Original text by Chen Jianhua New Audiophile
It's time to recommend a combination of high-quality and affordable hi-fi speakers and amplifiers! What is Premium? What is parity? High-quality naturally refers to audio equipment with a certain quality, and parity is to find more prominent sound quality in the same price equipment, or find a relatively high cost performance in the same quality equipment. To be honest, this is difficult, there are too many excellent audio equipment in the world, and we can't compare the equipment of the same price one-on-one, we can only recommend from the equipment we have heard in recent years.
The tube amplifier of Italian Synthesis is very liked by our colleagues in the magazine, even if it is not a female colleague in other departments who are sound editors and hears its voice, they will rarely communicate with us. The design and sound seem unusual. Female colleagues may not be interested in what brand and type of equipment, but they have worked in magazines for many years, they understand what a good voice is, and even their ears will not be worse than ordinary audiophiles.
At the same time as they communicated with the editorial office was the Italian Synthesis ROMA 753AC merging bladder machine, especially when this merging bladder machine is paired with the British Russell K Red 50 bookshelf box, Italian elegance and British gentlemen are integrated, this warm and delicate, soft and unassuming, elegant, aesthetic sound is very pleasing, no wonder when playing familiar music, female colleagues in the office will discuss audio equipment very rarely. It seems that there is indeed something extraordinary in the sound.
What is the sanctity of the British Russell K?
What is the sanctity of the British Russell K? It's not sacred, or even just a small British loudspeaker company that hasn't been around for a long time. But when it comes to the founder of Russell K in the UK, I'm afraid there are few people in the industry who are unfamiliar. Russell Kauffman, founder and designer of Russell K in the UK, is a former designer for B&W and Morel, and a reviewer for HiFi Choice. Russell K speaker design concept is similar to some cabinet designs of the BBC series, using the resonance frequency of the thin cabinet itself to create a musical atmosphere, creating a cabinet resonance texture closer to the violin and other musical instruments, so Russell K's speaker cabinet is made of MDF lightweight cabinet, each panel thickness is 16mm, the thickness of the front baffle is 19mm, not thick in the same volume of cabinet, more unique, Russell K's cabinet does not have any acoustic damping material at all.
Many enthusiasts can understand the thin wooden box, but there is absolutely no damping material in the box and there is absolutely no thin wooden box that appears at the same time. Because the thin wooden box will resonate, the absence of damping material will cause the internal standing waves of the box, but fear not, because the designer is Russell Kaufmann! He divided the inside of the cabinet into two independent chambers of different sizes, designed the guide holes on the tweeter cavity behind the cabinet, and there were several holes between the two chambers to communicate with each other to allow air circulation, using the air around the back of the woofer to play a partial load, thereby eliminating standing waves inside the cabinet. And Russell K's tweeter and woofer frame and cabinet do not use any damping materials, such as sealing rubber, really without any acoustic damping materials, of course, this price is to force designer Russell Kaufmann to design a special-shaped speaker rear cavity shape to avoid smooth cabinet walls are symmetrical.
Russell Kaufmann is such a genius designer! Russell K's loudspeakers were an instant hit and won several "Best to Buy" awards worldwide. Russell K's speakers are currently available in six models: Red 50, Red 100, Red 150, Red120SE, Red120SE, and more. The pair of bookshelf cases recommended in this article is Russell K's smallest Red 50, which uses a 150mm mid-woofer (foreign data is 130mm, counting to the rubber edge, in fact, most of the international subwoofer unit size calculation is to include a metal frame) and a 1-inch soft dome tweeter, crossover point of 2.2kHz, frequency response: 45Hz-22 KHz, sensitivity: 87 dB, nominal impedance: 8 ohms. The factory recommends using a 25-100 watt power amplifier drive, and the user's choice of power amplifier is relatively generous. Russell K's speakers are designed and manufactured in the UK, aiming to provide sound and music lovers with more cost-effective products for sound quality requirements without compromising the sound quality of European production, as I said at the beginning, the sound is excellent and outstanding in the same price range.
Why choose Synthesis Guts?
