3 Turntables And A Microphone: Caf 2023

CAF 2023 used to be awash with turntables of all styles and sizes; however unusually only a few that have been in reality reasonably priced. U-Flip Audio? Don’t recall seeing them. Professional-Ject? Slightly made a presence. Fluance? Nope. We did see a couple of Twin tables on static show within the Audiolab/Venture room, however no longer a lot else.

Roy Corridor of Track Corridor used to be there appearing off new ADCOM amplifiers, loudspeakers, and a few magnificence D amplifiers from AMPED — however none of his tables have been the focal point.

Not possible.

U.S. shoppers bought the most important collection of new data in nearly 3 many years in 2022, so one would suppose {that a} high-end audio industry display seeking to persuade new listeners dedicated to the vinyl class that they made the best selection — may have introduced a couple of listening alternatives with turntables beneath $1,000 attached to reasonably priced methods beneath $5,000 and $2,500.

It appears sellers and producers didn’t take the pledge.

As an alternative, display attendees have been handled to ten rooms of VPI turntables, which isn’t an indictment of VPI who had the brains to spouse with a large number of other manufacturers, however very momentary pondering at the a part of display organizers who left first time attendees with few choices that may make sense for them.

There have been tables from no less than 2 dozen manufacturers on the display, however make no mistake, affordability used to be no longer the focal point.

That mistake apart, there have been quite a few new and not-so-new turntables that stuck my consideration at CAF 2023 and they all be offering very other sonic functions.

I hung out being attentive to all 4 of them as a result of I’m available in the market for a last desk to head in conjunction with my number of restored Thorens decks from Vinyl Nirvana, Professional-Ject Debut Professional, NAD C 588, and Yamaha YP-701 that I received from eCoustics Antique Editor, Eric Pye.

Do I’ve a turntable hoarding factor? Relatively perhaps.

Shifting to Israel goes to be a blast with those. Sigh.

Rega Naia

Rega became fifty this and the British producer has been busy celebrating its birthday with quite a few new merchandise just like the just lately presented AYA loudspeaker and the fiftieth Anniversary model of the Planar 3 turntable. 

Either one of the ones merchandise, alternatively, take a backseat to the conclusion of Rega’s maximum bold product since its inception in 1973 — the Rega Naia Turntable. 

The turntable took for much longer than anticipated to get to marketplace and that used to be almost certainly fortuitous for Rega which needed to take care of the pandemic, provide chain problems that compelled some its shoppers in North The usa to attend 8 to ten months for his or her turntables, and inflationary pressures on shoppers. 

Rega restricted manufacturing of the flagship and experimental Naiad turntable to simply 50 gadgets at £30,000 (38 have already been bought and shipped) and with such a lot festival from VPI, Linn, Clearaudio, Brinkmann, Thorens, Kuzma, and SME in that value vary for a reference caliber turntable — it used to be going to need to suppose out of doors the field in a method to make the Naia extra palatable to Rega’s buyer base that isn’t acquainted with spending that roughly cash on a turntable. 

£9200 will get you the desk however no cartridge; customers can upload Rega’s observation Aphelion 2 transferring coil (MC) cartridge for an extra £3465 by itself. 

As soon as the screaming subsides, Rega has made up our minds to shave £655 off the cost of the cartridge if you happen to order the turntable with it pre-installed. The full harm on that involves a fairly humbling £12,000/$12,999 USD or $16,999 with the Aphelion 2 MC cartridge.

Now Pay attention Right here demonstrated the Rega Naia with a couple of Vandersteen Quatro CT Loudspeakers ($19,200 USD), Vandersteen M5-HPA energy amplifiers ($19,990 USD), Backert Labs Rhythm 1.4 Pre-amplifer ($12,900 USD), Backert Labs Rhumba xPhono Pre-amplifier ($7,800 USD), Innuos ZENith Streamer ($6,299 USD) and Meitner MA3 DAC ($10,500 USD).

The gadget used to be stressed up with a whole cable loom from Clear that totaled on the subject of $15,000 USD (which additionally come with a Clear PowerWave X Energy Conditioner).

Give or take a couple of greenbacks — one could be spending nearly $110,000 USD for the program.

