Bound for Sound

Feature Review: Polyfusion - March 1997

The Polyfusion 805 ODAP ($3,250), and 920 Digital Transport ($2,900). Polyfusion Audio, 30 Ward Rd., Lancaster, NY 14086 ph. 716.681.3040. Outboard Digital to Analog Processor and digital transport powered by a single three port power supply. HDCD® filter, no balanced outputs. AT&T Glass and RCA inputs. 805 also has proprietary differential input in common only with 920 digital transport. AC polarity reversed. *****

The state of the digital art has probably advanced more than any other in recent years. In the last few months I've had the opportunity to audition digital machines whose performance is at lofty heights unthought of merely a year or two ago. If I properly recall, the new generation of super ODAPs was initiated with the Entec Number Cruncher with the all TG Audio "Crumper Cruncher" modifications. It set the standards and pointed the way for a new generation of components that were to be musically consonant and ruthlessly accurate at the same time. Considering the point in time when I had the Cruncher, it probably wasn't auditioned to the fullest of its potential; the Big Rig has taken strides since then, huge strides in resolution and balance. Nonetheless, the Crumper Cruncher led the way as a portent of good things to come, and a darkener of what the digital art was capable of The Crumper Cruncher is a 1-bit machine without HDCD.

The next great ODAP to take on the Brig Rig was the Altis Reference. Like the Cruncher, it too is a l-bit machine without HDCD. Of all the machines ever auditioned in BFS, the Altis serves as a model of original thinking in digital design. Its dual digital filters are unique to the industry, and nothing sounds quite like it, it having the seemingly unique ability to flesh out the organic and find the human quality in many a recording. You most likely will not want the version with the 6 volt output.

As many of you know, I tend to perceive the truly analytical device as the carrier of more truth than the machine that stresses purely the emotional. I find equipment that tends to emphasize the emotional aspect of a performance as being contrived, draining, and for the most part, antitypical of what most composers and performers are trying to accomplish with their music. The best of the analytical ODAPs convey the emotional aspects of a performance, when there is something there to convey, neither lessening nor overemphasizing the experience. Of course, the differences between the analytical and the emotional machine are more than a feeling; it is a measurable performance aspect having to do with phase, frequency response, resolution capabilities, and dynamics. It's how a designer mixes these tangibles together that results in the seemingly intangible. The Altis danced the fine line between emotion and analysis better than any machine before or after it. Unfortunately for it, persons in one camp or the other may view it as false to their cause, they not understanding that the middle ground so uncannily chosen by the Altis may be the one closer to the truth. And the more I think about the performance of that machine, even months after it has left my home, I feel its greatest strength not to be any one aspect of its performance, but how it was able to do so many thmgs, things that at first blush seemed contradictory, extremely well.

So, now it is that I have had the opportunity to audition in the comfort of familiar surroundings more digital machines, some that I consider extreme. Not extreme in the sense of $10,000 Krells and Madrigals, etc., but extreme in the sense of taking the art in its most logical direction without going crazy. It has also come to pass that the Big Rig has been further refined and is now capable of unraveling and sorting out levels of information unheard of in this house even six months ago. I'm hearing this digital gear like I've never heard gear before.

All of which brings me to these new and wonderful digital machines. Each one of these machines is special in some unique way. And while I have personal preferences among them, I've had to establish peace within myself bv understanding that while my pure observations are objective in nature, my personal preferences are more subjective than anything else. With these machines we are dealing with slightly different hues of excellence slightly different views of near perfection. These machines are converging on the same area of sonic turf, but from slightly different directions. The Classe' DAC-1 at $3,995 really is as good as Stereophile says it is, and it deserves a class "A" ranking. In many ways it approaches the warmer organic signature of the Altis, but without a tube inside. I now affectionately refer to the Dodson DA217 as the "razor," so precise and true is its ability to grasp and reveal everything a recording has to offer; it gives no quarter. Then there is the Camelot Dragon, not a processor as one thinks of a processor, it's a digital enhancement device like the Audio Alchemy Pro-32, but in many regards better. And then there came to be the Polyfusion 805 ODAP and 920 digital transport, the real subjects of this article. I knew the gear to be good, it's from Polyfusion, but after a few set-up tweaks it turned out to be awesome. The following is what it's like to own a Polyfusion digital system.

Build Quality. Text book perfect. Like I've said before, when it comes to Polyfusion equipment of any type, this equipment could have been pulled right out of the space shuttle. Everything has a touch and feel about it that says "professional" and "built to last." There's nothing breadboardy about this gear. Right down to the custom feet, these products ooze high-end/high-tech. The ODAP utilizes an HDCD® digital filter with the 6 dB attenuation for non HDCD® discs being done in the analog domain (our little HDCD® tweak won't work here—doesn't have to). In talking to Alan Pierce about his design choices, he said that there was no way that he would sacrifice the 1 bit of resolution lost by attenuating digitally. Instead, he did it the "right way." DAC's inside are the best that Burr-Brown has to offer.

