HRT Stage høyttalere og forsterker/DAC modul i hvit finish.
Denne pakken får enestående omtaler og kan brukes i mange sammenhenger, les detaljer og omtaler på nett.
Dette settet er tatt i innbytte av en kunde og er kun et år gammelt, så å si ubrukt.
Nypris kr 11000.
Test av HRTStage
High-end til spottpris
Hvor bra kan et anlegg for rundt 10.000 kr bli? HRT gir svaret med sittutrolige Stage.
Sven Bilen
20.03.2014
Kommentarer ( 2 )
Pluss
Et lite anlegg med en unik bra lydtil denne prisen. High-end til spottpris, helt enkelt. HRT lover at det kommerinngangsmoduler og subbasser slik at man kan skreddersy sitt system.
Minus
I dag finnes det bare to inngangsmuligheter. Designen kan være etdiskusjonsemne, men kontrollenheten kan gjemmes unna.
HRT, eller HighResolution Technologies, har vi lært å kjenne som produsenter av små ogbillige, men ytterst kompetente DAC-er til datamaskiner og iPhone samthodetelefonforsterkere. Mannen bak, Kevin Halverson, konstruerte i mange århigh-end audio (bl.a. Muse), så han vet hvordan det skal låte når det låter sombest. Dette forsøker han å få til med HRT uten at det skal koste skjorta.
Nå har han begittseg ut på å gjøre et helt anlegg etter de samme prinsipper. Alle skal kunnebruke det, det skal ikke ta for stor plass og det skal låte som om det var tiganger dyrere.
Stage
- er således et helt anlegg bestående av en forsterker/DAC samt tohøyttalere. Forsterkeren er en 70 W klasse AB og høyttalerne kobles til medtynne koaks spesialkabler, ikke noe annet kan benyttes og forsterkeren senderogså et signal som lydmessig er tweaket for å passe til akkurat dissehøyttalerne. Hele anlegget er en enhet. Begge høyttalerne og forsterkeren,eller skal vi kalle den kontrollenheten, er i kabinett av meget stiv mattABS-plast, svart eller hvit.
Designen har fåttforskjellig mottakelse hjemme hos meg. Noen synes den er fantastisk frekk mensandre har sett på både Sonos og Libratone ved siden av i lytterommet og rynketpannen. Når man forklarer at kontrollenheten bare kan gjemmes unna pleier selvde tvilende å mykne litt. Men, kontrollenheten er ikke den lekreste og mestettertraktede design jeg har sett.
Påkontrollenhetens fremside finnes fire knapper, volum opp/ned og valg mellom USBeller analog inngang. Her sitter også noen lysdioder som indikerersamplingsfrekvens.
I dag er det altsåto ulike inngangsmuligheter, men det kommer flere ulike inngangsmoduler slik atman kan skreddersy sin Stage til sine egne behov. Disse skal være ytterst enkleå sette inn i anlegget.
På baksiden finnervi foruten inngangene også en LF utgang. Det vil også meget snart komme etsubwooferpar som samtidig skal agere som stativ for høyttalerne.
Det anlegget jeghar hatt til test var et av de første i landet, så det var ikke utstyrt medverken flere inngangsmoduler eller subwoofere. Derfor har jeg koblet til endatamaskin respektive analog kilde og konsentrert meg mer på hvordan det låterenn på ulike kommende muligheter.
Oppstilling ? for hvem?
Ok, det er like bra å dra til med: Stage kan spille fantastisk bra. Deter kanskje litt rart at et anlegg til denne prisen faktisk har high-end kvaliteter,men det er faktisk tilfellet. Det gjør at man heller ikke skal undervurdereoppstillingen av anlegget. Høyttalerne føler seg utmerket ved å stå på et parstativer en knapp meter fra bakveggen, jeg benyttet et par stativer fra QAcoustics. Ikke slik at de låter ille om de står plassert som et pardatahøyttalere på et skrivebord, lang fra, men du kan få ut uvanlig mye medtanke på prislappen med litt omtanke for plasseringen. Spesielt uvanlig mye.
Og det er kanskjelitt av problematikken med Stage. Hvordan ser en potensiell kjøper på den? Detser ut som et par litt avanserte datahøyttalere, og anlegget er i prinsippetogså beregnet på å bli koblet til en datamaskin, og derfor ser kanskje ikke såmange tilstrekkelig seriøst på dette alternativet til det tradisjonelleanlegget. Eller et alternativ til de nye minimale trådløse alternativene.
Ulempen er at duså å si låser en datamaskin som spiller. Til gjengjeld kan din datamaskinspille det meste, og skal i dag absolutt ikke undervurderes som primær musikkildefor veldig mange musikkelskere. Den kan også kobles til TV-en, da en flat-TV avi dag låter fryktelig, og det burde være et folkekrav at den som selger en TVogså samtidig solgte et fornuftig lydanlegg.
Med stigende undring
- spilte jeg meg gjennom et antall eksempler fra ulike musikksjangre.Stage presterer så langt over sin pris rent lydmessig at det nærmest ernaturstridig. Ja, tre 70 mm basselementer gir ikke dypbass, men elementene ermeget kompetente og velkonstruerte både hva angår magnetsystem, kaptontalespoleog slaglengde. Det gjør at du opplever en litt slank, men meget velartikulertbass.
Det du får er enkompetent gjengivelse hvor du instinktivt føler at anlegget spiller som mangeandre anlegg for både like mange og flere penger burde kunne. Denne lille Stagekan lure de fleste til å tro at det er noe ganske dyrt som spiller ? om manikke ser det da.
Det er et stortlydbilde oget rent, klart og kontrollert klangbilde som gjør at Stage ikke girseg i kast med noe det ikke kan. Forsterkeren styrer høyttalerne med mild, menfast hånd til å prestere sitt aller beste med det signalet de får. Lydbildet errolig og harmonisk, her er ingen tendenser til at anlegget mister kontrollen ogbegynner å rote det hele sammen. Og det er ikke vanlig til denne prisen, tromeg.
Det betyr foreksempel at det er en utmerket taleforståelighet. Det er noe sommellomregisteret tar hånd om og gjør at anlegget fungerer fint sammen med enTV. Men selv sangstemmer låter distinkte og sonore, med karakteren bevart og utenat diskanten legger til s-lyd eller hvasshet. Høyttalere av denne størrelsenpleier veldig ofte gjøre det. Det låter helt enkelt som om Halverson hartransformert ned den audiofile lyden til noe som hvem som helst kan kjøpe. Deter imponerende, helt enkelt.
Hva fremtiden vilvise i form av trådløshet, Bluetooth eller AirPlay eller hva som enn måttekomme vet jeg ikke på nåværende tidspunkt, det eneste jeg med sikkerhet vet, erat bassmodulene er på vei. Derfor er det vanskelig å sette en definitiv karakterpå brukervennlighet og funksjonalitet. Men med en kabel til en datamaskin elleren analog kilde spiller det i hvert fall ypperlig, lydkvaliteten er det ingentvil om.
Konklusjon
HRT Stage er et anlegg du må lytte til for å tro på det. Lytteskikkelig i fred og ro, og sammenlign gjerne med hva du ellers kan få forpengene ? og en hel del mer penger. Ta et dypt åndedrag og erkjenn ? dettediminutive anlegget er noe helt spesielt!
KARAKTERER
Lydkvalitet
Funksjonalitet
Brukervennlighet
Kvalitetsinntrykk
FAKTA
§ Forsterker 70 Wklasse AB
§ Analog og digital(USB) inngang
§ DAC asynkron, opptil 96 kHz / 24 bit
§ Høyttalere medbakoverrettet port
§ En 28 mmdomediskant
§ Tre 70 mmbass/mellomregisterelementer
Produsent:
HRT
Pris:
11.000,-
RELATERTE TESTER
TESTER ?