The virtual portion of the presentation additional satisfied me that the Innuos ZENith is a wonderful sounding supply; it’s under no circumstances reasonably priced however when put next to a couple different virtual methods on the display that have been way more pricey — for sure value taking into consideration in case your price range stretches that some distance.

At $16,999 USD, the Rega Naia has a large number of festival from probably the most aforementioned manufacturers and having listened to five tables within the $10,000 to $20,000 vary just lately — the Naia is a difficult one for me to counsel.

It pains me to write down that taking into consideration how a lot I experience Rega’s elements and my very own private funding through the years of their apparatus, however probably the most variations between the Naia and related Thorens, VPI, and Kuzma decks in the similar value vary are fairly stark.

The construct high quality of the Naia does no longer measure as much as the asking value; and I’m very conscious about the generation that Rega has applied within the deck and the way it influences the full sound high quality.

All of sonic main points that I like about Rega turntables are entrance and heart with the Naia; tempo and assault are excellent, and the readability is first-rate.

However the place’s the meat beneath the decrease midrange?

Bass notes have been exceptionally fast and tight, however I used to be not able to forget about the absence of affect and the full skinny nature of the sound.

The highest finish used to be detailed, ethereal, and no longer even remotely etched irrespective of the recording, however the general presentation used to be no longer very complete sounding and it for sure didn’t persuade me to section with $17,000.

It’s very conceivable that the Rega deck may sound very other with a darker sounding cartridge or gadget this is tilted that means — however I do know what I heard from it in a $100,000 gadget.

I’ve listened to lots of the Kuzma vary through the years at sellers and industry presentations and I will be able to let you know that the Kuzma Stabi R Turntable and Kuzma Stogi Reference 313 CE Tonearm with VTA Tower Mounting ($18,139 USD for the mix) delivers all the state of the art attributes of the Naia however with a some distance awesome low finish, upper ranges of solution, and a mountain of tone.

Sure — one does have so as to add a phono cartridge to the desk, however this represents the highest of the mountain to me. I fail to spot any explanation why (although one has a vast price range) to spend extra.

The Rega Planar 10 ($6,345 – $10,995 at AudioAdvice); which I’ve listened to on quite a few events is unquestionably a better purchase if you’re in love with the Rega space sound and don’t wish to spend $17,000 on an analog playback setup.

Cyrus Audio TTP

Cyrus Audio is celebrating its fortieth Anniversary and it’s logo that doesn’t get sufficient consideration (nonetheless!) right here in North The usa. We now have lined the emblem fairly broadly through the years and completely liked two of its most up-to-date choices together with the CDi-XR CD participant and i7-XR built-in amplifier. 

However the place issues get fascinating with Cyrus is while you get started that specialize in its phono pre-amplifiers just like the Cyrus Phono Signature/PSX-R2 which gives a few of greatest efficiency round with each MM and MC cartridges. This may in reality be the most productive product within the lineup; readability, element, pacing, and general presence are really excellent. 

All of that begs probably the most logical query. Why don’t those guys manufacture their very own turntable?

Neatly. Now they do.

The new $5,495 USD Cyrus Audio TTP includes a belt-drive and intensely powerful taking a look platter and plinth which have been machined from cast aluminum blocks to offer better balance. 

The aluminum platter is suspended on hardened metal axle which rotates on a new “ultra-percision” bearing that used to be created by way of the British producer — with some assist from every other corporate in Germany. 

The toes are each adjustable and replaceable (for individuals who may wish to believe the usage of anti-vibration cones or toes) at the chassis that includes inner damping compounds to attenuate the affect of vibration at the platter and tonearm.

The Cyrus Audio TTP additionally options digital pace controls (33 1/3 and 45 rpm) which are modified the usage of floor fixed buttons at the entrance of the chassis. Playback continues to be managed manually and all of the package deal does glance fairly neat — in an excessively darkish, utilitarian means.

That fairly hefty price ticket does no longer come with a phono cartridge and while some may bristle at spending $5,495 on a deck that calls for you to shop for your personal — that feels fairly commonplace for turntables on this value vary. 

Rega, Vertere, Clearaudio, and Thorens be offering decks that include pre-installed cartridges on this value vary, however there’s generally a top rate for that.

The all-Cyrus Audio gadget at CAF 2023 additionally incorporated a couple of Spendor loudspeakers and I should admit that I wished to return to this room as a result of my preliminary impressions have been reasonably blended.

