Event Information:

Location
Green Hills Stadium, Randfontein
North way Road
Randfontein, South Africa

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EMMA SQ & ESQL.
DB Drags – SPL – Inter-provincial (JHB / CT Show down)

ALL FIRST TIME SQ COMPETITORS = FREE ENTRY !!!!!

EMMA Prize Giving 18:30

Registration closes 9:30 am – NO EXCEPTIONS !!

Weather you have registered online or not – you need to be at the back-office table by 09:30, late-comers will be penalized!

OK, first off, it’s highly unlikely that there will ever be a universally recognized perfect loudspeaker system any more than there’s a perfect martinit: it’s all shades of gray and subject to the variations of human perception and opinion. Still, we’d all like to believe that one type of box format is superior to another—vented better than sealed, sealed better than passive radiator or whatever. I certainly have my opinion about that, and I’m sure all of you have yours, but from an enginerring standpoint, its really about tradeoffs. If we leave opinion behind, each enclosure type sealed, vented, passive radiator and bandpass has its good points and its downside.

Vented

Let’s start with vented boxes. Ported enclosures are easy to designs, have very good low-frequency performance (20Hz isn’t a problem for a vented box) and are theoretically more efficient, so it would be tempting to pick this type of box as the best enclosure. But, as with all things in life, there’s no free lunch. Generally, when ports are large enough in diameter to move air efficiently in and out of the box, they’re too long to fit in the box, which is another way of saying that virtually all-useable port sizes are very non-linear, especially at high SPLs. Ported enclosures also suffer from higher group delay than sealed boxes. Group delay is engineering-speak for how accurate a woofer reproduces the incoming signal it receives, and is usually described in terms of transient performance. Compared to sealed boxes, vented boxes are generally more non-linear and less accurate.

Sealed

This must mean that sealed boxes are better? Again, no free lunch. Sealed boxes are likewise easy to design and also very easy to get good transient perfrormance from. Coming up with a 12″ woofer with a low box Qtc of 0.7 is a piece of cake, but getting that same box to gown to 20Hz—an easy taks for a vented box—is a serious struggle for a sealed enclosure. You generally need a very low-resonance woofer, which creates mechanical design issues, or you need some kind of amplifier manuipulation in the form of low-frequency boost or servo control.

Passive Radiator

That leaves passive radiators and bandpass boxes. Passive radiators are very similiar to a vented box, but in order to not suffer from the same non-linearity problem you find in typical vented boxes, you need the radiator to be larger than the woofer. A 12″ woofer needs at least a 15″ radiator and that means a lot of baffle real estate to work properly. They can sound good, but have a sound quality that’s somewhat different than vented boxes. Group delay for a passive radiator box is greater than vented boxes or sealed boxes.

Bandpass

This brings us to bandpass enclsoures. These are larger than typical sealed or vented boxes because they require two box volumes in once enclosure, but have a really cool efficiency bandwidth trafeoff thing going for them. You can make them a little less efficient and go very low. If you make them with ports, you still have the same port tube linearity problem, and group delay is far worse than any other type of enclosure.

What’s the bottom line here? I think that for car audio, if you know what you’re doing, you can make any of these types of enclosures work well and sound more than acceptable. Sealed boxes are the still the most popular type in car audio. You can get a large (12″ to 15″ high-excurison woofer to work in a small box (1ft3 to 2ft2) and produce low-frequency roll-off of 40 to 50Hz, perfect for the acoustic lift in the average car, truck, RV or van, and with good transient performance. Likewise, a well-damped Qb3 vented box can also be made compact and roll-off in the 40Hz range with a transient perfromance alsmost as good as a sealed box, although you still have the port non-linearity issue.

Which woofer is best for which type of box? A good criterion is called EBP or Efficiency Bandwidth Product. It was first suggested by well-known audio engineer Richard Small (yeah, the Small in Thiele/Small parameters) You can calculate any woofer’s EBP by dividing the resonance frequency by the driver electrical Q (Qes). If your woofer has an Fs of 20Hz and a Qes of 0.50, the EBP is 40. EBP numbers in the vicinity of 50 or lower generally are best suited in sealed boxes. Numbers 100 or higher are best suited to vented boxes. Numbers between 50 and 100 are often able to offer good performance in both sealed and vented boxes.

