SVI Magazine

One of the many ways in which new products come to our attention here at SVI is through the help of PRs and the work they do to ensure that their clients get the coverage they desire. Unlike other media outlets however we’re not willing to accept what these PRs have to say without question; take the Krell Cipher SACD/CD for example. Within the product’s press release is the sentence: “the beautiful exterior only hints at the sophisticated disc playback technology within its walls,” which unfortunately we have to query. Beautiful? Rachel Weisz is beautiful, the Aston Martin DB9 is beautiful, the South of France is beautiful, the Cipher from Krell is not – its design is merely perfunctory. It is as compact as possible, it can be rack mounted and it displays all the requisite functions and internal features with aplomb but you wouldn’t exactly make it the focal point of a room would you?

That, however, is our only bone of contention with information sent to us as there is no denying that if the Cipher offers one thing it is undeniably ‘sophisticated disc playback technology’. Featuring an advanced disc drive and coupled with the latest Krell digital and analogue output circuitry, performance is enhanced to retrieve the most accurate signal from SACD and CD music titles. Isolated mechanically from the underlying chassis, the drive mechanism utilises composite mounts to minimise vibration-induced errors. Special sound-dampening material is also strategically placed inside the unit to minimise mechanical resonances even further.

Separate SACD and CD laser heads, which are calibrated by hand, ensure the Cipher delivers the precise output levels required for reference quality SACD and CD playback. All signals are fed into a custom designed Krell anti-jitter module that reduces jitter to a virtually immeasurable level. From there, signals are fed to a 24-bit/192kHz digital filter and then to a pair of balanced 24-bit/192kHz digital-to-analogue converters. Unlike conventional CD players the Cipher uses one DAC per channel and feeds avoiding the sonic repercussions of current to voltage conversion.

Able adroitly handle power supply and also multiple outputs the Cipher’s sonorous qualities are beyond reproach and with a price tag of £12,000 they really need to be.

http://www.krellonline.com