Initial impression from looking at the external packing tells you that this gear must
be expensive, as each component comes in a huge and very heavy wooden crate!
Inside, each component is lovingly wrapped in a special paper so typical of the
Japanese (in the best sense!). The Kondo Gaku Oh amps look gorgeous with their
lacquered copper top plates, potted transformer caps and highly refined
machined faceplates. They look more classic and timeless retro than high tech
bling, and well they should be as Kondo gear are all about timeless value that
transcend fashion, technology or popular opinion. I believe that any Kondo
component will be as relevant and as highly prized many years down the road as
they are today.

What then contributes to Kondo’s universal appeal and status over and above any other
brand, and leading many to claim it as THE reference standard amongst cost-no-object tube amplification?

Part of the answer lay in the fact that they are probably one of only 2 manufacturers in
the world who build their products from the ground up using hand-wound pure
silver output transformers, hand-made pure silver signal capacitors, custom
resistors, and proprietary pure silver signal cables throughout the entire design.

Even the RCA connectors and speakers terminals are custom-made for Kondo as nothing that is
‘standard’ is good enough for their products! Everything about the product
shows evidence of typical Japanese perfectionism, and everything that is put
into it is for the simple purpose of making it the best sounding product possible!

Another unique feature of any Kondo product is the beauty of their circuit layout and
wiring. Yes, it is indeed beautiful to look at, the way their technicians have
painstakingly laid out the individual components and wires to make it look more
like art than an electrical circuit! Even the soldering work is done to
perfection, every joint being shiny, even and extremely consistent. Folks, if
you’ve ever done any soldering work on your own, you’ll know how difficult it
is get it done to this level of quality as shown in the pics below. High art indeed!

And now for the sound, and what a sound it is! For me they have transcended typical
descriptive terms like dynamic, natural, neutral, musical or life-like, though
they are all these things and more!  If I
need to choose a word to describe the Kondo sound, it would have to be
“beautiful”, as the music that comes out of any speaker connected to these amps
is truly beautiful to listen to!  You can
just sit and let wave after wave of joyous sound wash over you, in a manner that
is replicated by no other brand in the world today!

For those of you who feel that I’m just gushing praises about a product that I happen to
represent, you may just be right. But all this praise is honest and heart-felt
as I have never experienced such enjoyable sound in my main system before,
regardless of combination. It is like a bit of pure magic is produced when the
music starts playing! What price would you pay for this to happen in your own
home, day after day?

In this system, Mr Ng who has been a keen enthusiast for Harmonix products finally got around to building a complete Reimyo electronics system – the CDP-777 CD player (discontinued in favour of a separate CD transport CDT-777 and DAP-999EX DAC), the new CAT-777 preamplifier driving the 300B PAT-777. The ALS-777 powerline conditioner serves to stabilise the power supply. The other source is a Nottingham Analogue ACE Spacedeck with an Ortofon Samba MC cartridge through an EAR phono stage.

The CDP-777 is a well-regarded one box CD player, though discontinued, features proprietary state of the art digital signal processing when many manufacturers took the easy way out by using a Burr Brown DAC. Instead Reimyo uses their ‘Signal Processing LSI: “EXTENDED K2 Processing Version 2.0″ LSI (JVC Original IC)’ using a sampling rate of 24bit/176.4kHz with a 24bit 4times oversampling (176.4kHz x 4) digital filter and a 24bit Data rate 705.6 kHz (176.4kHz x 4) DAC. This avoids the steep 16bit/44.1 kHz of CDs with the unpleasant hard and edgy sound.

The Nottingham Analogue ACE Spacedeck, which is about to be retired through the lack of use! The preamp is the newest addition to the system, the new CAT-777 MK2 is a tube based preamp. While Reimyo offers both a solid state power amplifier, the KAP-777, Mr Ng prefers the sound of an all tube system that means the 300B PAT-777 power amplifier. He is now toying with the idea of acquiring a second PAT-777 for biamping the Katana. Needless to say, the entire system is wired with Harmonix cables.

Though rated at 8 watts, the PAT-777 has no problem driving Gemme Audio’s Katana loudspeakers to realistic levels and filling up the room nicely. The Canadian loudspeaker is a 2-way floor standing loudspeaker using ceramic drive units. Easy to drive and high sensitivity makes the most of the power from the 300B.

