Margule's Audio from Mexico- The Magenta ADE 24.1

This is a wonderful black box from Mexico that turns CD into something it should have always sounded like. It works on the analogue feed out of any DAC, the one inside your CD player or the outboard one that cost $1000. Julian Margules who created the product would be the first to say that it wasn't designed to work with a $3000 to $4000 DAC, but for everything else we are talking about a very special product. It makes CD sound beautiful. And this is saying something for a guy who loves his vinyl.

Barry Willis recently wrote an article for Hifi News in the UK praising the Margenta ADE 24.1. It's in the November 2011 issue , which goes from October to November and is out now. It has generated lots of interest and some reckless controversy. But some more of that later.

I first came across Margule Audio and the Magenta ADE 24.1 when I bought PS Audio Digital Link III DAC on the secondhand market. A quick Google to find reviews about it got me this review by Barry Willis:

http://www.avguide.com/review/ps-audio-digital-link-iii-trio-p-200-preamplifier-and-trio-100-amplifier

Some people screamed at the time that he didn't really review the PS Audio DAC so much as promote the ADE 24. I read that article in a different way. Here was a combination of components that would make your digital system sound better.

To cut a long story short, I have the Magenta ADE 24.1 in my systen combined with the PS Audio Digital Link III DAC and the combination is exceptional just as Barry Willis has described.

GuiGuang Are At It Again - Western Electric Replicas

Vanch Carroll, intrepid valve explorer that he is, recently alerted me to the fact the GuiGuang are producing their own replica of the famous Western Electric 300B. This is hot on the heels of GuiGuang developing their own black glass 300B to rival the ShuGuang treasure series.
Having purchased a pair of GuiGuang's black glass 300BS-Z from Vanch, I queried him on whether the Western Electric replica was just an idea or a reality. His response was that it is a reality and he sent pictures to prove it. So here they are on Vanch Carroll's dining room table, direct from the GuiGuang factory in China. When I asked Vanch what they sounded like he simply responded: "More. More of everything."

As far as I know neither of these valves have been released onto the open market as yet. Vanch has the black glass 300BS-Z for sale on Ebay. They are beautiful valves.

And if you are really hanging out to hear what GuiGuangs WE replica can do, then you may need to catch a plane to China and visit the GuiGuang factory like Vanch did.

The Frugel Horn Project

I've been a fan of full-range speakers for several years now, having completed the Madisound build for the Fostex 6.5" FF165k driver and another build for the Fostex 4.5" FE126e - both of which I thought sounded just wonderful, especially the purity of the mid-range. During this time, I have followed the amazing design work that has been going on over the Frugel Horn Project site. One of the aims of that project was to produce a well-designed, but simple flat-pack that could 1) be built by just about anybody with a couple of sets of clamps and clue, 2) didn't cost a fortune in wood, and 3) really let full-range drivers demonstrate why they are just so, so good.

Given the beautiful complexity of the designs the Frugel Horn Project have showcased over the years, I had some doubts they would ever get a such a solution. But they did, and the pictures with this post show my own build of the Frugel Horn Project's flat-pack. It's different to the other full-range cabinet builds I have done. Firstly, it's a rear firing horn rather than front firing, and secondly it was much easier to build.

But there is a third thing that makes this design different, and so special. It was developed by a bunch of highly skilled enthusiasts and like all enthusiasts they aren't necessarily in it for the money; they want others to get to hear just how good full-range speakers are. To that end, they have effectively made the design open source, with some small copyright acknowledgements required, and are encouraging people everywhere, who have the required equipment, to produce the cabinets locally for sale.

In Australia, this is being done by Ben Arends in Geelong, Victoria. Check out his Sound with Style website for further details. Ben is selling the cabinets for $299 inclusive of shipping in Australia, and he will CNC machine the panels to match just about any 4.5" full-range speaker available.

I completed my build with Fostex 4.5" FE126EN drivers, which replace the older 126E models, Neotech Teflon coated 20AWG 7N solid core UPOCC copper wiring, and Eichmann cable pods. I tried to source as much as I could from Australian suppliers to finish the build. In the case of the Neotech wire, yes, it's made in Taiwain, but I sourced that from myself as I sell it in Australia. The Eichmann cables pods are from ETI Technologies, designed and made in Brisbane (and they are brilliant).

Sadly, it didn't work out with sourcing the FE126EN drivers in Australia. I was quoted a price close to $170, including shipping for a pair, which I was willing to pay, but a waiting time of nearly six weeks, which I thought was pretty ordinary. Instead I bought them from Madisound for $148 including shipping and received them within a week. Ah, Australian retail when will you guys get your act together?

And what do they sound like? Sadly, I'll need to leave that for another post, but suffice to say for the prices involved in making these speakers, nobody could be disappointed, and most people should be damned excited, because that is exactly the sound they deliver. Exciting, and also as clear and as transparent anything.

