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replacing physical music media, the stage with a Primare R32 [HFN Jan ’12], ABOVE: The polished wooden cabinet is a
Vouvray’s shunning of all things digital the character of the French fancy shone blast from the past but sets off the illuminated
could be perceived as a bit of a howler. through with an immediately engaging ‘VU’ meters, partially exposed triode tubes and
Yet, I’m not sure it is. The whole ethos and sound free from overt character or bias. chunky rotaries to grand ‘retro’ effect
design of this gorgeous hybrid makes it a Given the tubes on show I was expecting
timeless ‘keeper’ against an ever-evolving something altogether more colourful, yet Vouvray it only served to solidify Kate’s
digital landscape. Simply Kate’s pitch and timbre voice, lending it a believable three-
get a good streamer and ‘I was dealt on ‘And Dream Of Sheep’ dimensional quality, albeit constrained
hook it up to the Vouvray’s was natural and accurate between the left and right speakers.
line level input. In a few yellow cards with a rich, breathy Importantly, the Vouvray’s phono
years’ time, when the quality that effortlessly stage does not disappoint, with the amp’s
streamer will be looking from the spousal scaled with her high even-handed and musical presentation
long of tooth and lacking noise police’ notes on the track. remaining intact. Sure, my costlier
current features, this amp Imaging in the centre outboard R32 offered a little more sparkle
will serve you just as well of the soundstage at the top and a more dynamic midband
for the next gen of digital player and quite was particularly strong, with pin-point against the Vouvray’s weightier and slightly
possibly a few generations beyond. positioning of instruments and vocals thicker presentation, but even comparing
between the speakers. While I have heard the two favourably is a nod to the quality
STRIKING IT RICH wider and more spacious presentations, of the built-in eq stage. You’ll have to dig
Thankfully none of that really mattered as the rock-solid central presence and deeper in the purse to make an effective
I carefully placed Kate Bush’s Hounds Of enviable front-back depth more than made MM upgrade, but those with a penchant
Love [EMI 062-24 0384 1] on my Michell up for any limitations in sheer airy scale. for MCs will need extra kit from the outset.
Orbe turntable [HFN Mar ’03] and lowered The multitrack vocal and distinct right/
the SME/Goldring combination into place. left channel separation of ‘Under Ice’ can SOLID PUNCH
Bypassing the Vouvray’s on-board phono easily sound a little thin, but with the There was some irony in that my streamer
needed a firmware update and the fi ckle

FRENCH CONNECTION Antelope Audio Zodiac DAC [HFN Feb
’15] needed rebooting before I could get
Supravox is one of France’s most venerable audio brands with members of the either to work. Yet the combination of
founding Dorliac family developing drivers for radios in the 1930s and full-range components here is far from a sonic culture
AlNiCo transducers in the 1940s. The Supravox brand was formally registered clash. From the outset, the Vouvray does
in 1956 by Madame Dorliac when the company began supplying drivers for the a superb job of turning streamed hi-res
growing TV market. That led to RTF (Radio Télévision Française) commissioning audio into the same eminently enjoyable,
Supravox to develop drivers for its recording studios, and in 1964 the 215mm musically engaging and foot-tapping
RTF64 was born. This found favour with DIY’ers of the day and was also used in experience that it does with vinyl.
Elipson’s famous spherical BS50 speaker with its shell-like acoustic refl ectors. There’s no hint of sluggishness, with
After a change of ownership in the late 1970s, the brand produced its own plenty of dynamic power and a rather
audiophile loudspeakers while continuing to advance its portfolio of full-range lush top end that manages to dance the

drivers. However, as the hi-fi market moved firmly into two-way and three-way fine line of extension and clarity without

designs, Supravox fell into a fallow period. Fast forward to 2017 when a cash becoming brittle. This is one of those

injection from new owners Akylis Capital reinvigorated the brand, resulting in amplifiers that makes it easy to stop
Supravox’s current lineup of loudspeakers, drivers, speaker kits and its fi rst foray analysing and, instead, lets you immerse
into electronics, the Vouvray integrated amplifi er. yourself in the tune rather than the sonic
machinations of the system as a whole.

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