Like all rules, this one can be broken. Any EBP 50 and lower woofer can be put in a vented box, although it’s typically a vented box with seriously high group delay. Likewise, any EBP 100 or hgiher woofer can be put in a sealed box, but will usually have a rather high f3 roll-off frequency.

In the end, it’s less about finding the perfect box than knowing how to make any given woofer perform its best. —Vance Dickason

Article from http://caraudiomag.com/articles/what-best-subwoofer-enclosure

Essential elements of music are usually given as melody, rhythm and harmony. The fact that music takes place in an acoustic space (either a real one or one electronically generated) is simply assumed.

We cannot assume, however, that this critical sense of space (or ambience) is automatically reproduced from a recording. Even if we get high volume, uniform frequency response and low distortion, the music will sound flat, dry and uninteresting without ambience.

The “real thing” is the sound at a live concert. If we’re talking about studio reproduciton, the real thing is approximated by the sound of the master tape playback in the control room. The real thing is also the sound the artist wants us to experience. Ambience is an important part of it. We can go beyond reproduction and create a range of echo and surround effects from the wonderful to the bizarre. This can be entertaining, at least for a little while, but for now we’ll be concentrating on the pure goal of accurate ambience reproduction.

Ambience: What It Is

The live performance has a soundstage in front that contains all of the musicians or other sources of sound. This stage is a relatively narrow angle in comparison to the entire 360 degrees of room that surrounds the listeners. The walls, floor and ceiling reflect stage sound back in a way that tells us we’re in a room, but without affecting the perception of the narrow stage and the location of the sound sources on it.

The sonic characteristics that define the acoustical space of the performance—the concert hall or whatever—are what we call ambience. Ambience gives a richness and spaciousness to the music, but it doesn’t contain directional information about the sound sources. Ambience comes from all directions, not just the front. The sound coming form the back is all ambience.

Surround sound is not ambience reproduction. The musicians don’t surround us when they play—they stay on the stage. (Yes, I know that there are some music performances that surround the audience, but I’m sticking to the 99 percent of conventional performances with the musicians staying on stage.) Car Audio systems usually have front and rear stereo speakers and this layout usually gives a 360-degree soundstage. This is a problem.

Reverberation is not ambience reproduction. Recorded reverb can be heard over the cheapest mono radio, but this doesn’t not qualify as ambience. Stereo helps because the reverb sound takes on some of the critical spaciousness factor. Side and rear speakers can finish the job, providing a sense of spaciousness heard over the full 360 degrees. Adding echo from an artificial reverberation device is simply not compatible with the concept of ambience reproduction.

Generating a sense of spaciousness alone is not ambience reproduction. Connect stereo speakers in reverse polarity and you’ll hear an extreme but phony spaciousness. This effect is often called “phasiness”. It’s sometimes used in the midrange of boom boxes and other stereo sets with closely spaced speakers. Avoid phasiness. It produces more headaches than ambience.

Commercial recordings are intended for homes, not cars. Recording engineers control the blend of ambience in a live recording or add artificial reverb in a studio recording. There are two important points here. The ambience information is in the recording and the artists intend it to be reproduced over the best home stereo systems [or they would hope anyway]. The problem of reproducing ambience in a car is not the lack of concert-hall acoustics. Rather, it’s the lack of living room acoustics.

Ambience Recovery Factors

We can learn what is important to ambience reproduction by studying a good living room system. My own reference system is diagrammed in Figure 1. The Magnepan MG-lll speakers are tall flat-panel systems that radiate from both the front and rear, but not to the sides. The room has patches of absorption and a scattering of objects on all of the walls, but is basically live (reflective). The floor is carpeted and there’s some ceiling absorption.

