The new ƒƒ-Upgrade
Meier Audio has released a new technology called frequency adaptive feedback which is available for the CORDA JAZZ, CLASSIC and DACCORD amps. Jan uses the symbol ƒƒ for this technology which normally stands for "fortissimo" in musical notations and means "very loud". Of course it does not mean that the amp has become louder but that it is able to improve the definition of the middle and upper frequencies - at least that is what
the website claims about this technology. I recommend having a read through the explanation.
Well, the big question is:
ƒoolish ƒiction or ƒantastic ƒidelity?
Luckily this technology is also available as an upgrade so you can send in your amp and have Jan to modify the electronic. This is exactly what I did. The upgrade took only one day and I have picked up the parcel with the upgraded amp today. After some hours of listening to many different songs I want to share my experience.
The amp: let us have a look again
The outside of the amp has not changed but if you take a look at the sticker on the base you will notice that Jan has added the ƒƒ symbol and also signed it. So, if one day Meier Audio becomes the next big thing in the audio market I can say I have a hand signed device from the early days. OK, that maybe belongs to the foolish fiction that I was talking about earlier...
Back to the serious stuff. Of course I was not able to resist opening the amp again and checking what has changed. The front side seems to be unchanged. If something was modified, I am not able to see it.
The backside also looks as before but only at first sight...
After a closer inspection you can see that some SMD resistors and capacitors have been added in parallel. The area close to the headphone jack shows the most modifications.
And more teamwork is visible here and there.
Play it again, Sam: the (new) listening experience
Unfortunately I can do no direct comparison between the regular JAZZ and the enhanced version so the thing I was wondering about: will I be able to tell a difference? I just started to listen to a few different songs and in my opinion especially handmade music sounded different in a positive way. Like Richter Di already stated you will hear some details in a clearer way as before. I really enjoyed listening to several tracks from Rhythms Del Mundo since this seems to be the kind of music where the new frequency adaptive feedback can show off. The sound and overall experience was so spot on - just great. Like Jan wrote on his website: the sound also comes with more ease and just flows.
To describe the enhancement you can imagine a photo which is slightly blurry with somewhat washed out colours and the ƒƒ-magic adds just the correct amount of sharpness and contrast to make a difference without destroying or exaggerate the overall appearance of a song. Some negligible details are moved a bit forward which make a song sound more detailed and provides a new listening experience.
Well, it does not work for any track but many sound
noticeable clearer. My fear that the technology might add some ugly harshness to the mids or highs was unsubstantiated. I have not found a single song where I had the feeling that the sound has become worse.
My personal verdict
It is not necessary to have a direct comparison. The frequency adaptive feedback makes a difference without doubt. I had many aha-moments while listing to a lot of different songs. As mentioned before not every song will benefit from the ƒƒ-technology. In my opinion
quieter songs with only a few instruments and a singer reveal the new technology the best.
The upgrade had cost me 100 Euro and if we go only by the material (visible changes) and add some time for the soldering it
seems to be worth much less. Of course we also have to keep in mind that developing this ƒƒ-technology has consumed some time for sure and this time also wants to be paid. Anyway, the upgrade makes a positive difference so I am fine with the costs. Like the amp itself this upgrade is a long-term investment
Meier Audio brought an already great amp one step closer to perfection and I am very curious about the opinions of those who will send in their amps for an upgrade too.