Since the British Russell K Red 50 does not have high requirements for amplifier power, why choose the Italian Synthesis ROMA 753AC combined with the gallbladder? Are other amplifiers bad? Of course, I didn't say that the other amplifiers were bad, but when the Italian Synthesis ROMA 753AC Merger was connected to the Russell K Red 50, it couldn't be replaced! Because we found that the Russell K Red 50 will not be the shortcoming of the Synthesis ROMA 753AC combined bladder machine that is almost three times its price, on the contrary, they are too right, playing any music is good, although the bookshelf box belongs to the type with limited low frequency, but the low-frequency energy of this pair of 5-inch bookshelf boxes is actually no worse than some 7-inch bookshelf boxes. Such a set of amplifiers and speaker sets priced within 50,000 have a magical physical reaction, what is a door-to-door pair? Only when the sound is right and harmonious is the door-to-door pair, maybe the door-to-door pair cannot simply say things from the selling price. Many enthusiasts take a power amplifier of more than 10,000 yuan to push a pair of bookshelf boxes of more than 30,000 yuan, the same price of investment, sometimes get only 10,000 yuan quality, why? Push can't move, push badly.
Italian Synthesis products are very reliable, this is a sixty years of technical heritage, thirty years old brand, the technical traceability can be traced back to the founder Luigi Lorenzon's father Lorenzon senior in 1961 founded FASEL company, FASEL company was known for designing transformers, and Synthesis brand founder Igi (Sound Smith) brand founder Igi J. After inheriting his father's business, Luigi Lorenzon decided to combine his accumulated technical knowledge with his love of music to make outstanding audio products, so he founded the Synthesis/Synthesis brand, which can be said to have more than two generations of technology integration and experience in the Hi-end field. Manufacturers have always paid attention to quality and word of mouth, and each product has been strictly tested, so that enthusiasts can truly enjoy the analog charm brought by high-quality tube products. The assembly of Synthesis products is done by hand locally, and the finished products are also subjected to professional instruments for data measurement and human ear listening.
Synthesis products include sources and amplifiers, and each device provides a variety of different colors and materials to meet the needs of different users and different home environments. Its products are divided into three series: Roma Rome, Action and Metropolis. The Roma series is recommended by the author to music lovers, and the Italian gallbladder machine has a very high cost performance. The first time I saw and heard the Italian Synthesis equipment, I had a subtle feeling, which is difficult to explain, elegant and luxurious? Obviously, the Roma Rome series is not luxurious, and then there are the Action series and the Metropolis Metropolitan series. But the sound quality is not bad, the sound is definitely worthy of the elegance, and even I think it is easier to make a good sound than the ACTION 40 VIRTUS combined bladder machine reviewed in the previous two months, because it is paired with the British Russell K Red 50 bookshelf box.
ROMA 753AC, the most cost-effective 50W combiner
Although it is only positioned as the Synthesis entry-level series, the ROMA 753AC is not entry-level in sound or appearance, and it shows the Italian aesthetic concept everywhere. From the internal circuit board, the power transformer, output transformer and dedicated circuit board marked with the Synthesis brand and ROMA series can be seen as a tailor-made "entry level", a high-performance amplifier that is a favorite at first sight, a product designed for music lovers and deep enthusiasts. The ROMA 753AC outputs 50 watts per channel (pentade state) and uses a pair of 12AU7 transistors as input/driver tubes and a pair of EL34/6CA7 power tubes in a push-pull circuit.
In fact, we paired several pairs of speakers, excellent dynamics, plenty of energy, rich in detail in all frequency bands, and a touch of elegant and soft timbre, musicality and sound balance, every detail. Synthesis's innovative design concept adds avant-garde and stylish elements to the essence of tube technology, exuding beautiful timbre and smooth musical melody everywhere. The sound is vibrant, and the timbre is delicate and emotional, which is easy to listen to and easily intoxicate in the gripping music.
ROMA 753AC features
- DC power supply stable heating tube Except for EL34, all other tubes use DC stable heating circuit to reduce noise, reducing noise to a level that is almost inaudible to the human ear.
