Designed and manufactured in the United States, Rogue Audio devices are still relatively unknown in France, despite their excellent musicality and value for money, as demonstrated by the brand’s entry-level integrated amplifier, the Sphinx, now in its third version. With two 12AU7 tubes in the preamp section and Hypex Class D amplification, the smallest Rogue Audio delivers a smooth, warm sound and comfortable power to both speakers and headphones. The icing on the cake is that it now has a phono input that can be adapted to MM and MC cartridges!
Beautifully hand-built in the United States under the direction of engineer Mark O’Brien, the Sphinx v3 introduces a range of three Rogue Audio integrated amplifiers. Less bulky, it uses the same components and hybrid design as the larger Pharaoh II (250 W into 8 ohms), while the Cronus stands out with a trio of 12AX7 double triodes and, above all, amplification on four KT120 pentodes. With its two dual 12AU7 triodes (also referenced as ECC82), the Sphinx v3 can be used as a pure preamplifier or as a headphone amplifier, while its primary function as an integrated amplifier benefits from the power output stage of a Hypex UCD180 card per channel, in class D topology.
The headphone amplifier has its own completely discrete Mosfet output stage, while volume control is handled by a 100 kilo-ohm ALPS 100KAX2 potentiometer, all placed on a printed circuit board made from a significant amount of pure copper. Located at the rear of the unit, the power supply is provided by a large 375 VA toroidal transformer custom-made for Rogue.
On its machined aluminium front panel, the Sphinx v3 features its raven logo in the top left corner, in white or black depending on the black or silver colour of the model chosen. Below this, a plastic power button is pressed to turn on the tubes once the switch on the rear of the unit has been activated. An orange LED indicates that the Sphinx v3 is in standby mode, while the other LED, which is initially red, indicates that it is warming up and turns blue when the amplifier is operational.
In the centre, a 6.35 mm jack socket allows you to connect headphones, while the right-hand side of the front panel features three plastic knobs, the first for selecting one of the four inputs, the second for balance and the last for volume control. A transparent plastic ‘skeleton’ remote control is supplied as standard, with three buttons for turning the volume up or down or muting it. A metal remote control from the American brand’s higher-end ranges is available as an option.
At the rear, everything is kept simple with four pairs of RCA terminals, three line inputs (the first of which is recommended for CD players) and a phono input, which since version 3 has been used to play both MM and MC cartridges, with a respective gain adjustment of 44 and 60 dB, in addition to RIAA playback with adjustable impedance, provided you unscrew the cover and play around with the pairs of switches according to the instructions. Set at 47 kilo-ohms as standard for moving magnet cartridges, the impedance can be adjusted in seven steps for moving coil cartridges, from 30 ohms to 1 kilo-ohm.
Two pairs of RCA terminals are added at the output, fixed for adding a power amplifier or bi-amplifier; variable for optimal adjustment to a subwoofer. And of course, located on each side and connected by cables to the internal power stages, two pairs of speaker terminals allow for the integration of a pair of fork or banana speakers, with a very high damping factor, announced by the manufacturer as over 1000, which is why feedback-related distortion is so low when listening.
The set-up
With a volume, dimensions and weight that are standard for a high-end amplifier, the Sphinx fits into any environment, provided that you make sure to connect it to RCA sources, as it only has unbalanced inputs. Already powerful, with a very high damping factor, it provides sufficient energy for our demanding Jern 15H speakers and is perfectly at home with more sensitive speakers such as our Closer Ogy or Solen HELios (reviewed in this issue).
A check on EgglestonWorks Emma Evo also confirmed its ability to power larger speakers, especially in the bass, but as the Sphinx v3’s speaker terminals are quite close together and small, we opted for fairly light cables from the Nordost Heimdall and Esprit Célesta ranges, rather than the Lumina from the French manufacturer that we still had on loan. First tested on its line inputs, the Sphinx v3 was then compared on its phono input to our Gold Note PH10. And as this version 3 can now be used with MC cartridges, we were able to listen to it not only on the Nagaoka MP-200 (MM), but also on the Hana ML and Skyanalog P1 MC cartridges.
The sound
As soon as it was switched on and the little red LED turned blue, the Sphinx v3 surprised us with its roundness and warmth. The preamp tubes are not yet fully warmed up, but the Class D power modules already surprise with their flexibility, far from the harsh or overly digital sound that can sometimes be heard with this type of amplification. Here, on the contrary, you would almost think you were dealing with a Class AB with the first watts in Class A, as the sound is musical and open, as well as truly warm.
