Audiophilepure

https://www.hifinews.com/content/pro-ject-audio-automat-a1-turntable-package

Notwithstanding any reservations I (or, for that matter, you) might have about the finesse available from so cost-effective a package, the A1 reproduced this track with precisely the refinement needed to recall the Left Coast sound of Browne’s debut, which predates this album by 50 years. It also features growly, effects-laden guitar work, a combination of textures that revealed the A1’s ability to deal with contrasts. What it lacked in absolute richness, especially of the sort associated with classic MC cartridges, was balanced by that inescapable sense of excitement.

It was the new 45rpm transfer of Joe Jackson’s eclectic, originally-recorded-in-digital Body And Soul [Intervention IR-030] that exposed the aforementioned tonearm travel which assumes a 7in record is on the platter when playing at 45rpm. Amused rather than irritated, I lowered the arm manually and was rewarded with a lushness I simply did not anticipate.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/clearaudio-reference-jubilee-record-player

Who is the audience for this turntable, I asked Garth Leerer? “Any serious music lover or audiophile,” he responded. “This is a final turntable. Obviously, at 30 grand, it’s not cheap, but in the world of high-end turntables, it’s in the more affordable category—right? There are turntables now from $50 to $500,000.”

I say this turntable is for anyone who has ever laid vinyl to platter. Sure, the purchase may impoverish you, ruin your marriage, make your children stop talking to you, and cause your dog to disown you. But every time you spin a record on the Clearaudio Reference Jubilee, your joy will be complete. I promise

Consonance Wax Engine and Charisma Eco

For the money, this package is a bargain. While it offers a modest discount on the individual elements if bought separately, the overall end product is one whose performance far outweighs the sum of the separate parts. There’s a synergy which not only retrieves an awful lot of information from the groove in terms of sound quality, but it also does that indefinable thing of engaging with the listener and really ‘making music’. 

Think about it. A more than half-decent MC cartridge, a superbly capable finely engineered pick-up arm, and a turntable which has the pedigree of an exceptionally fine centre bearing coupled with a high quality motor on a robust non-resonant chassis. 

It really is punching above its weight in terms of ‘bang for buck’, and quite honestly, there are a few other arm/deck/cartridge combinations out there which might need to look nervously at their own price points because this pairing is a serious contender in the sub-£2,000 stakes. Performance-wise, it really should be priced a fair bit higher. From my experience it deserves a hearty recommendation, and I encourage you all to seek one out and really give it a fair test; I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. 

Live recordings are delivered with a strong sense of scale and image depth and the better studio productions can sound superb. Joni Mitchell’s Mingus [Asylum] being one clear example where everything sounded spot on, the voice stood out with beautiful tone and nuance and it felt as if you could hear right into the studio. Making it particularly easy to appreciate the efforts of the various top-notch musicians Mitchell gathered for this project; Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine being the best known but even the percussion playing is in the top flight. All of this is revealed by the way that this Thales record player shows you not only what and how each note is created but, equally important, ensures that those notes stop and start precisely and allow what artists call the negative space, the quiet between notes to be clarified as well. I forgot to put the clamp on initially with this album so got to hear the way it solidifies the bass and adds definition to leading edges when it’s added. On some turntables clamps are not always beneficial but here it brings obvious increases in resolution.

Bass is a strong point on the Thales. The low-end is both solid and particularly articulate. I often play a hi-res digital version of ‘The Drycleaner from Des Moines’ on a streamer and digital usually has advantage in the bass but this record player made it clear that vinyl can compete in this arena where there is fine detail to be extracted from an analogue recording. Tonal character is usually an area where good turntables excel and that’s certainly the case here, on Conjure’s ‘Skydiving’ [Music For The Texts Of Ishmael Reed, American Clavé] instruments like congas really pop out of the speakers and there is strong contrast between the various horns, guitars and sounds in this rich mix with all elements getting to occupy a space in the soundstage. This is relatively easy with smaller ensembles but the Thales can do it with larger bands too.

https://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/music_hall_stealth.htm

Most of all, though, the Stealth gave me confidence that whatever LP I put on the platter would sound as good as it was going to at the sub-$2000 price point. A cartridge upgrade, perhaps to a high-output moving coil, raises that performance to a higher level still. Both value hunters and music lovers will be impressed with the Stealth turntable because it offers performance well beyond the threshold for high-end audio. For those who get their music from the grooves of vinyl records, the purchase of a Stealth turntable could be an endpoint. It will open the door to the high-end without breaking the bank. In the right system, it can deliver 85% of the magic found in systems costing much, much more. I view it as the foundation upon which a fine system is built. Music Hall Audio and Roy Hall have hit it out of the park with this one.

I can’t recall that listening with the Kronos Sparta was any more fun than listening with the Musiko, but then, my entire rig has come a long way since those days. Just switching from the complex ritual of cueing up a record on my hot-rodded LP12 with its mandatory periphery ring and heavy record weight to the simplicity of the Musiko (which didn’t get significantly better with a periphery ring), was value-added not just in dollars, but in serenity. No more Zen, no more mantra. The honor of the “biggest pain” is now bestowed upon getting the LP back in the sleeve.

If you’re stepping up from a Rega P3 or a Project Debut Pro you will have no idea of what I’m talking about here. You’ll just feel like the richest kid on the block with your new Musiko.

I had asked Bernard not to tell me the price of the table to give my mind free rein on assessing its value. I strongly suspected when listening to the first song with the Musiko that I would buy it. It was that dramatic of an improvement over what I was using. As I spent more time with it, I came to the conclusion, based on its sonic performance that the turntable alone would cost about $8000 to $8500 with a package deal with the Musiko tonearm coming in at just under $10,000. When I learned he was offering the turntable (without an arm) for $2995, I felt secretly embarrassed. But embarrassment is just a feeling, so I share it with you willingly because it conveys the value. It is a very fair price, if not an outright steal!

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0622/Acoustical_Systems_Aquilar_Anniversary_Tonearm_Palladian_Moving_Coil_Phono_Cartridge_Review.htm

A striking characteristic of Aquilar / Palladian combination is that when listening it is easy to shift between unfocussed and focused listening, from listening to a group of musicians playing a piece of music to honing in on particular aspects, a single instrument, or how different musicians are interacting with one another. For instance, when listening to jazz groups, it became possible to focus on interactions of the rhythm section – how the drummer and pianist, for instance, are supporting each other rhythmically, or how the bass and piano are harmonically interacting, and then how as a whole they are supporting the lead horn. This ability to listen deeply into the music remained intact with very complex music, and this is one of the most striking aspects of this arm and cartridge. There is no fuss with large-scale music; it remains completely coherent over all sorts of music, from solo guitar to hard-bop jazz group to symphony orchestra.

The exceptional ability to follow subtle musical detail with the Aquilar/Palladian is nevertheless not something that is overtly highlighted; rather, it is seamlessly integrated into the sonic picture. The overall sense of musical integration is striking, giving a palpable sense of musical balance. As with detail, so too with the rendering of dynamics, which are fast and natural, yet fully integrated into the musical presentation.

The Aquilar / Palladian throws a large, open, yet fully occupied soundstage. Spatial relations in depth and width among musicians are precisely and quite dramatically portrayed. It is a highly coherent soundstage, in which images are properly sized and spaced without losing in any way their harmonic integration. This provides for a dramatic portrayal of musicians playing music in a natural space.