Shure M44-7 Stanton Pickering 380 Empire EDR.9 Harman Kardon Citation I

L: Empire EDR.9; R: Pickering/Stanton 380, pics borrowed from the web.

Old MM/MI Cartridges: Shure M44-7, Pickering/Stanton 380, Empire EDR.9

Review: Harman Kardon Citation I (with Overview of the tubed Citation Series), Part I

A Great Horn System
Talk Vinyl: Vintage Cartridge and Preamp Classics

HiFi Basics IV: Re-Visit The Past

Letter from NYC (62) 2017 (1)

!Addendum (10/28/17): Citation I, Part II and Part III had been published. These record recent, extensive action against other preamps.

Heard in NYC but article finished in HK. This is a major article, but it took so long because most of the article was accidentally erased just prior to publication and I had to re-write the whole thing. Ah!

As a result of my relatively recent re-discovery of Empire 2000 series cartridges (here), I have been experimenting with older-design MM/MI cartridges. As I had been a long-term user of Shure (V15II-V), I started with the SC35C (here), and now the M44-7. Concurrently, my analog guru Andy L had also embarked on his own old MM/MI cartridge journey (to complement his downstairs horn system; see below), which took him to the Pickering/Stanton 380.

Mind you, even more than me, Andy had been there (the MM/MI era) before! We share the similarity that we had been mostly MC users in the recent decades (exclusively for me; though Andy had always used the MI Decca).

Three Vintage MM/MI Cartridges

• Shure M44-7 Along with the Stanton 500, this must be the DJ cartridge of choice, and has been in production for the longest time. Quite the opposite of its stablemate SC35C, it tracks lighter (1.5-3 gm) and has much higher compliance. Mine is a vintage "gull wing" body. I then got an old original Mexican Shure stylus from the 80's and a Pfanstiehl 4759-D7. The output is very high at 9.5 mV, enough to overload some phonostages, so beware. The Shure M44-7 was actually what re-kindled Andy's interest in old MM design, though he now prefers the Pickering 380 (below). 

• Pickering/Stanton 380 The history of the Moving Iron Pickering/Stanton 380 is quite complicated, and it has a cult following. Info on the web is quite piecemeal; google and read the Audiokarma and Audioasylum threads for some basic info. Andy generously let me play with one fitted with a red stylus and I tracked it as per Andy at 4 gm. This is a heavy (14 gm) cartridge with a low compliance stylus and so will likely do better in a heavier arm, which I lack. Output is even higher than the M44-7, as high as a whopping 15 mV, so overload is even more of a concern.

• Empire EDR.9 While surfing Ebay for M44-7 needles I came across an immaculate specimen of this (with an extra stylus) and bought it on a whim. Google for a lot of scattered info (start perhaps with the vinylengine and audiogon threads). This MI cartridge was quite expensive in its days but the light body actually looks cheaper than the 2000 series; it looks like plastic but a French post says Carbon-Aluminum. This is a light cartridge which also tracks light (1 gm), and output is 4.5 mV. It can track Quad LPs but I am not into that. The engine is MI, and the LAC (large area contact) stylus is Shibata. The frequency response reaches an amazing 50k Hz.

Overview: Harman Kardon Citation Series (tubed)

Many moons ago (I think it was the early 90's; through the historic Audiomart) I started buying tubed vintage gears, like Eico and Citation. The Citation I to V were tubed products, designed by the legendary Stuart Hegeman just prior to the solid state era. I bought the Citation I and V in very good condition. A decade later in HK I chanced upon a cosmetically challenged but highly original II (which no one wanted). Have never had or heard the III (tuner) and IV (preamp, usually acknowledged as the lesser cousin of the I, but there are dissenters, like Jim Fosgate [see comment section below for link]). Here is a great original brochure on the tubed Citations. There is a lot of info on Citation "upgrades" and modifications on the net. As you know, I am conservative on this issue. I appreciate someone like Jim McShane (his classic and long running Citation Page) who keeps many units alive and offers selfless advice, but I don't think one should turn these classics into "super-units", as advocated by many other modifiers.

