BestBuys-Issue 2, 2021

It’s like TV, but
dialled up to eleven

THE BIG SCREEN EXPERIENCE WITHOUT Powered by
THE BIG INSTALL ATION HASSLES

With an ultra short throw lens and Yamaha sound, the Epson EpiqVision
EH-LS300B is a complete home entertainment solution.

Big screen Up to a 120-inch image just a half metre from the wall

Android TVTM All your favourite apps with Google Assistant and
Chromecast built in

Yammaha Be captivated with surround sound of up to 20W
Sound with Yamaha speakers built in

Laser light Over 2,500,000:1 contrast ratio for exceptionally
source deep blacks and brilliant, vivid colour

Screen bundle Combine with an ambient light rejection (ALR) screen
for ultimate immersion

Go big with Epson visit: www.epson.com.au/epiqvision/#ls300b

AV IMAGE

BenQ TK700STi UHD gaming projector 12

Epson EH-LS300B/LS500B ultra-short-throw projectors 16

Sony VPL-GTZ380 & new range native 4K projectors 20

TCL 55C825 Mini LED television 25

CONTENTS

BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

AV SOUND

JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam soundbar 28

Elementi Fire home cinema active speakers 32

Yamaha SR-B20A & C20A soundbars 36

SOURCES & SYSTEMS

Cocktail Audio N25 network audio streamer 42
46
iFi Zen Can headphone amplifier 50

Stax SR-L500 MkII / SRM-400S headphones & driver

LOUDSPEAKERS

Bowers & Wilkins 68

602 S2 Anniversary stereo loudspeakers 72
76
Polk Reserve R200 stereo loudspeakers 80

Revel Performa3 M105 stereo loudspeakers

Spendor Classic 1/2 & 4/5 stereo loudspeakers

AMPLIFICATION smart stereo amplifier 56
phono stage 60
Cambridge Audio Evo 150 smart stereo amplifier 64
Gold Note PH-1000
Marantz PM7000N 3

HOW TO… GUIDES How to choose a projection screen 8
How to choose a streamer 40
How to choose an amplifier 54

A NEW LANGUAGE
FOR HOME CINEMA

The Elementi Fire range incorporates compression The Air range uses pleated diaphragm ribbon
drivers for dynamic and detailed cinema sound, but tweeters for a uniquely open soundstage, where the
without harshness, thanks to FIR filters which tune not image floats in front of you. Experience the finesse
just frequency but phase. The result is a speaker that of a pleated diaphragm tweeter, with power to match
sounds powerful, clean, warm and effortless. compression driver systems.

Models: Firefly, Phoenix, Fire-Dragon Models: Zephyr, Sirocco, Tempest

The Fire range, its amplifiers and associated Earth subwoofers will be available from Cogworks: www.cogworks.io.

Elementi is more than a new brand: it’s a new approach.

Meet the Elementi Fire, Air and Water ranges of out of the rack and into the cinema, in slimline
digital active speakers, and the Elementi Earth modular units which can mount on the wall or
range of digital active subwoofers. Designed to behind the screen. This doubly overcomes issues
precisely satisfy the demands of modern home of long runs of speaker cables, and of excessive
cinema design, they also bring the power amplifiers heat build-up in overstocked equipment racks.

The Earth subwoofers are designed for The forthcoming Water range of height speakers
high power handling and minimal power are designed to envelop the listener with power
compression. Concert-grade PRO drivers, to match the Fire and Air series speakers.
driven by high current amplifiers, deliver
prodigious bass that hits hard and fast. Models: Maelstrom & Tsunami

Models: Basalt, Onyx, Obsidian, Kola

For more information on the full Elementi range, visit elementiaudio.com.au

BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV • Issue 2021-#2

ISSN 1442-2824 ©2021

FUTURE PUBLISHING AUSTRALIA

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Editor: Jez Ford • [email protected]
Contributing Editor: Greg Borrowman
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Advertising Traffic: Di Preece • [email protected]

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Jim Preece • [email protected]
Managing Director: Neville Daniels

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Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

6

THE HI–FI HEADLINES

NEWSLETTER No.256

SAVE 20% ON PS AUDIO POWER REGENERATORS

The 20% discount on the range of Power Regenerators from PS more expansive, open soundstage. The protection from spikes etc. is
Audio continues. This category was invented by PS Audio, and they almost a bonus!
remain at the forefront of the technology. From their compact Stellar
P3 though to the impressive P20 PS Audio have a PowerPlant that is THERE ARE FOUR MODELS AVAILABLE:
right for your system.
Stellar PowerPlant3: now $3,116 (RRP: $3,895)
Even their smallest offering, the Stellar PowerPlant3, designed for (RRP: $8,395)
small to medium systems, will give a notable boost to your system. PowerPlant 12: now $6,716 (RRP: $12,995)
You could expect better dynamics, more authoritative bass and a (RRP: $16,995)
PowerPlant 15: now $10,396

PowerPlant20: now $13,596

NEW STAX SRM-400S EARSPEAKER DRIVER NEW SERHAN
SWIFT MU2
Stax have just released a replacement their reference system they represent MK11 SPEAKER
for the popular SRM-353X electrostatic the best of what the category offers. RELEASED
earspeaker driver. This is complete The SRM-400s shows that Stax have no
revamp with new circuitry, including intention of basking in past glories but Our respect for this bookshelf speaker
reengineered power supplies. are committed to continually advancing is well documented. Designed and
the technology. manufactured here in Australia it is the
Stax have, for good reason, been brainchild of Brad Serhan, who we believe
regarded as the holy grail of headphones If you have never listened to a pair of to be one of the finest speaker designers
for many decades. Ranging in price Stax Electrostatics do yourself a favor – in Australia, if not the world. It is a great
from $1,000 for the portable SRS-002 but be careful, you could end up owning example of a loudspeaker that is accurate,
compact system through to $17,000 for a pair! spacious and yet is emotionally involving.
Diminutive in size this speaker produces
64 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove, NSW 2066 a large footprint. It is precise, dynamic,
plays loud, and has remarkable bass or a
(02) 9427 6755 speaker of its size. Most importantly it is a
[email protected] speaker that will draw you into almost any
musical genre you wish to throw at it.
The original Mu2 speaker was one of
our favorites in its category. The Mk11
is notably better. If you are looking for a
compact speaker that captives, the Mu2
MK11s must be top of your audition list!

www.lenwallisaudio.com.au

BUYING GUIDE

HOW TO CHOOSE A
PROJECTION SCREEN

The projection screen is an essential part of any projection solution.
Don’t leave it as an afterthought, warns Paul Kutcher.

During the design process for a a secondary or even tertiary consideration, with technology, and yes, there are screens
home theatre, the imaging system its value in the system determined by its that are nothing more than fabric stretched
needs to be optimised for the cost versus that of the projector. Since the into a frame. But the role played by the
best image performance possible. projector has all of the tech and the screen is projection screen is absolutely critical in
The projection screen is key to this equation, nothing more than a piece of fabric stretched determining the final picture outcome.
an important part of the overall projection into a frame, then the screen should be only
solution which involves a combination of the a fraction of the cost of the projector, right? Poor screen selection will display an
projector, the screen and the room itself. It image well short of optimal. It can remove
is too often the case that the screen becomes This attitude is highly prevalent, but it is the enjoyment and excitement of the
very wrong. Projectors are indeed packed cinematic experience — the ‘wow’ factor.

A 160-inch acoustically-transparent
Stewart Filmscreen in a recent
home cinema installation by
Signature Cinemas. IMAGE: Studio Kai

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BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

PROJECTION SOURCE

Screen Gain versus Viewing Angle for Stewart
Filmscreen’s SnoMatte 100, a matte white
screen formulated to meet the strictest
uniformity standards. The arrows to the right
show how incoming light is scattered equally
in all directions — a Lambertian diffuser.

MATTE WHITE LAMBERTIAN SURFACE

PROJECTION SOURCE

Screen Gain versus
Viewing Angle for

Stewart’s StudioTek 130

G4. The diagram to the

right shows how light

from the projector is

channelled towards the

viewers, while rejecting

ambient cross light.

So when going through the design and One common specification of projection increased alongside a decrease in another.
equipment selection process, pay particular screens is their gain, a measure of how In the case of adding gain to a screen to make
attention to the item often given the least bright the surface is compared to a reference it brighter, we reduce its uniformity, so that
thought and respect: the projection screen. standard of magnesium carbonate, a white it redirects light in a preferential pattern —
chalky substance that is specified as having a that is, we make the screen more directional.
The case for gain gain of 1.0. Magnesium carbonate is called a This decrease in uniformity directs more of
‘Lambertian diffuser’ because all light falling the projected light into the viewing area, and
First and foremost, it needs to be remembered upon it will be reflected in an equal pattern in away from the side walls. Cross-reflected light
that projection screens are passive devices. all directions — from wherever you view this will also be reflected across the screen based
They cannot amplify light to make it brighter, illuminated surface relative to the light source, upon its gain characteristics, rather than back
but they can be engineered to have specific the brightness will remain the same. For all into the viewing area.
optical properties which redirect the intents and purposes, matte white screens
available light in a preferential dispersion approach this ‘ideal’, though there are only a So not only do we now have a brighter
pattern. Optical elements in the screen can few surfaces that are considered true reference image, we have also mitigated some of the
provide specific traits or be tinted to enhance Lambertian surfaces. (See Figure 1 above.) cross-reflection issues — see Figure 2. Be
performance in certain conditions. aware that in this illustration the dispersion
The downside with matte white screens is pattern applies in both the vertical and
So while a screen doesn’t amplify light, that although they are very uniform in their horizontal planes based upon the angle of
a high-quality screen is able to enhance the reflectivity, that greatest strength is also their the projected light.
image by compensating for a projector’s greatest weakness. Their uniform diffusion will
weaknesses, and by ensuring that room also reflect any ambient room light, and this However, as we increase the screen gain,
artefacts are minimised in the displayed image. unwanted cross-reflection light on the screen we also need to ensure that the projector’s
surface has the detrimental trait of reducing optics are a suitable match for the increased
Poor screen selection image contrast, which can result in images that gain. Should the projector’s optics be too
will display an image look washed out and devoid of ‘pop’. short for the gain of the surface, there will be
well short of optimal. visible ‘hotspotting’ on the screen. Hotspotting
It can remove the By adding a degree of gain to the screen, so is an artefact where a part of the image is
enjoyment and excitement making the screen brighter, the effects of cross brighter than the area around it. This hotspot
of the cinematic experience reflections can be reduced. How do screens will follow you around the room dependent
— the ‘wow’ factor. do this when, as we mentioned above, screens upon the direction of the projected light. It
are passive devices that are unable to amplify is therefore important to match the screen
light? Well, there are indeed no free lunches gain with the optics of the projector to avoid
with screens, but one specification can be hotspotting. All good screen manufacturers

9

BUYING GUIDE BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

will provide gain charts for their surfaces able to reduce this brightness. Screens having screens offered another side benefit: they are
outlining not only the dispersion angle of their a gain lower than 1.0 will typically have a better at maintaining image contrast with
surfaces, but also a recommended minimum grey base, which lowers the black floor of the ambient light present. How do they do this? As
throw ratio for the surface in question. The projection system and shifts the grey scale mentioned, a grey base lowers the black floor
minimum throw ratio is typically based upon down, reducing image brightness according of the projection system, thus improving black
the image width. to the screen gain. levels. By adding gain elements to the surface
to increase brightness, we make the surface
Another benefit of having a brighter screen For example, Stewart Filmscreen’s more directional, thus focusing more of the
surface is that it will assist when projecting Snomatte/StudioTek 100 is considered the projected light into the viewing space while
HDR images. It is much more difficult to reference matte white screen for post- cross reflections will be shed across the screen
achieve high on-screen brightness in a typical production and colour grading applications. surface where they have less of an impact on
home theatre than it is with a flat-panel It is a Lambertian surface that offers a near the image as viewed from the audience.
television. While there are high-end projectors totally uniform image across the entire screen
that certainly can achieve sufficient brightness surface. It has a peak gain of 1.0 and never Screen time
in a home theatre environment, the majority approaches half gain.
of home theatre projectors simply lack the The information here only touches on the
brightness to compete in this regard with a TV. But Stewart also has a grey Lambertian considerations needed in the decision-
A projection screen with increased gain will surface, GrayMatte 70, which has a peak making process for selecting the most suitable
assist in increasing the on-screen brightness to gain of 0.7; it features the same Lambertian projection screen for a home theatre. But the
compensate for this. characteristics as Snomatte 100 but at a most critical takeaway is to give the projection
lower brightness point. We have deployed surface its due in the first place. Considering
Going grey GrayMatte 70 in a few home theatres where the screen’s role as part of the overall
short optics have been used to achieve a projection solution, not as a standalone
There are also relatively rare occasions when larger image size for the space. The GrayMatte afterthought, will will go a long way to
there is too much brightness on a screen. In surface then produces a uniform image while ensuring that you enjoy the best results of
these cases, a screen having a lower gain is offering a degree of ambient light resistance which your projector is capable, and the best
as the grey base assists with absorbing room possible image in your theatre. Paul Kutcher
A high-quality screen is cross reflections.
able to enhance the image STEWART FILMSCREEN
by compensating for a Speaking of grey screens, why? Grey PROJECTION SCREENS
projector’s weaknesses, screens were originally developed for
and by ensuring that room the home theatre market 20 years ago to Contact: Visual Fidelity
artefacts are minimised in compensate for what was then low-contrast Telephone: 03 9338 8995
the displayed image. performance in lamp-based projectors, Website: www.visualfidelity.com
though the technology had also been used
decades earlier in commercial applications.
While the contrast performance of projectors
has dramatically improved since then, grey

10

C825 Series

65” / 75” model shown.

BUILT-IN SUBWOOFER
Delivers a rich, powerful bass
experience to bring movies

and music to life.

Thousands of LEDs More local dimming Accurate A smoother
to boost contrast zones to achieve reproduction and uniform
and brightness deeper blacks of colours illumination

FULL ARRAY

up to

120Hz

Visit www.tcl.com/au for more info

@TCL.AUS.NZ @AUTCL @TCL_AUS.NZ @TCL AUS.NZ @TCL AUS_NZ

AV IMAGE

BENQ TK700STi

UHD GAMING-OPTIMISED PROJECTOR
Grab your SMG and prepare for action – BenQ’s TK700Sti is a
next-gen gaming-optimised 4K DLP projector designed to deliver
all your entertainment needs.

