It wasn't quite love at first sight, but what a flamer it turned out to be. SHAHRIZA HUSSEIN spends some time with an Italian dame, and ends up nicely toasted
IT'S a nice change after a spate of Scandinavian CD players to get my teeth into one from Italy. But if I had expected some sculpted wood-veneered object d'art, I was disappointed. The Monrio Asty is almost industrial in presentation, a plain box with a thick and relatively bare aluminium fascia. Four out of five people I asked said German or Danish for the unit's origin and one even asked if it was really a CD player.
So much for the styling. No such uncertainties apply to the quality of construction or, as I found out later, the sonic performance. Both are saving graces for an audio unit that is, outwardly, as Italian as Beethoven.
Features
The fascia, half a centimetre thick, is finished in bright-coloured aluminium that forms a striking contrast to the rest of the all-black box. On this faceplate is a small display window on the left, a row of four round push-buttons on the lower right, and an ultra-slim CD drawer in the centre.
The drawer and the buttons -- for Open/Close, Play and Previous/Next track -- are of the same colour as the fascia, so much so that from a distance, the front looks like a blank rectangular plate.
The rear panel is just as sparse: An IEC AC female socket (no dedicated AC cable is supplied), a pair of RCA analogue outputs, a single RCA digital output, and a power On/Off button. Keeping the power constantly on is recommended, with the Asty on standby.
With so few function controls on the fascia, full operation of the Asty rests with the remote handset. Made of black thermoplastic, this easy-in-the-hand handset controls all the functions associated with CD use: Individual track access, pause, forward/back scan, track/disc repeat, shuffle play, etc.
The only complaint I have is that the control buttons are tiny and the handset does not have the build quality of the player. Another minus point is that if you lose this handset, you're back to the Stone Age.
So solid and neat is the Asty's construction that I was reluctant to open it up to have a look inside. But the 8kg weight convinced me that this is a mid to high-end CD player, built on a hefty platform and with top notch electronics. The player mechanism itself might well be a Philips, but the precision and silence of its operation suggests some proprietary improvements -- the Asty is one of the quietest CD players I have come across.
And the published specs are commensurately impressive with 112dB s/n ratio and 105dB dynamic range, a Delta-Sigma 24-bit DAC chipset and elaborate filtering.
Performance
The Asty replaced my own Sony CD player in the audio chain, with no other changes save for bypassing my Octave Electronics DAE-1 analogue enhancer. The latter was connected later for comparison purposes.
As with all high-end equipment, the Asty gives its best when isolated from other hardware. In other words, it should not be stacked. I accordingly complied with this requirement by using a separate table.
Burning-in took less than 24 hours (it's easy with a CD player: Simply insert a CD, press play and repeat without turning the amplifier on), after which it takes less about five minutes -- or two music tracks -- for the sound to blossom from initial play. My amplifier takes longer to warm up.
The Asty plays only CDs, nothing else (I presume CD-RW can be played), and does so with grace. The CD drawer slides open and closes without a sound, the TOC display comes on almost immediately and it takes less than three seconds from the pressing of the play button for the sound to emerge. Pause is split-second fast, as is resumption of play.
Having been thrown somewhat off balance by its appearance, I didn't quite know what to expect of the Asty when it came to the sound. Interestingly, the sound doesn't have the surgically incisive quality of some of the Nordic jobs.
It has a mild warmth, an almost British character, but at the same time the same ability to dig deep into a recording of many of the hugely expensive Scandinavian jobs. Definition, pace, analysis, soundstaging may not be extraordinary, but the way they come together is. Like its other audio compatriots, the Asty produces music in an engaging, almost beguiling manner.
This ability is of course most evident in classical, jazz and folk music, as well as the better pop and MOR material. With classical, the Asty is unfazed by complex works, unravelling the symphonies of Mahler, Dvorak and the later Beethoven with the same ease as it does the lighter stuff.
It deals with opera even better, its slightly warm character favouring the human voice -- Cecilia Bartoli's smallish but sweet vocal quality was especially well brought out, as that of Charlotte Church's high, childlike voice.
