Monthly Archives: wrzesień 2022

Opinion 1

Many of us are aware that Hi-Fi, and especially High-End, is a very niche, if not an elite hobby, when we look at the price tags of the components interesting the golden-eared, becoming more and more terrified. And all the others are more or less consciously denying that knowledge. But the facts, well collected and professionally aggregated, do not lie. It turns out, that the last published poll in Poland in August 2018, by the company CBOS, paints a quite apocalyptic picture of our reality. At first glance things do not look bad, as 65% of the respondents declare they listen to music on a daily basis. The leader of the pack is the age range between 18 and 24 (77%), followed by 25-34 (75%) and 35-44 (70%). This means, that the older the questioned person was, the less he or she was inclined to listen to music. Regarding the sources of the music listened to, the paid streaming services account for 8%, CD/DVD for 14% and vinyl for 2%. A second study, conducted from 17 to 29 November 2020, called “Musical choices of the youth” by Kantar Polska S.A. and conducted on youngsters aged between 12 and 17 years, showed, that while 67% of them is listening to music at least once a week, yet they buy this music on physical media, only 10% is listening to files or streaming services. And please remember – this is per week! And things get even worse. Already the “Report from assessing the music market for the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage” from December 2013 showed, that “89% of the respondents listens to music online using a computer, and more than half (53%) using a smartphone”; while the source for that was in 65% YouTube and similar free services, while the streaming platforms had only 4% share. And now for the best part. Do you know, which percent of the responders uses a stereo system for listening to files downloaded from the Internet or to recordings available online? 26%. So we are a niche of a niche, a museum and a cabinet of curiosities locked under a glass dome of mannerisms. And it looks like this state of things does not bother us, as despite the late pandemic turmoil, the branch is doing surprisingly well, novelties are a plenty, and the problems, if any, are regarding the availability of the goods and not about people not being interested with them. But we are a quite hermetic bunch, so nobody should be surprised, that most of the offerings that reach the market, despite some unique assets attributable to specific manufacturers, still have a lot of things, that someone else already shown earlier, or we know from a different application. The balance between the proprietary and the copied becomes key. And this is the case we are looking at today, as we are taking a look at top power cord The Red from the Polish company WK Audio.

The construction, and the looks, being the result of the former, are completely different and the accents are placed differently, than with the model The Air, we tested before Christmas Eve in 2019. Even more, looking at the details, we could easily claim, that they are inconsistent, as it is well known, that a client once “caught” likes consistency within a brand, and sticking to once chosen principles. And here are practically none. Of course the wooden box is normalized and unified, also the cable is terminated with the sub-top (in the meantime a new set of plugs was introduced to market with the flagship PROJECT-V1) Furutech 50 NCF plugs, but all the rest has as much in common with its predecessor as a car with a cartridge. Instead of a standard twisted cable hidden under a single sheath, the top cable from WK Audio, The Red, has three individual, parallel runs, separated with aluminum separators and massive splitters, placed about a few centimeters from the plugs, with the company logo etched on them. As you maybe guessing, or the faithful readers amongst you may remember, this kind of approach is not something especially original, as similar solutions were utilized by, for example, the Danish Argent in their top line of products Flow Master Reference Extreme, and that not only for power cables, but also for interconnects, which we were hosting in our systems some time ago. However in terms of color, conform with the naming, and construction, the company from Plichtow differs significantly from its Scandinavian competition. First of all it is … red, probably because the name “The Red” gives everybody quite clear information, secondly, it uses high purity copper, instead of silver, and thirdly, if those two were not enough, each of the wires has a different construction. This is key information, because with signal and loudspeaker cables it makes sense to orient it with appropriate direction, with power cables (maybe except the DC ones) the direction cannot be mistaken, but we still need to have proper polarity. And returning to the construction, although the manufacturer is not very keen on revealing his secrets, about what and how he implemented in the Red, he finally told us, that the combined cross-section of the wires is a whopping 18mm², so 5 more than in The Air. In addition, much attention was devoted to the aspect of combatting vibration, what translated in careful choice of materials used to protect the conductors from harmful influence. The distancers and splitter have a role to play in that too. It is also worth mentioning, that The Red is handmade, what taking into account the popularity of the WK Audio products in China does not leave any time for boredom or leisure for Witold Kaminski, the owner and constructor of this Polish brand.

