The Studer A80 Master Recorder is one hell of a beast. After previously owning a Studer A807 MKII, Nagra Kudelski, Revox G36 and a Pioneer RT-909, in 2018 I wanted to revisit an old friend which I was familiar with back in the early '90s.

The Studer A80/R is a 96.5kg machine. It was built for precision, performance and reliability. And after 50 years since its initial release, it's the transport and audio capability which is still regarded as one of the best.

Abbey Road, for example, has always used the A80 and in most recent times an A80 was used for transferring 1/4" master tapes to digital for the Miles Showell 1/2 speed Abbey Road/Universal remasters.

"The A80 is the only machine that can be used for all analogue cutting." - Miles Showell

Back in the early 90s, I used to work part-time in a couple of recording Studios in Sheffield, UK. Back then, Studer equipment was pretty standard issue in medium to large studios. Multi-track Studer machines such as the A80, A810 or A820 were pretty commonplace.

Some used machines from Sony, Tascam and Otari but it was the Studer A80 I always remembered being the most friendly and the most 'safe' to media.

These machines were always looked after and in some places, only the studio engineer was privileged to use them. It wasn't until digital started to really dominate that these beautiful machines were assigned to the corners of the studio and used as coat dumps. Some were only wheeled out occasionally to stand on to replace studio light bulbs.

The Studer A80/R Master Tape Recorder - Tannoyista.com

The Studer A80/R Master Tape Recorder Locator and timer function control - Tannoyista.com

Back then, my meagre little job was to set up microphones, reset the desks and sometimes lace-up these big machines. And, yes... make the tea. I never really got to use the amazing machines properly but I remember them being used an awful lot when I first started. They were real workhorses.

The Studer A80/R Master Tape Recorder - Control buttons with LED replacement backlights Tannoyista.com

After some deliberation on which machine I should go for, the A80 was a choice I had to really push the boat out for. It wasn't just that the asking price of these machines had been rising astronomically over the past 5 years but it was also a dive into the unknown (technically wise) because I knew how much these machines were used and abused. One good memory was that I hardly ever remembered them breaking down.

The Studer A80/R Master Tape Recorder with RTW meter, PPM meter and SPL master control- Tannoyista.com

Using the SPL Volume 2 monitor control together with a vintage AVID PPM and the RTW-1206D Plasma PPM units

The monitoring controls consist of the Dyer Audio Systems Mk2 PPM meter, an RTW-1206D Plasma PPM unit and the SPL Volume2 control unit.

The Dyer PPM uses Alice 304 boards, Sifam 44a meters and Sowter transformers. It's one of the best PPM meters I've used.

For more information regarding the SPL Volume 2, you can find out more HERE!

With any reel to reel, a combination of both the idleness and the ravages of time was my initial worry. In some respects, with these machines, a hard-life can be almost as bad as a seldom one. Buying a machine which had not been used for over 20 years can bring its problems.

The A80/R is now relished by studios and audiophiles. Its transport to this day is renowned to be one of the finest in the world. And it's audio electronics, (although very simple in comparison to the A800, 820 or 810) were practically the same as the famed B62 which was one of the first transistorised pro machines.

The Studer A80/R Master Tape Recorder - The legendary transport - New bearings - Tannoyista.com

The legendary A80 transport

I wanted to get a machine with lowish hours, good heads and with some recent service history. I finally found the one I wanted. Dating from 1973/74 it was originally owned by Advision Studios in London and it was mostly used for bouncing to stereo and speech transfer. Advision were taken over in 1993 by the current owner, The Sound Company.

Condition wise, it's in superb cosmetic condition. With any machine like this, you will always find some wear. If the machine has had a hard life as an editing machine you will generally find a lot of splicing scratches around the head area.

This machine is a high-speed machine which has speeds of 15ips and 30ips.

One surprising aspect about this machine was that it had recently been hired out to FOX as a set piece for the award-winning biopic Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. When I bought it, the machine was still with FOX and it took a while for them to return it. But, return it they did and once it was back in the workshop it had a full service.

