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| The London Reference Phono Cartridge |
 Based
on the original Decca cartridge, the Reference is neither moving coil
nor moving magnet. It has no cantilever, and its generating elements
are just 2 mm above the elongated line contact stylus tip. The
result is a level of direct contact with the music that is unmatched.
We liked it so much when we reviewed it (read the review here in PDF) that we bought it.The Reference works well in most arms (except straight-line tracking arms that are very short). It tracks between 1.6 and 2 grams (we suggest 2 g), and in our tests it tracked even the most modulated test discs.. It has 5 mV output, suitable for a standard MM phono input. List price US$5295. ORDER LRC, London Reference cartridge, $4695  |
| The Goldring Elite Phono Cartridge |
 If
you have limited funds for a cartridge, but you absolutely want a model
with a line contact stylus that can play more of the groove, this is a
good solution. The Elite is a detuned (and far less expensive) version
of the Excel, which we used in our Omega system until we got our hands
on the London Reference (above), and which we still use in our Alpha
system). This is a low voltage (0.5 mV) moving coil cartridge,
requiring a phono preamp with an MC input (it may work with some MM
preamps, with increased noise). Recommended tracking pressure is 1.5 to
2 g. It is fitted with a factory-replaceable Gyger I line
contact stylusORDER GEC, Goldring Elite cartridge, $745 |
| Other cartridges |
 The Goldring 1012GX phono cartridge The 1012GX is a moving magnet cartridge we have selected for its relatively low inductance (the Achilles heel of most MM cartridges), and its Gyger-2 stylus. This is a line contact stylus, which plays the groove walls, not just one tiny point on each wall. It gives smooth extended high frequencies, low distortion and reproduces a highly detailed and dynamic sound. ORDER 1012GX Goldring MM pickup, $379
The Goldring 1042 phono cartridge The Goldring Eroica phono cartridges |
| Simaudio Moon 310LP phono preamp |
 Here
it is, the successor to the LP5.3 phono preamp, with even lower noise.
How good is this phono preamp? In our review in UHF No. 83 (which
you can read in PDF form),
we called its performance magnificent, and we said it was a serious
challenge to our reference phono preamplifier. What's more, it's quiet.
No, not quiet, silent!Now you can order your own 310LP from our Audiophile Store. It's switchable between MM mode (for high-level cartridges) and MC (for low-impedance cartridges. For MC, the impedance and capacitance can be adjusted to suit your cartridge. This is done internally with jumpers, but on request we will ship yours already adjusted to your specifications. We show the silver version, but the black one is available on special order. Add a suitable high-quality interconnect cable, balanced or coaxial, at the same time at a bargain price. ORDER 310LP, Moon phono preamp, silver, $1799 ORDER 310LP, Moon phono preamp, black, $1799 Add one of these warmly-recommended interconnect cables from Atlas, at 55% of normal price, only if ordered at the same time as the LP5.3 (for full information, see our Cable page). ORDER ANA-1 Navigator All-Cu, 1m, $405, for $260 ORDER ANA-2 Navigator All-Cu, 2m, $495 for $350 ORDER ANAB-1 Navigator balanced, 1m, $675, for $475 ORDER AMI-1, 1 meter Mavros, $1195, for $895 ORDER AMI-2, 2 meter Mavros, $1895, for $1495 |
| Power supply for the 310LP |
 Make
it even better,by adding the 320S external power supply. Want stronger
dynamics and a deeper soundstage? The 320S catapults Simaudio's best
preamp into super preamp territoryORDER 320S, Moon power supply, silver, $1399 ORDER 320S, Moon power supply, black, $1399 |
| Moon 110LP MC/MM phono preamp |
 How
can Simaudio replicate the success of the LP5.3 (now called the 310LP)
for a thousand bucks less? There are fewer settings, there's no
balanced output, and the power supply is a "wall wart." Yes, it still
has MM and MC settings, and it's still both musical and silent. We
