Anthony H. Cordesman has posted a review of the Pass Labs XP-25 phono preamplifier ($10,600) at AVGuide. His conclusions: What really captured my attention, however, was the combination of natural midrange timbre and energy and soundstage and low-level detail. Again, the changes were slight and much depended on record quality and the cartridge. Nevertheless,...
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Analog
Pass Labs XP-25 Phono Preamplifier
DaVinci Grand Reference Grandezza Phono Cartridge
Andy Schaub has posted a review of the DaVinci Grand Reference Grandezza phono cartridge ($) at Positive Feedback Online. His conclusions. So, how do I begin to describe the sound of the DaVinci cartridge (I think we'll leave out "Grand Reference Grandezza" from now; but that IS the one we're talking about). Well, I...
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Graham Slee Revelation Phono Stage
Geoff Husband has posted a review of the Graham Slee Revelation phono stage ($£700) at TNT Audio. His conclusions: 'Revelation' is a rather presumptive name for a product, but in this case it might even be merited , with many recordings the result is simply 'ear opening'. The original multi-curve stage from Graham was...
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Pass Laboratories XP-15 Phono Preamplifier
Tom Lyle has posted a review of the Pass Laboratories XP-15 phono preamplifier ($3800) at Superior Audio. His conclusions: I can't remember the last time I wrote a review with no negative comments regarding the performance of a piece of equipment being scrutinized — there is always a nit to pick or two, but...
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Kuzma Stogi Reference 313 VTA Tonearm
Dick Olsher has posted a review of the Kuzma Stogi Reference 313 VTA tonearm ($3800) at Superior Audio. His conclusions: The Kuzma did everything I could possibly ask of it, happily accommodating every MC cartridge in my collection. An extremely low arm noise-floor is an essential prerequisite for achieving optimal performance from any partnering...
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Shindo 301 Vinyl Playback System
Jack Roberts has posted a review of the Shindo 301 Vinyl Playback System ($25,000), a highly modified Garrard 301 with custom tonearm and cartridge, at Dagogo. His conclusions: Garrard 301s are known for their solidity, body, power, dynamics, and drive. The Shindo does all this and at the same time something fundamentally different from...
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Clearaudio Concept Turntable
Anthony Kershaw has posted a review of the Clearaudio Concept turntable with Aurum MM cartidge ($1500) at Audiophilia. His conclusions: Analogue has been buried, creamated, decimated many times over the past fifty years. All, premature. Yet, the iPod generation is now getting grey hair and that scares me a little. I’m not sure that...
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Abbingdon Music Research PH-77 Phono Stage
Michael Fremer has posted a review of the Abbingdon Music Research PH-77 phono stage ($11,995) at Stereophile. His conclusions: The PH-77 is a sweet, tonally well-balanced, quiet performer that produced a large, authoritative sonic picture packed with honest detail. Its weakest suit was its inability to produce full macrodynamic expression. While it was good...
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HiFiction Thales AV Tonearm
Michael Fremer has posted a review of the HiFiction Thales AV tonearm ($$12,360) at Stereophile. His conclusions: The HiFiction Thales AV made it possible for both the Lyra Titan i and the Ortofon A90 cartridges to reach their full sonic potentials in my system. The arm tracked as well as any pivoted tonearm I've...
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Miyajima Shilabe Phono Cartridge
Art Dudley and Michael Fremer have posted a review of the Miyajima Shilabe phono cartridge ($2800) at Stereophile. Their conclusions: The Miyajima Shilabe is an unusually designed and unusually fine-sounding cartridge, but its 0.23mV output means that it must be paired with a quiet, high-quality phono preamplifier. If you have one, and you're more...
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Soulution 750 Phono Preamp
Jonathan Valin has posted a review of the Soulution 750 phono preamp ($25,000) at AVGuide. His conclusions: My conclusion? The Soulution 750 is the most neutral, detailed, transparent-to-sources, lifelike solid-state phonostage I’ve yet heard. It will appeal to absolute sound listeners and fidelity-to-mastertape listeners equally. It is, in fact, what I would buy if...
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Clearaudio Concept, Pro-Ject RM-9.2, Thorens TD 160
Clearaudio Concept Pro-Ject RM-9.2 Thorens TD 160 Wayne Garcia has published reviews of three mid-priced - the Clearaudio Concept ($1400), the Pro-Ject RM-9.2 ($2499), and the Thorens TD 160 ($2899 with Rega 250 tonearm, $4899 with the SME Model M2 tonearm) at AVGuide. His conclusions: To put this in perspective, the cartridge in my...
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Music Hall MMF-2.2 LE Turntable
Todd Whitesel has posted a review of the entry level Music Hall MMF-2.2 LE turntable ($499) at AudioVideoRevolution. His conclusions: The MMF-2.2 LE gets my strong recommendation as a top choice for an entry-level turntable for budding audiophiles looking to put together a first analog system or those ready to replace an aging 'table....
