Turntable Reviews

Sidebar 1: Guy Lemcoe's System

Before the Kuzma arrived, my analog reference was a fully tweaked Well Tempered Turntable and the superlative Roksan Shiraz MC cartridge. In the course of this review, I also had occasion to listen to two new entries in the under-$1000 MC cartridge sweepstakes: the Dynavector Karat 17D2 Mk.II and the Benz-Micro Glider. Since I'm currently in the middle of a survey of phono preamps, I had a variety on hand from which to choose: Ensemble's Phonomaster, Rotel's RHQ10, Sonic Frontiers' SFP-1 Signature, and, most recently, Michael Yee Audio's PFE-1. I relied heavily on the SFP-1 Signature for my evaluation of the WTT Fountainhead base, so used it for initial comparison purposes. Subsequently, the majority of my listening for this review was done with either Ensemble's Phonomaster or Michael Yee Audio's PFE-1.

For the past year and a half, my reference electronics have been Ensemble's extraordinary Virtuoso preamplifier and Corifeo stereo power amp (footnote 1). In recent months, I've also put into service Rotel's high-end stereo power amps, the RHB10 and RHB05, and their RHC10 passive controller. My entire system is wired with TARA Labs' new RSC Master Gen.2 interconnect and speaker cable, although Synergistic Research's Alpha Sterling interconnect, of which I've just gotten samples, threatens to displace it (footnote 2).

Loudspeakers used were Bright Star Audio Altair Pros, Thiel CS1.5s, or Unity Audio Signature 3s. The only room-treatment products I use in my 11' by 12' acoustically challenged listening/living room (footnote 3) are a pair of Deluxe RoomTunes to control early side-wall reflections, four CornerTunes, and four EchoTunes. (In case you were wondering, the ClampRack is located in a corner of my bedroom with the preamp outs going through the wall to the amp, which sits on a shelf between the loudspeakers.)

The only other accessories I used were a couple of Bright Star Audio's Little Rocks, a Little Rock II, and a Big Rock III.—Guy Lemcoe

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Footnote 1: The synergy between these products and the rest of my reference system is so good that I'm hesitant to make a change anytime soon. And, yes, you'll read about them—soon!

Footnote 2: This stuff sells for less than half the price of TARA Labs' best. Its performance not only continues to impress me as it ages in the system, but presents a strong challenge to all of the other, much costlier cables I've used in recent months.

Footnote 3: With the recent introduction of RoomTune's Mini-TunePak, which is designed for treatment of smaller rooms, I can now compare the sonic effects of the original, larger room-acoustic treatments to their smaller counterparts. I have therefore requested a Mini-TunePak from Ultra Systems, Inc., and will do a Follow-Up on my findings.