But enough of the digressions not related to the main questions about sound. Instead of focusing on plugs, sheaths or bending ability, which actually is quite fine, taking into account the size and weight of the cable, it is now time to describe maybe not the sound of the cable itself, but more how it influences the components connected to the power using it. In the very beginning, it needs to be underlined, that The Red announces to cities and world – Urbi et Orbi – its presence, so all of you, trying to find a possibly transparent cable, devoid from any character, can forgo the rest of the review, or at least read it as something of an aberration of the surrounding reality, that does not fully fit in your individual taste. Putting the sound aside, as another sidestep, it is worth noticing, that the tested cable, due to its construction, is quite absorbing in terms of application, so it not only requires a lot of space to be placed freely, but also its significant weight can levitate not so heavy electronics, or make it spontaneously and uncontrollably move around on your rack.
Returning to the topic, the sonic signature, the first aspect, which draws attention, is the juiciness and “vastness” of the generated sound, very nice to the ears. In most systems this effect might be seen as a kind of unplugging, or unclogging the main artery, as due to its significant cross-section The Red is more or less predestined to high power amplifiers, or other devices that have a big appetite for the electric current coming from the wall. This is why most of the time in my system it spent plugged into the back of the 300W Bryston 4B³, and I must confess, that for a long time no other cable from similar price range gave me so much joy. Instead of splitting the sound into atoms and splitting the hair in four, the WK Audio builds a very engaging spectacle, very well based on a bass foundation and served as a whole and not as a combination of individual components. In addition there is a lot of the mentioned bass and energy enclosed within it, but first of all, even on the disc full of bass murmurs “New Moon Daughter” by Cassandra Wilson it is very hard to find any signs of overdoing, or any attempts to grab the other parts of the sound spectrum, what is not so obvious with the fleshy double bass and dark vocals of the singer. And secondly, despite the slight upping and drawing of the contours with a slightly thicker line than I am used to on a daily basis, you cannot accuse it of any averaging, or simplification in terms of selectivity or differentiation. Additionally the soundstage is not reaching forward, at least when we are talking about the first plane. The depth of the stage is explored much more eagerly, so we can avoid placing the soloists on the lap of the listeners. Finally it is a jazz mystery and not a lap dance in an inferior bar in Las Vegas.
Going slightly further in the climates not very comfortable for most systems, operating on the verge of Electro and Industrial “Eat Me Alive” by SWARM, with its synthetic murmurs, whistles and beats filled the whole room with tremor, and if something was to be only an etheric reverb, then it was, and if something was to remind of shooting a heavy machine gun, then a salvo almost teared everything apart in its path. Interestingly, the apocalypse in the lower registers did not prevent the midrange to become more saturated, resulting in the vocal layer, dominated by female vocals, to prone with sex appeal, and the strong, even intensive treble, did not lose pace, but was a true ornament and dot on the “i” adding appropriate, predatory taste to it all.
Now in my opinion, The Red handled rock, and at that the more heavy end of it, starting with the “Over the Horizon Radar” by Jorn, only touching heavy-metal, to the classic of thrash, the “Countdown to Extinction” by Megadeth, issued by MoFi, even better. The reason for that seems obvious, as, if my memory serves me well, I did not encounter a lover of this kind of sounds, who would not prefer a bit of extra weight on the sound, some stronger and thicker line drawing the contours, and the mentioned accent on the higher bass, and choose the anorectic ticking of “The End of Life” by Unsun instead. And with The Red in the system everything became more spectacular and gained on volume what not only made the sound more attractive, but in most cases brought appropriate tonal balance back to the, usually, quite light made recordings.

So can the WK Audio The Red be regarded as a proposal for everybody? Half jokingly half seriously I could say it is not, as some lovers of D-class power amplifiers, with feather weight, might have issues with uncontrolled levitation. But now fully seriously, if your systems is not too obese and does not sound too thick, then applying The Red will only add vigor and will nicely up the drive, showing, that it is worth giving a second chance even to older rock recordings. And one more thing – comparison to the predecessor. Seemingly The Air was more accurate and precise, but it is The Red, which has much more swing and dynamics, so you should be able to swallow its higher price quite easily and just admit, that it fully deserves the top spot in the portfolio of the company from Plichtow.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Ayon CD-35 (Preamp + Signature) + Finite Elemente Cerabase compact
– Network player: Lumin U2 Mini + I-O Data Soundgenic HDL-RA4TB
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Turntable: Kuzma Stabi S + Kuzma Stogi + Dynavector DV-10X5
– Phonostage: Tellurium Q Iridium MM/MC Phono Pre Amp
– Power amplifier: Bryston 4B³ + Graphite Audio IC-35 Isolation Cones
– Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Contour 30 + Brass Spike Receptacle Acoustic Revive SPU-8 + Base Audio Quartz platforms
– IC RCA: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond
– IC XLR: Organic Audio; Vermöuth Audio Reference; Acrolink 7N-A2070 Leggenda
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB cables: Wireworld Starlight; Goldenote Firenze Silver; Fidata HFU2; Vermöuth Audio Reference
– Speaker cables: Signal Projects Hydra; Vermöuth Audio Reference Loudspeaker Cable + SHUBI Custom Acoustic Stands MMS-1
– Power cables: Furutech FP-3TS762 / FI-28R / FI-E38R; Organic Audio Power + Furutech CF-080 Damping Ring; Acoustic Zen Gargantua II; Furutech Nanoflux Power NCF
– Power distribution board: Furutech Pure Power 6 NCF + Furutech PROJECT-V1
– Wall power socket: Furutech FT-SWS(R)
– Anti-vibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Switch: Silent Angel Bonn N8 + Silent Angel S28 + Silent Angel Forester F1 + Luna Cables Gris DC
– Ethernet cables: Neyton CAT7+; Audiomica Anort Consequence + Artoc Ultra Reference + Arago Excellence; Furutech LAN-8 NCF
– Table: Solid Tech Radius Duo 3
– Acoustic panels: Vicoustic Flat Panels VMT

Opinion 2

I hope that you are as happy as I am, when we are about to test a product coming from a Polish company. For me this is very positive, as many of such encounters have shown us lately, that those companies are successful in closing in the gap to the big world. Of course this is not an easy task, as the competition is not sleeping. But when we have the opportunity to test another product from a small, and relatively fresh, manufacture in short time, this is the more heartwarming. So what is the company I am talking about? Please stay calm – you know them, I assure you. Today I will show you the newest approach to music by the Plichtow based cable manufacturer WK Audio, which supplied us with his flagship product, the power cable The Red.

