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My journey into Photography, Horology, and Audiophilia |
How I spent my All Souls Day
November 2, 2004
One of my most enlightening and fruitful week started yesterday. I
have several guests in the house - two Kiwis, one Thai, one Chinese,
one German. The British just arrived this morning to join the melee.
The first Kiwi have been to the house once, and was again was
available to grace my humble setup. Code named P-75, this is the
cutest in the bunch. The second Kiwi code named, Jarrah sports an
all discrete architecture. The german, code named Symphono,
was the first to arrive and has been playing before the rest of the
gang came. The Thai with no name, and the Chinese called Cyber-40
and to complete the cast is the British called Era Gold.
Geez, no American huh?
What the hell am I talking about? Alright, enough with the crap. I'm
looking for a phono stage to replace my trusted Musical Fidelity
X-LP due to two major things. First, my new equipment arrangement
caused severe RFI pickup in MC mode for the X-LP - it becomes a
single station tuner. Second, I would like to get the best
performance out of my MC rig, and I believe that the X-LP is the
limiting factor.
The usual disclaimers do apply and my posting here does not mean
that you will get the same performance out of these phono stages as
different factors will affect their synergy with the rest of your
components.
Product Profiles
The Clearaudio Symphono (Old version, Black) is about
$1,200.00 list price. It is a Solid-state Opamp phono stage and has
60dB of gain in MC only mode. With >65dB of signal to noise ratio,
>95dB of channel separation, 0.004% harmonic distortion, and ±0.1dB
of RIAA accuracy, this phono stage looks very impressive on paper.
Will it do well in actual
performance? We'll see. It features extreme simplicity - no DIP
switches to set, no knobs, nothing to fiddle because it features
Automatic loading according to the internal impedance of the
cartridge.
The Dynavector New Zealand P-75 lists for $595.00 and is another
Solid-state Opamp design. It features support for both MM and MC and
offers 40dB gain for MM, 60dB gain for MC, and 63dB gain in what it
calls phono enhancer mode. Input sensitivity is 2mV for MM, 0.2mV
for MC or 0.15mV for phono enhancer mode. Loading is 47k in MM mode,
and 30, 100, 470 ohms in MC. Though support for MM and MC is
available, it has to be set using DIP switches which require opening
the unit.
The second unit designed and built in New Zealand, the Plinius
Jarrah is listed for $845.00. It is a Solid-state discrete design
(no Opamps) and has 800µV of input sensitivity with -70dB unweighted
noise level. The distortion is 0.05% with RIAA accuracy of ±0.2dB.
It has the most number of loading options with 32 loading steps from
7.4 ohms to 47k ohms. Though it is designed to work with both MM and
MC cartridges, it does not have a selector switch. Exactly like the
Dynavector unit, screws need to be removed to reveal the DIP
switches to set the loading options.
The Opera Audio Cyber-40 from China is selling for PHP 46,000.00 and
is the first of the tubed units.Tube complements include 1 x EZ80,
and 2 x 12AX7 that yields the highest signal to noise ratio of 86dB
and low distortion of 0.01%. This unit has a switch for selecting
either MM or MC mode, and another for low or high sensitivity. There
is no indication about the gain and loading anywhere in the manual
so I have no idea what the official figure is.
Then we have the phono stage from TS Audio, a Thai company. Not so
much information is available about this unit which only offer MM
mode. Upon opening the unit, the three 12AX7 from Electroharmonix
will be clearly visible. This is the unit that has the power supply
circuit on the same enclosure, unlike the rest where a separate
transformer or power supply unit is used. I was informed by the
importer that this used to sell for P8,500 about two years ago when
the Peso was 51:1, I think.
Finally, the British unit from Graham Slee called Era Gold is listed
at $800.00. Another Solid-state phono stage and is only MM with 2mV
- 9mV sensitivity. Output noise is -77dB A-weighted with less than
0.02% distortion. Another small unit, second smallest to the
Dynavector P-75.
