TONEAudio MAGAZINE The Concierge of High End Audio

Cary Audio has just introduced their HH-1 headphone amplifier, which is a hybrid design, offering the best performance of both tube and solid-state circuits where they can be utilized to their greatest advantage. Tubes make their best contribution to the overall sound when used in the input stage and they use a pair of 6DJ8 tubes (one per channel). The output stage is a single-ended current-sourced MOSFET working in Class A at all times.

As in all Cary Audio products, much thought has gone into the power supply, which has a major impact on the sound quality and reliability. In the HH-1, the power supply is fully regulated for lowest possible noise, including the power supply for the tube heaters, and it uses a high performance audio grade toroidal transformer.

Cary Audio president Billy Wright comments: “We realize how important excellent headphones are to many audiophiles, and made a concerted effort to develop a truly world-class headphone amplifier in a very compact form. By using the best qualities of both tubes and solid-state, we have come up with a dedicated headphone amplifier whose performance rivals that of our famous CAD-300SEI tube integrated amp, considered by many to be among the very best amplifiers in the world. We’re very excited to introduce this new headphone amplifier and establish Cary Audio as a leader in this new market.”

The American-made HH-1 hybrid headphone amplifier will begin shipping on July 30, 2012.

www.caryaudio.com

Weight:  10 lbs.

Dimensions:  14.5” L x 8.5” W x 4” H

Retail Price:  $1,595

Spinning Jaco Pastorius at 45RPM rules.

Originally produced in 1976, arguably when records pressed at Columbia were at their sonic worst, this record now finds its volatile tracks split onto a pair of LPs. What a difference.

Released at the beginning of the instrumentalist’s tenure with Weather Report, the record includes heavy hitters Lenny White, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter, to name a few. The mix is not straight-ahead jazz, but it’s not fully locked into fusion, either. Some pieces sound like they could have been culled from the outtakes of Hancock’s Blow Up sessions. Beginning with the only cover tune on the list – Miles Davis’ “Donna Lee,”  Pastorius takes the lead on bass as Don Alias is his sole accompaniment on congas.  The congas, which sound horribly flat on the original, come alive on this 45 r.p.m. masterpiece, floating around the middle of the soundstage, setting the tone for what lies in store on the rest of the record.

Track four, “Continuum” is much more spacey and free form, the foundation of the sound Pastorius goes on to create with Weather Report, with loose drumming and gentle Fender Rhoads riffs in the background.  While this record contains a handful of stylistic changes, Pastorius’ mastery of the bass guitar is consistent throughout.

Bernie Grundman takes the production helm here and fully utilizes his lifetime of jazz-related experience to give this masterpiece the attention it deserves. Pastorius’ bass is finely depicted, his parts effortlessly gliding through the soundstage. Hancock’s piano soars, liberated from the sonic grunge of the original. My speakers can barely contain this record!

Note: To naysayers claiming today’s remasters lack the vitality of the original recordings, grab this record now and await pleasant discoveries.

Click here to purchase this album at Music Direct.

Recorded in December of 1980 at San Francisco’s Warfield Theater, these three mega guitarists convened to create one of history’s most memorable acoustic-guitar records.

Five of the seven tracks are duos, and the final two feature the trio. Bernie Grundman, the original mastering engineer, returns for remastering duties on this sweet ORG pressing. All the compression in my 1A original is swept away; spreading the music over two discs yields myriad benefits.

If there was ever an acoustic disc that encourages you to crank the volume, this is it. When the applause swells up at the end of songs, it’s easy to close your eyes and be transported to that magical winter evening. Every nuance gets captured; every toe tap, every whack of the guitar body comes alive, and if your system is up to snuff, these guys sound as if they are right in the room. You can almost hear the guitar strings picking up weight as they become coated with sweat as the performance progresses.

The most exciting aspect of this recording, now restored to full brilliance? A toss-up between the rapid attack of the players’ blazing speed and the low-level detail in the quietest passages. It’s a shame unreleased material couldn’t be included; this legendary evening begs for bonus tracks.

Put those Patricia Barber and Eva Cassidy albums away, and give something else a try.

For those unwilling to forgo female vocalists as part of their audiophile heaven, Priscilla Ahn’s debut is a good way to expand your repertoire.

Issuing the album on LP for the first time, Mobile Fidelity strips away the merciless compression present on the CD and leaves Ahn unsquashed. The perky, Pokemon-esque singer paints a rosy soundscape, with arrangements often resembling those of It’s a Beautiful Day. Ahn’s purity of tone and delicate phrasing should make vocal aficionados swoon, and while the top end crushes that of the digital version, it’s still slightly on the hot side. This one will undoubtedly score more points with the vintage tube crowd than those that own ultra-resolving systems.

Another bonus: The pressing includes three bonus tracks not on the original CD.  Keeping in character with the rest of the album, yet more sparsely arranged, they possess fairly little dynamic range, allowing seven tracks to fit on a side without compromising fidelity.

Click here to purchase from Music Direct.

A common view among some more senior digital audiophiles (those that remember the CD spinners of the 90s) is that newer delta-sigma (single bit) chips can’t reproduce the rhythmic impact and dynamics of their multi-bit forerunners.

Mention multi-bit in the right company and words such as ‘analogue’ and ‘smooth’ get bandied around.  A surge in delta-sigma implementations means that such multi-bit DACs are beginning to fade from mainstream consciousness.  Whilst the audible magic isn’t just in the chip itself – there’s power supply and output stage to consider – there might be some truth to the superior ‘rightness’ to DACs that sport, say, a Philips TDA1541 or a Burr-Brown PCM1704.

A New Player in the Digital Arena

Kowloon-based Audio-gd might be new to some readers. They are one of several emerging Chinese manufacturers who have taken the slow boat to reputation building.  The design ethos of chief engineer He Qinghua (“Kingwa”) is empathically ‘old-school’.  Pop the lid on any one of his products and you’ll be exposed to the work of man obsessed with power supply quality.  He’s also a keen proponent of the decoding chips of yesteryear.  Texas Instruments’ PCM1704 forms the nexus of his higher-end (<US$2000) designs.  Despite a brief flirtation with ESS Sabre models, Audio-gd’s cheaper DACs (<US$1000) rotate around a Wolfson WM8741 axis.

Audio-gd’s (8 x PCM1704) flagship Reference 7.1 DAC still wows with snap-attack micro-dynamics and tonal beauty; something that often eludes many delta-sigma designs, especially at sub-$1000 price points.  Delta-sigma chips are presumably chosen by manufacturers for their lower production-cost impact and on-silicon extras (e.g. up-sampling, filtering, volume control).  Audio-gd has infiltrated this space also. In Australia at least, Kingwa’s NFB-2.x has long been seen as the go-to digital decoder for five hundred bucks.  A crown that has only been recently challenged by Schiit’s Bifrost.

The Reference 10.2 DAC/head-amp/pre-amp is new for 2012. It runs with four slabs of PCM1704 multi-bit silicon. Two per channel for a fully balanced topology.  Right off the bat, this unit’s panache with pace, timing and rich tonal colours (as per the Reference 7.1) is easy to pick. However, with an absence of (fixed) line-out connectors, pre-amplifier and DAC stages are fully inter-twined to feed *variable* single-ended or balanced outputs as well as Audio-gd’s own current-domain ACSS connectivity.

A switch on the rear allows the use to specify linear (70 steps) or exponential (99 steps) volume attenuation as well as volume setting memory; useful if you have sources of varying loudness.  The pre-amplifier adds a maximum of 13db gain with 0db points are located at 46 (out of 70) or 65 (out of 100); useful for running in DAC-only mode.

The brushed aluminium chassis is as deep as it is wide, rounded corners being the only aesthetic concession to lift it beyond the rudimentary. You’re not paying for exotic casework here.  Neither are you paying for a deluxe remote control – it’s a fairly standard aluminium billet. Peeking inside: an R-core transformer feeds each of the three fenced-off subsections: left channel, right channel and digital (which bowls down the middle). The Altera Cyclone II chip handles digital filtering (“DSP-1, Version 5”), data re-clocking and – therefore – jitter minimisation. Connected to this CPU-esque square are jumpers for setting over-sampling options (2x, 4x, 8x or NOS).  A DIR9001 receiver board handles S/DPIF inputs of up to 24/96 but the TE8802 receiver board from Tenor is the new star of the digital input show: it’s asynchronous, USB Audio Class 2.0 and handles up to 24/192 – but drivers for both OS X and Windows are a must. Prior to installation on a Snow Leopard-y 2010 MacMini audio consistently crapped out after 10 seconds of playback, Once installed, audio ran seamlessly from both the aforementioned MacMini and 2011 MacBook Air (Lion)

Multiple Inputs

All too often with boxes like this USB ends up playing second fiddle to a good quality S/PDIF feed. For many multi-input DACs even a modest USB-S/SDIF convertor will best the sound quality of the in-built USB port can muster.  Improvements usually present as a more effortless presentation and less evidence of ash-tray grey in the treble.  Whilst the Reference 10.2 is no exception, the Tenor board is a sign that in-built USB (done right) can get close to its neighbouring S/PDIF input. In a broader sense it’s encouraging to see a manufacturer taking USB seriously.

However, end users of even this Audio-gd unit are still advised to go with a good USB-S/PDIF convertor if they want to drag the VERY best from their source PC/Mac. In my listening tests either a JKSPDIF MK3 and Empirical Audio Synchro-Mesh were required to juice the most vivid presentations of Lampchop’s Mr. M from MacMini and Squeezebox Touch respectively.  Both set-ups bested the Tenor USB implementation with jumpier micro-dynamics and broader believability.

My world vs your world. With a fresh copy of Music On Vinyl’s 180gm re-issue of Bowie’s Heathen on the turntable, a digital vs vinyl stand-off was set. Could the analogue-fancier’s favourite DAC chip hold a candle to a most modest vinyl rig (Ortofon Blue + Rega RP1 + PSAudio GCPH)? The latter was hooked into the first of two line single-ended inputs on the rear of the Audio-gd.  An Empirical Audio Synchro-Mesh and Squeezebox man-handled the FLAC rip.  Chris Sommovigo’s Black Cat Morpheus interconnect and Silverstar digital interconnect stitched it all together.
The digital take on opener “Sunday” is emphatically more dynamic, wider of staging and more three dimensional.  Conclusive winner? Not quite. On vinyl, this emotionally-detached Bowie album comes across as softer and more supple of musical joint. The Audio-gd pre-amplification injects a soupçon of effervescence into the RP1, which can at times sound top-end-neuterered when heading source-direct into the Audio EL34 amplifier.  Think Audion single malt with a squirt of Audio-gd soda.

Comparisons

What about digital vs digital in the headphone space?  As a standalone DAC/head-amp, the CEntrance DACMiniPX’s sound is shinier, more chrome-polished than the Chinese unit.  The American serves up more room ambience and transients run with more bite.  The Audio-gd doesn’t wear such flashy pants.  Instead, it takes the listener by the hand through darker, smokier rooms. That’s not to say it is at vague with detail retrieval.  It isn’t.  Typical of other multi-bit/delta-sigma DAC showdowns, the Audio-gd is more unassuming; it doesn’t shout about what it’s found.  Quick-switch A/B comparisons between CEntrance and Audio-gd might lead the more impatient listener to favour the former.  The Audio-gd demands more time – only after several weeks of listening do it talents begin to unfurl. Think of the darkest chocolate demanding a more mature palette for better appreciation of its higher cocoa (and less sugar) content.

Working as a standalone decoder, the DACMiniPX line-out was then lassoed to the second line input of the Audio-gd DAC/Pre-amp. A predictable sonic half-way house was reached: the DAC detail sparkle of the American mixed infused with the richer-flavoured Chinese headphone stage.  Kingwa’s power supply delineation – one R-core for each of channel and one for the digital stage – is exceptional at this price point. This is not not to downplay what Michael Goodman achieves with 19V of switch-mode juice but to marvel at what can be achieved with a dedicated Chinese production facility aiming for a sticker of under US$2K. It’s abundantly clear why both companies have a formidable reputation amongst more seasoned head-fi-ers. I could live with either unit as daily headphone amplifier.  Both handle AKG K-702s with aplomb – something you can’t say about many rival all-in-one units.

Consider the Audio-gd if your current headphone experience borders on the overly-bright or if you want to dig deeper into the mix with a balanced connection. Having said that, the balanced topology of this amplifier means even quarter-inch-ers benefit.  Furthermore, if you’re op-amp reluctant or have cans that are a more challenging drive, the Reference 10.2 could also be for you. This fully discrete headphone stage’s output is specified as furnishing 6000MW into 50 ohm, 3500MW into 100 ohm, 1200MW into 300 ohm and 600 MW into 600 ohm. The Reference 10.2 combines the bleach-clean signature of Audio-gd amplification with the caliginous detail trawl of their top-of-the line DAC. A classic car augmented with go-faster stripes. Sound incongruous? Nope. What we hear is neutrality that’s not tainted by synthetic glare. A digital swiss-army-knife front-end that sounds anything but artificial.

It’s easy to be impressed with trophy hifi. Or showroom demo theatrics. Audio-gd won’t allow for either. I’ve yet to hear a multi-bit-chipped DAC that I didn’t enjoy.  With knockout power regulation as much a part of the recipe, the Reference 10.2 is no exception. It gently nods to the empirical rumblings and ramblings of old timers. That Kingwa can bundle in fully-balanced preamplifier and headphone amplifier for less than $2k renders this black box a serious contender from the fringes of mainstream choices.  If you can live with the prosaic casework and have no need for home theatre bypass it offers a genuine alternative to the ESS Sabre-chipped offerings. Furthermore, Audio-gd’s promotional copy is free from unfulfillable jitter-destruction promises.  It puts its sound where its promotional mouth should be and it scores pretty much every time you listen.  -John Darko

Pub Note:  For more of John Darko’s insightful audio reviews, visit his site – Digital Audio Review

The Audio-Gd Reference 10.2

MSRP:  $1,850 (USD)

Manufacturers Information:

www.audio-gd.com

Peripherals

2010 MacMini / 2011 Macbook AirSqueezebox TouchEmpirical Audio Synchro-MeshJKSPDIF MK3Rega RP1PSAudio GCPHAudion EL34 Sterling power amplifierCEntrance DACMiniPXZu Omen bookshelvesProAc Tablette Reference 8AKG K-702

Cabling

Black Cat Silverstar digital interconnectBlack Cat Morpheus interconnectGrave Science speaker cableQED USB cable

If you’re an automotive enthusiast, chances are you’ve had a car or two that you’ve always regretted selling. Hifi enthusiasts often face the same dilemma.

For me, it was always getting rid of my Quad 57’s (problem solved recently) and the Aleph 3 from Pass Labs.  A one owner model made it’s way to me and I couldn’t be more excited.

A 30 watt per channel (into 8-ohms) amplifier, the Aleph3 is fully biased Class-A and is a single ended design, just like your favorite SET tube amplifier.  The result is that single ended smoothness you get from a 300B amplifier, because the output transistors never shut off and there is no crossover distortion.  The Aleph sounds spookily like the best 300B you’ve ever heard, with major bass control and no problems driving a complex speaker load – welcome the Quad 57s. Remember, Class-A means hot. Give the Aleph 3 plenty of ventilation – as much as you would a tube amplifier.

This amplifier is bulletproof with no bias adjustments needed, so if you’ve got a clean one, hang on to it and enjoy it.  A quick call to Pass Labs service department confirms they are seeing no particular mortality on any of the components, including the power supply electrolytics. If you do have an Aleph that requiring service, the necessary parts are in stock and they can be easily repaired. As Kurt Doslu at Echo Audio likes to say, “Just don’t play catch with it!”

For those interested, you can read Stereophile’s original review of  the Aleph 3 here.  It certainly convinced me to buy one!

Stay tuned as we continue to build sound room 2.  We are almost sorted with the addition of the Aleph 3.

Recognizing the importance of music streaming to today’s tech-savvy consumers, Onkyo has added streaming capabilities to its remote control apps for iPod Touch/iPhone and Android/Kindle platforms, and introduced a USB Bluetooth adaptor that provides similar capabilities through a hardware gateway.

The upgraded Onkyo Remote 2 App for iPod and iPhone allows users to stream music stored on their iPod Touch or iPhone directly to Onkyo’s 2012 model networked receivers through their wireless home network. Streaming through this app is done at CD Quality, 44.1/16bit rates and supports Track name, Album name, Artist name, Album Art and Time Data. The improved Onkyo Remote App for Android now supports streaming music directly from the Kindle Fire. In addition, these new apps were also improved to manage remote zone functions and support music playback in these zones.

Onkyo is also shipping its UBT-1 Bluetooth USB Adapter, which will allow Bluetooth enabled wireless phones, tablets and other devices to stream music to Onkyo’s 2012 network receivers

The Onkyo UBT-1 adapter is configured with CSR’s aptX™ compression reduction codec which restores the natural dynamic range to audio files. It provides a remarkably flat frequency response over a 10-Hz to 22-kHz bandwidth, a dynamic range of 92 dB, and algorithmic delay of less than 1.89ms. It also uses the latest Bluetooth version 3.0 with improved audio bandwidth capability to deliver sound quality approaching that of compact disc.

The Onkyo UBT-1, which is similar in size to a USB flash drive, plugs into the front USB port of a 2012 Onkyo Network receiver (models TX-NR414 and higher). Once the adapter finds a Bluetooth pairing with the wireless device, all the user has to do is hit ‘play’ on their music software. The adapter supports the AAC file format. Control functions include Auto Power-On and Direct Input Change function on hybrid standby status.

These free improved Remote Control Apps will be available at the end of the month from the Apple App Store, Google Play and Amazon App Store for Android as well as via links at www.onkyousa.com. Follow Onkyo USA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OnkyoUSA for the latest status updates.

The Onkyo UBT-1 Bluetooth USB Adapter is now available with a suggested retail price of $59.

Mobile Fidelity continues their streak of Elvis Costello classics with Imperial Bedroom.

Hitting the charts in the summer of 1982, Imperial Bedroom marked what would eventually be only one of the many turns Costello’s career would take. The twang of Blue now put to bed, Costello returns to the pop side of the fence, yet former producer Nick Lowe is absent on this record.  Turning to Geoff Emerick as producer and engineer, Imperial Bedroom takes a spin towards the Beatle-esq, with a wider range of orchestration and a few longer tracks peppering his standard faire of short, quirky pop songs.

Whether the allusion to a husband’s affair in “A Long Honeymoon,” affirmation of nervous love pervading “Man Out of Time,” or spousal abuse in “A Boy With a Problem,” don’t let Costello’s smooth tone fool you.  Beneath the smoky melodies an angst-ridden world still lurks.

Sonically, this record is an analog triumph.  The benefit of the using original mastertape is immediately evident. The MoFi album possesses a world of width and depth that is virtually nonexistent on the original US and UK pressings.  Where the cymbals are truncated in tone and dynamics on the Columbia version, they now fade to infinity, sounding much livelier.

Costello’s voice has a warm, throaty, reverb laden body throughout and audiophiles seeking the “pinpoint imaging” effect will enjoy the MoFi treatment of this classic, whether through their speakers or headphones. Now full of uncovered low level detail,   this version of Imperial Bedroom is destined to become a major hit with headphone listeners.

Be warned, there is so much new information on this record, ADHD audiophiles may freak out; the real standout is the liberation of Steve Nieve’s keyboard playing. Buried in the original mix like Michael Anthony’s bass lines on an early Van Halen record, it’s far easier to understand his contribution to the overall sound. His varied keyboard riffs are a great addition to the overall sound.

Often it is argued that todays remastered records rarely reach the level of excellence that the early original pressings do.  In this case, MoFi has exceeded the original in every way – the increase in clarity emphasizes the genius present on both sides of the mixing console.

You can purchase this album from Music Direct here.

Gavin Fish, of Audio Evo fame, has embarked on a project to build a free directory for all things audiophile; a personal project dedicated to creating the most comprehensive directory of the world’s high-end audio companies.

With the help of an army of e-volunteers, Gavin hopes to maintain an up-to-date directory that will become a useful tool for high-end companies and audiophiles like.

Forgot to pack the directory from the last audio show you visited?  Chances are in a few months, it will be here.

Gavin Fish announced on July 13 the launch of the Audiophile Directory Project: a personal project dedicated to creating the most comprehensive directory of the world’s high-end audio companies.

You can peruse it here:

In a world of five-figure phono cartridges, a serious audio aficionado might pass on the Denon DL-103R because it’s too inexpensive. Wrong decision.

They’d be missing out on one of the high-end’s best bargains. A decent moving-coil cartridge for $379? Heck, a decent cartridge for $379? Yes and yes. If you love analog, the DL-103R is a cartridge you should not be without. First introduced for broadcast use in the early 60s, it brought a new level of detail to analog playback.

The DL-103R has always used a spherical stylus and boasts a relatively low output of .25mv. It’s also undergone constant refinement over the years, with the current model featuring 6N copper coils.

Simple Setup

Unlike some others in the Denon line, the DL-103R is a low-compliance cartridge, which makes it easier to implement in most of today’s tonearms. The conical stylus profile aids with the DL-103R’s easy setup; it’s not at all fussy. While the .25mv output didn’t pose a problem for any of the phono cartridges I had on hand, double check that your phonostage has at least 60db of gain—a little more won’t hurt. DecWare’s newest step-up transformer proved a perfect match for the Denon, should you not want to add another box with a power cord. Just be sure to tell DecWare what cartridge you are using so the company can optimize the transformer for the 103. And per Denon’s spec sheet, 100 ohms proved the optimum loading point for a conventional moving-coil preamplifier.

