THE AUDIOKEY REVIEWS! MAGAZINE CANADA - NOVEMBER 2023 - ISSUE 5

AudioKeyREVIEWS! HIGH FIDELITY PERSONAL AUDIO & STEREO MAGAZINE

Canada

NOVEMBER 2023

SOTA COMET IV T U R N TA B L E

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DACMAGIC200M & MXN10 DAC & MUSIC SERVER

BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO STREAMER

PARASOUND AUDIO P6 & A21+ AMPLIFIERS

AND MORE… ENGLISH

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E LECTRIFIED S TABILIZATION P LATFORM

The Last Platform You’ll Ever Need

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Music is art, art is music.

Welcome

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Imogene Cunningham - White Lily Flowers

INSIDE THIS ISSUE… MUSICIANS

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42

62 ART

HI-FI REVIEWS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 23

EDITOR'S LETTER

32

PARASOUND P 6 & A 21+ AMPLIFIERS

42

SOTA COMET IV TURNTABLE

54

GRACE NOTES - DOLLY PARTON

64

BAETIS AUDIO REVOLUTION X4 STREAMER

78

THE OVERVIEW - THE RISE AND FALL OF CD

86

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DACMAGIC200M DAC & MXN10 SERVER

98

ATMA-SPHERE THE GEM INTEGRATED - PREVIEW

INTERVIEWS

MUSIC

Copyright AudioKeyReviews 2023

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Vincent Van Gogh - Sunset at Wheat Field, 1888

THEATER

RECOMMENDED COMPONENTS

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IN THE NEXT ISSUE

110

REVIEWS ON OUR WEBSITE

Front Inside Cover: Robert Doisneau Back Inside Cover: Robert Doisneau The Other Art. It is my belief that the artist and the musician are not only creatives, but they access heart and soul and experience, perhaps, in the selfsame ways. My own love for art and music are inseparable. And so art, music, and those things which facilitate the music, shall share theses pages.

MUSIC REVIEWS Copyright AudioKeyReviews 2023

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - SEND HERE

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VIDEO REVIEWS

104

INSIDE THIS ISSUE…

AUDIO

98

86

32

COLUMNS

“

There was more “there, there” with the Kubala Sosna cable loom and in every respect, than any other cable heard to date.

”

K. E. Heartsong AudioKeyReviews.com

“

The Kubala-Sosna Emotion interconnects connected me to the music like no other interconnects I've heard, at anywhere near the price.

Robert H. Levi Positive Feedback Online

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“

The Expressions present music without noticeable boundaries to a stage; sound stages don't erupt from a black background, but from an invisible and expanding one…

”

Larry Cox Positive Feedback Online

Vincent Van Gogh - Sunflowers, 1889

E DI TO R’s CHA IR

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t has been an interesting year for our Canadian issues, as we have sought out writers and reviewers and products to make it all happen. And slowly, every so slowly it is happening! And for this I am incredibly grateful! Straight ahead 2024 awaits us in just over 60 days and I must say, that we are, indeed, ready and very much excited for the new year.

I am truly grateful for those editors, columnists, reviewers, and videographers who have contributed to both the US and Canadian editions of the magazine, our fledgling northern enterprise, which adds up to a total of three magazines per issue date. But as a long-ago commercial put it, “You asked for it, you got it…” Well, thank you all for your help and commitment to making this happen every other month!

I must certainly thank the good folks across the industry— manufacturers, distributors, retailers, audiophiles, and music lovers— who have made it all well worth the time, energy, and countless hours of writing, production, marketing and sales. Thank you!

There are definitely some treats in our US issue, if you are so inclined to view it, in the form of over 100 pages of awards from our Breakthroughs to Editor’s Choice to Best of the Year, per each editor to the Best Products of the Year. Please do view it.

Despite the fierce rumblings of the world, I will focus on better things here—a better world, greater awareness, understanding, peace, compassion, empathy, integrity, and goodwill towards all. God bless.

Sincerely,

K.E. Heartsong Editor-in-Chief

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THE CREW

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief K. E. Heartsong Managing Editor Kathe Lieber

Andre Marc Gérard Rejskind Reviewer Charles Brown Andre Marc Columnists Kathe Lieber Gérard Rejskind

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MASTHEAD

Senior Editor(s)

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HermanMiller

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Vincent van Gogh - Field with Irises near Arles, 1888

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One of the Best Products of the Year and One of the Most Affordable!

HermanMiller

PARASOUND P 6 & A 21+

By Andre Marc

PARASOUND P 6 & A 21+

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e recently reviewed the superb Parasound JC 3+ Phono Preamp (LINK when live), as well as the Halo Hint 6 integrated amp (https:// www.audiokeyreviews.com/the-reviews/ parasound-hint6), and were excited at the prospect of more Parasound products coming our way. First in for review was the Parasound A 21+ stereo power amplifier. It supersedes the A 21, which had enjoyed a 15 year run in the

designer John Curl, whose circuits are the beating heart of many of Parasound’s products.

A quick overview of A 21+ shows us the power increased from 250 wpc to 300 wpc over its predecessor. We also see an improved power supply, lower noise and distortion numbers, as well as some cosmetic changes. Internal connections and wiring have also been upgraded. The A 21+ retails for $3150.

The A 21+ is equipped with XLR and RCA

company’s line up. We also received the P 6 preamp with built in DAC module, and phonostage.

Parasound has proven that it offers extraordinary products at much lower prices than most of the competition. This was accomplished thanks to carefully cultivated relationships with factories in Taiwan. The attention to detail and the build quality are top notch, making Parasound one of the premier values in high end audio. Of course, the last

jacks around the back, as well as gain settings for different environments. The speaker binding posts and connectors are of excellent quality. The build is pretty much over the top, with the amp weighing in at 71 lbs, a big portion of which is the beefy power supply.

The P 6 multifunction preamplifer, which retails for $1599, is chock full of goodies. It has the potential to eliminate several boxes and cable hook ups for the prospective user with the inclusion of a world class DAC, and a

piece of the puzzle is the relationship with

Moving Magnet and Moving Coil phono input.

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Tamara de Lempicka - Portrait of Ms M.

PARASOUND P 6 & A 21+ The USB input on the DAC, happily, does DSD256. There are also legacy coaxial and optical digital inputs, and they decode up to 24/192 PCM. The P6 seeks to overachieve in the feature department with subwoofer outputs and control, a high current headphone amplifier, balanced inputs and outputs, and an Auxiliary input on the front panel. There is even an old school fixed line output for recording, tone controls and a 12V trigger. Of course, a full function remote is included as well.

opinion on the character of the A 21+. To our ears, it had excellent soundstage depth, leading edge precision, and extremely quick transients.

It seemed to bring us one or two rows closer to the action. There was a sense of ease as well, as if the amplifier was barely working, yet producing big, open, and transparent sound.

We were quite taken by the ability of the A 21+ to grab hold of the speakers and not let go, regardless of the genre of music. Our first encounter with this was the Japanese SHM SACD of Tons Of Sobs, by the legendary

SETUP & LISTENING

British blues rock outfit Free. From the first few notes of “Songs Of Yesterday”, one had to try hard to resist jumping out of the listening chair with excitement as the propulsive bassline set the stage. When Paul Rodgers sings the opening lines, “Sing me a sad song, a song of yesterday”, his bluesy soul stylings were mesmerizing. The A 21+ lit a fire and reproduced the album with the energy and impact it deserved.

Not only did the A 21+ produce weight, impact, and drive, but it also was excellent in its rendering of tonal accuracy, something

We set up the A 21+ and P 6 separately in two different systems. We then brought them together for the final stretch. We wanted to know how each performed on its own, and to have fewer variables. The A 21+ was matched with a Rogue RP5 tubed preamp, a Sonore microRendu streamer, a Bryston BDA-3 DAC, Mangenpan 1.7i speakers, and a Rega Planar 6 turntable, and Parasound’s own aforementioned JC 3+ phono stage. Cabling was Black Cat, and Audio Art Cable.

After a month or so of continuous use in our system, we formed a pretty informed

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essential for our ears. We dove into the Mobile Fidelity SACD reissue of Santana’s 1969 self-

titled first album. It is an album we seem to never tire of. Yet, via the A 21+ we still discovered new sonic realms even here, as well as heretofore unheard nuances on the recording. Quite a feat. We heard organ lines intertwining with Carlos Santana’s guitar and the latin percussion in ways we had not previously.

