All Audio systems Feeds

Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin

1209388402

The Zeppelin is an integrated iPod dock complete with digital amps and built-in speakers.

The dock itself sits on a sturdy chrome outrigger that stands proud of a chrome bar and has a reassuringly sturdy feel when accessing the iPod's functions.

The power cable, USB port, toslink digital connector and stereo minijack (for external sources) lies at the rear. There's also a composite and S-Video connector for playing iPod videos on your telly and a pair of rear-firing bass ports, one for each 'speaker'.

High-end iPod dock

The two black grilles hide the speakers, giving the dock its 'Zeppelin' look (actually, it's dimensionally closer to a scaled-down 30 St Mary Axe - 'the Gherkin' - laid on its side).

Each side of the speaker holds a 25mm tweeter unit and a 90mm slotted woven fibreglass midrange cone and both of these are powered by their own 25-watt amplifier. A 125mm bass driver, driven by its own 50-watt amp and matching, pebble-shaped piano gloss remote completes the package.

There's some subtle digital signal processing going on inside the Zeppelin, too. This tailors the output of the Zeppelin, according to the volume level, to make it sound consistent virtually irrespective of room size.

It also allows you to charge most iPods while connected and a multicoloured LED on the left speaker describes Zeppelin and iPod status.

Pricey and powerful

The functionality of the Zeppelin is basic, given the price of the system.

The pebble remote has rudimentary iPod controls, but fights shy of the iPod's menus and playlists. It's a simple product to install, however; because all you have is a choice of whether to use the additional rubber foot, or not.

The system is impressively powerful for an iPod dock; we can envisage these units being used to pump out dance tracks in every gym in the land.

There's also an admirable sense of separation; not stereo separation, but the ability to separate individual instruments within a mix is very strong. The last time we heard sounds so clearly differentiated from a unit this small, it had both Meridian and Ferrari badges on it.

Lacking in dynamic range

It's not an F80 though. There's a distinct lack of dynamic range here that apes the performance of the iPod, which makes everything sound like it's playing at the same level.

It may well be a very loud level, but when you are playing something like The Pixies (or, of course Led Zeppelin), you expect the quiet bits to be very quiet and the loud bits to be very loud; here everything is all at the same level.

This is endemic to modern recordings and to iPod material not recorded in Apple Lossless; unfortunately, the Zeppelin throws this into sharp repose.

Led Zep puns are a cheap shot here, but one that's impossible to resist. This is no Black Dog and it's good for Rock and Roll, but there remains a Communication Breakdown between the Zeppelin and hi-fi.

Imerge SoundServer S3000

tech.co.uk staff — 1205574298

We've seen a few sound servers before, including a direct ancestor of this new machine, but it's likely that the breed will be unfamiliar to at least a few folks reading this. The idea is simple enough: store the contents of anything from a few dozen to a few hundred CDs on a computer hard drive and regurgitate them on demand without the user needing to swap discs all the time.

It's much cleverer than that, though, most obviously because this is actually four players fed from the same drive. Each can play completely separately from the others. If you're the sort of person who considers listening to music to be an active rather than a passive activity, and who therefore has no interest in music being piped to the kitchen, the study, the bedroom or anywhere apart from the lone hi-fi system, you can buy a one-output S3000.

The device works perfectly well as a simple jukebox, but its true home is definitely in a multiroom installation, where it makes the entire household's music collection instantly and effortlessly available to the entire household.

Forget about the single-output machine, as there is, in fact, the choice of one, two or four outputs. You've got to love the flexibility: Alfie listens to Mozart in one room while Bertie listens to Radiohead in another, both off the same source. Caz, elsewhere, overhears Radiohead and decides to listen to the same track, starting from the top while Bertie is halfway through. Try doing that with a regular CD collection!

A hard drive is like a filing cabinet. You can put a lot of stuff in it, but unless you have a logical and efficient filing system, you may spend half your life looking for it. Imerge is fully aware of this and has put a lot of effort into making recordings traceable. In many ways it's considerably easier to find tracks on a sound server than in a CD collection.