A quick listen with the Rega RP-1 resulted in an amazing budget analog setup that wasn’t crazy money. Stepping up to the P3-24 offered greater resolution across the tonal spectrum, and more bass weight. However, I did most critical listening via the Triplanar VII mated to the new AVID Volvere SP. And no, this cartridge was not the least bit embarrassed by an $11,000 table/arm combination.

A Touch Too Much

With virtually every bit of new vinyl being pressed from digital masters, most LPs are too hot in the upper registers and sound rather CD-like. If you’ve just scored a new turntable, and listening to some of your favorite recordings on LP leaves you a little bit cold, this cartridge is the answer. The DL-103R possesses a tonal balance that’s ever so slightly on the warm/romantic side, giving everything you spin a little extra bump of tonal richness.

Granted, the cartridge didn’t have enough richness to overcome the inherent brightness of the new 12” maxi single of C-Low Green’s “F**k You!,” but it went a long way at making the hit song much more listenable. But it worked wonders on the Twilight Singers’ Dynamite Steps (reviewed by editor Bob Gendron, last issue). The record is the perfect example of an album comprised of brilliant music with a bit too much ProTools in the final mix. Play it back with the SoundSmith Sussurro Paua cartridge—which reveals way too much detail for this particular record—and you will be running for the Tylenol bottle; it’s sure to give you a headache. Yet the warm midrange magic that the DL-103 brings to the sonic picture tames the beast and allows actual engagement.

With so many classic albums from the 60s and 70s being re-pressed—albeit rarely from the original analog tapes—the “new vinyl sound” isn’t always warm and magic like it was in the 60s. Moreover, many such records were knocked out with little care invested in the original production. So, as much as you might think everything wine and roses from analog’s early days, the dirty truth is that a lot of these records need a little help—and the Denon DL-103R is just the cartridge to provide assistance. Recently remastered pressings of VanDerGraaf Generator’s The Aerosol Grey Machine and the Tangerine Zoo’s Outside Looking In are both older albums that, while pressed on vinyl, retain a decidedly digital edge. The DL-103R also made a number of my favorite 70s MoFi records more enjoyable and my Nautilus pressings listenable.

Posh Performance

The biggest surprise came when using the DL-103R with the Rega P9 or AVID Volvere. I wasn’t prepared for how much performance was lurking! A more stable platform allowed the DL-103R to show off its much more solid bass performance and imaging abilities. The AVID/Triplanar combination extracted the maximum from the cartridge, throwing a large soundfield well beyond my speaker boundaries. When using this ‘table in System Two (C-J tube electronics, B&W 805D speakers), I easily fooled some of my audiophile cronies into thinking that a much more expensive cartridge was at work.

Forgiveness

“Forgiving” is the word that best describes the DL-103R. It won’t retrieve that last bit of minute detail from meticulously recorded albums; that will cost you $3–$10k. But, what it will do is give average records in your collection a new lease on life. The Denon DL-103R is one of the few components I’ve experienced that truly serves two masters. In more modest turntables (Rega P3, SL1200, etc.), it goes a long way at making up for the shortcomings of low-budget records. Yet it also performs incredibly well in fairly expensive turntables.

While the best pressings in the analog domain seemingly join the endangered species list on a daily basis, there are still plenty of acceptable LPs to be had in the $3-$6 range—a perfect place to build a music collection without breaking the bank. Whether you use the Denon DL-103R as a primary or secondary cartridge, I guarantee you will enjoy it.

Denon DL-103R

www.denon.com

Peripherals

Turntables                  AVID Volvere SE/SME 309, AVID Volvere SE/TriPlanar, Rega P9/RB1000

Phonostage               Audio Research PH8

Preamplifier              Conrad-Johnson PV-12 (upgraded to current status)

Power Amplifier       Conrad-Johnson MV-50 (upgraded to current status)

Speakers                     B&W 802 Diamond

Cable                           Cardas Clear

Shelter is no stranger to the audiophile world, with their 501 and 90x cartridges winning their fair share of awards along the way.

Having owned both, the 501 is always a top choice for those wanting a big taste of analog magic, with a healthy dose of tonal warmth thrown into the presentation – it’s a cartridge that makes even average records sound better than they should at times.  The 901 was always a red headed stepchild, having more detail albeit at the cost of that wonderful midrange magic that the 501 has.  For those with a larger budget, the 90x was an excellent fusion of both cartridges, offering wonderful tonal contrast with extension.

We were all very curious to sample the 7000 and 9000 to see what the next generation would provide.  If you were a fan of the 90x, chances are good you will enjoy the 9000 even more. At $4,195, the price of the Shelter 9000 has gone up substantially since its introduction at an even $3,000, with the 90x tipping the scale at about $2,800.

Setup

Though the 9000 spent a little bit of time on the Rega P3-24 to get some hours on the clock, it was definitely overkill for this table.  It is an excellent match with the Continuum, the TW Acustic Raven Two, and finally landing on the Oracle Delphi V with Rega RB1000 tonearm.

The 9000 weighs about 11 grams, so it will work well with most counterweights, though some arms may require a heavier weight.  The RB1000 was at the limit of its adjustment range with the stock weight, upgrading to the heavier tungsten weight proved better. With a suggested loading of 100 ohms, the 9000 works well with both active and transformer based phonostages.  The .6mv output should work well even with MC phonostages of modest gain and still provide maximum dynamic range.  Suggested tracking force is a range of 1.4 – 2.0 grams and 1.9 proved optimum in the RB1000 arm.

A Lively Dance Partner

The 9000 turns in an excellent performance with the SME 309 arm as well, proving livelier through the midband, with more air in the upper registers when paired with the Rega arm – both on the Raven and also on the Rega P9 (a 2mm spacer is required here).  However, the best balance from top to bottom was with the RB1000 arm mounted to the Oracle Delphi V, the inherent speed of the Oracle a perfect match for this cartridge.

Slightly grainier and smaller in scale than my reference Dynavector XV-1s, the 9000 is an excellent performer for about $1,500 less – so that’s a call only you can make.  The 9000 also renders an extremely quiet background, minimizing surface noise, much the way the Koetsu cartridges do.

The Shelter 9000 offers more resolution than previous models, yet gives up none of the tonal richness in the process – an across the board improvement.  It’s even finished in a cooler color, a nice shade of platinum silver versus the stark black that used to grace Shelter bodies.

A side by side comparison using identical SME 309 arms on the Raven reveals the 9000 to be the champion in high end extension – but a cleaner, faster midbass response as well.  The opening bass riff on “Woman in Chains” from Tears for Fears Sowing the Seeds of Love, has more attack and much less bloat when the 9000 is engaged.  Switching back to the 90x, sounds slow in comparison with the triangle playing in the background is lacking in sparkle and presence.  Throughout the album, the layered backing vocals also take on more of a distinct space, adding to the three dimensional illusion.

Much as I love the 90x, it still has some of the upper bass bloat that makes the 501 so romantic and on many levels, enjoyable – especially with less than outstanding recordings.  Should you enjoy that bump and perhaps mistake it for actual bass response, a quick romp through a few bass heavy tracks will reveal not only more extension but again more texture.  Jaco Pastorius’ “Ocus Pocus,” from his self titled album works well here – trying to follow his lightning fast fretwork on the bass is a torture test for any cartridge and again the 9000 is the clear winner.

The analog front end is a system and while the SME/Raven combination was very good, the RB1000/Oracle proved a bit more lively and to my liking. The former combination is weightier, while the latter somewhat more nimble – favoring highly dense recordings, with only slightly less bass “oomph.”

Tonal balance is excellent and the overall presentation of the Shelter 9000 still more forward than my Koetsu RSP or Dynavector XV-1s.  Of course some of this can be tempered by your overall system balance and choice of phonostage.

A worthy successor

The Shelter 9000 passes muster quite well indeed.  Tonally, it is very neutral, offering a big helping of what the cost no object phono cartridges offer for a more reasonable price – though many might think $4,195 is still crazy money for a phono cartridge.

If you’ve been a Shelter fan for years and ready to trade up, the 9000 will make you feel right at home in a way that trading up to a slightly newer model of Porsche or BMW would.  Everything is similar to the old model, but the refinements make themselves obvious after the first few miles.

For those new to Shelter, I would highly suggest this cartridge to anyone with an overall system balance from laid back to neutral, perhaps even slightly forward, but should your system already be somewhat forward, the 9000 may be too revealing.

Ultimately, this cartridge is an excellent performer and is certainly on par with the level of music it reveals in comparison to comparably priced offerings from other manufacturers.

This review was originally featured in TONEAudio #16.

The Shelter 9000 Phono Cartridge
MSRP:  $4,195

Manufacturers Info

www.axissaudio.com

Peripherals

Preamplifier                            Conrad Johnson ACT2/series 2

Phono Preamplifiers               Nagra VPS, Audio Research PH7

Turntables                               TK Acustic Raven Two w/SME IV.Vi arm and Rega

RB1000 arm, Rega P9 w/RB1000 arm, Oracle Delphi V w/RB1000 arm, Continuum Criterion w/Copperhead arm

Power Amplifier                     Conrad Johnson Premier 350

Speakers                                  MartinLogan Summit with Descent i subwoofer

Interconnects                          Cardas Golden Reference, AudioQuest Sub 3

Speaker Cables                        Shunyata Orion

Power Conditioning                Running Springs Dimitri and Jaco

If you groove to the beautiful music that black vinyl discs produce, then you understand that there is a price of admission charged by the noise that gunks up the grooves.

The search for the ultimate groove cleaner, as older vinyl enthusiasts may remember, began with the Cecil E. Watts Dust Bug. Suction-mounted to the turntable plinth, it had a plastic arm terminating in a small brush and plush roller that swept the grooves and picked up, well, dust. The demand for more effective record cleaners led to automated or semi-automated machines. You could start with the VPI 16.5 or Nitty Gritty 1.0 (each about $400 to $500), or move to the mega-buck Keith Monks KMAL (about $5000) professional record cleaner.

The vinyl renaissance has since yielded many options between such price extremes. By way of full disclosure, I own more than 10,000 LPs and two record cleaning machines, the VPI 17F and Loricraft PRC 3 (a “poor man’s” KMAL). I first saw the Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner at the 2011 T.H.E. Show. Robert Stein of Ultra Systems, the exclusive Audio Desk Systeme distributor in the US, kept dropping one LP after another into the gaping maw of this modern marvel. I was completely enthralled.

There are Record Cleaners, and Then There are Record Cleaners

Audio Desk Systeme, Reiner Glass’ German-based company, specializes in LP and CD cleaning equipment. The ADS Vinyl Cleaner dramatically differs from most other record cleaners that require placing your beloved platters on a turntable, applying some kind of cleaning fluid, and spinning the record. When one side is cleaned (often with a suction system), you have to flip the disc and clean the other side. It’s absolutely essential that the cleaner’s turntable surface remains ultra-clean. Otherwise, the previously cleaned side again becomes soiled.

By contrast, the ADS Vinyl Cleaner stands upright, eliminating the turntable from the equation. You add 4.5 liters of distilled water and a 20ml flagon of proprietary cleaning solution, which enters a reservoir. A proprietary sponge goes into a small side trough and, during the cleaning cycle, traps debris. The record is placed into a main trough between two rubber guides. Pushing the “on” button transfers the cleaning fluid from the reservoir to the trough that, when full, initiates a record spin cycle. Four microfiber rotors gently agitate the cleaning fluid around both record sides. After a minute or so, the fluid drains back into its reservoir, starting a four- to five-minute blow-dry cycle. A dinger indicates a complete cycle and, voila, out comes a super-clean record.

In layman’s terms, the cleaning process uses ultrasonic frequencies that create microbubbles and minute liquid jets that enter the grooves and literally blow out contaminants. For particularly dirty records, pressing the unit’s “on” button for a longer period extends cleaning time. A green light indicates a full fluid reservoir, a yellow light shines during cleaning, and a red light signals the need for a refill. One full tank of fluid handles up to 200 LPs, fewer if your discs are seriously grimy. The sponge needs to be periodically removed and squeezed out; microfiber rollers get replaced after cleaning 500 records. Fluid replacement is easily done via a release port on the unit’s rear of the unit (do this in a sink) and repeating the set-up process.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Buying any record cleaning system requires a significant leap of faith, particularly given when $3895 is at stake. Will this finely engineered German machine resurrect your precious vinyl?  After cleaning more than 500 LPs (all previously cleaned with one of my other record cleaners), I can assure you that before-and-after comparisons are simply no contest. The ADS cleaner brings out more life from my records, with noticeable reduction of surface noise. Most ticks and pops are gone. I continually hear details previously hidden within the grooves. Reduced surface noise also enables higher listening volume that comes without the audible nasties that have always been vinyl’s Achilles heel.

In the true sense of set it and forget it, this is the most user-friendly record cleaning system I have ever used. Is the ADS vinyl cleaner the answer to your analog prayers? If you have a large collection of new and/or used LPs, your investment already far exceeds the cost of ownership. The answer, then? A resounding yes!

Publishers Note: After talking to Lawrence and a few other Audio Desk customers, I also took the plunge and traded up to this machine.  After trying pretty much everything else, nothing gets my records as clean as this machine does – it redefines analog quiet. I realize that this is not a willy -nilly purchase, but if you have a lot of records (especially a lot of used and dirty records) the throughput offered by this machine is as enticing as the end result.  When using the VPI or the Loricraft, I usually got pretty burned out after five or six records, and you really can’t multitask with the other options.  The Audio Desk lets you “push play” and do something else during the cleaning regimen.

After thirty years of buying and cleaning records, I’ve probably cleaned more records in the last 6 weeks than I have in the last six years.  If that doesn’t make a strong case for this machine, nothing does.

-Lawrence Devoe

Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner

MSRP: $3895

Manufacturer Information:

http://www.audiodesksysteme.de (factory)

http://www.ultrasystem.com  (US importer)

The Aragon and Acurus brands were originally owned by Mondial, founded by Paul Rosenberg and Anthony Federici.

Dan D’Agostino, former CEO and Chief Designer of Krell, was involved in the design of the Aragon 4004 amp.  The high performance, but more reasonably priced Acurus A250 debuted in 1993.  In 2001, Klipsch bought the brands intending to offer custom electronics to match their loudspeakers, but a few years later they shifted their strategy away from electronics, sticking with the core speaker lines and mothballing a great brand.

Ted Moore and Rick Santiago, who had been leading electronic design groups at Klipsch, left the company in late 2008 co-founding Indy Audio Labs, LLC.  They bought both brands from Klipsch and began working with a select group of talented engineers to bring the products back to market.  The goal was to keep the great sound of the originals, while updating the look and adding some innovative new features – Aragon models are forthcoming with the “value branded” Acurus amps now available, leading the way.

Built With Pride

The Acurus name stands for “Accuracy from the U.S.”, and Indy Audio Labs is proud that their products are built and assembled in the U.S. The metalwork is done here as well, with much of the chassis work done by a machine shop in Indianapolis that makes precision parts for Indy racecars. The torodial transformers and power supply capacitors are still made by some of Mondial’s original suppliers, and even the circuit board assembly and final construction are done by a local company in southern Indiana.

Overall construction is simple and elegant.  The front panel is black, brushed aluminum featuring a single round power button, with a lighted surround ring.  The rest of the casework is simple but elegant with an intriguing rear panel featuring an off white powder coated finish.  This makes it easier to see connections and labels in lower light conditions typically encountered in home theater racks and listening room AV shelving units, along with being highly durable.

The input connectors are high-conductivity, gold-plated, isolated RCA jacks, and are arranged near their corresponding output connections.  The outputs are discrete, 60-amp gold-plated binding posts with anti-touch protective clear housings.  All posts are color-coded with red and black rings for + and – speaker polarity and, each pair is spaced to accommodate dual banana jacks.  Each pair is also angled to make it easy to feed large speaker cables and relieve strain, even in a tight rack unit.

Highly Compatible

Indy Audio wanted these amps to be an ideal choice for those building a serious surround or home theater too, so all models are THX Ultra 2^TM certified.  The full range is fitted with a proprietary new “Network Module” that allows the amplifiers to be Ethernet controlled.  The module features a standard Ethernet jack with a “Network Active” LED, a 3.5mm, 12-volt trigger jack along with an RS-232 port.

The A2002 is a 2-channel amp in a 3 RU enclosure and weighs 29 pounds, with 5 and 7 channel versions available in a 5 RU configuration for multichannel applications. It is biased high enough to operated in Class A at low power, shifting into Class AB at higher levels.  It produces 200 watts per channel into an 8-ohm load, with 300 watts per channel available into 4-ohm loads.

When power is connected, the ring around the power switch lights red, indicating “standby mode.”  When activated by the power switch or any of the other Network Module inputs, the surround turns blue. The faint click of the power relays is the only sound coming from the A2002; it was free of electrical or mechanical noise.  When powering my MartinLogan Summit speakers, which dip to 1 ohm at high frequencies, the heatsinks never rose above lukewarm – even during long bouts of high decibel listening.

Those intent on monitoring operating temperatures more closely can access the amplifier via the Ethernet connection on the rear panel. Typing the amplifiers IP address into your web browser reveals everything you might want to know about the A2002: temperature and protect status of each channels, mute buttons, enabling Ethernet and serial controls and an “about” section on the amplifiers other parameters.  You can even adjust the brightness of the power button!  While this functionality might seem trivial to the two-channel listener, those with large multichannel, remote applications will find this very handy.

A Change for the Better

The first few days were as much burn in time for my ears, as the amplifier.  Having lived with a vintage, Class A power MOSFET amplifier for some time, the A2002 has a different sonic signature that won me over fairly quickly.

Being a recording and live sound engineer, a home stereo system always leaves me longing somewhat for the sound of live drums, often aided by a giant concert sound system.  The increased clarity and punch of the A2002 eliminated the previous upper bass muddiness I was experiencing, allowing the Summits LF trim controls to be boosted slightly.  Now the kick drums in my system had some serious kick.  Snare and toms both had more impact and definition, with cymbal crashes now lifelike and full of character that was not present – possessing more authority on initial attack and decaying much longer into total silence. Very impressive.

I also am a reverb and effects fanatic.  I like well-produced albums with believable sound spaces.  I was hearing drum sets in their respective spaces, well placed and not jumbled with effects of other instruments and vocals.  One example is the HD Tracks version of Bob James Urban Flamingo.  Tracks like “Niles Ahead” feature a simple arrangement, but incredible side stick snare and just the right room sound on the drum kit.  “Bobary Coast” adds more synth and vocals, but the drum sound is still tight and right up front.  Bass always has to compliment the drum sound, and again on “Niles Ahead”, the upright bass that sounded alright before, was now defined, crisp and downright punchy – more like a live performance.

The 96K/24 bit HD version of Spyro Gyra’s In Modern Times album offers a cornucopia of great percussion sounds.  “The River Between” has shakers, snaps, triangles, slide, whistles, little bells, ahs, and gahs.  The fantastically recorded flanged fretless bass and sax duet, nylon string acoustic, electric guitar, piano and synths were almost overwhelming by the increased stage width and depth that the A2002 brought forth.

Another go to reference is the unique sound of Michael Franks voice. “Feathers from an Angel’s Wing” from the Time Together CD opened up in a way I hadn’t heard before.  It was easy to hear fretting on the electric guitar, layers of percussion building throughout the song, a spacious synth pad, and stereo acoustic guitars that were well outside the speakers along with a haunting doubled vocal in the chorus, previously buried in the mix.

I auditioned to many other vocalists, male and female that now sounded much truer to life than before.  The tune that stunned me the most though was the new HD Tracks recording of “Where is the Love” from the Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway S/T album.  I’ve been listening to this album since my teen days on cassette in my car and on every combination of gear since then.

Value Indeed

Indy Audio Labs has indeed held up their end, when they say that Acurus is a “value” brand.  At a mere $2,499, I can’t recommend it highly enough to those with a reasonably priced system, where budget still is an object – yet great sound is a priority.  The build is solid, and an exercise in elegant simplicity.  The sound of the A2002 has really put my modest system into a whole new category, making it a lot of fun to listening to both old and new music in my collection all over again.

Additional Listening

Running the A2002 through its paces with a number of different loudspeakers after the photo session proved this amplifier unflappable.  With enough juice to comfortably drive the Magenpan 1.7s, everything else from the Harbeth Compact 7ES-3s to the B&W 802D and the new Sonus Faber Ellipsa SE was a great match.

The A2002 was equally preamplifier friendly, working equally well with all of the tube and solid-state units at my disposal.  This amplifier is incredibly neutral and dynamic, performing much better than I expected for the price asked – just as the original models did in the 80s. Both the Aragon and Acurus amplifiers were often referred to as “the working mans Krell” by enthusiasts.

This adds up to an Exceptional Value Award for 2012, and I’m looking forward to hearing the Aragon amplifiers as soon as they are available. – Jeff Dorgay

The Acurus A2002

MSRP:  $2,495

Manufacturer Info:  www.acurusav.com

Peripherals

Analog Source             Technics SL1200/SME 309 arm and Sumiko Blackbird Cartridge

Digital Source              Benchmark DAC1 USB, with MacBook Pro

Preamplifier                Manley Jumbo Shrimp

Phonostage                  EAR 834

Speakers                      Martin-Logan Summit and PMC db1i

Cable                           Tetra, Shunyata, AudioQuest

Power                          Running Springs Haley

REL Acoustics Ltd, Great Britain’s premier manufacturer of subwoofers and sub-bass systems
announces today the launch of a new international website. The new website, www.rel.net
is dedicated to presenting the company’s product design, philosophy and approach to subwoofer technology. The website is organized in an easy and accessible manner that allows the viewer to explore the world of REL, learning along the way what indeed makes a REL a REL.