In memory of the recently passed Jeff Beck, we streamed quite a bit of his classic mid 1970’s output, including SACD rips of Blow By

amplifiers sound a bit anaemic by comparison.

Coherence is another area the A 21+ excelled in. Everything seemed to be properly placed in the soundstage presentation, and I would venture to guess this may be the result of the low distortion and extremely low internal noise design.

The P 6 preamp was matched with an Audio Research VS55 amplifier, Spendor S3/5R monitors, a Sonore microRendu streamer, and a Rega Planar 3 turntable.

Cabling was Black Cat and Transparent. We Blow, Wired, and Rough And Ready. These albums showcase some of his best playing and used an Audio Art Cable power cord on the P6 as well. arrangements, and his knack for picking It was clear as day the P 6 was a clean, sympathetic bandmates. His arrangement of The Beatles’ “She’s A Woman” is startling, with smooth sounding preamplifer. It was also obvious the internal DAC was top notch, talk box, a funky back beat, and a great Les essentially being tonally spot on with dozens of Paul tone. Another standout is “Blue Wind”, composed by keyboardist Jan Hammer. The A recordings we are intimately familiar with. We 21+ made Beck’s guitar sound like it was right were not too surprised as the internal DAC in in the room with the listener, you could sense the Halo Hint 6 Integrated amp was equally as impressive. It reproduced high resolution the cabinet moving air, and it also spotlit the digital files of all sample rates and flavors with rather dated drum sound.

We found the A 21+’s sense of easy and effortless power addicting. It made some

precision, and is far more than an add on. It

PARASOUND P 6 & A 21+ did especially well with DSD, with numerous ripped SACDs cued up for enjoyment. In fact we lost track of time as album after album, distilled by Roon, floated by with the analog like tonality DSD is known for.

The internal phono stage, used with a Rega Planar 3, surpassed all the modestly priced standalone phonostages we had on hand. We enjoyed spinning records, and the MM output was more than satisfactory. Clearly, attention was paid to low noise, and high fidelity.

Having MC capability is a nice addition as well.

We also, for kicks, used the P 6 to drive a pair of Focal self-powered monitors, and the match was excellent. There was an immediacy and satisfying drive that we usually experience with high quality active speakers. For those with limited space, and prefer a more tidy set up, it is a great way to roll.

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COMBINATION OF THE TWO Putting the A 21+ and P 6 together, and using the balanced XLR connections, produced spacious, open, clean sound. There is no doubt there is synergy there. I ultimately did prefer a high end tube preamplifier with the A 21+ mostly because that is how my ears are calibrated. The P 6 was definitely a tad more transparent and lower noise, however.

The pairing also offered up convincing, true to life dynamics and scale. Instruments and voices appeared with excellent holographic width and depth. Without a doubt, the A 21+ had reserves of power to allow for this impressive presentation. The P 6’s transparency and low distortion also deserve credit.

For practical purposes it was a superior pairing as we were able to leave both units on at all times for on demand peak performance.

pet peeves, to satisfy. Enough steps makes it much easier to find the sweet spot for each album.

CONCLUSION It is virtually impossible not to come away impressed with what Parasound has to offer with the A 21+ power amplifier and P 6 preamplifer, DAC, phono state, and overall control center. For under $5000 you get a combination that seems to me virtually impossible to beat considering the sonics and feature set. The pair will remain in my system for some time as a reference, they are that good.

The A 21+ will without a doubt drive any speaker. Its build quality and parts quality instill confidence in its durability. The P 6 preamp does everything well, and is a truly modern control center. The fact that both products are attractive, either in silver or black, is a nice bonus. Highly recommended for those who need power, superb sound, and functionality.

PRODUCT INFORMATION: Parasound Halo P 6 Preamplifier/DAC/Phono preamp: $1599 https://www.parasound.com/p6.php Parasound Halo A 21+ power amplifier: $3150 https://www.parasound.com/a21+.php We were also impressed with the P 6 with regard to its usable volume range. There were enough gradations in volume steps, one of our

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JULY 2022

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SOTA COMET IV

By Andre Marc

SOTA COMET IV

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OTA Sound Inventions has been one of the most respected manufacturers in the hi-fi industry for over four decades. They have a devoted user base and are rightly known for their high value products and virtually unrivalled dedication to servicing and repairing legacy products.

SOTA proudly makes their products in their manufacturing facility in Delavan, Wisconsin.

The company is beloved for a good many reasons. Their turntables and accessories are all designed using solid, time-tested engineering.

They don’t pivot with every new trend or fad in design.

They make products for all budgets, and speaking from experience, they are wonderful people who cater to music lovers.

We were very excited to receive for review the latest edition of the Comet turntable, the Comet VI. Many of their products have names related to the cosmos, which strikes a chord with this astronomy buff! We also received the new Pyxi phono stage along with the turntable.

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The Comet VI has a base price of $2,125, and comes equipped with a Rega RB330 tonearm. It is available in Oak, American Cherry or American Walnut wood veneers.

The unit can be shipped with no cartridge or with a choice of Moving Magnet or Moving Coil. cartridge preinstalled. The turntable is lovely in appearance and a breeze to set up.

SOTA’s attention to detail in the packaging and documentation is excellent.

Their attention to matters regarding both vibration and resonance goes above and beyond most manufacturers.

SOTA uses several types of energy-dissipating polymer materials throughout. This applies to several areas, including the main platter, the subplatter and the bearing cup assembly.

Rounding out resonance control is dampening in the chassis and specially designed feet.

The unit is driven by a 24-pole AC synchronous for precise timing and a low tension belt ensures smooth operation, Of course, the Comet IV spins at both 33 1/3

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BRASSAI - Couple at the Bal de Quatres Saisons, Rue de Lappe

SOTA COMET IV and 45 RPM. A dust cover is available at SET-UP AND LISTENING additional cost, as is a low mass beautifully Setting up the Comet VI was a breeze. From made clamp, which we did receive with the unpacking to spinning vinyl, barely 20 minutes review sample. SOTA feels the clamp offers a passed. Some minor assembly involving the distinct platter, balancing performance, the tonearm and so we used it setting the with every tracking force was record we essentially all that spun. The was required. The review sample company even we received supplies a level to was outfitted make sure the with the table is on an even Audio footing.

Technica The rest of the system was comprised of a AT33SA Moving Coil cartridge.

Rogue RP-5 tube preamp, a Simaudio 330A The Pyxi phono preamp retails for $300 power amp, Magnepan 1.7i speakers, and the and does not appear to be just a “me too” aforementioned SOTA Pyxi phono preamp. product. SOTA worked with respected firm Cabling was all Clarus through and through Phoenix Engineering to develop the unit.

(REVIEW LINK). Everything was plugged The goal was ultra low noise, a clean signal into Bryston and Audience power path, and a balanced, transparent sonic conditioners. We placed the Comet VI on a character. They paid particular attention to Symposium Rollerblocks and a Svlete Shelf, part quality, specifying 1 percent resistors for which to our ears are the best external consistent performance, highly unusual at resonance control devices we have ever tried. this price point. The unit also has a sleek The first album I spun was a hard-to-find appearance, with a small footprint and pressing of Fairfield Parlour’s one and only adjustments for Moving Magnet and album, From Home To Home. The music is Moving Coil cartridges. A white paper was heavy art rock, with Mellotron, guitars, poetic even produced that details the design: lyrics and amazingly melodic songs. I noticed https://sotaturntables.com/wp-content/ surface noise was far less prominent than on uploads/2023/02/sota-pyxi-whitepaper.pdf previous spins, and the imaging was very audiokeyreviewsCA.com

SOTA COMET IV precise. I could identify subtle background parts in the mix that previously were rather obscured. This is an example of a pressing

and piano chords to “Baba O’Reilly” had the perfect amount of percussive quality and decay, and when the bass and vocals kick in there is superb impact and dynamics. Well done, SOTA. We wanted to throw some curve balls in, so we picked something more contemporary. We picked Music For The Age Of Miracles by one of our favourite modern bands, The Clientele. Their music is ornate chamber pop, with a strong mid-period Beatles influence. We were astonished at how spacious, holographic and immersive this LP sounded with the Comet VI. The songs are lovely, with expansive

that, although musically sublime, was not stellar from a physical perspective, but the Comet VI seemed to dive in and extract the best from the platter.

