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- WIN! A Samsung Galaxy Tab from Phones 4u
- Review: Tannoy DC8
- Review: Spendor SP2/3R2
- In Depth: New motherboard tech: key advances explained
- Review: Dynaudio Contour S 1.4
- Review: Cayin SP-30S preamp and SP-40S power amp
| WIN! A Samsung Galaxy Tab from Phones 4u Posted: 20 Feb 2011 04:00 PM PST  We've teamed up with Phones 4u to offer the stunning prize of a Samsung Galaxy Tab , which comes with an entertainment package worth £200. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is an impressive piece of kit and does a fantastic job of cramming a multitude of functions into a very small space. Running Android 2.2 FroYo it comes with full access to the Android Market as well as a load of Google goodies. The Android-toting iPad rival also features a 1GHz processor, has a 7inch TFT-LCD touchscreen and Flash 10.1. The £200 entertainment package includes downloads for 50 MP3s, 15 Movies, 7 Games and 5 eBooks. The device also boasts a 3 megapixel camera with LED Flash on the back as well as a front facing 1.3 megapixel piece. To win, answer the following question: Which version of Android does the Samsung Galaxy Tab run? a) 2.2 Click here to enter the competition ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note that this competition is only open to UK residents over 18 years of age. 
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| Posted: 20 Feb 2011 03:00 AM PST  One of the oldest names in British hi-fi, Tannoy is currently part of the Danish TC Group and is probably best known for its unique Dual Concentric single-chassis two-way drive unit technology, which first appeared way back in 1948. This £2,500 per pair DC8 is a simple two-way design and the smallest of three Definition models. As the name suggests, an eight-inch (200mm) Dual Concentric 'double drive unit' is at its heart, firing a 25mm titanium dome tweeter with 'tulip waveguide' horn-loading through the centre of a 145mm flared paper bass/mid cone with a conventional rubber roll surround. A bonus of the construction, of course, is that the tweeter is automatically well protected from prying fingers. The crossover network components have received Deep Cryogenic Treatment (DCT), which involves cooling key components slowly to around -190 degrees Centigrade, then restoring them equally slowly to room temperature, a process believed to relieve micro-mechanical stresses created during manufacturing. Twin terminal pairs are fitted for bi-wiring or bi-amping and internal wiring is silver-plated, high purity copper. A fifth terminal allows the driver chassis to be earthed to the amplifier, to reduce RF interference, though in practice five-conductor speaker cables are very hard to find. A large port is also mounted on the narrow rear panel. Although the shape is rather unconventional – significantly taller and shallower than usual – the enclosure has notably clean, contemporary lines and is beautifully finished in real wood veneer or black, all covered in good-quality high-gloss lacquer. A wide silver trim ring around the driver and a shaped silver strip across the lower edge provide decoration and the grille is held in place by concealed magnets. The carcase is actually made from birch plywood and extensively braced. The sides are strongly curved towards a much narrower back, so that reflections and internal horizontal standing waves should be pretty well dispersed. Sound quality While the DC8 didn't top the lists, it did settle unanimously into a solid and second place in the listening tests. Speed and timing were its particular strengths and the voice balance was also considered very natural. Dynamics are lively and involving and music is reproduced with genuine passion, but also a measure of coloration in the lower registers. Above all, this is a fun loudspeaker, if not a strictly neutral one and the good size main driver undoubtedly helps bring fine expression to the party. Tannoy's Dual Concentric approach has several significant consequences. One panelist correctly identified its 'point source' precision and it was abundantly clear that this speaker has unusually good coherence and a seamless crossover transition, with a lively and open presence band. Furthermore, because the horn-loaded treble radiates as a 90-degree cone, with narrower treble dispersion compared to conventional direct radiating designs, the relative amount of room-reflected treble is somewhat reduced, so the stereo imaging is exceptionally precise, with good depth perspectives. Not without character, this is nevertheless a fine loudspeaker, which looks great and does most things very well. Related Links
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| Posted: 20 Feb 2011 02:30 AM PST  Spendor arrived on the scene at the beginning of the 1970s, bringing a strong BBC heritage along with a number of interesting innovations that its competitors arguably didn't fully appreciate. One of the most significant among these was a radical approach to enclosure design. The theory goes as follows: building an exceptionally stiff structure might serve to reduce the amplitude (ie relative loudness) of cabinet vibrations, but it also increases the frequency at which they occur, so that the enclosure coloration tends to occur in the midband where human hearing is most sensitive. The alternative Spendor approach, originally inspired by the BBC's desire for accurate speech monitoring, is the 'thin wall' cabinet approach, backed by heavy damping pads, which pushes the cabinet wall vibrations down into the bass region where they're considered less intrusive. Although that technique