“We wanted to take a simple approach to teaching people about the brand so we focused
on a portfolio-like presentation of products which highlights the beautiful design and our
attention to detail” said John Hunter, REL President. “Every effort went into demystifying
the process of selecting the appropriate sub-bass system. Customers need this kind of
information available to them in order to make an informed decision on a subwoofer for
either a home cinema or two-channel audio system. Not only is there a wealth of
information on selection, set-up, integration and connectivity but we made a great effort
to depict the product visually in lifestyle settings as well as in detailed product shots”
continued Hunter.

REL Sub-Bass Systems are available worldwide through a select group of dealers and
distributors. Please visit www.rel.net.

If you ask any number of audiophiles and speaker designers what they consider to be the holy grail of speakers, chances are high that many of them will answer “The Quad 57.”

The original Quads have a tonal purity and coherence that is still a benchmark, over 50 years after their introduction.  While this is not a full range speaker in the sense that they have limited output beneath about 45 hz, the quality of what is available is scrumptious.  And, yes, they have limited dispersion, making them a “one person” speaker, but building a system around the 57s is a somewhat self indulgent thing to begin with.  Lastly, these are not serious rock and roll speakers, but again with the GamuT S9’s in room one, we’ve got that box ticked.

While this sounds limiting at first, the second you put your favorite vocal record on the turntable, you forget about the Quad 57s limitations are and realize that what they do right, is intoxicating.

So follow us on the journey of putting together a system based around these wonderful speakers.

The room will be 13 x 16 feet and we’ve purchased a pair of rebuild 57s from Quads Unlimited.  An artisan shop, Quads Unlimited can work with your existing speakers, or find you a pair and do a complete rebuild.  We’ll discuss that more in depth in a future update, but suffice to say the end result is better than new. Keep in mind, QA is a small company, so it’s not like you can call today and have a pair delivered tomorrow. Your patience will be rewarded.

Sometime back in the early 80’s Roger Van Oech wrote a book titled A Whack on the Side of the Head focusing on creative solutions to problems that one might not have considered without being taken outside of their comfort zone.  The new Harbeth Compact 7ES-3 is the perfect example of this.

The first whack on the side of the head came when visiting Acoustic Sounds years ago covering the Blues Masters concerts.  Listening to the Avalon Sentinels in their main sound room was my top priority, but what I heard in the second room was just as amazing considering the price.  No, you can’t have the sound of a pair of Avalon Sentinels for 3,500 bucks, but you can achieve substantial musical enjoyment with these small boxes at a price that is accessible to most music lovers. Today, the 7ES-3 sells for $3,690 – $3,990, depending on finish.

Spending the evening listening to the Compact 7s in a friends house in an outstanding system, consisting of the SME 20 turntable (with Koetsu Urushi Blue cartridge) and Croft’s best amplifier and preamp, proved highly impressive.  After calling it a night around 2a.m., it was settled that the Compact 7s would head our way for a review.

All new from top to bottom

First, forget any kind of built in prejudice you might have about “The British Sound”, just producing good midrange and forgetting the extremes.  None of that applies to the new Compact seven.  That’s not to say they aren’t musical, but they are open and dynamic in a way that isn’t the norm from the likes of Spendor, ProAc or any of my other favorite British speakers, even the Compact seven version 2 for that matter. None of the legendary BBC accuracy has been sacrificed, however these speakers now have more resolution as well as more extension at both ends of the frequency spectrum.

Though version three looks the same as version two, it is a completely new speaker from the drivers to the crossover components.  The woofer features Harbeth’s new Radial 2 technology, used on the more expensive Monitor 30 and 40 along with a new tweeter.  We could write pages about all the techie stuff, but suffice to say it works tremendously well.  A quick trip to the Harbeth site (www.harbeth.com) will answer all of your in-depth technical questions.

The Compact 7ES-3 impedance is rated as 6 – ohms and it is equally at home with tube or solid state electronics.  Though the spec sheets suggest slightly low sensitivity at 86db/1 watt, we had no problem driving these with amplifiers possessing 30 watts per channel and up.

Incredibly un-fussy

Alan Shaw, Harbeth’s director and designer of the Compact 7 advised putting the speakers on 19 – inch stands in place of the 24 – inch stands at my disposal.  This proved spot on. Unless you have a very tall listening position, getting the tweeters up on 24 – inch stands makes for an uninvolving listening experience.  Both Mr. Shaw and I suggest the Sound Anchor stands, built specifically for this speaker.  A pair will set you back about $625 plus shipping, but it is money well spent.  While others swear by the Skylan wood stands, I am not a fan – they tend to muddy the lower mid/upper bass region too much for my taste.  The Sound Anchor stands give these speakers the authority they deserve.

For the novice audiophiles in the audience, these are incredibly easy speakers to set up.  While a little bit of futzing will help the ultimate imaging performance of the Compact 7’s, just getting the speaker height correct will get you 80% of the way there.  A bit of time with the tape measure and a little bit of room treatment will give you the last bit of performance they are capable of, but in short, the Compact 7s are not tough to achieve great sound with.

Listening began with Shunyata’s Orion speaker cables from my reference system, but enjoy the ED 415 speaker cables as well.  These cost $450 a pair and are a fantastic match for the Compact 7s.  Experimenting with other from Cardas, Furutech and ALO Audio all gave excellent results, confirming that these speakers are not terribly cable dependent.

Tonemasters

The Harbeth Compact 7ES-3 is one of the most enjoyable speakers I’ve heard in the last few years, regardless of price.  They offer tremendous balance, with strong bass down to about 45hz, (according to Harbeth, they have a measured frequency response of 45- 20khz with the grilles on) and what’s there is solid, accurate and full of detail.  The midrange is also very correct; when you listen to a piano, it sounds like a piano.  I can listen to someone play a Steinway on the Harbeths, go in the house and plunk around on our Steinway and hear a very accurate resemblance.

In a small to medium sized room move enough air to give a good feel of dynamics – a very important aspect of musical reproduction that is often overlooked.  Push them too hard and they will flatten out instantly. The threshold from playing fairly loud to compressing is very immediate; you will know when you’ve hit the wall.  Fortunately, that wall is at a high enough sound pressure level that all but the most crazed rock and rollers will be more than happy.

The Compact 7’s also do a fantastic job at having an airy presentation with just the right amount of decay that again, gives that feeling of acoustic instruments sounding correct.  A familiar acoustic guitar record instantly confirms this.  The image presented by the Harbeths doesn’t extend all the way to the side walls as it does with a panel speaker, but with good recordings it extends well beyond the speaker boundaries.

Chameleon – like

Where version 2 of the Compact 7 had a definite wooly character, the current speaker does not.  These speakers are revealing enough to take on the characteristics of the electronics behind them.  Those favoring the “classic British” sound will be better served by a more traditional sounding valve amplifier.  The McIntosh MC275 served this purpose perfectly, adding a bit of warmth and tonal saturation to the presentation.

The Naim Supernait, in for review, was the ying to the Mac’s yang, producing plenty of PRAT and dynamics, as did the Conrad Johnson Premier 350.  The Luxman L590A -II integrated, with 30 watts per channel of Class – A power was the staff favorite, offering the best of both worlds for all audiences.

Combining the Luxman with the Rega P9/Lyra Skala combination is analog bliss.  The wind chimes in Santana’s Abraxas (MoFi version) on the opening track floats around the speakers as if a small pair of surround speakers are hidden somewhere, and the layers of percussion in this classic recording are a delight to partake.

Vocals emerge up and out of the soundfield created with ease, the Compact 7s dissapearing in the room, making it easy to concentrate on the music.  Old favorites from Ricki Lee Jones, Tom Waits and Johnny Cash all proved compelling.  At the price asked, the Harbeth Compact 7ES-3 is a speaker without fault – they are faithful to the music.

Those wanting to rock out with the Compact 7s will not be disappointed, provided you have a high current solid state amplifier at your disposal.  Switching the program material from James Taylor to Deep Purple was easy when using the Premier 350, allowing for sufficient dynamics and bass control.

Long term listening

While the review above was originally featured in issue 16, my enthusiasm for the Compact 7 remains strong as ever after using these speakers as a reference for a few years now.  I’ve also had the chance to use them with a much wider range of amplification, and pretty much the only amplifiers that won’t drive them are of the 300B and 2A3 vintage – they really need at least 30wpc and you won’t regret having more if it’s convenient.

Best of all, these speakers still remain highly true to the music.  Others dazzle and sizzle, either with fancier cabinetry, or voicing trickery, but an oboe sounds like an oboe when played on the Compact 7s and that’s something even a few five – figure speakers can’t get right.  These speakers have been tuned to perfection in the BBC tradition to achieve a natural midband, and the result is a highly resolving, yet low distortion speaker that you can listen to for hours on end without fatigue.

Four years later, the price has not increased – a testament to Alan Shaw running a tight ship.  The Harbeth Compact 7ES-3 remains one of the best buys in high-end audio.

The Harbeth Compact 7ES-3

MSRP:  $3,960 in eucalyptus, $3,690 in cherry

Manufacturers Information

www.harbeth.co.uk (factory)

www.fidelisav.com (US Importer)

Peripherals

Preamplifier:                           Conrad Johnson ACT2/series 2

Phono Preamplifiers               Nagra VPS, ASR Basis Exclusive

Analog Sources                       Continuum Criterion w/Copperhead arm and Dynavector XV-1s, Rega P9 w/RB1000 arm and Dynavector XV-1s

Digital Sources                        Naim CD555

Power Amplifier                     Conrad Johnson Premier 350, McIntosh  MC275

Interconnects                          Cardas Golden Reference, Shunyata Antares

Speaker Cables                        Shunyata Orion

Power                                      Running Springs Dimitri and Jaco

Released in the spring of 1970, the Faces, made their debut record – with members of the original Small Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Mistakenly titled Small Faces in the US and Canada, what would become a highly influential and critically acclaimed band.

Unfortunately, they would never become a huge box office draw at the concert hall or the record store, with this album never going higher than #119 on the Billboard charts.

The ever stealthy 4 Men With Beards imprint does an admirable job on this forgotten classic, with nary a production credit in sight.  Whoever took the helm on this one, they did good work on the record as well as the reproduction of the gatefold cover.

Musically this one’s as raw as they come, and it’s well preserved.  Leading off with Dylan’s “Wicked Messenger” the record starts with a fat organ riff reminiscent of the Band’s Music From Big Pink, but the minute the guitar and Rod Stewart’s voice kick in, you know this is something completely different.

The rest of the tracks are all Faces originals and perhaps the strongest track on the album is “Flying,” though the band would not really reach it’s stride until their third – A Nod is as Good as a Wink… t0 a Blind Horse. However this album does build a foundation for what became The Faces’ signature sound – heavy on keyboards and relatively devoid of lead guitar excess.  In retrospect, it’s easy to see why the Rolling Stones may have considered Wood to be their rhythm guitarist.

4MWB has done an admirable job on the remaster.  My original is way too knackered to do an honest comparison, but the surfaces are quiet and this record sounds reasonably dynamic overall. To their credit, the label keeps their prices very reasonable, with this record only costing $18.95.

You can purchase this from Music Direct here…

We’ve been living with the AMG V-12 turntable for some time now, and it sounds as exquisite as it looks. If you are looking for a turntable that is devoid of bling, that you can set up, forget it and just enjoy your record collection, it’s tough to do better than the V-12.

Exquisitely machined in every sense, this table is truly a work of fine art.  Garth Leerer, the president of Musical Surroundings feels that “With a table as high performance as the AMG, what you place it on will impact the ultimate performance.”

The AMG manual suggests placing the table on a granite slab for best results, so what better way to go than the current MX3-1921-AMGV12 platform from Harmonic Resolution Systems designed specifically for the AMG?  Machined from billet aircraft aluminum and incorporating a polished black granite surface, this platform is is load matched specifically to the weight of the AMG. It is priced at $2,650.

After listening to the AMG for a few weeks without the HRS, getting it under a proper platform made for a substantial jump in performance.  Having just played a few familiar tracks and then slipping the base underneath, it was evident that the upper bass tightened up and there was a larger spatial perspective on the music.  To make sure I wasn’t second guessing myself, I recorded the three before and after tracks on my Revox B-77 at 15 i.p.s. to see if I’d actually hear that difference, side by side.  Even on tape, it was still there, and at high volume I noticed the woofer cones on the GamuT S9’s did not have as much random movement (indicating acoustic feedback) providing a visual confirmation that the HRS platform was indeed getting rid of unwanted vibration.

Watch for our full review of the AMG soon, in the Analogaholic section.

Years ago, more horsepower meant getting under the hood and bolting on some parts.

Today, I get the engine management EPROM reflashed to achieve more horsepower.  And so it goes with digital audio.  While some may question the logic of a four-box digital audio player that still plays physical media, today just underscored why the dCS Paganini is worth the money I’ve invested in it.  It’s modular design makes it obsolete-proof.

Rather than having to take a bath on selling the Pag to get the newest thing from dCS, they sent me a pair of CD’s to upgrade the software in the Upsampler and DAC portions of my Paganini stack, which consists of a Transport, (for SACD and CD discs) the DAC, an upsampler and a word clock.

The whole process took about 40 minutes per box and the instructions were straightforward.  The result?  Being ever skeptical of digital, I was shocked at how much of an improvement took place.  Of course more listening will be required, but immediately there was a much bigger spatial perspective, with more clarity from the top to the bottom of the frequency spectrum and a huge layer of midrange cloudiness that I didn’t know existed is now gone.

It’s sounding a LOT closer to my analog rig.

Whether you are often on the go, or a more stationary human that just would like great sound in a compact space, freed from the wires that bind you to a rack full of hifi gear, the thought of wireless speakers has no doubt crossed your mind.

Unfortunately, most of the current offerings either offer disappointing sound at best and aesthetics that leave much to be desired. There’s nothing like a bit of Scandinavian design and black leather to spice things up, and the Audio Pro LV2 wireless speakers sound fantastic as well.

Utilizing a two way, front ported design, featuring a 4.5 – inch woofer and a 1-inch soft dome tweeter, each powered by a 25 watt class D amplifier, and optimized via DSP crossovers, the LV2 plays with authority and offers much more dynamic punch than I was expecting from such small speakers.  Audio Pro claims that their wireless transmitter that operates in the 2.4GHz band will carry for about 165 feet (50 meters) could not be verified, but they did work from anywhere in my house to the garage or studio, which were about 50 feet away.

Great Sound Everywhere You Are

Available in white or black leather, these small speakers that only measure about 8″H x 6″W x 7″D will fit anywhere – there’s no excuse for not having great sound anymore.  The LV2s have been my traveling companions – using them almost non stop for the last six months, tucked in a small Pelican case, they’ve provided music on the go and transform the hotel experience into something much more hospitable, much more livable.  Their leather finish is particularly attractive – and solicited enthusiastic responses from my male and female non-audiophile friends.

Fully compatible with Apple’s Air Play, the setup is quick and easy.  Plug the TX100 dongle/transmitter into a free USB socket on your laptop or computer, head to the control panel and tell your computer to output audio to the AudioPro system. Mac users, choose “USB Headset” and push the play button in whatever music player utility you use.

$1,000 buys you a pair of LV2s and the TX100 transmitter, along with the necessary wall wart power supplies to power them up and a handy remote control that lets you control three separate volume zones in your house. (And a master level control) Both the TX100 and the speakers offer three wireless channels so that you can have more than one system playing in your environment.

While you still require an AC outlet to power the LV2s, being freed from running speaker cables opens a lot of possibilities.  A little too gorgeous to go in the garage, they are fantastic everywhere else.  They provide a perfect way to bring sound out on deck for a grilling session, and now that a few friends know about the pelican case, the LV2s have been invited to more than one dinner party.

Natural mids, Excellent Imaging

Easing into critical listening, the recent AF remaster of Crosby, Stills and Nash’s self titled album reveals a lifelike midrange, keeping these three vocalists autonomy intact within the mix.  Other equally dense recordings proved effortless for the LV2s – underlining what a great job the Audio Pro engineers have done with the crucial midrange region.   KD Lang’s Ingénue album was equally compelling.  Her trademark vocals had plenty of tone, sustain and breathiness to impress.

Thanks to the open and non – fatiguing sound the LV2’s offer, you may find yourself abandoning some of your playlists and just listening to the whole album – I did. While not terribly tangible, this seems to be an easy way to judge listener fatigue.

As mentioned, the LV2s are easy to work with in terms of speaker placement.  The more passionate audiophile can, of course, tweak the setup to achieve maximum results, but these speakers sound great with a minimum of fuss, just placing them on a desktop, bookshelf or countertop.  Should you be so inclined to get that extra bit more from them, experimenting with small footers to raise the speakers about an inch off of the surface they are placed on will eliminate some of the bass gain (which I actually found to my liking in the desktop environment) but will yield even cleaner midrange response.  Just avoid anything sharp and pointy, so you don’t harm the leather case. How much of a crazed audiophile are you? Fortunately, wireless operation means no fussing with speaker cables.

Playing a wide range of program material with various levels of quality proves the LV2s have ample dynamic range to really rock out and enough resolution to easily discern between mp3 and CD quality files if you have a mixture at your disposal.  Because of the systems 48khz sampling rate, 24/96 or higher sources will be a moot point.

Bass and Then Some

Most good desktop speakers feature great imaging, with the listening spot seriously nearfield, so bass is what makes or breaks an awesome desktop experience for this listener.  Sampling beats from Dark Side of the Moon, The K&D Sessions, and Can’s Tago Mago, the LV2s have well defined bass extension without overhang or upper bass bloat.  Should you need to rock the bass a bit more than the LV2s provide, the LVSUB will fill the bill, with its 8-inch woofer powered by a 200 watt class D amplifier, featuring the necessary level trim and crossover adjustments on the rear panel – all wrapped in matching leather.

The LV2s tick all the right boxes to make for a great desktop and portable audio system, yet those requiring even more power will be pleased with the new LV2e model that will be released as you read this.  They have made some minor driver changes, but the most exciting difference is the addition of a satellite mode that rolls off the bass response when used with the LVSUB – allowing 10db more output than just running the LV2s full range.

If that doesn’t turn you into the Maxell guy at your desk, nothing will!

The “e” model now has wall-mounting capability, along with red as an optional color.  Pricing stays the same at $1,000 per pair, and for those wanting something even more unique, there is a brown saddle leather option at $1,300 for the most posh environment.

Those requiring great sound with stylish good looks and freedom from speaker cables, look no further than the AudioPro LV2.  I’ve enjoyed them enough to purchase the review pair.  – Jeff Dorgay

The AudioPro LV2/LV2e

MSRP:  $1,000

Mfr. Info

www.audiopro.com

All arguments about speaker parameters and measurements aside, a great speaker either grabs me with an emotional response and an instant urge to purchase them, or at least investigate further.  Just like any other object of extreme desire, an outstanding speaker will have you daydreaming about it even when you are not in its presence.

I’ve only had this experience a handful of times in my life.  Mind you, the job of reviewing speakers is somewhat different – bias must be kicked to the curb, or the review just becomes gushy and overloaded with adjectives.  Interestingly about half of the speakers that have really burrowed into my subconscious mind over the last few decades have been from Denmark.  Perhaps I was a Viking in another life?

The Peak Consult Kepheus is not inexpensive – at $110,000 per pair these are squarely aimed at the more well-heeled customer.  And you can more than double the price by adding their dedicated bass modules that add four more 8-inch woofers per side, cabinets slightly larger than the main speakers.  Signing up for the four-box Kepheus experience may require some room remodeling.  Most will find the standard issue Kepheus without the extra bass modules just fine.  I certainly did and a quick frequency sweep validated that they are flat to about 30hz, with solid bass output down to about 25hz.

Yet Peak Consult speakers always evoke a highly emotional response, making me weak in the knees because they paint such a natural musical picture.  Make no mistake – a six figure pair of speakers better rock your world and never ask you to make excuses for any aspect of their design.  The Kepheus is a destination speaker that does not disappoint – even without the additional bass modules in my 16 x 25 foot listening room.

Music First, Tech Later

Jumping right in with the self titled Sbtrkt, the dual 6.5-inch woofers prove their ability to move serious air, working in conjunction with the intense cabinet tuning, pumping out plenty of well controlled bass with the opening track, “Heatwave.”  Bass is not enough though, the stereo image presented by this somewhat compressed CD is massive, extending all the way to the listening room walls, almost eight feet from the speaker boundaries.

A series of other favorite tracks from The Supreme Beings of Leisure, DJ Crush and Mickey Hart convinced me that these speakers muster more than enough LF drive to accommodate any kind of music.  I kept thinking that I would be able to bottom the Audio Technology woofers, designed specifically for the Kepheus, but even the most raucious rap tracks at high volume yield no sense of strain.

Great results were achieved on both the long and short walls of my listening room, yet I enjoyed the wider soundstage rendered on the long wall versus the deeper soundstage on the short wall.  Being able to get back from the speakers a few more feet on the short wall did provide more bass augmentation from the room, so the Kepheus is easily adaptable and not difficult to setup.  I suggest a set of Delrin pucks and spending a long weekend deciding which presentation you prefer best.  Because of their almost 400 pound (each) weight, I also suggest not worrying about the supplied spikes until you are sure about final placement.