BenQ has taken to expanding on its performance an edge against competitors, closed-off compartment at the back where you
range of pixel-flipping Ultra High against their console or against their computer. install the supplied QS01 HDMI Android TV
Definition projectors by means of dongle. Once networked this dongle brings the
specialisation. Some have their focus So BenQ, which has plenty of experience usual near-endless apps from Google’s Android
on the standard home entertainment fare of in producing such low-lag gaming monitors, TV platform, controlled by the rather nice
movies; one has special facilities and dedicated proclaims the TK700STi to be “the world’s first remote control provided.
modes for sports fans; and here we have the 4K HDR low-input-lag gaming projector”. And
TK700STi, labelled as ideal for gamers, and the good news is that there seems to have been As for that low gaming latency, the main
the new Xbox and PlayStation consoles in no great penalty taken in the area of TV and promoted lag time is 16.67 milliseconds,
particular, enabling players to expand their movie performance in order to achieve this available in Game modes for 60Hz content
gameplay beyond a mere monitor or TV to a gaming-friendly status.
genuinely bigscreen experience. the good news is that
The TK700STi is usefully compact — 31cm there seems to have been
Equipment wide and just 3.1kg in weight. It promises no great penalty taken
3000 lumens brightness, which is plenty for in the area of TV and
The traditional problem with bigscreen home cinema use and, depending on your movie performance in
gaming has been the amount of time that screen size, enough to overcome a little order to achieve this
projectors can take to process an image. Delays ambient light in the environment. gaming-friendly status.
can mean death to a gamer, quite literally in a
first-person shooter. Gamers purchase low-lag There are two HDMI inputs, both of them
monitors and check TV specs to give their 4K-compatible, plus an RS-232 input and
one USB-A slot, which is for service and
power only. There’s another HDMI input in a

12

BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

regardless of resolution. That’s very impressive as the pre-processing then required for every deliver full-quality Netflix streaming easily
for a projector — 16.67ms is the same figure frame will slow you down. enough via the HDMI inputs anyway.
achieved by BenQ’s 1080-resolution gaming
projectors, yet here it’s available also with the Happily it’s not hard to set up the TK700STi Certainly we were enjoying the image
far larger frames of Ultra High Definition. accurately, especially with the built-in test performance of the TK700Sti from its native
pattern that’s available. Get your surface apps. Colours were a notable strength, even
The TK700STi can accept 1080p at 120Hz, level — or use the adjustable feet if need straight from the box, with vibrant greens and
which would then halve the lag to a surely be — and simply keep the projector perfectly reds, a zingy delivery of the difficult violet of
imperceptible 8.3ms. Both the PlayStation 5 perpendicular to the screen. The TK700Sti jacaranda trees, yet also maintaining accurate
and Xbox One S or X can output at 120Hz is impressively short-throw, so that for our and realistic skin tones. Blacks won’t match
frame rates, as can PCs. While the best gaming- 100-inch screen its 1.2× zoom lever allowed those of a TV, and of course are highly affected
optimised TVs can go slightly lower in lag still, positioning with the projector’s front edge by any light in the room, but they proved deep
and gaming monitors even further down, then between 199cm and 239cm from the screen. enough during night-time viewing to make the
you’d be losing the joy of wall-sized gaming The manual indicates the projector as being BenQ’s colours pop.
available from a projector. The TK700Sti can optimised for screen sizes from 60 inches up
even accept 1080p at 240Hz, should PC gamers to an impressive 200 inches. From Disney+ the swathes of dark
have a graphics card so capable, and this background on the stage of Hamilton were
would drop the BenQ’s lag to just 4ms. With the projector in position, we ran nicely graduated to reveal details of costume
Stephen Dawson’s UHD test card, which patterns even of those waiting in darkened
The three ‘Game’ modes differentiate displays individual pixel lines of colour wings. From 4K Blu-ray the value of DLP’s
between key genres of gaming. There’s an separated by individual lines of white. This genuine 4K delivery was made evident on the
FPS mode for first-person shooter games, showed that the DLP technology was success- fine recent 4K remasters of Peter Jackson’s
which enhances detail in order to reveal fully delivering genuine Ultra High Definition The Lord of the Rings, where the extraordinary
enemies hidden in shadows, and there’s an resolution, with the individual pixel lines detail and textures of costumes and props
RPG (role-playing) mode which delivers BenQ’s discernable, if slightly smudged into the gaps. alike now shine as never before. While we
“as directors intended” CinematicColor, in this This is just as we’ve seen before from DLP had neither an Xbox One or PS5 console to
case extending to 96% of the Rec.709 colour devices, so the new DMD chip would seem hand, we confirmed the projector’s ability to
gamut available from HDTV and Blu-ray. to match performance in that regard, if not accept 1080/120Hz from a PC, and ran a little
Thirdly there’s SPG (for sports games), which actually improving on it. blistering Battlefield 3 at this revealing rate.
provides “true colours” for flesh-tones.
We started our real-world watching by Not a bad word on the images themselves
Beyond gaming, or for games which don’t perusing the entertainment options from that then, but we were also watching carefully
require rapid reactions, there are plenty of Android stick neatly hidden in the back of the for motion judder. We’ve found Texas
other viewing modes on offer, including projector. This allows access to the Google play Instruments’ DLP chips previously to be locked
HDR10 and HDR Game modes. HDR10 mode app store with its near-endless apps available to 60Hz output, with judder resulting on
was engaged automatically whenever we to install — Disney+, Prime, Stan, Binge, 50Hz material in particular from the resulting
played HDR material from 4K Blu-ray. There’s Kanopy (no BritBox), and all five catch-up uneven frame conversion. Yet we saw very
even a 3D mode here, should you have 3D apps are included. The one glaring omission is little of it. It was not to be expected when we
movies and a player capable of delivering Netflix, which is not yet supporting projection played the 2017 Twin Peaks season on Blu-ray,
them. The glasses you’d need are extra. Android implementations; to its credit BenQ is as this arrived at 1080/60Hz, and the pans
very upfront about this, and suggests you call over pine trees were smooth, even the wildly
This is a 4K projector which uses Texas up Netflix on a Chrome browser and then cast spiralling zigzag floor patterns were held in
Instruments’ DLP technology, the micromirror- it to the Android dongle. We tried this from check. We had already been watching plenty
flipping solution which uses one 1920 × 1080 both a Chromebook and a MacBook Pro and it of 24Hz movies, and paid close attention to
array of micromirrors to address the screen worked pretty well, with regular little glitches the 4K Blu-ray remaster of The Return of the
four times per frame, thereby achieving UHD but no obvious image degradation other than King, with its wide sweeps of New Zealand
(consumer 4K) resolution of 3840 × 2160. a presumed 1080p maximum. Any connected landscapes and virtually-added Edoras and
This projector uses the new DLP471TE digital
micromirror device from TI, rather than the
DLP470TE we’ve seen in all such projectors
reviewed so far; this new DMD was released
only in September 2020. So that puts the
projection technology here 18 months ahead
of those using the older DMD.

Performance

Positioning this projector is important for
gamers wishing to minimise their lag. While
you can correct off-axis screen geometry
using keystone correction (this can be cleverly
automatic, indeed, for vertical keystone
adjustment), this has a penalty beyond the
usual compromise in resolution it requires,

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AV IMAGE BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

we put the projector into Game modes — and enabled, so in theory the projector should send BENQ TK700STi
it is not the result of clever motion processing, the audio from other inputs down an HDMI 2- GAMING-OPTIMISED PROJECTOR
because this particular BenQ projector doesn’t connected cable to an external receiver or
use any. So we were impressed. soundbar. Neither a soundbar nor a receiver • Bright and colourful projection
with which we tried this were able to get
The only place judder was prevalent was sound from the Android stick this way, though • Low 16.67ms lag with 4K/60
with 50Hz material viewed from the Android BenQ tells us this should be possible. We
stick — SBS or ABC catch-up shows showed could, however, do so from the HDMI 1 input, • Android smart stick built in
strong evidence of the 50-to-60Hz stuttering which is where you’d plug in your games
we’d been expecting. We suspect the Android console. But this too is limited to stereo only; • Surround sound not possible from
stick itself is limited to 60Hz. BenQ confirmed there is no 5.1 passthrough connected sources nor Android TV
available here. It’s a shame there’s neither
Audio eARC available, which would allow Atmos and Price: $2599
surround soundtracks to be extracted from
There are three ways to listen. You can use both console games and UHD Blu-ray movies, Resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels
the BenQ’s built-in speaker, just the one, nor an optical fallback output, which would Projection technology: 1920 x 1080 one-
in mono, firing from the left side, with 5W at least allow 5.1. While many people don’t chip Digital Micromirror Device (DLP471TE)
of unspecified power. We really couldn’t care about surround, in gaming it can give Aspect ratio: 16:9
FPS players a great advantage if they can hear Lamp: 240 watts
The TK700STi projector accurately where sniper fire is coming from. Lamp life: Normal 4000 hrs,
delivers what BenQ does SmartEco 8000 hrs, Economic 10,000 hrs,
best — rich colours, A more conventional connection might be LampSave 15,000 hrs
genuine pixel-shifted to plug the games console into an AV receiver, Colour gamut: 96% Rec.709
UHD resolution, smooth then out again to the projector, but then Brightness: 3000 lumens
playback and easy set-up — latency will suffer, with that extra HDMI chain Latency: 4K: 16.67ms@60Hz;
here enhanced for gamers. introducing additional delay. So if you’re after 1080p: 16.67ms@60Hz; 8.33ms@120Hz
the low latency of this projector for gaming, Inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0b,
you cannot also enjoy surround sound. QS01 HDMI Android dongle
Audio outputs: stereo audio minijack,
HDMI ARC (on HDMI 2 input),
built-in mono speaker with 5W
Other: HDR10/HLG, RS-232C control,
1 x USB-A (1.5A power only), 2 x IR
Dimensions (whd): 312 x 110 x 246mm
Weight: 3.1kg
Warranty: Two years (Lamp: the earlier of
one year or 750 hours use)

Contact: BenQ Australia
Telephone: 1300 130 336
Web: www.benq.com.au

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AV IMAGE

EPSON EpiqVision wide and 400mm deep. Inside there are three
15.5mm LCD projector panels using Epson’s C2
EH-LS300B & LS500B Fine technology, and a laser diode light source.
This kind of light engine works by firing
ULTRA-SHORT-THROW LASER PROJECTORS the laser into some phosphor, which then
produces a bright white light.
Ultra-short-throw projectors have evolved to include
TV-like operation and functions, while prices are tumbling. The use of this kind of light engine also
Is this the future of bigscreen viewing? means several good things. Firstly, long life.
The projector is rated at 20,000 hours of lamp
Ultra-short-throw projectors are an So that’s the idea here with Epson’s full-HD life. Secondly, the projector turns on fast —
attractive proposition: a projector EH-LS300B, and the EH-LS500B (see opposite) 5.5 seconds from standby, according to our
sitting on a bench close to the wall, with its 4K Enhancement technology. Do they stopwatch, or 6.5 seconds if it disconnected
delivering a large-screen ‘TV-like’ deliver the promised new age of UST laser TV? from power. It turns off fast as well.
experience with a convenience not available
from a conventional projector that has to be Equipment And the lamp can be controlled in level
pushed back in the room or hung on a ceiling. to help darken scenes. Epson says that the
Ultra-short-throw projectors use a combination dynamic contrast ratio is as much as 2.5
This ‘laser TV’ styling of ultra-short-throw of lenses and mirrors to cast the picture up million-to-1 (on the datasheet) or 1.5 million-
models has evolved rapidly. Since it’s going onto a screen almost immediately above them. to-1 (in the US manual we found online).
to work like a TV, shouldn’t it have speakers? The Epson EpiqVision EH-LS300B is a fairly
Shouldn’t it be smart, like a TV? Yes it should. compact specimen of the breed at 467mm There are two HDMI inputs, a USB socket
for playing back video content from a USB
stick, and dual-band Wi-Fi to deliver smart
TV operation, though surprisingly there’s no
Ethernet connection.

A nice touch: built-in sound that is quite
good. As always, we believe that the sound
of your system should match the scale of

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BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

the video. Since the EH-LS300B delivers firing audio system with 20W of power, and The projector is available on its own at
big vision, a decent external sound system it sounded better than any actual bare-bones just under $4000. But you can also get it as
should be in order. But absent that, we were slimline TV that we’ve used — and we’ve a package with an ‘Ambient Light Rejection’
quite impressed with the audio built into the used plenty. We also checked its Audio Return screen in 100 inches ($5099 package) or
projector. Epson relied on the audio expertise Channel capability via HDMI to a connected 120 inches ($5699). These employ a surface
of Yamaha for this: a 2.1-channel forwards- AV receiver, and it worked perfectly well. treatment which reduces the reflection of

EPSON EH-LS500B WITH 4K PRO UHD previous projectors, and again it shines here.
We also experienced no problem with frame
The precursor and big brother of the LS300B is resolution, this is remapped for projection rate (on either projector) from regular inputs,
the Sound+Image award-winning EH-LS500B. using its 1920 × 1080 panels, which are pixel- although — as is often the case with Android
In Australia the two models arrived quite close shifted once to deliver two overlapping images sticks — the stick’s own apps did seem locked
together, but in fact there’s as much as a full per frame, a total of around four million to a 60Hz output, so that for 50Hz TV catch-up
year of development between the two. It is not, pixels, so half the number of actual Ultra High apps and even 24fps movies, we’d recommend
therefore, simply a case of the LS300B having Definition 4K. Epson has strong arguments in streaming from an external source.
1920 × 1080 resolution versus the LS500B favour of this technology over DLP systems
doubling that, using a 4K input signal and which use four flashes per frame to deliver the We’d recommend using an external sound
Epson’s ‘4K Pro UHD’ technology to deliver full UHD resolution, noting the value of Epson’s system as well for the LS500. There are two
something of more impressive and smoother better brightness and contrast, and especially 10W speakers built-in, but an output for a
resolution. Notably the smarts are much more its use of three larger 0.74-inch panels more suitably-sized separate sound system can
developed in the newer model, whereas the compared to the single 0.47-inch micromirror be extracted using the minijack analogue audio
LS500 originally lacked a TV interface until device plus colour wheel used in nearly all output or HDMI ARC.
bundled with a stick as the ‘Android edition’, entry-to-mid-level UHD DLP projectors. That’s
enabling it to be described alongside other a big difference in area, so each pixel is larger, Again do consider your bench space: the
ultra-short-throws as a ‘laser TV’. brighter and, all other things being equal, also pictures are deceptive. For a 100-inch image
less prone to noise. The same argument occurs the projector lens needs to be 65cm from
Nevertheless we’ll vouch for the picture in the camera industry, where the ‘more pixels’ the screen or wall, for a 120-inch image the
quality of the LS500 as being a level above. It versus ‘larger pixels’ debate invariably comes distance needs to be around 74cm, and the
again uses a laser light source but here fully down on the side of larger pixels. It’s easy to projector will extend out another 12cm or
employs the High Dynamic Range and wider think that resolution is everything — TV so beyond that lens distance. For a 130-inch
colour information available from 4K input manufacturers being the leading brainwashers screen size the figure is 82cm, putting the
signals, employing 10-bit HDR and 12-bit in this regard — but we’ve confirmed the projector’s front 94cm out from the wall.
video processing to assist in delivering smooth benefit of Epson’s technology in several
tonal transitions. As for the 3840 × 2160 input Despite the impressive brightness here,
extreme ambient light will still wash it out
(one of Epson’s ALR screens will improve
this), so that for bright rooms a TV remains a
far superior day-time display. Once direct sun
passes by, however, the bigscreen projection
from the LS500 comes to life, and Epson’s 4K
Pro UHD proved its merits with an image not
only bright but smooth and well-coloured,
along with most if not all of Epson’s usual
excellent adjustment image options to get
the very best results (no Skin Tone slider, no
Super White option under Advanced, but full
RGBCMY hue/saturation/brightness tweaks).

