Quite some listening hours went by since my introduction of both of the bFly Audio BaseTwo and PowerBase from this particular German high end audio accessories manufacturer. The brand has been around for years and I always remember seeing their advert being placed on the Audiomarkt. Along their own products, bFly also carry Dr. Feickert and Landmesser Audio turntables, Trenner & Friedl, SUESSKIND audio Living Voice speakers and variety of other electronics and high-end audio accessories.
Quite an impressive portfolio of other brands are joined by their own products. BaseTwo and PowerBase under the review belong to the Aborber Base line, that is joined by the entry level BaseOne.
AUDIO PLATFORM – ABSORBING BASE?
Critical listening and audio platform? For some this might of to exotic origin. Yet for those being long enough around and of open mind, proper audio isolation comes as a must. There is little need of over philosophizing. The difference can be audible even with the entry level system. Moving up on the ladder reveals more and more subtle points, that adds substantial impact to the final system balance and voicing. As you’ll read on both bFly Audio BaseTwo and PowerBase managed to bring a substantial level of refinement and positive performance shift.
With any product being reviewed there is technical background needed as well as objective listening remarks Both manufacturer of the reviewed equipment and readers wants to get hands on writing sum up and not the word juggling.
So following up with the actual logical technical the aural calls for well documented sum ups. I try to keep the distance from any high-end audio product or accessory which cannot offer any objective sonic difference. I’m still highly passionate about the new gears coming in and out and without holding on to the real world impact its hard for a reviewer to keep its positive energy flow and move forward with the grit that keeps the readers interested.
Reviewer’s enthusiasm is his biggest asset and crown jewel. Once you’re run out of the steam, its better to pursue different path and likely other industry. Point is to keep love for both music and gear…
A lot can be said about how resonances, micro vibrations and different kinds of mechanical and electronic interferences can affect the sound. The more complex and potent high end audio system is, the more these hubrises will come forward.
More on that in music part. Let us look at the Powebase and BaseTwo absorber bases technical background.
THE POWERBASE
“With the Powerbase we have combined our complete knowledge about absorption and electronic shielding. The PowerBase is manufactured in very complex processes. The sonic result is a significant improvement in the direction of more naturalness and transparency.
For the body we have chosen three wasy coated Bamboo wood. Bamboo has, according our intensive studies behaves best regarding the reductions of vibrations. With the three layers of the Bamboo we followed our MLA technology (Multi Layer Adjustment), to achieve a maximum broadband filtering of the vibrations. We use our professional feet with 4 layers, which are Sorbothane, rubber and granulate of cork-rubber in two different heights.
Additionally we implement the upper and lower side 3mm aluminum plates, which are spirally mounted with an damping polymer adhesive.
Totally the base consists of 11 layers of different absorber layers. So, the Powerbase is very extensive and costly in production, but with an excellent sonic result.”
The complex structure of the PRO feet…
The layer from top to down
– Massive aluminum corpus as separation layer
– 1mm granulate of cork and natural rubber
– Sorbothane (Details)
– Natural rubber
– Disc of aluminum as separation layer and for horizontal stabilization
– 2mm granulate of cork and natural rubber
A very important attribute of our new reference base is the targeted deduction of electronic smog. High-frequency radiations are increasing more and more by mobile phones, WLAN etc. These radiations disturb the sound significant in the form of a hearable unrest. Therefore the PowerBase has on the lower side an aluminum plate, which is grounded via cable and a special earthing plug. You put the Earthing Plug simply into one of your power socket and the radiations will be grounded over your power grid.
With the PowerBase we have created a solution without any compromise, with the target of maximum improvements.
BFLY BASETWO
“Our successful model the BaseTwo is based on 30mm Multiplex plate of birch tree. On the upper side of the PowerBase is a 3mm aluminum eloxadized plate. This aluminum plate is bonded with an soft Polymer adhesive. So we reach an absorption effect on the one hand. On the other hand the 3mm aluminum plate has the function of an isolator and serves as shield for high-frequency insolation (electro smog). These electronic feature we improved with our PowerBase by using additional earthing modul for deduction of electro smog (See PowerBase).”
