Analog

Dave Thomas has posted a review of the Abis SA 12 tonearm ($1775), Pyon Sound MC Master L step-up transformer ($1500), and TiGLON MGL-10P tonearm cable ($1400) at Stereo Times. His conclusions: “Of the three pieces, the Abis SA-1.2 tonearm is the one that I believe made the biggest impact on improving the sound...
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Noam Bronstein has posted a review of the Nagaoka MP-500 phono cartridge ($699) at Wall of Sound. His conclusions: “In fact, if you’re primarily keen on acoustic music – jazz, folk, classical, etc. – this is a cartridge that I think will have few, if any peers in its price range. It gets the...
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Angelo Jasparro has posted a review of the Ikeda KAI phono cartridge (€2600) at Audio Activity. His conclusions: “If we consider then that this IKEDA ranks in the middle range (!) of the market, we can say that you can safely nominate the IKEDA KAI as an eligible candidate among the cartridges to be...
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Greg Borrowman has posted a review of the Clearaudio Performance DC turntable ($5995) at AVHub. His conclusions: “It’s so mind-bogglingly good that I seriously thought about concluding this review by writing something along the lines of: ‘If you’re thinking about buying the Clearaudio Statement, why not save yourself $183,000 and buy the Performance DC...
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Paul Rigby has posted a review of the EAT C-Sharp turntable and C-Note tonearm (£2500) at Hi-Fi News and Record Review. His conclusions: “Finally, the soundstage was both full and wide, giving the music a real epic nature while detail could be heard at each extremity, doubtless the result of the excellent arm performance…”...
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Jerry Siegel has posted a review of the RCM Sensor 2 phono preamplifier ($3990) at 10 Audio. His conclusions: “All other phono stages are inferior in one or more ways, and none so far are so reliably enjoyable. The Sensor 2 presents compelling performances that sound very natural and complete. The RCM Sensor 2...
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Karl Sigman has posted a review of the VPI Industries Scout Jr. turntable ($1500) at Audiophilia. His conclusions: “The Scout Jr. is an exquisite entry-level but audiophile quality turntable that won’t intimidate anyone; it will lure one of all ages into a new (old?) world of audio that any audiophile would and should enjoy....
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Key Kim has posted a review of the Aurorasound VIDA phono stage ($4990) at Stereo Times. His conclusions: “The Aurorasound VIDA represents an outstanding accomplishment at its price point. The VIDA’s overall presentation was free of grain and edge, with stark quietness. I really enjoyed my vinyl collection immensely with the VIDA; its black...
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Jonathan Valin has posted a review of the DS Audio DS-W1 “Nightrider” phono optical cartridge ($8500) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: “If sheer niftiness and excellent sound at a substantial savings vis-à-vis other ultra-high-end cartridge and phonostage combos are high on your analog agenda, the Nightrider is definitely a cartridge I’d seek out.”...
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Alan Sircom has posted a review of the Linn Majik LP12 turntable system (£2700) at Hi-Fi+. His conclusions: “It’s been almost a quarter of a century since I last spent time listening to an unmodified LP12, but it proved to be something of a homecoming. If you spend some time with the Majik –...
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Jason Kennedy has posted a review of the Clearaudio Absolute Phono Inside phono stage (£8995) at Hi-Fi+. His conclusions: “The Clearaudio Absolute Phono Inside is probably the most compact phono stage in its class, but it proves that small is beautiful when it comes to revealing sonic character and musicianship. There are very few...
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Neil Gader has posted a review of the Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon turntable ($3000) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: “The Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon continues the brand’s outstanding run of sonic and technical improvements in affordable vinyl playback. In fact, throughout my evaluation it never seemed out of its league, even facing the...
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René van Es has posted a review of the Remton LCR Mk2 phono stage (£3250) at The Ear. His conclusions: “The Remton lets the music flow into the room in such a natural way, it has an ease that is seldom disrupted, no matter what you throw at it. Classical, jazz, pop, male or...
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Mike Malinowski has posted a review of the Tenor Audio Phono 1 phono stage ($50’000) at 6moons. His conclusions: ” Stunning in its presentation, there were explosive dynamics, bass resolution, bloom and air. There was no single element which made the Phono 1 so outstanding. It was the cumulative effect of them all that...
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Alan Sircom has posted a review of the TechDAS Air Force Two turntable (£28,898) at Hi-Fi+. His conclusions: “The TechDAS Air Force Two is one of those turntables that takes ‘Awesome’ in its stride. It always sounds awesome, even when it’s resolving something straightforward like Tom Waits voice. But when faced with an orchestra,...
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Roy Gregory has posted a review of the “Booplinth” bamboo replacement plinth for Linn LP12 turntable (£1650) at Hi-Fi+. His conclusions: “The booplinth represents the biggest and most musically fundamental upgrade I’ve yet heard to the LP12 – and that includes all the various Linn parts. For anybody who has played with bamboo in...
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Jeff Dorgay has posted a review of the Dynavector DV-20X2 phono cartridge ($850) at TONEAudio. His conclusions: “If not the ultimate word in any of these categories, this MC cartridge will still provide substantial listening enjoyment with terrific musicality. Provided your phono preamp is up to handling low-output MC cartridges, this is an easy...
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Darryl Lindberg has posted aa Bob’s Audio Devices CineMag SKY 20 step-up transformer ($1250) at Part-Time Audiophile. His conclusions: “I really liked the SKY 20—it was impossible not to like it. For a relatively reasonable outlay of the old skrilla ($1,250), you get a very well made SUT that should satisfy even the most...
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Alan Sircom has posted a review of the VPI Prime turntable (£3750) at Hi-Fi+. His conclusions: “This would be an extremely competent turntable from the drawing board of an established expert with decades of experience under his belt, but from a comparative newcomer, the Prime is a true star. Very highly recommended.” You can...
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Jeff Dorgay has posted a review of the VPI Classic Two turntable ($3995) at TONEAudio. His conclusions: “Small details aside, the VPI Classic Two is one of the finest turntables available for $3,995. As with the Classic One, we are proud to award it one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2015.” You can...
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Noam Bronstein has posted a review of the Rothwell Audio Rialto phono stage ($849) at Wall of Sound. His conclusions: “I found the Rothwell Rialto to be something of a scalpel. There is no euphonic, pleasant harmonic distortion here. No cream or other liquid colourations. No 12ax7 tube to roll. It just doesn’t bring...
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Jason Kennedy has posted a review of the Viv Lab Rigid Float 7/Ha tonearm (£2995) at The Ear. His conclusions: “The Rigid Float is a rather unconventional arm and one that ignores traditional approaches to cartridge alignment, but like another idiosyncratic design, the Well Tempered, it produces superb results. It’s one of those analogue...
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