A CD library

In the S3000, Imerge has combined two technologies to make your music collection easily searchable: video and the internet. Video outputs at the unit's rear (composite, S-Video and VGA) provide a full graphical user interface via a TV or monitor (basic operation is possible using the front-panel display), while the built-in modem and Ethernet enable the unit to connect to the online Gracenote database.

This means the player can automatically download not only track and album details, but even the album cover artwork, all from reading the CD's table of contents.

Once the details have been stored on the S3000's internal drive, they can be used for searching by title or artist. You can also assemble playlists matching all sorts of criteria. If you've ever used a PC as a music source you'll have a pretty good idea, but this is even better, because the whole system (which is actually based on an embedded PC internally) is geared to that one function. We fell in love with it at once, though even after a generous review period we'd probably only investigated half the possibilities.

Two basic questions have probably already crossed your mind. One, how does the music get round the house; and two, how does it get on the hard drive in the first place?

The first of these is easily answered: via regular stereo interconnects, preferably connected to a multiroom distribution amplifier, perhaps with CAT5 signal cables concealed within your walls and under the floors, and therefore installed by a professional.

Or, theoretically, you could just use very long interconnect cables. Yes, whatever scheme you use, it's going to cost a bit and cause some mayhem, unless you're having a pretty thorough domestic overhaul done at the time (a lot of new-build properties have all sorts of wiring pre-installed).

There's a single digital output, which could in principle be relayed by a wireless link... and there's nothing to stop you using a Sonneteer Bard system to replace the wiring of one output, but that adds considerably to the cost as well.

As for question two, there are various ways to get audio onto the hard drive. The most obvious is to use the CD-ROM drive built into the S3000. Put a disc in and, a small number of button pushes later, the contents can be copied at high speed - a full CD takes only just over two minutes.

You can also connect to a PC via Ethernet (and indeed control the S3000 from the same PC if you wish) and transfer music that way, which opens up the world of downloadable audio and allows you to transfer to and from portable players.

Future release

The S3000 has digital and analogue inputs for real-time recording, but these are due to be enabled in a future software release, so we didn't try them. It's worth noting that various enterprising businesses will transfer your CD library to hard disk if you're too busy or you just can't face it. Oh - and you can play a CD direct from the drive should you ever need to.

Indeed, never mind loading all those CDs - you may very well wish to have the S3000 professionally installed. It's a complex bit of kit and takes some getting used to, and unless you're a real techno-head, we'd recommend allowing some extra budget for installation and set-up - not to mention hand-holding while you get the hang of it. If you're coming from a background in traditional hi-fi, this is really a revolution, and a slightly daunting learning curve is in the nature of the beast. Trust us - it's worth it.

The mere news that this machine is based on an embedded PC may have some audio purists running for the hills. More fool them! The audio circuits are by no means an afterthought and the sound is actually perfectly respectable for, say, a £500 CD player.

It's true that a fair few PC sound cards are noisy, grainy and indistinct-sounding by the standards of proper hi-fi, but as we mentioned earlier, this device is conceived first and foremost as audio rather than computing equipment, and it shows, both in the good audio parts used internally and in the clear and detailed sound. There's plenty of body to the bass and the midrange is tonally neutral, leading on to an extended and admirably open treble.

A basic lab check confirmed that there's nothing unusual in the S3000's performance and it passes the usual tests with flying colours. But the story doesn't stop here, for as with most computer-based sound-storage devices, it offers a trade-off between capacity and quality. Yes, folks, this device supports MP3 and WMA, which at the same data rate is widely reckoned to be slightly higher quality. You get various options of data rate, the higher ones offering better quality but lower storage capacity.

As hard-core audiophiles, we tested it mainly in 'native' CD-quality (WAV file) mode, where its performance is bit-for-bit identical to the original disc, but we also had a listen to some of the compressed modes, which revealed that, well, if you're not very picky, they'll do.

There's room for argument about the degree of improvement in going from 128kbps MP3 to 192kbps and higher, but in general there's always some quality hit. Lucky, then, that the S3000 is available with various hard disks fitted, from a basic 80GB (already enough for 100-plus CDs uncompressed, or up to ten times that amount depending on MP3/WMA options) to a whopping 400GB, which will swallow most CD collections whole.