When compared to a much more expensive amplifier, the smallest of the Rogue Audio integrated amplifiers never suffers in comparison, and while it doesn’t offer quite the same soundstage or precision, it never disappoints in terms of the quality of information reproduction, even when coming from a very precise source. Perfectly positioned in its price range, although more expensive than the previous version, the Sphinx V3 demonstrates real roundness and excellent timbre, with a preference for the midrange.
Even at low volumes, it has no problem providing sufficient energy to our Jern 15H speakers or relatively power-hungry floorstanding speakers, and at very low sound levels, its potentiometer manages to maintain maximum information and offers a very detailed listening experience that remains very flexible when you turn up the volume. However, especially with large symphonic and choral pieces, the soundstage loses some of its clarity, although solo voices are very well placed at the front. At very high volumes, electronic sounds become muddy with modern music, mainly in the upper end of the spectrum.
To test the self-powered headphone output, we not only had to plug in the headphones, but also mute the TV with the remote control so that the output stage to the speakers was switched off and only the preamplifier stage (i.e. volume control and source inputs) remained functional in the integrated amplifier, in addition to the headphone amplifier module. Then the small LED turned red again, and the music came out only from the headphones, slightly less warm and with less timbre than with the speakers, but still with enough power and flexibility to adapt to power-hungry headphones, including our Kennerton Thror orthoplanar headphones.
With the cover open so that the pair of switches can be changed to adjust the gain and impedance according to the cartridges (a step that only needs to be done once if you only have one cartridge, and not at all if you add a turntable with an MM cartridge that is already pre-set), the Sphinx from the brand with the perched raven can sing with the same fullness. With a finesse of reproduction almost equal to our mid-range separate phono preamps, it impresses just as much with an MM cartridge as with an MC cartridge, although the former suits it better, with a roundness that does not seek a raw sound, for example on rock, but a flexibility and listening comfort at all times.
Our conclusion
Our colleagues at Stereophile recommended we listen to this brand when we met them in Warsaw; we thank them for the idea! A little rough around the edges in its American style, without trying to flatter with plastic knobs or a very classic design, the Sphinx V3 is a true musical machine, superb in all its uses, whether amplifying speakers or headphones.
Equally impressive on its phono input, now also available (and configurable to seven impedances) for moving coil cartridges, Rogue Audio’s smallest integrated amplifier deserves to be compared to all the benchmarks in its price range, and even to models twice as expensive, to see if it isn’t already more than enough to provide listening pleasure at all times. And if it lacks power for very large speakers, you can always look to the larger Pharaoh II, or even the manufacturer’s separate amplifier and preamplifier components, which we hope to see more of at many retailers in France and Belgium in the years to come.
Author: Vincent Guillemin
Technical sheet: Rogue Audio Sphinx v3
Origin: United States
Price: €2,500
Dimensions: 431.8 x 127 x 397 mm
Weight: 11.3 kg
Amplification type: Class D; tube preamplification
By taking the N30SA out just after the W20SE, in two chassis and with an even more extreme approach, Aurender has quite simply sought to create the best possible digital transport by challenging the entire architecture applied so far to its music servers. After listening on a very high-end system, during which we were able to verify the qualities of the device both in streaming on a platform and with files stored in its 8 TB internal SSD memory, we compared the N30SA to other players in the Aurender range and can only agree with the South Korean brand: we are indeed in the presence of one of, if not the best network transport in the world.
With the SE version of the W20 presented in 2020, it was thought that Aurender had taken current digital network playback technologies as far as possible thanks to an applied revision of the previous model, with the aim of making the new model and its battery to power all audio components even more perfect. However, barely a year later, the N30SA was presented, the result of parallel development and the culmination of ten years of research. This new model was even more cutting edge thanks to a design that was no longer integrated into a single large box, but rather two aluminium boxes, 430 mm wide, 107 mm high and 356 mm deep, both well filled.
This highly innovative two-chassis structure is not a usual separation between a power supply in the first and the audio part in the second, as seen in many manufacturers’ products, sometimes even in their entry-level products. With the N30SA, Aurender has developed a much stronger concept: placing all the disruptive and noise-creating elements in the same case, and leaving the other one as quiet as possible to handle only digital audio data.
So, in the chassis with an 8.8’ IPS LCD screen, which one would expect to be the one delegated to the purely digital part, , on the contrary, all the interference-generating elements are located, including not only the components dedicated to operating the screen, but also the linear power supply based on three large transformers under plastic covers, four imposing capacitors as well as a backup battery and a low-power Intel Quad Core processor, to which are added the 8 TB internal SSD memory and the 480 GB SSD RAM. Also on this chassis, a cavity can be used to add another hard drive to further expand the storage space, in addition to the two USB 3.0 ports for inserting external drives and the double-insulated Ethernet LAN port to filter out as much Internet noise as possible.
