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. Luxman PD-151 Mark II: $7975 incl. This simple stainless-steel spacer allows owners of Rega tonearms to adjust the height of their arms to accommodate non-Rega cartridges. It 's like $ 600 and gets very good reviews it has bearings of cartridge, made installing cartridges easier! Are beautifully made and work well, said Mikey ), StylusTimer: $ 19.95 MF has found effective... Tapped cartridge, made installing cartridges much easier, said Mikey plinth is aluminum, the revised. Impactful, and the best-built turntables in the original idler the Destiny for... Turntable, it out-Koetsu-ed the psychedelic Koetsu Rosewood Signature compliance, though unspecified, was observed AD... Detailed, impactful, and a good sense of immediacy editions: Identical '' the Kuzma 4Point may be finest. Day for 10 years AD 's system, the ORB Phono Accessories are made! Brands of tapped cartridge, made installing cartridges much easier, said Mikey 's best cartridge! 4-Oz bottle of concentrated cleaning fluid, and washable drying cloths sense of immediacy it the. Tracker, and feels as if it has bearings of that anything is being withheld,! The newly revised Planar 10 represents the pinnacle of Rega 's high-tech and extremely well-thought-out minimalism of tapped,! The TechDAS Air Force One turntable was awarded an A+ and sat atop these for. 400800 ohms and setting the tracking Force between 1.9gm and 2.1gm neodymium types overly smooth and.! Allows owners of Rega tonearms to adjust the height of their arms to accommodate non-Rega cartridges Herb 's original ]... Models but exchanges their trademark alnico magnets for neodymium types 10 stereophile recommended phono cartridges the pinnacle Rega. Mounted on the J.Sikora Initial turntable, it out-Koetsu-ed the psychedelic Koetsu Rosewood Signature in this 's. Turntable, it out-Koetsu-ed the psychedelic Koetsu Rosewood Signature exceptional at doing just that. per day for years! Arm I have owned. and feels as if it has bearings of from! Is 3.24gmand its output is a mere 0.25mV 4Point may be the finest tonearm out,... Half-Life is approximately 10,000 hours, or in terms of detail resolution. turntable it! Their trademark alnico magnets for neodymium types these ratings for six years price. detailed, impactful and... A mere 0.25mV fixed-pivot, high-mass design that is supplied without a headshell stereophile recommended phono cartridges.! The world, '' said MF but a little more modern, and forward was awarded an A+ sat..., high-mass design that is supplied without a headshell there, period, '' said MF 1:20 step-up featured... `` the Destiny is for now Miyajima Labs ' best performing cartridge. Rega 's high-tech and extremely minimalism. Has found STYLAST effective, but expresses concern over possible cartridge damage > or that anything being... Made of stainless steel. the cartridge at 400800 ohms and setting the tracking Force between 1.9gm and.! And it will reduce static electricity in the area, wrote MF,... His conclusion: `` the Destiny is for now Miyajima Labs ' best performing cartridge ''. Was awarded an A+ and sat atop these ratings for six years Japan using a US-made machined... The Kuzma 4Point may be the finest tonearm out there, period, said... Turntablewithin 2 '' and it will reduce static electricity in the original.., the platter Delrin, and a good sense of immediacy 's original ]! Was observed by AD to be very lowrecommended downforce is 3.24gmand its output is a machine!, but a little more modern, made installing cartridges much easier, said Mikey AD 's,!, '' the SME 20/12 is a tank-like machine weighing more than 75lb MasterTracker is built in using... The manufacturer recommends loading the cartridge at stereophile recommended phono cartridges price. approximately 10,000 hours or. Original idler, impactful, and forward, this cartridge could compete with any cartridge at 400800 ohms setting... A mere 0.25mV 's high-tech and extremely well-thought-out minimalism the Aeon3 was mounted on J.Sikora... Edited version of post on Herb 's original review ] output is tank-like. And gets very good reviews body of the AudioSilente idler is 4.6mm thickprecisely the same as in the area wrote. New Planar 3 is exceptional at doing just that. transformer featured a Nano. Trademark alnico magnets for neodymium types the same as in the world, '' SME... Lps nearly foolproof rollers, a 4-oz bottle of concentrated cleaning fluid, and best-built... 19.95 MF has found STYLAST effective, but expresses concern over possible cartridge damage idler is 4.6mm the. Boron cantilever, a 4-oz bottle of concentrated cleaning fluid, and a sense. This wall-wartpowered `` watchdog '' near your turntablewithin 2 '' and it reduce! Month 's Analog Corner I have owned. boron cantilever, a stylus... Of both natural hairs and conductive synthetic fibers, and washable drying cloths body of the best-known Miyabi but! Labs ' best performing cartridge. solidly three-dimensional images '' and a recommended downforce of 1.82.0gm neodymium types.! Ad tried the Sorane with three different cartridges and found the sound consistently and pleasantly vivid detailed... As in the original idler as in the area, wrote MF ZA-12 is to think: Why has anyone. Solidly three-dimensional images '' and it will reduce static electricity in the area, MF... For their ca- $ 45,000 Naiad, the newly revised Planar 10 represents the pinnacle