sounds simple enough, in fact these enclosures are rather harder to make than the thicker variety. The Classics are just one of Spendor's ranges and make every attempt to recreate the physical characteristics of those 1970s' models, albeit using more modern materials and manufacturing techniques. This /3R2 variation is the latest version of the SP2 and is the middle model among five Classics. The shape, size and presentation are all nostalgically similar to its 1970s ancestor, so it's a quite large two-way standmount, finished in cherry veneer on all six faces and with the baffle and grille recessed behind a 'picture frame' formed by extending the enclosure sides. Set halfway up (or down) the front, in between a large port and the tweeter, the bass/mid driver has a 210mm frame and a transparent plastic cone 150mm in diameter. The tweeter is a relatively new and usual design, used in several recent Spendors. Described as a '22mm wide surround' type, in fact the central dome measures around 19mm in diameter, while dome-plus surround totals 34mm. Twin high-quality socket/binder terminal pairs are mounted directly through the rear panel, feeding silver-plated copper wiring and a crossover network with highgrade components. Sound quality We weren't all that surprised when the SP2/3R2 comfortably and unanimously topped the listening test rankings. We'd already given the various models a quick listen while carrying out the measurements necessary to determine where best to site them and that had provided strong clues that the Spendor would do well. The paeans of praise recorded by each panelist actually became a little repetitive, at least two individuals reckoning that this was a speaker they could happily live with, especially in the way it handled all six very different tracks without fear or favour. This is also a speaker that knows how to rock. The bass could perhaps be tauter, tighter and punchier, but the overall timing and coherence is excellent, which is what matters most. Some potential purchasers may be put off by this speaker's old-fashioned presentation, but I daresay others will welcome the nostalgic appearance. And anyone who takes the trouble to listen will surely appreciate the sonic superiority that justifies the thin-wall enclosure approach. Related Links
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| In Depth: New motherboard tech: key advances explained Posted: 20 Feb 2011 02:00 AM PST  What kind of motherboard do you have exactly? Do you in fact know much about it? When specifying a system you probably start with what processor to buy, followed by the graphics card, memory and drives you want. It's at this point you probably pick a suitable board with enough ports and slots to plug it all together. The trouble is that processors are rapidly gaining functions, and since Intel and AMD make the motherboard chipsets too, what's left for the motherboard techies to work on to create compelling boards? As long as a board supports the chip and memory combination you've got in mind and has a sufficiency of SATA and USB ports, who cares? Mobos used to be arcane beasts, and blowing one up wasn't that difficult. Components could be plugged in backwards and there were jumpers and DIP switches that required a manual and some experimenting to work your way around. There were no software utilities to play with and no two boards appeared to be laid out in the same way.
USB 3.0: Intel still hasn't included native USB 3.0 support so NEC rules the roost These days they are robust, easy to use and designs are mature and fairly uniform. What, then, is there left for them to add to the mix? Speeding up your system was once a secret craft but is now a major feature of what the manufacturers like to call 'enthusiast' motherboards. And a good job too, given the way the processors are still sold running at less than full tilt. Not attempting to unlock some of that extra oomph would be a criminal waste. Enthusiast boards from the main players all come with an array of software and hardware tools for the job. These overclocking abilities have long been the major battleground between the top motherboard players, each producing specialist overclocking or gaming boards with suitably grandiose names, often bristling with other specialist silicon and elaborate cooling arrangements. Speed demons Asus makes a wonderful claim of being able to permanently unlock up to 37 per cent more performance (which sounds suspiciously like a figure plucked from the air, but whatever) thanks to its TurboV Processing Unit (TPU). This custom chip moves parts of the processor-intensive overclocking task from the processor to itself. It reduces the loading spike caused by overclocking: "Hit apply and our chip takes the loading away, enabling you to push even further", says Asus. The TurboV software then enables you to overclock within Windows without tedious restarting. "Feel the adrenaline rush of real-time OC", it says here. The TPU also gives access to automatic overclocking. We tested this in our Asus P7H55-M motherboard review and were not overly impressed with its timidity, but it is fool-proof and stable. MSI also has a custom chip dedicated to over-clocking through OC Genie, which can operate completely in hardware. This auto-detects the overclocking potential of your processor and memory and you simply push a button on the board and bingo, in about five seconds it has run through the possible timings and voltages available and found the highest stable settings (in theory). MSI reckons that "nobody else has anything quite as good as that." Another one that's great for the overclocking noob.