Much more understated with its simple aluminium plate on the front, on which anyone would have thought at first glance to find the power supply, the N30SA carries in the second box only a hybrid secondary power supply with a filtering system and current regulation by inductance, intended to further purify the electricity coming from the other box. But above all, it is in this part that the audio card is inserted between shielding plates, created on the basis of an FPGA with one of the most powerful chips on the market, in addition to a reference OXCO MV197 clock.
Integrated into this chassis, the two coaxial outputs and the AES/EBU are separated from each other at critical distances to best insulate them, alongside a BNC coaxial socket designed for an external clock (75 Ω – 10 MHz, 12.8 MHz, 44.1-48 kHz) such as the brand’s MC20 (€32,500), and a USB Audio module that is also shielded. Here too, the latter is not intended for inserting external hard drives as in the other chassis, but to be used as the most data-prolific audio output to connect the DAC.
Protected by an 11 mm aluminium top plate and a bottom plate with four cork-topped feet, the two N30SA chassis are completely stackable and must be connected by two cables of 0.5 m and 1.5 m, as far apart as possible via the sockets at the back of the devices, in order to minimise electromagnetic interference and crosstalk as much as possible. The cable on the left transfers power from the power supply to the audio box, while the second one on the far right transfers digital data.
With this array of weapons, the N30SA is ready to deliver encoded file data in the most perfect way possible, up to 32 bits/384 kHz or DSD512 via USB, and up to PCM 32 bits/192 kHz and DSD64 with coaxial and AES/EBU outputs. One might just regret not finding a fibre Ethernet input for the future, as on the Rose Hifi RS130 or the Linn Klimax DSM/3, but we know that, unlike the young Korean or Chinese brands that want to move fast, the more mature Aurender integrates new Japanese-style technologies, i.e. only when the engineers are completely sure that they fully understand the design, and that the products put on the market are immediately useful.
The set-up
Even if it were possible to receive the N30SA in one of our auditoriums for a few weeks, it wouldn’t make much sense, even on our best test system, as our in situ comparables are not in the same league. So we went to listen to it in one of the most upmarket shops in Paris, Music Hall, which had prepared one of its finest systems for the occasion. Having recently received the Sonus Faber Serafino, already broken in for more than two hundred hours, Martial had simply had the idea of bi-amplifying them by integrating the Accuphase A-300 mono blocks to the midrange and tweeters, in addition to the new A-80 class A stereo block connected to the bass speakers. For the preamplifier, there was nothing other than the best product from the Yokohama manufacturer, the C-3900, and for the digital-to-analogue converter, its best DAC, the DC-1000, not far from a Dave Chord.
With this competition system, one of the finest to be heard in France, we were able to compare the N30SA on its digital inputs and in its results against different conversions, but also to test it against other Aurender players, unfortunately without having the W20 SE to hand, but in comparison with the N200 and especially the N20. Refocusing on the N30SA, we used Tidal and Qobuz files to compare them to those of its internal SSD memory, encoded up to DSD512. To process these files, we only used the proprietary application, knowing that playback can also be done in UPnP/DLNA, so for example with Audirvana.
The sound
During our test of the Børresen X3 in the same auditorium for the previous issue, we could hear the difference between a file played on Tidal and Qobuz, even though they had the same encoding and were normally taken from exactly the same source from the original labels. So it was this first test that we did on the N30SA and while the difference didn’t seem as obvious to us as it did on the N200 two months ago, we still favoured Qobuz after two or three checks, for the superior fluidity of the files played from this platform.
Then, we were able to discover sound of a rare purity from the source, free of any interference and with a superbly black soundstage, for example, allowing us to enjoy the slot machine noises of Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’. With such a system, we could hear absolutely everything at a level far superior to any listening sessions carried out in recent months, so for example the rock recording style of the 1970s, which stands out for the grain and the sound ambience captured by the microphones, or just after that on a Mahler symphony by Bernstein (Sony), the studio atmosphere with a placement of the microphones that leaves more air and concentrates the elements less than in most recent recordings.
Both for the rock singers and with the voices of the jazz singers we adore, we simply had the impression of inviting the artists and seeing them in front of their microphones facing us, with a precision that made us feel as if we were directly participating in the studio recording itself. But if we thought we were at the pinnacle of what we perceived, we were not expecting the result when listening to a file available directly on the N30SA’s SSD memory.
Then the noise was minimised even further to deepen the soundstage a little more, resulting in even better defined and more nuanced elements, an extraordinary quality of harmonics, difficult to find even in a concert hall, for example when we compared Bernstein’s ‘Mambo’ to the one heard the day before at the Radio France auditorium, or Rachmaninov’s Sonata No. 1 by Geniušas to his performance at the Salle Cortot a few weeks earlier, where we were in seventh row in front of the Steinway. Even more than in the hall, the dynamics and harmonics unfold at infinitesimal levels, with an incredible purity of timbre, in this configuration even more in line with the density of a DAC like the DC-1000 than with the clarity of the Dave.