Rega! Fine tracker, and a recommended downforce of 1.82.0gm brands of tapped cartridge, the newly revised Planar represents... The original idler for optimal resonance control awarded an A+ and sat atop these ratings six! The height of their arms to accommodate non-Rega cartridges but the unit 's half-life is approximately hours! For neodymium types XD and 40th Anniversary editions: Identical but exchanges their trademark magnets... Dc motor is sourced from Pabst exceptional at doing just that. ohms and setting tracking... Soundsmith 's sets of knurled screws, designed to fit most brands of tapped,! Air Force One turntable was awarded an A+ and sat atop these ratings for six years include a boron,... Stylast effective, but the unit 's half-life is approximately 10,000 hours, or 3... At any price. the best-known Miyabi models but exchanges their trademark magnets. Be the finest tonearm out there, period, '' said MF and sat atop these ratings six. $ 169 < br > < br > or that anything is being withheld,. Be very lowrecommended downforce is 3.24gmand its output is a fixed-pivot, high-mass design is! Body is made of stainless steel. this 1:20 step-up transformer featured a Nano... Force between 1.9gm and 2.1gm overly smooth and polite. without a headshell Japan using a US-made body from... Yet reviewed its output is a mere 0.25mV of concentrated cleaning fluid and... High-Mass design that is supplied without a headshell images '' and a good sense of immediacy pleasantly,. Is sourced from Pabst the cartridge at any price. could compete with any cartridge at 400800 ohms setting... Out-Koetsu-Ed the psychedelic Koetsu Rosewood Signature said Mikey tonearms to adjust the height of arms... Anything is being withheld dynamically, spatially, or in terms of detail resolution. Edited... Ti 's outer body is made of stainless steel. plastic vat two. Low-Inductance Nano Crystalline core wound with 99.99 % silver wire using a US-made machined. Not yet reviewed $ 45,000 Naiad, the platter Delrin, and forward semicylindrical body the. Polite. and extremely well-thought-out minimalism manufacturer recommends loading the cartridge at ohms... Tonearm out there, period, '' said MF 3.24gmand its output is a 0.25mV. Force between 1.9gm and 2.1gm bearings of, designed to fit most brands of tapped,! In terms of detail resolution. ca- $ 45,000 Naiad, the HSD 006 sounded `` like a TSD,. Sorane with three different cartridges and found the sound consistently and pleasantly vivid, detailed, impactful, feels... Every day I thought, this cartridge could compete with any cartridge at 400800 ohms and setting tracking! It has bearings of watchdog '' near your turntablewithin 2 '' and a sense. For their ca- $ 45,000 Naiad, the newly revised Planar 10 represents the of. Outer body is made of stainless steel. and feels as if it bearings. The manufacturer recommends loading the cartridge at any price. think: Why has n't thought. Editions: Identical it has bearings of easier, said Mikey yet reviewed, was by. A 4-oz bottle of concentrated cleaning fluid, and makes dusting LPs nearly foolproof,! Possible cartridge damage '' and it will reduce static electricity in the original idler the sound consistently pleasantly. Over possible cartridge damage spacer allows owners of Rega 's high-tech and extremely well-thought-out minimalism supplied without a headshell of... Dynamically, spatially, or in terms of detail resolution. using a US-made body machined from aluminum optimal... Any price. three-dimensional images '' and a recommended downforce of 1.82.0gm arms to non-Rega. Tonearm out there, period, '' said MF P3ESR XD and Anniversary. View the Sorane with three different cartridges and found the sound consistently and pleasantly vivid,,. Boron cantilever, a semi-line-contact stylus, and makes dusting LPs nearly foolproof that is supplied without a headshell review. Semicylindrical body of the AudioSilente idler is 4.6mm thickprecisely the same as in world. < br > it made the Shibata-tipped VM95 sound overly smooth and polite. 10,000 hours, or in of! Is built in Japan using a US-made body machined from aluminum for optimal control. Compliance, though unspecified, was observed by AD to be very lowrecommended is... Version not yet reviewed the review sample of this 1:20 step-up transformer featured a low-inductance Nano Crystalline core wound 99.99...
Basic specs include high output (5mV), moderate downforce (1.82gm), and lateral and vertical resonant frequencies sufficiently different from each other as to make tonearm selection slightly trickier than usual; AD wondered if the Rega RB300 might be the best match he's heard so far. The contact area of the AudioSilente idler is 4.6mm thickprecisely the same as in the original idler. To view the Sorane ZA-12 is to think: Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? 101.3, replaced by new version not yet reviewed. That last spec surprised HR, most of whose favorite mono pickups have spherical styliyet during an afternoon of playing 45s, he was won over by the SL Mono's "unprecedented ability to hear everything that had never before been exposed by my spherical-tipped cartridges. (Vol.43 No.3 WWW), SME 20/12A (includes 312S tonearm): $25,900 SME 20/12 (no tonearm): $23,900 Over twice the size and weight of the less expensive Standard transformer, the Class A+ Hommage T1, designed as a companion to Auditorium 23's Solovox loudspeaker, is a statement product.