- Output Transformer Transformers made of high-grade iron silicon strive for seamless frequency reproduction and ideal audio bandwidth. Uniquely customized output transformers for highly fine,
- Accurate, faithful sound reproduction to the original recording.
- Mechanical chassis structure The power input and output transformers are supported and fixed by an extremely robust structure, which protects the device from unwanted vibrations and further reduces tube noise.
- Remote control soft button design, refined details, in line with the "ROMA" series aesthetic design concept.
- Chassis Suspension Feet Aluminum shock feet, embedded with wear-resistant rubber, rubber feet help isolate the amplifier from its surroundings, minimizing amplifier vibration.
- Speaker cable binding posts, jacks Gold-plated speaker cable binding posts and gold-plated ceramic jacks protect against oxidation while helping to improve sound quality.
- Components The components used in each link are carefully selected after a detailed comparative analysis of their impact on sound.
- Screening of tubes All tubes are screened after two stages of preheating and maturation. The whole process is controlled by computer monitoring equipment, which selects flawless tubes and pairs them.
Enjoy music, it's that simple
Isn't it only the Italian SynthesisROMA 753AC combined with the bladder machine in the same price range? Only it can serve the British Russell K Red 50 bookshelf box, but perhaps we have not found a more suitable than them, or there is a more suitable but much more expensive, which is indeed contrary to the price of the "door-to-door" matching, the difference between the two more than three times is really unnecessary, my understanding of the "door-to-door" matching concept: the difference between the amplifier and the speaker should not exceed three times, Within three times the price difference, whether the investment of the speaker is higher or the investment of the amplifier is higher, only the sound is natural and smooth, the dynamic is sufficient, the sound field is open, and the positioning is clear. Such an Italian-made "entry-level" mid-range bladder machine paired with a mid-range bookshelf case in the UK is extremely reasonable in terms of sound performance.
Of course, for a more reasonable price, you can choose the larger shelf case of the Russell K Red 100. However, the British Russell K Red 50 bookshelf box because of the use of 5-inch units, its charm is very unique, first of all, its midrange density is moderate, the sound is rich and full but not too sluggish, the solid midrange texture is very charming, will not lose the vividness of the sound, this texture is like fresh squid caught in the sea, simple blanching water and ginger shallot soy sauce vinegar dipping sauce can be tasted. Some people say that this way of eating seafood is the closest to the original taste, but I think this way of eating is the most delicious, but everyone uses different dips, and the final taste is exactly the same only the freshness of squid.
Does the Russell K Red 50 bookshelf box sound soundless? Of course not. The speaker without sound dyeing at all is emotionless, and the Red 50 bookshelf box uses the thin cabinet to create a sense of atmosphere that will not be noisy, but just right, it can clearly restore the different shapes and textures of various musical instruments, accurately restore the different voice characteristics of the singer, the analysis is not bad, and also give a special gentleman's tone. Enthusiasts who were exposed to old British boxes in the nineties will generally like it, but the sound of the Red 50 bookshelf box is not as dull as those old British boxes, and there is beauty in the transparency.
Driven by the Italian SynthesisROMA 753AC combined with the gallbladder machine, this transparency and beauty have increased a little, which can be described as both elegant and gentlemanly, but also with two points of aristocratic temperament, like the sun at ten o'clock in the cold winter morning, warm but not strong, in the Italian Synthesis ROMA 753AC and the British Russell K Red 50 bookshelf box, many more advanced machines have a noble texture can be interpreted, Therefore, it is even more obvious that the combination of this amplifier and speaker is very value-for-money, the more you listen to it, the more charming it is, the more you can listen to it, at this time you will find that enjoying music is so simple, without a very complex system, a high-quality combined bold machine and a pair of high-quality bookshelf boxes are enough.
