Review: Denon AU-S1 step up transformer

 

Moving back to a low output moving coil has been a real eye-opener.  Yes I had experience with the venerable Denon DL-103R mounted on a rather sketchy VPI HW19 Mark III with a Rega RB300.  But, at least with that system from long ago, I never quite cottoned to the sound I was getting.  I wanted more.  Luckily I found it (some time later!) with the Rega Planar 8 with a Rega Ania Pro MC cartridge.  This combination has quickly become my favorite analog reproducer so far.

My MC step-up transformer is the popular Cinemag 1254 which did its job quite admirably.  Nonetheless I had a nagging thought I could do better here.  Would a passive device, especially something made of wound wire actually make a difference?  I had to find out.  So I read and read some more, trying to find an affordable venue to follow.  I thought of buying some Lundahl transformers and DIYing my own case.  Or I could have gotten anything else, including an active device to give me that additional gain needed for the low 350 micro volt output of the Ania Pro.

Several searches on Ebay and I saw a Denon AU-S1 unit for sale.  It looked extremely well built, more so than my Cinemag "transformers on a box" look.  But finding information on the Denon was, to be blunt, extremely difficult.  It was designed for Denon's once top-of-the-line cartridge, the DL-S1 that cost a princely $1000 way back in 1996.  The transformers themselves are mounted horizontally in the case with padding to reduce vibration.  How much this would work in real life is questionable.

After several audio philosophical discussions a friend, I decided to take the risk on purchasing the AU-S1.  It was the idea that something like this would be of the highest quality given the amount of time and research that a company like Denon can do.  There was only way to find out.  Thankfully the Japanese seller was very quick and I received the transformer(s) in only three days.  The AU-S1 weighs _alot_ for such a small thing.  Build quality was extremely good with gold-plated RCA jacks and (oddly enough) separate grounding lugs for each channel.

 I took out the Cinemags and put the Denon in its place.  Turning the volume up I was immediately taken aback by the amount of hum I was getting out of the speakers.  Moving the AU-S1 around and I was able to get some reduction in noise but still I wasn't happy about it.  It wasn't until I touched my fingers to the left RCA outside jack and then to the ground lug that the hum completely disappeared.  It's the nature of the Rega turntable output connection which doesnt have a separate ground wire.   To circumvent this grounding issue I took a length of solid-core bare wire and wrapped it several times around the left RCA outside lug with one end plugged into the ground lug of the AU-S1.  After that I was hum free!

Well, dear readers, that was a lot of introduction for something that was ultimately bought as an experiment.  How does it sound?  Read on.

Initial impressions were good - solid bass, a "cleaner" view of the soundstage, and just better air. Several records later and a listening session with my audiophile friend and I can say the Denon AU-S1 was a worthwhile upgrade.   

Does it surpass the Cinemags?  Yes.

The Denon reproduces the space around instruments better - such as the horns on Lonnie Liston Smith's Visions of a New World.  This gives the impression of more body and weight.  

And speaking of body, the bass is terrific.  It feels like an extra octave is being recovered - not bloated - but detailed with depth and slap.  Something that was really apparent on Brian Bennet's Voyage album as the excellent bass player provides the space age groove.

Soundstaging is deeper and wider than before.  An example of this is the beautiful Dead Can Dance album Into the Labyrinth.  The second song, "The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove," has a moment where the drum shifts left and right, now well detailed beyond the edges of my KEF speakers.  A true demo disc moment.

Overall there seems to be less grain than before.  Why?  I have no idea.  The purity of the copper?  The padding reducing microphonics?  The quality of the transformer windings?  Your guess is as good as mine but the clarity is higher than before and that's all that matters.  Finesse would be a fine word to discuss these SUTs, and given their roughly $700USD price they are a good bang for the buck.  Perhaps, when funds permit, I'll try something more expensive.

Denon AU-S1 Step-up Transformer Specifications
- Ratio: 1:13
- Frequency range: 10Hz-80kHz
- Size: W150 x H70 x D175mm
- Weight: 7.1 pounds

Review: Sovtek 12AX7WA

 I have a love and hate relationship with Russian tubes.  Some of them - like the ECC99 - rival some of the best vintage American and European tubes, while others, like much of the Electro-Harmonix line sounds like solid-state in a bottle.  Yes these tubes can be transparent but they are often lacking in detail or suffer from an aggressive treble and upper midrange.

The early Russian tubes, that first were available in the 1990s to the Western World, were godsend to the tube-o-phile community.  They were cheap and rugged.  An example of this is the 5881WXT which could take the current hungry bias of the Harmon-Kardon Citation V.  Even a RCA blackplate of the era would start to glow on the seams.  But not these Russian mil-spec tubes.

It's been my belief - shared by some friends too - that Russian tubes have good metallurgy but not the best cathode chemistry.  Yes they are rugged, but many of them have the already mentioned issues with the higher frequencies.

As for the Sovtek 12AX7WA, it has a pair of very small coated plates and what I would call a primitive looking spacer that should be made out of mica.  The pins ends are sharp but overall construction looks quite good.  I plugged it into my Frankenstein EICO ST70, which provides the initial gain before the 6SN7 phase-splitter.

The Sound:  Initially I was surprised how much I like the Sovtek.  The sound was very transparent and, at first listen, very modern sounding.  I was reminded of a really good JFET preamplifier or MOSFET amplifier - big, dynamic and smooth.  But, like the aforementioned solid-state gear, lacking in inner detail.  The soundstage was also smeared a bit, removing the space around individual instruments and the big front-to-back sound of a vintage Mullard.  Dynamics in the upper part of the spectrum became a little rough/forced sounding with the Sovtek.

What I'm really finding - at least so far - is that modern tubes often has a good tonal presentation but lack in inner detail and making a big soundstage.  I'm curious to the reason why this is true.  Is this linearity or an artificial presentation brought on by - an unknown variable?  We shall have to continue and have some vintage comparisons.  More later!

Review: Rega Planar 8 turntable

 

I've owned a half-dozen turntables in my time.  Starting with an old Technics direct driver with a p-mount cartridge and working through two VPIs, a long running Dual CS5000, and two Thorens of varying vintages.  Except for some experimentation with the Denon DL-103R MC, it has mostly been MM cartridges of different expenses.  I thought, for example that the Thorens TD309 and Ortofon Bronze cartridge was very good - especially for the price - combination.

Well the past few months living with a new Rega RP8 and Ania Pro MC cartridge has been a real eye-opener.  Gone is the fuzziness and opaqueness of the MM sound, replaced by more detail and a bigger soundstage.  The experience has changed my mind about the moving magnet.  Though the Rega Ania Pro MC needs a step-up transformer  - in my case Cinemag 1254s - the speed and transparency has brought everything up to a much higher level of refinement.

Since there are already several reviews of the 'table I will keep it short.

The biggest surprise with the Rega combination is the bass and dynamics.  It was always my belief that a "real" turntable required a gagillion pound platter and base.  Instead the RP8 is decidedly unimpressive - at least visually - compared to something like a VPI Aries.  How did Rega do it?  I have no idea about the mechanical engineering behind this table, but, to my ears, is just works.  Perhaps it is the turntable acting as a whole system with a cartridge, arm, and everything else like the included speed controller working together.

