Trilogy/HFN-Trilogy 931
Contents
1. catered for which is not unreasonable given the 931 s asking price of 895 for the standard aluminium finish With the eye catching Mediterraneo Blue cover of the review sample finished in a paint used by Maserati the tariff rises to 1070 but the result is unquestionably classy looking compromised only by the black Torx head fasteners at the top front and rear of the wrap around enclosure To the left of this is a milled from solid aluminium heatsink that thankfully lacks the sharp edges typical of off the shelf finned items and as Trilogy points out their mechanical resonances too This hints at a high standing current in the single ended Class A output stage see box out p61 and verified by the 931 running quite warm once it has been powered for a while measured the heatsink temperature as about 45 C with RIGHT Internal layout is neat with a quality toroidal transformer and ALPS volume control in evidence A pair of NPN transistors per channel the 931 mounted on an open shelf at an ambient air temperature of 22 C a modest differential of 23 C Nevertheless it ll pay not to site the 931 anywhere where the free flow of cooling air is restricted This advice is repeated in the user manual together with injunctions to keep the 931 away from sources of heat such as radiators or direct sun to which might be added other Class A amplifiers Placement on a high performance equipment platform is reco2. guide to recommended exposure times at high sound pressure levels and counsels the use of caution when setting headphone listening levels While some buyers may resent this as nannying my own opinion is that it s a message of such importance that it bears frequent repetition As we face the prospect of a generation of younger headphone users suffering premature hearing loss as a result of listening at excessive SPLs for extended periods nobody in the audio industry should shirk oP N AN gt TY A gt heals alle gt i dal Re ks et gt ces LEa itil oo 2 as a14 ones i ow m 4 are mounted on its left hand side alloy heatsink REPRODUCED FROM HI FI NEWS www hifinews co uk TRILQ sY 937 the responsibility of offering good advice on this important topic In its brochure for the costlier 933 Trilogy has this to say on the subject of headphone amplifier design The task of moving the delicate membrane of a headphone driver is a very different to energising the reactive complex impedance of a multidriver loudspeaker With much less mass to move and without the masking of listening environment and room interaction the small signal integrity of an amplifier becomes even more critical than that of a regular power amplifier It s a persuasive argument and yet all the headphone amplifiers I ve heard have sonic signatures which are paralleled in power amplifiers for loudspe
3. 31 is analogue from input to output Two RCA ins are offered switchable via a toggle on the front panel Concert EMI Blue Note 0946 3 45238 2 0 until heard one track from it and simply had to acquire it Norah Jones live performance just voice and piano of I Think It s Going To Rain Today This is far and away the best version I ve ever heard of the Randy Newman protest song SO apposite in the context of the New Orleans disaster and a perfect showcase for Jones velvet voice BACK TO THE CLASSROOM Again the 931 delivered the essential qualities of what is only a 44 1kHz 16 bit recording but the best sounding track on the CD Unadorned with unnecessary EQ and unfettered by any noticeable dynamic range compression there is just a little limiting on peaks it s a modern demonstration of less is more that the Trilogy did little to impede Once again the sound was spacious clean and blessed with wide dynamic range bet many there at the Lincoln Center that day in 2005 didn t experience it sounding this good My classical music selection included part of Tchaikovsky s Serenade For Strings played by the Scottish Ensemble Linn Records CKD 472 a free 44 1kHz 16 bit download via the Hyperion Records monthly sampler in March This isn t the clearest or the airiest recording you ll ever hear probably it sounds significantly better in its hi res versions see review HFN Aug 15 and the mu
4. Jackson s Blues Brothers album As revelled in the natural timbres and uncontrived spaciousness of the recording and luxuriated in the matchless musicality of the performances found myself wondering anew at how such fine sound could be captured over 50 years ago The MQA version I m going to have to wait patiently to be able to experience at home but snapped up the HDtracks 192kHz 24 bit download almost as soon as got back I m not claiming for a moment that the non MQA headphone experience is equally exceptional because it isn t but still this is a recording which reproduced well is irresistible And the 931 did a very creditable job of conveying all its fine qualities Spacious detailed and natural its sound was only a couple of notches down on the best I ve heard from a headphone amplifier at any price While it didn t quite serve up the ultimate in image dimensionality or sheer resolution you d have to have heard or owned a very high end amp to perceive any shortfall The overwhelming imperative was just to sit back and enjoy Another new acquisition chez Howard is something never imagined buying the Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Benefit www hifinews co uk REPRODUCED FROM HI FI NEWS THIS PRODUCT MUST BE EARTHED DO NOT OPEN Made in England Mains Voltage INPUTS fr Xs d 1 y T 50 60 Hz Max 16W www irilogyaudio com 2 ABOVE No digital inputs here as the Trilogy 9
