Music systems for the quality conscious
We’ve lived with the Nativ Vita for just on eight weeks now – if anything we are more enthused by the Vita than at first when I wrote our introductory page. As you might expect, we have learned a lot and have also enjoyed an encouragingly positive response from clients including a surprising number of sales. It’s become obvious that Nativ are on to a winning concept with the Vita – let’s look at some aspects that add to the original assessment.
Music brings happiness to everyone. Treat yourself, your family or loved one with a new addition to your home whether it be a bluetooth or WiFi speaker, a new radio, a music streaming system, a new touch screen control centre – scroll on down to find inspiration in our selection of gift ideas, click on the links to find out more …and remember we’ll do a special gift wrapping for you at no extra charge.
In a one-size-fits-all world where every phone is basically the same, few things can be more individual than your choice of system to replay music in your home. The downside of this is that our choices can seem bewildering. So I’ve been doing some serious thinking about how we put together a system – even then it’s a challenge to decide what we call it – a stereo or music system, an AV media or surround system? Digital, analogue or both?
It’s become obvious that the old rules that were arbitrarily applied to system design just don’t work any more. Linn had a hierarchy of components starting from source but how does this work when the source is an iPhone? Wattage used to be the go-to specification for choosing speakers and amplifiers but with modern living loudness is hardly a desirable attribute – quality is what counts.
And if you have an existing system, will be the best solution be to upgrade a single component or just to replace as a means to the end of better sound?
With all these considerations in mind I’ve decided to highlight 2 quite different system choices that we’ve been enjoying over the last few months. Working from home has allowed us to spend much more time listening and really coming to grips with how components will perform in your own environment.
The first system centres on the new little French designed D-Stream WAMP-200 SB digital amplifier. This is a completely modern take on the idea of an entry level integrated amplifier and while intended to be a very simple to operate, there is a depth of features and flexibility that simply didn’t exist at any price a few years ago. That, and it sounds insanely good for very little.
The D-Stream hardly even looks like an amplifier – it’s a sleek and compact clamshell with two rear mounted wifi aerials that suggest in a completely reasonable way that this is essentially a network component first and foremost. So while the physical input and output array on the rear panel is modest, this is more than supplemented by wifi, Bluetooth and LAN connectivity and the entire world of possibilities that come with steaming services and shared music collections.
The D-Stream not only opens up all these channels for you, it is more than capable of making great sound with a wide range of speakers. Because it sounds so good, it will make low cost speakers sound better and allow you to build an easily affordable system that doesn’t skimp on quality or features.
But at the same time I’ll point out that the low cost of the D-Stream enables you to select speakers that are better than you might have otherwise allowed for. When carefully set up and connected in the same way we would with a high end amplifier, the D-Stream WAMP 200 SB is the literal giant killer.
As our suggested system, I’ve matched the D-Stream with a pair of rather nice trade in speakers – the Quad 12L.2s which have just come in – these shelf mount speakers have a generous and rich sound which builds on the D-Stream’s clarity and evenhanded presentation. Together they are easily our best sounding entry level system for just $1400 complete.
There is absolutely a place for a carefully put together component system where each part is purpose built. Because I’m continually evaluating new components I want a baseline system of high transparency at a realistic price point that reflects what I know many of you can afford. Simply put, I want to know that you’ll be able to hear what I do and that you’ll be able to trust what I write.
So I’ve put together a complete system where no individual part is more than $3000 and most are much less – this approach gives a huge degree of flexibility. Each component stands as what I’d hope is best in its class so you can look to put any one of them in your own system.
I’m intentionally using both analogue and digital sources, and the aim is to be able to appreciate both in equal measure.
On the analogue side, we have the Consonance Wax Engine turntable, fitted with the new Dynavector 10X5mk2 high output moving coil cartridge. The digital foil for this is the NuPrime CDP-9 player and DAC – this deals not only with CD but has multiple digital inputs allowing you to stream in from smartphone, network, TV and more.
In keeping with the ethos of separate components we have NuPrime’s remarkable little HPA-9 analogue preamplifier. This is the unsung hero in the NuPrime range – resolutely analogue and running in pure Class A, you couldn’t ask for a simpler product that sounds great and even has an excellent phono stage built in. Originally intended as a headphone amplifier (and there are 3 outputs for this), I’ve found it to be a supremely capable preamplifier that adds quality and drive to almost any system.
