Sound Proof: Ascendo & AMR
Importing hi-fi is business like any other. Hard business. Importers of hi-fi come and go. That's called life. No reason to present all of the importers just for the sake of presenting them. However, some importers deserve to become introduced for the reason that they represent particularly interesting brands. Sound Proof is such an importer. It represents only two brands but both are fascinating ones, and I guess there are not many who would have been able to see/hear the two working together.
Sound Proof is located on the west coast of Finland. The premises are inside of an old nostalgic Friitala leather factory. The company imports Ascendo loudspeakers from Germany, and AMR electronics from the UK (AMR does have a loudspeaker model that can be ordered but is not currently imported). Plus they offer their own dedicated audio cables to all interested parties.
Ascendo and AMR are not just any brands from the street. Both are known for their high quality products and quite highesh prices. Ascendo has two series of models: C Series and System Series. Speakers falling under the latter label deviate from the speakers of the former group in that the tweeter part is physically adjustable in relation to the mid/woofer box. AMR is known for its tube and digital technology that go into its either Premier Class 777 or Reference Class 77 CD players, amplifiers, phono stage, and so on.
It's one thing to be able to audition Ascendo loudspeakers or AMR electronics separately; it's quite another thing to be offered a possibility to listen to both at the same time in a conforming a system. German British synergy? Tubes driving big Ascendos? When I visited their large and cosy auditorium decorated with numerous objects of visual art, two systems were on display and playable.
In the first one, the loudspeaker was Ascendo's C8 Renaissance. It's a 80cm high stand-mount speaker with a 18cm coaxial driver backed up by an 21cm inner chassis driver, and a back firing TOS ribbon unit on the back panel (switchable for directivity). The low bass (29Hz upwards) is produced with Ascendo's proprietary SABS-Technology. The amp was AMR's 60W (8 ohm) hybrid (triode+bipolar) pre/main amp with an inbuilt USB-DAC. The CD was AMR's CD-777 using the Philips UDA1305AT Multibit chipset, a bespoke transport and premium quality valves, and AMR's inhouse developed Digital Master I and Digital Master II filter algorithms.
The sound of this system was cute, it was innocent and yet seriously believable at the same time. No major colorations, impressive soundstaging and imaging, very good timing and rythm handling.
This is a kind of system that for many would be easy to live for a long period of time, not only because of the generally valid sonic performance but because price and quality are in a positive harmony: the speaker 7000 euro, the amp + the CD player 7500 euro. 15000 euro is not nothing but here it arguably has a nice balance. In short, the "little system" gave me good vibs. I got a feeling that this system has a potential to become a commercial success, also for aethetic reasons, something that cannot be said of all good sounding highend systems.
The second system featured the flagship Ascendo System M-S, a 91dB sensitive three-way loudspeaker. Constructed with Ascendo's SASB-Technology, this modular design enables, not just mechanical and electrical decoupling of the enclosures, but perfect phase reconstruction at the actual position of the listener by time alignment. The crossover allows adusting (damping factor) the bass box (21cm driver + 28cm driver in the inner chassis) and the HF ribbon unit for different amplifiers and cables. The sandwitch cabinet is made of bitumen and MDF.
The amp and the CD was AMR AM-77 and CD-77, respectively. So much innovative (tube etc.) technology go into these very high quality and expensive units that there's no point repeating it here: go and see their website here. AC came from a massive isolation transformer, and all cables were by Sound Proof.
The sound, as one can expect, had a distinctive, above the average quality. It was authoritative, powerful, transparent, effortless, had a huge soundstage, and was tonally sufficiently healthy to render mostly correct timbres and be music-wise all encompassing. I especially liked the music's upper registre, which was audibly pure and clean and most importantly, very informative and legible.
Despite the fact that the room is carefully acousticated with bass traps and everything, the bass of the System M-S and the system as a whole was somewhat inconsistent. Depending on the music sample, it was too abundant or had holes. I've heard the System M-S at different locations, and remember having similar experiences before. But I've also heard the System M-S in a room or rooms where its bass performance has been semi flawless, deep and reasonably tight.
Perhaps the speaker requires strictly careful matching with the characteristics of the listening space. I don't remember which the damping factor setting was selected for the demo but I think it really matters in this case. The AMR AM-77's 180 watts of solid state power should be enough and of sufficient quality to drive these and many other speakers on the market.
Anyway, Sound Proof's both demo systems were definitely worth hearing, and again one of those ear opening and educational events. Ascendo's speakers of course have the greatest stamp on the sound but AMR's electronics appeared to compliment the speakers mostly in a positive, non-intefering way. Not a bad combo at all.