A realistic stage-width angle is defined by the speaker’s relationship to the listener, about 40 degrees. The direct sound is the first to reach the listener. There are no reflecting surfaces to interfere. In fact, the first significant reflections only arrive at the listener after having traveled an extra 10 feet to the wall behind the speakers and back. This delays the reflections by about 10 milliseconds.

When the reflections do hit, they’re strong, having been focused somewhat by the corners of the room. More reflections follow from the sidewalls and from behind. (The 10 millisecond gap between direct sound and the first reflections has been called the initial delay gap, or IDG. This IDG sometimes is achieved with conventional speakers by absorbing potential early reflections with acoustic treatments.)

The sonic effect of a system like this is clarity and intimacy combined with excellent reproduction of the recording space, be it large or small. The system reproduces an accurate left-to-right image of sources as well as depth. To be ultra critical, I could ask for a little more feeling that the ambience is coming from the rear.

Why does it work so well? First, there is a strong, direct, reflection-free hit of left and right channels from the proper angles. This establishes the image locations on the stage and conveys undiluted sonic detail. After 10 milliseconds, strong repeats of the original sound arrive from the sides and rear of the listener. The key factors are: left and right arrivals free of early reflections, an IDG of about 10 milliseconds and multiple delayed side arrivals.

Optimizing Ambience

Great ambience reproduction starts with a great stereo system. We don’t add ambience to a mediocre system to make up for its deficiencies.

Start with the front sound only. It should sound spectrally well-balanced without rear speakers or a rear subwoofer. Try to get a line of sight path from the speakers to the listener, and try to minimize reflections from adjacent surfaces. Directional speakers carefully aimed and sound sound absorption carefully placed can help accomplish this. Fortunately, most car interiors absorb the sound after the first reflections off window glass, giving a “quasi-reflections-free” first arrival.

Deciding on the width between the front speakers requires compromise. Wide locations give more side-arriving sound and thus more ambience. However, this usually creates an unnaturally wide stage with images mainly on the near side and a hole in the middle. Instrument-panel (IP) mounting of speakers gives a better soundstage, but reduces ambience. The reduced ambience can be recovered by the car’s rear speakers, if they simulate the listening room’s delayed side reflections. So IP mounting may be the best choice. Avoid multiple fullrange left and right speaker systems because they give multiple arrivals that obscure detail in the same way reflections do.

Timing is the most important consideration for rear speakers when designing for ambience reproduction. Their sound should arrive at the front seat listeners after the sound from the front speakers. With luck, this can be accomplished by mounting them as far back as possible. Fortunately, in most cars, the rear package tray provides a longer sound path to the front seat listeners than the front speakers.

An alternative location is low in the door or side panel, just behind the front seats. The front seats block the direct path from speakers to front seat listeners. If the rear speakers cannot be placed optimally, a high-end roll-off will keep them from pulling images to the rear, but will still allow them to give a sense of space. Assuming the system is designed to sound best from the front seats, frequency response of the rear speakers is not too important as long as it adds in a pleasant way to the front speakers.

When playing the system, set the fade control just far enough forward to ensure that no images leave the front stage and fly to the rear. This keeps the musicians on stage and out of the trunk. This basically conventional system optimized for ambience reproduction will sound more like a living room than a car and thus more like a live concert.

Enhancement Devices

One popular approach to getting better ambience is to synthesize it. A reverberation device with adjustments allows the user to match the original acoustic space. A heavy dose of reverb is then played out of the rear speakers. The usual problem is that the resulting reverb is just too much. If we could take away the recording’s or the the car’s acoustics, it would work better. This method is not ambience extraction or reproduction, but rather, ambience synthesis. I reserve ambience synthesis for generating spectacular effects. It can be a lot of fun.

Non-reverb ambience-extraction devices can be identified by suddenly switching off the input while playing music. If the output instantly switches off as well, it may be an effective ambience extractor. If there’s a dying echo, sproing or boing, the device is in the synthesizer class. The extractors usually subtract the right channel from the left channel to generate the L-R signal. Any sounds recorded equally in each of the original stereo channels are cancelled in the L-R signal.