5. akers Like headphones themselves some have whip crack dynamics and the ability to deliver minute insight into both the recording and IT was instantly transported back to the fitth form common room the musical performance whereas others take a step back and deliver a more relaxed and less intimate account of events Of course these are the extremes of what is actually a spectrum of sonic qualities but if had to characterise the 931 as one or other I d say it inclines a tad to the reserved presentation It doesn t for instance possess the magical mix of transparency and tonal warmth that I so loved in the aforementioned Aurorasound Heada but at about a third of the price it would be unreasonable to expect it to The 931 delivers clean sophisticated sound but doesn t quite serve up the ultimate in resolution and excitement For that you probably need turn to the 933 though I ve yet to hear this model For my listening the 931 was fed analogue signals from a Chord QuteHD DAC A second generation Mac mini For many years until the resurgence of single ended triode amplifiers the thought of using anything other than a push pull output stage in a power amplifier even a low output Class A one for headphones seemed bizarrely archaic Push pull output stages which I ve likened before to a two man saw have distinct technical advantages such as improved efficiency and driving of Capacitive loads One of t
6. bited by many headphones this is no bad thing The ultrasonic response meanwhile stretches out to 100kHz 0 05aB Furthermore the fabulously low lt 1lohm source impedance minimises any chance of further amp phone response variations Readers may view a comprehensive QC Suite test report for Trilogy s 931 headphone preamp by navigating to www hifinews co uk and clicking on the red download button PM eT asana A maiii 1 00 0 10 0 04 Increasing Distortion gt gt 0 00 i 1 10 100 500 Power Output gt gt mw ABOVE Continuous power output vs distortion into 250ohm headphone load black cold red when hot 1 00 manen AUD z Tmas a pal Distortion gt gt amp A ra gg astodtay gt gt 0 01 7 0 00 5 10 100 tk 10k 100k Frequency gt gt Hz ABOVE Freq resp from 5Hz 100kHz black and into 25ohm dashed with distortion versus frequency red 1V shaded 40mW from 5Hz 40kHz HI FI NEWS SPECIFICATIONS IORN Maximum output re 1 THD into 47kohm Max power output re 1 THD into 250hm 498mW 445mW hot Output Impedance 20Hz 20kHz 0 9 0 90hm Maximum gain 20 4dB A wtd S N ratio re OdBV 88 2dB Frequency response 20Hz 20kHz 25o0hm 1 7dB to 0 00dB Distortion 20HzZ 20kHz re 40mW 0 0045 0 0065 Power consumption 12W Dimensions WHD Weight 140x50x244mm 1 6kg www hifinews co
7. hese is that they cancel even order distortion so that 2nd 4th 6th etc harmonic and intermodulation products are significantly reduced in the output But in an article entitled Amplifier Musicality HFN Mar 77 the legendary Jean Hiraga questioned whether this really is advantageous suggesting instead that a full complement of even and odd order distortions of reducing amplitude with increasing order results in better sound quality Controversial as that claim remains single ended output stages like that used in the 931 are now often favoured over the conventional push pull alternative L news EDITORS CHOICE LEFT Compact fascia of the 931 offers just the simplest of controls an on off switch an input selector switch and a N volume control knob with red LED power indicator to its right j running Windows XP and JRiver Media Centre v19 acted as the music server feeding a TC Electronic Impact Twin FireWire audio interface that in turn fed S PDIF signals to the Chord Headphones were an Audio Technica ATH ES88 and JVC HA SZ2000 J CLEAN AND SPACIOUS A few weeks ago while visiting Meridian Audio s HQ in Huntingdon had my first proper opportunity to experience MQA Master Quality Authenticated Bob Stuart s and Peter Craven s radical rethinking of hi res digital audio HFN Apr 15 One of the pieces played to me was How Long Blues from Ray Charles and Milt
