What a journey it has been for me in both, HiFi and Home Theater. There were a number hifi equipment that came through my door. Some stayed on, some left. Here are some short write ups of the journey.
WHAT WENT OUT FROM 2 CHANNEL HIFI
Musical Fidelity M1 CDT
Musical Fidelity M1 PWR power amp
Musical Fidelity M1 CLiC streamer
GL78 Lenco TT
Bryston BHA-1 headphone amp
Alessandro Grado MS Pro headphone
Onkyo cassette Deck
Dell Windows Laptop and Samsung UA55HU8000 TV for CAS
Full Siltech Classic Anniversary 330L cable, IC, power cable and digital cable
Belkin PF50
WHAT REMAINED AND ADDED TO 2 CHANNEL HIFI
Musical Fidelity M6i integrated amp
ProAc Response D18 speakers
Musical Fidelity M6 DAC
Musical Fidelity M1 ViNL phono stage
Clearaudio Concept TT (until buyer collects)
Lenco L78 TT (added)
SONY HAP Z1ES HDD Hi Res player (added)
Oppo HA-1 DAC/Preamp/headphone amp (added)
Beyerdynamic T1 Tesla headphones
SONY MDS JA20ES minidisk player
Shunyata Dark Field cable elevators
Vermouth Audio Black Pearl speaker cable (added)
Frank powerbank (added)
Converted all plugs to US receptacle and upgraded ELCB and MCB (added)
2016 has become the year of 4K for Malaysia. In general, we
are late in embracing the 4K (and HDR) technology compared to other parts of
the world. However, in this last quarter of 2016, I have seen that this
technology has really flourished albeit the lack of locally available 4K
software. The latest offering of 4K delicacy was launched on 29th
December 2016 by JVC in a form of DLA-Z1 Native 4K HDR laser projector.
The event was held in AV Designs, hosted by Tony Low and
James Tan. This long waited projector model was fitted firmly in the premier
home theater demo room, coupled with the latest Oppo UDP-203 4K UHD BD player.
This is the world FIRST projector to be certified with THX 4K display.
Two full speed full spec 18GBPS HDMI inputs with HDR and
HDCP 2.2 compliant
Prior to this launch event, there was already a buzz in the
local HT affair about the technical specs of this JVC flagship projector. With
only the internet as the source of information, HT enthusiasts were eager to
experience the true magic of this projector in real life. The event was
attended by the usual press members and friends such as Dick Tan, Willy, Vinod,
Jo Ki and many more. With the following specs and features, the expectation of
its performance was very high:
Equipped with 3 newest and smallest 4K D-ILA (Direct
Drive Image Light Amplifier) device to create a smoother and more detailed
image with no visible pixelation
BLU-EscentTM provides brightness up
to 3000 lumens and 20,000 hours operational life.
Dynamically control the laser output to provide
bright whites, deep darks and brilliant colours
Combination of of laser light and new Cinema Filter allow
the projector to achieve wide colour gamut of 100% DCI P3 and over 80% coverage
of BT.2020
New high res lens promises an expanded shift range of 100 percent
vertical and 43 percent horizontal to deliver precise 4K resolution
HDR compatibility will offer an extended brightness range
3D compatible
So What..... You Ask?
Most people will not really understand the specifications given unless you meddle with display technology everyday. What matter most for consumer is how will it fair? First of all, I must say that 4K and HDR are not a plug and play technology. It requires quite the attention in calibration to ensure what you are looking at is in fact 4K and with or without HDR.
James Tan of AV Designs have spent numerous hours to calibrate the projector to give out the best of this projector. Running 4K UHD clips from The Revenant, Batman vs Superman and The Shallows, I managed to experience a more natural and lifelike images, refined colour tones, better colour shades even in a difficult 'unicolour' scene like the forest scenes below. The HDR also provides a well balanced brightness even if you have some of your room lights on.
The pictures below do not really do justice to what this projector can really do to deliver 4K HDR images. If you have the opportunity to demo a 4K HDR image, do ensure that the display have been properly calibrated. Specific to this JVC projector, it is true that there is no visible pixels on the screen when I went for a close up look.
This projector is not just another display option but a true masterpiece. Yes, it is not for the commoners as it cost RM129,990, but it is good to know that there are options out there to experience a good 4K display.