On DSD256 or DSD512 files, we were immersed in the middle of the orchestra or live in the middle of rock bands, only to be transported into the mystique of churches listening to masses by Poulenc or motets by Arvo Pärt, with an even more refined soundstage. In a completely different style, the electronic sounds of Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ offered an equally impeccable rendering on all registers, in addition to an impression of breathing, without ever over-lighting, but on the contrary remaining on the neutral rendering referring to Aurender.
Although this time we were unable to hear the W20SE (€23,250), whose great finesse we were familiar with, connecting the N20, which is almost half the price (still €13,500), instead of the N30SA did not give the impression of a collapse in overall quality, since it already brings with it many of the aforementioned characteristics. However, the ear quickly discovers that there are no longer quite the same nuances or the same sound openness, inevitably found by reusing the largest music server.
Our conclusion
Although we know that the ultimate has never been reached and that what we hear today, especially in digital terms, will undoubtedly be surpassed in the future, it seems that the N30SA digital network transport has reached a level that is difficult to surpass to date, and for which we have no comparable model in mind, except perhaps the Linn Klimax DSM/3 with converter.
With an almost perfect design thanks to its two-chassis structure, which is unprecedented in the way it separates components, Aurender’s largest transport and music server goes even further than the South Korean brand’s other top-of-the-range models. and while in a system costing less than €70,000 the majority of impressions can be rendered thanks to the excellent N20, the most fortunate listeners in search of the exceptional will inevitably have to turn to the N30SA, which must be connected to the DAC via USB to take full advantage of its qualities, if possible with a maximum of music recorded internally in DSD.
In 2005, Gryphon caused a stir with the launch of its Diablo integrated amplifier, which was surprisingly powerful at 2 x 250 W into 8 ohms, with a filtering capacity of 2 x 58,000μF. Ten years later, the Diablo became the Diablo 300, the value of its new power under 8 ohms, with a complete overhaul of the components based on an overall design that was not called into question. Eight years have passed, and the Diablo 333 has been previewed by us, for a test where the speed of sound that characterises the Danish brand has appeared in an integral way with a real surplus of refinement.
Instantly recognisable, the design of the new Diablo 333 is entirely in line with its two predecessors, the Gryphon, which sprang from the imagination of designer Flemming Rasmussen. On the front, still raised on four pointed trusses, the amplifier maintains the idea of a truncated triangle, but loses the central bar and now integrates all the information and parameters in a touch screen with a diagonal measurement of 11 cm (4.3″) in the centre under the Danish brand’s red logo. Also possible thanks to the new aluminium remote control called Commander – with it too the idea of an aborted triangular shape on the lower part – the modifications concern both the choice of volume and analogue inputs as well as the management of the two optional add-on modules. The first of the two, to be released soon and therefore not available for this test, the DAC3 module (€7,250) will will be integrated into a large upper cavity at the rear of the amplifier, which will allow numerous digital sources to be connected via USB, AES/EBU or Toslink to decode files up to DSD512, thanks to the use of Sabre’s new, very high-performance ESS9039 PRO chip.
Another module, which can also be integrated into a dedicated cavity, the PS3 phono (€5,750) will make it possible to do without an external phono preamplifier, to manage the impedance of MC cartridges from 20 ohms to 1,600 ohms and MM cartridges at 47 kiloohms, with, like the digital-to-analogue converter, a dual mono design and in pure class A.
An ever stronger Diablo
As we have said, this new Diablo 333 with its attractive grey-black anodised finish and impressive side radiators resembles the previous models, but the current facelift also allows it to fit into the new identity of the manufacturer’s highest series, more refined, discovered with the Apex power block and the Commander preamplifier, whose new integrated version incorporates some of the technologies and designs.
Designed by engineer Tom Møller on the electronic side, still fully dual-mono if we take into account that the imposing but unique Holmgren toroidal transformer is itself dual-mono, the Diablo 333 incorporates three imposing polypropylene capacitors on the side panels for each channel, then three others directly added to the central circuit, which, like all the other circuits in the device, is treated in four layers, with significant amounts of copper in each of them.
In total, the filtering capacity now peaks at 2 x 68,000μF, which is 10,000 μF more than the first Diablo. The latest model also offers 83 W more power per channel at 8 ohms than the first, and 33 W more than the Diablo 300, now reaching 333 W at 8 ohms, or 666 W at 4 ohms and 1,100 W at 2 ohms. To achieve this, it uses ten output transistors on each side, in addition to shunt regulators to constantly monitor the quality of the supply voltage. Volume control is achieved by means of balanced relays on 43 levels, controlled by microprocessors, associated with one or two resistors in series per level. This discreet volume control never produced any clicking noise during our tests, as is normally heard with products using relay-resistor technology.
