Review: Dynaudio Focus 160 bookshelf speakers - King of all-rounders, nearing High End Hi-Fi

I’m not sure why I have postponed this review for as long as I have. Maybe because it felt like it would have been a monstrous behemoth of a review and it seemed all too daunting. But I think that’s the way with most projects. The only way forward is to simply start and build it up piece by piece. In the end this review might not be as comprehensive as these speakers would have deserved but I guess it’s still better than nothing.

source:dynaudio.com

This article is about Dynaudio Focus 160 bookshelf speakers – although it would be foolish to place them on a bookshelf, they deserve proper stands as do most “bookshelf” speakers. The Dynaudio Focus 160 is the successor of Focus 140 but all they have in common is somewhat similar size. They upgraded pretty much all the parts including tweeters and mid/bass woofers – I have experience of the former Focus-line with the floor standing Focus 220s and the difference in clarity was substantial. But more on that later.

The Focus 160s are now out of production and used to retail at around 2000 € a pair. That’s a lot of money for speakers, let alone bookshelf speakers. The next choice in Dynaudio’s bookshelf line would have been some from the Contour line or even the legendary Confidence C1s. Anyway, even at this price point the objective performance of an audio gear is becoming more subjective. The Focus 160s have fairly large cabinets of 202 x 350 x 294 mm (W x H x D) and weigh hefty 7.6 kgs a piece. The black piano lacquer finish looks and feels luxurious, but I don’t understand why the grills aren’t magnetic, especially at this price. Take the grills off (as most of us do) and suddenly the front with all the pin holes and screws doesn’t look as beautiful as it could have. Dynaudio’s later models seem to have addressed this issue with magnets.

Focus 160 & Batman

As with most speakers of this size the sensitivity is rated at lowish 85 dB and impedance at 4 Ohms – pair this with Dynaudio’s reputation of building power-hungry speakers and you start to realize that these are not meant to be paired with simple multichannel A/V amps found at a local supermarket. Indeed, Dynaudio rates the power handling of these babes up to 200 quality watts. And they can be played loud, very loud.

I have placed the speakers on Dynaudio Stand 1s, not the most robust stands money can buy, but still Dynaudio here as well.

The first thing that stands out is the bass, as it usually is with Dynaudio speakers. There’s plenty of it, incredibly plenty. The fullness and scale of the sound is mind boggling. And it’s not just the volume of bass but also how deep it goes. For music listening purposes I really doubt that anyone would feel an initial urge for a subwoofer, no matter what you genre you play. It is still however a pair or 17cm woofers doing the job, so don’t expect them to deliver any miracles if you are used to quality floor standing speakers or subwoofers. After you gather yourself, the focus (pun intended) shifts to that sweet tweeter. All while this massive bass is taxing the speaker, the tweeter sings without any hint of strain and all the clarity and resolution is there up to the finest detail – this is what I noticed immediately after switching the older Focus 220s to 160s, the latter just paints so much clearer image and I imagine the upgraded tweeter is to thank for. The sound stage is large and places instruments in their places when needed.

Initially I had the speakers paired with my Dayens Ampino monoblocks, but at 50 watts per channel, albeit high quality watts, I felt like the Focus 160s could use more power and perhaps a bit drier or sibilant amplifier. And so, I made a second-hand deal for Emotiva BasX A-300 power amp, this budget “giant-killer” delivers 150 watts per channel and is equipped with huge toroidal transformer for that steady current. (Oh boy, I think I need to write about the Emotiva A-300 at some point.) After switching the amplifiers, it was clear that the Emotiva was more suitable for Focus 160s. The upper range became even more vibrant, drier and the bass felt more controlled.

I enjoyed the Focus 160s for a few good years, thinking that they might be an end game solution until I had a larger listening room. But the nature of a Hi-Fi hobbyist is to always look for an improvement. And so while I had very little to complain of 160s as they seemed to perform everything very well, and in a balanced manner, in the end I felt that something else was needed; magic, sparkle, excitement – maybe the amplifiers were not the ideal match and could not bring these traits out of the speakers.
And so I ended up selling them. But given the chance I’d love to try them out again in my current upgraded setup as it is clear, that Dynaudios of this caliber require, or rather, scale nicely with high quality system with plenty of power headroom - this is to be expected from a true high end Hi-Fi speakers.

Be as it may, I can easily recommend the Dynaudio Focus 160s for everyone, as they will work with any type of music with ease, offering plenty of dynamic low notes and true hifi-like details. I usually recommend Dynaudios as the first serious hifi speakers to anyone seeking to venture into the world of hifi because of how versatile and excellent all-rounders they are.      