Match this with the proven STA-9 120 watt power amplifier and you have a combination that will make the most of almost any form of music coming and and drive any speaker system you wish to connect. And don’t forget the STA-9 can be easily bridged so you can upgrade your system to two mono 280 watt power amps at any stage in the future.
We’ve been completely spoilt for choice with new speakers lately – the new Monitor Audio Silver series or Studios would be obvious choices for this system. But we’ve always loved what Sonus faber do and right now the Chameleon T’s are by far our best value speaker proposition – these are a full sized floor standing speaker the combine the essential ‘voice’ of Sonus faber with the efficiency, depth and solidity you’d expect with two bass drivers in a generously ported cabinet that stands around 1m high. Throw in a choice of Italian racing red or beautifully finished walnut side panels and you have a speaker system that looks every bit as good as it sounds.
Combined with the NuPrime electronics and the Wax Engine turntable, the Chameleons do pretty much everything you could ever hope for – above all they produce the kind of sound that you can just fall into – rich and warm but always involving enough to keep you coming back for more.
Good as all the individual parts are, it’s the connections that make them work and turn it into a functioning system. The timely arrival of a new generation of cables from Keith Eichmann delivered a transparency and balance that is difficult to describe but easy to understand once you hear it. As it stands, this system includes two of the new ‘special’ gPower3 AC power cables, a couple of pairs of the the new QFlow3 analogue interconnects, a set of 2m QFlow7 speakers cables plus the matching bi-wire jumpers. And from the turntable we use a custom made Mogami interconnect with the KLEI Absolute Harmony RCA plugs – this ensures a complete absence of hum which is often the by-product of in -ine power supplies.
It says something about how I regard the importance of connections that when we do a quick add up of all the cables used, if considered as a component, they are the most costly part of this system. Sound crazy? My question to you would be what do you think would make this system perform at a higher level for less? We could change individual components, but would they really improve the system as a whole? And anyway, it would be easy enough to select Keith’s entry level KLEI cables which deliver a remarkably consistent performance – this would quickly bring the total back in line with the individual components.
The nature of component systems is that they are often built up over time – so you may only take one or two parts of the above system as being relevant to you. Think of it as a bit of a real world testbed.
What you’ll find striking is that you could migrate from the little D-Stream system in my office, to the NuPrime 9 based system above, and then to the boots and all Well Tempered/Nuprime Evolution set up, and not feel short changed at any step. Obviously as we go up there are marked improvements in qualities such as detail and precision, a vast increase in available power and dynamics. But each gets to the heart of music and is genuinely enjoyable. We’re not about audio elitism – I’m happy to work at the level you are comfortable with and will do my best to put together the best sound at whatever that happens to be.
Consonance Wax Engine Turntable $1695
Dynavector DV 10X5Mk2 $1100
NuPrime CDP-9 player and DAC $2800
NuPrime HPA-9 preamp $1250
NuPrime STA-9 power amplifier $1250
Sonus faber Chameleon T speakers – on special – were $5000+ Now $2700 (red panels) $3000 (walnut)
KLEI gPower3 AC cables 1m $750
KLEI QFlow3 Interconnects $900
KLEI QFlow 7 Speaker cables 2m $1575
KLEI Q7 Bi-wire jumpers $320.
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At the same time as I’ve been writing this, my partner Carolijn has been working through the new Vifa range of wireless speakers from the remarkable little Reykjavik (just $429) though to their elegantly proportioned Stockholm ($2700). Read her take here.
Hifi is about seduction, is it not? After all music is emotionally charged. As a woman in the HiFi industry, I see a lot of contradiction. In the western oriented milieu it occupies, emotion is considered effeminate and seduction is largely in the male domain. Much Hifi therefore, has been designed to counteract the feminine, emotive aspect; to put the macho in its construction. Moreover, to construct an image of HiFi that belongs to the man cave and HiFi forums, with jealous possession.
Over the years we have seen this image shoot itself in the foot and unhappy Hifi buyers who sought to play an ego-enhancing game. HiFi is a word that can’t seem to escape this connotation, and one that is stuck in the time of ‘Mad Men.’ The HiFi industry grapples with its own identity.