But what's really interesting about this design is the differential digital signal capabilities that the unit has. On the back of the transport and ODM there is an unusual spot saved for a Limo connector. It's called the "digi-link" and what it does is send the digital signal from the one box to the other in a remarkably uncontaminated fashion. Most companies use an XLR connector for the job, or worse an RCA, but Alan tells me that connectors of that type are simply terrible when it comes to a digital transmission (he's measured it for you meter readers). The Limo with DH Labs wire is much superior.

Alan also believes that most digital electronics are deficient when it comes to creating a balanced digital signal. When I asked why, he promptly went over my head in a discussion of sending and receiving devices that were way too slow in the average machine. Too slow for Polyfusion anyway. The parts that he uses are capable of slewing speeds unheard of in regular balanced digital gear, hundreds of times higher. Again, he's gone the pro route when it comes to the parts implemented, but this time it has something to do with pro video, TV station quality, or something Se that. We'll sort that out in the future.

An aspect of these machines that I liked as much as anything was the use of a single outboard power supply for the ODAP and transport. The Polyfusion power supply has three ports. The ODAP and transport take up two of the ports, and if one desires, a Polyfusion preamp can be used on the third. Without a preamp from Alan on hand I can't comment on how well the trio works, all I can say is that with the digital gear, all was well.

Use and Set-Up. I am a big, Big, BIG believer in AC line conditioning and power cords. Not to consider such things as vital is to misunderstand the basic way electronics work, and to underestimate just how garbage filled the AC running into one's home is. My auditioning always starts with a two circuit TG Audio Bybee-Sucker in the wall with a Bybee Spur plugged into one of the Bybee-Sucker's outlets. The Bybee Spur powers only the digital transport and is there to suppress backwash digital noise from the transport into the rest of the system. During the final days of my auditioning, I used the Electra Glide ($600) power cord exclusively.

As is the case with most digital gear tested here, the processor and transport were placed on a combination of air support from either Arcici or Bright Star, with that in turn sitting on a Bright Star Audio Big Rock. Little Rocks were also used with AudioQuest Sorbothane pucks between everything. Equipment racks were all by Michael Green, they being the best for support, rugged durability, flexibility, and under the appropriate conditions, clamping. Preamps used included the Metaxas Opulence with Sheker boards and power supply, and the Audire Diffet 5.

The digital transport (920) took some coaxing to get going at first. It didn't want to read the disc, and even when fully warmed up, there were times when it didn't want to advance when done so manually (Alan tells me that my unit was unique in this regard, and that it will not happen again). Once it got going however, it operated quite smoothly, and the digital readout was one of the easier ones to read (the green is growing on me). Of note is the use of the Pro-9 Philips mechanism. It is one of the most expensive transport devices that a manufacturer can use. Polyfusion does some additional damping on the mechanism to increase stability. My personal preference is for a top loader, but I could find little to criticize with the way Polyfusion handled things here sonically. Even though my transport did not have the standard XLR output, or a BNC connector, Alan assured me that one could order the transport and the ODAP with any type of connector suitable for digital transmission. One thing you want for sure is the digi-link, and if I were buying, I'd add a BNC and RCA.

Degree of Absolute Transparency. What a difference an AC polarity change can make! With things reversed, and after the insertion of the Electra Glide power cord, I was nearly able to conclude that it couldn't get any better than this. For it was obvious, wonderfully obvious, that once the 805 and the 920 were used together, there was something special going on. No, this wasn't like the BAT amp and preamp reviewed last month where each one was basically hogtied if not used with the other; each needing the other to sound good. Here, the ODAP and transport were very capable of standing on their own (the transport being very good wherever it was used). Put them together, however, and a transformation takes place. We go immediately from very good to "I can't tear myself away from it."

