Audiophilia

The star products from South Korea’s Allnic Audio continue to arrive on the island for review. Usually, the delivery guy/gal is cussing me under his/her breath wrangling the massive boxes in which the Allnic tube amps and preamps arrive. This time, no grumbling. A tiny cartridge.

The new Allnic Audio Amber Moving Coil Cartridge, in fact, the more expensive sister to the equally new Rose MC Cartridge ($2900—now in Karl Sigman’s hands—review up late August). The MSRP of the Amber Moving Coil Cartridge is $4500.

Jun 19

Jun 19 Ortofon 2M 78 Phono Cartridge

Jesús González-Monreal

Why does vinyl have such a strong hold on audiophiles? Perhaps it’s the ritual of the LP, the ‘warm’ sound of the grooves, the quality of the sound, that one can play around with cartridges, speakers, cables and preamps not to mention turntables. A little over two years ago, I started getting more serious about vinyl, wanting more from my music. Spending years collecting records was not just a hobby, but a way to experience sound. Collecting LPs of favorite composers and conductors as well as researching great recorded performances is a passionate activity for those of us who are immersed in music and its sound.

The listener or audiophile researches how to get the best sound out of their vinyl. Reading, watching videos, visiting chatrooms, all information about LPs pressings, labels, mono, stereo, types of grooves, cartridges, have but one goal—the clarity of sound and the experience of it. Having some experience with the LPs, I decided to start my journey into the oldest type of mass produced records, the 78rpm shellac. With a very introductory setup (Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB Turntable, a Pro-Ject Phono Box MM preamp and Edifier R1280DB Loudspeakers) and acute curiosity, I dove head first into this new world of the 78rpm.

Jun 10

Jun 10 VPI Synchronous Drive System

Audiophilia Staff

Accessories, Analog

Jun 5

Jun 5 Graham Slee Accession MC Phono Preamp

I noticed several things almost immediately when opening the box of the Graham Slee Accession MC Phono Preamp. Its diminutive size & weight and the four toggles/knob on the front fascia. More on these somewhat rare recording curve and playback options later.

Though small, it’s a handsome piece and is priced at $1949, including the upgraded PSU1 Enigma power supply. Knock off a couple of hundred bucks with the standard PSU1. My Accession was the moving coil version. Slee manufactures a moving magnet version with the standard power supply for $1299. It’s been my experience phono stage quality takes bucks, more than any other high end component. My only lengthy experience with one approaching the Accession’s price point was the excellent Rega Aria Phono Stage.

Apr 12

Apr 12 Miyajima Laboratory Infinity Monaural Cartridge

Back in 2019, I was very fortunate to get a first look at an extensive record collection from the estate sale of a grand lady of the Canadian diplomatic corps. As the refined collection of classical LPs were primarily monophonic, purchase of 100 of them was the perfect catalyst to dip my toes into the fabulous world of monophony.

First up was the need for a monophonic cartridge. I played many of the LPs with my reference stereo cartridge, the Phasemation PP-2000 MC Phono Pickup Cartridge ($6000). It did a very good job, if hampered a little by the specific geometry and physics required by the mono record groove. A cartridge wired and setup correctly for monaural with a mono switch on the phono stage lowers the noise floor considerably. But, that’s just the beginning of why a mono-specific cartridge can be so important to the vinyl collector.

Feb 14

Feb 14 Icon Audio PS1 Mk. II All Valve Phono Stage

UK-based Icon Audio is a maker of ‘Award Winning Valve Amplifiers’. Icon also manufactures valve preamplifiers and phono stages (FYI: ‘valve’ is Brit speak for ‘tube’).

I was contacted by a local Icon Audio dealer followed by the Canadian distributor to gauge interest for a review. I heard the subject of this review, the PS1 Mk. II All Valve Phono Stage, at last year’s Toronto Audio Show. It had impressed, prepping lots of varied vinyl repertoire under show conditions. Sweet. ‘Yes, I’d like one to review’.

Nov 13

Nov 13 van den Hul Colibri Master Signature Moving Coil Phono Cartridge

van den Hul is a Dutch company, created in 1980 by renown A.J. (Aalt Jouk) van den Hul (VDH) that designs and manufactures high-end moving coil phono cartridges, audio cables and other audio electronics. (Bowers & Wilkins, for example, among others, are known to use van den Hul internal wiring in their speakers.)

On an early Autumn phone call from Mat Weisfeld, President of VPI Industries, I was informed that VPI had become the sole USA distributor for their phono cartridges and I was offered a chance to review van den Hul’s newest top-of-the-line moving coil cartridge: the Colibri Master Signature, entirely hand made and tuned by A.J.—now in his 80s—and with a retail price of $11,995. Now that I use a VPI Industries HW-40 Direct Drive turntable as reference, I thought this may be an intriguing match. Besides, it uses a high-density wood for its enclosure, and I happen to be a fan of that (my current reference cart is the Grado Labs Aeon). Last, but not least, I was attracted to the simple van den Hul philosophy of cart design in which they claim to provide ‘The link between technique and emotion’:

Jun 14

Jun 14 Vinnie Rossi L2 Signature Preamplifier (Part 2—The L2 Phonostage Module)

Preamplifiers, Analog, Star Component Award

It would be instructive before reading my thoughts about the L2 phono stage module to read the full line stage review of the Vinnie Rossi L2 Signature Preamplifier.