One cannot but notice the proliferation of Harmonix tuning feet in the whole system. Kiuchi-san, the man behind the Harmonix products had visited Mr Ng just two months ago to optimise the system tuning. Adding tuning feet to every component and then more! That includes placing tuning ‘disks’ – small button like devices – around the room. The room is about medium sized – I estimate a width of about 13 or 14 feet and a length of about 20 feet. Apart from the Harmonix tuning devices, there is no other room treatment using foam diffusers or such like. The room is remarkably ‘quiet’ though the only sound absorbent material is the curtain lining the full height windows. One day I must follow Kiuchi-san on one of his room tuning trips to sample the effects of Harmonix!

So how does this powerline noise get in the way of our musical enjoyment? It all depends on how susceptible our audio electronics are to powerline noise. Some components are affected more than others and some can be severely degraded in performance by just powerline noise alone. To rid the noise we need a powerline filter. That aspect alone opens another can of worms.

Powerline filters do work in filtering noise. However, one of the least desired side effect is its very existence can in some ways degrade the performance of the very component it is suppose to help! Powerline filters rely on filtering action of capacitors, inductors or even transformers. Each have their benefits and downsides but in the general sense, yes they filter mains noise. What’s to say, if it filters more than just noise? What if it affects the current supply by adding other forms of distortion? The better ones will not only avoid degradation of the oncoming mains supply in the filtering process, but also not create ‘bottlenecks’ to constrain the incoming power supply and allow the equipment to perform at its best. Isn’t that what we are after?

Shunyata Research, one of the foremost authorities in power line filtering – designer Caelin Gabriel’s devised several proprietary solutions to powerline conditioning. However one key difference in Gabriel’s research is his proprietary Dynamic Transient Current Delivery analyzer or DTCD analyzer. What is DTCD?

“DTCD is a method of current analysis that measures instantaneous current delivery in the context of a pulsed current draw. In layman’s terms, it is a way of measuring current performance into typical electronic component power supplies. The DTCD Analyzer allows the measurement of pulsed transient current through a variety of AC power products, including power distributors and power cords. This Analyzer allows Shunyata Research to test, refine and improve instantaneous current delivery to the point that Hydra models are proven to be measurably superior in delivering power to high-current amps and entire systems. This analysis system is unique to Shunyata Research and is used to develop and perfect all Hydra and Guardian Pro model power distributors…”

In effect using DTCD analyser, Gabriel is able to design an effective powerline filter without the deleterious effect of other lesser powerline filters. With the ability to analyse the effects of using various techniques to kill noise, Gabriel applies selective filtering methods that have the least deleterious effects and optimal sonic benefits.

As mentioned, Shunyata eschews the use of passive components like capacitors, inductors and transformers. So how does Shunyata does it – using a tube filled with a special ceramic compound ZrCa-2000 (I suppose its a proprietary formula) where the three phase – live, neutral and ground passes through this compound, the RF, EMF and what have you, gets absorbed and converted to heat energy.

The metals used in their powerline filters are bare brass – none of the plated nonsense. The metal parts are cryogenically treated to ‘relax’ the metal molecules and improve its conductivity. Where possible, Shunyata uses brass buss bars to enhance the current carrying capability instead of using wires. Then the Hubbell A.C. outlets, another potential ‘choke point’ for power distribution systems – in the Hydra Talos and Triton, they are specially made for Shunyata – heavier gauge brass with no plating, cryogenically treated with no magnetic materials used. The A.C. outlet contacts and main electrical buss system are ‘unified into a single electrical point of contact, while eliminating the multiple runs of wiring needed in conventional distribution systems.’

The wiring (there has to be some wiring) uses Shunyata’s proprietary (with so many proprietary here and proprietary there, hope you get the idea this product is the result of extensive research!) VTX cable geometry. This geometry is used in all Shunyata products including power cables, gives a virtual hollow tube-like geometry which minimises cable surface inductance and skin effect. The copper compound in the wires is also a unique high purity copper called CDA-101.

The cumulation of all these technologies goes into each Hydra Talos and Triton powerline conditioners. The new Hydra Talos and Triton stand at the apex of Shunyata’s range of powerline conditioners. You can read more of Shunyata’s power conditioning technology here. Meanwhile, the products are in store and if you are keen to know more about these two new products, do drop by the showroom!

StillPoints makes one of the most effective component isolation devices. The StillPoints cones use a ceramic ball seated within a case, which use a unique mounting system that is said to disperse energy. StillPoints cones function as a shock absorber.

Now StillPoints goes one step further, it extends the effectiveness and functionality of the original StillPoints cones with a new rack – the ESS racks and the all-new StillPoints Ultras Tuning Feet.

ESS Racks
The ESS Rack is high configurable – the basic setup comes with acrylic shelves and in three widths – the standard 20” which should fit most equipment, the wider 26” which would be good for large turntables especially those that have outboard motors or dual arm fitment and an extra large double width of 40” good for a large flatscreen display. Two to five shelves can be accommodated with three different heights – 28”, 34” and 42” are offered.