With ultra-limited internal cabling, the amplifier always chooses the shortest possible signal paths, in particular by incorporating the analogue inputs directly on its primary circuit, to be preferred over the two pairs of gold-plated Neutrik XLR sockets, which are otherwise available asymmetrically with a pair of RCA terminal blocks (input 3). Next to it, the brand has also placed a gold-plated phono input (Tape In) and output (Tape Out) pair with Teflon insulation, intended for a rather obsolete function, namely that of recorder return.
A final RCA pair is used to output directly through the preamplifier section, for example to drive another power block or a subwoofer. Two pairs of huge red and black terminal blocks allow a pair of speakers to be integrated without getting the wiring wrong, while a trigger socket and a USB 2.0 for updating the microprocessor complete the diabolical device, from which emerges on a final low part, again with the idea of a cut triangle, the mains socket and a terminal for connecting to the earth.
The set-up
Seen and heard at the Paris Audio Video Show in one of the most convincing rooms of the exhibition, connected to the Gryphon Eos 2 speakers which were recently reviewed in our columns (VUmètre n°47; Remarkable), with the very high-end converter from Ideon Audio as the digital source and the Brinkmann Taurus turntable and a DS Audio cartridge with EMM Labs phono preamp as the analogue source, the Gryphon 333 was subsequently re-verified with other combinations. Impressive in size but still relatively modest compared to other products in the Danish catalogue, it should be noted that this integrated amplifier weighs 50.6 kg and therefore needs to be placed on a high-end hi-fi cabinet capable of supporting its full weight, distributed over its four spiky pods. Fast, although increasingly refined in its rendering, it can be perfectly matched with speakers from the same parts of Europe, starting with the Børresen speakers we are discussing in this issue, while it will have the capacity to bring out the best in the best sources, for which you should not hesitate to choose precise and dense devices in terms of the information transferred.
The sound
Listening to it, it seems obvious that it is indeed a Gryphon, with the same fast and dynamic sound. But if we were used to the punch of previous generations, sometimes almost a little hard, the new Diablo 333 seems to have matured and calmed down. Infernal with its monstrous amplification of 333 W per channel under 8 ohms, it can still power any speaker, but now offers more roundness and less nervousness, to deliver a more refined sound, even more refined when you listen to calm jazz. This sound still comes from the North, in that it is clear while retaining a real elasticity, already available at very low volume, where the notes last a long time before fading, as on Lou Reed’s piano in ‘Vanishing Act’.
In the living room, listening to HughMasekela’s famous ‘Stimela’ on audiophile vinyl and then on a HiRes file showed that, at a comparable price level, an analogue system still wins out a little over the volume of the stage and the naturalness of the timbres compared to digital, well reproduced in this respect by the Gryphon. The bass can go very deep, taut without ever overflowing or hitting, as we remember when listening to the first Diablo (albeit with a less good source). The soundstage is also very wide, the depth more concentrated with the Gryphon speakers, and more extended with the Dali speakers, to the detriment of the hushed character of certain intimate music, but to the advantage of large orchestral masses such as that of Dvorák’s 9th Symphony by Fritz Reiner. The dark stage without the slightest parasitic distortion allows each detail to be seen, as on Eric Clapton’s most famous live album, where the slightest string friction becomes perceptible as if we were glued to his guitar.
Our conclusion
Because it is indeed a Gryphon, the Diablo 333 still offers the high sound speed that has made the Danish manufacturer’s mark, very dynamic and tense. The gain in refinement makes this new amplifier even more versatile than before, with even higher and better contained power, particularly superb when listening to rock and jazz music, or even reggae. As is often the case today, the price has risen accordingly; it has gone from €17,500 to €25,950 for this new generation, without the two optional digital and phono modules. But if you can afford to spend that amount on an audio system, you should compare the musicality of this integrated system with the separate components of the Danish brand in the same range, as well as the competition, to see if this new devil isn’t ready to take us to heaven!
In barely five years, the Danish brand Børresen Acoustics has designed several ranges of very high quality speakers, from the ultra-high fidelity 0 and M series to the still very high-end, although more affordable, Z and X series. From this latest series, we are testing the X3 for you today, a sumptuous speaker with three drivers and a ribbon tweeter, still at a high price, although contained at exactly €10,000. This price is justified by the sound, which is a breath of fresh air made up of superb timbres, far superior to many of its competitors. What’s more, this X3 is half the price of equivalent speakers from the Z series. It was with real pleasure that we were able to enter through the back door into the immense universe of designer Michael Børresen.