MLA-Technology:
- Multi Layer: Some selective balanced Layers (Multi Layer) of different absorber materials: Sorbothane, cork, natural rubber etc.
- Separated with an non-absorption Metal Layer.
- Adjustment: Optimal adjustment to the weight of the Highend unit by different variants (Adjustment)
The Effectiveness
Each Absorber Layer provides filtering of different frequency ranges.
Improved cumulative effect compared to single materials. The sound is more detailed, structured and natural
PRO-fessional feet:
The BaseTwo could be ordered optionally with the complex PRO feet…
The PRO feet using an additional layer of aluminum on the lower side. Because of the closely alignment to the absorber material we reduce horizontal vibrations and improve so the total effect audible. Horizontal vibrations will be produced by the loud speakers and hit your components from the side.
Structure of the standard feet…
The layer from top to down
– Massive aluminum corpus as separation layer
– 1mm granulate of cork and natural rubber
– Sorbothane (Details)
– Natural rubber
– Aluminum inlay for horizontal stabilisation
HANDS ON
I’ve used both of the platforms in various situations. Going extreme, even with my custom turntable project where ByFly took the role of the main, ground platform.
Both platforms are stylish and top aluminum plate adds on the value especially with the CNC cut out logo and Apple iPhone like diamond cut edge.
Four adjustable feet helps with leveling, that is mandatory with the placement of turntable.
Both ByFly audio platforms are straightforward and easy to use. They’re similar in appearance with Powerbase adding three layers of the Bambo compared to the BaseTwo 30mm Multiplex birch plywood plate. PowerBase gains also an earthing modul that deals with the hubris of electro smog.
MUSIC
The reproduction of music complexity reflects with smallest nuances of the anchor points that recreates the acoustical space. Further on tiniest resonance points are of utmost importance when it comes to the rendition of the acoustical instruments basic nature. Especially with string based instruments like violin and guitar this comes vividly exposed instantly.
Larry Coryell and Philip Catherine – Twin-House
This fantastic record should be in any audiophile and music lover’s library. Interplay and communication between two guitars players of special note and if system is set properly, Twin-House can quickly evoke an emotional impact, that I’m striving to find in many contemporary recordings.
Album’s dynamics shifts from gentle pianissimo to almost forte fortissimo manifestation of the wonderful guitar music. Larry and Philip created a marveling musical universe, with exuberant energy.
BaseTwo
So what my listening notes pointed at? First of all, the exact “phenomena” of smaller particles being crucial of portraying the real acoustical events, where evidently of much more density. This resulted in more focused acoustic space, where reverb tails, delays and decays were creating involving and believable rendition.
A lot of factors forms a stand out reproduction of guitars and plucked/string instruments. Most importantly, the feeling of the real object in real space is not always making sense and this is due to many attributes. Even changing feet on any electronic device creates a new situation, that might be either positive or negative.
With BaseTwo acting as both DAC, preamplifier, power amplifier and turntable base, a particular, so called primaries objectified underlaying foundation effect translating in the more then just positive performance shift. Acoustical anchor points gained bigger magnitude and the sense of overlaying tones, become typically less predictable, but rather factual.
Getting closer to the reality is no small task. bFly BaseTwo walk the walk… There are different grades of measuring the performance boost. For me the reality check is of utmost importance and BaseTwo stepped forward in exact this sometimes peculiar direction.
PowerBase
PowerBase raised the level of the impact even to the higher plane. The level of density increased and longer natural reversions tails, as well as quark like tinniest decay times materialized with even more believable sonic recreation.
I’ve also noticed a different grade of tone quality, that pointed even further to the original timbre and color of the guitars.
Overall, PowerBase shares the same DNA of Power Two, but with both subtle and more vivid advancements, depending on the component being used.