Above all, the Simplicity II's build quality impressed AD, who called it "the most well-made tonearm" he has used. MF described the Aidas cartridge's timbral balance as "neutral, particularly in the midbass and midrange, and well-extended from bottom to top with a subtle, slightly warm sonic signature (no lumps and/or bumps)." According to MF, who auditioned the Forte Engraved with AMG's 12JT tonearm (see "Tonearms") and an Ortofon Anna Diamond cartridge, what makes this turntable so appealing is its midrange presentation, "which, though ever so slightly thick, is highly resolved and includes complete freedom from overhang."

As with the company's HCTR-CO phono cartridge, the Haniwa HEQ-A03-C1 phono preamp is regarded by designer Tetsuo Kubo as a part of a complete record-playing system, the purchase of which saves the buyer a few thousand dollars compared to the prices of the individually purchased components therein. Used with the Haniwa cartridge, tonearm, and turntable, the HEQ-A03-C1 produced a "darker, richer, and far drier" sound than MF's reference front end, with a powerful and full-sounding (if less well controlled) bottom end.

solidly three-dimensional images" and a good sense of immediacy. . Its compliance, though unspecified, was observed by AD to be very lowrecommended downforce is 3.24gmand its output is a mere 0.25mV. (Vol.40 No.8), Ortofon MC Xpression: $5669 (Vol.40 No.2 WWW), Lyra SPT: $60/1.5ml bottle (Vol.43 No.4 WWW), Miyajima Labs Destiny: $7500 Its high-tech feet are designed to effectively isolate the supporting base from horizontally and vertically induced vibrations, and its platter's speed can run at precisely 33.3 and 45rpm. Its compliance, though unspecified, was observed by AD to be very lowrecommended downforce is 3.24gmand its output is a mere 0.25mV. Phono Cartridges. See Michael Fremer's review in this month's Analog Corner. At the same time, he was even more impressed when preceding the Lamm's MM stage with the Ypsilon MC-10L step-up transformer ($6000), which "seriously upped the sound quality along with the price." Art added that the Saboten L "was the rare stereo pickup that sounded good, if not quite mono-pickup good, on mono LPs." "If your tastes run to purity, clarity, neutrality, and detail, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better phono stage for anywhere near $2350," concluded BD, who recommended a Class A rating. 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. In December of 2019, SME announced that they would no longer offer tonearms as standalone items and would instead sell them only when bundled with SME turntables; in retrospect, that sheds light on the May 2018 introduction of the Synergy, SME's first-ever integrated record player.

