search
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…
Sidebar 1: System
My reference system is not what I'd expect the prospective Comet purchaser to own. Much to its credit, however, the Comet was not intimidated by the lofty components with which it shared shelf space. In fact, it acquitted itself quite well (more about that later). The phono signal from my reference turntable—a Well-Tempered Turntable sporting the new Black Damped Platter, with a Roksan Shiraz MC cartridge strapped to the arm—is handled by Counterpoint's impressive, two-chassis SA-9 Isolinear Phono Equalizer. Since the SA-9 has inputs for both MM and MC cartridges, it…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Two-speed (331/3, 45rpm) belt-drive analog turntable with fixed LMT-II tonearm and dustcover. Wow and flutter: less than 0.1% (DIN 45-507). Rumble: less than –65dB unweighted (rel. 10cm/s at 1kHz).
Dimensions: 6¼" H by 18¼" W by 14¼" D. Weight: 26 lbs.
Price: $599. Options: Reflex Clamp, $150. (1993); no longer available (2017). Approximate number of dealers: 80.
Manufacturer: SOTA Industries, Lemont, IL 60439 (1993). SOTA Sales and Service Center, 436 E. Locust Street, DeKalb, IL 60115 (2017). Tel: (800) 772-SOTA or (608) 538-3500. Fax…
Saturday, May 13, starting at 1pm and running late into the evening, JS Audio (4919 St. Elmo Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814) is holding an Open House. Special guests will include Peter McGrath and Bill Peugh of Wilson Audio; John Quick and Trent Suggs of dCS; Bill McKiegan of Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems; Michael Taylor of Nordost; Michael Manousselis of Dynaudio North America; and a representative from Audio Research. The industry guests will be available during the afternoon and evening hours for conversation, personal system evaluations and upgrade recommendations.
To attend the…
In anticipation of this week's Munich High End, which takes place May 18–21, MQA has announced several breakthroughs. The first involves its hardware partners, who have expanded to include AudioQuest, CanEver Audio, dCS, Esoteric, IAG, Krell, Lumin, Mark Levinson, Moon by Simaudio, Pro-Ject Audio Systems, TEAC, and Wadax. These are in addition to its existing partners, who include Aurender, Bel Canto, Bluesound, Cary, NAD, Brinkmann, Meridian, MSB, Mytek, Onkyo, Pioneer and Technics. All of the latter are expected to demonstrate MQA at the Munich show, with yet others showing at the Los…
"Mastered from the original tapes to 180gm vinyl for the ultimate audiophile dorkout."
Now, now, Tommy Stinson, your website implies that "ultimate audiophile dorkout" is somehow a weird thing. Well, maybe it is but to most Stereophile-ers, that's just fancy talk for a real good time.
Not that long ago, the dominant equation when it came to physical media was focused on which recordings had not made the jump from LP to CD. Now, in a still mind-boggling turn of events, the question has become what about the digital recordings, made mostly in the last decade of the last century,…
Michael Fremer returned to the darTZeel NHB-18NS in June 2017 (Vol.40 No.6):
DarTZeel Audio, the Swiss company dedicated to listening first and measuring later, has introduced a completely redesigned version of its battery-powered NHB-18NS preamplifier that is vaguely similar to the original in looks and in name. Based on its list price in Swiss francs and the exchange rate at time of writing, the NHB-18NS Mk.2 costs about $38,000.
I reviewed the original NHB-18NS ten years ago this month, in the June 2007 issue, and bought the review sample (it cost $23,250) without really…
Given the pedigree of its three artists—cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile, and bassist Edgar Meyer—this new recording of Bach Trios is destined to become a best-seller. That the hour-long recording is available in multiple formats, including as a Nonesuch CD, 24/96 hi-rez download, LP, and MQA stream via Tidal Masters, and is filled with glorious music grants it potential appeal to all music lovers, including audiophiles eager to compare formats.
The wonders of Thile's Bach playing are already known from his previous recordings for Nonesuch and Sony, and both Ma and Meyer…
Chord's extraordinary DAVE—"Digital [to] Analog Veritas [in] Extremis (Truth in Extreme)"—D/A processor takes pride of place on its cover, but the June Stereophil is packed full of good stuff. Art Dudley reports on Peachtree's "Made in America" nova300 integrated amplifier; Herb Reichert and Jim Austin live with high-performance preamplifiers from PrimaLuna and PS Audio; Kal Rubinson checks out a two-channel AV integrated amplifier from Arcam; Ken Micallef reviews a truly loud speaker, the horn-loaded Rival from Volti; and Robert Baird listens to great-sounding vinyl reissues of recordings of…