Picture by Sonneteer
"Power is nothing without
control" is the well-known slogan for an international tyre
manufacturer. While tyres and highend-audio are quite far apart,
some parts of the slogan immediately came to mind when I sat
down to write a few words about the latest equipment test I was
working on for Highendnews.com. Many audiophiles (and audio
manufacturers for that part) have an ongoing obsession with
power, often at the expense of sound quality. What´s really the
point of having all that power if the control is lacking? By
this I mean that a 500W power amp will sound awful all the way
if the first watt sounds awful. At this point I must admit to
being some way down the path of big, powerful solid-state
amplification myself. When I look back at the amplifiers I´ve
owned over the last 5 years, only one has had a power output of
less than 200W (into 8 ohm), and that was a pair of 150W
Sphinx-monoblocks....
The whole question of power vs.
sound quality and above all, the question of whether high power
is necessary during normal listening came to mind when I was
offered to review the Byron cd-player (1995€) and Alabaster
integrated amplifier (1995€) from British manufacturer
Sonneteer. The Alabaster has a power output of 52W into 8ohm and
95W into the 4ohm load represented by the Dunlavy SC-IV´s in my
listening room, compared to the 300W churned out by my own
reference, the Audionet AMP I (nowadays 350W out of Audionet AMP
II G2 monoblocks). So this test would really give me the
opportunity both to try out equipment from a new manufacturer on
the finnish market and compare the sonic differences between a
largish power amp and the smallest integrated amplifier to have
visited my system so far. I initially had my doubts about
whether it would be possible to compare the sound of the
Sonneteers to my personal reference Audionet-components (ART V2
player, 3200€ and AMP I, 4050€), or if they would be too
different to place on the same start line. Time would show me
that the comparison would be very interesting indeed.
Setup
The Sonneteers arrived in quite
sturdy cardboard boxes, with clear markings. The first thing I
noticed upon unpacking was the common, stylish design. These
products certainly belong to the same family. The overall build
quality was good, the Byron cd-player surprising me with its
lightness (compared to the ART V2 at 18kg) and the Alabaster on
the other hand with its considerable weight. The Alabaster has
no remote, which turned out to be a smaller nuisance than I´d
expected. Luckily, the Byron was equipped with a plastic
"standard" remote, so operating the source while sitting on the
sofa became easy enough.
The mechanical operation of the
knobs of the Alabaster was exemplary, while the buttons on the
Byron were a bit flimsier, but still not enough to warrant any
complaints. The Alabaster was equipped with two pairs of
WBT-style (one per channel), protected binding posts, so I had
to rely on banana plugs on the other pair of my Dunlavy Z6
speaker cable. The binding posts themselves were ok though,
providing good contact. I was a bit disappointed to find
standard-issue RCA-connectors on both the amp and the cd-player.
By "standard-issue" I mean non-gold-plated connectors attached
only to the inner side of the chassis. In addition, the RCA
outputs were positioned very close to each other, so I had some
trouble getting the locking WBT-connectors of my Siltech
interconnects to fit side by side. Once all connections were
made, everything worked just fine. I did notice a slight "thud"
from the speakers every time I turned the amplifier on, but it
was nothing to be alarmed about.
In the manual for the Alabaster,
Sonneteer actually makes a warning statement about the amp
running hot. I can´t really agree with this, as the amp never
got more than moderately warm in my open shelf, even after
longer periods of high-volume listening. One should probably
avoid placing it in a closed shelf, though. Generally speaking,
the manuals themselves covered only the most basic facts of the
components, which is quite enough in most cases. Sometimes it
might be nice to get a bit more information, especially on the
technical side of things.
Once everything was unpacked and
the setup was complete, I used the Sonneteers for constant
background music for a couple of weeks in order to get them
thoroughly burned-in. No critical listening was done during this
period, even though I couldn´t resist taking a "sneak peek"
every now and then. During most of the review period both the
Byron and the Alabaster were connected to the system, with the
exception of a short test versus an integrated Creek amplifier
(more on that later). So essentially all listening impressions
cover the combination of both products, not specifically one or
the other.