Citation I (original manual) This has always been regarded as top drawer vintage. No less a figure than Bob Carver used to service/upgrade this (see this very interesting cached link, particularly regarding the MC mod). This is a monster, built like a tank and with a total of 9 tubes (4 x 12AX7; 5 x 12AT7).

Over the years, I had fired up my bone stock unit from time to time. But, for some reason, I have never taken to it and preferred my modern preamps. This time though, things turned out a bit differently. It happened because Andy L wanted a vintage unit that could handle most of the pre-RIAA equalizations, and there are few units better equipped for this task than the Citation I. I fired mine up with CD and LP and was quite taken by the sound it produced in my current horn system. I didn't play with the equalization curves but I was instantly convinced by its rightness, even with the line input. Why the difference between now and then? Read on...

Citation V I bought this together with my I, and I have never regretted it. As a matter of fact, I regard the Citation V as one of my favorite vintage amps. I used the 7581 tubes and got really great sound. No, it did not have the ultimate bass control, nor the subtlety of Western Electric (or Motiograph), BUT it is certainly one of the best and most powerful 6L6 class amps that I have heard. It balances power and refinement, and it is suitable for amps from efficient horns to reasonably efficient modern loudspeakers. It is a little sweeter than its stablemate, the II. This is a sleeper. Go to the Jim McShane Page for more info.

Citation II In HK, in the late 90's, I chanced upon a cosmetically challenged but functionally great unit, which I bought for a song. It is utterly amazing, powerful and quite refined, even with Yugo KT90 tubes (haven't tried the current variants). If you want to use genuine KT88, Jim McShane has an easy resistor mod that will keep your valued tubes running longer. IMHO, this amp is absolutely tops and it is a shame that many boutique/garage operations had pilfered the world class transformers for their own (lesser) amps. Go to the Jim McShane Page for more info.

As an advice, don't buy an extensively modified Citation unit. Judiciously restored, yes; "upgraded", NO.

Equipment Used:
Analog: Audio-Technica AT-PL120
Preamp: Harman Kardon Citation I
Amp: Wavac MD-811
Loudspeakers: YL 4-way horns

Sonic Impressions

• Shure M44-7 From the word go, my old specimen performed flawlessly. The 80's Mexican stylus sounded just a little better than the generic Pfanstiehl. It is bold and dramatic, yet a little smoother (particularly at the top) than its stablemate SC35C (but with less grunt in the bass). It plays music of all genres equally well, and I cannot think of a modern MM cartridge that can do the same (Ortofon 2M Red and Black sound good, but lack drama). Overall, except for hard rock, I'd give the nod to the M44-7 over the SC35C, but I reserve the right to change my opinion later. It's that close.

• Pickering/Stanton 380 I tracked the red stylus as per Andy at 4 gm. It performed absolutely marvelously in my system. As Andy L had indicated, this is a cartridge that can play everything well. It has a unique smoothness allied to good resolution, certainly more refined than the Shure's, but with less perceived jump factor despite its very high output. The only drawback is a slightly reticent treble, which may actually be the character of the red stylus, as Andy's gold stylus seemed a little more sparkling (see below). 

• Empire EDR.9 This is a completely different beast from the two cartridges above. Although it retains the Empire smoothness (a la 2000 series), its sound is amazingly modern, closer to MC's. BUT beware, This cartridge is VERY sensitive to VTA. At first I got a very lean sound, but proper adjustment proved rewarding. Another Empire winner.

• Harman Kardon Citation I In contrast to my previous attempts, this time around this preamp sounded very fine in my horn system, partnered the above cartridges flawlessly, and revealed their different characters. This is what I call transparency. Its performance with digital is also beyond reproach. Why the difference this time? Read on.

