Musical Fidelity X10D 雙真空管音質處理器

Musical Fidelity X10D 雙真空管音質處理器

關於這台X10D 在stereophile上說:(部份)

 https://www.stereophile.com/tubepreamps/873/index.html

"Musical Fidelity X-10D" it said on the box. No, this is not bathtub mildew remover or laundry detergent. Actually, it's hard to figure out exactly what it is. The box is little help. Musical Fidelity calls the X-10D "the missing link," a "pure Class A CD-player accessory."

The X-10D thing looks neat—a long, narrow cylinder supported along its sides by two rails running the length of the unit. Anthony tells me that, in-house, they've nicknamed it "the piglet." Additional products using the same chassis will be forthcoming, including a tubed headphone amp, an outboard phono stage, and a line stage—although whether these or other Musical Fidelity products make it to these shores remains up in the air.
So...what exactly is this thing that I am suggesting—nay, urging—you to shell out 200 bucks for?

It's a tubed output stage and buffer. The X-10D has two sets of RCA jacks, input and output (you'll need an extra set of interconnects). You put the X-10D between your CD player and your preamp, active or passive. Or you can put it after your preamp, active or passive. Or you can put one X-10D before the preamp and another one after, if you like—which would have the effect of tubing everything before it goes to your power amp.
Anthony swears up and down that the X-10D does not add distortion or alter frequency response (footnote 1). "The figures we're getting from this thing have never been achieved with tubes before," he crows. "Distortion is less than 0.01% from 10Hz to 100kHz. Signal/Noise ratio is way better than 90dB. Frequency response is flat from 10Hz to 100kHz." I would assume that any slight loss of information is due to the cabling and connectors.

Inside, the unit has two 6DJ8s, each mounted in a tube socket so tube replacement should be no problem. The unit is meant to be left on all the time—which, contrary to what you might expect, may actually prolong the useful life of the tubes. (This would not be true of tube amplifier output tubes, of course.) If you open the unit to change tubes, be aware that Musical Fidelity considers this "tampering"; if they catch you at it, they void your warranty. Oh, hell, just be careful, and remember that the top hex screw holds the ground wire—you'll have to carefully put it back in place when reassembling. In any event, I haven't tried messing with the tubes, and I don't suggest you do, either, until it becomes a necessity.
At the risk of being repetitious, the X-10D is a stunning upgrade for the Marantz CD63 or CD63SE. The unit adds richness, dimensionality, and improves dynamics. It takes the sounds of these players—which, straight out of the analog outputs, can be a little thin—and fleshes it out.

MUSICAL FIDELITY X10-D-除了換機之外,你還有更好的升級選擇(引用音響論壇)

談到Musical Fidelity這家英國Hi-Fi廠,就觀念上它始終走在Hi-Fi技術的前端,該公司早在十年前即投入Hi-End純A類擴大機的開發,並且與DPA、Arcam同年推出分體式DAC,Musical Fidelity始終不願意將它的產品設計成既貴且不合時宜,因此從一九八八年以來,它的Hi-Fi產品不僅擁有驚人的C/P值,同時因一向貫徹大電流、純A類設計觀念,因此用它的器材與任何揚聲器搭配,其失敗率始終很低。

出人意表的新系列產品

面對九六年以後的Hi-Fi市場成長趨緩,Musical Fidelity卻出乎人意表地推出造型如海軍五吋炮藥筒的X系列產品。此一系列打從廖大第一次在外國媒體見到就想立即試聽,但結果還是等了快二年。目前X系列中除了X-Pre為一般大家所熟知的前級擴大機,其他則全為附件,而在包括耳機放大(X-Cans)以及LP磁頭放大器(X-LP)在內的六款Hi-Fi附件中,最讓人振奮的是X-Tone,X-10D以及X-DAC,這三件可以實質改善你現有Hi-Fi器材效果的產品,雖然其原始設計動機是配合X-Pre前級擴大機一起使用,但如果你對你的雷射唱機、前級或綜合擴大機聲音有所不滿,前述的三款附件絕對可以全面為你的現有情況做改善,尤其對於目前正使用中低價位(5萬元以下)器材的朋友,Musical Fidelity這帖X好藥絕對有效,因此在價格超值的前題下,建議各位無妨放心一試。

X-10D數位介面處理器

你的雷射唱機或影碟機本身所具備的類比輸出是否在音色上始終讓你無法滿意,而想換機又考慮到預算與換機 後的種種搭配風險?果真如此,廖大建議你全面提昇它們的類比輸出,如何做?除了改機之外,只要接上一台X-10D,即可得到全面的改善,以目前市售的平價數位器材運用X-10D將類比輸出音質全面由1C化或晶體式轉為X-10D所具有的管球方式,可聽性絕對是正面的。

X-10D可以加接於數位器材或數位類比轉換器的類比輸出端,此時透過你身邊器材所具有的類比輸出電平直接導入由兩只Eccoooo所組成的X-10D,在具有緩衝的前題下,提供十足管味的類比訊息。簡單的說,X-10D是一部可以改善一般平價數位器材敏感乾燥特質的管球緩衝連結器。廖大此次試用是將X-10D裝置於一部Philips 750 CD與Rotel 970綜合擴大機之間,原本這套器材的聲底十分不穩定;同時只要音壓昇高,不僅毫無音樂性,同時乾燥刺耳的中頻上段讓廖大無法安心聽完任何一首三分鐘的曲子,而加了X-OD之後,其變化之大,連廖大都難以想像這樣的聲底是來自一萬元幾乎可以買兩部的Philips 75QCD身上!

其中最大的變化是高頻變得較原先平滑,同時通透性亦較佳,中頻則在質感上有明顯的改善,其中尤以人聲的變化最為驚人,整體而言,X-10D使得Philips 750的人聲在大音量時齒音更自然,同時原先較為薄弱的氣韻,此時亦更扎實,套一句較通俗的形容詞,750因X-10D的加入使得音像更動人,人聲更有肉。

至於大家所關心的低頻,原先Philips 750的低頻不僅單薄,同時亦毫無生氣,裝上X-10D之後,有了近百分之四十的改善,雖然因Philips 750的本質而無法再造暗潮洶湧的低頻,但沈厚結實的低頻在此時已初具規模。X-10D對許多入門級的器材,在改善重播效果上,不僅合理且有效,再加上本身為管球設計,因此只要各位能善用管球特性來調音,X-10D絕對是一部彈性十足的好器材。

X-10D的硬體架構亦相當扎實,全罩式抗RFI鋁鑄機身加上高達6000 AF的濾波電容與金屬皮膜電阻,X-10D雖然嬌小,但由用料與結構,它完全符合廖大對Hi-End的定義。

這也是為何有燒友對這台主機叫「豬仔」的原因。因為外形很奇特。文中認為可以提升CD63SE的音質。且認為6DJ8的機箱內應該打開以利散熱,但我實際上使用我認為它柔化了一些音色,將整體音色向典型英國聲的方向走,聲音相當好,而且管子不很熱,我認為可以不用打開機箱。雖然他是全封閉式的機箱。

 Musical Fidelity X10D照片:



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