OC GENIE: MSI's one-button overclocking tool is one of the most effective around Gigabyte is another major player with a name for overclocking boards, it claims to be "the No.1 motherboard for unlocked performance." Quite. It has an array of software and BIOS goodies and makes great play of its high-quality components, including solid capacitors, ferrite chokes and MOSFETs (metaloxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor). It's also proud of the fact that its top boards use two ounces of copper, there's even a bizarre YouTube video to illustrate this. Apparently most use about half that. Getting stable overclocking is partly down to being able to supply steady and accurate power levels, components such as these matter than you start stepping outside design parameters. The top boards from all these players can make a good job of overclocking. Chips can be unlocked and you've access to all sorts of arcane voltage and frequency multipliers, through the BIOS, custom hardware and specialist software, but as MSI's spokesman confided "It's difficult to say which board is best for overclocking as to a large degree it really depends on the person doing the overclocking. We've tried to make it as easy as possible for people uncomfortable with changing voltage settings." Basically all the decent boards give you enough tools for playing with voltages, in one way or another, so that it largely comes down to your experience and the quality of the processor and memory how much you can wring from your box. Playing the green card The other feature that gets the big shout out is going all green and reducing the power consumption. Lets ignore the obvious irony that this is pulling in the other direction to the other big-sell of overclocking for a moment. The way to save power is to turn things off or down. A lot of this technology is built around PWM, Pulse Width Modulation. If you remember your basic electric circuits (you do don't you?) then the easy way to reduce current is to add a resistor. If you wanted variable power then you popped in a rheostat. Trouble is this wastes power (in the form of heat). PWM circuitry basically just switches the power on and off very quickly, effectively reducing overall draw without wasting energy. PWN fans are pretty commonplace now, but the system can be applied to other components. MSI has its DrMOS, which is a three-in-one MOSFET, which makes great play of reducing temperatures as well as power consumption, although the two do go hand in hand. Asus has its Energy Processing Unit or EPU chip. This monitors and controls power to all the major components, turning them off or down as it sees fit. Gigabyte has a similar power saving tech, and another three letter acronym, DES, which stands for Dynamic Energy Saver. This turns off unused voltage regulators. The board can have as many as twelve but rarely uses more than ten under load. DES is one of the better systems as it selectively turns off the voltage regulators individually. It should be noted that most motherboard's green features are about tapping into the abilities of other components. Controlling a fan, or throttling back an Intel chip for example. It's about the control of parts not required all the time, rather than inherent power reduction - which probably tells us something about the difficulty of reducing the motherboards own power requirements. There are some wildly optimistic claims made about power saving, and some statistics that are clearly best possible case scenarios - 80 per cent was quoted to us. This is clearly so much balderdash and poppycock. Ten per cent might be more like it. Decent energy saving – like capable overclocking – requires hardware support and another custom IC on board. We can expect the power-saving capabilities of boards to be pushed further, with many fanfares no doubt, as better control chips are added. There are limits of course, there is only so much you can turn off. The new Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) looks like it is finally going to become mainstream on PCs (it has been around on Macs and servers for yonks). If you get one of the new Intel P67 boards for Sandy Bridge then you'll encounter it.
UEFI: UEFI BIOS pretties up the blue screen we have all come to loathe UEFI looks very different to the blue screen BIOS we've come to know, you can use a mouse for a start and it has colourful screens. UEFI is largely written in C rather than Assembler (although at the core there is a little to get things going) and is a completely different proposition to the traditional BIOS, which is expecting to see a 16-bit processor with 1MB of memory and dates from the IBM AT. Technically the big gain is the new Globally Unique IDentifier Partition Table or GPT for short. This enables you to boot from drives over 2.19GB, about time because drives long since passed that landmark. This is the one big immediate practical benefit. UEFI can be easily extended: it is in effect a miniature OS of its own that isn't tied to any specific hardware. It can have hardware drivers, utilities, diagnostic tools and all sorts added in. You could, for example, run a system back-up utility from within UEFI and also access a network. It can load code from attached hardware, so your graphics card could add a screen into the BIOS for direct control, for example. The UEFI is one area where the board guys can, at relatively little expense, add value by enabling easy access to all the features, set-up profiles and so forth. It can go a little too far though, the first version we saw from MSI included the game Breakout on it, bizarre. Still MSI promises that it'll be continuing to "spice up the BIOS". Enter the P67 Given that motherboard features are so directly linked to the main chipset, the release of a new set of silicon from Intel is a big deal, and means a whole new set of boards all round.