If interested, please contact:
Steven Woo of Klingen & Erlesen Sdn Bhd - 012 3355937
While Star Wars fans were going gaga over Rogue One on 15th December 2016, BenQ the world's leading human technology and solutions provider launched their latest 4K projector series W11000 and W800 in Malaysia. The event was held in CMY, Sungai Wang where these projectors were set up in the latest edition of home theater venue in the local scene.
Desmond Wong, Sales and Marketing Director, BenQ Service & Marketing (M) Sdn. Bhd. (second from left); Eason Lu, Business Line Manager, Business Line Management Division, APAC Region, BenQ Asia Pacific Corporation (third from left); Simeon Sia, Marketing Communication Manager, BenQ Service & Marketing (M) Sdn. Bhd. (fourth from left); and Sasha Huang, Product Marketing Manager, Business Line Management Division, APAC Region, BenQ Asia Pacific Corporation (fifth from left) together with the BenQ W11000 during the launch event
BenQ W11000
The W1100 is the world's first Ultra HD Digital Light Processing (DLP) projector to have earned the prestigious THX® HD Display™ Certification. The design is based on the projectors used in IMAX cinemas.
Harnessing the advanced DLP 4K UHD DMD with XPR
technology, W11000 produces 3840 x 2160 distinct pixels for true
8.3-millionpixel 4K UHD resolution. Single-DMD DLP technology ensures absolute
image integrity and color accuracy without artifacts that can be introduced by
panel alignment issues, especially critical at 4K with much finer pixels than
1080p. BenQ’s highly optimized 4K optical system then employs 14
high-resolution elements, a true zoom system, and special low-dispersion lens
coatings to preserve spectacular visual quality for an authentic digital cinema
experience.
Requiring 10 times as much data analysis and seven
times the engineering effort and resources in precise color and gamma
adjustments as required for pure Rec. 709 compliance, W11000 underwent over 18
months of rigorous development and 200 THX laboratory tests covering over 500
data points to ensure strict color accuracy, precise gamma, ideal color
temperature, enhanced uniformity, and super high native contrast ratio for THX
Certification. Passing three rounds of live testing at THX headquarters in San
Francisco, W11000 offers supreme overall image performance and THX Mode,
pre-calibrated by THX engineers for the most accurate out-of-box picture
quality possible to deliver authentic cinematic content as filmmakers
originally intended. Augmenting its high native ANSI contrast ratio, W11000’s
Active Iris and Dynamic Black technology, SmartEco, and proprietary black paint
sealed light engine produce an astounding 50,000:1 dynamic contrast performance
for fine detail rendition in the darkest and brightest scenes without washout
to preserve every subtlety of the original content.
W11000’s CinemaMaster™ image processing technology
improves vivid color reproduction, flesh tone correction, and advanced digital
color and luminance noise reduction. W11000 is also ISFccc (certified calibration certificate) calibration ready,
enabling professional in-home custom calibration.
W11000 natively supports 2.35:1 anamorphic aspect
ratio, offering the ultra-wide cinemascope experience of commercial digital
cinemas. Its UHD performance opens a wider viewing angle to allow comfortable
viewing of ultra-detailed 4K images up close, maximizing the useable screen
size in any given space for a mesmerizingly immersive movie watching
experience.
With a streamlined style featuring sleek front-facing
ventilation, W11000 blends seamlessly into upscale home cinema aesthetics. Its
unobstructed port architecture features extra space to accommodate thick
high-quality cables and HDMI / power cable locking to hold them securely in
place. And to fit perfectly into any home cinema, W11000 features H/V lens
shift and 1.5X big zoom for precisely custom installations.
Powered by ultimately durable Digital Light
Processing, the 2015 Academy Award of Merit Oscar® winning technology used in
90% of the world’s digital cinemas, W11000 delivers long-lasting picture
quality with precise colors and razor-sharp clarity without maintenance or
degradation.
The retail price is RM23,888 but currently CMy is doing a promotion for RM 18,888. Please contact Dicky Ng of CMY if interested.
BenQ W8000
The W8000 is also a THX Certified and share the same CinemaMaster technology as the big brother. They are equipped with state of the art image adjustment settings to allow users to tailor the visual characteristics to their own preference.
As the first ever BenQ
projector to be awarded the prestigious and exclusive THX Certification, BenQ
engineers pursued over 18 months of rigorous development comprising 200 THX
laboratory tests covering over 500 data points to ensure that it meets Rec. 709
color accuracy, precise gamma, ideal color temperature, enhanced uniformity,
and super high native contrast ratio requirements. Originally developed by
Lucasfilm engineers to distinguish only best-in-class audio and video systems,
THX Certification ensures that certified equipment can accurately deliver content
as the director originally intended, and W8000's THX Mode is pre-calibrated by
THX engineers to deliver the most accurate out-of-the-box picture quality
possible.
