence Labs was founded by Mark Mallinson, former operations director for ESS Technology. His team members include former ESS employees with intimate knowledge of DAC and ADC design. It would be sensible to assume that these guys know more than a trick or two in handling ESS DACs. Description The Herus is a tiny USB powered DAC / headamp based on the ESS 9010-2M chip. Measuring just 6.35 cm long, 3.17 cm wide and 1.9 cm high, it could slip easily into a laptop case for your long and lonely business trips. A USB Type B socket is located on on...

I first heard of Juan Carlos Candeias through his design work with CEC with concepts such as load-effect free (LEF) technology and current injection. I used to own a CEC TL-51XR belt drive CD player which sadly died. B.M.C. Audio has enjoyed increased visibility locally with the launch of a number of new products over the last year or so. When the PureDAC was announced, there was a certain degree of buzz, with its DSD capability at what was then considered a very affordable price tag. When the product was finally launched some months ago, a number of low cost DSD capable DACs were already in the market, many at a lower price tag than the B.M.C. Nonetheless, the B.M.C. was intriguing, and I managed to get hold of an almost new unit pre-owned, in a local transaction. Here are some pictures to whet your appetite. This unit is absolutely stunning in the flesh. Some may find its styling strange - I find it very attractive, and a welcome departure from the usual black box. I unboxed the unit...

Introduction I've just got a new Job. A Job 225 that is. After looking at all the positive information on audio forums out there, I placed an order last week. For those unfamiliar with Job Electronics Inc, it is an affiliated company of Goldmund and shares technology used in Goldmund products. Without sounding too condescending and dismissive, you could consider Job products as Goldmund derived products on the cheap for the average man in the street. The Job 225 can be ordered directly online at www.jobsys.com. I previously failed to secure a unit when the batch sold out and I jumped on the opportunity last month when it was available again. Ordering the Job was a simple process, and 4 days later, the Job was sitting on my living room floor - delivered from Switzerland to Singapore within record time. What makes the Job 225 compelling ? It is a high quality, powerful, compact and affordable amplifier. Description According to Job, the 225 delivers 125 watts per channel into 8 ...

A warm lunar new year greeting goes out to all Chinese visitors to my blog. Wishing everyone out there a great year of the horse, and may you and your loved ones enjoy good health, prosperity and good fortune.

Like the original Telos RCA Cap ? Telos has launched their new Quantum Cap. Sold in packs of four pieces, each RCA cap is made out of copper and gold plated. The cap is subject to cryogenic treatment and treatment from Telos's proprietary QBT run-in treatment. The red pad inside the RCA cap contains undisclosed materials. Compared to the original RCA cap ( see review here ), the Quantum Cap is longer and heavier. I am still trying these caps around the house. They do clearly make a difference on equipment they are used with. During some initial experiments, I tried covering the output jacks of the Calyx Coffee DAC / headamp, and they clearly resulted in changes to the sound - a smoother presentation, albeit with some restraint and reduction in dynamics. Not really to my liking over there. Trying them next on my Conrad Johnson preamp, I placed one pair on a spare input. The effect seems to take a while to stabilise, and I had a listen after leaving them in position for a day. The mo...