don't know of anything near that price that can compare. You can read our review of the 110LP (combined with the review of the Nerve phono preamp, below), in PDF format. You can also read our review of the LP3.On request, we'll preset it for your choice of cartridge, MM or MC. Add a Quadstar interconnect cable, in either kit or assembled form at a tremendous bargain price, if ordered at the sale time as a 110LP. ORDER 110LP, Moon phono preamp, $599 ORDER AQS-1, Kit ,1 m Quadstar, $124.95, for $59.95 with 110LP ORDER AQS-1A, Fully assembled Quadstar, $199.95, for $99.95 with 110LP BY THE WAY... |
| The Nerve hundred buck phono stage |
 Can
you believe it's possible to make a phono stage for $99.95 that isn't
so screechy it makes your ears bleed? We didn't believe it either,
until we reviewed the PH-1. Amazing. Read the review in PDF
(we tested it alongside the Moon 110LP, above). It needs no settings,
and it is, of course, only for MM and high-output MC cartridges. |
| The Rega Fono (closeout) |
|
It's
easy to find a pretty good phono stage for just a few hundred dollars,
but "pretty good" is not what gets us excited. So we were delighted
when we ran across the Rega Fono (UHF No. 65), offering wonderful
musicality at an astonishing price. The only down side: it wouldn't
take low-voltage MC pickups. Now there's a version that does.
And since a lot of dealers won't carry it because they've forgotten analog ever existed, the natural place to get it is The Audiophile Store.  What
we have in stock is the MC version, which is for low-output moving coil
cartridges (typically 2.5 to 5 microvolts). It has internal adjustments
for both load resistance and capacitance, to match the recommendations
of your cartridge manufacturer. In both versions, the power "brick" is
a transformer only, with the rest of the power supply inside the main
unit. You can read the comparative test with the Lehmann Black Cube in PDF format.ORDER RF-MC moving coil Fono, $399 |
The Atlas Quadstar phono cable |
Do
even expensive tone arm come with the best cables? Generally not, but
if your arm has a male five-pin DIN connector at the bottom, then
changing the cable is plug-and-play. Just unplug the existing cable, and plug in this unit, with its astonishing gold DIN plug.. Screw the black box to the inside of the plinth, and use whatever cable you like. You can even compare them. The photo shows the version with the straight plug, which requires at least 7 cm of clear space below the arm. If your plinth is too shallow, just order the version with the angled DIN plug, which can get by with 2 cm clearance. To choose a suitable cable, visit our cable page. ORDER AQPS Quadstar phono box, straight DIN $248 ORDER AQPA Quadstar phono box, angled DIN $248 |
A CD to burn-in your phono stage |
| Phono Burn-In & RIAA Test CD Got a phono preamp, or an amp with a phono section? So how do you 
break it in, short of playing deejay for the next 50 or 100 hours? The
Phono Burn-In and RIAA Test CD from Granite Audio is the answer. Its
signals are recorded on a CD at low level, with an inverse RIAA
equalization applied. Just connect a CD player to the phono input, and
put this CD in repeat mode. Separate sections for MM and MC inputs. Put
an output meter on the amp, and see whether the equalization curve of
your phono section is accurate.ORDER: CD-101 $46.50 ORDER: CD-101 at the same time as one of the phono stages above (one CD per purchase) $28.50 |
|
For your turntable belt |
| Rubber Renue belt treatment Sometimes you discover things accidentally.  We've
often see those bottles of gunk that makes a drive belt sticky so that
it works for a while even if it's stretched beyond recognition. Rubber
Renue is not that. We first used it on a turntable belt that was
starting to slip. Not only did it stop slipping, but we were surprised
to hear that the turntable sounded better than it ever had before. Once
we changed the belt, we tried an experiment: we used Rubber Renue on it
before we installed it. The result was striking: a smoother, less
"pebbly" sound that was closer to live music. This is a cheap tweak
too, because a bottle of this stuff will most likely last you for life.
