Goebel statement power cable is the best of the best I have tried in recent years. Never have I experienced a power cable with such resolution but without tilting up the tonal balance. Most power cables can't do the bass right. Maybe up to lower mid bass, most still pass but Goebel statement is simply another league. It has the right energy balance without compromising transients. The calmness and stability rendered by the hardwares after using it is in a class of its own. High frequency is not sharp but carry a palpable dimensionality like the real instrument. I am breathless.
The new master reference tone arm by Micha of Thales, Simplicity 2, has already arrived HK ahead of the premier at Munich Show. According to Micha, the Simplicity 2 has substantially surpassed the previous flagship, Thales AV Original. For those who had already experienced how good is the Thales AV original at the analog shop of Master Chik shall know what level of performance we are referring to. Micha told me that he was shocked by the substantial improvement over the previous flagship and the only reference he can think of is master tape machine. The perfection of tracking has broken new ground and macrodynamics have leapfrogged the flagship.
In order to make the best of it, I have already acquired an ANNA by Ortofon and the Platnium Colbirum with wooden body. I will let Master Chik to decide which cartridge to mount.
With the Wadax Ultimate phono's mapping capability, alongside the perfection of tracking by Thales, analog at AE has kept breaking uncharted territory in the past few months.
In order to push the envelope further, I have also decided to order a SRA VIRIGINA CLASS purposely built for the turntable.
I set up Simplicity 2 last evening. It is an amazing arm. Dynamics and sound-colors are very good, slightly better than previous Thales Flagship/. But, what is most remarkable, is the outstanding directness of sound - even more direct than Durand Telos. Three-dimensional papability is ahead of Telos given perfect tracking. Presentations of dynamics are different. Simplicity 2 is much more direct, whereas Telos is attached with a character - a freer expression.
Directness of simplicity 2 is unprecedented. People who have experiences of using vDH platinum Colibri should know what directness means. Super-impose such concept on the Simplicity 2, then one can imagine the illusonary window of transparency it offers into the musical venue. It is a great deal when price is considered.
Had the pleasure of a visit to AE last week to listen to the Wadax Ultimate phono. I have the Wadax Ultimate at home so i know how good it is in PureDac mode, but no turntable as yet so i'd never heard the phono stage.
I must admit even knowing how good the DAC is, somehow there is a feeling that a digital phono stage must lose something in the AD/DA conversion? But i guess as you all know, it was shockingly good!
PT played some rare Beethoven record and I have to say it was just marvelous. No audiophile cliches, it was just wonderful. Now I am very much looking forward to getting my turntable!
It has been some time since my last post at the forum. Certainly more than I like, as I enjoy very much discussing our common passion, and many times does the job as a ‘vision generator’ for new features or advancements.
The reason is that I have been working in new Wadax projects.. they have been really demanding!. Again, new core technologies were involved. The goal was very ambitious. First lab results show are ahead of expectations… but better than words, my advice is to wait a bit and experience by yourself.
So the good part behind these quiet couple of months, is that we will have surprises…very soon. It will be as soon as I visit HK in early August, and where AE will unveil something new.. in a Worldwide Premiere.
I have been following the forum for more than a year. I only install my turntable for two years and I am still learning. I enjoy reading the comments from all users very much.
After a long consideration, I finally bought the new Wadax trio in replacement of my Burmester phono. I still haven't do any correction in the Wadax but it already sounds great. For example, when I listen the "Moon is a Harsh Mistress" FairyTales by Radka Toneff, I feel vocal is more touching and piano sounds more real than before. When I play the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 by Martha Argerich live recording, I definitely feel myself sitting closer to the piano and hearing it has not been totally covered by the orchestra. I have only spent a few days with it and there are lot for me to learn and explore.
Great taste! Wadax phono is one hell of a gem for as long as you need an open mind to accept new idea. It outperforms your burmester by a wide margin is not a surprise. In Taiwan, everyone knows it outperforms the Boulder 2000 phono also by a margin. I am referring to standard RIAA, before mapping even has taken place.
I presume you are using simplicity 2 arm and madake? Are you using Vetere HB phono cable? If not, get one and then you would know how far the wadax and your overall analog front end can achieve.
I am also using Wadax Trio as phono together with computer audio. It serves me tremendously well on both digital world and vinyl world. Frankly, do we really need to ponder over the point if it is a digital phono or analog as long as the ultimate goal is to achieve hi fidelity in playing back. It does not require one to use all the vintage gears in order to replicate the 1960,70 era in order to be a hardcore vinyl fans. My belief is more on technology advancement like Wadax and think out of the box design like Trinity and Vertere.
I am benchmarking Trinity 'analog' phono side by side by Wadax and yet for months of swapping back and forth, there is no clear winner.