Sounds cancelled include center stage instruments and voices and most low bass. What’s left is echo and things that come from the sides. The L-R then goes to the rear speakers directly through a short audio delay. Delay ensures that pure left and right front-speaker sound arrives first, establishing a front soundstage direction. The L-R arriving from the rear can indeed bring out recorded ambience and lend a nice spacious quality.

Dolby surround sound or film has influenced some ambience extractors. The true Dolby technique decodes a specially encoded stereo program to control image locations by “gain-steering” of its output signals. Related ambience extractors use ordinary non-encoded stereo to control gain-steering circuits. Special circuits combine left and right inputs to produce new left and right outputs for the front and rear, as well as a mono or L+R signal for a center speaker. All outputs are usually gain-steered to produce spectacular imaging and ambience effects.

Thus, a strong center soloist may cause increased L=R gain, decreased left gain and right gain and slightly increased rear gain. In this case, the soloist would be strongly centered on the stage with increased ambience. However, some kinds of music can trick the gain-control timing. This leads to surging images or collapsing ambience. Nevertheless, I’ve heard a couple of very good systems of this type.

Recreating the Living Room

I claimed earlier that the basic problem of ambience reproduction in a car is that its acoustics are not those of a living room. This suggests a solution; modify the car’s acoustics to make them more like those of a living room. This requires reducing early-reflected sounds (those that arrive within the first 5 milliseconds after the direct sound) and adding side arrivals after about 10 milliseconds.

Removal of early-reflection clutter is the most difficult part. A crude but effective method is to use miniature box satellite speakers on top of the instrument panel. Another method is the “jam it in the junction” mounting. Small drivers are mounted face up in the instrument panel as close as possible to the windshield and side surfaces. This allows these surfaces to guide radiation rather than reflect it.

The living room’s reflected and delayed side arrivals can be simulated in a car by delaying the signals to the side speakers. Pure left and right signals are fed to door-mounted speakers with a 10-millisecond delay to simulate the IDG. This crude approximation of room reflections works quite well, but a further refinement is to add rear speakers delayed an additional 10 milliseconds. This setup simulates the beginning and end of the living room’s most effective ambience-recovery reflections.

To me, the living room simulation gives the most effective ambience reproduction because it is the most natural and least like the sound of a car. However, it can be expensive and difficult to install. The add-on reverberation synthesizers and ambience extractors can give more spectacular effects. For a limited budget, a conventional four-speaker system can be optimized for both a natural soundstage and 360-degree ambience. —David L. Clark

Article from http://caraudiomag.com/articles/accurate-ambience-reproduction

The new Alpine PXA-H800 Processor is a powerhouse of features and technology. The unit has a new version of the acclaimed IMPRINT equalizer technology and provides a range of solutions for the owner of both factory (OEM) sound systems, and aftermarket head units.

As we have covered the current model PXA-H650 in a recent comparison, I thought it would be a great opportunity to have a look at the new version, and it seems all of the shortcomings of the  PXA-H650 have been addressed and the new PXA-H800 will be well worth a look when it arrives, hopefully in the second quarter of 2011.

Overview

The PXA-H800 has been improved in so many ways, most notably this unit can now allow for manual tuning, just like the old F#1 Status H701. This level of tuning using the new RUX-C800 controller (sold separately), the owner can now personalise their own custom settings from the passenger compartment. The PXA-H800 has the ability to analyse the audio systems acoustical properties and automatically correct the findings, providing premium sound quality. This is accomplished using the supplied omni-directional microphone. This is IMPRINT technology.

IMPRINT Technology

IMPRINT is Alpines advanced system tuning technology, it has the ability to take a speaker level input from most vehicles and provide the user with a level platform for adding aftermarket components, if you already have an aftermarket head unit, IMPRINT can also allow for RCA input connections and the owner can make use of the array of processing power. IMPRINT now consists of 5 separate technologies.