EPSON EH-LS500
UST PROJECTOR

• Great big-screen image quality

• Supplied screen bundles recommended

• Requires 77cm bench depth from the
wall for 100-inch screen image

• Poor built-in speakers

Price: $5499

$6599 with 100-inch ALR UST screen
$7199 with 120-inch ALR UST screen

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light coming from above or directly in front, elements of the picture seemed, well, entirely the USB socket for that.
increasing their contrast ratio when there’s black. And yes, 4K Blu-ray, because even
light in the room. It’s a combination we’d though the projector delivers 1080p output, it Conclusion
certainly recommend. supports Ultra-HD inputs including HDR (and
Dolby Vision, which it treats as HDR). Aside from the missing Netflix, we were
Setting up impressed. The Epson EpiqVision EH-LS300B
We jammed in as much night-time viewing delivers a bright and impressive image to
In a couple of ways an ultra-short-throw as we could in the time available, and we must a large screen — and we would indeed
projector is a little trickier to set up than a say that we found it entirely satisfying: bold, recommend using a screen such as one of
regular projector. There is no zoom lens, accurate colours, and a sharp, detailed image. Epson’s, rather than a non-flat non-reflecting
for example, so the size of the picture is bit of wall, because we assure you, walls will
determined entirely by the distance between The LS300B quickly demonstrated that it’s never get the image truly flat. Plus the good
projector and screen. For a 100-inch screen, not really one for interlaced video in Australia. quality sound and the extremely long-life light
the distance from the wall to the back of the With both 576i/50 and 1080i/50 signals, it source makes this unit practical with some
projector (the side facing the wall) should be seemed simply to assume that everything was limitations for everyday use, as well as for
26.6cm. With the largest recommended screen video-sourced. So it applied motion-adaptive truly immersive bigscreen movie nights.
size of 120 inches, the distance is 38.6cm, so deinterlacing, rather than checking to see if a
the projector’s front will be more than 75cm simple weave might be better for any given EPSON EpiqVision EH-LS300B
from the wall — a fair amount of bench depth. bit of video. Most of the time you won’t notice LASER PROJECTION TV
this, but occasionally there’ll be some lines or
The image is cast at such an extreme grid in the picture which adversely interact • Powerful bright image
angle that you have to adjust everything with with the processing and so develop distracting • Free-to-air TV catch-up services
precision. Focus adjustment has almost no moire patterns. The solution, as always: use a • Convenient way to get a really large
effect at all at the bottom of the screen, which source with good quality deinterlacing.
is always in focus, but a massive effect at the picture
top. And the slightest angle to one side will Network streaming
yield a trapezoid of a picture. There is a clever • No Netflix or Prime support
electronic system for picture geometry, with When you first set up the Epson, you’re • No Ethernet
a dedicated button on the remote; you can offered a default bunch of apps, including • 1080i/50 and 576i/50 issues
drag the corners of a box to make sure every- Australian TV station apps such as iView,
thing’s square, like a supercharged keystone SBS On Demand and so on. There’s YouTube, Price: $3999, screen packages available,
correction system. But it’s done digitally, which Google play Movies & TV, Disney+ and Stan, see article
means that Full-HD input signals are no longer Vimeo, Spotify and Tidal and a whole lot
directly mapped onto the display pixels — so more. Note there’s no Netflix, as Netflix is, we Projection technology:
detail is lost. So get the physical placement gather from another source, declining to work 3 x 15.5mm C2 Fine LCD panels
right instead if you possibly can. with projector companies on apps, as it does Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
for TVs. There was no Amazon Prime Video Aspect ratio: 16:9
As for the smart set-up of the included either. We tried workarounds; we could kind Lamp: Laser diode
Android TV, you just use the Google Home app of stream Netflix from a phone, but not well. Lamp life: 20,000 hours
on your phone — it works on iPhones as well So the solution would be to plug in an external (in both Normal and Quiet modes)
as Android devices. We had the unit connected media streamer; we tried a ‘Chromecast with Brightness: 3600 lumens (both white and
within a couple of minutes. Google TV’ device into one of the Epson’s colour); 1800 lumens (ECO mode)
HDMI inputs, and Netflix would stream fairly Inputs: 2 x HDMI, 1 x USB, Wi-Fi
Performance smoothly via that route. Outputs: Optical digital audio
Dimensions (whd): 467 x 133 x 400mm
It turns out that 3600 lumens allows a YouTube, by contrast, streamed smoothly Weight: 7.2kg
surprisingly viewable picture even under via either route, as did iView and SBS On Contact: Epson Australia
the full glare of our room’s fluorescent tubes! Demand and Stan. Telephone: 1300 361 054
Not that we did any kind of critical viewing Web: www.epson.com.au
that way, we hasten to add. But we suspect Apparently the projector is also able to
that kids would be perfectly satisfied with support video calls using the Epson Online
afternoon cartoons served this way, especially Meeting app — powered by Zoom. You’ll
onto an Epson directional screen. And it’s fine
for the news and such. So consider this not
just a home cinema device, but a (kind of)
everyday TV.

Then, when night fell, we started to use it
as a real home cinema projector. And we were
impressed. What impressed us? The colour and
the black levels. The subjective black levels
were entirely satisfying. Which is to say that
with all the material we viewed — including

18



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GOING NATIVE he chuckled, as he described the VPL-GTZ380’s
sheer size — 76cm deep, 56cm wide and 26cm
Sony’s latest projector range benefits not only from high. Not to mention its weight.
their native 4K resolution, but from new processors
derived from the company’s Bravia televisions, which “Yes, it’s 51kg, but it’s more like 60 to 62kg
lift their projection performance to a whole new level. with the lens and mount attached,” says Bruce
Thierbach of Audio Active, which distributes
Sony’s projectors have a reputation — The biggest surprise, perhaps, is that aside Sony’s projectors in Australia. Indeed he told
a very good reputation. Ever since the from a few brands at the high extremes of us that they had to fight for the GTZ380 to
arrival of 4K ‘Ultra High Definition’, consumer projection, Sony has been the only come to Australia at all, as it was not simply
there have been two ways to achieve brand to enjoy the advantage of offering native part of the new 2021 range, rather a special
this higher resolution in the projection world. 4K, uniquely straddling the gap between product earmarked only for particular global
The first is perhaps the most obvious — using the pixel-flippers below and real monster markets which could handle it.
projection panels which natively have this projectors above.
higher resolution. The second is to use a “We had to establish new ways of doing
lower-resolution projection panel multiple In its most recent ranges, Sony has pushed things specially to accommodate the GTZ380,”
times, overlapping pixels or filling the screen pricing impressively low with its entry-level says Thierbach. “This is not a standard
in sections to make up the higher resolution. native 4K offerings (see opposite), all of which projection installation, not only because of its
This second method can be achieved more now boast the benefit of an ‘X1 for Projector’ size but also its requirements — it pulls 9.8
cheaply, in smaller projectors. But it requires processor, leveraging techniques developed for amps, for example, so it needs its own power
all manner of jiggery-pokery, and in the end, Sony’s Bravia televisions. circuit. We had to consider how to handle
it’s simply not ‘native’ 4K. everything from product demonstration to
And in breaking news, Sony’s latest release spare parts — after all, you don’t simply take
From its first 4K projectors, Sony has gone moves not down the range but upwards, to its a Ferrari to your local garage for servicing.
all the way with native 4K, indeed using highest echelon yet. In the VPL-GTZ380, Sony So to achieve all this, we’ve set up a special
multiple panels of true 4K resolution, initially has created its own monster projector. accredited agents programme.”
leveraging its expertise in professional cameras
and since developing an ongoing range of It’s a beast: the VPL-GTZ380 The programme includes special dealer
award-winning projectors which deliver training, with Sony signing off on the
pixel-for-pixel 4K clarity on the big screen. That’s how Sony’s Michael Bromley described paperwork for those accredited. Customers
the VPL-GTZ380 (pictured above) to us when it can experience the VPL-GTZ380 in a demon-
was announced last year. “It is a bit of a beast,” stration installation set up by Audio Active
in Melbourne, before commissioning their
own installation from their nearest accredited
agent. We had hoped to enjoy a GTZ380

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BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

experience in the Melbourne demo room LASERS, LAMPS & LUMENS
ourselves, but were stymied from travelling
there by repeated local lockdowns. Audio The current Sony range below the VPL-GTZ380 ‘beast’ rises from the lamp-based
Active’s Bruce Thierbach let us know what we VPL-VW290ES and 590ES through the laser-lit VW790ES and 890ES. All feature true 4K
were missing. SXRD panels and the ‘X1 for Projector’ processor, delivering Dynamic HDR Enhancer, Super
Resolution Reality Creation upscaling and noise reduction, and 4K Motionflow options.
“You’ve just never seen projection like this,”
he enthuses. “We’re running it on a 185-inch SONY VPL-VW290ES SONY VPL-VW590ES
screen and there’s such a depth to the image,
it gives almost a 3D effect; it’s like watching a Price: $8999 Price: $11,999
massive OLED screen. We thought it would be
all about the brightness — and we are getting 225W mercury lamp, 6000 hours 280W mercury lamp, 6000 hours
247 nits off the screen in HDR mode. But the For screen sizes: 60 to 300 inches For screen sizes: 60 to 300 inches
brightness isn’t like you need sunglasses to Light output: 1500 lumens Light output: 1800 lumens
watch it — the brightness instead delivers this Dynamic contrast: not stated Dynamic contrast: 350,000: 1
amazing realism, that 3D effect, because the Weight: 14kg Weight: 14kg
contrast ratio is so much higher.”
SONY VPL-VW790ES SONY VPL-VW890ES
The specifications certainly bear out the
claims of performance that goes a level above. Price: $22,999 Price: $38,999
The latest-generation SXRD panels allow the
VPL-GTZ380 to deliver native 4K or UHD Laser diode light source, 20,000 hours Laser diode light source, 20,000 hours
images with 10,000-lumen brightness. And For screen sizes: 60 to 300 inches For screen sizes: 60 to 300 inches
it’s worth remembering that the three 0.74” Light output 2000 lumens Light output: 2200 lumens
SXRD panels (see panel below right) are Dynamic contrast: Infinity Dynamic contrast: Infinity
delivering three simultaneous hits of native 4K Weight: 20kg Weight: 22kg
per frame, a grand total of 26,542,080 pixels.
Mind the gaps construction, which cannot be much reduced.
Meanwhile the laser light source achieves With gaps occupying more and more screen
(without brightness reduction) 100% of the There’s more to the native 4K performance of area, the brightness is decreased, and can
DCI-P3 colour gamut — the colour space Sony’s projectors than simply the resolution.
within the wider Rec.2020 colour space to Another core strength is also result in the so-called
which most UHD televisions are held, a full the technology used to ‘screen-door’ effect, like
135% wider than delivered by conventional create the image — SXRD, looking through a mesh
sRGB projectors. Colours outside the DCI-P3 or Silicon X-tal Reflective net caused by the inactive
colour space are only rarely found on Display — a form of areas between pixels. SXRD,
consumer media — HDTV.test’s Vincent Teoh reflective silicon. As however, uses a reflective
has identified some on certain 4K Blu-rays of resolution has increased layer behind which the
animated movies and very high-quality nature and pixel size has connections can be hidden,
documentaries, such as Planet Earth. decreased, the gaps between pixels have while the image enjoys a uniform ultra-thin
become ever more significant for some liquid-crystal layer without spacers in the
The wider colour volume has been rival technologies, as the gap size is fixed, image area. The result is higher brightness
achieved by using an additional red laser defined by the connections and the transistor capability, with no screen-door effect.
diode along with the two different-wavelength
blue laser diodes and a phosphor wheel,
thereby expanding the colour volume without
the brightness loss caused by colour filters.

“They wanted the new model to have wider
colour support, particularly for HDR, with no
brightness drop,” Michael Bromley tells us.
“The new light source achieves both deeper
blue and red by adding these elements to the
light source in the new configuration, while
achieving DCI-P3 with no need for a filter
to do it, meaning it keeps its light output at
10,000 lumens, when normally we would see
a drop-off of 30 to 40%.”

The phosphor wheel also cleverly doubles
as a ventilation aid, having a patented spiral
fin that carries heat away efficiently as it spins,
preventing any thermal build-up that might
otherwise occur in the optical engine because
of such high brightness.

21

AV IMAGE

RIGHT: La Coupole Planetarium in France has
partnered with Sony to install 12 Sony VPL-GTZ380s,
creating a 10K image on its 15-metre domed viewing
screen. CREDIT Sony/Le Coupole Planetarium/Adrien Hue

Connections on the GTZ380 service both The pricing depends on lens choice: with the analyses each scene to upscale to 4K, enriching
consumer and professional needs. There standard lens, the VPL-GTZ380 is priced at detail and texture. Plus, of course, there’s that
are two HDMI inputs capable up to 4K/60 $128,999; with the short-throw lens the price untouchable advantage of SXRD panels with
(including 1080/3D) and a USB-A slot, but also is $134,999. true native 4K resolution. Compare these with
two DisplayPort connectors which are, subject the pixel-flipping XPR technology used in DLP
to an additional licence, capable to 4K/120 There’s one final bonus of the Beast, one projection to deliver UHD. Those may use a
and even for types of 60Hz 3D signals used in for all those considering a Sony projector. As single digital micromirror device just 0.47-inch
professional VR applications. There are trigger in all realms of hi-fi and AV, such a high-end in size with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels,
and IR connections, and system control over a flagship provides a development platform for its output shifted four times per frame and
network via Ethernet or RS-232. technologies which can trickle down to more further variegated through the use of a colour
affordable models below — all the way to its wheel to deliver three colours, each time
The processor used in this flagship projector latest entry-level native 4K projector, the 290. reducing the available light output in addition
is Sony’s flagship processor, the X1 Ultimate to building the final UHD resolution from these
for Projector, optimising the image with the Sony’s true 4K range time-sequential flashes of output.
same technology found in high-end Bravia
displays, including full MotionFlow options, The whole new range (see panel, previous There’s none of that in Sony’s projectors;
Reality Creation definition enhancement and page) shares the use of native 4K SXRD panels, all three colours are shown all the time,
noise reduction, and much more. It’s a smart along with Sony’s ‘X1 for Projector’ processor. because they use not one 0.47-inch panel but
move by Sony to bring projection technology The output lumens rise through the range from three 0.73-inch panels, one each for the R-G-B
in line with the processing power enjoyed the bulb light sources of the $8999 1500-lumen colours, and each delivering the full 3840
by televisions in recent years, potentially VPL-VW290ES and $11,999 2000-lumen × 2160 pixels of consumer 4K (Ultra High
benefitting everything from enhanced VPL-VW590ES to the laser-diode light sources Definition), and in fact slightly larger, catering
resolution, colour and contrast to more of the $22,999 VPL-VW790ES and $38,999 to the 4096 × 2160 pixels of professional 4K.
effective delivery of dynamic range. So while VPL-VW890ES, the last of these benefiting
there’s no built-in support for the dynamic still further from its ARC-F lens array, an The resulting combination of resolution and
HDR metadata of Dolby Vision or HDR10+, 18-element 15-group all-glass large-diameter brightness is what sets Sony’s home cinema
Sony’s own ‘Dynamic HDR Enhancer’ can lens designed for higher resolving power and projectors apart. When we reviewed the
nevertheless optimise the HDR performance a better and more consistent control of focus $22,999 VPL-VW790ES recently, we noted its
frame by frame on the fly, while an ‘Object- and colour across the whole screen. superbly natural colours, black levels among
based HDR Remaster’, also powered by the X1 the best we’ve experienced from a projector,
Ultimate processor, analyses the colour and Key across the new range is the difference and noted how impressively the scaling
adjusts the contrast for individual objects. made by that X1 Processor in delivering the worked even down to 576p content, where the
Most TVs and projectors adjust contrast only best possible image from whatever source projector is turning frames of 400-ish thousand
along one black-to-white contrast curve, but is used, including upscaled and streaming pixels into frames of 8-ish million pixels. Yet
by ‘remastering’ objects individually, the sources, says Audio Active’s Bruce Thierbach. edges were surprisingly sharp; detail was
VPL-GTZ380 claims to deliver still greater preserved with minimal distortion.
depth and texture, and more realistic pictures. “The story is that you don’t need to have a
4K Blu-ray — you can have a standard Blu-ray Our conclusion for the VW790ES read thus:
Indeed as a potentially professional or watch streaming on Netflix or Disney,” he “In short, the Sony VPL-VW790ES produces by
projector (Sony is deploying the GTZ380 in says. “Whatever’s going in there, the processor a clear margin the best projector picture that
some of the largest planetariums in the world, is upscaling and optimising that performance we’ve experienced in our test rooms — and we
for example), the projector supports some and then still getting the full pixel count up mean ever.” But of course, we haven’t yet had
rather surprising features. This is because on that big screen. It just makes you want to a chance to host the Beast...
there were previously three models at this watch more movies.”
level — two commercial, and one residential. SONY 4K PROJECTORS
The GTZ380 represent an update on all three, With HDR content, for example, Sony’s
so includes options that consumers will not own Dynamic HDR Enhancer again allows Contact: Audio Active
need and be very unlikely to use — such as frame-by-frame analysis to optimise the HDR
the DisplayPort inputs, the professional 4K 3D on the fly, making the bright scenes brighter Telephone: 03 9699 8900
capability, even an additional infrared laser and the dark scenes darker. Sony’s Unique
source (unlocked by a special licence) for use Super Resolution “Reality Creation” Technology Web: www.audioactive.com.au
in pilot training and night-vision simulations.
Handy on a wet weekend, perhaps, but
for our money it’s the high-level movie
performance, of course, which gives Sony a
uniquely high-level native 4K attraction here.