How do they sound? How silent are they? I will come up with a list
of the results and I am going to tabulate this so that I can make a
selection on which one will be complementing my MC rig this coming
December.
The rest of the gang
- Clearaudio Champion turntable
- Eminent Technology 2.5 tonearm
- Clearaudio Sigma MC cartridge
- Clearaudio Sixstream phono cable (to phono preamp)
- Eichmann Cables eXpress 6 interconnect (phono preamp to preamp)
- Foreplay preamp
- Gordon Rankin's 807 power amplifier
- Eichmann Cables eXpress 6 speaker cable
- Infinity Kappa 200 bookshelf speakers
- Altec/Peerless 15095 step-up transformer used for MM only units
that were tested
The phono cable selection
The Clearaudio Sixstream is a loaner, I have not bought it yet. I
selected that phono cable among a bunch of shielded and non-shielded
cables that I have been auditioning - both commercial and DIY. And
yes, cables do differ as I'm very pleased to say that I am guilty of
making a very quiet DIY cable and the WORST sounding too.
The Sixstream features excellent extension in both ends of the
frequency range, with very smooth, silky top end. The bass is
weighty and the overall dynamics is excellent. The mids are open and
lucid. Not to mention that this cable is the most quiet phono cable
I have tried.
If you own the Unify tonearm, you already own one great sounding
phono cable! Either you got the tonearm or the phono cable for free.
This will be it for now. The Plinius should be ready when I get home
today as it has been powered up since last night.
96.3... WROCK.
Yes, this is the radio station that is being picked up in my room.
Goal #1 - Eliminate or Reduce RFI pickup
So which of the units do not pick up RFI?
At 3 o'clock to full volume level, the Clearaudio
Symphono and Opera Audio Cyber 40
noise (buzz) and muffled radio broadcast becomes audible.
On the Plinius Jarrah, radio (no buzz) was so clear, I was able to
identify the station, from 1230 o'clock to full volume.
The Dynavactor noise pickup starts becoming audible from 1 o'clock
to full volume.
On the MM only units, the Graham Slee Era Gold and TS Audio, they
still pick up noise and radio from 4 o'clock to full volume even if
their sensitivity is not as low compared to the rest. My X-LP's
noise and radio will become audible only at full volume in MM mode.
And as a reminder, my dilemma is on MC and not MM.
Goal #2 - getting the best performance from my MC rig
It is not easy comparing all these units sonically. To start with
they all sound good, but is there any improvement?
In one way or another, I believe that each of these units offer
improvements over the X-LP. Some too subtle to justify the
acquisition cost, some are justifiable.
As I test each unit, they seem to bunch up as far as the sonic
characteristics are concerned. And sadly, no single unit has it all.
It will now depend on my priorities and preferences on which one
will complement my MC rig.
The Graham Slee Era Gold and the Dynavector P-75 both excel in PRAT.
My previous impression of the P-75 posted in the forum reaffirms
this quality of this cute phono stage. Both these units played REM
and Midnight Oil best. It's really a toss-coin between these two.
However, the Graham Slee is more fleshy in presentation while the
Dynavector is more punchy.
The P-75 was configured for the "phono enhancer mode" so that
automatic loading will be in effect. No other combination was
tested. The gain is very good, and listening volume is mostly at 9
o'clock position. The Era Gold, though rated for MM was able to
sound comparatively as loud as the P-75 at 12 o'clock position.
Since this unit is MM, loading is standard at 47k and there's
nothing I can do.
The TS Audio is decent sounding with more extention on both ends of
the spectrum compared to the X-LP. What's not going for it is that
the highs are a bit edgy and the lows flabby. I could only point a
finger to those square WIMA capacitors used in the signal chain and
average regulation for the DC supply. The Altec/Peerless 15095 step
up transformer was used to increase the signal for the TS Audio's MM
input.
