Music Time Space FOCUS-RT8 aluminium-diaphragm
super high amplifier By Shitu
The music time space electronics tube amplifier manufacturing
com. Ltd, has in a few years produced some ten sorts of
electronics tube amplifiers, having established a reputation
for itself in domestic amplifier market. The company has
gained a high recognition among costumers with its tube
amplifier of reasonable price and fine quality. Recently,
music time space has launched its latest product: The
aluminium-diaphragm super high amplifier, which is considered
to be an alternative product of the company.
The speaker frequency band problem has been a long-standing
one. Excellent intermediate frequency is no doubt the
most important, the extension of both high and low ends
of the frequency band has always been the subject the
speaker manufacturers are working on with unremitting
efforts. First, Excellent bass is priceless. It¡¯s rather
rare and commendable for a kind of sound box to present
the low frequency both deep and having tactile sensation.
First, the bass unit of the speaker must have the lower
resonance frequency and the good low-frequency response.
Secondly, the sound box and the frequency divider must
be scientifically designed. However, there are still not
many speaker systems with distinguished low frequency
performance on the market, therefore, a number of speaker
manufacturers put out outside ultra bass sound boxes to
remedy the inadequacy in the bass part of the speaker.
Some audiophiles have already led off to use this kind
of ultra bass sound boxes. In fact, few of them can meet
the hi-fi standard while those that can are just unaffordable.
Moreover, the common ultra bass sound boxes could only
be used as a ¡°sound bomb¡± on the home theatres, unable
to reproduce the bass sound realistically at all. As for
the combination in application, If not well matched with
the major sound box, the ultra bass sound box is worse
than not using it at all. So it is reasonable to say that
the ultra bass sound box should be applied carefully.
Similarly, the super high sound that emerged in recently
years as a new technology is also called the wide-frequency
response. People gradually find in practice that audio
frequencies above 20 kHz are really audible to human ears
and could have a significant effect on the tone range
of the high and medium frequencies. Consequently, the
super high sound technology is promoted and applied in
a good many advanced amplifier products including intermediate
or low graded ones. However, technically, there is much
difficulty in manufacturing the super high sound unit.
Generally speaking, making the super high sound unit up
to 20 kHz has already posed a great challenge, not to
mention to make it above 40hz! Therefore, few amplifier
producers have the ability to develop and manufacture
super high sound units.
Because of the complicated production process and high
production cost, the price of the super high sound box
is pretty high. The real selling price of a model of super
high sound box Tianglang T200 is at 18,000 Yuan. Though
there are products priced at several thousand Yuan, the
effect is quite unsatisfactory. However, as to its adjustment,
the super high sound box is not so difficult as the bass
sound box, for its acoustic pressure is very small and
the phase problem is not very obvious. Therefore, even
if it is not well adjusted, the sound will not be too
disappointing. Consequently, an increasing number of people
begin to use additional super high sound box to solve
the problem of high inadequacy in some speakers.
A good tweeter added really could improve the performance
of the high and intermediate frequencies, rendering the
high frequencies transparent; the tone range is richer
as well as presenting the intermediate frequencies in
more details and with good analyzing capability. To polish
up the high tones positively, one condition is to have
an excellent super high sound speaker; the other is to
use it correctly. FOCUS-RT8 super high is just designed
for those general audio enthusiasts seeking for perfection
in listening experience. Its relatively moderate price
of 3800yuan per pair is also very reasonable compared
with similar products on the market.
You may ask, what is the quality of a pair of super high
sound boxes? They have respectively an aluminium-diaphragm
super high sound unit at their cores, coupled with a built-in
attenuation potentiometer and a filtering selection switch.
With a piano paint coated shell, the product could be
stably positioned right above the main speaker. Four frequency
division points at 6hz 9hz 12hz and 18hz are offered to
be selected to match the main speaker.
Since it doesn¡¯t make much sense to test the super high
sound boxes with a Danna c2, I chose the ATC SCM10 in
our magazine testing room for audition and the effect
of improving the high tone is impressive. Then I tested
it on ATC SCM20T and its performance remained outstanding.
Most Audio enthusiasts regard the ATC high part inadequate
but it¡¯s enough for my use except for its lack of clutter
in high frequencies. Dense intermediate frequencies as
well as more vivid high tones could be obtained if the
high tones in ATC are improved. By adjusting and testing
on ATC SCM 10 and 20 repeatedly for several times, I found
that FOCUS-RT8 works better when the volume potentiometer
is set at around 9 and the degree of balance is at its
optimum when the frequency divider is set at 18 kHz. Nevertheless,
maybe it¡¯s because of the slight resonance between the
filtering capacitance and the aluminium-diaphragm high
tone winding in FOCUS-RT8 and the shunt inductance and
high tone units of the frequency divider inside ATC, there
is slight ringing phenomenon around 1 kHz when playing
piano music. When the frequency division point is set
at 12 kHz, no ringing phenomenon could be detected; meanwhile,
the mid-high frequencies appear graver.
By comparison, when playing Chopin¡¯s nocturnes by Rubinstein,
with the addition of the super high sound box the piano
music takes on better sense of density. Extreme high frequency
overtones are substantially increased as well. The tone
range of the music is presented more realistic with a
granular sensation, which is a big progress over the piano
tone range in real surroundings.
As to the stringed instrument, the tone colour will be
presented even more elegant with the addition of FOCUS-RT8.
When Hayden¡¯s concerto is played, the strings in it have
a stronger sense of community with clearer levels and
richer tactile sensation. The harp plucking is strengthened
and the aftertaste of string vibrations appears more distinct
and more prolonged. On the contrary, when FOCOUS-RT8 super
high is removed, the strings music immediately turned
much weaker and the harp plucking also lacked of efficiency.
Meanwhile, the sense of speed is distinctly weakened.
Then I tested it successively with vocal and band music.
All got some improvement in various degrees. In a word,
with the FOCUS-RT8 super high sound box, we will have
more high frequency overtones more transparent timbres
more details in intermediate frequencies, quicker transient
response hence more dynamic and vivid music.
By testing, FOCUS-RT8 proved to be an excellent model
of super high sound unit. Properly adjusted, it could
boom the performance of your main loudspeaker quite out
of expectation. If there are some defects in the product,
that would be a lack of high-end frequency division points.
It will be better with higher end frequency division points,
say, at least with 16 kHz and 20 kHz added so as to make
the users¡¯ more meticulous adjustment possible.
Extracted from¡¶Hi-Fi Stereo¡·2006-6 Author:shi tu
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