Skinny audio seems to be all the rage these days. Fewer boxes, smaller boxes, fewer cables and a much lighter lifestyle footprint. While this trend can look the part and put a few more dollars in your pocket, the sound trade offs can be quite powerful. It’s why flying cars never took off, pardon the pun. Jacks of all trades and masters of none. I’m much more of a do-one-thing-well kind of guy.

Vinnie Rossi, designer and manufacturer of the tremendous L2 Signature Preamplifier ($16,995) has given the high end community a sub 20K benchmark line stage to propel reference components to the next level. It pushed my Jeff Rowland amplifier, Mytek Manhattan DAC II, Antipodes CORE Music Server and Sutherland Engineering DUO Phono Preamplifier into rarefied air. As such, it was a crying shame when I took it out of my system.

May 23

May 23 My new Reference—The Bergmann Audio Magne Turntable

2019 has been a banner year for both Audiophilia and the improvement of my reference system. Audiophilia has added two fine writers and experienced significant growth in worldwide readership and advertising sponsors. I feel we have accomplished this through timely updates and excellence and honesty in audio reportage. There are no shortcuts at the magazine. And through the generosity and kindness of some audio legacy stakeholders we have known and highly respected for a long time, a couple of us here at the magazine have received a few long-term loan components to enhance our daily listening experience. For that, we are transparently grateful.

Reading previous reviews and articles will give you a better insight as to the whys and wherefores of our choices of these wonderful components. Try my 2014 review of the Bergmann Audio Magne Turntable ($14,000 incl. tone arm) and review of Alta Audio’s FRM2 Celesta Loudspeakers ($15,000). A look at Contributing Editor Karl Sigman’s latest VPI and Grado reviews will also offer context.

Apr 17

Apr 17 Grado Labs Aeon Phono Cartridge

Two years ago I reviewed the Grado Labs Statement v2 Cartridge ($3500), at that time the highest priced Grado cartridge—the top of their Statement Series. Reviewed using my VPI Industries Prime Turntable, I was so impressed, it has remained as my reference since—it further pulled me into vinyl. After that review, I concluded that besides speakers (which are in general large and heavy), phono cartridges (always tiny and light) are examples of a component that can significantly change the sound quality of an audio system in a way that is immediately noticeable.

The $6,000 Grado Labs Aeon Phono Cartridge debuted this year. The Aeon and its sibling, Epoch ($12,000), are two products in a new, higher-end ‘Lineage Series’. The Epoch, which was the first released, and with a very hefty price tag, has been highly praised. Grado Labs now promotes both these cartridges as their flagship models. On the Grado website it is stated that the Epoch and Aeon feature a unique system that has the lowest effective moving mass of any cartridge.

Apr 14

Apr 14 Kiseki Purple Heart NS Moving Coil Phono Cartridge

As soon as most vinylphiles see a trapezoidal nugget in wood, stone or metal with some delicate Japanese Kanji, our moving coil hearts skip a beat. I’m a Phasemation guy—Japanese made, but no Kanji. Just a beautiful hunk of Duralumin. How many of us have lusted after a Koetsu Jade Platinum or Blue Lace? Hand made gems of the very best audiophile jewelry. And the heart of a fine analog front end.

The Kiseki Purple Heart NS (New Style) is the modified version of the Japanese cartridge that made the turntable rounds thirty years ago. These new models are made by hand and in small numbers. They originally sold for $3499 but can now be purchased for $3199.

Apr 5

Apr 5 ModWright Instruments PH 9.0 Tube Phono Stage

Quality phono stages are all the rage. Records are now so popular with audiophiles, vinyl returners and the general population, a quality phono stage is aspirational in any fine analog set up. Dealers and vinylphiles have been shouting this from the rooftops for years. Audiophilia has reviewed five in the past twelve months. All first class, with outstanding fit and finish, varying designs, and with quality sounds unique to themselves. A wide array of prices but all significant investments. Ah, the cost, always the elephant in the listening room.

Dan Wright of Modwright Instruments took all this to heart when designing his new PH 9.0 Tube Phono Stage ($2900). Modwright is known for the beauty of its design aesthetic and the quality its parts. So, producing a quality phono stage, especially based upon the Modwright Instruments $7900 PH 150 Phono Stage may not seem too much of a stretch. But competing with excellent phono stages $4000 and up with one priced at $2900 is a more difficult proposition.

Mar 28

Mar 28 Pure Fidelity Harmony Turntable

John Stratton is the hardworking owner/designer of Vancouver High End analogue start up, Pure Fidelity (PF). He made a splash last year with his very well received initial opus, the Eclipse Turntable. It takes guts to dive into audiophile waters as a start up. If you are not in for the long haul with creative ideas, solid engineering and tireless work energy, don’t bother.

