Sony PS-HX500 turntable to hit our shores next month

Anyone notice Sony's PS-HX500 turntable launched at CES 2016 ? The good news is that the PS-HX500 is expected to hit our shores next month. 

Pricing is to be confirmed.

Here is Sony's official press release and pictures. It's really great that major companies are back into the vinyl market. 

PRESS RELEASE

(SINGAPORE,  6  June  2016) 

As  the  global  resurgence  in  vinyl  continues,  Sony has announced a new premium turntable that enables vinyl owners to enjoy their favourite tracks in outstanding quality, even when on the move. In a world first, the Sony PS-HX500 allows you to convert  your  vinyl  collection  into  High-Resolution Audio  quality  digital  files  (equivalent  to  DSD quality) so that you can enjoy their unique sound wherever you may be. 

High quality sound detail

Made  for  music  lovers,  every  area  of  the PS-HX500  is  designed  to  deliver  the  best  possible sound quality  and  treat  your  vinyl  with  the  respect  it deserves.  From  a  newly  developed  tone arm to the die-cast platter and the plinth itself; every component has been carefully considered to deliver a great musical performance. 

The straight tone arm, designed with the stylus tip located in the central axis of the arm, ensures excellent stereo balance.  The arm  also features an  integrated  round head  shell  that  minimises resonance,  for  pure sound  reproduction.  An  anti-skating  device  is  incorporated  into  the  arm assembly,  along  with  an  arm cueing  system.  A  moving  magnet  cartridge  is  supplied  with tracking force and balance easily adjustable.  

The PS-HX500  has  an  aluminium  die-cast  platter  and  is  belt  driven  by  a  two  speed  motor. A high density  30mm  acoustic  plinth  is  featured,  along  with  a  newly  designed,  5mm  rubber mat and four insulator feet. A classical approach to turntable design, from years of past experience has produced a model which can satisfy the music enthusiast. 

Vinyl becomes portable 

Record enthusiasts can sometimes be faced with the prospect of inferior digital files of their analogue records for listening on the move. The PS-HX500 comes with a high quality DSD native converter, which gives the user the option to copy their favourite analogue tracks to a PC as a digital file, up to High-Resolution Audio quality. This allows the user to take their favourite music from their vinyl collection and play it on a compatible PC, mobile, portable music-player, or even in their car. The record player also comes with an integrated phono preamp, allowing direct connection to an external amplifier for high-fidelity home audio playback. 

The PS-HX500 is the world’s first turntable to support Double-rate and Single-rate DSD (5.6MHz/1bit, 2.8MHz/1bit), a powerful audio format that will reproduce your music with both accuracy and natural musicality. Furthermore, the AD conversion process can offer a choice of file quality from WAV, to High-Resolution Audio with higher bit rate and sampling frequencies, through to double-rate DSD. Users can therefore not only enjoy their records wherever they go but also appreciate them in superior sound quality. 

Easy recording and editing software 

Using the PS-HX500 PC application software, a vinyl can easily be converted to High-Resolution Audio files on the user’s PC and edited in post-production. The compatible software app is simply downloaded and after connecting the computer to the turntable, the recording process is quite simple. Tracks can later be edited, titled, cut, or combined together, allowing users to be truly creative with their music. The PS-HX500 will be available at all Sony Stores, Sony Centres and selected Sony authorised dealers from July 2016.

(All pictures are courtesy of Sony Singapore)

by a two speed motor. A

high density 30mm acoustic plinth is featured, along wi

th a newly designed, 5mm rubber mat

Meze 99 Classics Headphones

Introduction

Meze Headphones is a new company based in Romania. Meze had contacted me sometime ago to arrange a review of their 99 Classics Headphones ("99 Classics"), but as luck would have it, I managed to meet their principal Antonio Meze at the recent Canjam Singapore 2016 (click here for my write-up). I really liked what I heard at Canjam and had a pleasant talk with Antonio. My review sample arrived sometime later.

Description

The 99 Classics would best be described as medium-sized circumaural sealed headphones. My review sample was finished in walnut and silver and were visually impressive from an aesthetic point of view - everyone who saw it just gushed over how beautiful they were. Three colour options are available, a dark walnut wood with either silver or gold trim, and a light maple wood with silver trim. The maple option is matched with a white headband and ear pads.