The Who just released a massive archival box set of their iconic album Who’s Next, which was linked to a convoluted project called Life House that Pete Townshend had worked on for several years. The 120-track plus release has the original album remastered, tons of demos and live recordings. I pulled out an original MCA pressing of Who’s Next from the early 1970s and gave it a spin. melodies and breathtaking vocals. The We were simply blown away at how fresh Comet VI shone a light on the grand sweep this pressing sounded through the Comet VI. of the arrangements, yet also provided the We really thought there was nothing new we impact and the guitars and drums. could extract from this record, but we were Up next was an excellent discovery we proven wrong. The opening synthesizer riff made last year on the Night Dreamer label. audiokeyreviewsCA.com

INNOVATIVE HIFI STREAMING Audio-Grade Network Switch. Roon Music Server.

Roon Ready Streamer. Linear Power Supply.

Sil en tA ngel .c om

SOTA COMET IV They produce all analog direct-to-disc recordings of world music, jazz and other exotic genres. The album pressings are of exceptional quality. The Comet VI and Pyxi combo brought all the goodness and

determine how much you enjoy playback, but the Comet VI will likely sound great regardless.

The Comet VI worked flawlessly for the months we had it in house. We should also mention the speed was spot on, measured via various iPhone apps. The table was amazingly quiet as well mechanically—zero hum or any other incidental sounds could be detected.

We also highly recommend the optional clamp. It really did make a difference, especially in imaging and bass coherency.

The difference was obvious from the first use. Now for a few words of caution: if you are a compulsive tinkerer who wants to adjust every parameter for various records, you may want to immediacy that Direct To Disc platters are known for. Percussion, bass and brass had so look elsewhere. No VTA adjustment, etc. We much texture and presence, it was literally the are not one of those listeners and vinyl next best thing to being there. There was also enthusiasts. We are FIRMLY in the Set It And Forget It camp. plenty of recording space ambience.

That being said, we trust SOTA has taken We made sure to listen to many more care of all the major parameters needed for records, varying the genre and vintage. The pleasurable listening. They have addressed overall picture we have of the Comet VI is vibration and speed accuracy, and the Rega that it is very good, with both macro RB330 tonearm is an excellent choice with dynamics, the big swings in volume, and micro dynamics, the small, subtle nuances of its low mass rigid design. The last piece of support instruments. Of course, your choice the puzzle to complete the Comet VI of cartridge and other gear will ultimately audiokeyreviewsCA.com

SOTA COMET IV package would be to order the optional dust cover, if so desired.

CONCLUSION

There is no other way to put it: we fell in love with the SOTA Comet VI turntable. It offered performance beyond its price point and the pride of ownership is off the charts.

The Comet VI made old favourites sound fresh and vital and had us doing internal crate digging, looking for records we have not played in some time.

At around $2,500 for the package, depending on the cartridge, the Comet VI is an absolute steal. The same applies to the magical little box called the Pyxi. At $300 it puts itself at the head of the pack for affordable phono preamps. No, it did not outclass phonostages costing ten times more that we had in house, but it sure was closer than we could have imagined.

SOTA is exactly the type of company I enjoy supporting as a consumer and enthusiast. They take the quality of their products and customer satisfaction quite personally. They make turntables that any music lover would fall for, and you can rest easy that the product will be supported going forward.Of course, we can surmise unreservedly that moving up the SOTA line gets you higher end performance, so which turntable you choose to audition will depend on your budget and listening habits.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

https://sotaturntables.com/products/comet-vi/ Comet specifications Weight: 26 lb (12 kg) Dimensions: 6-1/4″ H (to top of dust cover), 18-1/4″ W, 14-1/4 ” D Tonearm: Rega RB330 Sub-platter: White polyoxymethylene precision-machined Bearing: Hardened chrome ball Plinth: 3.125” Medium density fibreboard with constrained dampening material Motor: 24-pole AC synchronous motor.

Speeds: 33/45 rpm Pulley: Aircraft grade aluminum, dual speed design Finishes: Oak, American Cherry, American Walnut wood veneer

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Vincent Van Gogh - Avenue of Poplars in Autumn 1884

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GRACE NOTES By Kathe Lieber DOLLY PARTON

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rue

confession: once upon a time, I looked down my nose a little at country music— until I decided to actually sit down and give it a serious listen. For a music-lover raised on a strict diet of Bach, Mozart, and classic jazz, this was something of a revelation. Sure, there’s no shortage of cheesy country songs, but the very best of the genre touches the heart and sometimes the funny bone. And many of the most poignant songs are Dolly’s. Think “Coat of Many Colors,” “I Will Always Love You,” “Love Is Like a Butterfly,” “Silver Threads and Golden Needles.”

A DOLLY DISCOGRAPHY

When I did a search for “Dolly Parton discography,” I realized some serious triage was in order. Over the course of a career that spans more than 50 years, she’s sold more than 100 million records worldwide, so where to start? Studio albums, live

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albums, soundtracks, compilations? Well, all of the above are worth revisiting.

Looking way back, we see her first album, “Hello, I’m Dolly,” which came out in 1967, when she was a tender 21. She was discovered by Porter Wagoner and joined his weekly variety show, appearing as a regular performer between 1967 and 1975. More records followed fast and furious, with two or three new releases a year through the 1960s, ‘70s… and on into this millennium. To my ears, among the stand-outs from that long list of records are the two she made with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, “Trio “(1987) and “Trio II” (1999). She’s recorded with a host of other celebrated singers, including Kenny

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It costs me a lot of money to look this cheap.

—Dolly Parton

Rogers, Tammy Wynette, Norah Jones, and Willie Nelson.

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Cezanne - Quatre poires

GRACE NOTES Along the way, Dolly became something of a film star, notably in “9 to 5” (1980). She wrote the theme song, which was nominated for both an Oscar and a Grammy.

Two years later, she appeared in “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” In 1989, she starred in ”Steel Magnolias” with Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts, and Sally Field. Dolly made a cameo appearance on “The Beverly Hillbillies” in 1993. She was interviewed in all eight episodes of the TV show “Country Music,” directed by Ken Burns, in 2019.

Dolly always plays some version of herself—that carefully created persona with the big blonde hair, heavy make-up, six-inch heels, and clothes you wouldn’t wear to Sunday school. She’s maintained that image throughout her career—and now she’s 77, believe it or not.

album really does reprise most of her most memorable hits, including “Here You Come Again,” “Red Shoes,” and “Heartbreaker.” I’ve had it on a continuous loop on my Apple Music stream for months. (If you have some of her original albums where the songs first appeared, you might want to compare the “old” and “new” versions of some of your favourite tracks. An alert ear can spot some differences that are not necessarily improvements.)

Her latest studio album, “Rockstar,” is slated for worldwide release on November 17. As the title indicates, the album takes her in a somewhat different direction, blurring genre boundaries. My favourite track on the album is her rendition of the Beatles classic “Let It Be,” alongside a few other musicians you may have heard of: Sir Paul, Sir Ringo, Peter Frampton, and Mick Fleetwood. The song “We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You” will be used to promote coverage of the Olympic Games in Paris next summer.

RECENT RECORDINGS

ROUGH AND TUMBLE ROOTS

“Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection” came out in 2022. The

It’s a classic rags-to-riches story: Dolly was the fourth of 12 kids (six boys and six girls)

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THE DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION

born to Robert and Avie Lee Parton, who lived in the hills of East Tennessee and

Dolly could easily just have rested on her laurels and counted her millions, without spreading or sharing any of that moolah, but no. In 1988, she set up the Dollywood

“

married in their mid-teens. Raised in a shack with no running water, no toilet, and iffy electricity, she and her siblings would sing and play all sorts of instruments. The only book in the house was the Bible, and Dolly’s father never learned how to read.

Several of her sisters are also talented singers.

Dolly married young and she’s stayed married, to Carl Dean, a retired asphaltpaving contractor, for 57 years—an anomaly among celebrities. They met at the Wishy Washy laundromat just after 18-year-old Dolly moved to Nashville, and married secretly in 1966. Dean is Dolly’s biggest fan, but he’s notoriously private.