The Kepheus is a stellar performer that always keeps the most densely packed recordings sorted out.  My Japanese LP pressing of Judas Priest’s Screaming For Vengance has more compression than I’d like, yet the combination of the Kepheus and Carver 180 vacuum tube monoblocks made it easy to hear each of the individual drums in the kit, while keeping Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downings dualing lead guitars in their proper place on the stage.

If Priest is not at the top of your playlist, Jackie McLean offers the same dogfight between his alto sax and Blue Mitchell’s trumpet – one taking up residence just behind the right speaker and the other behind and beyond the outer boundary of the left, with the piano softly in the middle on his Bluesnik album. (The particularly tasty Music Matters 45 rpm remaster even more so)  The Kepheus keeps the musical soundscape intact – never faltering, or blurring the stereo image.

The wonderful tonality of these speakers will most likely be the first thing to grab your attention, no matter what music you enjoy. The closer you listen, the clarity that they present along with a correct sense of scale keeps you glued to the listening chair. I love electrostatic speakers for their coherence (which the Kepheus is certainly the equal of), even though they often paint an overblown sense of musical scale.  This can be a lot of fun, with popular and electronic music, merely adding to the effects created in the studio, but when listening to a solitary acoustic guitar that sounds eight feet tall, not as much.  A perfect example is that of Alex DeGrassi’s Southern Exposure LP on Windham Hill, Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Toure’s Talking Timbuktu. The acoustic guitars in both of these records are well recorded with minimal miking and only a tiny bit of effects – but both render the guitar in a realistic note, sounding as if there’s someone in the room about 10 feet from your listening chair playing.

A Wide Range of Options

Along with the high degree of coherence the Kepheus provide, they maintain a high level of resolution from low volume to ear shattering levels without compression.  At low volume, they disappear like a pair of great mini monitors – tough to do for a large floorstander.  Their 90db sensitivity and crossover presented an easy load to drive for the low power tube amplifiers at my disposal.  The 20 watt per channel 845 SET monoblocks had no problem achieving fairly realistic volume levels with all but the heaviest rock music.  50 watts per channel of quality tube amplification will work fine with the Kepheus.

However, those that enjoy higher volume listening sessions will enjoy the Kepheus in equal measure – the massive stereo image presented does not collapse when driven by a large amplifier.  All of the reference amplifiers at my disposal ran out of steam before the Kepheus did. Perhaps it’s time for those Audio Research REF 750s I’ve been pondering.

Neither forward or laid back sounding, they will take on the characteristics of whatever electronics put in front of them, and thanks to their high resolution, will be as revealing as well.  These speakers are so versatile, they will be easily fine tuned by your choice of electronics.

Visual And Technological Works of Art

A quick “knuckle rap” test anywhere on the Kepheus cabinet produces a faint sound with zero hint of vibration or resonance, confirmed by a few quick frequency sweeps.  The only thing rattled there was my eardrums.  These cabinets define inert, with the woofers, each midrange driver and the tweeter all having its own individual cabinet made from 1.5 – inch to 3 inch thick HDF board covered by another inch of solid acrylic, with additional resonance supressors milled into the cabinetry. If that weren’t enough, there are no parallel surfaces to be found anywhere with these enclosures.

The hundreds of hours that go into these complex shapes not only eliminates resonance, it also minimizes diffraction effects and maximizes off axis response at the same time, resulting in a speaker everyone can enjoy.  Of course, the optimal spot is still firmly centered between the speakers, but sitting on the floor well of axis still provides a highly satisfying result.

Lastly, the front surfaces of the enclosures are covered with black leather.  While chosen to further minimize diffraction, this touch adds a human quality to the speakers that helps them to blend with any decor.

All of the drivers in the Kepheus are hand built specifically to PK specification – no “off the shelf” components are used.    The crossover boards are massive, utilizing custom components and isolated in their own enclosures inside the speaker cabinet, further eliminating any vibration and interaction from the drivers.

The Kepheus is Indeed Something Special

Though neutral is an overused word with hifi components, I prefer natural – the Kephus has a natural presentation, again with much of the credit going to the extensive amount of time spent on matching drivers and crossover components as well as Peak Consult concentrating on the phase and time domain parameters.  Though it is a deceptively simple mission, the Kepheus sounds like music, not like an electronic reassembly of musical information. Minimalist recordings of acoustic instruments are accurately reproduced with timbre, tone and decay.

The ultra low distortion presented by these speakers makes them easy to listen to for days on end without fatigue or boredom.  I’ve heard a few speakers that are more engaging on the first few demo tracks, but after about 15 minutes, I’d rather be doing anything but listening to music.

The Kepheus succeeds brilliantly because you can not only listen to music continuously with them, whatever program material you choose will be reproduced faithfully and effortlessly.  There’s nothing that they can’t handle, so the speaker isn’t limited to a handful of audiophile approved test tracks.  The Kephus offers a full spectrum of musical enjoyment – no matter what your musical taste consists of.

If you are looking at a destination speaker, you owe it to yourself to audition the Kepheus.  Bring your checkbook and a few strong friends to help you get them home!

The Peak Consult Kepheus

MSRP:  $110,000 (US)

Manufacturer:

www.peak-consult.dk  (factory)

www.bluebirdmusic.com  (North American Importer)

Peripherals

Analog Source             AVID Acutus Reference SP/TriPlanar/Lyra Atlas

Phono Preamp                        Vitus Audio MPP-201

Digital Source              dCS Paganini, 4-box stack, Sooloos Control 15, Aurender S10

Preamplifier                ARC REF 5 SE, Burmester 011

Power Amplifier         ARC REF150, Burmester 911 mk. 3, Pass XA200.5

Our newest project just arrived on Friday, a very clean, one owner Thorens TD-124 Mk.1 turntable that we will begin to overhaul, evaluate and eventually restore to better than new quality for use in our second sound room, a project all by itself.  We’ve enlisted the help of Gideon Schwartz, owner of AudioArts in New York City – an analog guru as well as the importer for the Schopper and Swissonor lines of Thorens updates.

Stay tuned and please feel free to share your comments and TD-124 experiences with us here.

HARMAN’s Revel announced that it has finalized the models, specs and availability of its upcoming Performa3 loudspeakers. The Revel Performa3 Series is a complete range of home theater and music loudspeakers that incorporates significant engineering and aesthetic enhancements to the original Performa Series to deliver extraordinary music and movie soundtrack reproduction.

The nine models in the Performa3 line include the following:

·       F208 3-way floorstanding tower (1-inch tweeter, 5.25-inch midrange, dual 8-inch woofers; SRP: $5,000/pr)

·       F206 3-way floorstanding tower (1-inch tweeter, 5.25-inch midrange, dual 6.5-inch woofers; SRP: $3,500/pr)

·       M106 2-way bookshelf monitor (1-inch tweeter, 6.5-inch woofer; SRP: $2,000/pr)

·       M105 2-way bookshelf monitor (1-inch tweeter, 5.25-inch woofer; SRP: $1,500/pr)

·       C208 3-way center channel (1-inch tweeter, 4-inch midrange, dual 8-inch woofers; SRP: $2,000/ea)

·       C205 2-way center channel (1-inch tweeter, dual 5.25-inch woofers; SRP: $1,000/ea)

·       S206 2-way surround speaker (dual 1-inch tweeters, dual 6.5-inch woofers; SRP: 1,800/pr)

·       B112 powered subwoofer (12-inch woofer, built-in 1000-watt amplifier; SRP: $3,000/ea)

·       B110 powered subwoofer (10-inch woofer, built-in 400-watt amplifier; SRP: $2,000/ea)

Complementing their industry-leading value and performance, Revel Performa3 loudspeakers are stunning in appearance, with a choice of high-gloss walnut or piano black finishes that are overseen by master Italian craftsmen for unparalleled quality. Models F206, M105 and C205 are also available in high-gloss piano white. Model S206 is only available in matte black. All Performa3 passive loudspeakers will be available in December 2012, with both subwoofers available in early 2013.

“Our Revel Performa loudspeakers have earned rave reviews from audiophiles since their initial introduction,” said Jim Garrett, Director, Marketing and Product Management for HARMAN Luxury Audio and Loudspeakers. “We have made a number of advancements in loudspeaker materials and manufacturing technologies that we are now able to incorporate into the upgraded Performa3 models. We are confident that listeners will be thrilled with the improvements in sonic performance and musical accuracy.”

To achieve their superior sound quality, Revel Performa3 loudspeakers deploy proprietary drivers throughout. The 1-inch aluminum-dome tweeters deliver airy, extended high-frequency response to beyond 20 kHz, with superlative detail and clarity. The tweeters operate into an exclusive patent-pending Acoustic Lens Waveguide that is precisely shaped using an entirely-new mathematical approach. These new waveguides result in an utterly seamless transition from the midrange to tweeter; greatly enhancing the sense of reality and musicality.

The midrange and low-frequency drivers employ aluminum cones and sophisticated motor systems for extraordinary resolution with low distortion. The cones have integral ribs that add strength and rigidity without added mass, resulting in very low distortion for more natural vocal and instrumental reproduction. The drivers incorporate additional refinements including cast-aluminum frames and efficiently vented, high-power motor structures, to deliver the same superb sonic character over an extraordinarily wide dynamic range.

The F208 and C208 also feature a tweeter level control that allows the speakers’ high-frequency balance to be fine-tuned, and a boundary control, which enables the speakers to be tailored to individual room acoustics and placement positions.

The enclosures are built to the highest standards, with bracing at critical locations and curved side panels that minimize cabinet-induced coloration. The three-way models feature individual sub-enclosures for the midrange drivers for maximum midrange clarity and definition.

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets

A few years ago, I had a great chat with Todd Rundgren backstage in Seattle, the day before he released the Arena album, which lead to a formal interview a few weeks later.  So for all the Todd fans in the crowd, here’s a little bit of history.

TA: How are you feeling after kicking the show off in Seattle?  It seemed like the audience responded well and everyone I talked to in line before the show had already purchased the new album, which was released yesterday.

TR: It’s been surprisingly well received for an unfamiliar batch of music. The release was originally supposed to be in July, so we expected to be playing for an audience more familiar with the material. I guess the word of mouth has been good, or we never would have made it back to Seattle.

TA: You mentioned the album is a bit of a continuation of what you started with Liars. I guess the Socrates quote about the “unexamined life isn’t worth living” does not apply to Todd Rundgren?

TR: I have selfish reasons for making my records. Sometimes it’s just self-entertainment, but I’m usually trying to externalize my own thoughts. It helps me figure out to what degree I’m bullshitting myself — it can be very revelatory to hear what you think said out loud.

TA: Though Liars and Arena are part of your ongoing self-exploration, they are very different texturally, with Liars being a much more keyboard-oriented record and Arena being a heavy guitar record.  What led you down this path?

TR: When the New Cars prematurely ended the first tour because of Elliot (Easton’s) collarbone accident, I was looking at a summer with no gigs. I put together a guitar quartet with Jesse Gress, Tony Levin and Jerry Marotta and toured across Canada for a few weeks. The response was so enthusiastic that I continued the format in the U.S. and Japan. People seemed to like the return to the ‘70s approach, so I knew when I got around to recording that the guitar would be the featured instrument.

TA: As always, you had a great choice of material last night, but where did “Lunatic Fringe” come from?  Didn’t think I’d ever see you doing that song, but it was killer…

TR: Sometimes a great song will go unplayed because the original act (in this case, Red Rider) has ceased touring. I like to adopt one or two of these orphans every once in a while, especially if the subject matter fits in with what I’m doing with my own material.

TA: How did you meet Rachel Haden, (daughter of bassist Charlie Haden) and decide on her for the bass slot in the band?

TR: I met Rachel last winter when she was on Kauai visiting her brother-in-law, Jack Black (he was filming Tropic Thunder). I didn’t know she was a bass player at the time, but her name came up when we were looking for a replacement for Kas when he went out with Meat Loaf. Someone suggested we hire a girl for the position and the idea intrigued me. While there were other candidates, I took our prior connection as a sign and asked her to do the gig.

TA: Are you doing everything on Arena: playing, singing, mixing, etc., or are some of the guys from the current band playing on it?  I could swear I hear some Kasim backing vocals!

TR: Once again, it’s all me. Living in Kauai, it’s hard to just call a session and have people hop over. If I had been on the mainland, I likely would have incorporated other players.

TA: You’ve been doing the solo thing on and off for a long time.  Is it easier or more difficult to work alone?  How hard is it for you to say, “That’s it, I’m done” when you know you can always do one more track?  Are you the consummate perfectionist or a pretty task- oriented guy?

TR: It always depends on what I’m going for. Often, spontaneity is not the principal goal; recording can be an exercise in precision since the result can be so carefully examined. For a record like Nearly Human, spontaneity was the principal goal. Arena, not so much.

TA:How has your style of working changed since Something/Anything?  Do you still write, compose and play in the same way or has your thought process changed dramatically over the years?

TR: I was a more conventional songwriter in the Something/Anything days, probably because most of my writing was done outside the studio. The more I had continual access to the studio and the more flexible the tools became, the more composition became a part of the recording process. Now it’s hard to distinguish between recording and composition.

TA: Digital tools have changed the audio and visual world and you’ve been an early adopter of both. Has the digital world helped you maintain your level of innovation and set you free creatively, or do you have more limitations now?

TR: I was never an analog nut, so I’m perfectly used to the digital approach. A greater range of tools in all price ranges has changed the game the most. Arena was done entirely on my laptop, and from a budgetary standpoint is probably the cheapest and easiest record I’ve ever produced.

TR: I hope this isn’t a sore spot, but seeing that you have always been such a technically oriented guy, why don’t you have a major Web presence?  Is it just too much to deal with these days?

TR: I don’t, as some people assume, have a slavish fascination with technology. I don’t own a cell phone, and I hate driving. There was a time when the effort and skills needed to build a Web presence were beyond the average person. Now everyone in the world is contributing to the noise. The digital soapbox is sometimes occupied by some truly nasty personalities, which has made me something of a digital hermit.

TA: Speaking of creativity, how much has the move to Hawaii changed your life?  It seems that instead of slowing down, you’ve done just the opposite.  What’s the next big idea on the horizon?

TR: My location doesn’t seem to have a major effect on my creative juices. It’s still the same culture that gives me most of my ideas. The isolation does make it a bit more difficult to collaborate, but I travel enough to make up for that.

TA: What are you doing to take such good care of your voice?  While some guys your age (and younger for that matter) are really struggling to belt it out, you’re singing better and stronger than ever.

TR: In some ways, I’m not taking care of it. It’s just a set of muscles, and like body building, you sometimes have to abuse them to make them stronger. The tour in Japan last spring was pretty abusive, with ten shows over six nights. As long as I don’t try to fix my voice artificially, by using drugs to get through a show, a little rest is usually all I need.

TA:Do you still stay in touch with Willie Wilcox and Roger Powell?  Is there any chance of one last round of Utopia shows with the original lineup?

TR: That is the 64 million dollar question. Every couple years we discuss the possibility, and something usually happens to end that discussion. For my foreseeable future I’m playing with the Arena lineup.

TA: Have you been producing anyone lately, or is that period of your life over?  You did a lot of great records over the years.

TR: We still have discussions with potential production partners. Scheduling is always a problem, especially with my current touring itinerary. There are some possibilities after this year.

TA: Though you are known best for being up front and center with a guitar, what’s your favorite instrument to play after all these years?  Is there anything you hate to play?

TR: I’ve learned not to play the piano live any more. I’ve never been able to develop that Billy Joel/Elton John comfort level. I put too much focus on the singing and any instrument I’m playing is going to suffer. With only six strings, the guitar has fewer mistakes available to make.

TA: Is there anyone that you are listening to these days that you really enjoy?

TR: I’m just trying to get some listening time in, period.

On a recent excursion to the Oregon coast, as I was snooping for used records, who would have thought I’d find them in a barbershop!  When I saw the sign out front claiming “$15 Hair Cuts Until the End of the World” from the Analog Barbershop, I couldn’t resist.  Inside the lovely Olynxa was giving a gentleman a haircut amidst two walls of neatly bagged LP’s of all genres.

Pretty cool I say.

So, the next time you are in Astoria, Oregon, stop by the Analog Barbershop – located at 250 11th. Street.
Their phone number is 503-468-8277

Tell them TONEAudio sent you.

Who knew that while I was busy playing with Hot Wheels underneath the Christmas tree on my sixth birthday, that Rudy Van Gelder was busy making such a cool record a few thousand miles away?

Speak No Evil has Herbie Hancock on piano, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Ron Carter on Bass and Elvin Jones on drums backing Shorter up with a formidable quintet – enlisting Hancock and Carter from Miles Davis’ last lineup.  Having worked with Jones and Hubbard as well, the group gels instantly, as they blast off in a more modal direction than much of the hard bob that had characterized this era of the Blue Note sound.

The first track, “Witch Hunt,” still has a heavy dose of bop, with Shorter and Hubbard leaping out of the speakers, engulfing you in horns – it’s almost hallucinogenic. The vibe slows down considerably after that and the rest of the record takes a mellower tone, slow and sweet on “Infant Eyes.”  Hancock’s piano floats way in the back of the soundstage and Jones provides delicate brushwork that is exquisitely captured.

Though these records are filled with quiet passages, there is no surface noise – just the slightest bit of tape hiss creeps in on the quietest parts, but it’s never offensive. And the big dynamic swings get the adrenalin flowing. Once again, Music Matters sets the bar for vinyl perfection.  This is as close as it gets to having the master tape at your disposal.

Music Matters Jazz

2 – 45 r.p.m. LP’s

Click here to purchase from Music Direct.

It’s easy to compare turntables to vehicles, and for good reason: They share a related sense of implementation and involvement. Much like vehicles of the two- and four-wheeled persuasion, a turntable requires more knowledge and guardianship than just turning a key to achieve a rich experience.

Rather than like eye-catching European automobiles to which high-end turntables are often contrasted, the VPI Classic 1 is more akin to an unmarked mid-90s Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, recently decommissioned and returned to service as a street car. Casual observation yields few clues to what lurks under the hood, but careful scrutiny reveals a very purposeful vehicle. Everything, including the engine and suspension, is calibrated for high-speed performance.

The VPI Classic 1 boasts analogous aspects. In today’s world of superfly, bling-laden turntables, it’s easy to pass by the Classic 1 from an aesthetics standpoint—just like every teenager that has sped right past an unmarked squad car. Don’t be fooled by the basic wood trim and lack of plating. The Classic 1 is purpose-built. There’s no fancy casework, external power supply, or exotic wiring. It doesn’t have a dust cover or tonearm cable.

An output pod with RCA jacks and a grounding terminal lurk at the rear corner of the plinth. There’s a quick-release connector, meaning tonearm wands are easily interchanged and cartridges effortlessly swapped. And since Lyra’s Kleos and Kleos mono cartridges possess identical bodies and parameters, the switch between stereo to mono is a snap.

While it flies in the face of convention, the Classic 1 differs from VPI’s other ‘tables given that its AC synchronous motor is mounted to the plinth (rather than the motor housed in a separate enclosure). Thanks to careful mounting and fine-tuning, no vibration creeps into the presentation. Yes, the Classic 1 boasts a big sound. Al DiMeola, Paco deLucia, and John McLaughlin’s acoustic guitars seemingly appear out of nowhere as the stylus travels the grooves of ORG Music’s recently remastered A Night In San Francisco. Wonderful guitar tones linger, applause swells from the soundstage, and the percussive thud of feet stamping on the stage leaps from the speakers.

The Soul of a Much Bigger Turntable

The Classic 1’s distinctiveness relates to its build and ability to extract musical soul from an LP in a way few under-$10k record players can muster. I’ve unboxed too many $3,000 turntables that my dog could chew to bits in a matter of seconds. VPI’s robust construction puts any such fears to rest. The unit weighs 60 pounds, nearly a third of which is concentrated in the solid aluminum platter.

Playing through the new Audio Research REF Phono 2 SE, the Classic 1 ably cruises through recent Music Matters Blue Note remasters. Comparing the playback on “Scrapple From the Apple” (From Dexter Gordon’s Our Man In Paris) between the Classic 1 fitted with the Kleos cartridge to Lyra’s flagship mounted to my reference AVID Acutus Reference SP with TriPlanar arm reveals the Classic 1’s ability to cover the basics—rhythmically and dynamically. Of course, the AVID/TP combination offers a larger dynamic swing, but the Classic 1 always captures the essence of the performance, with Dexter Gordon’s tenor sax escaping out into the room in a manner it doesn’t via lesser turntables.

In the context of a system comprised of the factory-rebuilt CJ MV-50 amplifier, Coffman Labs preamplifier, and Harbeth Compact 7ES-3s, the Classic 1 paints a larger musical picture than one might think could sprout from such diminutive speakers. The Classic 1’s tonal body will thrill you when listening to vocal-dominant material. Whether you prefer Johnny Cash, Dusty Springfield, or Diamanda Galas, the ‘table’s weightlessness will leave you swearing you’re listening to something with a much higher price tag.

