"Less obviously, it showed a quiet, grainless, highly spatial character that made it feel luxurious," wrote HR, adding that "in my room, through my system, the Sumiko Starling played my records with a dark, nanodetailed refinement that elucidated whatever sophistications the recordings and the music had to offer." Additionally, the new cartridge features a specially tuned suspension, an SLM-formed titanium body, and a nonmagnetic armature; specs include an output of 0.2mV, an internal impedance of 6 ohms, a weight of 16gm, and a recommended 2.4gm downforce. Commissioned by Sibatech Inc. and manufactured by Excel Sound, both of Japan, the Hana EL is a low-output (0.5mV) moving-coil cartridge built with alnico magnets and fitted with an aluminum cantilever and elliptical stylus. 
MF's only criticism: "I wish the bottom surface was a little more grippy." (Vol.44 Nos.5 & 9 WWW), Ortofon Cadenza Black: $2879 (Vol.39 No.8 WWW), Hana ML Moving Coil: $1200 $$$ (The latter is available in three sizes, for effective lengths of 9", 10", and 12".) The Master 1 is the top model in DS Audio's line of three optical cartridgestransducers that use the vibrations of a phonograph needle to modulate the otherwise steady output of an LED, rather than generate an electrical signal from scratch (sorry)and replaces the DS-W1, which MF reviewed in the September 2015 Stereophile. Unlike the original JMW Memorial, the 9" arm's main bearing is directly grounded to the plinth and the stabilizing ring surrounding the arm's bearing housing is fixed. While MF still heard a few pops and ticks when listening to a mono album that had suffered from some "wear crackle," he found that the "wear crackle" was gone. One reader suggests applying treatment to brush rather than stylus, which would reduce the possibility of over-applying. And while he didn't consider the HW-40's gimbal-bearing JMW-12 Fatboy tonearm the equal of his reference SAT arm, MF said that, given the package's $15,000 price, the "very good arm is almost a freebie." Notably, the titanium-bodied Ultra Eminent Ex moving-coil cartridge mates an output level that's only moderately low (0.3mV) with an exceptionally low internal resistance (0.6 ohm). Companies that sell only through dealers must have well-established dealer networks. Save for their ca-$45,000 Naiad, the newly revised Planar 10 represents the pinnacle of Rega's high-tech and extremely well-thought-out minimalism. (Vol.42 No.9), Ortofon MC Windfeld Ti: $4390 The size and shape of an LP, with a spindle hole at its center and clear instructions printed right on its surface, MoFi's Geo-Disc is a simple and affordable cartridge-alignment tool. For a while, that vacuum was filled by the loan of the Ypsilon MC26-L step-up transformer, the model number of which derives from the transformer's 26x turns ratio. AD was taken with the Simplicity II's performancecharacterized by superb momentum and flow and very good tactile qualitiesas well as its ease of use (especially apparent in Thales's ingenious cartridge-alignment jig). Examining the EMT with a microscope revealed its distinctly small, sharp, spherical tip, which, AD conjectured, may be the reason for the stylus's exceptionally low groove noise. . (Vol.40 No.10 WWW), Rega Planar 3 with Elys 2 cartridge: $1145 The Phantom III's price drops to $5000 when bundled with the Air Force III. The Umami Red features a gloss-red Urushi-lacquered Duralumin body with an ebony wood inlay. Recently upgraded with a Scotch Restickable Dot mount as a nonresidue alternative for people concerned about the finish of their turntable plinths (seems you can't spell analog without anal). The shortest tonearm in VPI's JMW line, the JMW 9 uses a reverse-missionary unipivot bearing with a hardened tungsten-carbide point and a machined and hardened-steel setscrew for a cup. An aluminum subplatter, machined with a tapered hub, is driven by two opposing phase-lockedloop DC motors that turn at slightly different speeds; the two motor pulleys are fitted with rubber/elastomer drive wheels of slightly different diameters. The jumper plug is located on the left side of smaller power supply circuit board labeled ECC83 and 13D16. 
