Thoughts and Non Thoughts

We’re talking about two-decade old speakers. The Diamond series is one of the longest running models in the Wharfedale brand. Considered above entry-level but not pretending to compete against ultra high end speakers. These were well-reviewed when these designed-in-England speakers came out in 2004. Are they still good in 2026? A resounding yes. These speakers, recalled to active duty, have exceeded my expectations. When one cable used is more expensive than the speakers, the expression “punching above its weight” is an understatement. But maybe that’s all it needs, to be partnered with good equipment and source to let them shine.  Amplifier: LSA Standard Integrated  Cables: VdH CS122, Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference Source: Technics SL1200 mk2 with Nagaoka MP110 Phono stage: Jolida JD9 Vinyl: Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out, Columbia 6-eye 1996 Listening room about 16 square meters Impressive musicality, textured mids, tuneful bass, enough high frequency detail. Smooth, non-fat...

  Can a cartridge slow down the music? The record is still spinning at 33&1/3 rpm, right? Yet somehow the music is less frantic, compared to an AT and a Shure cart.  The timing, the tempo - it feels “right” with the Nagaoka MP-110. I don’t know how it does it. Perhaps less of the upper mid emphasis of the AT, or the upper mid bass bump of the Shure.  All I know is that I can relax to the music. If that’s what others call refinement then so be it. It just sounds smoother. Maybe the music doesn’t slow down, my brain waves do. 

I got this Jico N44G stylus a few years ago but didn’t get to use them until now. It’s the bonded tip version before Jico stopped making them, costing around $35 at the time. For a conical tip, it sounds pretty detailed and well balanced across the frequency range. It has the Shure warmth and weighty yet agile bottom. I find loading at low capacitance brings out the higher frequencies to my liking. Jico now offers the “nude” version of this stylus at a much higher price ($113). A new “SD” (synthetic diamond) model is also available ($60) that claims to equal the performance of the bonded stylus (apparently discontinued due to difficulty in sourcing the bonded tips).  I am thoroughly enjoying the sweet nature of this stylus (mounted on a M55e body). I think its 6 mv output is just right for my phono stage too. Truly a gem, now out of hiding.

Back on rotation with the AT VM95E and the Nagaoka MP-110 on the Technics SL1200 mk2. The DV20XL is on a different level. Detailed but refined. Agile yet weighty bass.  Kei’s Song (David Benoit) never sounded this good.

  There are many reviews of the VM95 series of Audio-Technica cartridges, many of them positive, even effusive . I have been biased by the description of AT carts as "bright-sounding" hence have avoided them as my system/room tends to be unforgiving of bright playback. Having finally tried the green AT-VM95E elliptical, I must say that this is not a bright cart, actually falling into the warm side of neutral.  Quiet a well-balanced sound. I won't repeat all the reviews, but one thing that impressed me immediately was the relatively quiet background (coming from a Shure M55E with Jico stylus). Compared to the Shure, the AT is less mid-forward and more extended in the higher frequencies. The VM95 cartridge has a practical advantage -- one can easily swap the stylus to any of the other models, from the conical VM95C all the way to microline VM95ML and shibata VM95SH models. It was a matter of seconds to switch to the blue VM95C.  The conical is more rounded at the lower...

  Rega RP3 with Exact cartridge. A modern take on a hundred-year-old technology. NAD 304 integrated amplifier from the '90s. Phono stage is a Schiit Mani, a good match to the Rega Exact. Tannoy 605LE from 30 years ago. Fleetwood Mac "Rumours.” Warm crunchy guitars. Sounds so good on this system. Good music doesn't grow old. Today’s modern audio will one day become vintage. And still sound good.

  The ifi Zen Phono is a phono stage described as "detailed and clean," not to mention "high-end" at a relatively modest price. I paired it with the Denon DL-103 cartridge, a classic conical moving-coil (MC) with a design dating back to the 1960's. The DL-103 is described as warmish, with a rich midrange, dynamic but perhaps lacking extension at the frequency extremes. The ifi Zen Phono and the DL-103 complement each other.  The VPI Scout, a belt-driven turntable with the unipivot JMW-9 arm, lives up to the task of bringing out the dynamics and control from the above combination. The output from the Zen Phono goes to a Cambridge CXA60, which is used as a pre-amp. A Conrad Johnson MV55 power amplifier injects the right amount of tube warmth to the playback.  A pair of LSA2 floorstanders rounds up the system for a full range toe-tapping experience. I also tried the ifi Phono with a MM cart, but it shines best with low output MCs like the DL-103. The other descript...

