What Hi-Fi? Verdict
Consider the HF6 as vital an investment as an equipment rack or speaker stands
Pros
- +
Preserves more of the detail, texture, refinement and dynamism your set-up’s capable of
Cons
- -
A slightly small-scale listen
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A product called something like ‘Sound Fantastic’ might set alarm bells ringing – we’ve reviewed more than one or two items whose names promise much – but while we’d stop short of describing the effect of the Olson HF6 on your system as ‘fantastic’, we can’t argue that it’s of obvious and demonstrable benefit.
Performance
The Olson HF6 proves a welcome upgrade to our system.
Dealing with mains supply duties while we’re listening to a HDCD-derived FLAC file of The Flaming Lips’ Waitin’ For A Superman, the HF6 allows our set-up to retain much more of the texture and detail of both the song’s analogue and synthesised low-frequency sounds.
There’s greater body and substance to bass information, and a more convincing description of the start and stop of low-end notes.
The Olson allows much greater preservation of the fine details of the song than wiring the system directly to the mains, and brings benefits in terms of outright attack without impacting negatively on refinement.
Verdict
In short, the HF6 grants your system far greater freedom of expression without sacrificing control or authority. It’s money well spent.
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