GROUP TEST
ROKSAN CASPIAN £800
T
stage depth, bass power and dynamic it could with the other players. The he Caspian is an all solidresolution, but it has a hardness of Roksan gets things just about as right state player of conventional tone that can make music and singers here as is possible from CD, unless design and construction: sound a tad mechanical. The same you spend much more. there isn't a valve in sight! recording on other players was more Celine Dion, however, sounded Its solidity feels reassuring, convincing: what I heard didn't clash a little robotic. This quality became both when handling it and with my perceptions of what a piano obvious with Vlado Perlemuter when button pressing. Weighing in at should sound like. 9kgs this is one of the heavier models playing Chopin's Opus 48, No1, Overall, a very accomplished where his piano had a hardness of within our group and it sat where it was put. It measures 88x432x300mm. tone that was difficult to resolve with player that effortlessly justifies its the real life instrument. The Roksan is price tag. It has poise, accompanied and a comprehensive range of front by a dynamism that many will love. very correct, has goodly amounts of panel controls allow it to be used without the remote. The rear panel carries no fewer than three digital outputs, optical, Separation (1kHz) 104dB The Caspian had a neat response electrical (coaxial) and an AES/ Noise (IEC A) -112dB shape, with no peaks or dips. Reaching EBU balanced XLR signal. The Dynamic range 111dB smoothly from 2Hz up to 21.1kHz (-1dB) latter is unusual, and generally Output 2.1V this player is as good as it gets in terms considered to give best quality of frequency response smoothness and as it minimises noise pickup, extension. which can fall through into the The Caspian was very linear right FREQUENCY RESPONSE analogue domain as jitter in the through the audio range, turning in absence of re-clocking. Inside an excellent set of distortion figures. Frequency response Roksan use a Texas Instruments At -30dB it returned a figure of just level PCM1730 DAC with 24/192kHz 0.0042%, putting it up with the best. (dB) Our analysis shows an even balance internal resolution, an advanced of spectral components, with no one item with good performance, +0.5 dominating. Resolution at low levels and a rare choice. 0 was good too, a dithered -80dB signal -0.5 returning 1.8% second harmonic only. SOUND QUALITY Jitter was low across the audio This a suave and composed band, peaking randomly at around sounding player, that seemingly 30pS. There were no audio related avoids strong character traits components, a sweep showed. Output frequency (Hz) 62 25k to give a convincingly natural measured a normal 2.1V and EIAJ delivery. It has well damped dynamic range was a high 111dB. DISTORTION The Caspian turned in a good set yet resonantly deep bass with of figures all round. It should sound real power to it; drums start balanced and smooth. NK and stop cleanly and with
MEASURED PERFORMANCE
VERDICT Composed and dynamic sound with pacey bass that's ideal for rock music.
ROKSAN CASPIAN £800 Henley Designs +44 (0) 1235 511166 www.roksan.co.uk
)
FOR - fast, powerful bass - cohesive and balanced - dimensional and convincing
AGAINST - tonal hardness - music dependent
36 p36 subbed§$.indd 36
'Copperhead Road' the opening drum rolls had a grippingly real sense of size and power as they rolled dramatically across the sound stage. The Roksan has a superbly grippy delivery that is polished in the extreme. Sibilance in Celine Dion's 'I'm Alive' had an edge to it but didn't leave my ears ringing, as
HI-FI WORLD MAY 2007
Frequency response (-1dB) Distortion 0dB -6dB -60dB -80dB -80dB dithered
2Hz-21.1kHz 0.0003% 0.0004% 0.22% 2.3% 1.8%
www.hi-fiworld.co.uk
16/3/07 16:37:30