As it often happens, there is no chance to learn about all the solutions used by the manufacturer in its product. On one hand, I can understand that approach, but on the other, the only things that I was able to learn, were the usage of high purity copper conductors, proprietary winding of the conductors, different for each signal path – this parameter determines, that you need to carefully detect the hot pin in the wall socket or power strip and a lot of effort put into the elimination of harmful interference between the wires, for that purpose three aluminum separators were used, keeping the wires in equal distance, and finally minimizing vibration with the use of two splitters on both ends of the cable, just before the top plugs from the Japanese Furutech line. However all the rest of the technicalities is the sweet secret of the manufacturer, so I will just add, that the noble looking cable, placed in red sheaths, is sent to the clients in a nice, wooden box, covered with perforated foam on the inside. As you can see, in the age, where everything can be mimicked, there is not much information to work with, but even though, the available ones show clearly, that the constructor went a slightly different way, than its competition with regard to placing the conductors in the cable. And if the chosen path was the best one, we will check in a moment.

I must confess, that I had a very clear observation from the moment I plugged in the tested cable in my system. But what is most important, this was correlating very much with the assessment of the previously tested power cable from this manufacturer. I mean the understanding of the constructor, how a somewhat universal product should present itself. But why only “somewhat universal”? Please stay calm, I am not looking for any stir ups about the tested cable, I am just reminding you, there is not any one solution that fits all. There exists no truly universal item, that would resolve all the needs and ills of our world, but there are some items, that fit more or less the needs of a wide variety of clients. And while the first cable we tested, The Air, favored the lower midrange, supporting it with a solid dose of well controlled energy, The Red was far more mature in terms of reproducing the musical events. I mean, that while similar to its predecessor it presented the system with a brilliant body, it did so within the full spectrum of frequencies, and it did not forget about leaving the sound appropriate breathing space. This time it did not favor anything, and hence it did not close off the freedom of reverberations of the individual sounds, important for a given musical spectacle. Unfortunately The Air did tone down the treble slightly, and pushed out the midrange. In contrast The Red went through the whole sound spectrum, from the strong and hard bottom, through the midrange, which reproduced well the magic of music, to the lit upper registers. And the most interesting thing is, that this was not an observation on the verge of perception, but on the level of sound, that that was pleasant for the true reception of music. There was no kicking, no tiring of the listener with an overly big amount of low murmurs, but we dealt here with energy, well embedded in each range. Immediately everything started to pulsate with timing, which is not easy to get on this price level. It was universal enough, that I can claim, that it can defend itself even during reproduction of the most ethereal music. Of course if you must, you can find something to not be happy about – like that things are too offensive, and thus a bit too blunt in Baroque music, but I assure you, even if someone notices that, taking into account the universality mentioned by me, the avoidance of tiring pumping of the sound, he or she will not describe it as pure evil, but just a signature slightly different to what was expected. Yes, a signature, not an issue, as The Red did everything with grace. It sounded clear and energetic, but not on your nose, and this was the main asset for me. It had no problem in putting all kinds of rock music in appropriate mass, surprising me nicely with unexpectedly strong and juicy guitar riffs, or energetic vocals, full of revolt. It brilliantly created all kinds of electronic music, on one hand presenting me with seismic, and painful for my ears, murmurs, while a moment later, the ether was cut with a whistle or rasping clipping. But it was also able to show, that in jazz, playing with silence, all is not about only showing an ideally decaying, individual sound, but also about showing its vibration, and thus sonic intimacy. Are you surprised with such turn of events? In the beginning I wrote about The Red clearly injecting a dose of energy into the sound. And this energy is not always the most important aspect of the presentation. But please remember, that I also wrote, that it acts in the full spectrum of frequencies, and by that, I did not feel any of the subranges sticking out. Just after it was applied, the whole spectacle came to life, so it offered and increased volume without pulling the rope to any side, and that was its main aspect, in my opinion, something that was surprising positive in its perception.

Now is the tested power cable tailored for everybody? You may be surprised, but I could recommend it to probably every person. Of course my opinion is supported with knowledge, that any of the subranges is favored, but just the whole reproduced music has a load of joy added. And this allows to think, that even the well composed systems, after applying the WK Audio The Red, will be able to show something, the potential buyer would never expect. For once it could be the brilliant timing, another time the surprising energy, yet another a brilliant contours of the virtual sources placed in ether, but never painful overdraw. So when you are looking for that kind of accessory for your system, it should be worth checking for yourself, if you and the tested cable could go along. Do you not agree?

