Diamond 12.3 的中低頻有層次而潤厚，聲音有潤澤與濕度，尤其是人聲和諧悅耳 特別吸引，那份傳統英倫音樂味道油然而生。我會說，Diamond 12.3 是一款為播好人聲而設的揚聲器，不論是結他伴奏的人聲、演唱會中的人聲、民歌、爵士樂的人聲， 人聲的和暖、輕甜、潤厚、濕度，有如聆聽著傳統膽機的魅力，若然配線恰當，聲音又不會有傳統膽機的緩慢。聽《Greatest Folk Songs Of All》肯定是如魚得水，舊錄音新製作的高清與清爽，人聲的厚和甜蜜，合晒合尺的節奏感，聽著 Simon & Garfunkel 演出的 The Sounds Of Silence 與 The Brothers Four 的 Try To Remember， 音樂中的空氣濕度似乎凝結在那個未有數碼資訊的模擬式時代，那份動人心弦，細味曲詞美的恰 到好處溫暖感，令我回味無窮！
《Musica Nuda》重播低音提琴的大牛筋有板有眼，低頻的下潛力有深度感，有滲 透式的蔓延力，和諧而不急不躁的琴音；女聲清甜爽朗，她的運聲變化仔細，情感豐 富而不累贅，暖在心頭。Peter, Paul & Mary 《In These Times》中，高密度的和厚人聲非常吸引。《AGA》青春的女聲有濕度，有輕甜之美，是一種沉醉在她嗓子中的吸引力，難得是演唱會的空間、樂器定位也有仔細的表達，在如此價位中能表現出全面的效果，實屬難求。 2V1G《第三次心動》，「不願一個人」那份深情與清秀靈動的嗓子，教我聽得感動。《一代王菲》的「我願意」，她那份小鳥依人，享受甜甜蜜蜜的愛情盡在不言中。其實12.3並不是一款個性特別活潑的揚聲器，而是一款淡定怡人，不激動、不火 爆、不會令憂鬱的音樂也活潑起來的揚聲器，它的感情細膩動人，可以細味，能夠觸動情感的選擇。
Proof that Wharfedale can design great high-end speakers too Tested at £6495
Wharfedale’s Diamond range has been one of the leading contenders at budget price points for more years than we care to remember. The success of this affordable series has spanned almost four decades and, understandably, tended to overshadow the company’s more premium efforts. We don’t think that’s fair, given the excellence of the current Award-winning Evo 4.4 floorstanders and now the hugely ambitious Elysian 4.
These towers are one half of Wharfedale’s new high-end Elysian range – the other is the Elysian 2 standmounters – and were developed in tandem with the Evo series. While there are common engineering threads between these two ranges, it doesn’t take long to realise that the Elysians represent the full expression of those principles.
Build
Standing 119cm tall and 40cm wide, the Elysian 4 are big speakers – unusually broad by current standards. They are a three-way design with a 27 x 90mm AMT (Air Motion Transformer) tweeter, 15cm midrange unit and a pair of meaty 22cm bass units. All three of the larger units use a cone made of a woven glass fibre matrix, a proprietary material that is claimed to combine low mass with high strength. In this installation, it’s also covered with a high-plasticity coating for improved damping of internal resonances.
The bass units are tuned by a downward-firing port arrangement of the type we’ve seen on a number of Wharfedale’s speakers in recent years. The port vents through a gap between the base of the main speaker cabinet and the plinth. This arrangement makes the transition from the high air pressure inside the enclosure to the low pressure of the listening room smoother and is claimed to reduce bass distortion, increase efficiency and spread the bass energy more evenly around the room. In practical terms, this makes the Elysian 4 less fussy about room placement than they otherwise might be.
The Wharfedale’s cabinet is more than just a simple wooden box. The front baffle and internal braces are made of high-density fibreboard (HDF), while the rest of the enclosure uses layered MDF and particleboard panels in a bid to control resonances. The cabinet volume is split internally so that the bass units have their own separate space to work in and don’t disturb the midrange’s operation.
The enclosure sits on widely spaced floor spikes, giving the Elysian 4 a solid and stable stance on a level surface, though oddly they can’t be adjusted and locked into position – something to note if you have uneven hard floors.
Wharfedale has finished these speakers beautifully. The towers are available in three classy-looking colour options – walnut, black and white – and covered in a deep, hand-polished piano gloss. While such a gloss finish is hardly rare, this level of quality certainly is. The gloss is wonderfully deep and luxurious, and in our experience unmatched at this level.