Soundstaging, like on several original Dead Can Dance LPs, is superlative.  We are talking a rounded arc left-to-right that goes beyond the edges of the speaker, along with exceptional depth.  The coloration and clarity of something like Lonnie Liston Smith's Visions of a New World comes through much better than my now-departed Thorens TD309/Ortofon 2M Bronze.  This is also a big sound turntable with excellent resolution and separation of instruments; exceeding any front end I've ever had before.

Yes the Rega RP8 is much more expensive than my previous turntable but, at least in this case, the cost was worth the sonic upgrade.  Not only does my whole system sound that much better, but everything from the preamp to the amplifier and even the speakers sound way better than their price point. 

Very, very recommended.

System:

• Audio Research SP8
• modified Eico ST70 with 6AR6 tubes
• Cardas Neutral Reference interconnects
• KEF R500 speakers with Mogami stranded wiring
  
• Dual CS5000 turntable with an Ortofon OM20 cart, aftermarket Shibata Stylus

Review: JJ ECC83S short plate 12AX7

 

To be honest my expectations for this 12AX7 was low.  I haven't had a JJ tube in any of my gear for well over a decade.  Nothing personal, mind you, but back then I was all about more exotic tubes like the C3m, 5687s, EL156s, and whatnot.  JJ has been around since 1994, built on the ashes of Tesla and Ei.  Their small signal tubes aren't mentioned all that much on the forums I visit, or at least I missed the posts.

This particular version of the 12AX7 looks to be based on the famed Telefunken ECC803S, which also had a Tesla copy.  The architecture has small plates that are very similar to a 6DJ8.  This should translate to low microphonics.

As for the sound, at least as the gain tube for a power amplifier, the JJ ECC83S was better than I expected.  There is an overall darkness, making this a good match for some zingier MC cartridges or digital front ends.  This is a "chocolate" expression of the music, with solid and tuneful bass, warm mids, and a high end (to my older ears) that is even less detailed than a Mullard. 

Inner detail with the JJ is less than the long plate Mullard; a slight smearing of instrument and vocal space along with soundstage depth.  Nonetheless at least the JJ sounds like an vacuum tube unlike some of the inexpensive Russian offerings I've heard.  So, much like the TJ and the Psvane, a solid offering but, and your mileage will vary, not exceeding the better old stock versions of the 12AX7 I've heard.

Review: Psvane 12AX7

 

The Psvane T-12AX7, apparently the base version, is a Chinese design that looks much like a vintage one with gray ribbed plates, quality construction, and steel pins.  The triple-layed mica also looks good.  Bulb size, like so many other new tubes, is slightly larger than my collection of old stock, a mm or two difference in height and circumference..

Break-in was approximately fifty hours as the driver tube in my Frankenstein Eico ST70.  This is basically the classic Mullard 5-20 circuit.  It's been my general experience that the driver tube - before the phase splitter - has a high impact on the overall amplifier sound, more so than the phase-splitter or even the output tubes.

Listening was initially done while reading a book.  There were several times where I had to look up from the pages to truly appreciate what I was hearing.  Like the TJ FullMusic, the Psvane has a great almost vintage tone.  I was hearing little details - an example is Lonnie Liston Smith's Vision of a New World - that I thought weren't apparent to my standard vintage Mullard.  I was beginning to feel some really high hopes for this Psvane.

However some further, more detailed listening, some of it shared with an old audiophile friend with an extensive knowledge of 12AX7s both new and old, began to show some weaknesses.  Though the sound was never muffled, the Psvane, like the TJ, also lacked inner detail and bloom around the instruments.  But wait a minute, you say, where did that extra detail you mentioned go?  It is a strange effect of the Psvane: suppression of reverberation both artificial or natural, pushed some information forward.

Keep in mind this is still the best new production 12AX7 I've heard and I could see use for it in gear or speakers that aren't the most transparent.  The bass was excellent, there was a distinct lack of glare unlike some lesser "solid-state in a bottle" new production tubes.  The midrange was also even as was the treble.  It was just the lack of detail that stopped the Pvane running with the best of the vintage 12AX7s.

Disclaimers: No tube is 100% perfect for all gear.  The only way to be sure how a tube will sound in _your_ system is to hear it.  Also a tube in a phono stage, for example, may have different audio characteristics than say line, input, or phase-splitter use.

 Negative feedback - several dB in this circuit - also reduces the sonic signature of the tube.  An example of this came apparent to me when I built a triode-connected EF86 linestage.  The tube selection - GEC CV4085 and the Mullard "long mesh" were the best - played a big role in the sound quality.  However the EF86 in my Eico HF60 monoblocks were less important, most likely due to the loop negative feedback or perhaps the total number of tubes in play with a more complicated circuit.

 It should also be noted that I am not biased towards vintage tubes.  I really do want a new tube that can compete with the old.

So take this review as a general guideline, not as hard fact.

Review: TJ FullMusic 12AX7

 

 

The TJ Full Music 12AX7 is a box plate Chinese design that looks much like a vintage Mullard M8137 and completely unlike any other current new 12AX7 offering.  The gold pins are a nice touch, and it looks like actual mica (?) was used instead of the whatever the heck is used for the Shuguang small tubes.  Bulb size is slightly larger than my collection of old stock, a few mm difference in height and circumference..

Break-in was approximately fifty hours as the driver tube in my Frankenstein Eico ST70.  This is basically the classic Mullard 5-20 circuit.  It's been my experience that the driver tube - before the phase splitter - has a high impact on the overall amplifier sound, more so than the phase-splitter or even the output tubes.   

Tonally the TJ 12AX7 was one of the better new production tubes I've heard so far.  I was initially hard-pressed to hear any difference between it and a quality old tube like a 1950s Mullard.  Bass definition and instrumental shading of the TJ was particularly good, but, even as the hours piled on, I detected a slight muffled sound.  There was a lack - especially compared to the Mullard - of inner detail or instrumental/vocal bloom.  That is to say the TJ had a flatter and smaller presentation.  I'm reminded of an inexpensive cartridge or CD player; the magic "glow" or shimmer, whatever one prefers to call it, was pulled back on the soundstage.

The old Mullard, in comparison, sounded bigger and had better bloom.  The music was more "filled in" with depth and soundstage width.

Do the TJs need more break-in?  I really didn't hear large differences between hour zero and fifty so I remain skeptical.  Nonetheless I did like the TJ tonally, especially compared to some other new production valves I have heard, but I was ultimately disappointed.  I do want new tubes that can perform in the realm of the best of the old.  At least with this tube I'm not hearing it!

Disclaimers: No tube is 100% perfect for all gear.  The only way to be sure how a tube will sound in _your_ system is to hear it.  Also a tube in a phono stage, for example, may have different audio characteristics than say line, input, or phase-splitter use.

 Negative feedback - several dB in this circuit - also reduces the sonic signature of the tube.  An example of this came apparent to me when I built a triode-connected EF86 linestage.  The tube selection - GEC CV4085 and the Mullard "long mesh" were the best - played a big role in the sound quality.  However the EF86 in my Eico HF60 monoblocks were less important, most likely due to the loop negative feedback or perhaps the total number of tubes in play with a more complicated circuit.

