Many thanks to Darko Greguras - Audio Note (UK)'s digital designer extraordinaire - for suggesting I try Audio Note (UK) AN-V silver interconnects in two termination configurations with the $30,850 USD Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x Red Book CD player that is in for review.
Darko recommends these AN-V silver interconnects for use with CD 5.1x CD player to realize its full sound quality potential, and to access all its features.
Two pairs of Audio Note (UK) AN-V silver interconnects. XLR to RCA (left) and RCA to RCA (right).
On the right in the photo above you can see a pair of Audio Note (UK) AN-V interconnects terminated with AN-P RCAs. The AN-V cable is 19 strands of 99.9% pure silver Litz wires in a shielded twisted pair configuration. The AN-P RCAs are Audio Note (UK)'s premium RCA connectors and utilize "a multi-part circular design featuring a heavily silver plated, split centre pin, a heavily silver plated, one piece inner body / negative contact, PTFE insulation and a two part, non-magnetic outer metal jacket." The retail price for this 1.5 meter pair of interconnects is $1565 USD.
In the left of the photo above you can see a pair of AN-V silver interconnects terminated with XLR connectors on the source end, and AN-P RCAs on the preamplifier end. These are a custom order item for special applications using very low-powered / low-gain SET amplifiers, like my 2 watt Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier (more about this feature in a moment). The retail price for this 1.5 meter pair of XLR to RCA interconnects is $1590 USD.
I don't have an amplifier or preamplifier with XLR connectors, but if you do, then you can also order the AN-V interconnects terminated with XLR connectors on both ends.
Audio Note (UK) CCD 5.1x Red Book CD player.
If you've been keeping current with my posts about the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x Red Book CD player (HERE, HERE, and HERE) you know it is Audio Note (UK)'s all out assault on what is possible to achieve in high-fidelity performance from a one-box CD player.
So why try these two different termination styles of the AN-V interconnects with the CD 5.1x?
The CD 5.1x offers a number of useful features to make it compatible with a wide variety of associated electronics, which is where the XLR to RCA AN-V silver interconnects come into the picture.
Rear view of the CD 5.1x with its balanced and RCA outputs.
If you look around back of the CD 5.1x you'll notice that towards the middle of the chassis there are 2 pairs of RCAs with 1.2V RMS output voltage, one pair for connecting to a preamplifier or integrated amplifier, and one pair for connecting to a recording device should you desire to do that.
There is also one pair of XLR connectors for connecting to preamplifiers that offer XLR connections, or to pro audio equipment with XLR connections, with an output voltage of 2.4V RMS.
The CD 5.1x's 1.2V RMS single-ended output voltage will power most amplifiers to full output to provide adequate live-like listening levels given a typical audio system gain structure, as with the 65 watt per channel Mactone MH-120 stereo amplifier I recently reviewed for Positive Feedback (HERE), where the CD 5.1x was used in single-ended output mode to excellent effect as the source component for the review.
CD5.1x, Mactone XX-440 pre, and MH-120 amp with my Westminster loudspeakers during a recent review.
With the 65 watts per channel Mactone MH-120 amplifier, the CD 5.1x's 1.2V RMS output voltage could easily drive my Tannoy Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers to live-like levels with plenty of power to spare.
In the CD 5.1x's owner's manual you'll find out that Audio Note (UK) also offers a "nitro boost" feature for those of us with flea powered SET amplifiers, like for example, the 2 watt Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier that I use as a reference amplifier with my West's.
The Ferrari red, 2 watt per channel, Triode Lab 45 SET 'EVO' integrated amplifier.
Here's how the "nitro boost" feature of the CD 5.1x works:
Normally the CD 5.1x's 1.2V RMS single-ended output voltage is what you would use with preamplifiers or integrated amplifiers with RCA inputs, like the Mactone MH-120 stereo amplifier I mentioned earlier, or presumably with the Audio Note (UK) Meishu Phono Silver Tonmeister 300B single-ended-triode (SET) integrated amplifier that I wrote about in Positive Feedback HERE.
However, depending on the loudspeakers, with some low-power / low-gain amplifiers, like the 2 watt Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier, the CD 5.1x's 1.2V RMS single-ended output voltage will not be enough voltage to achieve an adequate audio system gain structure.
XLR to RCA diagram from the CD 5.1x owner's manual.
For those few of us who enjoy using low-power / low-gain amplifiers, Audio Note (UK) includes a "nitro boost" feature that allows the CD 5.1x to send 2.4V RMS from the XLR outputs to the RCA inputs of a preamplifier or integrated amplifier, so an adequate audio system gain structure can be achieved.
To utilize the "nitro boost" feature of the CD 5.1x, all you need is a pair of XLR to RCA terminated interconnects per the above diagram, thus the XLR to RCA AN-V interconnects that Darko sent to me to try, so I could check out its performance with my reference 2 watt Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier.
After installing the XLR to RCA interconnects, with the CD 5.1x's rear panel output switch into the single-ended position, it would now deliver 2.4V RMS to a pair of RCA inputs on a preamplifier or integrated amplifier.