Made in the Netherlands by Peter Reinders, the Solid12 has a heavy Corian plinth and uses reconditioned components from original heavy-platter, idler-wheel Lenco turntables: motors (along with their suspension cradles and wiring blocks), platters, platter bearings, platter mats, idler wheels, and idler-support mechanisms.
An elliptical stylus is attached to an aluminum cantilever, and the DS-E1 tracks between 1.6gm and 1.8gm. Other pertinent specs include an output of 0.2mV, an internal impedance of 7 ohms, and a specially polished, nude Replicant 100 stylus tip. The theoretical result is far less dynamic compression than with traditional MC designsand reduced compression is precisely what AD heard from the Tzar: "The Tzar DST is the most incredibly tactile, forceful, and altogether open-throttled pickup I've ever tried." sound compressed." (Vol.39 No.8 WWW), Hana ML Moving Coil: $1200 $$$ Construction details include steel casework and thick circuit boards, the latter to prevent unwanted capacitance, and loading and gain are adjustable by means of internal jumpers. Not too expensive, Nothing in the 500 to 1000$ range SACD player, although this Arcam might interest you. (Versions are also available with a mu-metal core and copper windings, with 1:10 and 1:15 turns ratios.) As close to a "universal" phono-alignment protractor as one is likely to find, the Acoustical Systems Smartractor, which resembles a draftsman's beam compass, can be used with any conventional tonearm with an unambiguous pivot center. He added that even with its elliptical stylus, this optical cartridge was fast and remarkably transparent. (Vol.37 No.10, Vol.40 No.10 WWW), Audio Origami PU7: $3000 The model 15's 10lb platter has the same diamond-turned record-support surface as the costlier SMEs, and the microprocessor-based outboard controller for its Hall-effect motor is fine-tunable for speedand provides 78rpm, for shellacophiles. This battery-powered, solid-state design comes with a wall wart for charging, which takes place automatically; once the Lino C detects a signal, the charger is electrically disconnected and the preamp itself is galvanically isolated. Press Start when you lower the pickup on to the LP and Stop at the end of the side. The Statement is his magnum opus. (Vol.42 No.10, Vol.43 No.7 WWW), Kiseki Purpleheart (NS): $3199 HR heard from the ML a tendency to smooth out those natural textures that more expensive cartridges are paid to excavate, but it was also capable of letting music sound "brilliant and conspicuously in the room." 
Deletions Stylus is a nude MicroLine diamond mounted on a boron cantilever. When he switched to the spherical-tipped #1S, MF wrote, "Yes, much detail was missing, but also gone were artifacts of mechanical playback, replaced by a luxuriously smooth sound and exceptionally 'black' backgrounds. Neither is the sound of my records through My Sonic Lab's Ultra Eminent Ex . The SPU Century follows tradition with its low (0.2mV) output and high (4gm) recommended downforce, but departs from it in having a Shibata rather than a spherical stylus tip. And the Linn Radikal moda DC motor with an outboard switch-mode power supplyimpressed Mr. D with "more force, more momentum, and a little more sheer grip on the notes." It tracks at between 1.5 and 1.9gm and wants to see a load of 47k ohmsand a healthy amount of quiet gain. Other specs include a boron cantilever, a semi-line-contact stylus, and a recommended downforce of 1.82.0gm. The Avenger Reference is fitted with VPI's Fatboy tonearm, a 12" unipivot with a 3D-printed polymer armtube. (Vol.28 No.5; Vol.35 No.4 Vol.38 No.5 WWW), Dhmann Audio Helix One Mk2: $49,000 After comparing the Aeon3 with other cartridges, both on the Initial and on the Dr. Feickert Blackbird turntable, HR decided that the Grado appeared to be "uncovering new, previously buried deposits of recorded microdata. Affordable moving-magnet cartridge with user-replaceable elliptical diamond stylus. Of the Miyajima monos Mikey has heard, the Infinity Mono struck him as "the line's