Allthe World's a STAGE
by Roy Gregory | February 14, 2014
icture if you will a $100,000 audio system. Now,let me describe it for you. There?ll be a pair of large speakers, built fromflat sheets of material and coated with an expensive finish, be it paint orveneer. They?ll be populated with off-the-shelf drivers -- although naturally,those will be "specially modified" units. There will be a stack ofelectronics, probably consisting of mono amplifiers, a line stage, a DAC andtransport, and possibly a record player and phono stage too. Oh, and you?llhave completely forgotten to factor in the rack and cables when dividing up thebudget.
Any way you want to cut it, $100,000 is a stack ofchange, but the fact is that even with that sort of budget to play with, you?llactually be faced with a few hard choices in putting together any kind of dreamsystem. Indeed, just the speakers for most people?s dream system would blowthat budget, which tells us quite a few things but perhaps most importantly itdemonstrates just how inefficient the conventional approach to building systemsreally is. What do I mean by inefficient? I mean that the systemends up costing more than it could (or should) for the performance delivered --and not because the various bits and pieces are overpriced. It?s the nature ofthe market, the way we shop and the mix-and-match approach we?ve adopted, thatis the root cause of the problem. So, if we look at our notional $100,000 rig,you?ll notice that each of the electronic boxes has its own chassis (the mostexpensive single component in the product) and power supply (the second-mostexpensive element). Lord help you if you specified a two-box line stage, ?costhat?s another box on top of the one you are already paying for.
Now factor in the tiny quantities in which mostaudio equipment is built (and the higher the price, the smaller that numbergets), the reliance on third-party suppliers for key components (everythingfrom transformers to terminals) and the global market that demands price parityand a margin for distributors as well as dealers, and you can start to see howproducts end up costing what they do -- and that?s before you consider thewhole question of interfacing and versatility. The reality is that in designinga power amplifier you don?t know what speaker it will be used with. So, anycompetent engineer will allow enough power and design a circuit that is capableof meeting a carefully calculated worst-case scenario. That doesn?t mean thatany amp should be designed to drive any speaker -- just any speaker that the designerdeems reasonable. The problem with that is, unless you happen to own thatworst-case speaker, you are paying (financially and sonically) for capacity youreally aren?t using. In fact, the whole system is laden with untappedpotential: everything from unused inputs to balanced connections you don?tneed, power-supply reservoir caps that never get close to full discharge andvolume controls that never pass 10:00. Every extra part and every drop ofunused capability carries its own associated price, its impact on the sonicperformance and its contribution to the retail cost.
Now, let?s look at an entirely different coststructure. Let?s look at the notion of a self-contained, mass-produced systemand examine the way the engineering and manufacturing costs stack up againstachievable performance. Let?s make our notional system a source-plus solution,so it is designed to take a signal from the designated source component(s) andturn it into sound. These days, to do that it will require a DAC, control functionality,a power amplifier and speakers. Of course, by pre-designating the source (orrange of sources) applicable, the designer can avoid any redundancy ofinputs/outputs and all the hardware that goes with them. He can also put allthe electronics in a single box, saving on casework and power-supply provision,as long as he?s careful to maintain power-supply integrity. It also does awaywith the requirement for further interface sockets and the cables that hookeverything together, eliminating both cost and another significant variable insystem performance -- definitely a win-win if you can make it work.
But the benefits really start to hit home once youreach the speakers and the vexed question of their interface with theamplifier. That relationship is the single most critical boundary in thesystem, the source of the greatest electrical challenges and the greatestpotential redundancy. But specify the characteristics of the speaker system andyou can tailor the amplifier?s performance and capacity to be a perfect match.In fact, you can take it a stage further and use the amplifier?s output toequalize the speaker?s performance, either in the form of an active crossover,or more cost-effectively by applying a quasi-active shaping of the amplifier?s outputto help mitigate the demands of the speaker?s crossover and its acousticalcharacteristics.
Once you reach the speaker cabinets themselves,things start to get really interesting: mass production opensup a whole host of alternative manufacturing techniques, not the least ofwhich, assuming we?re talking a reasonably compact speaker here, is injectionmolding. That means that you can create the whole cabinet carcass in one shot,with curved walls, optimized wall thicknesses, integral bracing, internal shapingand integrated port and connector elements. Sure, the tooling cost is high, butafter that the cabinets come out cheap as chips. Apply the same logic to thebaffle and you can shape it for optimum dispersion, profile it for optimumdepth and even use sophisticated screw or bayonet fixings for the drivers --because they will of course be purpose-built. That means that you can have notjust the fixings you want but you can engineer the unit?s mechanical andacoustic behavior to purpose. It?s a world away from using off-the-shelfdrivers, even with the limited range of modifications they provide. Throw inthe additional response-shaping possibilities offered by the dedicatedamplification module and suddenly you?ve got the potential to create somethingreally quite special, a product that rewrites the cost/size/performanceequation.
All of which helps explain why the High ResolutionTechnologies (HRT) STAGE is a product you should take very seriously indeed,whether you are an end-user or an audio manufacturer. This outwardly simple$1450 three-box system ($1650 with wireless capabilities, USB input and RFremote control), might look little different from a host of other desktopofferings, except for the slightly taller speakers and the slightly tallerprice tag, but don?t let its demure appearance fool you. Listen properly andthe STAGE delivers a performance that is shockingly good. I say listen,because no matter how often I tell you how good it is, or how often othercommentators repeat the same message, it is so hard to get past the tendency tolisten with your eyes that until you actually sit down and you really dolisten, you won?t believe how good this thing really is. I mean, it can?t be --it just looks all wrong. Funny-shaped plastic control center and molded plasticspeakers stuffed full of little drivers -- how can that work?Well, it does, and if the "economies of scale" argument hasn?t gotyou thinking, then perhaps the product?s pedigree will.
HRT is the brain-child of Kevin Halverson, of MuseElectronics fame, manufacturers of interesting and forward-looking digitalsolutions and high-end amplification. Always one of the industry?s digitalinnovators, Kevin was quick to see the potential for audio-file replay, and thecompact and cost-effective HRT streamers rapidly became the industry benchmarkin a market area that wasn?t just growing, it was exploding. Now, the STAGEdesktop system takes the proven HRT streaming solution to a whole new level,factoring in Halverson's extensive experience with amplification and speakersystems too.
Backto basics
ook at the STAGE in detail and you find all of thedesign and manufacturing benefits outlined above. Open the boxes and your firstimpressions will probably be dominated by the domed plastic housing of thecontrol unit/amplifier module and the molded speaker enclosures, but look alittle closer and you find a string of unusual and encouraging details. Therear of the control unit reveals the modular nature of the design, with aseparate panel for the input section and a large heatsink. The former allowseasy updating of the connectivity or input options, so although in basic formthe STAGE accepts either a USB digital input or an analog signal via a pair ofRCA jacks, future upgrades to wireless communication, increased data rates oralternative connection requirements can be achieved with a simple modulechange. Given the pace of development in the computer world and the potentialimpact on and opportunities that presents for file-replay options, thisupgradability is an important consideration.
The next positive is that large-area heatsink,indicating the presence of not only a conventional class-AB output stage, but atraditional linear power supply to drive it. Inside the STAGE control unitbeats the heart of what any hi-fi aficionado would recognize as a"proper" amplifier. With most competitors' products using acombination of wall warts and switch-mode power supplies feeding class-D outputstages, the HRT starts to look almost like an alien from another planet. Yet,in some ways it?s almost as alien to the audiophile crowd, with certain designdecisions appearing so obtuse as to be deliberately bloody-minded -- but I?llcome back to that. The control unit?s front panel offers a vertical array ofLEDs to indicate incoming data rate for the USB input, the STAGE acceptingfiles of anything up to 24-bit/96kHz resolution (but not DSD streams -- yet).There are also four tiny push buttons that allow you to increase or decreaselevel, mute the unit or select the analog input. Besides that you get a properIEC input and a pair of "LF Out" RCA sockets to feed a subwoofer --in the unlikely event (A/V applications aside) that you should feel the need.