So take this review as a general guideline, not as hard fact.

Review: Denon DCD-600NE CD player

 (image from the Denon website)

I still remember the first time I heard a CD player - this was at some teenage party back in the mid-1980s and I was rather impressed how loud it played.  Hey this was before I knew what being an audiophile was.  It was a year later when my dad bought a Magnavox player for his system.  I spent a mighty chunk of change - $22 - buying a Misfits compilation that, sadly, ended up sounding very bright, thin, and irritating to the point where a headache soon came on.  Later, in college, when I got into tube gear, I owned a Theta Basic DAC.   However I still thought my Thorens TD-166 turntable with a $20 Grado Black cartridge served the soul of music much better.

Years later there was a time that I was into digital.  By then vinyl was getting harder to get a hold of and the CD re-issues were pumping out some excellent compilations of rarer groups.  I started experimenting with several DIY modifications and designs.  For example, the transformer-coupled RAKK DAC was one of the better iterations of digital I have ever heard.  But in the end it was analog that won my heart.  Over the years my CD collection continued to shrink while my passion for vinyl increased and became the focal point of my system.

Time marched on - CDs are now ridiculously cheap.  From a purely music lovers point-of-view, they are an easy way to build a music collection, especially compared to the now high price of vinyl.  I decided once again to buy a CD player, hoping that technology has improved the Red Book standard.

But what to get?  I searched through Ebay and Audiogon, looking at several vintage models.  Ideally I wanted something with a digital out so I could experiment with DACs in the future.  Accessories 4 Less came to the rescue with a refurbished Denon DCD-600NE player that featured a 32 bit DAC and AL32 processing that - to quote their website - "expands audio data to 32 bits and uses a proprietary algorithm to interpolate the data and perform up-conversion and sampling, achieving a playback sound that is close to the original source."  So, as my friend likes to joke, "Perfect Sound Forever just got MORE perfect."

The Denon DCD-600NE is a stripped down player and - shockingly - has a metal enclosure.  If you want to use the full functions - random play, direct mode, track programming, etc, - this is where the rather large remote comes into play.  Digital out is via Optical - not ideal - but this may point to a future Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC upgrade.

So how does this little beast sound?  Initial impressions weren't the best.  There was a forwardness to the sound that was tiring, along with a sense that, compared to even my lowly Dual CS5000 turntable, that 20% of the musical information was just missing.  What I mean are the spatial cues were gone, rendering the voice and instruments as very two-dimensional.  A good reproduction system should have depth along with breadth, transporting the listener to the mind of the producer, or with some classical recordings, to the venue itself.  Instead the Denon reminded me once again why I prefer vinyl for home listening.

After a few days of break-in I decided it was time for some comparisons against two different turntables along with some general impressions.

The forwardness was reduced but there is no other way to say this - this budget Denon still sounds like digital.  Compared to the same LP, the CD is missing reverb cues; either the room or artificial.  An example of this is Willie Nelson's Stardust.  The body of the acoustic guitar is gone, leaving just the top layer of the guitar notes.  The "black background" sounds uncanny but not in a good way.  It's like a black hole of information - nothing is there! - compared to the warmth and fullness of analog which captures the space of the room and the size of the instruments.  It feels as if the music has gone through some kind of horrible clinical ward, stripping off the flesh of the music and leaving only the bones.

Now that does sound like a harsh review.  To be fair some CDs were better than others, like a few Chet Baker albums in my collection that sounded quite good.  Jazz is usually well-recorded but I still preferred my LP versions - even with my second turntable, a budget Dual CS5000.  At least with analog my brain connects to the music and I can relax.  With digital I am still gritting my teeth and feel uncomfortable with the overall presentation.

Maybe a DAC will bring some improvements.  We shall see!

System:

• Audio Research SP8
• modified Eico ST70 with 6AR6 tubes
• Cardas Neutral Reference interconnects
• KEF R500 speakers
• Dual CS5000 turntable with an Ortofon OM20 cart, aftermarket Shibata Stylus
• Thorens TD309 with Ortofon 2M Bronze
  

Review: A Tale of Two Schiits - Mani 1 vs Mani 2 phono preamp

(photo from Schiit)

I've been using the original Schiit Mani 1 phono preamplifier for some time.  Its sole purpose has been to provide the needed amplification and equalization for my second turntable, the Dual CS5000.  It has done well plugged into the line section of the Audio Research SP8, which has a phono section that is used for the primary turntable, a Thorens TD309.

To be fair, the Mani is a budget phono stage so I could put up with the slight graininess, mid-fi resolution, and the general lower fidelity.  For all the Mani 1's faults, it is still better than a lot of stock phono sections found in budget receivers, preamps, and integrateds.  And given the mostly background music it was used for I had no complaints.

A recent visit to the Schiit Audio site and I saw that a second version of the Mani has been released, this one using a different op-amp and it was also direct-coupled.  The case looks exactly the same but the dip switches on the bottom have changed, allowing more settings for MM and MC cartridges.

To cut to the chase, compared to the old version, the new Mani 2 is more detailed, faster, has better resolution, deeper bass, and higher overall fidelity.  It also images, left-to-right in a fashion that will be most pleasing.  It isn't perfect - nothing is! - but it does swing at a higher than the $149 (black face model) price point suggests.

Where the Mani 2 ultimately fails - compared to the Audio Research SP8 or the Classe Five - is inner detail and that certain "you are there" magic that I've heard with these more expensive units.  The soundstage of the former is also flatter without that depth I've come to expect.   However, to be fair. the Mani 2 does strike awfully close to better preamps making my budget Dual CS5000 sound a lot closer to the combination of Thorens TD309 and the ARC SP8 phono stage.  Depending on your front end, amps, and speakers, this difference may not matter at all.

 As always your mileage may vary depending on your front end, setup, and preferred listening habits.

System:

• Dual CS5000 with Ortofon OM20 and an aftermarket Shibata stylus
• Thorens TD309 with Ortofon 2M Bronze
• Audio Research SP8 with vintage Mullard 12AX7s 
• Eico ST70 "Frankenstein" amplifier with 6AR6 output tubes
• KEF R500 speakers
• MIT interconnects
• Cardas Twinlink speaker cables
  

Short Review: Dynaco A-25 VW loudspeakers

 

The Dynaco A-25 is a 2-way bass-reflex loaded speaker sporting a 10" woofer and a soft dome tweeter.  I picked up this pair at a half-off day estate sale.  I wasn't, however, expecting much since my experience with vintage speakers has been mixed.

To my surprise, the A-25s really capture the midrange in a nice and pleasing manner.  Yes my (larger) KEF R500s can pump out more bass & treble, do dynamics better, and throw a deeper soundstage; but still these old Dynacos have a certain magic that is hard for me to put my finger on.  Perhaps it is the nice all tubed front end I have, but these vintage speakers are just relaxing to listen to.  They do jazz really, really well; hard rock not as nicely due to their dynamic limitations.