Andy L's Wonderful Horn System

Andy's "Downstairs System", used for "casual listening" of old LP's, has remained much the same as last reported. Current Iteration:

Cartridge: Pickering 380 black body with D3807ATG stylus in gold color

Turntable: Walker Proscenium Gold Signature 

Preamp: Conrad Johnson Premier 2

Amp: Canary CA 300 w/Western Electric 300b reissued tubes

Loudspeakers: 4-way - JBL 075 ring radiators, JBL  2440 compression drivers with 2390 horns and baffled lenses, Altec 515b woofers in Altec A7 cabinet, Entec SW-1 active subwoofers.

Crossovers: JBL LX-5 and diy 7000Hz with L-pad

Interconnects: Monster Cable Interlink Reference A, Magnan Type Vi

Speaker cable: 16, 18 gauge zip cords, WE solid-core wires

With Conrad Johnson Premier 2 As reported before, the system was quite listenable and easy on the ears. Although I have not mentioned it before, I have always been bothered by something in the lower midrange/midbass - a lack of cleanness or resolution or perhaps speed. I suspect this had actually led Andy L to regard the system as "not good for classical", which I agreed with, UNTIL...

With Citation I We swapped in the Citation I and I was dumbfounded by the change. Whatever bothered me before with certain music just completely vanished. Not only did all the pop and jazz LP's retained their flavor, we even started playing one classical LP after another, and all were well rendered. My clarinet player friend Paul was mightily smitten by Richard Stoltzman's Tashi performances, now sadly neglected. The Stravinsky was my favorite, with bite and pizzaz. Hey, with one component change, this is no longer just an "easy listening" setup, but one capable of rivaling the "Upstairs System" (see link above) in classicals! I also felt Andy's 380 (with gold stylus) is a little more agile in the leading edge (than the red stylus in my setup), but this could also be a factor of his superior TT/arm (my Audio-Technica is not ideal, as detailed above). However, let it be known, with extrapolation, the difference is not that great and the red stylus is still a great one.

Thoughts on the Horn System with Altec 515 I confess to never liking the Altec 515. It does not go deep enough, but Andy ameliorates it with a subwoofer, which is exactly what I'd do, but that is what many "purists" would refuse to do. Despite its nominal efficiency, I have actually never heard it sound proper with a SET amp. Rather, the two previous setups which sounded better to me both employed higher powered amps: a full Altec system driven by a push-pull amp (McIntosh); and a rare successful 3-way electronic crossover, employing also massive PP amp for it. Andy's system (with the Citation I) is so far the only one I have heard that has the system driven well by a low-powered SET amp. Importantly, I think Andy's system taught me something about this famous/infamous driver. I think, what I have always disliked about this driver boils down to its cabinet coloration (I personally don't think the original A5/A7 cabinets are for home use; not much one can do short of draconian measures) and coupling with the midrange driver. The Citation I is obviously a great deal cleaner (less colored) in this critical crossover range than the massively capacitor coupled CJ.

Thoughts on Conrad Johnson I really cannot say much. I am going to do an Overview one day. I just think they are now on the wrong track. The Premier 2 is one of their older products, but I personally prefer their simpler and earlier PV series. Adding massive capacitors is not a solution (though one taken shared by other manufacturers, like BAT).

HiFi Basics IV/Food for Thought

• HiFi Basics IV - Revisit the Past Again and again, my re-visits to things I had once left behind taught me a lot. Don't over-interpret this. By leaving behind, I mostly mean putting aside - if it is really crap, I'd have sold it, not put it aside. This is much like life. Whether wisely or not, we take detours, and we learn from our meanderings. Fortunately, with hifi, we can easily "make up the lost years", whereas with real life, one more often than not cannot do that: there are loved ones who we only later realized we had under-appreciated; there were opportunities we missed that would never come back. We play the same piece of music or watch the same movie, or re-read the same book, over and over, and each time we learn something new - this is because we have matured and progressed. As some sage said, time is wasted on the youth. But I say, we are never old enough, or not given the chance to be. No matter how smart you are, the world is not really "at your fingertips", and we all make mistakes, even simple ones! So, while it is essential that we hone our ability to judge, we must also reflect back on the correctness of the judgements we had made in the past or in haste. I have seen a lot of audiophiles who have never kept a single extraneous component, because they are so sure of their A/B judgement, but who ultimately had to completely upend themselves. There is really not much progress and no single piece of gear is omnipotent, and some take time to reveal their secrets. I shall write much more on this in my HIFi Basics series. Watch this space.