22

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AV IMAGE

TCL 55C825 Lucky Country that we are — we will get also
75-inch and 85-inch models.
MINI LED 4K TELEVISION
It was pleasingly easy to set up, too, with a
Thousands of tiny backlights in hundreds of small zones single-piece stand connected via four screws
brings the performance of TCL’s Mini LED television to the very bottom of the TV rather than to the
into the realms previously monopolised by OLED. back, as is more usual; this has the advantage
that you can lay the TV on its back rather than
TCL’s C825 televisions use ‘Mini LED’ brightness is more than three times that of its front while connecting the stand, a less
technology. The Mini LED concept OLED, achieving an overall dynamic range fraught procedure.
groups thousands of tiny LEDs into of 20 stops. Then there’s colour — TCL’s Mini
128 dimming zones on this 55-inch LED claims to deliver fully 100% of the DCI-P3 The stand leaves the TV panel 8cm up from
model (160 zones on the 65-inch), backing a colour volume compared with OLED’s 70%. the desktop, with the gap to the stand filled by
Quantum Dot colour layer and an LCD panel. Indeed TCL claims Mini LED to be the equal the integrated soundbar, wrapped in on-trend
And in that respect it seems a conceptually of OLED’s darks and wide viewing angles, grey fabric and branded to Onkyo, though the
simple enough advance on the fewer zones, and its superior in peak brightness, average cachet imparted by Onkyo may be tempered
fewer lights of the past. So the surprise brightness, dynamic range, colour volume temporarily for those aware that Onkyo is
comes when you see TCL’s analysis of the and the possibility of burn-in (none with Mini currently under its second offer of buyout in
results of this change, and particularly its LED). So is OLED’s day in the sun finally over? as many years (an abandoned bid by Sound
comparison with OLED, still regarded by United now replaced by one from Voxx, parent
many, ourselves included for the most part, Build & facilities of Klipsch). Branding aside, however, this is a
as the TV technology du jour in areas such as useful three-way speaker system with mid and
contrast and HDR, if not in absolute brightness. TCL’s C825 is an attractive set, the metal frame tweeter drivers in the bar, and that woofer on
OLED’s ability to display low-level detail at presenting a couple of millimetres surround the back — in a slightly vulnerable position
even 0.001 nits brightness allows 19 ‘stops’ to the panel, and a panel surround of another when you’re moving the TV — handling
(iterative doublings of brightness) in dynamic 4mm around the picture itself, which TCL frequencies below 200Hz. TCL says it has
range up to its peak brightness of perhaps designates as representing a 99% picture-to- aimed for a flat response curve from the audio
700-1000 nits, though average OLED panel body ratio. The back of the TV stays quite thick system when operating at 85dB SPL.
brightness levels are around 150 nits. in the centre portion, able to house a useful
rear bass driver, while at the edges the entire The connections are all side-facing and
But this Mini LED panel, fabricated by TCL’s TV was only 23mm thick on the 55-incher we positioned on the right (worth consideration
subsidiary CSOL (China Star Optoelectronics had for review. Indeed we note that in Europe if you’re replacing a TV with connections
Technology), now claims the same low-level the C825 series is so far available in only this on the left). There are four HDMI inputs, all
display ability of 0.001 nits, while its average 55-inch and a larger 65-inch TV; in Australia — supporting HDMI 2.1, though with various
labels alongside. The first includes eARC,
the enhanced version of the Audio Return
Channel, capable of carrying audio in
both stereo and surround to a connected
audio system, so this is where you’d plug a

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BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

connection from an AV receiver or external await download, including all five catch-up There is Google Assistant built into Android
soundbar; there are also optical digital and apps, plus Binge, Optus Sport, Kayo, Foxtel, TV, of course, and the TV has a mike included,
minijack analogue audio outputs. HDMI 2 Tubi and many more. switched on (or off, for those with privacy
is labeled 4K/120, so presumably HDMI 2.1 concerns) by a toggle switch at the set’s back
and suited, along with other TCL gaming There’s also a ‘TCL Channel’ which both right. In our testing, operation was glitchy
credentials, for the latest generation games organises other content and offers 19 ‘live’ if we pressed the button on the remote, but
consoles. The other two are labelled 4K/60, channels of content, though nothing (for us, effective if we said the usual “Hey Google”. Our
which would imply HDMI 2.0b silicon, though at least) to get too excited about; some of them, question appeared on the screen and easily
we’re told they fully support HDMI 2.1, just including Drinks TV, disappointingly, failed to actioned requests like “Go to HDMI 1”, as well
with a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz. load when selected. as any old Google enquiry. One morning we
had lost the remote control and managed to
There’s a composite AV input on a minijack One bonus inside the box is a little camera get things running almost entirely by voice
with a supplied conversion cable, and the which connects into a slot at the top of the TV, command, which is about as good an imple-
usual antenna input. replacing a removable rubber seal. The camera mentation as we’ve yet enjoyed on a TV. Those
has a sliding switch on its back which disables preferring Alexa control can select “Works
If you’re not going to use the integral the camera for those with privacy concerns; it with Alexa” in the System menu, enabling the
soundbar you can take audio out of the HDMI might be more convenient if this status could TCL Assistant Skill through the Alexa Skills
eARC, from an optical digital output, or from be seen from the front, rather than the rear, Menu to work with an external Alexa speaker.
the headphone socket. Networking is available but a light comes on when it’s operating (and
using the Ethernet port or the built-in Wi-Fi. off, we assume, perhaps naively, when it’s not). In use
The camera can be used for Google Duo, and
Mini LEDs and dimming zones also for gesture control when using the Media When you fire up the TCL for the first time,
Player, which rather impressively proved the brightness is truly remarkable. We had our
As noted, this 55-inch panel is backed by Mini able to stream recordings from our Fetch TV computer connected to one of the HDMI ports,
LEDs in 128 dimming zones, while the 65-inch elsewhere on the network. You raise your and its white desktop set the TCL’s screen
version has 160 zones, and we gather the palm to get the camera’s attention, then can utterly ablaze. Switching to the Android TV
75-inch will have 240 zones. The upcoming 8K ‘hitch-hike’ with your thumb to scan forward home interface we saw the first evidence of
TCL Mini LED TVs (the X925 range, imminent) or backwards, or do an ‘OK’ gesture to pause the panel’s dynamic range and contrast, with
will have still more, topping out with the 8K and play, or put your finger to your lips for Android’s bright panes popping against deep
85-inch’s 2000 separate dimming zones. mute/unmute. Any external UVC-compatible black backgrounds.
webcam will also work for this, we’re told.
If this 55-inch’s 128 zones seem relatively This all worked remarkably well, though using This clarity and sharpness was equally
crude by comparison with such a number, TCL the remote control was generally quicker. evident when we moved to 4K Blu-rays. We
Europe’s Marek Maciejewski would disagree,
noting in a recent presentation to EISA editors
that our ability to discern dimming zones
is limited to 4° of resolution, equivalent to
144 zones on a 65-inch when viewed from
a normal viewing position, so that TCL’s
numbers exceed what should be discernable.

Perhaps still more to the point, the main
negative effect of dimming zones, which is
a ‘bloom’ or halo of light around a bright
object isolated on a dark background, has
been directly addressed by blooming/halo
suppression algorithms in these TCL TVs.
They may not do well when displaying star
fields, admits Maciejewski, but for real-world
material this allows all those OLED-like
advantages to be delivered halo-free.

Android TV

Once networked the TCL offers an Android
TV interface using Android 11 (see right),
which we gather should be upgraded to
Google TV later this year, adding still further
functionality such as voice search, a watchlist,
and smart home control. Meanwhile there’s
the vast resource of TV-compatible Android
apps available, and the TCL remote control
usefully offers dedicated buttons for Netflix,
Stan, Amazon Prime and Disney+. All the usual
suspects are either already on the apps bar or

25

AV IMAGE BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

loaded the remaster of the second Hobbit Whether by fundamental performance optical output of the TV to the amp — the TV
movie, and even before it began we were or AI processing the colours were equally should delay the audio to match the video. But
pausing the MGM and widescreen New Line impressive — it’s one thing to read the claim of because the connections were on the right side
logo sequences to examine how very black meeting 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut but of the TV, we didn’t have an optical cable long
were the blacks — indistinguishable from the quite another to enjoy such rich greens and enough! Then we remembered the TV’s gaming
non-picture panel area — and how there was purples, and impressively natural skin tones, credentials — low lag, VRR and so on, catering
no apparent bloom around even small letters especially when combined with extraordinary to the latest consoles. We switched to the Game
and bright shapes. Every time we thought texture detail available from a good 4K Blu-ray. picture mode, and presto, the video processing
we could see bloom, masking off the object It’s a performance level we’ve seen from only time was cut right back and the amp’s sound
showed how the bloom was the result of our one other screen technology — OLED — and was now in sync. But of course much of the
own perception, not the screen’s delivery. TCL is not overstating its case in considering clever processing is unavailable in Game mode.
Mini LED to be achieving the same qualities...
Once into the movie content, it’s hard to the brightness and colours popping out of The other audio option is to stick with the
isolate the effects of TCL’s processing on the the sheer blacks, the three-dimensionality of Onkyo soundbar. It’s not going to rock your
final image quality. This TV uses the AiPQ imaging that this imparts. world with movie impact and megabass; it’s
Engine Gen 2 processor debuted by TCL at IFA not going to match many separate soundbars,
in Berlin last year, with its ability to optimise The other gift of the AiPQ processor is its let alone hi-fi speakers flanking your TV.
settings according to content — “so oceans upscaling. When we used the same 4K Blu-ray But it is able to deliver good day-to-day TV
appear bluer and rainforests lusher”. The player to send ABC iView catch-up to the TCL, sound and to crank movies reasonably high,
HDR performance certainly benefits from the Movie Mode was wholly inappropriate delivering nice spaciousness at times, such as
the 20 stops of dynamic range, and from and delivered notable judder on the panning during the spooky ‘don’t leave the path’ forest
selectable dynamic tone mapping, so that for shots opening The Hollow Crown’s second sequence in the second Hobbit movie.
HDR content defined right up to 4000 nits the season. Here the Motion Clarity settings
brightest whites won’t simply crush, they’ll delivered impressive results, and while the Conclusion
be mapped to the abilities of the panel. This upscaling couldn’t entirely mask the sub-SD
setting also brings up shadow detail signifi- streaming resolution, the limited frame rate The case for Mini LED seems proven by TCL’s
cantly, which can require some brightness of this catch-up streaming was impressively C825. Get the picture settings right and you
adjustment to maintain the blacks, but this smoothly rendered. We tried exactly the same have blacks as black as we’ve seen anywhere
dynamic tone mapping is a crucial inclusion programming from the Android TV’s ABC iView except OLED, colours which pop as impres-
(oddly the UK C825 model doesn’t have it). app, and the resolution seemed much improved sively as OLED, and higher brightness levels.
— a better stream, presumably — but the Here that image quality is accompanied by the
There’s selectable and customisable motion cartoony ‘video’ effect was back. The intelligent advantages of Android (soon Google) TV — and
interpolation available, but in a number of picture settings helped, but some compromise of a decent soundbar built in. If the rest of the
the default picture settings it could cause that in motion processing was needed to get a more range performs as well as this 55-incher, TCL
posterised video effect at which Hollywood natural result. The best results came from seems onto a winner here.
aimed its guns a few years back, spurring the loading our Hollow Crown DVDs and embracing
subsequent arrival of various ‘Filmmaker’ the often easier and usually higher quality TCL 55C825
modes, most of which simply turn off motion legacy of disc-based entertainment. MINI LED TELEVISION
processing. Here the equivalent is the ‘Movie
Mode’, which we certainly favoured for The We had our 4K Blu-ray player delivering • OLED-level blacks and dynamic range
Hobbit once we had returned the colour its audio directly (via coaxial digital) to our
temperature slider back from ‘Warm’ to hi-fi amplifier. This revealed the delay induced • Excellent colours
‘Normal’. The result was a delight, and the by the TV — the audio came from our hi-fi
utility of the HDR signal evident whether we speakers a good 300ms ahead of the picture, • Useful integral soundbar
were admiring details in a shadowy Prancing unbearably out of sync. With no audio sync
Pony bar or the brightness of a shining dawn adjustment on the hi-fi amplifier, we sought a • Nothing at the price
with wargs silhouetted in the foreground. solution. Easiest would have been to run the
Price: $2499

Screen technology:
miniLED backlit LCD with QD colour
Screen size: 54.6-inch
Panel refresh rate: 120Hz
Native resolution: UHD 3840 x 2160
Inputs: 4 x HDMI 2.1 (2 x 120Hz), 2 x USB
2.0, component AV via minijack and adap-
tor, antenna in, Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi
Outputs: minijack headphone, optical
digital, HDMI ARC, Bluetooth audio out
Weight: 20/22kg without/with stand
Contact: TCL Electronics Australia
Telephone: 1300 738 149
Web: www.tcl.com/au

26



AV SOUND

JBL BAR 5.0 MULTIBEAM “incredibly spacious 3D soundscape” unless
you have a room that size? We asked Harman,
SOUNDBAR which replied that “These are meant as an
ideal set of parameters, not a hard and fast
JBL invariably offers more than you might expect rule, but meant as a relative guide. You will
at any given price, and its latest soundbar, the get good results in other size rooms.”
JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam, proves no exception.
And to assist in those good results, there is
JBL is a company which stretches from which requires no subwoofer to support its a calibration system, rather impressive in a
the lowest to the highest echelons of sound. This is an arrangement we always like bar of this price. With Automatic MultiBeam
audio — from real cinemas, studio for simplicity’s sake, removing the need to site Calibration (AMC), “your surround sound
monitors and high-end home theatres a large bass box somewhere in the room, and experience can be optimized for your favorite
at the top, to the world’s most successful the trials of getting this to integrate properly seating position”, says the manual.
mono portable Bluetooth speakers at the from all key listening positions.
bottom. It’s a breadth of operation which In addition to those five active racetrack
gives it an advantage in terms of economies The Bar’s 5.0 designation comes from its drivers, there are four passive 75mm bass
of scale, in technology licensing — it probably five racetrack-shaped drivers, each 80×48mm. radiators, positioned in two opposed pairs
doesn’t hurt, either, to be owned by Harman, Three of these fire forward from the front of firing up and down (see cutaway opposite).
with all its broad expertise across multiple the centre section, where all the electronics sit While the racetrack drivers each get a quoted
audio brands, and beyond that by Samsung, behind them, physical connections to the rear 50W of power (measured with 1% THD), the
with its extended technology strengths and and touch buttons on top for power, volume passive drivers move in sympathy with the
massive marketing reach. and source. The other two active drivers fire energy coming from the back of the active
sideways at an angle from the ends of the drivers inside the cabinet. So while there are
In short, JBL invariably offers more than curving cabinet, and it is this which gives the apparently speakers on the top of the bar,
you might expect at any given price, and its bar its ‘MultiBeam’ moniker. Images on JBL’s they are nothing to do with Atmos or height
latest soundbar, the JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam, website show sound from the speaker blasting information. The Atmos implementation here
proves no exception in that regard. forward from the three channels from the is virtual; an Atmos signal will be decoded and
centre, with sound from the side bouncing off then delivered from the five active drivers,
Equipment side walls to reach the listener from far out though “Virtual Dolby Atmos” magic may
wide, if not actually behind you. endeavour to convince your ears and brain
The JBL bar is solidly built and nicely compact there is more going on than there really is.
at 71cm long and just 6cm high, low enough Right near the start of the Bar’s instruction
not to cover the screen of all but the very manual there is a diagram specifying a room There are two ways the Bar can receive a
lowest-slung TVs when on a bench-top, and width of four metres and a listening distance Dolby Atmos signal. The first is via an HDMI
further neatened in many ways by being a bar of 2.5-3 metres. So will the Bar not deliver its connection with your TV, playing back down
the wire using eARC, the ‘enhanced’ version
of HDMI’s Audio Return Channel, which can
now handle multichannel surround. For this

