June 2017
In 2013, the San Francisco Symphony took on a monumental project, a re–staging of the beloved West Side Story. After listening, Oliver Masciarotte came to realize that the album’s production must have been a heroic effort, and wanted to know more…
“The Charisma 103 moving coil cartridge delivered rich, full-bodied sonics that made me spin record after record in simple enjoyment,” writes Patrick Dillon in his review of this modified Denon 103 from Charisma Audio. “It came alive without fussy adjustment or tweaking, a boon to vinyl lovers no matter their rigs. Whichever way you slice it, the Charisma 103 is great value. Unhesitatingly recommended.”
Patrick Dillon visits the world of Class A amplification with the Valvet A4 monoblocks. His conclusion? “When you hear them over an extended period of time on music you love, you come to realize there is something quite special about these amplifiers. … The Valvet A4s are capable of delivering musical reproduction that is as good as I can remember hearing. Class A all the way.”
Patrick Dillon test-drives a pair of Bybee RCA adapters. He finds them position-dependent. But where they work, he concludes that “It’s these small incremental improvements in tone, timbre and decay that the Bybees repeatedly provided that has me quite impressed with their value. Taking them out is as noticeable as putting them back in.”
Patrick Dillon explores the range of cables from father-and-son business IceAge Audio in his own rigs. Impressed by their performance-price quotient, he nominates them as a new value leader. “No magic here, no spoof science, just well chosen material, solid workmanship, and really sane prices.” The review concludes with a short Q&A with proprietor Rick Parker.
“With piles of snow in the back yard, ice storms rolling across the northern States, and a Christmas tree still gracing a corner of the living room, the holiday will be with us for a while longer. Along with the tree, I’ve been living with a small but exciting powered speaker system that redefines clarity and versatility on the desk top.” Oliver Masciarotte tells.
Supported by
