Audiophilepure

We audio enthusiasts are known for our devotion to finding that last ‘ounce’ of performance from our systems. We often see publications suggest that ‘this system performs at 90 percent of a system that costs 10 times more.’ We scour over our budgets. We want the type of system that makes our friends to be either jealous or to think we are crazy. Sometimes it is both.

I started this review process with the promise that it would be a thorough shakedown of this $20,000 package as a whole. Joe Perfito was confident enough that his entire response when I told him this would be reported on honestly, good or bad, he responded with ‘fair enough.’

Let us end this review with that honest assessment. I personally have enjoyed how much improvement my (let’s use rough numbers) $45,000 system has gained with the $20,000 Clarus/Concerto package. I do not believe that this system could have improved as much in performance by spending the entire $65,000 on the primary audio components and using the standard cables and power straight from the wall. It was not a surprise that the Clarus/Concerto package performed well. What was a surprise was coming away from this four-month experience with the revelation that this would be a tremendous way to improve one’s system without having to go through the process of replacing one’s components. In other words, to me, this $20,000 is a bargain.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1837-grado-labs-sonata3-low-output-phono-cartridge

Would Aristotle consider the low-output Grado Sonata3 cartridge virtuous? His head might be spinning at the mere wonder of our ability to record and reproduce sound with such faithfulness to the original. That said, the low-output version of the Sonata3 has certainly found the electromechanical mean between moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges, if not the sonic mean. Like other Grado products, the Sonata3 has a distinct sonic character and a few analog lovers out there may absolutely hate it. But I think most will love its treatment of tonality and separation. The Sonata3 isn’t quite a perfect cartridge, but considering its sound, its look, and the care Grado’s put into its production, it’s a solid deal. The bottom line is that the Sonata3 is worth comparing against the many options in its price class, whether you’re considering a moving-magnet or a moving-coil cartridge. And the fact you can choose the output level most appropriate to your existing equipment? That kind of versatility is a virtue that even the philosophers among us have probably never imagined.

 This is a level one solution, and it does work to a degree. The IsoAcoustics footers alleviate the effects of these unwanted resonances by providing stability in the horizontal plane, and then fashioning a pathway to drain and dissipate vibrations from the speaker cabinet, or in case of the CLX ART, the speaker frame. This is more than a bit of smoke in mirrors, as these products have undergone both frequency response testing in anechoic chambers and laser scanning vibration measurements at the National Research Council of Canada facilities. There are measurable and repeatable effects in using the Gaia footers in our audio systems. These footers are engineered to work under a wide variety of speakers, which is to be expected since the design provides a pathway to sink and dissipate undesirable energy. If you use a speaker with traditional cabinets such as the Sonus faber Stradivarius that Robert Youman owns, or an electrostatic panel such as my Martin Logan CLX ART, you will find tangible benefits from this product.