• Vintage Preamp - A Reflection It is important to clarify what I mean by vintage preamp. The Citation I is actually a latter-day "vintage" that straddles the transition from tube to solid state. Perhaps for this reason, it has a neutrality that appeals to me now, particularly with my horn system. Citation I - My Feelings Now and Then So, why has my perception of Citation I changed? I mulled over this, and I can only come up with this: My previous use of the Citation I were with conventional, less efficient loudspeakers, not with horns. My super efficient horns brought out the best in the Citation I (and vice versa). I cannot remember clearly, but I know I never like to suffer slow vintage equipment. My YL horns are super-fast, and don't suffer from this. Vintage preamps are perhaps only for very efficient loudspeakers of their days, not for modern loudspeakers, which make them sound slow (they are).

Walker Proscenium, Goldmund, Jan Allearts, Versa Dynamics, Stanton, Nagra and more

Heloísa Eneida Menezes Paes Pinto, the girl from Ipanema. See below for more. For all pics, click to enlarge.

Letter from NYC (47) 2016 (3): Land of Esoterica, Men from NY, Girl from Ipanema

Talk Vinyl: Goldmund, Versa Dynamics, Walker Proscenium
Talk Vinyl: Shindo and Nagra vs Lamm and Jadis

The sophistication of New York is astonishing. Being a hotbed for music of all genres must have been related to the flowering of audio as hobby. I was just on the phone with Victor of vkmusic, Vancouver based North American distributor for niche market Elekit and Sparkler, and he said a lot of his sales are to NYC.

Here we are focusing on the underworld of man caves, where nearly forgotten treasures are brought back to life. Of course, you have to know the right (meaning crazy) people, and I count it my luck to have a friend like Andy L.


Poor me only knows the 1812 Overture, but R knows about and collects Napoleonic-era Port! Pic from Chistie's.

Lady and the Tramp I
Back to R, sort of Andy's protege, whom we met two posts ago. I actually had heard his system one year ago, but it now sounds immeasurably better. Andy just told me they had completely re-aligned the Wilson Grand Slamm's recently. No wonder, that was a LOT of work!

Together with Andy L and his friend Simon, we met up again a week ago. Simon services dental equipment and together with Andy they fixed his Versa Dynamics 2.0. Damping oil was also added to the Walker Proscenium (older version). I brought along my Shindo Monbrisson (MM/MC) and Nagra PL-P (configured for MC). Brief Notes:

• Jadis JPS2 (official link) This is classic Jadis and I know it well. My friend PH listens to digital only and he only uses the buffered input (here). There is not much on the net on this per se; the best is a French review with a lot of nice internal pics (translated here; original link in French). However, its phono equipped brethren, the JP80MC, long-time Stereophile Class A, has had more reviews. This Stereophile is worth reading, and I think it described the sound accurately - lush, but potentially sluggish with some material. vs Shindo Monbrisson I was a little surprised that the Shindo (my review here), which uses vintage components, sounded more alert, with more pointed rhythms. Note too that later Jadis' have a more modern sound. While googling, I was surprised to come up with one of my own articles that I had forgotten about - a Jadis Overview! Luckily, after a re-reading, I didn't feel any need to revise...