In my case, I paid extra for a full electrolytic re-cap on all of the mains power, control logic and audio cards. Make no mistake, there are a LOT of caps to change. I also paid for new bearings, around 30 in all. All mechanical parts were cleaned and lubricated before calibration work was also undertaken.

Brake bands were adjusted and drums cleaned and the Capstan oiled with the correct oil.

The Studer A80/R Master Tape Recorder Inside the machine - New PSU Caps - Tannoyista.com

In the back of the A80/R

The power supply and the audio cards have had further upgrades since I've owned this machine. Top-quality audio grade capacitors such as Elna Simlic 2 and Nichicon FG were installed and the tantalum capacitors have also been sympathetically replaced with top-end components. The Motor-Run caps were also changed.

The oscillator card has also had its relays updated and new CCIR daughter boards have also been installed.

All of the push-button controls have also been overhauled. All contacts have been cleaned and colour coded operation lights installed. Some of the microswitches have also been replaced.

There is no doubt, once set up to a good tape, the sound from this machine is simply astonishing. I chose RTM SM900 tape and I'm really glad I did. Everything people say about this tape is true. It's a wonderful tape.

Here is a full list of works completed so far:

All Audio cards are matched NOS and all electrolytic caps replaced with top quality audio grade Nichicon gold capacitors.
Power cards and all control cards have been re-capped.
Brand new CCIR daughter cards from Pievox.
The regulator card was also updated which makes a huge difference.
Oscillator card was also updated.
The heads are Butterfly on both recording and playback. They were re-lapped before I bought it and they are in excellent condition. Distortion measured by my tech was vanishingly low so they will last for a long, long time yet.
All the relays have been updated with the amazing Pievox relays.
All bearings were replaced with ultra-quiet bearings (the best and correct ABEC versions with the correct lubricant) installed on the transport.
All PSU and larger motor run caps have also been replaced.
A number of microswitches have also been replaced with same spec.
Capstan motor is regularly oiled with the proper oil. Very easy job to do.
NOS control push-buttons covers, location buttons and timer cover have all been installed replacing the old brittle discoloured ones.
Coloured LED lights opposed to the old incandescent types installed, reversible if wanted.
NOS hum shield installed.

The Studer A80/R is a classic jewel. The sound is truly remarkable and it makes you wonder, why on earth did we ever go digital?

Precision is no accident and the A80 does everything right.

Dimensions and weight of the A80/R

Height = (with castors) 840mm (33.1")

Width = 700mm (27.6")

Depth = 600mm (23.6")

Weight = 95.6kg net (209lbs)

Original review published 30/06/2018

My previous turntable was Thorens TD-124 MKII which I was in position for nearly 10 years. It was fully refurbished by Schopper and the sound was sublime. Running with an SPU GT with an SME 3009 it really rocked. Well, things change and I decided I really wanted to finally get my hands on an L-07D.

When one came on the market I snapped it up and after a full service, I'm really glad I did.

The Trio/Kenwood L-07D turntable hs always sparked my interest. I first saw one in a magazine back in the mid 90' and I was always impressed with its design. Not only that but the fact that it was made around the late '70s, mid-'80s.

There is a mystery about this outstanding turntable. Nobody knows for sure who designed it or how much profit Trio made on the production. But the general consensus is that Trio didn't make a penny back on these turntables, in fact, some say they were even in deficit. It was purely a loss leader, a 'Statement flagship'. Even Kenwood today don't know much about the people involved with the design. There are some who say Micro Seiki had major involvement in the design too.

The model name is actually an abbreviation of several different identifications.

L- = 'Laboratory series' which used the very best components.
07 = The design team of 7 engineers
D = The identification of the production of turntables within Trio/Kenwood.

The Construction

Cutaway of TRIO KENWOOD L-07D Turntable - Tannoyista.com

The L-07D is a very heavy turntable, weighing in at 35kg fully assembled. It's high rigidity closed-loop construction uses a selection of specially manufactured laminated materials to eliminate vibration.

