stereophile recommended phono cartridges
One issue later, Mikey reported that the Kuzma-recommended load of >100 ohms for both CARs was intended by the manufacturer to read <100 ohms, and put his earlier remarks into perspective, noting that "my 'excitement' is someone else's ear-bleed," and reminding the reader that the CAR-60 in particular offers "what you should expect [for over $10,000]" in terms of bottom-end extension and resolution of low-level detail. (Vol.39 No.1), SME Synergy: $22,995 with Series IV tonearm MF praised this phono preamp's "drop-dead, noise-free backgrounds and lack of obvious colorations," observing that the $2499 Lino C "operates way above its pay grade." WebStereophile Recommended Component 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Denon DL-A100 (DL-103 Reference) phono cartridge 0.3mV Code: DENONDLA100 $530.00 Product Info DENON 100TH ANNIVERSARY DL-A100 (DLA100_) PHONO CARTRIDGE - LOW OUTPUT MOVING COIL DL-103 (DL103) REFERENCE - Stereophile Recommended Component (607) 733-7121. What set the EQ11 apart from other such MM-appropriate preamps are five additional, switch-selectable EQ curves for the most common types of vintage record, including those for early Columbia LPs and Decca (and other) 78s. MF: "The AI fluids are reasonably priced, easy to apply and (especially) to spread, clean extremely well, and leave no audible residue." (Vol.42 No.10, Vol.43 No.7 WWW, original version; Vol.44 No.6 WWW), HiFiction X-quisite ST: $13,160 "It looks cool, and it's a snap to perfectly set the speed." The SP10 is large (26.125" wide by 4.125" high by 20.125" deep) and very heavy (110lb without turntable), and is available in clear or black powder finishes; the price has yet to be determined, but is expected to be under $10,000ie, less than the SP-10R itself. (Vol.44 No.5 WWW), Sculpture A.3l: $1955 Air pump included. The MC A Mono ($4999) is an Ortofon A95 moving coil cartridge (reviewed in May and June 2015) with the cross-coil armature rotated 45 and wound only on the lateral axis so that it only reads horizontal (mono) groove modulations. and Stage 1030 step-up transformer." Loaded with 80 ohms, this low-output moving coil impressed HR with the intensity with which it endowed familiar recordings, as well as the enhanced intelligibility of vocals, "natural-feeling contrast levels, grain-free clarity, and lifelike solidity." High-purity copper coils are wrapped on a square permalloy armature centered in a magnetic circuit that combines a samarium/cobalt magnet and an iron pole piece. Like the standard Hana SL, the Hana SL Mono is a low-output (0.5mV), highish-impedance (30 ohms) moving coil cartridge with an alnico magnet, an aluminum cantilever, and a nude Shibata stylus. The solid-state LCR Mk.III is named for the type of circuit chosen for its RIAA equalization stage: a zero-feedback inductor-capacitor-resistor (L-C-R) circuit. (Vol.41 No.4 WWW), Denon DL-103: $299 $$$ (Vol.42 No.5), Tzar DST: $10,000Tzar DST (wood-bodied): $11,000 The review sample was supplied with the Thrax-manufactured Schrder CB 9" arm ($5500). Its body is made from an alloy of aluminum, magnesium, and silicon, plated first in nickel and then in chrome. Especially where the PU7 is the intended partner, prospective owners are urged by MF to consider cartridges that, in other settings, might be considered on the lean side of neutral. Creature comforts include settings for 14 different gains and 17 load impedances, all selectable with DIP switches. Pertinent specs include a low (0.5mV) output, a recommended downforce of 2gm, and a recommended load impedance of over 200 ohms. The Zu/DL-103 Mk.II cartridge replaces the original Zu Audio DL-103 (see Stereophile's October 2007 issue), itself the first modification of the classic Denon DL-103 to achieve widespread recognition and commercial success. MF reports better measured behavior from the TA-9000, with resonances "visibly and audibly" within the ideal window of 812Hz. (Vol.37 No.12), Miyajima Labs Saboten: $2475 Almost two decades later, the new two-box flagship replaces the 2008's three power supplies with four: left, right, logic, and an independent standby supply. I know that there have already been several follow-ups on this DAC, but am wondering if you have any plans to review the latest firmware, Windom. Also offered with regular phono cables/no RCA box for $6375. Its elliptical diamond fits perfectly aluminum low-mass cantilevers with thin walls and is easy to replace. The device is remarkable for its rigid mounting block made of light but durable die-cast aluminum. The Shure M97xE phono cartridge is equipped with a damped Dynamic Stabilizer brush to play any record. In tanker holds." Heavy, stainless-steel ring acts as a speed-stabilizing flywheel, damps the record, and flattens outer-groove warps. Even in light of a recent price increase, AD felt the MusiKraft combinations of high-tech shells and stock DL-103 cartridges offer very good value. There exists some disagreement between AD and MF over the overall rating, but Class B seems appropriate. HR loved the Hana's "beguiling, tubelike sound," but he noted that it "could not out-rock or out-reggae the Zu/Denon [DL-103]." (Vol.41 No.2), Zu DL-103 Mk.II: $499$1099 $$$ than the Classic Direct." MF praised the player's