I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb…and I know I’m not blonde.

—Dolly Parton

“

Foundation, with the goal of bringing down high-school dropout rates in her home county in Tennessee. The concept of the Buddy Program is quite straightforward: every seventh and eighth grader who finishes high school receives $500. The results have been striking: the dropout rate has fallen from 35 percent to just 6 percent. Local students who wish to attend Hiwassee College can also receive a $500 scholarship.

In 2000, the educational program was expanded, offering a $15,000 college scholarship to five high-school seniors in Sevier County “who have a dream they wish to pursue and who can successfully communicate their plan and commitment to realize their dreams,” according to the Foundation.

THE IMAGINATION LIBRARY

In 1995, she launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, with the goal of fostering a love of reading among the children in her part of East Tennessee. Dolly

never had her own children, but she understood the need to instill a love of reading and learning at an early age.

“

The best way to make a marriage last is to stay gone. He's (husband Carl Dean) pretty much a homebody, so he's glad to stay home. I can't stay home 'cause I'm a gypsy. I love to go everywhere, do everything, meet everybody.

“

.—Dolly Parton

A specially selected age-appropriate book is sent, free of charge, to preschool

children’s homes every month. The program has since expanded to a large swath of the English-speaking world, working with local partners in other parts of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland. In Canada, the

Imagination Library has more than 300 non-profit local partners and has donated more than 2 million books to date.

The first book children receive is, fittingly, “The Little Engine That Could!” When they “graduate” and enter the school system, they receive “Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!” Some lucky kids even receive a copy of Dolly’s own children’s book, “Coat of Many Colors.”

Yes, Dolly’s an author herself. In 2022, she and best-selling author James Patterson wrote a novel, “Run, Rose, Run.” “I always thought that I would write novels, but I thought it would be when I was older. Then I realized I am older. HA!” she told an interviewer. There’s a 12-song companion album, released simultaneously.Her memoir, “Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones” came out this fall.

Dolly Parton shows no signs of retiring any time soon. Why should she, after all?

She knows who she is, and millions of fans the world over will keep on following that voice and that larger-than-life image and listening to those heart-grabbing songs as long as she cares to continue.

See: I’ve made it through this whole article without using the words “living legend.” Oops…

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BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO

By K.E. Heartsong

BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO ver the past several weeks, I’ve been to two jazz concerts. The first concert, at the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis, featured the Kavyesh Kaviraj Quintet, a jazz ensemble. The second concert was Pat Metheny’s Dream Box tour at the Ordway in St. Paul. Well, there’s nothing like live music…almost.

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overpowered or “mugged” the pianist.

Kavyesh’s piano had become an afterthought in the music, a bit player in his own ensemble. I strained to even get glimpses of the piano, despite being several feet from the stage, and this was exceedingly frustrating.

At one point, early in the concert, when Kavyesh rose from his piano to engage with

The first concert, with the Kavyesh Kaviraj Quintet, featured Kavyesh on piano with Omar Abdulkarim on trumpet, Kevin Washington on drums, Jeff Bailey on bass, and Pete Whitman on saxophone. While the music was promising, the mix of the instruments was at best troubling. The drummer was way too high in the mix and was literally overpowering everyone else. It was as if a rock drummer had sat in with a jazz ensemble and believed himself to be in a stadium. And though the trumpet and the saxophone were not nearly as high in the mix as the drums, collectively they completely

the audience, I raised my hand. When Kavyesh acknowledged me, I said, “Excuse me, but your piano is way too low in the mix and the drums and horns are way too high. I cannot hear your piano.”

Kavyesh nodded his thanks and immediately motioned to the mixing board to bring his piano way up in the mix above the “supporting” cast. From that point on, the concert went exceedingly well, and I was thanked here and there by concert-goers who no doubt felt the same way.

The Pat Metheny concert at the Ordway promised a great show from an exceptionally

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Gustav Klimt - Woman in Gold

BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO talented guitarist, whom I’ve followed from his New Chataqua (1979) album to the present. I have many favourites among his discography, though one of my very favourites is his Beyond the Missouri Sky album, with the late bassist Charlie Haden.

This album tells a beautiful story, from beginning to end, by two superb musicians.

The concert saw Metheny perform solo and on no fewer than half a dozen guitars and other, well, instrumental contraptions, as the performance approached its end. There were the well known long-time favourites, which were well played, but a solo guitar cannot and did not make up for the lack of bass accompaniment, or drums, or horns, etc.

And in a darkly lit theatre, seated in a comfy chair listening to the mellifluous and comforting notes strummed on Pat’s guitar, the “drifting-off-to-sleep” cherub armed with bow and arrow was relentless. Suffice to say, there was a good deal of pre-somnolent head-bobbing and forearm slippage from the arms of my comfy chair. In other words, the concert did not maintain my rapt attention.

When, for instance, has the “featured” instrument ever been buried, unheard, beneath the mix in your recorded music?

When has a concert lured you into the throes of dreamland? Imagine that! Hmmmm, all live concerts are not created equal and there are times, no doubt, when your stereo system

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provides for a better, more engaging overall performance than a live concert. Note to Mr. Metheny: you’ll probably want an ensemble with you from here on out. Just saying…

This brings me to the review of a superb streamer in the form of the Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo, which apparently has the ability to actually provide exceptional performances, time after time (see Pat Metheny’s Dream Box).

REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the headphones actually sound and not the process of physically “undressing” them and/or laying out their various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review, then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc.—that likewise starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.

THE SYSTEM

Headphone Reference System • Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo Streamer • Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Plus Streamer • Silent Angel Forester F2 Linear Power Supply • Silent Angel Bonn N8 Network Switch • Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC • Mojo Audio Mystique X SE DAC • Dan Clark CORINA Electrostatic Headphones • STAX SR-009S Electrostatic Headphones • Blue Hawaii SE Electrostatic HPA • Kubala Sosna Cables/Wires/Power Cords

• Black Cat TRØN Signature Digital Cable • TORUS RM20 Power Conditioner Two-Channel Reference System • Grimm Audio MU1 Streamer • Bricasti Design M1SE DAC/Streamer • eXaSound s82 MkII DAC/Streamer • Silent Angel Bonn NX Network Switch • Silent Angel Genesis GX Master Clock • Lyric Audio Ti 100 MkII SET Integrated • Vivid Audio Kiya 45 Loudspeaker • Kubala Sosna Wires & Cables • RSX Power Cords • Seismion REACTIO 541 Electrified Amplifier Stand • TORUS POWER AVR ELITE Power Conditioner THE SOUND

Alive! Alluring. Eminently musical. Whereas its sibling— Baetis Audio Revolution X4— unfolded a profound naturalness, “shoulder-

4 Mingo is nothing less than alive, with technical wherewithal—transparency, resolution, staging abilities—and a beautifully refined musicality that are outstanding.

There are a lot of “mores” when it comes to the Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo. For instance, there is more atmosphere, reminiscent of a live performance, more dimensionality, which speaks to the truth of a given soundstage. There is also a more natural perspective on any given performance, and “more” or better articulation of spoken word and lyrics. There is a poignancy, call it refinement, that allows for the most minute details, microdynamics, as allied to position and movement, to tone and timbre, that reveal note and lyric delivery as crystal clear and “alive.” The Reference 4 Mingo’s distributed signal is also imbued with a

dropping analog quality,” exceptional weight and solidity that conjures a lifelike transparency and sweetness, the Reference 4 palpability.

Mingo easily and quickly surpassed all that the The only other time the music became Revolution X4 brought to bear. The Reference this real, this present, and in room was with

BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO the Grimm Audio MU1 coupled to the weight and gravitas and effervescent highs Mola Mola Tambaqui. When a 40-year were together evocative of that same live favourite—Miles Davis, Kind of Blue—is performance and brimming with atmosphere, more real, more alive, and Paul Chambers’ atmosphere, atmosphere! upright bass is more transparent, detailed, In my review of the Baetis Audio and possessed of a new level of engagement, Revolution X4, I alluded to analog and how something rather profound has occurred. well the Revolution X4 recreated the sense— When one considers the various systems, the shoulder-dropping ease and its magnetic some in the six figures, that have played back listenability. The Reference 4 Mingo goes this album, CD, or its digital stream, that is further still and in every respect with the saying something. aforementioned transparency and detail that No, the $25K streamer that shall not be takes analog to a higher level of refinement, named never came close, was not even on the nuance, and naturalness, which together, same continent in terms of overall again, say “alive.” performance, nor for that matter was the Ahhh, and herein lies the peril of $18K streamer. They came a distant second reviewing audio equipment and especially in and third respectively to the Reference this age of rapid technological improvements.