The extremely high inertia direct motor drive is kept perfectly in time with a crystal-controlled frequency generator and stays perfect no matter what influence the input mains voltage may have. And any abnormal external breaking of the platter is corrected instantly. So, when the designers set out to build a turntable with a 'zero tolerance' for speed errors, they did exactly that.

In fact, the team re-designed the idea of the turntable full stop.

Cutaway of the TRIO KENWOOD L-07D Turntable - Tannoyista.com

The Plinth is a three-part affair utilising a huge aluminium subframe through which is bolted both the motor (via with 6 massive hex bolts) and the huge tonearm base. This massive machined aluminium casting is cast together into the main plinth section which is made from a concrete resin called ARCB (Anti-Resonance Compression Base).

This ARCB section forms most of the plinth, The last section is a large section of mahogany, seated and integrated into the ARCB base by 34 screws. The ARCB base alone weighs in at 10kg.

The 4 large adjustable feet are constructed of a two-piece machined brass billet.

The Tonearm

The tonearm on this turntable is also astonishing. The 3kg machined and cast unit allows you to adjust the VTA on-the-fly whilst listening with zero tracking errors. Made from a unique mix of resonant cancelling materials it lives up to being a separate machine and a thing of beauty in its own right.

Incorporating ultra hardened roller bearings which have zero play ensures precise tracking. The tonearm tube itself is made from a layered mix of Aluminium, Boron and Carbon. The original headshell is also made from layered Boron and Carbon.

TRIO KENWOOD L-07D Turntable tonearm - Tannoyista.com

The highest quality Litz wiring is used internally and all pins are heavily gold plated. The tonearm cable is also Litz using 168 wires per conductor.

The Anti-Skate mechanism is an unusual yet ingenious mechanism. Using two machined metal end poles with a hair-like thread connecting both together. Each pole has a machined hole in one end. They anchor to the tonearm and the arm base via a small peg. The thread is then wound around a small pully and then around a pivoted adjustable weight arm. Just this mechanism by itself shows the amazing attention to detail the designers went through.

Top view of the TRIO KENWOOD L-07D Turntable - Tannoyista.com

The Platter

The Platter is also something of beauty. It's beautifully machined, no flaws. Constructed from a triple layer composite of anti-resonant materials such as Aluminium and Duralumin. Then the top platter mat is made from a 5mm machined slab of non-magnetic stainless steel.

Including the rotor, the combined rotational weight is 6.8kg. For even more stability, Trio included an inner and outer stabiliser increasing the rotational weight to 8.7kg, and if you were to include the ceramic platter the weight jumps up to 10kg.

Side view of the TRIO KENWOOD L-07D Turntable - Tannoyista.com

The Control Unit / Power Supply

The external power supply/control unit is a hefty bit of kit. Its umbilical cable contains 20 smaller cables and it uses a JAE connector to connect to the turntable. All the settings are adjusted here. When the turntable is serviced this unit also needs to be re-calibrated.

The Sound

A little bit about my system first. My system comprises of a Croft Epoch Elite which is highly modified. The internal phono stage is MM and so I'm using a Lentek SUT which has a great synergy with the Trio. More information on my Croft can be found HERE!

The main amplifier is the Tube Distinctions copper amplifier using KT-150's. Discover more information HERE!

My main speakers are Lockwood Majors with 15" Tannoy monitor gold drivers. More information can be found HERE!

The sound is astonishing. I could just stop there as it sums it all up. The pace and timing was the main aspect I noticed immediately. I had to reconfigure my ears I guess. The bass is voluptuously gratifying and the image is centre stage, rock-solid with everything fitting together perfectly.

The L-07D is a rare wonder. Something that was on sale when I was only 7 years old. Yet it's something that performs and looks like it was made much more recently. It makes me think how much this deck would now cost to design and produce. Okay, there are plenty of advancements in materials and components these days and even the control unit could now be the size of a Raspberry Pi. Probably smaller.

But I love old tech. I love the workmanship, the passion, and the over-engineering which used to go into development and the L-07D is an astonishing example of that.

