Tim de Paravicini at Helsinki HifiExpo

True audio legend Tim de Paravicini visited Helsinki last November. At the HifiExpo 2010 show he lectured on his EAR products and answered questions by the crowd. Here are some questions made by INNER-AUDIO and Tim's answers to them.

IA: Regrading the Acute CD player, is the transport mechanism of the latest version the same as in the previous models, and how important role in general, in your mind, the transport mechanism plays in a CD player?

Tim: Transport is the same as previous model, and works fine. Money no object could make better.

IA: In your demonstration you praised the Wolfson 24/96 upsampling DAC chip. Did you refer to the chip's electrical properties or to subjective listening results? And if the latter, what is the procedure with which people at EAR try to verify the subjective listening results of various DA chips?

Tim: The Wolfson DAC is the best that I have measured in resolving low level details both on sine wave and music.

IA: Some manufacturers offer a possibility to choose between several digital filter types believing that digital filtering really can have an audible effect on the CD sound. Why is no digital filter used in the Acute CD?

Tim: I could but I believe my analogue as well as basic digital filter set up is to my own standard. So no choice.

IA: The output stage of the Acute CD is transformer coupled. Given that transformers are not the easiest components to work with, would you have relied on transformer coupling had you not had your own inter-stage transformers?

Tim: Of course I design all my transformers. Therefore there is no alternative.

IA: The Acute sports an analog front-panel volume control. Could you elaborate a little on how it's carried out and where exactly in the signal path it is placed?

Tim: The analogue Volume control offers better linearity at low levels that digital and is on the input of the buffer line amplifier.

IA: The Acute CD has enough gain to drive a power amplifier. But is the output voltage, and impedance matching, the only thing that matters when it comes to the CD player's ability to drive a power amp? And generally speaking, to what extent, in your mind, the output stage of a CD player can replace a quality peramplifier?

Tim: Output both on balanced and Phono is 5 volt with about 60 Ohm source impedance, More than enough to drive any power amp that I know of. No need for a separate preamp if you have no other source input.

IA: As to your Disk Master turntable, two questions. The first deals with decoupling the platter/tonearm system from environmental vibrations which typically are of very low frequency: 8 Hz would mean 40m wave length, 3 Hz over 100m wave length. Can such long and gentle waves really have an adverse affect on a turntable's performance, ie. are they worth the protection?

Tim: The turntable resonance below 8 Hz is for building or floor vibrations. Most heavy but not suspended turntables pick up so much building rumble.

IA: Second, many are convinced that a significant cause for the troubles in turntables is the platter/tonearm interaction. In what way the vibrations from the platter are prevented from moving up to the tonearm/cartridge system in the Disk Master?

Tim: They are not, the whole bearing platter arm assembly is designed to act as one with most common mode noises cancelling. So if the platter was to vibrate then the same noise would also be at the cartridge area in the same direction, Like if you are in a car holding a coffee your cup goes up and down at the same time with the suspension.

IA: You're famous for the view that a transistor amp can be made sound like a tube amp, ie. whether tubes or semiconductors are used for amplfication is not the main issue. How should we understand that statement? Does it mean eg. that a knowledgeable designer can simulate the composition of harmonic distortion components of various tube amps without tubes in the signal path? Or are there some other electrical properties that a transistor amp should possess in order to sound like tube amp?

Tim: It is the architecture that counts towards the sound. Most transistor amps are very different to tubes in this way. Hence, my transistor amps with transformers and methods give very similar results.

IA: Is it true that in the "enhanced triode mode", the pentodes, in terms of plate characteristics, still behave like a pentode and require typically more NFB than triode amps for the best linearity?

Tim: The pentodes in Enhanced Triode Mode have triode characteristics, and have the same very low feed back.

IA: You told us in Helsinki that a starting point for for the new EAR V12 integrated amplifier was your enthusiasm about car engines in general, and V12 motors especially. What other design goals did you have for this amplifier?

Tim: Good distortion and noise with a healthy 50 watts per channel. good looks.

IA: Your Primary Drive Small dipole loudspeakers are quite narrow meaning that the rear radiation will start short-circuiting the bass fairly high up in frequency. You mentioned that no compensating "dipole correction" is used. Is the idea that the room will correct the response, and what's your recommendation for the minimum distance between the Primary Drive Small and the wall behind it? And for coping with the backward radiation in general, if any?

Tim: Dipole radiation does require care but placed about 60 cms from the back and side walls is a good minimum for quality of bass.

IA: Finally, according to a popular myth, Finns are sickly interested in knowing what foreigners think about them and their country? Based on your quick visit in Helsinki, your impressions?

Tim: I enjoyed the hospitality shown by the Finns in Helsinki. Look forward to returning soon. Hopefully in the summer.

IA: Thanks Tim!