In addition to
THX Certified picture quality performance from its strict Rec. 709 RGBRGB color
wheel and high pixel fill factor, razor-sharp clarity and superbly sensitive
high ANSI contrast from DLP technology, the Full HD 1080p W8000 offers
state-of-the-art image adjustment settings to tailor visual characteristics perfectly
to viewer preferences with CinematicColor and CinemaMaster technologies. Exact
adjustments to gamma, color temperature, flesh tones, motion frame rates, and
more can be made to suit individual requirements.
Further
enhancing flexible customizability, W8000 is compatible with five
interchangeable optional lenses including 2.4:1 anamorphic aspect ratio, to
integrate seamlessly into space ranging from cozy family rooms to purpose-built
audiovisual screening rooms. Moreover, horizontal and vertical hardware lens
shift and big zoom capability preserve perfect image quality while facilitating
installation flexibility over a variety of mounting and placement options.
Powered by the industrial-grade durability DLP
technology and the robust DMD chip, W8000 produces accurate colors and
brilliant uniformity without decay for years to come.
To find out more about BenQ projectors, please visit
BenQ.com.
It has been awhile since I get to review a Japanese product. The last Japanese product I purchased was the Sony HAP Z1ES back in June but have yet to review it. When Audio Art offered to review the HECO Direkt together with this Soul Note SA710 monitor amp, I could not resist the temptation. I first listened to Soul Note product was back in 2015 KLIAV show. I was impressed then at how comprehensive their products are and the bang for buck sound.
SoulNote is designed and manufactured by CSR Inc. that was estbalished in June 2004. It has strong links with Marantz. Their vision is to create a world and industry first products and build a trusting relationship with customers.
THE BUILT
While most hifi chassis design are a full deck or shoe box size, SoulNote opted for a full deck size by width but half size for the length (420 x 98 x 243 mm). Its chassis has a fine black metallic finish that gives the overall classy look. There are only 2 knobs in front which are the input selector and volume. Sturdily built with sufficient control to step up/down on the volume.The power button lights up into a cool blue LED when turned on and there is also a headphone jack output. It is relatively a light amplifier weighing at 6 KG. The amp also comes with a set of steel spikes if you wish to use it.
THE DESIGN
Believe it or not, this small monitor amp delivers only 10 watts per channel into 8 ohm and the headphone section boasts a 3 watter amplification. It is also designed to be used as a pre amp and connect to your power amp. For this review however, it will only be used as an integrated amp driving the ProAc D18 (and Heco Direkt as per my previous review). The topography is based on a Class A amplifier.
THE INS AND OUTS
Simplicity is the game here. Minimalist design with the following inputs and outputs:
3 x RCA in
1 x XLR balanced in
2 x RCA pre out
1 x headphone out (in front)
A pair of speaker terminal (spade or banana plugs)
Additional function includes a gain switch high/low for the headphone.
THE TRACKS
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye - WAV 16/44.1
Take Five - DSD 2.8 MHz
Sabarlah Menanti - WAV 16/44.1
THE SET UP
SONY HAP Z1ES Hi Res player connected via USB cable to Oppo HA-1 DAC
Oppo HA-1 DAC with Siltech Classic Anniversary IC to the Soul Note
ProAc D18 with Vermouth Audio Black Pearl cable
What's Going On
Marvin's vocal sounded luscious with a hint of warmth in it. Very soulful indeed the way the SA710 delivers this track. It has great refinement with substantial musical flow. It does not bring up the control that a higher wattage amp can deliver but nevertheless, the overall track enjoys the wider sound stage and airiness that this monitor amp churns out. It is the high frequency may be a bit sharp for some people but for a track like this, the deep baritone voice balances it out just nicely.
Take Five
Like any other DSD tracks, I needed to increase the volume a little bit to give me a more in depth feel of what this amp can do. The bass was extensive and spread out to provide quite an impressive envelop. It does not emphasize on control as it lets out a free flow musical experience. The percussion sounded sharp on this track especially on the ride cymbal and snare. But refinement through the wind instrument made the overall track sounded lively and full of energy. It is so refined that I somehow could hear the reed of the instrument being played.