ease of setup and high quality of construction and finish, but noted that, contrary to the claims made for it by Haniwa, it is not optimized for use with low-internal-impedance cartridges and their companion current amplification phono preamps, and he dismissed the HTAM01 for design solutions that are "misguided and demonstrably ineffective." Manufactured for Air Tight by Yoshio Matsudaira of My Sonic Lab, the PC-1 Coda MC cartridge has a very low impedance of 1.7 ohms and an output of 0.5mV, the latter higher than the moving-coil norm. Best of all, the EQ-500, which uses a mix of ECC82 and ECC83 small-signal tubes plus an EZ81 rectifier tube, sounded wonderful to AD, who observed that "the textures of the close-miked violin, cellos, and double bass in [the Electric Light Orchestra's] "Queen of the Hours" were almost overwhelminga very pleasant overdose." Though the Denon offered excellent bass depth and impact, with an overall exciting and "pleasantly forward" sound, its high-frequency response peak made bright recordings "a bit more forward than ideal." "The Brinkmann Balance remains one of a handful of the finest turntables being made today." AD described the Maroon as having an "illuminated" midrange and a "dry and tight" bass range. Timbral performance was "overall on the warm side," although MF described note sustains as "stingy" resulting in "a dry quality." This solid-state phono preamplifier offers multiple inputs, two of which address current-amplification circuitsan approach that, according to MF, produces "the best signal/noise ratios" and does not require cartridge loading to achieve flat response. (Versions are also available with a mu-metal core and copper windings, with 1:10 and 1:15 turns ratios.) Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 & Hommage T2: both $4995 (Vol.23 No.11), Merrill G.E.M. This tiny tweak, the innards of which are a trade secret, is meant to be applied to an exposed portion of the top of an installed phono cartridge or, where that's not feasible, to the top surface of the headshell. (Vol.42 No.3 WWW), Haniwa HEQ A03-CI: $12,000 WebThe Absolute Sound Product of the Year and Editors' Choice Awards-Winner, a Stereophile Recommended Component: Ortofon 2M Black MM Phono Cartridge Is High-Value High 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. The proximity of coil to magnet and the coil's position at the magnet's center is claimed to produce a uniformity of magnetic flux fieldand, in MF's words, "more linear frequency response and greater spatial coherence." The latest in a longish line of Musical Fidelity products that use, as amplification devices, Nuvistorsminiature vacuum tubes so rugged they seldom if ever need replacing, and so reliable they're more often soldered into circuits than plugged into socketsthe new Nu-Vista Vinyl phono preamp offers five inputs, all of which can be configured, by means of front-panel pushbuttons, with a great many options of load impedance, load capacitance, and gain. Designed and made in Idaho by woodworker-machinist Chris Harban, the Woodsong plinth is crafted from Baltic-birch plywood, Panzerholz, and manmade slate, and its internal surfaces are shaped in such a way as to leave very little room between plinth and the turntable's below-deck working bits. Precise and a pleasure to use, said SM.
Other specs include a boron cantilever, a semi-line-contact stylus, and a recommended downforce of 1.82.0gm. HR got the best from the Cobalt Blue by pairing it with the 1:10 version of the EMIA Phono step-up transformer, writing that during the time it was in his system, "I never once took the Cobalt Blue's beguiling occupy-the-room presentation for granted. Because its Shibata stylus is sensitive to rake angle, the 2M Black should be used only with tonearms that permit adjustment of VTA and SRA, Mikey advised. and a faster, cleaner bottom end" than one usually associates with Miyajima cartridges, and that the Madake Snakewood performed well "with every kind of music." (Vol.44 No.4 WWW), Haniwa HCTR-CO MarkII: $10,000 Based on the original, stereo version of Grado's Lineage Epoch (see elsewhere in "Recommended Components"), the Epoch Mono is a moving-iron cartridge built into a bulky body carved from cocobolo, a dense tonewood. "Until you get the hang of it," Mikey warned, "the G.E.M. The high-mass, low-output X-quisite features a unique, patented "monobloc" transducer element consisting of a one-piece, high-strength ceramic cantilever and a square coil body that eliminates the joint almost always found in cartridges using aluminum, boron, sapphire, or diamond cantilevers. Derived from the first Windfeld modelwhich was designed by Ortofon's head of R&D, Leif Johannsen, and named for his predecessor in that position, Per Windfeldthe new Windfeld Ti MC cartridge differs from the original in its use of a titanium body core that flares at the top to form its mounting platform, which is drilled and tapped for cartridge bolts of the usual sort. (Vol.41 No.6 WWW), My Sonic Lab Ultra Eminent Ex: $6995 Among moving-coil cartridges that bear the Koetsu brandproducts as reliably boxy in shape as they are exotic in the materials used for their bodiesthe Rosewood Standard is among the most affordable. 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