Review: Yamaha NS-s20i Monitor Speakers - Almost Vintage, Still Sounding Fresh

A blast from the golden past! I bought a while back a pair of almost near mint condition Yamaha NS-s20i monitor speakers. Their main function, or the reason why I bought them was to have some nice cheap speakers to take with me to parties or summer cottages to play some music with friends at neighbor-disturbing levels. I think I paid around 100 € euros for them and now I am convinced that they were an absolute steal. Let me tell you why.

 Yamaha NS-s20i up-close

The Yamaha NS-s20i speakers were produced around year 1989 or at least that's what numerous internet sources claim. They are big bulky and sturdy speakers with dimensions of 280 x 480 x 305 mm and equipped with hefty rubber edged 21 cm bass/mid driver (approx. 8") and 2,5 cm tweeter. They are rated at 160 W input power, 6 ohm impedance and sensitivity around 87-88/dB - what all this means is that they will play loud if needed even with average powered amplifiers. Yes I tried this and the overall voice holds together marvelously up to a point, just don't expect them to brake (m)any laws of physics.

Despite their bulkiness they have the same kind of appeal as some more expensive Harbeths or Audio Note speakers if you are into "retro styled" speakers. With matching wood framed stands they might look alright in a HiFi system but I doubt they have place in home decoration magazine along white small Genelecs. Leave the grills attached and they look even bulkier. The black veneer finish is not by any means particularly stylish, and reminds me of some really cheap Sony speakers I had ages ago. The back of the speaker is not even fully fished giving the speaker a bit cheap feel. I'm not sure how much the retail price for these were as new but judging from the aesthetics alone they clearly are not far above the entry level. The model number does not give much indication of where in Yamaha's long line of speakers they fit.

Yamaha NS-s20i - Stylish or not?

I have tried them with my 50 W Dayens Ampino monoblocks and with Samson SX1200 and Samson Servo 260 PA-amplifiers paired with Abrahamsen V3.0 pre-amplifier. Using DACs like Atoll DAC100 and Burson Conductor it seems clear to me that the Yamaha NS-s20i are extremely capable and revealing speakers that definitely have some of Yamaha's world class monitor speaker DNA in them. The Anti-cables speaker cables leaves no stone unturned when it comes to neutrality, making it a nice pair with the NS-s20i. Even at around 30 years old they deliver music at stunning transparency. Being monitor speakers, they really let you "see" the music in front of you, not hiding anything behind them - in other word they really don't offer much dimension in this regard. The sound stage is more two dimensional, but it is a beautiful room-filling wall NS-s20i create. This is not necessary a bad them when watching movies or playing games.

Needless to say they are very neutral despite their big box like looks and capable of bringing ear tickling high pitched voices and effects as well as fine micro and macro dynamics and tight bass at glass shaking levels. I think this is thanks to the large bass/mid driver that lets the music play effortlessly, especially after having listened or having been used to smaller standmount speakers. The front reflex port lets you place them near the back wall as one might in studio setup.

Yamaha NS-s20i

The neutrality and slightly aggressive in-your-face sound signature rises the possibility of some listening fatigue on certain material, so depending on one's taste, paring the NS-s20i with slightly mellower gear might not be a bad idea. It would be cool the hear and see them with newer Yamaha gear such as A-S1100 amplifier.

Switching to Michell Tecnodec & Tecnoarm turntable with Denon DL103 cartridge the harshness and over analytic trebles smoothen nicely. Paul Simon's Graceland LP is an enjoyment every time and certainly that it is the case with the NS-s20i also. Paul's voice is just tangible and the attention goes to following the playful bassline in Diamonds On The Soles of Her Shoes. The dynamics are fast and have true sense of scale and that forementioned easiness.

They might not have the latest word in absolute delicacy, dimensionality of the sound stage or transparency but it is clear that at a second hard price the Yamaha NS-s20i are an absolute bargain. They will surprise and leave you wondering why on earth did you pay many many times more on your main speakers. After listening them for a while for this review session I'm starting to wonder why are they still in my living room while my Dynaudio Focus 160s sit idle in the corner. I'm pretty that sure if I already didn't own the Focus 160s I'd be fairly happy with the Yamaha NS-s20i - not taking anything away from the Focus 160s.

The NS-20i just make me wonder what other second hand steals there are out there. If you see a pair, grab 'em and ask questions later!

Review: JYSK JERNVED TV Stand - HiFi-Friendly Scandinavian Design

After moving to a new apartment I decided to upgrade my old smallish IKEA BESTÅ TV. Searching several online shops for a good while I stumbled upon JYSK's JERNVED. It retails at about 230 € here in Finland but luckily I managed to get mine at a discount price. The measurements of 150 W x 45 H x 45 D (cm) and smart layout without drawers (only shelves with push-to-open doors) meant that it was perfect for HiFi equipment that usually tend to come at 44 cm max width, so in total it would house three full size HiFi devices in two levels. Of course you would have to place those giant monoblocks somewhere else as the height for each slot is approx. 18 cm, which is of course enough for most devices. You can however adjust the position of the shelves behind the left and right doors, so I guess it's giant monoblock-friendly after all! Just remember to keep the doors open if yours happen to run in egg-frying Class A.