The preliminary press photographs of the TTP don’t put across the sheer heft of this desk; Cyrus invited me to take a look at and raise it and it used to be transparent from the primary try that the chassis and plinth are a cast chew of steel.

An Audio-Technica AT-ART20 MC Cartridge used to be a last-minute addition to the gadget consistent with somebody who used to be operating the room and while it helped exhibit the excellent pacing of the deck; the fairly cool tonal stability used to be lower than attractive.

Later within the day, I returned and located that the sound had benefited from many hours of gadget play. Having reviewed quite a few Cyrus Audio elements in 2022, there’s a neutrality to the full sonic signature that may paintings in reality neatly if the loudspeakers are at the hotter aspect.

I fairly loved how their amplification labored with my Wharfedale and Q Acoustics loudspeakers.

The present technology of Spendor loudspeakers have an excessively other sound than the technology of goods that graced my house for over a decade within the Nineties and aside from the Vintage 4/5 — those require a lot more cautious gadget matching.

The TTP does no longer veer some distance from that point of view and I’m no longer positive that the Audio-Technica cartridge used to be the best selection. An excessive amount of readability and element on the expense of a few important colour to flesh out the sound. The low finish used to be nearly non-existent with some tracks which used to be fairly puzzling.

It is a deck, alternatively, that presentations a large number of promise; pace balance is very good and its pacing is fairly very similar to decrease priced Rega decks just like the Planar 8 and Planar 10.

I in reality suppose {that a} darker sounding cartridge would sound excellent in this deck; fleshing out the sound would no longer be the worst factor that would occur right here.

Michell Gyro SE

When Constancy Imports took over distribution of Michell Audio’s Turntables, many people within the business knew that this glorious British logo in spite of everything had the distributor it had to in reality take off once more right here.

Greater than twenty years in the past, a Michell Orbe SE used to be my day by day motive force and for just about 3 years, I loved vinyl playback at a degree that I had by no means identified earlier than.

Right through the ones 3 years, I added greater than 300 data to my rising assortment and the need to experience CD playback reduced considerably. My Copland, Audio Notice, and Rega virtual elements began to collect mud at the rack.

The Orbe SE additionally stuck the eye of my spouse’s divorce legal professional who demanded that it’s a part of any ultimate agreement. Packing up the desk, promoting it, and giving fifty p.c of the proceeds to my ex-wife used to be a fairly sour tablet to swallow.

The Michell Gyro SE is a lower-priced choice to the Orbe SE and it many respects — is a a lot better deal for the cash.

3 suspension towers are fastened to the acrylic base to carry the suspension springs in position and supply top adjustment for the sub chassis.

The platter subject material used to be selected for its vibration dampening traits and since sonically this can be a very equivalent subject material to vinyl, so it has an excessively impartial sound function.

The brass weights are added to offer the platter further mass and therefore extra momentum when spinning. This a great deal improves pace balance and is helping stay wow and flutter to a minimal.

You’ll be able to use different tonearms at the Gyro SE (SME used to be highly regarded at one level), however the Michell Technoarm 2 makes probably the most sense and it finishes off the phenomenal business design in the best means.

There are few tables as stunning as this one at any value; the package deal with the Technoarm 2 runs $5,500 USD and while that isn’t reasonably priced by way of any stretch of the creativeness, there’s a lot more to this desk than simply conversation-inducing business design.

The Gyro SE may no longer ship the Usain Bolt pacing of the Rega Naia or the thunderous keep an eye on and backbone of the Kuzma Stabi R, however what it delivers for one 3rd of the associated fee is so musically attractive that one may no longer assist however be enamored with it for existence.

The construct high quality is terribly excessive and it calls for so little upkeep to stay operating on the perfect degree of playback. Michell has tinkered with this design for years and it appears like they have got it precisely proper.

It delivers the load, solution, readability, rhythm, delicacy, and tone that may make being attentive to vinyl so emotionally rewarding.

Steve Jain of Constancy Imports knew precisely what he used to be doing when he took at the logo; be expecting a assessment in January of 2024 with a variety of cartridges.

The place to shop for: $5,495 at AudioAdvice

Similar studying: See extra protection from CAF 2023