• Lamm LP2 This is the original version using the great sounding but troublesome (prone to microphonics and noise) 5842/417A tubes. This tube was famously used by the late Arthur Loesch and emulated by DIY'ers. A variant claiming direct heritage is now manufactured by Tempo Audio (Stereophile review). As for Lamm, I had previously heard its excellent LL2 preamp, so I had high expectations of the LP2. R has the WE417A in them and surprisingly I heard no noise at all. Good as it was, I also did not quite hear the sinuous quality that WE can bring to the music. vs Nagra PL-P Surprisingly, the Nagra used as MC phonoamp was more neutral and even across the frequency spectrum, with more low-level nuances. This was with the AC engaged.

• Stanton 500/Rockport Sirius II This must be crazy, and only Andy can come up with this kind of combo. A cheap and cheerful vintage cartridge on a reference level turntable! Isn't that Lady and the Tramp? Talking about Rockport, they don't make turntables any more and have basically nil service. I have a friend who waited years for a part to no avail, and who finally gave up. Although a little veiled, the cartridge is eminently musical and plays all kinds of music well. Even R said for long-term listening he prefers it to his others. Note that I have a coming report on another "DJ" evergreen, the Shure SC35X...

• Versa Dynamics 2.0/Jan Allaerts MC2 This setup somehow did not quite gel with the resident phono amps during last visit. This time, we didn't A/B but it seemed to like the visitors. I can attest that the Jan Allaerts is a very even-handed performer, with nothing calling attention to itself. I don't think this is the kind of cartridge that will reveal its secrets easily, so I'd like to hear more of it.

• Kondo IO-J/Walker Proscenium (not sure which generation) Here the cartridge arm is also wired with Kondo silver wire. Needless to say, the cartridge is used with its mate, the Kondo KSL-SFz step-up. Here too, the rig seems to prefer the MM section of the Shindo. A very live sound with good attack and presence.

R showed me his unbelievable wine cellar; the collection has great breath and depth. It was the first time I laid eyes on port wine from the Napoleonic era (when there was no sound reproduction)! He then cooked us a nice dinner, washed down with very nice wines. No, we did not get to taste the port...

Andy's downstair setup. Pic is from last year. Setup has much changed. See text.

Lady and the Tramp II

Remember before my last visit (last year) to Andy he told me he had a surprise for us, which turned out to be a Goldmund Reference turntable (reported here)? Well, I just visited him a few days ago and was surprised again, this time without prior announcement!

I walked in and was shocked to discover yet another Walker Proscenium (not sure which older version), not something the man would usually identity with. At the crazy price, there cannot be too many Walker's around, and I have seen two within the same week!

Now, what is its mate? Gentlemen, Lady and the Tramp, episode II! Another cheap and cheerful vintage cartridge, the Stanton 380! A new preamp too, the Conrad-Johnson Premier 2. Amps are still the Canary 300B mono blocks. The horn system has changed much. While the Altec A5 cabinet and 515 driver remains, the midrange and tweeter horns have changed to JBL. Sound of the horn has changed much for the better, now smooth and eminently listenable. Andy has deliberately set up the LR system for listenability, to make even bad records playable, reserving classical playback for upstairs.

Girl from Ipanema We spent a whole morning listening to old records, including some mono's, and everything was pleasurable. But two records impressed the heck out of me.

Everyone has heard the classic Getz/Gilberto album, the epitome of Bossa Nova. In this setup, against a perfectly paced rhythm (most systems are too insistent), I heard nuances in Astrud Gilberto's voice that I have never noticed before, as if she were whispering, murmuring, purring and puffing to me. Engaging stuff! After the languid moment, the duel between Ben Webster and Don Byas popped me out of my seat. Outstanding playing! We finished with just one classical piece, the Elgar cello concerto (Tortelier/Boult/LPO; a classic Bishop/Parker recording; EMI ASD). The frequency extremes were rolled off but it still sounded reasonably good. Mission accomplished for a system that can play even bad records. Andy is quite satisfied with the Walker/Stanton combo.