Oh, how we at Totally Wired have disliked this incongruous image, long rallied against it and sought out others of like mind! For us, ‘music systems’ better describe what we sell – that is ‘systems’ that produce ‘music,’ and music is loved by everyone. This has broad scope because it covers the ‘how’ you like to listen to music, and the ‘why’ you like to listen to music. In other words, what a music system does for you. And there we come back to seduction.
By now you’ll be wondering where I’m going with this. That place is the now, the Anthropocene, where humankind collides with nature and simulacra dulls our senses. Yet the ineluctable pull of music endures. In response, inspired engineers, alongside imaginative visual designers, are producing engaging music systems to meet new yearnings, ones with longevity and small footprints. It is our job to research the HiFI quagmire for the best options, and in the case of separate components compose the particular music system that will enthral you.
Late 2017 we were introduced to the Danish Vifa music systems. These are single unit “portable, wireless, wifi, bluetooth loudspeakers” – there’s no simple word that describes them. The Vifa story is one of a company who in 2014 boldly re-invented themselves for ‘the now.’ They had an 80 year history of making some of the the most sought after drivers for loudspeakers. As Wiki will tell you, “a speaker driver is an individual loudspeaker transducer that converts an electrical audio signal to sound waves.” This is the Vifa technical heritage, and one, that given the quality and reputation of their product, could happily have continued with, but they chose to take a new path.
Vifa clearly challenged themselves to use the mastery they had to develop new drivers, along with the environment (cabinets), they were placing them in, the amplifiers to power them, and the digital processing to control, with the end goal of being optimal for music reproduction. To our experienced ears they succeeded.
With the digital wave providing new ways of sourcing music Vifa were able put their technical prowess into specially developed speaker drivers, and place them in single unit designs that people could simply send their music to – or radio stations, podcasts, Spotify, or whatever their digital source could store or access. Your options are wide open.
Vifa designers looked to their Nordic environs, even reached into the Nordic psyche, to visualise sound producing objects with tangible appeal. Objects that, in their words, give ‘timeless sound experience,’ and furthermore, that ‘the listening experience’ was the key to the solutions they arrived at. Their starting point, they say, was respect – for materials, details and for the user. Art, interior, textiles are visible in their creations.
So what does all this mean? To us, who give counsel on music systems? To you, who look for inspirational objects in your life? For us both, who seek music listening devices to live with, and enjoy? Firstly, it is our objective to provide you with what you desire; and to give you choice through a defined range of selected options determined by our experience and knowledge. Vifa is noteworthy and comes with our recommendation. Here is my review.
It is their distinctive character that first captures attention. These do not match the perception of HiFi. For a start, they are individual, portable units for unencumbered, mobile lifestyles; for individuals to own, and to share as they wish. Yet their textile outer imbues a sense of home and interior comfort. The strong cast aluminium frames with tactile satin-matt finish, exudes security, and to give authenticity the ‘vifa’ brand name is stamped in. Aluminium, of course, is chosen for its light-weight strength. Both textile and frame appear highly durable. To take them further away from looking like electrical appliances the most used control buttons, and indicator lights are embroidered into the front fabric. Lesser needed buttons are within easy reach on the back, indented and engraved for touch control. Understated and refined.
Yet our inner psyche likes interconnections and Vifa have been mindful of this. The wool fabric of the Vifas remind our us of warm soft jerseys, and with the embroidered buttons, reminiscent of early loudspeakers. The shape and carry handles of the Oslo and Copenhagen harken back to early portable radios.There’s no doubt the Helsinki will have you thinking Dior-esque handbag. There really is delight in these products that inspire Disney-like imagination, and that is where the art of Vifa comes in. They weave modernism with environment. They truly are products of this Anthropecene era. Take the smallest of the range, the Reykjavik – think bleached driftwood and sand, time-worn river stones, gems exciting prospectors, the shape of your palm, and the sense of touch through your skin. Now add to this cutting edge technology that enables extraordinary 360 degree sound through a small unit that works hand-in-hand with your mobile device.