Isolation comes in the form of steel suspension wires where the support rails are secured and suspended. One-inch thick acrylic shelves are then placed on the support rails. Critical components such as CD players, CD transports, DAC, tube preamps and of course turntables, it is recommended that StillPoints cones to be used between the components and the acrylic shelves.

The next upgrade is to add Component Stands (CS). Essentially a CNC machined aluminum frame, which sits on the shelf support rails in place of the acrylic shelves. The StillPoints cones sit on the component stands and the chassis of the component sits directly on the StillPoints cones.

For ultimate performance, the Component Stands can be further isolated using StillPoints Ultras Tuning Feet placed on the support rails and the Component Stands sits on the Ultras.

StillPoints Ultras Tuning Feet
The StillPoints Ultras Tuning Feet is the latest development from StillPoints. The original StillPoints cones are designed for up to 100 lbs per cone; there are users who requested for a heavy-duty version, suitable for use with heavy power amplifiers and loudspeakers. That’s where the Ultras come in. Available in two versions – Ultra SS for stainless steel and Ultra AL for aluminum, the SS stainless steel version is recommended for heavier components though both are rated at 500 lbs per feet. Housed within the steel or aluminum case are four ceramic balls sitting on a cone structure. The design uses rotational movement of the ceramic balls to dissipate vibration energy. The Ultras tuning feet are more effective than the standard StillPoints cones.

The Ultras Tuning Feet are recommended for use under speakers, heavy power amplifiers and use with the ESS Rack and Component Stands. The Ultras build upon the strengths of the original StillPoints cones with superior performance when used in conjunction with the StillPoints ESS rack or as speaker footer.

StillPoints products are now available at Audio Note (S).

Kiuchi-san was in town recently and we have the opportunity to find out more about the newly launched KAP-777 and the matching CAT-777 MK2 tube preamp.

Kiuchi: Audiophiles who have the opportunity to audition the PAT-777 amplifier acknowledges it was one of the best amplifiers available. The reality is being only 7 watts from the 300B, consumers prejudge without listening as being inadequate. It won’t drive every speaker but most speakers have no problem…

The KAP-777 is designed for the new generation of customers; we are targeting the future where the next generation is all about digital audio. The amplifiers will sound like tube but high in drive and very musical. No listener fatigue.

An amplifier must be like the (Vivaldi) ‘Four Seasons’. Capable of portraying the different scene and the people at different seasons – the KAP conveys the excitement without exaggeration of certain instruments over others. Once you have auditioned the amplifier, it is likely you buy the amplifier! The reaction is very immediate!

TW: What is unique about the amplifier design?

Kiuchi: We use a special bipolar transistor – only one piece of this Mosfet delivers 200 watts, it behaves very much like a single ended design but with high current. As a Reimyo product, we have incorporated Harmonix technology – in the KAP-777 we call it Balanced Resonant Control Technology – Harmonix tuning products are used within the amplifier where it makes an audible difference. In addition, it comes with Harmonix tuning feet, RIFA capacitors and special internal wiring. The KAP-777 is a dual mono design and runs cool.We have a Japanese reviewer who owns the Wisdom Audio speakers and was planning to buy a VTL amplifier, and then when he heard the KAP-777… he bought our KAP-777!

The new Reimyo CAT-777 and KAP-777 are available for demo at Audio Note (S) now.

Why is it then, that 99% of speakers throw the sound forward towards the listening position? That doesn’t seem quite right. The concentration of sound waves emitted by the speaker in one particular direction can and frequently does excite the room, distorting the sound causing all sorts of peaks and dips. Not good!

There is a school of thought that speakers should imitate the nature of natural sound propagation – sound created should propagate its energy equally in all directions. In doing so, the sound wave excites the room less, has a more natural decay, hence sounding tonally more natural to our ear. Duevel, a loudspeaker manufacturer from Germany, is one such advocate of the ‘Omni Directional Loudspeaker’ theory. We reviewed the entry model, The Planet, last year in MOD AudioVideo magazine. The execution of the Planet is limited by the need for simplicity in the construction to keep the cost down for an omni directional loudspeaker. There are better speakers from Duevel and today we introduce the Duevel Bella Luna Diamante, the second model from the flagship Sirius.