Front of the TRIO KENWOOD L-07D Turntable - Tannoyista.com

My special thanks to the L-07D website for the technical information. For a much more technical and in-depth insight into the L-07D, please visit www.l-07d.com

Pricing:

Generally, the price for these on the 2nd hand market are rising constantly. If you would like to buy one of these wonderful turntables, be prepared to pay around £3500 - £4500 mark. Since I bought mine, prices have risen sharply and for very good reason.

The reason being is that there isn't anything made with the same quality unless your budget is around £20k and above.

Once you have one, you won't want to let it go. It's a true classic and becoming rarer to find.

Trident Studios was a recording studio in London. During the late 60s and all through the 70s and 80s and 90s, Trident Studios was one of the most unique recording studios in the world. The legacy of this studio is now legendary. Today the studio is no more, in fact, it's now a very upmarket townhouse which is sad to see.

But the ghostly reverberations of the studio still ring loud in our music and culture today, and in many ways just as loud as Abbey Road.

Within a small window of time from 1968 to around 1977, Tridents control room setup included 4 Lockwood Major monitoring loudspeakers for hearing back mixes. That amazing window in time included some of the most prolific artists using the studio such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Queen, Lou Reed, T-Rex and others.

This is the story of two of the actual loudspeakers used to make those amazing albums.

There's nothing like hearing BIG speakers. The amount of energy and spatial energy is totally immersive. Back in the early 90s, I used to work in a small studio where we used such speakers. The sound was totally astonishing. Of course, a studio control room is treated to a vast degree but even with a typical living room space, you can still get a lot of the magic.

So, in 2013, my love for large loudspeakers began. At that time, I was using some Lockwood Universal loudspeakers which were pretty good but when I had the chance to move to the ultimate beasts, I just had to do it. So in 2015, I sold the Lockwood Universal cabinets to go bigger and, yes... much better. Bring on the Lockwood Majors.

The Universals came from a friend and after previously discovering they originated from CTS studios and then Toe Rag Studios, it was pretty much a given that at some point in the past my Majors would've also been resident in a sound studio of some calibre. So I started to investigate.

The Majors

The seller of the Majors was an old gent who was in poor health. He was selling off a lot of great kit that had been in storage for over 40 years. He had a set of Bates microphone preamps, a Studer B67 and loads of old tape which in hindsight, I really should have bought. Doh!

I sent him an email asking if he had any information but it wasn't until 2016 that I heard back from him. In fact, his email inconveniently slipped into my spam folder.

Picture of the Trident Lockwoods in situ in my home.

He remembered the cabinets belonging to either a producer or a technician who worked at a studio in west London and was told there were 4 of them against a wall in the studio. The guy rescued a pair when the studio was refitted back in or around the mid to late '70s.

So, I had a quick look on the net and came up with some pictures of a studio back in the day which were really quite astonishing, they show a wall of 4 black Lockwood Major speakers. So I contacted the seller again to ask if he could find any more details. He got back to me and said that they came from a place in Soho, Trident Studios?

To be honest, I was half expecting him to say Olympic studios as I remembered a small clip from the Stones movie, 'Gimmie Shelter'. In a small clip, Keith Richards is front of some Lockwoods when they were mixing 'Little Queenie'.

But there was something which didn't add up in regards to that. The mixing desk in that clip was a Trident desk and so the official information on the film literature is incorrect.

Here is a picture of Keith Richards standing in front of the Majors along with a picture of Norman Sheffield, the founder of Trident and the Trident desk.

Keith Richards - Image © 20th Century Fox

Apart from the decor which commonly changed with refits and equipment updates, (as does mine), it shows the Stones were in Trident and not Olympic.

We Brits had a fascination for Tannoy speakers back then (and still have... well, I do) but it wasn't until the Major came on to the scene when a studio reference standard was born, especially here in the UK. Olympic, Chappell and Trident all had Lockwood Majors.

My story kind of stopped there for a few years. Given what I gleaned from the seller about these speakers I was pretty confident that they came from Trident.