• IMPRINT EQ – Automatic tuning technology. Using the omni-directional microphone in various positions in the vehicle the system analyses the data and automatically corrects any problems and then applies the desired target EQ curve.
• AntEQ – This technology removes any factory supplied equalization, leaving a “flat” response to work from.
• RoadEQ – Automatically correct any road noise issues, in real time.
• User Customisation – The user can customise the sound to their liking via manual or automatic tuning using the optional RUX controller or the computer software. Usually the owner would tune automatically, then make minor tweaks manually.
• MediaXpander  PLUS – Improves playback from compressed media device such as iPods and can restore the audio data.    

A full 4 volts of RCA output power is provided for connection to aftermarket amplifiers, this is an increase from 2.7 volts that was offered on the PXA-H650. Increased output signal to noise ratio is the main benefit of the voltage increase.

Specifications

• 6 Channel Inputs – Up to 10 volts, both RCA and speaker are provided.
• Dual Optical Inputs – Ai Net and Ai Net Aux.
• 8 Channel Outputs – Fully active, 4 volts.
• Equalization – 31 bands per channel.
• Parametric Equalizer – 10 bands on front, rear and centre channel.
• Subwoofer Parametric Equalizer – 5 bands.
• X-Over Slopes – Up to 36dB/octave.       
• Signal to Noise Ratio – 110dB Digital / 105dB Analog.
• Digital to Analog Conversion – 24 Bit, high performance.
• DSP – Dual 32-bit floating point operation.    

Optional Extras

RUX-C800 – In dash controller (DIN size) required for programming and stand alone use of the PXA-H800. Provides control of the processor from the dash and when used in conjunction with a compatible Alpine head unit it can control sources and sound functions.

DCS-BT1 – This is a standalone OEM integration Bluetooth module in the form of a hands free speaker that clips onto the vehicles sun visor. A single button is used to pair with a compatible Bluetooth device and allows for answering and ending calls or powering the unit on / off. The speaker also uses omni-direction technology so it can be used even when the visor flipped down. The unit supports audio streaming and voice dialling, if the mobile device allows. The DCS-BT1 has 14 hours of talk time and 400 hours of stand-by time.

Pricing

In the US… The PXA-H800 unit will be available in April for $699, as will the RUX-C800 controller for $249. The DCS-BT1 is available now for $99.

Alpine has addressed the short comings of the previous model PXA-H660 (an updated US version of the PXA-H650, now available in the US for the reduced price of $249). This should see it perform well when up against the JBL and Audison units when it arrives.

OEM Integration is alive and well.

Article from http://www.mobileelectronics.com.au/article/news/alpine_pxa-h800_processor_sneak_preview/

Once that was done, the speakers were wired up and installed and our sub box was screwed down to our base plate and the console to ensure they stay in place.

Photography by Peter Chaney

Article from http://caraudiomag.com/articles/top-ces-cars-sl55

In 1994, Monster attacked the car audio market with the same creativity and technological insight it had become famous for in the home audio market. Ten years later, Monster recognized the change that was happening in car audio and decided to create a new division that more closely mirrors the marketplace and its needs.

The result was Monster Performance Car. Not just a car audio accessory company but a Monster company that’s all about the mobile lifestyle. Hot new products like iCruze that integrates iPod functionality into the car audio system, to a custom Monster Marine audio accessory line, to an entirely new car audio line that will again set new Monster standards

MONSTER PERFORMANCE CAR SUBWOOFER-SPECIFIC INTERCONNECT AND SPEAKER CABLE
Bass and car audio is like custom cars and Saturday night cruising. One exists because of the other and they go hand in hand. So with bass and subwoofers being such a huge part of today’s mobile entertainment scene, why isn’t there a car audio cable built specifically for use with subwoofers? Now there is!

Monster Performance has long recognized the different needs of subwoofer cables in the home theater environment and has capitalized on its knowledge there to make the industry’s first line of subwoofer-specific car audio cables- 400 Series Subwoofer Interconnects and Speaker Cables.

