Klipsch Heresy Subwoofer Linear Tube Audio Goldbug Clement II Arcam rPhono

Review: Klipsch Heresy I, Part III
Review: Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL MZ 2.0, Part II
Review: Arcam rPhono, Part II
Review: Goldbug Clement II, Part II  

Klipsch Heresy, Part II
Linear Tube Audio, Part I
Arcam rPhono and Goldbug Cartridge, Part II

More than a year ago I dismantled my System IV (as described in Klipsch Heresy, Part II, link above) in the living room to make room for other use. Recently, finding myself alone for a while, I re-installed it. Despite the somewhat different deployment, the system and the key components have retained their characteristics. If you have not read those before, I recommend you to do so, as I am going to be on the brief here.

Turntable (stereo): Thorens TD-124 Mk I with Thomas Schick 12" arm and Goldbug Clement II MC Cartridge.
Turntable (mono): Technics SL-1200 Mk II with Denon DL-102 Mono Cartridge。
Phonoamp: Arcam rPhono (to Gotham GAC-2111 interconnect)
CD Player: Magnavox CDB 262 (to Gotham DGS-1 interconnect)
Amp: Linear Tube Audio MicroZOTL MZ 2.0 (Belden 9497 loudspeaker cable)
Speakers: Klipsch Heresy I (alnico)
Subwoofer: Pioneer SW-8 (connected to amp with generic cable)


I am going to cut to the chase. The sound is every bit as good as outlined in Heresy, Part I, probably better.

CD Playback The el-cheapo Magnavox CDP sports the 16-bit TDA 1543 and has no oversampling. The sound is just slightly on the lean side, but its presence and rhythmic verve are impeccable. One of my favorite conductors is the under-rated Paul Paray, who not only excels in his native French music, but also in the general repertoire. The Detroit orchestra plays with utter commitment. In the exciting and swift Dvorak 9th Symphony (Mercury, a review here). The string figures are very precisely articulated, and one can hear the up and down bowing. It goes without saying that with horns the percussion and brass are just thrilling. The Sibelius Symphony No. 2 also has great sweep and momentum, something that eludes many conductors in this work. Van Morrison's Moondance was every bit as exciting as played on my big horns. Again, presence is the word - a sense of a live performance, that is what horns are for.




LP Playback Here I employed several of my test records, as mentioned in this article. I had the exact same sense as when I heard them with my very expensive Air Tight PC-1 cartridge (though of course with the PC-1 that sense was even more heightened). I shall paste a shortened description below as they totally apply here.

With Henry Krips' Johann Strauss Favourites (HMV Concert Classics), the orchestra swinged and swayed, and Krips deftly applied to the English orchestra a Viennese lilt. The all-important upbeats and subtle retards were evident. Most delightful were the percussions, which felt purposeful, a sine qua non of good reproduction. In the Thunder and Lightning Polka, the rapid bass notes depicting the thunder were superbly resolved, no easy task. As amazing was Swarowsky's Saint Saens Symphony No. 3 (Urania). Despite excellent sonics, it was a straightforward account that bordered on boring, and the pickup Viennese orchestra had some weak playing. Again, not so with the PC-1: orchestral texture became more refined and colorful, and dynamics improved to the extent that it was actually not bad at all! Similarly, on Beecham's Ein Heldenleben (HMV Concert Classics) the Royal Philharmonic seemed like a much better orchestra with the PC-1, and combined with the subtle conducting (no bombast) of Beecham it deserves its reputation as a great interpretation.

Mono playback on my humble Technics was also commendable. Karajan's Stravinsky/Roussel disc with the Philharmonia Orchestra (EMI) was precisely articulated, important in this kind of music. It should be noted that most of his Philharmonia era mono recordings have excellent sound.


Comments

• vs my reference YL horns Obviously, I cannot move my heavy horn system into the living room, but I can judge by how the same material sound. There are two differences. The first is immediately obvious. No matter how well the integration, the 8" subwoofer cannot do what a good 15" woofer can. So the lowest notes are missing. The second is more subtle - the midrange of the Heresy is less rich. This is evident from Van Morrison's Everyone track, where the flute is obviously less noticeable and more recessed. Some of this may be attributable to the partnering gear - both the CDP and the Goldbug cartridge veer towards the neutral. Richer sounding alternatives may bring a different perspective and I may do that at some point. However, I am not in a hurry, as I am really enjoying the wallop delivered by the Heresy's; the presence and jump factor are in some ways even more impressive than the YL horns.

• LTA MicroZOTL 2.0 This little amp is doing for this system everything it was doing with my main horns (Part I). In this much larger room (over 300 sq ft), with the less efficient Heresy's (though still 96 db), and with the loudspeakers much further away, the LTA still managed to sound absolutely without strain and delivered beauty with everything I played. I did experience a hiccup. After many days I found the left channel less loud and the images shifted to the right. Suspecting a weaker tube I decided to swap the two 6SN7's. When I turned the unit back on, I heard a high-pitched oscillating noise in my right loudspeaker and I immediately turned it off. Maybe it was the tube and maybe it was because the tube was not sitting totally well on the socket. As mentioned before, changing the 6SN7 tubes is a hassle in this amp because the under-supported circuit board flexes when one pushes the tube in (I improvised some support beneath). I decided to swap in the stock Russian tubes and made extra sure they were sitting properly. Well, it worked fine, the channel balance restored and the sound was still very good.

• Goldbug Cartridge and Arcam rPhono These are amazing values. As I wrote before, the Goldbug captures a good amount of what the much more expensive PC-1 can do. The Arcam is just as amazing. I feel no need to change and it is great that I can connect two turntables (one MM input and one MC input) to it, switchable by a small dip switch on the back. In Part I, I did not test the MM. With the Denon DL-102 (high output), now I can say it is just excellent.

• CD Player A steal.

There! A shorter than usual appraisal.

Note: Next installment will bring the return of Elekit TU-8800.