Plenty of Room for HiFi Devices

The assembled TV stand weights over 50 kg. The assembly itself takes couple of hours of your time and having a partner makes it a whole lot easier. I'd even say that having extra pair of hands is absolutely necessary, and I think the manual states that also. The finished product looks good with its knobless white gloss doors, hiding all those beautiful gaming consoles, amplifiers and DACs your girlfriend simply can't stand. After the doors have been installed they require some adjustments but it doesn't take very long if you have the nerves. The top and sides have "concrete" grey finish - could have been all white but it's still good looking like this too, if a bit more masculine. I didn't install the back cover (don't know why anyone would) so that there would be plenty of room and for cables and ventilation for the devices.

Batman Approves

All in all it's a sturdy and good looking TV stand that in my opinion has a great layout and plenty of room for home entertainment devices. And if you happen to mount your screen to the wall, there is even more room on the top for, for example, turntable, tall tube amplifier or center speaker (a small center speaker can also be placed behind top middle door) if multi-channel is your thing.

You might have guessed that I'm happy with the purchase, and I think that the JYSK's JENVED offers very good quality and elegant and smart design even at full retail price. Recommended!

Review: AKG K271 MKII Headphones - Not So Humble After All

All right folks, it's time to give this pair of small transducers some credit. After some second hand hifi trading I found myself owning a pair of AKG K271 MKII headphones. "Affordable 2nd hand price and hey it's AKG so it can't be all that bad" I remember thinking. In the past I briefly owned the smaller AKG K171 MKII - but since they were on-ear I couldn't wear them comfortably with glasses... or at all for that matter thanks to my big head and their strong clamping force. Plus their sound quality didn't raise any remarkably positive feelings, and after a while it was easy to part with them.

With the K271 MKIIs I immediately noticed that they were much more comfortable to wear, having with still quite strong or even stark clamping force. They go nicely over the ears and the velour pads (I believe you also get leather pads) do not draw much attention after a while. They are closed-back headphones so sure your ears can become somewhat warm after long sessions, and I find myself taking small breaks to "cool" my ear pinnae. But this happens only when I'm using the headphones for many like an hour straight. Which I do quite often since these are the ones I've been using at my office for some time now. AKG states them as "professional over-ear headphones for studio and live use" and " Universal genius for monitoring, mastering, studio and live sound mixing" - these are some demanding tasks.

On with the show.

Plug and Play. Picture AKG.com

I remember at first the K271 MKII did not surprise me, "another pair of boring flat sounding studio 'phones with no life". But still they were adequate in every aspect as one would expect, the sound quality was not disturbing but also not exiting. They were comfortable to wear and they blocked sound nicely from the outside world. So they found a place from my collection, even if they were highly underused for quite some time.

At some point I began to think if I should just sell them and be done with AKG's studio headphones. But before that I wondered if there was any way to mod them, or get more exciting sound out of them. Without much thinking I took pliers and pulled the inner foams that protect the drivers out because hey - it can't be there to improve the sound right?... and oh boy. "Are these even the same headphones?", the shock was instant and real. Suddenly the K271 MKIIs were much more dynamic, the bass was deep, fast and the general feel was something it was not before: fun, foot-tapping fun. The overall presentation was so much better and clearer, but most importantly to me, the music was now alive - an enjoyment through these headphones. Truly a veil had been lifted, or in this case pulled, while still maintaining the positive qualities of studio headphones. At that point I began to take them seriously.

My office rig surely is nothing special - trying to keep a low profile with FiiO E10 USB DAC connected to Firestone Audio's Cute Beyond headphone amplifier. The amp deserved a review of its own but let me just say that the sound it produces is far from "cute". It's super fast, snappy, aggressive from bottom to top and brings even the most boring and soft headphones to a whole new level. Brings them alive. A true bargain of a headphone amp. The combination is seriously good considering that all three, the cans, DAC and amp were together cheaper than the average pair of nice RCA interconnects.

Few words about sound quality of the K271 MKIIs on this rig. Yes they are fast, and slightly bass heavy so that music genres like electronic, metal and hip hop can be enjoyed easily. They do not make much of a 3D sound but more in the manner of in your face, or rather in your ears. Still the separation of instruments is decent but everything happens in a two dimensional field. They might lack the absolute resolution, refinement and delicacy of more expensive headphones but their strength lies in their versatility - everything sounds equally good and exciting. Certainly not a "Grado sound" that's for sure. Is this some kind of budget flat earth sound in the footsteps of Linn or Naim?  Maybe not, but then again maybe not too far from it either. I realize that this type of sound signature may not appeal to everyone but I find it somewhat of an achievement to end up with this kind of sound as opposed to what I remember hearing the first time I wore K271 MKIIs.