Sabarlah Menanti
This was the SA710 best performance with respect to average sensitivity speaker like the ProAc D18 (88 dB). It maintains its warm big sound stage. An amp that can really deliver emotions when it is needed. The vocal from this late Malaysian superstar came out to be very melodic. The guitar works reminded me of tunes from Eric Clapton early days. Again, the SA710 strength is at the low end spectrum but without diminishing the importance of clarity and transparency.
THE CONCLUSION
In comparison with HECO Direkt, the SA710 maintains its strength in bass delivery and sound stage but looses out in control and grip with the ProAc D18. This I believe is related to the lower sensitivity of the ProAc D18. Surprisingly however, the SA710 can still drive the ProAc with ease and no sign of stress. With the HECO Direkt which has sensitivity of 95 dB, the SA710 drives them perfectly. Retailed at RM9538, it is definitely bang for buck as I expected.
If you have high sensitivity speakers (I would say 90 dB and above) and looking for a nonsense-free mini amp, do consider to demo for this Soul Note SA710. It can provide a musical experience that can satisfy different genres of music.
For a demo, please contact the following:
KL - Selective HiFi
68-2, Block F, Zenith Corporate Park, Jalan SS7/26, SS7, 47301 PJ
Call David on +60 12-249 9823 or Vinson on 0129071955
+ A modestly-priced premium model which ticks all the current 4K requirement. Fast loading as opposed to the first Blu-ray player back in 2007. – Colour depth and dark scenes can be richer.
Sound: 9/10 Picture: 7/10 Value: 8/10
THE 4K (or UHD) quality display hype has been the buzz in the AV industry for the past few years. With TV and projector models jumping on the bandwagon, the display hardware has gone through various stages of enhancement.
The industry now seems to have settled for 4K with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Dolby Vision, running via HDCP 2.2 protocol. AV receivers (AVR) nowadays are also well-equipped with HDMI ports that are 4K bypass-capable. However, as the display hardware and AVR blossom in sales, consumers are still deprived of software and player availability. It is even more disappointing that Malaysia is also deprived from this while consumers in Europe and USA have been enjoying 4K sources as early as Q2 this year.
But lo and behold – the Samsung UBD-K8500 4K UHD Bluray player is available here finally. This player lets AV enthusiasts complete their dream home theatre set-up. As most enthusiasts will be equipped with 4K TVs or projectors alongside with Dolby ATMOS/DTS:X capable AV receivers, this last piece of the jigsaw will make you want to re-watch your movie collection. This player supports HDR and will output both Dolby ATMOS and DTS:X audio.
Like any modern player, the UBD-K8500 is also equipped with various network-based apps like YouTube via its network connectivity. Those with existing Samsung SMART TVs will be happy to know that the remote control unit that comes with the player will integrate seamlessly with your TV and most common AVRs (at least I know it works fine with Denon) and allow you to control your whole entertainment set-up.
SETTING UP
There is the standard power cable, remote and manual. The player is light enough so you can slot it into your AV rack with ease. The connectivity offered is basic but this is all you need for the 4K viewing experience. It has two HDMI outputs (one main and one audio-only), one optical output and one LAN network port.
With regards to 4K connectivity, a quick lesson on the requirement. In order for consumers to enjoy 4K, the whole connectivity chain from the source to the TV or projector (including the AVR if you are connecting via one) must have HDMI ports that are HDCP 2.2 compliant. This is a technology designed to prevent illegal copying of 4K Ultra HD content. Hence, before purchasing this player, check all your existing hardware.
For this review, the player was connected via a Denon X6200W AVR into a Samsung UA65HU9000 65-inch Curve TV. I also connected the player to the Samsung ATMOS soundbar recently reviewed. Please check your TV manual which HDMI port supports HDCP 2.2 and ensure it is connected to this port. No calibration of any sort is needed from this player as it detects any error in the visual chain and displays it on the TV. Unfortunately, my TV does not support HDR, hence a message is displayed saying that only 4K display will be shown without HDR.
Do note that while 4K UHD Blu-ray has no regional coding on it, standard existing Blu-ray discs are still subjected to regional coding on this player. For the unit sold by Samsung Malaysia, it is coded to Region A, similar to the USA.
THE EXPERIENCE
With The Revenant 4K UHD Blu-ray disc, the opening scene of the river flowing through the mangrove woods displayed significant detail compared with a standard Blu-ray disc. Ripples on the surface of the water were very smooth flowing with clear reflection of the tree branches above.