Listening - midrange magic
After the burn-in period it was
time to get down to business. The first impression of how a
component might sound is seldom completely correct, but in this
case that impression lasted from the beginning to the very end
of the review period. This first impression was one of a sweet
midrange and overall airy sound. I must also start by saying
that the Sonneteers at this early point surpassed the
expectations I had harbored for them in advance, such was the
level of musical reproduction.
The first disc to hit the player
was an old favorite of mine, Dire Straits´ "Communiqué" (Vertigo
800 052-2). Even though the record doesn´t set any standards in
recording quality, I´ve listened to it enough over the years to
recognise most of the changes caused by a new component. With
the Sonneteers, the overall sound had a very seductive quality,
with excellent timbral accuracy. Low-level resolution was
excellent in the midrange, with Knopfler´s voice sounding just
like it should. The midrange presence also brought the guitars
forward in a very pleasant manner. The bass-impact was decidedly
lighter and a bit more rounded than with the more heavyweight
Audionet-components, but together with the nature of the
midrange the overall presentation was suitably relaxed. The
treble was very smooth and quite detailed, even though it had
less sparkle than it does through my regular setup. On the other
hand, some of the occasional and very slight excess "sizzle"
from the Audionet-Siltech combo was missing, leaving a sound
completely devoid of aggression.
No review is complete without
some reference-quality cd´s from German label Stockfisch. This
small label carries a roster of very accomplished musicians, and
every release I´ve heard so far has been top-notch in terms of
recording quality. This time around I started with the first
Stockfisch-cd I ever bought; Allan Taylor´s "Colour to the moon"
(Stockfisch RTD 357.6021.2), which sounded very natural and
relaxed. The Audionet-components might have imparted a bit more
of the ambience from the recording venue on the overall sound,
but the difference compared to the Sonneteers was much smaller
than expected. Allan Taylor´s voice had a slightly more rounded
character, but not to a disturbing level with regular listening
volumes. With higher volume, the voice got a bit soggy and
increasingly "wide" in terms of soundstage placement, but I have
to emphasize that this demanded considerably higher sound
pressures. Paul Stephensons´ "Light Green Ball"-album
(Stockfisch SFR 357.6023.2) has a somewhat cooler tonal balance
compared to Allan Taylor´s, but once again the Sonneteers
produced a smooth, liquid and unforced sound that one could
easily fall asleep to. The soundstage had excellent air and
depth, but lacked the surgical precision with which the
Audionet-components place instruments in and on the stage. This
has both a positive and a negative side; while the
Audionet-components made the sound appear a tad more focused,
the Sonneteers presented a soundstage that appeared less
physically limited.
Like I mentioned in my last
review of the Nordost Red Dawn cables, I find myself coming back
to Pink Floyd´s "Division Bell" (EMI 7243 8 28984 2) every now
and then and enjoying it as much every time. Now I started at
the beginning, with the slow intro "Cluster One", which slowly
builds up from nothing to include several instruments as well as
a number of other ambient sounds. This time the intro built up
to become positively huge in terms of soundstaging. While not
quite as focused as usual, the sound had all of the eerie
quality it´s supposed to have. Nick Mason´s cymbals had all the
definition they needed, as well as very natural "sound decay",
with the ringing fading slowly away into the distance. On
"Wearing the inside out" the saxophone in the beginning was
nicely rendered, just like David Gilmour´s voice. Once again,
the leading edge of the guitars was a bit softer than usual, but
as a whole the sound remained very relaxed and enjoyable.
The other recordings I listened
to at length basically confirmed what the ones before had hinted
at: The Sonneteers were excellent midrange performers, with a
thoroughly enjoyable and airy "tube-like" overall sound. The
greatest difference to the Audionet-setup could be found in
areas like treble extension, bass control and extension, focus
and dynamics. But as a whole, the Sonneteers didn´t have to be
at all ashamed of their performance, quite the contrary.
