Welcome! What's On Your Mind?

Where was the Parasound NC200INT integrated amplifier ($1400.00) when I was getting started in the hobby. This wonderful amp is brimming with assets. One hundred and ten watts of Pascal Class D power, Burr Brown based digital connectivity with 24-bit/192kHz resolution, and a rather good MM/MC phono stage, come standard. If that’s not enough, there are tone controls, analogue bass management, a dedicated headphone amplifier, and a back-lit remote. The lack of internal streamer may deter some, but the addition of the cost-effective WiiM Mini quickly solves that problem. To quote the Parasound hype sticker, the “NC200INT offers precision engineering and powerful performance—all wrapped in a sleek, 1U chassis at an unbeatable price point. Ideal for listeners who want a complete system upgrade without compromises, it delivers clarity, warmth, and connectivity without overextending your budget.”  Ignore at your peril.

Sometimes it’s about how you look at things, and in this case, it took a YouTube review by Andrew Robinson to truly see the Naim Audio CI-Uniti-102 streamer amplifier ($1949.00). With the custom install logo and HDMI eARC it was easy to overlook this amplifier as a legitimate audio solution. A big mistake.

This amplifier rocks. The 150 watts per channel in 8 ohms delivers a devil-may-care performance with just about any loudspeaker. In fact, the 102 is 2 ohm stable, delivering a whopping 480 watts into this load. This impressive spec is possible due to the Texas Instruments TPA3255 chips being deployed in a parallel bridged mode with a 1.2 kilowatt switch mode power supply. As good as the Parasound is, Naim’s effortless sound just about edged it in absolute sonic terms. It doesn’t have the complete connectivity and features of the Marantz, but the HDMI and optical inputs will likely be enough for most. The Naim control app allows you to dive deep into the 102's capabilities. There are speaker profiles for all the Focals and the Manager software is the ultimate sonic tweak. Robinson pointed to a lack of a traditional remote being a dealer breaker for some. Naim have corrected the oversight and, come late September, a handheld will be available to assist with basic functions, letting you put your phone down and concentrate on the music.

All three amps have their merits. The price and feature set of the Marantz is hard to argue with. The Parasound will attract the burgeoning audiophile with its seductive sound and wallet friendly price tag. The Naim, at least for me, is the one. It is its fantastic combination of power, flexibility, and customizability that sets it apart and, just maybe, Naim Audio’s Uniti excellence is in reach after all.

While hardly the most riveting topic, the humble record brush remains key to analogue fulfilment. The carbon fibre variant, first introduced in the seventies by Decca in England, is the accepted standard. The advantage of carbon fibres is they reach deeper into the groove for that pesky dust while conveniently discharging static. There have been myriad of different manufacturers down the years and we routinely stock four versions.

The Rekkord LP brush is what I consider to be the bare minimum. It employs two rows of carbon fibre bristles that gently lift the dust. It is cleaned by passing the bristles over the attached bracket. It is simple, very affordable at just 20 bucks, and effective. The Audioquest refines this basic design by employing a whopping 1,248,000 super-conductive carbon fibres (unconfirmed at the time of writing) and an uncoated gold grip making you the static-eliminating ground. Neat!

Things get a little more interesting with the designs from Ortofon and Kirmuss Audio. The Ortofon Record Brush ($51.00) employs those same two rows of bristles but these are much more tightly wound. This allows you to be a little more vigorous, resulting in more effective debris removal. Also, the stylish injection molded handle contains a conductive plastic to help disperse static.

The Kirmuss Audio KA-B1 “2-in-1” record brush ($67.99) has clearly been designed by a person who has given day to day record care plenty of thought. One side of the brush features those soft carbon fibre rows, spaced slightly further apart than the AQ or Rekkord offerings, and is designed for static elimination. On the flip, is a parastatic wet/dry velvet “strip” to pull off deep seated dust. Also, this side may be used as a “buffer” at the final stage of cleaning with a record cleaning machine. An extra step but it’ll be worth it to some. Lance noted the KA-B1 to be particularly efficacious for cat hair removal.

All four brushes are recommendable and, depending on your requirements, one is likely to land over another. I have been using the Ortofon brush for a while now and it works for me. Maybe it’s that cool Danish industrial design...

Lately, as some of you know, I have been skulking around the blind alleys of digital audio. More specifically, I have been rabbit holing the many ways and means to improve my music streaming experience. A month ago, I added the Wattson Emerson Digital network which proved to be a massive improvement. Subsequently, I added a Sbooster linear power supply resulting in further sonic inroads. Inevitably, the network switch would be next.

For context, I currently use a solid switch. It’s a Luxul AGS-1008M 8-port switch fed by an ifi SilentPower power supply. Based on the level on my previous setup, this $250.00 investment seemed sensible. What did make me question my sanity was the introduction of the $849.00 Silent Angel Bonn N8 network switch.

This audio grade switch elevated my streaming even further. Eschewing the bog-standard wall wart in favour of medical grade regulation and employing a precision clock module to reduce jitter and latency issues, the N8 floored me. Trust me, you can believe their website hype:

“The Bonn N8 enables an isolated “Network Ecosystem” to create an independent low-noise, low-interference HiFi audio zone that effectively separates your audio devices from household traffic and reduces the degradation of network broadcasting storms and latency caused by bandwidth-intensive activities from PCs and other devices. The result is greater signal purity with lower noise, distortion and greater resolution of fine detail.”

The best analogy I have is when I had a dedicated power line installed for my system. Having my audio system mostly isolated (still on main panel) and no longer undermined by appliances, dimmers and the like, was revelatory. I am in no way suggesting the addition of the Bonn N8 was in this league, but by showing the middle finger to deleterious network noise, the level of enjoyment from my streamed music has never been higher.

Last time out I enthused about adding a Silent Angel Bonn N8 network switch to my setup, and I am still marvelling at how much more engaging it is to listen to streamed content. I was then going to add the Forester F1 linear power supply and report back.

F1 is designed with a singular purpose: To supply extremely stable DC power with ultra-low voltage fluctuation to the connected devices. Upgrading to an enhanced power supply reduces voltage ripple and electrical noise. Purifying the power allows the master clock to lock in with zero phase noise, precisely regulating network data packets. This reduction in jitter directly translates to improved clarity (less digital hash) and soundstage dimensionality. The resultant sound seemed more relaxed, naturally layered, and remained nicely delineated.

Without question, the biggest improvement came with the introduction of the N8 switch. Like many things in this hobby, these kinds of upgrades are incremental and can be subtle. In my system, the F1 added meaningful improvements. Whether it represents value for money at $899.00 is something you will have to decide for yourself. For me, the Bonn N8 and F1 are integral to my streaming.