In early 2020 I decided to fit my Tannoyista crossovers inside the cabinets for a little experiment when I found something which nailed their origin. Externalising the crossovers is based on good grounds but I wanted to know what the effects were by placing them in a certain position inside the large cabinets.

Find out more information on the Tannoyista Crossovers below:

The Tannoyista Monitor Gold crossovers

I had them fixed into the back/bottom area of the cabinet, just above the reflex by constructing a small wooden frame as opposed to laying them flat in the base. These cabinets sometimes had small amplifiers fitted into the base thus becoming an active speaker.

Pictures of the Tannoyista crossovers being installed inside the Major cabinets.

As we were installing them, we needed to drag one a little way across the carpet. As I held the inside top lip of the opening I felt a smooth part attached to the inside. It wasn't until I looked further inside that I discovered a rectangular plate attached by two screws.

The older Lockwoods came with two types of I.D plates. The square I.D plate is normally fixed to the top left of the cabinet's back panel and the other type is normally located on the bottom centre of the back panel.

Lockwood Major I.D Plate (top left of left-hand loudspeaker)

Additionally, the top I.D plate is only present on one of a pair of loudspeakers. An old friend who worked in the industry told me that the badged loudspeaker was to show the left-hand loudspeaker.

Unscrewing the inside plate revealed this. Stamped into the plate is 'LS2 TRIDENT'

One of the once hidden I.D plates. It's now attached to the back panel where 'still' nobody can see it.

Upon looking inside the other loudspeaker cabinet, I couldn't find the other I.D plate so out of curiosity I unstapled a strip of sound insulation which wasn't present on my other loudspeaker and, behold, there it was, the other plate.

This time the plate said 'LS3 TRIDENT'

So I assume that LS2 and LS3 correspond to Loudspeaker 2 and Loudspeaker 3.

In a monitoring environment, speakers 2 & 3 would correspond to the centre two monitors with 1 & 4 being the outer monitors.

The elephant-sized question here is why on earth were they attached to the inside of the cabinet, completely out of sight? A special order? A mistake made at the factory? Or even perhaps one of the technical people did it to avoid confusion if they were to ever move or swap them over?

Lockwood also sometimes stamped a serial number into the wood surround on the back of some loudspeakers.

My Majors also have a number stamped to which are in sequence. #1724/2 and #1725/3 but, alas, Lockwood retained no record of serial numbers which is unfortunate. I guess they must have made quite a lot in a short period of time.

The I.D plates are now attached to the back panel where they should be.

The design of my Majors are also slightly different to the general ones too. The difference being is that the front lower panel is not present, making them open at the bottom. It seems to me that Lockwood made this design to order.

As in the photo's, Trident had 4 speakers in one studio. It's pretty much a given that these are part of that set of speakers and it's nice to know that they have remained together for all these years. But, knowing the whereabouts of 1 & 4 would be a great thing to know.

Picture of the control room inside Trident back in the early 70s - Image © Trident Studios

So again, if anyone could help, that would be great. I can only presume that the missing speakers are marked in the same (hidden) way so if you have any which are identical to these please do check the inside top lip of the speakers.

David Bowie

After some further investigating, I found more intriguing evidence of the speakers at Trident. Not only that but none other than the late David Bowie standing in front of them.

David Bowie, also used these speakers for mixing the albums, Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

Queen, T-Rex, Lou Reed and many others also used these actual speakers to master some of the most iconic and legendary music ever.

Here is the late and legendary David Bowie standing in front of the Trident speakers.

David Bowie Master Reel Tape Trident Tannoyista

The Beatles

It was The Beatles who persuaded George Martin at Abbey Road to get rid of the Altecs and the smaller JBL's and refit with Majors.

To hear 4 of these speakers in a studio must have been amazing. Want to know what Sir Paul McCartney had to say?

Here is a great little snippet from an interview with Sir Macca:

Q: "On the end of ‘Hey Jude’ you can quite clearly hear someone swearing. Why did you decide not to remove that?