Such advantages should keep classical and hard rock aficionados equally happy. A quick spin of the recent Black Keys LP demonstrates the Classic 1’s capabilities. The grungy guitars, only part of a large noise ball on an entry-level ‘table, now have well-defined space and texture. It feels as a wall of amplifiers is in the room. A recording that always feels too densely packed, Fear’s self-titled album now offers more bloom. Singer Lee Ving’s vocals are no longer drowned out by raging guitars on “Let’s Have a War,” and the saxophone lead on “New York’s Alright if You Like Saxophones” is truly discernible.

Increasing the volume to near concert-hall levels reveals a total absence of acoustic feedback—especially impressive for a non-suspended turntable. With the volume control on the ARC REF 5SE at 70, the woofers of my GamuT S9s remain controlled, no matter the program material. Plus, the Classic 1 generates a prodigious soundfield in both dimensions. All of the twinkly bits on Jean Michel Jarre’s Equinoxe float around like funnel clouds.

What You Don’t Get

The world’s finest turntable/tonearm combinations require no sacrifices on the part of the listener. They feature enormous dynamics, a wide tonal palette, incredibly low noise floors, and virtually perfect speed accuracy. All are prerequisites if and when one is asked to spend crazy money on a record player. The Classic 1’s strength stems from its balance. No single parameter is given priority, and because no area is deficient, the resulting blend allows you to concentrate on the music. It’s a tough balance to achieve at any price.

No, you don’t get any excess aesthetic touches. This is a record-playing machine, not a piece of fine jewelry. However, the product’s honesty is refreshing.  Founder Harry Weisfeld’s son, Mat, emphasizes that VPI’s business philosophy and attention to the bottom line are responsible for the Classic 1’s amazing price. Not only is the Classic 1 made in America, all VPI turntable components are produced locally. “This keeps costs way down and minimizes the shipping expenses necessary to get parts to the factory,” says Weisfeld. “My Dad always kept an eye on the bottom line, allowing us the ability to offer a great product at a fair price, so everyone can earn a living.” The Classic 1 shares the same 600 RPM drive motor with the Classic 2 as well as other key components that are purchased in bulk.

Which Model?

VPI’s new Classic 4, with two tonearms, is catnip to this analogaholic. While it is the ultimate expression of the Classic concept, the $10k ‘table isn’t as stealthily priced as the entry-level Classic. Other models in the Classic lineup offer more performance and versatility, albeit at higher cost. The Classic 2 ($3,495) provides the ability to set VTA (vertical tracking angle) on the fly, which needn’t be a concern to those relatively monogamous with cartridges.

Thanks to a more massive plinth and the addition of VPI’s Ring Clamp, HR-X weight and 300 RPM motor, the almost twice-as-expensive Classic 3 ($5,995) presents serious sonic upgrades over the 1 and 2. For better rigidity, the 3 also upgrades from aluminum to stainless the armtube on the JMW 10.5i tonearm. Additionally, the copper tonearm wire is upgraded to Nordost’s legendary Valhalla.

Overwhelmed? Begin with the Classic 1 and just start playing records, dammit. The Classic range is fully upgradeable, so you can take a Classic 1 all the way to the Classic 4 level, should analog madness get the best of you.

Keeping Perspective

Remember, analog is about flavor. The Classic 1 might not be for you, but it turns me on. And while I won’t be putting my reference AVID decks on the auction block, listening to the Classic 1 is so enjoyable, it’s easy to forget about high-zoot hardware. Some days you want to drive the Porsche, some days you want to drive the police car.

Listeners that don’t want a harem of analog playthings, take note: Match the Classic 1 with a great phonostage, a solid cartridge (I suggest the Lyra Kleos), and relax. Price be damned, the Classic 1 is one of the most engaging turntables I’ve had the pleasure to use. For $2,750, it’s a steal.  Sure, more performance can be had, but it will cost you at least $5k-$10k, whether or not you move to a different platform or upgrade within VPI’s ranks.

The Classic 1 is highly deserving of our Exceptional Value Award. It exemplifies the concept.

VPI Classic 1 Turntable

MSRP:  $2,750

Manufacturer:  www.vpiindustries.com

Peripherals

Cartridges                  Lyra Kleos, Kleos Mono and Titan i, Sumiko Pearwood and Palo Santos, Grado Statement 1, Dynavector DV-20xl, Rega Apheta

Phonostages             ARC REF Phono 2 SE, ARC PH8, Manley Chinook

Preamplifier                ARC REF 5 SE, Burmester 011

Power Amplifier        ARC REF 150, Burmester 911 mk. 3, Coffman Labs PR-01

Speakers                   GamuT S9, Sonus Faber Ellipsa SE, Harbeth Compact 7 – 3

Cable                         Cardas Clear

Power                         Running Springs Dmitri and Maxim

Accessories               Furutech DeMag and DeStat, Audience Au24e phono cable, AudioQuest LeoPard phono cable, Audio Systeme Deck record cleaner.

Top high end audio brands, Focal and Goldmund announced today that they are now working together on “The creation of extremely advanced customized reproduction systems” and are aiming at optimizing the association of speakers and amplifiers that are already at the top of what is now considered state of the art.

While there are no pictures yet, this looks to be an exciting prospect in the stratosphere of high end audio.  Stay tuned for more details.

On Wednesday June 6th, from 6pm – 9pm, Audio High LA will be hosting an event with KEF showcasing their range of loudspeakers.  From the revolutionary Blade, through the award winning reference onto the exciting new R-Series, we will have something for everyone.

Contact them directly at [email protected] or via phone at 323-939-3000

http://www.Audiohigh.com/Home/los-angeles

Unless you earn $2 million an episode, a la Charlie Sheen, $30k is a lot of change to spend on a turntable and tonearm, especially when adding a worthy cartridge and phonostage could easily double the sum. Taking economics into consideration, TONE receives plenty of email from readers with turntables in this range or considering a similar level of purchase. We get substantially fewer communiqués from listeners contemplating a six-figure turntable—now, that’s crazy talk.

To be certain, audiophiles opting to make purchases in these price ranges are well-heeled, yet most seem to be longtime analog lovers that are seeking out that “destination table.” They’ve owned a number of turntables and amassed a fairly substantial vinyl collection. Typically, $30k doesn’t constitute an entry-level price point for many vinyl aficionados; something is often sold or traded (maybe a jet ski or motorcycle) for the down payment, so the sting isn’t quite as severe.

While it’s easy to get carried away with any number of six-figure turntables, $25-$30k represents the sweet spot, and right where the AVID Acutus Reference SP lies. The ‘table itself lists for $24,995 and the SME V tonearm (which arrived pre-mounted on our review sample) bumps the price up another $5,495. The subchassis on comes pre-drilled for an SME tonearm, but adaptors for Rega, Triplanar, and a few others can be purchased from $100 – $225, depending on the version you require. Current Acutus owners can easily upgrade to the Reference SP—which incorporates AVID’s latest-generation digital-speed control, larger power supply, and two-drive belt system—for $6,400.

Save for a sold-out 10^th Anniversary Model ($40,000) limited to just ten units, the Ref SP stands for all practical purposes as AVID’s top-of-the-line turntable. In case you’re wondering, AVID stands for “A very interesting design.” And since the Acutus served as AVID’s original turntable design, the SP Reference takes advantage of everything the manufacturer has learned during the past decade.  AVID designer and director Conrad Mas explains that, a few years ago, he wanted to take the company and his products to an even higher level.

“Rather than say that’s my product, take it or leave it, we listened very carefully to what our customers had to say and, bit by bit, addressed any issues they didn’t feel were best-in-class. We’ve taken this approach all the way to the packaging, with excellent results.”

Everything is Jelly

While the Ref SP is AVID’s premier turntable, the entire line benefits from Mas’ design philosophies. He feels that it is essential for a turntable to get rid of the vibrational energy in the environment as well as that in the vinyl record itself. As he likes to say, “Everything is jelly at a certain frequency; you just can’t see it. The goal is to move the all of the vibration away from the cartridge.”

The subchassis is cast from a variable density, highly granular aluminum, which damps the mid and low frequencies most effectively while even the coating on the subchassis is specifically designed to reduce the skin tension of the aluminum casting, effectively dissipating the HF resonance. Rather than cast from a solid shape the area between the bearing and the tonearm mount looks as if it is folded, giving the shape more rigidity than a solid piece, yet having lighter weight. Mas comments, “This is the most important part of the subchassis, where rigidity is most critical.”

The platter takes the same approach. Mas adds: “The chrome plating on the SP Ref isn’t for the bling factor, it’s functional. It does an excellent job at killing HF resonance. We’ve tried a number of different coatings, but when we did the measurements, nothing worked as well as the chrome plating. When we listened to the different finish options, the chrome sounded best by far.”

Interestingly, Mas feels that the recent trend of 180- and 200-gram LPs is counterproductive. “What we want to do is evacuate the vibration of the record as far away from the stylus as fast as possible. A 200-gram platter stores more energy that the stylus will read and adds a veil to the sound.”

Most turntables concentrate the majority of the mass in the chassis/subchassis assembly. AVID takes a different approach with its units by making the platter the most massive component.  Since there’s no heavy subchassis deflecting the bearing during vibration, bearing noise is kept to a minimum. This is the main reason that the Reference SP has such a low noise floor. In addition, a polymer disc is bonded to the 10kg aluminum platter has a specially designed polymer mat bonded to it which reflects vibration created by the stylus during playback, this being channeled through the bearing that the record is mechanically grounded to. This differs from plastic platters that store vibration or felt mats that allow the records to vibrate causing mistracking.

Mas feels that a suspended ‘table represents the optimum in vinyl playback design because the springs can be tuned to a specific frequency, again effectively isolating the important stylus from outside vibration.  In the vertical axis, AVID’s suspension is tuned to 2.5Hz, a factor of two lower than the average cartridge/arm compliance frequency. By comparison, a seismograph, tuned to measure the vibration of the Earth, is at .5Hz.

The Opposite Approach

The main advantage of direct-drive turntables relates to the amount of on-hand torque; by comparison, to minimize the motor’s control on the platter, belt-drive ‘tables rely on wimpy motors coupled to a tiny belt. Flying in the face of convention, AVID utilizes a powerful motor to drive the platter, thus offering more control. Belt-drive owners also likely notice the fairly pokey start-up. Not so the Ref SP. It starts quickly, just like a direct-drive broadcast table!

AVID hand-builds the motors in its factory, where they are then hand-tuned to the individual power supply that will be shipped along with the turntable. In the case of the Ref SP, the power supply alone weighs 42 pounds (19kg.) and features a 1KV power transformer. As I unpacked the box, I honestly thought the company made a mistake and shipped me one of its new power amplifiers instead.

Tradition aside, the approach works flawlessly. A cursory check of the speed with the Acoustic Sounds test record and digital multimeter revealed perfect accuracy: 1000Hz on the nose.

Setup

The Ref SP requires some assembly, but thanks to the concise manual, you should be up and running within about 30 minutes, even when working at a leisurely pace. As much as you will want to spin records as quickly as possible, a more metered set-up pace will give you an even greater appreciation for the care that went into the component parts.

Once the bearing ball is inserted and the main bearing gently slid into place, you can mount the 35-pound platter on the subchassis, making mounting and aligning your cartridge a much easier task than doing so with the whole ‘table assembled—a nice touch. This streamlines the set-up process, because you aren’t fighting the turntable suspension when trying to set VTA and such. It allows closer access to the area where the stylus meets the alignment gauge and, again, a higher degree of accuracy. AVID supplies an alignment protractor to help with the overhang alignment. Mas mentions that this step is “absolutely critical.” Which is exactly why the company spent the time and trouble to create its own alignment jig for the SME tonearms.  (AVID also produces these for Rega and Linn arms as well as a universal version.)

The last bit of setup involves fine-tuning the suspension and placing the chassis onto a level surface. Once the subchassis is leveled with the supplied tool, the suspension is perfectly tuned to the proper frequency. The final act involves fitting the three O-rings to the suspension towers and attaching the two drive belts, the only tough part of the entire process. First, pause in order to focus your concentration. Fortunately, my chi was in perfect order. I slipped the belts on just right on my first attempt.

An $80 syringe of silicone damping fluid that usually comes with the SME V is one lone thing missing from the Ref SP box. It’s not advised. The subchassis’ unique design moves the vibration straight away from the base of the tonearm mount, effectively into the subchassis.

External damping is usually required when using a cartridge with too much compliance in an arm with too much mass, but the AVID’s low suspension frequency and clamping system eliminates the need for its use.  “That’s why the SME arms get a bad reputation for wooly bass. Reflected vibration boosts bass and colors the midrange. It’s not the arm at all. And the non-linear damping in the vibration path, making up for the compliance mismatch, kills the high frequencies.  Not so with our table.”

Having spent quite a bit of time with SME tables and tonearms in particular (I own four of them, from the vintage 3009 up to the V), I can assuredly state that the Ref SP is a completely different animal.  If you didn’t think an SME arm could sound light and lively, guess again. Though I’ve always found SME arms slightly heavy-sounding,

their consistency and ease of setup has always made them a favorite. But with AVID’s ‘tables, there is no sonic compromise. Mas is definitely on to something.

Listening and Comparisons

While it is always difficult to actually describe the sound of any component without putting it into context, the Ref SP reminds me of a combination of my two favorite turntables: the Rega P9 and the SME 30. If you can imagine a ‘table with the weight of an SME 30 that also has the pace, timing, and speed of the P9, that’s the closest anyone can get to telling you exactly what the SP Ref sounds like.

Almost immediately, the Ref SP became the go-to mechanism in my stable of reference turntables. After a few days of comparisons, it was obvious that I could not live without it. It also meant that a couple of other turntables had to go. Its performance with grade A+ pressings was nothing short of amazing. But even with average pressings, like Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s Trilogy—a record I’ve heard hundreds of times since the 70s—revealed new tidbits. Listening to “Abaddon’s Bolero” revealed another layer of very quiet synthesizer playing at the beginning of the track. And as Greg Lake’s bass line entered, there was more texture—and the bass actually had a firm placement in the left channel. Playing the same track with the same tonearm and cartridge combination on my Oracle Delphi V spread the bass out almost evenly between the channels, with a significant loss of pace.

Staying in the classic rock vein and moving to the Classic Records pressing of Alan Parson’s I Robot also yielded a completely new experience. The background chanting in the title track possessed a chilling realism I’d never heard before, as it simply rose up and crept in and out of the forefront.

Experiencing acoustic material proved equally great. Listening to Analogue Productions’ recently remastered Bill Evans The Riverside Recordings box set approximated sonic nirvana. “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” from Moonbeams, starts gently. The ultra-low noise floor of the Ref SP brought the music up out of what seemed like nowhere; the tonality of the piano epitomized perfection. At the beginning of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1, the horns jumped right out of the soundstage in a way that they never have done in my system. Thanks to the additional dynamic range, the overall presentation felt louder since quiet passages were now significantly quieter.

Having performed a number of listening experiments with many turntable/cartridge combinations, I’ve arrived at the firm conclusion that a top-notch turntable with a modest cartridge will deliver more sound than a big-bucks cartridge on an inexpensive turntable. Even when using the Ref SP with the inexpensive Denon DL103R, I was consistently impressed at how much further I could hear into the cartridge’s capabilities. Hence, a device I considered somewhat lackluster in budget turntables turned in a stellar performance with the Ref SP. Moreover, all of the $5,000 cartridges I had at my disposal came across as relatively ho-hum (even when aligned to perfection) when mounted to a budget turntable—again confirming Mas’ analysis of how important every aspect of a turntable design is to playback. The Ref SP does a better job of extracting the music out of vinyl grooves than anything I’ve encountered—a job that is deceptively simple yet incredibly tough.

When listening to familiar records with the same cartridge (in this case, a Lyra Skala) mounted to both the Ref SP and my current reference, the Spiral Groove SG-2, the Ref SP’s additional dynamic punch became instantly apparent on heavy rock music, large-scale symphonic music, and everything in between. The ‘table’s ability to unravel the intricacies of complex recordings is simply phenomenal. What’s more, the rock-solid pitch stability and ultra-low noise floor offer up more than pinpoint imaging, painting tonal images in true three-dimensional space. Who needs multichannel when two-channel is rendered so clearly?

The Rabbit is in Hand

I’ve been chasing the analog rabbit for more than 30 years. I’d come awfully close to catching it in the past, but with the AVID, I finally got the rabbit by the ears. The Acutus Reference SP combines bespoke build quality, ease of setup, and stellar performance in a gorgeous package. What else could you possibly want?

Yes, this is the point in the review where the reviewer often says that they would “buy this ‘table if they could afford it and will really miss it when they send it back.” Not here baby. I love this ‘table; it offers by far the most enjoyable analog experience that I’ve ever had. Not only did I purchase the SP Ref, I bought two of them.

The Acutus Reference SP is indeed A Very Interesting Design.

AVID Acutus Reference SP Turntable (tonearm not included)

MSRP:  $24,995 (US); £16,500 (International)

Manufacturer Contact:

www.avidhifi.co.uk

www.musicdirect.com (US importer – Click link to purchase from MD)

Peripherals

Preamplifier                            Burmester 011

Power amplifier                      Burmester 911 mk. 3

Phono Preamplifier                 Audio Research REF 2 Phono, AVID Pulsare

Phono Cartridges                    Koetsu Urushi Blue, SoundSmith Sussurro Paua, ClearAudio DaVinci, Grado Statement 1

Tonearm                                  SME V

Tonearm Cable                        Furutech Silver Arrow

Speakers                                  GamuT S9

Power                                      Running Springs Audio Maxim, Dmitri

Cable                                       Shunyata Aurora

I loved the ending of the first Iron Man movie, when Tony Stark declares in the press conference, “Yeah, I’m Iron Man,” and the crowd goes wild.  While it might not drive a press conference into frenzy, I’m going to tip my hat right now and tell you that the SG-2 is a fantastic turntable.  There’s still a few high rollers on the list that I haven’t experienced yet, such as the SME30 (which I have heard a number of times but not in my system), and a few others in the $100K and higher category. But let’s face it, most of us aren’t buying 100 thousand dollar turntables. Even a five-figure table such as the SG-2 is a luxury, but one that some of us can afford.  For the price of a tricked-out WaveRunner, you can have analog bliss.  I know which I’d rather have.

When I first heard the flagship SG-1 at the Immedia offices, I was immediately impressed.  Fortunately, designer Allen Perkins had a complement of gear in his listening room with which I am familiar, so it wasn’t just a bunch of audio parlor tricks; this is a very musical sounding table. The main differences between the $25k SG-1 and the $15k SG-2 are that the SG-1 uses a few more exotic materials in the plinth; stainless steel in the SG-1 is replaced with aluminum in the SG-2. The SG-1 weighs 70 pounds, while the SG-2 is only 50.  Both tables feature the same motor, speed control/power supply and bearing, along with a finely machined record clamp.  The material making up the platter is the same in both tables, but the outer ring in the SG-1 is  stainless, where the SG-2’s is aluminum.

The SG-1 features a removable armboard that bayonets out like an SLR camera lens.  Perkins told me that this was inspired by his Leica cameras and made in house by SG. This feature allows multiple tonearm configurations as the mood strikes, while the SG-2 has a standard, albeit removable armboard. Sharing Allen Perkins’ passion for photography, I thought this was an exquisite touch. Retail price for the Spiral Groove SG-2 without arm is $15,000, while the current Tri-Planar mk. VII is $5,500. Come on, this is way more interesting than a WaveRunner and you don’t need a wetsuit to use it.

Every surface on the SG-2 is beautifully finished, and as far as tables go, I put it up on par with the SME’s in terms of build quality and understated excellence.  The Continuum is a Dodge Challenger with a blower sticking out of the hood, jacked up with tires about three sizes too big sticking out of the wheel wells, while the SG-2 is an Audi S8 —  elegant, understated and much more capable the minute you get into the first turn.  Should you be someone who wants a turntable based on the high zoot factor, the SG-2 may not be for you.  But if your primary measuring stick is musical performance, and timeless style like an Eames Chair, read on.

Getting out of my comfort zone

Most of my recent analog experience has been with SME and Rega tonearms, but Perkins suggested that my current reference, the iV.Vi would not be a mechanical fit for the SG-2 or the SG-1.  “There’s nothing wrong with the SME arm, it’s just the oval-shaped base that the SME mount uses is too big to work with the oversized platter on the Spiral Groove tables; the pivot to spindle distance would be too great.  The 12-inch SME arms, would probably work just fine, though.” I’m guessing this also will eliminate the Graham arms as possible contenders.  Perkins should have his arm complete soon, which he was quite excited about offering as the perfect match with the SG tables.  As fate would have it, the arm would take longer to reach the market, but the analog cohorts I know that have used the arm assure me it is fantastic.

So for now, we went with the Tri-Planar mk. VIII. I’ve always been intrigued with the Tri-Planar, and this provided an excellent opportunity to break some new ground.  One of the virtues of the Tri-Planar is its almost infinite adjustability, which can be a blessing for some and maddening for others, who may feel they have never gotten it just right.

If you have some records of varying thickness, the Tri-Planar is quite handy, with its large dial indicator on the back of the arm.  You can find settings for 140, 180 and 200-gram records, with a little practice, and then return to those settings when you play those records again.  Or, if you are like me, you can just set the arm up for whatever you have the most of and go from there.  I’m of the mind that constant fiddling is bad for the cartridge suspension, and as I seem to get long life out of my cartridges, I might be on to something.  The good news is that with the Tri-Planar, you can have it your way.

