Introduction
The PC 4030 is the workhorse of the Acrolink power cord range, being affordable and offering great performance for the money. Available in off-the-reel form, you can choose to terminate it with the plugs of your preference.
I had previous written about the original 6N PC-4030, 7N PC-4030 II and the Anniversario. The Leggenda is the latest version of the PC 4030. Let's see whether this is destined to be the stuff of legends.
Description
The Leggenda uses the same copper conductors as the Anniversario - 50 strands of 0.37 mm diameter strands of 7N DUCC copper for the Live and Neutral conductors, and 4N copper for the Earth conductor. However, squalene oil is applied to each strand of copper. Squalene oil is a popular ingredient in skin-care products, and it's use for Audiophile products is not new. Furutech and Nanotec have been using squalene in some of their products for many years, albeit with added precious metal particles suspended. I sincerely hope no sharks were harmed in the production of these cables - shark liver is a rich source of squalene and is a traditional harvesting source.
Otherwise, the Leggenda is physically similar to the Anniversario. It is as flexible and easy to handle, despite being slightly thicker (the Leggenda's jacket has a diameter of 15.7 mm, vs 14.7 mm for the Anniversario). The shield is a thin copper foil, with a fine drain wire that is designed to test your dexterity and skill as a cable ninja. I terminated a 1.5 m cable with Oyaide A/P 004 plugs, with the drain cable attached at the AC outlet end. I happened to also have the Anniversario on hand, terminated with the same plugs.
Sound Quality
Squalene treated cables have a polished and wet signature to them, and the Leggenda exhibited a similar tone during the first few days of run-in. Unlike Nanotec and Furutech cables, the Leggenda has a more agile feel, with a less intense golden glow. The tone continued to lighten and stabilised after a few weeks of use (including a few days with dedicated burn-in devices).
The Leggenda has a balanced tone, much like the Anniversario, with an even hand throughout the frequency range. Once fully run-in, the effect of the squalene is very subtle and best described as a natural sounding flow between notes. If you found the Anniversario too dry, and the older 6N and 7N versions of the 4030 too wet, this is probably just right.
I also found the Leggenda to have more push and dynamic contrast. Bass had that little bit more power and authority, while music had a more incisive edge to it. In a way, the Leggenda moves closer in quality to the top-drawer Mexcel series, although it lacks the level of quietness of Mexcel cables. Typically improvements of this nature come at a price - forcefulness requires a trade-off from musicality and midrange smoothness. The fact that Acrolink managed to avoid this is a certain indicator of fine audio wizardry.
Resolution wise, this has a slight edge over the Anniversario, with better retrieval of micro details, and a more expressive midrange. Soundstaging is also wider, although this may be component dependent. It is very noticeable when used on my amplifier, but less so with my Melco NAS / streamer.
One key difference is vocal reproduction. The Leggenda has more midrange presence, with slight warmth and an innner glow. As mentioned earlier on, this is done without any smoothing over - the human voice remains communicative, expressive and detailed.
The evolution of the 4030 range is an interesting one. The 7N-4030II in my view, remains the most musical albeit coloured cable. It has the silkiest high frequencies, with very prominent air and decay. The Anniversario has the most "studio-like" tonal balance with a drier and more analytical presentation. The Leggenda sits squarely between the Anniversario and 7N-4030II, with a judicious mix of both of their strengths.
Conclusion
Taste will very much determine which 4030 model is your pick. The Leggenda is my pick and caters best to my taste. Considering that the price increases over each model have been very modest despite large strides in improvement, the Leggenda is an unequivocal Best Buy. Outstanding performance at a great price - that is definitely the stuff of legends !
Price : TBD
X-Audio Pte Ltd
Bukit Timah Plaza
1 Jalan Anak Bukit #01-01S
Singapore 588996
Tel : 6466 4624
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Vivid Kaya S12 Speakers
Introduction
News of a new bookshelf model from Vivid Audio surfaced sometime last year, and a pre-production model made its appearance in a number of Hi-Fi shows. The Kaya S12 is Vivid's smallest speaker yet - a two way bookshelf speaker in a compact form factor.
X-Audio recently received the S12, which is currently making its rounds to selected dealers worldwide. I took the opportunity to see how the S12 would stack-up against its larger siblings.
Description
It's small size means that certain signature Vivid designs cannot be employed - no twin-opposed firing woofers, nor tapered tube for the midrange / woofer driver. However, they managed to fit in a tapered tube for the tweeter, as well as the flowing curved cabinets seen in their Giya and Kaya range. To manage the back-force from the single midrange / woofer, a curved shell directly behind the driver absorbs and helps dissipate the energy. X-Audio informed me that this helps to reduce cabinet resonance in both the vertical and horizontal planes.
A port is situated on the rear of the S12, with a single pair of binding posts placed below the port. As the binding posts are all the way at the bottom of the cabinet, stiff speaker cables and / or spade terminals could prove to be tricky not to mention dangerous.
Pricing has not yet been finalised, and there is also some talk about matching speaker stands. Given how small the S12 is, a dedicated stand with the ability to securely bolt down the speaker would be mandatory to avoid accidents. X-Audio hopes that the speaker with matching stands will be able to reach our shores with a price tag below S$ 10,000 (keep your fingers crossed).