It comes as no surprise to find that such big speakers need a decently large space to shine. We manage to get a good balanced sound in our relatively humble listening room, but even then it’s clear that the Elysian 4 would relish more space to breathe.
Compatibility
We suggest starting with them at least a metre from the rear wall and as far from the sides as possible. It’s worth playing around with the amount of angling towards the listening position, too. We end up pointing the tweeters so that they cross a little behind our heads, but thanks to the AMT’s relatively even horizontal dispersion there’s enough leeway to experiment.
These are revealing speakers and any compromise with the partnering source or amplification is readily heard. That said, a sensitivity of 92dB/W/m and a nominal impedance that’s rather vaguely described as ‘8ohm compatible’ suggests that lower-powered amplifiers shouldn’t be discounted. Indeed, we get great results with Leben’s CS600X integrated amplifier, with its valve-driven circuitry and modest 28W per channel output.
The bulk of our testing is done with our reference Burmester 088/911 Mk3 pre/power combination fed by Naim’s ND555/555 PS DR music streamer and the Technics SL-1000R record player fitted with a Kiseki Purple Heart MC cartridge. While these components would typically be partnered with pricier speakers than the Wharfedale, we never feel their performance is unduly limited by the Elysian 4.
Sound
These floorstanders deliver a combination of scale, authority and dynamic punch that most (invariably smaller) price rivals can’t match. This is apparent when we play Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture; the Wharfedale’s high volume capability and impressive muscularity come to the fore. They give the music a palpable presence in our listening room and deliver a sense of power that most rivals barely hint at.
Large-scale crescendos are dispatched with confidence, the Elysians punching out sound with real venom. They can play at high volume levels without stress too, but also have the less common attribute of still sounding interesting at whisper levels. This is something to take note of if you listen late at night and don’t want to disturb the neighbours.
Those two 22cm bass drivers do just what we would expect and generate the kind of impressive low-end heft their appearance suggests, giving the presentation a wonderfully solid foundation to work from. If all this talk of muscle and physicality suggests a lack of finesse or subtlety, you’re mistaken. If anything it’s the Elysian 4’s impressively civil nature that appeals to us most.
They have the insight and delicacy to bring Ólafur Arnalds’ Found Songs album – a beloved go-to in our collection – to life. The Wharfedale’s sound is full of detail, which is organised in a natural and intuitive way. We like the way these monster floorstanders express the album’s dynamic nuances and the skill with which they communicate instrumental textures. It’s an unforced presentation that’s comfortable and easy-going without sounding bland. There’s a great deal of analysis on offer, but the musical experience always comes first.
These towers capture the album’s various moods brilliantly, making us feel sad, hopeful or peaceful depending on the track we’re playing. Only the best products manage to communicate the emotions in music this well.
Tonally, these Wharfedales are smooth and admirably refined. Feed them a bright and aggressive recording such as Bruce Springsteen’s Terry’s Song and they won’t hide the rough edges. But neither do they go out of their way to emphasise the shortcomings. That AMT tweeter is a good one: it combines resolution with smoothness, delivering the highs sweetly without lacking bite. And that’s a difficult balance to strike.
Stereo imaging is impressive, too. Like most big speakers these towers don’t quite manage to disappear within the soundstage, but they still render a nicely focused and layered image. It’s not the most intimate of presentations, but that’s not a big issue given the Wharfedale’s formidable array of strengths.
Switching between Nina Simone’s Strange Fruit, Kanye West’s Yeezus set and Debussy’s Clare De Lune, we are struck by the Elysian’s transparency. They clearly differentiate between the various recordings, their presentation shifting accordingly. It’s all overlayed with an overriding smoothness and slightly laid-back nature, but that’s easy to hear through.
As we listen, we’re taken by Simone’s passionate delivery, the way each vocal phrase cuts with hurt. The horror and drama in the song comes through without dilution, the Elysian’s clarity through the midrange making it all possible. Kanye West’s album proves these floorstanders can dance if they want to, even if it feels as though they’re a little reserved at times. Clare De Lune highlights the Elysian 4’s lovely treble performance and the way these towers track dynamic shifts so diligently. We’re hooked and have no choice but to listen right to the end, hanging on every last note as we do so.
Verdict
In our view, good value doesn’t come down to how cheap something is; for us it’s about how much you get for the money. In those terms, these big Wharfedales represent excellent value. When it comes to build, engineering content and performance, they have little to fear from any rival.
Provided you have a room large enough to accommodate them, and a suitably talented system, we highly recommend you have a listen. It’s clear that Wharfedale now has another jewel in its crown.