Coupled with a good ATMOS track, this Samsung player provided a full package of visual details with quite an impressive ATMOS experience. However, I would prefer a richer black when for such scenes – the Samsung player seems a little bit shy to emphasise this.
Moving on to Man of Steel, this movie is known to have quite a grainy visual with rich colour texture. During the scene where Superman is saving people from a burning offshore platform, the fiery body of Superman looks vivid with a good similarity of real fire.
The challenge with 4K which targets to display a life-like picture is that it can start to show the CGI’s unrealistic effect if it was not done properly. The Samsung player managed to produce quite a stunning realistic visual.
The visual on the Star Trek 4K UHD Blu-ray disc that was used to review the Samsung soundbar recently also looked quite vivid in its entirety. The attack scene at the Enterprise base showed quite a disperse colour hues during the explosion but retained its detail definition of different colour schemes. However, again it suffers a bit with black texture. Dark scenes seem to be a little bit lifeless.
It is a pity that I could not review this on a HDR-capable TV but having seen these same movies on a HDR capable projector, rest assured that it can only be better than what I have experienced.
As for other functions, the player has a few built-in Samsung apps which are quite standard these days. If you already have a high-specification TV, there is minimal use of the apps.
THE LAST WORD
As the first 4K UHD player available in Malaysia, Samsung nailed it with zero glitch during playback of these three movies. No skipping or jitter nor did I have to reboot due to system crash. I particularly like the curve chassis that matches my TV, while the simple front fascia with no LCD screen lends it a stint of elegance. The soft buttons for main functions like eject and play also shows that Samsung put in quite some thought to the design.
At the moment, this is the only 4K UHD Blu-ray player available in the official local market. Although there is no other alternative, this player will offer a good step-up and introduction to 4K UHD excitement for any AV enthusiast, providing you own a full 4K chain. It will provide you with a different perspective of watching movies at home not only for visual, but also for ATMOS and DTS:X enveloping surround sound.
Gear
Samsung HW-K950 ATMOS Soundbar, Samsung UA65HU9000 65-inch Curve TV, Denon X6200W AVR, PMC Twenty.23 and C front and centre speakers, SVS Prime Satellite rear speakers SVS Prime Elevation height speakers, SVS subwoofer
My wish of listening to this stylistic-retro-looking speakers in my home came true recently, courtesy of Audio Art, Ipoh via David Kestez and an FB acquaintance. After my love at first sight (or hearing) during the KLIAV show back in July, I have been wondering how these unique speaker design will sound in living room with my current set up. The looks itself already impresses not only me but also my wife. With this high Wife Acceptance Factor (WAF), I quickly said yes when David offered me for a home review. I feel even more honoured when I was informed that this will be the first time the HECO Direkt being reviewed locally. Thanks David. Thanks Audio Art! Thanks FB acquaintance!
On a fine Saturday evening, the speakers were sent to my house together with a Soul Note 710 monitor amp. The two fine gentleman who delivered the items were fully attentive in setting the Direkt in my living room. I requested for them to set it up with my resident Musical Fidelity M6i amp first as I would like to hear this speakers with my usual set up.
DESIGN
The Direkt are a 2 way speakers that combines the dynamics and bass extension of a large floorstanders. It comes with a 25 cm subwoofer with the HeCO kraft paper diaphragm. Dont let the slim thickness fools you. Inside the cabinet is equipped with two flow optimised, rounded reflex tubes on each side of the bottom of the cabinet to provide optimum acoustic coupling to the room. The tweeter is a 28 mm silk compound cone which delivers up to 2.3 kHz.
It comes with a pair of solid binding posts and the cabinet is supported by a 3 legged support at a tilted position. The speakers come with the option of spikes with steel footers or a rubber spikes. The fabric grills for the woofer and tweeter are magnetic. If you opt to use them, ensure that you have 'lock' the grill by turning it clockwise to ensure the magnets are aligned.
The sensitivity is high at 95 dB with 4 to 8 ohm impedance, first indication that I will not have any issue drivnig this speaker with my 200 watter MF M6i amp.
Size wise, it stands at 440 x 998 x 397 mm including foot construction and weighing at 25.8 KG each.