Paul McCartney: I don’t think we noticed until later. We recorded it in Trident Studios, which is in Soho, which is a studio that we used if we couldn’t get in Abbey Road.

So, we were all there and we did ‘Hey Jude’, and we were listening back on these six-foot-tall tannoy speakers, and there were four of them in the room so it was like living in the song, which is how you can impair your hearing!

So we just whacked it up real loud and listened to it. It was more of an experience than anything. Then we took it back to Abbey Road, and we were more preoccupied with the thing that we’d fooled ourselves with the sound - it sounded great on these great big speakers, but when we put it on the naff speakers that we always tested everything on, which was just a couple of very ordinary JBLs, it sounded crap.

We had to put in like full bass and full treble; the engineers really had to load it back up, cos we’d fooled ourselves on the sound. I think we were so preoccupied with that, that we didn’t really listen to it until it was too late, and then we listened to it very carefully on headphones and sort of thought, ‘Oh, shit!’ Because there were a lot of vocal part harmonies, you know: [sings] “And any time you feel the... Aaaahhhhhh...” A lot of long notes, and I think probably someone made a mistake and went, ‘Aw, fuck it!’ or whatever, and that just found itself in the mix. It wasn’t intentional. "

Trident session receipt for The Beatles. March 1967

Abbey road used the LE.1.S MK3 Majors in the Studio 1 control room which were also used at Trident in their machine room.

The LE1S Major had pretty much the same dimensions as a reference Major but slightly taller due to the speaker aperture being higher to fit a front-firing port rather than a downwards firing port. Abbey Road also 'allegedly' used Tannoys Lancasters sat on tea trollies.

Another London studio called Basing Street (Sarm Studios) also used Majors which were clad in a red/orange. Pete Townsend also had an orange pair and Elton John also had a pair in light blue. Joe Meek used one of the early Major designs (also an LE1 type) which he used to cut his mono lacquers with.

The Construction

The construction of the Major cabinets is quite simple compared to some of today's designs. But you simply can't write a basic design as 'not as good as...'. Many things in audio rely on simple design and these are no exception. The advantage the Majors have is 'SIZE' and weight. Being able to house 15" drivers is still something of a luxury. So with the Tannoy Gold (or Red) drivers, there is a magical synergy.

The cabinets are encased in 1,5mm Formica which forms the rigid structure over the large sub straights. Remove the Formica and you will ruin the sound.

The grill fabric is a very complex weave. Not only that but the materials used is a form of nylon/plastic mono fibre blend. When you look at it up close, it's really quite amazing.

The fabric fitted to the Majors is taught and springy, like a trampoline. It's not baggy and has a totally different feel to conventional speaker grill fabric. When fitted, it needs to be warmed slightly to help with flexibility. It then needs to be pulled taught horizontally and securing with staples and glue on each side. Needless to say, its recommended to have an expert hand to do the job right. And right it must be.

The original manufacturer of this fabric was a company called Fothergill & Harvey. Today they are 'The Fothergill Group' and are still based in Lancashire, UK. But, unfortunately, they no longer manufacture this material, in fact, they haven't made any in many decades.

Originally named 'Tygan', the fabric was made for automotive upholstery. Production started in the 1940s up until the mid-1970s.

Fothergill still manufactures fabrics but they now consist of higher performance yarns such as glass, aramid and carbon. Sadly they no longer make synthetic monofilament yarns or have any old stock material available.

Lockwood used this material on quite a few of the models including the Majors and Universals. Some of the smaller models also used this fabric. It came in two shades, a beige brown (shown) and a darker red colour.

If you have any of this fabric, please get in touch with me.

Here is a close-up of the Tygan Fabric.

For more information and history of Trident Studios, please follow the link below:

Official Trident Studios website

And click below to purchase the book 'Life on two legs - Set the record straight'

'Life on two legs - Set the record straight'

I am really proud to own these speakers as they have a rather cool heritage.

Although a little worn around the edges, for their age they look fine... And yes, sounding absolutely splendid.