The 99 Classics come nicely packaged with a variety of accessories, including a moulded carry case, an airplane adapter, two different sets of cables, and a 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter. The cables consist of a short cable with a built-in mic cum iPhone / Android control button, and a longer cable for home use. The packaged accessories put every other headphone I've owned to shame - almost all of which are much more expensive than the Meze - well done Meze ! The only thing missing from going the full monty is an in-line attenuator for airplane use. 

Specified frequency response is 15 Hz - 25 KHz (no limits stated), with sensitivity at 103 db at 1 KHz / 1 mW. Impedance is 32 ohms, and the rated input power is 30 mw, with a maximum power handling of 50 mW.

Looking at the parts used, the 40 mm transducer is housed in a solid wood cup. The earcup padding is memory foam, and the "leather" used throughout is synthetic. A complete teardown is possible, which should make servicing very easy.

The wood cups are quite difficult to photograph. They looks sumptuously dark and rich under incandescent lighting but much lighter in strong sunlight.

Mounting hardware are of top quality

The overall impression is one of a finely finished product that looks classy and elegant

The cables terminate into the driver housing via a two pole 3.5 mm plug on each side. Before the DIYers start getting excited (balanced drive cables anyone ?), the clearance for the recessed socket is very tight - you will need to find an incredibly slim plug.

Note the raised ridge on the left connector. This helps you identify the channel without looking - a very clever touch.

I found the 99 Classics to be fairly comfortable in use. Pressure at the top of the head is minimal although the same cannot be said for the force across the earcups. The pads are quite small and my ears just sit nicely inside. However, I can imagine that for some people with large ears, these pads will sit on top, instead of around the ears - make sure you try these on first before buying.

The headband and cable are microphonic though - any vibration or friction is transmitted loud and clear.

Ventilation is typical for a closed-phone (i.e. hot in non-airconditioned environments), while sound isolation is average.

Sound Quality

I used these across a wide range of sources / headamps ranging from the bottom of the barrel to the fairly high end. Some of the headamps used, such as the Violectric HPA V281 had enough power to turn the 99 Classics to a burning crisp if they so wished. The good news is that the 99 Classics proved to be easy to drive in use, even sounding good driven by my iPhone 5 and my Fiio X3 DAP (Gen 1). 

Tonally, the 99 Classics have a warm and slightly bass heavy sound. This is coupled with a sweet and smooth midrange, and nice clean high frequencies that are clear without being too edgy. Put together, the sound was very coherent.

The bass would best be described as having a nice slam to it, with good pace and timing. The emphasis is not overdone, and is tempered such that it gives these headphones a warm signature, but not to the point of sounding too ponderous, or muddying up the rest of the frequency range. Bass notes did lack a bit of tightness, and could not go as low, nor deliver the articulation displayed by some of my other headphones such as the Sony MDR-Z7 and the Audeze LCD 2.2 (both of which are considerably more expensive).

Listening to some of my favourite jazz tracks, double bass had a desirable presence, but had some degree of blur in the way the strings and the body of the instrument resonated.

Vocals came across as being sweet, with a subtle body added to the voice of the singer. Eva Cassidy and Rebecca Pidgeon's voices were not as sibilant as usual, at the expense of reproduction of very fine texture.

High frequencies were clear and well controlled - cymbals and other percussion instruments sounded convincing and natural. In fact, the 99 Classics were very well behaved in this area - they never sounded harsh nor aggressive, even over long listening sessions.   

Another strong point of the 99 Classics was its staging abilities - this was wide, spacious, with a good perception of depth. I found this quality to be very helpful in helping me forget that I was listening to headphones - otherwise the "trapped inside your head" presentation quickly undermines the illusion of being there.

Although the 99 Classics were far from being the most resolving headphones I've tried, I still had a very enjoyable time listening to them. It made a valiant attempt at the different genres of music I threw at it, and delivered it with aplomb (even with recordings of mediocre quality).  After a while, I stopped thinking too much about the music, and started to enjoy the experience. 

Conclusion

The 99 Classics look like they came straight out of a designer catalogue. However, its beauty is not merely skin deep - it was able to deliver the goods. While it does not belong to a mastering studio, it will bring plenty of musical enjoyment at a very reasonable asking price - Highly Recommended.