Yes, the price rises (rather steeply, we feel, given the cost of raw drives these days), but we strongly recommend stumping up for a bigger drive and storing in uncompressed form.

There's one important factor in the sound we haven't mentioned: mechanical noise. The hard drive and small cooling fan in the S3000 are noisy, and you're unlikely to want this unit to be in the same room as any speakers you ever listen to properly.

Of course, it's expected to be sited out of the way and has all the appropriate connectivity for remote control and so on - but then loading new material from CD becomes less convenient. That apart, the S3000 has a lot going for it, and we are suitably impressed that Imerge has maintained what audiophiles will recognise as good sound quality in a machine that's so versatile. Richard Black

Pinnacle SoundBridge HomeMusic

tech.co.uk staff — 1204646413

Pinnacle's new SoundBridge HomeMusic is the Roku SoundBridge repackaged, but still powered by the same open source server software. The latest software update provides the ability to stream AppleLossless music files.

The tubular box works by streaming music from your Mac or the web, and doesn't require router configuration - you don't even need a router. Your Mac will beam tracks to the SoundBridge, which can also share its internet connection, thanks to the FireFly software it comes with. We experienced near-instant transmission inside a 30ft range from a MacBook Pro.

The SoundBridge doesn't have any speakers; it outputs its signal to a set of power speakers (not included) or your stereo via a 3.5mm audio-out jack. There's a headphone jack and, uniquely for this type of device, slots for SD or MMC memory cards, from which it can also play back music. Competitors include the Slim Devices Squeezebox and Terratec iRadio, which cost more but come with speakers.

The obvious question for Mac owners is whether or not the SoundBridge can now stream AAC files bought from the iTunes Store. This is a common complaint from owners of audio- streaming devices, as these files are protected by Apple's FairPlay system and resist streaming efforts. Sadly, the SoundBridge won't stream FairPlay-protected files.

The songs show up on the SoundBridge's display panel, but they appear with a padlock symbol and refuse to play back. It will stream AAC files, but not those bought from Apple. This is more Apple's fault than Pinnacle's, though.

Streaming music from your library, or from web radio, is easily done. Everything is controlled with the remote. You browse, select and play. Each time you add a new library you need to reboot, but this is done automatically, and yes, you can browse multiple Macs as long as they are in range and have FireFly installed.

Two models are available: the SoundBridge M1001 (£135) and SoundBridge HomeMusic (picture; £99). The only difference is the M1001 has an Ethernet port, giving it a faster data-transfer option and longer range, and a wider LCD display for file browsing. Just remember not to lose the remote. Both transmit using the 802.11b and g wireless standards.

If you're looking for a networkable radio for the home and don't have a stereo there already, consider the iRadio; if you have a big budget, consider the better-quality Squeezebox. Those already with a stereo are better off with the fun-to-use SoundBridge - and connecting the two is as easy as plugging in a RCA cable, which is supplied.

Absolute Sounds ElectroKID

1204628202

Depending on your viewpoint, the £3,740 ElectroKID system is either a serious and successful attempt at wringing the best possible sound out of an Apple iPod, or a rich audiophile's folly.

Actually, it's both, and we should love it for being both.

The ElectroKID is formed of two products from two different American high-end manufacturers - Krell and MartinLogan.

Bringing out the best in the iPod

The connection is Absolute Sounds, the UK distributor for both products. Ricardo Franissovici, Grande Fromage of Absolute Sounds, realised that the combination of iPod 'interface' and active loudspeakers could deliver the sort of sound quality that even Apple might not have expected from the ubiquitous iPod. And so, the ElectroKID was born.

The name itself is a portmanteau of 'electrostatic loudspeaker' (the MartinLogan Purity) and 'KID', which is itself an acronym for 'Krell Interface Dock'. Technically, it should be 'KIDelectro', but that sounds way too 1980's!

Incidentally, if you type 'electrokid' into Google on the interweb, you get a lot of DJs before you get to this system.

The Krell Interface Dock was the big audiophile controversy of 2007, because it was the first iPod-related product from a big name high-end brand. And, like all controversy, it has set the trend; at the CES 2008 we saw products like the Wadia 170 iPod transport follow in the footsteps of the KID.