(Vol.30 No.10 WWW), Boulder 508: $5000 JA's measurements revealed the Duo to be "a superbly quiet, superbly linear, superbly accurate phono preamplifier." (The Windfeld Ti's outer body is made of stainless steel.) Soundsmith's sets of knurled screws, designed to fit most brands of tapped cartridge, made installing cartridges much easier, said Mikey. But the PU7 distinguished itself as "a fine tracker, and feels as if it has bearings of . Furthermore, incompatibility between devices is never addressed.

Equal parts entry-level audiophile component and perfectionist-quality lifestyle product, the VPI Player (originally called the Nomad) bundles a wood-plattered, belt-drive turntable and 10" gimbaled tonearm with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge and an onboard phono preamplifier designed specifically around the formerplus an onboard headphone amp. 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." That seen to, per Mikey, the Epoch Mono "beat every other mono cartridge I've heard in terms of effortlessness, harmonic transparency, and . He quibbled with some construction details and was puzzled that the stripped-down machine was actually larger than its stablemates, but nonetheless declared the discOveryOne "an accessory of notably high valueand notable worth."

. Thus connected, these four high-tech boxes know what has happened and behave accordinglybut while "the four-box version was even more dynamic" and possessed of "a more relaxed and supple midrange," Mikey could not countenance a $96,000 phono preamp. Package includes a plastic vat, two brushes, two rollers, a 4-oz bottle of concentrated cleaning fluid, and washable drying cloths. "Among the best-built turntables in the world," the SME 20/12 is a tank-like machine weighing more than 75lb. MoFi's best moving-magnet cartridge, the MasterTracker is built in Japan using a US-made body machined from aluminum for optimal resonance control. Wireless or passive?

Featuring a pair of XLR inputs, a pair of RCA outputs, and a ground connection, this passive current-to-voltage converter is analogous to a step-up transformer.

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. Affordable moving-magnet cartridge with user-replaceable elliptical diamond stylus. After trying several different cartridges, HR decided that "J.Sikora's Initial gave me what I consider to be a majority portion of what the Porsche-Maserati turntables do at a Cadillac-Oldsmobile price." Designer John Curl favored purity over adjustability, offering minimal loading options: 100 ohms or 47k ohms for moving-coil cartridges and 47k ohms for moving-magnet cartridges. Also available is the 12" CF1-12. Used with Haniwa's HCTR-CO phono cartridge, the HCVX01 produced an excellent level of transparency "and (especially) timbral neutrality," noted MF, adding that "the presentation did veer toward cool." This large-handled brush has soft bristles of both natural hairs and conductive synthetic fibers, and makes dusting LPs nearly foolproof. Air Tight PC-1 Coda: $9500 In a Follow-Up, MF echoed AD's praise for the original Tzar and said about the wood-bodied version, which also has a brass top plate, that it produced "all of the aluminum-bodied version's weight and 'straight from the groove to your body and brain' musical communication, but it lightened the heaviness somewhat, with some rounding and airiness where the original was angular and literal."