fastest and most linear and neutral sounding." A Breuer-like gimbaled-bearing design that features an armtube described by the designer as a "high-speed, double-concentric, ceramic-plated, self-damping transmission device." (Vol.40 No.10 WWW), AMG Viella Forte Engraved: $25,000 without arm, $32,000 with 12JT tonearm SM declared the 2M Red's dynamic range "vastly wider" than that of the less expensive Ortofon OM 5E, and praised the new cartridge's clean, fast, grainless sound. As AD noted in the December 2018 issue, "To compare the specifications of Koetsu's 15 different models is to glimpse little in the way of variety: all Koetsu cartridges have the same recommended ranges of VTF and load impedance; all of their platinum-magnet cartridges have the same 0.3mV output, while all their samarium-cobalt magnet cartridges output 0.4mV." Thanks again for the great reviews. . Use of Musical Surroundings' optional Linear Charging Power Supply ($650) brought more consistently good sound to the treble range and allowed "voices, violins, and electric guitars [to sound] more vibrant and lifelike," and more corporeal overall. On the underside of this chunky aluminum beamSorane doesn't specify an effective mass, but the ZA-12 is clearly a high-mass arm suitable for only low-compliance cartridgesare channels for the signal wires. Comparisons having been done, the BRXs are nothing to shake a 1M interconnect at. Does Stereophile bother to mention which other devices are compatible with these? (Vol.41 No.10 WWW), EMT TSD 15: $1950 $$$ He concluded that when used with the HCVC01, the CO Mk.II offered "absolutely honest spectral balance and remarkable imaging solidity and stability, combined with "textural delicacy." (Vol.41 No.1), Klaudio KD-ARM-AG12: $11,999.99 (for 12" arm) HR felt that the Mani's slight tendency toward darkness didn't suit such cartridges as the Soundsmith Carmen; far better matches were the Grado ME+ Mono, the Shure SC35C, and, especially, HR's Zu Denon DL-103. MF's review sample also featured an optional titanium upper platter. Compared to pivoted tonearms, the 5T's smaller moment of inertia allows for better tracking. A unique blend of new and old technologies, the Xpression derives from Ortofon's cutting-edge MC A90, but is designed as a drop-in replacement for any G-style pickup head. There exists some disagreement between AD and MF over the overall rating, but Class B seems appropriate. MF bought the review sample but the sound continued to change, finally settling in with a "shelved" quality in the upper octaves that worked for some recordings but not others. His conclusion: "$199/pair for the PHTs, with money-back guarantee, is well worth it." Experience leads us to expect high Class B performancesuperbly low measured rumble, excellent speed stability, and very good musical involvementfrom an entry-level LP12, while previous incarnations of the full-monty LP12 have delivered true Class A sound. Earlier this century, fans of Ortofon's SPU pickups were saddened when the company ceased building their historically long-lived A-style SPUs: the stubby, squarish ones in which the distance from stylus tip to mounting socket is a relatively short 30mmthis in contrast to the longer, sleeker, G-style pickup heads, which endure. AD found the bearings of the new version to have less play than those of its predecessor, the sonic and musical consequence being "a surprising if subtle increase in musical drive." (Vol.41 No.4 WWW), Audio-Technica AT-VM95C, E, H, ML & SH: $39$199 depending on stylus $$$ . (Vol.34 Nos.5 & 9 WWW), Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue: $5750 Art added that the Saboten L "was the rare stereo pickup that sounded good, if not quite mono-pickup good, on mono LPs." (Vol.39 No.7 WWW). (Vol.44 No.5 WWW), Sculpture A.3l: $1955 After using it with a TechDAS Air Force III turntable, which Graham distributes, MF wrote that "it was immediately clear that the Phantom III's bass reproduction was far more robust and controlled than that of the Phantom II Supreme that I owned." 