Jacek Pazio

System used in this test:
Source:
– transport: CEC TL 0 3.0
– streamer: Melco N1A/2EX + switch Silent Angel Bonn N8
– DAC: dCS Vivaldi DAC 2.0
– Master clock: Mutec REF 10 SE-120
– reclocker: Mutec MC-3+USB
– Shunyata Research Omega Clock
– Shunyata Sigma V2 NR
– Preamplifier: Gryphon Audio Pandora
– Power amplifier: Gryphon Audio Mephisto Stereo
– Loudspeakers: Gauder Akustik Berlina RC-11 Black Edition
– Speaker Cables: Synergistic Research Galileo SX SC
IC RCA: Hijiri Million „Kiwami”, Vermouth Audio Reference
IC XLR: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond, Hijiri Milion „Kiwami”, Siltech Classic Legend 880i
Digital IC: Hijiri HDG-X Milion
Power cables: Hijiri Takumi Maestro, Furutech Project-V1, Furutech NanoFlux NCF, Furutech DPS-4.1 + FI-E50 NCF(R)/ FI-50(R), Hijiri Nagomi, Vermouth Audio Reference Power Cord, Acrolink 8N-PC8100 Performante
– Table: SOLID BASE VI
– Accessories: Harmonix TU 505EX MK II, Stillpoints ULTRA SS, Stillpoints ULTRA MINI, antivibration platform by SOLID TECH, Harmonix AC Enacom Improved for 100-240V, Harmonix Room Tuning Mini Disk RFA-80i
– Power distribution board: POWER BASE HIGH END
– Acoustic treatments by Artnovion
Analog stage:
Drive: Clearaudio Concept
Cartridge: Essence MC
Step-up: Thrax Trajan
Phonostage: Sensor 2 mk II

Polish distributor: RCM
Manufacturer: WK Audio
Price: 4 500€ / 1,5m (in Europe)

Opinion 1

Not that I’m complaining too much, but you have to admit that lately on our audio market there has been relatively little in the way of introducing new products. Of course, every now and then a distributor boasts about something new in its portfolio, but in fact there is hardly any such thing. A medicine, which, minimally dosed, in a way limits us to choosing a particular product from the always known, which is the fruit of stagnation in the desire to expand the offer by audio dealers, often not meeting our expectations, unfortunately. Fortunately, despite the above-mentioned situation, a little is happening, a perfect example of which is today’s hero in the form of a manufacturer of loudspeakers. And not just any manufacturer, as it comes from Italy, known for its interesting audio design. Who is it? Well, today we are going to take a look at a kind of novelty on our market, that is the Ubsound Multico ML68 floor standing loudspeakers, whose appearance in Poland and in front of our eyes we owe to the distributor Audio Anatomy.

Briefly, the theme of our Italian heroines is as follows. We are dealing with medium-height handcrafted floor standing loudspeakers equipped with four 2-way dynamic coaxial drivers. Three drivers can be found on the front, and one down fire on the base of the tower separated from the ground by four rather high feet. As you can see, this is not a traditional driver application, but the manufacturer stands that this solution is by no means an accident, but rather the result of – unfortunately for the homemakers – the company’s secret HDNSS (High Definition Natural Sound Signature) audio technology, based in part on Manfred Schroeder’s assumptions regarding the loudspeaker’s internal resonance and acoustic isolation. Following the manufacturer’s information, the cabinets are finished with multiple paint layers consecutively applied. At the bottom of their front side, we find a 45-degree curved asymmetrical bass-reflex, while the back side features a stick-on nameplate and a recessed set of loudspeaker cable terminal cups. Presented in this way, the maidens are ideal partners for virtually any kind of amplifier, as they boast an efficiency of 93dB at 8 Ohm of impedance.

