One Magnetic Monkey!

I’ve been at this audio game doggone near as long as I’ve known it existed. Always loved music and come upon it honestly as both of my parents were actively involved in the music community in their youth. My Grandparents on both sides of my family were musicians…I have an ear for music.

The first time I realized music could be reproduced in a home well enough to suspend disbelief I was addicted. Like any junkie I have required more and more stuff to get my fix and never seem to be satisfied…I love listening to music and have an extensive music library with several thousand titles…but somehow my thirst for a more natural experience with recorded music is never quenched and no matter where I hear it or how expensive the audio system is it just doesn’t quite get there.

I’ve listened to big, powerful systems with speakers so inert I would have broken my knuckles long before the “rap” test would have revealed any resonance. I’ve listened to small intimate systems with flea powered SET amps where I could hear so deep into a recording that I could hear the toilet flush at the service station next door…but still something wasn’t quite right. Always giving up something to get something else. Damnit I want it all!

I recently received an email from a HiFi retailer who I’ve done business with in the past. He was super excited about some new lines he was going to carry and invited me down (he is about 50 miles south of me) for a listen. Hmm…Dale Shepherd of Eugene HiFi is passionate about music so when he is excited about a product I‘m all ears. I’ve had a number of wonderful listening sessions with Dale, some more satisfying than others, but none have failed to be musical and to inform me in some way.

I’ve owned budget tube gear from the likes of Prima Luna and couldn’t wait to sell it or trade it in on something “good”. So I was a bit apprehensive about more budget priced tube gear. I knew Dale was excited but I also know that we audio junkies get excited about a new flavor of junk nearly every time we score so my interest was piqued but my guard was also readily available.

By the time I finally got a chance to head south for a listen I was pretty stoked. I recently spent an afternoon at a dealer in Portland and had a great time listening to a variety of speakers and decided that I would take the same reference CD’s with me for my listen at Eugene HiFi…digital has not been Dale’s thing for quite a while so I was hoping he would have a digital solution up and working but I was also pumped to hear what wonderful analog treats he had up his sleeve.

The discs I took with me:

The Roy Hargrove/Christian McBride/Stephen Scott Trio - Parker’s Mood
Christian McBride/Nicholas Payton/Mark Whitfield - Fingerpainting: The Music of  Herbie Hancock
Gonzalo Rubalcaba & New Cuban Quartet
Michel Camilo - Spirit of the Moment
The New Gary Burton Quartet - Common Ground
John Williams - The Baroque Album

Enter Line Magnetic, DeVore Fidelity and Auditorium 23.

When I arrived Dale was on a call which was a bit of blessing as it allowed me to peruse the audio goodies and cop a feel or two.

The Line Magnetic amp that was on demo was the LM218IA which is a visually stunning piece of industrial chic art. The 845’s glowed warm and welcoming. The volume control and source selector felt as firm as one would expect from a high end amplifier. The remote followed the amplifier in both form and feel (note my predisposition to feel, guess I‘m the kinesthetic type).

The Well Tempered Versalex looked far better in real than in any of the pictures that I had seen. The plywood plinth that appeared as though it would be rough to the touch was smooth as a…well you get it.  The cartridge was an EMT TSD 15, a very nice nude if I must say so.

Cables were Auditorium 23 and I was really excited to hear these as I had read so much about them…I never did hear them…and now I know what the fuss is all about.

The speakers were the gorgeous DeVore Fidelity Gibbon 3xl’s. These speakers must be seen to be appreciated. Eye-popping good looks and build quality to match. My previous experience with these speakers left me with much to like but also with some questions. Those questions were answered during this listening session.

All power cords were Van den Hul Mainstream except as noted.

All of the components were on Box Furniture Company audio furniture…absolutely beautiful!

I was relieved to see an old school Rega Apollo fired up and ready, digital was going to get a chance. The old Apollo would appear to be out of it’s league in the august company of such high end offerings. First up did the old gal even work. First disc reads “no disc”, second disc reads “no disc”…dadburnit…oh yeah, it’s an Apollo. Anyone who has owned one knows that this is a machine that sometimes needs massaged to work properly. We unplugged it for a few seconds and plugged it back in and “voila” it was ready for action.

The Apollo was linked to the LM amp with Van den Hul’s venerable old MC Silver IT65G interconnect, and we started with the stock power cord. First of all let me begin by saying that both Dale and I were stunned at just how good the Apollo sounded from the start. Every CD we threw at it revealed something completely different. Every recording was wide open and an absolute joy to listen to.  We were tapping our toes and playing air bass (sorry, I am a jazz nerd) from the get go. Dale then put in a Van den Hul Mainstream power cord and the we shifted to yet another speed. We still had all of the toe tapping fun along with the rich tone but now we were deeper in a 3 dimensional world where the meaning of each piece was revealed and the dialogue between musicians was clearly enunciated. Both of us have heard the Apollo and are intimately aware of it’s sound and limitations. I owned one for 2 years and used it with a Sonneteer Alabaster integrated, DeVore Fidelity Gibbon 8’s and the Mainstream power cord. I never heard it sound like this. Something was clearly different tonight.

