This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below |
 |
Though shockingly puny as is, the NuForce amp actually isn't sized that differently from the 16x8x3.5cm 125ASX2 B&O ICEpower™ module tucked into my Bel Canto C5i. SPL in the big system weren't a problem. I had full lift-off at about 12:00 on the HDP's dial. Preventing the Icon amp from capsizing with the Zu Event cables was trickier. I eventually managed by wedging it between my two ASI HeartSong amp stands. Source was my iPod again but this time digitized with Onkyo's dock whose remote control reached far enough to my listening seat.
|
 |
To feed the Impact 400 necessitated a second set of pre-outs. I used two metal Y plugs. The crammed real estate on the HDP's backside only accommodates one set. Having in the Dayens Tizo+ review run extensive A/Bs against the Amphions and a pair of era design SAT5s designed by Aerial's Michael Kelly for the Peachtree Audio folks, I'll cull from those sessions for the quick run-down on different brand voicing.
The American speaker had the warmest upper bass balance to make for a beefy comfort sound that seemed deliberately tuned to be forgiving to lesser sources whilst making the most of them. Former contributor Chip Stern would have called it a meat & potatoes sound with plenty of gravy. The Serbian and Finnish speakers were the more transparent and neutral. Solo without sub this also meant leaner. The €800/pr Tizo+ matched the Argon1 on resolution, sophistication and bandwidth but was a tad sweeter in the treble (this presumably from its use of Mundorf capacitors) and had a minor presence emphasis for more forward excitement. On the desk top and from that bunch the Dayens was my favorite for pure enjoyment whilst the Argon1 seemed destined for a recording studio due to its subjective absence of minor pleasant colorations. None of these boxes matched my $1.600/pr Mark & Daniel Maximus Mini+ for dynamic contrast and micro resolution at very subdued levels. But the synthetic marble speaker from Shanghai is not only more expensive but also rather happier with the $1.800 Bel Canto than tiny NuForce amp.
|
 |
In our 5.5 x 12m listening space any of the Amphions with matching sub would give many rather costlier floorstanders a run for their money on LF extension and power; and on midrange openness and speed. By the same token they trailed in upper-bass impact and kick what even a good 8-inch two-way never mind 12-inch three-way tower will do. That's because below about 60Hz I had mono bass. In the vital 80 - 200Hz range which experts call the power zone I was listening to one small driver per side. That's not ultra - um, pushy.
|
|
|
On balance the concomitant advantages in room integration—absence of bass boom and the thickening and warming up of nonlinear bass into the upper bands—outweighed the reduction of air-moving capabilities in the third octave. Low-passing the Impact 400 any higher was out of the question to avoid exactly those issues.
Where a well-designed floorstander set up to best play the room rather than against it should sound fuller and more majestic, the Amphion sub/sat systems seemed more light-footed. They were more nuanced in the vital vocal band and weightier in the bottom octave. Being able to independently set the LF level is a boon which owners of bigger passive speakers routinely overlook.
Having clawed my way up the audiophile food chain over 9 years in this seat, I'm naturally as guilty as the next person for occasionally losing sight of what's possible from 'lesser' ammunition when it's exploited strategically (or comes with built-in synergy as here). I'm not certain why the sub/sat approach is generally frowned upon as being acceptable for twin-duty audio/video systems but not for serious hifi. Listening particularly to the Argon1/Impact 400 combo had me quite at a loss to suggest a traditional 2-speaker alternative for the same price which I'd rather listen to.
|
 |
Would I really prefer a bit more upper bass punch but sacrifice at the very bottom and buy into graver room issues that infiltrate and undermine the fidelity of the upper bands? Not.
While this 3-piece system had to step back on overall dynamic scale, my townhouse situation limits going nuts on the volume to make this academic. The combination of pellucidness, speed and monitor-typical staging with terrific 1st-octave weight and what this did for dimensional realism was frankly ahead of what most hard-core hifi freaks would credit such a system with.
In this context where Amphion replaced my usual speakers which cost $14.000 or more, I was very appreciative of the extra tone qualities which the
Argon1 added over the Helium 410 - and being able to lower the crossover point of the steeply filtered subwoofer and extend stereo coverage. Where I had called Anssi's €1.400/pr speaker overkill for the desk-top and our video habits, it became the go-to model for music-first applications when augmented by the matching Impact 400 subwoofer.
|
 |
Loopy or augmentacious? With subwoofers and small monitors a common decision to make is whether to use filter or augmentation mode. The first loops through the subwoofer, in this case HDP to Impact 400, Impact 400 to Icon amp to subtract all <80Hz info from the monitor speakers (and amp driving them). Augmentation mode runs monitors and sub in parallel. Theoretical advantages for the first are a more linear hand-over; and greater dynamics for the speakers. Theoretical advantages for the second are greater transparency for the monitors because they don't suffer the subwoofer's filter network superimposed upon them. Theoretical liabilities for the first are clouding issues if the subwoofer high-pass isn't transparent. Theoretical liabilities for the second are nonlinear overlap and gaps because the monitors roll off at a different rate than the subwoofer comes in.
With the Helium 410 I had a better more even match looping them. Very much to its credit the Impact 400's filter network relative to the speaker's resolving power was mostly invisible to make this the preferable scheme. While upper bass power reduced somewhat there was no hole below. With the Argon1 I felt like a smoking addict however. Filterless was the ticket. Since either hookup takes two interconnects just connected differently, it's something to experiment with.
|
|
|
It appears Anssi envisions very similar designer applications which would merely replace the stand mounts with Helium 600 inwalls, then add Apple's Airport Express for modern remote access conveniences even a grandmother could operate. Having mixed 'n' matched Amphion and Nuforce at length, I now appreciate just why these two companies have decided to collaborate. Both foster a modern fast highly resolved linear sound that's closer to recording studio truth. Both embrace the lifestyle factor which career 'philes frown upon (sadly to the detriment of the hobby's ongoing relevance). Both focus on value products and real engineering to produce results which most in-the-know folks would expect to cost rather more.
|
 |
Particularly in white (Amphion) and silver (NuForce), these components are in touch with current aesthetics. By including USB DACs, NuForce taps into the computer audio trend to build bridges that don't require add-ons. I know for a fact that our friends who aren't audiophiles—that would be all of them—have no concept of this level of audio quality being available in such compact form factors for this type of budget. Naturally those who visit us usually encounter my really big stuff to get reconfirmed in their prevalent belief that all of this must cost a fortune. Not. The problem isn't any lack of affordable high-performance product. One problem is knowing how to put it together. Far more severe is the deplorable lack of awareness amongst those for whom this stuff is made and meant that it exists. Might this review make a small dent? None of our friends read 6moons. Good for them. So probably not. But there's always hope. Kudos to Amphion and NuForce for banging their drums and putting their heads together to offer ready-made well matched satisfaction guaranteed small lifestyle systems that offer more than a good slice of the high (fidelity) life! |
|
 |
|
|
 |
