Description: S-shaped tonearm. Counterbalance system: Rear weight sets static balance; light spring and calibrated knob set tracking force. Bias compensation: calibrated adjustment varies offset angle of force spring. Plug-in headshell weight (without pickup): 12.5 grams. Counterbalance range: 31 grams (shell plus Ortofon SI5T pickup) to 7 grams. Damped cueing lift lever. Isolated-ground four-circuit output.
Dimensions: Overall length: 12". Nominal length: 8.875". Rear overhang: 3". Distance from turntable center: 8.4375". Base-to-stylus distance: ?", from…
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Sidebar 2: Specifications
The Shure V15-III is the latest of Shure's top-of-the-line "Super-track" pickups, earlier versions of which we scorned because of their dished-down response in the 6kHz range and their consequent "dead" sound. (We were unimpressed with Shure's suggestion that the pickup cable capacitance be increased to a total of around 300pF, since few audiophiles are equipped to measure either cable capacitance or frequency response).
The V15-III's specifications (unlike those for the earlier models) include a statement about cable capacitance, calling for "400 to 500 picofarads total capacitance per…
The V15-III's compliance, though, is obviously much greater than that of the Decca Mark V, yet in the same arm, both showed a slight low-frequency rise starting at the same frequency and having about the same amplitude, and the Decca had no trace of the slight heaviness we observed in the Shure. So perhaps we weren't measuring what we were hearing after all. Which is why we depend more on our ears than on our instruments. In any case, the low-end difference noted was slight.
The pickup does have rather high electrical inductance, though, which means it is not going to match all preamps…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Moving-magnet phono cartridge. Stylus: 0.7 by 0.2-mil elliptical. Recommended tracking force: ¾–1¼ grams. Output: 3.5mV.
Weight: 6 grams.
Price: $72.50 (1974); no longer available (2017).
Manufacturer: Shure Bros., Evanston, IL 60204 (1974). Shure Inc., 5800 W. Touhy Avenue, Niles, IL 60714-4608. Tel: (800) 257-4873, (847) 600-2000. Fax: (847) 600-1212. Web: www.shure.com/americas.
"Amrita" is Sanskrit for "nectar," and indeed, the Amrita owner's manual states that they are confident their speakers "will provide Nectar For Your Ears." Although this Iowa-based manufacturer offers a large range of loudspeakers, I decided that Stereophile should review their small AMRIT-MiniMonitor ($875/pair) after Martin Colloms mentioned in his report from the 1987 SCES in Vol.10 No.5 that it sounded "pleasantly balanced on both rock and classical material." We received a pair for review in the summer of 1988, but it turned out that only one was working, the other having a very…
Sidebar 1: Review Context
The amplification was either a Mark Levinson No.25/No.26 preamplifier combination or an Audio Research SP14 driving my 1986-vintage Krell KSA-50.
Speaker cable was 15' lengths of AudioQuest Clear Hyperlitz, doubled-up for biwiring, while interconnects were 1m lengths of AudioQuest LiveWire Lapis connecting CD player to preamp, and preamp to power amplifier (1m lengths of Magnan V—an excellent cable—also served). Six-foot lengths of Madrigal unbalanced HPC connected the No.25 to the No.26. Source components consisted of a Revox A77 to play my own and…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
I use a mixture of nearfield, in-room, and quasi-anechoic FFT techniques to investigate possible objective factors that might explain the sound heard (footnote 1).
As the Amrita MiniMonitor features first-order crossover filters, which can be time-coherent in behavior, I investigated the speaker's response to a 25µs rectangular pulse (fig.1). Fig.2 shows the manner in which this pulse shape is modified by the Amrita when the measuring microphone is on the tweeter axis, plotted over a 5ms window. The drivers appear to be connected in phase, but the up/down…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" soft-dome tweeter, two 8" plastic-cone woofers in compound configuration. Crossover frequency: 3.6kHz. Crossover slopes: Front woofer: first-order; Rear woofer: second-order; 6dB/octave. Frequency response: 35Hz–32kHz –3dB. Sensitivity: 92dB/W/m, Nominal. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Amplifier requirements: 30–350W. Maximum SPL: 110dB "Full Music Power Spectrum."
Dimensions: 17.125" H by 11.25" W by 11.5" D. Weight: 35 lbs each.
Price: $875/pair (1989); no longer available (…
When Tom Norton asked if I'd like to review an entry-level turntable from SOTA, I responded with a resounding "Yes!" I've long felt that there's a conspicuous absence of affordable, good-sounding record players on dealers' shelves. With the AR ES-1 package deals no longer available and the Rega 3 now selling for $775, at $599, SOTA's new Comet promised to be stiff competition for the Basiks, Revolvers, Duals, and Thorenses of the world. Also, due to my tenacious embrace of vinyl, I try to encourage as many music lovers as I can to experience the satisfaction derived from LPs and the fun and…
Sound
I was immediately impressed with the sound of the Comet/Special combination. When Tete Montoliu ripped into the changes on John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" on Montoliu's 1976 album Tete! (Inner City IC 2029), it was clear that the Comet could not only keep a beat, it could easily convey the emotion—all the fire and passion—in this underrated musician's performance. The recording is closed-in and up-front, putting you on stage with the musicians. That's where the Comet/Special combo put you. You could hear three musicians hard at work with all the attendant extraneous noises. On a…
I was immediately impressed with the sound of the Comet/Special combination. When Tete Montoliu ripped into the changes on John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" on Montoliu's 1976 album Tete! (Inner City IC 2029), it was clear that the Comet could not only keep a beat, it could easily convey the emotion—all the fire and passion—in this underrated musician's performance. The recording is closed-in and up-front, putting you on stage with the musicians. That's where the Comet/Special combo put you. You could hear three musicians hard at work with all the attendant extraneous noises. On a…