Close-up picture of the front Lockwood badge

I first started reviewing music streamers back in 2015 with the IQaudio DAC. Subsequently, the ALLO BOSS + Piano with the BOBW PSU and then the KATANA + Isolator + Shanti.

You can read my review on the Katana The ALLO Katana + Isolator Review.

And my review of the Shanti PSU The ALLO Shanti ultra low noise linear power supply

With every iteration of their product range, they seem to take a few more steps forward rather than back, and again, their latest product is something really special.

There is plenty of choices when it comes to something like this from Audiophonics, Topping, French Audio. But for me and at this price point, the Revolution DAC as a package is much more attractive.

All of the products from ALLO have always surprised me in regards to performance. Since the BOSS was released in 2016, ALLO and their technical team seemed to go into overdrive.

The new Revolution (or Rev) DAC is something I was hoping for in terms of its design. Something with fewer wires, easier to use, and generally more sleek looking has been on my wish list for quite a while.

The RPI was never intended to be the engine for a DAC. Its inputs/outputs are all over the place and once plugged in it's not an easy thing to look at.

The Rev has changed all that.

The Rev is essentially a USB DAC. Utilising the ALLO USBridge Signature the RPI is now encased and out of sight. Whilst the Katana supported PCM, DoP64, and DoP128. It had no support for DSD direct (DSD native).

The Rev however supports PCM, DSD direct (DSD512), DoP 256. Also, the Rev can be used with windows and other Linux /Mac systems.

Let's unbox it.

The ALLO Revolution DAC with the USBridge, remote and USBlink

The units are connected by a USB umbilical cable called the 'Flexicable'. It's basically a USB A to Mini USB cable. But, a little caution, the cable is rather thin and it feels fragile. I've no idea why it's so short or even if a longer cable would make it more convenient to place each unit. I'd like the option of stacking the units with the USBridge being the base unit or separating them entirely.

The power supply to the USBridge is a Mini USB. Although this is okay, it would be better if the power was a barrel connector. I guess this is a legacy of the RPI.

The supply socket to the Rev is a barrel connector that feels much better.

On switch-on from the Shanti, we have two indicator lights on the front of the USBridge Signature and a rather nice LED display on the front of the REV.

The Rev has a lovely little remote to be able to navigate through the user-definable menu. And neatly nestled next to the small screen is a small joy-pad to do this manually.

With the addition of the remote, it makes this little unit even more lovely to use. It's got a nice feel in your hand and a confident 'click' on button de-press which is good.

The connections of the ALLO Revolution DAC and USBridge

The Rev was made with two kinds of people in mind when it comes to how they 'see' sound, the objectivist, and the subjectivist.

Quote from ALLO

"Objectivist side:

Revolution THD+N is -114.5. However, look closer. THD is the main problem since N (noise) is always around us and as such human ear/brain can tune it out. THD of Rev is at around -122 to -124 making this one of the best tested DACs (unbalanced outputs) in the world. 20Hz to 20Khz THD stays same (does not rise)."

Subjectivist side:

Great THD numbers do not exclude great sound quality.

Revolution DAC was subjectively tested for many months and delayed until we were satisfied with SQ. What we have found out is that some practice (like audiophile caps in opamp rails) indeed increased the SQ, and we were able to see small reduction on harmonics on THD.

One area of concern was what it’s been referred to as “bright sounds” on Ess DACs. We believe that main reason comes from datasheet implementation and lack of filtering before second opamp (summing). Most designs we see lack this fundamental passive filtering (again they just copy of datasheet) and the HF noise (one parameter, there are others), while it should not be audible, somehow creates this fatiguing sound. We are pleased to say that Rev does not have the bright sound associated with ESS."

Link to the Revolution DAC at ALLO can be found here: Official ALLO website

The ALLO Revolution DAC and ALLO USBridge

The Sound

My system used for this review is using the Croft Epoch Elite {to which is highly modified) and the Tube Distinctions Copper amplifier.