A dock for all iPods

The £1,350 Krell Interface Dock is essentially an iPod dock combined with line preamplifier. It has both balanced and single-ended inputs, a composite and S-Video connection for video, and an RS232 port for those using high-end Crestron/AMX-style remote control systems.

It also has an auxiliary line-level input mini-jack on the front panel, for those wanting to use a digital audio player that is not of the iPod family.

Krell has been canny with the universal docking connector. Inset into a silo on the top of the KID, this has four little clear Perspex rods that wheel back and forth to make a snug fit for the iPod. So, you can guarantee an iPod Nano will sit just as robustly as an iPod Classic.

The KID does not crack the digital code within the iPod, but instead has mild filtering in post processing to help give the signal the best possible start in life (there's also subtle treble and bass tone controls, which are useful when trying to improve a lot of compressed audio sources).

Missed a trick

Strangely, given the fact that every single company in the audio industry has latched onto the iPod as potential saviour of their business, precious few exploited the fact that the iPod actually delivers a differential output. This means it's a doddle to run balanced outputs from the Apple player, but the KID is the first product to take advantage of this.

Applause for Krell and dumb points all round to everyone else for missing an obvious trick. Krell runs its differential amplifier circuitry in Class A, so the KID runs warm - not hot enough to reach for the Calpol, though.

Incidentally, Krell is considering a second iPod product - a full preamp with docking capability, called Papa Doc, although presumably not named after the possibly insane mid-20th Century Haitian dictator, Francois 'Papa Doc' Duvalier.

Powerful bass

The KID is joined by the MartinLogan Purity loudspeaker, to form the ElectroKID system. Last year, MartinLogan launched two entry-level speakers - the passive Source and active Purity. You could be forgiven for expecting the only difference between the two speakers to be the amplifiers, given that they were launched so close to one another.

In fact, the two have significant differences, especially in the bass. Yes, both share the same CLS Generation 2 electrostatic treble/midrange panel, housed in ML's rigid 'AirFrame' curved aluminium housing, and both have a broadly similar footprint, but where the Source features a single 200mm bass driver, the Purity sports a pair of 165mm units, driven by a built-in 200-watt amplifier.

There's a three-position bass control at the rear of both speakers, for +3dB, flat and -3dB, and its best to experiment. There's even a set of speaker terminals for those who want to drive the stators from an amplifier and that turns the internal amp into a subwoofer driver, although that's effectively irrelevant in this case.

Space to breathe

As ever with MartinLogan speakers, the Purity needs a lot of air - a good metre from the rear wall and half a metre from the sides.

As a high-end partnership, the two fit snugly together, although there's one small sacrifice in reality - the MartinLogan speakers don't accept a balanced input, so although the Krell KID takes advantage of the differential output of the iPod, that advantage is not passed on here.

Still, unless you have to use more than 5m runs of interconnect cable 'twixt KID and Purity, it's doubtful you would gain much by going balanced anyway.

The limitations of compression

Part of the issue with any dock is the quality of the recordings made to your iPod.

These can be so variable that they can make or break a sound, and many's the time low-fi systems actually do better than their high-end brethren in this context because small, cheap speakers are less demanding and thus, do not highlight the parts where data has been sacrificed at the altar of disk space.

In contrast, a full-range audiophile-grade system can throw the limitations of data compression into sharp focus.

Choose your formats wisely

So, if you are planning to use a take-no-prisoners replay system, you need to be just as resolute in your choice of format; AIFF or WAV give you bit-for-bit transfers, but with the concomitant disk-eating properties of storing 650MB or more per CD, Apple Lossless (as the name suggests) works like a zip compressor and does not interpolate the music itself.

You are still looking, however, at nigh on 300MB per CD.

Then, there's AAC and MP3; consider 160kbps AAC and 192kbps MP3 files as a bare minimum for use with the ElectroKID and if you can go higher (both go up to 320 kilobits per second), do so. You still get hundreds of hours on a single iPod (400 hours of music on a 60GB model sounds about right), but at least they are all listenable.

There's even the choice of iPod to consider. Naturally, your iPod has to be second generation or later to sport a docking port. But there are also some who reject the iPhone and iPod Touch on audio grounds.