SONY HAP Z1ES Hi Res player with Siltech Classic Anniversary XLR
THE TRACKS
With MF M6i
Little Train by Niels Hennings and gang (WAV 24/192)
Whiskey in The Jar by Metallica (WAV 16/44.1)
Countdown to Extinction by Megadeth (LP)
With Soul Note SA710
One Fine Day by Natalie Merchant (WAV/16/44.1)
Take Five by Dave Brubeck (DSD)
Temptation by Diana Krall (WAV 16/44.1)
Wishlist by Pearl Jam (LP)
THE FIRST IMPRESSION Straight out of the box, the Direkt delivered quite an impression on the bass. I did not experience that during the KLIAV show. In fact, one of my concern about this Direkt was that it could deliver sufficient bass. Boy I was wrong. With the downfiring ports, it really worked like a charm. Soundstage was big and giving me a fuller picture of music. The overall sound however was also giving me quite a sharp sound in the higher spectrum region. Time to run in the speakers....
THE SESSION 1 - WITH MF M6i
By the time the serious review started, the Direkt would have seen at least 200 hours of various musical genre being played through it. Things have started to gel together and the high frequencies have started to sound sweeter rather than sharp.
With this double bass track by Niels Hennings and gang, the Direkt delivered an impressive low frequency performance. It may not dig deep like PMC's ATL but the it could really capture every single note coming out from the 2 double bass playing with also good separation.Its not one of those jumbled up bass delivery. Excellent layering of percussion in the background as well. The high frequencies coming out from the tweeters are now more tamed and sweeter with the snare and tambourine blending in perfect harmony
James's vocal on this Whiskey in The Jar track was revealing, stealing the show from the shredding guitars of Kirk and drums of Lars. Kirk's guitar sounded darker than usual which brings up another element of surprise. I must be frank that I was skeptical on whether the Direkt can handle metal and rock music. It surely can. It gives quite a hard hitting bass and it does make rock or metal music sounds fuller and bigger. Again, the bass section gives an overall warmer and bolder sound even for metal or rock music.
Lets try rock on LP by ex Metallica guitarist, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. The intro sounded very authoritative. Again that bass section was very evident, injecting a good vibration and energy to the overall presentation. Its about hard hitting bass but do not sacrifice subtlety with substance. Its not about focusing on a particular instrument but the low frequency encompasses everything; it injects a deeper voice to Dave, certain authority on the guitar even during the solo and a more bold percussion or drums.
Now that I know what Direkt can do with my MF M6i, time to move one to partnering it with Soul Note SA710.
THE SESSION 2 - WITH SOUL NOTE SA710
The Soul Note SA710 was introduced to the system as part as an integrated system review. It will also be reviewed with my ProAC D18 speakers in the next detailed review.
One Fine Day
Airy.... It sounded airy and just lively and full of emotion. This has been my choice of romantic track and the Soul Note just elevated the the Direkt to another level. For a 10 watter amp, it surely impressed me where it can provide enough juice to the Direkt to deliver such strong and wide sound signature. Natalie's vocal was upfront and full of life. The soft hi hat and snare hits surfaced to be very detail and the kick pedal sounded refined. What went away was a hard hitting bass effect but subtlety and refinement kicked in. very involving overall presentation. Refinement at its best.
Take Five
The bass extension on this one if quite remarkable. Gone was the 'in you face' bass but a more extensive bass where it matters. Even the snare sounded fuller and meatier. The wind instrument sounded airier with in depth detail, giving a big soundstage but without loosing the texture behind the track. A bit loose on the high frequencies section but nothing too serious. Overall presentation was leaning towards quite a natural sounding sound with an emphasize on micro refinement on the low frequency section.
Temptation
Now, this track have been my reference track for the past few months. While with the Soul Note, the Direkt continues to serenade me with its sweet and refined sound, this track loss some energy in it. The opening percussion sounded less lively compared to when the Direkt was driven by the MF M6i. Diana's vocal was the emphasis which it sounded very energized and deep. The string works on this track also showed a similar performance; very high on refinement but does not dig deep in the low frequency part.
Now, another challenge for the Direkt with this track from Pearl Jam - Wishlist. Even for a heavier and grungier track like this, refinement kicks in with high level of transparency. The swooshing effect in the track can be felt as it was swirling wind going across the hall. Excellent delivery of details, layer by layer. You don't get fatigue easily with the Direkt. Eddie's vocal sounded powerful with real enforcement on his baritone side.