Built to thrive at low frequencies, 400 Series Subwoofer Speaker Cables feature Quadrapole construction which uses 4 thick solid core conductors to better transfer the higher current levels of today’s incredibly powerful subwoofer amplifiers. 400 XLN® Xtreme Subwoofer Interconnects feature Monster Performance Car’s hot new Ultra Polished MirrorChrome™ finish on the outside and XLN® Xtreme construction with up to 80 dB of noise rejection on the inside. The same Quadrapole construction that makes the Subwoofer Speaker Cable so effective delivers maximum bass impact.

Visit them online – http://www.monstercable.com/mpc/

Kinetik HC Power Cells are used in the “Worlds Loudest Vehicle” providing the power to reach over 180dB and boasts hundreds of competition victories! Due to low ESR and high energy density, Kinetik HC Power Cells are the most powerful, reliable and compact car audio power cells on the market today. Kinetik Power Cells are used by top competitors along with car audio and video enthusiasts alike.

The Kinetik HC Series Car Audio Power Cells are the perfect power solution for car audio professionals and enthusiasts alike. With 10 different models ranging from 600 watts all the way the way up to 3800 watts of clean and pure power output Kinetik has a model that will work for your system. Need more than 3800 watts of power, no problem just add more Kinetik Power Cells to create the ultimate power solution. If you just want to stop your lights from dimming when that deep bass line hits or if you want to join the ranks of the pros, Kinetik has the power your system needs.

Contact Reference Audio on +27 11 395-4305/71 or email mike@referenceaudio.co.za for more information or a dealer in your area.

It has four super-quality RCA outputs on very high quality cable and also features two audio auxiliary inputs. The main RCA outs can be set to be simple front/rear/sub out or else configured in a two-way front plus full range rear and sub or a full on four way actively crossed over system. The remote control is finished in brushed black anodised Aluminium. A separate DC-to-DC converter box connects to the electrical system of your car via good eight gauge cables – which are included fully ready terminated – and has a serious loom to connect the converter to the unit.

- High end internal amplifier-free design

- Copper chassis

- 24 Bit 64x Over sampling Analogue to Digital converter

- Burr-Brown 96kHz/24Bit advanced segment Digital to Analogue converter

- Burr Brown 0.5dB step volume control

- Selectable 48kHz or 96kHz sampling frequency within deck

- 2 sets of RCA Audio Inputs, Aux 1 and Aux 2

- Auxiliary input sensitivity control

- Selectable Direct, (full range F/R/Sub) Standard (front two-way plus Rear & Sub) or Multi mode (actively crossed over) RCA outputs @ 8V

- Four-way crossover filter frequencies, @ 6/12/18dB per octave selectable as below

- High HPF 315Hz to 20kHz;

- Mid LPF 250Hz to 20kHz or Through & HPF Through or 200Hz to 20kHz

- Low LPF 250Hz to 10Hz or Through & HPF Through or 25Hz to 250Hz

- Sub-W LPF 25Hz to 250Hz or Through & HPF Through or 16Hz to 80Hz

- Active crossovers have adjustable Q and slope

- Five band full parametric Equaliser

- Bass control @ 50Hz plus or minus 12dB and Treble plus or minus 12dB @ 10kHz

- CD or DVD Changer control, TV control

- Clarion Ce-Net connectivity with Balanced Audio Line Transmission and Dynamic Noise Cancelling

- Phase adjustment and time alignment, with pages of helpful tables in the manual (0 to 512.4cm in 7mm steps)

- Signal to Noise Ratio on CD 112dB (awesome!)

- Dynamic range 100dB

- RCB 169 Infra Red 22 button remote control included

- Best written manual in English this tester has ever seen (startling!)

- Flashing LED ’security’

- Dimensions: Deck 178 x 50 x 155mm : DC-DC converter 163 x 42 x 98mm: Remote 52 x 125 x 12mm (all whd)

Review by Adam Rayner

Never in my career has a head unit been so anticipated nor startling. I knew Clarion made some of the best stuff around for in car use. I knew that the legendary Macintosh unit with its ancient styling was simply made for Macintosh to the quality they wanted by Clarion and this very day I learned that a Clarion DVD changer and headunit have been made into a modular box for rocketing into space and slotting into an accessories bay on the International Space Station. How utterly cool is that? However, I didn’t really grasp the reality of this Clarion sonic flagship, having never heard one.