28

BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

to work you will require eARC on your TV, After a while we tried the power button — — calibration systems generally allow easy
so a decent recent model. If your TV has the not always a sensible call when a firmware toggling to see if you prefer the calibrated
earlier ARC, which delivers stereo only, then update is apparently underway, but yes, or uncalibrated sound. But this isn’t possible
you can still provide the Bar with Atmos by ‘HELLO’, it said, and started up. here; indeed the only way to return to uncali-
plugging a media player or Blu-ray player into brated sound is to undertake a complete reset
the other HDMI socket, which is a standard We had made the HDMI eARC connection of the Bar. “The goal here” Harman told us, “is
input. We plugged in an AppleTV 4K into this to our eARC-compatible Samsung, which to create the simplest possible set-up for the
input, and later a 4K Blu-ray player, both announced it had a ‘receiver’ attached — consumer – basically a set and forget process.”
capable of delivering Atmos from suitable we selected it, but no sound emerged. We
soundtracks. The JBL will play the audio and tried optical from the TV and that worked Virtual Atmos, the other magic trick here, is
pass the 4K video through to your TV; this immediately. We later removed the optical activated by a dedicated button on the remote
includes full passthrough of HDR information, cable and the HDMI eARC then burst into life, and can be toggled on and off. It doesn’t
including Dolby Vision. and worked thereafter. So if at first you don’t require the Bar to be receiving a bona fide
succeed, as they say, have a good fiddle. Atmos soundtrack; it works on anything.
There is also an optical input, in case you
don’t have any HDMI ARC at all, or less it We then had a go at the Automatic So that’s how we listened for the first week,
doesn’t work. Optical can carry some basic MultiBeam Calibration. Here the manual calibrated and running day-to-day TV viewing,
surround formats, but not Atmos, nor multi- indicates with its pictograms that you hold and regularly trying the Atmos button to test
channel PCM. Indeed many TVs will deliver down the HDMI button for five seconds, its effects on programming of all types.
straight stereo via the optical path. so that CALIB appears on the LED display,
which it did, followed by around 30 seconds We were never quite satisfied. JBL’s
So those are the connection choices when of calibration whoops. With this, says the preferred sound curve tends to soften the
playing video, but the JBL Bar 5.0 is a two-trick guide in one of its rare bursts of words, top-end, which doesn’t help dialogue achieve
pony, as it’s also loaded with options for music “your surround sound can be optimized for cut-through, and we were constantly bothered
playback. Round the back is an Ethernet your favourite seating position”. But how by a feeling of mild disorientation indicating
connection, or you can use the Bar’s dual-band did it know where we were seated? What that something was slightly out of phase.
Wi-Fi, and once networked the Bar offers microphone was it using to monitor the
built-in Chromecast audio streaming and also whoops? Answer was there none from the Furthermore it quickly became clear that
Apple’s AirPlay 2, each of which offers full guide. We thought perhaps the mike was the Bar was not simply using the front three
CD-quality or better for streaming from your in the remote control — so that the JBL Bar speakers as LCR and the side speakers to
smart device of choice. There’s also Bluetooth, was now carefully optimising its audio for bounce surround channels from your wall. We
but this is not to the same quality, given no someone with their head lying on the coffee played Dammit Janet from ‘The Rocky Horror
codecs above the base-level SBC (i.e. no AAC or table. But we needn’t have worried. When Picture Show’ Blu-ray, which has a surround
aptX). With Chromecast and AirPlay 2 onboard, we checked with JBL, they told us that “The mix using five (seven, if you have them)
there’s really no reason to use Bluetooth other calibration process is automated, it sends out channels very discreetly — in this song Brad
than convenience or for un-networked visitors. signals and receives via an internal mic. It and Janet sing only from the centre channel,
creates virtual mapping of the dimensions the main thrust of the music comes
The last rear socket is a USB-A slot, which in of the room to fulfil the best MultiBeam from L and R, while strings and
the USA supports MP3 file playback, but here parameters of function.” electric piano are isolated
is used only for manual firmware updates. in the rears. But
If you’re networked, these updates can be Which is clever enough, really, though getting up
received over the internet anyway. there’s not the stated “optimising for your close to
favourite seating position” — the Bar can have
Performance no idea where you’re planning to sit.

We plugged up the bar and powered it up. Calibration done, we were keen
Initial set-up was a little extended, with words to compare the calibrated
like LOAD appearing on the bar’s user-friendly sound with the
LED display, then WAIT… so we did, examining original version
the Quick Start Guide, which indicated that
those messages might appear, but offered few
actual words of instruction, as JBL has opted
for the pictorial style of instruction book. There
was no full manual in the box nor a link to
one either (“All indications we have is that the
majority of customers do not generally look at
full manuals in paper format”, said Harman
when we asked about this, noting it also as
a ‘green’ initiative), but we found it online
easily enough. By then the bar’s LEDs were
announcing rising percentages — 20%, 30%,
up to 100%, then WAIT again, for a long time
this time, then LOAD again… then nothing.

29

AV SOUND BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

the JBL Bar, it was clear that bits of the L and subsequent to decalibration. The sound was To finish up we tried calibration again. The
R were also coming from the side drivers. We brighter, improving vocal intelligibility. Did effect this time was different, sharpening up
tried 5.1 and Atmos test tracks, and confirmed our TV pass Atmos from Netflix down eARC? the midrange; we compared Leonard Cohen’s
that it seemed that much of the treble content ‘Live in London’ take of Tower of Song before
for the left channel was coming from the wide The Woman in the and after, and calibration imparted an edge
left, while a soft version came from at least , with the Bar scrolling a message that towards sibilance in Cohen’s vocal but also a
one of the three central drivers. Even isolated it was receiving at least multichannel PCM sense of artificiality, bringing back the slightly
centre-channel audio was leaking from the (the same message received when playing phasey ‘suck out’ effect which we’d heard in
wide sides. Atmos from Blu-ray), and it presented a the previous calibration.
full and large atmospheric soundstage
Was this because we had calibrated the with fairly accurate tonal voices, a good Conclusion
MultiBeam? We did the full reset, and yes, underpinning of bass strength, and
the channel paths were then more clearly effective screen-wide movement JBL has squeezed a huge amount into
defined — no centre leakage at all, if not this bar, and impressively handles it all
quite an entire clarity of separation. However, from left to right. We never heard without resort to any app of its own.
we discovered also that even following a full sounds from much further afield The calibration may be a step too far,
reset, the Virtual Atmos effect is ‘on’ by default. than around a metre either side given its irreversibility and sometimes
We turned this off, and thereby enjoyed of the Bar, nor height, whether or negative effects on clarity during our
far more clearly separated five-channel not we added the Virtual Atmos listening, while the Bar’s claims for ‘3D
sound. More or less. There was still a little function. There was one exception sound’, whatever that may be, were not
spread between channels, and judging from — on the Dolby Atmos ‘Leaf’ demo, much borne out by our listening either.
Fraunhofer test-track voices the surround certain effects did gain very wide Yet it’s a solid enough bar, certainly well-
channels seemed to be granted no bass content and even surround positioning. stocked, and enjoyable if not sophisticated
— or were out of phase. As the swish of the sycamore seed for music streaming at most levels, while
passed behind the listening position it for TV and movies we found its sound to
Conclusion — if you like things more or disappeared entirely, but it picked up from be best with a high-quality soundtrack,
less as the sound engineer intended, don’t a position perhaps E-S-E of our head — and able to play enjoyably to quite high levels,
calibrate the Bar and turn off the Virtual that’s impressive, even though this was demo and especially when taken back to its non-
Atmos. If you want to hear what JBL thinks material rather than an actual soundtrack; the calibrated state of clarity. If not our favourite
works best, go ahead and play. After all, only other front-based soundbar we’ve heard soundbar even at this reasonable price, it
resetting takes only about a minute — though deliver such width is Sennheiser’s whackingly certainly offers a high-value combination
it removes all personal settings, so if you’re more expensive Ambeo. We’d note also that between facilities and sound quality.
on Wi-Fi or have set up Chromecast, you’ll our room was two metres wider than the
have to repeat the process again afterwards. suggested four metres, which might affect the JBL BAR 5.0 MULTIBEAM
angled ‘bounce’ of sound, so the effect may be SOUNDBAR
still more apparent in JBL’s ‘ideal’ scenario.
We also played many hours of music • Great facilities at the price
through the JBL bar. Electronic mixes
were perhaps the most enjoyable, with an • Solid and compact design
impressive emission of bass during the
downward slides of the Cornelius mix of • No subwoofer required
The Avalanches’ Since I Left You, playing from
Qobuz over AirPlay from a Macbook Pro. • Not a very musical bar
Bass was dropping away only in the 50s of
hertz, pretty good for a bar without a sub. • Can’t turn off calibration
Open acoustic music also emerges with
warmth and openness. The opener of the new Price: $599
Crowded House album, Bad Times Good, is a
small-scale song with tight clarity and ethereal Drivers: 48 x 80mm racetrack
harmonies which the Bar 5.0 MultiBeam drivers x 5; 75mm passive
presented pleasingly up to a medium level; radiators x 3
beyond that the bass became overdominant Quoted power: 5 x 50W (no
and tended to mask the detail behind Neil’s envelope stated, THD 1%)
vocals. The second track, Playing With Fire, Connections: HDMI eARC
started well, but its complexity soon flattened (output & TV audio), HDMI in x 1,
out the JBL’s sound, so that while the Bar optical digital, Bluetooth, USB-A
was capable of making a fair old noise, there (service only), Ethernet, Wi-Fi,
was little openness and almost nothing in the AirPlay 2, Chromecast
way of real dynamics. The ‘Atmos’ option is Dimensions (whd): 61 x 6 x 10cm
disabled for music streaming. Weight: 2.8kg
Contact: Harman Australia
Telephone: 02 9151 0376
Web: www.jbl.com.au

30

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AV SOUND

ELEMENTI FIRE brings a significant shift in equipment layout
in a home cinema, by removing the power
HOME CINEMA SPEAKERS amplification from the main equipment rack.

Elementi’s home cinema speakers are not only different This delivers the usual active speaker
in themselves, they enable a change in home cinema advantage of avoiding the need to run long
design which brings several key advantages. speaker cables, where electrical properties
can significantly change over the longer runs
It’s rare to encounter a new brand which uses compression drivers for high frequency required around a cinema and potentially
not only brings fresh and competitive delivery, while the ‘Air’ models share the through walls. Elementi notes that ideally
product to the marketplace, but which cabinet and mid-bass drivers from the Fire speakers should be located within three metres
also suggests a way of doing things range but switch to a pleated diaphragm of their amplifier. In the home cinema pictured
differently. But that’s the fundamental ethos ‘tweeter’ along the lines of Oskar Hail’s air opposite and overleaf on these pages, they
behind this new Australian brand of home motion transformer. have been mounted immediately adjacent.
cinema speakers called Elementi.
Moving the amplifiers The amps are relatively shallow and
Designed specifically for home cinema use modular units, designed to mount vertically
(though the largest of them could potentially Although the Elementi speakers are described against the cinema walls, hidden behind fabric
service commercial applications), the Elementi as digital active, the amplification is not or in joinery. Audio signals can then be run
brand includes ‘Fire’ and ‘Air’ speaker internal; the amplifier components are kept over balanced analogue audio cables, or
ranges, plus an ‘Earth’ range of subwoofers, separate but adjacent to the speakers they kept digital (via Dante audio-over-IP) right
and an upcoming ‘Water’ range of Atmos individually power. So aside from the merits through to the Elementi amplifiers, with
speakers. The ‘Fire’ range (pictured above) of each individual speaker design, Elementi their floating 32-point DSP processing, digital
crossovers, FIR filters (with correction in both
the frequency and time domains), and high
quality digital-to-analogue converters.

Another advantage of active speaker
designs applies here, where the combined

32

BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

design allows the amplification to be matched difficulty of keeping the rack adequately screen where a panel can be easily removed
specifically to the speakers, and vice versa. The ventilated to prevent the build-up of heat. for access so you can identify any issue — is
power modules within the Elementi amplifiers Running too hot has a long-term impact on it working, is it on? You can unscrew it easily
are full-bandwidth PWM modulation Class-D the longevity of equipment; in the shorter if removal is required.
from Danish company Pascal, whose modules term it can even lead to equipment failure. By
have gained a reputation for both reliability removing the power amplifiers from the rack The Elementi amplifiers are quite shallow,
and high-level sonic performance. Elementi’s — often a fair portion of what a rack might be requiring only around 150mm in depth,
500W and 1000W amplifier models feature — you get the twin advantages of reducing the including cables. A frame at the front of the
passive cooling which ensures they are silent size of the central rack, and of greatly reducing room could accommodate amplifiers for the
in the cinema. The 2200W active models the level of heat it will generate. front speakers; the common implementation
feature ultra-silent fans and suit front wall of an acoustically-transparent curtain at the
placement to run Elementi Audio’s most Some home cinema designs avoid the rear of a theatre could have enough space to
powerful speakers and subwoofers. disadvantages of long speaker runs by using fit not only the usual speakers behind but their
active loudspeakers which have the amplifica- amplifiers as well.
Dual advantages tion built into the loudspeaker enclosures
themselves. Here the Elementi solution of The core philosophy, then, is that the
The concept of having individual amplifiers separately wall-mounting amplifiers has amplifier component of Elementi digital
positioned adjacent to the Elementi speakers another benefit, that of ease of servicing. If a active speakers can be positioned to serve up
they power is a significant change from the digital active speaker design with the amplifier the best possible end result, whether that be
usual approach in a home cinema. More in the back of the speaker is custom-installed thermally, or delivering a clean electrical signal
commonly, passive speakers around the room behind a screen, typically this would be to the speaker. And with the amplifiers being
will be powered by one or several multi- installed from the front. But maintenance then modular and so easily expandable, they can
channel power amplifiers that are housed becomes a labour-intensive process. If such deliver the power required for the speakers
in an equipment rack, along with the rest of a speaker fails, you’ve got to take the whole based on the SPL requirements of the project.
the electronics. Aside from this arrangement screen out, and then take the speaker out to
requiring long runs of speaker cable from get to the amplifier to work out the problem. For the home cinema designer this means
the rack — which may be at the back of the An Elementi amplifier, on the other hand, can changes in some of the usual ways of wiring
room or even outside it — there is the further mount near the speakers, potentially under the a cinema, and indeed rethinking the whole
system in quite a different way, especially
if taking advantage of the Elementi’s ability

This home cinema (designed
by Wavetrain Cinemas) uses
Elementi Fire digital active
speakers and the Basalt
subwoofer. Two of the
subwoofers can be seen
in the image overleaf
during construction.