So if you see a pair of A-25s for a good price, check them out.  They would be great in a small system with a low-powered tube or Class A solid-state amp; along with a suitable preamplifier.  They don't do all of the hi-fi tricks of something more exotic, but, like the Dynaco PAS and Stereo 70, capture the midrange depth and bloom a lot better than many, many modern budget components.

Review: a Frankenstein Eico ST-70 tube amplifier

 I bought this strange modified amplifier on Ebay. It looks as if someone took a stock integrated and modified it to be a basic power amp. Gone is the normal set of controls on the front plate, replaced with a generic black panel and power indicator light.

 

A peek on top of the grille - what is inside?

Of course you know - you read the title of this post! Someone took an Eico ST-70, removed the preamplifier portion and converted it to use 5881s instead of the stock 7591s.

Since I didn't have any 5881s on hand, I modified this amplifier to use the military 6AR6. Since the 6AR6 has a completely different pinout (and bias points!) it took an entire rewire of the output stage, along with more negative bias than the stock circuit.

I also changed the power supply with new electrolytic capacitors for the main bucket, 6SN7 phase-splitters, and 12AX7 input tube. I also added a little 1.5H Dynaco choke to reduce the B+ ripple. After a little troubleshooting, and bias modifications, I finally got this amp to work; with 40mA per output tube. 

So how does this pentode output Frankenstein weird output tube sound? Even with old Russian 6N8S tubes, surprisingly good. Bass extension - with the large output transformers - is really deep. And there is the old tube midrange and smooth treble thing happening. Maybe it's been too long with an SS (Aleph J clone) amplifier, but this little push-pull tube amp is quite magical.

Chet Baker Sings, for example, really is holographic - for a mono recording - with his voice and trumpet sounding natural and forward. Compared to the Aleph J solid-state amplifier, music is more relaxed but, at the same time, more dynamic. The tube amplifier sounds way more powerful than its approximate 30 or 35Ws per channel.

I'm surprised that the KEF R500s work so well with this vintage Frankenstein; you never really know what you are going to get with modern speakers.

Once I get over the excitement of having a new amplifier, I plug in some old Zenith 6SN7s that I have on hand. Maybe things will get even better-better.

 

 

Short Review: a Hafler SE-120 amplifier

 

This is a Rockford Corp era amplifier good for 60WPC; made to be _not_ user friendly versus the kit amps of yore. This one looks to have been around the block though some face plate cleaning helped to remove a bit of yellowing.

The amp sounded a little tired so I went in and replace the main electrolytic capacitors, the input caps, and two of the smaller power supply rail caps. Needless to say getting to the underside was very frustrating with the number of screws, removing the output mosfets from the heatsink, and pinching the nylon standoffs to free the PCB. In the end I also checked the bias, cleaned the RCAs and speaker jacks.

After my work: Overall it is a nice sounding budget amp - to my ears a little warmer than something like an Adcom 535. Good bass, and more of a rock 'n' roll sound than say the Musical Fidelity. My Aleph J clone is a bit more refined with a touch more detail and "space" around the instruments. Though all three amps are "warm" none of them exactly sound like a tube amp. An old Frankenstein Eico ST70 - modified to be a power amp with 6AR6 output tubes - I have kicking around has a presence and sense of dynamics that I just don't hear with these (admittedly low powered) SS amps. Nonetheless I could live with the Hafler if I really needed a compact amplifier.

Short Review: the Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amplifier

Musical Fidelity A1

This is one of those little amplifiers that I've always wanted to hear for years but didn't get a chance until today.  You probably know the history: designed by Tim de Paravicini, may he rest in peace, this integrated was very popular in the mid-80s and very hot running, but providing that Class A magic for a relative bargain.  It was apparently Musical Fidelity's biggest seller.  It wasn't without its well-documented issues with noisy volume controls and switching, but this particular unit seemed to have held up quite well over the years.

How does it sound?  Like my Aleph J clone, very Class A.  But also very British polite.  I would say the phono stage doesn't quite stack up to my (much more expensive) tubed Audio Research SP8, but the amplification portion was a real surprise.  In my small/medium sized listening room it had no problem driving the 88dB efficinet KEF R500 towers.  Lower bass, like on my UK pressing of the Bee Gees - Trafalgar - was deep and controlled.  The midrange is quite magical, but the sense of dynamics work better with Chet Baker jazz albums then say something like AC/DC.  There is a distinct lack of glare and edge in the treble, the overall sound hewing further to the warmer side than neutral.

So overall a nice little integrated - that runs so hot that after an hour of use I can only hold my hand on top for a half a second before I fear getting burned.  Not a good napping place for those with cats, or children with curious hands!  Nonetheless, back in the past I would have been very happy with this amplifier since it images quite well and does a very good job with vocals.  And it is the sort of sound that makes me search through my stack of records and pull out some old favorites.  Very much a music lover's amp than audiophile-extremis.

This is one of those little amplifiers that I've always wanted to hear for years but didn't get a chance until today.  You probably know the history: designed by Tim de Paravicini, may he rest in peace, this integrated was very popular in the mid-80s and very hot running, but providing that Class A magic for a relative bargain.  It was apparently Musical Fidelity's biggest seller.  It wasn't without its well-documented issues with noisy volume controls and switching, but this particular unit seemed to have held up quite well over the years.

How does it sound?  Like my Aleph J clone, very Class A.  But also very British polite.  I would say the phono stage doesn't quite stack up to my (much more expensive) tubed Audio Research SP8, but the amplification portion was a real surprise.  In my small/medium sized listening room it had no problem driving the 88dB efficinet KEF R500 towers.  Lower bass, like on my UK pressing of the Bee Gees - Trafalgar - was deep and controlled.  The midrange is quite magical, but the sense of dynamics work better with Chet Baker jazz albums then say something like AC/DC.  There is a distinct lack of glare and edge in the treble, the overall sound hewing further to the warmer side than neutral.

So overall a nice little integrated - that runs so hot that after an hour of use I can only hold my hand on top for a half a second before I fear getting burned.  Not a good napping place for those with cats, or children with curious hands!  Nonetheless, back in the past I would have been very happy with this amplifier since it images quite well and does a very good job with vocals.  And it is the sort of sound that makes me search through my stack of records and pull out some old favorites.  Very much a music lover's amp than audiophile-extremis.

 

This is one of those little amplifiers that I've always wanted to hear for years but didn't get a chance until today. You probably know the history: designed by Tim de Paravicini, may he rest in peace, this integrated was very popular in the mid-80s and very hot running, but providing that Class A magic for a relative bargain. It was apparently Musical Fidelity's biggest seller. It wasn't without its well-documented issues with noisy volume controls and switching, but this particular unit seemed to have held up quite well over the years.

How does it sound? Like my Aleph J clone, very Class A. But also very British polite. I would say the phono stage doesn't quite stack up to my (much more expensive) tubed Audio Research SP8, but the amplification portion was a real surprise. In my small/medium sized listening room it had no problem driving the 88dB efficient KEF R500 towers. Lower bass, like on my UK pressing of the Bee Gees - Trafalgar - was deep and controlled. The midrange is quite magical, but the sense of dynamics work better with Chet Baker jazz albums then say something like AC/DC. There is a distinct lack of glare and edge in the treble, the overall sound hewing further to the warmer side than neutral.