Mingo’s much less expensive sibling—Baetis There is always the distinct possibility that Audio Revolution X4 ($6,000). What the you will encounter a more talented, more Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo did to them capable audio component that will surpass is therefore unmentionable in mixed the benchmark set by the previous best, company. seemingly, moments ago. The Reference 4 The “Blatt” of horns via the Reference 4 Mingo dispatched its little brother, as its little Mingo is more “Blatt” than it has ever been. brother had dispatched the much more And Jimmy Cobbs’s brushes across drum expensive streamers that shall not be named. skins, the tap, tap, tap of drumsticks on rims They—that shall not be named—were sent or teasing out cymbals or bearing down on home to their respective manufacturers, never drum skins were exceptional. Bill Evans’ to be reviewed or ever again mentioned. We piano came with a weight and drive and don’t throw poor performing products under tonal/timbral accuracy that easily summoned the bus, nor do we mention them by name, “alive,” as in a live performance. Palpability as thereafter.

The Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo’s such was not piecemeal, existing here or there, pertaining to this instrument or that— volumetric cube—its soundstage—is truly it was ubiquitous. And underneath it all, the encompassing. In a like configuration to the audiokeyreviewsCA.com

Grimm MU1 and the Mola Mola Tambaqui Reference 4 Mingo’s tonal/timbral shadings via an AES/EBU digital link, the Reference 4 (“colours”) were more from a box of 120 Mingo and the Mola Mola Tambaqui were crayons as opposed to the Revolution X4’s 64 transcendent. The soundstage was broad and crayons or other streamers’ 24 crayons.

It also became apparent that while the deep, falling well beyond the placement of Revolution X4 easily lifted away veils that the speakers. The staging via the duo had denied the other streamers greater provided rock-solid positioning, with separation and layering giving distinct spatial transparency and resolution, its own veils remained. The Reference 4 Mingo representation that was nothing less than superb. Whereas its sibling was outstanding highlighted its sibling’s veils and lifted them away with consummate ease, time and time in respect to soundstaging, the Reference 4 Mingo was extraordinary and more textured, again. The music, now free of any residual opacity, was astonishingly textured and more dynamic, and more real. natural.

[Note: The best results were consistently There is a weight and impact never before achieved with the Mola Mola Tambaqui, realized by the Meze Empyreans, or the though truly exceptional results were also Abyss AB1266 Phi TC headphones, or the achieved with the Bricasti Design M1.]

Vivid Audio Kaya 45s in the various BASS Reference systems. This can be immediately The bass of the Reference 4 Mingo was attributed to the Baetis Audio Reference 4 tighter, more resolute, the dynamic contrasts Mingo streamer, as everything else remained more beautifully differentiated, and the exactly the same. microdynamics/transient response via the MIDRANGE Reference 4 Mingo were blistering. The A beguiling musicality arose from the Mingo’s talents that the Baetis Audio Revolution X4 deep transparency, its superb resolution, and had so acutely demonstrated with regard to relentless detail retrieval, that together were the bass frequency region, the Reference 4 Mingo eclipsed. The Reference 4 Mingo laid more than reminiscent of exceptional analog. I would go further and say that the Reference 4 bare not only the form or presence of an instrument but the interaction and dexterity of Mingo would sit easily beside an exceptional bassists, from Dave Holland to Ray Brown to analog rig and lose very little, if anything at all Charles Mingus to Charlie Haden, was easily via the comparison. followed and beautifully captured. And the

BAETIS AUDIO REFERENCE 4 MINGO once again, through greater transparency, the interplay of the violin’s strings, the bowing, the violin’s external body and the resonances in its internal cavity, unlike it has ever been portrayed before.

On Gidon Kremer’s “Preghiera” (Rachmaninoff: Piano Trios, Deutsche Grammophon), the background comes to life like it has not before, exposing a violin and a cello that had scarcely been there, if at all. The Reference 4 Mingo brought this combo from beyond the veil of an obscurant opacity to life via crystalline transparency.

Only the Grimm Audio MU1 was equal to the task.

Dave Brubeck's “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy) rolls in and Joe Morello’s drum kit, its cymbals are energetic, beautifully resolved, and “air-infused.” Together these TREBLE attributes project a palpable presence that is Alive! Energetic. Beautifully extended. As I captivating and wonderfully threehad done with the Baetis Audio Revolution dimensional, with atmosphere to spare.

X4 Mingo, I once again bring out several well- Eugene Wright’s bass no longer hides in the known treble pieces to understand the background as an underrepresented “thump Revolution X4 Mingo’s abilities relative to its thump,”—it too is more three-dimensional, sibling and to the various other streamers that with more gravitas, weight, and presence. had made the cut and those that had not.

Bravo.

Hilary Hahn’s “Chaconne from Partita CONCLUSIONS No. 2 for Violin in D minor, BWV 1004” (The Essential Hilary, Sony Classical) is Alive. Natural. Musical. Transparent. immediately more transparent and energetic Astonishing. The Baetis Audio Reference 4 and bears greater weight via the Reference 4 Mingo left streamers at nearly twice its price Mingo. The Reference 4 Mingo reveals this, on fire, smoking, and begging for mercy, in its The Mingo’s midrange abilities with regard to vocals—the delivery of spoken word and lyric—with regard to phrasing, articulation, delivery, are easily more intelligible, more accessible, more poignant, natural, and immersive. Perhaps this is one of the ways it lines up so well and easily with analog.

Case in point: Rickie Lee Jones' eponymous album and Joan Shelly’s eponymous album are delivered like they have never been delivered before. Every word is more clear and more clearly understood, and the guessed-at words are laid bare. Tens, if not hundreds of listenings, and these albums have never sounded better. Suffice to say that there is even more there there with the Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo.

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relegated to obscurity the best of the best CD tracks. Or, at least, as coupled to the Mola players, which a short time ago I did not Mola Tambaqui, that is how it seemed. And believe possible. The Baetis Audio Reference that would be the kindest thing I could say, given the disparity of its performance relative 4 Mingo very easily wins our DIAMOND to the others. It was perhaps the most decisive Award and moves ahead of every streamer and stark performance gap that I had to date that I have encountered, to date. experienced between streamers. The Grimm Pros: Beautifully musical in the best analog Audio MU1 was the only streamer that was sense, while checking all technical/audiophile kindred in this respect. boxes brilliantly, connecting the listener to Tracks that I have long since known and millions of musical tracks from around the in some cases have played literally hundreds world. Extraordinary preservation and of times over the decades were played back playback of the musical signal. via the Reference 4 Mingo the best that I had ever heard them. The Baetis Audio Reference Cons: None.

4 Mingo breathed life into every recording, THE COMPANY which subsequently, lifted all boats—DAC, BAETIS AUDIO integrateds, speakers, headphones, etc.

In my opinion, the Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo ($13,000) Reference Streamer would appear to render Joe Makkerh obsolete my own personal affinity for analog www.baetisaudio.com — a very good turntable rig—via its superb 1-888-357-0035 analog naturalness and musicality, its exceptional transparency, and its “aliveness.”

The fact of its umbilical connection to literally tens of millions of tracks on demand, from the comfort of your listening chair, is a feat that no turntable rig, regardless of price, can even dream of matching.

In conclusion, the Baetis Audio Reference 4 Mingo demonstrated the ability to be more “alive,” more real, and more natural than any digital component should have a right to be.

Furthermore, it is the only streamer to have AKRM/C

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Imogen Cunningham - Three Dancers, Mills College, 1929

THE OVERVIEW

By Gérard Rejskind

THE RISE AND FALL OF CD

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id anyone think the reign of the Compact Disc would be so brief?

Certainly not Sony, the format’s coinventor, who billed the shiny discs as offering “perfect sound forever.”

