Audiophilepure

Virtual HiFi has officially launched Supernova, its new three-way passive open-baffle statement loudspeaker designed by Grzegorz Rulka.Supernova combines two 15-inch SB Audience open-baffle woofers, a 7.5-inch SB Acoustics Satori TeXtreme midrange and a large special-order Mundorf AMT.The structure uses constrained-layer construction with 3mm steel, 2mm elastomer and a second 3mm steel layer, while the passive crossover features selected components from Mundorf, Jantzen, Duelund and Clarity Cap.

I was wrong to expect a warm sound, as the QX11 doesn’t color the sound with warmth at all, unlike the other dongle DACs I’ve reviewed in the past, the JIEZI and the Melody.However, I was right to expect the QX11 to have a very good bass response, which I’ve experienced on higher-end FiiO DAPs.Though not the same, the QX11 has a FiiO signature bass sound quality I’ve heard on their higher-end DAPs like the M15S, M17, and M33 R2R. The QX11 has tight, punchy, clean bass that adds presence and energy without sounding artificially warm.

I’m happy to report that the QX11 has a proper bass sound quality that I associate with good DAPs, not budget dongle DACs.Both the midrange and treble are very neutral and have very good perceived resolution and frequency response.don’t hear the upper-midrange elevation I often hear with DACs using ESS chips that adds engagement, detail, and excitement to the sound, yet QX11 never sounds sterile, cold, or boring.

High frequency radio interference (RFI) noise that radio signals, switching power supplies, and Wi-Fi systems inherently create is everywhere. Through a poorly grounded TT’s tonearm, this high frequency noise can—and will—lower the sound quality of your vinyl rig. And yes… we’re talking about micro sonic details that only audiophiles could possibly worry about. Then again, if you’re seriously into vinyl, why not do everything possible to properly ground your turntable? I mean, dinosaurs didn’t ground their turntables properly and look what happened to them. Despite what the Jurassic Park™ movie franchise would have you believe, the last time I checked, dinosaurs were extinct.

Set-up and Installation

As I stated in the intro, the PhonoARAY is easy to install. First take it out of its box and gently loosen the two set screws on the bottom of the black aluminium cylinder. Second, place the aluminium bullet on a flat surface and install the supplied Chord Clearway® earth cable to it. Third, screw the other side of the Clearway earth cable to the grounding post on your phono-stage. Last, attach the grounding wire coming off of your turntable’s phono cable to the PhonoARAY. And voila… that’s it. That’s all it takes to install a superior grounding solution for your turntable.

And FiiO clearly paid attention to the details this time. On the side of my AKM version sits a discreet VERITA logo, while both headphone outputs, 3.5mm and 4.4mm, are outlined by a golden ring. Even the power button got a makeover, now surrounded by a backlit ring. Small things, but the kind that make a device feel special, right?

Sadly, the volume wheel of the M15S didn’t make the cut. In its place, you get classic physical buttons on the edge, like the M33 R2R. A bit sad, I’ll admit, but they still did the job well, with the D.MODE and HOLD switches sitting right next to the playback controls.