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Eight High-End Moving Coil Phono Cartridges
Harry Pearson has posted his two part series entitled The Third Generation of Moving Coils at The Absolute Sounds. The cartridges he reviews, in descending order of cost, are as follows: Clearaudio Goldfinger v2 ($10,000) Dynavector XV-1T ($9000) My Sonic Labs ($6900) ZYX Omega ($6600) Benz LP S-M ($5000) Kubotech Haniwa ($5000) Miyajima Shilabe...
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Sutherland 20/20 Phono Preamplifier
Tom Lyle Has posted a review of the Sutherland 20/20 phono preamp ($2,199) at Positive Feedback Online. His conclusions: There is no question that the top-notch Sutherland 20/20 will find a happy home in many systems. For audiophiles currently thinking of upgrading from a decent sub-$1500 model, buyer's regret is hardly an imaginable outcome—and...
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Sumiko Audio Palo Santos Presentation Cartridge
Niel Gader has posted a review of the Sumiko Audio Palo Santos Presentation phono cartridge ($3,500) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: …The cartridge revels in small differences, like the grade of grit of the sand blocks throughout this track. Only in minor ways does it leave some performance on the table. It flags...
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Abbingdon Music Research PH-77 Phono Preamplifier
Marshall Nack has posted a review of the Abbingdon Music Research PH-77 Phono Preamplifier ($11,995) at Positive Feedback Online. His conclusions: If music is your pleasure, you will find the new tube hybrid AMR PH-77 Reference Class Phono Equalizer an excellent communicator. Its strongest suit is clarity. Not the clarity of a component designed...
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Oracle Delphi Mk VI Record Player
Jonathan Valin has posted his review of the Oracle Delphi Mk VI turntable ($8,500), Oracle/SME V tonearm ($5,950) and Oracle/Benz-Micro LP S-MR moving-coil cartridge, ($5,500) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: I could happily live with the Oracle Delphi Mk VI’s presentation. In fact, I think I did live with it—or at least a...
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Bergmann Sindre Turntable
Alan Sircom has posted a review of the Bergmann Sindren turntable and linear tracking tonearm ($21,000) at Hi-Fi+. His conclusions: My main concern with parallel trackers – aside from the whole falling-to-bits thing that modern designs like this, the Cartridgeman and the Kuzma designs have cracked – is the lack of boogie factor. It’s...
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Vitus Audio MP-P201 Masterpiece Series Phono Preamp
Michael Fremer has posted his somewhat controversial review of the Vitus Audio MP-P201 Masterpiece Series phono preamplifier at Stereophile/ His conclusions: The Vitus MP-P201's speed, transparency, three-dimensionality, frequency extension, rhythmic ability, musical grip, and any other parameter you could name—with the exception of what only tubes can do—took the overall sound to a new,...
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ASR Mini Basis Exclusive Phono Stage
Peter Roth has posted his review of the ASR Mini Basis Exclusive Phono Stage ($2,900) at Soundstage! Hi-Fi.. His conclusions: Rather than wholesale changes or flavors of the month, ASR focuses on the evolution and perfection of a limited product line. The Mini Basis Exclusive is a representative product of that approach. Audio components...
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Ray Samuels F-117 Nighthawk Phono Stage
Frank Alles has posted a review of the Ray Samuels F-117 Nighthawk Phono Stage ($795) at Stereo Times. His conclusion: The Ray Samuels F-117 Nighthawk phono stage is quite an impressive component. It features long battery life with fast recharging, front-panel rotary knobs for making gain and loading adjustments, and fantastic low-noise performance. Yes,...
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Fosgate Signature Phonostage and Fozgometer
Chris Martens has posted a review of the Fosgate Signature Phonostage ($2,500) and Fozgometer azimuth range meter ($250) at The Absolute Sound: His conclusions: Like many of you, I’m intrigued by the idea—first put forward by our own Jonathan Valin—of using a “truth-to-beauty” continuum to characterize the personalities of fine audio components. Where does...
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Allnic Audio H-3000 Phono Stage
Marc Mickelson has posted a review of the Allnic Audio H-3000 phono stage ($10,900) at The Audio Beat. His conclusions: Audiophiles and members of the audio press alike can become easily smitten with novel solutions to supposed issues of sonic reproduction, believing that pure reason always leads to better musical reproduction. Products like the...
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Bergmann Sindre Turntable
Paul Seydor has posted a review of the Bergmann Sindre straightline tracking arm and turntable at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: The few reservations I’ve expressed about the Sindre should be read in the context of the most minute and exacting comparisons made at the highest levels of performance of the finest record playing...
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