The loudspeakers described today intrigued me very much because of their unconventional design. It is not often that someone has the opportunity to deal with such an, let’s not deceive, „exotic” solution based on four self-sufficient, two-way drivers. I was quite concerned about the coherence of their sound performance. Admittedly, the manufacturer in its proclamation to a potential customer mentions a proprietary solution to the matter, but it is one thing to promise something and another to put it into practice. Fortunately, as the Italians promised, they did it, and to my positive surprise, they managed to deal with the issue. With which results? Well, from the very first moments spent with the music version of the Multico ML68, you can hear the intention of showing the listener what is meant by softness and unobtrusive painting of the soundstage world. Without being tiring in the long run, such as the sharp edges of an over-inflated double bass or the offensive high frequencies cutting the space. Yes, many inexperienced music lovers may like those tonalities, but let’s not kid ourselves: music is supposed to soothe, not exacerbate ADHD symptoms. And if this is the case, it will probably come as no surprise to anyone that such an approach to the subject has been accompanied by the engineers’ planned common-sense austerity in over-chiselling every stage entity. However, I would like to immediately reassure the reader that this was not an emotionless message like after taking a sedative, but a look at the music from the perspective of an interesting live projection, i.e. more organic spots friendly to our hearing, rather than audiophile-style, often senseless, involuntary splitting of hairs into four. Boredom? Not at all, as, despite of any suspicions, the calm music charmed me all the time, and the sharper music never exceeded good taste.
Whether it be any kind of vocalization or jazz in the broadest sense of the word, without seeking applause in the senseless delivery of each individual sound detail, the Italian loudspeakers were always able to bring out the real intentions of the artists. Artists, who – very importantly – without the use of a scalpel, but nevertheless clearly defined tonalities, were able to show the artistry of their soundstage work without any problem. Not only as individual entities on a soundstage that was sensibly, in terms of breadth and depth, constructed, but also, or perhaps above all, coherently and in a shared understanding of each other. Contrary to appearances, showing the listener to get the right flow from the musicians is not that easy. And certainly not when forcibly separating the sound details from each other. After all, the essence of a good reception of musical material, apart from subjective phenomena, is also to show the listener their full understanding of instrumental cooperation, in which, in my opinion, our heroines Multico ML68 clearly excelled.
On a slightly different note – I mean to describe the performance in all the superlatives – the music from the aggressive side of the acoustic spectrum, especially the electronic music, was also interesting. This was, indeed, slightly controlled, but still a veritable frenzy. No painful, but still full of expressive swishes and well supported by the lower range. Perhaps this could be perceived as too conservative for orthodox worshipers of this type of self-abuse, but I assure you, for the normal listener the spirit of this type of music was clearly preserved. In my opinion, the energy sprinkled with a pinch of sonic nostalgia was just a different perspective on this kind of project. And if you don’t like it, simply look elsewhere. After all, no one has yet been born to please everyone, which the Italians are perfectly aware of, having decided to engineer music in the spirit of romanticism, deliberately avoiding a variety that is equally interesting.

I hope the manufacturer’s message is clear from my text. We listen to music as friends, not its opposite likewise an eternally aggressive mother-in-law. Of course, both types of music have their purpose, but we have to choose during the eventual purchase decision concerning the loudspeakers evaluated today. However, I recommend calmness, because if you listen to both types of the aforementioned music, and are not unconditionally turned on one of its trends, the black Madonnas coming from Italy, naturally in their own style, but calmly cope with practically every kind of music. Without being presentational in the extreme, instead maintaining the emotions contained within.

Jacek Pazio

Opinion 2

We seem to be saying all the time that we are trying to keep up to date with what’s going on in the audiophile world, but once again it has turned out that, despite our best intentions, it is impossible to grasp this multitude and variety of goods that are called luxuries. Fortunately, the audiophile microcosm is constructed in such a way that sooner or later someone will do the homework for us and from the segment we are interested in will find something that will arouse our genuine interest. That is what happened this time, or rather, for the second time, as Audio Anatomy from Krakow, after the earlier discovery of NIME Audiodesign and their futuristic Mya monitors, gained another Italian brand, Ubsound, for its portfolio, debuting on our market, from whose catalogue we tested Multico ML68 loudspeakers, surprising in some aspects.

According to the manufacturer’s assurances, the Ubsound Multico ML68 are „multi-coaxial loudspeakers designed and handcrafted in Italy in the heart of Milan. These high-end loudspeakers have been specifically designed for audiophiles, professionals and discerning Hi-Fi customers.” So seemingly nothing controversial that could not be verified, which we decided to do out of sheer curiosity. And indeed, the address of Ubsound’s head office is just 6.5km, or less than an hour and a half’s walk, from the very centre of Milan, which we conventionally took Castello Sforzesco to be. As for the handcrafted workmanship, we have no reason to believe otherwise, although looking at the product and considering the distributor said to be the same satin black as the Lamborghini, it is hard not to get the impression that the phrase „Italian workmanship” brings to mind slightly different, less austere, not to say minimal, associations. Even the entry level Feel series catch the eye with their sensual reds and exciting yellows, while here we have a conservativeness that is hard to explain rationally. However, since you don’t judge a book by its cover, this is neither the time nor the place for further complaints.
We’ll talk about the sound itself in a moment, so for now let’s focus on the details. As we were able to show you during the unboxing session, the ML68 floor standing are quite small, not exceeding one metre in height equipped with four 21cm 2-way coaxial drivers (each), three of which are located at the front and one at the base blowing into the ground. Therefore, instead of the standard small spikes, the Italians used 4cm high bushing feet, which are reinforced with steel cores. Interestingly, in the promotional materials, one can come across a declaration that the ground-playing driver also improve the soundstage not only in terms of bass, which does not raise any objections, but also in terms of midrange and treble, which, especially when placing the Multico on plump carpets or moquette, I would approach with some doubts. However, leaving aside possible doubts, it is worth mentioning that each driver has an external dedicated anti-vibration wooden ring.
Looking at the front finishing for a while, it is impossible to ignore the aluminium brushed signboard screwed above the drivers and the single bass reflex outlets located at the base, which are curved upwards at an angle of 45° inside the cabinets. A glance at the rear panel, on the other hand, brings another surprise of mixed feelings, because while we do not require special sophistication from the nameplate, although contact with the Xavian XN250 Evoluzione, where this detail was made of embossed leather, left us with very pleasant memories, the cable terminals in the 85kPLN+ loudspeaker could be a bit better than those used by the Italians, as the last time I encountered a similar design in the Eltax Liberty 3+ (costing <1.5kPLN at that time) a quarter of a century ago, and that in a bi-wire version.
As for the basic technicalities, apart from the high efficiency of 93dB and friendly 8Ω impedance, not much is known. All that is known is that the key to the project is the HDNSS (High Definition Natural Sound Signature) audio technology, based on several criteria and associated secret algorithms based, among others, on the work of Manfred Schroeder already at the design stage emphasizing physical and acoustic-dynamic phenomena and not, as it is usually the case, mainly electroacoustic ones.

