There were two mitigating factors. First, I usually don't use a preamplifier with either of my reference DACs, dCS's Rossini ($23,999) and Vivaldi ($35,999). Instead…
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At the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, when John Atkinson and I entered the room shared by Lamm Industries, Aqua Acoustic Quality, and Kharma room, we were looking for two things: good sound, and digital products for me to review. When we spied AAQ's Formula xHD digital-to-analog converter, the possibility of evaluating a potentially excellent DAC made by someone other than the usual suspects felt like a golden opportunity.
Three days and three pages of extremely detailed notes later, after the Formula xHD had passed the 400-hour mark, its top began to open up, revealing a sound suffused with light and a beautiful, warm midrange. Burning it in further while reviewing soprano Sonya Yoncheva's The Verdi Album, with Massimo Zanetti conducting the Munich Radio Orchestra (CD, Sony Music 0889854179823; 24/96, Primephonic), I finally noticed the emergence of a three-dimensional soundstage, and the Formula xHD's ability to reveal the changing colors and weights of voice and orchestra as emotions shifted—as well as…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: D/A processor with proprietary Optologic D/A conversion system. Pure R2R ladder: FPGA-based without digital filter. Compatible formats: PCM to 16–24-bit/44.1–768kHz, DSD64–DSD256 via DoP, DXD. Digital inputs: RJ45 AQlink (I2S serial bus), BNC coax (S/PDIF, 75 ohm), RCA coax (S/PDIF), AES/EBU (balanced, 110 ohm), USB 2 Type 2.0 (OSX, Linux driverless, all formats). Modular input: AES/EBU, RCA coax, AT&T (ST Fiber), Optical TosLink. Analog outputs: 1 pair unbalanced (RCA); 1 pair transformer-coupled balanced. Maximum output level: 2.4V, unbalanced…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: dCS Paganini SACD/CD transport & Scarlatti clock & Rossini DAC & Vivaldi DAC & Network Bridge network player; Oppo Digital UDP-205 universal BD player; Intel NUC7i7BNH with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD running Roon; Linksys router with 2 TP-Link gigabit Ethernet media converters & multimode duplex fiber-optic cable; Apple MacBook Pro computer with Intel i7, SSD, 8GB RAM; iPad Pro; external hard drives, USB sticks.
Preamplifier: Lamm Industries L2.1 Reference.
Power Amplifiers: Dan D'Agostino Master Systems Progression,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Aqua Formula xHD DAC with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 As We See It"), using both the Audio Precision's coaxial and AES/EBU digital outputs, and USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro running on battery power with Pure Music 3.0 playing WAV and AIFF test-tone files. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the Formula xHD as "aqua XHD" from "aqua," its serial number as "0 (none)," and confirmed that its USB port operated in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode. Apple's AudioMIDI utility revealed that, via USB, the Formula…
Viginti is Latin for twenty. It's also the name of a new loudspeaker from EgglestonWorks, to be produced in a limited edition of 250 pairs in celebration of the launch, 20 years ago, of the company's original Andra, on which the Viginti is based. The Viginti is a shapely and eye-pleasing 4' 2" tall, and weighs 255 lb—kind of heavy for its size.
A great thing about the Internet is that, in a print publication with limited space, there's no need to spend precious column inches recounting an otherwise necessary history of EgglestonWorks, which is based in Memphis, Tennessee. You can read…
While I always have to let my ears and brain adjust to the new, after a few days it was clear that moving the Vigintis a bit farther from the front wall might be worth trying. A friend and I moved them slightly forward. That did the trick.
With the speakers driven by my reference darTZeel NHB-458 monoblocks, the Viginti's bottom-end sound was sprung somewhat looser than the Alexx's, which gave it a richer, more visceral, more tactile bottom—an area in which the Alexx itself is not exactly shy. But it was way looser in the lower midbass, where it still sounded somewhat bloomy, even after…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Dynamic, floorstanding loudspeaker with rear slot-port loading. Drive-units: 1" beryllium-dome tweeter, two 6" carbon-dome midrange drivers, two 10" carbon-cone subwoofers. Crossover frequencies: 120Hz (low pass) and 110Hz (high pass), 2kHz. Frequency range: 20Hz-40kHz. Impedance: 6 ohms nominal, 3.5 ohms minimum at 29Hz. Sensitivity: 87dB. Recommended amplification power: N/A.
Dimensions: 50" (1270mm) H by 14" (355mm) W by 23" (585mm) D. Weight: 255 lb (116kg).
Finish: Piano Black, anodized aluminum side panels, carbon-fiber accents.
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn turntable & Castellon stand; Kuzma 4Point 9", Swedish Analog Technologies tonearms; Lyra Atlas, Atlas SL, Atlas SL mono, Etna, Etna SL cartridges; Miyajima Laboratory Zero (mono) & Madake, Ortofon Anna & A95 cartridges.
Digital Sources: dCS Rossini CD player; Lynx Hilo A/D-D/A converter; Meridian Sooloos Digital Media System; Pure Vinyl, Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification: Ypsilon MC-10L & MC-16L step-up transformers; CH Precision P1 (with X1 power supply), Ypsilon VPS-100 phono…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the EgglestonWorks Viginti's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield and in-room responses. Because of the Viginti's bulk and weight, I took my measurement gear to Michael Fremer's place in New Jersey, where I performed the quasi-anechoic measurements on the speaker in his driveway. (It was one of the few days in March that was not cold, the sun was shining, and there was no wind!) Mikey and I lacked the strength to lift the 255-lb speaker off the…