Meze 99 Classics
http://www.mezeheadphones.com
Price : USD 309

Sablon Audio - Corona Reserva power cord and Panatela Reserva speakercables

Introduction

I asked Mark Coles of Sablon Audio to tell me a bit more about his company, his design philosophies and sonic goals. Here is his response in verbatim,

"Sablon Audio started five years ago, when its founder Mark Coles reached the stage in life where he believed he could make better high end cables than the numerous examples he had bought over his audiophile 'career'. Sablon's ambition is to give best of breed performance across all cable applications at a much lower price point than its peers, by removing the distributor function and selling either directly or via enthusiast dealers.

The name 'Sablon' comes from the French word for 'sand', a happy memory of my childhood growing up on the beautiful beaches of a small island called Jersey. The product naming hierarchy is based around cigars since others had beaten me to 'wine' themes! The Panatela range covers the signal cables, whilst Corona is used for the thicker power cables. The latest model range has been designated Reserva as it is an extra special edition. 

All designs are formed using solid engineering principles, and executed with a blend of exceptionally high grade wires and connectors, finished in sonically non-invasive covers. Prototypes are evaluated on a broad range of systems, from Kondo to N-core, from Avantgarde to Zu, from Lampizator to Wadia, by testers with diverse musical preferences. Their insights are collated and evaluated in the context of their systems and tastes, before iteratively progressing towards a final design which will delight the majority of audiophiles. Part science, part art. This approach has been vindicated by awards from 6Moons and Positive Feedback for both the original Panatela / Corona range 3 years ago and again, more recently, for the latest Reserva models.

Key sonic objectives are to achieve exceptionally high level of resolution, whilst maintaining musical engagement and an even response over the full frequency range. This requires a low noise floor and sympathetic electrical characteristics. Sablon doesn't publish test data as I believe that not all that matters measures and that our ears are far more sophisticated measuring devices.

I sometimes use the analogy that designing audio cables is rather like being a chef as one needs to continually sample and adjust seasonings to achieve a desired overall flavour. A key element of my approach is to build Sablon cables by hand from carefully selected individual wires rather than simply chop lengths of bulk cord off a reel. This approach is more time consuming to build but gives more flexibility in finding better sounding conductors. By having a deep understanding of the sonic qualities of each individual component, one is able to combine the virtues of wire / plugs / geometry / cover synergistically. Inevitably, there is a sonic synergy when using a complete loom of Sablon cables on account of shared design values and this also replicates the context in which they have been developed.

The Corona Reserva power cord under review represents several generations of development of the popular Corona model range. I had literally run out of scope to enhance the earlier Gran Corona cord without replacing the wire itself and, essentially changing the DNA of that cable. It was a big step, however a necessary one. I managed to find an exceptionally high purity copper wire with great transparency and musical qualities, and this is deployed in a braided geometry using 7awg / 10mm sq per polarity together with a shielded ground line. A laboratory grade carbon-based noise reduction agent is applied and the exceptional Oyaide 004 platinum / beryllium plugs are fitted. The outer cover is a sleek Havana bronze woven material, with the overall form factor now being slim and highly flexible. As for the resulting sound quality, well I will leave Eric to tell you about this......."

Description

The Corona Reserva power cord and Panatela Reserva speaker cable are quite unusual and stand out in the world of high end audio cables. Both are very light, extremely flexible and easy to route. They also lack the usual macho trappings - no Anaconda girth, nor fancy box / flight case. While these cables are not cheap, they are not exorbitantly priced. If you so wish to purchase them, you need not resort to a life of crime to finance your acquisition. 

The Corona Reserva came finished in a nice fabric cover, and was terminated with the excellent Oyaide P/C 004 plugs. Finishing was professional, with neatly applied heatshrink and construction - no home made looks here.

I really appreciate the flexibility of these cables after having dealt with too many power cords with a mind of their own !

The speaker cables had an interesting feature - short fly leads on the speaker end to facilitate biwiring. My review sample came terminated with spades, and banana plugs for the flying leads. If your speakers are single wired, you can simply attach the flying leads into the main speaker terminal, assuming you are dealing with five-way binding posts. If you have any special needs, get in touch with Mark to have something custom made for you. My review set was terminated with Xhadow plugs, although Mark later informed me that he would be making switch to Oyaide plugs for future production. I rather liked this feature - you save the cost of having to buy a set of biwiring jumpers.