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AV SOUND BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

LEFT: The home cinema room ELEMENTI FIRE
during installation, showing DIGITAL ACTIVE SPEAKERS
two Elementi Basalt subwoofers
on the rear wall,awaiting their ELEMENTI FIREFLY
dedicated amplifiers alongside. Configuration: Digital active
2-way with 2-channel 500W
to take their input digitally from the Dante yet drilled into the Earth. This sub can feature external amplifier
audio-over-IP system. While agreeing this is either single or dual 24-inch drivers, delivering Suits: front LCR or surround
a conceptual change, Elementi points to the from 10 to 100Hz under 2200W of power. Drivers: 25mm compression driver
significant advantages both in terms of the (120°/40° waveguide); dual 6-inch
signal path — eliminating potential digital- Indeed the names used across the Elementi drivers with ferrite magnets
to-analogue and back to digital conversions range are great fun. In addition to the subsonic Dimensions (hwd):
— and in terms of cost savings on cables. By Kola, the Elementi Earth subwoofer range 585 x 260 x 130mm
using Dante, installers are then just wiring has models called Obsidian, Onyx and Basalt.
up standard data cabling, with far easier and The Water range of Atmos speakers will have ELEMENTI FIREBIRD
quicker cable terminations than required for Maelstrom and Tsunami models. The linear- Configuration: Digital active
more expensive analogue balanced cables. phase Air models rise from the Zephyr through 2-way with 2-channel 500W
the Sirocco to the Tempest. And the Elementi or 1000W external amplifier
Speakers with a purpose Fire range, with its compression drivers, has Suits: front LCR or surround
the Firefly, the Firebird, Phoenix and the Drivers: 25mm compression driver
Elementi explains that the speakers themselves range-topping FireDragon. (90°/40°dispersion waveguide);
are also different, partly because of how they dual 6-inch drivers with neodymium
have been designed for precise purposes While those compression drivers, as used magnets
within a home cinema. The Firefly, for in the Fire range, are not unusual in home Dimensions (hwd):
example (second from the right in the group cinema use, Elementi notes that the processing 662 x 270 x 120mm
image) has an unusual waveguide with 120° in the dedicated Elementi amplifiers makes a
horizontal dispersion and 40° degree vertical, difference, taking the best of what compression ELEMENTI PHOENIX
and comes as standard with a bracket that can drivers have to offer — their dynamic and Configuration:Digital active
angle the speaker at 20° to the wall. detailed sound — but taming any potential 2-way with 2-channel 500W or
harshness by using FIR filters which tune 1000W external amplifier
The effect is that the speaker’s output not only frequency but also phase. By tuning Suits: front LCR or surround
tracks from the wall and outward to 120 the speakers accurately in the laboratory, Drivers: 25mm compression driver
degrees, this wide coverage being ideal for Elementi aims to deliver a speaker that sounds (90°/40°dispersion waveguide);
front wide or surround channels. Being less powerful, clean, warm and effortless. dual 6-inch drivers with neodymium
of a point source, this delivery of sound also magnets
allows seating closer to the speaker than Using digital crossovers prior to the Dimensions (hwd):
might otherwise be advised. Yet the Firefly is amplification also ensures that if the bass 730 x 270 x 150mm
nevertheless a high output design, which can drivers are being pushed hard, that strain
be used as a front LCR, where its very wide does not show up in the tweeters to affect the ELEMENTI FIRE-DRAGON
horizontal dispersion will assist a seamless quality of detail in the sound. Configuration: Digital active
integration between the three front speakers, 3-way with 3-channel 2200W
even for a big screen. When using speakers Right thinking, right timing external amplifier
with more narrow dispersion behind a large Suits: front LCR
screen, five speakers across the front might be So while Elementi requires a rethink in Drivers: 44mm + 3.5-inch
required for a uniform sound field. some of the fundamentals of a home cinema, compression drivers (90°/40°
that’s exactly the company’s point — this is a dispersion waveguide; dual 12-inch
Topping the Fire range is the Fire-Dragon, new style of system, putting amplifiers in a drivers with neodymium magnets
which Elementi claims can hit reference levels beneficial position, delivering the best possible Dimensions (hwd):
at 25 metres, making it suited to rooms of any sound, removing issues of phase and heat, and 1009 x 450 x 280mm
size, even in commercial cinema design. potentially reducing cable costs significantly.
Yet Elementi says that what will sell the system Elementi Fire speakers and
Another full-on design is the Kola is its sound — extraordinarily powerful, associated amplifiers are
subwoofer, named after the deepest hole ever immersively rich, yet clean. distributed by Cogworks. For more
information on all Elementi’s ranges
visit: www.elementiaudio.com

34



AV SOUND

YAMAHA
SR-B20A & SR-C20A

SOUNDBARS

Y amaha describes both its ‘entry-level’ Both can also be wall-mounted. With the The differences are that the wider B20A
soundbars as upgrades for your longer B20A this flips the bar over, so that the model has a subwoofer output, so its depth of
TV sound, something very much indicator lights and most of the drivers usefully performance could be extended in that way,
required in these days when flat face the listener. When this bar is benched in although at some significant cost, since useful
TV screens generally mean weedy built-in front of your TV, those controls and lights are subwoofers aren’t cheap. Indeed you’d do better
TV sound. Neither requires a separate less usefully hidden. to buy one in a package if you’re after that
subwoofer, simplifying set-up and positioning, bottom octave of movie-style bass: Yamaha
while keeping the price down. And there is The C20A doesn’t change its orientation for has a number of such combos. Yet as we’ll
mercifully little pretence here from Yamaha wall-mounting; it simply has two hanging holes hear, the B20A does a remarkable job without
that the bars will deliver ‘surround’ sound. on the rear for screws which can be positioned such additional support.
What’s promised instead is simply solid sound using the supplied mounting template.
with which to enjoy your shiny new flatscreen. The lozenge-shaped C20A has no subwoofer
Both soundbars are well-finished for the output, but it instead gains an analogue
So how do they do, and how do they differ? price. The C20A’s smaller curved lozenge is minijack input, which might be a useful fallback
neatly covered with fabric from base to back, input for older TVs lacking digital outputs, or
Equipment where there’s an indented bay for the inputs. for those times when digital compatibility is
The longer B20A feels similarly solidly built, having a bad day.
The most obvious differentiator between the and looks stylish too, with black fabric wrap
designs is their length. The SR-B20A stretches and curving ends — by no means a budget- There’s no networking of any kind on either
a fair 91cm wide and is just 5cm high, a good looking bar. bar, but both offer Bluetooth streaming which
match for 55-inch TVs, but with nothing to stop supports both SBC and AAC codecs. This is
its use with TVs smaller or larger. The SR-C20A, Their inputs are almost but not quite primarily intended for music streaming from
in contrast, is a lozenge of a soundbar, weighing identical, with each model having one thing a smart device, we imagine, although TVs that
just 1.8kg, measuring just 60cm wide (that’s lacking on the other. Both host a single HDMI can output audio via Bluetooth could also send
5cm less than a Sonos Beam). With only $20 socket, which is an output to connect to your their audio to the bar in this way, at the peril of
separating them in price, that makes the larger TV’s ARC-equipped input and play all your potential delay, depending on the system.
model seem better value on the face of it. But of sound back down the HDMI cable. Each also
course the smaller model is neater, less visually has two optical digital inputs on each bar, and The biggest difference between the two
intrusive, so some may prefer its approach. a USB-A slot, though this is only for applying bars is their driver complement, as allowed by
firmware updates. their different shapes. On the smaller C20A,

36

BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

there are two small active drivers at the adjustment for the variable bass content found enjoyable, clear and impressively-sized
ends of the front-facing surface, quoted at in TV shows and movies, and also in music. sound, and the delay fell within for acceptable
46mm and handling everything north of bounds even our particular hyper-sensitivity
230Hz. The bass drivers confused us at first, The remote further offers input selection, to lip-sync delay. For wall-mounting, of course,
because of an unusual arrangement — buttons for Clear Voice and a bass-boosting playing from your TV via Bluetooth would also
there’s an active 75mm driver firing Bass Ext., plus four sound ‘modes’: Stereo,
upwards on the top left of the bar. But have the benefit of removing all wires
the energy inside the cabinet also pushes Standard, Movie and Game. The manual except the mains cable.
a pair of passive radiators, one at the indicates that with the last three of these,
bar’s top right, and one underneath. So “Surround playback is performed”, and that As for their respective sonic
this is effectively a two-channel configu- “Dolby Pro Logic II is enabled automatically performance, well we liked them both,
ration which one might charitably call when 2-channel stereo signals are played though they had rather different char-
2.1, given the mono bass output. in surround”. Yet both soundbars offer acteristics. We wondered about whether
only stereo drivers, so it’s hard to see what the drivers of the B20A — upfiring when
The B20A is similarly a stereo Yamaha might be attempting here other benched — might affect the clarity of
soundbar, with six drivers in all. Four of than the kind of fake surround processing performance, but not at all, it would seem;
these fire upwards if the unit is benched we generally dislike very much. But let’s not indeed possibly the upfiring effect assisted
(forward if on the wall) — according to prejudge things... the way in which the sound seemed to
the specs these are 55mm mid-rangers come from the TV screen rather than
near each end and 75cm bass drivers Impressively at this price you can download the bar, though the brain will assist in
halfway from each end to the centre, Yamaha’s Soundbar Remote app (above), delivering that illusion anyway.
porting through side-firing ports in the which lays out the options more clearly, while
curves of the bar (using a pencil torch also offering input selection and ‘Clear Voice’ Certainly from the very outset the
to shine through the grille, both sets (an option we never needed). wider bar delivered a large full sound
seem rather smaller than specified when with a real sense of size, while holding
measured across their roll surround). We cabled both bars to ARC from our dialogue crisp and clear. Watching
The quoted power ratings also suggest TV; the C20A immediately burst into life, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s
(and Yamaha confirms) that the woofers whereas we needed to fall back to an optical Long Way Up electric bike tour on
are running in a dual-mono configura- connection on the B20. We also tried pairing AppleTV+, voices were resonant and
tion rather than stereo. Finally there are the bars by Bluetooth to a Samsung TV, which clearly edged, while the featured music —
two 25mm (specification) tweeters on worked extremely well. While the sound always a challenge for budget soundbars
the front edge (benched) or firing down was slightly softer than via ARC or optical — sounded musical, spacious and
(wall-mounted), though no amount of and slightly more delayed, it was still an tonally well-balanced. There was
torchlight could reveal their location reasonably wide steerage of the electric
through the grille fabric. bike whines as McGregor and Boorman
sped from left to right across the screen.
Performance
The thing we kept noting down was
Unboxing either soundbar is pleasingly the fullness of the bass. We also tried the
straightforward. Without a hefty subwoofer effect of the little button on the remote control
inside, the boxes are small and light as you marked ‘Bass Ext.’ When we pressed it, the
unseal the carton, remove the surprisingly bottom octave of bass just disappeared, so
large remote controls, and lift the neatly consider it a required option and leave it
wrapped bars from the polystyrene. There’s on (it seems to be a default) unless you
an entertaining ‘safety guide’ leaflet which deliberately want to cut the bottom end for,
warns against “being near it during a disaster, say, night-time listening.
such as an earthquake” (for which the We played through Hamilton The Musical
excellent advice is to “quickly move away from on Disney+ to check the bar’s musical
the unit and go to a safe place”), and a rather performance; of course it won’t match an amp
more practical ‘quick start’ guide, detailing the and a good pair of bookshelf speakers, but you
positioning and connection choices. won’t be finding those for $299, while we’ve
heard soundbars at double this price unable
The remote controls are the same for each to match the clarity with music here. Bass
unit, and follow Yamaha’s common practise of can sometimes slightly bloat, and it doesn’t
having two sets of volume controls — one for fully reach down to the lowest few notes of a
overall volume, but a second pair of buttons bass guitar, but the overall balance prevented
for subwoofer volume. Of course there’s no this seeming like a sound that was cut off at
real subwoofer here, so these instead just the knees, and again we were impressed by
increase the output to the bass drivers, so this lone bar sounding musical, enjoyable,
they’re more a simple bass tone control. And and well-balanced. We could leave songs
we do appreciate easy access to such on-the-fly streaming from an iPhone via Bluetooth to
tone control on a soundbar, to allow quick the SR-B20A and take enjoyment rather than
offence from the experience.

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AV SOUND BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

The sound from the more compact SR-C20A price for this expansion is an out-of-phase feel YAMAHA
was more, well, compact, and notably less to the music, strings in particular, and just a SR-B20A & SR-C20A
successful with music, though still enjoyable slight tempering of the ‘Stereo’ setting’s easy SOUNDBARS
enough that we weren’t overly itching to intelligibility of dialogue. On the whole we
return to the hi-fi system alongside. Here preferred the ‘Stereo’ setting, but we couldn’t • Remarkable sound for the size
we were torn between turning off ‘Bass Ext.’ help popping on the ‘Movie’ setting at key • Clear dialogue
and upping the subwoofer to full, which kept moments to enjoy the bonus bigness — an • Bluetooth streaming
the bass tight, or going back to our TV/movie easy switch using the button on the remote.
settings of ‘Bass Ext.’ on and subwoofer at just • Deepest bass is absent
one, which filled out the sound more but was While there’s that size of sound, there’s no • Ignore Virtual Surround claims
just a tad woofy for audio only, especially on miraculous simulated surround from either bar.
DJ chat and podcasts. The Movie and Game Yet that doesn’t mean that well-recorded effects SR-B20A
modes did too much of the phasey thing to can’t spread the soundstage wide. At the start Price: $299
music, but Standard did open things up over of a hunting scene 22 minutes into episode 3 Drivers: 2 x 25mm tweeter,
the basic Stereo without that deleterious effect. of Parade’s End on BritBox, there are two duck 2 x 55m midrange, 2 x 75mm woofer
quacks followed by a gunshot. The second duck Connections: 1 x HDMI ARC,
And with movies the smaller C20A bar sounded so wide that it was sheer left of the 2 x optical digital, Bluetooth,
delivered remarkably full sound from a listening position, while the gunshot was full USB-A (update only), subwoofer out
bar this size, given no subwoofer support. and powerful — perhaps neither as dynamic Dimensions: 910 × 53 × 131mm (benched)
Here we left the ‘Bass Ext.’ selected, with the nor sharp-edged as when played through Weight: 3.2kg
‘subwoofer’ level on one (out of four), which hi-fi speakers, but nevertheless a remarkable
ensured natural-sounding voices with neither performance from the small C20A. SR-C20A
bloat nor thinness. We had it running for a Price: $279
week on casual TV duties, and it never put Conclusion Drivers: 2 x 46mm, 1 x 75mm with twin
a foot wrong. We played Tron: Legacy on passive radiators
Disney+, the audio reaching the soundbar as “Virtual 3D surround and DTS Virtual:X Connections: 1 x HDMI ARC,
Dolby Digital, and we pretty much marvelled technology come together to envelop your 2 x optical digital, 1 x analogue minijack in;
at how the dinky Yamaha could deliver such whole body in sound”, says Yamaha’s website Bluetooth, USB-A (updates only)
an enormous soundtrack, whether the crowds for the SR-B20. Er, no. There’s no surround Dimensions: 600 × 64 × 94mm
and effects of disc battles, the electronic here whatsoever. Such claims take away from Weight: 1.8kg
whining of light cycles, the pulsing and racing what these two bars do achieve — remarkably
of Daft Punk’s music, or simply the thrilling large and natural sound from a convenient and Contact: Yamaha Music Australia
richness and depth of Jeff Bridges’ voice. attractive bar, no subwoofer required. From Telephone: 1300 739 411
neither bar was there any sense of undersized Web: au.yamaha.com
We experimented here with the sound sound: quite the reverse, indeed, once we
modes, and were surprised to find them turned the Yamaha up to the level where all
significantly differentiated. The three options four volume LEDs were illuminated. Of course
with surround processing did open up the you can get more — including networking and
soundstage, most certainly beyond the bar’s streaming services — by paying more, but these
modest dimensions, so that a significantly two bars focus on delivering best sound quality
greater atmosphere was created whenever at the price, which is the reason for buying a
all-encompassing effects were in play. But the soundbar in the first place. Excellent value.