Together with a friend we also
compared the Sonneteer Alabaster to a Creek 5350SE integrated
amplifier (1230€). The Alabaster was decidedly more airy, as
well as sweeter and more detailed in the midrange and had a
larger soundstage. The Creek, on the other hand, expressed a
greater level of overall neutrality, dynamic punch and bass
control. Between these two it would have been a tight race, with
the Creek leading on music with greater dynamic contrasts, while
the Alabaster clearly was the champion of jazz, classical and
acoustic music. In the price range represented by these amps, I
don´t think You can go far wrong with either.
Sound
Overall impression:
Natural, smooth and relaxed. Excellent midrange definition and
timbral accuracy, slightly soft in the bass.
Balance: Reminded me of
some tube gear with its smooth and enjoyable tonal balance. More
to the lush side of neutral.
Resolution: Overall
resolution was better than I had expected, but the best areas
were in the midrange and lower treble.
Transparency: Excellent.
While not quite at the level of the Audionet-equipment, it
wasn´t far off. Once again the midrange and lower treble rose
above the other areas.
Realism: Also very good,
especially with voices. Listening to vocal recordings for longer
periods presented no other problem than the danger of falling
asleep to the relaxed and natural sound.
Treble:
A bit laid-back, but lacking nothing important. Cymbals sounded
metallic, not only like an unidentifiable sizzle. Still, this
was the area that showed the biggest difference compared to the
reference setup.
Midrange: Like I´ve
mentioned many times before, this is really where the Sonneteers
excelled. Perhaps not in the most neutral way, but I find it
hard to believe that they can be clearly bettered by anything in
their price range. A revelation.
Bass: A bit soft, but
reasonably detailed. Melded in excellently with the rest of the
spectrum on small-scale music, but seemed to lack the last bit
of strength on loud dynamic passages. Might work perfectly with
smaller speakers, though. In my room, the SC-IV´s seem to demand
quite high damping factors to sound their best.
Dynamics, visceral impact:
Another area where a significant difference to the
Audionet-setup could be heard. Microdynamics were fine, but
macrodynamic swings seemed a bit subdued. Again, this was in no
way distracting with normal listening levels. The Alabaster also
lost a little in this area compared to the Creek, but on the
other hand sounded less edgy.
Soundstaging: Very good.
The soundstage was as large as all outdoors, but the instruments
and singers retained their "original size". If the soundstage
didn´t represent the last word in focus, it certainly
compensated with width and layered depth.
Summary
Strengths:
Midrange performance and
resolution
Natural and relaxed overall sound
Soundstage and retrieval of ambience
Points to develop;
Dynamic impact
Bass control and tautness
Treble extension (with serious reservations, too much of a good
thing wouldn´t be any better)
The Sonneteers left me very
positively surprised. While I had expected quite a lot (without
really knowing what to expect), they managed to surpass the
expectations in many ways. These are clearly components for the
music-lover, maybe not the last word in power and dynamics, but
excellent in the midrange and not really weak in any area.
During the test period they also functioned like a charm, with
no excess noise or other faults. The Sonneteer-setup can easily
be recommended to someone looking for natural, relaxed and
utterly non-fatiguing sound. My personal experience leads me to
believe that they might be best off paired with quite sensitive
speakers, in which case they can deliver the best possible
dynamics. As always, it should be remembered that the Audionet
ART V2 and AMP I are very different components by nature, so the
differences I´ve described might be very much smaller or
nonexistent in other setups. I don´t think anyone can go far
wrong with the Sonneteers, but it´s always good to "try before
you buy". And while I might not have been tempted to change my
own electronics to Sonneteer, they sure did their best to give
the twice as expensive Audionet-components a run for the money.
Not bad at all....give them a listen if you have the
opportunity.
Associated equipment
- Cd-player: Audionet ART V2
standing on Solid Tech “Feet of Silence”.
- Preamp: Audionet PRE I G2
standing on Solid Tech “Feet of Silence”.
- Power Amp: Audionet AMP I on
DIY amp stand (2 x 50 by 60 cm granite slabs, 30kg each,
with damping rubber feet in between. Whole stand supported
by Soundcare Superspikes).
