The KT88 tubes stand about 3/8" taller than the top of the sheet-metal…
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The rear panel holds four pairs of RCA jacks for inputs and two for the tape-monitor loop, two pairs of substantial CE-compliant speaker-cable binding posts (single-wiring only), the power switch, power fuse, and an inlet for a detachable IEC power cord. I used Custom Power Cord Company's Top Gun HCFi AC ($1150) and Nordost's Blue Heaven interconnects and speaker cables. Replacing the stock cord with the HCFi brought about an increase in timbral palpability that surprised even me, and I'm a bit of a power-cord zealot.
The Philips SACD1000 had a slight advantage in articulation and dynamic detail, while the Marantz enjoyed a somewhat greater advantage in musical continuity and richness. Audition both if you can. The Marantz is slightly cleaner-looking and more intuitive to use, and includes a headphone jack, but the Philips has impressive video capabilities. For audio-only use, I call it the Marantz by a nose—despite the fact that you can reset the Philips player's SACD play-mode default from multichannel to stereo, but apparently can't do so on the Marantz. Grrrrr. But the Philips is undeniably a…
Judy Spotheim, maker of the SpJ arm and the gorgeous La Luce turntable that I reviewed a while back for Stereophile (October 1998) and that has subsequently become one of my references for LP playback. She's an intelligent, well-read individual who has a penchant for asking me, "You didn't read that in the manual?!" Ahem. Although the following interview was taped on the phone from her home in the Netherlands, I hope to meet her sometime soon.
Jonathan Scull: Your full name is Spotheim-Koreneeff, and you're originally from Israel. Did you live there before moving to the Netherlands?…
Scull: Can you tell us, briefly, how it works?
Spotheim: Well, think about an ice-skater spinning a pirouette on one skate. When he wants to slow down, what does he do? He drops the other skate to the ice and controls the spin, turning more slowly until he stops. But it doesn't mean that he couldn't continue turning. He would just lift the other skate back off the ice, you see? That is the basic idea of how the two pivots work.
Scull: They have to be close to each other?
Spotheim: Yes, so the second pivot doesn't hinder the travel of the main pivot. You must understand…
Spotheim: Well, you could use a prism...
Scull: Say, Judy, you're not an old hippie too, are you?
Spotheim: [laughs] Nooooo...
Scull: Let me ask you—when we listen to our high-end systems, should we be listening for the re-creation of the absolute sound in a real space, or a faithful reproduction of the master tape? Or something else?
Spotheim: What the microphones picked up. It can sound very faithful, it can be very flattering....It depends on how the microphones were placed, their frequency response, how the tape was cut, and even what cutter head was…
Scull: When I'd mentioned the Koetsu cartridge to you earlier, did I understand you to say you knew its creator, Sugano-san?
Spotheim: Well, you can say that the old man Sugano knows about me. I've actually received photographs from him. He knew me when I was living in Israel. At that time I hadn't yet designed the SpJ tonearm, and I'd made a tonearm from bamboo...
Scull: What? [laughs] You're so casual about it...
Spotheim: Don't laugh! [laughs] It was a so-called unipivot. It was working fantastic with a...how do you call it, a sewing needle?
Scull: What?
…
Mozart: Piano Music
Sonata in a, K.310; March in C, K.408; Courante in E-flat, K.399; Gigue in G, K.574; Rondo in a, K.511; Sonata in F, K.533/494 Richard Goode, piano Nonesuch 79831-2 (CD). 2005. Max Wilcox, prod., eng. DDD. TT: 59:32
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Sonata in a, K.310; March in C, K.408; Courante in E-flat, K.399; Gigue in G, K.574; Rondo in a, K.511; Sonata in F, K.533/494 Richard Goode, piano Nonesuch 79831-2 (CD). 2005. Max Wilcox, prod., eng. DDD. TT: 59:32
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Richard Goode is, by any and all standards, a remarkable pianist. His recording of the complete sonatas of Beethoven, released in 1993, became an instant classic and was nominated for a Grammy. His CDs of Schubert and Chopin are as handsome as they are insightful, and he has recorded, for Nonesuch, five discs of…
No, folks, vinyl is not dead. And even though my colleague Mikey Fremer is beginning to sound like a broken record, the little guy is right: when it comes to the sound on offer, CD still doesn't come close. There are more turntables, phono cartridges, and tonearms on the market today than ever before. Moreover, with companies like Classic Records, Analogue Productions, and Mosaic offering a steady stream of ultra-high-quality reissues, there seems to be an increasing supply of quality vinyl at reasonable prices.
One of the big problems analog fans face today is in the preamp department.…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Moving-coil/moving-magnet phono preamplifier, available with or without front-panel level control. Input sensitivity for 1V output at 1kHz: 2.2mV (MM), 220µV (MC). Maximum output level: 30V. S/N Ratio: 80dB (IHF, unweighted).
Dimensions: 5" W by 4" H by 11" D.
Serial number of units reviewed: 0911596 (auditioning), 97081016 (measuring).
Price: $895–$1295 (1997–2003). Approximate number of dealers: 9.
Manufacturer: Esoteric Audio Research, Huntingdon, UK. US Distributor: EAR USA, 1624 Sunset Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Tel./Fax: (310…
Sidebar 2: System Context
The LP front end used in the preparation of this review consisted of a Goldmund Studio/Syrinx PU-3 Revised/Koetsu Urushi LP front-end feeding the EAR's MC input. Other reference equipment included an Audible Illusions L1 line-stage preamplifier, Audio Research Classic 60 and VT100 power amplifiers, and Acarian Alón V Mk.II speakers. Interconnects were MIT Digital Reference and MIT CVTwin Terminator 350, with tri-wired Acarian Systems Black Orpheus speaker wire.—Robert J. Reina