If we pit the Planet as the equivalent of say, a Mazda MX-5 Miata, the Bella Luna is a Porsche 911. Standing at one meter tall, the Bella Luna oozes class – it has the looks of a traditional loudspeaker – glossy wood veneer rather than the funky coloured laminate on the Planet. However, that’s where the traditional ends and the omni directional speaker kicks in – to achieve an omni directional dispersion – it makes use of lenses – or at least that’s what I will call them. Fabricated from layered ply, the lens forces the downward firing tweeter to disperse the sound energy in a 360 degrees radiation  pattern – front, back, left and right. The only direction missing is towards the ceiling – for a good reason, every room’s ceiling is not of the same height and hence it will make the speaker sound markedly different. The tweeter is kinda big – 44mm equates to about 1.5-inch. A large tweeter like this one is capable of reaching low enough to the midrange region and it does – it crosses over to the bass drive unit at an incredibly low frequency of about 1 kHz! The 8-inch bass drive unit is mounted on the top of the cabinet and fires upwards into the lens, which then re-directs the sound energy to the four sides as well. As such, the sound propagation of the tweeter and bass driver is closely ‘coupled’ – the end result is an exceptional coherence in the sound of the two drivers – as if it is a single full range drive unit.

The cabinet is ported and it is located at the bottom of the enclosure – it vents downwards to the floor. The crossover of the Bella Luna is said to be very gentle and benign – suitable for low powered (tube?) amplifiers. At the back of the speaker where the speaker posts are, there is a switch to turn on and off the Phase Linear crossover.  Possibly it is a Zobel network to even out the impedance of the crossover. Placement of this speaker is flexible – being omni directional, there is no need for any sort of toe-in, just avoid corners and allow a little space from the back and side walls will do. If you can afford the space, then pulling the speaker further out into the room will offer a more three dimensional presentation.

Sonically, the Bella Luna excels in the coherence of the tweeter and bass driver. The recreation of the soundstage between the two speakers is realistic and tonally mellow (but not rolled-off) and well fleshed-out. This loudspeaker will appeal to more experienced music lovers who find many ‘modern’ loudspeakers sound overly ‘impressive’. Impressive to listen to for a few minutes, but listening fatigue sets in soon after that! In contrast, the Bella Luna shows a restrain from doing just that. As such, you can sit back with a glass of scotch and enjoy a great musical performance. A good loudspeaker should recreate the performance to your music room as naturally as possible, with no emphasis or preference. The Bella Luna
Diamante with its omni directional technology does just that.

RCP S$16,000

2-way Omni directional loudspeaker

44mm tweeter with neodymium magnets

22cm woofer

Phase Linear crossover 6 ohms

Sensitivity 91 dB

Power handling: 150 watts rms

Frequency Response 40 – 23000 Hz

Duevel website: http://www.duevel.com/home/loudspeaker.shtml

I believe non-suspended turntables offer best all-round sound quality – superior bass extension, pitch stability, stable soundstage, and superior decay characteristics – soundly trumping any suspended turntable. The three main lines of turntables in the store – the TW Acustic, Nottingham Analogue and Dr Feickert fall into the non-suspended category.

Dr Feickert’s entry level turntable, the Woodpecker is a high performance turntable designed for ease of setup and ease of use, quite unlike his more advanced designs like the Twin and the forth coming Triple which is really a vinyl enthusiast’s kind of turntable. The relatively big difference in the price between that of the Twin and the Woodpecker created an opportunity to offer a better turntable to slot into their line-up – one that retain the ease of setup and use of the Woodpecker but with better performance and user flexibility.

The Blackbird is the result of this. It looks like a larger version of the Woodpecker, and indeed it is! It needs to be larger to accommodate a twelve-inch tonearm. In addition, there is now room for a secondary arm – a nine or ten incher (eg Rega tonearm). The plinth is similar to the Woodpecker – a thick slab of MDF sandwiched between two sheets of aluminum. Look closer and you will notice it has a two motor drive system. Placed symmetrically on either side of the platter, it provides for better drive stability, as the two motors will balance out any speed variations between the motors; and also higher torque to achieve a little bit of the ‘grip and drive’ of the highly sought-after idler-drive systems. The DC motors are of the ultra low vibration variety from Pabst. The motors are mounted on the aluminum top plate; the idea is to dissipate whatever little vibration from the motor to spread all over the aluminum plate. The two motor drive means the power supply had to be up-rated from the Woodpecker’s single motor drive, and it now comes with an external power supply box with a detachable IEC power connector. The Delrin composite platter and bearing is identical to the one used in the Woodpecker.

A hard rubber belt goes around the two motors and grips the platter symmetrically on both sides instead of the usual case of a single motor drive where the belt goes all around the platter. This means the belt would have significantly less contact with the platter, which means less motor vibration is transferred via the belt to the platter. The record is held down to the platter by a light screw-on clamp. The bearing is ultra smooth, spinning the free platter (without the belt) takes a while to even slow it down.