So if you want a little bluetooth speaker in your life you’ll find no more pleasurable a one than the Reykjavik – and that pleasure carries over if buying it as a gift. The same goes for the other two portable models, Helsinki and Oslo. The mobile Helsinki with luxury leather strap (optional shoulder length on available), has unabashed vogue appeal, whereas others may prefer Oslo. Oslo evokes city apartment living and warm summers evenings on balconies and decks. These are music systems in their own right giving you choice in where you can listen to music, in seamless concert with bluetooth sources, on your own or when socialising.
Here I’m going to jump to the largest of the range, Stockholm – one of the two in the Vifa Home series. Vifa have five models in total – Portable: Reykjavik, Helsinki and Oslo; Home: Copenhagen and Stockholm. All named after Nordic cities of course, and they certainly do reflect clean Scandinavian deign.
The Home models are exactly that because not only can they bluetooth, they can Wifi, AirPlay, and multiple units can connect to form whole house systems. Of all the range Stockholm is the only one that does not have an inbuilt battery. Its big, so needs to be plugged into the power. Saying that I have no trouble picking it up and moving it around the house. On first sight its long shape suggests sound bar- but it is so very not! Listening to Stockholm tells me that its long shape is really like having pair of good stereo speakers in a single unit – that is why it is long. Not so it can perform tricky sound processing but so it can play music – in stereo. Like a good pair of stereo speakers there is imaging, ie. the (blah), HiFi term that describes hearing left and right dispersion of sound as well as merging into the centre. In other words emulating how things sound when at a live performance. You can place the individual instruments and vocals, and have a sense of space. This is what makes Stockholm a credible music system.
And one worthy of your attention – should you be after a sub-$3000 system for listening to your digital sources, most especially if simplicity appeals in an ‘anti-HiFi’ kind of way. The other reason to look at Stockholm is if you are thinking multi-room. The Vifa ‘Home’ app make it so easy, and the sound and style of the Vifas are light years ahead of the other boring wireless contenders. The Vifas are unobtrusive and don’t dominate your life, or aesthetically a room,
The Stockholm cabinet while wide is not very high and very little deep – I won’t go into specifics as you can jump into our webpage for that or jump over to the Vifa site. The various designs of the Vifas are individually all encompassing with every aspect of each one optimised for its purpose and size. All manner of technical challenges in building high performing loudspeakers are met. Stockholm produces the full array of high tinkly details down to deep warm depths, instruments are clearly picked out (pianos sound beautiful), voices fully nuanced, and there’s powerful low thumps when the music has them. Both the Stockholm and the Copenhagen are capable enough to be main music systems in your home, fill large rooms and can come alive at party volume – within reason, of course.
The rechargeable battery and carry handle which Copenhagen have means it is more easily moved around and placed. It too produces the kind of sound quality described above, and with its ease of use is my ‘go-to’ for playing music at home. Vifa homes will typically have a Stockholm, a Copenhagen or two, along with family member’s choice of portable Vifas.
The Vifas are without a doubt sumptuous, and have an aesthetically seductive appeal which alone is enough to make anyone want one. Yet even after months of having them in the house I still find when one is playing I do a second take thinking it is one of the larger music systems going. They fill our large room that well, and somehow, as if by magic these single unit systems produce music with clarity and fullness, separating out the sounds and instruments beyond what you would expect. I’d suggest to anyone thinking of a new music system or bluetooth companion to cast your eye over the Vifas and step into the HiFi Anthropecene.
Reading about, and listening to music are quite different things and the subject of some great on-going conversations I’ve been having with my clients. You’ll be well aware that I try to best articulate what I hear with new audio components – turning it into a readable and informative summary so you can make the choice as to whether a particular item or component may be just what you are after, or something that you really didn’t know you needed (but do…)
The latest missive deals with the new flagship models from NuPrime – the Evolution One Mono Power Amplifiers. This has been one of the most difficult reviews I’ve had to write – not because of any problems but because the NuPrimes have proved to be so far ahead of anything else I’ve ever dealt with.
On sound quality alone, the D-Stream stands as the best sub-$1000 amplifier I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. Plus I have new cables and plugs from KLEI. Given all these developments I’ve put together a special demonstration pack so you can introduce yourself to the KLEI range and hear just how great an improvement you can get when you combine all of the elements.