You can read my review of the Croft Epoch Elite here:

The Croft Elite Preamplifier

And my review of the Tube Distinctions Copper amplifier here:

The Tube Distinctions Copper Amplifier

In a direct comparison to the Katana 1.2 + Isolator, and with default settings, the Rev started up with the very same amazing presentation. Its bass is tight, highs are smooth and real. The immediate difference I could sense was the wider and more airy sound stage. This took me aback hearing a more connected ghostly presentation.

With this review, I have decided to not change any settings at first.

First up on the old Tannoyista juke-box, one of my staple albums to gather the expanse, texture, detail, and weight of any new kit.

Shpongle - CODEX VI

When you find an album that encapsulates the emotion, texture, resolution, and fun frequencies, you know you have found something special. Not all Goa trance is the same. I find that Simon Posford of Shpongle always produces that cut above the rest by using so many layers to the music.

Right from the start, the Rev bloomed out, opening up a vast space in front of me. Everything was as it was previously with the Katana but this time with an added layer of texture bringing instruments together with more ambiance and space.

Totally enjoyable... But wait. This is straight out of the box. What about 'burn-in'? - Would there be more?

Well, after a few days I found that there was but not as much as I would have expected or found when I reviewed the Katana.

So after a few days of constantly being powered up, I tried Shpongle again along with two more of my staple albums of the last few years. The Chemical Brothers - No Geography and Aphex Twin - Syro.

Wow... Outstanding imagery on every front.

Another great source for testing, if you can find it, is The Chemical Brothers at Glastonbury 2019. Being a tribute act too late Keith Flint of The Prodigy the brothers really reset everything in my eyes. Even though the sound was normalised and at 320kbps, the Rev really brought out the things that mattered.

Another amazing album for feeling and atmosphere is a soundtrack from one of my favourite films. 'A Field in England'.

I then tried some of my older favourite stuff. Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, DSD. Queen, A Night at the Opera, DSD along with Scientist - The best dub album in the world and Demon Fuzz - Afreaka!

All hit the spot, no struggling or confused, messy presentation. In fact, DSOTM sounded much more in-depth and meaner as did Afreaka!.

Playing around with the settings is really easy. Although I feel that they're rather more like 'cake icing'. Adjusting them makes for subtle differences in the sound, the most notable being the filters and there is no doubt that they are (and will be for some) important and some will adjust accordingly. In my case, as soon as a certain combination was found, resetting it all back to default after a day or so kind of made more sense.

So, from this, I discovered that the default settings are pretty much bang on the money.

The settings are adjustable on the fly which is great. No starting and stopping so the remote is great for doing that with.

Image showing the display of the ALLO Revolution DAC

It's great to be able to fine-tune the settings but for now, I just like the way the Rev portrays the music, it's fun and it's dramatic yet it can be as gentle as a summers breeze.

I think the Rev needs to be lived with for longer to really understand the results of what can be done by adjusting the settings.

Conclusion.

I would only recommend this unit with the ALLO Shanti PSU. There seems to be no point putting this quality piece of kit on the end of standard and noisy wall-warts. It deserves much better.

With no annoying blue lights, it's subtle facia and display is simple. The menus are easy to navigate and the remote control is really nice to use, great for tweaking those settings with on the fly.

It's natural and neutral and confidently able to take on anything without falling over. The accuracy, speed, timing, voluminously and gorgeous bass will most certainly win you over. It's also more compact, more refined, confident, professional sounding, and aesthetically pleasing.

The Allo Revolution DAC + USBridge Signature is one of the most confident and complete units Allo has made to date. It's user friendly, flexible and it's most certainly another step forward up the ladder from the Katana.

Price breakdown.

Revolution DAC - Price with flexicable and remote:

$274.75 / €290 EUR

USBridge Signature:

$239.00 / €271 EUR

Shanti PSU:

$200.00 / €179 EUR

For purchasing please go to www.ALLO.com

The Construction

The Tonearm

The Platter

The Control Unit / Power Supply

The Sound

The Majors

David Bowie

The Beatles

The Construction

Welcome to Tannoyista

SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW

Categories

POPULAR POSTS

Contact Us