HR found that this moving magnet initially failed to satisfybut after 12 hours of continuous play, the CF3600LE sounded quiet, lushly detailed, and engaging, especially on female vocals. Audio-signal transformers also play a role in the Andros Tssera's output stage, bringing output impedance down to a sensible 150 ohms. His conclusion: "the Destiny is for now Miyajima Labs' best performing cartridge." Webread the review in Stereophile Stereophile's Recommended Components. Used in his SAT CF1-09 tonearm, the Anna MC Diamond rewarded MF with sound that was "joltingly fast, clean, and transparent, yet with solidity, weight, and body." . MF's first review sample of the Top Wing Suzaku, which performed disappointingly, turned out to be defective; a second sample impressed Mikey with its "smooth, airy, velvety, and vivid" sound, "with a particularly rich midrange that I wanted to sink my ears into." SME 309, SME 3125, Spiral Groove Centroid, no longer available. . Nagaoka MP-200 Phono Cartridge Specifications: Type: Moving permalloy Cantilever: High-strength Boron Stylus type: Superfine elliptical diamond 0.4 x 0.7 mil. Slowly squeezing and releasing the trigger produces a neutral static condition, thus removing static cling from record surfaces. It's a Lyra tradition that the company often follows up their standard cartridges with low-output versions of same; so it goes with this most recent version of the Atlas SL, whose low output is accomplished with fewer turns of wire, resulting in less moving mass, lower internal impedance, and, presumably, faster response. Thanks! The heavyweight (66lb in its most basic version) Stabi R is also available with a wood frame that adds $910 to the price (and another 13lb), and can be used with up to four tonearms (additional armboards are extra-cost options). Before he'd played a single note through the EQ-500even before he'd plugged it into a wall outletthis phono preamp had impressed AD by offering virtually every feature he'd ever wanted from such a product, and at least one he'd never imagined: adjustable gain, adjustable resistive loading, adjustable capacitive loading, switchable scratch filters and rumble filters, a mono switch, a phase switch, a very unexpected built-in cartridge demagnetizer . "Tapping anywhere on the plinth produced the tiniest of 'tinks,' with no low-frequency component and no overhanging sound," according to MF. His conclusion: the Koetsu Rosewood Mono is a good choice "if your system needs a bit of softening of transients." and refreshingly non-mechanical," although he noted that the SL-1000R "did not produce the 'blackest' backgrounds behind the music," and that the bottom end was "not as explosive, muscular, or grippy" as with other players. Although phono preamps that work on the current-amplification (as opposed to voltage-amplification) principle still account for a small minority of the market, that technology took a step forward in 2019 with the Sutherland Engineering Little Loco, itself a less expensive version of the company's recent Phono Loco. (Vol.34 No.10, Vol.38 No.6 WWW). As with other Miyajima models, the Destiny is a "cross-ring" MC design that places the cantilever's suspension dampers in front of the coil former: Thus is the motor's fulcrum positioned for maximal dynamic swings as compared with other designs. Used with Acoustic Signature's Ascona Mk.2 turntable, the 9" TA-9000 (it's also available in a 12" version) presented MF with "a smooth sound with a rich midrange, great detail, and great resolution," though it wasn't the last word in bottom-end extension and control. JA's measurements revealed the Duo to be "a superbly quiet, superbly linear, superbly accurate phono preamplifier." According to KM, "Yes. That said, it was with that cartridge that The Grail impressed Mikey with "the 'blackest' backgrounds, out of which sprang startlingly delicate yet believably solid three-dimensional images." Not long after AD's review, JCA tried an Xpression with his combination of vintage Thorens TD 124 turntable and Schick 12" tonearm; for various reasonsat the time he felt it "cost way too much for what it was"he set it aside, returning to it only recently. Carved from African blackwood and fitted with a robust magnet, the Infinity Mono is big and, at 14.8gm, more than a bit heavy. (Vol.26 No.2, Vol.27 No.9, Vol.40 No.10 WWW). High CLass B, he summed up. Editor's Note: There are currently no Class C or D tonearms listed. What I hadn't expected was how much better a sense of [the clarinetist's] breathing and tonguing techniques the A-T now provided. The With its strong, tight bass and solid aural images, the Ekos SE produced a "cleaner, more dramatic, and more enjoyable" listening experience, said AD. The SE+ was also considerably "faster": stiffer and better controlled in the midrange.
Helicopters Over Franklin, Ma Today, Articles S