Audiophiles who were skeptical of instrument measurements took issue with the perfection claim. But it looks as though “forever” might not be a slam-dunk either.

Oh, the CD is still around…sort of, but its vital signs are not strong. Last month, the giant electronics chain Best Buy announced that it will stop selling Compact Discs (and, for good measure, DVDs and Blu-Ray films as well). The major sources for CDs in North America would seem to

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be Walmart and Amazon…for now. But these profit-driven companies can see the writing on the wall as well.

And there have been other clues. Go into a big-box store and look for a CD player. The pickings will be slim. Worse, most players won’t have analog outputs, only HDMI, suitable for receivers and TV sets.

Some premium brands, like Oppo, have gotten out of the disc player business altogether.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Let’s begin with the origins of the CD, which was born in response to an economic crisis. In the early 1980s, a sharp economic downturn affected much of the industrialized world. It was less devastating than the meltdown that would come in 2008, but it had a major impact on consumer

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Edgar Degas - Two Dancers on Stage

spending. As consumers tightened their belts, a major victim of the situation was the music industry. When food and rent compete for scarce money, there is less room for records and concerts. The record companies had been working on the idea of a new digital record format, but now it was urgent. The engineers were told to bring out the new format, ready or not…stat!

It was quite a challenge. Digital music recording was already a thing, but it wasn’t ready for consumer release. When digital tape was demonstrated at consumer shows, there would be constant glitches.

The digital circuits were unforgiving, and if they encountered digital information they couldn’t read, they would substitute a blast of ugly noise. Or they would mute, which wasn’t any more helpful. The consumer format would need a system of error detection and correction, or at least error concealment.

Engineers at Sony and Philips found elegant solutions. Data was scattered across

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the disc surface, to make it less vulnerable to glitches, to allow the new laser-read optical disc to hold the 700 Mb of data required (far more than common computer hard drives could then hold). To keep the data compact, the engineers developed the Reed-Solomon code. The pits and lands of the CD substrate did not directly encode the ones and zeroes of the digital recording. Rather, as the laser scanned the disc, it would generate a one digit if it encountered a transition from a pit to a land, and zeroes otherwise. There is no denying the brilliance of this innovation. Canadian audio engineer Ed Meitner told me he thought its designers deserved a Nobel prize.

Developing playback equipment was another challenge, however. Lasers were still too expensive to be used in consumer products. The decoding chips were expensive too. Sony’s solution was to use just one chip for both channels, alternating them, and then using an analog delay line to get the two channels into sync. This Rube-Goldberg

solution enabled the birth of the CD, with the success that followed.

BUT DID THE CD INDEED OFFER PERFECT SOUND?

Audiophiles were divided on this difficult question. Some audio magazines (which often carried Sony and Philips advertising) praised the new disc, pointing to the marvellous technical measurements in its tests. Others heard odd imperfections. One such magazine used the slogan “Stop the digital madness.”

But once the initial high prices of discs and players had settled down somewhat (and the shaky economics had recovered), consumers were enchanted. The new discs were convenient to use, with the next track only a button press away. Their old LPs had grown noisy, sometimes having passed more time on the carpet than in their sleeves. The CD was quiet, and the music was often praised as “crisp,” though music is seldom described that way. The sound was perfect enough for most purposes, but what about the “forever” part?

CD engineers had performed a near miracle in encoding so much music on a small optical disc, but they had not thought of protecting the valuable music files against unauthorized copying. Ex post facto attempts to do so turned into disasters. The genie was out of the bottle.

We all know what happened after that. A then-proprietary compression system known as MP3 allowed users to scrunch down music files to sizes that would allow them to be transmitted through ad hoc networks and then the burgeoning Internet. Though MP3 was referred to as a “compression” system, in fact it discarded most of the information: 82% or even 92%. And as junk audio products sold in ever greater numbers, that was good enough… Close enough for rock’n’roll.

But then the digital revolution born of the Compact Disc rolled on. Apple revolutionized music distribution with its iPod player, not the first MP3 player by any means, but the first that worked hand in hand with an electronic record store. MP3s were everywhere, but there was more to come. As the Internet grew and many users now had access to unlimited high-speed Internet, it became possible to transmit music files without the dreaded MP3 compression. Some companies offered highdefinition (uncompressed) recordings.

Beyond that, companies like Qobuz offered subscriptions to unlimited libraries of uncompressed music, either CD-quality (44 bits/44.1 kHz), or up to 24/192.

Subsequently, Apple Music made its vast library available in lossless or better

resolution at no extra cost. So we had a choice: the CD or the streaming service.

Notwithstanding the bold Sony claim, the CD was not perfect, and it was not its sound that fuelled its success. True, a CD player would sound better than a primitive turntable with a chipped stylus and records that had known decades of abuse. But it was convenience that really sold the CD. Push the play button to hear the first song, push another if you want to move on. No turning the record over after 20 minutes either. But digital files were every bit as convenient, and they didn’t require shelf space.

And then there’s the vinyl record. It was still around, and in fact it had never gone away. Turntables were still being made, in either luxury or economy price ranges. New releases were difficult to find, but not everyone liked newer music styles anyway.

There were new pressings, and there was a booming market for used records. The pressings were not always pristine, but they had been made when the master tapes were still new, and before they had succumbed to the dread “sticky tape” syndrome that had destroyed so many priceless performances.

Online services such as Discogs let users buy and sell this vinyl gold.

The record companies took notice.

More and more new releases from artists like Taylor Swift and Adele are now offered

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in vinyl, sometimes before they appear on digital platforms. The presentation is better than ever, with large gatefold sleeves and heavy gauge vinyl. The CD, if indeed there is one at all, is clearly an afterthought.

At the recent Toronto Audiofest, there were few CD players but plenty of turntables, and of course laptop computers tuned to services like Qobuz and Apple Music. Several exhibitors had brought their large open-reel recorders and were playing tapes. In the large hall, two companies were selling used LPs. Some of the buyers were exhibitors from the same show.

I’ve referred to the “sticky tape” syndrome, which destroyed so many priceless masters.

That wasn’t the only catastrophe befalling these priceless recordings. Magnetism is not always permanent. With time, the higher frequencies fade away. If you boost the highs to compensate, noise levels come up. I know of at least one audiophile record company that remastered its catalog with the best masters available. They didn’t use the original tapes, even if they were still usable. Their masters are their own LPs, scrupulously cleaned, and played on one of the new super turntables.

AKRM/C

HEARING IS BELIEVING

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Joan Miro -Woman-and Man

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Wassily Kandinsky - Bayerisches dorf mit feld

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DACMAGIC200M DAC & MXN10 NETWORK PLAYER

By Oliver Masciarotte

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DAC & NETWORK PLAYER

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’m particularly attracted to products in my Goldilocks zone, $1.5K to $12K, but even $3,000 is well outside most people’s budgets. Very high-fidelity gear is available for not a ton of dough… I’m thinking KEF’s LS50 Meta at $1,500 per pair, powered by Orchard Audio’s Starkrimson monoblocks at

$1,600 a pair, sourced by U-Turn Audio’s Orbit Plus platter spinner with optional phono preamp ($480 complete). That tidy package is still too rich for many folks’ blood, so for this instalment I bring you a pair of compact high-value electronics from Cambridge Audio.

Back in 2019, I reviewed Cambridge Audio’s $4,500 Edge W stereo power amp for audioXpress, where I stated, “I…have a pair of $10K (each) Class D amps in house

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and, frankly, the Edge W flattens them without even noticing the bloody corpse in the rearview mirror. If you’re on the hunt for upscale performance at an affordable price… then I cannot endorse the Edge W enough… simply highly recommended!” Having enjoyed that product, I was recently talking with Cambridge Audio’s Matt Reilly, their Head of Biz Dev. I wanted to experience something very affordable but high-performance, so he suggested the dynamic duo of their MXN10 Network Player as source, feeding the notable DacMagic 200M DAC or Digital to Analogue Converter.

The DacMagic line stretches back to 1995, almost two decades ago, when most of what we take for granted in consumer digital audio these days, such as streamers and USB DACs, did not exist. Since then, the DacMagic’s price has doubled while still being affordable, and the skill set offered has remained almost the same. One big difference is the eventual inclusion of a volume control, and the 2008 introduction of a USB input along with continued refinements to increase jitter immunity. The 200M maintains the unbalanced, and more

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CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DAC & NETWORK PLAYER importantly for me, balanced analog outputs.