But do you know the story behind the song? It is an entertaining read, as it involves a real persona (here and here). I only just discovered it during some googling. This is one of the reasons why I write - I almost always learn something while researching what interests me. Don't you think that is better than being fed with jokes, pics and links on What's App that make you have second thoughts about your friends?

Andy's Upstair Systems After two hours (!) we broke for a simple lunch of dumplings, washed down with some wine, of course. Then we ascended the stairs to the main cave for some classicals. The main setup hasn't changed much since a long time ago (reported in detail here), except for turntable rotation. Menu du jour:

TT1 - Goldmund Studio with Monster Cable cartridge
TT2 - EMT 930 with EMT cartridge
TT3 - Goldmund Reference with Ortofon 2M Black
Phonostage 1 - Conrad-Johnson Premier 15, Nagatron Z Coupler X'former (for Goldmund Studio)
Phonostage 2 - Audio Research SP-10 (for EMT and Goldmund Reference)
Preamp - Audio Research Reference II Mk I.
Amp for Tweeter/Midrange column - VTL MB-450 monoblocks (8 x 6550 each)
Amp for Bass column - McIntosh MC-2500 (for bass column)
Loudspeakers - Infinity IRS Beta

We played the same Elgar LP, and sound was very good all around. All three turntable setups sounded different, but I did not spend enough time to accurately nail the characters of each. EMT is EMT is EMT, always enjoyable but not the last word in anything. I have heard the Goldmund Reference several times before; with the 2M Black (not quite run in), sound was detailed and more brightly lit, but without the subtle nuances a good MC can give (and without MC peak either), nor the emotive broader stroke of an MM. This occasion also marked my first encounter with the Goldmund Studio. This is an unusual beast, a direct-drive on a suspended chassis!!!  Andy says it has a very special sound, and Roy Gregory seems to think so too (in his survey of new direct-drives).

I can spend whole days at Andy's. Not a boring moment!

Note on Versa Dynamics In researching I chanced upon some of Andy's postings on Versa Dynamics in Vinyl Engine. I copied them below:

"..I use Versa Dynamics Model 1.2 and Model 2.0 on regular basis. I love their performance so much in my system that I would never think about parting with them.  

They were designed and marketed by John Bicht in the 80s. In fact, John still provides parts, manuals, and repair services for these units through his Versalab website. 

Model 2 came out first. It has a air-bearing platter with vacuum hold-down and a straight-line tracking air-bearing arm. Gordon Holt of Stereophile gave it a great review in 1987. Then followed Model 1 with an air-bearing arm and a vacuum platter with a very unusual bearing arrangement. The styling was completely different from the Model 2 which was quite a bit more expensive than the Model 1. Both models went through some similar modifications during their rather short life spans on the market.  

Both turntables come with separate controller boxes and huge air supply systems which need to be placed outside of the listening room. Compressor for the Model 1 is considerably quieter than that for the Model 2, but still not quiet enough to be placed nearby.

Both models use stepper motors and are belt driven. Both use a 4-spring suspension system. Major difference is that Model 1 doesn't have a air-
bearing platter. The arms are essentially the same in design and performance, although the one on Model 1 looks like a simplified version of the one on Model 2..."

tonearm pics: L, Model One; R, Model 2

"...Here are pictures of the two Versa Dynamics Arms. You can readily see the difference. Model 1 looks like a simplified version of Model 2 which preceded Model 1. There is a difference in the recommended air pressure level for each model. They sound different since the two tables are substantially different in terms of platter, plinth and base design. However, the major difference between the two is that Model 2 has a levitated platter. 

Although there was a eddie current damping device for the tone arm on Gordon Holt's review unit, there isn't one on mine. When asked, John Bicht said they decided not to implement it on the final product for fear of causing interference since it was so close to the cartridge. I'd love to experiment with one, but I have no idea how it's done. Maybe some knowledgeable members can shed some light on this..."