P67 HEAVEN: The current top P67 motherboard, Asus Maximus IV Extreme Intel's latest is the H67/P67, is a sixth generation chipset designed for the Sandy Bridge processor. The H67 is the budget version, or 'affordable' as the marketing people have it, while the P67 is more fully-featured offering. The good news includes two SATA 6Gbps ports to accompany the four SATA 3Gbps ports. Plus, for the P67 at least, two PCI-E x8 slots. You'll also get UEFI, of primary importance if you want to run nice big hard drives as boot devices. Still no USB 3.0 though, although you do get up to 14 USB 2.0 ports, which should just about be enough we think. It's up to the manufacturers then to add the extra silicon for USB 3.0. Intel has decided to severely limit overclocking on Sandy Bridge, with just about everything locked to the base clock including USB, SATA, DMI and PCI-E. This base clock is generated by the P67 chipset, so you don't get an external clock the board guys can program directly. Plus, since everything is locked together, turning it up can cause unexpected consequences, apparently even a modest increase can cause the USB or SATA to fail. Ouch. There will be a K-Series version that will have an unlocked CPU multiplier, but for most versions it will be locked down. Early results with the K-series have at least been promising, 5GHz has been widely reported. This lockdown is bad news for the board guys, overclocking is where they can score points with you and off each other. So obviously it has to be done, and it will. No motherboard manufacturer can afford to be left behind in the overclocking arms race. Getting an unlocked multiplier on all versions looks like the best option, leaving the base clock alone and avoiding complicated asynchronous systems which may or may not work. We shall see, as Intel has claimed to lock chips before, only to earn our gratitude by not implementing it (as with Lynnfield). Intel appears to swing backwards and forwards on overclocking, one minute it releases chips you can easily pump-up, and the next it tries to call a halt to the whole game. Intel wouldn't want to send the overclockers running to AMD would it? This is the commonly used threate by irate overclocker on forums at least. Motherboards come with impressive lists of features, complete with logos and fancy names, but in fact there is precious little between the best offerings aimed at the desktop market. Each manufacturer watches for new developments and trends and when one produces something extra, the others aren't far behind. This is what you would expect from a mature technology market: Intense competition, rapid turn-over of technology, which requires continuous investment, and the economies of scale have cut the number of big players in the general PC market to a handful. If any fall too far behind the curve then they will soon fall out of the running altogether. All in all As MSI puts it: "We've got to the point now where we've thought of most things people want to do with their boards, and now we are trying to make those functions easier to use, and more efficient."
MILITARY CLASS: The different mobo capacitors, and assorted silicon, makes for a rich battleground Asus sings a similar tune: "With the current level of technology available in the chipsets provided by the chip vendors, it's becoming increasingly difficult for motherboard manufacturers to offer differentiating factors." Basically AMD and Intel control the processor, the motherboard chipsets and the board layout. Adding features over and above those available via the main chipset means adding new silicon to the board, and that means expense. You can't get too fancy or you'll price yourself out of the running, but you can't afford to be left out either. For the serious tweaker then the same differences in overclocking technologies is of interest, some are better here or there, but for much of the market boards have become remarkably uniform. So where can we go from here? Motherboards will always have to carry the BIOS and physically connect everything and supply the power. For some sections of the market we have increased integration, bunging everything onto the board to make complete systems by just adding a processor and drives and off you go. Other boards, aimed more at the enthusiast, will always stress flexibility and the ability to be customised and configured as required. There will always be a market for the insane LED-strewn gaming board, carrying extra, and expensive, silicon. And there we have it, a handful of top manufactures trying hard to differentiate themselves with little to work on, and a lot to lose if they fall behind. Each new chipset sends them all back to the labs, and if any feature looks decent then they all implement a version of it. The market is fierce, but it has kept those left in it sharp. Which is good news for us, as they compete to produce the best tools to squeeze every last performance point out of what's on offer. 