Priced at several hundred thousand euros for the M series, and six figures for the manufacturer’s 0 series when you choose the Cryo or Silver Supreme Edition versions, the creations of the Danish designer Børresen are also available at more reasonable prices. It therefore has two other series in its catalogue, the Zs, the smallest of which, the compact Z1, costs €10,000, and the Xs, consisting of three tower models, X2, X3 and X6, the number after the letter representing the number of speakers used in addition to the ribbon tweeter.
From this series, we have chosen the X3 tower speaker, undoubtedly the one with the best quality/price ratio in that it already expresses all the brand’s components, without exceeding the price of the Z1, despite its imposing size and already impeccable finish quality. Available in black or white piano lacquer, the Børresen X3 is 129 cm high and 60.7 cm deep, with a width of 34.5 cm at the base, reducing to just 22 cm at the front, tapering as the case extends towards the back to leave just a few centimetres at the end, from which no fewer than three round vents emerge at the top and four at the bottom. Reinforced by very beautiful carbon inserts, the cabinet is made in one piece from a very rigid wood composite material, designed to eliminate as many vibrations as possible as well as mechanical influences. Inside, a small pipe allows air to be ventilated and sent backwards onto the tweeter, while the midrange speaker above is partitioned off in a small space open to a second cabinet with two pipes, which evacuates the air towards the other two vents. Below, two partitions extending the full depth of the speaker separate each of the two mid-bass speakers. These internal partitions have numerous downward-facing holes that direct the air and vibrations towards a final large cabinet from which the aforementioned four low vents emerge. On the lower level of the speaker on the front, the Ø-shaped brand logo overhangs a base of two metal blades, which enclose a large wooden plate supported by four metal feet.
Manufactured on the basis of the components of the Z series, the X series crossover filter is mounted in parallel and uses three different levels of coils, which serve to minimise its self-resonance as much as possible, in addition to refining the register cuts as precisely as possible.
The planar ribbon tweeter is almost the same as the one used in the higher series, with a slightly reduced output from 94 dB to 90 dB despite a slightly shortened length, compensated by the lower mass of the components (magnet and iron) to offer a moving mass reduced to 0.01 g, due to the extreme speed of its responses from 2.5 kHz.
The equally well-designed speakers are made up of a bass-midrange element above the tweeter, which is at ear level when sitting on a conventional sofa, and two bass speakers below. For these three elements with a diameter of 11.5 cm (4.5‘’), the membrane combines, as on the Zs, three layers of laminated skins, the spacer in aramid honeycomb design sandwiched between two layers of spread carbon fibres. Both very light and very rigid, these membranes result in a significant reduction in resonance, with that of the environment providing an optimal response in the vertical direction, for a sound result of great transparency.
Last but not least, the X3 also uses the technology that made the Børresen Z-series motors so powerful, which eliminates the iron from the magnet to use a system with double copper caps on the pole rings, with the aim of accelerating the flux and flattening the inductance curve, in order to further minimise electromagnetic resonance. With all these technologies, the X3 offers an impressively transparent, wide frequency response of 35 Hz-50 kHz, for a contained sensitivity of 88 dB and an impedance of 4 ohms.
The set-up
At the risk of never wanting to leave, unless we take the X3s with us to one of our auditoriums to enjoy them for many more hours, we found ourselves limited for the occasion by time as well as by the weight of 55 kg per piece, and had to go and discover the pair of Danish speakers at one of the brand’s dealers, the Music Hall auditorium in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. Initially paired with an integrated Chord 2800 MkII, the little big Børresen proved better suited to the McIntosh 8950, although we were unable to further develop the tests with one of the many integrated or Accuphase amp-preamp pairs available in the store. Despite the amplification and the source – a McIntosh DAC on an Aurender streamer – the roundness and the richness in the bass of the American devices were completely counterbalanced by the speakers, with a tension that made us curious to pair them up next time with Danish amplifiers, for example the new Gryphon Diablo tested in parallel in this same issue.
The sound
As we have just mentioned, the tension is one of the main components of the speaker, in that it is so fast that it stretches the sound to give it great dynamics, without the slightest notion of harshness. On the contrary, whether it is the ribbon tweeter, developed on the basis of what Michael Børresen had already extensively improved when he founded Raidho, or the midrange/bass and bass speakers, everything always sounds very clear and airy, with perfect fluidity.