Find out why this is the best and most affordable upgrade for almost all speakers and stereo cables. The story starts with a simple banana plug…
Read More “The arteries of my music system were being progressively unblocked…”
‘the ST-10 really brings the Sabrinas to life! Where all other transistor amps seemed dynamically a little restrained and only the PrimaLuna provided the kind of subjective dynamic swing that I crave, the NuPrime ST-10 has a kind of energetic presence that none of the other amps (transistor and tube) could match. Transient crispness and dynamic impact are really startling, better than with any of the other amps. Bass with the ST-10 is also incredible, not in a big and fat kind of way, but tuneful and articulate with just the right amount of pressure. Meanwhile the NuPrime’s very pure tonality and open and communicative character further increase the Sabrina’s timbral believability.’
Read the full review here.
We’ve also got some really exciting news from NuPrime in the last few days – the are 3 new high end amplifier models on the way. First up will be a mono version of the ST-10 above – the new ST-10Ms will be much more powerful, and even better sounding – the perfect upgrade for anyone who wants more out of their music.
Even better will be the new Reference 20E. Like the ST-10M above these are mono amplifiers, but each around twice the size (although this only makes them normal width and they’re still in a slimline profile.) This is a completely new design from Reference 20. which will be a big improvement on ST-10M and that will surpass Ref 20’s 420 watts per channel in power and resolution.
We hope to have the new ST10Ms here before the end of January and the Reference 20Es shortly afterwards. And offer generous trade in’s on existing NuForce and NuPrime models.
Reacquaint yourself with the NuPrime 10 products here.
We’ve continued to enjoy the new Monitor Audio Silver 6G 300s since we first posted the first full review of this model here. Just to show we’re not too far off the mark in our praise of these speakers, the Monitor Audio Silver 300 has received the prestigious Product of the Year award from The Absolute Sound at their High End Audio Product of the Year Awards.
In their January 2018 issue, Robert Harley described the Silver 300 as having “a compelling array of musical virtues”. This included, “terrific speed on transients, effortless reproduction of dynamics, and overall sense of musical coherence.” The bass was also praised, with Robert saying it is “detailed and resolved, providing a clear sense of pitch”.
The full feature will be in The Absolute Sound: Issue #279.
Add this to the four What Hi-Fi Product of the Year awards which they have just received for 2017 and it’s clear that these are speakers you should seeking out. We’ve had a number of enquires lately from our original Image pages – we liked these speakers a lot at the time and really felt there was a case for unconditional support of NZ made.
But the reality is that overseas specialists have upped the rate of development, producing better and better products which now eclipse them. That said – we still work with Gary Morrison and Ross Stevens at Pure Audio so if there is a niche for the local product we’ll be there. And it’s worth knowing that there is NZ input in products from Dynavector and the Well Tempered Turntables but these days it’s all about collaboration and going to where the best resources are.
Working from home has given me much more time to both listen and write. For analogue enthusiasts, you may have missed them the first time around but we’ve got new pages up on both the Well Tempered Simplex 2 turntable and the Dynavector cartridges. What has been most striking for me that with all the components and systems we’ve set up in our new home showroom, the improvements made over the run in period (let’s not tempt fate and call it burn in) have been greater than we’ve ever experienced before – and the time involved is also stretching out. It’s not that they aren’t sounding good from the outset – but that one, two or even three months down the track, were still getting moments where it’s become obvious that the sound quality has stepped up significantly from the previous days.
Our partnership with Keith Eichmann and his KLEI cable range has a lot to do with this. I never would have credited the scale of improvements made by these cables unless I’d heard it first had but every few weeks we get vindication in feedback from clients. We’re getting much greater transparency in all our systems because of this, and not only do the cables also have a well documented run in period of 300 hours or more, but they make the progress of all the other components in the system much more obvious. So if you combine the individual effects of each components and cable, by the time we look at a system as a whole, the concept of running in has gone from subtle to transformative – even on systems that we might have regarded as quite modest.
But enough of in-doors pursuits. It’s a much better summer than last and we aim to get out and about in this beautiful island over the next few months. I’ve just discovered Kā Huru Manu – The Ngāi Tahu Cultural Mapping Project. This fantastic site is dedicated to recording and mapping the traditional Māori place names and associated histories in the Ngāi Tahu rohe (tribal area). Place names are tangible reminders of history and values. They represent a significant symbol of the Ngāi Tahu historical association and relationship with the landscape.