Moving to the speakers, as soon as you pick themup you will be surprised by their solid, inert feel; the cabinets may beplastic moldings but these are no toys. They?ve taken full advantage of thedesign opportunities offered by the molding technology. Consider the carefullysculpted shape of the baffle and enclosure, the smooth contours of the driversurrounds and you?ll notice distinct similarities with some of the mostexpensive and well-respected loudspeakers on the planet. The driver lineupshould seem familiar too. The 1" fabric-dome tweeter is mated to a trio ofidentical 2 3/4" bass/midrange drivers, their bowl-shaped aluminumdiaphragms mated to large-diameter surrounds and 1" voice coils. Throw inKapton formers, underhung magnetic structures and flux rings on the motors andit soon becomes apparent that those long-throw surrounds aren?t just for show.These drivers are capable of considerable controlled excursion, as you?lldiscover once you listen to them.
The STAGE was conceived as a desktop system, thatDNA running through just about every aspect of its design and operation. Thatmakes it functionally specific, allowing it to concentrate on those facilitiesthat matter in its intended role. Although it will accept an analog input andallow you to control its volume manually, the underlying assumption is thatyou?ll be feeding the USB input from a computer or other, probably portabledevice -- and that you?ll use the control functionality in the source softwareto set level along with selecting the material to be played. After all, if youhave one hand on your computer mouse or the iPad in your lap, why would youchoose to use the control-unit buttons instead? It?s a mindset that suggeststhat the inclusion of front-panel controls and even the analog input weresomething of an afterthought. Witness the lack of any volume indication on theunit -- because if you are driving it from a computer host, the level isindicated on the screen. Likewise, if you do connect just an analog source,you?ll still need to connect a generic USB-type power supply (you could use onefrom something like a Garmin unit or simply buy a universal model) to theSTAGE?s USB input, to feed power to the control circuitry. Fortunately, there?sa small fob-type RF remote control available that duplicates the controlfunctions of the front-panel buttons. In some markets it is an option, but UKDistributor Audiofreaks is supplying it as standard and included in the price.For anybody using a fixed-output analog source I?d consider it an essential.
But perhaps the most telling example of theSTAGE?s lineage is in the choice of speaker connectors. The system comessupplied with an 8? pair of (surprisingly good) ready-terminated speakercables, equipped with the 12V type coaxial connectors fitted to both thecontrol unit and speakers. Along with the fact that the control unit?s AC inputis placed right below the heatsink, preventing use of anything other than aslim-line IEC connector, and it?s almost as if there?s a deliberate policy ofpreventing the use of audiophile cables or other frivolous upgrades. Despitethat, the UK importer actually provided a pair of slightly longer and suitablyterminated Cardas Twinlink 11C speaker cables, which ably demonstrated that,although the supplied cables really are pretty good, you don?t need to try toohard to do better. Likewise, the use of a fairly modest audiophile power cordoffered a readily audible improvement in weight, body and dynamic range.
All of which should have you wondering just whyyou?d bother to impose (or expect) such niceties on (or from) a computer-baseddesktop system? The answer is simple: because the STAGE is -- or perhaps"can be" would be a better phrase -- so much more than that. It isprobably the best off-the-shelf desktop solution you?ve ever heard. Or it canbe an astonishingly impressive and capable conventional audio system -- justlike separates, but considerably cheaper.
Risingto the occasion
s impressive as the STAGE is in its intended role,it?s once you redeploy it as a more recognizably hi-fi setup that its potentialreally begins to shine. Get the speakers out into the room, stood on properstands, and pay a little attention to the system cabling and proper placement,and you?ll be staggered by the way this system responds.
Take a look at the speaker specs and you?ll startto understand why. With a claimed -2dB point of 45Hz, the HRT speakers shouldhave the potential to throw out considerably more extension and weight than alot of audiophile stand-mounts. Combine that with an amplifier that is tailoredto both their electrical demands and their frequency response and thesepint-sized packages deliver a sound that has real weight, scale and dynamicrange -- along with the sort of dynamic integrity, coherence and control overmusical density that will put many a budget esoteric starter system (and morethan few full-scale rigs) to shame. The STAGE possesses a clarity and sense ofmusical organization and purpose that are genuinely compelling. The lack ofintrusive coloration or dynamic compression combined with honest-to-godtransparency to and resolution of musical and acoustic information makes itboth engaging and informative -- and the wider you get those speakers apart thebigger and better the whole system sounds. The more room you give the system tobreathe the more scale it delivers, the more solid and clearly defined itssoundstage. Oh, yes, the STAGE really doesimage: not just thatpinpoint lateral spread that you get from small mid-dominant transducers, but agenuine three-dimensional space, with width that can extend beyond thespeakers, considerable depth and surprising height, all bound together into asingle, coherent space enveloping the performers. But -- and here?s the rub --to really push the STAGE?s limits you are going to have to remove it from itsintended comfort zone and subject it to treatment and indignities that itsdesigner never really intended or anticipated. Despite the results you need toremember that you are using the product in a way that it wasn?t designed forand isn?t ideally equipped to perform. That?s your choice, so you?ll have tolive with its consequences.
Once you get the idea that the STAGE is a tabletopsystem out of your head and start treating it like the real hi-fi that it is,it starts to respond like a real hi-fi. Sit the speakers on either end of asideboard and you?ll marvel at the sound they produce. But it?s still nothingcompared to what they generate once you get them properly positioned on stands.The manual does actually acknowledge the fact that end-users might have otherideas about deploying the STAGE and includes advice for placement when usedwith a TV system or on stands, recommending that the latter should be between21" and 24" tall. Now, the market for speaker stands isn?t what itwas, so the range of available models has shrunk pretty dramatically. Combinethat with the speaker?s tiny footprint (4.8" x 7.1") and your optionsmight be somewhat limited, especially if you want something sufficiently sturdyto really do the STAGE speakers justice.
Luckily, those obliging folks at Track Audiomanaged to produce a set of custom top plates (a standard service) indouble-quick time. Unlike the speakers, these had parallel sides, but I?m surea pair tapered to fit the speaker?s footprint precisely would be possible,given a little more lead time! One other facet of the Track Audio stand?smodular design came in handy: I was able to investigate the benefits ofdifferent stand heights, and in my room at least I actually found that 28"worked rather better than 24", adding a greater sense of height and volumeto the soundstage, as well as greater independence from the room boundaries.But as excellent as the Track Audio stands are, they cost nearly as much as theSTAGE system, making them way too much of a stretch for the budget-consciousowner looking to wring the last ounce of musical return from their investment.
With that in mind, I?ve also been investigatingmore affordable options, and it looks like the Atacama Duo 7 with a suitabletop plate will deliver 24" of elevation at somewhat closer to $100. Fillthe stands? pillars (and add the optional heavy damping plates to the bottom)and you have a pretty darned effective solution at a real-world price. However,whether you opt for the likes of Track or Atacama, as with all serious,high-performance speaker systems, you?ll need to take the time to get placementspot on, as well as vertical attitude and rake angle. The Tracks? easilyadjustable feet and built-in spirit level make that easy, but most moreconventional stands just require a spanner, spirit level and a little time. Takethe trouble; it?s worth it.
Moving on to the control unit, despite thecross-hatched molding on its underside, it responds positively to a solidinterface and some care in terms of what you sit it on. I was using the STAGEin our lounge, so it was placed on a USM sideboard, with its space-frame andmetal-panel construction. That hardly seemed fair, so I put a small laminatedbeech platform beneath it, to good effect, while adding three solid aluminumcouplers lifted things another notch. The music gained color and presence,image separation and dimensionality. Overall, focus and immediacy improved asdid the sense of musical coherence and direction. It should be no surprise thata thin steel panel provides less-than-ideal support, but it does underline justhow seriously you can (and should) take the STAGE in terms of setup andoptimization. We?re not talking fancy or expensive here, just basic commonsense for the audio initiated. One word of caution though: the input panel is asubmodule and carries PCB-mounted connectors, so I?d hold hard on theheavyweight audiophile interconnects, even if they?ll fit into the tightlyspaced RCA sockets. Stick with something lighter in weight and diameter, closerto what the sockets were designed to support.