Incredibly easy setup

I’m a huge fan of Rega and SME because they are easy to set up and once set up, tend to stay that way. The SG-2 is a marvel of simplicity and after carefully unpacking the table along with its external power supply, I merely had to remove a few spacers holding the platter up off the base and I was ready to mount the arm.  Underneath the plinth is a set of three cone-shaped feet that in addition to damping vibration make it easy to level the SG-2.  Add the SG-2 to the “easy to set up” category.

A newcomer to the Tri-Planar back then, it took about an hour and a half to complete initial setup with the help of my Acoustic Sounds test record, Acoustic Sounds protractor and trusty Fluke Multimeter. Fortunately for me, the SG-2’s speed was spot on right out of the box, saving another step.  Fine tuning the Lyra Skala took about another hour of careful listening, and I ended up settling on a final tracking weight of 1.62 grams, a bit on the light side as the data sheet suggests 1.65-1.75 grams.

I zeroed in on the Skala for the review period because it has a sound I am very familiar with and I happen to have a pair of them.  This always makes it easy to perform a direct comparison between my reference Raven Two turntable with an SME iV.Vi and whatever else I’m evaluating.  I was able to keep everything else the same except for tonearm cables.  The Tri-Planar comes with its own cable, so there may have been a slight difference between it and the Furutech cables I normally use on my other tonearms.  Regardless, it was easy to get a good feel for the inherent differences between the Raven/SME combination and the SG-2/Tri-Planar combination.

To investigate a few other possibly good combinations, I also had excellent luck with my other reference cartridges, the Dynavector XV-1s and the Grado Statement.  I would also like to mention that the combination of the SG-2 and the Tri-Planar has offered the best performance the Grado has ever exhibited in my system.

My initial comparisons were with the Nagra VPS phono stage, and once I had a good feel for the combination, I also used the SG-2/Tri-Planar/Skala combination to evaluate the stellar Naim Stageline phono preamplifier with the HighCap2 and SuperCap power supplies, but that’s for another review.

This is what analog is all about folks

I might be a little crazy, but I believe great analog should sound really analogy.  Smooth and natural (not rounded off) with an organic sound that is convincingly realistic enough that on the right recording, it takes you to that place where you get fooled into thinking the musicians are actually playing in your listening room.  I understand that you can’t put a full symphony orchestra or Snow Patrol with a wall of Marshall amps in your living room.  But you can get damn close with a solo vocalist, a small string quartet or a few musicians playing acoustic instruments if your room and system are up to the task.

If you are a newcomer to the world of analog, you might not realize just how difficult this balance is to achieve.   I’ve been chasing it for decades.  While thousands of pages have been written trying to describe this, if you have listened to your fair share of music, you know instantly when it’s right, yet it can drive you to madness when it’s not.  Even at the beginning of the setup phase, the minute I lowered the tonearm onto the record I knew the SG-2 was an analog gem. It just got better as the final adjustments were made.

This may not be scientific, but the SG-2 was one of those rare components that would not allow me to do any multitasking whatsoever.  Whenever I put a record on this table and tried to work at the same time, I just couldn’t do it.  I’d shut my laptop and hours would go by, playing one record after another and pretty soon, the better part of the day had evaporated before my eyes.

So much of achieving this rightness has to do with timbral accuracy, while part of it is the ability of a turntable, arm and cartridge to achieve high resolution without harshness.  The mechanical aspects of a turntable at this level also are a major contributor to the dynamic range of the analog system, going hand in hand with the resolution aspect.  The more unobtrusive the table becomes, the more it can get out of the way and reveal the music present on the discs being played.

Keeping it real

Rather than go on and on about different records that I played, let’s suffice to say I played a lot of them.  Here’s what I feel are the most important points about this fine record playing system:

First, nuance.  It is always a great experience to listen to your favorite records and hear small details that weren’t present before, or as clear.  The SG-2 was a master of this, whether offering up a little more texture as a bow was drawn across the violin strings, or revealing more echo at the end of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.”  No matter what kind of music you enjoy, this will grab you immediately with an SG-2.  Perkins feels that the detail his tables offer has much to do with the platter design and the materials used, forming an excellent record-to-platter interface.

Next, quiet.  Thanks to a well-designed drive system, the SG-2 could form the textbook definition of the classic audiophile cliché, “velvety black backgrounds.”  Not a molecule of rumble or other mechanical noise, which gives you CD quiet out of your highest quality pressings.  The bearing in the SG-2 is not directly attached to the spindle, an approach taken by only a few other tables.

Big sound.  Did I say big? I meant HUGE.  As I’ve mentioned in past articles, I tend to listen to music spatially and interpret the sound field that my system produces as a cube.  My Raven Two produces a very large sound field, but moving to the SG-2, the sound field expanded in all three dimensions.  If you’ve ever had the opportunity to listen to a properly setup pair of MBL speakers in a good room, it feels as if someone poured out a room full of sound and you can just concentrate on the music.

According to most engineers I’ve spoken with, a big part of that big sound comes from drive accuracy and stability. The oversized platters on the SG-1 and SG-2 help reduce mechanical error, and the extra mass helps maintain inertia, smoothing things out further.

It’s like comparing Kodachrome with Ektachrome.  The Continuum has more contrast, like Ektachrome, which grabs you at first and feels like a lot of fun.  Some might even prefer its presentation.  But like Kodachrome, my favorite film, the SG-2 has a tonality that just goes on forever.  Acoustic instruments have the perfect amount of texture; drumheads sound correct, piano decay sounds correct, with the proper attack, decay and most of all, texture, with nothing muffled or truncated.

The bonus here is the SG-2’s amazing resolution, another Kodachrome hallmark. Some gear that I’ve heard that is wonderfully tuneful does it at the expense of resolution; not so with this table.  For those who have amazing record collections, consisting of early edition pressings and high-quality audiophile remasters, you will really be in for a treat.  Again, the Skala cartridge seemed to be a phenomenal match for this arm-and-table combination, with the Dynavector right behind.

I won’t use the B-word, but…

Back in issue 19 when I originally reviewed The Spiral Groove SG-2, I found this table one of the most musically involving tables I’d heard at the time and not only purchased the review sample, but lived with it happily for three years. It’s audio performance is top notch, build quality exquisite, and it is aesthetically elegant.  The kicker is that this is truly an affordable reference.  Not in a Rega P3 kind of way, mind you, but if you are a music lover/collector/audiophile that has been at this for a while and are looking for a statement table that doesn’t cost as much as a Porsche, the SG-2 should be at the top of your audition list.

Now that the Spiral Groove tonearm is available, we look forward to revisiting this great table again very soon.

The Spiral Groove SG-2 Turntable

MSRP:  $15,000 (without arm), Tri-Planar Mk. VII, $4,700

Manufacturers Information:

Spiral Groove, distributed by Immedia

www.spiral-groove.com

Peripherals

Preamplifier                            Conrad Johnson ACT2/series 2

Power Amplifier                     Conrad Johnson Premier 350

Phono Preamplifiers               Nagra VPS, Naim Superline with SuperCap power supply

Cartridges                                Dynavector XV-1s, Lyra Skala, Lyra Olympos, Grado Statement

Speakers                                  MartinLogan CLX with (2)Descent i subwoofers

Features

Value Proposition: Digitization 101 with the Rega Fono Mini A2D
By Jerold O’Brien

Journeyman Audiophile

Ortofon SPU Classic GM E. MK.II
By Jerold O’Brien

Old School:  SME 3009 Tonearm
By Ken Kessler

Remembering Dick Clark
By Ben Fong-Torres

Tone Style

Chill Ride: Porsche 911 Carrera S with Burmester Sound
By Jeff Dorgay

Beer Snob: Three Scintillating Brews
By Bob Gendron

Bocca Titanium Watch

Dyson AM02 Tower Fan

KEF: 50 Years of Innovation and Sound

Music

Live Music: SBTRKT and Matthew Sweet

Current Releases:

Fresh Releases in the Pop/Rock World
By the TONE Staff

Audiophile Pressings

Priscilla Ahn, The Band and more…

Jazz and Blues

New releases from Ches Smith’s Cong for Brums, Tomas

Furjikawa and the Hook Up, and Steve Kuhn
By Jim Macnie

Previews

Simaudio Moon 810LP Phonostage

Manley Chinook Phonostage

Coffman Labs G-1A Preamplifier

From The Web:

Project Debut Carbon Turntable

Bob Carver VTA 180M Amplifiers

Reviews:

Origin Live Technics SL-1200 Kit
By Paul Rigby

Audience Au24e Tonearm Cable
By Jeff Dorgay

The Pass Labs XP-25 Phono Stage
By Jacob Heilbrunn

Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner
By Lawrence Devoe

The VPI Classic 1 Turntable
By Jeff Dorgay

Slummin’

Reporting on the Porsche/Burmester event for Issue 46’s cover story put me at a dinner table with a new group of writers. Instead of the usual cronies from high-end audio, I encountered a pack of automotive journalists. A staff member from Automobile magazine commented that, on a recent outing with a handful of incredibly wealthy car collectors, he asked everyone the same question: What is the most fun car you own? He became fascinated to discover that, even though the owners all possess stables of exotic machinery, five of the six respondents named the Mini Cooper S Convertible.

Many of my audiophile buddies express a similar sentiment concerning loudspeakers. There’s something enchanting about a pair of small speakers in a modest-sized room. Often, the famous LS3/5A enters the conversation. However, as magic as it is when paired with small-scale music, that speaker does not rock. But greatness is possible in a small box. Modern drivers, computer analysis, and crossover technology make such a goal all the more attainable.

Enter the Penaudio Cenya. Taking up only half a cubic foot (6.4 x 11.2 x 12.6 inches/163 x 280 x 315mm) of space, the tiny two-way uses a 6-inch Seas Excel woofer and 3/4-inch Seas soft-dome tweeter in a ported enclosure. Don’t be scared by the $4,000 price. Small enclosures and understated elegance are Penaudio hallmarks, and the cost is warranted.

For those seeking wife-acceptance factor, look no further. The Cenyas integrate with practically any décor. Yes, getting the best bass response requires a pair of stands with high mass, and placing the tweeters near ear height is essential. A pair of sand-filled Sound Anchors stands works perfectly in both my listening rooms. My smaller 11 x 17-foot living room provides slightly more bass reinforcement, but surprisingly, does not offer the big sound of my dedicated room.

Simple Setup

Setting up the speakers by ear resulted with the speakers landing in the classic equilateral arrangement. In my 16 x 25-foot listening room, the Cenyas are almost seven feet out in the room on the long wall, and seven feet apart. Approximately 15 degrees of toe-in yields the best balance between imaging and high-frequency smoothness, and yes, the Cenyas boast excellent off-axis response. Placed well away from sidewalls, these speakers image like panels. With the last octave of bass response diminished, the Cenyas are easier to position, particularly since they don’t excite room resonances in the manner achieved by a speaker that goes down to the mid-20hz region.

In terms of matching, the 30wpc Unison Research S6 tube integrated amplifier and its deep, rich presentation complements the Cenya’s large soundstage. Unlike the Penaudio Serenades I used for a few years, and which never really matched with a tube amplifier, the Cenyas perform admirably with glass. Given their 86db sensitivity rating, I suggest a minimum of 30wpc, although an amplifier in the 45-70wpc rating is even better. Select tube amplifiers at my disposal from CJ, Audio Research, PrimaLuna, and Grant Fidelity all reveal a warm, friendly sound via the Cenyas, with excellent bass control and supple high end.

However, power rules the day with these mighty marvels, and the heavens part upon inserting an Audio Research REF 150 into the system. Remember, though, that power alone doesn’t get the job done. Think quality. Trying a few budget, high-powered Class D amplifiers makes for a lifeless presentation. The Cenyas claim a very neutral, natural, and lifelike tonal balance—but also offer high resolution. Hence, distinctions between different source components are readily discerned.

Switching between the ARC REF 150, Burmester 911 mk. 3, and Octave Jubilee monoblocks, it’s as effortless to pinpoint the particular characteristics between these top-tier amplifiers as it is when they’re feeding speakers that cost considerably more. Clearly, something special is going on in Finland. Chalk it up to Penaudio designer Sami Pentilla, who loves to rock out. You’ll never hear Patricia Barber in his room at a hi-fi gathering. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, as we listened to Rammstein loudly in his space, he smiled and said, “My speakers must have natural sound, but they have to rock.”

Mad Bass Skills

Don’t be thrown off by that small woofer. Given the size of the speaker from which it emanates, the bass line in the title track from Big Head Todd and the Monsters’ Sister Sweetly album produces enormous bass of almost-shocking dimensions. No one-note wonder, the Cenya does equally well with acoustic bass. Scott LaFaro’s bass playing on Bill Evans’ classic Portrait in Jazz provides elegant lines that often feel more like lead runs than backdrops. The Cenyas excel at capturing the texture, as well as the body, of the acoustic bass parts.

Torturing the Cenyas via the massive beats in Madonna’s latest MDNA prove fruitless until the mighty Burmester 911 amplifier starts working up a sweat. With 350 watts per channel on tap, I was able to produce that awful bottoming sound from the woofer cones. Note, however, that this came at beyond-prudent volume levels. Big synth bass from The System’s “Don’t Stop This Groove,” as well as from a few other 80s favorites, is also rendered with so much weight that you won’t hanker for a subwoofer. Ok, maybe when you blast Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy Revisited, it’s not a bad idea to grab one. Fortunately, the JL Audio Gotham in-wall subwoofer seamlessly mates with the Cenyas, making for a rather stealthy system.

Mighty Mids

Dandy as the Cenyas show with varied program material, midrange remains the mini-monitors’ strong suit. Emphasis is focused on defined placement of musicians and instruments within a soundstage. Ry Cooder’s I, Flathead features a live feel. When Cooder briskly strums his guitar on “My Dwarf is Getting Tired,” you can hear the drumheads rattle. These speakers reproduce the midband in such a transparent way, you’ll forget about your visions of ESLs. And I say this as a happy owner of Quad 57s; the Cenyas have the juice.

All the best audiophile clichés apply to these Penaudio speakers. They paint an enormous sonic canvas extending well beyond the speaker boundaries. Yes, you’ll swear you are listening to larger speakers. Vide, Mobile Fidelity’s brilliant new remaster of Gram Parsons’ GP. The Cenyas capture the pace and air present within this sparse recording. The original CD is flat and lifeless, but the decay-rich MoFi disc feels lush. Vide, the baritone sax on “Cry One More Time For You” leaps right out in front. And, heard via the Cenyas, Parsons and Emmylou Harris’ duet on “We’ll Sweep Out The Ashes in the Morning” gives equal weight to both singers. Lesser speakers leave Harris’ voice fading into the mix.

Dazzling Dynamics

The 24/96 file of Elton John’s Madman Across The Water sounds stunning through the Cenyas. When the barrage of horns kicks in at about 1:37, I got pinned back on the couch, amazed at the drive they muster. Wow, these speakers rock. Transitioning from the slower first half of Jack White’s “Take Me With You When You Go” from Blunderbuss to the song’s raucous second half is painless. White’s signature guitar sound is also reproduced with plenty of grit and texture.

Thanks to the Cenyas’ wide dynamic contrast, the worst recordings now become much more palatable. Even Don Johnson’s Heartbeat sounds pretty good. (Fess up. I know you still have that CD from the 80s.) Getting down with the self-titled Grinderman album, these speakers give up the good stuff the second you hit “play.” The first track, “Get it On,” opens with Nick Cave barking over a larger-than-life distorted guitar out of phase with the rest of the instruments. The Cenyas don’t lose their poise even when cranking this record. The louder you play it, the better it sounds, with the mad guitars burrowing their way into your soul.

Indeed, the speakers deliver an abundance of dynamic contrast and low-level detail, making them just as easy to listen to at low volume. And, as I mentioned earlier, they possess a very natural tonal balance. Violin, banjo, and acoustic bass remain distinctly separate on the title track of Steve Martin’s The Crow: New Songs For Five String Banjo, retaining all the textural properties that make these stringed instruments unique. The violin is particularly tough to get right, yet the Cenyas handle it with aplomb.

Get On Board

The Penaudio Cenya is an absolute delight, no matter the source material. These speakers are limited only by the quality of the electronics with which you mate them. Granted, the Cenyas are not merciless. Your system won’t suck with a $600 integrated amplifier if that’s what you can afford. However, the speakers will constantly improve with better gear, should you jump on the high-speed train to audiophilia.

Fuel the Cenyas with the best electronics you can afford, and you will not be disappointed. It’s not unlike handling a high-performance turbocharged car. If you put low-octane gasoline in the tank, the experience will still be good, but the engine-management system will cut the amount of horsepower delivered to the rear wheels.

Penaudio Cenya Loudspeaker

MSRP:  $4,000

www.penaudio.fi (Factory)

www.tempohighfidelity.com (US Importer)

Peripherals

Preamplifier Burmester 011

Power Amplifier Burmester 911 mk. 3, Audio Research REF 150

Digital Source dCS Debussy DAC/Paganini Clock

Analog Source VPI Classic 1/Lyra Kleos/ARC REF Phono 2

Cable Cardas Clear

Accessories SRA Scuttle rack, Furutech DeStat, DeMag, Audio Desk Systeme record cleaner

Volumes are written about this famous album, celebrating the collaboration of Bob Dylan and his backing band, the Hawks, whose members ended up becoming The Band. Not officially released until the summer of 1975, the set was recorded in 1967, the year after Dylan’s motorcycle crash, which marked a pivotal point in his career.

In a 1969 interview, the Bard told Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner: “[This is] really the way to do a recording—in a peaceful, relaxed setting—in somebody’s basement. With the windows open…and a dog lying on the floor.” The mellow vibe certainly comes through in the presentation.

Mobile Fidelity’s reissue features much richer timbres and dynamics than the original. But remember Dylan’s comment about being relaxed. While it’s still crackly in parts, (remember it was produced on the Revox A77 tape recorder shown on the album cover) overall quality is very high, particularly given the stripped-down environment in which the record was captured—essentially, Dylan’s basement, concrete walls and all. Where the original is consistently flat, lacking air and decay, the new pressing comes alive.

Sure, various members of the Band, and even Dylan himself, are still not in agreement about what tracks should have been (or not been) included on the Columbia release. Debates aside, it’s a phenomenal time capsule, a stellar collection of songs.

And there’s more Dylan coming from the Chicago-based audiophile imprint. Josh Bizar, Mobile Fidelity’s Director of Sales and Marketing, says, “The Basement Tapes is one of the most important releases in our history and the perfect title to start the Mobile Fidelity Bob Dylan series.” We anxiously anticipate all of them.

Throughout his career, Bob Carver has made several legendary products and, like most great artists, stirred up controversy in the process. His new line of tube amplifiers aren’t just brilliant, they’re reasonably priced. For those wanting the “Made in America” badge, these crimson beauties—along with every other Carver amplifier—are built by hand in Lexington, using point-to-point wiring techniques.

The VTA180M features a simple and honest design. Its basic, open chassis configuration adds to the vintage feel and keeps costs manageable. You won’t mistake these units for a pair of megabuck tube amps machined from solid billets of aluminum. Well, not until you turn them on. Then, be prepared to be pleasantly surprised.

Having sampled many great tube amplifiers over the last few years, I was immediately impressed by the VTA180M’s level of detail and grunt provided by the 200 watts-per-channel reserve. Vide, Bombay Dub Orchestra’s 3 Cities. This record serves up big, synth-bass beats that challenge any amplifier driving full-range speakers. The Carvers reward my GamuT S9s (that have a -3db point of 17hz) with solid, texture-laden bass and subterranean extension.

They also require little warm-up time. With just a half hour on the clock, the amps piqued my interest when playing Chemical Brothers’ “Galvanize” from Push The Button. The assault of bombastic bass waves encouraged me to twist the volume control to nightclub-like levels. As the GamuT S9s’ six 11.5-inch woofers pumped, I felt like the guy in the Maxell chair, with the system moving major air sans strain or distortion. The amps sound enticing even after the first five minutes, but require 45 minutes to thermally stabilize and reach full bloom. Once there, an enormous, three-dimensional soundfield awaits. Vacuum-tube newbies will experience an entirely different sonic landscape.

Midrange Options

Reach-out-and-touch-it midrange is almost always a given with tube amps; the extra airiness draws music lovers to vacuum tubes. The VTA180M lets you pick a preferred presentation, offering two feedback settings: 11db (contemporary amplifier) and 20db (classic amplifier) that affect the upper bass/midrange presentation. According to the concise instruction manual, Carver leans toward the classic setting, and it’s nice to have the option. Plus, you can switch the setting on the fly without suffering any annoying or potentially harmful pops.

The extra feedback provides a warmer, more saturated sound, much like many beloved vintage tube amplifiers. Meanwhile, the 11db setting possesses a punchier sound and tighter bass response. It’s also great for fine-tuning an amplifier to speakers. So, even if your taste in speakers changes, your amplifier can remain in the system. This is a great way of making the VTA180Ms obsolete-proof. One note: Should you have a pair of speakers that already have a bump in the upper-bass/lower-midrange region, a romantic-sounding tube amplifier can be too much.

In addition, you can use the feedback switch as a tone control. Regardless of your system’s overall tonal balance, if you listen to a fair amount of MP3s via MOG, Spotify, or another online service, extra tonal warmth supplied by the VTA180M in the classic amplifier mode goes a long way towards making harsh digital sources more listenable.