Elektro smog module in play brought a bit more complex testing phase. I wouldn’t say that how the difference was non evident. It was just more subtle and has shown its affect especially during the late night listening sessions, where everything calms down and sometimes you’re actually feeling that its a completely different system.
During the listening I could spot, that there were similarities, or a common thread logic, yet still there were differences even between power amplifier and preamplifier being affected differently. Surely this is connected with different internal electronic structure, but the point is how both PowerBase and BaseTwo could push forward performance with different electronic components in play.
On the grand plane this has proven in universal diversity rather then uniform effect, to often connected with audio racks and platforms. Taking all into the consideration, both PowerBase and Power two come as matured and well research products of actual aural benefit. I cannot say that for many wanna be products…
CONCLUSION
We’re finally getting to the point where high end audio accessories are no longer questioned by each new product announcement. Audiophiles and music lovers are slowly, but surely letting them into their high-end audio systems.
There are of course a lot of products on the market that offer little or no improvements, creating a messy situation and distrust. Luckily there are some hidden gems and both bFly Audio BaseTwo and PowerBase come with their own strong set of benefits.
bFly Audio absorbing bases/platforms offers much more then might meet the eye. Sonic improvement is clearly a results of ByFly ongoing research with different materials and concepts. Nobody can come up with the refined solutions over night. There are no such things as one day wonder magic… This is where casual products differentiate from the properly designed and research ones.
bFly Audio BaseTwo and PowerBase comes at very down to earth pricing compared to quite some of similar offerings coming from longstanding and renowned brands, that usually charged hefty prices. For what they represent, at what price point and the performance shifts they can introduce I’m whole wholeheartedly giving the Mono and Stereo Best Buy Award to BaseTwo and PowerBase.
Matej Isak
PRICE
PowerBase:
Introductory price: Earthing module without extra charge
Size S 649,00 €
Size M 799,00 €
Size L 949,00 €
Size XL 1099,00 €
BaseTwo
Size S Basic 319,00 € / piece
PRO 379,00 € / piece
Size M Basic 379,00 € / piece
PRO 439,00 € / piece
Size L Basic 479,00 € / piece
PRO 559,00 € / piece
Size XL Basic 579,00 € / piece
PRO 659,00 € / piece
TECHNICAL
PowerBase:
Absorber base from bFly-audio with our approved
MLA Absorber Technology with Sorbothane, cork and natural rubber
– 30mm wood of Bamboo with 3 layers
– 3mm fine anotized Aluminum on the upper and lower side
– 3 MLA Absorber feet; high adjustable
– Size L and XL has 4 MLA absorber feet
– Dimension (WxDxH):
S 250 x 300 x 56 mm
M 440 x 350 x 56 mm
L 500 x 400 x 56 mm
XL 560 x 460 x 56 mm
– Weight: S: 2,8 kg M: 5,6 kg L: 7,6 kg XL: 9,5 kg
– Loadable: S und M bis 55 kg L und XL bis 70 kg
– Color: Color: black, Bamboo nature
BaseTwo
– Surface: 3mm fine anotized Aluminum
– 30 mm high quality multiplex wood
– 3 MLA Absorber feet; high adjustable
size L and XL has 4 MLA absorber feet
– Dimension: Height 56 mm; with PRO feet 60 mm
S 250 x 300 mm (WxD)
M 440 x 350 mm (WxD)
L 500 x 400 mm (WxD)
XL 560 x 460 mm (WxD)
– Weight: S: 2,3 kg M: 4,4 kg L: 5,5 kg XL: 7,1 kg
– Loadable: S und M bis 55 kg L und XL bis 70 kg
– Color: black, nature
CONTACT
bFly-audio
Reinhold Schäffer
Theodor-Sachs-Str. 60
86199 Augsburg
E-Mail: info@bfly-audio.de
Phone: +49 (0)821 9987797
WEB: www.bfly-audio.de