So what about rock music? Well, the good news is that it will cope with anything from Elton John to Guns N' Roses and maybe even heavy metal bands. But it doesn't appear to be happy. For instance, John's raucous Act of War track, killer of many a CD player, came through surprisingly well, though without the usual in-the-gut impact.
With the DAE-1 inserted into the audio chain, the Asty sounded a bit too bloated, as well as slightly veiled. I find this interesting, as the DAE-1 worked well with several of the Nordic players.
Contributing much to listening pleasure is the Asty's "musicality.'' As I have pointed out before, this elusive element rises above mere sonic competence. In this matter, the Asty does justice to the reputation of other audio hardware coming out of Italy.
Conclusion
The Monrio Asty was part of my audio system for well over five weeks, over which period its in-your-face looks managed to blend with the rest of my audio hardware. The five weeks enabled me to go through all of my test CDs and a few more besides, and I'm beginning to like this Italian job.
In fact, the unit's still with me as I write this report, and I'm hoping Anthony doesn't call for its return anytime soon.
For: Analytical yet engaging and sensuous sound; especially impressive with voices; solid build and impressive electronics; unfussy, ultra-quiet operation.
Against:Styling may be off-putting to some; operation too dependent on handset; needs good partners.
Asty CD Player
Asty PL CD player:Type: CD transport or playerOutput level: 2.10 VrmsTHD+Noise: 1kHz 0.0022% - 10dBDynamic range: 1kHz –60dB (WA) >96dBFormat: SP-DIFDAC: Crystal CS4390 24 bit conversionMains voltage: 110/115 – 220/240V +/-10% (Factory set for destination country only)Mains frequency: 50 or 60 Hz (factory set for destination country only)Inputs/Outputs: 1 RCA Digital output ,2 RCA Analog output, 1 IEC AC mains connectorDimensions: 430mm(w) x 80mm(h) x 310mm(d)Weight : 8,5Kg.Shipping weight: 10Kg.Size of the box: 490mm(w) x 170mm(h) x 470mm(d)Tasty Asty In a world of ill-fitting clothing this Monrio CD player comes across as an Armani suit, its lines being so simple that most rivals look cluttered by comparison. The case is superbly finished and the quality of workmanship is good enough to impress anyone. The minimal controls work with precision and the display is easy to read, even at a distance. The only complaint with the ergonomics is the omission of stop and pause buttons on the front panel. As it is, these operations can only be accessed from the remote control. Inside you'll find a Philips transport and a 24-bit DAC, the circuits being split to minimise the effect of the transport and control electronics interfering with the audio circuits. There are even two mains transformers - one for the digital circuits, the other for the analogue side of things. Monrio has paid a great deal of attention to the quality of its components and the Asty uses plenty of audiophile grade components throughout the design. And all this attention to detail brings sonic rewards. The player recreates a solid soundstage and tracks such as Layla from Eric Clapton's Unplugged album enjoy great presence. Acoustic guitar has plenty of bite and detail without being harsh. Lead vocals and the backing band are both sharply focused. Just as pleasing is the way this player lets the rhythm track guitar momentum. Like all good components, it isn't musically fussy: it'll punch out the hard driving beats of Salt 'n' Pepa while also capturing the subtleties of the group's voices. Similarly, Gershwin's Cuban Overture retains its energy and joy despite its complex nature. This is a very fine CD player. It plays all types of music with equal ease and matches this sonic skill with fine build and classy styling. If you're looking for a player at this price the Asty deserves serious attention.
Io ho un Monrio Asty nella versione HP, cioè quella dotata di super clock e ti confermo le ottime doti del lettore. E' estremamente analitico ma senza essere affaticante, ha un tocco di "liquidità" molto coinvolgente e non risulta mai aspro o troppo asciutto. Inoltre in fase operativa è estremamente silenzioso. Esteticamente e (soprattutto) internamente è decisamente ben costruito. Personalmente lo preferisco ad altri cd che ho ascoltato per l'acquisto tipo il Primare A20, Audio Analogue Paganini, Arcam.Sto meditando ad un upgrade, ma se devo cambiare, preferisco fare un vero salto con i lettori di riferimento, perchè a mio modesto parere il Monrio se la gioca con prodotti della medesima fascia e anche superiori.Paolo