For Those About to Roll

Tube rolling with the VTA180M is effortless. Its open casework allows easy access. The stock tubes sound awfully good, so your degree of OCD will determine whether they constitute the equivalent of a quick jaunt down the bunny hill or a Double Black Diamond run. Should you swap them out, you will need a dozen power tubes—not for the faint of checkbook. A set of Gold Lion reissued KT-88s imparts a less grainy feel, and sacrifices nothing in the top and bottom ends of the frequency spectrum. Just be sure to check the front-panel bias meter and adjust accordingly when fitting a different set of output tubes. Again, the Carver manual goes into great detail explaining the process and makes it all simple.

Experimenting with the 12AX7 input and the 12AT7 pre-driver tubes offers a wider range of tonal change than fiddling with the output tubes. With only one of each tube per monoblock, it’s a basic exercise. While NOS 12AX7s can soar as high as $300 each (for super high-zoot Mullards and Telefunkens), Mullard 12AT7s rarely top $30.  The 12AX7 is the tonemeister: Changing it affects overall tonality as much if not more than the feedback switch. Or, you can just leave the VTA180M stock and enjoy as is. Or can you? Decisions aside, Carver offers an impressive one-year warranty on the factory tube set and seven-year warranty on the amplifier.

The Whole Enchilada

Tube amplifiers live and die on the top and bottom of the audio spectrum. Some offer a dreamy, creamy, albeit slightly rounded off high-frequency response, a trait especially attractive to digital music collections. Other units put forward a very refined, extended, clinical sound that gets so close to the character of solid-state gear, one ponders why valves were ever chosen.

The VTA180Ms provide excellent overall tonal balance, regardless of feedback setting. Low-end extension is particularly healthy. Tube amplifiers rarely possess great bass texture, yet the VTA180M excels in this region. Tom Petersson’s bass on Cheap Trick’s self-titled album enjoys alluring growl. The opening bass riff on “Mandocello” bites and feels natural. As his hand slides up the instrument’s neck, it sounds like you’re standing in the front row of a small venue peering right at a big Ampeg bass cabinet. A similar experience occurs with an early British pressing of the Beatles’ Revolver. Even at high volume, Paul McCartney’s bass line stays solid and easy to follow, with plenty of definition.

Things are equally good up top. Without surrendering any tonal saturation, the VTA180M provides a clean, resolute high end. Cymbals are portrayed with plenty of air and texture, feeling neither rolled off nor exaggerated. Switching back to a few vintage amplifiers on hand from Dynaco and Marantz reveals similar tonal saturation, but to the point of obvious coloration and grain, particularly when listening to Joe Sample and Co. on The Three, an incredibly well-recorded direct-to-disc LP. Shelly Manne’s drumming loses the air present via the Carver, through which the percussion sounds like real cymbals.

When spinning Revolver, the background handclaps in “And Your Bird Can Sing” are not as prominent as it is with the best amplifiers at my disposal. This slight loss of ultimate low-level resolution, in comparison to that delivered by big-dollar gear, is the VTA180M’s only apparent weakness. But these cherry-red monoblocks do everything else so well, you won’t notice it.

The VTA180Ms feature a single-ended RCA input and work flawlessly with the handful of on-hand preamplifiers from Audio Research, Conrad Johnson, Burmester, McIntosh, and the new Coffman Labs model currently under review. Thanks to 2-, 4- and 8-ohm output taps, the Carvers show no problem driving the MartinLogan Montis speakers and even produce enough juice to drive the Magnepan 1.7s to fairly high levels.  If you are nervous that the rated 230 watts-per-channel isn’t enough for your Magnepans, Carver’s VTA305M monoblocks should get you there.

Award Winning Performance

I am very excited about the VTA180M amplifiers. Designed by a legend, they offer a no-nonsense approach, with money spent in the right places. We could talk in circles about parts and topology choices, sure. But in the end, these amplifiers do everything well, volunteering a sensory experience that normally commands a higher price.

Indeed, this is a tube lover’s pair of amplifiers. They provide more than enough power to drive all but the most inefficient speakers, and boast an extraordinary level of refinement. The ability to drive low-impedance loads, as well as the option to change feedback and alter the amps’ character to suit personal tastes, are bonuses.

If there’s a better pair of 200-watt-per-channel tube amplifiers out there for this kind of money, I haven’t heard them yet. The Carver VTA180M monobocks richly deserve an Exceptional Value Award for 2012.

Carver VTA180M Monoblock Power Amplifiers

MSRP: $7,400/pair

www.bobcarver.com

Peripherals

Analog Source             AVID Acutus Reference SP/TriPlanar/Lyra Atlas

Digital Source              dCS Paganini 4-box stack, Sooloos Control 15

Phonostage                  Audio Research REF Phono 2SE

Speakers                      GamuT S9

Cable                           Cardas Clear

Accessories                 Furutech DeMag, DeStat, Audio Desk Systeme RCM

Many audiophiles have started their vinyl journey with the Pro-Ject Debut turntable in one version or another, and for good reason: The models offer great performance, stunningly good looks, and excellent value. They are also very easy to set up and operate, essential to keeping the analog flame burning for any newbie. The new Debut Carbon pictured here again raises the bar for what one can expect from a $400 turntable. In addition, it’s about as fool-proof as an analog device can get.

To wit: My daughter and her tech savvy friends were pretty excited by the cool, green record spinner while I unboxed it, so I turned it over to them for setup. They had the Carbon rolling in about ten minutes. A quick tracking-force check with a digital stylus-force gauge revealed that they were only a tenth of a gram away from the  suggested 1.8-gram setting. I suspect their attempt was as good as anyone else could muster without proper tools.

Played through an older Pro-Ject Tube Box phonostage with NOS Telefunkens (an audiophile dad can’t let his daughter have a stock phonostage, can he?), and plugged into a B&W Zeppelin Air, the Carbon began its existence with fantastic results. Listening to Sharon Van Etten’s Tramp LP sounds light-years better than the same track heard via a nearby iPhone and downloaded from iTunes. There’s more depth and body to Van Etten’s waif-like voice, and her acoustic guitar possesses extra decay and air. I replicated the experience in my photo-studio system, comprised of a Marantz 2220B receiver and JBL L-100 speakers. The Carbon represents a massive step-up from my regular go-to Dual 1219/Ortofon OM5E.

Back in the Batcave

For those concerned about tech bits, the Carbon uses a Sorbothane-damped AC motor powered by a wall-wart supply, and requires manual changing of the belt on the pulley to achieve 33 and 45RPM speeds. Or you can purchase a $159 Speed Box II, which volunteers speed changes at the push of a button—as well as improved speed stability.  Pro-Ject also offers an acrylic platter (the Acryl-it) for $125. Welcome to the wacky world of audiophilia.

While the steel platter with felt mat is straightforward, the new carbon-fiber tonearm and upgraded Ortofon cartridge constitute the biggest improvements over what’s available in the preceding Debut III. Where Ortofon’s OM5e has always struck me as slightly thin, the company’s 2M Red possesses more tonal clarity and saturation, bringing you closer to the music than you might expect for the price.

Mated to the ICON Audio PS2 phonostage, the Carbon proves even more formidable. The twangy guitars in Best Coast’s “Up All Night” from the group’s new The Only Place are positively dreamy. Tracking Frank Zappa’s “Let Me Take You To The Beach” from Studio Tan does not throw any sand in the gears; the multiple levels of synthesizers and percussion are tidily kept in check. In the jazz department, the title track from Gato Barbieri’s Ruby, Ruby paints the headliner’s trademark saxophone lines across the entire soundstage, yielding plenty of tone while keeping the rest of the band anchored with oodles of width and depth. Plus, female vocal tracks, whether belonging to Diana Krall or Anne Bisson, sound great.

The 2M Red cartridge is a great tracker, easily handling not only dense but loud passages. Exploring some recent Blue Note releases from Music Matters shows the Ortofon fully capable of expertly managing Wayne Shorter’s horn playing and Art Blakey’s drumming without mistracking—a testament to the tonearm’s performance.

No Excuse Not To Spin

While the Carbon does not offer the level of refinement generated by top-notch vinyl rigs, it’s a fantastic place to start an analog crush, as it does a superb job with fundamentals. Moreover, when used in concert with modest gear, it provides musicality that MP3 players and inexpensive CD players cannot match. Yes, this ‘table is all you need to get hooked on analog. Hence, we are thrilled to give the Carbon an Exceptional Value Award for 2012. A snap to set up, it offers fantastic performance and an easy upgrade path.

For those looking to maximize the value, the Carbon tonearm can extract even greater details if you acquire a cartridge that’s a level beyond that of the 2M Red. The $139 Denon DL-110 (reviewed in Issue 45) is a smart move, as swapping it in bears further resolution and a larger soundstage. Thanks to the Denon’s 1.6mv output and 47k loading, you won’t require an upgraded phonostage to take advantage of its benefits.

Finally, since the ‘table comes with a detachable phono cable that uses standard RCA jacks, listeners have yet another chance for another modest upgrade for minimal cost. Now, the only choice you face is what color to get – they are also available in black, white, gray, yellow, red and blue!

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Turntable

MSRP: $399

www.sumikoaudio.net

Following their assault on digital playback last year with their 650D and 750D DAC/Transports, they’ve given analog lovers a real treat with their new 810LP phonostage.  And it’s a beauty.

Priced at $12k and featuring the same slim case design as the 650D/750D, the 810LP is a full scale assault on high performance analog reproduction. The 810LP is meant as a destination phono stage and is a purist design throughout.  With only one input and no switching in the circuit path (though the 810LP offers a balanced input as well as balanced output), this phonostage is truly for the analogaholic with one turntable.

How does it sound?  So far, fantastic, but it only has about four days of playing time logged.  Our experience with Simaudio components shows they open up after the first 48 hours of being powered up continuously and come into their own around the 200 – 400 hour range; so what sounds great now promises to be fantastic with a few more hours on the clock.

The overhead view reveals a fully discrete design with a massive, shielded power supply. All business here, folks. (inside photo courtesy of Simaudio)

Watch for a sneak preview with more details in the upcoming issue of TONEAudio…

The Munich High End show opened yesterday and it’s clear that the Europeans are serious about analog!

This display from Pro-Ject is just a smattering of the wide range of turntables here on display.  Stay tuned for more tomorrow!

Nagra announced yesterday that they are introducing their new Jazz preamplifier here at the Munich Hi End Show.  Named in homage to the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival that Nagra has sponsored for years, the Jazz preamplifier follows in the line of the famous PL-L and PL-P preamplifiers.

Compact size, high performance and top notch build quality are all hallmarks of the Nagra experience, and we look forward to bringing you a full review as soon as the Jazz is available to the public.

Jazz lovers rejoice.

Steve Hoffman, Chris Bellman and Bernie Grundman have teamed up with ORG Music and Pallas in Germany to produce a series of records from the Black Lion imprint – A London based label featuring an interesting roster of artists and releases.

These records are long out of print and have never been remastered.

These records will be featured at Music Direct and they are taking a very interesting approach to the releases, which will be two per month, common with other jazz audiophile pressings.  $29.99 gets you a 180g. 33 1/3 rpm LP, and those seeking the ultimate collectible can purchase a “Comparison Pack,” featuring the 33 1/3 LP along with a pair of 45 rpm records in a coolio box.  The Comparison Packs will be limited to 500 copies, so stop by Music Direct and get in line.  These are sure to go quickly.

Watch for reviews in the Audiophile Pressings section of TONEAudio as these records are released.

You can pre-order your titles here.

Crystal Cable, known for combining performance with elegance, announced their new Absolute Dream cables today, positioned above their award winning Dreamline series.  It is the first cable to use pure mono crystal technology in both the core and the braided shielding. The pure mono crystal silver core is covered with Dupont’s Kapton and PEEK as dielectric and two shielding layers, one layer of silver plated mono crystal copper and one layer of gold plated mono crystal silver.

The braid is covered by a transparent sleeve giving the cable a unique appearance while maintaining the Crystal Cable identity. Four coaxes are twisted into one cable using Crystal Cable’s custom designed and built cable twister that ensures perfect 45 degree twisting without stressing the metal. Two coaxes are used for the audio signal, further improving the signal-to-noise ratio and lowering the micro distortion to the bare minimum. The other two coaxes work in the unique and patented Crystal Cable Bridge set-up.

The cables are terminated using Crystal Cable specified carbon Furutech connectors and newly developed identification barrels hold laser engraved serial numbers. The Crystal Cable Absolute Dream is positioned above the well appraised Dreamline series and will be available immediately after High-end Munich 2012 as interlink, loudspeaker cable and power cord. USB and FireWire will become available later in the year. Crystal Cable Absolute Dream cables will be on demo in Room E213.

Watch for a review soon.

For more information, visit the Crystal Cable website here.

We’ve just updated our gear index again, through issue #44.  Now you can find all your favorite TONEAudio
reviews quickly….

Download it here.

The iPod is often a bright spot for those that commute via mass transit. When the London Tube was part of my daily regimen, it seemed everyone wore headphones. However, bulky, noise-canceling ‘phones feel like winter earmuffs in the summer; too hot and sweaty for my taste.  And yet, swapping them for in-ear phones always presented too much of a sonic compromise. That is, until I experienced the B&W C5s.

At first glance, I thought the loop attached to the C5s went over the ear. Nope. The rubber loop, or “Secure Loop” as Bowers & Wilkins calls it, goes into your ear and curls around the inner rim to help hold the headphones in place. Each loop adjusts to suit different-sized ears and ensures a snug fit for all users. To help further ensure the headphones stay secure, each inner casing on the C5 is lined with Tungsten and weighted toward the ear. On the end of the headphones, you’ll find a “Micro Porous Filter” that contains hundreds of tiny steel balls that act as a diffuser. It is designed to help open up the sound and make the C5s more lifelike.

Build quality is excellent. The aluminum casing is high quality, and the gloss-black finish adds a sexy look. While they haven’t any active noise-canceling technology, the supplied earpieces do an adequate job of keeping out ambient noise. Bowers & Wilkins also included an Apple-approved cable with its own volume control. It even contains a microphone so you can make phone calls.

From the start, I could tell these headphones were good. The C5s possess an almost-organic sound quality. Listening to Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page” from Live Bullet showcases a tangible vocal realism that further draws me into the music. The opening saxophone solo sounds clear and smooth, as well as extended and airy. This passage sounds harsh on some speakers, but the C5s provide a great window into the information.

The C5s don’t miss a beat on the title track from Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town, either. Nothing seems lost, and I clearly hear the piano in the background. The track also features great contrasts between the deep bass and piano highs. Splendidly, the C5s put both characteristics in perspective, never interfering with another—a difficult task. Midrange is open, pure, and balanced. No, the C5s aren’t entirely neutral, as a slight mid-bass boost makes the sound fuller. But the coloration suits my personal taste given that it allows music to sound more realistic and less like a plain recording.

Ke$ha’s “Blow,” from Cannibal, acts as a bass test. Here, the low-end is articulate and deep—attributes often missing from in-ear headphones. Moreover, the bass doesn’t interfere with Ke$ha’s vocals. And while not amongst my highest-quality files, it still sounded very good through the C5s. These headphones are very revealing, but not in a ruthless way, meaning that low-quality MP3s sound okay. Yes, there’s a noticeable drop in fidelity, but not enough to make songs sound atrocious.

Keep in mind that the C5s aren’t designed as ultra-revealing, studio-quality headphones that let you hear every blemish of a track. Instead, they reveal what’s on each recording without placing it under a sterile microscope. And that’s a fresh approach any in-ear headphone fan can welcome.

One of my close friends used to say, “Dude, why do you have a Rega? You can’t tweak the hell out of it.” To which my response was always, “Dude, I don’t want to tweak it. I want to listen to music.”

Years later, I maintain the same party line. If you want to enjoy your records and don’t want to get involved with the dark side of analog, acquire the Rega RP6/Exact combination. And throw your own party.

Indeed, the RP6 ups the ante on what’s possible from a $1,500 turntable. Lacking the large, wood surround from the prior P5 model, the RP6 resembles the RP3. Surveying the RP6 reveals a high-gloss MDF plinth, the same dustcover from past Rega ‘tables, and a glass platter. Careful inspection leads to quite a bit more.

Adding a pre-installed Rega Exact (MM) cartridge increases the price to $1,990, a $100 savings over buying such items separately. It also drops set-up time to under five minutes. If you are an analog apprentice, you may not fully appreciate just how painless this solution is, but if you are stepping up from another ‘table, it doesn’t get any easier. My advice: Resist the urge to diddle with the settings and rock out. While my analog madness is beyond cure, I can appreciate the superb performance and simplicity offered by the Rega range. The P3 has been part of my system since 1983, and the P9 since 2006. If you want analog excellence without the fuss—this is the way to roll (or spin).

What’s New?

Rega is all about refinement. Don’t expect to be hit over the head by the RP6. Rather than manufacture a wide range of different turntables with myriad approaches to design, Rega fine-tunes its basic model when going up the range—or, depending on your view, provides a more cost-effective version of its top-of-the-line deck. The result is a bigger, weightier sound, with the ability to extract finer detail from recordings with each step up the ladder.

The RP6 shares the same RB303 tonearm with the RP3 and, while the plinth on both ‘tables looks identical, the one on the RP6 is distinctive, claiming additional CNC machining to further lower its mass. The new model also takes advantage of the more sophisticated feet from Rega’s premier P9 turntable in order to reduce the amount of vibration reaching the platter.

An external TT-PSU, an optional accessory on the RP3 that adds $395 to its price, is standard on the RP6. It provides better speed stability and the ability to change between 33.3 and 45RPM speeds with the push of a button instead of having to remove the platter and belt. In addition to an upgraded circuit design, the new power supply also features enhanced aesthetics that adhere to the look of the current Brio-R, Apollo-R, and DAC. It works in concert with the new 24-volt motor, hand-tuned on each ‘table before final assembly. On the test bench, said refinement dramatically lowers the amount of vibration that the motor passes onto the plinth, reducing the noise floor while increasing the amount of low-level information you hear on the couch.

While the RP6 uses the same double-brace technology, making for a more rigid mechanical connection between the tonearm base and main-bearing housing, the subplatter cap is now machined—as opposed to the all-plastic part on the RP3. This process gives Rega’s new platter a perfectly flat surface on which to rest, again making for a better physical connection between record surface and platter. The platter features two pieces of glass that are bonded together with a UV cured glue instead of the single piece that Rega has used for years and is very labor intensive to produce.  The second piece is a ring, adding more mass at the outside of the spinning platter where it will do the most good.  Very clever.

More Rega-like

A side-by-side comparison to our RP3/TT-PSU with the Exact cartridge immediately exposes the RP6’s intensified performance. “Dog to Bone,” from Spoek Mathambo’s Father Creeper, yields a deeper and more cohesive groove. The RP3 gets the fundamentals, but the RP6 lays into the bass texture. The major grooves in SBTRKT’s self-titled album divulge the same; the cavernous beats possess a wetter, more sinewy quality through the RP6.

Both the new Audio Research REF Phono 2SE and Monk Audio phonostages illustrate the RP6’s greater microdyamic ability and tonal contrast, confirming that the model’s more sophisticated approach delivers more music. Remember, Rega is about evolution, not revolution. The RP3 isn’t crapola now that the RP6 is out, and the latter doesn’t annihilate the RP3. Instead, the RP6 builds on the strengths of the RP3. If you have a small room and small speakers that lack serious low-frequency extension, the RP3 may well be a great place to hang your hat. However, if your system has good low-frequency capability, you’ll notice the extra authority the RP6 musters.

As for the midrange? Ditto. On Crowded House’s “You Better Be Home Soon,” the organ comes further out of the densely packed mix and vocal harmonies showcase extra contrast. George Martin/Geoff Emerick’s production of Cheap Trick’s All Shook Up epitomizes this jump factor and dynamic extension. The opening track’s percussion leaps out of the speakers, and plenty of punch accompanies Bun E. Carlos’ thunderous drumming. The recording’s Beatlesque layers are expanded with a precision that neither the RP3 nor my mid vintage LP-12 summon.

Plug and Play, or Move On

Rega’s US importer, Steve Daniels of The Sound Organisation, likes to say that the Exact “sounds as much like an MC can while still being a MM.” The more time I spend with the Exact, the more I agree. The cartridge reproduces delicate, low-level signals with ease, yet manages wide dynamic swings. Via Classic Records’ Led Zeppelin reissues, the RP6/Exact combination renders a wide tonal landscape, with the necessary weight that do the albums justice.

While the Exact is an excellent plug-and-play solution for the RP6, the RB303 tonearm is capable of even more, should you decide to go further upmarket with a cartridge. While some might argue that such a move is pointless since the RP6 shares the same tonearm as the lower-priced RP3, the RP6’s advanced design allows a higher signal-to-noise ratio, permitting the RB303 to take better advantage of a premium cartridge.

A few usual suspects that make perfect sense for an upgrade from the Exact all turn in great performances. The Dynavector 17D3 ($1,000), Sumiko Blackbird ($1,100), and Rega’s own Apheta ($1,795) extract more music without penalty. The Lyra Kleos ($2,995) also works well, but it’s overkill; the model does not give its top performance in this setting. If you keep any cartridge upgrade to about $1,000, you will be rewarded with an appropriate measure of performance. Use spendier cartridges with the P7 and P9.

Both the RP3 and RP6 are moving closer to the sound of the flagship P9, incorporating the speed and imaging prowess that have made Rega decks famous, and boasting a more robust bottom end. It all has me wondering what an RP9 will sound like should Rega make similar updates to it.

