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Welcome to Audiophilia. We publish honest and accurate reviews of high end audio equipment and music.
Welcome to Audiophilia. We publish honest and accurate reviews of high end audio equipment and music.
All in Analog
I’m fascinated by phono stages, or, more accurately, ‘phono preamplifiers’. I commonly use the term ‘phonostage’, and will do so herein.
I can remember back, after a flirtation with the ingenue Compact Disc, I bought a cheap, 2nd hand Direct Drive Sony Turntable. I can’t remember what I used as a phonostage. But, I do remember the exact moment when listening to the Sony I knew I had been missing something compared to the early, heady days of the CD and my burgeoning audiophilia.
First on the Sony platter was a beaten up, unremarkable CBS pressing of Murray Perahia playing Mozart Piano Concerto K503. I’m not sure what ‘it’ was, but it was something. Something in the timbre, something in the music’s communication. The soul of the performance was present. Immediately, I was involved. I had musical skin in the game rather than listening to a CD, admiring from above the platform.
In 2016, after six years out of the SL-1200 turntable business, Japanese giant Technics retooled for a new, audiophile version of the popular turntable. Over the original’s 38 year life span, upwards of 3.5 million were sold. A remarkable HiFi story. A legendary product.
The old ‘table was more of a DJ ‘scratcher’ than purist product. The new ‘G’ turntable was aimed squarely at the audiophile market with an expected jump in price. Thus, in 2016, the $4000, SL-1200G turntable was born. To this day, it is usually snapped up as soon as it is in stores and is on constant back order. I’m surprised Technics took a six year hiatus from a real money maker.
UK based iFi audio has been on a roll lately, releasing a handful of critically acclaimed budget components under the ZEN moniker. Accolades for the ZEN DAC and ZEN CAN headphone amplifier set high expectations for the most recent addition, the ZEN Phono.
US consumers spent $232 million on vinyl records last year so iFi were wise to include some analog action in their entry level line. As with their other product lines, iFi has carefully considered the features included in the ZEN products to differentiate them from the ‘swiss army knife’ or minimalist approach of some competitors.
ZEN components are priced at under $200—high enough to offer a quality piece of hardware but low enough to have mainstream appeal. Can the ZEN Phono, priced at $150, stand up to expectations and hold its own in a competitive segment?
I’ve always had in mind a basic turntable setup for the beginner audiophile; the usual suspects: speakers, phono-stage and amplifier. They remain the building blocks for starting and developing better audio quality. To these components, I’ll add one more, and it’s the focus of this review: the cartridge/stylus. This needle is the connection to the grooves on the recording, the last external mechanism before it lowers and touches the LP of the music you love. But this review is not about any old cartridge, it’s a review for a monaural cart, the Ortofon 2M Mono ($356). A much needed tool in your turntable arsenal for those albums that carry so many memories.
There’s some history for me with mono albums. I remember being six years old and making the hour long drive with my mother to my grandfather’s home. As soon as I would get there, I knew I’d find a new ‘toy’ to play with. My grandfather sold used electronics, from TVs, to amplifiers, guitars, basses, to Casio watches and even turntables. The few times I visited him, listening was such a memorable experience; those memories are still with me.
The new Allnic Audio Amber MC Cartridge ($4500) was recently reviewed very favorably by Audiophilia where it was also mentioned that Amber had an equally new twin sister, the focus of my review here: the Rose MC Cartridge which retails at the significantly lower price of $2900.
Although not an identical twin of Amber—for it comes in a beautiful rose-colored Duralumin 5052 housing (versus amber-colored) with the name ‘Rose’ written elegantly in white on its right side—it is identical looking otherwise, almost identical in construction and, like the Amber, is handbuilt by master Allnic Audio designer Kang Su Park. As I discovered and will elaborate on in this review, the Rose is a true bargain, handily performing above its price point, so beautiful to look at and very easy to install.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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’.
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’:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