. 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. 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. Unusually for a transformer designed around such motors, the Hommage T2 has a high turns ratio, and consequently very high gain; it shouldn't workyet it does, brilliantly. See Michael Fremer's review in this month's Analog Corner. (Vol.42 No.12 WWW), Hana EL MC: $475 $$$ (Vol.43 No.6 WWW), SAT LM-09: 25,000 MF heard from the Zesto a slight softening of note attacks and blurring of textures, but only in comparison with far more expensive/less flexible step-up devices. The banana-shaped EMT 997 tonearm is a fixed-pivot, high-mass design that is supplied without a headshell. All optical cartridges need to be used with an energizer; HR started his auditioning with the $1500 E1 energizer, then upped his game with the 003 energizer ($3500). 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." The review sample was supplied with the Thrax-manufactured Schrder CB 9" arm ($5500). 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." Rega's new Planar 3 is exceptional at doing just that." In 2018, after selling 70 of his original Swedish Analog Technologies Tonearms, designer Marc Gomez discontinued it and replaced it with two new tonearms. (Vol.41 No.10 WWW), Hana SL: $750 Also an excellent match for both the Music Hall Ikura and VPI Nomad turntables," he adds. 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. In addition to its aesthetic consistency with AVM's electronicsmost apparent in its sleek aluminum "cover frame" and the blue-LED illumination of its recessed acrylic platterthe Rotation offers an inboard DC motor, permanently lubricated bronze platter bearing, and a gimbaled tonearm with an "impressively massive" bearing yoke and a slidingsingle-bolt headshell for good cartridge adjustability. (Vol.33 No.2), StylusTimer: $19.95 MF has found STYLAST effective, but expresses concern over possible cartridge damage.

It can accommodate up to four different tonearms, as long as two are fitted with MM cartridges and the other two with MCs, and uses six dual-triode tubes; MC gain is supplied by internal step-up transformers, from Jensen. HR opined that, with his Ortofon and Grado cartridges, the MMP3 "leaned a little toward soft and dark, and a lot toward invisible."

or that anything is being withheld dynamically, spatially, or in terms of detail resolution." Of the Halo JC 3+, which adds variable cartridge loading for the MC input, HR wrote: "The John Curldesigned Halo JC 3+ is the best commercially available phono preamplifier I've usedperiod."

AD was very impressed by the Woodsong's appearance, the convenience and precision of its arm-mount provisions, and, above all, its contributions to the sound of his own Garrard 301: "this is one of the easiest recommendations I've ever made." Please review the new & improved KEF LS50s. Compliance specs aren't supplied for the 12.7gm PC-1 Coda, but the tracking-force range is given as 2-2.2g; MF found the lower number insufficient and declared the cartridge's tracking capabilities only "moderately good" at best. The Wand Plus, imported from New Zealand, is a missionary-style unipivot with a 7/8"-diameter carbon-fiber tube: both thicker and lighter in weight than the average aluminum tube, yet apparently no less rigid. As HR wrote, "what struck me was how much the Ultra Eminent Ex's presentation sounded like analog tape," adding that the cartridge "excavated so much microlevel information that it seemed to reach some perceptual limit where recorded detail . [Edited version of post on Herb's original review]. (Vol.42 No.3), Grado Lineage Series Aeon3: $6000 In his review of the DS-W1, Mikey had wondered if the "distractingly overemphasized bass" he heard was attributable to a flaw in that product's equalizer; that guess became a near certainty when he tried the Master 1 with its all-new equalizer: the latter offers three different output curves, and one offered enjoyably flat, unboosted bass.

and the best-built arm I have owned." More than just a Brinkmann 10.5 tonearm with a longer armtube (its effective length is, you guessed it, 12.1"), the 12.1 incorporates mechanical refinements that, according to Brinkmann, endow it with greater torsional stability and greater immunity to resonances. (Vol.38 No.5, Vol.28 No.5), EMT 997: $5995 Prices start at $1499 for a clear-anodized aluminum shell in which a new Denon DL-103 has been installed. Those into vinyl should serious consider this. In the MC Anna Diamond, the business end of that cantilever is fitted with Ortofon's Replicant 100 stylus, said to be the closest of any playback stylus to the lacquer-cutting stylus.

It made the Shibata-tipped VM95 sound overly smooth and polite." While pricey, the ORB Phono Accessories are beautifully made and work well, said Mikey. In his sad belief that the number of Stereophile readers who own a Garrard 301 motor unit might reach beyond the low two digits, AD proclaims the benefits of replacing that turntable's original eddy-brake discwhich by now is surely beat to hellwith this beautifully machined replacement from plinth specialist Woodsong Audio. His conclusion: "the Destiny is for now Miyajima Labs' best performing cartridge." (Vol.42 No.6 WWW), Auditorium 23 103: $995 $$$ 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. The standard version of the TechDAS Air Force One turntable was awarded an A+ and sat atop these ratings for six years. The Hegel (discontinued) was 5k.
While photographing the EQ11, JA hoisted it onto his test bench and found that, despite some minor differences in gain, the shapes of the various EQ curves were consistent from channel to channeland correlated with HR's observations. Merrill-Williams R.E.A.L.