Stratton had a busy winter. The Harmony Turntable is the result of eight months of research with a new design; the Harmony has a larger plinth than his Eclipse with a larger sub platter, sitting within an 18lb machined, 6061 aluminum isolation platform and retaining the exquisite finishes. The aluminum platform is a very clever, effective idea and has the same profile as the ‘table.

Mar 14

Mar 14 VPI Industries HW-40 Direct Drive Turntable

In October 2018, I was invited by Mat Weisfeld (President, VPI) to attend a party at the VPI Industries Listening House to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the company. The main event was the debut of a new and remarkable item that is the basis of this review: the VPI Industries 40th Anniversary Turntable, HW-40, named after VPI founder Harry Weisfeld (HW), who attended the event and even swapped out various high-end cartridges on the fly throughout.

Although from a distance the HW-40 ($15,000 incl. arm) appears to be a $30,000 VPI Classic Direct Drive Turntable (to be discontinued), closer inspection reveals an extraordinary revision chock full of newer technology including an updated and upgraded version of their Direct Drive Motor that now incorporates motion control software, an internal linear power supply, a JMW-12-Fatboy Gimbal tonearm (not pivot), a whopping removable 25 pound platter, a high-grade removable acrylic dust cover and exceptional new footing/isolation that defies belief in the ability to ward off resonance and vibration: You can pound your fist on the shelf top where the table is sitting and playing music and the needle does not dance; the sound is not disturbed. This is accomplished by a mix of reinforced composite absorption pads and the construction of the chassis. And to top it off, it comes with both a Stainless Steel Outer Periphery Ring (to flatten the record onto the platter, eliminating edge warps and more completely coupling the record to the platter), and a ‘Signature’ stainless steel clamp. Only 400 units are to be manufactured for sale, so this anniversary version is a Limited Edition—for now.

Feb 22

Feb 22 Allnic Audio H-7000 Phono Stage

No sooner had the review been posted on Audiophilia of the splendid Allnic Audio H-1202 Phono Stage ($3750) when distributor David Beetles called to ask if I wanted to review Allnic’s $14,999 H-7000, the upgraded model of Allnic’s H-3000, all transformer-coupled, LCR phono stage.

Yes! Please.

After reviewing the H-1202 and ZL-5000 Power Cable, I was utterly convinced of designer Kang Su Park’s prowess and looked forward to a deep dive into his upscale analogue device.

Jan 4

Jan 4 Allnic Audio H-1202 Phono Stage

It’s interesting to note that a $3750 phono stage is now considered, among some audiophiles, as entry level for delivering vinyl sound as it’s meant to be heard. Sure, there are relatively inexpensive examples that do a fine job—the excellent Rega Aria is priced at $1500—and some expensive models that don’t, but in my experience, higher priced analogue gear sounds better. You gotta pay to play.

My reference Sutherland Engineering DUO monoblock Phono Preamplifier was so good in review, I purchased the unit(s). The DUO is priced at $4000, slightly more than the subject of this review, the brand new Allnic Audio H-1202 Phono Stage at $3750. My DUO benefited from some serious trickle down goodies from Ron Sutherland’s $10,000 PhonoBlock Phono Stage. This new Allnic Audio ‘entry level’ phono stage benefits from the Korean company’s esteemed analogue lineage, with trickle down tech from its $39,000 H-8000.

Sep 19

Sep 19 Shelter 5000 MC Phono Cartridge

Recently, I had the very good fortune to review the Shelter 501 III MC Phono Cartridge. No sooner than the review was published, a Shelter 5000 MC Phono Cartridge dropped into my lap. For my review of Canadian startup Pure Fidelity’s Eclipse Turntable, the designer John Stratton suggested he setup his Shelter 5000 as it had been so successful during the turntable’s beta testing. I killed two birds with one stone for that review and jotted down some thoughts about the 5000 once I got to know the Eclipse’s sound signature. The cart was mounted to an Acoustic Signature TA-1000 tonearm.

At an MSRP of $2245, the 5000 is a couple of steps above the $1295 501 III in Shelter’s ‘Legendary Line’ of cartridges and a couple steps below the top player, the $4195 9000. I’m familiar with the outstanding 9000 and really liked the 501 III. As I began serious listening, I wondered what another grand above the 501 III got you in Shelter rent.

May 17

May 17 PS Audio Sprout100 Integrated Amplifier

Analog, Digital, Headphones, Integrated Amplifier, Star Component Award

In February of 2015, I reviewed the original PS Audio Sprout, the brainchild of Scott McGowan. It was a powerful, small, simple to use stereo integrated amplifier with DAC, analog preamplifier, headphone amp, phono stage, Bluetooth receiver and more; I was dazzled by its performance at $799. Now we step forward 3 years to the second generation for review here: the Sprout100—at only $599.

I ran into McGowan recently at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in October 2017, where he pulled out a prototype of the Sprout100 from his backpack at the hotel restaurant for my perusal; my eyes lit up at what I saw—and hoped to hear soon after. As I will try to convey in this review, some serious thought by McGowan was clearly given to this new version, and by drawing upon the expertise of PS Audio’s engineer Darren Myers, PS Audio has produced a product of exceptional value—and substantially better than the original.

May 4

May 4 Sutherland Engineering DUO Phono Preamplifier