Of course, all of the comments above apply, regardlessof source. But just like every other truly capable amplifier and speakercombination, the STAGE responds to the quality of that source, which is why theinclusion of that analog input is so interesting. Many of the end-users whowind up installing the STAGE will be doing so because they?ve already boughtinto the quality or convenience available from file replay, whether that meansripped CDs or high-res files. But the inclusion of an analog option means thatmusic lovers who remain suspicious of or simply uninterested in the world ofcomputer audio can still access the benefits of the STAGE?s clever engineeringand enjoy the spectacular bargain it represents.
Which means that I guess it?s time to talk musicalturkey. So where is the audio equivalent of a ?phone box when you need one?
Connect the STAGE to a desktop computer and standthe speakers either side of the screen and you?ll be bowled over. My home setuprelies on the Focal XS 2.1 sub/sat system, a compact and elegant solution thatcosts more than most computer speaker setups but sounds way better -- as itshould for an asking price of $599. At over twice that, you might think the HRTwould be a stretch, but once heard, there really is no comparison. Even withits separate subwoofer, the Focal setup can?t match the weight and scale of theSTAGE -- and doesn?t even get close when it comes to integration, coherence anddynamic range. Tonal color, instrumental character and identity, vocal shadingsand nuance are all in another league on HRT system, which makes the Focal soundsmall and tinny, colored and congested. As impressive as the Focal is in itsown market sector, when compared to the cheaper combination the twice-the-priceSTAGE system is way more than twice as good -- and that?s before you get it offthe desktop, allow it to stretch its legs and give the speakers a lift byplacing them on stands.
I?m not going to spend any more time on thesubject of the STAGE as a desktop solution simply because its sheer excellenceand elevated price make it a no-brainer. You?ll know whether you need this sortof quality from your office setup (or not), and if you do, this is the way togo. Nothing I?ve heard gives the STAGE any sort of competition in terms ofsonic and musical quality, especially when it comes to scale and dynamics. Thenew (and as yet unheard) Eclipse TD-M1 system, with its single-driver speakersand filter-less DAC, will appeal to a small hardcore of purists -- and promisesto excel when it comes to musical communication -- but for more traditionalaudiophiles with more traditional systems, it?s the bandwidth and overallbalance of virtues that will put the HRT firmly at the top of the list -- thatand its ability to grow beyond the confines of your workspace, if theopportunity arises.
Hi-fi buyers have a record as long as your arm forbuying into "upgradeability" and then failing to exploit it. How manyCD players were sold off of the promise of upgradeable internal DACs that wouldmake them future proof? How many of them were ever upgraded? How many of theupgrades ever appeared -- although that?s a different story: audio consumersjust love the idea of insuring their next step on the hamster wheel ofinterminable upgrades -- presumable as an aid to justifying their latestpurchase, either to themselves or their partners. But, although the STAGE doesindeed offer some element of future proofing, that?s not what I?m talking abouthere. This is all about performance potential and realizing (in every sense ofthe word) just what this unassuming little system is really capable of.
Once those speakers are spread apart andstand-mounted, it?s one of those "Clark ?Table Top? Kent becomes SuperSystem" moments. No sooner does it step out of the metaphorical telephonebox and this system grows muscles, stature and genuine authority. Okay, so itpasses up the natty threads, but who?s lookin?? You?ll be too busy listening!Just for fun, let?s see what it does with something no tabletop system shouldbe able (or asked) to deal with: Beethoven?s 7th Symphony -- and not just any7th but Kleiber and the VPO. Using a DGG 24-bit/96kHz download version replayedfrom a MacBook Air running Pure Music (via the recommended powered USB hub) theSTAGE takes this monumental performance in its stride, delivering a coherent,crisply defined and beautifully layered soundstage. Instrumental tonality isnatural, with the contrasting character of horns and woodwinds easilyseparated, the weight and woody resonance of the double basses perfectly placedand underpinning the sheer momentum in the performance. Shut your eyes and thespeakers disappear, leaving the orchestra arrayed beyond them. But what?sreally impressive are the unfettered dynamics and enthusiasm that the STAGEbrings to proceedings. The more Kleiber demands of his orchestra (and hedemands a lot) the more the STAGE delivers. It?s almost as if nobody told itthat it shouldn?t be able to do what it?s doing -- and it?s not just doing it,it?s doing it really well. As the music swells in scale and volume, so does theSTAGE; as it jumps in level, so does the STAGE; and as the orchestra reachesfull output, so does the STAGE. Take things too far and the sound will --eventually -- start to harden up and get congested, but I found that in generalI was giving up long before the STAGE did. But when all is said and done, whatreally impressed me about this HRT system is not the individual sonicattributes or its unburstable nature. It was the sheer intelligibility of itsperformance that set it apart. You listen, you hear, you understand. In fact,you understand so clearly that you forget to question. You no longer worryabout what is or isn?t there -- because what the speakers give you is sonaturally organized and arranged that it just makes sense, even if the performancecomes from Kleiber, with all the scale and dramatic contrast that implies.
At the other end of the scale it?s just asimpressive. The spoken exchange that opens Ryan Adams? album Heartbreaker[CookingVinyl B00004YRZD] retains all the natural expressive qualities you hear on areally big system, its humor and verbal interplay an acid test of a system'ssense of timing. On the STAGE, Adams and David Rawlings are precisely spacedand placed, and if you don?t get quite the overall sense of acoustic and depth thatyou get from a full-range system, the spatial definition is still mightilyimpressive -- as is the musical punch as the band launch into opening track,"To Be Young. . .". That?s partly down to dynamics and partly down tothe astonishingly satisfying weight and scale those six little long-throwbass-mid drivers can produce -- in turn a result of their speed and the lack ofcongestion in the sound.
That dynamic freedom and absence of compressionare two of the things that set the STAGE apart from similarly priced (or evensignificantly more expensive) separates. The other is its genuinelylow-distortion sound and lack of coloration. Listen to the STAGE for the firsttime and you can?t miss that startling life and clarity -- startling becausethose qualities are more normally associated with far more ambitious systems atconsiderably more elevated prices. What the STAGE delivers, partly because ofits design integrity and partly because of its economies of manufacturing, is aslice of genuine high-end audio communication at an entry-level hi-fi price.It?s a serious all-rounder too. If the mark of a good system is the breadth ofmaterial it can handle, then the STAGE sits right at the front of the queue.Whether you are feeding it high-res files, ripped Red Book or CD via its analoginput, there?s little the STAGE won?t turn its hand to. Grand opera holds nofears, nor do large-scale romantic symphonies. Jazz, irrespective of era, playsstraight into its penchant for rhythmic integrity and dynamic coherence, whilevocals are natural and expressive, whether small scale and intimate, raucousand intimidating or pattering forth over the rock-solid support of theBlockheads. Indeed, if anything shows the extraordinary expressive range of theSTAGE it?s Ian Dury. The system happily reproduces every snarl and sardonictwist, the bitter humor and biting wit that informs his lyrics, the perfectphrasing and half-sung style. Norman Watt-Roy?s bass lines are mobile, solidand purposeful, the intricacy of Chaz Jankel?s arrangements fill out thesoundstage. This is no pale imitation -- it?s a very real thing.