This listening session left me scratching my head. Where were the digital nasties…this was clearly a high resolution system why did neither Dale or I sense anything untoward coming from that digital source? I have been lead (or mislead) to believe that jitter was the cause of our discomfort with digital audio. So why then was there no discomfort. The Apollo is not a stellar performer in the jitter department. The Chord Company would have us believing that it’s cabling and indeed why wouldn’t they, they are a cable company. Things that make you go hmm.

As the day progressed my definition of resolution evolved.

Next up was the Well Tempered Versalex and EMT TSD 15 cartridge. The Well Tempered was linked to a Roksan Reference phono pre amp and then to the LM amp with Auditorium 23 interconnects. These are a rather bland looking interconnect and the speaker cable ain’t no looker either. Those looking for garden hose speaker cables need not apply. These look much more like grandma’s vacuum cleaner power cord…oh but the sound or should I say the lack of sound.

Dale loves music and was ready with some mean cuts…he brought it! We listened to Ahmad Jamal‘s Portfolio LP in glorious mono on the Argo label, Claudio Arrau playing Chopin Concertos and Mozart’s “La ci darem la mano” from Don Giovanni as well as Cal Tjader’s San Francisco Moods and Oregon “In Performance”, there was Miles Davis In Person at The Blackhawk and plenty more that I don’t even remember.

The Well Tempered Versalex/EMT combo mines so much music from the grooves that I was left speechless on a number of occasions. Everything from the release of a sustain pedal on the piano to applause so real that I wanted to join in. Acoustic bass and all of the richness that the body of the instrument informs us with.  Kick drum and cymbals that hit so dynamically that I was startled…orchestral swells that raised the kind of anticipation and terror that I feel when I’m at a Blue Angels show…this in particular was informative to me. How in the world does John DeVore coax so much sound from those little speakers. I’ve heard little speakers sound big in a sort of micro way but the Gibbon 3xl was all macro, baby. They sound big…not big for a little speaker but just big. This was a system I could live with as an end of the road setup…that good.

Next up was the Well Tempered Amadeus GTA with a Van den Hul Colibri Gold Coil cartridge into an Art Audio Vinyl Reference phono pre amp (the Well Tempered external power supply at $400 was used with both tables). This setup was sublime…Everything the Well Tempered/EMT/Roksan setup had and much, much more. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better Dale pulled this out. He assured me that we only got about 90% of the goodie out of it because we were running out of time for setup and warmup…but let me assure you that 90% of that setup is what dreams are made of.

Now is the time to say it. The Line Magnetic 218 and Auditorium 23’s were amazing. Every change shone clearly and every recording sounded different. Everything we listened to sounded great and most of all fun. The recordings that Dale chose were straight out of his library and were not waiting when I arrived. We were listening to music and not reference recordings and that has always meant taking a risk that something will sound bad…not with this setup. Let me add that nothing here was rolled off or dumbed down this was pure resolution and as clear a window as I’ve experienced. Instruments sounded natural and real and in proper proportion to one another, and the dialogue taking place between the artists was communicated clearly. I now understand resolution and “open” in a whole new way. The greater the resolution and the more open a window the setup is, the less likely anything in a music collection will not be listenable and enjoyable.

The GTA/Colibri setup was the climax of a wonderful day of music…it was like the cherry on top. It’s difficult to put into words how good this was. I heard so deeply into the recordings as to feel that I was sitting among the musicians as they played in real time. I was hearing not only the instruments being played but the body of each instrument and how it contributed to the overall sound and how the recording space blended with the sound of the music. I could hear the musicians talking to one another, clearly. All of this added to the experience rather than detracting from it. This was truly edge of the seat listening as every note hung onto the next. The most immersive and engaging experience I’ve had with recorded music…and as a Dale Shepherd special he brought out an electronica/hip hop kinda LP, frankly I don’t even know who it was as that ain’t my bag, but he wanted to show me just how much “ bumps” this setup had and let me tell you I still don’t know how the 3xl’s do it.

Well the time had come to head home and I was exhausted. What a great day of music and merriment!

I want to thank Dale Shepherd of Eugene HiFi and his lovely wife Doreen for their hospitality. Jonathan Halpern of Tone Imports for bringing us wonderful products like the Line Magnetic 218 and Auditorium 23 cables, both were truly a revelation. Mike Pranka of Toffco for what I believe are the best buy in analog today, the Well Tempered line of turntables. And of course John DeVore for designing speakers that are for music lovers and not HiFi enthusiasts. That brings to a close another wonderful day of listening and in the company of One Magnetic Monkey.

Peace out!

For more information about the products above contact Dale Shepherd at Eugene HiFi.

http://www.eugenehifi.com/index.htm