Between the Woodpecker and the Blackbird, what is expected of the bigger brother? The dual arm would be useful for those who like to have a differen cartridge for different kinds of music. While the Woodpecker is a very good turntable at its price point; the Blackbird improves on the Woodpecker’s strength – being quieter and more refined with excellent separation and deeper bass extension. The dual motor drive of the Blackbird adds a greater sense of precision yet for some reason, it offers a more relaxed presentation.  If you have the budget for the Woodpecker, you may like to consider if the extra $2K upgrade for the Blackbird is worth the extra. I would perhaps opt for a cheaper tonearm and cartridge to go with the Blackbird rather than a better tonearm and cartridge with the Woodpecker. But that’s just me!

Man, you really need to feel the arm to appreciate the
fanatical attention to detail that goes into it, and it truly deserves being
called one of the best tonearms in the world today! And if you think of
ordering one of these beauties, then get in line quickly as there is already a
waiting list!

In the meanwhile, here are some close-up photos of the Talea
in all its glory for you to appreciate.

For an audiophile who is into vinyl, half the fun is finding that illusive LP in second hand record shops, the other half of the fun is getting that LP to sound great. Here I won’t dwell on the first half but on the second. After 80 years of the LP record, there exists billions, yes billions of LPs out there somewhere – some long forgotten in some mushy storeroom collecting dust and fungus. Thanks to some audio publications back in the eighties, it has brought to the attention of collectors many ‘classic’ stereo (and some notable monos) LPs, which went from obscurity to notoriety.

The golden age of the LP is not today, where you have remastered 180gm virgin vinyl of some of these much-vaunted ‘classics’ but back sometime in the fifties to the early sixties – many are monos and some are early stereo recordings. Invariably, they are recorded using tube equipment, mixed using simple tube equipment and mastered using cutters driven by tube amplifiers. As a result, these records have a sense of liveliness and vibrancy in its sound, which was lost when studios went solid state. For real collectors, an original classic Decca, RCA or Columbia in near mint condition is worth many times that of a sealed and unplayed remastered 180 gm virgin vinyl replica.

In the early days of RIAA (1954), the standard used for equalization of the LPs, differs from one company to another. It was not until much later the industry adopted the ‘correct’ standard. As a result, when some of these old LPs are played back on a modern ‘correct’ RIAA curve, it sounds anything but correct. The dilemma for collectors is to find a phono stage that has all the equalization curves needed to bring these valuable vinyls back to life.

The British Library Sound Archive, the BBC, Germany’s Institute fur Rundfunktechnik GmbH (broadcast research) and various other organizations are in the process of archiving these records into digital music files for future use – Abbingdon Music Research has spent many years collaborating with these organizations to build the ultimate Phono Stage – the AMR PH-77.

The key element of the PH-77 is its extensive library of equalization curves offered – AMR claims it has 23 different curves! In addition to the ‘classic’ era curves, the PH-77 also offers ‘modern’ curves – to my knowledge, I have not come across any phono stage with such an extensive suite of features. How does a ‘DMM’ (Direct Metal Mastering) curve sound to you? It does a lot for me. For many years, most of the LPs hailed from Germany are DMM only and they don’t sound good – harsh and peaky sounding with lean bass. I am glad to report, for the first time, I hear DMM for what its worth – only through the AMR PH-77 phono stage and no other. But I am getting a little ahead of myself.

The PH-77 phono stage is one of the latest products from this UK based company. At S$17,500 it is not a cheap, value for money phono stage like the Lehmann Black Cube in any of its incarnation but a serious component in its own right. AMR claims the PH-77 will equalize and play every LP correctly. It is a full Class A, zero feedback, full tube design housed in a full sized chassis with what AMR calls a ‘virtual battery power supply’, fully dual mono with two independent power supplies, full valve rectification, C-core transformers and so on. In line with its intended professional applications – archiving old LPs, it comes with a built-in analogue to digital converter, which outputs the digital signal via USB output. In ‘normal’ use, the Analogue to Digital converter is powered off so there will be no electronic noise to corrupt the signal. AMR give very detailed instructions as to the process of transferring the music from your LP to your computer in their manual. The data stream should be both PC and Mac compatible but you will need to get some music recording software for your computer. I foresee the appearance of ‘audiophile’ grade USB cable soon!

AMR is famed for its ‘Optitrans’ power transformer design and here in the PH-77, it is a hand wound unit with low leakage – hence suitable for use in low level audio circuits. In a phono stage, this aspect becomes more important than ever. By being able to place the power supply as near as possible to the circuits elicits the best audio performance without simultaneously having the downsides of electrical interference.