HRT?s STAGE comes late to the party; it?s thefirst of its kind -- certainly the first to deliver what it does -- but it?sbeen preceded by a host of previous claimants, all duly hailed with the"bridge product" appellation. Meanwhile the audio industry has satback and expected a new generation of customers to cross those bridges andpromptly buy into the way things are -- or at least the way we see them. But ithasn?t happened, and I?m not sure that the STAGE is going to change that. Forme, this really is the first bridge product, but it qualifies by dint of quality.The bridge it builds goes to a different place altogether, linking the superintegrated, computer-based, multi-functional devices that are now the norm forso many consumers to genuine high-end sound quality -- that definitely isn?t.To match this performance with a separate DAC, amplifier and a pair of speakersis going to cost you several times the price of the STAGE. When an iPadAir represents the upper limit of performance and capability -- and let?s behonest, it really is amazingly capable -- it redefines a generation?sexpectations of the price/performance balance. In that context, the STAGE is acredible step up in price and a demonstrable step up in deliverableperformance. It is also the first product that has successfully combinedserious high-end audio sensibilities with the architectural, operational andprice dictates of the computer-driven music market, a natural extension to theintegrated functionality a new generation of connected users expect. It mightnot look like our accepted notion of a "hi-fi system" but thenSuperman wears tights. It might be the first word rather than the last in thisparticular debate, but it?s one that any audio manufacturer or dealer who wantsto stay in business should pay serious attention to.
How serious? I listened to the STAGE for ashorter-than-normal period, but even so it has generated three serious salesleads for the system, visitors who finally saw and heard what they?ve beenwaiting for. Who says you can?t sell audio equipment on the basis of good sound?Who says that good sound has to come from the sort of systems we expect? I saidright at the start of this article that this is one product that you?ll need tohear to believe -- and anybody with a real interest in reproducing music athome should do just that. Visitors to the Bristol Sound and Vision Show willhave just that chance -- don?t pass it up.
Denne pakken får enestående omtaler og kan brukes i mange sammenhenger, les detaljer og omtaler på nett.
Dette settet er tatt i innbytte av en kunde og er kun et år gammelt, så å si ubrukt.
Nypris kr 11000.
Test av HRTStage
High-end til spottpris
Hvor bra kan et anlegg for rundt 10.000 kr bli? HRT gir svaret med sittutrolige Stage.
Sven Bilen
20.03.2014
Kommentarer ( 2 )
Pluss
Et lite anlegg med en unik bra lydtil denne prisen. High-end til spottpris, helt enkelt. HRT lover at det kommerinngangsmoduler og subbasser slik at man kan skreddersy sitt system.
Minus
I dag finnes det bare to inngangsmuligheter. Designen kan være etdiskusjonsemne, men kontrollenheten kan gjemmes unna.
HRT, eller HighResolution Technologies, har vi lært å kjenne som produsenter av små ogbillige, men ytterst kompetente DAC-er til datamaskiner og iPhone samthodetelefonforsterkere. Mannen bak, Kevin Halverson, konstruerte i mange århigh-end audio (bl.a. Muse), så han vet hvordan det skal låte når det låter sombest. Dette forsøker han å få til med HRT uten at det skal koste skjorta.
Nå har han begittseg ut på å gjøre et helt anlegg etter de samme prinsipper. Alle skal kunnebruke det, det skal ikke ta for stor plass og det skal låte som om det var tiganger dyrere.
Stage
- er således et helt anlegg bestående av en forsterker/DAC samt tohøyttalere. Forsterkeren er en 70 W klasse AB og høyttalerne kobles til medtynne koaks spesialkabler, ikke noe annet kan benyttes og forsterkeren senderogså et signal som lydmessig er tweaket for å passe til akkurat dissehøyttalerne. Hele anlegget er en enhet. Begge høyttalerne og forsterkeren,eller skal vi kalle den kontrollenheten, er i kabinett av meget stiv mattABS-plast, svart eller hvit.
Designen har fåttforskjellig mottakelse hjemme hos meg. Noen synes den er fantastisk frekk mensandre har sett på både Sonos og Libratone ved siden av i lytterommet og rynketpannen. Når man forklarer at kontrollenheten bare kan gjemmes unna pleier selvde tvilende å mykne litt. Men, kontrollenheten er ikke den lekreste og mestettertraktede design jeg har sett.
Påkontrollenhetens fremside finnes fire knapper, volum opp/ned og valg mellom USBeller analog inngang. Her sitter også noen lysdioder som indikerersamplingsfrekvens.
I dag er det altsåto ulike inngangsmuligheter, men det kommer flere ulike inngangsmoduler slik atman kan skreddersy sin Stage til sine egne behov. Disse skal være ytterst enkleå sette inn i anlegget.
På baksiden finnervi foruten inngangene også en LF utgang. Det vil også meget snart komme etsubwooferpar som samtidig skal agere som stativ for høyttalerne.
Det anlegget jeghar hatt til test var et av de første i landet, så det var ikke utstyrt medverken flere inngangsmoduler eller subwoofere. Derfor har jeg koblet til endatamaskin respektive analog kilde og konsentrert meg mer på hvordan det låterenn på ulike kommende muligheter.
Oppstilling ? for hvem?
Ok, det er like bra å dra til med: Stage kan spille fantastisk bra. Deter kanskje litt rart at et anlegg til denne prisen faktisk har high-end kvaliteter,men det er faktisk tilfellet. Det gjør at man heller ikke skal undervurdereoppstillingen av anlegget. Høyttalerne føler seg utmerket ved å stå på et parstativer en knapp meter fra bakveggen, jeg benyttet et par stativer fra QAcoustics. Ikke slik at de låter ille om de står plassert som et pardatahøyttalere på et skrivebord, lang fra, men du kan få ut uvanlig mye medtanke på prislappen med litt omtanke for plasseringen. Spesielt uvanlig mye.
Og det er kanskjelitt av problematikken med Stage. Hvordan ser en potensiell kjøper på den? Detser ut som et par litt avanserte datahøyttalere, og anlegget er i prinsippetogså beregnet på å bli koblet til en datamaskin, og derfor ser kanskje ikke såmange tilstrekkelig seriøst på dette alternativet til det tradisjonelleanlegget. Eller et alternativ til de nye minimale trådløse alternativene.
Ulempen er at duså å si låser en datamaskin som spiller. Til gjengjeld kan din datamaskinspille det meste, og skal i dag absolutt ikke undervurderes som primær musikkildefor veldig mange musikkelskere. Den kan også kobles til TV-en, da en flat-TV avi dag låter fryktelig, og det burde være et folkekrav at den som selger en TVogså samtidig solgte et fornuftig lydanlegg.
Med stigende undring
- spilte jeg meg gjennom et antall eksempler fra ulike musikksjangre.Stage presterer så langt over sin pris rent lydmessig at det nærmest ernaturstridig. Ja, tre 70 mm basselementer gir ikke dypbass, men elementene ermeget kompetente og velkonstruerte både hva angår magnetsystem, kaptontalespoleog slaglengde. Det gjør at du opplever en litt slank, men meget velartikulertbass.
Det du får er enkompetent gjengivelse hvor du instinktivt føler at anlegget spiller som mangeandre anlegg for både like mange og flere penger burde kunne. Denne lille Stagekan lure de fleste til å tro at det er noe ganske dyrt som spiller ? om manikke ser det da.
Det er et stortlydbilde oget rent, klart og kontrollert klangbilde som gjør at Stage ikke girseg i kast med noe det ikke kan. Forsterkeren styrer høyttalerne med mild, menfast hånd til å prestere sitt aller beste med det signalet de får. Lydbildet errolig og harmonisk, her er ingen tendenser til at anlegget mister kontrollen ogbegynner å rote det hele sammen. Og det er ikke vanlig til denne prisen, tromeg.
Det betyr foreksempel at det er en utmerket taleforståelighet. Det er noe sommellomregisteret tar hånd om og gjør at anlegget fungerer fint sammen med enTV. Men selv sangstemmer låter distinkte og sonore, med karakteren bevart og utenat diskanten legger til s-lyd eller hvasshet. Høyttalere av denne størrelsenpleier veldig ofte gjøre det. Det låter helt enkelt som om Halverson hartransformert ned den audiofile lyden til noe som hvem som helst kan kjøpe. Deter imponerende, helt enkelt.
