Smooth operator: Devilishly good:
Hegel V10 MM/MC iFi‘s iDSD Diablo
DAC/headphone amp
phono preamp

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Issue No. 474

April 2021

NEWS
EXTRA:HEAVEN

Launches from
Falcon Acoustics,
Bang & Olufsen,
Ausounds &McIntosh

GROUP TEST

Six high-end cans compete
for your listening pleasure

BEAUTIFULSYSTEM
Melco, Eclipse& Accuphasecome together“RADICAL CHIC”

A retro appreciation ofWharfedale’s E70 speaker

System Audio Legend 5.2
Silverback standmount

NUTT Y BUYS!

OUTSTANDING

Bow down to the VPI Prime
21+ belt-drive turntable

The albums that inspired
Madness’ Suggs

High ambition – Scansonic’scompact M20 floorstander

APRIL 2021

£5.25

“REAL MAJESTY”

US$15.50

Bowers & Wilkins’ celebratory 603 S2
Anniversary Edition floorstanding loudspeaker

PRINTED IN THE UK“GRAND AND TRADITIONAL”“REWRITING
THE RULES”

BEAUTIFUL SYSTEMMELCO/ACCUPHASE/ECLIPSEBEAUTIFUL SYSTEMMELCO/ACCUPHASE/ECLIPSEChampagne 							 Supernova
At affordable price points, there isa basic homogeneity to most audio
equipment, regardless of where it
originates. As you enter more rarefied
levels, though, some of the characteristics of thepeople and culture that build it start to become
more apparent. These three components are fromthree radically different companies. They lookdifferent, feel different and reflect different
design priorities, but could only be from Japan.
Melco Audio was one of the first companies toreally push the concept of audiophile-grade

COMPONENTS

storage. Key to its approach is that, as a
subsidiary of Buffalo, everything it makes isunderpinned by solid and reliable network
behaviour. Melcos boot from cold promptly, areeasily discoverable, flexible and easy to configure.
They have their own music management
software, Roon compatibility and the ability tofunction directly with DACs via a dedicated USBout. This means even when it pushes the boatout, the product that results is exotic but flexible.
The N10 45th anniversary limited edition isexotic, though. As the name suggests, it’s aMELCO N10 45TH
ANNIVERSARY £7,500

Built in strictly limited quantities, the N1045th Anniversary is a specially upgradedversion of the already rigorously
engineered N10, finished in a uniquechampagne colour and supplied withgorgeous presentation hardware.

ACCUPHASE E-480£9,250ECLIPSE TD510Z MK2£2,000 EACH

The E-480 delivers a hefty 180W from its
bespoke internals featuring twin power
supplies and a level of over engineeringthat befits the magnificent exterior. TheDAC-50 digital input board adds anadditional £1,250 to the £8,000 price.

The TD510Z MK2 is the dedicatedfloorstanding version of the TD510. It is
built to the principles of the company’s‘Time Domain’ philosophy that isfocussed on securing a full bandwidth
response from a compact 10cm driver.

Picture credit: Shutterstock.com (background)

Three single-mindedmaestros of theJapanese high end
combine to createa system that has
Ed Selley mad for it

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framework of Beautiful Systems. In
some regards, this is because it isalmost gloriously contradictory. It isbeautifully made yet somehow feelsartisanal with it. It is utterly singleminded in its execution, but manages
to be impressively flexible in what it
can do and how it does it. Finally,
despite having three rather different
approaches to styling, it somehow sits
together like it was designed to.

Total Eclipse of the heart

This visual cohesion has nothing on
what happens sonically, however. In
some ways, I am a little disappointed
that I’ve used and enjoyed Eclipse
speakers before because it means thesheer incredulity of hearing what thattiny driver can do in the right handsis slightly nullified. Even allowing forthis though, the manner in which itdelivers the deep opening note on theDSD64 version of Dead Can Dance’s
Song Of The Stars still causes a
moment’s jarring disconnect between
eye and ear. It seems impossible tocomprehend that the sound I hear iscoming from that compact pod, but it
is and it is only just getting started.
In the past, I have talked about
speed and timing, expressing
approval for equipment that imparts atrue sense of this. The Eclipse is in adevelopment of the N10 and employs
the same principle of keeping thedrive and network hardware in one
chassis and powering via a beautifully
constructed linear PSU that’s in a
separate one. Here, however, capacity
is boosted to 5 terabytes and thecasework, which wasn’t exactly
insubstantial to begin with, is handassembled and available in a slick
champagne finish.