So much theory. And how does it relate to practice? I dare say nothing, because if someone, after overly mysterious references to the use of truly cosmic technologies and complicated calculations, expected a strictly technical, analytical, or even laboratory sound, then they may be sorely disappointed, because the sound of the ML68 is the opposite of such a signature. It represents the camp of sound that is fully musical and at the same time homogeneous, where the accent, instead of resolution and details, is placed on cohesion and fluidity of transmission. In addition, the presence of as many as four 21cm drivers in each loudspeaker means that despite their relatively small size, the Ubsound towers play a surprisingly large and free sound, capable of embarrassing many and much more powerful competing models. It is worth bearing in mind, that due to the use of coaxial drivers, the Italian loudspeakers do not even try to fit into the canon of a conventional point source, going rather in the direction of live aesthetics, where space is more important, both in width and depth, as well as freedom of articulation, rather than defining apparent sources with hundredths of a millimetre accuracy.
In addition, we will be able to get to know their full potential after about 150h of running in, because taken straight out of a common cardboard box, fortunately additionally reinforced with chipboard molds, the Italian towers are too conservative and distant. Fortunately, hour after hour they come to life, imbuing the message with a juiciness and innate enthusiasm capable of rousing even the most dreary and sluggish listeners. Interestingly, they do not need any especially refined and elaborate audiophile realizations to do so, as even Madonna’s „Ray of Light” and Yello’s „Touch” can at first blush with the momentum and spectacular characteristic of club and concert events. Surprisingly, it is precisely on the electronics that a certain dream and expressionism of individual „instruments” and vocalists is least noticeable, as the Ubsound towers’ computer-generated soundstage is surprisingly faithful and palpable. Half-jokingly and half-seriously, someone could even say that the Italian loudspeakers convert this thoroughly digital input on the fly into an analogue one, which is much easier for the listener to assimilate, so that instead of working hard on constant analysis, our brains can switch over to a relaxed mode of blissful laziness, just letting bypass what our ears and other organs collect furtherly without even the slightest treatment.
On the other hand, on recordings that are decidedly less processed and devoid of synthetic pulsations, such as the phenomenal album „Pieśni Współczesne (live at Cavatina Hall)” by Miuosh with the Silesian Song and Dance Ensemble, the impression of participation only intensifies. One because of the aforementioned lack of any problems in conveying the momentum of the performance – the larger the line-up, the more strongly Multico catch the wind in their sails – and two because of the phenomenal depth of the soundstage, which only emphasises the realism. Just note the multi-planarity, the complexity of the performance apparatus, which on one hand sounds like a single organism, but has no problems at all in isolating individual soloists and instruments, but not by the principle of soulless extraction, but by an entirely natural, that is in line with what occurs in the real world when observing, as a spectator/listener, stopping your gaze at a given point and catching focus on it.
And what about intimate compositions? No less interesting, as, for example, on Björk’s ’Gling-Gló’ with Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar, the aforementioned dream and expressionism of the individual instruments can bring to mind omnipolar constructions. However, after a moment of acclimatization, this very way of presentation quickly becomes completely natural, as the piano has its own dimensions, the drums also do their job, and as their edges cannot be shaved, unless someone suffers from hyperacusis, even sitting in the first row of a jazz club, one will not notice such details either, i.e. everything is in the best possible order – in line with nature, and the fact that it represents a slightly different point of view than the majority of 'conventional’ designs available on the market is another story.