So overall a nice little integrated - that runs so hot that after an hour of use I can only hold my hand on top for a half a second before I fear getting burned. Not a good napping place for those with cats, or children with curious hands! Nonetheless, back in the past I would have been very happy with this amplifier since it images quite well and does a very good job with vocals. And it is the sort of sound that makes me search through my stack of records and pull out some old favorites. Very much a music lover's amp than audiophile-extremis.

Review System:
Thorens TD-309 turntable with Ortofon 2M Bronze
Cardas Iridium interconnects
KEF R500 speakers with Cardas Twinlink speaker cable

Review: The Audio Research SP-8 preamplifier

 

History: Audio Research has a long and, dare I say, storied past.  Back in the era when vacuum tubes where being consigned to the ash heap of history, they, and a just a handful of manufacturers were still making gear that used these ancient amplification devices.  Even in 1990 I remember being at a used electronics company in Colorado and receiving less-than-kind words when inquiring if they had any tubes or tube gear.  "Vacuum tubes?  Why would you want to use tubes?  Are you fixing an old piece of equipment?"

William Z. Johnson obviously didn't get the message,  Like so many afterwards, he started out modifying Dynaco gear, and branched out making his own equipment under the banner of Electronic Industries.  This latter became Audio Research which started with the SP-1 preamplifier and the Dual 50 amplifier.  They really didn't have a hit on their hands until the venerable SP-3A preamplifier, and D-70 plus D-115 amplifiers (and the various following iterations) came and made them serious contenders in the audiophile world.  They also dabbled - and still do! - with solid-state equipment but are, of course, really known for vacuum tubes.

The Audio Research SP-8, first introduced in 1981, went through several minor redesigns.  I tend to think of the circuitry as being the ultimate Dynaco PAS or Marantz 7. For example the phono amplification is done through a pair of 12AX7s with a 6DJ8+FET cathode follower, RIAA handled via the negative feedback loop.  The linestage is similar with a pair of 12AX7s and a 6DJ8+FET cathode follower with loop feedback.  Where Audio Research shines is the power supply.  In this case a solid-state regulator makes sure the phono state receives a dead quiet high voltage.  And, oddly enough, a combination of a 12BH7 and 12AT7 provide the regulated supply for the linestage.

Controls are fairly simple but with some older ideas that have gone out of fashion.  ie, of course there is a volume but there is also the increasingly rare balance control.  And something else - there is a stereo, mono, reverse, left, and right mode.  Add in the switchable AC outlets for that extra vintage feel.  There is, however, no tone controls or a loudness switch.  But one can mute, select the phono or four other line sources, and switch between tape out monitoring or input.

This particular SP-8 under review is a Mark II, Revision 5, and has only had three previous owners.  When my friend offered to sell me this well-known classic, I jumped at the chance even though it needed to be repaired.  It turned out, due to years of being in storage, the power supply section that handles the muting and 12AX7 filament voltage was no longer working.  Instead of troubleshooting it myself, I sent the unit out to the Audio Research service department, who still does repair work on this 30+ year old gear.  They not only repaired the power supply in question, but also cleaned the volume pot, replaced all of the electrolytic capacitors, put on new feet, and found an additional issue with the linestage that needed to be fixed.  Now this SP-8 is ready to provide service for many more years of service.

 

First Impressions: After unboxing the returned SP-8, I first had to figure out where to place the eight different tubes.  It isn't obvious since the circuit board is not marked.  Instead one has to look at the manual, figure out what version you have, and then double-check your work.  I'm glad I did because I had to swap the location of the 6DJ8 and 12AX7 in the phono preamplifier.  Luckily I did not power on the unit!  After switching the location of my two turntables, due to the interconnect lengths and phono input location, I was finally able to sit down and do some quick listening.

With new electrolytics and NOS tubes that needed to be broken in, I found the bass rather lightweight.  The top end was also bright and the midrange was a bit muddled.  Nonetheless I could tell there was an increase in detail over the replaced Classe Five.  I let the preamplifier cook for a few hours and things started to snap in place.  For example, Chet Baker's voice on the title song from the album She Was Too Good To Me, was very emotional; perhaps the closest one could get to the now deceased trumpet player.  Pink Floyd - The Wall had fantastic imaging without any blurring of the instrumental or voice outlines.  The Classe Five, in comparison, sounded a little darker and less forward.  The SP8, at least with the excitement that new gear brings, seemed to be a real step up in fidelity.

Listening Test: After a few days of background music duty, it was time to put the "new" Audio Research through its paces.  I could tell right from the get-go that the bass had become more extended and some of the forwardness had been reduced.  Note that tube selection will, of course, change the sound.  ie, a set of new production tubes may not be as satisfying as some original 1950s Mullard 12AX7s that I was lucky enough to have on hand.

I have an interest in electronic instrumental music, to the point where I have made my own albums.  For this review I didn't have the ego to listen to my own work but instead picked out the soundtrack Beyond the Black Rainbow by Sinoia Caves.  This has a heavy Tangerine Dream influenced album with one or two sequencers often going at once.  The SP8 did an extremely good job capturing the attack of the electronically produced notes, putting them into their shifting artificial space in the soundstage width.  Bass was also deep without any "classic tube" coloration or overhang.  This is no golden-hued Dynaco PAS experience but instead has a speed that, until now, I thought was impossible with the 12AX7 tube.

 

Neil Young's Tuscaloosa is a live album from his Ditch Trilogy days, starting with two acoustic numbers before the whole band takes the stage.  With the Audio Research his voice had a real presence, the body and the diapraghm can be heard projecting much like the "real thing".  I've done sound for a few live shows and this albums captures that experience quite well, also with the proper amount of hall/stage reverberation, along with the oddly recorded, cardboard sounding drums.  Likewise with the dynamic shifts, which were recorded in a honest way, capturing what it must have sounded like being there; provided you had access to the soundboard instead of being in the back row!

Imaging and soundstage depth was among the best I've heard in my system .  An example of this is the song Warm Ways on the self-titled Fleetwood Mac album.  This is a busy mix but the outlines of the instruments and voices weren't slightly blurred like lesser preamplifiers.  This led to more detail, or, as Audio Research would say, High Definition.  I've owned plenty of other preamps in my life but none have quite approached the sound of the SP8, which, given it's rather pedestrian signal circuitry, a real surprise.  It's neither dark nor bright (tube dependent, of course!) but seems to pass the sound from the Thorens TD309 turntable along in a refreshingly honest way.

Dead Can Dance albums, by some strange miracle, are usually very well-recorded.  My original 1994 UK pressing of Toward the Within is no exception, capturing the vibrancy and the crowd excitement of this live recording.  The song Sanvean, with Lisa Gerrard's voice taking center stage, is a beautiful tear-inducing song.  I was swept away by the emotion of her voice, proving that the Audio Research is no clinical piece of gear.  The depth and power of the music was, once again, presented very naturally without any undue added coloration that one would find in a vintage "warm" preamplifier, but neither did the overall sound swing the other way towards hyper-detailed iciness. 