    Quick answers: 1. The SL1200 and the DV20xl make a good match (compliance, arm weight). 2. Ortofon SH-4 headshell perfect for it. VTF at 2 grams and same anti-skate, arm level. 3. The Jolida JD9 phono stage with gold pin Tungsol 12ax7 gives it that warm analog sound. Impedance at 100 ohms. The DV20xl on the SL1200 is refined, no sibilance, not in-your-face treble but warmish midrange, solid bass, good treble. In other words on the warmer side of neutral. This is perfect for well recorded and good condition vinyl, particularly jazz, light classical, classic rock. For banged-up records, maybe I'll swap it with one of my MM carts.

The Schiit Mani . There's a lot of reviews on the web of this $129 Schiit, this one from Stereophile among the better-written ones. I don't want to add another review, just want to share how the addition of the Mani made my system more flexible, particularly due to its various gain settings. The importance of phono gain settings can't be overemphasized in matching carts and amps. Here are two threads from an audio forum that cover this in detail. (The advantage of forums like this over FB is the archival and search-friendly properties.) This one is more technical and mathematical, specially in calculating optimum phono stage gain. Selecting appropriate phono preamp gain This second one is more subjective but no less insightful. The good the bad of too much gain Going back to my system, the analog input sensitivity of my integrated amp is 200mV. Applying the formula for a 5-mV output cart gave me an optimum gain of 32 dB at the phono stage. Most phono stag...

After Shure announced they would stop producing phono products (read cartridge and stylus), I quickly ordered another M97xe before prices took off. But I was too late for the M44-7 (and M44G) as prices already doubled, so I decided to take stock of my inventory. Found two M44-7 cart bodies and one near mint stylus. Also found a M55E with N55E that I've forgotten. So maybe these carts will last me a lifetime. But I needed to match them with stylus so ordered some from Jico Japan. They came in nice jewel cases. These are diamonds after all.  😊 After some testing and mix and matching, found some viable combinations, but this is the one I'm currently enjoying. M55E body with Jico N55E stylus tracking at 1.70 g. Sounding quite nice.  😊

Now that Shure has announced that thry will discontinue their phono products (Shure announcement) some DJs and audiophiles are suddenly taking stock of their Shure cartridges and styli. "Turntablists" specially are talking about the M44-7, which has become the standard DJ cartridge. It is now out of stock at Amazon, except for some vendors selling at $150 (previously $79). The M97xe, aimed at audiophiles, doesn't have the mid-bass hump that the M44-7 has, and has a lower output. There were some quality-related issues reported, particularly incidences of a channel going dead. Nevertheless, for those who got good copies, not a few preferred the M97xe for home audio listening. Save for a couple of years when I put in a Rega Exact on my Technics SL1200 mk2 (the Exact is now happily singing on a RP3), I have been using a M97xe on this table. I got it for $61 when it went on sale at Amazon almost 9 years ago. I can say it's the best $61 I've spent on analog gear...

Though the Shure cartridge is the cheapest component (except for the cables), it doesn't let the rest of the system down. The SL1200 also comes into fore as a capable player, worthy of any audiophile. I wrote my first impressions briefly here , but have since tweaked and optimized it with my system. Here's the rest of the system and settings. Shure M97xe cartridge: 1.25 g tracking force brush up, 1.25 g anti-skate, arm level or slightly tail up SL1200 turntable with 3mm mat underneath original rubber mat LSA Standard Amplifier with NOS Tesla 6922 tubes , Mundorf caps  Straightwire Chorus interconnects from built-in phono to line Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mkII speakers on wooden stands with metal base Van den Hul CS122 speaker cables But it's how it's put together, not the individual components, that makes this rig very musical. Hours of set-up, tube rolling, and, yes, cables to get that perfect synergy. One can talk about soundstage, ton...

This cart sounded best at a tracking force of 2.1 grams. It's the final touch to the fine tuning of the system. In audio nirvana right now.