Exciting sound

There's a symbiosis between the two non-Apple products that bespeaks quality. In other words, the KID and the Purity sing together beautifully. The Krell KID is more of a preamp than a dock and the improvement that it brings to the Apple sound is quite remarkable.

You get a vivid, exciting and clean sound with a surprisingly fine soundstage... something far better than the flat, pinched 2-D sonic disappointment that comes when you usually hook your iPod to the hi-fi. All this without even tangling with digital code must mean Krell is doing something right.

The sound is perhaps drier than typical Krell products, but is still an excellent presentation.

The MartinLogan side of things is not too dissimilar from the performance heard in the Source loudspeaker we recently tested.

The extended, smooth treble, the open mindrange, that effortless sense of disappearing loudspeakers and the well-integrated dynamic bass are all re-issued here.

From one extreme to another

The big difference between this speaker and the passive version is even better bass control, depth and integration; having that 200 watts on tap really brings the speaker to life and helps bring out the best in the KID. It gives the iPod sound a cohesiveness that it seems to so sorely lack in other settings.

Even the bass and treble controls - usually so alien to any Krell-loving audiophile - have a place here. Unlike most modern CD recordings, it seems that those squeezed into the iPod comfort zone are compressed at the bottom end and over-emphasised at the top.

Worse, this seems to have become the norm for modern pop and rock releases, perhaps to make them sit more comfortably in tinny little iPod headphones. The mild degree of tone shaping that goes on thanks to the KID helps shape this.

Justifiably pricey

That the iPod can be controlled by the credit card remote is good, but the logic driving the remote is pure Krell - it's not confusing, but neither is it the genius iPod interface.

We've heard many aspiring high-end iPod-based systems, but this is the best of them (it's also currently the most expensive of them too, these things may be related).

In some respects the Purity speakers are perfectly made for the iPod, if using good-quality sound files - the openness of the midrange and smooth, clean and extended treble fit the Apple sound perfectly, where cone-and-dome systems (especially metal dome tweeters) can sound brash and hard.

Also, because electrostatics take the emphasis off dynamic range, this helps take the edge off very mild compression, which always sounds too compressed on dynamic box speaker systems. The Purity designs do have a dynamic bottom end and that also fits the iPod profile.

Disappointing video quality

If there's a limit, it's in the video output.

In fairness, this is as much the fault of the Apple device as it is from the Krell KID, but composite and S-Video connections are relatively weak in today's HDTV world.

Others have shown (although not, as yet, launched) upscaling docks that bring the iPod video quality a nudge toward DVD-grade video goodness, but here the picture quality is indistinct and blocky, on both outputs.

We want to ask whether this system makes you reach for the off switch on your CD player, but this is wholly the wrong question. We doubt this will be the only system for
those who invest in it, and many will be considering the ElectroKID as a useful adjunct or complement to their existing high-end hi-fi.

In that context, the ElectroKID is a remarkable pairing.

Accustic Arts TUBE-DAC II

1203936711

OK, so the Accustic Arts' TUBE-DAC II is not the most expensive DAC in the world, but this little baby is hardly cheap. It only handles sampling rates, for example, up to 48kHz, so to most intents and purposes it is half of an exceptionally upmarket CD player, in partnership with the matching Drive I transport (£2,995).

The company behind this assault on the highest peaks of CD replay is Schunk Audio Engineering, a German outfit offering amplifiers, loudspeakers and cables, alongside a top digital source like the TUBE-DAC, and a handful of very slightly less esoteric digital models.

Features in the TUBE-DAC include that well-known 21st-century amplifying device, the thermionic valve, in this case a pair of ECC83 triodes, which is a common enough sight in audio. Used here in a hybrid configuration (which as our own measurements were able to confirm) it differs in some ways from your average valve circuit.

Explaining the cost

But valves aren't that expensive and don't account for the price. A cost that's explained largely by three things, two of which we could see and one we could only read about. The case, made largely of thick aluminium panels is superb and there's a generous sprinkling of ultra-high-performance op-amps, to be precise ten type OPA627. The latter is one of those near-mythical audio components that outperforms standard parts in almost every way. And the part we read about? Accustic's own digital filter, with a 32-bit microprocessor for which great things are claimed.