Balanced outs allow you to employ a long cable run from DAC to amplifier. It also includes three front panel–selectable digital

powered via an external wall wart–style PSU, while the MXN10 utilizes mains power.

Both have identical external dimension and similar cosmetics. Each provides a complementary functionality—two great tastes that taste great together. While the MXN10 is certainly a network player, with a wired ethernet input, it can also connect wirelessly using dual band Wi-Fi 5 alongside Bluetooth 5 for ’casting from your phone or tablet. inputs; a USB 2.0 connection plus two AES3 A veritable plethora of standards are ins on either unbalanced (coaxial) electrical or supported within those connectivity choices, optical. That optical input, often erroneously from lossy lo–fi UPnP, internet “radio,” referred to as “TOSLINK,” is really a Spotify connect, Airplay 2 and Chromecast, standard 5mm JIS F05 connector carrying to hi–fi TIDAL and Qobuz. That said, the the same AES3 serial data stream that’s MXN10 has no analog or digital ins from available from an electrical coax source on an another component. Hence the 200M. RCA connector. When in doubt, always Another high-fidelity source choice for choose an electrical connection, as POF or the MXN10 is a USB mass storage device.

Plastic Optical Fibre, the “cable” used by AES Plug in your $100 5TB hard disk or fat flash optical, induces very high jitter when drive, brimming with HRA music, and start compared to actual copper wires. playing. Files with sample rates up to 768kHz As part of this digital double bill, the $499 or DSD512 (8x DSD) are supported, which MXN10 network player fits nicely in a stack covers pretty much all the file–based music with the $549 DacMagic. The DAC is you can purchase. On that front, the MXN10 audiokeyreviewsCA.com

will play full fat WAV and AIFF as well as portion of the 200M was in order…From lossless ALAC and FLAC files, not to Michael Fabiano’s 2019 Verdi & Donizetti mention lossy formats like MP3, AAC+, and Opera Arias, the track Rigoletto: La donna è even OGG Vorbis†. For those who are fans, mobile [Qobuz 96k], the JNOG2 exhibited the MXN10 is Roon Ready, so you can as more texture, but with a shallower, slightly they say, “…collate your digital music more in–your–face presentation. At a touch listening, regardless of origin, into a single more than twice the price, the DacMagic laid magazine-style service.” As a fan of another out a richer, deeper stage, with a more stripe, I can happily report that the substantive bootie. Neither held forth with DacMagic will fully unfold MQA, whose the subtle air heard through more costly demise has been greatly exaggerated‡.

DACs. The gestalt I took away from the Time for some listening…As always, for British DAC was a more suave, almost R–2R starters I launched Amarra Luxe and listened approach to conversion. A velvet smoking to the 200M all by its lonesome. For this part jacket versus zipper–laden black leather, if you of the process, I stuck with the USB input, will. the balanced output pair and the Kevin Godley and Laurence “Lol” combination of Parasound JC 5 feeding Creme’s deft production touches on I’m Not ScanSonic HD MB2.5 B minitowers fed via In Love from 10cc’s circa 1975 The Original ANTICABLES Level 6 cabling. USB and Soundtrack was not a song I had expected to the unbalanced AES cable between the DAC enjoy. After all, I’ve heard it what seems like and streamer were courtesy of Wireworld ten thousand times, but it happened into my and their Starlight 8 family. playlist and I was surprised by the subtlety I reviewed the Geshelli JNOG2 and polish, which I had not heard on the (ES9038Q2M Sabre + USB edition) DAC crappy audio rigs of my youth. That velvety and ERISH headphone amplifier back in the softness I mentioned didn’t diminish the bite September 2022 issue, No. 6. I thought a of the subtle hard panned rhythm guitar or comparison between the J2 and the DAC

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DAC & NETWORK PLAYER the sparkle of the mark tree that appears at 2:00.

Of late, I have been enamoured with the period drama Babylon Berlin, with its pitch– perfect painting of that prewar milieu.

Unsurprisingly, the soundtrack ain’t too

Let’s pivot to personal listening… The 200M has a capable headphone amp on the front panel. Switching from line out to the HPA is automatic when you plug into that ¼" jack. This happens via relay rather than a noisier and less reliable method. It delivers

shabby either. Along with the binge-worthy theme music, Zu Asche, Zu Staub, one song in particular I returned to over and over was Bitters End. Produced by the legendary Rhett Davies guiding personal fave Brian Ferry and his orchestra, the wholly believable acoustic picture was portrayed by the 200M plus MXN as a jumpin’ lively big band, full of verve and nuance. Tempo, texture, and soundstage were all of a piece.

about 300mW into 32Ω cans, and 65mW into higher impedance 150Ω models.

Frequency response for the HPA is a very broadband 10Hz to 50kHz (±1dB). the DacMagic 200M can comfortably drive the vast majority of consumer headphones, and frankly, you probably can’t afford the ones it can’t. Note that I said “consumer,” because it isn’t really optimized for “pro” high

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impedance (600Ω) ’phones. I have a variety of “cans” around the house, from low-cost faves such as Periodic Audio’s Beryllium V3 to high-end examples like beyerdynamic’s XELENTO remote and Westone’s old skool W60. I even tried my workhorse Audeze LCD–3, as well as the queen of circumaural headphones, Meze’s Empyrean because, well, because both reveal the truths that lesser cans often mask. Those spendy and highperformance over–the–ears allowed me to discern elusive differences in the source electronics.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the iOS version of the StreamMagic app, the “remote” for the MXN, runs quite well on macOS. This meant that during my review, I didn’t need to switch between my iPad and laptop. I started my personal listening with a comparison between the headphone amp in my respectable reference DAC, exaSound’s e22 MKII, to the DacMagic’s in-built HPA. How Can I Make It OK? from Wolf Alice’s 2021 release Blue Weekend is a nicely produced pop confection with Ted Jensen at the mastering helm. The track starts with an airy vocal harmony intro, reminiscent of First Aid Kit, and marches along with a solid bass and drum foundation. Not surprisingly, when compared to the e22, the 200M exhibited that same softened detail I mentioned earlier.

Granted, the e22 was a far more expensive DAC in its day, but the HPA is an op ampbased design, not some fancy discrete implementation. Still, it reflected the fundamental differences between the two DACs’ design goals rather than their headphone amps. Back to the DacMagic… throughout my listening, I came to realize that its softened detail is an act of “omission rather than commission”; it’s not rolling off the top end, it simply stays on the soft side of snappy. Not a bad thing and easily compensated for with a moderate Q and gain peaking filter centered around 8K. The MXN10 is great for beginning your personal journey into digital audio, as it has digital-to–analog capabilities built right in.

Add a powered speaker or amp/receiver plus speaker combo, and off you go. Later on, you can bump up the fidelity by adding the stand-alone DacMagic DAC, which also has a dedicated headphone output. The 200M employs fancier DAC chips than the MXN10, and doubles their number for lower noise and distortion. It also includes a beefier power supply and those balanced outs I mentioned, in addition to the short throw, unbalanced RCAs. One of the nice aspects of a system composed of components is that you can upgrade piecewise over time as your budget allows. Got college-aged children?

Pierre Auguste Renoir - Le Bouquet

CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DAC & NETWORK PLAYER With just the MXN10 and a second-hand receiver, a budding music enthusiast could go years without needing any additional sources.

During my time with the Cambridge Audio couple, I was repeatedly taken by the sheer enjoyment to be had. It’s been a while since I had Ferrum’s ORR (and HYPSOS PSU) in house for comparison, but one lingering impression I had of that unit was its skeletal, dry, and annoying personality. Sorry, Kermit, I have to side with “perniciously neutral.” The same can be said for most of the AAA amplifiers I have heard, while the 200M is the opposite. At one-quarter of the price of the Oor alone, it has a smooth, fullbodied meatiness that eases your being into engagement with and enjoyment of your favourite music.