廠方提供了 Luxman Audio Player 應用程序，方便用家從 PC 連接 D-10X 播放音樂， 該軟件支持 FLAC， ALAC，WAV， AIFF， MP3， DSF 和 DSDIFF 文件。用戶可以從 Luxman 官方網站下載適用於 Windows 和 macOS 的軟件。
除了以固定比特率進行常規的 “同步” 文件傳輸外，USB 輸入還支持 Bulk Pure EnhancedTechnology（BulkPet）高分辨率音頻文件傳輸的兩種模式。這樣可以優化數據打包和傳輸到轉換器，從而減輕了主機 CPU 和設備 CPU 的處理負擔，減少了讀取和再現之間的工作量，增強了播放穩定性並改善了音質。
The REL S/812 is the latest model in the company’s Serie S line-up of subwoofers. This sealed unit includes a forward-firing 12-inch driver, combined with a 12-inch downward-firing passive radiator for deeper bass extension. It sports a revised cabinet, sits on rails instead of feet, uses an upgraded 800W NextGen5 amplifier for more power, and has a redesigned ultra-lightweight ContinuousCast alloy cone to handle the increased excursion. It also has very useful carry handles on the sides, which make installation easier.
This powerful and accomplished subwoofer combines classy looks with an even classier performance
This is an excellent subwoofer that’s beautifully designed and fantastically well made. It’s also an impressive performer, delivering exceptional bass in a tight and controlled fashion. The combination of the 12-inch driver and matching 12-inch passive radiator ensures some serious low-end extension, and the amplification has power to spare. It would be nice if REL included a remote control, but otherwise this highly sophisticated sub is hard to fault. It’s certainly not cheap, but when you consider the build quality, features and performance, the S/812 is a definite high-end winner.
二元化、假命題，不知為何總對大眾總有一定「吸引力」，諸如黑膠 vs CD、CD vs CAS、音響 vs 耳機、立體聲系統 vs 家庭影院等等，刻意把兩種沒有衝突的事物 當成對立，令人以為一定要二選一。聽音樂與玩音響，也是其中一種常見的假對立。
要打破這種虛假對立，以 Creek Voyage CD、Voyage i20 作為例子就足夠了。前者既可聽 CD，亦有 USB 輸入；後者是擁有 USB DAC 的合併機，配上一對揚聲器便可以聽音樂，但是，當你想要「玩器材/線材」時，與 Voyage CD、揚聲器加起來，又有不少可玩之處。更重要是這套西裝擁有英國音響的傳統優點，就是音樂感出色、表現全面，而且售價親民，預算不多的入門玩家，都不難負擔。
單機多用途
Creek 是入門至中階英國音響的好選擇，一直以來都保持機身不大、身價合理、將絕大部分錄音都播得動聽等優點。來到最近幾年，品牌決定精簡產品線，現時備有三款產品加一張擴展卡。它們分別是 Voyage CD 多功能 CD 機、Voyage i20 合併機、OBH-8mk2 唱頭放大器，最後是作為 Voyage i20 合併機選購項目的 Sequel-mk4 MM 唱放卡。 這個陣容之中，兩款 Voyage 系列型號明顯是主力產品，故此兩機都是多功能器材，實在非常合理。 例如 Voyage CD 除了作為CD機之外 (機芯是 Stream Unlimited CD80)，亦設有 USB type B 輸入，這個介面背後是八核心 XMOS 非同步 USB 晶片，支援最高 PCM 32bit/384kHz、DSD512 (即是22.4 MHz)。DAC 部分的重心，是 AKM 32bit 解碼晶片，因此能夠解讀上述兩種數碼音 頻格式。另外，Voyage CD 備有六種數碼濾波程式，可以輕易微調聲音取向。