Great value set with great sound
Italian Synthesis ROMA 753A with British Russell K Red 50 bookshelf box, you can say that it is a "medium horse-drawn cart", but this combination does not hurt, although dare not say that it can play 100% of the quality of the Red 50 bookshelf box, play a full of eight or nine percent is completely fine. Moreover, don't be misled by the low price of the Red 50 bookshelf box, we also judge the sound quality of this pair of bookshelf boxes by using other amplifiers, and we all think that the price of the Red 50 bookshelf box is really not expensive, and some sounds are not as good as its bookshelf boxes are often sold for twenty or thirty thousand. The sound of the Red 50 background is still the gentleman of a traditional British cabinet, but it is accurate, precise, transparent, and at the same time natural and realistic, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a premium monitor. Look at what price the British brand LS3/5A that is now a copy of the BBC series sells, but it is precisely because the British Russell K was established not long ago that its reputation is not as good as the BBC series of speakers, so the pricing is very conscientious.
Or listen to music software that has a general conclusion in a few songs, such as piano, strings, and vocals, and these three music software can naturally make a rough judgment after trying. This system shows that the piano is of course limited in low frequencies and not dominant compared to larger speakers, but it is very good and decent in a speaker of the same size. In addition to the fact that the sense of low-frequency scale of the bookshelf box is a little less, the sense of speed and rhythm expressed when the piano keys are hit quickly is presentable, the speed is moderate, the sense of rhythm is good and the low-frequency level is unexpected!
The performance of strings and vocals is what this system is good at, the analysis of the three frequency bands of high, medium and low frequencies is just right, and the sound is very balanced, the sound field is wide and deep in place, if you listen to Cai Qin, Teresa Teng and other female voices, then the toxicity produced by this system will make people not know the smell of meat for three days, although not as completely toxic as the British AN system, but only a fraction of the investment of people, can get a full set of British AN sixty or seventy percent toxicity, Italian sound Synthesis ROMA It's really surprising that the 753A and Russell K Red 50 bookshelf boxes can have this kind of mid-high frequency performance, and we sincerely recommend it!
And how does the violin perform? It also has the feeling of the full system of British AN, which can reach the quality of six or seven points, but the taste is slightly lighter than the full AN set. The violin knot is slender without losing thickness, the timbre is beautiful and soft, the texture of this violin is a beauty with thickness and humidity, although the knot image is not as fine as some ceramic treble or beryllium treble horns, but clear and convex with pine fragrance, the texture of the brushing strings is strong and not stimulating, the violin sound is realistic, atmospheric and subtle. After all, Italy is the birthplace of violin manufacturing masters, whether Italian sound designers are also based on the performance of violin timbre as the first design orientation is unknown, but it is certain that there are many Italian sound performance violin has a hand, Italian sound synthesis ROMA 753A obviously did it, British Russell K Red 50 bookshelf box also accurately restored the sound information that ROMA 753A "provides" to it, so as to achieve a sound realm with good sound.
epilogue
Italian Synthesis ROMA 753A combined gallbladder machine with British Russell K Red 50 bookshelf box, the biggest feature is that the medium and high frequency sound is vivid and beautiful, thick and magnetic, will not significantly deviate from the neutral, the sense of density and texture is still very good, the low-frequency impact is excellent in the same volume of boxes, and even can compete with some 7-inch unit bookshelf boxes. The ROMA 753A combines excellent control, delicate and transparent with the gorgeous charm of Italian equipment, and with the Russell K Red 50 bookshelf box, most of the interpretation of suitable music genres is more balanced, if you want to burst the symphony and more vivid piano performance, you can choose the higher level Russell K Red 100 bookshelf box. But even the Red 50 bookshelf box, in the more than 30 square meters of semi-open space in our magazine, is enough to play most of the music.
Moreover, the Russell K Red 50 is not difficult to push, small amplifiers can also be, and transistors with more power can also withstand it, but among the amplifiers we have matched, only the Italian Synthesis ROMA 753A is the most right with it, without losing the elegant taste, the sound is also the most comprehensive, they can be combined to discover the essence of the record recording, can interpret some of the music atmosphere that seems to be more efficient and more expensive systems do not have, It combines the eye-catching HiFi nature with the inextricable elegance of the charm that makes you immerse yourself in it.
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