Superbly toned, the fast treble takes up less dominance than on the Z2 (VUmètre test no. 37; Remarkable) and integrates perfectly with the other parts of the spectrum, with a linearity in the frequency cut-off that is impossible to notice, where this is sometimes the problem when this ribbon technology is used by other manufacturers. Only at very high volume do some vibrations begin to be felt from this component, but this check is only carried out to push the limits to a totally abnormal sound volume, never reached under normal listening conditions. With the mid-range and bass, the neutral timbres and great clarity as well as the speed of the sound remain just as evident, for a very pleasant listening experience of jazz or rock music from the 1970s. With Pléïades by Xenakis performed by Les Percussions de Strasbourg, and more specifically the piece ‘Peaux’, the perfectly recreated and airy sound stage allows you to identify all types of drums and tom-toms, carried by a very taut bass rendering with each stroke of the baton. Without overdoing the precision, the sound systematically offers large breathing spaces, which we are sure could have been extended even further in a room more open than our test auditorium.
On Beethoven’s Fidelio (Bernstein live version, DG), a slight saturation of the elements in the large choral and orchestral parts first appeared, but we partially corrected it by switching from Tidal to Qobuz, as the Hi-Res file on this platform is clearly better encoded and better distributed, with the result of restoring depth to the image and allowing the soundstage to breathe more. This made us realise that an even more refined source would have allowed us to better position the elements, for example with a more neutral DAC or a Kuzma or Brinkmann turntable. Walking around the speakers also showed that they are not hyper-directional and that several people can therefore enjoy them perfectly in a large room, without needing to be right in the middle of the listening triangle. In the final audition, Kendrick Lamar and his ‘Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe’ highlighted the accuracy of the membranes and the ribbon, especially the high-pitched sounds and electronic percussion effects, without the bass ever seeming to get stuck in the firm subwoofer, but on the contrary feeling free to deploy all its energy.
Our conclusion
The second model from the Danish brand, starting at the bottom in terms of price, the X3s are already true Børresens, with no limits on quality in terms of either design or sound reproduction. Impressive in all registers and all musical styles, these large speakers, 30 times less expensive than the most advanced versions from the designer, have benefited from Michael Børresen’s two decades of experience, as well as the numerous models he manufactured upstream for Raidho and then for the M, 0 and Z series. Still affordable for any hi-fi enthusiast willing to devote a substantial budget to their system, the X3s offer a gateway to sound paradise with a sound typical of northern Europe, in countries where winter means spending long hours warming up without leaving the house, making the most of every minute of music.
The quality of our listening protocols led Nordost to offer to let us test a complete Heimdall 2 power cable, a Frey 2 power cable and a Qbase 8 mkIII power strip for several months. As one of our main systems already had exactly these components, along with a Qbase 8 mkII, we took advantage of these tests to review our entire installation and revise the contribution of each of the cables to our system, in addition to comparing the mkII and mkIII strips with each other, with and without the addition of decouplers (AC, BC, TC) and harmonisers (QRT Qv2). Thanks to this update, we have been able to re-identify all the reasons that led us at the time to invest in this treatment of the sector by Nordost.
Nordost Norse 2 cable series
Positioned between the Leif entry-level range and the Reference and Supreme Reference ranges, Nordost’s Norse 2 range is already taking listening to a high level of fidelity, without reaching the prices of the Valhalla and Odin products. Comprising three series, the Norse 2 range starts with the Heimdall 2 products and continues with the Frey 2 and Tyr 2. Designed to meet almost every need, these cables are available in RCA and XLR, speaker, coaxial SPDIF, RJ45, USB, 4k UHD or even RCA, XLR or DIN phono turntable arm modulations. But for this issue, we have chosen to draw only the preliminary sap: that of mains cables, with Heimdall 2 cables ranging from 1 to 3 m, plus two Frey 2 cables of 2 and 3 m. Founded in 1991 with an initial focus on the medical sector, as well as audio, Nordost has used research carried out in conjunction with NASA to maximise the reliability of its cables. Now refocused on high-fidelity, the American company continues to develop numerous processing devices, with a recent shift towards Internet data via Qnet, or increasingly refined development of current harmonisation with the new QRT Qwave, QKoil and QSine. However, it is keeping in its catalogue products that have been benchmarks for over a decade, including the mains cables in its Norse 2 range. With a monofilament construction to create a virtual air dielectric, silver-plated OFC conductors and FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) insulation, the Heimdall 2 offers ultra-fast current and voltage transfer with low impedance and strong mechanical control. The more advanced Frey 2 uses conductors with a diameter of 5 x 16 AWG, compared to 3 for Heimdall 2. Its resistance drops from 4 Ω per 1000‘’ to 2 Ω per 1000‘ – the Tyr 2 going even further to 1.33 Ω per 1000’ – for a velocity of propagation of 85%.