The remaining units bunched up too in another sonic character. The
Clearaudio Symphono, Opera Audio
Cyber 40, and Plinius Jarrah all excel in conveying the music's
emotions. I enjoyed these three better than the previous three when
listening to Peter Nero Summer of '42, Opus 3 Classic #1, William
Ackerman Passage, and David Lanz and Michael Jones Solstice. All
three pulls me into the music and were done with different subtle
differences. The Sympono has better detail and clarity in the
presentation, while the Cyber 40 offers a bit more body and the
Jarrah more warmth. All three offers superb smoothness and
refinement in reproduction.
The Symphono has only one setting and
that is automatic loading and supports MC only. The Cyber 40's
loading parameters I don't know, but using the toggle switches
behind the unit, was set to MC and Low. Maybe Hansen can tear it
apart later to find out. The Jarrah was opened up (with permission,
of course) to set loading to 47 ohm which is closest to the 50 ohm
of the Sigma. There is no MM/MC setting for the Jarrah, and I
understand that the loading automatically selects the gain.
The Symphono with 60dB gain allowed
me to set the volume to around 9:30 o'clock and this is the same
setting used for the Cyber 40. I can then assume that the Cyber 40
in MC-Low mode, does provide about 60dB of gain. The Jarrah on the
other hand required the volume setting to be around 2 o'clock to
achieve the same loudness (radio not yet audible from listening
position). Although the Jarrah's input sensitivity is 800µV, as
compared to the Era Gold's 2mV, the volume needs to be set higher
due to what I will assumed to be less output voltage from the Jarrah.
Of all the units tested, only the Cyber 40 offered the convenience
of switching between MM and MC and Low and High sensitivity without
opening up the unit. I have no idea what capacitor or tube brands
were used in the Cyber 40, but what ever those are yielded an ideal
music reproduction already. The external power supply is also hefty
and uses standard IEC power cable which allows one to use more
exotic aftermarket power cords. The umbilical cord to the main unit
is of the locking type and quite stiff. A blue LED indicates power
is supplied to the unit.
The Symphono is the true
plug-and-play unit - nothing to fiddle with, no need to open. The
external power supply is a bit smaller compared to the main unit and
sports one red and one yellow LEDs and I have no idea what those
meant. The main unit's blue LED lights up when power is applied via
a very soft, locking umbilical cord. The main power supply cord is
not IEC type and is fixed into the case.
Not to be outdone in the power supply section, the Jarrah also comes
with an external power supply with detachable IEC power cord which
allows you to use aftermarket power cords. Although not locking
type, the less than stiff (compared to the Cyber 40) umbilical cord
has a three contact, guided connector to provide power to the main
unit, which also has a nice blue LED to indicate power state.
Era Gold also comes with an external power supply and looks cheaper
compared to the previous three. The detachable power cord with two
contact pins resemble the power cords you get from portable casette
recorders. The end is a figure 8 type and has this huge british plug
at the other end which prevents another power cord to be inserted
beside it on my power strip. I was a bit disappointed to find out
that the connector to the main unit is not molded, not locking and
worse, not crimped internally! The main unit does not have any
indication of power as there's no LED.
The Dynavector is unique - no supplied power supply unit from
Dynavector itself. It came with aftermarket wall wart which
Dynavector claims to be a non issue as they have unique regulation
inside the main unit. The main unit glows red when power is applied.
The TS Audio is the only one without an external power supply. But
it does use standard IEC power cord that connects to the back of the
unit. The connectors are actually in front and there is no LED
indicator. You will know when the unit is on as you can see the
tubes glowing when viewed from the ventilation holes.
Software Used
- Dave Brubeck Quartet "Time In"
- Opus 3 Classic #1
- Santana Abraxas
- Peter Nero Summer of '42
- REM Eponymous
- String Band featuring Isao Suzuki
- Rey Valera
- Charlene I've Never Been To Me
- David Lanz and Michael Jones Solstice
- William Ackerman Passage
- Midnight Oil Diesel and Dust
- Van Halen 5150
- The Cult Wildflower (45)
I would like to thank the vendors and owners who graciously allowed
me to borrow their units to test. You all know who you are. Thanks!
