Description: Low-output, moving-coil cartridge. Frequency range: 20Hz–45kHz. Output: 0.3mV. Compliance: 5x 10–6 cm/dyne. Channel separation: >25dB at 1kHz. Channel balance: 1dB. Cantilever: two-piece aluminum tube. Stylus tip: spherical. Internal impedance: 40 ohms. Recommended active load: >100 ohms. Recommended transformer load: unspecified. Recommended downforce: 2.5gm.
Weight: 14gm.
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 0001.
Price: $399. Approximate number of dealers: Sold direct only.
Manufacturer: Zu Audio, Ogden Commercial Industrial Park,…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn LP12 turntable with Linn Basik power supply; Naim Aro and Rega RB300 tonearms; Miyabi 47, Koetsu Black, EMT JSD 5, Denon DL-103 cartridges.
Digital Source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Standard, K&K Audio step-up transformers; Shindo Masseto, DNM 3D preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers: Quad II monoblocks, Shindo Cortese, DNM PA3S.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL, DeVore Fidelity Nine, Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE.
Cables: Interconnect: Audio Note AN-Vx, Shindo Silver, DNM. Speaker: Auditorium 23, DNM (…
Simon Yorke is an artist, a machinist, an electronics wiz, and a political idealist. He's also an analog enthusiast who melds aesthetic and technical considerations into eye-catching, densely packed, compact record-playing devices that are ruggedly built and functionally elegant. His turntables' smooth, matte-gray, metallic finishes and efficient lines make them among the most visually pleasing ever made.
But while Yorke plays up the "artisan/hand-built" aspect of his products, ir should be noted that he's also supplied the National Archives with exceedingly flexible,…
The tonearm is wired with two twisted pairs of somewhat stiff, thick silver-plated copper insulated with Teflon. These exit the arm through an opening on the side of the tube just in front of the pivot point. Each wire is terminated with a cartridge clip at one end and a gold-plated sleeve on the other; the latter slips over one of four pins attached to two RCA jacks mounted on an L-bracket fitted to the bottom of the armboard.
Setup
Despite what Yorke's perfunctory instructions would have you believe, adjusting the S9's tonearm can be tricky even for an experienced analog devotee (…
While setting up the S9 tonearm is a bit finicky compared to some other designs, once you're done, I promise that you'll appreciate this record player's elegance and ease of use. Properly set up, the S9 is as convenient and easy to use as a Rega. Finally position the motor housing about 10" from the spindle, at 3 o'clock, fit the O-ring around the motor pulley and platter circumference, and plug in the power supply. Be sure to use a strobe to check speed accuracy and adjust as needed.
Use
Using the S9 couldn't be easier. You place an LP on the platter, put the record weight on the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Belt-driven, non-suspended turntable with unipivot tonearm and DC motor. Speeds: 331/3, 45rpm (adjustable). Speed accuracy: not specified. Wow & flutter: not specified. Rumble: not specified. Tonearm pivot to stylus tip: 233.2mm. Pivot to turntable center: 215.4mm. Offset angle: 23.64°. Overhang: 17.8mm.
Dimensions: Platter diameter plus armboard: 16" (410mm) W by 11.75" (300mm) D. Platter: 11.75" (300mm) diameter; weight 8 lbs (3.6kg). Weight of plinth with armboard: 14 lbs (6.4kg). Motor plus housing: 4.75" (120mm) W by 2.75" (70mm) H by 2.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn turntable & Cobra tonearm; Graham Phantom tonearm; Lyra Titan i, Air Tight PC-1, Koetsu Vermillion, Lyra Helikon SL, Clearaudio Stradivari cartridges.
Digital Sources: Musical Fidelity kW SACD player, BPT-modified Alesis MasterLink hard-disk recorder.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead, Einstein Turntable Choice phono preamplifiers; Musical Fidelity kWP preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity kW monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties MAXX 2.
Cables: Interconnect: TARA…
Boulder Amplifiers, named after the Colorado town where the company has resided since its founding 23 years ago, makes some of the most elegant-looking solid-state amps around. Chassis are anodized, aircraft-grade aluminum with rounded edges, machined and finished in-house. The two models reviewed here, the 810 line preamplifier and the 860 power amplifier, each have a sleek, compact build—stacked atop each other, the two stand just over a foot high—owing to extremely efficient packing of the circuitry inside. These are the company's "entry-level" electronics, but there's nothing cheap about…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Boulder 810: Two-channel, solid-state, programmable, remote-controlled line-stage preamplifier. Inputs: 4 balanced. Outputs: 2 main balanced, 1 record balanced. Frequency responses: 20Hz–20kHz, +0/–0.03dB; 0.07Hz–250kHz, –3dB. S/N Ratio: 118dB ref. clipping. Input impedance: 100k ohms balanced. Output impedance: 100 ohms balanced, 50 ohms unbalanced. Maximum voltage gain: 20dB. THD: <0.0045% (2V output, 20Hz–20kHz). Output loaded with 150 ohms: <1dB distortion change, 20Hz–10kHz. Channel separation: >113dB, 20Hz–20kHz. Maximum input level: 6.0V RMS.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: VPI HW-19 Mk.IV turntable, 776">VPI JMW Memorial tonearm, Clearaudio Victory H cartridge.
Digital Sources: Krell Evolution 505 SACD/CD player, Simaudio Moon CD5.3 CD player.
Preamplification: Audible Illusions Modulus 3a (used only as phono stage).
Integrated Amplifier: Krell FBI.
Loudspeakers: Verity Audio Parsifal Ovation.
Cables: Nirvana.
Accessories: Bybee Technologies Signature Power Purifier, Monster Cable AVS-2000 voltage regulator, Black Diamond Racing Mk.4 Cones (not needed under the Boulders), VPI HW-19 record-…