The K271 MKIIs are definitely not a new model but as of time of writing this, they are still widely available at a price of little over 100 euros. Sure there is a fierce competition at this price range and if I were looking for a new pair of phones I don't know how likely I would have chosen this model. I prefer them to the AKG's K550 but a top-of-mind competitor could be Audio-Technica's ATH-M50x. It was by chance that I got these in the first place and, well, as they say, everything happens for a reason. I have a feeling that the K271 MKIIs are not going away any time soon and considering the fact that these are indeed AKG's studio headphones, I have feeling that they won't be falling apart any time soon either.

So there you have it. I don't know whether this article was a weird review, a poor mod guide or just idle mindflow but I hope that you got something out of it, and remember it the next time you bump into AKG's K271 MKII. I have been bumping into one daily and I really don't mind if it remains that way!

Review: Dynaudio Focus 220 Floorstanding Speakers - The Dynamic Duo Does It All

Dynaudio is no foreign brand of speakers to anyone who has ever taken more interest in Hi-Fi than just visiting a local supermarket looking for a stereo set. The Danish company has been selling speakers for almost four decades, from entry level to super high end, for home users and studios alike.

Being as popular and wide spread as it is, the general assumption is that Dynaudio's products are described as "power hungry", "bass monsters" or "the speakers for rock/metal music". To be fair, there are a seed of truth in these statements. But now I'm getting ahead of myself.

For the past eight months or so I've been a Dynaudio owner. I got my hands on a pair of Contour 1.1s and these Focus 220s. The Contours were a slight overkill for my PC system so I soon downgraded them to a pair of Audience 42s. (Don't worry the Contour 1.1s are still in the family.)

Focus 220 & Batman

The Focus 220s standing at 98 cm tall are the first "Mk I" versions since Dynaudio has also released a fine tuned Mk II version. Both are discontinued at this stage and someone might consider them as somewhat aged models. But we all know that in a world of audio reproduction old age doesn't mean much. Heck, they are in their prime! Weighting a hefty ~19 kg per piece and deploying two 17 cm (~6,7") Esotec+ mid/bass drivers they are look like traditional speaker boxes - look closer and you will notice that the rear is actually narrower than the front. This gives them a slightly more elegant feel. The black ash wooden finish simply does its job and does not bring up any strong feelings. Take the grills off (as anyone generally should) and the grill attachment holes dominate the front face making Focus 220s appear cheaper than they are. Also the tweeter and drivers are surrounded by screws. So the Focus 220s may not appeal aesthetically to everyone and most likely are not going to win any beauty pageant prices - but what about the sound? It's the sound that matters, right? RIGHT!? 

The reason I first got my eyes on Dynaudio was because after hearing the Audience 42s a good while back and a pair of mighty Confident C2 at a small exhibition here in Helsinki, I took notice of the slightly warm but very dynamic house sound of Dynaudio and the ability to play any genre with ease - "Could these be the jack of all trades?" I wondered. And because my music taste varies from classical to metal that is just what felt I've been looking for but never really had. So yes, Dynaudio has been top of mind of a while now and now finally I know what I have been missing out.

Compared to my previous floor standers the Amphion Prio 620s, the Focus 220s offer overall much softer sound. In a small room Dynaudio's bass is said to be overwhelming and I can relate to that statement. Luckily at around 15 sq. m. and without a solid wall behind speakers my current listening room doesn't have much of this problem - although it could be a little bigger. The speakers are standing straight with no tilt but to my experience a little tilt may help to focus up the soundstage.

My faithful Dayens Ampino Monoblocks deliver 50 W per channel to 8 Ohms whereas Focus 220s maximum power handling is 250W with a nominal impedance of 4 Ohms and sensitivity around 86 dB. I fear that my Ampinos are not quite up to the job that massive orchestral pieces or bass hungry metal music requires and generally Dynaudio speakers are recommended to be paired with beefier amps.

I choose Matt Darey's See the Sun (Dan Stone Rework), an energetic vocal trance piece - and the Focus 220s leave little to be desired. The bass pounds like in a club in Amsterdam (if you have the guts to turn the volume up). Treble details are fast and overall feeling is just pure fun and very non Hi-Fi. The level of detail or transparency is not the greatest I've ever heard but in the end it's all there - and honestly when speaker delivers music like this, I don't even really care.