My own knowledge of the history of Te Waipounamu has a massive hole in the middle – a degree in geology informed an understanding of the physical island and timespans of millions of years. And I, like many, grew up with a very conventionally edited story of our colonial history. To know where you are going, you have to learn about the ground you stand on and respect the people that came before you – Kā Huru Manu is the perfect place to start.
So that’s it from us for this year – we wish you all the best and look forward to hearing from you in 2018.
All about the new Monitor Audio Silver 6G 300 floorstanding speakers, the new Well Tempered Simplex turntable, your best choices in the Tivoli Radio range and wrap up of Cambridge’s latest disc players.
Back to the beginning – making your records sound better. Your best choices for cartridges and phono stages.
The delivery of the flagship Well Tempered Royale 400 to a client and impending arrival of the new Simplex II turntable has got me thinking about analogue and how it fits in to the modern music listeners life. There is obviously still interest and enthusiasm for vinyl and as well as turntables, we continue to install and send out a steady stream of styli, cartridges and phono stages.
A well set up analogue system is a thing of beauty and will give you many hours of enjoyment and relaxation. Having your turntable sounding great does take a little bit of investment and effort but there are few things in the world of audio that will respond as well to even small improvements.
Let’s investigate several ways we can help you get more out of records – the phono cartridge, phono amplifiers, plugs and cables. And talk alittle bit about record care.
The whole idea of listening to LPs is that it’s going to be better and more rewarding than digital. As digital has improved dramatically since the inception of CD, the competition to an analogue system has got tougher and we expect more. But the good news is that modern analogue is up to this challenge.
In the first instance, the quality of new LPs is the best it has ever been. It may seem counter-intuitive but the rise of digital has made production much easier and lower in cost. What used to only happen in purpose built studios can now be done on a laptop. And within studios technology has also raced forwards so the level of production we’re hearing on most new releases is far better than the days of cassettes and vinyl.
Add to this the greatly improved standard of pressing of records – just about every LP I’ve bought in the last few years has been thick, flat and clean – and you have a recipe for real analogue enjoyment that is a completely modern alternative rather than just some nostalgia trip.
This is not to say there isn’t still a place for preserving, collecting and playing old vinyl – as an archival format goes it still takes some beating. With a new cartridge, phono stage and maybe even turntable, you’ll get far more out of your records than was possible when they were originally pressed.
The stylus and cartridge are very much the business end of any record playing system, being in direct contact with the LP and converting the physical movement of the stylus into the electrical signal which flows through your hifi system. So your choice of phono cartridge will have an immediate and direct bearing on the sound you hear.
And your choice is broad – from the entry and mid level Nagoaka models at around $200, the specialist Well Tempered items, to the state of the art Dynavector Moving Coils, we’ve got the perfect choice for almost every turntable and level of expectation.
Until you have owned a Dynavector Moving coil cartridge it can be a little difficult to explain just how good they sound. Having worked my way through many different cartridges at home and installing even more on clients turntables, it’s the Dynavector that always makes analogue magic. The sound is unfailingly rich and engaging. Read our just-updated page covering the Dynavector range here.
The Well Tempered TLC is based on the Nagaoka MP150 which is a recommendation in itself (and in both directions). This is your best MM option. Well Tempered also make a very special MC cartridge with a a New Zealand connection. – The Kauri.
The Nagaoka MP series are easily the most popular choice for the budget minded – although in similar price territory to the Ortofon range they offer much more – it’s a richer, fuller, more upfront sound yet with less surface noise. It should also be noted the replacement cost of Nagaoka styli is much less than the Ortofons.
With all cartridges and styli there is a working life of between 1000 to 1500 hours – you might be able to squeeze out a bit more but chances are you’ll be doing no favours to your records and the sound will be less than involving – if you haven’t been using your turntable much lately this will be the reason why. While just replacing the stylus is the default option, the best this can do is take you back to where you started. Why not take the opportunity to upgrade by slotting in a more modern and better sounding design?
The next step for vinyl enthusiasts is a phono stage – the importance and performance gains to be had by selecting a better phono stage or amplifier are easy to underestimate. Until you hear them.