Housed in an identical chassis as the other AMR components, I am surprised how packed the innards are. High quality proprietary components, especially the use of film capacitors ensures the unit performs beyond ‘Best in its Class’ performance. Electronic switching enables the unit to switch between the various equalization curves. Further customization is allowed with 32 steps resistive and capacitative loading for MC and MM cartridges. Interestingly, among some of the more unique feature is the selector switching between elliptical or spherical stylus, pivoted vs parallel tracking arms and mono or stereo cartridge. For more information on this, there is a sidebar somewhere within this feature.

Externally, the front mounted ‘power’ switch actually puts the unit in ‘standby’. The real power switch is behind the unit, just above the power cord. AMR suggest the unit be left on standby to enable for a quick warm up before a listening session. The unit offers a ‘direct’ non-switching input (bypasses the selector switch – for best results if you have just one source) with an additional 3 switching inputs so if you have a turntable that can mount more than one arm, this might just be one of your options. Both balanced and single ended outputs are offered.

I am sure among the readers here we would have skeptics as to what AMR claims really works. I must confess I am not a collector of those classic LPs, most of my music hails in the last four decades. So is the extensive feature set of the PH-77 would be of limited value to me? Or put it another way, apart from being one of the finest sounding phono stage I have laid my ears on, is there something the PH-77 offers that no other does?

Apart from the ‘standard’ RIAA stage, the PH-77 offers the aforementioned RIAA DMM stage and also an interesting ‘eRIAA’ for ‘enhanced RIAA’. The latter corrects for phase shifts – I am not sure if it means it corrects for the phase shifts that occurs within the recording itself or even correct for the playback system.

What I do know is the difference between RIAA and eRIAA is blatantly obvious and recording dependant – at the same time. Having both enable the user to switch between the two effortlessly, using the supplied remote, for the best sounding option. Using the standard RIAA as a reference, the PH-77 sounded involving, harmonically rich and full bodied. On eRIAA applied to the ‘right’ recording, all the elements suddenly snaps into place – the voice is more focused, enunciations more coherent, definition increases which helps to define the character of the individual instruments. On the ‘wrong’ recordings, the sound becomes drier and less involving. You would really have to suck it and see it if which is the right setting for you! Perhaps after which you may even mark on the LPs that needs either one setting or the other!

RIAA DMM setting is, to me, a god send! Having lived through many years of suffering through German DMM records, the PH-77 finally gets it ‘right’. I always wondered what’s the fuss about DMM – they sound dry, with peaky highs and light bass. Through a ‘normal’ phono stage, I think CD sounds better than these crummy DMM LPs! That is until the PH-77 comes along. I concede that for many who feel that seventeen grand buys a respectable music system and not just a phono stage, it seems like using a sledgehammer to pound a quarter inch long nail. The truth is unless someone else makes a phono stage with a RIAA DMM setting, the AMR PH-77 is the only option available for now.

So how does the RIAA DMM sound like? In short, very musical, very believable and certainly very listenable. A total transformation! The bass end is now weighty and had a powerful character instead of the weenie sound I am used to. At long last, the ‘correct’ equalization brought out the virtues of DMM recordings – a strong sense of space and perhaps in today’s context, even a little 3D. It has a vivid presence which makes non-DMM sounds muffled and congested in comparison. I am utterly spellbound! I won’t vouch for every DMM pressing will have this effect but I can certainly say I never heard DMM pressings sounded any better!

Now all that remains is some kind soul willing to loan me a couple of LPs from Decca, RCA and Columbia from that ‘golden era’ to complete my assessment of the PH-77? Till then, I would suggest even if you cannot afford the PH-77, you should give this remarkable device a listen, especially with a bunch of DMM LPs and hear what you have missed for the last 20 years.

Sidebar 1
Selector switching

This is a complex topic. To give a minimal overview…

Most audiophiles appear to believe that there is such a thing as “the ultimate cartridge” and “the ultimate arm” that always gets the best from all records. In reality this is not the case.

Originally LP’s (mono & early stereo) were cut with linear tracking systems and using “line contact” cutting methods (out of necessity).

They were played back using pickups with spherical needles and using pivoted (rotating) arms.

The difference between these methods of producing and reproducing the signal generated a range of distortions, which were early targets for improving the reproduction of music. One of the solutions, widely employed since the mid to late 1960′s was to pre-distort the signal cut into the LP so the distortions were compensated by an equal level opposite pre-distortion, the technique being called tracing compensator or tracing simulator.

Such LP’s (most from the late 60′s to the late 80′s) cut using a tracing (distortion) compensator will require a spherical stylus to play correctly, they sound distorted when played using line contact styli.

