Electrocompaniet
Electrocompaniet is a Norwegian manufacturer of mid / high-end audio products. In1973 Electrocompaniet started getting attention for their new "The 2 Channel Audio Power Amplifier" (aka "The Otala Amplifier"). This 25 watt amplifier was based on the research of Dr. Matti Otala of "Tampere University of Technology".
Electrocompaniet:
- Established in 1973 in Norway
- Dedicated on making amplifiers on the principles introduced by Dr. Matti Otala’s and Dr. Jan Lohstroh
- International break-through in 1976 with the famous "2 Channel Audio Power Amplifier"
- Lots of excellent reviews in international HiFi magazines.
- Our products are now distributed into more than 40 countries
- The production takes place in the fjords of Norway.
Latest example of Electrocomaniet innovation:
Introducing the new Prelude PD 1 - USB & wireless streaming Digital Analog Converter (DAC) from Electrocompaniet is our answer to the growing need for a user friendly DAC with USB interface.
With our new DAC you can listen to the music from your CD-player, TV/Satelite tuner, iPod or PC / MAC the way it was meant to be. The sound from all your digital sources is improved and the listening experience is enhanced.
The Prelude PD-1 is easy to install and with the remote control you can change between the sources and adjust the volume - perfect if you connect the DAC to active speakers or directly to a power amplifier.
For wireless streaming from your PC/MAC you can choose to add our USB Music Streamer. This way you do not need any cables between your computer and the DAC.
Electocomanient product range is divided between 3 different product lines:
Prelude line:
Our newest series is perfect for the budget conscious music lover. All the Prelude line products have the typical EC sound known by connoisseurs all over the world.
see: http://www.electrocompaniet.no/products/prelude/
Classic line:
The world wide famous products with a unique design that gives the products that exclusive classic Electrocompaniet look.
see: http://www.electrocompaniet.no/products/classic/
DP line:
The mission of DP line is to design audio. To reach this goal, it's necessary to drastically reduce both the distortion and the intermodulation below, in and above the actually used frequency range.
see: http://www.electrocompaniet.no/products/dp/
Our products is a wonderful match for many of the internationaly famous speakers brands including those from Focal and KEF - actually KEF use our products when testing and demonstrating their new Concept Blade speaker!
History:
At an AES conference in 1973, Dr. Matti Otala presented a paper describing a distortion that he termed Transient Intermodulation (TIM). Attending this conference was Svein Erik Børja, a Norwegian record and broadcasting producer and a great audio enthusiast.
The seminar held by Dr. Otala on TIM provided Svein Erik with an explanation of the audible imperfections he had experienced from audio amplifiers. Svein Erik Børja brought the AES papers to Electrocompaniet, and asked if we could make an amplifier based on Dr. Otala’s and Dr. Jan Lohstroh’s theory. A few prototype amplifiers were made and the sound, compared to other transistor amplifiers, was encouraging.
But Svein Erik Børja, being the perfectionist he was, felt that this amplifier design approach had a greater potential. At that time we did not know too much about high-end audio designs. This gave an element of neutrality to our research, which we believe contributed to the amplifier’s success. We consider our audio designers from that time to have been the first in what may be called the new “TIM-free” school.
The next 3 years went to further research and design improvement. During this time we had to develop a new “language” to translate what we were hearing, into practical design parameters distortion, frequency response etc.) A new mathematical equation was developed to better describe the AC (music) characteristics of the transistor, rather than the normal DC characteristics.
The result of this work culminated in the launch of our first 2 x 25W unit, “The 2 Channel Audio Power Amplifier”. The final approval came in 1976 when the American “bible”, The Audio Critic magazine, tested the amplifier and wrote:
“Audio freaks – eat your hearts out. This is the world’s best sounding amplifier.”
Since these early days, Electrocompaniet's designs have been continually improved and our product range has steadily grown. Today we are represented in more them 40 countries worldwide and our products are considered to be among the very best in the audio industry.
The vision that drove us in the early days has stayed:
If music really matters…
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We connected our review sample to a Shanling SCD-T2000 SACD player. This features a 24-bit/192kHz Burr-Brown PCM 1738 DAC and should, therefore, be quite close to the PD 1 in digital terms.
