Listening / Conclusions


How We Tested:

The process of evaluating High End Audio is fraught with conundrums and contradictions, many of which derive from within the Audiophile Community itself. The challenge: How does one measure a musically satisfying experience other then empirically and subjectively? Back in 1991 Robert Harley and Stereophile Magazine interviewed Dr. Richard Cabot, whom holds a B.S.E.E, M. Eng., M.S. Mech, and Ph.D.E.E. degrees (earned by the age of 23), the interview was entitled Audio, Precision, & Measurement; Richard Cabot. Dr Cabot has been a pioneer in the field of Audio measurement. Originally he designed test equipment for iTektronix which hw left for the Vice President and Cheif Engineer position at Audio Precision. Dr Cabot's opening comments in the Stereophile were as follows:

I certainly believe that if something can be reliably heard—if the person really is hearing it—you can measure it if you know what to measure. But I would not swear that I could, with a simple set of measurements, automatically measure the right things. I would try to do a broad spectrum of measurements. There are a lot of measurements that we haven't figured out how to make yet. We aren't really measuring the right things.

Measurements are often made around what is convenient to measure or what is useful in a design viewpoint to assess tradeoffs in the design. If you are looking at designing some equipment, you go back many years to when people first started doing audio measurements in the hi-fi business...Measurements in widespread use today were developed because they were useful in assessing characteristics of what you were designing, not necessarily because they were useful in assessing the characteristics of what you heard. It's extremely rare for anyone to address measurements from the viewpoint of what we hear and work backwards to what it is we need to measure in a device.

Even the most advanced audio analyzers cannot measure what is it we need to measure. And while I did consider Blind/Double Blind testing, for the sake of simplicity in a complicated subject I've decided to keep things as simple as possible. I will follow the time honored tradition which has been accepted by the most astute among the Audiophile community in the most respected Audiophile rags out there: Listening. For skeptics of Subjective Listening / Evaluation, consider thousands of costly High End products purchased yearly by some very particular consumers, based on the fact they hear the exact same attributes described by these Reviewers when they hear these products. As in my first audio-evaluation, Audioengine A5 / A2 PC-Powered Speakers Review I have established a set of criteria for products tested:

Musicality - How accurately did the product convey the original recording and recording environment? If the event weas recorded live did it sound live?

Neutrality - Does the product distort, augment, detract or interfere with the signal in any way, even if that were considered an improvement. For example; solid state fans often claim vacuum tubes colorize or add warmth to the midrange region where vocals are prevalent thus emphasizing three-dimensional imaging in that region. This is often done in lower powered tube amplifiers to mask shortcomings at the opposite extremes of the frequency spectrum.

Build Quality/Design - How was the product designed and built, including parts spec and warranty? Did the manufacturers use less costly PCBs where point to point wiring may have resulted in a more realistic sound.

Value, under $1k - Does the product meet our price limit of 1000USD, would I purchase the product myself, does the sum of the parts-spec exceed their individual value?

Test System
CPU	Intel Quad-Core Q6600 Kentsfield (SLACR) Socket-775
Mainboard	Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 (BIOS F5)
Memory	Patriot Viper DDR3-1600 2x1GB (CL7-7-7-20)
Graphics	BFG 8800 Ultra OC Edition (630/1100) PCIe
Power Supply	PCPower&Cooling TurboCool 1200W
Cooling	D-Tek Fuzion S-775 cpu cooler, Danger Den Black Ice Xtreme III triple radiator, 3x12cm Sunon fans (98CFM), LAING D5-38 Vario (setting #5) 1/2ID Tygon
Audio	Decco 50W hybrid integrated amp (USB DAC) Tecon Model 55 single ended integrated amp (USB-DAC) GLOW AMP-1 valve integrated amp (USB DAC) Cain & Cain Abby single driver loudspeaker Era Design 4 stallite loudspeakers Zu Audio Julian speaker cable Unity Audio Basic Link speakers cable Unity Audio Solid Link speakers cable Oyaide Tunami Nigo speaker cable Unity Audio Basic power cable Oyaide Tunami power cable
Operating System	Windows XP SP3

I began testing Decco by mating the amplifier with Lovecraft Designs Abby (a.k.a. Cain & Cain Abby) loudspeakers (seen in the caption photo) in custom color which was sadly a mismatch. I love the Abby’s which sound phenomenal driven by the Tecon Model 55 vacuum tube amp (review to follow) yet with the Decco they were both bright and Bass anemic, midrange was non-existent. I experimented with several cable brands attempting to resolve the problem, including Zu Audio - Julian speaker cable, Oyaide -Tunami Nigo speaker cable, Unity Solid Link - speaker cable and finally Unity Basic Link speaker cable. All Unity products tested today and in mu up-coming cable article in the following 6moons Unity Audio cable review. There were minor improvements with the Zu Audio, Julian cables, however; the Decco and Abby relationship was an unsuccessful overnight stand.