The 32 bits sound good and so do many of the claims made for this bit of electronic trickery. Accustic doesn't call it a 'filter', just 'digital signal processing', and claims that it's considerably more elaborate than normal upsampling. That may be so, but as far as we can see it's doing a standard upsampling job, with just the same sort of response as most conventional up- or over-sampling players.

Accustic makes much of the additional noise created by regular upsampling, but we've yet to see evidence of that. The firm also seems to imply that normal DACs share digital processing for both channels and so create a slight time delay between them. But we feel that problem (to the extent that it ever really was one) was laid to rest 20 years ago!

So in fact what we have here is a perfectly standard digital filter, one with a slightly sub-optimal performance that does not attenuate rapidly enough as frequency increases above 20kHz. This results in a small degree of aliasing in the output of the TUBE-DAC. Where we will give Accustic high marks is in the elimination of jitter, with the audio output showing no trace of distortion.

As one would certainly hope, everything about the construction of this unit is deluxe, from the very positive control switches to the uniformly high quality of components inside and their immaculate assembly to the circuit board. All the usual high-end touches are there: twin mains transformers, multiple regulated power supplies, nice connectors, even a 'Generalised Impedance Converter' - a nifty circuit configuration for the final analogue filter.

You get both unbalanced and balanced audio outputs and all three flavours of electrical digital input. It's also AES/EBU balanced, which is the preferred mode of connection to the Drive I. Digital outputs are a nice touch, too, facilitating connection of a recorder or remote DAC slaved to the TUBE-DAC's selected input.

Sound quality

We expected some decent sounds from all this high-tech and weren't disappointed. It has all the hallmarks of classic high-end kit, with excellent neutrality, effortless detail and almost tangible grip, authority and control.

It is, of course, impeccably well-mannered and locks on very quickly to the incoming digital signal - whereas some high-end DACs can be confusingly slow.

One of the consistent features we've found across a range of upmarket CD players (and since we spent most of our time with the TUBE-DAC partnered to a Drive I, a CD player is effectively what we were testing) is the high degree of polish they bring to the sound, making cheaper players sound rough by comparison. This one is no exception, joining such company as Meridian and dCS in offering sounds that appear to believe their origin.

During the time that high-sampling-rate, high-bit audio has been slowly penetrating the market, CD recording and replay standards have risen making one question what all the high-res fuss is about. In the practical sense of the terms, this is high resolution. And, thanks to an otherwise uneventful Xmas, we had plenty of opportunity to listen at leisure to Accustic Arts' statement on digital replay and our respect remained high across a wide range of music and recordings.

Among the many discs that we were able to audition on the TUBE-DAC was a newly made CD of operatic voice and piano, recorded so recently that the original sound was still fresh in our ears. The recording itself was excellent, that much was obvious from the most casual listen, but the real extent to which the tenor's high notes rang true was much more apparent via the TUBE-DAC than via our resident (modest but capable) CD player.

The human voice is such a familiar sound that any interference with its complex harmonic structure has a disproportionately large subjective effect, making it a good test of audio equipment. In this case, it was clear that both the recording and replay equipment had admirably discharged their function and the sound was less 'digital' than we were used to.

The jitterbug

It's worth mentioning that, we tried playing the same recording from the hard disc of a computer, rather than from the CD in the Drive I. Computers are renowned for being a jittery source, but there was really very little difference between the two. Accustic Arts may not thank us for saying this, but the TUBE-DAC has very good rejection of incoming jitter and is therefore quite unfussy about the source.

Moving a world away to highly processed contemporary pop, the TUBE-DAC is similarly assured, unfazed by the multi-layered nature of studio productions. Rapid, funky synthesiser can prove a tough test for digital sources, but again the result is confident, detailed, almost calm. Which can come as a bit of a shock if you're used to more coloured
audio kit.

If there is anything to criticise, it's a very slight degree of hardness in the highest registers when reproducing instruments with an extended harmonic structure - a violin being perhaps the most critical. In such cases, the 'air' around the instrument is not quite so pure, the decay at the end of notes a touch less well-defined.