Hva fremtiden vilvise i form av trådløshet, Bluetooth eller AirPlay eller hva som enn måttekomme vet jeg ikke på nåværende tidspunkt, det eneste jeg med sikkerhet vet, erat bassmodulene er på vei. Derfor er det vanskelig å sette en definitiv karakterpå brukervennlighet og funksjonalitet. Men med en kabel til en datamaskin elleren analog kilde spiller det i hvert fall ypperlig, lydkvaliteten er det ingentvil om.
Konklusjon
HRT Stage er et anlegg du må lytte til for å tro på det. Lytteskikkelig i fred og ro, og sammenlign gjerne med hva du ellers kan få forpengene ? og en hel del mer penger. Ta et dypt åndedrag og erkjenn ? dettediminutive anlegget er noe helt spesielt!
KARAKTERER
Lydkvalitet
Funksjonalitet
Brukervennlighet
Kvalitetsinntrykk
FAKTA
§ Forsterker 70 Wklasse AB
§ Analog og digital(USB) inngang
§ DAC asynkron, opptil 96 kHz / 24 bit
§ Høyttalere medbakoverrettet port
§ En 28 mmdomediskant
§ Tre 70 mmbass/mellomregisterelementer
Produsent:
HRT
Pris:
11.000,-
RELATERTE TESTER
TESTER ?
·TABlog |
by Roy Gregory | February 14, 2014
Any way you want to cut it, $100,000 is a stack ofchange, but the fact is that even with that sort of budget to play with, you?llactually be faced with a few hard choices in putting together any kind of dreamsystem. Indeed, just the speakers for most people?s dream system would blowthat budget, which tells us quite a few things but perhaps most importantly itdemonstrates just how inefficient the conventional approach to building systemsreally is. What do I mean by inefficient? I mean that the systemends up costing more than it could (or should) for the performance delivered --and not because the various bits and pieces are overpriced. It?s the nature ofthe market, the way we shop and the mix-and-match approach we?ve adopted, thatis the root cause of the problem. So, if we look at our notional $100,000 rig,you?ll notice that each of the electronic boxes has its own chassis (the mostexpensive single component in the product) and power supply (the second-mostexpensive element). Lord help you if you specified a two-box line stage, ?costhat?s another box on top of the one you are already paying for.
Now factor in the tiny quantities in which mostaudio equipment is built (and the higher the price, the smaller that numbergets), the reliance on third-party suppliers for key components (everythingfrom transformers to terminals) and the global market that demands price parityand a margin for distributors as well as dealers, and you can start to see howproducts end up costing what they do -- and that?s before you consider thewhole question of interfacing and versatility. The reality is that in designinga power amplifier you don?t know what speaker it will be used with. So, anycompetent engineer will allow enough power and design a circuit that is capableof meeting a carefully calculated worst-case scenario. That doesn?t mean thatany amp should be designed to drive any speaker -- just any speaker that the designerdeems reasonable. The problem with that is, unless you happen to own thatworst-case speaker, you are paying (financially and sonically) for capacity youreally aren?t using. In fact, the whole system is laden with untappedpotential: everything from unused inputs to balanced connections you don?tneed, power-supply reservoir caps that never get close to full discharge andvolume controls that never pass 10:00. Every extra part and every drop ofunused capability carries its own associated price, its impact on the sonicperformance and its contribution to the retail cost.
Now, let?s look at an entirely different coststructure. Let?s look at the notion of a self-contained, mass-produced systemand examine the way the engineering and manufacturing costs stack up againstachievable performance. Let?s make our notional system a source-plus solution,so it is designed to take a signal from the designated source component(s) andturn it into sound. These days, to do that it will require a DAC, control functionality,a power amplifier and speakers. Of course, by pre-designating the source (orrange of sources) applicable, the designer can avoid any redundancy ofinputs/outputs and all the hardware that goes with them. He can also put allthe electronics in a single box, saving on casework and power-supply provision,as long as he?s careful to maintain power-supply integrity. It also does awaywith the requirement for further interface sockets and the cables that hookeverything together, eliminating both cost and another significant variable insystem performance -- definitely a win-win if you can make it work.
But the benefits really start to hit home once youreach the speakers and the vexed question of their interface with theamplifier. That relationship is the single most critical boundary in thesystem, the source of the greatest electrical challenges and the greatestpotential redundancy. But specify the characteristics of the speaker system andyou can tailor the amplifier?s performance and capacity to be a perfect match.In fact, you can take it a stage further and use the amplifier?s output toequalize the speaker?s performance, either in the form of an active crossover,or more cost-effectively by applying a quasi-active shaping of the amplifier?s outputto help mitigate the demands of the speaker?s crossover and its acousticalcharacteristics.
Once you reach the speaker cabinets themselves,things start to get really interesting: mass production opensup a whole host of alternative manufacturing techniques, not the least ofwhich, assuming we?re talking a reasonably compact speaker here, is injectionmolding. That means that you can create the whole cabinet carcass in one shot,with curved walls, optimized wall thicknesses, integral bracing, internal shapingand integrated port and connector elements. Sure, the tooling cost is high, butafter that the cabinets come out cheap as chips. Apply the same logic to thebaffle and you can shape it for optimum dispersion, profile it for optimumdepth and even use sophisticated screw or bayonet fixings for the drivers --because they will of course be purpose-built. That means that you can have notjust the fixings you want but you can engineer the unit?s mechanical andacoustic behavior to purpose. It?s a world away from using off-the-shelfdrivers, even with the limited range of modifications they provide. Throw inthe additional response-shaping possibilities offered by the dedicatedamplification module and suddenly you?ve got the potential to create somethingreally quite special, a product that rewrites the cost/size/performanceequation.
All of which helps explain why the High ResolutionTechnologies (HRT) STAGE is a product you should take very seriously indeed,whether you are an end-user or an audio manufacturer. This outwardly simple$1450 three-box system ($1650 with wireless capabilities, USB input and RFremote control), might look little different from a host of other desktopofferings, except for the slightly taller speakers and the slightly tallerprice tag, but don?t let its demure appearance fool you. Listen properly andthe STAGE delivers a performance that is shockingly good. I say listen,because no matter how often I tell you how good it is, or how often othercommentators repeat the same message, it is so hard to get past the tendency tolisten with your eyes that until you actually sit down and you really dolisten, you won?t believe how good this thing really is. I mean, it can?t be --it just looks all wrong. Funny-shaped plastic control center and molded plasticspeakers stuffed full of little drivers -- how can that work?Well, it does, and if the "economies of scale" argument hasn?t gotyou thinking, then perhaps the product?s pedigree will.
HRT is the brain-child of Kevin Halverson, of MuseElectronics fame, manufacturers of interesting and forward-looking digitalsolutions and high-end amplification. Always one of the industry?s digitalinnovators, Kevin was quick to see the potential for audio-file replay, and thecompact and cost-effective HRT streamers rapidly became the industry benchmarkin a market area that wasn?t just growing, it was exploding. Now, the STAGEdesktop system takes the proven HRT streaming solution to a whole new level,factoring in Halverson's extensive experience with amplification and speakersystems too.
Backto basics
Moving to the speakers, as soon as you pick themup you will be surprised by their solid, inert feel; the cabinets may beplastic moldings but these are no toys. They?ve taken full advantage of thedesign opportunities offered by the molding technology. Consider the carefullysculpted shape of the baffle and enclosure, the smooth contours of the driversurrounds and you?ll notice distinct similarities with some of the mostexpensive and well-respected loudspeakers on the planet. The driver lineupshould seem familiar too. The 1" fabric-dome tweeter is mated to a trio ofidentical 2 3/4" bass/midrange drivers, their bowl-shaped aluminumdiaphragms mated to large-diameter surrounds and 1" voice coils. Throw inKapton formers, underhung magnetic structures and flux rings on the motors andit soon becomes apparent that those long-throw surrounds aren?t just for show.These drivers are capable of considerable controlled excursion, as you?lldiscover once you listen to them.
