Analog Source: Rega P7 turntable & RB-700 tonearm, Zu Audio DL-103 phono cartridge.
Digital Sources: Marantz SA-7S1 SACD/CD player, Benchmark DAC1 D/A converter.
Preamplification: EAR 834P phono preamplifier, Balanced Audio Technology VK-52SE line-level preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Balanced Audio Technology VK-55SE.
Cables: Digital: Stereovox HDXV. Interconnect: Q-Audio Tao (unbalanced), Mogami (balanced). Speaker: Chord Odyssey. AC: Belden, PS Audio Statement.
Accessories: Generic steel equipment rack with wooden shelves,…
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Sidebar: Jim Austin's Associated Equipment
"My original goal was simply to design a better turntable than the Linn because at that time in the UK, Ivor Tiefenbrun was the man—he was the patron saint and all that. And all the hi-fi mags were full of Linns. He did for turntables, in a way, what Mark Levinson (the man) did for amplifiers."
So said turntable designer Simon Yorke when I visited him recently in Washington, DC. Yorke's motivation 15 years ago wasn't competitiveness, he recollected; it was that, at the time, he couldn't afford a Linn Sondek.
What was this 40-year-old Brit doing in the nation's capital?…
The motor drives a "transfer bearing" (set in another freestanding enclosure) topped with four concentric pulleys: one for drive, plus 331/3, 45, and 78rpm operation. Depending on which speed you've chosen, the main O-shaped drive belt fits into one of three wide grooves cut into the side of the platter. Why three grooves? If the belt doesn't ride precisely centered in the groove, it will chafe against the groove wall as it exits and enters, increasing wow and flutter.
With its low-torque motor, flexible belt, and heavy platter, the Yorke 'table relies on a degree of initial "slip" for…
Armed conflict
Was I hearing the arm or the 'table? The only way to find out was to mount the Graham and Immedia arms on the Yorke 'table and listen some more. I ended up with the Yorke/Immedia/Graham on the Zoethecus constrained-layer-damped equipment stand, and the TNT on the Vibraplane (it barely fit, and I couldn't use the flywheel), and then on the Symposium board on the Vibraplane (everything fit with ease, including flywheel). I also varied the amount of air in the four TNT towers from none to overinflated, just to see what effect it would have on the sound. And I removed the…
Was I hearing the arm or the 'table? The only way to find out was to mount the Graham and Immedia arms on the Yorke 'table and listen some more. I ended up with the Yorke/Immedia/Graham on the Zoethecus constrained-layer-damped equipment stand, and the TNT on the Vibraplane (it barely fit, and I couldn't use the flywheel), and then on the Symposium board on the Vibraplane (everything fit with ease, including flywheel). I also varied the amount of air in the four TNT towers from none to overinflated, just to see what effect it would have on the sound. And I removed the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Belt-drive, suspensionless turntable and tonearm with outboard AC synchronous motor and "transfer bearing." Speeds: 331/3, 45, and 78rpm. Tonearm: undamped, medium-mass unipivot design with adjustable VTA. Effective length: 233.2mm. Overhang: 17.8mm. Offset angle: 23.64°.
Dimensions: Weight: 40 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 035.
Prices: Turntable plus arm, recommended list price, $10,000; importer direct price, $8500. Packaged with active Vibraplane ($5000), $11,500. Approximate number of dealers: currently direct sales nly. Warranty…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
B>Phono Cartridges: Transfiguration Temper, Lyra Clavis DC, Parnassus DC, AudioQuest Fe-5, Grado Reference, Goldring Excel XV, van den Hul MC 10 Special.
Tonearms: Graham 2.0, Immedia RPM.
Preamplification: Ayre Acoustics K-3 preamplifier with phono stage, Audio Research PH3SE and Pass Ono phono sections.
Power Amplifiers: Conrad-Johnson Premier Twelve, VTL MB 450.
Loudspeakers: Sonus Faber Concerto Grand Piano, Audio Physic Virgo, Audio Physic Rhea subwoofer.
Cables: Yamamura Millennium 6000, Cardas Golden Cross interconnects and…
SONNY ROLLINS: The Freelance Years
Sonny Rollins, tenor sax; Clark Terry, Kenny Dorham, trumpet; Jimmy Cleveland, trombone; Ernie Henry, alto sax; Thelonious Monk, Hank Jones, Sonny Clark, Wynton Kelly, Gil Coggins, Hampton Hawes, piano; Victor Feldman, vibes; Barney Kessel, Oscar Pettiford, Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Wendell Marshall, Leroy Vinegar, bass; Max Roach, Shelly Manne, Roy Haynes, Kenny Dennis, drums; Abbey Lincoln, vocals
Riverside 5RCD-4427-2 (5 CDs). 2000. Orrin Keepnews, Lester Koenig, Leonard Feather, original prods.; Eric Miller, compilation prod.; Dave Luke, tape…
Sonny Rollins, tenor sax; Clark Terry, Kenny Dorham, trumpet; Jimmy Cleveland, trombone; Ernie Henry, alto sax; Thelonious Monk, Hank Jones, Sonny Clark, Wynton Kelly, Gil Coggins, Hampton Hawes, piano; Victor Feldman, vibes; Barney Kessel, Oscar Pettiford, Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Wendell Marshall, Leroy Vinegar, bass; Max Roach, Shelly Manne, Roy Haynes, Kenny Dennis, drums; Abbey Lincoln, vocals
Riverside 5RCD-4427-2 (5 CDs). 2000. Orrin Keepnews, Lester Koenig, Leonard Feather, original prods.; Eric Miller, compilation prod.; Dave Luke, tape…
For more than a decade now, Stereophile has recognized components that have proved capable of giving musical pleasure beyond the formal review period by naming its "Products of the Year."
There are five individual categories: Loudspeakers (including subwoofers), Amplification Components (preamplifiers, power amplifiers, etc.), Digital Sources (CD players, transports, processors), Analog Sources (phono cartridges, turntables, tonearms, FM tuners, etc.), and Accessories (everything else).
The two most important categories, however, are the "Product of the Year" itself—the best of…
2002 Joint Loudspeakers
Rockport Technologies Antares (review) ($41,500/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.25 No.8, August 2002)
Joseph Audio RM7si Signature Mk.2 (review) ($1799-$1999/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson & Chip Stern, Vol.23 No.8 & Vol.25 No.10, August 2000 & October 2002)
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
B&W Signature 800 (review) ($20,000/pair; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson, Vol.25 No.6, June 2002)
Burmester Audiosystems B99 (review) ($47,880/pair; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, Vol.25 No.6, June 2002)
Dynaudio Evidence Temptation (…
2002 Amplification Component
Halcro dm58 monoblock power amplifier (review) ($25,000/pair; reviewed by Paul Bolin, Vol.25 No.10, October 2002)
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Boulder 2008 phono preamplifier (review) ($29,000; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.25 No.7, July 2002)
Boulder 2010 line preamplifier (review) ($36,000; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.25 No.7, July 2002)
Connoisseur Definition 4.0 line preamplifier ($16,000; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.25 No.10, October 2002)
Manley 250 Neo-Classic monoblock power amplifier (review) ($9000/pair;…