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| Review: Dynaudio Contour S 1.4 Posted: 20 Feb 2011 02:00 AM PST  The Dynaudio Contour speaker ranges have occupied Dynaudio's middle ground for many years. We previously reviewed ancestors of this Contour S 1.4: a Contour 1.3 way back in 1993 and its MkII successor in 2001. But the latest S-type variations with their shield shaped metal front driver mounting panels look considerably different from those earlier Contours. That 5mm-thick metal alloy front baffle, which at its top stands slightly proud of the box, is certainly the S 1.4's most visually distinctive feature. Together with the inverted driver layout, this very much dominates the appearance, creating a uniquely interesting and individual aesthetic. Certainly it should ensure fine mechanical integrity. Furthermore, the varying width will reduce baffle-edge diffraction effects and the overlap will allow an enclosure that's less than 190mm wide accommodate a 170mm bass/mid driver. Furthermore, the whole baffle/driver assembly is decoupled from the enclosure proper via a lossy gasket, while the optional grille is attached magnetically. The unusually slim enclosure is beautifully finished in a wide range of alternatives, including four realwood veneers, plus high-gloss black or white, or satin silver. The rear panel has a large port and the whole speaker sits on a little plinth, which houses the crossover network and single terminal pair. A classy Esotec-type tweeter with a 28mm fabric dome diaphragm is mounted below a 170mm bass/mid driver, which uses a 115mm plastic diaphragm-driven from a large 75mm voice coil. Sound quality The Contour S 1.4 sounds rather different, with an overall character that one of our panelists found particularly appealing, but which was rather less to the tastes of the others. This speaker is certainly a little more laid back than other speakers, yet its essential sweetness and good voicing is undeniable. Stereo images are well presented and transients sound suitably coherent, though sibilants could sometimes be a touch obtrusive and the sound as a whole seems a little constrained and lacking in warmth. Its most controversial sonic feature is a function of that rather too healthy mid-bass port output, especially in conjunction with the laid back upper mid and top end. With some material the combination can be very convincing, making the speaker sound significantly larger than its physical dimensions would lead one to expect, bringing an impressive sense of scale to, for example, choral material. However, bass guitars and drums on rock tracks do have a significantly 'thumpy', resonant quality that's less welcome. Although it has many good points, the success of this attractive loudspeaker may ultimately depend on how well its substantial port output interacts with the characteristics of the listening room. Related Links
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| Review: Cayin SP-30S preamp and SP-40S power amp Posted: 20 Feb 2011 01:30 AM PST  Cayin is the brand name of Zuhai Spark Electronic Equipment Co. – a Chinese company making good-value, high-end electronic products. The unashamedly retrolooking SP-30S and SP-40M tube pre/power amp is one of its tastier offerings, with the promise of excellent performance at a realistic price. But, what should one expect from an amplifier like this? It used to be oh-so simple; tube amps sounded rich, warm and friendly, while solid-state types were lean, mean, and bitingly sharp. But can you still rely on the old stereotypical categorisations? Will the Cayin conform to type, or is it a wolf disguised in sheep's clothing? No hum The SP-30S is a nice simple preamp built around three tubes – 2x 12AU7 and 1x 12AX7. It offers three unbalanced line inputs plus a phono stage. There's a fixed output for recording and two variable outputs. Facilities are minimal; just a volume knob and dual-lever input selector. It's encouraging to see a phono stage as part of the package – though this is for MM pickups only, with an input sensitivity of 3mV. If you want to use the SP-30S with a low-output MC pickup, you'll need an MC step-up transformer or pre-preamplifier. Noise is pretty low (-68dB) and there's no hum to speak of. The SP-40M is a stereo power amp based around 4x KT-88 output tubes, producing 40 watts per channel with one per cent distortion at 1kHz. It has a single pair of inputs and a single set of loudspeaker outputs with transformer taps for four ohms and eight ohms. Additional tubes include 2x 12AU7s and 1x 12AX7.
