Ultimate Audio

Polyfusion 920 CD Transport/805 D/A Converter - January/February 1998

Bringing Something Distinctive to the CD Landscape by Curtis Leeds

I was predisposed against liking the Polyfusions even before I opened the box. The company is from the 'burbs of Buffalo, NY—my old hometown, with some of my least favorite things: wind, snow and the Bills. But after spending some time with Polyfusion's 920 CD Transport and 805 D/A Converter, I've concluded that we can add these products to the short list of Buffalo's Good Contributions along with Buffalo Wings and Michael Tilson-Thomas.

THE LAY OF THE LAND

Just as Buffalo is known as the city in the shadow of Toronto, so might the 920 and 805 become known as the equipment that grew in the shadow of Polyfusion. That's because Polyfusion is actually a b-i-g company, with a 20,000-square-foot plant in the town of Lancaster. The company was founded over 20 years ago to manufacture modular music synthesizers. Since then, they've also started making a variety of precision industrial and medical equipment and have even earned certification to the "ISO-9000" standard. So rest assured, Polyfusion products are more than a mere modification kludge of someone else's design.

The skyline of Buffalo would do well to emulate the appearance of these units. The 3/8-inch thick front panels are offered in a choice of three finishes (brushed aluminum, black or gold); the review samples were a black 805 and a gold 920. The finish on each was impeccable, with an impression of solid construction and materials. The clean, uncluttered controls seem at first more classic than simply modern. However, tucked inside are some features as unusual as anything in the Allbright-Knox Art Gallery on Elmwood Avenue.

MOVING IN

From the moment you begin setup of these units (which are, of course, available separately but which were specifically designed for joint use), you'll notice that they have some unique features. One is that neither of them contains a power supply; instead, both are powered from a compact (14 1/2-inch deep by 6-inch wide) outboard DC unit via an umbilical fitted with Neutrik XLR connectors. Since only one of these supplies is needed for supplying three units with the required plus and minus 35 VDC, you'll save money if you use the CD drive and DAC in tandem.

The other surprise is found on the rear panel of each unit. In addition to the expected input/output connections (RCA unbalanced, BNC and optical ST type) is an unfamiliar connector named Digi-Link (see sidebar).

The owner's manual for these units states, "Only the most sensitive instruments available (should) be used for evaluation...your ears!" So let's get to it.

A RIDE AROUND TOWN

A city's grittiness is often obscured by its skyline even if it's immediately apparent from a casual cab ride. The same is often true with audio equipment. In the case of these Polyfusion components, my heart sank when they were first powered on. The simple outward appearance gave way to a green back-lit logo and model number. You might find this appealing, but I felt it was too garish. Fortunately, the Polyfusions' sound is far more subtle.

For me, one of the more difficult parts of reviewing analog-based equipment is selecting recordings to use. With an LP collection numbering well into the thousands, I find it no mean feat to select just a few, although I have my familiar sonic gems. It is simpler with CD because there are so few really good ones. In fact, I admit I have one absolute favorite, a winner both sonically and musically: the historic Balaika Favorites on Mercury (432-000-2). This CD is more natural than spectacular, and it suffers from the common CD malady of seeming too distant, but the Polyfusion lays bare the master tape to a remarkable degree. There's a natural-sounding decay on the staccato domra plucks, especially at the forte end of their range, that other players often obscure. On the other hand, some of the flaws in the old Mercury master tapes are also audible, and there were some in Barber's Medea (432-016-2)—especially the third movement—that I hadn't noticed before. But these are 40-year-old recordings.

OTHER AVENUES

Still, an apparent loss of transparency in especially low-level passages plagues all CD playback. While the Polyfusion isn't immune, it surprises sometimes with its resolution. Good examples are McCartney's vocal weakness on "Here, There and Everywhere" from Unplugged (EMI TOCP 6713) and the low-level detail in the second movement of Medea. It might be clearest on Neil Young's Harvest (Reprise 9 45 057-2), where on "Unknown Legend," the snare brushes lend an atmosphere to the track that is missing entirely from those players lacking this low-level detail. This CD also shows that Polyfusion achieves this without adding brightness, because it allows Neil Young to do with a harmonica what Bob Dylan has only dreamed of doing. Harvest also achieves a larger soundstage than most CDs offer, showing that many of the perceived limitations with this medium are really the result of just plain lousy engineering on the part of the record companies.

The Polyfusions still suffer from a common compact disc limitation: They sound small and almost toylike in their presentation of image size and soundstage dimensions. I've dubbed this the "Honey, I Shrunk the Music" factor, and I find that this quality really detracts from listening satisfaction. This is a problem to a certain extent with every CD system I've heard, and the Polyfusions are better than some of the competition; still, no one would confuse the sound of These with, say, my VPI TNT/Shure SME V combination.

The high frequencies are one of CDs' greatest challenges. It's the performance in the upper registers that, for many listeners, justifies the expense of high-end digital. Different manufacturers have developed different approaches for dealing with the highs and, to some extent, they are each a compromise. The Polyfusion is a bit unusual: The highs are certainly not reticent or rolled off (I'm sure that the frequency response would measure quite flat), but they are not quite all "there," either. It's as though they've been somewhat softened or "rounded," which is evident on almost any recording that has a lot of HF content. The cymbals' sparkle and the triangle's sheen lack the sharp attack of the transients. Of course, this avoids the "edginess" so often associated with CD, but a lack of excitement or involvement results when these details are obscured even a little.