Did a quick A/B using the above system - Rega RP1 with Carbon cart, Cayin integrated amp with EL34 tubes. An iPod was also used as a source. Quick impressions - the Monitor Audios are more detailed and open, the Missions have more bass. Initially with the iPod source I preferred the Missions; but when we shifted to LP, I went for the Monitor Audios. It's just a matter of preference between these two. Both are quite good at their price point of around $250. If you close your eyes, you can be made to believe the music is coming from bigger speakers. They're both winners!

Tubes used: Sovtek 12ax7LPS on the JD9 Tesla e88cc on the LSA amp Settings on the Jolida Impedance 300 ohms Capacitance zero (all off) Gain dip switch #1 Hi output I will not describe how this system sounds because that would be pointless. Whatever audiophile words are used, they will be subject to the personal interpretation and experience of the reader. I will say instead that it brings childhood memories of the old record player filling an old house with happiness in bubbles of liquid notes floating in the air; that a song of lost love tugs at the memories in my heart; that a dance tune tickles my soles like those late night outs of youth; that it makes me appreciate the genius of a piano player's touch that can both be strong and gentle on the keyboard; that the vibrations of brass from saxophones recorded half a century ago make the hairs on my skin quiver; that the singer whispering late at night wets my neck with her mo...

Rega  turntables and arms have developed quite a good reputation. But they make some nice carts too, most of the time, matched with their turntables. I recently got a Rega Exact, the model that sits atop Rega's MM offerings, and mounted it on a Technics SL1200. The first word -- Dynamic. The gain from this cart is higher than many MM carts, and it matches well with old solid state or tube pre-amps and amps. Old records come to life. Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream and Other Delights sounded like it was just recorded yesterday. The music almost jumps out of the vinyl like the girl on the cover. I won't be surprised if you'd feel like dancing to it. It is not an analytical sound, nor would I call it neutral. Rather what it does is let the music through. So the second word -- Musical. You listen to the music and not to your system. Listening to Charlie Byrd's Byrdland, the warmth of the recording is there from the first n...

I have always experienced some hum or static noise with my analog playback. Found a phono cable that minimized RF interference. But some noise remained, I theorized from lack of proper grounding, static crackle when I touched the tonearm, for example. I ignored it and just turned the volume up. Then I changed amp (to an integrated) and the first thing I noticed was how much quieter my system was. But the static crackle and occasional hum was still there. A quick search led me to some previous discussions regarding grounding. So I whipped up some cable and connected my phono stage and amp to the window metal grill with alligator clips. Absolute silence. I think someone wrote somewhere that one could either raise the listening volume or lower the noise floor. I was discovering lower noise floor. And ticks and pops? When I played this LP it was full of ticks and pops. But when Ella sang Someday he'll come along The man I love... And when he ...

I've had this phono stage for almost two years now. It's been paired with a Dynavector 20XL cart mounted on a VPI Scout. It's a pretty good phono stage, very dynamic. It has a tube output stage, and tube rolling the pair of 12ax7s really has a big impact on the sound. The stock Jolida tubes I found quite forward. I have tried a few 12ax7s and here are my impressions: Tungsol (new production) - sound is more restrained, a bit dry. Electro Harmonix - quite forward, with a lot of gain, but rough. Sovtek LPS - big bass and heavy bottom end, but has a peaky upper midrange. Telefunken (NOS) - very detailed but sometimes sounds bright. JJ (Slovak) - warm and smooth, but with less gain than the others. This is the tube I left in the Jolida. Settings of the dip switches 100 ohm (#1 on) 0 capacitance (none on) Gain at #2 Output RCAs used is "Hi"

Eden Atwood is one of the best kept secrets of jazz. Playing this album (180 g 45 rpm vinyl) brings an hour filled with musical enjoyment. The recording quality is superb, it brings you into the session. Eden sings with a lot of soul, her style borders on the raw rather than the over polished, which makes the songs come alive with emotion. Superb set of musicians. Tom Harrell brings in a spontaneity rare in recordings these days, as in the first cut (Without a Song) where his flugelhorn weaves around the vocals of Atwood, as if coaxing her next sigh. The sparse arrangement of "Blame It on My Youth" brings home the point of the song, and bares its heartache. Overall a nice selection of ballads that Atwood makes her own. This album and this artist deserve a wider audience.

Reviews to follow...