Next up Katie Melua's Shy Boy. Well well, the Focus 220s can dance to this as well. Katie's voice jumps out clearly and precisely. Plenty of fast somewhat round but detailed bass keeps the rhythm flowing nicely, really makes your feet moving. But by no means is the bass dry like in some expensive British monitors but in contrast more relaxed and deep.

Focus 220 & GameCube

Song Unfold from an EP Urban Flora by Alina Baraz/Galmiatias hits like a thunder. A huge soundstage of vocal downtempo electronic music full of juicy details and once again bass that makes you look for that hidden subwoofer. The delicate vocals are displayed right on front of the listener and grab attention while the music in the background fills the room. It would seem the Focus 220s do offer a very good stereo impression when called for.

In the beginning I said Dynaudios are considered to be suitable for metal music. Time to find out. Amaranthes' Leave Everything Behind offers a worthy challenge to Focus 220s' woofers. But the Dynaudio holds. With ease. Double bass and energetic guitars keep pumping music like there is no tomorrow and so do the speakers. Once again fast, round and deep, but not even closely dry bass, is the key for Dynaudio's triumph and at the same time you notice that the details do not get muffled even in this soundwise extremely complex song, they are all there. All the instruments are displayed clearly and it's easy to follow each of them independently. Switch to one of the greatest headbanging songs that is Metallica's Sad But True and our initial question will be answered: Dynaudio and their Focus 220 speakers can rock. Big time.

Oh and movies and games are no exception. The Focus 220s will let you enjoy any form of entertainment without mentionable flaws. Their strength lies once again in delivering a room filling rich sound with sharp details and a convincing bass. But for that theater grade couch shaking experience a subwoofer is required (no matter what front speakers you have).

Even if the Focus 220s are not the most transparent speakers out there nor will they offer the latest word in resolution, they will reveal poor recordings. Or let me put it this way, because they are blessed with trait of being jack of all trades, the Focus 220s will sound fine but maybe little dull with poorer recordings. Feed them with quality songs and they will surprise you every time with their detailed room filling capabilities, dynamic and rich full range reproduction and energetic presentation.

The Dynaudio's Focus line is still in production and as one can see they are not exactly entry level products. The Focus 220s retailed somewhere between 2000 and 3000 euros during their time. Clearly this means that the amplification and source of media should be at an adequate level, and in Dynaudio's case, an amplifier with a little heftier power reserve and driving capability is not a bad idea at all. With my 50 watters the Focus 220s truly open up when that volume knob travels all they way up to 12'o clock and even further towards southeast until the SWAT team storms into my listening room. Brands with components known for their PRaT may deliver nice synergy with Dynaudio, such as Densen or Naim but of course there are many suitable for the job (as you may read below).   

So there you have it. Dynaudio Focus 220s are an interesting pair of transducers capable of delivering any genre of music with great satisfaction. Just don't let their "sleeper" like appearance deceive you. They are indeed bassy (fast, deep, round, rich) and never dry. Maybe not the last word in aesthetic design nor in absolute resolution or transparency. On the other hand never harsh or boring. With quality recordings they will surprise you every time. Most of all they are almost always fun, especially when the volume rises and believe me - you want to keep raising it.

PS.

Out of curiosity I switched the small but widely praised Trends Audio TA 10.1 amplifier set as a poweramp to work together with my Abrahamsen V3.0 preamp. Now the Trends delivers only a measly 6 watts at 8 ohm load, being a small T-amp mostly suitable for desktop systems. And it is paired with floorstanding Dynaudios. Nothing to lose right?

I press random play on my playlist. My jaw drops. WHERE IS THIS SOUND COMING FROM? The sound the Trends TA 10.1 delivers is utterly surprising, shocking even. The bass is fast and bit tighter but still has that quantity that is to be expected from these speakers. The details are sparkling and the music just flows at astonishing rhythm and ease. I have no idea how is the small T-amp capable of doing this. Maybe it has something to do with crossover design? Or maybe this is true synergy where the bass heavy and slightly warm nature of the Focus 220s meets the modern Tripath sound of the TA 10.1?  And the funny thing is that this setup seems to work with every genre of music, leaving only large orchestral and most complex metal pieces little lacking whereas with electronic, hip hop, vocal, acoustic, jazz or pop you really can't tell that there is a small 6 watt amp playing. Of course you can't play very loud with 6 watts but still loud enough the upset the neighbors at night. I still can't get my head around this. I suppose I'll just have to listen more music!

Review: Amphion Prio 620 Floorstanding Speakers - Embrace the Cold North

This time I'm going to introduce a pair domestic (Finnish) greatness, the Amphion Prio 620 floorstanding speakers which I've had the privilege of owning for several months now. Amphion as a brand has been around for ages and is indeed one of the oldest and largest Finnish speaker manufacturers. Together with Genelec they probably are the well known Finnish brands internationally.