Another frequent problem with CD is in bass performance. Many players and processors, give "more than you paid for"; the other typical sound, common to much Japanese equipment, renders the sound thin and vague in the low registers. In this regard the Polyfusions really shine: The bass is smooth, flat and deep. If this is not apparent from a particular disc, it's the fault of the disc itself, because the 920 and 805 produce prodigious bass when the data is there. If you have any doubt about this, listen to Goldiloxx's segment in Jerry Buder's "Choice of Colours" from People Get Ready—A Tribute To Curtis Mayfield (Shanachie 9004). Another accident inducer is Janis Ian's live "Welcome to Acousticville" from Hunger (Windham Hill). This track, when played at realistic concert levels, shows that CD does have the ability to convey the sense of a live performance. When Ian sings "Ain't no bass, ain't no drums, ain't no waste, just two opposing thumbs," you can hear the wry smile in her voice, for this track has remarkable power, even though it is essentially monophonic.

Another of the Polyfusions' strengths is the ability to separate multiple layers of complex instrumentation, which you can hear on Danny Federici's Flemington release (Deadeye 82001), especially on the title track and the haunting "Pennsylvania Avenue." Before you've heard six bars of "Pennsylvania" you'll know Federici isn't singing about the same street where Clinton resides.

These characteristics, though, contribute to some of the dissatisfaction many of us have with CD playback. Since there are recorded examples of CDs doing a fine job of conveying musical essence, it is frustrating that so few CDs manage to get it all right at the same time.

FAREWELL TO POLYFUSIONTOWN

I think it's ironic that so many self-proclaimed audio experts actually recommend one-box players as opposed to separate CD drives and DACs. While perhaps there are some potential advantages to the one-box design (reducing the connection variables manufactured must consider) it limits users; future choices, painting them in a corner as the digital age continues to expand. Perhaps I'm an audio junkie, but I think separates are the way to go right down the line.

The Polyfusion duo has much to offer: compact, slim-line chassis, first-rate fit and finish, up-to-date technology and state-of-the-art connection options. It's backed by a major manufacturer and—at the price and even beyond—is difficult to surpass. My only major complaint with it is the lack of a full set of operational controls on the 920 transport; the logic of omitting key switches there simply eludes me. Also, it stumbles and wheezes during some very low-level passages, but this is a complaint I have with CD playback in general. Even this late in the Digital Age, results are not yet good enough that many of us are ready to abandon the LP as the source of greatest listening satisfaction. Perhaps most important, the 920 and 805 allow you to clearly and with conviction distinguish between well-made CDs and common-as-dirt disasters. The price paid for that transparency is that you'll hear the flaws in the source. So if you're seeking to upgrade your digital front-end, evaluate these in your own system. They appear to offer long-term satisfaction and numerous options for future configurations. And they definitely have nothing in common with buffalo chips.

Polyfusion 805 D/A Converter and 920 Digital Transport, Polyfusion Audio, 30 Ward Rd., Lancaster, NY 14086. Tel.: (716)681-3040. Website: www.polyfusionaudio.com. Designer: Alan Pearce. Price: 805: $3,250; 920: $2,900.

TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS

POLYFUSION 920 TRANSPORT

Some aspects of the transport are tried-and-true. The 920 relies on Philips ubiquitous CDM9-PRO drawer and laser mechanism. This transport is known for its reliability, and uses a glass lens and one-spot light pen. It's mounted to the chassis with acoustic dampers, showing the same fine attention to finish as the rest of the unit. A full complement of connections is provided, including AT&T optical, although Polyfusion DAC owners will almost certainly take advantage of the Digi-Link option.

The 920 sports the features we've come to expect from Phillips-based drives, including the useful FTS (Favorite Track Selection, which remembers the preferred tracks on your CDs), shuffle, scan and various time, display and operational options. It provides these features at a cost, though: many of them cannot be actuated from the front panel and are available only by using the remote control. This makes the drive's uncluttered appearance possible, but it does that at a price I find simply too high. Is it too much to ask for lesser-used controls to be hidden behind a hinged front panel? I don't think so! Do the designers really feel that the typical audiophile needs yet another remote to populate his listening room? I don't think so! Is it worth fumbling about for the remote in order to assess these gee-whiz options? I don't think so. l do consider this to be an annoying drawback to an otherwise thoughtful design.

POLYFUSION 805 DAC

The 805 accommodates a total of five inputs (two optical, three coaxial) so it is well suited to a complex digital system that might also include a DAT or satellite receiver, and it's capable of operating anywhere between a 32 and 48kHz sampling rate. Its technology is well considered and executed, but not revolutionary itself. Polyfusion eschewed the various 1-bit and other common new decoding approaches and instead selected choice Burr-Brown 20 bit ladder DACs, using one per channel (with each being essentially a pair of complementary laser-trimmed DACs) and eight times oversampling. They've also included the Pacific Microsonics HDCD® decoder and have spent considerable energy and expense where it matters the most: precision execution. The 805 relies on a total of 14 voltage regulators, uses dual Class-A MOSFET opamps as output drivers and implements Polyfusion's own custom three-pole 40kHz analog domain filter. Output level is adjustable via a rear panel pot. Internal construction of both units is first rate, but not excessive: clean layout, epoxy laminate boards and silver-plated switch contacts.

The star feature of these Polyfusions is definitely the proprietary interconnect, which designer Alan Pearce created to overcome what he felt were the limitations of existing designs. Specifically, he believes that the speeds he's measured using available devices are simply too slow, and that the balanced digital signal he's made possible—which is hundreds of times faster, according to Polyfusion—is more appropriate to the task. This is what Polyfusion calls its Digi-Link High Speed Balanced Digital Interface, and it uses a precision connector sourced from Limo/Switzerland. It will probably not surprise Pearce that, although I experimented with a variety of interconnects between the drive and DAC, nothing exceeded the transparency of this interface; presumably, this is why Polyfusion sees fit to include the cable along with joint purchase of the 920 and 805, rather than make it an extra-cost option. All of my critical listening was done using this Digi-Link connection.

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

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