Going for gold

This throwback to a time whenhigh-end Japanese equipment wasalmost exclusively adorned in gold
is mirrored in the Accuphase E-480
integrated amplifier. It’s easy to lookat and assume it’s a living fossil –a coelacanth with a volume knob –but that does it a grave disservice. Itlooks like it does because Accuphasebelieves this is precisely how an amp
should look. I have to say that having
spent a little time with it, it mightlook complex but I’m inclined to agree.
Internally, it is highly sophisticatedtoo. Everything, from the AAVA
volume control to the tripled-up
output stage complete with damping
factor that could probably rein in
an earthquake, through to the384kHz-compatible digital module,
speaks to a design philosophy thatREPRINTED FROM

pursues the absolute with the same
single mindedness that more classicalJapanese objects have for centuries. I
don’t recall ever spending time withsomething that feels so exacting interms of design and execution.
For the last member of the teamthough, we move away from audio in
the grand tradition to something thatreflects the Japanese characteristicof determinedly pursuing an idea toperfection. The Eclipse TD510Z MK2
begins with a near-impossible
premise: a speaker that uses a single

One of the mostbalanced solidstate amps,
full stopdifferent league altogether. There isno time signature it cannot relay
perfectly, imbued with an order anda fundamental rightness, be it thetribal-derived Dead Can Dance or theeffortless funkiness of Blondie’s HeartOf Glass. Going back to crossovers
after time spent with the Eclipse is
like coming down from a particularly
potent high.

Biting backWith this latter track, the talents ofthe equipment upstream start tomake its presence felt. To look at theAccuphase is to assume it produces abig, cuddly sort of sound, endlessly
cosseting, but lacking a bit of bite.
Please dispense of that notion
forthwith. Instead, the E-480 is oneof the most supremely well-balanced
solid-state amplifiers I’ve had theprivilege of spending time with. Theobsessive attention that has gone into
the power supply and output stage
means it has an imperious level ofcontrol over the TD510Z MK2 and theeffortless current delivery helps that
incredible bass response.
Further up the frequency response,the E-480 is no less singular. Maggie
Reilly’s lovely vocal turn on Mike
Oldfield’s Moonlight Shadow is simply
sensational. Without the slightest

This system has sonic
attributes beyond
almost anythingI’ve ever tested
driver for the entire frequency response,and proceeds to make it work. Every
aspect of this extraordinary aesthetic
is directed at making a single 10cm
driver somehow deliver a frequency
response of 42Hz-22kHz, all the time
avoiding the use of a crossover andthe issues that come with it.
When assembled together, thissystem looks and feels like nothingelse I can remember testing, even
within the wonderfully unconstrained

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CONTACTDETAILSWEBSITES
accuphase.com
eclipse-td.com/uk
melco-audio.com

perception of over emphasis, she istangibly real and lifelike. There’s
some other useful attributes too.
Historically, I’ve found that the ‘sweetspot’ for listening to the Eclipse isfairly small. Here, it is prised open
into something that is more expansive
and effortless without compromising
the astonishing imaging of the speaker.
Working out the Melco’s role in theperformance takes longer because it israther less overt, but it becomes clearthat the N10 45th Anniversary is thefoundation for how this system shows

It seems impossible
to comprehend thesound coming fromthat compact pod
off its more conspicuous talents. As
someone who leans to the objectiveend of audio, it still mildly infuriates
me that a digital file can be rendered
to produce differences, but they areunquestionably there. Comparing
against my own venerable Melco –which is still far from a slouch – theAnniversary imparts clarity and three
dimensionality to the material even
before that phenomenal digital board
in the Accuphase sets out to work.

What’s no less brilliant is how little
this system asks in return. The Melco’s
functionality is comprehensive,straightforward to use and the small
footprint is a boon. The E-480 is
equipped with an input for prettymuch every occasion and the VU
meters – while pure theatre – seemto be extremely accurate in theinformation they provide. The Eclipse,
meanwhile, is an absolute pleasure tolive with. Looking at it you mightassume that it’s not a natural
all-rounder, but that’s simply not thecase. It is superb for TV and film use
and, so long as a degree of care istaken in its positioning, it’s also ableto work in larger rooms than you
might reasonably expect.

Part of the processThis is, of course, very much in
keeping with the Japanese philosophy.
Things that at first glance might lookidiosyncratic to the point of whimsy
are done because if you go along withthe process, it works brilliantly. Thissystem has certain sonic attributes
beyond almost anything I’ve evertested and it does this while being
no less of a delight to look at anduse. It might reflect the ethos of
the country that built it, but it isindisputably a world champion

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