把一對 Creek 西裝帶到我們細房，百餘呎空間正好適合它們發揮，亦接近一般香港家居的客廳大小。揚聲器是 PMC twenty 5.23；一對 Analysis Plus Power Oval 2 Mk2 電源線；TiGLON MS-DF12X XLR 訊號線；TiGLON MSS- DF100SP 喇叭線。 之所以以這個組合作為開始，是預期 Creek 孖寶是保留了傳統特色的新派英國聲，即是厚、暖、動態大而不壓迫、不會挑剔錄音瑕疵，而所謂新派，當然是合乎現時標準的高分析力、闊頻寬等等。所以用上一對中性又有少許厚聲的 PMC twenty5.23；Analysis Plus Power Oval 2 Mk2 電源線是中性之選，力量夠而不粗聲；TiGLON MS-DF12X XLR 訊號線則是厚聲、微暖的，與同廠稍為爽朗、明亮的 MSS-DF100SP 喇叭線加起來，聲音理應會接近完全中性。 結果一擊即中，Creek Voyage 西裝的表現更有少超出預期，首先是音色的確厚暖，不過比想像中更為中性，分 析力、兩極延伸、推力及動態，更是有驚喜。
全面地帶來驚喜
第一張聆聽的是《Brahms: Horn Trio, Op.40》 (Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov, Teunis van der Zwart) CD，厚、暖聲底恰當地重播出提琴琴腔的木頭質 感，而這種暖厚並不強烈，而且貫徹全頻。主體固然清晰、實在，然而堂音也十分吸引，所以空間感出色，主體和錄音場地的比例也變得清楚。 堂音豐富又合乎比例，代表着 Creek 西裝的高音延伸出色，而且三頻平均，因而空氣感、堂音都足夠又自然。 比起以往所謂的所謂英國聲，現時聽到其實較為清秀，厚而不濃，而傳統的流暢音樂感、不苛刻的個性、中音和中高音的圓滑，就仍然存在。 弓法變化、擦弦角度、速度及力度等等，得益於器材的控制力出色、起與收的速度夠快，因此細節和韻尾完整之餘，亦展現到音樂應有的活力。 動態起伏明顯、快速，聲音活潑，不過音樂氣氛依然從容，一切都遊刃有餘，沒有半點繃緊。
低音有質又有量
換上 Avi Avital 的《Between Worlds》，曼陀鈴的音色準確，琴弦夠細但實在，聽得出是弦線而不是單一個發聲 點，又或是細似絲線。播得到琴弦直徑多少，還聽得到材質，雖然聽起來亮度不俗，只是仍然可以分辨到那是尼龍弦，而不是金屬琴弦。
音像件頭不算瘦，只是合乎揚聲器比例，音像大小對比其實頗為清晰，而且密度足夠，令各種樂器都有足夠重量。 不得不提是低音部分，原來分量、動態和控制力都喜出望外，要下潛、要打心口、要有量感、又要有線條， Creek 西裝都一一有齊。 Creek 西裝不是強調分析力的器材，雖然訊息量豐富， 不過中高音沒有凸出，所以沒有銳化弱音細節，只是在平順、圓滑之中交代一切。 低音提琴的厚沉和重量當然吸引，不過細心聆聽下， 會發現當中還有不少來自共鳴箱的細節，表現方式雖然含 蓄，令你不會特別在意那些樂器主體以外的枝葉。
最爽還是搖滾
接下來播放了多張英國樂隊 Muse、英國唱作歌手 Ed Sheeran 的專輯，果然，這些強調節奏感、較重型的音樂， 正是 Creek 西裝播得最出色的音樂種類。分量大、有速度之餘，亦播到那種「重型」的感覺，更重要是感染力強，無論是熱血還是令人想擺動身體，都一一做到。此外，這套 Creek 西裝不會強調瑕疵，只是把錄音出色的地方放得更大。
全面地好聽，是 Creek Voyage 的最大特色，不同音樂種類、不同錄音質素皆播得好聽，而節奏強烈的搖滾、流行音樂，就最為出眾。 之前一直聽 CD，是因為 Voyage CD 播放 CD 的表現出色，同一器材的 USB 輸入，假如只接駁家用電腦，要去到 PCM 24bit/192kHz、DSD128，才會覺得後者開始超前 CD 播放，足以證明 CD 未有全面被檔案播放比下去，亦代表着 Voyage CD 的 CD 機芯有一定實力。 單純以 USB 介面來說，Voyage i20 是勝過 Voyage CD，而兩者連接電腦時，細節銳利度會比播放 CD 為高，圓 潤程度有少許不一樣。
搭配試聽的是 Quad 國都的 Artera Play+ 播放器、Artera Pre 前級和 Artera Stereo 后級。Artera Play+ 播放器是一台集中 CD 播放、藍牙接收、解碼器、前級於一身的多功能一體機，支持 DSD256 的解碼，功能非常豐富。Artera Stereo 后級採用的是 Quad 著名的電流傾注技術（current dumping），給一個功率不大的 A 類功放帶上一個大功率的 B 類輸出級，通過 B 類輸出級向 A 類功放提供大電流，在低功率輸出下以低失真的 A 類放大方式運作，到高功率輸出時，則採用效率較高的 AB 類放大運作，在 8Ω 時輸出功率可達 140W。搭配 Elysian 2 會有怎樣的聲音表現？