Admittedly, the S12 will in all likelihood be priced dangerously close to the Kaya 25, but still significantly more affordable than the rest of Vivid's line-up. I did have some reservations - could it handle dynamic swings as well ? The small cabinet volume also meant limited low frequency response. The two-way design required the midrange / woofer to cover a wider frequency range and work much harder compared to Vivid's more sophisticated and complex multi-way designs.
Impressions
My apprehensions turned out to be unnecessary Audiophile fussing - hearing the S12 proved to be satisfying and appealing to both my analytical and emotional demands.
The S12 delivered a solid kick in the bass and sounds much larger than suggested by its diminutive size. The midrange / bass driver is used effectively to sound full and deliver impact and weight when required. This is helped by unflappable composure at very high playback volumes, which is testament to the outstanding engineering of both the drive units and enclosure.
Vivid speakers have many strengths, including excellent integration between drive units, super imaging and soundstaging, lightning fast transients, extremely high resolution and dynamic range. Most of these qualities are thankfully possessed by the S12. However, I felt that the S12 compromised on the scale and size of the soundstage - sounding smaller and less grand than Vivid's larger models. As brilliant as Laurence Dickie is, he is not able to re-write the laws of physics, and the S12 has limited low frequency output. This compromise is most noticeable on large-scale orchestral works and rock.
On the positive side, the S12 really shines in near-field listening and would be my first choice as a near-field monitor. Given how prevalent small apartments are in Singapore, the S12 may be a more suitable choice in small listening spaces compared to Vivid's larger models.
Conclusion
As a long time Giya G4 owner, it was very easy and comfortable to listen to the S12 over the duration of my listening session. I ended the session walking away very impressed that the S12 was able to deliver a performance as satisfying as the rest of Vivid's range, with some sensible and acceptable compromises. I eagerly await the S12 to make it into full production.
Price : TBD
X-Audio Pte Ltd
Bukit Timah Plaza
1 Jalan Anak Bukit #01-01S
Singapore 588996
Tel : 6466 4624
News of a new bookshelf model from Vivid Audio surfaced sometime last year, and a pre-production model made its appearance in a number of Hi-Fi shows. The Kaya S12 is Vivid's smallest speaker yet - a two way bookshelf speaker in a compact form factor.
X-Audio recently received the S12, which is currently making its rounds to selected dealers worldwide. I took the opportunity to see how the S12 would stack-up against its larger siblings.
Description
It's small size means that certain signature Vivid designs cannot be employed - no twin-opposed firing woofers, nor tapered tube for the midrange / woofer driver. However, they managed to fit in a tapered tube for the tweeter, as well as the flowing curved cabinets seen in their Giya and Kaya range. To manage the back-force from the single midrange / woofer, a curved shell directly behind the driver absorbs and helps dissipate the energy. X-Audio informed me that this helps to reduce cabinet resonance in both the vertical and horizontal planes.
 |
| The S12's cabinet is finished in British racing green, although it looks almost black under normal lighting |
Pricing has not yet been finalised, and there is also some talk about matching speaker stands. Given how small the S12 is, a dedicated stand with the ability to securely bolt down the speaker would be mandatory to avoid accidents. X-Audio hopes that the speaker with matching stands will be able to reach our shores with a price tag below S$ 10,000 (keep your fingers crossed).
Admittedly, the S12 will in all likelihood be priced dangerously close to the Kaya 25, but still significantly more affordable than the rest of Vivid's line-up. I did have some reservations - could it handle dynamic swings as well ? The small cabinet volume also meant limited low frequency response. The two-way design required the midrange / woofer to cover a wider frequency range and work much harder compared to Vivid's more sophisticated and complex multi-way designs.
Impressions
My apprehensions turned out to be unnecessary Audiophile fussing - hearing the S12 proved to be satisfying and appealing to both my analytical and emotional demands.
The S12 delivered a solid kick in the bass and sounds much larger than suggested by its diminutive size. The midrange / bass driver is used effectively to sound full and deliver impact and weight when required. This is helped by unflappable composure at very high playback volumes, which is testament to the outstanding engineering of both the drive units and enclosure.
Vivid speakers have many strengths, including excellent integration between drive units, super imaging and soundstaging, lightning fast transients, extremely high resolution and dynamic range. Most of these qualities are thankfully possessed by the S12. However, I felt that the S12 compromised on the scale and size of the soundstage - sounding smaller and less grand than Vivid's larger models. As brilliant as Laurence Dickie is, he is not able to re-write the laws of physics, and the S12 has limited low frequency output. This compromise is most noticeable on large-scale orchestral works and rock.
On the positive side, the S12 really shines in near-field listening and would be my first choice as a near-field monitor. Given how prevalent small apartments are in Singapore, the S12 may be a more suitable choice in small listening spaces compared to Vivid's larger models.
Conclusion
As a long time Giya G4 owner, it was very easy and comfortable to listen to the S12 over the duration of my listening session. I ended the session walking away very impressed that the S12 was able to deliver a performance as satisfying as the rest of Vivid's range, with some sensible and acceptable compromises. I eagerly await the S12 to make it into full production.
Price : TBD
X-Audio Pte Ltd
Bukit Timah Plaza
1 Jalan Anak Bukit #01-01S
Singapore 588996
Tel : 6466 4624