CONCLUSION
Are you ready for it? If you are in the market for a new set of speakers, do not buy anything yet until you have given the Heco Direkt a good demo. German engineering meets retro artistic design. Oh, did I mention the sound is pretty darn good. Vocal,sound stage, subtle bass but refined, high transparency with sweet treble. Mids sounds fairly upfront. Flexible to accustom to your existing amp may it be a power house solid state amp or mini wattage tube or transistor amp. Both will give you a different experience but no worries on whether it will sound good or not. Is just a matter of your preference is for hard hitting and strong presentation or refined but extensive overall presentation.It is currently retailed at RM22,786. Oh... just to make it clear... di I mention the sound is pretty darn good? :)
If you are interested to demo this babies, please contact the following:
KL - Selective HiFi
68-2, Block F, Zenith Corporate Park, Jalan SS7/26, SS7, 47301 PJ
Call David on +60 12-249 9823 or Vinson on 0129071955
Maxx Audio in Seremban hosted a product launch event for the new SVS PB16 Ultra and SB16 Ultra on Saturday 26th November. This long awaited event was attended maaaannnyyy HT enthusiasts in the country and also by the regular audio reviewers like Willy Low, Vinod, Dick Tan and that one troublemaker of all time...Myself. The event kicked off at 11 am an officially ended at 6 pm wuth a steady flow of AV-philes throughout that time. It was so packed that Max had to arrange for every one to experience the new subs in a few demo sessions.
No hifi product launch in Malaysia can be conducted without having delicacies. Max and Ben specially ordered Nasi Lemak bungkus NIzam and also Bee Hoon goreng and also hot curry puffs. Yours truly arrived at about 1015 to provide Max with the Samsung 4K UHD BD player and once set up, this nasi lemak started make its way through my mouth. Yummy. Once done, the official demo started.
Batman vs Superman DOJ on 4K UHD
One of Epson on display projector
Max explained the new design adapted by SVS in this PB16 sub. With 1500 watss RMS power, this 16" sub , this sub guarantees a substantial LFE will be provided in one's system. It goes as deep as 13 to 280 Hz. The sub can be adjusted via its mini remote control and also iOS and Android bases apps. It weighs at a staggering 95 kg mark and it can easily be mistaken to be a small washing machine hehehe. You would need a big room for this to be made looked smaller. Customer have the choice of piano black or black ash finishings.
Max has deployed a 7.2.4 channel system in his 16.5 x 19.5 ft room. A bit crowded with speakers but still comfy enough to enjoy a full fledge ATMOS/DTS-X surround sound. The full set up list is as follows with its RRP:
SVS PB16 Ultra - RM14,499
SVS SB16 Ultra - RM 11,499
Klipsch KL-650-THX - RM 7,600 each
Klipsch KL-525-THX surround - RM6350 each
Klipsch CDT-2800-C II Top front and Top rear - RM1,150 each
Denon AVR X7200WA - RM 13,999
ATI 807 7 channel power amp - RM15,000
Parasound A23 Stereo power amp - RM6800
Oppo BDP-105D - RM5,999
Epson LS10000 projector - RM30,500
KL 650 THX Centre (similar to LR channels)
ATI 7 channel power amp
Oppo 105D, Samsung K8500, Parasound 2 channel power amp and Denon X7200WA
Klipsch rear speakers
OK enough of the tech talk. Now lets get into the nitty gritty:
When Max show case his set up, several different type of movies were played. Ranging from rain effect, bullet spraying war scenes, helicopter swirls, building collapse, martial arts and many more. My favourite was the war scene in the movie Bengazi. The PB16 shook the LazyBoy sofa with tremendous power and agility. I was surprised that there was rattling of the ceiling. The LFE provided by the two subs was enough to provide the guests on that day what these new Ultras can do.
The sound of the spraying bullets and its impact sounded deep but subtle enough to differentiate it from explosives sounds. The speed and accuracy of the subs were evident enough that even in a chaotic scene like this, it delivers continuous LFE impact on each relevant sound. Matched and properly set up with the Klipsch speakers, the dialogue was still crystal clear. The mid bass was also presence where in a quieter scene of dialogue, the vocal sounded energized and with a deeper tone and emotion.
The Klipsch THX Ultra 2 speaker set up was also very involving and gives out details of the movie with a high level of precision. With up to 97 dB sensitivity, they were driven effortlessly by the amplification in this set up. No sign of stress and I did not experience any fatigue listening to this set up through out the day.
Thank you Max and Ben for the invite. I a quite sure these new monstrous sub will be flying out of your shop into people's home very frequently.