A close-up of the speaker fly leads

The cables were run-in by Mark before shipping, but I still felt that they needed a week or two of use to settle in. They probably didn't like the long flight in the cargo hold of the plane as they traveled halfway across the world from the United Kingdom to Singapore !

Sound Quality

The power cord after the initial settling-in time (about two weeks use) struck me as having a dense and warm tone, with a nice glow to the music. I put down the words, "warm, dense and liquid" in my notepad. After an additional month of use, the sound opened up further, gaining control and speed, leaving only a very subtle glow. This cable could be a poster child for cable break-in - there was a marked difference after extended use.

My evaluation period happened to coincide with a personal buying spree of fountain pen inks. Hence it seems appropriate to draw some analogies between this cable and ink of the finest and most exquisite level. The Corona Reserva would therefore be best described as an ink with outstanding density and vibrancy, with beautiful shading. I did not test the Corona Reserva for water resistance though - Mark would have my head !

Bass quality is outstanding with a deep powerful response, coupled with tight control and just the right amount of wetness. Substituting the Sablon with other cables I had on hand showed just how good the Sablon was in this respect. 

Vocals were presented with a slightly laidback quality, with a natural voicing. There was no emphasis of sibilance, and neither was there smoothing over of detail - the vibrato effect of my favourite singers were delivered in a crystal-clear fashion. 

The top-end was very well behaved and detailed, with excellent clarity, control and lack of hash. The balance between the transient and decay was ideal, without any undue emphasis on either aspect.

The Sablon had fine resolving power, with very good retrieval of micro-detail. This was presented in a very natural way, without the overly etched presentation or tipped-up balance that some lesser cables sound in an effort to sound more detailed. Throughout the frequency range, I observed a natural fluidity and lack of grain that I generally observed only with only the finest cables.

Another key strength of the Sablon was it's ability to convey the three-dimensionality of the instruments and vocals, with a lifelike reproduction of both the instrument / voice and how they filled up the surrounding acoustic space. 

These cables just sounded so right after the many hours of listening I put on them. I found them to have it all - powerful bass, natural midrange and high frequencies, good dynamics, and excellent detail. Tonally, they were very close to neutral, with a very subtle shading of warmth and liquidity.

I really loved the way they reproduced the music in my system. Piano had grandeur and impact on the lower notes, and outstanding attack and harmonics on the higher notes. Similarly, Hillary Hahn's bow glided gracefully across her violin strings yet seared with such burning intensity when required, while the low notes from Janos Starker's cello carried great authority and articulation.  

I found the Panatela speaker cables to sound very much like their power cord sibling, save for one caveat - the effect of the deep bass response seemed more obvious here. Due to the difficulty in changing the speaker cables on my main system (my Vivid Giya G4 have underside mounted terminals - changing cables is really a two person job), I tried the Corona Reserva in my main system, and both the Corona and Panatela Reserva in my bedroom system. I found their performance to be consistent in both systems, and their combined use to be synergistic.

Good as the Sablon twins were, they do not have universal appeal. Some audiophiles like a more "raw" presentation and may find the Sablon to be too civilised and well behaved. I tend to lean somewhat towards the middle, and found the Sablon to be just nice.    

Conclusion

I was suitably impressed with the Corona Reserva power cord and Panatela Reserva speaker cables - impressed enough that I have arranged with Mark to purchase some cables from him. 

Sablon's pricing may not be seen as affordable by many, but I can assure you that their products deliver outstanding value for money given the level of performance offered.

This will certainly not be the last word from me on Sablon Audio - Mark has shipped to me a number of his other products. Needless to say, a review on a full Sablon loom will be forthcoming.

Highly Recommended

Sablon Audio

website : http://www.sablonaudio.com

e-mail : contact@sablonaudio.com

Corona Reserva power cord

5 foot length with Oyaide P/C 004 US plugs

Price - USD 1,950 

Panatela Reserva speaker cables

8 foot length

Price - USD 2,950

All prices include expedited worldwide shipping