In his "Analog Corner" in the January 2004 Stereophile (Vol.27 No.1), Michael Fremer found a lot to like about Ron Sutherland's ultraslick PhD phono preamplifier, calling it "one of the best-sounding phono preamplifiers I've heard" and noting that, in some areas, he'd "not heard better performance from any phono preamp." In particular, MF was taken by the PhD's transparency and its lack of background noise and electronic detritus, and pointed out its purity of tone and "luscious, liquid, velvety midband response, and ultra-…
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Brian Damkroger wrote about the PhD in May 2005 (Vol.28 No.5):
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Battery-powered phono preamplifier. Inputs/outputs: 1 each, unbalanced (RCA). Input impedance: user-adjustable, 100 or 200 ohms, 1k or 47k ohms. THD+noise: <0.02%, A-weighted. Noise: <150µV, A-weighted, 47k ohms @ 50dB gain. Battery life: >800 hours actual listening time. Status indicators: Green (power on), Yellow (standby/signal monitor), Red (low batteries).
Dimensions: 17" (431mm) W by 4" (101mm) H by 14" (355mm) D. Weight: 38 lbs (17.3kg).
Serial number of unit reviewed: None indicated.
Price: $3000. Approximate number of…
Sidebar 2: BD's Associated Components
Analog Source: VPI HR-X turntable & tonearm; Lyra Titan, Grado Statement Reference cartridges.
Digital Sources: Burmester 001, Ensemble Dirondo CD players.
Preamplification: VTL TL-7.5 line stage; Sonic Euphoria PLC, Placette Remote Volume Control passive line stages; Ensemble Fonobrio phono preamp; Burmester 011 preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: VTL S-400, Simaudio Moon Rock, Mark Levinson No.20.6 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Thiel CS6.
Cables: Nirvana S-X Ltd., Audience Au24, Nordost Valhalla, Silversmith Silver interconnects and…
Brian Damkroger wrote again about the Sutherland in December 2005 (Vol.28 No.12):
Though not obviously colored, the Whest PS.20 did sound a bit electronic—it simply wasn't as "free of electronic detritus" as MF had described the Sutherland PhD in his January 2004 column (Vol.27 No.1).
Perhaps the essence of this "Follow-Up" to Michael Fremer's review of the Whest PS.20 + MSU.20 can be gleaned from our comparisons of it and the Sutherland PhD. I agree with MF that some listeners will prefer the Whest's more dynamic presentation, others the PhD's purity and "mesmerizing flow." I…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The PhD's plug-in modules made it very easy to perform complete sets of measurements in all its various modes. I used an almost fresh set of batteries to power it.
The voltage gain at 1kHz accurately conformed to the specified figures. I measured 45.6dB ("45"), 49.7dB ("50"), 55.05dB ("55"), and 61.1dB ("60"). The input impedance (at 1kHz) also accurately tracked the specification: 99.8 ohms ("100"), 199.4 ohms ("200"), 973.9 ohms ("1k"), and 43k ohms ("47k"). The PhD's output impedance was usefully low, at 251 ohms across the audioband. However, there was…
Part New Jersey diner, part Wurlitzer jukebox, with a snakelike tonearm that at certain angles looks vaguely lewd, this boxy, man-sized creation from Australia seems to have been built around its distinctive looks rather than for any functional purpose. Combine that with its sky-high price—itself almost obscene—and the result is apparently the sort of product that envious, cynical, self-loathing audiophiles love to hate, and reviewers love to write about.
But a glance under the Caliburn's shiny skin reveals a clever, purposeful design based on rigorous scientific methodology…
The platter has an outer frame of cast magnesium and an isolated inner structure, the surface of which supports the actual playing surface—a proprietary material, made from purpose-cast metal powder and resin composite, that's machined, bonded, then channeled into four quadrants for the vacuum hold-down system. The composite is said to be a "fast" material whose mechanical impedance matches that of vinyl, though the platter's isolated construction means this might not be as critical as it would be in a conventional platter.
The bearing shaft itself is a single, massive unit 5" long and 1…
The bearing assembly rides on a rigid, sliding cross arm platform made from stainless-steel. This is terminated in a large-diameter ring that fits over a steel cylinder associated with a worm-gear mechanism, both of which are surrounded by a massive stainless-steel tower attached to the armboard. The vertical tracking angle (VTA) can be adjusted on the fly by loosening a pair of thumbscrews on the side of the tower and turning a top-mounted calibrated knob.
A tonearm's antiskating force needs to gradually increase across the plane of play, in order to compensate for the increasing…
Last week I heard Macedonian pianist Simon Trpceski fluidly, and with seeming ease, perform Rachmaninoff's finger-twisting Piano Concerto 3 with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. I came home and spent the rest of the evening and part of the next day listening to favorite piano recordings, some well-recorded, some not. The Caliburn and Cobra delivered the piano's attack, harmonic complexity, dynamics, and texture as no other combo I've heard. Many recordings I'd thought sounded boxy or tinkly now sounded neither. And the ones I'd thought sounded great turned out to…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Caliburn: suspensionless turntable with O-ring drive; cogless, battery-powered DC motor; vacuum holddown. Speeds (adjustable): 33.33, 45, 78 rpm. Wow & flutter, Rumble: not specified.
Dimensions: 24" (615mm) W by 8" (205mm) H (including feet) by 15.5" (400mm) D. Weight: 160 lbs (73kg), not including motor.
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: Not noted.
Price: $65,000, including Cobra tonearm.
Cobra: dual-pivot tonearm with monocoque construction. VTA and azimuth adjustable. Offset: 23°. Horizontal and vertical resonant frequency with medium-…