Line contact styli are in theory the best choice to play LP’s that ante- and postdate the use of tracing compensation, however using cartridges with such styli in conventional pivoted tone arms produce large amounts of distortion especially in the inner grooves where many classical pieces have the highest levels.

For LP’s that ante- or postdates the use of tracing compensation and for the use of pivoted arms it is probably best to use mild elliptical styli. If a linear tracking arm is available line contact styli can be used, however great care must be taken to adjust the vertical tracking for individual LP’s.

So it may be reasonable to have a turntable using a pair of pivoted tone arms fitted with suitable cartridges featuring (respectively) spherical and mild elliptical styli and a further linear tracking arm with a line contact stylus.

Armed with the knowledge behind the cutting history of LPs, one is now able to understand the need for different arms and cartridges, to correctly replay each and every record.

Sidebar 2
Analogue to Digital Converter
The signal undergoes RIAA equalization in the analogue domain before converted to digital via a 24/96 A to D and output through the USB.

Sidebar 3
RIAA DMM

In the mid-1970′s Neumann and Teldec developed a new cutting system called Direct Metal mastering (DMM) where the grove was cut directly into a metal foil, not into a lacquer layer.

This eliminated several plating steps in the manufacturing process, allowed for tighter groove spacing and more high frequency level. These differences in the manufacturing process and the different mechanical resonance behaviour of media the groove is cut into (hard metal vs. soft plastic lacquer) give DMM records a very different tonality to traditionally manufactured records.

Sonic differences exist even though almost all DMM records have been, to the best of our knowledge, equalised to RIAA standards (excluding East German Amiga/Eterna DMM records and occasional accidents in the East German cutting rooms when undertaking contract work for the West).

The sound from DMM records is often perceived as overly bright and forward. While this is not directly a result of the equalisation employed, the tonality of overly bright DMM records can made more well-balanced or even handed by gently attenuating the upper midrange and lower treble. The RIAA (DMM) curve implemented in the PH-77 is such an implementation.

It is strictly speaking not an international standard (such as RIAA & CCIR) nor a de-facto standard (the Enhanced RIAA curve is an example of a de-facto standard due to the equalisation built into the Neumann Cutting lathes), but rather, a replay adjustment to ameliorate this common sonic shortcoming of DMM records.

Sidebar 4
eRIAA

The frequency response of any record cutting lathe will fall at a higher frequency and become less efficient, hence a lower level of high frequency detail was cut into the LP at the time of manufacture.

The Enhanced RIAA EQ is an amendment of the standard RIAA that approximates closely the actual frequency response of the cutting system and compensates for this particular roll-off; bringing the missing level of high frequency detail back into the recording.

Sidebar 5
What happens when I listen to the ‘wrong’ equalization?

Of course, no damage will result. However, the true quality of the LP recording will not be fully realised.

For example, when played back using RIAA equalisation:

A Decca Stereo LP (UK mastered or pressed – correct equalisation: Decca EQ) or Deutsche Gramophon LP (Germany mastered or pressed – correct equalisation: Decca EQ), will typically sound bright and edgy with a recessed midrange.

A Columbia Stereo LP (correct equalisation: Columbia EQ) will typically sound boomy in the bass, lacking in warmth and body and overly bright at higher frequencies.

A European LP (correct equalisation: CCIR EQ) will sound dull, lifeless and lacking in detail.

Armed with this understanding of how equalisation affects playback, given the considerable investment in an LP collection and an audio system, AMR believes that at the outset, the correct equalisation for each and every LP should not be overlooked as it is just as important as the rest of the playback chain.

This article is contributed by Terence Wong from MOD AV magazine.

If you have mistaken Dr Feickert sounds like some funky rap star (especially in the hifi trade!), you might like to know there is a real Dr Feickert and he has a real PHD in physics and mathematics. Dr Feickert hails from Germany where some of the most distinguished turntable designs are grabbing headlines in the audio industry. That means there is a lot of competition and competition is good – we get better turntables at competitive prices.

The Woodpecker is Dr Feickert’s entry level turntable (S$5000 for the turntable only), the clean execution of the design bodes well in the aesthetic department – brushed aluminum plate sandwich on the multi-layered laminate plinth with a Delrin surround, thick Delrin platter with a Delrin clamp and Delrin tonearm base. The inverted stainless steel bearing assembly is greased (instead of using thin mineral oil).