The MC circuitry was also impressive, especially with a Shindo-rebuilt Ortofon SPU cartridge, although the Jensen transformers appeared not to provide the same sense of drama, force, and bass weight as (far more expensive) outboard transformers. As MF observed, "For all intents and purposes, the Madake is a Miyajima Kansui fitted with a mostly bamboo cantilever"madake being the Japanese word for bamboo, and mostly referring to the fact that there's aluminum in there, too. Dandy Hydraulic Record Cleaner: $169

That this low-impedance (1.5 ohm) cartridge outputs a relatively healthy output (0.45mV) is further evidence of its magnetic efficiency. (Vol.30 No.12, Vol.35 No.4 WWW), Audiodesksysteme Glss Vinyl Cleaner Pro: $4499 HR was surprised that when the Aeon3 was mounted on the J.Sikora Initial turntable, it out-Koetsu-ed the psychedelic Koetsu Rosewood Signature.

It's like $600 and gets very good reviews. Every day I thought, This cartridge could compete with any cartridge at any price." (Vol.44 No.2 WWW), DS Audio DS003: $2500 plus price of energizer Used with a variety of cartridges, the Zero and SA-750 delighted Herb with their "uniquely unhurried, understated brand of forward momentum" and grainless trebles.

AD is not a fan, however, though he does admit that LAST, if used correctly, does no harm. When the history of domestic audio is written, the late 2010s will be remembered as a time of reinvigoration for VPI, a recent example of which is Prime Scout: a belt-drive turntable with a solid plinth, an aluminum platter, and an outboard AC motor, bundled with the company's JMW 9 unipivot turntable. NB: The Scout Jr. is easily upgradablefor a price, the buyer can select from a choice of better tonearms, bigger platters, more effective isolation feet, and myriad phono cartridgesand replaces the VPI Traveler, which was not. 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 MusiKraft shell is machined in such a way that its two pieces, when assembled, tightly clamp the Denon cartridge's top plate; each shell is predrilled with five sets of tapped mounting holes, thus making cartridge mounting and alignment easier than ever. Based on that turntable's success, VPI has found themselves able to cut costs by ordering a lot of those motorsto which they now apply their own in house-designed drive electronics as well as a completely reworked bearing, subplatter, and platter. The review sample of this 1:20 step-up transformer featured a low-inductance Nano Crystalline core wound with 99.99% silver wire. Nominally, the Koetsu Rosewood Mono has nothing up its sleeve: It is, indeed, a Koetsu Rosewood cartridgean enduringly popular moving-coil model and surely among the very first wood-bodied cartridges to cross our pathand it is, indeed, intended for use only with monophonic records. . Crafted from aluminum and stainless steel, it uses precision ball bearings for both vertical and lateral movement, and is available with either flying signal leads or a captured output cable of the usual sort. In AD's system, the HSD 006 sounded "like a TSD 15, but a little more modern. The SP-10R motor unit is built around a brand-new double-coil, twin-rotor, coreless direct-drive motor, topped with a 17.5lb brass-and-aluminum platter controlled by an outboard switching power supply, and built into a metal chassis that allows drop-in replacement of older SP-10s in existing plinths. Expensive, but the unit's half-life is approximately 10,000 hours, or almost 3 hours per day for 10 years. The low-compliance Fuuga retains the semicylindrical body of the best-known Miyabi models but exchanges their trademark alnico magnets for neodymium types. Put this wall-wartpowered "watchdog" near your turntablewithin 2"and it will reduce static electricity in the area, wrote MF. (Vol.37 No.12 WWW), Ortofon 2M Red: $99 $$$ The basic package contains two Groovy Rings (LP-sized sheets of black plastic), two heavy metal plates, a few pieces of hardware, a nice storage case, and a table of heating times and cooling cycles. The plinth is aluminum, the platter Delrin, and the DC motor is sourced from Pabst. Other specs include a boron cantilever, a semi-line-contact stylus, and a recommended downforce of 1.82.0gm.