38



BUYING GUIDE

HOW TO CHOOSE
A STREAMER

All the world’s music from a single box

Adding a streamer will system from scratch, you may instead opt for depending on your budget, it may be worth
update any hi-fi system a ‘smart amplifier’, which has a streamer built considering the subscription software Roon
with the ability to play in, rather than having a separate unit. and a Roon-compatible streamer.
from online subscription
music services, internet But a separate unit may still be preferable, Other features can make streamers more
radio and a whole lot more. because it allows you to upgrade more flexible. To stream music direct from your
But how to choose? easily, and lets you choose exactly what phone or tablet, most include Bluetooth
you want. Each platform offers something streaming, but basic Bluetooth is not high
Streamers are the newest breed of different — access to different services, a quality, so is there a higher level Bluetooth
hi-fi component — a separate source different app with which to control them, codec such as aptX which both your phone
like a CD player or a turntable, but a different ecosystem from which you can and the streamer supports? Apple devices will
instead of playing a physical disc they link devices around the home. If you’re going
specialise in going online and playing music multiroom with Sonos, or Bluesound, or The main difference
from free and subscription streaming music HEOS, or Yamaha’s MusicCast, it makes between a streamer costing
services like Spotify and Tidal, from internet sense to continue with that platform when $350 and a streamer
radio and podcast providers. considering a streamer. costing $35,000 is not the
music they can access or
As such, a standalone streamer is most One thing that notably differentiates the sophistication of their
often used as an additional source for an streamers is how well they achieve network apps, but the quality of the
existing system, adding the modern wonders of streaming — playback of files which are on a digital conversion and the
these streaming sources to a ‘dumb’ amplifier hard drive or NAS drive somewhere on your subsequent audio circuits.
or all-in-one system. But if you’re building a home network. Some systems do little more
than primitive file browsing, while others
create an index which can offer a richer
browsing experience. If this is a priority, and

40

BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN CHOOSING A STREAMER

Streaming services Network streaming Other inputs

If you’re already using a particular service, In addition to online music services, most Streamers may offer additional inputs for
such as Spotify or Tidal, you should clearly streamers can play from files shared over your other sources, which can be extremely
pick a streamer which offers that service. home network from computers or networked handy for expanding a system now or in the
Note that many streamers will only work drives. Some platforms do this far better than future, especially where an older amplifier
with paid Spotify subscriptions, though some others, especially those which index drives lacks digital inputs. Analogue lovers should,
do work with free Spotify. The higher-quality and store a database, rather than using simple however, be aware that some streamers will
plans and services cost significantly more, DLNA protocols. Check our reviews for details. digitally sample analogue inputs, often doing
often double the price of the lower-quality this very well, but still...
subscription. The joys of streaming in high-res Network connection
can be worth the money on a good hi-fi, but Multiroom
remember to include this in your budget. To stream from online, your streamer needs
a network connection. Pretty much every Many streamers belong to a particular
The app streamer offers either Wi-Fi or cabled Ethernet. multiroom platform which allows sharing of
Both are fast enough for streaming music, even streams and other inputs around the home. If
All streamers use apps for control, given the at high-res, but Ethernet is inherently more you’re already using such a platform, it makes
need to browse through enormous lists of reliable, and the cabled network connection sense to stick with it, so long as the product
available music. Some apps are better than often simplifies set-up considerably. meets your needs.
others, as you’ll read in our reviews, and
there’s good sense in selecting an established Bluetooth & AirPlay DAC quality & output circuits
platform with a track record. We often note
that you should remember that a product While playback over your network from the The main difference between an entry-level
which lives by its app could also die by its internet assures best quality and reliability, streamer costing $350 and a high-end streamer
app if the brand or platform is discontinued. there are times when direct streaming costing $35,000 is not the music they can
In this regard there is still more strength in from your phone, tablet or laptop is useful. access or the sophistication of their apps, but
considering a streamer from a major brand. Base-level Bluetooth delivers low-quality the quality of the digital conversion and the
music, but other codecs can improve this subsequent audio circuits to the output sockets.
Remote control — Apple devices benefit from AAC, Android This is as true for streamers as for any hi-fi
devices from aptX’s various codecs and component, and the best way to judge the
While you’ll be using the app to select music, others, such as Sony’s LDAC, provided these quality of the output signal is to listen. We
we neverthless give bonus points when a are supported by both your device and the always recommend an audition with a dealer
physical remote control is provided. The streamer (if not, your stream will fall back to prior to purchase, but our reviews can help
convenience of being able to grab a wand the base-level SBC codec). AirPlay is far better point you in the direction of a short-list.
and pause playback when the phone rings for Apple devices, which are then able to
should not be underestimated. stream at full CD quality.

benefit in streaming quality from the inclusion Roon software requires a significant subscription outlay, but it combines a user-friendly info-rich interface
of AirPlay or AirPlay 2. A digital output will while delivering your own files, Tidal and Qobuz at the best possible quality to devices around the home.
allow you to bypass the digital-to-analogue
conversion inside the streamer and later
upgrade to a better DAC, either standalone
or inside your amplifier.

There is a danger of duplication with
streamers — you don’t need two in the same
system. You don’t need a streamer and a smart
amplifier. If your computer or TV is plugged
directly into your hi-fi, you might be able to
use those for your streaming needs instead of a
separate streamer unit.

So plan your system, check our reviews
(there’s plenty more at whathifi.com/au), and
then prepare to enjoy access to a whole world
of music, streaming to your home under
fingertip app control. Happy streaming!

41

SOURCES & SOLUTIONS

COCKTAIL AUDIO N25 is fast gigabit, so if possible avoid connecting
it through any 10/100 Ethernet switch, which
NETWORK AUDIO PLAYER would restrict its inherent speed.

The goal of the N25 seems to be to stream from absolutely With that Ethernet networking the N25
everywhere and then render the playback at the best can access built-in music services — internet
possible quality. It’s a little overwhelming, but it works. radio, podcasts, Spotify Connect, Tidal
including MQA for Masters playback, Deezer,
It’s been a couple of years since we last they can rip CDs to either an attached or an Qobuz, even HighResAudio. Even more
had one of Cocktail Audio’s remarkable internal hard drive for later playback. For this surprisingly it has DAB+ radio built in, or
units in for review, and far longer since process they have subscriptions to Gracenote FM if you prefer it (you select one or the other,
we first met Novatron, the Korean to identify and label ripped CDs and files. and use the ‘string’ antenna supplied).
company behind Cocktail, on a small stand
at the annual (usually) IFA Show in Berlin, The N25 has no amplifiers, nor a CD There’s also point-to-point streaming with
where they told us of their plans to create mechanism for ripping, though you can attach AirPlay for Apple device owners and Bluetooth
the planet’s ultimate network audio players. an external one for that purpose. But those for others, which includes the aptX HD codec
It’s a goal they’ve maintained ever since — functions aside, this is definitely a hi-fi source for only slightly lossy high-quality playback,
indeed this new N25 is proclaimed by its own component that might be described as ‘loaded’. and aptX Low Latency as well. Optionally,
publicity to be “the world’s most advanced the N25 provides Bluetooth transmission via
Network Audio Player”. How does it make It offers high-quality playback from local another dongle, allowing playback from the
this rather bold claim, and is it true? USB storage — for which it has not one but N25 via Bluetooth headphones or speakers.
three USB-A slots, two USB 3.0 at the rear and
Equipment one 2.0 on the front panel. It also has a USB-B And the N25 is fully Roon Ready, an
input for playing from a computer, supporting endpoint for anyone investing in Roon’s
The N25 is a network playing source which PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz, DSD Native to 256, software subscription.
includes a DAC; Cocktail Audio also makes and DoP to 128. It can stream files across the
what it calls Pure Network Players, which have network from a NAS library. Potentially a game-changer for many users,
only a digital output and no DAC within, and the N25 can be used not only as a source but
it goes the other way, offering units which There are additional digital inputs: one as a preamplifier. You can set its analogue
have not only a DAC but also amplifiers built coaxial, one optical and — that sign of modern outputs to fixed level, for playing like any
in — an all-in-one just-add-speakers solution. componentry — an HDMI ARC input to play source into an integrated amplifier which
Some models also have CD mechanisms so that sound from a compatible television. We’d also has its own volume control. Or the outputs
note that while a Wi-Fi connection requires an can be variable level, which means you can
additional optional dongle, the Ethernet socket plug the N25’s outputs straight into a pair of
power amps, then using the N25’s own remote
or volume knob to control the system. Most
unusually the N25 also offers a range of digital

42

BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

outputs which can be similarly switched hard drive to one of the rear USB-A sockets, all the options. It goes on for more than 100
from fixed to variable output, providing a USB-B to our computer, and Ethernet to its pages (licensing information fills the first 16,
locally controlled output via coaxial, optical, network connection. before the contents list finally appears on
USB-A or even HDMI audio out. If you use one p17), and while it’s not particularly helpful in
of the USB-A sockets for the second optional We were also delighted, as with previous the first instance as a set-up guide, it certainly
dongle, Bluetooth Out, you could send its Cocktail units, to find a full A4 printed manual walks you through whatever task you wish
output to a pair of wireless headphones or a in the box, which has endless little pictures to perform in careful and clear detail. We
Bluetooth speaker. of the N25’s display as you navigate through acknowledge the ‘green’ and updatable
arguments for putting manuals online, but
Indeed the N25 likes to share. Over we’re always delighted when a company gives
the home network it can share its you all the required instructions in the box!
access to networked or attached files
— or, as we’ll see, recordings — via As we began listening through USB-B and
UPnP, Samba, and even FTP protocols. playing files from the connected USB drive,
one thing was immediately clear — the quality
So that more or less covers the of the DAC implementation. Indeed its clarity
myriad tasks the N25 can deliver, showed up the lesser DAC in the amplifier to
but of equal importance to its claims which we had it connected, playing the same
of greatness is the circuitry and files to a higher quality, notably in timing, with
component quality that Cocktail sharper edges to both dynamics and detail, but
uses to achieve it. The N25, though a also more simple involvement and enjoyment,
full-width component, is kept nicely
short in height at just 75mm, its casing making music that, as in the best of hi-fi
fully metal, its front panel CNC-cut presentations, simply couldn’t be ignored.
from 10mm-thick aluminium. The
circuit design carefully separates We settled in for high-res listening first
analogue and digital paths for the from the USB drive. Acoustic Alchemy’s
power supply, while the signal paths jaunty jazz track Marrakesh is a delight
are kept short and symmetrical. of tight percussion and percussive guitar
strings when played at its best, and
The DAC is an ESS Sabre audiophile that’s how the Cocktail rendered this
ES9018K2M, the widely-praised and 24-bit/96kHz file through to its analogue
highest performing low-power DAC on outputs, granting our system a glorious
ESS’s books, delivering (from the chip) 3D soundstage. We enjoyed its wide open
127dB of dynamic range and -120dB and rivetingly realistic delivery of AIX
signal to noise (THD+N). Records’ stereo high-res recording of John
Gorka’s The Gypsy Life, so that we didn’t
So with all this, you see where miss a note as this on-stage arrangement
Cocktail’s bold claims come from. expands from solo guitar to add mandolin
and an extraordinary fretless bass part: by
Performance its end we felt positively breathless. All this
feeds into Cocktail’s claims for this being
The Cocktail N25 is certainly pleasingly the ultimate network streamer: it’s not just
solid, all its socketry of high quality and the what it does, it’s how very well it does it.
aluminium front panel usefully adorned
with an unusually wide though necessarily The implementation of streaming
short full-colour 4.6-inch TFT LCD screen. services is rather brave. You can log on
There’s also a remote control, around
full-size but stocked with so very many tiny
buttons and legends that only familiarity
can hope to make its use more intuitive. We
set up the N25 initially by connecting a USB

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SOURCES & SOLUTIONS BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

and navigate them entirely from the front The app issue doesn’t arise for Spotify, Instead we just enjoyed tune after tune
panel, but needless to say, even with the colour however, as there is Spotify Connect onboard streaming from the Cocktail N25 from Tidal,
screen, this is far from optimal. Thankfully the N25, so you simply use the Spotify app and Qobuz, connected and networked drives, and
there’s a Cocktail app called Music X Neo, control the N25’s Spotify playback. Tidal is now straight from computer via USB-B. It never
which is compatible with most Cocktail doing the same, though the implementation of failed to please, and had us sneaking away in
streamers, including the N25. While it operates Tidal Connect is not quite the same as direct the evenings to enjoy more.
at tablet or phone size for iOS or Android, streaming; its quality has yet to be confirmed.
the arrangement is pretty basic at times, Conclusion
with swathes of empty space in the tablet For playing DSD files the N25 is nicely
presentation, except when you’re browsing flexible. Some DACs can handle native DSD, Is it the ultimate network player? The N25 is
long lists or the main ‘Music DB’ screen. others DoP containers, others only PCM- certainly a mix of a myriad playback options
converted DSD. The N25 has a menu to select together with high quality sound circuits, and
It also has the same problem as many other what you’d like it to do, so you can match the useful ability to operate as a preamp from
apps for streamers — the built-in implementa- it with your software. We had no problem either analogue or digital outputs. The app
tion of services such as Qobuz and Tidal are getting any DSD file to play, from any source. could be sexier, and some of the functionality
greatly inferior to those apps themselves; The Diana Krall/Michael Bublé duet of Alone could be clearer, but you couldn’t say that for
you’re left with a choice between using the Again (Naturally) at DSD64 sounded meltingly the music it delivers, available via so many
basic folder-style navigation of Music X Neo, or smooth and magnificent. paths, and always presented immaculately.
going to the Qobuz or Tidal apps themselves
and finding a way to throw their audio to One of the N25’s tricks is identifying music COCKTAIL AUDIO N25
the N25, but losing quality in the process. We added to its Music Database — a two-year NETWORK MUSIC PLAYER
stuck with the folder-style playback, simply Gracenote licence is included with the product
because the Cocktail made the services sound and can be extended at low cost. Then if • Direct, network and internet streaming
so good. From the lists of Tidal Masters you have a CD mechanism attached you can
playlists we found the album ‘Drama’ by Yes rip CDs and edit the information Gracenote • Great DAC and audio circuits
and enjoyed the Buggles-authored Into The attaches. But even without a CD drive attached
Lens sounding as crisp and vast as the day it you can select files using the Browser and • Massive printed manual
was recorded back in 1980, its MQA encoding add them to the database; Gracenote adds the
unfolded by the N25 to 24-bit/192kHz, though artwork, making the app’s browsing of the • App limitations
certified merely MQA green; Lou Reed’s Dirty database far more attractive. • Busy remote control
Blvd. came up certified MQA blue at 24/192, if
sounding rather clean’n’lite compared with the One thing that worked well was the easy Price: $1799
richer LP version we’re more used to playing. ability to record digital or FM radio. We set
The Qobuz 24/96 version of this sounded Triple J playing with the DAB+ function, simply Inputs: 1 x optical digital, 1 x coaxial digital,
mildly preferable to the Tidal MQA version. pressed Record, and recording starts. Press 3 x USB-A, 1 x USB-B, HDMI ARC; Blue-
stop (if you can find it on the remote), and it tooth (SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX LL, aptX HD);
One way around this control issue is to stops. The recording goes straight into attached DAB+/FM radio; gigabit Ethernet
use the Roon option. The Cocktail appears as storage. We wondered if we might record Outputs: RCA analogue (fixed/variable),
a playback option and receives your music when, say, Qobuz was streaming, but sadly the coaxial digital, optical digital, USB-A,
collection, or Tidal or Qobuz, as a bit-perfect record button had no effect in that mode. HDMI audio/interface
stream over your network. This was by far the Dimensions (whd): 440 x 260 x 73mm
easiest and prettiest way to control playback, A final ability is Cocktail’s Group Play Weight: 2.25kg
but of course it requires a subscription both to multiroom function, using the app to play to
Roon and whatever music service you access. multiple Cocktail devices at once. Having only Contact: Audio Dynamics
one, we couldn’t try this, nor the ‘Bluetooth Telephone: 03 9882 0372
out’ option requiring the optional dongle. Web: www.audiodynamics.com.au