Something seems to me that this very naturalness is what may initially pose the biggest problem in accepting the Ubsound Multico ML68 as they are. Instead of breaking the individual components into atoms and wondering what the bass sounds like, what the midrange is like and what is going on up top, we simply switch on our favourite repertoire and enjoy the music. I emphasise the music and not the separate components or individual sounds and nuances. Therefore, if you would like to go back to the basics, to the sources, when the overriding value was the music itself and the pleasure of listening to it, these Italian loudspeakers will more than meet your expectations. If, however, you want a meticulous analysis and critical listening, where detail and, to a certain extent, the equipment reproducing it are of primary importance, this could be the wrong address. However, in order to be sure, it is enough to make an appointment with the distributor for a presentation or, even better, to take the Italian towers to your place for a weekend and judge by yourself whether this is our fairy tale or whether the search for the Holy Grail will continue.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in this test:
Source:
– transport: CEC TL 0 3.0
– streamer: Melco N1A/2EX + switch Silent Angel Bonn N8
– DAC: dCS Vivaldi DAC 2.0
– Master clock: Mutec REF 10 SE-120
– reclocker: Mutec MC-3+USB
– Shunyata Research Omega Clock
– Shunyata Sigma V2 NR
– Preamplifier: Gryphon Audio Pandora
– Power amplifier: Gryphon Audio Mephisto Stereo
– Loudspeakers: Gauder Akustik Berlina RC-11 Black Edition
– Speaker Cables: Synergistic Research Galileo SX SC
IC RCA: Hijiri Million „Kiwami”, Vermouth Audio Reference
IC XLR: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond, Hijiri Milion „Kiwami”, Siltech Classic Legend 880i
Digital IC: Hijiri HDG-X Milion
Power cables: Hijiri Takumi Maestro, Furutech Project-V1, Furutech NanoFlux NCF, Furutech DPS-4.1 + FI-E50 NCF(R)/ FI-50(R), Hijiri Nagomi, Vermouth Audio Reference Power Cord, Acrolink 8N-PC8100 Performante
– Table: SOLID BASE VI
– Accessories: Harmonix TU 505EX MK II, Stillpoints ULTRA SS, Stillpoints ULTRA MINI, antivibration platform by SOLID TECH, Harmonix AC Enacom Improved for 100-240V, Harmonix Room Tuning Mini Disk RFA-80i
– Power distribution board: POWER BASE HIGH END
– Acoustic treatments by Artnovion
Analog stage:
Drive: Clearaudio Concept
Cartridge: Essence MC
Step-up: Thrax Trajan
Phonostage: Sensor 2 mk II

Polish distributor: Highendalliance / Audio Anatomy
Manufacturer: Ubsound
Price: 86 000 PLN / 18,000 USD (pair)

Official technical details:
Maximum power input: 400W
Suggested power input: from 20W to 360W
Impedance: 8 Ohm
Sensitivity: 93dB (2,83V/1m)
Frequency response: 21Hz – 26.000Hz
Maximum harmonic distortion: < 0,5%
Bass-reflex: front, asymmetrical and 45° curved
4 independent 2-way coaxial dynamic driver: 21cm (8.3 in) Ø
Positioning: floor standing tower
Total dimensions (L x H x P): 26 x 92 x 31 cm
Feet height: 4 cm
Weight: 20 Kg (each)

Gdybym był złośliwy, mógłbym rzec, iż wszystko co najlepsze w tym roku niestety już było. Oczywiście piję do iście „toskańskiego” upalnego a zarazem mijającego lata. Jednak wiadomym jest, że gdy coś nawet najbardziej spektakularnego się kończy, coś innego, bardzo często równie fajnego nadchodzi. I taki też podprogowy przekaz będzie miała dzisiejsza, trochę przypadkowa, dlatego niezobowiązująca relacja z wieńczącej nie tylko okres letni, ale oznajmiającej nowe otwarcie na klientów wizyty w salonie znanego chyba wszystkim miłośnikom dobrej jakość dźwięku warszawskiego Nautilusa. Wizyty w telefonicznych założeniach z obsługą salonu bardzo niezobowiązującej, jednak jak się okazało, zaskakująco owocnej.

Nie będę owijał w bawełnę, tylko zdradzę, iż całe przedsięwzięcie doszło do skutku z jednego istotnego powodu, jakim było zaproszenie na posłuchanie od dawna oczekiwanej przez nas do sesji testowej, najnowszej końcówki mocy Accuphase DP-7500. Stosunkowo niedawno gościliśmy cały topowy set tego producenta, niestety z powodu magazynowych braków w sekcji wzmocnienia zamiast wspomnianych 7500-ek wystąpiły A-klasowe 250-ki. Niby wszystko odbyło się w jak najlepszym jakościowym porządku, jednakże powiedzmy sobie szczerze, 250-ki są „starą” dobrą szkołą poczciwego Accu, a 7500-ki to synonim od jakiegoś czasu wprowadzanych sonicznych i wydajnościowych zmian w produktach tego japońskiego brandu. A jeśli tak, to chyba nie dziwne, że gdy takowa pojawiła się w warszawskim oddziale krakowskiego dystrybutora, o wizytę nie trzeba było mnie dwa razy prosić. Był tylko jeden warunek. Nalegałem, aby wspomnianej końcówce mocy zapewnić nie tylko ciekawe i odpowiednio dobre jakościowo, ale oczywiście mieszczące się ze swoją prezentacją w dość niedużych pomieszczeniach zespoły głośnikowe. Padło na znakomite podstawkowe Dynaudio Confidence 20, o sygnał do których zadbał tandem Transrotor Alto z firmowym przedwzmacniaczem Accuphase C-3900. Efekt? Fajna barwa, rozdzielczość i na ile pozwalały warunki lokalowe swoboda prezentacji. Naturalnie wiele do powiedzenia w temacie tak ciekawego pokazu miało źródło analogowe – jak widać na fotografiach, naturalne swoje trzy grosze wniósł również repertuar, jednak gdy podczas ustaleń prosiłem jedynie o ciekawy występ, należy się cieszyć, że kolokwialnie mówiąc „ogarnięta” ekipa (o tym za moment) z od jakiś 4 miesięcy krzyżującym swoją melomańsko-audiofilską drogę z tym salonem Piotrkiem na czele, umiała spełnić pokładane oczekiwania. A czy byłyby to pliki, odtwarzacz kompaktowy, czy przywołany drapak, nie ma to znaczenia, ważne, że tak zwane zrobienie dobrego wrażenia wypadło celująco. Ba, zrobili to na tyle zjawiskowo, że po ustaleniach z wierchuszką tytułowa końcówka mocy opuściła salon i wróciła ze mną do domu na testy. Powiem więcej. Oprócz niej postarałem się o drugą sztukę, która wraz z pre liniowym C-3900 jako pełen set dzielonego wzmocnienia stawi testowe czoło moim Gauderom Berlina RC-11 Black Edition. Jak widać, co się odwlecze, to nie uciecze, z czego jestem bardzo rad. Tym bardziej, że jest ewidentnym potwierdzeniem mojej tezy ze wstępniaka, iż każdy koniec czegoś nawet najfajniejszego – w tym przypadku lata, daje szansę na zaistnienie nowego, równie ciekawego – po ospałym sezonie ogórkowym zapowiedź owocnej w ciekawe testy jesieni.