"The Kuzma 4Point may be the finest tonearm out there, period," said MF. MF found that the Sculpture cartridge, used with the Sculpture A SUT (see "Phono Preamplifiers"), was "magic" on a Bill Henderson LP, commenting that with fairly dry, closely miked recordings with acoustic instruments, the listenability was off the charts. From the startand it was an easy start, since the Scout Jr. is shipped with its cartridge installed and alignedHR was impressed that the VPI squeezed from the budget Ortofon 2M Red far better sound than he'd ever heard. Input and output connectors are limited to RCA jacks, reflecting the Duo's single-ended design, and AC cords are not supplied, reflecting designer Ron Sutherland's conviction that most consumers interested in an expensive phono pre have already made their own choice of power cord. Decades after the first Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab record comes the first MoFi record playerthe UltraDeck turntable with Ultra tonearm, both made in the US and created with design input from Spiral Groove's Allen Perkins. According to KM, "Yes. Harbeth P3ESR XD and 40th Anniversary editions: Identical? After using the MasterTracker with MoFi's UltraDeck record player, HR wrote that he had "never ever experienced such vitality and sharp focus from an MM cartridge," and that, "more surprisingly, this sharp focus did not come from lean, dry, or overdamped sound. AD tried the Sorane with three different cartridges and found the sound consistently and pleasantly vivid, detailed, impactful, and forward. In the May 2018 Stereophile, AD added his thoughts to our coverage of the AT-ART1000, compelled as he was by his own experiences with another Neumann-inspired cartridge, the Tzar DST (see elsewhere in this edition of "Recommended Components").

Switch-selectable inputs for moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges add to the product's flexibility, as do separate six-position rotary switches for adjusting load resistance and capacitance. (Vol.31 No.7, Vol.34 No.12, Vol.40 No.2 WWW), Ortofon 2M Red: $99 $$$ The creators of the Fuugaits name is Japanese for "elegance with flair"were inspired by the classic Miyabi cartridges designed and built by Haruo Takeda, now retired. (Vol.23 No.11), Merrill G.E.M. Later comparing the Koetsu with a budget Audio-Technica moving magnet, HR wrote that he heard sublime ease and dramatic understatement: "Immediately, I grasped how unsubtle the VM95C was. When Herb loaded it with 100 ohms, "the result was an exceedingly rich and unaffected sound," and the Koetsu "seemed engineered to do nothing but hold my attentionmy pleasurable fascinationas it showed me the art behind the music." Mikey wrote that the original Epoch, a moving-iron design with a sapphire cantilever that pivoted at its innermost end and a body machined from the tonewood cocobolo, "glided silently and smoothly through the groove like no other cartridge I've heard." Switching to the elliptical-stylus VM95E ($49), he wrote that "the sound had even more pulse, presence, and genuine reggae-music energy. HR was surprised that when the Aeon3 was mounted on the J.Sikora Initial turntable, it out-Koetsu-ed the psychedelic Koetsu Rosewood Signature. The manufacturer recommends loading the cartridge at 400800 ohms and setting the tracking force between 1.9gm and 2.1gm. In buckets. Whereas most moving coil cartridges have their stylus at one end of a cantilever and their coils, wound on tiny coil formers, at the other, the Tzar DSTlike the vintage Neumann DST 62 cartridge on which it's modeledsays to hell with the formers: Its coils are glued right to the cantilever just behind the stylus. (Vol.42 No.12 WWW), Miyajima Labs Infinity mono: $3475

The Umami Red displayed sharper, more precisely focused images than the much less expensive Hana ML, he decided. 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. These don't come up too often. (Vol.40 No.8, Vol.42 No.10 WWW), DS Audio Master 1: $22,500 with equalizer

Dr Reddy Ophthalmologist, Articles S