Overall, though, this is clearly a very capable DAC indeed, with plenty going for it sonically and, in terms of ownership, it practically exudes class. This experience has certainly made us keen to visit other Accustic Arts products. And who knows what further treats lie in store?

Ministry of Sound MOSDV124

tech.co.uk staff — 1202226833

This stylish 2.1 system's main unit boasts an eye-catching mirrored front panel that gives it a jazzy hi-tech feel, and comes with a pair of compact bookshelf speakers and a tiny subwoofer.

Talents include the ability to play DVDs, CDs and CD-R/-RW discs containing MP3 and JPEG files, plus an AM/FM radio tuner. Around the back, there's no HDMI socket, but analogue socketry is up to scratch. There's an RGB-enabled Scart, S-video and composite outputs, alongside a set of component video outputs, which sadly don't offer progressive scan.

The picture quality you get from the Scart socket is disappointing. Dark sequences in 300 look too shadowy and fine details tend to disappear within the murkiness. Adjusting the brightness level in the comprehensive picture settings does help to improve picture depth, though. Via component, images lack solidity, and a sprinkling of video interference makes the pictures look a little messy.

On the plus side, the speakers deliver hugely enjoyable movie sonics. The intense, frenetic battle scenes in 300 are delivered with punch and vigour, and effects move around the stereo soundstage smoothly. The lack of virtual surround limits the sense of width, but overall these little speakers produce a big stereo performance.

If only the same could be said about the sub, which makes a weak contribution to the sonic mix. It struggles to cope with loud thumping sounds, failing to back up the sterling work done by the speakers.

Music playback is surprisingly tuneful provided you don't turn the volume up too loud, but again the bass performance is disappointing.

There's lots to like about the MOSDV124, such as its mirrored finish and budget price, but there's work to be done in the audio and video departments.

Ministry of Sound MOSDV124

tech.co.uk staff — 1184860924

For starters, the MOSDV124's mirrored front panel will certainly appeal to those who like their eye-catching electronics. It's hard not to be impressed by the overall fit and finish. This stylish 2.1 system comprises a pair of compact bookshelf speakers with one of the tinniest subwoofer's we've seen, but it all looks surprisingly well built and put together at the price.

Facilities are respectable, and the MOSDV124 can handle pre-recorded DVDs, CDs, as well as CD-R and CD-R/W discs containing MP3 music or JPEG photo files.

Well connected

Connections at the back of the unit are good. Unsurprisingly, there's no HDMI socketry or digital video upscaling for hookup to an HD Ready TV set, but there's a good selection of analogue video socketry, including an RGB-enabled Scart output, S-video and composite video connections.

Component video sockets are also provided, but there's no progressive scan video mode for the very best analogue video images.

On-screen menus provide a comprehensive set of picture adjustments, but factory settings are fairly well judged with good colour balance. Darker sequences look a little too shadowy and subtle details disappear while watching our test DVD of Walk the Line, but adjusting the brightness level helps to improve picture depth. Any picture weaknesses are exaggerated by the poor quality Scart lead.

There's some visible video interference in background details, and we recommend replacing the supplied lead with a branded model for significantly improved picture performance.

Sadly, even the best quality video connection shows some flaws. Component video signals don't look as clean and solid as they should, and there's some video interference crawling around in the background of images.

Movie sound is surprisingly solid. The MOSDV124 may not be capable of delivering a virtual surround sound performance, but its firm stereo image ensures that actors' voices are fixed to the central TV screen and effects move smoothly across the screen.

The small subwoofer's performance is weak, and struggles to cope with the pounding bass notes during the opening sequence of Walk the Line, but it's a decent effort at the price. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand, but it is easily overcome by movie action effects. The low power amplifier also quickly runs out of steam.

Level headed

Music sound is respectable if you're not bothered about listening loudly. As with movies, bass performance is weak, but with careful level adjustment it can pull a surprisingly tuneful performance out of the bag.

The Ministry of Sound's smart looks will dazzle at the budget price. But its less than sparkling picture performance means that the MOSDV124 is better suited to a small screen in a second room, than a main home cinema setup.