Hi.
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
Mike Levy -- As birthday presents go, the VPI Classic Turntable is my favorite of all time. My wonderful wife, Maryann, not only gave me a surprise 60th birthday party, she also gave me the one turntable I was most interested in. VPI has been known as a manufacturer of fine turntables since before the height of the turntable in the early 80s and has continued to refine its product as it served a rabid group of vinyl lovers.
An ‘Audiophilia Classic’ review from 1999
Andrew Chasin —I have long admired the turntable designs of VPI’s Harry Weisfeld. From the entry-level HW-19, in its myriad incarnations, to the state-of-the-art TNT Mk.IV, each design embodies ingenuity, deceptive simplicity, and striking beauty. As a devotee of the analogue faith, I have also admired Weisfeld’s steadfast commitment to vinyl playback – a commitment which has withstood the best of times and the worst of times throughout the LP’s checkered past and present.
Blair Roger -- What makes the difference between a very good audio design and one that touches on greatness? I suggest that it is not merely the technical ability of the designer but rather, that, combined with experience, wisdom, taste, and a highly consistent sense of auditory discrimination. I mean to imply by the previous phrase that the designer is intimately acquainted with the sound of real musical instruments, and the effect that they have on the state of human consciousness.
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.