Having the personal experience of stepping through a broad range of both cartridges and phono stages it has become obvious that the effect of the latter is at least as much as that of a cartridge. And that the benefit of improving both is cumulative – i.e. you’ll get better value and sound from your turntable system by considering both, either at the same time or by taking a stepped approach.
While replacing a cartridge or stylus is usually a ‘must-do’ because of either wear or damage, an old or inbuilt phono stage will slog away forever so can be put on the back burner. Yet it all goes back to our original proposal that the whole idea of listing to records is to enjoy better sound. Even our lowest cost phono stage – the new Cambridge CP-1 – is better than just about any built in unit and from there the performance gains leap away.
The NZ made Pure Audio Vinyl is by far the best we have heard. Everything we love about analogue is there – it’s open and transparent, powerful and dynamic when the music lights up, yet unnervingly quiet so you’ll hear the finest details as tracks fade away. The build quality is luxurious – for any moving coil cartridge owner, the Pure Audio will be a once in a lifetime purchase that maximise the performance of any model and can be customised to suit.
The Dynavector P75MK3 is the most popular phono stage in New Zealand – the obvious first stop for any Dynavector owner. Read more about this here.
The NuPrime HPA-9 is a really interesting option – more than just a phono stage and only $150 more than the Dynavector, it’s a brilliant analogue preamplifier and headphone preamp.
It is at its best with Moving Magnet cartridges and can do things in terms of connection and matching that no other phono stage can come close to. You can connect it directly to any competent power amplifier and even just with digital sources, I’ve heard very few preamplifiers of any breed or cost that compete on sonics and certainly none that do on price. It may take a little while to get your head around the NuPrime HPA-9 but if you have an interest in better sound you most certainly should learn more.
While you might think that Well Tempered products are in the upper realms of cost, the WTL RIAA phono stage at $660 is wee ripper. What makes the Well Tempered phono stage so special is the sound – it’s a wonderfully solid and warm presentation backed by real power and drive. We don’t know the back story behind the design but it’s immediately obvious that this phono stage gives a full scale analogue performance from even modest cartridges. It comprehensively blitzes anything else we’ve tried at this level.
The WT phono stage is easily the biggest and best value upgrade for almost any turntable fitted with a moving magnet cartridge – the logic of placing more resources in the phono stage than cartridge has always been compelling to us – styli and cartridges wear out and need replacement to maintain sound quality, but a good phono stage lasts a lifetime and makes easily affordable cartridges sound far better than they have any right to.
Here’s a great little trick for anyone who is keen on a do-it-yourself upgrade. The new KLEI Harmony RCA plugs from Keith Eichmann do amazing things for sound quality and you’ll just need 2 for a turntable.
When I first tried the original Eichmann Bullet plugs on my own Linn I couldn’t believe how much better they were than the expensive looking metal bodied plugs. The new Harmony plugs are far better again and even the most costly models (the Absolute Harmony Plugs) are just on $100 for a pair. (they come in packs of 4 but if you’re also buying a new cartridge or stylus at the time I can break a pack up).
And of course if the plugs are an ear-opener, the interconnect cables when used either with a turntable with RCA sockets or a phono stage take things a whole lot further again.
Record care.
Just to re-iterate the most important part of record care – it’s a worn or damaged stylus that damages records first and foremost. After this a lot comes down to handling and the obvious. Don’t pinch the edge of records between your fingers, make sure your hands are clean, keep LPs out of the sun and away from heat.
For really cleaning records, there’s nothing to beat the Nitty Gritty systems – http://www.nittygrittyinc.com/index.html. While costly, they transform even brand new records and really do the business with older discs. The reduction in noise plus the dramatic increase in detail has to be heard to be believed. As a long time owner I’ve never regretted buying one.
As a much lower cost alternative, we also have the Nakaoka 152 Rolling cleaner. With no fluids and a mysteriously sticky roller that can be cleaned and used again and again, this gets all the scunge off your records without any fuss.
There is a new version (the 1000) which is pictured and due to arrive shortly but I do still have a couple ofthe original 152s which are very similar. The results from the Nagaoka are very close to the Nitty Gritty and it’s actually a lot easier to use – highly reccomemnded.
Once clean (or from new) the Nagaoka Anti-static record sleeves are and essential for keeping your LPs pristine – we’ve got plenty of packs (50 in each) for just $65.