This digital combination of the 805 and the 920 are more than the equivalent of the best analog reproduction one can buy... analog at its best can't touch it. I've been able to hear some really fine analog gear during the past two years at homes, shops and shows. The list includes the likes of Goldmund, Rockport, VPI and others. And forgetting the pops, ticks and wows, none got so into the music, none got so close to the original event as I was able to obtain with the Polyfusion. Don't misunderstand, it wasn't easy getting to that point with the Polyfusion, the set-up had to be meticulous; the AC had to be Suckered and Bybee'd and Spurred and Iight bulb biased (explained in full in a later article), and the power cords had to the right combination of Electra Glides and other things depending on the power amp used. But, if you have the money to invest and the time to get every aspect of the operational set-up right, with these digital machines the only reason to listen to analog will be to enjoy old discs not re-issued on CD. With only the most minor of quibbles, this equipment went flawlessly to the software and retrieved its musical content. Never was the impression given that the 805 and 920 were in any way editorializing at the output, or that they had been voiced to achieve a certain kind of sound. Intuitively the sound came out right, and during my extended audition of the gear I wasn't left wondering if what I heard was what the sound should really sound like. As with the Altis Reference, there was a high degree of precision to the sound, so much so, that the question had to be asked whether imperfections heard on recordings were originating with the Polyfusion or with the original analog to digital converter used by the recording company? Like the Altis, the Polyfusion combo seemed to be pushing the envelope sonically, exposing the imperfections in the recording chain well before giving away its own foibles.

Compared to the Altis Reference, the Polyfusion combo strikes me as somewhat less touchy-feely; it isn't the warm audio cuddly place that the Altis is. A little cooler, a little less warmth on vocals. And while I would have to say that the Altis has a larger sonic presentation, the Polyfusion gear is more focused, tighter, and ever so slightly more transparent to the back of the stage, its low level resolution abilities have to be heard to be appreciated. The Polyfusion is definitely one of those machines that takes the listener back to the recording studio as opposed to putting the performer in "your" room, which are two different things. Dynamics are of the "pin your ears to the side of your head" variety.

But besides all of that, it is obvious that these ODAPs, with the Crumper Cruncher, are converging on a singular sound from digital software. I'm not suggesting that all CD's are being made to sound the same, quite the opposite. No, what I'm saying is that these digital to analog converters are more in agreement than disagreement on how a particular recording should sound. These machines are approaching the brick wall of fidelity imposed on us by the present Philips/Sony Red Book guidelines, and that significant improvements in the sonics of these machines are only going to come when we record and playback with more bits and a higher sampling frequency.

Conclusion. The present digital format isn't all that bad, however. Actually, the Polyfusion 805 and 920 have proven to me that our present system of bits and sampling is capable of incredible things, things not heard with analog. For example, the Polyfusion combo is capable of bass extension and power that would shock a needle out of its groove! And still, it gives up not one iota of the depth and dimension so treasured by the analog crowd. This gear is beyond floating images and palpable presence, it's starting to give us the actual recorded event restricted only by the limitations of the mic's and the analog to digital machines used to make the CD. With the Polyfusion combo, one is more apt to hear the limitations of the CD pressing techniques than those of the playback gear.

And yet, some still complain that digital gear sounds dull and dreary. It doesn't have to. though good digital sounds little like good analog. If anything, I have learned in the past few months, or at least since the visit of the Crumper Cruncher and those to follow, is that what most of us complain about with digital has little to do with the nonexistence of a new digital format. The present format has much to offer, it's just that we are still learning. We are still learning how to correctly design a digital retrieval system that maximizes in the real world those paradigms so easily conceptualized on the drawing table. We are still learning how to turn digital ideas into reality. These newest digital machines are proof of that, and that an ODAP is much more than following the instructions given for such a device in the Sony/Philips Red Book.

And it's a lot more than simply buying an expensive machine. I know that only one in a hundred. or maybe only one in a thousand people are actually making the effort, taking the time, and spending the money necessary to approach the sonic excellencies exhibited by this gear in a properly setup system. Once one has the equipment, more than ever, the set-up makes the system! What we have now is already capable of reproduction beyond your dreams even without a fancy 24/96 format. This gear is capable of awesome digital things, and it seems clear to me now, that the next great hurdle for the makers of digital gear is not to create an entirely new and extended format, but to construct audio equipment that approaches the highest levels of performance capable with the present format without the costly necessity of setting everything up just so. But it's just like us as human beings to go on to the next big thing, the next big breakthrough, before we truly understand the old thing that we seek to leave. The music is there . it's simply too hard to get out in some cases. And think about it, it's not only the expensive stuff like the Polyfusion and the Altis that benefit by such careful attention to detail. The Monarchy 22B made a quantum leap in performance when inserted into the same overall electrical environment.

After having spent this time with some pretty exotic digital gear, and having learned how important it was to pay attention to every detail, it seems to me that we are on the verge of some pretty wonderful breakthroughs sonically. Things are, as they say, coming together. And the coming together of such an impressive digital combination from Polyfusion at this time only serves to highlight my point. From the wall outlet to the composite materials used to make the midrange drivers of your speakers, we are, at this moment, making impressive and memorable strides toward Absolute Transparency. This is no time to jump ship, things are just now starting to really hop. It's time to put the music in YOU!

HDCD® and High Definition Compatible Digital® are registered trademarks of Pacific Microsonics, Inc.

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