No surprises there. After all, a phono transformer requires only a primary-coil impedance that's electrically right for the cartridge in use, and a gain capability—itself determined in part by the transformer's turns ratio (see "Listening" columns passim)—that likewise suits the…
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Like most people who are neither radio talk-show hosts nor members of the Westboro Baptist Church, I'd rather be known for my loves than my hates. And after wandering this audio wilderness for umpteen years, I can stand before you and say without shame: An unlovable phono transformer has yet to step into my path.
That reminds me to remind you to use numbers as a guide, but not to let them be The Decider. Don't cheat yourself out of hearing some amazing combinations, such as using the Hommage T1 transformer—the input impedance and turns ratio of which are very low and very high, respectively—with EMT's highest-output pickup heads: Like bumblebees and copious amounts of second-order distortion, it shouldn't fly but it does. Bear in mind, too, that the greatest of all modern ironies takes root in the world of fashion: The garments most associated with the axiom one size fits all are the ones we wear…
Electrical Measuring Technology (EMT), based in Mahlberg, Germany, is nothing if not a company with a point of view. Established in 1940, first as a designer of test equipment and later as a manufacturer of transcription turntables, EMT entered the cartridge business by supplying their broadcast clients with Ortofon pickup heads. Soon thereafter EMT began making their own Ortofon-inspired mono pickups, such as the very high-output, very low-compliance, and altogether wonderful OFD 25. Then, in 1965, EMT produced a broadcast-quality stereo pickup head of their own design, the TSD 15 (…
On Thursday evening, Rosemarie and I attended the High End Show Gala, held in a large hall on the ground floor of the M.O.C. Marking the entrance were impressive, illuminated sculptures, creating an otherworldly scene.
We walked into the room and I raised my arms into the air and shouted: “Holy shit! The world has come to an end, and we are in heaven!”
Inside were dozens and dozens of long picnic tables, beer garden style, but dressed up for the occasion in white tablecloths. Atop each table was a tree of pretzels, a platter of cheeses and meats and mustards, baskets of…
Which one of these things is not like the other? The Harbeth Monitor 20.1 (far left), in new titanium gray finish, makes a statement.
The company wanted to design something a bit sexier, a bit more modern, explained Harbeth’s Alan Shaw.
While he admitted that reasons for selecting one loudspeaker over another are not always rational, he believes a loudspeaker should be used in the application best suited to it. The Monitor 20s are optimized for nearfield monitoring in desktop sound- and video-editing.
Still: “‘Sexy’ is really important,” said Shaw.
Harbeth’s Alan Shaw holds his Monitor 20.1 loudspeaker.
I enjoyed a stimulating conversation about the priorities of a loudspeaker designer, the applications in which a speaker is used, and the difficulties of sound- and video-editing.
The first question Shaw wants answered about any particular loudspeaker is: “What loudness level is it optimized for?” From that, he can tell a lot about a speaker’s abilities and the priorities of its designer.
“If I get a strange look, as though [the designer] is wondering why I would want to know such a thing, then I start to feel…
Jim Richards poses beside his MD 806 WiFi tuner ($2500; sitting on the shelf below the sweet turntable).
In development for over two years, the MD 806 provides access to FM, DAB, and DAB+, as well as Internet radio stations via its onboard WiFi antenna or LAN, and locally connected music collections (MP3, AAC, FLAC, WMA, Real). Its 3.5” touchscreen displays metadata, genre, bit rate, codec, and sampling rate for the playing track, while personal audio collections (accessed through a local network or USB connection) are navigable by artist name, album name, or musical genre.
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Look at this sexy beast. (I’m talking about the turntable.) Dr. Feickert Analogue’s Blackbird (5490) got my attention with its clean lines and beautiful wood trim. The Blackbird shares the simple design of Feickert’s smaller Woodpecker, but adds the option of a second tonearm, while its refined controller software drives both motors in a slave-master configuration.
"Take a picture of me stroking this gorgeous thing," I said to Rosemarie.
"Yes, boss," she sighed.
Once you’ve decided on your tonearms and cartridges, you can use Dr. Feickert’s Adjust+ software to adjust azimuth, measure wow and flutter, and set the speed of your turntable. Or you can download Feickert’s free PlatterSpeed app for your Apple- or Android-based tablet or cell phone, and combine it with Feickert’s 7” Test Record.
The Acoustic Solid Bambus turntable (6500) caught our attention with its combination of acrylic platter and plinth and bamboo supports. Wild-fi.