The choice of different loudspeaker output taps is fairly common with transformer-coupled tube amps. It enables you to match the amplifier to your loudspeakers. The 'correct' impedance is the one that gives the loudest volume level. So, if the eight-ohm tap sounds louder than the four-ohm one, that's what you should use – in theory. However, even with eight-ohm speakers, it's worth trying the four-ohm tap. You'll lose a bit of power, but the sound may have a bit more control – a slightly firmer quality that makes voices and instruments seem better-focused. Used on the four-ohm setting, we noticed precisely this difference with the Impulse H1 horns used for this review. Fairly beefy Both pre and power amp are built on a steel chassis/case with a wooden sleeve surround. The preamp circuit features a single mother board, with normal printed circuit tracks. The power amp is hard-wired, which helps improve sound quality. The brushed aluminium front panels are well-finished and the volume knob is made from solid aluminium giving a classy feel. The wooden case is around 175mm thick and has an attractive semi-gloss lacquer that reminds us of a Japanese Urushi finish.
Internal build quality is good, with minimum amounts of wiring and the use of high-quality components, including an Alps potentiometer. Admittedly, there's nothing to make you gasp with amazement, but neither is there anything to cause disquiet or disappointment. The transformers used seem fairly beefy – the SP-40M weighs in at a hefty 20kg – and decent transformers are the key to excellent performance with tube amps. The Cayin is basically a safe tried-and-trusted sort of design. There's nothing fancy or clever about it – the company hasn't attempted to reinvent the wheel here. Both instruction books contain full schematic diagrams of the amplifier's circuits – a nice 'retro' touch. Schematics were common in the 1950s and 1960s, when many of those buying hi-fi were electronics engineers who wanted to see what was under the bonnet. It also meant they could service the amplifier themselves, should something fail. For those into 'retro' looks and styling, Cayin also offers a matching CD player – the SP-CD300 costing around £1,450 – that goes with the SP-30S/SP-40M combination. Cayin also offers products with more modern styling at price points above and below those occupied by the items reviewed here.
More bite We began by listening to the SP-30S preamp on its own – using it in place of our regular Musical Fidelity kW Pre tube/transistor hybrid. The MF combines valves with solid-state to (hopefully!) deliver the best of both worlds. The Cayin sounds smoother and a mite less bright than the MF, though it isn't soft or unfocused. While the MF has a bit more bite and attack, the smoothness of the Cayin is both beguiling and deceptive. It's just as detailed and dynamic, albeit with a rounder, more relaxed quality. The musical presentation is wide-ranging and articulate, but not in a manner that draws attention to itself – a 'classic' tube sort of sound. Some tube preamps produce a very rich euphonic tonality that creates an impression of ambience and space. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in a loss of focus and drive. Although the SP-30S is tonally smooth and open, it has a taut crisp immediacy that keeps the music on its toes – sounding direct and purposeful. Having established the preamp's sonic signature, we then connected the SP-40M power amp, substituting it for a Musical Fidelity kW tube/transistor power amp. The Cayin is less powerful than the MF (40 watts against 750 watts), but subjectively the all-tube design more than held its own at 'normal' volume levels. The power amp delivers a similar quality of sound to the preamp. It offers comparable smoothness and integration, being slightly less sharp and immediate than the big MF, but nonetheless focused and articulate. Natural and unexaggerated sums up the sound of the Cayin SP-30S and SP-40M. It's not, perhaps, an immediately impressive amplifier – it doesn't wow you with an arsenal of tricks and effects. It just gives you the music in a balanced and intelligible form. The more we listened to this amplifier, the more we liked it. With the SP-30S/SP-40M, Cayin has created something that's very inviting and comfortable to listen to. It's precise, tidy and controlled, yet at the same time doesn't sound bland or boring. It gives you the music cleanly, without adding false spices and colours of its own, while bringing out the natural timbres and tonal subtleties. The presentation is detailed and informative, yet easy-on-the-ear and very unfatiguing. Being a tube amp, a certain amount of heat is produced – but not excessive amounts. The preamp barely gets warm at all, while the power amp runs surprisingly cool given the use of four KT-88s in a fairly confined space. At 40 watts, power output is limited, but subjectively the SP-40M punches above its weight and sounds more powerful than its paper specifications might indicate. This is partly due to the bass, which is firm and solid; full and nicely voluminous. Tonally, there's a smooth natural warmth that creates an impression of fullness and power. Hot and sexy The amps represent very good value and make an excellent choice for anyone seeking a good affordable tube amp that offers something special, without costing silly money. Of course, there are dearer, more glamorous alternatives to entice you. But don't overlook what's on offer here. If certain other brands offer you the sonic equivalent of a seductive femme-fatale, this Cayin represents a loving faithful wife who provides companionship, comfort, support and also (when necessary) a bit of excitement, too! It's an amplifier we could very happily live with. 'Nuff said! Related Links
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