The New Year is a time to tell amazing stories, so I saved for the holidays a review of, perhaps, the best headphones I've ever visited. I will not draw intrigue, as the name of the headphones is in the title, so it’s easy to guess that we’ll talk about the new flagship of the Kiev laboratory of Ambient Acoustics, model AM 10.
Ambient Acoustics has no equal on the territory of the former CIS in the manufacture of high-end custom in-channel monitors (I have repeatedly written that this is why it is necessary, therefore I will not repeat again). More recently, they were the only company engaged in this kind of activity, but now other manufacturers of Custom IEM have appeared, but the Ambient experience and skill level remains unsurpassed.
In AA, they do not chase the size of the model range, expanding it not so often, but each time it is apt. I started to get acquainted with the AM4 model based on four reinforcing emitters, then there were AM6 HiRez, and recently I upgraded my custom to their new top model AM 10, built using 10 emitters for each ear. Why so many?
If you are unfamiliar with the principle of operation of emitters based on the technology of a balanced anchor, I advise you first to get acquainted with this article of mine.
Reinforcement radiators offer a number of advantages. They have excellent speed and detail, they play with a small amount of distortion, they depend little on the acoustic design of the headphone case. But at the same time they also have disadvantages, the main of which is a reduced frequency range and not the best output for LF. To solve this problem, usually use multiband systems in which different emitters are responsible for different parts of the frequency response. In addition, often for one frequency range use more than one emitter, it allows to achieve less distortion and more power in this part of the frequency response (most often they do this at low frequencies, since it is there that usually fixtures lack impact and toughness).
If the younger models of the Ambient Acoustics line are designed primarily for professional use by musicians and sound engineers, the older ones are designed primarily for those who want to listen to music "for fun." AM 10 was created “from scratch” to achieve the most smooth sound when listening to high-quality sources. Thus, AM10s are not a “direct” descendant of AM6 or any other laboratory models.
The AM10 uses the following configuration of emitters: 2 for infibas up to 80 Hz, 2 emitters for midbass, 1 for medium frequencies, 1 for “upper middle”, 2 for HF and 2 emitters for ultra high frequencies (where most headphones usually have blockage).
AM 10 appeared relatively recently, so you will not find them on the lab's website, but they still have a discount, and you can purchase a basic version for $ 900, then the price will grow by at least $ 200. Such a price tag, of course, looks scary, but the prices for similar custom monitors from other manufacturers are significantly more expensive, so AM 10 can be considered inexpensive (in its niche, of course).
Usually, most companies in custom IEM design are limited to faceplates (the so-called external side of the headphones), offering the opportunity to decorate them with some kind of drawings or texture inserts, but AA went further.
Sending my AM 6 for upgrading up to 10 drivers, I asked to add some Ukrainian motives to the design, but I didn’t know exactly how this would be done, so the final result exceeded my expectations. My AM 10 is made in a blue-and-yellow color scheme with transitions of colors, on the outside and on the body of the custom, an ornament is placed, and on the sound-guides there are coats of arms. There are not many manufacturers in the world who undertake such a complex shell, and at such an immaculate level, so here Ambient Acoustics deserve the highest praise.
Also with AM 10 I got a new cable, which I do in Ambient Acoustics on my own. Their previous cables were designed primarily for musicians and active use on stage, so they were particularly durable, but they were not enough for quiet listening to music. Here a contradiction arose: AM 10 is intended for audiophiles, but the stock cable is not, therefore the new version was developed specifically for “home” use. The wire is very soft, lightweight, comfortable to wear. The separator and connectors are made of the same acrylic as the headphones themselves, so the cable looks with the IEM as a whole, positively influencing the perception of the model. The cable uses silvered copper, 4 cores per channel.
But, of course, for these headphones, the main thing is sound.
The following equipment was used for listening:
- Yulong DA8 as a DAC and amplifier
- Resonessence Labs Concero HP as a DAC and Amplifier
- Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2013 as a source
- Fidelia as a player
- HiFiMan 901 and QLS 360 as players
- High Definition Records in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
AM 10 are designed to convey the maximum amount of information contained in a record. The complex scheme of the crossover and 10 receivers provide the most even frequency response across the entire range of audible man. If the "six" were still partly taste headphones, then the "dozens" are closer to the neutral sound, it allows them to create a different sound canvas.
I'm not even going to talk about the incredible detail of these headphones, their high resolution and the speed of working out complex parts - it's obvious, I'll tell you how the sound is perceived in them. In general, describing certain aspects of the sound of headphones of this level is almost unrealistic, their sound is so comprehensive that it is difficult to analyze by range, but I will try to put my perception of AM 10 in words.
Low frequencies have become slightly less distinguished than those of AM 6, but at the same time they have become “denser” and even deeper. The bass ceased to “bum”, but began to really beat where it was necessary. There is no redundancy effect, because the headphones play exactly as many low frequencies as there are in the recording. Complex tracks with a large dynamic range from this very much benefit. The reworked bass is also very useful for heavy genres, especially the technical part of them, where the skill of the drummer and bass guitarist often went unnoticed.
Medium frequencies are detailed, even and emotional. AM 10 is extremely accurate in reproducing the recording, they are completely devoid of all the effects that affect the imaginary scene and the perception of music. All these descriptions in the style of "vocals seem closer, and the drums are spaced apart in width" - not about these headphones, they do not bring anything from themselves, conveying only what was recorded. Therefore, in the AM 10 "audiophile" recordings of high quality, performed without compression and with a minimum of processing, are especially good. Releases from 2nl, Dr. Chesky, Blue Coast are the best friends of these headphones. For many old records it is better to look for modern remasters (I particularly recommend the work of Stephen Wilson: what he does with the classic of rock deserves a long applause).
The high frequencies on first listening pleasantly surprise, the fact is that the AM 10 play (and very smoothly) where other headphones begin to fall and peaks, so the amount of information received is much larger than that of "normal" models. Having got used to it, it is difficult to listen to other models later, they seem to be squeezed, with a close sound. At the same time, AM 10 does not sound abruptly, they do not "bite the brain" with sibilants, you just catch yourself on hearing nuances that you did not realize before.
Separately, I am very pleased that Ambient Acoustics managed to make their flagship musical, without drying up the sound to complete dry monitoring, preparing the composition into separate, poorly matched layers, this is not the case. Despite the huge number of nuances heard in AM 10, they retain emotionality and involvement in what they play.
AM 10 also uses proprietary phase and impedance correction technology that helps them to play even with sources that have a high output impedance, but really - I do not recommend even trying them with something not the best. They were originally designed to give the maximum possible, therefore, the source and the records must correspond to their level.
It is nice to watch the progress of the company, especially if this company works in an area interesting to you personally. My acquaintance with the Ambient Acoustics laboratory started with the flagship 4-D model AM 4 at that time, they were very good, but looking at my AM 10, I understand that there is a huge distance between them, lots of experiments, searches and discoveries, What distinguishes a fervent novice from a professional mother.
The article is based on materials .
Comments
Post a Comment