search

Back in the early 1970s, every one of my female friends (though none of the men) owned at least two well-worn Laura Nyro albums—Eli and the 13th Confession and New York Tendaberry. Nyro proved, to an entire generation of coeds who were just a little scared of Janis Joplin, that a white girl could have soul (even if a sense of humor sorta went missing). The ultimate New York singer/songwriter, Nyro took Brill Building pop and soul, mixed in some Phil Spector…

That rise doesn't hit 1dB until around 15kHz. It is not audible as an excess of high end, but merely as a very…

I've not spent nearly the time with the MC-2000 that JGH has, but I observe generally the same sonic character. I differ, however, with his final statements. I think the MC-2000 will do splendidly in most analog systems. And, although the tonal balance similarities between good CDs and the MC-2000 were not lost on me, the actual character of the sound from the two sources was, to my ears, quite different. Most noticeable with the MC-2000 was an extraordinary naturalness. a quality that made you relax and, at the same time, perk up at the lifelike…

Other than price, hum susceptibility appears to be the only real liability of this otherwise excellent $1000 MC cartridge. Its output is so extraordinarily lo1 that even the proximity of an AC cord to either of the tonearm cables can cause severe hum,

When used with an early-model Pink Triangle turntable, whose drive motor power transformer is in the phono unit itself, the cartridge picked up hum directly even when on its rest post. This should not be a problem with the later PTs—the transformer is now physically…

Description: Low-output moving coil. Output: 0.05mV. Frequency response; 5Hz–50kHz, + 5/–1dB. Separation: 25dB at 1kHz, 18dB at 20kHz. Recommended stylus force: L1. grams. Compliance: 20 cu. Weight: 11 grams. Recommended load: 20–100 ohms.
Price: $1000 (1985); no longer available (2010).
Manufacturer: Ortofon A/S, Stavangervej 9, DK-4900 Nakskov, Denmark. Tel: (45) 54 91 19 15. Fax: (45) 54 91 19 11. Web: www.ortofon.dk. US Distributor: Ortofon USA, Plainview, NY 11803 (1985); Ortofon Inc., 500 Executive Boulevard, Suite 102, Ossining, NY 10562. Tel: (914)…

All three of these expensive phono preamps I wrte about this month share certain sonic attributes not found in less costly, less ambitious units: all are free of "electronica" and glaze. Their edge definition of aural images is smoothly and naturally delineated. All three produce music on a grand, effortless scale. All, to varying degrees, are without easily identifiable sonic signatures,…

Massive Attack!
For comparison's sake, Boulder also sent along a sample of their 2008 phono preamp ($34,000), which I reviewed in the July 2002 Stereophile (Vol.25 No.7). Immediately obvious was that both the 2008 and 1008 were capable of producing massive dynamic swings well beyond the…

Description: Solid-state, balanced phono preamplifier. Inputs: 3 balanced, convert to unbalanced. Outputs 2 balanced. Frequency response (RIAA): 20Hz–20kHz ±0.1dB. Channel separation: >100 dB, 20Hz–20kHz. Distortion: 0.01%. Noise (ein, MC): 98nV, 20Hz–20kHz. Maximum output: 16V. Input impedance (MC): 1000 ohms, MC; 47k ohms (MM). Maximum gain at 1kHz: 70dB (MC); 44dB (MM).
Dimensions: 18" W by 5" H by 15.85" D. Weight 32 lbs, shipping: 41 lbs.
Serial number of review sample: J016.
Price: $12,000. Approximate number of dealers: 28.
Manufacturer:…

I measured the Boulder 1008 with Stereophile's loan sample of the Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com). The voltage gain was sensibly arranged, at 38.4dB for moving-magnet cartridges and 64dB for moving-coils. These figures include the interaction between the signal generator's source impedance and the Boulder's input impedance. Adjusted for that effect, the gains are 42.5dB and 68.5dB, respectively.

Both inputs preserved absolute polarity (ie, were non-inverting), and, with the supplied loading resistor in…