剛才的聽感，來自聆聽《John Williams In Vienna》、《Beethoven: Songs & Folksongs》(Ian Bostridge, Antonio Pappano)、《Chanson d’Amour》(Sabine Devieilhe, Alexandre Tharaud) 等古典音樂專輯，Vantage 的音場、結像特性，還有超高分析力，非常適合重播古典音樂，以及其他錄到自然堂音的專輯。 它可以輕鬆給你聽到《John Williams In Vienna》內，黃金大廳的豐富殘響與瑰麗的高音空氣、維也納愛樂的獨特銅管音色，與其他音樂廳、樂團有甚麼分別。 所有提琴的擦弦細節同樣極之清晰，琴弦直徑和琴腔不同所出現的聲音差異，令你不可以分不出樂團的四種提琴。 喜歡櫻桃小嘴的話，Vantage 就是他杯茶，而且得到的比大家想要的更多。原因在於這把小嘴的嘴唇動作、舌頭位置、呼吸變化都一清二楚，更令你透視到喉嚨甚至胸腔。 一切都出奇地清晰，又不會覺得超現實，因為聲音密度理想之下，每粒音都有足夠存在感，不會虛浮。 以畫面去比喻之，Vantage 的解像度已接近 UHD 與 8K 之間，立體感媲美 3D 攝影機拍攝的影像，而清晰度、真實感卻遠超 3D 電影所能做到的效果。
一開始張老闆示範了幾張他選擇的大考片，並且切換 InVincible 開關作 AB 測試，原先我以為在大樂團或低頻多的片子上會有較大體會，但就在撥放單純的人聲專輯時，我對於人聲的厚度與頻段完整性差異竟然如此之大感到相當驚訝，乍聽之下聲音變得厚一些，下盤穩定了一些，但細聽後發覺並非僅是厚度改變，比較像是音樂頻段更為完整，因為聽起來是更有層次感而非僅僅增加厚度而已。張老闆接著換上教堂現場錄音的唱片，為的就是聽管風琴與整體音場的表現，其實這些我在原來的系統也聽得到，但是有了 InVincible 整個聲音硬是 ”輕鬆”、”寬鬆”，在平常音量(與旁人講話不必費力狀態下)時，低頻極為沉穩、寬裕、明確，音場的延伸，教堂的規模感極佳，相比之下沒有開啟超低音時，聲音雖然都存在但就不是那麼樣的輕鬆自然，InVincible 的幫助真的非常大。隨後我換上自己更為熟悉的唱片，坦白講每首歌曲聽起來都完全不同了，頻段下段的豐富性和層次感與過去根本是兩回事，真的刷新了我對這些歌曲的印象與理解，特別是在大家熟悉的 The Bass Gang 牛筋四人幫中，低音大提琴的箱身體積、層次、共鳴都徹底改變，弓弦摩擦的聲音與箱身共鳴的比例均衡度也完全不同，資訊量整個爆棚，20 秒便足以瞠目結舌。所以說inVincible超低音相當令人感到痛苦，因為體積大、價格高、入手難，但聽完知道了差異後卻又難以忘懷，在張老闆說希望將來能在沒有inVincible超低音的狀況下將聲音調整到接近這個標準，我想我只能給予無限祝福。
YG Acoustics inVincible超低音規格
● 頻寬: 真實全輸出(-0 dB)低於20 Hz, 可用延伸低於15 Hz
● 單體: 53 cm (21”), BilletCore
● 配置: InVincible 21.1 – 單顆, InVincible 21.2 – 雙顆
● 擴大電路: 最大6,000瓦RMS
● DSP: Proprietary DualCoherent 用家可透過軟體進行頻率控制, Pre-programmed給特定YG喇叭, Extensive options給其他品牌喇叭
● 尺寸: 75 x 68 x 68cm (30 x 27 x 27″), 單顆
● 重量: 111 kg (244 lbs), 未包裝
文章開始就說，D-10X 是最新一代數碼播放器，內設 MQA 解碼模組，可重播MQA-CD，同時兼容 CD 和 SACD 播 放。MQA-CD 的效果，上面已經略述。至於 CD 和 SACD， 相信大家還是與我一樣，家中擁有的 CD 數量眾多，一部新數碼播放器，假使解碼系統只有新制式好聲，而播 CD 卻次一二等水準的話，那麼它就不值得我推薦。
Tonally, these Wharfedales are smooth and admirably refined. Feed them a bright and aggressive recording such as Bruce Springsteen’s Terry’s Song and they won’t hide the rough edges. But neither do they go out of their way to emphasise the shortcomings. That AMT tweeter is a good one: it combines resolution with smoothness, delivering the highs sweetly without lacking bite. And that’s a difficult balance to strike.