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SOURCES & SOLUTIONS

IFI ZEN CAN

HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER

We hate to have to say it, on this unit. On the front panel, starting from channel has its own separate ‘positive’ and
but the headphone output the left, there’s a power/standby button. Then ‘negative’ connections.
circuitry fitted to a great there’s a button that cycles through the three
many otherwise excellent rear inputs. We’ll look at them shortly. Next is Balanced headphones have been around
hi-fi components often leaves a lot to be a ‘Gain’ button. There are four levels of gain: for some few years, but when they were first
desired, so you should not necessarily rely on 0dB, 6dB, 12dB and 24dB. You can choose introduced there was no standard connector
it to give you great sound. In some cases this is from those to allow you to set the next control, for them, so manufacturers mostly re-purposed
simply because of low output levels, in other the knob which controls the traditional level existing connectors, such as conventional
situations because of a high output impedance. setting, near to the 12-o’clock position, where phone plugs and sockets (either the standard
The obvious solution is a device that’s been potentiometers tend to be most accurate. 6.35mm stereo or the mini 2.5mm stereo types)
specifically designed to drive headphones — or standard three-pin XLR plugs and sockets.
a purpose-designed headphone amplifier. As you can see from the photograph, The problem with using these connectors was
there are the two main output connections that they didn’t provide sufficient discrete
The problem with this obvious solution is — a 6.35mm ‘phone socket for full-sized electrical connections, so two were required in
that high-quality headphone amplifiers are headphone plug designed to drive unbalanced order to connect a single set of headphones.
expensive — at least most are. A few, like the headphones, and a 4.4mm Pentaconn TRRRS
iFi Zen Can, are very reasonably priced. So (Tip, Ring, Ring, Ring, Sleeve) socket for driving To complicate things even further,
reasonably priced, in fact, that they’re almost balanced headphones. when it first introduced its true differential
in impulse-purchase territory, particularly if balanced headphone amplifiers, iFi actually
there’s a sale on of some kind. Around the back of the iFi Zen Can are recommended using 3.5mm TRRS connectors,
three sets of inputs and one additional output. which are the types used for gaming headsets
But can a reasonably-priced dedicated The inputs are stereo audio via RCA sockets, with microphones built-in.
headphone amplifier deliver the goods that stereo audio via a 3.5mm socket, and balanced
are required? Let’s see. stereo audio via another 4.4mm Pentaconn This was simply a mess, because two
socket. The output is also a balanced 4.4mm connectors were required when only one
Equipment Pentaconn pass-through. would have sufficed, and different manu-
facturers used different connector types, so
The iFi Zen Can is not only weirdly named, But what is a ‘balanced’ headphone, and various different adaptor cables were required
it’s also weirdly shaped, as you can see from how is a balanced headphone design different depending on what type of headphones you
the photograph above. But it’s a chassis shape from an unbalanced one? wanted to plug into what type of component.
iFi has used previously, and continues to use So you needed multiple adaptors if you used
in other models, so it’s cost-effective. It’s also In an ‘unbalanced’ headphone design, you the same pair of headphones with different
relatively compact, so you won’t need much have a ‘positive’ line for each channel and a components (say, a home headphone amp and
space for it. (It occupies a space of around single ‘negative’ line which is also ‘ground’ a portable one) or the same component with
16 × 3.5 × 12cm.) and which is shared between both stereo different types of balanced headphone.
channels. In a balanced headphone design,
Despite its compact dimensions, there’s a the only thing that is shared between the two This is where the so-called ‘Pentaconn’
surprising amount of connectivity and control stereo channels is the ‘ground’ reference. Each plug (and socket) come in. It’s a relatively

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BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

new (2015) connector type developed by a different from unbalanced headphones. In There’s no difference at
Japanese company called NDICS (Nippon fact, there’s no difference at all between all between balanced and
Digital Information Communication Service). balanced and unbalanced headphones other unbalanced headphones
The name itself is derived from combining than the way the leads are connected to the other than the way the
the Latin word ‘penta’ (from ‘pénte’, the driving elements (be they dynamic, planar, leads are connected to
Greek word for ‘five’) with an abbreviation electrostatic or any other type). In theory, any the driving elements...
of the word ‘connector’, which is appropriate headphones which use left and right plugs into
because there are, indeed, five connections the ear cups can be run balanced. with a 3-metre cable with a regular single-
made by a Pentaconn connector — Left ended 6.35mm plug on the end (a 6.35mm
Positive, Left Negative, Right Positive, Right But back to the iFi Zen Can. iFi says that not to 3.5mm adaptor is provided), plus another
Negative and Ground (usually abbreviated all headphone amplifiers that have balanced 3-metre cable with a 4.4mm TRRS plug on the
to L+, L–, R+, R–, G). It’s because all these headphone outputs are balanced all the way end for balanced operation. At the headphone
connections are made using a single tubular through, and that many “operate single-ended end, the left and right cables are terminated
connector with separate sections that are internally” (i.e. unbalanced). We don’t know in what seems to be a proprietary two-pin
insulated from each other (see the pictured how widespread this might be, but iFi says Sennheiser connection. This meant that we
plug overleaf) that a Pentaconn plug is that its Zen Can employs a “fully-discrete could use the HD 660S cable on a nearly
sometimes called a TRRRS connector. But and balanced amplifier audio circuit” in a quarter-century-old pair of Sennheiser HD 535
another reason it’s often called a TRRRS “full symmetric dual-mono” configuration. headphones, so we did try this out as well.
connector is that we suspect that NDICS has Furthermore, it calls the design “Class-A
trade-marked the word ‘Pentaconn’ in many Discrete” which, it says, “has come straight In operation, the iFi Zen Can runs pretty
markets, so that although it’s perfectly legal out of the iFi flagship headphone amplifier, hot, but we guess that’s Class-A for you,
to manufacture and use TRRRS connectors, the Pro iCan, which… is 11 times the price exacerbated by the fact that there are no
it would be illegal to refer to them by the of the Zen Can.” ventilation holes or slots in the casing, so the
name ‘Pentaconn.’ And, just in case you were design appears to rely entirely on the casing
wondering, we have absolutely no idea why As for output voltage, the iFi Zen Can is itself radiating the heat. However, although
the industry doesn’t refer to them as T3RS rated at 15.1V into 600-ohm loads (385mW) we do think that it runs ‘pretty hot’ as we said
connectors, less clumsy than TRRRS in print, and 11V into 64 ohms (1890mW) from the in the previous sentence, it doesn’t run so hot
and far easier to pronounce. balanced output. Those are monstrously huge that you will feel any discomfort if you place
output levels… as are those from the 6.35mm your palm on its top. (Unless, we guess, you
But the T3RS/Pentaconn story doesn’t end headphone output: 7.6V (196mW) into 300 have an abnormally sensitive palm!)
here, because of course it’s possible to make ohms, and 7.2V (1600mW) into 32 ohms.
the same type of connector in various different Your first consideration regarding the
diameters, just as conventional ’phone plugs iFi says the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is performance of any headphone amplifier
come in multiple diameters. Personally, we better than 120dBA balanced, and 118dBA should always be impedance matching. We
would like the 4.4mm diameter T3RS design to single-ended, but it does reference the signal were recently using a pair of Audiofly AF180
prevail (as used on the iFi Zen Can), because level to maximum outputs (15.2V and 7.6V), Mk2 in-ears with a high-ish end ($5k+) stereo
the plug size is sufficient to provide a contact which in turn maximises the ratio. THD+N amplifier with a headphone output with
surface area that’s adequate to provide a is stated at 0.0007% (balanced) and 0.006% a rated output impedance of 40 ohms and
fail-safe high-quality electrical connection, (unbalanced) under output conditions which judged their sound quality with this set-up as
while the plug and socket are sufficiently have no relation to each other. being rather poor. But we thought this poor
compact to be practical on portable players. sound quality may have been because these
Listening Audioflys are three-way balanced armature
Obviously until things work themselves out earphones with a low nominal impedance
(which may be never), adaptor cables will be All well-equipped hi-fi equipment reviewers (16 ohms) that varies considerably across the
required but over the past few months adaptor (and audiophiles) will own multiple audible frequencies.
cables for 4.4mm TRRRS connections have headphones including regular single-ended
transitioned from being obscure and unob- (that is, ordinary unbalanced) headphones So in order to check that the result was a
tainable to being only kind-of obscure and and in-ear monitors (IEMs), several of which result of an impedance mismatch, we plugged
somewhat available (with a bit of searching). (Audiofly AF-180 Mk II, Focal Elear, Oppo PM3, the Audioflys into the iFi Zen Can and played
Sennheiser HD 560S and Sennheiser IE 300) exactly the same tracks over again. Wow! They
You might be wondering now whether were used in preparing this review. came to life and were now accurate, balanced,
balanced headphones are intrinsically detailed and with everything sounding just
For balanced headphone use, we used right. When we plugged them back into the
Sennheiser’s HD 660S headphones. These come expensive amplifier, again the sound quality
went south. Sure, headphones with a higher
average impedance will be less subject to
such an extreme effect but we would prefer
that our headphone amplifier be a device that
will work well with all headphones, not just a
select few — or, indeed a specific pair.

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SOURCES & SOLUTIONS BEST BUYS AUDIO & AV | 2021#2

G
R-
R+
L-
L+

headphones and earphones we’ve tried with well and, as we said, it was a puzzle until this So to answer the question we posed at the
it, it has been a delight. It has been a delight system revealed it to us. start of this review: “Can a reasonably-priced
in the sense that it does the audio version of dedicated headphone amplifier deliver the
becoming invisible in the reproduction chain. Some more impressions: Jacob’s Ladder on goods?”, this review proves that with the iFi
We simply didn’t hear it. What we heard was Rush’s 1980 album ‘Permanent Waves’. The Zen Can, it can.
the individual characters of all the headphones sound was very open. Yes, the instruments
and earphones we used — and they’re all were arrayed through our head, rather than IFI ZEN CAN
different! — as they did their best to deliver out in front. But the sense of air made that HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER
music according to their various designers’ seem entirely unobjectionable.
conceptions of high fidelity. • Extraordinary value for money
We played with the buttons at the far • High output, low output impedance
That was uniformly extremely revealing. right of the unit during this track. The effect • Useful bass-boost function
For example, we have been puzzling for a of both buttons was surprisingly subtle.
while about why the 2013 remastered stereo The ‘3D’ button’s effect seemed to narrow • 3D circuitry
version of Nina Simone’s debut album, ‘Little the stereo image very slightly. It wasn’t • Odd shape
Girl Blue’, originally released back in 1958, objectionable, but we couldn’t see the point
sounds so damned good. One reason is of iFi fitting it, or of us using it: it basically Price: $279
obvious: they didn’t — couldn’t — do much in failed to justify its existence — at least in our
the way of dynamic compression back then. opinion. You’re welcome to use it and draw Frequency response:
So there’s a very pleasing liveliness to the your own conclusions. 20Hz – 20kHz (–3dB)
music that, in modern recordings, tends to be Max output (balanced) 600Ω:
available only on audiophile jazz. That ‘XBass’ button, however, had us on >15.1V/385mW
the horns of a dilemma. It really does boost Max output (balanced) 32Ω:
But there should be easily audible tape hiss. the bass noticeably, but this doesn’t result in >6.0V/1150mW
This is years before Ray Dolby invented his any lumpiness or any sense of artificiality. Max output (unbalanced) 600Ω:
noise reduction system. So where’s the hiss? Instead, it just seemed to compensate for the >7.6V/98mW
Clearly, some digital signal processing has bass roll-off of the various opened-backed Max output (unbalanced) 32Ω:
been applied to eliminate it. Yet even with very headphones we used yet at the same time >7.2V/1600mW
high resolution speakers, we had heard no was not objectionable even when we were THD+N: 0.005%
evidence of such. listening to a pair of Oppo headphones, which S/N ratio: >120dBA
are essentially flat in their low-frequency Gain: 0dB, 6dB, 12dB, 18dB
But as we are sitting here, streaming this output to an octave below 20Hz. And we found Dimensions (whd): 158 × 117 × 35mm
album from Tidal (Mac Mini to Pro-Ject DAC, this to be true even when playing albums that Weight: 515g
which is showing an MQA indicator, to the had plentiful deep and extended bass, one
iFi Zen Can, to Focal Elear headphones), we excellent example of which is Billie Eilish’s Contact: BusiSoft AV
can now hear, occasionally, a slight confusion ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go’. Telephone: 03 9810 2900
around the edges of notes as they fade to zero. Web: www.busisoft.com.au
And a tiny amount of hash around Simone’s Our dilemma was that the audiophile’s
voice where, presumably, the algorithm had mantra is: “Don’t mess with music.” In other
trouble distinguishing the tape hiss it was words, ‘leave it pure!”. But the sound of that
attempting to eliminate from the sound of XBass circuit was so compelling we just had to
use it to mess with the music, because it just

48

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HEADPHONE DRIVER

Stax builds strange-looking headphones charged up to a massive potential of 580V DC.
that need to be connected to a unique Electrostatic membranes are also quite fragile,
type of amplifier (called a ‘driver’) so you have to be more careful with them
before they will work at all. You can’t than with conventional dynamic headphones,
plug them into the headphone output of a both in terms of physical handling and making
conventional audio component. sure that you don’t overdrive them by playing
music too loudly through them.
They are strange-looking because they are
essentially miniature electrostatic speakers, So why does Stax build only this type of
which is one of the reasons Stax calls them headphone (which it has been doing since
‘earspeakers’ rather than headphones. In 1959) and no other? Listen to a pair and you’ll
an electrostatic speaker the diaphragm that know instantly. Electrostatic designs are faster,
vibrates to move the air and create sound cleaner-sounding, better balanced and offer a
waves is moved by high-voltage electric more enveloping sound field than any other
charges, which is a completely different headphone type, not only ordinary dynamic
method to how a normal loudspeaker works, types, but also planar magnetic models.
which is by magnetic force generated as a
result of electrical current going through a coil The Stax SR-L500 MkII reviewed here is a
of wire suspended in a magnetic field. part of the Stax ‘Lambda’ series of earspeakers,
hence the ‘L’ in the model number. As for
It’s because of this electrostatic mode of the MkII, this simply indicates that Stax has
operation that the unique type of amplifier made several improvements over the original
is required, because in order to operate, the SR-L500 — including one very important one
headphones — oops, earspeakers — have to be which we will cover further on in this review.

50