We've used it long enough that we can say confidently that it doesn't
reduce the belt's useful life. We've been recommending it for a while,
but everyone tells us they don't know where to find it. Well, now you
know...you can get it at The Audiophile Store.ORDER: RRU-100 $14.95 |
|
The Zerostat Anti-Static Gun |
 Remember
when Discwasher had a device just like this? Point it at a record, a
computer printer--anything bothered by static--and pull the trigger.
The air becomes momentarily conductive, and drains off the static
charge! It's so useful we actually own two of them! It's $94.95, needs
no batteries, and lasts for decades.ORDER Z-1 anti-static pistol |
The Super Exstatic record brush |
 We
had never been keen on fancy record brushes, because we had never seen
one that was worth the bother. Well, we've changed our mind! We are
ecstatic about the Goldring Super Exstatic record brush, which does a
fine job of getting litter off the disc. The brush centre is of very
short nap velvet, so firm it feels almost like rubber. On each side is
a row of fine carbon fibre tufts, to catch what the velvet picks up.
And it picks up a lot! Now that we've tried it, we wouldn't be without
it.ORDER GSX, $36 |
|
Titan Oil for your stylus |
 There's
some weird chemistry involved in high end hi-fi, but we heard the
effect of this product with our own ears. Titan Oil is a lubricant for
your stylus, and it audibly reduces harshness and high frequency
distortion. Just use a small artist's brush (not included, though we
wish it were) to put some on, and do it again every week or so...more
if you play a lot of records. Caution: it does make the stylus
slightly sticky, and for that reason it picks up more dust balls. But
since we got our Exstatic brush (see above) that just isn't a problem.ORDER TSO-1, $39.95 |
The UHF Record Cleaning Fluid |
Our
carefully-designed solvent is meant for the LP-cleaning machine whose
plans are found in UHF No. 58. It is safe for both the machine and
your records. We've gotten a lot of repeat orders for this product. NOTE: the manufacturers of some cleaning machines say they will void your warranty if you use any fluid but theirs. Our solvent is supplied as a concentrate, which can be used to make 4 liters of fluid (you must supply the demineralized or distilled water). Instructions are included. ORDER LPC fluid, $19.95 |
DUST CLEANERS |
You're not getting the best from vinyl if there's dust on your stylus. We have two solutions, and we use both ourselves.  The Enzow Zerodust is a gummy substance that you dip your styus into. Remove it, and the dust stays behind. Wash it under the tap when needed. ORDER EZ Enzow Zerodust, $66.95 Now and then you can remove dirt from the whole stylus assembly with the Mobile Fidelity cleaner. The cap includes a small brush. Stroke from rear to front, let dry (about 10 seconds), and you're good. ORDER LP9, Mobile Fidelity stylus cleaner, $24 |
The Record Clamp |
 Did
you know that a record clamped to the turntable plays for a slightly
shorter time than one that isn't? It's easy to figure out the
cause...record slippage. But a heavy clamp will change the action of
your turntable suspension. Enter the J.A. Michell record clamp, which
is light, but fastens by tightening a collet. It hardly adds anything
to the weight. It is, by the way, what we use on our Audiomeca J-1
reference turntable and our Linn LP12. The current version is no longer
gold, as shown, but black with a silver knob. We also have a special
all-black version meant for turntables with very short posts, such as
Regas.ORDER MRC clamp, $75 ORDER MRC-R clamp for Rega, $85 |
Mobile Fidelity record sleeves |
 Even
some new recordings seem to get noisier with each play. Why? Often it's
the fault of the inner sleeve (if there even is one!), which traps dirt
and tiny chunks of paraffin, and contains its own grit particles which
get pressed into the grooves. The MoFi sleeves are soft plastic inside
paperboard. Because the plastic is softer than vinyl, any grit
particles will get pressed into the sleeve itself, not into the disc.
This is where any disc should be placed once it's been cleaned. ORDER:
MFS, 50 sleeves, $30 |
ALL PRICES SHOWN IN CANADIAN DOLLARS. FOR ORDERING INFORMATION, IN CANADA OR ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, GO BACK TO THE MAIN AUDIOPHILE STORE PAGE. |
