July 1998

The Frankfurt High End '98 Show Report: Digital Replay
by Robert Jørgensen,
European Correspondent

Although I was very impressed with the number of exhibitors presenting analog-based demonstrations, most of the sound I heard at the show did, of course, come from digital sources. There were some superb specimens around, and I have already made reference to the unique UFO-like AudioNet player when reporting on the Dali MegaLine speaker.

French company Audio Sculpture, whose BIG Ultima mono single-ended tube amps and lovely CD drive and DAC/preamp were on my favorites list in previous years, showed less extravagant equipment among which was a very nice-sounding CD player with tubes in the output stage. This was also designed to interface directly to a power amp, eliminating the need for a preamp. Very tasty.

Oodles of companies are vying to produce the best-looking digital gear. One piece of equipment that caught my attention was the very nice one from CEC shown here. CEC has made it their specialty to bring out belt-drive transport mechanisms, and they are having quite a bit of success with them both under their own logo as well as an OEM part for other brands.

One of the subjects that has kept many audiophiles busy for quite some time is how much a new digital standard could improve upon what many perceive as the weaknesses of CD replay. After having waited for quite some time and hoped that DVD would bring solace, we now have what seems to be a new standards war on our hands and still no unequivocal proof or even firm substance as to how much better than CD these new formats will be.

I had a couple of experiences in Frankfurt, though, that do give me a feeling that real improvements are to be expected. These are just impressions, but here goes.

Resolution Audio 24-bit/96kHz DAD

At the end of the first day I was feeling somewhat worn at the edges. The show had officially closed at 8:00 in the evening, and I was making my way toward the hotel lobby. As I passed the Reson room I heard some good classical music, and noting that the exhibitors were using the quite unusual Rehdéko speakers, which I must admit to a more than passing sympathy for, I decided to saunter into the room.

I think the only people there were exhibitors and other staff, and since it was already late, I just sat down and listened. The chap manning the CD player changed something. Rachmaninoff, if I'm not mistaken, started again. It was immediately obvious that the sound was much better than just before. The attacks were clearer, the background somewhat calmer it seemed, and there was more air. I just had to ask what he had done to change the sound so much. And I did.

"Oh", he said, "I just put on a 24-bit/96kHz DAD instead of the CD." There was no doubt at all in my mind which of the two sounded better, even before I had any idea of what was going on. What was being played through the British DNM amplifiers and the French Rehdéko speakers was the new drive and DAC from Resolution Audio. Since the 24-bit/96kHz data stream is too "large" for normal digital transfer, Resolution Audio has implemented the connection via the I2S connector with separate data streams and clock.

The combination I was listening to was the Resolution VT960 transport and the D92 DAC ($3,500 and $1,500 USD respectively). This is a sophisticated pair with the transport allowing replay of normal CDs, DVDs (it has several video outputs as well as audio outputs for home theater) and the DAD-Digital Audio Disc. The D92 DAC provides almost universal D/A conversion with clock rates from 32kHz to 96kHz as well as anything between 16 and 24 bits resolution. The D92 also provides a clock signal that can be taken back to the transport, thereby avoiding a major source of jitter.

As I mentioned above, the combination sounded very resolved and immediately better to my ears. Of course, all the usual caveats apply. Were the recordings equalized in similar ways? Were they recorded/mastered using the same levels; i.e., was the comparison fair? I don't know. What I do know is that two recordings from the same company (Classic Records) were used, and the DAD sounded good enough, distinctly better that is, for me to want a second listen with a larger choice of material and under more peaceful conditions.

Pioneer

Thomas Hintze, who is almost Mr. Pioneer in Germany, made a comparison between LP, CD and DVD-Audio. Of course there is a limited amount of music available in directly comparable recordings on all three media, but nonetheless Hintze made a real effort, and he also reminisced over what drove us to love hi-fi in the first place.

As you can see from the picture, serious amplification in the form of Pioneer's biggest mono amps, a beautiful turntable from Transrotor, as well as CD and DVD players were available. Pioneer was using a pair of the big ALR Factor 7 speakers. And the conclusion?

LP playback showed abundantly why so many swear by it still. While plagued by occasional ticks, pops, and whoosh, analog still sounded wonderful. If this sound is caused by distortions, they were certainly not the ones that make me jump out of my chair to turn the music off. CDs sounded fine, like good CDs. I can't say much more.