Parting Thoughts:  Given the age of this preamplifier, it may be a surprise to many that I find it quite neutral.  However I look at this era, the late 1970s to the late 1980s, as a golden age of audio reproduction.  Yes there were fewer companies back then, but they were really pushing the envelope of technology.  There are many examples of this - Krell, Mark Levinson, Threshold, and, of course Audio Research.  The SP-8 is the sound of a classic 12AX7 feedback circuit taken to the extreme.  And it pays off - given the right tubes! - with a very neutral, high definition sound that is also transparent.  If you can find one, and have the patience to have it properly serviced, then the Audio Research SP8 is worth the trouble, especially if you are into vinyl reproduction.

I had to add the caveat about vinyl reproduction because of the high gain nature of the linestage.  The average CD player or DAC with a healthy 2V output will give one a very limited volume control range.  An example of this, with my second turntable, a Dual CS5000 and the Schiit Mani phono preamplifier.  I had to set the latter to its lowest gain setting - 42dB - otherwise the SP8 at the bottom of the detented pot mean I was only two click away before the music became too loud.  And this with an amplifier that is not particularly sensitive.

Review System:
Thorens TD-309 turntable with Ortofon 2M Bronze
First Watt Aleph J clone amplifier
Cardas Iridium interconnects
KEF R500 speakers with Cardas Twinlink speaker cable

Short Review: Lepai LP-2020TI amplifier

I'm in the midst of building a small home studio for recording synth and guitar.  My plan for monitoring was to use a pair of KEF Q350 speakers with a small amplifier.  With my past love of the Charlize and other Class T amplifiers, and a low budget, I decided to give the Lepai LP-2020TI, available from Parts Express, a try.  For $25 it is hard to go wrong.  If I didn't like it, no big hit to the pocket book.

This thing is tiny - like the size of two packs of cards.  It is also extremely light; helped by the 12V outboard power supply.  Build quality is just okay.  I'm not a big fan of the spring clip speaker wire connectors or the tone controls; which can thankfully be bypassed.  The light-up volume control is gimmicky too but no real major complaints given the silly low price.

In my garage system - replacing the venerable Adcom 545 - I was surprised how good CDs from the old Pioneer DVD player sounded.  There was a toe-tappin' excitement to the music with plenty of kick.  The Wharfedale Denton speakers are a good match with this amplifier, making more volume than I expected.  There was a nice speed to the sound too.  Over all I would give the slight nod of the Lepai over the Adcom, but we are talking a garage system so let's not get too carried away!

I originally wasn't thinking of plonking this little amp into my main system, but given the amount of free time I have due to being furloughed, I decided to give it a try.  Initial impressions were rather eye opening.  This is one very nice sounding amplifier.  But a few minutes of listening, even with my Dual CS5000 and Schiit Mani phono, I could hear a loss of detail and blurring compared to the Aleph J.  Bass of the Lepai was also a little rolled off and there was some solid-state grit and forwardness on top.  But to be fair, the Aleph cost in the neighborhood of $900 to build; a far cry from the dinner-for-one price of the Lepai.

Conclusions?  It's a good amp for cottages, garages small apartments, dorms, or where critical listening is not of upmost importance.  I could easily imagine a system with a Rega RP1, Schiit Mani, the Lepai, and your favorite budget mini-monitors.  Such a stereo would best a lot of ones that I've heard (or even owned!). 

Garage System:
Pioneer DV-V7400 DVD/CD Player
Schiit SYS passive linestage
Adcom 545
Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary
Belden 9497 speaker cable
generic interconnects

Main System (second turntable)
Dual CS5000
Schiit Mani
Classe Five preamplifier
DIY First Watt Aleph J amplifier
KEF R500 speakers
Cardas Twinlink speaker cables
Cardas Neutral Reference and Iridium interconnects

A Very Brief Review of the Schiit SYS

I bought this little $49 passive preamplifier to use in a CD-only garage stereo system.

For fun I plugged it between the Schiit Mani phono preamp and the Aleph J amplifier, using the cheaper of my turntables, the Dual CS5000 as source. The SYS sounds really nice. There is that slight lack of drive I've heard before with passive preamps but detail and transparency is extremely good.  None of that (minor) JFET darkness of the Classe either. I should try the Schiit Mani/SYS combination out with my Thorens TD309 but that will have to wait for another day.

For the price, it's a steal and would work wonders in simple system.

Review: KEF R500 loudspeakers

Introduction: Last month I bought a pair of KEF Q350 speakers. I liked some of the attributes over the Wharfedale Denton speakers - mostly the sense of speed and some better detail. My plan was to eventually replace the Q350s with a pair of KEF R3s, speakers that were being sold via Accessories4Less for a very nice price. Things, however, began to move a little faster than I expected.

Fate stepped in: the Walnut R3s were no longer available. With my wife's blessing I instead purchased a pair of reconditioned R500s, the previous generation of the current production R5. It's been a few years since I've owned "full range" speakers so I was curious to see how these would sound in my narrow mid century listening room.

Shipping was fast with a Sunday (!) delivery from Fedex. I managed to unpack and setup the speakers without any help but be warned, the cabinets are heavier than they look. My weekly workout plan paid off! I also liked the spiked feed and the cups to stop damage to the new cork floors.

First Impressions: Where did all that bass and body come from? The two 5.25" woofers move a lot more air than I expected but perhaps I've been living in mini-monitor land for far too long. Sure it's not quite in the old UREI 813A territory with 15" woofers but the KEFs acquit themselves well with most rock music. The blending of the drivers - bass, uni-q midrange and tweeter - is also seamless.  Even though I only have 25Ws of Class A Aleph J on tap I had no urge for more power with the small listening room.

My friend rolled over and we listened to a few favorite records. It was obvious that these speakers still had some breaking in to do since changes were audible even in the middle of an LP side. After a few hours it seemed as if the treble had become more extended and the drivers even faster than before. Forwardness and depth changed with whatever turntable / preamp was being used. ie - the Thorens TD309 / Classe Five gave a "back in the hall sound" while the Dual CS5000 / Schiit Mani was more forward "mixing board" approach but with a little less resolution and bass depth.

Listening: After a week of daily use, it was time for a solid listening session with notebook in hand.   Turntable used was the Thorens TD309 paired with the Classe Five.

The Who - Tommy (Tracks) is an odd little album that I like but only in small bursts.  It is also an album I've heard on several of my systems.  The first side of this German pressed double-LP album has a lot of dynamics and a wide soundstage with a lot of things going on.  The KEFs did a very admirable job here; the firm foundation of Keith Moon's drumming and John Entwistle's bass was some of the best I've heard; only beaten by the massive UREI 813A speakers.  Where the R500s really shined was the attack of Pete Townshend's guitar work, sounding detailed and full of body.  There were a few times where my jaw literally dropped with surprise by the sheer dynamics of the album, not to mention the soundstage height(!) which is something I usually only hear on very expensive speakers.

Dead Can Dance - Into the Labyrinth (4AD) has a lot of acoustic instruments in a wide, sometimes shifting soundstage.  My original 1993 British pressing sounded marvelous.  On the song The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove, Brendan Perry's voice had real weight and presence.  The fleshy finger strikes on the heads of the drums was readily apparent..  Dynamics, once again, were excellent as was soundstage depth and width.  Just a stunning album, one that I would use to demo any excellent hi-fi system.