However, we heard an immediate difference: essentially, the Electrocompaniet delivers a cleaner, more detailed sound. While the tonal balance hardly seems to alter, the PD 1 definitely produces a tauter, more focused sound that seems to project the music with greater presence and immediacy.
A decade or more back, the rationale for buying an outboard DAC was to upgrade the performance of an older CD player or transport with the latest digital technology. However, now that many current CD players offer upsampling to 24-bit/196kHz as standard, such reasons no longer seem convincing.
But, wait; what about a DAC that has balanced analogue outputs, plus the ability to access and play music stored on a hard drive? Not only do you get the promise of improved sound, you can now link your ripped music to the hi-fi .
The stylish Electrocompaniet PD 1 DAC delivers just such an upgrade. Interested?
High-precision
Like many recent digital products, the PD 1 is based around a 24-bit/192kHz digital-to-analogue convertor. The incoming digital signal (say, 16-bit/44.1kHz from Red Book CD) is converted to this higher specification by something Electrocompaniet dubs ASRC (Asynchronous Sample Rate Convertor).
A high-precision master clock is used which it's claimed, virtually eliminates jitter at the output – so, even if your sources contain timedomain errors, they're quickly zapped.
Prior to processing, the USB input is likewise converted into standard S/PDIF format by the sampling-rate convertor – so it's similar to the other inputs. Audio information from the USB data stream is extracted using low-jitter PLLs (phase-locked loops) and output to S/PDIF.
With the sample-rate convertor being 'clocked' by an ultra-accurate reference device any remaining timing errors are further reduced, resulting in an output that is accurate and jitter-free.
The analogue output stage employs discrete transistors running in a pure Class A configuration with no negative feedback. A carefully designed 2-pole linear-phase, anti-aliasing filter further removes any delta-sigma conversion artefacts.
Analogue and digital sections feature individual power supplies for reduced interference. The power supplies for the analogue output stage and DAC employ ultra low-noise tight-shunt regulators, which the maker claims results in a more open and transparent sound, due to reductions in spurious noise. As a result of these measures, the PD 1 effectively 'cleanses' all digital signals that pass through it.
Digital inputs include: 2x S/PDIF (coax via an RCA phono plug); 1x S/PDIF TOSLink optical; 1x USB Type 2; and an RF wireless link for use with the optional EMS 1 music streamer. The S/PDIF inputs support 24-bit/192kHz sampling, while the USB and RF options are 16-bit/48kHz.
There are two sets of analogue outputs: unbalanced (single-ended, RCA phono plugs) giving 1.7-volt output and balanced (XLR) giving 3.4-volt output. This output is variable. The maker claims distortion is less than 0.003 per cent from 20Hz to 20kHz, with noise levels 140dB below peak output over the same bandwidth.
The unit is supplied with an infra-red remote control handset that allows input switching and volume adjustment, plus mute and standby. There are additional Play, Pause, Stop and Fast Search buttons for those using their PD 1 with an Electrocompaniet CD player.
The illuminated front panel keeps you informed regarding the input selected and the volume level set. You've a choice of two brightness settings and there's an 'off' position if the glare of blue LEDs becomes distracting.
It might be imagination, but the sound seems a tad cleaner with the display off – though, the difference is very small!
Neat and tidy
The PD 1 is a solidly made unit that's nicely styled. The front panel is made from alloy, while the casework is steel. All the various controls are touch-sensitive types, so it's not really possible to talk about the 'feel' of the unit as such.
Internal circuits look neat and tidy. There's nothing here to make you gasp with astonishment, yet neither is there anything to cause concern or disquiet. There's no undue emphasis on cosmetic appearance, or extravagant 'luxury' build; you'll choose this unit for its performance and features, not its facade!
Mechanically, the unit is virtually silent. Put your ear up close and there's a barely audible hint of transformer buzz, but you have to be right on top of the unit to hear anything. There are no switching thumps to worry about, either; when using the RF Link the unit mutes if no signal is detected.
Purposeful momentum
We connected our review sample to a Shanling SCD-T2000 SACD player. This features a 24-bit/192kHz Burr-Brown PCM 1738 DAC and should, therefore, be quite close to the PD 1 in digital terms.
However, we heard an immediate difference: essentially, the Electrocompaniet delivers a cleaner, more detailed sound. While the tonal balance hardly seems to alter, the PD 1 definitely produces a tauter, more focused sound that seems to project the music with greater presence and immediacy.