Signal Path obviously had their Era speakers in mind when designing Decco. Once I mated Decco with the Era Design-4 speakers, Zu Audio - Julian speaker cables and the Audio Link Basic Power Cable, changes for the better were not subtle. My initial impressions were a reiteration of most other Era speaker reviews in which the authorities tightly controlled Bass belies the Era D4's size such as in this 6moons Era D4 & D5 review. It seems to me ported speakers have evolved through the years and I have a new found respect for this design. Its not simply location, or size of the port, its the tube material and how it resonates drawing from the Hemholtz principle. Whether the miniscule 4" Bass drivers are treated by Kevlar or Pixy Dust, the magic is in the tuning of the port. The Era's aren't perfect; there is sacrifice in the midrange ability to re-produce that sweetness and pin-point imaging especially with more complicated, aggressive music. Vocals alone sound decent enough, but you can't have it all. Still given the tight Bass, tonal accuracy, and large soundstage expecting the highest of highs and a liquid midrange is a bit much for the cost. This is where cost can affect a system. You can want the performance of a Bugatti Veyron, but you can only afford a Nissan 300SX. I want the former but may have to appreciate the latter.



Streaming audio from the site SOMA FM gave me the opportunity to evaluate one of the most difficult source material, electronic. How does a system throw a three dimensional image of a "artificial" source. In this respect the Decco / Era combo did very well allowing any and all effects intended for stereo to shine through. For live music including classical the following Streaming Radio Guide list is quite extensive. Theses are bookshelf type speakers and if you’re expecting a full orchestral sound forget it. The Design-4 Decco combo will fill a room, but these speakers simply do not have the "membranes" (drivers) required for such complexity. My second source included my internal DVD/CD-RW Plextor SATA drive. I began with Rikki Lee Jones, Flying Cowboys (Geffen CD 2-24246) which is heavily mixed including layering of Rikki's voice. The impression here is that I was able to discern it was in fact her voice which exemplifies how clean this combo is.

For a recording I know to be live as it was recorded around a single microphone at the Holy Trinity Church in Toronto Canada, the Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions circa 1988 gave us a very unique band with talent far surpassing that of their ability to perform. It has recently been re-issued in DVD as a film, same location with multiple mics, however; some prefer the original acoustics of the single microphone. I met the band's voice Margo Timmins when they played at Smith College in Northampton, MA where I lived for several years, so my experience with their sound transcends the recorded version. The Decco / Era D4 combo reproduced much of the environment of the Holy Trinity Church which has some very unique acoustics. This is most definitely indicative of information getting through and Decco did in a very respectable manner. An album such as this reveals so much about a system and this is where midrange elements weren't as strong as I might like. Imaging was decent considering, there were strengths in accuracy, detail and the overall involvement of the recordings. Testing the same CD through the Realtek ALC888A and Audioengine A5's couldn't come close to the wealth of information the Decco produced.


Epilogue:

I dare say using its USB DAC, the Decco / D4 combination would be a vast improvement over the very best soundcard / powered speaker combo money can buy. There are other integrated amps out there with USB DAC inputs such as the Tecon Model 55 ($400) and GLOW ($600) both single ended vacuum tube designs which deserve a look. They do require finding highly sensitive speakers and may be limited in dynamic range comparatively. At $799 Decco gives you one of the most versatile, feature rich products I've seen at twice the price, and the motorized volume is the icing on a tasty cake. Decco is musical providing a wealth of information, you'll discover for the first time nuances in music you've listened to many times before. This is due to Decco's neutrality and this is where it mates so well with the Era D4. The combo can play a wide variety of musical styles, and I have yet to touch on all the other features this product provides beyond its USB - DAC stage.


Conclusion:

Signal Path International and Peachtree Audio have built a quality product in Decco which combines traditional hybrid audio amplifier technology with a revolutionary digital product for PC-Audio. There is no doubt your getting more then your money's worth in Decco and the Era Design-4 at just $600 (our $900 price-tag is for the Piano finish). The Decco is a great introductory High End product because beyond its great sound it can play so many other roles beyond its intended use with a PC. The fact the same company produces the Era Design-4 speakers which mate perfectly with this product is no accident; David Solomon is a forward thinker.

If I were to compare this product to other High End products from a purely musical perspective one could spend $3k ~ $5k and not necessarily have better sound, but there's no doubt you won't find anything designed for use with your PC. If your wanting more power Signal Path / Peachtree Audio has recently released its NOVA 80wpc hybrid integrated amplifier. This new product is an improved 80wpc integrated similar to DECCO in its design goals, but may be capable of driving floor standing speakers with aplomb.

You can find both the Decco for $799 (free shipping) and Era Design-4 in Cherry approx $600 at HIDEF Lifestyle.