If you are considering a lower-cost DAC/ streamer from a mass market manufacturer, I’d recommend either a LinkPlay WiiM Pro to save money without sacrificing versatility, or investing in Cambridge Audio’s longerlasting and better built, better supported 200M and MXN10. Given the price, the only serious downside I could find to this wonderful combo was the StreamMagic iOS app for remote operation of the MXN10. It gets the job done but doesn’t conform to my ideal of modern UX norms, making for too much clicking and tapping around. Also, the

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DacMagic’s volume control has a relatively large step size, but it’s not coarse enough to be an issue. Other than that, these two offerings from Cambridge Audio are highly capable together or on their own, with a robust, relaxed sound and a price that will leave some spare shekels for subscribing to Qobuz. † — We are talking “higher-fidelity,” folks, so why listen to lossy–encoded music except as background or audio wallpaper? The beauty of lossy streaming, unlike lossless, is the vast and hyperlocal universe of audio available via “internet radio” and, of course, your phone. ‡ — In September of this year, Pickering ON–based Lenbrook Corporation announced the acquisition of “…the assets of MQA, a UK-based industry leader in high-resolution audio encoding. This acquisition enriches Lenbrook’s intellectual property portfolio with an assortment of significant patents and introduces two prominent audio codecs – MQA and SCL6.” What has yet to be seen is how Lenbrook will differ from the onerous licensing and provenance control imposed by MQA Limited.

AKRM/C

Mary Cassatt - A Young Mother Sewing

LS1

These are the most immersive, dynamic, detail-rich, nuanced, elegant, engaging, emotional, and yes, musical speakers I have ever heard. By far.

Timothy Roth, Positive Feedback

www.grimmaudio.com

ATMA-SPHERE THE GEM INTEGRATED

By K. E. Heartsong

ATMA-SPHERE GEM INTEGRATED

“F

ive watts?” I asked Ralph Karsten, the owner, designer, and developer of Atma-Sphere electronics, a world-renowned manufacturer of amplifiers in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“Five watts,” said Ralph with a quiet yet rock-solid confidence. And it will drive your speakers—Vivid Audio Kaya 45s—as well as or better than your current SET integrated.

I smiled. “So, you’re saying that a fivewatt amp will compete with, if not surpass, what is a very good 20-watt SET integrated, and power my speakers, which have been said to have an efficiency, depending on who you speak to, as low as 83dBs?” “Yes,” said Ralph, “You’re going to be surprised. It’s also a very good headphone amplifier. And it’ll drive pretty much anything.”

“Okay, I happen to have a pair of the Abyss AB1266 Phi TCs on hand in my reference headphone system,” I responded, with a slight and dubious grin. “Okay.”

Well, in my experience, with a 5-watt integrated, unless you have highly efficient speakers—high 90dBs—the midrange will most likely be quite good, though the bass will be completely truant—shirk its responsibility—while the treble will be “posing” as treble, with severe acrophobia, and deathly afraid to scale the treble heights. So you’ll have a great middle—

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midrange—and that’s about it.

Ralph’s confidence, his matter-of-fact “guarantee,” and his decades of experience in the manufacture of the vaunted AtmaSphere line saw the corners of my mouth go up once again in a quasi smile. “I guess we’ll see,” I said to myself.

And so began the process of reviewing the Atma-Sphere GEM integrated and headphone amplifier.

The Atma-Sphere GEM ($4,600) produces five watts per channel via three tubes—a pair of EL95s and a single 12AT7 —per channel. It’s quite petite, measuring 10” by 7.5” inches, and it has a bandwidth, says Ralph, that easily exceeds 100kHz. Again, despite its five watts, Ralph was more than confident that not only would it drive my reference Kaya 45s, but it would do so much better than my 50-pound, 20-watt SET, which currently reigns in my twochannel reference system. Whereas the GEM, on the other hand, won’t fit in your pocket, but it can certainly be a one-handed carry and place. And after lugging around 50- to 300-pound amplifiers, this in and of itself is glorious indeed.

But of course the questions that remain are: how will it actually sound and will it be able to drive both the Vivid Audio Kaya 45s and the Abyss AB1266 Phi TC? Please stay tuned.

AKRM/C

Claude Monet - Irises

A

Wayne Thiebaud - 24th street, Mariposa

RECOMMENDED

COMPONENTS

W

elcome to AudioKeyREVIEWS Magazine Canada’s Recommended Components, which will become part and parcel of each of our various issues. The purpose of this section is to acquaint the reader with products—speakers, DACs, amplifiers, preamplifiers, turntables, headphones, IEMs, streamers, portable audio, etc.—that we feel are quite exceptional and rise above their like brethren. There will be three categories—Budget, Mid-Tier, and Top-Of-The-Line.

In our Budget Recommendations there will be products that compete far above their respective price point and are, generally, also built to reflect this.Our Mid-Tier Recommendations will encompass those products within arms reach, in terms of relative affordability, that present value and a challenge to the vanguard of their respective product niches. Finally, our TOTL Recommendations will be composed of those products that are at the cutting edge of technological advancement now happening across the world. The three categories of recommendations will rotate across the various issues of our magazine and there will also be a fluidity to the products within the various lists. Things change and especially now given our current technological epoch. The various lists, however, will be fixed on the AudioKeyReviews.com website.

Joan Shelly

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Henri Matisse - The Open Window

RECOMMENDED

COMPONENTS AURORASOUND HEADA $2999: If you’re looking for an endgame headphone amplifier and even if your headphone amplifier is more expensive, try this one, you may be quite surprised. That said, the Aurorasound HEADA headphone amplifier is a top echelon component and an easy DIAMOND AWARD winner.

SILENT ANGEL RHEIN Z1 $2299: The Rhein Z1 and Forester F2 combo played far above the league that their combined price would indicate. For many, this $3,900 combo may well represent an endgame streamer/ power supply capable of exceptional fidelity with DACs from entry level to those on the cutting edge.

ABYSS AB1266 PHI TC $5999: I think that I’ve said it all. The Abyss AB1266 Phi TC is a phenomenal headphone. It brings an undying passion for musicality and a ferocity for transparency and clarity and detail retrieval, formerly the domain of the best electrostatic headphones. But this planar headphone speaks that language—electrostatic—fluently and well.

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RECOMMENDED

COMPONENTS TORUS RM20 $3999: Can you say pristine, natural, open, and unhindered frequency response? Wide dynamic range? And there were oceans of detail, air, microdynamics, and ambience rendered by the Torus RM 20. It was not subtle. On the contrary, it was stunning.

RSX POWER8 $399: The RSX Power8 clearly holds to the dictum, “Do no Harm,” to the system in which it is being utilized. What it, in fact, offers is pure, clean power, a testament to the meticulous parts selection, research, and conscious minimalism all employed in its design. suffice to say, that it has no competitors at 3 to 4 times is cost.

GESHELLI LABS ERISH2 [E2] $219.99, JNOG2 [J2] $249.99: Disinterested in ostentation, Geshelli Labs believes in real world pricing with high fidelity performance. Their JNOG2 plus ERISH2 are a petite and potent bargain. With just enough character to put flesh on bone, the classy little twosome sets your music free without excessive color or dispensable features.

IN THE NEXT ISSUE

1

3

4

2

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5

JANUARY 1, 2024

AUDIO

1. PASS LABS HPA-1 HEADPHONE AMP 2. AUDIO CRAFTSMAN KINGSTON 3. IDEON 3R MASTER TIME USB CLOCK

5. EXASOUND S82 STREAMER/DAC 6. ATMA-SPHERE GEM INTEGRATED (not pictured) 7. AND other reviews, columns, interviews, videos, etc.

VIDEO REVIEWS

MUSIC

INTERVIEWS

4. AUDIENCE HIDDEN TREASURE CAT7

REVIEWS ON OUR WEBSITE

MOLA MOLA KALUGA

VIVA EGOISTA STX HPA

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HEADA HEADPHONE AMP

GRIMM AUDIO MU1 STREAMER

A

Music is art, art is music.

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AUDIENCE

MYTEK

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BRICASTI DESIGN

TORUS POWER

DAN CLARK

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GRIMM AUDIO GTT AUDIO HEADAMP HERMAN MILLER HIGHEND-ELECTRONICS KUBALA-SOSNA LEMAY AUDIO LYRIC AUDIO MADLY AUDACIOUS CONCEPTS

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Thank You

Wassily Kandinsky - Winter