Dr Feickert offers two tonearms – a 9-inch and a 10.5-inch. Of course you can mount any arm as long it fits the arm board cutout – The Woodpecker arm cutout offers quite an extensive range to suit all save a few of the longest of arms (that means most of the 12-inchers could fit – check with your Dr Feickert dealer). The motor drive system is obviously belt driven with a DC motor; a small wall plug power supply is standard supply. A dust cover is not supplied. Speed change is effected with soft rubber buttons on the left side of the plinth with a hole to allow a thin screwdriver to make slight speed changes, if required at all. Although there are three buttons – 33, ?? and 45, the ‘unknown’ button is said to be for future use. What future use, Dr Feickert isn’t telling at the moment.

Like most modern turntables, the motor is not suspended from the chassis, nor is there a suspension to isolate the turntable. Knowing audiophiles who pay for a high-end turntable to have a proper isolated shelf for the turntable, the latter band-aid is rendered a non-issue. However mounting the motor directly onto the plinth can only be effected if the motor – has some form of housing for vibration absorption or is of a low vibration variety. The Woodpecker chooses the former as it has a high torque motor. When the motor is running – with or without load, you can place your fingers on the plinth right next to the motor and you will not feel any motor vibration.

The Woodpecker is tested with an Ortofon RS-212-D 9-inch tonearm (S$ xxxxxx) and an Ortofon Cadenza Blue (S$2100) MC cartridge. Phonostage is the Lehmann Black Cube SE2. The Ortofon RS-212 and its 12-inch equivalent, the RS-309-D (S$2850) comes with a low slung counterweight and dynamic tracking – the tracking force is effected by a spring which offers more stable tracking over warps and hence the benefit of the low slung counterweight which also adds stability by putting the center of gravity of the counterweight in line with the cartridge (instead of the arm tube for normal arm counterweights). Better tracking enables the arm to preserve the dynamics picked up by a high-energy cartridge (like most if not all moving coil cartridges).

The Ortofon Cadenza Blue is part of the Cadenza family of moving coil cartridges of which starts off with the Black, then the Bronze, Blue and the Red. The Cadenza Black (S$xxxx) uses the famous Shibata Stylus with a Boron cantilever, the Cadenza Bronze (S$xxxx) uses what Ortofon calls a ‘Replicant’ stylus with a tubular aluminum cantilever, the Cadenza Blue comes with an ultra fine line stylus and a thin solid ruby cantilever, finally the Cadenza Red (S$xxxx) uses a fine line stylus on a tubular aluminum cantilever. Essentially, the Cadenza series offers an identical engine in an aluminum/steel body but the stylus and cantilever options allow for a different sound for different systems or preferences. There is even a mono version, the Cadenza Mono for collectors of mono LPs. At just over 10 gms, the Ortofon Cadenzas is a tad heavier than most cartridges but not in the unmanageable territory yet. Recommended tracking force is between 2.2 – 2.7 gms which is typical for low compliance moving coil cartridges. Output level of the Cadenza Blue is high at 0.5mV and recommended cartridge loading is from 50 ohms.

Turntables in this price range offer the first significant upgrade path from entry-level turntables like the Regas and Projects. While these entry-level turntables offer exceptional value for money, there is only so much a simple design can do. Essentially a turntable is the foundation of the system and being its foundation, it needs an element of integrity to ‘ground’ the system.

The Woodpecker is in every respect, an effective upgrade – the soundstage is of a bigger scale, the instruments and especially voices fleshed out tonally with more body, kick drums have more impact and weight, deep bass becomes more apparent and effortless. The speed stability of the Woodpecker is impeccable, especially in the low bass region, this turntable system is able to sustain notes and offers superior definition of the bass instruments, the usual bugbear of lesser turntables. The sound is more effortless, naturally detailed and most important, it can generate a more dimensional soundstage. You get a good sense of layering of the instruments, the relationship of the position of the instruments as it suspends in the space between the speakers gives the listener the correct perspective of the performance. Awesome!

At no point of time am I intimidated with a lean or overtly dry sound, the Woodpecker/Ortofon combination seems like a match made in heaven – neither lean nor overly bloated. The silence of the background is another hallmark of a well-designed turntable. The fine line stylus and ruby cantilever of the Cadenza Blue though on paper, should veer towards a more detailed sound, it just isn’t so. Here it sounds impeccably balanced in this system, no exaggeration yet detailed.

The Woodpecker is worthy member within the ranks of the High End Turntable fraternity, irrespective of price. It performs with distinction, well build and asking for a very affordable price – the engineering is beyond reproach, the laminated chassis design is well documented for its inherent self damping qualities, here it works a treat. I can only add – the Woodpecker is one turntable that not only sounds superb but also a beautiful piece of engineering – at a price anyone can afford.

This article is contributed by Terence Wong from MOD AV magazine.