Hiroshi Suzuki - Cat (Coumbia) has recently been re-issued on very clean and quiet Japanese vinyl.  The color of the Suzuki's trombone is vivid with astounding dynamics shifts.  The rest of his bandmates sound as if they are sitting in a living real space.  An example of ths is the song Walk Tall which begins with hand claps that echoed with a natural decay.  The treble is fast and transparent, especially for a metal tweeter driver.  The high end detail doesn't quite match the best I've heard - QUAD ESL-63s or Ionovac plasma tweeters - but still has less aggression than the horn tweeter of an Altec 604.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country (Liberty) is a classic rock 'n' roll album.  This original British pressing somehow bests the American copies I've heard with a cleaner, more see-through midrange.  The attack of the guitar has real body and presence; unlike the past mini monitors I've reviewed.  Once again the dynamics were impressive, especially the harmonica playing which had a real raw and dirty swamp sound.  It sounded as if a whole lot of air was being moved!  The instruments were each locked into their own space, separate but joined in the musical whole. 

 

Conclusion: As you can tell, I was taken away by the presence the KEF R500s could project.  The body of instruments and vocals were especially enjoyable.  These speakers seemed to sit in a middle ground between the UREI 813As and the Magnepan 1.6QRs, which is to say they could swing dynamically, soundstage quite well both in width and depth, and still provide musical enjoyment.  But they also didn't have the aggressive warts and all sound of the horn speaker, or the dark graininess of the planars.  After living several years with the limitations of small monitor speakers it will be difficult to go back; the ability of the larger KEFs to provide life-like body is something I cannot forget now.

In the future I will be playing with some wiring changes, a different cartridge, and maybe even a more powerful amplifier.  For now, however, the speaker quest is finished.

Review System:
Thorens TD-309 turntable with Ortofon 2M Bronze
 Classe Five preamplifier
First Watt Aleph J clone
Cardas Iridium interconnects
Cardas Twinlink speaker cable

Review: KEF Q350 speakers

 

Nothing too expensive or too exciting but for the price - brand new - from Accessories 4 Less, I couldn't pass them up. I've been a KEF fan for a long time, owning multiple iterations of the Uni-Q driver over the years. I was curious to see how this similarly priced speaker would sound versus my favorite budget Wharfedale Dentons.

I've been letting the speakers cook with daily usage from a vintage Dual CS5000, Schiit Mani, and Ortofon OM20 combination. At moderate levels the difference between the old *Wharfedale Denton and the KEF Q350 speakers are subtle. The Q350s are a touch cleaner with a brighter tone. Detail - neither are what I would call overachievers here - is also a little better, perhaps the difference between aluminum and woven Kevlar drivers.  The bass out of the 6.5" KEF woofers go down a touch deeper and with a bit more definition than the 5" unit on the Dentons.

With the family out of the way for an hour, I fired up the Thorens TD309 and spun my US copy of Pink Floyd's The Wall. At a higher listening level: within their dynamic limitations, the KEFs do a bit better here too. The busy sound effects come across cleanly and have real depth too. Definition - inner detail and body - are certainly not the best I've heard. These are, after all, no electrostatic speaker or an Altec 604 driver with a time-aligned crossover, but given the price the KEFs are more than acceptable. The old "PRAT" factor is high with lots of toe tapping enjoyment. Bass with the 6.5" driver is good but if you want to go deeper and louder a sub (or a larger Q-series) would be needed.

Further listening with a variety of records revealed a clean midrange with only some minor veiling - again, compared to the best I've heard. ie - there is an ever-so slight blurring of aggressive guitar work and the leading edges of high-hats. The treble is, however, extended with shimmer and shine but still not etched. I was expecting some overdone brightness from the aluminum tweeter but my (aged) ears weren't driven out of the room.

Overall I would give the KEF Q50s a solid thumbs up. They do punch quite above their cost point but these days that's no big surprise given the available computer modeling and testing that would have been a dream for speaker designers in the past.. I'm curious how the R Series would perform. But that's a future hope.

*Regarding the Wharfedale Denton speakers: these are equally good speakers but something I would recommend with a more aggressive digital front-end or amplification chain. In my case the smoothness of the Aleph J and the slight darkness of the Classe Five preamplifier was perhaps too much of a good thing. The Denton appears to have been voiced to have a vintage, smooth sound instead of the "hi-fi" approach of the KEFs.

System: 

Classe Five preamplifer

Aleph J amplifier

Thorens TD309 turntable with Ortofon Bronze phono cartridge

Belden 9497 speaker cable

various budget interconnect cables 

Short Review: Schiit Mani

With a new Thorens TD 309 turntable in the house, the Dual CS5000 still manages to live on to play less-than-mint records or non-audiophile recordings.  So it was goodbye Pioneer DVD player that I used for CD playback.  Since the Classe Five preamplifier only has one phono input. I needed a separate phono stage.  There are several budget options available but I zeroed in on the Schiit Mani.  US-made, handsome, the silly name, and designed by Mike Moffat.  What's not to love?

How does it stack up to the Classe?  Not bad at all.  The Mani is a little edgier, not as big and dynamic, and also lacking the inner detail.  But it certainly sounds better than I expected: fun even though it doesn't exactly have the smoothness of a good tube unit, or even a FET based preamplifier.  Oddly enough, the lack of detail works well with the Dual CS5000 turntable, removing some of the veil and analog playback artifact noise.  I'm reminded of a more "really nice CD Player or mid-priced DAC" sort of quality to the sound.

The longer you keep this unit on, the better it does sound.  Given the low power requirements, why not?  With the new KEF Q350 speakers, the Mani does sound way better than I expected at this price point.  Of course many will disregard anything using op-amps but my experience with the Audio Sector Phono Stage disabused me of that notion.  Recommended for budget systems.

Review: Thorens TD 309 turntable

 

I've been making slow but steady steps upgrading my current family shared stereo.  I've gone from decidedly mid-fi gear to something that I consider a step up from the usual bog equipment.  The Aleph J, for example, continues to amaze me as does the clarity of the Classe 5 preamplifier.  The Wharefedale Denton speakers have also been a real treat, easily besting anything I've heard in the sub-$1000 (USD) price range.  However there has been one niggling point that has been pulling back this stereo from being truly great.  I am, of course, talking about the turntable.  The Dual CS5000 has been in service for me for almost a decade.  It does a competent job of playing vinyl, my preferred medium, but I knew it was time for an upgrade.

The question was what to get?  In the past few years the turntable market has exploded with varying makes and models across all budget ranges.  Given my under $2000 (USD) price range I had a few options including the discontinued (and marked down) Rega P8, the Rega RP6, or the tried and true VPI Scountmaster (used or B-stock).  I hemmed and hawed, thinking of my experiences with solid plinth turntable, and in the case of the VPI, the JMW unipivot tonearm.  I wanted something a little different, a little more old school, with a suspension. I won't go into the ancient debate between suspended and solid plinths, each falling in and out of favor as the years have gone by.  I will instead just go with what I heard with the best systems.