- Speakers: Dunlavy SC-IV on
Soundcare Superspikes.
- Interconnects: Siltech SQ-80
G3 (cd-preamp), Siltech ST-48 G3 (pre-power amp).
- Speaker cable: Dunlavy Z6 x2
(biwire)
- Mains cable: Custom made
Supra LoRAD for all components.
- Mains filter/distributor:
Siltech Octopus with SPO-20 mains cable.
- Equipment stand: Sound
Organisation 90cm wide 2-shelf stand for cd-player and
preamp. Stand supported by 8mm spikes placed on Target
vibration-reducing feet.
- Room: ~20 Square meters.
House construction: wooden frame, tile outer wall. Excellent
bass absorption, no significant room resonance under 100Hz
(measured).
- Room treatments: 4x Svanå
ABCyll absorbers placed at first reflection points. Large
bookshelf covers entire back wall. Heavy rug on the floor
between the speakers and the listening spot. No TV or screen
between the speakers, projector screen (96” Da-Lite)
ceiling-mounted and retracted during all listening sessions.
Musical selection:
- Pink Floyd: The Division
Bell (EMI 7243 8 28984 2 9; 1994)
- Paul Stephenson: Light Green
Ball (Stockfisch SFR 357.6023.2; 2002)
- Allan Taylor: Hotels &
Dreamers (Stockfisch SFR 357.6028.2; 2003)
- Allan Taylor: Colour to the
moon (Stockfisch RTD 357.6021.2; 2000)
- Sara K.: Water falls
Stockfisch (SFR 357.6025.2; 2002)
- Dire Straits: Communiqué
(Vertigo 800 052-2; 1996)
- Hugh Masekela: Hope (Triloka
GCT80232; 2000)
- Charles Lloyd: The Water is
Wide (ECM 1734549043-2; 2000)
- Rachmaninoff: Symphonic
Dances; Eiji Oue; Minnesota Orchestra (Reference Recordings
RR-96CD; 2001)
- Rimsky-Korsakoff:
Scheherazade; Fritz Reiner; Chicago Symphony Orchestra
(JMCXR-0015; 2002)
- Blue Man Group: Audio
(Virgin 7243 8 48613 2 2 CDVUS177; 1999)
- Rammstein: Mutter (Universal
5496392; 2001)
- Oscar Peterson: A summer
night in Munich (Telarc CD83450; 1999)
- Jacques Loussier: The Bach
Book (Telarc Jazz CD83474;1997)
- Jacques Loussier: Satie -
Gymnopédies, Gnossiennes (Telarc Jazz CD83431; 1998)
- Sophie Zelmani: Precious
Burden (Columbia COL 489733 2; 1998)
- Tori Amos: Scarlet´s Walk
(Epic 508782 2; 2002)
- Soundtracks from “The Thin
Red Line”, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.
- + others
Product specifications
(specs according to Sonneteer
webpage):
Alabaster integrated
amplifier:
- Power output (RMS): ~52W
into 8 ohm ~95W into 4 ohm
- Number of inputs: Five+Line
out.
- Number of speaker term: Four
pairs
- Input Impedance: 11 kOhm
- Input Sensitivity (CD): 470
mV rms
- Total Harmonic Distortion:
0.004% @ 1kHz (Full Power)
- Bandwidth: 8Hz to 80kHz
- Dimensions: (HxWxD mm): 70 x
430 x 280
- Net. Weight: Approx.: 12Kg
Byron CD-player:
- Transport: High quality SONY
CD mechanism
- Power Supply: Twin
transformer power supply
- Clock: High stability
crystal clock at 10ppm
- D/A Converter: Delta Sigma
Digital to Analogue converter
- Analogue Filter:
Differential second stage
- Digital output: S/PDIF
- Frequency response: 2Hz -
20kHz
- Dynamic range: 96dB
- Analogue output level: 1,95V
- Dimensions (HxWxD): 70 x 430
x 280
- Net. Weight Approx.: 7Kg
Manufacturer: Sonneteer (www.sonneteer.com)
Contact in Finland:
Penaudio (www.penaudio.fi)