The High Price of the Michell Tecnoarm in Australia

I use a Michell Tecnoarm on my modded Rega P3 turntable. It's a beautiful arm, performs wonderfully and looks great. I purchased mine from Trichord Research in the UK about five years ago. At the time the retail cost was $1,299 in Australia and the total cost to buy from the UK was around $700. Thats a huge difference in price and only a small amount of it can be justified by additional shipping costs. Somebody, somewhere must be making a huge profit.

Now I would have expected, with the exchange rate for the Australian dollar being so good and the ongoing squealing from Australian retailers that online stores overseas are killing them, that we may have seen the price of the Tecnoarm become more competitive. But no, it's recommended retail price is still $1,299. A quick Google search shows that this is pretty much a universal price across Australian retailers. Now to be fair if we take GST out of the equation that price drops to $1180. Also to be fair the price in the UK, has now risen to £457.50 ex vat, or $693.15. To be even fairer lets say it costs $50 postage for the Tecnoarm to be delivered from the UK to Australia. So the total cost to buy from the UK today is $743.15. That is still a price difference of $436.85.

Why? There is no import duty on tonearms, so the reason has either got to be that retail selling in Australia costs much more than it does in the UK, or profit margins on much Audio gear sold in Australia are excessive. I have doubts too that excessive profit margins are all going into the pockets of the retailers. The Australian distributor of Michell Tecnoarms is Amber Technologies. Amber Tech is a large company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. It distributes home and professional audio visual equipment. In the case of the Michelle Tecnoarm it has sole distribution rights, which means that Australian retailers can only buy from them and are unable to seek alternative and cheaper distribution from overseas. It also means that Amber Tech can set the retail price and then sell at a discount from the retail price to the retailers. This allows the retails to make a profit, but there is nowhere in this equation that allows for competitive price setting. Hence the price in Australia is $1,299 and that's it.

Little wonder that many people will be buying directly from the UK.

GuiGuang Black Glass 300BS-Z

With the McChanson 300B amp up and running again, I've been pretty much lost in listening to the music it makes. The McChanson 300B (designated marzEt by its maker) is truly an exquisite amplifier for the price Eric charges. I think he could charge three times as much as he does and the buyer would still be totally satisfied.

Even better has been the opportunity to get the GuiGuang Black Glass 300BS-Z fully "burnt in" and hear what they can really do. They are exquisite valves: open, spacious and every instrument sounding clear, dynamic and exactly where it should be in the soundstage. Unlike some other Chinese valves I have heard in the past there is no sense with the GuiGuangs of the "full bloom" or what could be called a warm tone being added to the music. These guys are sharp and totally refined in their sound presentation.

As far as I know GuiGuang still hasn't released these on the retail market, but are letting a few out via direct factory sales. Possibly to see what reaction they get before they go in to full production? I bought my pair from my-hi-fi on Ebay Australia. The seller contacted me last night and advised that GuiGuang had shipped him several more pairs. You can check out the sale here.

The McChanson 300B marzEtT - O, woe is me, as Ophelia said

The legendary Vanch Carroll once told me that "tube amps can be an adventure or a horror story sometimes too." How right he was. There I was playing this beautiful 300B valve amp with the wonderful GuiGuang 300BS-Z valves in them and enjoying every minute of it. Detailed music, atmospheric, sound stage incredible, high end sparkling, mid range clear as a bell and bass solid and prominent. No fat flabby bass here, thank you.

Now for my budget system it doesn't get any better than this, but I did something stupid. I realised that I was supposed to be writing a review of how good the new McChanson was, and all I was doing was wallowing in the pleasure of one set of valves. Yes, the GuiGuang 300BS-Z had captured me and I had gone off into musical La-La land, which is actually a nice place to be. But then a devil pops up on my shoulder and reminds me that I am supposed to be listening to several other pairs of 300Bs as well. That was where I did something stupid. I listened to the devil.

So out come the GuiGuangs and in go a pair of Winged Cs. I love Winged Cs from St Petersburg in Russia, mostly they make such great valves. But this time one of them was bad. The 300B in the left channel flared inside soon as I powered up, and this was followed by a flare from the socket. Fortunately, that was it and after all the fireworks the valve just sat there smoking, even after I turned the power off.

The end result was that I blew the left channel. Even with a good valve there was no sound. Got back to Eric Chan, the maker, and he gave me a series of diagnostic tests to run on the circuit. There could have been much damage to the amp, but it turns out that one of the main resistors acted like a fuse and burnt out when it was overloaded. So all I need to do is get a new resistor and solder it in.

Eric really is amazing. He makes beautiful amplifiers and the support he provides is incredible. He's also a very nice person with bucket loads of knowledge.

Amperex Bugle Boy 6CM4

Have just been trying these little gems out as driver tubes in the McChanson 6L6 marzE. It's only recently that I realised 6CM4 valves were equivalent to EC86s. These drive very very well and would have been in my top list when I did the EC86 shootout if I had them at the time. I expect they may be quite difficult to find, but if you come across a pair I don 't think you'll be disappointed.