Rega RP6 Turntable

MSRP: $1,495 (turntable only); $1,990 (with Rega Exact cartridge)

Manufacturer:  www.rega.co.uk

US Importer:  www.soundorg.com

Peripherals

Preamplifier                ARC REF 5SE

Phonostage                  ARC REF Phono 2SE, Monk Audio Phonostage

Power Amplifier         ARC REF 150

Speakers                      Dynaudio Confidence C1

Legendary amplifier manufacturer Bob Carver just sent us a pair of his latest tube mono block amplifiers, the Cherry 180’s, which produce 180 watts per channel into 8 ohms and feature six KT88 power tubes per channel.  Decidedly old school, these amplifiers are built in America at Carvers Kentucky facility.

These red machines sound even better than they look.

Full review and factory visit in progress.

Read more about Carver Amplifiers here:

Cheaper DACs usually come with a slightly bitter spoonful of compromise. Manufacturer budget constraints mean less-effective jitter immunization or weaker power-supply regulation. Such shortcuts frequently tinge a DAC’s sound with a metallic edge, most easily heard on the decay of a cymbal strike or lilt of a piano. That natural shimmer present via more expensive models just isn’t there. In ultra-budget conversion boxes, soundstaging shrinks or inner-detail retrieval doesn’t plunge as deep. One must find the compromise with which they can live.

The Bifrost is the first of three DAC models coming from California’s Schiit Audio. Co-founders Mike Moffat and Jason Stoddard already weathered heat in audio forums due to their DAC’s FAQ page, on which they opine that USB-fed digital audio is McDonald’s in a world of healthier burger choices.

That said, they’ve taken the time to create a unique USB board for the Bifrost. It offers asynchronous transfer and handles up to 24/192. USB connectivity on the $349 baseline Bifrost is a $100 option at time of ordering, or $150 at a later date. And Schiit’s modular design approach means that any forthcoming DAC board upgrades can be retroactively fitted.

Inside, there’s no sample-rate conversion in the conversion recipe, and the chip choice—AKM 4399—is none too common. As evidenced by its established range of headphone amplifiers, Schiit takes pride in doing things its own way. Mavericks that dig the humor in flippancy? Perhaps.

My experience with numerous budget DACs mirrors the duo’s mirth toward USB audio transmission. All other things being equal, a budget DAC’s USB implementation isn’t as nourishing as its S/PDIF neighbor. Given both choices on a rear panel, I’ll run with the latter every time, even if doing so means spending additional dollars on an alternative transport or DDC. USB connectivity is little more than a handy convenience.

The Bifrost shows an even temperament across the frequency range; nothing stands out. It leans towards warmer sonic climes. Contrary to its tundra-evoking name, this new Schiit is more chili than chilly. Simple, clean cymbal strikes close each verse of The Rakes’ “Retreat,” but by way of the Bifrost, the music comes on as flavorful British indie-rock without the aluminum aftertaste. And a thicker mid-bass guitar and bass mulch keeps “Strasbourg” chugging, while Alan Donohoe’s boorish delivery never overbears during the shouty chorus.

Compared to my current king of the entry-level hill, the Audio-gd NFB2.1, Schiit’s debutant fares surprising well. It’s much easier to listen to for longer periods than its Chinese rival. The American contestant also wins on aesthetics and overall build quality—proving it’s possible to make something good, and for cheap, without having to off-shore the manufacturing process.

Under the Schiit’s command, pebbled smoothness underscores the languid seduction of Lana Del Rey’s debut EP. Indeed, the Bifrost is distinctly more laidback than the Audio-gd. On “Video Games,” the NFB-2.1 pushes a hint of caffeine into the upper registers of Del Rey’s mostly laconic delivery, translating into crisper transient definition of her inhale/exhale.

Schiit’s presentation also shows more connective tissue than the NFB-2.1; there are fewer spatial cues. If this DAC stand-off took place in the amplifier space, the Schiit would likely represent a tubular faction. Greater congeal means more forgiveness of poorer recordings and greater overall body. The thick synth lines underpinning Phones’ remix of The Rakes’ “Retreat” impact with more squelch than via the Chinese entry. The two units are pretty much matched for detail retrieval, with the Audio-gd stealing the lead with ambient decay.

Going back-to-back against the Schiit using Bjork’s “Hyperballad,” the NFB2.1 occasionally loses upper-mid composure. The Bifrost is kinder, warmer, softer. It also digs deeper into the lower bass notes. The Audio-gd box displays keener momentum, but is hampered by a tinge of brittle harshness when handling Bjork’s enthusiastic vocal turns. If the Audio-gd channels Jayne Mansfield, Schiit mainlines Marilyn Monroe. The former’s edginess is more arresting, the latter’s curvaceousness more seductive.

With a JKSPDIF MK3 turning USB into S/PDIF during these listening sessions, the latter still bests Schiit’s bespoke USB implementation. No shame in that. To their credit, Stoddard and Moffat narrow the quality gap between said input options. Performance disparity—transparency, tonal density, instrumental separation—between USB and S/PDIF (coaxial) isn’t as wide as with my other daily unit (a Rega DAC). The Rega’s sound connotes ectomorphic physique: lean, sharp, alert. The Schiit takes an endomorphic approach: rounded through the waist with a more obvious rear-end (ooh, matron!). The Bifrost’s treble errs more toward humid summer morning whilst the Rega’s cooler, damper autumn afternoon might be better suited to those already running tubes further down the line. The Rega works honeycomb crunch at its chocolate center, the Schiit yields praline and caramel.

For listeners that enjoy a warmer musical bath or whose setup is already (over)-enthusiastic at the top end, the Bifrost could well be the DAC to obtain. It doesn’t suffer the usual—and sometimes predictable—sonic compromises commonly found at its price point. Moreover, it isn’t better or worse than the Audio-gd; just different. And this distinction is a strong selling point.

As such, Schiit’s Bifrost concisely reveals there’s more than one route to happiness on the budget DAC trail. Additional applause goes to Stoddard and Moffat for making it all happen at a USA-based manufacturing facility. Excellent work, chaps.

You can read more insightful reviews from John Darko here:

The Schiit Bifrost DAC

MSRP:  Starting at $349

www.schiit.com

Thanks to a pal, I inherited this old LP-12…

Looks like a great project for a full set of Funk Firm upgrades!

Watch this space for details.

Part One

“No highs, no lows, it must be Bose.” And so the story goes in the wubbulous world of high-end audio. Other than using a green sharpie to get better CD sound, or that guy that calls you on the phone and osmotically makes your system sound better, no greater myth exists in audio today than that of the Bose 901 speakers. Much like Bigfoot, have you even seen a pair of Bose 901 speakers or, better yet, heard them?

Lately, I’ve had several positive encounters with Bose products. My Fiat 500 Sport has a Bose sound system, and yes, it possesses admirable bass extension (so there!) and a wide stereo image from the driver’s seat. I also experienced Bose on a recent trip home from Spain, where I sampled the new Burmester sound system in the latest Porsche 911 Cabriolet, and Porsche was kind enough to fly me home first class. The latter experience came with a pair of Bose Noise Canceling headphones (another product I’d never actually used, but about which I heard plenty of scuttlebutt). I must say, the noise-canceling effect works incredibly well; the first six episodes of “Californication – Season 5” flew by.

The ‘phones claimed decent sound quality and, compared to the little bit of ultimate fidelity they gave up to my $600 IEMs, were worth the noise-canceling effect. I’m thinking of investing in a pair before my next European trip. So that’s two strikes in Bose’s favor.

As TONEAudio is currently running a contest to identify the biggest audiophile myths, I began pondering: How do Bose 901s actually sound? My last memory of the speakers harkens back to a jazz club in my hometown of Milwaukee that actually had the speakers installed into the ceiling by their pedestal bases and powered by a Marantz 4300 quad receiver. Another area venue had their ceiling-mounted 901s powered by a large stack of McIntosh gear. Both systems were pleasant. Not to be outdone, another bar owner installed Magnepan MGIIs from the ceiling, which, coincidentally, ended up being destroyed by a ruckus started by the Milwaukee Rugby Club after a hearty victory. And so it goes.

Double Standards

Good memories aside, if you ask any audiophile, they will unequivocally tell you how much Bose speakers suck, and give you a million reasons why the speakers they own are much, much better. If you dig deep enough, chances are good at least one of these opinionated individuals owns either a pair of Rogers LS3/5as that don’t produce much bass or even a pair of smaller Magnepans. Sure, I love my Maggie 1.7s, but they don’t produce a lot of bass, either, and really need a lot of juice to give their best performance.  And don’t even get me started on single-driver Lowthers. Been there, done that, too.

Now, to further the conversation, ask such expert audiophiles if they have actually heard a pair of contemporary 901s. Are you thinking mythbusting? Me too.

This multi-part article will be a standard review in the sense that we will listen to the Bose 901 speakers in a few different rooms and use a wide range of amplification— from a Pioneer SX-424 vintage receiver all the way up to a full stack of Audio Research Reference components—just as we would with any other speaker evaluation.

And conspiracy theorists, take note. I bought a random pair of 901s via the Web for retail price. I initially tried to contact Bose to see if we could get a review pair, but no one at the PR department would return my call. Hence, there will be less historical data accompanying the review, which is unfortunate, as the speaker is now on its sixth iteration of development and changed somewhat since its introduction in 1968.

Seeing that Bose is a $2 billion-per-year company, it’s doubtful any manufacturer other than perhaps Vandersteen or Magnepan has produced more quantities of a same speaker model. Unless we get a phone call, this will remain an unresolved question.

Service:  Ambiguous to Excellent

A quick call to the Bose store at the local mall reveals that the 901s are “not a regular stock item.” But the sales person tried his hardest to switch me into a top-of-the-line Wave Radio, telling me “no one has big speakers in their home anymore.” He then acquiesced. If I must have a pair of 901s, I can special order them or go directly to the Web site. I do the latter, and about 90 seconds after getting to the home page, a pair of walnut 901s with pedestal bases is on its way. Six days later, the 901s arrive on my doorstep, safe and sound.

So far, so good. The speakers look to be in perfect shape and their fit and finish is excellent for $1,400. At the moment, Bose rates an A+. Next, the listening begins. Will the speakers fall off their pedestals? Stay tuned for Part Two.

Part Two

Setup and Installation

My pair of 901s is set up in the classic fashion on the cool, black metal pedestals that resemble something from the Herman Miller furniture catalog, circa 1960. An Eames lounge chair and an old copy Playboy is all that’s required for the full-on Austin Powers effect. Groovy, baby!

At 35 pounds each, the speakers are easy to manage. However, using them with the metal bases requires wood screws. While the holes are predrilled, you probably won’t utilize them more than a couple times without causing permanent damage to the speaker base. I can’t imagine a company as large as Bose wouldn’t be able to add threaded inserts without raising cost.

The binding posts allow for any kind of speaker cable. Yet if you are considering using your 901s with any kind of upgraded cable, don’t permanently attach the bases until you make a cable commitment. I employed Radio Shack’s 16-gauge speaker wire for the majority of listening sessions.

I used two systems to evaluate the speakers. The first consists of a vintage Pioneer SX-424 with a stock SL-1200 turntable/Grado Red cartridge and a third-generation iPod Classic, modded by Red Wine Audio. The second involves the Sooloos Music Server feeding Wadia’s new 121 decoding computer to the Unison Research S6 vacuum-tube amplifier. At the very end of the sessions, the Pass Labs XA200.5 monoblocks were employed to see just how loud the 901s could play.

Speaker Placement

Much like a pair of Klipschorns, the Bose 901 lends itself to corner placement. Because the majority of the drivers face rearward, placement is the key to fine-tuning the imaging performance.

Putting the speakers closer to room corners exaggerates the reflection and yields the overblown stereo image that perhaps contributed to the popular misinformation associated with Bose. If you are used to the sound of traditional box speakers, 901s—when tightly placed in room corners—sound much larger than life and boast an exaggerated soundstage. They feel like the remnants of a hallucinogenic experience. The 901s’ modest size encourages experimentation, which proves equally successful in my smaller 11 x 17-foot living room as well as in my 16 x 25-foot dedicated room.

My favorite listening position with the 901s seems counterintuitive albeit more traditional in an audiophile sense. Placed about eight feet apart, eight feet from a couch, and about five feet out into the listening room appeared perfect, and allowed the sound from the front-firing driver to anchor the presentation. Exactly like every panel speaker I’ve used in the room, the 901s were much more interesting on the long wall.

The EQ Box and The Moment of Truth

Because the Bose 901 makes use of nine full-range drivers, it takes advantage of an inline equalizer to make the speakers sound the way they are intended. Traditionalists, before you cry foul, think of the popularity of DSP-based speakers these days. Bose achieves a similar, if less sophisticated and considerably less-expensive effect with a passive EQ.  The manual states the EQ can be used with series V 901s, but earlier models require the proper box.

If you are using a receiver, the EQ must be placed in a tape-monitor circuit, or between amp and preamp if you have separates. The supplied pair of three-foot RCA patch cords gets the ball rolling. The EQ features a two-position button: position one offering a flatter response, and position two adding a slight bass bump, not unlike the loudness button on a 70s receiver. Finally, there are two sliding controls for mid-bass and mid-treble, the latter claiming the most control over the overall tonal balance.

Slightly Rolled off Highs and Pretty Solid Bass

When set up like a conventional pair of smaller monitor speakers, the 901s produce a sound much like the original Magnepan MGIIs. Fortunately, audio pack rat and contributor Jerold O’Brien still has a mint pair of MGIIs to which I listened for direct comparison. Sure enough, they enjoy a softer, more relaxed high-frequency response, just like the 901s. The current MMG we reviewed possesses a bit more treble extension than the original MGIIs, but does not throw as large a soundfield. And, both Magnepan models need a ton of power to get up and go.

Where in semi-nearfield the 901s produce a wide soundstage, they also cast an excellent stereo image. A suite of Joni Mitchell tunes from Court and Spark, Hissing of Summer Lawns, and Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter captures her voice in the same approximate place as it’s found in my reference system. Sampling a wide range of solo vocalists reveals the importance of the mid-treble slider. Push too much for treble brightness and the vocals become grainy—not unlike when adjusting toe-in with a conventional speaker.

Thanks to their wide dispersion and massive soundstage, the 901s excel playing live-recorded music. Ted Nugent’s “My Love is Like a Tire Iron” from Intensities in Ten Cities equates to an impressive experience when cranked to brain-damage levels.  Nugent’s band is spread-out between and beyond the speaker boundaries, and never diminishes in intensity when I get up off the couch to grab another beer. These speakers rock.

Those questioning the bass, look no further than the Stereophile test CD.  50hz tones were reproduced solidly, with plenty of energy on the 40hz track, though things dropped off pretty significantly beneath 40hz.  A quick listen to a handful of bass heavy tracks from Pink Floyd, Genesis and Yello proved highly convincing and again, way more powerful than a number of small stand mounted speakers that I’m very familiar with.

Advantages of a Single Speaker Design

The essentially crossoverless design gives the 901 an unmistakable coherence, the model’s greatest strength. Its incredibly wide dispersion comes in a close second. The Bose 901s sound great anywhere in the room, and what you might give up in terms of ultra-focused, sweet-spot listening, you’ll gain in spades when you have a room full of people. These could very well be one of the world’s three or four best party speakers.  Again, compromise: Would you like a pair of speakers that you just listen to in your listening chair for private sessions, or do you do most of your listening in secondary mode while hanging out in the house cooking and entertaining?

No doubt, some graininess sneaks into the midband because the EQ box isn’t chock full of Mundorf capacitors. That said, have you ever taken a peek at the crossover of your choice $1,400 speaker? Precious few include components sporting any better quality.

After extensive listening, the Bose 901s strike me as being damn good. They have some limitations, but don’t all $1,400 speakers? For that matter, what $10,000 speakers are perfect? I’ve heard a handful of speakers that check a couple more audiophile boxes than the 901s, but I’ve heard many more that sound much worse. Much as I hate audiophile clichés, the “sins of omission” has never been truer than with these speakers.  They are so smooth and musical, it’s tough to freak out about the missing detail.

And that’s the area in which the 901 lacks: reproducing low-level detail and microdynamics. When the keyboard enters the first verse of Joni Mitchell’s “Trouble Child,” it’s subdued, as are the bongos at the beginning of “Jericho.” Again, I suspect information is lost in the EQ and through the stock cables. What the 901s sacrifice here, they make up for on a broader scale via the ability to play really loud and without strain.

The 901s cruise while being played at volumes well beyond those that would reduce mini monitors to rubble. Turning up Ace Frehley’s “Genghis Khan” from Anomaly at a level that hits 100 db peaks proves effortless.

Am I Nuts?

For those that think I’ve lost my marbles, I’ve played in every corner of the audiophile sandbox. Other than plasma tweeter designs, I’ve had my hands on almost everything over the past 35 years. Long-time TONEAudio readers know I have a soft spot for panel speakers (full range ESLs, in particular) and single-driver/SET systems. The 901s share many of the similarities that make enticing the latter types of speakers, and come with few of the limitations. Quad 57s are more beguiling through the midband, the MartinLogan speakers carry more extension at both ends of the frequency spectrum, and the Magepans lie somewhere in between. But they cost more and present greater challenges to a room and system.

Like any other “audiophile” speaker, the Bose 901 provides less-than-optimal results if setup is executed without care. I found the most lifelike sound came via a configuration slightly counterintuitive to that suggested by the manual.

The Bose 901s are equally highly musical and easy to listen to for hours without fatigue, characteristics many other speakers fail to deliver. Indeed, my audiophile buddies that I bribed into my listening room with IPAs are still shocked at just how good the 901s sound. As my wife likes to say, “What if Bigfoot is really a nice guy?” Consider this myth busted.

To make this conclusion as perfectly clear as possible and stave off any confusion: A handful of speakers in the $1,400 range reproduce music more accurately than the Bose 901. But—and like Pee Wee Herman likes to say, “Everyone has a big but”—the 901 gets the essence of the music right. The crossoverless design does a fantastic job with pace, which is what always draws me to single-driver and full-range electrostatic designs.

The ease with which it yields solid results makes the Bose 901 very attractive to both the normal music lover and budding audiophile. Mix the Bose 901s, a $150 vintage receiver, and an iPod, and you’ve created a rocking system. Add a better source and substitute a great tube integrated, and you’ll be shocked at the sheer musicality of the combination.

Yes, every speaker design involves compromise. Considering that this model is aimed more at the mass market than the audiophile, the 901s possess more than enough virtue to be considered an excellent value. They are certainly one of the most fun speakers I’ve had the pleasure to hear. Isn’t that what this is all supposed to be about?

The third and final installment to this trilogy will include listening results with alternate cable placement, changes to the reference system and speaker placement options.  So forget all the folklore you’ve heard about the Bose 901s, these are serious speakers. I’m seriously considering keeping the review pair for my beach house – they will fit right in with the Eames Lounge chair and Noguchi table.

Part 3: Epilogue

After listening to the Bose 901s for a couple of weeks, I remain convinced they offer good value for the price and are incredibly user-friendly. But how do they respond to the usual tweaks applied by audiophile to practically every other speaker?

Premium Components

While the 901s offer a more diffuse soundfield than many speakers, they have enough resolution to tell the difference between a vintage or mass-market receiver—as well as more upscale units, though, at a certain point, the contrast becomes fruitless. For example, it’s very easy to note the variation between the Pioneer SX-424 and Cambridge 740 amplifier, as well as the distinction between tube and solid-state amplification.

Stepping up the cable quality from standard Radio Shack 16-gauge wire also pays dividends in upper-midrange clarity and high-frequency extension—both priorities. Swapping the 16-gauge wire for a $199 pair of AudioQuest Rocket 33 speaker cables, and the supplied RCA patch cords for two pairs of $39 AudioQuest Copperhead interconnects, brings greater focus to the overall presentation.

Ah, the Pedestals

Even if the Bose 901s do not use a tweeter, per se, it’s to your advantage to get them up higher for critical listening than the height provided by the standard 18-inch pedestals; the manual specifies 18-36 inches as optimal. Again, just as a traditional speaker benefits, the 901s profit from solid speaker stands that are spiked at the bottom.

A few spots of blu-tack between the speakers and a pair of 24-inch Sound Anchor stands up the game, yielding tighter and more resolute bass response as well as a greater sense of pinpoint imaging across the soundstage. The Sound Anchor stands also make it much easier to take advantage of upgraded speaker cable, as it must travel down the center of the Bose pedestals. Those planning on using audiophile-vetted cable will have to get handy with a large drill bit to modify the stands. There’s no way you can pair Nordost Odin speaker cable with the 901s and the stock pedestal stands. Don’t even think about it.

Backwards Listening

A number of Bose enthusiasts enjoy listening to 901s “in reverse,” allowing the eight drivers mounted on the rear of the cabinet to face the listening position. My spirit of investigation encouraged this tact, but it was not my favorite position. There’s slightly more HF extension, but the big, expansive soundfield that makes the speaker so enticing simply disappears.

Final Thoughts

That’s my adventure with the Bose 901. These speakers have been a blast to listen to with every kind of music. While they yield decent performance with a low-budget receiver, they are worthy of journeyman-level components and a modest cable upgrade. Advanced hobbyists could probably uncover even more performance by modding the EQ’s passive components, but doing so is well beyond the scope of this review and definitely voids the warranty.

Bigfoot may still be lurking in the shadows (the rumor suggests he is in upstate Washington somewhere near the Canadian border), but the Bose 901 speakers are only a couple of mouse clicks away. Do it.

www.bose.com