The family. Picture Amphion.fi

Standing at 108,5 cm tall they are impressive in size. This particular pair of sleek columns which houses two 6,5" mid-bass drivers and 1" titanium dome behind metal grills is finished in superb birch wood giving them extremely Scandinavian feel. Mating them with Artek's furniture with similar finish really sells you the idea of minimalism and functionalism in Finnish design and brings nature closer to your listening room. These have been replaced by newer models by now but when new their listing price was only a little below 4000 € here in Finland. At this price range some might say that we are reaching the borders of High-End.



The pair I have under review are the unofficial Mk II versions (I hope I'm not giving misinformation here) with weight of 34 kg each. They are standing on their black plinths but they can also be further raised on spikes, which for the sake of my rented apartment's floor I will not do. The listening space is a bit weird one - back wall is almost 2 m away. Speakers are positioned 1,7 m from each other and 2 m from the sweet spot. The distance between wall behind and the sweet spot is 1,5 m. What I'm trying to say is that there should be little to no bass extension in the listening spot due to closeness of walls.

Tweeter & grill. Picture Amphion.fi

The Prio 620 houses all kinds of innovative features such as proriatory innovative driver configuration TAPS and U/D/D (Uniformly Directive Diffusion) technology. But I'm not so easily bought with marketing terms alone. The titanium dome rests in a crater between mid-basses of this D'Appolito configuration. The crater-like design supposedly has much to do with crossover point and making the tweeter align the sounds towards the listener rather than all over the room. This also makes positioning the speakers very important as sound stage changes greatly when speakers are positioned differently. This also gives one the possibility to have a small and focused sweet spot with pinpoint-like sharpness by facing the speakers towards listener or to widen the sound stage by facing the speakers straight without toe in. It's possible that the desired outcome is somewhere between these two extremes. I have mine only slightly toed in as I enjoy the wider presentation.

At 91 dB sensitivity and easy-ish to drive ohm ratings I paired them with my faithful Dayens Ampino Monoblock amplifiers. Preamplifier has been varying from Abrahamsen V3.0, Khozmo Acoustics passive attenuator to Burson Conductor Virtuoso (PCM1793). The Amphions are revealing enough to make it possibly to tell the differences between preamps, and between other components as well mind you. I tried them with Analysis Plus Oval 12 cables but eventually switched back the amazing all-rounders Talk Electronics Talk 3 cables. The Oval 12's gave more bassy and darker sound but for my little surprise these Amphions are not overly bright as I feared them to be, prior to my experiences with older Amphions. The Talk Cable 3's gave more snappy and brighter presentation which gave more synergy with the rest of the system that has the Burson working as DAC/Preamp.

On Amphion's web page they describe the Prio 620s being "clear and pure as the Finnish lake". I can totally see where they are going with this. Let me put it this way: these are just about as neutral as Åland, as transparent as those late autumn creeks in Lapland and as fast as Finnish Formula 1 drivers. With this setup the Amphions are not too in your face, music plays rather neatly just slightly in front of the speakers. No singe frequency pops out, nothing irritates. They simply deliver sound signals at studio-like accuracy. They can play any music genre with ease from Techno, Hip Hop, Classical, Jazz, Metal to Pop as long as the recording is well made, for they will not smoothe the faults.

My 50 watt monoblocks left no desire for more power or more bass, these speakers dig deep and can be driven to loud volumes - in fact they seem to like it, just be sure to have a large listening room. Being such majestic and capable speakers, the Prio 620's deserve to have equally capable amplifier and source for it will be a long way before they become the bottleneck in one's system.

And now it goes down to preferences.

To me the Prio 620's are so transparent and clear that they don't seem to have any personality of their own. They are somewhat perfect. But being perfect makes them feel distant, cold, lifeless. Having imperfections and personality are humane traits that makes us attach to other persons or even things. The Amphions are very inhumane, and as such I find very hard to fall in love with them no matter how good they sound. They seem to lack passion. Sure they do get my feet tapping and give me wow-feelings from time to time - but they seem to lack a soul, as if they are aware that they exist for one job only: to make perfect sounds, rather than to play music - maybe this is your cup of tea? The Amphions are not the only ones to blame as I have to admit I have a small allergy for all studio grade speakers - to me they are tools for professionals. They are too perfect, like machines. Then again, if you are not looking for highly involving musical adventures from your system then maybe the Amphion Prio 620s are a suitable choice, for as I said, in a way they are, or at least very close to being, perfect.