The STAGE was conceived as a desktop system, thatDNA running through just about every aspect of its design and operation. Thatmakes it functionally specific, allowing it to concentrate on those facilitiesthat matter in its intended role. Although it will accept an analog input andallow you to control its volume manually, the underlying assumption is thatyou?ll be feeding the USB input from a computer or other, probably portabledevice -- and that you?ll use the control functionality in the source softwareto set level along with selecting the material to be played. After all, if youhave one hand on your computer mouse or the iPad in your lap, why would youchoose to use the control-unit buttons instead? It?s a mindset that suggeststhat the inclusion of front-panel controls and even the analog input weresomething of an afterthought. Witness the lack of any volume indication on theunit -- because if you are driving it from a computer host, the level isindicated on the screen. Likewise, if you do connect just an analog source,you?ll still need to connect a generic USB-type power supply (you could use onefrom something like a Garmin unit or simply buy a universal model) to theSTAGE?s USB input, to feed power to the control circuitry. Fortunately, there?sa small fob-type RF remote control available that duplicates the controlfunctions of the front-panel buttons. In some markets it is an option, but UKDistributor Audiofreaks is supplying it as standard and included in the price.For anybody using a fixed-output analog source I?d consider it an essential.
But perhaps the most telling example of theSTAGE?s lineage is in the choice of speaker connectors. The system comessupplied with an 8? pair of (surprisingly good) ready-terminated speakercables, equipped with the 12V type coaxial connectors fitted to both thecontrol unit and speakers. Along with the fact that the control unit?s AC inputis placed right below the heatsink, preventing use of anything other than aslim-line IEC connector, and it?s almost as if there?s a deliberate policy ofpreventing the use of audiophile cables or other frivolous upgrades. Despitethat, the UK importer actually provided a pair of slightly longer and suitablyterminated Cardas Twinlink 11C speaker cables, which ably demonstrated that,although the supplied cables really are pretty good, you don?t need to try toohard to do better. Likewise, the use of a fairly modest audiophile power cordoffered a readily audible improvement in weight, body and dynamic range.
All of which should have you wondering just whyyou?d bother to impose (or expect) such niceties on (or from) a computer-baseddesktop system? The answer is simple: because the STAGE is -- or perhaps"can be" would be a better phrase -- so much more than that. It isprobably the best off-the-shelf desktop solution you?ve ever heard. Or it canbe an astonishingly impressive and capable conventional audio system -- justlike separates, but considerably cheaper.
Risingto the occasion
Take a look at the speaker specs and you?ll startto understand why. With a claimed -2dB point of 45Hz, the HRT speakers shouldhave the potential to throw out considerably more extension and weight than alot of audiophile stand-mounts. Combine that with an amplifier that is tailoredto both their electrical demands and their frequency response and thesepint-sized packages deliver a sound that has real weight, scale and dynamicrange -- along with the sort of dynamic integrity, coherence and control overmusical density that will put many a budget esoteric starter system (and morethan few full-scale rigs) to shame. The STAGE possesses a clarity and sense ofmusical organization and purpose that are genuinely compelling. The lack ofintrusive coloration or dynamic compression combined with honest-to-godtransparency to and resolution of musical and acoustic information makes itboth engaging and informative -- and the wider you get those speakers apart thebigger and better the whole system sounds. The more room you give the system tobreathe the more scale it delivers, the more solid and clearly defined itssoundstage. Oh, yes, the STAGE really doesimage: not just thatpinpoint lateral spread that you get from small mid-dominant transducers, but agenuine three-dimensional space, with width that can extend beyond thespeakers, considerable depth and surprising height, all bound together into asingle, coherent space enveloping the performers. But -- and here?s the rub --to really push the STAGE?s limits you are going to have to remove it from itsintended comfort zone and subject it to treatment and indignities that itsdesigner never really intended or anticipated. Despite the results you need toremember that you are using the product in a way that it wasn?t designed forand isn?t ideally equipped to perform. That?s your choice, so you?ll have tolive with its consequences.
Once you get the idea that the STAGE is a tabletopsystem out of your head and start treating it like the real hi-fi that it is,it starts to respond like a real hi-fi. Sit the speakers on either end of asideboard and you?ll marvel at the sound they produce. But it?s still nothingcompared to what they generate once you get them properly positioned on stands.The manual does actually acknowledge the fact that end-users might have otherideas about deploying the STAGE and includes advice for placement when usedwith a TV system or on stands, recommending that the latter should be between21" and 24" tall. Now, the market for speaker stands isn?t what itwas, so the range of available models has shrunk pretty dramatically. Combinethat with the speaker?s tiny footprint (4.8" x 7.1") and your optionsmight be somewhat limited, especially if you want something sufficiently sturdyto really do the STAGE speakers justice.
Luckily, those obliging folks at Track Audiomanaged to produce a set of custom top plates (a standard service) indouble-quick time. Unlike the speakers, these had parallel sides, but I?m surea pair tapered to fit the speaker?s footprint precisely would be possible,given a little more lead time! One other facet of the Track Audio stand?smodular design came in handy: I was able to investigate the benefits ofdifferent stand heights, and in my room at least I actually found that 28"worked rather better than 24", adding a greater sense of height and volumeto the soundstage, as well as greater independence from the room boundaries.But as excellent as the Track Audio stands are, they cost nearly as much as theSTAGE system, making them way too much of a stretch for the budget-consciousowner looking to wring the last ounce of musical return from their investment.
With that in mind, I?ve also been investigatingmore affordable options, and it looks like the Atacama Duo 7 with a suitabletop plate will deliver 24" of elevation at somewhat closer to $100. Fillthe stands? pillars (and add the optional heavy damping plates to the bottom)and you have a pretty darned effective solution at a real-world price. However,whether you opt for the likes of Track or Atacama, as with all serious,high-performance speaker systems, you?ll need to take the time to get placementspot on, as well as vertical attitude and rake angle. The Tracks? easilyadjustable feet and built-in spirit level make that easy, but most moreconventional stands just require a spanner, spirit level and a little time. Takethe trouble; it?s worth it.
Moving on to the control unit, despite thecross-hatched molding on its underside, it responds positively to a solidinterface and some care in terms of what you sit it on. I was using the STAGEin our lounge, so it was placed on a USM sideboard, with its space-frame andmetal-panel construction. That hardly seemed fair, so I put a small laminatedbeech platform beneath it, to good effect, while adding three solid aluminumcouplers lifted things another notch. The music gained color and presence,image separation and dimensionality. Overall, focus and immediacy improved asdid the sense of musical coherence and direction. It should be no surprise thata thin steel panel provides less-than-ideal support, but it does underline justhow seriously you can (and should) take the STAGE in terms of setup andoptimization. We?re not talking fancy or expensive here, just basic commonsense for the audio initiated. One word of caution though: the input panel is asubmodule and carries PCB-mounted connectors, so I?d hold hard on theheavyweight audiophile interconnects, even if they?ll fit into the tightlyspaced RCA sockets. Stick with something lighter in weight and diameter, closerto what the sockets were designed to support.
Of course, all of the comments above apply, regardlessof source. But just like every other truly capable amplifier and speakercombination, the STAGE responds to the quality of that source, which is why theinclusion of that analog input is so interesting. Many of the end-users whowind up installing the STAGE will be doing so because they?ve already boughtinto the quality or convenience available from file replay, whether that meansripped CDs or high-res files. But the inclusion of an analog option means thatmusic lovers who remain suspicious of or simply uninterested in the world ofcomputer audio can still access the benefits of the STAGE?s clever engineeringand enjoy the spectacular bargain it represents.
Which means that I guess it?s time to talk musicalturkey. So where is the audio equivalent of a ?phone box when you need one?
Connect the STAGE to a desktop computer and standthe speakers either side of the screen and you?ll be bowled over. My home setuprelies on the Focal XS 2.1 sub/sat system, a compact and elegant solution thatcosts more than most computer speaker setups but sounds way better -- as itshould for an asking price of $599. At over twice that, you might think the HRTwould be a stretch, but once heard, there really is no comparison. Even withits separate subwoofer, the Focal setup can?t match the weight and scale of theSTAGE -- and doesn?t even get close when it comes to integration, coherence anddynamic range. Tonal color, instrumental character and identity, vocal shadingsand nuance are all in another league on HRT system, which makes the Focal soundsmall and tinny, colored and congested. As impressive as the Focal is in itsown market sector, when compared to the cheaper combination the twice-the-priceSTAGE system is way more than twice as good -- and that?s before you get it offthe desktop, allow it to stretch its legs and give the speakers a lift byplacing them on stands.
