Jeff Dorgay has posted a review of the Rega RP1 turntable ($) at TONEAudio. His conclusions: While plenty of budding audiophiles will argue to the ends of the Earth over the merit of the RP1 versus a few other contenders that are similarly priced, the fact is that the RP1 offers solid performance, excellent...
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Frederic Beudot has posted a review of the Dynavector 20X-2 phono cartridge ($850) at 6moons. His conclusions: In my quest for a DL103 replacement the Dynavector 20X-2 in the end offered all I truly wanted. My usual vinyl fare comprises over 80% classical music or quality recordings of jazz and country. What the...
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Martin Colloms has posted a review of the Audio Research Reference 2 phono stage ($12,000) at Hi-Fi Critic. His conclusions: Audio Research continues its winning run, and once again we must sing the praises of yet another top class design that above all delivers infectious musical involvement and high resolution from LP recordings. The...
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Kari Nevalainen has posted reviw of the E.A.R. 869 integrated amplifier (€4770) and E.A.R. 834P phono stage (€1195) at Innerworld Audio. His conclusions: Its sound possesses many strong points. The ability to follow the dynamics of the music is one: the amp goes quieter and quieter and quieter, and waits until the very last...
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Paul Seydor has posted a review of the SOTA Sapphire Series V turntable ($2700) and Origin Vive Encounter MK III tonearm ($1400)at AVGuide. His conclusions: The Sapphire is not perfect. It doesn’t have the extreme resolution, control, “blackness ten times black” background quietness, and elusive sense of life and vitality of a few (very...
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Wojciech Pacuła has posted a review of the Art Audio Vinyl One Reference One phono stage (£3500) at High Fidelity. His conclusions: My opinion about the Art is based on a long listening session, without switching forth and back between the available preamplifiers. And each subrange of the sound spectrum was saturated, as usual...
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Wojciech Pacuła has posted a review of the Avid Actus Reference turntable (£12,000) and Avid Pulsare phono stage (£3000) at High Fidelity. His conclusions: The turntable itself is smooth, saturated, really very satisfactory. It has a splendid tonal balance, with a slightly stronger bass and a slightly softer treble. But this is a very...
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Frederic Beudot has posted a review of the Densen DP-Drive 04 phono stage ($1350) at 6moons. His conclusions: In conclusion it should be obvious that despite some really desirable qualities centered on midrange richness, stage width and silence of operation, the Densen did not align too well with my listening biases focused as those...
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Marek Dyba has posted a review of The Funk Firm Saffire II turntable + FXR II tonearm (together, €3800) at High Fidelity. His conclusions: In spite of its quite avant-garde look Funk Saffire II is a “heavy weight” contender, that is capable of creating involving and enjoyable spectacles when playing our favorite records plus...
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Wojciech Pacuła has posted a review of the Gato Audio AMP-150 integrated amplifier (€5590) at High Fidelity. His conclusions: AMP-150 is a beautiful amplifier, with uncompromised sound. We have to try it out with our speakers, because this is not a plug & play solution. Beside the loudspeakers I mentioned, you should try it...
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Wojciech Pacuła has posted a review of the Miyajima Laboratory Shilabe phone cartridge (€2975) at High Fidelity. His conclusions: Shilabe is a remarkable cartridge. It seems warm, but is at the same time resolved. There is beautiful, deep bas and a strong, slightly warm midrange. Noting else to add or to subtract. Unless… Did...
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Martin Taylor has posted a review of the Dynavector DV20X2L phono cartridge (£499) at Adventures in High Fidelity Audio. His conclusions: The 20X2L is a dark sounding cartridge. That is to say, music rises from a deep blackness with very low levels of surface noise. So pronounced is this effect that at first I...
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has posted a review of the Sota Comet 3 turntable with S301 tonearm (together, $1200) at Stereo Mojo. His conclusions: Who might be interested in the Sota Comet III? Well, it is an entry level table; 8th model from the top and one from the bottom of the Sota line. (The Moonbeam is one...
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Martin Taylor has posted a review of the Dynavector DV507MkII tonearm ($4250) at Adventures in High Fidelity Audio. His conclusions: My overall impression of the Dynavector DV507-II is of an arm that has been designed from the ground up to answer questions of rigidity, damping and a stable cartridge platform by utilising novel ideas...
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Wojciech Pacuła has posted a review of the TW-Acustic Raven One turntable and 10.5" tonearm () at 6moons. His conclusions: The TW-Acustic turntable struck me as a very good compromise between the intellectual and emotional aspects of music…Backgrounds were not as black as with my personal reference in this regard, the Transrotor Argos. I...
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Alan Sircom has posted a review of the Burmester 100 phono preamplifier (€10,000-€14,000, depending on optional modules) at AVguide. His conclusions: So there’s a downside, but one that only really shows up when comparing the 100 to a select few phono stages. It’s a RIAA-only stage, with no provision for other equalisation curves; so...
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Steve Marsh has posted a review of the Benz LP-S phono cartridge ($5000) at 6moons. His conclusions: In the past couple of years I’ve actually been thinking of selling off the rock portion of my record collection. The Benz LP-S has disabused me of that notion. To be fair the Roksan Shiraz did a...
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Rich Colburn has posted a review of the McIntosh MR88 FM/XM/Internet tuner ($4000) at TONEAudio. His conclusions: Can streaming audio on the Internet replicate what the MR88 accomplishes? Some might be tempted to think so. But the MR88 is a different animal. From the comfort of a sofa, you can enjoy favorite FM broadcasts,...
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Michael Fremer has posted a reviw of the Oracle Delphi Mk.VI turntable ($8500 without tonearm) at Stereophile. His conclusions: With the improvements in the bearing, and especially with the addition of the silicone damping system, the Mk.VI edition not only retains the Oracle Delphi's position as one of the most beautiful turntables in the...
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Paul Candy has posted a review of the Well Tempered Lab Amadeus turntable ($3135) at 6moons. His conclusions: What did the $3,135 Amadeus have that my $1,000 Pro-Ject RM-5 didn't? Apart from the more realistic timbre, more apparent musical detail and greater scale and drama, the Amadeus offered a more natural sense of flow,...
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Robert E. Greene has posted a review of the Townshend Audio Rock 7 turntable ($3000) at AVGuide. His conclusions: There is a certain perception that turntable design can be pushed on and on, into ever more stratospheric heights by making things larger and more expensive. And I suppose one could imagine pushing the ideas...
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has posted a review of the Brinkmann Audio Bardo turntable ($8000) at The Audio Beat. His conclusions: The Bardo came across as a fast and muscular record-playing engine. There was a sense of propulsion and accuracy. Perhaps some of this comes from the Brinkmann’s Teutonic character, but I suspect that direct drive grips the...
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Jacob Heilbrunn has posted a review of the Octave Phono Module phonostage ($4500 plus input modules) at AVGuide. His conclusions: But the Octave is the complete package at a lot lower price. I’m not sure personally if I wouldn’t hanker for a mite more golden bloom. But the Octave achieves exactly what it sets...
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Neil Underwood has posted a review of the Alpha Design Labs GT40 USB DAC with Phono Stage ($495) at Canada Hi-Fi. Some of his observations: Playing digital music files through the GT40 was like discovering the songs all over again. Suddenly the midrange offered a substantially cleaner presentation and was filled with details that...
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Todd Whitesel has posted a review of the Rogue Audio Ares phono preamplifier ($1995) at Audio Video Revolution. His conclusions: “Let the tubes do their thing,” that phrase stayed in my mind as I rolled with the Ares this autumn and heard it do nothing but that and renew my love of analog. Compared...
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