Bear with me but it was analogous to losing my virginity. I kind of knew what was involved and had a fair idea of how nice it might be but actually experiencing it was something that (like all blokes) I will remember to my dying day. The reality was wonderful and I went around with a small gap of air beneath my feet for a while.

Hearing this unit fire up was like that inasmuch as the knowing about it was one thing but the experience was simply fucking wonderful. (Pun intended for once.) First off, the thing just oozes understated class. Yes it is glossy and metallic but not in a cheap-amp sort of way. The remote is smart, the chunky DC to DC converter really reassuring in a Donald Gennaro kind of way (Geek quote “Are they heavy? Then they’re expensive. Put them down.” – Jurassic Park 1’s accountant who gets eaten by a T-Rex) and the display is good without being a Times Square/Piccadilly Circus/Shibuya/The Strip neon perpangular affair.

I did have a worrying moment with this deck which I shall confess. It’s a bit sad and funny really.

Being horribly lazy and not really realising that the unit I had got in especially to award to a keen TA forum poster (called Barnie) was a rare no-amp god-amongst-machines, I had intended to set up a three-way product testing rig. The huge PowerBass three kilowatt amplifier was hooked to a box with the Kenwood beastly �500 WPS1D 12 inch woofer in it and the deck was set up to feed the system. I had to use the mighty one over gauge StreetWires power feed tails on the Odyssey PC925 super duty battery. The fullrange speakers I wanted to monitor on could not be used as there are no watts on board the HX D2 and I only had this mono bass amp hooked up. I fired it up and the subwoofer growled, wobbled and dropped. I turned it up. There was a P-DINK noise and it all went quiet although the lights on the amp and headunit stayed lit. I peed myself with fear thinking I had screwed this incredible rarity without even hearing it properly.

So I turned it off and built an entirely new rig into my big old multi-sectioned computer desk to hold the Diawa 30A laboratory power supply I have used for years and a Genesis Stereo 100 amplifier that I will be writing up imminently (it is all but a straight wire with gain). A pair of Bowers and Wilkins nearfield monitors complete the rig on thick speaker wires. I still have chills at worrying if I have blown the Kenwood or simply dislodged a banana plug. Later matey on that one….

The worry had compelled me to do the plugging in of the new rig on New Year’s day, though. I peeled the cellophane off a never-heard Focal loudspeaker company test disc and Frisbee’d it into the slot with hope in my heart that no harm was done. It was then that the Epiphany occurred. The deck was just fine – I think the PowerBass ate the Kenwood. But Omigawd…..

I could write reams more about just how gorgeous, rapid, sweet yet accurate the sound of this deck is. I could crap on about dynamism, staging, space, rhythm and potency of leading edge impact but I won’t. Instead after all the lead up, let me just tell you that the experience was so bloody awesomely good, so exciting to realise this was indeed a State Of The Art piece that all of my mad obsession welled up and my eyes filled with tears. I was far too embarrassed to admit what furtive pleasures I had been experiencing in my office but after half an hour of the middle of new Years day 2008 I turned it down and off and went downstairs to apologise to my family for abandoning them. Apparently I look a bit odd with glassy eyes and every hair on my body standing on end.

The Clarion HX D2 or DRZ9225 is a fabulous machine and if there is any justice in this world some way must be found for you to be able to buy one of these here if you want it. At a round grand it won’t be cheap, but it still represents good VFM at the level of fidelity we are talking here.

A well deserved first ever TA State of the Art Award.

I love my job.

Article from www.talkaudio.co.uk

Sound Quality 10.0

Appearance/Display 10.0

Ease Of Use/HMI 10.0

Features 10.0

Value For Money 9.0

Overall rating 9.8