I?m not going to spend any more time on thesubject of the STAGE as a desktop solution simply because its sheer excellenceand elevated price make it a no-brainer. You?ll know whether you need this sortof quality from your office setup (or not), and if you do, this is the way togo. Nothing I?ve heard gives the STAGE any sort of competition in terms ofsonic and musical quality, especially when it comes to scale and dynamics. Thenew (and as yet unheard) Eclipse TD-M1 system, with its single-driver speakersand filter-less DAC, will appeal to a small hardcore of purists -- and promisesto excel when it comes to musical communication -- but for more traditionalaudiophiles with more traditional systems, it?s the bandwidth and overallbalance of virtues that will put the HRT firmly at the top of the list -- thatand its ability to grow beyond the confines of your workspace, if theopportunity arises.
Hi-fi buyers have a record as long as your arm forbuying into "upgradeability" and then failing to exploit it. How manyCD players were sold off of the promise of upgradeable internal DACs that wouldmake them future proof? How many of them were ever upgraded? How many of theupgrades ever appeared -- although that?s a different story: audio consumersjust love the idea of insuring their next step on the hamster wheel ofinterminable upgrades -- presumable as an aid to justifying their latestpurchase, either to themselves or their partners. But, although the STAGE doesindeed offer some element of future proofing, that?s not what I?m talking abouthere. This is all about performance potential and realizing (in every sense ofthe word) just what this unassuming little system is really capable of.
Once those speakers are spread apart andstand-mounted, it?s one of those "Clark ?Table Top? Kent becomes SuperSystem" moments. No sooner does it step out of the metaphorical telephonebox and this system grows muscles, stature and genuine authority. Okay, so itpasses up the natty threads, but who?s lookin?? You?ll be too busy listening!Just for fun, let?s see what it does with something no tabletop system shouldbe able (or asked) to deal with: Beethoven?s 7th Symphony -- and not just any7th but Kleiber and the VPO. Using a DGG 24-bit/96kHz download version replayedfrom a MacBook Air running Pure Music (via the recommended powered USB hub) theSTAGE takes this monumental performance in its stride, delivering a coherent,crisply defined and beautifully layered soundstage. Instrumental tonality isnatural, with the contrasting character of horns and woodwinds easilyseparated, the weight and woody resonance of the double basses perfectly placedand underpinning the sheer momentum in the performance. Shut your eyes and thespeakers disappear, leaving the orchestra arrayed beyond them. But what?sreally impressive are the unfettered dynamics and enthusiasm that the STAGEbrings to proceedings. The more Kleiber demands of his orchestra (and hedemands a lot) the more the STAGE delivers. It?s almost as if nobody told itthat it shouldn?t be able to do what it?s doing -- and it?s not just doing it,it?s doing it really well. As the music swells in scale and volume, so does theSTAGE; as it jumps in level, so does the STAGE; and as the orchestra reachesfull output, so does the STAGE. Take things too far and the sound will --eventually -- start to harden up and get congested, but I found that in generalI was giving up long before the STAGE did. But when all is said and done, whatreally impressed me about this HRT system is not the individual sonicattributes or its unburstable nature. It was the sheer intelligibility of itsperformance that set it apart. You listen, you hear, you understand. In fact,you understand so clearly that you forget to question. You no longer worryabout what is or isn?t there -- because what the speakers give you is sonaturally organized and arranged that it just makes sense, even if the performancecomes from Kleiber, with all the scale and dramatic contrast that implies.
At the other end of the scale it?s just asimpressive. The spoken exchange that opens Ryan Adams? album Heartbreaker[CookingVinyl B00004YRZD] retains all the natural expressive qualities you hear on areally big system, its humor and verbal interplay an acid test of a system'ssense of timing. On the STAGE, Adams and David Rawlings are precisely spacedand placed, and if you don?t get quite the overall sense of acoustic and depth thatyou get from a full-range system, the spatial definition is still mightilyimpressive -- as is the musical punch as the band launch into opening track,"To Be Young. . .". That?s partly down to dynamics and partly down tothe astonishingly satisfying weight and scale those six little long-throwbass-mid drivers can produce -- in turn a result of their speed and the lack ofcongestion in the sound.
That dynamic freedom and absence of compressionare two of the things that set the STAGE apart from similarly priced (or evensignificantly more expensive) separates. The other is its genuinelylow-distortion sound and lack of coloration. Listen to the STAGE for the firsttime and you can?t miss that startling life and clarity -- startling becausethose qualities are more normally associated with far more ambitious systems atconsiderably more elevated prices. What the STAGE delivers, partly because ofits design integrity and partly because of its economies of manufacturing, is aslice of genuine high-end audio communication at an entry-level hi-fi price.It?s a serious all-rounder too. If the mark of a good system is the breadth ofmaterial it can handle, then the STAGE sits right at the front of the queue.Whether you are feeding it high-res files, ripped Red Book or CD via its analoginput, there?s little the STAGE won?t turn its hand to. Grand opera holds nofears, nor do large-scale romantic symphonies. Jazz, irrespective of era, playsstraight into its penchant for rhythmic integrity and dynamic coherence, whilevocals are natural and expressive, whether small scale and intimate, raucousand intimidating or pattering forth over the rock-solid support of theBlockheads. Indeed, if anything shows the extraordinary expressive range of theSTAGE it?s Ian Dury. The system happily reproduces every snarl and sardonictwist, the bitter humor and biting wit that informs his lyrics, the perfectphrasing and half-sung style. Norman Watt-Roy?s bass lines are mobile, solidand purposeful, the intricacy of Chaz Jankel?s arrangements fill out thesoundstage. This is no pale imitation -- it?s a very real thing.
HRT?s STAGE comes late to the party; it?s thefirst of its kind -- certainly the first to deliver what it does -- but it?sbeen preceded by a host of previous claimants, all duly hailed with the"bridge product" appellation. Meanwhile the audio industry has satback and expected a new generation of customers to cross those bridges andpromptly buy into the way things are -- or at least the way we see them. But ithasn?t happened, and I?m not sure that the STAGE is going to change that. Forme, this really is the first bridge product, but it qualifies by dint of quality.The bridge it builds goes to a different place altogether, linking the superintegrated, computer-based, multi-functional devices that are now the norm forso many consumers to genuine high-end sound quality -- that definitely isn?t.To match this performance with a separate DAC, amplifier and a pair of speakersis going to cost you several times the price of the STAGE. When an iPadAir represents the upper limit of performance and capability -- and let?s behonest, it really is amazingly capable -- it redefines a generation?sexpectations of the price/performance balance. In that context, the STAGE is acredible step up in price and a demonstrable step up in deliverableperformance. It is also the first product that has successfully combinedserious high-end audio sensibilities with the architectural, operational andprice dictates of the computer-driven music market, a natural extension to theintegrated functionality a new generation of connected users expect. It mightnot look like our accepted notion of a "hi-fi system" but thenSuperman wears tights. It might be the first word rather than the last in thisparticular debate, but it?s one that any audio manufacturer or dealer who wantsto stay in business should pay serious attention to.
How serious? I listened to the STAGE for ashorter-than-normal period, but even so it has generated three serious salesleads for the system, visitors who finally saw and heard what they?ve beenwaiting for. Who says you can?t sell audio equipment on the basis of good sound?Who says that good sound has to come from the sort of systems we expect? I saidright at the start of this article that this is one product that you?ll need tohear to believe -- and anybody with a real interest in reproducing music athome should do just that. Visitors to the Bristol Sound and Vision Show willhave just that chance -- don?t pass it up.