Oczywiście po sesji z głównym celem moich odwiedzin nie omieszkałem niezobowiązująco zmierzyć się z dwoma innymi przygotowanymi zestawami. Jeden stał w głównym open space na bazie półaktywnych kolumn Avantgarde Acoustic z elektroniką austriackiego Ayona wspartą gramofonem niemieckiego Transrotora. Zaś drugi w najmniejszym pokoju od ulicy z wielonarodowościową obsadą sprzętową i maleńkimi, co bardzo istotne, podobnie do zaproponowanych z głównym zestawie, czyli planowo mieszczącymi się dźwiękiem w pokoju monitorami włoskiej marki Chario. Jak widać, panowie popracowali nad wszystkimi zestawami w salonie, bowiem po ciekawych wynikach dźwiękowych każdego z nich widać, a tak prawdę mówiąc, słychać było, że nie pozostawili niczego przypadkowi, tylko chciało im się pokazać pełnię swoich kompetencji. Kompetencji, które po fajnym występie Miles-a Davisa z czarnego placka pozwoliły na niezobowiązujący sparing tego samego materiału na nośniku cyfrowym w dwóch odmiennych, bardzo mocno audiofilskich wydaniach CD i SACD. I wbrew pozorom ten cyfrowy sparing w otwartym pomieszczeniu nie był jakimkolwiek przypadkiem płytowym, tylko lekko wymuszając pozycję winylową ewidentnym hołdem dla w zeszłym tygodniu minionej 40 rocznicy wprowadzenia formatu CD na salony audio. Rocznicy, której uczczenie tego dnia było kolejną pozytywnie zaskakującą mnie propozycją panów z salonu. Panów, a tak naprawdę kolegów melomanów, którzy byli kolejnym wyartykułowanym na początku pozytywem tego wypadu. Dlaczego tak dużo o nich piszę? Bywalcy pewnie wiedzą, że opisywany salon ostatnio przechodził burzliwy okres. Klika zmian obsady w ciągu kilku miesięcy dla wielu klientów długo podejmujących decyzję zakupową było bardzo uciążliwe. Przecież wiadomym jest, że brak możliwości konsultacji z przez kilka tygodni pomagającym dobrać sprzęt znanym sobie fachowcem to dla wielu mówiąc wprost nieporozumienie. Na szczęście po kilku nieudanych próbach skompletowania znającej się na rzeczy, stabilnej ekipy w tym salonie w moim odczuciu udała się w 100 procentach. A potwierdzeniem tego faktu jest powyższy opis. Nie tylko zaproponowanych kompilacji sprzętowych, ale włożonej przez nich pracy, bez której zniesmaczony brzmieniem słabo zgranych połączeń prawdopodobnie nie miałbym o czym pisać. A tak z planowanej krótkiej lifestyle-owej zajawki wyszła tekstowa konkurencja – zapewniam, że nie w sensie piękna literackiej wypowiedzi, tylko ilości tekstu – dla twórczości Elizy Orzeszkowej.

Wieńcząc powyższy słowotok o co prawda krótkim, ale jakże owocnym spotkaniu na Ul. Kolejowej w Warszawie, chciałbym podziękować obsłudze za mile spędzone, kompetentnie zorganizowane prawie 3 godziny, a boss-owi całego przedsięwzięcia za zrozumienie moich oczekiwań w temacie wykonania ciekawego testu i zapewnianie naszej redakcji dwóch końcówek mocy DP-7500 wraz z firmowym przedwzmacniaczem C-3900. Tak prawdę mówiąc, aż tak przyjemnie spędzonego oraz zakończonego testowym zatowarowaniem czasu się nie spodziewałem. A tu proszę. I profesjonalna obsługa i rozumiejący na czym polega pokazanie potencjału danej marki szef. Cuda? Nie. Po prostu nowe otwarcie salonu Nautilis-a (w sensie stabilizacji brygady) na warszawskiej Woli.

Jacek Pazio