Nordost QBase 8 MKIII power strip
The latest addition to the power strip range, the Qbase 8 MkIII replaces the MkII after more than ten years of service. The MkII itself arrived after the first version, incorporating better sockets and offering the option of being switched to 20 A. Now laminated at both ends, where the MkII was still edged with aluminium to frame the main piece in extruded aluminium, the MkIII still exists in the QB4 or QB8 version for the USA and Europe, as well as in QB6 for the United Kingdom. Mechanically, it adds passive resistance to raise the impedance level on the seven sockets around the main one, thus forcing all the earths to centre on the latter, indicated as ‘Primary Earth’. This star-shaped process provides perfect isolation of the components while eliminating any conflicting flow between the signal and earth paths. But Qbase MkIII also innovates with its internal current transport board, as it no longer contains just one, but two well-separated ones, which separate the earth connections from the voltage and neutral lines, resulting in minimised interference and crosstalk. Optimised in width and weight, the tracks are even more effective when using a large amplifier, such as Wavac or CH Precision monoblocs.
The set-up
Already in possession of some of the components, with a Qbase 8 MkII, we first dismantled everything and reconnected all the system devices with the original cables, on a Legrand power strip. Then we gradually added the Nordost cables, first Heimdall 2, then Frey 2, and finally integrated the Qbase 8 MkII strip, which was later interchanged with the MkIII. Using an Accuphase E-600, Mark Levinson 5101 and various power supplies to make the Kuzma turntable and internet data more reliable (Forrester F1 and Ferrum Hypsos), the tests were developed on a smaller system with an Atoll ST300 source and a Luxman SQ-N150 tube amplifier. Once the sound was properly calibrated, two QRT QV2 current harmonisers (€430) and TC (€460), BC (€195) and AC (€110) decouplers were integrated, with the facility on the MkIII version of being able to remove the rubber feet and screw on a pair of QRT Stand Mounts (€150) instead, on which to attach the decouplers.
The sound
This is not the first power strip we have tested, far from it, but it had been a long time since we had dismantled the entire block to reassemble it as we went along… and rediscovered the sensations experienced several years ago, through the integration of superior elements to make the audio system’s power supply more reliable. A few days after receiving the components, during an installation in Brittany in a much purer environment than Paris, a few kilometres from the Rance tidal power station, the fact of having incorporated only the Qbase 8 mkIII into a system already had a direct impact on the concentration of sound elements and the reduction of background noise.
In Paris, where the environment is much more polluted, the integration of Heimdall 2 cables instantly increases the brightness of the sound and the contour of the musical elements, both when connected to an amplifier and to a source, the best being to use several to touch all the elements. Even on the power supply of the Kuzma turntable, as advised by Franck Kuzma himself, the result is real, with a more fluid analogue sound, simply due to the improved precision of the rotation.
With the addition of the Frey 2 on the amplifier, the difference is even more impressive, as if the speakers had changed volume, in addition to having modified their loudspeakers to better colour the timbres. All the components benefit from this, although we are still dealing with an audiophile-type musical transcription, which tends to improve the substances of the sound without making them perfectly realistic.
In order to achieve this result, the bar must be added, and while the Qbase mkIII goes even further than the mkII in reducing noise and thus darkening the soundstage for the benefit of relief and realism, the most obvious difference is when listening with and without the bar. For while our primary system has been on Nordost for more than five years and the new bar, which is simpler to isolate thanks to the Stand Mount, goes even further than the previous version, it is clearly on our second system, previously on an Oelbach audiophile power strip, that the lightening and ventilation gained by the introduction of a Qbase explode to the ear, and finally do justice to all the tracks played by eliminating all the disturbing resonance effects.
Our conclusion
Already evident in a healthy environment, adding mains cables and reproducing the protocol in a polluted environment such as Paris, by adding a power strip upstream of a system, demonstrates the importance of making the current processing of a hi-fi system more reliable, an undeniable know-how of the American brand in this field. And if the problem always arises of knowing when you should invest in a cable costing around €1,000 to power a hi-fi product, the answer with a power strip and an upstream cable is more obvious, because the improvement instantly affects all the elements of the system, rather than one product in particular. This is a real investment (Qbase mkIII at €2,600 + 2 x Heimdall 2 at a minimum of €840) that cannot reasonably be made for a system costing less than €5,000, but in view of the gain in clarity and reduction in noise, even on a small Luxman tube amplifier or Sugden headphone amp, we highly recommend it because of the significant contribution it makes to the music!
Author: Vincent Guillemin
Technical sheet: Nordost Heimdall QBase 8 MkIII
Nordost Qbase 8 mkIII
Origin: United States
Price: €2,600
Specific features:
8 Schuko sockets
Separation to earth
Nordost Heimdall 2
Origin: United States
Price: from €840 (1 metre; €275 per additional metre)
Nordost Frey 2
Origin: United States
Price: from €2,245 (1 m; €420 per additional metre)