I would also highlight Michael's point on 'mapping' phono as the next step in phono performance. Neither Michael's nor Marvel's Trios are mapped, so I take the chance to explain a bit more on the aspects that mapping improves.
Mapping eliminates time alignment distortion, spectral aberrations, loading non-linearities, inter-channel imbalance, some modulation effects (inherent in moving parts with suspensions, i.e. cartridges) to name a few.
These effects come up in the path from the groove's pickup, up to the input section of the phono preamplifier. The phono preamplifier can be ideal but the largest damage done to the signal read from the groove occurs BEFORE reaching the electronics. The correction of these effects is our focus. We apply an ultra-sophisticated feedforward process to perform this.
Listening results make mapped vs mapped simply incomparable as virtually every key aspect is improved.
The pattern we use to know how a user's phono system performs is our custom lacquer. We are now in version v3.5 of it. With every new lacquer we are able to retrieve a better 'fingerprint' of your phono system.
Best of all is that the Trio already has everything you need to map a system; no extra is required.
Michael and Marvel, we will be pleased to go through the mapping process in your Trio's at your convenience so you can experience the ultimate level of performance that the phono section of the Trio can deliver.
Comments
In order to make the best of it, I have already acquired an ANNA by Ortofon and the Platnium Colbirum with wooden body. I will let Master Chik to decide which cartridge to mount.
With the Wadax Ultimate phono's mapping capability, alongside the perfection of tracking by Thales, analog at AE has kept breaking uncharted territory in the past few months.
In order to push the envelope further, I have also decided to order a SRA VIRIGINA CLASS purposely built for the turntable.
Directness of simplicity 2 is unprecedented. People who have experiences of using vDH platinum Colibri should know what directness means. Super-impose such concept on the Simplicity 2, then one can imagine the illusonary window of transparency it offers into the musical venue. It is a great deal when price is considered.
I must admit even knowing how good the DAC is, somehow there is a feeling that a digital phono stage must lose something in the AD/DA conversion? But i guess as you all know, it was shockingly good!
PT played some rare Beethoven record and I have to say it was just marvelous. No audiophile cliches, it was just wonderful. Now I am very much looking forward to getting my turntable!
The reason is that I have been working in new Wadax projects.. they have been really demanding!. Again, new core technologies were involved. The goal was very ambitious. First lab results show are ahead of expectations… but better than words, my advice is to wait a bit and experience by yourself.
So the good part behind these quiet couple of months, is that we will have surprises…very soon. It will be as soon as I visit HK in early August, and where AE will unveil something new.. in a Worldwide Premiere.
In the photo, the skeleton of the surprise….
Cheers to all readers and friends,
Javier
After a long consideration, I finally bought the new Wadax trio in replacement of my Burmester phono. I still haven't do any correction in the Wadax but it already sounds great. For example, when I listen the "Moon is a Harsh Mistress" FairyTales by Radka Toneff, I feel vocal is more touching and piano sounds more real than before. When I play the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 by Martha Argerich live recording, I definitely feel myself sitting closer to the piano and hearing it has not been totally covered by the orchestra. I have only spent a few days with it and there are lot for me to learn and explore.
Great taste! Wadax phono is one hell of a gem for as long as you need an open mind to accept new idea. It outperforms your burmester by a wide margin is not a surprise. In Taiwan, everyone knows it outperforms the Boulder 2000 phono also by a margin. I am referring to standard RIAA, before mapping even has taken place.
I presume you are using simplicity 2 arm and madake? Are you using Vetere HB phono cable? If not, get one and then you would know how far the wadax and your overall analog front end can achieve.
Enjoy!
I am benchmarking Trinity 'analog' phono side by side by Wadax and yet for months of swapping back and forth, there is no clear winner.
I would also highlight Michael's point on 'mapping' phono as the next step in phono performance. Neither Michael's nor Marvel's Trios are mapped, so I take the chance to explain a bit more on the aspects that mapping improves.
Mapping eliminates time alignment distortion, spectral aberrations, loading non-linearities, inter-channel imbalance, some modulation effects (inherent in moving parts with suspensions, i.e. cartridges) to name a few.
These effects come up in the path from the groove's pickup, up to the input section of the phono preamplifier. The phono preamplifier can be ideal but the largest damage done to the signal read from the groove occurs BEFORE reaching the electronics. The correction of these effects is our focus. We apply an ultra-sophisticated feedforward process to perform this.
Listening results make mapped vs mapped simply incomparable as virtually every key aspect is improved.
The pattern we use to know how a user's phono system performs is our custom lacquer. We are now in version v3.5 of it. With every new lacquer we are able to retrieve a better 'fingerprint' of your phono system.
Best of all is that the Trio already has everything you need to map a system; no extra is required.
Michael and Marvel, we will be pleased to go through the mapping process in your Trio's at your convenience so you can experience the ultimate level of performance that the phono section of the Trio can deliver.
Saludos from Madrid