Voilà, there should now be an adequate audio system gain structure with a low-power / low-gain 2 watt 45 SET amplifier.
My primary music system with Tannoy Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers.
To expand on this discussion a little, I'll mention that Tannoy recommends amplifiers of 20 to 350 watts for my Westminster loudspeakers, so from Tannoy's perspective my Westminsters are under-amplified by an order of magnitude with the 45 EVO's 2 Watts of output power.
You’ll see me refer to listening at ‘live-like’ levels in my articles about hi-fi, which I consider to range from about 70 dB to 93 dB for the kinds of music, typically jazz or classical, that I listen to at concerts. Peaks might be near or above 100 dB.
For my personal home audio listening, the SPL levels I usually listen at are in that same live-like range of 70 dB to about 93 dB, with 100 dB or more on peaks, and with an average SPL level probably around 85 dB.
The system gain structure with the Triode Lab 45 SET amp looks like this: The 45 EVO is capable of 2 watts at full output, with a gain of 21.7 dB. So the max SPL my West's could produce with the 45 EVO at full output would be 21.7 dB + 99 dB = 120.7 dB.
The Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier is designed for loudspeakers of 100 dB sensitivity and above, so my Westminsters at 99 dB sensitivity are still a little below what is recommended for the 45 EVO.
You might have noticed that not all albums are at the same recording level on CDs, so you have to turn the volume control up or down to get your desired playback SPL.
There's a few albums out there that are put on CDs at low recording levels. With flea powered amps like a 45 SET, I might not have enough gain to play back a CD with a low level of recording through my West's at live-like levels.
For example, with the Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1x/II or CD 4.1x CD players' 3.0V RMS output, I can listen to about 95% of my favorite albums and still have plenty of gain with a 2 watt 45 SET amp, but still there's that 5% of CDs whose recording level is so low that I can't play them back at live-like volume levels.
So technically speaking, with the 2 watt 45 EVO SET powering my 99dB sensitive Westminsters, the West's are still a little under amplified to achieve live-like listening levels with those CDs recorded at really low levels.
From a practical day-to-day listening perspective, I am totally ok with that, as I can listen to almost anything at the volume I want and still enjoy that sublime 45 SET listening experience.
Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x Red Book CD player.
However, with the CD 5.1x's single-ended output of 1.2V RMS, there just isn't enough voltage output to achieve live-like listening levels with any of my CDs when using the 45 EVO SET to power my Westminsters, like there was with the 3.oV RMS output of the CD 2.1x/II or CD 4.1x.
That's where the "nitro boost" feature of the CD 5.1x comes into play. To try out this feature of the CD 5.1x I installed the custom AN-V XLR to RCA interconnects Darko sent me between the CD 5.1x and the 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier. With the back panel selector switch in single-ended mode the CD 5.1x would now deliver 2.4V RMS output to the 45 EVO SET.
I'm really just getting started with my listening sessions with the CD 5.1x. With the Mactone components I just wrote about for Positive Feedback, the CD 5.1x was impressive sounding as the source component through its 1.2V RMS single-ended outputs, using well run-in Belden 8402 tinned-copper microphone cable interconnects.
Darko told me the silver AN-V cables "... need at least 200-250 hours to stabilize, usually good straight out of the box, but then they'll start to drift from mushy and no top end to bright with almost no bass. They'll settle down eventually and keep improving until about 800 hours ...".
So my listening impressions will be preliminary until the AN-V cables stabilize, and indeed they did sound a bit "mushy" at first, but are now already trending towards a more balanced sound quality.
I was able to achieve live-like levels with the half-dozen or so CDs I've listened to so far with the CD 5.1x using the 2.4V "nitro boost" feature for the 45 EVO with the AN-V XLR to RCA interconnects.
Two pairs of Audio Note (UK) AN-V silver interconnects. XLR to RCA (left) and RCA to RCA (right).
So here's why Darko sent me these two pairs of interconnects for the CD 5.1x:
First, the XLR to RCA terminated AN-V interconnects demonstrate how you can boost performance for low-power / low-gain amplifiers like the Triode Lab 45 EVO SET integrated amplifier with the CD 5.1x, and second, the RCA to RCA terminated AN-V interconnects will allow me to compare the CD 4.1x and the CD 5.1x CD players with essentially the same AN-V interconnects to get an idea of the performance difference between the two at approximately equivalent RMS voltage output levels.
I'll be offering some more detailed listening impressions of the CD 4.1x and CD 5.1x with the AN-V cables and the 45 EVO SET integrated amp on my West's in a future post ... and then ...
Audio Note (UK) Meishu Phono Silver Tonmeister 300B single-ended-triode (SET) integrated amplifier.
... I'll be installing the Audio Note (UK) Meishu Phono Silver Tonmeister 300B single-ended-triode (SET) integrated amplifier back into my Westminster loudspeaker based audio system, and will describe what I hear from the CD 5.1x and CD 4.1x CD players with the mighty Meishu powering the West's.
I'll tell you what, sometimes I just have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. Having such awesome audio components here to tell you about is a true pleasure, and I am very thankful to be able to share those listening experiences with you.
Ok, that's it for now. As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!