With right equipment, perhaps with the glow of tubes, the Amphions might turn out to be completely different beasts. Unfortunately I did not have any at hand. But playing some LP records from my Michell Tecnodec made the Prio 620s really sing - maybe thanks to the analog recordings or maybe because the Tecnodec + Tecnoarm combination is simply a better source than my DAC. Could it be that Prio 620s are capable of revealing the difference between digitally produced and analog music? Listening genuine instruments like piano or older music from time before computers gives a pleasurable warmth that the speakers transduce really well. The sounds transform into music and the overall feeling is lifelike.

The wilderness of Lapland is vast and harsh and for the most part of the year very unforgiving for the poorly prepared. So prepare well and embrace the nature - then maybe there is some warmth and soul to be found in the midst of cold windy fells.

Review: Duevel Planets Floorstanding Speakers - Omni-directional Funland

This time I found myself listening to a pair of Duevel's entry level omni-directional speakers - the Planets. These are definitely not your average looking speakers with drivers facing straight up, facing two... metallic planets, reflecting the sound in every direction. Duevel Planets, although fairly inefficient at 85dB and 4 ohms nominal impedance, were driven rather well by a Sac Thailand Minuet EL-34 tube amplifier 'running in Triode mode in pure Class-A with cathode Feedback' - whatever that means - and rated only at mere 6 watts per channel.

The Duevel Planets require some effort to be optimally placed but even at less than optimal, close to wall, the sound does not suffer dramatically. Indeed, thanks to the speakers unorthodox design I can easily imagine them to live in living rooms where style and design come before things like optimal sound quality and big and bulky electronics.

Red is the new Black

The room in which this particular pair of speakers sat was above average in size, close to 40 sq. meters and ceiling well above 3 meters. Using Anticables speaker cables and Pro-Ject RPM 1.3 Genie turntable equipped with entry level Grado MM-cartridge, the sound coming from the system was surprisingly easy to listen and lively with tuneful and surprisingly believable bass. Indeed the big sound seemed to come from "somewhere" without any effort. Somewhat close to a planar-like sound, the omni-directonal speakers seem to have a certain signature or rather characteristics of their own.

Shiny Planets

With only minimalistic effort in acoustic treatments, the Planets filled the room just as hoped - evenly and fully. There really was no sweet spot, not in a sense you are used to with a usual pair of hifi speakers. The Planets proved to be excellent for background music and TV/movies - the Planets really gave Transformers Age of Extinction's effects a run for their money. Now don't get me wrong, these are just at home with critical listening and yes one can sit in the sweet spot to enjoy musical presentation. Just keep in mind that these are not anything like stand-mount / monitor speakers.

In the end of the day the Duevel Planets might be your ticket to the world of omni-directional speakers and further into Duevel's products. I would describe them as fast, tuneful, even balanced and actually quite fun! Most music genres are fine apart from heaviest rock/metal. Just push play and let the music fill the room - and I'll let you know that apparently the Planets can fill quite a lot of space without showing any signs of tiring - I'm still not sure how the 6W tube amp did this with 85db speakers but I'm glad it did. Unfortunately I did not have access to a solid state amplifier to see the effects of more power. And then there there are the looks - they can turn off some, but I wouldn't be all too surprised to see a pair of Duevel Planets in a home decoration magazine. If you have the chance, I recommend to check them out!

Review: Neat Motive 2 Floorstanding Speakers - It's All About That Bass

I've had the pleasure of owning a pair of lovely Neat Motive 2 floorstanders for a year now, and I do think they deserve a review of their own - even though I know there are plenty of opinions about them around the web. This review is not going to be one of them biblical in-depth ones, rather I will give you a general feeling of Motive 2s.

At height less than 80 cm these speakers are in my opinion what you could call as compact floorstanders. They sit on top of spikes mounted in the black base "plinth". The spikes elevates the speaker giving its downfiring reflex port room to breath. The bottom reflex port also makes the Motive 2s somewhat suitable for near-wall placement and their small size might give a room for finding the best spot for them. The things is that Neat's Motive 1 and 2 speakers are tilted a bit backwards giving them a look very unorthodox. I suppose this helps to deliver the sound closer to ear vertically. In my opinion this makes the Motive 2s interesting, modern and very charming in general.

Neat Motive 2

My Motive 2s have the Black Ash finish and they look really nice. The "grills" are attached with magnets so there is not even leftover holes when the grills are off. Naturally I do recommend taking the grills off as I believe they are not there to improve the sound.

The first thing I noticed when I first plugged the Motive 2s to my system, consisting of KECES DA-131mk2 DAC, Abrahamsen V3.0 preamplifier and Dayens Ampino Monoblocks driving them at 50W (8 Ohms), was the impressive and sophisticated and fast bass that goes surprisingly deep - it was evident that the Motive 2s are all about PRaT and making you tap your feet and that sweet bass is the main driving force. They make you forget about things that keep you from enjoying music - yes they are musical and and not a bit clinical or boring in any sense. That said, for me coming from a pair of KEF LS50s, the treble can sound a tad bright at first but my ears got used to it in a week. Even with the nice bass and slightly bright but involving treble the mid-range is not forgotten - it follows along just fine giving credible and punchy body to the details and music. I have a feeling that these speakers appreciate an amplifier capable of delivering current rather than tons of watts.