DVD sounded more like LP. On a couple of pieces it was possible to make more direct comparisons, and my impression was that the DVD possessed more of the elusive qualities (perhaps a certain harmonic richness) that endears vinyl to some much more than CD does. I don't feel comfortable in committing to the superiority of DVD quite yet. But I have real hope, based on what I heard, that worthwhile improvements could be in store for us.

Pioneer is not always taken seriously in connection with the high end. While they and several other manufacturers cover a very wide range of equipment and prices, I feel that Pioneer especially has gone out on a limb several times in trying to redefine what can be done and in actually leading with certain developments. They alone stuck out their necks a couple of years ago with a 96kHz DAT for instance. As a result, I salute the honesty and the effort put into what was a decidedly non-gimmicky and very satisfying presentation.

Super Audio CD

Stereoplay, the largest hi-fi magazine in Germany, and Sony showed Super Audio CD (SACD). A prototype DSD drive was connected to an Accuphase digital preamp with DSD input module. From there the signal was passed on to a brace of huge Accuphase power amps being fed via the new Accuphase power source and finally to a pair of rather wonderful Audio Physic Caldera speakers.

It was quite obvious that the journalists from Stereoplay were very convinced of the qualities of the new system. After hearing an impassioned description of the technology, we were treated to some music-a specially recorded series of jazz tunes. The sound was very fine.

Again the question arose: Did SACD sound better than CD? I don't know. Not the remotest form of a real comparison was possible. The sound was very good, but I would have hoped that with the money and effort invested a CD would have sounded pretty good too.

I enjoyed the demo, and from a technical point of view, Sony/Philips seem to have something here, even though it is not ready yet. In fact, it seems to be at least a year or more away for most of us. I would also hope that Sony and Philips could come up with more convincing demonstrations of aural superiority. Finally, they need to convince other manufacturers to include SACD compatibility in their DVD drives.

It's a tall order, but then these are not beginners in the game either. Time will tell.

Hegel

Hegel? Who is Hegel? Well, of course, he was a German philosopher. In this case, however, Hegel is a Norwegian company that has set its sight on the high end while still producing something that people will enjoy having in the living room. I am most certainly not a great photographer and the picture does not do the clean, beautiful elegance of the equipment justice.

Hegel produced some very refined sound in a room that they probably should have done a bit more with. However, they wisely avoided the worst of the room resonances by using a pair of Sonus Faber speakers. While Hegel they showed a whole system including preamp and a power amp, some remarks regarding the development of their CD player also caught my attention. They talked about the application of technology and/or design methodologies developed in the telecommunications area. It has long been a pet peeve of mine that quite a lot of technology developed in other disciplines is simply not recognized in the audio world. But let's leave that for another time.

It's adequate to say that Hegel had a very nice display. You can see more of their products at www.hegel.com.

Audio Note

Peter Qvortrup is always good for a nice chat and a cup of coffee. Well this year it was less coffee but more listening to both old LPs (with "antique" sound but wonderful interpretations) and new CDs.

Audio Note, known for their extravagantly priced tube amps, showed the new CD3 and a DAC with all-analog filtering and no oversampling. Qvortrup first played the CD3 on its own, and the conclusion is that this is a very competent CD player that most of us could find real pleasure with.

If anything, Peter is always good for an outrageous position and a bit of audio anarchy. What he has been questioning lately is the direction in which digital technology has been moving. This has led him and his people to go to quite extraordinary lengths in creating a VERY alternative DAC. In short, they have built a DAC using discrete components instead of the highly integrated oversampling filters which are now de rigueur in DACs. This has resulted in much experimentation and the use of many components which, as we have come to expect from Qvortrup & Co., are not cheap. The price of the DAC, which had not been fixed, would in the current incarnation be very high.

Analyzing what is the cause of the quality of sound we perceive is not always easy, and I am still having trouble in quantifying this. One thing was clear though: Those of us who heard this DAC were convinced that a certain type of resolution or air around each instrument allowed more of the inherent personality of all of the instruments to shine through. Comparing the DAC to the straight CD3, which by NO means is a slouch, I found the difference was by no means subtle. I will be very curious to see if Audio Note will be able to develop this product further.

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