Searching through Audiogon listing and doing a lot of review reading, I came to the Thorens TD 309 Tri-Balance turntable.  The reviews, even with the included and very budget Audio Technica AT95S, were mostly positive.  It seemed that any negative points could be ameliorated with a better cartridge.  I was also taken by the engineering with a speaker manufacturer to reduce motor and environmental vibration.  The speed controlled DC motor, the available colors, and the Japanese quality bearings was a bonus.  So I purchased one - used - that came with an Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridge.

Once I received the turntable via FedEx it took me a solid 90 minutes to set up.  Some of this involved running off to the grocery store to buy some batteries for my digital style gauge.  At first glance it looks to be a well-made record player.  I was especially impressed by the methods used to decouple the platter from the motor.

Installation of the 2M Bronze wasn't exactly a breeze.  It required the removal of the headshell and some fiddling of the screws that mount directly to the body of the cartridge.  Using the Thorens supplied protractor I was able to get the alignment zeroed in pretty quickly.  After adjusting the counterweight I was finally able to listen to some records.

Initial Impressions: I can immediately tell there is a difference. With the Thorens there is a lot of weight to the bass.  Music plays with a lot more ease and less grunge than the old Dual.  Which is to say there is a lot less mechanical noise with the new turntable.  This in turn reveals more detail, makes the notes "breathe" easier, and also increases depth and width of the soundstage; allowing the listener to "hear" deeper into the recording.  I'm reminded of the VPI Aries 1 in this regard, and, given the difference between the platter weight, a surprise.  I suppose a well-tuned suspension can replicate the solidity of a table with a solid plinth and heavy platter.

After a few hours of enjoyment and some tweaking of the arm setup, it was time to sit down and do some serious listening.

Dead Can Dance - Into the Labyrinth is a well-recorded gem.  The Thorens/Ortofon combination reveals quite a bit more detail, a pulsing bass, and a soundstage that had width and depth.  The music positively soared, leaving, in comparison, the old Dual sounding like an AM radio.  Voices were especially good, with excellent body and realism.  Congestion was nil, each instrument sitting in its own space without confusion or muddiness.

Background noise, on this original 1993 UK pressing, was suppressed with any ticks and pops riding on a separate plane of the music.

Neil Young's live acoustic album - Massey Hall 1971 - is a well-recorded album.  A good system should sound like live music, revealing not only excellent timbre but the very hall itself.  The Thorens TD 309 does a very good job here.  If I close my eyes it does feel and sound like I'm really there, enjoying the concert.  The only break in the spell is the lack of chatter behind me, and of course no cigarette smoke.

The reverberation or natural slap of the hall walls can be heard.  Impressive with much more life than any digital rig I've ever heard.

Animals is my favorite Pink Floyd album so I was looking forward to hear what the Thorens to do.  Instead of a big vibrant soundscape, I began to hear a lot of compression (at higher levels).  Once I turned the volume down, the compression disappeared.  As an experiment I went upstairs and pulled out my backup amplifier, the venerable Adcom 545, which has roughly 4x the power of the Aleph J.

Long story short, it turned out that the Thorens had such an extended bottom end that it was making my low-powered single-ended Aleph J clip!  Such is the life of trying to live with so little power with a pair of 86dB speakers.  This pointed to a future speaker upgrade.

With the Aleph J back in the system, I went for something a little less bombastic.  Gabor Szabo was a Hungarian guitarist with a delicate touch.  He died too young but luckily left a large body of beautiful work.  The album High Contrast works well with the Thorens: with speedy lead note changes, the shifting dynamic drum work and the perfect rhythm guitar genius of Bobby Womack..  The attack of the guitar is just about right, never edgy, revealing the intricacies and subtle methods of Szabo.  The imaging, given the multi-miked nature of the recording, is also very good with the lead guitar slightly forward of the rest of the instruments.




As you can tell I was quite taken by the Thorens, at least once I understood that it had such a wider dynamic range than the Dual CS5000.  This lower, more refined bass response caused all sort of havoc with my amplifier/speaker pairing, leading me to the decision that a more efficient pair of speakers is in my future.

As regards to overall sound quality:

Bass: Dynamic, at least within the limitations of the small Wharfedale speakers.  The midbass frequencies are special here with lovely timbre and shades that I've heard only on the better turntables.  It's the sort of bass that I prefer over digital, which can plod and sound artificial. 

Midrange: Subtle, expansive and revealing.  Different recordings, well, sound different.  So there's not a lot of coloration or analog "dither" (noise) over the music.  Once again it's not a sterile presentation, which can occur with lower-end digital, but shines a light on the notes in an engrossing way.  It's also easy to shift attention to another instrument.  Organic is a word that comes to mind, but not overly warm like some noisier turntables.

Treble: Smooth, provided the cartridge is setup correctly.  An aggressive recording is not going to sound rolled off, but something well-balanced won't sound dark either.  There is a nice sparkle and shimmer too.

Other: This sort of tight analog foundation seems to be rare but adds to the rhythmic toe-tapping experience of music.  More than once I found my foot moving with the beat.  The turntable plays very quietly, doing an excellent disappearing act in minimizing coloration.  The Ortofon 2M Bronze is a great tracker too, playing the last songs without any audible IGD.

Conclusion: For the money, the Thorens is a nice alternative in a very competitive price range.  Even if I had bought a new unit I still would have been perfectly happy with the choice.  Given the quality of the tonearm, the engineering of the suspension, the DC motor, the platter thickness, and the modern looks, the TD 309 gets a solid recommendation.  As does the 2M Bronze, though a Black stylus may be in my future.

System:
Dual CS5000
Classe 5 preamplifier
Aleph J amplifier
Wharfedale Denton speakers
Canare interconnects
Kimber 8PR/4PR speaker cable

Short Take: BLISS Shibata Stylus for Ortofon Super OM Cartridges

The Ortofon Super OM 20 cartridge has been discontinued for some time now.  This is a shame, especially for owners of turntables with lightweight tonearms like my long-running Dual CS5000.  The Super OM 20 cartridge provided a warm but still lively sound and seemed to have a synergistic match with the Dual.  Given my last one was in need of replacement due to wear, I began researching a replacement cartridge or stylus.

There are a few makers of high compliance cartridges out there but I have ventured in that area without too much success, at least compared to the good sound I was getting with the OM 20.  With that in mind I decided to buy a replacement stylus.  I could have gone with the OM 30 or 40 replacement, but this aftermarket unit available at TurntableNeedles.com caught my eye.  The Shibata needle profile, in theory, will pull in more detail and have a better high-end response than the ol' nude elliptical of the OM 20.  It's also priced lower than the higher end OM models so I decided to give it a chance.

Given that the cartridge body is the same and the only difference is the stylus, needle, and cantilever what kind of changes did I expect?  Not too much.  The body of the music is the same, as is the fun liveliness nature of Super OM series.  But, compared to the OM 20, there is more fine detail and treble information.  A minor step up to be sure, but one that is the worth the small price difference between a stock OM 20 stylus and its aftermarket Shibata replacement.  Highly recommended.