8. mmended as is the use of mains conditioning specifically the products of Trilogy s sister company Isol 8 Full performance the manual says is achieved about 20 minutes after switch on The 931 is pretty compact compared to the likes of say the Teac HA 501 HFN Apr 14 or Aurorasound Heada HFN May 15 but isn t as dinky as the diminutive Meridian Prime HFN Feb 14 Deep and narrow it takes up little shelf width but places the rear panel as far back as larger equipment which helps tidy up the wiring On the back panel there is an IEC mains socket and the two pairs of phono sockets for inputs 1 and 2 no output is provided so the 931 cannot double as a simple preamp for feeding a power amp Ag TRAS WLAN SNS op a ee nt aie a n la online y 4 i Sie TRILGY ik E IES nas KY oe O A io and loudspeakers On the fascia there are just two small toggle switches one left for power on off and the second for input selection plus a volume control knob of big enough diameter for large male fingers to grasp easily To the right of the volume control is a red LED power indicator A NOTE OF CAUTION Delivering a specified 800mW into 60ohm see PM s Lab Report p63 the 931 is capable of rendering ample sound pressure levels with the vast majority of headphones even on the short term transients of high dynamic range source material Interestingly the 931 user manual includes a
9. o 4 HEADPHONE AMP Web www trilogyaudio com www symmetry systems co uk Price 895 1070 for paint finished versions MMMM Single ended Class A headphone preamplifier Made by Trilogy Audio Systems London Supplied by Symmetry Herts Telephone 01727 865488 Ws Trilogy 931 As modern headphone amplifiers go the sleek Trilogy 931 Is one of the simplest and smartest So does that eschewal of complication translate into superior sound quality Review Keith Howard Lab Paul Miller eadphone amplifiers once a rare breed are now on offer hither and thither To complicate matters they come in a variety of guises not just large and small svelte and ugly but with or without onboard DACs with or without balanced headphone outputs with or without basic preamp functionality etc Never have audiophile consumers who enjoy or are forced into headphone listening at home had such a bewildering choice of dedicated electronics on which to drop their money IT S PURELY ANALOGUE Trilogy s 931 is unusually straightforward in what it offers A spin off from the costlier 933 it s identical in its core features It is purely analogue so if you need D to A conversion it will have to be performed externally It offers unbalanced inputs only on two pairs of phono sockets and a single unbalanced output via a Yin jack socket So balanced signal sources and headphones with balanced wiring are not
10. rything they need making its simplicity a virtue along with its compactness compared to certain competitors And for patriotic Brits it s made in the UK sound Quality 81 WEE RISER TRILOGY 931 LAB REPORT This is a perfect blue sky opportunity for a single ended single transistor necessarily Class A output stage designed to drive a load that s less taxing current hungry than a fully fledged loudspeaker The A wtd S N ratio is adequate at 88 2dB re OdBV and the 800mW 60ohm specification is met by the 500mW 25o0hm measured in my lab assuming a current limit of 0 14A The maximum 10 22V output available for high impedance phones is equivalent to 350mW 3000hm However innovative though this single transistor stage is there remains some thermal drift its maximum power output falling to 445mW 25ohm once the unit is on and cooking after an hour or so see Graph 1 below Distortion otherwise follows a consistent pattern increasing gently with output from 0 002 at 10mW 0 006 at 100mW 0 01 at 300mW and 0 02 at 400mW 25o0hm Distortion increases at low bass frequencies under load from 0 003 20Hz at 1V 1kohm to 0 0065 20Hz at 1V 250hm 40mW and to 0 05 at 5Hz see shaded traces Graph 2 This is mirrored by a load dependent bass roll off that increases with reducing headphone impedance reaching 1 7dB 20Hz at 40mW 25ohm see responses Graph 2 Of course with the excessive bass output exhi
11. scular opening with its big chords might have benefited from more resolving power than the 931 brings to bear But this reserve is part of the 931 s core makeup As I ve probably recounted before don t spend much time listening to the soundtracks of my youth My salad days when was green in judgment have hope been superseded by a better and broader musical taste But certain albums from that period do exert an almost gravitational pull and earn a place in my collection because of it I ve never owned the eponymous Santana album previously Abraxas made the bigger impression on the 16 year old me but remember it being played endlessly in school when I was studying for O levels and so when I saw HDtracks download of it recently succumbed Nobody is ever going to call this an audiophile recording even at 96kHz 24 bit any more than Abraxas is but that heady mix of Latin rhythm and heavy rock still casts its spell Via the 931 Jingo proved as evocative as the scent of a summer evening the bass was deeper than ever heard in 1969 70 and the percussion crisper but was transported straight back to the fifth form common room The Trilogy 931 is a good looking well constructed and fine sounding headphone amp albeit one which hasn t the ultimate transparency and spatiality to trade punches with the very best It lacks bells and whistles but for many potential buyers it has eve
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