Equipment Reviews

In the SL-1200GR2 review I said I'd produce this video so you could hear the Seto-Hori Remodel and the turntable, so here it is. Plus the video shows the incredible packaging. It even sounds good on computer speakers. I'm not sure who will spend $4000 on a cartridge and put it in a $2199 turntable but this demonstrates that the 'table can do the job on most any cartridge you choose to use with it and produce excellent sound.You can read more about it on... Read More

Can you name an audio product that for more than fifty years has been manufactured and sold unchanged? Technics iconic SL-1200 isn’t one of them. Yes, today’s SL-1200 turntable series looks like the original SL-1200 introduced back in 1972 but looks can be deceiving. Nonetheless, YouTube comments confirm that many SL-1200 enthusiasts continue to believe that what they bought in 1972 is equal to or better than what Technics produces today, partly because most current... Read More

“Are you okay? Did something happen?” asked my audio pal, Colin.“I’m crestfallen. Life seems to have lost all meaning,” I reply. “I had to pack up and send back those Luminous power amps, and now I don’t feel like listening to music on my system.” But of course, one evening a few days later, I was spinning Mellow Waves by Cornelius using my Ampsandsound Zion Monos, and feeling it big time. The Zions, which had become chopped liver only a week prior, were back to... Read More

In 2016, a company called Sweet Vinyl introduced the SugarCube SC-1 vinyl noise reduction system. Placed between a phono preamplifier and line preamp or integrated amp, the SugarCube digitizes the incoming signal at 192kHz/24bit, applies an adjustable real-time surface noise reduction algorithm, then outputs the cleaned-up signal. Though not for purists, the SugarCube made a good point: sure, you could digitally archive an especially noisy record, remove the annoying... Read More

Various versions of the Linkwitz LX521 speaker have captivated my interest since I first heard it at RMAF 2012. In subsequent years, I prioritized visiting the Linkwitz room, where I would be consistently impressed by the speaker's ability to create an excellent sound stage and perform remarkably well in various rooms.Siegfried Linkwitz is renowned among loudspeaker designers for introducing several revolutionary advancements in the audio industry, the most... Read More

Rega likes to point out that cartridges and turntables are “vibration measuring devices.” That sounds simplistic, or fanciful but it’s true. The stylus wiggling its way through the record groove unleashes a large amount of vibrational energy. Most of it reaches the intended target, which is either magnets or coils. But some of that energy causes the cartridge body to vibrate—we’ll ignore in this discussion unwanted energy returning to the record grooves or making its... Read More

The Bricasti M3 arrives in the familiar Bricasti black-anodized-and-silver enclosure, but with a smaller form factor. It is 14" W x 11.25" D x 2.5" H, and weighs 10 pounds. The M3 has AES, S/PDIF, Toslink (Optical), and USB digital inputs as standard. An RJ45 Ethernet connection is optional. Furthermore, you can specify that your S/PDIF connector will be a BNC jack, rather than an RCA jack. I highly recommend the BNC, even though my review sample did not have it. I know this from previous experience, because the Parasound Halo CD-1 transport has that rare and special thing, a BNC S/PDIF output jack. Compared to Bricasti’s other offerings, the M3 is actually kind of cuddly looking. If you have a moderately spacious desk (and some extra cabbage in your bankroll), I am sure that the balanced-headphone-optioned M3 would make for an amazing computer-stereo headphone-listening setup.

U-Turn Audio made a bold move last year, introducing the Orbit Theory turntable fitted with its new 220mm effective length OA3 gimbaled bearing tonearm, featuring a one piece molded, tapered magnesium armtube. The research and development costs of the made in USA arm must have been relatively high, yet the Theory sells for a very reasonable $999. Now the company has introduced a full line of turntables featuring a variant of that arm, with prices starting at $249.... Read More

Over the last few decades, the gap between tube and solid-state sound has been closing, with both design camps trying to maintain their best attributes while incorporating some of the finest qualities of the other. Solid-state designers try to achieve the organic midrange quality and dynamic life of tube gear. In contrast, tube designers aim for the bass extension/definition, lower noise, and high-frequency extension of solid-state designs.There are varying opinions... Read More

Is high end audio practical? If you ask the average Joe on the street, a $5,000 set of speakers is not practical. However, if you ask Tracking Angle readers, my guess is most would think that $5,000 is a pretty reasonable price. One might even say that listening to vinyl is not practical. The Phonomena III phono preamplifier, when paired with the upgraded Linear Power Supply, is among the most practical and flexible phono stage you can buy.

Perhaps the most immediately noticeable upgrade I’ve ever made to my system was replacing my Rega wool slipmat with Stein Music’s The Perfect Interface Carbon Signature turntable mat. Exactly why it works seems to elude everyone who’s written about it, but the Stein mat produces noticeably greater soundstage depth and separation, quieter backgrounds, and improved realism. The Perfect Interface line uses Japanese paper from the “tapa cloth tree” (paper mulberry),... Read More

The iSonic CS 6.1-PRO is an ingeniously designed, relatively compact 1.55 gallon capacity cavitation-based $999 record cleaning machine capable of rotating up to ten 12" or 7" large hole 45rpm records in a stainless steel tank for up to fifteen minutes after which you drain the distilled water into a bucket and actuate a dual-speed high speed spinning mechanism that spins the records dry (a new reservoir with pump station will soon be available to make easier and more convenient, vat draining and refilling). In a relatively short time you should have up to ten cavitated clean, dry records. "Should" is the operative word.

How Low Can You Go? I’m not talking about quality per se, but quality at a reasonably low price. At $3,200 a pair, the new speaker from Canadian audio electronics stalwart Simaudio is an exceptionally impressive listen at any price. I had a hint at this when I heard a pair at the 2022 Montreal Audio Fest. The Simaudio room was not a tiny hotel room but a medium to large-sized exhibit space on the lower level. It was paired with the Ace, a Simaudio integrated amp/streamer of about 50 high-current watts per side. This simple system, for around $7,000, played recordings in a way that made me want to sit down and listen—and I did just that. 

After chatting with the most affable Dave Nauber, CEO of T+A North America, I agreed to review the company’s flagship preamp, the P 3100 HV - fitted with an optional MC phono card. I told him I’m a tube guy and that listening to and writing about a modern, solid-state, German-made preamp from a company I knew almost nothing about was not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking fun review.Mr. Nauber remained calmly undaunted and said, "I’ll be shocked if... Read More