Neat Motive 2

The Motive 2s can and will dig up and present with ease any dynamics, spatial room-filling information and nuances that the recording may have, especially with movies and games. That said they sound quite decent even with some poorer recordings. Any genre is a good genre for the little Neats as they shine happily on anything I throw at them be it solo piano, electronic house music, aggressive rock or full scale orchestra. Somehow the warm sound of LP-records sound especially enjoyable but not a bit boring or stuffy.

There are newer version of Neat's Motive line out there such as the SE and the SX. I have not heard neither of these but if they have managed to improve the sound even further I recommend you to have a serious listen. The Motive 2 is an energetic and elegant compact floorstander suitable for all kinds of music. Even the other (and more beautiful) resident of the household likes them and not only for the looks. Very, very good. Seriously!

Review: Philips Fidelio X2 - Fun, Dynamic and Here to Stay

I have been meaning to do this review for ages and finally I think I found a decent time slot for it.
Fidelio X2 is a new-ish headphone from a long time consumer electronics brand Philips. In my mind Philips has not been a big HiFi player for a very long time but I managed to get a listen at their Fidelio L1 some time ago. That made me wonder - is there a new serious player in the market?

I made leap of faith in to the unknown and bought the Fidelio X2 based on positive reaction the X1 and L2 received earlier. And boy I am glad I did.

The X2 is a large open headphone that at the time of writing resides at the very competitive 300€ class. The velvet pads are indeed comfortable but the clamping force is a bit on the strong side for my big head - although nothing a bit of stretching can not fix I'm sure. The fabric headband is self adjusting AKG-style and nicely soft. In overall the physical being of X2 leaves an excellent and stylish impression and with it's 35 Ohm impedance it should be easy to drive as well.

X2 is plugged to my PC using Foobar2000's WASAPI output, followed by a Belkin's Signature Series USB-cable to my DAC-HP-amplifier, the Burson HA-160D. The Burson might sound like an overkill for such an easy to drive pair of headphones - but I leave nothing to chance. I've had the X2 now for several months and I am pretty convinced that they've had enough listening time to be "broken in".

Listening

Hitting play button on Diana Krall's Stepping Out album ripped in FLAC format gives an instant impression - this is good. The initial impression is the warmth of the playback - the bass is outstanding, and we are talking about an open headphone here. At the same time the piano and drums are as clear and snappy as they need to be - I notice that my foot is tapping. Damn these 'phones are fun! Diana's voice does not pop out too much in-our-face style - "must be because of the recording" I convince myself. The X2 & Burson combination creates very jazz club like atmosphere for this album. A bit smoky and warm - I might need to bring the cubans and malts next time with me.

Moving on to KOOP's Koop Island Blues gives the same impression. This time the vocals come out more as I'm sure they are intended. The bass still stands strong in both quality and quantity. Instrument separation is top notch and there is nicely air in the playback - not maybe AKG 700-series style air but still nicely. Neither the vocals nor drums sound too harsh, overall impression is very balanced but with some juicy extra quality bass. The dynamics both macro and micro really bring the music alive and keeps the foot tapping on Queens Propeth's Song. Here the bass somewhat overwhelms Freddy's voice but the song keeps happily marching forward like a parade.

The X2 feels like opposite of Grado's phones which I've owned several during the years. They are all great and snappy as most of you know. But while being snappy and bright they lack the ultimate bass reproduction which the X2 delivers - making music fun and easy to listen.

Lastly I choose Shpongle's album Nothing Lasts...But Nothing Is Lost. This quality piece of music through the X2 really leaves nothing to desire. The dynamics, absolute resolution and overall balance really fits and tingles senses in a good way.

Philips Fidelio X2 & Burson HA-160D

Conclusion

I've listened the X2 for a while now with every music genre out there and they shine of every one of them be it pop, trance, metal, classical, acoustics, jazz or African folk music. They are easily driven from a modern smartphone but in my opinion the Burson takes them to another level - but I imagine that even cheaper DAC+amp product will be enough. Matters of taste and commitment. For reference I've owned Grado RS1 and use AKG 712 as office 'phones - the X2 tops both of them in the fun factor and in my opinion does not fall behind overall. Matters of taste once more as these three headphones are very different from each other. The X2 is most of all fun and dynamic and I'm sure it offers enough resolution and overall sound quality to impress people both new and old to the world of HiFi sound. I have no intention to part with these any time soon.